It is no longer news that while some people are complaining of inadequate basic amenities such as good road, electricity and clean water, there are a good number of people who have never slept without light in this country. Do you know there is a big gap between the rich and poor in Nigeria? Of course, in almost every part of the world, there is always a gap between the rich and poor; however, the gap in Nigeria is huge, very huge. If you live in the centre of Lagos, it may be hard to notice this because we have so many people who the poor think they are rich, while the rich think they are poor, thus bridging the gap.
Last weekend, I went to one of the estates in Abuja to spend the weekend and almost forgot that I was in Nigeria. Everywhere was clean and calm; PHCN/NEPA did not blink the light once. My friend had to admit that everyone living in the Estate actually pay about One hundred thousand naira (N100, 000) per month to enjoy such basic facilities (minus other cost of living there). So you see? That means if you don’t have N100, 000 per month, forget about enjoying stable electricity, clean water and good road!
In another area, not too far from this Estate, the people are denied the privilege of drinking cold water from their fridge or fetching clean water from their own tap. Their electricity transformer blew up a couple of months ago and since then; PHCN officials who have gone round collecting contribution are slow in taking action to rectify the issue.
Lets imagine a man who was poor yesterday, who never enjoyed stable electricity or water supply, who struggled to provide a qualitative education for his children, who moaned along with others about the bad leadership structure of Nigeria suddenly finds himself in a better position to make things right, what does he do? Does he take action for the benefit of everyone? No, instead, he buys himself a bigger house with high fence to shut out the voices of others, buy a bigger generator to put an end to the epileptic electricity in his home etc. and soon, he forgets how life use to be on the other side. No wonder it is taking so long for Nigeria to bounce back!
There is a need for us all, whether rich, poor or the in-between to begin to think from me to we because if we must move forward and really bring about the total reformation we so much desire for Nigeria, then we have to really begin to get rid of selfish attitude. Know that there are others who are less privilege than you and try to make life better by also reaching out to them and take decisions that will benefit all! For a start, if you or your parents are in leadership position, tell them to look beyond the rim of their glasses and influence legislations for the better.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Holiday job....
Thank God! I have successfully completed, or rather in the process of putting finishing touches to my one month holiday Job in VSO Abuja. It has been a very enjoyable challenge working as a data collection/review consultant. I have gained some valuable experience over these past days here and I am most thankful to God almighty who keeps opening doors of opportunities to do great exploits for His glory!
School resumes this week... lets see what Nigerian Institute of Journalism have got in store for this new semester! Whatever the weather, we will shine on for God! The best is yet to come by God's grace! Keep your dreams alive!!!
....Going into unfamiliar territory will not destroy your old, comfortable world. Rather, it will expand your world, your vision, your knowledge and your possibilities. The next time you come across a road that you've never traveled -- whether it is an idea, a person, a belief system, or an actual road -- take a side trip and make your world a bigger, more interesting place.
School resumes this week... lets see what Nigerian Institute of Journalism have got in store for this new semester! Whatever the weather, we will shine on for God! The best is yet to come by God's grace! Keep your dreams alive!!!
....Going into unfamiliar territory will not destroy your old, comfortable world. Rather, it will expand your world, your vision, your knowledge and your possibilities. The next time you come across a road that you've never traveled -- whether it is an idea, a person, a belief system, or an actual road -- take a side trip and make your world a bigger, more interesting place.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Domestic Violence!
It was a warm afternoon. Even though it was raining season, the sky was still and clear as calm breeze blew through the small Estate. All of a sudden, our peace was disturbed. The sound of silence was broken by a loud cry of someone in pain.
“I will kill you today” a male voice barked angrily. I heard a loud commotion as footsteps thundered towards the incessant scream of people fighting. Although they were all in a hurry to intervene and separate the fight, they seem to carry an aura of casual attitude, one that spells “we are use to this”. A child who didn’t look a day older than seven later confirmed this.
Being a curious observer, I walked towards the small crowd forming in front of the shop- close enough to see what was happening and far enough to be able to flee to safety should the need arise.
“It is a man fighting with his wife…he is married to two wives…that is how they fight every time” the child who was also an onlooker explained to me. For a minute, I stopped to take a long look at the child, and other children around. I was not oblivious of the fact that they were taking in every little details around them; I wondered silently what they could be learning from it. If they are use to being expose to such violence, are they not likely to think it was an okay part of the society they could try out with their peers?
The scene of the bruised couples tangled up like enemies in a wrestling ring describes the reality of what so many people suffer every day from abusers who are either drunk, stressed out- in the case of transfer of aggression, or love to control others by afflicting pain. Many women and children who are mostly victims suffer in silence, ignorant of how to find help. Others are forced to remain in such an abuse for fear of social exclusion in a society that would not hesitate to stigmatise them as being unruly.
Other forms of abuse includes: name-calling, keeping someone from contacting their families or friends, withholding money or needed support, threatening or physical harm, sexual assault, bullying etc., most maltreatment even result to severe depression and death.
In a culture that believes it is okay to hit a child at every opportunity or use fist to settle scores during disagreement, the rate of domestic violence remains high. Especially due to economic hardship that contributes to the increase in frustration that turns love ones against one another.
“I will kill you today” a male voice barked angrily. I heard a loud commotion as footsteps thundered towards the incessant scream of people fighting. Although they were all in a hurry to intervene and separate the fight, they seem to carry an aura of casual attitude, one that spells “we are use to this”. A child who didn’t look a day older than seven later confirmed this.
Being a curious observer, I walked towards the small crowd forming in front of the shop- close enough to see what was happening and far enough to be able to flee to safety should the need arise.
“It is a man fighting with his wife…he is married to two wives…that is how they fight every time” the child who was also an onlooker explained to me. For a minute, I stopped to take a long look at the child, and other children around. I was not oblivious of the fact that they were taking in every little details around them; I wondered silently what they could be learning from it. If they are use to being expose to such violence, are they not likely to think it was an okay part of the society they could try out with their peers?
The scene of the bruised couples tangled up like enemies in a wrestling ring describes the reality of what so many people suffer every day from abusers who are either drunk, stressed out- in the case of transfer of aggression, or love to control others by afflicting pain. Many women and children who are mostly victims suffer in silence, ignorant of how to find help. Others are forced to remain in such an abuse for fear of social exclusion in a society that would not hesitate to stigmatise them as being unruly.
Other forms of abuse includes: name-calling, keeping someone from contacting their families or friends, withholding money or needed support, threatening or physical harm, sexual assault, bullying etc., most maltreatment even result to severe depression and death.
In a culture that believes it is okay to hit a child at every opportunity or use fist to settle scores during disagreement, the rate of domestic violence remains high. Especially due to economic hardship that contributes to the increase in frustration that turns love ones against one another.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Food for thought...
Going into unfamiliar territory will not destroy your old, comfortable world. Rather, it will expand your world, your vision, your knowledge and your possibilities. The next time you come across a road that you've never traveled -- whether it is an idea, a person, a belief system, or an actual road -- take a side trip and make your world a bigger, more interesting place.
THE OTHER OPTION
...Teenzcrew, myspace, Afroscholars, Hi5, TakingITglobal, Nigerianvillagesquare, Wikipedia, to mention but a few are the fastest growing online networks on the internet today. Internet communication resources are incredibly popular with 106million users of myspace and over a million video clips on YouTube, half of which are educational.
Everyone seems to have lots of negative things to say about the internet, the recent insistent high rate of cyber fraud not helping matters. But do I dare say that there are vast positive opportunities and possibilities on the internet that goes beyond youthful online dating or “yahoo yahoo” scam emails which some Nigerian youths that go online seems to engage in.
I know of a living youth who got a scholarship opportunity online which enabled him further his education abroad. A young teenager also once stumbled into an online writing club which later turned out to be a forum where her writing skills was developed by interacting with more experienced writers and later got a publishing deal. These are just a few examples of success stories from some young internet users.
There are several other things that can be done on the internet, such as hosting an online radio show, or build a website that address issues and problems you are most passionate about and proffer solutions. Internet also offers opportunity to people to showcase their wares and do online sales such as artworks, books etc. one can also join educational forum, make academic research, learn and debate about global issues to broaden their horizon. Entertainment zones are also available to meet the interest of fun-minded people. On the internet, there is always something to meet everyone’s area of interest. It is now left for users to define their interest and maximize the available resources.
However, using the internet also comes with its own challenges, such as the frequent junks that pops-up while you are working online, not having a secured access, slow internet service provider and for an average Nigerian youth, the expensive and limited access to the internet.
The internet is not only the widest used source of information but also the most accessible with one sixth of the world’s population online. Schools, teenage groups, religious groups and other institutions in Nigeria should encourage more young people to explore the positive sides of the internet which is the world’s largest library and resource centre and celebrate.
...Teenzcrew, myspace, Afroscholars, Hi5, TakingITglobal, Nigerianvillagesquare, Wikipedia, to mention but a few are the fastest growing online networks on the internet today. Internet communication resources are incredibly popular with 106million users of myspace and over a million video clips on YouTube, half of which are educational.
Everyone seems to have lots of negative things to say about the internet, the recent insistent high rate of cyber fraud not helping matters. But do I dare say that there are vast positive opportunities and possibilities on the internet that goes beyond youthful online dating or “yahoo yahoo” scam emails which some Nigerian youths that go online seems to engage in.
I know of a living youth who got a scholarship opportunity online which enabled him further his education abroad. A young teenager also once stumbled into an online writing club which later turned out to be a forum where her writing skills was developed by interacting with more experienced writers and later got a publishing deal. These are just a few examples of success stories from some young internet users.
There are several other things that can be done on the internet, such as hosting an online radio show, or build a website that address issues and problems you are most passionate about and proffer solutions. Internet also offers opportunity to people to showcase their wares and do online sales such as artworks, books etc. one can also join educational forum, make academic research, learn and debate about global issues to broaden their horizon. Entertainment zones are also available to meet the interest of fun-minded people. On the internet, there is always something to meet everyone’s area of interest. It is now left for users to define their interest and maximize the available resources.
However, using the internet also comes with its own challenges, such as the frequent junks that pops-up while you are working online, not having a secured access, slow internet service provider and for an average Nigerian youth, the expensive and limited access to the internet.
The internet is not only the widest used source of information but also the most accessible with one sixth of the world’s population online. Schools, teenage groups, religious groups and other institutions in Nigeria should encourage more young people to explore the positive sides of the internet which is the world’s largest library and resource centre and celebrate.
YOUTH VOLUNTEERING- an emerging trend.
Volunteering is giving your time, energy and experience to help others and to contribute to the well being of an individual or community without expecting a reward or monetary gain. In recent years, a number of opportunities have emerged that required young people to volunteer. Such volunteering program range from peer-to-peer education/mentoring to religious programs, organising sport events to initiating community service projects, local involvement to global involvement in different organisations.
Active youths identify volunteering as a way to learn work skills, establish employable experience and channel their drive and unique enthusiasm towards community service and bring about a profound change. Volunteering has also been linked to skill development which increases self awareness and self esteem among youths.
There are presently a growing number of young people who are actually involved in local volunteering. These young people are driven by a genuine passion to do something about the state of the world for good. However, there are also others who face barriers that prevent or discourage them from getting involved. These includes, lack of motivation, lack of opportunities and information and most obviously, lack of time, many young people hardly have time due to school.
But there are equally more benefits than barriers in volunteering, such as, it provides youths with concrete real life experience to complement class room learning. It also builds one’s resume/portfolio and connects one to his community, reducing isolation. It broadens your horizon and challenges your social norms, giving you an active critical thinking and problem solving skills to deal with real life concerns.
Before you volunteer, you must ensure that the opportunity relate to your interest and skill, it is flexible and fun, it gives room for you to learn new things, make new friends and most importantly, make a difference for good.
Although we have a rich volunteering culture in Nigeria, we do not have a structural youth volunteering program yet. There are however, limitless opportunities in local organisations, online, internationally that have youth friendly vision and room for youth volunteers. So make research, find them and get involved, or better still, start by joining a local youth group and grow from there! I volunteer because, like the art of writing, it is also a challenging but enjoyable art of taking action and expressing myself positively!
Volunteering is giving your time, energy and experience to help others and to contribute to the well being of an individual or community without expecting a reward or monetary gain. In recent years, a number of opportunities have emerged that required young people to volunteer. Such volunteering program range from peer-to-peer education/mentoring to religious programs, organising sport events to initiating community service projects, local involvement to global involvement in different organisations.
Active youths identify volunteering as a way to learn work skills, establish employable experience and channel their drive and unique enthusiasm towards community service and bring about a profound change. Volunteering has also been linked to skill development which increases self awareness and self esteem among youths.
There are presently a growing number of young people who are actually involved in local volunteering. These young people are driven by a genuine passion to do something about the state of the world for good. However, there are also others who face barriers that prevent or discourage them from getting involved. These includes, lack of motivation, lack of opportunities and information and most obviously, lack of time, many young people hardly have time due to school.
But there are equally more benefits than barriers in volunteering, such as, it provides youths with concrete real life experience to complement class room learning. It also builds one’s resume/portfolio and connects one to his community, reducing isolation. It broadens your horizon and challenges your social norms, giving you an active critical thinking and problem solving skills to deal with real life concerns.
Before you volunteer, you must ensure that the opportunity relate to your interest and skill, it is flexible and fun, it gives room for you to learn new things, make new friends and most importantly, make a difference for good.
Although we have a rich volunteering culture in Nigeria, we do not have a structural youth volunteering program yet. There are however, limitless opportunities in local organisations, online, internationally that have youth friendly vision and room for youth volunteers. So make research, find them and get involved, or better still, start by joining a local youth group and grow from there! I volunteer because, like the art of writing, it is also a challenging but enjoyable art of taking action and expressing myself positively!
MINISTER DEAR…
“Well done! You have surpassed some expectations, and oh! A hearty congratulations on your good achievements this far!” If I were to chat with the Minister of Education today, these will be my first set of words to her. Does it sound flattery? Scheming? Or simply an innocuous remark?
Anyway, after the formal greeting and all, I will then proceed to ask her just one question… “What is the main role of education in our society?” Do we all know education is a fundamental human right which aims to improve knowledge and skills? But with the falling standard of education, don’t we sometimes wonder how this can be fully achieved? Most young people trust and prefer private schools to government owned schools because of the quality of education which fortunately have not been watered down…but what about those who cannot afford it?
This brings me to another subject that I would like to discuss with Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili. “What specific education related attention is being given to youths in distress circumstances?” Won’t we all like to see our education system stepped up a little to accommodate, encourage and create equal opportunities for refugees, street kids, immigrants, rural youths, physically challenged youths, orphans, etc. to have access to education?
Another area of emphasis will be about our education curriculum. It is seriously in need of reform in order for it to be of relevant to changes with times and improved ideas. We are not advocating for cheap education but for quality education that is relevant to youth employability and youth entrepreneurship. A quality education that allows room for co-operation and teaches about cultural heritage and global issues. A quality education that foster solidarity, mutual respect and understanding.
Most importantly, I will draw the attention of the Minister to the vital need to build modern infrastructures in our schools, especially in public schools. And the need for the provision of a continuous training scheme for our teachers and leaders at all levels to make them better in their field.
I will not suggest to our Honourable Minister to scrap JAMB, instead I will encourage her to collaborate with non-governmental organisations and other agencies to establish alternative programmes for non-JAMB minded youths. This will enable them acquire necessary skills that will equally assist them transit to full adulthood and make them active and productive citizens. WE CAN indeed and we should!
Now your turn… if you were to meet one of our Honourable Ministers in future, who will it be and what issues will you raise with him/her?
“Well done! You have surpassed some expectations, and oh! A hearty congratulations on your good achievements this far!” If I were to chat with the Minister of Education today, these will be my first set of words to her. Does it sound flattery? Scheming? Or simply an innocuous remark?
Anyway, after the formal greeting and all, I will then proceed to ask her just one question… “What is the main role of education in our society?” Do we all know education is a fundamental human right which aims to improve knowledge and skills? But with the falling standard of education, don’t we sometimes wonder how this can be fully achieved? Most young people trust and prefer private schools to government owned schools because of the quality of education which fortunately have not been watered down…but what about those who cannot afford it?
This brings me to another subject that I would like to discuss with Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili. “What specific education related attention is being given to youths in distress circumstances?” Won’t we all like to see our education system stepped up a little to accommodate, encourage and create equal opportunities for refugees, street kids, immigrants, rural youths, physically challenged youths, orphans, etc. to have access to education?
Another area of emphasis will be about our education curriculum. It is seriously in need of reform in order for it to be of relevant to changes with times and improved ideas. We are not advocating for cheap education but for quality education that is relevant to youth employability and youth entrepreneurship. A quality education that allows room for co-operation and teaches about cultural heritage and global issues. A quality education that foster solidarity, mutual respect and understanding.
Most importantly, I will draw the attention of the Minister to the vital need to build modern infrastructures in our schools, especially in public schools. And the need for the provision of a continuous training scheme for our teachers and leaders at all levels to make them better in their field.
I will not suggest to our Honourable Minister to scrap JAMB, instead I will encourage her to collaborate with non-governmental organisations and other agencies to establish alternative programmes for non-JAMB minded youths. This will enable them acquire necessary skills that will equally assist them transit to full adulthood and make them active and productive citizens. WE CAN indeed and we should!
Now your turn… if you were to meet one of our Honourable Ministers in future, who will it be and what issues will you raise with him/her?
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