So when the International Press Centre picked me as one of the journalists to attend their capacity training for political correspondents in respect of the 2019 elections, my joy indeed knew no bounds. Such good news couldn’t be kept to oneself for long; you would have to be selective on who to break it to. I choose to confide with my mum- with mums you could get that warmth and drive to carry on, since she always looks out in your best interest.

My mum was safety inclined. She refused me and said: “Don’t go.” But I was as adamant as Aso Rock. I stood my ground. Her basis was the insurgency. Moving from Jos to Kano was quite risky, she warned. But I was determined. I set out to go and told my boss at work about it. But the roads were bad. So was the warning I got from a senior colleague I could equate to my mother in the newsroom. Nevertheless, I went either ways.

Bad Roads, death traps

The trip to Kano spanned five hours in what would take a natural three and a half hours if the roads were good, and not fewer than 30 minutes by flight. I left Jos by noon and got to Kano 5pm. On my return journey, I was out by 8am and returned to Jos by 2pm. The roads were terrible; right from Jos as it were.

Read Also: Allawee is still #19,800

We journeyed on the Zaria-Saminaka- Kano road. From Jengre in Jos, the roads were narrow with long twisting bends and several mind babbling potholes. Most times, movements were slow so as to avoid overtaking at various bends. One thing that was truly disturbing was the fact that the road was not dualised. So one had to check the bends ahead to avoid an incoming trailer or heavy duty vehicle. Most times, it wasn’t possible due to the uneven nature of the bends.

Away from Jos, through Saminaka in Kaduna, the stretch of road is terrible. Quite worrisome for anybody with child to take the road trip. There is a particular stretch of road in between a little community of red houses where the road was so unmotorable. On getting to Kano, that particular muddy section caught a bus in the middle of the road. Since they couldn’t push it off the road, the owners of the vehicle settled with offloading their goods since they were very close to the point of delivery, to allow the light bus pass the muddy patch.

Our impatient driver, on the other hand, plunged himself deep into the mess. We all had to alight from the minivan for him to push the car through the muddy path. This was after the first bus that broke down was pushed by a group of seven men. In the process, our car broke the front bumper and had a few fender bolts missing.

The road strip from Jengre in Plateau, down to Saminaka in Kaduna weren’t so much fun. The ditches created in their rough patches were so bad. At some point in the trip, we would have to switch from a dual lane to single lanes and save for the ingenuity of the minivan drivers I boarded going and coming, the trip would have had its fair share of accidents as well. It was a death trap.

More Solid Waste

Littered and unattended to is the issue of waste in Saminaka. Some spots in Kaduna had several show of wastes littered by the road side for goats and other animals to feed from. The sight and stench were quite odious.

Wide spread Bribery across States

The trip to Kano from Jos is unarguably #1,700. Before this trip (since I have never been to Kano before), I have been advised to hold between #2,000 to #2,500 in case. Have you ever wondered why the price is #1,700? When it is ideally meant to be #1,500? The answer is simple- it is bribery money. Abubakar, our driver and road tour guide made that known in a little chit-chat by the roadside.

He had divulged to us that there were seven checkpoints between Jos and Kano and he had resolved to giving all soldiers and uniformed men manning the checkpoints #20 each, their usual asking price. I had wondered why he couldn’t stand his ground and defy the soldiers the meagre bribe. Honest Abubakar who was calm to my questions said they left him no choice if he wanted to return back home in time from his trip.

Read Also:Living in fear

“Any junction is twenty, twenty naira. It is for seven junctions. It is compulsory, not just for public transport drivers but for private drivers as well. Failure to obey will result into delay.” This was what Abubakar said which was supported by a fellow passenger on the road trip.

The point of exchange starts from the outskirts of Jos down till Kano, across the three states- Plateau, Kaduna, and Kano and the deep forests therein. One brazen military man in the deep forests of Kaduna stopped two vehicles at the same time, while demanding our driver to offer him change for another driver’s bribe. Most of them are military men in uniforms brandishing guns, who do not really look at the passengers or ask their particulars or the usual travelling questions.

None of them even asked the driver to open his boot for further investigation. It was the money or nothing. Hence the adamant nature of the drivers at the parks to bring the price of transport down. It is met by a strong refusal to negotiate in the first place. The point of exchange is so well orchestrated that the human eye can’t even catch when or where the hands meet. One moment hands has touched hands, the speed reduces to a minimalistic rate and kicks off again smoothly. It is a crime to run them off when they appear at the middle of the road.

Ban on Roadblocks

In a Premium Times Report of June 22, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a ban on all military checkpoints nationwide. This decision by the President was to avoid untold hardship and traffic caused all over the country. In 2016, Commissioner for Police in Osun State, Olafimihan Adeoye reiterated that the ban on Police Checkpoints still remains, while warning erring policemen that flout the order immediate punishment in accordance to the law.

Nevertheless, the Military in July of the same year, 2015 started to make moves in restoring checkpoints across the country. This was following recent clarifications by the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) that President Buhari never ordered dismantling of road blocks.

“Clarifying the need for the checkpoints, the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, confirmed the development saying that the restored checkpoints are merely 'snap checkpoints'.

Speaking further, Usman said, 'The directive was that those checkpoints that were not necessary should be removed forthwith and that was complied with. However, the language is that the Chief of Army Staff should use his discretion to remove all those checkpoints that are not necessary but that those in the North-east and South-south, for obvious security reasons should not be removed.

'The COAS has gone further to direct all the General Commanding Officers (GOCs) and other Commanders to discuss with the respective state governments where they are involved in internal security operations on how to apply this.

'This is because whenever there is serious security threats there can be snap re-establishment of the checkpoints,’ Usman explained. (Pulse NG, July, 2015)

As far as my last trip to Kano, the roadblocks are still existent.

Mosques in Filing Stations

If you have lived all your life in the South, you would most probably have religious and ethnic bias. But trips out of your comfort zone will very likely open your eyes. I saw for the first time; Mosques built in Filing stations. In Jos, what is common are praying grounds close to Filing Stations. Not all Filing Stations allow these, very few are liberal. What was a deal breaker for myself was seeing numerous Filing Stations with Mosques completed in them.

Read Also: Plateau Killings: What truly transpired in Ipan, Barkin Ladi

In fact, Filing Stations that are still under construction, have Mosques also under construction in them. Instead of the usual Mini-marts or restaurants, at the outskirts of Kano, you would see these Filing Stations built inside. Popular Filing Stations with such edifice are Aliko, Rano and JBS Filing Stations. In town, as far as the GRA is concerned, there are no Mosques in Filing Stations but in every five minutes’ drive, you will see a mosque proudly situated across several places in the city.

Fish Market

A predominance of Fish is what floods Kano the most. On the way to Kano, is a popular Fish Market for travellers to relax and buy whatever they want to fill themselves throughout the journey. Most of the traders in that market sell an abundance of fish at a very cheap rate. In my own case, while approaching Kano, I was offered fish for free by a benevolent trader. For him, he wanted to lure me to buy fish by giving me fish.

I wasn’t of course interested, I was more astounded than interested but I obliged him nevertheless. I never bought the fish until I was coming back which was on a weekend. By then, the price of Fish had shot up to a thousand naira per plate. In the end, I was able to get 11 pieces for #1,700. On the way, the most hawked item was fish. Several traders sold them at different points and at Bus parks.

Harvests in Sheaves

Despite the Agricultural trainings we have received from childhood till adulthood, most of them are not being put to good use. Throughout the trip from Jos to Kano and vice versa, all the produce gotten from the farms was stored in sheaves coloured by brown leaves. Speaking with various respondents in the vehicle I travelled, I enquired about the silos and barns and other storage facilities used to store farm produce.

“These people have no idea of these things you are talking about,” a lady in the minivan said to me.  They just farm and keep them in sheaves till harvest is ready. Anybody can come and steal it- herdsmen, thieves and the likes,” she enthused. “They are not educated, besides they lack Government support. Hence, they keep them stored in these heavy sheaves till the next market day.”

Cattle Crossing

Cattle crossing the road was another phenomenon associated with my road trip. These herders rearing cattle decide whenever it is convenient for their cattle to cross the road. On the Zaria road, a particular set of cattle crossed the road with no supposed caution or wave of hand. Our driver who loved speed was wise to pedal his brakes afar off on sighting the cattle.

At that moment, we had to wait for the cattle herders to cross after which we were permitted to commence our journey. In Kano, the cattle herders apportion a portion of the road for cattle to tread upon. In some cases, if you are not careful enough, you might walk in or run into cows yourself in the city. You can term goats and cows as pets in Kano that you can run into on the road.

The race to the city centre

The race to the city centre would last you 45 minutes if not more. Immediately after the Filing Stations with Mosques in it, a twenty minutes extra drive is what is needed to place you in Kano, however the city is so big that you wouldn’t really notice that you are already in it, if you are a first timer like me. Going deeper into the city, you would see boundaries in form gates, which keep opening you up into the city bit by bit.

One moment you pass through a border with gates, like you are entering into the city. It is quite unique as a big town with 44 Local Governments to its name. For me, I was lodged in the GRA section of the city and was told that the city is still big if I dared to go to the interior. The GRA, as I was told by my tour guide was just a tip of the iceberg. I was dared to go into the deeper sections of the city, the market and other parts of the city that speak proud of its existence.

Like Kano, Like Lagos

The dispute between Kano and Lagos is an argument that would last till eternity and possibly beyond. The City is indeed metropolitan and truly advanced. The city is big and grand as well. It boasts of several good developments and infrastructures in it like the Sufi Mart, Film House Cinema and Ado Bayero Mall. The Aminu Kano Hospital is there and Tahir Guest Palace is one of the numerous hotels that abound in the GRA section of the city.

The city is very modern and boasts of several people just as Lagos does across different ethnic groups. It is home to the Nigerian Law School and several Ministries.

Good Roads, High Cost of Transport, More Traffic

For most of the time I spent in the GRA, there was no bump, or pot-hole in the city. It was an entirely smooth sail with traffic lights to direct the flow of movement. The roads were tarred and dualised. With a population of 9.4 million, getting into traffic is inevitable. The major mode of transport is the use of Tricycle- in local parlance (Keke), and they are littered all over the city with only three people at the back. Not the usual four people taken in Jos or further down South.

Transport in the city is quite expensive (maybe because I was a foreigner and first timer, transport tried to tear my pocket), some of this have been partly linked to developed nature of Kano and the commercial hub status, added to this is the large nature of the city. Moving from GRA to the Cinemas is a distance that would last you 25 to 30 minutes hence the price for that distance was #250 while going and almost #400 on my return trip.

The price is not naturally fixed, it is haggled like Jos. This is the disadvantage to Lagos. In Lagos, all prices are fixed other than when the motorist has extortion in mind. In Kano, Like Jos if the money is too much, you have to haggle.

No fixed routes

In Jos, a tricycle or Bus can take you anywhere. However, the tricycle is more flexible than buses while cabs would drive you to your doorstep if you so wish. In Kano, there is an abundance of more cabs and tricycles. The tricycle has a right to refuse carrying you anywhere if your destination doesn’t suit his movement.

This is unlike Lagos, where there are bus parks and buses for every route you have in mind and they dare not say no when you are at the right terminal.

Read Also: Lagos:The theatrics of getting a job on the Island

But in Jos and Kano, anyone can take you anywhere; the only condition is you must be going their way. Or else, you will stand at the bus stop stopping tricycles to no avail. I had to keep flagging down kekes to get me to Ado Bayero Mall until I found an empty one that chose to take me. This was the same thing that happened while I was returning.

Shoprite/ Ado Bayero Mall

On getting to the mall, I had to be searched by the security personnel at the gate. After that, I observed that the mall had several sections: The cinemas, the Ado Bayero Mall, Shoprite and a Gaming centre. Most of the people that frequent the mall were mostly the youths and middle aged seeking some out-of-the-box fun and excitement.

While the selfies were going on and were being posted, the almajiris were there, begging for alms. They were given allowance to move about while the ones that chose to ignore them did. However the ones that felt for them gave. In the space of few hours, they had cleared from the vicinity of the mall to outside, probably in hope of more cheerful givers.

Hausa, Predominant Language spoken

If you are a non-native speaker of Hausa, you better get someone who is fluent to go with you on your trips in and around the city. In Jos, the language can be manipulated with English, pidgin or gestures. But in Kano, it is quite difficult. On getting to the city, I remember myself haggling with my taxi driver to take me to my GRA accommodation. He spoke back to all my responses in Hausa all the time.

I had to gesticulate and read my address from my address book severally to him but to no avail. He understood where I was going perfectly but while trying to make small talk with me, he would speak back in Hausa. Even the other passengers with me in the Cab all conversed in Hausa leaving me as the only English/Pidgin speaker out.

In Kano, while I tried moving about, it took a while before I could flag down a Keke that would understand me in English or vernacular. Sometimes, tourists like me feel it’s a punishment northerners use to coerce visitors to learn their language. At times, it is not always the same thing for everyone; some just don’t understand English at all.

The Rush for Passengers

It is not a Lagos thing for conductors to also drag passengers. In Kano, the process was a risky one. The drivers going interstate have conductors wait several metres before the bus park just to hijack passengers going out of Kano State. One took the risk of jumping into our Keke which could have left him hospitalised or lose his balance.

I don’t think he cared whose ox was gored. He just jumped into the Keke and managed by the left side of the driver so he could take us to the designated driver who was more than happy to move right away since we were complete for the journey.

Abubakar gets home

The moment our driver and tour guide, Abubakar got to Farin Gada in Jos, he was greeted in a warm embrace by a cheerful friend. So joyous to see Abubakar, he had hugged him and shook his head with such fervour and intensity and the celebration began even before we alighted from the cab. It was worth being joyous over.

Written by Joseph Olaoluwa.

Joseph Olaoluwa is an award-winning poet, Journalist, script writer, and Social Media expert. He has a strong passion for arts, especially poetry. He currently writes Features for the Nigerian Standard Newspaper in Jos. He also freelances for the Nation newspapers and is a Pulse Blogger as well. He tweets not too frequently  @theminentmuyiwa.