Come with me to the land of promise, Akwa Ibom, where I learned about new cultures, ate, and visited historical and beautiful places.
Remember the goal is to travel the world? If you are like me and the thought of traveling makes your heart swing into beautiful dance steps, then you are welcome to share this goal with me.
I have dedicated this blog to making travel easy and accessible, so you should definitely stay longer after reading this article and rummage around the blog for some more travel gist.
Let’s get back to it.
I traveled from Lagos to Akwa Ibom on a local flight and it was a pleasant experience. It was also my first time on an airplane.
At the time, my brother was doing his NYSC (a mandatory service done in Nigeria after University graduation) in Akwa Ibom. My mom wanted to send him some things, so I volunteered to go because I wanted to explore Akwa Ibom and its tourist attractions.
It was an experience I looked forward to because the Ibom Air flight I booked was Akwa Ibom-owned and they already had the state’s attractions and activities listed on their site.
It was also my first flight experience, so you can imagine my excitement.
I did a lot of research as usual, because I never travel without thorough planning.
Things I did Before My Journey to Akwa Ibom from Lagos
Here is the list of things I did to make my journey to Akwa Ibom easier.
- I planned my flight by reading articles on what to know on your first flight.
- I planned and created a travel itinerary on the things to do, places to visit, and how to get around the state. Note: This was not very easy but when I got there, I learned more about how to navigate the area from my brother and locals.
- I booked my flight as early as a week before, to avoid unavailability of seats if I had booked later.
- I reached out to my brother to help with a guide on how to get to his place from the airport and let me tell you, there are some things you have to experience by yourself – I will tell you later in this post.
- I packed clothes and shoes tailored to the places I would be visiting on the one-week-long trip.
- I didn’t need to book accommodation because I would be staying at my brother’s place.
And then, I was ready to go.
Flight booked! Clothes packed! Itinerary packed! All ready!
Interesting Things I Learned About Uyo, Akwa Ibom
When I got to Akwa Ibom, it started raining but luckily, the airline provided a bus to take us from the airplane to the inside of the airport.
There are some things you have to experience by yourself
No Public Buses At the Akwa Ibom Airport Like Lagos
Remember I said earlier that there were some things you just had to experience. Even with all my preparation, no one told me I would not be getting a public bus from the Akwa Ibom airport, instead, only taxis were available.
It was my first time so I tried my best to look as stoic as possible to avoid getting cheated.
My brother had told me, that 2000 naira would get me to his place but these people were telling me that to get to the city center, I would pay not less than 10,000 naira. I was so confused. I tried to ask someone else if I could get a public bus, but he didn’t answer. He was also a taxi man so I assumed they worked together.
I was being careful. However, when they saw I wouldn’t budge, they eventually agreed to 5000 naira or thereabout. Note that prices would have increased greatly by now because this trip was taken in August 2024.
While we were on the road, I thanked God quietly that I didn’t leave angrily because truthfully, there was no public bus and the Akwa Ibom airport road was very long and private, with few people on the road.
Men Should Sit At The Front In A Bike
I and my brother took bikes a lot when we went sightseeing. I have a rule that if I’m on a bike with a guy or a man who is not my partner, I will be at the back while the guy sits between me and the bike man.
My younger brother had no problem with this arrangement because it was our normal way of sitting, but he told me it was not allowed in the state. I laughed and didn’t think too much of it.
When we got to the road, some men started looking at us awkwardly, asking why the man was in front and not at the back. They also asked who he was to me.
I was silently fuming but I answered anyway. I told them he was my brother. They said, alright, but he should be sitting behind not in front, I ignored them and told the bike to keep going.
We did this several times as we visited different attractions and the men always tried to stop us but we would ignore them.
So, let’s say, I took a bike with a strange man I didn’t know, they probably would have tried to get him to sit behind me and I trust that I would definitely get down from the bike and pick another one alone or with a woman.
The Bike Men Have Umbrellas
Another interesting thing I noticed as soon as I got to the village side of Akwa Ibom state was that the bike men had umbrellas that could cover everyone on the bike and to be honest, I thought this was so cool.
Riding bikes in the sun or rain in Lagos or other parts of Nigeria can be a big hassle, especially if you need to get somewhere urgently. It’s either you don’t get a bike during the rain or you get ready to be soaked.
I wish other states could implement this.
The Roads Are So Neat
My brother stayed in a village called Mbiakot and you would expect a village to look rowdy and below par but not this one.
Their roads looked so tarred and neat. I took a walk and I enjoyed it.
Unlike, the area I live in Lagos where taking a walk can be a hassle because there are lots of bumps that take you up and down the road. The only advantage to it is that after walking a few miles you would have lost a lot of calories from walking up and down hilly roads. LOL.
My Experience in Uyo, Akwa Ibom
When I arrived in Mbiakot, my brother made me feel at home in their tiny coper’s lodge. There were only a few people around because it was the holiday season, this gave me enough space to have a fun and quiet experience.
They stayed in a large school compound and they charged their phones with a solar panel provided by the government. They didn’t have light (electricity) or a transformer, which I hope will change in the coming years.
I took a lot of walks and also enjoyed the ambiance and serenity of nature in the place. It was a pleasant experience.
However, in the night the mosquitoes made me uncomfortable. Thankfully, my brother had a mosquito net that helped us stay safe at night but we had to tuck it in well to avoid loopholes.
I had always wanted to know what it was like to live in a village, so that was a firsthand experience.
Now, let’s go into what you have probably been waiting for. The places I visited in Akwa Ibom and my experience. Trust me when I say, I have a lot to tell you.
Ibibio Museum and Unity Park, Uyo
The first place I visited was the Ibibio Museum in Uyo. It is located on Udo Udoma Ave, right after Tropicana Mall.
Many of the locals don’t know these places, so you can try telling them “After Tropicana Mall or Udo Udoma.”
My brother and I almost got lost because we were asking for directions to the ‘museum,’ which can be confusing for the locals.
We eventually got there and we had to walk inside a large area. There were lots of plants and trees, and also people having fun in the area. Apparently, it also doubles as a park called Unity Park. We eventually got to the museum but alas, it was closed.
We saw a man I assumed to be the security but he didn’t seem very interested in attending to us. I was starting to fume.
After waiting for a while, some men came and approached us. They asked us to pay to access the museum. I can’t remember how much they asked for again but it was about 2000 naira per person.
Mind you, this place was supposed to be free.
I disagreed and told them, it was supposed to be free. They said I had to pay to take videos and pictures. I told them I would only take pictures, so they agreed to 1000 naira per person, I think.
They eventually allowed us in, and then one of the men told me to freely take videos, that it was fine. So, we did.
We had a great time there though.
The Ibibio Museum is very beautiful, big, and educational. We learned a lot about the state and past governors of the state.
Akwa Ibom state is also really big on God and the Christian Religion, which was pleasant news to me.
We eventually finished our tour, then we were ready to leave, we got some souvenirs, paid, and left.
We walked around Unity Park before leaving and then took more pictures and videos.
Outside the park, we took keke napep ( a mini public vehicle) to Tropicana Mall, where we continued our adventure.
Tropicana Mall
At the mall, we went straight to sightseeing. The Tropicana Mall was big and classy. I loved the ambiance, the running water fountain, the long stairs, the cute shops, and the fun music.
We took pictures and videos as usual. Then, visited MIniso for some light shopping. We also visited a food joint where we had Amala, a Yoruba delicacy.
I still wonder why I didn’t have an Akwa Ibom native food, but my brother and I craved our native food, probably because my brother had not eaten it in a while.
We looked around the mall for a while, then we were ready to go back home to rest for another day’s journey.
A Visit To Akwa Ibom’s Historical Street in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area
The next day, we visited the historic street in Ikot Abasi which had lots of historical places in every corner of its street.
Before we go into our experience, I need to tell you that the road to Ikot Abasi from Uyo is not a short distance.
From where we stayed in Mbiakot to Ikot Abasi, we went with a cab that carried other passengers.
It was a long journey of about 2 hours or more. When we got to the bus stop, we still had to hire a keke napep to take us to “The Lord Lugard House” street.
Lucky us, he was used to the area, so he knew where we were going.
When we finally got there, he showed us that there were other places on the street to check out.
He dropped us at the entrance of the now-closed, Aba Women House or Museum. I couldn’t even tell.
We walked down to the bridge of no return where we took pictures before my altercation with a Policeman.
My Altercation with a Police Man at The Bridge of No Return, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom
When we got to the bridge of no return, I greeted all the uniformed men standing and sitting there, some replied, but some didn’t, so we went about our discovery.
We were about to climb the bridge of no return when a policeman asked why we were there and why we didn’t even greet them.
We explained that we did but they found faults in all we did because we didn’t pay some form of bribe.
He also had a problem with the way I spoke with him, which I’d admit was a result of my now increasing anger.
He ordered us to leave and I didn’t try to plead because I was angry at the way we were treated.
We walked out and made our way to the Aba women’s burial ground where we took pictures.
Some local men came to us on bike and demanded that we leave the place because we were there without permission and we didn’t pay some fees.
They also said some policemen reported us to them. We explained what happened and they understood. They took us to join a group of people. We paid a small fee of maybe, 2000 naira, to join the tour group, which was great because we got to hear historical stories.
Lord Lugard house
We were taken to Lord Lugard’s first house in Nigeria, which was now old and inhabited by locals.
The walls were made of European walls I used to find fascinating when I was younger. The windows were old and also held a warm memory of the former windows we used in Nigeria.
We were also told about the utensils and old kitchen of Lord Lugard’s wife.
We also saw some old Nigerian artifacts, some belonging to Lord Lugard and his family. His picture was also placed there.
The Aba Women War Memorial Mock Grave
We finally visited The Aba Women War Memorial Mock Grave where we were told sad stories of how The Aba Women fought and perished in the sea. The grave was made to commemorate where they had died.
We were also told about how slaves were dragged on the street we walked to the bridge of no return.
We heard a lot of sad and memorable Nigerian history that day. It was a great experience.
Conclusion
Travel is a beautiful experience. Many of us, especially me, look forward to traveling to other countries and learning about their world and culture.
But we don’t realize that, though we live in the same country, and sometimes speak the same language, there is still so much we don’t know about other people in the other states in our country.
They have cultures and traditions that we may never know of unless we visit them. There are also experiences we may never have, unless we leave our home, our city, our state, and explore other states in our country.
This was a great experience for me, but I believe I have still not visited many other places in Akwa Ibom and I look forward to doing so, some other time.
Till then, I’d keep exploring.
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