We walked forward, still protesting the locked gates when a white minivan parked right beside us. The driver probably knew we were destined for Awka. Since he guessed right, there wasn’t any need to overthink the decision so we hopped in.



We walked forward, still protesting the locked gates when a white minivan parked right beside us. The driver probably knew we were destined for Awka. Since he guessed right, there wasn’t any need to overthink the decision so we hopped in.


Just before the bus picked us

N200 was what each of us paid for the fare to Ogbunike junction where we met about a dozen bike riders waiting impatiently to take passengers to Ogunike cave. Looking at how the bikers almost knocked themselves over to win our love, I could tell that the day probably had been plagued with low patronage.

We finally chose 2 of them without any tangible criteria aside from the fact that they were at the front. Both bikers kicked their bikes to life at the same time like synchronized swimmers. We negotiated the fare while on transit. Each rider would get N150 each.


[img]The chosen 2[/img]


On transit

The road which led to Obunike was as smoother than the highway to hell. It reminded me about the one I traveled on while going to Arinta waterfall. It was more fun as both bikes overtook themselves intermittently. I pretended I wasn’t enjoying the drama but it was damn fun until we got off the rated road to a very large body of forest. “This can’t be Ogbunike.” I tried convincing myself while our rider halted the bike somewhere around the middle of the forest.


Highway to grace

The only attributes which gave Obunike away as a tourist destination was the signpost bearing the rules and regulations about the cave. Nothing more. But I kept my cool as our rider motioned us to follow him towards the centre of an open field within the forest.

The Management Team
A small tree with broad branches served as the office. Tree men sat on a bench under the tree with straight faces as we walked closer to them. One of them with a big belly looked permanently angry. One would think he’s witnessed too many awful things in his lifetime. Clasped in his right hand was a bottle of big stout which had a fly perching on the tip but he cared less. The two other guys were the tour guides.


Behind Bukola are the members of the management team at Ogbunike

We greeted and asked how much it’d cost to access the Ogbunike and they made us understand it is N1,000 each. I was down on cash, so I asked if we could pay with our card but the look they gave me was enough proof that my question was like a taboo. “Una no fit use card o.” said the guy on the left. “Unless una go transfer the money make I go help una collect am for the bank for town. But una go add N500 for bike”.

We didn’t have a choice, so I transferred N10, 500 so he can withdraw N10,000, take N5,000 for our entrance fee and give me a balance of N5,000 so I can go home with some cash.

He zoomed off as soon as his phone beeped.

The guy by the right motioned us to follow him and we obeyed, lined up in a straight file behind him as thought we were going to be used for rituals. He looked fearless as he tore through the narrow pathway into the denser part of the forest. Things began getting scary as the forest enveloped us, making it impossible to see the clouds.


The final pose before entering the forest


I’ve not seen so many people inside a forest before. Most of them were students who have come for an excursion. They all were looking really excited about the entire experience and they posed in their respective underwear as they thronged towards the nearby river. It was a sight to behold as we descended the concrete staircase that led downwards the cave’s entrance.


Staircase leading downwards towards the Ogbunike cave


Venturing Inside Ogbunike Cave
Now we are going to enter the cave now. But you need to off your shoe there.” our guide said, pointing to a spot where we saw at least 100 pairs of footwears scattered on the swampy floor. We chose a free section of the spot to store our shoes to avoid hurting stories. I mean, I can’t imagine returning all the way to Anambra barefooted. Even a Celestial Christian won’t do such.


The belly of Ogbunike

In no time, our guide moved close to the huge body of rock while I kept wondering where the cave’s entrance was. “Or are we going into the rock through an invincible door?” I was still looking for an answer when he pointed to a very tiny hole by the base of the rock.

“Na here we go enter.” I was astounded but I did well in masking my shock. ‘This hole is just big enough to accommodate a crouching average-sized human!” I protested to myself. And before I could drop my placard, our guide had disappeared into the rock through the hole. Bukola, Victoria, and Tope followed him as though it was planned. I was left alone with John Bosco. And as I tried asking if he was scared too, he switched on his phone’s torchlight, crouched and disappeared after them without looking at me.

Ha!


Imagine how small the hole looks like. Source: diusorodiakosa.com

It was one of the scariest things I’ve done since I started traveling. For the lack of a better context, it was a 5 minute-journey that looked like 5 days filled with more horrific moments that I saw in Igodo– a 1999 Nollywood flick produced by Pedro Obaseki. My adrenaline rushed faster than it did when I went alone to Kwara in search of Owu falls. My legs were shaky and sweaty (even though the cave was f*cking cold), the water from the stream flowed rapidly as it swept the sand beneath my feet in the process. Making the entire thing more creepy. I had lost my voice already as I took an average of 1 step every 5 seconds.

Then, when I thought I’ve seen it all, they started rushing towards us in droves. I’ve never come close to so many bats and flying insects at once in my entire life. I didn’t know where I gathered the strength to scream that much. But that didn’t stop the entire colony of bats from having their way. Our guide made us understand that the bats were harmless, but that did little in calming any of us.

Halfway into the tunnel, we contemplated turning back but we were already made to understand that it is a taboo to go out through the same entrance we came in through. So we continued advancing towards the exit.

Here’s a video recording of us in the tunnel.

The joy we wore on exiting through the other opening of the cave was indescribable. Our guide probably was enjoying our company because he immediately suggested we go see the flowing River Nkissa which was adjacent to the cave.

We had a swell time enjoying the views around the river. We also took turns in savouring the coolness of the stream by dipping our legs into it as we posed at different corners to take pictures.


Posing for pictures by River Nkissa

Left for me, we could stay by this river all day if there was nothing like day and night but the cloud was already shutting her eyes, and that meant only one thing. We needed to return to our base in Onitsha.

There is no doubt that the Ogbunike caves have major tourist potential. I tried imagining how amazing the atmosphere would look like if the tunnels were carefully designed with colourful lighting, and the environment redesigned to have mini cabins where tourists and travelers can sleep over to catch a night view of this beautiful beast in the heart of Anambra.

Home came calling
Now tired and severely hungry, we retraced our steps back up to the land of the living. John Bosco pulled a call across to our bikers to come to pick us up, and in what took like 10 minutes, they arrived and we sat in the same order as we did earlier and rode on the same smooth road back to te express.

We bade John goodbye while we watched him join a waiting bus at the other side of the express road to Awka, shortly before a blue bus heading towards Onitsha stopped in front of us.

Back at Onitsha, the first thing we did was went in search of an ATM to fetch more money that we could spend on food and travel the next day.

Our plan On getting to our hotel was to eat our food and play some games but as the saying goes, Man can only propose. No one had any more energy for those games as we returned to our various rooms and slept carelessly till the next morning.

Now, would I want to go into that tunnel at Ogbunike cave again? Hell No!

But would I advise you to try it out? Absolutely yes! The adventure is crazy!

Source: https://nomadicnegro.com/ogbunike-cave/

Thanks for the kind words, Yuneehk

okeyglm:
Show us there housing, street and others

You can look them up on my blog www.nomadicnegro.com

Tinny23:
lovely town.... i really love kano..... served there 2016...... you should have shown how clean nassarawa local govt. is, also how organised the city is...... most people never knew kano is better than lagos in-term of good road, accomodative and easy access to food stuffs and housing

I was blown with all I saw.
We underestimate the north a lot.

Lalasticlala

bigtt76:
Choi ...and una de sleep together for same bed without any jigi-jigi I like that ....nice one guys and keep safe!

Thanks a bunch.

We are just 2 friends who like to travel.
No, Hisbah didn't stop us.

IamPatriotic:
From Lagos to Kano for what exactly... Kano Hisbah police didn't stop you from lodging in their hotel room with a lady who isn't your spouse?

I am a travel blogger.
I travel to places and try documenting my experiences.

IamPatriotic:
From Lagos to Kano for what exactly... Kano Hisbah police didn't stop you from lodging in their hotel room with a lady who isn't your spouse?

We traveled to Kano to see what it looks like.

IamPatriotic:
From Lagos to Kano for what exactly?

Dashed Hopes
For a boy who grew in the streets of Ikotun Egbe, the urge to be different has always been inherent. This among other motives prompted me to agree to work with Engineer Olaleye, a strict Christian from Ijebu who paid me N10,000 monthly but ensured I worked my groins off for every penny I earned.

One such measure was sending me to supervise all the company’s projects in 9 Nigerian states because he hated traveling and it was cheaper for the company if I went alone. I agreed and took up the challenge of supervising all projects in all the states (including 5 in the North including Kano). but I never got to see Kano because I was sacked just a few days before the proposed trip.

*** *** ***

10 Years Later
Wumi is easily one of my favourite travel buddies because she doesn’t chicken out whenever we reach an agreement on anything. This made things a bit easier while planning because I was sure she’s got my back.


No stress. No plenty talk

“EVERYONE NEEDS A FRIEND WHO WILL CALL, AND SAY, ‘GET DRESSED, WE’RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE.”

The moment we decided on Kano, the planning kicked off by discussing Transportation, accommodation, feeding and every other aspect of the trip. Wumi was in charge of booking our flight so she proposed that we traveled in January to avoid paying exorbitant fares, to which I agreed. Airbnb was also chosen instead of a hotel due to the freedom to do more than just sleep and watch annoying channels on the cable TV.

With everything sorted, we returned back to our daily lives to await our departure date.



7th January 2020
The morning was cold and windy. Wumi had agreed to pick me up at my office by 5 am (since I crashed there overnight), so we could make it early to the airport before 6:15 am- our departure time. But to her disappointment, I have been locked inside the office by Ernest, our security guy who was fast asleep. I suspected what he was sipping from his customized waterbottle was neither water nor soft drink. I challenged him but he denied blatantly, with a smile larger than usual, so I left him to sleep. Mr. James (the deputy security) had to open after several minutes of banging the gate.

The entire exercise got Wumi furious but I did nothing aside keeping mute beside the driver who was also mad at me until we got to the airport. I couldn’t even sing along to my favourite songs being dished via the car’s stereo.

“Take us to MM2,” Wumi directed the driver in a confident tone, breaking the silence. I knew she could be wrong but lacked the courage to get her mad at me for the second time within 2 hours, so I bottled my opinion as we alighted.

“Negroo!!!” I heard a soft female voice call me from behind, so I brightened up my moody expression. The owner of the voice was Tolu, my classmate at the University whom I only got closer to in our 4th year. We had a brief chat before I followed Wumi to the boarding queue belonging to Air Peace.


MM2

“Are you sure this queue is for Kano?” Tolu asked me as she joined the queue next to ours. She was traveling to Kaduna. That was when we figured we’ve been queuing in the wrong place. Our flight was departing from MM1 by 6:15 and there we were, in MM2 at 6:01 am.

“Now the scoreline is settled (1-1)” I laughed in my head as I grabbed one of her bags to allow us more speed since I was faster. If we are to get to Kano without missing our flight, we need to put our differences aside.



MM1: 6:10am
“May I have your ID sir?” Said the fairly plum lady behind the check-in desk, but the look I gave portrayed that of defeat. I had forgotten my ID card on my table at the office. This gave Wumi the lead again as she gave me the ‘you see your life’ look. And like a snail whose shell has just been tapped, I coiled back into my gloomy state until we joined the last bus conveying passengers to where our plane was waiting.


Bros, abeg, is this the right plane?

The plane was a small hopper that had single seats on the right and doubles on the left. A young lady was already on my seat on the right when we got in so she begged me to sit beside Wumi on the other side of the aisle. I didn’t protest.

The plane took off and as usual, it was a boring 2 hrs trip, except the intermittent chats I had with Wumi, who had already forgiven me.


As we floated above Kano, I continued to wonder how amazing an artist the creator of the earth is.

Welcome to Kano (8:50 am)
Descending from the plane was crazy. I for once thought the angel in charge of cooking in heaven that morning forgot to shut the deep freezers. The wind which accompanied the cold was so fierce that I feared we’ve committed an offense by simply leaving Lagos. I could have grabbed Wumi if she were my babe but I grabbed the hood of my sweater instead, as we made our way to the arrival hall to await our languages.

Wumi had been trying to reach our Airbnb host but his number had been switched off. This got us f*cked up because we were going to be stuck at the airport for as long as we continued to try dialing him- a move that would defeat our purpose of arriving Kano early.




While she tried, we deliberated on alternatives, and the best of them was booking a hotel if our host’s phone remained unreachable till 9:30 am.

We settled for Ocean Palace guest inn after we spoke to a cab driver who drove us from the Airport. I didn’t understand any word in Hausa, so I left the conversation and Negotiation for my travel buddy who had earlier confessed about spending quite a number years of her life in the North.




We got a tiny studio room for N7,000 and we decided to manage it for that night alone while we figure out things with our host. In this picture was our driver Alhaji, helping us with negotiation at the hotel.

Alhaji parted with N2,500 after a heated argument because he insisted on collecting N4,000 after Wumi had told him from the airport that N2,000 was all we had.



[img]My First Encounter With Sabon Garri[/img]
On a lighter note, Sabon Garri can loosely represent the ‘sin city’ of Kano. It is that place where all religious sins (such as drinking, dressing immorally, and even patronizing sex peddlers) can be overlooked. Traditionally, this place was created to accommodate residents who are not indigenous to Hausa lands, and this was probably why the very first resident we ran into on the street was a Yoruba businesswoman greeting her friend across the street. Like a typical Yoruba woman, she was loud and filled with life despite being 978km away from home.

[img]We Checked into Our Room[/img]
If you could close your eyes to imagine what a coffin with a fridge and bathroom looks like, you most likely will get a mental picture of how tiny our room at Ocean Palace was. It was clear that sleeping and bathing will be the only interesting things to do, and since these weren’t the most pressing things on our minds at that time, we dropped our bags in front of the small fridge (which sat right under the 21’’ TV) then dashed out of the room like it was haunted.


So small was the room that I could barely take a picture

Life on the Streets
KANO HAS SIX DISTRICTS: SABON GARI, THE OLD CITY, BOMPAI, FAGGE, SYRIAN QUARTER, AND NASSARAWA.

The streets of Kano when we stepped into it wore a confused look as the cold and breeze were as fierce as the hotness of the sun. This collaboration gave a ‘harshly soothing’ weather. Everyone seemed to be buying or selling something at every corner I saw.


We knew beforehand that Maruwa was the major means of moving around Kano, so it wasn’t a surprise that we got one as soon as we got to the junction.

I took a step back to allow Wumi to do the talking and she didn’t disappoint. The only thing I could pick from their negotiation was ‘Zoo road’. They discussed money in Hausa too, but since I can’t make any sense of their conversation, I kept smiling as I glanced at both of them until the driver agreed on N300 for the trip.


How many keke can you see?


As we traveled farther into the district, I stared blankly at the people on the streets and how they went about their lives. Wumi was saying some things but I was absent-minded. My mind raced back to SS2 in Ikotun high school when Mr. Arisonyin thought us about how Kano city served as the southernmost point of the famous trans-Sahara trade routes, exporting products like textile leather and grains via the railway lines to Lagos through Kaduna. It took a loud honk from a nearby car to bring me back to Wumi.

You see, a large fraction of the people in Kano are traders and it was evident that they enjoy the kind of lives they’ve chosen. A slow one. You could tell it came with peace of mind and contentment.

Although the roads were really smooth, our driver remained considerably slow. I wanted to ginger him to speed up but refrained from that temptation because:

I can’t speak Hausa
Other drivers were almost running at the same pace.
He stopped us right in front of the Historical Zoo whose first impression wasn’t at all impressive. I’ve always hated Nigerian Zoos and Museums because everyone I’ve visited always succeeded in making me hate our tourism regulatory bodies, but something was different about this particular Zoo the moment we got in.



...to be continued

Source: https://nomadicnegro.com/lagos-to-kano/

Xxx123xxx:
I have always loved the north since I visited taraba even though there's not much in terms of infrastructure and all, the people and their approach to life is the best I have seen since I was born!!

It hurts me to see how the media has painted the North Black

Dralin:
Maybe someone told him its bread,But Its called 'Gurasa',really sweet when hot and with alot of yaji(grinded dry pepper)

I'm really curious about what is used in making it.
I thought it was flour too.

Dralin:
Hahaha its "Allahu Akbar" and it means God is Great. The love about spagetti no be here o.Hisbah disturbs everywhere aside sabon gari.

Spot on!

Omihanifa:
3 things you forgot to add to your list

* Sabon gari has the highest population of brothels in Kano

* Almost all the streets in Kano is filled with maishago and mairuwa

* They love eating golden penny spaghetti

You see this one about golden penny ehn, I figured it out when I searched endlessly for where to buy noodles and was only seeing golden penny in all the shops.

Asquare84:


I have once witness it and doubt if that man will survive cos he was paraded round the street and the youth and hisbah police were shouting allah wagba you know what that means

Wow.
I really don't know what that means though.

sweetonugbu:
wonderful work, thanks

Thanks for the kind words

sweetonugbu:
I think I will visit kano soonest

Please do!
You won't be disappointed.

Asquare84:
Hisbah arrest Christian too, infact the even treat Christian badly than Muslim

Wow!
I actually didn't wait long enough to experience that though.

Realist5:
The list is actually endless.
You need to see the fly over bridges,
Institutions of learning,
Road networks,
Flashy cars,
Shopping malls,
Population,
Mansions,



And more importantly, there's is MONEY in Kano.

Very correct!
And that was why I made that the first point.

You see, my open-mindedness started a couple of years ago when I made up my mind to stop being religious, and I can’t seize to appreciate that conscious move as it has helped me a great deal as a traveler.

On getting to Kano, I couldn’t be more proud of myself as everything that was either supposed to shock/surprise me ended up making every minute I spent worthy of the sacrifice made by traveling almost 1,000 kilometers away from home.

Here are a few things I find surprising about Kano and its people:

1. Kano is as developed as it is local

A lot of people (who mostly haven’t traveled outside their regions of origin) are usually quick to rant about how backward Northern Nigeria is drawing the rest of the regions back simply due to videos and images which are usually denting the image of the region, the same way the western media paints Africa and her people.

Depending on which neighbourhood you see first as a stranger in Kano, you might want to be tempted into the generalization trap- thinking what you’ve seen is how it is everywhere. But you will be making a grave mistake because, just like everywhere else around the world, Kano also is a bonafide member of the double-edged sword, Boasting of some of Nigeria’s finest and shittiest schools, roads, architecture, etc.

All you need to do is move around to have a balanced view of things.

KANO IS THE COMMERCIAL NERVE CENTRE OF NORTHERN NIGERIA AND IS THE SECOND LARGEST CITY IN NIGERIA.

2. Keke Marwa is the major transportation means



While Micra and Korope are respectively the undisputed champions of Ibadan, and Oshogbo, Keke rules supreme on the roads of Kano. Now, this isn’t what got me all cracked up. What I found really interesting is the manner at which the drivers take out time to decorate the interior of their rides. In fact, 8 out of every 10 Keke you encounter will have it’s interior marvelously designed.

Whatever brought about that movement needs to be upheld and celebrated.

3. Overly Conscious Women


In truth, I saw many beautiful women in Kano, many of whom were surprisingly fair and possess interesting physic which would qualify them as impeccable models. The interesting thing, however, is the fact that all through my stay in the state, I only saw 2 ladies who had their hair uncovered. Like this wasn’t the women were so concious about their bodies that they usually use their hands in covering their breasts and bums even after putting on their Hijab.

I really do not know why I find it funny and commendable at the same time.



4. The sharia police are effective


Yes, they are called ‘Hisbah’, and their main duty is to fish out religious criminals. By this I mean Muslim citizens indulging in every immoral act which includes but not limited to the drinking alcohol, inappropriate contact between a male and female, stealing, etc. Why I think I like this initiative is that it exempts citizens who aren’t Muslims. So, If for instance a Christian is caught drinking, no punishment will be melted out on such person when caught by the Hisbah officers.

THE KANO STATE HISBAH CORPS WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT IN 2003

5. Religious Laws are weaker in some parts

Remember I said 2 women weren’t covering their heads. Yes, those women lived in Sabon Gari, a very popular neighbourhood which houses folks who came into Kano from other parts of Nigeria, especially the east and south.

“So why is this relevant?” you might be tempted to ask.

The thing is, while you can have access to pubs, bars and even brothels in areas like Sabon Gari, it’s entirely an abomination in other areas such as Badawa, where there are Hisbah police officers lurking around almost every corner, waiting on you to just lose your home training.



6. It’s not just about Mosques



As against what we’ve been made to believe, Kano isn’t just a Muslim affair. In fact, I saw as many churches as mosques within my first 2 hours in the state. On a particular street, I saw 2 churches facing one another, while on a busy major road, I saw a pastor’s billboard and banner hoisted elegantly to the glaring eyes of the public.

“RELIGION IS LIKE A PAIR OF SHOES, FIND ONE THAT FITS FOR YOU, BUT DON’T MAKE ME WEAR YOUR SHOES.”
― GEORGE CARLIN

7. Street Food




Kano has so many street foods than I have ever seen since I started exploring Nigeria, and it’s interesting to note that with as little as N15, you can buy a loaf of bread.



8. Almajiri



Despite the amazing time I had in Kano, I get broken whenever I remember what they all looked like. The closest I’ve been to them was read about them in papers or watch short clips on social media, but I’ve always arrived at one conclusion:

THESE YOUNG BOYS NEVER BEGGED FOR THIS KIND OF LIFE

Originally, Almajiri is someone irrespective of gender who searches for knowledge at home or on transit and display high moral behavior, but I really don’t know who switched things up North to convert these young boys into Mabaraci, which in Hausa refers to a person who begs for assistance on the street or from house to house as a result of some deformity or disability.



Having read this, I’d like to know what you think about Kano in the comment section, whether or not you’ve been there before.

Source: https://nomadicnegro.com/facts-about-kano-nigeria/

You see, it’s somewhat funny and paradoxical to imagine that quite a huge number of Lagosians cringe and wail daily about the unfriendly nature of how the bad roads in the City are dealing with their health and professional lives.

That’s on one hand. On the other hand, these lots still are disinterested in knowing about the progress the state has made in developing other alternatives, one of which is the waterways.

And this exactly was what I tried doing when I engaged Mr Azeez, the facility manager at the Bariga waterfront jetty, which is one of the 59 jetties in Lagos state, to know what he thinks about water transportation and how he hopes to grow the influx of passengers and boat operators at the newly built Bariga waterfront Jetty.


Bariga waterfront Jetty

Of course, not all of these 59 jetties are attractive, secure and active. In fact, emphasis is only laid on mega terminals like that of Mile 2, Ikorodu, Badore, etc. and this is largely due to the unavailability of boat operators and public awareness in the less popular stations like that of Bariga.


Sideview of the terminal with a boat on standby.

My mission
Knowing how easily a bunch of Lagosians might be caught up with the bustle of the city (which ideally is abusive but addictive at the same time), I felt the need to make a couple of findings with the intent of resharing them at a time when I know they will be free to consume them (like you’re currently doing).


Friday, 13th December 2019 Source: @Kingsle07955631 on twitter

LAGOS STATE OCCUPIES 3,577 SQUARE KILOMETERS WITH WATER BODIES ACCOUNTING FOR 23% OF ITS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.

Source: Lagos state government

To start with, the transportation network in Lagos is currently in a state of despair, and it hurts whenever I see posts on social media calling out the Government for the displeasing situation, where in actual fact, we as a people haven’t been at our best in lending towards a solution. From littering the streets to being deliberately disinterested in government, we are all somehow the architects of this misfortune currently toying with our genitals, but this is a tale for another day.

To give this piece a better context, it’d be interesting to know that

– MORE THAN 8 MILLION PEOPLE TRAVEL ON LAGOS ROAD EVERY DAY
– 200,000 OF THEM USE THE BRT AND
– 60,000 TRAVEL USING THE WATERWAYS

Source: CNN Travels, Vanguard, and BRT Data



How Do I get to The Bariga waterfront jetty?

I of course, love Lagos

A lot of my friends and followers on social media have testified to seeing the giant “Love Lagos” signage whenever they are on the 3rd mainland bridge but have always wondered where the place is and how they can get there to take some dope pictures.
Well, the Bariga waterfront jetty is located at Ilaje which is a 2-3 minutes drive from Bariga main market. Busses going to Bariga can be gotten at popular parks such as Oshodi, Yaba, and Obalende.


Who can use it?

On getting to the jetty, I saw a couple of people who were patiently waiting on the boats to arrive so they can be taken to their various destinations.

Although a large percentage of the commuters on the ground were young Millenials who seemed to be working in some of the many financial institutions on Lagos Island, there were a few who wore the look of individual contractors and entrepreneurs.

The interesting thing about this particular jetty and every other one in the city is it’s one size fits all approach. Just like other means of transportation, it isn’t age or class restrictive, as every and anybody who can afford a ride will ride.


How does it work? How Much is it for a ride?
- The jetty opens every ‘workday’ of the week. And I think this is so because a large fraction of the daily passengers is professional 9-5 workers.
- All you need to do as a passenger is get to the jetty between 6:30 and 8:00 am so you can put down your name.
- The earliest set of people will get to put their names on the first list, but you needn’t worry, there are about 2 to 3 boats available every morning (for now).
- Each passenger gets a clean and comfortable life jacket before getting on the boat
- It costs N500 flat per trip and the major stops include Lekki, Sandfill, Law school, and Falomo

I SPOKE WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS (FUNMI, DAMI, VICTOR, AND KUNLE) WHOM I MET AT THE TERMINAL AND DAMI MADE IT CLEAR THAT SINCE BEING INTRODUCED TO THE JETTY BY FUNMI, HE’S BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO CONSTANTLY GAIN MORE SLEEP TIME- TWO FACTORS THAT HAVE BEEN PLAGUING PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN LAGOS.

Major Challenges
On the challenges facing the jetty, Mr Azeez, the manager made me understand that convincing boat operators to sign up to pick passengers at the Bariga waterfront jetty has been a major challenge, closely followed by the lack of public awareness about the Jetty by potential commuters.

In this interview, he spoke about a couple of things they are currently working on to ensuring these problems are reduced to the barest minimum if they can’t be totally eradicated.



My observations

It’s Relatively Expensive
As amazing as water transportation is, a part of me still thinks it’s relatively expensive but when we look at the implicit benefits, it’s worth the price tag. Somi was physically tired when I last saw her. I was worried, so I asked why she doesn’t use the ferry since it’s less stressful and even faster. she waved me off as soon as I landed, making me understand that it’s slightly expensive for her as the amount she would have spent on a round trip using the ferry will cover her transportation for 2 days if she opted for her regular bus.

OUT OF HOW MUCH WEY I DEY COLLECT? ABEGI!

To this end, I think the pricing should be looked into, so as to accommodate and encourage more people from the lower-income brackets into considering water transportation. Strategies such as:

– price reduction during off-peak periods might help.

– selling discounted bulk tickets might also be an incentive.

– proper data analytics will help in identifying and rewarding the most consistent ones with perks like free tickets.


Bumpy ride
Whilst on the boat, which at the time was on top speed, it felt like war as I kept bouncing on my seat every time the boat’s chest hits the water surface. “What if I was pregnant?” I thought as we traveled.

In Conclusion, I must commend the efforts of the Lagos State Government through Laswa in ensuring the development of our waterways. Just like Mr Azeez, I’m very optimistic that water transportation will be so lucrative for both operators and investors alike, as it would contribute immensely towards tourism in Lagos and Nigeria at large.

Source: https://nomadicnegro.com/bariga-waterfront-jetty-all-you-need-to-know/

lol... i actually continued on my blog

dairo123:
So Oba you ťhink you will excape this time around, lai lai, just come back and finish what you have started. If you wan go break take permission. Oya quick quick.

3:20 pm, Thursday 16th August 2019

The sun that afternoon was so fierce that one would think it had been denied lunch. And there I was, Stucked at the extreme end of a 14-seater Danfo, giving a blank stare through the window at a trader easing herself at a corner just beside her wooden stall. She froze in shock the moment our eyes locked but I wasn’t seeing her. My mind wasn’t thinking about what was under her dress. My mind wasn’t in Oyingbo, where her wooden stall was located. It wasn’t even Lagos, but 486 kilometers away in Anambra- my next destination which I’m super pumped about visiting for the first time.


GUO, Orile park


This was why I didn’t bait an eyelid until the bus conductor shouted ‘gbogbo ero!’ a phrase which loosely means all passengers should come down as we’ve gotten to the last bus stop.

CREATED IN AUGUST 1991, ANAMBRA IS THE 8TH MOST POPULATED STATE IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND THE SECOND-MOST DENSELY POPULATED STATE IN NIGERIA AFTER LAGOS STATE.

My mission was to secure a night bus ticket which would enable me, Temitope, Bukola, and Victoria (3 of whom are amazing lovers of the Nomadic Negro brand) travel from Lagos to Anambra. We wanted to witness how Sallah, is celebrated in Eastern Nigeria- A region largely dominated by Christians.



Next-Day: Friday 16th August 7:32 pm
Since we were just four of us, decision making and punctuality were the least of our problems unlike the trip to Ghana. So, we hired a cab that took us all to GUO’s park in Orile, where we were among the first set of travelers to arrive. GUO was among the only few travel companies running night trips from Lagos to Anambra.


Heading for the bus park


30 minutes into our arrival at the park, the driver, a short man probably in his fifties summoned us. He looked too angry for one who’d drive us safely as he stood firmly by the entrance with his chubby frame suffocating the bus’ entrance. Like boarding school children queuing for supper, we aligned on a single file.

The bus was awoken a few seconds after the door was shut. It grumbled as it staggered away from the park, longing for the asphalt which led through to the express.

I took in a large amount of air containing a mix of excitement and anxiety, letting it all out alongside a satisfactory smile. I was seated beside Victoria but she didn’t notice my excitement. Tope paired with Bukola on the same row as ours but separated by the aisle.



7:52 pm: Church on the Bus
It started from a lady at the front before the man behind Bukola picked the song of praise without permission using a baritone voice. It became a revival and everyone on the bus was singing so loud that I wouldn’t dare tamper with the 56-seater bus if I were an evil spirit.

No one cared if a Muslim was among us. No one. But we tore through the busy Oshodi-Apapa expressway as the wet breeze slapped our faces through the windows., flapping the curtains in the process.

After a series of casting and binding, the mini TV was turned on. A Nollywood film that featured Mr. Ibu & PawPaw played and I must admit it was funny. It got boring after the 3rd replay because it seemed like the only available film in the player. At the 4th replay, snores from different angles of the bus overpowered the volume of the tv. The man with the baritone voice had the loudest snore.

Trailers of varying sizes sped past us, but I couldn’t tell their colours because darkness on the road was so thick that a sword could cut through.

My eyes were wide open, with heartbeat intensified as random thoughts clouded my mind. The world felt empty until it dawned on me that I only occupy a tiny fraction of it.

I pulled my phone to keep up with John Bosco, my friend who will be our host in Anambra, but whom I’d never met in person. He was still awake and asked me to call him the moment we arrived Onitsha.



3:42 am: The forced Break
Everyone was forced out of their sleep on getting to Asaba. We all had to ease our bladders. I wasn’t so pressed, but I had to do it because it was the norm. “You don’t want to be the reason why the whole bus will stop”, I said to myself.



We continued in the dark through the popular River Niger bridge into Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra. This was 4:50 am, a time too early to call John Bosco. Every passenger except us seemed to know what the next plan was as we watched them disembark the bus. We had to chill at the park for a few more hours to allow John some more sleep.

ONITSHA MARKET IS THE LARGEST MARKET IN AFRICA BASED ON GEOGRAPHICAL SIZE AND VOLUME OF GOODS. IT IS BASED IN THE CITY OF ONITSHA, THE COMMERCIAL CAPITAL OF ANAMBRA STATE IN SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA AND GOVERNED BY ONE OF THE MOST REVERED TRADERS ASSOCIATIONS ON THE CONTINENT, THE ONITSHA MARKET TRADERS ASSOCIATION.

– WIKIPEDIA

6:02 am: The First Encounter with an Eastern Restaurant
It was Tope who first mentioned how tempting the aroma was. Unknown to him, I had been contemplating the same. So we traced the aroma, leaving Bukola and Victoria to watch after our belongings at the park’s waiting area. Then we found the restaurant just opposite the park’s gate. It was still dark, but not too dark to see that rice was ready.

“Good morning ma”, we almost said together.

We bought two plates of rice which we planned will be shared by the 4 of us even though the temptation of buying 4 plates was stronger than the femur.

Happy about our achievement, we went back to meet the ladies at the park. I paired with Victoria and in what took less than 5 seconds, I forced my spoon into the mountain of rice as if to dig some crude mineral. I didn’t pray because I felt everything about me (including the food) was blessed. But that was my greatest undoing. I could have spilled out all I had in my mouth if my reflex wasn’t strong. The food was horrible, to say the least.

We ad an awful welcome to the east. But how come? How were the Igbo restaurants in Lagos able to pull up delicious delicacies? I complained to no one in particular as I focused on the fish.

Well, don’t let us judge all restaurants by just a single encounter, I said as we pulled out how Nigerian are you? A card game that seeks to test how knowledgeable you are about Nigeria, her arts, culture, and politics.



Change in Plan
At intervals, I called John Bosco, but his phone kept ringing without any response. I was gradually getting frustrated as my buddies looked at me for tangible feedback. Time was 6:42 am. We still had no direction.

When John finally picked, he pleaded that we waited till 8 am, as that’s the earliest he could reach Onitsha From Awka. Deep down, I knew we wouldn’t even dare. So we pulled out our phones to search for a comfortable hotel nearby to at least refresh and sleep till John Bosco arrives.


upper Iweka road, Onitsha
The search wasn’t really helpful, so I turned to the guerilla method. I went with Tope in search of a keke that would help us in the search. On finding one, we told him to take us to the nearest comfortable hotel. “No waala”, he said Without further questioning. We rushed back to our spot in the park to fetch the girls who were evidently tired.

“Pack the games and bags. We don see keke wey go carry us go hotel!” Tope said as we approached the girls.

The joy in their hearts couldn’t speak but was audible enough for me to hear it yelled Yipee!



Hotel at Last
We booked two rooms. The ladies picked theirs while I went with Tope to ours. On getting to the room, my first major act was to call John. “Hey bro, take your time with your journey. We just got a hotel and would be needing to rest till 11 am. I’d text you the address”.

I didn’t allow him time to agree or disagree before ending the call. I texted him as promised and he replied with the plans he had for us for the day.

The plan was so sweet that it eased me into bed. I didn’t count the number of seconds, but I can bet it wasn’t up to a minute before my eyelashes closed.



Keynotes:

Cost of traveling from Lagos to Anambra
N5,600 was the cost for a night bus seat in a luxurious bus from Lagos to Onitsha (Anambra)- A journey which took approximately 10 hours.

Source: https://nomadicnegro.com/lagos-to-anambra-in-search-of-sallah-meat/

kowasco:
@obalorla Hello sir please sir I need your help I want to start a blog but I don’t know how to go about it please sir can you teach me all what I need to know and how to create it post news and others

This will do just fine, Kowasco
I made the video to be as simple as possible for every beginner looking to start blogging the right away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEAnegX0JM&t=5s

Want to process your Certificate of Occupancy or just need a general knowledge of what it entails? Look no further.


What is Certificate of Ownership?

Certificate of Occupancy, generally called a C of O, is the document issued by State governments in Nigeria to landowners and property buyers as a legitimate proof of ownership after requirements have been met.

When buying directly from the State Government, the buyer is to start application for C of O as soon as the sale of the property is finalized as there is no doubt as to ownership or authenticity of the power to sell such land. Whereas when buying from families or the popular “omo onile”, it is compulsory to make findings to ensure that the property indeed belongs to the people claiming ownership to it.


Application for C/O

When buying directly from the State Government, the buyer is to start application for C of O as soon as the sale of the property is finalized as there is no doubt as to ownership or authenticity of the power to sell such land. Whereas when buying from families or the popular “omo onile”, it is compulsory to make findings to ensure that the property indeed belongs to the people claiming ownership to it.


Requirements for C/O In Lagos.

- Land information certificate.
- Receipt for land information fee.
- Receipt for application form.
- Publication/inspection fee.
- Capital contribution (to be calculated based on the size and location of land).
- Land purchase receipt/agreement (duly stamped).
- Copy of current tax clearance certificate (individuals).
- Copy of N100 development levy receipt.
- Site location sketch.
- Four passport photographs of applicant with white background.
- Copy of approved building plan (if developed).
- Copy of tenement rate receipt (if occupied) or Land Use Charge.
- Cover letter addressed to the Executive Secretary, Land Use Allocation


How to process C/O in Lagos

- File an application to obtain the land information from the Surveyor General’s office at Alausa. This process usually costs between #10,000 – #12,000
- Purchase of private certificate of occupancy application form.
- The application form is submitted with the above mentioned documents
- A publication is then made giving room to any person who wants to object to the application. This costs #10,000.
- The next step is the site inspection and report conducted by the Land Use Allocation Committee.
- Certificate of Occupancy is then drafted, typed, and submitted for recommendation for execution.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/mysidebrief/