The appointment in Yola was made about three weeks ago. It was scheduled for Monday, November 9. But for one reason or the other, the delegation could not make it and so it was delayed. The delay and disappointment was not taken lightly by our waiting host in Yola who could not hold back his anger as he lashed out at the delegation. We had to appeal to him to take it easy and that a new date would be communicated to him.
For about two weeks, we tried to sort ourselves out and prepare for the trip. The journey was finally fixed for any day between November 16 and 18. Of course, we knew that this time around, the dates were cast in iron as we could not afford to disappoint any longer. November 16 and 17 came and we could not make it. We knew that the last day for us to redeem our image and live up to expectation was November 18, a Wednesday and there was no going back.
By Tuesday morning, November 17, everything about the journey scheduled for the following day, Wednesday, November 18, was set. We had earlier made our flight reservations the first time the issue came up on November 5. But since we could not make it at that time, we had to liaise with the airline to put our tickets on hold till such a time when we shall be ready for the trip. So all we did on the eve of our departure was to revalidate our tickets. This done, we were set for the trip the following day, which was our last window of opportunity to make the trip.
As we were busy putting heads together and planning for the trip that we were embarking upon the following day, something sinister and scary occurred: Suddenly, a bomb went off in Yola in the evening of Tuesday, November 17. As the news filtered into town, a member of the delegation frantically got in touch with me at about 9pm and drew my attention to the breaking news that was being scrolled by a national television station. Pandemonium set in as one member of the delegation after the other, expressed fears over our proposed trip the following day.
At this juncture, there was an urgent need to calm frayed nerves. Pronto, I placed a call through to my contact in Yola. I told him what we have heard on the television and expressed concern over the insecurity pervading that part of the country. I also told him that in view of the latest bomb blast in Yola, the capital city of Adamawa State, it could be foolhardy or suicidal for anybody to embark on a journey to this troubled zone at this time. To my greatest surprise, my contact merely laughed off my ranting as he restated his earlier assurance that there was no cause for alarm.
Well, that was one of the rules of the airlines which are religiously and rigorously observed by airlines’ officials. Unfortunately, only two airlines – Medview and Azman – ply the Lagos-Abuja-Yola route at an hour’s interval daily. Rather than be dejected, the lady, whom I often refer to as a He-lady because of her energy, enterprise and guts, quickly dashed down to the ticketing counter and bought another ticket from Azman which was going to ply the same route an hour later.
After finally landing in Yola at 12 noon on that Wednesday, November 18, the day after the bomb blast, we had to wait for one hour to enable Morola to join us at the airport before moving to town. Everything was calm in the city as people went about their normal businesses without any betrayal of fear and anxiety whatsoever. Yola is home to people from all over the country. We came across people from Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Imo, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Lagos and Ondo states, to name a few. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that many of them had been in Yola for more than 10 years, engaged in various businesses without any molestation from any quarter in the state. In fact, to them, Adamawa State is home. And not even the deadly exploits of Boko Haram can change that.
We moved round Jimeta, where most of the government offices are located and then Yola proper where the majestic palace of the Lamido of Adamawa is situated. At the turning point in front of the gate to the palace, a police patrol vehicle was conspicuously stationed there, perhaps, to monitor movements. While driving round the town, our host told us that what happened the previous day came as a surprise. According to him, a Boko Haram suicide bomber had suddenly emerged at a crowded evening market and started distributing N500 notes freely to people. This attracted a large crowd as people moved closer to the would-be suicide bomber to share in the unexpected largesse. Just then, the bomber detonated the bomb and blew himself up. In the process, scores of people died along with him while many others sustained various degrees of injuries. That, probably, was a catastrophe made possible by excruciating poverty!
We wanted to go to Mubi but our host dissuaded us by telling us that the road was littered with military checkpoints. What this means is that while Yola, the capital of Adamawa, looks peaceful and quiet, there may still be pockets of violence occasionally instigated by the satanic Boko Haram terrorists in some other parts of the state. On the whole, when you look around in Yola, you find a state in dire need of attention and development. The Boko Haram escapades which have been on for many years now, may have further pauperised the state, nay, the entire northeast geo-political zone of the country. From the looks on the faces of the people, they seem to have had enough from the insecurity that has pervaded the zone and they are now looking forward to better days. In that case, an enabling environment must be created for businesses to thrive and blossom.
To rebuild the North-east and the northern parts of the country in general, the 19 northern state governors and other stakeholders, should, as a matter of urgency, hold an economic summit to fashion out the ways and manner in which their dying economy can be quickly rejuvenated. Besides, the troubled North-east and perhaps, other parts of the country need to look at the issue of community policing and intelligence gathering to be able to fight the current scourge of terrorism and criminality now rampaging everywhere. It is not enough to give the military a marching order to flush out Boko Haram by next month. Even if the military is able to achieve this tall order, how do you curtail the excesses of the renegades who will still be prowling everywhere visiting innocent citizens with death and destruction? That is why we must all be on guard!
NATION
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