Death of the Hamdala

The date was sometime in 1995, the occasion was an official trip to several states in the Northern parts of Nigeria and Kaduna was the first stop.
We drove into the magnificent premises of the Hamdala Hotel to a very warm welcome. I checked into my room with my infant son and his baby sitter and lay down to gather my thoughts. The atmosphere was serene, tranquil and just what I needed on my first official  trip as a mother. My schedule for the coming week was heavy, packed full with training,  talks and seminars. I needed to plan how to manage my time between doing my job, pleasing my boss and taking care of my five month old infant. I was officially still on leave but the trip was so important it could not be postponed
I lay down for a while but sleep would not come; my mind was too full. I got up to take a shower which turned into a long bath and I looked around me in total satisfaction. The Hamdala was definitely a good start to this long week and gradually the beautiful surroundings set me at peace. All was well with my world. I finally fell asleep. A few hours later, it was time for dinner and I was directed to the Chinese restaurant where my boss treated me to a Chinese dinner so good that I almost begged her to let me remain in Kaduna while she continued the journey on her own.
Two short days later we checked out of Hamdala, totally refreshed and ready to take on the World. Hamdala had fired me up; we drove away and I took my memories of a beautiful experience determined to pay  a repeat visit. Then as usual, life got in the way and I never made it back to the Hamdala, but I kept my memories, fresh, alive and waiting for more...
Yesterday, seventeen years later, another official trip, I got my chance at the Hamdala or  more correctly, I should say my shock at the Hamdala. It was gone! stripped, bare, overgrown with weeds, hollow, not even a recognizable shadow of its former self. Hamdala was dead. A friend and colleague pointed it out to me as we drove past and I almost wept. I could not believe my eyes! Decay (systemic and structural) had killed my beloved Hamdala and I was sad. This hotel used to be the pride of Kaduna but something had obviously gone wrong and it had been allowed to die. The pity for me is that no investor would feel comfortable about returning it to its glory days, not with the prevailing insecurities.
As we drove on, I had no choice but to cling to my memories of those fleeting hours spent in the warm embrace of this warm edifice.
Hamdala Hotel, I was not there for your funeral ceremony but this is my tribute to you. You were good to me and I wish you had lived to make another happy as you once made me