my Lucky Car

[sdanyaro]

Assalamu alaikum;



my Lucky Car

I just glanced at the dashboard clock and it is about 7:45 PM. I breath a sigh of relief when I start to see on the far left, an ambient light of BUK New Campus rising from the darkness of the night. This signifies to me that I have now entered Kano mai mata mai mota in my mota, my Lucky Car from the Western side of the city. As I drive further east, past Jan Bulo & Bakin Bulo towards the BUK Old Campus, I am greeted with the Light and Sounds ? the Light and Sounds of all kinds and assorted types of Electric Generators and of course no NEPA. In Nigeria, if you want Electricity, you have to generate it yourself.

Alhamdulillah ? Allah nagode maka da ka sa wannan motar ta kawoni gida lafiya. To understand why I am so glad and relief to make a grand entry to Kano at a speed of 40 to 50 mph, in my Lucky Car ? a 1989 Honda Accord LXi with over 220,000 miles under her belt, you have to hear what we went through today.

It all started when at about 2:00 PM, we got on the road from Gusau, Zamfara state to Kano, a road trip we usually conclude in about 3 hours or less, with a plan to proceed to Dutse, Jigawa state later in the evening. Driving East from Gusau along Gusau Funtua Road, I made a quick stop just on the outskirt of Gusau to get some Can Cola, Suya, Bottle water and an 750 Naira but 800 Naira MTN Calling (Recharge) Card. (You need to call people to tell them that you have set up on the road whenever you plan to travel? this is because, among other reasons, there is no guarantee that you will make it to your planned destination?) Now for me, the Driving & Road condition of Gusau to Kano or Kano to Gusau Road is among the worst in Northern Nigeria; The potholes are really beyond description? most times you are better off getting off the road for a period of time that to go through these giant holes on the road, This Road has a some parts that is so ridden with Arm Robbers that at one time they put up fliers as to how much you must carry for them based on your status and profession if you have to pass through. Many parts of this road is a one-lane-no-shoulder full of twist, turns, bumps, ups and downs and on top of that for whatever reason, the Big Trucks & Lorries like to use it most frequently day and night.

No matter how carefully you drive, there is just no way you can avoid at least some of the ?potholes?. After finally getting on the road, I got to Funtua, Katsina State safe and sound expect for the usual Road blocks by Lawmen & women, the potholes, the many near misses with Goat, Sheep, Cattle, Kids, madmen, Kiya-kiya, Dafa duka. The worst of these are the Sheep because for whatever reason, the sheep can not seem to make its mind if to continue to cross the road or to turn back?

After Funtua, I took the road towards Dayi. Just then --- an older model Peugeot crossed from the other side and cut in front of me despite all my loud horns and high beam light? even after putting on my breaks, it seems like I may still make an unwelcome contact with this car in front of me. The approaching big Fuel truck seems to be moving just slow enough that I felt I can just make a fast overtaking. Now in situations like this, I usually can count on my Lucky Car to go overdrive to see me through just in the nick of time. Well this time, this time, oh yes she came through quite alright, but on the other side, I know that I have done her some major damage on her aging and Nigerian Road beaten veins. I know she was hearting because she doesn?t feel like her old self again just before the overtaking and also the Check Engine light is now ON. I then turned off the headlights and the Air condition. Anyway, there is nothing I can do but just to continue to drive ? just like a wounded athlete determined to complete a race and also because of the important Nigerian Road Driving unwritten Rule of never stopping till you get to a town?

As I kept pushing on and after coming up a long winding curve, I can see the Lawmen standing as usual in the middle of the road. Off the road on the right hand side, in a small clearing is also the usual SUV (JEEP) marked ?Fire for Fire?. The standard way I develop over the time, is for me to slow down, wave, wind down my window and say something like ?Barka da aiki officer?. In most of the time the Lawman would just wave me through, but this time the Lawman did not want me to pass because he stands right in front of my path in the middle of my lane. So I had to stop in the middle of the road -  Hiway. ?Daga ina yallaboi?? he said ?Daga Gusau nake zanje Kano? I said. Then he said ?Don Allah bud'e mana but dinka mana?, and as soon as he said that my Lucky Car just died there in the middle of the road - Hiway. ?Kai! kagama motar ta mutu? daman lallabata nakeyi in Karasa garin nan na gaba ? Dayi? I said. ?To bari mu turamaka? he said, ?kudai turamin in sauka daga kan titi, kuma inna jin wani wari-wari kamar hayak'i? I said. So they pushed the car a little bit off the road. After opening the hood (bonnet), I can see one of the rubber hose from the Radiator to the engine is spitting out water. One of the lawman, a man from Zaria as he said, got plastic leather and help me tired the location where the water was spitting just like tying a bleeding wound with a piece of rag. After that, I attempted to start my Lucky Car not sure she will start ? she just started right up - my Lucky Car. I gave the lawman from Zaria 200 Naira so they can buy ?Pure Water?, which he then put in his pocket and thanked me for that.

From there, I continued not far to Dayi. From Dayi, I decided not to stop here, but to attempt to make it to Gwarzo, where I can make my Asar prayer and the check the wounded vein of my Lucky Car.



to continue...

[mlbash]

uhm.................wai jiya ba yau ba! lallai mr. admin, you are really having a change of scenary! to, Allah dai yayi ka dawo, amma da any shawara dani, da banyi supporting ba!
what a country!

[Anonymous]

sdanyaro I agree with yor argument.

[Dan-Borno]

Oga Admin, i stumble upon this thread while trying
to find a suitable thread to narrate some part of my
story to funtua.  i find this your piece very interesting
and calling on you to finish up the story.