Waking up in Glasgow on Day 4 of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, my first Google search was not about a gold medal performance or stadium attendance. It was a more desperate query: “How do I recover a lost item from an Uber ride?”
The day had barely started when I realized my trusted glasses were no longer on my face or in my bag. Somewhere between one venue and the next, during a hurried Uber ride across the city, they had decided they had seen enough of the Games and vanished. I spent the next few minutes patting down my pockets, reopening my backpack, and refreshing the Uber app, hoping the last driver would spot them on the back seat.
It was an unfortunate twist, made worse by the memory of a conversation with my mentor, Olukayode Thomas, just days before I left Lagos. He had looked at me across the table, noticed the glasses perched on my nose, and asked in his usual fatherly manner: “How old are you that you’re already wearing glasses?”
A Mentor’s Warning
I tried to defend myself, explaining that my job as a journalist keeps me glued to screens for hours on end — editing copy, checking wire dispatches, and scrolling through endless updates. He wasn’t convinced. “So I don’t look at screens?” he fired back immediately. At that point, I knew I had lost the argument, so I simply laughed.
Now, in Glasgow, that laughter has given way to a quiet prayer. The same glasses that my mentor teased me about are somewhere in the city’s transport network, perhaps bundled into a corner of an Uber’s floor mat or sitting on the passenger seat of a taxi heading to the outskirts of town. The irony is not lost on me.
This is my fourth day covering the Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event that has drawn thousands of athletes, officials, and journalists from across the globe to Scotland’s largest city. From athletics to aquatics, the competition has been fierce, and my role at Premium Times involves filing daily reports, conducting interviews, and capturing the stories behind the scores. But none of that prepared me for the challenge of being glasses-less in a foreign country.
I have worn glasses for the past few years, mostly for reading and computer work. They have become an extension of my face; I even place them on the nightstand before sleeping. The thought of having to replace them in a foreign city, amid the chaos of a major sporting event, is enough to make any reporter panic.
A Prayer for Recovery
I have now become intimately familiar with Uber’s help centre, trying to trace my ride and lodge a lost item report. I can only hope that the system works as efficiently as Scotland’s transport network, which has been remarkably reliable so far, shuttling fans and media between venues with ease.
Beyond the immediate inconvenience, this episode has reminded me of Mr Kay’s broader advice about health. He has always urged me to take care of my body, to rest my eyes, and to avoid the burnout that comes with a relentless news cycle. He is absolutely right. Staying healthy is not just about gym sessions and eating well; it is also about taking better care of the little things that help me do my job — like a decent pair of glasses.
As I write this diary entry, I am squinting at the bright screen of my laptop, cursing the small font size. If you notice a typing mistake or two in today’s report, please forgive me — I am straining my eyes more than usual.
Coverage Continues
Hopefully, my next update from Glasgow will carry a much happier title: “Good news… My glasses are back!” Until then, the Commonwealth Games coverage continues. I will be out there, blurry-eyed but determined, bringing you all the juicy stories, exclusive interviews, medal updates, and behind-the-scenes moments from Glasgow 2026.
Follow Premium Times for more updates from the Games, and if you happen to be in Glasgow and see a stray pair of glasses in an Uber, you know who to contact.
