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!
Follow post-quake events in Haiti on CNN
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…
Nigeria is perhaps the only nation I know where expatriates enjoy huge mouth-watering trappings of life…like having armed police escorts all the time.
Check this out:
A young reader leaves a comment regarding some pictures on an Lagos expat blog, asking a simple question:
“Beautiful pictures. You seem to be having a great time…..but why did you have to travel with security?”
The response goes like this: 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…
Listening to the news video clip from Next (watch below) pushed me into a state of laughter. Never thought real news could come across this hilarious…it’s the delivery in pidgin English I guess, and also the serious demeanor of the chap.
Continue reading…
McKinsey Quaterly: Women in every country meet obstacles to achieving top leadership roles, but Africa’s developing economies and transforming social architectures present unique challenges. Cecilia Ibru, managing director and CEO of Nigeria’s Oceanic Bank International, speaks candidly about how her own development and success have been shaped by her country’s cultural environment.
Continue reading…