Nigeria has the potential to become a great country and be a leading light if not a hegemon in Africa. This is because she is heavily endowed with resources. Let’s not forget the human resources she has been blessed with some of whom are excelling outside the shores of her land. Do you now wonder why some have said that the caption regarding Nigeria as an African giant reeks of deceit as Nigeria is more or less a sleeping giant or better still, a giant with clay feet?

From 1914 when Nigeria became a by product of Lord Lugard’s amalgamation it seems she was primed to keep underachieving despite the huge outlay of endowment. Colonialism had her significant interplay and interchange and some have even argued they should have stayed longer but by 1960 the country became a field for us to plough to success and greatness but it seems there were those who wanted to plunder negativity thereon.

Sooner than later we were immersed in tribal antagonism, religious backlash and vestiges of primitive accumulation. The khaki boys with their “command and control” psychology at some point thought they could bring redemption but made salvation seem even farther away. We have come a long way after some of the khaki boys retreated to base but others are still hanging around civil space.

In our progress to building a united virile nation we have become a country that is merely reactive rather than been proactive, otherwise how come we still need to pray to fix our electricity, build roads that will connect states and city centres, run high powered rail lines to open up our country, have a working health system, and even transform our agriculture.

What have become of our development plans as a country if there is anything like that again. Do we need to engage magicians to have a clear cut town and city plan across our nations. Why has our educational system nosedived to a level of uncertainty where from the root of primary to tertiary education there are identity crises. Our sporting sector still suffers from existential crisis.

Yes, we will always react to the various electoral issues or problems rather than be proactive in setting a standard akin to global best practices as defined by a litany of intellectual sages. Yes, we will react to ASUP, ASUU and other educational unions going on strike while the glaring issues stare at us daily without any deliberate remedy from us.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/18/can-nigeria-move-from-being-a-reactionary-country-to-a-proactive-one/

Show notes: In this episode of the Lagosian in New York City podcast, Lagosian is joined by Daniel Gbujie – an African climate change advocate and founder/CEO of the Team54 project – a not for profit organization (www.team54project.org) that raises awareness on climate change. Daniel has advocated at the United Nations.

He discusses the impact of gas flaring in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the consequences of uncontrolled climate change, and poor recognition of climate change on the African continent, especially as some parts of the continent, may soon become inhabitable. Daniel makes the connection between climate change, infections, insurgency, and other global conflicts. He summarizes the work of the Team54 project, specific climate change issues related to Africa, and possible solutions to this dire problem.
Click and listen to the podcast: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/17/listen-to-the-lagosian-in-new-york-city-podcast-daniel-gbujie-founder-ceo-team-54-project-climate-change-and-africa/

What do you do during an interview? How do you talk and act? Do you prefer to talk to other interviewees, or would you rather stay alone with your own thoughts?

Or would you rather just decide to play it cool and chat up your interviewer?

This last one might not be the best approach after all.

Only recently, a young woman came on Twitter to share her experience with a male interviewee who had told her she ‘smelled nice.’ In her story, she lashed out at him, calling him ‘rude.’ She then wrapped up her story with the following phrase “A lot of men don’t have manners.”


Taiwo Yinusa
@taiwo__y

I interviewed a guy for a job yesterday and when he was leaving he said to me ‘you smell nice’ and I told him that’s very rude of him,he left looking stupid.
A lot of men don’t have manners!!!

But was she right? Was the interviewee rude?

WikiHow gives a succinct explanation of the purpose of an interview.

For the company, “it is a chance…to evaluate whether you would be a strong employee” while for the interviewee, it is an opportunity “to evaluate the company and decide whether you want to work for them.”

In addition, WikiHow says that landing a good job requires that you ”make a good first impression” by

– Presenting yourself well
-Communicating effectively
-showing the interviewer politeness and respect

Obviously, the candidate failed number 2. It is not wrong to dish out compliments to your interviewer, but the way it is communicated makes a world of difference. Instead of “you smell nice”, a better compliment, not just to an interviewer, but to virtually any stranger would be, “Please excuse me, I am sorry to be a bother, but I would like to compliment you on your perfume. It smells really nice.”

The interviewee may have been slightly off target, but HR Taiwo overreacted

While it is true that Nigerian men; and I am narrowing my target because I have not met and interacted with a lot of non-Nigerian men; tend to dish out suggestive compliments to absolute strangers, calling a person ‘rude’ for a compliment that was not properly expressed is an exaggeration.

Saying a lot of men do not have manners because of one man’s faux pas is false. And it is an indication that HR Taiwo might be a rather bad human resource personnel as she appears to have a bias problem.

But away from HR Taiwo and her interviewee’s faux pas

What can you say during an interview besides talking about the job?
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/15/how-to-talk-at-a-job-interview/

Nothing can be very disappointing like to hear a veteran who should know better say things amiss. Despite the unbeatable records and performance of Cristiano Ronaldo in the last 10 years, Fabio Capello still considers him not to be in the same pedestal with Messi, Pele, and Maradona. He expressed this sentiment when said

“Ronaldo’s an extraordinary footballer, but Messi is a genius. There are three geniuses in football: Pele, Maradona, and Messi. Period. Ronaldo is very strong as he lets you win everything, but Messi a genius and something else. I faced Messi when he was 16 years old and I was amazed. He did the same thing he does today but 20 years younger because he was born a genius. He invents things that others don’t see. Ronaldo has made himself a champion, but not a genius.”

Anyone who has been following Cristiano Ronaldo within the last ten years will know that Fabio Capello’s conclusion is very far from the truth. How else does he expect Ronaldo to be a genius? What have the so-called geniuses done that Ronaldo has done less or not done more?

In the last 10 years, across the three major leagues in Europe (EPL, La Liga and Seria A), Ronaldo’s stellar performance and records are enough to earn him a place in the hall of geniuses. When it was very difficult for players playing in the EPL to win the FIFA player of the Year Award, Ronaldo ended up winning it as the first player in history while he was playing for Manchester United. And since he left England, no other player has won the prestigious award. In 2007/2008, he won the Champions League for the Red Devils for the first time since 1999 and ended scoring 42 goals in all competitions as a winger and just at the age of 22.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/15/cristiano-ronaldo-is-the-definition-of-a-genius/

Ninety-eight percent of the players playing for the Nigerian national team are foreign-based. Only one or two players from the domestic league are usually invited to participate in some competitions. And oftentimes when they are invited, they sit on the bench because they cannot match the quality and exposure of their counterparts playing abroad.

However, many domestic players jump at any opportunity to play in the foreign leagues in order to increase their chances of getting a call up from the national team. And because of how local players have been leaving the Nigerian league for foreign clubs, a former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu has argued that the preference for foreign-based players is killing the Nigerian League.

In other words, because more attention is given to the Nigerian players playing abroad, domestic players are moving out in droves so that they can earn the recognition that will help them get a place in the national team. Consequently, leading to the drain of quality players in the Nigerian domestic league.

While Ike Shorunmu may be right to some extent, I do not completely agree with him because what is actually stunting the growth of Nigerian football league is poor management.

Despite the crop of talents that are in the Nigerian league, it still remains one of the worst leagues in Africa in terms of organization. Here is a league where many players do not have valid contracts and are even owed the peanuts they are paid. There is no way a foreign league will offer them a lucrative contract and they will not accept it.

The Brazilian and Argentine national teams are mostly dominated by foreign players, playing in different European Leagues and yet this has not in any way affected their local leagues, which rank as part of the competitive leagues in the world.

If the Nigerian league is well managed, there is no reason why the players will leave in the first place. In fact, they will stay and compete for the slots in the national team like their counterparts playing in foreign leagues.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/14/is-the-preference-for-foreign-based-players-killing-the-nigerian-football-league/

Southern Kaduna and other areas of Kaduna metropolis have in the last two years become hot spots of violence and wanton killings. Taking the form of ethnic or communal clash and religious fights, hoodlums unleash mayhem on residents, and the death toll is always in tens and scores.

As these incidents became more frequent, the Kaduna state government put in place curfew as the ‘flight-mode’ measure to stem the violence from recurring, and return peace to affected areas. This has, however, only been effective for immediate return to calm in these locations. It has done almost nothing to prevent recurrence.

Just hours after crisis erupted from a protest in Kaduna metropolis last October, soldiers reportedly took over the streets of the city. This was just as the state government announced a 24-hour curfew to prevent the protesters from perpetrating violence.

Again in August last year, Kaduna state government imposed a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew on Kwaru and Ungwan Yero communities in the Kaduna North Local Government Area of the state.

This became necessary after the killing of two youths in the communal clashes that took place in the two communities. The government had to send security agents in their numbers to the area to maintain law and order, an objective that would be impeded if people are allowed to roam the streets.

Nasir El-Rufa’i, the state governor, acknowledged that these issues are not unconnected to divisive tendencies along fault lines of religion and ethnicity, which remain inimical to peaceful co-existence in the area.

The curfew lasted for a few days, and some calm truly returned to the area. But that was temporary, considering the number of similar attacks recorded in the past six months.

News came in again few days ago that three communities in Kaduna are under heavy attack.

As always, state government brought the quick-fix by imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the troubled Kajuru Local Government Area, running from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily until further notice.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/13/kaduna-killings-unending-curfew-is-not-the-solution/

“We all live in a house of fire. No fire department to call. No way out. Just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.” – Tennessee Williams

It is said that the average human has a grand total of about 2 billion seconds to live out his existence. Distress calls…MAY-DAY! MAY-DAY! MAY-DAY! Plane crashes, the heart stops beating, we lay cold dead, our body parts scattered someplace somewhere, and life ends!

The sad event of March 10, 2019, is a sad reminder that this present world is a ‘house of fire’. The world woke to the news that a passenger aircraft operated by Africa’s top national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines had crashed. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 nose-dived into a field minutes after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. 157 passengers and crew members died in the unfortunate incident.

The UK, China, Germany, France, Australia and other aviation authorities have since grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 following this ill-fated event. While victims’ families are urging the authorities to take the Boeing 737 Max out of service, a growing number of airlines around the globe have also announced that they will not be flying the Boeing 737 Max until they know what happened in that lethal crash.

Two Crashes too Painful

In October 2018, 189 people died after a Boeing 737 Max jet operated by Lion Air dove into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia. It was reported that the pilots of the flight complained that the plane’s nose kept pitching down dozens of times before it crashed. It has also been gathered that pilots of Boeing 737 Max 8 series filed reports last year complaining about tilting problems very similar to the issues in the two crashed planes.

The New Boeing 737 Max

The Boeing 737 Max is a revamped version of the Boeing 737, which is the mainstay of many airlines globally. It is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, succeeding the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG). According to the manufacturers, It was re-engineered with more efficient CFM International LEAP-1B power plants, aerodynamic improvements and airframe modifications.

The new 737 series was launched on August 30, 2011. It performed its first flight on January 29, 2016. The new series gained FAA certification on March 8, 2017. The first delivery was a Max 8 on May 6, 2017, to Malindo Air, which put the aircraft into service on May 22, 2017

To Ground

As countries and aviation authorities around the globe ground their 737 Max planes, Boeing continues to assert its planes are safe and fit to fly. This is a different demeanour to 2013. Following a safety issue, Boeing had instructed airlines not to fly their 787 Dreamliners because the planes’ batteries were catching fire. Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/13/boeing-737-max-8-to-ground-or-not-to-ground/

The All Progressives Congress (APC) lost the unity it has long enjoyed in the run-up to the general elections, thanks to party lords like the outgoing governors of Ogun and Imo states, Ibikunle Amosun, and Rochas Okorocha.

The two governors started their moves during the ruling party’s national congress, when they aggressively tried to install their cronies on elective posts within the party. The APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole, and other decision-makers in the party won’t stand for this, which ensured the elected leaders in most states clearly express the will of party members.

By installing their underdogs, the governors hope to have an unquestionable say on who wins what during party primaries. It’ll be their ultimate discretion to decide flab bearers for different positions from the APC in their respective states.

Not satisfied with his defeat during the congress, Amosun pulled every string available to him to have his ally, Adekunle Akinlade, as the governorship candidate. However, he fell irrecoverably at the primaries as Dapo Abiodun clinched the ticket. Amosun wouldn’t take a “no,” and after several unsuccessful lobby at the presidency to reverse the results, he took Akinlade to another party to contest against Abiodun. Amosun was now rooting for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

On his part, Okorocha wants his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who also happened to be his Chief of Staff, to take over the mantle from him after leaving office. However, the party members chose Hope Uzodinma, a serving senator, over Nwosu. Okorocha’s failure to have his way with Nwosu is not surprising, as the governor was literally turning the state to a family affair. Like Amosun did, Nwosu also cross-carpeted to Action Alliance (AA).

While both governors are contesting senatorial seats under the All Progressives Congress (APC), they were busy campaigning against the party’s governorship candidates in their states.

To compound their woos, Dapo Abiodun of the APC won in Ogun, while the Okorocha lost the leadership of Imo state completely to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The two ‘rebels’ face huge defeats despite their status as incumbents.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/12/amosun-and-okorocha-set-to-reap-the-fruits-of-rebellion/

Matters arising from Nigeria’s unity

Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world. It occupies a hegemonic status within the West African Sub-region and popularly known as the ‘Giant of Africa’. The country is a creation of British colonialism in 1914, and gained political independence on October 1, 1960, and became a federal republic in 1963 with four regions.

Geographically, it shares a border with the Benin Republic in the West, Niger in the North and Cameroun in the South.

Demographically, Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups and 500 languages with the dominant ones being Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. There are three recognized religions which are Christianity, Islam and Traditional religion. It is this diversity or heterogeneity that aptly defines Nigeria’s unity as ‘unity in diversity’. This is reinforced by Nigeria’s constitution which states that Nigeria is a united and indivisible entity.

However, over the years, the country’s unity has been undermined and threatened by several factors. One of such factors is insecurity. There are rising waves of insecurity characterized by kidnapping, ritual killing, drug and human trafficking, militancy, insurgency, communal violence, youth restiveness and unabated killings of farmers by herdsmen with its attendant effect on the socio-economic development of the country.

The issue of insecurity is not actually new but has assumed complex and threatening dimensions in recent times across the country. Consequently, it has generated a humanitarian crisis, leading to displacement and wanton destruction of lives and properties. The multiplier effect on the country is unemployment, loss of jobs, fear and a vicious cycle of poverty as foreign investors consider the environment unsafe for business activities.

Security experts and analysts have attributed this worrisome security situation to the porosity of the borders, which invariably gives room for the proliferation of small and light weapons. There is also the allegation of collusion of security agencies with armed bandits. The spate of unabated killings going on in the Middle Belt States (North Central geopolitical zone) by Fulani herdsmen has raised cause for concern as culprits are never prosecuted.

It has also raised serious concern on the nationality question as most stakeholders have accused the government of tacitly permitting or allowing ethnic cleansing or genocide in some parts of the country. The north, in particular, is termed a ‘volatile zone’ due to incessant and massive bloodshed in that region.

The second matter arising from Nigeria’s unity is recurrent ethnoreligious violence caused by intolerance, radicalization and politicization of religion for political ends. This hydra-headed phenomenon has polarized the two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam. Analysts have revealed that most politicians and religious zealots exploit the ignorance of their religious followers to perpetrate in violent activities.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/12/opinion-matters-arising-from-nigerias-unity/

The US has issued a warning: if Ghana, Togo, and Benin are not careful, their countries would soon be full of insurgents from neighboring Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is home to insurgent group Ansarul Islam, but in recent times has also seen attacks from Nsurat al-Islam or the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), and the Islamic State Greater Sahel (ISGS) formerly confined to Mali and western Niger. The Burkinabe government is weak and practically powerless in the face of the terrorists who are rapidly taking over more and more provinces in the country.

But Burkina Faso is not the only victim in these senseless killings

In Kenya, the battle is against the Al-Shabab while in Nigeria, it is the Boko Haram and ISWAP (the Islamic State’s West African Province). Neighbouring Cameroon and Chad are also dealing with Boko Haram, but in Uganda and Somalia, it is once again the Al-Shabab. Niger contends with Boko Haram and ISGS while in Tunisia, it is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Katiba Uqba ibn Nafi (KUIN) and Katiba Uqba ibn Nafi (JAK-T) Libya is another country battling with ISIL, while Algeria deals with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on a smaller scale.

The underlying causes of insurgency in Africa

It is very easy to assume that insurgencies in Africa are as a result of religion since all the countries that suffer from it either have a large portion of their population practising Islam or are core Muslim countries.

But this is very far from the truth.

Almost all the African countries battling insurgencies have certain factors in common and they include the following

Weak government: insurgents can rise up and thrive where the central government is weak and cannot defend the country’s territorial integrity either because it does not have full control of the army or because it does not have a firm hold of the entire country. In the latter case, insurgents can rise to topple the government it does not agree with.

Social and economic inequality: in countries like Nigeria where development is not evenly distributed amongst the regions or states, resentment and discontent start to brew and can erupt into a full-blown insurgency. Even if the people on the lowest rung of the social and economic ladder do not start a war against their government... Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/08/africa-can-end-insurgency-if-she-wants/

Burna Boy has always been a fan of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Or maybe it is better to say that he is more like family since his grandfather, Benson Idonije was once Fela’s manager. Burna Boy is not only a regular at the shrine; in recent times, his music has incorporated elements of Fela’s kind of music, and his latest song, Dangote is not different.

But if the instrumentals and some lines in Dangote remind you of Fela, that is all the similarity you are going to get. It is almost certain that anyone who had listened to the audio before watching its video might have had a consistent question niggling at the back of their heads along the lines of “is Burna Boy trying to justify crime?”

When the video of Dangote starts, you would almost expect that Burna Boy was going to prove the importance of having a job and regular inflow of funds which was why he had titled his song Dangote and why the following text appeared on the screen.

The richest man in Africa still goes to work every morning.
Employment and job creation should be priority for any government.
The National Bureau of Statistics puts the estimated number of unemployed Nigerians at 23.1%

It is, therefore, a bit confusing when various scenes of obviously poor people committing crime for money pop up. Maybe Burna Boy was trying to show what unemployment and poverty can push people to do, but the lyrics and the video seem to be more of a justification than a critique.

Usually, after crimes are committed and the perpetrators caught, once they are done blaming the devil, the next victim to appear on the blame dock is the country. To be fair, the life of the average Nigerian is very hard, statistics or no and it is very easy to want a respite from all the suffering. But does poverty justify crime in any way?
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/07/the-subtle-justification-of-crime-in-burna-boys-dangote/

Why do I have to appear at work, Monday to Friday in a suit and tie as a man? Or come into work as a woman with a shirt tucked into a skirt belted at the waist while tottering on very impractical 6-inch heels?

Obviously, with its new memo allowing more flexibility in its staff dressing, Goldman Sachs agrees with me.

Why do workplaces still have strict dress codes? Goldman Sachs has released a memo allowing a more relaxed dress code for its employees
Goldman Sachs has released a memo allowing a more relaxed dress code for its employees.
But not just Goldman Sachs. More and more companies who used to insist on very formal clothes for their employees are beginning to allow for business casual clothes, realizing that stiff, formal dresses can stifle creativity, affect productivity,
and make employees uncomfortable and unable to focus on their work.

It is almost surreal to hear that the way employees are allowed to dress can affect the outcome of their jobs, but it is not impossible. I know people who would not work properly if they were forced to use a tie or wear a jacket. If you are anything like me, you would have probably found yourself yanking off jackets and kicking off shoes as soon as you get to the comfort of your desk on the days when your workplace insists that you have to come informally dressed.

For the life of me, I cannot understand how people can excel under pressure with a rope around their necks called a tie and fitted jackets that do not allow them to throw up their hands in frustration when the situation calls for it!

Also, there has been no definite correlation between profits and formal dressing. Banks are not necessarily more profitable than tech companies who have their workers dressing down. Coders in button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up, jeans and sneakers are most likely making more money than the customer service lady at the desk in a suit and of all things, a scarf on her neck. So, what is the fuss about formal dress codes all about? Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/07/why-do-workplaces-still-have-strict-dress-codes/

Creative writing according to Wikipedia is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic or technical forms of literature typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development and the use of literary tropes or traditions of poetry and poetics.

Fictional and non fictional works, biographies, short stories, screenwriting, play-writing also fall into this category and as such a person who writes any of this genres is called a creative writer. Due to the sensitive nature of creative writing, writers face a lot of problems on their journey towards being successful creative writers. They face problems ranging from writers block which is a state where the writer finds it difficult to write which can be as a result of shortage of ideas, emotional or mental stress, fear of writing the wrong genre for the right audience or right genre for the wrong audience.

There is also the fear of selling the books or articles, a lot of writers are faced with the problem of how much they can sell or if they will sell their work at all. There is the fear of too much competition especially in the case of fiction writing which further leads to lack of confidence on the part of the writer. There is the problem of blogs rejecting a writers work without stating it’s reasons. A huge percentage of writers manage to cross these bridges but after the work is done comes the major challenges which are often hard to deal with. Below are the hitches which maim the writing careers of many writers especially in this era of social media in Nigeria where social media seems to have a negative impact on our reading culture.

MENTORSHIP

A mentor is a trusted teacher or adviser, in this case it can be seen as a senior or more experienced colleague appointed to help and advice a junior colleague. One of the hardest things for a writer is picking a mentor who suits the writers chosen genre and when that is settled there is the problem of getting across to the mentor. Many young writers are slammed with painful silence when they reach out to senior colleagues who never reply their endless mails which can be demoralizing. There is also the problem of mentors who only reply using your ideas as their escape from their prolonged writers block.

FEAR OF INTELLECTUAL THEFT

Intellectual theft is the act of robbing people of their ideas, inventions and creative expressions. In order to get the attention of the required audience, a lot of writers are forced to share their work with the aim of getting...
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/05/five-woes-of-young-creative-nigerian-writers/

The concept of relationships: friendship, dating, courtship and marriage in Nigerian sociocultural context

The objective of this article is to clarify the concept, relationship. However, the specific objectives are to differentiate between romantic and non-romantic relationships, to argue that friendship, dating, courtship and marriage are subsumed under relationship and to point out the similarities and differences that exist between them.

What is a relationship?
The term relationship is polysemous. However, according to English 2.4 (whose text is extracted from http://wiktionary.org), a relationship means “connection or association; the condition of being related”. Merriam-Webster (2019) outlines three meanings associated with relationship.
They are:
1. the way in which two or more people, groups, countries, etc., talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other
2. a romantic or sexual friendship between two people
3. the way in which two or more people or things are connected.

Factors that give birth to a relationship
There are several factors that can spring up relationship. Below are some of the factors.
1. Blood: You have a relationship with anyone you are linked to through blood. This covers all members of your family both extended or nuclear.
2. Good Neighborhood: Traditionally, in Nigerian society, your neighbour is like part of your family. You can eat together, discuss issues and solve problems together when you aren’t around, they can take care of your children this practice is an extraction of communalism (see Morphy 2018). Nevertheless, this has changed in modern times, not all neighbours are in a relationship. For example, in compounds where everybody goes to work at 5 am, returns at 8 pm. And when they return, they cook, eat, bath, and sleep. Such neighbourhood has no time to discuss the subject of their interest. They don’t have time for one another.
3. Occupation or profession: People you work together with are in a relationship with you because you have common interest, common goal and you share ideas together.
4. Marriage: Marriage is the highest level of relationship. It covers both romantic and non-romantic activities.
5. Association or group: Members of the same association have a common goal. They fight for the interest of there members.

Classification of Relationship
A relationship is classified into two, viz: non-romantic and romantic relationship.

Hierarchies of Romantic Relationship
Friendship
|
Dating
|
Courtship
|
Marriage

Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/05/the-concept-of-relationships-friendship-dating-courtship-and-marriage-in-nigerian-sociocultural-context/

The English premiership remains the most exciting football league in the world not just for its razzmatazz and fanfare but also how dramatic the turn out of matches can become.

When the 2018/2019 season started, not many fancied Liverpool to win the league. However, at the start of the season, Liverpool showed that perhaps this could be the year of not just hope but verified promise. Hence they continued with the form of 2017/18 season that saw them beat Manchester City en route losing in an unsurprising fashion to then Ronaldo-led Real Madrid at the European Champion League final in the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine.

With the three-pronged attacking prowess of Egypt’s Mo’ Salah, Senegal’s Mané, and Brazil’s Roberto Firmino that has accounted for over 65% of Liverpool’s goals till date; Liverpool started the season in an impressive fashion giving the bookmakers favourite, Guardiola’s Manchester City, a run for his money.

They went seven points clear of Manchester City in the title race after 20 games by December 2018 owing to City’s capitulation which saw them lose to the likes of Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Everyone thought that this could be the year Liverpool broke the jinx of not winning a Premier League crown in thirty years but Manchester City wouldn’t let it go easily with a breathtaking victory at the Etihad Stadium on 3rd January 2019 which saw the deficit between both sides drop to just four points.

It became a case of “catch me if you can” as Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle had to do Liverpool a favour beating City but Liverpool failed to capitalize in extending their lead when they withdrew with Leicester City.

Sunday, 3rd of March 2019 in the Merseyside derby with Everton was one which became significant in the title race as a victory for Liverpool would have seen them leapfrog the Citizens by two points in the standing after City had got a slim victory over Bournemouth.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/05/can-liverpool-still-become-champions-of-england/

Oil Deals: The marriages between ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and Nigeria, and the loss of $16 billion

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has revealed that Nigeria lost $16 billion in between 2008 and 2017 due to non-review of the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs), signed with oil companies in 1993.

This was contained in a report recently released by NEITI tagged “The Steep Cost of Inaction”.

NEITI reviewed the contracts, with help from Open Oil, a Berlin-based extractive sector transparency group, revealing that the losses could be up to $28 billion if, after the review, the federation were allowed to share profit from two additional licenses.

The oil fields and companies under scrutiny include Abo (OML 125): operated by Eni; Agbami-Ekoli (OML 127 & OML 128): operated by Chevron; Akpo & Egina (OML 130): operated by Total and South Atlantic Petroleum; and Bonga (OML 118): operated by Shell.

ExxonMobil Crude Refining Others, it said are Erha (OML 133): operated by ExxonMobil; Okwori & Nda (OML 126): operated by Addax; and Usan (OML 133): operated by ExxonMobil.

Calling for an urgent review of the PSCs to curb the revenue loss, NEITI noted that the review was particularly important for Nigeria because oil production from PSCs had surpassed production from Joint Ventures with PSCs now contributing the largest share to federation revenue.

“Between 1998 and 2005, total production by PSC companies was below 100 million barrels per year while JV companies produced over 650 million barrels per year.

“By 2017, total production by PSC companies was 305.800 million barrels, which was 44.32 per cent of total production.

“Total production by JV companies was 212.850 million barrels, representing 30.84 per cent of total production.” It said.
NEITI explained that Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts provided for a review of the terms on two conditions.

“The first review was to be triggered if oil prices exceeded 20 dollars per barrel.

“Section 16 (1) of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts specifies that: The provisions of the Act shall be subject to review to ensure that if the price of crude oil at any time exceeds 20 dollars per barrel, real terms, the share of the Government of the Federation in the additional revenue shall be adjusted under the Production Sharing Contracts to such extent that the Production Sharing Contracts shall be economically beneficial to the Government of the Federation.”

This clause implies that the review should have been done as far back as 2004 when oil prices exceeded the 20 dollars per barrel mark.

However, according to the judgement of the Supreme Court in October 2018, the Attorney General of the Federation has been mandated to “work together with the governments of Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa States to recover all lost revenues accruable to the Federation with effect from the respective times when the price of crude oil exceeded $20 per barrel.”
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/04/oil-deals-the-marriages-between-exxonmobil-chevron-shell-and-nigeria-and-the-loss-of-16-billion/

At about 2:30 am on the 19th of March 2017, after a long struggle with my door, two men broke into my apartment and made away with, amongst other things, my debit cards and phone.
I was working in the bank at the time and knew what to do. I called the banks, told them to block any instrument that can be used to make debits on my accounts but to leave the account unfrozen because I did not have a penny on me and would need to take out funds on Monday without the added stress of asking for an unfreeze on the account, which as we all might know, can take the whole day.
I called both of the telecom operators I use, MTN and Airtel to block my lines, and followed up with them to ensure it was done.
So you can imagine the shock I went into when, one week after, I open my email and see over 30 debit alerts on one of my accounts. Turns out MTN never blocked my line (I was told later it was initiated but not approved by the supervisor), and through a loophole in the PayWithCapture registration process, the thieves were able to make away with more than 50% of the funds in my account.
Not a singular incident
My story is definitely one in unaccountable cases that happen to Nigerians every day. Taking advantage of the loopholes in our system, thieves and fraudsters rob people of their hard-earned money through the institution they have trusted to keep their funds safe – the banks.

Loss of funds is also not just due to theft. Funds are sometimes lost through unresolved debit issues, fraudulent bank staff and wrongful charges on accounts.
The spiral effect
Unlike I, who went back to using the account that was fraudulently debited, but have refused to use any form of application or card on any of my accounts, most Nigerians abandon their accounts after such cases, losing whatever trust they may have had with the bank.
And because bad news tends to travel faster, people hear these stories and are scared of saving their monies in the banks.

Other factors that reduce Nigerians’ trust in banks
High charges: Although bank charges have now been reduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, charges on accounts for transactions and bank products are still considered high and unnecessary by Nigerians.
Low-interest rates: The highest interest rate offered by Nigerian banks on a savings account is 4.2% per annum, valid if only less than four customer-induced debit transactions have taken place on the account in a month. The interest rates on fixed deposits or even treasury bills are no better. This has caused quite a number of Nigerians to believe that the banks are only out to steal their money and not necessarily help them grow their funds.
Difficult access to loans: It is understandable that banks are wary of giving out loan facilities to businesses,
click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/05/how-banks-contribute-to-the-low-savings-culture-in-nigeria/

In the wake of the Igbo-Yoruba fuss, some uninformed people have decided to revise history to suit their selfish ends. These people are not careful to assert that Lagos is a no man’s land. They have argued without fact, however, confidently that, it is a territory that belongs to no one. In order words, it is a terra nullius.

There is no such thing as no man’s land or space on earth that is terra nullius. Often time, when people migrate en masse from their ancestral homes, perhaps, due to war, famine, expedition or whatever to another land, they meet the aborigines who are the landowners of the new territory they find themselves.

Historically, when Christopher Columbus and his crew landed in the New World – what we call the United States of America today, they did not find an empty territory or space only occupied by trees and animals but along with these, they found the Native Americans who were subsequently, for stratification’s sake tagged as the red Indians.

Till date in America, the natives are still there even though they have been stripped of their primordial identity. While the whites who migrated to northern hemisphere some 600 years ago have completely dominated the region, they have not for once made the claim that they conquered a vast and empty land. They still humbly acknowledge their roots as European migrants.

If the Dutch who arrived South Africa in 1652 did not call it a no man’s land, apparently, they met the blacks in their primitive settlement, why then should some tenants in Lagos state now boldly make the terra nullius claim without substance? I believe they do this to justify their right to stay in the cosmopolitan city. For the fact that the landowners out of sheer hospitality decided to accommodate some tribes who with time grew stronger and prosperous, does not mean the land no longer belongs to them.

A cursory look at look the owners of Lagos

The Awori who are now gradually shrinking in number are the real owners of Lagos. They were the first to settle in cities and suburbs of Lagos as far back as 500 years ago. After some hundreds of years, the Binis who conquered Lagos and introduced their own institutions joined them. That is why until today, the Oba of Lagos still give historical credence to the Benin Kingdom.
Click to read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/05/lagos-is-not-a-no-mans-land/

Each time I see what is going on in other African countries especially the “small ones” that do not have the resources and potentials of Nigeria, I get angry and say what is wrong with us.

By now, Nigeria should be part of the Seven Wonders of the World that people from other countries rush to visit. Funny enough, we have no excuse or whatsoever to be where we are today, given the fact that God gave us everything.

In 1994, something terrible that shocked the world happened in Rwanda. It was a 100 days genocide that led to the death of 800,000 people who were mostly Tutsi. After this satanic carnage, the country was on the brink of total collapse but miraculous like a phoenix she has resurrected and left many African countries including Nigeria the supposedly giant of Africa behind.

Please note that Nigeria has also had her fair share of ethnic war (1966-1970) but she has not allowed the experience to transform her.

Key areas where Rwanda has left Nigeria behind

Women participation in politics

Currently, in Rwanda, women hold 64% of the seats in parliament. This percentage beats all other countries of the world including the United of America where women have equal rights with women. Sadly in Nigeria, where women participation in politics is still viewed with prejudice, the percentage is low (6.2%). Honestly, I am disappointed that a country like Rwanda that was about to sink 25 years ago has now surpassed Nigeria in the area of women participation in politics.

Education

In Rwanda, from primary to secondary school, education is free and compulsory for both boys and girls. She invests a significant part of her budget in education, contrary to the small amount Nigeria invests. Though primary and secondary education is free in some states in Nigeria. But even at that, the quality is very low.

Health

It is a priority in Rwanda. Over 90% of the population is covered by health insurance. Making it possible for them to get basic healthcare regardless of their financial strength. Maternal mortality has also reduced drastically. Unfortunately, primary healthcare is a disaster in Nigeria. For this reason, many who are rich do not patronize them, they prefer to fly to India and America for medical treatment, leaving the poor people to bear the brunt of leadership failure. Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/02/key-areas-where-rwanda-has-left-nigeria-behind/

Frustrated with the problem of fraud in charities where money donated was used for purposes other than the reason they were given, and having had his own personal experiences, the CEO of the medical project, Joseph Thompson decided to employ the Blockchain technology for getting aid across to the those who need them, specifically pregnant moms.

Giving each of the participants a digital ID, the project tracks the mom from registration to hospital appointments and birth. Through the Blockchain technology, they make sure that each pregnant woman is able to get the drugs, as well as the medical appointments they need without any stories or delays.

With its unique characteristics of being a decentralized custodian of information, with each information having its unique identifying code called a hash which prevents mix-up of details; and its public database which is accessible to everyone but is protected to avoid hackers, Blockchain has been hailed as the most secure and transparent database ever.

Can Blockchain be used to check corruption in Africa?

Definitely.

One of the reasons why public projects are executed shabbily is because sometimes, the contractors steal the funds allocated to them. If African countries were to employ the Blockchain technology, it would be easier to track what exactly the contractors are using the money given for. It would also track their progress, exposing them if work is not going as it should.

Funds collected by the government and how they use it would be in a public database, and it would be hard for public officials to lie about where they went. All the ridiculous stories of animals swallowing money we heard in Nigeria last year would never have been told if Blockchain was integrated into the government’s system.

Having information about how much the government has and what it is using the money to do makes it more accountable to the people. Corruption is reduced drastically and the lives of the citizens would improve as was the case with the Tanzanian mum and other mothers who gave birth under the project.

False information like ghost workers in the civil service would be easily detected by the Blockchain technology and would be weeded out, reducing government expenditure in this sector.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/03/01/can-blockchain-be-used-to-check-corruption-in-africa/

Nigeria, what do we want, nitori olorun?

The 2019 general elections has been a stomach upset for some people if not most. It is bitter sweet, or should I say sweet-bitter for some; just like eating the bile of a chicken or a cow. It has become a stomach upset- no. It is a tummy pain; a churn right in the hearts of many, heartbreak for some others. A few protests have begun. Others have threatened to leave the country. A day on Twitter or Facebook these few days will do you some comic relief after seeing several Nigerians go against each other on the sweeping divide that politics thrust among them.

All of that social media monitoring have necessitated into this short concise article, code mixed with a bit of Yoruba, asking the question I nursed while weighing several opinions across board. It leads me to a place of wonder and amazement as I am forced to ask Nigerians: “What more do we want, nitori oloun (in the name of God?).”

Few weeks ago while I wrote Injury time politics, I was in Lagos with a friend who is like a brother to me. For someone craving the warmth of his friend, he had invited me to his house severally. It was early in the month, I obliged and I penned down the article Injury time politics while drawing an interesting allusion to football as I condemned the APC statue erected at the Abuja centre. I had described the act as a final poly to tilt the 2019 general elections in the ruling party’s favour.

My friend felt I was too critical of the current administration. He said: “Joseph, I see nothing wrong with this man you people condemn all the time. He has done no wrong, he is just fighting corruption.” I had wondered why my brother-like-friend saw nothing wrong with the APC statue alongside the popular perception several Nigerians echoed concerning President Buhari’s administration.

I will like to note that this argument didn’t end just there. We had argued on Whatsapp after that. He had mentioned that Tradermoni and N-power were good enough initiatives and the government was repositioning its mandate into the hearts of the people. That was early February. Now, the general elections has come and gone.

The 2019 general elections was the most competitive and mind boggling one since our democracy begun. This is not because of the bloodshed and voter intimidation that has been a regular feature since 2007, but the choice of the party flag-bearers cannot be exempted from this.

It started last December during the NEDG/BON Debate aired by Channels TV which saw Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the People’s Democratic party (PDP), Ganiyu Galadima of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Khadija Abdullahi of Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) and Umar Getso of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) go head-to-head.

The height of the debate was the rebuttals issued by Peter Obi to Osinbajo that derided Buhari administration’s anti-corruption efforts as tantamount to closing the shop and chasing the criminals. Osinbajo’s rejoinder asked Obi, whether anything will be left in the shop if criminals looted the entire inventory. It also involved Professor Osinbajo conceding to the common consensus that Nigeria’s main problem is corruption.

Fast forward to the following year, 2019, where we began the Presidency Debate with the Arise TV interview. We followed closely with Kadaria Ahmed’s The Candidate interview and then the NEDG/BON Debate which the PDP’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar and President Buhari adamantly refused to attend leaving Oby Ezekwesili of ACPN, Fela Durotoye of ANN and Kingsley Moghalu of YPP to argue their case despite being within close proximity to the debate venue. What excuse did the President have not to be in Transcorp Hilton Hotel that night? Was it the campaign at Jos earlier that day? The quick solution abounds in the Presidential fleet, an hour’s flight to Abuja which could have easily sorted that out. Same thing for the “major” opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar. In end, many Nigerians chose to excuse the ex-Vice President.

His Artikulated supporters said his main contender was unavailable to attend and so, he would win, judging by the Nigerian track record of Presidents we have had, including President Buhari who ascended the throne in 2015 without any debate. They left the mushroom parties in Oby Ezekwesili of ACPP, Fela Durotoye of ANN and Kingsley Moghalu of YPP, to purely entertain us as they laughed and mocked them that night, saying they stood no chance over the oligarchy of PDP and APC. If only they knew, that the All Progressive Congress (APC) will take pole position in the narrative, as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) trailed votes early into the elections, causing widespread panic as the results trooped in late, dragging the results compilation into three days.

At that point, popular perception had it that the election was widely rigged. While we waited for the Kardashians- Kano, Kaduna and Kastina, a couple of die-hard PDP fans lost control, emotions spun out in a frenzy outrage as several discussions were held not only on Twitter or Facebook but in neighbourhoods disputing the re-emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari. Meanwhile, seeds of discord had already been sown between the Yorubas and the Igbos, a handiwork of politicians that was stressing the political divide as blood pressures were towering high. The Yorubas had chosen a side and fought against the Igbos trading unprintable words because ballot boxes were snatched in Lagos. It was a twitter handler that raised the heat and very quickly, a peaceful election turned tribalistic. People blamed the politicians for that Twitter trend, but they forgot that it was one hurtful twitter comment that began another ethnic divide.

As that went on, the votes from Kano came in. President Muhammadu Buhari pulled through with over a million votes, leaving PDP with a little above 300,000 votes, extending his winning streak. This was the point several PDP supporters have cried foul. My very dear friend, Prosper who spent one of those nights in my place could not hide his anger as to why APC should even garner votes. “Isn’t the four year tenure glaring for all to see?” He asked. I was indifferent. I simply told him it didn’t matter who won. The irregularities across states were already tilting the direction in which the election would not go.

But Prosper had found it increasingly difficult to sleep. He kept monitoring the votes till late in the night and by 5 am while I awoke from sleep, he was back on his phone, slamming the bed and rubbing his head. Saviour, the bartender at Markson Matt, West of Mines, here in Jos, said (at the time) it is only 12 states, I believe that we would win.” Saviour had last week boasted to me of his belief in PDP, parading himself as a die-hard fan of PDP.

As the elections tilted, news came in that popular singer, Olubankole Wellington also known as Banky W had gotten an early lead into the House of Representatives. When he pushed his ambition forward before the elections, people had equated him to Desmond Elliot, playing a sort of guilt trip narrative that the showbiz money wasn’t enough. They had rained insults on him, attacking his personality and referring to him as bald.

Gorimapa was the word one lady on twitter had used on him. In all, Banky W was patient with MDP, flaunting the party all around. It later paid off with a ton of massive congratulations even though he didn’t emerge. This was when a certain set of Nigerians realised that if they had supported the Omoyele Sowores, Oby Ezekwesilis, Fela Durotoyes and Kingsley Moghalus maybe Nigeria would have indeed been better. But what was the response to these “four mushrooms”?
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/28/nigeria-what-do-we-want-nitori-olorun/

Apart from politics, the Yoruba and Igbo share a mutual relationship. This relationship is visible in marriage, trade, and religion. More than 90% of the Igbo are Christians while a good number of the Yoruba also pray through Jesus to God. Their mutual belief in the same God further strengthens their relationship.

And over the years, especially since Lagos was opened up and integrated into the global economy, the Igbo have trooped in massively to trade. The Yoruba, unlike some other tribes, welcomed them with a friendly gesture, which is why Lagos has become a safe haven for Igbo traders to do businesses.

Some Igbos have even gone beyond trading to buying landed property and making Lagos their permanent homes. Hence it will not be out of place to say that Igbos have billions of property in Lagos than anywhere else in the Southwest.

Again, the Igbo are very enterprising and innovative even though there are some dishonest and bad eggs amongst them that want to tarnish the general image of the tribe. And because of this, the economy of Lagos is in their hands. I say this without any apology to anyone, if the Igbo are chased from Lagos as some lazy hoodlums and mischief-makers are suggesting through their violent body language, her economy will collapse in 30 minutes.

Recently, in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections in Lagos state, there was a terrible report of how some rogues and public nuisances went to disrupt the elections in Igbo dominated areas. It was gathered that the hoodlums intended to stop them from voting for PDP, being that Lagos is an APC state. More so, another report emerged on Monday that the Igbo were not allowed to open their shops in Oshodi.

On a very serious note, the attack on the Igbo does not make any sense. Even if it is political manipulation, it is evil and can strain the relationship both tribes worked hard and took years to build.

A good student of history will realize that the Igbo and Yoruba have a bad political relationship, which started from the days of rivalry between Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe in the western region. Till date, the role Awolowo played in the civil war is still fresh in the memory of some Igbos. And with the recent attack, there is a possibility that old wounds can be opened if the harassment of the Igbo in Lagos state continued unabated.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/27/the-attack-on-the-igbo-in-lagos-state/

Remember the list INEC released of registered voters in the different states of the country and our predictions?

Well, it so happens that the list was not as important as we thought it was.

In an earlier post, I had mentioned that the turnout in my polling unit was low. It was the first thing I noticed the moment I walked into the government school where I had been assigned to cast my vote. I had at first thought that it was because we had come late, but upon enquiry, was informed that the officials had in fact only come 30 minutes before our arrival.

I was still on the line to cast my vote when the official in charge of verifying our cards with the card reader announced that her work was done for the day. This was just a little over an hour since we had been there. By the time I was leaving, no one was coming in to cast their votes.

This situation was not alien to my polling unit. As I walked around with my neighbor observing the voting process, we noticed that the turnout was rather low. What we noticed instead were crowds of people, mostly men who usually stood a few meters from the polling centers, observing. They only entered when the votes were being counted with their writing materials, recording how many votes were cast for the APC and PDP and transmitting this information to whoever was at the other end of their telephone conversation.

This situation has been given a name: voter apathy.

But were Nigerians really unconcerned about the elections?

I beg to differ.

Nigerians were particularly keen about this year’s elections. When the herdsmen killings became a menace in states like Benue, Nigerians came to the conclusion that they had had enough of this current administration. It did not help that the government sounded exactly like the past administration when it eventually decided to address the issue. We had dealt with recession, which to be fair was not exactly the fault of the government; we had had to put up with the government’s unhelpful financial policies; we had listened in dismay to the president go out of the country and embarrass us with near-idiotic phrases; and as though all this were not enough, we could not sleep for fear of being murdered while our eyes were closed.

Nigerians had had enough.

And it reflected in the number of registered voters and those who picked up their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC). In 2015, the total number of registered voters stood at 68,833,476, 15,170,608 people less than the 2019 list.

So what could have caused the ‘apathy’?

1. Difficulty in picking up the PVC. I know quite a number of people who were unable to pick up their PVCs, especially those who had either registered prior to the 2015 elections, or those who were living in specific areas, like Ikorodu.

My mum went repeatedly to the INEC office at Ikorodu, and each time, she and so many other people were told to come back. This was the information they kept getting until the deadline for the collection of PVC had passed. But Ikorodu is not the only affected area. I have gotten complaints from friends who could not get their PVCs despite repeated visits to the local government or INEC offices.

2. Election violence. The stories and pictures online say it all.

Vother apathy in the 2019 elections. In spite of President Buhari's brave statement on ballot-box snatchers, violence and destruction of ballot boxes were rife during the election.
In spite of President Buhari’s brave statement on ballot-box snatchers, violence and destruction of ballot boxes were rife during the election.
One of the reasons why people did not turn up in Isolo where I cast my vote was because of the violence that had taken place in the morning and the one that took place later on in the afternoon. At first, I had presumed it was due to voter apathy. In other places in Lagos like Surulere, the same situation of armed thugs coming to disrupt the process played out. Same goes for states like Rivers and Delta where the thugs came with guns to halt voting in some polling units.

In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that in Lagos, armed thugs with machetes and other weapons stood at gates and main entrances to streets, asking electorates who they were going to cast their votes for before they were allowed to their polling units. No one who was going to vote for PDP or other parties dared step out of their houses.

3. Distance to polling units: For those who had registered in other states and who could not travel to those places for different reasons, and who could not be transferred to a location close to them automatically could not vote on Saturday.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/26/to-vote-or-not-to-vote-voter-apathy-in-the-2019-elections/

Abandoned at Vwang

For Oluwatomisin Ajagbe, they were instructed to come around 7 pm, however, she got to the INEC office around 4 pm. While they have been assured that they would leave early, knowing that Vwang was on the outskirts of town, several corps members have prepared in advance for the take-off. Sadly, they didn’t move in good time.

“We were there 7 pm, 8, 9, 10. And you know Jos cold is mad, and for people like me, we were there till 2 am. Since we were told that Vwang was far, we had to hold on and hang around.” That long endurance continued till about 2 am when the designated vehicle to convey them came by.

Tomisin continued: “Vwang was the farthest and we got there 3 am because it took us 45-50 minutes to get there.” When asked what they were doing till that late hour, Tomisin had stated that they just hung around and passed the time. They were left unattended to and were not addressed. “For my particular bus, we were the last people to leave. I practically sat on an engine for 45 minutes from INEC office to Vwang while the others lapped themselves.” The uncomfortable vehicle was a ten-seater bus that had 14 people squeezed into the bus.” Tomisin who was obviously unhappy with the treatment meted out to them on the midnight of February 16 reemphasized the fact that she sat on an engine. “A lot of people backed out at a point. The person I know went back around 11. She was already saying that the cold was too much.”

Ajagbe made mention of the fact that they safely arrived in Vwang by 3 am and were offered mats to be kept in a classroom. “The primary school there was surrounded by mountains; you can imagine the kind of cold we were exposed to there.” It was while they just got there that the news got to them the elections had been postponed. At that time, their ride had returned and there was no bus to take them back to town, with the fact that they were abandoned in a village, 45 minutes away and at their own risk.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/23/undercover-inside-the-ordeals-tales-of-woe-and-plights-of-inec-ad-hoc-staff-part-3/

Undercover: Inside the ordeals, tales of woe and plights of INEC ad-hoc staff (part 2)

“We were not meant to sleep, we were meant to work overnight”

Our correspondent quizzed further on the popular claim of discomfort by corps members. Prosper disagreed again. “We were put in a primary school. In fact, we were not meant to sleep there, what we were meant to do was sort out materials for different polling units overnight and those that don’t still know how to use the card reader, we were meant to start the process of reorienting them again, so that election will not waste time. We were meant to begin at exactly 8 am.”

Prosper alluded to the fact that there was a level of discomfort but everyone felt the pain. He also said they were given mat and buckets in case they need to freshen up the next morning. “They shared mats and buckets. Mats were enough. One organization came, something like a domestic observer- I don’t know them. Water was there in case they wanted to have baths. I have even readied my mind to just wash my face for the next day’s event.”

“The protest is reasonable if it is over the unpaid allowances”

“The protest they want to carry out is not that they were abandoned. It is that they haven’t been paid any allowance. That training allowance of ₦4,500, some states don pay but Plateau State never pay. If it is that protest, it is reasonable because people need to take care of themselves- buy small food,” Prosper said. However, Prosper made it known that the initial agreement was that the training allowance won’t be paid in instalments. It will be paid as a whole, culminating into about ₦30,000, a decision which was explained to the corps members.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/23/undercover-inside-the-ordeals-tales-of-woe-and-plights-of-inec-ad-hoc-staff-part-2/

Undercover: Inside the ordeals, tales of woe and plights of INEC ad-hoc staff (part 1)

Exactly 4 pm last week, a conversation took place between two corps members in a tricycle bound for Township Primary School along Polo-Apata axis, Jos North, Plateau State. The tricycle just left Jos North Secretariat and in the presence of our correspondent, this conversation ensued.

“Are you going to your RAC?” The stranger poses to the corps member clad in his uniform.

Quickly the eyes of the corps member who is fully clad in his uniform widen. He realises that he is speaking to his fellow Commodore, who chose to appear at this Registration Area Centre (RAC) in mufti.

“No,” he quickly responds.

“I thought you chose to go in uniform to the place we are meant to be gathered.”

“I am not interested in this elections,” the fully dressed corps member states. Township is your school, right? He asks.

“Yes,” his fellow counterpart in mufti responds, wondering why the other guy wants to be left out of the ₦30,000 this election promises corps members. “Everyone is on their way to their RACs, you should participate too.”

His fellow commodore is unbothered. Rather he chooses to be silent.

Little did both corps members know that the 2019 elections will be postponed the next day. For many corps members that tried to enlist themselves in the active participation of the rescheduled 2019 Presidential and House of Assembly elections, their disappointment knew no bounds when the elections were cancelled.

But like the signs before them which they chose to ignore, they were poorly taken care of at the different nights spent at their Registration Area Centres (RAC). Several Corps members had sorry stories to tell of how they were huddled together in classrooms and open inconvenient spaces because they decided to be ad-hoc staff for the Independent National Electoral Commissions (INEC).

Poor accommodation, discomfort, hunger and a sleepless night

“We suppose do our elections around that Gada Biu. E get one school for there, one RCM Primary School,” Dennis (not real name) spoke in pidgin. “Later they come talk say make we go Tudun Wada converge for there.” Dennis went ahead to say they were much in varying numbers but were left unattended to by the members of Independent National Electoral Commissions (INEC), who failed to give corps members further instructions on what to do thereafter converging at the agreed location.

“We many there yesterday. Some corpers no come, unto say their names no come out. Some people wish to work and they lay complains.” Dennis added.

When our correspondent asked him where they slept. Dennis had gone on to say no accommodation was provided other than the desks and chair in the school where they were lodged in. It was the desks and benches that served as their beds.

“If you know say you go fit lie down for chair- all those desks, you go sleep na. I lie down o, Dennis added, but body just dey pain me. I no fit sleep.” Considering all his options compared to the uncomfortable sleeping positions INEC left them with, Dennis says he wouldn’t have had it otherwise.

He said the best way the elections could have been done was staying overnight in the school and continuing the election early the next morning. He ruled out the idea of sleeping at home and getting to the polling unit the next day because of no vehicular movement.

“They no go gree. The problem is transport and I no fit trek that morning,” he confessed. “I wish say the election go on. The election closes by 12 noon, queue closes by 2 pm and anyhow by 5,6 we go don comot for there.

Dennis told our correspondent that he wished the postponement was earlier announced. He lamented the shift of the gubernatorial elections as well.

Election postponed amidst disbelief, bold preparations towards future reoccurrences

“As early as midnight, they don talk am say they don postpone elections, people no believe. Na one of my friends chat me up con send am. Then I went online. The first news I check was that INEC intended to postpone the elections, then the second news was that elections has been postponed. It is not a problem, Dennis said. “At least we don know how e go be now. By the grace of God, I go dey prepared. I will just cook follow body and buy snacks. By Friday, I go find big bag and buy enough bread, plastic coke and different snacks. Only yesterday, all my snacks finish. Dennis made a joke about cooking food in the RAC towards the following week. “I dey joke when I tell them I go cook beans before the elections.

Situations however escalated quickly with the aftermath of the rescheduled polls as several corps members and well-meaning Nigerians began to take the fight to Twitter via their social media handles, demanding fair treatment for corps members amidst pictures of how they were poorly cared for without being paid allowances.

They also tweeted at the National Youth Service Corps to do something about the below than par treatment. In all of this, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu wasn’t spared as the hashtags continued to trend till this moment from #NYSC, #INECFails to #CorpersNotSlaves. In this swift movement, a select group of Plateau Corps members swung into action, treating a harmless “dialogue” for unpaid allowances since their counterparts from other states have been paid theirs before the elections commenced.

Adding the poor weather conditions which they were exposed to prior to elections on the midnight of 16th February 2019, the corps members resolved to talk about their grievances at the Local Government Secretariat in Plateau State on Monday, 18th February 2019.

Howbeit, Prosper Arhawho felt it was unnecessary and uncalled for.

“No corps member was left abandoned or unattended to”

Prosper who took our correspondent on an elaborate story how it all went down said the corps members in Plateau State were well taken care of. He starts from the evening of February 15th 2019.

“I don’t know about corps members getting stranded. Some people are very good at exaggerating. There are some states where they actually abandoned them but it is not Plateau State. Maybe it is somewhere other than Jos North or Jos South but none was stranded in Plateau State,” Prosper maintained.

Arhawho went further to say that most corps members were impatient. He went further to say that instructions were given on the modus operandi of the movement for the elections. The initial plan according to him was to meet at INEC office with a free bus awaiting the corps members while they were given a free ride to their Registration Area Centres (RAC) but many of his colleagues failed to stick to the plan hence the resultant aftermath- discomfort, frustration, stress and anger.

“On February 15th 2019, when we went to INEC office, we stayed there till 10 pm before they carried us to the Registration Area Centres (RAC),” Prosper explained. “All these happened because they were waiting for materials to arrive and sort it out first before they carry you to your Registration Area Centres (RAC) so that on the day of elections, you would not need to return to INEC office to collect materials for the elections. That next morning, we will just distribute our materials within ourselves at the Registration Area Centres (RAC) and you are off to your polling units to start elections,” Prosper added.
Read full article : https://qwenu.com/2019/02/23/undercover-inside-the-ordeals-tales-of-woe-and-plights-of-inec-ad-hoc-staff-part-1/

Ahead of the proposed presidential elections on Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has now released the total number of registered voters in Nigeria, as well as those who have actually collected their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC).

A total of 84,004,084 Nigerians registered for the PVC. Of this number, 72,775,502 people have collected their permanent voter’s card, while 11,228,582 are still with INEC. This cannot be attributed solely to voter apathy, as quite a number of people in places like Ikorodu were unable to get their cards for unknown reasons.

States to watch out for this Saturday are Lagos state with 5,531,389 card holders, Kano with 4,696,747, Kaduna with 3,648,831, and Katsina with 3,187,988. It is not certain if every cardholder will vote, but if that happens, it is going to be a closely-contested election. President Buhari might record victory in Katsina, his state of origin, as well as Kano and Kaduna which are APC controlled states, but in Lagos, his victory does not appear to be as certain. Lagos is a mix of different cultures, and the president appears to have fallen out of favour with its inhabitants.

Atiku’s state of origin, Adamawa has a total of 1,788,706 voters with their PVCs which is rather small compared to states like Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta, Niger, Oyo, Plateau and Rivers who have 2,335,717, 2,224,376, 2.000,228, 2,470,924, 2,173,204, 2,176,352, 2,095,409 and 2,833,101 voters with their PVCs respectively. But if he were to win in all these states, then he would be surpassing President Buhari at the polls. Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/22/inec-wraps-up-preparations-with-the-release-of-the-list-of-registered-voters/

Ghana-Nigeria relations can be traced back to the days of colonial rule. Both West African countries were colonized by Britain and by default, they speak the English language. Over the years, the two countries have been able to build strong cultural ties because of the deep intersection they share via marriages. Currently, about 500,000 thousand Ghanaians live in Nigeria while more than one million Nigerians live in Ghana.

There was a time when Ghanaian teachers taught in Nigerian schools between the 70s and 80s before their deportation in 1985. There was also a story of how Nnamdi Azikwe sent Kwame Nkrumah who later became Ghana’s first president to the Lincoln University through his Zik’s West Africa Scholarship programme.

Despite the symbiotic relationship between Ghana and Nigeria, both countries have seen their friendship go sour at a point especially during the “Ghana must go” period, when the government expelled over 1 million Ghanaians from the country between 1983 and 1985. Their relationship became normal again when a joint commission for cooperation was established between them in 1988.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Michael Abikoye has recently chided the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for deporting 723 Nigerians between 2018 and 2019 for alleged crimes related to cybercrime, prostitution and overstay.

Rather than wanting to take a “vindictive” approach and allow it to affect their relationship, personally, I think the Nigerian government should take the development with sober reflection. In the first place, if the government had gotten things right in Nigeria, there would be no need for Nigerians to migrate to Ghana, how much less be deported.

For me, the deportation of Nigerians from Ghana is a blessing in disguise. And the government must see it this way so that it can look inward and find a lasting solution to the unending movement of Nigerians to other countries.

Right now, the government must provide jobs for its teeming population in order to keep them in Nigeria. Many of the Nigerians, who are migrating to Ghana and other countries, do so in a bid to search for green pasture. Without a doubt, Nigerians will stay in their country if they are gainfully employed. They will only go to other countries for visitation and tourism.

More so, the Nigerian government must revive and upgrade our universities and polytechnics to more than the quality obtainable in Ghana. In the last ten years, many Nigerian students have moved to Ghana in droves in order to school because of her standard of education. This should not have been the case if the government knew what it was doing. The Ghanaians should have been the ones trooping to Nigeria to work and school, and not the other way round.

Without mincing words, Ghana is right to deport Nigerians because of cybercrime, prostitution and overstay. After all, no responsible government will sit back and watch “illegal immigrants” destroy its country with crimes like cybercrime that can easily dent her international image. The US government is currently hell-bent on building walls that will stop illegal immigrants from entry its soil.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/21/the-deportation-of-nigerians-from-ghana/

I remember the first time I set foot in Lagos after growing up in the North, words like “omo onile” meaning “son of the soil” were a common feature, and each time I pondered the reason for such statements, answers were short in supply.

This picture is not different from what I experienced in my alma mater, the University of Calabar, where I spent over four years studying. I had stumbled on the university student union constitution which gave every student the right to contest for any position irrespective of creed, religion, gender, ethnicity etc.

The reality was that the office of the President of the student union was strictly contested by people from Cross River state. In fact, there was a conventional rotation among the three senatorial zones in the state in producing the student union president.

I had confronted one of my friends on why all other offices could be contested by all except for that of the President and his answer was “na our state the university de na”.

We can go further to probe on how the late Sardauna Sir Ahmadu Bello in his interview by a foreign journalist pre-independence gave his disposition on what he called “the northernization policy”. A feature which has permeated other regions and sections of Nigeria till date.

Naysayers would also tell you how Azikiwe was frustrated out of the western region by Awolowo in 1954. This would lead Zik to do same to Professor Eyo Ita of the Efik tribe who was then Premier of the Eastern region. We were also told by the legendary Achebe in his sublime narration” there was a country” published in 2012 how some persons were unhappy with the likes of Professors Kenneth Dike and Eni Njoku becoming pioneer Vice-Chancellors at the Universities of Ibadan and Lagos respectively. Section 28 and 309 of the 1999 constitution amended, validate citizenship of Nigeria, but that’s about it.

It has not solved the issue of us been strangers in our country. This explains why we continue filling state of origin and local government area in various forms when it should be our state of residence.

This explains why a child born in Kano or Lagos who has lived all his/her life in these places will have to fill a place of origin different from where he or she was born. This explains why anyone seeking employment in security outfits of Nigeria is mandated to get a signatory of officers or other persons from his or her state of origin.

How many people out there care to know that the late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed who was brutally murdered by Lieutenant Colonel Bukar Suka Dimka while in power in 1976 had a father whose origin was from Auchi, Edo state, while his mother was from Inua Wada, Kano state.

According to Frederick Forsyth’s narration “Emeka” published in 1982, Ojukwu on his return from Oxford, in the United Kingdom, where he had studied history had wanted to work in the North for Nigeria, but the fact that everyone had to be deployed to their respective region of origin stopped this, not minding the fact that Ojukwu was born in Zungeru, Niger state, and could speak the Hausa language.

The present Nigerian society is one which begs this critical question as over the years citizens are more loyal to their tribe and region than to the nationhood of Nigeria.

Not even a line of our former anthem “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand” could help solve this issue. One might ask when are we going to have a non-Yoruba become Governor of Lagos?

When are going to have a non-Igbo become Governor of Anambra? When are going to have a non-Cross Riverian become Vice-Chancellor in the University of Calabar? When are going to have another story like that of the Murtala Mohammed of Kano?
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/19/why-are-we-strangers-in-our-country/

Elections have for centuries become central to the history and politics of nations. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece the cradle of democracy, and the Roman republic. While historians have recreated details from different aeons, empires and civilizations, we cannot emphatically explain the exact details of these elections. But of course, we do know for a fact that an election is a process; not an event. Without a doubt, elections in Africa have become an event and there is one question that needs to be answered when scrutinizing the evolving course of a nation.

How pervasive is corruption?

If corruption as a matter of obvious fact affects systemic economic performance and makes institutions laidback, then we may want to safely say that corruption has become endemic.

Elections in Africa are among the most expensive in the world in absolute cost and economic disruptions. Zimbabwe budgeted $270m for its last election, the Republic of Congo $1.8bn, Kenya $480m, and Nigeria $625m in 2015, and $793m in 2019. In fact, Nigeria’s electoral expenditure is higher than that of the world’s largest democracy, India, with a population six times that of Nigeria.

A number of countries in Africa have also spent more than Australia, Canada, and the UK in conducting elections. These costs do not even include the unregulated campaign funding which runs into billions of dollars. These costs are more than enough to fix some of the infrastructural challenges facing Africa.

While elections in Africa are just one aspect of democratic governance, Africa has a unique way of doing its own things. Elections have been seen as an event. In the months, weeks and days, leading up to the timetabled elections in Nigeria, the election umpire mobilized its agents and materials.

Heavy bills were incurred on logistics and sensitization programs. The government announced a shut down of economic activities. Schools were closed, borders and ports were shut, people’s movement restricted, and economic actors announced the partial shut down of operations while electorates travelled (few kilometres or hundreds, on bad roads with porous security machinery) to their registered polling units for the purpose of exercising their franchise.

But lo and behold, just a few hours to the election day, the referee announced the postponement citing logistical problems as the key driver of this move. The executive and other actors claim not to have a premonition as the umpire has been allowed to operate freely as the constitution provides.

This notice, however, was rather too late and most evidential of unapologetic economic corruption! The huge cost and the disruption to social and economic activities do not justify the postponement.

“Following a careful review of the implementation of its logistics and operational plan…the Commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the elections as scheduled is no longer feasible… “consequently, the Commission has decided to reschedule the Presidential and National Assembly Elections to Saturday, 23rd February 2019. Furthermore, the Governorship, State House of Assembly and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections is rescheduled to Saturday 9th March 2019. This will afford the Commission the opportunity to address identified challenges in order to maintain the quality of our elections- INEC 2019.

This article is not to cast aspersions on neither the huge electoral cost or the postponement. But rather to highlight the pervasive corruption in Africa where institutions have become laidback and economic irresponsibility has been seen as a norm.

For two days, business and social activities were disrupted, citizens were greatly inconvenienced, voter apathy and the logistics of INEC sending materials and agents to 774 local governments. The cost to the economy is unthinkable. At a GDP of circa $427 bn, the economy loses a lot per day from the disruption to economic activities.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/19/the-economic-corruption-of-elections-in-africa-when-a-process-becomes-an-event/

The Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, has come a long way since 1959, when, operating under the name of the Electoral Commission of Nigeria (ECN), it organized the country’s first elections. By 1960, it had been rechristened and became the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC).

The advent of military regimes in Nigeria led to the dissolution of an electoral body in the country, and it was not until the regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo that it would surface again. Operating under the same name, it was however given a new acronym (FEDECO) and it organized the 1979 elections that ushered in Alhaji Shehu Shagari and also the 1983 elections.

Another era of military rule brought it to an abrupt end, and there would be no talk of an electoral body again until the time of General Ibrahim Babaginda who established the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in 1987. It was NEC who organized the historically controversial elections of 1993 that would see the rise and subsequent fall of MKO Abiola.

When General Abacha seized power in 1993, he dissolved NEC and established another electoral body in 1995 which he called the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON). NECON conducted the Local Government and National Assembly elections in 1996 which was voided upon the sudden death of Abacha in 1998.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar stepped in and established the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that has been in charge of conducting the country’s elections from 1999 to date.

INEC chairmen and their performance from 1999 to date.

In 1999, INEC was chaired by Justice Ephraim Akpata. The late Justice Akpata, in a bid to ensure sanity ordered that only truly national parties who had won local government seats in at least 10 states would be allowed to field candidates for the Gubernatorial, State and National Assembly, as well as Presidential elections. This way, he was able to cut out unserious parties, granting provisional registration to 9 political parties with only three qualified to contest in the gubernatorial and presidential elections.

Unfortunately, despite his attempts, he was not able to conduct free elections, especially the National Assembly and Presidential elections. There were reports of inflated vote returns, ballot box stuffing, disenfranchisement of voters and altered results.

After Justice Akpata’s death in 2000, Mr Abel Guobadia was appointed the chairman of INEC and he was responsible for organizing the 2003 elections. These elections were marred by irregularities, violence, and fraud, allegedly perpetrated by the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In 2005, Guobadia retired and he was replaced by Prof. Maurice Iwu, who would go ahead to conduct elections once again marred by fraud, irregularities, and widespread violence. It was Iwu that banned foreign monitors who observe elections and could intervene if the laws are being violated, allowing only foreign observers for the 2007 elections. He was removed from office two months before his tenure was to expire by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Coming after Iwu was Prof. Attahiru Jega who was hailed for conducting mostly free and fair elections in 2011. He also carried out two major electoral reforms which were the compilation of a new voters’ register and the implementation of an open ballot system which required voters to first be accredited at the polls before they could vote.
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/19/a-brief-history-of-inec-20-years-after/

Ever since his standout performance with Monaco in the 2016-2017 season, Kylian Mbappé has remained relevant and consistent in the club and the national team.

Mbappé is just 20 years old yet he has trod the path of legends, matched, and set records. Only a phenomenon can do that.

The Statistics Build up of Mbappe

In the 2015-2016 season, at the tender age of 16, Mbappé made his professional debut for Monaco, making him the youngest in the club’s history after breaking the record of Thierry Henry whose debut was at 21.

Mbappé did not score his first goal for Monaco until February 2016 and when did, he shattered Henry’s record and became the youngest first team goal scorer at the age of 17, in the club’s history.

In the 2016-2017, Mbappé finally established himself in Monaco as a first team regular. All through that season, his team felt his impact, as he went on to help them secure their first League One title, for the first time in 17 years. He also led Monaco to the semi-final, where they lost to Juventus 4-1 on aggregate. He scored the only goal in that match.

Altogether, in that season, Mbappe had a brilliant performance and capped it with 26 goals in all competitions. Immediately, this caught the attention of Paris Saint Germain (PSG), who signed him on loan for a large fee that made him the most expensive teenager in the world.

Since Mbappé moved to PSG in the 2017-2018 season, he has matured in his game. Despite the fact that stars with great football pedigrees stud the club’s attack, he still finds a way to make himself an indispensable part of the first team.

During the World Cup in Russia, Mbappé stunned the world with a sterling performance that helped the French National team clinched the trophy for the first time in 10 years. After his two goals against Argentina, he became the second teenager after Pelé in 1958 to score two goals in a World Cup match.

Mbappé’s goal in the final against Croatia also made him the second teenager to score in the final of a World Cup match. At the end of the competition after scoring 4 goals, he won the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award.

This season alone, Mbappé has scored 18 goals... Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/14/kylian-mbappe-footballs-next-big-thing/