I have always been fascinated with new places. I want to know what is happening in other places, the kind of people there, their mindsets, their cultures etc.
Traveling is therapeutic for me. I discovered that when I am going through a difficult phase and I travel, the euphoria takes the burden off my mind.
The south south is the home of crude oil deposits. The riverine region alone accounts for 95% of the rainforests in the country.
I had a golden opportunity to visit PH so I took a trip to the land of mangrove swamps, creeks, islands, rivers and oceans!!!
Give me your mind, let us travel to the farthermost Southern region of Nigeria:
BAYELSA STATE:
I landed in Portharcourt, went to Rumuokoro park, boarded a car, headed for Yenogoa in Bayelsa state. Bayelsa I can say is 80% water and 20% land.
First stop was my office where they got takeaway of bole (roasted plantain), stew and fried fish for me. That evening, a staff took me round town, I saw CBN, the jetty, some bridges and at night, I took starch and native soup and stayed at Opolo city off Mbiama-Yenogoa road.
Early the next morning, I headed for the Nembe kingdom (which comprises Nembe LGA and Brass Island). We passed through Ogbia LGA where I saw the first Oil well at Oloibiri.
Pause, I want you to understand the significance of this place to Nigeria. Oil discovery in 1956 changed the trajectory of Nigeria forever.
It is good there was a signboard in place there but it could have been better kept.
Getting to Nembe park, I took a bike to the waterfront.
NEMBE:
Nembe is a very old town full of colonial houses, pated narrow streets and men wearing long traditional shirts, wrappers, hats and carrying staffs in Edwardian fashion. It was just like a page of a vintage textbook, it was too old to be true. At the jetty (like a garage only that this is for boats not vehicles), we got a plate of hot rice and chicken peppersoup (learnt that stew is expensive to cook there).
We set off in a speed boat to Brass Island on the Nembe creek. It is nothing like you have seen before. I could understand houses on stilts but a functional filling NNPC station on the water, that must have been an engineering feat! How do they store the fuel? How are they supplied fuel? It’s just amazing.
We met a military check point on the water (we had to lift our hands while approaching because soldiers have been gunned down severally by militants). We saw people travelling in their boats loaded with foodstuffs, frying akara (local beancake dish), toiletries for sale. Women or small children riding boats fishing.
Everywhere was just water and then rainforests and mangrove swamps on each side. The trip was one and a half hours on the creek to Brass Island.
We arrived Brass by 12pm. Brass Island is at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, there is no boundary between them. The creek just flows into the ocean. On approaching the island, the boat must swerve and park at the jetty, if it dares to continue in a straight line, sope otilo. The next boat going back to Nembe was not going to be available till 3pm so there was three hours to kill.
The jetty at Brass Island, look a little bit further to see the borderline of the Atlantic Ocean.
The statue of the Brass people’s hero.
Now Brass Island is an island with a beach because the ocean surrounds it.
I returned to Yenagoa that day and went straight to PH. We arrived at night, and I stayed at Mary Odili Road. Port Harcourt is a fine place, the Garden City!
“It’s a very beautiful city, all over the world, they like Port Harcourt eh. Woyiwoyiwo!” in Duncan Mighty’s voice.
After service, I went to Aba. PH-Aba road was a mess. I stayed with two friends here and left for Uyo the next morning. The slogan in Aba is ‘Oge Adiro’, loosely translated as ‘no time’. Aba is home to Ariaria international market. It’s a commercial hub for different items and one of the biggest markets in sub-Saharan Africa.
UYO:
The road was hell. With the help of a friend’s friend, I was taken round town. We went to Ibom Tropicana Centre, played some games. I stopped at Ibom resort at Nwaniba road and the University of Uyo just to take pictures.
Akwa Ibom is a very organised and beautiful state. I did not plan to sleep over so I took a two hour journey to Calabar in Cross Rivers state.
CALABAR
Good morning Cal city. I have many friends in Calabar so I was given the treat of my life.
One unforgettable experience was the visit to the Marina beach jetty in Duke town. Here we have the Marina resort and a slave trade museum.
Calabar is a very important town in the history of Nigeria. A lot of slaves were taken from Calabar and it was the capital of the Southern protectorate.
I visited the slave museum and bought the CD of how John Newton penned down the song, ‘Amazing Grace’ while taking slaves from Calabar overseas. What an emotional experience!
A slave ship anchor.
After two days, I took off to Jos, passed through Ogoja, Ikom, Katsina-Ala, Vandeikya, Gboko, Nasarawa state, stopped at Jos for a program, picked up an award then headed home to Gombe.
All in all, I visited 11 states in 14 days. It was a thrilling trip for me, meeting people, tasting new foods, learning new words and seeing a different way of life.
It’s good to break out of the ordinary once in a while and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Sọsọn̄ọ!
