₦airaland Forum

This week has been clouded with several tribalistic remarks and brickbat regarding the protests of Anambrans against the transfer of the Boko Haramists to the prison facility in Ekwulobia, Anambra State. Ordinarily the transfer of such high profile criminals ought to be in privy but its overtness discloses the blue nature of the transfer that even threatens the government and citizens of the state.

Only those in Diaspora have dints of hope in the reformative nature of the prisons in Nigeria. Even if its just a story through our local TV and radio stations, Nigerians in Nigeria would always have a ruinous tale to tell about the prisons.

My experience of the Nigerian Prison was when I was in the University of Ibadan , I was a member of a Student Muslim Society Committe which visits the prisons but I couldn’t muster enough courage to follow them once because of the horrifying tales i heard about them.

Before and After each trip, the terrible tales fill the air, tales of maltreatment of innamtes, congestion of prisons, lacking welfare, dilapidating structures, indadequate(incapable,derelictious and corrupt) prison officials, lack of proper medical facilities, sexual abuse of males and females, unrecorded amounts of deaths and limitless ATIs( Awaiting Trial Inmates) who constitute the highest amount of prison inmates in the country. The ATI is a suspect that has not been.........[url]/p4LCLu-Fq[/url]

In Pictures- Jonathan's Inspection of Abuja's Rail Transit
[url]/p4LCLu-vi[/url]

Govs are to blame for unpaid salaries- Okonjo-Iweala
[url]/p4LCLu-uT[/url]

UI Students Protest Over Killer Clinic
[url]/p4LCLu-uP[/url]

Pics- Muslims Prepare for Ramadan in Jerusalem
[url]/p4LCLu-v7[/url]

Girl Becomes Youngest Lawmaker Since 1667 in Britain
[url]/p4LCLu-vy[/url]

Muslims in Edo Cry Foul, Demand Official Slots
[url]/p4LCLu-uj[/url]

Pictures of Impersonators in WAEC Will be Made Public
[url]/p4LCLu-um[/url]

Indian IG of Police Caught Cheating in Law Exam
[url]/p4LCLu-u8[/url]

Dangote Still Wants to Buy Arsenal
[url]/p4LCLu-ub[/url]

Houthis Begin Attack on Saudi - Fires Rockets into Border Town
[url]/p4LCLu-ur[/url]

Akinwunmi Adeshina Denies Waiving Duties of Rice Importers
[url]/p4LCLu-up[/url]

Salman Khan To Get Judgement over Killing Today
[url]/p4LCLu-ux[/url]

Father Uses Javelin To Remove Daugther’s Tooth
[url]/p4LCLu-uC[/url]

Salman Khan Dashed 5 years in Jail by Law Court
[url]/p4LCLu-ux[/url]

Fuel Scarcity! NNPC Says it has Enough to Last Nigerians for 27 Days
[url]/p4LCLu-sa[/url]

Jonathan Suspends Perm- Sec for Recalling Envoys in South Africa
[url]/p4LCLu-s3[/url]

STEM and Entrepreneurship – A Solution to Unemployment in Nigeria
[url]/p4LCLu-s0[/url]

Saudi's King Chooses Heir to the Kingdom
[url]/p4LCLu-se[/url]

Prospective Corpers Posted to Boko Haram States Will be Redeployed
[url]/p4LCLu-sm[/url]

Don’t Terminate Amnesty – Jonathan Warns Buhari
[url]/p4LCLu-so[/url]

Lagos Closes 24 Religious Outfits Over Noise
[url]/p4LCLu-sB[/url]

BH is Present in Just Sambisa Forest - Jonathan
[url]/p4LCLu-sH[/url]

Oil Marketers Give FG Two Weeks Ultimatum!, Suspends Strike
[url]/p4LCLu-ta[/url]

Convenant University employs Card Readers for Examinations
[url]/p4LCLu-te[/url]

NLC, TUC ask Buhari to fulfill promises
[url]/p4LCLu-sV[/url]

Nepalese Government Gives 140,000 Rupees eachTo Victims of EarthQuake
[url]/p4LCLu-sL[/url]

Lawmakers gives conditions for Truce in Ekiti
[url]/p4LCLu-sP[/url]

UCH Completes one of World's most Complex Surgeries 
[url]/p4LCLu-rp[/url]

PDP is not Afraid of 20 billion Dollar Probe -Metuh
[url]/p4LCLu-rm[/url]

Only the Supporters of Ladoja Would Mourn with Him – APC
[url]/p4LCLu-rj[/url]

NNPC has Spent 3.65 Trillion Without Approbation- Report
[url]/p4LCLu-rD[/url]

Man Begins Ride From Kaduna to Lagos To Meet Osibanjo
[url]/p4LCLu-rz[/url]

Sweep of Change- A Speech Delivered By Tinubu at Lautech
[url]/p4LCLu-qV[/url]

Suswam 'Dashes' 8 Prados To Incoming Governor and Wife
[url]/p4LCLu-qS[/url]

Fashola Wins an Outstanding Worldwide ICG Award
[url]/p4LCLu-qP[/url]

Kashamu Cries- Obasanjo is Conspiring to abduct me to US
[url]/p4LCLu-p1[/url]

Iran's Leader Urges Military to be Prepared Follwing US Threat
[url]/p4LCLu-p7[/url]

2trillion Story Meant to Instigate National Crisis- Jonathan
[url]/p4LCLu-pa[/url]

Pesticide poisoning Behind Ondo Disease- WHO
[url]/p4LCLu-ov[/url]

Nigerian Traditional Herbal Drug can Cure Cancer- US Research
[url]/p4LCLu-oG[/url]

Army to begin Check on Ammunition in PortHarcourt April 20
[url]/p4LCLu-oD[/url]

SETTING an AGENDA FOR THE PRESIDENT-ELECT
[url]/p4LCLu-om[/url]

Inconclusive polls in Taraba, Imo, Abia and Rivers
[url]/p4LCLu-lb[/url]

Buhari Promises to Rescue the Chibok girls But?
[url]/p4LCLu-l1[/url]

APC Sweeps PDP Out of Government
[url]/p4LCLu-l8[/url]

Transition Committee Promises Smooth Transition
[url]/p4LCLu-l4[/url]

I Dont Want to Rig Lagos Elections, APC is Wrong ! - Jonathan
[url]/p4LCLu-jm[/url]

Buhari to get Nigeria’s $15million used in Illegal Arms Deal
[url]/p4LCLu-ji[/url]


THE ROYAL FATWA - BY NIYI OSUNDARE
[url]/p4LCLu-jq[/url]

INEC Shifts Elections in 8 Bayelsa Constituencies
[url]/p4LCLu-jo[/url]

Claims that I will Remain the Last Man in PDP Is False - Mark
[url]/p4LCLu-hS[/url]

Amala Politics - 12 Guber Candidates and 265 Candidates for Oyo Assembly
[url]/p4LCLu-hV[/url]

Mugabe to take control of Foreign Firms in Zimbabwe
[url]/p4LCLu-hY[/url]

Kenya Shuts Down Somali Financial Transaction Outfits
[url]/p4LCLu-i1[/url]

Late Morning News

Oba Akinolu's Real Statement to NDIGBO in Lagos
[url]/p4LCLu-hk[/url]

Come Out Enmasse to Vote in April 11- OBJ
[url]/p4LCLu-hg[/url]

Chile Hit By Flood, 25 Dead, Over 100 Missing
[url]/p4LCLu-hd[/url]

Morning news

Kano's INEC Commissioner, Family and Two Others Die in Fire
[url]/p4LCLu-gb[/url]

United States Steadfast in Working With Buhari
[url]/p4LCLu-g5[/url]

Isreal to transport illegal African Migrants to Rwanda and Uganda
[url]/p4LCLu-gh[/url]

Lunchtime news

Several Gubernatorial Aspirants Declare for Ambode in Lagos
[url]/p4LCLu-gw[/url]

Shekau On the Run- Nigerian Army takes Another Town
[url]/p4LCLu-gB[/url]

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) has launched a writing competition, as part of its global campaign on addressing gender inequalities in energy access.

Dubbed #standtall, the campaign and competition aims to inspire young people to lead the transformation for inclusiveness and equality in the energy sector in West Africa by encouraging them to take part in the discourse and proffer solutions to topical gender and energy issues in the region.



TOPICS: Applicants are encouraged to be creative with their topics.

Topics should, however, be captioned as –#Standtall: and the writer’s chosen topic.

Winning articles are those that:

provide an in-depth analysis of the issue of women being under-represented in the energy sector, particularly in the technical areas, and the factors behind this;

identify possible ways by which this issue could be addressed;

evaluate the likely outcomes from each of the alternatives identified;

recommend, and provide justifications for a solution



REWARD:

1st position –US$ 500

2nd position –US$ 300

3rd position –US $ 200



ELIGIBILITY: It is a youth writing contest,therefore;

You should be between ages.............[url]/p4LCLu-gc[/url]

David Mark Pressured to Defect to APC
[url]/p4LCLu-fZ[/url]

Buhari Mentions His First Plan After Inauguration
[url]/p4LCLu-fW[/url]

Fulani Raiders Attack Several Communities in Benue
[url]/p4LCLu-fQ[/url]

Lunchtime news

I Repeat Corruption Shall not be Tolerated - Buhari
[url]/p4LCLu-fw[/url]

APC Vehicles Move Around Lagos Thanking Lagosians.
[url]/p4LCLu-fs[/url]

Shia Muslims Protest United Attack on Yemen
[url]/p4LCLu-fB[/url]

Nigerian Border Town Retaken From Boko Haram by Niger and Chadian Troops.
[url]/p4LCLu-fF[/url]

What a Kingmaker Does
In other to stave off covetousness, greed and spite.
[url]/p4LCLu-ep[/url]

Isrealis Banned From Nigeria and Other Countries
[url]/p4LCLu-dM[/url]

NEW MOOC FOR POETS: STARTING MARCH 23RD
[url]/p4LCLu-dG[/url]

AYN RAND’S FOUNTAINHEAD ESSAY.
[url] /p4LCLu-dK[/url]

If Cameron Stout was Kareem Salah everyone would know of the plot to assassinate Obama – Nasim Ahmed
[url]/p4LCLu-dA[/url]

Political Radicalism; an Agitation of Lagos


In the recent political campaigns, incessant visits of political warlocks and stratums create a concern for the observer and point of discuss for the analyst. Some are of the opinion that Lagos is one of the most populated states in this country with over 21million inhabitants and should have such rendezvous, which I disagree, because states like Kano have great populations and do not enjoy it. While others argue, that Lagos being the former capital of this country has a nationalistic outlook, owing to mass exodus from other states to the economic promise land. Perhaps their opinions are right, but re-reading history; I discovered a different reason- POLITICAL RADICALISM!

What is Political Radicalism?
Political Radicalism is an adherence to radical views and principles in politics. Collins dictionary in the meaning of radical wrote- progressive, revolutionary, thoroughgoing, deep etc. Having understood the concept of radicalism, let us dabble quickly into a bit pre-colonial and radical Lagos.

An artistic display of Lagos’s three wise men

Being radical is been progressive and subjective to change, these words inspire me when I read the story Oba Akintoye in 1841. Akintoye just got installed as Oba in a period when Lagos was the haven of slave trade, Akintoye was anti-slave trade thus was deposed by rigid Local merchants and Kosoko his nephew was made the king. Not too long Akintoye was exiled to Europe where he met with the British who had abolished slave trade and have an interest in Lagos this culminated to the bombardment of Lagos 1851 to reinstall Akintoye as king but with minimal influence. Kosoko fought back hard, not against slave trade but sovereignty of Lagos, he could not allow a foreigner to take over his lands. When he was overpowered at Lagos Island, he moved to Epe and established other Kingdoms...... [url]/p4LCLu-c1[/url]

A nation of scents and sanctity
now laced with impunity
I celebrate that I am free from the whites
but controlled by the “wise”
Yet I am in fright
Of the years to fight
How dim the future seems
when we entrust it in the claws of political demigods?

Stomachs rumble even on days of feast
Decrepit bodies sulk with disease
Blood make the best of wine
Cockroach, a substitute for fish
sand as food seasoning, urine for water
bottles flattened to replace shoes
rags worn ......[url]horizonia.net[/url]

A nation of scents and sanctity
now laced with impunity
I celebrate that I am free from the whites
but controlled by the “wise”
Yet I am in fright
Of the years to fight
How dim the future seems
when we entrust it in the claws of political demigods?

Stomachs rumble even on days of feast
Decrepit bodies sulk with disease
Blood make the best of wine
Cockroach, a substitute for fish
sand as food seasoning, urine for water
bottles flattened to replace shoes
rags worn ......[url]horizonia.net[/url]

In recent times, countless numbers of aspiring writers have been discouraged in their writing career, owing to the fact that, they face many challenges in their bid to become reputable men of letters. Some people suffer from the heartrending disease of self doubt, lack of self whim and confidence.
Get this fact today, writing is not all that rosy if you lack foresight, confidence and determination. It demands planning, logical thinking and zeal. The zeal eggs you on even in tough times. Develop a ZEAL in writing today and you will succeed and and with time get your BILLS.

Why zeal and passion is necessary: A personal experience.

I have been pricked by many thorns in my world of writing. I fell so many times, rose up again, fell and rose continually like a cockroach struggling to find its way out of a slippery pool. It has not been easy so far, but if a mere human being like me could overcome it and emerge with long drums, singing songs of victory, then, you can do that as well.
During my early years of writing, I usually gave essay assignments assigned to me by my teacher to my sister to do for me. One fateful day, my teacher came to class with our essay notes. She remarked that:
“There is someone who wrote the best essay and got the highest mark, but I doubt the authorship of the essay being her handwork. Perhaps, someone wrote it for her…”
Long beads of sweat decorated my face. I silently acknowledged the fact that I was being praised for another person’s effort. My conscience then challenged me to pick up my pen and start writing on my own.
I tell you, my first attempt earned me humiliating and caustic comments from those I gave to assess my work. Oh my God! I was pushed to the wall. So, I made a vow to myself that I will make a very good writer and even out-Herod my jesters(those who poked fun at my work) and I strongly kept to my vow as I realised that ‘ Errors, like straws upon the surface flow, he who would search for pearls must dive below’ Now, the yesterday jesters are today my praise singers. This was my beginning!
I fought and conquered in a wrestle between me and a battalion of wits. I began to submit entries for essay and oratory competitions, many of which I won. I wrote impressive essays that people even doubt if I really am their author. I became proud of myself, as I never thought I could do something that amazing! I wrote poems and performed them as well in the prestigious University of Ibadan. My creative skills put me in the public gaze and earned me a lot of cash. You can achieve more than this, just believe in yourself.... [url]/s4LCLu-714[/url]

As we celebrate the International Women’s day, I feel it is important to consider the patriarchal distrust of daughters. Parents most especially fathers in guise of protection, abuse or turn their daughters into worst beings. I received several emails from a friend regarding mistakes fathers make regarding daughters. Some daughters go rouge while the others turn in pregnant. However, this is a real life story of Lola Oladeji. She wrote this when she was twelve. Read on!

Its past eight and I had just taken my bath. Humming the popular Olufunmi song by Style plus, I playfully tiptoed back into my hospital ward. It is hot and filled with beddings, an unofficial storage room for the cleaners, imagine the mixed stench!. Anyway, my dad would soon come to take me home. I really need to watch, Naruto episode 2. As I sat on my squeaky spring bed to relish the sudden uncommon fresh air, my father’s voice like a roar startled me, he was shouting at the doctor. Talo bi? (Who gave birth to her) Shebi emi ni mo ni nkan mi?(I presume I am the owner of my thing) the doctor haplessly seem to mutter some English words I couldn’t pick, but my dad doesn’t seem ready to listen.

Unexpectedly for me they entered the ward, seeing my father’s face i begun a wave of paranoia; it was gutted with scorn and mistrust. And in an acrid voice he said.......... [url]horizonia.net[/url]

We shall overcome we shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
Deep inside my heart
I do believe, we’ll overcome someday

Louise Shropshire

Obama has just concluded his speech at Selma, Alabama in commemoration of the peaceful struggle in 1965 that led to the enfranchisement of the African Americans, though they paid their price in blood. selma 2That struggle however led to having blacks in government and consequently a black American president in January 20 2009. The struggle was an historic one out of many and was a fight against racism and black discrimination which is such that once a branch was cut another grew.

Five years before the struggle at Selma,Nigeria,a black multi tribal nation and a creation of the West was granted independence. And as a creation of lesser value, we imbibed almost in totality the western way of life quickly putting away our African understanding........continue reading @ [url]horizonia.net[/url]

When friends return from Japan they complain about the frigid nature of the Japs and their attitude to foreigners, little do they know that culturally the Japs has for ages had concepts that affect their attitude called the SOFO and UCHI. Sofo means outside while Uchi means inside. In other words, it means the bonds of family and friends are stronger than that of the outsider. No matter the amount of years you spend in Japan, it is extremely difficult to make close friends with the Jap . Although when you make one it is for a lifetime, they are more like an impregnable lot. Aristotle must have a link with the Japanese philosophy when he said, “Wishing to be friends is a quick-word but friendship is a slow ripening fruit”.
In the western world, the assumption of trust and friendship is quite easy, it could be bought for as cheap as a cup of coffee and a smiling face in as much as one is not with a racist. There however a sense of trust exists within friends, families and even foreigners. Contrasting is our Nigerian concept of friendship and trust. It is uncommonly called deceit. Deceits that exist amongst friends, family, compeers, government, political parties without excluding the foreigners. And indeed we have swallowed its bitter pill.
For a while, our narrow breathing tunnels have been stuffed by public office gallivants seeking votes. And in their quest, they mislead the populace damaged with the deceits of sentiments that could either be cash or ties. Nigerians in every in every dispensation since its inception commit the same error and hope for responsive government they never elected. You might argue that there are periods within 1966 to 2015 that masses where not given a chance to fully exercise their franchise, but did the deceit leave after they were granted their franchise? Or is the tribal sentiment not the deceit that plunged this country into dictatorships that lasted for years?
Nonetheless, if the deceit ended at just voting in a family or friend blindly, it would have been “you win and I am not affected” situation. But it ends most times with violence and bloodshed over people we don’t see. We fight and spill the blood of our friends, brothers and colleagues fooled by the call to a just cause is there really a just cause to die?
It is a fact that the populace is influenced by whoever owns the mouthpiece; you might be innocent but swayed by the recent sugarcoated call to revolution or be a ‘myopist’ to remain recalcitrant to change. However, your opinions might differ on the issue of the elections, do not resolve to shedding the blood of a fellow Nigerian because the aspirants are politicians who have no permanent friends, and are a clique. Their political parties are just nomenclatures. Should you get swayed in the ardour for change or whim to make the country unpeaceful through bloodshed, you will kill yourselves and rot uncelebrated but Nigeria and its politicians will remain.

dustmalik:
OP, thanks for sharing that great piece. It's obviously from a sensible writer. But don't expect reasonable or sensible contributions, as you have already seen from some posters on here.

Thanks. It's disturbing that people intentionally live blindly

I'd love it if Nigerians can be less sentimental and more practical. GEJ has nothing to offer than wasting our resources

temitemi1:
GEJ till 2019!!!

Please contribute constructively

You are braver than you think, stronger than you seem and smarter than you believe

Alan Smith

When I grew up as a child there was a common word on the streets of Lagos “Illiterate”! Those words strung in my mind as my parents resound it as an offensive word when I was not doing well with schoolwork. I never wanted to be an illiterate. Reading the works of Nigerian writers like Eze goes to school and the Macmillan series of “Agbo” congealed my heart about being educated like some of my other school-going age mates.

Graduating from the university, I discovered that literacy is a form of knowledge different from intelligence, exposure and depth. The inability to balance this is not just a lacunae in our educational system but a misunderstanding of our Nigerian populace. Few days ago, the governor of Ekiti State Ayo Fayose asserted that the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, went on a medical trip to London.

1425056563513This was decried by the oppositional detractors and might have shaken some supporters of the aspirant. The supporters cannot be blamed due to the fresh unprecedented saddening demise of President Yar’ adua while in office a few years ago. The death of Yar’ adua is human and the fear of Buhari being human is causing a rancour.

The humanness I refer to in the context is the ability to fall sick, age, live and die though we do not wish it. The existence of humans as we all know is bound to nature and General Buhari is not a man made of steel. Even the greatest dead men cannot boast of having the knowledge of the day, time, age or period fall sick and die. Since checking one’s health is tantamount to ensuring according to human capability that one stays alive, It is claptrap to denounce a man for checking his health status. 1425056589823

There is a different observation from the myopic fact of Ayo Fayose. The observation is the recent shown movements and strategies of APC, that is birthed because of the postponed elections. An ardent follower of the news would be realize that Professor Osibanjo begun a new kind of campaign, the grassroot campaign which was lacking before the postponement of the elections while his boss and allies take the campaign abroad to sell out their credibility and preparedness to stabilize our scourged country.

It is foolhardy to buy the facts of Fayose that the General is incapable of ruling this country. While in fact, he has struggled in both youth and frail, weak and strong, sick and healthy to serve this country because he is human like Madiba. Fallacious conclusions will not buy Nigerians in March 2015 because they are braver than you think by making the choice of change, stronger than they seem by having the will to struggle for change and smarter than you think because we are no longer just illiterates to know change.

Source:[url]horizonia.net[/url]

The Youth Square Project, with support from the United States Consulate in Nigeria invites young women with 18 – 25 years to participate in the 2015 “Youth Square Nigeria National Essay Competition”.This competition will give young women in Nigeria an opportunity to share for their views and be heard on issues regarding governance and the Nigerian electoral processes.essay-competition...... [url]http://www.horizonia.net/the-youth-squa…mpetition-2015[/url]