I HAVE always been a tourism addict. My natural curious nature had taken my family and I to places around the world. And I still hope to see more of the world in the nearest future, God willing.
By road, we had travelled from Lagos to Republic of Benin, to Togo and Ghana, back to Nigeria. Risky adventures that once got our vehicle stuck in the middle of nowhere. Imagine your entire family in a thick bush around 1 a.m with no phone network or internet signals. Help came and we survived it. This is one of my adventures’ stories for another day.
I heard and read about the re-launch of Train Services in Nigeria. Stories abound on how Train used to be fun in those days in the country. I have read and heard stories of stop overs in Jebba, Mokwa, Ilorin and major landmark towns where people buy Wara, Fura and other Northern delicacies. Unfortunately, while growing up, I never had the opportunity of boarding a train in Nigeria. My train experience had always been outside the shores of the country. That I enjoyed such train rides is an understatement, as against the gory tales I always hear about train rides in Nigeria.
After the re-launch of the hitherto moribund train services, my friend, Gbolayemi Ogunseye shared his recent experience with me on his trip by rail to Kaduna from Abuja. I had no immediate reason to go that route but prayed the service would be extended to the Western part of the country so I can have a taste of what it takes to travel by rail in Nigeria. My instinct kept telling me the Nigerian factor won’t make the trip as exciting as the ones I am used to across the shores of the country.
So, when the route from Lagos to Ibadan was opened to the public, I started making inquiries. First observation; there were not enough information about the travel schedules. In fact, the flyers being circulated on social media platforms are not explicit enough. So many questions to ask. For instance, I wanted to know if the train operates on a Sunday. I wanted to know If we could buy tickets online. I wanted to know if there are stops where passengers can embark and disembark within Lagos, outside the main terminal at Alaagomeji in Yaba.
Even those who had travelled this route in recent times had no concrete response for me. Some told me the train only does one trip per day to and from Lagos and some claimed they had started two trips per day.
Not sure of what to believe anymore, I set out to the Train station at Alaagomeji last week Wednesday for inquiries. Unfortunately, traffic was so bad that I got to the station around 6pm; a journey I started around 3pm from Ikeja!!! The station had closed for the day. No one to talk to. Surprisingly, the security guards were the local people suspected to have come from the Northern part of Nigeria, armed with machetes and horsewhips. They didn’t show any sign of understanding the English language, so it was tough extracting any information from them. I guess this was deliberate.
Beautiful edifice from the outside, no doubt, with ample parking space and a wall branded “The China Import and Export Bank”. I peeped through the locked glass doors and managed to check the scrolling train schedules. Now, I was certain they run two trips per day. Sundays? Still not sure.
Spontaneity, as they say, is the best kind of adventure. So, I wanted to be sure if it’s really all pacific on the Pacific Ocean. The following day, Thursday, I was ready to make this train trip to Ibadan, to experience, first hand, how it is to have a rail ride in Nigeria.
Travellers are dreamers who make their desires for adventure a reality. So, I got to the train station an hour before the 4pm take-off time. Here at the counter, no POS, no transfers were allowed. You must pay with cash! Shocking! In this era when government preaches a cashless society? First Class, N,6000; Business Class, N5,000. Standard class, N2,500. I wanted a First Class ticket but it was fully booked, so I settled for the Business Class cabin.
I proceeded to the automated elevator. Now, I started feeling like someone who is actually leaving the country. The ambience, the signages and the orderliness were commendable. At the train entrance were friendly guards who could be described as a step ahead of the security guards I met the previous day. At least, these ones could communicate. One of them even assisted me in buying biscuits and water when I realised such services do not exist on the Train.
WOW! I stepped into comfort. The two in a row seats per isle were befitting. The headroom sufficient, the overhead luggage section was spacious enough. There are plug-ins for your phones and laptops. The AC was in top performance. Ha, a Kitchenette, with microwave oven and fridge! A mini bar-like stand for relaxation? The convenience, sparkling clean? mini-hanging television (no audio though, but can at least see images in action)… In Nigeria? Very impressive.
On the dot of 4pm the train moved. The announcer was truly Nigerian with her accent. I was tempted to laugh at her diction, but what the hell! That’s the way we are.
Did I tell you I spotted the Chinese driver of the train?
The instinct of a reporter took the better part of me and I wanted to explore. I took a walk down to the First Class cabin, just to discover what I would have been missing by not being there. The only difference I noticed was the leg room space. While surveying, I got these suspicious looks from some first class passengers and I had to explain my mission to them as a first timer. Some of them equally admitted that it was their first time too. About four of them now followed me to check the difference between my business class and their first class.
“Wow!”, one of them exclaimed, “what am I doing in First Class? You guys even have a Kitchenette! Can I still change my ticket?” Too late, the train was about to take off.
SLOWLY but smoothly, we journeyed through Agege, Ifo, Arigbajo, Wasinmi and Abeokuta – our first and I think the only stop before my destination, Ibadan. Some passengers alighted in Abeokuta and within five minutes, we were Ibadan-bound.
Coincidentally, I met an acquaintance who marketed the train services further. This trip must have been her 16th to Ibadan by rail. It was from her I got to know they do not operate on Sunday; my planned return date. Meanwhile, it was vague on their variously published schedules. What you get is “weekend rates”. According to her, “Chinese don’t work on Sundays”. She was hopeful that the service would soon be extended to cover Sundays. According to her, the speed of development between April and now is magical. She showed me some terminals that were constructed between that period. It’s worthy of commendation.
We arrived Ibadan in record time. Construction works were heavily on-going. Commerce was opening up. We stepped out into the welcoming arms of Uber drivers, taxis, Marwa (tricycle) and even Okada riders.
MONDAY was my return date. So, I set out early enough to catch the 8am train. Same scenario. Same Business Class booking. Except that, this time around, my curiosity took me to the Standard Class cabin, just to spot the difference. Nothing much other than you have three seats in a row on one side of the isle and two at the other side. If the train were to be fully booked, jolly riders might not really enjoy the crowded seating arrangement.
Took off at exactly 8am and arrived Lagos in record time, 10.30am.
My favourite Chinese proverb says ” When a road is good, you’ll trek it twice.” I am willing to do this again and again. As a matter of fact, I don’t wish to travel to Ibadan by road again.
My only fear? Our maintenance culture in Nigeria. Can we keep up with this standard or even improve on the existing standard? Can we create more embarking and disembarking points where I won’t have to spend almost three hours to get to the train station? Can we make it possible for people to book and pay for their tickets from the comfort of their homes? If we can, this will be a milestone achievement towards the development of our country.
With age comes wisdom. With travel comes understanding. The world is a book and those who do not travel and explore read only a page.
Please join me on this train ride and let’s experience comfort together, and my friend added, while it lasts. Such a pessimist!
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