THE 6TH FLOOR: THE PRICE TAG (2)

Money.

 By Olumide T. Agunbiade

I checked my watch for the umpteenth time as our Honda finally eased its way out of the chaotic Lagos traffic on to the expressway en route Ibadan. As planned, a man named Daniel came to pick me up the next day. Daniel was hired by Jibola Akinyemi to drive me to Ibadan.

I became perturbed when I began noticing road blocks at every 300 metres, but I breathed a sigh of relief as Daniel--who was very friendly—assured me that it was just the Nigerian Police mounting the blocks as checkpoints for security purposes.

My ease began to give way, however, when we arrived at a checkpoint along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and the persons at the checkpoint—comprising of men of the Nigerian Police—commanded us to disembark from our vehicle, which we did.

It was barely a few minutes past 11am when I checked my watch. The Police Officers that stopped us engaged in searching the booth, the engine, the car seats and the pigeon-hole of the Honda, after which they asked for all relevant documents of the car—drivers’ license, car registration papers, insurance papers, certificate of road worthiness among others.

I was relieved that Daniel presented all that they requested; however, they refused to release us. The driver went into discussion in what seems like eternity with them, and came back to inform me that they said we would not leave, until we “settle” them!

I wondered how much they need for the passage on a major highway of a vehicle that had successfully passed all the test and tricks of a Police checkpoint and was not surprised when they demanded for N3, 000.

We pleaded for N2, 000 which they reluctantly accepted from me before moving to their next victim. When we were finally on our way, I thought of the obvious infraction of my civil rights, as well as the criminal implication of their demand on a major highway.        

       “Thank you,” said the driver.

       “Don’t mention,” I replied.

Two hours later, we arrived at Ibadan. Ibadan the city at the junction of the savannah and the forest is the capital city of Oyo state and the third largest Metropolitan area in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano.

       “At Nigerian independence, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg,” Jibola boasted as I was eating lunch at his apartment in Ibadan.

        “Tell me more,” I replied amused at his knowledge of history.

        “Ibadan is located in southwestern Nigeria, 128km inland northeast of Lagos and 530km southwest of Abuja, the Federal Capital and is a prominent transit point between the coastal region and the areas to the north. Ibadan had been the centre of administration of old Western Region since the days of British colonial rule, and parts of the city’s ancient protective walls still stand to this day,” concluded Jibola.

      “Wow! That was good!” I said with a smile full of admiration of his wide knowledge of the history of his city.

      “One of the clients that you gave my phone number called me today,’ began Jibola, ‘he said that he is still interested in the property if the price can be reduced and I promise to call him after our meeting with the owner.”

       “When are we meeting him? Please tell me about him,” I said.

Jibola assured me that the homeowner was an unpredictable person whose mood can change. He narrated how surprised he was when the man popularly known as chief Kasali insisted he had to invite someone to convince him to lower the asking price from Lagos.

       “Why did you choose me?” I asked.

       “I don’t know. My mind preferred you and am counting on you,” he said while smiling at me.

Few hours later, we arrived at chief Kasali’s mansion. At the heart of the mansion is a sophisticated covered courtyard, surrounded by three tiers of classical arches resting on marble pillars. If his property at Ikoyi was a mini-paradise, then his home is a PARADISE. From the main security gate of the mansion to the main house requires a three minutes drive through a well paved road and an exceptional landscape.

The patterned Moorish tiles underfoot and central fountain provide cool relief from the heat of the city, as do the enormous wicker crinoline chairs in the garden. In the sitting room, sultry dark greys and modern designer pieces (plus the hi-techery of iMacs and Loewe TVs) contrast well with the grandeur of architecture. I couldn’t get enough of the ambience—luxury, first class quality, longevity and heritage!

     “Welcome, please have your seat. Chief will be with you in a few minutes,” said chief’s Personal Assistant who was holding six mobile phones. Few minutes became an hour, then two and three hours!

       “Gentlemen, sorry for the delay, chief is ready to see you,” says Bola, the P.A, as he ushered us into the main sitting room of the beautiful mansion.

 Chief Kasali turned out to be a very friendly man. He welcomed us warmly and apologized for the delay. He even insisted that we should have dinner with him before commencing with our discussion. Later in the evening, we sat in the garden of his luxury mansion and discussed over several bottles of wine.

      “What can we do to attract my asking price?” began chief Kasali while sipping Hennessey from a glass cup.

       “Sir, you can convert it to two or more flats by reducing the number of bedrooms to 3-4 bedrooms,” I replied quietly.

      “I thought that the price of mansions in Ikoyi should have attracted more!” bellowed chief Kasali.

       “Sir, the current price of luxury flats in Ikoyi ranges between N5—N18million per annum and a similar mansion in Bourdillon is between N15—N18million per annum,” I replied while Jibola nodded in agreement.

      “Ajibola, what is the current offer that you have received?” asked chief Kasali.

      “N25 million Sir!” replied Jibola.

      “Olu, do you really think that my property cannot attract a better offer than that?” asked chief Kasali.

I knew this was the most important question. The answer to this question will make or mar the entire discussion. I was calm and confident enough to even stare briefly at Jibola who was visibly uncomfortable.

    “Sir, your property is worth the asking price. I would be lying if I say it did not. However, the current economic recession has affected the property market which makes the current offer received by your agent very reasonable,” I concluded.

The meeting eventually ended well. Chief Kasali is either a very good politician, or a warm and jovial person with no pretensions about him. He promised to think about our discussion over the night.

Few hours later, Jibola and I sat under the moonlight that shone brightly that memorable night in Ibadan and got to know a lot about each other. Later that night, chief Kasali called him to accept the offer and we both breathed a sigh of relief. I returned to Lagos the next day with the memories of my experience on my mind and a guaranteed five per cent of the deal in the bank.