Let me tell you about my 'waka' yesterday. We set out in the morning and observed that there were many stranded individuals looking to hitch rides out of Lagos at the Berger axis. I understand that severe traffic jams along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the preceding days had prevented the return of the regular transport vehicles back to the state early enough. The police were seen at Berger trying their best to ensure that there was no indiscriminate gathering of these potential hitchhikers sufficient to slowdown traffic.
It took a bit to get from Berger to the Mowe-MFM/ Redemption camp axis due to reconstruction work and the sheer volume of vehicular movement assured us of an eventful trip. Reconstruction work remained nonexistent from Sagamu to Ajebo despite the claims of the past administration that the highway was part of their accomplishments. It took over one hour to break through Ajebo into Ibadan and most of that time was spent on one spot. A major diversion meant that one carriageway had to handle movement in two directions and it took a while for commonsense to prevail. The Federal road safety corp and police were however on ground to save the day. While we waited, I observed that a few vehicles around had rams in their trunks. I wondered why people bought rams in Lagos only to ferry them out. Are rams cheapest in Lagos or did their owners personally breed them? The long wait meant that some trunks were kept open to prevent suffocation of these animals and one man even cut some grass to feed his.
It wasn't surprising to see Nigerians discard empty bottles, emptied food packs and other waste out of the vehicles they were in. It's typical of many Nigerians to do so I must state. Ibadan was just about the same it has been for many years now. The major road leading from the end of the expressway was adorned with heaps of waste along the entire stretch. There was even some trading just proximal to a stockpile of waste and people passed by like it was nothing. It's either of two things; folks in Ibadan cannot help it but generate and dispose refuse along their roads because it makes Ibadan beautiful or these people are indeed aware of this shortcoming but don't realise that they have a governor or local government officials in Oyo state to pressurise. Is Governor Ajimobi not ashamed of the eyesore in his very backyard? Did he fly in his Japanese investors a few weeks ago to mask the filth that has become characteristic of Ibadan? I'm sure the Japs must have still seen the mess on the ground; there's no way that amount of litter will not be visible to anyone in the sky and in space. Some of the refuse heaps were set alight and some portions of the road divide had large ponds for breeding Aedes aegypti; Oyo state is playing with disease outbreaks and the government and people are doing nothing about it.
My attention soon shifted to a container two vehicles in front of mine. The large doors were flung open and a woman, her luggage and three children were let down of the container even though the articulated vehicle upon which the container was set was still moving however slowly. I was shocked that someone could arrange to ferry people across states packed like sardines in a shut container; it looked like the scene of a movie or documentary about human trafficking. The girl let down from the container even had her clothes pulled down to her waist suggesting that she must have endured a severely uncomfortable journey from Lagos inside the boiling container. What happened next after a few seconds was stuff of movie proportions. A young lad probably in his late teens clad in brownish native attire and carrying a black backpack fell off the moving container landing on his back and rolling over about two times before leaping back to his feet. It was a miracle that the Peugeot 206 just ahead of us was not moving at a higher speed to knock out the fallen lad. I'm not sure if it's just the fault of governments that lives aren't valued or if it's equally the fault of the people who take enormous risks just to save money or because of lack of funds in the first place; I don't know.
The rest of my journey to Ilorin was less eventful, there seems to have been some patch work done on the road from Ibadan to Oyo and the obstacle course that is the road from Oyo to Ogbomoso remained the same. I couldn't help but wonder at the greenery and landscape of Oyo and what the state could do with their potential. Fulani herdsmen were seen on the road and in the bushes but I saw no rifles on them; young boys who looked seven years old or less were also part of one particular herding party. I just wonder what Oyo ought to be raking in from agriculture alone; those in power there seem to be more optimistic about a huge electronic advertisement structure at Iwo road which presently doesn't work and the rams being sold at the periphery of that space.
There is recession no doubt but there was plenty food on display for sale at Ogbomoso and the food no doubt appeared fresh. Yam tubers, fruits, palm oil and coconuts were plenty; it's high time our population got redistributed to provide enough mouths to consume such fresh food and fruits in places such as Ogbomoso. I'm sure that way, the adverse effect of the recession will be less palpable. I'm surely helping myself with some farm produce on my return journey. I must commend whoever is responsible for an attempt to finally fix the portion of the road which cuts through Ogbomoso around the Baptist seminary axis leading up to the Federal government college Ogbomoso. The road was done before a few years ago but soon fell apart becoming a yam farm in the process. The people there like in every part of Nigeria should arise and hold their elected officials responsible and ensure they do their jobs. Political office is not meant to breed fattened calves who will do nothing but buy iPhone 7s for their numerous girlfriends or for turning young men into mules for money laundering. Even an unelected former first lady is laying claims to millions of dollars frozen by the Economic and financial crimes commission EFCC like it was money earned from being a football super agent involved in brokering a move for Messi from Barcelona to Real Madrid.
The regular anti terrorism policemen who greet as we enter Ilorin were not in sight probably due to the high temperature at the time or due to the direct effects of the recession; I do not know but the inspector general of police must hear that his men were not at their duty posts. A huge banner welcoming senator Saraki was present on the road into Ilorin town; I wonder what preparations at the airport was like. Saraki must fly and some people are asking for a reduction in the presidential fleet just like that o. It's alright. Happy festivities to Muslims in the land; the sheer volume of travellers on the road and the trailer loads of livestock I saw entering Lagos tells me that recession is not only just a word but a myth. There should be no excuses for correct grub when I return o; you have been alerted and I wish you all well.
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