3RD OCTOBER 1997
EP 15
“Good morning sir, this is the police force, may i see your driver’s license please?” Nikolas requested with a deceitful smile on his face. “Officer officer, i have my driver license” the driver replied with a friendly smile and handed him the driver’s license. “Sir, can you please park well besides the road here?” Nikolas demanded. “Officer, we’re in a hurry and need to get to somewhere as fast as possible, please use this one hold body and free your boys na” the boss spoke from the back seat when he noticed Nikolas was been too rigid than the usual men on uniforms they usually meet on the road. Nikolas smirked at him as he forcefully opened the back door pointing his gunn directly at the boss, before the driver could pick up his gunn from beneath his feets, one of Nikolas boys had pointed his gunn right on his head already. “Any funny move, i waste your life ” he warned gravely and the driver raised his hand in surrender.
The boss was beyond surprised, he was still wondering what was going on, he wondered why would the police become so unpredictable acting more like a criminall than officers. He raised his hand over his head in surrender as he was been commanded to walked down from the car. Earlier when they were few minutes away from the police, they had put down their gunss under the floor of the car in other to avoid suspicion from the police. When they noticed the unusual behaviours from the police, they wanted to immediately picked up their gunss but it was too late as the four men gallantly pointed their gunss at them. “This time around, you failed” Samuel said with a mockingg laughter as the three gang men were bundled away in their own cars by Nickolas while the others followed behind with great speed. People watched in awe wondering what exactly had just happened but with perfectly neatly dressed police officers pointing their gunss at some dreadlocks looking guys, people already had their judgment in favours of Nikolas and his boys.
Mr Jege was restless when he called countless times without any response or feedback from the people he hired to snatch away Samuel’s life. When it was 4pm that very day, his bloodd pressure doubled and he panicked so much that he almost lost his life.
“Who sent you, you don’t have to lie to me because i already know who you works for!!” Samuel said as he stared deadlyy at the one they regarded as the boss. The three men were blindfolded and taken to one of Samuel’s secret houses in the heart of the city. When they entered into the room, he unfolded their eyes leaving their legs and hands still tied. Samuel pointed his pistol at them one after another threatening to sniffed away life out of anybody that dared lie to him. “You came for my life because you were paid, i will just assume out of my good heart that you accepted the offer because of poverty. I’m not as cruell and heartlesss as your boss so, i will give you all just one chance to keep your life. I will call your boss with your phone, you just have to compose yourself and speak to him without any tone of doubt, tell him you have cleanly done the job” Samuel told the boss as he squat down to his position. From the looks on Samuel’s eyes, they could feel the brimming hatred coming from his every breath.
“It was few minutes past 6pm when Mr Jege received the call, he asked instantly about the outcome of the operation. “Sir, it was successfully done sir, his body was dumped somewhere very far away from the city as you ordered sir”. Mr Jege gave out a loud breath of relief. He had been in great tension since late morning, now that the operation was swift and successful, he had nothing to worry about anymore. “My good friend Idoko, I’m sorry but i had no option but to do this. It’s a cruell world since the beginning ” he whispered into the shadows of the air as he walked back to his room with nostalgic feelings about the entire situation.
It was Tuesday, the great day. The day that everyone were eagerly waiting for, the day that a new history was to be made in the history of BEICO CONSTRUCTION LIMITED. Mr Jege had little to no worries, he had already bought the consciences of many shareholders through briberyy and promises. With his 35 percent shares, he just needed twenty percent more to secure the position for his son. From his calculation so far, he was guaranteed to have a total of over seventy percent shares if the people who pledged support to him turned up. Very early in the morning, he had already dressed in his best attires waiting for Donald to finished dressing. “Dad, one would think you’re the one that’s going to become the chairman again!” Donald joked and they both smiled as the driver zoomed off.
“Son, seeing you becoming the head of the company has always been my dream. Even though BEICO CONSTRUCTION LIMITED was founded by chairman Akele, it was the money he borrowed from my father, your grandfather that made him into what it is today. When i was young, my father told me that, when chairman Akele borrowed money from him and founded BEICO CONSTRUCTION LIMITED, he pledged him twenty percent of the company’s shares in compensation for his kindness but when the chairman became successful, he abandoned my father and never fulfilled his promises. My father told me on his deadd bed to not avenge him since he was repaid the loan but I’m not a weakling as my father. Akele had lived his life in luxuries, affluence and honour but now that he’s gone, it’s the turn of the Jege’s to rule the world. Son, the world has always been a place where the strongest survives so, don’t be weak or too forgiving, you are going to be the new owner of the BEICO’s. After the inauguration, get married, have kids and hand the company over to them” Mr Jege told Donald on their ways to the office.
At the office, the large meeting hall was perfectly organized. Men who controls the company by the volumes of their shares sat proudly waiting for the arrivals of the chairman. Richard sat quietly in the meeting hall waiting for the chairman. His mind was in turbulence disunity, he kept imagining the worst possible outcome of the day. For over three months now, Richard had restlessly and secretly persuaded several shareholders to support him. He made several promises about his ideas of promoting great intentional standards in the company. Several of the shareholders had also secretly pledged alliance with him but they still were weighing their options. The number of supports Richard can have in the meeting will determine some of the shareholders decision.
Everyone stood up on their feets to welcome the chairman as he stepped into hall. Donald walked behind him and sat beside him too. Mr Jege scanned the entire hall and noticed two seats were empty. He knew whom the owners of those two seats were, he had earlier spoke with them on the phone on his way to the office and they promised they were coming. Their absence doesn’t bothered him much because minus the two of them, he had enough support to win the situation.
They was something bothering Mr Jege about this shareholders meeting, they was a particular invisible person having a whooping twenty five percent shares of the company, this particular person had never shown his face to the public. With the number of the company shares Mr Jege had, he decided to brushed aside this invisible person since a mere twenty five percent won’t be enough to overturn any situation unless the others betrayed him which he considered impossible because of the amount of money he promised each of them for their supports.
“Today is a great day in the history of our company, BEICO CONSTRUCTION LIMITED have come a long way through the unfading support from each and everyone of you here. I’m saying thank you great men for your unwavering commitment to the progress of the company. Today, as clearly stated in the agenda of the meeting, it’s a time to officially enthrone director Donald Jege as the new chairman of this great company. BEICO CONSTRUCTION LIMITED has always been a democratic company committed to transparency and accountability. For every shareholders who is willing to cast his support to the appointment of director Donald should please cast their support willingly” Mr Jege announced and was about casting his vote when he was stopped by a very familiar voice.
“I Richard, the head of the customer service department, the son of the formal late chairman and founder of BEICO CONSTRUCTION LIMITED sincerely wish to announce my interest in the position of the company’s chairmanship!!” Richard said using all his courage. His announcement brought great whispering to the hall, his declaration made several shareholders had a second thought over their earlier decision but they had to be careful so as to not be caught in a wrong net.
Mr Jege was beyond surprised, great angered welled up in him, he felt like pouncing on Richard and tear him in pieces but he was in a public and must exercise caution. He swallowed hard his saliva and instructed the moderator of the meeting to make provision for two votes.
“Shareholders, be free, be bold and cast your vote according to your choices” the moderator announced and the vote casting began. Donald scowled at Richard with his eyes from his seat, he felt hatrefd for his betrayer but he silently prayed he lost. “Rats thinking they’re cats simply because cats choose to stay asleep!!” Mr Jege said to himself rhetorically as Richard walked to the ballot box to cast his own vote.
TBC
