Day 108 – Saturday 16 January -10,403 km, Oyo, Nigeria

Being soccer Saturday, and with Nigeria playing Benin in the Africa Nations Cup, I couldn’t resist stopping early to find a good bar to enjoy the action. Initially frustrated by no signal and then a power failure, a local took me to the main footy viewing spot – a 100+ village hall type building with 5 old TVs, benches and, most important, a generator. The charged atmosphere was just what I anticipated and it was only when half the room erupted at a Benin throw in, that I realised half the crowd were actually watching the Manchester United and Chelsea games on other screens, highlighting the surprisingly tepid interest shown in the African Nations, which, given the quality of tonight’s game, is understandable! So far I have been pleasantly surprised by the jovial nature of Nigeria’s notorious police, security, immigration and other check points officials. Occurring as frequently as 3 in just over a kilometer, opening greetings were often aggressive as they asserted their authority and I did have to politely reject requests for dollars as well as assure them that my passport is not ‘completely fake’. Generally though, they softened to my World Cup mission and the biggest problem has been then trying to get away. Fortunately the Nigeria game provided the perfect excuse, though Chelsea vs Sunderland may have been even more effective!