₦airaland Forum

America is sending a simple message.

“If you come to our country to study, don’t put the lives of our citizens at risk or jeopardize their safety in the tiniest fraction.” Also, your rights does not extend to protesting the governments. That is for the citizen.

If our country is any good, we would want same too. The country wasn’t this terrible when your fathers danced in the streets clamoring and excited that Shagari is deporting millions of West African Migrants from Nigeria.

You don’t clamor for what is right, you clamor for interest and One day those here that are the most angry about the US will have no doctor to recover them, and your family would pray that US, Canada, UK and Australia deport Nigerian medics. It won’t happen.

It’s inevitable unless you begin to clamor that your leaders treat healthcare workers and workers in other critical sectors well. Whatsoever outrage, give to the maladministrators of the country.

The tragedy is all of the best minds are lost. It is the aspiration of the best of us to leave.

I Will Say “Oh Commendable!“

They are giving back to a society that they have taken a lot from. Their business model thrives on habitual gambling and feeding on the psychological vulnerabilities of the masses. They drain people’s saving, erode their self-control, they foster addiction. They want this people to gain skills and employment, so that they can be empowered to have more money to gamble.

When they begin to discourage betting , invest in addiction recovery, not market social investments that quietly expand their visibility and public goodwill at destroying family and lives through habitual gambling.

I will say “oh, commendable.”

Not about Osimhen though.

Yesterday, I opened this platform in a conference, and a psychiatrist who sat beside me had a brief conversation with me about the platform. Nairaland was his avenue to get a position for his senior residency over a decade ago…and he spoke about a litter of forums that were on the page designed to encourage critical reflection, dialogue, and shared critique around news events too. But he spoke in such a manner that this was no longer so.

I mentioned that there were other forums that cultivate that habit, but most users are unwilling to engage. They just want the forum on the front page. Then we got into, giving back to the platform by sharing opportunities and other resourceful ideas… but he said the platform has become a garbage of “Performative Engagement.” and other things about overly tribal sentiments … that I struggled to disagree with in the face of evidence.


The conversation got me thinking about deeper psychological undercurrents that shapes user (our) behavior.

I agreed with him that increasingly the platform has become a theater which he described as ‘a place where users chase visibility through shock value and speed, rather than insight.’

Outrageous news stories, often unverified and sensationalized, are uploaded not to inform or analyze, but to bait attention. And with these deteriorated content quality, most viewers don’t even have the patient to engage reasoned comments which get drowned out by reactive posts and one-liners. He argues the forum has cease to serve its intellectual or civic function, and that he left, because he feared he is not immune from such needs, which if not met, can cause him to be disillusioned, and to compensate, he has to respond quickly without thoughts, impairing his cognitive function.

So he spoke about the race and scramble to be the first to comment. Not to contribute depth, but simply to be ‘seen’.

This performative urgency “first to comment,” “front/first page,” “top reply” … he emphasized was some sort of echo or a kind of low-stakes celebrity, and a microdose of relevance in the users of the platform.

“But relevance to whom?” I asked. “Do you know most users remain anonymous, cloaked behind pseudonyms? And that’s there are no tangible rewards, no compensation, no credits, no career gains?” I persisted.

He said such behavior spoke to something deeper than boredom or habit and that it speaks to the increasingly fragile ways in which people seek validation online. The desire to be seen, to be early, to be reacted to…even without name or face. He points out that it offers a fleeting sense of identity which is hollowed out of real connection. He said, privately, users might measure their worth by comparing how they stack up against others, but that dangerously, the users become clouded in stacking up, that their metric isn’t insight or empathy but rather, what becomes prioritized is timing, provocation, and numbers, which in reality creeps into their normal functioning, as people are mostly what they are, indoors.



I didn’t know when I kept nodding as he said that Nairaland has become an extreme echo chamber of digital desperation. He added that it is not simply the platform problem although Reddit didn’t reward such behavior, allowing comments that appears to be based on ranking; but he say, all of our cultural anxiety from using social media is spurred by a fear that we nurse of not being heard in a world where everyone is speaking.

I left, saying, well, I will be less reactive , and not necessarily address the forum topic, rather, there will be an intention going forward, and a realization that attention is not connection. Noise is not relevance. And racing to be first is rarely the path to wisdom. That way, I contribute to the platform devolving away from a space where performance trumps substance, and virality trumps value.

I think I am dumber this days.

What I read (past tense) was that, a senator who didn’t want you to be financially influenced by Seyi Tinubu (a bad actor) offered you financial relief so that you are less susceptible to bad influence.

But then I saw “blackmailing you” and I am like this forum would impair your brain.

So I watched the video, Eedris point was that he was being “set-up” as the offer was meant to entrap him.

Why would this even be on FP?
As it is on FP, maybe we should as well give it a review.

“Nwanyi oma
Ogin k'inemezi
Ebe k'inejezi
Onye k'inekpesalu
Nwanyi oma
Na wetin you de do
Thought we were doing fine
Don't you wanna remain mine
Carry your motor drive am to my house
No answer anybody no collide
Oya jejely jeje drive am come my house
Make we reconcile
Nothing dey outside
No matter how e be
Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)
Baby baby I swear
No matter how e go
Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)
Baby baby I swear
Nekwa k'isi ewe
Asampete nwanyi oma
Webelu webelu weh
Nekwa k'isi akwo
Asampete nwanyi oma
Kwobelu kwobelu kwoooooo
Nwanyi oma
Na wetin you dey do
Don't you know we are doing fine
Don't you wanna remain mine
Carry your motor drive am to my house
No answer anybody no collide
Oya jejely jeje drive am come my house
Make we reconcile
Nothing dey outside
No matter how e be
Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)
Baby, baby I swear
No matter how e go
Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)
Baby, baby I swear
No matter how e be (no matter how e be)
Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)
Baby, baby I swear
No matter how e go
Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)
Baby, baby I swear.”


So, what do you think Chike has delivered here?

Is it a pleading love ballad whose mediocrity is alleviated by his soothing voice straddling between heartbreak and hope? Or scatter scatter set of phrases masquerading as lyrics?

There’s surely a narrative for reconciliation, but if you use this song to think of reconciliation , and not Akon, “Sorry, Blame it on me” you are merely involved in an artificial desperation fueled only by your sexual urges.


*only the pidgin aspect.*

The opening line “Na wetin you de do, Thought we were doing fine” we have all thought so too when we nurse the wounded bewilderment you experience watching our lover slip through our fingers.
You don’t see Chike put in any metaphor or flourish here, just blunt emotion.

And then you keep hearing the tired declaration or cliche which often time felt like an intentional exercise in repetition and vagueness.

But not so in proper or the intended perspective.

So if you put what you hear in the childlike sincerity that is Chike’s voice as he sings “Na you be the apple of my eye (of my eye)” and as you hear this aspect you don’t think of the song intelligently, rather, you think of it as a ballad from a naive lover who is almost jilted, and yet, rather than chase the lover, there is recurring invitation that the lover “Carry your motor drive am to my house” which maybe adds a touch of urgency and rebellion, and hint at a relationship that thrives in spontaneity.

Hehe, I didn’t say spontaneity and underproduction is all there is to the song.

Lines like “don’t answer anybody, don’t collide” indicate they flirt with recklessness.

Is the song over-simplified? Maybe. Does it lack a sense of progression and tension? Yes. But if it is heard in its naivety and its press for emotional immediacy, you may appreciate Chike’s effort. But progression and tension would have helped it.

Is the song remarkable? No, it won’t entirely sink. If you have the naive brain of the lover in the song, and you are pressed for orgasm in the morning, you might remember the song during your next breakup.

If this looks scattered, I take full responsibility. Difficult to recover your “ordered brain” when you are striving to understand this Chike’s song.

Davido alias African giant version 3. His songs trend with ease. But not ‘Strawberry on Ice.’ I have never heard of the song.

The song must have sank into obscurity. If you check, Daniel Regha might have called it "forgettable," … so fans were indifferent, and within weeks the song vanished from playlists. The song was a flop.

Then came a group of four Nigerian artistes.

All relatively unknown. But now you want to check them out, and also check out the song in question.

So these artistes burst into the news cycle claiming ‘Strawberry on Ice’ was stolen from them, that it was an original song ‘work’ they had recorded which they shared with Davido.
Some of us might be interested in comparing, and then we will stream that song too.

So they filed a lawsuit against Davido, and as usual the internet lit up. Headlines, Social media, Bloggers, Wizkid fans, Burna boy fans… everybody have their take.

But most importantly people started listening to the song. They want to hear the "stolen" track. Streams will skyrocket. The song will trend. Might even enter the charts, and not because it was loved, or because it was a great song but because it was controversial. Curiosity drive clicks. And Clicks drive revenue.

So weeks later, the court will deliver its verdict: Davido will not pay them royalties and it will look like justice. It will look like closure. If he pays them, then his reputation is impaired. So in this orchestra, that is unnecessary.


So maybe they orchestrate this drama? And the lawsuit was their stage. And everyone outrage or interest was their marketing. Maybe what they lost in legal fees, they gained tenfold in streaming revenue, while the four artiste gained media exposure.

So they play the public.

Although the headline has been maximized for interest, it does a disservice to their other positions about insecurity in the region.

That they discussed these other issues does not excuse the irresponsibility of the group which is rightly embedded in the headline.

To them, ethnic entitlements, exclusionary politics, having a tribal conclave or a village square is better than collective progress.

The focus should be on “who can best serve my interest?” Whose experience, intellect, and vision can move the state forward? And that person can be from other communities, they may not speak my ethnic language or even be affiliated with it. It is toxic politics to try to close the doors on who can do the most good. And that person can be Hausa, they can be Igbo, they can be Nigerians born and raised in the diaspora.

No one ever tells you that commercial drivers and the top echelons of your society are exempted.

Or that you will arrested while drinking water in a gridlock.

Think about the headlines and the agendas and narrative behind them.

Trump Teaches Tough Love, Then Offers Grace.

Tariffs Suspended after Concessions Secured

Or
Policy Whiplash: Trump Reverses Tariffs Amid Pressure

Tariffs In, Tariffs Out: Businesses Demand Consistency

Tariffs Reversed: A Policy with No Compass?

Government Flip-Flops on Tariffs - Clueless or Calculated?

Tariffs Gone, But Damage Done - Who Really Benefited?

Trade Uncertainty Grows under Ruderless Leadership

Or
Bridges, Not Barriers: Tariffs Reversed to Promote Cooperation

Or

The Rest of the World Triumphs as Trump lifts Tariffs.

Or

China didn’t listen to Okonjo Iweala.

Tariff Reversal Follows Okonjo Iweala Shuttle Diplomacy

And if you don’t like Okonjo

Taking Credit or Taking Advantage? Okonjo inserts Self Into Tariff Talks

Or

While Others Negotiated, Tinubu tells Nigerians “Our Strategy Paid Off”

Let China do what’s best for China. Let America do what’s best for America.

May Nigeria focus its energy on its own.

Trades the scales for gold and lies,
And truth, unseen, just slowly dies.
Wike

The roads are built on shifting sand,
With stolen bricks from tired hands.
Umahi

Hospitals bleed, their beds run bare,
While the president dine on utmost care.
Tinubu

The schoolchild shares a broken chair,
No chalk, no book, no teacher there.
Far away, in lands of gold,
The governor's child in comfort bold
On state’s full purse, he learns with pride,
As local dreams are cast aside.
Yahaya

A farmer pleads beneath the sun,
His seeds devoured before they’re sown
The farmer falls where crops once grew,
For cattle to graze, his life was priced.
A nation shrugs as bodies lie,
No candle lit, no question why.
The names they fade like morning mist,
In silence kept, in grief dismissed.
Farm-men

The media sings a scripted tune,
Distracting us with petty swoons.
For those who own the printing press
Are masters too of greed’s excess.
4th estate

The flag still waves, but thin and torn,
Its colors dulled, its fabric worn.
Our brighter ones, they seek to flee,
Chasing hope across the sea.
Brains that could built our land,
All slip away like grains of sand.
JAPA

Corruption eats, and as it thrives,
It hollows out our very lives.
The rest all crave a crooked share,
And lift their hands in solemn prayer,
Not for truth or justice done,
But for their turn to loot us all.
Religious business centers

Shettima and our irresponsible news media couch it in the language of mutual partnership “deepening ties” and say that it is "anchored in innovation, powered by people" of coz, they vouch it for a populace who are just bothered about their next meal, and for a populace that can't see or don’t care that all of these is asymmetric in Sweden's interest.

Well, let us praise this administration for once, it’s clearly stated that investment will flow into Nigeria.
Haba! Let us fear God, and give this administration some credit.

So a technological hub is being built in Nigeria, but who would own its output, and where would the profits flow back to?

Well, think of the human resource development, the Nigerians that would up their tech skills.

It’s no mistake that Sweden's investments are primarily situated in the domains of education, ICT, and renewable energy, and yet our universities will have no benefit. We have a population that is a resource to Sweden. Make no mistake, Nigerians are a resource.
It’s no goodwill they must have, it is Sweden's global tech influence that is on a ride.

What would happen in those hubs is that digital infrastructure and skill development will continue to create a pipeline of tech-savvy Nigerian workers... but these talents will be absorbed into the Sweden's labour market under the guise of "business outsourcing" and "structured migration." Is this not some talent extraction disguised as development assistance?

Read about the Sweden US bilateral 6G partnership. You’d appreciate the role of being able to advocate.

In all of these announcements and rhetoric, what is Nigeria exporting? You think that we will export the next social media platform or Samsung or will be exporting tech support to Sweden’s technology companies? Whatever you make of it.

Tangible, measurable, beyond abstract notions of partnership, is Nigeria gaining from this cooperation? while sweden establishes a physical trade office and strategically expands its economic footprint, we are content to receive investments without clearly outlining our export goals. how about we have Nigeria goods, services, or cultural products penetrate swedish markets in return.

Mr VP’s all passive diplomacy is some symbolism over substance. And must sheepishly express gratitude for Sweden’s 'visionary discussions" and "hospitality" … sad that it is a substitute for hard negotiations and strategic assertiveness that provide clear returns, tell us the non-negotiable national interests, and that beyond a testing ground for foreign tech firms, the country has substantial local ownership and leadership in these firms.

Again, you must ask: What are the metrics for success? what clauses ensure technology transfer, intellectual property sharing, and mutual market access? But , how can we ask, when we have to think of breakfast.

Sweden is advancing its economic interests, and Nigeria must do the same.

If X pays users, why can’t nairaland?

Folks come here and create contents. They spend their time. There should be some form of reward. At one point, it was the interactions and activities your comment generated, but now you can check all of FP, you would find threads that are just a page. With the same people commenting.

Hi,
Sorry about this.
Where and when did you do the surgery?

Also, have you communicated this to the ophthalmologist during your follow-up appointments?

What eye drops are you currently using?

What’s your age group? (E.g. 35-40yrs)

Lisabi! we revere him as a symbol of resistance and hope.

But these people who claim to honour him have failed to uphold his legacies.
Or how have they?
Is it by their Ostentatious display of wealth, and flaunting their affluence before a masses bereaved of joy that must be further oppressed and dehumanized?


Obasanjo and all of them should be wearing sackcloth for their role in bringing us to this current state. They have foisted upon Nigerians - a generation of leaders who are nothing short of wicked and disconnected from the struggles of Nigerians. And yes, they are embodiments of the very systems of power and inequality that Lisabi stood against.

Those that can look very well into past will divine that those who stood against Lisabi, are preferable to the current crop of leaders.

Great response!

It’s not our place to provide emotional satisfaction for the detractors of Trump.

Our leaders should do that too, which serves our nation and its future.

K

This headline is misleading and irresponsibly done.

Her message is clear, and clearly to the rest of the world.

Do not escalate this. If you react harshly, the world economy would be in jeopardy.

She is actually urging the rest of the world to halt the escalating tariff war and behave responsibly by not retaliating, as retaliation could depress global trade. Trump has argued that the tariff mirrors the prohibitive tariffs other nations have handed American companies. Those nations have the power to reduce it, as they inaugurated it. Okonjo knows all of these.

So she has not stated that “Trump's tariff war” is destroying the global economy.


Why is Okonjo deliberate in her word choice? It is because she knows nations have to be cautious and that her position as WTO DG is contingent upon Western nations ( esp the US) approval . Since Trump’s return, she has successfully maintained the fragile diplomatic balance- despite Trump’s disposition. Remember, Trump didn’t fancy her emergence. Don’t be naive to think Europe and the UK would deprioritize their relationships with the US to support her leadership, if Trump calls her out.

So if you are proud of her as a Nigerian, then you would agree that it is irresponsible to mischaracterize her position. Trump is combative. The US has significant influence on global trade. No need to add to her burden or cross by creating distraction that jeopardizes her illustrious career and undermine her efforts. You shouldn’t want so.

That said.

which is it? Will Trump’s tariff destroy the US economy or the economy of the other countries?

Someone suggested that businesses should find alternative trading partners. Perhaps Africa. African nations that are struggling with affording basic necessities, including HIV/AIDS medication. Perhaps China, but China would dictate their own terms. Alternatively, Europe could open its economy to China, and risk the potential for China's cheap products to flood their market and shut down their manufacturing.

Someone suggested that they should abandon the US dollar. And the global economy should cling to? Canadian dollars or Naira or yuan or Euro. Thinking the US currency is there by decree is no evidence of right minded thinking. You add the nominal GDP of Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada… and see what % or fraction of the US’ GDP it amounts to.

For those thinking that the US should be abandoned. Read good books and seek contrast opinions. Not just consuming one-sided poorly baked news.

The news won’t tell you that the UK is very happy with the tariffs coz in the US they now enjoy a price advantage over similar European products, thanks to the lower 10% tariff, compared to Europe’s 20%. To them, it’s a win: of coz, they will not be over excited, but Europe knows they are behind and Trump is putting them in a place, where they are in dire vulnerability. The EU is already clamoring for unity in the union because they know internal disunity is inevitable, and the EU may just disintegrate - as nations go directly to make deals with Trump.

When they can’t trade with the US, UK grows stronger, and while they trade with each other, tariffs imposed by and against countries in the EU becomes inevitable because each nation has to protect its own economy.

it is just foolish to not look out for the interest of your country, or look out for how you can take advantage of what is handed to you. we must hate the leadership, isolate them... when other reasonable nations are on the queue, already cozying up, waiting to fill in that gap.

China has got cheap and high volume products to export - so Europe for now knows that the higher tariff for China benefits them. If the US leadership wants to diminish Europe’s influence, which I think is the intention of Trump, unless Europe properly acknowledges America’s leadership and adhere to America’s guidance… rather than seeking to dictate… Trump could reduce the tariff for China, and Europe would realize brutally, they are unable to compete. The companies know so already. They are not necessarily driven by nationalist sentiment. They are driven by economic interests. If their government implement policies that harm their businesses, they won’t stay idly, governed by a leader who’s willing to destroy their economy just to virtue signal that he’s courageous against Trump.

They will find their way to America, call it expansion… they would establish their businesses in the US to avoid tariffs and ensure continued growth.
It’s not in the EU’s or Canada’s interest that this happens. The leadership in this country are pressing hard, encouraging these companies to diversify their supply chain or reduce dependence on the US. Again, this is a strategy that the EU and Canada have pressed… however, the shift, building new infrastructures to connect to new markets won’t occur without significant costs, which the countries can’t spare unless the businesses are further taxed. Unable to compete, businesses reduce their workforce. Would these businesses be willing to absorb the additional costs, new taxes, and remain viable as they transition? Can the companies remain afloat for the decade such shift might require? Is it not just better to go to America? This is just a bit in the surface of it all.

Nations study and look out for their own interest. Let us pray that Tinubu is staying alert and looking out for Nigeria’s interest too in the global affairs and nationally.

She was right to condemn child labour.
She was right to protect the child.
She was right to hold her accountable.
She was right to raise awareness.

You and others are not right to bully her. Calling her cruel and uncompassionate.
And Adetoun was not right to cave in, as she did.

A child should not be waking up at 3AM to sweep an estate when they should be resting and preparing for school. The mother continues to give birth, and she must care for all of them in this crazy economy. Enough to rebuke her for being selfish and not having parental responsibility. She can’t possibly provide for the four children: education, healthcare or stable upbringing, -and the children are put in the cycle of poverty.

But it doesn’t matter to us all. And it never matters to us all, unless it’s an opportunity for us to proclaim ourselves some form of messiah. Or it will matter to some of you, only because you will fancy your parents or parents struggles in that woman. So, this will not merely seem to you to be detached from reality, but an attack on your ideals or parents. And you will say, how can one not sympathize with the poor mother? You were successful, but millions more have failed just coz of this shared hardship you perpetuate and justify. You became stronger and wiser, but millions more were permanently harmed and lost their future. Your experience of the struggle does not drive an iota of awareness to share an advocacy for the children. Rather, than pointing out the gaps in the woman’s behavior and having an outrage for the systemic issues that have caused hardship, your sense is wired to think ‘hardship is a rite of passage, because from it, I gained my resilience.’ It’s this mindset that creates an ideology that does not resist systemic issues. And one must not question or challenge an oppressive system that is perpetuated by ignorance just because she is a poor woman. A child helping a struggling parent in small ways is one thing, but you all think waking up at 3 AM for labour is right. You don’t care what sleep deprivation could do to her physical health, her concentration. a girl that is already malnourished must be further exposed to harsh conditions, and when she is exhausted, to poor academic performance, to limits in future opportunities.

So he tells us that the child is working out of economic necessity. And that the mother needs compassion.

So others will argue that the focus of the video, should have been on the economic hardship that people have to endure.
Instead, Adetoun was just a villain, an oppressor, as she could have engaged the cleaner/mother privately and not publicly shame her, or be condescending in her approach. she had not cared about the dignity of the mother, and she only humiliated her, rather than empower her.

Adetoun capitulated coz the validation from social media matters. That was why she did the video in the first place. Not because she gave a damn about the child’s life. Than the aftermath. The crying and kneeling and wailing. All in the very manipulative lots.

Folks pushed her to reveal her performative righteousness.

And because validation matters to her- she rewarded this woman after the backlash. It alleviated her immediate struggles.

The country also shows its false outrage, as though her situation is not the lots of millions of people in the country. We pretend that suffering is not the norm for the lots. Or that the mother was justified.

Adetoun received more outrage than we give to those who orchestrated policies that have entrenched sufferings.

Now, there are other struggling women who have not made their children work, but remain unseen and unsupported. And nobody cares about them. They were unsure about the tactics of giving birth to many kids, then using those kids or maiming them to generate some form of income on the streets.

Now, Onakoya, who is another person wired for validation sees an opportunity, to enrich his own social capital. And yes, I must thank him. Someone else can cater for the 3 siblings or for the children and their mothers that now sweep and wash the gutters that his mother washed, the children from the north that are your domestic servants, or the children I won’t see tomorrow, for they already died in hazardous child labour.

There are several children, women in this country, with much worse fate. But they are not on social media or the source of any social capital: Mr Onakoya and all of us can’t care as there’s no social recognition. Performative altruism which doesn’t fix the individual choices/ structural conditions that have birth the situation or made suffering into some spectacle is what we are enthralled. A miracle, a divine intervention.

What have I ever done to contribute to the alleviation of situations of people??
Nothing superficial and performative.

And you would find folks out there creating awareness and bringing about genuine changes for thousands of lives. Even saving them from death. Not just jumping in spaces, and using these vulnerable lots to enrich themselves.

This is a call to violence intended for their sympathizers in the US, Canada, and in Europe.

When was the last yearly medical examinations done for him?

Was there a pre-contest medical examination, immediately before the weigh-in?

He is 40 years old, was there a negative cardiac stress test done for him?

Was there an experienced ringside physician?

We heard it rained in Edo, and we were waiting for the rain in Uromi. The sun was beginning to sink, and that rain might bring some comfort. There is heat. Sometimes the whole country feels like hell.

Uromi is not a very big place. The people here
had known shared suffering, they have read of too many deaths. Of the priests killed despite paying the kidnappers. Of the farmers killed by herdsmen. Everyone still remember bodies found in the forest, throats slit, bellies opened.

Everyone knew who had done it.

The police had repeatedly failed them. The community had taken charge of their own safety. They were a response to the authorities’ failure.

So when the bus appeared on the main road, filled with these men, suspicion was easy. They stopped the bus, the passengers were silent at first. Then, as the demand for inspection was issued, there was hesitation and protest. A moment later, local guns were found.

Guns, crude and worn, the kind they had seen before in the hands of murderers. The kind the Nigerian army had published as exhibits from notorious bandits and terrorists.

The vigilantes, hardened by grief and anger, called to the community. The people didn’t have much to do, they quickly gathered, their voices rising.

The men in the bus swore they were hunters, just passing through, but who could believe them? Hunters, here in Uromi? Some heard they were only passing through, going to Kano. But it still felt like a poor lie, and the people of Uromi had long stopped believing in mercy when it came to those who had shown them none.

They dragged the men from the bus, their voices drowned beneath the cries for vengeance. The work was done. Justice, they told themselves, had been served.

But in Kano, Wives were awaiting their husbands. Mothers were awaiting their sons. Daughters were awaiting their fathers. A lady loved one of the boys that will never return.

They too knew of the bandits and kidnappers, that was why they couldn’t hunt in the forests in Kano. They were also afraid, for they too had lost brothers to these bandits.

The men in the bus had set out early that morning, their bane guns kept. Hunting was their life. As they neared Uromi, many of them had slept. When they were stopped, they presented their gun licenses. They didn’t plead. But as the mob grew, they pleaded, but their voices were swallowed by the wind of rage.

They tried to explain, but reason disappears when met with grief that had hardened into wrath. Then the blows came, and then the flames, and then nothing.

The government didn’t yet think that Justice, when left too long in the hands of absent authorities, became something the people take for themselves.

Our land is drenched in blood, yet the earth does not tremble.

Soldiers and civilians alike fall, their bodies strewn like discarded rags, and the world moves on. No sorrow is sustained in those accustomed to look out for the next tragedy.

But in ASO ROCK, in the senate, and in every halls of power, nothing ceases to gleam and there will be no silence for the dead, no pause for grief. In the shelter of the destitute, there will be no silence too, no grief.

We know why it is so in the halls of power. The political and military elites, insulated by wealth, armored by indifference, remain untouched by the cries of widows or the wailing of children.

But why is it so, in the corridors of the destitute lots of this nation? What has made it so?

What is a life worth? A name in the newspaper. A post on this platform. A fleeting image on the television and here, of fathers, service men, sons stripped of dignity, paraded for spectacle, and then forgotten. After their death has earned some income.

I know the widow does not know. And those corpses are not even cold before they are made to serve their last purposes in the hands of those that profit from grief.

She will leave the barracks, her husband will not be honored. His uniform is dust; his children, a burden to be ignored. The state he died for will not raise a hand to shelter them, nor will the officers who once called him ‘brother’ stand in his stead.

It is not these dead men I mourn, for they have found their silence. It is the living who must bear the weight- the woman who must carry her grief to the streets, and shall soon fend for a home and solace; the aged mother who will sit by an empty doorway, waiting for her khaki boy who will never return; the child who will grow up knowing that his father’s sacrifice was worth nothing in the eyes of those who sent him to die.

And yet, the country does not weep. The sun rises, newspapers print their scandals, and those in power continue their feasts. I continue my work. The dead are silent, and silence is the only thing this nation listens to.

But the widows will remember. The children will remember. But there shall be no day, their voices will rise as strong as the gunfire that murdered their father, or as loud as the marching boots of their fathers or the indifferent rulers that won’t look out for them.

But perhaps, one day, this land will tremble, not with the weight of bodies falling, but with the reckoning of those who have been wronged. The day all of us recover our minds and conscience.

A nation’s progress is measured by the dignity of its people. But in Nigeria today, dignity is a luxury that only the privileged can afford. The minimum wage is #70,000per month, yet the cost of living tells a different story - it tells a story of struggle, desperation, and systemic neglect.

How does a worker survive on #70,000 when a basic plate of food costs at least #1,500, when a liter of fuel costs #900. The math is unforgiving. Fifteen days of eating a single meal would deplete an entire month’s wage. And this is before rent, clothing, healthcare, or even the most basic necessities of life are considered. What, then, of those with dépendants (families)?

Basic fruits like oranges, mangoes, bananas that were once a common delight, are now luxuries reserved for the wealthy. The working class no longer ask for variety, they ask for survival.

From Lagos to Onitsha to Kano, mothers sit in cab shuttles, cradling two children on their laps, because paying for an extra seat is unthinkable. Bikes meant for one now carry two, sometimes three, passengers, everybody risking their lives just to make it to work.

The working class cannot afford band A areas. So they stay in their slums bedeviled by erratic supply of electricity which further makes their life unbearable. A professor can’t afford to provide power for his family as the cost of fuel has risen beyond his reach, and forcing him and all in his neighborhood to abandon their generators.

It’s night, and everywhere, it is loudest, the silence of a people robbed of their right to basic comfort.

So where is NLC and TUC and ASUU? Where are the labour unions, the supposed shield of the working class? The union was meant to stand in defense of the people, to fight against suffering. Instead, it has stood by, watching in silence as workers drown in poverty, conceding for their own private pockets or in the case of ASUU, conceding for their bruised ego. They have to placate this irresponsible government. I agree with President Obasanjo, the labour movement has failed its people, and they may have all the words, but we know they are a union of inaction.

A union that does not fight for fair wages, for humane living conditions which is dependent on wages, such a union is a betrayal!!! It has allowed itself to be weakened, compromised, and rendered toothless. But the people cannot wait for salvation from those who refuse to act.

To the men and women struggling every day, your silence will not save you. The weight of this injustice imposed by this Buhari and Tinubu’s administration will not lift itself. You must demand better wages, better conditions, better leadership. You must speak not just in whispers among yourselves, but in the streets, in the offices, in every place where power resides.

I remember Fela’ suffering and smiling. History has shown that change does not come to those who suffer quietly, it comes to those who refuse to be ignored. Tinubu would not grant you a fair wage out of kindness, your union would not advocate for you as they should… they do so when the people force their hand.

And so, to the young woman, the corper,
Miss Ushie Uguamaye who has raised her voice, we hear you. There is no greater service to the people of this country. I honour your courage and pray that your fire ignite a movement too strong to be silenced.

To the rest of us, Speak. Protest!!! The time for silence is over. The time for depression is over. The It is depression imposed by a society that has condemned entire families to the diaspora.

In the university, everywhere you turn, there is only one dream left for our professors- to leave. To flee this land and seek dignity elsewhere, even if it means becoming a slave in a foreign country. How much worse for the common folks??

People do not leave their homes because they want to. They leave because they have been failed by leadership that offers them no hope, no future, no way to build a meaningful life. They leave because the streets whisper a cruel truth: "Your children will suffer if they stay." And so, the exodus continues, the young, the strong, the skilled rushing to lands that do not welcome them, but at least offer them a chance to survive.

As Fashek sang, “no more sorrow.”

I hope Trump is magnanimous to meet him halfway.

Paul is just oversimplifying the matter and trying to get us all against Peter. He can genuinely gets Jude in order without manipulating public perception or appealing to our family ideals.

In publicly stating this, it’s Paul intention that we see Peter as cruel and unforgiving, or that as mob, we pressure Peter to withdraw his complaint. You would already see those saying that Peter values money over his relatives. That is the framing that is intended. Emotional. If Jude had erred, reporting him or trying to recover what he looted isn’t necessarily prioritizing money over family. Valuing family should never mean enabling wrongdoing.


Jude should be accountable for his own actions. If Peter is a victim, exercising his right to seek Justice is not outrageous.

Another post on Ukraine for we idle creatures.

It is expected that they publicly declare their allegiance. But this declared allegiance is not against the US.

It’s merely a strategic stance to prevent Putin from perceiving weakness. Just to maintain cohesion. Just to maintain the perception of strength.

Their public support might be more symbolic rather than operational. It’s a position Trump is not inclined to. Remember the Obama’s during Bring Back our Girls.

Of coz, one can argue that it is operational too, then the question follows.
Do they possess the resources to sustain Ukraine’s effort against Russia without the US?
Perhaps (not) So their declaration may speak to mobilizing such efforts.

But I do think Europe is not defying the US, and their allegiance is not an unconditional adoption of Zelenskyy’s unwavering stance against negotiations. In private, they would advise him to be more cautious and advise him against overplaying his hand. They would also tell him what Trump has publicly stated, that they cannot assure a commitment to continued war. And tell him, if the US leaves, there might be a gap they are not yet ready to fill.

Zelenskyy’s strategy of pushing the US away in the hope that Europe will take greater responsibility leads to this symbolic outcome which is intended at Putin and not the US. Europe’s responsibility to the consequences of the emotional outburst or excessiveness of Zelenskyy is to ensure a certain perception is not lost.

But is this any sign of light in the tunnel for Ukraine? I think it’s better to be cautious that it not very rooted when it’s planted on uncertain ground. It is all a gamble.

Trump’s position is that the continued conflict is unsustainable. He talks about the lives that are lost and all the irreparable damages. Trump’s position is that compromise is a necessity.

Zelenskyy wants outright victory. That Putin gets the Gaddafi treatment. And Russia becomes subordinated to Europe, with their weapons and army all disbanded as was done with Germany after WW II. This is the only way Ukraine sovereignty is guaranteed.

Trump don’t see how this is possible without a full blown war in Europe, and perhaps, in the world. Trump thinks a better route is diplomacy. Zelenskyy sees Trump as a direct obstacle to this goal.

Zelenskyy’s rhetoric is not dumb. His body language, his positions may be intended at actively driving a wedge between himself and the US.
It is some strategic maneuvering. It’s calculated.

Zelenskyy could sever ties with the US, in the hope that this pushes Europe into assuming greater responsibility for the war effort.

European leaders already signaled they also desire the end of Putin. But rhetorics and actions are different things.

And Zelenskyy might be overplaying his hand in appealing to Europe’s fraught ego.

The EU is an organization that is willing to use Ukraine as a pawn in their effort to increase members commitment and become an actual dominant power. In reframing the US as an unreliable ally, alliances are reshaped that benefits the EU tangibly.

But the EU might be overplaying its hand.

In all, there are pawns, knights, rooks, bishops, kings and queens. As you read, people are dying in the war.

Africans fit see AFCON as one of di most important football tournaments, but e no reach to give am global respect. If AFCON wan be major tournament, e gas get recognition wey pass Africa own.

If person look di mata well, e go see say wetin Jamie talk get point. If pesin win AFCON, e fit make am di best player for Africa, but e no too help for world ranking. If we check past AFCON best players and compare dem wit people wey win Euros and Copa América, e go dey clear say winners for those other tournaments dey enter front for Ballon d’Or. Dem tournaments get prestige and influence wey AFCON never reach.

Sometimes, di way we dey vex for AFCON matter dey show say we dey deceive ourselves. Some of our top players don ignore AFCON before, even when dem no get injury. Dem just no rate di tournament. Yet, nobody talk anything. If our own players no too send di tournament, why we go expect di rest of di world to take am serious?

Some African players like Mikel Obi and others don enter di discussion, but instead of dem to talk di real issue, dem just dey defend AFCON as if na dem go save am. But na lie be dat. If we no gree say AFCON get work to do, we no go fit improve am. Instead, we go just dey deceive ourselves.

Make we forget all di pretense. AFCON never get di global respect wey Euros and Copa América get. Instead make we dey argue, make we find way build di competition, make am strong, make e really matter for world football. Same way our local league dey suffer because we dey carry all our money go support European football. Until we put money and effort for our own competitions, dem go still dey secondary for world football.

This response does not speak to the features that are typical of a major tournament.
Africans can regard Afcon as one of the most important competition in the sport, but that’s not sufficient. The rest of the world must also view the tournament as a major tournament.

I think if you take into consideration , the context of the discussion, it will be easier to see the point that Jamie made. It’s simply that success in the tournament could contribute to deciding Africa’s best player on the continent, but historically won’t contribute so much to your ranking as the best player in the world.

We can review Afcon player of the tournament and their global ranking in every particular year. Then compare with Euro and Copa America. We see a pattern. Winners in these other tournaments automatically become contenders for the world’s best player. This speaks to their prestige and influence.

Our outrage is hypocritical too. We have had top players in Africa skip Afcon. They had no injury. It is because they didn’t rate the tournament. Yet, no outrage.

African players such as Mikel Obi and others who have passionately contributed to the discuss have viciously and disappointingly muddled up everything. They want to be defenders or messiahs of some sort. Yet, if they persist, they have only succeeded at building their own influence at the detriment of the competition. And only attempt to widen the depth of denial.

Let Afcon, the players, our media … let us be constructive. We would easily see that AFCON falls short esp on its impact on players ranking globally. It is elevating AFCON standing that should be the direction, not pretending that it has some standing.

Whatever I have said, you can infer same in your thoughts about our local league and how much we could do to raise its standing. But we give billions to European football. And have nothing left for local competition.

In Ibadan, there is a 90% probability (0.9) that a bike driver you stop for a ride will be of northern origin.