I have always been fascinated by the Northern part of Nigeria. I remember seeing pictures of the famous groundnut pyramids while growing up. Sadly that sight is no more with the discovery of the 'black gold'. There was a rather unfortunate move to totally focus on the 'black gold' i.e. crude oil production solely while neglecting other sectors with potentials of making significant contribution to Nigeria's economy. Rather than diversification with the discovery of crude, there was fixation on crude leading to a mono economy such that Nigeria's earnings largely depends on which side of the bed the international crude market wakes up on.
My journey to Northern Nigeria, precisely Kaduna State has been the farthest I have ever sojourned from my home State. Just like the trip to Enugu State in Eastern Nigeria, the memories from my Kaduna trip still brings smiles to my face whenever I recall the experiences I had . The trip was borne out of the need for me to collect samples from the Northern part of the country for experimentation as well as laboratory analysis as part of my M.Sc thesis.
I embarked on the journey in the early hours of a Saturday morning as it was going to be a lengthy trip which would take me through Kogi State and the Federal Capital territory. The journey would take most part of the day from what I had gathered from those who had previously visited the State. Aside from a few bad spots in Edo and Kogi States back then, the roads on the route were fairly ok. The risk of encountering bandits or kidnappers was minimal unlike what currently obtains.
There was however a challenge with some rather narrow roads within Kogi State which slowed our pace of movement. Generally aside the occasional numbness of my backside and a rather unfortunate encounter with some law enforcement agents due to negligence on the part of our driver, the journey went fairly smoothly.
Along the way I had the opportunity of seeing vast cultivated agricultural lands and of course the parts of the FCT which the route taken allowed one to view. The journey eventually lasted about 6 hours and I arrived at Kaduna in the early part of the evening. Upon arrival at the last stop of the vehicle I took from my home State, I had to board another vehicle which would convey me to the my final destination within the State and where I would reside for about 10 days although the trip was initially intended for a week.
While in the vehicle an incident transpired between a passenger and the conductor which made me realize that I was indeed in another part of the country. The conductor had given the passenger 'change' which contained a torn polymer note. The passenger rejected the note requesting for one which wasn't torn despite the pleadings from the conductor that it was still acceptable to be used for transactions. It was at this point that another passenger remarked that it was obvious that the passenger rejecting the torn polymer note was not from the Northern part of the country as it was the norm to accept the notes for transactions even if they were torn or defaced over there.
In the part of the country where I reside it is a common practice for buyers and sellers to reject torn or defaced regular paper bank notes they receive during transactions. The newly introduced polymer notes are no exception. In fact there is a higher chance of a polymer note that has been mutilated being useless to the bearer as the previous paper bank notes could be 'surgically' patched with transparent cellotape thus becoming somewhat acceptable. The last resort for the utilization of mutilated bills is to purchase premium motor spirit popularly called fuel at service stations with such notes as they usually don't reject such probably due to the fact that they pay in bulk to the banks.
Before I digress too much, a day after my arrival we began the 'hunt' for the samples which I required for my laboratory experiment. Over the next couple of days, we would go out usually in the evening except for weekends where more time was available for the sample collection. Lest I forget, my host was a friend who had moved up North for the purpose of studies. He has since memorised the entire Qur'an, adjusted and acclimatised so well that you'd think he was an indigene. When you're with him there's no dull moment as his energy and enthusiasm is literally contagious. So while on our search for my samples it was like a fun activity due to his presence.
In search of a particular plant sample, we had to take a trip to another side of town. It turned out that the other side of town was quite a distance requiring us to spend a substantial amount of time commuting via public motorbus. Surprisingly the fare we eventually paid when we got to our destination was rather small considering the distance we literally travelled. Considering the fare we would have parted with if it was a commute for a similar distance in my home State, what we were charged over there was little. I also had to purchase some samples at the local market which were offered also at rather low rates.
The trip gave me the opportunity of seeing the bank of the Kaduna river and a few other sites within the Kaduna metropolis. Oh! Lest I forget I got to see rail tracks and an actual train in motion for the first time. My host also suggested we go for a train ride before my departure unfortunately the opportunity never presented itself due to my short stay. Towards the end of my stay, the Ramadan fast for Muslims commenced and I had the honour of being hosted for 'iftar' (breaking of the fast) by people who had previously not known or met me.
This was one of the most memorable moments of my visit save for a little misadventure on one of the nights. On the said night we had been hosted for iftar and were served a variety of meals including fruits and saturated milk products. Taking a cue from my host who devoured the courses mercilessly, I did same while neglecting one key difference between us.
I have a sensitive stomach and the next couple of days before my eventual departure I had to stay indoors as my stomach became unstable and the 'white house' became my close buddy. Since that incident I stay clear of saturated milk products for fear of having a repeat occurrence of my forced engagement to the 'white house'. For those of you who may be at sea as to the 'white house ' being referred to, it isn't the one located in Washington D.C. obviously. You can make a wild guess as to its location and I am sure if you can read between the lines you'll figure it out eventually. A hint is that it is located in every modern house.
Some key take aways from my Kaduna trip:
the average Northerner likes to live a simple life
Cost of living is generally low including transportation over there
the hospitality I received from total strangers was amazing
I look forward to a time when the region and Nigeria generally becomes safer so that I can embark on another journey to the North most likely another State. Who knows it may even be Borno. Until then I will just have to keep my fingers crossed.
Shukran
Danke
Merci
Gracias
ขอบคุณ
ধন্যবাদ
Спасибо
for reading.
