Author: Jilomes

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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Change, Politics

#EndSARS: 365 Days from October the Twentieth

Jilomes

French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr declared in 1849 that “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. From a literal interpretation, if things that are changing end up being like the former state, how much more when no attempt is made at creating a change, or when such change, though promised, takes up residence in a large void filled with disclaimed promises. One year after the popular protests tagged #EndSARS, has anything really changed with Nigerian policing?

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Politics

Of Biafra, IPOB and Diabolic Strategies

Jilomes

“So, Jonah, what do you think about IPOB?” This question, posed by an Igbo friend, would lead to a discussion between myself, the questioner, and a second Igbo friend; none of us fans of IPOB, and has also triggered this article. In case you are uninitiated, IPOB stands for the Indigenous People of Biafra, an organisation that seeks the formation of a new country called Biafra, and that appears to assume that someone like me, a non-Igbo from Rivers State, is automatically and unquestionably a citizen of Biafra.

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Change, Inspiration

The Privilege Vs Responsibility Divide

Jilomes

“Privilege is when you think something is not a problem because it’s not a problem to you personally”

David Gaider

The headline quote for this article is one that I think requires some deep introspection. But even if you were to undertake the shallowest form of reflection, it is easy to see at least one area of privilege regardless of how badly you think you lost the proverbial birth lottery. For me, my mind is burdened as I try to draw a line between privilege and responsibility. Permit me to selflessly unload my burden on you.

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Randoms

Of Scams that Seek the Unemployed

Jilomes

I once read a tweet that angrily demanded that the worst spaces in hell be reserved for those who fart in airplanes at high altitudes. If someone could be so disgusted about a natural phenomenon, imagine the anger when you see people prey on persons seeking jobs to earn a living. In a country with high unemployment levels, many persons are desperately seeking employment opportunities. Sadly, many fall prey to crooks whose job is to scam the jobless. The scammed are even the fortunate ones; some applicants are robbed, beaten, raped, or even killed.

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Change, Energy

Download Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (OCR Version)

Jilomes

On Monday, 16 August 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Bill into law, potentially setting the stage for significant changes in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. I do not intend to provide any real commentary on the Act. I am merely providing a populace-friendly version of the Act that can be searched electronically.

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Change, Politics

Saving Nigeria Through Resource Control

Jilomes

Of all the myriad issues that have plagued Nigeria since its independence in 1960, resource control is one of the biggest, arguably resent-laced issues that straddles everything from equity, political control, to plain expropriation. Nigeria is currently in the process of another piecemeal constitutional amendment, with resource control being a recurring demand from the oil producing region, while an affiliated demand seems to have contributed to delaying the Petroleum Industry Bill. Is there a way to redefine the pie and allow all stakeholders to go home happy?

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