For some time now, rape has become a multiple daily occurrence in Nigeria. In spite of intense media focus, the number and frequency of rape cases, especially the sexual abuse of under-aged children, have increased. Even more disturbing is the fact that some of these abuses are carried out by the biological fathers of these young girls.

Three weeks ago, I wrote a column titled ‘Rich country, poor people’ in which I lamented the disconnect between our resource rich country and its poor people. I also lamented the nonchalant wastefulness of our leaders who prefer to line their pockets instead of developing their country.

What dominated the Session was not peace, the refugee crisis, food,jobs or human rights, it was war, particularly, the Syrian war. The world leaders traded blame particularly on the Islamic State (ISIS) but not on solutions.

Last month, I was abducted from my residence in Port Harcourt and held for two weeks by a gang of kidnappers. It was, of course, a profoundly terrifying experience and as soon as I was released, I packed my bags and fled to Abuja, then London, vowing that I would not return to my home town for the forseeable future.  

FROM the rural frying pan to the urban fire, the average Nigerian has been virtually an endangered specie. His life has been characterised by continuous struggle – he has to struggle even for those things that citizens of other countries take for granted and, which they get as basic rights.
If a man must struggle through school and finally graduate into unemployment; if the system is such that enables the few lucky ones who are said to be working to be owed backlogs of salaries, sometimes for upwards of 24 months; and meanwhile retirement has become a death sentence as many pensioners have perished, “waiting for the dead-man’s shoes”, as it were, then, there is something fundamentally wrong. And in our type of situation, every window of opportunity should be explored to the limits.