Notes on Nigeria

In Nigeria I was continually busy and surrounded by welcoming, well-educated people whose company was very easy. It was difficult to understand the culture and way of life of the masses from this vantage point. My first night was spent at the Sheraton where everyone went out of their way to be kind and helpful. I ate delicious salads and desserts and was surrounded by elegantly dressed local women having a night out. Indeed coming from the airport, I noted that the Sheraton was a refuge in a city with a population the size of Colorado. 

Driving from Lagos to Ado Ekiti was just having a small window into the everyday Nigerian’s life. Nigerians, no matter their economic status, present themselves very well. Their dress is African bright colors with men wearing matching pantsuits and women dressed in ornate colorful dresses with turbans or braided hair. Everyone is clean and neat and walks with pride. Most women know how to sew and clothing is made at home. On our way, we passed by beautiful lands with lush fruit bearing trees. This is dry season. Our hosts told us to return in the rainy season when Nigeria is in full bloom glory. Still there were many fruit and vegetable sellers lining the roads with tables of Nigerian apples, tomatoes, avocados, pineapple and papaya. There were also men selling some rodent looking animal stretched whole by wooden sticks and roasted. These strange crucified effigies lined the rural road we drove on.

Driving by the homes and towns you had the feeling that they were sturdy and reasonably comfortable. I could see many many homes in neighborhoods lining red dirt roads. Their roofs were all made of tin and the homes appeared adobe. Only when we slowed down did I notice the open, unfinished windows with crumbling plaster and mud holding up some of the walls. Some homes were made of mud and sticks and most were deteriorating with only fabric for doors. The smell of burning trash was suspiciously absent and I noticed entire lots filled with trash. Stores lined the busy throughway and many had steps that went up 20-30 to arrive at the entrance. Auspiciously white mannequins guarded store entryways. I wondered who is shopping in these shops. There is a mix of traditional versus popular culture in the streets and it is not clearly defined by age. Is it a sign of affluence? This is difficult to know since the most affluent women wear elegant traditional clothing and the most affluent men wear simple traditional pant suits.

Alongside the street women gathered cooking and many other vendors stood in groups alongside the road. When a driver wanted something from a roadside vendor they would roll down the window and yell and point. The vendor then ran alongside the car to complete the transaction including making change. There was no humility. This is just how it is. It seemed a very difficult way to make a living and I wondered how many items could be sold in a day in this manner. What are the economics of roadside vendors such as these? What happens when not all the newspapers are sold? Where is inventory kept? I cannot imagine coming back day after day to run alongside cars and having this be your place in the world. The gap between rich and poor is staggering.

Everyone was very casual with me until I tried to do something like go swimming. I was continually told that if I needed to go somewhere to call. I was never allowed to leave the hotel unaccompanied even on the campus. We were so busy that I hardly noticed. It was only when we were driving back to Lagos and not able to spend the Nigerian money given to us for souvenirs was this topic fully discussed. We were in a busy area with bustling markets but we were not allowed out of the car. All tourism had to be accomplished through the van window. .

The security situation in Nigeria was explained to me. My host and guide told me that since I am obviously a foreigner it is also known that I require a special invitation to come into Nigeria. The person or organization inviting me would be assumed to have a lot of money. This made me a target for kidnapping. Dr. Femi explained that it is cheaper to hire security (an armed guard) than it would be to pay my ransom. So that is how it came to be that I was not allowed to walk anywhere including on campus. In Lagos at the Sheraton hotel I was not allowed to go swimming without an armed guard and lifeguard present. The only times I was alone or on my own was when I was in my hotel room or going to the bathroom.

Luckily my Nigerian hosts provided kind and gracious company. “You are welcome” was the common greeting everywhere I went. And it is meant in a deeper way than most of us could imagine committing to in our busy lives. “You are welcome” is said with commitment and intention.  In receiving this kind of welcome, I made the intention of receiving others who visit with the same openness and willingness. It made an impact and I find I have learned a great deal beyond what I had hoped or imagined. In a country experiencing economic difficulties and civil unrest, I had been made welcome and all efforts were made for me to KNOW the hope and potential living within Nigeria.

The world can be a difficult place. It is not hopeless unless one loses hope. For the betterment of ourselves, our country and the world we must not ever lose hope. Hope is needed by all to continue. My hope that Nigeria will overcome and rise in both economic and human development is synonymous with my belief that this will happen.