This story is akin to the experience of the biblical Jonah who was swallowed by a huge fish on the divine order of God for refusing to go to Nineveh to preach repentance to the sinful community. He was fortunate to live to tell the story!
Follow me the speed of a train, please. While the nation was marking this year’s Democracy Day penultimate Monday, I headed for Kaduna from my Abuja base.
Kaduna is just two hours away by road. From what I had been reading in the papers, the Abuja-Kaduna expressway has received a facelift following the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport that lasted for six weeks, necessitating the use of the Kaduna International Airport as a transit for those coming to Abuja.
That the sprawling abattoir as well as a harvest haven for kidnappers and highway robbers that the expressway was once notorious for had received a turnaround was not in doubt. The federal government truly ensured that the road was as much as possible rid of death traps such as potholes and trenches before the closure of the Abuja Airport.
Security was also beefed up. Apart from the tragic incident that claimed the life of one of the aides of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state the very week the Abuja Airport was shut down, no notable accidents leading to loss of lives were recorded during the period. Shettima’s convoy which was heading for Abuja from the Kaduna Airport was interrupted by a driver making U-turn on the highway, crossing the path of the Hilux van conveying the aide. A fatal crash ensued that claimed the life of the young man.
The federal government was generous enough to make luxury buses available at the Abuja Airport free of charge for those going to Kaduna to catch their flights. The newly commissioned Abuja-Kaduna rail services were also handy for the big guns who had kidnap value and did not believe they could escape being seized, in view of the daring nature of the criminal elements.
With the reopening of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, something told me the security arrangement along the expressway would not be as solid as before. Even though I do not have any kidnap value, I chose to act on the side of caution and enlisted to make the trip to Kaduna by rail. Besides, I wanted to savour the joy of the efforts I made to see to the actualisation of the rail project.
What efforts? I will tell you. About two or so years after the mass transit project was flagged off by the late president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the federal government was bitten by the bug of abandoned projects after funneling only $146m into it.
According to the special assistant to the general manager of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the firm handling the project, Mr. Leo Yin, the amount so far released as at 2010 represented 20 per cent of the total cost of the project which was expected to be commissioned in 2013. Knowing the benefits and safety of rail transportation, I panicked. I had looked forward to the completion of the project because I loved travelling by rail as a kid. I still do. So, I caused an editorial to be written when I was an external member of the LEADERSHIP editorial board entitled: “Fund the Abuja Rail Project” dated September 27, 2010. I was extremely happy that six years after, the project was completed and commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.
And so on May 29, 2017, when Nigeria was marking the Democracy Day, I was ensconced at the Kubwa Railway Station departure hall, waiting to have a feel of the rail transportation after over 20 years.
I was at the station early enough to book for a First Class seat. When I asked for the fare, the ticket man shocked the daylight out of me when he said: N1,500. I asked him to come again. He looked at me curiously as if I was a hard hearer.
He was polite enough to repeat the fare. Then, I asked almost aloud: “What kind of first class will this be?”
In those days, first class compartments were fully air-conditioned and had facilities for bed and exclusive toilet. I was asked to write my name on a sheet of paper, subject to confirmation of space from Idu Station which is the point of departure from the Abuja end.
The train slowly eased its way into the Kubwa Station at about 1.25 pm. You could feel its presence, the vibration and the trumpet that accompanied its arrival. Passengers scrambled to their feet and made for the departure door. I hurried to the ticket man to ask about the first class seat. He told me all the seats had been occupied from Idu. I was not surprised. Who would not be able to afford the fare? Even an eleemosynary would!
I hurriedly paid the second class fare which is one thousand, and fifty naira only. I wheeled my luggage along to join the queue, waiting to file into the belly of the (steel) anaconda with my eyes wide open! I could not believe my eyes when I settled into my seat… wondering if I was in an aircraft! By 1.40pm, the anaconda slithered out of the station to begin a 2-hour journey that covers a distance of 77 kilometres.
It was a refreshing experience. So much comfort as the anaconda snaked along with a steady speed. No dodging of potholes, no dangerous overtaking and no sweat was broken in the air-conditioned second class coach even as passengers rocked their heads to the rhythm of the rail like lizards lazing away under the shade of a mango tree.
The only thing that set the rail trip and air travel apart was the speed. We were moving at 40 kilometres per hour. I was reliably informed that when new engines arrive to power the train, the time would be cut down to about 90 minutes from the 120 minutes delivered by the solitary “tokunbo” presently in use. Throughout the trip, I kept glancing sideways like a lawn tennis spectator, admiring the scenery along the way. I watched cattle grazing on the fields and farmers busy on their farms.
My return trip was not different except that I went to Kaduna a Second Class citizen and returned as a First Class citizen!
The seats in the First Class compartments have arms and there are corners reserved for those who need refreshments. There is also a flat plywood sheet in front of each seat to serve different purposes like writing, typing on your laptop or keeping your drinks and snacks. Unlike in the aircraft, the snacks and drinks are paid for.
Alighting from the belly of the anaconda was like stepping out of the comfort of my sitting room, feeling fresh and stress free. So, when next you have a trip to Kaduna, just try and catch the train. You would be glad you did!
