How I Became a Taxi Driver in Lagos With GAS

By Ishaq Kunle Sanni

Many would be wondering what GAS is, is it the gas in the kitchen or the one exported from the Niger Delta to boost the Nigerian economy?

Our age group in the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) knows GAS is a human being. GAS was an abbreviation from Gani Adebayo Salami and actually the Principal character in this write-up, not me. Your guess is as good as mine that our ways crossed as members of the MSSN of the 70’s and 80’s. But practically, we became more intimate after the formation of the COMYO (Council of Muslim Youth Organizations) that eventually metamorphosed to NACOMYO when it became a National Organization.

As Coordinator of the Oyo State branch my tentacles covered all the nooks and crannies of Oyo State including Kishi, where GAS was a young and dynamic Muslim Youth leader under another vibrant if not the most vibrant Muslim Youth Organization of that time YOUMBAS ( Young Muslim Brothers And Sisters).

Kishi was one of the towns with overwhelming Muslim population, but like virtually, all other towns in Oyo State was under absolute control of the Christians who unfortunately hated Islam with passion almost to the point of dehumanization.

We cannot forget Chief Aderounmu erstwhile commissioner for Education in oyo state in a hurry leading the pack of our persecutors, traducers and tormentors. Alhamdulilah he was alive by the time Islam took over in Kishi to his mental torture.

A revolution to liberate, emancipate, and extricate Kishi Muslims from the shackles of Christian oppression came through a Christmas day ‘coup’ led by GAS and supported by NACOMYO under my leadership. Muslims for decades were railroaded into the outrageous belief that Christmas was for everybody irrespective of religious affiliation.

So Muslim children added a lot of glamour to the festival wearing beautiful apparel and attending church services meant to commemorate the auspicious occasion. That year, it was decided that rather than celebrating with the Christians, they would organize a big rally for Muslims. The Christians were perturbed that churches were empty on Christmas eve and, on their way home from the church, started stoning the Muslims in annoyance at their special rally.

Since all petrol stations, bakeries, and some other strategic household utilities were exclusively owned by Muslim businessmen, an economic embargo was declared on Christians in Kishi.

Muslims should not sell petrol or bread to them and so on. They had to send emissaries to appeal to Muslims as they had to go to neighboring towns like igbeti to get their utilities. Of course, Gas became an instant hero, and when during elections, it became a tradition that if you were not a Muslim, your chance of winning an election was zero. It was role reversed as in the past, the Christian minority were in control of the political landscape in Kishi, taking advantage of their front role in the acquisition of Western Education.

The above preamble suffices.

Dr Ganiyu Adebayo Salami had a meteoric rise in the civil service using two important tools:

1. His superb human relationship laced with uncommon humour. He knew the children of the boss more than their father.

2. His proficiency in Hausa language, which he acquired in Northern Ghana where he was born, was used to a great advantage.

Very early in the service he was appointed PA (Personal Assistant) to the secretary to the Government under the military interregnum of Babangida, Alh Aliyu Muhammed one of the most humble and detribalized Nigerian. At night in his house, you sometimes find more Southerners than Northerners coming to ask for favours from him.

Alh Salami had a government flat at igbobi, and as a poor friend, I was staying with him while working in lagos. These were periods when getting a job was extremely easy in Nigeria that you have many vacant positions begging for prospective grabbers. I worked at Continental Pharmacy and moved to Pepsi Cola on the same road in Oshodi.

Car loan was available just for asking, and Alhaji GAS got a loan of four thousand eight hundred Naira. He went to Ibadan to see Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao, the philanthropic legend who was never tired of doing good. He knew GAS as a veteran of YOUMBAS. Arisekola was their grand patron.

The Aare Musulumi was the main distributor for Nissan or Datsun cars in Nigeria. The Datsun car of his choice was three thousand six hundred naira and to get to buy, you may be on the queue for three months because the demand was excessive and there was plenty of money in the economy. Alh Abdulazeez Arisekola gave GAS a discount of six hundred Naira which was a lot of money in those days and did the insurance from his Lister Insurance for him free of charge. He got the car the same day. When he brought it to our lagos’ house and beckoned me to go and pray at it, I told him I didn’t see any car but a taxi. He said that was the car. I told him I don’t understand, GAS laughed and said “KUNLE, TANI BABA MI TI MA A MA GUN PLEASURE”.

I have converted it to a taxi so as to make some money. Pleasure can come later. That was the beginning of the business empire of Alhaji GAS and today he has Estates in Dubai and retired to a mansion near a cairo Mosque in Egypt where he can listen to Recitation of the Holy Quran repeatedly and pray in congregation five times a day.

He spends the summer holiday across the United States where he has children and grandchildren. That would be after spending days in Makkah and Madinah for Umrah on a yearly basis.

Give Gas a lemon. He would convert it to lemonade. He is naturally gifted in converting opportunities into fortune.

That was how the C20 donated to Kishi branch of Youmbas by Alh Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao was only used for Dawah at weekends but used for transport business between kishi and Ilorin during week days.

It grew into a fleet, and through the proceeds, they built YOUMBAS secretariat in kishi. Arisekola, the man whose pastime or hobby is donating gave out many vehicles to many Islamic organizations. Not one replicated the magic of Gas’s Youmbas enterpreneur

How do I come in as a taxi driver? In the first month, the taxi was given to a driver who was bringing money five times a day, and GAS was the driver, Saturdays and Sundays ‘Deliver’ was twenty Naira per day, but there was no week this man brought ‘full delivery’. There was always an excuse: “I was arrested by police.’ ‘The tyre got punctured’ etc. After a month, GAS sacked him and took full control.

By 6am after Subhi, he would be out and drive till 8 am to resume at work. During break, he would make some money around ikoyi and Victoria island. By 5pm, when they closed, he was on business till 8pm and come home to sleep. He at least made two times what the dishonest driver could not ‘deliver’.

GAS, like I told you, had a good sense of humour. He never discussed my driving the taxi with me but whenever he arrived late and tired, he would be singing AWA LO AWA BO, OJU TENI TI O LE LO. It was hurting my psyche. This is the man giving me free food and free accommodation and working himself almost to death.

Honestly, with the benefit of hindsight, as lucrative as the taxi business was, I saw it as degrading. I was not from a poor home like GAS, though today as a billionaire from a humble beginning, he can afford to employ me.

Secondly, you must be extremely patient to retain your sanity while driving taxi in lagos. As fate would have it one night, I decided to try it. When my friend came, I told him I will do 9pm to midnight. He thought i was joking until i took the key from him. That was how I took off. You may not believe it, when I was coming home at 12:30am I had made more money than what GAS made during the day. The night is when men whose parents are languishing in the villages in penury will want to unnecessarily exhibit wealth when going to a club or hotel with their girlfriend. Tell him he is paying one Naira or two Naira. He will not bargain with you. He would only say ‘my friend, let’s go money is not my problem’.

My last day on the job was carrying a girl I didn’t know was a prostitute. She wanted to pay three naira for a very short trip. I smelt a rat, yet the aroma of the amount was too sweet for me to resist. Eventually, her destination was a brothel at palmgrove. As she came out, she promised to go up and bring money, but I didn’t trust her. So I followed her. Can you imagine somebody sighting the coordinator of NACOMYO at 11pm in a brothel?. This woman of easy virtue shared a room with a friend Ngozi who already had a customer and locked the door against their mutual agreement in their shameless business. She called Ngozi endlessly while I was becoming very impatient, confused, and jittery as if a brother would tap me on my back and say WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THIS GOD FORSAKING TERRITORY

The prostitute broke the door with her hands and legs, and Ngozi and her customer were at the very height of it all. That was how I inadvertently and unislamically watched a blue film. The lady went to her part of the room and gave me my money while the customer she was in a hurry to meet was around.

That was my last day at work.

Alhamdulilah within a year we had bought two extra cars and Abdulhameed junior brother to Alhaji Salami moved to lagos to manage the lucrative and money spinning transport business.

I was sacked by Pepsi that was owned by Oodua where Oyo State was a principal partner,
It was at the instigation of Chief Bola Ige our sweet talking, oratorical gifted Governor of old Oyo State. By that time 1004 flats at Victoria island was ready

Gas was allocated a flat and under a canopy in front of the flats GAS with a great intellect for business established the first car hire in Nigeria. With a telephone call, a car from GAS car hire was at your beck and call.

GAS even had another lovely business idea. He realised the best Babanriga being worn in lagos was not the made by Hausa tailors but tailors from Ghana, Senegal and Liberia who were around obalende and ikoyi. So he extended the diversification of the business to tailoring and brought tailors from the diaspora under an attractive deal. They pocket thirty per cent, Gas sixty and ten goes for utilities and expansion. They worked like jackals, had only few hours sleep to make good money

It was chop I chop

Gas would tell the tailors to make one fantastic design for him, and eventually, he became unarguably the best dressed civil servant. Ministers, Governors and Permanent Secretaries wanted to know his tailor. Before you know it, he was making millions from this business and married a woman to manage it. (GAS knows how to marry women who are businessly adventurous). So when people think he made money from civil marriage service, I laughed. I ask Allah to forgive their ignorance, because I can testify to his uncommon business acumen.

Let me end with his passionate love for kishi, his hometown where the lion share of his philantropism was concentrated. GAS refurbished their Central Mosque and built a five bedroom house for the Imam. When he was acting Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, he converted kishi Muslim Hospital to a Federal Government one with all expenses borne by the Federal Government.

He singlehandedly built the hospital mosque. He had earlier built about half of the wards with his own money.

To crown it all, he built a private Polytechnic. Novelty Polytechnic in Kishi for the whole Oke Ogun of Oyo State.

If I were in the shoes of the Iba of kishi Alhaji Engineer Moshood Oyekola Aweda Lawal Arowoduye, The first Abdulkabiyesi of Nigeria i will confer a chieftaincy title on Alhaji Dr Abdulganiyu Adebayo Salami or name a monument like the town hall after him.

We should not wait until the demise of our heroes before we immortalise them.

Fortunately, the iba is a veteran of both MSSN and NACOMYO before ascending the throne of his ancestors.

May Allah continue to bless my Taxi business boss Alhaji Abdulganiyu Adebayo Salami aka GAS

This aphorism has been manifest in his life. SEE A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS WORK, HE SHALL HAVE STAND AMONG PRINCES NOT AMONG MEAN MEN

Let it be with the man from a humble beginning who now makes cairo his permanent place of domicility.

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