Opinion

Entertainment, Opinion

Opinion: Skiibii just killed his career | By: Charles Novia

I had never heard of the fellow called Skiibii before the news of his ‘death’ trended on Friday 14th August 2015. With such a horrible moniker for a real name, one could not care really what his name was, truth be told. But within a couple of hours, the name Skiibii became the most popular name on cybersphere in Nigeria, giving the artiste a desired ‘Five Star’ Fifteen Minutes of Fame. 
It was first reported by blogger Linda Ikeji on Friday morning that Skiibii had passed on; news she said she confirmed from the Five Star Music spokesperson, Soso Soberekon. Since it was supposedly a valid confirmation by Linda Ikeji, Nigeria’s top blogger, it was only a matter of seconds before a sympathetic buzz started about the artiste’s ‘death’. I read about it like everyone else and since I did not know who the guy was, I mumbled a sympathetic prayer for his soul and moved on with my business. 
But the initial picture released of the dude on the floor had me a bit disturbed then as to why someone who just died, with the blood barely cold in his body, would have that kind of bizarre picture immediately posted on social media. It didn’t make sense to me and I told a friend next to me that whoever released that picture deserved to be flogged.
 To me, it was in bad taste and would also be the last picture anyone would remember of the artiste in years to come; that is if anyone would bother to. Perhaps being a slow news day, many people started putting up profile pics of the dead Skiibii, as is wont with such trends. But Linda Ikeji came back a a few minutes later to report that Skiibii was not dead, with barely contained disdain in her write up. She suggested that it was a publicity stunt and that was when people began to really look at the case with ‘another eye’. 
The press statement from Five Star Music, refuting the death of the lad did not help matters. The damage had been done. 98% of the people believe it was all a publicity stunt. And that notion will be hard to dispel. I have my suspicions too that it is a publicity stunt, engineered to shore up the buzz of a new artiste trying to blow. And why should I not think so? First, the initial picture of the ‘dead’ lad on the floor, at close inspection, gives away the stupidity of those who were around the artiste when he was thought to be dead. 
So, in their village, when a person slumps and dies, the first thing they do would be to snap pictures? There was no one smart enough to attempt to resuscitate the lad, by tearing off his shirt, removing his shoes, even stripping him to his boxers just to ensure that he had a fighting chance of resuscitation? The only thing the dense persons near him could do was to snap a picture and even ‘conveniently’ have the head of the ‘dead’ artiste away from the centre table? 
The dude was even half-laid on the rug! Secondly, the coincidence of the artiste having a new single released just a couple of days before his ‘death’ and even being on a top radio station in Lagos the day before to promote his single, was just too close. Haba! Of course, one can safely say this because he didn’t really die as reported and this leaves room for such conjecture which points to a gradual summation of a publicity stunt ill-executed. 
Thirdly, the other clue Linda has already pointed out in her blog, the coincidence of Skiibii wearing the same gear he had on two weeks before in a picture and still having the same gear on on the day of his death to the last thread and belt! Haba! Well, I guess we now know that he likes to re-rock clothes? The Five Star Music statement did not say which hospital Skiibii is admitted presently. For the public to believe that this was not a ruse, we need to know the hospital, the name of the doctor who is treating him, the nature of his illness and how it happened. That is how such is done elsewhere. This is a matter of a huge credibility problem for the artiste and even Five Star Music as a company and treating this with kids gloves has the potential of destroying careers on that label. For now, this smacks of a publicity stunt gone awry. 
While I do not wish the artiste any ill luck but the best of his health, if indeed my doubts and those of millions of people are dispelled, it is instructive to note that it is not in anyway wrong to ask these nagging questions. There are lessons to be learned from all of this. Celebrities, especially those in the music sector in Nigeria, have degraded the art of PR to the most asinine of stunts and stories over the past couple of years. They throw lies out to those gullible enough to believe them and laugh in glee when such lies trend. Na una all wey dey believe come be mugu! It’s time we begin to question these stories and shame such persons behind such when they are found to be fake. Going back to this Skiibii in question, it would be safe to say that something really may well die in his world, with the negative angst this story of his has generated. His career. It’s Dead On Arrival. It’s his brief now to get a life.

Credit: www.charlesnoviadaily.com

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Entertainment, Opinion

Salary Palaver: Nigerians, what happened?| By: Ikedi Ohakim

“Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you.The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty” (James 5:4)
The hallmark transition of Nigeria from one democratically elected administration to another is a thing worth celebrating but this celebration of “CHANGE” has been tainted by the salary palaver.
For, regardless of the rising democratic profile of our great country which has earned her no mean admiration from the rest of the world, her economic prospect at the moment are probably at its lowest ebb in the history of her existence.
A review of past transitions would also reveal that at almost every point of handover, there are usually tales of woes on the economic state of the nation: from the local governments (where they are allowed to exist) to the federal government. There are usually tales of woes about arrears of salaries of civil servants running into several months. It happened in 1983, 2003, 2007, 2011 and now 2015.
Last count, arrears of unpaid wage bills across the thirty-six states of the federation plus the federal government itself was reportedly put at over N150 billion while the construction industry alone is being owed over N600 billion for jobs already completed. A tale of getting and spending gone wrong?
If we must refresh our memory, the global economic meltdown between 2008 and 2010 had an adverse effect on our economy. The demand of our crude oil, our main source of foreign exchange till date fell. The price of crude in the international market also fell as low as US$38 per barrel. To make matters worse, Nigeria was not even meeting its OPEC production quota of 1.4 million barrels per day due to violent militancy in the Niger Delta. Nigeria’s production fell to as low as 700,000 barrels a day.
This meant that states were receiving less money from the Federal allocation. South-East state governments, for example, were receiving on the average about N28b per annum from the Federation allocation.
Between 2011 to 2014, Nigeria entered into another cycle of oil boom like we had between 1970 – 77. The price of crude within this period (2011 – 2014) averaged US$105 per barrel. Within this period also, South-East state governments were receiving on the average about N92 billion per annum. On sighting the oil boom, many of our political leaders at the state level started doubling the size of their government houses, town halls and conference centers.
Some commenced the building of general hospitals in every electoral ward. Cost-centered projects along highways sprang up like mushroom. The organized labour took it from there and commenced the usual struggle leading to massive increase in salary of workers across the country.
What happened? The answer is simple; we mismanaged the boom that was witnessed between 2011 and 2014. We forgot Keynes’s central dictum which admonishes us that: “The boom, not the slump, is the time for austerity”. We failed to save during that period. Instead, we went on spending spree on mostly populist projects without economic value in order to earn “groundless applause” from the people. To put it in a more familiar parlance, nobody thought of the rainy day.
This “scrambling merchandizing” was followed up with expensive TV shows inciting the masses that all is well; too often believing that showmanship will deliver better results, which is obviously not the case. For example, most of the states that cannot pay salaries today were only a few months ago showcasing their numerous “achievements” on national TV. Now the bubble has burst.
This reminds us of Bernie Madoff. According to Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Madoff was highly revered for what people thought was his wizardry as an investor so long as new money continued to drop to feed his Ponzi Scheme. The bubble burst when new money was not coming. Madoff suddenly became a failure and he knew it even before he went to prison. The public image he create was a lie which eventually clashed with reality.
A few months of the drop in oil price has almost completely grounded the national economy.In addition to non-payment of salaries, contractors are not being paid, leading to the on-going layoff of more than 60% of construction industry workers.
A polity that has more than 50% of its youths unemployed but with their parents now without salary is not only a time bomb, it is also a harmattan fire. When it starts, it spares no one. It destroys everything it casts its glance on. Although not new, the issue of unpaid wages has heightened anxieties among Nigerians for two major reasons. One, the parlous state of the economy has also taken a big toll on the private sector, thus reducing cash flow from that sector.
On the salary matter, a heated and vociferous argument had arisen between top functionaries of the immediate past (until May 29, 2015) administrations at the state and federal levels over what or who was (is) responsible for this unfortunate state of affairs. While the functionaries at the states attributed their inability to pay salaries to the drop in the federal allocations to them, the then federal administration accused state governments of not prioritizing salary payments.
In my view, it was a needless debate because both tiers of government are guilty. Apart from the fact that the federal government also owes salaries of workers and debts to contractors; it is not just the issue of “prioritizing” salaries. The issue that is the bane of our public administration is that there is little or no prioritizing; whether with respect to salaries or projects. The whole essence of prioritizing in public expenditure is it not to ensure that the benefits in real terms justify the cost and vice versa and even becomes more compelling in the midst of scarce resources?
It is a fact that cannot be over-labored that most state treasury is lean due to reasons we need not go into here. Some stakeholders have chosen to characterize the situation with the phrase “empty treasury”. But my view is that we should downplay that ascription because both in content and form, the phrase “empty treasury” does not portray a true understanding of fiscal practice in a democracy.
Even where an outgoing administration leaves behind some money, it does not amount to free money to be spent because ideally, such funds are already committed to ongoing projects. And the moment the new administration puts such funds into something else, there is a big problem.
Let me illustrate this with a personal experience. My administration as governor of Imo state, for example, left the sum of over N26.6 billion by the time we handed over in May 29, 2011. Of this amount, N13.3 billion was the balance from Imo Development bond which was earmarked for projects that were ongoing by the time we left office. 
Unfortunately, the new administration saw the N26.6 billion as money that was there for spending and went on a binge: it embarked mostly on cost-centered projects such as first lady’s office complex, new multi-purpose hall, new exco chambers, new international conference center, over 80 road projects, 27 brand new general hospitals and the building of squares and roundabouts, etc while abandoning the uncompleted projects left by us. 
The result today is that in most cases neither the new projects nor the old ones for which those funds were initially earmarked have been completed.
This can be corroborated by the new administration’s press release in the Daily Sun of Wednesday, January 23, 2013 in which the State’s Commissioner of Finance was quoted as saying that “the previous administration of Ikedi Ohakim had secured a bond of N18 billion for capital projects such as roads, water and Oguta Wonder Lake, but when we came to power, we decided to prioritize our projects. Out of the N18 billion that was secured, about N6 billion had been spent and we met only N12.5 billion and we convened a meeting of all stakeholders and got their approval to approach SEC to change the use of the fund”.
The report further stated that the Commissioner disclosed that “the balance of the bond proceeds were channeled into critical areas of infrastructure development such as the building of 305 classroom blocks, building of ultra-modern general hospitals in the 27 local government areas of the state and construction of vital roads across the local government areas, informing that works were currently going simultaneously in the various communities”.
It is this penchant for mismatching funds that has led to non-payment of salaries and abandonment of projects which has become the rule rather than the exception. In my view, it is high time we took deliberate steps to tackle the issue of abandonment of projects started by previous administrations by new ones. It is evil and it is a major root cause of our economic calamity. It leads to nothing but wasting of resources.
Abandoning projects started by a preceding administration is a product of the “what did you achieve mentality”. This mentality makes it almost impossible for a new administration to think rationally. Instead of completing projects that will have huge multiplier effects, new administrations merely go for quick wins by duplicating mini road, electricity, water projects, brick and mortar structures etc which it can quickly complete in order to earn immediate applause from the people who are not in position to understand the tragedy of such idiosyncrasies.
Take a look at those states that have succeeded in show-casing visionary projects in the past sixteen years. You will discover that the administrations that posted monumental achievements did so by going for “shovel ready” projects started by their predecessors. You will also discover that they equally commenced visionary projects like seaport, rail, industrial parks, etc which will form “shovel ready” projects for their successors. Displaying uncommon leadership psychology recently, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was few days ago, reported by a newspaper thus “My administration will complete people-oriented projects notwithstanding who awarded them”.
According to Talmud: “It is not up to you to finish the work. But you are not free to desist from it”. When you complete projects not started by you, you make more economic impact than abandoning it and starting yours which your successor may also abandon.
As things stand today, non-payment of salaries is fast assuming the status of official policy. It is something that we must stand up against in Nigeria. It leads to economic and social calamity. I call on the legislature to come up with a bill stipulating that salaries not paid as at when due should attract interest on prevailing bank rate until paid. Salaries should be a first line charge for both the federal, state and local governments.
Quite often, you would hear some state governors pride themselves for not borrowing money from banks, even while they owe their civil servants several months of arrears of salaries in addition to non-payment to contractors for jobs duly done. By not paying workers and contractors, the government is indirectly borrowing from them without paying interest.
Notwithstanding, I do not agree with the view that only the state governments are responsible for the stunted growth of our national economy. Let me also state that it is not also true that state governors merely cart away the funds into their private pockets. Such a blanket view is dangerous because it makes it difficult, if not impossible, for us to look at the issue through the proper political prism. At the risk of being misunderstood, I can also state without any fear of contradiction, that the last federal administration is not entirely to blame for the present financial crisis which is chiefly as a result of the fall in oil prices and over which it had no control; coupled with our national penchant for Revenue/Project mismatch; edifice mentality, brick and mortar legacy syndrome, very high cost of running government, undertaking more projects than the economy can handle, project abandonment, etc.
Try as much as we can there is something we cannot run away from: The arrears of salaries owed civil servants across the states must not only be paid but also measures put in place to make non-payment of salaries a thing of the past. It is evil and it needs no emphasis to state that non-payment of salaries poses the biggest threat to our democracy.
So, what do we do? On the short run, the federal government, as a matter of urgency, must initiate both economic and political line of action aimed at finding a lasting solution. The federal government must package an urgent stimulus with very clear conditionalitiesfor both state and local governments. The second short term step is to introduce an immediate special corporate one-off tax for organizations whose annual profit, for example, is in excess of N10 billion.
Thirdly, the petroleum subsidy should be gradually removed and proceeds used for the maintenance of very vital transport infrastructure. Next, we must review the phenomenon of Constituency Project system at both the state and federal levels. Constituency Projects have constituted themselves into a big drain pipe for the country’s economy because they are poorly articulated and haphazardly executed. Perhaps unknown to many, over 70 per cent of Constituency Projects since 1999 have failed or have been abandoned. 
The principal reason for this is that the beneficiary communities are usually not involved both in identification, planning, execution and maintenance. Most communities wake up to see Constituency projects being executed by strangers. But shortly after,they are either abandoned or get vandalized with nobody taking ownership. Soon, another election is held and the next representative comes up with his or her own projects and the vicious cycle continues.
There are suggestions to the effect that government should embark on austerity measures and even sack workers. This is dangerous. On the contrary, what we need is more spending that would arise from a well-articulated economic stimulus package for the states and local governments.
According to Keynes’s central dictum: “The boom, not the slump, is the time for austerity”. Conversely, now is the time for the government to spend more, not less, until such a time that the private sector will be in the position to stimulate the economy.
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Entertainment, Opinion

Marital Crisis: In defence of Toke Makinwa's hubby, Maje Ayida

Article not written by me. By now, we must have heard about the  marital crisis  ‎that has rocked the home of top On Air Personality and vlogger, Toke Makinwa and fitness expert hubby, Maje Ayida. 

Twitter went into overdrive yesterday after news that Maje‎ cheated on her (and actually impregnated the lady) seeped into space. You have no idea of the number of insults that have been hurled at Toke’s allegedly philandering hubby. Anyways, a writer simply identified as Chinwe thinks we need to hear Maje’s side of the story. Over to her.

“As you read these words, I’m dodging any potential six-inch pencil heeled shoe or rotten tomatoes [or even cellphones] that may be thrown my way.

We are too quick to throw stones at the husband once an atrocity such as infidelity is committed which I would too, but in the case of Toke Makinwa and Maje Ayida, it is rather queer and can’t be equated.

Why?

We had been constantly lied to about this relationship from the get go. Once upon a time, Toke said she was done with the relationship despite having spent twelve years together.


However, according to the cheating reports making the rounds, 8 out of the 12 years- Maje equally spent with the soon-to-be baby mama.
Safe to say during their ‘offs’ he got himself another girl and then maybe during his ‘off’ with the girl, he spent time with Toke or maybe one of them came begging for forgiveness as the case may be.

What if he was really in love with the side chick per se? There is absolutely nothing different about this situation because it occurs on a daily basis but the reason why this is a huge deal is because the person-slash-victim in question has painted on social media, a fairytale picture of her marriage, even without being asked.

It all happened in a blur anyway. 

One minute Toke is announcing she has been engaged and was talking about an impending wedding and the next she is mouthing away about how much she isn’t going back to Maje after their last major breakup and all of a sudden viola! she got married at a registry to Maje despite having said it was impromptu and yet, her specially-made wedding dress fit perfectly.

The designer of the dress would unknowingly goof by blurting out on television that Toke called her 3 days before the wedding, to contract her to make the outfit.

So imagine Maje being caught up in all of it. Living the lie and having to go along with every charade.

Could it be possible that he had to lead a lie and had no choice but to go along on with it?

The grapevine, although unconfirmed, said he “broke up briefly” with the other woman to get married to Toke. If affirmative, perhaps he knew fully well what he was going into; a business partnership with Toke Makinwa that helps put his business and name out there. But then, maybe he got too deep into it and got too little out of it.

She got the deals, the fame, the popularity, the pending endorsements from makeup companies- which she dearly begs for, the TV shows, the radio shows, the events, the hosting and what have yous’.

He probably gave himself an alibi- that she was busy, traveling cross country for work, her other job which is making appearances on Instagram was also eating up time they should be spending together.

At some point, he may have told himself that the big house they live in, looks like it was gotten for him alone.

And then he starts to believe that Toke may just be better off without him. And what does he have? A fitness gig and a column in the national dailies to show for it.
With so much free time on his hands away from the wifey, he goes out to seek the one person willing to give him as much attention as he feels he deserves- his ex or if that is what you wanna call it.

And why not, he may have thought. He probably didn’t want all this. The fame and publicity, all of which he practically got dragged into. Maybe he wanted a quiet life with a hair stylist who doubles as a lawyer. Was he reaching too high with Toke? Maybe, maybe not.

Now the result is allegedly a baby.

We won’t really know who’s to blame, what sides to take, until we see proof that all of this is even true.

But one thing is certain, the affair seemed questionable and somewhat orchestrated from inception, hence it was only a matter of time before the skeletons come trooping out.

Who knows, this may be Maje’s defense…

Who knows, these may just be utter bollocks…

Now, i’ll quietly continue dodging those six-inched heel shoes, cell phones and yeah, rotten tomatoes.
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Entertainment, Opinion

Opinion: Buhari and the Nigerian Foreign Exchange | By: Olalekan Waheed Adigun

The naira is known to have dropped against major currencies in recent times. Perhaps, this was why during the 2015 Nigerian presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari was alleged to have made the point of “making the naira equal to the dollar.” He appeared to have been speaking against the backdrop of the depreciation of the value of the naira during the elections. It is just by mere announcements or campaign rhetoric that the naira will be made equal to the dollar?
Let us concede that the fall in the naira value during the elections can be due to the scramble for the dollar by politicians for the elections on the one hand; and the panic buying of travellers traveling out of the country for fear of violent reactions that might characterise the announcement of the result, we cannot wave off Buhari’s statement as a cheap attempt to score political point.
As Nigerian Head of State (1983-1985), Buhari was known to have run his regime based on strong fiscal prudence and rigorous financial discipline, which at that period the naira was said to be stronger than the US dollar. But is this just as simple as making the naira equal to the US dollar?
Since 1999, inflation rate in the country has been on the high. The near-total dependence on oil (which is usually dictated by the international market) hasn’t helped matters. The increase in domestic price of oil has also taken its toll on the national price level. All these put the naira in a weaker position against major foreign currencies.
Presently, Nigeria lacks the capacity to refine its own crude oil which makes her depend totally on importation. There is an argument that the presently devalued naira will only encourage exportation (of crude oil). In fact, this was exactly the same Bretton Woods institutions’ arguments, and their Nigerian supporters, in defence of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in the 1980s.
Lending credence to this argument was the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Czar, Christiane Largarde, who in early 2012 justified her position on devaluation of the naira with this argument. We were spoon-fed with this argument in elementary and intermediate Economics classes, yet it still appears to make a lot of sense. When will this child grow up?
If President Buhari is serious about strengthening the position of the naira against, say the dollar, his government must make deliberate policies to diversify the economy from oil dependence; increase its productive base through youth entrepreneurship, innovation; and stimulate demand for domestically-made goods.
Credit: Premium Times Nigeria 
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Entertainment, Opinion

My Father's Kidnapping | Chimamanda Adichie

My father was kidnapped in Nigeria on a Saturday morning in early May. My brother called to tell me, and suddenly there was not enough breathable air in the world. My father is 83 years old. A small, calm, contented man, with a quietly mischievous humor and a luminous faith in God, his beautiful dark skin unlined, his hair in sparse silvery tufts, his life shaped by that stoic, dignified responsibility of being an Igbo first son.
He got his doctoral degree at Berkeley in the 1960s, on a scholarship from the United States Agency for International Development; became Nigeria’s first professor of statistics; raised six children and many relatives; and taught at the University of Nigeria for 50 years. Now he makes fun of himself, at how slowly he climbs the stairs, how he forgets his cellphone. He talks often of his childhood, endearing and rambling stories, his words tender with wisdom.
Sometimes I record his Igbo proverbs, his turns of phrase. A disciplined diabetic, he takes daily walks and is to be found, after each meal, meticulously recording his carbohydrate grams in a notebook. He spends hours bent over Sudoku. He swallows a handful of pills everyday. His is a generation at dusk.
On the morning he was kidnapped, he had a bag of okpa, apples and bottled water that my mother had packed for him. He was in the back seat of his car, his driver at the wheel, on a lonely stretch between Nsukka, the university town where he lives, and Abba, our ancestral hometown. He was going to attend a traditional meeting of men from his age group. A two-hour drive. My mother was planning their late lunch upon his return: pounded yam and a fresh soup. They always called each other when either traveled alone. This time, he didn’t call. She called him and his phone was switched off. They never switched off their phones. Hour after hour, she called and it remained off. Later, her phone rang, and although it was my father’s number calling, a stranger said, “We have your husband.”
Kidnappings are not uncommon in southeastern Nigeria and, unlike similar incidents in the Niger Delta, where foreigners are targeted, here it is wealthy or prominent local residents. Still, the number of abductions has declined in the past few years, which perhaps is why my reaction, in the aftermath of my shock, was surprise.
My close-knit family banded together more tightly and held vigil by our phones. The kidnappers said they would call back, but they did not. We waited. The desire to urge time forward numbed and ate my soul. My mother took her phone with her everywhere, and she heard it ringing when it wasn’t. The waiting was unbearable. I imagined my father in a diabetic coma. I imagined his octogenarian heart collapsing.
“How can they do this violence to a man who would not kill an ant?” my mother lamented. My sister said, “Daddy will be fine because he is a righteous man.” Ordinarily, I would never use “righteous” in a non-pejorative way. But something shifted in my perception of language. The veneer of irony fell away. It felt true. Later, I repeated it to myself. My father would be fine because he was a “righteous man.”
I understood then the hush that surrounds kidnappings in Nigeria, why families often said little even after it was over. We felt paranoid. We did not know if going public would jeopardize my father’s life, if the neighbors were complicit, if another member of the family might be kidnapped as well.
“Is my husband alive?” my mother asked, when the kidnappers finally called back, and her voice broke. “Shut up!” the male voice said. My mother called him “my son.” Sometimes, she said “sir.” Anything not to antagonize him while she begged and pleaded, about my father being ill, about the ransom being too high. How do you bargain for the life of your husband? How do you speak of your life partner in the deadened tone of a business transaction?
“If you don’t give us what we want, you will never see his dead body,” the voice said.
My paternal grandfather died in a refugee camp during the Nigeria-Biafra war and his anonymous death, his unknown grave, has haunted my father’s life. Those words — “You will never see his dead body” — shook us all.
Kidnapping’s ugly psychological melodrama works because it trades on the most precious of human emotions: love. They put my father on the phone, and his voice was a low shadow of itself. “Give them what they want,” he said. “I will not survive if I stay here longer.” My stoic father. It had been three days but it felt like weeks.
Friends called to ask for bank-account details so they could donate toward the ransom. It felt surreal. Did it ever feel real to anybody in such a situation, I wondered? The scramble to raise the money in one day. The menacingly heavy bag of cash. My brother dropping it off, through a circuitous route, in a wooded area.
Late that night, my father was taken to a clearing and set free.
While his blood sugar and pressure were checked, my father kept reassuring us that he was fine, thanking us over and over for doing all we could. This is what he knows how to be — the protector, the father — and he slipped into his role almost as a defense. But there were cracks in his spirit. A drag in his gait. A bruise on his back.
“They asked me to climb into the boot of their car,” he said. “I was going to do so, but one of them picked me up and threw me inside. Threw. The boot was full of things and I hit my head on something. They drove fast. The road was very bumpy.”
I imagined this grace-filled man crumpled inside the rear of a rusty car. My rage overwhelmed my relief — that he suffered such an indignity to his body and mind.
And yet he engaged them in conversation. “I tried to reach their human side,” he said. “I told them I was worried about my wife.”
The next day, my parents were on a flight to the United States, away from the tainted blur that Nigeria had become.
With my father’s release, we all cried, as though it was over. But one thing had ended and another begun. I constantly straddled panic; I was sleepless, unfocused, jumpy, fearful that something else had gone wrong. And there was my own sad guilt: He was targeted because of me. “Ask your daughter the writer to bring the money,” the kidnappers told him, because to appear in newspapers in Nigeria, to be known, is to be assumed wealthy. The image of my father shut away in the rough darkness of a car boot haunted me. Who had done this? I needed to know.
But ours was a dance of disappointment with the authorities. We had reported the kidnapping immediately, and the first shock soon followed: State security officials asked us to pay for anti-kidnap tracking equipment, a large amount, enough to rent a two-bedroom flat in Lagos for a year. This, despite my being privileged enough to get personal reassurances from officials at the highest levels.
How, I wondered, did other families in similar situations cope? Federal authorities told us they needed authorization from the capital, Abuja, which was our responsibility to get. We made endless phone calls, helpless and frustrated. It was as though with my father’s ransomed release, the crime itself had disappeared. To encounter that underbelly, to discover the hollowness beneath government proclamations of security, was jarring.
Now my father smiles and jokes, even of the kidnapping. But he jerks awake from his naps at the sound of a blender or a lawn mower, his eyes darting about. He recounts, in the middle of a meal, apropos of nothing, a detail about the mosquito-filled room where he was kept or the rough feel of the blindfold around his eyes. My greatest sadness is that he will never forget.
Credit: New York Times 
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Entertainment, Opinion

Things Buhari Needs To Do Urgently | By: Etcetera

I wasn’t born in 1960. So, I have no memories of the euphoria of the first Independence Day. My early memories of independence are the celebrations in the small government school I attended. My well starched and ironed school uniform, national flags made of paper, singing the National Anthem, and a speech by the headmistress were the highlights. In my final year, I was allowed to pin a small flag on my shirt and hold a slightly bigger one in front of the school because I was a school prefect. Those were proud moments! Even after so many years, the pride still remains. It is totally different today.
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Back then, it was more about Nigeria, our country! There was nationalism all around. Even as young kids, there was unflinching commitment to the country. Reading Chinua Achebe and Cyprian Ekwensi was a passion. I was told so many times by my father that the first few images of post-independent Nigeria weren’t of food shortages, poverty, hunger, inadequacy of almost everything. There was hope!
Where are we after 55 years, and where do we intend to go? As I listened to Buhari’s speech yesterday, I felt sorry for Nigeria. How did we get here? Everything in Nigeria has changed and, in many ways, changed for the worst. We still see poverty everywhere we turn. We are still worried whether the next ship will bring enough food. We are a country floating on crude oil yet we wake up every morning to fuel scarcity, wondering whether we have enough money in our pockets to buy fuel for our generators and cars for the next day.
Although our choice of cars is no longer limited to the Peugeot 504 and the Tortoise cars our parents cruised in the 60s, and we may not live in a black and white TV era with just one channel anymore, and there are no more long queues at telephone booths, does that give us comfort? Have we progressed? No. We still have to solve our more complex problems to move forward and we are impatient. We are still looking to developed countries for aid or to the World Bank for more loans. We are still not confident enough or ready to take on the world.
What are the things Buhari needs to do and urgently too?
1: Contain divisive forces and actions. We seem to divide ourselves in the name of tribe, region, religion, group, sub-group, constituencies, and we never unite in times of crisis. There are a number of external forces which may not want Nigeria to become developed and powerful. These forces are creating difficulties both inside and outside the country. They predicted our disintegration in 2015 and they almost made sure it happened. We must differentiate our enemies from our allies. It is also very important that, as a multi-cultural society, we learn to live and grow together and to resolve our differences through dialogue within ourselves and not external influences. Any form of violence, for any reason whatsoever, should be avoided. Instead of expecting the government to solve all our problems, let the civil society take its role seriously and do its bit. The large majority of Nigerians want to get on with their lives in peace. This majority needs to assert its presence.
2: Release the energy of Nigeria’s youth to generate growth and prosperity. Take a look at any young man or woman in Nigeria today, you are sure to find that unusual level of confidence, a confidence to take up a challenge to better the best in any part of the world they find themselves. They are willing to work extra hours, learn new things, and innovate. It is this confidence and the attitude of “Naija no dey carry last” that is Nigeria’s most valuable capital today. We need to support this with the best quality education, infrastructure and training and research facilities, be it in the private or public sector.Nigerian youths shouldn’t be entangled with issues of language or religion. They should be focused on their careers and their growth, which will in turn be Nigeria’s growth.
3: Get the infrastructure right. Young Nigerians are becoming impatient, and rightly so. They want to get going. Inadequate infrastructure, whether it is physical or social, is holding them back. Roads, power, basic services like water and sanitation, social infrastructure like healthcare, education need urgent attention if we want this country to grow. Many of these could come through private sector investment, innovation and efficiencies. The government will still play a major role both in terms of providing funds, encouraging investments and ensuring regulation. Instead of focusing on irrelevant issues, we need to focus on quality and cost of services.
4: Fight inefficiency and corruption. We are all worried about corruption. But when it comes to standing up against corruption, we have failed. Buhari must deter Nigerians from further engaging in corrupt practices by making scapegoats. He has to start by appointing only credible people into his cabinet. They must be discouraged from looting the treasury. If you ask me, I will suggest thatGoodluck Jonathan’s government should be probed and those found guilty of corrupt practices should be sent to Kirikiri. All forms of corruption are bad, but it is only the bigger cases that we pay attention to, forgetting that the petty corruption is just as cancerous. It affects the poor more and makes life miserable for the average Nigerian. The civil society needs to stand up and force the change we have all been clamouring for. Luckily, we now have the Freedom of Information Bill which is an effective tool in the hands of the Nigerian citizen to ensure transparency. If Aba manufacturers are empowered, we do not need technology from outside, we just need the will to change age-old and opaque processes. Society needs to make its demand for this change loud and clear.
 
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Entertainment, Opinion

Buhari-The Time To Unburden Our Burdens Is Almost Here | By: Joe Onwukeme










One thing is certain, there will be a new government in Nigeria come May 29th, 2015. It is an inevitable and well deserved change. Everyone is already going Havard and Cambridge on the kind of magic GMB would perfom to rescue our hemorrhaging economy.

That was why when the in coming government said they can’t perform magic, they need time to put things in order, some attack dogs especially in the out going government began to express their concerns about the in coming administration, they are yet to break out from their self serving histrionics and have consciously and unconsciously written off the in coming government.

Stupidity is voting against change and when change eventually emerged winner you suddenly expect the change you voted against to fulfill promises you reiterated are not possible over night.
Reminding Nigerians that GMB promised if elected will make 1naira equal 1dollar is not only myopically funny but shamelessly hypocritical. Why make a mountain out of a molehill?
Our leaders understand that majority of nigerians are gullible, if not, commonsensical procedures would have dictated the quoted statement, check the context on which such is based, if it exists or not and evaluate for its plausibility before jumping to conclusions.
If only you know what a reduction in the executives’ and legislatures’ salaries can do for Nigeria, what the money used to induce our obas and our religious leaders before the general elections can do and what money stolen from our government’s coffers in the name of “SUBSIDY” scam can do.
If only you realize how much can be saved, if we decide to plug just 80% of all “leakages and looted funds” in our economy, you will now understand in practical and not theoritical terms that a stabilized economy is possible.
Majority Nigerians are willing and ready to sacrifice to see that the incoming government succeeds in rescuing Nigeria from it’s decrepit state but some unrepentant critics have started off on the wrong foot, they have been criticizing every actions of GMB. To them there’s no difference between the GMB of 1983 to that of 2015. As we await the inauguration ceremony come May 29th, many are already sharpening their criticism tools. They would want to dare the incoming president to know if he is truly a repentant democrat or an unrepentant dictator clothed in democratic linings. That’s a wrong way to play opposition politics and with such an attitude, armchair critics, hired critics and pull him down critics will take the place of fair, balanced and constructive criticism.
The time to unburden our burdens is almost here, but it won’t come without a price, toes will be stepped on. When the prosecution of corrupt officials whose perfidious acts impoverished our nation will commence, let no man say GMB is being vindictive as speculated.
As GMB is about inheriting an empty treasury, if he settles for an alternative source to his would be predecessor’s foot steps in borrowing money to pay civil servants’ salaries and it results in delays in payments of workers’ salaries for about 2 to 3 months, let not the rabble-rousers open up their lose canon mouths in protest.
Let me drop this quote that has been credited to many authors to our unrepentant critics; “it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open one’s mouth and remove all doubt”.
Nigerian electorates have reached the destination where the right to choose who governs them remains the exclusive preserve of the people regardless of the millions of dollars shared or how many endorsements one gets prior to election. Hence the reason why “we” collectively chose a tested and trusted candidate that will certainly unburden our burdens by initiating radical changes, policies, institutions and structures on assumption of office.
As we await our burdens to be unburdened, Nigeria could be likened to a faulty car that the owner had to sell off unwillingly because of the car’s constant break down and GMB is the new buyer, he must drive the car to decode it’s faults before bringing it for repairs. That’s the situation we are about entering right now, GMB will become president first before he would be able to know how depleted our economy is. As we await the inevitable change come May 29th, 2015, I will advise Nigerians not to be in a hurry in criticizing GMB, he needs time to test run his newly acquired “tokunbo car” called Nigeria before fixing it’s faults.


Credit: 247nigerianewsupdate
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Entertainment, Opinion

Ifeanyi Uba Please Keep Your Fuel | By: Joseph Edgar

Look, me and some very reasonable people are not being carried away by this Andy UBA’s hemlock. His decision to release 13 million liters of fuel is nothing but crass betrayal and a childish attempt at populism in the face of imminent disgrace by the incoming government.
We are tired of this kind of symbolism, this is what has put us in this place of global mockery and national helplessness. How many filling stations does Uba have, what is the national fuel usage, he releases 15 days worth of fuel to the Nation and after that what next, we are still faced with the same issues that led to the strike in the first place.
Has he resolved his wahala with AMCON? Has he cleared himself of the fuel subsidy mess? Has he paid back Coscharis and other investors he has been owing. Abeg he is part of this problem and should go sit down with the union to engage government in a bid to finding lasting solution to the issue of subsidy and fuel supply in the country.
What Uba is doing can lead to the inevitable destruction of the country. If unions decide to go on strike to bring to the fore the underlying and covered up issues of corruption, back handling, favoritism that has bedeviled not only the subsidy regiment but the whole gamut of the demystification of the petroleum industry and one person decides to break ranks and moves fuel, he should be arrested because he knows that by the time the country is on complete lockdown all the underground schemes would come up in the open.
To me, Uba’s move is aimed at scuttling the cleansing process this strike would have thrown up. He wants us to continue to be held to ransom by his ilk hence his decision to break rank so that the strike will collapse. This we must fight. We must reject his poisonous fuel. Let the strike continue. Let companies shut down, let there be no light, let there be no fuel, let schools, hospitals, radio stations all shut down. We are ready for the sacrifice, we will not die if the aim is to clean up the system and throw people like UBA who have held us in contempt by their nefarious activities in the downstream sector into the dustbin.
The incoming Government should immediately engage the unions and assure them of their genuine desire to look critically into all the issues with a view to bringing lasting solutions to this matter. The outgoing Government have given themselves the last disgrace with this show of shame. They have prefabricated and run into their holes, we no longer are interested in them. Let the probes start, let Uba come out and tell us how he got his 13 million liters.
We are tired. We are tired. I don’t want his fuel. He should go and dump them in the Lagoon.
  
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Entertainment, Opinion

Etcetera writes on how to please a Nigerian man.

Is something wrong with the Nigerian woman? Has she lost her beauty and power of seduction? How come Nigerian billionaires and politicians are all of a sudden having preference for foreign women? Or has the money syndrome finally caught up with them?
…… Oops! Did you say it’s about time? Hmmm maybe Nigerian men are difficult to satisfy like some of our ladies have claimed. But is that the appropriate excuse? Well, for any woman who truly knows her onions, pleasing a man (whether a Nigerian or not) is never a difficult feat. So ladies, here are some insights to a Nigerian man’s heart that will guide you to becoming the right woman in his eyes.
Submission has got a bad rap in recent years. The feminist movement has even made matters worse. Women are forgetting that submission wasn’t your man’s idea, it was God’s. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22) Again the Word says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fitting in the Lord.” (Colossians 3:18). Men should also know that submission does not mean subjection to abuse. Submission simply implies respect for another’s authority.
Ok sweerie, the premiership ends this weekend. You can now have the remote control from Monday morning. Watch as much telemundo and your Nollywood movies as you can from now till August. Nigerian ladies should understand that the key to a harmonious family life is finding that balance. Your man may not be a professional footballer and probably may not go to the field and play every Saturday, but if you don’t disturb him whenever he is watching his favourite team play on TV, he will love you more.
Remember that by learning to love and support his team, you are creating a deeper bond between the two of you. Be on his side, root for his team, celebrate his victories, mourn his defeats. Even the Bible commands us to “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” (Romans 12:15) lol…
Every Nigerian man loves food. I mean the actual food. There’s no such thing as a modern or old fashion way. A way is a way and the only way to a typical African man’s heart has always been through his stomach. Coming home from a long day’s work, we enjoy nothing better than a well cooked meal. Remember the story of Esau in the Bible? He was so hungry and was practically shaking after working in the fields that he was willing to sell his birthright to his brother Jacob for a hot bowl of soup! (Genesis 25:29-34). Ladies, when a Nigerian man is not properly fed, he becomes irrational, irritable and vulnerable to temptation. Feed us well not just for anything else, but so you may have peace in the house…. lol
Now ladies, ask any Nigerian man to choose between a delicious plate of soup and no sex or a tasteless meal and a mind-blowing sex, he will prefer to drink garri without sugar and have that mind-blowing encounter with you in bed. Does that tell you something? Babes, you may be everything from smart, charming with long pretty legs and even God-fearing but if your husband doesn’t find you sexually attractive, SHIKENA. A Nigerian man always wants that thing. So, stop holding back whenever he wants it. Adopt the Boy Scout motto that says “always be prepared.” Stop using your sexuality to manipulate or punish him.
Our greatest vulnerability is our sexuality, so don’t just go there – No games with that please. Give yourself to him freely every time, every way and everywhere. The Bible commands you, “Deprive not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your lack of self-control.” (1 Corinthians 7:5). Did you hear that? It says even after fasting, you should still give it to him…. Hmmmmm! I love the Bible. No wonder they call it the “perfect book.”
All men want to be successful. But it is so unfortunate that most Nigerian women measure success by what a man has accomplished aman has accomplished and not by who he is as a person. It is the role of the woman to help her man see the big picture in life, not through the eyes of someone who wants to purchase every latest trend in fashion, mobile phones and cars.
 
The good book of the lord says, “Better is the poor (man) who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.” (Proverbs 28:6). So, ladies, always let your man know when he is doing a good job. Praise him for his patience with words like, “I really appreciate that you helped me with the dishes today.” “Thanks so much for emptying the dustbin; I appreciate you honey, even in the small things.” Note that a little compliment to a Nigerian man every now and again works like magic.
Nigerian men are driven by the need for significance. We often ask ourselves this question, “Do I really matter to her?” A man’s thirst for significance can only be quenched in knowing how important he is. That is why we will chase after every vain pursuit only to hear the words, “You matter. You are important. You are appreciated. You are significant.” If a man never heard these words or sensed this approval from his woman, he can spend his whole life chasing someone else who will value his identity.
Support your man at every turn. Be there for him to guide him. This is God’s command for you as the woman. God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18). A man needs help in the small things like finding our car keys or in bigger things like building a business. It has become one of the most popular sayings that “behind every great man is a far greater woman.”
With men, two plus two is always four. We are a straight-jacket mind species. Maybe it is so because we have always found solace in being logical. And it has proved to be a sure way one can maintain stability in the home, especially in times of uncertainty or danger. But it is clear that men most times lack that natural intuitiveness found in women. Which makes it important, that whenever your man is about to strike a business deal, he needs your input because he might not understand that deep gut feeling you have that something is not right.
For a man, if it looks good “on paper,” it is good even when in your heart of hearts, you can smell something foul brewing. Your man needs your intuitive, instinctive, perceptive and discerning insights when making decisions. But as his woman, you should be careful so as not to bruise his ego.
A man is not molded to understand the emotional and dynamics behind the problems that women face. So it is important that the woman doesn’t go running and pouring all her cares, worries, fears, insecurities and troubles on him all at once, it can be very overwhelming. If it is your car that is making that funny noise or something in the house is broken, YESSSSS! he knows exactly what to do instantly. Every man requires that extra training to be a good listener and you will have to working at it until he is there.
You can simply start by asking him to listen to you for one minute without interruption and gradually build up his tolerance level. If you throw a fifteen-minute monologue at him, he will freeze up, walk away or get annoyed. Make things simple for him. Spell out exactly what you need, even if it is just a simple hug (and you may want to also explain to him that a hug does not mean you want to have sex!)… because e nor dey hard us to conclude.lol
Every man wants to come home to a peaceful house after a long day at work. But our women don’t always permit such a luxury. We want tranquility and control in every aspect of our lives; that is why we sometimes do everything possible to create an atmosphere of peace and serenity. It is also why every man dreads a nagging woman. A nagging woman drains us of body vitamins and morale.
If you nag your man, he will distance himself emotionally and possibly even physically. The Bible says, “It isbetter to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” (Proverbs 25:24).
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Entertainment, Opinion

Aero Contractors Oshi! | By: Joseph Edgar

Me I had sworn that no matter how badly treated I was by a Nigerian Airline I won’t say anything. I will just be quiet and watch them disgrace themselves. So for years, I have been very silent with the rubbish they have been meting out on not only me but millions of Nigerians who unfortunately have to use them.
From delayed flights, to outright cancellation. From bumpy rides in rickety planes that have seen me peeing on myself and screeming Jesusssssssss, to smelly air hostess with dirty armpits who behave as if they are the best things since slice bread, in all these I have kept my peace and not said anything.
I did not even talk when the whole Arik crew descended on my friend the Amiable Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and beat him silly simply because he asked why his seat was given out, I didn’t whimper o. 
Maybe that is why, today they brought the fight to me. Me, Ajanaku, the Elephant, Aero people try me today. It all started when I got a text last night as usual postponing my morning flight in Abuja from 8.45am to 11.00am.
The fact that I had an 11.0clock appointment that I had been chasing for years did not make me talk, the fact that the client had flown in from America and would be early for the meeting after flying for over 13 hours and me who had just 55minutes to fly would be late did not make me talk. So I took it all in my stride and slept off.
In the morning, I took my time and jumped into traffic and the usual Lagos traffic killed me. I arrived at their counter at exactly 10.30 for the flight and one very dirty Aero staff screamed at me with spittle gushing out of her mouth like a volcano erupting and throwing ash everywhere, ‘ we have closed the counter’ she screamed turning her back and showing me a split in her skirts. I smiled believing that this is NIGERIA and this is Ajanaku that I will surmount this challenge.
I called out at her and in my smoothest Don Jazzy voice, I pleaded for help. She was livid, looked at me sternly and asked if I did not understand English, that it was over and gleefully told me that the next flight was for 5 o’clock in the evening. 
At this time, my cool evaporated and I started begging. I pleaded as if my life depended on it and at this point about 6 of their lowliest paid staff, all with different kinds of body stench descended on me and telling me categorically that I had to leave and come back by 5pm.
I begged and begged and begged all to no avail. I even told them that we all voted APC and that the change had come that they should please temper Justice with mercy. This served to only anger them the more as they immediately started mocking me and laughing at me.
 Guys, the most painful thing in all these, was the fact that they were still checking in other passengers o. Those with huge and plenty luggages where being given VIP treatment while me in all my Gucci Shoes and trousers was left stranded and being advised to either go to another airline the or should start trekking like all these people trekking for Buhari. 
At this point someone in authority strolled in and decided to assist and then I knew what my sin was. He asked them to open the system to see if there was more seats, he stared at the system like the tyrant he was, with the power of life and death. He sent a signal to the Pilot, not to dare move that plane until he decided what to do and after staring at the system for what seemed like an eternity gave judgement, I should be upgraded to first class.
I thanked him and prayed that God should bless his mistress and that his wife will never catch him, but as he was walking away, his leprous colleagues called him back and told him that I had complained about being delayed for four hours on my last trip and as such I did not see any reason why I could not board after just being late for 30 minutes. 
My people, Emperor turned with all the dignity he could muster and gave instant judgement, no more seats and that was final. I stood there looking like a class clown. I could not believe this was happening to me. The circus midgets all immediately burst into imbecilic laughter and stuck out their tongues at me. 
Out of frustration, I left them and went to the medview counter, where the Angels there gave me a seat on their 12 noon flight. I thanked them and paid but decided to go back to Aero counter to vent. My people, I for Kuku just go my way o. Na police dey wait for me o. The goons had called Police for me and you know police, na who first report na him get case. The bleached police man demanded for my phone and asked to go through my picture gallery that I had taken pictures of the Aero staff. 
That’s how the man went through my phone, enjoyed himself with all the – you know the kind picture that will be there na- took his time and decided which ones he will delete and which ones he will keep and in all these the minions where still laughing and still checked people into a flight they had said was full an hour ago. 
I thank God for the NCAA people who came to my assistance. Took me to their office took my complaints and calmed me down. They said they had been receiving series of complaints from harassed and humiliated passengers and will certainly do something this time. 
So my people, Aero used to be my favorite airline, but with this kind of harassment and being treated like a thief I have left them and taken my wahala somewherelse. You can be sure, I will not miss their shitty service, I will not miss their cheap onboard flight, I will not miss the unpredictability of their services, I I’ll not miss their rickety planes, I will not miss having to ‘settle’ their poorly paid and under trained staff and I will certainly won’t have to kneel down and beg to be boarded simply because I mistakenly mentioned that if they could delay me for four hours, they should be a little bit more tolerant with my 30minute lateness, even though the flight was still on ground and checking in was still ongoing. 
As I write, I am headed to the Airport with my heart in my mouth. One of the goons had threatened to cancel my return ticket and that I will never fly Aero. I asked him if his father was Ibru that he should try it. My people maybe I should join the Trekkers. 
Aero Oshi. 
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Article sent in by Joseph Edgar, an Investment Banker who writes as a hobby. He blogs at josephedgarng.blogspot.com
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