The Nigerian Field Society

Lagos Branch

Trips & Talks 2008   Osogbo - 01-2008 IITA Ibadan - 01-2008 Niger boat trip - 02-2008 Benin Republic - 02-2008 Omo Forest - 02-2008 Shyllon Art Collection - 03-2008 Argungu Fishing Festival - 03-2008 Kano and Jibia - 03-2008 Lake Chad and Sukur - 04-2008 Lekki Lagoon boat trip - 05-2008 Jos - 05-2008 Benin Republic - 05-2008 IITA Ibadan - 06-2008 Osogbo - 07-2008 Peak Milk - 08-2008 CCA - Yaba - 08-2008 Kano + Katsina - 09-2008 The Africa Shrine - 10-2008

Trip to Jos

May 29th - June 1st, 2008 

One hears a lot about the ‘Jos Plateau’ living in Lagos. It is described nostalgically by those who know it as a place very different to Lagos with a temperate climate, and being elevated, hilly, cool, airy and uncongested, a place to be recommended. In all these regards it did not disappoint. All of us Lagosians, lucky enough to go on this trip, reveled in the contrast and were heard to rave more than once. It was indeed wonderful to wake up to crisp morning air and enjoy sundowners in the cool outdoors, looking up at the hills composed of large granite boulders.
All 15 Participants got on well and basically had a ball. Lots of jokes mixed in with the serious business of bird watching, catching up on history and culture at the museum, exploring geologically interesting sites, visiting fish farms and of course the very serious business of finding the good watering holes and restaurants.
Susan and Kevin King, Family Liaw – Winnie, KK and young Edna, Terry and Bryan Nicolson, Sarah and Mike Siegman (Yes they will be married soon!), Brian Harding and young Edwin, Mary Simmonds, Martin Woller, Andy Monari and Johannes Bockelmann made up the group. This is some of the group including our driver Sampson (RHS) and our geologist friends.

The Museum in Jos is really worth visiting as it is spread over 64 acres and covers a rich variety of interests. Prominent is the tin mining exhibit. Modern Jos developed largely due to the tin deposits in the surrounding areas which have been mined using the open cast method for over a century. In earlier times the tin mining industry resulted in the need to open rail lines to both Port Harcourt and Lagos! The industry is no longer commercially viable but some locals still prospect by hand, some hoping to uncover deposits left by German miners who buried their stash before being incarcerated at the time of the first world war. The museum houses cultural artifacts in particular terracotta pots used for all kinds of purposes from utility to ceremonial, burial, ornamental and musical. In the larger area surrounding Jos evidence exists of advanced ancient culture dating back to 3000 BC. Iron was also smelted in those early times. The grounds of the museum also contain example of various types of architecture associated with Jos. Mud brick is the traditional building material and is still widely used today for granaries and huts. Of particular interest was the fortification wall that had been reconstructed according to the original design of the protective city wall that surrounded Jos. Unfortunately we did not have time to explore the whole museum which would require a minimum of 4-5 hours. Evening meal was had at China Gardens Restaurant which we happened upon. It was great fun hunting around for elusive restaurants which we knew existed but the directions seemed fatally flawed! We ended up with Chinese on the first night, French/African on the second night and Lebanese on the third. In spite of this we stopped at the Oasis Bakery near the hotel each time we passed it to stock up on Yoghurt, HAMBURGERS and other snacks.

An early rise next morning saw us at the A P Leventis Ornithological Institute called APLORI which was east of Jos. Our expert guides, Mata, Afaan and John were superb and could identify all the birds we saw from sight, sound and on the wing. The granite hill around which we walked had such a rich variety of trees and shrubs that the habitat for birds was ideally varied for them and for us. We hardly had to move from the centre. Apparently there are 400 species to be found in the immediate environs compared with 900 species in the whole of Nigeria.

We were treated to such delights as the Red Throated Bee Eater, the Senegal Coucal, Red Billed Hornbill, the Grey Hornbill, the Western Plantain Eater, the Abyssinian Roller, the Black Shouldered Kite and many, many more. Mary has compiled a full list totaling some 45 species. We also spotted a Rock Hyrax family and a troop of Black Faced Monkeys. This is truly a paradise and there is attached to the centre a guest house which can accommodate 10 people which would be highly recommended for a smaller group who would like to wake up way out in the bush! Agriculture occurs right up to the boundaries as witnessed by the man pictured who was planting Irish potatoes.
In the afternoon we visited the Kurra Falls, in a mountainous area where the Kurra River falls over an escarpment and apart from the spectacular water fall provides hydro power for Jos. Upstream there is a dam where water is diverted by means of a canal which runs for a short distance on the contour before feeding the water into twin 600mm diameter races which drop at least 400m to the turbines below. This power station does provide most of the requirements for Jos but not all. The falls themselves were well worth the slippery slide to get to them. It had just rained and the mists swirling around added greatly to the mountainous atmosphere. A very happy and slightly damp group journeyed back to the hotel and annex before a superb meal at ‘La Cuisine’ where the beer was cool and the mood buoyant.
It had been decided that the bird watching was so good that we would return the next morning even earlier. This time we left the hotel at 5h30 but our plan was largely thwarted by rain which kept us huddled up until it lifted resulting in a start no earlier than the previous morning, nevertheless some great spottings took place and again our guides proved their worth.

That afternoon we met up with Professor Ashano (0703-612-0602) of the Department of Geology and Mining, University of Jos and students Chidi, Davo and Tersoo who are all studying at post graduate level. The most stunning spectacle awaited us in the form of columnar basalt exposed by the Ghawang River south of Jos. There are few such sites in the world. It was tremendous to just sit and wonder at the geological processes that lead to such a marvel - volcanic out pouring, subsequent slow cooling deep below the surface and the gradual erosion to expose the columns.Miango was the second geological site that we visited. It is an extinct volcano or rather the remnants of a volcanic pipe which is called a caldera and it resembles a small volcanic rim. It is estimated that it was last active 35 million years ago! What remains is a semi-circular rim rising up from a flat plain. Pumice rock samples were collected. These rock types are only found at volcanic sites and have a structure like solid sponge, the channels having been created by hot gasses escaping as the molten lava solidified. The climb to the top of the rim was rewarded by splendid views of the cultivated fields all around. I found it amazing that of all the many cultivated lands that we saw there was never once evidence of a tractor! Hand cultivation is the order of the day with a shovel that has two handles and the user has to be doubled over!

On our last morning we visited a fish farm where Cat Fish, Carp and Talapia were being bread and farmed commercially. On our way to the fish farm we traversed what looked like a moon-scape. It turns out that this area had been extensively mined for tin and the combination tailings heaps and excavated hollows left many small ponds and the road had to weave around considerably. (I have subsequently viewed the area on Google and the altered landscape is very obvious).
From the fish farm we made our way to the airport via a very good vegetable market where people stocked up for their return to Lagos. Our flight was a little late in leaving which just gave us time to enjoy a last Star beer before heading home. This trip will live long in our memories.
There were of course a few flies in the ointment: Yes the water was not always hot in the hotel, yes the beers were not always cold and yes the driver was scary sometimes and yes the flight home was delayed by an hour, but no one was promised more than NIGERIA after all! All things told the trip ran smoothly and Susan and Kevin are to be thoroughly praised for their hard pre-trip organizational work and for arranging an interesting variety of activities for us to sit back and enjoy.

For those who might wish to travel to Jos for a sight-seeing trip the following recommendations are offered as help.
Airlines – Arik is the only one to fly daily
Hotels- We stayed at LaMonde which was OK but APLORI would have been better for a small group.
Bus Hire – Avis in Abuja proved most suited because Abuja is not that far off.
Restaurants – Chinese Garden, La Cuisine (French and African), Shazarad (Lebanese)
Places of Interest- Museum, APLORI, Kurra Falls and Power Station, Gahwang River where columnar basalt is exposed and the volcanic site. The map should give you some idea where these places are to be found in relation to Jos town (or is it a city?)

SOME LASTING IMPRESSIONS OF JOS THE PLACE
• Rich fertile soil, lots of agriculture all done by hand.
• Lots of erosion as evidence by the orange river water.
• Suburbia! Many single dwelling residences.
• More sedan cars than SUVs.
• Eucalyptus trees and mango trees in abundance.
• Granite hills.
• Clear skies, cool climes and dramatic thunder storms.
• Less clutter, pollution and okadas.
• Fantastic herds of Brahmin cattle with their long upswept horns and Fulani herders.
• Very rich and abundant bird life.
• Wonderful museum.

CO-ORDINATES OF THE PLACES OF INTEREST (Thanks for these Johannes)

(Explore these places on Google Earth, it is really fascinating. Note that there appears to be a small difference in the co-ordinates used in Google Earth when compared with those generated by Garmin. The Garmin co-ordinates are listed here. The difference will not prevent you from locating the points of interest on Google Earth though!)