10 things I never imagined I would do - Part 1

Living in a new environment requires some form of adaptation to the culture, the people, the lingo and the general way of life.  Listed below are some of the things I now do which were alien to me about a year and half ago. Some of them, I never imagined I would do, not because they are necessarily bad or particularly mind-blowing, but because they were things that just didn’t cross my mind a few months ago. Some of them are choices I now make; others are opportunities I am taking. Some are good, some I am ashamed to admit, and some are simply neutral. The important issue is they are new things happening only because I changed my location from England to the United States of Nigeria.

1. Carrying a mobile phone – I had resisted carrying a mobile phone for over a decade.  It was my way of avoiding the relentless pressure of the different hats I wore in England. My take was that I could be reached at home and at work, I therefore wanted the privilege of the freedom in between both locations.  I must also say that it was easier for me to do this for several reasons, chief of which was that my work was less than a pebble’s throw from home. Those who felt it was ridiculous that I did not own a mobile phone and wanted me to carry one tried all kinds of intrigues including giving it as a present, asking those who are close to me for my private number, adopting psychological tactics etc. They did not realise that the only reason I did not carry one was because I wanted to manage the unnecessary pressure to which we are exposed in this age of technology and unreasoning and I felt that one way of doing so was avoiding a mobile phone.  

However, now that I live in Nigeria, I have found that carrying a mobile phone is a necessity.  I do not only carry one, I occasionally have to carry two because a service provider might decide to take a holiday on you without warning.  Am I feeling the pressure?  Hmmm. 

2. Storing fuel at home – In the past I used to condemn those who store fuel at home as people who were raving mad. Or how would anyone in their right mind store petrol, a highly inflammable fuel at home given its attendant safety issues? Nowadays, I have eaten my words and I reluctantly have to store petrol and diesel because you need them for generating electricity and also for your vehicle.  I have realised that this is the most convenient way to ensure life goes on without serious disruptions given the epileptic power supply and regular fuel scarcity. 

Although petrol has not contained its uncontrollable and temperamental appetite for catching fire, I must say I no longer think those who store petrol at home are raving mad.  Or is it that I have joined the mad crew? Hmmm. 

3. Taking regular cold showers – What do you expect? Nigeria is a few degrees north of the Equator so it’s summer almost all the year round.  Although I take the odd warm shower, you need a cold shower to be able to have a smooth and relaxed sleep at night, neighbourhood generators permitting.  I must say that this is one of the things I look forward to morning and evening.  In any event, I have always enjoyed standing in the shower as I get a lot of inspiration when I do.  It's interesting that cold showers and England don’t go together even at summer time, at least for me.  Hmmm. 

4. Raising my voice – I have to admit that I now do the occasional raising of my voice for which I am ashamed. Raising my voice at people was not one of the things I thought I was capable of doing. I have no excuse for this and I wouldn’t want to say it’s the people that made me do it.  However, before I am inundated with anger management experts offering their services, Iet me state that I have decided to politely walk away from workmen who deliberately do shoddy work knowing that all they have to do is 'say sorry', never mind the cost of fixing the mess they created.  I also now shut my eyes to people who drive as if they are possessed. I know it is difficult not to be frustrated by the myriad of issues in Nigeria, but it is my intention not to become what I shouldn’t.  Hmmm. 

5. Brushing my teeth with bottled water – This is more of a survival measure rather than an attempt to appear posh.  In my view, the cost of getting bottled water to brush my teeth is cheaper than the potential cost of typhoid. I have also derived a method of using water so judiciously well that a bottle could last for several days.  I did not start this way; I was content with the borehole water until I had a rethink after an incident which I guess I will leave for another time.   Hmmmmmmm! 

Watch out for Part 2!

 

Good People, Great Nation – Yes we are!

A lot has been written and said about the Nigerian re-branding project. I must begin by admitting that I share in the frustration and anger of those who are against the exercise because of its perceived cart-before-the-horse approach. 

I also understand those who are against the exercise because they see it as another example of a money-wasting project that may eventually go nowhere. 

I equally feel the vibes of those who are wary of the inability of successive governments to continue with projects initiated by their predecessors. Those who take this line of argument believe that once the Yar’Adua government completes its term, the next government would probably jettison this campaign and start afresh. 

Like all rational Nigerians, I share all of the views above. However, having carefully and seriously given it a thought, I decided to embrace this current campaign after its slogan was unveiled. I must make it clear that I am not feeble-minded or gullible to be swayed by an ordinary slogan. I should also state that I do not belong to any political party - ruling or non-ruling. I have also not been paid by anyone to take this position. I chose to support this particular exercise only because of the following reasons:

1. Nigerians are good people

Though we may have bad leaders, Nigerians, from Port Harcourt toKatsina and from Kisi through Enugu to Yola are good people. We demonstrate this goodness particularly in the area of hospitality. Nigerians are extremely hospitable people. We are always ready to welcome people into our midst offering them our fatted calf – the best meal in the house, sometimes even to our hurt. 

The goodness in Nigerians is also exhibited in the way the extended family system has been nurtured as a supportive system for generations. For example, I spent most of my holidays as a young person with cousins and sometimes distant relatives. My eldest sister paid my secondary school fees though she was only 22 years old when she took up this responsibility. 

I am sure that some people will accuse me of suffering from selective amnesia by glossing over the bad side of Nigerians. I do appreciate that we, as a people, have very serious weaknesses that require urgent and continuous behavioural modification, however I have come to the conclusion that, on balance, our ‘good’ far outweighs the bad side of us and this must be celebrated. 

Re-branding or no re-branding, Are Nigerians good people? I bet we are.

2. Nigeria is a Great Nation

Again, irrespective of its ups and downs, there is no doubt that Nigeria is a great nation.

• Nigeria is great because it happens to be the most populous black nation on earth. It is believed that 1 out of every 5 black people on earth is a Nigerian.

• Nigeria is great because it is the largest country in the continent. We have 50 million more people than the next most populous country in Africa.

• Nigeria is great because from Vancouver to Vladivostok, Nigerians are powering the economy of many countries around the world. I will be surprised to find a nation where Nigerians are not present.

• Nigeria is great because we are a great foot-balling nation. Although we have allowed indiscipline to take the better of us in World Cup finals, we have however won an Olympic gold and the FIFA under 17 world cup three times. 

• Nigeria is great because it is blessed with a variety of natural resources, chief of which is its people who in my opinion are more natural than the oil deposit in our land.

• Nigeria is great because it is a melting pot of several peoples, cultures, and languages, and somehow, we have been able to keep this marriage of different peoples, cultures and languages going.

• Nigeria is great because of our mostly favourable weather that means almost anything can grow on our soil from the arid North to the equatorial South.

• Nigeria is great because it has miles of access to the sea for exports and imports.

• Nigeria is great because it has the potential to compete with any country on many platforms be it agriculture, economy or socio-political matters.

• Nigeria is great because it is the 8^th largest exporter of oil in the world.

• Nigeria is great because its people are resilient and hopeful.

3. The slogan could become an aspiration

I feel that even for those who doubt the goodness of our people and the greatness of the nation, the new slogan can become the aspiration of every Nigerian.  By this, I mean EVERY NIGERIAN. Not just those in government or in private or public leadership, but every individual Nigerian. In other words, if every reader makes the effort to do good in their personal, social and professional lives from now, we will achieve both the ‘good people’ and the ‘great nation’ we desire. 

Finally, I must make the point that all Nigerians, including those for and those against the exercise are patriotic citizens of this country. The intensity with which those against the re-branding project attack it is a confirmation of their passion and love for Nigeria. My hope is that we can all channel this same passion to make a difference in our individual spheres of influence.

Let us take the spirit of goodness to our homes, to our places of worship. Let us take it to our schools, and places of work. Let the teachers teach with integrity and the bosses make the welfare of their staff a top priority. 

Let goodness flow through you to the people in the city of Lagos and to those in the remote corners of Ute in Ondo State. Wherever you may go in Nigeria, from the lowest point of the Atlantic Ocean to Chappal Waddi, the highest point in Nigeria, let everyone you meet be able to tag you with goodness.  

We can truly achieve more greatness and be seen as a great nation if we allow goodness, rather than filth to litter our 853 kilometers of coastland. We can achieve greatness if you and I become conscious of our environment and stop throwing refuse in the drains. 

Let us throw away the shackles of greed and the chains of oppression that hold everyone of us – the oppressed and the oppressors - captive. I have learnt that the smile we offer people and the little help we give makes a world of a difference. Let us therefore do good not only to strangers, foreigners and the strong, but to the disabled, the weak and the poor who live right in our midst; who attend the same Church with us every Sunday, who go to the same school with us, who work in the local eatery. 

We will be great when we stop, and ponder about the future we want for Nigeria and for our children. We must not just talk about it, write about it, or shout about it. We must make it happen by the choices we make today. In doing so, we must be singly focused and not unduly bothered about what the government or the next person is doing or not doing. 

A better day is coming for Nigeria. Let us make it happen.

A Few Good 'MAN' - Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State Governor

I never thought I would ever have to write a full article about a Nigerian politician, a very positive review for that matter. This was not for lack of optimism on my part, but for the lack of vision and purpose on their part. The reality is that a good Nigerian politician is difficult to come by. The vast majority of the politicians elected into government are self-serving, corrupt and worse of all visionless. They are corrupt nationally, regionally and locally. They are corrupt in the South and in the North, in the East and in the West.

The Governors in the North marry multiple wives, in the South-West; they publicly stick with one wife but go through young mistresses faster than mach 2. The Ibo Governors ingratiate themselves with royalty; the Yoruba ones think they are royalty, the South-South Governors lobby to become Knights, the Hausa Governors have too much time on their hands and Yar'Adua, the President, gives his daughters to two of them as third and fourth wives respectively.

Worse still, the legislators are clueless. Their main pre-occupation is junketing abroad on endless fact-finding missions. Yet they are concerned with how they are perceived at home and at the ready to threaten with arrest anyone that challenges their plain-to-see indolence and hopelessness.

Nigerian politicians are ego driven; they will commandeer an honorary doctorate degree from Universities to which they are the ‘Visitor’ and get their friends and families to congratulate them with full page newspaper advertisements. Annoyingly, they assault our intelligence and overwhelm reason with false eulogies in these congratulatory advertisements, many of which often share the same message. They celebrate 47^th, 56^th and other meaningless birthdays; they collect meaningless titles from any monarch. The Nigerian politician gives the impression that theirs is a gadabout government, purposeless yet whirling in self congratulation.

After the era of visionary and selfless leaders like Awolowo, Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello, we are lumbered with the misfortune of having so-called usurpers who believe they are doing us a favour by carrying out what they are elected to do. So State Governors have their ugly photos plastered over the covers of notebooks distributed to school children, majority of whom have to contend with window-less, teacher-less schools. Some of the politicians also erect massive billboards with their photos and political slogans beside every road repaired and every well sunk. On being sworn to office, the vast majority of them took to corruption and the euphoria of office like a pig to filth. They stink to high heavens and they carry a lot of innocent blood on their hands and heads.

Refreshingly, Babatunde Fashola, the Lagos State Governor is a departure from this filth. He is a breath of fresh air compared to anyone who has held any executive position in Nigeria in over 40 years. He is so different that you can hardly believe he is one of us. He is genuinely and determinedly interested in changing the lives of his constituents for good. Like many other Lagosians, I have developed an air of breathless excitement as I watch Fashola transform the hitherto impossible city.

The recently introduced commuter bus systems have made travelling affordable and easier for a good number of people. Major road works are being carried out, drainage systems are being rebuilt. If you go on Mobolaji Bank Anthony in Ikeja or Akin Adesola in Victoria Island at night, you may think you are in London. Many roads in the Lagos metropolis now light up at night powered by solar energy. Fashola must have realised that the environment affects people’s behaviour, and has therefore engaged in a massive drive to beautify the city, left, right and centre. Lagos roads are now being swept almost round the clock.

The Lagos State Signage Agency has seen to it that posters and overhead fliers that hitherto deface Lagos roads are now a thing of the past.

Wherever you go in Lagos, you can see the government of Babatunde Fashola at work without seeing his face. He is rebranding Lagos State without making any noise about it. He just lets his work speak for him. Unlike many Nigerian politicians, he is not involved in any populist, short-term projects; he appears to be planning ahead for the next 100 years. Fashola genuinely has the interest of the people at heart.

Do not get me wrong, if you are visiting Lagos for the first time or have lived abroad for a considerably long period, you may not notice much. However, having lived in Lagos for over a year, the transformation is truly astounding. Fashola has proven that good governance is possible. He is also governing from a position of service. Never has he once made Lagosians believe he is doing them a favour. Fashola has class.

He is also very wise. He shows deference to traditional and religious leaders, but he does not 'collect' titles from them. He received an award from a newsmagazine as one of the best performing governors in 2008 but returned it when he realised it was a Greek gift.

Fashola is also a cultured person who is not carried away by power. He is one of only three Governors in Nigeria who still carry the title of ‘Mr’. In an interview he gave a few months after he became Governor, he said he does not use the signature siren favoured by politicians and the ‘powerful people’ because he is not only averse to noise but also considers it in bad taste to live in a government house, drive government vehicles, yet terrorise the same people that pay for the luxury he enjoys.

Some people will argue that he is only able to do what he is doing because his predecessor and mentor Bola Tinubu helps to handle the political side of things. My response is whilst this may be true; Fashola can not do what he is doing if he does not have it in him.

I will like to share a story that in my view sums up the effort of Babatunde Fashola and showcases the new Lagos that he is trying to build. A man had been lying for consecutive days at the same spot on the central reservation of the road that leads to our Estate. I decided to stop and on enquiring from a nearby shop-keeper, I was informed that the man had been drunk and was hit by an Okada (motorbike).

On Friday 17^th April, I placed a call to the Lagos State emergency telephone number ‘767’ to request for assistance for the man. This was my first time of using this service which is in itself a first in Nigeria. I was amazed when I got connected and I was afforded the utmost courtesy by the person who answered the phone. When we got disconnected shortly afterwards, I tried again, and yet another person answered on the first ring. She listened to my report asking for the full details of where the man was and promised that an ambulance will be sent forthwith. I was joyful not only for the man, but that something this good was possible in Lagos and in Nigeria. Without any deliberate prompting, my heart blessed Fashola.

A few days later, I noticed that the man was no longer there. My wife later informed me that she saw an ambulance parked at the same spot to ferry the man away for treatment as she drove past one evening.

Of course Fashola is not doing more than what he was elected to do, however, when the vast majority of our politicians care less about the electorate, Fashola should earn our admiration for differentiating himself so fantastically.

I have watched Fashola on the sidelines for over a year and I know he is no fluke. He has surreptitiously dragged us, Lagosians, to develop confidence in him and increasingly in government. I have come across many people who have chosen to pay their tax because they believe that Fashola will use it responsibly. This agrees very well with the proponents of the theory that Nigeria’s problem is a leadership one.

Fashola has proven that you only need a few good people to change the course of a nation; in his case, a few good ‘MAN’. Lagosians know that what is happening in Lagos is due to the determination of a single man and they truly appreciate this man and have come to trust him. Fashola is a leader, a responsible man, a genuinely good person. He is a few good ‘MAN’. And we all can learn from him.PostcardfromLagos

The Eviction of the 'householder's children' and other tenants

The Yorubas of Nigeria seldom disobey the rule that says great consideration must be given to the prevailing circumstance when naming a new born child. This rule is also applied to how they name certain animals, fruits etc. 

They therefore got it right with the ‘wall gecko’ which they named ‘omo onile' (literally translating the 'householder's child'). The problem with the wall gecko (the householder’s child) is that no matter how grand a house is, wall geckos (sorry 'householder's children') move around with freedom and venture into any room like certified true owners. They particularly like to come out in the evenings.

As much as I don't appreciate this intrusion by wall geckos, I can still understand their claim to some degree, after all, they are the 'householder's children'. They also keep to themselves and do not, as far as I know, seem to interfere with the health and safety of the real owners of the house.  However flies, cockroaches and mosquitoes have no lease let alone a freehold. I know they don’t, because the Yorubas did not give any of them names that link them to the house.  Also these three musketeers are known to be injurious to health and safety.

Mice, although equally terrible are not a problem where we live so I’m not going to ruffle their feathers if they have done me no harm.  In any event, they can only access certain places because of their size. Cockroaches on the other hand have no decorum; they go where they are not supposed to go including inside my perfectly chiseled ‘British’ chest of drawers where I found one recently.  

For months, I have been keeping my toothbrush inside one of the drawers in the bedroom as a precaution against cockroach interference.  As I opened the drawer a few days ago, to my shock and horror, I saw a rather large cockroach mingling with my possessions. 

My wife has been miserable ever since, threatening for the very first time to go back to England. 

It was on this perfectly legal basis that I called in the fumigators to evict all the non-paying tenants that have overrun our house. An operation that has now become part of what I have to regularly plan for in Lagos in order to stay sane, alive and also keep my marriage.

Unfortunately, some wall geckos (householder’s children) would have been executed during the fumigation exercise. This in American military parlance is referred to as collateral damage. Besides, the wall geckos pay no rent too and I therefore offer no apologies.

Stop Press! I have seen many wall geckos in the last week. PostcardfromLagos

The 7 Wonders of Nigeria – 'The Nigerian Woman'

This is the third post of ‘The 7 Wonders of Nigeria’ series and this particular one was not difficult to write as the Nigerian woman definitely merits a mention as a wonder of Nigeria. If you have not read Part 1 and 2, search for them under the'Labels' heading on your right. It will be interesting to get readers feedback on 'The Nigerian Woman'. Read on!

The Nigerian woman is extraordinary. She pops up at every equation that captures Nigeria. She is the trader on the street, the tiller of the ground and keeper of the home - the economic powerhouse of the nation. She is the mother and at the same time father of the children, a position some men have voluntarily, if unknowingly, relinquished. She combines a full time job with mothering four children, wife to a demanding husband, holding down a major role in Church and studying for a PhD in Applied Science. She is the multi-tasker no one expects to complain.

Without the Nigerian woman, there would be no Nigeria. She is the spine of the nation by virtue of being the spine of her husband, the spine of her children and the spine of the extended family. She stays up to encourage her studying children whilst her husband is fast asleep. She still has to rise long before dawn to prepare food and plan the day. She is indefatigable, indestructible and indescribable.

She accepts her husband’s indiscretions with dignity and takes his intransigency on the chin. She deals with her societal-imposed minority role with utmost diplomacy. She smiles whilst suffering. She executes her role with the utmost diligence.

The Nigerian woman is the ultimate homebuilder, engineer, medical personnel, arbitrator between children and father, advocate on behalf of the children, human resource specialist, Operations Manager, the Prime Minister of the family government, the teacher of manners and etiquette, the prayer intercessor and the attentive listener.

She comes in every shade of colour, shape and style. There are eight types of Nigerian women - The fair-skin and the dark-skin; the slim figured (lepa) and the amply shaped (orobo); the short and the tall; the effizy one and the traditional.

The Nigerian woman is stylish. Whatever her age; style and looking good are indelibly programmed into her DNA. She relishes the beauty of her naturally tanned skin, full lips and her thick, strong and healthy hair. She is effervescent and drop-dead gorgeous. She believes that God spent extra time on her and this makes her unrepentantly confident. She is confident of her natural allure, confident of her body and confident of the future.

As a girl-child, she already has a routine of making her hair every week. She is big time into cleanliness and may even shower twice a day. She will speak with boldness and will not be led astray by anyone.

Between 18 to early twenties, she knows how to style her hair into different looks on a daily basis. She is either in the last lap of University or doing her national service. It is also possible that she is working in an oil company, Bank or pursuing a Masters programme.

At mid-twenties, she has a clear mental plan of her future. She knows what she wants, the type of man that will complement her plan for success in life. Except she chooses to be deceived, an average Nigerian woman in her twenties is too mentally and emotionally sophisticated to fall for any silly trick.

In her 30s, the Nigerian woman is an established businesswoman who knows every nook and cranny of Naples, Dubai, Milan and the outback of Guangzhou. Whether she has a shop in downtown Isale-Eko or the upmarket Isaac John Street in GRA Ikeja, she is financially savvy, hardworking and consistent.

Nowadays, there is no industry or vocation in which the Nigerian woman is not actively involved. The other day I met a lady who says she is a landscape gardener. There are also women motor mechanics, photographers and Danfo bus drivers.

Nigeria women do not settle for the dictate that a girl’s fame and fortune depend on her beauty, they will rather combine beauty with brain and brawn. At a period in 2006, the Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Foreign Minister, the Finance Minister and the head of the Food and Drugs Agency in Nigeria were all women.

The Nigerian woman is also in many instances the unassuming, quiet woman at home, the one who hawked puff-puff on her head amongst other things to send her children to school (like my mother did). She is the one who plays second fiddle to her husband at her daughter’s wedding and subjugates her personal ambition to that of her husband’s.

The Nigerian woman is still, sadly repressed in many of our cultures and traditions but the future is hers. I have no doubt that the Nigerian woman is ably qualified for a Nobel Prize in longsuffering, sheer industry and nation building.

For her strength, indestructibility, dignity and her contribution to nation-building, the Nigerian woman deservedly is a wonder of Nigeria if not a wonder of the world.PostcardfromLagos

The 7 Wonders of Nigeria, Part 2 – 'Molue', the Lagos Yellow Bus

Nothing in the world compares to the ubiquitous Lagos yellow bus popularly known as Molue. I didn’t get to see a Molue until I was twelve. Even then I did not get to enter one until a few years later. The Molue is like a house built on the chassis of a Mercedes 911 truck, a deathly home. It is built to carry the maximum number of people possible (44 sitting and 99 standing according to Fela) as it dashes back and forth along the 3rd Mainland Bridge. It has become an iconic landmark on Lagos roads, it is deliberately menacing to other road users. It follows no speed limit. It is bold and brash. It is big and ugly. It is dirty, yellow and should disappear. It carries an unwilling but option-less human cargo, stripped of their humanity and forsaken to the vagaries of poverty.

Molues are unrepentantly and irrepressibly overbearing. They usually have hair-splitting horns used at will to dissuade and harass other road users. They have made up their own rules which is ‘there are no rules’. As a lion is king of the jungle, an oncoming Molue is unquestionably the king of the road.

It is really a matter of choice to decide which is the real wonder - Molue or the Molue driver. It drives so fast for a big moving truck as if it is invincible. Once inside a Molue, your life is mortgaged as anything could happen. If you never acknowledged it before, your life is in God’s hands once you stepped inside the Molue.

Inside the bus, Molue has a life of its own that is as interesting as staggeringly sobering. All forms of items are sold inside the bus including blood-red drugs that is claimed to solve any problem from stomach upset to curing HIV. You will also find courageous people who will brave the many eyes fixed on them as they preach the gospel. My sister once saw a man carrying life snakes inside a Molue. Molue lumbers everyone together, the smartly dressed man on his way to the office and the iya-oloja (market woman). It carries the attractive young woman and the ageing old man that thinks he is good enough to be her suitor.

Because of the way people are packed like sardines in a tin and the unforgiving Lagos tropical heat, the Molue can test your digestive system as various human smells join up in a deliberate attempt to make you want to puke.  Thankfully the current Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola is slowly phasing them out.

Molue suffers from 'impatientialisis'. It is always in a hurry as if non-movement will collapse its engine. Most users have therefore learnt the art of hitching and alighting from a moving Molue with perfection.

When I did get to hitch a ride on a Molue in the mid eighties, I learnt to my cost that jumping off a moving Molue was no child's play. I had seen many people do it and assumed it was easy. I later realised that to keep stable, you jump and run. Suffice it to say I didn't, and found myself flat on the hard tarmac of Legico Bus Stop on Ahmadu Bellow Way in Victoria Island. I lived. PostcardfromLagos.

(To read Part 1 of 'The 7 Wonders of Nigeria', check for the link under 'Labels' on the right hand side of this website) 

Schindler's List, Nigeria - close, but not exactly

The riots in Jos, Plateaus State, Nigeria in November 2008 was a national tragedy. Widely reported around the world, the death toll according to the media varied between 300 and 700. The killing rampage started after a Local Government election that was believed to have been rigged. However it soon became sectarian, pitching Christians and Muslims against each other in a needless ethno-religious conflict.

Several innocent people were hacked to death including the widely reported case of a young man who was on national service in the city.

A lot of people went missing including the heavily pregnant sister of a friend. Mary Bayil, 44 was a Sunday School Teacher married to a Civil Servant. Her house had been burnt and in the ensuing melee, she was parted from her husband and her three children who had taken refuge in an army barrack.

Hoping that she would be found after things had settled down, the search for her proved abortive. Each time we phoned our friend, the answer was the same; she was nowhere to be found. In mid-January, we heard the good news that she had been found and that she had safely delivered a baby girl.

What made the story particularly interesting were the circumstances surrounding her safety. Like many other people, Mary had tried to escape from her house after it had been set on fire by the mostly Muslim mob. Given her state, she could not run as fast as others and became a sitting target for the mob.

Some Muslim ladies who were watching what was happening from their house and aware of what was about to happen quickly came out to her rescue and brought her inside their own home. Noticing that they had been seen by some of the mob, they dressed her up in the Muslim garb and moved her to another village. She had the baby in a hospital in the village and became seriously ill, drifting in and out of consciousness for weeks until she was found last week.

The Muslim women who saved her had their own Schindler moment and they delivered. They saved two lives and brought a wonderfully good twist to what was otherwise a tragic part of Nigeria’s history. Incredible! PostcardfromLagos

Update on 'Medicare' Trust

Happy New Year to all our readers and thank you for supporting ‘Postcard from Lagos’.

The response to the ‘Medicare’ post was overwhelming. Pledges of support came from Nigeria, Europe and North America. We have gone a step further to properly set up 'Medicare' as a charitable organisation and the registration process is ongoing. Apparently it is a long process to register a charity in Nigeria.

We have assembled a team of individuals to serve as the Board of Reference for the organisation.

Dr Bayo Adesioye

Mrs Jibike Agboola

Dr Ayodele Ajayi

Dr Tonye Ajiteru

Mr Stephen Clarke

Dr Sola Fola-Alade

Mrs Taiwo Mayuku

Dr Ovo Oghuvbu

Mr Segun Olasode

Mr Deoye Oshowole

Dr. George Sekoni

Mr Tayo Sonuga

Sola Wilton-Waddell

All of these people have been tapped because of their passion to make a difference in the lives of ordinary Nigerians. Each of them has brought to the Trust their wealth of experience including international charity, business and medical skills.

Appreciation to those who have pledged to support 'Medicare in some form. Further developments will be published here on 'Postcard from Lagos'.

'Medicare' and a Tribute to Baba Akeem

Today is the beginning of a three-day Bank holiday in Nigeria. What is on my mind is not the privilege of having a rare three-day Bank holiday at the beginning of the week (in reality a 5-day break when you include the preceding Saturday and Sunday). What’s on my mind is the death last Tuesday week of ‘Baba Akeem’, real name Mohammed.

Baba Akeem was a guard in the estate where we live in Lagos. He was from the Northern State of Borno and had also worked in the house we live before we moved in. His third child was born earlier this year. Unlike many other guards in the area, he communicated very well in English and was a likeable person – attributes of which became known to me in the last six to eight weeks before his death.

I noticed about two months ago that he looked different from his normal self, when I mentioned to my wife, she felt that he must have put on some weight around his face. A few days later, I sighted him again and questioned him about the puffiness of his face, he then informed me that he had been sick ever since he came back from a recent visit to his home town and he was unsure of what he ate or drank that made this happen. He also had sores all over his body. I suggested to him to visit the General Hospital and to let me know of the outcome.

When he came back to see me a few days later, he lamented that after waiting for a whole day, he was only given a consultation card with the instruction to come back on the 20th August. He went for the new appointment and on his return, he informed me that the hospital carried out a series of tests and eventually told him to go home and seek ‘native’ medical attention.

At this juncture, I was a little bit confused, how could a hospital send a patient back home to seek native intervention? He was asked to buy some drugs as well. Needless to say that at this time, he was unable to work and take care of his wife and three children. Unfortunately, there is no social security system, no help whatsoever from the State, our much vaunted economic growth as a nation does not hold any water for the likes of Baba Akeem.

Three Saturdays ago, he came to say hello which meant his money had finished. We had a good chat, he also said his brother was going to take him to a military hospital in Yaba the following Monday. Things were looking up for him. A week later, on Monday 15th September, his wife came to see me for the first time and said her husband was very poorly and he had decided to go home to Maiduguri the following day. She wanted assistance with the transport fare. She also showed the medical notes from the Yaba hospital visit. I could make out ‘RVD’ from the notes which I googled. Unable to make a head or tail of this, I decided to make enquiries from medical practitioners the following day. When my wife came home that evening, I informed her about the visit from Baba Akeem’s wife and his intention to go back home. The following day, as soon as we got up, my wife said we must go and look for where Baba Akeem lives to stop him from going home, as she felt that going to Maiduguri will almost certainly result in his death.

We got in the car and took descriptions from people around. When we got to where he lives with his family in an uncompleted building, we found a group of people, probably about twenty in front of the house opposite. No clue. I noticed his first son who had come with his mother to see me the previous day, I asked him for his father and where they lived, he replied ‘my daddy don die’ meaning my dad is dead. We were led to a corner of a room in the uncompleted house where his wife was secluded from everyone else. Apparently, Baba Akeem died at 4.00am that morning and had just been taking away for burial. He was 36.

Anger and despair were the words that could express how I felt. I was devastated. I felt I had not helped enough, I felt the whole nation had failed him too. I also felt rather helpless and hoped that I would not become immune from the sufferings of people. I was hoping that Baba Akeem would recover, I never knew he would die so soon. With the benefit of hindsight, I now realise I was naïve, the puffiness and the body sores pointed at something serious all along.

Baba Akeem could not access medical care because he did not have the money, period. He probably knew he would die. Like many sick and poor Nigerians, he probably was waiting to die.

The lesson I learnt is to act faster in cases like this. I have therefore decided, in conjunction with others, to launch ‘Medicare’. Medicare will do the following:

1. We will provide financial assistance towards medical care for those who are sick and unable to access medical care.
2. We will work with doctors and hospitals who want to help
3. We will accept financial support from those who wish to give
4. We will also have representatives and agencies in North America, Europe and in Nigeria,
5. We will use 100% of money donated for medical care.
6. We will also be transparent and publish the names of recipients and expenses on a regular basis

If you want to be involved in any way or give to this cause, please register your interest by contacting me or send an email to medicare@postcardfromlagos.com

A follow-up report shall be published in due course including the names and contact details of representatives across the world. Thank you.

The 7 Wonders of Nigeria - Part 1 - Okada

Today, I am going to start a new series on what in my opinion constitutes ‘the 7 wonders of Nigeria’. I have no doubt that my list will differ from yours; what will be interesting is to find out what you consider as the 7 wonders of Nigeria and why. Please use the comments link on this blog to air your opinion and enrich the discussion. Happy reading!

Okada - the motorcyle taxi
Okada is a creation of necessity. Unlike the Chinese that have established the motorcyle as a means of transportation, Nigeria is not as populous to adopt this as a permanent form of transportation. We used to travel on taxis and buses in the major cities. We would easily prefer these means of travel; however, Okada surreptitiously crept into the Nigerian vocabulary and also into our carriage system as the economy bit harder in the 90s. The name Okada was adopted from a small town in Edo State. Now almost everywhere in Nigeria, Okada is the fastest means of transport and a very big headache for that matter for motorists and other road users.

They meander dangerously through traffic, they don’t obey any traffic regulations and anyone can put a bike on the road, with no training or registration required. They wear no helmets and offer their passengers none. Okada drivers are either deliberately inviting motorists to hit them and their passengers (they often carry two or more people) or they believe they are invincible. Sadly, it is said that a wing of the orthopaedic hospital in Lagos is set aside for victims of Okada accidents.

Although many would not admit to it, a good number of Nigerians, rich and poor would have had to take an Okada at a desperate moment for only Okadas can whiz through the depressing and parking-lot traffic of Lagos to deliver you to the multi-billion Naira corporate deal less than three miles away. An American Christian leader who is also the Editor of 'Charisma Magazine' wrote an insightful piece in 2007 on how he had to abandon his comfortable car to ride on the back of Okada to make a preaching engagement in Lagos.

Okada has become a legacy of our economic and political failures. The argument for Okada by its proponents is that it provides a quick and effective means of transportation for a vast majority of our people, and employment for those who might otherwise go into the underworld. However, the question is ‘do we as a nation really want an Okada economy’?

For its pervasiveness as a form of transport all over the country, Okada, the motorbike taxi is a wonder of Nigeria.