Day 149: Ilishan – Benin City

Nigeria is not showing its best side.

The traffic is aggressive and the exhaust emissions are enormous. The roads are only good in sections; there are usually potholes and deep ruts.

We have at least 30 checks on the route from Ilishan to Benin City. Police, military, sometimes private ones. But always with batons or even golf clubs. You don't just keep driving. There are barricades on the road, Traffic has to change onto one lane, which is always a challenge. If you are then let in, it is more of a necessary evil than kindness.

At the controls we are most of the time waved through, like yesterday – with a look at the small camera on the dashboard and the cell phone clearly displayed. But perhaps there is also an announcement to stop annoying tourists – the friendliness sometimes seems almost rehearsed. We may benefit from the conviction of two police officers who asked Danish motorcyclists for money. The video was published by Itchy Boots. She is quite well known in Africa and has several million followers worldwide.

Nevertheless, we are asked about water a few times, although it is never clear whether they really mean water or whether it is actually about money (what did you bring for us?). And once we have a pretty doped-up tough guy, who was calmed down at the end by Wolle with “we bring our smiles and our prayers for you”. Pretty strange.

About 60 km from Benin City a few guys try to trick us. We are excitedly signaled by people along the road that something is wrong with our car and when we check we see oil on the front right rim. We're told it can be repaired quickly – but it's fake. Someone must have squirted the oil on our rims at the previous official checkpoint.

This private highway robbery in direct neighborhood of officials or even from these officials shows how dysfunctional the Nigerian state is.

The surroundings are desolate, which suits the mood. Palm plantations, rubber plantations, garbage, chaotic residential areas.

It's impossible to take a break on the route we're driving. We can only manage a driver change. So the day goes by like yesterday with a few nuts, some cake and water. Breakfast was also a bit meager with a toast, an egg and a mug of tea. Yesterday's pasta with hot sauce was filling, though. And today we're eating a leftover risotto at the hotel in the early afternoon. That helps a bit. But we still have to work on our nutrition strategy.

We ask for the menu of the restaurant here and are handed a fancy booklet. But when we want to place the order it becomes obvious that they only have Jollof Rice. Then why show the menu? Shrugging shoulders. Our mistake: We asked for the menu and not for what is available. However, in the evening we notice that another guest is eating something different. Although: Yam and hot sauce is no better than Jollof Rice. But the beer pops. Guinness Foreigners Stout, apparently the most drunk beer here, has 7.5%!

What else is on our minds:

We buy chips for 3,500 and see job offers for cleaners and receptionists for 4,500 to 7,000 Naira daily wages.

The hotel employees are somehow submissive.

We are addressed as Ebu or Oibu, it's like a reflex. This means “White people” according to what we found out when we asked. We don't know whether it's friendly or neutral or derogatory. Even if you turn around when you're being spoken to and look directly in the eyes of the one addressing you get a "Welcome", which not really sounds convincing.

The friendliness that we have felt in all other countries is missing here.

And by the way: We are in the core region of the former Kingdom of Benin, this is where the bronzes from Europe are supposed to being sent back. A new museum building has been started, the old museum is closed. Because of the traffic, it would only have been accessible at the risk of life because of the traffic on a roundabout in which it is located.

So only a few images of statues depicting history arranged around the roundabout. And also a slightly uneasy feeling about the whereabouts of the wonderful Benin bronzes from the restitution program.

Nigeria is not showing its best side.
For the first time on our trip, we don't feel very comfortable.