The River Niger is the main river of West Africa, and the third longest river in Africa, behind the Nile and the Congo rivers. It discharges into the Niger-Delta of Nigeria and flows into the Atlantic ocean via the Golf of Guinea. It also cuts between the eastern and western part of Nigeria, a separation which was bridged by the 1965 Niger Bridge, connecting Asaba, Delta state with Onitsha, Anambra state, Nigeria.
As a child from Imo state (eastern part of Nigeria), who was born and bred in Lagos (Western part of Nigeria) my parents always took us on a yearly vacation to our town home in Imo state every December and crossing the river Niger bridge was a significant moment during the trip as it marked the entrance to the eastern part of Nigeria where we knew to be our father land. We got to see our relatives and grand parents each time we traveled and that formed a major part of my childhood memory.