Hi Everyone, would like you all to read my Travelogue, it
happens to be my first attempt at writing. Do let me know
what you think..
Exploring the Sights and Sounds of Minna, Niger State
By Yakubu Ladi



The excitement was in the air, I could barely sleep; rolling
from one side of the bed to the other, I kept basking in the
euphoria of my thoughts about the impending trip to Minna
the second day. To be ure, it would be my first time at Minna,
it was therestandable why I would be so excited.
The invitation was too good to be refused. My host thought I
could benefit from a trip to check out Minna, the capital of
Niger State and offered to facilitate it. This was a chance to
be in the Power State, the home of two former Presidents of
Nigeria - Generals Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and
Abdusalam Abubakar - and home to the country's major
hydroelectric power centres. I lapped up the offer and was to
be picked up at the Zuba Park in Abuja to kick off the trip. I
got there at about 11am on the appointed day, but there was
this agonizing wait for over an hour because they must have
run into some traffic bottlenecks along the way. Mercifully, I
had the constant calls from my host to offer apologies and to
assure that they would soon be with me ..
Finaly, they came and the journey to Minna had began in
earnest. I could not concede my excitement as we journeyed
through; passing the beautiful and unique natural work of rock
formation in Madalla. Of course, I am talking about the
famous ZUMA ROCK! The giant rock is believed to possess
certain powers that rendered enemies powerless and provided
the natives with a good hiding place. Hence, it was used for
defensive purposes by the Gwari natives against invading
neighbouring ethnic groups during the inter ethnic wars. I had
done my research in preparation for the trip and this was one
of the iconic sight that I was looking forward to. It was a
beautiful sight really and I was thrilled.
The journey to Minna was a smooth one, though long. Being
that I was seated by the window side in the vehicle, I could
watch the scenery rush by and was occasionally getting lost in
day dreams of my planned stay in Minna.. However, with the
help of Google Map, I could tell where we were, where we
were heading and how long it would take us to get there. The
place I couldn't find on the map, I would simply look out at
sign posts along the road or ask from my host. The trip was
proceeding smoothly and after about an hour into it, we had
already left behind Suleja, Dikko, Izom, Lambata and heading
to Gurara.
At this point, I was getting tired and kept asking if we were
close. My host would often respond to assure me: 'very soon
ma, it's the bad road o.' Truly the roads weren't that smooth
since the better part of it was under construction and we had
to be moving on at a regulated speed, dodging pot holes here
and there, trying to stay safe. However, beam of hopes
splashed on me when we got to Paiko junction and he told
me we would be in Minna very soon . .. With a deep sigh, I
mumbled "Alhamdulilah". Can't wait!
Few minutes later, the metropolis of Minna welcomed us in
its beauty through the well proportioned boulevard. It was a
sunny day and one could see the glitz, the elegant road lights,
the smoothly tarred road with a green median strip separating
the opposing lanes, the structures, among which are the
WAEC building and the State College of Education. Billboards
advertising different products/persons etc and how the people
went about their normal activities with all seriousness left me
intrigued. I had a sure feeling that my stay in Minna would be
amazing . This foodie couldn't wait to start eating pounded
yam since yam is extensively cultivated throughout the city
and the State.
We drove to Nasfah Hotels around the southern turban of
Minna in Tunga. The hotel is located in a quiet area and a
stone throw to the ever busy Shehu Yagbari road. It is a three-
star hotel with all the modern features. It has spacious parking
facility where visitors could park their vehicles comfortably. I
was checked in and guess what?? Wow!! The room is top
class with some exceptional and stunning furniture. I just
knew I was in the right place from which to have the serenity
to explore the city.
I rested for a while and we drove out later same day to a
super market to get some of the things I would be needing to
make my stay comfy. On our way back, we stopped at the
famous Mallam Garba's suya spot to buy balingu. They are
known for making the best kinds of meat barbecue(suya). It's
so easy to tell from the level of patronage they get. On
reaching there, we met men on kaftans sitting on mats. some
wore caps, gisting in Hausa probably with zero worries. They
must have just finished praying, I thought to myself, while the
others, presumably their boys, were attending to customers in
turns. Moments later, I was back to the hotel, had dinner, top
it with balingu and went to bed. Such a long day!
I woke up the next morning feeling strong and well rested
from the journey to the city yesterday. The reflection of the
sun into the room through the window was a sure indication
that we were already hours into the morning. It was a bright
morning actually. I had planned to visit the Nasfah Guest
House. To get to the Guest House, we drove through major
streets in Minna. From the Shehu Kangbari road to a
roundabout connecting us to the ever busy Bosso road. Along
that road were the Central Bank, famous Mobil Park, Gionee
large mobile shop and other catchy outlets. We made a
diversion from Bosso road to Yakubu Lami road which leads
to the Government House.
The Government House was a sight to behold. The blue and
white painted structure had these "no nonsense" looking
security men at the entrance. And yes! I could see it from a
far.! Going further down the road was a by pass to London
Street which finally leads us to the Guest House. The Guest
House has a beautiful view because it's sited on a hill. One
can virtually see the whole of Minna from just peeping through
the window there. In Bruno Mars voice "Lucky for me that's
what I like ". I spent some time there and was back to the
hotel later at night to sleep .
The next morning felt brand new and the next place to visit
was the Gurara Waterfalls. It was on a Monday and the sun
was already out there in the sky. After much preparation, we
set out at noon. We drove round the city once again for me to
catch some other major parts of Minna before going to Gurara
; amongst which were the General Hospital that is adjacent to
the hospital for children, and the Kure market; a popular large
market located along the Old Airport road - it is a modern
market with infrastructure, space and security, and it has
several entrances and up to 20 gates. It was built and
commissioned by former Governor Abdulqadir Abdullahi Kure,
hence its being named after him.
The temporary campus of FUT, Minna on Bosso Road was
also another exciting sight. Prior to the relocation to their
permanent site, all academics activities were taking place
there. It is significant that the campus is still much functional
as I learnt that it houses at present some Faculties and the
School of Postgraduate Studies. The Air Force Cantonment
was by the road side on the way to the airport. It should be
expected that they would be on the same lane and be close to
themselves given the commonality of air transport. We didn't
need to go inside the airport because it has not been fully
functional for some time except for private planes and
helicopters on charter.
And then there was the main campus of FUT Minna at Gidan
Kwano. It was such a beautiful sight to behold, with students
going in and out about their normal activities. I had the urge
to go inside the campus and explore the various faculties but
time wouldn't let me enjoy that privilege as we were still going
to the waterfalls that same day.. Another thing that caught my
attention was the students lodges scattered along the road to
the main campus. They had such awkward but intriguing
names amongst which are, SMS lodge, Sambisa Quartez, Boko
Haram Villa, Sai Baba lodge etc. Funny right? I thought so
too! But I'm not shocked though, students are so like that!
And it was time to be on our way to Gurara. We stopped by a
lady roasting corn for sale by the road side to get some to
take along to Gurara. She's in her early twenties, dark in
complexion and welcomed me with such an infectious smile.
"Aunty welcome o, you want buy corn? Na fifty naira for one,
how many? Make I quickly warm this ones for you " she said
in pidgin with so much enthusiasm pointing at the corns
hanging on the hot braai. Her free spirit towards her business
left me dumbfounded for a while.. as I couldn't utter a word
except smiling back at her.
"Aunty but you too fine o, Black Beauty! I wish say I be man, I
for marry you" she added and continued to rotate the corn on
the barbecue to prevent them from getting burnt. But then that
wasn't all, "I go like make you marry my brother o" she said
but this time she wasn't smiling, perhaps to prove she's
serious and looked up to gaze at me in the face as though
she was expecting a reply.. Not knowing what to say I replied
jokingly "Your brother get money"? And that was it! She
bursted into laughter... I paid for the corn and smiled back to
the car still thinking about her.
We continued on the road going on 80km/hour speed, cruising
with our roasted maize and water while we identified and
discussed various monuments and sights along the way. -so
very interesting! I have always wanted to visit Gurara. It’s a
quiet town located on the North of Niger and whenever people
talk about Gurara, one image that comes to the mind is the
Gurara waterfalls.
According to history, the Gurara falls and river were named
after two gods once worshipped by Gwari people: Gura and
Rara. The community around the waterfalls used to worship
the falls. If they had any problems, they used to go to the
waterfalls to pray and make sacrifices. However, when some
Europeans discovered the falls in 1925, they turned it into a
recreational area, and so the sacrifices were stopped.
Interesting story!
After about an hour or so on the road, I presumed we were
already at the Gurara Waterfalls entrance as our car came to a
wobbled halt, where we had to pay to gain access. I was
excited! Gurara Falls, here I am! The waterfalls was one of the
most popular tourist sites in Nigeria but I have not been here
before, so you can imagine if not understand my anticipation.
There were only a few persons in sight, perhaps because it
was Monday, people mostly tour on weekends because they
would be busy in their various offices/businesses during the
weekdays.
I wanted to see everything and of course there was a tour
guide to show us round. How can I describe what I saw? I
can’t, its impossible. You just have to experience it! To gaze
in wonder at that magnificent cliff over which the waters
tumbled, forming a massive pool about 50 metres below. The
waters, running rapidly over rocks, appeared to be boiling
underneath. Consistent rains gave the waterfall volume and
strength I guess and that intrigued me. I was scared to go
close. It wasn't hydrophobia,. I was only trying to avoid a
story that touches the heart.
The roaring sound of the waterfall, let alone the strong force of
the running water over rocks, which resembled the motion of a
diesel truck run amok, was enough to intimidate and scare
even the daredevil adventurer. Yes, it was that massive!
Nevertheless, to warn reckless fun seekers, there are sign
posts erected in the arrival area and in the waters forbidding
tourist from swimming. It would simply be suicidal. The tour
guide led us down other parts of the falls, we trekked on a
rough path, climbing hills and going down slopes.. but the
sight that awaited us was more than worth the effort!
I really liked the view, the rocks and the water in between ,
Gurara Waterfalls is also a fantastic place for bird watching.
Of course I took pictures, so many pictures, made videos
featuring the view of the water and how it's boiling in the
pool. I could stay there all day; I didn't want to leave but
Minna was about another one hour drive from Gurara Falls, so
we have got to get going.. It's getting late, but one thing was
sure: I had fun! I think everyone should visit Gurara waterfalls
at least once in their life to experience its unique wonder.
We drove back to Minna at the same speed while talking
about my experience back there.. We got back safely, bought
dinner from 'Aroma' restaurant along Shehu Yagbari road and
went straight to the room at the Hotels. It had been such a
long and exciting day.
IBBUL was the next on my Niger State tour list. We set out
before noon and it was about an hour journey from Minna to
Lapai where the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida university was
located. IBBUL is a beautiful school, the structure and plan are
all on point. Each department has it's own parking lot. I had
the opportunity to see the Head of Department of Mass
Communication, Dr Ende. He was a humble man with a strict
look. He has good communication skills but of course he
should, he's a communicator. He took me to the Department
library where we had a brief discussion about the Department
before coming back to his office. The campaign poster of
students soliciting to be voted in for different positions could
be seen littered all over the Department, an indication that the
Department has an active Students Association.
All of a sudden, it was already a week, though it was an
exciting week I must say! And knowing that my trip to Minna
was coming to an end brought me mixed feelings. I didn't
want to leave but I had to. It was time to call an end to the
exciting trip to Minna and Niger State, to bid goodbye to
Nasfah Hotels, but not without finally accommodating going
through Minna uphill to see the residences of General
Babangida and Abubakar. Arriving at the Abdusalam Abubakar
Park for the journey out of Minna, the cliched expression was
completely and fittingly true for me: the more you travel, the
more you realize how much more you have to see. I couldn't
believe how much it has been exciting for me to take in the
sights and sounds of Minna and its environs. As they say, the
time between meeting ...and finally leaving is sometimes
called falling in love, and so it has been for me: sure that I
would want to return because of this!
*Ladi Yakubu is of the Department of Mass Communication,
Kogi State University, Anyigba.