Precious Ohakosim: My journey to the people’s paradise [Nigerian Voices]

by Precious Ohakosim

As I heard the shrilling sound of my cellphone at about 04:30 am, I bolted out my couch immediately. It was morning. I knelt down to say a word of prayer as my daily custom was. Then I had my workout routine for about thirty minutes. The heavy drops of sweat dropping from my body compelled me to the bathroom and I washed and became refreshed.

It was on a Friday, the 26th day of February when I hastily dressed up and assembled my luggage already packed, stepped into the living room to bid my family farewell before leaving. I was to embark on a long journey for the next nine hours or so I thought. On reaching the motor park about 2 miles from my apartment, I tried to locate the bus that would convey me from Ibadan to Calabar, for that was my destination. The receptionist then told me that I was the only passenger available for that trip, therefore I would be transferred to another transport company nearby.

My mind was not at rest as I wasn’t sure of what would happen when I arrived the Ibom transit company; I have never travelled with them before that day. The necessary protocols were observed as my ticket was changed and a seat number given to me. Then I was directed to a room where I sat and awaited other passengers at about 05:30 am.

While waiting, I began to imagine how the journey would be, the things I would buy on the way, the people I was going to meet; it was as if I was already in Calabar. Suddenly, I felt a vibe on my body and heard a sound, it was my cellphone ringing again. I opened my eyes and reached for it in my trouser pocket, this time it was a phone call, an old friend of mine was on the line. “Hello!” I said with a rocky voice as I woke; then we began a chat which lasted for about ten minutes.

“I’m tired of waiting” I said to myself as it was almost 07:00 am. The sun had risen, the honking and hooting of bikes and cars I heard on the highway. While I was lost in deep thought and wearied of waiting, the driver called us to take our different seats as the car was warming up for our trip to start. We left Ibadan city at about 08:27am, but as soon as we left the park, I leaned on the passenger seat before me and began to sleep.

The banging sound of the driver’s door interrupted my sleep as I raised up my head wondering why he stopped, only to find out that there was another bus of the same transport company parked in front of ours. “Is there a problem, where are we?” I looked around and discovered that we were in Ile-Ife, when the driver announced to us that we had to enter that other bus as this one we’re in was going to Uyo city in Akwa Ibom state. The passengers from the other bus came as about six of us alighted and entered the second bus to fill the spaces. The shuffling of passengers finally ended when I heard the bang of the bus trunk and the driver entered the bus. Our journey continued at about 10:50am.

As soon as we traveled about five kilometers away from Ile-Ife, I began to sleep again. My eyes were still heavy, I didn’t have enough sleep because of a prayer vigil I attended in my church the night before. The journey continued and I was enjoying my sleep when suddenly the ringing of a cellphone woke me. It was Ebube’s, the passenger sitting beside me in the fore font of the bus. We started discussing about how far ahead out we still had to travel. He told me how unhappy he was about the time wasted at Ile-Ife. In that way, we continued discussing as he slept off.

We continued the journey and at about 01:30pm, the driver diverted and parked in front of a fast food restaurant. He told everyone to go buy food and eat and relax for about fifteen minutes. We went to eat together with Ebube and ten minutes later, I entered the bus again to relax before the journey continues when I noticed a certain number of photographers trying to take snapshots of people leaving the eatery. As the drama was going on, a certain young lady came out and was busy taking snapshots when a pot-bellied middle aged man approached the scene and interrupted. “Na here you wan sleep?” he asked her, shouting with his loud smoky voice. She was one of his passengers, the one delaying his bus from continuing their journey. “Abeg no vex” she replied as she hurriedly ran towards the bus, leaving the cameraman as the driver continued raining insults on her following her to the bus. I just smiled and said to Ebube: “women will always be women”.

Our bus driver came around and soon, we continued our journey. At about one hour later as we approached the border of Edo and Delta state, it began to rain. In two minutes, I felt dizzy again as I succumbed and yielded again to the sleep that was calling me softly. Soon the bus slowed down and the environment became stuffy as I opened my eyes and found out that we were in Asaba. There was a lot traffic as we approached the Niger River, so we moved slowly until we crossed the bridge and the bus zoomed off again. The rest of the journey was less eventful until when we approached Owerri city of Imo state when the sound of a siren filled the air. It was the convoy of a certain minister traveling that same road. Why must they always to do that, I asked myself.

As the sun began to set at about 06:30pm, we arrived Aba city of Abia state. I was very tired and also very exhausted that my buttocks were aching as a result of prolonged sitting on a spot. The day became darker as we arrived Uyo city of Akwa Ibom state. The journey became longer and it seemed to me as the journey was unending. The every passenger in the bus had had enough hours to sleep and sleep and sleep again except the driver. This time, everyone’s eyes were wide open and we all stayed awake until we approached the border of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

The sky was getting darker, the climate becoming cold and the air was moist. Beams of light from oncoming vehicles flashed into my eyes as we were about two kilometers from “okun” river. At this time the deafening noise our bus was making became louder. This exhaust pipe was perforated as a result of high bumps and potholes on the highway. The driver was wearied, then I wondered if I could put up with the noise for the rest of the journey; little did I know that it was not even a subject enough for worry as I saw a long queue of vehicles ahead. Our bus slowed down and halted, as we joined the queue; it was a traffic jam of which we were about to discover the cause.

Everyone had alighted from the bus due to the heat and some of us stood aloof, while others sought to buy water as they were thirsty. Murmurs and complaints filled the air as everyone became impatient and worried. Phone calls were going on as people called their friends and family to intimate them about a which they knew nothing about the cause. Meanwhile, as all these events continued, I took a walk with Ebube, we were trying to find out what must have caused the holdup when I heard my cellphone ring, it was my father, “Where are you now, the people in Calabar are awaiting your arrival, are you okay?”. “Dad, I’m fine” I replied. Then I began explaining the state of things to him when the noise of our bus filled the air, vehicles started moving slowly, I had just heard alongside Ebube and passengers from co-travelers that the traffic jam was caused by a tanker truck that had blocked the road because it had a mechanical fault.

After about an hour, we all returned into the bus and continued our trip at 10:15pm, and in a slow motion we journeyed until we crossed the narrow bridge and entered into Cross River state also known as “The people’s Paradise”. It was so exhausting and intriguing that these events won’t be easily be erased from my memory. I said to Ebube: “I will continue to remember this journey for a long time”. “We are now in Calabar” he said to me after poking me, as I awoke from sleep again at exactly 11:39pm. I couldn’t help it, I had to doze off despite the noise of our bus. The air was refreshing, street lights illuminated the highway, it was almost like a boulevard. The road was sidelined by trees on both sides, everywhere was quiet, and there was no traffic, it was a beautiful sight. We traveled the road alone for about three minutes, and five minutes later, we arrived the park, I was alone with the driver in front of the bus because Ebube had alighted along the way, some other passengers had too. The remaining few left alighted from the and left. Now I was alone with the driver.

This journey to me was a one-time unforgettable event and I can’t explain how I felt because at the end of the journey I was famished. I couldn’t get home because it was late at night and inexpedient for me to take a cab at such an ungodly hour of the day; so, I slept in the bus with the driver after eating a snack. The next day, my people came to pick me up at the pack and I arrived home safely. “This is quite an experience”, I said to myself.


This entry was submitted as part of the Nigerian Voices competition organized by YNaija.com.

We publish, un-edited, Nigerians telling the stories of their everyday lives. Read all the narratives daily on the Nigerian Voices vertical. You can also contribute your own story titled ‘Nigerian Voices’ to [email protected].

 

 

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