Heading East - 04 Feb

It was a long day.  The Lagos Airport check in area was very crowded by the time we arrived, but there was no problem making the flight to Enugu.  The taxi driver was close at hand when we emerged from the terminal and we headed off to Onitsha.  The road was pretty bad in parts.  The car scraped bottom several times on the more severe pot holes and bumps.  To avoid others, cars veer off the road or on the other side of the road in to oncoming traffic. 

Above:  Hanging out in Lagos.  The clothing is very typical.

Below:  Bringing food to market in Onitsha.  I don’t know how they manage it, but they never drop those baskets.

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After the supplier meeting, Amaka, I, and the company owner had lunch.  Another buffet.  I had the spiciest spaghetti I’ve ever tasted and my mouth was on fire.  Some gum, actually, cured me, but I was ready to drink a bottle of Lidocaine.  While we ate, Joseph and Terfa registered to vote.  Amaka did so later. 

The registration process is answering some questions, and a person enters the data in a computer.  Finger prints are taken.  All told, it takes almost 30 minutes.  I was told that they register every four years or so.  In this case, there’s a presidential election this month.  There are four candidates vying for the job, but Goodluck Jonathan appears to be the front runner.  There are posters and large billboards all over advertising his campaign.  Others too, but Jonathan has the most.  I haven't been watching TV and can't comment on whether there is political advertising there as well.  The winning candidate is the one that gets the majority of votes in at least 20 of the 36 Nigerian states.  If no one does, the voting is repeated with all conadidates who wish to continue on.  There's no run-off with, say, the top two candidates.

On the way back from Onitsha, our taxi was stopped by police at one of the eight or so check points along the road.  Police block half of the road with barrels or sand bags, then choose vehicles to inspect as they slow down and approach.  The policeman checked our IDs and some of our bags.  When he saw my American passport, he shook my hand, introduced himself, and called me “friend.”  I thanked him and we were on our way.

Back at the hotel, our team met from about 8-9pm to filling out our supplier assessment score cards for the day and yesterday.  Tomorrow, Saturday, we leave early to return to Abuja.