SEARCH & RESCUE - ROAD TRIP

 After relocating to Lagos Nigeria, we became a master of all trades, buying and selling anything to make money so we could slowly build our empire !

One of my first tasks was to locate 2 x 20ft Containers that had gone missing after leaving Kaduna for Lagos. I got a Telex informing me that I should go via Jeep to see if I could find the lost containers. Please note that approx 38 years ago companies did most of their work via telex and if you needed to make a call you would have to book a call at the Nitel office .So after receiving the telex from the my father who was in the Uk informing me that I need to locate the lost containers. 

We left Tuesday Morning, me wearing a pair of white shorts and white t-shirt, and Five Thousand Naira Cash with me, I had no idea what to expect on the road as everyone kept telling me I was FRESH MEAT!! The only things I took with me were a 2 Pillows, Bedsheet & a Duvet as I planned to sleep in the back of the G Wagon. I did not have any escorts with me as you did not really need this 38years ago, roads were good and it was pretty safe to move around. About 9pm on the first night we get stopped at a checkpoint and the police thought I was a illegal Immigrant because they saw me sleeping in the back of the Jeep, after explaining to them and showing them my passport and many arguments they let us go.. That night both George and I slept in the Jeep parked in a filling station as we thought it was the safest place to sleep for the night. Wednesday Morning we started our adventure to look for the 2 x 20ft containers that were missing, the only information I had was the Container Numbers and the colour of the containers, so every time we passed a truck that had broken down we would stop and check the container numbers. We finally found the containers Just passed Jebba Dam at 11.30PM Wednesday Night. The only thing I had eaten since leaving Lagos was 4 x Boiled Eggs, 1 x Loaf of Bread and 15 bottles of SWAN Water. 

At 11.45pm on Wednesday we found a British Construction Company called Bi Water can’t remember the full name, The British Expat was not to happy to be woken up close to midnight asking for help. He basically told me to Fuck Off and comeback in the morning, by 8am which I did, another night of sleeping in the jeep wearing the same clothes and not being able to have a bath for now 2days.. 

Thursday Morning I was waiting at his office by 7.45am and he was not a happy person when he saw me again, after apologising to him one million times he agreed to rent me a crane to transfer  the 2 x 20ft containers. Now was the hardest part to find a decent trailer that could carry these containers all the way to lagos without breaking down, this took me close to 7 hours of driving round and trying to negotiate the costs with the bare minimum as I was running out of cash due to having to pay for the crane, fuel for the Jeep and other expenses on the way. We finally transferred the containers to rented trailer around 10pm that night. All this time my driver George was complaining that he is missing his wife and wants to go back to Lagos. 

I had not been in touch with my mother or father since leaving Lagos to look for the containers, when I finally called them from the Nitel Office on Friday Morning my father told me that my mother had threatened to cut his balls of for sending me on this Journey and he was so happy to hear my voice and also that mum would not cut his balls off! 

The only way I could make sure that the containers arrived safely in Lagos was to Join the truck and head to lagos. Since my driver was crying and complaining about missing his wife, I told him to head to lagos and i would see him when i arrived. We arrived in Lagos Saturday afternoon, another night of sleeping this time in a truck. I had been desperate to have a crap and ended up having to go into the bush and because I did not have any toilet paper, i ended up using my t-shirt. After reaching lagos and dropping the containers off to the client who had purchased them. I took an Okoda Home, but before I went home I called my parents from Nitel to inform them I am safe and back in Lagos. 

It took me 2 hours to wash off all the dirt from my body, I was exhausted, but the best part was I had succeeded in finding the containers and bring them to Lagos on my own, not knowing the country at all and not having proper communication and also only being in Nigeria for approximately 10days 

This is one experience I will never forget and it was big eye opener as to how intense and amazing Nigeria is 

SUNSHINE RAYS .. XOXO