My best trip was the International Excursion/Study trip my department embarked on sometimes in July 2012 (between 1-15th of July) during my undergraduate days. The International trip covered three of West African countries (Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana) and it lasted for just two weeks.
35 students of the department of Geography and Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria embarked on an International trip using 2 coaster buses for International Excursion/ study trip. We went with two Coaster buses for which 4 professors followed. Two from our department and two others joined at the University of Ibadan.
The journey took off at the early hour of the first day, the spirit of everyone was very high. We were all happy and nothing could ever go wrong as we were on the first ever international trip that will cut across three countries of West Africa. No school in history have done that prior to that time.
We sat quietly in the bus, the professor in our bus hates noise and as such denied us of talking or going wild in our discussions. He was telling us special geographic features along our path. We all were in silence waiting for the first person to break the boredom and who would the first person be?
40 minutes later, someone broke the silence by mimicking the professor, the way he used to do in class. He was overwhelmed by the mimic and demanded, the student do that of the other professor. Funny, enough the other professor doesnt know student take cognisance of his act in the class. He was the most feared of the professors in the department. He posed himself as a wicked and an enemy to students. He laughed on rare occasions which of course must be when he has done something outrightly bad to a student.
He told the boy to keep quiet or he would be in trouble. The other professor who has just been mimicked told the boy not to worry that he should continue. The boy started with him and the story was no longer the same. Everyone busted into laughter including the professor who never wanted the boy mimic. It was very funny and that marked the beginning of the fun in the trip.
On the evening of day one of the trip, we couldnt make it passed Badagry in Lagos state, Nigeria as we were held by traffic in Lagos, Nigeria. We therefore had to pass the night in one hotel in Badagry. It was very fun, for the first time, students both male and female together in hotel in the night. People with whom the relationship has always been formal as we only meet in the class and no one knows who among us. We celebrated one another, many of stayed awake overnight with gist from topics brought by individuals. At the breaking of the day, we settled the hotel bill and departed.
Furthermore, at the mid-day, we got to the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic (Seme Border), we were delayed as the officials had to check our travel papers and confirm the authenticity of our trip. They established contacts with some of the institutions to be visited like the University of Ghana and it was confirmed that they are in expectation of students from Kogi State University, Anyigba. Therefore, nothing could go wrong, we were very happy and were able to make it down to Benin republic on the second day.
However, we missed our road in Cotonou, the Capital City of Benin Republic for about 3 hours drive. We were on triple lane, the road was smooth and good, we were firing and suddenly the road reduced to 2 lanes and later a lane. It called for questioning that the road linking two countries (i.e. Benin Republic and Togo) cannot be such bad.
After 3 hours drive, we came to a village many miles away from Cotonou, we became unsure of our path and as such had to look for someone to show us direction. But our communication was impeded by language as we Nigerians speak English as the official language while the people of Benin speak French and no one of the 35 of us in the buses can speak French. We had to halt the journey, alighted and scattered ourselves within the village looking for someone who can make our path clear to us.
The first mission was to get someone who can speak English. We were everywhere in the village of Aoida asking the question do you speak English and we all got nodding as our replies - meaning no one in the village could speak English. We had to make a U-turn back to the Capital city for another three hours (making a total of 6 hours wastage). We continued our questioning of do you speak English and fortunately, we met a Nigerian woman who does not only speak English but recognized us on sight to be Nigerians and she replied in the Yoruba dialect of Nigeria saying awon eyan mi leyi - meaning, these are my people.
We were all happy, we embraced her, she joined our bus, abandoned her outing to show us direction. After about an hour on the right path, she said, I have to go back from here. We were all happy, we offered her money, she rejected and wanted to bear the cost of returning to her destination. Our day was made by the woman. We took photographs with her, embraced her and she departed.
I slept on transit in the bus and woke up at about 11:40pm, we were at Aflao border in Lome, the Capital City of Togo. The Aflao people were celebrating a festival that appeared so scary. We had to look for a place to put up for the night. Fortunately, there was only one person who could speak English fluently in the hotel we entered by the Atlantic beach of Togo and it was the manager. There were others who could speak only beginner English.
We had a great night there in Lome. We couldnt get a room in the hotel as the rooms were already filled. We were told we could stay around them if so desired and it was a good idea. There came a man (Kodjo Rasta Dutze), drummer who entertained us all through the night, it was a perfect night. Many of us made it to the beach that night, we played, sang, danced and nothing could ever be more perfect than that night.
On the following morning, we continued our journey to Ghana, we had delay at the Aflao border, but we were cleared after a good time has been wasted for us. We got to Accra, the capital city of Ghana at about 6:00pm, we were all tired, we got an inn (Gnat Hostel) to put up for the night. We enjoyed the delicacies prepared there and rested. We have finally gotten to our resting place as Ghana is the last place of visit and where we were to receive important lectures as regarding the geographies of the country for a week.
We were given the first day to enjoy ourselves following the hectic journey we had. So many of us instead of resting, went about the street of Accra, exploring natures and beautiful places of interest.
Essentially, we were at the Department of Geography and Resource Planning, University of Ghana for our first lecture and it was a great experience as issues of interest were discussed. We had series of lectures for 5 days at the University of Ghana, Greater Accra, we were at Upper Volta, we visited Tema the industrial town, Kumasi the Ashanti region among other beautiful places in Ghana. More importantly, the visit to the Town and Country Planning Department, where we shared ideas and gave some suggestions on the planning ordinances of 1946 that have not been reviewed in Ghana. We gave samples and a copy of Nigeria Planning Ordinances, Acts and Laws. We were well entertained at the ministry. Thereafter, we returned to the University for the conclusive aspect of our study trip/excursion, we were lodged in their hostels, given a very good treat.
Finally, on the tenth day of our trip, we had to start preparing to return home, we would all that the trip never ended. I established relationship with students of the University of Ghana among whom was Kemi, a Nigerian schooling in Ghana. We exchanged contacts became good friends afterward.
After a long beautiful experience, we had to return back to Nigeria.
It was the best trip ever
Five months later, the school in Ghana replicated our exercise and paid us visit in Nigeria for their study trip
Thanks for the opportunity given for sharing this story. Below are some of the photographs of some sites of cultural and geographical interest taken from the trip in 2012.
