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The other side of Egypt

By Gowon Akpodonor, Cairo, Egypt
18 July 2019   |   2:26 am
For an average Nigerian, particularly those who reside in Lagos, the struggle for survival begins as early as 4.00 a.m. on daily basis. Some people wake up as early as 3.30 a.m.

PHOTO: Gettyimages

For Egyptians, there is no hurry in life
For an average Nigerian, particularly those who reside in Lagos, the struggle for survival begins as early as 4.00 a.m. on daily basis. Some people wake up as early as 3.30 a.m. to prepare themselves for work, get the children ready for the school bus and so on. But here in Egypt, people take life so easy.

Egyptians waking up so early in the mornings aren’t things that occur naturally here. They are always in their bed sleeping until close to midday. The people are more night owls than early birds.

On a daily basis, Egyptians stay awake till 3.30 a.m. buying and selling on the streets, markets and shopping malls. Egyptians use people (hustlers) from other parts of Africa as their alarms.

Going out too early is unthinkable for them. There is nothing like going out for breakfast in their dictionary. Perhaps, steady electricity supply (24×7 uninterrupted) in all parts of the country makes it easier and comfortable for the people to stay in their place of work till late into the night.

Last Sunday in Alexandria, I woke up by 7.00 a.m. with the hope of catching an early morning church service before commencing my journey to Cairo International Stadium for the semifinal encounter between the Super Eagles and Desert Foxes of Algeria. I got it all wrong.

Here, church services don’t commence until 12 midday, and it lasts for a few hours, unlike the situation back home in Nigeria, where some people spend all day in church in the name of worshipping God. Too many deceits in Nigeria in the name of God. Everything in Egypt is open till late, the restaurants and cafes are not left out. The people enjoy good road networks compared to the situation in Nigeria, (the Giant of Africa).

Hot weather in Cairo forces Nigerian journalists indoors
The past two days in Cairo have been terrible experiences for visitors, particularly Nigerians, who are part of the Egypt 2019 AFCON.
The hot weather in the capital city, Cairo, has been a major concern for the people. The journalists, who move from one place to the other hunting for news, are the most hit by the hot weather condition, with the temperature rising above 40 degrees celcius.

A Nigerian female journalist nearly paid the big prize on Tuesday afternoon on her way from the pre-match conference at Al-Salam Stadium. She suffered dehydration midway into the journey. To avoid being trapped in the hot sun, many Nigerian journalists preferred to remain indoors throughout yesterday. Some even stayed away from the third-place match between the Super Eagles and Tunisia, which venue was miles away from the city center.

Appreciation to DSTV for sponsorship to Egypt 2019 Afcon
For many Nigerian sports journalists, DSTV has really lived up to its promises of being a brother’s keeper over the years. The outfit has come to the rescue of many sports journalists in their quest to cover big sporting events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup and the African Cup of Nations.

But for DSTV sponsorship of five notable Nigerian newspaper organizations to the 2019 AFCON, many readers would have been in the dark on the day-to-day activities at the Super Eagles’ camp and the competition generally. For this reason, The Guardian Sports Desk joins others in saying a big thank you to the management of DSTV. The organization has proven beyond doubt that it is the number one sports-loving outfit in Nigeria and by extension, the continent of Africa.

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