Zaria Memoirs and some lessons Learnt

by Ekene May (Nigeria)

Making a local connection Nigeria

I left for Zaria on Monday morning, at about 10:30am, because a bout of fever had delayed my plans of travelling at 5am. I got to Zaria at say past 2pm, went straight to Senate and started the transcript process. Surprisingly, I got my certificate almost immediately, paid for the transcript and left, to continue the following day, it was already past 4pm, closing time. I learnt that being at the Senate of my school wasn’t such a task after all, I just needed to smile more, which wasn’t one of my best features or characteristics as an undergraduate. At about 7pm, I had dinner and at 8pm, it was prayer time, we all moved to the living room. Worship I think was led by Nyene or her friend Sandra, I’m not sure now and I also remember now that, Nyene came in with her beau Peter and he had proposed to her on same day, which was also his birthday. Phew! A lot did happen that day, didn’t it? The birthday, my trip, the warmth, the proposal, which made me all shades of ecstatic. I learnt that asking for a girl’s hand in marriage even if you knew you were going to marry her and already hand your plans, asking still, was just the proper thing to do. Prayer was simple, worship, calm bible reading, quiet time, which is a pause between bible reading and the last prayer for the night, and the Lord’s prayer. After which, we resume whatever movie we were watching or got to bed, which was the former most times, resume the movies and watch right into the middle of the night and retire at say 11pm or 12 or 1am. I learnt and enjoyed the serenity and calm of a quiet time, no talking, no noise, just some moments of peace and silence, with people around, but still some minutes of peace and it was amazing. That day, I went off to wash up and did I spend the whole day there? I did! Wow! I was worried for myself, but it was a good way to start. I got better the next day, I showed the plates who was boss. After washing up and helping Maa make breakfast, I would then join Daddy in the parlor, which my friend calls pa-lo, and then watch Kaakaaki, the pressroom segment, analyze issues with him, or complain sometimes. I eventually got a nickname for that action, The-Son-He-never-Had. I learnt that most Dads, were very lonely and needed company, even if to just bicker about politics and nothing more, they needed someone to do that with. After breakfast and the news, I’d have an early nap, wake after an hour or two later and leave for my department. I had no idea how to find my way to the highway or where to board a bus to the main campus or the shortcuts my friend took when we were in school, still I set out, with a ‘goodbye’, ‘see you later’ and ‘you look good’ from Adejoh(my friend’s cousin) and Sandra. I walked with Romeo(Nyene’s dog), until I got to a roundabout that would eventually lead me to the highway, using Google map as well. Romeo saw me off, distracted other dogs in the neighborhood, that would have actually scared me, but with him, it felt as if he was telling them, ‘Guys, she’s with me’. I learned that Dogs where indeed faithful and very good company and I could not wait to have one. On one of the IrokoTV movie nights with Daddy, we watched a movie that cast Chioma Chukwuka as a keke-Napep rider, Ken Erics as a very rich lad and Chioma’s boyfriend, as the broke one, but she loved him still. It baffled Daddy and so he asked ‘why do ladies choose to be with men who they know cannot take good care of the, over men who can, all in the name of love’? I told him it was more than just love. I would later learn from Nyene, that it is suicidal to ever let daddy speak to the men we want to marry.