I once read somewhere that “development is the gradual emergence of a problem-solving system”.
Nigeria is fraught with problems, the tooth-achy type that seem to last for ever. Power failure, crumbling infrastructure, failing institutions, etc.
Half a century down the road, can one say Nigeria has developed over the year?
Has any problem-solving system emerged since 1960 when the Brits passed on the baton? Food for thought!
A fishing creek in Calabar, Nigeria.
But this is not the case: The structure stood derelict, overgrown by weeds, at the intersection of three major roads! Continue reading…
A Lagos slum
It is a pity that the government and some Nigerians would rather not have the documentary shown; there are reports of protests from the government and pockets of Nigerians living in UK and USA.
The government states the documentary is “an attempt to bring Nigeria and its hardworking people to international odium and scorn”, saying, It’s a “deliberate distortion of life in Lagos, and totally unwarranted.” Very strong words to describe an excellent piece of work, I think. 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…
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…
Stumbled upon the video below on Facebook. It’s a rehash of MTV’s show “How I live”.
Several things came to mind watching this clip…
Forget about the million naira McMansions in the video for a second…
Is this really a decent way to live given the wealth and connections the homeowners command?
Child defecating in a canal in the slum of Gege in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria (Photo: Adebayo Alao, Sept. 2007)
It has taken some 30-50 years for the environmental abuse in the Niger Delta to creep into the consciousness of the nation and the international community. As sad as this may be, it’s even sadder that payback for this long wait is now being paid at huge costs to all.
Now, I’m wont to ponder if Nigeria is not already at the brink of another environmental disaster, which, this time, will extend well beyond the boundaries of the delta creeks. Nigerians have been getting high on waste, all sorts of waste and pollution — domestic and industrial in origin. From the innocuously discarded, non-biodegradable ‘pure water’ plastics — the ubiquitous, quarter-liter, mass produced, plastic water-in-sachet available everywhere in Nigeria, to the less visible lethal industrial waste waters, the obvious signs of failed — or nonexistent — waste management/environmental protection policy is clear for all to see.
Sadly, as the waste heaps is building up around the cities, the countdown to disaster is running down as well, surreptitiously bringing us closer to an explosive threshold. The truth is we are closer to the tipping point than ever.
Perhaps, this scenario isn’t all too obvious to many in the home country, who because of other ‘competing interests’ have become blunted to the sight of mounting roadside filth, the plastic bag-clogged gutters, or oblivious to what’s being flushed down the gutters and streams by the industries across the street.
I’m convinced this is the time for environmental angels — social entrepreneurs or better still ecopreneurs — to emerge and start the work of cleaning and saving our environment and societies.
The key words must be innovation, advocacy, and government backing. Their tactics must be bold, complementary and sustainable. These — plus government backing in policies formulating regulation enforcement — can guarantee tangible rewards.
As our colleagues in other worlds are exploring concepts that mitigate environmental distress, so must we pay attention, and be ready to tap into pockets of resources to create tangible value-adding ventures that halt the environmental decay and push back the blind sprint toward doomsday. Nigeria can’t afford another ‘Niger Delta-like’ mishap.
Some worthy areas to explore:
And there several more can-work business/policy/public health ideas in the areas of municipal water supply, eco-friendly urban renewal projects, livestock/abattoir management, biodiesel production using industrial waste, etc.
Any ecopreneurs in the house? By the way, I know only of one
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