This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
On March 24, 2020, I found myself in a desperate situation, stuck in Nigeria with no clear way to return home. The COVID-19 pandemic had caused widespread travel disruptions, and I was one of the many people affected.
As I waited at the airport, I couldn't help but think about the anxiety-inducing traffic jams that are common in Lagos. I had experienced them before, but this time, it was different. The airport was closed, and I was running out of options.
My local contact, Lanre Ajkobi, and a cab driver well known to him, had picked me up at CitiHeight Hotel at 6am. We had planned to beat the morning rush, but it seemed like fate had other plans. The airport was in chaos, with people milling around, trying to find a way out.
As the reality of my situation sunk in, I felt a mix of emotions - disbelief, shock, and denial. I had been reassuring myself that surely, there must be a last-minute flight. But as the hours ticked by, it became clear that I was not going anywhere.
With no flights available, I was forced to accept that I would be stuck in Nigeria indefinitely. I was the only Kenyan in the group, and almost everyone else seemed to be traveling to Europe or the US. The guards informed us that there were no flights, and I soon realized that my goose was cooked.
As the day went on, I continued to plead with the security personnel to allow me to go in and confirm for myself that indeed, there were no flights. Finally, they relented, and Lanre was allowed in. He walked out a few minutes later and confirmed that the offices were closed.
The only hope of any communication with anyone at the airline was a phone number stuck on one of the doors. When we called the number, a woman sleepily confirmed that they would not report to work until further notice. They were closed.
My heart dropped to my stomach as the possibility of not going home sunk in. Most people were making frantic calls to the airlines that they were supposed to travel on, or to their relatives or flight agents. I stood there in disbelief, trying to process the situation.
Seeing my crestfallen face, Lanre called an agent he knew to see if there was a possibility of connecting through another country, including the possibility of traveling by road. But even these options were not viable, as borders had been closed.
At 10am, three hours after we had arrived at the airport, I resigned to fate and opted to proceed to Owerri as earlier planned and go ahead with the job that had brought me here.
