The changing world (17) January 1971

Now we have the pressure cooker cooking meat is better. It is usually beef bought in late pieces which we cut and mince for only that way is it palatable. We were concerned as to a possible cholera epidemic. It had been unknown in West Africa until a pilgrim brought it back from Mecca. Treatment would require more IV fluids than we could provide. Thankfully it never happened. We did though have cases of the recently discovered Lassa fever, named after a village in the North East where the first cases were observed. It was an infection spread in rats urine especially when the stubble was burnt off after October when rains ceased. If you got it from a rat you would die bu from a human you had a better chance as the virulence attenuated. The problem was that initial symptoms were flu like. By the time lab teas were done overseas the patient was recovered or dead d. It had hit the headlines a year or two ago when two missionary nurses died in Jos then two lab workers in USA.
   We did some preaching among the Ganawuri villages. This tribe had in the past a notorious reputation. A friend was interviewing one of their pastors on their history but he was reluctant to mention this topic until he was asked why the nomadic Fulani cattle herders had avoided Ganawuri lands. 'Because if they came we would eat their cattle and them too'. Such was the cannibal reputation that when the British brought the railway through they needed pressed labour as no-one would voluntarily work there. It should be noted that only a few tribes were cannibals in the past. One was the Mwontol. In 1966 at the time of the Ibo killings, pastors from Kwalla refused to return home from Langtang by night because they feared the Mwantol had returned to old ways eating Ibos fleeing south. Such cannibal tribes could be identifies by sharpened teeth!
   I knocked a youth off his bike when he rode without warning across in front of me. Fortunately someone came up and told the gathering crowd it was all the fault of the silly boy. We were warned not to stop in event an accident but to drive to the nearest police. The next day I gave the bot something to repair his bike stressing this was a gift not an admission of liability.
   Started teaching Religious Knowledge at kuru boys Secondary School where Geordie John Gordon id Christan headmaster. One teacher there is Jacob Isaacs. Not Jewish but an Indian Christian. They gave me one howler. 'Who was in the fields outside Bethlehem when Jesus was born?' 'Wild shepherds'. I also taught Scripture to student nurses. Pharmacology too. Katy taught hygiene to midwives.
   Roast pork always a treat for it is the only meat you can roast and only available in non-muslim areas. One of our colleagues was Maurenn Harford, lab worker. A very lonely woman she eventually wanted to retire in Nigeria but could not do so with SUM. So she joined a RC order and eventually AFAIK died in a convent on Portugal. We only had one other single lady missionary leave in strange circumstances. Why a nurse in charge of the contraceptive supplies on private wards should get pregnant by a Nigerian remains a mystery. Except it shows immorality is folly as Proverbs says, more folly than wickedness. She went home and would have returned to marry the father except he meanwhile had had to marry a Nigerian girl likewise pregnant. We never lost a missionary for fiddling the books. Fraud was a Nigerian speciality.
   Enjoyed playing badminton and volleyball also walking and even jogging the local peak behind Vwang town. I refereed football. A European ref was respected except when I had our accountant Trevor Wells running the line. We knew the offside rule. The players did not so once we lost control of a game after a correct decision. But I was glad to be absent for the hospital versus the army. We won and the army literally took prisoners. John Lang and the local chief had to go and ask the CO for the release of our team. Remember the army ruled the land at the time. We were there through one bloodless coup, one failed assassination coup and the return to civilian rule. I reckon their was much less corruption under the military as politicians said vote for me and I will look after you, hence the corruption. Originally we left Nigeria with a bicameral parliament, one elected house and an upper house of chiefs. Would be happy to see the latter introduced but then i am a conservative favouring hereditary Lords here too.
   One help we received was from a USA charity MAP with donated drugs, some out of date but usable. All drugs are OK out of date except insulin and vaccines. Entertained John and Marion Braithwaite who became life long friends. He was an army captain with that light safely under a bushel as he commanded a Nigerian survey team map making in the depths of the northern bush. The month ended with a drought of mail. GPO strike in UK.
  Our visitors were from England, Chad, Nigeria and Scotland.