Earlier in the week, heard in the news that the Nigerian Senate wants to amend the constitution, in particular the immunity clause due to the recent travails of the embattled Senate President. The rational, according to them, is to protect the number 3 Citizen of the country from “distractions” emanating from Court Proceedings instituted by either the state or individuals.
Nigeria
The Will to Survive 2 – Playing the Ostrich.
In my last post, i opened with what Parents will do to make their children survive and touched on the migrant crisis in Europe. Little did i know that, a far greater evil will take place that will galvanize the world into action.
Aylan was a cute boy full of life and bright mischievous eyes that light up when he smiles. He was a three-year old boy born in the midst of the Syrian civil war. And as it got increasingly unsafe and dangerous, Continue reading
The Will to Survive
Came across this picture on the social media some days ago and got me really thinking. As I sat and pondered over the picture, a wave of sympathy swept over me for the man and his child caught in a political high stakes game of war he didn’t sign for. A.refuge in his own country, I can’t help but notice the sad, dejected yet determined look on his face to make ends meet to feed his daughter and himself. The fact that he was carrying his daughter points to another issue, no accommodation. And his daughter Continue reading
THERE IS INDEED,A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN!
By Tunde Olayode
If before now,you are among the motley crowd of”doubting Thomas,”doubting the veracity of the incontrovertible fact that,there a new “Sheriff” in town,with a name Mohammed Buhari,nor you think,talking about new Sheriff in town all these days,is an infantile jokes of sort.Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Buhari new appointment,that proved all political pundit and book-makers flat- footed wrong,should long have cleared that doubt,since last-night.
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PROBING JONATHAN YEARS – BUHARI MUST EAT THAT FROG NOW!
By Tunde Olayode
The core essence of leadership,is making a decision.So essentially in his job description,upon been hired,the apogee of his function that encapsulate all other thing,is making decision for the common good of all and the consequence of which,he face the music alone,as result of his decision.
Curing Diabetes or High Blood Pressure!
If you are reading this, its either of three things, 1) you have someone close to you that is/was afflicted. 2) You are afflicted, 3) You don’t want to be afflicted hence looking for a way.
Statistics reveal that the population of Nigeria is divided into this categories;
Diabetes – 6 million
High Blood Pressure – 56 million
Poor – 100 million
I lost my Dad to stroke orchestrated by high blood pressure in 2005, and since then, it has piqued my interest and made me realize, how fickle and nonchalant we can be when it comes to our health.
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On The Famous Side of History!
There comes a moment in time, in the history of nations and people of the earth, when you decide, on whose side you want to be.
On the famous side of history or infamous side of history. There is no sitting on the fence here, its simply matter of a single choice.
The Days of Innocence and Contentment
Driving down to work this morning, i was listening to front page news on my favorite radio station, Classic FM97.3 and a story was mentioned that got me thinking.
It was a story about a Cleaner who found N12 million ($27,000) in a toilet and handed it over to the security till the owner of the bag came forward to claim it.
And a question rose within me, which interestingly, Jimi Disu, one of the anchors also raised, that people should swear, what they would do if they had found that money. And what struck me in particular was the fact that she earns N7,800 monthly ($37) which is far below the monthly minimum wage approved which is N18,000 ($85). (At the current exchange rate).
Scourge of our Roads
It manifests itself, like a hydra headed monster each time without fail. It’s no respecter of persons and has refused to be tamed nor corralled.
To what do we owe this evil resident on our roads, that is blood sucking, hair-raising and bone chilling in approach and delivery.
How did it become so entrenched in the fibre of our being that we are now inured to it and seem unperturbed about it.
The Nigeria situation has reached such an alarming proportion even to the point of sheer frustration and near helplessness. Nigeria continues to feature in the bottom half of World Health Organisation country rankings of road traffic accidents. The country’s 149th ranking in 2009 out of 178 member states indicates the hazards associated with road transportation in a country that is largely dependent on its road network for economic, social and physical activities (Sumaila, AbdulGaniyu Femi, Road crashes trends and safety management in Nigeria). Pressing on his research, (Sumaila, 2013) stated that; Indeed news of road traffic accidents in Nigeria no longer stirs any surprise. What may be shocking, however, is the magnitude of the fatality.
God Give Us Men! – Part 3
Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup,
And whose princes party all night.
Lucky the land whose king is mature,
Where the princes behave themselves
And don’t drink themselves silly……..Eccc 10:16-17 (MSG)
Poverty has risen in Nigeria, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1 (£0.63) a day, despite economic growth, statistics have shown. The National Bureau of Statistics said 60.9% of Nigerians in 2010 were living in “absolute poverty” – this figure had risen from 54.7% in 2004. BBC News – Nigerians living in poverty rise to nearly 61%
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, absolute poverty is measured by the number of people who can afford only the bare essentials of shelter, food and clothing. The NBS said that relative poverty was most apparent in the north of the country, with Sokoto state’s poverty rate the highest at 86.4%.
In the north-west and north-east of the country poverty rates were recorded at 77.7% and 76.3% respectively, compared to the south-west at 59.1%.
BBC Africa analyst Richard Hamilton says it is perhaps no surprise that extremist groups, such as Boko Haram, continue to have an appeal in northern parts of the country, where poverty and underdevelopment are at their most severe. The report also revealed that Nigerians consider themselves to be getting poorer. In 2010, 93.9% of respondents felt themselves to be poor compared to 75.5% six years earlier.
And Corruption is on the increase steadily in the nation. Its so entrench in the fabric of our nation that its now a second skin. Its so brazenly done now that it’s the norm, its business as usual. Interestingly, Nigeria is not quite the most corrupt country on earth. But according to Transparency International, which monitors international financial corruption, it is not far off — coming a shameful 172nd worst among the 215 nations surveyed. Legislators earn the highest salaries in the world, with a basic wage of £122,000, nearly double what British MPs earn and many hundreds of times that of the country’s ordinary citizens. (www.dailymail.co.uk).
80 per cent of the country’s substantial oil revenues go to the government, which disburses cash to individual governors and hundreds of their cronies, so effectively these huge sums remain in the hands of a mere 1 per cent of the Nigerian population. And we call ourselves a Nation….
I could go on about the economy but here is not the time to do that analysis. It will be for another time.
samaderibigbe 