By Dr Bassey Emmanuel
“When the road refuses to move, the people’s heart must agree to move.”
1. THE NEW CLOCK OF MARARABA
The bridge is under construction, and the road has become a test of both patience and wisdom.
Before, from Masaka to Area 1 was 40 minutes. Now it is “God knows when.”
Before, when you leave home at 7am, you will be at work by 8am. Now you leave at 6:00am and still be in the queue at the Mararaba bridge by 8:00am. Some people have given up and now leave at 5:30am just to beat the first wave.
The coaster driver no longer announces, “Area 1 with expected time of arrival in mind!” He announces Area 1 with the thought of “we dey go, but when we go reach, only God knows.”
The Okada man weaves between cars like a needle through cloth, and even he is sweating and blinking from the concentrated carbon emissions from volumes of vehicles stuck. His face is black with dust, but his pocket is heavy with fares.
When the road refuses to move, the people’s heart must learn to run instead of walking.
2. THE MARKET THAT MOVED TO THE ROAD
The holdup has created its own economy, and nobody applied for a license.
The woman with groundnut and boiled egg now walks between cars and says “Hunger no dey wait for bridge. Buy groundnut and take hold body while you wait.”
The boy with pure water and gala has become richer than some shop owners. He knows which lane moves first and he runs there before the cars start.
The man with phone charger and cable shouts, “Charge your phone while you wait!” and people buy. Some products you realize are fake only when you get to the office or your home, but by then the boy has disappeared into thin air.
The woman selling roasted corn now almost uses the heat of the car engines to keep her corn warm. She says, “The engine is my firewood today.”
The man selling wipes and air fresheners says “Your car is dirty from dust. Buy and clean your window so you can see the suffering.
“When the road becomes a market, the people learn to buy time with small money”.
3. THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT KEEP THE PEOPLE GOING
The wise people now carry two things: extra fuel and extra patience. Without one, you stop. Without the other, you fight.
Some have started leaving their cars at home and taking Okada from AYA to Mararaba and vice versa. Others have gone back to sleeping in Abuja either in their relatives or friend’s place during the week and going home only on weekends. Some are even sleeping in their offices during the week and only seeing their families on weekends.
Some office workers now download podcasts and audiobooks. They say, “If I must spend 3 hours here, let 3 hours teach me something. If not, I will lose both time and knowledge.”
The father who used to drive his children to school now drops them at Nyanya and they take Keke from there to Mararaba. He says, “My fuel is for work, not for traffic.”
The student who used to read in the library now reads in the car. He says, “If I cannot move, let my mind move.”
The bird that cannot fly over the mountain learns to walk around it.
4. THE SMALL BUSINESS THAT SUFFERS AND SURVIVES
The trader who brings goods from Orange Market to Abuja now adds “holdup money” to the price. He says, “If I spend 2 hours on the road instead of 1 hour, the vehicle driver charges me extra so I must charge for the extra hour/cost I lost too.”
The Mama Put at Mararaba junction now cooks more food because more people are buying, while stuck in traffic. She has added extra pots and extra firewood.
The mechanic at the bridge says “Business is good. Cars overheat and break down here and there every day. My tools are busy, my hands are tired, but my pocket is smiling.”
The POS agent that used to sit in his shop now stands by the road with a power bank. He charges phones for ₦200 and says, “My generator is my back pocket and fuel is expensive.”
The small shop that adapts today is the shop that will still be open tomorrow. The one that complains today will be closed tomorrow.
When the small fish cannot swim, the big river becomes empty in the long run.
5. THE BROTHERHOOD THAT APPEARS IN THE HOLDUP
Strangers now share water. One man’s pure water becomes three men’s relief.
Drivers take turns to let one car pass. Nobody hoots as much as before because hooting doesn’t move the car. The horn has learned silence.
The pregnant woman in the car gets priority, and no one argues. The man in the SUV opens his window and says “Madam, go first. Your load is heavier than mine.”
The coaster driver helps the Okada man when his bike falls. The Okada man helps the driver push his car when it stalls.
When the road holds everyone, everyone becomes brothers. The rich man and the poor man are sitting in the same dust.
When the well is dry, brothers share one cup without asking who owns it.
6. THE HOPE THAT THE BRIDGE BRINGS
The people do not curse the construction as they know that the pain they suffer today is the smooth road they will get tomorrow.
The dust and sweat may be plenty, but the thought of a new bridge makes the people endure. The man stuck in traffic wipes his face and says “Let them finish it well. I don’t want to experience holdup here again in years to come.”
The woman carrying baby says, “My child will use this bridge and not suffer what I am suffering today.”
The contractor’s machines work, day and night, and the people watch with delight and say “Let them work”. “Our pain is buying our future.”
The wound that is being dressed today will carry you tomorrow.
The road that is broken today will carry thousands tomorrow.
7. THE BROTHER’S PRACTICAL ADVICE
You cannot control Mararaba holdup. But you can control what you do while you wait.
a. Try to adapt to the situation as it is for a good cause and a short while.
b. Share in one another’s predicament and give every necessary assistance to other road users facing more difficult situation than you.
c. Be patient and endure one another with controlled emotions. The hope is that in no distant time the Mararaba bridge will come alive.
d. If you are driving, remember to wind up your glasses to prevent criminals from stealing your phones and other valuables inside the car.
e. When leaving home carry extra fuel and water in your booth so you can replenish when drained or when overheat develops. Better still, leave your vehicle at home if you are not sure of its road worthiness.
f. Finally, try to avoid Mararaba route. Once you get to Abacha Road from Abuja. Divert to the right and use alternative route through Abacha Road to Orange Market. It may be longer in kilometers but shorter in time and cost of fuel.
The wise brother does not fight the river. The wise brother finds the bridge.
BOTTOM LINE
Survival in Mararaba is not about speed anymore. It is about patience, adaptation, brotherhood and safety. People adapt, they share, they endure, and we all hope for the best.
Note: This dispatch was written from what people face daily on the Mararaba-Nyanya bridge construction. The names are not mentioned because the traffic belongs to everyone. If you have sat there for 2 hours and said “God dey,” then you are part of this story. If you have shared your water with a stranger, then you are the story.
– Digital Embassy…