On Monday, after sharing the good news about the scheduled repatriation with Lanre, my contact here in Nigeria and the person who has cheered me up most on this journey, we agree to meet the next day at 10am so that we can visit Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where we hope to be directed to a Covid-19 testing centre.
One of the requirements by Kenya Airways is that we get tested for the coronavirus before boarding the flight that will take us home on June 12.
I quickly decide not to sleep again to ensure that I am not late for our meeting, opting instead to catch up with new developments online, which turn out not to be much.
LOVELY SIGHT
I prepare myself and I am ready to hit the road by 10am, though Lanre arrives at 12.30pm, having sat in traffic for more than three hours. We immediately head for the airport and arrive there a little after 2pm. Empty and devoid of the beehive of activity it normally was before Covid-19 struck, it is a lovely sight.
We are sent to different desks and offices before we eventually find some helpful information from the airport clinic.
They are not doing the test here, but send us to a government clinic in downtown Lagos, where we might be able to get it.
It takes us another 90 sweaty minutes to get to the facility, but when we arrive, the security guard tells us that they are no longer doing the test and refers us to a place where we will get help. How frustrating!
FRANTIC CALLS
This entire time, Lanre and I have been making frantic calls to various contacts that we hope will guide us to a solution.
Most of the calls don't go through, and those that pick are of no help since they are either based in other states or have no idea how to help.
We are stuck in traffic for another 30 minutes before we realise that we won’t make it to the facility the security guard referred us to before 5pm, when most offices close for the day, so we quickly decide to drive to Ikeja City Mall.
I may not have managed to get that crucial test that will be my gate pass to the aircraft that will fly me home, but I can at least have the steak I have been craving for supper today.
With the curfew hours having been extended to 10pm to 4am, we are sure that today we will find Shoprite open. I can’t wait to bite into that steak!
The traffic is not as bad in that direction, so by 4.30pm, we are at the mall.
Life on the streets of Lagos is back to normal. And although people have face masks with them, they are waring them under their chins.
Throughout the whole trip I am quite apprehensive, knowing that these are count- down moments, and it would be a disaster to get infected so close to going home.
HYGIENE MEASURES
At the mall, all possible hygiene measures are observed – our temperatures are taken and we sanitise our hands. It is also compulsory to have our masks on before we enter the building.
Once inside, though, most people lower their masks, probably because it is very hot, so the mask feels uncomfortable.
We go through the same safety protocols before we get into the supermarket. In addition, there is someone stationed at the trolley centre to sanitise the trolleys before the customers pick one.
As luck would have it, I finally get to buy my steak and fries - what a treat! After picking a few other items and paying for them, Lanre and I leave for my hotel.
The trip back is against traffic, so about 20 minutes later, we are at my hotel. Lanre is not as lucky, though, since it takes him almost four hours to get home after he drops me.
I am exhausted, today having been my busiest day since I got stranded here in Nigeria more than two months ago.
The walk from office to office in the sweltering afternoon heat has taken quite a toll on my body, which is used to being indoors, with little movement for days on end. I make a mental note to walk as much as possible when I complete the mandatory quarantine period when I land in Kenya.
Ms Ndinda is Research Manager, Transform Research Africa Ltd. She is stranded in Nigeria, where she has been since March 21. TOMORROW: My search for a facility that offers Covid-19 testing continues.
My worry now switches to whether Kenya Airways will allow us to board should we fail to get tested.
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