How close can we get to the solution?

Recently i was wondering how much more is needed to be done to crack the development puzzle in Nigeria. Will it have to take another 50 yrs, 40, 30 or .... are we already in the magic decade when the world will start celebrating our country. India and China has already proved to the world that anything is possible with economic development. According to one article "To be precise, in 25 years from the current period it has been assumed that China will have a more superior economy as it already leads the total output in the world". Yet these were countries who, as at early last decade, was nothing to write home about economically. Today, however, virtually all the big boys are establishing their domineering presence in these countries.

Basically, Nigeria has all it takes to make a great leap towards economic greatness. It is the most populous black nation with about 150M people with different skills, talents, qualification and experience. The country boast of a 69% adult literacy rate, 87% male youth (15-24) literacy; 81% female youth(15-24) literacy rates (UNICEF). She also has large agriculturally fit land mass and enough energy resources to power up industrial activities. You may wonder what else is keeping us back.

I really do think we are not too far from the promise land. If only we can start taking leadership serious, the speed will be terrific. We need people who can help us efficiently manage the vast resources at our disposal as a country. Nigeria will be great and when this happens, the whole world will want to identify with us. This makes the struggle all the more interesting.

Nigeria can borrow a leaf from the Chinese and Indians. They built relevant socio-economic infrastructure and also encouraged research and development of cheap-yet-durable technologies. The result was spontaneous.

Revelation: Why Tuface and Annie Wedded in Dubai

The answer to the question "Why Did Tuface Wed in Dubai?" will probably end like "...what she wants".

Initially when I heard about Tuface's wedding in Dubai, I was crazy...I couldn't understand why. This is someone we all loved and wished the best for and yet he couldn't even let us have the chance of sharing a wonderful moment in his life with him. I thought how foolish it was to leave your country and go to tie the knot in a strange land where you have little or nothing to do there. 

Then it occurred to me that I could be wrong....I mean "what if his bride's parents lived their?" Yet it was hard to shrug off the idea, as the wedding was something far above Tuface. Tuface is a super star, and he is one because millions of people think he is cool! As a star, you stop belonging to yourself, you become a public property and so everything you want would be crosschecked by your fans (not fair though, but that is what you get for the paparazzi).

Later, Boko Haram crossed my mind. I immediately discarded it. Those guys don't bomb weddings or attack super stars and even Tu Baba knows that. They still have a large gang of politicians to deal with, a superstar would be a complete distraction.

I also thought it was just about the swag. Then I asked myself which swag? Dubai na glorified Alaba Market...love-net far from im description!  Also, Tuface doesn't strike me as the type that believe swag is about travelling abroad to host shows. He gets his real swag doing his thing here in Nigeria. 

Much later, when I logged into my facebook, I saw countless posts and updates, criticizing Tuface for what he did. Before, the wedding, people were very impressed that he had finally stopped acting like a boy. There were messages of happy married life for Tu Baba spread across the internet and everybody was looking forward to the day, it came as a shock to many when they discovered few days to the wedding that the ceremony was fixed in Dubai.

It was a shock to me too and I was heart broken. It felt like Tuface doesn't regard me one bit. It was painful because, he is my favourite musical artist. Don't think it was such a big deal o! I wasn't that beaten up, I just didn't see it coming and I couldn't understand why.

But days on, while I was reading through one of the updates criticizing him for what he did I suddenly realized that he might have done it just for his bride: maybe that was "what she want"(ed). As I thought more about it, I knew I was right. I came to love him more. I imagined what he risked to make sure he delivered the first marital wish of his bride. Tuface, is a confirm "Naija boy". He would never have given up acting like a naija boy, except it was really necessary.

That thought gave me peace on the issue.

Soyinka And Clark: Should let Achebe Rest in Peace

I received news of Chinua Achebe's passing away in Boston USA with a heavy heart. He was a great Nigerian. He was one among few who are inspirations to Nigerians and black people all over the world. His life was full of great accomplishments. 

One would expect every Nigerian would respect his memory and pray for his soul to rest in peace; but this has hardly been the case as some people are trying hard to play security politics with  his death. 

(Wondering: Why we too get intelligent people for this country sef?)

Please read what i saw on Wole Soyinka's and J.P Clarks' joint statements:

“These are forces that arrogantly pride themselves implacable and brutal enemies of what Chinua and his pen represented, not merely for the African continent, but for humanity."

“Indeed, we cannot help wondering if the recent insensate massacre of Chinua’s people in Kano, only a few days ago, hastened the fatal undermining of that resilient will that had sustained him so many years after his crippling accident.”

What is it with respected Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka? Did he have to play out his paranoia on something as sensitive as suggesting Chinua Achebe's death was facilitated by the bombings in Kano? Now he drags, J.P. Clark, one member of the "pioneer quartet of contemporary Nigerian literature" with him on this claim which even a child would know is too unnecessary to make. 

The past week was a little tense. There were rumours of reprisal killings in the southeast after the Kano bomb blasts. Statements like those could be taken entirely out of context and soon you will find people on the street maiming their nieghbours to revenge the death of a demigod.

As much as I understand how much Soyinka and Clark miss their colleague, I think their statements were misguided and quite unnecessary.