"Bassa Land" across the Niger for probably 8 months now. The day finally
came.
Monday Clement and I again discussed the possibilities of a trip, and with
the Team coming soon and everything else coming up the time was now to take
advantage and go for it. The plan was to leave Thursday morning ,catch the
Ferry at Ganaga village, cross the Niger, then ride 20-30 minutes to
Gbloloko, Clement's village and center of the Bassa-Nge tribe, greet some
people, then head south about 2 hours to Itobe, cross the Niger at the
bridge then "home again home again jiggety jig" as Jack is fond of saying.
Wednesday around 3 or 4 in the afternoon I found out that my motorcycle trip
had morphed into my family taking "Big Jim", the truck, to Gbloloko to spend
the night in a tent and show the Jesus Film to Clement's people. So
Thursday by 12:30 we were loaded and ready to roll. We looked like the
Beverly Hillbillies. Not sure why we need so much when we travel but I'm
sure that it is all essential gear. We had a tent, mattresses for the kids
to sleep in the truck bed a PA system, projector and cameras to document to
whole extravaganza. Between noon and our departure time I was informed that
Clement's wife Blessing and daughter Faith would be joining us. No problem,
Big Jim is a king cab. As we loaded the cooler of pure water frozen into
block ice (Clement had the forethought to buy it and put it in our freezer
the night before), I was told that Godwin a teacher/church member and most
importantly Bassa-Nge, who had been hovering around the truck, was going to
go as an "interpreter" since we were showing the film in English. As we
were pulling out, Mustafa our security guard jumped in the truck. Did I
mention Mustafa is Bassa-Nge?
Plan B was beginning to take shape. Drive to Gblolko to campout in
Clement's village inside the bush set up the tent under a tree, set up a
mosquito net over the bed of the truck for Jack and Ben then set up the
projector and PA start the generator sing and dance, OK I don't dance but
most of you have met my wife, show the Jesus Film, and chat with Clement's
family.
Getting to Gbloloko was going to be part of the adventure. The ferry loads
by ramming the bank of the river, which is very low this time of year,
dropping a ramp by a hand crank, using boards and blocks to improve the ramp
and then backing vehicles on. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is
how in a country where so few actually drive how whenever you put a vehicle
in reverse you will have 6 to 8 people giving you advice on how to drive
your car backwards. I was told, all at once, to go straight back, stop and
turn right. The person who actually works for the ferry company just stood
quietly not really paying any attention. After boarding I quickly inspected
the vessel for safety equipment and properly maintained machinery. None was
to be found. There was however a placard that stated ALL Boats/Canoes
operating in Nigerian waterways must have 2 paddles and that life jackets
are to be worn at all times by all passengers. I didn't see either. I did
however take solace in the fact that the vessel is required to have an
annual inspection. The ferry which was big enough to haul 4 cars and untold
numbers of people was powered by 2 - 12 cylinder diesels that ran hydraulic
transmissions. After closer inspection I noticed one was missing a
hydraulic hose and I was not sure how you reconcile that issue when in
operation. I clearly had not been thinking the problem through from the
right angle after only one engine was started and we pulled away from the
shore it became clear that the other motor was for ballast and spare parts
if the one operating became inoperable during the crossing. As we "beached"
on the other side and I was pulling off the steep ramp to the boards that
bridged the gap to the cement ramp, I was advised not to touch my brakes. I
thought that a strange request but complied. The person following me must
have not been given the same info because as he hit the brakes the board
slid and his car dropped making a loud clunk as the bumper came in contact
with the ferry ramp.
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