Man Walks Naked To Earn N20,000

There was a bizarre sight  in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria,  recently when a motor spare parts trader, Chijioke Amaa, of  Bedwell Street walked naked for a distance of over half a kilometre to earn N20,000 from a co-trader, John Nwali of 2, Bedwell Street.

Chijioke, according to John, left his shop across the road to sit beside him in his shop at about 2 p.m when  a female thrift collector came with his contribution for the month of August.

“When Chijioke saw the money the woman brought which was in two hunbdred naira denomination, he said if he had such money now, he would simlpy retire to his house and sleep,” said John.

John said he told him not to mind the size of the bulk of the money  which looked large and that the sum was just N20,000 which is not much.  “But he said I was saying so because  I had such money, the money was large to him.”

John said that when he  told him that the money was the sum total of the few naira notes of N500 and N1000 which he gave to the woman daily, and told John to do same, “he simply laughed and said he could do anything to earn that sum now and I asked him if he could walk naked so that I could give him N10,000  and showed him a distance of about a  hundred yards and he said I should make it N20,000 and he would get to the Watt Market which is half a kilometre away from 1 Bedwell where we were’.

John said he thought it was a joke, “I thought he was joking and I handed him the money but was surprised when he removed his clothes including slippers and walked the distance.”

He said he had no choice than to give him the money.

Another trader, Otonko who saw the spectacle said he never in all his imagination thought that the man could go to such length for just N20,000.

The Ezewenyi Ndigbo in Clabar told P. M. NEWS in his office along Otop Abasi that he was yet to be briefed by the Public Relations officer of the union whom he sent there  but that if it was true, he would ensure that the man is sent packing out of  Calabar

“That is an abomination.  How can somebody walk naked in the market place  just to earn N20,000.  If we investigate it and confirm that it is  true, he should be on his way out of this town soon.  We can not condone such abomination.”

The  D P O Atakpa Division in whose jurisdiction the incident took place, Mr. Usa Brown, said he was not aware of the incident. “Nobody told me.  That is public nuisance.  If we had seen the man naked and did  confirm that he is not mad, he would have been arrested,”  he said.

—Emma Una/Calabar