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2012 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY TRIP: ABUJA - ENUGU & ANAMBRA - ABUJA, WITH MY BABY, PEUGEOT 505 V6 5 SPEED MANUAL ( 1,505 KM OR 935 MILES)


DAY 1: 27/12/2012 ( JOURNEY FROM ABUJA TO ENUGU)

I woke up at 4:20am and started preparing for the journey. I opened the bonnet and checked to be sure everything was in place. Checked the headlight & the rear lights. I packed my stuffs in the car.

Also need to mention that my favourite artiste was keeping me company, as you can see in one of the pics.


Ikenna.

DAY 1.

After getting myself and the car ready, i took off around 6:00am.

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After Area 1, Garki, roundabout.

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Airport road, Abuja.

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Still on Airport Road. I stopped somewhere, where i usually buy Onoins whenever am travelling to East. Mom always love it whenever i come back with loads of Onions. Hmm! Women!

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Descending from Airport road to Abuja - Lokoja Highway.

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At Gwagwalada, Abuja.

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Result of water Therapy! I forgot that i would do this journey and did the therapy in the money. So, i was now forced to be stopping every hour of or so, if you understand what i mean.

Pic taken at a town called Orehi, a town in Kogi state, before Lokoja.

Ikenna.

Still on Abuja-Lokoja highway.

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On Bridge before Lokoja.

This was the same bridge flood covered, last year September/October flood issue in Kogi.

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Few Kilometers to Lokoja.

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Arrived Lokoja.

I arrived Lokoja at 8:40am, meaning i spent 2hrs 40 mins, from Abuja to Lokoja. The Tripmeter indicated that Abuja to Lokoja was 212 kilometers.

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I entered one of the Fuel stations in Lokoja to refill the fuel tank. The fuel guage showed car consumed 30 litres from Abuja to Lokoja.

I refilled the tank and contnued my journey.

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Still in Lokoja.

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Driving out of the Lokoja Town.

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Back to the highway: Abuja - Enugu highway. About 5 more hours non-stop high speed ahead.

The 2nd part of the journey has begun.

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Ajaokuta roundabout.

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Still in Ajaokuta.

Stopped again. Consequencies of water therapy for someone doing a long distance driving. Have learnt my lessons.

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About 5 kilometers bad road in Ajaokuta.

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Army check point.

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On bridge, after Ajaokuta.

golf 3 overtaking other cars before me.

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Arrived Obollo Afor, Enugu State, at 12:30pm and met a traffic Jam, which lasted more than 30 mins.

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At Opi Junction, ENugu state. Nsukka- 9th mile highway.

The road to the right leads to UNN (University of Nigeria, Nsukka).

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Got to 9th mile at 2:pm and met a terrible hold up, while still on the 9th mile-Nsukka highway.

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While still on the traffic jam, Some road safety guys started to direct us to take an untared road, via a small village, to bypass the 9th mile completely. Well, we had no option than to follow their instructions.

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After i paseed the 9th mile, i headed to Enugu town.

Attached pics were taken while driving into the town, at New market.

Ikenna.

I drove straight to Shoprite, in Enugu town.

The tripmeter showed that Abuja to Enugu is 540 kilometers (336 miles).

Then, the fuel guage showed that the car consumed only 40 litres from Lokoja to Enugu. Meaning, the car consumed only 70 litres from Abuja to Enugu for 540 km. Not bad! Considering, the windows were up (A/C on) all through the journey. After i drove out of Shoprite, i refilled the tank and it took only 40.05 litres, meaning, the fuel gauge was correct. I didnt know the guage has been that accurate.

I calculated the consumption from Abuja ro Enugu and got 12.9L/100km or 21.8 mpg. I was impressed. Considering the amount of speed i did on that highway, i couldnt believe i could still get that consumption, even better than the factory mpg on highway for that car.

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Left Shoprite and went to visit a cousin.

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I left my cousins house and started another journey to Anambra state via Onitsha-Enugu expressway (About 1 hour drive).

Few mins into the journey, at 9th mile junction, HELL was let loosed!

The whole expressway was blocked. Those coming from Anambra blocked the other side, while those coming from Enugu, going to Anambra and Nssukka, blocked the other side too. Then those coming from Abuja, like i did, that wasnt fast enough, arrived 9th mile late and blocked that side too. It was a nightmare! I got to that junction by 4:20pm, but as of 6:30pm, my car has not moved an inch. The worst traffic jam i have ever experienced in my life!.

Ikenna.

Around 7:00pm, the FRSC and NEMA guys were able to make the traffic started moving. In fact, i got out of the traffic around 7:20pm or so. It was terrible.

While i was driving out of the traffic, i heard a voice, a female voice, shouting something that sounded my surname. I wasnt sure of what i heard, since the windows were up. So i looked towards the direction the shouting was coming from and saw a young lady, a beautiful one, begging me and calling me by my surname to lower my window. I did and that was when i recognised her: my kid sister's secondary school classmate and she was also from Abuja but got stranded because of the same traffic jam. The ABC Bus she followed from Abuja was still stucked in the traffic and would stop at Enugu town. And since she wouldnt know when the bus would pass the traffic, she decided to drop at the 9th mile and get a bus there to Awka, Anambra. Unfortunately for her, there was no more bus loading at 9th mile for Awka that night. So, she was stranded. It was obvious that God sent me to rescue her. I wonder what would have happened if she didnt see me. And guess what, her hometown, her final destination, was a neighbouring town of mine, my last destination too, about few kilometers from my town. People can be that lucky!

Well, i had to drive few poles from the traffic before i could get a chance to pack. She now loaded her bags in my car and i drove off, heading to Anambra that night, about 1 hour drive.

The attached picture was taken when & where I stopped for her to put in her things in the car before we embarked on the journey to Anambra state that night.

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I drove straight and dropped the stranded lady in her place and drove off again to my hometown.

Attached pic was taken when i finally arrived home, my father's compound, my final destination. What a journey!

Ikenna.