Category Archives: issues

by

MEMORANDA RECEIVED FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR THE REVIEW OF THE 1999 CONSTITUTION

So what I have done here is to copy and paste and yes I know it is not arranged (No time to arrange it)…lol (From http://www.hrcr.org.ng)

However, I wanted to put it all in one place for easy reading. This is the list of all the proposed amendments that have been submitted by members of the public as well as organized interests. You can read and share.

1. Request for the creation of Toru-Ebe State out of the present Delta, Edo and Ondo States, from Toru-Ebe State Creation Movement.


2. Request for the creation of Adada State out of the present Enugu State, from Adada State Creation Movement.

3.Memorandum from Ijaw National Council to replace “Regions”  with “States” as federating units in Nigeria and devolve more powers to the regions.

4.   Jasawa Community Development Association on the aspects of the constitution relating to indigeneship, fundamental human rights, justiciability of Chapter 2 of the Constitution on Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy and state Independent Electoral Commissions;

5.   Mr. Anthony Okoligwe on the restructuring and re-organization of the Local Government System in Nigeria.

6.    Request for the creation of Lagoon State out of the present Lagos State by the Lagoon State Movement.

7.    Notice of Opposition by Itsekiri People to the inclusion of their land in the proposed Toru-Ebe State.

8.    Objection to the inclusion of the Territory and People of Benin in the proposed Toru-Ebe State.

9.    Request by His Royal Majesty, Oba Abdul Yekini Ayinla Ladipo IV, The Onikoyi of Ikoyi-Ile for the creation of a new State out of the present Oyo State with Ikoyi-Ije as its capital.

10.    Memoranda by Mrs. Saraya Agidi, State President, National Council of Women’s Society (NCWS), Nasarawa State Branch for inclusion of a provision in the Constitution to enable eradication of corruption in the polity and thus, promote good governance in Nigeria.
Continue reading →

by

FEMALENOMICS

What is the link between a refrigerator and a seductively looking, scarcely dressed lady? Men! I guess a chilled drink improves the capacity to get down low. I am still waiting on the time when women will arise to fight against such misrepresentation of the female. Or is it Fee-male?  It feels more like the latter when you consider that you are more likely to get a job if your outward appearance titillates the visual organs. I have shared this before about a time when I walked in to a particular branch of a bank, located in a busy and exclusive part of the city. I couldn’t find one female who looks like me. They were all tall, fair, straight legs, curved hips, and the likes. Oh yes! I did take a passive moment to observe these specimens. It was not until I left that I gave it a serious thought. I saw this picture on http://www.everyday-economist.com/ and just thought to share it.

by

THE CHURCH AND FUNCTIONAL DISSONANCE

ImageI live in a part of Abuja, Nigeria where the access road to my apartment is not motor-able. Every day I go through the horrors of coming out and getting in, risking headaches and potential injuries. What am I doing there? That’s another story that only Abuja residents can help me articulate. My concern in this little rant is the obvious ‘functional dissonance’ that exists in this neighbourhood and for which every fibre of my being is fighting against.

Let me first explain what I mean by functional dissonance. Although dissonance as a word applies to different fields and thereby different import, I will like to borrow the term from the field of music, of which I am quite familiar. In music, the concept of dissonance has to do with combining unstable tones which gives an aural feeling of unrest when listened to. It gives you a feeling that the music is hanging and needs to be resolved by a combination of certain tones that give a comfortable ending. So I choose to apply this concept to a living thing and how it remains unresolved in its primary function to society, hence the term, functional dissonance.

One or two examples will clear the air. An extreme hoarder is someone experiencing functional dissonance. This is because your house is meant to be a resting place and a not a storage unit. Hoarders actually have a mental problem and end up in mental institutions. Another example is a footballer striker who decides to use his hands to pick up the ball and throw it into his opponent’s net to record a goal. Strikers strike with their foot not their hands. That is functional dissonance in its simple applicability.
Continue reading →

by

A BRIEF OF THE UNFORTUNATE EVENTS WITH AERO AIRLINE FROM ACCRA ON 18/06/12

6:30am: Left a friend’s house for the airport

6:32am: Ran into my first experience of Accra traffic. I could swear half the people on the road were Nigerians (check out the driving)

7:15am: Arrived at the airport and collected my boarding pass and proceeded to clear immigration

7:23am: A boarding call for Accra to Lagos on Aero Contractor flight

7:45am: Flight fully boarded and waiting for take off (7:55am departure time)

7:55am: Engaged flight attendant on why take off has not been announced and was told they were waiting for some documentation.

8:05am: Pilot announces all passengers to disembark due to a flat tire.


Continue reading →

by

LEAVE YOUR KIDS ALONE!

I once lived in a part of New Jersey called North Bergen. It was quite European by design in most parts and was obviously an escape for all who had a phobia for the clutter of New York City. Most people, including me, worked in the City and the morning and evening commute was a social phenomenon to be observed. I liked it though. I was constantly drawn to the evening and weekends of the North Bergen life, which I have come to appreciate as a microcosm of big City conurbations.

Some evenings and weekends, I go jogging or biking in the park and derive my motivation from the older populations who display such pleasure at keeping fit than a fledgling male such as this writer. After combusting the calories I will usually sit on one of the park benches, earphones in place to pump some good low notes, and begin my careful observation on one of the highways of human activity. In doing this, I was particularly drawn to kids who were at the park training at one sport or the other, in particular Baseball and Soccer. Standing and sitting at the sidelines were several parents watching carefully over their wards.

During my many evening trips home from work, I had passively noticed that the parks were always bubbling with people exercising and parents who had brought their kids for after school training in their chosen sport. These are the baseball moms and soccer moms that wield so much influence in typical American sociocultural and political life. I recalled this from my park observatory and moved my attention to the several parents who were screaming and cheering from the sidelines and I thought how beautiful it was to see parents who are so involved in the lives of their children, something we scarcely see in this part of the world.
Continue reading →