An African Proverb...

I don't believe in coincidence, so I have to say there is something about this quote... These days, it seems to be everywhere I turn... so I decided to share it with you:

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed... Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or else it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle... When the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Now, read that again...and think about it.

May we all have wonderful weeks.

PS:

I know that is a zebra up there... The picture just felt so appropriate, I couldn't resist the temptation to use it. :)

Drug that prevents HIV to be recommended for approval?

So I hear Truvada, a drug that has been found to prevent HIV, is in the works - and the US Food and Drug Administration panel (equivalent of Nigerian NAFDAC) will vote on Thursday whether to recommend its approval... Hmmm...

Read all about it here.

My Fear of the Nigerian Police

"...Patrick Okoroafor was fourteen years old when he was arrested in May 1995 and arraigned for robbery, a crime he said he never committed. The police later charged him and six others. According to Okoroafor’s brother, the police used pliers to pull out his teeth and he was hanged and beaten while he was in their custody. The brother said: “Patrick only went to the police station because the police wanted to inspect a car our mother had bought from one of the other suspects. That is when they arrested him. We tried to get him released, but the police refused..."

Stories like this make me afraid to walk Nigerian streets at night, or visit a Police Station for whatever reason.

I have heard similar stories so many times that I have developed a rather healthy fear of the Nigerian Police Force. I have also had a close encounter of my own.

I have heard of guys who were arrested in their rooms, and labelled armed robbers on getting to the police station. I have heard of guys who refused to pay bribes and were dragged to police stations, only to be lumped with seasoned criminals and actual murderers. I have a friend who was arrested outside his home and taken to a police station, where he was made to take pictures with six other guys; the next day, they were labelled armed robbers in a newspaper.

Why?

I have a simple principle these days... I never stay out late, and I do all in my power to avoid police trouble. In the event that I am stopped while driving, I am so respectful to policemen - you would think they paid my fees through University. I avoid areas where 'gangs' are known to hang out, and I generally dress and walk smartly when I have to pass through trouble-spots. Till further notice, if you live in Nigeria - I advice that you do likewise - and trust God to protect you always.

Read the story of Patrick Okorafor, who was sentenced to death at 16 for armed robbery, a crime he supposedly committed at 14 here.


PS:
To read about how officers of the Nigerian Police stormed my hostel room at night and arrested two roommates who were working with laptop computers, labeling them 'Economic Fraudsters' - please follow the link.

Keeping Lagos Streets Clean

In my estimation, the job of keeping streets clean involves two broad approaches. One is to actually clean the streets by providing street cleaners, neighborhood collection centers, and trucks to remove accumulated refuse.  The other is to sensitize the public, and keep them from dropping refuse around indiscriminately.

The first LAWMA does excellently, the second - they could do better.

It is not enough to have waste-bins when people will drop their sachet-water nylons and La Casera bottles around indiscriminately. It is not enough to have neighborhood collection centers when people will drop their waste everywhere around the metal bin - but not actually inside it. It becomes necessary to spend a little more on creative TV and radio adverts to provide orientation to the public.

Plus, it starts with every one of us. Next time you buy La Casera in traffic, hold on to the bottle until you can dispose of it in a proper waste-bin - as opposed to throwing it on the road. Next time you take a sachet of water on the go - neatly fold the sachet into your bag or purse - until you can dispose of it properly.

LAWMA does an excellent job at cleaning our streets, we can help them to keep the streets clean.

Think on these things... :)

PS:
LAWMA is the LAgos State Waste Management Authority. They have an excellently designed website which may be found here.

Lagos State Government Sacks Striking Doctors

News has it that the Lagos State Government has sacked over a thousand striking doctors...

I am not sure of the details of the case, and so will not comment - but I have a question: where does the State Government plan to recruit over a thousand highly-trained professionals from over the next few weeks?

Office of the Former Deputy Governor???

Is this for real?

Letter to a War President

Excellent article by Victor Ehikhamenor on the Daily Times blog...

Excerpt below:

"Dear Sir,

There is no other way to put it; you are now a war president. Very few presidents have such opportunities to prove their mettle. The enemy has sustained a senseless bombing campaign where nothing is sacrosanct anymore in your country. It's a tough situation to be in, but men who have led their countries during wars have one heart and two balls like you. It is not the easiest situation; but as a mouth finds its teeth, so shall it accommodate them..."

Read the full letter here on the Daily Times blog.

Interview With a Homeless Woman (One)

(This is not a picture of the woman whose interview I present below)

What you are about to read is ENTIRELY true. I have a very, very creative imagination - but I assure you none of this was imagined... I am sorry I have to put this in English, because we spoke in a mix of Yoruba and pidgin - and many of the sentences lose their meaning on translation... Here we go...

Me: Good morning ma. How are you and the twins today?

Her: Good morning to you too. Who are you and where are you from? (ta leyin o, ibo le de ti wa).

Me: I'm just a regular boy, a concerned 'neighbor'. I have been noticing you on the bridge for a while now, and you were not here yesterday - so I thought to ask if you are alright.

Her: We are fine. God is taking care of us. (olohun n toju wa).

Her: I don't know your face. Do you (usually) give me money? How did you notice I was not here yesterday?

Me: Ehm, I sometimes give you money.

Her: Ehn, so why are you talking to me? Are you going to give me money today or not?

Me: I was just concerned. I wanted to be sure you were fine.

Her: Your concern will not pay the bills. In fact, it is not appreciated. Oya start going.

Me: Ehm, please. I will give you some money, but I want to talk to you first.

Re: Pull a Seat; Let's Talk About Sex

So Osemhen of www.eurekanaija.com took the time to write a long-winded response to Temitayo Olofinlua's 'Pull a Seat; Let's Talk About Sex' post...

"The initial premise of this article is that human reproduction is a commodity which must be regulated. I think this is flawed because it reduces the dignity of the poor. You saying in essence, "You're poor. You don't deserve to have children."

"It means more people at the bus-stop jostling for the few buses. It means more students writing JAMB to get into the few universities. ..."

This is rather pessimistic. Do you honestly think that the problems we have with the bus-system boil down to the number of commuters at the bus-stop? Or the problem of education lies with the fact that too many people are writing JAMB? In engineering, there's a tool called Root Cause Analysis. It helps to solve problems from their root causes rather than attacking the symptoms. A symptom: People fighting at bus stop. The cause: Not enough buses coming at regular intervals. The solution: Put more buses on the road.

Nigerians not fit to be houseboys?

Have you noticed the practice of certain expatriates in Nigeria? They come to work in Nigeria, and bring along their cooks, gardeners, and in the worst case I discovered recently - barber. I mean, how can you 'import' your barber from India? Why? No Nigerian barber is good enough?

Salisu Suleiman has put together an excellent article on this topic:

"MTN is a major investor in Nigeria, but apart from the ‘savage survivalism’ of selling recharge cards, how many real jobs has it created, and at what cost in terms of capital flight? Is MTN listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange? Most Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria goes to the oil sector. How many Nigerians are employed in the petroleum industry and how much real value has it added to the Nigerian economy?

Who regulates the activities of foreign investors? A cursory look clearly shows that many so-called foreign investors are taking advantage of lax regulators to carry out practices they cannot dare attempt elsewhere. A few examples would illustrate this point."

Read the complete article here.