₦airaland Forum

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete”. – Buckminster Fuller.

It is no semantics to say RevolutionNow, any revolution for that matter, is about progress. Indeed in more reliable fields than politics including science, revolution means the movement of earth in space, around the Sun and in relation to other revolving planets. From this revolving reality of earth derives seasonal variations, consequently influencing human dynamics as a result of the chemical perturbations, or spiritual fluidity if you mind, affecting divergent humanity’s physical realities. In other words, these physical realities, ultimately influenced by earth’s revolution, may be as commonplace as the threshold for surrender and allegiance, despair or resignation of Nigerians in the face of non-existent leadership.

The path taken by the earth when orbiting around the Sun is elliptical and so, sometimes some parts of earth come closer to the Sun than at other times, with its attendant influences on reactions, behaviors and temperaments. Revolution is about change, human dynamics that birth changes or variations from a reference. Such was the case of the quest for a Nigeria that is independent of the colonial master. It was a re-evolution from a reference, a variation from what was hitherto known as the norm, which was led by a team of nationalist Nigerians, including our pride, Pa Obafemi Awolowo.

When the reference is a nation that pretends to be holding out for the sovereign integrity of a nation whose leaders plunder her nutrients much more than any other external piggy, whose political elites encase themselves unabashedly with political contradictions and impropriety especially at election eras, whose elected leaders in attempting to escape the consequences of their indiscretions amass as much wealth as to cause a laugh in place of a cry, it is only commonsensical that a re-evolution, a movement away from the status quo to a better system that provides the much-needed human dignity and justice can no longer be put at bay. By those who are ignorant that a revolution, a change for something more humane, is as good for their gooses as it is for the ganders. The consolation for me is usually that, in the end, the reality will be laid bare that except to confuse, there is really no difference between the goose and the gander.

We are all in this mess together. When a serving senator, father, son, relative, political godfather and son, husband, uncle to some persons, and interestingly the deputy senate president of a nation’s assembly that was rigged as is business as usual, visits Germany to be roundly disciplined and disgraced, it dawns on all that there is no difference between he who has shoes today and he who doesn’t. We are joined at the umbilical by the multi-continental shame brought by the uproar caused by the crashes and mishaps of a polity and economy that is perpetually on auto-cruise, behind whose detached wheels are unscrupulous elements singing a different tune from their hearts’ conceptions. When prophecies become realities, like the prophecy of Ben Bruce while speaking to his colleagues on the dangers posed by exhausted Nigerians turning around to confront them, by throwing stones at their convoys on semi-auto cruise on potholed shaggy roads, then you know the served leaders and the underserved Nigerians equally use the road without immunity.

The assumption that any revolution is a natural progression to improvement, irrespective of approaches to the end, neither loses sight of the reality of history nor discountenances banal travesties of revolution, which conspiratorially earned true revolution its notorious reputation for which its actors must be punished by those who perceive themselves as victims rather than as gooses and ganders in the journey of redemption, of re-evolution.

A personal perception is that aloof of the spectrum of modern revolutions, including the early 20th-century constitutional revolutions, 1905 Russian revolution, and the Persian Constitutional Revolution, the 1908 Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire and the 1911 Chinese revolution and the palace revolt in Thailand, stands RevolutionNow in Nigeria, seeking justice, equality and nationhood as it should be. Only the enemies of progress will have lesser expectations than a better state of the nation.

Permit me a lengthy quote from the article of Fedorova 2017, “The concept of revolution is such a concept—it arises in the modern era as a theoretical tool for understanding the radical otherness of the present in relation to the past. Also, this concept is a crucial element of political practice itself, prefiguring the political strategies of an entire era. It is a conceptual tool, which with the help of the subject of Modernity—not the metaphysical subject, but, rather, the subject of action, of practice—is inscribed simultaneously into history and into practical action. The concept of revolution can be approached in different ways. There is a chain of events in revolution that stirs the imagination, written into history in passionate and violent letters of blood; events that are turned into myths and national symbols, firmly rooted in the collective unconscious. Its ethical or intellectual dimension can be emphasized—this is the world of concepts and values brought to life by the books and pamphlets, speeches, and heated discussions of the revolutionary period. At seventy-four years, Kant, unsatisfied with the mere chronological reconstruction of the facts, saw in revolution “the fact of reason.”

Where are we? Why are we where we are? And where are we willing to be wafted? How do we get there? It should be admitted that wielding unbridled power for decades can be soporific as to lure to complacency leaders who hold power and use same to suppress millions of Nigerians. But a reminder is due that nothing is constant forever, an implication of practical action for change, human dynamics for variation from what is considered a reference, bad reference, even if just a revolution of the earth in space. Change is change and it is very constantly changing. It is not easy, maybe sleepily convenient to amass as much wealth as it is unnecessary, to steal government money black and blue and rape an entire citizenry without a thought, but when the cats come calling, the mice must scamper. Change!

A change in political trajectory and consciousness is second-to-none at a time like this when an average Nigerian is tagged with epithets that are represented by the inglorious bastardliness of uncouth persons decked in stolen attires waiting to be soiled by the reconstructed anger of a people in progressive accord. The people are not entirely helpless in turning around the fortunes of their country, more importantly in peaceful ways. Indeed, history says otherwise.

During the unveiling ceremony of the revised national broadcasting code in Lagos, Nigeria on the 4th day of August, 2020, the increase of the fine for hate speech from five hundred thousand to five million naira was announced by the minister for information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. What is however not certain is that the announcement is based on the honest realities of what hate speech constitutes and who are the actual purveyors of hate speech. criticism? expression of dissatisfaction? The recent shambolic show of ideological inconsistencies wantonly displayed by leaders and other political jobbers have been a circus of jesters inserting into our lexicon interesting dimensions of hate speech. A box of contradictions.

Democracy is not a joke. It is a serious matter. And it is meant to take care of the interest of the people in a collegial way. Not an opportunity for a few to enrich themselves or to usurp power and display ego.

The harrowing experience surrounding efforts to occupy elected positions should be dissuading enough for everyone, the gooses and the ganders, to come together and make their lives the better, together.

The people, therefore, have a right to ask questions; to demand continued progression and better welfare for every citizen and well-wishers of Nigeria, a nation that supports the realization of the personal and collective dreams of her people. And then leaders, who are supposed to be the sources of growth and life and love, the most important commandment given to mankind, turn around to harass and arrest their subjects on the counts that they are in love with a better nation.

Nigeria, like any sensible nation, ready to match gallantly into a future of hope and assured dignity, at this point in an evolving history requires clear-headed leaders, with a vision and mission to make Nigeria or her constituent parts proud.

An instructive model for RevolutionNow, or any re-evolution intent on transforming Nigeria into a nation of our dreams, is the meiji era which afforded tremendous transformation in Japanese society, radically remodeling the realities of life in Japan. The change that we seek for Nigeria, the re-evolution is going to be a process embedded in our national consciousness, and institutionalized to an extent that it becomes the reference for our national identity.

Once again, permit me to indulge you with the words of David Icke, “The only revolution that will change anything is a revolution of perception”

Reference

Fedorova, M.M., 2017. Revolution: The Transformations of the Semantic Field in Contemporary Political Philosophy. Russian Studies in Philosophy, 55(3-4), pp.280-292.

It is no longer news that Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria is in crisis, as reported by various platforms. Wumi Raji, an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts of the same University wrote that the University “is in deep crisis” and has a lot to say about it, READ MORE.

On the 15th day of July, 2016, a hitherto Google-unknown character, in person of Adediwura Alawode, brilliantly wrote a rejoinder to Wumi Raji’s piece, READ MORE. The choice of the tag “hitherto Google-unknown character” in describing Adediwura Alawode was a result of the fact that while Wumi Raji provided his full identity, including his department, designation and a bold picture in the piece he wrote, the rejoinder writer only went as far as stating at the end of his piece, “Adediwura Alawode writes from OAU”.
READ MORE

Two eminent Nigerian coaches, Stephen Keshi and Shaibu Amodu, discovered and joined two different coaches on the train that journeyed to a different realm. The latter only allowed 2 days to pass before joining the former on this train.

Change is constant, so they say, maybe it’s the only constant thing in the life of these coaches, as well as in mine and yours. There are incidentally only two (in my reckoning) significant changes that take place throughout the life of man and these changes are somewhat akin to transmogrification. That is exactly what has happened to Stephen and Shaibu, or what they happened to.

The first change being their appearance in the womb of their mothers and from nothing (maybe not absolutely nothing but from an invisible ‘tadpole’ and a dormant egg), respectively cuddling themselves in the warmth of that world away from “the world”. They became foetuses, awaiting the expiration of a nine-month period of relative redundancy wherever they were tucked.

There was another change though, which is the transition from the womb to the world during birth. However, this is like merely walking (albeit with the staggered gaits of a stranger) from a cozy cave, through a dark but comfortable tunnel, to the open field, a wilderness filled with all shapes of animals, the dove, the serpent, the tortoise and the lion. This really does not qualify (read more on the blog)

It has been many thousands of years since the establishment of the city of Ijebu somewhere in-between the city of Lagos and the old Oyo Empire within present-day Nigeria. Interestingly, whether one can say the city was established at all or that it has always existed with the advent of the Universe (just like any other city for that matter) should ordinarily constitute a complexity.

downloadimages (1)

There are a number of things that are unique about Ijebu and the Ijebu people; talk about an Ijebu participation in the war against colonialism, the Yemoja war (the war was christened Yemoja because this was where the war was hottest between the Ijebus and the British. There is a Yemoja natural swimming pool, where the British used to relax during war-breaks located in the Ijebu town, Yemoja till tomorrow).



‘Segun Osoba, a renowned Professor of History, once ended a narrative on a similar subject with a funny anecdote about one of the few Ijebu converts to Christianity. This particular man became a ‘Pastor’ as is commonplace today; once, a member of his congregation vexed him (names and details withheld) to a degree that he had to take off his pastoral regalia (not sure what they used to call that), thus revealing the hitherto concealed attire of a Juju Priest.



That anecdote represented the suspicion with which the Ijebus held Christianity while yet practicing it. Insufficient to confirm though, but this suspicion is quite ubiquitous today that even the Europeans themselves have come to establish same with their attitude of faith-needlessness. One of the reasons why the current Pope has chosen to launch his twitter account @Pontifex ‘to reclaim lost sheep’. However, this is far from being the subject of discourse here.



What the interest is herein is the attitude of the world to the Ijebu race. I refer to the world because everything you hear about the Ijebu people and spoken by ‘just’ anybody around the world is almost bound to be derogatory. This has gotten so endemic (you can say pandemic, if you want) especially in contemporary times that everyone seems to want to distant itself from an Ijebu ‘CityMan’; last time I even noticed a baby suspiciously eyeing an Ijebu man. I no know wetin the guy do the pikin o! Read more on blog...

“You're standing at a zoo, and looking at a caged animal, admiring it, scrutinizing every aspect of it, observing its walk, its skin. Now imagine you're that caged animal and people are gawking at you like you're an alien, like you don't belong. That is how black citizens of African nations say they feel in India, they aren't caged but they might as well be.” - Sarakshi Rai.
A few days ago in Greater Noida, some Hausa boys were allegedly beaten up by an Indian mob, while the reverse was published in the media (that Indians were beaten up by the Hausa boys). Whereas, the reality was that an Indian boy, with rich but uneducated father, snapped pictures of a Hausa boy and was asked to delete same but would not budge. He called his father and that led to the Hausa boys being attacked. This event led to sabotage on public facilities that fed the Africans (including but not limited to the disruption of power supply); this, ultimately leading to the ejection of Africans, who had to resort to emergent searching for new shelter, with its attendant challenges.
Sometimes, it is a wonder what globalization, in the sense of globetrotting (let’s content ourselves with singly traveling from one’s own country to another’s), may do to one, one’s family and one’s internal peace, when confronted by the dastardly racism that some countries (or some of their citizens) are associated with.
According to The Times of India on July 4, 2014, she received “a cryptic one-line email from Yannick's father, Nestor Ntibateganya,” from Burundi which “should be enough to shake Punjab's conscience, "Yannick passed away in the night of 1st July 2014."
Yannick Nihangaza was a student of Computer Engineering at Lovely Professional (continue reading on my blog)

I got the below from a friend and thought to share. You should share to for the education of Nigerians.

#SubsidyRemoval

WHY DO WE SUFFER FUEL SCARCITY IN NIGERIA?

1. We do not have enough refineries to satisfy our domestic need, so we depend on fuel importation

2. Fuel is bought at the international market with US dollars and importers need USD to buy and import fuel

3. There is variability up to N121 bewteen the official USD exchange rate and the parallel market rate in Nigeria.

4. The government determines the price for fuel because the CBN is the only source of US Dollars for Marketers who import fuel.

5. If marketers source for dollars themselves, they cannot sell the product at the government price because of the N121 difference.

6. When the CBN gives US dollars to importers to buy fuel and import, they opt to selling the US dollars in the parallel market since they will make more profit, say about 50 times more than buying fuel and importing.

7. Most of the few marketers and dealers who use the dollars they got from CBN to buy fuel and import, divert the fuel to neighbouring countries like Chad and Benin Republic etc because fuel costs more in these countries since their Petroleum Market is free, and they will sell at a higher price and make more gains.

8. The CBN as a result of over 60% decrease in the price of crude leading to a reduced foreign reserve cannot afford to give enough dollars to marketers and dealers to import enough quantity of fuel for domestic consumption in the midst of all the leakages

9. These factors combined with a few others always lead to a shortage in the quantity of fuel that will satisfy Nigerian domestic consumption.

WHAT HAS THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM DONE?

1. Stopped the CBN from giving USD to marketers and dealers and gave them freedom to source for foreign exchange in the parallel market

2. Allowed the pump price of fuel to reflect the international price of fuel using the foreign exchange at the parallel market

3. Given all marketers and dealers the right to buy and import fuel while sourcing for foreign exchange from the parallel market

WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT OF THIS?

1. Marketers and dealers can no longer collect dollars from CBN and sell at the parallel market instead of importing fuel and then causing fuel shortage

2. Marketers and dealers can no longer divert fuel to Chad, Benin and other neighbouring countries since they will not make extra profit in doing so

3. Everyone can now buy fuel and import. There are no more cabals in the Petroleum industry. Anyone can join and do business.

4. More fuel will be brought to Nigeria and there will be competition among marketers that fuel stations will be begging and giving incentives to customers to buy their fuel

5. Competition will drive down the price of fuel as seen in the case of diesel.

6. Government will use its
resources and time to develop infrastructure.

This is the choice we have to make now that we have a Government that we can entrust our resources to and go to sleep.

President Muhammadu Buhari has shown a high level of uprightness, prudence, determination to kill corruption and develop Nigeria.

Let us support him...

***PLEASE SHARE***

For many years, until recently, I can conveniently say that I was largely selective with choice of music, as against my almost indiscriminate stance with food. However, on a certain recent day, the discovery of the strange pose of the corpse of the legendary music artist, Michael Jackson, in his casket constituted the needed stimulus for me to, even if momentarily, take an amateur plunge into the world of African American music.

It was a Pandora’s box. Like unsolicited pop-up windows, certain question marks popped up at my face. Why is it exclusive
to African Americans to sag their pants? to use guns especially for self-annihilation? to create a gangster system? Why did I never ask these questions till now? Why did I never bother to investigate what influences the African American music have had on cultures? Why did I never listen to lyrics and see the videos of those African American music, which have inadvertently (or otherwise) influenced the pop culture in many African countries? I hope you are paying attention to the lyrics and seeing the music videos and plotting the graphs of trends being occasioned by these?

Let’s take a leisurely trip through some popular tracks. The music video of “Black or White” which was written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell comes handy. Ahead of a murky analysis, let me submit that the video is capable of creating REBELLION and GANGSTERISM.

In the video’s first few minutes, 11-year-old Macaulay Culkin dances to rock music in his bedroom at night. Wikipedia continues, “This attracts the attention of his grouchy father (George Wendt), who furiously orders him to stop playing the music and go to bed. After his father storms out and slams the door behind him (causing a Michael Jackson poster on the door to fall off and its glass frame to smash), the boy retaliates by setting up large speaker cabinets (with levels of “LOUD”, “LOUDER”, and “ARE YOU NUTS!?!”, respectively; with the dial turned up all the way to “ARE YOU NUTS!?!”) behind his father’s reclining chair, donning leather gloves and sunglasses, strapping on a Wolfgang guitar and playing a power chord, and telling the father to “Eat this!”. The sound then shatters and destroys the house windows and sends his father (seated in the chair) halfway around the world, where the actual song begins.” – REBELLION and GANGSTERISM. Read the full version on my blog

We all have enough time in our lifetimes to read what we must read. I admit, maybe this is not one of those to you. But read, you must read even longer ones not just whatsapp messages

Sometimes, people pull what is bigger than them like this ant. I hope you can see it? It is the same with politicians who acquire properties in anticipation (an example is currently standing trial at the CCT) and those who accuse other countries of what they are guilty of (corrupt, fantastically).

Sometimes, people pull what is bigger than them like this ant. I hope you can see it? It is the same with politicians who acquire properties in anticipation (an example is currently standing trial at the CCT) and those who accuse other countries of what they are guilty of (corrupt, fantastically).

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY
It’s been more than 3 decades she birthed me.

Three and a half decades of sweat, labour, worry

Will he grow, will he survive? Will he be man?

Living through the years with bated breath

Like in labour, will this baby come?

a single breath dancing on the tip of the tongue

awaiting the final push, for the baby to arrive and to cry

giving out that shrill note of arrival

that is joy to mothers and others.



HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY


Every year, we the children, celebrate our birthdays

We come back again

To mother, it’s that day of labour, tears, pain, hope and joy

Every year, she gives birth to us again and again

Every year, we change, we become new babies.

And Mother’s worry never end

Can I ever say a worthy ‘Thank You’?

Can we thank these beautiful mothers enough?

Can any of us? Read the full version on my blog

Firstword: Humankind can be split into two words, Human and Kind. Humankind on its own is synonymous with humanity, charity and kindness. I will be content with being insulated from being absolutely controlled by the media, invasive and non-invasive technology. Being kind constitutes radiation from self to others and not the other way around.



Tiwa, without being in a haste to pass the buck between you and your husband (who is obviously beside himself), there is a general apathy against our individual and collective humanity. In the abundance of religiousity, we are fast losing our spirituality (I hope this is not misconstrued, innocently or otherwise). And this has affected almost everyone one way or another. Most people, including this ‘penner’, see themselves as victims rather than agents of certain untoward events. Thus, it was quick for you to state in your widely publicized interview (definitely to the admiration of many ‘victims’ but not agents of their fates in a similar vein) your priority to keep up praying for your supposed husband while insidiously eyeing the state of bliss, where the obligations of a wife are not needed to be met (I have no evidence other than your body language in that interview; so, I may be wrong).

Do you, and other ‘victims’, even know what constitutes these obligations, to ourselves and our community (others)? Or, are we merely, as a matter of second-to-none priority, concerned about self, the happiness and fulfillment of self?

Yes, it’s a given that your husband is bad, injuriously so. Maybe even worse or worst. But is he the first? Will he be the last? Irrespective of his ‘stupidity’ and questionable reactions (or actions, if you mind) of going as far as making private statements about you in public, will he be the last?

Let’s also take for granted the truism of your claims that he’s addicted to drugs. In my reckoning, a drug addict is by default in need of help, a saving grace, first and especially from his wife, his supposed helpmate. No matter what happens, it should not be she who knows his best kept secrets that will be the first to rub it in his face when he is at his lowest ebb.

Why did you make those vows on your wedding day? Were they of any significance to you? Or did you make them out of desperation to have a man’s name attached to your public (which you seem to care about above everything else) nomenclature? Could that be the rationale for your photograph in public domain stating, “All sales are final. No exchanges. No returns”?Tiwa return

Yes, he pocketed your millions and kept lying to you. Well, that to me is a pointer to the fact that there is, and have always been, a fundamental problem. Either, it is the result of warped thinking due to drugs or he is clear-minded from the beginning and has been bent on fleecing you (like a gold-miner). Either way, his drug test came out clean (whatever that supposes).

My crust is that this generation, being a harbinger to the next, is losing (or has lost) her spirituality, acting (in consonance with her members) as though there is no obligation whatsoever towards posterity. Where are we from? Who does that? Many are medievally concerned about the self. Cogito ergo sum (latin for I think, therefore I am).

For the moment, let’s summon to this forum the likes of those who are losing (or have equally lost) this much-needed spirituality of essentially sustained community, the Pastors, Pedagogues, Parents, Pupils and Politicians (so much for the Ps). read more on my blog

Below are today’s smartphones. Dem pass phones – dem be powerful, networked multimedia computers. Come see them over the next 10 years, dem for don get far more advanced. COntinue here...http://lakunlescrews./2013/02/28/smartphones-don-dey-get-smarter-check-out-wetin-i-mean/#respond

Curiosity Mars rover wey America’s NASA send go Mars don find another strange looking object on the red planet. This time, na one small shiny protuberance:

“The image was taken with the right Mastcam on Curiosity on Sol 173 — January 30, 2013 here on Earth...continue here http://lakunlescrews./2013/02/10/can-mars-really-have-metals/#respond