Opinion - The Recolonization of the Black Man

RECOLONIZATION OF THE BLACK MAN

  The uniqueness of the black man is not only depicted in his intelligence and physicality but also in his ability to adapt and cope with difficult situations and an unpalatable economic  hardship.

   For centuries, decades and years,the black man has not only been constantly racially marginalised but also deprived of the ability to access a world of his own. Although,we believe colonization is long gone but I insist recolonisation is the Black's lot and indirectly we would continue to get robbed of our own views towards life and our ideas would only be made to look inferior. 

Presently,we are still colonized by the western world in almost all areas of our life both economically, morally,in sport and educationally.

  We live in a world where we are made to believe that the only key  to success is academic excellence without considering the capacity and interest of individuals.

No doubt it is,  but research has shown that the main aim of education  nowadays is to train pupils to work in big factories and industries and not necessarily to build individuals with the ability to think creatively, innovatively , critically independently with the ability to connect. I bet if Mark zuckerberg were to be a 'black' he wouldn't succeed that much. Because he would live his whole life  believing that ,"without education, he wouldn't succeed". So therefore, 'FACEBOOK' might only be in our dreams.

  From my little research, I learnt Chinese teens make torches and lamps,then send them to the dark continent (Africa).

Although,they are not overly better than us, but they have come to the realization that education is to be more practical oriented and rather than the policy of reading bulky pages and cramming without having the ability to reproduce what is  been learnt ( LA cram LA pour ),they have been imbibed with the mentality  that, "we are products of our innovations".

   Frequently , black gurus and the best brains among us leave our midst to develop the western world all because of the ideology that they wouldn't make it here and no matter how much they try, they wouldn't be appreciated nor would they be able to maximize their potentials over here. 

Dr Phillip Emeagwali, who designed the world fastest computer which performs computations at 3.1 billion calculations per second, using 65,000 processors is now a citizen of the United States with his work been used to predict the likelihood and effects of future global warming and to forecast the weather over there. Just to mention one of hundreds of them with special talents but who are now resources not contributing to the development of his fatherland.

   My contention is that until we come to the realization that the black man and black nation is a brand that can stand independently, valuing its own assets and  believing we have what it takes both mentally,  intellectually, physically and morally to develop ourselves, we would continue to be short —changed and our resources (both human and material ) would be carted away for use because we don't value them and this is the RECOLONIZATION PROCESS.

Just trying to make common sense. 

    

Adeleke David Temitope

The Future of Artificial Humans and Robots in Sports

Are robots really better than humans in sports?

Robot technology is evolving at breakneck speed. Pepper (the name of a robot) of SoftBank is found in companies around the world and is rapidly improving his conversational skills. Telepresence robots open up new opportunities for remote work, while Boston Dynamics' Handle robot could soon (literally) do the work of human colleagues in warehouses.

But warehouses and offices aren't the only places where robots line up alongside humans. Toyota's Cue 3 robot recently demonstrated its basketball skills, with better numbers than the NBA's most accurate three-point shooter, Steph Curry, of the Golden State Warriors.

Cue 3 is still far from being ready to take on Curry, or even amateur basketball players, in a real game. However, he is the latest member of a growing group of robots that challenge human dominance in sports.

As these robots continue to develop, they not only exemplify the speed of the exponential development of technology, but also how those technologies are enhancing human capabilities.

Meet the Contestants

The list of robots in sport is surprisingly long and diverse. There are robot skiers, soccer players, sumos, and even robot game riders. Here are some of them:

1. Robot: Forpheus

Sport: Table tennis

Introduction: It looks like something out of the War of the Worlds equipped with a ping pong bat instead of a death ray.

Skill level: Able to counter spin shots and good enough to beat many beginners.

2. Robot: Sumo bot

Sport: Sumo Wrestling

Intro: Hyper-fast, hyper-aggressive. Think of a robot equivalent to an angry wasp in six crossed Red Bull cans with a very small tank.

Skill level: Fly around the ring faster than any human sumo. Tends to come straight out of the ring sometimes.

3. Robot: Cue 3

Sport: Basketball

Introduction: He's a towering 6 feet 10 inches tall (1.86 m), making him practically built for the NBA. It looks a bit like something that should be in a video game.

Skill level: 62.5 percent three-point percentage, which is better than Steph Curry's; it is less mobile than Charles Barkley, in its current form.

4. Robot: Robo Cup Robots

Intro: The future of soccer. If all goes according to plan, a team of robots will take on Lionel Messis and Cristiano Ronaldo from 2050 and beat them in a full 11v11 game.

Skill level: He currently plays soccer more as a six year old than Lionel Messi.

The limiting factor

The skill level of all these robots is impressive, and they are doing things that no human competitor can do. The inhuman speed of sumo bots is evident. Forpheus' ability to track the ball with two cameras while at the same time tracking his opponent with two other cameras requires a look at the spec sheet, but is similar to human ability. While Cue 3 can't move, it makes shots of half the court seem easy.

Robots are performing at a level that was limited to the realm of science fiction in the early millennium. The current speed ​​of development indicates that in the near future, my national team soccer coach will probably call a robot instead of a player and it would be okay to do so.

It is also worth considering that many current sports robots have a humanoid shape, which limits their ability. If engineers optimized the robot's design to outperform humans in specific categories, many world champions would likely already be metallic.

Swimming is perhaps one of the most obvious. Even Michael Phelps would fight to keep up with a torpedo-shaped robot, and if you augment a sumo robot to human size, human sumos could impress you by running away from them with a speed of 100 meters near Usain Bolt's.

In other areas, the playing field for humans and robots is leveling fast. A possible candidate for the first competitions is racing, where cars that drive Roborace League cars could be ready to compete like Lewis Hamilton.

Perhaps one of the most important reasons robots can still take time to beat us is that, along with other exponential technologies, they are already making us better in sports.

In Japan, elite volleyball players use a robot to practice their attacks. Some American football players also practice against robot opponents and hone their skills using virtual reality. On the sidelines, artificial intelligence is used to analyze and improve athletes' performance, and we will soon be able to see the first artificial intelligence coaches, not to mention the referees.

We can even compete in games devised by our electronic cousins. SpeedGate, a new game created by an AI by studying 400 different sports, is an excellent example of what is fast becoming a possibility.

However, chances are we still have the final word on what constitutes a good game. The AI ​​that SpeedGate created also suggested less suitable hobbies, such as underwater parkour and a game that included explosive frisbees. Both could be fun ... but only if you are as robust as a robot.

Source: www.clubdelfuturo.com

Son estos robots mejores que tú en los deportes?

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So Far So Good - A National Review on Issues Affecting Nigeria

We can decide to make rants,  asking what could be the major problem of Nigeria and what our fifty nine years of independence has taught us? The reality in Nigeria has shown us the hard side of life with no remorse whatsoever.

You ask further - Could it be we are accursed? 

Without argument, it is said that predominant happenings in Nigeria are on the highly negative  side, giving lesser or no hope to an aspired future.  Going from the nature of social problems, developmental problems, economic crisis, political unrest, security problem, etc, we are certain that life itself has imparted a sense of adversity to Nigerian  citizens.

The major uproar now in Nigeria is the pandemic across the world affecting the four walls of Nigeria COVID-19. The pandemic came to Nigeria first month of this year and according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC) the confirm cases has grown to four thousand one hundred and fifty one (4151) as at 9th may, 2020 with a discharged cases of seven hundred and forty five (745) and the death of one hundred and twenty eight (128) .

Does this speak volume of hope to the nation?

The lock down is another issue her citizen would not want to adhere to mainly because of the lack of trust she has on her leadership. During the first lock down, her citizen took upon herself through social media on the necessity of getting food on the tables as eighty percent of her population live on a daily income. The second lock down declared by the president on Monday, 13th April, 2020 opened the nation to insecurity problems as the AWAWA BOYS and ONE MILLION BOYS became the fear of the day.

What was the reason for the fear?

Why the cause of commotion?

To some, it was food. Some said it was the boredom and yet another came saying it was a political plot of the leaders to her citizens.  The issue is yet to be settled as the Ogun and Lagos States Commissioners released in statements in the early hours of the morning 13th of April 2020, saying it was just uproar and a false alarm by the citizen that the nation is at peace with her. However, the citizens would not have it as vigilante groups were formed at different areas in the Abule egba axis, Iyana ipaja, Sango, and Ogun environs. On social media, videos of apprehending the thieves were sent across to show what stay the country is indeed is. 27th of April of the year 2020 was another day of the delivery of the President's speech which reduced the tension of her citizen on the ease of the lock down on the 4th of may of the year 2020.

The issue which is predominant had shove every other problem that is faced by the country for now and the people strongly believe that this could be a sign of rest that the nation leader should take advantage of and give thought to solution and attention to problems of the nation.

Should we hope they make use of the advantage?

The pandemic also didn't leave the students out as academic curriculum is left to an halt due to lock down of public places and gatherings of more than twenty people. It has shown the level in full picture the level of our academic student. As social media which has been a major tool during this lock has it how patiently the citizens of the nation wait for current from the developed countries. Although, the reaction the citizen has is the fact that there might not be no pandemic which is just a general myth by the nation's citizen because of the level of interest of the government. The vaccine that was rumoured to be a possible cure for the for the affected cases was said to be tested in Nigeria pioneer by Bill Gates. The people went a full force in rejecting such act because of lack of trust and the reasoning of who among the affected countries beeds it the most?

The coming of the Chinese doctors is another issue that brings the lack of sincerity on the part of the government towards her citizen. On Twitter it was attend that their was no need of the doctors coming over, even while the doctor's of her beloveth country Nigeria gave their non approval of the coming if the doctor's it came as a shock when the minister of health on channels gave his talk on the government not knowing the coming of the doctors neither did the government invite them but they were a gift from a Chinese company.

Who are our leaders?

We may not say all is bad. We only have a positive position to all that is happening and continually say, "Where there is life there is hope"

Opinion: How To Know When Children Started Having Sex

This article provides insight to romance among teens and how to know when Children started having Sex.

This purpose of this documented opinion a to provide an in-depth analysis to the subject of discussion and to have holistic views on the topic.

Opinion pull on how teen S@x

Sexual activity, which usually comes with s@xual intercourse has been one of the topics taking the centre stage for years, with more focus on the Children at their younger age who are already into such act.

For a young child of age 11 to 20, getting involved into s@xual activities is becoming more rampant in the World of today; though, there are still some of them in that age bracket that are still undefiled.

It is, to some extent believed that s@xual activities should come up only among Adults and couples, with less from those within age 11 to 20 (they are classified as Children for the purpose of this article). The age 11-20 bracket are still believed to be under the care of their Parents, so when such happens among the children, there are always some changes in the Childrens' characters, especially to their parents and society.

Here are the signs to see when Children start having sexual intercourse:

Is rudeness also a sign? What are other signs to notice? Daily News Report sampled opinions on some signs to watch out for, to know if a child has started having s@x.

Ms. Tomi said, "it is normal for most adolescent girls to exhibit rudeness at some point. It's a most confusing transitional stage of a child's Life. So not all rudeness is signs of sexual indulgence."

"As a matter of fact, many are not even rude when they have tasted it. They become more friendly, happy, always in high spirit and willing to voluntarily help out at home. This is particularly so for girls."

"Others become extremely secretive, distant and withdrawn. In all, there is no exact and proven sign to know."

While sharing his own experience when he was at the age bracket, Mr. Nathaniel said, "Most times for tennagers, they begin to develop unnecessary guts, they may have little or no respect for their superiors, always mindful of their looks; I mean their body and appearance anywhere and they are secretive.

"They beginning to be disrespectful and happy over something that is supposed to bring anger. I was once in that shoes."

Ms. Tomi added that, "The best thing is, try as a parent or guardian or as an elder to build a non-judgemental relationship with your kids, wards or younger ones, so they can always confide in you when stuff happens. That's the only way to know for sure."

Read: Biography of Summy Smart Francis

Mrs. Evelyn, a-29-year old Lady shared her own opinion, which took her down memory lane. "Please, don't associate rudeness or outings with sex. I was once a victim of this. It is very normal for teenagers to rebel, the most destructive stage is the adolescent stage, I could remember that teachers, neighbors and my mom used to think that I had started having sex cos I was mostly in the company of boys, meanwhile I hated the thought of having boyfriend at such tender age. 

"Those days I was addressed as prostitutes, I never had a boyfriend, still I got to the university 5 years later. It was when we did a program in church that time, they said all virgins should come outside, that was when my parents and neighbors believed that I was a virgin. Stop associating adolescent hormone or rudeness to having sex."

In response to Mrs. Evelyn, Mrs. Sandra frowns on why her Pastor will call out Virgins. "I totally understand where you are going, but that your Pastor needs to understand that virginity doesn't mean someone is righteous. There are virgins that have not had a man penetrate them, but they've experienced all sorts of sexual pleasures.

"Virginity shouldn't even be a show off. So in order words, it's only the prayers of the Virgins that came out that will get to God's ears. It's a church, everybody should pray."

Mr. Frank, a pure and applied Psychologist gave more insights to the topic. According to him, he said it requires one to have an understanding of it, without only believing that rudeness, outing, secrecy, stubbornness, etc., are signs of s@xual engagement. He called those "trait in adolescents." 

While giving clues to some of the signs, he said, "Their body will be sweeting them most times, wanting to have Sex. Often smiling and doing some sexy moves each time they see the opposite gender. They lack respect at some point though, especially to their parents and elders. You will notice they start dressing neatly and always clean. When you send them errands, they will make sure thier legs are neat. Always laughing out loud unnecessarily. They also stay longer on calls, especially to their opposite Gender."

Mr. Edward added that, "Teenage starts from 13 and ends at 18. When a child around this age bracket starts having sexual relationship which is emotionally attached, they get withdrawn from there normal playfulness, they get more excited relating with adults and adult issues.

"Whenever you send them for an errand, they will wash their legs, change clothes and rub powder on the face. Those are my own signs though. But, certainly the level of neatness increases and some of them become more bigger in body sizes."

He also listed some of the possible signs as thus: "Lack of concentration, become conscious of vital parts of his or her body, starts concentrating more on her looks (mostly girls), sneaking around and lying to cover up, becoming rude at times, some of them also assume the position of an adult, rapid development of some vital parts of her body like breast..etc.. some of them could also be distracted in their Education and may start having low marks from school's test and exams.

"Privacy demand will also come in. They always want privacy and to be alone in the house.

They become withdrawn from parents so as to avoid unnecessary suspicion and questions. The girls will stop opening their body in front of their mum."

Adding her own points, Mrs. Adetola said S@x education is very important for the children, before they learn it from someone else, which she said could be terrible most of the time.

She however listed some of the signs, which she said are latest signs to watchout for nowadays. 

"You will discover the young male having so much interest in female and always wanting or interested in gist linking to female, he no longer want to feel like a child and will want to prove he is grown-up, he is an adult now and can take care of himself. In some instances, he can equates himself with those far ahead of him.

"For the female, the boldness she begins to exhibit, She now looks at a man right in the eyes without fear like she used to be, disrespect may set in between her and her equals from opposite sex, the terms she uses to greet may change to e.g- 'guy, how far, xup dear', in fact, the way she looks at older men without fear is more of the signs to watch out for these days."

Power: Looking Towards Heavens (Solar energy) and Earth (coal &Hydroenergy)

Solar energy, radiation from the Sun capable of producing heat, causing chemical reactions, or generating electricity. The total amount of solar energy incident on Earth is vastly in excess of the world’s current and anticipated energy requirements. In the 21st century solar energy is expected to become increasingly attractive as a renewable energy source because of its inexhaustible supply and its nonpolluting character, in stark contrast to the finite fossil fuels coal, petroleum, and natural gas. 

The history of hydropower dates back thousands of years. For example, the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. The evolution of the modern hydropower turbine began in the mid-1700s when a French hydraulic and military engineer, Bernard Forest de Bélidor, wrote Architecture Hydraulique. Many key developments in hydropower technology occurred during the first half of the 19th century, and more recently, the past century has seen a number of hydroelectric advancements.Hydropower technologies generate power by using the elevation difference,  created by a dam or diversion structure, of water flowing in on one side and out, far below, on the other. 

The benefits of hydropower have been recognized and harnessed for thousands of years. In addition to being a clean and cost-effective form of energy, hydropower plants can provide power to the grid immediately, serving as a flexible and reliable form of backup power during major electricity outages or disruptions. Hydropower also produces a number of benefits outside of electricity generation, such as flood control, irrigation support, and water supply. 

Rape: Of the Victim and the Accused

 

Rape victims and survivors suffer great trauma what with all the commotion raised by internet users who took to various social media platforms to pour out their grievances after the release of Busola Dakolo's interview. A lot of people had a lot of things to say about the issues raised in the video and there were back and forth arguments about who to believe and who was lying. My thoughts? Well read on.

It takes a lot of strength, especially mental, for a person to come out and say he or she was raped and when such persons do come out let us, mere outsiders, not be too quick to judge and cast blames. Rape is a very painful experience, one that cannot be quickly forgotten, if at all it is gotten over. It does a lot to a person's self-esteem that most victims turn out to be desperate people who search for self-validation everywhere even at places where it is obvious that it cannot be found. I implore us all to show more attention and compassion to people that will come to us to report any sort of sexual violations they suffer.

There is a lot of pretense in the society today. A lot of people only get involved in conflicts when a well-known persona is a party but when the victim is an unknown person it becomes no one's business. Taking reference in Busola's case, her story became this popular only because she is a public figure. We should do our part and not turn deaf ears when the story is that of Nkechi, an helpless sixteen year old student that live in a local town. Let us please stop with the hypocrisy.

The shame culture that is practiced by Nigerians is a sad one indeed. It makes it so that victims of rape are ashamed and afraid to come out and tell their stories. They get to deal with the trauma that comes with the experience and also have to face the stigmatization that coming out will attract with it. Nobody ever wishes to be raped and it is entirely unfair to even suggest that the victim is to be blamed; the victim is never the cause. It is, therefore, our collective responsibility to create a society that respects rape victims as the survivors they truly are and to hold them at a high pedestal that is the complete opposite of the ridicule they would otherwise be put through.

Read: Biography of Actress Kehinde Bankole

Now there are a lot of rape apologists out there justifying rape and giving stupid reasons and excuses such as, 'It's not rape when she was dressed provocatively', 'His no usually means yes', 'They deserved it'. Let me set this straight, sex without consent is rape. Sex with another person without the person's permission is rape and there is no such thing as silent approval. If you want to save yourself from being labelled as a rapist do not have sex with someone that is showing any sign of reluctance but instead go on to some other person that shares mutual interest with you. Trust me, there are many people out there that will meet your taste.

Another thing to discuss is rapists themselves. Do not be the unfortunate being that will forcefully take what is not freely given to you. Always consciously and deliberately try not to be in a situation where you'd have to sexually assault somebody, it is an advice I will always give to people that know they are weak in that respect. If you're someone that struggles with issues that make you do things you would rather not do then save someone the heartache and seek help, professional or not.

Furthermore, it will be a great crime to falsely accuse someone of rape when there was a consent before the action. A lot of people have chosen this period to bounce their pain on their preys. The false accusation is as costly as the rape offence itself. Because, this will not only tarnish the integrity and image of such person that has been wrongly accused, as the label will remain as a skin on such person, if not forever, but always.
 

As I conclude, my heart goes out to every person out there who has had to experience such hateful, depressing and painful ordeal, what happened is not your fault, you're stronger than you think and you're worthy of more. Love.

Opinion: Do You Still Give out Your Trust?

Who do you trust? 

 

If you ask me this question, I would reel out a lot of secrets to you and leave you to deduce the answer yourself. I actually find it hard to trust people myself; I mean my feelings or even my things, my integrity and whatever concerns me. If I trust you, it has to be that you have earned it based on what you have done or been through and I know what you are capable of doing. However, I hear some trust people based on their confessions; I mean what they say they are capable of doing. Well, mine is not so. For me to trust you, I must have my evidence. Don’t judge me, it’s my opinion. 

 

Some people say I am a difficult person and that I will find it hard to get in a relationship because I find it hard to trust people. However, my belief is that relationships are built on trust and that any relationship void of trust in the participants will crumble.

 

My attitude towards trust is as a result of my past experience. I have trusted people with my deepest thoughts, thoughts that made me cry, thoughts that make me feel down casted. I have trusted people and really, a trial has convinced me.

 

I had a hard time in my third year in school; things were so bad that money was a very scarce commodity. It was the time Nigeria was going through a serious economic recession with huge debts of school fees to pay. I could tell no one of the difficulties I was going through. I tried a lot of things I thought could help but all was futile with. Then, I found someone I could call a friend. He claimed to have been through my predicament while he was in school. His own experience was even worse than mine that I began pitying. Then and there did I conclude that I was better off than some people while some are better than me; this is the Irony of life.

 

My so called friend has been a leader for years and also stood in the position of counseling young undergraduate students while he was in school. He was highly revered and recommended to be capable of holding any leadership post. All these summed up the bases for my judgment that he could be trusted. The fact that he had experienced my present situation added to my trust in him.

 

I reeled out my problems to him with the hope that I could lean on him for advice. I told him of the difficulties I had only for Him to spill out my secrets in public. He was the first to accuse me of my inabilities which was due to my financial in capabilities. I had little to finance my daily needs and was left with little to fund other needs and he made me a scapegoat publicly. I felt betrayed and disappointed. I looked into his eyes and all I could see was betrayal. I could not say anything against him because he already knew my secrets to the marrow. I blamed myself for telling him too much about me. I could not say anything for I had broken down my entire defence with my hands.

 

Trust, an abstract which you develop in someone or something based on an evidence of what they have done or is capable of doing is built overtime.

My trust in people has been breached overtime that giving it out to people require a lot of thinking. Someone once told me that I might find it hard to fall in love, well I don't know yet but we all at one time in our lives have experienced the same ordeal in different ways.

 

However, experience they say is the best teacher but the best and more profitable way to learn is from the experience of other people who have attained certain level of maturity. It is better to always give people an element of doubt that they could breach your trust in them some day so that when they do, you would not have an heart break that could totally mar you but at least a heart that will be amendable………………..my opinion, what do you think?

Suicide: The Dissolution but not the Solution by Damilola Akinlolu

Suicidal thoughts have become a norm in our society, as many see it as the lasting solution to a temporary problem. Putting an end to one's life does not in any way put an end to the problem, rather it opens a new chapter of struggle which one has no idea of.

There are lot of cases in our society that have prompted people to end their lives, a news got circulated sometimes ago about a young boy who ended his life because he failed UTME(United Tertiary Matriculation Exam), another person ended her life because she was not given attention by her mother. Some suicidal acts are known to be impulsive due to financial difficulties, stress, relationship breaks or bullying. Other suicidal acts are quite unexplainable. People go to any lengths to carry out this action, the popular ones are by hanging (or suffocation), overdose, usage of firearms, drowning, pesticide poisoning and falls. When I hear people clamor for the ban on insecticides, I'm compelled to ask if insecticide is the only means of ending one's life. Rather than putting a ban on insecticides, why not let's address the issue from the root cause?

Overtime, the range of ages prone to this act is 15 – 30 years of age. Suicide has become the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Depression, substance abuse (alcohol, hard drug …), bipolar disorder, mental health problems are risk factors. A common risk factor, depression, is a serious medical illness that negatively affects the way one feels, thinks and acts. 

During depression, people suffer in silence. There is this feeling of isolation and untrue belief that they’re the only one lost. This continues for a while or longer until they can’t take it anymore. At this point, the only escape route seen is death because the mind is in thick darkness. And in most cases, the easiest option thought about is suicide. Fake appearances and expression manifest in such individuals in order to hide the real issue at hand from every single soul around them. Even when help comes knocking faintly, they deny it and go ahead in betraying themselves. They think the solution has been fixed by them but they fail to see that their own death isn’t the death of the problem. The problem gets passed on to loved ones as guilt and regrets consume them up. The “what if?”, “had I known” and “I thought” damage loved ones left behind especially if they continue to blame themselves for the demise of a depressed being. They assume it were their fault for failing to see the frown under that smile, the sadness being covered by happiness and the inability to differentiate between real and fake.

To every depressed soul out there and every one already having suicidal ideations, suicide was and will never be the solution. Suicide does not solve the problem as the problem still persists. It even creates more problems for those you care about. Depression does get better when you come to the realization that there are a lot of positive things out there waiting for you find them and many positive ways out there waiting to be located by you. Be optimistic! The help and realization are not sudden but gradual. Don’t suffer alone. Speak to someone (a non-judgmental person), though it might seem the hardest thing to do. You can also meet your religious head if the need be. And in case you don’t have the above around you, there are hotlines of professional individuals or organization out there.

Politics in Nigeria: Washing Dirty Linen in Public

The first answer you are likely to get from a person practising political apathy in Nigeria is that politics is a dirty game. It is a game of either you are here or there: a do or die affair. The Nigerian political space has not for long been associated with honour with politicians who do more to dent the image of Nigerians at the international scene - maybe a different type of political system is being studied in the first world countries. 

Politics, everywhere, is a dirty game, but these countries somehow know how to conduct themselves. For Nigeria, politicians only know how to display their show of shame to the public. Or how is a supposedly father and possibly grandparent caught on camera exchanging blows in the assemblies that are expected to serve as the law making house? Somewhat in 2016, the maze was taken when the plenary section was still ongoing by some senators. The budget of the nation was also missing in the National Assembly. That was unprecedented in the history of the country. I call these politicians 'yahoo boys' in 'agbada.'

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which was founded in 2003 by the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud) and money laundering. Although, in existence since 2003, we have seen only fragments of them as they perform, but not up to expectations. In 2018, it was reported that the EFCC had the highest numbers of concluded corruption cases with the Nigeria Judiciary Council (NJC).

As noted earlier, Nigerian politicians share a sibling-like relationships with corruption. On May 2016, the former British prime minister, David Cameron was caught saying on camera that Nigeria was 'fantastically' corrupt. This was not surprising as that was the impression that had been created by our politicians. In 2015, one of the campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari was that he would rid the country of the corruption syndrome. I must note that the war against corruption is not in anyway won. We have just being promoted from the worst to the bad.

When you think you have seen it all, Politicians with their clownish nature would find a way to 'amuse' you, full of tricks and stunts. Diepreye Alamieseyegha, a former governor of Bayelsa state was arrested in the United Kingdom on count charges of money laundering. Hours after his arrest, he escaped to Nigeria disguised as a woman. This was a criminal thing to do for a supposedly ambassador of the country. Though he was later arrested by the Nigerian government, but this singular act has already left a stain on the country's white garment.

Do not forget so easily the  drama Ayodele Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti state played with the EFCC. In 2012, the court ordered the closure of Fayose's two bank accounts with Zenith bank and also the forfeiture of some his properties because it was said to be acquired with illegally shared money by Dasuki, the then National security adviser. Due to his immunity as a sitting governor, he could not be arrested or charged to court. When his tenure was almost over, he made a promise to present himself to the EFCC's office. Yes, he did make himself present just hours after he handed over to Kayode Fayemi donned in a customised 'EFCC here I am' vest alongside his cohorts in PDP and some gullible youths. Many said his move was a bold one. Maybe, Or probably he was supposed to be pelted with stones.

Nigeria politicians have recently inculcated the habit of faking illnesses and diseases that had not manifested while they launder and stash away the nation's fund in foreign accounts. It is hard to forget so quickly the case of Allison Maduekwe who after milking the country dry was suddenly diagnosed of cancer at a time when she was supposed to face the music of her actions. The recent one was Maina who also suddenly developed a strange illness when his case was in court. His didn't hold any weight that much but because he was sentenced anyway.

In the words of Erstwhile President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, he describes Democracy as a testament to the courage and resilience of Nigerians. As citizens of Nigeria, I think it is time we rose up from our slumbers and fought this corruption and its agent before it sinks us all.

The Ravaging Torment Called Fear - Aluko Deborah

Why do many die before their death?

'Which kind of cold and sore throat is this one now?' Kingsley grumbles and lands on his mattress. He soon starts experiencing a throbbing headache and he begins to whimper like a baby. 'So...this ravaging Covid -19 virus has finally gotten hold of me, I swear I'm finished...'. Just then, his pregnant mum walks in holding a bag of groceries, the family doctor following behind. Kingsley tiredly walks into the sitting room to welcome them.

'What's the matter my dear? Don't tell me you stressed yourself at Grandpa's place. His mum asks in concern. Kingsley had spent two weeks at Grandpa's village, helping him on the farm and with sales of his products. Sometimes, they had to sleep on the farm in a wooden shed, not shielded from the chilly weather and mosquitoes. All these strenous experiences had begun to reflect on his health. Kingsley expresses his greatest fear of contacting the dreaded virus, he's been nursing this fear for the past one week and he's already getting depressed. With this, the doctor smiles and quickly carries out some tests on Kingsley with the equipments he brought along with him. After a few hours, the doctor diagnoses Kingsley of Malaria
...the boy widens his eyes and begins to laugh heartily.

Fear becomes unhealthy when it makes you more cautious than you really need to be to stay safe and when it prevents you from doing things you would otherwise enjoy.

By each iota of fear, you chicken out and lose a little strength of character each time you refuse to take a challenge of life. It could also be the fear of failure or the fear of what people think of you etc.

The side effects of fear are quite dangerous. They include the;

Use of drugs and alcohol for alcohol for artificial relief.

Loss of peace, now you think prayer's not a worth.

A source of discouragement to those around you.

Depression and Panic Attack, spelling a sense of doom.

The process of overcoming fear is known as 'FEAR EXTINCTION' and it can be achieved by doing the following;

* Taking smart precautions/personal hygiene - that's not fear, it's wisdom!

* Most times fear is an illusion, the more you understand it, the less scared you'll be.

* Have a positive and optimistic attitude to life.

* Move closer to motivational people.

* Identify that fear and communicate with your fears like a superior.

Relax n' breathe

Crime Meets Criminality: Human Nature or Inhumanity?

Be a good human being, a warm hearted, affectionate person. That is my  fundamental belief- DALAI LAMA


Sometimes, I think that humans, are birthed with the tendency to commit crimes and engage in forms of criminalities. Most times, I end up brushing off the thought because I have met people who are true definitions of humanity. Judging by recent happenings, I concluded that we have more percentage who are inherently wicked and evil. This claim is not far-fetched as it is evidently seen in the story of Abel and Cain.

It saddens my heart and brings tears to my optics when I see the high rate of crimes in this century. Once in a while, I wish to take an investigative journey to the past centuries to understudy if crimes were these high then. Rapes, murders, racism among other crimes are being reported almost everyday. All these social vices want me to question where humans humanity and tolerance have gone to?

The past days have been virtually eventful, but sadly, for negative reasons. In these past days, we have heard and read of killings, rape and murder. But the cases that stood out were that of a teenager who was 'mistakenly' murdered in cold blood, a lady who was brutalised a a result of rape and a black man who suffered the consequence of being black.
READ: Coronavirus: Career Tamed, Professionalism Tampered
Police brutality is something not new to Nigerians. The numbers of those killed in the first two weeks of the lock down were more than the total that were  killed by the Coronavirus. Police's insatiability for corruption can not be imagined. They can do anything when their illegal requests are  not attended to by drivers. But what I could not come to terms with is why would a supposedly law enforcement agent fired a gun carelessly: something that should not be done by civilians like me. Many results of the police brutality and rash decisions have been reported in recent times. The most recent of such brutality and senseless shooting was that of Tina Ezekwe. Tina who was a teenager was hit by a police officer's misfire shot at Iyana Oworo area of Lagos state. I will like to see it as a murder case  rather than a case of manslaughter. Tina at the time of her death was aged 16 and due to sit for her WAEC examination this year. Yes, I called it a case of murder because nothing gave the police officer the reason and audacity to rashly and unreasonably fire. I would not want to start imagining the state the girl's parent would be at this time. We keep hearing young minds are the leaders of tomorrow, but it seems to me  that everything is being coordinately put in place that the paradigm never comes to fruition. An example should be made out of the police officer in question so as to serve as a deterrent to other trigger- happy police officers.



Rape cases have been prevalent, not only in Nigeria, but also all over the world in recent times. Those who religiously follow international updates would give an acceptable nod to this claim. Hardly would a day pass without at least a reported case of rape. Nigeria stands among countries recording cases of rape in recent times. In a report, it was said at least a girl child is raped everyday in Nigeria. But the rape case of Uwa serve as one of the backdrop for writing this piece. I find it unbelievable that the victim was raped and brutalised inside a church! The late Uwavera Omozuwa was a 200-level Uniben student who had decided to take the church a reading centre as a result of this covid-19 pandemic when all institutions are under lock and key. As her usual habit, the late Uwa on Saturday, May 30 decided to visit her reading base which was a redeemed church for another reading session before she was pounced on by vagina-hungry predators. She was badly raped and brutalised. I will rather not focus on the fact that the criminal, disgusting and ungodly act was carried out inside a church as the perpetrators may be infidels or atheists, not that I have problems with them being infidels or atheists as everyone is entitled to his/her beliefs. But I will rather focus on the inhumanity displayed by these individuals. Another rape case involving 14 men raping a young girl was reported in Jigawa this morning. There is nothing we can call that  than it is an act of wickedness. I hold the opinion that more stringent laws should be passed on any cases involving rape. Many women are raped and they have to live with the stain and stigma for the rest of their lives. Some are not strong enough, they would rather take solace in murder. There should be no place in the world where women will feel insecure as right to life  and property is one of the fundamental human rights. As a result of consiszent reports of rape cases, many women would leave their homes in fear of being way laid or raped. In this Uwa's case, humanity has definitely gone on an expedition of no return.

Uwa
The Late Uwa
                      

Humanity decided earlier this week to take another break when an innocent man suffered the consequence of being born black. The current event has generated reactions all over the world. Since the occurrence of the incident, nationwide protests have been going on in the United States of America. George Floyd suffered a tragedy of police brutality in Minneapolis, Minnesota in America not because he was asked for bribe or refusing police arrest or shot at a police officer, but because he was black. His death was just that of circumstances birthed by the world we live in. Racism has been around for as long as I could remember and many have kissed the mother earth as victims of racism. A sneak peek to books like Native sons, Sizwe Bansi is dead, Second class citizen and a host of other  negro oriented work of arts: prose, poetry and drama will sharpen one's mind and take one on a long memory lane. Africa was blindly looted by whites for more than a hundred years. Even after independence, we are still enslaved by their Ideas. Years after breaking the shackles of imperialism and colonialism, Africans still struggle for acceptability. The White see black as nobody, especially, in the White man's land. It is the highest degree of inhumanity to kneel on someone's neck and others present would just derive pleasure in the whole scenario by laughing away. Even after pleading for his dear life, they didn't bulge. George Floyd's offence was that he was black. I find it nauseating that people judge by  colours. Nobody holds any decision on the colour he would be birthed. I was born black not because I had a choice, but because I was lucky to be born black. You were born White not because you had a choice, but because you were lucky to be born White. I think the United Nations Organisation should try everything possible to put an end to any forms of racism around the world. As a result of racism, Africans live in fear of being abused, maligned and marginalised because of the colour of the skins. The protests in America that have sent the United States' president to the white house bunker should send a strong message to other countries what racism can cause and that being black is not an aberration.

The Late George Floyd
                 
READ: 'I Can't Breathe'' - The Murder of George Floyd
An anonymous author said, "Humanity should be our race. Love should be our religion." I hold the opinion that humanity should come first before anything. We are set of religious people, but lacking in the area of humanity. This world would be a better place to live on if we are able to balance religion and humanity.

Agriculture: Why We Need to Return to Native Methods

As with many other areas of life and even in our individuals personal life, the goal of is always to look for ways that will make our task easier to achieve in lesser time and with a much greater productivity.

This also applies to Agriculture as well. Over the years, agriculture has experienced a great shift in its means of cultivation to more productive ways. This has caused a shift from the use of crude implements to cultivate land to more mechanised systems of farming.

There has been use of scientific method in dealing with crop and animal production rather than the old cultural method which has resulted into a lot of great productivity in the Agricultural sector.
Valuable time as been saved, large area of land are as well been cultivated, pest and disease control has been possible through the use of chemical control and most importantly, farmers has experience increase in the quantity of farm produce yearly.

READ: Dellasdiary Launches Maendeleo Africa, Aims to Impact African Youths

Having said all this, why will anyone consider going to back to the crude old method of farming? Where there is much labour and little productivity. Stay with me as I give you two crucial point why agriculturist may want to go back to native method of farming.

The first point of I will mention here is the adverse effects of chemicals and fertilizers used on farmland, how they affect us( starting from the farmer to the consumer) and the environment at large.
Due to the toxic nature of most chemicals use on farm wether they are pesticides, herbicides, insecticides etc, many farmers have suffer partial and permanent damage to their health condition such as burns, loss of memory and damage to eye sight etc. The oversensitive nature of this chemicals has make it difficult for farmers who are not educated to handle them probably which has   resulted into adverse health condition in their Lives.

Most chemicals are very powerful and they are not easily degradable when they are applied to crops and the soil, example of such is organo-chlorine chemicals. The residue of this chemicals on crops makes it dangerous for human health when consume. Since this chemicals last long in the soil,it destroy soil micro organism which are very useful to the soil.  it also destroy aquatic  life when it is washed down by rain into water bodies.

Agriculture may return to native method of farming for this second reason; the lack of technical know-how in operating farm machinery. Most farm machinery are too difficult for the average Joe to operate and even the educated ones . This  special machines are operated by few specialist. Furthermore, heavy farm equipment destroy farm land through their activities by compressing the soil which result into destruction of soil structure, thus  prevent water from penetrating the soil adequately.

For the foreseeable future, Agriculture will continue to move towards advanced mechanization. However, If there will be  a time when an individual will choose to abandon technological and scientific method in solving Agricultural problem, then the above points will justify His decision.

The Law of Value - For or Against The Naira?

When you meet some handicapped begging, you would be quick to contain the realities of his physical state and give him whatever your good mind can. On the other hand, when you see a full grown, body abled man, begging for money, what happens? 

 

I dipped my hands into my wallet and got the worst, tattered Naira notes and gave it out to them. You know what? They accepted it with great ecstascy. Right there, they taught me value!

 

Water is free (except you choose to buy packed water) and can be gotten almost everywhere but Coca Cola is expensive. At the same time, Air is free but Air Conditioner is expensive. A heart is free but a kidney transplant is costly, and so I have noticed that the most precious things in life are either free or cheap. The Salvation of Jesus is free but to get a herbalist to work for you isn't free. Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web (www) and made it free for everyone but Bill Gate's windows softwares aren't free. Android OS is free for all but Apple OS isn't. Newspapers aren't free but reading news online is free. These are just few...
The Law of Value says that "If you want to create an awesome value born out of a great vision, CONSIDER the PRICE, make it cheap so that even a fool can afford it and gain wisdom."

Anything that is much more smaller has value; whatsoever we feel has no value, has much more value than we can ever imagine

Making Black Lives Truly Matter

           

We are blacks but our skins are not weapons
We do not deserve to be killed 

And we deserve the freedom of expression. 

Our rights should not be violated because we are black

We deserve the freedom to speak up

When our rights are violated.


The discrimination against black has been existing for years, and this has led to crises and chaos in many nations. The black skin has been bleached with several injustices owing to the fact that it is simply black. Racism is not meant to be the order of the day especially in this century. Our skin is black but our brain is not. We are human and we deserve justice like every other human.

Being black is not meant to be a crime because that's our race and we are meant to be able to stand in public and defend it but due to racism, black people are scared to go out and be proud of being black. We do not deserve to be bullied or be shy of being black.

We are black!

We were born black 

And our lives are important. 

That's our race, our identity.

A Life of Battery: A Story on Domestic Violence

By Aluko Deborah

Gbam! Gbom! Goes the sound of the heavy punches that lands on Amanda’s cheeks. It’s a crushing impact of bony fists against supple cheeks. Stephen is at it again. He flies off the handle at the slightest provocation. She cries in pain at such inhuman treatment being mete to her. Just then, her friend Pia knocks at the door. Stephen opens the door and walks out of the house furiously. ‘What the hell is going on here?’ Pia yells at him.

Amanda had been married to Stephen for the past eight years and she had never experienced some peace for a split second. She had dated him for two years before marriage but seemed not to have noticed any violent attitude in him. Stephen had changed almost immediately after marriage and Amanda could not forgive herself for falling into this trap. She had attended many marriage seminars and had invited several marriage counsellors all to no avail. She had even tried to impress him, and dote on him, to love him more and shower him with surprises but there’s absolutely nothing she does that goes down well with this young man. He flares up for intangible reasons. It’s either he didn’t fall in love with her food or he isn’t pleased with her outfits or she didn’t take her bath before bed or she’s adding more weight. He compares her with other women and Amanda starts suspecting he’s cheating on her and been unfaithful to his matrimonial vows. Many times, he hits Amanda whenever she tries to oppose his accusations. His beatings have become so severe that she lost the third pregnancy after several years of childlessness.

Stephen turns back slowly and flashes at Pia a look of disdain coupled with a rush of anger and hate. He hisses and walks away arrogantly because extreme anger usually leaves him dumb. Pia rushes at Amanda and grasps her up. She asks her what went wrong this time. Amanda pours out more in tears than in words. ‘My mother in law just left a couple of hours ago, she came to express her concern for our childlessness and Stephen began to accuse me as the cause of it, he addressed me on the level of  promiscuity and infidelity. But when I tried to reveal the truth of his brutality to me, he picked on me and vowed to deal with me like he just did.’ Pia seems not to believe her ears. So, this is what Amanda had been going through all these years but each time Pia had tried to ask why she had a swollen face or an injury, Amanda will just cook a smart lie and refuse to open up. ‘A good wife should always keep her family secret’ she always told herself. If not that Pia caught this very act and at the right time, Amanda will probably have to listen to another lie. She draws Amanda into a warm embrace to subside her tears. Afterwards, she dashes into the kitchen and prepares a cup of cold tea for Amanda to calm her nerves.

As Amanda sips her tea, Pia begins to advice Amanda. ‘Sweetheart, a woman can endure everything for the sake of love or for the sake of her children as the case may be but she must not endure one thing called violence! And that’s the physical one because it’s the most common, for a time is coming that such husband who is indeed an animal in human skin might end up taking your life. As a wise woman who values her life, I think you should give your man a little break. Amanda quickly interrupts Pia. ‘I’m seriously firing relentless prayers about my situation’ she says. Pia tells her that it’s okay to involve religion but she will also need to make good use of the wisdom endowed her and that of a caring friend too as in the midst of good counselors, safety is assured. She also shares with her friend a similar experience she also had with her husband some years back. She had received several beatings and had escaped for her dear life, relocating to a different neighborhood of which her husband knew nothing about. Several weeks passed and it had dawned on him that Amanda was gone for good, he came back to his senses and realized his mistake. Pia had informed only her mother of her where about since her once trusted husband had broken his marriage. ‘He had to go and prostrate for my mum, begging her profusely in tears to know where I hid before mum eventually settled everything for us and we came back together with a stronger bound of love.

Amanda thanks her friend profusely for her advice but she isn’t so much convinced yet, ‘I’ve never imagined breaking away from my husband because I shall not put asunder what God has joined together, I still love my dear husband and I don’t want to increase the trouble in our home’ she ponders. Pia offers to assist with dinner preparations and they proceed to the kitchen. Pia handles the Amala while Amanda prepares the ewedu stew. They set the table as Stephen walks in. Pia whispers to her friend to speak nicely to him, she’s researching something here. ‘Welcome baby your food is ready’ she says tears welling up in her eyes. She presses hard to suppress them. Stephen ignores her without saying a word. Pia tells Amanda to calm down as she breaks down into fresh tears. Pia offers to take her out for a walk but Amanda declines as that might even fuel more trouble for her. Concluding that her presence might be embarrassing Stephen, Pia declares her intention to leave and encourages Amanda to inform the police or call her if she’s been maltreated again. ‘Every woman has the right to claim her marital rights, she points out and leaves as Amanda sees her off.

A week later, Amanda has become so weak and unhealthy due to more incessant maltreatment. She had failed to inform neither the Pia nor the police and moving out wasn’t even one of her options. For her, a blissful marriage had always been her dream and she could keep trying to make this work. Stephen had banned her from attending marriage seminars because he felt it’ll make her much more stubborn and rude to him. Nevertheless, a scheduled meeting with a counselor isn’t a bad idea for Amanda and she won’t hesitate to go this evening. Stephen isn’t used to early dinners, so she will be able to rush back before 7:30 (thirty minutes past the hour of seven). With this in mind, she dresses up and rushes to see her marriage counsellor.

                                               ********************************

Amanda returns home at exactly fifteen minutes past the hours of seven and dinner must be ready in less than forty five minutes. Unfortunately, Stephen’s at his bad mood again. She’s now almost believing the fact that Stephen might have some psychiatric issues after all. He accuses Amanda of staying out late and depriving him of food and sex, as she tries to calm him down and assure him of settling him in no time, he carries a dinning chair and flings it at her. Amanda slumps and goes limp, blood splashes everywhere. Scared and terrified, Stephen struggles to wake her up but all to no avail, her breathing had stopped as lay practically dead in cold blood. Stephen must make his escape very fast, so he quickly packs his bag and exits the house as he ignores the questions and queries of neighbors. Some concerned people quickly get into the house to find out from his wife, his reason for deserting her but they meet the shock of their lives. They quickly alert the police to get Stephen arrested and they make sure that the security lock down the environs to keep Stephen trapped in. Another group of people go after Tony, beat him mercilessly and tie him up as they await the arrival of the police.

Pia drives into the neighborhood in a bid to inform Amanda of a flat she had gotten for her. Her intention’s to take Amanda along with her to buy things to furnish the house with and to link her up with an online psychologist and blogger to help her flourish emotionally. She parks her car under a mango tree, amazed at the crowd at Amanda’s house. Pia asks people around for what the problem is, some refuse to tell her but she hears someone around mention the fact that Amanda is dead. She pushes her way into the living room and screams uncontrollably. There laying before her feet is the tragic end of somebody’s wife.

Opinion: Oil- The Niger Delta Tale

It was a cold night. Mama and Papa had returned late from work that day for they had to finish up the leftover works of the previous week. They had come in tired and needed a shower, dinner and rest. I however went to do the cooking.
It was almost fifteen minutes gone. Dad and mum were done with the shower and were seated at the dining. Then I saw a thing...

The two hands of the car's wiper sway in the likes of a mass choir waving halleluyah on the windscreen which was punctuated with rain drops and had the tires rolling as a remote controlled toy. The vehicle made almost no noise and it carried no vehicle number. It was a new vehicle, a peugeot model.
It was just another few metres when he pulled the brakes. He was at his destination. I wondered what this son of man needed at this time- the cold, rain and time of night considered. He had possibly come on a visit. He hopped out of the vehicle with his movement ordered to make sure his traces were covered. "Was the car stolen?, What does he want?", I queried in thought.

I saw him. The young man in the black hoodie. He moved towards the high building opposite the street with my eyes following his silhouette. Thereafter, I saw nothing... No traces.

I turned back and left for the dining room with the food plates in my hand when I heard a bang. It portrayed someone trying to break a safe. Silence followed and I kept calm. For the next few minutes,

I heard nothing and so resumed my move towards the dining. I could hear papa and mama giggle
over coffee, my brothers seated patiently in wait for me.

That evening, I served dinner. I had a feeling that it was to be "The Last Supper", but my feelings could not be so true as I thought. "Did dad and mum not hear a thing?", I wondered...

I served silently and was done in no time. I moved on to sit when the bang came again. This time, louder than before. I looked at Dad, mum and my brothers and I saw indifference in them. They continued their chat as though nothing sounded...

Just then, the door went off, revealing him- the guy in a black hoodie who had concealed almost everything. His arsenal had only one hatchet. He marched in and filled an empty seat beside me. Then I saw trouble...

I had watched the start of the event unfold in one quick progression- the return from work, myself in the kitchen, the hoodie guy scene and my family having dinner. He had no reason whatsoever to come in that way. If he truly was the man I saw earlier, then our home was probably a mistake. I felt like getting on my feet but it was cold. I became frightened.

"I've got your names on my list, paid in full," he said, revealing the hatchet he had concealed under his jacket. He stood up and walked the table round. I looked at my father. He looked so helpless. My mother helped no issue, she was weeping already. He lined the family up and starting from father, he bludgeoned and hacked them- father, mum and my innocent brothers.
It was soon my turn. He stared hard into my face for long just before he turned around and left leaving me with the remains of my lovely little family of five.
I never forgot his face.

Overtime, I grew wondering what psychopath he was, why he murdered them and who paid in full. I wondered why my peaceful family of a father who worked with the Government Oil Regulation Agency, my mother who was a teacher in Agbabi Riverine area and my two promising siblings were murdered in cold blood. It was the beginning of the end.

I remember the stories of woe I read in primary school, years before the murder of my family and I conclude that we never feel the tragedy of loss by reading it. A tragic book is interesting when imagery is used to analyse suffering but it's awful when suffering is experienced in reality. No matter how well, the author can not fit the shoes of description if he has not experienced same.

  The hot slap landed on my cheeks as though I were another Jesus, taking the sins of the world. Caressing those cheeks turned another mistake as the full series of spontaneous slaps followed. Mami Kene as she was called is wife to my uncle who adopted me weeks after the cruelsome incident I suffered. However, she had not for once look with pity and count me as human.

Earlier this day, she had asked me to mop the floor which I had earlier done. I looked at the surface and saw barely no stain on it and wondered the need to do the mop again. It was then she hit me hard on the face. I could trace the map of Africa, intimately iinscribed by her palm on my face.

That was the least of punishments I received in that home. The only thing I however put in mind is the fact that one day, I would uncover the mystery of the person who paid in full, the price for the murder of my family. It was in this home that I finished my senior secondary school when my battles started in full...

The story in this article has replaced real names of persons and places. Any resemblance is not on purpose, should be taken lightly and the message should remain undistorted.

Opinion: The Child Who Did Not Cry

It was the day of my birth. I watched them silently as they hit me with great force. They slapped me on my chin, back and buttocks one after the other as an expert drummer would ram his konga drums, making sounds, unrhythymical.

I thought they were catching fun at my expense. I felt injury and pains. It was terrific. If this was how the sons of men were to treat me, then I would prefer to remain where I was accepted. The slaps increased.

I am a new born. At my birth, I had refused to drown in my own waters. Times before, I had visited here but left hurriedly; probably because I wanted to punish my family here or there, or wanted to check on this planet. There I was, a child of two worlds, I belonged to both.

I had lost count of times I'd journeyed through heaven and earth. This time, the midwives had slapped me over and over, making sure I cried to ascertain me alive. I refused to, I was not dead though. I looked into the eyes of the chief midwife... I was sure she was unfamiliar but could not saw if she was experienced or not- she must have seen the lines on my left foot.

Much wonder she knew little that I was an "ABIKU"

I am the child who did not cry
The one who did die
From thence till this while
I've given my mother much cry
I am not a still birthed child...
I am STILL BIRTH herself...

 

My first day on earth was terrible and the first week, hell, courtesy of every person I met from the occasion of my delivery. No thanks to them..

The medicine man placed the herb to the ground. He looked down into the small mirror placed opposite the bed where I laid. Then, He picked the local pencil in his left hand and a small knife in the right.

Loud cries proceeded from my mouth. He had made the first cut on my right cheek and rubbed the coaled ink off the pencil edge into the hole, drying up the blood and carefully making sure it dripped into a small calabash.
He soon made the second cut and another series of cries rolled out... I could not help it. Amidst tears, I watched him channel the drips of blood down to the small calabash.

“There are five things you need to know”, he told my mother. “Before we send him out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and he will remain with you till the day he wishes to die”

The next thing I heard was silence...

I am the child who did not cry
The one who did die
Who gave my mother much cry
I am not a still birthed child...
I am STILL BIRTH herself...

Fifteen years later...
My past has been plagued, my present, blasted and the future, opaque and bleak. I had just been released from prison... No! Not what you think- the government prison. It was actually a family prison, personal; the prison of my heart, where I was caged by the raging claws of consanguinity...
As freedom is slavery, I just did not know that I had come into a new rope. Probably this would tie me down into hell. In the last fifteen years of my life, I have been made into a young boy, excelling greatly amidst my peers and a seeming family of five children, all males. There was this peculiarity- we came in succession and after the order of history.
Obviously, I was a mysterious child; only little did know and I neither bothered to tell any who seemed ignorant.

15th September
Culture is the spring that has it's bounce, the proverbial ball that goes up and surely lands on people- it's remote victms. Today, I had my initiation ceremony... Not into a cult but into manhood. This very day was my circumcision. I felt lifted. Little did I know that...
I am the child who did not cry
The one who did die
Who gave my mother much cry
I am not a still birthed child...
I am STILL BIRTH herself...