The World As I See It
The Nigerian singer, TY Bello, sang a hit song asserting that “the land is green!” Interestingly, not a few Nigerians would argue otherwise because as it is commonly said, “the land appears greener on the other side”. Maybe we can say that all parties are both right and wrong, or as some cool Nigerians would say, “1:0; goalless draw!”
Continue reading “The Land is Green; Or Not”
“A business ecosystem is just like the natural ecosystem; first, needs to be understood, then, needs to be well planned, and also needs to be thoughtfully renewed as well.”
Pearl Zhu
What would life on earth be like without lightning strikes, or without flying insects? Most persons are likely to see no significant use for these two, except maybe they sit in a science class and learn that lightning is an important player in the nitrogen cycle, which affects viability of plants (ignore artificial fertilisers and hydroponics), and also learn that insects are critical for pollinating plants to produce fruits (aka food). You see, life functions in many aspects like an ecosystem where different players need to be in the game, else we get stunted growth at best, or bedlam at worst.
Continue reading “Lost Decades of the Petroleum Industry”
It is all in the news. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is not liable to pay an obscure firm a total of ~US$11 billion arising from a bizarre contract concerning non-existent gas facilities. Considering allegations that the Central Bank of Nigeria either lied or executed “strategic miscommunication”, Nigeria surely had no way of forking out that many benjamins right now. Our closest options would have been either to give international law the middle finger (and outrightly destroy our economy) or negotiate some longer-term payment plan that would effectively turbocharge our debt burden (and further degrade our economy). Fortunately, neither option is currently required. But before we get drowned in the euphoria of a little respite for the naira, here are a few lessons to avoid the next gang of swindlers.
Continue reading “P&ID Fiasco: Eleven Billion Lessons for Nigeria”
How many lives is too much? One? Two? Hundred? If some random “racist White person” had ended the life of a Black Nigerian, we would likely be up in arms highlighting the low value placed on a black life. However, back home, we suffer worse from persons with the same skin colour whose words and actions demonstrate what Michael Jackson articulated as “they don’t really care about us”. This flagrant unimportance is the reason many Nigerians lost dependence on their lives while Nigeria marked its 63rd Independence Day.
Continue reading “For Nigerian Lives Lost at Ologbo”
Oh, yeah! The most populous black nation just marked 63 years of overt separation from colonial strangulation. Despite some overhanging sense of despair, independence, real or faux, is surely worth celebrating, especially considering that whereas Nigeria has failed to achieve its potentials, it has surely made significant progress standing without the Union Jack. So, we can say a hearty congratulations to Nigeria and continue to hope that our nation’s story can be rewritten for good; that we may build a nation that works for the generality of its people—a nation where peace and justice reign.
Continue reading “A Nation’s Love for Untrue Numbers”
I love my country. It has taken a lot from me, but like a wicked but rich spouse, it has given me a proverbial Maybach to sit in while I wipe my eyes with a face towel self-delivered by the legendary Paul Smith himself. So, I weep in the other room wondering what it would take to change its fortunes. Why would a nation seem committed to self-destruction? Every day, we see Nigerians arguing that other nations are responsible for our underdevelopment. This makes me wonder how we have become so blind to our unforced contributions. Do walk with me as I lament my countrypeople.
Continue reading “A Nation of Dumb People Becoming Dumber”
Whereas every country likely has some aspects of its existence that is based on a fudged foundation, Nigeria deserves special credit for staying somewhat erect despite having a foundation underpinned by distorted facts, half-truths, and plain lies. While we joust a lot about some persons’ real names, real birth dates, real parentage, real educational history, etc., all these debates pale in consequence when compared to a fundamental question: “How many Nigerians are there in Nigeria?”
Continue reading “Of National Development and Lying Numbers”
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick…”
Proverbs 13:12a (NKJV)
There is something about broken dreams that impacts the totality of a person. Sometimes the impact is so strong that it transcends a mere emotional sink to lay hold on a person’s physical being as if the broken dream were a virus. The closest analogy that I can think of as being vile enough would be that of a couple who after waiting for two decades to have a baby, finally pool resources for an IVF trial that works, only to lose their baby in the labour room. The hopelessness that such a couple may feel is akin to how INEC has made many Nigerians feel.
Continue reading “INEC and the Defenestration of Hope”
“Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, may ruin overtake them by surprise—may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin”
King David (Psalms 35:7-8 NIV)
I must confess that starting a political discourse with these two verses from the Book of Psalms may not seem normal, but then, what is normal in today’s world? This article could have been prefaced with the famous Golden Rule, but David’s outcry came to mind, and I think it suits perfectly.
Continue reading “In Search of a Benevolent Dictator”
There is something really interesting (in a disappointing way) in engaging with people who somehow choose to elevate parochial thinking hinging on tribal superiority; who gladly broadcast their ignorance in the market square. Every five minutes, there is some debate, sometimes quite vitriolic, that suggests that anyone who lives in Lagos State but cannot legibly trace his or her roots to Oduduwa should be grateful at the magnanimity being enjoyed because benevolent hosts have allowed such a person to drink from Lagos’ cisterns in peace. Each time I hear such views expressed; I wonder if the espousers ever learned about symbiosis in school.
Continue reading “Lagos and the Burden of Cosmopolitanism”
Jilomes 