CELEBRATING ABIANS!!!

I can't remember the last time I took up my pen to write an article,  story or interview. It's not as if I have not been having ideas as regards what to write, but somehow,  I end up not writing. For some months now, my life has been transitional with lots of decisions to make but I sincerely apologise for my inconsistency. Rather than give numerous excuses, I take full responsibility for my inaction and I say I AM SORRY. I have missed you a great deal and I am so glad to be writing again! Tell me, how have you been? How have you been coping with life's stress and limitations? Hmmmm,  I am sure God has been faithful. For me, these past few months has been the most exciting, emotional and mind searching.

Exciting because I have finally rounded up my one year compulsory service (NYSC) to my wonderful country Nigeria; Emotional because I had to say good bye to people who have been more than a family to me for the past one year. They have helped me spiritually, physically, mentally, financially and in every other way; Mind searching because, I have had to really sit down and redefine my purpose and goals in life. Having spent one full year in Abia,  I deemed it fit to write about anything and everything that concerns Abia, God's own state.

The People: Abia state is in the Eastern part of Nigeria so you can be sure of hearing names like Ukattah, Ikechukwu, Emeka , Chigozie and so on. I had a nice time pronouncing these names as I made roll calls and marked the register every morning and afternoon.  Abians are wonderful people. I know there are definitely exceptions, but on a broad scale, they are funny, interesting,  hospitable and friendly. For the first time in my life, I saw a bus driver, getting down from a bus to buy bread for his passenger simply because the currency the passenger gave him was higher and the driver didn't have enough money to give him as change. That can never happen in Lagos! Ehheen,  say weytin happen! In fact the bus driver will insult you and all the generations before and after you till you finally say "amen" instead of " I rebuke it". Abians don't joke with their money but I am sure you can hardly get people more hospitable than them.  Their women are so hardworking and it makes me wonder what the men do. But just like lyrics of Omawunmi's song, "if you ask me, na who I go ask?". Since the women has accepted the responsibility of farming, cooking and doing every other thing in between, I think it is just proper for their male counterpart to appreciate them in which ever way possible.

Economic System: I love Aba Market! It's a place filled with creativity and a honest desire to make money. Trust Nigerians,  we love better things, the only problem is that if you are not discerning, you can end up buying the fake product at a lower price, the same price with the original or even at an higher price. I remember one time a friend of mine bought attachments for me which I needed, to braid my hair. I was so excited about the price because it was so cheap compared to the price they sell attachments in other places. My excitement waned the moment I finally realised that it was actually half the original size that was sold. Hmmmm, I had to spend more than I budgeted for buying it elsewhere . That is just to tell you how "powerful" they are. It is only in Aba that fake goods look more original that it's counterpart. But that not withstanding, those guys are good, they are intelligent, creative, innovative and they are truest definition of Nigerians! They have a hustling spirit that never dies, they bring out their best in a failed economy.  Despite the fact that the government is not as supportive as it should be that is if it is even supportive at all, they are still able to produce quality products in abundance and fake products in more abundance and they are indeed making a living from it. Their original products would surpass the products of other countries in terms of quality if given the right support, packaging and funds. With these guys, I know Nigeria will flourish. This tells me something, everything is a function of the mind, if you make up your mind that you will make it, no force on earth can stop you.  Break away from the limitations of the mind, even in the midst of inadequate infrastructural facilities,  and lack of capital, dare to make something happen. If you need a back up, remember that the earth was without form and void, and yet God created light!

Lifestyle: When I think about their lifestyle I like to talk about two things, their business mindedness and their food. Abians are business minded.  Abia is the only state I have been to where people sell oranges (and other fruits) yet on the tree. This means that rather than go through the stress of plucking and selling, all you need to do is to point to the exact fruit you want, negotiate extensively on it and when both parties are satisfied with the price, the fruit is plucked or harvested as the case may be.
The predominant food is Garri,  yellow Garri to be precise. They don't get tired of it. I really like the fact that they have so many delicacies from White soup to Ogbonno and so on. I remember one day, that my neighbour gave me a treat called Akidi and African salad. Akidi is the traditional name for African beans, it takes two days to get cooked under a temperature close of hell.  Well, I was excited at the prospect of tasting something new. Upon eating the food, I purged for two full days! I later realised that bush bitter leaf was added to the African salad. Right from the first spoon that entered my mouth, I knew I was in trouble because the food was so bitter but I had to just "encourage myself in the Lord" by using bananas to push it down my throat. I could have wasted the food, but when I considered the two days stress involved in cooking the food I just had to use that as a motivation to eat the food. Trust me, it's a risk I will never take again. The Bush bitter leaf washed my system clean though, but a forewarning would have been better.

Educational System: The first reality that hit me as I started teaching in a public secondary school in Abia was the bad or better still worse educational system. Without arguments, in my opinion, I think Abians are more business minded than anything else.  The educational facilities are just out of place. I know there are private schools in Abia that are really trying to make a difference but I think that the margin is just too wide. I tried to analyse the situation and I realised that it is just a cycle. It becomes a tale of which is more important;  the hen or the egg. The salaries of government teachers are held ransom and yet they are made to follow policies that are more coercive than supportive.  How do you expect these teachers to teach well? When you are owing them for months. I think primary and secondary school teachers should be given more prominence. The lives of these children are at stake because a teacher can't give what he or she doesn't have.  How do you demand commitment from teachers whose welfare is non of your concern? And yes, the government DEMANDS commitment from these teachers. They come regularly to check the teachers' note books, the students' note books, attendance and every other thing you can think of yet they regard as irrelevant, the most important deal of the game, prompt payment of salary. I am not a pessimist but as far as the educational system is concerned in Abia, it is just a reflection of a failed national educational system that needs to be worked on. In order words this is a medium to encourage we, the generation of winners to have it at the core of our minds that the educational system MUST be fixed and we CAN fix it.

Social Life: I was never really a social person during my one year stay in Abia, but I do know that Abia is not as social as other states. As at 8 pm in the night, the social life in most parts of Umuahia,  the state capital is dead.  There was a day I went to make my hair at one of the saloons in Umuahia, the stylist finished late because she wanted the hairdo to be perfect. By the time we finished,  it was already 8 pm.  I was shocked to realise that I had to wait for a long while before I could get public transport. Since then I told myself, nothing will keep me in Umuahia till 8 pm because the distance between Umuahia and my place of primary assignment is an hour there about.  On the other side, they have eatries like Hoffers,  Crunches, Bubbles and bars/ club houses like Where Else and so on. There is no cinema in Abia,  no, not one. Please,  if you are a staff of Silverbird,  kindly tell the management about a need for a cinema at least one!
Before I forget, they have tourist attractions like the War Museum and Ojuku Bunker. I have been to both places. While Ojuku Bunker is a bunker with historical significance, the war museum is filled with ancient warships and artifacts. I prefer the War Museum more, it's a needed exposure so you can just visit the place when next you are in Abia.

Theatrical Experience: There is no way I will end this article without talking about my theatrical experience in Abia state. By virtue of my Community Development Service group; Theatre and Tourism CDS,  I was opportune to have a first hand experience with the dance troupe of Abia state. I can still hear the beat of the drums in my head. Abia leeeeee,  ke ji ke,ke ji ke... My legs have started moving to the tune of the drums.  The great Abia dancers! Their energy level is what  our dance instructor at the Univeraity of Abuja, Prof Rasaki Ojo Bakare will call HIGH! The rate at which they waist dance blows my mind. I am moved by the calibre of people in the troupe. I am moved by their creativity and attitude towards dance. They make you want to dance and if I am opportune to watch them dance again, I certainly will. Using this medium, I say a big thank you to them for teaching we the members of theatre and tourism how to dance better.
 I have come to the end of my "documentary". I hope I was able to expose you to the world of  Abia. Thanks for reading! Thank you Abia state, it was a worthwhile service year! Love you! Abia leeeeee!
BAMILOSHIN ESTHER