Often, we do not hear of the travails of people on the periphery of society — the woman who sells corn by the street, the POS attendant who always has cash available, the Maishayi who turns tea at the corner, and the shoemaker who walks about clicking and clacking.
In ‘On Tuesday of Last Week’, the light zooms in on the interior life of one of these often ignored but necessary presences. The story follows the event that has sent a young POS attendant, Osondu, on the run for his life.
As writers, in this part of the world, we are constantly negotiating our positions and those of our characters, and the way in which we choose to bring them to existence. In putting out our stories, sometimes it means having to let go of certain words, to over-explain, to overcompensate.
Publishing this story in the inaugural issue of Naira Stories gave me the opportunity to work around my story, not in a bid to over-explain certain things which are integral in the culture I’m working from, but to tell my story as truly and honestly as possible.
It means so much to me to bring this story to its audience via a magazine domiciled in Nigeria, for Nigerians, and by Nigerians. I couldn’t be any prouder. I hope you, dear reader, enjoy this story better than I enjoyed writing it.
Azubuike Samuel Obi is an Igbo storyteller who believes in the transformative power of language. His works have appeared in The Republic, Efiko Magazine, African Writer Magazine, and elsewhere. Longlisted for the HG Wells Short Story Competition (2024), he was a fellow of the inaugural Ibinabo Writers’ Residency (2024) and The Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop (2025). Obi aspires to live a “life of the mind and a life of imagination.” He can be found on X and Instagram @SamExistingg.
