She was looking very beautiful and radiant, although she had her veil drawled over her head and across her shoulders. She smiled at me, her smile was comforting.
“What troubles your mind?” she asked softly. Then, she came and sat beside me before I could answer.
Today, it still seemed a sort of irony to me that the first contact I made with Miriam was a discussion on political matters. That day, I shared my feelings with her. To my surprise, I realized that Miriam was not only very intelligent; she was also versed in the political matters of our Nation. However, her views were in conflict with mine. Miriam believed the problem lies in the false unification of non similar entities. To her, Nigeria is like a combination of strange bedfellows that have been brought up to look at issues of life from different perspectives. They can never agree on issues. She believed the only answer lies in the complete dissolution of the country and breakup into its component parts or else, very soon, there would be cataclysmic consequences. At a time, she looked at me straight in the eye and said: “The elites and the upper middle class of this country are so far above the rest of the citizens that they have been disconnected from the reality of the futility of uniting this country.”
Eventhough, my discussion with Miriam that day ended up posing more questions to me about the future of my country; I had met someone who would become a soul mate to me. From that day, we became friends. Later, we became very close friends and soon, we became inseparable. Despite being a Muslim, Miriam was cool minded and liberal in thought and expression. This was against my perception of Muslims as conservative, violent, vengeful creatures who were enemies of change. Sometimes, when I confronted her with questions concerning Islamic violence, she would shake her pretty head and tell me it is not about the religion, it is about the people. She told me stories about her native town, in Northern Nigeria, about the extremities of using religion as a weapon. Of course, she always had her own version of the story every time we heard news of violence in the Muslim dominated Northern Nigeria. In her view, those acts of violence were just evil and selfish acts, perpetrated under the guise of religious fundamentalism. Unfortunately, the direct perpetrators are also victims of people who take advantage of their poverty and unemployment, to use them for political purpose. No matter how much drama we attached to it, these acts are political, rather than religious.
One day, I went to Miriam’s home. I had meant it to be a surprise, so I did not tell her I was coming. I reached the house and saw Miriam crying. Immediately she saw me, she wiped her tears and asked me to give her some money. That was the first time she had ever asked me for money. I gave her some money and did not ask any question. Later, she told me what had happened.
“My siblings had not eaten for two days. I needed to find something for them to eat and it seemed all hope was lost. Thank you very much Akin.”
I was surprised. Miriam could not be more than nineteen. Was she supposed to be responsible for taking care of the family?
“What about your parents?” I asked.
“My father died three years ago, fighting for ECOMOG in Liberia.”
“What about his entitlements?”
She smiled sarcastically and shook her head. “You ask as if there is justice in this country. The government told everybody that billions had been spent in promoting peace in Liberia, yet my father and thousand others perished without their families receiving any compensation. Where do you think the money went to?”
“At least your mother should be able to take up responsibility.”
She shook her head sadly. “My mother separated from my father a long time ago.”
At that time, I really felt sorry for her. At a tender age, she had been left alone to battle the storms of life.
“I had just come back from a futile attempt at getting a part time job when I found my siblings crying. They told me there was no food in house and they had tried in vain to get something to eat. Fortunately, I had bought some rice at the market on my way back. I decided to cook. Unsurprisingly, there was no kerosene in the stove.
There had been a total blackout for the past three days so I knew using electric stove was out of it. There was no money to buy kerosene, so I rushed to the sawmill to get some sawdust to use as fuel in cooking. However, to my surprise, there was no single grain of sawdust. One of the security men told me the sawmill had been dormant for four days.
‘N.E.P.A has refused to give us electricity.’ he told me.
‘What of your power generator?’
The man shook his head and smiled. ‘Haven’t you heard about the new fuel price hike? Deisel is so expensive now that our company will go bankrupt if we run on generator.’
Frustrated, I had returned home, trying to think of how to get something to eat. That was when the thought of the predicament of this country overcame me and I started crying. Akin! I was weeping for this country, not myself.”
The day the ultimate tragedy occurred, I was in my room, having an afternoon nap. Two days earlier, Miriam had told me she was traveling to her mother’s village in Eastern Nigeria. I was half-asleep when I my phone rang. Reluctantly, I picked it, angry at the fellow who had disturbed my peace. However, the first voice I heard was Miriam’s.
“Hello, Akin.” she said in a frail voice, and instantly, I had an inkling of danger.
“Miriam, what is happening? Tell me!” I asked desperately.
“Akin, there has been an accident. On the road, near Awka.”
Her voice was so weak that I was instantly overcome by a bout of terror. Inwardly; I prayed it wasn’t as terrible as it seemed.
“Miriam, where are you now?”
“I—am in the hospital, I am on the floor. They brought us here three hours ago.”
“Oh God!” I exclaimed softly. And they haven’t attended to her!
“Akin.” Miriam called; her voice was getting weaker now. “There isn’t enough bed space and the doctors are on strike. The nurses are only attending to the Ibo people amongst us. I---” she gave a loud gasp.
“Miriam!” I called. Inwardly, I was fuming at the hopelessness of the situation.
“Akin, I am losing blood. Tell my siblings about what has happened.”
At that point, the situation was becoming clearer to me. Miriam was dying and I could not do anything to save her. I bowed my head and cried, sobbing loudly as I heard the dying gasps of Miriam. Ten minutes later, she died.
When Miriam died, something also died in me. My belief in the problems of the Nation as mere challenges in Nation building vanished. I realized that there is something fundamentally wrong with my motherland. Yet, something new was born in me. The tragedy of Miriam’s death had aroused in me, a new quest for the institutionalization of justice in my country. I realized that if the fundamental identity of my Nation is not redefined, then we are merely postponing the evil day. I remember the parable of an old man, who gave three coins to his four sons before he died, telling them to share it equally. After his death, instead of trading with the coins, the children fought over the coins and destroyed one of them. Each of them gave birth to a son and the remaining two coins also passed to the second generation. Like their fathers, they also quarreled over the sharing of the coins and destroyed one. Now, the third generation has only one coin to spend. My generation is the third generation. We are in a critical point in history. If we fight over this coin and destroy it, there will be nothing left to give our children and history will not forgive us. But if we wisely trade with it and get more coins, then we will earn our place in history. The ultimate destiny of man on earth is making his world a better place.
Showing posts with label nigeria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nigeria. Show all posts
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The Critical Point(Part 3)
She was looking very beautiful and radiant, although she had her veil drawled over her head and across her shoulders. She smiled at me, her smile was comforting.
“What troubles your mind?” she asked softly. Then, she came and sat beside me before I could answer.
Today, it still seemed a sort of irony to me that the first contact I made with Miriam was a discussion on political matters. That day, I shared my feelings with her. To my surprise, I realized that Miriam was not only very intelligent; she was also versed in the political matters of our Nation. However, her views were in conflict with mine. Miriam believed the problem lies in the false unification of non similar entities. To her, Nigeria is like a combination of strange bedfellows that have been brought up to look at issues of life from different perspectives. They can never agree on issues. She believed the only answer lies in the complete dissolution of the country and breakup into its component parts or else, very soon, there would be cataclysmic consequences. At a time, she looked at me straight in the eye and said: “The elites and the upper middle class of this country are so far above the rest of the citizens that they have been disconnected from the reality of the futility of uniting this country.”
Eventhough, my discussion with Miriam that day ended up posing more questions to me about the future of my country; I had met someone who would become a soul mate to me. From that day, we became friends. Later, we became very close friends and soon, we became inseparable. Despite being a Muslim, Miriam was cool minded and liberal in thought and expression. This was against my perception of Muslims as conservative, violent, vengeful creatures who were enemies of change. Sometimes, when I confronted her with questions concerning Islamic violence, she would shake her pretty head and tell me it is not about the religion, it is about the people. She told me stories about her native town, in Northern Nigeria, about the extremities of using religion as a weapon. Of course, she always had her own version of the story every time we heard news of violence in the Muslim dominated Northern Nigeria. In her view, those acts of violence were just evil and selfish acts, perpetrated under the guise of religious fundamentalism. Unfortunately, the direct perpetrators are also victims of people who take advantage of their poverty and unemployment, to use them for political purpose. No matter how much drama we attached to it, these acts are political, rather than religious.
One day, I went to Miriam’s home. I had meant it to be a surprise, so I did not tell her I was coming. I reached the house and saw Miriam crying. Immediately she saw me, she wiped her tears and asked me to give her some money. That was the first time she had ever asked me for money. I gave her some money and did not ask any question. Later, she told me what had happened.
“My siblings had not eaten for two days. I needed to find something for them to eat and it seemed all hope was lost. Thank you very much Akin.”
I was surprised. Miriam could not be more than nineteen. Was she supposed to be responsible for taking care of the family?
“What about your parents?” I asked.
“My father died three years ago, fighting for ECOMOG in Liberia.”
“What about his entitlements?”
She smiled sarcastically and shook her head. “You ask as if there is justice in this country. The government told everybody that billions had been spent in promoting peace in Liberia, yet my father and thousand others perished without their families receiving any compensation. Where do you think the money went to?”
“At least your mother should be able to take up responsibility.”
She shook her head sadly. “My mother separated from my father a long time ago.”
At that time, I really felt sorry for her. At a tender age, she had been left alone to battle the storms of life.
“I had just come back from a futile attempt at getting a part time job when I found my siblings crying. They told me there was no food in house and they had tried in vain to get something to eat. Fortunately, I had bought some rice at the market on my way back. I decided to cook. Unsurprisingly, there was no kerosene in the stove.
There had been a total blackout for the past three days so I knew using electric stove was out of it. There was no money to buy kerosene, so I rushed to the sawmill to get some sawdust to use as fuel in cooking. However, to my surprise, there was no single grain of sawdust. One of the security men told me the sawmill had been dormant for four days.
‘N.E.P.A has refused to give us electricity.’ he told me.
‘What of your power generator?’
The man shook his head and smiled. ‘Haven’t you heard about the new fuel price hike? Deisel is so expensive now that our company will go bankrupt if we run on generator.’
Frustrated, I had returned home, trying to think of how to get something to eat. That was when the thought of the predicament of this country overcame me and I started crying. Akin! I was weeping for this country, not myself.”
The day the ultimate tragedy occurred, I was in my room, having an afternoon nap. Two days earlier, Miriam had told me she was traveling to her mother’s village in Eastern Nigeria. I was half-asleep when I my phone rang. Reluctantly, I picked it, angry at the fellow who had disturbed my peace. However, the first voice I heard was Miriam’s.
“Hello, Akin.” she said in a frail voice, and instantly, I had an inkling of danger.
“Miriam, what is happening? Tell me!” I asked desperately.
“Akin, there has been an accident. On the road, near Awka.”
Her voice was so weak that I was instantly overcome by a bout of terror. Inwardly; I prayed it wasn’t as terrible as it seemed.
“Miriam, where are you now?”
“I—am in the hospital, I am on the floor. They brought us here three hours ago.”
“Oh God!” I exclaimed softly. And they haven’t attended to her!
“Akin.” Miriam called; her voice was getting weaker now. “There isn’t enough bed space and the doctors are on strike. The nurses are only attending to the Ibo people amongst us. I---” she gave a loud gasp.
“Miriam!” I called. Inwardly, I was fuming at the hopelessness of the situation.
“Akin, I am losing blood. Tell my siblings about what has happened.”
At that point, the situation was becoming clearer to me. Miriam was dying and I could not do anything to save her. I bowed my head and cried, sobbing loudly as I heard the dying gasps of Miriam. Ten minutes later, she died.
When Miriam died, something also died in me. My belief in the problems of the Nation as mere challenges in Nation building vanished. I realized that there is something fundamentally wrong with my motherland. Yet, something new was born in me. The tragedy of Miriam’s death had aroused in me, a new quest for the institutionalization of justice in my country. I realized that if the fundamental identity of my Nation is not redefined, then we are merely postponing the evil day. I remember the parable of an old man, who gave three coins to his four sons before he died, telling them to share it equally. After his death, instead of trading with the coins, the children fought over the coins and destroyed one of them. Each of them gave birth to a son and the remaining two coins also passed to the second generation. Like their fathers, they also quarreled over the sharing of the coins and destroyed one. Now, the third generation has only one coin to spend. My generation is the third generation. We are in a critical point in history. If we fight over this coin and destroy it, there will be nothing left to give our children and history will not forgive us. But if we wisely trade with it and get more coins, then we will earn our place in history. The ultimate destiny of man on earth is making his world a better place.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Africa and The Ideology Predicament
It was the honourable nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, who defined a nation as “A unit of humanity bounded together by a common ideology.” In his book, the man died, soyinka explains that nations are defined, not just in terms of geographical boundaries, but also in terms of ideological boundaries, in which the latter is more important. It is against this background that I will conduct my analysis.
According to the Longman dictionary, a nation is a country, considered especially in relation to its people and its social or economic structure, or a large group of people of the same race or language. This definition is quite general enough, and it is convenient enough for the layman, who sees nation building from a narrow point of view, especially when we are not considering the context of national identity. This is not far from the definition of a country as an area of land that is controlled by its own government. Yet, the dictionary is considerate enough to create a distinction between the two; The nation and The country. One is geographical, the other is ideological. An ideology is a set of ideas and attitudes that strongly influence the way people behave. From Soyinka’s definition, it is easy to conclude that people from the same nation should behave the same way. Yet, the reality is a different story today.
Some fourty- something years ago, in the sixties; the great era of African liberation. Most African countries were granted autonomy from their colonial masters and became sovereign nations. There was great rejoicing, and much hope for the future. Africa was now ready to take her place in the league of nations. There was much optimism that the new African nations, having digested the heritage of their European colonialists, would develop at an even rate and at least be able to stand up to developed economies in the nearest future. A country like Nigeria was seen as a beacon of hope for the third world; a world that would become a respite from growing tensions in the tired economies of Europe in the future. The people braced themselves for the task ahead, numerous projects were embarked upon by the pioneer governments, and various political reforms were carried out. At first, everything looked good, the African economies managed to sustain stable economic development for a decade. Suddenly, there came a period of political crises, right from the mid sixties to the later part of the decade. For some countries, the crises started in the seventies and escalated at the middle of the decade. There were civil uprisings, political reforms were overturned, and economies suffered huge depression. Inflation soared at an alarming rate and sub-Saharan Africa was thrown into a serious economic crises that she has never recovered from. Since then, it had been a story of economic recession or redundancy, except for South Africa. It was as if the retreating colonialists had set a time bomb that was detonated in the seventies, and it’s chain reactions still manifesting in the 21st century. By then, the once tired economies of Europe and North America’s easy going economy were light years ahead, while that of the East Asian nations, whom the Africans thought were no better, were already aeons away. It became a sad reality to the world that Africa has been automatically left out in the scheme of things on the globe and it was going to take a frantic effort for her to recover and become a player, that’s if the world is not playing a different game entirely by that time. Of course, the rest of the world tried in their best capacity to rescue Africa. There have been several attempts at salvaging the struggling economies of sub Saharan Africa, with the developed nations, always playing their big brother roles. It seems that by the end of the last centuries, it was clear to them that there was little or nothing they could do, except to benefit more from Africa’s predicament. By this time, the Africans themselves had awakened to the reality that if they don’t help themselves, no one will. Several questions have been asked about why the much promising African states failed despite the efforts of their pioneer leaders. Though, we have examples of struggling economies all around the world, Africa’s case is quite unique, in that it is a crises that has engulfed an entire subcontinent. There have been several suggestions regarding what can be done to save Africa from this mess. There have been many attempts, and they have either failed, or resulted into another crises. The mystery of sub-Saharan Africa’s socio-political and economic misery has become the legendary Gordian knot that has defied all innovations. The most recent of such innovations is the IMF induced and capitalist oriented panacea ; deregulation, which allows for the price of commodities to be free of certain regulations. This, like its predecessors, appear not to have solved the problems, instead, leading to high rate of increase in fuel price and steady increase the rate of inflation in Nigeria, where former president, Obasanjo had instituted it as part of his reform agenda. In the light of this analysis, it is obvious that we have to look beyond the physical reality of the African states as we see them today, and study the African situation in terms of socio-political ideology. We have to see Africa as a people and not as a geographical milieu. This arises the need to differentiate between a nation and a state.
According to the Longman dictionary, a nation is a country, considered especially in relation to its people and its social or economic structure, or a large group of people of the same race or language. This definition is quite general enough, and it is convenient enough for the layman, who sees nation building from a narrow point of view, especially when we are not considering the context of national identity. This is not far from the definition of a country as an area of land that is controlled by its own government. Yet, the dictionary is considerate enough to create a distinction between the two; The nation and The country. One is geographical, the other is ideological. An ideology is a set of ideas and attitudes that strongly influence the way people behave. From Soyinka’s definition, it is easy to conclude that people from the same nation should behave the same way. Yet, the reality is a different story today.
Some fourty- something years ago, in the sixties; the great era of African liberation. Most African countries were granted autonomy from their colonial masters and became sovereign nations. There was great rejoicing, and much hope for the future. Africa was now ready to take her place in the league of nations. There was much optimism that the new African nations, having digested the heritage of their European colonialists, would develop at an even rate and at least be able to stand up to developed economies in the nearest future. A country like Nigeria was seen as a beacon of hope for the third world; a world that would become a respite from growing tensions in the tired economies of Europe in the future. The people braced themselves for the task ahead, numerous projects were embarked upon by the pioneer governments, and various political reforms were carried out. At first, everything looked good, the African economies managed to sustain stable economic development for a decade. Suddenly, there came a period of political crises, right from the mid sixties to the later part of the decade. For some countries, the crises started in the seventies and escalated at the middle of the decade. There were civil uprisings, political reforms were overturned, and economies suffered huge depression. Inflation soared at an alarming rate and sub-Saharan Africa was thrown into a serious economic crises that she has never recovered from. Since then, it had been a story of economic recession or redundancy, except for South Africa. It was as if the retreating colonialists had set a time bomb that was detonated in the seventies, and it’s chain reactions still manifesting in the 21st century. By then, the once tired economies of Europe and North America’s easy going economy were light years ahead, while that of the East Asian nations, whom the Africans thought were no better, were already aeons away. It became a sad reality to the world that Africa has been automatically left out in the scheme of things on the globe and it was going to take a frantic effort for her to recover and become a player, that’s if the world is not playing a different game entirely by that time. Of course, the rest of the world tried in their best capacity to rescue Africa. There have been several attempts at salvaging the struggling economies of sub Saharan Africa, with the developed nations, always playing their big brother roles. It seems that by the end of the last centuries, it was clear to them that there was little or nothing they could do, except to benefit more from Africa’s predicament. By this time, the Africans themselves had awakened to the reality that if they don’t help themselves, no one will. Several questions have been asked about why the much promising African states failed despite the efforts of their pioneer leaders. Though, we have examples of struggling economies all around the world, Africa’s case is quite unique, in that it is a crises that has engulfed an entire subcontinent. There have been several suggestions regarding what can be done to save Africa from this mess. There have been many attempts, and they have either failed, or resulted into another crises. The mystery of sub-Saharan Africa’s socio-political and economic misery has become the legendary Gordian knot that has defied all innovations. The most recent of such innovations is the IMF induced and capitalist oriented panacea ; deregulation, which allows for the price of commodities to be free of certain regulations. This, like its predecessors, appear not to have solved the problems, instead, leading to high rate of increase in fuel price and steady increase the rate of inflation in Nigeria, where former president, Obasanjo had instituted it as part of his reform agenda. In the light of this analysis, it is obvious that we have to look beyond the physical reality of the African states as we see them today, and study the African situation in terms of socio-political ideology. We have to see Africa as a people and not as a geographical milieu. This arises the need to differentiate between a nation and a state.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Fuel Subsidy Removal; Why we must not remain silent(Part 2)
Before the end of the last year, while the government was proposing to introduce the new measures, arguments had sprung forth for and against the controversial fuel subsidy. I followed many of the debates and listened attentively to both sides. It suddenly occurred to me then, why the government would be desperate to remove the fuel subsidy as soon as possible. The dictionary definition of subsidy says it is money paid by government to reduce the cost of producing goods so that their prices can be kept low. In the case of Nigeria, the commodity being subsidized is petrol while the money is being paid to oil marketers that import fuel in large quantities. The true definition of subsidy throws up the reality that fuel subsidy is not exactly the problem. The basic problem is the situation and system created by the feudal powers at the centre that makes it inevitable for government to subsidize fuel. Fuel subsidy is not the real problem and a times, it could be seen as a diversion from the main issues. What, therefore are the main issues?
Nigeria is one of the ten largest producers of oil, with large crude oil reserves and millions of barrels produced daily, yet petroleum products are not freely available and affordable. This is because the refineries in the country are not functioning and marketers have to import fuel from other countries, including non-oil producing countries like cote-divoire and Liberia. Therefore, when oil price goes up in the international market, Nigeria makes a lot of money exporting crude oil to other countries, but spends far more in importing refined fuel from these countries. The system makes fuel price vulnerable to market forces and the whims and caprices of greedy oil marketers, many of whom are aligned with government officials. The oil cartel that imports the bulk of Nigeria’s petroleum products is made up of capitalists. Like other businessmen, their sole aim is to make profit. Sometimes, they hoard fuel if there are prospects that oil price will increase so that they will be able to make more profits. In a normal society, government regulates the activities of the capitalists and keep their excesses in check. But in Nigeria, government simply pays them to keep the price in check and that is why we had not seen an astronomical jump in the price of fuel in the past. Nigeria is a true case of the oil paradox, whereby the citizens have not benefitted from the natural resources extracted on their land. Rather, they have suffered neglect, pollution, fuel price hike, poor electricity, and the obvious looting of their resources by their so-called leaders. How did things get to this? How did Nigeria become such a big mess to itself and the rest of the world?
A nation is a group of people bounded together by a common ideology. Therefore, a nation should not be described by the geographical boundaries of its land or the artificial state created to govern it. Rather, the nation should be defined by its peoples and their common, shared values. What this means is that Nigeria as a nation is not the geographical milieu around the river Niger, nor the mess of a government that oversees it. Rather, Nigeria is the people that populate this land and their identities; the igbos, the yorubas, the hausas, the fulanis, the ijaws, the itsekiris etc. I can categorically say that the Nigerian state was not formed from the collective ideology and aspirations of these people but from the forceful amalgamation of their lands and resources so as to serve the interests of the colonial masters then and our feudal aristocrats later. Nigeria therefore is not a nation. The unity we have is a fake unity and the nigerian state was doomed to fail from the onset. Yet, history has given us opportunity several times to look into this problem and address it, yet we have refused to act. Now, another opportunity has presented itself for us to address these fundamental issues.
A true federal nation is based on the fusion of component units, whereby different entities or ethnic groups come together to form a united government, giving out of their powers to this so-called central government. But in Nigeria, the situation is different. You first have the country and the powerful centre, then you start breaking it into artificial components. Check out all the states Nigeria, they are all artificial creations, and that is why the ethnic and religious tensions in places like Kaduna and Jos will continue. Our leaders in the past have had opportunities to conduct referendums, convene a sovereign national conference and review the faulty federal structure we have been operating. They have refused because of the personal greed and selfishness. My people, they will not be moved to act if we continue to keep quiet. They are benefitting from the status-quo. This is an opportunity for the downtrodden masses to rise up against this system and overthrow it. Let's call for a referendum now.
Nigeria is one of the ten largest producers of oil, with large crude oil reserves and millions of barrels produced daily, yet petroleum products are not freely available and affordable. This is because the refineries in the country are not functioning and marketers have to import fuel from other countries, including non-oil producing countries like cote-divoire and Liberia. Therefore, when oil price goes up in the international market, Nigeria makes a lot of money exporting crude oil to other countries, but spends far more in importing refined fuel from these countries. The system makes fuel price vulnerable to market forces and the whims and caprices of greedy oil marketers, many of whom are aligned with government officials. The oil cartel that imports the bulk of Nigeria’s petroleum products is made up of capitalists. Like other businessmen, their sole aim is to make profit. Sometimes, they hoard fuel if there are prospects that oil price will increase so that they will be able to make more profits. In a normal society, government regulates the activities of the capitalists and keep their excesses in check. But in Nigeria, government simply pays them to keep the price in check and that is why we had not seen an astronomical jump in the price of fuel in the past. Nigeria is a true case of the oil paradox, whereby the citizens have not benefitted from the natural resources extracted on their land. Rather, they have suffered neglect, pollution, fuel price hike, poor electricity, and the obvious looting of their resources by their so-called leaders. How did things get to this? How did Nigeria become such a big mess to itself and the rest of the world?
A nation is a group of people bounded together by a common ideology. Therefore, a nation should not be described by the geographical boundaries of its land or the artificial state created to govern it. Rather, the nation should be defined by its peoples and their common, shared values. What this means is that Nigeria as a nation is not the geographical milieu around the river Niger, nor the mess of a government that oversees it. Rather, Nigeria is the people that populate this land and their identities; the igbos, the yorubas, the hausas, the fulanis, the ijaws, the itsekiris etc. I can categorically say that the Nigerian state was not formed from the collective ideology and aspirations of these people but from the forceful amalgamation of their lands and resources so as to serve the interests of the colonial masters then and our feudal aristocrats later. Nigeria therefore is not a nation. The unity we have is a fake unity and the nigerian state was doomed to fail from the onset. Yet, history has given us opportunity several times to look into this problem and address it, yet we have refused to act. Now, another opportunity has presented itself for us to address these fundamental issues.
A true federal nation is based on the fusion of component units, whereby different entities or ethnic groups come together to form a united government, giving out of their powers to this so-called central government. But in Nigeria, the situation is different. You first have the country and the powerful centre, then you start breaking it into artificial components. Check out all the states Nigeria, they are all artificial creations, and that is why the ethnic and religious tensions in places like Kaduna and Jos will continue. Our leaders in the past have had opportunities to conduct referendums, convene a sovereign national conference and review the faulty federal structure we have been operating. They have refused because of the personal greed and selfishness. My people, they will not be moved to act if we continue to keep quiet. They are benefitting from the status-quo. This is an opportunity for the downtrodden masses to rise up against this system and overthrow it. Let's call for a referendum now.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Second Literary Cafe event holds at Rise library, Ikeja, Lagos
We are pleased to announce that the second literary cafe event has successfully held on Friday, 5th August, 2011 at the Rise library in Ikeja. Oyindamola affinnih, Temitayo Ilori and Tope Apoola were featured writers at the event. There were book readings, poetry readings, Literary discussions and book presentations. All the participants were given free books, courtesy of the guest writers.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Nominees for the Nigerian blog awards 2011
i
Reflecting on the nominees, several questions came to my mind.
What are the criteria for choosing nominees and winners?
Does a popular blog necessarily mean a good blog?
Is blogging really about the number of followers or the number of comments?
Is interaction with other blogs a sign of a good blog?
How then do you know a good blog?
Personally i feel blogging is all about expressing yourself in a particular way on a particular subject. It may be literature, fashion, entertainment or even crime. Yet I wouldn't look at a blog twice if it doesn't have posts on a topic I am interested in and yet some blogs post on topics that are not common. This, I believe, is why we have categories. On checking some of the blogs I realized some barely have up to 50 followers while I know of blogs with up to 500 followers that are not nominated in the same category.
Whichever blog wins in the various categories, I believe it does because it was known and acknowledged by the organizers and not necessarily by you and I. So if you check through the list and you don't find your blog or your favorite blog, don't fret, take solace in these words.
The nominees:
Best Beauty Blog
Bella Naija
Bob-ij
Delicious in Pink
Pwetty Bambi
YNC Chill Lounge
Best Daily Read
Bella Naija
KTravula
Linda Ikeji
Naked Sha
Verastically Livin’
Best Designed Blog
Bella Naija
Bumight
Ego Du Jour
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
Missy Xclusive (Grown & Sexy)
Best Entertainment Blog
100% Naija
Bella Naija
Linda Ikeji
Olamild Entertainment
People in the Limelight
Best Fashion or Style Blog
Africana Wardrobe Diary
Bella Naija
One Nigerian Boy
Shop Liquorice
The Culture Cynic
Best Food Blog
Alhaji’s Cuisine
Avartsy Kitchen
Food Matters by Yemisi Ogbe (234 Next)
My Kitchen (Ms. O)
Spice Baby
Best Group or Collaborative Blog
Blog(s)ville Gist
In My Dreams It Was Simpler
Myne Whitman Writes
Naija Stories
Nigerians Talk
Best Health or Fitness Blog
African Weight Loss Diva
Kimekwu
Best Music Blog
Diary of an Unpaid Intern (Neefemi)
Gidi Lounge
Nigerian Music Movement
Not Just Ok
Taynement
Best New Blog
9ja Boy Blog
360 Nobs
Cupids’ Gift Consulting
Ego Du Jour
KTravula
Best News or Magazine Blog
234 Next
Bella Naija
Linda Ikeji
Mimi Magazine
Nigerian Curiosity
Best Parenting Blog
Aloted
Andrea
Flourishing Florida
His Treasure (A Fabulous Mother’s World)
It Was So Much Easier When I Only Had One (Solomon Sydelle)
Best Personal Blog
Funms-The Rebirth
GeeBee’s Trip
Good Naija Girl
KTravula
Sting
Best Personal Development Blog
Femme Lounge
Good Naija Girl
Le Dynamique Professeur
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
YNC Chill Lounge
Best Photography Blog
Bedazzled Photography
Dotun’s Blog
KTravula
Onada Photography
Tunji Sarumi
Best Poetry Blog
Blogoratti
KTravula
Poetic Ideas
Seye Kuyinu
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Best Political Blog
Black Looks (Sokari Ekine)
Chxta’s World
Little Thoughts
Nigerian Curiosity
Nigerians Talk
Best Religion Blog
A Day in God’s Will (Remi)
Jolly Notes
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
Rita
Zoe Believer
Best Science or Technology Blog
Loy Okezie
Naija Web Geek
Seye Kuyinu
Timbuktu Chronicles
Tomi Davies
Best Student Blog
Bumight
KTravula
Leggy
Memoirs of a Nigerian Living Abroad
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Best Travel Blog
Jide Salu Diary
KTravula
Lola Akinmade
Naija Blog
Best Use of Media, including Social Media
Bumight
KTravula
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
Myne Whitman Writes
Verastically Livin’
Best Use of Theme
Black Looks (Sokari Ekine)
Cupid’s Gift
KTravula
Standtall
We Are Jos
Best Writing or Book blog
Bookaholic
In My Dreams It Was Simpler
Myne Whitman Writes
Nnedi Okorafor
Nzesylva
Most Controversial Blog
Afrobabe
Jaguda
Sugabelly
Sugarking
Truth Don Die
Most Humourous Blog
BSNC
Nice Anon
Original Mgbeke
Sugarking
Verastically Livin’
Most Inspiring Blog
Aloted
Jolly Notes
Le Dynamique Professeur
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Most Intellectual Blog
Aloofaa
Bagucci
Doug
KTravula
Rethots
Most Unique Voice
Bagucci
Lola Akinmade
Naked Sha
Rethots
Verastically Livin’
Nigerian Blog of the Year
Bedazzled Photography
Bella Naija
Femme Lounge
In My Dreams It Was Simpler
KTravula
Myne Whitman Writes
Nigerian Curiosity
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Tunji Sarumi
Verastically Livin’
Nominees extracted from http://nigerianblogawards.com/group-a-categories/presenting-the-group-a-category-nominees/
Reflecting on the nominees, several questions came to my mind.
What are the criteria for choosing nominees and winners?
Does a popular blog necessarily mean a good blog?
Is blogging really about the number of followers or the number of comments?
Is interaction with other blogs a sign of a good blog?
How then do you know a good blog?
Personally i feel blogging is all about expressing yourself in a particular way on a particular subject. It may be literature, fashion, entertainment or even crime. Yet I wouldn't look at a blog twice if it doesn't have posts on a topic I am interested in and yet some blogs post on topics that are not common. This, I believe, is why we have categories. On checking some of the blogs I realized some barely have up to 50 followers while I know of blogs with up to 500 followers that are not nominated in the same category.
Whichever blog wins in the various categories, I believe it does because it was known and acknowledged by the organizers and not necessarily by you and I. So if you check through the list and you don't find your blog or your favorite blog, don't fret, take solace in these words.
The nominees:
Best Beauty Blog
Bella Naija
Bob-ij
Delicious in Pink
Pwetty Bambi
YNC Chill Lounge
Best Daily Read
Bella Naija
KTravula
Linda Ikeji
Naked Sha
Verastically Livin’
Best Designed Blog
Bella Naija
Bumight
Ego Du Jour
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
Missy Xclusive (Grown & Sexy)
Best Entertainment Blog
100% Naija
Bella Naija
Linda Ikeji
Olamild Entertainment
People in the Limelight
Best Fashion or Style Blog
Africana Wardrobe Diary
Bella Naija
One Nigerian Boy
Shop Liquorice
The Culture Cynic
Best Food Blog
Alhaji’s Cuisine
Avartsy Kitchen
Food Matters by Yemisi Ogbe (234 Next)
My Kitchen (Ms. O)
Spice Baby
Best Group or Collaborative Blog
Blog(s)ville Gist
In My Dreams It Was Simpler
Myne Whitman Writes
Naija Stories
Nigerians Talk
Best Health or Fitness Blog
African Weight Loss Diva
Kimekwu
Best Music Blog
Diary of an Unpaid Intern (Neefemi)
Gidi Lounge
Nigerian Music Movement
Not Just Ok
Taynement
Best New Blog
9ja Boy Blog
360 Nobs
Cupids’ Gift Consulting
Ego Du Jour
KTravula
Best News or Magazine Blog
234 Next
Bella Naija
Linda Ikeji
Mimi Magazine
Nigerian Curiosity
Best Parenting Blog
Aloted
Andrea
Flourishing Florida
His Treasure (A Fabulous Mother’s World)
It Was So Much Easier When I Only Had One (Solomon Sydelle)
Best Personal Blog
Funms-The Rebirth
GeeBee’s Trip
Good Naija Girl
KTravula
Sting
Best Personal Development Blog
Femme Lounge
Good Naija Girl
Le Dynamique Professeur
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
YNC Chill Lounge
Best Photography Blog
Bedazzled Photography
Dotun’s Blog
KTravula
Onada Photography
Tunji Sarumi
Best Poetry Blog
Blogoratti
KTravula
Poetic Ideas
Seye Kuyinu
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Best Political Blog
Black Looks (Sokari Ekine)
Chxta’s World
Little Thoughts
Nigerian Curiosity
Nigerians Talk
Best Religion Blog
A Day in God’s Will (Remi)
Jolly Notes
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
Rita
Zoe Believer
Best Science or Technology Blog
Loy Okezie
Naija Web Geek
Seye Kuyinu
Timbuktu Chronicles
Tomi Davies
Best Student Blog
Bumight
KTravula
Leggy
Memoirs of a Nigerian Living Abroad
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Best Travel Blog
Jide Salu Diary
KTravula
Lola Akinmade
Naija Blog
Best Use of Media, including Social Media
Bumight
KTravula
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
Myne Whitman Writes
Verastically Livin’
Best Use of Theme
Black Looks (Sokari Ekine)
Cupid’s Gift
KTravula
Standtall
We Are Jos
Best Writing or Book blog
Bookaholic
In My Dreams It Was Simpler
Myne Whitman Writes
Nnedi Okorafor
Nzesylva
Most Controversial Blog
Afrobabe
Jaguda
Sugabelly
Sugarking
Truth Don Die
Most Humourous Blog
BSNC
Nice Anon
Original Mgbeke
Sugarking
Verastically Livin’
Most Inspiring Blog
Aloted
Jolly Notes
Le Dynamique Professeur
Light Her Lamp (Jaycee)
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Most Intellectual Blog
Aloofaa
Bagucci
Doug
KTravula
Rethots
Most Unique Voice
Bagucci
Lola Akinmade
Naked Sha
Rethots
Verastically Livin’
Nigerian Blog of the Year
Bedazzled Photography
Bella Naija
Femme Lounge
In My Dreams It Was Simpler
KTravula
Myne Whitman Writes
Nigerian Curiosity
The Talkaholic (Harry)
Tunji Sarumi
Verastically Livin’
Nominees extracted from http://nigerianblogawards.com/group-a-categories/presenting-the-group-a-category-nominees/
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A Review of 'Times of the Supermen' by Tope Apoola(part 1)
TIMES OF THE SUPERMEN
'I speak of the times of the supermen, for in here shall we find the courage to proceed'.
Those were the opening words of this new science thriller written by Tope Apoola who himself is a new comer to the writing scene.
The book is spectacular not only in the subject it has explored in its 435 pages and the manner of its writing, but also because it raises several questions which though have plagued many minds for long are seldom publicly raised.
The book is divided into three books, with each story existing independently and also serving as parts of the bigger story. The plot revolves around a discovery by wise men, of some strange formations on the face of Mars which they attributed to deliberate intelligence. This is based on the premise that these formations were so extensive and precise that they couldn’t have been made naturally. Some intelligent beings created them while they were on Mars, eons ago. The controversy surrounding this mysterious discovery deepened when another discovery was made of similar formations on a huge rock in England, dated to prehistoric times. Some signs were also discovered secretly at the site that were found out to be genetic codes of some proteins that will make humans attain immortality and acquire uncommon superhuman abilities which might be accompanied also with uncommon instincts. Should these strange signs correlate, then it will mean that these proposed super beings, who were lords of the ancient times, once lived on Mars and actually visited the Earth, a long time ago, when hominids were non-existent.
Book one opens at the tail end of the saga as the narrator introduces us to the subject of the matter. It was the year 2287 in a future technologically advanced Nigeria, and a series of unprecedented events have reached a climax in which the futuristic world leaders had declared war and the nation prepared for battle against the faceless enemies that seek to perpetuate a new world order. The narrator takes us back into the past, to the year 2003 when the story was just unfolding.
How shall I in the middle of this chaos when the world’s sanity and conscience and good judgement is withered......
Mine is a story of many ages, a tale as seen by one man, ending with just one assertion, that there are answer; answers to why we are here.......
At the end of it all we shall learn that there is some truth in many orthodox propositions. Our hearts shall be gladdened, for goodness is supreme among the forces that be.
'I speak of the times of the supermen, for in here shall we find the courage to proceed'.
Those were the opening words of this new science thriller written by Tope Apoola who himself is a new comer to the writing scene.
The book is spectacular not only in the subject it has explored in its 435 pages and the manner of its writing, but also because it raises several questions which though have plagued many minds for long are seldom publicly raised.
The book is divided into three books, with each story existing independently and also serving as parts of the bigger story. The plot revolves around a discovery by wise men, of some strange formations on the face of Mars which they attributed to deliberate intelligence. This is based on the premise that these formations were so extensive and precise that they couldn’t have been made naturally. Some intelligent beings created them while they were on Mars, eons ago. The controversy surrounding this mysterious discovery deepened when another discovery was made of similar formations on a huge rock in England, dated to prehistoric times. Some signs were also discovered secretly at the site that were found out to be genetic codes of some proteins that will make humans attain immortality and acquire uncommon superhuman abilities which might be accompanied also with uncommon instincts. Should these strange signs correlate, then it will mean that these proposed super beings, who were lords of the ancient times, once lived on Mars and actually visited the Earth, a long time ago, when hominids were non-existent.
Book one opens at the tail end of the saga as the narrator introduces us to the subject of the matter. It was the year 2287 in a future technologically advanced Nigeria, and a series of unprecedented events have reached a climax in which the futuristic world leaders had declared war and the nation prepared for battle against the faceless enemies that seek to perpetuate a new world order. The narrator takes us back into the past, to the year 2003 when the story was just unfolding.
How shall I in the middle of this chaos when the world’s sanity and conscience and good judgement is withered......
Mine is a story of many ages, a tale as seen by one man, ending with just one assertion, that there are answer; answers to why we are here.......
At the end of it all we shall learn that there is some truth in many orthodox propositions. Our hearts shall be gladdened, for goodness is supreme among the forces that be.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The dawn of a new era is near
whether we like it or not, it seems a new age is at hand in Nigeria. we might be entering a new era in which things are going to change dramatically.
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