What I Learned from a Visit to the Wild West, or Time Travel Made Easy

I am recovering from a stint in the Wild West, otherwise known as Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It was a beautiful and dangerous place. Imagine if the United States had been cursed/blessed with modern transportation, guns, communication equipment and oil refineries for quick wealth acquisition. Now imagine that the mentality is a blend of medieval Islam, Wild West highway robbers, old school Born Again Christians, and modern online scammers. Congratulations, you're in Nigeria.

Driving to and from work in our convoy. Normal roads...

Not all Nigerians are so easily defined. There were wonderful, honest, good men that I met on my trip. Our client was blessed with some amazing employees. People I would hire here and have confidence the job would be done right. Our driver was early every time. Our meetings started on time. They got us the information requested early and thoroughly. They were great to work with and I enjoyed my time there. 

And Nigeria's rampant corruption has been greatly changed in the last few years. My co-workers had to pay exorbitant 'fees' to everyone they met to get in and out of the country, through every line, and past every agent.  Slipping dollars and five dollars freely was just how it was. However, this trip was different - I was never even ASKED for a bribe. Not a soul. Not one agent in one department from landing to departure asked me for 'grease' or turned their palm towards me with hints and threats. No, excluding the rather aggressively thorough pat downs (wow, thanks for the massage, Sergeant, but I didn't ask for a prostate exam with my pat down) I might have been in the U.S.  Okay, we don't have quite THAT many military men wandering the airport. And generally we have lines, not packs of semi-organized chaos. But seriously, I never felt fearful for my safety, for my property or for my sanity.

So, I learned that a leader of a nation who says he will fight corruption and who DOES, can change a whole culture. Now, the internal corruption of the nation still has a long ways to go, according to those who live there, but one international traveler was well pleased with the results.

The lead truck's driver and passengers

Now, is Nigeria ready for an influx of tourists? Should you trust Prince Heyowana with your $10K bank transaction? Nah, there will always be scams and dangers. Seriously - I was in a military convoy for my travels! Don't take a place like this lightly! But, if they can take steps in the right direction, then so can we. Can we fight down the culture of corruption rampant in Washington and too many state houses and city halls in this nation? Yes. But will we? That remains to be seen. I will never run for elected office as a mayor, governor or president. But I think I may enjoy working as an auditor or ethics investigator. "I seek not for power, but to pull it down." I like that...

- Nathan