₦airaland Forum

gaby:
On one cool friday morning in August of 1999 at about 4 am i felt a nudge to wake up,grudgingly looked up to be sure i wasn't in a dream and no i wasn't.It was my dad urging me to wake up and get ready to wake up and get dressed.I wasn't feeling really up to going with him to his engineering work at Apapa as has come to be the norm sometimes,but i reluctantly stretchered up and got set so we headed out from our base in Oshodi en route Apapa to beat the rush hour traffic.

We got to the office and everyone was hailing,oga you bring smallie come work today? Dad answered in the affirmative,got into my dad's office and was about changing into my coverall when he stopped me in my track to hold on as we had go somewhere down the road first to which i complied.

We stepped out of the office complex and walked down about 500 metres and he made a detour in to a big complex where i saw written boldly "All States Trust Bank". We got in and my dad asked me to fill out a withdrawal form and told me to write one hundred and fifty thousand naira only and to boot he specifically mentioned he was clearing out his account. Wanted to ask him why but thought to keep mute until we got back to the office.

The idea about travelling was actually sold to me by my then Benin girlfriend seeing how things stood with me and the burden lurking around to be borne by me.She had told me her mum has helped a couple of people travel out and will put in a word for me to see how we can make it happen.I concurred and she informed a couple of days later that she had spoken to her mum and she was okay with it but i needed to go see her mum in Benin city.

When i got to benin i was well received and promised to be sorted out and the plan to get a visa began in earnest. She called one of her contacts who said he had a Russian or Bulgarian Visa but the amount he requested was on the up so we declined. After a while mummy came up with a plan seeing she wasn't financially liquid at that point in time to get my dad on the arrangement and see how much we can get from him.She said to go back to Lagos and tell dad about my travelling plans and to also make him call her so she can further convince and assure him if in doubt.

So i headed back to Lagos, met dad and briefed him on my plans. The idea was to tell him Mummy was assisting with some cash but he needs to support with some amount in the range of two hundred thousand.Mummy had come up with this plan seeing how securing a visa might be a problem owing to the lack of enough funds and hatched a plan B which was to make the journey on land through the desert europe-wards. She had a couple of confirmable successful voyeurs through same route as earlier as a week prior,people who had made the trip and gotten into Spain within a month.

Daddy and i got to the office and he told me my son,you saw i just cleared my account and this money is for your proposed trip. God will help me take care of your remaining nine siblings.I was to leave back to Benin the next day been saturday to deliver the money to mummy and dad thought it wise to accompany me for extra security and to also get to meet my new found helper.

We set out early the next morning,with just a back pack where i kept the Three bundles of 50# notes totalling a hundred and fifty thousand naira. Saw my bestie in front of his house and told him i was coming he couldn't have guessed what or where i was upto.You know how such moves and trips are supposed to be kept under wraps so the enemies wouldn't scuttle it..lol

Arrived benin safely while all through the trip i had to continuously answer in the affirmative to daddy's question of if i could feel the money in the bag which i was holding firmly to ( life-line).My dad met mummy they got acquainted and handed over the money,he headed back to Lagos while i stayed behind and that was the last time i would see my siblings,friends and entire family without a proper goodbye. (Just imagine if i had died.)

So i was with mummy for a couple of days and then she announced that one of her cousins was fed up with his furniture work and was planning on travelling by land so she'll link me up with him and we take it from there.

I was introduced to Osagie who revelled me on how most of his guys are already there and he had just gotten off the phone with some who left 3 weeks ago and i was like wow. He told me they have directed him on where to go get maps of the different routes which he showed me and we studied the maps together and we both settled for the Katsina-Niger route since that was the route the last guys travelled on instead of through Cotonou-Mali et al.

So we started prepping in anticipation.Mummy gave me some money to go change to dollars got about 500$ and some money for clothings. Osagie took me to forestry road ( for those familiar with benin) i selected some fine trainers and some top notch jeans and tops trying not to appear any lesser than those black American hip hop stars we used to see on posters adorning our rooms. ( for my mind europeans go know say person just land) got a nice body lotion with perfumes to boot (how i wan take know say dem no dey baff for desert fa).

All prepped and arranged and the next day was the D-day. Osagie said to lets step out and go have our last 9ja groove with his friends who were unaware of his planned check out.We had loads to drink and chow on with both of us trying to outdo each other spending our last miserable nairas that'll soon become useless to us.

Got back home drunk and wasted mummy saw my condition and understood what it was (euphoria plus excitement).

Woke up the next morning heavily hungover and messed up but still was able to get all my stuffs together arranged my 'sharp' hip hop wear for the trip with a "nigga raw" hoodie to compliment the latest european burger in town's outfit.

The evening came since we'll be travelling by night bus to Katsina,bade our farewells and unto Aduwawa we went. Paid for the bus waited until it was loaded and we set out. We had carefully hidden our dollars in different parts of our clothings,shoes and then i wrapped a couple up in a nylond and dropped into my lotion bottle for fear of bandits and been given out to police or immigrations as potential travellers which will mean serious "obtaining".

So we journeyed in between road blocks/ checkpoints and arrived Katsina the next day.

Thanks lalasticlala for the front page.

will update soon i dey go look for work.