ktravula – a travelogue!

the Nigerian Ghoul in an American Forest

10 Reasons Why Nigeria Might NOT Be Screwed Beyond Repair

The first part of this is 10 Reasons Why Nigeria Might Be Screwed Beyond Repair. But here goes this…

_______________________

10. We still have a constitution and a strong judiciary.

9. The economy is (being) deregulated; and even though progress towards this is slow, true federalism might eventually come to help bring the right foreign investment in alternative means of energy.

8. We still have the Nigerian football to unite us once every two years when there is a major tournament, just as long as there are no local coaches. Maybe we’ll win the World Cup someday. Surely it’s not in 2010.

7. We have a strong press that keeps the security agencies on their toes. It is a slow progress, but it helps.

6. Our greatest export is not just our natural and agricultural resources as it is our human resources. There are many Nigerians of repute making the country proud in areas of endeavour all over the world

5. We still have some sane people living in there.

4. In spite of occasional bursts of violence, it is actually not that bad. The probability of getting killed in ethnic violence is really very low. Most people are smart enough to know when to leave a place when a situation begins to look combustible.

3. We still have the power to vote out corrupt politicians and replace them with real hardworking people. As the situation in Lagos has shown, there are leaders who can get things done.

2. Those people who want to be politicians by all means are not in the majority.

1. I’m going back there, soon.

______________________

This is my last post for this month, folks. Thank you for reading. Watch out for more interesting guest-posts in the coming weeks.

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 10.0/10 (3 votes cast)
VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

10 Reasons Why Nigeria Might NOT Be Screwed Beyond Repair was published on February 28th, 2010, with the tags , , under the Observations, Opinion, Soliloquy category. There are currently 17 comments on this article so far.

10 Reasons Why Nigeria Might Be Screwed Beyond Repair

10. Its very sickly president without a solid constitutional recognition at the moment still lives within the State House.

9. Electricity is comatose, even in 2010. Without stable electricity, nothing developmental can go on.

8. Tribalism still holds fort there as much we hope it doesn’t. Why should it matter where Goodluck is from? There still is no mutual trust among citizens of different, or even same ethnic groups, and citizens could not live peacefully anywhere in the country as they should. See Jos as a case study.

7. There is no adequate security for lives and property. Meeting a policeman on the street at 10pm is not always a good sign.

6. Dependence on oil has crippled other aspects of the economy that used to bring huge foreign exchange. E.g Agriculture.

5. We have produced at least one international terrorist.

4. In spite of much progress made in civil rule/democracy, current politicians still believe in the do-or-die doctrine, which would explain why more people have been assassinated during “democracy” than during military rule.

3. We have the worst culture of waste disposal I’ve ever seen: plastic bags, metals and other trash disposed anywhere without adequate recycling methods. (I’ve also been guilty of this)

2. Half of us want to become political office holders like the nation’s president or a state governor before they can contribute and effect change – and they’re ready to kill to get there – rather than starting small right at the door of our residences. “If everyone sweeps his backyard, the town will be clean,” the old quote reads.

1. Education is not given the priority it deserves in terms of funding or government attention.

_______________

It’s going to be real hard to find a flipside to this argument, but I’ll try. That’d be tomorrow.

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 9.7/10 (3 votes cast)
VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

10 Reasons Why Nigeria Might Be Screwed Beyond Repair was published on February 27th, 2010, with the tags , , under the Observations, Opinion, Soliloquy category. There are currently 2 comments on this article so far.

10 Reasons to Buy KTravulart To Help Haiti

10. Haiti was the first black nation to get independence from Europeans, and they did it through bravery and collective action. Since then, however, they have been impoverished. For years since their independence, they had to pay reparation to France, a sort of price for their freedom.

9. Haiti does not have the required infrastructure to deal with the destruction of their homeland by the earthquake that hit them in January, and foreign volunteers can only do so much before they return to their own homes. They need help. They need money, badly.

8. You will get a precious artwork from and lovely postcards from ktravula.com. Yea, that’s worth repeating. :)

7. You will be saving lives.

6. This offer to buy beautiful soon-to-be-famous artworks for less doesn’t come all the time, and will definitely not be open forever.

5. Singer Wyclef Jean might send you a “Thank you” email or hand-written letter for helping his country. Don’t doubt it!

4. The city of Chicago, Illinois was founded by a man called Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a Haitian. He was also the first known non-indigenous settler and the first Haitian-American and person of color in the area which is now Chicago, Illinois. A support for Haiti is a support for Chicago, and by extension a support for the State of Illinois – if we want to take it that far. Don’t forget that President Obama is also from the state. Help Haiti and help us, somewhat.  :)

3. Many of the survivors need so much medical attention which only money can buy.

2. It’s a drop in the ocean, but it can still make an impact.

1. The photos are beautiful, and worth every penny spent.

Alrighty, let’s do this and let’s move on. I’m sure I almost can hear someone say “enough already.” Well, the travelogue continues without fail, just after this commercial break… “Haiti I can see your Halo” by Beyonce. “911 Remake” by Twista, and “Redemption Song” by Rihanna.

To participate, go to this page for more information. The travelogue resumes its schedule in the month of February.

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

10 Reasons to Buy KTravulart To Help Haiti was published on January 30th, 2010, with the tags , , , , , , under the Art, Soliloquy category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

10 Reasons To Buy KTravulart To Help Jos

10. It is one of Nigeria’s most serene cosmopolitan cities, now facing a humanitarian crises that could as well be called genocide going by motive, and the number of deaths recorded in the last couple of weeks.

9. It is a tourist destination for expatriates living in Nigeria maybe because of its altitude. If there is peace, stability and vitality in Jos, there is peace, stability and vitality for all who visit the place. And it’s a good place to visit if you are ever in Nigeria.

8. It is the site of a very advanced Nok culture and civilization who lived there from around 3000BC and disappeared in the late first millenium.

7. Its National Museum is one of the best in the country, and it boasts of some fine specimens of Nok terracotta heads and artifacts dating from between 500 BC to AD 200. It also incorporates the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture with life-size replicas of a variety of buildings, from the walls of Kano and the Mosque at Zaria to a Tiv village. (Source Wikipedia)

6. The state has over forty ethno-linguistic groups, some of the largest in the country as far as linguistic diversity is concerned.

5. It has the potential to be – as it has always been – one of the best places to live in Nigeria.

4. You will have a beautiful photographic artwork hanging in your living room, signed by KTravula, all the way from the Midwest of the United States.

3. You will have something to show for it beyond the beautiful photograph hanging in your living room: a peace of mind that comes from giving.

2. For Nigerians, you will have done your little part to contribute to the progress of the country Nigeria, without having to occupy a government office, and be sure that your money is making an impact, and not going to a corrupt pocket.

1. I said so. And you love me, don’t you?


PS: That photo above is of the famous Riyom Rocks. It is located in Riyom, the local government in which I spent twelve months in 2005/2006 on the National Youth Service programme. (Picture Source: Paramino.)

PSS: I got an $80 cheque from Clarissa today, as donation to Jos. She had mistakenly addressed it to Access Bank Nigeria instead of to me, but that’s fine. I can’t post the cheque to Nigeria because no Nigerian bank will cash an American cheque. On Monday therefore, I will make her re-write it, address it to me, I’ll cash it and transfer it to the Access Bank Account of the Nigerian Red Cross for Jos Relief or send by Western Union to them, or to someone who will pay it into the Access Bank Account and provide me with proof. It shouldn’t be so hard jare!

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

10 Reasons To Buy KTravulart To Help Jos was published on January 30th, 2010, with the tags , , , , , , , , under the Art, Soliloquy category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

10 Reasons To NOT Be Thankful For 2009

You may want to read Ten Reasons To Be Thankful for 2009 here first before you continue.

10. That idiot who tried to blow up the plane is from Nigeria.

9. The healthcare system in Nigeria is still in a comatose mode. The president is unhealthy and can’t be treated within the country. There is no sadder reminder of the state of our healthcare.

8. Climate change is not waiting on the signatures of the world leaders. It is a grim reality.

7. The swine flu infected and killed so many people this year. And we’re still in December. It can always get a lot colder.

6. I did not get to write as much as I wanted. And read as much as I wanted.

5. We do not yet know how much nuclear weapons are in the world at the moment, or in whose hands they are. So, it is safe (no pun intended) to say that we’re not totally free yet.

4. I lost my Grandmother.

3. I didn’t have enough time or funds to go around as I wanted to.

2. I didn’t see the Avatar (yet), Old Dogs and Sherlock Holmes.

1. On the other hand, we’re now closer to 2012!


VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

10 Reasons To NOT Be Thankful For 2009 was published on December 31st, 2009, with the tags , , under the Observations, Soliloquy category. There are currently 1 comment on this article so far.

10 Reasons To Be Thankful For 2009

10. The Nigerian guy who tried to take down an airplane in Detroit did not succeed.

9. The US Healthcare bill is passed, even though it still doesn’t include the public option, and many people say that it really is not all it promised to be at first. But hope is alive and well.

8. The climate talks at Coppenhagen, Denmark are over and many valid and important issues have been raised about the threat to the environment. It is not a perfect situation, and not all governments present have agreed. But we’re more conscious now. Head over here and here to see a picture of fellow Fulbighters protesting in front of the White House.

7. I didn’t catch the flu. It didn’t snow much in Edwardsville. Thank goodness. I think I’ll make it though the winter after all.

6. I got to write some more poems and prose than I did last year. My Short Story Behind the Door will be published next year in Africa Roar, an anthology.

5. Nobody launched a nuclear weapon this year, and thus we’re still alive.

4. I met old friends. I made new friends. I met new people. I had pounded yam in abundance, twice.

3. I travelled more this year than I did in a long while, I saw more cities, museums, monuments, memorials.

2. I saw Up In The Air, The Blind Side, This Is It, among many other interesting movies of the year.

1. We’ve survived it.

VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.8.3_1051]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

10 Reasons To Be Thankful For 2009 was published on December 31st, 2009, with the tags , , under the Observations, Soliloquy category. There are currently 2 comments on this article so far.

.