The World As I See It
For today’s article marking Nigeria’s “Democracy Day”, a quote by Michelle Hodkin should provide a suitable explanatory introduction. The quote goes thus: “Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.” Extending this, Philip Dick concisely says that “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Combining these two quotes, I believe there is a strong enough foundation for this essay. Let us begin.
The adage, “experience is the best teacher”, wrongly assumes that experience is efficacious in delivering instruction. What that adage failed to consider is that “fools despise wisdom and instruction”. In other words, for a fool, even experience is not good enough to serve as a teacher. Trying to teach a fool, even using experience, is like explaining how a colour looks to a person who was born blind. Unfortunately, this is the kind of situation Nigeria finds itself. At the risk of seeming unpatriotic, I still say that Nigeria is like a fool for whom thirty lessons is insufficient. Continue reading “One Lesson Too Many”
A quote attributed to South African-born Mokokoma Mokhonoana says that “You cannot really shame a man who sincerely does not care what others think of him”. To feel shame, a person must have the capacity to not just understand what shame is, but also recognize that an action or a spoken word is beneath dignity standards. This is where the South Africans and their Nigerian comrades have shown unrepentant deficiency. Continue reading “The South African Dance of Shame”
Growing up in Nigeria, one phrase continuously heard was “African time”. It appears the world had a meeting and assigned a special time-keeping system to Africans, with Nigerians as the guardians of this time standard. With such a reputation at odds with the famous timekeeping Swiss, stereotypical expectations assume that Nigerians would never be early at anything, even if their lives were to depend on being early. Unfortunately, while some Nigerians try to defeat this stereotype, some others go extra lengths to ensure Nigeria’s battered image remains unredeemed. Continue reading “Redeeming a Battered Image”
It’s already the first of January. Another 365 days has passed; 366 if we consider that 2016 was a leap year. Like every other year, 2016 had its highs and lows, times of rejoicing, and times when we wondered if things could ever get worse. Despite all that happened, the important thing is that we pulled through the bad times and immersed ourselves in the joys of the good times. As the usual annual greetings continue around the world, here’s 2016 summarized from my viewpoint. First, let me say, “Happy New Year”. Continue reading “A Look at 2016”
Let me start with a quote attributed to the famous Albert Einstein: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” This quote simply says good solutions require innovative thinking. The alternative is to say that without good thinking, we cannot solve problems, or at best, we would solve one problem by creating another. This alternative seems to be enshrined in the policy guidelines inspiring several decisions by the Nigerian government. Continue reading “FRSC: Creating Another Monster”
When you come from a place where things are generally messed up, there are strong odds that even a whiff of sanity would piqué your interest, making you think you’ve just encountered the best life has on offer. This tallies with the common maxim that “in the land of the blind, the person with one eye is king”. However even accounting for this maybe overexcited feeling, there are things you come across that would surely stand out, regardless of whether they are one-off occurrences, or common to those you encounter. This is a narration of an encounter with caring customer service. Continue reading “Watching Out for Customers”
Newton’s first law of motion states that “a body at rest would remain at rest unless a force acts on it”. If this sentence does not seem simple enough, here’s a street person’s rephrasing: “a football would not move until someone or something (e.g. wind) pushes it”. Something must make a move. This is a simple rule that Nigerians have not learned. Nigerians can pray and hope for ten million years, but don’t forget that even David had to pick stones and face Goliath. Without some action, most prayers are useless. Yes, I said that, and I’m a Christian. Continue reading “Taking Nigeria Back”
Two centuries ago, Brigham Young said that “True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what’s right.” Those words are as true as the knowledge that the earth is spherical. Whereas some persons view independence as being free to do whatever they like however they like, such persons have a myopic view that points to immaturity. When one is truly independent is when one comes to appreciate that independence implies a responsibility to do the right thing. It is the Nigerian state’s inability to understand this logic that has kept it in shackles for fifty-six years. Continue reading “Shackles of Independence”
One of Nigeria’s contemporary bright minds, Ayo Sogunro, once wrote that “everything in Nigeria will kill you”. While one tries to take in the import of his statement, one hears something like “life is already hard; why make it simple”. The two quotes combined, paint a gloomy picture of a Nigeria that is designed to make things as difficult as possible for Nigerians. Sadly, this is a daily reality for many Nigerians. Continue reading “Undeserved Hoops”
Jilomes 