The ORION Project | ✔

chapter 22

The Nigerian Post, 25th of March 1994. Written by Bamidele Matthews.

Where is the seventeen billion naira loot?

It made the headlines many years ago when it was revealed that the illegal looting of government funds by the late general Rasheed Yemisi had been recovered from a secret bank account in the united kingdom, it is not uncommon knowledge that the late general's reign was a tyrant one, while many will argue that his reign restored order to the nation, many will also argue that it was a reign that suppressed basic human rights and freedom of press and other crimes ranging from the yet confirmed cases of homicide and rape against the late general.

It was revealed that not only was General Rasheed's tyrannical but it was equally corrupt and news of the retrieval of those lost funds was well received by the public with the hopes that it would be used for its original purpose.

Three years past and now, all information regarding the seventeen billion naira fund has been deemed nonexistent, the transparency behind its use also nonexistent. It is as if it never existed and now with the current financial debt the country has found itself in, seventeen billion would go a long way. The country has applied for aid and funding from the IMF.

Additionally, the team of journalists investigating this case two years ago were discovered dead last year. If there really is a loot somewhere out there, we aren't supposed to know of it, it makes one wonder when freedom of press becomes something other than a word of mouth.

TRANSCRIPTS FROM 8PM NEWS, 1ST OF APRIL 1994, NTA NEWS.

Mysterious oil well discovered on the outskirts of yet named land in Abuja State, more details coming soon.

TRANSCRIPTS FROM 8PM NEWS, 4TH OF APRIL 1994, NTA NEWS.

Rumours of oil well discovery in Abuja state nothing more than a hoax, says Nigerian government. More details coming soon.

***

Sanmi Ilori woke up with a splitting headache, the urge to spew his guts and in a bed that was definitely not his. He knew so by the scent of the sheets he lay on, it smelt faintly of lemon, Sanmi's own bed usually smelt of cigarette ash and the scent of clean laundry. But while he was not in his bed, this one felt familiar to him.

His first thought was that he had ended up in bed with another girl, again. He didn't exactly make a thing of being celibate, he liked women and he didn't exactly shy away from pleasure but the last thing he needed was relationship problems, usually when he woke in the house of a female companion they liked to pretend he was their boyfriend and force him to stay for breakfast when he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out there.

He couldn't deal with any fussy girl, not when shame had began to settle deep in his stomach like a heavy stone sinking into water. He was already thinking of ways to get away when he realized he was still wearing yesterday clothes — wherever he was, he had definitely not slept with anybody, which left him with another question; then where the hell was he?

The door creaked open and he had his answer.

"Fuck," he swore, blinking at the girl by the door.

Tope seemed slightly amused, leaning against the open door, with a little smile on her face. She was dressed in an old shorts that he had seen her wear many times and a T-shirt that was sizes bigger than her and her face was bare of make up.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is awake, welcome to the land of the living." She said sarcastically.

Sanmi blinked again, why was she being pleasant to him?