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 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…
Alhaji Abubakar Rimi
Abubarkar Rimi, aged 70, a prominent and colorful politician from northern Nigeria died abruptly over the weekend.
The events pre-death were hazy and inconclusive.
Media reports relayed how Alhaji Rimi while on a journey back home from a neighboring state, was attacked by armed bandits. Rimi was not alone; his brother, a security aide and chauffer were there and all manhandled.
In fact, we were told, Rimi was not physically harmed; he was just disposed of some personal items. Somehow after the encounter, he became breathless and was taken to a hospital. Whether he died enroute, or at the hospital remains unclear.
The president asked the police to investigate the death 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. |
Several newspapers carried the story of the gory killings along the notoriously dangerous Nigeria Lagos-Benin Expressway. The summary: At gun-point a driver of a passenger bus was commanded by armed bandits to run over passengers who had no money on them. No fewer than 16 innocent people dead horribly.
To the strong-hearted here is the aftermath in photo. CAUTION: GRAPHIC IMAGE!
Despite the several police checkpoints along the route, the robbers left their sorrowful marks on the asphalt and hearts of several families.
In return, the Nigerian Senate ranted and vocalized some mumbo-jumbo as usual, observed a few minutes of silence in honor of the dead, and promised to do what they do best — set up an inquiry.
And the police? The “whole report about the incident is vague and that the police could not ascertain that the incident actually occurred”, quoting a statement credited to a police high-ranking public relations officer.
Speechless!
There is more than enough documentation of what is not right with Nigeria, particularly the inefficiencies of the Nigerian police force. When is the will to fix the problem going to start manifesting?
From this:
Haiti National Palace, pre- earthquake, May 2009.
To this:
Haiti National Palace, post- earthquake, January, 2010.
Time like this brings deep reflection…despite all the craziness back home, Nigeria is lucky.
My prayers go to the people of Haiti as they deal with this catastrophe!
Another dent to an already deformed Nigerian facade occurred late on Christmas day when a man attempted to blow up a plane in Detroit USA. The man — or terrorist, is supposedly Nigerian, meaning he carries a Nigerian passport. Abdul Mudallad (or Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab), 23-year-old engineering student at the University College of London, originally boarded in Nigeria before stopping in Amsterdam on the way to Detroit aboard Northwest Flight 253. Mudallad reportedly works with Al Qaeda.
So this is it… there has been reports of Al Qaeda in Nigeria, now this is the link, I thought as I watched the news break on CNN.
Continue reading…
Updates from AfricanLoft