Monday, December 17, 2007

Matchday Zero

Matchday Zero. Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0. Hmm, whooping Chelsea's A**. Exhiriating.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Ondo Dog eating

Hmm, interesting times are coming.I am facing the dilenma of how to view the unfolding events in Ondo State. Whether wrong or right, considering that the issue at stake is an inherent illegality, at least by name. Just heard on BBC's Focus on Africa programme that 11 PDP members were abducted in a meeting. The abductors ( i prefer that to kidnappers) were requesting payment for helping the PDP out rig the other parties, notably the Labour Party in last April polls.Well, i dont and wont sanction illegality, but when illegality begets illegality and both of them cancel each other out, what do you say?

The point is this actually. Kidnappers, abductors, criminals, whatever we call them should let us ordinary folks be and face those who sent them in the first place, in a classic case of dog eat dog... (unless, of course the Labour Party is stage managing this).

So now the dogs are barking at or better still eating the dogs.And if THIS is happening , it cant be wrong, or can it? The chickens will definitely come home to roost.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Port Harcourt : A State of Emergency

I was already late. So after waiting a while for a taxi and seeing none, I "climbed" on an Okada to the park where I was to join a bus to Owerri. But I couldn’t make it to the park. A series of sporadic and close-sounding gunshots make sure of that! Preferring not to be the subject of a tragedy, i quickly scanned the surroundings for a concrete post or wall. Not finding any, i hugged the murky ground at my feet and with this action went my precious white shirt and my traveling to Owerri that morning. Everything happened in a split second; in emergency mode.

That’s the nature of living in Port Harcourt these days. You can encounter danger in the next minute and equally lose you life if your chi is not awake. The city is now a state (city) of emergency. Though everyone still pretends it’s not. But when I think of it now, I ask myself, when has the city not been tethering on the brink of strife since I grew conscious enough to make my choices. Back then it used to be one of the numerous inter-ethnic conflicts: Andoni –Ogoni, Ijaw – Okirika, Ogoni –Andoni etc.

It’s only enjoying attention because it now involves the kidnapping of expatriates and the direct threatening of governance. When it happened only at the “watersides” – the slums, nobody paid any attention or when attention was paid, it was out of political expediency. Now all those who killed and maimed in the name of ethnic conflict has drank the concoction of penury, vengeance, criminality and of course, courage. They are attacking the larger community. Its just an example of what happens when politics is played with just about everything, from checking religious fanatism to tackling poverty. Peace takes a walk when this happens, and unfortunately with it my precious white shirt. But I am too glad it was only my shirt.

Monday, August 06, 2007

HIV TESTS IN COVENANT UNIVERSITY: THE BURDEN OF JUDGESHIP

HIV TESTS IN COVENANT UNIVERSITY: THE BURDEN OF JUDGESHIP

I’ve been off the blogging circuit for a while and though I’ve been itching to lend my voice to issues, somehow, I’ve been cocooned off by constraints. But when this issue of subjecting would be graduands of Covenant University to compulsory HIV screening before the award of degrees to them came up, it also drove up a couple of latent questions from the depths of my mind.

Not to bore you much, I helped myself to the answer to one of the questions that plagued my mind. It’s about Character. What’s Character? The dictionary says that character is “all the qualities and features that makes a person, a group or a place different from others”. Character is the reason Covenant University is doing what it’s doing. We all know that an awardee has to be found “worthy” in “learning and character” before a degree is awarded him. But that is where my dilemma steps in. What constitutes Character? …all the qualities? Tallness, Thinness, HIV status? What? So my questions began.

Does the health status of anyone contribute to character when viewed in the light of the education environment? If a person is dying, and insists on acquiring formal education, does anybody have the right to deprive them of such? Where the persons health status (You might want to read “HIV status”) does not affect their physical, mental and emotional strengths, does that state of health merit being used as a tool as against such individuals in their pursuit of academic glory?

Who has the absolute right to condemn someone by such standards and thus deprive the person? The Chancellor, Registrar, Senate….? Who? Does it mean that if somebody makes straight As or a First Class, the person would not be given a certificate, just because of their HIV status? Please.

Probably, the University authorities believe that whosoever got the virus had it as a result of the sexual promiscuity while forgetting there are tens of ways through which the virus can be contracted. I ask again, within whose purview does the right to administer spiritual cleansing fall? Chancellor Oyedepo or God through Christ (when you sincerely seek His face). So whats the news that they would not be allowed to graduate except they undergo spiritual cleansing about? To me it sounds like info straight out of Gulu, Uganda (apologies to the people of Gulu ).Christ! Even Christ didn’t discriminate!

A persons HIV status does not stop them from contributing positively to society. Rather by depriving someone who has studied for 4 years of their right to a certificate, you would be encouraging them to become bitter and vengeful. They might even want to spread the virus around in order to spite the earth that treated them badly.

A judge, administrator or someone with the responsibility to make decisions that drastically affect peoples lives has to look at the bigger picture, and in an instance where such a person is a minister, he has to be careful not to sin and be seen to sin! Deprivation of civil liberties under whatever guise is a very sensitive issue especially when such deprivation inspires one to criminality and hate. In more radical societies, The Covenant University authorities could easily be in trouble.

I implore them to show the students all the Love they can and stop this issue about HIV screening before graduation. I wonder what it’s meant to achieve, anyway, because the positive still moves into the wider society, screening or no screening. It’s Ok to screen before you admit, though. That in my opinion can help save the lives of the other students. Somehow.

Mr. Nathaniel (I think that’s his name) the Registrar was on TV last night dousing the flames of this controversial issue, but Sir, am sorry to say this. You did not convince me of the rightness of your cause. And oh, for the denials, there is surely no smoke without fire! My constraints are still here, so I will rest my case for now.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Till sometime soon!

Due to some unavoidable circumstances, i'll have to curb what i really love doing-blogging.But i just have to go away for a couple of weeks....and will soon be back as i'm midway into my "unavoidable circumstances". Even when you visit and didn't find a new post, be rest assured i've been reading yours...My dear brothers and sisters, may your toes never break from kicking a**es.Its your duty to speak out. And oh!, may you never tire to commend too.Till sometime soon.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

New Nigerian Anthem

Claws from the Past

Bring it!
What?
We right here
We're not goin anywhere
We right here
This is ours and we don't share
We right here
Bring your crew cuz we don't care
We right here
Uh, uh, uh..

Chorus of Rapstar DMX's song "We right Here".

For sometime now, i've not been frequent on Blogland. I'd say why next time. But i couln't resist sharing the new PDP anthem with us.This is most intended for those who are seeing a new dawn where there is actually none.Its still the reign of the leeches. Doubt it? Read your lecture notes on LEG 101 (Course Title : Politics of (s)election in the 6th Nigerian Senate) .....Obviously,
the leprous claws from the dark not too distant past still pulls the strings. GOD HELP US!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Dear Brother!

My dear Brother,

Thanks for the concern. I’m OK now. It’s healthy to be in shock once in a while (there should be a study that affirms that). Just as you insinuated the last time, the deed has been done. The battle lost and maybe the trenches already silting up. Musa Yar’adua has “coasted home to a resounding victory”. By now you must have heard he won with over 60% of the total votes “cast”. The glasses are clinking and you can be sure the growth of pot bellies will witness another astronomical increase. The Nigeria Decides and Elections 2007 reporters are already going back to their routine. I can see them chatting away in excitement. It’s been a unique weekend. The day “we” will hand over to another civilian regime is getting nearer. INEC offices across the land are been swept. Eagle Square too. Life has continued. Though the frame has changed; the picture has refused to be replaced.

Electricity was just restored a few minutes ago and I caught the President on TV congratulating Nigerians for a job well done. We didn’t do no job! We are about to do that by embarking on good old siddon look. I wont have you sitting there thinking I did such a bad job. Jolly good Baba knows who did the job. He said aggrieved politicians should head for the tribunals…but I was waiting to hear where the families of the victims of this election would head to. Well, I don’t really believe the courts would change much. Of course, they wouldn’t want to truncate Nigerian “fledging” democracy (Nobody is using “nascent” now).They would rule in the all-conquering national interest. You know, National Interest is the fluid with which we swallow our bitter pills. The ones the kleptocrats and charlatans gave us.

Last time, we were asked to defend our votes. But we did not vote, so what are we going to defend? It wasn’t our fault Bro, it really wasn’t. The INEC people never came to our area and in places were they came, they came without result sheets. So we really don’t have much to defend, see? Besides they are asking us to defend, defend, defend… but nobody wants to say how the defence would be. I guess nobody fancies a visit from the guys in black, especially now ( in their season of anger).Remember, their colleagues are been targeted everywhere. So, we can only run to the law.Yea, law –abiding citizens. You know we love the law so much. Baba even said we should put our hope in the law. I think the yoke on the law is going to be great in the coming days. We are already praying the load doesn’t give it a K-leg as our Baba is wont to say.

Bro, have you ever voted digitally? Nigerians did in the last elections. It was so exciting. The whole process was “digitally ours” in fact. That EDC and EVC machine was da bomb. With it, 500 registered voters can actually multiply to 10000 when the results are announced. That Iwu surely rocks! Such genius. I heard he’s been held from returning home by handshakes. If you can reach him,…I don’t know….but I heard he recently changed some of his telephone numbers…tell him that one day we would meet him on the other side of the river. We want to congratulate him too. And yes, tell him not to forget to come with his helmet. They say rocks like people who rock. Am not sure, but in case it rocks, the helmet would come in handy. I don’t know how you can reach him now, but if you get the number and a machine picks, start saying you are an Observer from Haiti and that you want to commend……I think he will pick then.

I also heard the results are already out in France. Hah, that Royale woman..Senegalese born Sengolene.... In fact, that Socialist woman tried.They said she came second and is already gathering poll points in the days to the second round..Thats well. She’s already great. For our women here, the prospects are still dim. Of course, unless you are the wife of an Ekaette, Danjuma, Kure, Ali or a girlfriend to any of these names. Screen idols are getting a mention too. Maybe I’ll ask my daughter to be a newscaster. I love them.

We almost saw Iraq here the other day. Someone tried to ram a petrol laden tanker into the Electoral umpire’s office at Abuja but a NEPA pole did us one good this time. It stopped the truck. Maybe we should import these poles for use as accident preventers on our accident-prone highways. I know firm that manufactures that, yea, close to the one that printed our ballot papers. But don’t be excited o.There wasn’t anybody in that truck. I think the plotter or driver or… whoever wasn’t sure his suicide pill wasn’t the adulterated one, so he got faint hearted and put a stone in his stead. Talc, calcium, valium,…the guy wasn’t just sure. I think the NAFDAC woman should look into that aspect of fakery since the elections are now over. Anyway, at least we have an innovation in the country. Rocks now drive trucks. If it’s in Nigeria, its possible; everybody and everything rocks.

Some people are saying other people should take to the streets in protest. Tomorrow, I will be walking the streets. I still don't have that job yet. So I will be knocking on yet some more gates.Yesterday was May Day and we didnt get any may day calls.No protest.Who wan die? The Protest from our stomachs won't allow us to move into the streets.

Ahhh…there it goes again. Another power cut. That will force me to stop here as it is already dark. I will write you some other time, but before I stop I want you to think about this quote; its taken from The Sunday Sun of 22nd April 2007.Its from Ojo Maduekwe PDP’s Scribe to Prince Soyebi , INEC’s REC in Abia State where the PDP lost the gubernatorial election. Hear, “We offered him everything and you said you are born again”.

Soyebi was beaten up by political thugs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl Airport. Guess who launch the first slap.? Onyema Ugochukwu, the defeated PDP candidate in the state.And he wants to be a governor? God Forbid times three.What more can a country stand. Bro, i will write you next time jooo

Take care.

Your Brother.

Atakata Eloo

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Election Day Diary

Sometime between 2am and 3am

I woke up to the sound of assorted munitions going off and Akon’s Smack That. Some 2 hours ago, as sleep wooed my eyelids, my mind had been at war with my head over the turning off of the Tuface-E-be-like-say playing radio. Sleep eventually settled that by letting my head win. But since they belong to the same party-Sleep and Brain (it was obviously rigged).Now my mind has woken up to claim its victory, but the radio station wasn’t playing Tuface again. Are there any sound of gunshots in Akon’s Smack That? I’m not sure, but the sound of exploding dynamites made sure my mind doesn’t dwell on Akon. Sleep scampered into the closet and boom-boom-boom took charge. I smile. Election Day is here.

7am – 9am

After gathering some “intelligence” from chat groups around, I decided to make the trip down the road to the razed Elelenwo Police Station, (Yea, I know it might be dangerous with all the tension in the air but……instinct and curiosity aint a very rational couple, are they?) I won’t bore anybody with what I saw---you must have seen it anyway--- but it was a horrible and sorry site. It was undeserved despite the polar nature of the Police as regards the elections, I thought. Well, Charcoal merchants have found a goldmine.

Noon – 2pm

“Dem go still announce am, wheda una vote or not” That clincher greeted me as I arrived Polling Unit 08.It came from a PDP party agent. There was an argument between …everybody. Voters had insisted there wasn’t going to be any voting unless they see the result sheet, the one they call INEC Form EC…..Ah, I just lost that now. Doesn’t matter anyway. I had decided to embark on an observer or observing mission since there wasn’t any activity in the polling unit where I registered, so I came down here. Voting finally commenced after assurances from the INEC official that the result sheets would be there before the close of voting. I observed that there were posters of the ANPP candidate everywhere, even next to the “polling center” banner. Remember, I am an Observer. OK. This same wheda-una-vote guy was the first to cast his ballot. After thumb printing right there on the polling clerk’s table, he now turned and displayed his ballot for all to see. Na Wao! Well, Shebi na Open Secret system? Election a la Naija. I sighed and walked back to my polling unit.

2pm - 4pm

Back in my polling unit.Confusion everywhere.The Poll Clerks couldn’t find anybody name in the register. I had to point out the number of the polling unit on the register which wasn’t the number on our temporary voters card.After a few shows of ai-tee-keism from some ignorant party agents, the INEC officials decides I make sense.Pronto.New Register.Voting commences.Of course, I was the first, after all no be me resolve de problem?. Enough activity for the day. On my way home I discovered that voting has already ended in Polling Unit 08.Guess what? The results weren’t announced and the heavens didn’t drop. Same old story. I jejelly continued my journey home.

AFTER ALL THAT….

INEC still “fcuks up” everything. Definition of fcuks up? OK. Annnouncing results in and for places where there were no elections. Declaring winners when the REC is still collating the results. Activity as another PDP….there are plenty others. I am here brooding. Thinking of how I spent the election day and what will happen now.No protests. Nothing. I think about what the late Bola Ige said….hmm, siddon look. Should I do that. I guess I will. I’ve got no choice.

E be like say
Dem don tell us that story again oo
.....


VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS

These things occur everyday in Iraq, don’t they? My heart goes out to the victims though.


SUPREME COURT RULING ON ATIKU

Once again these guys showed that they are our last hope, if there is any. I wonder what my erstwhile legal icon (Gani) would do now.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Oluwatoyin: Horror made in Gombe!

On an otherwise exciting morning last week i woke up to the heartbreaking news oof the gruesome murder of Oluwatoyin Olusesan, a teacher in the Northern State of Gombe.Two days ago, an incident (the abduction of the ANPP gubernatorial candidate and former governor, Abubakar Hashidu from a courtroom) that had made national headlines occured in that same state.So listening to Rhythm FM that morning i was like "laid-back Gombe in the news again?Twice this week?"

But my talk isn't about the politicians and how they fool around.It's about Toyin.Poor Toyin.It could have been me and my friends.It could have been anybody. I grieved because i had served in Gombe during my NYSC year.And it was in a town that had an eeringly similar name to the one in which Toyin had been murdered in; another Government Day Secondary School.I became friends with so many of the townsfolk.I thought then, real friends.But now am not so sure again. I remembered the days when rocks will be raining down our roof in the night like we were in hailstorm season.I remembered the unspoken threats. And each time i thought about these, my heart sank further into my bowels. It could have happened to a colleague who the students virtually saw as an opponent because of her forcefulness and strictness.Of course, that was manifested in the frequency of her whipping sessions.The threat was given human form when some students verbally threatened to stone her.But it never happened because i got the Sarki to talk to the students.But it finally happened to Toyin. Its a shame that i now have a doubt about my relationship with my former students; Abu, Umaru, Haruna..Its a shame that feeds on fear.A fear that i will keep on fighting for some time to come ( honestly).Well, in case you've not heard, this is the story of Toyin's death ( culled from the Punch of Thursday March 22,2007).

"Muslim pupils at a secondary school in Gandu, Gombe state, beat a teacher to death after accusing her of desecrating the Koran. According to agency reports, the teacher, Oluwatoyin Olusesan, a Christian, was invigilating an Islamic Religious Knowledge exam at the Government Day Secondary School, Gandu when the incident occurred. The students attacked her outside the school compound after the exam and killed her. They also burnt some of the school blocks in the process.
The Vice Principal, Hajiya Hadiza Gombe said the teacher, who was employed on contract was assigned to invigilate the SS1 pupils who were writing their Islamic Religious Knowledge exams. She added that the teacher suspected that a foul play was about to take place when one of the students wanted to come in with his books to the exam hall. Gombe said when the teacher collected the books and threw them outside, unknown to her, there was a copy of the Holy Quoran among the books. The principal said before they knew what was happening, the students had started chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great). All efforts to control the rampaging students proved abortive even when the school principal, Mohammed Sadiq, tried to protect the teacher in his office. The principal was also terribly beaten and injured while they set the teacher's car, three classes, the school's clinic, administrative block and library on fire..."



I kept asking myself; where are we heading to when students who are probably not older than 25 years start committing murder without qualms (no matter the guise under which it was done)?.It is a problem that is much bigger than the threat of Maurice Iwu and his INEC.It involves the loss of lives in the instant and the breeding of future Talibans in our midst.It also represents our failure as in nation in the area of religious harmony even after more than 40 years of pushy-jerky existence.Its an indictment of our so called leaders who stir up religious sentiments in order to score cheap political points.It ought to shame the overseers of that warped socialiization process:the Imams, Sarkis, Emirs and governors and of course the Parents.It ought to shame us all that this is happening in our country in this age of Carbon footprints and Nanotechnology.Some of us are still throwing stones when we should be showing love.Shame.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

The Story of Your Life

The Story Of Your Life


What you are about to read is neither a song
Nor the musings of a madman all day long
You might want to call it a poem
Or use it to clear your throat of phlegm
Your sighs say they are the rantings of a drunkard
Maybe the confused chants of a retard
Aware of these; i will continue to write
And like drowsy ants to sugar, loony coots i invite

These words i want to be; like probes
Prying into your phyches, itchings in your celebral lobes
No, this is not an exercise in braggadocio
Nor the vain blabbings of an act of fellatio
It can rehabilitate your warped thought processes
Or send you down hell's inner recesses
What you make of it i dont care
' cos it about to expose- your secrets laid bare
Yes! desperation rattles your heart; you are going extinct
The message you see is now becoming distinct
Ding-dong-ding time as you know it flies
Like a bird of prey, it feeds on your lies
Is this poetry? Your terrified soul ask
The answer you want comes; a lazy man's task
Still here it comes, the genesis of your story
That of a twisted life steeped in allegory
Your phobia for this turns into an allergy
But it must be told to heal you of this lethargy
I'll rather let your mouth spurn it
This is the story of your life, tell it bit by bit.

c Endi
Port Harcourt
Nigeria.


D: To all those who had done something "real weird" in their lives.C'mon, tell it and sell it!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Chasing Chickens!

Nigerians from diverse walks of life have hailed the judiciary over the Court of Appeal judgment which affirmed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the vice president of Nigeria ( plenty Nigerians in fact).I wish i can pass this advice to Baba.It will do more good letting the VP be, than chasing him around.There is this Igbo proverb that goes " O chu nwa okuko nwe ada" translated "He who chases the chicken will always be the one to kiss the dust". But there's one thing about this proverb, it silently connotes that they that chase chickens will unwittingly expose themselves to public ridicule, just because of a mere "chicken". There are so many ways to catch a chicken than chasing it.(For example, you can put a pin in a morsel of food it's going to eat and....you know the rest.)Sorry, animal lovers.You can also sprinkle grains of corn or rice.

We all know the corruption allegations are politically motivated though they might be true, but why not let the electorate decide if they want a "corrupt" president.The President might be creating a Hero out of a chicken! No matter how absurd it sounds, that just the beauty of democracy! I would have discussed this further but my head is clogged right now.Maybe when am cleared..

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

No Val Day!

Since i wasnt going to celebrate that day called Valentine, i decided to distract myself with some love jokes...maybe that would put me in a good mood in preparation for the hectic days ahead when i will still have to be in the Lab by 6 pm , running PT's on 16 to 18 year olds who are scared of getting themselves pregnant after the romping on Valentine's Day...Its never been my day anyways,it's always been Val's Day.Val is my womanising neigbour.So, here are some jokes i found.Some are quite bland though...


"Her husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he said, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business fell, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. When I think about it now. ....I think you bring me bad luck!"

"A woman rushed home from work and exclaimed to her husband, "Pack your bags, I've won the lottery!"
The husband excitedly asks, "Should I pack clothes for cold or warm weather?"
She says, "Pack'em all, you're leaving!


"Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about something you say. After marriage, he will fall asleep before you finish".


"Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical, and a good cook. But the law allows only one wife."


"One woman's hobby is another woman's hubby".


"Many a man owes his success to his first wife and his second wife to his success".


"I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste".


A man is incomplete until he is married. After that, he is finished.


I'm an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house..


"Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one".


"Marriages are made in heaven. But so again, are thunder and lightning".


"If you want your wife to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say, talk in your sleep".

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Living, Loving with a Clear Head

I celebrated one year of living (and "loving") with a clear head yesterday.Yea, i know...you've been in thing and you've been clear headed since you were two.But me? I just learnt that not all seven of them who profess Love and say, " Master, Master, just say you love us and we will never scatter you heart" end up staying with you 48 hours after bedlam. I thought i knew it all before.Well, now i know, i wasn't halfway there and probably will never know it all with these feminine creatures.And Hey!, am better off for it!.But the anniversary reminds me anyway, that women will always be women. You are itching to hear the tale, keep itching...'till i get a proper replacement.Then i will spin the tale..

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Tochi's Death and MEND

My mind could'nt help reverting to the last Friday hanging of of 21 year old Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi as i watched the Shell Cup finals on TV.My day had been depressing and i needed some cheering up.So when the match came, i was glad.At least it was football.I was turned on the more by the "fact" that the lads actually looked young.Well, it was good match ( between Govt College, Kano and Asegun Comp.Ibadan), so i sat back and watched.

But somehow that same match further kept reminding me of what a Tochi at 18 had been looking for in Singapore.Where to play his football. If only Tochi had an oppurtunity to compete in a Youth tournament such as this, probably he would have gotten a club here.The "ifs" in my mind were legion. I thought...but who would actually want to stay here when you can have a better oppurtunity at life elsewhere.This is the trajedy of our country.The death of people and dreams.

If only our Government had realised that the news of Tochi's hanging would do more damage than 6 months of ajalatravelling on the Heart of Africa image making project would have done, probably they would have pleaded on his behalf on time.If only we had more purposeful leadership, jobs, housing, food, fuel, education, medicare and oppurtunities, probably Tochi wouldnt have gone to Singapore.

My friend, an automobile spray painter travelled to Malaysia, a Singapore-like country about 2 years ago to seek greener pastures.Jobs werent coming because so many could afford to repaint their cars and he had expectations to meet from 367 degrees around him. So he took the plunge. Since then i've met only one person who had spoken to him since he travelled.I hope his case wont be like Tochi's.I fear for him. May Tochi's soul rest in peace. I hope i wont have to repeat this prayer for my friend. I guess that was the cause of the depressing feeling as i lay supine last Sunday.

MEND AND THE REST OF US

While the match was on, downtown Port Harcourt was held hostage by militants of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). An eyewitness confirmed that the youngest of these armed-to-the-bone combatants couldnt have been more than 22 years old. But despite the restraints of age, these guys were able to sack the Central Police Station and the Nigerian Prisons, throwing the jails open and setting case files on fire.It is regretable.But this what eventually happens when senile old men sit and dine in peppersoup parlours and the youths are neglected.This guys didnt run away like Tochi.They stayed to fight.Though criminals, they have a cause and the earlier we and the Government start to see Justice in their agitations, the better for all of us.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Global Weirding!

I felt so uncomfortable last night because the heat was unbearable.NEPA or PHCN didnt help issues.The generator had a deserved break due to the astronomically-increased fuel price.Worse still, the humidity was stiffling.So, i was lost as to what to do. And when i'm lost, that's when my mind visits Lalaaland. I started wondering while rolling on the floor(after having migrated to an area without a carpet) when all this will end.Somehow, (though i wasnt sure if i wasnt dreaming) i found myself wondering...What would happen if the Artic Ice Shelf get to melt and Europe becomes as hot as Damaturu and the desert starts encroaching on Port Harcourt and the whole of Victoria Island and Lekki is flooded perenially and there are Tsunami's off the coast of Bonny in Rivers State and... and i cant put on a shirt anymore...would it still be as as a result of global warming? So while checking my email today, i decided to do a little research and i found an interesting name for it in "Double Tongued Dictionary".I think it fits perfectly but it scares the hell out of me! They called it Global Weirding.


global weirding n. An increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming. Related: ecotistical, sheerblading.

Perfect, isnt it?

Monday, January 15, 2007

A Nigerian King and Jesus..

After his sentencing (to death) by a Lagos High Court on Thursday, January 11th, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo aka The Most Holiness Reverend Doctor King proclaimed thus; "I am not afraid to die.It is a privilege and honour for me to die by hanging.I am following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, he died on the Cross by hanging".

By the man comparing his drooling mouth to Christ and ascribing "death by hanging" to Christ, he shoots up straight to the No 1 position on my list of blaspheming religious people in Nigeria. His points were not even helped by the hanging today of Barzan al-Tikriti ( whose head was decapitated by the hangmans' nooze)and the previous hanging of Saddam Hussein. Does the Bible say that Christ was 'Hanged on a Cross'?

It's a shame to think that sane people would actually be caught in this man's web of deceit.Now ,come to think of it, most of the members were even graduates of tertiary institutions.Hypnotism?. This Owner of the Christain Praying Assembly kept sex slaves who served him stark naked and warms his bed when his libido demands that. One of such slaves confessed that she aborted three of his babies on his instructions.Its also known that a cough while service is on attracts a fine of N25000, and that folks were not allowed to use the restroom.You can actually pooh and peeh on your seat! Other details are equally sickening.


Issues came to a climax when on July 22, 2006 he sprayed petrol on six of his members and set them on fire. He had accused one of his sex slaves of unfaithfulness and the six set aflame were those who knew of the infidelity and kept mute.He was sentenced to death by hanging and 100 years for a 5 count charge of attempted murder.

The question remains.How gullibe can the average Nigerian be and how much deceit can we take from religious people?.

BERTI VOGTS...

Welcome.Your records with Scotland wasnt good...But welcome anyway!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To Martin Luther King Jr...(a different kind of King).Happy Birthday posthumously.

Friday, January 05, 2007

And then darkness...

AND THEN DARKNESS...


'Twas a hushed tale
Of a commonwealth flowing home
We've gone to stake a claim
A search for light before dusk was due

On an empty stomach rumbling with greed
We came; with diverse vessels
Seeking a path through our poverty
A fare for a seasonal ritual

In the grassland; a carcassland
Of torn engines and the living dead
Our fate hung on a light
Around this tempting pool of darkness

Our eyes had sought the Rocks light
Hoping it will make us light
From the yolk of a penuric existence
It came though; with it a scorching comfort

And it came, a light came
Through nowhere, like a spirit
And it dawned on us
That dawn's come, then 'twas darkness again


Endi
Port Harcourt
January
2007

For those that lost their lives (and those that will lose their lives) in pipepline fires.