Wari and Port harcourt

07.08.2010




This is a land of contrasts.



We landed in Wari (pronounced like “don’t worry”) with quite a ceremony. Outside the plane on the runway two groups of brightly attired ladies were dancing. The one group wore bright yellow patterned wrap skirts with white blouses and gold head cloths and the other had on purple wraps, red blouses. A lively band accompanied them and a whole crowd dressed to kill was waiting on the fringe of the runway in front of the airport building. This colourful scene plus the green landscape around us dotted with hundreds of palm trees gave a festive relaxed feeling on our arrival to the troublesome and often dangerous area.



As soon as the plane stopped some in the crowd started running towards the plane. Airport security personnel tried to stop them but as I watched a formidable lady just pushed them aside and marched on towards the steps to the plane. Fortunately they managed to halt some of the crowd and by the time we have descended from the plane the way was open to walk pass this spectacle, because by then the object of their attention was in their midst and backs were turned towards us. It turned out to be the home coming of a chief who was elected as some or other president in Abuja.

Our host, who was travelling with us, directed us quietly to the one side of the room in which the baggage arrived, informing us that we will wait until the crowd has dispersed, explaining nervously that anything could spark violence in a crowd like this. And sure enough on our departure in front of the airport building we saw the armed soldiers on the ready if something should happen. Even our driver came to meet us with an armed guard in tow.

We were in Wari by invitation of the Nigerian Institute of Welders. The occasion was the opening of their new training premises and seeing off a bunch of about thirty young trainees leaving for South Africa in the next couple of days. They have been given practical training in Nigeria by South African instructors and now these chosen thirty were going to do their theoretical training in South Africa. They will become the future instructors to train welders in Nigeria whose main tasks will be to service the oil pipes. The pride and excitement amongst the guys were infectious and one can just envision how it is going to change their own lives coming from an area where poverty and lack of jobs were high.

Later that afternoon we flew to Port Harcourt. As our planned pickup arrangement was stuck in traffic, Muizz, Nick’s sidekick who was travelling with us and who made all the travelling and staying arrangements, ordered a taxi. A rattletrap Mercedes arrived, just to be rejected by Muizz. The second taxi looked a bit better until we were all piled into it. It battled to start, made a big screech, went backwards in stead of forwards before we got going at last. In the traffic it threatened to overheat and the aircon had to be switched off. We made it to the hotel but not before all of us visualized ourselves standing next to the road in the rain.

Our next transport that evening was the complete opposite. We were to have dinner at another hotel with a friend of our host. Outside the hotel arrived to pick us up, a military double cab. Beside the driver an armed military man was seated and in the open bakkie behind us, were four more armed militaries. We were careering through the Port Harcourt streets in true African style. At the President hotel we were introduced to the friend of our host: the colonel and in charge of all the military in the area, which explained our mode of transport.

The evening turned out to be fascinating. They were all Hausas at the table with the exception of Muizz. The three main ethnic groups in Nigeria is Hausa (predominantly Muslems), Joruba and Igbo (mainly Christians). There are more minority groups as well. To hear the complexities of their society from a military commander, who have to instill order between them was most interesting. For centauries these groups have often been in conflict. The Biafra war, for example, was ignited because the Igbos wanted to establish their own country as they felt threatened by the other groups. The Jorubas and Hausas in turn saw them as power hungry who owned most of the property. The Hausa is spread over six countries from Nigeria to Sudan, and the Igbo’s in the Delta and River estates are regarded as Cameroons by that country. Then how on earth are they going to have a free and fair election next year?



The fear and expectation of conflict is high.