In the bustling town of Uyo, where the smell of freshly fried puff-puff mixes with traffic noise, lived a man called Joseph—known everywhere as “Joe the Troubleshooter.”
Why?
Because trouble had a GPS that always found Joseph.
One bright Saturday morning, Joseph was relaxing in front of his compound, eating afang soup with extra kpomo, when his phone rang.
“Joe! Come quick! Generator nor wan start!”
It was his neighbor, Aunty Ekaette—the most dramatic woman in all of Akwa Ibom.
Joseph sighed. Trouble had clocked in for work.
He hurried to her house.
The generator was sitting in the backyard, looking innocent like a child that just finished breaking plates secretly. Aunty Ekaette was fanning herself loudly.
“Joseph, if I miss this Nollywood episode because of NEPA, I will riot!”
Joseph knelt beside the generator.
He pulled the cord—CRKKK!
No sound.
He tapped the body—TAP TAP!
Suddenly the generator answered:
“Leave me alone, abeg!”
Joseph jumped back so hard he almost fell into Aunty Ekaette’s basin of soaked clothes.
But instead of running, Joseph shouted:
“which kain winch gen be this one again?!”
The generator coughed, cleared imaginary throat, and said:
“I’m not winch. I’m hungry. You people only use me—no service, no rest, no new plug. I am tired!”
Joseph stared.
Aunty Ekaette fainted dramatically and stood up again—nobody sent her.
Joseph regained courage.
He picked a spanner and said:
“Oya, since you can talk, let’s negotiate.”
“Change my plug and give me small engine oil,” the generator demanded like a village elder.
Joseph quickly obeyed, sweating like person frying akara.
After 10 minutes, he pulled the cord again…
BROOOOOMMMM!!
The generator roared to life.
Aunty Ekaette screamed joyfully, “JOE YOU ARE A HERO!”
But the generator wasn’t done.
“Before I forget—tighten that bolt! You people think I will survive Uyo dust without maintenance?”
Joseph laughed and said,
“This gen get attitude pass some humans.”
Evening came.
The whole street started calling him:
“Joseph the Trouble Shooter! Man wey dey fix even talking generator!”
Joseph walked home proudly, wiping his face like a champion of Uyo.
But deep down, he knew the truth:
He didn’t go looking for trouble.
Trouble just liked visiting him.
🌟 Moral of the Story
Responsibility is not about avoiding trouble; it’s about using courage, calmness, and sense to solve it when it arrives.
Comments