Missive from Nigeria
What can I say!. No internet access of anything to speak of for a few days and a trip down south to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Business of course as Nigeria would not rate very high on my “to visit on holiday” list.
I was impressed that a visa was issued by the Nigerian High Commission 24 hours after I handed in a completed visa application. I could not get a multi entry due to my non resident status in Ghana, but they were most helpful – even if they only start dealing with Joe Public at 10am. (could be the late night embassy parties I hear about – chuckle-)
An air ticket was a simple process of toddling in to my local travel agent and asking for the $99 special offered in their window. True to form the $99 special became $185 when taxes were included. Flight departs at 15h55 on Wednesday.
I spent the obligatory 90 minutes at Kotoko International waiting for the flight and when I was to sneak my obligatory pre flight ciggy in the loo – yes they still do not have smoking facilities once you have gone through passport control, - I realised I left my lighter in the car. Curse – Swear
A one hour cattle class flight on Virgin-Nigeria crammed into a seat smaller than the SAA flight – I never knew they could get smaller, I was quite happy to read my book.
Passport control and customs in Nigeria no problem at all and all told it was one of the more pleasant experiences at an African airport. Kudos to the lads there where due.
No luggage to collect as everything fitted into my hand luggage and I found Festus O with a nice sign just outside the door.
“The plane was delayed?” he asked
“No” was my response.
“Oh – your email said you will arrive at 16h55”
“Yes – and it is 16h55” I said as I looked at my watch.
Strike 1 Tony – Nigeria is 1 hour ahead of Ghana. Poor old Festus and driver had been waiting for over an hour as I did not pick up on the time difference. In retrospect I should have as Nigeria is on a different time zone in the DSTV guide. *chuckle*
Desperate for a ciggy, I demanded to go to a place where I could get a lighter. Festus stated quite happily that I could wait until we could get something at the hotel. I did patiently explain that I needed a cigarette and I needed it now, so a lighter was an immediate requirement that could not wait until I reached the hotel.
Festus was most accommodating and took me to a restaurant in the airport. When I looked at him rather strangely and said they did not sell lighters here, he quite happily replied, “It is late but you can get Lunch here”.
And so once again the Tony “speed talk” fails with someone who has just met me. I explained a lot slower that I needed a lighter or matches for my cigarette and understanding dawned on his wonderful mooned face.
I was most impressed how accommodating he was, as he proved he was prepared to take this strange South African to Lunch at 6pm. We did have a good chuckle about it later on when we discussing the fact that I do speak to fast and have a strange accent.
Accommodation was at the Lagos Sheraton at $400 a night. In two words “Rip Off”. First and last time I am staying there and quite honestly, the service was not five star. The people at the check in bordered on surly and the beer was twice the price we have paid in our travels to date.
What is Lagos like? A bigger version of Accra, with better roads. That said, the traffic is still gridlocked and you have the added issue of hundreds and hundreds of 125cc motorcycles to deal with. JAAC. (just another African city).
Next morning was onto a local flight to the city of Calabar. Nice clean city. Not much traffic. Helpful people and generally a nice place. We did two site visits and were meant to travel to Port Harcourt by road, but finished too late to do the trip. We stayed at a nice hotel ($100 a night – eat my shorts Sheraton). The food was good, the bar was quiet and the beer almost cold. One thing that did spoil the night was continuous power failures and the 30 odd seconds it took for the gensets to kick in.
It rained continuously and the roads and surrounding countryside reflected it. In some country’s they would have called the situation a flood. In Calabar it was “The Rainy season”
Next day was a crack of dawn start for the trip to Port Harcourt to pick up another driver to take us to some funny place in the middle of nowhere.
Now Nigeria’s roads are reasonable. Narrow in places, broken in others, but generally reasonable. All our drivers (and we had four over the trip) seem to believe that the speedometer is not an indicator of speed, but a target speed to achieve. The drive was flat out with the hooter sounding at anything that moved – or did not move- as the case may be. I made a note to request an increase in my life insurance if my trips to Nigeria were going to be common place.
One bit of excitement (and I will post a picture) was a road wash away with a veritable river around 1 meter deep flowing across the road. The place was a truck graveyard with broken down trucks littering the landscape. A coke truck had come away from its trailer, another had overturned and had a broken chassis etc etc.
Our driver after a slight hesitation, followed the local river guide and did not falter in the 30 or so meters of “river crossing” Score one for the driver and his Audi.
Port Harcourt? Did not see much of it as we drove in, dropped off Michael Schumacher and picked up Juan Pablo. The city is large – traffic jams abound and according to press reports had just finished with a shoot out between Federal forces and the local youth club. Apparently the Nigerian lad that had been detained in the UK with 1 odd million pounds in cash at his house was the Governor of the State. The lads took great exception to their elected official been arrested and decided that British = bad. Considering that Port Harcourt is an oil centre they shut down a couple of pumping stations owned by “British” and ended up having running battles with the local federales in the streets. From press reports a few deaths, the detention of the local pres of the youth league and two warships accompanied by loads of armed force type people with an assortment of automatic weapons.
I digress from my travels to marvel at a few things in Nigeria.
Everyone you speak to talk’s politics and corruption in the same breath. The general man in the street is really unhappy that the elected officials are pulling the ring out.
There are approximately 20 newspapers produced a day. A free press definitely exists and is very outspoken on the rift between the pres and vice pres, the death of a civil rights activist in a car accident, the 2007 elections, the “murder/suicide/no idea” of the MD of Mobitel, which incidentally is in liquidation, the arrest of aforesaid Governor and the fact that he was sold out by the pres, the possibility of the pres pushing for a 3rd term and changing the constitution, the difference between the states, etc etc.
The immense wealth of the country and the piss poor state of the infrastructure.
The constant power failures – Swaziland…… you were a saint 15 years ago as you have nothing on Nigeria today. Apparently they have an installed capacity of 6,000MW of which some 50% is in operation.
Their oil revenues are 2.4 million barrels a day of which 40% is used locally at $40 a barrel and the remainder exported at spot prices. They still import refined products though as they do not have enough refining capacity.
The people are generally friendly and enquire about your trip, your health and the health of your family on a regular basis.
The fact that there are police/army roadblocks every 5 odd kilometers all armed with an assortment of automatic rifles/ Quite friendly but once again if press reports are to be believed not averse to shooting the odd person who riles them. Press reports over the last few days bemoan the fact two people have been shot dead at the same roadblock in the past week. Our driver displayed some secret pass which meant we almost slowed down from our 150kmph as we approached the road block.
Bandits are a reality, and our driver on the route to Benin City was hunkering to leave before it got dark. We ended up traveling at night causing the “oh my God, my life is flashing before me” syndrome as the lights on the vehicle rivaled a hawkers candle for brightness and it was nothing for people to be traveling the wrong way down a highway.
Benin City was a large city with the obligatory heavy traffic and an amazingly large traffic circle in the middle of the city. We visited the museum there which had some really interesting artifacts, but as is usual with museums no photos were allowed. A tad run down, but very interesting never the less.
We also visited the local market and were once again treated to the definition of poor hygiene. I am convinced that this is part of the reason for the high mortality rates in places such as this. The sight of fish, meat and a few items that I could not identify covered in flies and offered for sale was a reminder that Pick and Pay is a really nice place.
The flight from Benin City was on a Dash which was the best flight of the entire trip, with good legroom and pleasant air hostesses.
The hotels were generally good – although Benin City Plaza could do with some maintenance – and all running at $100 a night as an average. I did learn that one needs to take bathplugs as none of the hotels had them (and wadded toilet paper breaks up into ugly chunks in the water). The food was good, but pricey. The service was rural and the beer tasted good.
No Captain Morgan in the part of the world *sigh* I really must have a chat to the people that manufacture the stuff that West Africa is wide open for dark rum.
So dear reader. Here I sit in a hotel in Lagos on a Sunday afternoon bored out of my skull and watching Meg Ryan on the TV. Oh yes – and typing a blog for posting tomorrow.
I have finished my report on Nigeria and that will also be emailed forth tomorrow.
I miss my contact with South Africa and in hindsight should have got a pay as you go. I did believe that internet access was simple, but I had access at the Sheraton and in Benin City. Slow, expensive and generally not worth the money that was spent. One also has a great deal of fear that public computers have key loggers on them…….
Tomorrow morning I am been collected by a driver at 5am for a flight back to Ghana at 7am. The most interesting part of this part of the trip is I leave Lagos at 7am and land in Accra at 7am. The joys of time zones.
I go back to a month end, visit by my Financial Director and all the fun stuff that happens when Albert is on R&R and two new contracts are starting.
On the plus side….. It is less than two weeks until I head down south for some well deserved R&R!!!!!
And fark – we all know how I am looking forward to that!!
I was impressed that a visa was issued by the Nigerian High Commission 24 hours after I handed in a completed visa application. I could not get a multi entry due to my non resident status in Ghana, but they were most helpful – even if they only start dealing with Joe Public at 10am. (could be the late night embassy parties I hear about – chuckle-)
An air ticket was a simple process of toddling in to my local travel agent and asking for the $99 special offered in their window. True to form the $99 special became $185 when taxes were included. Flight departs at 15h55 on Wednesday.
I spent the obligatory 90 minutes at Kotoko International waiting for the flight and when I was to sneak my obligatory pre flight ciggy in the loo – yes they still do not have smoking facilities once you have gone through passport control, - I realised I left my lighter in the car. Curse – Swear
A one hour cattle class flight on Virgin-Nigeria crammed into a seat smaller than the SAA flight – I never knew they could get smaller, I was quite happy to read my book.
Passport control and customs in Nigeria no problem at all and all told it was one of the more pleasant experiences at an African airport. Kudos to the lads there where due.
No luggage to collect as everything fitted into my hand luggage and I found Festus O with a nice sign just outside the door.
“The plane was delayed?” he asked
“No” was my response.
“Oh – your email said you will arrive at 16h55”
“Yes – and it is 16h55” I said as I looked at my watch.
Strike 1 Tony – Nigeria is 1 hour ahead of Ghana. Poor old Festus and driver had been waiting for over an hour as I did not pick up on the time difference. In retrospect I should have as Nigeria is on a different time zone in the DSTV guide. *chuckle*
Desperate for a ciggy, I demanded to go to a place where I could get a lighter. Festus stated quite happily that I could wait until we could get something at the hotel. I did patiently explain that I needed a cigarette and I needed it now, so a lighter was an immediate requirement that could not wait until I reached the hotel.
Festus was most accommodating and took me to a restaurant in the airport. When I looked at him rather strangely and said they did not sell lighters here, he quite happily replied, “It is late but you can get Lunch here”.
And so once again the Tony “speed talk” fails with someone who has just met me. I explained a lot slower that I needed a lighter or matches for my cigarette and understanding dawned on his wonderful mooned face.
I was most impressed how accommodating he was, as he proved he was prepared to take this strange South African to Lunch at 6pm. We did have a good chuckle about it later on when we discussing the fact that I do speak to fast and have a strange accent.
Accommodation was at the Lagos Sheraton at $400 a night. In two words “Rip Off”. First and last time I am staying there and quite honestly, the service was not five star. The people at the check in bordered on surly and the beer was twice the price we have paid in our travels to date.
What is Lagos like? A bigger version of Accra, with better roads. That said, the traffic is still gridlocked and you have the added issue of hundreds and hundreds of 125cc motorcycles to deal with. JAAC. (just another African city).
Next morning was onto a local flight to the city of Calabar. Nice clean city. Not much traffic. Helpful people and generally a nice place. We did two site visits and were meant to travel to Port Harcourt by road, but finished too late to do the trip. We stayed at a nice hotel ($100 a night – eat my shorts Sheraton). The food was good, the bar was quiet and the beer almost cold. One thing that did spoil the night was continuous power failures and the 30 odd seconds it took for the gensets to kick in.
It rained continuously and the roads and surrounding countryside reflected it. In some country’s they would have called the situation a flood. In Calabar it was “The Rainy season”
Next day was a crack of dawn start for the trip to Port Harcourt to pick up another driver to take us to some funny place in the middle of nowhere.
Now Nigeria’s roads are reasonable. Narrow in places, broken in others, but generally reasonable. All our drivers (and we had four over the trip) seem to believe that the speedometer is not an indicator of speed, but a target speed to achieve. The drive was flat out with the hooter sounding at anything that moved – or did not move- as the case may be. I made a note to request an increase in my life insurance if my trips to Nigeria were going to be common place.
One bit of excitement (and I will post a picture) was a road wash away with a veritable river around 1 meter deep flowing across the road. The place was a truck graveyard with broken down trucks littering the landscape. A coke truck had come away from its trailer, another had overturned and had a broken chassis etc etc.
Our driver after a slight hesitation, followed the local river guide and did not falter in the 30 or so meters of “river crossing” Score one for the driver and his Audi.
Port Harcourt? Did not see much of it as we drove in, dropped off Michael Schumacher and picked up Juan Pablo. The city is large – traffic jams abound and according to press reports had just finished with a shoot out between Federal forces and the local youth club. Apparently the Nigerian lad that had been detained in the UK with 1 odd million pounds in cash at his house was the Governor of the State. The lads took great exception to their elected official been arrested and decided that British = bad. Considering that Port Harcourt is an oil centre they shut down a couple of pumping stations owned by “British” and ended up having running battles with the local federales in the streets. From press reports a few deaths, the detention of the local pres of the youth league and two warships accompanied by loads of armed force type people with an assortment of automatic weapons.
I digress from my travels to marvel at a few things in Nigeria.
Everyone you speak to talk’s politics and corruption in the same breath. The general man in the street is really unhappy that the elected officials are pulling the ring out.
There are approximately 20 newspapers produced a day. A free press definitely exists and is very outspoken on the rift between the pres and vice pres, the death of a civil rights activist in a car accident, the 2007 elections, the “murder/suicide/no idea” of the MD of Mobitel, which incidentally is in liquidation, the arrest of aforesaid Governor and the fact that he was sold out by the pres, the possibility of the pres pushing for a 3rd term and changing the constitution, the difference between the states, etc etc.
The immense wealth of the country and the piss poor state of the infrastructure.
The constant power failures – Swaziland…… you were a saint 15 years ago as you have nothing on Nigeria today. Apparently they have an installed capacity of 6,000MW of which some 50% is in operation.
Their oil revenues are 2.4 million barrels a day of which 40% is used locally at $40 a barrel and the remainder exported at spot prices. They still import refined products though as they do not have enough refining capacity.
The people are generally friendly and enquire about your trip, your health and the health of your family on a regular basis.
The fact that there are police/army roadblocks every 5 odd kilometers all armed with an assortment of automatic rifles/ Quite friendly but once again if press reports are to be believed not averse to shooting the odd person who riles them. Press reports over the last few days bemoan the fact two people have been shot dead at the same roadblock in the past week. Our driver displayed some secret pass which meant we almost slowed down from our 150kmph as we approached the road block.
Bandits are a reality, and our driver on the route to Benin City was hunkering to leave before it got dark. We ended up traveling at night causing the “oh my God, my life is flashing before me” syndrome as the lights on the vehicle rivaled a hawkers candle for brightness and it was nothing for people to be traveling the wrong way down a highway.
Benin City was a large city with the obligatory heavy traffic and an amazingly large traffic circle in the middle of the city. We visited the museum there which had some really interesting artifacts, but as is usual with museums no photos were allowed. A tad run down, but very interesting never the less.
We also visited the local market and were once again treated to the definition of poor hygiene. I am convinced that this is part of the reason for the high mortality rates in places such as this. The sight of fish, meat and a few items that I could not identify covered in flies and offered for sale was a reminder that Pick and Pay is a really nice place.
The flight from Benin City was on a Dash which was the best flight of the entire trip, with good legroom and pleasant air hostesses.
The hotels were generally good – although Benin City Plaza could do with some maintenance – and all running at $100 a night as an average. I did learn that one needs to take bathplugs as none of the hotels had them (and wadded toilet paper breaks up into ugly chunks in the water). The food was good, but pricey. The service was rural and the beer tasted good.
No Captain Morgan in the part of the world *sigh* I really must have a chat to the people that manufacture the stuff that West Africa is wide open for dark rum.
So dear reader. Here I sit in a hotel in Lagos on a Sunday afternoon bored out of my skull and watching Meg Ryan on the TV. Oh yes – and typing a blog for posting tomorrow.
I have finished my report on Nigeria and that will also be emailed forth tomorrow.
I miss my contact with South Africa and in hindsight should have got a pay as you go. I did believe that internet access was simple, but I had access at the Sheraton and in Benin City. Slow, expensive and generally not worth the money that was spent. One also has a great deal of fear that public computers have key loggers on them…….
Tomorrow morning I am been collected by a driver at 5am for a flight back to Ghana at 7am. The most interesting part of this part of the trip is I leave Lagos at 7am and land in Accra at 7am. The joys of time zones.
I go back to a month end, visit by my Financial Director and all the fun stuff that happens when Albert is on R&R and two new contracts are starting.
On the plus side….. It is less than two weeks until I head down south for some well deserved R&R!!!!!
And fark – we all know how I am looking forward to that!!
3 Comments:
Let's try this commenting thing again.
You were concerned about the speed they were driving at ? *cough*cough*
My mind boggles, if the roads in Nigeria is better than in Accra ...
Now where's the pictures already!
Kappiahat - I managed to get a lighter post haste after Festus understood me. Said lighter was confiscated the next day as "it was not allowed on the plane", but true to form I "bought" it back for N10... *sigh*
I know the feeling of being *lighterless* I should set up a match selling company at all International and smaller airports LOL
Come visit my site and leave a Ghana flag.. once you've done that go to my Girlfriends site and leave one there .. http://meanwhatusay.blogspot.com
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