Behaviour – Jilomes

Of Productivity and National Attitudes to Work

July 19, 2025July 19, 2025 Jilomes

The past week or two saw a little debate on “Nigerian Twitter” about a claim that Nigerians are unwilling to work, effectively saying Nigerians are lazy. While the proponents of the claim had the initial field day espousing their view, the opposing team came out strongly in the second half with valid rebuttals around inadequate remuneration and unstructured workplaces. As usual with many of these debates, the truth is neither here nor there.

Continue reading →

Inspiration

On Your Marks, Set, 2025!

January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 Jilomes

Here we are again at the start of a new year. Every year is more or less the same length, but some might swear that 2024 was a “fast” year. With a number of upsets at the global and local scale, last year was quite a year. But as we have crossed into another year, it is time to look forward and run a fresh race. So, here are three quick pointers to consider this year.

Continue reading →

Change, Energy

Cutting the Head of the Cobra Effect

November 21, 2024 Jilomes

In economics, the concept of “Perverse Incentive” commonly refers to a situation where an incentive leads to detrimental outcomes for the enablers of such incentive. The most popular example comes from British Colonial India where an attempt to eliminate cobras in Delhi by paying for each killed cobra led to people farming cobras. Due to self-interest, the socially or morally optimal outcome will never occur as humans would rig the system to perpetuate the incentive. This is the rabbit hole that Nigeria needs to escape from.

Continue reading →

Randoms

An African’s Take on the Titanic’s Titan

June 25, 2023 Jilomes

“But wetin this oyinbo people go find for there sef”

I have long accepted my cross as an offline search engine cum facts aggregator providing value added services to my bosses. But whereas I wish I could request a salary increase attuned to the higher costs of staying current, this article is not about negotiating a raise. My boss’ question mirrored the minds of many Africans and even non-Africans wondering why anyone would pay US$250,000 (almost ₦200 million) to increase the number of persons lost to the Titanic.

Continue reading →

Change, Randoms

A Game of Russian Roulette called Parenting

April 20, 2022 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.

Continue reading →

Change, Politics

A Nation in Need of Redemption

April 4, 2022 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.

Continue reading →

Randoms

The Unseen Burden of History

February 27, 2022February 27, 2022 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.

Continue reading →

Change, Inspiration

The Lonely Road to Excellence

February 13, 2022 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.

Continue reading →

Change, Inspiration

The Big Man in Us

June 10, 2021 Jilomes

Do you know any person who used to complain about an alcoholic father, but is now an alcoholic? Or, maybe it’s someone who complained about a terrible boss, but is now competing for that title? Maybe you know a woman who always complained about her mother-in-law, but is now doing to her daughter-in-law the very things she used to whine about. I have seen a quote that says “we become what we hate”. However, I disagree. Maybe it’s not that we become what we hate, but that what we hate might be the default “normal” for humans, and we ought to actively seek to be different rather than merely complain.

Continue reading →

Change, Politics

Frustration 601: When Brethren Fight

February 14, 2021 Jilomes

They say the grasses suffer when two elephants fight, but I wonder what happens to the elephants when the grasses fight over their lowly state. While you may cringe at the impossible metaphor of grasses fighting themselves, I have chosen it to highlight a paradoxical happening in society where one group of oppressed persons would take out their frustrations on another group of oppressed persons, while the oppressors pick out pieces of meat stuck in their fortunate teeth from a continuous meal of oppression.

Continue reading →