Asia To Africa - Part I

~ Part 1- PHC, NIGERIA - 1996 to 1999 ~

During 1996, it was a big move for my family and I. My husband got cross posted to Nigeria in order to get exposure – that was what the company said during that time in order for him to move up. Our move to Nigeria was known to colleagues where we work. Most of them thought we must be out of our mind to go there since there were lots of negative things about Nigeria that we all heard.


We discussed about it and decided to go ahead with it. We had three children during that time. Amira being the eldest age 4 years 4 months, Aqeela age 2 years 7 months and Khairee age 1 year 3 months. For my case, there was no plan for me for the posting but my department head at that time Mr Jim Smitheman who had been in Nigeria before made the necessary arrangement for me to go on dual posting. A nigerian guy name Lauwrence Agbara came to Brunei while I went to SPDC.  That was how our lives started and I got to experience working in other company. I really thanked him for the support.

Before our departure to Nigeria, we talked to expats and locals who had been to Nigeria.  We also talked to Nigerians who were working with us. One of them, a Mr Ubani, who worked in operations who was also about to go back that year. He was the one who helped and made arrangement for a nanny to be available when we arrived. He was the one who said, “Come to Nigeria with open mind.”  So, that was what we did.

Hearing about the difficulty in getting food espcially our local food, we made arrangement to get rice, baby powder milk, canned food, fridge, freezer, TV, CDs, bread maker, diapers, food stuff etc in the sea freight. We made sure the validity of the expiry date.  We also sent some by airfreight.  Why we bring rice?  This was because the locals who had been there said the rice does not taste as good compared to the ones we used to eat back home. You can imagine how our house looked like at that time.  Just like a warehouse! Since the sea freight took 2 months to arrive in Nigeria, we sent 2 weeks before we left.

After all things ready, in June 1996 we as a family left for Nigeria transitting via Amsterdam, Holland staying overnight there for cultural briefing.  While my husband and I were at the briefing, they arranged for my kids to be looked after by a nanny (Nanny Bin my kids called her.  See pic below). We also managed to visit the park etc in Amsterdam. During our time, we had to use 4 different aircrafts to get to our destination in PHC, Nigeria.  There was no direct flight during those days.



04/06/1996 - Tulip Inn Hotel, Amsterdam


At Lagos airport, the company representative was waiting for us after the immigration check. There were so many black people there. That was the first time ever for me to have seen so many of them. Coming through the immigration of course they were people from other European countries and some few Asian. But the Nigerians were friendly especially to the ladies and children. Ladies and children always get to pass through first. For the men, they needed to queue up to pass through immigration.

We were brought to a bus where it took us to Sheraton hotel in Lagos.  The next day we flew to PHC the fokker.

signing off ........