I've been wanting to write about our amazing driver (in the black shirt) for quite a long time. His name is Jide, short for Olajide. He's a Christian. His wife was Muslim but converted, with the blessing of her family, when Jide wanted to marry her. They have 5 kids ranging in age from 23 to 5. The youngest is their only daughter.
Jide is the oldest child in his family -- a family that includes Jide's father/the patriarch, 3 wives and a kaboodle of daughters (most of them Jide's half sisters as almost all of his sisters have died -- one during childbirth and another to unknown causes, ...) Jide is the only male, which makes him extra dear to his father. Jide's mother is the old man's first wife and the most beloved of the wives. Yes, I've had many long discussions with Jide about polygamy -- isn't one wife enough to handle, anyway? :-) Thankfully, that practice is disappearing with younger generations. Though, for the wealthy, it's still very prestigious!
Jide acts like my personal assistant. He's always planning ahead for trips I need to make during the week. He could take new arrivals on the "three hour tour" I usually provide and I wouldn't even need to be around. He knows how to tailor the tour to their nationality and interests. He knows the places that are most important to show them. And he can converse with them and answer their questions quite well. He's gracious to each one though he does become more quiet, I've noticed, with those individuals who arrive with an attitude. He reminds me of things I ask him to help me not forget. He records every business trip we make -- beginning km reading, ending km reading, purpose of trip, etc. I don't have to even check his math -- he calculates the whole report so that I can simply turn it in for reimbursement.
We entrust our lives to Jide's care each day. He knows how to avoid trouble spots; he drives defensively, constantly murmuring and muttering about the crazy drivers out there. He even thinks that if we ever got hit by a crazy driver he would be at fault because it should be his responsibility to be alert for every crazy one out there! (That's a bit unrealistic but we do appreciate his goals and standards!)
We never have to problem solve for Jide; we just present the facts and he works out a solution. This is an amazingly rare trait in, even for those who work alongside Jim in the industry!
He is an independent thinker. He is intrigued by, but rarely supportive of, Nigerian politics. I gain a lot from his insights into the latest scandal-of-the-day. We had quite a discussion today on our way home in the traffic. Tomorrow could be quite an historic day for the country. The tribunal (the very same that has ruled that at least 9 governors are in office due to illegal elections) will be ruling on the legality of the president's claim to the role -- the elections were totally rigged by the president's party but probably not by him -- the former president, Obasanjo, is the real culprit. But I appreciate Jide's honest assessment of his own pathetic government. He is ashamed of his leaders but he still holds out hope for his country. He has to, really, in order to make it on a day-to-day basis.
Jide is about as honest as they come in Nigeria -- we trust him at least 95% of the time which is a whole lot more than the typical situation! If the circumstances had been different, he could have been a major CEO in some business. He's quick, great with people, and completely diligent and responsible. Because he did not have the opportunity, he is pouring himself into his children, especially his youngest son. He pays for their education out of his meager wages from the company our company pays and the overtime that we pay him. He trains his children in the evenings every chance he gets. He wants them to learn the value of hard and honest labor. He wants them to pursue education even if the quality of education in the schools is such that he needs to pay for private tutors to REALLY provide an education for his kids.
His youngest son, Jonathan is his Christian name, began school all on his own initiative before he was three years old. He insisted on going off to school with an older brother. Jide and his wife believed the boy would tire of the requirements within the first day but the boy has never stopped! This guy loves to read long into the night. So, I just gave him a copy of the complete Chronicles of Narnia and the kid is devouring it! I can't remember if the boy is 7 or 9 years old but he's a little guy! I've got a children's devotional Bible that I want to give him for his next read! Jide is so proud of his kids. And he is committed to see them go farther than he ever could.
Jide loves Jesus. He's a bit messed up by the prevailing false teaching of the country -- the demands that everyone gives to "God" out of their poverty so that "God" (translated the pastor) can drive a fleet of 20 different cars. Anyone is bound to misjudge God based upon the phony people who dare to carry His name. But we've had some great conversations with Jide, showing him how the God of the Bible is so very different from this "witch doctor/magician/movie star" god of this country.
On our way home from the beach this weekend, we had our cook, Michel with us -- because we had a bunch of guests and Michel did all of the grilling. Imagine the amazing discussions we had as both Jide and Michel were firing questions at us all the while we drove down the road (other than during the time that we had to hide, with our escorts, in a village until armed robbers passed by on the main highway -- the escorts have radios and get reports of all problems.) Questions usually started with "does God really say that ..." and were followed by some obnoxious false teaching that only benefits the bank accounts of the pastors.
Jide is one major reason that we can survive in this crazy place. He gives us hope in the people of this nation. He's a bright light in a very dark place. And he has such potential. We know that any money we give him will be well invested and well budgeted. We know that the countless hours we spend talking with him will matter for eternity. It is our privilege to have Jide in our lives. We are blessed.
So, I'll write soon about Michel ... another amazing blessing we have -- another precious human being for whom Jesus died!
