New Bussa

 We entered New Bussa as it is now called but due to the construction of the Kainji National dam thirty years ago the previous location of Bussa is now underwater. New Bussa appeared a dusty town with small single storey buildings, Ken shouted for directions for the Royal Palace and we slowly progressed through the town. I had not seen another white person since we left the British Embassy in Lagos and could understand the strange looks we were receiving from the local people.Sam parked the minibus close to the Royal Palace which was situated near what looked like a parade square complete with tarmac. I saw a few people sitting on a wall outside the Palace entrance, Ken, Dave and I walked over and I presented my diary with the page open to Soni Lehmans full name. Upon seeing this two of the men ran off in the opposite direction at some speed. Within a few minutes an elegant man approached us and introduced himself as Al Haji Garba Wuru. The Magajin Garu of Borgu.
                                                                              
After exchanging introductions he invited us into the Royal Palace. We removed our shoes and took a seat inside a brightly decorated room, the walls were covered with cloth and photographs of many different Emirs were positioned around the room. On further examination of these portraits I could see each was wearing the large ‘ring’ made from the coin given by Lander. I explained the reasons for our trip and emphasized the ‘goodwill’ reasons and gave The Magajin a commemorative coin from Buckingham Palace gift shop ( Celebrating the opening of The Queens Gallery ) I asked if it was possible to see the coin. We were politely told to come back the following morning at 9am after a Council meeting was held.

                                                                      The Ring

                                                                             
After securing good clean accommodation and a nights rest we returned to the Palace at the said time and were invited back inside. We were all directed into a different part of the Palace. We were accompanied by The Magajin together with three Palace guards dressed in an attractive green and red African dress. Once inside a dimly lit room which contained floor lights I realized this was an important room within the Palace. Situated around the room were all the portraits of all the Emirs of Bussa since the late 18th Century. It was explained that two years ago the last Emir of Bussa had died, there was a dispute in progress at the moment to decide which of two family relatives was going to succeed as the next Emir. In the meantime he had been given the role of temporary Emir, a great honour and a mark of the respect he commands within New Bussa.

After listening to Al Haji talk about the history of Bussa, he unwrapped a cloth and presented me with the silver ring. This was the original silver coin given by Richard Lander back in 1830 to the Emir to ensure safe passage and  thanks for his help in securing a canoe to begin the river journey. Al Haji stated that to his knowledge no other European had ever held this treasured coin since Richard Lander. It was a strange feeling staring at this shiny silver coin with the flashes from the cameras causing it to gleam brightly. Upon closer examination outside in the daylight Al Haji drew my attention to a small inscription ‘TWYON JUN 5’ in small print. I have since discovered that this refers to Mr. T. Wyon who was famous for designing commemorative coins and medals.

 It would appear that this was indeed a commemorative coin specifically designed and minted to be given as gifts during the war between the English and America. I thanked Al Haji for this honour and Dave recorded the moment on video. Later that day the suggestion was raised to twin the Richard Lander school in Truro with a local school in Bussa to mark the 200th anniversary.  An invitation to this effect was typed on the Town Councils' headed paper and given to me to personally hand to the Head of the Richard Lander School.

                                                                      School Visit

It only remained we visit the proposed school. We attended both a primary school and a science school for secondary pupils.I  conducted a short presentation to two classes of children, the first aged about ten to eleven years, the next slightly older between thirteen and fourteen years. I was impressed by the standard of dress and behaviour of both sets of children. It was obvious educational equipment was in short supply especially concerning the science school.We gave some gifts to those children who could answer my various questions. Tee-shirts and baseball caps courtesy of Tom Jackson our sponsor from The Texas Embassy in London.

With only five days left before our flight home from Lagos we were now under pressure to complete all our objectives in time. We had made a good positive impression in New Bussa and enjoyed our best few days in Nigeria there. After a final day looking over the vast Kainji National Dam we checked with our hosts the availability of canoes  or boats to hire for the actual expedition. We were informed by Alh. Ahmed B. Mohammed  that the provision of boats would not present a problem. Such a promise was obviously good news but then again this is Africa and Mr.Mohammed is no ordinary African.

Our meeting with Al Haji Ahmed.B. Mohammed was indeed another strange co- incidence  because as I mentioned earlier the position of the next Emir of Bussa was under the Court of Appeal in Lagos. This title is very important and vital for the stability in the North of Nigeria; the Nigerian President deals directly with the Emir . During our stay in New Bussa we all visited the Kainji Lake National Park situated some 30km along a dusty road from New Bussa

                                                          Kainji Lake National Park and ‘The Sardauna’

After the ‘bumpy’ journey we arrived at the entrance to the Park, It had been an exhausting trip so far and this sounded like a welcome break.  This was a safari park with plenty of potential but required significant funding to upgrade both the amenities and wildlife. But it was still a nice break and we enjoyed a nights' rest at the resort.During our evening meal it became apparent  we were the only obvious guests. Just as we finished eating we were approached by a young man who spoke very good English. He informed us that the next Emir of Bussa was also staying at the resort and had requested to meet us. The Court of appeal had recently decided that Al Haji Ahmed B.Mohammed had would be the next Sardauna of Borgu or Emir of Bussa.

                                                                            

This was a stroke of luck to speak with the next Emir who would be in office in 2004 when we will undoubtedly need his support. After our meal we all joined him  outside in the still African night. Although slightly suspicious about this remarkable coincidence we offered the respect he demanded and referred to him as ‘Your Highness.’ This was quite fortunate as we discovered the following day at the Royal Palace that this indeed was correct and he was going to be the next Emir.

Al Haji Ahmed B. Mohammed was a larger than life character with a good sense of humour, wearing white African dress he would shout his commands to one or two of his entourage sitting close by. He had his eight year old son with him which proved an ideal opportunity to produce the ‘coin trick’ which went down  well as he roared with laughter.

The following day I was able to see the compassionate side of the Sardauna ( Emir to be ) as he drove Ken to the local hospital. I accompanied Ken into the surgery where the Doctor prescribed some medication for his fever. Ken had eaten very little food for over five days and was very tired. The Sardauna even paid for the medication himself. His kindness and helpful nature did impress me.

We had now been in Nigeria for nearly two weeks but had achieved only half of our objectives: Fernando Po together with a recee of the Niger river was looking doubtful. Enquiries within New Bussa revealed that no rapids exist south only north of the Kainji Lake. February/ March was a good time to travel as the rains are due in April and May. We had seen dug out canoes being used by locals with very few having outboard motors. Our options were open as to the method of transport we would ultimately use in which to traverse down the Niger. My thoughts would be to canoe just as the Lander brothers began their journey from this place on the 29th September 1830. The Canoe they used was in fact a gift from the Emir of Bussa as a gesture of ‘Goodwill’.

The Niger River was  about 800m wide between Jebba and New Bussa and did not appear to be flowing very fast, although this could be deceptive. When Richard Lander began his journey here he experienced a 6mph current when departing from Bussa. Due to the construction of the vast Kainji National Dam, the current and flow of water is controlled now  by ‘man’ and not ‘nature’.