Mubi, Adamawa
Coming down from the plane gave me goosebumps. It felt as though I had just landed on the soil that belonged to the end of the world. The air was gloomy, the land was dry and I could already perceive loneliness around me.
I took long steps into the arrival unit where I was received and welcomed into Adamawa State. You won’t believe we took our luggage manually. I was completely awed. A drive around Yola I must say was wearisome. The atmosphere was pale and the streets were characterless. There I sat, at the back of a custom’s vehicle with my mouth bent in disappointment and my mind filled with pessimistic thoughts that I may go back to Lagos with nothing to show for my visit to the acclaimed Highest Peak of The Nation.
As we drove at 120km/hr. And even faster, I began to look both left and right at a swift pace hoping to see something enticing enough to make me feel alive. Voila! Rocks and Mountains resting in the open land like stones. They took different shapes and unique sizes and all I could see was beauty and all I could hope for was development. The open space looked quite like the desert in Dubai where people paid tons of Emirates dirham to take a ride around and there our own was, only making the news for various Boko Haram insurgencies.
My heart broke into pieces again and again when we drove further and noticed the only consistent thing in the community were campaign banners carrying visionless faces prying for a comeback. It made me wonder how this so-called government could come this far to drop a campaign banner but couldn’t have the dignity to drop a school building or other basic facilities required for community survival.
Talking about the people of Mubi in Adamawa state, they are very special people indeed. Those who, like any other Nigerian citizen, have been robbed of their birthrights. Running with naked feet and waving at their tormentors in hopes of making thousands. It was disheartening to see young ones in pursuit of broomsticks, because if that could feed their momentary hunger at that time, they were willing to give it all. The men were transformed into clowns and masquerades, parading the city and dancing to barbaric drums. If it weren’t for poverty, maybe they too would contest. It hurts me to see young strength and talent being bought as slaves by greedy men. Emotionally forced to trade their fundamental rights for a bag of rice and perhaps a few hundreds or thousands.
The residents are well known for their special farming skills and hard work. In fact, I met a man who fetched 10 gallons of water from the mountains and demanded N250 only. I was confounded. I couldn't bring myself to pay him such a paltry amount; my conscience wouldn't allow it.
We instead gave him a thousand Naira for his selflessness and humanity. It was pleasant to meet people who didn’t care about Instagram likes or unhealthy and baseless competition. Although I had thought about the possibility of most of them using smart phones with the internet. They too can unleash boundless opportunities.
Third day in the community, I decided to visit Gella community. It is so large that it could be almost the same size as Lagos. It is so large yet so vague. When I stared at the open space, I wondered what the space could become development could occur. Then I thought - What if the largest stadium in Africa could dwell in this space? What if thousands of people from all over the world bought tickets to Nigeria to watch the Olympics or the World Cup? You can’t even imagine the tons of money that will contribute to our National Treasury. Could that be possible? Can Nigeria be a state where several foreigners will queue in front of our embassies? If that were to happen then maybe our green coloured passport will receive even
a tiny bit of respect.
I took wider steps aiming to the top of the mounting. Though the floor was slippery, I couldn’t help but think of the pain the villagers must have gone through while fleeing the merciless shadow of Boko Haram. As I closed my eyes atop the mountain, a vision appeared before me. I saw school buses, joyful children playing, professionals in suits on their way to work, towering skyscrapers, police safeguarding the city, and trains gracefully moving along their tracks. It was a picturesque scene, but I knew it was just a comforting fantasy to endure the current reality.
As I opened my eyes, the view was far from idyllic; a passer-by snake slithered by. Merely imagining a better future wouldn't bring about any change. I understood that real action was necessary. Despite the uncertain aura, I held unwavering faith in the potential of a new Nigeria. It's through genuine effort that we can turn this dream into a reality.
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