THE EVE OF A NEW DAWN

Yaay! It’s the last day of the year again. This period is characterised with so much stock taking and retrospective moments. It’s been a wonderful year for me despite the long silence. There was so much I needed to put in place during the year, there was hardly time for me to share my thoughts with you. I decided to take some time off my activities to write this, as we are shutting down the year and ushering in a new one. I highlighted the high and not so high points of the year, firstly for Nigeria and then for me personally.

2015 started with so much uncertainties and predictions, both positive and negative [There were more negatives I must confess]. Perhaps all these tension was fuelled by the fact that the General Elections were scheduled to hold in February and the polity was really heated up with a lot of ethno religious sentiments being pedaled by politicians to exploit the political process. It was indeed a fierce battle between the two biggest political parties in the country [PDP and APC]. All the political propaganda driven by the media [both conventional and social media] made the 2015 Elections the most followed by citizens. Despite the fact that the initial February 14^th date was moved for “security reasons”, the elections eventually held in March/April and winners emerged with the broom of Change taking over in most part of the country.

The new government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated and some immediate Changes [improvement in power supply and fuel was sold at the official pump price in independent stations] were noticed across the country, which people attributed to the fact that Nigerians were scared as they didn’t know what to expect from the new President who has made himself known as a man with zero tolerance for corruption. This was eventually termed “The Body Language”.  Nigerians soon became frustrated by the President’s delay in constituting the federal cabinet and also by the fact that at the initial stage it felt like the President was only favouring the North in his appointments.

We must also not forget that there were so many speculations and predictions prior to 2015, about the threatened existence of Nigeria as a single entity. So many people thought the nation would breakup along ethnic lines. The elections came and went, the Boko Haram war continued and just some months ago, the Biafra movement started to carry out what they termed as “Peaceful Protest” throughout the South East for the release of their supposed leader Nnamdi Kalu who was being held by the DSS. But here we are at the end of 2015 and Nigeria is still together and the military has been fortified to take the war to Boko Haram and according to the Military and the FG, “the war has been technically won”.

Away from all the political brouhaha, 2015 was indeed a great year for me and I trust it was for you also. The highlight of the year for me was me successfully rounding off my Bachelor’s degree programme in architecture. [It wasn’t easy, but finally we made it!] I was able to discipline myself and put in my time and energy into achieving set goals and that made me a better person because I got to learn more stuff and all that. I also met new people as I became friendlier and open to conversations than I used to be previously. And then, there was Sprite Triple Slam. Yes I excelled at my favourite sport, Basketball when the Sprite Triple Slam train landed on my campus and I shared the stage with Nigerian music sensation and the Duro singer, Tekno. Completing my undergraduate thesis was also a highpoint for me as I was committed to doing it myself and I gave it my all that when I turned the final draft in, my supervisor said “Your work is really good. I would love to have a copy when you’re done. I don’t mind paying for it” [Those words really made me feel good. The resulting ego-trip was epic].

I can’t forget the long adventurous road trip to Kano from Enugu. It took us two days. We had a very good AC fitted Toyota Coaster Bus but an old driver who wasn’t only slow, but didn’t know the route to follow beyond 9^th mile, yes the very 9^th mile at Enugu. So I and a friend who was familiar with the Enugu to Abuja route were the ones that guided the driver on the roads to follow, through the night and till we got to Zuba, from where we now resorted to using Google maps which helped us to navigate through the northern cities of Kaduna, Zaria until we eventually got to our destination in Kano safely. The drive back to Enugu four days after was less stressful and it took us just one day. [I’ve resolved that after that adventure, I won’t head up north to a place as far as Kano on road again. It’s very far brethren].

I’m ending the year on a very high note and once again I’m grateful to God for a great year. A year devoid of, lack of whatever kind, the supplies were enormous. The year was debt free and also sickness free. I didn’t step into any hospital for any reason [I’ll try to visit and reach out to sick people in the coming year sha].

As we look forward to making the switch into 2016 in a few hours, most people in their usual stereotypical manner are already reincarnating New Year Resolutions they made 2 years ago and adding a little more bad habits they picked up during the course of the ending year to the list of things they will drop in 2016. I think the most common element I’ve seen across board, is the rant by so many people about who they are cutting off in the new year, not knowing that they just might be the Lot in the lives of those people. Well, for me I’ll be meeting new people and try to be nice to more people. [I’m expanding my client base].

Truth is, nobody really cares who or what you’re cutting off in 2016. Personally I think the decision to stop a bad habit or improve oneself can be taken at any point in time. We don’t have to wait until a new year or our birthday. Just strive to be a better person every day.

I’m excited about 2016 for so many reasons. It’s indeed going to be a great year for me and I believe it will also be your experience. Despite all the tensions and uncertainty with the nation’s economy, I see so much hope for Nigeria.

I hope to find time to keep this space more active and engage with more people via the comments section.

Cheers to a wonderful 2015 and to a glorious 2016.

See you at the TOP!

#ChibokGirls: 365 Days On

On this day, exactly a year ago, news went out on most media that over 200 school girls had been kidnapped by the dreaded Boko Haram sect, from their school where they were writing the West African Examination Council (WAEC), West African Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). Boko Haram had been known to carry out attacks on educational institutions previously, but on those occasions, they’ve always burnt the schools and shot at fleeing students like they did in Yobe. This time, they abducted the girls instead.

When the news broke, it was quite difficult for me to comprehend how over 200 girls were kidnapped from a school and carried across the state with no military interception or even knowledge. It was somewhat confusing to most Nigerians when the military debunked the news, saying that no such thing had happened.

The parents and people of Chibok community including the officials of the school kept crying out to whoever cared to listen that their daughters had been abducted from the school. After a while the Nigerian Military and Federal Government accepted that the girls were truly missing. A little bit too late some of us thought.

Concerned Nigerians began to advocate for the rescue of the girls whilst condemning the silence and reluctance of the Federal Government. Soon a movement started and like wild fire, the hashtag “#BringBackOurGilrs went viral and began to trend across social media platforms all over the world. It soon got the attention of international media houses like the BBC, CNN and AlJazeera. Foreign celebrities like Michelle Obama and several others, subscribed to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, taking selfies with raised placards in solidarity with the campaigners to raise awareness for foreign involvement in the quest to rescue the girls. Malala Yousafzai the Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest ever Nobel laureate, came to Nigeria to meet with the Parents of the missing girls and also with the President. She pleaded that more efforts be put towards rescuing the missing girls and also ensuring the safety of other girls and school children. That was when stern pressure began to mount on the Nigerian Government to take the fight to rescue the girls serious.

After several months had passed and over a hundred days of the girls being in captivity, News broke of a “supposed” ceasefire agreement the Government had reached with “alleged” representatives of Boko Haram after series of meetings held at the instance of the Chadian Government. Finally a glimmer of hope for the release of the girls still in captivity we thought, but this was never to be, as days passed after the day the Federal Government officials had said the girls would be released and none of them regained freedom.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and now it’s been a full year and 219 girls have still not been released or rescued. What saddens my heart most is the level of insensitivity by some Nigerians and also the deplorable indifference by the Government to the cries and yearnings of the families of the missing girls. While so many irrational Nigerians have argued the genuineness of the abduction, insisting that it is a hoax by the community on the rest of us just to attract sympathy and attention from people, the Government kept pointing accusing fingers on the opposition rather than making hasty efforts to secure their rescue, saying it is a staged attempt to undermine the current administration so as to poison the minds of Nigerian citizens, to stop them from reelecting the administration.

Whichever way you look at it, people’s daughters, sisters and friends are still missing and I think we must all put that at the back of our minds. Accusing people who have not been able to live their normal lives for about a year, thinking about the fate of their girls, of playing out scripts is really cruel and callous.

I’ve heard sympathizers of the current administration make imprudent comments like “Shey May 29^th is almost here? Let’s see how Buhari brings back the girls.” “Hope Buhari brings back the girls oh!” With the tone in which these persons say these things, it’s quite obvious that they’re hoping he fails from the aura of pessimism that comes from them. Such statements are rather sad and unfortunate.

I won’t say I know how their families feel but I really would love to see those girls released or rescued as soon as possible. It shouldn’t matter who takes credit for their freedom, whether the present administration or the incoming one. All we want is for the girls to regain their freedom and duly reunited with their families and friends sooner than later.

May God continue to comfort their loved ones as they go through this period of grief, and may he keep all of the girls safe and hasten all efforts to secure their timely release.

#CHANGE: A Victory for All Nigerians.

“General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared winner and is returned elected.” Those were the exact words from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega that heralded the dawn of a new era in the political history of Nigeria.

The announcement came to most Nigerians as a shock. While some are still finding it hard to believe that the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan could lose the election, others have quickly embraced the change that has come with it.

I personally, wasn’t startled by the announcement, as I was anticipating a victory for General Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. The truth is, President Goodluck Jonathan has become really unpopular across the country in recent years. This is quite evident in the everyday discussions of Nigerians in front of the newspaper stands, in beer parlors, markets, offices and even places of worship. The elites were also not left out of the discussion, some granted interviews to media houses, others wrote articles and open letters.

For me, I think that the misfortune of Mr. President, started as far back as 2012, when the #OccupyNigeria movement started to protest the removal of fuel subsidy. The high level corruption that went on unchecked, the impunity that was displayed by law enforcement agencies, the issue of Boko Haram and insecurity, then the chief of it all, the abducted Chibok School Girls, who have been in captivity for about a year now.

Majority of Nigerians are disappointed in the current administration, not because it has done any worse than previous administrations per say, but majorly because they believed so much in the promises of “Fresh Air” made by the President, and trusted him to deliver. But unfortunately, he couldn’t or perhaps he just needed more time to deliver.

My greatest joy is born out of the fact that finally, power now belongs to the people. I’m proud of my generation. We’ve done what others couldn’t do for years. We’ve just heralded a great era of change in Nigeria. I am also impressed by the way the INEC chairman has proved to the world that indeed credible elections can be conducted in Nigeria. Kudos to him for standing upright in the face of enormous pressure and for a job well done.

It is now left for the General Muhammadu Buhari led APC administration to take over the mantle of leadership on May 29^th and deliver on their campaign promises. I am very optimistic that they will. They just have no choice. They got there on trust, so in a bid to remain there, they would deliver the dividends of good governance to the people.

In the words of the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari; “I shall work for those who voted for me as well as those who voted against me and even for those who did not vote at all. We all live under one name as one nation: we are all Nigerians.”

I see a new Nigeria, I don’t know about you. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.