The 30-minute documentary “Fuelling Poverty” chronicles the protests, which took place in January 2012, as well as takes a critical stance on poverty and corruption in Nigeria. After the film premiered in December 2012 in the capital city of Abuja, director Ishaya Bako submitted it to Nigeria's National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) for approval.

News website Premium Times reported that not only did the board ban the documentary, it also warned Bako in an April 8, 2013 letter from attempting to release it independently:

But in an April 8 letter to Mr. Bako, exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES Friday, the agency prohibited the distribution and exhibition of the documentary in Nigeria, saying its contents “are highly provocative and likely to incite or encourage public disorder and undermine national security.”

The letter, signed by the NFVCB’s Head of Legal Services, Effiong Inwang, warned the film maker against violating the order, saying “all relevant national security agencies are on the alert. A copy of this letter has been sent to the Director General, Department of State Services and the Inspector General of Police for their information.”

The entire documentary, which has more than 43,000 views, is available on YouTube:

The government's decision to do away with a fuel subsidy just after the New Year holiday in 2012 under the pretense that it wanted to free up funds for other development projects caused gas prices to to increase by between 120 and 220 percent for the country's already poor population. The Occupy Nigeria movement was quickly organized to protest the move. The protest took different forms in various places: marching and chanting anti-government songs on major streets, blocking of highways, converging in a park where various civil society groups and celebrities addressed the protesters who afterwards were entertained by musicians.

The blog Africa is a Country took a look at the documentary's content:

Kicking off with an introduction from Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, the short documentary Fuelling Poverty amounts to a very brief Nigerian Fuel Subsidy 101 course. In thirty minutes, it covers the history of the issue and methodically explains how the government (encouraged by the IFIs, by the way) failed its people. By removing the subsidy as it did, the government shocked the informal economy and made life more miserable for a huge segment of the population. Subsequent investigations into the complex workings of the subsidy regime revealed a massive corruption cover-up to the tune of US $7 billion annually.

Written by Ishaya Bako, produced by Oliver Aleogena, and funded by the Open Society Institute for West Africa, Fuelling Poverty looks good, sounds good, and says all the right things. Its interviews, featuring those affected by the subsidy removal and those that participated in Nigeria’s nationwide protests in January 2012, are affecting. The fuel subsidy was, as the film argues, the only real social spending the government did. Its removal cast a wide net.

Occupy Nigeria Logo (Courtsey: Nigerianstalk.com)

The Nigerian blogosphere has been abuzz since the news of the the film's censorship was made public. With stiff opposition to the news.

Eze Onyekpere, a Nigerian lawyer and social commentator, wrote in an op-ed piece for Nigerian online newspaper YNaija that the film board had overstepped its bounds by muscling free speech, a right enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution:

This prohibition order raises a lot of issues of public interest and indeed national security. First, one would have expected to hear from the NFVCB that the film makers misrepresented facts or lied on any score in the presentations. Such a power to prohibit the public exposure of films, documentaries and cinema productions must be based on empirical considerations and not on the whims and caprices of a few individuals who claim or want to arrogate the powers of the God head to themselves. Come to think of it, Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution entitles every person to the freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.

The first claw back clause guiding this provision is that nothing shall invalidate a law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society for the purpose of preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, maintaining the authority and independence of the courts or regulating telephony, wireless broadcasting, television or the exhibition of cinematographic films.

The second claw back recognises restrictions upon persons holding office under the Government of the Federation or of a State, members of the armed forces, police and other security agencies established by law.  It is my submission that none of these foregoing provisions justifies this embarrassing encroachment on the right to freedom of expression.

Onyekpere further argued that the video is not a threat to national security, as claimed by authorities, but that argument is only a ruse to justify tyrannical action:

The mere assertion by the NFVCB that the documentary is highly provocative and likely to incite or encourage public disorder and undermines national security is not enough to ban a film. Such a reason reminds one of the decrees and orders of discredited military juntas who held Nigeria by the jugular. That assertion needs to be proved and must not run contrary to reason. Nigerians did not resist military dictatorship only to be en-shackled by bodies like the NFVCB. The poser is; what exactly encourages public disorder or undermines national security? Is it the stealing of trillions of naira with impunity, the refusal to prosecute thieves or the reportage and comments of the stealing? By this action, the NFVCB is not only encouraging stealing of public resources but venerating impunity. The documentary, on the other hand, seeks to undermine impunity and fight corruption by educating Nigerians of the harmful effects of mind-boggling rape of the public trust.

Zainab Usman echoed the analysis on her blog Zainab’s Musings:

I am yet to identify what is so provocative about the documentary that put the Nigerian government on its toes. A good chunk of the film is based on content analysis of media reports available at the click of a button on the internet; footage from widely publicised proceedings of the Nigerian Parliament, the National Assembly, and from interviews with policy makers all freely available on the Internet. There is no leaked or stolen classified information, no interviews with people pleading anonymity, nothing suspicious or speculative… all the information and general themes are widely discussed online and on the streets. What is so inflammatory about this film, it is not clear. Perhaps it’s the use of Fela’s songs as soundtracks that pissed off the powers that be. I heard on the grapevine (unconfirmed) that the film maker has gone underground.

But the action of the censorship board only ignited the curiosity of Nigerians, promoting its viral spread, according to Usman:

Ironically, the move by the government to ban the documentary from TV stations in Nigeria, simply fuelled people’s interest in it – those who had never heard of it prior to this incident and others, like myself, who only just got round to watching it. Now the film has gone viral! Nigerians are sharing the link to the YouTube video via Blackberry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools. Soon, counterfeit DVD copies will be sold freely at traffic jams in Nigerian cities. Thanks to the internet, the days of media censorship are long buried in the past.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (1)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Achebe's seminal novel, “Things Fall Apart“, was one of the first African novels written in English to achieve worldwide success. The novel, which was published in 1958, has been translated into more than 50 languages.

In a testament to the profound impact of his body of work, Achebe's death has been mourned around the world.

Chinua Achebe (1930-2013). Image released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Stuart C. Shapiro

Two literary contemporaries of Achebe – Wole Soyinka and J. P. Clark – mourned the loss of their “brother” on African entertainment website Bella Naija:

For us, the loss of Chinua Achebe is, above all else, intensely personal. We have lost a brother, a colleague, a trailblazer and a doughty fighter. Of the ‘pioneer quartet’ of contemporary Nigerian literature, two voices have been silenced – one, of the poet Christopher Okigbo, and now, the novelist Chinua Achebe.

It is perhaps difficult for outsiders of that intimate circle to appreciate this sense of depletion, but we take consolation in the young generation of writers to whom the baton has been passed, those who have already creatively ensured that there is no break in the continuum of the literary vocation. We need to stress this at a critical time of Nigerian history, where the forces of darkness appear to overshadow the illumination of existence that literature represents.

For New York Times book critic Dwight Garner, Achebe deserves to be called the father of modern African literature:

Mr. Achebe was a mentor and role model to a generation of African writers — he’s often referred to as the father of modern African writing. But like many novelists who find success with an early book, Mr. Achebe found himself almost solely defined by “Things Fall Apart.”

It’s been more than 50 years since the publication of Mr. Achebe’s pioneering and canonical novel; it no longer seems to stand, to a Western audience at any rate, for African writing as a whole. His talent and success have helped spawn an array of postcolonial writing from across the continent. Among the talented young Nigerian writers alone who cite him as an influence are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and Lola Shoneyin.

Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote a moving eulogy for Achebe in the Igbo language on Farafina Books blog:

Ife mee. Nnukwu ife mee. Chinua Achebe anabago. Onye edemede nke di egwu, onye nnukwu uche, onye obi oma. Keduzi onye anyi ga-eji eme onu? Keduzi onye anyi ga-eji jee mba? Keduzi onye ga-akwado anyi? Ebenebe egbu o! Anya mmili julu m anya. Chinua Achebe, naba no ndokwa. O ga-adili gi mma. Naba na ndokwa.

A tree has fallen. A mighty tree has fallen! Chinua Achebe is gone. The inimitable wordsmith, the sage, the kind man. Now who is there for us to boast about? Who will be our rampart? How are the mighty fallen! My eyes are in flood with tears. Chinua Achebe may your soul rest in peace. It is well with you. Rest in peace. [Translation done by Mazi Nnamdi Nwigwe]

Nigerian authors have lost a friend and mentor, Remi Raji, president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, lamented on the organization's website:

Eagle on Iroko, the master-artist, the compelling stylist of the English language has left the world of the flesh, he left in the middle of a revived discourse of the fate of our Nigerian nation. And it was a symbolic day. In the commemoration of the UNESCO World Poetry Day, things fell apart in the firmament of Nigerian and African Literature. A bleak day indeed, the devastating reality, the ending of a huge chapter in the history of African Literature. Adieu Chinua Achebe, adieu irreplaceable son of Africa.

Poet and essayist Niyi Osundare celebrated this worthy son of Africa on news website Citizens Platform:

But if the sheer force and range of Achebe’s fiction gave Africa a voice, the fearless truth of his critical interventions challenged so many myths and deliberate falsehoods about the most misrepresented and recklessly abused continent in the world.

Achebe knew, and he tried to get us to know, that Africans will remain mere objects of the stories told by others, until they, Africans, have started to tell their own story their own way – without shutting out the rest of the world. Achebe challenged the 20th century philosophy of fiction as a pretty object d’art, arriving with works which foregrounded the human condition and told the wondering world that the clotheless Emperor was, indeed, naked! He entered a plea for the urgent necessity of an entity called ‘applied art’ and emboldened us to look triumphalist Formalism in the face and demand to see its passport. Yes, Achebe told a world sold to the art-for-art’s-sake mystique that it is, indeed, possible to be an accomplished novelist who is also a teacher.

Richard Dowen wrote on the website African Arguments that Achebe bore a lot of similarities to Nelson Mandela:

A conversation with Chinua Achebe was a deep, slow and gracious matter. He was exceedingly courteous and always listened and reflected before answering. In his later years he talked even more slowly and softly, savouring the paradoxes of life and history. He spoke in long, clear, simple sentences which often ended in a profound and sad paradox. Then those extraordinary eyes twinkled, his usually very solemn face would break into a huge smile and he would chuckle.

He had a look of Nelson Mandela about him. Both have that ability to look very stern and solemn and then break into a huge smile. It happened when they met each other in South Africa, his daughter, Nwando, told me. At first the two men just looked at each other and then burst out laughing as if recognizing their brotherhood. Both romantic about Africa’s traditions, they talked and talked. Mandela had read Things Fall Apart when he was in prison on Robben Island and he said of Achebe: “The writer in whose company the prison walls fell down.”

The University of Nigeria has declared a period of mourning for Achebe, who worked as a professor there. Achebe, according to the university's vice-chancellor, gave a voice not only to Africa but also to human civilization:

Prof Achebe was one of the academic titans whose presence on the faculty served as a beacon of light that drew the world to the University of Nigeria. He taught in the Department of English as well as carried out research at the Institute of African Studies.

After the epochal Things Fall Apart that gave a voice to African literature and its people, Achebe continued his pioneering endeavours with the founding of Okike, a foremost journal of African literature that birthed the careers of many a distinguished writer. His work in leading research into the cultures of the Igbo and various groups in the Institute of African Studies further cemented the reputation of the University of Nigeria as a centre of liberal learning in the best traditions. Achebe in his work gave to the language, culture and people of Igbo land, a universality that positioned it as one of the major ethnic groups of human civilisation.

Ije oma, Albert Chínụ̀álụmọ̀gụ̀ Àchèbé

Bulu anya anyi n'ala mmuo

Ka anyi bulu anya gi n'ala ndi di ndu

Okeosisi ada

Umu nnunu eju ofia

Kachifo Ogbuefi Achebe

Safe journey, Albert Chinualumogu Achebe

Be our eyes in the land of the dead

While we be your eyes in the land of the living

A great Iroko has fallen

The birds are scattered in the forest

Good night, Ogbuefi Achebe

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (2)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Prowork is a project management and real-time collaboration tool for businesses which facilitate teamwork via mobile (Blackberry, Android and Java supporting phones), Web, and API platforms. Fresh off winning the Apps4Africa award, co-founder Francis Onwumere (FO) chatted with us about Prowork, tech innovation in Africa, and how to make the most of Nigeria's poor infrastructure.

Nwachukwu Egbunike (NE): You are among the three winners of the Apps4Africa Business Challenge. How do you feel?

FO: We are very delighted with this award and very grateful to everyone who has made this possible.

NE: What is Prowork? When and how did it start?

FO: Prowork is a mobile first enterprise class project management and collaboration solution for businesses. It’s like Microsoft’s Sharepoint or Basecamp but mobile and easier to use, more powerful, with real time collaboration everywhere, anywhere. Prowork is available via mobile, the web, SMS and a robust API to allow developers to extend the functionality.

Back in 2009 I started collaborating with my co-founders Ope and Namzo on our IT consultancy business, we used several collaborative tools but somehow it just wasn’t working. Then we discovered that we were not alone. Many businesses faced the same loss of productivity by improvising project management and collaboration.

Prowork unlocks this problem by putting power of project management and collaboration on one platform and making it mobile first such that project management takes place where the actual project activities happen. So when Startup weekend came to Lagos we decided to build a prototype at the event and in June 2012 we went commercial.

NE: What makes it unique among the numerous apps being developed daily on the continent?

FO: We are solving a pertinent problem like the other joint winners of the competition. The value proposition of technology products has to meet concrete needs of people and businesses. There are many startups in Africa solving problems, competitions like the Apps 4 Africa Award help to encourage and showcase them. We’ll get to see other unique solutions enter the spotlight in future competitions.

• NE: Is tech innovation Africa’s future?

(Prowork team) L-R: Ope, Francis and Namzo. Photo used with permission from Francis Onwumere

Technology innovation is the future of the whole world. It however presents a special opportunity for Africa to leap frog the gap between them and developed countries. In today’s world, every aspect of our lives and industry benefits from technology hence there is ample room to innovate.

 

NE: Some people argue that African tech innovators are not really innovators, that we clone or imitate tools that have been developed in the West already. Is that true?

FO: It will be difficult here to give a yes or no response. Education, formal or informal, gives insights for creativity. Hence the West and Africa have a lot to learn from each other.

NE: Why is it a challenge for African technology entrepreneurs to turn the apps they create into viable businesses?

FO: Entrepreneurship training and mentorship is missing in most of our curriculum, you can’t go very far with a trial and error strategy. There is then a need for people who have done it and been there to hand-hold the upcoming technology entrepreneurs in the continent.

NE: What, in your view, is the significant pros or cons of building a team among Nigerian tech professionals?

FO: Every technology entrepreneur that wants to do right builds a team around people they trust, work hard, share common interests, and ambitions – i.e. friends. Without friendship, teams will fall apart when the journey gets tough.

NE: Infrastructure is a bane to development in Nigeria. How much did it affect Prowork?

FO: Growing tech companies can be significantly expensive and frustrating in Nigeria due to the infrastructure gap. However the immense market potential can offer returns that undermine this business threat. At Prowork we strategize to circumvent obstacles from a lack of infrastructure in our operating environment. You’ll need a tough skin and brains but it’ll be worth it.

NE: What can African governments do to encourage innovation?

FO: There is an urgent need to improve infrastructure and education. Every government needs to take entrepreneurship seriously by creating a favourable business climate for promising local entrepreneurs and businesses.

NE: With this recognition and award, what are your future plans?

FO: Prowork will make the most of the award, cash prize and mentorship, to increase adoption among discerning businesses across Africa, primarily.

NE: Do you have any advice to young and upcoming tech entrepreneurs in the continent?

FO: Strive for excellence, collaborate, and don’t give up. Dream and your dream will fall short.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (1)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Nigeria, famed for a population of 160 million, officially speaks English but also has more than 500 ethnic languages, with Yoruba being one of three major native languages spoken there. It also spoken along the West African coast in Benin and Togo as well as Cuba and Brazil.

Users tweeted in Yoruba under the hashtags #tweetYoruba and #twitterYoruba. One of the organizers of the campaign, Kola Tubosun (@baroka) explained the reasoning behind the effort on his blog:

The Tweet Yoruba Day on March 1, 2013* is to continue the annual tradition, but with less emphasis on pressuring Twitter but on celebrating the beauty and importance of the mother tongue usage in the age of modernity. It might never happen any time soon that the only means of communication online would be any of these local languages with a limited number of speakers (Yoruba has over 30 million), but as long as these means of communication exist, there would always be new ways of transmitting culture and a distinct world-view.

The Nigeria Tweet Yoruba day began last year and garnered enough attention to be contacted by a Twitter translation official, Tubosun wrote. But aside from a brief follow-up from Twitter, there hasn't been any news since:

This practice began last year as a means to pressure Twitter to include Yoruba in the list of languages into which the platform is being translated. There was a partial success in form of a response by a Twitter translation desk official who assured that while the message has been heard, it would take a little while more to include the language, for logistic reasons.

#TweetInYoruba Day 2013 (Credit: ktravula.com)

Here are some tweets with our translation from the #TweetInYoruba Day:

@DAINJURER: Oloore re ko ni fi obituary da e mo! Fi adura yi ranse si eniyan mewa ti o feranju. #tweetinyoruba

@renoomokri: Bi iwo ko tile gba wipe ohun kan wa ti o le se lati gbe Naijiria ga, saa gbagbo wipe Naijiria, orile-ede títóbi ni. #tweetYoruba

@baroka: Since the day is young in other parts of the world, ibi ni emi a ti duro na. Eyin ara Amerika, e maa ba iyoku lo. E ti yege na #tweetYoruba

@seunonigbinde: Oluwaseun : Thank you Lord, Olayide: Wealth has come, Temitope: Mine is joy OniGBINde: the royal drummer has come #tweetYoruba

@bumight: Ewo ti e ni ede gèésì ti mo fi n twiiti yii? #tweetYoruba

@molarawood: O dabii pe awon ara Amerika fe ki Kadinali (cardinal) won yi, Timothy Dolan, di Poopu lehin Benedikti. Sugbon emi o ro bee. #tweetYoruba

Much of the African continent's important writing is happening on social media these days, Nigerian literary critic Ikhide Ikheloa (@ikhide) said in a recent interview on the literary blog Brittle Paper. Given that language and literature are integral components of a nation's identity, put down the novel and log on to Twitter and Facebook for a well-rounded idea of the world, he said:

It is interesting and frustrating to me that when we talk about literature, it is always in the context of books, alone. It is perhaps now inappropriate to use books as the sole determinant of cultural norms in today’s world. I would go further and say, in the 21st century, the book is a wretched barometer of African writing. You will need to go to the two most important African novels – Twitter and Facebook, in addition to blogs and websites to get a really good read on these issues… One reason I do not read books as much these days is that I cannot get enough of the writing on Twitter, Facebook and blogs. I am transfixed…

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (2)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Ibukun Idusote, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was reported as saying that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture would procure ten million mobile phones, worth about N60 billion, from China and the US for free distribution to rural farmers across the country.

This triggered reverberations in the Nigerian blogosphere. Kikiowo Ileowo asks where the government got the statistics – that warrants 10 million mobile phones for 10 million farmers – from:

The question… is where exactly are the 10million farmers? Are they from the army of the unemployed 16, 074, 295 or from the already employed 51, 181, 884. If their answer is the former, what exactly are they producing that Nigeria has not become a hub of everything food?

Now, understand that a large portion of food production in Nigeria is done through mechanized farming which makes use of less manual labour. The ‘farmers’ Mr. President wants to provide handset for are subsistent farmers who produce what they mostly consume in their homes. I have a garden at the back of my house; does that qualify me as a recipient of the ‘Jona-phone'? I see no reason why the president in conjunction with his minister of Agriculture would insult the collective intelligence of Nigerians by playing to the gallery with a noble idea that has revolutionised countries like Uganda, Kenya and India.

There has since been a correction on the real cost of the phones:

…the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, has corrected the report that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, said the phones would be bought by the government at the cost of N60 billion, his explanation that the phones will be supplied to farmers through Public/Private Sector partnership…

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture

Dr Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture rose up in defence of the project. In a press release he says:

When I came on board as minister of agriculture in July of 2011, I found a corrupt and totally inefficient fertilizer sector. The government was spending huge amounts of money on direct procurement and distribution of subsidized fertilizer, but less than 11% of farmers got the fertilizers. Some of the fertilizers paid for by government were never delivered to the warehouses. Some of the fertilizer delivered contained more sand than fertilizer while a large portion of the fertilizer subsidized by government found its way across our borders to neighbouring countries where it was sold at prevailing market prices.

This technology-mediated solution, he asserts, ended the corruption associated with fertilizer distribution:

We ended four decades of corruption in the fertilizer sector within 90 days of my assumption of office as minister. How did we do this? We were able get subsidized high quality fertilizer and seeds to our rural farmers by introducing the GES (Growth Enhancement Support) scheme in April of 2012. The GES scheme delivers inputs (fertilizers and seeds) to farmers directly by using farmers’ cell phones. We created an electronic platform (e-wallet) on which we registered farmers and agro dealers who own shops that sell farm inputs all over the country. To date we have registered 4.2 million farmers and about 900 agro dealers.

The Minister thinks that although many Nigerian farmers are illiterate but are able to use mobile telephones:

Some people think that our farmers are uneducated and cannot use cell phones. The evidence does not support that. Under the GES scheme, we made it possible for farmers to transact business in their own local languages using their cell phones. From data we collected based on farmers’ use of cell phones to access fertilizers and seeds last year, we found that the total number of transactions done by phone with respect to the GES scheme was 4.9 million. Of these, 1.2 million were in English, 620,000 were in Pidgin, 2.2 million were in Hausa, and 854,000 were in Yoruba and 344 were in Igbo. From this data, we have no doubt that our farmers are well able to use cell phones.

Technology, according to the Dr Adesina, aided his judgement that there would be no food crisis after floods swept through some parts of the country:

When the floods occurred, there was panic in the land… I was not moved. We used modern technology to guide our decision. Using remote sensing and satellite imagery, we mapped out the extent of the flood and determined that no more than 1.17% of our total cultivated area was affected by the floods. Our detractors wanted the world to believe the opposite, that food crisis was imminent. They were wrong. Today, five months after the floods, we do not have a food crisis.

Nonetheless, some netizens still have unanswered questions. Olusola Adegbeti asks:

One must then poignantly ask, though it be a rhetorical question, if the purchase and distribution of GSM phones to hundreds of farmers spread across the length and breadth of a country so large as Nigeria is the most critical and challenging of issues bedevilling the Nigerian agricultural sector at the moment? Your guess is as good as mine. Running on the heels of the above, it is convenient to say that one does not need the wisdom of Solomon or the prophetic insight of Isaiah to be led in the direction of the myriad of issues that have since rendered the agricultural sector beggarly, issues such as lack of easy access to land for farming, absence of reliable and corruption-free financial institutions to empower farmers acquire the required modern machinery for mechanised and commercial farming that is usually the backbone of every nation, lack of easy access to requisite technology and agro-chemical support-structure for sustained annual and perennial farming as well as animal husbandry….

The Sun asks if farmers really need new mobile phones, when they already have one or have other sources of information?

The telephone is also clearly not the best way to reach farmers who mostly live in the rural areas. Rural information centres, traditional communication models and the radio are much better channels. There are also many more direct initiatives through which the government can boost agricultural production in the country, than provision of telephones. More importantly, the government does not need to buy telephones for farmers because those among them who could use such phones, already have them.

With handsets selling for as low as between N2000 and N3000 in the country, any farmer that is worth the name can afford to own one, and most likely has one already. If they do not, what the government needs to do is to empower them to be able to afford such a basic tool.

Disu Kimor thinks that it’s another white elephant project:

Such white elephant projects will only reinforce the perception of Nigeria as a laughing stock of the rest of the world where we like to teach the blind sign language. Any developing country such as Nigeria, wishing to develop its agricultural sector will focus direct government intervention to help farmers and boost food production on achieving steady supply of working capital, improve research and development, water supply, ensure low cost of fuel and labour, (corruption-free) subsidy on farming equipment and basic infrastructure.

Disu concludes:

One day, posterity will judge the quangos and political leaders of this country whose main pre-occupation is keeping the country on its knees or embezzle and waste much needed public funds.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (2)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

“Africa's most populous country and it's brightest hope. Nigeria is an odd place to find a silver lining. In spite of its all-too-visible failings, I believe that Nigeria's mix of talent, resources, and gall will one day pull the country up out of Africa's Nth World.”

- Blaine Harden, “Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent”.

2012 was a curious mix of tensions, anguish and hope for Nigeria. The blogosphere never had an idle moment. We present our picture of Nigeria, from an amalgamation of some of the stories that made news on Global Voices in 2012. These narrations represent a country, where challenges arise continuously but also unceasingly emits hope.

Citizen media and activism

Early in January 2012, Nigeria got the world's attention with a presidential announcement that withdrew the subsidy on fuel. Trade unions and civil society organizations responded with #OccupyNigeria protests. For days, the nation was shut down: no one worked, earned or learned. Of particular interest was the galvanisation of cyberspace with face-to-face protests. This synergy between online and real time protest was articulated by African Urbanism:

Occupy Nigeria Logo (Courtsey: Nigerianstalk.com)

As a lover of communications, media and especially social media, there are two things about this movement that make me especially excited: 1) First, the impressive role that social media is playing in terms of documenting and for coordinating activities and 2) the astounding amount of people that are making use of this medium to make their voiced heard… “Follow#occupynigeria #fuelsubsidyfor just a couple minutes and you'll see precisely what I'm talking about — in a highly mobile country of more than 150 million, tweets are coming in so fast at times it’s almost impossible to keep up with the conversation.

In July, we reported the reaction of netizens to the call of the Nigerian Senate President – a move he later denied – to clamp down on social media. This news ignited the blogosphere and was perceived as a declaration of war by netizens:

Digital natives also amplified the voices of offline victims who were displaced from their slum homes in Makoko, Lagos.

@chineduozordi: After her shanty in Makoko was demolished by the government, Janet and her 3 kids simply moved into their canoe ensconced under the 3MB (Third Mainland Bridge).

Twitter users were disgusted not because a slum was demolished but how the way it was done. Apparently, the victims were not given enough time to find alternatives.

@tejucole: The living conditions in Makoko were appalling, but appalling, too, is waking up to guns, bulldozers, violence, and sudden homelessness.

We introduced you to Battabox - a Nigerian Conversation - which engages real life stories from the street, weaves a narration and presents it to a global audience through online videos. Here is an interview with Christian Purefoy of Battabox with our author, Nwachukwu Egbunike.

The mob justice meted on the “Aluu4″ was a rather horrid and horrifying low point for Nigerians. Julie Owono discusses the incident and its aftermath in this post – “A Legal Solution to Mob Justice in Nigeria”.

Nigerian Bloggers and Tweeps Saved #Oke was one of the greatest manifestations of hope that emanated from the Nigerian blogosphere in 2012. Oke, a young Nigerian almost lost his foot to diabetes if not for a campaign that was facilitated by netizens. He was flown to India where he got medical attention. This story is a part of the Global Voices eBook: African Voices of Hope and Change.

In Lessons from the #SaveOke Campaign Fairy GodSister’s highlights four components:

Social Media is Powerful 

I’ve never doubted the power of social media (wouldn’t have studied it if I did) but if I did, this campaign would have forever put paid to those doubts. The speed with which the blog posts spread and the amazing functionality called the ‘retweet’.

Nigeria is in Trouble

Oke’s story was just another instance pointing to a problem we (Nigeria) haven’t gotten past. Unfortunately, even in 2012 we are still in the ‘reaction’ rather than ‘proactive’ mode. No one thinks to plan for the future, hell we’re barely getting through today!

Who Sings for the Unsung?

How many people die every day because they have no access to qualitative healthcare? How many ‘trivial’ cases transform into life threatening because they were not nipped in the bud with adequate treatment? Who sings for the unsung?

We are still the World 

Social media has always and will always revolve around people. Social media without human involvement can be compared to a beautiful car without a driver: it is nothing without our input. It is one thing to sit in the comfort of your home and moan every day about everything going wrong with the country, how the government doesn’t care, how we need a ‘paradigm shift (lol), etc. It is a totally different (and more profitable) thing however to do your civic duties, know your leaders (local and national), and then hold them accountable by getting informed, asking them questions, you know the drill.

Politics, Diplomacy and Arts

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy. Image released in the public domain by www.imf.org/

Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla’s (NOI) bid for the World Bank Presidency generated global ripples online and offline. She was also grateful for the support from other African countries. NOI’s Facebook post stated as follows:

I am honoured by my nomination and the support of multiple African Nations to make the World Bank more representative of the people it serves. As an employee of the Bank for 22 years, I know of its commitment to improving the lives of those in developing world. It is that passion that inspires me to do the most I can for Nigeria as the Minister of Finance.

Although the Nigeria’s Finance Minister lost the bid to the US favourite, she was seen as the best candidate. And this was obvious with netizens continued talking even after the selection. On her Facebook page, Ngozi congratulated the new World Bank president and adds:

With regard to the selection process, it is clear to me that we need to make it more open, transparent and merit-based. We need to make sure that we do not contribute to a democratic deficit in global governance.

Nevertheless, by our participation we have won important victories. We have shown what is possible. Our credible and merit-based challenge to a long-standing and unfair tradition will ensure that the process of choosing a World Bank president will never be the same again. The struggle for greater equity and fairness has reached a critical point and the hands of the clock cannot be turned back.

Nigeria-China relations were a mix bag. In July, Oiwan Lam, reported protests that were triggered because of the suspicious death of a Nigerian in Guangzhou's Sanyuanli District while in police custody. In September, the Lagos State Government introduced Mandarin in public schools.

Zuma Rock, in Abuja – capital city of Nigeria – was one of the contestants in the voting for One of the Seven Wonders of Africa. Similarly, two Nigerian writers – Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka – were among the list of contenders for the 10 Most Influential African Thinkers Alive.

The Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove – a UNESCO designated cultural site – made a comeback to the global scene through a documentary. The producer, Immanuel Afolabi spoke to Nwachukwu Egbunike – among other things – about digitalizing Africa's spiritual experience.

Sports

Richard Wanjohi chronicled the buzz generated by the death of Rashidi Yekini (1963-2012) – one of Africa’s highest scoring heroes in football.

Rashidi Yekini – Nigeria's soccer legend. Photo source goal.com.

The North Bank Evening Standard from Gambia also shared highlights of his career:

Yekini scored nearly 40 goals as a Nigerian international, and represented the nation in five major tournaments, including 2 World Cups, where he scored the country’s first-ever goal in the competition. He was also named the African Footballer of the Year once

The William Sisters, Serena and Venus, were in Nigeria between October 30 to November 2, 2012. In this post we presented the rousing welcome they received in Lagos.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Babatunde Fashola (Governor of Lagos) with Venus and Serena Williams (Photo Credit: Osun Defender)

While in Lagos their schedule included a meeting with Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Governor of Lagos State, a tennis clinic at the Ikoyi Club, a visit to a puberty education class for girls and an exhibition match.

Naturally, their arrival stirred debate in the Nigerian blogosphere. Emotan is not a sports blogger but could not ignore this unique visit:

Fresh off her season-ending victory at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Championship, Serena is in Nigeria with her older sister, Venus who preceded her in the Grand Slam winners’ collectors. No sports personalities have graced my essays – here or before – than the two sisters.

Eko oni ba je! (This literally means: Lagos would not spoil!)

Nigerians are revered for their hospitality. The Williams sisters got a first-hand feel of this from Lagos, the pulse of the country. The reception for the two tennis queens could be described as a hero’s welcome. InformationNigeria reports:

The two most recognizable names in women tennis, Venus and Serena Williams literally grinded Lagos state to a halt yesterday, Wednesday. On their first official day out in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, the sisters practically stopped the free flow of traffic along the Ahmadu Bello Way, Osborne Road and some parts of Ikoyi.

Surrounded by stern-looking security details, who went about their job professionally, the Williams sisters, who were accompanied by their mother, Oracene, got a rousing ovation reserved only for royalty at the Federal Palace Hotel and the Ikoyi Club 1938, where all the adjoining streets to the exclusive club, were closed to traffic because of them. At the club, where chants of their names resonated at intervals, the sisters conducted a tennis clinic for about 700 kids who were thrilled by this once in a lifetime opportunity of knocking around tennis balls with the famed duo.

The igniting welcome was infectious and mutually shared as Serena comments:

We are excited to be in Nigeria. My first time was a brief stopover when I travelled to an African country a few years back. It was disappointing that I could not interact with Nigerians back then, that’s why I'm going to cherish every minute I have to spend here now.

It also makes me crazy to know that we have many fans in Nigeria, in fact, I receive thousands of messages everyday on Twitter from Nigerians who were asking if I would come here. Well here I am and it will be an honour to play against my sister for Nigerians and we will give you a good show… I hope that our presence and what we do would help to change Nigerian tennis. I hope that these players will be inspired to become the best.

Sorry, We Are Not Nigerians!

The Williams sisters debunked the claim that they are Nigerians in the most sensational part of their visit. Austin Naija asserts:

The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena Wednesday put an end to insinuations that they were from Nigeria, when they said that they were proud to be American citizens. Speaking at the Federal Palace Hotel, Venus, in a response to a question on their true origin, said that while they love Nigeria, the fact was that they were from the United States of America.

“This is another country that we would love to come from but we are from the United States and are proud to be from there as well”, said Venus. On their mother’s decision to name their late sister, Yetunde, after a Nigerian, Venus said that it was because of the mum’s love for Africa.

“My mum named my late sister after an Africa name because she loves Africa and that is all to it”, she said.

Naija! una too dey form familiarity sef [Nigerians! You always like to pretend to be on familiar terms].

This got netizens on Nairaland Forum talking. Ileke-IdI writes:

Nigerians are very silly people. When will you embarrassing ppl [people] stop trying to claim people who don't want to be claimed or trying to claim another heritage? How did some ppl arrived [sic] at the assumption that they're Nigerians? My goodness!

Royalty says Nigerians are not trying to claim the two sisters:

We are not trying to claim them. Journalists only asked the obvious question. Their mum used a popular Yoruba name which means she was trying to associate with Nigeria. Too bad the sisters are claiming contrary. Who cares anyway? Not like they will help reducing the price of fuel or anything. Abeg! [Please!] Naija [Nigeria] has enough stars in the making. Fingers crossed joor [an exclamation used to plead; most commonly to be left alone]. They should just keep up with their good game.

Mr. Globe said the question was merely a sign of poverty:

Smh, what a disgrace. Who even asked them the question? I remember people saying they were from Badagry. lmao. It’s just the poverty in Nigeria, rather than creating your own to a standard level, you wish every successful black man is Nigerian.

Cashmentor wonders why their mother chose a Nigerian name for their late sister:

Well, I love this earth, I’d have love to be here forever, but I'm from Mars! Rubbbbish…. Who'd want to be identified with the roots of terrorists, thieves, scammers and drug lords after all? No one wants to be related to a mad man…. We don hear una [we've heard you], ok, take your money and go back to the land of milk and hard knocks! Why didn't your mum name your late sis (may her soul rest in peace) a South African or Ghanaian name, of all countries, she choose a Nigerian name and u telling me about loving Africa, I don't know your roots, but, with your own excuse, something tells me you gals are lying and hiding something! I still love you girls though, keep making me proud!

Afam4eva writes:

It's good they cleared the air just like NAS did when he came to Nigeria. I don't know what it is with Nigerians and claiming people. How can a nation with over 150 million people are looking for more citizens when it has not taken care of the people it has.

Abujafood asks:

How are they supposed to be Nigerians? Just because they “Williams Sisters Visit Lagos”. Even Barrack Obama doesn't accept his Kenyan! Them too like better thing!

50caliber wants to know if every black person is a Nigerian:

When Naija go stop to dry fall my hand? Every black person is Nigerian, Nas is Nigerian, chamillionaire is Nigerian, Lil Wayne is Nigerian, Wale is Nigerian even people who don't wish to be associated with Nigeria?  We need to build our own and stop looking for ready-mades. Although these girls forgot that every black person has roots in Africa.

But it does not really matter. Emotan explains using a proverb:

Wherever on the continent is their roots, they are ours, Omowale - children return home – as the Yoruba would say, and we all welcome them. Welcome to Lagos, one of the most vibrant cities in the world though not my fave among Nigerian cities – and welcome to Nigeria.  I'm sure this will not be your first and last visit as it happens with all “returnees”.  You will find Nigeria, especially Lagos, additive!! [sic]

The two sisters ended their Nigerian tour with a friendly match on Friday, October 20 in the Nigerian commercial capital, Lagos.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (2)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

News of this proposal has not gone down well with Okada riders, and reactions have echoed into the blogosphere.

The government hinged its action on a recent road traffic legislation edit, which states amongst other things that:

Okada in Kano, Nigeria. Image released by Andy Waite under Creative Commons (Attribution-Share Alike 3.0).

Control of Motorcycles, Tricycles: 3. (1) No person shall ride, drive or propel a cart, wheel barrow, motorcycle or tricycle on any of the routes specified in Schedule II to this Law.

SCHEDULE II

Prohibited Routes for Motorcycle and Tricycle

[Section 3]

Major Highways in Lagos

1. Lagos Ibadan Expressway

2. Apapa Oshodi Expressway

3. Oworoshoki Oshodi Expressway

4. Lagos Ikorodu Expressway

5. Lagos Abeokuta Expressway

6. Babangida Bouleverde

7. Eti-Osa Lekki Epe Expressway

8. Lagos Badagry Expressway

9. Funsho Williams Avenue

10. Agege Motor Road

11. Eti-Osa Lekki Coastal Road

The government has insisted that violation of the law will be punished:

The Lagos State Government has declared total war on commercial motorcycle riders also known as okada riders plying the 475 prohibited routes in the Lagos metropolis. It said police enforcement of the ban was just a tip of the iceberg of what would befall the riders still flouting government’s order that they avoid the prohibited routes.

Twitter reactions have been varied, although the majority are against the ban. The reasons are varied:

‏@sheikhofeffizy: … I personally think okadas shd b banned nationwide..Its working beautifully in Enugu..errone [everyone] will adapt

‏@rmajayi: @sheikhofeffizy Yes, Okada are dangerous. Why not introduce safety measures – Okada licenses, helmets etc?

‏@Ayourb: The way BRF [Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola] handled Lekki toll, Lasu Fee hike, Doctors strike, Tejuosho market & now Okada, he has proven to be a callous unfeeling brute.

‏@Anirvachan: Dear @tundefashola sir, when someone has a headache, would you cut off the head? Answer is to enforce law not remove okada

‏@bhadoosky: If over 1million Okada Riders are restricted/banned…what will dey do for living? Additional 1million Armed Robbers for Lasgidi peeps

‏@djbuzzle: Okada Riders & Market Women are the Major Voters in Nigeria during any Election. Banning of Okada bcos u know u're not Coming back is BAD:|

‏@NaijaCyberHack: One of d major reasons people take okada is ‘cos of traffic jam,which in most part of Lagos is caused by bad road,y not repair these roads?

‏@daSuspekt: The Worst Mistake FASHOLA ll Make Is Banning Okada and NOT Making Proper Transportation Provision. BRT nor dey go Everywhere O!

‏@umaryf: Kano state the commercial hub of okadas in Africa is not willing to ban okada why Lagos???

‏@Elsieisy: Fashola, after making me trek today ehn, God is watching u in 3D! :'( I duuno what okada pple did to him o

But not all are complaining. Some are in support of the government’s action:

‏@4eyedmonk: Okada was not banned in Lagos, but on 475 roads. Tricycles have also not been banned at all. Okada riders are to blame for their predicament

‏@dockie007: why are u all complaining about Fashola..I guess those complaining have never lost a family member to an okada accident….smh

‏@sandychic1234: With or without the ban of Okada, bad boys will still do their “thing”! #fact

‏@DTRUCE: So I heard from a very reliable source, that fashola is partnering with the chinese to build a new railway system, thus the ban on okada.

This last tweet referencing the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, got numerous retweets. In a country that worships football, the humour is not lost:

‏@desmondc03: FOOTBALL inside POLITICS: Governor Fashola who's a Manchester untd fan has rendered 80% of Chelsea fans (okada rider) jobless in Lagos.

Rather than provide alternatives to the transport problem for poor people, with the Okada restrictions the government seem to have only entrenched a growing attitude – that it does not care about public opinion.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (4)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (2)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

(more…)

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Nigeria's First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has been in a hospital in Germany in the last four days, Abuja State House sources have told SaharaReporters, undergoing treatment for food poisoning. The sources say Mrs. Jonathan, who is also a Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State civil service, was airlifted to the hospital by an air ambulance in midweek under emergency medical conditions. Presidency sources stated that the emergency airlift departed for Wisbanden, Germany, but it is not clear if her treatment was being undertaken in that city.  They said she was only able to speak earlier today, four days after her arrival, because the illness had been so severe that she lost her voice.

First Lady Patience Jonathan of NIgeria. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0) by Flickr user mdgovpics.

Almost immediately the First Lady’s Media Assistant, Ayo Osinlu, refuted the news saying that Dame Jonathan was not sick but on vacation:

“If you look at her itinerary in August, you will be wondering how she was able to accomplish that. In the course of this week, she will be back home. But remember, it all depends on her plans,” he said. But when contacted yesterday, Osinlu refused to comment further on the matter, saying that reacting to the issue would amount to giving credence to a mischievous report.

 The media assistant lied!

SaharaReporters was not deterred by the denial and shed more light on the First Lady’s health trip:

The “food poisoning” condition that landed Mrs. Patience Jonathan in a hospital in Germany reportedly started in Dubai eleven days ago where she had gone to see a doctor because her hands were twitching. Presidency sources said she had gone to Dubai after the recent African First Ladies Summit in Abuja, an event that imposed an unfamiliar and grueling schedule of meetings and late nights on Mrs. Jonathan, saying she needed some rest.

Her visit to Dubai was explained as a vacation but our sources said it involved a medical procedure, while in Dubai, she reportedly had “food poisoning” alongside her medical doctor,  soon after she returned to Abuja last Monday, the emergency broke and she had to be airlifted to Wiesbaden, Germany for food poisoning.

Since SaharaReporters broke the news yesterday, the Presidency has officially kept mum about the First Lady's condition.  Despite a media arm recently fortified to give Mrs. Jonathan a more aggressive press presence, it has provided neither denial nor confirmation.  There have, however, been half-hearted denials and spins in some newspapers and blogs claiming that Mrs. Jonathan is only resting, but none of those outlets have provided her location or shed light on her condition.

SaharaReporter’s position was confirmed by other sources:

Contrary to denials by presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, and the bare faced lie by Dame Patience Jonathan’s spokesman, Ayo Osinlu that the first lady is only “resting” in a foreign country, it has been revealed that the First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, has undergone surgery in a German hospital for ruptured appendicitis. According to THISDAY sources, she was flown out for medical treatment over a week ago.

[...] It was learnt that Mrs. Jonathan, shortly after returning from a trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), took ill, prompting the invitation of the First Family’s medical personnel to attend to her. She was said to have been treated for food poisoning for four days, “but her condition kept worsening by the day,” the source said.

By the fifth day, President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have yielded to the suggestion that she be flown abroad for “thorough treatment.” It was not certain if the inability of the president’s doctors to treat her was because of faulty diagnosis or insufficient facilities.

AllAfrica.com published this:

 It was learnt that the Presidency was worried over the heat generated by the First Lady's sickness and the poor handling of the information. [...] Close associates of the President, it was learnt, had warned against the backlash of trying to cover up the woman's health condition on the grounds that it was not an offence to be sick.

The source said: “We have made it clear to those who want to hide everything that Dame Jonathan has not committed any offence by being sick since she is a human being. That is why there may be a change of attitude and Dame's whereabouts and type of sickness made clear by her handlers. We do not want a repeat of the Yar'Adua episode [see below] this time around.”

Nigerian bloggers have not ceased speaking and asking questions. TTOwonubi recalls the drama that surrounded the health of late President Umaru Yar'Adua:

This is not the first time the health condition of an important public figure in the country will be shielded from public scrutiny; in 2010, during the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration, Nigerians were regaled with conflicting stories about the fitness of the president and multiple phantom sightings by aides who apparently had something to benefit from the widespread misinformation. We do know that a first lady is unelected and doesn’t hold a constitutional office. However, she is beloved by millions who admire her as wife of the number one citizen of our country, and those people deserve to know what the state of her health is. The waiting game continues.

Health care in Nigeria

Akintunde Oyebode asserts that the First Lady's search for health is not merely a manifestation of health problems at home but also a glaring vote of no confidence on her husband’s government:

The nature of her illness is less relevant; it does not matter if she suffers from exhaustion, food poisoning or a ruptured appendix. The irony is that neither the President nor is wife has shown faith she can be treated in Nigeria. This is a damning self-assessment of the Jonathan administration, and the ones before it. The list of serving government officials that seek solace elsewhere when their bodies show the slightest sign of weakness is endless. To them, the National Hospital in Abuja is a museum that houses medical artifacts.

The Federal Government plans to spend N282 billion on healthcare in 2012. This seems like a tidy sum at first glance, but when you remember that the same government plans to spend over N60 billion on a bogus amnesty program, it is a sign we are yet to understand our priorities. While the aptly named Government Tompolo Ekpumopolo earns over N3 billion to protect pipelines, the National Health Insurance Scheme has a budget of N1.6 billion. It seems surreal that a man who should be locked up in Ita-Oko Prison for an indefinite period is paid more than a National Health Insurance Scheme; we need not wonder why less than 1 in 20 Nigerians have health cover of any kind.

Julius Umogbai was satirical in his ‘Letter to Dame Patience Jonathan‘:

My dear Dame Patience Jonathan, I thank God for your life o! The bad thing that bad people wished on you, food poisoning-appendicitis, did not come to pass! All glory to Jah, the Most High, for spearing your life for Nigeria!

As you are ensconced in the luxurious setting that the German people have created through their building an open, transparent, and democratic society, there are a few things I would like to trouble you with!

How can a presidential medical team, miss it so grossly? Could it be that the long-standing medical personnel, who were probably not from your husband's ethnic group, were replaced with new, inexperienced ones, who are ethnically correct? It is not possible, that such vital positions are now being staffed on the bases of ethnic considerations! I know your husband does not do things like that!

Madam, if you, the Very First, and Only Lady of Nigeria et cetera et cetera et cetera, could suffer such egregious medical malpractice, you can imagine what the rest of us, your always humble subjects, who patronize the popular side, when it comes to medicare, have to put up with!

His letter ends with an appeal:

My humble appeal to you is this, when next you find yourself lying on the chest of your husband, our president (I know it does not happen often, because you are so busy serving Nigeria, and are not given to such worldly matters), tell him to give us hospitals that actually save lives, and not the mere portals to morgues they are gradually becoming!

Please give our love to the doctors that treated president Yar’Adua, you may be shocked to find out, that the hospital is probably owned by a Nigerian who stole public money, and went to Germany to invest!

As you recuperate with delicate Deutsche delicacies, I bid you, auf wiedersehen!

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (1)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

“The knowledge of Chinese language will help students further their studies in China and carry out research in various fields of human endeavour as China has become a success story in the world economy,” she said. Lagos is the first Nigerian state to adopt the Chinese language as a curriculum in public schools.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (4)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

According to Tuale Naija:

Mark had last Thursday, while declaring open a two-day retreat for Senate Press corps in Umuahia, Abia State, reportedly said the check became necessary as people used the media to demean their leaders. He added that there was no opportunity for retraction of information in such media.

 We need to change our attitude on how we report things about our country and we should emulate the foreign reporters who never report negative things about their countries.

David Mark, Senate President of Nigeria (Photo source: amazonaws.com)

Netizens: the Nigerian politician's nightmare?

Mr Mark is justified, because, you see, there’s so much money can buy; and there’s even much more plenty of money can buy. The more money you make without working, the more you want to spend without sweat. He pays himself N600 million from Nigeria’s treasury in one year. That isn’t heavenly or biblical year. It is earthly year as we know it; twelve calendar months, the one within which Barack Obama, the United States president, earns N60 million.

What Mr. Mark pays himself in one year is the salary of a US president for ten (yes, ten!) good years. What Nigeria’s number three citizen takes home, legally, in one year, is what the number one citizen of the world’s biggest economy, and only remaining super-power, earns in ten years… You see why he has to checkmate social media? You can’t have access to such amounts of free money without being sensitive to any avenue through which opposition rears its envious head… So for taking home N600 million for doing nothing, why will David Mark not feel threatened by social media?

Nigerian netizens have jumped gatekeepers!

It was easy for him to buy up the entire mainstream media peopled by brown-envelope-seeking journalists and editors in a hurry to join the resource-grabbing frenzy of those who rule Nigeria. His Ghana-must-go bags were handy for willing media people who had no regards for the sacred role the society, and their jobs, had thrust upon them. Today, Mark can’t control what gets into the new media. He can’t control the number of people who read just a tweet, or Facebook post or blog post, detailing how much David Mark grabs monthly from the purse of a nation in pathetic poverty. He can’t control who reads this piece or who doesn’t. He can’t pull down this website or the other ones linked to it through which this piece will be read by thousands or millions of Nigerians. And this is why he is troubled.

For one who once said that telephones are not for the poor…

As Babangida’s minister of communication, he told whoever cared to listen to perish the thoughts of making telephone available to Nigerians. He stated, clearly, that telephone wasn’t for the poor. It was for the rich, eaters of hundreds of millions of naira from Nigeria’s commonwealth. Today, the senator watches even roadside mechanics clutching their phones, reading the internet and seeing how much of a curse to them this government has become. If you were Mark, you’d be troubled too.

Once a soldier, always…

David Mark's career in the Nigerian Army is highlighted in his online biography:

@WilDeji: You hear people like David Mark talking about ‘social media', don't you understand that there's been a recent meeting?

@Doug_E_Styl: David Mark needs to shut Richard Branson up too, he's giving the Country a bad name…no?

@ged: We're taking comedians serious. This is not military era. If David Bonaventure Mark cannot stand the heat, he can as well quit the kitchen.

@PUREHAIRE: David Mark sha…his mumu talk sometimes sef. When 2015 nears, they'll rush to the social media to solicit for votes but now, we r insulting.

@ged:  …or maybe David Bonaventure Mark was envious of Goodluck Ebelemi Jonathan, wanted his own share of the social media attention. Just maybe.

@Fabiaski: Please is the bearer of this name (David Bonaventure Mark) a Nigerian citizen? cc @ged @omojuwa @ogundamisi

@Nedu64: Apparently, David Mark underestimated this community.I will watch the bashing!

The witch cried at night and the baby died in the morning?

Chinedu Ekweke's (@ekekeee) blog post went viral on the Nigerian's blogosphere. It was a beautiful response to David Mark's comments and enjoyed many re-tweets. But soon after, complains of inability to access his blog flourished on Twitter.

@ekekeee: We are sorry at the turn of events this morning. EkekeeeDOTcom is unfortunately not coming up. Our technical team is working to restore it.

@PUREHAIRE: @TKSlam @egbas @ekekeee A case of the Witch cried at night & the baby died in the morning! David Mark's hooligans are working.

@PUREHAIRE: @ekekeee.Waaaat???? They got to your site? David Mark and co have denied me of a three course meal…

@thenaijaseer: Is dis d best GEJ, David Mark, and Doyin Okupe can do? Bring their Boko Haraism online?

@egbas: The hackers will not win, that's for sure. This will strengthen the @ekekeee team even more. EkekeeeDOTcom hasn't even scratched d surface.

@zebbook: @PIN2015′s website integritynigeria.com and @ekekeee's blog ekekeee.com were hacked within 48 hours of David Mark's statement

@batarhe: @ekekeee good thing I read it before the son of Mark descended on the site

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (8)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

The Oshogbo Sacred Groove is a UNESCO designated cultural heritage centre that sprawls a magnificent 74 hectares of land. Ironically, this historical site is the fruit of Susan Wenger's labor. Susan Wenger is the Austrian priestess, Iya Adunni (Mother Adunni), who first visited the groove in the 1950s and fell in love with the place. Wenger has come to personify “the spirit of the forest” an English translation of Oshogbo.

Nwachukwu Egbunike spoke to Immanuel Afolabi about his journey to the Osogbo Sacred Groove and the role of social media in reviving dying or invisible African religious practices.

Immanuel Afolabi

Nwachukwu Egbunike (NE): You just did a documentary of the Oshogbo Groove. What is it is all about?

Immanuel Afolabi (IA): Let me start with the genesis of the documentary. I was in the French Research Institute sometime last year and the director mentioned to me that there was an International conference on patrimony identity, culture, etc. He said would want me to explore an aspect of those concepts through a documentary film and he specifically suggested the Osun Sacred Groove. Its revolves around patrimony because it has been in existence for hundreds of years and some of the things in that sacred groove have not been distorted by westernisation and modernisation, in spite of the heavy influence of late Susan Wenger, an Austrian. What I did was to explore how Nigerians specifically the people of Oshogbo respond either positively or negatively, and even the neutral aspects of their responses to what has been bequeathed to them by their great ancestors. Because of the sacred nature of that groove and the influence of Christianity and Islam, I found out that most people of Oshogbo shy away from fraternizing with their sacred groove. There are different dimensions and intricacies to the groove which I explored in the documentary.

NE: Nigeria seems to be a religious fault line between Christianity and Islam. How then does one then situate the place of the Oshogbo Groove within this equation?

IA: Studies claim that 50% of Nigerians are Muslims, 40% Christians, 10% of us are traditionalists, if you permit me to use that word. That’s the big challenge to the survival of the Osun groove. But one of my interviewees who is an adherent of the Osun religion told me that most Nigerians may profess not to fraternise with the groove publicly but privately are their frequent guests. The problem is hypocrisy, that’s what I can deduce from the responses of that particular interviewee of mine. However, when we get to our closets, we do one or two things that celebrate traditional religion. But the challenge is still there; either we look at it from that openness, or the covert way with which people fraternise with traditional religion. The challenge is that what is obviously known to us is that Christianity and Islam are the two dominating religions in this country and they do not subscribe to traditional religion and most Nigerians who ‘profess’ to be either Christians or Muslims do not fraternise with our traditional religions, due to the tenets of these two religions: Christianity and Islam.

Goddess of Fertility, Oshogbo Groove, Nigeria (Photo Credit: Feathersproject.wordpress.com)

NE: What was your perception of the Osun Groove?

IA: I went to the groove as an observer-participant not as a participant-observer. For instance, when that priestess asked me to do one or two things, so as to become a participant in the Osun worship, I objected to that because I do not believe in the Osun deity. But that did not truncate my assignment because I went there with the eye of an artist: let me see what other people cannot see, let me be the eyes of the society. But when it came that point of my identifying as a worshiper of the deity, I had to excuse myself from doing so. It my interest you also that I worked in the midst of Muslims when making this documentary. I was even in one of their religious services, but they never forced me or even asked me to participate in any of their religious rites. I went there to observe what they did and to give reportage of what they did and I don’t see a conflict actually, between what I do and my religious affiliation.

NE: Apart from the documentary that you have already done, what do you think about the potential of social media to be able to amplify these voices to other places about the cultural patrimony of Nigeria. Is there hope, or is it just mere hype?

IA: It is no hype and there is hope. But, I think the developmental angle will be to train, the traditionalists so that they themselves can report to us directly rather than through intermediaries – the digital natives. I was limited to going in to some places because I was initiated into some cult. So, if the traditionalists were trained in the art of employing the social media in reporting their patrimony that revolves round their cultural heritage etc; then, they would the liberty to give it to us one hundred percent and how they want it to be disseminated to us. How I can respond concretely to that is in this way. As a professional, if I can have the opportunity to train the locals, in employing the social media in reporting their traditional practices. I think that would serve them better and that would help in employing the social media in conveying to us what they want to convey to us from their own traditional and cultural perspective.

NE: Will the social media be employed in promoting this documentary?

IA: I don’t think so since the aim is purely academic. However we intend to create some short clips that will be uploaded on YouTube. The primary motive is to have it screened in an international conference (Patrimony, Memory and Identity in West Africa) organised early this month in the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. Another objective is to further screen it in global films festivals. In summary, it will serve as an educational and teaching tool.

NE: Is there a website for this documentary?

IA: No there is no website for the documentary but I have a blog and the sponsors of the project – IFR – also have a website.

NE: Do you think there is a common meeting ground for oral based African religious practices and technology?

IA: I am not in the best position to answer this question. However, some scholars advocate that Yoruba traditional religions have technology embedded in them. For instance, some believe that the Ifa corpus – a medium, through which Ifa priests communicate with the gods, gets feedback from the gods and relay same to their clients – is technology in action. Others also are of the view that the ability to predict the future – divination – is already a technological advancement.

NE: Can social media revive dying or invisible African religious practices to an everlasting life (by digitalizing the African spiritual experience)?

IA: Yes it can be used to preserve and make them available to the outside world. Technology helps in documenting these various cultural practices – the religion, the art, etc. The social media can serve as a platform through which oral tradition/religion can be projected to the global community easily and at a faster pace. Facebook, Twitter will be a platform in integrating these religious practices – serving as media of communication among many traditional groups, religions and promoting indigenous practices.

NE: How about Facebook or Twitter in local Nigerian languages?

IA: It can help. But some of these people might still be deprived from using social media because of lack of education. Since the language of instruction is still English. If people are instructed in their indigenous languages, this will not only push development but will also drive the adaptation of these social media platforms. However, we are disadvantaged in Africa because following the old trajectory of development, ‘technology’ used to be the paradigm. Although this attitude to development has changed, however, the remnants still remain. Until the language of instruction morphs from English to the local languages, then development will still remain stunted and the overall penetration and acceptance of social media platforms, might remain largely elitist.

NE: Generally, what do you see as the present or the future, as the case may be, of social media platforms in Nigeria, within and outside the art?

IA: The first thing is that, we need to build our technology in Nigeria. The more advanced we are and the more accessible many Nigerians are, including the locals, to technology, the better for Nigerians. We need to create access for Nigerians too, using this technology. The future is bright, and the world is going gaga, in the sense that technology is driving the world. And we can’t cut ourselves away from this trend.

Written by Nwachukwu Egbunike · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper