By Imamshafi Lukman
In 2019, Ibrahim Abubakr, a young guy from Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State didn't allow his JAMB portal to rest with the rate he used to check admission status. This routine continued from days to weeks until he was successfully offered admission to study Agriculture in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS).
Ibrahim couldn't hide the joy of the long-awaited good news. He shared the news with his parents and relatives so as to help him prepare for the academic journey. “Traveling outside of my comfort zone to a place of study is one of my wishes. It seems my dream came true when I was admitted to UDUS. I was very happy and ready to embark on my first ever journey out of my state of origin,” these are the expressions of Ibrahim before the departure.
Cheers Turn to Tears
The maiden journey of Ibrahim from north-central to northwest started with joy but not everlasting joy. Initially, butterflies flew in his belly and a beautiful smile obviously displayed on his face as he won a lottery. The happiness changed later not to laughter and the happiest student became sad.
“My parents purchased varieties of foodstuffs for me and also bankrolled me just to have my smooth stay in school and face my studies. This really makes me happy at the start while embarking on a seemingly ordinary road trip from Kwara to Sokoto, oblivious of the lurking dangers that lie ahead, he said.
Ibrahim narrated, “As the wheels rolled and the journey unfolds, I discovered the harrowing reality of a road fraught with peril and the bravery required to navigate its treacherous twists and turns. I thought I could endure it at the start but an uncontrollable drop of tears downcast my endurance.”
More Students Share Ordeals
A 200-level student of Agriculture at UDUS, Abdullah Hamdalat also reminisced the agonizing moment of her journey from Kwara to Sokoto state. “The road was smooth and the journey was lively from every park in Kwara until we reached the end of Kanji, heading to the rough road of Niger state. The bad Niger road surrounded by forest was difficult for the bus to shuttle. At the time, my joy and adventure of the journey disappeared and the fear and sorrow of a stressful journey arose,” Hamdalat recalled bitterly.
She added, “Our bus was hitting different bumps and gallops for several hours which left us [passengers] in an unstable situation and extreme body pain.”
In her own reaction, Ibrahim Madinah, a 200-level student of the Faculty of Management Sciences said, “Many students have sustained brutal accidents in which they can’t come out boldly and express it. Many have experienced murderous stresses and trauma through their sojourn just for knowledge. My trips to Sokoto have not been easy, each journey with a different experience.”
Graduates Recount Sad Tales
An indigene of Kwara, Ayinla Abdullateef was lost in emotion while speaking about his experience of Kwara to Sokoto journey while studying in UDUS. He said, “If I should write down how terrible the Kwara to Sokoto trip was, a 200 page book won’t contain it. I could remember sitting for more than eighteen hours in a single bus, the hunger pangs, the road challenges and witnessing accidents.”
Abdulhafeez Ayedun Badmus, a fresh graduate of Sociology also expressed his ordainment, “I have traveled from Kwara to Sokoto and experienced several things such as bad roads, insecurities, a sudden hike of motor prices, while many of us endure the road challenges because we don't have alternative.”
“Reading daily news on security across the nation, basically in the northwest region where we study, it creates fear and grief, but hopefully, the success in the end will be worthy of the sacrifice,” he said.