Immediately Garoua was announced to be the base of Super Eagles of Nigeria for the Africa cup of nations in Cameroon, journalists, travelers were skeptical about the location.
It was even more worrisome when an advance party of the Federation of Nigeria went to check the city and it was revealed that countries’ hotels are just being built.
Fast forward to January 6th, 2021, I entered Cameroon and another life started entirely.
The first challenge was the exchange rate as Naira is now a “dead” currency compared to CFA. 1000 CFA to 950 Naira and that makes it crazy.
As my throat dey dry like this, I rushed to buy a bottle of water and I was shocked, a bottle of water is 500 CFA, that was approximately 450 Naira. Omo, this is “Dorime” standard o. I struggled to pay.
As if have not learned my lesson, called a roadside hawker and I immediately opened a Coke, asked the price and he said 350 CFA. Omo, 350 Naira for Coke, Naija man get coconut head sha.
Took a bus to our location and they wanted to show us Lagos in Cameroon as they almost snatched a colleague’s phone from the window. Bike boys don enter here again.
To something serious, we entered the Garoua streets, and guess what, no one is wearing nose marks here. It seems Covid-19 is on a break here and that’s the major problem in Africa as people even government seem to have moved on from the pandemic.
And CAF has informed all journalists that there will be a Covid-19 test before every game and that means I will have to be very careful because it seems people of Garoua have moved on from the virus.
