Backfire/Gone-wrong Stories & Experiences

Most nights when I come home late, I like to stop at my favorite spot to buy some fruits, and sometimes, akamu. It’s become a small tradition that helps me unwind after a long day. Tonight was no different except I didn’t have enough cash on me. After bargaining for the fruits I wanted, I walked over to a nearby POS vendor to withdraw money.

While I was at the POS stand, struggling with the usual poor bank network, I heard a loud crash. Turning around, I saw that a reckless tricycle driver had crashed right into the fruit shop. The worst part? He didn’t even stop to apologize or help. He sped off like nothing happened. Fruits, my package, and the shop owner’s goods were scattered across the road.

It was heartbreaking to see. People who witnessed the scene immediately jumped in to help her pick up whatever they could. The fruit seller looked overwhelmed, almost defeated. I couldn’t help but think how unfair life can be, especially in these hard times when every kobo matters. Watching her losses spread across the road felt like watching a piece of her hard work crumble.

I felt so bad for her. All I could do was add a little extra money to what I owed, hoping it would help soften the blow, even if just a bit. She managed a tired smile as she thanked me, but I could tell she was still broken.

The bike I was on approached a large water tanker. This tanker is one of those big vehicles that delivers water to people who order it. As we got closer, I noticed that the driver had left the engine open, causing water to spill out all over the main road. The water was splashing everywhere, making it hard to navigate.

I couldn’t help but wonder why someone would let water leak like that, especially when it could be used more wisely. In our state, water is a valuable resource, and here was this man wasting it. Instead of allowing it to pour out on the road, he could have shared it with those in need, especially since many people struggle to access clean water.

As the water splashed onto my clothes and the bike tires rolled through the puddles, I felt frustrated. It’s upsetting to think that someone paid for that water, and it’s just being wasted instead of being given to those who truly need it.

When the bike that I was on finally overtook the big tanker, I made sure I let out my anger as I shouted and gestured at the driver.
I knew he couldn't make out meaning from all I was saying, but his face showed signs of concern.
He honked at us as we disappeared father away, but that left no effect.

I went to a cafeteria to buy some fries, my favorite snack. I was really excited to finally get to the front of the line, but then I opened my Wema bank app to make a transfer and it kept saying "error in transaction." I felt so frustrated!

While I stood there, I could see all kinds of delicious fries being served. The smell made my mouth water, but I couldn't buy any because my bank was giving me trouble. I had to step aside from the queue, while others continued to get their food.

I waited for about 10 minutes, hoping my bank would start working again. Finally, I was able to make the transfer! But when I tried to go back to the queue, I realized I couldn't just jump in. I had to wait until someone let me back in.

It was a little annoying, but in the end, I got my fries and It was worth the wait, and I learned to always check if my bank is working before I go out.

After that event, I hardly stand or wait to purchase anything outside without first testing if my bank is working fine

I saw a picture of two pairs of shoes that looked really cool. They caught my eye right away! I was so curious that I decided to investigate them further. I looked up information online to see if they were good quality. I found out that many people said they loved the shoes and that they were really good.

So, I decided to buy them! I found out that they cost a bit more than if I went to the store, but I was excited. When the shoes arrived, I was really happy with how they looked. I checked them carefully, and the quality seemed good.

But when I wore the shoes for the first time, something strange happened. With each step I took, I noticed that the bottom, or sole, of the shoe started to break. It felt like the sole was wearing out very quickly, and I was disappointed.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered that the sole of the shoe was wearing out. So I took it to a shoe man to examine what exactly was the cause of the problem, whether it's just the nature of the shoe or just the way it's supposed to be. So he confirmed that the heel was expired and I would need to change it into a new one. Remember, this is a foreign product, you know how costly buying their parts were.

When I stayed at my friend’s family house for two weeks to handle a small business, I noticed something odd in their compound: their chickens were infested with lice. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but within a few days, I realized how serious it was. The lice would crawl through the feathers of the chickens and sometimes end up on people's clothes or bodies. It was so irritating to see, and I began to worry they might get into my hair.

Surprisingly, even though I spent so much time there, I never got infested. I was careful not to touch the chickens or sit too close to them, but the fear of waking up with itchy hair still haunted me daily. My friend’s family joked that maybe I had "special immunity," but honestly, I think it was pure grace or maybe their constant cleaning helped a bit.

The family later decided the best solution was to get rid of the chickens entirely. They explained that lice infestations are common for people who rear chickens, especially if the birds are free-range and mix with others from less hygienic environments. It wasn’t an easy decision for them because the chickens were a source of income, but the infestation was becoming unbearable.

By the time I left, the chickens were gone, and the family started working on thoroughly cleaning the area to ensure the lice didn’t spread further.

It never crossed my mind that I would have issues with my neighbors, but today changed all that. The workers from the electric distribution company arrived to disconnect our power. Despite our notifications to settle the bill a week ago, some of us had managed to make payments, while others came up with various excuses and were let off the hook.

In response, we had to adopt stricter measures to ensure everyone contributed their share. Still, only 6% of residents managed to pay the NEPA bill, and the remaining 40% were unwilling to cooperate. Once they cut our electricity, I felt a wave of frustration wash over me. I had stretched my budget to scrape together 3,000 Naira, choosing to set aside a loan just to cover that amount. And now, I found myself facing the harsh reality that because of the stubbornness of others, I would be left in darkness tonight as I write this.

After we disconnected our wire from the main power source, we quickly called a meeting. Every roommate and occupant of the lodge was expected to show up. That’s when I let loose the anger that had been boiling inside me. I had to confront most of my friends who hadn't paid on time. I spoke to them honestly, without partiality or sentiment, allowing my emotions to take the lead. In hindsight, I regretted my approach, but in that moment, my frustration got the better of me.

Surprisingly, my outburst had an effect; some of those friends finally agreed to contribute towards the bill. Now, we’re all waiting until next Tuesday to make the payment. It feels like an eternity to me.

After I read Betty's story yesterday, it made me want to read too. I thought about reading for a long time, maybe even for straught 4 hours as 7 hours felt really tiring. So, I decided to read for just a little while instead.

This morning after church service, I went to school buying some snacks to eat while I read. I also took my special water bottle because it helps me feel fancy and solves my thirst problems.

I picked a classroom that I thought would help me read better. At first, I was confident and thought I could concentrate really well because the classroom was empty and peaceful. But then, three boys walked into the room, and I got scared. They sat just behind my desk making me feel nervous and not able focus on my book at all.

I tried really hard to read, but I just couldn't. I kept thinking about the boys and what they were doing. It was hard to forget about them. I wanted to read and enjoy my book, but my worries kept getting in the way.

When I knew that it would be a further waste of time trying.
I gathered my books and other belongings and went to another class which had a mix of students also studying there.

We have been getting ready for a special sports week at school. Every department was going to play matches against each other and I’ve been training very hard and haven't missed a single practice. I was excited for our first match up with other departments.

When the match started, I was sitting on the bench. I thought I would get to play, but they didn’t let me. Even though I know I’m a good player and can play better than some of the guys on the field, they kept me waiting on the bench.

The game ended with both teams scoring 1 goal each, so we decided to pause the match for the day and fix another daye for a rematch.
The next day, we were told to come for practice again. I was called to the football field with the ball, but then I felt like I disappeared. It was like I was a ghost for the whole day. They all called and called but iyaaa, if I no frustrate them no be me.

I had just finished taking my bath when I stepped out of my bedroom, feeling refreshed. As I opened the door and wanted to enter my room to dry my body, my hand suddenly slipped, and I spilled a bottle of red oil all over the floor.
We all know how expensive that oil is nowadays, and as I picked up the bottle, I realized with that it was more than half spilled it had emptied even more than half. Something I just bought.

What was supposed to last me for about ten meals had been reduced to only last four times. I had just bought the oil that very day, placing it on the cupboard near the entrance to my bedroom, planning to take it to the kitchen later. But it was too late after I picked the almost empty bottle up in regrets. The oil had leaked with such force that I hit it with, splattering everywhere.

At that moment, my day felt like it was falling apart, but what truly spoiled it further was the the rag I had just washed will suffer it more. In a panic, I grabbed the rag to soak up the oil before it spread further into my room and damaged other belongings. I still had some stubborn stains on my bedsheet and the rug that I couldn’t get rid of completely but it fine, stuffs happen.

There’s this boy in my street who, despite being grown in age, acts a lot like a child. He’s always running around with the younger kids, playing with them everywhere, even in the market.

One day, I was nearby when he accidentally knocked over a bottle of oil from a shop stand. The owner, angry, gave him a harsh slap right there in front of everyone. The boy was shocked and embarrassed, and the market people were murmuring. That same day, he continued playing as usual after the mother settled the oil woman.

But recently, while messing around with his friends on the roadside, a keke driver didn’t see him run out, and he was hit. Thankfully, the injuries weren’t too serious, but he had to go for treatment and was out of area for about three weeks.
Now that he’s recovered, it’s like he’s a different person. I haven’t seen him in his usual spots, and he doesn’t run around like before. People are saying his mom must have really talked to him, and maybe, after all that, he’s finally realized the need to act his age.

Been asking my uncle for some money. I asked him for a straight one week, which he kept promising he would send the next day. But next day turned into two days. Then unexpectedly, after like three days of consistent asking, he finally sent me a particular amount, and he sent it to my Kuda bank account.

Now, note that my Kuda account was still not upgraded. So immediately, my transaction hung, and they said that I had exceeded the amount for a single deposit. This annoyed me. While I was still trying to solve that issue within that same week, one of my friends stepped on my phone and damaged the screen. My damaged screen was the most painful part. I could have handled the transaction that wasn't going through because I was already making contact with the customer care. Instead, here I was, managing a screen that was broken into pieces while trying to settle the bank problem.

I didn't have the money to repair my broken screen, but asking for help again felt like a never ending challenge. I didn’t know how to approach anyone for money, and for a while, I was trapped.
I knew I needed to contact customer care, but my situation was frustrating. Because whenever they asked me to conform a code or certain pins, I couldn't because my keyboard wouldn't allow.

As the days turned into two, my screen continued to get worse. It got to a point where I couldn't even type alphabets. The most painful part of this whole ordeal was realizing that I couldn’t write my stories. Stories that was my possible hope to get some cash and maybe save to buy a new screen. This inability to express myself through writing felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders. It was undoubtedly one of the most challenging moments of my life.

But two days ago, I finally managed to put together some money. With that very last drop of cash, I got my screen repaired and settled the bank issue that had been hunting me.

Now, I’m back to writing my stories, and I’ve missed sharing them with you all. Happy Sunday!

I remember it like it was yesterday, We were having those annoying electric issues on our street, and I decided to find a way around it. Knowing my friend had lived in a region where there's slightly a notice of their ever steady light flickering, I figured it would be a great solution to go boost up there. I headed over to his place to drop it off so it could get charged up while we dealt with the blackout back home.

After some time, I returned to get my power bank, and to my surprise, I realized it was already full and it hadn’t even been up to two hours yet!
Normally, my power bank, which had a capacity of 50,000 mAh, would take at least five hours to charge using my usual charger. I looked at the charger my friend had used- 120 watts was written boldly on it, replacing its brand name.

The next time I returned to my friend’s place, I noticed that his own power bank had already spoilt; he had no use for the charger anymore. But one thing he didnt do was mention the possibility that his powerbank might have been damaged by the 120 watts charger.

Curious, I decided to take the charger for myself and headed into school where I had concluded to spend some time on my book, and now I could read and also charge even more faster.

Excitedly, I plugged it in and innocently, it started charging my power bank. But to my dismay, the Digital display was showing no sign of life the next minute.
I tried everything personally possible to revitalise the life in it but all was futile.

I was jejely using my earpiece when my friebd approached to borrow it. When I handed her the earpiece, she looked at it and smiled, saying she could use it for her call. It felt okay at first, but as time went on, her call stretched longer than I expected. Thirty minutes went by, and I started to feel a bit worried. I couldn’t believe I had to wait that long just to get my earpiece back.

When she finally returned it to me, something felt off. I noticed the earpiece was shaky now. I was confused and thought, how come what I just gave to her was shaky after the few minutes I left it for her. I didn’t understand what could have happened during that time. I just held on to it tightly, hoping it would somehow fix itself.

When I got home, I plugged the earpiece into my phone, but no luck. It still had problems. I sat there for a moment, feeling a mix of confusion and frustration. Should I be upset with my friend for something that was maybe her fault? Or should I just accept that the earpiece was broken, all because of a long phone call?
I loved that earpiece as I no get money for earpods.

I decided to open up my extension after enduring its faults for some time now. I got my screwdriver and then I opened the screws up.

Opening it, I saw where the damage was coming from, there was a wire that was cut (you must be guessing right now how easy the work is going to be aren't you?

But the problem was how to join this wire back. I was without pliers and there was light. Switching of the wall fuse doesnt entirely cutout the current running in wires and I had embarked on the journey with just my bare hands wrapped nylons. I knew nylons were insulating object, so I covered my hands with nylon.

A little mistake, my hand got to touch a naked wire. It shook my hand so well that I had to drop everything I was doing and move a distance away from the pieces scattered on the floor.

I rested for about 20 minutes thinking about what inspired me to start playing with extensions in the first place as I looked at the extension in disgust.

After getting a good rest, I got back up, picked up my screwdriver, wrapped my hand back in the nylon, and then coupled back the extension. I'll leave it like that till whenever!

I'm not feeling so happy right now because my fan just got faulty. I don't know what was wrong with it, but all of a sudden, this evening, the light fluctuated a little bit, and then that was it. My fan wouldn't rotate. I've used some screws and tried to open the back covering, and I’ve shaken some wires up and down, but it's not working.

This is another expenditure, and I wasn't expecting it anytime soon. They didn't even give me a sign that it was going to spoil or that something was going to happen to it. It was just a little fluctuation. Nobody's device got burnt or damaged except for my fan, and I'm feeling sad tonight with this heat and sweaty hands and body.

I'm still typing this story feeling all annoyed, but it's fine. Maybe tomorrow I'll take it to an electrician or an expert to try and figure out what's wrong with it. I hope it doesn't cost more than 4,000 Naira because that's all I could afford.

A girl in my neighborhood got into an argument over her unpaid electric bill. She not only refused to pay but also insulted the bill collector. That same night, her electricity was disconnected. The situation could have been resolved by paying the bill and reconnection fee, but she remained stubborn, claiming she had the right not to pay.

By morning, the issue grew, and it turned out she had personal problems with the bill collector, accusing him of hitting her. Although the guy denied it, several witnesses backed her claim. After a lot of back and forth, the compound settled the matter by asking both the girl and the bill collector to provide a crate of drinks each, alongside her settling her bill and reconnection fee.

The guy complied with the decision and provided the crate of drinks as agreed. Meanwhile, the girl asked for a grace period of four days to settle her bill and reconnection fee.
Had she resolved the issue calmly from the start, she could have avoided extra costs and stress.

Yesterday was such a crazy day for me.
It started when I wanted to cross the road. I looked left, then I looked right to make sure no cars were coming. It was safe, so I took careful steps across the road.

After I jejely crossed, I saw a small gutter, like a little ditch, but it was kind of deep. It had just finished raining, so the gutter was full of water. I jumped over it carefully. Not like I chose to jump over it, it was along the road and its normal to leap over it and yesterday wasn't the first time.

But just as I landed on the other side, my phone slipped out of my hand and fell into that muddy gutter. I felt my adrenaline kick in because I quickly jumped back to grab my phone. I reached into the water and managed to pull it out. But it was all wet and muddy.

I pressed the power button on my phone. It turned on for a moment, this gave me a little hope. But then, it turned off again. I pressed it again, and it turned on but then shut down again.
This saying that someone will be on his own and troubles will locate him, is so true.

I took my phone to a technician Staughton from there. I was scared it wouldn’t work again. The man repairing looked at it carefully and started to fix it. I waited and waited, feeling nervous. After what seemed like eternity, the man smiled and said, “Your phone is working"
The relief ehhn, at that point, my brain started returning to normal and it occurred to me that I never even bargained the price.

About a week ago, I started noticing weevils showing up everywhere in my home. At first, I didn't pay much attention to them, but things got a bit weird when they began crawling on my body. I was baffled about where they were coming from, and it took me a while to investigate. Eventually, I discovered that an old bag of beans I had abandoned had become a full breeding ground for bean weevils. That bag had turned into their little kingdom.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of beans. I don’t have strong feelings for or against them, but they're not really my go-to food. So, that bag had been sitting untouched for quite some time. Once I realized what was going on, I knew I had to deal with it. Today, I took the step of sieving the beans and over 100 weevils spilled. I’d never seen anything like it.

Now that their little home has been disrupted, I’m left to wait for the wanderers to scatter and leave. Their apartment has been destroyed, but they don’t seem to be in much of a hurry to vacate. I keep spotting a few here and there, clinging to what’s left of their precious beans. It's like they haven't quite accepted that the party is over.

At this point, I’m just hoping they’ll get the hint and move on soon. I never thought I’d have a weevil invasion to deal with, but here I am, playing landlord to some very unwanted guests. All because I left a bag of beans sitting for too long!!!

Yesterday was a disturbing day after I realized I was out of soap, I didn’t want to spend my precious lunch money on that kind of sudden expense, so I used the little bar which was left until it was lost in-between my sponge.

As I said earlier I didn't want to use my last 1,000 Naira note to buy a soap that I wasn't sure of the price even though I know it was necessary that I replaced the soap nefore my second bath, but I postponed buying it till evening before taking my second bath.

After I returned from lecture I went to a nearby shop with 500 Naira which was usually the normal price that an Eva soap was sold for.

I stretched my precious 500 Naira note to the seller telling her to give me an Eva soap.
Instead of collecting the money, she was looking closely at the Naira note that I was stretching out to be sure of what i didn't know.
She quickly told me that the money I had with me wasn't enough to buy an Eva soap. I looked at my 500 I told that it was 500 I was holding and wondered how the price of soap had raised in the past week. Thesame soap that I bought about two weeks for 500 Naira has increased with a 300 Naira difference.
I was disappointed not in the woman, not in myself, but in the country Nigeria. Where are we headed?

My fellow prople come oo, I bought a hotplate with dreams of boiling water, cooking quick meals, and other things especially as an emergency helper if my gas finishes while cookibg.
For the first few days, it was fantastic. I loved how fast it heated up and blah blah blah, all at first!

But then, something lead to another and our street had some electrical issues in the house that lasted about a week or two, I can't rember exactly.
It was best to keep the hot plate unplugged and tucked away until everything was fixed, I put it in a safe area to avoid stories that touches the heart.

This morning I woke up to see light.
Feeling excited , I carried the hotplate from where i kept it to my kitchen.
I plugged it on and then placed a kettle of water on it.

As I watched the water start boiling. I was ready to make my tea. The steam began to rise, and I could see the little bubbles dancing on the boiling water.

I bent to grab my kettle from the hot plate. And that’s when it happened, the kind of shock i received on my hand. After I trembled back, I stood back and still got about 5mins thinking about several things that I can't even mention.

Last week, I had some extra cash and decided to try hiking for the first time. The company in charge offered a reasonable price, and they even provided us with protective gear and a guide to show us the way. Our transport was fully covered both ways, and they gave us some snacks to keep us going.

At first, everything was going great. The weather was nice, and the journey was manageable. But then, I lost my stamina and slipped, breaking my ankle before we had even made it halfway up the mountain. It was painful, but I thought maybe I could push through and keep going with the group.

Unfortunately, the pain was too much, and I realized I couldn’t keep up. The guide was really kind and offered to stay behind with me, but I didn’t want to hold him back. I told him he should continue with the rest of the group and enjoy the hike. After all, my injury shouldn’t ruin his experience.

They gave me some first aid and made sure I was in a safe place while the others finished the hike. I waited patiently, trying to stay positive even though I was disappointed about not making it to the top.
When the hike was over, the guide returned to help me. He supported me as I hopped back to the vehicle, and we all made our way back together. Over half of my money was refunded too 😹 It's well