Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/315150
A t 10 o'clock in the evening, most of the trucks have parked inside the gates to Eko Atlantic's huge con- struction site. Under the light of street lamps, a number of Muslim drivers are praying, while others have rolled out thin mats directly on the ground and pulled a blanket over their heads. Matthew Ude is getting ready to go to sleep. Just like every other day, he has driven his Volvo FMX to the stone quarry 93 miles northeast of Lagos to collect blocks of granite for the five- mile protective wall that separates Eko Atlantic from the sea. "We never drive at night; it's too dangerous. e risk of being stopped by robbers on the road is far too great," says Matthew. Eko Atlantic is destined to become the Lagos of the future. Business and residential districts will be gathered together on a six-square-mile artificial peninsula that is being built imme - diately adjacent to the area known as Victoria Island. e protective wall has been tested to ensure that it is able to withstand even the worst storms, and the area inside the wall is being filled with sand dredged from the sea. The name "Eko" comes from the local lan- guage, Yoruba, and means "people from Lagos Island" – the people who originally lived there. However, Matthew does not come from here. He is a member of the ethnic group known as the Igbo, and he has been driving trucks back and forth in Nigeria since 1978. His job has become his hobby. "I learned to drive trucks for a French com - pany that had Renault trucks. is is the first Volvo truck I have driven, and I like it. It has a good braking system, the steering is perfect and its balance is excellent, even when I am carrying a heavy load," he says. Every morning, six days a week, Matthew leaves the Eko Atlantic site at 4 a.m. He is ac- companied by his assistant, known locally as a motorboy, 24-year-old Gi Mwaele, who helps him during the day. Gi washes the truck, di- rects Matthew when he reverses in tight spaces and acts as the extra pair of eyes that is needed when driving in the heavy traffic. Every day, as many as 200 trucks travel from different stone quarries to Eko Atlantic. e first stop for the day is the trucking com- pany's office and workshop in Ibadan, where Matthew and Gi pick up their loading order. e road there is considered one of the country's main roads, but the asphalt has been patched up and is in poor condition. Even if traffic is light in the morning, it takes them more than two hours to reach their destination. When they have been given their loading order, Matthew leaves the main road and turns onto a smaller road, which eventually turns into a gravel road leading to the quarry. "As the roads are poor, the traffic is our great - est problem. Leaving the truck to mend a punc- DRIVER REPORT Matthew Ude has driven trucks since 1978 and has seen much of Nigeria through his work. The quarry lies deep in the forest, at the end of a gravel road that is lined with thick vegetation. When it rains, the road can be flooded. 14 D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #2 /2014