African Military Olympics – The final hours

I am writing this on Tuesday, December 2.

The last days of AMGA 2024 took their toll on me.

For a ‘young boy’ like me, it is not easy to combine sleep for only three hours each night, daylight on the move, three whole meals a day including the best lunch in the world every day, daily night rendezvous topped up with Arabian Tea, and time to script the daily diary just before dawn….on each day!

Something had to give.

I did not check it, but without my daily exercise routine, I believe my BP shot up and I shut down!

So, I kept notes, not able to get around to expanding and posting them to on my social media platforms before dawn.

At last, I gave in to my body, knackered. I shut down and left Abuja on Sunday.

I returned to Wasimi through Lagos. I have been playing a little tennis and sleeping for two days.

There is mounting pressure on me by some folks to complete my Daily Diary.

So, here I am.

It is hard for me to re-capture the mood of Abuja in Wasimi. I took down notes every night in Abuja. I believe those can also tell the rest of the AMGA 2024 story seen through my special lens.

So, the following is a purely academic exercise. Enjoy it if you have the patience to read these NOTES.

DAY ELEVEN
Morning. Nothing happens. Coffee for breakfast.

Lunch at Akisco’s. Getting addicted to ‘Gboko food’. I am ‘infecting’ many friends.
Tired, but today is important.

I am to catch up with the Chief of Defence Staff. This is big o! Whao!

I have never physically met General Musa. We’ve exchanged messages a few times. That’s all. But I like the man.

Many people want me to connect them to the ‘big man’ for one favour or the other. They think we are 5 and 6. It is ridiculous. I have never even met him. Such requests exhaust goodwill very fast.

I go to the