DOWN WITH IT!!!!

I pity the girl. They seem to be newlywed. She doesn't understand that she's in for a world of misery and depression. 

How can a man follow his wife to go open an account and insist so strongly on ensuring that her middle name must be his first name??? 

"You don't understand. This is my wife!" 

And so what?? Chai! 

I don't agree with all that feminist stuff about our conservative rules/norms suppressing women. Those norms were there to PROTECT women, but times have changed. The White man came to Africa and spread narcissism around. Now, those rules are being used by these narcissists to endanger women. But it's not anyone's fault. No blame game. We're all responsible. 

As a woman or a man, you should look at the kind of creature you want to marry. It's not difficult to detect a narcissist. 

As a family, you should look at who wants to marry your family member. 

As a society and government, we should crack down on narcissism and ostracize narcissists. 

It's a collective responsibility and all hands must be on deck! 

Like I love to say, the greatest threat to the human race in the 21st century is not nuclear weapons, it's narcissism. So, down with it!!!!!

SHOULD WE BE GRATEFUL?

In a recent post on Facebook, among other things, Femi Adesina said Buhari deserves our gratitude. Is he right?

Personally, I think this administration has done a lot in the last half decade, especially in infrastructure, and has set new records of achievement in Nigeria, and we should recognize those great efforts. But requesting for gratitude? Now, that's reaching.

Buhari himself was a soldier. The job of a soldier is to die for others to live. His reward is in his service, nothing else. The country owes him nothing. It's just courtesy when we decide to honor him. It's not an obligation, and no soldier can force, blackmail or arm-wrestle us into honoring him. Every good soldier knows this. And I  want to believe Buhari is a good soldier.

Also, we are Africans. In Africa, government is of no real use. We do not depend on government for survival. We are not like the Brits and Americans that closely monitor their government, knowing that any little mistake on the part of their government will have heavy ramifications on their lives. There are no food banks or social security nets in Nigeria. We provide everything for ourselves. So for what should we be grateful to the government?

Also, we may have suffered under bad governance for so long, but not long enough to have caught Stockholm Syndrome. Believe it or not, the same people who helped to destroy the country are the ones still in government. And by the way, the president is like every other employee. He is simply doing his job! A job for which he is being paid heavily. And we all know how much he cried and begged to be given this job. So it is Buhari who should be grateful to us for giving him the job and letting him keep it this long. If we feel the need to appreciate or honor him, we will. If we don't, we won't. There's nothing anyone can do about it. But as Africans, we are kind, thoughtful and respectful people, so you can trust us to give honor to whom honor is due. You don't need to remind us.

ATTACK ON A DEFENCELESS DEFENCE ACADEMY

The recent attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy does not come as a surprise to me. I have never been impressed with the crop of officers produced by that institution, so the reported case of negligence and incompetence is also not a surprise to me. 

In addition, Kaduna state has always been a hotbed of violence and recently the headquarters of bandits in that region. The attack was embarrassing of course, but it's neither the first nor the 50th attack on a military formation in Nigeria. What I find funny though is the fact that there could even be a broken fence in a military formation resident in a highly dangerous area and that bandits could come in and "shoot sporadically", kill, kidnap and leave unscathed.

Where was the base security? Why were there no routine patrols in an area that has experienced frequent attacks? And most importantly, how many people were on guard duty for them to be so easily overpowered and the rest unable to respond to the attack? Why were capable personnel in other parts of the base not mobilised instantly to go after the attackers? It is shameful and a massive national disgrace to Nigeria and its Armed Forces. But unfortunately, it's not the first and it most likely won't be the last.

I have heard that they are planning to court-martial the erring officers, but that's simply an effort to save face. What the military should look into is how such a dereliction of duty could have happened in the first place. It's a clear statement on the policy and levels of discipline in the institution and also a reflection of the leadership and training. We hear all the time of the military carrying out heroic feats during routine patrol, but now that such feats were sorely needed, they were caught unawares. It's unfortunate.

I would recommend a thorough investigation and an immediate change of leadership along with a full review of the institutions' programs and security architecture. If military institutions are so porous, what does it say about the security and sovereignty of the country and its citizens??

GHANA'S INVASION OF NIGERIA: The Shame Of Africa's Giant

The recent Ghanaian attack on Nigeria's High Commission in the country is a matter capable of inspiring shock, outrage and unlimited fury. Above all, it is a matter that has put every Nigerian in the shadow of shame due to the disgraceful response of our lifeless president and his walking dead government.

Frankly, it's quite a surprise to see our once great country at such rock bottom level. A giant of the continent whose face is being regularly spit on by much lesser countries like South Africa and Ghana! But the most annoying part is that most of these insults have gone unpunished under this government! In fact, after hundreds of Nigerians had been killed in the so-called rainbow nation, the president of our country shamelessly travelled to South Africa at the summons of the president of that country. In fact, he went there to smile and laugh with the man! As if that was not enough, Ghana has also dedicated herself to harassing and molesting our citizens and their interests in Ghana. In other words, we have become the useless can that everyone kicks about anyhow they like.

But all these are child's play compared to the recent invasion of a building in our High Commission in Ghana's capital. Since the story is still developing, we cannot be very sure about the circumstances surrounding the incident, but the two most shocking parts of the aftermath are the responses of both countries. Ghana has gotten so used to making jest of us and molesting our citizens that their government simply settled for an apology over a presidential phone call! It's like an ant, after injuring the baby of an elephant, decides to lean back in his chair and call the adult elephant to say sorry. Isn't that laughable?

But the most laughable part is the coolness and nonchalance with which our government and president have taken the matter. In fact, our legislature is considering sending a high-powered delegation to Ghana! Disgrace upon insult! The Ghanaian president ought to run down here to tender an official apology in person! We could launch a military invasion on Ghana, you know. But of course, this useless government won't do more than 'condemn' the act and leave it at that. Since other African countries have slapped us and gotten away with it, why won't Ghana feel so unperturbed? Can you blame them for the fact that we have a useless government led by a lifeless president? This is the same Ghana whose citizens we housed and fed when they hit rock bottom just a few decades ago. Suddenly, they have grown so big to be able to knock our head and slap our face without any serious response from us! Haba! The big question, fellow Nigerians, is, who cursed our country??

Coronavirus and Nigeria's Response 2

In the previous installment, I talked about the lack of sensible strategy to provide relief for the Nigerian people in the midst of this economy and life destroying but environment saving virus. So far, we've had very low and slow testing and series of quick and serious lockdowns. The government expects people to get sick and then present themselves to get tested after probably spreading the virus far and wide. But the most annoying part of it all is the lack of financial or other essential support for the people they are ordering to stay at home.
An average Nigerian knows for a fact that his government or governments at every level are nothing other than a group of liars and fraudsters. With the coming of this virus, it is more than apparent the degree of lies and fraud governments at all levels are enacting. They claimed to have given poor Nigerians billions in food and financial assistance, but we are yet to see a single individual acknowledge receipt of such assistance. Even in areas where food is shared by the government, it is usually paltry and unwholesome. Individuals and organizations are doing far better than the Federal Government in assisting the people in this perilous times. State governments that claimed to have done much could very well be spouting false propaganda. In Nigeria, seeing is not believing. You must see, touch, test, and consume before believing.

Most Nigerians are some of the poorest and most hungry people on earth, but the way and manner the President and members of the Federal Task Force do not miss an opportunity to laugh or smile is very much annoying. It is more like a mockery of the hapless situation they and the virus have put innocent Nigerians in. They are not doing enough and they know it, but they don't look worried at all. They seem to be only concerned about themselves. From the beginning, they have held on tightly to their assorted masks without thinking for a moment whether hundreds of millions of other Nigerians have easy access to masks too. 

For the first time, with the death of Abba Kyari and the shameless admission of the SGF, they now recognize the glaring and obvious state of our health system. But what are they doing to fix it? Of course, they intend to rely on domestic private hospitals since they cannot fly abroad again. But what will poor locked down and more-hungry-than-eve­r Nigerians do? How will they survive lockdown after lockdown after lockdown with no support whatsoever from the government? Which kills faster and more certainly: hunger or the virus? Coronavirus is fatal to people with pre-existing conditions and the most common pre-existing condition in Nigeria is poverty/hunger. But the government and its agencies do not care. Instead it's an avenue to launder billions and oppress innocent citizens. So why must we obey the lockdown order? If we are going to die from the virus, why die hungry? Can someone please remind our thieving failure of a government that only living people catch viruses? Nigerians must not only fight hard to survive this ravaging virus, they must also fight harder to survive their more ravaging government.

TWISTED

When I say certain things to fellow Nigerians, they sneer and call me holier-than-thou. But these things I say are usually simple things that an average sane normal human being would easily be able to do or relate with. 

The problem with us as a people is that we have found ourselves in a rotten society where it's easier and more commonplace to be wrong than to be right. It's now part of our culture for people to be twisted and think upside down. And it has become so suffocating that an average Nigerian now has a sort of Stockholm Syndrome. Some people do not like to be wrong and twisted, but the society seems to require it of every individual, so people are forced to be that way. When you see a fellow Nigerian, you expect him to also be twisted like you and if he isn't, which is not so common, you tag him a hypocrite or pretender because you now see being wrong and twisted as the status quo - a normal, a necessity. It's in you and you expect it to be in everyone else in Nigeria (even though you know it probably exists nowhere else), just as much as other Nigerians expect to see it in you. Such wrong and twisted characteristics include everything from corruption to dishonesty to substandard products/services. Doing these things make you feel normal and accepted by all, because that's what everyone else is doing, and you're not so wrong.

A family member would always tell me, "you have to do things that will make people 'respect you'". It doesn't matter if it's wrong or right, the most important thing is respect. In my experience, respect in Nigerian terms is hardly ever a good thing. It either means fear or popularity. And being popular in a twisted society can only mean that you're twisted. You earn respect because of how much government money you have stolen, how many women you have played, how much violence you have enacted and how much fear you have inspired. Such people almost always grow up to be leaders in the society at all levels. They become traditional, religious, government, security and political leaders. That's why the country has remained twisted: because the people, society and leadership are all twisted.

Coronavirus And Nigeria's Response

Ever since the coronavirus began its killing spree, there has been a lot of panic among people and various forms of responses from governments around the world. Countries in Africa have not been shy about slamming travel bans on developed countries who have been the most hit by the virus. But Nigeria, in her own special way, always has something funnily different to offer.

Our dear Federal Government, bowing to pressure, started with a very late travel ban on countries with more than 1000 cases of the virus, not effective immediately, but days later. Meanwhile, international airports continued to receive passengers from around the world. The height of recklessness, if you ask me. We've seen that the states, led by Lagos who has the most cases, are putting serious efforts into containing the virus, but our placeholder Federal Government has so far done little or nothing. Even the Senate President recently confirmed that the government was at zero level preparedness, financially and technically. No suitable medical facilities, no concrete plans and with funding being appropriated in lips and tongues.

The other day, I watched on AIT as two confused NCDC help line operators gave two different information when presented with a question of response to a potential case of the virus. That alone is enough to tell you that the Federal Government is by no means taking this virus very seriously. Correct information is not readily available, leaving Nigerians at the mercy of fake news peddlers like that bracket fool the Americans call a president. Instead of simply shutting down the airports, the Federal Government has decided to continue its unnecessary international 'good face', doing a peacock catwalk that nobody's watching, thereby putting the states through a lot of work with contact tracing and testing of arrivals. With a failed healthcare system like ours, such a pandemic is not something we should play ping-pong with. We are mighty lucky that sub-Saharan Africans are not very much affected by the virus, but luck can run out at any time. What would we do then?

While other countries have rolled out stimulus packages to cushion the effect of the virus' impact on citizens and their businesses, Nigeria whose poor citizens and constantly strangled local businesses need such stimulus the most has responded by announcing some half-hearted waivers and 'using shame to style-style' reduce the fuel price by a meager 20naira (US$0.05), even though international oil prices have plummeted. Grand wickedness and outright shameless robbery in all its ugly glory. Even while faced with the threat of a pandemic, the citizens of the failed state called Nigeria have not yet deserved pity from the heartless and lifeless government in Abuja. The question is, what did ordinary Nigerians do to this government apart from making the grave mistake of voting for it? Can't they be forgiven and treated nicely for once??

Religion: Why Be A Fanatic?

Religion is not really as tricky as some people think. It's just addictive and billions are high on it. Religion is just like music. It motivates, inspires, uplifts, encourages, teaches, preaches and many other things. And just like music, it's not something you should take too seriously. It's not something you should live your daily life by. In one of his songs, Burna Boy sang: "Anybody! Wey no want to soji... nack am something." If you go, in real life, to nack something on somebody wey no want to soji, you are on your own o. That's how it is with religion too. 

There are parts of the Bible (Deu 22:20-24) that dictate that any woman who just got married and was found not to be a virgin should be stoned to death, and any rape victim who was raped in the city should be put to death because 'she did not scream'. These were the commandments of 'God' as stated by Christianity. Islam also has its own list of terrifying ideals, like Prophet Muhammad (salla Allah u alihi wa sallam) marrying a child far below 18. I'm sure no one would wish such horrible things on themselves or their kids. So why do you live your life under the influence of religion? It's like somebody living his/her life by the lyrics of his/her favourite song. You're addicted. And when many others catch the same infection, it becomes a cult and a couple years later, a movement pops up, named after the singer of that song and before you say Jack, you might just have a new religion. That's how religions are created. Some clever dude just comes up with a lot of charisma that attracts people with certain things in common and in a couple years, the group becomes a religion, just like Nation of Islam. All these things are man-made. Yes, there may be a God. Actually, I believe there is a God. There was a Jesus, there was a Muhammad, there was a Buddha. But they were just like you and me, perhaps a little smarter or maybe luckier, otherwise they're ordinary human beings. There's no need to kill yourselves over what they allegedly said that God said.

South Africa and the Madness of Xenophobia

Recent waves of xenophobic attacks from the Republic of South Africa will not come as a surprise to those who know and have been following the country and its post-Apartheid struggles. Having been nicknamed the rape capital of the world (where at least 2 women/children are being raped every minute), crimes against women, children, vulnerable, defenseless and outnumbered people is extremely high in South Africa. An inept system, twisted myths, cowardice and a culture of denialism makes the so-called rainbow nation a very dangerous place to live in.

Government report say that 41% of REPORTED rape cases in South Africa have children & infants as the victim and it's estimated that 40% of women in South Africa will be raped at least once in their lifetime (Wikipedia). Only a tiny amount of the few reported cases lead to prosecution and since members of the police force are also perpetrators, there's neither trust nor serious action taken by the government other than lip service. With at least 46 children raped and 2 children, 50 men and 8 women 'butchered' every single day... rape, assault and murder seem to be deeply rooted in the South African culture. Studies and surveys have discovered that 2 in 5 men indirectly interviewed have admitted to having forced sexual intercourse with a woman. But the most alarming part is that it is extremely prevalent among the younger generation. A CIET survey found 60% of boys and girls believed that it was not violent to force sex on someone they knew while a quarter of 1,500 schoolboys interviewed said that gang rape was fun.

The cowardly act of rape is seen by South African males as a show of power and dominance over women, the government even stupidly referring to it as an evidence of partriachy in Black culture. To them, it's a manly thing. With a society highly saturated with cowardice, violence, unemployment and lack of proper education for most Blacks, crimes like burglary, robbery and murder are the only violent acts that can stand toe to toe with rape. In a country where the men are cowardly and idle enough to rape two women every minute, it makes perfect sense that they would turn their attention to visiting foreigners who their celebrities and local politicians have accused of 'taking their jobs and women'. For one, women are loth to fall in love with rapists, so it makes sense that their long-suffering women would gravitate to the less violent foreigners. Secondly, lack of quality & standard education, laxity
and reliance on miracles from churches among Black South Africans have made them ill-prepared for gainful employment and entrepreneurship. Inept leadership and governance, coupled with incapacity and corruption of the police force has further sunk the country deeper into a quagmire of poverty and hardship for the Blacks.

After suffering for so many years under Apartheid rule - poor education, a restricted world view, lack of exposure and gross inequality; Black South Africans have moved into an even worse post-Apartheid era, where they are free to do whatever they like, but have been unable to be weaned out of the violence that formed the basis of their lives during the Apartheid era. It is like a Stockholm Syndrome. They are comfortable with violence and have even come to love it. That's why the attacks have been treated with kid gloves by the government. Many have even come forward to justify it or lousily deny it. AKA, the infamous rapper, even claimed that only two foreigners were killed in the attacks. Such is the nature of indifference among government officials and the more educated masses due to the country's culture of denialism. Rather than fix a problem, they find it easier to first, deny the facts, before downplaying it or shifting blame to someone else.

It is true, some South Africans' claim that there are a large number of foreign criminals in their country, many of them Nigerians. But there are also peaceful and law-abiding foreigners too. I remember the rush among Nigerian youth, especially those from the West and East, to travel to that country. Some go there for legitimate business, having perhaps found a better business climate in South Africa while others go there for unpure and criminal purposes, having found gaping loopholes in the South African culture and system. It is this propensity to commit cowardly acts of violence that has enabled foreign criminal elements to thrive in the country. But rather than face the problem squarely, wild South Africans launch cowardly attacks on individuals and their businesses. The more educated ones along with their government perhaps feel it would be a good thing if the foreigners are gotten rid of once and for all, so while having the education-inspired civilization and lacking the bravery to publicly support the attacks, they hide their heads in the sand like an ostrich. Some denying South Africans claimed that the xenophobic attacks were perpetrated by foreigners and a tiny amount of their people, but they failed to express remorse or sympathize with the victims, instead they were strongly intent on being mere spectators and blaming the so-called thugs. Also, they stonily refused to apply adequate or even any pressure on their government to put an end to the attacks.

Bottom line, as was seen during the anti-Apartheid struggle, the South Africans are very much capable of forcing the authorities to focus and deal with the problem of xenophobia in their country. The fact that they were not so eager to do so can only mean that they are comfortable with it and would like to see it happen again and again, albeit more clinically. South Africa is perhaps the world's most violent nation during peacetime and currently, there are no indications of the abatement of this evil record. Therefore, it would be in the interests of every peace loving person, especially women and children, to stay entirely away from this fractured country.

Fly, baby. Fly

As a parent, you are the default legal custodian/guardian of your children. It means that you get to care for and supervise the children until they reach a certain age of independence and maturity. But if the law does not feel comfortable with your style of custodianship/guardianship, it will swing into action by taking away the children (though there's no guarantee that they would be treated any better by their new custodians) 

But here in Africa, parents aren't custodians/guardians, they are owners. In this continent, a man gives birth to children, gives them names, brands them with hideous marks and then puts them to work like farm animals. He sits back and counts them like chickens and like God, he feels satisfied with his work. He can treat them however he likes, because they and their mother are his property for life. In fact, they don't have rights. They are not humans and can never be humans without his permission. You can be sure that such children will grow up with a restricted view of life. They will lack wide imagination and their dreams and aspirations would be limited to their owner's farm and house. It's like buying a horse from a nearby local breeder. If not well secured, it will return to the farm where it was bred. Remember White Fang in Jack London's hit novel? He kept returning to his (mother's) owner even after he had been sold. It's a similar case with a number of African youths who have chosen not to move along with the world and instead remain in their owners farm simply because the homing magnet is very strong. It's all well and good to farm, produce food and run the nation's economy from the village, but if you remain in that little comfort zone of yours, you will learn nothing new. Your only aim would be to cultivate your owner's land and then inherit it after he dies and then your children will tow the same line. Meanwhile, you're locked out from the rest of the world and you have no idea that there are much better and more effective farm machinery than the hoe and the cutlass. Your ancestors used the hoe, cutlass and sharpening stone. You have used the same tools to work for your owner and after his death, you used them to work for yourself and your children will eventually inherit them after you die. Those tools would only be replaced when they are broken or lost, no new and better ones would be forged because you lack the education/exposure that will fuel and enrich your imagination. 

This whole phenomenon is the basic structure of many African societies which has followed a lot of them into the 21st century and has gone as high as the Federal level. Nigeria is one such example. In this country, there is no development because both the government and the people keep repeating old actions day after day and expecting progress all the while. That's actually the definition of madness. We really need to see a psychiatrist! If we must stop crawling and fly like other nations, we must ignore the constant beep of the homing signal and go in search of knowledge/exposure. Because your ancestors did it that way doesn't mean you should also do it that same way. There's a reason why your ancestors lived in the Stone Age while you're living in the Information Age. We must be ready to learn, unlearn and relearn with ease. From our past, we must 'Absorb what is useful, discard what is not and add what is uniquely your own.' - Bruce Lee.

Terrorism n Us

Make no mistake about it, but Nigeria is a far greater terrorist nation than most, if not all, Middle Eastern nations. Those guys over there are just fighting for their lives, ideologies or Western handlers. But here in Nigeria, there are millions of terrorist organizations fighting for more stupid reasons. Not only the Boko Haram, suspected herdsmen, IPOB, Shi'ites, the police, the military and the FG. All these are clearly terrorist organizations, but I'm talking now of the powerful sleeper cells that are even more dangerous than and provide manpower for these big organizations. These sleepers are the Nigerian people. I repeat, the Nigerian people. A terrorist is anyone who creates terror or fear in the hearts and minds of others and that's what Nigerians are good at nowadays. So a terrorist organization is any two or more Nigerians coming together with the same aim/objective. I'll explain.

You'll agree with me that our politicians are indirect terrorists, or rather, they sponsor terrorism. Bad roads, election violence, bad schools, bad economy, bad hospitals, etc. All these cause fear in our hearts. Who doesn't feel scared if they don't have any choice but to pass through one of the dilapidated roads in the country? Who doesn't feel fear when elections are approaching or when you're going to cast your vote? So if politicians are terrorists or sponsors of terrorism, who are these politicians? They are part of the Nigerian people! Yesterday, they were ordinary Nigerians, but today, they are politicians.. terrorists. The lawless policemen are also from the Nigerian people. Same with the brutal military and mindless paramilitary. Same with the lecturers who ask for sex in exchange for marks and threaten to fail the students if they don't comply. Same with the cultists. Same with every bad group of people in the country. They are not from Ghana, they are all Nigerians. They create fear in our hearts, but it was from us they came. We not only swell their ranks, but we also provide and shape their ideology.

Let there be a group of two or more Nigerians, then put one of them as the leader. There is a very big probability that the funds meant for or contributed by the group would be embezzled or misappropriated by the leader. And any group member who tries to stop him would be crushed or thrown out. He will oppress the group members and rule with force, impunity and terror. He will make them fear him, either with the use of thugs, threats or charms, or all three. This is what happens in government, in churches, in organizations and even in the family! It happens between brother and sister. When you give the children their food and you go away, the boy would take the girl's slightly bigger portion and give her his. If she tries to complain, he'll tell her to shut up, threatening to beat her or reminding her that Papa and Mama said she should always respect him because he's the man. This is us. This is Nigeria. This is terrorism in us. 

Is Our Hope Alive?

There is a saying that 'Nigerians are happy because they hope to be happy'. Though we are one of the most miserable nations on earth, we are still a very happy people. We're in a state of what Fela termed 'suffering and smiling'. Despite immense hunger, being the world's poverty capital, and lack of gainful employment, we still manage to work our facial muscles into a smile. But when you hear of so many Nigerians committing suicide with so much ease and frequency, you just have to ask, is that hope still here? Is it still alive?

#MeTooCampaign: Missing The Target

I daresay that the #MeToo movement, especially in Nigeria is fast becoming a dangerous nuisance. The recent wave of rape accusations against some well-known men is quite overwhelming. I call it too much information with no information. Coming to the social or traditional media to accuse someone of rape is nothing short of character defamation. What do you hope to achieve by doing that? You cannot get justice that way. Anyone can accuse anyone. That doesn't mean the accuser is right and the accused guilty. There are due processes that must be followed. There's the police and the courts. Naturally ineffective, I know. But before you come to fill our ears with your rape stories, go and report it first to those who are saddled with the responsibility to do something about it and we will make sure they do their job. But if you report to us alone, what can we do?? If I were the person you accused, I would simply sue you for defaming my character or counter-accuse you of being a drug addict who is mentally ill. At the end of the day, the matter will die a natural death or you will get into the trouble you were setting up for me. 

Looking at the COZA pastor case for instance, he has been forced to resign and well, that's about it. He would take legal action against his accuser as is his right and so far, he remains very innocent. But if the accusation was made through the right channels, he would have had a basket-load of trouble on his hands! If forcing him to resign was the accuser's aim, I daresay it was a very lame one. Being out of office doesn't stop him from continuing the crime, does it? He could go start a church of his own and go on to continue what he was accused of! In fact, the way the accusation was made has put the life of the accuser and that of millions of other women in danger. Such highly placed offenders will surely learn from this and decide to hunt down their old victims before they get the chance to speak out, while aspiring offenders would create a dangerous to-do checklist so they would not end up being accused too. So instead of bringing justice, this new wave of improper accusations would increase the chances of murder, threat, blackmail and further assault of rape victims by their attackers. It would also bore the initially sympathetic public and turn them against the alleged victims or accusers. All these would add up to totally discourage women/girls who have been raped to speak out to the right people. 

Accuse whoever you like, but just do it right. For your own sake and that of others like you.

"Rot in the system"

Recently, I was watching a brief summary of the presentation of the report of the transition committee set up in one of those Northern states. I knew exactly how it would end and yes, they didn't disappoint. The new governor bemoaned the failure of the immediate past administration and claimed that everything in the state was in pieces blah blah blah. We are very familiar with this, right? But have you ever stopped to think that such things are well-organized schemes to fool the people? When a new governor or president is elected, he quickly goes ahead to discredit his predecessor by outlining the debt, corruption and lack of funds in the treasury, and then he concludes by saying that 'even though we met a lot of rot in the system, we will try our best to pick up the pieces and put things in order'. In the next four years, he would do just that: pick up the pieces. At the end of his tenure, when you ask him why things are still bad, he'll say, "You know, we met a lot of rot in the system." That's the standard excuse. By the time he leaves office and his successor is elected and if that successor is from a different party, he'll also tell you that he met a lot of rot in the system and that he'll try to pick up the pieces. This is the excuse that they all use to cover-up for their deliberate failures and the funny part is that it never expires. Nigerians will continue to buy it. So as they get poorer, the politicians get richer. Why on earth can't we pull the scales from our eyes???

LEAVE THEM ALONE! 2 - Minding the African Business

Being victims of racism is not really a big problem for Blacks. One of our major problems is that we're too full. We're too full of good things, but too much of everything is bad. Take an empty barrel for instance. It's so noisy and troublesome. You call that a White man? Correct! Someone like Trump. But look at a barrel that's full. You know it's problem? It can't move! While the empty barrel is noisily rattling off to new things, the full one is just stuck there, grumbling. That's the Black man! Someone from Nigeria especially. 

Mundayan Living quoted Muhammad Ali as saying that despite all his success, America would always have its White idol and someone commented, saying: 'Was Ali really that insecure?' It made me smile bitterly. Because Ali and many other Black Americans are really very insecure. So insecure, bitter and angry that they can sometimes look very scary to not only Whites, but other Blacks. Think one-time racist, Malcolm X whom I think America honors out of fear than respect. Now, these guys, those of them that have decided to work hard, will always crane their necks to look at how the White man is faring. Is that really necessary? Why can't you just mind your business? Why do you think you should always be ahead of the White man? We're all equals! At least until somebody claims to be superior. Even then, it's not our job to answer them. Actions, they say, speak louder than words. And you don't have to act because the White man is watching or because you wanna prove a point. You have to act because you have to act, because you can act, because you should act, because you MUST act!

AFRICA: A Continent Misrepresented

I think I just found a few words to represent what I've been trying to communicate for some months now: "Africa is not a continent for Blacks alone". 

When people think of Africa, what comes to their mind is 'Blacks' or a 'Black country'. Black Americans regard themselves by default to be African-Americans. That's wrong! Africa is a continent. It is not a country, or a town, or a village like most Americans think. Africans are not a bunch of similar-colored straws, we are a very diverse continent. This great continent houses Whites, Arabs, different shades of Black, and even Semitics and semi-Hispanics. 

Let me give you an example to make things a little clearer. If you say you're in America and the weather's quite warm, I might think you're a liar. Why? Because my friend who's also in America tells me it's cold over there. But the truth is you can both be right! How? My friend could be in Chile and you can be in the US, but you're both in America! The same applies to Africa. We're also spread over two hemispheres. We have thousands of languages, over 50 different countries, different currencies, different flags, different religions, different forms of government, different laws, different mindsets, different climates, etc. etc. So it is very imperative you think of us as a continent, not as some obscure place. 

The word 'African-American' is wrong and abnormal. Compare it to British-Nigerian. Do they look alike? Of course not! One's nation-nation, another's continent-nation. Not everyone who's Black is African. So a Black person who's an American is a Black American. Everyone who's a citizen of and belonging to countries in the continent of Africa is an African, be he Black, Arab, or White!

LET'S BELIEVE IN US!

What the Americans have built doesn't necessarily have a reward system. You can call it propaganda, but it's well done and it works (though it's not so effective nowadays). It makes them have goosebumps, teary eyes, puff their chest and say with pride that their country is the greatest in the world. The old Brits and Americans would do it, but which Nigerian would do it? When I say my country is the greatest in the world, people (both Blacks and Whites) look at me like I'm mad. Yes, my country is the world's greatest! I know it, I believe it and I can prove it! If every African can do the same, Africa would be the one offering aid to Europe and America! It's because we don't believe in ourselves that's why we're behind. The Whites would be Okay if they don't believe we're great, but we would be sick if we believe them.

SLAVERY WAS AND IS STILL OUR CHOICE

Someone was once quoted as saying 'slavery is a choice' (was it Kanye?). It is actually the truth. Slavery is a choice. A lot of horrors happened during the slave trade era and the White man did a lot of evil things to Blacks, but you know the worst form of slavery that the Blacks went through? It was the slavery of their own minds! They could have set their minds free, but they didn't! That's what makes it a choice, their choice. There are many angles to this, but I'll highlight only a few. One: Many of the slaves were captured and sold to the Whites by their fellow Blacks. Two: Several attempts/plans to escape from slavery were foiled by some of the slaves themselves. Three: There is a big difference between love of life/hope and cowardice. The slaves were mostly cowards. They hardly ever stood toe to toe with their enslavers. They preferred to die from beatings than to die while resisting the beatings. Four: Many of the slaves allowed 'sticks and stones' to not only break their bones but to also break their souls. Five: They generally lacked unity or the nerve for open solidarity thereby throwing away all their leverages. Six: They nursed fear until it became even bigger than their enslavers and it controlled them completely. Lastly: The dependence of (Black) African leaders on their White superiors shows that we not only chose to be slaves centuries ago, but we still remain slaves till today! 

The White man came here, only to find people who never really loved one another, people who could not think for themselves but had to consult wood and iron to make decisions for them, people who were base enough to capture, kill and eat one another. It would have been extraordinarily kind and not very human if they hadn't taken advantage of the situation.

MOVING FORWARD

It's common to hear some Africans foolishly suggest that we need a bloody revolution to move forward. Yes, it's actually not totally untrue. Development usually follows such things, depending on the leaders involved. I mean, after the Nigerian Civil War, came our first and last major development in infrastructure and other areas. Rawlings' cleansing was what made Ghana move to its current manageable height today. Rwanda's genocide was the prelude to their development which has now put them on top of Africa. Same thing in South Africa and a few other places. But even though bloodshed has produced such results, it doesn't make it the best solution. The best solution is actually much more simpler and easier. 

 

Africa's biggest problem is lack of love. If you can't love your neighbor, love yourself at least. Develop yourself, gather knowledge, travel (if you can), keep an open mind and stop adopting twisted theories. If we all do this, Africa would automatically shoot upward. But we have to do it carefully and quietly, so our enemies would not know what we are up to.

2019 JAMB CUT-OFF MARK: Nigeria's Mockery Of Quality Education

Recently, the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) wey be the join body wey dey concerned with the admission of students into tertiary institutions brought up the university admission cut-off mark to 160 out of the total 400 marks. This amounts to 40% which is within the range of F9 or Fail in a fair grading system. So if a secondary school graduate can 'fail' UTME and go on to end up in a university, why on earth will he study hard to pass out in flying colors? It shows that the entire educational system has failed! They claim that the cut-off mark is lowered to enable more students pass, but we all know that at the moment, there are not enough universities to accommodate all those that have passed with good grades, so instead of reducing it, why on earth are they trying to increase their population by adding failures to them?? Must everyone, especially the dull ones, go to a university? Why do vocational training programmes exist? It is clear that the managers of our education sector have only one objective. It's like Sgt. Maj. Blane in The Unit (S2) said: "We're here to make you fail!" 

For starters, the education curriculum is faulty and hugely outdated, the schools are dilapidated, the teachers themselves are mentally, psychologically, academically and financially dilapidated! The exam fees are high and we lead the world in poverty! After all these, the government seeing that there are many students who have passed the UTME exams and still have not gotten admission, decided to set up the Foundation Programme, not for those that passed but for those that failed! After that, they went on to reduce the cut-off marks so that more failures would stand a chance of getting admission ahead of those that passed since by the time it gets to them, the universities would already be full with failures and would no longer be accepting students! Isn't this heartless and wicked, not only to the brilliant students, but also to the Nigerian nation at large? Why are they discouraging the youths from passing exams and thereby blocking the nation's progress??? When I was younger, failing exams was something every student dreaded and every parent hated, but nowadays, it's a norm! Failing exams is very normal not only for students, but also for their parents and the rest of the society! Some years ago, I heard a student boasting that he had failed WAEC four times. He wasn't feeling bad about it, instead he was happy and smiling and his chest was puffed with pride! Oh Nigeria, where are we headed??