In Makurdi, there seems
to be more pubs than churches
By Jossy Idam
Sunday, November 22, 2009
In the blazing, hot evening sun, the river shimmered like
gold nuggets. Faces of fishermen and longshoremen on its banks
glistened and glowed with hope. Their shadows lengthened,
broadened, merged and blurred in the background.
The river, River Benue, is the reason for this big get-together.
A state, Benue, owes its name to it. Makurdi, the capital
of the state is built and twined around it.
Two bridges run across it, One is long, with thick concrete
slab. Another is a delicate work of iron rods and beams. The
bridges slice and divide the city into two blocks –
North and South banks.
The foot of the bridges are habours of sort. Boats regularly
bring in people and goods from far-flung places. Looking at
the marks on the faces of the people milling around the habour,
they represent the various ethnic extractions of the vast
tapestry of the nation.
Cascading from the Cameroon mountains, flowing through Taraba
and Adamawa State, this second largest river in the country
wedlocks the Niger at Lokoja. The big union trashes, slashes
through the country and ties a nuptial knot in Niger Delta
before leaping into the Atlantic in total surrender.
Attracted by the bounties of the river, people came and clustered
around the river basin. European explorers paved the way for
their cousins who came, and dipped, soaked and planted the
Holy Bible in the heart and souls of the natives. The early
settlers include Tiv, Idoma, Igede Nyifon, Etulo, Ufia and
Akwanya. As this natural, rich setting dictates, the people
took to fishing and farming.
Naming
The desire to cart away the farm produce in the area prompted
the colonialists to construct roads and railway station in
the place. With these major ingredients available, businesses
thrived. In a short time, petite traders transformed into
merchants. According to oral history of the place, the first
merchant to strike it rich was a man called Lahi Audu Mai-kudi.
With time, traders from adjoining settlements began referring
to the area as Mai-kudi’s place. The early settlers
at first christened the place Lobi. But the merchant’s
name eclipsed it. The name later got knocked together as Ma-Kur-di.
The city sprang from being a colonial divisional headquarters
and major trading outpost to a local government headquarter.
It further metamorphosed to a state capital when Benue State
was created on February 3, 1976.
Spreading out
Like a huge bird unfurling, spreading its wings, the city
of Makurdi has broken out of its original confines to now
include Wurukum, high level Wadata, New Garage, Logo I and
II, Akpe Demekpe, Kanshio and Nyiman.
The city’s expansion makes more meaning as the streets
are now being lit. Not minding the epileptic performance of
PHCN, major Makurdi streets come aglow and alive in the evenings
when solar-powered light begins to shine. The ongoing project
has touched places like Wurukum Raound-about, Makurdi-Gboko
road, Oturkpo, Hospital, Ioyorchia Ayu and Kashim Ibrahim
roads, Railway Bypass and so on. Makurdians, as the residents
of the city like to be called, are also delighted that the
main thoroughfares of the city are being re-done and beautified
with flowers. Walkways for pedestrians are not left out.
Prompted by the new look of the city, the state Commissioner
for Information, Culture and Tourism, Bem Mekadu told Sunday
Sun that Makurdi would soon be ranked like major cities of
the world. “We have an airport, railway, network of
roads, great institutions of higher learning and all other
things that make cities like Abuja, Lagos, Paris, London,
New York to stand out,” he said.
Bem also believes that transformation the city is undergoing
would put the state on world tourism map. In his words: “Tourism
sites are many in the state. We have Ushongo Hills, Ikwe Holiday
Resort, Enemabia Warm Spring, Kwag-hir Puppet Festival, and
many more. We only plead for time. Once we finish the ongoing
rehabilitation of the necessary infrastructure, tourists in
and outside the country would flock here.”
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•Mrs.
Roslyn Pevigo, fishing at Benue River
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
Living off the river
The city’s status may have changed for the best but
some of its residents still live like in the days of yore.
A 41-year-old woman, Mrs. Roseline Pevigo ekes out a living
by fishing. The mother of four, trudges and toils on the banks
of River Benue with a fishing net locally called Alanga. She
begins in the morning and goes home after putting bait on
her fishing hooks. She takes her daily catch to sell at Wurukum
market and buys food and other essentials for the upkeep of
her family.
Her husband, Emmanuel,is also a fisherman. Both complement
each other. Roseline says she was taught fishing by her husband.
Emmanuel, 45, told Sunday Sun he dropped out of primary school
and took to fishing when his father died. “That time,
I was in elementary four. No one to help me . So, I stopped
school. I came to the river to fish and help my mother and
younger ones. Then in 2002, my mum also died. I wok here,
and God has been kind,” he said.
God indeed has really been kind to Emmanuel. Besides fishing,
doing any available labour at the beach, he doubled as a sand
digger and supplier. With the proceeds from the labour, he
now owns two canoes. He has also joined the local association
of tipper and quarry owners. His dream is to raise money and
buy a tipper and become a full-time sand supplier.
Happy hours
Makurdians have an attitude to life: they work hard and compensate
themselves with good times. After a hard day’s job,
they usually gravitate to bar, eatries and clubs. The elites
go to gentries to settle for beer, pepper soup and suya. The
ordinary class tend to go round mud huts with thatch roofs,
where a local brew, Burukutu is sold. A plastic cup or half
cup calabash of the beer goes for N20. Made out of fermented
guinea corn, the beer is not cheaper but intoxicates faster.
The people enjoy it with pork meat. It comes in peppery source
or grilled. Ask a Makurdian to tell you the best meat in the
world and he would tell you that: Pork meat is the second.”
Press him to tell you the first, he says there’s no
first. The conceit in the response is that he strongly believes
pork is the first and second best meat in the world.
Happy hours in the city begin from 4 pm, when offices close
down for the day. Young men and women from tertiary institutions
in the place spill out and lounge around in their popular
hangouts.
The robust nightlife of the city was shattered in April when
two notable persons were murdered while relaxing in a pub.
One of those “wasted” was the former Dean, Faculty
of Law, Benue State University, Makurdi. Sunday Sun learnt
that the man, Dr. Gwa Janda was relaxing in a bar near Aondo
Yavenga Guest House, with two colleagues when four gunmen
burst in, shot and dispossessed Dr. Jande’s colleagues
who were on the same table of cash and handsets. One of his
colleagues, Professor John Samba, it was learnt, lost N10,000
while Mr. Tarhule Verumun lost an expensive handset to the
hoodlums.
Earlier on, a trade unionist, Comrade Tony Udu had been gunned
down at his residence by men suspected to be hired assassins.
In September, the Accounts section of the Government House
in Makurdi was broken into and N50 million allegedly stolen.
But the Special Assisstant on Media to Governor Gabriel Suswam,
Cletus Akwaya acknowledged there was a robbery but said no
money was stolen. In an interview with a daily newspaper,
he was quoted as saying: “Let me tell you frankly that
no N50 million was missing. The truth is that some thieves
penetrated the Accounts section of the Government House. They
carted away a small safe in the office of the cashier. There,
cheque books, government vouchers and receipts are usually
kept.”
Within the same period, the governor reportedly said he received
text messages from unknown persons threatening to kidnap him
or members of his family. The governor’s Special Assistant
on Media, Cletus Akwaya, also owned up to this and revealed
that a joint task force, Operation Zenda has beefed up security
in the city and other parts of the state.
Not weighed down by past security lapses in the city, Makurdians
have bounced back and still relish the happy hours for which
the place is noted A hot hangout located at High Level area
of the city, Kucha, has once more sprung alive. The joint
bubbles till the wee hours of the day. Other swinging joints
in the city include 247, Places Nite Club, Wine Bar and Benue
Hotels Nite Club.
Looking at the spread of places of leisure and pleasure, one
can hazard a guess and say there are more pubs in Makurdi
than churches in this Christian-dominated city. The upbeat
joints there include Places and Times, TC Wine Bar, Exclusive
Lounge, Carnival Park, Jackies Paza Hotal, Angels’ World
and more.
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•Pounding
Makurdians favourite, Yam
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
Tightening loose ends
Even ordinary, simple folks were not spared from the insecurity.
A few months ago, Evelyn Akpen, after close of work at a bar
which is located at Inikpi Street, was walking down the road,
heading home. She told Sunday Sun what was uppermost in her
mind was to get home, and prepare for the next day. The 24-year-old
girl had a half-eaten chicken part wrapped in black cellophane
bag. That obviously attracted two thieves on a bike. They
pulled up beside her, shot her point blank on the head, snatched
the bag and took off.
Evelyn only woke up later in a hospital and found out that
the rogues narrowly missed killing her. The deep bullet kept
her in the hospital for six months. The gash the wound made
on her temple still shows.
As though to answer her fervent prayer, the state has banned
Okada from operating from 7 pm. “I’m happy about
this. Bad people used to take Okada and rob and kill in the
evenings. For now, Makurdi’s calm,” she said.
Alfred Ayu, a businessman is full of praises for the state’
Joint Task Force, Operation Zenda. “The men are tough
and thorough. Before they came, everyone lived in fear. Now,
one can go about his business without worry. We thank Governor
Suswam for this,” he said.
An Igbo trader who only gave his name as Ifeanyi criticised
some operatives of Operation Zenda for “using too much
force and power on innocent people on the road.” He
further said that the operatives should not forget they are
out there to protect the lives and property of law-abiding
citizens and not to arm-twist and brutalise them.
Bootlegged ogogoro
Local gin alias ogogoro has become an expensive hot stuff
in Makurdi. The State Assembly passed a bill in July and outlawed
the sale and consumption of the drink. The marketers and habitual
consumers of the drink, Sunday Sun is told, joined forces
and fought the bill. Their hue and cry fell on deaf ears.
They regard the ban as an infringement on their fundamental
human rights. A bootlegger of the product said the ban is
hypocritical “the government no vex if person drink
burukutu and oyibo brandy and whisky but na our own made in
Nigeria be bad drink”, he noted, and twisted his lips
with bitterness.
At a roadside shack in the heart of Makurdi, the bootlegger
dispenses the illegal stuff on request. “If you want
am, na him be say you go wait. Na turn by turn”, he
said before going into a flower garden. A coke bottle of it
goes for N250; a beer bottle sells for N500. The business
is done hush-hush and no one seats around to drink openly
anymore.
Going by the state law, a seller and first offender would
be fined N50, 000 or three years imprisonment. A consumer
is liable to a fine of N 20, 000 or six months in jail. But
the sellers and consumers in Markudi don’t seem to bother.
A former senator Chief Joseph N. Waku in an interview said
the state banned ogogoro for the health of the people. “We
all support it, the consumers of the drink are prone to violent
behaviour and crime; in all, it is injurious to health,”
he said.
Food basket
Makurdi city and the entire Benue State like to be called
the nation’s “Food Basket. The people there are
largely engaged in agriculture. They produce yam, rice, cassava,
millet, soya beans, groundnut, guinea corn, beniseed and citrus
fruits. But the sad part is most of what they produce go to
waste for lack of storage facility.
Landmarks
The city is punctuated with memorable landmarks but out of
the lot, J.S Takar’s Foundation complex stands out.
The imposing edifice is a memorial in honour of one of Benue
State’s foremost politicians. He was a senator and twice
a minister but he passed on in 1981 after a bout with cancer.
The place is run by the state and used for functions like
wedding receptions, meetings and conferences, and other events.
The main hall can be hired for N50, 000. Other places of interest
include Benue Brewery- makers of More beer, Aminu Isa Kontagora
Arts Thetre, IBB complex, National Library and so on.
Raring to go
As the year is tapering to an end, Governor Gabriel Suswam’s
posters and billboards adorn the strategic locations of the
city. Going by the messges encoded in the advertisement, the
governor is raring to go for a second term in 2011. His aides
and teeming admirers are already campaigning for him. But
the mysterious appearance of the posters of the AGF, Michael
Aondoakaa gave them the jitters recently. But the man has
openly said he is not really interested in the post. Perhaps
someone simply tried to test the waters or flew a kite. Well,
that is the gist making waves in Makurdi.
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