Just back from Rwanda, Julius Okorie, who was in that country for the recently concluded African Nations’ Championship (CHAN) football tournament returns with impressive memories of how order and gradual prosperity have returned to a former war-torn country.
It was a bright Saturday afternoon, January 16 to be precise. As the Ethiopian Airline Flight 900 taxied down the runway of Murtala Mohammed International Airport in readiness for takeoff. I fastened my seat belt; but my mind remained crowded with so many issues struggling for attention.
What lies ahead for me in Rwanda? How easy or hard will it be to cope there? Everyone remembers the country as a one-time theatre of war; has anything changed? Can it be said to be safe in the real sense of the word? How about the family I am leaving behind for this journey that may take close to a month?
What about the national team, the CHAN Eagles – the reason for the season, as it were? How ready are they?
Will they rise to the occasion and make the trip worthwhile, or will it be a case as usual of falling below par, followed by the blame game?
I was still engrossed in my own world, when I suddenly felt a drop in my weight, as if a seat has been removed from under me, an indication that the aircraft was already tearing into the sky. Now the journey has indeed begun, I told myself. The close to five hours flight to Addis Abba, Ethiopia, and the first stop-over of the journey was generally smooth. Although one could hardly rule out intermittent bumpy sessions during flights, but it was really nothing to worry about. However the touchdown at Addis at about 6pm Nigeria time and 8pm in Addis, brought me face to face with a very cold weather. It hit me with a bang as I emerged from the aircraft, for the connecting flight first to Entebe (Uganda) and then to Kigali.
In spite of the cold however, I didn’t fail to notice the presence of several Ethiopian Airlines planes of different sizes and makes parked all over the tarmac. Of course that is to be expected as Addis is known to connect to different parts of Europe and even Asia. There are connecting flights to China, Hong Kong, Dubai and several other places. As I tried to count the number of aircrafts on the tarmac, my mind went back home to Nigeria. Where is Nigeria Airways? Certainly there was a time we had something like this. I still remember some of the popular aircrafts in the Nigerian Airways fleet, Forker 28 and 29, Boeing 727, 737, DC 10. Now not even one is left; and no national career anymore. Lord, please have mercy!
Well I had to battle the cold for sometime before the connecting flight to Kigali via Entebbe. The flight to Entebbe took about an hour, and as the aircraft descended on Entebbe Airport, something came to my mind. It was a novel and equally a film, “90 minutes at Entebbe.” The Israeli counter-terrorism operation of 1976 in which a record 103 hostages were rescued, following the hijack of Air France with 248 passengers on board. I wished we had landed in the afternoon, so as to get a clearer view of the airport. Surely it has been rebuilt since then, but just looking around in broad daylight would no doubt tickle the imagination. There was no need stepping down, we only had some passengers join us for the third stage of flight to Kigali. Finally, we landed at Kigali Airport at about 2am Sunday morning. Sizeable airport if you ask me, but very clean. The weather was very cold. The first idea was to stay back at the airport and allow day to break before venturing out, but a professional colleague who had landed the city earlier, called to say he was on his way, as the hotel (Shan Grilla Motel) that eventually became a home was not too far opposite the airport. But was walking down at that time of the day a good idea? He actually came over and confirmed that locals assured him there was nothing to worry about.
“It is very safe, there is absolutely nothing to worry about,” they were quick to announce.
PINNED CLEAN CITY
Kigali the capital of Rwanda may not be that big, but one thing that arrests the attention of first-time visitors is its cleanliness. You just can’t fail to notice it. Private and public buildings show evidence of landscaping adorned with flowers that are maintained religiously, giving an interesting and attractive view at all time. In this city, you don’t even think of dropping anything on the floor or along the road because nobody else is doing so. Like they say, if you are in Rome, you have to be like the Romans. Interestingly, the last Saturday of the month is observed as environmental sanitation day and it is taken seriously by all. You don’t go about wandering during that period or you risk being picked up by Security and Environmental Officers. Fine is 10,000 francs, a little over 13 dollars or close to N5,000. You will be issued receipt of payment, which is regarded as shameful.
Law and order reigns supreme
It is apparent that Rwandans have no problems whatsoever obeying laid down rules. The thinking is that it is easier to be on the side of the law than to attempt to do otherwise. For instance, though there are cars, taxis, their own version of BRT or Kigali Bus Service (KBS), which plies designated routes, the use of motor bikes is very popular as it gets you faster to where you are going and costs less compared to taking a cab. However the rule here is that you must carry only one passenger and both the rider and the passenger must wear helmets. This is not negotiable. I sought to know what would happen if a rider decides to carry two passengers; I was advised not to even think about it. If you are caught either attempting to do that or riding without a helmet, you will be arrested and your bike seized. You can only get it back on payment of 30,000 francs about $40 or about N14, 000.
The roads are smooth and riding on anything can be fun. As for riding on a bike, you can only worry if you have a phobia for height, the reason being that the road though smooth is full of meanders and sharp corners. A ride from Stone Road by the International Airport to Nyamirambo Stadium for instance could give anyone a fright. The intermittent climbing and descending can be really breath-taking, especially for a first-timer; but after a few days, you get used to it, and enjoy the beautiful view.
Maintenance culture and target Setting
National edifice like the stadia, museums and institutions may not be gigantic but one thing is certain, they are maintained always. Those charged with the responsibility of maintaining such places do the job as if their lives depended solely on it.
It will interest you to know that district heads at the beginning of the year state what developmental plans they have and when they hope to complete such projects. Periodic inspection is done on the project to determine whether or not they are measuring up. Those who fail to measure up are sent packing; it is not a question of ‘I have been elected in office for four years and I have to complete my term whether you are performing or not.’
Mansions without fans and air-conditioner
If there is one thing I later fell in love with, it was the Rwandan weather, which I initially considered very cold. I found out that the weather appeared to be self-regulating; some days might be cold in the mornings and nights but when the sun is up, it remains mild. Little wonder you see five star hotels without air-conditioners, yet no one is complaining.
No compromise over security
To say that security is top priority in Rwanda is to put it mildly. Interestingly the security agents go about their jobs without necessarily getting in your way. Both the Army officers sighted and the policemen alike were very young men, perhaps in their late 20s and 30s. Unless you’re extra vigilant, you may not even notice them. Most of the roadsides are lined with beautiful trees, an indication that tree planting is a serious matter. The security men are positioned in strategic places, most times under these trees; and they’re there even at night, complemented by those on patrol – an indication of seamless handing over routine. One needs to see them in action when duty calls. A good example is before, during and after football matches.
Security checks are thorough and the one that tickles my fancy really is what I choose to call “operation 10 minutes”. It takes 10 minutes for the crowd to disperse after each football match. While entering the stadium, only one entrance may be maintained for screening but once the match is over, all the gates are opened with precision and within 10 minutes, you would wonder if indeed a match had been played there. It was so impressive.
Light is your right
Regular power supply is one thing you cannot take away from Kigali. That is not to say that there is absolutely no period of interruption; but it seldom lasts more than 15 minutes. In the 20 days of my stay in the city, I never saw anybody or company running generators. I did see one or two supermarkets with generators but they looked more like decorations and I never saw any of the shops, corner-shops, houses and event centres running on them. My submission is that it is not necessary. First the weather is good and does not get too hot as to make you uncomfortable. Again, there is always light, both in the day and at night, and when it gets interrupted – definitely not at night, it takes less than 20 minutes to restore it. Interestingly, Rwanda imports and does not produce petroleum. Independent marketers handle the petroleum and liquefied gas industries but in compliance to the letter according to the regulations of Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority(RURA), initially created by the Law n° 39/2001 of 13 September 2001 with the mission to regulate certain public utilities, namely: telecommunications network and/or Telecommunications services, electricity, water, removal of waste products from residential or business premises, extraction and distribution of gas and transport of goods and persons. Stakeholders here have copies of this regulations and everyone goes the extra mile to ensure that it is followed to avoid preventable hardship. For Twenty days, I did not hear the sound of a generator, so you can guess the feeling when it was time to pack my baggage and head home.
Pelipeli all the way
Peli-peli is the pepper sauce used to eat virtually everything here, from rice to potatoes and cocoyam, which are in abundance. There were enough fruits to last the distance. Avocado pear, carrot, banana are some of the common ones; maize is available and could be roasted or boiled. Roasted corn incidentally is equally garnished with sauce but I prefer it without the sauce sometimes. Rubavu, where Nigeria played her final match against Guinea could represent Benue state of Nigeria that prides itself as the food basket of the nation. Rubavu is fertile and food is in abundance. It is a common sight to see men carrying big bags of fresh maize on their bicycles and home-made tricycles. Vegetable Potatoes and cocoyams were easy find. Though Rubavu is three hours away from Kigali, it is relatively easy to go there and back as timely buses take off every thirty minutes from the bus terminal in Rubavu.
Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
The 1994 Genocide remains a very dark aspect of this country that attained her independent on 1st July 1962 from Belgium. The horrible ethnic cleansing that saw the death of over two million people, men, women and children, has left many with their lives incomplete, with many youths on their own after losing their parents at early stages of their lives. The Memorial built in 1999 and commissioned in 2004 to mark 10 years of the genocide has since become a “tourist” center, as many troop in from far and wide to see for themselves the atrocities that depict, to say the least, the height of man’s inhumanity to man. When the bible said the heart of man is continually evil, a visit to this center cannot but bring the statement to the fore. That a person, a people or group of people can afford to create a situation where neighbours, whose children played together and shared meals together suddenly turned against each other and began a needless slaughter, is heart-aching. No one makes a tour of the centre, which has about 59,000 people buried under it and remains the same without getting emotional. The pictures of young kids shot dead point-blank and names on stones where surnames indicate a complete wipe out of entire families has not completely left my mind since that visit on 23rd January 2016. No one who has taken time to visit this centre can genuinely muster enough courage to call for war for whatever reason.
The good thing about Rwandans though, is their resolve to move forward as a people and say ‘Never again will this ever happen.’ Stability recorded under former war-lord and current President Paul Kagame has been tremendous. The level and speed of reconstruction that has brought the country to what it is today is commendable. Although it is to be expected that some are not at home with Kagame’s desire to go for a third term in office, the fact remains that many who are impressed with what he has done to forge unity and a new orientation believe it is better to continue to enjoy that than bother about the number of terms or how long he desires to be in office.
Be that as it may, one thing many who experienced that unfortunate incident or were victims keep praying against is that when the Kagame era is finally over, no matter how long it takes, they never have a leader who will be interested in opening old wounds. The Super Eagles may have failed to fly in Rwanda, but the trip to that country was worth it. And to the very friendly people of Rwanda, I say Murakonze!
