I made the mistake of taking a picture of a group of men in the back of a pick up truck and in return I received several violent gestures and raised voices. This was a bad mistake and I feel extremely ashamed for having insulted the truckload of workers. Even more so since Asimyu, the ambassador’s driver, had to drive fast in order to get away from the truck because the gestures were getting more and more threatening. Lesson learned; don’t piss off a truckload of Nigerians.

Despite my ambitious attempts, I was unable to capture any good shots of the National Assembly or any of the other federal institutions. I was fortunate enough to be driven through the restricted compounds and presidential residence since we had diplomatic access, I was not going to be greedy.

A two mile road with checkpoints every half mile led up to the National Assembly. I remember feeling as if though I was doing something I was not allowed to do since technically I was not allowed to even be there. I unconsciously took off my baseball cap and held my breath at every check point. The military police would look at me intensely, wondering why I was not wearing a suit or uniform. I felt myself anticipate a barrage of words followed by hand motions ushering us to go the other way. Fortunately that was not the case and we were allowed to access pretty much everything except for the presidential palace which was placed strategically to have Aso Rock behind it. The backdrop created a magnificent setting obviously intended to create a sense of awe and patriotism.

Aso rock, one of the largest rocks in the world, overlooks the capital and presidential palace. It is a key landmark because it can be seen from any point in the city. In order to climb Aso rock, you need the blessings of the priests who guard it. Unfortunately, I was in the country during the Presidential elections, which meant that no one was to go up to Aso.

There seems to be a lot of ambitious hope and expectations for this city. At one point we drove by a housing complex with rows upon rows of town houses. They were obviously created for middle class Nigerians. Unfortunately it seems that they anticipated a middle class to grow quickly and accommodate one before it had even been formed. These rows upon rows of houses were empty, the Nigerians could not afford them, therefore the workers that worked on these houses ended up squatting in them with no running water or electricity.

Osuman dam, the damn that we visited, also met with high expectations from the citizens of Abuja. When fully functional, it is expected to solve all of Abuja's water issues which is by no means a small problem. The water in the reservoir seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Hilltops became islands and the reservoir a popular fishing spot amongst the local villagers.

There was a calm sense about the area, away from the bustle of a third world capitol. Local villagers were fishing in the reservoir, we took turns sizing each other up. Directly on the other side of the dam wall, less than fifteen feet away was raw, red earth. Walking down the road which ran adjacent to the untouched area, were two village women walking to the market place with firewood on their heads. Asimyu explained that they were local villagers who walk miles to find fire wood to sell and to also keep warm at night. It was obvious to me that the rapid push for modernization was leaving a trail of poverty in this country. This realization became more acute before the day was out.

Labels: Africa, Destinatons, Nigeria