The Okada Man Who Charges Me Extra Because I Greet Him in Yoruba

There is one okada man at Bodija market, his name is Akeem. Every time I climb his bike, he looks at my grey hair and my reading glasses and says, "Baba, you are not like these other people." I think it is a compliment until he adds two hundred naira to my fare.

Last Tuesday I asked him why. He said it is because I greet him well in the morning, I ask about his children, I don't shout at him like the young boys do. So the extra money, according to Akeem, is for the respect I am giving him. I told him respect and money are two different things. He said, "Baba, in this Lagos, they are the same thing."

I paid him. What could I do? The Yoruba say bi oba ti ri ni mo ti n ri, as the king sees it is how I see it. But I have been thinking about Akeem all week. Is this how we have priced everything now, even courtesy? My wife says I should just stop greeting him. But that one is not in my character. So I am asking, is it better to be rude and pay less, or to be polite and pay for it?