*Morgan Tsvangirai: Under the people’s burden

Morgan Tsvangirai - Photo by Steve Punter

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai takes the cry for actualising the mandate given him across Africa.

By OLOLADE ADEWUYI, Accra

Dressed in a black suit in the hot sunshine of Accra, Morgan Tsvangirai arrived the Alisa Hotel where he was to address a press conference sweating. As he made his way into the cool comfort of the conference hall, he exclaimed in a soft voice to his two aides about being glad to finally get away from the searing 28 degrees heat. For someone who hails from a more temperate region of Africa, it was definitely very tough coping. But not as tough as the business which had brought him into town. Tsvangirai had used the opportunity of the quadrennial meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD XII, holding in Accra to meet with President John Kufuor and United Nations, UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon. He had come to seek for international help in resolving the crisis which is slowly engulfing his homeland, weeks after holding general elections in Zimbabwe; the ruling government of Robert Mugabe has failed to release election results leading to great uncertainty in the southern African country. The Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, which Tsvangirai leads, has claimed victory in the presidential elections. Tsvangirai claims his party won 50.3 per cent of votes cast, more than enough to see him become the country’s only other leader since independence from Britain in 1980.

The MDC has already won majority seats in the parliament from results declared by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC, a situation that has made the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front, ZANU-PF, look for desperate means to curtail a shameful loss. The election results have not been declared and it is calling for a run off. “We have stated before and wish to restate here in front of our African brothers that we will not participate in a stage-managed run off simply because Robert Mugabe does not want to accept that we won this election decisively,” Tsvangirai thundered. This stand has fetched him a charge of treason back home for which he has called a bluff of the government. The government of Mugabe has produced “evidence” that Tsvangirai has signed a pact with the West to return all lands seized by the government into the hands of white farmers. Tsvangirai stated that he is not in any way influenced by Western governments. “I am not under any brief from anyone”, he said. “Please respect the people of Zimbabwe, it is their mandate that I am under”.   

Tsvangirai said he found the meeting with the two leaders (Kufuor and Ban) “productive”. He also denounced the role of Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s leader in the crisis. “We are disturbed by the role that President Mbeki is playing in undermining our people’s victory,” he said. He called on Mbeki to make a stand with the people and not with any political party. Knowing that Mugabe is highly respected in the region for his fight against colonialism, many African leaders have shied away from criticising him publicly, not the least a man like Mbeki who heads another liberation party government. But this stand has caused a constant flow of refugees from Zimbabwe to seek better fortunes across the borders of neighbouring countries top of which is South Africa. Tsvangirai hopes that Mbeki can realise that the refugee situation is a result of the loss of confidence in Mugabe’s government by the people. Tsvangirai is taking his message across the world to anybody who cares to listen before things get out of hand. Back home his people are beginning to think he is not doing justice to the cause by staying abroad. His stay away from Zimbabwe is killing the morale of the masses. If he goes home, he will face unfair treason charges. But he swears to carry on the burden of the people’s mandate.

  

*Published in TELL magazine April 2008. Republished here as a tribute to Morgan Tsvangirai who passed on 14 February 2018.

Social Media as a Tool for Change in 21st Century Africa: The story of the 2011 Nigerian Elections

Social Media as a Tool for Change in 21st Century Africa: The of the 2011 Nigerian Elections

Presentation made by Ololade Adewuyi, Online Editor, TELL Magazine to the Youth in Leadership and Enterprise Initiative, YELI, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife on July 9, 2011

What is social media?

The world has truly become a village unlike we have ever dreamed. When I was in my final year in this university seven years ago, the word social media had only just begun to evolve. It is on record that social media came into use just in 2004 and it is a phenomenon that has changed the way we perceive our world today. You have friends that you know many things about but have never met. You have family members whom you have not spoken to in ages but you know when to wish them a happy birthday. You have seen places where your legs might never tread on, all through the internet. One big issue for all, the internet has come and disrupted our lives in many positive ways that we wonder what we ever did without it. We ask; how did we ever survive without our Facebook and our Twitter? How did we get by, day by day, without communicating with our online friends?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, social media are “forms of electronic communications (such as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).” It’s the culmination of Web 2.0, the age of user generated content on the internet.

When I was at Ife in the early days of the millennium, the idea of googling up your assignment was only just catching on. I remember our first attempt to use the net during a course on Stylistics in my third year. We had no books in the library for the particular topic that our tutorial teacher asked us to work on and someone suggested going to the White House (Physics department) internet lab and see if we could contact the author of the book to help us out. The author, Geoffrey Leech, was based at a UK university and when one of us who was adept at the working of the net googled his name we found an email address. It was a triumph. The same student was the only one out of about ten of us who had an email address so he sent a mail to the professor through it. We never got a response but it was a big lesson for us all.

Pretty soon, I set up my own email address through a friend’s help. There was a group on campus called Yahooligans that was set up by fellow students to help in creating email handles for everyone at a cost. I assure you they made a huge profit. This was in 2002 when there were only about two or three cybercafés on this huge campus and people had to queue for days to be able to secure browsing time at the White House. I know it may sound incredulous to many of you here today. I’m from that generation that paid through its nose and struggled to use the internet. I wear my scars proudly.

The way we perceive our world has changed. I have more than a thousand friends on Facebook, almost two hundred followers on Twitter and more than a hundred thousand people have visited my three blogs since I started the first one in 2007. My internet footprint is more than the average Nigerian’s but still lags behind many of my contemporaries in the West. However, in the near future, Africans will become an integral part of the web culture as it is. Through increasingly affordable mobile phones and internet services, young Africans will make their impact on the net but we have to use that impact positively because there is no tool as democratic as the internet and social media in our time.

In an article in Intelligent Life, JM Ledgard writes: “Connectivity is a given: it is coming and happening and spreading in Africa whether or not factories get built or young people find jobs. Culture is being formed online as well as on the street: for the foreseeable future, the African voice is going to get louder, while the voice of ageing Europe quietens.” (‘Digital Life’, IL, Spring 2011)

The Arab Spring

The power of social media was powerfully demonstrated in Africa for the first time during the recent upheavals that took place in Tunisia and Egypt. Now famously known as the Arab Spring, the riots against the tyrannical rule of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali started when a trader Mohammed Bouazizi, set himself ablaze to protest his shameful treatment by police officers in the town of Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia. “It is a national tragedy when the youth - literally the future - commit suicide to make a point,” wrote Larbi Sadiki in an opinion published by the Al Jazeera website. 

The deaths of other martyrs prompted demonstrations against the government, which it tried to suppress by the use of force and banning state media from reporting. However, the power of social media came in and Tunisians on ground began to put pictures on Facebook and send in real time events via Twitter. Videos emerged on YouTube of how protesters defied police batons and whips as they stormed government offices demanding for better rules of engagement with the society. In a few weeks, the 23 year-old government of Ben Ali was brought to its knees as he capitulated and took off for exile in Saudi Arabia. Many of us followed the proceedings of that revolution via the #sidibouzid hash tag. 

In Egypt, it was an eye opening event. If people power could triumph in our neighbour’s enclave, why not with us the biggest Arab country in the world? A Facebook group set up by Wael Ghonim, a Google executive and blogger Abdel Rahman Mansour to mourn the killing of Khaled Said, a 28 year-old Alexandrian by police officers took root. They called for the end of police brutality. Soon after, Ghonim was incarcerated leading to riots all over Cairo. When he was released, he called for the almost 30 year-old authoritarian regime of Hosni Mubarak to resign and that true democracy should be instituted in the country. 

The events of those 18 days mean that Egypt will never remain like before. The Cairo that I visited in 2009 where huge billboards carrying the intimidating face of Mubarak has gone and what we now have from the social change that occurred is a country of better sure-footed people who will never be intimidated by booming guns and emergency laws. The Egyptians in their turn inspired others in Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen to seek for change in the way they are being governed. 

Nigeria Elections 2011

Young, tech savvy Nigerians watched closely as the events in the Middle East unfolded as the Nigerian general elections drew close. In an article published in TELL in January, I drew attention to the work of Amara Nwankpa, an Abuja-based tech activist who set up a group called Light Up Nigeria calling for the government to restore electricity to the country. Using the Delta rerun in January as a test, Nwankpa on Election Day tweeted all the actions on ground to his followers who were hungry for news from the frontline. He beat many mainstream media to the announcement of results and at the end of the day said that the main test was to come in the general elections in April.

Even President Goodluck Jonathan joined the social media frenzy by first announcing his intention to contest on Facebook thereby taking the shine away from an opponent that held a big announcement party on the same day. Everything was seemingly set for social media to make a big impact in Nigeria during the countdown to the elections.

The group Enough Is Enough Nigeria also campaigned broadly using Twitter and Facebook to rally young people to go out and register to vote using the acronym RSVP i.e Register, Vote, Select, Protect or what we generally refer to as rice and stew very plenty. It caught on as many young people went to registration centres armed with their mobile phones where they took photos of themselves and posted on Twitter. The growing Nigerian Twitter community became abuzz with terms like RV or Registered Voter as a status symbol. It was interesting to note that many of these people were only voting for the first time ever even though many were well past 18 years, the threshold for voter registration. In a country where many people had great mistrust for the political class, the sudden vibe on social networks made it cool for many to go out to exercise their civil rights.

The story of the Nigerian elections in 2011 will not be complete without the impact social networks played in galvanising young people to think that they could really begin to make a positive change in the way their leaders are chosen. This in effect also brought a change in the way politicians now perceive the electorate. So on Election Day, they turned up at polling booths holding their BlackBerry and other internet-enabled mobile phones where they tweeted happenings on the scene using the #Nigeriadecides hash tag. Photos of people voting and later results were sent onto the EiE and Reclaimnaija.net aggregation platform. 

It was not only young people that caught on to the Twitter train, the mainstream media also tried to match up in its own way through the use of the networks to share news. At TELL, we had our reporters nationwide send in verified news reports via text messages that were posted on our website and then tweeted to followers and shared on our Facebook page. It was a real test of the traditional media’s readiness to move with the changing times. It was not a battle between old and new, I think it was an effort to complement each other. Where young people could be quick to declare results, traditional media employed years of news wisdom to filter credible information to readers. What we had was the most widely reported election in Nigeria’s history. Having covered general elections in Ghana and Togo in the last two years, I am able to say Nigeria has set a pace for other African countries in the use of social media for electoral purposes even though only an estimated 70,000 voters used social media in a recent report by the Social Media Tracking Centre. 

The elections were not without failings as new media pinpointed issues arising. The famous video about massive thumb printing of ballot papers in Rivers state, underage voters in Bauchi and others that emerged on YouTube showed the savvy of Nigerians. They have all become evidence in court cases. And they show that Nigeria has moved a little away from the era of massive rigging with impunity to an era where mobile phones with cameras can make a big difference in how electoral crime can succeed or fail. The gains of the last elections in Nigeria must be worked at to ensure a freer and fairer electoral process for one and all. It is in doing this that we can hope to ensure positive change in our society for our children and their own children.

 Using social media to draw attention to social ills

The mobile phone that you hold in your hand has changed the way we live. No longer is the endless wait for NITEL to install a line in your home so that you can call your family members in Europe or America. All you need is dial on your mobile. And now you have to call your uncle before going to his house to ask for money for school. The days are gone when you showed up at his doorstep unannounced. We used to joke as kids that Africa was so simple that we did not have to call before a visit. We used to frown at our ‘been-to’ folks who insisted one called before coming even though they were the only ones who had landlines in the extended family. So you had to use the public phone ahead of a visit. Good news is that everything has become simpler. And so have the means to create change. 

A website, a Twitter handle and a Facebook page are modern tools of drawing attention to social ills in our time. Change.org, a US-based site that prides itself as the biggest online petition site in the world has about 3 million members worldwide. It has pushed for the release of activists incarcerated in jails in China, it has helped stall the deportation of immigrants in America and it has helped fight for an end to rape as a cure to lesbianism in South Africa through the signing of petitions online that have been pushed to high ranking government officials.

These can be replicated in Nigeria as well. However, sites like Sahara Reporters have also helped to bring focus on Nigerian government and corporate corruption in a way that main stream media has not been able to. They call themselves citizen journalists and that is the way to go for the future. Citizens can highlight major concerns in their neighbourhood, in their local governments and states by creating blogs that will show the world the happenings in their locality. It means that an uncompleted road in Gbongan can be known to a resident of Accra. A lecturer demanding bribe or sex for good grades in Ado Ekiti can be exposed to readers in Kuala Lumpur. A government official who is intimidating his constituent can be exposed to readers in New Foundland. A successful community project in Ilesa can be monitored and replicated by a reader in Sally, Senegal.

The Twitter handle @boycottdbanj gained massive following in just a few days of its appearance as it criticised entertainer Dbanj for supporting the electoral bid of President Jonathan. The persons behind it felt wronged by the fact that the entertainer would use his popularity to campaign for a politician that they did not support and they made their views known on the social media platform. The group later changed to the handle @boycottpdp and you know what that means. 

Today you do not need to wait for a newspaper man to report your progress, even though newspapers are always good for their spread and authenticity, you can always blog about it and have people read you regularly. The internet is a democratic space and you will be surprised at what people are searching for. TIME’s managing editor Richard Stengel puts it succinctly: “What social media have done is to make us all more aware of what’s going on – and offer a new avenue to organize opposition. We like to think revolutions arise from below, but through most of human history, it’s the elites who have caused and led revolutions. Now because of social media, anyone can communicate with everyone. We’re seeing that in the Middle East, Africa and China. The democratization of information may actually lead to real democracy.” 

One thing that has to be understood is that social media in itself does not make change. It is the person behind the computer, the lady holding the Blackberry, the young man hooking up to YouTube that makes change happen. It is from your mind that change happens from where it is transferred to your network. It is your mind first where the yearning for change begins. It is what you feed your mind with that will feed your social network. Let change begin from your mind and let us transform our community and our nation with it. It is the only way we can hold everyone to account for the enormous trust we put in them. 

Thank you all.

Quelle est la verite? What is the truth?

The truth is that many of our men have died needlessly in the fight against Boko Haram. You do remember recently when the Army claimed that retreating from the frontlines was a tactical strategy? Lots of armoury was lost as Boko Haram took over army formations. We were told the army had no weapons to fight against Boko Haram yet we were losing ammunition and shells on a consistent basis. Even Shekau made a video displaying his looted weapons and called the Nigerian Army cowards, asking what more do they need to fight against his men when they have such a large cache.

The truth is that more than 15000 innocents have lost their lives to the politics of our war. These are men and women who have left behind orphaned children, whose ancestral homes have become nothing more than a rubble of pounded shells and broken dreams.

The truth is that our president said he underestimated the crisis until it festered and threatened to stop his re-election. Now he is moving earth and heaven to win the battle in hopes of salvaging public opinion.
The truth is that every well meaning human should see beyond this late resurgence of the Army for what it is, a play for the soul of Nigeria.

I will continue to denounce the use of Nigerian souls for poker. This is not about APC or PDP, this is about human beings, my countrymen with the same dreams and aspirations. Surely they deserve better.

Of Lost Lives and the Future of Nigeria

I heard people talk about losing their sons and kinsmen in the war against Boko Haram when calling into Nigeria Info FM this morning. What got to me the most is the fact that many of these people believe that the FG toyed with the lives of the dead soldiers by not responding to the Boko Haram threat early enough.

And I have good reason to believe that GEJ deliberately allowed the insurgency in the North East to grow in order to decimate the numbers of the North. A PDP aspirant for House of Reps told me yesterday that it is a South-South agenda.

More than 15,000 lives have been lost to the bombings and attacks in Northern Nigeria since 2009 when the Boko Haram menace began to fester. It is a sad report on the FG under GEJ that it allowed many innocents die like cheap livestock while playing the ostrich.

While I praise the military for its recent achievements, one cannot but ask: what were they doing all this time? what did you do with all the resources you have amassed over the last four years? why have you allowed our young soldiers die ignoble deaths?

They don't even tell us the number of Nigerian soldiers that have perished.

In lieu with the politicians, the Nigerian military has become without honour.

While the military claim not to have arms to fight, GEJ has empowered a private army in the Delta waters that now owns warships and war boats.

Are they preparing for a war? Who knows?

And do not be taken in by the statement made by the President that he underestimated the threat of Boko Haram, that just shows he doesn't understand the primary job of his office.

I insist that a country that wants to move forward would vote anyone but Goodluck Jonathan​ as its president. He is a man that is content to play poker with the lives of his countrymen all in the name of North-South politics.

I dare to say that this President is not speaking for me and many other well meaning Southerners that I know. He is certainly not speaking for my family and I.

#Change #AnyoneButGEJ

Love, Lies, Blackmail and Murder – A Marxist Analysis of Windeck

Windeck: The Angolan show has captured the imagination

For several months, Anglophone Africa has stayed glued to television screens watching the intrigues and suspense unfold in the runaway success Angolan telenovela Windeck.

Such is the addiction that the drama has held its viewers hostage to.

While my family and I have been huge fans, it's important not to lose the messages inherent in the novela.

While Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya have been known for the power of their film and television industries, it's certainly the first time that viewers have had such access into Lusophone life and culture as presented by the Angolan drama.

Well, some questions have arisen in my mind thus far: Are all Angolans really that pretty? Are all Angolan men very easy to manipulate by their women? Are all Angolans always scheming to become rich?

Several questions but the one I would attempt to answer in this short piece is the third above.

I attempt a definition of Marxism for the lay reader as a study of the relationship between the owners of property and means of production and the workers and the poor. Marxism explores the battle between the haves and have-nots.

While the story of Windeck looks like a love story on the surface, a closer look reveals that it is a story of the economically powerful and the workers who attempt to get ahead by all means.

The Vosses are the owners of the means of production while the Victoria Kajibangas and Hendas are the forces struggling against the powerful in order to come into their own wealth whether by hook or crook.

While the struggle between the classes is always a classic tale, in Windeck we find that the lower classes are never successful in their aspirations and schemes

Lowly Ofelia got into the Voss lineage via marriage. Victoria is unsuccessful but Ana Maria moves up via eventual marriage to Kiluanji.

In the reverse, Xavier is eventually outed as a non-Voss by his wife to show his failure at pretending to be part of the upper class. Even though he multiplied the fortune he illegally inherited, his legacy is left in tatters when he is revealed as an adopted child.

Windeck states that one can only be a part of the upper classes by virtue of birth or acceptance by marriage. In capitalist societies, we know that this is wrong and that the poor have been known to work their way into great wealth.

In the society of the novella, we encounter scheming workers who continually fail as they attempt to rise above their circumstances of birth.

Even though the Vosses live in splendour and look like victims of schemes, in truth they represent the perpetrators of inequality which leads to every scheme against them.

Due to their wealth in a society where most are poor, they have become the centre of attention and are left open to envy.

As we have found out, the Vosses are not as perfect as they pretend. Xavier is adopted, Wilson is plain and easily runaround by his wife, Kiluanji is clueless and unable to decipher his being manipulated while Lukeni wants so much to become a Kuduro artist and be free like the commoners.

The Voss women are not so different: Isaura is cold, classy but scheming, Ofelia is afraid of her past and is racist, Luwena is a lesbian and goes on to have a child out of wedlock with a man who she has no relationship with while Luweji hopes to escape the stranglehold of her mother and hopes that love will rescue her.

Among the workers, Rosa wants to get ahead by sacrificing her daughter's happiness. Kassia has been raised in faux-bourgeois conditions and expects marriage to improve her destiny.

Ana Maria, hard working and independent, cannot reason without emotion clouding her judgment while her psychopathic sister Victoria takes advantage of everyone's trust as she attempts to cross the border between rich and poor.

Artur is gay, focused but is unable to rein in the monsters living his roof, Henda and Sebastiao, both scheming characters who have found devious ways to lay their hands on the "Angolan dream".

Sebastiao employs Karl Marxes opium of the masses, religion, as his way to reach higher than his calling in life.

Perhaps the people who the story was most kind to were the hardworking men and women of Mofete.

Even they get entangled in the filth left around by the Vosses.

In Windeck the rich and poor clash not on the basis of ideology but as a result of material conditions.

The scheming is not really due to love, but in the ambition to get ahead and become a part of the owners of the economic production as depicted in the magazine house Divo.

Divo is the land, the scene of the battles told by the brilliant script writers. However, even though there were many twists and turns, Windeck is not much different from the many novellas we have seen: Cuando Seas Mia (When You Are Mine), The Rich Also Cry, Second Chance, etc.

They are classic tales of rich boy, poor girl, scheming in-laws and secretaries, etc.

However, what they all boil down to is the continued fight between the upper and lower classes for access to wealth.

While the lower classes always scheme to move higher, the upper class would only accept them in on strict terms.

Usually this is by marriage.

These novellas continue to tell one side of the story.

And we would be hard-pressed to ask, are there no genuine ways that poor people have climbed out of poverty into the monied class?

In Windeck we are told that this is impossible. Xavier is exposed for being a fraud and Wilson takes everything by virtue of his blood.

Victoria and Kassia are denied marriage into upper society.

Only Ana Maria is able to move up - by marriage.

Windeck perpetuates the long held views that the only way young women can make it in life is to marry rich.

It cements the Kate Middleton story: The working class girl who marries the Prince.

Windeck is a feudal classic draped in beautiful characters and pretty actors. Despite its pretenses at love, its lies and blackmails with a tinge of murder, it is fails as a Marxist tale as the poor in the story remain where they are, downtrodden, punished and disgraced.

Still, it is a story that has captured our imagination.

 ==============================================

It would be interesting to know the views of everyone that has see the drama, this insight is by no means final. Please share your thoughts.

Tribute to Cephas Sackitey (former Associate Director Alliance Française d'Accra​)

Cephas Sackitey

Tribute to Cephas Sackitey (former Associate Director Alliance Française d'Accra​)

I was searching for my temporary voters card on Monday night when I dug out my French class notebook from 2007.

In 2006, I moved to Ghana to work with Ovation Magazine as a correspondent. While in Accra, I found an old friend, arts and culture journalist John Owoo​ who I had met in 2003 while studying at Alliance Francaise Ikoyi.

With John initiating me into the Accra culture scene, I began to attend events and soirees at the AFA and there I met Cephas Sackitey, the centre's associate director.

Friendly, approachable and helpful, Monsieur Cephas was the typical culture expert. He encouraged people to learn French and regularly gave scholarships to journalists and artists to study at the centre.

I approached him of those evenings and told of how I would like to continue my language classes in Accra. But with my meagre income as a journalist, I would love a scholarship to study.

Cephas agreed to give me a three-month scholarship which lasted from October-December 2007. It was the note from that class that I found two days ago.

After that period, I again asked for another scholarship in 2009 which Cephas granted. So from October-December 2009, I studied at the centre. While there, I had the opportunity to report events and it was where I first met with and interviewed Afrobeat singer Seun Kuti​ among many others.

I left Accra in October 2010 to work fully in the Lagos office of Tell magazine as online editor after my stint as West African correspondent based in Accra.

There was really no opportunity to say goodbye to many of my friends. Even my flat in Adabraka with all my books and other stuff was left to a Nigerian friend who himself has sadly now passed.

When I found that notebook on Monday night, it brought back memories of a long ago period when I tried to find my feet as a young reporter in a foreign country.

So I tried to reach out to old friends that I remembered had helped pave the way for me in a new culture. I remembered Cephas and made a mental note to find him out and send a thank you mail.

Sadly, it was in my Facebook chat with John that I found out that Cephas had passed away two years ago after a short illness.

While looking through tributes online, I decided that I needed to pay tribute to this man who has helped the growth of music and culture in Ghana.

The journey of life is peopled by destiny helpers who get you along to your aim.

It was at AF Accra that I met artists, musicians, photographers and journalists like Yaw Dela Botri​, Francis Kokutse​, Kofi Setordji, Nii Obodai and a host of several others.

I also remember having an awkward dance with Bibi Brew during the World Music Festival.

Just like he did to me, I know that Cephas also gave scholarships to several other people.

I honour your memory Monsieur Cephas.

Ayekoo!

Nigeria and the secrecy of the unknown soldier

Every year in January, the politicians celebrate the day of the unknown soldier. I have always thought the unknown soldier were those that died during World War II and the Civil War.

However, with recent events, I now realize that the unknown soldier is that man who has recently been sent to fight Boko Haram but has perished due to reasons we now know include lack of adequate equipment, poor logistics and other reasons.

The unknown soldier is that man who was poorly equipped to face the insurgents in Borno but who we are never told their names.

Defence HQ tells the whole world that 50 Boko Haram fighters were killed, but they never tell us that half that number of 'unknown soldiers' lost their lives.

The unknown soldier is the one whose family is given less than a month to pack out of the Army Barracks once he is no longer useful to society.

The unknown soldier is the man whose family is paid a dead man's pension that is less than the $10,000 winning bonus that a player in the Nigerian football team gets every time they win a match.

The unknown soldier is not he who died before I was born, the unknown soldier is continually being minted daily on the front lines of our war.

Why is the unknown soldier of our war without name?

Why does Defence HQ hide the names of our unknown soldiers when we could be praising their memory?

Surely, the unknown soldier has a name, a kindred, a family.

Give us an opportunity to mourn our heroes, tell us their names and stop shrouding the identity of our piling dead under bureaucracy.

Let us know their widows, let us know their sons and daughters so that we may show appreciation for the feat of their fathers whose blood continues to water our freedom.

Let us unveil the unknown soldier, a hero whose blood is as precious as mine.

#OccupyNigeria

Interesting times we live in.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.3

An Army Without Commander - #OccupyNigeria

By Seun Akioye

(An eye witness account first published on TELL website)

The police and protesters on January 3: Photo by Sunday Adedeji/TELL

I joined the rally as the crowd began to move from Yaba towards Ojota around 10:18am on January 3, 2012. All the major civil society leaders were there; Femi Falana [ lawyer], Abiodun Aremu [activist], Richard Akinola [activist], Ayodele Akele [activist] , Ganiat Fawehinmi [widow of  feary lawyer Gani Fawehinmi] , Dr Dipo Fasina [former preasident of ASUU] , Dr Demola Aremu and a host of others. These were mainly the same old battle weary soldiers. The government knew they would be there; the government was prepared for them.  I looked around to see any familiar face from the Twitter/Facebook warriors, these young men and women who are so vocal and militant on social media -some of them had vowed to go on hunger strike until the fuel prices are reverted- but I was really disappointed not to see any of them. They confirmed my theory that these people giving themselves online awards are only grandstanding and they are the same people that will be there at the “Presidential Lunch” with youths.

The other groups were made up of civil society activists from CDHR and other affiliates, there were some young people- mainly student union leaders and disciples of the civil society groups-they were charged and hardened. When we got to Fadeyi, the leaders, Dr. Fasina, and Comrade Aremu, said we should sit on the street on the right lane of the expressway. The youths, who had now gone ahead of the leaders, thought taking over the whole expressway would be better, so they did. They began to chant and dance. At this stage, the traffic both outgoing and incoming had come to a standstill.

But I noticed a certain division between the leaders of the protest. While Femi Falana and others were granting interviews to the media, Biodun Aremu and Akele were worried that there seemed to be a breakdown in the coordination. Aremu seized the megaphone and called the attention of the media. He expressed worry that the rally was turning to a personality interview slot and that is not good for the coordination. While the comrade was struggling with his worries, some youths who had gone ahead began to make a bonfire using old tyres. As Aremu spoke, the first whiff of dark smoke from a burning tyre went up into the sky.

I was apprehensive at the turn of events. My concern was that if the rally should assume a violent direction, then when the police came, they would have justifiable reason to unleash terror on all of us and it would badly taint the reputation of the rally coordinators. The youths, who by now were beyond caring, began to turn back motorists coming towards Yaba. Commercial vehicles were forced to a stop while private cars made a U-Turn right in the middle of the expressway facing the oncoming vehicles.

Some articulated vehicles were forced to block the expressway while residents of the area quickly shut their doors and windows. I found Comrade Akele and expressed my worry that things were getting out of hand. The other leaders like Dr. Fashina also expressed the same concern and told Comrade Aremu to ensure that tyres were not burnt. But Aremu told us that in Nigeria, burning of tyres is part of the mobilisation and there was nothing he could do about it. I was alarmed by this frank confession and began to worry that I was in the wrong crowd. The youth were now joined by some really frustrated Nigerians who said we should turn the whole rally into a Libyan Revolution.

Afrobeat singer Seun Anikulapo-Kuti arrived wearing a black T-shirt. He greeted some of the leaders and told Aremu he had stopped the boys burning tyres up front and that everything was calm. We proceeded and got to Onipanu. This time communication between the leaders who by now had been left behind and the rampaging youths had broken down completely. Cars were forced to park in the BRT lane while the owners were thoroughly intimidated by the youths. The frightened commuters quickly concurred with whatever the youths asked of them.

By the time we got to Anthony, things were out of hand. The youths threw down the police posts, rough handled a traffic police officer and on the other side, an OP MESA van was accosted by the youths. The van forced to a stop and the two soldiers inside had to fight their way out. Anthony was really hot but contrary to some reports that area boys hijacked the rally, burning cars and shooting in the air, I can confirm that it never happened. In fact, the area boys seeing the rampaging youths quickly cut down leaves and began to shout in solidarity, vandalising properties.  Banks were closed so were other business interests while the owners and workers looked at us through the safety of their windows. I found comrade Akele again and we began to beg the youths to stop. They turned a deaf ear.

When we moved towards Maryland, the situation was restored to calm, the leaders wanted the rally to continue towards Ojota at the Gani Fawehinmi Park. But some sections wanted to occupy Maryland, so while the main group went under the Independence Tunnel at Maryland, another group went up to Maryland junction. I was part of that group.

Comrade Aremu made a speech to the rally at the Independence Tunnel while we watched from the top of the bridge. He spoke about the wickedness of the regime and how the subsidy removal would further impoverish the poor. While he was speaking, a contingent of mobile policemen came. Activist Gbenga Sonoiki and I were the first to meet them. The leader told us they were there to keep the peace and ensure no law is broken. We assured him nothing of such will happen and that we will release the traffic as soon as we are done with the speech. Later, I spoke to the officer in charge of the unit and he told me that he is fully in support of the rally. He lamented the hardship brought about by the fuel hike and said majority of the officers would support the rally. This same feeling was expressed by three other policemen I spoke to.

By this time, the rally had moved on to Ojota, but we still kept watch over the Maryland bonfires and occupation. Ten minutes later, we released the traffic and began to put out the bonfire. But that was when chaos began too as a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tunde Sobulo, reputed as a fearless crime fighter and also a wicked officer led some mobile policemen to Maryland. Sobulo and his men jumped on both passersby and protesters. I had interviewed the man in 1999 when he was the RRS coordinator and as I stood rooted there trying to remember where we had met, I heard his sneering voice ordering his men to arrest me.

I was dazed and stood rooted there. Was it me this man had just ordered arrested or someone else? By the time I came to realisation, three mobile policemen were close on me and like in a trance, I dialogued with my legs jumping bonfires and running over cars. There was chaos. Sobulo began to shout that the policemen were there and did not shoot and disperse us, he was angry that they even gave us protection. In an uncontrollable rage, he lashed out with the butt of his gun at an Inspector of police, and chased him all the way down towards Mende. The scene was a sorry sight. I saw the two coming towards me and ran again to the other side towards Bank Anthony way, and then I heard a shot ring out and then teargas. I looked back to see a youth wearing a green shirt being arrested and beaten up by the Police. The boy stood his ground and refused to beg as he was being dragged behind Sobulo towards the police van.

Then the unthinkable happened, the boy in a smart move freed himself from the grip of the police and ran across the road back to Mende side. I looked in front and was accosted by two Policemen. Raising my hands in surrender, I screamed “press, press” and that was when they allowed me to go. Along with the TVC crew, I ran towards Mr. Biggs at the Mobile filling station. We continued to run towards Protea Hotel in a panic, it was a sorry sight. After some calm we came back to the street and saw Sobulo in a mad fit, swinging his gun round and round. I saw one of the policemen I spoke to earlier and asked him whether Sobulo was alright. “He is a madman he said people should not protest when we too as policemen are suffering. He has millions in his account, but I suffer to pay my children’s school fees. He is a mad man, if you have a way to report him please do.”

I laughed to hear this astonishing revelation, but then Sobulo had started running wildly towards Anthony, holding his gun by one hand in the air. His officers stood around in amazement as he ran screaming, puffing and heaving. I tried to find out what he was chasing after and saw two elderly women.

-Akioye, is a tobacco activist and freelance journalist. He can be found on Twitter @seunakioye

Happy Independence Day Nigeria: 419 Reasons to Like Nigeria

For too long, Nigeria and Nigerians have been readily associated with the online scams, financial crime and impersonation - termed ‘419’. However, beyond the unfortunate stereotyping, there are several positive characteristics and cogent intriguing traits of the country, Nigeria and its people, some of which are highlighted below as part of the ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ campaign which enlisted 100 volunteers and bloggers to share reasons why they like Nigeria. These reasons echo the voices of Nigerians, with resonating similar themes. The campaign is being facilitated in partnership with ‘The 419Positive Project’.

The full list of ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ is available here  (www.419Positive.org)

The list of contributors to ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ is available here

If you would like to say something positive about Nigerians and Nigeria, please do so here.

NIGERIA - THE LAND OF POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY

v  I like Nigeria because it is a land of endless opportunities and possibilities. Nigeria is one country I believe the world is yet to experience it true potentials. I believe Nigerians are sharp, brilliant and accommodating people. Giving the right enabling environment the world will marvel at what Nigeria will become.

v  Nigeria is the most populous black nation - and a buying one at that. From a capitalist point of view, this makes for a great investment opportunities.

v  The fact that Nigeria currently lags behind so much - in infrastructure and developmental terms - hints at the size of the potential for innovation and transformation, and at the huge number of vacancies that exist for 'transformers'. What I think this means is that the world will be hearing a lot about Nigeria and high-achieving Nigerians (in the public and private sectors) in the near future.

NIGERIA - THE COUNTRY

v  The Nigerian Green and White flag is a notable national symbol. The green color symbolises agriculture, seeing that the country is endowed with masses of arable land, while the white colour signifies unity and peace. Other national symbols include the Nigerian Coat of Arms, which depicts an eagle on a black shield, tri-sected by two wavy silver bands, and supported on either side by two chargers. The national motto underlies the coat-of -arms: "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress." Her national symbols convey great meaning to its people.

v  The Nigerian accent is currently ranked by CNN Global Experiences as the 5th sexiest accent in the world.

v  Nigeria is home to Nollywood, one of the world's biggest film industries.

NIGERIA - THE CULTURE, THE FOOD, THE WAY OF LIFE

v  Something great to like about Nigeria is our cultural diversity. A strong affinity exists, despite our differences. Learning about other ethnic cultures in my country really helped me personally relate to other cultures when abroad.

v  I think the food is tastier in Nigeria than that I have found in other countries.

v  Nigerians live a communal life style.  The extended family is part of the immediate family in a Nigerian home.

NIGERIA - THE MUSIC, THE MOVIES, THE DANCE, THE ART

v  Nigeria has produced many world class musicians. A notable mention in this regard is Fela Anikulapo Kuti. A Broadway show titled ‘FELA!’ was produced in 2009 depicting the life and times of the Afrobeat musician.

v  Nigeria’s movie industry, Nollywood, is reputedly the 3rd largest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood, and has grown gradually into a $250 million industry in more than 10 years.

v  Nigerian indigenous musical instruments are unique, soulful and rhythmic. They comprise the popular Talking Drum, producing proverbial and storytelling sounds, the Shaker (shekere), the Udu drum, the Lute, the leg and arm Rattle, the Omele, the Ogene (Gong originating in Eastern Nigeria), the Ekwe drum and the Kakaki (A 4m metal trumpet popular in Northern Nigeria). Many of these instruments have been incorporated in South American music over the years

NIGERIA - GEOGRAPHY and NATURAL RESOURCES           

v  Nigeria is a nation blessed with rich human and natural resources. As the 8th largest exporter of Oil in the world, with the 10^th largest proven reserves, our blessings cannot be overemphasised. No earthquakes, no tsunamis, no droughts, an evergreen land. The rest of the world should live here.

v  The beauty of the Nigerian state cannot but leave one in awe. Blessed with captivating physical features and abundant wild life. From the rolling hills to the vast plains in the North Central Nigeria and the forests in the South, the beautiful scenery of the country is more than breathtaking and with the wildlife spread all over the country; Nigeria is surely a beauty to behold and a tourist's delight all year round.

v  Nigeria is blessed with tremendous agricultural resources. Cotton in the North, Cocoa & Oil palm in the south amongst many others. The flag is green for a reason

NIGERIA - WEST AFRICA, AFRICA and THE WORLD

v  Nigeria has the largest population of any country in Africa. Approximately 1 out of every 2 West Africans, 1 out of every 4 Africans, and 1 out of every 5 persons of African origin is a Nigerian.

v  Nigeria is the largest contributor of troops to the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and by extension, is the largest force for peace and stability in West Africa.

v  A Nigerian will stand out anywhere you find him/her, from Libya to London, Tokyo to Timbuktu. Well known examples include Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets, USA), Olumide Oyedeji (Seattle Sonics), Tunde Baiyewu (Lighthouse Family), Sunday Adelaja (Ukraine), Chris Aire (US), etc.

NIGERIA - INDUSTRIOUS, INNOVATIVE and ENTERPRISING, with ACHIEVEMENTS         

v  Nigerians are intelligent, brilliant minds who have proven their mettle in various fields - Wole Soyinka was the first African to win the much coveted Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. Chinua Achebe’s classic novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ was ranked as number 14 in a list of top 100 books in the world by Newsdesk in 2009. Others include Cyprian Ekwensi, Mabel Segun, Chimamanda Adichie and Helon Habila whose literary works have won both international and local awards at various times.

v  We have budding fashion designers. Yes! It's a line every Bunmi, Amaka and Amina has decided to tow but to disregard the effort and originality of our Fashion Designers would be disrespectful. Tiffany Amber, Lanre Da Silva and Deola Sagoe are building world renowned brands, not to mention the legacy developed by the likes of Abba Folawiyo, Maureen Onigbanjo, Remi Lagos and Zizzi Cardow.

v  Nigerians have excelled in the fields of economics and finance, managing well established global bodies. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the current Minister of Finance, was until recently a Managing Director at The World Bank.  Obiageli Ezekwisili is currently the Vice President for Africa at The World Bank. Mr Adebayo Ogunlesi is a first class graduate of Oxford, and Managing Partner of Global infrastructure Partner (GIP), a concessionaire of London’s Gatwick International Airport.

v  We take technology and expand it in ways those who created it could not have imagined. For instance, take the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) which allows you to send broadcast messages to all addresses on your contacts list; Nigerians recently found a unique way of advertising the different businesses they do. Someone started a message highlighting the fact that many people in Nigeria are entrepreneurs or provide a service and included his BB PIN in the message and sent to all his contacts with the charge that they state the service they provide, include their PIN and send on to all their contacts too. This seemingly small campaign has gone “viral” with whole lists of entrepreneurs and their BB PINs being passed from phone to phone. This is a clear sign of the ingenuity of Nigerians!

NIGERIA – GREAT PEOPLE

v  Nigeria is the 7^th most populous nation in the world (over 160 million) and most populous in Africa - a gold mine of energetic, determined and talented people in each and every field. From Lagos to Aba to Kano, the Nigerian business spirit and desire to succeed is visible. It requires just proper harnessing of these human resources before Nigeria becomes the super power she was meant to be.

v  Nigerians are passionate, friendly, welcoming, hospitable, and well cultured people. The average Nigerian reflects a combination of vivacity, intelligence, energy, talent, and resolution.

v  We are a nation of people that can hardly hide their excitement at seeing family and friends. Some misconstrue this thinking we are loud but let's just say we are EXPRESSIVE! If you see us on the streets of New York making a big ruckus and hugging? No sweat. We are just happy to see each other.

NIGERIA – THE RESILIENT SPIRIT

v  The Giant of Africa: Not ignoring the current challenges, eventually, when we get our acts right, we will reign supreme on the global scene. We have the potential and as is much touted by the Warri people - "Naija no dey carry last"

v  The 'survivor-mentality' hard-wired into the DNA of Nigeria's people. The fact that against all the odds (and there are many of them), Nigerians continue to live, hustle and seek to triumph. It is not by mistake that Nigeria is regarded as one of the "happiest" countries in the world, despite its challenging economic and social conditions.

v  We are hardy. The average Nigerian does business under circumstances that are unimaginable to people from other parts. In a place where there is no power, no credit, and scant regulation, people do business and do very well for themselves too. If you can make it in Nigeria, you can make it anywhere in the world.

NIGERIA – TOURISM and SPORTS

v  Nigeria is an amazing tourist haven and is home to the Obudu Cattle Ranch, located in Calabar. It is only 45 miles from the Cameroon border. The Obudu Plateau is spread over 40 sq. miles and is 5,200 feet above sea level. The Obudu resort features a Gorilla Camp where tourists may observe gorillas in their natural habitat.

v  Nigeria has two UNESCO world heritage sites, the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove and the Sukur Cultural Landscape in Adamawa. UNESCO world heritage sites are places designated as being of cultural significance.

v  Nigeria has produced great footballers like Teslim “Thunder” Balogun (the first Nigerian to play for an English Club – QPR), Segun Odegbami, Muda Lawal, Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini (who scored Nigeria’s first ever goal at the World Cup), Nwankwo Kanu, Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha, John Mikel Obi, Osaze Odemwingie, to mention but a few.

v  Nigeria has excelled in athletics over the years, still holding continental records in the 100m men and women, 4x100m men and women, 400m men and women, among others. Over 100 skilled Nigerian professional footballers played in First Division leagues in different countries all over Europe in the 2010/2011 season, 9 in England; 8 each in Finland, Norway; 10 in Ukraine and 7 in Sweden.

NIGERIA – UNITY in DIVERSITY

v  Nigerians, despite our diversity are a united people who always strive to help one another. With 774 local government areas, multi religious and ethnic affiliations, 36 States, and population of over 160 million, we still stand undeterred to move forward together.

v  Even outside the country, Nigerians remain united. This gives a quiet assurance somewhat that you can get on a plane and go to any country of the world and find a Nigerian there who will not only make you feel welcome but will go out of their way to be of really good help. I have experienced this several times on my travels and each time it amazes me how all I need to be is a Nigerian, not Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa and once I run into another Nigerian, I will immediately feel at home.

v  Our greatest strength lies in our diversity.

The ‘419 Reasons to Like Nigeria’ Campaign is in partnership with ‘The 419Positive Project’.

Esiebo’s Alter Gogo goes to Photoquai 2011

Grandmothers playing football 

Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo will exhibit his work body of work Alter Gogo, a diptych portrait series featuring grandmothers who play football with the Gogo Getters Football Club in Orange Farm, a large township in South Africa at PHOTOQUAI 2011, in Paris, France. The exhibition starts on September 13 and will end on November 11. Esiebo’s Alter Gogo also offers an alternative image of African women. Quite often in the mainstream imagination, African women are located in the sphere of "tradition". For them, playing the football has become a passport to a better life, giving the women social relevance in their community, as well as better health. Playing football is their solution to many social and physiological problems like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and alcohol addiction.

Esiebo explores life on and off-field for grannies

Created in 2007 by the Musée du quai Branly and dedicated to non-Western photography, the 3rd edition of the PHOTOQUAI biennial exhibition of world images takes place on the quays of the Seine alongside the Musée du quai Branly, extending for the first time into the museum garden. This third edition of PHOTOQUAI presents nearly 400 works by 46 contemporary photographers from 29 countries: South Africa, Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo, Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iraq, Belarus, Russia, China, South Korea, India, Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Colombia, Brazil.


For more photos visit his site

Social media as a tool for social change

Saturday July 9, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of young students at the Obafemi Awolowo University who are members of the Young and Emerging Leaders Initiative (YELI) on the need to use social media to positively engage their communities and spheres of influence. In my talk I made reference to the impact of social networks in the events of the Arab Spring and how it helped in the monitoring of Nigeria’s elections in 2011.

I thereafter challenged the group of eager young people to create blogs, Twitter handles and Facebook pages in order to bring attention to social ills in their community and environment. I told them how messages on social media platforms can be used to galvanize public opinion among young people and what they can do to begin making use of the mobile internet platforms that they have, to engage their circle of friends positively.

I’m glad to write that the message was received enthusiastically and with time I hope that these young Nigerians will see themselves as change makers and begin to ask tough questions. I asked them to ask, why? Why do things have to be the way they are, why can’t things be better? I believe the best way to begin change is to ask, why?  It is the questioning mind that gets answers.

I concluded by saying this: “One thing that has to be understood is that social media in itself does not make change. It is the person behind the computer, the lady holding the Blackberry, the young man hooking up to YouTube that makes change happen. It is from your mind that change happens from where it is transferred to your network. It is in your mind first where the yearning for change begins. It is what you feed your mind with that will feed your social network. Let change begin from your mind and let us transform our community and our nation with it. It is the only way we can hold everyone to account for the enormous trust we put in them.”