26 February 2018
·6 min read
Nigeria to Ghana by Road – Motorcycle Trip (November 2017)
Nigeria -> Benin Republic (10 hours)
The journey from Lagos to Ghana started around 5.30am at Falomo roundabout, Ikoyi, Lagos.
I had developed phantom malaria symptoms some days before the trip which was my mind’s approach to giving me an easy way out. I knew what was going on, so I ignored it.
And truly, once the journey started the symptoms dropped away as my thoughts and feelings became about the ride.
We rode through the waking city, towards the Lagos – Benin Republic border.
It’s difficult to describe the joys of riding to a non-rider.
The sheer volume of information to be processed forces the mind to drop all non-essentials.
Breathe in. Breathe out. You’re alive. Process the information. Breathe in. Breathe out. You’re alive.
Our Ride to the border was a nightmare. It was easily the worst part of the entire trip. We dodged huge potholes and craters, including portions devoid of paving.
After this, we stopped to discuss our horrible experience while rehydrating.
The crew got to the Nigerian-Benin border about 8am and here we waited for another 5 hours while an “agent” sorted our papers.
In hindsight, we shouldn’t have used an agent. The experience was consistent with the border corruption experienced at almost every border.
Benin Republic -> Togo Border (4 hours)
It was 4pm when we left Cotonou after filling up: a full tank should get us to the Benin-Togo Border.
This was when the road trip journey really began.
We rode through Cotonou.
It was rush hour and traffic was building, with more motorbikes than cars. It was a common sight to see well-dressed women riding motorbikes.
Just as we got through the traffic, a light shower began which made the white road-markings slippery.
After my bike fishtailed a couple of times crossing over those lines, I learned to avoid them.
Roads are mainly designed for four-wheeled vehicles.
One thing I would never forget about this trip was the spectacular scenery. On my next trip, I would ensure I have a Gopro strapped to my bike. The process of stopping to take pictures was a lengthy one, which the other bikers were not interested in doing, and it wasn’t a good idea getting lost in a strange land.
There was a lot to see on both sides of the road. I think more people should travel by road. This trip revealed a yet to-be-captured image of Africa.
Two hours later, at 6pm, we got to the Togo border. The Crossing agents assured us one hour would do for processing. I relaxed and went looking for refreshments with the rest of the crew.
Our conversations flowed around the good roads, the villages, and the unhurried lifestyle of the people.
Looking ahead to our final destination, we started planning for a 10pm arrival… hit the night clubs with the Accra bikers, and sight-seeing essentials for the following day… you know, typical biker gist.
Unknown to us, our plans were being dismantled by the powers in heavenly places.
Togo border -> Ghana border (4 hours)
The document processing was completed by 9 pm. Togo still had to be crossed before we could arrive at the Ghana border.
We guessed the Ghana crossing would take 1:30hours to navigate. If we could ride across Togo in an hour, we could reach Ghana before the border closed for the night. I was becoming tired by this time.
We refueled just inside Togo, before we started riding through some of the darkest roads I have ever seen in my life. It was gut-wrenching.
No streetlights, no divider, just one single road with nothing separating us from oncoming traffic. I kept praying we wouldn’t ride into a pothole, as I led the group through that darkness for most of the next three nerve-wrecking hours. I was relieved when we got to the border.
Ghana Border -> Accra (5 Hours)
We considered sleeping at the border. The immigration officers were meticulous in checking the VIN. I couldn’t believe it! These people, at 12am were looking for VIN numbers! The only country that checked, and also the only country that didn’t extort.
We laughed and joked about our day’s experience. Going through adversity brings people closer.
At 12am, we set out for Accra, estimating a 2 hour ride.
Of note is a biker who had an issue with his bike gearing, which we couldn’t fix during the trip. This same rider got to Lagos the following day ahead of most of us while stuck permanently in 6th gear. Amazing German engineering. (I’m accepting contributions for my own BMW by the way. I don’t know of any other marketing that can beat what that bike did performance-wise.
At a point, became fatigued and got worried about dozing off and falling-off the bike. I eventually couldn’t take it anymore, and pulled-over to stretch and a regain alertness with a brisk walk.
The others didn’t seem to notice and I was soon all alone on that empty stretch of dark road, with trucks whizzing past in the other direction. Far off were lights from village settlements twinkling through the surrounding bush.
When I resumed riding, I rode for a long time without catching up with the other bikers. I kept asking people and they all mentioned having seen a group of bikers a while before.
I kept at this for a long time until I met my unofficial riding partner where she had stopped to wait for me. She noticed my headlights were missing, and was about to turn back when I appeared. We rode on together and met the others at the Lower Volta bridge.
After what seemed like forever, at 4.30am Nigerian time, Saturday 25th November 2017, I rode with my crew into our hotel in Ghana.
