2 2. Travelling The Delta (2/2)
”No, not at all,” Uncle Utomudo replied. ”It stopped working a long time ago, before Global System of Mobile or GSM arrived Nigeria.”
”Then why is the mast still standing?” he asked.
”I don't know,” Uncle Utomudo replied.
”Is it not dangerous?”
”Well, it has been standing like this since the 1980s when it was built!”
”That is a long time ago, Daddy,” Onome observed.
”Yes, it is.”
They drove on a little while and Ozoro communal shrine, Eri-Okpe, and its ma.s.sive trees and surrounding groove came into view. Onome and Igho still remembered what they had been told about the shrine and its ancient trees that have stood there for centuries. It stood right in the centre of town; it is seen as the soul of the community. Its custodians, the Inuru family, took care of the shrine on behalf of the entire community, especially during its festival and other important events like the coronation of a new king.
A short distance away from Eri-Okpe is Ala Square, where all the five quarters of Ozoro—Uruto, Urude, Erovie, Etevie and Oriamudhu - meet. Standing at the centre on a raised platform is the golden statue of Opute, the found father of Ozoro. Igho and Onome stared at the statue from the car window and imagined what it was to found a town.
”So, where is his wife?” Onome asked.
”Who is his wife?” Igho asked.
”Ozoro is his wife!” Utomudo said.
”Where is she?” Onome persisted.
”Well,” Utomudo began, ”there is no statue for her, I'm afraid!”
”But why?”
”I don't know,” Utomudo replied.
”Well Daddy, that is not fair, is it?”
”That maybe so,” he said. ”I don't know why. Maybe n.o.body remembers how she looked like.”
The twosome fell silent, as they regarded the solitary statue. Uncle Utomudo made a right turn by the roundabout and then turned into Idheze Road on Erovie Quarter, and drove on for a little while before turning left into Iyeliunu Street and then left again into Odoko, their family compound.
They alighted from the car and several relatives, who had not gone to farm or market, came out to welcome them. Igho and Onome were city children and they instantly became the centre of admiration. They were both excited. However, Nigeria, the grand-uncle they had come to see, was said to have fallen down from a palm tree a few days before and had been taken to a healer's home at Of.a.gbe. With such sad news, Uncle Utomudo then decided there was no need to stay on much longer.
After pleasant exchanges with everyone, he quickly got the two into the car and they drove off to Ibedeni. They came out through Ala Square again, circled round it and turned right onto Mission Road, which also leads to Oleh. There was nothing remarkable to see on the road except ca.s.sava farms and uncultivated lands and many houses at various stages of construction. St. Joseph College, the old teachers' training college, had been turned into another purpose by its Catholic Church owners. The main market is to the left, with its makes.h.i.+ft stalls. A new market though was being built to replace the unplanned one.
They drove on for some five minutes and then they arrived at Oleh and quickly pa.s.sed through Ogbemudia Road and made a left turn at Inyaga night market into Irri Road and town proper. A stranger would not know if he had left Oleh behind and had entered Irri; the two communities have since merged at the borders and become inseparable like twins or children and play.
Uncle Utomudo quickly drove through the town and faced Oyede town. On both sides of the road, Igho and Onome starred at the vast land of browning gra.s.s that allowed the eyes to see far into the distance undisturbed, with just a few short trees in sight. Uncle Utomudo explained that it was a low land that flooded during the raining season, which has managed to prevent big trees or a thick forest to grow in it. He couldn't quite explain how that happened. But he said since he was a boy, he had not seen any trees or forest grow on that low gra.s.sland; it was how he met it. They could see that sand was being mined on the vast gra.s.sland, as large tipper trucks came out loaded with white sand, the type used for the construction of buildings and roads.
They soon pa.s.sed Oyede and got to Bethel village, which is not different from Oyede except that it is much smaller. But they looked the same. Not far off, they got to Ada and then to Ivrogbo which is on the bank of Ase Creek, but they took a right turn midway into the town and headed for Ibedeni, their final destination.
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