Dare Devil Stowaway Boy

Lagos,Igbos, and the Reality

Does the Nigeria constitution allow for the deportation of fellow citizens from one state to the citizens' home state? I believe not. Nigeria is a federation that gives her citizens the inalienable right to live anywhere within the federation. Before the recent hoopla regarding the deportation of people of Igbo extraction to Anambra there have been numerous cases of deportation which did not garner much public attention and noise.Beggars of Northern extraction have always been routinely sent back to their home states via the railways and other modes of transportation. As much as the assertion of Mr Femi Fani Kayode raised some hackles(mostly in the East), the Ibo response is also instructive. The kernel of the Ndi Igbo response is that since the Ibos contributed and are contributing in no small measure to making Lagos what it is today they also share in the Lagos Yoruba patrimony.

The deported Ibos

In Nigeria of today irrespective of how ,long you stayed or contributed to a locality you may not be accepted or fielded as a candidate for an elected office representing that area. You will always be asked to go to your state of origin in order to fulfill your political aspiration. Your 'state of origin' is also a prominent field in any form you need to fill in Naija. Don't also forget the quota system where you are employed based on the quota allocated .The states go to the center cap in hand every month end to collect their allocations(read handouts).The above examples are just to show that the so called Nigeria Federation exists only on paper. It bears no relation to the realities on ground. All these examples are antithetical to the letter and spirit of federalism. The recent action of Lagos state should therefore be situated in the light of our so called federalism. As long as the constitution status quo remains Igbos can not lay claim to Lagos patrimony. Hence the call for a Sovereign Nation Conference to discuss the terms and conditions of our collective future.

Obadare's burial cost

Obadare’s burial gulped N96m, reveals first son Pastor Paul Obadare.

He declared that the casket in which the corpse was buried cost N5 million while N61 million was spent on the construction a mausoleum,where the late seer was interred. A whopping N30 million was also spent on entertainment.Pray,to what end is this declaration. Should we clap or weep?The late prophet would have loved his people to spend this huge amount on feeding the hungry and needy.I know he used to feed people free of charge at his numerous religious gatherings. A little humility would not hurt the prophet's scion i believe.

Anyway, food for thought.

Obadare's burial cost

Obadare’s burial gulped N96m, reveals first son Pastor Paul Obadare.

He declared that the casket in which the corpse was buried cost N5 million while N61 million was spent on the construction a mausoleum,where the late seer was interred. A whopping N30 million was also spent on entertainment.Pray,to what end is this declaration. Should we clap or weep?The late prophet would have loved his people to spend this huge amount on feeding the hungry and needy.I know he used to feed people free of charge at his numerous religious gatherings. A little humility would not hurt the prophet's scion i believe.

Anyway, food for thought.

Naija and Religion

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people"- Karl Marx(1844). Trust naija to always pray where the situation demands action. 'Nigeria prays' is a pet project of former Head of State Yakubu Gowon.Two days ago he said with prayers Nigeria will not break up in 2015. The reason why people are saying naija will break up should be tackled and not simply resorting to prayers.The West do not pray much yet they have functioning societies. While our 'leaders' are milking the country dry he says we should pray. No wonder our churches and mosques are bursting at the seams with worshippers. The prayer points mostly are issues that could be solved with a little bit of action. Problems with the in-law,jobs,witches,sickness,etc. Sickness mostly caused by malaria in turn caused by mosquitoes caused by blocked drainages and bad environmental hygiene, lack of awareness etc. Virtually all problems in Naija can be solved by a purposeful political class. The prayer points of worshippers are MARKEDLY different from those of their counterpart in these developed climes. Here, religion is being used mainly to hide the hurt and the pains of reality.Religion is increasingly used as an expression of material realities and economic injustice used by leaders to give the downtrodden a feel good feeling. We are still operating at the basics of human development unfortunately. We have a large quantity of gas yet the populace still gathers firewood to cook. We are daily being exhorted to pray while the looters are daily smiling to their banks. Talk of religion being the opium of the people. The people are daily been brutalised by the police, uniformed officers, leaders in mufti etc and still we must pray. Advocates of praying say without prayers of Naija things would have been worse. But can things get any worse? Or how much worse can worse get?