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The Two Travellers


I was travelling in a train for a special deal when I met two gentlemen making a conversation. Because it was a long journey, I felt annoyed and and somewhat unlucky sitting close to those men who had been disturbing me with their chattering. I was about changing to another seat when my impatient ears captured some sense from their conversation.

The first man who dressed in dark blue suit and seemed younger than his age, was a civil servant from The Republic of Janta. The second man, looking confused and older than his age, dressed in a faded but pressed white shirt and a green trouser, was also a civil servant from The Federal Republic of Dasnia.

These two men conversed on the state of labour in their respective countries. Coincidentally, being civil servants of the same grade, they received the same amount of salary–N20,000.

The first man was shocked to hear the second man complaining about the salary. He said that in The Republic of Janta, that amount of salary is enough for him and thus, very contented with it. The second man angrily responded by calling his friend an enslaved civil servant who celebrated a stupid N20,000 after sweating for 30days.

Having highly concentrated my attention to their conversation, I chipped in by asking the first man a question. "How do you spend your salary that you are contented with that little amount?"
His response was: "Well, I spend it on buying food stuff for my wife and four children and other minor things and that's all."

I then curiously asked him another question:  "Aren't you spending on the studies of your children, the  electricity in your house, the hospital charges when your children are sick?"
The man looked at me, smiled and said: "Well, that's not an issue. Schools are free in my country; electricity is also free and sustainable. And as regard to hospital, government finances health sector very well. The citizens of The Republic of Janta do not pay for hospital charges."

When I heard those words from him, my wonder went away and gave way to congratulating the man for having a responsible government in their country.

On the other hand, I heard from the second man that he paid electricity after every one month in his country. He paid the school fees of his children from kindergarten to university. Hospitals too have their own shares from his salary. That was the reason why he could not be contented with such little salary.

Written by
Abdul Mutallib Muktar

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