By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja
For months,the people of Lokoja kogi state north central Nigeria had battled unforgiving sun. The air was thick with heat, clinging to their skin like an unwanted embrace.
Electric fans hummed tirelessly, but the relief they provided was fleeting. Sweat-streaked faces told the story of sleepless nights and restless days. Then, on Wednesday evening,April 2,2025,nature finally took pity on them.
At exactly 4:30 p.m., the skies darkened ever so slightly, and a whisper of wind rustled through the town.
At Gadumo quarters,People paused, looking up in anticipation. Then, without warning, the heavens opened. A seemingly fat raindrops pelted the rooftops, sending children racing outside with giddy laughter. The scent of wet earth rose like a forgotten memory, mingling with the joy that spread through the streets.
The rain came with purpose, drumming against tin roofs and forming tiny rivulets along dusty pathways. Shopkeepers stepped to their doorways, smiling as the sweltering heat momentarily gave way.The atmosphere on Lokoja- Ganaja road revealed motorcycle and tricycle riders slowing, savoring the cool spray on their faces. For ten beautiful minutes, the town was wrapped in the embrace of something it had longed.
And just as suddenly as it began, the rain stopped. The last few drops disappeared into the thirsty ground, and the sun, though still lurking behind the clouds, seemed less cruel. The air felt lighter, fresher, as if the town had just exhaled a collective sigh of gratitude.
As hope seemed dashed for more rain, it reduced with increased volume after 15 minutes and continued as at the time of this report about 6p.m.
For the residents of Lokoja, this is more than just a passing shower. It was a promise—that even in the grip of relentless heat, relief would come.
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon enough. And that is enough to keep hope alive perhaps in no distant future, residents will sleep in the night without tears usually as a result of excessive heat Lokoja is notorious for.
Ahmed publishes The Reporters.
