NAIJA TOUR (4)

It must be the fact that we had crossed over into Kogi from Ondo that gave me so much rest of mind that I fell into what I can describe as a POWER NAP, and that was despite the uncomfortable atmosphere that the contraption that is the bus we were in provided. We were close to Lokoja when I came to, and I knew then that Abuja was just a matter of time, though it seemed that by the speed with which the driver was now going that he wasn't so keen at arriving Abuja before noon, a long shot from our ETA.

Lokoja, as beautiful as always had in its background intimidating mountains and hills, which in some areas, just like in Abeokuta, Ogun State, some less intimidated indigenes had taken the battle up to the mountain in erecting their abode in its belly, as far up as they figure they could go and yet be safe. The pictures they make is an interesting one to behold, so much so that I wonder if I could have something like that in the future, even though a beachside condo appears more appealing to me than the former.

You really have to witness the vastness of Nigeria when you travel by road to understand why foreigners come into Nigeria and make it. You can sell virtually anything here, and you'll find a market that asks very little questions, though like a mob they'll troop to patronize you when you don't disappoint, but will be quick to go the other way once their expectations aren't met. That is how fluid the market is, but they can also be very forgiving. It is painful that those in leadership position haven't been able to inspire among the people the much needed confidence to aspire to be the best they can be. The land surely is blessed and flows with milk and honey, of potentials. Unfortunately, the challenges are such that on all sides the country is pulled by centripetal forces aimed at dislodging it at it's centre, a painful sight to have to witness and live through.

Ok, enough of me waxing patriotic to noticing that Kogi might just be doing to me what Ondo has always done to me, but I will put that to anticipation or longing for the as yet elusive Abuja not necessarily because it is such a great distance to cover as such. I could see the many plans lined up for the time I was spending on the roads cancelling themselves out gradually, while others rescheduled themselves. Man as usual can only propose, as it is our inalienable right (amongst others) to so do, whether we get to carry out our propositions is another matter entirely, one which many times is beyond our control.

One of those plans was to put out online-real time everything, as I see them in my tour of some towns in Nigeria and there I was, barely into the first major city and Airtel Nigeria my phone's network for data knocks me off with more than 700MB to burn even after 24 hours I couldn't still be linked to the outside world besides the call I could make to my acquaintances. Anyway, before I knew that the situation would last that long, we managed to make it to Abuja but unlike my frequent visits, I elected to alight at Lupe before the bus made it into its terminal at the Utako area of Abuja, which going by the speed the driver was going in, could take another hour. From Lupe I boarded a cab to Area 1, from where I jumped into another to Mararaba but again alighted just before that ever busy part of the outskirts of Abuja for what looked like a newly developing park a few kilometers to Mararaba to board a cab to Keffi, in Nasarawa State where I had a deal to seal. With suicide bombers targeting notable parks to make their statements I intended to avoid major parks in Abuja as much as I could.

Something interesting happened though, when we approached the military checkpoint on the road to Keffi, just a few kilometers after we had passed Mararaba. I had gotten a call from Lagos over an issue I had to resolve with business there, and was doing so as we approached the checkpoint. That was when the Yoruba driver shouted in Hausa something I couldn't make out and couldn't care less because I was sure he wasn't talking about  or to me, until the boy sitting next to me snatched my phone from me and held tightly to it while we careered past the checkpoint, and I stilled myself from throwing up my custom "WTF" because of the end of the soldiers' AK-47 that was dangling close to my head by the window side of the back of the cab where I was seated.

ONE OF MANY MILITARY CHECKPOINTS IN NIGERIA.

Once we were out of hearing range of the soldiers, the boy apologized and returned my phone, explaining to me that we would've been made to alight, even punished (as "erring" passengers were sometimes asked to frog jump, I also learnt) had I been caught by the soldiers making a call. He had to do what he did when I didn't heed the drivers' rant to stop making the call on my phone as we passed by the checkpoint. My anger soon turned to a feeling of appreciation when the ramification of what had happened became clear to me, so I thanked him while wondering why the driver could've thought I could understand the Hausa language when I spoke the Yoruba, which he as well speaks fluently, but I put that to the terrain. When I narrated this event on Facebook much later, George said the ban on making calls at checkpoints was because suicide bombers used phones to detonate their baggage, and Robinson Onogu said I was lucky that my phone wasn't reduced to shreds while I got the pulp beaten outta me till I proved to the soldiers that I wasn't a member of Boko Haram (Islamic Fundamentalist group behind series of suicide bombings in Nigeria's north generally, and the Northeast in particular). I was left aghast!

'kovich

PHOTO CREDITS:
- http://beegeagle.wordpress.com

NAIJA TOUR (3)

There's usually nothing to see while traveling at night, just to mark time and find out where one is at every point, or at stops for which to stretch the legs when such opportunities present, so I simply let my mind roam. My recent visits to Ogun State in recent times have shown me how really small Lagos is, making me wonder how smaller still it would've been before part of this same Ogun State was carved into it to become what it today is. I have raised this issue because of another state that is a travel determinant for many (or maybe just me) who travel cross country especially from the west to and from other parts of Nigeria.

It is from my frequent travels from and to the southwest (Lagos in particular) that the hugeness of Ondo State became quite apparent to me. When we had our initial delay, the only thing I could think about was Ondo and many times I had wondered as to how journey times by road could greatly reduce if Ondo was excised from journey paths to and from the west to other parts of Nigeria. Interestingly, for travelers at night, there's hardly any traffic, so its just that going-and-going feeling that's there that gnaws at one's innards. It's disappointing to find after travelling for so long that one is still within Ondo State, and had I not known better I would've surmised that the contractors that handled the federal roads through Ondo incorporated into that stretch of road, a labyrinth. 

Not a few of us passengers were highly disappointed to find that by 5am, after leaving the outskirts of Lagos by past 11pm last night we were just at Òwò in Ondo State. I took it in my stride remembering how getting to Òrè (also within Ondo State) when traveling to the east from the west does that too. I don't know if it will help the psyche if Ondo State is split into two or three states, which I doubt will shorten the journey, but at least one will be glad that one doesn't feel s/he stuck within just one state for what seems like unending hours.

I allowed all of Bob Marley's more than a hundred and twenty offerings on my phone stream into my ears in alphabetical order while watching time and space waltz by. He is one of the few musicians (dead or alive) that I could listen to tracks and albums on end without replay, but seamlessly move from one track to the other. They don't make them like that anymore sadly, but this here is what I will use to counter what Ondo State does to me when I travel. I am sure there's no way passing through Ondo will be longer than my array of Bob Marley songs. I win anyhow.

Lokoja in Kogi State is usually another landmark spot. It was one of the reasons I almost considered putting off the journey to Abuja, or deciding in favour of going to the South-south from Lagos, before the east then northward than the other way round.  After the death of Prince Abubakar Audu (the late APC guber candidate who died last Sunday, while results of an election he was forerunner in was being collated), pundits had predicted chaos in that axis, but till now not much in terms of violence have been noted, making it unnecessary to alter my itinerary. The way Ondo conspired to hold us within its claws made me wonder if we would ever reach Lokoja. I wasn't surprised when by 6am we were still in Southwestern Akoko area of Ondo State, and my heart sank further, only to receive strength from the Bob Marley music in my head. 

It did turn out for good much later that we had to make the latter part of Ondo State in daylight, at least for me because then I could size up those huge rocks and hills that part of Nigeria is very famous for. Many of those sites are visited by tourists outside of Nigeria while those under whose noses these nature's beauty sprang up could give no hoot about them. It was getting increasingly cold now and I wondered if it was due to the elevation of that part of town or the harmattan from the north had already landed in that part of the Southwest. It occurred to me then, that I hadn't come with any form of warm clothing in my backpack, but even that thought was overtaken by the view I was enjoying. Not much appears to have changed with the settlements in the Akoko area of Ondo State, there were signs of electricity but there were more mud houses than the modern block houses, but I know now that that situation is not so much due to poverty than it is because the people in such places see buildings made with mud as more a temperature moderator especially in times of extreme temperatures. 

Over the years, I have only associated military roadblocks with the roads in the north, but this time around we have encountered several since we made it into Ondo State and I guess going further we will encounter them more frequently. Only on one occasion though did we come across a police patrol team. The current security situation in Nigeria could be blamed for this state of affairs, and even the misstep by President Muhammadu Buhari days after assumption of office, in which he ordered a dismantling of roadblocks, led to his having to swallow his vomit, when the terrorists struck almost immediately in response, as if in some kind of celebration at the lifting of obstacles that had hampered their operations in recent times.

Nothing gave me greater joy, when we eventually navigated our way out of Ondo into Okenne, Kogi State, for me that milestone is always worth celebrating so I let my innards jump for joy, the best they could do in the limited space allowed them.

AT A STOP IN LOKOJA FOR PASSENGERS TO STRETCH THEIR LEGS AND HAVE SOME REFRESHMENTS.

At this time, school children were already out and on their way to school. Interestingly, all the passengers blowing hot as to how last nights' delay will cost them their appointment this morning were silent, some even still asleep, except maybe like me they have surrendered themselves to fate. Like I always thought, things could've been worse.

'kovich

NAIJA TOUR (2)

When people we know travel and intimate us of their departure time we are wont to predict where they could be considering the time they left to the time such thoughts come to mind without considering unexpected events that may lead to delays. I have been involved several times in such situations where I had just bid farewell to an acquaintance at the park only to be stuck for hours just a few kilometers away from the point of departure, with the last person I saw or those I called to inform that the vehicle I was traveling in had left, thinking I'd have by then gone far.

I have since learnt to be humble in the face of delays when I travel (even when it had the tendency to upset well laid out plans or alter appointments, the failing of which will impact negatively on me), as that couldn't possibly be the worst that can happen to a traveler, in fact I have always felt somewhere in my mind that delays sometimes, protect us somewhat from something worse that could happen to us if we had continued. I welcome most delays sometimes with that at the back of my mind. When the replacement bus turned up after three hours and we eventually continued the journey by 11:11pm, it occurred to me that those I'd informed of my departure time would've put me at Ondo or seeing the end of Ibadan at the time, without the slightest inkling that we had barely just left Lagos, having only just only scratched the surface of what is that journey to central Nigeria from its western coast.

It is because of incidents like this that I make it a priority to travel using well established transport companies, as situations where passengers would be stranded without the transport company sending spare buses to come takeover the journey are not what you would normally associate with them. Though the replacement bus wasn't as spacious as the one that brought us thus far, passengers were just relieved that at least the journey to Abuja can continue, and soon enough angry retorts gave way to jocular insinuations, especially of what could've been had the bus failed to turn up or something even more sinister had happened while we waited. 

Interestingly, once the journey resumed, most of those who had expended much energy engaging the driver of the former bus in expletives-laden banter, became somnolent. I thought about how I used to be like them in the past, throwing tantrums each time I felt shortchanged by the services provided by the transport companies. Nowadays even for the best of them, I retain very little expectations, even to the extent of refusing to eat their heavily monosodium glutamate-soaked complimentary jollof rice, preferring only their bottled water, while I sorted my own food.

I didn't get my favorite window seat this time but I couldn't care less, as I could clearly see out of the huge windows on all side of the bus, and was amazed at seeing children still hawking snacks even as it neared midnight at each of the points on the Trunk A of the southwestern roads, where vehicles are forced to slow down for one reason or the other. Things are really tough in Nigeria, and many families have to make tough decisions like the ones involving these kids to make ends meet. If only those at the helm of affairs, the politicians and policy makers who feel they know better than the rest of us, what to do to alleviate the sufferings of the people of Nigeria, can only get down to doing exactly that, maybe things will turn around for good. Unfortunately, there's nothing on ground, even with this government that won elections on the CHANGE mantra that suggest that things will soon or eventually change for the better.

INSIDE OF THE LUXURY BUS CONVEYING ME TO ABUJA

The night journey that I am familiar with had finally come, so once again I blocked my ears , this time not listening to radio stations but music streaming from my phone on MP3 and nodding off my head to it, while other passengers slept. Gone are the days when luxury buses provided en-bus entertainment of music, even movies. The case for security has ensured  that all of that, had to be sacrificed on the alter of expedience, especially during night journeys, and I couldn't even care less, as when such held sway what was usually on show was the same brain dulling movies off the stable of Nollywood, that I couldn't stand for all it's worth. I searched my eyes for any sign of heaviness, finding none, I knew immediately that a long night awaits me!

'kovich

NAIJA TOUR

When I travel cross-country by road for a journey that will take not less than ten hours, especially to a destination (like Abuja) I am not too familiar with, I prefer to travel by night. Apart from the fact that I wouldn't like to waste precious day hours starring into nothingness while the journey lasts, it is also so that I can arrive at my destination in daylight.

My choice of transportation for these journeys are the huge luxury buses traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria mostly at night, and not any smaller vehicles that though exposed to the same dangers appear to be safer or rather much more successful in bringing passengers to their destinations in one piece most of the time.

When it became imperative that I will be travelling to Abuja as well as other towns and cities in my itinerary, I did what I would normally do- travel by night, by the transport company I had severally tested and trusted. In fact, because of my frequent traveller status I didn't anymore have to divulge much information when buying my ticket as the other details easily come up. They also have e-portals via which one can even book seats for travel.

THE LUXURY BUS ABOUT BOARDING TIME

This journey was very much anticipated by me because of the many things I intend to pursue and accomplish before returning to base in Lagos, mixing business with pleasure when and where I can. The formalities of boarding completed we soon set out of Lagos to what seemed to be the routine, not-out-of-place journey. I had blocked out the world (including the man hawking drugs to passengers while the bus waltzed it's way out of Lagos at reasonable speed) as usual with my earpiece strapped tightly to my ears, listening to the news at six on Inspiration FM, 92.3 Lagos, followed by the news on Classic FM, 97.3 by 6:30 and finally "Kubanji Direct", a current affairs programme on Radio Continental 102.3 FM from 7pm, while downloading a remix of Ini Kamoze's "Worl'A Reggae" before I noticed that the bus wasn't keeping pace with the other vehicles on the road. 

The driver eventually parked the bus right beside the gate of "Redeemed Camp", and after a while informed us passengers that the bus had developed a clutch problem and the journey with that bus couldn't continue. We would have to disembark and await the arrival of another bus to come in about an hour or two, reboard before continuing the journey to our destination. I have learnt in situations like this to keep my cool, assess the situation before deciding my next action, so while other passengers raised their voice in attack and insults hurled in the direction of the driver and his assistant, I simply looked out for escape routes I could employ should the night become sorrier than it is already.

The police patrol vehicle that was just a few meters from where our luxury bus was parked was soon moved away by the police in it, and I wondered why and how they could do that seeing that we were distressed passengers, left out there by a freak of happenstance with nowhere else to go but wait for the replacement vehicle, we had been promised will come for us. Those policemen further cemented within me, and I guess with my co-travelers the truth that the Nigerian police have come to represent over time, the opposite of their popular slogan to the effect that "THE NIGERIAN POLICE IS YOUR FRIEND", when they conveniently become inconspicuous when you need them the most.

So, I surveyed the height of the small fence of the Conoil Petrol station, and how easily I could scale it into the expansive compound of the Redeemed Camp, should the unexpectedly unwanted happened, while appreciative of the full moon that provided the much needed illumination on that part of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, while awaiting the "replacement luxury" bus that is to come and relieve us from our state of traveling limbo, now even after two hours.

'kovich

PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU'S DEMISE AND KOGI STATE'S POLITICAL HULLABALOO

Twas my friend George who intimated me of the demise of  Prince ABUBAKAR AUDU yesterday evening and I couldn't help expressing my shock in the way I stammered when he gave me the news. I had never doubted information (many of which he broke long before they made headlines) from him, but this was such that I expressed some doubt over, not because the late Prince was immortal but because of the political ramifications and circumstances around which he had to die.

When I checked Twitter and Facebook and didn't find anything of sorts, I whatsapped 'Luoye, who also gets most of these things firsthand, but this time around, he also didn't know, so I elected to wait before posting such a news on Facebook. Events over time has taught me to exercise restraint in posting news of the death of high profile people in Nigeria or outside of it, till it becomes official, especially as many people have died even severally on Twitter before they eventually died much later or even still lived. This time around because of the integrity of the one who gave me the information, what I did was to simply try to confirm by posing it as a question on Facebook and Twitter seeking to know if anyone had information about Prince Audu's demise.

Soon enough Twitter became abuzz with news of the death of Prince Abubakar Audu, with different reactions to it. Some diehard supporters and those who felt any news that doesn't come through them could only be false, talked about how they just came off the phone with some close family sources to the late politician and were informed that the former governor of Kogi State was still alive, asking followers on Twitter especially to disregard any news of the politicians' death. Unfortunately, by last night speculations were put to rest as it became official that the sixty-eight year old, Prince Abubakar Audu had suffered a stroke Saturday evening, and on Sunday complained of a stomach cramp, then began vomiting blood, and while he was being rushed to Abuja, apparently to be flown abroad, he suffered another stroke from which he couldn't be resuscitated.

The late Prince Audu, the All Progressives Congress, APC Gubernatorial Candidate in the Guber elections which held on Saturday in Kogi State had appeared at his polling booth earlier that day to cast his vote, in elections which by the time counting was concluded on Sunday, was leading his closest rival of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and incumbent Governor IDRIS WADA by about forty thousand votes, but the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC declared the elections inconclusive as the number of cancelled votes (in areas where supplementary elections will now be held next Saturday 29th, November) was more than the margin between the leading candidate (Audu) and the runner up (Wada).

PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU CASTING HIS VOTES IN LAST SATURDAY'S GUBER ELECTIONS IN KOGI STATE, HOURS BEFORE HIS DEMISE.

The sudden death of Prince Audu has raised concerns amongst stakeholders who feel that his demise is likely to throw up a constitutional crisis, but the truth really is the political permutation of the state which appear to have been turned on its head by this unfortunate event, as the late Audu's running mate is of the Kabba stock (a variant of the Yoruba tribe, that readily dissociates itself from the Yoruba, if and when political advantage is afoot) and a strong minority in the state which had never made governorship since Kogi was created (compared to the majority Igala who routinely produce governors) just like other tribes such as the Ebira, Bassangi, Nupe amongst others whose people have also given up on ever governing the state. It is because of the sharing of political positions amongst these ethnic groups with the Igala at the top that it now seems that the demise of the Igala guber candidate of a party set on the path of victory, that is making the hue and cry about constitutional crisis rise to the top of the heavens when logic should suggest that the deputy guber candidate should naturally assume the position of his principal, as was the case when President Yar'Adua died and the senate had to invoke a DOCTRINE OF NECESSITY to allow his deputy Goodluck Jonathan to rule in his stead, though in this case the death can be said to have occurred before the conclusion of the election, and a different kettle of fish entirely.

Now, many people are of the view that if the supplementary elections take place next Saturday as planned with the APC retaining the deputy guber candidate as the substantive candidate, currently a member of Nigeria's House Of Representatives representing an area not in Kogi, but in Lagos with many people thinking that his new anticipated position (as deputy guber candidate in Kogi, where he originally hails from) must be the deal the late guber candidate had to agree to for the Jagaban of Borgu's (former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and an APC leader and Strongman of Southwest Nigerian- and to some extent even Nigerian politics) support to win the APC nomination as well as prosecute the guber elections in the state, which he appeared poised to win before his untimely demise. The fear that the whole 49,000 votes to be cast in the supplementary elections will go the way of Idris Wada of the PDP and also of Igala Stock can't be said to be unfounded, as many people view the possibility of a Kabba person becoming governor in the state an anathema, and would rather give the block votes to the Devil they know in Wada (having lost in Audu, the Deep Blue Sea alternative) than the Honourable James Faleke who they fear might be the puppet at the end of the Lion Of Bourdillon's strings from Lagos, as some of the state governors in the Southwest are totally subject to him,  so much so that the Lagos State governor recently represented him (Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, aka Jagaban Borgu aka Lion of Bourdillon, etc) at an event he couldn't attend.

It even came as a surprise to me how Prince Abubakar Audu emerged as candidate of the APC, even though he had a corruption case leveled against him by the anticorruption institutions including that of embezzlement of about eleven billion naira in Kogi States' funds, which a notable figure in his party was said to have promised that the late Audu will pay back if he becomes governor. It seemed that Audu's popularity was more the driving force behind his winning the party's nomination over and above any other consideration, even when it turns the party's anticorruption agenda, as well as President Buhari's Body Language against corruption on its head.

I knew the late prince in his first term as the governor of Kogi the way you'd know someone off the pages of the newspapers. Months back however he made the news howbeit tabloids after he married a very young woman, many would say a teenager, raising dust amongst many who read the item and saw the pictures of him kissing (more like "eating" her lips) the damsel to the disgust of not just a few

THE PICTURE OF PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU AND HIS NEW BRIDE THAT SENT TONGUES WAGGING.

people who saw the pictures. The other angle many people considered at that time when politics wasn't even on the cards was that he may have done that to appease a section of the Kogi society by marrying from there, having before married from other senatorial districts. The creation of the APC from several opposition parties in order to wrest power from the then ruling PDP threw him back again into the limelight, and he remained there till his demise yesterday. Though he encountered many obstacles on his path to reclaiming the governorship position he lost many years back after just one term, he still couldn't achieve it after he seemed to be coasting through to power against all odds, as his life was required of him. Today, the issue of the state of health of our politicians have been brought to fore, with many of them logging about huge bodies that may be indicative of the possibility of them living with some chronic conditions, fueled by the frequency with which they proceed abroad for treatment even for what one could consider minor health issues.

Beyond that, we should all be guided in the way we live our lives (like we could be gone the next minute), as death isn't a place we can come back from, isn't a respecter of person, and like a thief in the night can come to anyone at anytime.  Nigerian politicians who rule with impunity once in power can be admonished from this, as well as many other incident of such, because when death comes calling, not even their ill-gotten wealth or legally accumulated wealth can save them, especially when it becomes too late to fly them out of Nigeria for proper medical care abroad, as they failed to provide same for their fellow citizens who couldn't afford such. As Governor Wada has declared today a public holiday, and the next one week as "days of mourning" even for his political opponent, this is wishing the late Abubakar Audu's family and the people of state of Kogi, the fortitude to bear the loss that's come upon them.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com
- http://www.gistpartner.com

VYBZ KARTEL'S "LIFE" TO LIFE

I grew up loving REGGAE under the influence of BOB MARLEY songs and still do, following it up with offshoots such as RAGA, then DANCEHALL, though Reggae never lost its pride of place with me. Dancehall doesn't cut it for me most times because of the lyrics, which unfortunately seem to be the foundation 'pon which it is built, or if not but apparently so because of the direction of the purveyors of the game. The beats of dancehall and the miracle the DJ's are wont to perform with the beats usually is what draws me to the genre once a while, and seriously you don't want to see me in the club when any of those become the choice of the DJ for the night.

VYBZ KARTEL (Real names, Adidja Azim Palmer) is one of those I took a liking for and actually still pay some attention to in the Dancehall genre, alongside others like Bennie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado etc. Although, many times I'd rather not hear the lyrics of most of his songs because of their explicitness (for which his songs have at various times received bans across much of the Caribbean), but each time I heard any of his songs devoid of the trademark luridity I do my best to enjoy them to the fullest. Indeed, while at it I followed his meteoric rise from the days of collaborations with already established acts like Bounty Killer back in the day, to equal collaborations with Mavado before they fell out, and their reconciliation involving even the Jamaican government at the time, and how that also broke down. I was intrigued at how government at the highest level could be involved with street battles amongst dancehall artistes, juxtaposing that with how Bob Marley intervened between politicians when he was alive to calm tensions ahead of national elections in the late seventies.

VYBZ KARTEL

I haven't been to Jamaica before and stories like that make me wonder if that Island of a country is so small as to require the Prime Ministers' involvement in such trivia (but sounds more reasonable in the light of the fact that lives have been lost, blood shed, innocents and others alike maimed, and property worth millions of dollars destroyed in such duels, and negatively impacting on Jamaica's tourism industry), even including that of the extradition of the drug dealer Christopher Dudus Coke, whose attempt at arrest by the Jamaican forces led to days of standoff between his loyalists and government troops. With what I gathered back then, it appears that there's an unholy alliance among street gangs, musicians/artistes and the government, as highlighted by a BBC documentary I was privileged to see months back, at the time Vybz Kartel's murder trial was ongoing, and it was stressed that the situation had always been such, so much so that even Jimmy Cliffs movie debut highlighted it in the 1972 movie, "THE HARDER THEY COME".

Vybz Kartel's "LIFE" remains to this day for me, the best of his songs. As it ministers to the youth of Jamaica, and indeed the world to do the right things to especially make ends meet and survive. Many times, as today it has come up as my SONG OF THE DAY, or NOW PLAYING, not only on my social media platforms but most importantly from my earphones to my ears, and days that I am less busy, the whole day it is 'pon dah replay! It is disheartening how it is, that someone who managed to articulate such life impacting message in his own rudebwai/street way in LIFE still managed to get himself in so much trouble as two counts of murder (apart from other cases mainly involving drugs and the likes) for which he is now serving a LIFE SENTENCE for one, i.e. the murder of a former associate Clive "Lizard" William, and now due for parole in thirty-five years, with possibility to record from incarceration amongst other freedoms he may be able to afford.

I suppose that jail time for him may be slightly different from that of his compatriot BUJU BANTON (who didn't even help himself with his 2007 "DRIVER A" offering, which glorified drug trafficking) held for drug trafficking in the U.S. as he may be allowed some freedoms that the latter will definitely not have, though it appeared like Buju's cameo for the remix of Steve Marley's "JAH ARMY" was done from jail. Regardless of how "free" Vybz Kartel can be in jail, it doesn't remove from the fact that he's a convict and for a crime as murder which isn't so good considering that many youths see him as a model (regardless of what you think of him).

With Buju Banton (doing 10 years for drugs) and Vybz Kartel (at least 35 years for murder), and a host of others out of circulation for one offense or the other, and easily replaced (though sometimes with less artistry and mastery of the dancehall genre, for which they get better later) by new kids on the block. It has become pertinent that the industry do some soul searching so that situations where the best that Jamaica's music industry has to offer, as well as their biggest exports are whisked away to jail, in or outside of the country for one offence or the other, are either  drastically reduced or nipped in the bud to make such a thing of the past. The BAD BOY image of the dancehall genre must be shed, if that brand of music is not to face impending doom and extinction. It isn't enough to just put out a good one like "LIFE" and live a life that suggests to ones' fans that they are to live as one says but not as one does. Na my two cents be dat.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://www.herald.co.zw

NOW PLAYING: "OYEA RAPPERS" (REMIX) BY MODENINE FEATURING REMINISCE

I saw the end of the musical video on TV late last month for the first time. It sounded nice and I wasn't surprised when I noticed that the song was a MODENINE piece. I had always maintained that he is Nigeria's only true rap artiste, if you think about RAP in the real sense of it, you know, how Tupac and Biggie did it back in the day.

Anyway, back to my tale, then yesterday while having my bath, the song came up again on the radio station I was listening to, that was when I knew I must add it to my collections. Unfortunately, because of the poor data network in my bathroom, I had to keep reminding myself of what I needed to do so I could do it once I finished having my bath.

I couldn't also shazam the song because of the poor network so I didn't know the title, but I simply googled Modenine and it appeared that the Nigerian social media world had been abuzz many weeks before about Modenine's latest offering, so I simply trusted my hunches that it must be the OYEA RAPPERS bandied about majorly online, where he featured (or as most of the columnists said, sampled) REMINISCE's voice, that I was looking for.

I hadn't only been impressed with Reminisce in LOCAL RAPPERS where he featured OLAMIDE and PHYNO, but I blogged about it in - noesis: NIGERIA'S LOCAL RAPPERS http://madukovich.blogspot.com.ng/2015/10/nigerias-local-rappers.html?m=1  (though I was disappointed with his collabo with Davido in "DADDY"), so when his name appeared here again, I followed my hunch and downloaded it, and that was how the whole of yesterday I shut out the world while "Oyea Rappers" alone blasted in my ears, 'pon da replay.

Initially, I thought that it was a response to LOCAL RAPPERS, but seeing that Reminisce was featured in it, I figured otherwise, till it began to appear like "Oyea Rappers" had been done before the former, then I perished the thought, even though I had read several commentaries suggesting that even the former was done in response to the latter, I decided not to be bothered about it. Even if they were indeed rap joints borne out of rivalries and envy, the fruit it yielded only ended up advancing the cause of rap music in Nigeria.

I have always seen Mode9 as/like one of those guys I knew in secondary school who were members of the debating society in the junior school days, but joined so called "bad" gangs in the senior secondary  years, veering into rap. I say this because of the kind of words he uses in his raps, words the normal Nigerian rap artiste wouldn't use, not because they aren't educated enough, but because the normal Nigerian, regardless of academic levels attained, have a limited English language vocabulary (even compared to our Ghanaian counterparts), hence why I feel they tend to easily hide under curse and swear words when they rap, but I later put that to the fact that Modenine is British born (and bred for a while I suppose), though of Osun State parentage in Nigeria.

This offering, a remix I now gather, is quite phenomenal. I have always felt that the mix of reggae and rap will definitely have an edge that sets it apart, when a rapper decides to exploits the benefits in reggae beats to vomit lyrics, and there are very few mixes like that which I have not fallen in love with. When Tupac's "MY BLOCK" was given Damien Marley's "WELCOME TO JAMROCK" beats, I stopped listening to the original, just like how Guerrilla Blacks "COMPTON" featuring Bennie Man is the only rap song of his I know, something that till this day I consider as his "lightning strike"/eureka moment in music, that may see him having difficulties (apparently so) in years to come to replicate the dope beats and rap (which was more of "spelling" exercise) he dropped there, amongst many others that time and memory would hardly permit me to begin to itemize right now.

Interestingly, it was a slightly modified version of the "COMPTON" beats, that Modenine latched upon to do the beats for his "Oyea Rappers", only that unlike the former he introduced his with the original from the Jamaican song, like Reminisce did in Local Rappers when he sampled a Brenda Fassie (late South African musician) song as intro (possibly lifting what he learnt from his short foray into the world of Modenine), and Jay Z in the Lucifer Remix (featuring Kardinal Offishall) did with a reggae beat and making the original (Dennis Brown's "Wolves And Leopards") his outtro, reinforcing my views that a good rapper can never go wrong with a reggae beat in the background. Even Nas can attest to this after journeying with Damien Marley in DISTANT RELATIVES, where I hate to think that Nas' career would've absolutely hit the rocks had he not explored and exploited that window for all it was worth, at the time he did.

I am just glad to know that Modenine is back, and not just back like many of his contemporaries attempted to without regaining their former position in the industry, but that he's back like there was never a hiatus in the first place. Gladly, though he claims that his latest album is more commercial (and I felt a tinge of it in "Oyea Rappers") it didn't lose the quality of hardcore rap associated with him over the years, and for that I am so very grateful.

'kovich 

PHOTO CREDIT:
- http://www.spellsmusic.net

SINAI PENINSULA CRASH: TERRORISM OR MECHANICAL FAULT?

The SINAI peninsula is filled with insurgents, mainly targeting Egyptian security forces, especially since the military toppled Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood from power, and conducted elections which brought one of theirs, (former General) Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi into power as president.

Some of these terrorist groups are allied with the ISLAMIC STATE, IS (ISIS) which is in control of large swathes of land in Iraq, while battling the governments in Iraq and Syria. A few weeks back, Russia waded in on the side of President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria in a bid to rid the country of elements of the Islamic State, to the anger of the terrorist groups operating in Syria, as well as the opposition groups and to the chagrin of the Americans and her western allies.

So, when a Russian airliner ferrying more than two hundred tourists back home to Russia, disappeared over the Sinai peninsula this morning, only one thing came to my mind, considering recent threats issued by ISIS to their cells to target Americans and Russians, as well as their interests worldwide, which was followed by recent arrests claimed by Russia's security agencies, even in Moscow of people alleged to be planning attacks on the homeland, that maybe this was the outcome of a terrorist attack, probably by ISIS.

WRECKAGE OF THE RUSSIAN AIRLINER, FLIGHT KGL9268 WITH 224 PASSENGERS AND CREW ON BOARD, AT THE SITE OF THE CRASH IN SINAI, EGYPT.

When it came over the wire later today, that a group loyal to ISIS had claimed responsibility for downing the plane, I wasn't surprised especially considering the region in which the plane disappeared from the radar. What surprised me however, was how Russia swallowed its pride to claim that the crash could likely be due to the age of the aircraft (something it may not do under different circumstances), citing examples of other planes of its kind which had also experienced unfortunate endings and near-unfortunate situations to buttress its point, rather than agree that the plane was downed by terrorists, which would be sure to draw discontent at home amongst the Russian people, who may begin to question the Kremlin's position on Syria.

I really would like to believe the Russian narrative that there could be no way the terrorists' portable surface-to-air, anti-aircraft missile launchers could reach the airliner at the height it was flying when it went off the radar, but you know how with these terrorists one couldn't be too certain about their capabilities, till one finds them exceeding long held limited expectations of them, and compared with a Kremlin that needs a supportive populace for the kind of news they will find convenient to put out as cause of the crash. For now what is most politically correct to do (while awaiting the result of investigations into the likely cause of the crash), is to pray for the repose of the dead, and wish their families the fortitude to bear the huge losses and void this crash would have brought them. Hmmmmmn!

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://www.cbc.ca

FOUR THINGS NOLLYWOOD MUST LEARN FROM SHUGA

I saw Season One of the Nigerian version of SHUGA this past weekend, and was totally amazed by that piece of work. Had I not seen Nigerian artistes, or Nigerian names in the credits I wouldn't have believed that it had anything to do with Nigeria.

It will interest you to know that most of the actors in this flick aren't the ones you'd normally see in Nollywood movies, though it contained artistes that have made it in different genres of music for youths in Nigeria, especially as it appeared to me to be aimed at youths with the message about the ever present menace of HIV and AIDS in todays' society. Maybe it appeared the way it did because of the groups involved, notable amongst which was MTVBase, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA and I suppose an International Donor Agency, amongst others. 

I always had the opportunity to see Shuga before now, but I was afraid it'll end up being like movies from the stable of Nollywood (Nigeria's movie industry), or one of Nigeria's endless, oft-repeated and focusless soaps and sitcoms. After seeing Season One, it totally blew my mind, hence I decided to note the areas in the season film that Nollywood can learn from, to become better and maybe buy back critics and cynics like me, back to the fold of their viewing public (which continues to grow despite their shortcomings), as they mostly pander to Nigerian society's myths, superstitions, religion and the likes over facts and reality that could help the way Nigerians perceive things in tandem with the dictates of the times.

1. Nollywood must build capacity in order to provide accurate information on any subject they intend to disseminate in a movie, sitcom or soap. Even when myths or superstition is to be flown beside facts and proven science, technology, medicine and art, they must ensure all are distinctly put out to erase the situation where they all exist in a blur. I have lost count of Nigerian movies, sitcoms and soaps on TV where wrong and unhelpful information was put out using that platform, most annoying is the many times caesarean section to aid child delivery was portrayed as anathema, and made to be strongly condemned as an option for the expectant mother in many movies, because of one superstition or the other, for instance.

Shuga focused on the topic of HIV and AIDS, and all along the points, accurate information and news that are vital and useful were systematically diseminated verbally and non-verbally, even in deeds. Every thought, word and deed were intentionally coordinated to arrive at what seems to me to be predetermined outcomes of the producers or directors, towards the dissemination of information relation to the subject matter. I doubt that I saw moments when it appeared that the actors and actresses freestyled or used their own initiative to cover up a mistake like you'd routinely see with Nollywood movies, soaps and sitcoms.

2. As with Shuga (Naija Version), Nollywood must learn to begin to use ACTUAL and BELIEVABLE locations, and places. Watching Shuga reminded me of the University of Lagos, UNILAG hostels, which they used, even though they reduced the number of roomies considerably (two in the cases portrayed, for the usual four or more roomies including squatters), but the plot was quite believable. I understand that many students also live off campus, but ascribing palatial mansions to students, especially the females, as is norm with some Nollywood movies is an exception rather than norm in real life, and makes many Nollywood stories unbelievable, even when they portray the females as capable of affording such houses because they practice "prostitution" or "running an escort business" by the side. 

3. Lighting and Sound in Shuga can be said to be adequate. The night felt like night (not with day showing from a part of the window blinds when a night scene is staged as with many Nollywood flicks), not with lighting very obvious as the extent of the Neon light shows, and the day as should be. Even the nightclub scenes were as dark as one would expect in real life without compromising the ability to see the actors and actresses play their part in the scenes there, with audio of their conversations not swallowed in the din of the music from the nightclub in the background. There were no shadows or images of the behind-the-scenes crew on walls or even in mirrors adjacent to the scene, neither were there accidental opening of doors, as you would find in some Nollywood flicks, which I am sure the editors may fall upon, yet refuse to properly edit.

4. Subtitling is a major flaw area for Nigerian movies, especially in the Yorùbá language section. Many of the still photos of these are often found trending on Nigerian twitter handles, Facebook pages and blogs authored by Nigerians. Though, Shuga was done majorly in English, there were aspects where pidgin English, and the vernacular (in the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo) of Nigerian local languages were freely but sparsely used. Those scenes had subtitles done for them, and I had and found no cause to hold Shuga to ransom there.   

These four here highlighted are the major areas I noticed (amongst many others that don't easily come to mind right now) where Shuga had an edge over most of what is put out by Nollywood. Although I know that there are also stables that put out quality movies (Mainframe Pictures for instance), I continue to have issues with storylines even with better picture and sound quality as you would find with Kunle Afolayan's movies amongst a few others, as there are many distractions that tend to dilute the message in some of these better movies from Nollywood, something that the producers of Shuga appeared to have taken nail-biting care to avoid, to my wide-eyed cheer and applause.

I would love to see more of what I saw in Shuga in Nigerian movies, sitcoms and soap operas going forward. Especially with the current producers, directors, writers, and the works to show that something has been learnt from the many years of "hands on", trainings and retrainings (if they have been undergoing such), even further education preferably abroad in reputable film institutes. Failure to do this will spell doom for Nollywood, despite the overflowing confidence practitioners in the industry have because of the huge size of the industry, as well as the large following and recognition it currently garners and enjoys, not just within Nigeria or Africa, but worldwide. Civilizations in time past, have at one time or the other disappeared, even empires fell and ceased to exist, a complacent Nollywood cannot stop what will come to it, if it fails to redirect its step for the better.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

RUSSIA'S NECESSARY EVIL IN SYRIA

But please, what would the Americans have the Russians and indeed the world do? America had all the opportunities to mould Syria anyway they liked in the early days of the crisis but opted to play the ostrich. Even when it appeared that President Assad crossed the RED LINE Obama set, the latter still balked against what many in his party as well as in the opposition Republican Party, saw as better advice to go into Syria, with the British having developed cold feet he jettisoned the idea, leaving the Russians to take the initiative in spearheading a United Nations process of ridding Syria of Chemical Weapons.

Russia's President Putin leveraged on the statesmanly popularity the above earned him internationally and most importantly at home to pursue other agendas in eastern Europe, Ukraine to be precise to the anger of the United States of America and her allies, for which the latter activated as many sanctions against Russia as they can muster, which hurt Russia's economy so badly, that Putin had to strengthen further relations with China and other economic blocs opposed to America's superintendence, even sometimes negotiating from a point of weakness just to stay afloat.

We had begun living with this new state of affairs until out of the blues, Russia reactivated it's engagement in Syria, though many see it as more like making overt what was already covert, or escalating what was at a lower level, with bombing raids which Putin said was aimed at degrading the capacity of the ISLAMIC STATE, IS to continue to make war in Iraq Syria. This move not only angered the Americans whose indecision on Syria many tend to blame for the rise of the Islamic State, but led to a campaign in the media it controls in the west to go on a lampooning spree against the airstrikes, hardly seeing any good, except a Russian Evil in Syria, by showcasing the destruction allegedly left behind by the strikes in civilian areas, while Islamic State held areas appear largely unscathed, neither accepting that there had been any form of degradation of ISIS' capabilities.

It became so bad that they kept on reporting the "harm" the Russian airstrike was doing to Syria's innocent populations, especially those in regions in opposition to Assad's rule that they conveniently ignored (except for some speedy mentions, or tiny scrolls at the bottom of the TV) the event of an American airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF run hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan in which some doctors and patients lost their lives, while many more survived with varying degrees of injuries, and only began to regularly mention it when the MSF remained unrelenting in asking for an independent investigation into the incident.

BURNING MSF HOSPITAL IN KUNDUZ, AFGHANISTAN AFTER IT WAS HIT BY AMERICAN FORCES

Atleast, we know what Russia wants in Syria, but definitely not what the Americans want, and by implication what the American foreign policy is, concerning the middle east at large, especially with this Obama government, which claims it detests Islamic State's activities, and would do all it takes to wipe the scum off the surface of the earth, yet the only thing it appears to have done in the case of Syria is train and arm groups opposed to Assad's government in Syria, who then go on to avail the Islamic State American weapons and expertise earned in their interactions with special forces. Even bombing raids by America and her allies in Iraq have done little to dismantle the group, even as Obama refuses to send boots on ground to bouy the government in Iraq.

The Americans claim that the sort of peace they would welcome in Syria is one that does not accommodate the status quo at the helm of affairs, the rest of the world wants peace there at any cost, especially if it will put an end to the migrant crisis bedevilling mainly Europe, and then to some extent the United States, Australia and others. Interestingly, Russia has been spared the nightmare of Syrian migrants at her borders and hence seen by many as doing the world a favour. I will rather this than nothing, and if peace is hopefully procured by Russia's military intervention with possible wiping out of ISIS, then I don't mind. We may begin to talk about what should happen to Assad (of whom I am not fond) once this elusive peace is miraculously found there. This Putin's "evil" in Syria may just be a necessary one in the long run.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDITS:
- http://www.edition.cnn.com
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk

ENCORE BOKO HARAM

I just saw a recent video (http://t.co/Psky5vQ0sE) posted by the Islamic Fundamentalist group operating in Nigeria's Northeastern region, Boko Haram (seeking to impose a stricter form of the Islamic Jurisprudence, The Shar'ia on the country as it has successfully done in areas under its control in recent times) on youtube, which started by showing an onslaught against Nigeria's military forces in an unnamed location (may have been named in Arabic though) somewhere in what I suspect to be the Northeast of Nigeria, that ended with the beheading of a Nigerian soldier,

THE SOLDIER IN THE AFOREMENTIONED VIDEO

and a show of arms seized by the group after the attack. Contrary to what we are made to believe about the group striking a retreat each time they encounter Nigeria's military, the video shows members of the group surging towards gunfire, all of them without Kevlar.

Though the veracity of the video, especially as regards timing isn't easy to ascertain, it is not difficult to conclude that the footage may have been recently shot. If this is so, it makes a mockery of all that we have been getting as information from the military of successes recorded in the fight against the insurgents with assurances that they will be totally quashed by December, in the light of recent cases as well as frequency of suicide bomb attacks in Maiduguri (Borno State) and other parts of the Northeast, in which many civilians have lost their lives.

The stories of arrest of masterminds, including of so called financiers (with a few millions on their persons) with picture of an emaciated fellow as the suspect for instance, or of bomb makers, or of fuel suppliers (in Jigawa) amongst others, many of which there are no pictures to verify, nor names given makes the case of the military hardly believable in the face of mounting evidence of the activities of these Islamic Fundamentalist whose bombings go almost unchallenged, many times in the same vicinity within days with nothing to show that anything was learnt from the last suicide bombing either of a female suicide bomber, or from a male dressed like a female suicide bomber, or of a male suicide bomber. Even the pro-government media which helped this administration get into power, and then went further to keep mute over the resurgence of the suicide attacks (even of recent in Nigeria's capital, Abuja) appear to have realized the foolishness of their actions and now joined the foreign media to report these attacks as well as their frequency.

I was taken aback when President Buhari in an interview he granted an Al Jazeera journalist days back, claimed he hadn't read the report by an international Human Rights organization, that accused the Nigerian army of gross human rights violation in it's battle against Boko Haram in the Northeast, when one of the reasons Nigerians voted for him was on the strength of allegations against the past government on the way it had handled the war against the insurgents albeit with laxity. This is coming just days after Nigeria (which he led to New York) missed a key event at the United Nations, where the plight of Internal Displaced People, IDPs was up for discussion, of which fringe countries and Nigeria's neighbours attended and made their positions before the international community, while his handlers played down the importance of the event, rather than admit that a huge mistake had been made.

Sadly, what the president's handlers were concerned with was how President Buhari became Nigeria's first president to speak on the opening day of the UN's General Assembly. Just like they regaled us with how he was hosted at Blair House, that only few foreign Heads of State had had the pleasure of staying at during a visit to the United States of America, over and above the fact that nothing concrete was obtained of the Americans, especially with a President Obama who was nice enough not to have abandoned the Nigerian delegation in his haste to hurry off to Kenya, all because of a LEAHY ACT which prevents the American Department of State from assisting nations, whose military have been accused of human rights abuses militarily. It therefore was no surprise that a nation like Cameroon which made little or no noise, employing quiet and strategic diplomacy had just last week welcomed the first batch of a contingent of three hundred military experts from the US to help the country combat Boko Haram terrorists within her borders, and this while the Nigerian president was simply offered a visit by the commander of America's  Africa Command, AFRICOM.

Unfortunately, this Buhari-led administration jettisoned whatever gains was achieved by the last administration to chart a new course it is looking to be doing LEARNER at, when they could just have built on it. Now, in the latest interview he granted the foreign press (as if he detests the local Nigerian press), President Buhari stated that he wouldn't resign if Boko Haram isn't wiped out by the Decenber deadline he set for the military (whose command headquarters he relocated to Maiduguri, in Borno State which is the heart of the insurgent group), an indication that it may have dawned on him that the war against these Islamist may not be a thing of the past in the nearest future. A scary thing to ponder upon for the discerning.

I hate to think that this war against Boko Haram will be long drawn. Having followed the evolution of this group, beside writing about them (the latest been: LAFIYA NOT YET DO-LE | madukovich's cogitations https://madukovich.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/lafiya-not-yet-do-le/), I think that it is high time we begin to humanize some of the things associated with this war. I know that it may be difficult to get the names of victims at the hands of Boko Haram, but when such is possible, even of the injured, their names should be documented, even if (as is expected) that the government may abandon them to their fate. That way, somehow or somewhere in the future we may just be fortunate to find non governmental organizations, NGOs or even governments at different levels that may be interested in the welfare of such people to cater for them, not only physically but psychologically as well.

The military's quiet (even of denial as in the case of a beheaded member of the airforce few months back, at the hands of members of the dreaded group) over it's captured personnel must stop. The

THE SAME SOLDIER ABOUT TO BE BEHEADED

name of the latest victim in the video I saw (and that of many others, including a female member of the intelligence services), as well as many of our gallant men and women lost to these barbarians during combat should be made public so that Nigerians can honour them in anyway they might deem fit, and have their families feel proud of what their wards, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters etc, had done in sacrificing their lives for not just the peace and security of their beloved country, but for it's unity, rather than just focussing and making news of the court-martialling of deserters, even sentencing those who refused to sacrifice themselves because they were ill-equipped to face members of Boko Haram to death.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://africanspotlight.com
- http://realchannel165.com.ng

FAYOSE, EKITI AND THE AIRPORT PROJECT

So Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has ordered the immediate suspension of work on the Airport project in the outskirt of the state till December because of the death of an oil plantation farmer, Tijani Hakeem who died from shock following the destruction of his farm by Ekiti State government bulldozers, to make way for the airport project.

DEMOLITION IN PROGRESS ON PROPOSED SITE OF AIRPORT IN EKITI STATE

Many people have argued about the propriety of undertaking an airport project by this Fayose-led government that has less than four years to do in office for reasons such as the following:
- when there are airports in neighbouring states, 
- when these are lean times not only for the federal, but state governments as well, with the latter (including Ekiti State) requiring bailout funds to offset salary arrears, indebtedness to contractors and banks amongst others,
- when at a time Nigeria should be looking to wean itself from overdependence on revenue from sale of crude oil, to embrace sectors such as the Agriculture, only to be siting an airport on a palm oil plantation (as well as other food and cash crop producing farms) because of other non-agric factors in consideration,
- when the state government appears not to have carried along fully the owners of the land, including the plantation farmers one of which has now died from shock, for which the attention of the governor has finally been drawn, in requesting to meet with affected landowners and farmers to discuss amongst other issues, compensation.

GOVERNOR AYODELE FAYOSE OF EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

             

Besides the fact that the airport project may not positively impact the lives of the majority of the people in the state, its viability is also suspect, as several other airports dotting the landscape of Nigeria (including that of its neighbours), especially most of those built by state governments have remained but huge monumental failures unable to raise even the capital used to build them in revenue years after they were built, catering only to private jets owned or chattered by the governors, political acolytes, with major traffic only during christian and muslim pilgrimages (sponsored in the main by most state governments).

At the end of the day it massages only the ego of the governors and serves their megalomaniacal tendencies (in their attempt to leave behind legacy projects that can be named after them, or go down in history as initiated by them) over and above service to humanity or the uplifting of the circumstances of the ordinary people of the state, in the siting of many of the white elephant projects they embark upon when they are in government, and that includes even laudable projects such as hospitals like the so called "WORLD CLASS HOSPITAL" built by former Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, which he abandoned for a hospital abroad when he had scratch following an accident in Abuja recently. Infact, when eventually, these projects begin to impact the lives of the masses, it is usually more like a "side effect" rather than an "expected result" and that is only in the few instances when these projects aren't abandoned by successive governments. 

This airport project embarked upon by Governor Fayose, is ill-timed, wrongly located (as regards the opportunity cost it makes of agriculture), ill-advised (in relation to other pressing issues of importance for the state) and totally needless because of the presence of other airports in neighbouring states, one of which is suffering from neglect and is at some stage of disuse. It isn't likely that Governor Fayose can now be dissuaded. (definitely not from a pliant rubber stamp state legislature, or by a subdued majority of Ekiti people waiting on STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE packages dispense at will by the governor when it tickles his fancy) from towing a different line over this issue, so I can only hope that the best of possibilities happen with this airport to the people of Ekiti State if not while Fayose is in office, then years later after he's left office.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDITS:
- http://www.thescoopng.com
- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

COLUMBUS DAY RANT

Twas COLUMBUS DAY yesterday (and the day before it) and I had quite an engagement with my friend Ogidi Musso James aka OMJ - Comments https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/story.php?story_fbid=10153459686286997&id=675001996&ref=m_notif&notif_t=feed_comment,  about the propriety of Americans still celebrating or marking a day in honour of someone whose actions will at best be described in the main as genocidal, and had he been striding the earth at this point in time would be a candidate for the International Criminal Court, ICC at The Hague, except maybe as an American he'd be shielded from prosecution there, as many of that countries men-in-arms are, even when they have committed gross human rights abuse while on tour of duty elsewhere in the world.

Though I doubt that my friend OMJ was entirely against my point, his point however dwelt rather with why I would single out the Americans  for an act other countries like Japan and other nations (and major ethnic groups in an amalgam of a country like Nigeria) shamelessly do even without care for the sensibilities of those affected by their action of commemorating pioneers (in the case of America), or the celebration of the exploits of a forebear of a large marauding tribal leader over minor ethnic/tribal groups (in countries like Mongolia, Turkey, Nigeria etc), even of great rulers/leaders like Genghis Khan, Atatürk, Uthman Dan Fodio amongst others. I defended my action by reminding him that I raised this issue because at that moment in time it was Columbus that was being celebrated and I would gladly do so if and when the days for the commemoration of the others come too, especially if it was given the fanfare Americans give to the controversial "Columbus Day", especially when descendants of the victims remain within their country of aborigine in a position nearly second class in nature, and having to witness this annually. 

It is even more unfortunate, that in the midst of all these is the campaign train for the presidential elections for next year, of which immigration continues to play a major role, howbeit divisive to hear Republican Candidates banter the way they do about immigration. Imagine a Donald Trump going at the Mexicans the way he's been doing like his forebears sprung up directly from the American soil, after hounding President Obama years back over his birth certificate. Most unfortunate is the fact that this rhetoric of his appear to have been partly responsible for his steady rise in the polls, a disgusting prospect in thinking that some section of America actually feels that way, and that he infact is speaking the mind, hopefully not of the majority. 

The marking of days like Columbus' by Americans demean their stance as a nation that values Human Rights, and reduces their moral standing before the Comity of Nations especially when they fall out with nations like Turkey for refusing to acknowledge what they did against Armenians in WWI was genocide. It doesn't matter if before the landing of Columbus, the Amerindians were killing themselves (as portrayed in Mel Gibson's APOCALYPTO) with stronger tribes meting all kinds of inhuman treatments (including human sacrifices to the Gods) on weaker tribes, as the British also thought of Black Africans on the so called DARK CONTINENT, and therefore came in to bring forth to them enlightenment. Did Europe not have its DARK AGES? Sadly, unlike with Africa where the idea of bringing enlightenment in the main spared a large number of the natives, Columbus' expedition sought to annihilate America's natives, which begs the question why in the first place such a person should be honoured with a day. Even if the ancestors thought it right to so do, considering their racist tendencies, does it seem right for their offsprings to continue in the same light? Shouldn't this be a basis for such a commemoration to be struck off the calendar, besides the fact that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a section of the American society?

Even the notion that he discovered America cannot cut it. How about the Arawak Indians? (Asks Winston Rodney aka BURNING SPEAR in his CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS track). How long can we continue this foolishness in History of who discovered "where" on earth (like Mungo Park discovering the -source of the- Niger, when he didn't paddle himself across it in the first place) when those places were already well inhabited by indigenous people? Isn't that so very absurd? Mtcheeeeeeeew!

The British recently came close to rendering an apology for what they did to the Mau-Mau in Kenya, the Australians went further by actually apologising for their treatment of aborigines, which is good. America should rid itself of a position currently occupied by Belgium as regards its treatment of the Congolese in time past, as with Turkey to the Armenians, amongst a many inglorious others if she is going to be taken seriously as the nation that upholds and respects the rights of every one and group that forms an integral part of it. *Drops mic*

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- Comments https://m.facebook.com/home.php?refid=52&ref=m_notif&notif_t=feed_comment#!/story.php?story_fbid=10103745856036331&id=6028496&fs=4

NIGERIA'S LOCAL RAPPERS

 

There's a lot Reminisce's "LOCAL RAPPERS" track featuring Olamide and Phyno tells about the evolution of the Nigerian music industry, as well as the enterprise of the Nigerian young person and youth in the face of the everyday challenges (some of the most trying the world over) s/he faces.

It was norm in the early days, even to these times, when it isn't out of place for young people going into the music or entertainment industry mimicking western culture. That actually gained ground with Nigerian singers doing all their best to outdo singers in their chosen genre from the west. Unfortunately, the reggae artistes, no matter how much they tried, couldn't sound better than the worst rudeboy doing reggae in Jamaica. The same could be said of the Hip-Hop, Rap, Rhythm & Blues crooners who could only do their best but were nowhere to be found on the scale legends of those genres easily maintained for the time their careers were at the peak.

It is testament to the sagacity and resilience of these young people, many of whom have been failed by contemporary Nigerian society where the welfare of youths remain the last, if not least on the agenda at every level of government and out of it generally. It took lots of belief in themselves for those who attempted in the early days to Nigerianize, or localize (as with Ghana-Hip Life, Kenya and the rest) foreign genres with loads of African content, even when at the time, it wasn't the most popular or profitable thing to do. You would notice that even with Musical Talent Hunt Shows, after the ones in the academy might have been shown the proper ropes, defending those with and by doing foreign music on show nights, even the winner or some of the bests on the show, once out of the academies/show in general go back to the streets to do their song street-style, i.e. Hip-Hop and Rap heavily laced with "Naija" nuances. One lesson from what these ones have done is to take something western and localize it, which we will do well to adopt in other sectors of the Nigerian socio-econo-political space, amongst others.

Though many of the forerunners have long seized to make tracks, some (like Da Grin) even dead, their dream and their labour is finally beginning to yield fruit, with Hip-Hop and Rap heavily laced with everything Nigerian is making waves not just within Nigeria, but outside of it, with international awards rolling in on all sides to complete the cycle, such that it must create fear in non-Nigerian artistes if they find they are nominated alongside Nigerian artiste(s) for any music award, in their home country or elsewhere (that's not Nigeria).

It is interesting to note that this stride by Nigeria's youths in the music industry isn't restricted only to music, as many have found their hands in many startups, especially taking advantage of the ease of communication enabled by social media platforms to market their ideas, services and products amongst others. This generation of young Nigerians largely ignore the government and society that ignored them in the first place, making the best of the situation they have found themselves in, indeed making lemonade of lemons thrown to them by life.

To say that I enjoy every bit of LOCAL RAPPERS, each time I listen to it 'pon dah REPLAY is a gross understatement, as much as I find very creative and prolific many of the songs put out by Nigerian and Ghanaian artistes who have fused very well Africanness into Hip-Hop and Rap. I wouldn't say that I am as impressed with Reminisce as I am with Olamide and Phyno in the track, even though he claimed no one rapped better than him this year, when he was totally outdone and outclassed by those he featured on his own track.

In all, the song not only sounded great, it is inspirational especially to youths with the message to encourage belief in oneself, though the song could do with less explicitness, something some of today's artistes will do well to take a cue from Tuface who has achieved fame and all (and at forty still going strong) doing purely Nigerian music without as much as leaning to the vulgar.

'kovich


PICTURE CREDIT: 
- http://tooxclusive.com

A NATION UNDER GUNS

I wanted to use the last shooting incident  in which ten people died at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon in the United States as the background for this epistle, but refrained from doing so for fear that by the time I am done writing these few lines some other shooting incident may have taken its place in the media.

An average of thirty-six people die by the gun daily in the states if statistics by the Huffington Post are anything to go by, yet Americans are looking at all solutions but "the one" in tackling the issue. Obama in his press conference appeared exasperated in expressing how the routineness of his pressers after another shooting, indicate how the American society have become benumbed by the gun violence situation it has found itself in in recent times.

As with other times both sides of the divide (of the pro- and anti-gun lobby groups) have further dug in their trenches, for and against the further tightening of gun control legislature. What the last incident (as well as some of the ones before it) showed is profound, in that it highlighted the fact that most of the weapons and ammunition used by most of these rampaging gunmen, were legally obtained, for which it is becoming increasing pertinent amongst the discerning to begin to consider a limiting of gun possession to very few individuals and for strictly stated reasons, beyond a series of tests that people can easily pass and/or walk their way over, and still find themselves in possession of the arms with which they end the lives of some of their victims, maim others and alter the lives of those directly and indirectly affected by their actions, sometimes for life.

It is also interesting for many of us non-US citizens, to note how it is that the gun lobby has unalloyed support of the Christian right, that one would've thought would hold the tenets of peace, non-retaliation and dependent on the divine for defence physically and spiritually, prefer to argue heavily in support of gun ownership by the citizenry, even of children, than seek solace in those standards christian scripture especially of new testament theology requires of them.

It is my belief that until there is a radical shift in the thinking of all concerned in the gun control debate, in which no plausible reason can be found to put guns in the hands of any member of society that's not a member of the armed services in the main, then America is not ready to be rid of its unenviable position as A NATION UNDER GUNS.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk

THE APOCALYPTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

From last night and for the next one week, Jews worldwide will be celebrating the FEAST OF TABERNACLES | madukovich's cogitations https://madukovich.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/feast-of-tabernacles/, but it might interest you to know what significance this feast has especially as regards YAHWEH's calendar, as I have always stated that this feast is part of.

A perusal of my post mentioned above will impress upon you on the why it behooves on us to continue to observe this feast, if not for anything else but because YAHWEH instructs us to do so as a Statute FOREVER.  As an indication of the "everlastingness" of this feast, the prophet Zachariah foretells of events (during the one thousand year reign of Yahshua, after the FIRST RESURRECTION in which the dead in Yahshua shall rise, while the believers alive will have their CORRUPTIBLE body change for INCORRUPTIBLE -1 Corinthians 15:53-  to rule with Him) of those days in which, "... the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem (in the last war before the end) and lost to become subservient, will go up year after year to worship the King, YAHWEH Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of TABERNACLES" (Zachariah 14:16) and goes on further to state in verse 17 that "if any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, YAHWEH Almighty, they will have no rain."

This One thousand year reign will be such that while Satan is locked up in the bottomless pit (Revelations 20:2-3), the non-believers who were alive at the time of the Second Coming of Yahshua will have that period on earth to ruminate over how they had lived their lives before His coming and will have a chance to turn a new leaf with admonitions coming off the mouths of saints (the dead in Yahshua who had resurrected and the living whose bodies have changed, both to become immortals at His second coming) from Jerusalem (Yah-Ru-Shalayim in Hebrew, where they will Rule with Yahshua) till the one thousand years "of Grace" is over and Satan is once again released.

Not many of the unbelievers at the time of Yahshua's second coming will be convinced to change their ways and turn to YAHWEH within that of one thousand year period, and these will be allied with Satan at the time of his release, to wage war against Jerusalem (Revelations 20:9) but will be roundly defeated (with his large army) and cast into the LAKE OF FIRE and brimstone. This event will be followed by the SECOND RESURRECTION involving those who had died without the knowledge of YAHWEH or Yahshua or the Good News (Revelations 20:12), these ones will be judged "..according to their WORKS (of good and evil)" only, "And whosoever was not found written in the BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the lake of fire".

After the Devil and Death would've been defeated, a New Heaven and a New Earth will replace the old (Revelations 21:1), and according to John a New Jerusalem will come down out of Heaven, accompanied with a great voice saying, "...Behold, the TABERNACLE of YAHWEH is with men, and HE will dwell with

them, and they shall be his people, and YAHWEH himself shall be with them, and be their MIGHTY ONE" (Revelations 21:3), and so it shall be restored, that relationship YAHWEH once had with Man (Adam) before THE FALL.

This is the main essence of which we celebrate or observe the Feast of Tabernacles for Seven Days (seen by not a few people to signify the SIX THOUSAND YEARS allocated to man and the ONE THOUSAND YEAR reign of Yahshua at his second coming) and the LAST GREAT DAY, after the feast of Tabernacle described as the Eighth Day - "And I appointed the eighth day also, that the eighth day should be the first-created after my work, and that the first seven revolve in the form of the seventh thousand, and that at the beginning of the eighth thousand there should be a time of not counting, endless with neither years nor months nor weeks nor days nor hours" (Secrets of Enoch Chapter 23 verse 1)- even in Leviticus 23:39 (which is also a Sabbath and Holy Convocation) signifying the descent of YAHWEH's Tabernacle to dwell amongst Men. HALLELU-YAH!
 
'kovich

REFERENCE:
- THE WORD OF YAHWEH, © 2000
- THE LOST BOOKS OF THE BIBLE AND THE FORGOTTEN BOOKS OF EDEN, Copyright 1926 by Alpha House, Inc.

PICTURE CREDIT:
- http://www.agapegeek.com