On October 1, 2014, as Nigeria celebrated 54 years of independence, I published my first post on this blog. Today, a year later, I look back at a year in which my notebook became my friend. Continue reading “So Quick a Year”
Articles
October 1 is Christmas Day
When it’s Christmas season, one doesn’t need to be told. The decorations, the excitement that chokes the air, the giving of gifts, visits and lots more proclaim the Christmas season. Christmas is in December, right? What if you were told that for a community in northern Nigeria, October 1 has more “swag” than December 25? You would say it’s a Muslim community. Wrong! This community is more than 90% Christian. Yet for them, October 1 is “Christmas”. Continue reading “October 1 is Christmas Day”
My Father Doesn’t Care
One of my students in the final secondary school level spoke the words above. Although these words were spoken in a rural area in northern Nigeria, they are representative of the educational inclination of a considerable number of parents across Nigeria. Continue reading “My Father Doesn’t Care”
55 Reasons for Unity
On Saturday, 1st October 1960, thousands of happy Nigerians gathered at the Race Course Square (Tafawa Balewa Square) Lagos, to witness their young country’s independence ceremony. For many persons who shared greetings and basked in the ambient excitement, the full import of “independence” was not known. The knowledge that “the white man will go, and we will lead ourselves”, was enough reason to celebrate. Today, fifty-five years later, Nigeria is sorely in need of that common drive that fuelled the campaign for independence.
A Right Wrong
“Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s
[spiritually]appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims”
1 Corinthians 6:12 (MSG)
Today, my scratchy fingers are scribbling about an issue that is quite emotional for many members of two opposing camps. I’ve been warned that it doesn’t concern me—an issue that can stir a hornet’s nest against me. Let me contribute my own kobo—I can only die once. Continue reading “A Right Wrong”
Musings of a Rural Corper
As part of a national integration scheme, the government sends corps members (CMs) to different locations to “obey the clarion call and lift our nation high”. Most CMs prefer to be posted to developed areas (“towns”). For Kaduna State, Kaduna, the state capital, is a preferred location. The various military formations in the state, especially, the elite Nigerian Defence Academy, are also highly sought posting locations. CMs posted to rural areas are seen as the less-fortunate ones. Towns and rural areas have their pros and cons, but for many CMs, personal preferences are the superior criteria. The posting letters, when they come, show whose fantasies or nightmares come true. Continue reading “Musings of a Rural Corper”
Sins of a Teacher
The life of a teacher is quite rosy. Maybe it’s not, but that’s the idea I had about teachers. What do teachers even do? Come into a class, act like the know-it-all, dish out notes, classwork and assignments. Now that I’m wearing a teacher’s shoes, I see that there’s more than meets the eyes. Continue reading “Sins of a Teacher”
The Marriage Question
This article was adapted from a post I made in a WhatsApp group chat. The issue of marriage formed the cause of disagreement. The combatants could not agree on whether marriage is merely physical (Side 1) or both physical and spiritual (Side 2). After observing the discussion for a while, I decided to contribute to the discussion. This is my viewpoint.
Education meets Culture
Different cultures have diverse mindsets about education. Sometimes, these views are convergent; at other times, they are as divergent as parallel lines that can never meet no matter the reference direction. In Nigeria, the various approaches to education from the North to the South span diverse shades of the colour spectrum, from black at one extreme, to white at the other extreme. Continue reading “Education meets Culture”
Rampage: A String of Needless Killings
The small town of Roanoke, somewhere in the US state of Virginia has suddenly had its low-key image forcibly shattered. When its better-known neighbour, Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech, was shoved into the spotlight by a lethal murder-suicide in 2007, Roanoke had no inkling that it would one day face the same reckless fury. On Wednesday, 26 August, a gunman gave TV viewers a gross spectacle—live killing on television. Sadly, public shootings have become synonymous with gun-toting Americans. Continue reading “Rampage: A String of Needless Killings”
Jilomes 