Angry policemen

Sometimes, I marvel at the things I hear from the lips of certain people in this country. You wonder if whatever mettle they were made of actually was ever designed to feature in the existence of the living. Its around here you find people give and/or ask for bribe and call it PR (Public Relations); its around here you find naval ratings use horsewhips on civilians and call it discipline; its around here you find people, even the poor, take what does not belong to them and call it partaking of the national cake.

Just yesterday, my mum told me that on her way to a state out of Lagos, some policemen demanded that they stopped but the driver refused to. As a result, they started shooting at the bus but fortunately, nobody got hurt. However, what dazzled me most was what the policemen did after that. They collected the money for the bullets they wasted from the driver, after he stopped, and then released the bomb shell...

...it was because the DPO and one policeman in the state was killed yesterday.

Now the question I asked simultaneously was to find out it the reason they gave was directed at why they shot or why they collected the money for the bullet they wasted.

Who told them to shoot at innocent civilians? In a society which is concerned about the welfare of its citizens, what they would have done was to engage the vehicle that refused to heed their call in a hot pursuit. So many innocent lives have been lost as a result of this irrational and highly unprofessional behaviour of the ' men in black'. I also stand to be corrected but I believe that we are not getting the right response from those in authority. So many of the dastardly acts have gone unpunished.

Why should I be on bike and spot poliemen and be afraid? Afraid they might stop you to check your bag and then ask for the receipt of some very useless thing. Afraid their might be an accidental discharge and you become the victim. Afraid that for whatever reason they might have, you are bundled into the waiting van and driven off to some unknown location. If driven off to the prison (where you might not get any trial for the next 5-10 years and your family has no knowledge of your whereabout) you might be lucky as opposed to those I heard might be driven off to unknown destination where they could be sold to ... you can imagine the details.

We want our leaders to help hold those who have mangled and destroyed the lives of innocent people to ransom and ensure they pay for their misdemeanours.
Nigeria will flourish again...

When horses started working on Nigerian Roads - Hence horsewhips

Every resident of Lagos state should by now be aware of the recent brutality which was unleashed on an innocent lady, Miss Uzoma Okere on the 3rd of November by six naval ratings attached to Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade.

The ugly incidence was shown on ireport for the whole world to see how Nigerian citizens are "well taken care" of by the same set of people that they are supposed to run to for solace. This is not the first of such incidents but we hope this will put a stop to it. Some time ago, we heard of the southern Governor who maltreated a young woman and her kids; for what reason one would wonder? Police men shoot, beat, harass and ultimately have succesfully made every civilian see them as the scum of the earth.

In the case of Harry Arogundade, what were his ratings doing with horse whips? People in authority in this nation have taken it upon themselves to lord it on the people; people they are supposed to defend and protect. Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola recently banned the use of sirens by any governor or government officials within the state. This is the least of the several policies that should be made to leash this power intoxicated individuals. How many people are aware that the President - elect of the US, senator Barack Obama, lived in a self - contained when he was the illinois senator? The government officials cannot be differentiated from the people they serve; infact, a US senator will readily pass for a Nigerian senator's PA.

This is a clarion call to our leaders to help NIGERIANS feel safe and comfortable. We elected them to protect, defend and fight for us not with us. It is a call to responsibility and dignity in order to uphold Nigeria's HONOUR AND GLORY!!!

Rebirth of a Nation

Whenever we come to a threshold, an harbinger of making history, we do not assert this truth by the reality of the experience rather by the assurance of its hope...

...the hope we hold on to as a nation that one day we can also live every moment as indicated in the words of the fathers of American independence - "... all men are equal and have a right to the God - given gifts of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.."

We have come this far and yet still so far - far from the dreams of our fathers ; far from the hope our independence promised us; far from the luxury of life our naturally endowned economy afforded us; far, very far!!!

We have come from a time in which our different ethicity, religious and cultural beliefs, political ideologies have painted a picture of a separate people only brought together by the extensive stretch of land. We have become a shadow of ourselves - NIGERIA

It has always and will always be, when history repeats itself, that a people will always arise who will say NO to the oppressions of the slave drivers and hold their destiny in their hands; perhaps if we do not live the life our nation promised, our children will never have to fight the battle.

We will keep writing, till NIGERIA comes back in strength and vigor and reposition itself where and how it ought to be.

NIGERIA WILL FLOURISH AGAIN...