Motorpark Language: Greetings and Unique Slangs

An intricate part of the motor park subculture is the slangs and language of greeting which are based on hierarchy.

Here are examples of greetings:

Olo’ri to yato! (the unique leader);
Buate, baba agba! ( I hail you supremely, our leader);
Oga… Oga! (leader of leaders);
Baba ooo !! (father);
Twaile! (I hail);
Owo meji fun eyan kan soso! (two hands in the air, just for one person only);
Owo ti o gbodo ga ju ori lo (hands that must not be raised higher than the head);
O lenu gan, baba! (You are an authority, sir);
Ori e ti foka sibe, baba! (You are much recognized, father);
Ori e wa mbe! (You are important and notable);
Iyi e po Baba (enormous are your honours father).
                                                                                        (Fieldwork)

These forms of greetings are commonplace on the park; the uniqueness of the greetings is that whoever wants to move through the hierarchy must respect and greet appropriately. For instance, the first three greetings are reserved for the top-echelon of the NURTW like the National/State Officers, while the rest can be used for any other officers or respected ex-officials of the union.

When greeted by the subordinates, the senior officials do not necessarily have to respond. He could just reply by waving is hand at the person or persons greeting. He might also decide to verbalise the greeting with ‘Thanks’ or ignore it. Ignoring it on the other hand portends danger for the 'one that greets' because it might mean that the leader is skeptical about his greetings and/or his loyalty to his authority.

Motor park agents at the same level do not use these greetings for one another but they have their own special greetings:

Happening? Se le?  (How are you? What is going on?)
Kilo mbo? (What is going on?)
Se o wa? (Hope you are fine?)
Se o nle? (hope your manhood still stands?) 
Omo aiye to shaprapra, se o wa ok? (smart guy, hope you are cool?)
                                                                                         (Fieldwork)

In replying to these greetings, the 'responder' is expected to use any of these three slangs/language:

ko be wu de! [am fine];
Mo laa le o [am fine and hustling]
Ko bad o, epon agbo ni, ko ni ja [not bad, the hustling must go on]
                                                 (Fieldwork)

These observed greetings among the motor park subcultures are accompanied by peculiar actions and mannerisms that are well entrenched and acknowledged among members.

Another aspect of the Ibadan motor park subculture that must be mastered by its managers  are the names given to denominations of Nigerian currency used to in communicating finance related matters.  The list below shows the aggregate of terms or slang used for different denominations of currency among the motor pack subculture:

1 ₦5 Five Naira Ka’ala
2 ₦10 Ten Naira Fieba
3 ₦15 Fifteen Naira  Fieba-Ka’ala
4 ₦20 Twenty Naira Shandi
5 ₦30 Thirty Naira Three Fieba
6 ₦40 Forty Naira Four Fieba
7 ₦50 Fifty Naira Whitey/Ba’wasi
8 ₦100 Hundred Naira Ten Fieba
9 ₦500 Five Hundred Figo
10 ₦1000 One Thousand Eyi kan/ Pali kan
                                                                            (Fieldwork)

The park agents also have a coinage with which they describe the various denominations of top-up cards using their naira value to align them with family related hierarchy.
For example, MTN Top-Up Cards are described as follows:

MotorPark Coinage English Meaning Value of the Top-Up
Olori ebi                        Head of the family         ₦1450
Olori                              Leader                            ₦750
Aremo                            First male child              ₦400
Kojoo (gbabe)               Can manage it                ₦200
Extra Kool                    The smallest                   ₦100

                                                                            (Fieldwork)

Further analysis later..