As we drove through the hilly road to the hilltop estate, the memory of what the place used to be occupied in my mind. It has transformed from a safe haven for kidnappers to a much sought after classy residential area.
The transformation that one could have predicted would happen over a time span of many decades had happened in less than a decade.
Moving close to the gate of the estate, a large billboard was mounted to advertise the available properties for sale or rent. I looked at the billboard and I saw a plot of land in the estate going for 2 million naira. My attention was on the billboard when I got a tap on my lap by Jude. I turned to look at him and he asked me with a grin on his face what I made of the information on the billboard.
"I think this is one of the opportunities that I regrettably threw away in my adult life. A plot for 2 million naira, how?" I wondered.
"Don't be surprised," Jude responded. "If you remember what I told you about the appreciation potential of any investment in landed properties but you will never stop being stubborn by sticking to your conviction. You threw away this opportunity deliberately."
"I wasn't convinced to buy land in the den of kidnappers. I don't think that it was totally my fault. Many people rejected investing here for the same reason." I responded.
"You know that I won't take any of that as a convincing excuse. When you expressed this fear seven years ago, I took you to a security expert to seek his advice before investing. 'That land is being used by kidnappers because it is idle. Once occupied, the criminals would be pushed away.' The retired policeman had told us. Yet, you didn't shift from your conviction."
I remained silent as we drove into the beautiful estate with breathtaking landscape. The rocks were beautified with paintings while the solar street lights were turned on individually at close intervals to give the environment an ambience of luxury.
Seven years before then, the hilltop was known to be a deadly abode for kidnappers and men of the underworld. Located at about 300 meters away from the road, the area was a rocky plateau which was popular in the past for hunting and a few farming activities before the criminals hijacked the area.
Having the dreaded area between my hostel and campus, plying the road anything beyond 8PM was not an option. Many people were kidnapped as a result of plying the road at night. Occasionally, we could hear the sounds of gunshots resulting from encounters between the criminals and police team.
During a particular period, the area remained peaceful for some months. It wasn't the first time that we would experience relative peace from the troubled hilltop. I wasn't carried away though I was full of prayers that the area remained permanently peaceful.
A few weeks later, information came in that the owners of the land put up the land for sale. Jude excitedly came to inform me about the development.
"A plot is going for 75000 Naira in Bauchi road."
"You should be joking. Where can you get a plot of land for that ridiculously small amount of money?"
"On the hilltop." He responded.
"You could have just said that kidnappers' den is being sold for 75000 naira per plot. Give me a plot there for free, I would reject it."
My outright rejection didn't go down well with Jude who had preferred that we purchase a few plots for future development.
"Even if the security is improved, what of the accessibility?" I asked.
"Well, your fear is genuine. However, from my experience in Abuja, I have seen some inaccessible terrain become accessible through the acquisition partly or wholly of the area by wealthy people or developers. Let's buy the land and keep it for the future."
"Let's visit the place and see how it is. We have been viewing it from afar. We need to get there and see how the terrain is. That's if our security is guaranteed." I suggested.
We contacted the agents in charge of the land and we visited the hilltop in company of other buyers and a team of policemen.
As we trekked the difficult terrain up the hill, my dislike for the area multiplied. "When will development ever extend to this place?" I asked myself as I monitored my steps to avoid missing any.
"This is an investment for the future," Jude was convinced.
I didn't take all of the sweet talks from Jude. I refused to buy the land.
Jude paid 150000 naira for two plots.
Two years later, as if Jude perfectly peeped to the future, a billionaire bought the remaining part of the land and that was all that was needed to make the place accessible. He immediately mobilized contractors and an access road was constructed. The turnaround began like magic.
I was no longer in the town to follow the development. Within the span of three years, the value of a plot appreciated from 75000 naira to 500000 naira.
According to Jude, when the plots were going for 1.5 million naira each, he decided to sell one and used the proceeds to develop the other. He explained as we opened the gate to his bungalow that was almost completed.
Seeing a plot of land appreciated from 75000 naira to 2 million naira within seven years made me wish I had purchased the land when Jude pressed it on me.
I was wrong about the way I viewed the whole idea behind buying the land. It was last year that I visited Jude in the estate and the report that I got since then showed that the value of the properties are still appreciating.
