Song of the day

Emeli Sande - Read All About It - London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony from Itskatea on Vimeo.


This song has been playing in my head for the past couple of days. I didn't know who sang it or the name so it was particularly annoying but after googling some of the lyrics I could remember, I found it. Lose those inhibitions.

"You've got the words to change a nation
But you're biting your tongue
You've spent a life time stuck in silence
Afraid you'll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it, how we gonna learn your song?
So come on, come on
Come on, come on
You've got a heart as loud as a lion's
So why let your voice be tamed?"

A couple of things I've noticed. Channelling my inner Daily Mail

I am not too happy. First, thanks to the very kind people who plan exams at the University of Kent, I've had 4 exams in the past week. We thank God sha, it's nearly over.  I can share some of the things I have noticed this week. I've finally gained some undertsanding as to why coffee is so popular with Lawyers. It tastes like rubbish though.

Look what some pleasant person left me whilst on a toilet break. I hope it's some pretty girl who's attracted to me and intends to reveal herself later on.

I think coming to the Library during Exam season is one of the finer moments of life. The pretty girls who have been hiding all year come out to work and there's nothing better than a woman who looks attractive without even putting any effort. On one of those days I was pretending to study, I looked at the girl sat next to me in the Quiet zone of the library and thought to myself "Damn! girl, you so fine".  I thought of chatting her up but did not want to embarrass myself so I packed my load and went to a slightly noisier part of the library so she won't have noticed my constant fidgeting in a bid to see what she was studying. + I remembered how Mr Idowu's investment must not go to waste. Thanks Daddy.

Living without any sense of time can be a good thing. I've done that for the past week and realized that it keeps me way more organized. On one day, I had an exam at 9 and as soon as I woke up, I started panicking. I looked out of my window to see if any of the students at the primary school nearby were out and the road was empty. "Bloody hell! I might have missed this exam". I got my stuff and RAN to Uni and the Library wasn't even open. The cleaners were still at work so it was just before 7am. If I had a watch or clock, I would most likely have left home at 8.20am and not have gotten the extra 2 hours of revision I did. I actually love it. I keep my curtains apart so my clock works with the sun and I spend most of my time just reading. I feel like a fork man in a world of soup. In a good way. If there's a good way that can be construed.

*Warning* I'm about to go all Daily Mail on you. Just before Easter, I saw my flatmate from last year. I thought her stomach looked bigger than normal but it'll have been the height of impoliteness to ask if she was pregant or had just gotten fatter. So I kept my counsel to myself. I saw her again this week and that bump has blossomed. She's pregnant.  If you're having sex, use protection you idiot! A girl who isn't self sufficient should not be bringing a child into the world. You can barely take care of yourself, how're you going to guarantee the child all that they require.You don't even need to stretch your imagination to know how it all ends. Father realizes what a terrible mistake he's made and gets out. Mother ends up on Benefits. Child would pick up Mother's bad habits and end up having Daddy issues and living his life as a dedication to Russell Brand and Charlie Sheen. Immigrants are not the main reason the benefits system is screwed. People not using protection have their role to play a role in all this. *rant ended* And Yes, what I've said is super presumptuos but there's a reason why I'm the one who knows the person in question and not you, so keep your comment to yourself and go jogging or watch a Nollywood film.

I love this picture and am flirting with the idea of having it mounted but I have a feeling if one of them decides to do a van Persie Fabregas  Nasri   it would have to go with them. *sigh* How I miss the days of Tony Adams, Ray Parlour and Lee Dixon. Okay, I'm beginning to sound like a Liverpool fan. Bye.


Kindly sponsor my bid to raise funds for cancer research. https://www.justgiving.com/OluwamayowaIdowu

The Power of Introverts

"There is zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas"

Nigeria: Same Country, Same Problems

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
George Santayana

In February, I went off Twitter briefly. I had seen my Twitter archive and wasn’t particularly impressed with some of the crap I had spouted since I joined the social network in 2009. However, I found something I had said earlier that caught my eye which I felt was still apt. In March 2011, I replied a tweet that was proposing that Nigeria went for the most experienced candidate standing in the 2011 Presidential elections (Muhammadu Buhari, in this case). Over two tweets I said “Rubbish. One of the reasons we’re yet to progress is ‘cos of this myth of experienced leaders.”

In 2009, I tried to get familiar with some of Fela’s music. I had been socialized into accepting his greatness and had read a couple of biographies but I sought a greater understanding of the man and his music and why someone like my father who is neutral on such issues was so passionate. One particular record ‘Army Arrangement’ stood out. As I listened, I was pretty sure I had heard him attacking Obasanjo and Yar’Adua. I replayed it to be sure I wasn’t hearing things and received confirmation. What stuck out to me was the fact that the record sounded very recent. The year before, after failing in his term elongation bid, Obasanjo had foisted on us from nowhere the very frail Umaru Yar’Adua as Presidential candidate, preferring him to the more popular candidates like the suave Donald Duke and the scheming Peter Odilli.

There’s a theory that goes round that Obasanjo went with Yar’Adua knowing that his ill health would leave him vulnerable thus allowing him maintain a stronghold on the seat of power. It is worth noting that the Yar’Adua who earned Abami Eda’s wrath was Umaru’s elder brother and Obasanjo’s deputy, Shehu and the song was performed during their first run at power in the late 70s. The fact that the same names spoken of during Fela’s hey days are still at the helm is surely proof that the notion of us having experienced leaders is a social construct. To underline how many years we’re talking about, my brother was born a few months before Fela died and he’ll be done with secondary school in a year. Surely, what we require are capable people regardless of whatever experience they might have had being allowed to determine how we move forward.  The ‘experienced leaders’ have had their go and theymissed. Yakubu!

Last summer, I read Chinua Achebe’s ‘The Trouble with Nigeria’ and it touched me in more ways than one. It showed me that the Fela incident was not an anomaly. On the other hand, it inspired me to write an essay collection along those lines, which God willing; I intend to see through over the next two years. Achebe’s collection was written in 1983 but a lot of the points raised are still salient in present day Nigeria. The third chapter of the book is titled ‘False Image of Ourselves’ where he used the binary opposition technique on quotes by Obasanjo (when he was Military Head of State) and the then German Chancellor, Helmudt Schmidt over a three month period. Schmidt said of Germany “Germany is not a world power; it does not wish to become a world power” whilst Obasanjo said of Nigeria “Nigeria will become one of the ten leading nations in the world by the end of the century”.  Achebe went on to write “the contrast between the two leaders speaks for itself- a sober almost self-deprecatory attitude on the one hand and a flamboyant, imaginary self-concept on the other hand…. One of the commonest manifestations of under development is among the ruling elite to live in a world of make-believe and unrealistic expectations”. Applying that to contemporary Nigeria, I would argue that Dora Akunyili’s rebranding attempt when Minister of Information under the aegis of ‘Nigeria: Great people, great nation’ proves this right. It’s not rocket science to figure that if a system is working, there is little wisdom in employing self delusion in a bid to increase one’s sense of self-worth.  I could also call on Goodluck Jonathan’s embarrassing debacle on CNN over the effectiveness of the electricity system. In Achebe’s recent ascension to his maker’s side, one of the feelings has been that his genius lay in the way he was able to touch on the psyche pervading society whilst capturing it in the simplest terms. A run through the titles of the chapters would convince you that we are a people still making the same mistakes today; Tribalism, Leadership (Nigerian Style), Patriotism, Social Injustice and the cult of Mediocrity, Indiscipline, Corruption, and The Igbo Problem.

Making the same mistakes serves as an indication that we have stood still. It suggests that by not rejecting the things which got us here in the first place, we have taken them on board as defining who we are. Obasanjo’s 1979 assertion smacks of a man suffering from delusions of grandeur and it is this lack of acceptance of where we are as a nation that detracts us from moving forward as we should. Instead of devising ways to attack the problems, we’re doing our best to deny their existence. It is time for us to accept the truth, realizing we are definitely not as great as we like to think. Let’s humble ourselves and engage in some self-searching. Then we may begin to take meaningful steps towards the famed Promised Land. Nicholas Okoye argues that “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” This suggests that we are culpable for this lack of evolution in the sense that by sitting back and watching, we have allowed this cancer to fester. My prayer is that we seek to become more proactive in our thinking and decision making. Don’t vote the candidate that claims to have the most experience if his political trail does not lead to a legacy of good governance.  We should use the ballot boxes to teach them a lesson. The 2015 elections are crucial and the onus is on us to seek the best hands possible to address these problems. It's time to start bucking these trends.

Published by the African Youth Journals


I'm raising funds for Cancer Research UK  to aid the fight against that evil. I have lost two special people to it which I shared on here. (To refresh your memory, here they are; A Moment of Silence and For Ebuka) I've also seen some people I hold dear lose loved ones to it so it's a cause particularly close to my heart. I would appreciate you supporting this cause by making whatever contributions you can. It's pretty easy too. Just go on my Just Sharing page and find the directions: https://www.justgiving.com/OluwamayowaIdowu .  Thank you very much.

Reading... The Easiest way to gain knowledge

A year ago, I saw dream hampton tweet something as advice to young writers. It went along the lines of  "Be the best read person you know." Since moving to England, there was a decline in my reading. I did English Literature at A Levels so it wasn't dead completely but if I remember right, the books I read of my own volition were probably two football autobiographies (That I can recall). Last year, I started buying and reading books again. For a while, I had them at my bedside catching dust as studying Law means you already have more than enough reading material. In the summer, I started reading again. I would take a book when I was getting on the Tube and provided I didn't find some scantily clad lady (#1 REASON WHY WE LOVE SUMMER!!!!!) to ogle or get lost in some train of thought I would read. I read Matthew Syed's 'Bounce: The Myth of Talent and Power of Practice' and a JFK biography my grandfather gave me.  I read two more books on a trip to the States. American Airlines have the worst entertainment system I have ever come across, even more galling considering it was a long haul flight ( To make it worse, I missed my connecting flight) so I ended up having no choice than to bury my head in Toure's 'Who's afraid of Post Blackness? What it means to be Black now', Jay Z and dream hampton's 'Decoded' and Chinua Achebe's 'An Image of Africa/ The Trouble with Nigeria' and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Being widely read always lends itself to the writing one does. Reading good fiction stimulates the imagination and improves one's mastery of words. Reading credible pieces of non fiction grants access to a world view we're not used to and provides a way through which we can make sense and increase our understanding of the way the world and our interests work. After reading two of those books, I was able to reference them in the next couple of essays I wrote. Those episodes helped me rediscover my love for reading (As a child, when my Mum asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I would reply "Enid Blyton". I'm not a stressful person at all). Every now and then, I go to bookstores looking for bargains and I never get disappointed. Books carry knowledge in them and I love the fact that I can add to my volume of intelligence.

"Read at the level at which you want to write. Reading is the nourishment that feeds the kind of writing you want to do." JENNIFER EGAN
— Touré (@Toure) March 10, 2013

Of late, I've read Chibundu Onuzo's 'The Spider King's Daughter' and I actually found it a good read. I have a habit of not listening to music or reading books as soon as they come out because I do not want to allow reviews and the hype machine taint my experience. Someone I know who read it described it as 'basic' but I thought that was harsh. Every story there is has probably been told in some form before, it's the way in which the story teller tells it that matters. The mark of good fiction is in the way it captures attention. Does it make you drop everything you're doing so you can get to the next page? Do you get emotionally involved to the story that you feel the character's pain and joy? Do you get upset when the story reaches its climax because it's not in line with what you had in mind and you feel the writer messed up the experience? Tick all those boxes. Buy the book and decide for yourself.

I've also read Phillipe Auclair's Thierry Henry biography 'Lonely at the Top' over the past 9 months and I consider it one of the best biographies I've ever read. Some biographies tend to serve as hagiographies as some writers tend not to want to rock the boat. This one wasn't. It was admiring of Henry the footballer but somewhat scathing of Henry the person. It was a great read but could lower the estimation of Henry in one's eye.

On the other hand Guillem Balague's 'Pep Guardiola: Another way of Winning' was pretty much designed to strengthen the Barcelona mystique. It was a great read with a lot of interesting anecdotes and detail but Balague's fawning is somewhat unattractive. Every quote is designed to portray Guardiola in good light. Coincidentally, there's a bit of evidence to disprove the notion that Lionel Messi is Christ reincarnated. You can check out my review here: Pep Guardiola biography review

'The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World' was also a great piece of literature on the company line of Facebook's ascent to the great heights it has reached. I got this book for 50p. Anyone with ambitions of running their own business should read it as it underlines the importance of focusing on the user experience and having a team with common intentions. All basic stuff but a bit undervalued. It also accentuates the impact of having great vision and how sensibly managed one's come up should be. It shouldn't be blatant that one is seeking a pay day. The idea being that once the product reaches a certain standard, monetization would follow.

Over the last fortnight, I started reading Robert Peston's 'Who runs Britain?... and who's to blame for the mess we're in' and I've loved it. Peston is an authority on the Economy and presently serves as the Business Editor of the BBC. For someone like me, who's got a limited knowledge and understanding of how the financial sector works, it's been invaluable. I've been looking for something as enlightening over the last 18 months without much success. I've put a bookmark in it (I'm 4 chapters in) and would get to completing it after exams.

I also re read Oluremi Obasanjo's 'Bittersweet: My Life with Obasanjo' over Christmas. 

Today, I went out and bought a couple more books. My Summer reading list would also include Achebe's 'There was a Country' and Adichie's 'Amerikanah'.

See how cheap they were

Invest in books. Increase your knowledge.

Stay Blessed,
Mayowa.

I got nominated for a blog award by Abi Tobi.  This is the first time I'm getting involved with this type of thing so thank you to her.

The rules are as follows:

• Thank and link back to the giver
• Answer the giver’s questions
• Nominate five other bloggers with fewer than 200 followers
• Ask 5 questions for one’s nominees to answer
• Post it on your blog.

The five questions are:

My Questions:

1) What was the funniest or most interesting or most embarrassing thing that happened to you in High-school?
I spent the last 3 days trying to recall anything I would class as embarrassing happening to me in high school. And then I remembered some mime I took part in Year 7. I still don't know what inspired me to take part in it but it was horrible. Anyone who knows me knows I can't dance. Well unless I'm under the influence or in the comfort of my room and sure no one can see me. It was to B2K's 'Badaboom'.

2) South America or Europe? (excluding UK) and Why???
Hmmn! Tough question but I think I'll go with Europe. European Architecture fascinates me.  For one, it's easier to get around as the European Union laws would mean I won't require a visa to get around. That reduces costs and the stress of filling out forms, changing money etc. Also, I can't speak Spanish or Portuguese as is common with most of the South American countries so the language barrier in Europe would be easier to overcome.

3)  What's your addiction?
Erm, I'll probably go with good food. I'm blessed in the sense that I never put on weight so I can eat as much as I want without any fear. I try and keep it healthy these days though 'cos as I get older, more caution is required.

4) If you were some sort of nature (the wind, the mountain, rain etc) what would it be?
Does the sky count? If it does, I'll pick that because it'll mean I can see everything I want to and all the things people don't want me to.

5) Who is your celebrity crush?
Am I allowed more than one? Yes, I am. I started liking Kerry Washington after a dodgy scene in 'I Think I Love My Wife'. Blake Lively is pretty cool too. Jennifer Lawrence and Emily Blunt are the new ones. January Jones is nice too, despite her very annoying role as Betty Draper in Mad Men.


P.S Most of the bloggers I follow barely post at present(Only two people I follow post really regularly and they're the out of my league type of bloggers) so I'll leave the nomination procedure open. If anyone that follows the blog wants to give it a go, they can use my questions.

For Chinua Achebe

For those who have read this blog over the last couple of years, it's very clear I hold Chinua Achebe in high esteem. As a child, I heard endlessly about 'Things Fall Apart' I didn't get to read it till I was 16. I was obsessed. My Father suggested I go and see a Wole Oguntokun led adaptation at Terra Kulture and I became even more hooked. Some books define us and how we see the world, that book reminded me of the way Nigerians lived before the white man came. It reminded me how Christianity was imposed on us. It made me proud to be Nigerian. As I've grown and seen the way the rest of the world see him, I thank God for  blessing this country with some very credible literary talents.

Last summer, I read 'The Trouble with Nigeria' and gained a greater sense of the Nigerian psyche. One of Achebe's merits is that he said things as he saw them. He didn't write to curry favor from anyone. And that is something that inspires me in my dealings today. Be straight forward, people might not agree with you but there's nothing more respectable than a man confident in his convictions. It is what you shall be judged upon. That's probably why we love Achebe so much. He stayed true and never sold out. 

The one thing that must hurt is seeing the same things he wrote about in the late 70s and 80s still plaguing us. Twice, he rejected national honors as he felt the government had failed the people. When they come along with their platitudes and honours, let this be remembered. The only reason this would be possible is because he won't be there to say No and kick them out of his house. Address the problems he spoke of before coming to pay homage.


Rest in peace, Chinua Achebe. Straight talker, Fighter and a true man of the people. An Inspiration.

I Believe I can Fly

 I found this in my drafts from July 2011.

The month of December has always been special for school children: No early wake ups to head to school for a month; frequent visits and endless parties. The prospect of spending Boxing Day unwrapping the numerous gifts from Uncles, Aunties, Grandparents and parents was quite alluring. These were the things you lived for.

My Mother worked a 9-5 as a Senior Manger with an Insurance company in the middle of Marina, Lagos's equivalent of Wall Street. Every morning, she'll drop my younger brother and I, househelp in tow at her parent's home in nearby Ikoyi and then pick us on her way back. I had no qualms with spending the day at my Grandma's. Her friends usually came around and they were really generous, handing me crisp Naira bills under the guise of "Take and buy sweet or Coke". Moreover, the house was very big. It had housed one of Nigeria's colonial masters and even had a chimney in it. The lawn also appealed to my obsession with football. When Grandma attended to her guests, I wouldn't hesitate to change the Channel from the CNN it was usually stationed on to my favoured Cartoon Network. And when she was done with them and returned to her customary position in the sitting room upstairs, the TV would find its way back to CNN. That would serve as my cue that it was time to move to the backyard to watch the latest Nollywood blockbuster (It wasn't known as Nollywood yet) with the domestic staff made up of maids, cooks and security guard whilst waiting for my Mother to make her return.


This summed up the daily routine of the days spent at my grandparent's. On this particular day, Grandma had come back from attending to her guests and scolded me for sitting in her favourite chair. I should have known better, I had never seen anyone else in it. Not even Grandpa.I wasn't happy at being shouted at. I remembered  Uncle Friday had said earlier that he had made some Indomie for me. I wasn't quite hungry but I knew I would be met with the "Do you know how many children want to eat but don't have food? You better be grateful for the one you have" speech. Nigerian children don't tend to have the luxury of making their own choices. They're done for you.

I was tired. As I proceeded sluggishly to the dining room. I bid my time at the top of the stairs. I started singing "I believe I can fly.  I believe I can touch the sky. I think about it every night and day. Spread my wings and fly away". It was only a matter of time. I took the words of the song literally. My stay at the top of the stairs had turned into a Pilot's experience. My feet had left the floor, I was making my grand escape from my Grandmother's and heading to my Father's office where a Royal Reception would welcome me. Bank Olemoh designer rice and all things good. Bang! I hit my head on the door. That was my reality check. I picked myself up and made my way to the kitchen to collect the meal that awaited me. "What happened to you? Why are you bleeding?". And then I told Uncle Friday what had happened. I added "Don't tell Grandmama". He didn't waste any time.I was taken to her room to hear her screaming "Omo yii. O ni pa mi". And with that, I learnt a lesson. I couldn't fly. A lesson, my uncle Muyiwa had learnt years before after trying to replicate Spider man's moves from the top of the stairs. Like him, I would live with a scar on my forehead as reminder.

Revenge and Accountability

When relationships end, there's always that one party who is left to wonder why life has dealt them such a serious blow. This tends to be followed by incessant self-questioning and doubt. On some days, they wake up angry at the world.  Ask them a question; they'll channel their greatest Cruella impersonation. Life as they knew it, no longer makes sense. At their worst, they tend to be consumed by bitterness. They'll do everything and anything to get their pound of flesh. 

Human beings are sensitive. Nothing makes us happier than feeling loved. "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage". No truer word has been spoken. Nothing has the impact of gladdening the heart than reciprocated love whilst nothing can prove as heart wrenching than a rejected love advance. 

For Vicki Pryce, the respected British Economist, the latter is applicable. When her politician husband, Chris Huhne told her he was leaving her to be with his mistress, she was consumed in blind rage. She wanted her pound of flesh. She wanted to hurt him and would go to any length to do so. She called up journalists, developing relationships in a bid to use them in her motive to punish him for having the temerity to walk out on her. Eventually, she found a story that would fly. Apparently, he had pressured her into taking penalty points on his behalf years back when he was caught over speeding. She told her story to the press hoping that it would bring her man down and he would have no choice than to resign. He denied it for a while but when it became clear he was going to be prosecuted for perversion of justice, he tendered his resignation. His ex-wife didn't get off the hook despite her defence of marital coercion. She and her ex-husband were both sentenced to eight months in prison. Lesson: Don't let the need to get revenge consume you. 

I understand it can be difficult but we should try to live and let go safe in the knowledge that things always get better.  Had Vicki Pryce not been so obsessed with getting revenge and causing him great embarrassment, she would not have to spend the next 8 months of her life away from her 3 children incarcerated? 

In America, two prominent African American politicians have been convicted over the past few weeks. Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Mayor of Detroit, who was once known as the ' Hip Hop Mayor', has been convicted for corruption. The Guardian reports "Jurors convicted Kwame Kilpatrick of a raft of crimes, including racketeering, conspiracy, which carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail. He was portrayed during a five-month trial as an unscrupulous politician who took bribes, rigged contracts and lived far beyond his means while in office until the fall of 2008." It is a given that Mr Kilpatrick would do some jail time. Jesse Jackson Jr, the son of the famed Civil Rights leader and past US Presidential aspirant, an ex- Congressman in his own right, pleaded guilty to misuse of campaign money. He had admitted to using these campaign funds in a personal capacity to purchase frivolous gifts. 

Accountability is the cornerstone on which Democracy is built. It acts as a way through which we can keep our representatives on their toes to do the right things. By remembering they are answerable to us, there’s an incentive to do the right thing and make sensible decisions. The incidents I mention are clear exercises in Accountability. The three politicians know this and it explains the reasoning behind their apologies and pursuit of penance. 

There’s also the recent presidential pardon granted by President Jonathan to the ex Bayelsa governor, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha. Years back, the rotund figure popularly known as ‘Alams’ was a footnote in one of the more memorable cases pursued by the EFCC. As the story goes, Alams was arrested at London Heathrow with 1 million pounds in cold cash after returning from a tummy tuck procedure in Germany. He was prosecuted by the Metropolitan Police for Money laundering and according to the story that made the rounds; he jumped bail by disguising himself as a woman and using a dodgy passport to get on the Eurostar train to Paris. From there, he got on an Air France plane to Cameroun from where he would travel by boat to his home state. By granting Alamieyeseigha presidential pardon, the government has dropped the ball, big time. 

The presidential pardon mechanism generally exists for state issues. By granting pardon to a man convicted of robbing the commonwealth, it has surely abused the process. This is not to even highlight the obvious debt owed to Alamieyeseigha by Jonathan. It’s all if’s and but’s but it’s highly unlikely The President would have evolved from unknown Deputy Governor to Governor to lame duck Vice President to uninspiring President were it not for Alams getting caught.   An accountable society would demand more than the flat excuse proffered by the Presidency that the pardon was granted because he was “remorseful”. How can one say a man who celebrated breaking both international law and domestic law as brazenly as Alamieyeseigha did when he returned to Bayelsa in 2005 is remorseful? This is a man who three years ago attributed his travails and persecution to the "vindictive Olusegun Obasanjo" for not supporting his 3^rd term bid. That is not being remorseful or sorry. The first step to forgiveness is self-acceptance of one’s wrong. To attribute it to political opponents strikes me of a man in denial and a failure to accept that one has wronged. So to suggest that this move was made as a result of showing contriteness does not sit well.

An accountable government would provide a stronger and more bullet proof response. An accountable government would not even make decisions that fly in the face of reason and sensibility in the first place. I dream of a Nigeria where our politicians feel accountable to us, the electorate, and seek forgiveness when they fall short like all humans are bound to do. For instance, there have been allegations that President Jonathan, when serving as Governor of Bayelsa diverted $1million (One hundred and fifty million naira) from Bayelsa's Poverty Alleviation funds to sponsor Thisday's Music Festival where Beyonce and Jay Z performed. As far as I know, there has been nothing from Aso Rock denying this. For the country to progress, we need the people at the highest level (The Presidency) to see themselves as accountable to us. Instead of sending subliminal messages against critics, there needs to be a desire to ensuring that the average Nigerian is as well informed as possible. It is from us, executive powers are derived. This creates a chain reaction whereby those at lower levels practice what they see those at the top doing. If the Presidency is accountable to us, the state Governors would feel pressured to. And if they are, their Commissioners would do the same. The general public will equally follow suit. A society of accountability is not too much to ask for. 


Published on Bella Naija

Dear Nigeria, Show me you're worth it

Grandma Ige

Technically Kayode, Ayotunde and I aren’t related yet we tell everyone we’re cousins. Our grandparents were best of friends, our mothers the same. There was a period they lived together and have been around each other pretty much since birth. If anyone is family, they are. Within my family setting, Christmas day is spent with my maternal side and New Year’s with my paternal side. On the 23rd of December 2001, a day after my beloved Aunty Funso’s (their Mum) birthday the man she called her father (Bola Ige, then the Nigerian Minister of Justice/Attorney General) was no more. He was shot by assailants in his own home where they happened to be visiting. The next day, as soon as we could, we were off to Ibadan, bringing forward our plans to go on Christmas day.

I was just 9 years old but it touched me more than others. It made me shudder that my darling cousins had been present whilst their grandfather and hero was killed. I can’t imagine the mental scars they live with. At the time, the whole nation had some indication of who was behind it. It seemed preposterous that his police details were out for dinner when the killers struck. Days before, at the Ooni of Ife’s palace, the Osun state Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore who was then in a dispute with then AD* family alongside a local thug, Fryo (Bisi Akande was the Governor at the time. During Ige’s tenure as Governor of old Oyo in the 2nd Republic, Akande was his Deputy) had accosted Chief Ige threatening him whilst Fryo had the temerity to take remove his native cap. Fryo and Omisore both spent some time in prison but the case was bungled and Omisore would end up winning a senatorial seat. Only in my darling Nigeria, could such a thing happen.


Grandma Ige was a star in the following years. My Grandmother Onalaja left the world a year after Chief Ige and it was also unexpected. My Grandfather and her were quite close in age( If I’m right, she was a year older) and happened to be Court of Appeal judges around the same time so they had similar schedules. Every weekend, she would come and spend time with us, buying us tubs of Blue Bunny, watching us play ludo and giving us money. As I think about it, I guess it was some form of therapy: spending time with her bosom friend (My Grandfather) and his family who could relate to some extent the pain she was going through. It also meant she didn’t have to spend all her time at home dwelling on her misfortune. Grandma Ige had my heart. She was a kind soul who was always there for us. (My parents tell me of a funny incident when as a kid she took me out for lunch to some high end restaurant and I sat in my chair and demanded “Omi isonwo” before I tucked in. Safe to say, she was quite embarrassed). Not too long after the case was messed up, she went to join her Maker. As a retired judge she understood the process and knew getting justice for the death of her beloved husband would be nigh on impossible. That must have hurt.


Kayode and Ayotunde are beautiful kids. Kayode is the best big brother I could ever ask for. When no one believed in me, he made me work harder and offered numerous ideas that have helped me reach this stage. He introduced me to people and insisted I buy my own domain name in order to stand out and ensure people understood I was serious about my craft. Ayotunde is an amazing sister. When things go wrong, I’ll run to her.  As kids we were constantly at each other’s throats,but  today if I need a quick meal, she’s the first person I’ll call.  They embody unconditional love, in thought and in deed.  Kayode’s taken a keen interest in Politics. He is super passionate and has taken steps in ways the average youth would not even dare. In an era where Twitter Activism is rife, he walks the talk. In 2011, as the National Elections took place he set up the website Shutterfeeds with the hope of encouraging  citizen journalism which would see people taking  pictures of the election process as they saw fit and uploading it on the website. The aim being; “to decipher what is propaganda and what is not whilst providing alternative individualistic news sources.” Of late, he’s been trying to make inroads into the political arena at grassroots level. He attends his ward meetings and is making plans to help the standard of living there. How a person who has suffered so much at the hands of this country has the bravery and willpower to take this step, I would never understand. But then again, he’s a greater being than I am. To say that he inspires me would be understating it.


My Aunty Funso is the strongest woman I know. When I had just graduated from high school, she introduced me directly to Kunle Ajibade (a relationship that would allow me get a couple of articles published in PM News). Like the metaphorical phoenix, she rises above the ashes. As a Law undergraduate, she wrote her exams whilst her father was incarcerated.  I wonder how she celebrates her birthday every year knowing that the following day marks the anniversary of the death of the man whom she wrote the book ‘He gave me wings’ about. We love our parents and never want to entertain the thought that they might leave us. To lose hers the way she did, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain she goes through. Despite all this, she has shouldered on and is currently playing a significant role in the moulding of a new generation through her school. I’m reminded of Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion in 2004 that any Nigerian not prepared to die for the country was not worth of his/her Nigerian citizenship. I’m not sure how much of a sensible statement that was. Is Nigeria really worth dying for? How do you tell that to Kayode and Ayotunde after seeing their grandparents betrayed by a legal system they dedicated their lives towards upholding? When they try and explain the concept of patriotism to their kids, how do they do so without being upset at a country that hasn’t shown them love?  You see, we all love Nigeria. The Super Eagles gave us joy over the past month and reenergized us in some sense. However, I think the overriding feeling is that in its present stage, it would take a lot for us to sacrifice our lives for it. And this stems from the feeling that nothing would change. If Obasanjo and the political ruling class want us to die for it, perhaps they should do a greater job at inspiring us and making us feel that Nigeria is indeed worth dying for. As Okechukwu Ofili opines “Because a person is born in Nigeria, has a green passport and bears Chukwu or Olu or Mohammed in his name does not automatically mean he owes his country anything. A country has to earn its citizens respect and patriotism. I repeat that…a country has to earn its citizens respect and patriotism.” They should make us feel loved and important instead of demanding blind loyalty. Dear Nigeria, show me you are worth it.

*The Alliance for Democracy: an opposition political party particularly strong in South West Nigeria)

Originally published by the African Youth Journals

Should Holocaust Denial be a crime?

I like Media Law. It's the most interesting of all the modules I'm currently studying. It's not as tedious to study as something like Land Law. I'll go as far as saying it's the most interesting thing I've done all the while I've been at University. We've been studying Hate Speech of late. Generally, this is anything that would be classified as having the power to incite racial/sex/religious discrimination. This morning as I rushed through my Seminar Questions, question 5 caught my eye.

It wasn't just any hypothetical question. I looked it up on Wikipedia.


"Holocaust denial is explicitly or implicitly illegal in 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland. The European Union's Framework decision on Racism and Xenophobia states that denying or grossly trivializing "crimes of genocide" should be made "punishable in all EU Member States". Slovakia criminalized denial of fascist crimes in general in late 2001; in May 2005, the term "Holocaust" was explicitly adopted by the penal code and in 2009, it became illegal to deny any act regarded by an international criminal court as genocide."
It strikes me as an attempt to govern what people think/feel which I see as a violation of human rights. I studied History at A Levels and hold the desire of visiting Auschwitz one day so I think I know enough to avoid being called ignorant. I have no doubt that the Holocaust did happen but I don't see the sense in criminalizing suggesting it didn't happen. There are hundreds of conspiracy theories: The government being behind 9/11, The Royal Family planning Diana's death to ensure she didn't get married to Dodi al-Fayed (A Muslim), 2Pac being alive. Apparently, he's hanging around in some Cambodian village.

Majority of people don't take these theories with any seriousness, I don't see why we should have to legislate on that. One of my classmates who shared the same view argued that for society to evolve, we must engage and offer an audience to dissenting views. Exactly. How can one filter for the truth without taking in both sides? Not too long ago, whilst Fabrice Muamba attended some award ceremony where he started by thanking God for saving his life. On Twitter, I saw tweets from people (Chief among them on Joseph Anthony Barton) who felt that by attributing his recovery to God he was doing the Doctors a disservice. I felt no inclination to be offended. People have their views and these have been shaped by their experiences, I don't think we should attempt to try and inhibit that.

I see the pattern in that the countries where it is outlawed were those where Anti-Semitism was particularly prevalent but I still don't think that's good enough reason. By that reasoning, Apartheid denial should be a crime in South Africa. Stupid people are perfectly entitled to think stupid thoughts, no need to waste taxpayers money on them.

With regard to the theme of inciting racial hatred, I would argue that by denying people the right to assert their views that the Holocaust didn't happen, it's got graver repercussions on race relations. Denying people this feeds the notion of Jews being this precious subculture whom one has to be extra sensitive about. (Why can’t we just live in peace and harmony?) It creates distrust which subsequently would create discord and tension reinforcing discriminatory sentiment in the process. If someone got locked up today for Holocaust denial, there would be a bunch of people protesting against this. By extension, Jews would have to deal with having the tragedies that occurred at the Holocaust resurrected. The media coverage would be immense. In the public interest, I think it's a safer and more progressive bet not to police it at all. 


In the true spirit of democracy and to avoid being called a hypocrite, I would consider the opposing view. The one person in the Seminar who did not agree built their argument on the premise that by denying that this tragedy happened, the wounds of those who lost family members and suffered would not be healed and that they shouldn't have to witness something which clearly happened discarded. I might come across as insensitive but I do not think that outweighs the need for 'free speech'.(We don't hear of families of 9/11 victims getting upset at those who cheapen the lives lost by saying the US government planned those attacks on its own citizens) I like transparency and criminalizing radical views screws that up.  I saw a quote that described Holocaust denial as the "worst form of racism because it pretends to be a research." I'm still not sure I agree with that. In 2010, I watched a very daft documentary on British TV that suggested that black people were intellectually inferior to white people. I'm pretty sure I've seen some Professor who argues on that theme on Question Time. That is research built on racist foundations. I don't agree with it (It goes without saying that it's stupid) but you won't hear me calling for it to be criminalized.


What do you think? Am I being insensitive or do you see some sense in all this?

I Don't Like Twitter

I have a love hate relationship with Twitter. Maybe, love is a strong word that should be replaced by something like necessity. As a writer who needs his voice to be heard it's pretty important. It helps in allowing me gauge public opinion during significant events. It also plants the seeds to some of my writing by sparking my thought process. And when I do create those pieces of writing, is there any quicker way to get people to read than through Twitter. Besides reminding us of people's birthdays, Facebook's power is declining. Twitter, on the other hand, is the preferred tool to put across your fresh thoughts. But then, there's always something that happens that makes me question why I'm there in the first place. This tends to be followed by me deactivating my account till I'm ready to go back.

My grouse with Twitter is largely borne out of what I interpret as the desire to show off and impress a bunch of people whom you have no personal relationship with and probably don't even care about the 'impressor'. People who know you in real life can always tell if a social media persona is contrived or the real deal. You surely can't be trying to impress or change their opinion. My friend, Rita, who's not on Twitter but would occasionally check out her boyfriend's Twitter stream, told me of the shock she felt one day when she saw him tweet something along the lines of "Almost missed my flight" when he was in fact on a bus on his way to see her. I used to think such behaviour had been left behind in high school but alas, I was wrong. Another incident that made me shake my head was a comment I received on my blog less than two years ago on a post titled 'Social Media: The Bad'. It was as follows "I hate Twitter because my boyfriend won't talk to me. All he does is tweet. If we are out together and I want to know what he's thinking, I just check his latest tweets". May the good Lord deliver us from partners who spend all their time on Twitter.

 

Then we have the modern phenomenon that I call Twitter artistes. You know those 'Music makers' who spam you with links and amass a following because they have bad friends who won't tell them to get day jobs. The internet following then gives them the confidence to make some of the most cringe worthy remarks you can imagine whilst seeking conflict with their more established colleagues in the belief that any form of attention is better than no attention. The sad thing is their real life persona does nothing to match the braggadocio they display in the virtual world. Then again, I guess that's the point of an avenue like Twitter. It's an alternative world where people seek to reinvent themselves by creating a facade that they want to impress upon the world.

The greatest flaw with Twitter is the sense of anonymity it creates. People create accounts just to use vitriolic language upon the people (most times celebrities. I have lost count of the number of footballers who have deactivated their accounts because of racist tweets or abuse from making errors in games) they’re not particularly keen on. If you don't like someone, write it in your diary and keep moving. No need to make their life a hellish experience.

People are constantly flouting laws in the bid to gain popularity and a couple of retweets. Policing social media is currently one of the biggest headaches facing the human race.There's been the recent decision by the Attorney General in England to instigate contempt of court proceedings against Twitter users who knowingly posted pictures of child killer, Jon Venables who had returned to civilization in 2001 under the Identity protection scheme to ensure people with negative pasts are allowed to reintegrate into society. There's also the case of Lord McAlpine who was incorrectly linked by Twitter users to allegations of child abuse in a care home documented on a television programme. A defamation suit has been filed against Sally Bercow (One of the Twitter users) as a result of her having 57,000 followers thus giving her a large audience whilst those with less than 500 followers have been let off provided they make a payment of £25 to the charity, Children in Need. Perhaps, that would make people more cautious. And if it doesn't, there's always the impractical solution of a pop up test that measures one's IQ in combination with an internet credit check that takes note of a user's internet history and background (checking for patterns between the person’s name and IP address with abusive comments/bad language) before they're allowed to join social media.

Originally published on Technesstivity. 

MY BROTHER IS HEADBOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just found out my brother has officially been chosen as Head Boy of my old school. How do I feel? Proud and Validated.

Pride because as the closest person to me, his joy is my joy. My brother is the most supportive person I know. He offers me unconditional love and I'm proud to be able to make some noise about his achievements. I would make as much noise as I please and I don't care what anyone says. I feel Validated because it would indicate I've been a good inspiration to him as I know how much he looks up to me. Younger siblings look up to their older siblings and try to emulate them in more ways than one. His success surely means I've done a good job. *Pats self on the back*

When my Mum called to tell me, she was so happy. If you make my Mama happy, you're the best thing to walk this earth, in my eyes. Thank you, Tomi.

I remember his first week in Corona. I was in my final year then. Three days in, he came to my dorm crying. He hated the food and was feeling homesick. Luckily, I was Food Prefect and was able to get the kitchen staff to give him something he was more used to. My friend, Toba said to him "I've been here 6 years and I've never gotten this type of treatment." During that year, we would have a couple of disagreements. I remember telling him to kneel down in the middle of the field 'cos he did something I didn't like (I can't remember what now). A lot of my friends were surprised by that but I tried to ensure I treated him like I would treat any other junior. That's not to say if anyone did anything to him they wouldn't suffer. In fairness, the one time someone belted him he didn't even tell me 'cos he knew I would have done something stupid. Instead, he told two of my friends who sorted it out whilst I found out later.

By the end of his first term, he had gotten used to the whole system. Over the years, I've watched him mature. He's so tall now so, he has this way of commanding authority. He is an amazing athlete who's always belittling the modest laurels I earned. He's also calm like my father. (That's the trait I'm trying hardest to embody. I can't be the only one left behind). He can be annoying and condescending in the way he talks, but I'll admit he speaks a lot of sense. I have no doubt in my mind that he's going to be an amazing leader. The one piece of advice for him is to ensure he doesn't get power drunk and act the fool like his brother did a couple of times.

Time for me to pat myself on the back again. I've played a role in this by constantly nagging at him to do certain things and I'm sure he has found me very annoying in the process. Laughs!! I'm sure you know why now. It's like I'm living my life again through you and I want to make sure you're better than me in every regard possible. And you've just gone one step further.

Congratulations, Tomi. I'm so proud of you and wish you the best over the coming year. May the good Lord guide you and ensure you do the right thing at all times.

'Failing All the Way to Success'- Jason Njoku

Jason Njoku speaks about the numerous failures he encountered before finally cracking it with Iroko TV. Check it out:

Thoughts on Reforming the Education System

Yesterday, I had a Moot to do. I've never done one before so I wasn't quite sure how it would go and as I prepared my mind started wandering. In England, there's a never ending debate on the merits of the educational system: GCSE's being too easy, Oxford and Cambridge reinforcing the class and race imbalance by being ""elitist" and "institutionally racist" and then I thought to myself: Why don't University exams run from a centralized examination authority? By this, I mean like the A Levels system where you have different exam boards and all students nationwide taking the same modules pretty much writing the same exams. For one, it's a more objective measure than the current method. It would also create greater incentive on the teacher's part to assist students. I hate this thing that goes on at University where you're not allowed to ask teachers' any questions relating to assessments. It's unfair that if one has genuine concerns, the teachers aren't exactly bound to help.I'm not going to say they don't care about how students do 'cos that would be a lie but I think they could do a bit more. I remember how passionate my 6th form teachers were. I don't see the same thing at University. (Spare me the "Oh! The point of University is to do it all on your own" crap. I'm not asking anyone to write me an essay. Just asking them to help a bit more). And then, it also helps alleviate the class imbalance in the sense that like at A levels, it's the grade that matters and not particularly the school one went to. (An AAB at Eton is no different from an AAB at the local state school). We won't have to hear some Universities decried for their "mickey mouse" degrees. By extension, this would ensure those universities sat up.

I would also argue that there should be greater emphasis on practicality in the Education sector. My feelings with studying Law are always changing. 85% of the time I'm pretty sure I don't intend to be a Lawyer or waste my time going to Law School and all that. I'll rather work at a media house doing something I genuinely enjoy. However, the other 15% of the time sees me genuinely enjoying Law. Probably after watching 'The Good Wife' and seeing Alicia Florrick dismantle everything and anything. For instance, on Tuesday night I tweeted "One of those times, I wish I wasn't studying Law" whilst preparing for the Moot. 24 hours later, after the Moot (despite being given intense grilling by the Judges)  I was thinking to myself "This wasn't bad, you know." I enjoyed it and would love to do it again: so I can prepare even better and annihilate my opponents. (My friends and I are even thinking of setting up a Mooting society). The educational system is all theory, no practicality. I really don't care what Jeremy Bentham said a million years ago. I want to know how things in the real world work.  Providing a practical element helps students gain a key understanding of how the real work works and ensures that they are well prepared. Why not add a compulsory 3 month period to the course where they are assigned to shadow someone in industry?

Have a great weekend.

 

 Can't help but love Michelle Obama. 

How do Africans kiss?

I enjoyed watching this video. Check it out.

Publishing Blues: The story of Next and Thisday

When Next newspapers hit the scene in 2009, it was an instant hit amongst the Nigerian elite. Its broadsheet style reminded one of some of the top newspapers in the world from the New York and The Times of London to the Daily Telegraph. Led by Pullitzer Prize Winner, Dele Olojede and his wife, Amma Ogan they set out to transform the Nigerian media. Before Next, Olojede was a successful journalist in the early 80s working at MKO Abiola’s Concord and then forming part of the foundation team at Dele Giwa and Ray Ekpu’s Newswatch. Giwa was the dashing and fearless journalist who lost his life in a mail bomb blast believed to have been orchestrated by the then military junta. Olojede alongside Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo (who I must say is one hell of a great biographer) wrote a biography on Giwa titled ‘ Born To Run’ in 1987. It was just after this that he moved to America and rose to become Foreign Editor of Newsday. His wife had also risen to prominence on the pages of the Guardian in the early 80’s. Their return was seen as a victory of some sorts in that it bucked the trend of having some of our greatest minds leave these shores never to return and make any meaningful impact. I know for a fact that a couple of their colleagues were pretty excited about their offering. At the time, I remember reading an interview with Olojede where he spoke of how their workers had Blackberries which would help them on the job as they'll be able to send articles in faster and take pictures if need be. All basic stuff outside Nigeria but not things particularly common with Nigerian media houses then!  They were also paid generously making them a haven for most graduates. An amazing feat when you consider that the average graduate dreams of working at one of the banks, telecommunications or oil companies. 

Dele Olojede

 As an online news portal, Next won my heart. When President Yar'Adua did his disappearing act, Next pursued the story harder than anyone and was the first paper to declare him brain-dead. They went one step further by publishing secret cables from Wiki Leaks detailing the thoughts relayed by American embassy officials in Nigeria to their State Department counterparts. The comments on the website were the stuff legend is made of. Frequent commenters like 'TruckPusher' and ‘Mr Plc’ gained instant notoriety for their sharp and biting comments. It also helped that my father kept a weekly column. My dream at the time was to have Next publish me. Like all good things, the Next bubble was to burst when it turned out their finances had been mismanaged. Workers weren't paid and an attempt to switch to the online only model was unsuccessful. In no time, the website went dormant and Next went through one of life's only certainties: Death. 

Nduka Obaigbena is the ultimate Nigerian media mogul. 'The Duke' as he is fondly called started his press run in the late 80's with the weekly publication, Thisweek that rivalled the Dele Giwa and Ray Ekpu-led Newswatch in a manner reminiscent of the Time and Newsweek rivalry. After Thisweek went defunct, Nduka returned some years later with Thisday, which today is one of Nigeria’s leading papers. A trailblazer, it led the Sunday newspapers to introduce a glossy, all-colour magazine pull out. Thisday Style was first and is probably still the best. Obaigbena has a reputation of being tardy with finances. As Kayode Ogundamisi of Sahara Reporters corroborates, “you may not be paid (by Thisday) for several months as has been the case for a lot of the journalists at present, being owed almost 8 months’ salary.” 

Nduka Obaigbena admires Beyonce's goodies

That’s not all on his rap sheet.  In 2011, he was sued by Paul Ibe, an ex Thisday editor over alleged failure to remit pensions and taxes to the relevant authorities and salary arrears.  Although, it is worth noting that this might be the action of a disgruntled ex-employee as Ibe was also insinuating that the termination of his employment was done illegally. This was followed by another suit from Jan Malan, a South African photographer for breach of contract and damages of $300,000 in unpaid fees. To complete the picture, there’s also his unsuccessful attempt to crack the South African market with Thisday South Africa. Philip de Wet, a South African journalist who worked for Thisday at the time in analysing the failures of the paper said “Inherent financial problems were not easily addressed, however, and in the long run may well have seen ThisDay fold even had the flow of operational funding from Nigeria not dried up. At its peak - according to management - ThisDay was spending roughly R8-million per month, most of it on staff and printing. In a good month revenues were around R4-million………. Lack of money apparently left it unable to save money, however; it could not move to cheaper offices because it could not afford moving expenses and it could not cut down on staff because it could not afford retrenchment payments.”

All these point to an industry plagued by huge financial issues. In saner societies, a failure to pay staff wages is the gravest of crimes. I’m mature enough to understand that business owners can be hamstrung by periods of hardship and difficulty where it is actually impossible for them to remunerate their employees but this should not stop them from seeking to explain to their workers the situation at hand and making efforts to ensure it is nipped in the bud as soon as possible. I mean, there surely can’t be any employers who enjoy the embarrassment that comes from their refusal to pay salaries being front page news or a topic of discussion on Twitter.

The law courts should ordinarily serve as a mode through which redress could be sought. This was the route taken by six members of staff of Next including Sports Editor, Kayode Thomas who sued Olojede and the parent company, Timbuktu Media for non-payment of salaries and allowances; wrongful termination of appointment; and non-remittance of deducted pension benefits. The plaintiffs asked the court to order the management of Next to pay an aggregate sum of N4, 592,450.03 owed them in outstanding entitlements. They also sought a sum of N5 million each for general damages for "wrongful, unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional termination of their employment." An Editor and reporters coming together makes some sense. What happens to Adebola Rayo who in her first job coming out of school claims she is owed N253, 000 by Next? Can she afford to take on the stress of going through court proceedings that would cost her a significant portion of the money owed? Court proceedings tend to be drawn out so I can understand the refusal not to follow that avenue. How else can people get the money owed them? It’s unfair to suggest she forget the money and register it mentally as a charity job when it is her right stemming from her moments of toil and hard work. Some people prefer to be quiet about these things preferring not to contribute more embarrassment to the erring parties, but isn’t that allowing themselves to be taken advantage of?

The media are a sensitive and essential component of society. Their job is to act as watchdogs in ensuring that the rules and regulations that govern us are held to the highest standard. As Ikhide Ikheloa, a columnist during Next’s reign ponders “Those who won’t ask their pal, Dele Olojede to pay Nigerian writers pennies he owes them for slaving for him want debate on $67 billion! Hypocrites!”

His point is valid. If the media, the watchdogs of society who should help us police our thieving politicians are caught in this web, how can their audience take them with any atom of seriousness? How can they do their jobs sensibly when they don’t have money? A viable option is to resort to the life of brown envelope journalists who accept money for stories. Can we blame them?  How can we hold them to account when their proprietors who preach the values of ethics and journalistic integrity aren’t walking the talk and are guilty of putting them in the very situations. Empathy is a major ingredient in this delicious food called Life and employers need to show more of it to their employees. Odds are that whilst they might not necessarily enjoy it, they would respect you for it and you’ll be able to go to bed at night without having your conscience eat at you. The question still remains, why is Obaigbena able to soldier on whilst Olojede has gone back into his cocoon?