SO, THEY WEAR MINI SKIRTS IN GOMBE! BY TONY OKOROJI

Tony Okoroji

Two weeks ago, I got up from bed in Gombe. I stretched my body, had a warm bath, checked out of Gombe international Hotel and with my colleague, Chinedu began a drive through the North Eastern heartland of Nigeria.

Gombe?! The North Eastern Heartland of Nigeria?! Is that not the epicenter of the Boko Haram war against civilization in which no crudity is crude enough and no insanity is insane enough?

What was the son of my father doing in Gombe at this time? It was Abubakar Jijiwa, the smooth talking Chairman of Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) who talked me into going to Gombe. Jijiwa who is also Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria is one Nigerian whom I believe we have not heard the last of. He is a very persuasive guy. He persuades you in a sweet and soft manner. I would like to watch Abubakar Jijiwa ‘toast’ a damsel. She stands no chance. If with everything I have seen, I cannot say ‘no’ to Jijiwa, tell me where the poor girl will get the liver to resist this guy.

I was not in Gombe in competition with Christiana Amanpour who became a global super star bringing live reports of many crazy wars in which bullets flew around her, some missing her by the whiskers. I was also not trying to emulate Nima Elbagir, the young Sudanese CNN girl who went where armed Nigerian soldiers were too scared to go and exposed the lie of the government propagandists who repeatedly told the world that no girl was abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok. The same propagandists now shamelessly will not let us rest with their tales of how the government has concluded negotiations to release the girls. Which girls? The same girls they told us were never abducted?

Malam Jijiwa had invited me to Gombe to address the 61st General Assembly of BON whose members COSON has an agreement with for the payment of music copyright royalties. My presence was to make sure that these guys pay musicians what belongs to them. At first, I could not understand how any right thinking person would fix such a meeting in Gombe at this time. After a while, I shrugged my shoulders. Shebi, I went to Liberia recently in the heat of the Ebola scourge? If I have to go to Afghanistan to solve this royalty problem, then to Afghanistan I must go!

On hearing that I was planning to go to Gombe, some of my friends wondered aloud whether a nut had gone loose in my head. Surprise! Surprise!! Arik Air which has been busy lately boasting to one and all that it is now West Africa’s biggest commercial airline, actually operates a couple of flights to Gombe every week. Things cannot be that bad after all.

As the seek Arik Bombadier CRJ made its way from Abuja to Gombe that Wednesday afternoon, I looked through the window to see miles and miles of uninhabited, uncultivated and unpolluted land, priceless asset that beckons on Nigeria to put into production. Gombe Airport has a small and unpretentious arrival hall. It is not one of those gargantuan monstrosities springing up all over the country with very little traffic to put them to any serious use and little money to maintain them. When I asked one of my friends why Nigeria is building these huge things all over the place when our children are studying in ramshackle shades, he looked at me in pity and asked ‘where do you think the billions they are spending on elections come from?’ I shut my mouth firmly. I no want wahala.

From the airport into town, there are check points like you will see elsewhere in Nigeria. Unexpectedly, there is massive construction going on left and right. As we drove into the newly completed Gombe International Hotel, there were people everywhere.

Before leaving Lagos, I had asked Chinedu whom we call ‘the Total Boss’ to make sure we had hotel reservations in Gombe. His immediate reaction was: ‘who goes to Gombe? Why should we have accommodation problems?’ D day came and despite my best attempt and that of Chinedu, we would not get a room at Gombe International Hotel. The place was fully booked. I tried to get fresh with Tabita, the young girl at the reception. She was nice but it did not work. I sought the intervention of the MD. She smiled and told me that four major conferences were going on simultaneously in the hotel and that she even had to move out of her own room. Four major conferences in one hotel in Gombe at the same time? By the way, MD is this urbane chic lady dressed to the hilt with an assent that tells you that she has seen the world. Wow!

As we made our way to Maidugu Palace Hotel where we spent our first night in Gombe, I was surprised at the fashion on the streets. There was the odd lady in hijab. But everywhere, I saw young girls in miniskirts and body hugging pants advertising their curves and whatever mystery may be found beneath. I saw hairstyles in Gombe that many in Lagos will look at in awe. Maidugu Palace Hotel defines Nigeria. It is a fantastic edifice with a lot of marble, exotic tiles and expensive fittings run by genuinely nice but very poorly trained people trying to do their best.

If you are one of those who before now thought that everyone in Gombe is a jihadist, I wonder if you know that the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Tha’anda Jason Rubainu is a Christian. The incredibly warm Commissioner for Information is Reverend Habu Dawuki. It was quite educative to learn that there are as many Christians in Gombe as there are Muslims and no one is molesting any one because of how they worship the Almighty.

The Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo left a strong impression on me. He is simple, educated and approachable. He is working very hard to develop his state and change the mindset of people outside of his kit and kin who are some of the most friendly and hospitable people you can meet anywhere.

From Gombe I took a long drive with Chinedu through much of Bauchi State to Jos, the Plateau State capital. No one bothered us along the way. Babangida, the government driver played so much sweet music as we drove on. Here and there, we bought boiled groundnuts and ate as Garba, the protocol guy nodded his head to the music of Celine Dione, Aretha Franklin and many other classics from home and abroad.

I wish every Nigerian could take such a trip. We will learn that the things that hold us together are far more than the things that threaten to rip us apart. I feel sorry for those members of BON who stayed away from Gombe out of fear. They missed a great opportunity to see Nigeria the way it is. Thank you Abubakar Jijiwa. Thank you Segun Olaleye and thank you Emem, the Eket born lady at BON that has a smile for everyone.