Grandiose Parlor

Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State

This is comes to about N70million per ambulance (about $480,000 USD). This is an outrageously inflated price! Continue reading…

Another ghastly but preventable road traffic mishap in Nigeria. Excerpts from AllAfrica.com:

The people of Ondo State have continued to mourn the death of about 42 pupils including teachers of Arisent Nursery and Primary School Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, last Wednesday night in a ghastly motor accident along Ondo/Ore road.

The unfortunate incident occurred at about 8.15pm when the pupils and the teachers of the Islamic School were returning from an excursion to Idanre hill. The school bus conveying the pupils and some staff of the school had a head on collision with a trailer due to the ray of the light of the trailer that distracted the driver of the ill-fated bus.

Some questions needing answers Continue reading…

This is my homage to the youth at the home country for up stepping up to the plate yesterday…’Gongo Aso’ (for real!), courtesy of 9ice.

Abolare Akande a.k.a 9ice. Take a listen:

I caught wind of the Enough-is-Enough youth march in Abuja late. From what I’ve read and seen online so far, the match did happen as planned, the group made their way into the National assembly grounds, but could not get anyone of relevance to address them. Nice and encouraging try, it was.

A video clip

Overall, I appreciate the energy and commitment of planners of the event. They are the ones in the trenches and up against the brutality of the security forces. Putting their bodies at risk and investing their time to make a case for the general well being of Nigerians is a noble task, and I doff my hat!

However, I wish the demands made could have been more potent and better conceived Continue reading…

A continuation of coverage on the Lagos shanty town of Makoko, the slum on stilts on the Lagos Lagoon:

This amphibious clinic/community center (prototype), erected by Hope Floats Initiative HFI, is an excellent example of bottoms-up approach to sustainable development, and extent of possibilities attainable with the right resources. Continue reading…

Who reasonably passes as Nigeria’s own version of the American icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died some hours ago, at age 71. Chief Gani Fawehinmi [ganifawehinmi.com], the most prominent human and civil rights advocate Nigerian has ever had, died from complications of lung cancer.

An indefatigable critic of military dictatorship and corruption, in the process of his crusades for the rule of law, the hopes and aspirations of the poor and the oppressed, he fought many battles against military dictatorship as a result of which he had been arrested several times by the military governments and its numerous security agents. He was dumped in many police cells and detained in several prisons between 1969 and 1996.

In 1993 Fawehinmi was awarded the biennial Bruno Kreisky Prize. This prize, named in honour of Bruno Kreisky, is awarded to international figures who advance human rights causes. In 1998, he received the International Bar Association’s Bernard Simmons Award in recognition of his human-rights and pro-democracy work. In 1994 he and some other notable Nigerians formed the National Conscience Party of Nigeria which exists till today and he stood for a presidential election in 2003 under the umbrella of the National Conscience Party.

Gani Fawehinmi became a holder of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) the highest legal title in Nigeria in September, 2001.

More online:
http://www.ganifawehinmi.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gani_Fawehinmi

An interesting media putsch to “lightup Nigeria” is in full swing; several bloggers have posted just as media enthusiasts have taken to Facebook, Tweeter and similar portals to add their might to the campaign. An expanding list of the discussants can be found on Nigerian Curiosity.

Some years back, I would have been part of this mass of concerned and highly enthused people, after all availability of stable electricity is the core foundation of Nigeria’s development and a passport out of doomsland.

So, it’s a critical campaign, no doubt (see past and related articles on the subject), but I doubt if it’s one suited for Facebook and other social networking sites. The policy makers that must be reached are not there in good number, in fact very few Nigerian administrators are online! So what’s the end point…? Must we continue to preach to the choir each time we’re aggrieved and needing an outlet to vent our frustration?

Until social critics and web activists (this writer inclusive) can find ways to extend their campaigns from the pages of blogs and Facebook to the doorsteps of Nigerian administrators, their voices will remained locked up in the Internet void, impotent. These voices must be brought home, clearly and creatively, to engage the right people.