Reality

The Beauty Of Democracy...!

2007-10-29T09:58:00.000Z

One of the cherished beauties of democracy in the 'developed' countries is the freedom of expression. This freedom can be expressed in various and diverse ways.
I have watched the British citizens on national television, calling the prime minister foolish, stupid, idiot... and the directors of such programmes don't 'cut-off' the speakers...you know what I mean! And such people don't get arrested by the police or army or navy, and then beaten up and their entire family memebers don't suffer on account of their sons' misbehaviour...(I hope you understand what I'm saying)

Bottled up emotions can be expressed by the citizens through shouting and name calling of ministers or public figures...and sometimes, the public individual fights back like John Prescott-the former deputy prime-minister in this video...
I think the video says it all: I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!

Wole Soyinka Speaks...

2007-10-11T03:08:00.000+01:00

24 hours after Steven Sackur of BBC HARDTALK interviewed Ojo Maduekwe-the Foreign Affair Minister of Nigeria...Steven travelled to Lagos-Nigeria to talk to Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

As part of a season of programmes examining the question "Why democracy"...and how can Nigeria overcome its endemic corruption..."?

Watch the Interview here

I'm UnComfortabe With Marriage Ceremonies...!

2007-09-27T03:26:00.000+01:00

I don’t really like wedding ceremonies.-especially the ones organised or celebrated in Nigeria.
However, I found my self attending one two weeks ago- just to ease tension from the political embarrassment happening back home.

Wedding ceremonies are boring and pretentious in most cases. They are marked by an extravagant outward show that do not reflect the sanctity of marriage-rather, these ceremonies ostentatiously, portray the vanity of man.

There I was, like a fish bobbed out of water. I immediately knew I didn’t belong to such showy gathering full of ‘notice me’ people. I had to suffer for three quarter of an hour-punishment I overtly deserve for being the cousin of the bride. It was the most boring three quarter of an hour I have spent in a long time!
I would have preferred watching or reading the unfolding comic drama taking place in the national assembly in Abuja.

What I witness was a carnival of some sort- not a marriage ceremony. How people can participate in a such a show of hypocrisy still beats me. Mark you, I am not anti-marriage. What I despise is the carnival-like splurgy and misplaced ceremonies that follow the so-called union of two people.

Most marriage ceremonies are insufferably outlandish-especially if the couple or one of them is a ‘money miss-road’ fellow. My cousin (the bride in this case) is a lawyer. A budding lawyer for that matter. So, she couldn’t have raised seven hundred and fifty (N750,000) thousand naira (about $6,000) just for the venue for the reception as I gathered.

The groom whom I hardly know and have never met before the wedding day is a business man. His line of business, I can’t tell…yet, there were over five hundred bottles of champagne and all kinds of wines…
Why they would rent or hire two live bands is beyond my comprehension. The ensuing idiotic theme tunes blaring from all spheres made the already humid air intolerable. Meaningful conversation was an impossibility.

I asked an extended relative if she knew the groom well enough. By that I mean the groom’s line of business.
To this I got …’he is very powerful business man…’ I see. May be this chap is the one who got the award for the controversial contract for the renovation of the speaker/deputy speaker’s residents in Abuja. Otherwise, ‘na proper money -mis-road be dis’…

For the better part of forty-five minute, I saw the stupidity and folly of some Nigerians. A man actually stood out in the crowd by spraying hundred($100) dollar bills on the couple and the sycophant musicians-who went on rampage drumming and crooning loudly for attention. The whole scenario was a bedlam of starchy igeles and the overbearing smell of new clothes mixed with cheap and conflicting fragrance of expensive perfumes.

Everyone seems to be happy. To be more appropriate, everyone was pretending to be happy. Or were they really happy?

I guess I was the only sad soul there. I feel so sorry for my cousin. She looked tired and frail too. May be she fasted for forty days and forty nights for the this wedding to actualise . Well, I wish her all the happiness she deserves…and her husband too.
And I hope this stupendous ceremony was not a make -believe…and a reflection of our folly!

NIgerians Cry Too Much...!

2007-09-03T02:32:00.001+01:00

Nigerians are the most difficult human-beings to please on the face of the earth.
Why? They are never satisfied. They always grumble about their leaders and about anything under the sun.
Take for example the last elections. Nigerians -mostly populated by drawers of water and hewers of wood cried foul.
What do they know about the conduct of free and fair elections. Who are they to say the elections were rigged when the likes of Obasanjo and most PDP stalwart say it was fairly free.

As if this is not enough, these ignorant and mostly illiterates dare to raise their voices and question the honesty of the ‘elected ‘ president and that of his vice when they both openly declared assets-gotten through long and tedious years of hard work.

These Nigerians also attempted to tarnish the image and reputation of the immediate past president-general Olusegun Obasanjo - accusing him of attempting albeit cunningly to change the constitution to permit a third presidential term and to thwart the efforts of opposing contestants like Atiku.

One thing that annoys or probably baffles the ruling class is that majority of the Nigerian electorates/ followers are naïve, uneducated, gullible or plain stupid.
The ruling class cannot comprehend the naivety of the so-called followers when they cry foul each time they try to make life more comfortable for them through their leadership and examples.

Nigerians would question and cry about just anything done by politicians-especially when it comes to money spending. When the former president-Olusegun Obasanjo came to the conclusion that the fleet of aircrafts attached to the presidency were not befitting enough for a man like him and decided to add a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 737-800, bought at the cost of about $7.9 million or N1.04 billion, Nigerians went over the top-screaming their lungs out asking-was it necessary? The vintage Obasanjo asked them to shut up.
Do Nigerians expect him to squeeze himself and all his special assistants into one small box? They are not serious!

I will digress a little. If you are a Nigerian and you have (of course you must have!) attended one of the ubiquitous ’owbanbe’ parties in and around the cities of Lagos or Ibadan or Benin-City or Port- Harcourt or Kaduna…then, you must have noticed young men and women and children- who go about with nylon bags collecting leftovers from the tables and floors. Most of them look wrenched, unkempt and emaciated. Some them even scramble and argue over who saw the leftover plate of food first. They may quarrel and sometimes fight over these crumbs.

These wrenched of the earth are not paid to do this job. They actually rely on the leftovers for survival. Most likely, that would be their only meal for the day if they are lucky…

The class of Nigerians whose picture I have painted above are not the ones that cry foul each time billions of naira is spent on frivolities by politicians. This class of Nigerians are too absorbed in the day to day struggle of survival of how to eat and where to sleep to know what is happening in Abuja or Aso-Rock.

The class of Nigerians who have become somewhat like thorns in the flesh of politicians are those who want to know how Patricia Olubunmi Etteh the speaker of the house of representative and her deputy-Babangida Nguroye could allocate and award contracts worth N628 million for the renovation of their official residents including the acquisition of 12 cars…

How on earth would any sane human being living in Nigeria today (let alone a public figure) justify that stupendous amount of money on renovation and cars given the excruciating and harrowing experiences of the poor in their midst…?

N628 million for renovation of houses/cars? Nigerians should note that these houses were refurbished in 2003 and were befitting enough for the speaker(s)/deputies who occupied them. Some stories are just too baffling to comprehend.

Whereas the Federal Government of Nigeria is threatening to cut by half the total number of graduates who are to serve the nation in the NYSC (National Youth Service Corp) because of fund, and whereas most Nigerian university libraries are filled with obsolete books and empty shelves, the Speaker of the House of Representative and her deputy have chosen to walk the path of honour by spending recklessly tax payers money on frivolities and lies…

It is sad and shameful that a country like Nigeria with so many talented and intelligent people would be saddled with some idiots- who call themselves politicians…yet, cannot put their priorities right…somehow they have become a source of embarrassment to the nation and her people…

When Asset Declaration Becomes Laughable...

2007-08-08T23:38:00.000+01:00

When president Yar'Dua Musa declared his (questionable) asset of N856m(eight hundred and fifty-six million naira)and that of his wife at N19m, alot of Nigerians hailed this seemingly transparent act ...most people saw it as setting an exemplary example. I saw it as gimmick...a charade. My major concern then was...how did he (Yar'Dua ) amass so much wealth. And what happens if at the end of his tenure, he is ten times richer...? I asked, what will Nigerians do?

Then I felt I was alone in this trail of thought...but after the Vice President of Nigeria-- Jonathan Goodluck bowed to pressure from the people through journalists by declaring an asset base of N259m(two hundred and fifty nine million naira), read what some Nigerians are saying courtesy of ThisDay newspaper(8/8/2007)

Tunde Amos08.08.2007 23:51
We would only be fooling ourselves to think that this people do not have more than they are declaring. come to think of it there are a sizable number of them who have ensure that such assets are purchased/owned and managed by other people on their behalf. Who is fooling who?

Dayo
08.08.2007 23:46
Is there a way of getting the taxation people to tell us the amount of tax paid by all these fellows? Let\'s start from there and later we will investigate how they made these monies.

I hope all the ministers and advisers will follow suit

Daniel Elombah
08.08.2007 23:46
I now believe that \'the Lucky one\' has something to hide.
While Yar\'Adua included the assets of all his family, Goodluck excluded the assets of his wife and kids.

2 months after becoming the governor of Bayelsa Assets, The brother to the wife of Goodluck Jonathan, who had just then finished Youth Service, was used to transfer millions of Naira out of Nigeria using one of Nigerian Banks.

It was also widely reported, that the said wife was investigated by both the EFCC and the London Metropolitan Police for international money laundering.

Therefore, \'the lucky one\' is being clever by half. He should declare his whole family assets including his in-laws, the we should compare what he declared juust 2 years ago as a new governor of Bayelsa State.

It should be further noted, that Goodluck was a mere Lecturer just before assuming office as deputy governor in 1999 and served just 2 years as governor from 2006 to 2007.

Assuming without conceding that the declared assets is a true reflection of all he possees, Nigerians should be asking, how he earned more than 200 million naira a teacher, 6 years as a deputy governor, and 2 years as a governor.

If Nigerian Lecturers now earn so much, we all beter head back home.
Talade Kunle
08.08.2007 23:45
Its completely inconceiveable that GoodLuck would be worth this much. HOW UNDER THE HEAVENS DID HE MAKE SO MUCH MONEY. It is not enough to declare, there should be some explanations as well. It is people like GoodLuck that fuel the restiveness in the niger delta by such huge declarations of wealth that clearly suggests LOOTING..... this is very sad, in a country where pensioners are starving & dying, CRY NIGERIA CRY........

RENE OSAYANDE
08.08.2007 23:45
Most Nigerians seem to mis-place their piority what do we as a people stand to gain from this carefully tailored asset declaration.Instead of us to be asking for good roads,regular power & water supply,free education for our children.We are busy chasing shadows these politicians have perfected the act of stealing.All these assets declared are less from those aquired via proxy.

Ezera Agwu
08.08.2007 23:43
Mr VP, Thank you for showing good example. We in diaspora love your steps. So fellow Nigerians should accept this figure whether you said the truth on not, and repect you and your office for the sake of Nigeria

Udo 08.08.2007 23:31
Obasanjo had N20,000.00 in 1998/1999 but left office a multi-billionaire. Odilli went in with a Nigerian doctor\'s income, if you get my drift, comes out and is buying more planes than Virgin Atlantic. Talking about explanation.

Afolabi Wasiu (USA)
08.08.2007 23:30
Though it is a way to start however declaring asset is nothing if the sources are not decleared, and a thorough review of asset is not done. We all know taxation is a protracted disease in Naija. Levying taxes on their property will not only put money in goverment\'s purse but will also curb those who might declear an exaggerated asset to be filled while in the office.

frank 08.08.2007 23:29
The vp has finally bowed to the yearnings of the people.But little did I wonder why it took him this long after his boss declared his own a long time ago.It definitely shows that he has something to hide.At least now we have something to hold when we start seeing BILLIONS in his accounts.

E. E. I 08.08.2007 23:20
Good news, but I must say that the fight against corruption is nothing but a gimmick when Baba Iyabo is untouchable. The battle is yet to start.

Obinna Alozie
08.08.2007 23:17
No need deceiving people Mr. VP. Since you failed to make it known at first and waited for people to react before you do so. I can\'t believe this figure. And by the way, how did you make this money? Was it your share of the LOOT in Bayelsa under Alameyshia or what?? Stop deceiving yourself. You will somehow, someday be called up by God to repeat this figure you just put out to decieve people. Goodluck.

Afolabi Wasiu
08.08.2007 23:10
Do you need to wait to see what the public opinion will be before you do the right thing?. The President has led the way, why he held back? Well, thanks for following the right path, it is a point to start. It is all about nothing but accountability.

JOHN AJEWOLE (U.K)
08.08.2007 23:07
Public declaration of assets is not enough. Let them explain also how this wealth was accquired. Let Obasanjo, Atiku and a host of others declare their assets too after leaving office. I believe the code of conduct bureau stipulates that public office holders should declare their assets before and after holding an office.

Jare 08.08.2007 23:05
Thank God VP bowed to pressure. Thank you Nigerian Jurnalists. You jurnalisst have a lot to do by going into archive and find out the true statement on ground on the asset declared.Let Nigerians know where and when these assets were acquired. You can find out from their PRO.
We want to know how a school teacher can become a millonaire in Nigeria. How many companies has he,share and landed property. Please investigate.. We are waiting for you people to build our country on honesty, integrity and good governance.

chris 08.08.2007 23:02
Vp\'s asset declaraation is welcome although I believe it must have been a directive from above. It\'s however difficult to reconcile the asset declared with his legitimate earning both as a lecturer, deputy governor and later governor. Still its a start. If we now find his asset in billions afterwards he will have a lot of explaining to do.

Ifeanyi Uhuegbu
08.08.2007 22:52
Each time a public officer declares his assets, we applaud him for doing what he is statutorily mandated to do. How laughable can this be. Have we bothered to check if those assets exist? After serving, do we cross check the person\'s new assets and how he aquired them? No wonder Ibori\'s aide had the temerity to say that his boss acquired the said frozen London assets before he became governor

Similarly how much tax did those who declared assets pay. Don\'t we have column for property tax. Head Federal iinland revenue, this is an assignment for your organisation.

Ifeanyi Uhuegbu,
Author, African Wisdom,
www.africanwisdomonline.com

Emeka Ekwosimba
08.08.2007 22:42
From the goings on, I think Nigeria may just be gradually getting to that democratic latitude that we all pray for. Change in decisions by the government and those at the helms of affairs have been coming in droves once the masses protest. It may soon be uhuru afterall.

Dozie (USA)
08.08.2007 22:39
That could be how much Goodluck acquired for sure. The ultimate winner and hero is Obasanjo! Thanks for carefully choosing governors that were worth under a billion naira. This is poverty compared to the colleagues. The difference between President\'s assets and VP is property inherited from Yaradua dynasty. At least we have an idea of what an average Nigerian leader should own, and what is stupid.

chuks Okoye
08.08.2007 22:37
Good!!............ Now God will get on with what He\'s planned to accomplish in the new Nigeria that will soon evolve.Thank you V.P

Innocent Agbodike
08.08.2007 22:35
Bravo Mr VP you are indeed a good follower.

A good servant follow the master\'s footstep.

Now I believe you are qualified for your post.

Thank you for making Nigerians proud.

Ugwuja,Emmanuel
08.08.2007 22:32
I find it pretty difficult to believe that the VP legitimately acquired personal assets of over N250million.When and how? He has to explain the sources of this wealth otherwise there is no point waging war against corruption.It takes an entrepreneur in the class of Dangote,Otedola,e.t.c.to have that kind of money.Because he is never a business man.It is a pitty corruption has become a way of life.Our children are watching us.

Solomon Joseph
08.08.2007 22:26
I think this is a very good development. I wondered why he (VP) delayed. Now the VP has done his, all other officers should follow, this will help us (Nigerians) to monitor their wealth during their tenure and after. I am looking forward to Mr. President asking all his SAs and ministers to join the queue.

oluyemi Erastus
08.08.2007 22:19
This is wiliwili declaration. This is an extreme example of Gbenga Daniel\'s case. These people should stop assaulting our intelligence.

vitalio
08.08.2007 22:16
As a Nigerian, you can ask the questions yourself, the press cannot do everything for us. the VP has already started wrongly, he has given an opportunity for doubts on his transparency and integrity. What Bayelsa collects in a monthly allocation, Lagos gets it in 2 or 3 months. We just pray that his new found romance with bowing to people\'s demands continues.

L. U. Emesara
08.08.2007 22:13
The Nigeria constitution (amended) should compel public office holders to declare their assests publicly.Bravo Mr President for setting the pace.

temitope adeyemo
08.08.2007 22:10
This is good, let the \" game\" begin. We need to know how he got all this. Maybe...I say maybe again, a new Nigeria might be on the way soon...God Bless us all.

abimbola kumapayi
08.08.2007 22:07
Mark it, you can\'t enjoy your tenure as you will at all times come under watch.
Why did you consider this latest option?
We thought you have strong-head.

L. U. Emesara
08.08.2007 22:07
It is high time we began to know who our leaders are.The VP should be investigated to asertain the source of his wealth.Leadership in Nigeria should be made uncomfortable for those back yard millinoairs.
Chief Gbenga Oyedele
08.08.2007 22:05
Nigeria a nation with one of the lowest per capital income in the world, a nation that can not supply its citizens with basic infrastructures that they are entitled to, even common constant electric supply , pipe bone water, safety on the streets, that these other shameless politicians and hardened crimanals are declaring all these mind boggling income statements is alarming. How did this man, VP, get N259 million, how did YarAdua get his loot. How did the Governor of Ogun state get his billions? Until a revoliution is started in that country, Nigerians will still languish in the bottom of world good life. EFCC is a tip in the icebag. Ribadu is one good Nigerian. I am sure there are many more like that scattered all over the world looking at their beloveth country in ruins.
Money, wealth and greed.The whole truth is out here. These are all stolen money. Period.
No African heritage is rich enough to command all that money.
Even Abiola we all know how he got his money. What happens to the common man on the streets. What about the down trodding? The powerless? I pity our leaders. They are no good sons of bitches.
No atom of patriotism, decency or nationalism.
Just simple greed.
These says something about the average Nigerian. Not very good. A Nigerian is probably a boot licker who will sell his brother or sister for even food. Remember thats how slave trade started and today millions of American, Canadian and Carabien blacks are livivg proof.
The love for self gratification and money is driving our shameless leaders off the roof. May God have mercy on their poor miserable souls.
I hope they dont one day suffer from a cardiac arrest and by the time they get to their planes to fly to London they collapse are end their miserable greedy existence.

franko
08.08.2007 22:00
Its all in the politics..
For me, the issue here is the responsiveness of the upper echeleon of the Naija political class to varying degrees of pressure from the people, which has to be commended, rather than the actual act of declaration or not.
I believe the time has come for those especially within certain (upper) ranks of the civil service and especially the local government chieftains to be required by law to (publicly) declare their assets.
Hopefully, the EFCC and similar-minded organisations can and will begin to monitor anticipatory declarations of assets to prevent situations where these guys just declare something they dont have and then fill up the void by the usual unashamed roguery...
Well done Messrs Yar\'Adua & Jonathan.

okey muoh
08.08.2007 22:00
All ministers working with the president and the VP must do the same thing too as the oga and deputy have set the pace now.This must include special advisers too.I expect senators too and house of rep memebers to show openess and wisdom in making public theirs with the executive governors ....

We expect probe and checks on all these bogus asset declarations especially OGD of Ogun state and Fashola Pls?

oziengbe joseph
08.08.2007 21:57
It is not enough to declare assets we should find out where and where all these guys have worked before,how much they were making then,if it is business let\'s see their records,payment voucher,contract awards and all of that to set the record straight.Thankyou.

ranni 08.08.2007 21:56
This is a gross understatement of the ill gotten loot by your looting excellency. He deliberately intends to deceive the populsce and conceal his wealth. He is responsible for the crises in Niger delta because he stole the resources that should be used to develop the area.

austine popo
08.08.2007 21:56
False declaration, capital lie, I dont believe it.
nosa
08.08.2007 21:55
Nigeria is a country where criminals transform themselves into politicians and wealth can be acquired through various means; through I eat you eat and shutup.
Olaosebikan R
08.08.2007 21:42
This is a good thing for democracy in Nigeria.Mr President has fired the first shot.He is leading by example and Goodluck has eventually bowed to the people\'s request.Let the ministers, Governors,Law makers etc follow Mr President.
This is a new era of transparency and accountability. Whosoever refuses to do this has something to hide. So far so good with Yar Adua. The victory belongs to the people.

james
08.08.2007 21:25
THIS MEANS HE STOLE LITTLE OR NO MONEY AS GOVERNOR

Omo Oba Olubukun Akinyebo.
08.08.2007 21:17
What can I say? I am not sure whether we have started the journey to transformation of this nation.

Has the VP paid tax on his wealth? And how has he acquired this wealth?

The press should be investigating right now as to his tax records for the past five years, whether he has paid the appropriate rate.

It is time that we start asking our leaders questions

Remembering Fela Kuti...2

2007-08-01T17:40:00.000+01:00

2nd of August every year would be remembered by conscious music lovers and activists the world over as the day that great son of African--Fela Anikulapo-Kuti passed away…
Fela was loved by many--especially the down trodden in our society.
He was seen as the voice of the masses and a thorn in the flesh of those in authority…

Not so many people would agree with the assertion that Fela was the greatest musician to emerge from the soil of Africa…
Some saw him as a pervert who encouraged the youths to smoke cannabis and created a haven for miscreants and layabouts in his kalakuta republic--a place where he acted as a king and demigod…

From whatever standpoint one looks at this enigmatic social activist and crusader, a lot of people would agree that Fela left his footprint in the ‘sound’ of our time…

He was the creator of the genre of music known as Afrobeat--a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, Highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with African percussion and vocal styles…
It was said that Fela was awakened into this style of music after a meeting with an African-American lady-SANDRA IZSADORE… she was the one responsible for igniting the revolutionary fire latent in him…
You all will know and recognize her powerful captivating voice as the only female vocalist to ever grace a Fela song…”UPSIDE DOWN…

Fela touched so many lives with his brand of music. Today, a lot young people attempt to play Afro beat… some even dress, talk , act and sing like him…but you and I know that there can only be one Fela Anikulapo-Kuti because, he carried death in his pouch…so that his work might live forever.

Remembering the Greatest of Them All...

2007-07-30T17:26:00.001+01:00

...Life's Challenges

2007-07-23T20:20:00.000+01:00

Life's challenges are like the wind that blows from all corners. There is no sitting on the fence. You are either mobile and active--making progress or you are sliding down the slope with horrifying speed --then, there is nothing to wedge in -between. Progress. Upward or downward…

Do you wish to be the challenged or do you wish to be the challenger? Do you wish to listen or do you wish to speak? Do you wish to be a spectator or do you wish to be a player? Life is a challenge, yes. But life Itself is challengeable nonetheless – either you challenge it, or it will challenge you.

Imagine a person so ashamed to acknowledge his own identity; or, sadder yet, a person who doesn’t even know his own identity. Picture a soul so lacking in self-confidence that it cannot look you in the eye; or, sadder yet, cannot even look itself in the eye (if that were possible). Think of a mind so devoid of education that it rots away in its own ignorance, but not ignorant enough for the rotting to be in bliss.

More than 80 million children under 15 are estimated to be labouring in the poor countries of the world. According to one study, one in three children under 15 in east Africa is working and one in four children in west Africa is working. Their families are too poor to afford fees to send them to school. And often the countries themselves are too poor to provide schooling for all their children. In addition, the families need the extra income from their children’s labour in the poorest areas of the world where the average income can be less than $1 per day. Can you picture that?

Do something extraordinary today...and start changing a child's life for the better.
The problems children face in the developing world differ, but the cause is always the same - poverty.

It's easy to feel hopeless, but through child sponsorship, you truly can do something about it, something extraordinary.
You can personally reach out and connect with a child and their community and follow their progress as they overcome incredible hardships and build for the future

WHATEVER YOU ARE...AND WHATEVER YOU DO...PLEASE ,CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE EDUCATION OF A CHILD THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY YOURS TODAY!

Life's Struggle...

2007-07-11T09:55:00.000+01:00

A guy who lives at Lake Macquarie (50 miles north of Gosford) saw a ball bouncing around on the lake--kind of strange...so he went to investigate.
It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth! The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.
The man tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish.

You probably wouldn’t have believed this, if you hadn’t seen the following pictures…

Be kinder than necessary. Because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.’

When Medical Doctors Become Agent of Death...

2007-07-07T02:17:00.000+01:00

"...I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug..."

That is part of the 'Hippocratic oath' which is taken by graduates of many modern medical schools. And history has it that Hippocrates-a Greek physician fashioned out this code of ethics for physicians.

Hippocrates died many centuries ago. It will come as no surprise to learn that Hippocrates is utterly, unabashedly ashamed in his grave of what modern medicine has become.

There are now doctors who will not even attend to a patient unless seventy percent of the bill is paid in advance (this is very rampant in the developing countries). As if that is not bad enough, there are now doctors who conspire to put an end to people's lives through genocidal means otherwise known as terrorism.

It was the most pathetic sight last weekend seeing a man in flames having attempted ramming a jeep car loaded with gasoline bomb into the Glasgow airport gate.
Reports have it that both the driver- who was severely burnt and his passenger are medical doctors--both are from the middle-east and they work in the National Health Service of Britain.

Five other people-all in the medical field were also arrested in connecttion with the plot to bomb and kill people in Britain in large numbers.

Medical doctors, plotting to kill. These doctors are hypocrites. They have turned their back on the Hippocratic oath...and they have desecrated that profession-medicine!

Terrorism as we knewn it or as it appear to us before last weekend, was an act of wickedness to kill or maim as many people as possible for some tainted reasons.

And we have come to also know that those behind such plots are very intelligent people. So, while the intelligent ones hide under the discomfort of some obscure caves planning and plotting, the not-so-intelligent dumbasses are used to execute such plans after drum tight brainwashing.

Bottomline, blow your sorry arses to pieces and take as many 'infidel' as you could possibly drag along.

Last weekend however, a new twist was added to the blind rage of these fanatics. Doctors. Highly trained and intelligent medical personnel are now the executors.

One begins to wonder what could possibly make medical doctors who have sworn to an oath to save lives--turn around to attempt to bomb people in large numbers.

Did the doctors have the hidden plans to kill people enmasse as soon as they qualified as doctors before going to medical schools? Or were they initiated and brainwashed into becoming suicide bombers as a result of their fanaticism...? Or is it sheer hatred of a people who welcomed them with open arms...?

From whichever angle we try to look at this ugly phenomenon called 'terrorism' and its lastest attempt in Britain, it is crystal clear that we have a huge problem in our hands...

Medical doctors are suppose to save lives...not blow them to pieces through bomb and terror.

THREATS FROM ALL ANGLES...

2007-06-29T22:54:00.000+01:00

-Last week, Britons in part of Yorkshire and Sheffield woke up to find themselves afloat--after a torrential down-pour-which killed five people including a 68yr old county Judge.

Insurers estimate the cost of this week's flooding to run into hundreds of millions of pounds. But the overall cost to the British economy could eventually reach several billions.

Apart from the damage caused by the rising water to private homes and properties, businesses have suffered huge interruption costs. Tens of thousands of people were displaced and couldn't get to work. The closure of several junctions on the M1 alone would have cost millions. Rail and other transport links were also affected.

Yet,the weather forecasters say the heavy rain and flooding are not done.
People should brace themselves for the worse--this weekend especially.

-Londoners were on edge Friday after two explosives-packed cars were found in the city's theater district just a week before the second anniversary of a bombing onslaught that killed 52 commuters...

An old man from Jamaica dare to suggest that the gods are angry with these people.
I say these are trying period...

...Are Orators Born...?

2007-06-25T16:36:00.000+01:00

You can almost always recognise the power associated with a leader through his voice and speech...
In this regard, American Presidents come top of the list of leaders who can convince their citizens to drink the ' herbaceous hemlock'--and they (citizens) will do so before asking questions...

As a young lad, I loved the late president of America--Ronald Reagan so much--not necessarily because of the substance of his speeches, but because of the gusto and confidence that radiates from and around him whenever he mounts the podium...
Hear him:

" ...Government is the people's business and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid. ...we who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefitting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progressive, and free..."

Wheras, Mr Tony Blair could be labelled as one of the most charismatic British Prime Minister to lead the country for a decade, most of us have come to love him not for going to Iraq, but for his charm and ability to make you listen whenever he speaks...

Tony Blair in 1997:

"...As I stand here before 10 Downing Street I know all too well the huge responsibility that is upon me and the great trust that the British people have placed in me...this administration shall be a government rooted in strong values, the values of justice and progress and community, the values that have guided me all my political life...this government is ready with the courage to embrace the new ideas necessary to make those values live again for today's world -- a government of practical measures in pursuit of noble causes. That is our objective for the people of Britain..."

Only two African leaders in recent times have come close enough to the mark of been labelled as good orators--

Nelson Mandela (again) and Jerry Rawlings of Ghana.

Some may want to argue that Babangida of Nigeria was also a very good orator or speech reader...

But this a man I dislike so much for his sly and conning nature. And I hated him more when he was branded as 'maradona'...

General Olusegun Obasanjo--the immediate past president of Nigeria would fall into the worse categories of speech makers. Oratory, Obasanjo has a way of irritating, annoyingly his listeners by trying to clear his 'kola-nut' infested throat seventy- nine times in a single speech--terrible!
And he never raises his from the paper whenever he reads...

So, what do Nigerians make of their new President-- Yar'Dua ? (is that how to spell the name...I'm not being funny)...

I read somewhere that Mr. Yar'Dua was asked about his immediate priorities. And all he could come up with was..

"...'My first priority is the economy, my second priority is the economy and my third priority is the economy..."

What, in hells name does that mean...? Can't he come up with something more qoutable and a little bit more educated than that...?

How did Nigerians get themselves saddled with a taciturn, below-average fellow --who is also economical in ideas, speech and style...?

And where are all the speech messiahs and publicists like Fani-kayode, Wada Nas, even Kingibe.
Somebody should please sit president Yar'Adua (my younger sister just gave the correct spelling) down and polish him a little bit...

He is the president of the nation for crying out loud--even thou he was not generally elected, he has the mandate now...
He should convince the people that he knows what to do and he is ready to do it through his speech, character and style...or is this not his will?

Now that the Elections are Over, Let Us Celebrate...

2007-04-23T11:51:00.000+01:00

I think Nigeria and Zimbabwe and Togo and Cameroun and Liberia(maybe the whole of Africa) are the only countries in the world where the electorates are disatisfied with the dividend of democracy, yet, they keep voting for the same polical leaders..
.
The elections in Nigeria have come and gone. The peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) have swept the polls--winning majority of the legislative seats--(states and national) and the apex position--presidency or haven't they?

Now, let Nigerians roll out the drums and celebrate. Let the ruling-class and the elected politicians pat themselves on the back for a successful conduct of a semblance of an election...

President General Olusegun Obasanjo must be very proud of 'Ewu' Maurice--the INEC(Independent National Electoral Commission) chairman. Maurice must score very high in Obasanjo's rating. Why not?

It is only a genius of Ewu Maurice calibre who can hoodwick the people--local and international with INEC's electoral abracadabra -the more you look, the less you see.

The unfortunate history of democracy in Nigeria would not be complete without mentioning the contributions of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and the Peoples' Democratic Part--PDP. A party of greedy, selfish, shameless and corrupt men and women.

Now that the spurious elections are over, and PDP have swept the polls, let the obese, funny looking figures with starched brocades mount their jeep cars and ride in roads filled with potholes to their numerous palatial mansions in the villages...while the children of the down trodden stare bewildered, thumb in their mouths--with shining kwashiorkor bellies thrust forward and thread bare underwears with gaping holes--line the streets. Nigeria's tourist attraction!

Now that the elections are over, let the 'haves'--with stupendous material wealth change their generating plants and the noise that emanate from these machines continue to deafen the downtroddens. Let the 'have-nots' continue to inhale the air saturated fumes...

Let Nigerians congratulate their elected representatives. The very men and women who came humbly to their door-steps--promising to make the sun shine twenty four hours a day and rebuild their demolished stores. Saying that policemen will no longer harrass their souls with--'wetin you carry' and 'park' as they return from their hinderland markets--with tired bodies and arthritis joints...

Nigerians can now sleep with both eyes closed--without the fear of marauders at night and broad daylight.

Now that the elections have been won and lost, the scoundrels who were used as body-guards by PDP politicians can now return to their villainy--harrassing innocent and law abiding citizens...

Now that the elections are over, let Nigerians celebrate the decay and rot of their society; while the elected officials pillage the treasury--its pay back time for the godfathers who financed the 'area boys' who were used to disrupt normal voting process...

Bring out the champagnes and choice wines. Let us drink to the dividend of democracy in Nigeria.

...And I would like to propose a toast...

...to the success of PDP, the largest fraudulent political party in Africa; to Maurice Ewu--for being the most unbias umpire in this political abracadabra; I'm not done yet, I would also like us to toast to the fact that--the electoral tribunal is there for all aggrieved parties...

Finally, I would like to say this--the international community and its bias observers can go to hell--Nigeria is a Republic.

Hip...hip ...hip...hurrah!...Hip...hip...hip...hurrah!

Has Nigeria As a Nation Failed...?

2007-04-22T00:19:00.000+01:00

What is the definition of a failed state? Is Nigeria a failed state?
This is a question put forward by Imnakoya...grandioseparlor as it relates to another post by African Shirt...

I'm going to rephrase this question thus: Has Nigeria as a nation, failed? I am positive that, if you put this question before millions of Nigerians(aside from the ruling class and an isolated few) the answer would be...YES!

What would any 'reasonable' citizen regard as failure in respect of governance?
Failure as it relates to the governance of a state would mean any of the following:

1.The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends...
2.The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short...
3.A cessation of proper functioning or performance...
4.Nonperformance of what is requested or expected...

Now, if you look at the above definitions of failure properly, most people would agree that no.3...(i.e, a cessation of proper functioning or performance) and no.4.(.i.e, nonperformance of what is requested or expected) best describe the present and past state of Nigeria as a Nation.

Is Nigeria a failed state? YES!

What are the basic things that the citizens expect from the ruling class?

a)...Security: Security of lives and property. Would anyone assert that Nigerians are secured?

b)...Employment: As resourceful as the citizens are, the unemployment rate is very very high. Apart from the privileged few who are lucky to be employed, majority of the masses are barely existing... Check this out ....and this too...

c)...Free and Fair Elections: Does anyone want me to say anything here?

That is the succinct report sheet of Nigeria. Brief as it is, the sheet encapsulate the utter failure of this state...

Scratch your head, twist and turn as you wish...these facts on ground can not be wished away by high sounding words or logic.

Where Do We Go from Here...?

2007-04-18T01:52:00.000+01:00

Honestly, I love politics. However, the way this game is played in Nigeria, one's interest begin to wane not gradually but steadily with horrifying speed.

Last Saturday evening, after the elections, I called a friend in the volatile Niger-Delta region...
He gave me a blow- to- blow account of what happened and how the military with armoured tanks were used to disenfranchise thousands of would -be voters...

Since then, every page you flip, every article on the pages of Nigerian newspapers speak of gross irregularities and dissatisfaction by many...
So much so that a coalition of the opposition has called for an outright cancellation of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections held on the 14 of April...

The coalition group has also decided to boycott the scheduled presidential elections next Saturday...

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the body saddled with conduct and organisation of the elections, yesterday, asked those not satisfied with the results of last Saturday’s elections to seek redress at the election tribunals, affirming it would not be moved by reports of irregularities to cancel the elections.

Then, you begin to wonder, whose interest INEC represents...?

Renúncia

2007-04-16T13:30:00.000+01:00

I have just noticed that someone under the guise of anonymity is pasting some kind of nonsense on the comment section of my blog...
I appreciate comments from 'friends' and relatives who would want to remain anonymous...but 'copying and pasting' irrelevant materials as comments--I don't find funny at all.

I don't know who you are, but I am using this as an appeal , please, STOP IT!

...Who is the Head of the Home...?

2007-04-14T02:27:00.000+01:00

I haven't seen Tejiri--my nephew in six weeks. He is eleven. And they are on holiday. So, when I stopped -by this afternoon, he was ecstatic. He almost knocked me over.
I'm the superman--who can do anything, answer any and all questions in the eyes of this young lad. Before I could ask...where is your daddy, he shot me with a barrage of questions.

TJ: uncle , who is the head of the home...?

ME: ...which home,,? Daddy is the head of course...

TJ:...no...no.. I mean who is the head of a home in a family...?

ME: [without weighing the question]...I said the ' father' is the head of any home'

TJ: [with a clenched fist thrust into the air]...yes, yes, I said it...my teacher was wrong...

ME: [absolutely scared of the import of this idea...that his teacher is wrong,]...junior, your teacher cannot be wrong..why do you say your teacher is wrong?

TJ: [looked very excited]...uncle, we were having 'Citizenship'...and { Ms Louisa} my teacher asked the question...'who is the head of the home?'
...and I said the 'father' is the head of the home...she said I was wrong. And we argued. And everyone was blaming me for arguing with the teacher...

*Phew!

*I have to tread carefully here. otherwise, I 'll be 'miseducating' this young lad...teachers are not, under any circumstance suppose to be wrong. If teachers are made to appear wrong, the student(s) suffers...

ME: ...junior, who did your teacher say is the head of the home...?

TJ: ...she said both parents are the head of the home. They are equal she said...

ME: [let me try and confuse this small boy with some grammar..hmm ..hmmm..I cleared my throat..]...you see junior, your teacher was right. In a home,em, both parents(mother and father )...have what is known as complementary equality. It means they both help each other mutually...they put heads together in the decision making..they both weigh everything together...you understand?

*Junior with arms folded across his chest was looking passively--disinterested in my explanation. I guess....

TJ:...uncle, but the Bible says that the 'man' is the head of the home. And that women should be submissive to their husbands. Are you saying the Bible is wrong?

ME:...(Chineke!)...you know what junior, let me see your dad...we'll continue this discussion immediately I finish with your dad ..ok?

TJ: [..nodding his head...]...ok!

* That was how I temporarily escaped from the young inquisitive mind...Anyway, they are on holiday right now, I intend to make my research and go back to 'floor' him in this debate. The teacher must/cannot be wrong!

Virgin(al) Media Lapses...!

2007-04-09T13:01:00.000+01:00

For awhile now, I've been in a spiral battle with the above broadcasting media...and I forsee the outcome--court! Please don't laugh.

I was with Ntl Media for some years...then, Virgin(al) Media (which would be referred to hereafter as VM) took over. I was not informed formally of this take-over...yet, I'm supposed to be a customer(who is supposed to be always right)...

This seeming problem with VM started in February 2007-when three of my services were disconnected. I came back from work one evening and tried to make an international call...the phone line was dead. What! Just to double check, I switched on the TV--most of the channels were unsubscribed...still in doubt of what was happening, I decided to switch on the PC--nagative was the result.

To say the truth, I wasn't surprised. I was actually expecting the disconnection(s) to happen.Why? Because, I didn't pay the bills for January and February.Take note, my not paying the bills was not a deliberate act--VM did not send me a bill. The last bill I paid was in December 2006...

Anyway, I went to the phone booth and placed a call to customer services. Take another note, it wasn't a free call. Anyone who is familiar with the routine can picture what I went through.
After being put on hold, and forced to listen to an off-key version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons for what felt like twelve seasons to me, I finally got in touch with someone, a human being.

We went through the usual but boring and annoying formalities--of name, account number, address and password. Then finally, he said his name is Steve Lapses' and asked how he could be of help...
I told him that my services were disconnected and I want to know why. He asked me to hang on for another minute. I waited. The 'slot machine' kept swallowing my coins. I kept adding more. Steve eventually woke up from his latent slumber and said..." I'm afraid you owe £115.21 for January and February.

I said very well. But I want you to look at that same record, and tell me if you people(VM) sent me a bill for those months you just mentioned.

All of sudden, Steve became a stutterer... "em..em ..we..re'..so..so.sor..sor..rri...rry". You are sorry for what ? I scream at him. You didn't send me a bill and now you want me to perform magic...and don't YOU dare ask me why I didn't set-up a direct debit...

Somehow, both us kept quiet for an ackward fraction of a second... Then, I decided to reprimand him by letting him know that it was VM's duty to provide the bills and my responsibity to pay such bills... I told him that the next time they fail to perform their duties and make me suffer, I will cancel the contract...its not an empty threat.

Instanter, I brought out my debit card and gave Steve the card number-with the stern warning that, it was a 'one-off'' payment. And that my services should be reconnected within 24 hours. He gave me his word. The TV came on four hours after, but the telephone and broadband were not reconnected until the next day. Fair enough.

I got the shock of my life when I came home three days after the above ordeal... and saw a reminder bill of £68.67 from VM. This was the 8 of March. My telephone was working, so I called VM immediately. I was told to ignore the bill. It was a mistake. And I said it had better be.

On the 14 of March, I received another bill...£115.21. This was an obvious mistake because that amount was the exact amount I paid for January and February over the phone. So, I ignored the bill.

Three days later, I was at work, my mobile phone rang...it was an unknown number. I answered. The voice at the other end said..." my name is Mr Horrible and I'm calling on behalf of Virgin(al) Media.." I said yes...
"...em, we calling to remind you of your outstanding bill of £115.21...and what you intend to do about it..."

I want you to imagine my state of mind at moment. All I could remember saying was..."are you mad...what bill...?" The bill that I paid two weeks ago?...what is wrong with you people...?

Out of annoyance, I called and cancelled the contract with VM.
One of their technicians came to my house with a report(my name and account no. was on it) saying he has been asked to come and fix a digital cable TV. I laughed. Do these people know what they doing...?I told him that I just cancelled my contract. He was suppose to pick up the digital box. He did picked up the box...after a confirmation call to the office.

My telephone and broadband are still working even though, I have officially terminated the contract.

They still insist that I owe them £115.21. Unfortunately, I don't have a receipt for the transaction (of the payment) I made over the phone...although, I was given an authorization number... and the reflection on my bank statement of the same amount...

If I'm owing anything at all, it should not be more than £40 for the month of March... going by my record...

I need the advise of a lawyer. If you are a lawyer reading this, please advise me for Free... because there is no point charging me for an amount which will be more than the purported bill...

Standing Out in the Crowd...

2007-04-06T00:46:00.000+01:00

Recently, I started seeing the face of Mr Ofoluyawo everywhere I go...especially when I'm watching indecent movies. I see his toothy but wicked smile.
I see his grey parted hair that slants to one side like the sixteenth century slave driver.
I also notice his sparkling starchy white shirt that usually takes Okon --his houseboy six grovelling hours to iron.

To meet Mr Ofoluyawo is to meet fear itself. He embodies all the characteristics of a man who must be revered. You either quake before him or you crumble--there is no other option.

Once a group of students decided to dare him-- by staring directly into his eyes... The next day, everyone spoke hushly--Mr Ofoluwayo's eyes emits fire like the fork tongue of a snake...and that, the more you dare to stare, the more you are drawn into his spell unwittingly...

In spite of these dreadful conception of Mr Ofoluwayo, he was loved by all for his morale and outstanding character.
Then, we learnt under misconceived duress--
Now, we appreciate the high standard set for us and we would like to (under pressumed maturity) assimilate these lessons again and again...

Mr Ofoluwayo taught us ..." that in the face of all impossibilties, you can NEVER use Light to look for Darkness "...both are arch- enemies. Wherever there is light, darkness must be repelled...Good must triumph over evil... even if evil tends to have the upper hand for a long time...don't be deceived!

I can still recall some of the hard truth he tried to impart into our thick skulls... truth that were meaningless then...but today, stand as the bedrock of our very existence...

There was a night a group students incuding yours sincerely tried to sneak out of school(at about 11.30pm --after lights-out) to a birthday bash in town--- standing at the other side of the fence was the 'life statue' (as it seems) of Mr Ofoluwayo...
He gathered us into his arm. It wasn't a warm embrace. It was either suspension or outright expulsion.

He took us to his house in the masters' quarters. In fact, he took us into his sparsely furnished living room and delivered this lecture:

"... I know without any doubt in my mind, that you are all well brought up children...but the values which we, as custodians are trying to inculcate into you will be lost if we allow you to continue the way you are going..."

"Life, is very tough...even though I know that some of you are privileged...but these 'privileges' won't amount to anything if each and everyone of you cannnot stand up for the values which we teachers and your parents have strived to inculcate over the years..."

After this collective lecture which brought tears rolling down my cheek, Mr Ofoluwayo further nailed my coffin as it were by pulling me aside... and he continued...

"...I know it is not easy standing up for your values in a large room where everything tends to be directionless; and majority of the people valueless.But remember whose son you are...and try to keep your identity even if surrounded by people who would rather bow to peer pressure..."
Holding your head up high when majority bows theirs low makes you stand out...It is the greatest of challenges!

These words have become more like a rudder blade to me and others in this journey call life...

Imagine this...!

2007-04-04T00:51:00.000+01:00

...why are there so many trolleys outside...? I don't know. Get down and find out...It was like a military command--a 'General' giving orders to one of his subordinates...That was the brief conservation between Tracy (my boss) and I on Saturday...

So, I left whatever I was doing and trudged like a zombie downstairs. And truly, there were trolleys all over the place-- some in the middle of the road, others directly behind parked cars...it was chaotic!

I immediately rang up the supervisor in -charge. Paul, thats his name. He came sweating.
Paul, why is there no one picking up these trolleys and returning them to base...I asked.

With an exasperated sigh, he started collecting the trolleys almost immediately.Within a short time, the mess was cleared. But I wasn't satisfied. I intend to find out who was lagging. I went straight to the office to look at the time sheet.

Only two peple signed -in. What happened to the other two...? I asked Paul again.
I can only give account of one he responded defiantly...
And who can you give account of...I asked patiently.
Smith. He is very sick--he replied.What happened to Mr Kwoofie? I asked. I don't know sir... Paul shot back...

I got the message. Tracy and Paul are trying to pass the blame on me.I was the one who personally brought Mr Kwoofie--vouching for his good conduct and character...

This is not the first time he has abstained from work without permission or calling his supervisor....but I'm going to make it is the last...

After work, I stopped over at Mr Kwoofies' place to find out why he was absent....
I met the wife Nana. And from all indications, she's been crying.
Without beating about the bush, I asked her the whereabout of Kwoofie...
Between sobs she told me her husband was arrested that afternoon. what for...? I asked.

She then went on to narrate the most ridiculous story that I have heard in years...
Kwoofie and Nana have a thirteen year old daughter--Aisha.
They all move from Africa to the UK two years ago...Aisha is that type who looks bigger and smarter than her age. Most people(including me-when I saw her the first time) assumed she is seventeen--thats how big she is...

Kwoofie caught Aisha in bed with a guy. A white boy. He decided to take the law into his own hands. He flogged Aisha until she fainted. And when she came to, she had the temerity to call the police...The white boy? He escaped the wrath of a vexed Ghanian.

Mr Kwoofie was given the opportunity to make a phone call... He didn't call me nor Paul his supervisor at work...instead, he chose to call the chairman of his tribe union in the UK...

That was why trolleys were scattered all-over the place...and because I was the one who recommeded Mr Kwoofie for the job, My integrity is at stake.

The funny thing is, I cannot repeat this story before my boss--it would appear as if I brought an irresponsible man for the job --Most of the people at work won't understand--that in Africa, MOST parents beat up their children if they step out of line...and this is quite often....

A Night Walk...

2007-03-29T01:18:00.000+01:00

Every other evening, she sits on cold concrete--her violin on her shoulders attempting to play Mozarts' 'overture from the marriage of Figaro'...

Multitude of legs in a hurry threatening to trample on her does not in the lest appear to deter her...
Most times, her eyes are tightly closed as she caresses the strings of her violin with nails badly crooked from age-long habit of using her teeth...

I stood about three feet away listening and almost enjoying the melody...but the frigid atmosphere jolts me to reality...

No one is actually listening--save for some passive glances and two or maybe three 'generous' passers-by -who threw some browish coins her direction...

It is Friday night. I took my gaze slowly to the adjacent building--not really separated, but adjoining the building where the violin lady seated.

Its like stepping from a serene meadow with lush green lawns and rose bud flowers into a metallic junkyard--where the clanging of metals seem interminable...

There, a sea of humanity waited servitudely to purchase their tickets to see naked women... and heavy metal music blared stridently from invisible speakers--reminding us of the fall of man...

This mundane affair have been given immersed publicity for over three weeks. The queue of these 'beings' remind you of motorists in Lagos--during fuel scarcity...

They wait, groins pressed against hips. Here, only the animal instinct are in strung conditions as they can't bear to sexually explode-

Now, I revert my gaze to the violin lady--this time, the sublime 'hallelujah' --Handel's Messiah, was vibrating cozingly to remind us that heaven or hell is a matter of choice...

BLOGGING...A PAIN IN THE ASS!

2007-03-28T01:55:00.000+01:00

Caught in a web of tumultous agitation, which all but me can extricate from, I found my itching finger hitting the keys yet again...putting thoughts into words and words into jerky phrases...which I apparently envisage no one except you reads...

Of these two difficult tasks--'writing and reading', my lazy ass has always prefer the latter...
Yet, you lure and entice me like the unconscious worm at the end a hook being dangled by an angler...

And like the fish which cannot discern this booby trap from genuine meal...I'm sucked into this vortex of human contrapment- blogging!

So, what started as a simple pleasurable leisure metamorphesizes into a labourous and excrutiating ordeal--lest the well runs dry for me and others like me...

For some, a necessary sabbatic journey is embarked upon to return rejuvenated--While others from whom we took the cue fizzle out like a puff of wind --thou with rippling effects...

To all such, I say...'may your ink never run try--if scribbling is your thing...
And for those who like to hit the keys directly, may you find harmony...may your thoughts congeal into words, and may your words develop into phrases(not jerky phrases like mine)...

As we all know, phrases don't make sense only sentences(very ambiguous)...therefore, may your phrases phase into sentences...which will develop into chapters...then pages and finally that book...

CAN I HEAR A LOUD AMEN THERE....

A Thousand Apologies...!

2006-08-24T01:54:00.000+01:00

First of all, I apologise for tempering with the comment section of 'my' blog. It's done without any bias whatsoever or disrespect to anyone.

Secondly, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to continue posting/blogging as I used to do because of my ever demanding job. I work day and night.

Heaven knows I like putting my thoughts down for others to see and read--if they find it appealing enough.

However, right now , my thoughts are scattered like a thousand pieces of a broken china.
It will take a while to put them back together--

So please, bear with me--I'm still very much around.

Where are Thou...?

2006-07-31T00:13:00.000+01:00

For thirteen days they hid under... praying, making supplication to the most high. Precisely ten years ago, Khali lost his father and an elder brother. The Israelis called it the "Grape of Wrath..."

As the Israeli forces make incursion through wanton destruction in southern Lebanon...killing women and children, a friend of mine asked a dumb question..."is God/Allah partial...?

I said... "what do you mean...?

He then made reference to the sad story of Khali--a young Lebanese who lost his father and brother during an earlier (1996) invasion by Israel.

In his rage, he asked why God/Allah would allow such oppression and killing of innocent children--especially babies.

Why...?Why...?

I reminded him of 9/11 and the July bombing of London in 2005.

He went totally ballistic.

F...ck the Americans and British people...they do not believe in God...

But don't forget that in both incidence--9/11 and 7/7, there were 'supposed' christians and muslims...how do you reconcile that...?

This 'nut' looked at me straight in the eyes and said..."they were all guilty by association..."

So, how do you explain-- that for the umpteen time, the 'minute' state of Israel is able not only to pin the massive muslim states around her to submission, but defeat them collectively hands down...?

Needless to add, that the 'infidel' Americans have somewhat restrained them (Israel) from an- all- out invasion.

My friend became 'tongue-tied' for a moment.

When he eventually found his voice, he concluded by saying..." I think there are TWO Gods-- Jehovah--God of the Israelis/Jews and Allah--God of the Muslims/Arabites...

He said it... not me...

Odd But True...

2006-07-28T00:22:00.000+01:00

A woman in Devizes, southern England, was awakened in the early morning hours by a telephone call. Hearing moaning, she thought it was an obscene call and hung up. When the phone rang again, bringing similar noises, she was about to hang up again until she recognized her daughter’s voice, yelling "Oh my God!" and followed by a man’s voice. Sure her daughter was being attacked at her home, mom called police, who sped to the scene to find the daughter quite willingly being ...uh... friendly with the man in her bedroom. In the throes of passion, the couple apparently accidentally pressed the "redial" button on the phone with their toes, connecting the boudoir to mom. "This is a warning for other people — if you’re going to indulge in this sort of thing, move the phone," a police spokesman said.

A university professor in Bologna, Italy, writing a paper on the sociology of love, checked his local library for books on kissing. Finding none in Italian, the library arranged for the interlibrary loan of four scholarly books on the subject — from Yorkshire, England. When the Yorkshire librarian called the Italian librarian to ask why the reputedly great-loving Italians didn’t have any academic books on such a basic topic, they retorted "Because we are far too busy doing it to write about it."

Claude A. Smith, 60, a black man housed in an Ohio prison, was in need of prostate surgery. Claude E. Smith III, 43, a white man who until recently was housed in another Ohio prison, is suing the state of Ohio for $3 million, claiming his prostate was removed in error when they sent for the wrong Claude Smith. He charges the operation left him impotent and without bladder control.

Paul Siemens, 18, of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., graduated second in his class from Spring Valley High School. Despite having been accepted at Harvard to study biology, he has filed suit against the school district, calling their method of determining class rank "erroneous, arbitrary and capricious," and claiming that he would have been number one based on straight grade point average. The suit demands that he be made class valedictorian because in the future, graduate school entrance and grant awards will take his high school class rank into account, and he would be placed at a disadvantage by being ranked number two.This kid should go in for law instead of biology....

Researchers at the University of Southampton (England) have found that constant kneeling in prayer can cause arthritis of the knees. The study of 2,000 people found that excessive kneeling strains the knee, increasing wear of its cartilage. Most at risk are vicars, priests and nuns, the study said. (Reuters) ...While you’re down there, ask for money to pay for joint replacement surgery.

How Medicinal Is Your Urine...?

2006-07-24T02:01:00.000+01:00

Of all the English words that try to explain the state of confusion in the form of embarrassment..., the one that fascinates me most is: 'tongue-tied'.

The adjective is so apt when you think of situations and events that have not only surprised you, but actually led to your embarrassment. To be 'tongue-tied'! What could possibly embarrass you to the point of speechlessness...?

Once I had walked into my best friend's sitting-room...lo and behold,his mother lay stark naked on the couch...
I was not tongue-tied, I screamed..."Jesus H. Christ"! I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I guess I said that a thousand times with my back turned.

Last night, after some pints of beer, I went to the 'gents' to relieve my urinary bladder that was threatening burst its seams...

I just started having my pee and feeling my bladder heave a sign of relief... when I noticed three white boys come into the toilet noisily.

One of them tapped me on the shoulder to draw my attention with these words: "I bet you haven't seen anything like this before.."

As I try to comprehend the import of his statement, he zipped down the fly of his trousers, brought out a monster-like 'willie' and started peeing.

It all happened in flash. One of the other guys just cupped his hands; scooped some urine from 'monster-like willie' and swallowed it...

Then, it was a free for all feast of happy urine drinking and splashing amongst the three...
I quietly and hastily left the loo before the idea of splashing their urine on me will occur to one and all...

When I got back to the bar, I narrated my ordeal to my South African companion...and all she could say was..."is that why you look as if you've seen a ghost...?"

I remained speechless! All I could say then was "...you act as if drinking and splashing urine amongst men or women(if I may add) is a normal everyday occurrence... is it? I asked her.

"Hey, relax... you're taking this too serious. In case you don't know, urine is medicinal..."
Somebody should please lecture me on how medicinal urine is...

And if urine is medicinal, is it another person's urine...? How safe is that?

What if the other person passing the urine has of the numerous urethra diseases like -- gonorrhea, syphylis or chlamydia...? How medicinal would that be...?

She too became 'tongue-tied'....

...Is it Really Good to be Back...?

2006-07-14T01:34:00.000+01:00

I haven't been to the village in fourteen years--not because I dislike village life, but because, I have nobody familiar enough to embrace and accommodate me. Sounds very funny--isn't it?
But, thats the implication of having parents (from different cultures) who spent almost their entire lives abroad.
You are in the village as a matter of necessity. And you are like a baby learning everything anew.

You get introduced to every passer-by. This, somehow embarrasses you. Why, you do not know.
Then, those wrinkled hands of some hag--that you've always considered to be witches try to cuddle you--involuntarily, you cringe. They sense your action. But they don't say a word--instead, they look at your Dad straight in the eyes.
That look that says "its all your fault... you should have brought them to the village more often... that way, they need not be afraid of their kilt and kin..."

The village setting reminds you of the hilarous comic character called Nkem Owoh. The uptight economy has virtually turned everyone into greedy comedians. They all want more like Oliver Twist.
When you try to explain that the 'Pound-Sterling' is very difficult to get, they laugh...that kind of laughter that insinuates they understand-- but they don't; because they still continue to make these endless demands on you.

You are sympathetic. But you cannot solve all of their problems this one time...
To some, you make this empty promise...' I will send you more money when I get back...'
And to others you genuinely feel like helping...but, you are constrained by your tight budget...
So, you make the same promise...'I will send you some money when I get back...ok...

You are back. Your mortgage (loan repayment) is overdue. Your bills piled up--inspite of the fact that you were away for twenty-six days.
You sit down to reflect... but you don't feel relieved... because, you don't know which is better-- the agressive, needy villagers you fled from or the mortgagee and debt collectors whose embrace you ran into...

Speechless...!

2006-05-19T01:29:00.000+01:00

When someone so close to you passes on after a bitter struggle with cancer,
you are mostly like to be silent...

When that person is your eldest sister and mentor for some obvious reasons,
You are most likely to remain shocked...

And when your eldest sister plays the role of your mother... because she is more,
you are mostly likely to be more confused...

But when she passes on; leaving three little kids with mouths agape...
you are most likely to cry...

At times like this Naomi, the only consolation, is in John Donne's word:

"Death, Be Not Proud"

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Strange...!

2006-05-11T00:33:00.000+01:00

I have been down with this annoying flu for three agonising days...
Didn't go to work on Friday, Monday and Tuesday...
My having flu is always annoying because, any damn thing can and may trigger it.
Right now, my nose is making the run--attempting to leave my face...and I have so rubbed it, that the redness is like headlamp.
And I sneeze around thirty-nine times per minute... my head throbs and my ears are blocked and my breath comes in gasp.

As I sat behind my desk--face raised --so this watery catarrh would not drop on the papers, Tracy pops in her head..."hi ya"... she says...
Hello Tracy, I tried saying with my mouth... but very word comes out nasalized.

The police are here to see you was her next statement.
What...?
Two policemen are down-stairs with Justin... I think he is in alot of trouble...they wanno have a word with you...
Me...?" If Justin is in alot of trouble, what has that got to do with me"...I asked her...

We hurried down-stairs. And behold, the police were there for real--with Justin...and he had this strange look on his face...like a cornered rat.

My boss was the first to speak. She said... " officers, this is 'so-obscure'... the one in the CCTV recording".
I looked at Justin straight in the eyes and asked ..."Justin, whats going on...?"
One of the policemen reponded by telling me that for the past five months or there-about, Justin has been smoking 'weed' in the premises...
What has that got to do with me...I asked the officer...
We saw you with Justin on two ocassions in those recordings... and we want to know if you smoke 'weed' too.
For the first time, Justin opened his stinking weedy mouth and said..."officer, he doesn't smoke..."

Yes, ...I don't smoke cigarrette... let alone 'weed'....

That was the statement that saved me my job.

Justin was taken away. According the officers, he's been arrested for 'anti-social behaviour'...

Back upstairs, my boss asked the secretary to type Justin's termination letter. He will get that when he finishes with the police.

The bottom-line is that Justin has turned the car park within the work premises to 'a joint'--where he chills out during lunchbreak to puff his marijuana. He sits in his car while listening to some 'acid rock', and puff away...

Didn't know that the security men had warned him on one ocassion.
They called in the police.

How can any sane man bring marijuana to work and dare to smoke it within the premises....?
I never knew that Justin smokes 'weed'. What I do know is that, he is too quiet to be normal.

Too bad, it had to end this way.
What will he tell his folks back home?

Co-incidence...?

2006-05-05T02:43:00.000+01:00

I do not actually believe in witchcraft or wizardry...what I however do know, is that some people are plain wicked.
Right now, I am too flustered to think straight and articulate what I intended to blog.
Someone very close to me called me last night: saying, the step-mom is dead. She died while giving birth. The baby too could not be saved.

That is not the source or cause of my anger.
I strongly suspect the father of this friend of mine to be a wizard. Hear me out.
The dead woman I mention above, is the third wife that has died through child birth in the hands of that man. My friend's mother was the first wife. She died while giving birth to her third child.

We used to be very close family friends until I moved to the UK.
According to my friend--who is trying to keep a wide distance between himself and the father, the man has married thrice within a period of twenty-four years and none of the women is alive. And he is just fifty -four.

A man's second wife dying through the same circumstances as the first may appear to many as a mere co-incidence.
But, for a third wife, the same man... no, this is one coincident too many.

Women, Politics and Blackmail...

2006-05-01T15:59:00.000+01:00

...women are the greatest blackmailers when it comes to sour relationships and politics, Donny said.
I do not agree with this assertion. Because often times, men are of the opinion that women are second class mammals that can be sucked dry and left in the lurch.

Donny shakes his head--as if to indicate that I am lost or I have been swallowed by the whiteman's way of reasoning.

Look at it from this angle... he says. A man would always be a man. That is the way the good Lord in his infinite wisdom created us...

What's your point, I asked him.

My point is, women tend to resort to blackmail whenever a man says it is over. Why can't a man just walk out of a relationship when he's tired--like women do all the time.

But men walk out of relationships everytime-- don't they?

Do they? Show me a public office holder who walked out of a relationship freely and I will show a blackmailer.

Donny was now prepared to lecture me on this. The way he shifted and and adjusted his chair, I knew we were in for a long night...

Do you still recall Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky and the Bill Clinton's affair...?
Of course. Who would forgot that beauty queen(?) Monica. A genuine Kanye West gold digger.

Good. Those two are the typical firebrand grave-are-sour vixen daughters of Eve. And I tell you what, most women... if not all, are like that or they have the suppressed potentials to act like Monica when a good bloke like you and I say its over.

No... no...no...no...Donny, I vehemently disagree...The Monica Lewinsky-vis-avis-Bill Clinton's affair, was the Republican Blackmail. A loser's trump card which actually backfired. You can't use that as an index to judge all other women...

Ok. Donny seems to concede. What you are saying by implication is that the Conservative Party are losing out and have resorted to cheap blackmail and character assassination with this Tracy Temple's bullshit...? Is that it...?

I don't get your drift. What has the Conservative party and Tracy Temple got to do with blackmail...?...I asked.
What I am saying to you 'idiot' is that women have allowed themselves to become cheap weapons of blackmail by dirty politcians.

The Monica Lewinskies and Paula Jones' and the Tracy Temples of the world are always there-- ready to be used.

Well, I think I am feeling sleepy....I don't know of being used, but I think they have every right to fall in and out of love-- as they wish.

Yes, it has everything to do with politics. It's not just love. These women are tough miners--searching for gold and publicity; with double edge sword-- ready to cut anything that stands in their financial way.

That is why I like Africans and their style of politiking. You can't use women to assasinate their characters--no matter what. They are allowed to have as many wives and mistresses as they can cater for at the expense of the electorates.

Women! Only God can explain how He created these creatures. One can forgive Monica Lewinsky for falling headlong over heel with Bill Clinton. He is cute and powerful then...
But how do we explain Tracy Temple's affair with the 'ape-like' John Prescott - the deputy Prime Minister.

And why is it now, that the local council elections are around the corner that journalists have decided to expose the sordid love affair?
Do you smell foul play!

Thank You!

2006-04-28T00:42:00.000+01:00

I have never been known for quitting. What I do know however, is that, on more than one occasion, I have toiled with the idea of giving up this blog. Then, the thought was -- nobody reads this boring, jerky and random ranting of mine.

But each time I click on the sitemeter attached to the blog, I smile, seeing that one or two persons have stopped by to read my rather incoherent and obscure blabbing. To you, I say thanks for all the encouragement.

Those who have made each day of blogging worthwhile are those who not only stop-by, but say something valuable about the gibberish that I have been able to 'painstaking' articulate and post... Here I go again!

If not for these group of people, I would have permanently gone on a hiatus-cum-comatose...
Hey, you know who you are... and I say--" a zillion thanks"...

As I type this, a friend sitting by; asked..."why, in hell's name are you thanking these people..."
And I said,..."why not...what if there were no tomorrow to say a big 'thank you' to them..."

Does it really matter...?

Yes! I said.

As for those who used to stop by,but ceased to, for one reason or the other, I miss those invaluable comments of yours...

And I hope some day, you will have a change of heart and stop by again, and again...

Thank you!

Why Policemen Are Not Liked...

2006-04-24T01:10:00.000+01:00

There are two professions I don't like. The army and the Police. I especially hate the police because of the lasting negative impression they left on my mind while living in Nigeria.
My perception of police men everywhere(?) is that they are 'no--do--gooders'...
When I was a young boy--fifteen, I supposed; one of my aunties brought his boyfriend home. She actually wanted my parents to know him.
After the introduction, there were the usual banters and small talks that acompany such meetings.

As soon as the young man left, my dad look at my mum quizzically. The look as I reflect on that scenario now could be interpreted as..."of all the young men available in the world, her choice has to be a policeman...?"
And from the little I gathered from their conversation, the ' military force'--including the police, are professions for the dregs and the not-so-intelligent people in the society. That impression hasn't changed a bit. In fact, it was re-enforced by the likes of Abacha, Mustapha and the numberous policemen at the ubiquitous 'check-points' in Nigeria.

That's exactly why the great Fela Kuti in one of his songs branded the military as 'zombies'.
There is no better term or adjective to describe military men --including the police. They are mindless zombies. Yes! Because in the face of acute suffering and poor working conditions, the policemen remain silent--especially in developing countries.
They are not expected to protest or as much as grumble. If they do, they are regarded as saboteurs.

A friend of mine would like to describe policemen and the army as 'professional prostitutes'. They flirt with any given government of the day.
When a despot rules oppressively, the police is used to suppress any uprising. Most people the world over see policemen as their enemies.
And the police force become the enemy of the people if/when they worship the king or queen or president or prime minister... as case may be.

When the people of a country or region say they do not want their leader--who happens to a be king any more, I believe such a people have a right to voice out this loudly in any form possible.
Policemen are part of these people. They cannot be different.

Some years back, Precisely in 1986, the people of Phillipine got tired of the draconic and squandermaniac rule of the president--Ferdinard E. Marcos. There was an uprising. When the uprising started, the police was used to 'try' the suppression of the voice of reason. They however failed woefully. At the end of the day, Ferdinard Marcos and his 'squanderholic' wife--Imelda fled the country. The people won. The policemen who tried to supress 'the will' of the people remained. They continued their services with the new leader loyally(?).

Since Thursday last week, the people of Nepal region have been protesting to see that their King Gyanendra, steps down. Gyanendra seized power from interim Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who the king said had failed to quell a Maoist insurgency that has killed at least 13,000 people since 1996. Three of the pro-democracy demonstrators have been killed since the uprising. Police have been order to shoot at sight rioters who defy the curfew order. Over 70 pro-democracy protesters have been arrested and detained.

It is only a matter of time before the will of the people prevails. And it certainly will.
Then, the police who have somehow been opposed brutally to the uprising, will flirt with the new government. And whatever benefit accrues from King Gyanendra's remover will trickle down to the same senseless policemen. What a shame on the part of the policemen. If only they would become mindful; instead of being the zombies that they are presently.

Are We In A Sick World...?

2006-04-22T04:47:00.000+01:00

It is really a sick world--isn't it? What is in a nine year old girl that a grown up 'pervert' enjoys continuously...?
He raped her several time over.
How did a nine year old girl endured the pain and tear of this wretched, sick animal in human skin...?
Who do we really blame here..., the 'careless' mother or the system that allowed a known pervert to roam freely...?
Can we hold the supervising officers responsible for this dastardly act...or blame the probation services and 'porous' judicial system here...?
It grieves my heart to read or listen to a story like this....

A PERVERT was jailed for repeatedly raping a nine-year-old girl — while he was supposed to be under supervision.
Kevin Hazelwood, 40, had been given probation after downloading porn, including photos of girls as young as three being raped.
He was put on the sex offenders’ register.
Yet within weeks of walking free from court in 2002 he had befriended his victim’s family — just to get at her.
Tattooed Hazelwood, from Brighton, became her babysitter and would take her to her room when her mother was busy with a new baby.
The nine-year-old endured attacks for three years fearing "Uncle Kevin" would otherwise abuse her tiny sister.
The fiend gave the girl presents and filmed some attacks to blackmail her into silence. But she finally told her shocked mum.
Hazelwood admitted six counts of rape and two of indecent assault, as well as assaulting another young girl in the 1980s.
He was jailed indefinitely at Lewes Crown Court and must serve at least five years and seven months before facing a parole board.
Judge Richard Hayward told Hazelwood: "You will remain a danger to young girls for the foreseeable future."
Outside court the victim’s weeping mother said: "He has crushed my world. But the courage my daughter displayed has been inspiring."
Sussex Police and probation services said in a joint statement: "We do a huge amount to prevent reoffending but can never entirely eliminate the risk an offender will commit another offence."

Give Your Advice Please...

2006-04-20T00:50:00.000+01:00

When I wrote the essay or story on "What could possibly make you take your own life...
I was only expressing my innermost feeling in respect of the subject...."suicide"
I wrote that piece based on what happened two block away from my apatrtment--where a man took his own life.
I didn't know someone would be touched after reading it.
I received an email from someone,far away in India, saying THANK YOU.
And I tell you what, I am more than elated.

Check this out:

...I have thought of suicide several times over and over again. Only one thing keeps me from jumping in front of a moving train. fear. the fear that i may not die. and what would become of me if i cannot attempt to take my vegetated life once again. the burden i would pose to others.
I was born epileptic and have been a disgrace to myself and family. i have no friends. this because most people think epilepsy is contagious. i have attempted to drown myself once even though i know going near the water is dangerous.
then you asked in your essay; what could possibly make you take your own life?
i don't have a life. and i don't have a future. at twenty seven i look like an eleven year old boy. i'm retarded and i also have this constant seizure at least twice a week. what are my living for. is it not better to die than live?
i may still jump one day in front of a train, but after reading your blog, i thought may be i have a life afterall.
i may just try and see it through...
Gurauv.

What Does It Takes To Apologise...?

2006-04-14T00:08:00.000+01:00

I sent an electronic device to Lagos through one of the courier services last Wednesday.
At the courier office here in the UK, I was told it will only take three working days for the item to be delivered to its final destination.

Today is Thurday- the ninth day since the item left the UK. My friend has not received it yet.
And because I have the tracking number, I decided to call the Lagos office since I found out from the net, that the item has arrived there.
I wanted to know what was delaying it from being delivered to its final destination.

I dialed the Lagos number....

Customers Services[CS]:...hello, UTSS courier services....

So-obscure:... hello, good afternoon...em, I sent an item through your services....since Wednesday last week...

CS:... do you have the tracking number...?

So-obscure:... yes please, I have the tracking number...

CS:... may I have the tracking number...?

So-obscure:..yes please....XYZ123456789

CS:... hold on....

Tick tock....tick tock....tick tock.....tick tock.... tick tock.... tick tock.... tick tock....

One minute.... two minutes.... three minutes... four minutes...

Couldn't take it any longer.... click! I hung up.

So, I waited for approximately ten agonising minutes and then dialed again....

Grrhh...grrhh...grrhh... grrhh...

Hello...UTSS courier services....

So-obscure: ..hello, I called earlier and someone put me on hold forever....

CS: what do you mean... I only went for five minutes...not forever...

So-obscure: ...excuse me[I was getting really angry now]...You put me on hold for five endless minutes and then come back without apologising...?

CS:...please don't shout at me o....

So-obscure: Is that an apology...?

CS: ...apologise for what...?

So-obscure:... for keeping me waiting for five 'fu...king' minute...

CS:.. please mind your language...

So-obscure:...JESUS CHRIST!... I demand an apology from you... for keeping me waiting....

CS:...see me see trouble o...ok, I'm sorry...

Gosh! I spent another wasteful six minutes to make her see reasons with me...and apologise. Where was she trained...?
The direct opposite is what we have here in the UK. Customer services will almost drown you with apologies and the word 'please'....
Honestly, if I had access to her superiors, I would have had her changed from that desk...
She succeeded in leaving a very bad taste in my mouth...
I will never ever use that courier services again. They lost a customer. Me.

What a System...!

2006-04-10T01:15:00.000+01:00

"....I know it won't be much consolation, but that picture of Damilola carries such a force of sweetness that to see it, even now, is to be reminded there is good worth fighting for in the very worst places..."
Words of Allison Pearson of the Daily Mail after the the court failed once again to convict anyone of the gruesome murder of Damilola Taylor.

Schoolboy Damilola Taylor was stabbed brutally in the leg,and with a marble choked down his throat,he was left to bleed to death. He died minutes later in the hospital.

For six year now, the killers of this young lad have not be found.
Four youths were tried and acquitted of Damilola's murder in 2002. Three other young men were cleared of murder after a second trial at the Old Bailey in 2006.

Everyone, including the parests of the victim following this case is tired and disppointed.
Damilola had only lived in the UK for about five months. He was brought from Nigeria to attend school here. But that dream was cut short by some lunatics still on the loose.

One begins to wonder how he could have made such enemies at so short a time.
Or was he a victim of some sordid orgies- who derive kicks from seeing blacks suffer and die? Could he have been a victim of blood thirsty bullies from his school...who thought he should be taught a bitter lesson but never calculated it would lead to his death... ?

These, and many more questions remain unanswered even now... six year after the ever smiling Damilola fell and tried to struggle home leaving a trail of blood on his way. He never made it.
This case smacks of vengeance and open mockery of the legal and judicial system.

Or how else do we explain the flagrant behaviour of the accused during the first trial. According to Damilola's father, the accused openly mocked him and his wife during court proceedings. They continually made faces at them and laughed, chewing gums noisily without any form of discipline by the court. What kind of system is that... that allows the accused to mock the devasted parents of the victim openly...?
Richard Taylor, Damilola's father said..."I don't understand a system that can't bring the killers of my son to justice..."

I doubt if there is anyone out there who understands the system that allows the killer(s) of a ten year old boy...who had only spent between five months in the country to go or roam free...

Where lies justices...? Can the ordinary man or woman depend on this system...?

Figure This Out...

2006-04-03T22:20:00.000+01:00

So I received this phone call Saturday morning... time, 6:07am [I was still feeling very very sleepy]
Grrh...grrh..grrh..
I groped for the phone. "Hello"...
And this tiny feminine voice at the other end said... "bros..."
Who...? I growled...
Shanti. [Shanti is my baby sister...19]...
Do you realise what time it is...? I yelled. Where're you..and what is it...?

Am at the police station... she said [I sprang from my bed almost immediately...]
What happenned...? I asked as I struggled to put on my trousers and shirt at the same... in the process, I fell and rose instanter.
The voice at the other end started fading..."am at the Bay station, when you get here, I will explain"[ and it look like she's been crying]. Then, the phone went dead.

Picked up my wallet and the keys. Dashed to Bay station in 37 minutes.
Went straight to desk officer. "Morning officer..."
Yeah, morning...replied the officer. How can I help you... he asked.
Mainwhile, I was trying to see the names on the notice-board... there was no Shanti...
Well officer, I am here in respect of my younger sister... her name is Shanti.
Shanti who...? The officer asked. Shanti Anderson I said.
He turned and started going through a list... "What was she arrested for..."
Officer, I don't know. I am here to find out.

The officer looked up and said... " am afraid there is no Shanti Anderson here...
I looked at him very hard...officer, are you sure...? Please double check because she called me about an hour ago saying she was arrested... and being detained at the Bay station...
Was there a number...the officer asked.
I brought out my phone and checked. Yes officer, there is a number. I showed it to him.
He looked at it and said...well, this number is not from here...

The officer was very helpful. He suggested I call the number with their phone...
So, I dialed the number. It rang...and the same voice[Shanti's] came on..."hello"...
Shanti where are you...? I'm at the station...[this time, I was yelling...feeling flustered and frustrated]
The voice at the end said..."bros, na April fool..."

What Could Possibly Make You Take Your Own Life...?

2006-03-31T03:19:00.000+01:00

I had a discussion with a colleague of mine on death this morning. I wanted to know his opinion on the subject.
When I asked him what he thinks of death generally, the look on his face was that of someone who was scared.
He asked in turn... "why should we be talking about death of all the good things there are in the world to talk about..."
And I said well, "the reason why I asked him about death is because I want to know if he could kill himself. I mean, if he could commit suicide.
This time, it was the look of horror that registered on his face. He said..."what a question...!"
He paused for awhile. The silence lasted for about nineth seconds. Then, he shook his head as if to rouse himself from a kind of lethargy.
When he literarily woke up, he said..."to tell you the truth, I have never thought of suicide...not for once..."
And I said..."well, now, you've thought of it and deeply too...so what do you think...?" Is there anything in this wide world that could possibly make you take your own life...?
I decided to widen the scope for him further. Think. Anything. Be it love or love of parents, a worthy course, sickness, disability, or mercenary.... Think, I urged him.

This young man looked at me again. He turned my shoulder sharply and roughly so that he could see my face thoroughly.
He then asked..." is there something wrong...?" I responded in the negative. "Then why are you asking these 'funny' questions....I hope you are not planning to take your life...?"
I laughed. Me, take my own life. Never. And told him emphatically that nothing and I repeat nothing, in this wide world would make me take my own life. Nothing. I prefer to see life through. I would like to know how the curtail would fall. Not me pulling the curtail. I think he got the message.
Why the question on suicide then... he asked again.

I told him a young man who lived two blocks away from my apartment took his own life. He committed suicide. Since then, I have been pondering on what could possibly make a man hang himself. What could make a man force himself to the other of life when it is not his appointed time?
I asked myself several questions on this for days...
The men and women who commit suicide, are they aware that death on earth is not really the end of their existence...?
Do these people who take their own lives know that the first shock a dead man encounters is that he is still alive...though not on earth...? I don't think they know this...
If they do, then they would cherish life and endeavour to live it to its fullness...
Suicide is not an option...
This was turning into a sermon. So, I checked myself...

How Dare You Call Me By My Name...?

2006-03-29T02:49:00.000+01:00

Being raised in African has its down side too. One of the most treasured culture there is respect. This is an unwritten code or law as it were...
As a young boy or girl, you are not expected to call your uncles and aunties by name. Not your elders. Its a taboo!
You are not expected also to call the married ladies who may be your neighbours by their names...that is if you happen to know their names...
In most cases, you don't know their names-even if you've lived together for twenty years...
Hence, you will often hear 'mama Tosin', 'papa boiboi', 'aunty Chinyere'...'uncle Emma', etc etc...

Some married men and women even extend this respect(?)... or what should I call it, strange(?), bizzare(?) thing to each other at home...
You hear a man calling his wife by the name of one of their children...'mama so-obscure'(quite mouth full) or 'papa Haruna..'.
This is irrespective of education. May be I should say irrespective of whether they went school or not.
The definition of an educated person is as polemic as the different religions on the face of the earth.

This culture of not calling elders by their names is affecting some us seriously.
When you work in Nigeria, the standard procedure of addressing your boss is 'sir' or 'ma'... as the case may be.
Here,(UK) things are quite different to a large extent.
When I was first introduced to my boss... 'she stretched out her hand and said..."call me Tracy"...
And each morning, it is..."hi so-obscure", and I would respond... "hello Tracy..."
Believe you me, it was not easy at first calling her by her first name just like that...
It was not easy for three major reasons: (a) my African upbringing (b) she is my boss and (c) she's about twice my age...

What beats me hollow is why some married men and women back in Africa do not call each other by their first names.
Why must it be 'mama Sikira' or 'papa Mumu'...?
What if they don't have children...what would they call each other...? And by extention, how would they be addressed by their neighbours- especially the children in the neighbourhood...?

PS:

CHARLES TAYLOR ESCAPED...?

Lets assume for assumption sake, that Charles Taylor was abducted by criminals from Liberia... otherwise, this is a huge mess and world-class embarrassment.

The American Idol...As seen By Me...

2006-03-27T00:08:00.000+01:00

The american idol comes to us late. Some of us see the Tuesdays and Wednesdays editions on Fridays.
I love the host/presenter Ryan Seacrest. I usually enjoy the way he introduces the program...
The way he says..."this,is american idol" after the preamble...
The judges are also marvelous-especially Simon Cowell. he has been described as brutally honest.
Simon, has he ever sang...? I doubt. With those biceps like a weight lifter, I very much doubt,if he can sing.

Simon, is the most honest of the three judges in my opinion.
But the only problem I have with him is that he does not give words of encouragement like Paula.
Simon just says the plain truth- he doesn't care if the performer is hurt or not.
I think people will love him more if , he can lace his honest opinion with some words of encouragement.

One other thing I find appalling with the american idol is the elimination process.
Can some body tell me why the contestant who is eliminated have to be humiliated with the very song that cost him or her the contest...?
Why does he or she have to be made to perform the same song that cost them the contest...?
Why can't the losers be given the option of picking one of their best songs to perform since they are leaving...
The idea of repeating the very song that gave you the lowest vote, I find most excruciating and humiliating.

Anyhow, I still salute the courage of all the contestants in this reality TV show.
I love american idol!
I am predicting Katherine Mcphee, Mandisa, Chris Daughtry... to be the three top finalist...
What do you think...?

Ladies and Men...

2006-03-24T01:52:00.000Z

I must admit;sometimes when I'm jobless or nearing that pinnacle of boredom, I do silly things.
Like last night...I was reading a book, but my mind kept drifting aimlessly from it...
Whenever I find myself in such a state, I go for a walk. But it was 1:58am and wet outside.
I had to confine my itchy mind in...
So, I put on the computer and decided to randomly search and read some interesting blogs.
Fed-up of politics-especially Nigerians'...

I wanted something new, exciting, sinister and comical at the same time. Rather rare and awesome combination you might say...
In my quest for excitement and flavour, something to stimulate my wandering mind, I discovered that alot of ladies do really blog- especially in the US.
Before my mind got bored of the process of viewing these blogs, I counted 178. All,belonging to ladies. Of these numbers, 97 have a central theme on men... the balance 81 were on some bullsh**t like yours and mine.

It is either they 're talking about the ex-b/f who is franticly making a come back or how he was snobbed in front of the night club while everyone was paying attention.
If not that, then it is how he snores at night shaking the foundation of the building.
Ladies sure like to talk about guys.
While guys talk politics and how to move the world forward or break it through wars. What a difference!
My mind is finally bored of read these blogs... I'm going to bed.

Who Can Interpret This...?

2006-03-22T04:39:00.000Z

I do not attach much importance to dreams. Often times, when I dream, I don't remember same in the morning. I just go about my normal or abnormal duties/chores/boring routines and all whatnot.

When I was younger, I used to dream of horrible creatures chasing me. They were frightening. Once, my grandma advised me to always try and stretch out my legs whenever I'm having these nightmares. It worked.

Now as an adult, I don't like stretching my legs to cut short the terrifying dreams. I like seeing them through. In fact. I enjoy them now. And because I love horror films alot, the more terrifying these dreams are, the more enjoyable they become.
Recently, I had this frightening dream that I was being pursued by President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria...

Dreams are very funny phenomenon... becuase, how I got to 'Aso Rock'-where he resides will continue to be a mystery. But I was there. What preceded my coming before his excellency's presence is a little bit hazy now.

There I was at the same table with OBJ. Though, he looked rather very old and pale. I was relaxed as if it was the usual thing to sit before a 'president' and a retired general.
I remember telling him that Nigerians are not happy with him. In response, he said shut-up..."you that have been away for over twelve years... how do you know that Nigerians are not happy...'oloshi'...

I said what? ..."you are the one 'baba'... who is 'oloshi'... you, who have decided to make the presidency your personal property...
From no where, about sixteen Goliath like men came after me. Instead of 'baba' to respect himself and allow his 'rottweilers' do their job, he sprang up with a surprising agility be-lying his age and look...

Then, the seemingly abominable happened. The president stumbled and fell flat on his 'pot-belly'...
On my heels were these giant guards chasing tirelessly. 'Aso-Rock' is a maze. Too many corridors and doors.

I could not tell whether I was on the first or second or third floor... they all look the same. And I was being sucked into a vortex...I meandered left, then right which tailed at cul-de-sac...
My heart was pounding. And I waited for the worse...
Then, I opened my eyes...I was on my bed, in my room. Dreams. They will always be dreams....

Can't Take It Anymore...?

2006-03-15T16:28:00.000Z

Today, I witnessed something strange. I saw a man cry. It was a brutal disgrace... to all other men. What the heck! Men are not suppose to cry- no matter what. To make matters worse, he cried in the public toilet at work. And all the women who frequented the corridor leading to the toilet had to snigger around- making faces as if they understood.
This young man always keep to himself. I have never seen him at the staff canteen chatting like everyone else.

I have never even seen him laugh. I like people who laugh. I like Africans. They laugh alot and they always laugh out loud. Some of these 'people here'(you know the people i am talking about... don't want to sound racist) carry on as if sadness is their thing. Some of them always wear a long face. You say 'hi'...all you hear is ..'.hmm'...
This young man who digraced all men, is in that category. Always with a long face. He is going bald... and I know he is relatively young.
We had to bang the door several times before he opened. He was convulsing with bottled emotions.

Jerry. Thats his name. What could possibly make a man leave his home and come to work and lock-up himself in the toilet and cry like woman. (Ladies, I apologise)
Well, when he eventually found his voice, he said..." I am tired...can't take it anymore..."
We learnt later, that the wife was giving him a hell of time at home. How the rumour mongers came to this conclusion till date, I can't tell. I feel so sorry for Jerry. I learnt he is 38, but he looks 68... if not more. He has a tigress for a wife.

The rumour-mongers also said he suffers from High Blood Pressure. I guess his wife will send him to his grave early if something is not done fast.
Some women, they make their men experience hell on earth. Why?

The gods are to Blame for Nigeria's Woe...

2006-03-12T17:48:00.000Z

The Nigerian situation has generated alot of debate amongst friends here in the Uk.
Yesterday, I ventured to satirize the Obasanjo third term drive by saying ..." afterall, there are no eligible candidates from any part of the country to continue the good work OBJ has started and achieved..."

One or two people misunderstood my sarcasm and thought I meant every word that issued from my mouth...

Whereas what I was saying was that, if the president can tinker with the constitution-arbitrarily to suit his whim and succeed, then, Nigerians are in for a lot of deep shit...

Although, some have argued that Obasanjo's goal is to stay there for as long as 'God's will' (Nigerians love this expression alot- everything that happens is 'god's will'...) permits him... others say twelve years will definitely be the right period to assess his achievements.

But what he( Obasanjo) and his supporters, genuine or spurious fail to appreciate is that this singular action will set Nigeria forty-five years back...
Any elected president-( if Nigeria eventually survives this 'onslaught' and 'rape' by this Ota farmer...) who feels that he needs more time to consolidate his economic and political policies can then garner some political pawns called senators and MPs and with a little threat and generosity amend the constitution to suit him.
May be then , he would amend it to eight terms of four years each- amounting to thirty-two years as being the only ripe time to assess his achievements. Why not?

Afterall, Babaginda rolled out a transition program that lasted eight years and only ended with another five years circus of Abacha.
But what has Nigeria as a country done to the gods that she is always saddled with 'these men' who are hell bent and impetuously so, to destroy the country.
May be, we need answers from the gods here.

Has Slobodan Milosevic Cheated Justice...?

2006-03-11T12:54:00.000Z

THE RISE and FALL of SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC:

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died in the detention centre at The Hague tribunal.
The tribunal said he had been found dead in his cell on Saturday morning. The cause of death is not yet clear.

Mr Milosevic, 64, has been on trial at the UN war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes since 2001.

The tribunal last month rejected a request by Mr Milosevic to go to Russia for medical treatment. He had high blood pressure and a heart condition.

The tribunal has ordered an inquiry into the death.

"Milosevic was found lifeless on his bed in his cell at the United Nations detention unit," the tribunal said in a statement.

"The guard immediately alerted the detention unit officer in command and the medical officer. The latter confirmed that Slobodan Milosevic was dead."

Mr Milosevic faced charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged central role in the wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo during the 1990s.

He also faced genocide charges over the 1992-95 Bosnia war, in which 200,000 people died.

Mr Milosevic was in office for 13 years until 2000.
bbc news

PS:

These are hard times and trying period for most Nigerians and polical watchers. Well, I am streneously and deliberately too, refraining from writing on the comic and ridiculous process transmuting in that West African region.

Can't We Do Away With These Ceremonies...?

2006-03-09T02:28:00.000Z

Rhys a colleague and friend of mine married his sweetheart last Saturday. The whole thing was so simple. They courted for seventeen months. That was it. He proposed, and she accepted. Now, they are husband and wife.
The marriage ceremony lasted for about forty-eight minutes. And the groom kissed the bride...
The reception was held in their living room. Twelve of their closest relatives and friends attended. Period!

This is one area, where I'm in love with the West. No haggling, no embarrassing and outrageous bride price.
The groom does not have to settle a whole community or village in the name of 'endless' extended family.
He needs not buy some funny looking 'ashoke' or 'jorge wrappers' for six generation aunties and grannies. Nor does he need to produce endless barrels of 'palm-wine' and yam tubers to appease the 'age-grade'.
Here, they just exchange vows(which they may or may not keep). It doesn't matter.

Another African tradition that puts me and a lot others off is the burial ceremonies. Although the muslims bury the dead straight away, I must say, that I do not know what proceeds after the burial...
I don't know why Africans saddle themselves with some combersome traditions and ceremonies...
A man or woman, passes on and the children- especially if they are well-to-do are expected to host a carnival of some sort for the entire town or village. Ironical, I must say.
You are the one who is bereaved .The person who passed on, may even be so close to you. You are the one who is grieving, yet, you are expected to feed people you hardly know. Sounds totally absurd!

Some of these traditions/ ceremonies are rather too tedious. Lets at least reduce the combersomeness and save ourselves some financial embarrassment.

Who is More Realistic here...?

2006-03-06T00:23:00.000Z

The term business man is so superfluous.Although, some renown business men have come to make the term more acceptable. People like Fayed- the owner of Harold's. Abramovich- the owner of Chelsea football club...late MKO Abiola..etc. These are men who invested in a variety of businesses ranging from shipping to newspaper ownership and football clubs.

But when I meet a young man who says he is a pastor, I'm always very wary. I usually classify pastors as schemers and business men-especially in the US and Nigeria.
A pastor in my 'limited' understanding is one who is in charge of a congregation. So, why is it that they don't work?
Human-beings, they always look for and choose the easy way out... put your problems and life in the hands of another... you are assured of a place in heaven. Bullsh...t!

Is there anybody out there who can tell me why pastors don't work... and then they come out in these outlandish styles and oppresive attitude...?

Why am I talking like this...? Well, I met one of these so-called men of god last night(from Nigeria)... and the experience left a sour taste in my mouth.
The idea of narrowing everything spiritual to a mundane and materialistic slogan and crusade has repelled more people of good reasoning and judgement than attract.
Imagine the arrogance of the man saying..."we need not travel abroad in order to posses our possesions..."
And I asked..."what does that mean...?"
Hear him..." you have been given dominion...whatever you asked in the name of the father, you shall posses..."
And I said..." in the name of the father, pastor give me your wallet..." The slimy schemer looked at me, and said..."you are not being realistic..."

Now, you be the judge, who is more realistic here...? A pastor who does not work, but collects money from gullible people like you or a hard-working bloke like you and you and you...

Is the Grass Always Greener on the Other side...?

2006-03-01T07:54:00.000Z

Life can be such a bore sometimes. You wake up early in the morning, take a cup of tea or coffee if thats your addiction and you hop on a bus or train for those without their own ride. In most cases, you sit behind a desk and go through a boring routine. At other times, you take the family to a movie or an opera(thats if you have a family) on boring weekends. Otherwise, you solitarily do your own thing- watch tv.

And then the bills come rolling in; electicity, telephone, water, cable tv, gas and council tax. All these for a single man or woman... And at most, for both the man and the woman.
How can life continue like this from Monday to Saturday? Sunday is strictly reserve for rest.
No. Something need to be done. At least for a change. And excitement too.

You know, some people sure can bring excitement to their lives. Why not? They have everything that money can buy. From stupendous castles to palatial mansions on lonely islands and exotic cars. Some even have horses and chariots and private jets too. Rich people!
While some wonder what it takes to be rich, others dream of riches. To them, the grass is always greener at the other side.

But, is the grass truely, always greener at the other side...? I guess, it is only the very rich people that can answer this question.
Or may be those who have crossed from one side to the other. I mean crossed from rag to riches. What does it really takes to cross from one point to the other...? Hard work. Not so many believe in this any more.
One can work his ass out from January to December and become a Methuselah and still be a church rat. And even die a church rat.

However, one can change over night with 92 million pounds. Thats a staggering sum. Someone said if you stack such an amount from the ground up, it will be as high as a forty storey building. Whoa!
Thats the amount some group of men and may be women decided to 'take' from a security depot in Kent(England)last week in order to change their lives and destinies.
These group of men and may be women, were tired up to their neck of a boring life. They decided to change all that.
And what a change it will be for them- if they succeed.
I doubt if they will succeed. Criminals always make mistakes. Or at least, they will exhibit some more greed in the course of sharing the 'wind-fall'. Yes. Someone amongst them will be dis-satisfied and then they will quarrel and fight over their spoil.

Anyway, the police have placed a two million pounds reward on their head for any useful information that might lead to their arrest. Two million pounds! Thats a paltry sum compared to the 92 million the criminals took. Why can't the police make it 12 million. At least, that is a reasonable amount. It will make people (greedy ones) go out of their way in search of these criminals. That search will definitely bring some excitement to their boring lives.

The police, they made a very wise decision to put a reward of just two million out there. They know that criminals will always be criminals. The ones who were not in on the deal, but know somehow those who were involved will now see this as an oppurtubity to cash in. "I'm in or I squeal"... They are hoping to set confusion amongst the criminals. Will they succeed...? only time will tell.

Most times, we think and feel the grass is always greener on the other side...regardless of the price we have to pay.
Most young men and women in Africa and Asia will give anything and do anything to be in Europe and America.
The Americans and Europeans will give anything and do anything for the exchange of real sunlight, mountains, rock and antelope or elephants in Africa and Asia...
Is it really true that the grass is always greener on the other side....?

Momma, I am so Sorry...!

2006-02-27T01:56:00.000Z

I have never seen a woman in the process of giving birth before.
But I have seen one or two pregnant women in sporadic pain... in readiness to give birth.
Yesterday however, I learnt something new. I watched a woman being delivered.
It was not the most pleasant sight to behold though. But, it is something I feel all matured men should see.

This woman, I was made to understand had been in labour for two hours. Her man was by her side. And you could see anguish written all over him. I felt her pain too as I watched. Each time she screams, her husband flinches and I winced involuntarily where I was seated.
Eventually, the tiny creature was shot out into the world after about four and half hour of torment. It shrilled with a wail...
My attention went back to the woman. The look on her face was that of depletion. And then I focused on the tiny creature again...the cause of the pain and anguish of both mother and father.

What immediately came to my mind was...'so this is how I came into the world'. Instantaneously, I felt guilty.
The feeling of guilt was not because I saw a woman give birth. But because, I have caused my mama alot pain and embarrassment in the past. In my estimation, all women deserve the utmost respect from their children.
And I say mama, I am sorry!

I could still recall vividly one of such embarrassing moments I caused my mum.
I had just gained admission into the university of Ibadan to study in the same department where Wole Soyinka left an indelible footprint. And wanting to follow in his(W.S) footsteps, I joined the Pyrate Confraternity. The Pyrate confraternity was a legitimate and registered organisation in the university of Ibadan then. So, we were free to carry out our activities in broad daylight.
To be a Pyrate in those days require that you have more brains than the average student. For many were called, but only few were chosen. Ahoy seadogs!

As part of the grooming process for new in-takes, you are not expected to speak to lubbers 24 hours prior to the initiation ceremony.
All those who are not pyrates are regarded as lubbers- this is a very strong term for stupid,awkward and clumsy fellows.
From sunrise, the new in-takes would come out in their Red beret. And in companies of twos or threes, they are scattered around the campus... guarding the Black Jacks- Pyrate Confraternity banners with dreadful human skull and cross-bones.
That, was your duty post. From that moment until sunset, you are not to speak to anyone who is not a pyrate.
You stand in full glare of passers-by; some of them- your roommates, others your course mates and you are not expected to blink or even as much as indicate that you know these people. Worse of all, that Black Jack MUST not be touched by anyone who is not a pyrate.

This was the day of all other days in the calendar, that my mother chose to pay me a visit in school.
It remains the most awkward moment till date for me.
Instead of running to embrace my mum, I started running away from her to avoid my talking to her.
Poor woman, she stood transfixed, looking confounded as I widened the gap between mother and son.
How that case was settled will be another tale for another day...

Seeing that tiny creature delivered, and the pain and anguish the parents went through, I felt so small and guilty.
Momma, I want you to know that I am truely sorry for all the pain I caused you!

The Huddles of Writing...

2006-02-23T04:48:00.000Z

Not so many people will agree with this assertion. Writing is the most difficult art in the world. Yes. Some people however might argue, that writing is a science...
Well, be it science or art, I still consider the act of writing as one of the most difficult things to do (sounds a little bit confusing). I don't want to prolong the argument, whether it is a science or an art. So, I will call it a 'process'.

The process of writing is not an easy one. Not every dumbass can write. Even if they think they can do so. This is because, writing entails much more than just putting pen to paper. Do people still put pen to paper these days...? I don't think so! People, apart from Nigerian judges, type straight into the computer. Judges in Nigeria, I feel so sorry for them. They have to write everything out in long hand. May be, thats why cases take so long to conclude.

Back to the process of writing. By writing here, I do not mean this blogging of half a page or two pages. I am talking about writing a book. Or novel, if you like. That process is a very difficult one. To put your thoughts into words- either experienced or imagined- is an uphill task. Then, putting these thoughts down in chronological sequence is like a character portrayed by Sophocles in one of his dramas. This character tries in vain to push a huge rock up hill... and each time he nearly gets to the pinnacle, the rock rolls down again... He has to start all over again! Attempting to write is similar to the character mentioned above.

I have been trying to write a book (if I say the number of years... some of you will laugh) for a very very loooooooong time now. I have written a considerable number of chapters. Going by the plot of this my book, I have my doubt, if I will ever finish it. Do you see why writing is a difficult task...?
Writing a book is just one aspect. You have to publish, and then market. If you come up with something wishy-washy, your effort will be rejected by publishers and you will end up with a bundle of manuscript- may be, not even good enough for akara sellers because, they preffer newspapers. If the guguru and ekpa seller accepts them, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, dustbin!

If however, you manage to scale the huddle of the publisher, and you fail to make an impact on the readers, then your effort will end up in some local bookshops with cobwebs.

For those us with eagle eyes, critical and difficult to satisfy, writing a book is no tea party o... ehe!
Some of us only know how to read. Then, we criticise- "the story is disjointed or some of the sentences are ambiguous...;the ending is flat...popodu popodu papadap..."
Don't you know how tough it is to come up with something readable in this blogging thing...oho!
Try and write a book, then you will know how far!
In fact, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Zulu Sofola,Femi Osofisan, Chimamanda Adichie, Uzodinma Iweala, and all the other successful writers are geniuses!
We should doff our hats for them!

The Niger-Delta in Me...

2006-02-21T11:40:00.000Z

I used to have enormous respect for my boss. This has changed. Now,I treat her with suspicion. My boss is a lady. She is Swedish. Is Sweden close to Denmark? I don't want to be too close to anybody that is close to Denmark. And you know why.
Anyway, we were the best of friends until she robbed me of my annual holiday last year.
It is our companys' policy for all employees to apply for their annual holidays at the beginning of the year. The bosses then streamline, re-arrange, approve or disapprove as the case may be. It is always very rare to disapprove.

Somehow, I wanted my holiday in the month of April; but she (my boss) shifted it to November- saying Mr Blah-Blah-Blah has been scheduled for April. I grudgingly accepted.
November eventually came, but there was too much work to do. I was paid all entitlements but could not proceed on my vacation. It was not funny! And I guess she saw unhappiness written all over me that period. She placated me with this gift of a mini DVD player(£99). I smiled. I have too many DVDs already. And I would have preferred my vacation.

Yesterday, I submitted my application for vacation. I did not seal the envelope. I wanted her to open and read the application while I am still there. She did. "October...? She wailed! "I don't think that period is still...emm..."
I did not allow her to complete the statement. I said " AM, (administrative manager) do you know that I was raised in the Niger Delta of Nigeria...?" She dropped the application on her table, and looked at me through the rim of her glasses.
" What has that got to do with your application...?"
I said nothing!
I decided not to let her have a clue of my game plan.

Wahlahi, if she tries anything with my vacation this time around, I will kidnap her children. After all, the children are very close to me. Nobody will suspect. Then, I will make my demands. I might even add some other things-an official car, with a driver. That my office is too small, I might demand for a bigger one- with a secretary. Yes! I am more qualified than half of the morons who are attached with secretaries and official cars in that company.
Who knows, it might work. Anyway, why won't the plan work...? My boss loves her children... unlike the Federal government of Nigeria and Obasanjo who do not care whether the people of the Niger Delta are alive or dead...or whether the kidnapped expatriates are beaten, tortured or killed.

I hope I won't have to carry out this plan. It will be too bad for her and the children and her husband...( that ugly husband of hers) and the company too. It will teach them a lesson! And I hope they learn from the lesson...not to deprive people- especially the males of their annual vacations next time... (there are too many women in that company).
Let nobody try to discourage me from this plan... that is, if she tempers with my vacation this year, I will teach her a bitter lesson! I pray she doesn't!

Cartoon Protest Revisited...As Maiduguri burns...

2006-02-19T05:30:00.000Z

I went to New Castle on Friday with my boss. I was going to write about this in the morning. Somehow, I have to shelve this, because Northern Nigeria is on fire once again.
The cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammed has sparked off religious riots in Maiduguri. Christians who are not Danish have been murdered. Sixteen the reports say. Churches-eleven as at the last count have been torched. This is sad!

The Danish editor who came up with the blasphemous cartoons is still very much alive. There are muslims in Denmark. They too protested against the outrageous cartoons. But nobody to my knowledge was reported dead there.
Does anybody know where the head-quarters of the Islamic Organisation World-wide is situated? Is it in Nigeria? May be, it is in Maiduguri...
I wrote about the protest as reported by Sky news on this blog, the very day it started. I also pasted stories of how the riots were spreading and excalating in other parts of the world.
In all of these, there was no where reports came in that christians and churches were targeted. Not even in Denmark.

However, muslims in Nigeria- Maiduguri ( maybe they are more islamic) have taken matters into their own hands. The rest of the Islamic world have delayed for too long. To them delayed action may amount to denial. Since the Danish editor is not a muslim, he must be a christian. And if he is untouchable for now,irrespective of the prize tag on his, other christians' blood will suffice. The Prophet must be avenged. Christian or non- muslim blood will do.
Yet, Islam is a religion of peace and total submission to the will of Allah...

It baffles me the way muslims react in northern Nigeria whenever "blasphemy" is committed against Islam. These muslims in northern Nigeria, do they have leaders...? Who are these leaders? If they don't have leaders, then, we have a huge problem in our hands. If however, there are leaders- people who direct, or organise such gatherings before the protest went out of hand, they should be held accountable.

But, why is it that whenever an individual 'offends' Islam, christians or non- muslims must pay the price?
Danielle Isioma wrote about the beauty pageant to be held in Abuja some years back...
She dared then to write about the Prophet. And she made comments albeit jokingly of a particular contestant and how she would have probably passed the Prophet's approval... It was blasphemous; according to some muslims. And the gate of hell was opened wide to swallow the offender or anybody remotely associated or as much as bear a christian name.You are a 'barawo' if you are not wearing a kaftan. Some christians and non-muslims and churches were used as sacrifice...

There must be, some fundamental problems associated with muslims from northern Nigeria that we have not been able to identify and address. Otherwise, why is it that other muslims living in other parts of Nigeria do not deem it appropriate to react the way their nothern counterparts do in these matters...?
Is it the high level of illiteracy... and lack of adequate enlightenment/education or the absence of responsible leadership that is making religious riots in northern Nigeria and the unwarranted killings of christians/non-muslims a recurring decimal...?

EFCC and Obasanjo...?

2006-02-16T14:01:00.000Z

When the EFCC try to probe Obasanjo....

Is the World on My Shoulders...?

2006-02-16T00:59:00.000Z

I went for confession today. I haven't done this in years.Somehow, I felt the need to bare my intestine before somebody.
I chose the priest- because he listens without interruptions.
For the record, I don't believe the priest has any power to forgive my sins... I only see him as a psychologist.
There I was before him though shielded by the veil...
And I said...' father, I think I am sick...'
The only time that he had to interrupt me... he asked: 'how do you mean...'?
I said, father, I worry too much about people around me...
most times I worry about my Dad- who just acquired another wife...
often times I wonder if my mama who passed away ten years ago is still watching over me...
I worry about the one lady in my life...I worry about my choice of her over others...
Father, as I am speaking to you now, I am worrying how I would put this confession down in my blog...
Yet, I still worry about what people will think of me when they read this...

I am particularly worried about a friend of mine... who is in Russian and wants to visit me in the UK...
the problem is money...
I am also worried about Nigeria... sometimes I wonder if I will ever see her again in one piece...
I am worried about another friend of mine who can barely take care of himself... yet, his wife is expecting another baby - the third!
I am worried about my baby sister who is going out with a neurotic(as if I am not one myself) and I also suspects he uses drugs...

I am worried about Iraq and all those who have died for nothing... I am worried about life... sometimes, I think of tomorrow...even though, I strenuously try to take each day as it comes...
I worry about death and the hereafter...
I worry about what will become of me... when I eventually pass on...
I worry even about my house, my car, my dog, my clothes and my prescious shoes- what will become of all these...
And then, I worry about you...why you have choosen to be a priest... and listen to these dirty confessions...
Father, am I sick...?
Father lifted the veil... and said, "my son, you have just lifted the world off your shoulders; go in peace and worry no more..."
Somehow, I am relieved...

Are the American and British Soldiers Out of Ideas...?

2006-02-13T19:08:00.000Z

Before this invasion of Iraq, I was in Nigeria. And I watched an interview program - can't really remember the exact Television station now, but one professor Uka; a political scientist, I think from Unilag, predicted then, that America and her allies would win the battle-they would oust Saddam Hussein; but they won't and can't win the war.
He said then, that the war will rage on and on until the average die-hard Iraqi fundamentalists could stand no more. And stand they have...

When I listened to this discourse, I was probably too young to appreciate or comprehend the import of the statement.
Today however, I am beginning to understand what he meant.
America and her allies have won the battle long ago ... The maximum dictator - Saddam Hussein has been removed from office; the Iraqis are now free, but the war rages on.
And because of the protracted nature and style the Iraqis have adopted, the British and American soldiers have resorted to outright brutality of civilians irrespective of age.

The world woke up to the shocking images of British soldiers brutalizing defenseless teenagers last Sunday.
Are the soldiers short of ideas on how to conquer the militant gorillas of the iraqis...?
Are these signs of frustration or vendetta...
The world is watching...
Please read more...

A Genius Who Could not Pass His SSCE...?

2006-02-11T04:16:00.000Z

When Adams introduced me to his young nephew Shodia, I felt elated meeting a prospective genius.
I was told he made five distinctions in his SSC examination back in Nigeria.
And now, he has come to the UK to study medicine
I would not have paid much interest to Shodia's performance, if not for Adams constant reminder that his nephew is going to be a medical doctor.

So, one chilled morning, we drove all the way to St. George's Medical School to enable Shodia sit for the entrance examination.
Two weeks later, the results were published. Shodia's name was omitted,I was told. And the big uncle - Adams refused to believe that it was a typographical error.
Adams called me again and we drove to St. George's Medical School to confront the admission officer.

I did not accompany Adams into the office. He went in alone. When he however came out,he had this embarrassed and confounded look on his face.
How did it go ...? I asked. He said that boy is a disgrace. I said "what..?" I thought you said he is a genius in the making... how come he is now a disgrace...?
Adams then carefully explained to me what the admission officer told him.

He said out of the fifteen questions given to Shodia, he could only attempt two. And of these two questions, he got one correctly. So, in a nut shell, Sodia, scored one out of fifteen.
He said the dean of the faculty had to come in to expain that Shodia's performance was the worst in the history of the entrance examination.
To enable you appreciate Adams embarrassment and confusion properly, I have reproduced Shodia's SSCE result below:

Eng. Lang = 2; Math = 1; Biology = 2; Chemistry = 1; Physics = 2; Economics = 1; Geography = 1; Yoruba = 5

How in the name of anything good can someone with this brillant result fail another 'O' level exam..? This was what baffled us.
Adams vowed to get to the bottom of this mystery.

When we got home (Adams')... he called Shodia to the sitting room. Adams told him bluntly that he failed the entrance examination woefully.
I was expecting Shodia to challenge his uncle by saying...' it is a lie...' Instead, he remained quiet gazing at the floor with this utter vacant look in his eyes.
I then asked Shodia these questions: " Shodia, was the exams too tough for you...?" He said ..."yes"!
Were the questions tougher than your SSCE questions...? Shodia replied by saying..." I don't know.." What...? Shodia replied defiantly..." I said, I don't know...?".

At this stage, Adams was enraged. He screamed at Shodia..." are you not the same person who wrote the SSC examination..?"
To our disappointment and astonishment, Shodia said he was not the one wrote the SSC examination. He confessed that one of his teachers was paid by his mother to write the examination for him.

For good thirty minutes or thereabout, we were too stunned to speak.
The following week, Adams bundled Shodia into a Virgin airplane back to Nigeria.
I have only narrated what happened. I reserve my opinion/comment.

Check Out the Grammy Photos...

2006-02-10T01:33:00.000Z

See some of the beautiful images from the 2006 Grammy Award.
Photos

Grammy Award... Winners and Fall Out!

2006-02-10T00:49:00.000Z

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles at Staples Center on Wednesday, Februry 8, 2006, and broadcast nationwide on the CBS Television Network beginning at 8 p.m. (ET/PT),Pop favorites Green Day and Mariah Carey were given top nods this year, along with Rap favorites Eminem, 50 Cent and R&B stars Alicia Keys and Usher.
Also, Sly and the Family Stone get a special tribute with an appearance on stage by none than group leader, Sly Stone.
To open up the show, the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna, performed in a duet with Grammy nominees Gorillaz.
On the Web, check out the complete list of Grammy nominees & winners in major categories, plus find out more about the Grammy Awards, along with their history, related pictures, video clips and photo galleries ....

Bird Flu in Nigeria...?

2006-02-08T11:22:00.000Z

08/02/2006 11:09 PARIS, Feb 8 (AFP)
H5N1 bird flu outbreak in Nigeria, first in Africa: Animal health agency
H5N1 avian influenza has occurred among poultry in northern Nigeria, marking the first time the disease has been detected in Africa, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said here Wednesday.

The outbreak, reported to the OIE by the Nigerian authorities, occurred on a commercial chicken farm in the village of Jaji, Kaduna state, the agency said in a press statement.

"The OIE/FAO [Food and Agricultural Organisation] reference laboratory for Avian Influenza in Padova, Italy, has characterized the isolate as a highly pathogenic H5N1," it said.

"The OIE, together with the FAO, will take immediate action and coordinate a common response to this event. A team of experts will be sent to the affected area in order to assess the situation and provide technical advice to the national authorities."

OIE spokeswoman Maria Zampaglione told AFP it was the first time that H5N1 avian influenza had been detected in Africa.

Cartoon Protest Is Getting Out of Hand...

2006-02-05T04:52:00.000Z

By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer
Associated Press writer Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City,
Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.

DAMASCUS, Syria - Thousands of Syrians enraged by caricatures of Islam's revered prophet torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus on Saturday — the most violent in days of furious protests by Muslims in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
In Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags. Protesters smashed the windows of the German cultural center and threw stones at the European Commission building, police said.
Iraqis rallying by the hundreds demanded an apology from the European Union, and the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas called the cartoons "an unforgivable insult" that merited punishment by death.
Pakistan summoned the envoys of nine Western countries in protest, and even Europeans took to the streets in Denmark and Britain to voice their anger.
At the heart of the protest: 12 caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad first published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted in European media in the past week. One depicted the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse. The paper said it had asked cartoonists to draw the pictures because the media was practicing self-censorship when it came to Muslim issues.
The drawings have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Aggravating the affront, Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said repeatedly he cannot apologize for his country's free press. But other European leaders tried Saturday to calm the storm.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said she understood Muslims were hurt — though that did not justify violence.
"Freedom of the press is one of the great assets as a component of democracy, but we also have the value and asset of freedom of religion," Merkel told an international security conference in Munich, Germany.
The Vatican deplored the violence but said certain provocative forms of criticism were unacceptable.
"The right to freedom of thought and expression ... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers," the Vatican said in its first statement on the controversy.
The United States called the burnings "inexcusable" and blamed the Syrian government for security failures.
"
Syria must act decisively to protect all foreign embassies and citizens in Damascus from attack," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement. "We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support."
But Denmark and Norway did not wait for more violence.
With their Damascus embassies up in flames, the foreign ministries advised their citizens to leave Syria without delay.
"It's horrible and totally unacceptable," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said on Danish public television Saturday.
No diplomats were injured in the Syrian violence, officials said. But Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds — whose country, along with Chile, has an embassy in the same building — said she would lodge a formal protest over the lack of security.
In Santiago, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Chilean Embassy in Damascus was also torched but nobody was injured.
The demonstrations in Damascus began peacefully with protesters gathering outside the building housing the Danish Embassy. But they began throwing stones and eventually broke through police barricades. Some scrambled up concrete barriers protecting the embassy, climbed into the building and set a fire.
"With our blood and souls we defend you, O Prophet of God!" the demonstrators chanted. Some removed the Danish flag and replaced it with a green flag printed with the words: "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God."
Demonstrators moved onto the Norwegian Embassy about 4 miles away, also setting fire to it before being dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons. Hundreds of police and troops barricaded the road leading to the French Embassy, but protesters were able to break through briefly before fleeing from the force of water cannons.
Amid the furor, Syria's Grand Mufti urged calm, noting the demonstration had started in a "nice and disciplined way," but then turned violent because of "some members who do not understand the language of dialogue."
"We never expressed our anger in such a way, and we believe that dialogue should be done through guidance and teaching, not through killing, harming and burning," Sheik Ahmed Badr-Eddine Hassoun said in remarks carried by state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA.
In Gaza, masked gunmen affiliated with the Fatah Party called on the Palestinian Authority and Muslim nations to recall their diplomatic missions from Denmark until the government apologizes.
In the West Bank town of Hebron, about 50 Palestinians marched to the headquarters of the international observer mission there, burned a Danish flag and demanded a boycott of Danish goods.
"We will redeem our prophet Muhammad with our blood!" they chanted.
Mahmoud Zahar, leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, told the Italian daily Il Giornale the cartoonists should be punished by death.
We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully." he said.
Hundreds of Iraqis rallied south of Baghdad, some carrying banners urging "honest people all over the world to condemn this act" and demanding an EU apology.
Anger swelled in Europe, too. Young Muslims clashed briefly with police in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, and some 700 people rallied outside the Danish Embassy in London.
A South African court banned the country's Sunday newspapers from reprinting the cartoons.
Iran's president ordered his commerce minister to study canceling all trade contracts with European countries whose newspapers have published the caricatures, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the caricatures showed the "impudence and rudeness" of Western newspapers against the prophet as well as the "maximum resentment of the Zionists (Jews) ruling these countries against Islam and Muslims."
The leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan denounced the publication of the caricatures. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned nine envoys to lodge protests against the publication of the "blasphemous" sketches.
___

Cameroun Is Out of The Nation's Cup...

2006-02-04T21:13:00.000Z

Most of us we wrong, the supposedly good Camerounian team is out of the nation's cup game.
It was Cameroun 12; Ivory Coast 13...nations cup game

BECAUSE OF THE CARTOON:I WAS ALMOST STRANGLED

2006-02-03T20:48:00.000Z

Before leaving home this morning for work, I had to listen or is it watch the news on television. I particularly love Sky News.
There it was again, angry protesters chanting war songs and stepping on anything that is 'kickable'... The problem?

Some European newspapers have republish the controversial cartoon of prophet Muhammed(PBUH) which first appeared in Danish daily newspaper in September, 2005.
This satirical illustration of the prophet with a timed- bomb in his turban, has sparked off protest by muslims world wide. We are just hoping that these protests will not get out of hand.

About my almost being strangled, when I got to my work place, I decided to discuss the issue of this 'controversial cartoon' with two of my Muslim colleagues.
I never knew they were extremists or die-hard fanatics.
I was the one who informed them of the development.
I then proceeded to ask them... 'why is it that anytime someone(ignorantly)makes a comment about The Holy Prophet - depicting Him as anything different from their perception, all hell is let lose...Why?
One of them ( I think he is actually from Yemen) then asked me..." what will you do if people make caricature of your prophet- Jesus Christ...? I made the mistake of trying to correct him by saying... Jesus Christ is not a prophet. He is the son of God. He said..."whatever..." All I'm asking is... "what will you do...?"
I said..." me,..." of course I will do absolutely nothing!
I then asked them..."what could be more 'caricature' than nailing Him to the cross.
They both looked at me as if I don't know what I was saying or doing. Maybe they thought I was there to make a fool out of them. But I was very serious.

One of them (though I could see he was not too comfortable or he was getting worked-up)looked at me with that' I feel sorry for you and your believe' expression, and said..."look, we, muslims, we fight and if necessary, we kill anyone or group of people who try to defile our prophet and our religion..."
And I said, "what..?" " You guys are sick..." that was all I said...
One them angrily grabbed my collar and shoved me against the wall... "saying, don't you ever say I am sick again... " All I could say in a shrill voice. was..." I whas unnli qidding..."
When he eventually let go... I hurried way. Jesus H Christ! That, was a near death encounter.
Do you want to see the controversial cartoons at your own risk...? Click here

Valentine's Day... What does it Mean to You...?

2006-02-02T14:41:00.000Z

I love humanity. They have a way of putting their problems behind them. Often times, they celebrate anything from sunrise to winter and the first snow fall.
But never in the history of celebrations has there been so much controversy as 'Valentine's Day'. For the so-called progressives, Valentine's day is a day set aside by lovers to celebrate their love in a special way.
However, the conservatives and a larger part of Asian and the middle Eastern bloc see Valentine's day celebration as frivolity. As far as they are concern, there is no need for a day to be called 'lovers' day. It has no religious foundation.
Others like the Jehovah's witnesses see the celebration as a gift from the pagan cumminity.
The world over- especially in the west, Valentine's day(Feb.14) has become a huge commercialised celebration.

The last time I witnessed Valentine's Day celebration in Nigeria some years ago, I was shocked. I was shocked not because Nigerians are celebrating the day. I was shocked because virtually every one - from the very young to the aged were involved.
The amusing or should I say annoying part of the whole thing was that the under-aged who were obviously in a state of mental tension - were trying to behave and do things that adults do.

I have decided to let my journalistic nosiness have a better part of me this morning as I interviewed various students of Glamorgan university on their views about Valentine's Day celebrations.
It was quite an exciting experience for me...

I walk briskly to this lady ( she looks like an Indian; she is wearing the popular sari-with very long pony-tailed hair and thick bifocaled lenses):

Hi, my name is so-obscure...(let me save you the boring details of the hassles I went through):

So-obscure: what do you make of valentine celebration?

Sarita: ... well, i am Hindu, so we do not have such celebrations in our religion; more so, what lovers do... should be their private business don't you think?( very very ambiguous question... was she asking what i think about lovers' private life or was she insinuating that as a human being, she expects me to think... Pls be the judge of that)

I decided to move on to another group. this time I presumed I had the right crowd - noisy yuppies.

Hey, my name is so-obscure... (one of them interjected... what kind of name is that..?)
I said...well, is not my real name... its just a pseudo name. And he said... I see. An undercover name... yes, how can we help you?

So-obscure: I just want to find out what you guys think of Valentine's day, and its celebrations.

Douglas: ..i don't think there is anything to find out... it is a day for lovers; and we are looking forward to it. The only regret is the 14th is a Tuesday... we would have loved it better on a Friday.

Rhys: You know, Valentine's Day is actually a special day for lovers. And in most cases, it is a day when love is share between friends.

So-obscure: Was that the original concept of Valentine's Day...I mean this idea of sharing.

Rhys: No, not at all. I believe the original idea was strictly for lovers to share and celebrate in private... but somehow, the world has come embrace the valentines' concept...

So-obscure: But Valentine's Day is not celebrated world wide- especially in regions like India, Israel,-the middle East...etc.

Rhys: you know hard core religious regions you mentioned now....

So-obscure: Israel is not so religious....

Douglas: ...but you can not say Israel is a christian state, neither are they muslims.

So-obscure: ...majority of they are Jews.... don't forget, we are still talking about Valentine's day celebrations...

Rhys: ...yeah, Valentine's Day to me should be celebrated by those who care...if you want to celebrate it, no qualms, just do your thing.However, if the day is just like any other day, well, fine... you can still do your thing...

So-obscure: But must human being set aside a particular day in the to show or share love...?

Owen who hasn't spoken at all decided to contibute...

Owen: Well, I think human being are always looking for something to celebrate... otherwise, it doesn't make sense. If nlove is showed and celebrated on the 14th, what happens on the 15th... do we then abandon love? I think every day should be made a Valentine's day.

So-obscure:.. that was nicely put. For if every day is made a valentine's day, there would be less quarrels and divorces or separation....

What do you think? Should every day not be made a valentine's day by lovers?
Is it true that valentine's day celebration is a pagan tradition as evinced by the Jehovah;s witness?
What does valentine's day means to you... do you celebrate it just because others are doing so...?

Femi Fani-kayode, is the Chukwumerije and Wada Nas of Obasanjo...

2006-01-29T18:31:00.000Z

The late sage - Obafemi Awolowo once said... (I am paraphrasing ) 'when people are involved in a discourse, the intelligent ones endeavour to marshall out their points facts for facts logically, while the not so intelligent ones fall back to high sounding and vacuous words... mostly, attacking the character of their oppenents'.
It has become the pattern as typical of the publicists attached to the presidency to attack even though unwarrated, anyone who chooses to differ from that office in any national issue.

Alex Akinyele and Walter Ofornagoro resorted to name-calling and branding of differing opinions then as unpatriotic elements.
Comrade Uche Chukwumerije tried albeit unsuccessfully to clean the Augean Stable for president Ibrahim Babaginda during the June 12 imbroglio before the latter infamously 'stepped-aside'.
Then came Wada nas for Abacha. He made Abacha to believe that Nigerians are happy and want him (Abacha) to be president for life. Anyone who dare to voice out a different opinion, was not only branded as unpatriotic, but was seen as a felon- who is plotting to topple the government.

Now, we have Femi Fani-kayode. A relatively unknown lawyer- whose only qualification for the appointment of Special Assistant to the Very Special assistant- who is also assisting another is being the son of a politician and former deputy premier of the old Western region- Remi Fani-kayode. Whether the president has given the Herculean task of cleaning his Augean Stable to Femi Fani-kayode, Nigerians don't know. But, what we do know is that this Femi Fani-kayode, is rude and he is going to destroy whatever image is left of Obasanjo's regime, if he is not remove from assisting the special assistant.

Recently, Femi fani-Kayode added Prof. Wole Soyinka to his list of those who are not qualified to voice out their opinion on national issues or criticise his boss.

He said..." I think we have already given Prof. Soyinka far more attention than he deserves...We have absolutely no further comment about him and we have nothing more to say to him. "Whoever he spends his time insulting for his own personal and self-serving reasons, is his own business...At this stage in the life of our nation, constructive criticisms and meaningful contributions are what are needed and not the expression of bitter, retrograde and self-serving commentaries. In any case, it is always very difficult to reason, debate or have any form of meaningful discussion or dialogue with
any person that does not believe in God. The truth is that regardless of what people like Soyinka would have you believe, God is blessing Nigeria and our belief is that He will continue to do so...."

This same Femi fani-kayode five years ago, never saw anything good with Obasanjo's government and he wrote in the Comet Newspaper, March 18, 2001, titled "Obasanjo May End in Utter Disaster and Shame" in which, amongst many things, he derided Obasanjo for his messianic pretensions. Hear him:

"Again, the truth is that nothing has happened today that has encouraged those of us that share this view (the quest for a Sovereign National Conference ) to have cause to change our minds: economic conditions in the Nigeria of today are far worse than they were 22 (twenty-two) months ago," Fani-Kayode wrote.
"Can anyone disagree with the brilliant Ajose Adeogun when he recently said ‘this country is on its knees and in a state of crisis and yet the President is busy junketing all over the world?’ In places like Apapa and Ikeja today (which are both primary industrial areas) the Federal Government cannot even supply more than three to four hours of electric power per day. The President now seems to be gradually relapsing to his old, pre-1995 dictatorial self and there can be little doubt that the man suffers from what the British would describe as a ‘debilitating character flaw’".
"Again it is clear that Mr President feels unduly threatened by everyone and anyone. He does not listen. He does not care and he appears to growl with a deep and dissembling rage whenever anyone looks at things from a different perspective to his own. He finds it difficult to tolerate any form of criticism (even where such is constructive) and he has cultivated an obvious and relentless contempt for intellectual discourse. Again he has absolute disdain and contempt for those of us that contribute to public debate and intellectual discourse and that spend some of our time writing books or publishing articles. For people like Mr President the influencing of public opinion through the auspices of the print media does not matter and neither does public opinion itself count for anything ... Mr President's attitude is further worsened and compounded by the fact that he, for some reason or other, actually sees himself as not only an intellectual but also as a ‘messiah’. He believes that he has all the answers. He believes that he can never be wrong."

The questions most Nigerians are asking are... have things changed so drastically now that F.F.Kayode sees president Obasanjo as the messiah...? Does Obasanjo now listen to constructive criticism(without him-Kayode interferring)?
Do public opinion now matter to the presidency... or why is F.F.Kayode now playing the role of voltron- 'the defender of Obasanjo's administration?
We can go on and on asking questions about the character of this young man called Femi Fani-Kayode. However, we would like to leave him to history- the ultimate chronicler of events to place him in that particular spot where he actually belongs.

How Superstitious Are You...?

2006-01-24T05:22:00.000Z

When Julius Caesar was about to be murdered in the shakespeare's drama 'Julius Caesar', his wife Calpurnia dreamt several times that night that Caesar was attacked and murdered in her sleep. The next morninng, she begged Caesar not to go to the capitol. Caesar was a superstitious man. He was wary of the dream - yet, he heeded Calpurnia's advice. However, the sly. lean and dangerous Cassius came and persuaded Caesar against his wife's advice. And Caesar not wanting people to think that he was superstitious and weak for heeding a woman's dream, decided to allow himself to be persuaded by Cassius.

He went to the capitol waryingly that morning pushing his superstitious beliefs to the background. At the end of the day, he was murdered by the very people he trusted so much.

A friend of mine says it is a complete danger sign when you hit your left foot against any object as you walk along the street.
Another believes that it is fatal not to heed such warnings... if for instance, all of the traffick lights at the 'cross' road junctions are showing 'red'...
According to him, it is better to reverse and go home. (sounds very absurd)...

The other day, there were flashes of lightning and thunder clap and I noticed the Nigerians and one or two Jamaicans around making the sign of the cross.
A young boy sneezes and everyone says 'bless you'...( what does this mean).

The other day, a co-worker of mine at the Sanctuary Glossy Caskets went to collect the money owed him by another. He went there very early in the morning. In spite of the fact that the debtor has the money at home to give to his creditor, he bluntly refused to do so, saying it is rather too early in day for debt collection. According to him, it is a bad omen to collect debt early in the morning.

Some people say an all black out fit is a bad sign too... while others believe it is 'red' not black.

Many people say the numbers - 7 & 13 are evil numbers and nothing in this world would make them live in houses numbered 7 or 13...

My grandmother who is from Barbados believes that if you eat in your dream, you had better go for cleansing or something ominous is going to happen to you. Have you ever eaten in you dream... what happened?

How superstitious are you? Do you believe in these absurdities... or better still what do you make of these ridiculous beliefs. Not forgetting that if Julius Caesar had listened to his wife Culpurnia, he would not have died the way he did...

IMF Was Partial ...

2006-01-20T19:04:00.000Z

Often times I wonder what the difference is politically and economically between most African nations. For instance, whats the difference between Niger Republic or Ghana and Nigeria in terms of political and economic advancement.

The other day, the rest of Africa and indeed the world were appealling to humanity to help the starving mulititude in the Niger. Same for Darfur. But they keep forgeting the sufferings of thousands of people in Oginiland and a good measure of the creeks in the Delta region of Nigeria.

For so long the so-called leaders of Nigeria has deceived the rest of the world about their economic powers. It is obvious to some now, that the country is not so Rich after all.IMF(Internation Monetary Fund) recently cancelled the debt of some poor nations but Nigeria is glaringly left out... Why?
Look at this:

IMF ANNOUNCES 100% DEBT CANCELLATION FOR 19 COUNTRIES

IMF Announces 100% Debt Cancellation for 19 Countries

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today (21 December 2005) announced the first group of countries eligible for 100% debt cancellation relief following this summer’s G8 Africa Summit in Gleneagles.

The 19 countries that qualify as a result of today’s announcement are: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
REACTION FROM JAMIE DRUMMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DATA (debt AIDS trade Africa):

“We are relieved that debt relief has finally turned into debt cancellation, and that justice has prevailed for this first phase of cancellation of repressive multilateral debts. This is but a modest down payment on what needs to come, but we are now one step closer to realizing the promises of the world’s richest countries at the G8 Africa Summit this summer. In 2006, many more of the 2005 promises must be kept.

Much has been made of Bono’s role in debt cancellation this year, but the true heroes are the millions of campaigners around the world who demanded more for those with less from their leaders, including the hundreds of artists who took part in the Live 8 concerts around the globe.

Let us not, however, rest here. The road to justice will be a long one. The G8 also promised additional $25 billion in aid for Africa from the G8 nations, education for all and AIDS drugs for nearly all, targeted efforts to beat back malaria, as well as a major overhaul of our trade system to level the playing field and allow the poorest to earn their way out of extreme poverty with dignity.”

On IMF conditionality: “Our assistance must always be delivered in a way that best helps people on the ground beat poverty. We cannot attach strings to it which are really about opening their markets to our products or micromanaging their economies to suit our narrowly defined ends. Those approaches are outdated, they don’t work, and we must together move on from paternalism to partnership with African and other developing nations. Beating back on IMF austerity measures is a key part of this new emerging paradigm of partnership."

My question to the IMF, is Nigeria not poor enough for 100% debt cancellation?
Please don't look into the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crime Commision) selective witch-hunting criminality.The rest of Nigerians won't see the confiscated loot or where it will eventually end up just like the Abacha thievery that were recovered.
Nigeria falls into the same bracket with Niger, Mali,Togo,Ghana, Cambodia, Guinea and all other poor nations of the world.

The Hidden Cycle of Man.

2006-01-20T04:04:00.000Z

it starts with undefined longing...
moments that propels the endless search...
moments thats leads to hazy fathomless future...

one small talk leads to another...
hands snakely interwine and
eyes glazy with tears...
tears of joy...

moments later,
pressurized sunction of
hard red lips
exchange spittle...

blood pressure catapults
to mount Everest...
legs locked in jerky
sporadic tango...

gibberish uttered at interval
maybe screams of ecstacy...
then-
dymystified creatures jet
waggingly to the Groove...

the dot is formed
and it gradually inflates
to a baloon shape...

nine months later,
siren , screeching tyres
nurses, noises, doctor-
smiles- life!

Is Charity Not Suppose To Begin Home...?

2006-01-18T16:03:00.000Z

One of the beauties of democracy is the freedom of expression (albeit some limitations) that is prevalent in the Nigerian polity today.
For this singular reason, people are able to voice their opinion openly-even if it harshly criticizes government policies.
I am one of those who strongly believe that President Olusegun Obasanjo's anti- corruption crusade is a laudable programme, but it is still one-sided. It has choosen to prosecute some and not all...
It is becoming increasely obvious to most people, that this crusade is selective. Recently, Col. Abubakar Umar(rtd) spoke about the one-sidedness of the Obasanjo's one-sided crusade to NewsDay Magazine. (Jan. 16-23, 2006 edition) Hear him:

In spite of President Olusegun Obasanjo's anti- corruption crusade, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar {rtd}said his government remains the most corrupt government the country has ever had, when compare with past successive governments. He also raised alarm over secret plans by some forces to scuttle democracy in the country.

The radical retired Army officer and political activist expressed this view in Abuja recently- during the inauguration of the Movement for Unity and Progress, a pressure and political movement that will ensure that the country is governed in accordance with democratic principles.

According to Col. Umar: “It is a documented fact of history that, 56% of the corruption that takes place in government has their root in the presidency. It is clear that the government has with limited success used the cases of some of these individuals to divert public attention from its culpability in aiding the growth of corruption”

The former military governor of Kaduna state said his view is quite plausible because the most corrupt parastatal, which accounts for 95% of government's revenue, the NNPC is under the direct supervision of the presidency adding that, “this is why at the policy level, the Federal Executive Council and the Due Process Office do not review most of contract awarded by the NNPC.

Giving examples of the corrupt practices under the nose of the president, Col. Umar said Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili of former Due Process Office had accused the Ministry of Water Resources of inflating contracts to the tune of N1billion within six months but the president could not take action. Again, he questioned a contract for the supply of 50 used Armoured Personnel Carrier by the Ministry of Defence at the cost of $37million “when another company was willing to supply the same vehicles at the cost of $13million” alleging that most of those vehicles had to be towed from the port because they had one problem or the other.

The Abuja Water Project which was awarded to a “reputable” company, SALINI in 2001 at the cost of N45billion with six years completion period also attracted the attention of the Colonel. He revealed that, the company actually started work in earnest but stalled due to lack of funding. “For some inexplicable reasons SALINI was replaced by another company SCC, which got the contract at N75billion”, he added.

Amazingly, SALINI was compensated with an N52billion Cultural Centre Construction contract signed just before Christmas of 2005. “Why would a company that failed to execute an N45billion contract be awarded a contract worth N52billion”? Col. Umar asked.

Going by his investigations and revelations, Col. Umar said it is evident that the anti-corruption campaign of Obasanjo has failed woefully adding that, Obasanjo-led federal government has become the prime mover of corruption.

X-raying the political situation in the country, the radical political activist said the immediate challenges confronting the Nigerian nation is the maneuvers, intrigues, and blackmail mounted by senior government officials, some state governors, traditional rulers, some members of the state and National Assemblies aimed at a fundamental breach of the constitution of the country to guarantee a third term for Obasanjo and the state governors. He regretted that the campaign is being financed by the same people who sold the same product to late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Hear him: “The sad truth is that those forces operate within the democratic realm grudgingly. Their operation, disposition and methods of operation are more in tune with authoritarian and dictatorial regimes; they do not believe in the rule of law and they do not believe in due process and that is why they want to scuttle the democratic process because they can serve and survive under any type of regime”.

He advised the civil society groups to reunited and stop the anti- democratic activities of those forces adding that unless something is done quickly, the country would be thrown into intractable socio- political violence.

Chief Sunday B. Awoniyi, National Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum who was present at the inauguration of the group described Obasanjo as ingrate and advised Nigerians to resist his plans to elongate his tenure by telling him {Obasanjo} that they are not slaves.

Hear Awoniyi's logic: “Many years ago, when Alexander finished conquering the Roman Empire, some people asked him how it was possible for him to do it; he replied and said because they are slaves who could not say no to his activities”. Awoniyi then asked the crowd, including journalists who came to witness the inauguration of the Col. Umar-led group: “Are you a slave?” Then the thundering response: “No”.

The former private secretary to late Sarduna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello said the fact that those who wanted to elongate their tenures in the past did not succeed would be the reason why Obasanjo will strive to succeed- were others failed.

Col. Umar and his group were prevented by security agents from using the Shehu Musa Yaradua Centre which they have paid for since December 23, 2005, as indicated in the receipt issued them by the centre. Consequently they were forced to carry out their ceremony under the tree.

Is the Presidency choosing to ignore or look the other way when gross financial misconduct is being perpetual right at his door step? Or is charity not suppose to begin at home any more?

GL: This is My Response!

2006-01-13T16:49:00.000Z

So much has happened within the Nigerian polity in the last two weeks . The major catastrophic ones being the Gbenga Obasanjo's interview and denial; and the impeachment of governor Ladoja of Oyo state.
These two events smack of the impending downward slide of Nigeria's democracy toward the precipice.

Going back to the Gbenga Obasanjo's rather rude (even though denied) revelation and the Ladoja's impeachment, no one , and I mean no one, can still say the anti - corruption campaign cum targeting is not a selective excercise.
The son of the president himself indicted the corrupt but stupid governors who steal from the state confers and then dare to flaunt such wealth openly. In his words:

"Let's look at the corruption trial of Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha...I think he is really dumb and stupid. He should have known that there is no way he could get away with stealing so much money from his state. He was daft and careless. But let me tell you that those people caught are the careless ones. There is so much corruption in Nigeria, and there are a lot of intelligent and smart corrupt people and then of course, the stupid one. Those are the ones who get caught. There are places in the world especially in the commonwealth of the former soviet republics where you can get a passport with a white name and a black face and no one will ever ask questions from you!"

Bottomline, Alamieyeseigha, Ladoja and maybe Tafa Balogun and others were not intelligent enough to steal wisely. It is an open and shut case! If you think you are smart enough to steal from the confers of government, go ahead, otherwise...
Thats the son of the President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria Speaking. Yet, we are made to understand that Gbenga Obasanjo parades the corridors of Aso rock. With the benefit of hindsight, he knows better than the rest of us - outsiders.
Why have I revisited this issue,one might one to ask. I decided to revisit this issue because someone by the blog name GL left a comment on my blog ..."If I Were the president..." saying:

"Great poem. I don't agree with all of your points, however.

Charles Taylor for one, I think bringing him to Nigeria was good cos it stopped d fight in Liberia. If harboring one 'criminal' stopped the loss of so many lives I think it is great.

If we want to be truthful to ourselves, Obasanjo did not cause the either the Sosoliso or Bellview crashes. Neither is he responsible for the tear-gassing of the protesters. I dont even think the IG of police is responsible. The Nigerian Police's lawlessness is not a new thing.

Most of the problems we're facing in the country have been there 4 years b4 dis administration. While they may not have done enough, they've certainly done better. There are improvements.

We, Nigerians, always love to look for ppl to point fingers at but we are the problem. Afterall, the corrupt public office holders, policemen and military men are ALL Nigerians. The average Nigerian is corrupt and would not do better than Obasanjo. Since I was born we've had several leaders and we've always complained about them. Mostly the same things. Considering that there have been both Northerners and Southerners, I believe that they are more or less a reflection of the whole country. I know many will disagree with this, but the truth is, most of us Nigerians would support corruption, and justify it, if it favours us. Only when we do not stand to gain do we complain.

This isn't to say that Obasanjo isn't corrupt, but then Nigerians are. Even gatemen collect bribes to allow visitors into their companies now. When such ppl are exposed to billions of naira, what wil they do? This isn't restricted to the poor. The rich do worse in secret and come out to criticize government.

Some ppl say I support Obasanjo. No, I criticize his actions sometimes. However, I like him because he is one of the most detribalized Nigerians I've seen.I'm sorry to say dis, but especially for a Yoruba man. The corruption and economic situation in the country is bad enough. Adding tribal prejudice can be really terrible. I'm from a minority group so I'm talking from experience."
Posted by GL | 1:59 AM

Its rather unfortunate that your blog is incomplete and so I can't formally respond to your comment on the " if i were the president..." except through this means:

However, I am hoping you will visit my blog again and probably read this.

Governanace is all about responsiblity. The buck must stop at the president's desk. Period.
Thats why the blame is heaped on the shoulders of whosoever occupies the hot sit of the president if things go wrong.
If things work out fine and properly in the country however, he takes the credit.
It is the height of naivity to say Obasanjo who you can not separate from Nigeria for now should not be blamed if things go wrong in the country. Afterall, he is not also the one executing personally some of the economic policies we have credited to him.

That Charles Taylor was whisked to Nigeria, and peace is now retored in Liberia, we commend all those involved in that process. But the story should not end there. He must face charges for the role he played in the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Liberians and other nationals.

I agree with you that some Nigerians at the top or bottom of the ladder are corrupt. But this should not stop people from criticising the ills associated with governance. In fact,constructive criticism is healthy for those in authority.
It makes them stand on their toes and not their heads constantly.
If we see something good with any adminitration and say so, it does not mean we are apologists of such administration.

Obasanjo's administration has scored some positives no doubt. We would want him to do more and more and more!

Did Gbenga Obasanjo Err...?

2006-01-10T12:47:00.000Z

It was quite interesting reading the candid opinion(?) of Dr. Gbenga Obasanjo - son of President Olusegun Obasanjo on a wide variety of issues.
Although he has since published a rejoinder (ThisDay Newspaper) via his lawyers refuting that he ever granted an interview with Omoyole Sowore of TheNews.
I find it hard to believe that Dr. Gbenga Obasanjo did not give his overt or covert permission to be quoted or published.
What the rest of us would like to know is this: did Gbenga ever had a discussion with Mr Sowore of TheNews Magazine? Was he (Gbenga) aware that Mr Sowore was a journalist at the time of their purported meeting? Were there questions asked and answers given... was there a Tape Recorder running... and did Gbenga Obasanjo at any point in the course of their conversation(?) asked Mr Sowore not to quote him or publish anything said in that vehicle or hotel or roadside...? What would be the difference in definition between an interview and a discussion between two consenting adults - where one them is a journalist?

Or has Gbenga suddenly realised the import and implication of his vituperation? Is he trying to amend the damage done to his father's one-sided campaign against corruption
and the insult he showered on vice president Atiku and the Awoist? Please read his lawyers rejoinder (ThisDay).:

President Olusegun Oba-sanjo's son, Dr. Gbenga Obasanjo, yesterday expla-ined his role in the alleged interview he granted TheNews magazine. In a letter from his lawyers to the management of TheNews and made available to THISDAY, Gbenga denied ever granting any interview, and expressed shock at the development.
TheNews magazine in its current edition published an interview allegedly granted by Gbenga, where he accused Vice President Atiku Abubakar of greed, inordinate ambition and other atrocities he allegedly committed in the privatisation process. The interview had also generated reactions from the Presidency, which dismissed Gbenga as speaking for himself.
In the said interview, Gbenga was quoted as saying, "Atiku just thinks that the Presidency is his birtthright. Look at AP and the privatisation process. They just sold the entire country to themselves. Look at the Pentascope deal...go to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and see those who own pentascope,"
He also reportedly denied the alleged third term bid of President Obasanjo, saying some people are urging his father to run "because they are afraid of Atiku. They know he will come and take over everything."
However, Gbenga, through his lawyers, S.O. Ajayi & Co., said the publication came to him as a rude shock, insisting that he never granted Omoyole Sowore any interview.
Rather, he said he met him at Seme Border in December last year and only had a private discussion with him, having declined his request for an interview.
According to Gbenga's lawyers, their client, who is currently out of the country, has been inundated with calls, regretting that the reporter exploited the favour he granted him to publish a "disastrous" piece.
"Our client got to know about the story late evening yesterday (Sunday) and since then, he is being inundated with several calls from family members, friends, well wishers and associates, both within and outside of Nigeria expressing concern over the contents of the alleged interview in all its ramifications and circumstances. This story is also attracting deep interest of operators of the electronic media, as it has continued to be used as regular news since this (yesterday) morning by some radio stations in Lagos State; both Yoruba and English channels.
"This has caused and continues to shock our client who states unequivocally that he did not grant the reporter, Mr. Omoyele Sowore any interview as claimed or at all. At no time did Mr. Sowore put questions to our client, which elicited the responses reported in the papers and TheNews magazine.
"The truth of the matter, according to our brief, was that our client met Mr. Sowore at the Nigerian Seme border sometime in December 2005, assisted Mr. Sowore to resolve some disagreement he had with some law enforcement agencies and gave him a ride to Lagos, a journey that took far less than two hours. Our client informed us that Mr. Sowore requested for an interview, which our client politely but clearly declined to grant.
"Our client informed us that it was in the course of the journey that Mr. Sowore, our client and one of our client's cousins who was with them in the vehicle had some private discussions. It is not unusual among Nigerians wherever they are gathered to evince their patriotic views. The contents of the discussions have been largely embellished. Our client denies the widespread political colouration given to the discussion and regrets the dimension that what he seees as a private and essential health related discussion has taken.
"Our client states that there is no way that he could have uttered such vituperation against people of such high calibre in his father's government. Our client insists that there were discussions, he insists that the reporter directly requested for an interview but he politely and directly declined the request. It is illegal and unbecoming of a reporter to turn the favour granted him by our client to what has now scandalised our client. The reporter took an advantage of our client's large heartedness to scoop a story of a disastrous proportion."
Gbenga, who said he regretted the embarrassment that the said interview has caused his entire family, demanded for an apology to himself and his father and immediate retraction of the interview by TheNews magazine, failing which he threatened to initiate legal actions against the magazine.
"The unsolicited and unauthorised story is deeply regretted by our client and he regrets the embarrassment that this might have caused members of his family. We have our client's instruction to request you to publish this letter as his rejoinder to the alleged interview and also to carry out a retraction of the story with apology both to him and his respectable father, Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has been embarrassed by the alleged false interview.
"It is not our client's practice to air his grievances publicly or litigate on every wrong done to him and he does not seek to do so on this occasion, hence our demand for a retraction and apology. However, you will understand that if this is not forthcoming, then, our client will have no choice than to take the necessary steps that would preserve our client's and his family's reputation and integrity, given the widespeard nature of the publication that was packaged and branded in the purported interview that our client did not grant and the usual circumstances of this case," Gbenga’s lawyers wrote.

The Dilemma of the African Man

2006-01-06T03:45:00.000Z

I have a very strong felling that the black man still revere the white man and the White have no respect for the Black people especially Africans. They still prefer the Arabs (who will bomb them to death) . Otherwise how do we explain to the rest of the world the rate at which Nigerians are being spirited out of the UK every other day.
Two weeks back, a friend of mine who has lived in London with his 'white girlfriend' for six years seven months was arrested and he is likely to be deported. It is only the Queen who can save him as things are now.
What offence did he commit? He over-stayed his welcome.
Anini ( not his real name for security reasons) came into the UK with a two years student visa to study for an MBA. Before you could say 'hey', two years has rolled by. Anini was now faced with the unpleasant option of either going back to Nigeria - to contend with NEPA, Armed Robbers, the ever present snake like traffic jam on Lagos roads or risk the hell by staying put and be branded as an illegal immigrant.
He chose the later. He chose to stay for two major reasons. One, the power of the Pound; the only currency in the world with a surname. The Pounds Sterling as it is called. The other reason was his oyinbo girlfriend. It appear then, that their love was made in Buckingham palace - signed, sealed, and delivered by Her Majesty The Queen.
Everyone thought it was a perfect match and things appear to be actually going smoothly for both of them. They lived together. The mother and father of the 'oyinbo babe' approved of Anini inspite of the fact that he is not the most handsome young man around. I am not saying this out of spite. It is my opinion that Anini's head is rather too large for his face. My friend has a small oval face, short neck, and a humpty dumpty head. To make matters worse, his 'B' shape nose covers his entire face. Often times I wonder what this girl sees in him! (if he ever gets to read this, hell will be let loose).
Anyway, the gist is that Anini and his 'oyinbo babe' had a fight... and he dared to to raise his 'black scaled crocodile like hand' against an oyinbo girl. That was it!
An over-busied-body hag of a woman pensioner, who no one ever suspected lived in that apartment and who felt it was her business to rescue female Britons from Blacks like Anini( who does no deserve to befriend a white girl) called in the police.
And you know, the efficiency of the British policeman heightens when a black brother is involved. He was arrested pronto for assault.
One question leads to another and soon enough, Anini's immigration status was blown open. He has over stayed.
That was the beginning of the end for his stay in the UK. His dream of marrying an 'oyinbo' and having an indefinite stay has been shattered by one moment of madness.
We have called and apologised to the 'oyinbo' babe on behalf of Anini. We have appealed to her parents to drop charges and they have obliged. But, the Home Office cum immigration say he has violated the law. His punishment is outright deportation.
Anini has been advised to apply for asylum. But the Home Office says no way, he has no grounds!
My question is: why is it so difficult for an African to seek redress in the UK, and indeed any where in the developed world? if Anini and his girlfriend were Africans, would the hag of a pensioner call in the police? If Anini had not over stayed, and the girl and her parents say they were not pressing charges, I wonder what the punishment would be for him.
If a Briton or German or a French man slaps his girlfriend or wife and he has over stayed in Lagos or Abuja, would the police hear of it? If they hear of it, would they hand over the culprit to immigration officers? If they hand over the culprit to immigration, would immigration officers carry out their duties without prejudice, and would they apply the full wrath of the law like their counterparts else where?

Good Lord, Can You Comprehend This...?

2005-12-31T01:44:00.000Z

O Lord, just a moment of your time...
for another year in the eyes of these
humans,
has rolled to an end...
can you comprehend this...

The world which you created
in six days, and rested on the seventh,
has become so populated
and they are so proud of their "progress"
Even in their regress...
can you comprehend this...

These humans now live for three score and ten...
for the lucky ones
otherwise, below -
and they beat their chest,
saying...
'longevity' discovered...
Yet, Methuselah lived for 969 years...?

Good Lord. just a moment of your time...
for the world you created
and saw that It was good,
has become so polluted -
with Wars, Gases, and "Prayers"...
can you comprehend this...

They now meet in Kyoto
to put an end to the fume
that will consume them...
Yet, Moses and the Israelites
trekked from Egypt to the promised land...

Just a moment Lord.
did you actually give that land
to the Israelites...
Then, why are they still expecting
their Messiah...
Poor Palestinians, Jehovah has spoken!

Lord, do you remember the laws in Leviticus...
The ones that say,
a man shall not 'poke' another
neither shall a woman be seen exchanging spittle
with another...?
These humans have trampled upon It...
They now "gayously" lesbianise in the open...
They say, we are human' left',
if we do not respect their Rights...
can you comprehend this...

Good Lord, the world to which
you sent your only Begotten Son
to preach the 'Word'
has been taken over by Terrorists...
They say they are fundamentalist
and they fight Freedom
any where it raises its Bushy head...
can you comprehend this...

Just a moment Lord,
do you still remember that
Black boy from the 'Curstinent'-
I mean Continent...
The one you gave the opportunity
to feast at the table...
Yes, Robert,
He says he would never leave- never!
And Mathew, the one who was
suppose to die in the dungeon...
Is trying to follow is footstep...
can you comprehend this...

Good Lord, I hope i am not boring you...
just a moment of your precious time...
These humans did not learn -
and it appear they are not ready to learn
from the 'Tsunami, Katrina, and the Sosoliso...
they still party and dance just like the days
of Noah...
Even when the signs are obvious...
can you comprehend this...

Good Lord, this Report Card look
so Tainted,
Please forgive us our Tresspasses,
Give us another opportunity
to experience yet again,
the coming 365 days...
we pray, we beg,
we act not...
can you comprehend this...?

IF I WERE THE PRESIDENT...

2005-12-26T21:59:00.000Z

If I were president Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would address Nigerians...
I would say I am sorry,
I never knew governance would be like this...
I would beg for forgiveness...
I would say ,Khaki is so different from agbada...
I would say the prison lessons were lost in Aso rock...

If I were president Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would apologise to the nation...
for causing so much pain
and suffering...
I would say, the Operation Feed the Nation failed
thats why there is no food for the nation...
I would say, Aso rock is too cut-off
from the rest of the world...
thats why I am ignorant...

If I were president Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would tell the people I have failed...
to provide the needed LIGHT
thats why they grope in the dark...
thats why their lifes are not secured...
I would say THIRD TERM is a gimmick
to cover my failures...
I would beg for forgiveness...

If I were president Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would cancel with a fiat
the Constitutional Review Committee
come January 1st...
I would imprison all those sycophants
who are making my head spin
with this 3rd term crusade...
I would beg the miltary to remain sane..

If I were President Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would call Buhari
I would Shagari
I would leave Babangida out...
I would beg them to calm the "talakawas"
about this nothern/southern dichotomy-
in power shift...

If were President Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would call Atiku,
I would call Uzo Kalu,
I would beg them for forgiveness
for grounding their businesses...
I would also beg Nigerian women
for tear-gasing them unjustly
over the death of their children...
in the Sosoliso...and other air crash

If I were president Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would apologise to All those haunted
by the Economic & Financial Crime Commission(EFCC)
for they are not the only ones who stole...
they are just victims of fall-out policies and politics...

If I were President Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would apologise to Nigerians...
for bringing in Charles Taylor...
I would make arrangements to hand him
over to the UN backed World Tribunal
for crime against humanity...

If I were president Olusegun Obasanjo...
I would rend my agbada to shreds...
I would rub my face and body in ashes
I would wear sackcloth for years
I would mourn my demise...
for fretting away a God given opportunity...

SHAMELESS MUGABE!

2005-12-24T22:47:00.000Z

Recently, the presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Tanzania. Mr Jakaya Kikwete who served for 10 years as Tanzania's foreign minister, after retiring from the military with the rank of lieutenant-colonel was duely elected as the new President.
That, is not the interesting news! The good news is, the former president, Mr Benjamin Mkapa stepped down after two terms in office. This is an exemplary gesture going by the crude mentality of the sit-tight attitude of many African leaders. Once again, another leader has chosen the part of honour rather than greed and disgrace. Benjamin Mkapa decided to follow the foot-steps of one the worlds' greatest men- Nelson Mandela- who after one term in office as the first elected Black President of South Africa, relinquished power.
But the irony of the whole episode of election in Tanzania is that the grand father of 'shameless- sit-tight- leaders' in Africa - Robert Mugabe, attended the inaugural speech ceremony of Mr Jakaya Kikwete.
Sometimes, I wonder or imagine what would have happened, if a man like Benjamin Mkapa who just relinquished power had told Robert Mugabe bluntly to try and emulate him - by stepping down in Zimbabwe. Or what would have happened if he(Robert Mugabe) were told he was not welcomed at the inaugural ceremony. Wouldn't that be a very good way of telling him that the rest of world in general, and Africans in particular are not happy with him and his misrule in Zimbabwe?
Is Mr Olusegun Obasanjo aware of the situation in Tanzania. If he is not aware, those who are in position to let him know should do so now. Because I fear for his fate in this third term rumour or insinuations milling around.
It will be better to retire to Ota and live happily ever after than died in a foreign land of either Prostrate Cancer(Mobutu Seseko) or any other terminal illness in Saudi Arabia(Idi Amin)... or live in permanent exile like Charles Taylor.

ARE BLOGGERS UNPATRIOTIC?

2005-12-23T13:00:00.000Z

Recently, I had a visit from an unwanted guest to my blogsite. Not that he is not welcomed in the true sense of the word, but, as a close friend whom I hadn't seen in years, I knew he was going to blow my lid... having 'stumbled' on my blog according to him.
Boogie, why did you leave your email address... is it because you know I will not be able to resist the urge to write you?
Anyway, I acknowledged Boogie's comment by sending him an email thus:

''hi boogie, what a surprise! Where are u now and how did u 'stumbled' on my blog... I bet prezan told u.
Anyway, how is life... ? U know the last time we saw each other, way...way back, u were going to Sokoto 4 NYSC... what happened?
Questions, upon Questions,... I can't wait to hear from''.

I have known Boogie for close to eight years prior to my travelling to the U.K. ..so, I can confidently call him my 'pal'.
Here is his reply to my email. Although, I have deleted some personal stuff from it... the essence is still intact:

...i gathered from reliable source u now work in the UK. Good for u /but what about all those ''spitfire bullshit'' we talk about while in school.
All the fervent petitions and headache we said we were going to give our bosses if... they stepped out of line, i am sure u persecuting them in Uk/ so much for PATRIOTISM.
But i tell u, u are not so much different from the rest of them ''brain- drainers...'' what happeneed to all the ''paratical'' cardinal principles of ''all before self, Comradeship and chivalry that we cherished so much...?
U know what, all u people writting or is it blogging from the comfort of ur cosy bedrooms remind of Tony Momoh- when he was a journalist and wrote all sorts of criticism about the government. U remember, ''spitfire''- that was his column then. Eventually, he was made a minister/ and it was during his tenure his brother Dele Giwa was murdered. U remmember how as a minister he became the ''manfriday'' of Babangida/ writing letters after letters to his fellow country men and women? Thats the way I see u bloggers who critize or not see anything good with Nigeria and indeed Africa. U people are not qualified to talk on things u don't see or experience.
When u come back home and u plug that computer of urs and the electricity trips off for thirteen days/ and the soup u managed to cook go bad in the frigde, and u wear rumpled clothes to ur place of work, and u are trapped in the ever present 'hold-up' for hours... maybe, just maybe, we back home would read ur articles. But for now, u people shud keep blogging, nobody reads them except those of u still outside the country...

When I finished reading Boogie's mail, I was tongue-tied, all I could do was exhale...phew! I have not replied him yet, I thought I should share this first.What do you think?

THIS PROLIFIC PROCREATION WILL KILL US!

2005-12-21T23:38:00.000Z

Two weeks ago, I was watching a documentary on AIDS and its devastation in Africa... specifically in Uganda. You see, I could not help but wonder at the role ignorance and poverty have played in the spread of this pandemic.
As I watched the programme, sympathizing with the afflicted victims of this deadly disease, I saw no hope or respite in the wretchedness of Africa and Africans.
I saw no hope because the disease and misery ravaging Africa is more of the mind than AIDS. My depondency arose from the mere fact that the majority of Africans are not educated. Even where they are educated, the foolish idea 'that God is the one who gives Children' hinders most of them from seeing beyond their noses.
How do you explain to the world that a man earns less than £80 or $142 a month, (that is thirty days or twenty-eight) yet, he has a dozen children including his wife and other relatives to cater for.
How is he going to manage his family...? Your guess is as good as mine!

One of the greatest problems facing Africans presently is IGNORANCE! It is Africa that has the largest number of miserable-looking, kwashiorkor children in world because their parents breed like rats. A typical example of how Ignorance is going to ruin the continent would be found in most refugee camps. Imagine, a country has just been ravaged by war, and most of her citizens are refugees in other lands...
Inside such refugee camps, the people are faced with acute starvation, malnutrition, and other varying diseases; yet the adults (husbands & wives) find it convenient to procreate and add to their misery.

Somebody may want to argue that bad governance is solely responsible for such conditions. But the people who bear the brunt should know better. An average Nigerian man or woman for instance cannot say he or she is expecting the government to tell them how many children they ought to bring into this miserable world.
I will try and paint another picture so as to drive my point home.
Have you ever visited one these big establishments in Nigeria... like Cadbury, Leventis, or Liver Brothers or the University community?
Have you observed that whereas the D.G or MD or Professor as the case maybe, has a wife and two children, the security men or gardeners, the labourers- who earn a thousand times less
than their bosses have either two or three wives with between eight and a dozen or more children.
That is the plight of the average uneducated ignorant African man and woman!
Procreation is a pastime! . That is why Nigeria cannot come up with the true or near true figure of her population.
That is why the average family of misery and penury sends the under age female child into the street to fend for herself and her siblings.
That is why a man and his wife will kill their conscience and sell their flesh and blood into slavery.
It is the same ignorance and undisciplined procreation of children like rats that leads to child labour.

The idea of bringing children into the world is a serious business. It is much more than a man and a woman sleeping together for fun....
Parents should be ashamed of thmselves if they fail to live upto their responsibilities as parents.
Even in the Western world where they practice partial welfarism,(because, if you cannot take of your children, the social welfare will take them from you) the adults don't breed like rats.
These are the kind of education the so-called men of God, and the churches and mosques should be preaching and impacting... instead of these empty, vaingloriousness they preach and practise nowadays. They should teach why children should be brought into this world.
The people should be made to understand the purpose of procreation and the implication.

"For spiritually free human beings procreation should be nothing but the proof of their willingness to take a strange human spirit into the family as a permanent guest, offering it the opportunity on earth to atone and to mature! Only when both sides have the fervent wish to achieve this purpose should the opportunity for procreation be sought!"

Teachers and preachers should be bold enough to teach this!

NIGERIANS ARE BOLD, BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT!

2005-12-18T18:02:00.000Z

How do you defend your fellow country men and women for their ugliness, boldness and ingenuity. Every now and then I run into clumsy and embarressing situations like this:
After a hard day's job of nailing coffins- I am a carpenter who specialized in casket designing( I want you all to remember this because you will definitely need my services one day).I decided to 'chill out' with Ben - a very close pal of mine. What did we do? We went to The Yeates for a couple of pints. As we relaxed to savour the moment, a group of young black Africans entered the bar noisily. Going by their appearance - bushy-dusty-brownish-black hair, you could tell they were not Nigerians. At first glance, I estimated them to be from Darfur (Sudan) or presumably, Chad Republic- because one of them smiled while saying - 'hi' and I had a peep at his 'tar' stained teeth-a result of the permanent resinous effect of (gworo)kola-nut.( I for say dem be mallams; but mallams wen be like dis nor dey travel... abi I lie?).Anyway, one of them had the insolent audacity to come to our table uninvited and bellowed ''you are Nigerians''... and I said ''excuse me''... the cheeky bastard then rephrased by asking ''are you Nigerians? Ben and I looked at each other quizzically. It was Ben who was quick to retort ''what if we are...?''
This slimy stinking son of goon then shouted across the room to his comrade...'' they are Nigerians''... Ben and I looked at each other again.. This time, I removed my classes just to see properly who was talking . But these ''refugee-like'' fellows are not done yet. One of the associates of the impertinent intruder shouted back...'' you have to be careful, I hope you know where your phone is...'' As I was trying to place the accent, the import of the second guy's statement dawn on me... I slammed the table and yelled at the top of my voice ...'' what the hell is going on here... are you guys deliberately trying to work us up?''

At this point, the few people in the bar turned to look at us. One of the bar men came to our table to inquire what the problem was. And 'first intruder' quickly told him, there was no problem at all...' it was just a minor disagreement''. The white bar man not wanting to meddle in an all black argument hurriedly left us alone.
To save you the boredom of this windy story, 'first intruder' later introduced himself after considerable apology for his unruly behaviour. His name is Ngueso and they are from Lesotho, a ( tiny enclave) country in Soutern Africa.
Ngueso went on to tell us a shaky but pathetic story of how one Tosin- a Nigerian duped them of their house rent.

He told us that they worked with a small cleaning firm in Lewisham and Tosin the 'purported' Nigerian was their supervisor. He went on to narrate how they collectively gave Tosin one thousand, two hundred pounds(£1,200) about $2,078 for a three bed-room apartment which never materialized.
''Why did you people give this 'Tosin of a guy' that amount?'' Ben asked Ngueso.
To our amazement, Ngueso replied that he is not concern about the money. He said they would like to find out what exactly makes an average Nigeria tick.
''How do you mean, I asked''
Well, Ngueso explained, you see, the rest of Africa, I mean Africans are scared of Nigerians. ''You mean respect, I tried to correct him,''
No, no, I know what I am talking about.
''You see, he continued... I have had this discussion with Ghanians, Zimbabweans, Egyptians and even South Africans''. There seems to be a general uneasiness with these nationals wherever and whenever a Nigerian or Nigerians are amongst them.
Ben, in his Solomonic tone said ''Ngueso, I think you and your other African pals are suffering from 'nigeriaphobia'... which is the fear of Nigerians.
Ngueso will not give up.; He argued that he is not making an unfounded claim. He said Nigerians have a way of dominating any given space or situation. According to him, they don't like be led; they always want to be at the fore-front. To buttress his point further, he illustrated that the Tosin- who eloped with their rent, was the last person to join the cleaning firm where he works. But no sooner had he joined the firm than everything changed with his domineering attitude of... '' not like that, do it this way'' ...and before long, he was made a supervisor.

I could not help but marvel at Ngueso's line of argument. I then asked him...''do you have enormous respect for Nigerians''?
To this, he answered, ''I do respect Nigerians for their boldness and ingenuity but for their air of superiority, no! Other African nationals including myself, despise them.
All I could say was, '' I see''! I then asked him,'' don't you think Nigerians deserve to enjoy ''their feeling of superiority'', if they are bright, bold, beautiful and intelligent as you have agreed''?
''Thats the point I have been trying to get across''! Ngueso cried! How can one nation be so blessed with such enormous human resources? How? he queried!
Ben and I looked at each other for the umpteen time. We rest our case. Waiter, more beer please!
Are Nigerians really bold, beautiful, and intelligent? Or is Ngueso and the rest Africans according to him, flattering Nigerians?

BIZARRE SEX LAWS!

2005-12-15T00:40:00.000Z

Early this morning, I was trying to put something together... somehow, it just didn't come out right. I think its one these nasty incoherent moments where your ideas refuse to click. The thoughts are going one way, but your fingers keep hitting the wrong keys. So, I gave up the idea and decided to check on bloggers. I found this on prezan's blog. She actually borrow it from the weirdblog.com and it was under the '' weird fact category''
I THINK IT IS BIZARRE AND THE LAW COULD BE SUCH AN ASS IN DIFFERENT CULTURE...SEE FOR YOURSELF.

1. Most Middle Eastern countries recognize the following Islamic law: "After having sexual relations with a lamb, it is a mortal sin to eat its flesh."

2. In Lebanon, men are legally allowed to have sex with animals, but the animals must be female. Having sexual relations with a male animal is punishable by death.

3. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror.

4. Muslims are banned from looking at the genitals of a corpse. This also applies to undertakers; the sex organs of the deceased must be covered with a brick or piece of wood at all times.

5. The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation.

6. There are men in Guam whose full-time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time. Reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry.

7. In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands. (The husband's lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.)

8. In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens her mother must be in the room to witness the act.

9. In Santa Cruz, Bolivia it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time.

10. In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only "in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for on the premises."

DISTORTED FATE?

2005-12-13T04:55:00.000Z

I believe in fate. I also believe that the destiny of everyone is in his own hands. Like they say, man is his own architect. By fate here, I do not mean the predetermination of events by higher forces. By fate here, I mean the input/output or the action vis-a-vis the reaction of man's daily activities through his thoughts, words and physical actions.
For an individual, fate can be easily defined: that is why in the Delta region of Nigeria, we say '' a happy evening is the outcome of a planned morning''.
However, the definition of fate for a collective group of people or nation becomes a complex jigsaw puzzle when we try to look at it from the African perspective.

I have pondered endlessly and asked several 'whys' Africa is bedevilled with crisis upon crisis... Is it the collective fate of Aricans that have plunged the continent into an abysmal vicious misery? Or is it the fate of the so-called leaders?
How is the fate of a continent defined? Is the fate of a country tied to the individual fate of the sole leaders? Or is it anchored on the followers who choose such leaders? These are the questions that have confounded me over and over again.
Look at Nigeria for example, she has not had a leader who we can clearly call a leader in the true sense of the word. Rather, what we've had as leaders are mediocre(s).
People who have no clear vision of what it takes to lead. People who were persuaded by 'God knows who' to vie for office.

Is it fate that has placed Nigeria in this precarious limbo- that she is often governed by fools. Is fate not questionable that the rest of Nigerians should be saddled with people of moderate abilities as leaders in the midst of so many other intelligent men?
There is a saying '' the people beget the leader they deserve'' is this not a compressed vision of fate? If the people beget the leader(s) they deserve, why is this kind of 'fate' peculiar to Africans? Do Zimbabweans actually deserve Robert Mugabe ? Do Nigerians deserve the second coming of Obasanjo - and indeed Babagida coming back (as is being insinuated?)
Is there a place for 'fate' in the politics of the world? If there is, then the fate of Africans must have been woven by lucifer himself. Otherwise, how do we explain the turmoil in most African states since the colonial masters left the continent.

I once had the privilege of listening to a High School Debate on the topic: ''AFRICA HAS FARED BETTER SINCE THE COLONIAL MASTERS LEFT...''At the end of the day, those who proposed the motion won the debate. According to the impartial judges ''it is better to be free even though you poor, than be a slave in paradise'' Is Africa really free politically and economically. the answer is NO! Instead, Africans are now slaves in the hands of their callous leaders. In most cases , these so-called leaders have distorted fate which now ruboff on the followers and the country at large.
This why an individual can easily influence a whole nation. Most African leaders are jinxed. It is this bad luck which is heavily tie to their fate, that has weighed the continent down.

A CRY FOR HELP!

2005-12-11T22:29:00.000Z

Why is my country always getting into the NEWS for the wrong reasons.
Initially, it was endless military coups. Then, it graduated to communal clashes. Much later, we witnessed religious crises- muslims against christians ( for any flimsy excuse... it could be the hosting of beauty pageant or the selling of pork meat in the market).
Nigeria became very famous ( she still is) for advance fee fraud- a.k.a 419. However, air-planes crashing and killing nearly every body aboard is a new development:
Oct 22, 2005 - A Nigerian Bellview Airlines Boeing 737-200 airliner with 111 passengers and six crew crashes shortly after take off from Lagos in Lissa, about 30 km (20 miles) north of Lagos. All aboard were killed.
Dec 10, 2005 - A Nigerian Sosoliso Airlines flight from Abuja carrying 110 passengers and crew crashes on landing in the oil city of Port Harcourt and bursts into flames, killing 103. Seven people survived the crash, the cause of which was unknown.

This is one plane crash too many. The aviation industry should tell Nigerians what is happening to local flights. Within a period of two months, two local flights have crashed killing nearly two hundred and thirty people. (the figures are always conflicting).
The government should do something fast about airplanes that are too old to fly. Otherwise...

LADIES, WHAT IS THIS?

2005-12-08T01:51:00.000Z

I am going to attempt treading where angels dare not. Today, I am going to attempt talking about women and fashion or should I say an aspect of their fashion style that has baffled not only me, but most decent people.
Why is it that SOME women find it fashionable to expose 99% of their boobs in the name of cleavage? Why? Recently, I was invited to a radio programme with other participants - two guys and three ladies.
One of the ladies was conspicuosly outlandish in her outfit. The cleavage in front of her dress left nothing for men to imagine. Her boobs were gaping, wobbling,and rocking unsteadingly from side to side all through the meeting. Embarrassingly enough my eyes kept going in that direction involuntarily. If she had attempted to stoop(bend forward with her chest), I am convincingly certain that her boobs would have fallen out of her bra( I doubt if she wore any). To say the least, most of us, including our host were uncomfortable throughout the meeting.
My question is: why do some women choose to wear such dresses that expose their boobs to the world and they tend to be defiant about it. Is it women liberation syndrome or mere unabashed shamelessness. I need answers to these questions; because it is ironical that a woman begins to dress properly when she is going to bed.Why?

Just look at the musical videos of this days and you will see how women have allowed themselves to become slaves to the fashion world by choosing to come out naked in the name of dancing; while their male counterparts are fully clothed. Why?
Can't women remain fashionable without exposing the vital parts of their body? I know some would want to argue that women dress this way, in order to impress or attract men. Agreed!
But from careful study, men prefer to hang out with such ladies whereas, when it comes to serious relationship and marriage, they choose the 'not -so -loud' and undisconcerted ones. Ladies, haven't you realise this!
No decent man would like his wife to expose her/his boobs for all hungry eyes to feast on. Women should be able to draw a line between fashion and indecent exposure of their body. Women should not forget that '' a decomposing fish with infested maggot will definitely be invaded by flies''!And it is any fly for that matter!

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER!

2005-12-07T00:51:00.000Z

Here is a game introduced by

dqueenb

Hopefully we’ll get to know each other this way…there are a ton of Nigerian folks on Blogspot and I think we should get to know each other, I saw this on Xanga and I think its cool so here is how it works.The Rules: 1st player of this "game" starts with the topic "5 weird habits of yourself" and people who get tagged need to write a blogspot entry about their 5 weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next 5 people to be tagged and list their blogspot IDs.Can you dig it?So , here I go:
1. I am a hell of a finicky individual and I am very difficult to please- when it comes to tidying up the room. People tell me this all the time. They say I am difficult to live with.
2. I can't recollect ever fighting with anyone physically since I was born (this is difficult to believe, but its true) .Although, I yell alot when I am angry, I avoid physical combat when push turns to shove.
3. I don't like watching movies with people. I prefer sitting alone and concentrating 100%. I hate , I repeat, I hate watching movies with people who talk or analyse the movie while it is still on.
4. 99% of the time, I am reminded by those who love me ' to eat'...( I guess thats why I am skinny).
5. Whenever I am meditating, which is quite often, I usully imagine how people will react to the news of my death. (most of this time, I imagine that all the ladies I have jilted will heave a sigh of relief... saying '' good riddance, he was such a mean basdard''!
zito
prezan
molarawood
sharpmouth
olawunmi

NIGERIA IS SINKING!

2005-12-05T19:41:00.000Z

Somehow, I have a strong feeling that Nigeria as a country is going to sink.This feeling is very very strong.However, somehow, that doesn't seem to be the problem.The greatest problem is that there seems not to be ANYTHING we can do about it! Is it going back to the drawing board? There is no board or blueprint to go back to. Is it re-valueing our VALUES (that has been swallowed by greed and the worship of money) that has no foundation? Somebody may call me a pessimist; but the dreadful truth is staring us in the face - Nigeria is sinking! So, what do we do? To tell you the Truth, I DON'T KNOW! Maybe, we should allow Her to sink. (did you say I'm crazy?) Maybe, out of the ashes of the ruin a new Nigeria will emerge free from the old vices - corruption, Greed, Wickedness, Babagida, Obasanjo, Alamesiege and all others.
Do you have the solution to Nigeria's problems -apart from writing cynical comments? If you do, please, lets us read it or hear it.

CHRISTMAS

2005-12-01T13:05:00.000Z

Christmas is around the corner. You can see the colourful decorations around the cities and it reminds me of the way It is celebrated back home.The feverish preparations of sewing new clothes, buying new shoes and all other paraphenalia that is usually attached to the festivity.
Back home, the churches will be falling over and stretching their frontiers by organizing crusades and religious carnivals. Most markets will spill over into major roads thereby making the motor-way impassable and hooting of car horns and apala music blaring from mounted loud speakers would complete the earsplitting ever chaotic scenario- as typical of Oshodi.

Christmas has different meaning to different people. In the U.K, based on my observation and experience, christmas is a festive period when people shop for new clothes, bags , shoes and all other decorative stuff. It is also seen as a period when gift items are exchanged with loved ones. Whereas, to an insignificant few, Christmas is to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
All around the world, Christmas has become the biggest commercial festival- where nearly every marketable item soar in sales and profit.
Yet, the very essence of this celebration/ festival is lost to many. Christmas! What does it mean to you?

I once made a terrible mistake of raising this question with my white British friends... do you know what they made of my question? They laughed at me and made me look ridiculous. But I sympathized with them! I sympathized with them because 'they do not know what they do.'
I tried to englighten them that Christmas is the commemoration/ celebration of the birth of the Saviour- Jesus Christ- who came when the world was in utter darkness and at the verge of being consumed by the Darkness.
He it was who dispelled the Darkness- by showing us what to do and the path to follow by speaking and ancoring the Truth on earth. Hence, He is the way, the Truth and the Light...
One of them gave me this bewildered look and spoke the blasphemous words...'f...k Jesus'.
At that point, I felt really sorry for them! I felt sorry for them because they don't know Jesus Christ, and they are not ready to even accommodate the thought.

Christmas is here again. Let us celebrate and commmemorate the birth of Christ without losing sight of the significance of His coming and why he was crucified. By so doing, we will illuminate our little corner of the world and dispel the Darkness further.

THE FUTURE OF NAIJA...

2005-12-01T02:15:00.000Z

tomorrow be like woman
wei get belle
nobody fit sabi wetin
she go born
forget scanning

tomorrow sef be like river
wei dey flow without end
e dey kom dey go
like NEPA for Naija

every day we go dey hope say
tomorrow go beta
but wen e kom,
him cold like dog nose

de tomorrow wen we talk yestaday
don bekom today

tomorrow, e dey kom sef?

but dis na de tomorrow
wen we talk about yestaday ke!

Tufiakpa! see as him black
like midnight
and de song wei him dey sing
skatter like sakato

dis tomorrow get as e bi o!
e go fit beta so o?

oya, kom make we pray...

BLACK MAN'S FREEDOM

2005-12-01T01:15:00.000Z

i'm the white man's nightmare
i'm the quiet light who dare
to tread where others fear
..
see what the dogs
did to him
him they flog and drag
like rag into their mud

i'm still the white man's nightmare
as i fear the sniffing groaning
of this light skinned mauraders

each night i crawl like that luciferous
serpent
to strike yet again
another victim of this blood sucking race

i'm still the white man's nightmare
as i crawl niggerly into the bowels of night
to put an end to the fears of my fear ...

WE MATURE OVER TIME... NOT WITH TIME!

2005-11-28T19:18:00.000Z

Time they say flies when you are having fun! Is it true that time changes? Time. Does it really move or we are the ones who move towards time.
By time here i do not make reference to a metal or ornament that denotes the weather or the season or a period in the day.
Again, i do not infer the chronological ornament that denotes the hour or minute or second.
By time here, i mean the all eternal presence- that, which has being, and is, and will continue to be. Does it really change?
I don't think so... Time remains still; but we as individuals rush into Time to cull from It, the experiences needed for our spiritual (maturity) growth.
Lets look at it from another perspective: We were born into Time... and even before we were born, Time has always been there and will continue to be there after our departure.
Time does not change. We are the ones who change inwardly as we get more mature with the lessons we have learnt over time.
I will take you back a little bit...
Consider when you were younger or better still, that period in your life when you thought you have reached the age of maturity.
Now, from that period uptil this moment, do you think you have changed considerably inwardly? Anyone who wants to be truthful to himself, would say 'yes'!
We have changed over time because we are now more matured as a result of the lessons Time has taught us.
Imagine if it were possible to extract from us, all the lessons and experiences we have learnt and acquired over time... What would become of us?
We would practically become big babies with blank slate for brains. We would assume a seemingly preposterous innocence for our age. But Time would still be there. Its only our experiences that has been taken away from us.
We don't change with time... we change over time...
Time is the ultimate recorder of events and our passage through It... It does not change! We do!

UNSPOKEN WORDS!

2005-11-27T17:12:00.000Z

this world of ours
hinges on passion
soaked on gestures
like loud silence...

0pen doors beckon
on us to move
though our feelings
are unclear...

where it leads
we know not...
be it for long,
we care not.

our buried desire
burst with pleasure
that is our song
though silent it seems

so, come with me
with open mind
and i will accept
with open heart...

what time will nurture
and prove...

with uninhibited laughter and joy,
we will soar high
like birds into the sky.

MY HERO

2005-11-25T07:47:00.000Z

WISE MEN'S SAYINGS...

2005-11-25T01:52:00.000Z

Most times when we read books or articles published by good writers, and we come across sentences or quotations that are very true, we become elated.
This exhilarating feeling stems from the fact that the very words of this author have aptly described the situation.
Some of these words could be mere ''quotations'' which speak volume. I have great respect for men and women who have used words economically to drive home their point.
Here are few examples that I have compiled together.

'...when the people fear the government,then there is TYRANNY. But when the government fear the people, there is LIBERTY.'

'...One ought , everyday at least, to hear a little song, read a good book or poem, see a fine picture and if possible, speak a few reason words.'

'...the true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him no good.'

'...birth brings happiness; life is pleasant; death is peaceful. It is only the transition that is troublesome.'

'...one of the symtoms of an approaching nervous breakdown, is the belief that one's work is terribly important.'

'...from the moment i picked your book up until I laid it down, I convulsed with laughter; someday I intend reading it.'

'...the greatest of fault I should say, is to be conscious of none.'

'...in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.'

'...the power of accurate observation is frequently called 'cynicism' by those who don't have it.'

'...some cause happiness WHEREVER they go,others WHENEVER they go.'

'...there are people in the world so hungry, that God appear to them except in the form of bread.'

'...women might be able to fake orgasms; but men can fake a whole relationship.'

'...love is friendship set on fire.'

Tell me what you think of these quotes.

WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THIS?

2005-11-23T14:15:00.000Z

The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. Nov 23, 2005 — A female teacher whose sexual liaisons with a 14-year-old middle school student made tabloid headlines has avoided prison time by pleading guilty to having sex with the boy in a classroom and at her home.
Debra Lafave, 25, will serve three years of house arrest and seven years of probation. She pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery. If convicted at trial in Hillsborough County, she could have faced up to 15 years in prison on each count.
The victim's mother said after Tuesday's hearing that the public scrutiny had taken its toll on the family.

IS IT STILL A MAN'S WORLD? LETS TURN THE TABLE AROUND...25 year old male teacher sleeps with 14 year old pupil... the verdict can best be imagined!

ANONYMITY!

2005-11-23T08:05:00.000Z

I have often wondered why people become anonymous at the of a comment or write-up ...why?Imagine having read a beautiful script - be it original or adopted, and at the end, you look forward to taking issues up with the writer... what do you see at the bottom? 'ANONYMOUS'...
I think (and most people feel the same way) that the seriousness of such an article or story is watered down by the 'ANONYMITY'...People should be bold enough to append their name - even if it is a pseudo name. At least by so doing, there can be a link and continuity, if need be for further discourse.Maybe, I am just being fuzzy... what do you think?

THIS IS SURVIVAL!

2005-11-23T07:56:00.000Z

IS A STRANGE NAME
FOR THOSE WHO
KNOW THE GAME
IT HAS SAVED MANY
WITHOUT A PENNY
THE TRADE?
A FEW EMPTY BOTTLES
AND AN EXPERT
WHO CAN BREW
NEXT YOU STAND
IN AN UNHOLY CORNER
THE LOWEST OF THE
VERY LOW
YET,HE IS ABOVE ALL
FOR HE IS MASTER OF
THE GAME AND HIS TRADE
FRESHEN UP HE SAYS…
MOST TIMES HE SMILES
SOMETIMES HE WEEPS…
LIKE AN UNWANTED DIRT
HE STANDS LONELY
ALL NIGHT…
THE LURE OF FOREIGN LAND
HAS BROUGHT SO MANY
WITHOUT A PENNY…
SOMETIME, HE REASONS
IS THIS ALL…
THERE IS TO THIS LAND

IS LIFE A MIRAGE?

2005-11-21T22:06:00.000Z

ONE MOMENT YOU ARE UP THERE
FIT AS A FIDDLE
WITH CHEST PUFFED
AND YOU WALK
AND YOU SWAY
WITH SWAGGED GAIT
HOPING TO STAY THERE
ONE WHIFF OF AIR
YOU ARE ON EARTH CRUST
FERVENT PRAYERS QUIVER
THOSE BOISTERIOUS LIPS
HEALTH YOU BEG FOR
WEALTH YOU ASK NOT
IF YOU ARE NOT SNAPPED
YOU ARE BACK
TO STARTING POINT
VANITY, IS ALL VANITY!

this is for George Best