THE STORY OF MAY

Dear Diary,

"Where do weary hearts go?"

Following the abducted 234 girls from Chibok, protests started the month of May. The protests took part in different parts of the country. The police that swore to protect citizens were using teargas to scare away peaceful protesters in some areas.

Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, another blast happened. On workers day, jabi park in Nyanya was bombed leaving several people dead. This blast happened 3 weeks after the Nyanya motor park blast in April that we were yet to recover from.

       

#BringBackOurGirls is now worldwide. The spotlight is on Nigeria but it's all for the wrong reasons. The first 10 days in May were hot, protests left, right and center. Isha Sesay and other correspondents from the international media came into Nigeria to carry out investigative journalism In every sense of the word. Other countries like the Uk, US and France have offered to help nigeria.

B'Haram released a video showing the kidnapped girls covered with hijab, praying. They claimed they have converted them to Islam and they will only be released if the federal government released the detained BH members. So far, Parents have been able to identify about 77 of the abducted girls in the video.

Mr president was supposed to visit Chibok on the 16th of June but it was cancelled as a result of poor security clearance. The visit was publicized worldwide and therefore it had to be cancelled. Yes we expect more from the government but we surely don't want to lose the number 1 citizen in the mix. If he wants to visit, it should be a secret arrangement. Visit the troops, encourage them and leave quietly.

Jungle justice is starting to get comfortable in our society. In the month of May, there were a number of ugly cases. This reminds me of Aluu 4, people that were killed unjustly. Let's not take laws into our hands, allow the law to take it's course.

Hmmm... After 9 solid years of being at the emirates, arsenal finally lifted a trophy. They became FA cup champions on the 17th of May after dragging it with Hull city. It's been a very very very long wait. People actually shed tears that day. Over the years, players had come and gone, fans who had lost hope moved to other clubs. Arsenal had been at the receiving end of jokes over the years but after this victory, things changed for the better. Congrats to the true arsenal fans.

With the World Cup almost a month away, super eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has released the squad for the tournament in Brazil. While some prominent names like Ike Uche are missing, prodigal sons like Osaze Odemwingie have returned home. It is indeed a list of mixed feelings but overall we just want them to perform well and make us proud.

Tuesday may 20, witnessed double bombing situation in Jos. One went off by 3 pm and when people gathered to see what happened, another went off nearby at about 3:23 pm. Reprisal attacks started and a lot of people were injured, wounded and killed that day. The university of Jos lost 7 final year students and people that left their homes in the morning did not come back. These are not just numbers, they are human beings!

The most publicized and anticipated wedding of the year finally happened, Kim Kardashian got married to Kanye West this month. We finally saw pictures of Kelly Roland's marriage to Tim Witherspoon. She invited only 13 people to that wedding, cameras and phones weren't even allowed, still the pictures leaked. Sigh! The life of a superstar. Scandal's leading lady, Kerry Washington gave birth to her first daughter, Isabella. Yours truly is wishing them all the best in their new ventures.

The story of May didn't change much from that of April, it even seems to be getting worse. Let's learn to be security conscious even as we pray for a change. Don't spend too much time in public places like the mall, markets e.t.c. Be suspicious of any abnormality in your environment and always be alert. That the bombs have not started going off in your area doesn't mean it can never happen. Abuja and Jos used to be peaceful places until the day a bomb went off.

The sun will surely shine after the rain, but how for how long will it rain?

HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

STATE OF THE NATION: Bring Back Our Girls

Dear diary, 

         

Have you popped into the Social media sites in recent times? Have you been watching the News? The whole world is agog with #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS. 

What is #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS all about? Here's 21 facts about it:

1. It's about 234 Girls that were abducted on the 15th of April in the early hours of the day from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno state.

2. The girls returned to school to write their W.A.E.C examinations when they were kidnapped (all schools in Borno had been closed due to insecurity in the state)

     

3. Nigeria's insurgent group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

4. The girls are teenagers between the ages of 16-18.

5. The men dressed in military uniforms and carted the girls away in trucks.

6. Mothers who could take it no longer, started the protests, crying before state and government houses. 

  

7. It started as an ordinary hashtag on twitter to bring the world to focus on the girls and find ways to rescue them.

8. There have been protests in different parts of Nigeria and all over the world. People who have no ties with Nigeria are standing with us.

 

9. Among the girls that were kidnapped were Christians and Muslims from different parts of the country.

10. The girls are allegedly being held hostage in the thick Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

11. The international media has been very active in the rescue mission to find the girls and they are going the whole 9 yards.

12. The United States of America, United Kingdom and France are some of the countries that have offered to help Nigeria in the rescue mission.

13. Some people still believe that the girls were never kidnapped and that it's all a scam.

14. There has been emotional breakdown in some quarters due to the delicacy of the issue.

15. Some of the girls managed to run away when the men came to abduct the girls from the school while others escaped when the truck broke down along the way.

16. There have been unconfirmed  reports about how the girls have been married off to other countries, how they are raped daily e.t.c. 

17. Amnesty international claims that the Nigerian military headquarters had prior knowledge (4 hrs advance warning) of the abduction but they failed to act.

18. There is intense pressure on the Nigerian government by the international community to find the girls.

19. Celebrities from all walks of life have endorsed the hashtag asking for the safe return of the girls to their homes.

20. The Nigerian Police Force has offered a #50,000,000 reward to anyone with useful information on Boko Haram and their activities 

21. The girls are our sisters, daughters, future wives and mothers. 

#BringBackOurGirls is not just about the girls, it's an accumulation of the frustrations of citizens in recent times. The land is no more green. It is now red with tears, pain and grief. Nigeria is in the spotlight now for all the wrong reasons. Our leaders have been brandished as corrupt by international media and there is little or nothing we can do about it. The only way to salvage the already lost image of the country is to find those girls and bring them back home. 

Some people have taken advantage of the hashtag for their selfish interest, lets remind them that the fight Is not about us but about our future as a nation. The atmosphere in the country at the moment is so thick, you could cut through it with a scissors. Learn to speak with wisdom because things you say (or do not say) may be taken out of context and used against you.

Don't stop the message. Tell somebody to tell somebody that we want our girls back. In faith and hope, we pray that they would be returned safely to the loving arms of their parents.

#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

*Photo Credit: twitter, google.

*STATE OF THE NATION is a series that discusses issues that affect us as a nation. 

MARKET BLISS

Dear Diary,

The Venue was Yaba Market, Lagos and the time was 10:50 a.m

It was a typical Thursday morning after environmental sanitation. Puddles of water on the road following the slight drizzle early in the day. Some sellers were dusting their wares and praying over them while others were discussing with fellow market sellers about issues that were obviously dear to them.

Approaching the end of the market, sounds of drums and pianos were heard. Moving forward the sounds become clear and you would think there was a new church in Yaba market. Still, you are wrong.

A clearer look into the market shows you a group of young men, some dressed in traditional outfits and others in cooperate outfits. There were Bata Drums, a piano, tambourine, timbales and other locally made music instruments. It was not a church as earlier proposed but a praise and worship session. The sound produced by the combination of those instruments was truly music to the ears.

Chanting "ku sai anointing...", they danced with so much energy that onlookers thought they were high on drugs. They danced so well and hard, people started murmuring that they must have taken narcotic drugs to be that energetic. This got me thinking; can a human being perform well at something without people attaching it to drugs? Is the human body not wired to perform well? Answers will be provided in another post.

This praise and worship session kept on springing surprises because midway into the session, they announced it was time for offering. This further confirmed the fact that a church is not a building but the people in it. Surprisingly, people started dancing forward to drop their offerings. 

The happiness on the faces of the performers and onlookers was heart warming. A woman even came and took over the drumming of the wooden drum. I just stood there smiling, imagining how it must have started for them. Maybe they were brothers with no formal musical training but still they could give some musicians a run for their money. 

At the end of it, they prayed over the offering, the market and their businesses. Sharing the grace, they prayed for friends and family.

What did the Young Black woman go to do in the market? What every young girl goes to do there... :p

P.S: what's #BringBackOurGirls all about? Find out in the next Post.