17 STORIES PROJECT: "Rain, Rain Go Away"

"The destruction of today’s flooding is unimaginable. This is so serious. All my maize has been wiped away. What can I do now?” Aju complained but there was no one around to listen to his plight. This was the second time that such heavy rain would fall. The people were scared because the season had just begun. It was not heard of in the last century around here.

“I know, it is because of this ozone layer’s story that our leaders are talking about recently on radio programs and television. What exactly did they say we should do?” Aju asked Sokpo who had come to see the destruction of the rain as they usually did. They exchanged greetings and fell into an intense discussion.       

“My brother, what I heard from those people I think is not the problem we are facing. Our problem is that we have spilled so much blood and God is angry” He raised his head as if he was speaking directly with God in heaven. He is a devout member of the Angels of Christ Ministry where all the members believed strongly that nothing happened by mistake. Everything happened according to the plan of God. They taught that the communal crisis that caused the death of many people in the clan had provoked God.

“This is a serious issue, you can’t stop all this your church thing? Come on friend, you have to wake up from your slumber” Aju was not happy with his friend’s answer. “Let us give this a critical thought. Were there no killings in those days? Have you forgotten World War 1 which my grandfather told us stories of? People were slaughtered and some were starved to death! Humans have been beasts from time immemorial. I want to believe the expert story of our calamity”.

He was insistent but his friend was finding it very difficult to believe what he was saying. He found it difficult despite the point Aju made to convince his friend to believe that the cause of their calamity does not in any way concern God, but the ozone layer. “The new vehicles being produced these days bring out carbon dioxide which flows in the air, causing depletion of the ozone layer resulting in maximum sunlight and heavy rainfall which is causing flooding”. Aju was trying to convince Sokpo. “Please, I want to go somewhere very important. I will see you tomorrow” said Sokpo.

“Ok” replied Aju and they parted, walking in different directions.

The next day, a meeting was summoned by the king of the land. Both Aju and Sokpo were kingsmen so they were there.

“I called this meeting for us to discuss a very important issue which is troubling and destroying the people” said the king.  “This is the second time we are experiencing this kind of heavy rainfall but now it is worse than before. What could be the reason for this calamity? Could it be that God is angry with us?”

They continued their discussions for half an hour without figuring out the cause or the solution.

“My king, I watched the news channel and they were discussing  the depletion of the ozone layer.  My king, machines, industries, vehicles and the burning of bushes produce carbon dioxide which damages the ozone layers thereby exposing the earth to different calamities. “My king,”, said Aju to the king and his fellow kingsmen, “what we are experiencing is climate crisis”.

Sokpo, who had done some research, agreed with what his friend said. “My king, what Aku is saying is right; the earth is being exposed to different climate crises such as flooding and drought”.

“I think I can see sense in what both of you are saying, so what should we do now? '' asked the king.

Aju responded. “The immediate solution is to make drainage around the commodity so that water can flow on those water channels”. 

But one of the kingsmen objected. He said Aju was too small to tell the king what to do. Turning to the king, he said, “depletion of the ozone layer does not exist. Aju and Sokpo are just trying to be recognized by you because they can’t eat even twice a day”.

The kingsmen laughed and mocked Aju and Sokpo. Aju’s opinion was neglected and the king ended the meeting after they had concluded that the Lord was angry with them.

Days passed and it rained heavily again, this time around, houses, vehicles and properties were being flooded. Another meeting was called. This time, the king advised that they should listen to Aju and Sokpo’s suggestions which they did because one of the king's men house was flooded.

“But how are we going to make this drainage” the king asked.

“We will use our strength and the tools we need to do it” said Aju.

But the king's men said that they couldn’t use their children for hard labor. Nothing was solved that day.

Once again it rained so heavily that it destroyed houses. People died and some were injured.

The king spoke to his kinsmen. “It is high time we do something. We cannot just stay and watch our community be destroyed.”

They all agreed with Aju and Sokpo’s suggestion. Later, it was announced that all gentlemen were to take part in the work and women were to prepare food. The work was scheduled for a Saturday and on that day, the people made a drainage system which helped prevent damage caused by the floods.

As they all walked home, Aju said to his friend Sokpo, “This drainage is just an immediate solution. It is not a permanent solution”

ABOUT THE 17 STORIES PROJECT

The 17 STORIES project is an SDG Action Campaign designed to engage and motivate Children towards taking action for the SDGs through the literary art of Storytelling.

The 17 STORIES project is an initiative of the Nigeria Volunteers Network (NVN) led by Vincent Odigie. The Nigerian Volunteers Network is a partner of the UN SDG Book Club African Chapter.