UncleGerry

Your favourite cruise captain!!!
Love always

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

😂😂😂😂😂. Anger

[UptownOfLagos @Uptownoflagos]

Who is the Interviewer o??? 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

He’s here to dethrone ALL Nigerian “Journalists!!!!

My dear Elder brother Kenneth jam Rock here. 😂

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@Call_Me_Bastian @NigeriaStories Lol. I am an Obidient but omo wike dey work like mad. FCT is changing rapidly

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

Honestly... These wig sellers should start conducting small exam before they sell wig to some women.

Cos tell me why you will be wearing wig of 2 million on your head and you can't spell or communicate effectively.

Fine girls abeg naaa 😔 😟

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@nanaama_asabea @OfficialUdiBoy Swears

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

Very insightful read.

[Hadiza Isma El-Rufai @hadizel]

SENEGAL CHRONICLES 10

Friday, 27th December 2024 was the day Fastidious Arranger arranged for us to visit Goree Island. When I called my husband (God bless the developers of whatsApp) to tell him that we were going to visit the infamous island, he laughed and said that the Senegalese were smarter than us, Nigerians. They had intentionally hyped this island up and were making so much money from tourists who visited from all over the world. Many more people were taken from Badagry than from Goree Island, he claimed. I almost believed him, but then he went on to say: ‘Only three people, Kunta Kinte, Diop and Diallo, were taken to the Americas from that island’, and I knew he was joking. So, we had a good laugh. My husband can be funny like that. But seriously, that conversation made me wonder why we hadn’t done more with
Badagry. And later, when I did my research, I got to know that the claim that millions were taken from Goree Island during the Atlantic slave trade had indeed been disputed.

To get to Goree, we first drove to Dakar from where we were to take a ferry for the 20-minute ride to the island. The maritime station was busy when we arrived, with many people hanging around, waiting for their turn to board. It was clear that many of these tourists had come from far away. Yes, there were many black people present, but a large number there were brown and white.

We purchased our tickets at the booth and found a place to sit near the gate leading to the dock. Immediately, we were swarmed by street vendors selling different types of sun hats. They seemed to have come out of nowhere or maybe I’d just not noticed them before. They were very persistent, and though I had a hat on my head, I ended up buying another, a big one with a much wider brim than the one I’d brought with me.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, a group of people came pouring out through the gate. It was time for us to board. We stood up and went to line up with our fellow travellers. Inside the ferry were benches arranged in rows, anchored to the floor – the vessel wasn’t anything fancy. But there was a deck along its sides where people could stand and watch the scenery as the boat moved along. We sat inside and remained there until a few minutes to arrival time when we moved out to the deck to take some pictures, and to watch the view as we slowly pulled up to the island.

Here, the marine station was full of street traders hawking various merchandise – brightly coloured summer dresses, scarves, costume jewellery, pottery and other artefacts. Several tour guides stood around soliciting for clients. Since we needed someone to direct us and give us the history of the island, we engaged one man that could speak passable English.

The first thing our tour guide did was to gather us together for a preliminary lecture. He told us that the island, which was now a UNESCO world heritage site, was established by the Portuguese in 1444 and that it was the largest slave-trading centre in Africa from the 15th to the 19th century. During that period, it served as a slave-holding warehouse where captives were kept and auctioned before being shipped out. The slaves were brought from all over West Africa, but mostly from Nigeria and Ghana, he said. Those from Nigeria were mainly from the Yoruba ethnic group.

We were standing in front of a building that used to be a school. Some former African leaders had attended this school, he said. Fastidious Arranger and I, both being architects, took a more than perfunctory interest in the building. Though it was a bit dilapidated, the structure was still solid. It was, after all, constructed in those bygone days when artisans jealously guarded their reputations. Nowadays, more often than not, it was MILT (Manage it Like That).
After the lecture, our guide led us down a path lined by trees with beautiful red, blue and pink flowers to an open garden with a view of the harbour. Overlooking this yard was a magnificent white building which used to be the official residence of the president of Senegal. It was not open to tourists at that time, so we could not see the interior.

Our next port of call was the Church of Saint Charles Borromee, an edifice built between 1828 AD and 1830 AD. Apparently, the slavers were religious people. How they failed to see the contradiction between their evil trade and their devotion to God is what I could never understand.

It was at the notorious House of Slaves, built by the Dutch in 1776, that we had the most sobering experience. On the ground floor of this building were several rooms where the slaves were kept chained and shackled; men and women separated. Each tiny cell housed as many as 30 slaves with only a small window facing outwards. They were fed once a day, but they had to urinate and defaecate right where they were. Not surprisingly, the house was overrun with disease.

These conquered people, who had been taken against their will, were kept naked except for a piece of cloth around their waists. They were weighed from time to time and those who had not reached the required weight of 60 kg were isolated and put on a special diet to be fattened, just like cattle.
Next, we were shown a dingy low-ceilinged cubicle under the stairs where the rebellious Africans were locked up. Any inmate condemned to this place must have spent the duration of his punishment physically bowed. I could not even begin to imagine the intensity of the backache they would have suffered.

It was hard to believe that people could be so cruel to their fellow humans. But apparently, the slave traders did not regard blacks as real humans. However, that did not stop them from having sex with the slave women. And when these victims of rape got pregnant, the resulting offspring were taken away. These mulattos were given a status slightly above their black mothers, but way below their white biological fathers.

Standing beside us was a group of white people with their own tour guide. I suddenly felt anger towards them. I wondered what might be going through their minds, seeing as they were standing at the place where their ancestors perpetrated this unspeakable crime. Would they be plagued by feelings of guilt? But then I remembered that our own people too were not without blame in this despicable trade. So, if I didn’t feel any vicarious responsibility (and I did not), why should the people beside me feel anything except sadness? Everyone of us is responsible for their own individual actions, after all.

Even more heart-wrenching for us was the so-called Door of No Return, which was a door that opened onto the vast endless ocean below. Adjacent to this door was the room where the slave traders used to prepare the slaves for shipment. This preparation, for such an incredibly long journey, included the chaining of feet together so that the slaves could be filed in rows to board the ship.

It was through this notorious door that every one of those shackled people were shuffled to their dreadful destinies. I tried to imagine how they must have felt catching a last glimpse of their homeland as the slave ship took them away to an unknown world.
We stayed at the Door of No Return for a while, each of us alone with her thoughts. When I finally turned to look at my friends, every one of them looked sombre. I caught a glimpse of the teardrop at the corner of Naughty Grandma’s eye before she quickly wiped it away. My face too must have betrayed my emotions.
We finally left that depressing space and went up the stairs to what used to be the slave traders’ living quarters, where balls and parties used to take place. The difference between this luxurious place and the dungeon where the Africans were confined was immense. The slavers’ apartments had been turned into a museum, and on display were pictures of famous people that had visited, like the Obamas, Nelson Mandela and The Jackson 5.

Our trip to Goree was an experience of a lifetime. All of us were in a pensive mood as we set off for Saly. Fastidious Arranger, Granny Gourmet and Naija Defender stared out of the window in silence. Loquacious Hijabi too was uncharacteristically quiet. Naughty Grandma was still rubbing her eyes and sniffling. And I, the Cooking Comedian, although also in low spirits, tried to lighten the mood. But my half-hearted attempt at a joke fell flat. Nobody laughed. So, I kept my peace.

To be continued…

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@SehindeOwoeye @BashirAhmaad Lol
Receipts opor!

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@BashirAhmaad Abeg shut up.
Your opinion doesn't mean shit anymore

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@PO_GrassRootM Idiot!

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@Omojuwa Abeg shut up! Enough of all this English. We need immediate solutions! Asin immediate. Elections have come and gone.lets move on

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@AishaD56712 @Solomon_Buchi No decent person dresses half naked. None

[Kalu Aja @FinPlanKaluAja1]

Has BBC ever done a documentary on the role of the British government in aiding corruption in Nigeria ?

The stolen funds are in UK jurisdiction

Shell bribed Nigerian lawmakers not to pass PIB for years

If they have , I missed it

[SportsDokita (Odogwu ☝️) @Sports_Doctor2]

Fulham 0 vs 2 Chelsea
(1st Half Thoughts)

- Cole Palmer has been CLASS
- Mudryk is hitting FORM
- Enzo Fernandez is a BALLER
- Colwill is GENERATIONAL
- Broja will COOK
- Disasi remains a ROCK
- Cucurella has been SOLID
- Caicedo is a BEAST
- Gallagher has also IMPRESSED

What Do You Guys Think?
#FULCHE

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@Dan044Daniel @tweetsbygoody @PIDOMNIGERIA 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@fatherisaacs @jcokechukwu Bricks ko, Stone Ni😂😂😂

[Chioma Nkemakonam @ChiomaFavy]

young, we bumped into each other, gave each other a scar, and started our love story.

Scars remind us of pain, but it’s funny that mine reminds me of how I met my better half.

END.

[SportsDokita (Odogwu ☝️) @Sports_Doctor2]

A junior colleague in ABSUTH just sent me a DM and in her words, she said, “We’re laughing again”.

Alex Otti is rehabilitating and building brand new roads in Abia State.

The lady said he’s building about 7 new roads in Aba at the moment.

When you see someone that’s ready to make a difference, you will know!!!

GOD BLESS YOU @alexottiofr

[Mohammed Jammal @whitenigerian]

People born between 1980-1989 are the best generation ever!

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@alexottiofr JISIKE NNA.

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@DykeOsigwe @Naija_Activist I swearugad. Come down for what!

[UncleGerry @Gerryperry101]

@PeterObi No sir!! Mbadinuju didn't serve anambrarians .May he rest in peace. OZOEMENA