It was as if I was dreaming… I was at the airport to book for my air ticket to Kano only to be told that the flight had been shifted till 4.30pm in the day. The on-going reform in the aviation industry hit also the only reliable aircraft operator – IRS – on the Lagos-Kano route. Days before my trip, most of IRS airlines were grounded by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) because of the operator’s inability to meet up with some guidelines. This, however, left me with two options – either to take a Night Bus to Kano or take a flight to Abuja from where I’d then take a taxi to Kano. My colleague and myself opted for the second option.

We left Lagos with Bellview 6.50am flight to Abuja and then proceeded on the 5-hour adventure-packed journey to Kano. This was not my first time in Kano but definitely the first time I would be going to that acient city on road. I spoke with my host in Kano immediately I got to Abuja and I was duly informed of what lied ahead. At this point, I wished I had taken a camera along ‘cos that would have been a great opportunity for me to keep track of my trip. Anyway, I will ensure I take a camera along anytime I am embarking on such journey in the future. The journey, though tiring, lasted approximately 5 hours.

The green vegetation on the highway is one thing that caught my attention. I had to marvel at quality of the irrigation system put in place by the farmers in this region to ensure that their farmland receive constant supply of water all year long. This is definitely a good sign that if Nigerians decide to do something, it will be done. With this, I believe that Nigerians should be able to, if we want to, produce enough food items to cater for the need of the nation and even the neighbouring West Africa countries. So, the question now is “what are we waiting for?”