Rhetorics! Rhetorics!!!
Name calling cast aspersion on your person @Inno.
Where are the solutions? Are parts of the body not worse than the head? The pen almost became a broomstick in 16 years but in 1 we suddenly want to make it mightier than the gun...
Write all you can, blow all the grammar, until we bring real solutions to our own lives/families and go ahead to touch our communities with solutions; corruption are us!
The UN has been there forever yet they churn out more documents than developments. The same UN employs volunteers who they pay stipends and interns they pay nothing! A UN staff once got me to do her job! Enslavement in the corridors of high power. That is a story for someone to investigate. Who knows, you could be the next Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalist of the Year.
The BRT ticket issuer only sells to those willing to let go of N10 change (you wouldn't know because you probably have never cared to ride on one), who has carried a placard? Ambode hosts, abi na attend, a party of a known Lagos Island area father leaving mayhem behind his largesse, who wrote about it.
Today is better than yesterday (my candid opinion), we have the media, #tags, @tags etc... Use them! There was a silly advert within NNPC advertising crude or so in a neighbouring country, we brought it down with Twitter!
What is this forum for? Where are the rules of engagement? If bashing, I am out! I am administrator for a group that had over 1500 members on whatsapp, we trimmed it down to about 200 praying daily for Nigeria and 300 coming up with constructive ways to support change and governance. We booted out those who were only interested in deriding those in government and politicians. If bashers were useless in the last 16 years, of what use would they be now.
As small as we are, we create solutions. A member was robbed, another member who has connections to high ranking police officers got on board to ensure justice. We investigate and pull down hoaxes... We mobilise investigative journalists to do real stories. I write and publish stories and rejoinders in papers. We, like the Jews, patronise each other in business. We organise skill training workshops. During fuel scarcity, I never bought above pump price because a member is always there to help. I still have not bought at the new pump price! But I will, I will rather pay forward development than keep eating the future of generations yet unborn.
We eat nonesense food on airlines, what do we do? We shrugg our shoulders and book business class the next time! Are we for real? We ought to be part of change and governance...
As I step into cabs, I warn the driver, "You break traffic lights, you lose a percentage of your fare because you would be putting my life at risk!" None has ever broken traffic light. I give a material to my tailor and make him sign a contract that if he doesn't bring it back on agreed date, there would be a percentage loss. After he suffered it twice, I blacklisted him to save myself the stress. I can still hear his plea when after one year he realised he was no longer getting my business, "Madam, I have changed, I even went for deliverance!" 😃
What solutions do we bring to the table? The better life we crave for is not for the government, it is for the electorate. We handed them better life when we voted them in!
We complain but how many of us use made in Nigeria products, patronise our onidiris and aladiagbons (local hairstylists and coconut oil sellers), teach our children local language and indigenous values... What schools do we send our children? The ones with American or British curriculum! My baby was compelled to speak Yoruba because morning devotions, including reading the Bibeli, had to be done in that sacred language! Solutions.
@Inno You wasted my resources (time and energy) with your blank sheet! If this government has not worked for you, don't use it as reason to make me waste data scrolling only to realise a dry joke has just been played on my intelligence! Na me offend you?
Misplaced aggression! That is why we have bh and nd avengers (neither deserve to be written in capital letters).
Some years ago, I visited a community in Akwa Ibom, where Exxonmobil had a facility. The community had free electricity supply 24/7 and free schools till primary or secondary level. Guess what? The residents left their lights on 24/7 and many youths preferred to mount road blocks for peanuts than go to school! How so sad.
Few years later, I met a guy in my masters class in the US. He was sponsored fully a la oil and gas money. He spent quite some time learning to use the computer; many who couldn't did not gain admission. Yet he, who was sponsored to better the life of people from his side, was an advocate for not returning to NG. He did everything including searching for a white babe to marry to secure his stay!
The other day I flew from USA to NG with less than $10! How? Policy says airline can't transfer my husband's miles to me, but research made me realise miles don't expire and info from a well meaning airline staff made me understand that if I can gain access to his mileage account, I can use the miles directly. So, I gained access. Solutions!
What access can we collectively muster on this forum? I know the VP personally but knowing that I am more interested in change and good governance, the only personal favour I have asked till date, through his pastors, was that he gave the sermon at the funeral of his friend, my husband.
My husband returned on his invitation to contribute his quota to the development of our nation. Our medical system killed him even before he could get a salary. I lost my mother to bad road which led to bad traffic and a dear son to medical ineptitude during GEJ's tenure. Am I bitter, what do you think? But bitter doesn't make problems better!
Each time I see PYO, I tell him the heart of the people and he shares the heart of the government... Our previous discussion was about the west jumping on the climate change wagon with no recourse to paying forward their degradation of our environment. Yet, coal is a major resource we have in Africa. Then what?
Last week PYO held a garden hangout with bloggers, even naij that is anti government was not left out.
Bring on your solutions! We may not all be able to have a private chat with PMB or PYO but we can take a child off the street, support an orphanage, we can rehabilitatte a drug addict or send an area boy into some kind of apprenticeship, we can mobilise effort to clean our street, we can take a minute to snap the image of a police taking bribe and make it go viral, we can share life saving info and ideas on how to live better in this recessed economy charting the course to a brighter future (I believe).
Solutions, bring them on and I'll be reading.
I recently found out about Uber. Before then airport taxis fleeced me! When I decide not to be fleeced, I take a stroll away from airport zone and pick a cab for far less. With Uber I paid 1.6k on return and lesser going. Same airport in Ikeja airport taxis charge 4k at least for! A friend was charged 9k from Maryland to Epe! A Jonny jus' land Nigerian 😊. But I need to research Uber. If the drivers are being fleeced then I have made my life better but contributed to make theirs worse.
Few years ago, I was able to ensure on-time salary payment by cutting down on frivolous request from staff who wanted 10k both ways for airport and at least 30k per night for Abuja hotels! Of course they were covered once they provided receipts! Even if we all know how so easy it is to fashion out receipts! Before my entry, they got what they wanted but were not getting their salaries when due. I arrived at an average rate, cancelled the need for receipt; they grumbled but it was a solution that worked without killing or giving the company a bad name. For the first time in the history of the company, we held a party at year end and gave gifts! I heard the tradition has continued.
I went to LASUTH and was given a one month wait for my next appointment. I may be dead by then I thought. Private hospitals were charging between 500k and 1M
for the medical care I needed. The lady clerk stylishly copied my phone number from the record book. She wondered why a tush me came to LASUTH and made some remarks which should have earned me a call later and better treatment. Unfortunately I gave an inactive number. I later found out the contact of the doctor I was scheduled to see. Once she established I was no mole, she was willing to see me privately for times 5-10 of what I would have paid in LASUTH. It was easy to see her as the problem but the real issue is that LASUTH has just one surgical centre for gynae issues and all the consultants must wait their turn. So how do we arrive at a solution? Can we get private institutions to sponsor medical centres or partner with doctors in exchange for tax break?
There are changes I am personally yearning for and this aint rocket science - no more asking for bribes by our police, custom, immigration etc. Flat or average rate for cabs etc. Neat streets such that folks can't just park or trade anywhere, children and challenged folks off street trading or begging... Legal process for obtaining passport, drivers license etc.
The other day someone arranged for me to get a driver's license. I went with my USA license since I couldn't find the previous "paper" NG one, I knew there would be no electronic record and I felt I needed to prove I was legally able to drive. The officer I was referred to did not as much as look at my USA license. He said to me, because of a new rule you need 4 weeks of driving lesson so we can't capture your image now, since you already drive, we will just wait it out. Write your details on that paper... After I gave him the money I was waiting patiently for receipt. He said madam that is all! I stepped out of his office to call my contact to report that I wasn't given a receipt. He giggled at my seeming lack of understanding of the NG way of doing things and said, no need. Just go back in 4-6 weeks your license will be ready! I was shocked. What if I had never driven? What if address and name I gave were wrong? After 6 weeks, I went and was told there is a new law so license issuance is on hold because they now want to make it 3 years or so... No proof that I am part of a process and have legally not been issued a license due to policy! One police may stop and search and try to fleece me...
Let's come up with white papers as a group, let's call press conferences, let's organise placard walks, let's demand that the government carry the people along (they have fallen short in this regard), let us host town hall meetings where the people can bring their issues to reps of the government or leaders of parastatals, let's use our broadcast might to push follow through here and there, let's use every opportunity to share the sense that can push for change and good governance. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WhDOVERcS9Q.
Talk is cheap. Action is a verb!
Good morning! Good people!!!
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