Articles

Kigali Memorial Centre
Change, Politics

A Straight Line from Rwanda to Nigeria

Jilomes

Of all the genocides in recorded history, the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 arguably takes pole position for the level of brutality and carnage that saw around a million persons (varying estimates) butchered within a period of 100 days. To put the scale of death in context, the Rwandan population in 1994 was about 6 million persons. Via a recent trip to Rwanda, I learned a bit more about the infamous genocide and could not avoid seeing parallels between 1994 Rwanda and today’s Nigeria.

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Change, Randoms

A Game of Russian Roulette called Parenting

Jilomes

If you have any links to Nigeria, you may have heard of the latest travesty involving some kids aged 10-13 (or 15?), or even watched a certain related video, which I have heard features esoteric sex styles that might give porn actors a run for their expertise. You may have also seen a video of a mother providing cover while her under-12 daughter steals a mall-goer’s handbag. If any of these make you lose hope in the next generation, remember that about a century ago, a bunch of Russians would place a single bullet in a revolver, roll the chamber, pull the trigger, and hope to live.

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Change, Politics

A Nation in Need of Redemption

Jilomes

In November 2018, over 100 Nigerian soldiers were gruesomely slaughtered at a town called Metele by a contingent of Boko Haram terrorists. That sad event influenced an article in which I argued that losing that many soldiers in one sitting should mark a turning point in existing attempts to exterminate the murderous gang. But Metele was brushed aside and almost four years later, Nigeria continues to face existential threats to its continued existence and a loss of faith by citizens that the people who should know, know what they should know.

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Change, Politics

Of Easy Wins and Persistent Troubles

Jilomes

Behold an article that has been on my mind for some time, morphing as I consider one scenario after another. A quote by the American Chuck Norris might dare to succinctly capture my thoughts as I type this article.

“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles en route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.”

Chuck Norris
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Randoms

The Unseen Burden of History

Jilomes

It was Laura Linney who described history as “a resource”, but many times, we gloss over history as some unplugged cousin that we have been forced to babysit, whereas we should be mining it for information. Sitting through a Zoom lecture, I just had an epiphany that hit me hard enough to get my laptop and start tapping in rhythm to the fresh insight coasting through my neurones.

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Change, Inspiration

The Lonely Road to Excellence

Jilomes

Almost six weeks have passed since I posted the introductory article for this year. In the intervening period, several writing ideas have crossed my mind, but as they say, until your fingers hit the keyboard, ideas are just wishful thinking. Technically, I was on leave, but work and family commitments ensured I always had an excuse not to write. Paradoxically, today’s article tries to encourage something that if done well, may infringe on your right to freedom to enjoy your leave.

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Randoms

Another Year Called 2022

Jilomes

“The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field … teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”

~ King David of Israel & Moses the Hebrew Activist (Psalm 103:15, Psalm 90:12)

Just over two decades ago, the enlightened world worried about the approach of the millennial year amid fears that computer systems that were beginning to wield a vital role in society would malfunction. At the same time, the ultra-religious world worried about an apocalypse of universal proportions that would mark the end of life as we know it. Twenty-two years later, the cycle of life goes on as the earth makes another human-referenced revolution around its star.

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Obafemi Awolowo Train Station Moniya, Ibadan
Travelling

Christmas Wedding Bells and a Train to Oyo [Part 2]

Jilomes

Have you read Part 1? During the inbound train journey from Lagos, we heard announcements about schedule adjustments for the Christmas and New Year holidays on the Lagos-Ibadan route. Hence, we had decided to make enquiries on arrival at Moniya to know the new times for the Ibadan-Lagos trip. Unfortunately, we managed to forget to stop at a ticketing booth to make enquiries. It was as if the three-hour train ride had made us anxious to exit the train station as fast as we could, especially, as we planned to first attend our friend’s traditional marriage ceremony scheduled for Christmas Eve before the Christmas Day white wedding. How would we remedy this error?

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Passengers disembark from a train at Mobolaji Johnson Train Station in Ebute Meta, Lagos State
Travelling

Christmas Wedding Bells and a Train to Oyo

Jilomes

When my wife asked if we could attend her classmate’s wedding at Oyo Town on Christmas Day, my affirmative response came after a bit of reflection on the non-conformism of fixing a “white wedding” on Christmas Day. At this point, anyone expecting a recount of a private ceremony is bound to be disappointed. Whereas I would proudly announce that the Great Ife anthem was mandatorily rendered at the wedding reception, this article is all about transportation on rails.

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Inspiration

The Parents We Do Not Want

Jilomes

“As we grow, we’ll realise that pushing our kids to start learning how to code from a young age or pick interests in sports is not different from our parents wanting us to become doctors, lawyers, or engineers back then.”

~ T. O.

Seeing this view on a friend’s WhatsApp status, it resonated well with my thinking that I decided to share a screenshot with a simple caption: “Care (Concern) or Selfishness?” It would appear that limiting the conversation to WhatsApp just would not cut it, so here is a full article inspired by T. O.

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