Taiwo Abiodun who recently visited Lome recounts his journey
My heart started beating furiously, my temperature shot up and I suddenly developed goose pimples. At this juncture, different thoughts flooded my mind: should we go back? Will this vehicle ever take us to our destination? Are we going to sleep in the bush tonight? I asked myself for the umpteenth time why I embarked on this journey? I had no airtime on my phone, and even if I had who would I call to rescue us? I complained bitterly, but my boss, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin (Online Editor), whom I was travelling with could no longer stomach it. He said “Taiwo, we would have travelled by air but since you wanted to see how the roads look like that is why I said we should go by road.” Again he mocked me and said, “Why are you panicking but you are the Babalawo of The Nation, now use your Babalawo power to operate the vehicle.”
No, I was not groaning or complaining for the fun of it. When the Mercedes Benz car we boarded at Agege Motor Park started jerking immediately we left Lagos, I knew we were done for when one of the tyres started making unusual sound. I began to doubt whether this vehicle will get us through the two West African countries – (Benin Republic and The Republic of Togo) where we were heading. But despite of our complaints, the fairly elderly driver did not blink an eye. He did not care a hoot. He remained calm and spoke softly without being harsh yet he knew the condition of the vehicle .The more I tried to make trouble with him the more Mr. Otufodunrin would pacify me saying we had already boarded it and therefore we should be patient. Later we discovered that the man had bandage on one of his legs and was limping while the second leg was swollen. Then, I remembered Long John Silver in the book Treasure Island, who despite his one leg was wicked and remorseless.
The road to Cotonou was smooth and not busy.
Porous borders
At the Seme border, the Nigeria Customs officers were civil, they treated us with respect and dignity. We introduced ourselves as journalists; this impressed them and they immediately stamped our passports without demanding for money. However, reverse was the case at the other end of the border where our driver ordered the ‘border keeper’ (or more appropriately the gate keeper) to drop the rope after handing over to him N200. To my chagrin the gate keeper, with his nicotine – stained teeth grabbed the money and dropped the rope to allow the driver drive across the border freely. We were asked to walk across after we had been searched.
The driver had deliberately left us for our passports to be stamped. However, the gendarmes and policemen had other motives: they demanded for 2000 CFA, and many more at different points, this annoyed my boss and he argued with them. We later learnt that the driver had left us to allow them fleece us.
With the porosity and high level of bribery and corruption at the borders, terrorists could use this to infiltrate the countries. I asked myself if rope demarcation between Nigerian and Benin Republic was secure.
Petroleum in bottles
For the first time in my life, I saw petroleum being hawked in bottles in Cotonou, it was being openly hawked like kerosene. In Benin Republic vehicles stop to refill their tanks from petroleum hawkers and one could see different bottles of various sizes. I looked at them and cried Nigeria is blessed, she only only needs good leadership to put things right. I can now understand why people look at Nigerians as rich people. I can now see why Nigeria is Eldorado to many.
Along the road from Cotonou to Togo, our driver pleaded that he would like to check his tyres when the noise emanating from them grew louder. In doing this, we wasted about 45 minutes yet the driver remained unrepentant and spoke in a cool voice. At 5:30 pm we arrived Togo and the driver who had promised to take us to our hotel could not locate the hotel.
Lome, the capital of Togo is clean. They have good wall demarcation between Benin and their administration is well organized. The motorcycle operators (known as Okada riders) wore helmets while their passengers don’t. They, however, obey traffic rules and where the traffic lights are not working policemen are positioned to direct traffic.
Language as a barrier
While Mr. Otufodurin was at the hotel attending a meeting, I decided to kill boredom by venturing into the town to familiarize myself with the city of Lome. I seized the opportunity when I later went out with two people to collect money from the ATM. I was stunned when I did not see customers on the queue outside the bank but rather they went into the hall which is well guarded with security officers.
Now left alone, I started strolling up and down looking like a thief. In fact, the area I found myself looked like Yaba in Lagos.
When I asked where I could eat Yoruba food, I was directed me to one ‘Mama Afolabi.’ I was stunned when a plate of food was priced at 2,000 cefa thinking it was N2000. At Mama Afolabi’s place I ate Nigeria’s popular Amala with ‘Abula ‘. According to Mama Afolabi, she has been coming and going out of Lome for the past 10 years. When asked which country she preferred between the two countries (Nigeria and Togo) she said, “am making my living here, so everywhere is home.” But when I told her there is money and business in Nigeria she smiled and said “let it be”. I saw Igbo and Yoruba speaking ladies who were hanging around beckoning to customers, one of them called me but when she made mention of 20, 000 cefa, I quickly left. Another ran up to me and spoke in smattering English as she asked “Do you want to drink water? I go do you weli weli and I geti condom.” I smiled and said ‘no’. The fact is that I just wanted to know what their evenings looked like.
A man walked up to me and spoke in French. I said “non language Monsieur”, he did not understand me . Again he spoke but I dramatized to him using signals like a dumb and deaf, he looked at me with curiosity. He also did not understand English. I remembered my French teacher and muttered to myself, “Now I need to know French. I now know the value.”
Orderliness in Togo
Who says Togolese are not law-abiding citizens? Seeing the Okada riders could be interesting as they all wore crash helmets and obeyed traffic rules. The Okada riders were like locusts, they ride together. It was interesting watching them, it was as if it it was the only means of transportation. Taxis are not painted, and one can hardly see a rickety vehicle.
On my way home I started reading the billboards written in French: Rama Golrodome , couture , Lavillage, Togoke El Shaddai, El Shaddai, Rues Des barabas, Prophete Momo, Complexe Solaire, , Auberge Du Lac, Auberge Sinoutin, 2 Vendre Plots, Rue Mausi , .Abraham Lincoln Inn, Bien Venenn, Bouvard, Daguerre,Ora bank!
Back home
We had no much problem coming back to Nigeria. At the motor park drivers were struggling to drive us back home. The moment they saw us one Peter called us; he is multilingual as he could speak, Yoruba, French and English. Since I knew our money had value I begged my boss to let me act like a big man, and I walked up and down majestically. I demanded for a Jeep to take us to Lagos. And I went to take a shot of their Alomo bitters by the Atlantic Ocean.
We later boarded our vehicle and had a smooth ride to Lagos. At the Seme border the Nigerian Customs officers did not ask for bribe.
Lessons from the journey
Seeing the business in Togo and Cotonou where used cars, motorcycles (Okada), household utensils, clothes among others were displayed, I remembered my secondary school teachers in the 70s who taught me Economics and Commerce who used to say Africa would soon (then ) become a dumping ground for the Western world. With what is happening now they have been proved right. Another lesson I learnt is that I should learn how to speak French owing to the fact that my country is surrounded by Francophone nations.
Our schools should be made to start teaching French language and this should be made compulsory in all schools.
