Of all the countries I’ve visited in Africa, the West African ones are my least favorite. I guess it’s because I was raised in East Africa, where there are significant cultural, food, and paradigm differences. This trip is to Bauchi, in northern Nigeria, a place I have visited before. Zuhair Hemraj, a local CAI Trustee, accompanies me. Since there are no direct flights between Dar es Salaam and any city in Nigeria, we must fly to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and connect there. The flight from Addis Ababa is to Kano, where we will spend the night before driving to Bauchi, about five hours away.

Kano Airport is relatively new compared with other airports in West Africa, but the immigration area is a mob scene when we disembark. There is modern technology to track visitors online, except the airport Wi-Fi is woefully slow, so the immigration clerks do brisk business selling their personal data services – for a fee, of course.

Ethiopian Airlines has a poor reputation for service to African destinations, and my flight is no exception. After clearing immigration, which takes eons, I wait for my checked bag on the carousel, which moves at a snail’s pace, only to discover it hasn’t arrived because it wasn’t loaded in Addis due to excess weight on the aircraft. There are angry scenes as others missing their bags vent their frustrations. The local ‘officials’ smile sympathetically, saying Ethiopian Airlines does this frequently. It takes another hour or so to get an uncaring staff member to write a report. The manager says the bag may come tomorrow or the day after; he is unsure. Our local host plans to have it couriered to Bauchi if it arrives the next day. I will have to borrow a T-shirt and essential toiletries from Zuhair.

Kano is an old historic city with little to write about except its unkempt air of decay. The elevators at the hotel we are in are not working, so it takes some muscle to reach the third floor. The roads all the way to Bauchi are severely potholed. This is a blessing in disguise. We would have perished in a car crash at the speeds the drivers are going, slowing and swerving only to avoid the bountiful potholes and oncoming traffic.

In Bauchi, we head straight to a test classroom that CAI has sponsored for about 300 students, including 45 orphans from impoverished mothers. These orphans currently eat mostly leftovers, either leftovers from or shared with other students. The children welcome us with a zesty performance using the limited equipment they have. I am most interested in the 45 orphans -. They are a pitiful lot, living in unhealthy conditions and eating inferior food with no meat protein whatsoever. CAI will adopt these orphans, providing them with healthy food, clothing, and any other care they need, including quality education.

Although I am less than impressed with the quality, especially the finishing touches, of the one classroom that has been constructed, CAI will build six more because there is a definite and urgent need, especially for our orphans’ future. We will supervise construction to ensure compliance with CAI construction standards and quality requirements.

Bauchi is another city with an unkempt aura. According to our host, the hotel we chose is the most ‘modern’ – we rent the Presidential Suite. It has no Wi-Fi, no restaurant or room service, is roach-infested, and the towels look like they were manufactured and purchased during Nabi Adam’s (a) era and never washed. The food we are served is Jollof rice and salty stews, every time. There is Guinea fowl, cow’s offal, brains, tongue, and entrails. I eat the fowl but keep way away from the other stuff, especially at breakfast. Zuhair visibly loses color every mealtime. Luckily, the courier delivers my bag at 1 AM – it is intact. It is a huge relief to head back to Kano for our flight tomorrow.

Exiting Nigeria is another battle of immigration formalities that requires a non-functional Wi-Fi, so the same immigration officers come in handy – for a fee. There are many ‘officials’ at every corner of the airport, sitting around, chatting, and doing very little. I feel frustration with being asked for palm greasing at every level of the stacked formality we encounter.

It is a relief as the Ethiopian flight takes off for Addis. Perfect timing, too. The general area where we are in is bombed by the US Air Force the next day.