If you have never experienced One Chance, particularly as a Nigerian citizen, you likely have powerless village people. This article will discuss the meaning of One Chance and how to avoid it best.
Go to Youtube and search for videos of One Chance. They will show you a movie with poor ratings. That’s not what we mean here.
Nigerians know this best. Those who have experienced it will tell you chilling stories because the actual meaning of One Chance is worse than you imagine it to be.
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Victim Accounts of One Chance
Testimony #1
“It was around 8 pm or so. I just finished work and was waiting for a bus at Mowe. I was in a hurry because it was getting late and they usually lock my estate gate by 10 pm. When this bus came out of nowhere, I thought it was a blessing from GOD. I didn’t even think about safety because there were other passengers on the bus so I was like nothing could happen.
They did not attack me until I was almost at Berger. The passenger closest to me grabbed my back and threatened me and I couldn’t call for help. No one even looked my way, even the conductor. The passenger said they will beat me or even do worse if I make any trouble. After robbing me, they just dropped me at the side of the road and drove off.” — Michael, 24
Testimony #2
“I swear I have been hearing about this One Chance One Chance but I didn’t think it could happen to me. I was at Bariga, looking for a bus to Oshodi. This white korope (minibus) came and the conductor was shouting ‘Oshodi’, but immediately I entered, they just drove off. Other people were still waiting for the bus but the driver did not stop. I was afraid but I saw another woman like me on the bus so I didn’t complain.
It was the woman herself that snatched my purse. Even slapped me when I fought her. When we were following Gbagada express, I began to shout for help. Then they parked somewhere and threw me off the bus. Oga, this happened in broad daylight o, not even at night. Only God that knows what would have happened if it was night.” — Divine, 27
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Testimony #3
“Anybody that works in Lekki knows how stressful the traffic is. It was a Thursday evening and the road was blocked. Usually, at times like these, it’s hard to see any buses, so sometimes I carpool with my colleagues. If not, I just wait for a commuter because some of them usually pick people up at bus stops. That evening, the car I entered had three men inside. I was a bit worried because of the company, but time wasn’t waiting and I didn’t want to reach home late. That was me entering One Chance.
The driver locked the doors when we were crossing Third Mainland Bridge. The man sitting next to me at the back was the one who robbed me. They didn’t take my phone, but they threatened to break it if I sent any signal. What they took was my purse and all the money in it. And I was carrying a lot that day. When they saw that I wasn’t making any trouble, the driver dropped me at one deserted area near Tollgate and said I should smile for them just to show that I’m truly not angry.”
— Kemi, 29
Testimony #4
“My own was not even complete One Chance. Maybe I should call it Half Chance. I was about to enter the bus when I realized something was wrong, but before I could come down, the conductor grabbed my bag. I struggled but he managed to snatch it from me and the bus drove off with speed. This happened at Mushin.” — Pelumi, 23
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Testimony #5
“I boarded a Bolt from Ketu. We were supposed to reach Yaba but halfway through the journey, the driver took a route I wasn’t familiar with. I tried to complain but he had the doors locked and I was afraid of what he would do to me.
I knew I had entered One Chance when he stopped following the map.
He drove me to one hideout in this strange area and there were about seven of them there, all men. They went through my things in the car and took my phone and wallet. After all that, the Bolt driver still took me to school and dropped me at the gate before driving off. I already filed a complaint with the company but I do not think they can trace him.” — Ahmed, 20
What Does One Chance Mean?
In case it’s not still clear from all the tragic encounters you just read, then let me explain it in layman’s terms. One Chance is a slang that primarily means robbery. It refers to a situation where you are ambushed after entering a commercial vehicle for transportation. It can happen anywhere and anytime. And sometimes even the most careful of precautions will not save you.
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The phrase One Chance is directly coined from the hopeless feeling of knowing that once you’re in, you’re in, and there’s no way out until your captors are done with you. One Chance entails not just robbery but kidnapping, and those who live to tell the tale are usually the lucky ones. In the worst scenarios, human beings are used for ritual, murdered for organ harvesting, and other more vile purposes.
Besides danger, One Chance also has another reference, used whenever someone doesn’t fulfill their promises to you. In instances like these, you would hear sayings like “Oh, he no give you? You don enter one Chance be that.”
For instance, many Nigerians believed they have entered One Chance under this current government, seeing as they have failed to fulfill their promises in eight years.
How To Prevent One Chance
Apart from buying your own car, I don’t really know how you want to prevent a chance of One Chance (see what I did there?). What you can do, however, is take certain measures to reduce the risk of One Chance.
And before you go mouthing off about your intimate relationship with Uber, let me remind you that one of the testimonies you read happened to someone in the same shoes.
To prevent the risk of One Chance, you should follow these guidelines:
- Try to avoid late-night trips, and even if you must, go with someone
- Always stay sharp; look around the bus before entering
- Do not board a vehicle that stops to pick you up; ask the driver where he is going. If it’s not your route, let him go
- Never be in a hurry, even if there are scarcely any buses left; being in a hurry makes you miss important facts like the conductor eyeballing your bag
- Always have a location buddy when in transit; someone who always knows where you’re at (Snapchat is the best app for real-time updates)
- Avoid carpooling with strangers until you’re sure of the situation
- Make sure the driver of any taxi you hail matches the information on your phone
- Avoid using your phone or gadgets inside the bus unless you absolutely must
- Pray to whatever deity you believe in
Related: Slangs in Nigeria: Meaning of Aza, Sapa, and Others
A Word From Battabox On One Chance
Follow the guidelines you’ve read and you will have nothing to worry about. That being said, security operators, particularly the police, should make more efforts to ensure the roads are safe. They should make more efforts to arrest the perpetrators and make them face the law. The government should adequately provide needed resources to help make the police job better.
There should be clear-cut policies guiding the public transport system in Nigeria. Private vehicles operating as public transport should be banned. Anyone who wants to use his car as public transport should go through the right channels to register. This way, the vehicle can easily be traced should anything happen.
We really hope you never experience the terror called One Chance, but in case it happens, feel free to contact us. We are willing to hear your story. It will be a guide for the future generation.
If you have any questions, let us know below.
