Racism And The Conundrum Of Identity

Opinion Pieces2 Comments

 

The French Ambassador to the United States recently expressed his displeasure about famous comedian and host of the Daily Talk Show, Trevor Noah, arrogating the French national team’s World Cup win to Africa. The players are fully French and should not be associated with Africa in any way, was pretty much the summary of his letter to Noah. It didn’t matter that almost 70 per cent of them were Blacks whose parents or grandparents had migrated from several African countries. Apart from Noah’s brilliant response to the ambassador’s protest, the issue has once again brought up the question of identity, how it is perceived and what its implications are for an individual ora group of people.

2019: The Mind Shift Nigerians Need

Politics/Governance6 Comments

 

The Ekiti Gubernatorial elections have come and gone, but the revelations that were made before, during and after the civil exercise should be a source of worry for any well-meaning Nigerian. The keenly contested race between Prof Olusola Eleka of the PDP and Dr Kayode Fayemi of the APC threw up many unwholesome practices that do not bode well for the electoral future of Nigeria. As early as the wee hours of election day, news already began to filter in about the massive vote-buying embarked upon by the two major political parties.

In All You Get, Get Gutsy

Inspiration6 Comments

 

Recently, a cab driver hit on me. It wasn’t a shy, can-we-be-friends-first-and-then-you-know-maybe-something-can-happen-from-there kind of hitting on. It was a full-blown, I-really-like you-and-would-like-to-date-you-and possibly-marry-you kind of hitting on. It was cute. A tad annoying, but cute. He had been sent to pick me up for an appointment of sorts, and I had every right to be upset by his utterances. He was being unprofessional and if I had reported him to his employers, he may have been heavily reprimanded or even lost his job. But aside the slight the irritation I initially felt, I admired his courage. I was impressed with his guts and it got me thinking…

What Is The Value Of A Nigerian Life?

Opinion Pieces6 Comments

The image above not only represents the heart-rending inferno that consumed some commuters in Lagos last week, it could also pass for the current state of the Nigerian nation. On Saturday, a young man, in an apparent demonstration of his dissatisfaction with the chaotic and saddening reality of the country, stood at the Maryland intersection holding up a signage that asked the government of the day either shape up and fix Nigeria like they were elected to do or resign. He stood there almost all day, alone and stoic in his one-man peaceful protest, braving the odds. When the pictures began to make the rounds on social media, one would have expected everyone to laud his initiative and courage, but that was not the case. Rather, some of the same youths who have been clamouring for a revolution opined he was only wasting his time and would soon tire out.