SOMETIME IN APRIL...

Dear diary,

The month of April is over. Where is 2014 running to? A lot has happened in April and I think it's worth recapping. From the heavy rains that looked like we were experiencing an eclipse, to the heat that would make you want to go without clothes, April has been more than just your regular month.

In the first week of April, we were greeted with the news of the death of a Medical doctor in the US. She was shot by her husband in their house at about 3a.m. While some people think it's not worth reporting, it's only a remainder that violence is gradually gripping our society. Whatever the circumstances surrounding the murder, mothers should start training sons that would protect their wives and families and not turn them to opponents in the boxing ring. Oscar Pistorius is still undergoing trial for allegedly shooting his girlfriend in their house. My outrage following this ugly incident has been summarized in the Love is not enough post, feel free to read again.

So we woke up on a Monday morning to people crying and wailing following the Bomb blast that rocked the Nyanya Motor park in Abuja. It occurred at about 6:50 a.m and buses were blown up, bodies were dismembered, chaos everywhere! The explosion left over 80 people dead and hundreds of people injured. May God comfort the bereaved families and grant the deceased eternal rest. 

 

Weddings in high places graced the month of April. Faith sakwe, president Jonathan's first daughter married her beau, Godswill Edwards; Former Vice-president, Atiku Abubaker's son married his fiancée, Mariana; Tiwa savage is now officially Mrs Balogun having signed the dotted lines with her hubby, Mr Balogun. Yours truly is wishing them a lifetime of happiness and peace coupled with beautiful babies.

Nigeria had a health scare this month. Ebola outbreak was announced and it's occurrence has been reported in Nigeria's border countries. While no incidence has been reported in Nigeria (yet), we have been advised to watch out for its symptoms i.e headaches, fever, muscle pain, sore throat e.t.c. Ebola is a deadly disease and it has no cure at the moment. All fever like symptoms should be taken to the doctor and not be waved off as malaria. We should also avoid eating bush meat or at least boil them properly before eating.

In the early hours of the 15th of April, over 200 girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno state. Schools in the north had been shut down following rising insecurities and the girls only returned to school to prepare for their W.A.E.C examination. The abductors arrived in the night under the disguise of the Nigerian Army and carted the girls away in their trucks. While some of the girls managed to escape when the truck broke down along the way, many others are still being held hostage in the thick Sambisa Forest. These are teenage girls, our sisters, daughters and future mothers, we can only imagine what they are going through. Parents are going berserk because the situation has left them helpless.  We pray and hope that they'll be found soon.

Still on Tuesday April 15, a ferry carrying about 459 people in South Korea, capsized over the coast rendering about 200 missing and others dead. The ferry was on its way to the Island of Jeju. Some bodies have been found and others are still unaccounted for. 

The Malaysian plane is still missing, 40 days after and no clue in sight. The national CONFAB IS still ongoing and the dramatic Oscar Pistorius trial is still gaining momentum.

Watching sometime in April as a child sent shivers down my spine. Thinking about it now, it's like the events from that movie are slowly becoming a reality. April holds a lot of memories for us both as individuals and as a nation. While some are regrettable, we are thankful for others. It's clear that the sad parts are more, but we can only hope for a better time in May.

HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

Photo Credit: Google, Bella Naija.