So where did I stop…..
Oh yeah the part when I received the
text from Virgin informing me that as all commercial flights from Nigeria were
to be suspended from 23 April, my return flight to UK has been cancelled. My
reaction was relatively calm as I had only just lost my dad so everything else
kind of paled in significance, nothing seemed that important COVID-19 lock down
included.
The priority was for our families
and friends back home to know we were ok after all it's not if we were
stranded in a war torn country. We assured them at ‘some point’ airspace would
open and we’d both be home. The other priority was for 2 of my siblings, Akeem
and Tawa to return to their respective places of abode immediately, new tickets
were bought and they left before Nigeria’s airspace closed the next day. Then
there were 2…..myself and Ahmed!
That’s how we started counting Lagos
lock down. House was already stocked with food as the services of a caterer had
been engaged to provide food when we first arrived in Nigeria. A variety of
food was delivered, packed in takeaway plastics and stacked in the freezer, a
further order was placed the day before lock down started, we had so much to
eat! Eventually we did work our way through the food packs at which point a
large pot of beans, jollof and stew were cooked and stacked in the now empty
freezer. We also had left over drinks from Dad’s 8th day prayers ceremony, I
drank ‘mineraz’ till I was Fanta’d out, I am now reaping the fruits of my
labour!
No Place Like Home. |
Local Akara & Ogi Joint (True Story!) |
Electricity was relatively stable during lockdown, we put this down to local commercial businesses being shut thereby reducing overhead load. Ikeja Electricity (IE) did quite well and the light barely blinked. (I've been warned to stop referring to electricity suppliers as NEPA as I'm showing my age as that is so yesterday, Naija has moved on, we now have regional suppliers each with their own trade name).
We spent the first few days of
lock down sorting out ‘domestics’ paperwork, sifting through old photographs and
stuff. For me this took the edge off the loss of Dad.
Now the rules of lock down varied
from area to area, no one size fits all approach. Everyone’s story was
different. One person could leave house to buy water and get stooped at a
police check point and upon explanation be allowed to continue on his merry
way.
Another could leave house and their
story would be very different while some people did not even venture out of
their homes at all. A number of folk are of the opinion that application of
lock down rules in Lagos are dependant on what side of the bridge one lives on (‘The Bridge’ divide in Lagos is a blog post for another day).
Our fav Shoprite was one of the
stores with a licence to open during lockdown, social distancing observed with
long queues caused by the spacing. A few fast food restaurants also opened but
with no option to eat-in, only takeaway though delivery service available in
some places. A few local Markets places were open at night as well.
The General Vibe |
Anyways the days rolled by and
waistline was on the increase. That special one, tight knit of friend’s and
family constantly kept one busy with phone calls, video calls, audio notes,
memes and forwards. I listened to a lot of music as well, Afro beats to be
precise…if you know you know. I'm a proud card carrying Marlian!
Those Whatsapp chat groups though…..
oh my days conspiracy theorists, 5G network included, everybody has turned into
an analyst I read all sorts till my eyes watered.
Ahmed on the other hand went the
other way and had a social media detox… he read 7 ‘deep’ books during lock down π€and
kept strictly to phone calls.
There is a slight problem with this
though…when you cut off from social media, how do you know about important
stuff that goes on in the world that may effect you π€π.
E.g. for example, like (tautology, I know)……. drum roll wait for it; What if
the British High Commission happened to ask you to register your interest to
return to U.K.? How would you know if not for Twitter, Gov.UK updatesπ€?
Moving on swiftly one day I receive
an email, ‘Dear Ola thank you for registering your interest in return flights
to the U.K. with the Deputy British High commission in Lagos….blah blah blah
(ati be be lo) We are pleased to announce that we have now arranged flights to
enable short term visitors to return to the UK’…. The first fights will depart
on 18 and 20 April you will be told your flight date and time when/ if your
booking is confirmed.
In the final countdown another email
received COVID -19 REPATRIATION -Repatriation Flight From Lagos to Return To
The UK:
"Dear Ola, please accept this email
as confirmation of your repatriation flight back to the UK……blah blah blah
again. A seat has been reserved for you….Carrier: British airways…
Please find COVID sticker UK
enclosed – this is your “travel permit”. This needs to be displayed on
your car dashboard to secure passage through Lagos State road blocks...."
Oh yeah, for the record repatriation
flights are NOT free (well not this one anyway, though it was subsidized partially by British Government). I'm quite sure that 'aunty' who was rescued
from a tree in the aftermath of a natural disaster in that country many years ago would
not have paid for the service. Pathetic example I know, she was actually rescued
by a helicopter no cause for comparison at all!
We were also relieved and thankful to
find we were social distanced on flight, the plane was not full and we were
‘scattered’ and spaced out except household members who could choose to sit together.
So that's how we ‘gbe bodi’ carried
our load, aka luggage and climbed on plane π³π¬
✈️
π¬π§
Thanks for all the love, kind words
and prayers particularly regarding Dad’s passing.
14 days Self Isolation here we come.
π·
Let's trust God and continue to wash
our hands.
Stay safe.
π
πΎ
Welcome back home
ReplyDeleteStay safe!
ReplyDeleteNice summary sis.
ReplyDeleteNice one. Congratulations all the way for a successful burial/eight day prayer session for your late Dad, lasting through a Nigerian lockdown, safe trip back "home" and an open outlook to a British 14 day isolation. All the best.
ReplyDeleteE kaa bo! Omo oloku, abaja lorun... the popular Yoruba saying. I wish I could tell you what that meant. Good to have you back.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you back! πππ
ReplyDeleteWow my iyaok. Good to know you were finally able to get a flight back. The children must have really missed your presence. Sorry i missed your calls on your way out. God keep us safe even as we try to stay safe. Cash you larer. ..
ReplyDeleteYaaaaah, my Ola is back. Alhaja Riskat, you are welcome back. I am still annoyed with you for not letting me enjoy d akara gari ati epa with you sha! All in all you enjoyed your elongated stay and we bless God for provision, protection, favour and His grace. Gist time shortly....lol
ReplyDeleteThank God! You are back safely. I read this on twitter Olaππ½ππ½ππ½π. I was really jealous of the ogi (pap) and akara (bean cake).. my mouth sure salivated..π. Thank God for journey mercies. Once again, may papa’s soul rest peacefully.
ReplyDeleteWaist line on the increase πππ
ReplyDelete