Remember that bible story they taught us in Primary school about Pharaoh who didn’t want the children of Israel to go
That is how his descendant appeared at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport to attempt to stop my pikin
The process of securing the admission, the visa and the tickets plus the local flight from Beijing to her province can best be described as herculean
We had built a team which had Tricia, the hard-working and simply brilliant Medical doctor who was the agent and my sister who was drafted in at the last minute, with Zara herself, her mum and the simply wonderful Ruth of Wakanow to handle it all
The whole thing took over six months, when my friend and confidant mentioned that China was the new Oxford to me
When she mentioned it, I said hmmm, then I calmed down and did my research and saw that the country was technologically up there, the economy was buoyant, and, much more importantly, it offered a frugal Lifestyle, as the visa was tied to academic performance, and finally it was cheap as the Naira was doing very well against their currency
Our school, Jinlin University, was established in 1959 and has 76,000 students with over 6,000 academic faculty and 864 research-only staff
It is 255 rated in the world and 34th in China, making it one of the most prestigious schools in China
Their medical programme is rated one of the highest in China and one of the best in the world
That is where Zara is headed.
The visa came out on Thursday, and the school is resuming on Tuesday
So the team moved in.
Wakanow is a platform that I have used forever, and one thing that has kept me with them is the support structure that they have globally
I once had a ward who was stranded in Amsterdam at 2 a.m., missing her connecting flight, and I placed a call to Wakanow, and this same Ruth picked up and got it sorted
So this time, it involved two days in the air with a stopover in Cairo and Beijing before we get to Jinlin; it had to be Wakanow bf I appear for CNN crying say I dey find pikin.
The team worked for 12 hours non-stop, looking for flights, securing accommodation, hotels, engaging the school, booking local transport and pickup, downloading payment systems and all that goes on with that.
I was in the group but didn’t put my mouth in, cos my ADHD doesn’t allow me to connect to such details; I will just faint.
They had problems getting a local flight, and it was not until late last night that my sister screamed- we got it
We were ready. We packed and headed to the airport
Zara said her goodbyes; people were crying and people were hugging, and we departed
Strolled into the Egypt Air counter and pronto – Wahala
Sorry, you cannot fly. You will need a return ticket. Kai, the team had bought one-way
I screamed – I was asking, oooo
We called Ruth, and she picked up. Remember, this is Sunday, but Wakanow never fails me
She said, let me book one-way back from Beijing through Cairo to Lagos
I said, oya, thinking of how many millions that would cost me
As she was working, Tricia was arguing on the group; it’s not true.
I just bought two tickets, and it’s one way. No law says that.
That buoyed me, and I went back again
They pushed back- it’s a new policy; she has to get a return ticket.
Ruth was on top of it; she had secured a ticket and wanted my approval bf she booked it
When will I pay? I don’t have that kind of money today, Sunday, I said
Don’t worry, Mr Edga. Once you give me your approval, I’ll book it and get approval; you can pay tomorrow
Aghhh, this wakamow will never let me down
I said, Oya, let’s deal
Then one mind now said I should ask for the Manager since Tricia kept saying it was not correct
Tricia is one of the most detailed people in this world
The way she handles visa, admission, police legalisation and all that, all on WhatsApp?
To think that I don’t even know what she looks like sef
They pointed the Egyptian to me, and I said a little prayer in my mind
MFM type o, not House on the Rock psychedelic prayer o
Ohhhh God, you know how you dealt with these ancestors during the time of Moses, abi was it Joshua any one sha, just repeat the miracle here
The lady who pointed him out said – oga, he has turned back 12 people o
I said to myself, I am not the meanest mother fucking hustler in this Lagos for nothing if I am afraid of this Egyptian whose ancestors perished on the Red Sea
Good afternoon, Sir. My name is Edgar, and I hear you are the one trying to stop us from boarding
He looked surprised and said Me?
I said yes. They said you said we can’t fly one-way as students, and you have turned back 12 Nigerians so far
My brother, I have it on good authority that this is not your Company policy, as I have people who have travelled one-way recently
I have also learnt that you just resumed as Country Manager two weeks ago, coinciding with the placement of this new rule
I appreciate the fact that you may be trying to ramp up efficiency and all that, but you must understand that you are just a point on this trajectory which involves Nigerian students, China and the school
You are a choice in a competitive market, and this may make your airline quite unattractive in the growing student-to-China market
He looked at me again and said, ” Where is your daughter
Show me evidence of school fees payments, show me admission letter, show me your visa, and we did all that, and he took them to the counter and asked for copies, and after examining them, said, you can go…
At that point, Ruth called, ” I have the booking; can I send it to you
I said, ” No, dear, the Egyptian has moved; God has divided the Red Sea again
Then Ruth said, ” Let her get her Boarding pass before I void the ticket
Brilliant Ruth. We got the Boarding pass, and she voided the ticket, and we checked in
I now went to the Egyptian and thanked him and mentioned that I was not in support of the Passover, which saw his ancestors lose their first sons, and that he should accept my kind condolences.
My people, Zara is in the air, and I am waiting for her to land safely in Jesus ‘ mighty name
Don’t you just feel like beating me?
Kai
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: September 7, 2026
