The World As I See It
Developed countries attained their present status by making the best of their human resources, and training them to become productive members of their respective societies. In Nigeria, despite the hubbub about moving from third world to first world status, our human capital development strategy is abysmal. Why else would our ivory towers be bastions of neglect and reprehensible evil? Continue reading “Evil in the Towers”
It is usually said that we are prone to making mistakes or saying the wrong things when we are pressured and feel our backs against hard concrete. When a boss forces one to alter an honest opinion, one can either decide to stand one’s ground, or succumb to the pressure. Whatever choice is made; one thing is clear—times of intense pressure are times when reputations are either made or marred. Continue reading “The 7th April Delusion”
Nigerian politicians and political office holders are reputed for glaring deficiencies in several basic indices that affect performance, efficiency and emotional intelligence. Whereas some deficiencies can be easily forgiven and remedied, one area of competency (or incompetency) stands out sorely—most politicians lack manners, the ability to know what to say, and how to say it without taking Nigerians for granted. Continue reading “F9 in Public Speaking”
When Tomichan Matheikal said, “History is replete with blunders written by sycophants”, he must have had Nigeria in mind. A school of thought argues that history always repeats itself. Truly, the Nigerian political sphere is a prime example of efficient recycling—there is nothing new under the sun. Continue reading “The New Face of Sycophancy”
Somewhere, right now, a mother is weeping for her slain child, siblings are crying for their brother, a father is feigning composure over the headless corpse of his son. The mourners’ crime is very grievous. They had the effrontery to be either present, or have a relative present in Rivers State in an election season. Accordingly, the megalomaniac politicians have executed their punishment—the rivers flow with blood, not water. Continue reading “Rivers of Blood: A Clash of Egos”
Over the years, some incidents in Nigeria have tried to portray it as a theatre of the absurd. Periodically, news reports spring up, bewildering many Nigerians who wonder if the main characters lack commonsense, and the decency to save Nigerians the shame of watching foolish dramas. The #FreeEse incident is a quintessential example of a lot that is wrong in Nigeria. Continue reading “#FreeEse: When The Constitution Is Not Supreme”
When faced with a problem, the human mind is designed to analyze the problem, think of a possible solution, and implement such solution. While this approach works most times, sometimes, the complexity of a challenge creates a scenario where no simplistic solution exists. Rather, an effective solution considers the links between all the factors at play, and is at best, a line-of-best-fit. The Nigerian economy faces such a complex challenge; there is no simple solution—not even the patriotic purchase of local products. Continue reading “Simply #BuyNaijaToGrowNaira?”
The only Nigerian who doesn’t know that the naira is falling (“rising”) is the Nigerian who has no business whatsoever with anything imported with dollars, nor derived from something imported with dollars, nor used by other Nigerians who provide goods or services used by this person. Such a person surely lives in a cave, ostracized from human contact. Everyone knows that the naira is in a mess—even the yam tubers in Benue are aware. Continue reading “The Exchange Rate Debacle”
Last week, while many Nigerians continued in the struggles of this economic era, the Nigerian internet alley went agog with reactions to an article by The Economist. The reputable magazine had referred to former President, Goodluck Jonathan, as “an ineffectual buffoon”. This name-calling set the stage for the week’s fireworks.
Continue reading “The Rightness of Name Calling”
In the first article, I said the Association of Nigerian Troublers has many “unusual” members in its fold. A certain reader did not like my expanded list, which included most Nigerians. This person engaged me in a debate about the “real troublers”, and made me pledge to write another article addressing his views. This is it! Continue reading “Troublers of Nigeria: A Different View”
Jilomes 