THE NIGERIA I KNEW….

EARLY IN THE MORNING YESTERDAY, WITH A BEAUTIFUL COLD SUNSHINE GLARING OVER THE MEDITERRENEAN SEA AFTER WEEKS OF TERRIBLE COLD AND RAINFALL, I DROPPED MY SON OFF AT HIS SCHOOL AND HEADED BACK TO MY TINY AFRICAN SHOP.WHERE I SELL AFRICAN ART .A YOUNG BRITISH LADY WHO LIVE IN THE SAME CITY WITH ME ,AND HAVE ESCAPED THE GLOOMY BRITISH WEATHER GREETED ME ON HER WAY TO HER DAUGHTER´S NURSERY SCHOOL.

 WE TALKED BRIEFLY ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WAS TO HAVE THE SUN BACK AFTER A MONTH AND HALF OF RAIN, COLD AND WIND.AND THEN, SHE ASKED MY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.”NIGERIA” I SAID. “HEY”, SHE SHOUTED.”MY DAD WORKED FOR MANY YEARS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS”, AND SHE ADDED TO MY DISBELIEF, “IT IS A PINTORESQUE OF A COUNTRY.MY FATHER SAID THAT NIGERIA IS A BEAUTY TO BEHOLD”

 IN MY INNER MOST PART I SAID,” WAS A PINTORESQUE.WAS A BEAUTY”. WAS  , WAS, WAS  , A LONG TIME AGO.

I DID NOT HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING, BUT I GUESS THE LOOK ON MY FACE BETRAYED MY EMOTIONS.I GUESS THAT SHE HAS DREAMED OF DAY SHE WILL TAKE HER CHILDREN ON HOLIDAYS TO NIGERIA TO SHOW THEM WHERE GRAND PA HAD WORKED.TO SHOW THEM A PARADISE ON EARTH CALLED NIGERIA.BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT SHE HAS NOT SEEING OR READ THE NEWS OF RECENT.

SHE DOES NOT KNOW THAT NIGERIA IS A

 1, “DEAD BODY THAT HAS BROKEN ITS BONES.

 2,SHE MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT MOST OF THE ROADS HER FATHER PLIED WHILE IN NIGERIA IN THE 70S AND EARLY 80S ARE NOW DEAD TRAPS.THAT OUR HOSPITALS ARE CALLED DEAD WARDS BY OUR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. THAT THE HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURES THAT EXISTED THEN, HAVE EITHER BEEN DEAD USED,MISUSED, OVERUSED,NOT REPAIRED,STOLEN OR EVEN SOLD,RIPPED OFF, OR COMPLETELY DICRIPIT.SHE DOES NOT KNOW THAT OUR PRESIDENT CAN NOT RECIEVE TREATMENT IN THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL(UCH),IBADAN-THAT PRIDE OF AFRICANS IN MEDICAL EXCELLENCE..

3,SHE AND PROBABLY HER FATHER DOES NOT KNOW THAT THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY HE ENJOYED UP UNTILL THE EARLY 90S ARE ALL A FAR FORGOTTEN MEMORY.THAT IN ITS PLACE NOW ARE GENERATING PLANTS OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SOUNDS MAKING NOISE EVERY SECOND OF THE NIGHT AND DAY.THE BIRDS THAT SING EARLY IN THE MORNING,HAVE ALL MIGRATED TO THE REPUBLIC OF BENIN,TOGO AND GHANA, WHERE THERE IS ALWAYS ELECTRICITY SUPPLY AND NO GENERATORS AND ITS ATTENDANT NOISE POLUTION. THAT EVEN OUR SEAT OF POWER-ASO ROCK-BUILT WITH BILLIONS OF OIL MONEY IS AT TIMES WITHOUT LIGHT.

4,THAT OUR NATIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK-NTA-, DOES NOT HAVE FACILITIES TO TRANSMIT LIVE BROADCAST OF U-17 WORLD CUP.

5,THAT ONE DOLLAR IS EQUIVALENT TO ALMOST 200 NAIRA ON A GOOD DAY, WHEN IN THE EARLY 80S OUR NAIRA WAS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE DOLLARS.

6,THAT OUR AIRPORTS AND AIRSPACE ARE AS POROUS AS A BASKET , THAT HAS ALLOWED THE LIKES OF MUTALLAB TO PASS EASILY WITH A BOMB ON HIS “NWAFOR SEVEN COLOURED PANT”.THE WORLD HAVE NOW FINALLY LISTED US A TERRORIST COUNTRY.

7,THAT THOUGH OUR CONSTITUTION DECLARED THAT WE ARE A SECULAR COUNTRY, WITH NO STATE RELIGION, SOME STATES HAVE ENACTED SHARIA LAW AND IN THE PROCESS ALLOW TERRORIST INCLINED TEACHINGS, PROVOCKING RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS ON ALMOST DAILY BASIS.

8,THAT JOS, THAT PINTORESQUE OF A CITY,IS NOW ARMAGEDON.THAT POTPOURI OF CULTURE AND BEAUTY IS NOW AS DEADLY AS AFGANISTAN.TOURIST DO NOT COME ANYMORE.EVEN THE INHABITANTS ARE RUNNING BACK TO THIER STATES BY BUSSES.

9,THAT OUR ELECTIONS AFTER ALMOST 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE ARE MERELY CEREMONIAL ALOCATION OF VOTES.THERE ARE RESULTS EVEN BEFORE THE ELECTIONS.

10,THAT KIDNAPPING IS NOW A BETTER BUSSINESS THAN 419.THEN 419 DID NOT EXIST EITHER.POLITICIANS,BUSSINESSMEN,VILLAGE HEADS,POLICE, ARMY, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, ETC, ALL PARTAKE IN THIS NEW BUSSINESS PLC.

11,THAT WE DO NOT HAVE A PRESIDENT FOR OVER 87 DAYS AND RUNNING.WE ARE NOW IN GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORD FOR THAT.THAT OUR COUNTRY FOR ALMOST 3 MONTHS NOW, RUN ON AUTOMATIC.THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING AND NOWWHERE TO BE FOUND- AWOL,ABSCONDED,DISAPPEARED.NOBODY HAS SEING HIM. THEY SAID THAT HE SPOKE ON BBC,BUT NO BODY HAS ASKED THE QUESTION ON HOW A FORMER UNIVERSITY LECTURER TURNED PRESIDENT CANNOT SPEAK CORRECT ENGLISH.

12,THAT THE FORMER AGF AONDOKA , THAT SWORE TO PROTECT AND RESPECT THE CONSTITUTION HAS DESTROYED EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE OF THE SAME. HE HAS BECOME THE CONSTITUTION, THE JUDICIARY,THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATES AT THE SAME TIME.

13,THAT THERE ARE NO JOBS AND OUR YOUTH RISK THEIR LIVES IN THE SAHARA DESERT AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN THIER BID TO RUN AWAY FROM THIER MISERY AT HOME.MANY DIE IN THE PROCESS.

14,THAT NOBODY TELLS THE TRUTH ANYMORE, NOT EVEN THE ELDERLY.POLITICAL PARTIES ARE NOW CULTS.

15,THAT MOST OF OUR YOUNG ARE LOSING THIER RELIGION,WHEN THEY SEE ROGUES IN POWER USE THE NAME OF GOD AS THE REASON FOR LOOTING THIER COUNTRY.GOD GAVE THE PRESIDENT AND GOVERNORS A RIGGED MANDATE.THE SAME GOD TOLD ADEDIBU TO THUG HIS BOYS INTO HIGH PLACES.THE SAME GOD SPOKE TO OBASANJO AND IBORI.WHAT A TERRIBLE GOD.

I WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

Esta entrada ha sido enviada el 20. Febrero 2010 a 20:29 y ha sido registrada en politics. A través del RSS 2.0 feed podrá acceder a las respuestas. Puede dejar una respuesta o realizar el trackback desde su sitio web.

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