Travelers

Trip

Trip

It was 10AM when we left the park headed for Abakaliki allegedly. The driver made a stop at Gwagwalada to fill his tank and another stop at Zuba to pick two female passengers along the way.

It was at Lokoja we made our next stop. I bought bottled water from the restaurant, withdrew some cash and fought the temptations of suya and kilichi vendors. We drove through the part of Lokoja I had never seen, the Secretariat, three star hotels, malls, supermarkets, LG.

We arrived at Itakpe next where one of the passengers started a conversation about CNG, how he had converted to CNG, how he had convinced his friends to convert, how he had converted for his wife, how he had bought the original from Germany and shunned the Chinese fake, how he had fixed CNG for customers, ran awareness, got to know the stations that sold quality and non quality, adulterated and unadulterated, how the CNG stations operate by virtue of licensing, how the licensing was denied to a oil mogul resultant of her enemity with the head of the government, how it reduced cost, how the promotion was inadequate the whole idea of the CNG had been stolen from a commoner's website, and how the commoner had been sidelined by the government.

"Does it work for Sienna?", one of the passengers asked.

"Yes it works for Sienna, one woman that carries her children to school from Dede to town that is what she's using she was complaining that the rate at which she transport her children to school is exorbitant so I converted her's to CNG", he repled.

"Let me get your number", he asked.

."08084546820.""

"What should I save it as?"

"Chidi."

"Am Joy."

"Am Ikemefuna.,"

"Chidi."

"Call your number", another passenger said.

The first passenger handed the passenger her mobile phone and he asked the passenger seated by his side to dictate it to him. Another of the passengers who happened to be seated close to him lauded him.

"Call your number."

"08084546820."

"You speak very well about this CNG."

"Thank you it's all I know."

"Maybe I can recommend you to someone."

"All this things they have their setbacks."

"You just need somebody."

"I was in contact with someone at the top but it's fell through but I have been trying to reach the Commissioner in my state am from Enugu State, there was one Yoruba boy that Tinubu's son took to NIPCO and he gave them his proposal and he got a contract."

"Tribalism, Nepotism, Religious bias that's the issue."

"It's what all this Dangote Trucks are using even some Uber drivers."

"Uber drivers?

"Uber drivers that are using it are gaining it, the one's that are not using it are losing that is why you want to go from here to airport road, they would give you exorbitant price and you would think they are being crafty not knowing you are paying for their fuel, and after paying for fuel they would have nothing to take home."

"Ehn Ehn."

"Even Keke they have converted."

"Keke?"

"Yes na."

"They are making it o."

"The fuel is on the high side, you want to go to the airport, you are spending exorbitantly."

"Now there is no more struggle in the house", one of the passengers added.

"Struggle I said I didn't say fight", the passengers added merrily.

"Now I can give my wife my car and she can use as much as she want", Chidi added

"No issue", Ikemefuna added.

"The CNG vehicles don't catch fire, it's petrol cars that catch fire", Chidi added.

"Hmm mmm", Joy added.

"The CNG vehicles that catch fire are the one's that have substandard cylinder."

"Cylinder."

"Yes, cylinder."

"The CNG is an harmless gas cylinder that is placed in a car."

"Is it like cooking gas?"

"Yes it's like cooking gas, but it burns slowly and it's very harmless."

"How do you install it?"

"You pay people to install it, I install it, I installed my wife's own."

"How do you fill it?"

"You take it to any CNG station and they will fill it for you."

"Where are the stations?"

"They are many around Abuja."

"Ok."

"I would think about it."

"It's good I you should."

"Me that I was telling myself that I won't convert to CNG, I converted."

"Ehen."

"Even my friends that were saying they wouldn't convert."

"Ehen."

"The accident that occured that they said it was CNG it was the standard they got."

"It was substandard."

"Yes substandard, the one government is buying and giving out is China."

"But China has original, but we are the one's that would go and tell them to fake it."

"Yes na so people can buy again."

We arrived at Ajaokuta next and I got to see the home of steel mining. Our next destination was Achike Enugu, the driver filled his tank halfway and it was then I knew he had done the same thing at Gwagwalada.

We arrived at Nsukka next and for the first time in my life I saw the main gate of the University of Nigeria and I peeped through the buildings which I had entered through my imagination in Chimamanda Adichie's literature.

We arrived at Enugu next there I was wowed by the infrastructure, I peeped through the buildings at the Secretariat, but the Bank of Industry building was the highlight of it all, the road, the streetlights, the bus stops, the billboards.

At Peace Mass Transit Park, Enugu, we were transported to Abakaliki. Along the road I got to see the Main Gate of the newly constructed Alex Ekwueme University and the uncompleted buildings.

At Abakaliki, I along with another passenger who was headed for her village. He attempted to board a vehicle at a park to Afikpo only to be informed that they had closed for the day so we boarded a tricycle to Central Park.

We had failed negotiate contemplated sleeping over, other PCMs surfaced stranded ready to compromise not until a mediator intervened we boarded a bus to Afikpo. Upon arrival, we rejoiced with so much joy.