A couple of months ago, I travelled to a town called Ogidi in Anambra State. The distance from Lagos, in the Western part of Nigeria, to Ogidi, in the Eastern part of Nigeria, is about 466km going by road.
Of course, in between there are major towns in different states you will pass through before getting to Ogidi. They include Shagamu and Ijebu-Ode both in Ogun State, Ore in Ondo State, Benin City in Edo State, Agbor and Asaba in Delta State, the Niger bridge that connects Delta State and Anambra State, Onitsha and Nkpor in Anambra State after which you get to Ogidi.
Ogidi is the headquarters of Idemili North Local Government Area. There are lots of interesting places in this town that one could visit.
On a normal day, this journey could take about 6hours. However, bad roads and unpredictable traffic can make it last longer.
In recent years, this has kind of been the farthest I have gone away from my home. In fact, of all the journeys I have made this year, this is the farthest I have travelled.
I wish I could say I went for a vacation, but no I didn't. What took me to Ogidi this time was to pay my last respects to my maternal grandfather who had died at 101 years old.
It really felt very strange to visit this place and not see the man who played the role of a father in my life (my biological father had died before I clocked eight years). So, many times I just sat in front of the old building (that bungalow with fancy blocks) thinking about him and the lessons I learnt from him.
I know several people feel that he died a a ripe old age, but the truth is that it is painful to lose a loved one no matter how old they are. Unfortunately, people call this kind of funeral "A celebration of life", so they gather to eat and drink. My cousin took a good shot here👇. But a larger reception was holding in the field opposite the house.
photo taken by my cousin Chisom Udemezue
My time was mostly spent indoors either cooking or reading. Sometimes I just relax outside.
At the end of one month, it was time to go back to my home in Lagos. I had to go to Asaba to board a vehicle for my return trip.
I had a safe trip back home, and it was obvious I needed to take action to get back into shape, as I had put on some weight 😅.
Thank you for reading my post. The images used are mine except for the one taken by my cousin, Chisom Udemezue.
Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments, and I will get back to you.
Thank you once again.