Thursday 29th March
On Thursday morning I received an email that we were not allowed to travel to Benin.

Postponement of legislative polls to 31 March likely to resolve logistical issues

The constitutional court on 23 March decided to delay the legislative elections that had been scheduled for 25 March until 31 March because of difficulties in organising the polls. These had partly been caused by disputes over the dismissal of the chairman of the autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA), Antonin Akpinkoun.

Several scandals have marred preparations for the elections in recent weeks. However, the crisis escalated with Akpinkoun’s repeated dismissal, bringing preparations for the elections to a halt. It remains questionable whether the court’s ruling can bring an end to the apparent power struggle within the CENA, but officials are nonetheless confident that the extra week will enable them to resolve the logistical issues affecting the polls. The delay is unlikely to have a negative impact on the electoral prospects of President Yayi Boni’s coalition, while despite the postponement the political climate in the country is unlikely to change dramatically. Boni’s overwhelming victory in the 2006 election and his government’s continued commitment to donor-backed macroeconomic reform have underpinned political stability.

Our security consultants advised us that "...it is highly likely that the Benin government will close there borders whilst the Election is ongoing. The Election in Benin should be treated the same as an Election in any African country and that sporadic violence or unrest can unfold."

Gunn, Rune and Inger-Lise were obviously very disappointed. I spent the rest of the day trying to line up another place to stay, since we were all packed and ready to go. Finally I managed to get rooms at IITA at Ibadan, 2 hours north of Lagos. Even then, it was certain we could go because we needed approval from security and the armed escort needed papers to let them travel into the neighbouring state. Even the police don't travel after nightfall. Finally, we left at 3:30pm and arrived before dark. Joy came with us. The rooms were very basic (not as nice as they look on their website) and Inger-Lise, Gunn and Rune did not want to stay more than one night.

The next morning I took the children swimming before breakfast. Before heading back to Lagos, we drove down to the lake they have in the grounds. It was interesting to see the different crops they were growing and talk to the people working there. Daniel was particularly interested to hear about the crocodiles.

When we arrived back in Lagos we stopped at Pernille's house to relate our story. The "BA man" was there so we bought some champagne to drown our sorrows in! Later that evening, we all went to the GQ for dinner.

Jeremy