My last inter-state travelling was few months ago from “Enugu state to Lagos State” both in Nigeria. It was the most amazing travel experience I have ever had because it was such an interactive journey. Everyone in the vehicle I boarded was willing to initiate intelligent and interesting conversations. As the driver was arranging our luggage on that day, he placed a big travelling bag at the entrance of the last seat in our bus and the passenger sitting opposite the entrance angrily lifted the bag and threw it out of the motor vehicle through the boot shouting at the driver for wanting to inconvenience him with the big bag, stating that he had a long leg and so, does not want anything that would restrict him from stretching his legs.
Suddenly, the owner of the luggage ran so fast out of the vehicle through the boot and hit the man who threw his bag away so hard with his hand, shouting and listing the content of the bag, adding that they might crack if not handled with care.
We left Enugu immediately the driver finished with the arrangement and a Pastor followed us. He prayed for us, wished everyone journey mercy and the passengers gave a voluntary offering which was handed over to him. His show of gratitude was seen in his mood as he smiled and waved to us before leaving while we continued with our journey.
I was terrified when we arrived at a place called “four corners” as no soldier was at the military checkpoint which is a narrow road where kidnappers usually operate. Luckily for us, the road was safe on that faithful day.
We spent about 20minutes in traffic at Oji River, Enugu State due to the bad road and roadblocks that the military men left there to avoid reckless driving by commuters. It was an untarred road, and road users were all making use of one lane, [this road falls under the exclusive list of the federal government, by that fact alone, it is well deserving of being kept in a perfect condition. I observed that they are verifiable tools for kidnappers to take advantage of the potholes which force commuters to slow down.
I stared through the windscreen watching the armed forces on duty as they were directing the drivers in our lane to stop for the cars heading to Enugu to pass before we were instructed to move. The drivers obeyed their instructions and stopped while some other drivers turned off their car and rolled down their windows to avoid fuel wastage. As we were waiting, a man in our vehicle raised a conversation about the nature of Nigerian roads and how commuters suffer due to bad roads. Virtually every passenger commented about the nature of the road and how many have lost their lives and resources due to the nature of the roads. As we were conversing, the drivers were all alert waiting for the military men to wave for them to start moving. Some minutes later, they waved and all the vehicles on our lane moved in unison.
We arrived at Anambra State at 9:30 am and met an accident scene along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, [few minutes drive to Nkwelle GRA]. The scene of the incident was surrounded by a crowd trying to rescue the victims. There were lots of casualties and the accident involved a sienna and a heavy-duty truck carrying cement. I assumed the truck driver dozed off and collided with the sienna causing the accident. At the same time, I felt so emotional after seeing the scene of the accident and I asked a lot of rhetorical questions like; why a functional government can’t construct good roads to save lives and properties and equally to reduce the stress of travelling for the masses. I feel it is improper allowing heavy-duty trucks to operate during the day when small vehicles are on the road. If the agencies in charge of transportation and law enforcement can stop them from operating in the day time, it will help to reduce accident and loss of properties. The government should make provision for trucks by constructing a quality road for them.
Meanwhile, we continued the journey and our vehicle was moving up and down, slow and then faster and faster, swimming inside potholes full of dirty water. I held the handle of the seat beside me to avoid falling. I tried to look behind and saw my neighbor fastening his seat belt which looked like something that had not been used for a very long time because it was tied together. It had rained so much at Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, so the potholes were filled with rainwater due to the poor drainage system. Our journey was delayed a bit because the commuters were avoiding the potholes by all means and they were following any lane of their choice to avoid their car from getting stock in the deep hole.
We entered Onitsha at 10:00am and the road was surprisingly free. We were all happy because the road didn't have many potholes. We crossed the river Niger to Asaba without much stress, the journey was getting smoother this time. At Asaba, our driver stopped for an inspection by his company’s disciplinary committee to find out if he was going against their ethics. We were all instructed to get down as they went in to inspect the vehicle. Some passengers used the opportunity to make use of the restroom in a nearby fuel station while others stayed back observing things like; the road hawkers running towards our car chanting "buy ‘Ukwa’ [ buy bread fruit], buy ‘Oha’ leave, buy pepper snail, buy plantain chips, buy Original honey, buy chin chin" etc. We got into the vehicle immediately after the search, sat in our various positions, and then waited for the other passengers who had gone to the toilet to return. I glanced through the window and saw a mentally challenged woman brushing her teeth just beside the road with a tooth brush, a detergent and some water [An unusual way of brushing teeth] and thought of how it feels brushing ones' teeth with a detergent and the effect it has on the gum. We continued with our journey immediately the other passengers returned.
On getting to Benin bypass [truck park precisely], there was traffic caused by the trucks packed beside the road. It was raining heavily at the moment and our driver was looking sideways, checking where he could fix in as other drivers too were honking at him. We stayed at a spot for over 30 minutes without our car moving an inch. A Young man initiated a conversation about how those in authority misplace priorities in terms of the needs of the masses, stating that Edo State government have a great land mass and could decide to empty some free lands beside the bypass so the truck drivers could pack there instead of blocking the roads with their heavy duty trucks. He equally said the government can generate revenue there by charging truck drivers some money before allowing them to pack. Few minutes later another passenger raised a topic concerning Nigerian women and how they like money and equally dislike broke men.
Interestingly, the man was interrupted by another passenger sitting exactly behind the driver. He told him not to generalize his views about Nigerian women stating that we still have good girls among our women. According to him, he wanted to date his wife for fun but found out she was a precious jewel [very different from the ladies of this generation]. He equally stated that he wasn’t ready for commitment at the moment but the Lady’s behavior made him to start taking their relationship to the next level [which is marriage]. He stated that they went to the hospital to check their genotype and they both found out that two of them were “AS” carriers and he was in a state of dilemma. Then, he went to the church ‘The Chapel Of Blessed Sacrament’ asking God for help [let it not be Genotype that will separate him and the precious jewel he found]. However, he went to a different hospital [missionary-owned hospital in particular], re-checked his genotype and it was ‘AA’ this time. He was in doubt of the result and went to a different hospital still in the southeast and it was still ‘AA.’
Conclusively, the two love birds married when they confirmed their Genotype and found out they were medically compatible. I stared at the man for a while and wondered how an “AS” carrier could miraculously turn “AA”. A lot of us doubted him stating that, it’s not possible for one's genotype to change with prayer while others believed that nothing is impossible with God. I still wasn’t convinced by his story though I was happy for them as they had two children and none is “SS.” I was elated on how the man defended “Nigerian Women,” using his wife as a case study.
I didn’t know when I dozed off in the vehicle. It’s so fun traveling when the weather is cool especially if you are not in front of the car with the driver or when you are not driving. I was sleeping and opening my eyes at intervals checking billboards to know where we were. I glanced through the rear view mirror and saw the traffic we were stuck in and how some truck drivers were struggling to move forward in order to block every empty lane with their heavy-duty trucks while the buses and private cars were struggling to enter any space they see. Hereafter, I couldn't afford to sleep after seeing those trucks on the road trying to intimidate other drivers on the road by forcefully overtaking them. it made me think that truck drivers have no regard for life and enjoy causing an accident.
Suddenly, the traffic reduced and the road users started moving their cars in unison. One other passenger initiated a different topic about clergymen, stating that most clergy men especially Rev. Pastors deceive their congregation with fake miracles. According to him, he had a very terrible experience with a pastor somewhere in Lagos, Nigeria where a Rev. Pastor paid him and he was used to perform a fake miracle just to boost his church and likewise to get more members. A young Lady interrupted him adding that one other pastor used a bulletproofed car to protect himself and his family when gun men ambushed them on the road and killed his police escorts and some of his workers who were not in a bulletproofed car, and the pastor still had the courage to make a live video on social media shortly after the attack to let the killers know he’s still alive and his family members are healthy too. As if those that were killed during the attack were not loved and cherished by God. The journey was so interactive and entertaining irrespective of the stress we went through on the traffic.
We stopped at Ore, Ondo State where virtually all the travelers stop for refreshment and rest before continuing with their journey. There were lots of cars and buses packed at Ore. Packing cars there is at the owner’s risk as there was no security monitoring the cars and the packing processes. The environment was noisy because of the ambiance from the moving vehicles on the highway. People were moving around, buying food and other edible items that would satisfy them before continuing with the journey. I was amazed when I saw the man who threw away someone’s bag and the owner of the bag conversing and walking towards the ‘suya’ stand. Seeing them together made me imagine how beautiful the world would have been if everyone takes life simply as they did, they symbolized peace among men.
