All language subtitles for Michael.Palin.in.Nigeria.S01E02.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

MICHAEL PALIN: 'It's the start
of my second week in Nigeria

'and I'm in the northern city
of Kano.'

Hi.
MICHAEL CHUCKLES

'101 uneven steps
take me to the top of Dalia Hill,

'one of the few vantage points
of this city.'

Now, this is the...
really, the old city of Kano,

which has been here
for many, many hundreds,

if not 1,000 years.

A very, very important city cos
it was the end of the trading route,

came from Morocco, across through
Timbuktu and down into Nigeria.

It's a much older city than Lagos.

'Kano looks and feels utterly
different to the south of Nigeria.

'It's also the starting point
of my road trip

'into some of the most challenging
and dangerous parts of this country.

'Nigeria...

'..often perceived from the outside
as prone to corruption...'

SIRENS BLARE,
SHOUTING

'..fraud and the threat
of Boko Haram terrorism.'

CHANTING: Bring back our girls now
and alive!

'But this country
is a complex puzzle.

'It's on the rise,
with a rapidly expanding population

'that will make it
the third-most populated country

'in the world by 2050.'
Wow.

'To try and understand
the contradictions of Nigeria...'

One ticket to Abuja, please.
HORN BLARES

'..|'m embarking
on a 1,300-mile journey...

'..across an extraordinary land
known as the Giant of Africa...

'..a vibrant country
where 60% of the population

'is under 25 years old...'

Nigerians just have a unique sense
of wanting to thrive.

'..but whose potential
is being held back.'

Politics is a means
of enriching oneself. Yeah.

'Once part of the British Empire,

'Nigeria and the UK
have a complicated relationship.'

The British were the main proponents
of the slave trade.

They should give us back
our artefacts.

'Safety will be a big concern
during my journey...

'..but Nigeria's hazardous roads
could stop me getting anywhere.'

We're in really serious trouble now.

'As I enter my second week here,

'I'm hoping to get
a better understanding

'of the differences within Nigeria.'

This is like a tribal mark.

'I get a sense
of what the future could hold...'

Yeah, it's a bit like being
in California.

This is almost like a pilot.

You can do this
all across the country.

'..and discover
that some Nigerians feel

'Britain's colonial influence...'

Oh, yes.

'..Is still holding back
this beautiful country.'

One of the worst things
that happens to Nigeria

is the advent of the British.

Kano is a city
of over four million people,

the majority of them
from the Hausa ethnic group,

unlike Lagos
where most people are Yoruba.

Which group you're from
is very important in Nigeria.

I'm in extreme culture shock...
Yeah.

...and suddenly into this.

It does feel very different.

Yeah, Kano is like
the commercial city of Nigeria.

'Mohammad Adamu,
a university lecturer,

'is helping me navigate my way
through Kano.'

So, what distinguishes
where we are and north Nigeria?

Is that it is Muslim?

Yeah, the majority of the north
are Muslims. Yeah.

Ancl majority in the south
are Christians. Yeah, yeah.

So that's the basic,
and also the culture.

Yeah, because here
is more of Islamic culture. Yeah.

Ancl the south is more
of Western culture. Yeah, yeah.

But I mean, this is...

The history here, I just feel
there's a much longer history...

Yeah, longer history.
..than there is with the south.

Yeah, exactly.

'North and south Nigeria were
effectively two different countries

'until they were united
by the British in 1914.

'But the north is still rooted
in its own traditions,

'and Mohammad suggests we head
to a park in the middle of the city

'to witness an ancient Hausa sport.

'All of these people are arriving
to watch Dambe boxing,

'which dates back
to the 10th century.'

So, we go in? I have no ticket.
OK.

You all right?
I don't have a ticket.

MOHAMMAD LAUGHS
Oh, I have it.

'As we enter the arena,
I notice there's hot food for sale.'

Not so sure about that.

OK, it's exotic from the, like,
intestines, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

I'll give that a miss.
Yeah.

'I'm told it's intestines.'

It's so noisy.
Yes.

DRUMMING, CHANTING

'Dambe boxing is hugely popular,
and most nights,

'people come to watch
a series of men and boys

'take to the ring
for three-minute matches.'

SHOUTING

So, what's the...?

What's the rules
of this particular game?

I see one hand is open,

the other hand has a...
like, a boxing glove or just tape.

Yeah, they tied it tightly on there.

Yeah. They have to make
your hands like this.

Ancl then they tied it tightly.
OK.

Yeah, and sometimes, it's painful
for them, actually, yeah.

Yeah.
Like, the longer it stays like this,

the longer it's painful for them.

'Apparently the fighters used to dip
their bound hand in ground-up glass,

'but the practice
has now been banned.'

Yeah, some of it looks strange.

They're holding hands,
and then suddenly,

the other hand comes up.

Yeah, it's all the tactics.
Yeah, yeah.

The tactics to make you slow,
but the other,

each of them is trying
to punch each other.

It's crazy.
MOHAMMAD CH UCKLES

Yeah, there we go. Whoa!

Oh, wow.
Yeah.

So, when the blow strikes,
it's pretty hard.

Yeah, it's pretty hard.
Yeah.

You can see some of them have, like,

patches in their faces
because of the punches. Yeah.

Ooh!
Oh, look at that.

Yeah, yeah.

'Matches are held
almost every night of the week,

'and the men are paid around £40
for each fight.

'and the men are paid around £40
DRUMMING CONTINUES

DRUMMING CONTINUES

'Like many people in Nigeria,

'Mohammad has distinctive scars
on his face.'

Your marks,
did you mark... mark yourself?

Oh, yeah. This, I...
This is, like, a tribal mark.

OK. Yeah, my mum did for me this
when I was, like, seven days old.

So my mum did this for me,

so to identify
that this is my tribe.

So this is like a tribal mark.
Yeah.

Yeah.
So you...

Do all your... the young men
of your tribe have that?

Yeah, my siblings,
they all have that. Right, yeah.

'It's hard not to notice
how young some of these boys are.'

So, I mean, there's a lot
of boys here of different ages,

the young ones as well...
Yeah.

...that I've seen around the stadium.
Yeah.

Are they, are there a lot
of sort of unemployed young men?

Yeah, most of them,
they are unemployed.

They have no specific work to do.

So this is, like, what they do to...
for their livelihood.

'Northern Nigeria has some
of the highest levels of poverty

'in the country,

'and some claim that unemployment
among young men is around 70%.

'And with the average age being 18,

'it means that there are a lot
of young men in northern Nigeria

'searching for a purpose.

'Unfortunately,
some of them are drawn towards

'the ever-present threat
of extremism

'and the terrorist group Boko Haram.

'At our hotel the next morning,
I wait for the arrival of someone

'whose life has been changed forever
by the terrorist group.'

More than a week on from
a mass kidnapping of schoolgirls

in Nigeria by lslamist fighters,

numbers of children still missing
has today been put at more than 230.

The group involved is called
Boko Haram,

which translates
as "Western education is sinful".

The scale of the kidnapping has
shocked Africa's richest country.

On April 14th 2014,
219 girls aged 16 to 18

were kidnapped
from their Christian school

in the town of Chibok
in north-eastern Nigeria.

The kidnapping shocked the world
and led to a high-profile campaign

to bring them back.

CHANTING: Bring back our girls now,
and alive!

In the last ten years,
over 100 of the girls have escaped,

but many others remain with
their captors or have been killed.

One of the girls who escaped
is Amina Ali Nkeki,

who has travelled to meet me
from Borno State,

which is on the border
with Cameroon.

It's part of the country
that has been deemed too dangerous

for us to visit.

'It's not comfortable talking
about something like this,

'but Amina wants to tell her story.'

Amina, thanks very, very much
for just coming to talk to me.

It's very kind of you,
and it's very nice to meet you.

Could you tell me what happened
on the day when you were kidnapped?

That clay on 14th in the night,
around 9PM,

I start hearing this sound of gun,

shouting, calling names,

and they just break the school gate
and entered and calling just,

"Hey, hey, is it anybody here?
"You have to come out,"

said, "We are the army.
We are here for you." Right.

They said they were army,
and they weren't.

Yeah. Yeah.
They were lying, yeah.

So we just come out
and gather together,

and they just start shooting
the gun. Ah.

Ancl for now, we now realised

that this is the Boko Haram people,
not army. Not the army.

It's a very, very sad clay for me.

I wish I have power
to free myself from their hands,

but I couldn't.

'Amina and the other girls
were taken to a remote forest

'by Boko Haram
where they lived for over a year.

'The girls who were Christian
were put under pressure to convert.'

What was life like with Boko Haram?

They just ask us that...

..are we going to become
to the Muslim or not? And...

Are you going to convert to Islam?
Yes, yeah. Yeah.

And we say, “no“,
and they say, “why?

So we just tell them
that since we're... born,

we don't know anything
about Muslims,

so we are not going to be a Muslim.

So you're quite feisty in a way.

You... You were able
to talk back to them.

Yes.
Now, what did they...?

How did they react then?
Did they get angry?

Did they get physically violent
towards you? Yes. Yeah, yeah.

'Eventually, the girls converted,

'agreeing among themselves
it was just a pretence.

'But soon after, Amina was told

'that one of her captors
would become her husband.'

They say that, OK,
if you didn't get married,

you are going to be a slave.

A slave. Yeah.
Yes.

Ancl if you choose to be a slave,
no food for you.

Ancl then we can do whatever we want
to do with you people. Yeah.

Ancl I say, for me,
I just think and I say,

"OK, it's better to get married,"
to know that, yes...

I stay with the one person
rather than...

Being a sex slave.
Yes, with different people.

Mm.

'Amina married one of her captors
and had a child with him,

'but after a year,
the three of them decided to escape

'and spent many days
trekking through forest

'before they were found.'

Who was the first person
in your family

that you saw when you escaped?

The first person I saw is my mother.

Yeah. Your mother?
Yeah.

And that must have been
an amazing moment. Yeah.

The two of you coming together
after so long. Yeah.

I just open the car and come out,
and before my mother turned,

I just hugged her...
She must have...

She starts crying.
I don't know what she just...

She's crying, she was crying,

and I was telling her that,
"You don't need to cry."

"You have to be happy

"because you should thank God
that I'm alive."

They just took my baby
and hand over to her,

and she just call it my baby.

She said that, "ls this
my grandchild that I'm holding?"

Her lovely, if shy, daughter
is now eight years old

and Amina is studying at university.

Ooh.
Ah, here we go.

There you are.
Say hello to Mummy.

Yeah.
Want to go to Mummy?

Yeah, I think... Oh, dear.
CAMERAMAN CH UCKLES

Scared of the camera?
Yeah. Wow. Oh, wow.

'But while Amina is starting
to rebuild her life,

'almost 100 of her school friends
are still held by Boko Haram,

'and the terrorist group continues
to be a threat to life in Nigeria.'

Good morning. How are you?
On the road again.

'The next morning,
it's time for us to leave Kano,

'and we pack up for the first stage

'of our 800-mile journey
across Nigeria.'

We're beginning the road trip south
from Kano today

first of all to Kaduna.

And actually,
this particular stretch of road

has been attacked several times.

Bandits operate there.

Until just about a week ago,

our people were advising us
not to travel on that road.

Security couldn't...
couldn't guarantee our safety.

'As we set off,

'there's an undeniable sense
of tension in the air.'

HORNS BLARE

'The first part of my road trip
across Nigeria

'is almost too smooth.'

So far, I suppose
about 20 miles south of Kano,

and one thing I've been told
about Nigeria

was that the roads
are in a terrible state.

This actually
has obviously been recently paved.

It's very, very smooth
that I could, you know, nod off.

MICHAEL CHUCKLES

This section of my journey
will take us down

to the city of Kaduna before we head
further south to Abuja,

the modern capital of Nigeria,
eventually arriving in Lokoja,

once the centre
of Britain's colonial rule.

Long drives can be tedious,

but they also give a unique insight
into a new country.

From small roadside markets
to my first real view

of the Nigerian countryside.

But danger is never far away.

This is the town of Zaria
on the way to Kaduna,

and just last week,

four people were abducted
and killed here in Zaria.

Anyway, this is sort of centre
of recent troubles.

But minutes after we pass Zaria,

we arrive somewhere
that is a bit surprising.

Ooh, this is very swanky.

Very swanky.

Suddenly, off of a road
next to a township of tin roofs,

we find all this very good nick.

Wow, what a surprise.

This is
the Fifth Chukker Country Club,

a luxury hotel with pools...

...private villas...

...and a clubhouse.

It's all very tranquil

and has a very different feeling

from what I've experienced so far
in Nigeria.

I can't really believe this
after where we've been,

you know, Lagos and Kano
where there's noise all the time

and there's always six people
around you.

And here we are,
there's not just water,

there's lots of water -
there's a swimming pool,

I mean, that I could swim in,
I suppose, I wanted to.

It's just... This is
the kind of moment when you forget

which country you're in,
this sort of oasis here of...

dare I say it, luxury?

But this is more than a hotel.

Look at this.

It's also a polo club.

Suddenly, I feel I'm home again,
I'm in England, and yet I'm not.

You know,
it's like what we've been through.

We've seen markets,
we've seen crowded streets.

We've seen
sort of people pushing around,

selling you stuff, and suddenly,

here you are
in the middle of a polo match

and still in Nigeria.

Ah, that's one. Someone's gone.

And this is quite...

And the scale of it,
it's pretty fantastic.

I think I'm probably in a dream
and will wake up any moment now.

No, it's the real thing.

Polo first came here in 1904

when Nigeria was part
of the British Empire.

It remains a popular sport,
especially in the north,

where horses have been central
to life for centuries.

SHOUTING

Ooh.

I've arrived in the middle
of the Charity Shield tournament

featuring both local
and international players.

just as it is anywhere else
in the world,

polo in Nigeria is mostly a game
for a wealthy elite.

Very good.

My job was marking today.
CH UCKLING

Marking, more marking.
MAN: It worked.

It worked, clearly.
Look at the scoreline.

I'm meeting Nigerian-born,

but Harrow-educated
and Sandhurst-trained Folarin Kuku.

It's always occurred to me,
you know, is it...?

It's a tough game, do you get
physical injuries as well?

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

I mean...
What kind of thing?

I mean, someone once told me,

"You're not a proper rider
unless you fall off."

Right.
So, yeah, I've taken a few falls.

You've fallen off?
I'm pretty experienced, I'd say.

You're a British Nigerian, right?

I'm Nigerian Nigerian.
You're Nigerian, are you?

But I was educated in the UK
and have citizenship in the UK.

Yeah. Ancl then I schooled there,

worked there for a bit,
joined the army.

Some crazy times.
So, was it the British who...?

I mean, because coming here today,

we've been in markets
in Lagos and Kano,

here, with all this lovely space,
it's like a sort of English garden.

I mean, was it the Brits who...
who started polo here?

Polo, like a lot of sports
around the world,

were moved around with
the British military. Oh, right.

I think the first people
to play polo in Nigeria

were the Royal Navy in Lagos
around 1905, 1910-ish. Yeah.

So, yeah, the British did bring it,

but like most parts of the world,
we add our own flavour.

Yeah. Why do you think
it caught on so much?

Was it throughout Nigeria?

Was it this northern part of Nigeria
where it caught on most?

Well, the northern part of Nigeria
has the equine culture.

But, I mean, the game itself,
it's such contrast,

as you obviously know,
between what we've seen and hear,

you've got to have a bit of money
to play this game.

ls there enough money around
in Nigeria?

Yeah, I mean, yes, of course,
there are extremes,

and Nigeria is a country
of extremes.

But again,
it's what you can put into it.

The thing that keeps polo going,
actually, is the grassroots

and the access to polo.
Yeah.

'Even if you do need a bit of money
to come here,

'it seems to me
that Fifth Chukker is determined

'to confound the stereotype
of northern Nigeria as a no-go area.

'It's a symbol
of Nigerian aspiration.'

I mean, this is more
than just a polo ground, isn't it?

I mean, it's a luxury resort.

Is that...? Is that
the future of this place,

to bring in not just polo players
and fans, but others?

Yeah, I think...
polo's a great draw in itself.

Yeah. And especially
when we're kind of out of town here,

people need a place to stay,
so that was the foundation.

I mean,
I'm thinking quite broad brush here,

but this is kind of like a...
almost like a pilot.

If you can get people
to where places like this exist,

you know, you can do this
all across the country.

How do you see the future
of Nigeria?

Are you optimistic?

Everyone says Africa
has a resource curse

because of oil and gas,

but actually,
our oil and gas is not our resource.

Our resources are our people
and our culture

because we're such a diverse
cultural group of individuals.

'I'm not saying polo clubs
are the answer,

'but I am starting to get a sense
of the Nigerian dream.

'Tomorrow we head to Abuja,
the brand-new capital city,

'which I've heard is a vision
for the country's future.'

Early the next morning,

I find myself back
in everyday Nigeria.

LIVELY CHATTER

This is Kaduna Railway Station.

Everyone here, including me,

is hoping to catch a train
to the country's capital city.

Well, I love trains.

I'm quite excited to be
at the railway station.

As you can see, it's not smooth
at the moment, progress.

The reason why we're taking
the train, actually, to Abuja

is that we were advised
this whole stretch

is a difficult security risk,

but the idea is that taking
the train is actually safer

than going on the road.

One ticket to Abuja, please.

OK. Thank you. OK.

Very careful... ticketing going on.

Hey. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Ticket! Ticket to Abuja.

I've been told Abuja represents
a new and prosperous Nigeria,

which probably explains why
so many people are heading there.

I'm on a O05.
SV8... 5.

Thank you. That's right.
Oh, good. Thank you.

Or maybe it's just
the brightly painted carriages

that are drawing people in.

Thank you, sir. Thank you.

Righty-ho.

13, 14, think I'm here. Oof.

Ah.

Well, being on a train again,

that's something
about South Yorkshire lads.

We feel comfortable on trains,
you know.

YORKSHIRE ACCENT: Polo's all right,
but it's not for us.

Being on 'orseback
wouldn't suit the lads.

We could do it on bicycles.
HORN BLARES

Bye, Kaduna.

This is terrific,
train leaving a station.

What better sensation?

HORN BLARES

My journey will take me 150 miles
to the centre of Nigeria.

As we head south,

the landscape becomes
increasingly lush and tropical.

This railway is almost brand new,
having been opened in 2016

at a cost of $1.6 billion.

Like many infrastructure projects
in Nigeria,

it was constructed
by a Chinese company.

TAN NOY: Attention, please.

This is to inform
our distinguished passengers

that we will soon be arriving
at Kubwa train station

in the next few minutes.

Abuja station is also brand new,
and its sleek, modern design

wouldn't look out of place
in Beijing.

This is at the heart of a major
sort of investment in transport,

largely Chinese money.

This probably cost millions,
and the idea is that, eventually,

this will be the heart
of a complex of railway lines

which goes right through to Lagos.

So this is the transport system
of the future.

As we drive
into the centre of Abuja,

it becomes clear
that this is very different

from the other cities I've been to
in Nigeria.

They're building everywhere,
cranes everywhere, sort of,

and new blocks being built.

It's obviously a place on the make,
you know, the buildings too as well.

They're all fairly new.

They've been built
in the last 20 years or so.

So there's a general feeling
that it's in pretty good shape.

It's got... I mean, the road system
here has all been planned -

wide boulevards, tree-lined avenues.

I think it's the space, actually.

There's room to move here.

It's... you know, it's a bit like
being in California, in a way.

Abuja is a relatively new city

and has only been the capital
since 1991.

Its position
in the centre of Nigeria

was seen as a way of uniting
the country, making it a capital

for all the different ethnic groups
in Nigeria.

Designed by American architects
with wide, tree-lined avenues,

Abuja is a vision of a new Nigeria.

It's also the home of Nelson,
our security advisor,

and he's very proud
of Nigeria's brand-new capital.

What are the advantages of life
in Abuja? OK.

So in Abuja, we have all government
agency headquarters in Abuja. Yeah.

Ancl then we also have
lots of administrative activities

and buildings here in Abuja.

It does seem to be, you know,
long, straight roads,

everyone behaving themselves...
Yeah.

...which seems to be a little bit
sort of un-Nigerian.

THEY LAUGH

Well, the reason
why you say Abuja seems quiet

is because
there's a lot of discipline.

Ah, right.
There's a lot of discipline.

We have good access roads
everywhere. Yeah, yeah.

Whereas in Lagos,
you know, the traffic gridlock.

Do you think this is a pattern
for the future of Nigeria?

It's supposed to be a model
for all the cities.

I believe, gradually,
Nigeria will work towards attaining

this same model everywhere.
Yeah.

Good. Well, come to Abuja,
everybody.

NELSON CHUCKLES

Makes Redhill seem
like a boring Surrey town.

THEY CH UCKLE
I'd like you to live in Abuja.

Oh, would you?
Yeah.

OK. We'd have some good fun,
wouldn't we? Of course!

We have clubs, we have lounges,
we have restaurants,

we have everything.
THEY CH UCKLE

Good health care for the ageing.
Good health, yeah, exactly.

That's what I want, really.
Exactly.

We have...
I need my daily fix.

Of course.
THEY CHUCKLE

It has been said
that for all its wide roads,

Abuja is just a little bit dull.

But it does have its quirks...
and this is one of them.

Well, there aren't many cities
in the world

where you'd find a plane built
on top of a house, as you have here,

and it was built by a businessman
for his wife,

who loves travelling,
and probably given her everything,

what more could you want, but
an aeroplane on top of your house?

I mean, even I haven't done that.

Arguably, Abuja's main attraction
lies just outside the city.

It's one of the most distinctive
and famous sights in all of Nigeria,

and it's huge.

This is Zuma Rock.

It's 300 metres high to the top,

and it's one kilometre across
the top of the mountain there.

And it's the centre of Nigeria,
geographical centre of Nigeria here,

which is probably why Abuja
was built here.

And you don't get a feature
more than that

to underline the heart of
the country sort of standing there,

just fantastically impressive.

One of the most distinctive features
is the formation

of what looks like a face
in the rock.

You can see the couple of eyes
up there.

So, I mean,
I should think this probably has

great spiritual significance.

And a lot of people must feel
that this is an awesome presence.

I feel that, certainly.

HORNS BLARING

The next morning,
it's time to leave the capital

and drive south
to the city of Lokoja,

from where Britain
once ruled Nigeria.

Well, we're now heading south
on our way through a very...

...heavily populated country.
HORNS BLARE

After a few miles,
we enter a part of Nigeria

known as Kogi State,

and road conditions
take a turn for the worse.

Well, I've just seen a sign
from the local politicians

campaigning under the slogan
"Make Kogi Great Again".

Well, it could certainly start
with the roads.

Ooh. We're gonna have
to hold on tight.

Because we've really lost our
smooth, broad surfaces

further north,

and it's now... the surface is...
it's potholes.

As Abuja's bubble of modernity
recedes into the distance,

I realise that I'm back
into the slightly harsher realities

of the rest of Nigeria.

Three hours south of Abuja,
the landscape changes once again

as we find ourselves surrounded
by water.

We're driving to the city of Lokoja
where the Niger and Benue,

the country's two main rivers,
converge.

Where are we now?
Crossing the Niger River.

The greatest river in West Africa.

Over 2,500 miles long,

the vast Niger River
originates in Guinea

and eventually releases its waters
into the Atlantic Ocean

on the coast of Nigeria.

And at the point where the Niger
meets with the Benue River

is a city that is to be my home
for the next couple of nights.

Well, this is Lokoja.

Think of African
hustle and bustle again,

trading going on
either side of the road.

Lokoja, the main city of Kogi State,

and it's busy,
loud and extremely hot.

But as we pass through
a busy roundabout,

it's hard not to notice
a very enthusiastic traffic cop.

It turns out joy Onoja is something
of a local celebrity in Lokoja.

It's about 40 degrees centigrade
and extremely humid here,

but her energy seems endless.

May I...?

May I have a word and say
how much I admire your performance?

Thank you. I'm very glad, too.
We're from London.

God bless you.
It's great... That is fantastic.

Thank you, sir.
How do you do it? How do you...?

How do you survive in the heat?
I love the job. I love it.

How do you keep fit?
Yes, I love it.

Yeah.
I love Nigeria Police Force.

Oh, yeah, you do.
I love it very well.

And did you make up your own rules?
Yes, I'm very happy.

That is why I love
Nigeria Police Force.

That is why I do the job
to my satisfaction.

Yeah.
God bless you.

It doesn't look like a job.
It looks like a sort of routine.

Yeah, that is why you see me...

Very good.
..when I'm working.

Yeah, yeah. I'm very happy
because I love the job

since I was brought up to join
the Nigeria Police Force.

HE CH UCKLES
God bless you, sir.

Thank you very much.
Thank you. I'm grateful.

I really appreciate it.
Thank you, sir.

JOY by name and joy by nature.

I'm not sure anyone
has ever been quite as happy

to be in the Nigerian Police Force.

SHE SHOUTS,
HORN BEEPS

There is another side to Lokoja,

something that binds this place
to Nigeria's colonial past.

From 1882 to 1960, Nigeria became
part of the British Empire,

and this city was effectively
the first capital

of a united Nigeria.

There are still buildings from
the period of British rule here,

which of course must be treated
with the utmost respect.

This house here was actually
shipped out in kit form from England

for a man called Frederick Lugard,

who, if anyone can be called
the creator of modern Nigeria,

it was him who, in 1914, brought
together the Northern Protectorate

and the Southern Protectorates
of Nigeria into one entity.

So I suppose, yeah,

that was the first time
Nigeria became Nigeria.

And quite an interesting fact,
quite interesting,

is that his friend at the time
was called Flora Shaw.

She was a journalist, and she it was
who wrote a piece for the Times

and said, "Perhaps
they could call this Nigeria."

By bringing together
these very different regions,

Britain also brought together
hundreds of different ethnic groups

into one constructed country,

and many blame continuing divisions
between these groups

as being the root of problems
that plague Nigeria to this day.

When he was based in Lokoja,

Lugard's favourite place to come
was Mount Patti.

Well, we're now,
with a bit of difficulty

climbing up to Mount Patti,
which overlooks Lokoja.

Oh, yes. Wow. There I can see.

Oh, yes. Fantastic view.

Now, that is a mammoth view.

That's extraordinary, isn't it?

That's natural beauty of Nigeria,
which is... yeah.

I didn't know what to expect,
but I didn't quite expect this.

The view is spectacular.

Lugard loved this place so much that
he built a small cottage up here.

There are now statues of him
and Flora Shaw next to it.

But I'm not sure that many
Nigerians want to celebrate

the days of the British.

I decide to ask my friend and fixer,
Chriss Nwobu,

his feeling about the impact
of colonial rule.

Chriss, can I ask you what have
the British ever done for Nigeria?

THEY CHUCKLE

Well, for me, this is
my personal opinion and my take...

That's what we want.
..| think one of the worst things

that happened to Nigeria is actually
the British incursion into Nigeria.

Should there have been a Nigeria?

Was it the good thing to do
to create one country?

There were nations here
of different people

before the advent of British
into Nigeria,

and these different nations
of peoples were having

their different activities,
doing businesses among each other.

But the moment the British came in,

then this whole concept
of divide and rule, you know,

that was introduced, you know,
started splitting people apart.

Ancl that has continued to be,
to play out till this clay.

The British were known for adopting
divide-and-rule policies

in colonised countries,

pitting different groups
against one another.

And some say these divisions remain.

British used to like to lump
places together, give them a name,

underline the name,
put it in a file,

and that's that, you know.

It's too complicated
to think of too many nations.

Lorcl Lugard first starts
with the name Nigeria.

Yeah.
Ancl we are stuck with it today.

But having said all that...
Yeah.

...we have been together
as a people...

...in quotes, as Nigerians, you know,
for a period of time. Yeah.

So I think that instead of dwelling
on the past, is for us,

especially the younger generation,
to chart a new path.

How do we make this place
a special place for us

that we as Nigerians
will be very proud of?

When you see a Nigerian anywhere
in the world,

they walk tall, you know?

I believe
in the collective strength also,

you know, a country
of over 200 million people.

That's a force to count with,
to reckon with.

But we can only make it better
ourselves.

I do not believe in... aid
or whatever, yeah.

You make your home what
you want it to be.

Lokoja marks the halfway point
of my road trip.

I've been in Nigeria now long enough
to get some impressions,

and, I mean,
we had the power cuts all the time,

transport isn't great,
the roads aren't great,

the infrastructure isn't great.

But the thing is
that the country itself,

there is such a sense of...
of potential here.

There are things which I like
about Nigeria,

and there are things
which I feel very strongly about

which is actually people's
sort of energy.

I'm learning about the history.
I'm learning about their background.

So far, I just feel

it's been hanging on
by your fingernails sometimes

to sort of keep... keep up
with the pace of the country.

But the more you get into it,

the more you get
into the rhythm of the place,

and perhaps the less one
should make judgements about it...

...because there's a lot
that's great here.

So, um, good morning, everybody.

ALL: Good morning.
I hope we all rested well. OK.

It's time to leave Lokoja and drive
to our next destination, Benin.

So, basically, we are going
to be driving through areas

that are regarded as red zones.

Before you take up any activity
in the course of this trip,

consult the team lead.

We have radios in all the cars,
we're wired with GPS.

We need to maintain
a very high alert level.

'Local elections in this area
have turned violent,

'and there have been several
bandit attacks on the roads,

'which themselves
are in a perilous state.'

Well, this morning,
we're leaving Lokoja

and travelling south to Benin.

And this is gonna be
one of the longer journeys we'll do,

longer times on the road,
and the road is... is a bit dodgy.

And once again, we're in...
we're in a slightly difficult area.

We'll see how we go.

Even with more armed guards,

there is a distinct feeling of doubt
over whether we will reach Benin.

'Next time...'

SHOUT I NG,
ALARMS BLARE

I've never seen anything like this.

'Nigeria's roads
become something of a problem.'

We're in really serious trouble now.
HORN BLARES

Oh!

'Feelings about the British
run high.'

What are you doing here?
Well...

I want to talk to you
about these white people.

'In the Niger Delta, I discover
the terrible price this country

'and its people are paying for oil.'

This river is dead.

'And I witness worship
on a scale I've never seen.'

SINGING,
CHEERING

What a roar!