Month: September 2024

From William Bascom, American folklorist and anthropologist, I got a Yoruba story. It is here retold, substantially in my own words, in some areas using his words: A certain Chief Lowa was careless with his tongue. Every priest has a priest; Lowa’s own warned him to be careful so that his mouth would not disgrace him. Chief said he had grown taller than disgrace; he was too surefooted to be put to shame. Because he had money and medicine in super abundance, he thought there was nothing he said or…

It is God who gives babies. It is the God-assigned duties of parents to nurse and nurture those babies into adulthood. It is a long journey, onerous task to grow babies into adults. Every parent, every aunt and uncle knows that that long journey is bumpy, painful and lonely. Many times we stumble. Many times we get it right. Occasionally parents fail, sometimes woefully. Sometimes because they did not do the right thing at the right time or failed altogether to do anything. Sometimes, circumstances just work against both parents…

The United Nations General Assembly UNGA, a global program usually held in September of every year to review and brainstorm on development on the developing and amd underdeveloped countries, particularly the third world countries is scheduled to commence soon with Nigeria in full participation.   This is coming at the backdrop of the grand launching at UNGA 77 of the Internal National Financing Framework INFF , a program that will guarantee the provision for funds and financing for the development outside the public funds by the Nigeria’s SDGs leadership, under…

No doubt, photographs evoke metaphors, imageries and diverse interpretations. Imagery was evoked in my mind as I read President Bola Tinubu’s remarks during his recent adventure to China. He spoke while addressing Nigerians living in that country. “Nigeria is going through reforms, and we are taking very bold and unprecedented decisions. For example, you might have been hearing from home in the last few days about fuel prices. But, can we help it?” the president said cavalierly like a cruel surgeon about to dissect a patient to whom he had…

Nigeria is at the moment in a precarious position, teetering like a heavy toddler due to the instability of its monocrop economy. The country’s heavy dependence on crude (not even refined) petroleum exports exposes a cumulative effect of defective political economies and the complacency of the ruling elite _“who have been trained as to how not to think”._ It also reminds one of the stage-like observations of Robert Nester Marley, that _“in the midst of water, the fool goes thirsty”._ Nigeria’s reliance on oil can be diversified, but the elite’s…