AFTER THE STORM

I hope now that the Nigerian Presidential Elections Tribunal have dismissed the petitions of Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar,the Musa Yar'Adua led government will now give governance the required utmost attention.There is so much to be done.Nigerians are yearning for good governance.Enough of 'politrickings and 'polithiefings'.President Yar'Adua,this is your chance.Don't let it slip.

IMAGINE THIS!

The 2008 Commonwealth Writers' prize for the African region will be announced on 13 March 2008 in Kampala, Uganda.Nigeria has hopeful representations.Ifeoma Chinwuba's Waiting for Maria and Karen King Aribisala's The Hangman's game are vying for theBest Book category with four other South African Writers.Another Nigerian,Sade Adeniran has been shortlisted for the Best First Book category for her self published first Novel titled Imagine This.According to Sade,it took her 5 years to write the novel.'I can't quite believe in myself' an elated Sade could not hide her feelings.Sade,born of Nigerian parents in London,grew up in Nigeria,returned to the UK for her University education.Her first major break into the literary world came when BBC Radio 4 commissioned her first ever radio play 'Memories of a Distance past.' Imagine This is the story of Lola Ogunwale,who was dislocated from life in London,with her brother,Adebola when they were hurriedly moved to Lagos.The complexities of intergrating in Nigeria took its toll on her.''...Lola's journal is a search for love and acceptance,a compelling story about one girl's resilience against the odds,which culminated in the bittersweet fulfilment of a long held desire..''Sade explained.

In 2005,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie clinched the CWP Best First Book prize with her book,Purple Hibiscus.The rest,as they say is now history. I am already imagining Sade Adeniran re-enacting that feat.Goodluck Girl!!

(Sade's Picture courtesy of Molara Woods' www.wordsbody.blogspot.com)

DAVID MOYES vs THE YAKS vs NIGERIA FA

Everton's Manager,David Moyes have stirred the hornet's nest over his comment that seems to question the age of the club's top striker,Nigeria's Yakubu Aiyegbeni.After Yak scored a hat-trick in Everton's UEFA Cup 6-1 drubbing of SK Brann on thursday,Moyes told the London Guardian Newspaper that:''He's only 25,albeit a Nigerian 25,and so if that is his age,he still got a good few years ahead of him''

That comment didn't go down well with so many Nigerians.Some are already calling Moyes a 'racist'.The Nigerian FA is at the forefront of those calling for Moyes' head.NFA's spokesman,Ademola Olajire is spitting fire.According to him:''We don't take kindly to snide remarks about our players,or our nation and we have sent a strong-worded complaint to the English FA.We will go any lenght to ensure he is brought to book to explain his comment.'' A group called 'Concerned Nigerians' have called on Ambassador Dozie Nwanna,Nigeria's acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to immediately demand an apology from David Moyes. Already,Moyes has said that his quip on 'Yaks' was taken out of context.I don't know what is Yakubu's response to this controversy.I want to believe that the guy is keeping his cool.After the teams last UEFA's victory ,while Moyes mouth was 'parroting',Yak told Everton TV in an interview that :''The team is playing well and working hard for each other...we need to achieve something this season and we need to keep going.'' The stuffs of great sportsmen.

POSTSCRIPT TO FRIENDSHIP

Recollect those good growing up days when my late dad would 'drop' proverbs in between words.Dad was a typical Anwianvu (Etsako) man who, like those in the Achebean school of thoughts, saw proverbs as 'the palmoil with which words are eaten'.To butress a point either in private or public talks,my old man would dip into his arsenal of African proverbs. He readily had a proverb for any situation.Back then,in the late 80s and early 90s,He was the favourite speaker at events organised by Federal College Of Education (FCE),Kontagora,Rotary Club,Kontagora and Bendel State community,Kontagora in Niger State,Northern Nigeria.

The most interesting proverb my siblings and I enjoyed hearing from our Dad was this one in our Afemai dialect: 'O'kwhu e'ya yi'o egbe,o' sommi ni ono'r kwhu upko yi' egbe!.Translation: One who has people as cover,is better than one who is clothed! Back then,this seemed so funny.But today,when I realize how much I have benefitted from this concept of friendship,the true meaning of my Dad's proverbial saying dawns on me.Without friends,real good friends,we are nothing! I am always thankful to God for crossing my path with very wonderfully extra-ordinary friends in my everyday life,who have made so much difference.I can't stop imagining what life would have been without every single person who have at one time or the other been there with a smile,a hug,a pat,outstretched arms,advice and so much.To the biggest and best friend of them all-Don:Thanks for exemplifying the fact according to the Holy book that ''..a true friend loves more than a brother.''

BARAAACK OBAAA...!!

Kingsley 'The Duke' Ebigide,my good pal based in Calabar called me some few days back asking if I 'have registered'. 'For what?' I retorted. 'For the Barack Obama for President campaign' he replied. I simply smiled.In my mind I was thinking:'Which one concern me with Barack Obama and US Presidential election? Does Barack winning the Democratic ticket and going ahead to win the presidential election translate to plenty of food on my table,job availabilty;improved health and electricity provision;qualitative education;guaranteed security of lives and property? No doubt there is so much interest on the coming US presidential elections from our own part of the world,obviously for two reasons:Politics devoid of 'wuru-wuru' and the man called Obama.Most Afro-Americans and Africans would want Obama to be the next US President.But the truth is that an Obama presidency in America will not bring an end to the woes of Africa,even in Kenya where Obama's father came from.

FREEING FOUAD

A Casablancan court has sentenced a 26 year old Moroccan Computer Engineer,Fouad Mourtada (see picture) to a 3 year jail term plus a fine of $1,300 for ''villainous practices linked to the alleged theft ''of the identity of Prince Moulay Rachid,the younger brother of King Mohammed VI. Fouad had set up a Facebook profile in the name of Prince Moulay.Little did he know that this would land him in trouble.The young man was only trying to catch his fun doing what most of us enjoy doing-Blogging.Hear Fouad in his own words:

''I actually created this account on January 1, 2008.It remained online a few days before somebody closed it.There are so many profiles of celebrities on Facebook.I never thought that by creating this profile of his highness,Prince Moulay Rachid I am harming him in any way.I,as a matter of fact,did not send any message from that account to anyone.It was just a joke,a gag.I regret my gesture and beg for forgiveness from my whole family for the harm that I have caused them.I am not an evil doer;my ambition in life was simply to have a stable job and a normal life.''

Fouad claimed that he was tortured to the point where he lost conciousness, after his arrest on Tuesday,February 5th 2008.There have been calls for the release of this young man.An organisation named 'Committee of support for Fouad Mourtada' has called for a general mobilization for the freeing of Fouad by the Morrocan authorities.Early this week,some Moroccan Bloggers went on strike in protest of Fouad's arrest.They suspended their regular blog entries for 24 hours. You can visit www.helpfouad.com to sign a petition.

As a Blogger,the fate of Fouad calls for concern.Can't readily remember whom it was that said: ''...an injury to one,is an injury to all.'' That is exactly the way I am feeling.Fouad is a family member on bloggoville/bloggosphere.Hoping that pressure keeps mounting on the Moroccan authorities to free Fouad.

NATIONAL DRESS CODE?

The ridiculous bill presently before the National Assembly over a national dress code is generating so much controversy.I wonder why prescribing a national dress code should be of so much interest to the lawmakers at the National Assembly when Nigeria had since grounded to a halt.This feeling is best captured in the following comment by The Guardian and Nigerian leading columnist,Rueben Abati:
There are..weighty issues that Nigerians expect the National Assembly to address with greater vigour..why should anyone really bother about a national dress code? We should be more concerned about how to get our Hospitals to work,about how to fix the bad roads across the Nation,about how to upgrade the public school system..we shold be more concerned about the growing army of poor and disgruntled citizens,the menace of disguised unemployment and the rise of criminality.There is insecurity in the land.An exposed part of a female body will not bring down the nation but poverty and crimes are destroying the land..
Well said RA. Just hoping that some one up there is reading this.

FOOTBALL AS THE NEW OPIUM

Karl Marx talked about religion being the opium of the masses.I wonder what he will now say when he hears that Football is fast becoming a poisoned chalice.As at the last count,five people-four from Ghana and one from Nigeria died after the Quater final encounter between that country and Nigeria.Yesterday,Cameroon knocked out Ghana in one of the Semi-final matches.I know that so many Crazy Ghanian football fans will find this hard to believe.For the weak hearted:Please, remember that it is only a game.

KENYA AGAIN

I was extremenly happy when I read that a certain 'mad Dog'in the Kenyan police force who shot and killed two protesters, have been arrested and transfered to Nairobi where He is to appear in court.Some weeks back,I watched with utter shock as captured on KTV,how Constable Edward Kirui,during the last protest over electoral irregularities in Kisimu,Western Kenya,shot and felled two unarmed protesters:George Williams Onyango and Ishmel Chaha.He didn't stop at that.He went on to kick the fallen men.How callous can man be! Let justice take its course.
No doubt, we have worse men in the Nigerian Police Force than Constable Edward.There is need to give our policing a human face.Those who have the misfortune of getting into police palaver come out with very bitter tales.