Dexema:
Looks cool, too bad you didn't have enough time.

i was pained too

ilyasom:
Op you have good command of English

lol... thanks a bunch

ZACHIE:
your poor pictures killed this beautiful write up and wondrous waterfall

forgive me please... would improve upon that subsequently.

darocha1:
They keep shouting alternative source of generating income for the economy but they neglect TOURISM, to think such a beautiful place exist in the home state of our hon minister of info & tourism and the opportunity hasn't been harnessed. Nigeria should take a sheet from Kenya and dub

was moved to tears while i journeyed. Its indeed pathetic!

ALAYORMII:
So many beautiful places

i still have a lot of places on my mind to explore in Nigeria before moving outside it.
would probably put out my travel timetable in case anyone would be willing to go with me.

soberdrunk:
Guy you try oooo!!! To think that such a lovely place is located in the "Senate Presidents" hometown and it has been neglected is heartbreaking....

honestly its so disheartening

DuBLINGreenb:
Recession hit the water?
To my mind
The place is over hyped by both you and the bike man,
We must depend on government for everything government is the people the people can contribute 1k each and love-vendor that place up starting from that sign board which is too much a kill joy Victoria falls Disney land etc shouldn't have such signboards the sign should suggest you are going to have fun
Also, give that water Viagra find way to increase its flow
Clean up all that green matter around plant beautiful flowers and trees that are native to that place around the area you can even add a few animals to give the place that extra edge
Then viola

I understand your plight, but sir, this is Nigeria

Adonis3:


Na person wey don chop belleful dey tour





#Adonis3HasSpoken

no! stop that! its an erroneous belief.
u needn't too much tour around Nigeria.

oluseyiforjesus:
I bet you there are spirit in dat River, I don't advice girl to go to water falls especially d fair ones.......... I rest my case here

Aaafricaans!

mynd44, lalasticlala, rocktation and/or farano, this isn't beyond your capacity. kindly help us do the needed.

ReneeNuttall:

I can't wait to experience it.

hit me up anyway you feel like going. if you stay in Lagos, we could use the train!

Mecoy:
Once visited the water fall with some army officers. Had to walk about 30minutes from the village head's home to the fall. We walked in the thick jungle. That has totally discouraged me from going there again.

Did you have to navigate the jungle too?

If you didnt have to navigate the jungle, it means there is another alternative route to the waterfall. Then I might visit again asap with some friends.

I never navigated the jungle because I didn't pass through Omu-aran.
my biker took a path that didn't require navigating the forest- a short video clip is on my IG page (@nomadic_negro) in case you'd like to see.

so I advise you go again and if you will, I can link you to the bike man who took me there.

saxwizard:
looks cool. ...who will visit with me

I'd love to go again if few more people will be willing

ReneeNuttall:
one shouldn't embark on such journeys alone,its risky,guess am saying this out of nervousness.I really hope to visit places like dis some day.it just shows how blessed this country is.

Lol... our existence itself is a risk.
concerning you visiting, I assure you of a mind blowing experience, trust me.

Nigeria indeed is blessed!

To be very honest here, the thought of me touring Owu falls (the tallest in Nigeria) kept me awake all night- It was the longest since my arrival in Kwara and unknown to the poor me, I was about embarking on my most dangerous mission.


This perfectly describes me

The first woe which betide me was late preparation. I didn’t finish preparing until 9:30am when I finally left home for Unilorin- the only place I could charge my phone which was only 2% alive at the time.
I charged for about 30 minutes before hastily joining a shuttle heading towards post office. This journey made me #120 poorer but I cared less being a nonchalant traveler that I was.
My next hurdle was to get to Omu aran where I was told I’d get the direction to Owu falls. So I strolled relieved into the park by 12:36pm but the bus didn’t move until 2pm. why? I was the second to get there and you know that angry moment when you’d pray earnestly for passengers to just come in for the bus to get filled.
Still unknown to me how rough the journey ahead was going to be, I sat with utmost joy between the driver and another passenger in the front section of the white interstate bus as we journeyed through the infrastructure-starved Kwara state.
The only colourful things I saw aside the green weed which adorned both sides of the express road were myriads of political signboards with over 90% of them bearing the picture of Bukola saraki– With the look of things, the people of Kwara are more satisfied with the posters than the dividends of democracy.

Whats my business? I only blame the Angel who didn’t hear me properly when i told him my most preferred country was Netherlands and not Nigeria.

We soon swept past Idofihan , Igberi Owode, Omupo as our bus maintained a consistent momentum until we got to Iludun Oro– a small village where our bus decided not to move again until we replace the engine’s belt.
So we all alighted and as expected sprinkled to different spots in search of a resting place while we await the arrival of the driver who went to get another belt from a nearby town.
My wristwatch reminded me it’s few minutes past 5pm.

I suddenly remembered I don’t know my next move after getting to Omu Aran, so I decide to ask one of the passengers who was also taking her refuge beside me. She was with her colleague and I suspected from her lousy attitude and endless talks in the bus that she is a public secondary school teacher who came to greet her daughter- an undergraduate in one of the higher institutions in Kwara state.

“Ha! hope you have where to sleep because you certainly can’t return today if you continue this journey o. Its better you go back home and come back tomorrow”.
That was her exact statement. she really said it in a scary manner, the way every yoruba mother does.

I pretended like I heeded her warnings, so I requested for the direction to Owu falls so that I can come back tomorrow like she advised. so she gave me… “you needn’t reach omu aran as there is a shorter route just by that bus stop”- she said pointing to a junction on our left.
I immediately stood up, dusted my partially stained shorts and headed backwards towards Oke Onigbin where she advised.






The time raced fiercely towards 5:30pm as I increased my pace. My tongue was drying up and the sky’s attitude wasn’t encouraging either. I knew i was feeling tired but I decided not to feel it. I was thorn between going back home and forging ahead.

“I cant go back, I managed to mutter. I was already head and neck into the journey.

It occurred to me that the son of man hadn’t eaten anything aside the #50 orange he bought at Igberi Owode. His tummy rumbled but that was the least of his problems.

I finally got to Oke Onigbin where I asked for the buses going to owu falls. The woman smiled and told me buses don’t go there due to how dangerous that road is. My heart skipped as I immediately knew they have finally get me. You know that mogbe moment naw.



I was brought back to life when she said pointing to the right, “go and meet those bikers, they might take you there”.

Its on probability again? kuku key me.
So I proceeded with a shattered mind while the bikers all stopped their conversation immediately on sighting I was coming for them.
“I want to go to owu falls” i said to no one in particular so none answered me except one who told me he can’t go even if his mum begged him.
I finally understood the teacher’s warnings. The time was 5:48pm. My tongue became sour.



Suddenly, one of them volunteered to take me on just one condition, and that was if I would pay him #4,000. I begged him with all the known names that works till we finally arrived at #2,000 for both going and returning.

I hopped on his bike and we zoomed off.

We sped past Ijara, Owu, sabaja, oba isin, owa onire and didn’t stop until we reached Owu falls.

All through our journey, he kept lamenting about the bad state of things in Kwara state, emphasizing on how the Government has refused to tap into the potentials of Owu falls, according to him, this falls has the potentials of being the most sought-after travel destination in Nigeria. I couldn’t agree less even though I haven’t seen it yet.







We journeyed through this path- only the two of us and series of thoughts raced through my mind as the horrible sound of the bike couldn’t drown them. At a point I thought about being kidnapped, at the other, it was the fear of being killed but the friendly nature of my biker did a lot in restoring my hope.

This continued until we got to Owu falls.





These pictures should summarize my experience:







Many thanks to my biker who was more friendly than i thought. he doubled as my photographer and guide.

I’m tempted at this point to throw jabs at the Nigerian government for their negligence towards this place. I’m not being biased here, but I think Owu falls has better chances of topping the list of the best tourists sites in not just Nigeria but Africa at large.

You need to see the videos on my IG page @nomadic_negro to understand me clearly.

The sky alerted me it was time to go, so I quickly took a selfie with my tour guide before jumping on the bike again. It was 6:40pm.




We soon got back to Oke Onigbin where I joined a space wagon which charged me #400 back to post office, leaving me with only #100 which used in joining another cab which took me home.

I was tired but I couldn’t stop rethinking the experience till sleep took me to the regular unknown destination it usually does on a daily.

I was brought back on Sunday which was the next day, did all the necessary rituals and headed straight for the train station but couldn’t catch one due to some technical issues, so I opted for a bus ride instead, even though it costs more.


Ilorin


Back in Oshodi- Lagos, Nigeria.


See more of my adventures on www.nomadicnegro.com

warning!!!

If you are reading this for the first time, I’d advise you begin from where the journey actually started. And for those who started with me yesterday, lets zoom off while they catch up if they can be as fast as we were yesterday!

* * *

I settled in the least populated of all available classrooms that night because every other one was filled to the very brim. This was after Tayo took my bag with him to his hostel and promised to come for me in the early hours of the morning so that we can properly settle down in the promise land he had prepared for me.

He was far too kind.

Tayo warned me to remain in that classroom so he can find it easy picking me up the next day but I disobeyed a move which I gravely regretted.

At exactly 4:12am, I woke up suddenly from the class and started walking. I had no particular destination in mind but I didn’t stop. Initially I was scared but as I moved ahead, the wandering became more interesting especially as the cold dew settled on my face while the breeze added glamour to it. After roaming aimlessly for over an hour, stopping by different classrooms to see what such huge number of students were doing at that hour since exams weren’t in the corner. The truth dawned on me. My phone rang and the caller was Tayo, he asked me where I was and I looked around but couldn’t give him any tangible reply. my tongue dried up immediately. my stomach rumbled incoherently too.

Then was when it dawned on me that I was officially lost in Unilorin.

How Tayo found me is sure a story for another day.







Abu stays with another of his friend in a room self-contained apartment which I was able to deduce was formerly a hotel.
Like every average Nigerian, He was a little bit cold on seeing me (I could tell from his countenance). This is one of those things we’ve learned to cope with as travelers, so I shrugged it off and proceeded into greeting him with my right hand fully stretched. He returned the gesture with a mild smile but I could still perceive he was either still not pleased or was just being shy.

The mind games didn’t bother Tayo who dashed towards a lonely pot sitting relaxed in a corner of the room to take some food for himself. He called me to join him but I refused even after Abu begged. My mind was more fixated on what I came to Ilorin for.

so I sat down on the rugged floor with my notepad in front of me to do the necessary findings from the duo before setting out for my very first adventure.

Abu obliged to follow me on all my trips for the day and so did Tayo. Then we jetted out. “This is one of the reasons why I prefer staying with a host than in hotels, I said to myself.”

The Unilorin Dam

We flagged down a cab heading towards the school from the street junction. We paid #50
each and just before we could say MMM, we were already in the school premises.

My fingers are aching jare, Let the pictures to do small talking…







Each of us spent #100 for entering the Dam area and #100 for the Boat cruise.



Then we headed to the school’s zoo located within the school premises but can only be accessed through an entrance right after the school gate.

these fingers are hurting me again! Pictures please…








Each of us paid #200 for entrance, and another #200 for the dangling bridge. We wasted no time as we flagged down another cab to take us to post office whence we took another bus going to the central mosque where the Emir’s palace and the general market (Oja Oba) are located.

[img]http://www.nomadicnegro.com/img_20170127_152420/[/img]









I couldn’t just wait for us to get home so i can do justice to the meal in the kitchen. Tayo made me happier when he said he can never taste frog. i silently prayed for him within me.


Food got ready about an hour later and while I ate, I kept replaying the height of the day’s adventure which happened to be when I saw for the first time a mysterious Ram with 3 horns.






source: www.nomadicnegro.com

check www.nomadicnegro.com to see a clearer picture collection of my timeout there.

Ignoring the beautifully stocked ordering desk and well-arranged Furniture will leave one with yet another empty shop waiting to be rented out to any ready buyer, but this wasn’t the case on the 14th of January when I went into one of the branches of cafe neo- a cafe whose major aspiration is to be the brand across Africa that provides a ‘third space’, where customers can escape, meet like-minded dreamers and create great things.

Why I went?

It’s of course still on my mission of exposing the tourism potentials of every country on planet earth. On this particular mission, I aimed at objectively reviewing café neo (Yaba).

Let me quickly run you through my findings so that I can go pack my bag for my next trip to Ilorin.



Place/ Ambiance

This particular branch of café neo sits calmly on the First floor of e-centre Sabo Yaba (popularly called ozone), right in front of trend express.

Due to my dislike for grammars, natural, simple, tidy and comfortable will be used to describe this classic destination till i find better substitutes. The cordial relationship between the natural vegetation and lighting contributed more to it’s absolutely stunning 30-seater interior.

You would have done over half an hour before noticing the soft voice pouring out of a strategically placed speaker close to the ordering desk. only the gods can tell how they manage to know the kind of music that sits well with all and sundry.



Menu/food

I settled down for few seconds to study the menu chalk-board before walking towards the only staff on duty (I’d talk about him soon) to request for a cup of hot cappuccino with a pack of lightly salted cashew nuts, both of which I instantly paid for according to their custom.


Embedded inside my cup cup was the best coffee I had ever taken. It costs #1,000
I saw some nicely arranged snacks on display but I refrained from ordering any due to my slim pocket (I’m yet to forgive myself sha).



Prices

For the quality of products and services, I can tell you for free that their prices are worth it. A notice on the ordering table indicated they recently increased their prices- no thanks to our naira whose love for skydiving is second to none.



Service

Yeah! I have been hastening up just to get here.

What they do is tell you to go have your sit after you must have placed your order. And within 5 minutes, you’d be called upon using the name of the drink you ordered.

I personally loved the way the machine screeched while my coffee was being made.

The best which I reserved for the last was the liveliness which oozed from the smartly dressed attendant who made my coffee. You would know from his outlook. He was simply amazing to not just me but everyone present. Did I mention that I loved his dreads?



Recommendation

The truth is you would find it difficult choosing between the rich customer care and the convenience, therefore, I recommend this branch of café neo for the following:

– People who are in search of a comfortable meeting place.

– Lovers who need a touch of nature for their next date.

– Coffee enthusiasts.

– Entrepreneurs who are in search of a decent workplace. (but o ye entrepreneurs, ensure you buy at least a cup of coffee before leaving o)



Side attraction

For lovers of tech, writing, and startups, I can assure you that the possibility of you stumbling upon your hero/mentor is reasonably high. I’d put it at 7/10. Here is my testimony:

I met someone who to me was the best speaker at the HGAS 2016- Mr Oluyomi Ojo– a young, handsome and outspoken dude who captains the ship of Printivo. Don’t ask me how my conversation with this friendly CEO went but all I can tell you is that I went back home with words of tangible advice and a surprising follow back on twitter!

Cafe neo Yaba could have had a better GPA but for these shortcomings:

Size: it’s small compared to several of its other 9 branches

Distractions: this specifically comes from people having meeting. Though not all of them are as loud as the ones I saw.

Charging cables on the floor: yeah, they made the nicely tiled floor look unsafe. You can imagine what falling face flat with a cup of hot coffee will look like. How about when you are adorned in a white costume? Don’t even try.

Slow internet: this is the most frustrating- both their wifi and yours will suddenly become slow. I think I finally found something slower than Chelsea’s Mikel.



Here is my verdict: the moment I’m sure you’ve been wanting to see

Staff/service= A

Place/ambiance= B

Food= B

Shortcomings= D

GPA= 3.88/5

A second class upper isn’t at all a bad grade for a student with great prospect as café neo Yaba.

I’d want to go back though. If not for anything, at least for the comfort and service.



Assumptions adapted for calculation:

-The first, second and third courses are 3, 2 and 2 unit courses respectively.

-Shortcoming(s) automatically attract(s) a ‘D’.



Is there a destination you want me to review, feel free to reach me ASAP.

source: www.nomadicnegro.com

Skateboard:
Good job bruh, nice blog

thanks for checking it out. i'm glad you liked it.

I read a lot (for over 2mths) before opening my blog. www.nomadicnegro.com
for aspiring bloggers, please do same

inconsistency is another reason.
as a blogger try to be realistic with yourself, if it's once or twice per day u know u can publish posts, try to remain religious with it.
I for one stick to once a week for my travel blog and it's been encouraging cos my viewers know exactly when to expect a new post from me.
see for yourself www.nomadicnegro.com

fm7070:
where is the pig farm?

Ajido- a small village in Badagry

[quote author=Yoshy post=52821188][/quote]

some things are wrong bro:
1. I don't think you have a niche yet
2. I checked one of ur posts and all I saw were quotes... that's not good enough.
3. I checked another post and met nothing on it.

Yoshy:
Op you are good. I have a question though, any idea(s) on what to put in place before applying for adsense and be sure of it's approval?

simple.
see what I outlined below:

1. purchase a domain name so as to get rid of ..com or . .

2. design your blog in a sane manner- pay attention to the colour combination and the way you arrange your blog posts. Google hates it when people get lost in ur blog.

3. read up the Google Adsense terms and conditions. e.g they don't want u to promote crime, sex or drugs on your blog.

4. ensure what you want to blog about will add value to the lives of fellow humans.

5. u needn't be as good as whole Soyinka but ensure your writing skill is above average.

6. write enough contents. (nobody till date knows how many you should write but I got my google Adsense approval for my blog: www.nomadicnegro.com after writing just 13 posts).

7. ensure you have these pages on your blog:
about us, privacy policy and contact us.

8. try ensuring your readers are responding- either through comments or likes and shares.
with this, Google will assume you are really adding value.

9. lastly, never form the habit of copying other people's posts. even if you would, try rephrasing them but ensure you link back to the original owner and acknowledge him/her.

that's all I can say for now bro.
you can check out www.nomadicnegro.com to see how nearly arranged it is.

I'm almost sure you'd get approved after doing all these

it's indeed an interesting read. I loved the way you added humor to the long post.

AZeD1:

It's too early in the year to be deceiving the guy.


OP I'm sorry but you are so dull and unexposed, I'm pretty sure anybody who reads your blog would be miss informed.

please bro, pen down today's date.

naijatechguy might make u regret you ever said those words.

ogadriva:
OBALORLA.. you did a nice work here.. very educating

thank you very much Ogadriver for the words of encouragement

nellaluv:
Op nice one, very educative

thanks nellaluv

presence noticed

It was 1pm and the sun refused to tune down the volume of its swag. On getting to the ₦500 mark, the nozzle refused to go further as expected. The attendant hung it in its rightful place before we drove out and headed straight to the legendary Chief Seriki Williams Abass slave Barracoon.


Seriki Abass slave Barracoon

Everything happened like a dream as we each paid ₦200 while Femi- the Barracoon guide, was already on standby to unearth intriguing facts and figures for us.



The look on his face gave me that impression and I was glad as I beamed with smiles.



Without wasting much of our time, he welcomed us to the Chief Seriki Williams Abass Slave Museum.



While he spoke, I wrote.

Who was Chief Seriki Williams Abass?

Unlike the legendary Bishop Ajayi Crowther who was captured at age 12, Chief Serilki Abass Faremi was captured when he was 4 years younger, at a tender age of 8. He hailed from a popular village in Ogun state known as Aiyetoro.



After being captured by the Brazilians, he was sold to Mr. Williams – a slave trader who operated in Dahomeh (the present day Benin Republic). Abass had to work as a domestic slave for many years, and after observing his diligence and loyalty, his master gave him two options as this was a common practice at the time. The options were:


He should continue working as a slave till he could buy his freedom.
Join him in the slave business and gain freedom.



Like every other right thinking slave, he had to go for the second option. I myself would have vexed for him if he went for the first. My ordeal at the Mobee Slave Museum and the Badagry Heritage Museum informed my present state of thinking.



Being a slave wasn’t a funny Sh*t at all.



To cut short the missive, Seriki Abass Williams joined the slave business and soon became a beast- that which everyone respected. How? What made him so strong and influential? The answers were simple:

Since he was captured at a very tender age, he could read and write very well. In addition to this, he was multilingual as well. He could speak English, French, Spanish, Brazilian and Yoruba fluently.



Soon afterwards, Seriki Abass Williams became so wealthy that the more slaves he sold, the more materials he got from whites.



We were shown the items He got in return for slaves. They include ceramic plates, lanterns, cameras, kettles, gunpowder and so on. What caught my attention amongst all these was a giant umbrella which we were told was so precious that it was exchanged with 40 slaves.

[img]https://i0.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_125552.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=636&h=358&crop[/img]


I moved closer to have a feel of what the useless umbrella looked like, but on getting close, I was surprised as I found it almost impossible to lift the damn thing. If I describe it as gigantic, it would be as a result of not having the right word to use. This umbrella was really huge and heavy.



“He loved this umbrella so much”, continued Femi. “He loved it so much that he went out with it every time he wanted to go out for any function”.


The mighty umbrella even competed with me in height…smh


“A slave was usually appointed to carry this umbrella for him”. I pitied the kind of slave that was saddled with such a responsibility because we were told such slave had to carry that umbrella until whatever time Chief Seriki would be done with whatever he was doing.



We were later shown different chains (including the waist chain – which was as heavy as a 5 year old) and other instruments (such as an iron drilling bite which was used to crest the name of the owner of the slave on the slave’s body just like a receipt).


Different equipments (including chains) used on slaves to either brand them or prevent them from escaping


Just when I thought I had heard enough, we were told that 40 slaves were kept in each cell room for 3 months before being shipped out to different parts of the world through the point of no return.



I started wondering what happened when the ladies started their menstruation, considering the smallness of those cells, but Femi smiled and told me the ladies had no option aside remaining inside the stuffy compartment. I shook my head when I couldn’t bear it any longer.



Note: In that compound there were formerly lots of such cells littered everywhere but only two (2) were left behind for reference sake.

Femi announced that was all we had to know about Chief Seriki Williams Abass and so I talked him into going with us to the point of no return which he agreed to after faking a hesitation.



He finally showed us the tomb of Chief Seriki Williams Abass who died on the 11th of June 1919. And just right beside his tomb was that of his last child.

[img]https://i0.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_130503.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=636&h=1131&crop[/img]


I actually thought he must have something in common with the legendary king Solomon when we were told he had 128wives and 144 children.

*Super Striker Seriki* – Triple S… Lol

On our way out of the monument, a woman whom Femi explained was one of the numerous descendants of Chief Seriki Williams Abass passed by. According to Femi, she occupies one of the numerous cells within the large compound just like many others too.



I fastened my seat belt as Peter restored life back to the red beast. Segun and Femi were seated at the back seat as we all headed straight for the jetty by the lagoon to await a speed boat which would take us to Gberefu Island – the island where the point of no return is located.

[img]https://i1.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_134603.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=209&h=209&crop=1[/img]
ready to sail

[img]https://i0.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_135550.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=209&h=209&crop=1[/img]
safe arrival at Gberefu Island




THE POINT OF NO RETURN

While on board, we paid #150 each for the fare from Badagry to Gberefu Island.

On alighting, Femi explained that Gberefu Island is predominantly occupied by three (3) tribes: Egun, Ilaje and Agoyin.

Femi explained that the same way we used the boat was the same way the slaves also did. The big difference is that unlike us, they had chains on their hands, legs and of course necks. That’s not all, while we cruised using a speed boat (even when the one we used was already in its obsolete state), the slaves paddled their way down to the Island.



On hearing this, I seized the moment to thank God that I didn’t compete with other sperm cells for a chance to embrace any egg during the slave era.

While Femi narrated, we continued under the angry sun a journey which according to him will last close to 30 minutes.

Femi continued by telling us that any slave who died along the way was quickly thrown into the forest to be eaten by wild animals.

[img]https://i1.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_140058.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=636&h=358&crop[/img]
the journey then commenced

[img]https://i2.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_143847.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=636&h=358&crop[/img]
the sun was more than angry


The sun wasn’t helping matters and when I complained, he called my attention to what I could have done if I had chains made of iron round my naked body, emphasizing that the more the sun beams, the hotter the iron gets. That got me mute straightaway.



The journey continued amidst discussions and laughter till we got to a place called ‘The Spirit Attenuation Well’.



The spirit attenuation well

“Directly opposite this well is a shed where the slaves would be made to rest,” Femi said before even telling us about the well. “Considering how far they would have journeyed, they had no option than to take the much needed rest”.



These slaves will then be made to drink from this well which unknown to them had already been poisoned with a memory loss charm which will affect them for the minimum of 3 months when they’d be on their voyage to different parts of the world.



Try watching this film titled ‘Kinte’. You’d understand me better.

Why the well was poisoned

I asked out of curiosity why the water had to be poisoned and Femi told me that initially, the water was normal but there came a time when slaves, in spite of the fact that they were being chained, would revolt against the ship officials since on every ship, there were usually only 15 of them to take care of over 3,000 slaves. The slaves saw this as an opportunity to escape.



So the whites complained to the Chiefs who usually sold to them and the Chiefs in turn decided to do something about it. Apparently, that something was the poisoning of the well. *fear black power

Curious again, I asked why the slaves couldn’t have revolted before drinking the water since they would still have been in their right senses before then, but he reminded me quickly how weak they must have been. He even said they will always want to drink from it considering the distance.

[img]https://i1.wp.com/www.nomadicnegro.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_20161125_143820.jpg?zoom=1.100000023841858&w=636&h=358&crop[/img]


While he explained, I wondered what will happen to me should I drink from the well and like he heard me, he said he didn’t know if the poison is still potent but its better we moved ahead as the journey ahead was still a bit far.



On hearing this, I pitied the slaves once again, but what could a negro do to salvage the lives of slaves who had died many years before he was born aside renaming himself a Negro?

We finally got to the point of no return – a point where the slaves will be put into small boats which would then take them to awaiting ships very close to the shore. These ships will then take them to different destinations of the world.



Any slave who made it to this point never stepped his/her toes back to Africa. This is why it is being referred to as the point of no return.


I finally got to the much talked about point of no return!

“The whites stopped slavery many years ago, but it’s so disheartening that slavery still persists in Africa and amongst Africans. The only difference is just that this time around it’s the Blacks against themselves. Yes! Or how do we explain a situation where thousands of Africans die in the Mediterranean Sea yearly, just to voluntarily submit to slavery? Or a situation where an African sells all he/she has just because of greener pasture?”

Think about it.

-www.NomadicNegro.com

The look on Baba Femi’s face really convinced me that he’d love to have me come over to his farm house later in the day for the interview I promised him. Peter had advised we go to his pig farm after returning from the point of no return (located on Gberefu island), and I obeyed him.

* * *



Baba Femi’s home has all the qualities of a typical historical farm house- the only thing missing was a sign post indicating that the place was one.

He wasn’t inside but on hearing our voice, he directed us to come to the backyard, and to my greatest surprise, Baba Femi was stark naked in the open, scrubbing his soapy body like he was going to rip it off. We wanted to rush back but he shouted at us to stand there and continue looking at him till he’s done.

When he finished, He told us to take a tour around so as to have a feel of his farm while he gets dressed.


Baba Femi and his sister as he awaits us to get done with our tour

About 10 minutes later, he called out and on getting to where he was seated; he had already been joined by an elderly woman whom he introduced to us as his sister.

When next you see me naked, never run away because you are still the ones that will bury me whenever I stop breathing. I nodded like I was going to be there when he gives up the ghost. “do I even know who’d go first?” I asked within me as I wore a mischievous smile.

With the look of things, Baba Femi sure is a talkative. Knowing this, I decided to dive straight into why I had come instead of giving him further opportunity to tell another tale.


Negro tries to explain the motive behind the interview to Baba Femi

I quickly greeted him once again to Shut him up and also declare the beginning of the interview.

So we started.

The method I applied for this interview was asking multiple related questions at once.

Even though we conversed in Yoruba all through, I had fun interrogating this cheerful farmer.



Q: I shouldn’t be wrong to call you a farmer… have you been doing this all your life? If no, what were you doing before and why did you decide to opt into farming?



A: I left the village for Lagos immediately I finished learning how to sew. I got into Lagos with my family to become a very popular tailor. Bariga was my home while my workshop was in Ebute Meta.

On why he decided to leave this tailoring for farming:

It got to a stage when i started having issues with Customers who wouldn’t want to pay for the services been rendered to them. It grew so worse that when I ask them for money after making wears for them. They start calling me unku unku– to remind me that I'm like their big brother. If I persist, they’d change it to fight/quarrel and stop greeting me. This continued until the debts ran close to hundred thousand.

Since I didn’t come to Lagos to count the number of bridges inside of it, I decided it was time to opt out.



How he came across animal rearing

Q: Daddy, tailoring and farming aren’t at all related. How did you do it?

A: My first encounter with animal rearing happened during a time I usually help a rich chief take care of his his goats. People usually dash these chief lots of goats (but all were females), so one day, I suggested that he should buy few males so that they can start reproducing.

He listened to my advice and bought few males to make the total number equal 15. So when they started given birth, at a point in time their number increased to 50. Chief was so happy that he dashed me 22 while he took the rest.

That marked the beginning of my journey into the animal world.

And like what he earlier did wasn’t enough, he allowed me use 2 out of his 6 plots of vacant land for rearing my own share.



Q: With your breakthrough, why did you now have to leave Lagos?



A: You are actually correct. You see, whenever life seems to favour you, please, I beg you not to flaunt your wealth- no matter how small.

I hated my condition over there. Especially during a period when I was constantly getting jobs with good pay from outside Lagos. During this period, I would use some of the money I made to buy loads of foodstuffs down to Lagos for my family- Where we lived together in a rented face-me-I-face-you apartment.

But one awkward thing I discovered later was that the more I do this, the more my landlord keeps increasing the house rent. That was what sealed my home coming decision finally because I was at a crossroad- thorn between either coming home to restart a new life I believe might work, or staying back in the city to hopelessly wait on God while I continued to live from hand to mouth.



Q: Settling in a new place is difficult enough not to talk of trying to live a sustainable life there. How was your settling experience like in Ajido?



A: Ha! Tunde, it wasn’t funny o!

We did one burial in 1996 in Ajido which I was really involved in. So I seized the opportunity to review my chances (should I relocate back to the village). I packed my properties down here in 1998 with my family but I begged my wife to allow me continue to shuttle between Lagos and Ajido for another six years so as to balance things which she agreed.

By then I had finally left our house in Bariga, meaning I slept in my shop all through this 6-year period.

In 2003, it consciously dawned on me that I needed to up my game one sunny afternoon after listening to one of Barister’s track which the lyrics emphasized that a fool at 40 will be a fool forever. This triggered the tripling of my hustle spirit. Therefore, I came home to Ajido to build a shop with wood and thatch.

My mind was already made- it’s either I achieve something in life or die while at it.

I was 41 years old at this time.



Q: What happened afterwards?

A: I laid the foundation of my home on the 9th of November 2007



Q: seriously! Just within 4years of returning back to the village? How did you do it?

A: it wasn’t easy though because while at it, there was a time I got so broke that I almost mistook sand for garri. That period will pass as one of the most horrific of my time on earth.

How he got the money

While in my shop one idle but sunny afternoon, I reasoned within me that since Ajido and Badagry at large are blessed with excess sand, why can’t I start bagging the sand for sale? That was how I started going to construction sites in search of empty bags of cement which I sold 200 bags for ₦10,000. I did this continuously until I was able to save up to buy materials for laying the foundation of this house except sand.

check out @nomadic_negro on instagram to see a short video I recorded with the pigs

Q: do you mean you built this house just through packing and selling sand?

A: you are too forward. Let me finish.

After the foundation, it seemed like the sand idea won’t be too sufficient in continuing the project, so I watched out for possible opportunities.

One finally crawled in when I was elected to oversee the activities of some people who wanted to be packing sand on my mum’s only land on an island across the lagoon. So I took this opportunity to amass more money by collecting royalty from them.

And just like my mates in the same business who delved into polygamy, I in turn married more blocks and cements till I was able to build my house to the roofing level, before the money stopped coming from this source.

Before long again, another opportunity came when I started advising my friends in Lagos to come and buy land here in Ajido due to the security and affordability.

I thence started helping those who have bought theirs to clear the weeds on their lands and also played a supervisory role for some of them. Though, this was somewhat difficult for me but the determination of not wanting to be a fool forever continued to give me the push I needed.

Things soon got tougher at a point when Femi gained admission into a college of education. Since I couldn’t afford the tuition, I had to make him join me on the labouring job before we could raise the fund.

My family celebrated the beginning of 2009 in this house because that was when we moved away from our family house.

On settling down in my new home, I started facing wahala from family members and friends it seemed as though they weren’t happy with my feat. They wanted me to still continue living in the family house.

Knowing full well that I couldn’t contend with them using charm, I went physical with some of them bearing in mind that its either I kill or I get killed.

There was even a time I was spiritually attacked at the back of my head- I spent close to 200k to treat myself far away in Benin republic.

*I asked if the attack was physical but he chuckled before telling me I can’t see it because its juju.

When they saw I hadn’t only recovered, but that my hustle spirit had tripled, they became more furious, especially on realizing I am not ready to join their alcoholic team (since I was always inside the forest either tapping wine or cutting logs of wood for sale). They did another charm which affected my leg but I also narrowly escaped amputation.

When I noticed weren’t ready to back out, and my physicality wasn’t enough, I approached a church to come establish beside my house but the church in no time got destroyed by storm. I knew they were still the ones behind it all, so I went to bring another church to replace it…


[img]http://www.nomadicnegro.com/img_20161125_174101/[/img]

Q: Since your initial interest was in goats, why and how did you delve into pig farming?

A: That’s true, you see, I discovered along the line that pigs are more fertile than goats, thence; I decided to add pigs to my stock. I also added dogs and ducks too.



Q: Since you aren’t a vet doctor, how do you now take care of them during pregnancy and when they fall sick?

A: I practiced and took time and resources to study them. And with time I was able to take care of them. Though, it got to a point when I didn’t understand some things about them, so I went in search of a vet doctor who usually comes around to help me treat them.

Prime of those difficulties was my inability to safely bring out the placenta of the baby when any of them delivers. This usually kills them but the doctor knows better and since he started coming around, the death rate has reduced drastically.





Q: what can you tell me about these pigs?

A: One amazing thing about my pigs is that they eat up their placentas immediately after giving birth. Hahaha! You see, no one dares go near them (Not even me the owner) as they are most dangerous during this period.

As serious as it is, not even a snake can go near where they are, or have you ever heard where a snake eats a pig? *I shook my head in denial.

I love my pigs o… they don’t die easily. Their life is so tough that even when hit with a bullet, they can still survive or live very long afterward before giving up.



Q: Which do you do more? Selling or consuming them?

A: I do both but I sell more.



Q: Considering the cost of feeding and treating them. How profitable is rearing pigs?

A: Ha! It’s a very profitable business o. I at least sell an average adult pig for 50-60k since the agric ones go for around 70 thousand naira. What I do is buy just very few agric so they can mate with the local females which I have in abundance. Oya imagine what such outcome would be in 3-4 more years.



Q: So how do people get to know you sell pigs?

A: You see, in every business you find yourself doing, never stop shouting to the public about what you do until you succeed. Even after succeeding, don’t ever stop.



Q: What advice will you give people who are finding it difficult surviving in Lagos?

A: It’s simple. I’d first ask what the problem is. If it’s something I feel he shouldn’t stay in Lagos for, I’d tell him to come back to the village to start a life- Probably as a farmer.



Q: People see farming as a shameful job, what would you advise aspiring farmers?

A: You see, farming isn’t an easy job. Hence, I think the stress involved and not the dirty nature repels aspiring farmers. I’d advise them to delve into it, especially now that there is enough technology and many cooperative societies to give out cash. Not to even mention the fact that the country’s economy is in a critical situation.



Q: can you recall any unforgettable moment since you’ve started doing this?

A: hmmmm. There was a time I had to borrow money to sow seeds. So one day, on returning from a trip, I met about 6 cows belonging to Abu (one of the Fulanis in the area) had destroyed all my plants.

I got so infuriated that I ensured I dethatched one of the limbs of a cow. Abu tried retaliating as he charged towards me but I think he had a second thought on seeing how blood trickled down from the cutlass I used on his cow.

He was about mentioning another experience before peter signalled that it was high time we left him alone for home. So i quickly interrupted by thanking him.

I called a girl i guessed will be the youngest of his children, gave her ₦500.00 while Peter set the car in motion.

The little girl was more than happy as she ran back to her father.

I smiled as I buckled the seatbelt.

It was indeed a day well spent.



curled from www.nomadicnegro.com as usual

when we talk cost, it varies- depending on your choice niche.

but the general cost applicable to any and every niche include:

1. money:
-say around 20k for hosting and purchasing domain including few plugins for the period of one year.
-set aside at least 3k for Internet subscription
- an Android phone, a PC and of course a note book.

2. time
- time to write
- time to reaching out to ur audience.
- time to read, read and read!

I own www.nomadicnegro.com