Justice And Its Price

Two young men were sentenced to nine months imprisonment in May for stealing two goats in Jos. The goats were worth a whooping eighteen thousand naira. They were sentenced by a Nigerian Judge.


In February, another young man was sentenced to just two months imprisonment for stealing Orbit chewing gum and packs of cereal worth four thousand naira. 


Yesterday, a 26year old man, was sentenced to DEATH by hanging for robbing a woman of a thousand, seven hundred and five naira and two rolls of milk worth a staggering sum of four hundred naira. Also sentenced by a Nigerian Judge.


I'm stupefied by the mode and manner with which Nigerian Judges descend on 'petty thieves'. Note that, in as much as I do not condone crime in any form, I find Nigeria peculiar. When an adult man steals a box of cereal, he's most likely just hungry and could really use a meal at that point in time. Its easy for most of us to say, hunger is not an excuse and that he's probably a lazy man thus cannot feed himself legitimately.  If you've seen, spoken and related with poverty in its rawest form, you will understand why a man in Nigeria will be pushed to the point of stealing a goat, cereal or packs of milk.


Marcus Aurelius posits that 'Poverty is the mother of crime'. First off, note that if you are reading this article from your iPad or smartphone, you are automatically excused if  you don't grasp the depth of that submission. You are by default, not poor. I thank God for you.


When they tell us 112million of our 160million live in abject poverty, they are not asking you to drive through Parkview Ikoyi or Asokoro Abuja, they are asking you to visit Makoko, Mbiama and Jirrgawa in Sokoto. Until you embark on an outreach to these areas and see firsthand what living daily in the slums and most rural areas entails, you will not understand why any man should steal a box of cereal.


In this same country, countless rogues prance around our corridors of power and get away with unimaginable fraud.


Justice Marcel Awokulehin is someone's father. In 2009, he acquitted James Ibori of grand larceny and we are told that verdict cost Ibori a paltry $5million. That same man is serving a jail sentence in London as we speak. Yet Awokulehin remains on the bench of Judges, doling out death sentences to boys who steal milk and goats. He even has the nerve to openly state that his conscience is clear. 


My Judges also hand out funny bail requirements to these 'small thieves'. I once read of a man accused of stealing fourteen thousand naira and had his bail set at two hundred thousand naira by the Judge. Amusing. Yet, Gbenga Daniel, who we fictitiously assume stole only fifty eight billion naira, had his own bail set at five hundred million naira. Of course OGD can afford that without flinching. As we speak, Nigerians languish in Kirikiri and Ikoyi Maximum Prisons for not being able to meet their bail requirements. I have it on firsthand information, that these bail sums are not millions of naira but as little as twenty five thousand naira. In this same country!


I have heard and read so many jokes about lawyers and their pathological lack of conscience but Nigerians take it to a new level. How dare any Judge sentence any Nigerian to jail for any form of stealing at all when everyday these same people are made victims of circumstance by their pilfering leaders.


 Any justice system that cannot prosecute, convict and incarcerate men like Peter Odili, Lucky Igbinedion, Gbenga Daniel, James Ibori, Erastus Akingbola, Alao Akala and so many others, has no moral justification to send a petty thief to jail. What is good for the duck must also be good for the drake!


I have had my personal encounters with corrupt Judges and I assure you there are only a few things more frustrating and disheartening. The thought that such men, custodians of life and justice, had price tags frightened me until I had that encounter. Then, I totally lost hope in Nigerian courts. Till date, a close relative of mine advises sagely 'Never appear before a court, whose Judge you have not 'seen' prior to court sitting'.


In any sane society, from the wildlife of Zambezi to the Kruger National Park, justice is sacred and is meted out without fear or favor. A society where justice is sold to the highest bidder is surely one on the path of implosion. Our Judges and their courts were said to be the last hope for the 'common man'. These days, a common man must be wary when he is summoned to appear before any court. You must first size up the financial biceps of your adversary. If their bank accounts are grandiose and yours diminutive, it may be wise to 'let God judge the matter' and hold thy peace.


To our learned Judges and legal custodians, we must implore them to ensure equity and fairness in any matter they preside over. They must exorcise and proactively banish the 'Nigerian' in them. They must remain above mortals in their ways as that is the gravity of the responsibility on their shoulders. They cannot afford to be compromised, if so, where then do we seek hope and redress?


A good elixir to the many bedeviling issues in Nigeria is a functional and vibrant judiciary. Our politicians are almost certain they'll find a Judge they can afford so they continue in their wanton embezzlement. When our courts put away a few of their friends and families for a few decades, the incoming ones will think twice before misappropriating.


'There is a higher court than the courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts' - Mahatma Gandhi.


An apt parting advice for the legally corrupt learned ones.














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Marriage As We Now See It

I once heard a wise woman say 'A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband'.


For me, that is the sanest definition of marriage.


I am not a big fan of weddings. Even though I'm still not certain why I don't enjoy attending weddings, I try to make an appearance at as many I am invited to. On the other hand, my seeming aversion for them might also be due to the fact that I worry my generation focuses on the success of the wedding day and not the marriage itself.


Often, families break the bank in a bid to stage the 'dream wedding' for their kids. Its not a bad thing. The parents of a bride flew their guests to Dubai for a wedding sometime this year. Last year also, a big Ogun State politician doled out a sumptuous seventy-five million naira for his daughter's wedding. I also know of a bride who in the bid to give herself a fairy tale wedding last year overdrew on her accounts and is currently still grappling with servicing the loans. After all is said and done, will the marriage be worth the effort put into the wedding? Will the marriage outlive the memories of the fantasy wedding?


Divorce rates have tripled in the last three years in Nigeria. Divorces, not separations. This is an extremely dangerous trend and it unfortunately does not show any signs of abating. Separations are even better, when a couple separates, there's a slight chance of a reconciliation. Both of them probably need time off to cool off and work through their differences. A divorce on the other hand, is a total amputation. They have declared their differences irreconcilable.


Hitherto, it used to be said that most Nigerian businesses fail within the first five years of inception. Now, our marriages have overtaken our businesses in life expectancy. 


So, the burning question is, why are marriages in my generation failing?


There's a radio program I endeavor to listen to daily in the evenings. There's usually a topic up for discourse and listeners are allowed to call into the studios to air their opinion on the subject matter. For me, the program is most intriguing when the topic has to do with marriage. The views I hear on that show utterly terrify me. I sometimes choose to believe that the calls are arranged. Nigerians call to say they are fed up of two year old marriages, sometimes even younger marriages. Most of them say their spouses 'changed' after marriage. Did they?


My parents have been married for three decades. I know several other couples now in their fifties, sixties and seventies who have remained married for decades. My grandfather has remained with my step-grandmother for many years and have since married off their kids who are now in their forties too. Marriage has not changed. It remains the same 'a man shall leave his parents and cleave to a woman'. What did our parents do correctly that we have not done in my generation?


Marriage has never, is not and will never be rosy. It is a full time job as a matter of fact and is usually more than just having abdominal butterflies as we do in my generation.


My grandfather wondered why I did my laundry myself when my girlfriend just visited. He  insisted that in his time, his girlfriends used to go into the room, pack out his laundry and wash. I laughed so hard, I almost choked. The thought of my dear girlfriend doing my laundry was particularly amusing. In my mind, I said 'Grandpa, in this 21st century?'


There has been a generational shift in the ideals of marriage. We are more exposed today, educationally and emotionally. Our women don't take 'rubbish' anymore. Our mothers took a truck load of dung from our fathers. Was all the long suffering a worthy sacrifice for the longevity of their homes? Can we say the men now are worse than they were back then? Our fathers were not particularly 'gentlemanly' and chivalry was not one of their sterling qualities. 


For everything there is a price. The empowerment and exposure of our women have yielded more self-reliant and independent women. Women are now able to fend for themselves and their homes, the income and standard of living at home have improved. They are now able to understand and take decisions that will benefit their health and that of their kids. That is an outstanding thing and surely, progress has been made in that regard.


It is tempting to believe my views are chauvinistic. I am only asking questions and doing a comparative analysis of then and now. Examining the pros and cons. 


Love is not enough to keep a marriage. It is an ingredient but only one of a tetra-pod. 


Maturity, Understanding and ultimately a sound knowledge of Jesus. Human nature is naturally selfish so don't feel bad if you notice you think of yourself first even after you have been 'equally yoked'. After-all, a popular Yoruba adage says 'If a fire burns you and your child, you dust that fire off yourself first before the child'. That's simply how humans are wired.


We need to develop ourselves as individuals even before a wedding and a marriage. We must begin to focus on how to invest in the marriage instead of a wedding. There will always be bigger weddings and soon, yours will be just another society wedding. So, why not focus on that which you'll be stuck with till your last days as a mortal. The wedding is a day, the marriage however is a lifetime.


Our mothers made their choices. It is time for us to make ours. Nobody else will be responsible for how we choose to live now. How many elderly couples do we know who didn't at one time or the other almost rip out the head (figuratively, of course) of their spouse in anger, frustration or irritation. They had squabbles and low points but they also had very lovely days. That in itself is the very core of the issue. 


The wise woman I opened with understands. A blind woman will refuse to see the man on the day his folly is waxing and the deaf man will refuse to hear the woman on a day she's rambling over flimsy issues. Outside those, they are best-friends.


Marriage has not changed...only my generation has.










Follow 'Wole @drwalls28 on Twitter.

Patience As A Virtue

Nigeria continues to confuse me. 


This morning, the prima headline in the news on radio was the unrest in Kaduna and Yobe. The next story was that my dear President was gallivanting once again. This time, to Rio Brazil for some otiose conference.


He is to be accompanied by his wife, four State Governors and some other government leeches. Being that I am now used to Mr President wandering aimlessly around the globe with a bloated entourage, I did not particularly flinch at the news. I did however smile when Dame Patience was mentioned as a member of that entourage. Oga dey go Brazil, where Samba girls are more than road signs so why not give Oga close marking? After-all, even the Good Book says 'What God has joined together, let no man (or conference, principality or power) put asunder'.


So Patience is off to Rio this morning. I'm sure she'll have estacode for the trip. Estacode. Money sufficient enough to buy educational textbooks and laboratory equipment for a few schools in Nembe. 


Can we seriously explain what Dame is going to do in Brazil today?


Dame has generated a lot of parody on social media, for her seemingly malignant use of the English language. She has taken her cue and seems to have reduced the frequency of her public speaking. To all of us who have scornfully ridiculed her on our BlackBerry devices and Twitter, I condole with you. Why? 


Well, while you bitterly jest at Dame's grammatical prowess, she amasses visas from different countries on different continents. I stand to be corrected but by 2015, Dame will probably be the most traveled First Lady this country ever had. Even with the supposed 'bad English'.


I doubt most Professors of English in Nigeria have traveled as much as Dame. No be by grammar. Na by packaging.


Dame Jonathan claims she studied Biology and Psychology at the University Of Port Harcourt. Same alma mater as Mr President. I assume they met at the Love Garden in Delta Park UNIPORT or a palm wine joint around Aluu. Whatever the case may be, theirs is a match made in Heaven. 


Surprisingly she also claims to have an NCE from another post-secondary institution in Rivers State. Interesting. It is amazing to think Dame was a teacher and even a banker. As a teacher, her pupils were probably either truants or audio-logically challenged.  Either way, she had a successful teaching career.


I saw her recently in the Style section of ThisDay. She was literally and figuratively glistening. This 'oyel money' sweet. Even though I hear competition is stiff at Federal Executive Council level, Dame seems to be doing a good job with keeping Mr President 'focused' on nation building.


Dame however is not as slow-witted as a lot of folks erroneously assume. I gather she recently acquired two oil vessels for lifting crude. I also understand she owned two such vessels before her recent acquisition. We also cannot forget her 2006 money laundering romance. Imagine the value of £8million six years ago? Till date, nobody has mentioned it again. We also cannot pretend we are not aware Timipre Sylva's current woes have everything to do with his friction with the powerful Dame. Take it or leave it, Dame get power. If you do not believe, wait till she comes again to open a beauty salon in Warri or attend a naming ceremony in Lagos or just a courtesy call on her friends at ThisDay Lagos. 


Absolute power corrupts absolutely!


Unfortunately, Dame and her spouse have made my alma mater look risible. Now when they ask me where I trained, they look up again when I respond and say 'Ah, you went there too'. Hopefully, before 2019 when the Jonathans vacate Aso Rock, my certificate would not have been reduced to just another waste of the bark of a tree. Six plus years in university is not something to waste like that.


Dame, biko, I understand your spousal responsibilities but you need to encourage Jo' to start behaving like a Ph.D holder before UNIPORT is blacklisted globally.


Meanwhile, enjoy Brazil. I hear the weather and the beaches are lovely. Do not however venture into the misadventure of wearing two-piece bikinis like the Samba girls. Jo' might mistakenly allow the Presidential Jet leave without you. 


And if he did...a certain pistillate Minister is waiting to #OccupyAsoRock.






















Follow 'Wole @drwalls28 on Twitter.

Rebirth At 30

Today, for the first time in a long time, I eagerly write with great elation. Hitherto, most of my articles have been void of a lot of good news as our dear nation remains in the throes of bad leadership and numb follower-ship.


Today, however is a first of its kind. Today, I am reminded of the essence and definition of hope.


April 16 2012 was a dark day for a lot of us who know Dr Odinachi Okoli, news filtered in about his abrupt disappearance in Edo State and most of us were apprehensive. Ody is a nice and very intelligent young doctor, why would anyone want to harm him? So, a grueling sixty days started for his immediate family. I was particularly worried for his mum, the emotional trauma of not knowing the whereabouts of an offspring cannot even be imagined. A family friend also vanished some years ago and watching his mum slip into frank neurosis was very saddening. 


Some say its easier for a woman to know her child has gone to be with the Lord than the uncertainty of having a missing child. Naturally, women as care givers worry a lot. To think that a child could be in pain, could be ill, could be starving, could be mutilated by abductors is a nerve-racking experience for any mother. I would not even wish it for my worst enemy.


Personally, I almost lost hope at some point. I spoke with another dear friend of Ody about two weeks ago and all I could ask was 'Oboy, na so Ody take go?'. He sighed and told me not to lose hope but that we should just keep praying for his safety. In a country where security is fast becoming a luxury and the security agencies are comical to say the least, I feared the worst. 


Alas, God was not through with Ody's life. On  Saturday night, I got BlackBerry messages from a few contacts and my heart was gladdened. It was a miracle. Odinachi had been found alive. Even when I didn't have the full details of his recovery, I profusely praised God on behalf of his parents and siblings. A night had just passed, it was morning finally for the Okolis. For Mrs Okoli, her dear son has been reborn. The relief can be second to none.


I know another young man who has not been as lucky as Odinachi. He left home one Sunday evening to watch an Arsenal-Chelsea game more than a year ago at a viewing centre around his house. He has not returned since then. Its been almost two years now.


Hope sometimes is all we can hold on to. The undaunted and resolute optimism that there's a way out. The unflinching resolve to believe that everything will be fine eventually. 
Martin Luther King rightly submits that 'We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope'. 


I felicitate with Mrs Okoli, she has witnessed the rebirth of Odinachi. Being in labour for the last sixty or so days, hoping, waiting and watching. Her baby boy is back to her. Her boy is alive and well.


Are there any lessons to be learnt from this ordeal? Sure!


There's no database, the government has comically and obtusely attempted creating national identification systems which have all turned out to be money laundering schemes for our political mercenaries. We need records, properly structured so we know who is where and at what time. A DNA data bank would not be a bad idea. The technology is ubiquitous in the West. There's also technology that can trace locations via mobile phones, they can use records of last text messages or phone calls received. Surely, they will assist our security agencies.


To all Dr Odinachi's friends and family members who refused to give up on him, I pray you'll never have to go through such an ordeal again ever. 






P.S.
Niran's yet to be found, two years later. God's miracles are not time-bound thus I'll humbly ask you remember him and his family in your prayers. The Good Lord will deliver whom He chooses to deliver. #PrayForNiran


















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A FEW GOOD MEN (2)

Just seven weeks ago,I penned my thoughts about MP Farouk Lawan and the fuel subsidy probe. Seven weeks suddenly feels like decades ago. The enthralling drama that has unfolded in the last week has completely rendered that article almost null & void.


While I wrote that article, I silently hoped and prayed the next time I would  mention Lawan's name was when big shots in the petroleum industry were pleading 'Guilty' or otherwise in a Southcrown Court London. Alas, I would hear and speak of Lawan in the most unwholesome manner only two months later. This I find not just disturbing but also befuddling.

I was recently passionately accused of being 'too pessimistic and cynical in a tacky way' by a professional colleague. Her argument was that I lacked discretion as to when to speak objectively and that sometimes, my cynicism was almost damning. It was in the wake of the ill-fated Dana flight on Sunday, June 3 2012, so I assumed the emotional distress and trauma was getting to most Nigerians and thus appreciated her perspective. That however does not change the facts of the matter, Nigerians killed Nigerians that Sunday.

After the Otdeola-Lawan story made headlines, I was forced to read again the article I wrote seven weeks ago and two paragraphs struck me and they really just summarize this second epistle.

The first is '....Again, my appreciation to Farouk Lawan for his sterling performance. I was almost tempted to believe again in this country but I will choose to err on the side of caution. I still remain cynical, unrepentantly so'.

The second is  '....My only reservation is his association with the bandwagon of robbers in the PDP. He has, however, somehow managed to remain flea-free even though he lies with dogs'.

Farouk Lawan has not particularly disappointed me, as they say 'He who is down, fears no fall'. Even though he managed to deceive me for a few weeks, the cynic in me was looking behind his shoulders. Dad always said 'If something looks too good to be true, then it probably is'.

I will however be disappointed if in 2015, Lawan does not assume office as the Executive Governor of Kano State. Yes, you read correctly. I said if he does  not become Kano Sate Governor, I'll be disappointed.  He's still a member of the PDP. That alone is enough. PDP does not want that fuel subsidy scam report implemented and a temporal dent in Lawan's reputation is an ideal price to pay. With their usual quid pro quo policy in PDP, the death of that report might just deliver Kano State Government House to Lawan. Believe it or not, that's the Nigeria you and I are citizens of now. Besides, when men like Reuben Abati have shown us very clearly that reputation is as cheap as a sand on a beach in this same country, why then should we be surprised. In the Nigeria of my generation, a good name is worthless next to riches.

Many folks have consistently submitted that Femi Otedola be investigated and prosecuted. Rubbish!

Femi Otedola will not be prosecuted, not because he's a billionaire in a country where many people are overtly above the law, but because in the original script as written and produced by the PDP, jail time was not one of the roles given to the actor called Otedola. Stop wishing!. The closest Femi will come to Ikoyi Prison is his weekly polo pastime at Ikoyi Polo Club.

Even if he did give a bribe to Lawan, he already said he informed security agencies and he was told to 'PLAY ALONG AND GIVE THE REQUESTED BRIBE' and he simply did what a regular law-abiding citizen should do. Its like saying you want to arrest Jack Bauer in 24 for doing undercover work and doing business with terrorists! Another day, another time, Femi will be penciled as Nigeria's hero in this saga and he'll be credited with helping expose gross and unrefined corruption in the Legislature. Those of you who are hung on seeing jail cells should watch MNet Series for reruns of Prison Break.

This is a simple case of the same Nigerian movie but a different cast. Many Farouk Lawans have come and gone and remain extremely wealthy men. Many will come after him as long as we remain in the custody of the PDP. They will come, they will see and they will conquer. Our dear Minister for Information only a few weeks ago told us 'There'll still be corruption in Nigeria, even after Jonathan leaves office'. By inference, he means we should let GEJ do his own and go peacefully, after all, corruption is here to stay.

What then is the solution? A lot of people believe we can 'vote out' PDP at the polls. I find that submission amusing. You can only vote out someone you voted in and I don't need Einstein to tell me that PDP did not legitimately win elections in Nigeria in the past 13 years. As long as voter's cards are only worth a single serve pack of Indomie and a tin of rice at electoral polling stations, elections will remain a farce.

Nigeria needs good men, good leaders, good examples, good education and good health care. The West is ahead of us simply because their forefathers invested in education and sharpened their minds in their formative years. Imagine after 4years of tertiary education and gainful employment, will anyone sell his voter's card for a tin of rice? PDP will prefer to keep Nigerians uneducated, impoverished, hungry and desperate. Those are the ideal ingredients for breeding mercenaries.

Quality and quantitative education via schools built and SOLELY operated by the West, churches and philanthropists will be a good start. It will be a long and arduous process but besides bloody revolution, I can't proffer any other solutions.

In the mean time, we can only plead with the current crop of brigands in power to please tender injustice with mercy. I know there's a pathological obsession to loot but they should please not pilfer and plunder Nigeria into secession.

And to my well meaning more optimistic Christian brothers and sisters, 'No,it is NOT well'.












Follow 'Wole @drwalls28 on Twitter

If Tomorrow Starts Without Me...

Last weekend, Nigerians returned from church to hear of the Dana Air crash in Iju. A whopping 153 souls were on the flight with yet to be ascertained number of people on the ground at the residential area the plane smashed into. My prayers remain with the affected families, the sadness that follows such painful loss of loved ones cannot even be imagined. I will ask the Good Lord, who knows ALL to soothe their hurt in this dark sombre period.


Many of us who work around sick people appreciate the value of good health and life itself. We've seen death snatch folks right in front of us, we've had to tell relatives they'll never see their loved ones again; they'll never see them smile, they'll never hold them again, they'll not see them frown at them again. Life is more than just a four letter word, life is a gift.


A friend of my mine updated her status message on her BlackBerry last week and I viewed it while I was driving somewhere in Surulere. It read 'If Tomorrow Starts Without Me'. The message hit me like an iron rod to the back of the skull. It was one of the deepest things I had read since the tragedy struck on Sunday. I immediately asked her what prompted it and she explained that it was a poem she learnt after she lost close classmates to the 2005 Sosoliso Port Harcourt air disaster. I found it very insightful and reflective.


Life is what it is, it is a dark basket where each second of the day we dip our hands and are never really certain what we'll pick. Life is sweet and bitter, fair and wicked, long and short, happy and sad, hot and cold. Life is a myriad of things to the same person and the same thing to a myriad of people. You just never know what you'll get.


In 2005 when the school children coming home from Abuja for Christmas boarded that plane, they were totally sure they'll be hugging their folks in 45minutes. Just the way you are so sure you'll close from work at 4pm today. Their parents were at the airport waiting to pick them in 2005, they were so sure their kids were going to be home for the holidays and had probably made plans for how the holidays would be spent. Just the way you are so sure you'll not choke on your food during supper today.


On Sunday, when the Dana-153 boarded the plane, they were so sure they were going to 'ping' their friends once the plane landed and they were permitted to turn on their smart-phones. They probably ended conversations just before take off with 'GTG...TTYL'. They were very sure they'll continue the discussion later. Just the way you are sure you'll drive home from work today in your car and won't get crushed by a speeding truck. The Iju-Ishaga residents nko? It was a Sunday, some were probably ironing their shirts in their bedrooms in preparation for work the next day, they were so sure they'll wear those black shoes instead of the brown ones. Just the way you are sure you'll see your husband, wife, sibling or cousin whom you left at home this morning when you rushed out to work. 


It never even crosses our minds that maybe, just maybe, all the above were possibilities.


If tomorrow starts without me, I want to be remembered for being a good son, brother, boyfriend, friend and doctor. If tomorrow starts without me, I want to be with Master Jesus. If tomorrow starts without me, I want everybody I love be certain I loved them. If tomorrow starts without me, I want the ones who I offended the day before be glad they forgave me before I left. If tomorrow starts without me, I want to leave with no regrets, no misgivings, no grudges, no debts, just peace.


Someone once said 'Begin to live at once and count each separate day as a separate life'. 


Nigerians forget very quickly. We move on very quickly once we are not directly involved. Yesterday, the ones affected today were just like you and I. Someone's yesterday is now their today and could be your tomorrow. There are no assurances, you take what you get and life deals the cards however it chooses. No negotiations, no strikes, no arguments, no second chances.


A young successful banker I follow on Twitter wrote yesterday 'The Mrs just arrived on one of those dilapidated air vessels, the things we took for granted last week are now miracles'. Beyond the air disaster and the fleeting nature of human life, there are several small things we take for granted. I'm sure it never occurred to you that today could be your last. Did it? We are planning for this weekend, its someone's wedding, its a naming ceremony, its a birthday party. We've planned next month, its professional exams, its a new pair of shoes, its a lounge opening in Victoria Island. Next year nko? Ah, we must buy a new car, we must move into our new flat, we must travel for summer. 


Charles Darwin submitted that 'A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life'. One hour is a long time for someone who just plunged from the sky to the ground in less than 10seconds. It is a long time in the life of a passenger whose plane just crashed and waits for it to explode in 20minutes. One hour is a long time for someone who is on the toilet seat in his house in Iju when the a nose of a Boeing MD83 suddenly crashes through the wall. One hour is a lot of time in the life of a human.


So why not quickly tell you parents you love them? Why not tell your spouse he or she is deeply loved? Why not remind your siblings they mean the world to you? Why not hug your friends and tell them how much they are appreciated? Ultimately and most importantly, why not tell Jesus you love Him and say 'Thank You' for the gift of all the aforementioned people. 


If you knew today, that tomorrow, by chance, could start without you....what would you do tonight?


Let's attend to the 'important' stuff.

NYSC: Service Or Sacrifice

Alot has been said openly about the relevance or otherwise of the NYSC in Nigeria today. Being an average open-minded guyman residing in Nigeria, I also have my own opinion about the scheme. Most people believe the scheme has lost its relevance and agitate for the scrapping of the program. Some other 'well-meaning' citizens have also insisted the scheme should be left untouched as it, like every other thing in life, has its pros and cons. Again, a respectable perspective.

Tertiary education is fraught with adventures and misadventures, depending on the institution where you were trained. Ultimately, the ecstasy of finally bagging a Bachelors degree is an experience every Nigerian youth should experience, not mandatorily however. After that comes the National Youth Service Corps, one year of a 'pseudo-military' conscription. General Gowon thought it wise at the time to aid national reintegration, after the devastating Civil War. Thus, the scheme was born in 1973 and has since become an eagerly anticipated ritual for Nigerian tertiary graduates.

Nigeria is a big country, literally and figuratively. The tribes and people are as numerous as the skin coverings of a chameleon. The religious creeds are however basically Christianity and Islam, with the different geopolitical zones belonging to either, neither or both of the two faiths. Attempting to reintegrate 250 tribes and ethnic groups is not only noble, but also an assiduous task and one must commend Gowon for treading the path. Till date however it seems there has not been any significant progress in achieving this Herculean task. Nigerians remain ethnocentric and overtly tribal in their dealings and thinking. It is thus safe to assume that the nation needs more than a mandatory one year NYSC program for its tertiary graduates to achieve any iota of national reintegration. I say 'reintegration' because I want to assume, albeit fictitiously, that there was an appreciable level of national integration in the pre-war era of Nigeria's existence.

NYSC is 39years old this year. That NYSC's developmental milestones have dwindled effortlessly and pathologically are really not in question. We all agree it has not achieved the aim of its creation. At 39years old, a man should have fathered at least a child in the absence of any morbidity and should be fending responsibly for a family unit. Deviants of this societal norm will be presumed to be either 'vagabonds' or voluntary eunuchs. So why then are we this lenient with a scheme that has receded in milestones like a mentally retarded human being?

Every year, the scheme gets fat allocations from government coffers, it hurriedly churns out unsuspecting and vulnerable 'otondos' and the cycle of vanity continues year in, year out. Service year was a good year for me, I however didn't have the 'luxury' of attempting to integrate with any other tribes, I served in my state of residence. However cowardly and shameful that sounds to you, I do not care. For my parents and I, it was a matter of 'Better safe than sorry' after a close family friend lost a son to the South-East part of Nigeria as he vanished during his NYSC. My mother would hear nothing of a posting outside where her hawk eyes could be on her priced fledgling. I however met very interesting people even though I remained in the cosmopolitan city of Lagos. Till date, one such fellow remains one of my most trusted and respected allies.

I am an advocate of social integration, I believe strongly that young people should meet new people and explore opportunities and adventures as much as they can. I am however not an advocate of wastage, especially of the lives of young budding Nigerians. The ethnic and political clime in the country has done everything but breed trust among the people of Nigeria. Trust is however an important, if not the most important, ingredient in cooking a pot of 'integration'. You can not be friends with a man or woman you do not trust, either partially or wholly. Corpers are killed during religious crisis in all parts of the country, they are even primary targets for these heinous attacks in some instances. Corpers travel long distances via Nigeria's state-of-the art road network and many have lost their lives needlessly and senselessly to fatal road traffic accidents. Just at the start of this year, 10 such Corpers lost their lives en-route Taraba from Imo State.

Last week, a close cousin of mine decided to register for the next batch of the scheme. She received her tertiary training abroad and since her pronouncement I have remained understandably jittery. My palpable apprehension was further fanned and fueled by the air crash of last weekend. Two corp members who were acquaintances with my friends were on board. A certain Kunbi Adebiyi, a foreign trained graduate came back home to do NYSC and today she's no more. There's also Iniobong, a young graduate from one of the privately operated universities in Nigeria. Note that I appreciate they could still have randomly been passengers on any ill-fated crash, I however still wonder if Kunbi would have been in Nigeria in the first place, if NYSC had not beckoned.

The scheme must  be reviewed, if not scrapped. In my view, the scheme should be open and flexible. I  believe we can serve the country without needlessly risking our lives. I believe every Nigerian graduate must serve his or her fatherland but he shouldn't die while at it when the nation's army isn't at war with any other nation. Like in my case, I served dutifully and successfully while my life was under very minimal threats, aside  some natural phenomenon. I met sound people from all parts of Nigeria, we remain good friends. However, Nigeria's integration remains at an all time low. Who then is deceiving who? I think the government should allow Corpers choose their postings. If you then have a death wish, divine direction or a genuine desire to 'integrate' with other ethnic groups then at least travelling there will be on your own volition.

NYSC has not achieved, is not achieving and will not achieve any significant progress in reintegrating Nigerians. It can be likened to trying to uproot out an Iroko tree whose gargantuan roots are at least 5 feet below the soil and digging the soil with bare hands. You are simply scratching the surface, the real issue remains alive, well and kicking.

Our fundamental problem as Nigerians is that of skewed ideologies. We need a reorientation in our minds, its entirely personal. Until we see ourselves as equal human beings first irrespective of tribe, color and creed, the NYSC can extend for 10years per Nigerian graduate, our story will eerily remain that of oil and water. Simply insoluble.We should also do away with the concept of 'State Of Origin' and start to be 'Nigerian', first, foremost and last before any other thing. I maintain that NYSC is not and will never be the panacea for ethnic and religious bigotry.

Young Nigerians should serve without sacrificing their lives.