SUPER EAGLES, TWITTER AND THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE: NO GOOD RESULT

Living is generally difficult, but living in Nigeria is another reality. Everyone is angry at one thing or the other. I am not just talking about those on the streets but every single Nigerian living within the shores of this country who has a good idea of how this country works. The fundamental cause of all the problems we have is bad leadership and of course NEPA or whatever it is called these days. These problems in any other country of similar status would be embroiled in a major war or invasion from Europe or The USA but we are Naija and “we don see tings”. Lagos is just a mad house on its own and we Lagosians are so accustomed to the constant madness that its absence is never craved. We long for the fight between the conductor and the “agberos” at the bustop, or the police vs Army fight, or the Lastma vs Other Government officers fight. We long for the opportunity to cross the express when the pedestrian bridge is not far off just because the bridges are too steep or shaky. We rely on what we have and expect it to be enough. We expect the Super Eagles to fight for wages and still go on to win the world cup simply because we are Nigerians. We would love the first Lady to come on air and lament the display of the super eagles so we can have something else to laugh at, like she hasn't done enough already. Our missing girls are still missing and we are waiting for Jack Bauer and co to go capture the Militants threatening our country’s sovereignty. Nigerians are just proudly frustrated and all these episodes are ways to channel these frustrations. We do not expect the government to proffer any long term solution or any solution at all for that matter. We have given the government plenty of occasions to prove that they are a government and not a cabal of cake hungry politicians, they have failed miserably and so we know we can’t do anything to them. They are like military men in civilian uniforms and we see it as a "no alternative" government because the military in military uniform will Jail you for hash tagging an officers name. At least we have freedom of speech in this government. So if Jonathan doesn't bring back our girls or the super eagles disappoint in the world cup, whether it is their fault or the fault of unseen circumstances, we take out our collective frustration on whichever scapegoat comes our way. This is our means of escape from the ever increasing sources of anger, twitter, BBM, Facebook. We rant and rant until whoever we have marked has committed suicide then we collectively blame social media and the devil.

So to my fellow countrymen, be careful of the numerous frustrated people out there. They prey on your weaknesses and failure and exploit your silence. They hide behind hash tags on social media to vent their national disappointment. We know it is the fault of the government and we know the government is not a person so we look for the most recent “F-UP” and label them. This won’t solve the problem in anyway, just like the National Conference wont, but we do it anyways and delight in the activity devoid of results. This is the Naija way. For now we try to change it as we live with it. I am rather sure we won’t always need a committee to seat before a solution is proffered to the why we are not a world power or No. 1 in FIFA ranking. The Blame game however is not the way to go but as the saying goes "na u get ur mouth"

Chances lost

I saw her for the first time in 21 years. I did not believe that I'd still recognize her, especially as I wasn't expecting to see her. Not at that moment, not like that. It was a very crowded bus stop and she just appeared like a vision before me. She had grown up a lot and a lot of her features had considerably matured. She was now a woman. The innocence was no longer in her eyes like I knew it back then. It was neither in mine. I knew we both had changed, I hoped I would not recognize her again but her eyes had not lost its glimmer. After all these years I could still remember those eyes. In the midst of my uncertainty and dilemma I just stood there and did nothing as she walked past me. She couldn't recognize me or was she just exhausted from a busy day at work? Whatever it was that happened in that moment, I let her pass me by. I could have called out her name and maybe then she would recognize me and run into my arms and say "oh, I have been waiting for this day" or something of the like. I just watched her pass, I could have done the spooky thing and follow at a safe distance to locate her house or destination. I assumed she would always come through this route for some reason I can't make sense of now but after 3 years of going to that bus stop by 2.pm everyday hoping to see her again, I guess I will never get another chance to see her. I can only console myself that it was never meant to be. I have lost the opportunity to meet my IFUNANYA.

Super Eagles, Brazil and Pharell Williams "Happy".

Goals in every match till the super Eagles came along, many super Eagles die hard fan will say that it was bound to happen at some point, but the regular sense of reason will ask the Balotelli question, "why always me?" , me in this case being the Nigerian team currently at Brazil. Many will continue to argue we could do better and I won't argue with that philosophy, we should always believe that we can even if we know it is mightily steep, the odds stacked against us. I would have been dancing to a "happy" titled song if that draw was against the mighty Argentina but I will still save that dance for the last match against Argentina, why? Because I believe we can still get a good performance and an even better result against the star studded Argentine team. First up though is the debutants. Looks a difficult task and ask seeing how the Bosnian team played in their last match but we are naija and we are super. Bosnia and Herzegovina had better be afraid. We don't fly in Iran but we cruise in Europe and as no one is writing Spain off, watch out for Nigeria.
Meanwhile, i'd keep listening to Sergio Mendes rendition of "masqenada" till after the game with Argentina.

And a few days later we are in the second round. do we stand a chance against the French? one way to fine out. We beat them and they g home otherwise we play our hearts out.

RICH KID POOR KID

This is not like the rich dad poor dad episode, this is the reality of some lives around you, all over the world. This is the evidence of polarity and discrimination that can never be erased or destroyed, at least not in our life time. Not because we (this generation and many generations before ours) have not tried, but simply because it is what it is. This is life.

RICH KID:

Goes to the best schools available from infancy, intelligence is not in question, he excels, some say because of the enabling environment he finds himself in, others, because he is naturally gifted and still others because his parents have paid the price and bought excellence for him. He graduates at a very young age because his schools do not go on strike and comes back to the country to integrate and know his roots and his people. He is extravagantly rewarded on his return, with a certificate in hand, the minimum requirement for any graduate, but he has more. Even when he was “abroad” he won several local and international scholarships, many would say he didn’t deserve it or more importantly, he didn’t need it. He got it nonetheless. His return is coloured with fun-fare and a contract of employment in one of the top companies in the industry of his interest. The top of his worries is the traffic and the harshness of the Nigerian sun on his very delicate skin.

POOR KID:

Attends a public school until the level of corruption in it pushes his parents to withdraw him from the public school to a very expensive private school in the country. After a few years he drops out because his parents can no longer afford the fees. He manages to seat for entrance examinations to the unity schools with affordable fees although it is very far-away from home. He survives the harshness of the local boarding school system and is successful in all his certificate exams. His return home is greeted with a list of expectations as his parents have both retired from the country’s civil service and are expecting their pension and gratuity (if it ever comes). He scores high in the matriculation exam, but he knows no one in the university admin office to push his admission through even after he scored way above the schools cut off mark. He finally gets the admission albeit after 3 attempts to study the course of his dreams. His stay in school is frustrated by lack of infrastructure, strikes and lecturers trying to sell hand-outs to pass their course. He survives this and graduates. The expectations are even higher from home but he knows now that he has to get, not just any job but a good job to take of his ageing and ailing parents and to elevate his status. Maybe he would break in to the elite group and buy a house on the island or ikoyi. The top of his worries? How long will he have to continue like this?

It is not a level playing ground. Never was and never will. Strength, however is required to break in to the upper echelons of the society and more strength to remain there. 

Be

What to be
Its easy
Good or bad
Evil is much deeper
But only one
Not both
Good is good
Bad is good
Evil is better
Be good
Or be evil
Be the best however
At being whatever
But be
The good in evil
Or the evil in good
There is no middle ground
Be