Western Nigeria

Why Yoruba May Never Unite

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Why Yoruba Will Never Unite

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, wickedness, pride, foolishness, arrogance, stupidity.

It is not all that easy to find the exact reasons why Yoruba will never unite but I will try based mostly on recent findings/events.

From a historical perspective, one should be worried how a people so blessed with wisdom, culture and geographical location became slaves in the first place. How can a people so articulate be subdued by any other human race from far or near? If you are more interested in history than me, you should do the findings.

Then if you come to the last century and read the story of Awolowo and Akintola, Obasanjo and Abiola, Obasanjo and Ige, and many more: you will be not only devastated but also heartbroken. A combination of human knowledge that could have taken Yoruba to the top of the world also became a added catalyst to the demolition of the Yoruba kingdom.

I will fast forward to recent years. The last 2 years of my life. But you need to understand that I am in my twenty something year of writing daily/weekly/regularly about the failed country called Nigeria. Nigeria is another story on her own, now probably the worst country to be born or live on a global scale. I should not even bother to expand this essay along the Nigerian line. In my understanding, Nigeria is the greatest tragedy the world had seen since the end of WW2. I have proved that in more than 200 essays.

So about 2 years ago I really got more serious about reclaiming the independence of the Yoruba Nation which was lost totally when the useless former military dictator called Gowon erased the regional system of government and replaced it with a moronic unitary system based on creation of states. Western Nigeria was already under threat co-existing with other regions together in a disunited Nigeria. But after the civil war, senseless idiots like Gowon and other individuals who lack vision, foresight and sense of a civilized future used their military dictatorship to remove the Yoruba Nation (Western Nigeria) from the world map.

Two years ago, I became a very active member of the Ilana Omo Yoruba. It was after I carefully identified the group under the leadership of Professor Akintoye as the guiding ship to the promise land, back to Yoruba Nation (back to Western Nigeria).

Let us be clear, despite the problems between Awolowo and Akintola, Western Nigeria up to the 1960s was one of the most developed places in the world. The education was excellent attracting students and teachers from all over the world. The health infrastructure was the same class as England, and it attracted dignitaries from around the world including the Saudi princess and kings. Our roads and other infrastructure were all good. Employment opportunities abound in western Nigeria (even till today, 2022) and the farming schemes were world class. Western Nigeria was on her way to the top of the world before the military mostly headed by Fulani of uncivilized Northern Nigeria brought down the glory of Western Nigeria.

In the last 2 years, I have seen, heard, and tasted of the disunity of the Yoruba people in terrorized-infested Nigeria and in the abroad (worldwide). I have seen how the Ilana Omo Yoruba became infiltrated, polarized, monetarized, and seriously deviated from the dreams of the leader-Professor Akintoye. I am sure Akintoye had made some many concessions and compromise such that the situation went out of hand.  The compromise must have been many. I was at a meeting where Baba said no one should be booted out of it. If I was to decide, I would have booted that element out of the meeting because it was clear the person came to divide and destroy the meeting.

My point is that all sorts of elements and criminals, all sort of judases, robbers, sycophants and unserious persons, who sadly, are Yoruba, came to the Ilana Omo Yoruba, just to destroy it. You know what? They succeeded. From what I heard, Ilana Omo Yoruba now has many branches, patches, factions, and several meetings that are not coordinated or related to one another.

How can the world take us seriously when we are disunited? How can we achieve YORUBA NATION when we are not working in the same direction? Why is it hard to work together? I cannot understand.

I really pity Ms. Sola Salako in the UK. For all her efforts, for all her good work and intentions, she was booted aside. But she is a strong woman. Yoruba women have shown from time immemorial that they are extra strong. She continued to run the original Ilana Omo Yoruba in the UK and diaspora based on the founding principles and her conviction that she is on the right path. Yoruba women are extraordinary personalities who have not been given the room to flourish. It became worse when Yoruba Nation became subdued by Fulani-terror-governed Nigeria.

It is in the same UK that you have one moron called Aremo Ogunjimi who is campaigning for the criminal called Tinubu. Aremo was pretending to be for the Yoruba Nation. Even, he joined groups supporting Sunday Adeyemo Igboho. They claimed to contribute to the Yoruba Nation and even started donations to Sunday Igboho. Now you can understand all the fusses about money and donations, especially from the UK. When people like Aremo Ogunjimi are in it, then it is criminals pretending to be Yoruba patriots. This man is now saying that there is serious money to be shared for the 2023 elections. Tinubu’s dog! What an idiot!

Whilst some of us are genuinely seeking the liberation of the Yoruba race and thinking about a place where our children can call home, some morons and criminals infiltrated our struggle and cast away the noble dreams. But the struggle continues despite the huge setbacks including the unlawful detention of Sunday Igboho by Yoruba money bags.

Ilana is in disarray. That is the truth. The Yoruba people are a great disappointment to themselves and to humanity. I am sure there are over 10 000 Yoruba groups and organizations in Nigeria and around the world. This is just my guess. The saddest saying about Yoruba is that “Yoruba will never be united”. I heard it as a baby. And now that it is gradually becoming our turn to die, I can still hear it loud and clear.

The Yoruba people, who, out of poverty of minds and through the destructions of our education, have no better way to think, but to support the 2023 elections can be forgiven. They have been mentally defeated even before birth. But there are still people old enough to recollect the glory of the Western Nigeria. Those of us who still benefitted a bit from Awolowo and Jakande should NEVER be part of the 2023 elections in Nigeria. In fact, all our thoughts and actions should be dedicated to ending Nigeria at the shortest possible time. The end of Nigeria is the freedom we seek. It is what we need if we are to get close to the glory we had up to the 1960s, before the civil war.

All Yoruba politicians still participating in Nigerian politics as governors, and all what have you, in my opinion are criminals. They are only their for their pockets because to infinity, Nigeria will never work. What will work is the final takeover of Nigeria by the uncivilized Fulani. The independence of the Yoruba Nation is not a function of the Ilana Omo Yoruba only. It is not the function of a thousand pro Yoruba groups. The liberation and the final independence of YORUBA, YORUBA OMO ODUDUWA, is a lifelong struggle on the shoulders of every OMOLUABI.

Yoruba persons like Tinubu and Obasanjo and the likes of them are like bastards. They cannot be true Yoruba. No sane Yorubaman or Yorubawoman will oppose or stand in the way of Yoruba liberation. It is not even for us, we should be thinking of our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Are they all going to relocate abroad? Is that the final solution? Shall Yorubaland be occupied by strangers including the Fulani in the next 100 years, 200 years?

All human nationalities in the world stand their ground and their territories which their ancestors left to them. We keep flying abroad. We keep participating in our own displacement and defeat. Are we normal? We are not defending and protecting the lands that our ancestors left to us. Don’t even mention Yoruba country as part of Nigeria again. Wake up from your nightmare! Don’t go there! Nigeria is a fraud. Nigeria is cursed! Did you see your citizens scooping groundnut oil from gutters? Is that the dream? Do you see millions of out of school children holding plates and begging for food, almajiris? Is that the Yoruba dream?

I am calling on all Yoruba souls out there! Yes, I mention names of people that I know are criminals. I have never given a damn about that. I remembered when my uncle called me aside and question me about Obasanjo, why I wrote that he was corrupt. Why not? Is he feeding me ni? This blog is Nigeria and probably Africa’s oldest private and long standing blog in terms of writing about one and same topic: Nigeria. From the time I had hopes to the time I now seek freedom. We should never NEVER be afraid to mention the names of those who are criminals. We should never NEVER be afraid of those we have concrete evidence against. If you know Aremo, tell him he is stupid! At his age! If I had been more engaged in Ilana Omo Yoruba, if I knew it would get to this, I would have been more involved so I can list all the Yoruba vagabonds in Ilana Omo Yoruba in Canada and USA. They split the group. They destroyed a united family. Lovers of money. Lovers of fame. Lovers of self. Awon Oloriburuku gang.

Isn’t that the problem with the Yoruba. DISUNITY. SELFISHNESS, ARROGANCE. SELF-CENTERED. GREEDINESS. STUPIDITY. Are those not the problem in Nigeria, added to the uncivilized minds of the Fulani, in a millionfold?

aderounmu@gmail.com

Olu Falae’s Kidnapp/Abduction Is An Act Of War

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

By Adeola Aderounmu

Update….Chief Falae is now a free man again. We are waiting to hear the true version of what happened. Fulani or Yoruba or Igbo kidnappers???

Baba please let us hear. 24.sept 2015 update.

Previous Post below:

Olu Falae is missing.

Olu Falae

Olu Falae

One thing that the police confirmed is that Fulani herdsmen invaded Olu Falae’s farm. They attacked him and his workers.

Until there are information to prove this theory wrong, then one is bound to react on the statement made by the police.

If it will turn out to be an inside job, we don’t know yet.

Therefore our reactions are based on what we know now.

The only confirmed aspect of this story gives the impression of a foreign assault on Yorubaland and a direct invitation to war.

The national security agencies and the state police command must make the finding of Olu Falae their common priority.

What has happened to Olu Falae is completely unacceptable.

The Hausa Herdsmen or the Hausa people that may have abducted or kidnapped Falae must produce him alive, immediately.

If anything happens to him, no one will be able to guarantee the security of the Hausa community in Western Nigeria.

This is why Buhari must speak the language that his people understand.

Our common hope is that the police and the other security agencies will see to the end of the dilemma ASAP.

Whatever any Yoruba citizen has written about the seriousness of this kidnapp/abduction must not be taken with a pinch of salt.

The well-being of the Yoruba people is parmount in the Yorubaland. When one of us is unduly harrassed or subjected to this form of unnecessary humiliation, then we are all harrassed and humiliated.

I am shocked beyond words that some idiots and useless elements within Nigeria will abduct a yoruba elder from Yorubaland.

If the abductors are Hausa herdsmen, someone should remind them of the genesis of the Nigerian civil war. This is even worse because the man is on his farm in his own country-Western Nigeria.

The government of Nigeria must ensure that the fools are apprehended as soon as possible and that Baba Falae returns home.

There are no alternatives to this demand.

A Waiting Mayhem?

/ Adeola / 2 Comments

In this age of information just like it was in the dark eras a few hundred years ago we continue to see that money is the root of all evil and religion remains the most potent tool when a brother is set to kill a brother.

A Waiting Mayhem

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola_2013

Ahead of the 2015 Nigerian elections one of the likely places where ominous signs can trail or follow the process is in the western part of Nigeria.

Three main factors are deepening the cleavages in western Nigeria.

The first is the different political parties that the aspirants belong to. The second is their religions. The third factor is the money flowing from PDP’s Aso Rock and APC wallets.

There are cold wars in western Nigeria between the two main political parties, the APC and the PDP. Politics across Nigeria is generally full of bitterness and hatred. One can have a legitimate reason to be worried about the likely things to come in the Yoruba country.

For instance the APC will like to continue its grip on Lagos and other states in Western Nigeria. Even the Oba of Lagos has vowed that PDP will never rule in Lagos.

Mr. Agbaje will fly the PDP flag in Lagos. Unless my statistics is failing me, the Muslim community is torn between their religion and voting PDP to take over Lagos. The twisted slogan has changed to “not about party but candidate”. It’s a very sad development to even consider religion ahead of the pedigree of a candidate. The Lagos thriller will be interesting.

The greater influence of religion on the mindsets of the descendants of Oduduwa and Orunmila is in the presidential election race.

There have been a lot of undertones loud enough to show that the support for Buhari in the Yoruba country is more of religious sentiments than one can relate to ideology.

Buhari has not proposed any political ideology or manifesto and his party APC has not produced a blueprint to set Nigerians free from their mental and political slavery that Buhari himself helped to build as a dictator.

The total failure of the PDP since 1999 and the Jonathan government in particular since 2009 means that ideologies can wait in a geographical region where stealing is not corruption.

The reverberation and the boomerang effects that emerged when the PDP accused the APC of being an Islamic party were also enormous. If Jonathan sits on evidence linking Boko Haram to Buhari or APC and has kept mum, may the souls of the victims haunt him to his grave.

With all the romance of Goodluck Jonathan with gangster pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and the church in general, not many people have accused the PDP of pursuing a Vatican agenda.

Even when Jonathan led Nigerian politicians to weep in faraway Israel instead of weeping at home for their failures, no one has accused the PDP of pursuing a Jewish agenda.

Then to make sure that it neutralizes the assertion of the PDP, the APC nominated a relatively unknown pastor as the vice-presidential aspirant of its political party.

Those who say religion cannot be eliminated from Nigeria’s politics were right after all. They won the argument. Some of us are just stubborn and hoping that people will begin to use their senses instead of their brainwashed cerebral hemispheres. We lost.

The third factor tearing the children of Oduduwa apart is money. A lot of money continues to disappear daily under the watch of Mrs. Iweala and Mr. Jonathan. Parts of these missing funds are pumped into the hands of Jonathan loyalists in Western Nigeria without accountability. It is like an open tap that has even flown to groups abroad.

In all of these unwholesome dramas, a complete thriller is set up in the Yoruba country. Brothers are now set to kill brothers. The influences of lazy Mr. Jonathan and brutal General Buhari are detrimental to the Yoruba country where reasons have been thrown to the winds. It’s a shame.

Even within a party the hatred is boundless and it smells of insane cruelty. For example gunshots were heard during the PDP primary that led to the emergence of Jimi Agbaje. Mr. Obanikoro is still running from pole to pole and from coast to coast to seek the annulment of the process.

He cannot comprehend how he lost the primaries despite all the funds from Aso rock at his disposal. He succeeded in Ekiti and failed at home. Now he has no portfolio. What a pity! He should team up with Atiku to become the biggest losers group of company.

There is trouble across the Yoruba country. The curious re-emergence of Mr. Fayose in Ekiti continues to brew palaver. The dusts seemed not going to settle and a spill over to February 2015 is not in the interest of the Yoruba people. A plump of a tiny fart can do a lot of havoc in the pant.

Now the APC Ekiti lawmakers are meeting clandestinely. They are on the move constantly. They cannot live in their houses as thugs or security agents can emerge to cut their heads or slice their throats. Is this the dream of the Yoruba country? Is mayhem the way forward?

There are deeper cleavages between the Muslim and the Christian communities in western Nigeria. Buhari was compelled to nominate a Christian as his deputy. How bad will it get in 2015?

How did religion come to play a master role in the election process in Nigeria when Abiola and Kingibe conquered all just in 1993?

For all his crimes, is Buhari forgiven in Yoruba land? Just like that?

Nigeria may be heading to the abyss, for these problems are not restricted to the Yoruba country.

There was a headline that Anglican members in one eastern state are rejecting catholic-catholic candidatures for electoral offices. This is not just stupid, it is also silly.

What is wrong with people in Nigeria? Have they replaced their heads with empty coconut shells?

In all of these wahalas, ideologies are yet to be brought to the fore. We have not heard the programs for education, health, infrastructure, immigration, security and solutions to unemployment.

For the 2015 elections it would have been preferable to have an opposition that is based on ideology and the clamor for change based solely on the failure of the lazy Jonathan government to deliver at the national levels. After all many state governors failed to deliver at the state levels and many local government chairmen are mere crooks.

The upcoming general elections in Nigeria elections are brewing a lot of anger, dissatisfaction, hatred, bitterness and vengeance.

The coming days are going to be tougher for Nigerians. The global price of oil is dropping by the day. The government as it appeared has not saved for the rainy days despite being mainly a single-market economy, relying heavily on the sales of crude oil for sustainability.

Almost 60 years of maladministration may catch up with Nigeria, suddenly. Lack of foresight and lack of planning for the future may catch up with Nigeria. Greed, selfishness and corruption may catch up with Nigeria. Allowing corrupt and silly people including dictators to rule in Nigeria may catch up with Nigeria.

These ingredients-elections under uncertainties, deep seated hatred between and among tribes, religion brainwash-ness, bitterness and a failing economy likely to make monsters out of men-in a country already on a free fall might spell disaster unless a Nigerian-styled fire brigade shock absorber is set off early.

The success of the elections, the outcomes and the acceleration of quick-fixes that may beam of hope will sustain the resilient spirits of Nigerians. It may put the mayhem on hold in western Nigerian and other places.

There is no unifying factor on ground in 2015. In the time past, male football has helped to hold Nigeria together. Nigeria is not playing at the 2015 Nations Cup. The omen up to February does not look good.

Additional characteristics for building a successful future for Nigerians and the unborn generations must be elaborated: long term developmental goals, functional political structures, devolution of power to states/regions, true federalism, purposeful implementations of programs to diversify the economy, focus on education, science and technology, dedication to people and country and the respect for the equal value of the human life. All of these will be useful.

There is nothing that is too late in life. It’s still about 2 months to the elections. Who will embark on the rapid nation-wide campaign to down tone the influence of religion as the countdown to the election days draw near? Will INEC? What about the Ministry of Information?

What will happen in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno during the elections?

Who will put a hold to the financial recklessness at Aso rock? Who will stop the draining of funds from the APC states so that the people can have more benefits?

Will it require Jonathan worshipping in a mosque or Buhari conducting a church service to show ignorant Nigerians that religion is not supposed to be significant in public service?

Did I mention that I don’t fancy any of these 2 candidates? In my dreams growing up in western Nigeria, I did not see a clueless or weak man leading the now sleeping “giant” of Africa and l had no idea a former dictator will become a superhero of anybody in Nigeria.

But a country is the sum of the people’s wisdom or foolishness. Nigeria tamed her men and women of valor and good characters. Stupidity was elevated in public offices.

In this age of information just like it was in the dark eras a few hundred years ago we continue to see that money is the root of all evil and religion remains the most potent tool when a brother is set to kill a brother.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Nigerians, You Lost A Paradise (A Photo Essay)

/ Adeola / 5 Comments

By Adeola Aderounmu

In several of my essays on Nigeria I have made references to what my parents told me about Nigeria. I remember one story about my mother walking about Lagos in the middle of the night. She told me there was nothing to be afraid of living in the old Western Nigeria. People lived like normal people and go about their businesses round the clock.

There was 24 hours a day form of existence, transportation was uninterrupted and life was full of hope and happiness. The future looked super bright. When she told me stories about Nigeria in general, she brought the good olden days in Western Nigeria to life in my imaginations.

Unfortunately for Nigerians the future is here now and it turned out super bleak-full of extreme hopelessness and frustrations.

Invariably Nigeria was once upon a time a paradise on earth until some people decided to reverse the gear of progress. Greed and outright madness took over the people-both civilians and military-entrusted to manage the affairs of Nigeria. Sometimes these people have not been chosen, selected or elected; they took over governance by force or through violence. Then they enforced their own rules and mode of governance.

Nigerians lost their paradise when they could not take back the control of their regional and geographical areas from the tropical gangsters who strangely are somehow still in control of the affairs of the land until today.

My mother told me that security especially took a turn for the worse after the civil war ended. In general, evil rose after the war as weapons remained in the hands of the people. Greed and selfishness set in at different points during pre and post-independent Nigeria.

In many ways too numerous to describe here, Nigerians lost a paradise

Cross River Conical Stone

Cross River Conical Stone

This conical stone is from Cross River State. It stands in front of the National Museum in Lagos. One of the things that went wrong in Nigeria was the drop in the standard and value of education. How many Nigerians visit the museums to learn about their history? Today the ignorant people who run Nigeria’s education have suggested that history should be removed from the curriculum. Nigerians will forget their history totally and the magnitude of historical distortions 100 years from now will be better imagined than experienced.

Brass smith in Bida

Brass smith in Bida

This is a man doing his work. That was Brass smith in Bida. We always say there is dignity in labour. Today that expression belongs to the dustbin in Nigeria. Several Nigerians just want to be part of politics so that they can steal and accumulate money and wealth for themselves, their families and unborn generation.

Those who are not stealing in politics are also looking for ways to cut the corners in whatever they do. In public and private enterprises the “make quick money syndrome” has taken over almost everybody. People now believe more in “if you cannot beat them, join them”. Such is the low mentality of an average Nigerian today.

Honesty is now a disease in Nigeria. People who are honest and trustworthy in Nigeria have joined the list of endangered species. One day somebody told me that I cannot be a politician in Nigeria. When I asked him why, he told me that people working with me will either kill me or poison me if I prevent them from stealing in politics.

He said they might even cut my head off. He was trying to emphasize that I cannot do politics in Nigeria if I am not ready to steal. From what we see and know about Nigeria today, that illustration is correct. It’s very sad, disheartening and a piece of the evidence that the paradise may be lost forever.

Decorated Pots, Sokoto

Decorated Pots, Sokoto

Here above is an image of a girl selling decorated pots in Sokoto, Northern Nigeria. This must have taken place at those times that my mother described to me and what I will call Nigeria’s golden years. At that time when there was still dignity in labour. Some of the pots are not decorated but they look so beautiful you want to have them for your next party or family cooking.

Old Western Nigeria

Old Western Nigeria

Western Nigeria was part of the regions that made up the Nigerian paradise of the olden days. It is hard to miss the blend of even development and environmental preservation. Look at the beautiful trees among the industrial revolution of old western Nigeria.

One cannot miss the hard work and the quality of the products that this craftsman is making. The image did not say where the man comes from but he was well dressed in native agbada. Interesting I have at least 4 of the items in his production line in my possession.He was not only selling cultural products, he promoted his culture as well by representation.

The woman carried healthy fruits. She was also well dressed in Iro and Buba. She looked healthy and happy. She was probably selling the pineapples or just on her way from the farm. Agriculture was the backbone of the Nigerian paradise. Crude oil later became a curse.

A Market Place in "old" Nigeria

A Market Place in “old” Nigeria

This is another beautiful image from the time when Nigeria was a paradise on earth. It was at that time that it would have been proper to describe Nigerians as the happiest people on earth. Some recent global reports describing Nigerians as the happiest people in recent years when the security is low, the roads, schools and hospitals resemble monuments of catastrophe, the economy is good enough on paper only and at a time when majority of the people are living dangerously from hand to mouth, are not only misleading but also irony of the highest order.

The Famous Kano Mosque

The Famous Kano Mosque

In my recent but last essay I described religion as one of the greatest problems in Nigeria. Religion is one of the reasons why Nigeria went from paradise to hell on earth. These are people worshipping peacefully at the famous mosque in Kano. People worshipped peacefully across Nigeria in the olden days. But the agents of prosperity in the face of dwindling economic fortunes changed the mode of worship in Nigeria forever.

Rather than guide the people to demand good governance and accountability, the foreign religious institutions in Nigeria headed by the new-age Nigerian overseers told people to pray. At the same time the people whose actions and activities contributed to converting Nigeria from paradise to hell were active members of various religious organisations.

The situation remains the same today as looters parade churches and mosques every Friday and Sunday. Nigerian looters are popular faces at religious crusades. Religion became a means to wealth for the religious rulers and many young people today are religious fanatics especially after years of joblessness. Politics in Nigeria got contaminated with religion and the outcomes including terrorism and mistrust in the society remain devastating to this day.

Nigerians love to chase shadows. Oh! How they enjoy denying the knowledge of basic truth! Apart from the resurrection of regional governance (the possibility of which is already being thrown away at the “organised” national conference) another hope for the restoration of the Nigerian paradise will be the total eradication of religion(s) from public service.

Issues like pilgrimages for example need to be taken away from government functions. Churches and mosque in/around government establishments need to be demolished. People need to just do the right thing rather than hide under the umbrella of religion while they ruin the state or country.

People don’t need to pray for good roads, good schools, and good hospitals and so on. What Nigeria need across all her geographical regions are the good and honest people who will use the budgetary allocations to do these things. Prayers don’t build roads or schools when the funds have been stolen or embezzled. That is common sense and application of the knowledge of the truth – that which always set people free.

Meeting of the "WAYs" Water, Rail. Road , Old Lagos.

Meeting of the “WAYs” Water, Rail. Road , Old Lagos.

In this picture we see some of the things that millions of Nigerians today have no experiences of. There was a functional train in service. The roads are clean and motor-able. The cars were in the correct lanes-2 lanes and no mad driver on an artificial third lane. There are no LASTMA people on the road; people had a sense of belonging and responsibilities.

On the right side the area is enough for pedestrians and cyclists and on the left side, there is a bicycle track along the major road and also there is a pedestrian path with adequate distance to the train tracks. Life was good, normal just like in a paradise. The street lights are standing upright and there is a stretch of beautiful garden in the middle adding glamour, peace and tranquillity to the streets of Lagos in the old western Nigeria.

Apart from air travel, all the other modes of transportation are depicted in this image. There are no ferries in the image but the idea was to state that they were all available in the old Lagos.

This is the type of image of Nigeria from the past that some people will never know about. Millions of Nigerians have lived and died within the period that the paradise was lost. This means that they actually, sadly enough, passed through life without the experience of a good life or the taste of the real meaning of life. If nobody talks about these things and if nobody makes reference to the things that existed under regional governments millions of Nigeria will live and probably die not knowing that there entire future and happiness were stolen from them even before they were born.

All of my life time in Nigeria, I do not recall the privilege of taking a ride on the train. One day however I took the “Baba Kekere” ferry service from Mile 2 to CMS. It must have been some time in the mid 80s. But as a young boy I remembered the many rides on the LSTC buses in the late 70s and early 80s. I know the number on the buses and their destinations from Festac Town. Those were the end of the good old days.

In today’s Nigeria the paradise is lost. This lose will be permanent for several millions of Nigerians living in Nigeria unless radical political changes and turnarounds occur today.

The paradise will remain lost if one man or a group of people can steal 20 billion dollars and walk free. In the 1970s we saw a man making brass in Bida, in the 80s we saw a man from Minna who stole more than 12 billion dollars of Nigeria’s oil money. He walked free! How did Nigeria go from promoting dignity to embracing criminals? The answers will shed light on how to lose a paradise in 20 years or less!

Nigeria lost their paradise because they allow military juntas and politicians to handle public services and politics like profitable businesses that is devoid of probity and accountability. The paradise will remain lost in the face of non-sensitive rulers and non-functional political structures.

The negative outcomes that follow a lost paradise are too numerous to elaborate but they are largely visible on a day out in various parts of Nigeria. Nigerians need orientation in almost all aspects of their lives. Social studies, moral instructions and history were part of the foundations and orientation in primary education. They still cannot be overemphasized in a society with solid foundation in education.

In a lost paradise, pensioners are crying, students are not getting the correct education, graduates are jobless and the society is on a free fall. In Nigeria, a country heavily polluted from all angles, good health is a luxury. There are almost no consequences for political and economic crimes. There is no sense of belonging and the first and the last law is the same: the law of self-preservation.

When I think about the issue of electricity in a lost paradise, I can’t recollect much from Obele Odan in Surulere but it has always been a pain to recount what we went through in Festac Town. We got a beautiful town with our own transformers and local power system.

Everything went down the drain right in front of our eyes. Growing up in Nigeria for my generation was a traumatic experience. Yet we were not given any social or psychological help by the state or the federal system. We fend for ourselves.

At that time (when I was growing up) the system was under the management of the wasted generation. These are the words of Wole Soyinka, as he aptly described his generation, my parents generation unfortunately. Until this day in Nigeria, the mis-management of Nigeria remains largely in the hands of mostly crooks, criminals and idiotic people who cannot manage their homes. How they got to the positions where they have to manage public services and government institutions summarises the story of Nigeria as a lost paradise.

A paradise can be reclaimed. Nigerians, you lost your paradise when you gave up your sense of belonging in the various regions and allowed a powerful center to destroy the entire system. You cave-in and followed a “rotten head” all the time. The paradise lost is actually the sum of all your negligence and attitude to work, environment and life.

It’s going to be a hard fought battle, but you need to bring back the paradise for the sake of your children and children’s children. Take another look at the images in this essay; you’ll see there’s a need to do away with the rotten head or any rotten head for that matter.

Do away with the center altogether. Claim back your regions, do the right thing all the time when it comes to public service and dedication to local and regional development. Be selfless and content. Start your charity (in this case your love of humanity) again, from home. It will spread. It will bring the paradise your children deserved.

aderounmu@gmail.com

PHOTO CREDITS

Akwashi Conical Stone (from Cross River Area)

(By Elisabeth Seriki)

Brass Simth Bida

By John Hinde F.R.P.S

Decorated Pots, Sokoto

John Hinde

Western Nigeria

John Hinde

Famous Kano Mosque

John Hinde

Market

Photo by E, Ludwig, John Hinde Studios

Lagos, Meeting of the Ways: Water, Rail, Road

By The Railway Printer, Ebute Metta