₦airaland Forum

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This story is not just a tragedy. It’s a damning indictment.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee who was nearly blind and spoke no English, was released from custody by U.S. Border Patrol — and dropped off at a Tim Hortons five miles from his home.

No ride. No notification to his family. No assistance whatsoever.

Days later, he was found dead on a Buffalo street.

Shah Alam had fled persecution in Burma and arrived in Buffalo just 15 months ago, seeking safety. Instead, after being arrested last year for carrying a curtain rod he used as a walking stick — and allegedly being Tasered and beaten when he couldn’t follow English commands — he ended up in jail.

His family didn’t bail him out for fear he’d be shipped to ICE detention out of state. Eventually, he took a plea deal that allowed him to clear the immigration detainer and avoid ICE detention.

But when Border Patrol picked him up after bail, instead of transferring him to a detention center as expected, agents reportedly dropped him at a doughnut shop across town and left him to find his way home.

He was nearly blind. He couldn’t speak English. He had no phone. And no one told his family he’d been released.

For days, they searched. Police even briefly closed his missing persons case after mistakenly believing he was still in ICE custody. Now homicide detectives are investigating the “circumstances and timeframe” leading to his death. The cause has not yet been released.

Advocates for the Rohingya community are devastated.

“We never thought anyone would experience anything like this since coming to the United States,” said Imran Fazel, who knows the family. “It doesn’t make me feel safe in a country like this.”

Let’s be clear: Shah Alam survived genocide. He survived displacement. He survived fleeing his homeland. But in America — the country that promised refuge — he was allegedly abandoned in the dark. And he never made it home.

He leaves behind a wife and two sons. And a haunting question: How does a blind refugee get left on a street corner — and end up dead?

Trump is evil, his just the Buhari of America, the damage he will cause America can’t be fix in decades to come

The Slow Death of Afrobeats: Why We Are Living on Past Glory and Ripping Ourselves Apart.

Let’s call a spade a spade. Between 2004 and 2023, Nigerian music was untouchable. We took Afrobeats from the streets of Lagos to the global stage, but right now? The industry is bleeding, and we are completely dropping the ball.
Here is the brutal truth about how we got here, and why the current state of our music industry is a massive disaster waiting to happen.
🇳🇬 The Golden Era & The Global Takeover
We all remember the actual grind. The OGs—2face, P-Square, D'banj, Don Jazzy, Banky W, and Flavour—built this industry from the mud. Yes, that generation faced terrible management and financial illiteracy, but their raw, undeniable talent laid the foundation.
Then came the takeover. Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy grabbed the baton and shattered the ceiling, bagging Grammys and selling out global arenas.
Even when things threatened to slow down, the OGs evolved into kingmakers. Don Jazzy used his industry weight and "old money" alongside heavyweights like Olamide and Phyno to breed hungry younger blood. They birthed an incredible new era: Rema, CKay, Asake, and Ayra Starr took the brand back to the global stage.
But that momentum is dead.
📉 The Collapse: Why the Industry is Rotting
We are living strictly on Afrobeats' old glory. We are no longer producing undeniable new talent, and the industry is rotting from the inside out for a few major reasons:
• The Recent Grammy Reality Check: The recent Grammy Awards are a perfect testament to our decline. Despite packing the nominee list, heavyweights like Davido, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Wizkid, and Omah Lay all walked away empty-handed, losing the Best African Music Performance to South Africa's Tyla. We used to dominate that space, but now? The Recording Academy just uses our names to boost their engagement and viewership while handing the actual trophies elsewhere. It proves our global grip is slipping badly.
• The "Big 3" Albums Are Struggling: Let's say the quiet part out loud. The recent album drops from our biggest exports are glaring evidence of this decline. Wizkid's Morayo, Davido's 5IVE, and Burna Boy's No Sign Of Weakness have all seriously struggled to recreate the magic of their past eras. Burna's album barely scraped the bottom of the US Billboard 200 at #200, and overall sales numbers across the board have been shockingly low. They are coasting on their legacy and dedicated fanbases rather than pushing the culture forward.
• The "Ripping" Culture & The Legal Black Hole: Greed is destroying the business. Big investors and label bosses are losing millions to ungrateful signees the moment they "blow," while on the flip side, exploitative 360-deals are keeping artists enslaved. Producers are getting ripped off, artists are breaching contracts, and copyright enforcement is practically non-existent. Without a solid legal structure, the industry is just a jungle.
• The Fading New School: The younger guys who were supposed to carry the torch are stumbling hard. Rema and CKay are starting to look like one-season wonders who cannot recreate their initial global magic. Meanwhile, Asake has fallen out of his peak glory and is just trying to stay relevant by recycling the same old sonic tricks and choir vocals that no longer work.
• Lifestyle Over Talent: Bad lifestyles are killing amazing talents before they even arrive. Heavy smoking, substance abuse, and the desperation to look "cool" are literally frying the brains that produce the art. "Igbo and Shayo" has become the face of the Nigerian music brand, replacing actual vocal talent and cultural depth. We are seriously lacking artists who actually sing and reflect our true culture.
🌟 The Few Beacons of Hope (Why Tems & Omah Lay Stand Out)
Right now, the industry desperately needs a savior. Out of the whole pack, only Tems and Omah Lay are truly holding it down, and their current status is 100% earned:
• Tems (The Global Blueprint): Tems didn't just sing; she completely re-engineered how the world views Nigerian female artists. By blending Afrobeats with deep, soulful R&B, she broke records most artists only dream of (including winning Grammys and dominating Billboard). She proved that you don't need a fast-paced club beat to go global; raw vocal talent and authenticity win every time.
• Omah Lay (The Pioneer of Afro-Depression): While everyone else was making noisy, repetitive club bangers, Omah Lay turned his vulnerability into a superpower. He single-handedly pioneered the "Afro-depression" movement. He shifted the focus from bravado to emotional clarity and actual storytelling, proving Nigerians can make deeply introspective music that still connects massively worldwide.
They are fiercely protective of their craft. They manage their talent and their lifestyle carefully, while the rest of the industry is lagging behind, choking on its own toxic habits.
Stop letting stan culture blind you. If the government doesn't step in to fix the legal framework and artists don't wake up, the Afrobeats wave will crash.
What do you guys think? Are we witnessing the death of Afrobeats, or is this just a bad phase?

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ax9qRcfJc/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The recent announcement by the Nigerian government of a staggering N3.6 trillion budget for the repair of the 11.8-kilometer Third Mainland Bridge has sent shockwaves across a nation already grappling with economic hardship. This colossal figure, when juxtaposed with the cost of constructing the world's longest bridge, raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the specter of corruption that has long plagued Nigeria's infrastructure sector. To put it bluntly, many Nigerians are asking: who is fooling who?
Let's consider the facts. The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China, a modern marvel of engineering, stretches an astonishing 164.8 kilometers – more than 14 times the length of the Third Mainland Bridge. It was built from the ground up at a cost of approximately $8.5 billion. At the time of its construction, this equated to roughly N1.3 trillion. Today, with currency fluctuations, it would be significantly more, but the fundamental comparison remains stark. How can the repair of a significantly shorter and older bridge cost multiples of what it took to construct the world's longest?
The justification provided by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, is that the Third Mainland Bridge has suffered severe underwater structural damage to its piles and piers due to illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion. He has stated that a full rehabilitation is estimated at N3.8 trillion, while a complete rebuild would cost N3.6 trillion. While the need for urgent and thorough repairs on such a critical artery for Lagos is not in dispute, the sheer magnitude of the proposed budget, without a detailed and public itemized breakdown, is a major cause for concern.
A Failure of Transparency and a Call for Accountability
At the heart of the public's outcry is a profound lack of trust in the government's handling of large-scale infrastructure projects. Nigeria has a well-documented history of inflated contracts and misappropriation of public funds. Without a transparent breakdown of how the N3.6 trillion will be utilized, citizens are left to speculate, and the assumption of corruption becomes almost inevitable.
For a project of this magnitude, the Nigerian public deserves to know:
* Who conducted the underwater structural assessment? The full, unredacted reports from these assessments should be made public.
* What is the detailed scope of the repair works? A comprehensive breakdown of the costs for materials, labor, equipment, and consultancy fees is essential.
* What is the timeline for the project? Clear milestones and deliverables should be established and monitored.
* Which contractors will be involved, and how will they be selected? The procurement process must be open, competitive, and transparent.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, as the face of this project, has a duty to provide these answers to the Nigerian people. His pronouncements thus far have been long on alarming diagnoses but short on the specifics of the cure and its exorbitant cost. To simply state that the bridge is in dire condition and requires a fortune to fix is not enough. He must come forward with a detailed, coherent, and justifiable plan that can withstand public and expert scrutiny. Anything less is a disservice to the Nigerian taxpayers who will ultimately bear this financial burden.
An Insult to the Nigerian People
In a country where millions struggle to make ends meet, where the minimum wage is a pittance, and where basic amenities are often a luxury, the announcement of a N3.6 trillion repair budget for an 11.8-kilometer bridge is more than just a matter of fiscal concern; it is an insult to the intelligence and resilience of the Nigerian people. It is a stark reminder of the disconnect between the political elite and the realities of the common citizen.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) government, which came to power on a mantra of "change," must be reminded that true change is rooted in transparency, accountability, and a judicious use of public funds. The N3.6 trillion question surrounding the Third Mainland Bridge is a critical test of this administration's commitment to these principles.
The Nigerian people are watching. They are tired of the endless cycle of inflated contracts and the siphoning of public wealth. They demand and deserve better. The government must come clean on the Third Mainland Bridge project, and Minister Dave Umahi must be held accountable for the answers he provides. Until then, the question will linger in the air, heavy with suspicion and a deep-seated fear that once again, the Nigerian people are being taken for a ride on a very expensive bridge.

How can one person root this amount of money from a dying healthcare. This money is enough for a good healthcare system in any civilised country. What is Nigeria waiting for to make corruption death penalty just like china.

You guys have killed the country beyond repair what are we uniting for?

Where are all the billons of money Nigeria is earning from sales of crude oil. We are a dying nation. This is not a joke, wasting and rooting our future generations. They should be a national day mourning for Nigeria. We are dying faster than any nation on earth. You can spend 2billion dollar on a project that doesn’t work. Please 🙏 we need a change of change. We can stick to govt of lies and deceit this is beyond tribe, it’s beyond politics it’s for survival

Sowore the most foolish fellow, he would have made a better name siding with the masses than becoming enemy with obi. Sowore sings the same song with obi why can’t he merge with him or does Sowore think he can be a good politician without coalition. It would have been a bigger force for change than attacking people aimlessly. The pope inauguration is irrelevant to us, doesn’t change the price of food in the street of Nigeria. We want change from the sick politicians that want to grab everything from us and leave nothing for the future generations

Ba

If you steal become doctor, lawyer or engineer the society suffers. Nairaland should avoid promoting unethical practices. The institution was carefully crafted for the our safety. Greedy people always want take advantage of the system

Rest in peace to the dead, until Nigeria give a total reform in our driving licensing policy people will keep getting killed by reckless drivers and drunk drivers Tagging the driver a yahoo boy is crime framing. I won’t join you to do so

Open border is killing Nigeria, every other country is working on it border but Nigeria don’t think its wise. Nigeria immigration is the laziest sector in Nigeria para military

Lol

The problem we have now is people that have started seeing evil happening as norm

This one wey post her nude for internet both of them are inconsequential to the reality of Nigerian problem

Stup ole sitting in govt fund. I blame Tinubu for this mess, who dash this monkey 🐒 banana

Maintain confidentiality, stop be rascal with information no one ask you about. Nigeria is still under educated about the virus. Most of the reactive are caused by late stage infection or late discovery of the disease. Nigeria medical authorities should call her to order. Don’t mention State or name people can easily start stressing and stigmatizing.

Nigeria needs to do something about the intellectual property law. The industry is gold and creative minds, ideas needs to be protected to ensure originality and innovations thank you. It’s a billion dollar industry, it’s the brain 🧠 Behind our entertainment industries we med work on it.

It’s not easy abroad but I rather die in abroad than to be at peace with wiked Nigeria

I blame supreme court for this mess, the Yorubas have proven inability to rule in our democracy, only them have declared State of emergency since the civil rule dragging us back to military law. Wike I said before now is the most useless and greedy politician Nigeria had ever produced. His greed will bring this country to its knees if we don't stop him.

Check when I started warning about wike, he will burn Nigeria with his greed.

I hate wike, check all my comments about him even when his wickedness weren’t up to this level. His the most greedy politician Nigerian had ever produced. His the worst politician ever very insensitive person, blunt with words and very shameful person. He prefers to kill and drink blood 🩸 than to protect people. Tell me exactly what wike had brought to Nigeria politics if not hate and corruption. He plays every stupid and senseless politics, politics of enmity, do or die affairs. His had never done anything good except grabbing and enriching his circles. Nigeria judiciary has failed but they have been used to kill the people.

Get an injunction and head straight back to the Supreme Court