Farewell to N’Djamena: The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad- Mimurcat

By Isaac Benjamin

Farewell to NDjamena is a literally classic that carries out a narrative on the United Nation Mission in the Central Africa Republic and Chad (MINURCAT). The book examines the withdrawal of the European Force which gave way to MINURCAT Force activities in the region. Unfortunately one year later, the force was considered not to have attained its Humanitarian Mandate especially as the Presidential election was by the corner. Chad had made peace with the then old Sudan whose President had the ICJ hammer dangling on his neck for war crimes. All effort to get President Idriss Derby of Chad to extend MINURCAT Mandate proved abortive. Subsequently the mission began to wind up gradually. The author is of the view that the numerous political challenges and conflicts in African is caused by the greed of its leaders who have turned the institutions of governance to that of personal gains. Finally, the book will assist the United Nation Secretary General to know the challenges that faced MINURCAT which led to the resignation of the Special Representative of the Secretary General. It is a must read piece.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jun 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491894842

Isaac Benjamin

Isaac Benjamin is the author of several literary classics with distinctive characteristics. His works portray true narratives of human experience. The author is a product of the Nigerian Defence Academy with a B.Sc in Political Science and Defence Studies. He holds a Masters Degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolutions. He hopes to be done with his Doctoral studies in no distant time. His works among others includes Great Giants of Wicked Purities, Child Delivery in a Courtroom, Farewell To N’Djamena, Ode to Children of Our Embattled Values, a collection of poems titled The Solitary Verses. The author has some research works published in several journals. Hell’s Gate, one of the author’s literary works is in Hollywood database. The writer is a nationalist who strongly believes in the unity of his country, Nigeria.

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© 2014 Isaac Benjamin . All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/28/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-9452-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-9484-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Part One

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Part Two

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

About The Author

Dedicated to Uncle Femi and Kathy (Mbanefo) Ogunseitan

PART ONE

CHAPTER 1

The Sun stood very close and the heat radiation made the temperature unbearable for the living creatures. Many camels and horses had died due to the domestic work the owners subjected them to under the intensive heat. Life expectancy for both man and other living creatures here is low. There is hardly any little pool of water as the desert sucks up all moisture very quickly. There is also barely any artificial body of water in sight. The wave that is generated from the heat is dangerous. The doctors in the Mission advised that every United Nations Personnel be they International Staff, United Nations Volunteers or National must have two liters of bottled water every day to avert dehydration. Survival in this country is very difficult. This is an obvious indication of the effect of climate change. While some white folks saw the harsh Sun as an opportunity to tan their skin, it was rather dangerous for those of us that came from the temperate regions of the world.

I had waited long enough to be considered for a Peace Support Operation Tour of Duty, after we submitted our names eight months ago with all relevant documents as well as our medical test results. It was as though everything about our Mission had gone into oblivion. Surprisingly, after a few contacts with some relevant persons, I got information that I had been slated to move to the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad. It then truly dawned on me that our society needed help from the Super One. The news came as a thing of joy as I will have enough resources to handle a lot of personal monetary challenges. All over the world only a few countries have their Armed Forces paid above sufficiency. Many countries especially those of the Third World give very little of their GDP to their military personnel. These missions were therefore, enormous opportunities that could not be joked with. In the previous dispensation, only those that had strong connections with people that could influence things for them got the juicy assignments such as this one. I had shortly moved to the military unit in Katsina one of the states in North West Nigeria. Although it is the home of our late President Yar’ Adua, I could not report on time for my posting due to some reluctance from my previous boss to let me go. My journey to my new unit was with mixed feelings because I had already been declared Absence Without Leave (AWOL) which was not my fault.

I drove through the beautiful highway which led to the entrance of the city. By its side a few meters into the state capital is the university which happens to be one of the best edifices of modern civilization. The Servant Leader had transformed the whole state to a semi ultra modern city before he became President of Nigeria. It dawned on me that there were truly honest leaders in my country amid scavengers that could dig up the foundations of the houses that were built by good people. In the far away Al shabab beset country of Somalia, the rich at one time looted the treasury up to the skeletons of the iron safe. Subsequently, the peasants staged an attack on the rich elite and drove them away from their houses. They vandalized the accommodations and carted away with all the building materials to their villages to erect their own little slum apartments.

I was particularly stunned with the ordinary feature of the president’s family house. There were obviously men of honour like the few we read about in history. I was excited to see a man who believed in the values of life rather than materialism. Each time the President came into Katsina, as the Battalion Second in Command, I usually had a significant task to accomplish. It was my duty to deploy soldiers to his residence and ensure the safety of strategic locations. He was the simplest and unassuming leader I think we could ever have in this part of the African Continent. A lot of the peasants within the state had his direct contact mobile phone numbers.

During an Army Recruitment Exercise for the state before the system was changed to the present one, the candidates had called on the President on the fifth day of the exercise to complain that the military did not provide them with food yet they were kept under the hot Sun on a daily basis going through the rigours of screening as though they were yet soldiers. The President who was filled with compassion had called on the Governor of Katsina State to send some little pocket money to the young lads who were seeking for recruitment into the Army. Within thirty minutes, there was a directive for the youths to assemble at the Officers’ Mess where they were paid some money one after the other. They obviously had the ears of the President and saw him as their father.

I can not dwell so much on the modesty of our departed Servant Leader who was a rare gem for time to behold. Within the brief period of my stay in the state, I noticed you could choose to live a simple and satisfied life amid surplus in the over blotted glamour of worldly excitement which would end up under the sixth foot garbage house. I saw humility and love for the needy. How wonderful our life could be that we press for vain things.

I can hardly remember the things I witnessed during my brief stay. My thoughts took me to the unit which had been tasked to conduct a major bush exercise. I had written the Operational Orders for all the Phases of War which was in line with the Manourvrist Approach. I was satisfied with the level of training of the soldiers in the unit who saw me as their confidant and motivator. The exercise coincided with yet another visit of the President. His elder sister had just passed on. We had to combine handling the training in the bush not too far away from the cantonment with the programme for the funeral ceremony. Finally, all was set for the burial rites after the arrival of many dignitaries and His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The burial took quite a short period. Messages of condolence poured in from different nooks and cranny of the country as well as outside Nigeria. The President left that same day in the evening back to Aso Rock, the Presidential Villa in Abuja. I remembered my schedule that period. I had organized the soldiers and had them deployed to all strategic places under our Area of Responsibility. We communicated regularly on radio and sent periodic situation reports. That funeral ceremony made certain to me that even the Presidents of the World do have time to mourn. Then why are some so different? I asked myself, Why are they so insensible to the sufferings of their people?

It is because they do not love the Great One, a quiet voice told me from within.

I returned back to our Unit Headquarters’ for debriefing with the Commanding Officer of 35 Battalion. I was please that everything went on well. We later drove back to his house for dinner. He particularly desired that I ate the fish pepper soup his wife had prepared. The Commanding Officer’s residence was like a farm house. It had large number of cows, sheep, goats, fowls, a few bush animals like antelope and many others. I was amazed by all the things I saw especially the fish pond. It had many different species in the transparent pool of water. As they struggled to get pieces of food particles scattered in the water, I was stunned by the beauty of the Most High in creation.

I was not inclined to having to visit the residence of my superiors except there was an official assignment that took me there. Moreover, I was disappointed that the Commanding Officer had declared me on AWOL on the unit nominal roll which was sent to the higher Headquarters’ before I reported to the Unit even though I had called him on phone to explain my predicament. And though he is my superior, and that we attended the Senior Staff Course together, I was in for a surprise because there is usually a level of coercion among colleagues who had worked together in a particular sphere in the military. This he neglected with the authority of a Commanding Officer.

Any time we jumped from the aircraft, there was usually was a passion that kept us the paratroopers like men of esteemed valour. We showed it in the love between ourselves. This kind of relationship is also common among colleagues that had trained together or suffered some form of misfortune within the military. This was not obvious in the attitude of my new boss. He was a man in my opinion with a weakness that had to do with power.

Although the Commanding Officer had his good sides, many soldiers did not seem to like some things about him. Part of it was that not only was he not too interested in their welfare; he was not approachable unlike his predecessor who was from Eastern Nigeria and far more liked than himself who hails from the North East Zone. I saw his weakness in his avoidable clashes with his course mate he took over from. The deep hatred that ensued between them was something that I felt disappointed with. The problem was known even to the soldiers of the Unit. The culminating point of it was when the then incumbent Commanding Officer was asked to release a soldier that was posted to his mate he had issues with. He became very difficult and like Pharaoh of old put in some stiff resistance and some pretences by refusing to allow them to report to their new unit and attached to his course mate. I interceded in the matter with the utmost urge to get both friends together again but the damage was much. At last, my boss conceded to release only one of the two soldiers with conditions of signing out all of the unit vital documents and from different offices properly.

While I spent my few weeks trying to get use to working in Katsina, I trusted the Almighty all the same that my United Mission does come to pass. A few days later, I got a phone call from Warrant Officer Wale stating that my ‘Travelling Authority’ had been received by the Army Headquarters’.

Wow,Dear Jesus, I shouted hysterically, You do answer prayers. I had told the Commanding Officer in faith that I was not going to stay long in Katsina. I was also careful he did not use his powerful links to those that matter to block any good will that was coming my way. I was exceptionally humbled by the spoken words of faith I had made everyone including my boss to believe reluctantly which had just come to pass. Wale sent me a copy of all the documents through my email address. He also informed me that we were to travel to Chad for a new United Nations Mission in that country. I had never met Wale before in my life. This was obviously God’s favour to me. Good things however small they could appear does not come that easy here. All those with little worldly help do not get the enormous splendor of assistance except He does intervene. In my sincere heart He did. I called on my family to tell them. I had caused them to believe that my stay in Katsina was going to be brief. I got to the Commanding Officer to tell him my good news. He stared at me in complete astonishment.

You did say you will not stay long here, he muttered.

I was happy he too had to bear witness to the prophetic words I had spoken to my life. The Mission was one of the highest paid in the world. I told myself I would use this opportunity to excel in my literary works and affect the lives of the less privileged which had always been my drive.

The Commanding Officer did not want to release me in good time. My course mate was already posted to the Unit with the appointment of taking over my office. Although, the posting had come a month earlier, the new man, regardless that he is my good friend just reported to the Unit inadvertently. I had been told by the Commanding Officer about someone taking over my office but I could remember telling him it was not a problem. I had liberated my entire life from fighting for anything that was not designed for mine and would not give me real peace. I was so excited in my spirit that truly, the lines had fallen onto me in pleasant places… . It was therefore not necessary for me to press for my release to leave the Battalion. I had also convinced the Commanding Officer to allow one of the two soldiers he was ready to release to his course mate to travel with me. He did not want me to be witness to the bad side of his enmity with his course mate. Amazingly, he continued to drag his feet about the release of the two posted soldiers. His course mate had also called to speak with me on the matter.

Having followed all the necessary criteria for my release, I was able to only secure the Commanding Officer’s consent for one of the soldiers to be given a pass to travel to his new Unit. I got into my car and veered off the endless beautiful road. I was in a hurry to get to Abuja to process my travelling documents. The released soldier drove his car ahead of me while I followed. I did not know the road that well. I allowed the soldier to continue with his journey to meet his boss down south when we got to Jaji the home of the Infantry Corps and the Armed Forces Command and Staff College. I needed to stop over to buy some military kits and camouflage from the officers’ shop.

Within thirty minutes, I headed towards the express way again. A car sped past me then horned continually. I was stunned as it over took me with such a high velocity. It was probably somebody I was familiar with but could not place where I had met the young man driving it. The Peugot 206 brand of car he drove was like mine. The heat of the Sun was not so high but I decided to watch my speedometer regularly as this Euro currency opportunity of the MINURCAT Mission must not elude me. The car slowed ahead of me conscious of the fact that I was not ready to meet up with the speed. The man inside it, a slightly tall and young man pressed the botton for the glass down to look at me. He was in military uniform. I could see the whole of his face pasted with blood while a part of his skull opened half way.

Don’t forget to write that book. I was not the man that did it but they framed the lies and did this to me. Safe journey, I will meet you on the way.

He turned off into an invisible route and all I could see was his car moving at top speed into the endless Afaka forest. I was now less than 2 Kilometers into Kaduna State Capital. I continued my journey this time a little bit careful. Goose pimples had completely taken over my body but I needed to drive more slowly to avoid an accident. Which book was he talking about? I asked myself. I could remember the face to be one the victims of an ill-fated crisis within some power brokers at the time of the much abhorred military regime. The man was framed by his best friend who talked him into so gruesome act which he turned down. Some weeks later, he died mysteriously while trying to save his only child engulfed in their fire gutted apartment. It was the worst thing that could happen to a man with an only child. Having saved his son, he could not survive the injuries he sustained from the inferno.

To make up for some cover up as the house was set on fire by some villains in government, news made the rounds that the man had plotted to cause some serious calamity to the administration. In death, he groaned over the lies that were told in high places about his person. This was as though his hard works were not appreciated. He had sought for vengeance for over ten years by following his culprits to some timely departure from mother earth whose apron had been captured by many strong forces that were beyond her powers. I remembered all the hard and brutal way his family was evicted from the barracks. Is this attitude of regime truly kind? The men at the helm of affairs labeled him a traitor even in death. I was amazed at what could happen to a man’s family when he passed on for the higher life if he left in the Super One or perhaps to damnation if it were the reverse.

I got to a village that was about 20 kilometers to Abuja. Many vehicles had over taken mine. I was no longer in a hurry. The thought of where I would lodge in Abuja was another challenge I had not looked into. I must first get to the Army Headquarters’ to collects my documents for the journey before anything else. As I thought of the things I would need to do ahead of time, I saw a strange being in a car that was the same make with mine but was red in colour. He drove so close as though trying to whisper something to me from his car. The traffic was much. The vehicles behind him applied their horn very laud at the obstruction on the highway. I guess they saw the strange apparition trying to talk to me. He stretched his head from the driver side and rather muttered;

Don’t forget to write that book. Remember John?

I held my breath for some seconds then struggled that my confidence did not disappoint and lead me to some sudden death. I knew very little about John and the incident that led to his death. I was only a freelance writer that wrote love poems for colleagues who were at the verge of getting married. I looked at the time. It was almost noon. I needed to be done with all I had put down in my ‘do list’ for the day. The apparition disappeared with the vehicle. Nobody could see where it retired to. Some commuters behind me that witnessed the incident parked off the road due to fear while others continued with the journey. Many of us were terrified. None of the vehicles made further effort to overtake me except for the speedy ones coming from behind.

I did not see the aparition again. I drove into the Army Headquarters’ then went straight to the Department of Operations. The other officers we were to travel together were there. I called on Warrant Officer Wole for some advice. He had collected some of my requirements on my behalf. I drove to the office of the United Nations Development Project (UNDP). We were given our tickets and other information we would require for our journey. Then back to the Department of Operations, we got documented then had a brief on the country we were to travel to. I decided not to stay over in Abuja because I could do much if I travelled back to Enugu in good time. Since I had a car that was not up to three years, I was confident I might not have any mechanical fault along the way. It was going to be a nine hours drive or there about.

I set out to travel to Enugu where I had served in Headquarters’ 82 Division for three years after my staff college course in the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji. It was a long and necessary as drive I had to meet up with the date for my flight in Lagos which would be in less than a week’s time. Some of the items for my journey were in my apartment in New Heaven, Enugu. I will also need to have my car parked in the Division Headquarters’’.

I arrived at 9th mile the town that is on the outskirts of Enugu some minutes past 8 p.m then headed towards the Enugu. I drove straight to my apartment to remove the luggage I travelled with. I did not leave any of my belongings in Katsina since I knew I was not going back there. I had missed the town I was already familiar with for so long and the delicacies like nkwobi I could hardly get in the North.

I got back to town that night to get some water and dinner. I had decided not to stop unnecessarily along the road during my journey. I met a couple of friends in town hanging out. It was the ladies night which was usually every Wednesday. Lots of night clubs in Enugu would have activities lined up for the night which most often terminates at dawn. With the date for my flight out of Nigeria by the corner, I got my car neatly parked at the car park of the Division. I also gave out my email addresses to those that would need them. I was certain that something could cause somebody to send me a mail. I began to feel for many of the family friends I knew who had become part of my life like Professor Mrs Mbanefoh and family, Mr Prince and Barrister Mrs Prince, Chief Chika Opara and family Chief Pete Edochie and lots of my friends in Enugu.

CHAPTER 2

I spent four days in Enugu preparing for my trip. Early hours of the fourth day, I set out to the airport to board the 7 O’clock flight with Aero Contractors Airline. Wale had called to remind me about the date of our journey. He collected my ticket on my behalf. The flight arrived Lagos in good time, then I took a taxi straight to my uncle’s house which was not too far from the Airport. My mind had been set for the journey which was to be in the next two days. We were initially confused about the weight of the luggage we were entitled to and did not know that DHL was already contracted to handle this which must not be more than a hundred kilograms per person. Due to our lateness in getting this information, I decided to travel with only my requisite requirements which were not up to forty kilograms. The late President’s best friend had given me an equivalent of one thousand dollars which I had used to purchase all that I needed. I did not have to borrow money from the Army Headquarters’ as was the case with those that did not have enough money to travel with. I changed all my naira notes to dollars.

On 3 April 2009, we were set to begin our journey for the Mission in Chad. I and Wale went to collect our uniforms, boots and other items at the Ordinance Headquarters’ Yaba. We almost missed the flight as we both had a wrong schedule for the take off time. I could imagine what would have happened if we missed the flight. We would have had to travel back to Abuja to get another ticket. I hurried back to the Sam Ewang Air force Base to get my luggage from my uncle’s house. Then, I took a vehicle immediately to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport praying to the Great One that I did not miss my flight. Wole had also gone to pick up all he needed to travel with and immediately took a taxi to the airport.

I dressed up in uniform then took a taxi to the International Airport. On getting there, I collected my ticket from Mohammed an airforce personnel. It was handed over to him by the other four members of our group as they were to begin the checking in process. One of the officers had collected my ticket from Wale. I had the privilege of a quick screening then given passage to the boarding section. I met two of the workers who were my corps members with the National Youth Service Corps some years back in Sokoto State. I could hardly recognize them. They further facilitated the procedures for me and wished me safe journey.

We waited for a few minutes before boarding then Wole arrived. I met the other members of our group. I had not seen any of them before including Wole. I offered a quick prayer for myself and those of us travelling then boarded the Ethiopian Airline. That we did not miss the flight was a mystery to me. I remembered that I kept speaking in other tongues that the flight must wait until I boarded. It was one of the longest flights I have ever had. I began to wonder why we had to go so far away from home and then detour back from Addis Ababa to N’Djamena the capital of Chad. I slept severally and woke up to read from the screen that appeared on top of the door of the crew cabin to know the location of the flight.

After seven hours airborne, the flight began to descend in Addis Ababa Airport. We were to transit there but would have to wait for forty minutes before boarding the next flight. Many passengers in our previous flight that were travelling further to Dubai, Spain and some part of Asia also transited to board another flight. I put on my warm clothings as I was getting cold. It was as if we were still in the plane.

CHAPTER 3

We waited longer than the forty minutes we were expected to be at the airport. I refused to continue with my rounds of sleep for fear of the flight leaving me behind. I will have no reason to blame the devil for it. The weather was very cold, probably because it was early hours of the morning. The man that sat by my side in the plane was travelling to Dubai. He was a business man from Imo State. I guess they should have been airborne already. The other guy who sat next to the later was on his way to Spain. He told me he lived there with his family. I was not sure of the weather situation in Chad although I had detailed information I needed about the country. We were also given some guidelines during our country brief.

We boarded the aircraft for onwards trip to N’Djamena. We were served some meal and coffee. I was pleased that we were already heading towards our final destination. We estimated landing in N’Djamena for 4 a.m. I was still afraid to sleep as the flight continued to encounter some turbulence sclouds along its route. The final announcement began in French then English. The plane then began to descend then hit the run way and started to taxi to the apron of its final stop. We waited for a few minutes then began to alight from the plane. We headed towards the arrival hall. All our bags were later brought by a trolley to where we waited inside the arrival hall for identification. We then proceeded to where we could board a UN vehicle to the UN Headquarters’. One big challenge we had was that we could not speak French. Six of us all Nigerians stood blank at the airport like some lost immigrants.

I advised that since it was that late, we had better waited at the safe zone of the airport until day light came. We already knew that the country had some ex rebels that were criminals. They could rob anyone especially at odd hours. The Chadian Police at the airport knew we must be Nigerians. We also got to know that like Lagos you needed to be careful in N’Djamena.

Parle francais? You speak French? One of the police asked.

No, we don’t speak French. We are Nigerian, Badisha answered.

It was as though we had a good reason for not understanding the lingua franca of that country. We could not use our phones there as the service providers were different so we needed to buy a new sim card to call the Nigerian Embassy. We desperately needed help. The airport was a scantly scattered few number of buildings, a hanger and a tiny runway that terminates less than a kilometer. The land mass was not as big as that of a standard airport. Most of the edifice and roof sheets were beginning to fall off making it easy for rodents and mosquitoes to have a healthy abode. Sometimes, a big rat could run across your legs while you try to move your luggage to the exit point. The mosquitoes were horrible. They carried the worse of the malaria virus that could kill very easily.

Early morning at about 6 a.m we saw a lot of people coming to the airport in UN vehicles. There was a UN Flight to Abeche which was the Force Headquarters’ location. It then dawned on me that the long journey was not yet over. However, we had been advised to get to the UN Headquarters’ in N’Djamena first. One of UN officials of the department of Movement Control MOVCON walked up to us. He noticed we needed help and were new in the Mission.

Hello, Sirs. My name is Hesse. How can I help you? He asked politely.

"I am Isaac. These are my colleagues all from Nigeria. We are trying to find our way to the UN Headquarters.’’

OK then. I will take you all to the Force Headquarters’ Rear. There are military officers there that would attend to you, Hesse put in. He was a tall, light and lively man with an average weight that carried his energetic physic. Initially I thought he would be from Ethiopia but later got to know he was from Tanzania.

We put our entire luggages in his Nissan Jeep and within ten minutes we had gotten to the UN Headquarters’. We saw the sign post captioned MINURCAT QUATERIER. He then helped us to contact one of the officers at the security unit to allow us into the camp. It was not yet time for the staff to be at work. Our next challenge was to find out where the Nigerian Embassy was. We made several inquiries about our accommodation and the prices of basic essentials. The hotels were expensive while the rented houses were also on the high side. If we needed to save enough money, we would have to cut down on a lot of expenses. Two of the senior Non Commissioned Officers and Badisha went out to locate the Nigerian Embassy while we waited for the senior officer from Pakistan to be in the office by 8 am.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Zarfar was the one to attend to all officers that were deployed to the Mission. He is a man with a medium height in his late forties and eye lashes neatly curved. He had sharp eyes with a smile that makes you truly assume he was a cynical person which wasn’t so. Zafar was among the officers that were selected to spend some time in New York to come up with a plan for Mission. The name for the Mission was MINURCAT which means The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad. I observed that we were among the early comers too. A few officers that worked with the European Force for the past one year were retained for the Mission to have a solid foundation. Colonel Zarfar gave us some forms to fill and prepare for the checking in process. The first thing we were to have was the UN Identity cards which were in different categories. Those of the International Staff were not the same with the UN Volunteers. In the same vein, that of the National Staff was also different from those of the Military Component. It was easy to identify a staff from the type of identity card he carried. The UN drivers’ license was another important and necessary item that everyone must obtain. However, a staff officer must have his country’s driving license which must be presented to the transport unit before the driving test was conducted. You are not permitted to drive a UN vehicle without a permit. It was also not possible as you would need to use the driving permit to activate the electrical system within the vehicle before the ignition can be turned on.

We moved from one office to the other with Lieutenant Colonel Zonu, an Indigene of Togo to have the various departmental heads endorse our forms. As they did, they would welcome us to the Mission and wish us a successful Tour of Duty. Badisha and the other two colleagues got back from the Nigerian Embassy with a good report. They told us that the Ambassador was waiting to receive us that evening. He was going to help us settle down. From the stories we were told about the country, it was not easy to find assistance there especially if you did not know the person before. We also had to get to know some important places like the central market, church, shops as well as landmarks that could be used to locate our way around within the capital.

We got to the Nigerian Embassy early after the day’s programme of our checking in process. We met the Defence Adviser who had already allotted the various temporary accommodations we were to move into. Some workers of Embassy assisted us and took our bags to various places we were to be accommodated. While Badisha, the Army Warrant Officer and my humble self stayed with the Defence Adviser in his residence, the other three Non Commissioned Officers were asked to put up with the Personal Assistant to the Defence Adviser. An hour later, after we refreshed and we were taken to the Ambassador’s house for dinner. His Excellency was a man that is averagely bi lingua a typical example of the kind of diplomat that could promote the image of a country. A black skinned man with a moderate built, and not too tall. His eyes were dark blue carefully stocked in its oval face. He appeared full of humour, experience and was knowledgeable enough to far surpass the experience and capability of a seasoned diplomat. He could mesmerize you with such beauty and splendour of his orated spree that forces you to have so much love and respect for my country amid all security, financial and political poverty it finds itself.

I began to imbibe the habit of a diplomat by emulating how things were done. His Excellency spoke at length as though he was not going to stop. We listened to a man who had it all. I was thrilled for the first time as I sat down as though in self pity. Then he was done with the stories and meals were already set for us to devour. There were different types of Nigerian meals. I was happy amala was there too. We ate to our fill. After we had finished eating, we were treated to different kinds of drinks. We discussed in between. The Defence Adviser then came up with a poser which brought another round of argument to which His Excellency came up again to moderate. It was my opportunity to determine the true opinion I held of all our leaders at different strata. The Ambassador was a practical and very objective person who told you the opinion he held on all issues. He gave different instances about the failures that had continued to trail the polity and the insincerity of our leaders which is contributing to the decline of our image internationally. Are we truly the Giant of Africa? I asked myself as I listened to this brilliant diplomat. He will balance the argument once again with some obvious unique strides that peculiar persons would take to distinguish themselves and make their countries respected. He then told us that we were the Ambassadors of our country to MINURCAT. As Nigerians, we already carried the image of a country that had been battered which we were meant to rebrand amid the numerous nationalities that made up the Mission. It was an eventful occasion which proved to me that there was hope in my country.

We retired back to our various accommodations then began to try to calculate the amount of money we could save within the period of our stay in Chad. My biggest wish was to have my works published internationally. I needed to crave a niche for myself in a seemingly hopeless society. Corruption had eaten deep into the bone marrow of excellence in all sectors of our nation. We have missed the point and like blind men led from the deep of the dark to groove for direction. Of a truth, we did not wish to be for the Mission only to have financial gains, we had so much wealth back home that would make us as comfortable as any colleague in a rich country in the world if we had the virtues of good governance than strive for any foreign operation.

I calculated all financial implications of the projects I intended to accomplish putting God first as I always did. My drive for my literary works was much. I had offered the prayer of Jabex that the Lord would enlarge my coast. I must in the name of Jesus have a name for myself through my literature and a voice that would cry loud into the farthest part of the universe. Then it struck my inner recess that I must learn French and several other International Languages. Like Uncle Femi that speaks five foreign languages, I should sell myself to a world of hope, virtue and legacies. My deployment would also affect my goals, I told myself. If only I can be made to serve in N’Djamena. In the few days ahead we would know our places of deployment. The Force Commander decided that there was going to be a restructuring of the Force Headquarters’. This was not what was going to bother me in any way. Was I going to have my name in print internationally? I will not allow any distraction from anywhere, I told myself.

Dear Jesus, please enlarge my territory, I had spoken into my life at the year’s cross over service in agreement with the man of God’s prophetic declarations through my Pastor Chris. I had liberated myself essentially. I was free from all setbacks, mediocrity, injustice and corruption which had taken a toll of my country that was once seen with hope and admiration.

CHAPTER 4

MINURCAT Camp was quite rich with many facilities. The French Troops that were offshoot of the European Force had not been repatriated completely. There was also the Level One Hospital managed by them within N’Djamena. What impressed me most was that a few of them were bi lingual. I began to wonder why the French had to dismantle all their equipment in the camp rather than transfer them over to UN. They could just have agreed on the monetary value. There were other nationalities in the