Forty six point five years. That’s the average life expectancy in Nigeria. This may be more a factor of driving habits and road conditions than it is disease.
Talitha, our beautiful young Nigerian trip coordinator and escort meets us for breakfast and we begin the four hour trip from Abuja to Mkar. Our talented driver Danjamo takes the wheel and expertly maneuvers us through pedestrian and scooters, honking a warning as he overtakes a van on a blind curve. Abuja and its city life fade into the background. Large western- style buildings become long plazas of market stalls selling everything from wooden doors large enough for compound gates, yams, shoes and oranges. Some of these market stalls are manned by four and five people indicating the scarcity of jobs. Industry is evident however; we see yam farms dotting the countryside, men pounding huge rock into gravel, others making brick out of the red dirt.
At one point we stop and Talitha negotiates a snack from women who rush to the van, baskets of bananas on their heads, baggies of peanuts in their hands.
The unseasonably long rains leave deep ruts in the road as we enter Mkar and the van lurches. Reverends Saamo (pastoral counselor for Beacon of Hope) and Iornenge (General Secretary of the NKST) greet us, welcoming us in the name of the Lord, his brothers and sisters from North America. It’s both humbling and a great blessing to have made it. We are shown to our rooms and allowed to freshen up before a delicious traditional dinner of chicken, pounded yam and a variety of greens that Mrs. Iornenge has clearly spent a lot of time preparing. In good African style, we chat pleasantly after dinner, saving the real business of the trip for the following workday.
Exhausted from our journey we retire to our rooms to face our first Nigerian shortage—The water has been shut off for the night. Showers consist of Wet Wipes and antibacterial hand gel. So that’s what the empty bucket in our room is for! Tomorrow we’ll fill it before dinner!
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