The return journey by train was attended by an element of drama. I tried to catch a quick lunch, at that world-famous and scenic place, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA). Thinking that the train would be leaving by 4pm to Lagos, I attempted to get myself ready. So as early as 3pm, I was at the Moniya terminus, only to be told that being a weekend, and in order to give some scope to those who came for socials in Ibadan, departure time would be 6pm!
This was very upsetting since it appeared that I had arrived too early for this stage of the journey. I was of the view that as rational as this arrangement seems to be, one should have been warned through some form of media orchestration. So here I was with some three hours on my hands, to virtually kill. Luckily for me however, I came with some reading materials. So, I quickly settled down to that near-mystical book, ‘The Pilgrimage’, written by the Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho. It was clearly a creative way of absorbing the time.
Before I knew it, the wait was over. Announcements were made as regards protocols for boarding. I duly entered the train and found my designated seat. This time around, I was sharing the twin seat with a lady. After some moments we got talking and for her it was something of a first time on the train. Like me however, she was very enthusiastic about the novelty. Indeed, she was, who told me about the fact that a stop in Omi Adio was really for passengers who were heading for the Apata Ganga area of Ibadan. This was not surprising in view of her familiarity with Ibadan since as she later revealed, she attended Queen’s School in the self-same Ibadan.
However and despite what the Ibadan rail-line has been able to achieve, more attention should be paid to the nodal points. At both termini for instance, the nodal points are still mired in some form of anomaly.
With an elocution which suggested a background that was steeped in some elite form of education it was not much of a surprise to learn that in the course of our discussion we found out that we had common friends and acquaintances. Indeed, such is the nature of my name that she was wondering whether I was so called. This is because for those who know, there is a gentleman somewhere who bears both of my names!
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Meanwhile as the train moved on, there was a drama of sorts which reflected something about the informality of Nigerian life. When the train chugged slowly out of a particular station, preparatory to gaining momentum, a prospective passenger could be seen, seeking to catch the train in motion. There was a comic touch to this bizarre incident. Apparently, the desperate and prospective passenger man was probably of the view that the train could be likened to one of those contraptions on our roads. That if he tried hard enough, he would still be able to be on board. But no luck. This indeed was after all, a train with all its formal trappings. As such matters go, we were soon in Lagos. First, Agege – the Raji Fashola station, and then the terminus.
Since we started out at 6pm, from the Ibadan end, we did not get to the Mobolaji Johnson Station until around 8.30pm. My driver, whom I later called, was still battling it out on the roads from the Ibadan end. The lady kindly offered to drop me, but I declined. I wanted to have a direct feel of the streets. I also reckoned that given the vitality of Lagos as a city, some service providers would be waiting at the terminus to convey passengers to their various destinations. This turned out to be true. I subsequently boarded an unmarked taxi which took me home for a rather steep price. Thus, ended for me, another experience on the Lagos-Ibadan train journey route.
The ease, the comfort and the organic links between the two major cities left me wondering, why it took so long for Nigeria to get to this point. Despite the bad press that Buhari is having to contend with, this much can be said for him. He has done well on this issue of linking and connecting Nigeria on the platform of the railway system. And as such matters go it is easy to see that development, as intractable as it seems, can easily be attained by paying some attention to low hanging fruits. One of such fruits happens to be the provision of roads and railways. And this is why I sometimes marvel at the colonialists. Few would deny that they came here principally to rob and plunder. Still they put in place viable infrastructures like roads and rail lines. And even as we write, the gains of the Lagos-Ibadan rail line are being felt.
In view of the congestion in Lagos, the rail link with Ibadan has ensured the emptying out of the city to Ibadan. Such indeed are the benefits of the new linkage between the two cities. What is being said here can easily be replicated across Nigeria. For instance in the light of the self-same congestion in Lagos, the proximate state of Ogun can always take advantage of this situation by putting in place roads in its border towns. The references here are to border towns like Ota, Agbara and Ijoko. If this is done, one does not need a prophet to depose that developments in Ogun State will be fast- tracked. Even then, this is already happening.
This is because as we speak a number of individuals work in Lagos but reside in Ogun State. This may be tough-going in view of the bad roads which link the border towns with Lagos State. Such indeed is the power of viable infrastructures that it has the capacity to propel development. However and despite what the Ibadan rail-line has been able to achieve, more attention should be paid to the nodal points. At both termini for instance, the nodal points are still mired in some form of anomaly. The current situation is this-a passenger disembarks only to find that there are no viable and quick means of getting into the city. Obviously the government cannot do this. Rather, it should put structures in place such that private transport operators will pick up the gauntlet.
Still and despite this omission, I am looking forward to another trip to Ibadan. And of course, this journey will also be by train!
