Stockholm

Criminals on the Rampage in Stockholm

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Adeola Aderounmu

Violence and crimes have no tribal marks. In the south of Sweden there have been many unsolved murder cases. I will write about this when I’ve laid my hands on the actual data.

In Stockholm criminals are on the rampage.

There are reports that there are as many as 70 break-ins per week in Stockholm. If this trend is not checked quickly this scary data will make Stockholm to rank among the most dangerous cities in the world.

In January alone over 300 houses and apartments were raided. Usually the criminals lay siege when the owners have gone to work or are out of town.

In some cases more than one house or apartments are raided simultaneously. The criminals usually are gone before the police arrive.

Between November 2011 and January 2012 about 149 arrests were made. But the sentences are mild compare to the crimes committed. The maximum sentence for this sort of crime is about 4 months.

If the thief is less than 21 years, he or she may not even go to jail. Community service may be the verdict.

So it is a situation that allows for criminals to increase their network. If someone steals a gold worth several thousand dollars, what is that compare to 4 months jail term? A jackpot I would say.

The consequences of being a criminal in Sweden may be a factor that has now allow crime to increase and the trend may continue.

I think a longer jail term should be recommended for criminals and this is something that the Swedish government should look into.

The opportunity cost of not punishing crime appropriately is that Stockholm will go on to be listed among the most dangerous places on earth.

The choice is always there between what we allowed and what we prevented.

Ideas from [www.dn.se]

May 29’s Nigeria Scam Day

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Adeola Aderounmu

I actually received an invitation to an event to mark the fake Nigeria’s Democracy Day in Stockholm. I could have been a speaker at the event. What a joke?

I salute the organisers of, and speakers at, the events. I saw some notable names and I give my due respect. It takes a lot of negative courage to endorse falsehood and propaganda. If the plan works out Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sweden will grace the occasion. He’s a friend and I wish all of them well.

May 29 is not Nigeria’s Democracy Day. Nigeria became an independent country on October 1st 1960. October 1 is Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

On June 12 1993 the head of Nigeria’s junta and tropical gangster called Babangida annulled the best ever election in Nigeria. I have written about that quite a number of times in earlier blog posts / articles. Hundreds of Nigerians lost their lives in the stalemate and dilemma that followed that senseless annulment.

Pro June 12 activists celebrate June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy. This is to honour MKO Abiola who died in jail and failed to utilise the mandate that he was given on June 12 1993.

The invitation from NIDO-Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation-was a kind of insult. I’m assuming those who continue to preach May 29 as Nigeria’s day of democracy are either ignorant or foolish or both. We must not allow this lie to reach our children. We must not pass this distortion of our history to the next generation.

The military and the lame civilian government that imposed themselves on us in Nigeria have continued to deceive people at home and abroad. If you search deep to the roots of all these anomalies, you will find a group of people who have no dignity or they lost it, to money.

Yes money. The root of several ills and evils in the global society.

NIDO, what a name? What an evil agenda?

If we want to do something in the name of Nigeria, shouldn’t we move away from the scams and lies? Think out loud again, so these people in NIDO will tell their children, family and friends that May 29 is Nigeria’s Democracy Day? No Greater Shame..!

I will write it down and I will tell my children that October 1st is Nigeria’s Democracy Day. It is the day that we gained our independence from the Colonial Masters. I will tell them I’m so sorry that my generation like the one before mine failed them and destroyed the foundations of the nation.

I will tell my children how Politics of Food and lies, politics of deceit and hatred and extreme selfishness and insanity in public places deprived Nigeria of her rightful place in world history.

I will let them know that I did my best at home and that I continued to do the best I can everywhere I’ve found myself since I left home.

I’ve written a book where they’ll read about Nigeria’s kind of politics and there they will find out that if there is any reason at all to change Nigeria’s Democracy Day, that reason will be June 12.

On that day the expectations of over 100 million Nigerians were deleted eternally by a wicked and evil soul called Babangida.

It is an unforgivable act to distort history.

May 29 as Democracy Day is a scam.

The Glory of Nigeria is lost because of these types of political aberrations.

Nigerians who should know better are thinking more with their stomachs. Their brains are rambling for unsatisfying money and insatiable desires. How can they find peace?

Where is the hope for Nigeria when we gather our intellectuals to the wrong gathering and sell lies to the world?

The Last Days of Anita Westlund (1924-2008)

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By Adeola Aderounmu

I met Anita for the first time just about 4 years ago. It was one cold and dark winter month in late 2004 and our first meeting was a very exciting one. She had opined that she looked forward to having a very good discussion with me and so it turned out to be. Our meeting enabled her to practice her English language. Anita’s first language is Swedish. She learnt how to write and speak English language when she was over 60 years old. It was one of the few challenges she took after her retirement.
You can imagine how interesting our conversation went as I struggled with my Swedish language and Anita with her English. She was impressed that I understood (and could interpret to English) the few lines that I’d read to her from a book written in Swedish. In subsequent years we spoke in Swedish only as my command of the language had improved but at 80+ she cherished the challenge to always impress with her English. She spoke well of her English teacher.

Anita was a jovial old lady. She radiated warmth and gladness in her family and to the people that she knew. She was a good and loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She had a good heart, was compassionate and always wanted everyone to be happy. This was not just in her old age. As I understood it, that was her life-that everyone that she knew or got acquainted with should be happy.

While she was alive, Anita and her equally wonderful living 86 year-old husband Rune Westlund prayed for their entire family every morning at the breakfast table. They are philanthropists and they support homeless people in their local council. Through their life-long dedicated involvement in church activities, they accommodated foreigners in their home and helped them to settle to life in Sweden. They are also paying for the school fees of a certain adopted child living in India. They longed for the good of all and to see smiles on faces of other people. Last year, they won an award for their seflless service to humanity.

It came to us as a rude shock when Anita was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer of the liver on the 11th of July 2008. Three months ago at the ripe age of 84, Anita could still ride her bicycle to the shopping mall and she could walk briskly to the swimming hall for her swimming exercises. No one could have suspected that she was living with such an illness because she was looking healthy and vibrant as usual until when she took ill at the end of June.

Anita took her situation in good fate and she cracked wonderful jokes until the last day that she lived on earth. She spent the last 2 weeks of July visiting her entire family both near and far. As the end approached, she did everything that she wanted to do-travelling, talking, laughing, eating good food, drinking wine and most of all-giving.

When the phone rang so early at 0844am on Sunday the 10th of August 2008, the only thing on my mind was “Anita may be dead”. So it turned out to be. Five minutes before the phone rang; I’d woken up partially but still lying on the bed and having Anita on my mind. Some of the moments we spent together were being relayed in my mind and then the news of her death revealed to me that I was very well connected to her. She was the great-grandmother to my daughter but she also treated me as one of her grandchildren.

I’m going to miss Anita just the same way that I’d missed my biological grandparents in Nigeria. One of my Christmas presents this year will not read “From Rune and Anita”. It will most likely read “From Rune”. During her farewell visit to us on the 21st of July, she wanted us to remember her and all the good times we had together. Surely, I will never forget you Anita. It will not be because your name will be missing from the Christmas and birthday gifts. I will miss you because you were a wonderful person. I will miss you because you showed me love as much as you did to your children. Far away from home, I felt very special because of you.

I cannot write everything about your life history but I know that you came into this world on the 30th of May 1924. I know some of your views about life. I’ve heard very exciting and wonderful stories about you. I know that one of your main characteristics was openness of mind and heart. You were not afraid of what you didn’t know like many other people are. It was your open heart that made you and your husband such great friends and helpers of the immigrants in Sandviken, Sweden. I am very sure that the Burmese refugees in Sandviken will never forget you as well.

You completed your race and journey the best way possible. I completely understand and respect your wish not to make this journey again because I can only imagine the pain when you made that comment just 48 hours to the end of the race. You will always be in my heart.

Rest in peace Anita!

Anita’s Photos on Facebook

Article also available at The Nigerian Village Square