A YEAR IN A WEEK: MY KOPA* DIARY (SERIES II)
MONDAY - The Journey
“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or look ahead.” – Graham Greene
I remember still working as a casual worker, in A&P Foods Ltd, when the clarion call sounded. I recall how proud I was to answer the call. It is a privilege call that adds a feather to a child’s cap as well as makes one’s parent(s) proud. It is every child’s dream to bathe in the euphoria of the National Youth Service and every parent wishes to see their child in its khaki uniform.
With the necessary preparation done, I hit the road to Enugu on Thursday, 20 May 2021, in a commercial transit. That was my first time travelling beyond Southwestern Nigeria’s border. I lived most of my life, until then, in Ibadan. I had my primary, secondary and tertiary education in Ìbàdàn. I scarcely enjoy or embark on an adventure beyond Ìbàdàn.
However, incessant strike actions, during my undergraduate studies in Ìbàdàn, allowed me some occasional visits to Lagos. I might as well pass for an “Ìbàdàn boy” as some would refer me. Though, I was born in my native town, in Osun State. The point is I’m not the adventurer type but grown-up activities like NYSC* got me started on one.
The commercial transit I took to Enugu exposed me to some of Nigeria’s situations I never thought would be that bad. Of course, that was not the first time I was travelling by the road but it was like riding through hell this time. Although the trip was my first long-distance journey, it was not to blame for the discomfort that accompanied us down to Anambra, from Ìbàdàn.
Until Anambra where some of the vehicle freight was offloaded, the passengers and I were sandwiched in the transit bus. We sat in fours from the seat row behind the driver to the last row next to the vehicle boot. The boot and underneath the rear seat were stuffed with the passengers’ luggage. Next to every seat row, specifically, those close to the slideable door were cargos of non-passengers.
The cargos were so mounted upon another that the ventilation was blocked. Our complaints about the blocked vent, before we took off, were dismissed with the opinion that there would be air once we set off. It was no better after we took off, as early as about 8 am. We could barely breathe with unpleasant odour contaminating the little air we had. We had to stop at every State’s entrance to stretch and avail some fresh air.
Regardless of the inconvenience and our lateness to our destination, I’m grateful we had no hiccups on the way. It was a hitch-free journey. During the trip, the known "Ìbàdàn boy" is privileged to say he has "been to Benin, Asaba/Delta, Anambra/Onitsha and Enugu” [smiles].
I also saw the widely sung Niger River, which extends over 2500 miles (about 4000 km) across five Western African countries. The longest River in Nigeria, and 3rd in Africa, we used to recite along with “some [other] rivers in Africa,” as a Nursery rhyme. I will say its sight is beautiful scenery.
*Kopa - is a Nigerian-English term commonly used in referring to a Nigerian corps member.
*NYSC - acronym for National Youth Service Corps, which is a year of compulsory service rendered in patriotism by Nigerian graduates.
