There was a time in my life when I experienced a journey that felt like I wasn't getting to my destination. It was supposed to be a journey of just one day, covering about 722 kilometers that should have taken between nine to ten hours. Instead, it turned into a journey of three full days. This happened when my entire family were relocating from Maiduguri in Borno State to Akwanga in Nasarawa State back in December 2010, during the time when Boko Haram started terrorism in Maiduguri. We set for Nasarawa State on 10th of December, hoping to reach our destination the next day but the challenges we met on the way make us spend three days.
Not long after leaving Maiduguri, we entered Adamawa State, and our driver told us he wanted to divert from the main road to a nearby village to pick up some goods he needed to deliver in Jos Plateau State. That was not part of the agreement, but we had no choice. He turned off the main road and took us into the interior of a village that was far away, almost like moving south when our journey was supposed to head west. It took us about three hours to get there, only for us to find out that the goods were not even ready. We had to wait for some hours again while they loaded up the truck before we continue the journey.
By the time we were getting close to the border of the next state, soldiers stopped us. They said it was too late and unsafe to enter into the city now because of security reasons. We had no option but to sleep by the roadside at the entrance gate until the next morning before we were allowed to continue.
At one point, both back tires of the truck got damaged because of the heat on the road. Unfortunately for us, it happened in the middle of the bush, where there was no mechanic or vulcanizer nearby. We had to wait until another vehicle passed by and the driver pleaded with them to help take the tires to repair. That delay took us about four to five hours. Finally it was fixed.
As we continued the journey, we came across an accident. The vehicles involved in the accident had blocked the road completely, so nobody could pass. Drivers had to create another narrow pathway for cars going and coming. The traffic held us down for a long while before we managed to get through.
Later at night, at around 10 or 11 pm, we met another long line of vehicles waiting. News came to us that armed robbers were operating ahead. Everyone had to stop and wait. For hours, we sat there there with fear in us and other vehicles around until vehicles coming from the other side passed and told us that securities were already at the scene. It was after they told us that the road is clear that we began to move forward again until the next day.
That wasn't the end of the trouble. We reached a point where it is written the highest peak in Nigeria. While climbing the high peak around Jos Plateau, the vehicle slowed down to the pace of a bicycle. The heavy load made the truck crawl like a snail. I asked the driver way the vehicle was moving at such a speed and he explained that if he drove faster, the truck could lose balance and fall off the steep slope. Slowly, we climbed until we finally got into Jos town, but even there, we had to waste more time unloading the goods he had picked up from that village earlier.
At last, on the evening of the third day, we finally arrived at our destination in Akwanga. What was meant to be a one day journey turned into a long, exhausting, and unforgettable three day journey. It was an experience I can't forget.