On the Sunday when we met Bishop Anthony he was full of praise for the Clinic at Ankpa, it was obvious that he considered it to be a showpiece of his Idah Diocese. When Isabella, Katie, Kimi and Megan presented their idea to him he gave them and all of us a special blessing asking God to help us to continue the work for Mums and Babies. He was heading off to the Bishop’s Conference but he had arranged a late lunch for us, it was now about 4.00pm and we hadn’t eaten anything since we were on the plane so lunch was very welcome.
On Monday we were up at 6.00am to leave our Hotel in Ayangba and travel for about 45 minutes to Ankpa. We were so looking forward to this visit, Father Simeon had told us about Sister Bridget and later John Boateng one of the key workers in the CAFOD Office in Jos told us that her nickname is Sister Wonderful. We were soon to understand why.
Nothing could have prepared us for the amazing welcome we received at Ankpa. As we approached people were lined up on the road, waving and cheering, we didn’t realise that they were part of a welcoming party for us ! As we drove through the gates, the first thing we heard was drums and then a great throng of people dancing and singing guided us into the complex. The whole place was trimmed up with homemade garlands, balloons and ribbons. It took an age to get to the building that is at the heart of the Clinic and where Mass would be held later on. It took so long as everyone wanted to shake hands and hug us. It was overwhelming.
There at the centre of things was Sister Bridget, her smile was glorious and her command of all things, total. She was surrounded by children, most of them born at Ankpa or delivered by the birth attendants who go to the 5 outreach clinics. After the welcome, the work of the Clinic resumed and Sister Bridget whisked us away to another building for breakfast. This was the Convent, the dining table was huge and filled with provisions, bread, butter, jam and marmalade, cornflakes, boiled eggs and Laughing Cow cheese !! All milk is powdered and there are huge flasks of hot and cold water. Households have to store water, flasks are essential as the electricity can go off at any time. We immediately described the breakfasts at the Convent as 5*.” How come convents are the same all over the world ?” I thought.
Nigerian TV and loads of people including Tim were filming and taking photographs all the time but they were banned from the breakfast room by Sister Bridget so we were able to relax and enjoy.
After breakfast we were told of a change of plan by Father Simeon and Peter. Everyone seemed to be very excited about this alteration to our programme, especially Collins a very smart and capable looking gentleman who later told us that he was from the Nigerian Security Services, his job was to protect us at all times on our visit. It brought home to us just how much care and attention had been allocated to our trip. The Police appeared and we were divided into groups and with Collins and a Police escort we were transported in convoy to the Palace of His Royal Highness the Ejah of Ankpa. The Ejah is the local King and Head of the Traditional Council. Locally and regionally he is a very important man. He represents the second tier of government in Nigeria, the Federal government being at the top and the Local Government below. We arrived at a large gated building, to either side of the gates were carved wooden reliefs depicting the King and his people. His stallion was tethered to a mango tree in the garden. We were greeted by his secretary and ushered into a very grand room dominated by his throne. Two carved lions’ heads formed the arms of the throne. The audience with Bishop Anthony was conducted in a fairly formal manner there were speeches and due deference was paid to Nigerian protocol, however, the audience with the King made our meeting with Bishop Anthony seem laid back and relaxed. It was here at the palace that we were introduced to the highest form of etiquette. We didn’t really know what to expect but we realised that we had to get this right as Peter told us that if we could get the Ejah on side it could make a massive difference to the health care programmes in Ankpa and Idah. We were told by the Secretary that at the mention of the King’s name we were to greet him by saying “Agaagoo” We were all sat around the edge of the throne room on leather sofas, it was very hot and humid as even the King is subject to power cuts. The 3 body guards entered first and then his Royal Highness followed by 2 more guards. The guards were dressed in red and reminded me of Ninja warriors. Indeed the whole event was like something from a film. The King had an unusual head dress and red and green robes. The proceedings began with prayer led by the second most important Chief who like the King is a Muslim. The prayer was translated for us by the Secretary. The speeches began with the Secretary introducing the King and stating that the King had heard of our visit and had decided to find out more about it and this was why he had invited a delegation from Ankpa Clinic to his palace. There were lots of speeches, Peter and then Margaret providing background and an explanation of CAFOD’s work and then it was my turn. I was filled with trepidation, I don’t think that I had ever been so nervous. I began by bowing and with the greeting to the King “ Agaagoo” and this seemed to please everyone as everyone cheered and applauded. The nerves subsided and I introduced the girls who all stood and bowed and greeted the King, more applause followed. I explained how we began this journey in one Palace but there we didn’t have the honour of meeting the Monarch. Here in Ankpa we were honoured to be in the King’s presence. That did it, we had his full attention. I was able to show him the World Gift Catalogue but before doing so had to ask permission to approach the throne, the guards lowered their swords, thank goodness and he read the entry about Mums and Babies with interest.
I must say that the girls coped admirably with all the protocol and they behaved impeccably showing deep respect to his Royal Highness and his entourage. Many adults would have found it difficult.
There was a pause and then the King spoke, you could literally feel the whole company hanging on his every word. He began by thanking the girls for their idea and bringing it to Nigeria and particularly to Ankpa. He smiled ( and believe me that must have been difficult in his headdress ) and called them his daughters – the whole company cheered and applauded and the musicians struck up, we realised this was a fantastic honour. He then announced that he was so impressed that he wanted to invite us back to the Palace on Wednesday to receive titles from him. It is hard to describe the reaction of the African people in the room,they were wild with delight, jumping up and down, cheering and clapping. Sister Bridget was so pleased she was dancing. The King then asked Father Simeon to formally end the proceedings with prayers, just as we all joined in the Muslim prayers at the start, everyone prayed together at the end. We all went outside and lots of photos were taken, the King shook hands with all of us and we were told that this was unusual too. We then went to the Local Government Offices and met the Chairman and his wife, referred to as the First Lady. There were more speeches and the girls gave their presentation to the Chairman. He had heard already that the King was going to honour us and he expressed his great delight at this. He also told us that the King is a Paediatrician and that was one of the reasons why he had asked to meet us. More photos were taken and then it was back to the Clinic. The people there had been waiting for us but everyone was happy and news had spread about the titles so they were all thrilled at the news.
Mass was beautiful, the main hall of the Clinic had been prepared in our absence and it was packed with people, so much so that the Choir and about 60 people were sat outside the Hall. Everyone could see though because the hall has no walls on the 2 long sides. The singing was fantastic and we joined in as much as we could. The First Lady came to Mass and this was considered to be very significant and she and her husband are Muslim - Another coup for Sister Bridget. Father Simeon, the Parish priest and another young priest concelebrated Mass. At the offertory everyone stood up and in procession danced to the Altar where there was a large bucket set there for the peoples’ offerings. It was great and again we all joined in. It would be interesting to see this here at home, I wonder if we could handle it?. After Mass we were treated to another celebration, there were more speeches and more protocol but Steve, our Master of ceremonies at the Clinic ( who reminded us all of Tom Mc Gee ) tried to keep it to a minimum. I think he knew that we were flagging a bit but it was all so exciting and new that the adrenalin kept kicking in and we were grateful for Sister Bridget’s 5* breakfast. The Nursing staff had written a song of welcome for us and they sang with great gusto and harmony in a way that it seems only Africans can do. Then all the Dance Troupes arrived, one from each village where Ankpa has an outreach Clinic, 5 in total.
The dancing was fabulous and pretty soon the girls were hauled into each group and much to the delight of everyone they joined in and acquitted themselves very well. Margaret and I did our best. The change to the programme meant that we had missed lunch, so it became dinner or tea not one of us cared, and then we had to leave as it was now about 5.30pm and we had to reach Ayangba before dark. It is not recommended to try to travel on the roads at night, there is no lighting and the potholes are everywhere so it is very dangerous. The sun goes down at about 6.30pm so we were cutting it fine. It took about 30 minutes to actually leave the Clinic as everyone wanted to say good bye, even though we were due to return the next morning.
The girls slept all the way back to our Hotel, they were exhausted but exhilarated. Later we all met in Tim’s sitting room to discuss and reflect on the happenings of the day. What a day! I can honestly say that it was one of the very best days of my life. The joy of the people, the amazing welcome, the wonderful demonstration of faith, the genuine harmony and respect between Muslim and Christian, and we were starting to witness the good work being done by CAFOD and how it was being helped along by the pack for Mums and Babies. At the end of this remarkable day we knew we were truly blessed.
Elaine
NEXT - Visit to Ankpapa Village Community
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