I love Nigeria
I have observed that the prosperity or misery of each people is in direct proportion to its liberties or its prejudices and, accordingly, to the sacrifices or the selfishness of its forefathers. -Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
Suffering and smiling (2)
Every day my people dey inside bus, every day my people dey inside bus Forty-nine sitting, ninety-nine standing,Them go pack themselves in like sardine,Them dey faint, them dey wake like cock,Them go reach bed, power no dey,Them go reach road, go-slow go come,Them go reach road, police go slap,Them go reach road, army go whip,Them go look pocket, money no dey,Them go reach work, query ready”
Suffering and smiling…. 18 days and still counting
I knew something was amiss, when my father quoted Fela’s shuffering and shmiling in his text to me, two days ago. Here is the text: “Shuffering and shmiling was Fela’s song some decades ago, except that we, in the community in Dopemu, Lagos, are not smiling. This is our fourteenth day without electricity; there has been no news as to when the light will be restored.
Cut off your nose to spite your face
The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Arebgesola was in the UK recently on the invitation of the All-party parliamentary group on Agriculture and food for development and the partnership for Child Development, Imperial College, London to deliver an address inside the House of Commons.
The invitation was in recognition of the outstanding performance of Arebgesola’s elementary school model, O ‘Meal. If I am preaching to the converted, I wholeheartedly apologize. Nigeria does not often get good things to celebrate. This is one of those rare moments, that is worthy of pride and deserving of recognition.
In the best interest of Nigerians
Since President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law a ban on same-sex marriage in Africa’s most populous nation, there have been rumblings in some quarters. It is not whether Nigeria did pass ban on same sex marriage into law, it seems it is about the acceptance from certain international quarters.
A plane too many (2)
For our president, one plane was never going to be enough. Our ten-plane president, if it is to be believed, is to add to the fleet for a procurement of a brand new private jet, which will become the Presidential Air Fleet’s (PAF) 11th aircraft. The PAF already boasts of two Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, Gulfstream 550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or Eagle One), and Gulfstream IVSP. Others are one Gulfstream V, Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet. The combined estimated value of the PAF is about $390.5m (N60.53bn).
