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THE BRIDGE HEAD

By Haruna Penni

It all happened during a project monitoring visit to a bridge construction site in Azare region which was worrisome to the Italian contractors.

“We cannot meet the deadlines due to the bridge issue but the main alignment has been substantial completed,” the project manager explained.

“What issue?’ I wanted more explanation.

“Whenever the bridge superstructure was constructed and erected, the following day it would collapse.”

“Oh! I see,” I said indifferently since I was not there when the structure was constructed. And I have heard such tales by moonlight.

It was not as if I didn’t believe the project Manager but I left the team, not out of suspicion but maybe on intuition to just check around. I then saw an old local Maigadi and greeted him.

He told me: “ I welcome you to our hotspot.”

I retorted: “What do you mean?”

He was eager to tell me his history: “A senior engineer was sent from their country to conductt integrity test of the bridge, after they reported the matter to the head office in Italy

“Oh! I see.”

“. But what he did was cultural analysis of the issue by merely requesting to see the priest of the village.”

“What for? I asked

“Oga I am telling you.”

“Yes! Tell me something.”

“We didn’t know so we told him of the king and he said it was ok.”

At the palace, the senior engineer made a request and we heard the King say: “We are all Muslims here so I don’t know anything of what you saying and do not superintend over shrine matters.”

He further informed him that his responsibility was purely political. He was recommended him to sees the village Imam who informed him that his role was restricted to conducting Sallah prayer sessions.”

“Then what happened?”

“The senior engineer then requested to see the oldest man and was told the eldest person around was a woman. He said it was not a problem and requested to see her. She was living alone in what appears as abject poverty in a dingy thatched hut in that precinct.”

The Maigadi pointed to a desolate part of the village near the stream. I turned to follow the index finger he gestured with.

“She expressed surprise at the visit and the request made of her, pointing-out that she had no any type of authority over anybody in the village. The senior engineer however insisted and begged her to grant them access to successfully complete the bridge. After much pleading, she asked them to come after three days.”

“Did he succumb to her invitation?”

“Yes! The engineer arrived promptly the following morning and she asked him to tell her the motive of the highway engineering.”

“Did you go with them?”

“I led them.”

He said the engineer listed the benefits of the road work to her as follows: “1) it would shorten travel time; 2) It would reduce maintenance cost of vehicles who ply the bad road; 3) It would create employment opportunities; 4) It would open up the corridor to socio-economic development.”

She remarked that the objectives were good. Then the Maigadi said he saw the sign of God that day when she charged.

“What made you think you can come here unapproved to start destroying and dislodging me in my dwelling?”

He said some of the black labourers who accompanied the senior engineer collapsed.

“The query she gave nobody could answer it. They just kept pleading and apologizing.”

“So…..”

“The old woman told them she could only help them if they can bring a black cow and other things to accomplish a ritual. They agreed and later provided the items and the bridge was successfully constructed and stand todate,” he narrated to me.

Actually, it was when the project manager was taking us round that I noticed blood splash on the bridge head and requested for reasons.

He merely told us that: “My workers performed so hard to get this bridge done after several attempts so at end they requested for celebration.”

Indeed. Nigerian engineers, scientists, technologists must refer back to triple helix postulations and cultural knowledge domains to tap into the magnetic forces located in their environment