From the Shores of Nigeria to the Coasts of Ghana

by David Burbwa (Nigeria)

I didn't expect to find Nigeria

2016 was an exceptional year for me because a few of my school mates and I made a trip the beautiful country of Ghana for an outreach. Teenagers Outreach Ministries (TOM), the leading body that organised the camp is a non-denominational group aimed at ministering to teenagers across Africa. The journey to Achimota, Ghana began on the 22nd day of August, 2016 from Nigeria's capital city of Abuja; where at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport we took a flight to Murtala Mohammed International airport in Lagos. On our arrival in Lagos, a member of TOM picked us and lodged us at her place so as to prepare for our journey the next day. As early as 6:00AM, we had gotten up, prepared and we left for ABU Transport, we our Marco Polo bus had already been booked for our trip to Ghana. We went by road because a flight from Lagos to Ghana was about 60-76 minutes and we would not get the opportunity to see things as they appeared. Hence we were advised to go by road, and oh my it was worth it! By 7:00AM, our trip began. I had always heard about the Lagos traffic jams but had never experienced it, but on that very day I experienced and it wasn't an exciting one. Moving slowly through the traffic, we made our way out of Lagos to Badagry. The drive from Lagos to the Nigeria-Benin Republic border popularly known as Seme border, was anything but good. In addition to the bad roads, there were so many road blocks mounted by various agencies including the police, immigration, customs, NDLEA and even health officers, almost all of which were just exploiting motorists.At the Seme border, our passports were stamped by both Nigerian and Benin immigration authorities. The road that leads from Seme town to Cotounue is a delight. I found this road pleasing in more ways than one. In sharp contrast to what is obtainable on Nigerian roads, on this road, cyclists have their own lanes which run parallel to the main roads. Popularly known as 'okada' in Nigeria, the cyclists do not drag the roads or engage in speeding competition with motorists. And oh, to my pleasant surprise, every single cyclist and all their passengers wear the helmet, something that is practically impossible in Nigeria.The road from Cotounue to the border between Benin Republic and Togo also makes for a good ride. The Benin-Togo border is a lot more organised than the Seme border with proper offices and 'less corrupt' officers, at least that was the impression they gave us. However, at this point, travellers are required to come down from their vehicles and cross the border on foot. In a way, this is a good thing because it gives travellers the opportunity to stretch their legs as well as buy one or two things. At the Benin-Togo border, a number of currencies are legal tenders including Nigerian Naira, American Dollars, Ghana Cedis and the West African CFA franc which is the currency of Togo. Here, to my greatest shock and surprise, the three major Nigerian languages Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo languages were widely spoken in addition to English, French and the local language. The road from Benin-Togo border to Togo-Ghana border was in good shape and also delights motorists. At the Ghana border in Aflao, we got down from the bus with all our luggage and headed into the arrival hall for some searching. At the conclusion of the search, we continued our trip and by 6:00PM, we saw the city gate which indicated we had enter Ghana proper. We continued our journey and 12:00 midnight we got to our destination of Achimota, we rested and by the next day which was the 24th of August, the camp began proper with registration of campers from Ghana and Nigeria. To conclude, it was quite perplexing to find out that even Ghanaians communicated properly in Nigeria's language of Hausa (still shocking). I had so much fun as i learnt a few words from the Ghanaian language of Gaan, I visted accra cultural center, the beach where I was opportune to feel the Atlantic ocean and so much more!