MANDELA: A TROUBLEMAKER INDEED!

       What life is more valuable than one we live for others? The most important life is the one lived after one’s death. But Nelson Mandela is living his life so firmly for others even at the ripe age of ninety four. He lived yesterday; living today and will still live tomorrow for his love and passion for humanity. One can’t hold back  tears at the recorded video of the struggle to liberate the black Africans from the Afrikaners who ruled the country in the pre-1994 South African era. From the first television interview he granted in 1961 to his sojourn in Robben Island for over 27 years and then back to his days as the first Black President of the country, it was really a long walk to freedom.

   Born Rolinlahla Mandela in 18^th July 1918, Mandela has married three times. First to Evelyn Ntoko Mase between 1944 and 1957, Winnie Madikizela [1957-1996] and Grace Machel [1998-Present],. Mandela was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage.He pleaded guilty for saboteur because he was ready to stand for what he believed in. He was not after any material thing because he was born into a royal house and could get anything he wanted. His grandfather was the king of the Thembu people and his name ‘Roliinlahla’ means ‘troublemaker’. Thus he never ceased to make trouble with the white supremacists that denied blacks their rights to equal treatment.

   This ‘troublemaker’ started his trouble when he became involved in a Students’ Representative Council boycott against University policies and was told to leave Fort or accept the draconian policies against black students. He opted for the former of course and abandoned his education for principles he believed in. He later studies for a Bachelor of Law, University of London,  External Programme when he was in prison.

   The video of the killings of black Africans in the country was an eyesore. There were a lot of protests across the world to condemn this inhuman treatment. Mandela first led a peaceful protest in Mahtma Ghandi of India’s style to a fruitless point before he decided to opt for armed anti-apartheid campaign in 1961 which, to him, was the last resort. The ‘Umkhonto We Sizwe’ wing of African Nation Congress resulted in violent struggle against the white dominated Afrikaner’s National Party.

    Mandela is a leader who accepted his failure in paying attention to HIV/AIDS scourge when he was the president. The failure claimed the life of his first son, Makgatho Mandela, who died of the disease in 2005.

     There are lessons to be learnt from this man who created 46664 as a global HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign. He derived the number from his prison number 466 and the year 1964. The shameful fact is that African leaders don’t take any cue from responsible and down to heart leaders like Mandela. They prefer to take cues from leaders like Mobutu, Idi-Amin, Doe, Abacha, and other sit-tight rulers.  

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CRUDE OIL THEFT IN NIGERIA

         It’s no more a news that Nigeria is the only oil producing country where oil is being stolen by sea pirates. The oil theft in the country is estimated at about 9.6 billion naira [64 million Dollars] yearly. What a great loss!        It’s only in Nigeria that oil minister denies knowledge of theft in her backyard even at the expense of suffering masses who buy the same oil at a very exorbitant price.

  This theft involves the high profile individuals who have wherewithal to steal when the security agencies look the other way round. Our confused president does not have the political will to fight this corruption in the oil sector as he does not have it in other sectors. It’s called a ‘corporate’ stealing because the thieves are the high and mighty who can afford to buy the ships, bribe the oil experts and handle other logistics. The marine police, the navy and the soldiers, who are supposed to be responsible for the security, onshore and offshore, have been compromised.

  Mr. President told Nigerians that Islamic Fundamentalists, BokoHaram and their insurgency, were going to be stopped. He said he was ‘on top of it’ but till today, the Islamist have become more dreaded in Northern part of the country and no action has been taken by our dear president but fruitless steps for negotiation. Two lawmakers were recently killed while attending a mass burial programme for over hundred people killed the previous day! It’s in Nigeria that a lawmaker and a popular businessman who were involved in bribery scandal will still walk free on the street because our law separate the elites from the masses.

  Our president is always ‘on top of it’ but no action is taken. Curbing corruption needs transparency but not when ‘the top’ is corrupt. This oil theft is truly a bad news and Nigerians really need a leader who would be truly ‘on top of it’

METAMORPHOSIS OF NIGERIAN MUSIC GENRES

 We used to have music with good stories when we were growing up in the 1980s and early 1990s. Musicians like Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Ayinla Omowura, Haruna Ishola and host of others sang for primarily didactic function. when we heard those songs, we get one or two messages about living positively. They taught people how to live life with in moderate and not to do more than your financial power and capacity can reach. They taught women how to live with men without having domestic problems every time; they also told young ones that education is the only way out of poverty and ignorance. All these lessons from their music went along with good rhythm and heavy percussion. This means that wee were educated and entertained.
   Nigeria music genres have changed from this form of good story to 'pleasure minded' lyrics. Children these days can't master the lyrics because they don't know what the musicians are saying. They do not know whether they [musicians] are speaking English, French, Yoruba, Hausa or Ibo. All they are after is that the performer should be funny enough to make them laugh and dance. No wonder why our moral values have been compromised in the place of pleasure. Musicians these days use foul and outdated words these days not because they want to contribute their quotas to the development of culture and way of life but because they want to sell their record and CDs by all means. It is un-African for a musician and his dancers to come out in nudity while shooting their video. This is out-rightly immoral!
    The cause of this problem should also be shared by the Nation Film and Video Censor Board and Nigeria Communication Commission who do not match their words with actions. They always mandate these musicians to write the popular warning of  'adult only' on their CDs but you hardly see such warning on any CD! Our television and radio station play obscene videos regardless of time. Many young children watch those videos even in the presence of the parents and nobody talks! A Lagos television station shows those kind of video from 12pm to 2pm everyday and they call it 'Music Africa'. I can't see anything Africa in such videos of nudity.
  They repercussion is now manifesting. Our young ones are now acting out the violence they see on television and hear on radio. May God help us!
          

GOOD GRADES FOR SALE IN NIGERIA

    When Joy was offered admission to study Drama and Theatre Arts at The University of Ibadan, little did she know that she would stay there for only one year instead of four years that it takes  a student to complete the course. She had AI  in English Language, B2 in Mathematics,  B2 in Literature-In-English, A1 in Government and A1 in a Nigerian language, Yoruba in her O'level examinations conducted by West African Examination Council. She also scored 275 out of 400 marks at stake in Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination [UTME] conducted in Nigeria before admission and placement. The funny part of her story was that she couldn't cope with rigorous academic works and assignments in the university after her high grades in secondary school. She was advised to withdraw after a year in school!
   Examination malpractices have become an open business in Nigeria. Students buy O'Level and UTME results with their cash not their academic ability. The 'agents' who 'coordinate'  the business of buying and selling of 'grades' between the students[or many times their parents] and the teachers make fortune in every examination period when they collect fees ranging from 8000 Naira[ 54 Dollars]  or more from the candidates in exchange for five credits in examination!
    'Special hall' is the code name for the room where solutions are either dictated or written on the board for those students who have paid for such services while 'General hall' is for students who  have refused to pay maybe due to financial incapacitation or personal decision not to be involved in examination malpractices.
  Examination results do not portray true academic abilities of students anymore in Nigeria.The reason being that those that pay for examination sharp practice get higher grades than those that write based on their abilities.
   Unemployment is the major reason for examination malpractices. Teachers that engage in this act are frustrated youths who graduates without jobs. Teachers in private schools in this country are graduates of Engineering, Accounting, Mass Communication,Philosophy and could not find jobs where they are supposed to be and ended up in educational sector where there is no regulatory policy; where the owner of the school just take the advantage to pay them megre salaries ranging from 12000 naira [80 Dollars] to 20000 naira [134 Dollars]. These category of teachers will always find succour in examination malpractice. Teachers i\n government-owned schools are not better off as the so called political office holders treat them with kid gloves.

   It is in Nigeria that parents go straight to bribe teachers to help him/her adjust their children's marks because they do not want them to 'waste' their time. The problem is societal in the sense that nobody wants to waste his time in such country where students graduates ten years without any job. The problem we have now has put our future in jeopardy because it is now a situation whereby most graduates of Nigerian universities can't boast of mastery of English Language's lexis and structure as the official mean of communication in the country.          
 

YOUTH CORPS MEMBERS FOR MARTIAL TRAINING

         National Youth Service Corps [NYSC] is a programnme created by General Yakubu Gowon administration in early 70s to bring about unity and togetherness among Nigerians especially after the civil war of 1967-1970. It is  compulsory for graduates of Nigerian universities and polytechnics to serve their fatherland for one year. The only exemption are over thirty years graduates and those that are sick. Pregnant and married women are always given concession to serve where their hubbies live for conveniences. The programme is fashioned out of those of American Uninformed Service Universities [USU] where graduates of medicine and medical sciences  help in health sector and National Military Service .
        Though countries like USA may be achieving their aim of establishing such youth service programmes but Nigeria is far from achieving such aims.Grauates here come out of school with uncertain tomorrow! The government even compound their problem with one year aimless youth service programme that lacks any clear-cut focus. They leave the camp to join the teeming unemployed graduates in the labour market thus contributing negatively to our economy. This is very discouraging!
     The introduction, by the NYSC Directorate in Ogun State , of martial arts training for corps members posted to the state and also followed by Anambra state Directorate has left much to be desired. Our government has jettisoned and dumped the primary aims of NYSC which are to promote the country's unity and to enhance cultural diversities, for concern for personal securities of members of this supposed-to-be-noble organisation. The powers-that-be know that the lives of these youths are not safe in their country where they are supposed to walk and live anywhere without let or hindrance.

    Why is it that a Nigerian is not free in his country? why should we have to result to means of self defence in the country we call our own? Some member of NYSC have been killed by either the community restive youth or the terrorist group called 'Boko Haram' especially in the Northern part of Nigeria. The only compensation given to their relatives was one million naira[about $6667 ] each for the loss of their loved ones. These people toiled to send their children to school from primary  to university level  before they were killed by their supposed-to-be-brothers while serving their fatherland . The mutual understanding and harmony that are the primary objectives of this programme is losing their values. Nigerians from different tribes and religion don't seem to be comfortable with one another.  Ethnic sentiment is now the order of the day. Nigeria is going to survive this her turbulent period and a patriotic citizen of this country should agree with me.