“By any law of political or social science it [Nigeria] should have collapsed or disintegrated years ago. Indeed it has been described as a failed state that works. Maybe but some people are living fabulously wealthy lives amid the ruins. And others survive and get by. How? It’s a mystery” – Richard Dowden
Many Nigerians died during the long enduring march to democratic rule during the terrible days of Babangida and Abacha military rule. They died with the hope that they and their children will one day live free from oppression. They died with the hope that a Nigerian nation where justice and equality before the law will triumph over dictatorship. We thought we won that freedom from the jackboot of dictatorship when we succeeded in driving military rule from governance of our nation in 1999. Sadly, the democracy we got is not the one we fought for, the government we have does not in any way look like the government of the people for the people. Our struggle was hijacked by militricians who care less if Nigerians eat from garbage or live in ramshackle houses. What is more, they have also hijacked our judiciary, the only and perhaps last hope for the common man in Nigeria. Even during the terrible days of military rule we have military rulers who are willing to listen to the voice of reason by our judiciary.
One could recall an attempt by the regime of Raji Rasaki to forcibly evict Dim Emeka Ojukwu from his father’s house at Villaska Lodge, Ikoyi, Lagos. The Biafran war General simply went to court and the Supreme Court restored him to his home with an order. The then military rulers do not pick and choose court orders they will choose to abide. Fast forward to the civilian rule of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and you can bet Ojukwu would have rot on Queen street, waiting for the government of the day to obey a decision of judiciary restoring him to his home.
How else can one explain the refusal of the People’s Democratic Party to honor the decision of the constitutionally created Judicial Council restoring Justice Salami to his position as President of the Court of Appeal?
Time and again, PDP as a party have shown itself to be anything but a democratic party. Its conventions often end in charade. Party members’ burn and maimed each other, use any means including violence to win electoral primary and then dragged the main election between parties to court based on the rigged primary. None of its governors save Governor Duke, can be said to have performed with any distinction, rather they have been indicted by anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria and abroad. It is a party that could not be trusted to obey its own constitution not to talk of the country’s constitution. They rule by their own dictates and answer to no one but themselves only. The party and its members can be fingered in every political murder, assassination and mayhem since 1999. Their thirst for Nigerian innocent blood is evident in the many air disasters, road accidents and terrorist attacks foisted on the nation by their willful and negligent misrule of every federal governmental agency.
It is against this background that many thought Jonathan promise to bring a change to politics as usual was viewed as a breath of fresh air when Nigeria helped restore him to presidency after the demise of his former boss- Umar Yardua. What we forgot is that it is difficult for a leopard to change its skin colors. And now we know that the salvation of our country lies in our collective struggle to rid our land of Peoples Destroyer Party!
Sadly, our options are severely limited. Even when we vote, we have been told that “he who counts the vote determines the outcome of the election”. We can choose to drag them before the judiciary but they will pick and choose the court order they will obey. We are indeed running out of options other than mass protest and rallies. The petrol subsidy protests in January make it apparent that the government will do anything to infiltrate the ranks of prodemocracy activist and hijacked it for its own selfish ends. It is time for prodemocracy activist to go back to the drawing board and start strategizing on how to rid our land of every vestiges of People’s Destroyer Party. We may not have a country left when the looters in government are finished with us. History will not forgive us if we sit idly by while we let them destroy our hard earned democracy.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
An Open Letter to Nigeria’s News Media
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the … public”- Theodore Roosevelt 1918
Let me start out this letter by asking all Nigerian news media if they believed that Nigeria exist to cater to the interest of People’s Democratic Party or the Nigerian people. Recent reports about the comment made by the National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi (retd) at the “South South” Conference and the attendant reports and comments by Nigeria’s news media prompted me to write this missive. Most of the print and electronic media in Nigeria reports that the NSA chief states that the Peoples Democratic Party undemocratic “zoning” clause should be partly blamed for the increasing destruction visited on Nigerians by the “Boko Haram” sect.
It is now almost a week after the conference and no news media in Nigeria has been able to print or post online the full text of the speech delivered by the NSA. Rather, Nigerian media has participated in an orgy of condemnation of the NSA chief, all without any balance. Some of the comments printed by the news media excoriating General Azazi range from the ludicrous to the insane. For instance, virtually all news report that carried responses to the General’s comment starts out “General Azazi (retd) on Saturday came under fire over his claims…”
No serious attempts were made to evaluate or analyze the comment made by the General. Not even an ounce of efforts were made to publish the entire text or audio online or in print. The press joined in the demonization of the security chief who is hired to analyze Nigeria’s security situations. Most of the reports seem to conclude that the primary duty of the National Security Adviser is to the president and his party, not the entire the country. Of course most of these media couched the response in form of reports of other people’s comment such as the one attributed to Olisah Metuh, the national publicity secretary of PDP. Some reports seem to have gone out of their way to solicit acidic comments of politicians from the northern part of the country.
One commentator, a former commissioner of police, Abubakar Tsav states “The remark … could be true based on intelligence available to him, but the public utterance by the NSA is irresponsibly faulty. The only honourable option left for him is to throw in the towel and resign. He has no business in government. He even appears not interested or dedicated to his job.” Here, is a call to sacrifice truth on the altar of violence by a former police chief and no reporter bother to challenge Mr. Tsav. Another commenter, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, said that “to begin with, the Boko Haram insurgency began in Yobe state in 2003 and later spread to Borno and Bauchi states under ANPP.” Here, I expect the reporter to ask the Alhaji if he had listened to the speech or read the full text. This is because the security chief dissertation is not on the origin of Boko Haram sect but its profligacy. Another comment attributed to Governor Yuguda excoriated Gen. Azazi for making a comment capable of smearing the name of PDP, to him “Azazi ought to have used his experience in moulding his statements, adding that any matters that affected the party should first of all be discussed internally before any public pronouncement”. Again, I expect reporters to ask the governor if Azazi’s allegiance should be to PDP or Nigerian people who pay his salary, sadly the reporter simply let it slide.
My query to the Nigerian news media is this: If Nigerian politicians appears on your news broadcast or editorial board interviews to make comments that were outright lies or such that will endanger the safety of the country, won’t you take a moment to halt the conversation and correct them? At least, I’d like to think so. Don’t you think it is apposite to direct such politicians to some indisputable fact stated in the speech? For instance, in the speech the General states “Today, if you arrest all the leaders of Boko Haram, I don’t think the problem would end, because the situation that created the sect has not been tackled e.g. poverty and the desire (of some people) to rule Nigeria. These issues cannot be isolated unless they are handled comprehensively”. One could of course, conclude that most journalists in Nigeria are too lazy to challenge insinuations, conjectures and suppositions with facts.
The dangers posed to our polity and democracy by such jejune extrapolations and censorship is real and present. In a time when we are trying to make equally difficult security decisions against a backdrop of homegrown terrorist and complex corruption problems, it is incumbent on the news media to play a role in helping Nigerians obtain the best, most accurate information available. Without it, the odds that we will not make the right decisions at this perilous time are greatly are greatly increased.
Perhaps it's easier to allow our media to pass along a distorted version of history. It is always easier to pile on and precipitate the removal of an honest security chief for political gain. Vultures are already waiting in the wings; those who want the job will stand at nothing to use their friends in the media to push the president to remove the NSA chief. Nigeria will be the worst for it at the end. But being complicit in the twisting of Nigerian political history isn't just lazy, it's dangerous. It has consequences that will affect the health, wealth and lives of all Nigerians. It lessens the chance that our children and grandchildren will ever get to see true democracy enthroned in our nation.
Please, print the full report of the General’s speech and asked Nigerian politicians who are drawing umbrage from the comments what they think is the root cause of the intractable security problem we are facing. History will remember you for doing so.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Maitama Sule on Religion and Ethnic Politics
Today I yield this place to Nigeria's former Ambassador to the United Nations, Yusuf Maitama Sule, in an interview with The Nation Newspapers he said
He said further:
“the problems in Nigeria and indeed in the North are two: tribalism and religious bigotry. I see no reason why religion should be a barrier to our unity, not only in the North but also in the entire country. Nigeria is a very religious country. The Christians in Nigeria are more than any Christendom. The Muslims are more religious than any Muslim in any part of the world. “If there is justice, the people in power will be concerned and create jobs, look after the people. It is not force that will make the people obey. The world can never be governed by force, never by fear, even never by power. In the end what governs is the mind. What conquers is the spirit. Today, what we need in the North in order to arrest the situation is unity. And we should learn from the lessons of our elders. But I beg you: let us try to revive the glory of the past. We are all brothers, if there is any trouble it will affect every one of us. Let no one think that he would escape. The problems facing us today are much greater than any problems that faced us before. And these problems are more pronounced here in this part of the country in the North. It is true that there is poverty all over the country but there is much more poverty in the North than anywhere else. Insecurity is all over the country, but there is much more insecurity in the North than anywhere else. Disunity is very pronounced here. We have to do something about this. In order to understand or appreciate the position in which we found ourselves let us revisit the past and see how we started in the North and the East.
He said further:
“I remember way back in 1949 when we started the very first organization in Northern Nigeria the NPC. What informed our decision to organise that was the political development taking place in the South. We felt that we in the North needed to be organised so that we in the North might be in the main stream; so that we might contribute our own quote; so that we might bring together our brothers in the South. “What has gone wrong? The moral teachings of all the religion are the same. If we are to follow the moral teachings of the religions there will be no fighting. There is no religion that says you should go and pressurise someone to embrace it. The essence of every religion is love. Love is what is lacking in Nigeria. Let us teach love. Today there is poverty in the country. There is injustice in the country, if there is justice there will be peace. If there is development there will be work for everybody. We must create jobs to get people employed so that they may not be ideal. I think that is the source of insecurity.”
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
JFK and Balewa: The First Satellite Telephone Conversation between Heads of State
Recently the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library opened its vaults with huge trove of information about the Kennedy administration. One of the most salient is the transcript and audio of the first satellite telephone conversation between an American president and the head of government of Nigeria-Sir Tafawa Balewa. This historic conversation happened during the launch of the satellite telecommunication system in the United States. The audio conversation was not only saved by the Kennedy White House staff, they also made diligent efforts to transcribe and save the transcript of the conversation. Links to both can be found at Max Siollun’s Website
Few things jumped at me as I listened to the conversation and read the transcript, one as I stated above is the diligence with which those who transcribe the telephone conversation took in ensuring the accuracy of the information. The second is the confidence and erudition of the Nigerian Prime Minister, Sir Tafawa Balewa. This was clearly different from the caricatures portrayed by the Nigerian media, north and south of the prime minister. Most of the post independence press in the north, often portrayed Sir Balewa as a stooge of the Sardauna of Sokoto, while the southern press viewed him as an irredentist ethnic jingoist who is totally disinterested in ruling Nigeria and as such was ignorant of current affairs in any other part of Nigeria. The prime minister, not only speak in a clear and convincing manner about his interest in satellite telecommunication, but went further to celebrate and bragged about the exploits of Dick Tiger, a Nigerian boxer who beats an American boxer. He reminded President Kennedy that it was a very great day for all Nigerian when Tiger beats an American boxer to win the title.
This goes to show that many of the myth Nigerian have about their leadership could be exploded by bold efforts to enforce the Freedom of Information Act, recently signed into law. Our country need to start taking information dissemination seriously. Many polls show that Nigerians do not trust their leaders. Many more believed that Nigerian leadership is riddled with corruption and hardly think about policies before they announce them. It is hard to blame them for such conclusion as we have had presidents who announced many policies with much fanfare only to rolled same policies back when they are suddenly confronted with the negative impact on the public; most of which would have been apparent by a little bit of scrutiny.
As I reiterated in another piece on similar topics it is incumbent on Nigerian political leaders to analyze every public policy before they announce such, examining the alternatives and showing a rational plan that will get us to the goals and objectives of such policies. The Freedom of Information Act will help us learn from our mistakes as it has more upside than downside. The days of making decisions with little or no regards to its impact on the people should be a thing of the past. I doubt if the National Archive have a recording of Balewa ‘s conversation with President Kennedy and even if they do, it may be unreachable to mortals like us. Our presidential system of government needs an extreme makeover with its information management.
Few things jumped at me as I listened to the conversation and read the transcript, one as I stated above is the diligence with which those who transcribe the telephone conversation took in ensuring the accuracy of the information. The second is the confidence and erudition of the Nigerian Prime Minister, Sir Tafawa Balewa. This was clearly different from the caricatures portrayed by the Nigerian media, north and south of the prime minister. Most of the post independence press in the north, often portrayed Sir Balewa as a stooge of the Sardauna of Sokoto, while the southern press viewed him as an irredentist ethnic jingoist who is totally disinterested in ruling Nigeria and as such was ignorant of current affairs in any other part of Nigeria. The prime minister, not only speak in a clear and convincing manner about his interest in satellite telecommunication, but went further to celebrate and bragged about the exploits of Dick Tiger, a Nigerian boxer who beats an American boxer. He reminded President Kennedy that it was a very great day for all Nigerian when Tiger beats an American boxer to win the title.
This goes to show that many of the myth Nigerian have about their leadership could be exploded by bold efforts to enforce the Freedom of Information Act, recently signed into law. Our country need to start taking information dissemination seriously. Many polls show that Nigerians do not trust their leaders. Many more believed that Nigerian leadership is riddled with corruption and hardly think about policies before they announce them. It is hard to blame them for such conclusion as we have had presidents who announced many policies with much fanfare only to rolled same policies back when they are suddenly confronted with the negative impact on the public; most of which would have been apparent by a little bit of scrutiny.
As I reiterated in another piece on similar topics it is incumbent on Nigerian political leaders to analyze every public policy before they announce such, examining the alternatives and showing a rational plan that will get us to the goals and objectives of such policies. The Freedom of Information Act will help us learn from our mistakes as it has more upside than downside. The days of making decisions with little or no regards to its impact on the people should be a thing of the past. I doubt if the National Archive have a recording of Balewa ‘s conversation with President Kennedy and even if they do, it may be unreachable to mortals like us. Our presidential system of government needs an extreme makeover with its information management.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
My Views On Awo, Zik And Obasanjo —Ojukwu
This month I yield this space to excerpts of an interview with Late Chief Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, culled from Tribune Newspapers published on Saturday, 03 December 2011
Ojukwu
In life, his image loomed large. In death, quintessential Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has also remained an enigma, going by the avalanche of glowing tributes from the high and low, following his demise last Saturday in a London hospital. In his book, Because I Am Involved, the ever-blunt and cerebral leader of the defunct Biafram Republic, gave his candid views and estimation of some past and present Nigerian leaders and his wife, Bianca. Excerpts:
ZIK
HOW does a son begin to assess, for posterity, the virtues or otherwise of his own father? In asking me my opinion about Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Owelle of Onitsha, you have, as it were, put me in a very tight spot – nothing I say can pass the test of objectivity. Here is a man, I have known all my life; a man I was brought up to give even more respect than my father; a man who looks a giant in every respect within my childhood memory. He was the indefatigable fighter for freedom and equality. To all intents and purposes, Zik inserted the word ‘politics’ into my life’s dictionary. I respected, I worshipped, I considered him a hero, and saw him as a living legend.
At independence, he cut a rather tragic figure. He was to me the symbol of a Nigeria that might have been, but was not. He became the one Nigerian, alongside whom every other Nigerian achievement, every other success, paled in comparison. He became Governor-General, the Queen’s official representative. He later became President — a ceremonial executive. Throughout the First Republic, it slowly permeated the perception of the masses that his position in terms of power was empty. He could not dissociate himself from the inequities of the First Republic. He could not intervene to halt the inequities, and from time to time we saw him justifying and rationalising actions we were sure conflicted with his better judgment. With bitterness, we began to learn that Zik, whom the British colonial administration could never incarcerate, he willingly constituted himself a prisoner of what appeared to us as northern interests. With many others, I began to feel let down. During the war, which to a certain extent was a war to free him, he rallied to the Biafran side but later switched his support when it appeared the Biafran resistance would fail.
Deriving from this act, many have questioned his commitment to the Igbo. Many have recalled that he is of Onitsha extraction and that Onitsha has with great pride claimed and continued to claim a non-Igbo lineage. The foregoing, coupled with the fact that the Igbo appear today to be marginalised and lacking in any appreciable influence within the power structure of Nigeria invariably has made the leadership of the Igbo by Zik a subject of a vast amount of discussion. In my own candid opinion, Zik did not set out to lead the Igbo and has not in fact led the Igbo. He has been first and foremost a Nigerian who aspired to a Nigerian leadership. When the British withdrew in 1960, Nigeria was left in the hands of three great men. Of the three, Zik could be said to have been the dreamer whilst the others were hard-headed realists. Zik believed, worked for and made sacrifices for a Nigeria that had not yet come into existence – the ideal Nigeria. Those who followed him worked for this ideal, and perforce had to make sacrifices for this ideal. It is only natural that finding this ideal increasingly unattainable, they found themselves deflated and deprived vis a vis the realists, who from the beginning, ensured for their groups a share of whatever was going.
I have no quarrel with Zik, I cannot quarrel with Zik. I am rather too small for that. In Igbo culture and tradition, a son cannot quarrel with his father. Zik is my father. I grew up on his lap. My father considered him his friend and testified to this fact at the Foster-Sutton tribunal. It is true that he and I have not agreed on many issues. This is more due to the generation gap than to anything else. Our ambitions are different — where he would appear to wish to lead the Igbo, I would be content to serve them. In Igbo language, we say that one does not choose one’s relatives, but friends. As a father, I love and respect him. As a politician, I disagree with his policies which I believe, to a large extent, have left the Igbo naked.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo
In political terms, he would be considered an adversary of the Igbo given the intense rivalry between him and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. As a leader of the modern cast, he has left Nigeria standards which are indelible, standards beside which future aspirations to public leadership can be eternally measured. He was, for a long time, the only Nigerian leader that enunciated principles and played down personalities. He was a brilliant political administrator and a most erudite teacher. He not only identified himself wholly with the aspirations of the Yoruba people of Nigeria but also he was able to convince the Yoruba people of Nigeria that he, only he epitomised the highest point of their political aspirations and consciousness. He was loved, he was feared but above all he belonged to the people he professed to lead. At his death I had the singular honour of proposing for him this epitaph that has endured — ‘he was the best President that Nigeria never had.’
Many have wondered what I meant by this, but I believe the statement was clear. Nigeria would have benefitted from his presidency because of his innate presidential qualities. Nigeria must continually regret that he never, for many reasons, had the opportunity to serve at the presidential level. Awo was a leader of great stature. He was a leader who was eminently successful. That he did not fulfil a presidential ambition cannot detract from his leadership, and us, poor us, who were not his people, must continue to regret that our own leaders had not led us as he did his people or achieved for us as he did for his people.
He perceived his job as leading his people and God bless his soul. He did a lot for them. Whenever he saw an opportunity for his people, he went for it. He had a dream for the Yorubas and was steadfast in the pursuit of that dream. He knew where he was going and he took his people with him without deceit. That is why he will remain immortal in the area of his influence.
Sir Ahmadu Bello
Whenever children, the heirs of our today, read the history of Nigeria the one name that must command admiration and one which will, without doubt, attract the largest fan club would be that of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto. Here was a man every inch a prince who bestrode the Nigeria of his days and won, if not admiration, then the respect of friends and foes alike. Here was a man who roused the sleeping giant of the North from its centuries old slumber and within the short span of six years placed it in a dominant position in Nigeria. He laid he foundations of a northern pre-eminence in Nigeria that has lasted until today and which threatens to last into a future without limit. In all his actions the Sardauna was regal. When arrogant, his arrogance was perceived and accommodated as the normal prerogative of royalty – sort of droit de seigneur.
His perception of Nigeria was perhaps different from mine. He was more of a continuation of the Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio’s grand design, than the creation of a modern Nigeria which favours accommodation as opposted to absorption. Everything Sir Ahmadu believed, he believed sincerely. He was both haughty and down to earth, he was loved by those he led, of both high and low estate. He understood his people and inspired them to heights which they never appeared to think possible. As a leader, he was superb and very successful. As a Nigerian leader we all wished he led us all, directed us all and inspired us all. His legacy was, however, a legacy of competition, a legacy of a dialogue into which the North entered from a position of strength.
Sir Ahmadu Bello was in every sense a giant. He perceived Northern Nigeria as his domain and proceeded by sheer force of character to pull up that section of Nigeria from its bootstraps. He took over the leadership of the North when the North was weak and disadvantaged. When he left the scene after a short spell of time, the North had become the bully which everyone feared. He was a great leader of his people.
Yakubu Gowon
People make me laugh when they talk about an enmity between Yakubu Gowon and Ojukwu. That Gowon and I did not see eye to eye on certain issue was as a result of our different perceptions of the situation at the time. These were perceptions built into our being in Nigeria. If I were from the North my perception of the situation would have been entirely different, just as if Gowon had been from the East. In leading the war we both postured. For anyone, therefore, to try and extend this posturing and make it permanent on the national stage, to my mind, is sterile. I will most certainly invite Gowon to my house for lunch any day.
Segun Obasanjo
Then came Obasanjo. I would have felt some relief at Obasanjo’s ascendancy. Afterall, I had known him earlier as a young officer who joined the 1st Brigade on exercise in Kano. I remembered him well and remembered his rather portly presence that never ceased to amuse. I remembered his rather unpropitious return from the United Kingdom into the Nigerian infantry. I remembered that we had been friends, that I had discussed his service prospect with Brigadier Ademulegun who later advised Obasanjo to transfer to the Corps of Engineers. We had been sufficiently intimate and since I could not call him Oba, I had opted with tongue in check to call him Omo-Oba. I remembered him during the Ifeajuna coup. He had just returned from a course and was used as an intermediary between General Ironsi and Major Nzeogwu in Kaduna.
My initial enthusiasm on his becoming the Nigerian Head of State was rather dampened by the thought of certain unfortunate statement he was alleged to have made after the war, about the war, about the vanquished areas to a people he was directed to reconcile and reintegrate. I was confused by the novelty of his concept of dual sovereignty — ‘The Murtala-Obasanjo Regime.’ I was enthused by his peaceful hand-over to civilian rule, dismayed by his reference to juju in the search for a South African solution, excited by his forthright commentary on contemporary Nigerian matters and absolutely elated by his leadership forum: its concept, articulation and execution. If I were to give a confidential report on this great son of Nigeria, my verdict would be that ‘Here was a man who without being a great statesman in his time grew to become the greatest statesman of his time.’
Bianca Onoh
What can I say about this very beautiful young girl that won the 1989 Miss Inter-Continental pageant? I must confess that having only met her once (as of the time of writing the book), I cannot claim to know her and neither was I present in the audience when she won her very-much coveted crown. The year, 1988, must have been for her a year of triumph and naturally as a Nigerian I pray that she continues for ever to triumph.
I won’t comment more on her phenomenon than on her person for I feel more to ease with this for if after looking at her photographs in the newspaper or viewing the repeat broadcasts of her Inter-Continental triumph, if after seeing this, I exclaim with all men that she is beautiful, it would be like standing in front of the Empire State Building in New York and exclaiming that the building is high. I would be stating the obvious and it would be trite.
I must state categorically that I do not see anything wrong in beauty pageants and beauty contests. What I regret is that very often the beautiful ones are not, for one reason or the other, on view. There can be no doubt that beauty, like all gifts, is an asset. An acclaimed international beauty is a national asset - like a champion in any sphere of activity. This year, Nigeria must be proud that for once we have brought forward a beauty that can compete favourably with the best in the world. We have a queen we can proudly proclaim, not as a matter of jingoism or with tongue in cheek, but rather with the full confidence that we have a world-beater.
Like all endeavours, winning beauty contests is not an easy matter. It is an effort that demands absolute self-discipline. It is an effort that begins even before birth, carries through home training and years of self-denial comparable to the commitment of a world class athlete. Because beauty is all pervasive, not just a matter of physical proportions, positioning and production, but rather compromises equally of internal and latent moral and intellectual attributes, more is demanded of the beauty queen than the athlete. The athlete is permitted emotional tantrums whilst his private peccadillos are accommodated provided he wins. The queen is granted no such indulgence. Like Caesar’s wife, she must, at all times, be beyond reproach. In Nigeria today, we have at least one girl that can meet with all these standards — Miss Bianca Onoh. We should all be proud of her. When she returns home with the Miss Universe crown, Nigeria would have produced another world champion, would have won another gold in an international competition, another platinum disc award, an Oscar, a Nobel Prize. When this happens, the vehicle for such international acclaim and honour shall be none other than Miss Bianca Onoh.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Here is one Nigerian who has never appeared to want to be anyone else, anything else but Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Fela has indisputable genius. He has been and still remains one of the finest musicians on the African continent and it is most gratifying for me as a Nigerian to note the very wide acceptability which his music commands worldwide. When Fela is criticised, it is usually because of his life style. No individual is perfect. Fela is Fela and can never be Emeka just as Emeka is Emeka and can never be Fela. He is a political gadfly, a social critic and an indefatigable fighter against all forms of pomposity and hypocrisy. When he acts, his aim is to reduce the target of his action from the sublime to the ridiculous.
His lesson is to teach us not to take ourselves too seriously, to get into the habit of laughing at ourselves. Fela is an eccentric. When a society is not sufficiently elastic to accommodate essentricism that society, and not the eccentric, is sick. Our society needs Fela as a therapy; Fela reduces tension within our society. Whenever he forces authority to descend from its pedestal to join issues with the pedestrian, it is the authority that loses, it is the authority that appears ridiculous and it is the authority that we end up laughing at.
Gani Fawehinmi
Whenever a final history of this country of ours is written, I am sure that the name of Gani Fawehinmi would merit a prominent passage. Gani symbolises, perhaps, the very best of professionalism in an epoch where everything including the intellectualism is up for sale to the highest bidder. Gani is, without doubt, one of the nation’s best lawyers and perhaps also the hardest working. Where others lawyers are content to win cases, Gani’s aim remains to employ his very extensive knowledge of law to ensure justice. To him fees are of a minor consideration. What he always considers important is that the poor obtain from him the best legal protection against the rich and powerful. When he goes to court, it is very often to pose a pillar that will become part of the perimeter fence of social justice.
He is fearless and would not hesitate to take the initiative in pointing out and challenging the excesses of authority. Gani is a firm believer in the supremacy of Law. He is a crusader for the establishment in Nigeria of that supremacy. He believes the lawyer is an officer of the court and not the agent of a client. Naturally, his uncompromising posture in his relentless pursuit of social justice irritates governments. Indeed, the more autocratic and fascist the government authority, the more irritation Gani causes. Yet, there can be no doubt that Nigeria is better off with the courageous crusade of this lone-ranger.
http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/politics-today/5973-my-views-on-awo-zik-and-obasanjo-ojukwu.html
Ojukwu
In life, his image loomed large. In death, quintessential Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has also remained an enigma, going by the avalanche of glowing tributes from the high and low, following his demise last Saturday in a London hospital. In his book, Because I Am Involved, the ever-blunt and cerebral leader of the defunct Biafram Republic, gave his candid views and estimation of some past and present Nigerian leaders and his wife, Bianca. Excerpts:
ZIK
HOW does a son begin to assess, for posterity, the virtues or otherwise of his own father? In asking me my opinion about Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Owelle of Onitsha, you have, as it were, put me in a very tight spot – nothing I say can pass the test of objectivity. Here is a man, I have known all my life; a man I was brought up to give even more respect than my father; a man who looks a giant in every respect within my childhood memory. He was the indefatigable fighter for freedom and equality. To all intents and purposes, Zik inserted the word ‘politics’ into my life’s dictionary. I respected, I worshipped, I considered him a hero, and saw him as a living legend.
At independence, he cut a rather tragic figure. He was to me the symbol of a Nigeria that might have been, but was not. He became the one Nigerian, alongside whom every other Nigerian achievement, every other success, paled in comparison. He became Governor-General, the Queen’s official representative. He later became President — a ceremonial executive. Throughout the First Republic, it slowly permeated the perception of the masses that his position in terms of power was empty. He could not dissociate himself from the inequities of the First Republic. He could not intervene to halt the inequities, and from time to time we saw him justifying and rationalising actions we were sure conflicted with his better judgment. With bitterness, we began to learn that Zik, whom the British colonial administration could never incarcerate, he willingly constituted himself a prisoner of what appeared to us as northern interests. With many others, I began to feel let down. During the war, which to a certain extent was a war to free him, he rallied to the Biafran side but later switched his support when it appeared the Biafran resistance would fail.
Deriving from this act, many have questioned his commitment to the Igbo. Many have recalled that he is of Onitsha extraction and that Onitsha has with great pride claimed and continued to claim a non-Igbo lineage. The foregoing, coupled with the fact that the Igbo appear today to be marginalised and lacking in any appreciable influence within the power structure of Nigeria invariably has made the leadership of the Igbo by Zik a subject of a vast amount of discussion. In my own candid opinion, Zik did not set out to lead the Igbo and has not in fact led the Igbo. He has been first and foremost a Nigerian who aspired to a Nigerian leadership. When the British withdrew in 1960, Nigeria was left in the hands of three great men. Of the three, Zik could be said to have been the dreamer whilst the others were hard-headed realists. Zik believed, worked for and made sacrifices for a Nigeria that had not yet come into existence – the ideal Nigeria. Those who followed him worked for this ideal, and perforce had to make sacrifices for this ideal. It is only natural that finding this ideal increasingly unattainable, they found themselves deflated and deprived vis a vis the realists, who from the beginning, ensured for their groups a share of whatever was going.
I have no quarrel with Zik, I cannot quarrel with Zik. I am rather too small for that. In Igbo culture and tradition, a son cannot quarrel with his father. Zik is my father. I grew up on his lap. My father considered him his friend and testified to this fact at the Foster-Sutton tribunal. It is true that he and I have not agreed on many issues. This is more due to the generation gap than to anything else. Our ambitions are different — where he would appear to wish to lead the Igbo, I would be content to serve them. In Igbo language, we say that one does not choose one’s relatives, but friends. As a father, I love and respect him. As a politician, I disagree with his policies which I believe, to a large extent, have left the Igbo naked.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo
In political terms, he would be considered an adversary of the Igbo given the intense rivalry between him and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. As a leader of the modern cast, he has left Nigeria standards which are indelible, standards beside which future aspirations to public leadership can be eternally measured. He was, for a long time, the only Nigerian leader that enunciated principles and played down personalities. He was a brilliant political administrator and a most erudite teacher. He not only identified himself wholly with the aspirations of the Yoruba people of Nigeria but also he was able to convince the Yoruba people of Nigeria that he, only he epitomised the highest point of their political aspirations and consciousness. He was loved, he was feared but above all he belonged to the people he professed to lead. At his death I had the singular honour of proposing for him this epitaph that has endured — ‘he was the best President that Nigeria never had.’
Many have wondered what I meant by this, but I believe the statement was clear. Nigeria would have benefitted from his presidency because of his innate presidential qualities. Nigeria must continually regret that he never, for many reasons, had the opportunity to serve at the presidential level. Awo was a leader of great stature. He was a leader who was eminently successful. That he did not fulfil a presidential ambition cannot detract from his leadership, and us, poor us, who were not his people, must continue to regret that our own leaders had not led us as he did his people or achieved for us as he did for his people.
He perceived his job as leading his people and God bless his soul. He did a lot for them. Whenever he saw an opportunity for his people, he went for it. He had a dream for the Yorubas and was steadfast in the pursuit of that dream. He knew where he was going and he took his people with him without deceit. That is why he will remain immortal in the area of his influence.
Sir Ahmadu Bello
Whenever children, the heirs of our today, read the history of Nigeria the one name that must command admiration and one which will, without doubt, attract the largest fan club would be that of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto. Here was a man every inch a prince who bestrode the Nigeria of his days and won, if not admiration, then the respect of friends and foes alike. Here was a man who roused the sleeping giant of the North from its centuries old slumber and within the short span of six years placed it in a dominant position in Nigeria. He laid he foundations of a northern pre-eminence in Nigeria that has lasted until today and which threatens to last into a future without limit. In all his actions the Sardauna was regal. When arrogant, his arrogance was perceived and accommodated as the normal prerogative of royalty – sort of droit de seigneur.
His perception of Nigeria was perhaps different from mine. He was more of a continuation of the Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio’s grand design, than the creation of a modern Nigeria which favours accommodation as opposted to absorption. Everything Sir Ahmadu believed, he believed sincerely. He was both haughty and down to earth, he was loved by those he led, of both high and low estate. He understood his people and inspired them to heights which they never appeared to think possible. As a leader, he was superb and very successful. As a Nigerian leader we all wished he led us all, directed us all and inspired us all. His legacy was, however, a legacy of competition, a legacy of a dialogue into which the North entered from a position of strength.
Sir Ahmadu Bello was in every sense a giant. He perceived Northern Nigeria as his domain and proceeded by sheer force of character to pull up that section of Nigeria from its bootstraps. He took over the leadership of the North when the North was weak and disadvantaged. When he left the scene after a short spell of time, the North had become the bully which everyone feared. He was a great leader of his people.
Yakubu Gowon
People make me laugh when they talk about an enmity between Yakubu Gowon and Ojukwu. That Gowon and I did not see eye to eye on certain issue was as a result of our different perceptions of the situation at the time. These were perceptions built into our being in Nigeria. If I were from the North my perception of the situation would have been entirely different, just as if Gowon had been from the East. In leading the war we both postured. For anyone, therefore, to try and extend this posturing and make it permanent on the national stage, to my mind, is sterile. I will most certainly invite Gowon to my house for lunch any day.
Segun Obasanjo
Then came Obasanjo. I would have felt some relief at Obasanjo’s ascendancy. Afterall, I had known him earlier as a young officer who joined the 1st Brigade on exercise in Kano. I remembered him well and remembered his rather portly presence that never ceased to amuse. I remembered his rather unpropitious return from the United Kingdom into the Nigerian infantry. I remembered that we had been friends, that I had discussed his service prospect with Brigadier Ademulegun who later advised Obasanjo to transfer to the Corps of Engineers. We had been sufficiently intimate and since I could not call him Oba, I had opted with tongue in check to call him Omo-Oba. I remembered him during the Ifeajuna coup. He had just returned from a course and was used as an intermediary between General Ironsi and Major Nzeogwu in Kaduna.
My initial enthusiasm on his becoming the Nigerian Head of State was rather dampened by the thought of certain unfortunate statement he was alleged to have made after the war, about the war, about the vanquished areas to a people he was directed to reconcile and reintegrate. I was confused by the novelty of his concept of dual sovereignty — ‘The Murtala-Obasanjo Regime.’ I was enthused by his peaceful hand-over to civilian rule, dismayed by his reference to juju in the search for a South African solution, excited by his forthright commentary on contemporary Nigerian matters and absolutely elated by his leadership forum: its concept, articulation and execution. If I were to give a confidential report on this great son of Nigeria, my verdict would be that ‘Here was a man who without being a great statesman in his time grew to become the greatest statesman of his time.’
Bianca Onoh
What can I say about this very beautiful young girl that won the 1989 Miss Inter-Continental pageant? I must confess that having only met her once (as of the time of writing the book), I cannot claim to know her and neither was I present in the audience when she won her very-much coveted crown. The year, 1988, must have been for her a year of triumph and naturally as a Nigerian I pray that she continues for ever to triumph.
I won’t comment more on her phenomenon than on her person for I feel more to ease with this for if after looking at her photographs in the newspaper or viewing the repeat broadcasts of her Inter-Continental triumph, if after seeing this, I exclaim with all men that she is beautiful, it would be like standing in front of the Empire State Building in New York and exclaiming that the building is high. I would be stating the obvious and it would be trite.
I must state categorically that I do not see anything wrong in beauty pageants and beauty contests. What I regret is that very often the beautiful ones are not, for one reason or the other, on view. There can be no doubt that beauty, like all gifts, is an asset. An acclaimed international beauty is a national asset - like a champion in any sphere of activity. This year, Nigeria must be proud that for once we have brought forward a beauty that can compete favourably with the best in the world. We have a queen we can proudly proclaim, not as a matter of jingoism or with tongue in cheek, but rather with the full confidence that we have a world-beater.
Like all endeavours, winning beauty contests is not an easy matter. It is an effort that demands absolute self-discipline. It is an effort that begins even before birth, carries through home training and years of self-denial comparable to the commitment of a world class athlete. Because beauty is all pervasive, not just a matter of physical proportions, positioning and production, but rather compromises equally of internal and latent moral and intellectual attributes, more is demanded of the beauty queen than the athlete. The athlete is permitted emotional tantrums whilst his private peccadillos are accommodated provided he wins. The queen is granted no such indulgence. Like Caesar’s wife, she must, at all times, be beyond reproach. In Nigeria today, we have at least one girl that can meet with all these standards — Miss Bianca Onoh. We should all be proud of her. When she returns home with the Miss Universe crown, Nigeria would have produced another world champion, would have won another gold in an international competition, another platinum disc award, an Oscar, a Nobel Prize. When this happens, the vehicle for such international acclaim and honour shall be none other than Miss Bianca Onoh.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Here is one Nigerian who has never appeared to want to be anyone else, anything else but Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Fela has indisputable genius. He has been and still remains one of the finest musicians on the African continent and it is most gratifying for me as a Nigerian to note the very wide acceptability which his music commands worldwide. When Fela is criticised, it is usually because of his life style. No individual is perfect. Fela is Fela and can never be Emeka just as Emeka is Emeka and can never be Fela. He is a political gadfly, a social critic and an indefatigable fighter against all forms of pomposity and hypocrisy. When he acts, his aim is to reduce the target of his action from the sublime to the ridiculous.
His lesson is to teach us not to take ourselves too seriously, to get into the habit of laughing at ourselves. Fela is an eccentric. When a society is not sufficiently elastic to accommodate essentricism that society, and not the eccentric, is sick. Our society needs Fela as a therapy; Fela reduces tension within our society. Whenever he forces authority to descend from its pedestal to join issues with the pedestrian, it is the authority that loses, it is the authority that appears ridiculous and it is the authority that we end up laughing at.
Gani Fawehinmi
Whenever a final history of this country of ours is written, I am sure that the name of Gani Fawehinmi would merit a prominent passage. Gani symbolises, perhaps, the very best of professionalism in an epoch where everything including the intellectualism is up for sale to the highest bidder. Gani is, without doubt, one of the nation’s best lawyers and perhaps also the hardest working. Where others lawyers are content to win cases, Gani’s aim remains to employ his very extensive knowledge of law to ensure justice. To him fees are of a minor consideration. What he always considers important is that the poor obtain from him the best legal protection against the rich and powerful. When he goes to court, it is very often to pose a pillar that will become part of the perimeter fence of social justice.
He is fearless and would not hesitate to take the initiative in pointing out and challenging the excesses of authority. Gani is a firm believer in the supremacy of Law. He is a crusader for the establishment in Nigeria of that supremacy. He believes the lawyer is an officer of the court and not the agent of a client. Naturally, his uncompromising posture in his relentless pursuit of social justice irritates governments. Indeed, the more autocratic and fascist the government authority, the more irritation Gani causes. Yet, there can be no doubt that Nigeria is better off with the courageous crusade of this lone-ranger.
http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/politics-today/5973-my-views-on-awo-zik-and-obasanjo-ojukwu.html
Monday, February 6, 2012
Shock Therapy: Jeffrey Sachs Prescription for Nigeria
Professor Jeffrey Sachs is a well known and widely respected American economist who remains the youngest economics professor in the history of Harvard University. His success in prescribing solutions to developing countries problems is at best mixed. His best and most influential work was in Bolivia where his economic prescription helped reduced that country’s hyper inflation and stabilized the polity. He spend considerable time in studying Bolivia peculiar problem and at the end, his plan which includes ending government subsidies, eliminating import quotas, helped reduced Bolivia’s hyperinflation from 11,750% to 15% per year from 1985 to 1987. It is hard to argue against his success in Bolivia until you examine the results of the same prescription in Boris Yeltsin’s Russia.
It is against this background that one can better understand his strong support for the Nigeria’s government sudden removal of petroleum subsidy on January 2, 2012. Professor Sachs went further than any Nigerian government official to argue in his Op-ed in the New York Times that “when Nigeria won relief on its external debt in the mid-2000s, the savings on debt service were actually redirected to meaningful social investments in states and local governments...” I seriously doubt any Nigerian government official can make this claim with any modicum of seriousness. In actual fact, at the government sponsored debate held in Lagos before the withdrawal of subsidy, virtually all the government official in attendance attest to the fact that Nigerian people are right to be skeptical about any promised dividends from the subsidy removal given previous results. What we know from the National Assembly probe is that the surplus gained during the mid-2000s was largely expended on an ill fated attempt by the Obasanjo’s regime to amend the constitution to gain an additional third term.
The problem with Professor Sachs’ prescriptions for Nigeria is a fundamental lack of understanding of Nigeria situation. In Bolivia, Professor Sachs spends considerable time studying the problem of Bolivia and even lived in that country. At most, Sachs barely knows the fundamentals of the Nigerian economy. It is apparent that he thinks Nigeria has a centralized economy when in actual fact Nigeria economy is oligarchy driven. Majority of the national corporations are in actual fact owned by the few oligarchs who used them as tools to further their nest, inflating contracts and influencing policies as they go. This indeed also explains the failure of Sachs’ prescription for Russia. It would be recalled that Sachs advised Russia (under the Yeltsin administration) for two years from December 1991 to January 1994. As Nancy Holmstrom and Richard Smith pointed out the drastic decreases in industrial output over the ensuing years, a near halving of the country's GDP and of personal incomes, a doubling of the suicide rate, and a skyrocketing unemployment rate is indirectly traceable to Sachs’ prescription for Russia.
One can only hope that on Professor Sachs’ next trip to Nigeria he will ask his Nigerian host to show him where the “meaningful social investments in states and local governments” in the mid-2000’s really are. If they are honest they will probably point him to the Swiss and Cayman Island bank accounts where they stashed the funds, but I will not bet on it!
It is against this background that one can better understand his strong support for the Nigeria’s government sudden removal of petroleum subsidy on January 2, 2012. Professor Sachs went further than any Nigerian government official to argue in his Op-ed in the New York Times that “when Nigeria won relief on its external debt in the mid-2000s, the savings on debt service were actually redirected to meaningful social investments in states and local governments...” I seriously doubt any Nigerian government official can make this claim with any modicum of seriousness. In actual fact, at the government sponsored debate held in Lagos before the withdrawal of subsidy, virtually all the government official in attendance attest to the fact that Nigerian people are right to be skeptical about any promised dividends from the subsidy removal given previous results. What we know from the National Assembly probe is that the surplus gained during the mid-2000s was largely expended on an ill fated attempt by the Obasanjo’s regime to amend the constitution to gain an additional third term.
The problem with Professor Sachs’ prescriptions for Nigeria is a fundamental lack of understanding of Nigeria situation. In Bolivia, Professor Sachs spends considerable time studying the problem of Bolivia and even lived in that country. At most, Sachs barely knows the fundamentals of the Nigerian economy. It is apparent that he thinks Nigeria has a centralized economy when in actual fact Nigeria economy is oligarchy driven. Majority of the national corporations are in actual fact owned by the few oligarchs who used them as tools to further their nest, inflating contracts and influencing policies as they go. This indeed also explains the failure of Sachs’ prescription for Russia. It would be recalled that Sachs advised Russia (under the Yeltsin administration) for two years from December 1991 to January 1994. As Nancy Holmstrom and Richard Smith pointed out the drastic decreases in industrial output over the ensuing years, a near halving of the country's GDP and of personal incomes, a doubling of the suicide rate, and a skyrocketing unemployment rate is indirectly traceable to Sachs’ prescription for Russia.
One can only hope that on Professor Sachs’ next trip to Nigeria he will ask his Nigerian host to show him where the “meaningful social investments in states and local governments” in the mid-2000’s really are. If they are honest they will probably point him to the Swiss and Cayman Island bank accounts where they stashed the funds, but I will not bet on it!
More on Trip to Mother Africa
12-19-11 Bugs Everywhere
I killed ten bugs in my room last night, it was very scary. Today, my Mom and Dad left to go stock up on food, while they were gone, one of my grandma-I am required by tradition to refer to all my Dad’s sister as grandma (another peculiarly Yoruba-ish respect thing)- gave us lunch. We had rice and drank this water that came in sachets. We were suspicious of the water at first but eventually we all drank it. About an hour after my parents got back, Daniel and Sam suddenly said their stomach hurts. Sam went to lie down but Daniel decided to go play outside, as it turns out that was a good decision, he threw up on the dirt outside, and we didn’t have to clean any of that up. 15 minutes after that he threw up again. Then like 10 minutes after dinner Sam threw up and it smelled worse than Daniel’s and after that I wanted to throw up.
After cleaning up Sam throw up, my Mom asked me what we had for lunch and we told her. She said that the sachet water was “pure water” and since we weren’t used to it that’s what made Sam and Daniel throw up. So I’ll pretty much remember this day as a day of gross smelling throw up. This stinks! And also it turns out we’re going to Akure on Wednesday, I can’t wait!
12-20-11 Lost in the Forest of One Thousands Demons
We got lost today. Here’s how it all started. My Mom dropped us off at my Uncle’s house so she could run some errands, Sarah and Daniel played with my cousins, while Sam, David and I read our books. I finished two of them. We had PB & J sandwiches as a snack. And these delicious noodles called Indomie for lunch. Then my Mom came to pick us up. After about 15 minutes of driving I realized we were lost apparently my mom realized this too, because she pulled over and asked for directions the guy said to go straight. In Africa, every passerby you asked for directions will always first tell you to go straight. After another 15 minutes, she asked another person and again this other person said go straight too. I was beginning to think road should never end. 10 minutes passed she asked another person and received the same answer. It is now I missed our GPS we left in Spokane, but then will it work in Africa?
Now, I was angry and felt like this whole town was playing some horrible joke on us. After another 15 minutes of driving on this insane “straight” long road we were finally home. I had never been so happy to see new our house at Ilesha.
12-21-11 Lost Again
Today we got lost again! My Dad’s sister in Akure invited us to stay till Friday and we accepted, we left at about 6:20p.m, which is when the sun goes down in Nigeria and its dangerous to drive on Nigerian roads at night. But we ‘ve never been a very safe family. Then the arguing started, my Dad decided to go a way that would show us the farm his maternal grandpa used to take him to, but my Mom said that way wasn’t safe. Finally, since he was driving my Dad decided to go his way. But his way was bumpy and rocky and my Mom wanted us to turn back but the road is too small and we couldn’t. Eventually we found a place where we could back up and turned around and we did. But we didn’t know where to go so we just chose a direction and drove that way till we found the main road. When we got to Akure, I saw all my cousins once again and cheered up. We sat and watched TV and talked till the power went out and everyone went to bed.
12-22-11 A walk around the Neighborhood
The power was out forever today. Later we went on a laptop on to facebook. We sent friend request to one others so that when my family goes back to Spokane we can stay in touch. It was actually cool for once, so we took a walk around the neighborhood. On our walk we saw tons of kids playing with dirt and adults sitting together in clumps on porches having parties. So when we got back to my cousins house we decided to have our own little party we ate oranges and drank juices we talked about school. All my cousins go to boarding schools. So I asked what it was like they said it was O.K. Then the power came back and we watched T.V. for the rest of the night.
12-23-11 Indomie Noodle for Lunch and visit to the ZOO
Today we woke up and did our usual morning ritual which consists of us brushing our teeth, taking showers, eating breakfast, and doing our Kumon and homework. Then we watched T.V. then had Indomie Noodles for lunch. At about 3:00 pm my Dad told my siblings and cousins that we were going to a wildlife park. We were super excited so we hurriedly put on our shoes and socks. I wish I could tell you our excitement hadn’t been wasted but I can’t. Here are the reasons why our trip to the wild life park was horrible. One, there was no guides or people walking around the park to make sure you are o.k. So if you get lost then there’s no one to find you. Two, all the animals looked sad and underfed. I wanted to let them out of their cages but my Dad said I couldn’t. Three, most of the animals were hiding so I didn’t get any good pictures. Finally we got back home from the horrible wildlife park and watched T.V., ate dinner and went to bed.
12-24-11 Christmas Eve
Its Christmas Eve today and I’m so happy!! We left Akure today but my family also split ways. My Dad, my siblings except Sarah, my aunty children in Akure except Ty went to Ilesha while my Mom, Sarah and my aunty went to Kabba to see the latter’s husband’s mom. They’re coming back on Monday but I’m sad I wont b e able to spend Christmas with my little sister. When we got to Ilesha, I found out that every cousin I had on my Dad’s side was spending the nigh at our house. The names of all the cousins on my Dad’s side at our house are: Bose, Kenny, Yemi, Nife, Tosin, Feran, Bolu and Praise. My Dad told me all of them were staying till Tuesday. I was excited to spend time with my cousins. The rest of the night we watched a bunch of African movies, which were hilarious because a bunch of people died, and the people used magic to kill them. We went to bed at about 12:30 p.m. all the girls slept in my room and all the boys in Sam’s room. It was a fun day.
12-25-11 Christmas Day
Christmas this year was probably the best Christmas ever. First, we went to my uncle’s church, I could barely sit through the service. Then we went through giving rice and vegetable oil which we bought with the money we raised from mine and Sam’s widows and orphans fundraising in Spokane, to the widows around my Dad’s old neighborhood. After that we went to a party my grandma had for all her friends. I had to say “hi” to almost all of them and so did all my cousins and siblings. My Dad could tell we were getting restless so he said we could go. We were really excited because we were going to Erin-Ijesha waterfalls. Erin-Jesha waterfalls are these waterfalls that have 7 levels you can climb up everyone says that they pre really fun to climb so my Dad said we could go. Kenny, Tosin, Bolu, Praise, Daniel and David stopped at level 2 but the rest of us decided to keep going but in the middle of levels 4 and 5 we really started to wish we had brought some water. Finally, we made it to level 7 and we immediately knew the climb was worth it. You could see everything from up there, lush green foliage et al. It was beautiful. We quickly descended when we got back down to level two we all had a huge water fight. Everyone was soaking wet when we left but we all agreed to had been the best day of our trip so far.
12-26-11 Another Wedding Introduction
We went to a wedding introduction today. It’s where the two families meet each other eat, drink, talk, be merry and exchange gifts with each other. Kids really didn’t have anything to do there so it was super boring. When we got home my Dad made my cousins, siblings and I stand up and say 5 things about ourselves. He said the person who remembers the most people’s 5 things he would give them #200 naira. Yemi won that contest. Just then grandma came in and my Dad says that we should make movie about our family history. So got out the camcorder we all gathered around my grandma and she told us where she was born, who her parents were and etc. It was pretty interesting since she let us ask a bunch of questions. I found interesting facts like that in college, my grandma dropped out of school because she joined wrong gang. Everyone laughed when they heard that. Making the movie was a lot of fun and I know that I’ll be sad when my cousins leave tomorrow.
12-27-11 Missing you
All of my cousins left today, I’ll miss them a lot but I’m happy I’ll get to see them again next year (?). After my cousins left it got really boring since there was no one to talk to and I couldn’t use Kenny’s phone to go on the Internet anymore. I thought about talking to my siblings but that’s like torture. So I ended up helping and talking to my Mom in the kitchen. It was nice talking to her again I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until now. She told me about her childhood and I listened carefully. After I finished talking to my Mom, I went outside and played with Daniel and Sarah for a little while. They were playing with dirt and my Mom got so mad when she saw that they got their clothes all dirty.
12-28-11 Empty, Bare and Alone
My Mom told us that we’re going to Abeokuta tomorrow and from there to Lagos and eventually to Spokane. We had to pack up most of our stuff and that took forever and when we got done the house was bare. It looked to empty and write alone and I felt like giving it a big hug, but didn’t since it’s a house. When we were done packing Mom told us to write a list of all the foods here that we want to bring to Spokane with us. We argued a lot over the list until my Mom said to put everything that everyone wanted on the list and she would decide what stays and what goes. After that I went to my room and read my book and played some games on my kindle. Then I hung out with my siblings until dinner and after dinner, bedtime was here.
I killed ten bugs in my room last night, it was very scary. Today, my Mom and Dad left to go stock up on food, while they were gone, one of my grandma-I am required by tradition to refer to all my Dad’s sister as grandma (another peculiarly Yoruba-ish respect thing)- gave us lunch. We had rice and drank this water that came in sachets. We were suspicious of the water at first but eventually we all drank it. About an hour after my parents got back, Daniel and Sam suddenly said their stomach hurts. Sam went to lie down but Daniel decided to go play outside, as it turns out that was a good decision, he threw up on the dirt outside, and we didn’t have to clean any of that up. 15 minutes after that he threw up again. Then like 10 minutes after dinner Sam threw up and it smelled worse than Daniel’s and after that I wanted to throw up.
After cleaning up Sam throw up, my Mom asked me what we had for lunch and we told her. She said that the sachet water was “pure water” and since we weren’t used to it that’s what made Sam and Daniel throw up. So I’ll pretty much remember this day as a day of gross smelling throw up. This stinks! And also it turns out we’re going to Akure on Wednesday, I can’t wait!
12-20-11 Lost in the Forest of One Thousands Demons
We got lost today. Here’s how it all started. My Mom dropped us off at my Uncle’s house so she could run some errands, Sarah and Daniel played with my cousins, while Sam, David and I read our books. I finished two of them. We had PB & J sandwiches as a snack. And these delicious noodles called Indomie for lunch. Then my Mom came to pick us up. After about 15 minutes of driving I realized we were lost apparently my mom realized this too, because she pulled over and asked for directions the guy said to go straight. In Africa, every passerby you asked for directions will always first tell you to go straight. After another 15 minutes, she asked another person and again this other person said go straight too. I was beginning to think road should never end. 10 minutes passed she asked another person and received the same answer. It is now I missed our GPS we left in Spokane, but then will it work in Africa?
Now, I was angry and felt like this whole town was playing some horrible joke on us. After another 15 minutes of driving on this insane “straight” long road we were finally home. I had never been so happy to see new our house at Ilesha.
12-21-11 Lost Again
Today we got lost again! My Dad’s sister in Akure invited us to stay till Friday and we accepted, we left at about 6:20p.m, which is when the sun goes down in Nigeria and its dangerous to drive on Nigerian roads at night. But we ‘ve never been a very safe family. Then the arguing started, my Dad decided to go a way that would show us the farm his maternal grandpa used to take him to, but my Mom said that way wasn’t safe. Finally, since he was driving my Dad decided to go his way. But his way was bumpy and rocky and my Mom wanted us to turn back but the road is too small and we couldn’t. Eventually we found a place where we could back up and turned around and we did. But we didn’t know where to go so we just chose a direction and drove that way till we found the main road. When we got to Akure, I saw all my cousins once again and cheered up. We sat and watched TV and talked till the power went out and everyone went to bed.
12-22-11 A walk around the Neighborhood
The power was out forever today. Later we went on a laptop on to facebook. We sent friend request to one others so that when my family goes back to Spokane we can stay in touch. It was actually cool for once, so we took a walk around the neighborhood. On our walk we saw tons of kids playing with dirt and adults sitting together in clumps on porches having parties. So when we got back to my cousins house we decided to have our own little party we ate oranges and drank juices we talked about school. All my cousins go to boarding schools. So I asked what it was like they said it was O.K. Then the power came back and we watched T.V. for the rest of the night.
12-23-11 Indomie Noodle for Lunch and visit to the ZOO
Today we woke up and did our usual morning ritual which consists of us brushing our teeth, taking showers, eating breakfast, and doing our Kumon and homework. Then we watched T.V. then had Indomie Noodles for lunch. At about 3:00 pm my Dad told my siblings and cousins that we were going to a wildlife park. We were super excited so we hurriedly put on our shoes and socks. I wish I could tell you our excitement hadn’t been wasted but I can’t. Here are the reasons why our trip to the wild life park was horrible. One, there was no guides or people walking around the park to make sure you are o.k. So if you get lost then there’s no one to find you. Two, all the animals looked sad and underfed. I wanted to let them out of their cages but my Dad said I couldn’t. Three, most of the animals were hiding so I didn’t get any good pictures. Finally we got back home from the horrible wildlife park and watched T.V., ate dinner and went to bed.
12-24-11 Christmas Eve
Its Christmas Eve today and I’m so happy!! We left Akure today but my family also split ways. My Dad, my siblings except Sarah, my aunty children in Akure except Ty went to Ilesha while my Mom, Sarah and my aunty went to Kabba to see the latter’s husband’s mom. They’re coming back on Monday but I’m sad I wont b e able to spend Christmas with my little sister. When we got to Ilesha, I found out that every cousin I had on my Dad’s side was spending the nigh at our house. The names of all the cousins on my Dad’s side at our house are: Bose, Kenny, Yemi, Nife, Tosin, Feran, Bolu and Praise. My Dad told me all of them were staying till Tuesday. I was excited to spend time with my cousins. The rest of the night we watched a bunch of African movies, which were hilarious because a bunch of people died, and the people used magic to kill them. We went to bed at about 12:30 p.m. all the girls slept in my room and all the boys in Sam’s room. It was a fun day.
12-25-11 Christmas Day
Christmas this year was probably the best Christmas ever. First, we went to my uncle’s church, I could barely sit through the service. Then we went through giving rice and vegetable oil which we bought with the money we raised from mine and Sam’s widows and orphans fundraising in Spokane, to the widows around my Dad’s old neighborhood. After that we went to a party my grandma had for all her friends. I had to say “hi” to almost all of them and so did all my cousins and siblings. My Dad could tell we were getting restless so he said we could go. We were really excited because we were going to Erin-Ijesha waterfalls. Erin-Jesha waterfalls are these waterfalls that have 7 levels you can climb up everyone says that they pre really fun to climb so my Dad said we could go. Kenny, Tosin, Bolu, Praise, Daniel and David stopped at level 2 but the rest of us decided to keep going but in the middle of levels 4 and 5 we really started to wish we had brought some water. Finally, we made it to level 7 and we immediately knew the climb was worth it. You could see everything from up there, lush green foliage et al. It was beautiful. We quickly descended when we got back down to level two we all had a huge water fight. Everyone was soaking wet when we left but we all agreed to had been the best day of our trip so far.
12-26-11 Another Wedding Introduction
We went to a wedding introduction today. It’s where the two families meet each other eat, drink, talk, be merry and exchange gifts with each other. Kids really didn’t have anything to do there so it was super boring. When we got home my Dad made my cousins, siblings and I stand up and say 5 things about ourselves. He said the person who remembers the most people’s 5 things he would give them #200 naira. Yemi won that contest. Just then grandma came in and my Dad says that we should make movie about our family history. So got out the camcorder we all gathered around my grandma and she told us where she was born, who her parents were and etc. It was pretty interesting since she let us ask a bunch of questions. I found interesting facts like that in college, my grandma dropped out of school because she joined wrong gang. Everyone laughed when they heard that. Making the movie was a lot of fun and I know that I’ll be sad when my cousins leave tomorrow.
12-27-11 Missing you
All of my cousins left today, I’ll miss them a lot but I’m happy I’ll get to see them again next year (?). After my cousins left it got really boring since there was no one to talk to and I couldn’t use Kenny’s phone to go on the Internet anymore. I thought about talking to my siblings but that’s like torture. So I ended up helping and talking to my Mom in the kitchen. It was nice talking to her again I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until now. She told me about her childhood and I listened carefully. After I finished talking to my Mom, I went outside and played with Daniel and Sarah for a little while. They were playing with dirt and my Mom got so mad when she saw that they got their clothes all dirty.
12-28-11 Empty, Bare and Alone
My Mom told us that we’re going to Abeokuta tomorrow and from there to Lagos and eventually to Spokane. We had to pack up most of our stuff and that took forever and when we got done the house was bare. It looked to empty and write alone and I felt like giving it a big hug, but didn’t since it’s a house. When we were done packing Mom told us to write a list of all the foods here that we want to bring to Spokane with us. We argued a lot over the list until my Mom said to put everything that everyone wanted on the list and she would decide what stays and what goes. After that I went to my room and read my book and played some games on my kindle. Then I hung out with my siblings until dinner and after dinner, bedtime was here.
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