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From Engineer to 'Tribal Chief '

Source:China Daily Global Published:2019-08-30 11:24

A Chinese man works in Nigeria on railway projects, Shi Baoyin reports in Zhengzhou.

It was a sunny morning in Abuja on April 21 as a group of residents - mostly local tribal chiefs - gathered for a ceremony. Amid their applause and cheers, a Chinese man was declared "Wakilin Ayyuka", a local honorary title that translates as "engineering chief".

The man is 34-year-old Kong Tao, general manager of China Civil Engineering Construction Corp Nigeria Ltd.

"The title is similar to that of the local chiefs, but different," Kong says, laughing. "The locals are in charge of actual things, while my title is only honorary."

Kong Tao, general manager of China Civil Engineering Construction Corp Nigeria Ltd, receives the title, "Wakilin Ayyuka", a local honorary title, given by leaders of the tribal communities in Nigeria's capital Abuja, in recognition of his contribution to the construction of railways. Photos Provided to China Daily

Kong leads a group of Nigerian officials in an inspection tour in Abuja.

Kong was given the title by the leaders of the many distinct tribal communities in the area, in recognition of his contribution to the construction of railways. During his stay in Nigeria, his company built the metro railway of Abuja and another line linking the capital with the agricultural city of Kaduna.

For lack of money, construction of the railways took almost 10 years, during which time the staff changed. Kong, who may be the most persistent among them, managed to work through the whole process.

The metro railway, the first in West Africa, is 45 kilometers long, with 12 passenger stations. It links the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to the Central Business District of Abuja.

The Abuja-Kaduna railway was the first to be built to Chinese standards in Africa. Muhammadu Buhari, the president of Nigeria, attended the launching ceremony and addressed a gathering there.

With the completion of the metro train and the intercity line, the local economy prospered, benefiting from the easier exchange of goods and promotion of business. Some of the villagers near the stations replaced their modestly equipped buildings with updated, concrete ones. Construction materials markets also emerged.

A native of Puyang, Henan province, Kong first visited Nigeria in 2010. Before his graduation, he had never been to Africa. The only impressions he had about the continent were through images of grasslands and wildlife.

Upon his arrival, he found the local tribal chiefs to be influential. For example, his program needed material for a road base. But when a village was identified with the most suitable soil for the job, its residents objected, saying that the land was for growing crops. Only a chief had the right to change it for other uses. And so Kong had to talk with the chief.

Kong decided to put down roots. He is learning the Hausa language and pays attention to local customs and culture. More importantly, the honorary title has given him much influence. Whenever he shows his name card with "Wakilin Ayyuka" on it, residents welcome him and treat him as one of their own, he says.

Friendships with the people quickly followed. Frequently, he exchanges gifts with them. During his holidays - twice a year and 20 days each - he brings Chinese products for his friends.

"The gifts can be quite common in China, such as electronics produced by Chinese enterprises, but they are quite rare there," he says.

In return, his African friends often give him mangoes and other fruit they grow.

That's where there are cultural gaps between China and Africa: In China, people usually do not open gifts immediately, but in Africa, etiquette requires that a gift is opened and praised in the presence of the giver. If it is food, it's eaten immediately. Kong gradually got used to such new customs.

Unlike in China, where there are plenty of designers and technicians, working conditions are not similar in Nigeria. Kong frequently faced a talent shortage for his programs. So he had to become a multitasker. As a construction engineer, he had learned about electricity and trains, but he had to learn more.

"Maybe that's also why I was soon promoted to general engineer," he says. 

In order to fill in the gaps, Kong and his team trained large numbers of local workers to fill the vacancies. His company set up a team to provide technical support for the staff of Nigerian Railway Corp. In their training program, the Chinese technical support team provided basic training for the Nigerian staff to enable them to gradually master the skills of operation, maintenance and management of the Abuja-Kaduna Railway.

For example, the railway system of Nigeria relied heavily on manual labor for signaling. The local staff needed detailed training to master the new computer-based control system.

Nowadays, the technical support team only provides services for some difficult operation and maintenance technology, key positions for safe operations, risk management and emergency response. Other daily operations are handled by the Nigerians.

The contributions of the Chinese team have been recognized. Before Kong, there were about 10 Chinese who had been given the honorary title of chief in their respective fields, mostly for their contributions to the local economy and prosperity of the people.

All are testimonies to the friendship between China and Africa.

Kong says living conditions in Africa are not so good or convenient as in China, but the work has been rewarding.

"We went through many hardships, but I'm thankful to be there," he says. "Time has already rewarded our efforts with prosperity, and we are glad that people can enjoy a better economy."

Kong says he will stay in Nigeria, at least for the near future. His family is in Beijing, so he will return home one day, but as long as he lives in Africa, he will promote intercultural exchanges.

Contact the writer at shibaoyin@chinadaily.com.cn


Editor:Zhao Hanqing