Conclusion
Leaving Lagos was a difficult process because it was quite the rude awakening. In order to get to the airport, we had to drive through the overwhelming poverty of mainland Lagos. The trash, the housing, the people reminded me that I had truly had a sheltered experience. What I witnessed on that trip was the real Nigeria.
Once we arrived at the airport, things got no better. The scene was just shy of chaos. Everybody was just so rude to one another. Customers yelling at airline employees, employees yelling at customers, police officers yelling at everyone, and nothing really getting done. Things turned sour to me when I was told that they had to weigh my bag. I knew my bag was heavy, so I was not surprised when they told me my bag was overweight. I was acting as a courier for a few people, so I was carrying other peoples items to deliver to folks back in the states. Those extra pounds were causing problems. I tried to take the heaviest item (a voltage converter) out and stuff it in my carry-on but that was denied because they said I could use the heavy electrical equipment as a weapon to ‘bash someone’s head’ with. So I did the best I could and stuffed a few pairs of pants in my carry on. This did not get me any closer to the legal weight limit, but they eventually felt sorry for me and gave me an exception to the rule. ExxonMobil had a local Nigerian travel expediter assisting me through this whole process, and I gave him a large tip for his help. Strangely he seemed torn when accepting the money, and for a second I think we both felt dirty for the instinct to reward kindness with cash. But he took it and sent me on my way. From the bag scale, I had to go to the bag scanner, which is a guy that looks through your stuff and asks you for money. Once again I paid up, because I am pretty sure my passing that inspection was directly related to the amount of my tips. One of these days I will learn to carry smaller bills because I am still forcing myself to shell out 1000 Naira bills, leaving me constantly strapped for cash. By the time I got through to the departure gate, I had 50 Naira, 10 Euros, and 10 Gulden left to my name.
The flight was supposed to leave at 11:45, but it was not until 12:45 that we left the gate (which proved to be very problematic for my one hour layover in Atlanta), and the delay was straight due to coonery. That is the only word that can describe the process that the airport took in getting people on board the plane. It was 11:30 and they had not even started boarding people, which confused me because both the plane and the passengers were present. The boarding was just as bad. I have never heard a pilot basically have to beg people to take a seat, or to turn off their cell phones in order for the plane to take off, but now I have. I tried to say hello to the Nigerian lady sitting next to me in business class, but she just ignored me. The only time she said something was sorry when she spilled her drink on me (luckily it was just water). Basically the trip back was not the greatest.
But on the plane I had time to reflect about Lagos. The more I thought about the place, the more depressed I felt, because it is a place that suffers unnecessarily. I don’t even have the energy to go into it. Most of what I would say has already been written. But here is a quickie. On that plane, I felt for Nigeria much how I felt for Michael Vick during his recent scandal. They both were blessed with wonderful resources and talent, but each has been ruined by self destructive tendencies. I can never try to unravel the choices that led Michael Vick to his stupid decisions, and I cannot grapple with the circumstances that have led to Nigeria’s ineptitude. Most unfortunate is the phrase that comes to mind.
Once we arrived at the airport, things got no better. The scene was just shy of chaos. Everybody was just so rude to one another. Customers yelling at airline employees, employees yelling at customers, police officers yelling at everyone, and nothing really getting done. Things turned sour to me when I was told that they had to weigh my bag. I knew my bag was heavy, so I was not surprised when they told me my bag was overweight. I was acting as a courier for a few people, so I was carrying other peoples items to deliver to folks back in the states. Those extra pounds were causing problems. I tried to take the heaviest item (a voltage converter) out and stuff it in my carry-on but that was denied because they said I could use the heavy electrical equipment as a weapon to ‘bash someone’s head’ with. So I did the best I could and stuffed a few pairs of pants in my carry on. This did not get me any closer to the legal weight limit, but they eventually felt sorry for me and gave me an exception to the rule. ExxonMobil had a local Nigerian travel expediter assisting me through this whole process, and I gave him a large tip for his help. Strangely he seemed torn when accepting the money, and for a second I think we both felt dirty for the instinct to reward kindness with cash. But he took it and sent me on my way. From the bag scale, I had to go to the bag scanner, which is a guy that looks through your stuff and asks you for money. Once again I paid up, because I am pretty sure my passing that inspection was directly related to the amount of my tips. One of these days I will learn to carry smaller bills because I am still forcing myself to shell out 1000 Naira bills, leaving me constantly strapped for cash. By the time I got through to the departure gate, I had 50 Naira, 10 Euros, and 10 Gulden left to my name.
The flight was supposed to leave at 11:45, but it was not until 12:45 that we left the gate (which proved to be very problematic for my one hour layover in Atlanta), and the delay was straight due to coonery. That is the only word that can describe the process that the airport took in getting people on board the plane. It was 11:30 and they had not even started boarding people, which confused me because both the plane and the passengers were present. The boarding was just as bad. I have never heard a pilot basically have to beg people to take a seat, or to turn off their cell phones in order for the plane to take off, but now I have. I tried to say hello to the Nigerian lady sitting next to me in business class, but she just ignored me. The only time she said something was sorry when she spilled her drink on me (luckily it was just water). Basically the trip back was not the greatest.
But on the plane I had time to reflect about Lagos. The more I thought about the place, the more depressed I felt, because it is a place that suffers unnecessarily. I don’t even have the energy to go into it. Most of what I would say has already been written. But here is a quickie. On that plane, I felt for Nigeria much how I felt for Michael Vick during his recent scandal. They both were blessed with wonderful resources and talent, but each has been ruined by self destructive tendencies. I can never try to unravel the choices that led Michael Vick to his stupid decisions, and I cannot grapple with the circumstances that have led to Nigeria’s ineptitude. Most unfortunate is the phrase that comes to mind.
posted by Anthony Jackson at 8:46 PM
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