REASONS

Would there ever be a time in Nigeria when electricity availability wouldn't be a problem? Would I wake up one day, without the feeling of uncertainty whether am will have enough money to buy fuel or whether my generator is going to last a little bit longer before giving up again?

Humans are meant to adapt to some kind of environmental factors in the long run. Even some of the factors that are not good for them. But, lack of electricity is one problem I don't think Nigerians can ever adapt to. I don't expect us to be able to adapt to it.
It is a national disgrace that in a country like Nigeria we cannot boast of at least 18hrs availability of electricity in most of the major cities and townships. The supply is grossly intermittent and facilities highly malfunctioned. Amazingly, our government have nurtured this very melee, our politicians are always making high promises during election and totally neglecting it when they later get into offices. One may ask,why won't a particular government earmark this problem and deal with it once and for all? The answer is probably corruption, because some elite individuals in the society are one way or the other gaining from this particular situation.

Generally, Nigerians don't care about the price they have to pay in order to get constant, adequate electricity supply. We would rather have it at an exorbitant rate and then manage whichever way we can. However, in this case one cannot manage what one does not have.
Maybe with the recent privatisation of the power sector, the tide would change for the better, but one cannot tell because in this country one should always expect the good, the bad and the ugly.

I am saying since the reason why I couldn't write a blog yesterday is because there was no electricity throughout yesterday (where I live) and my 'I pass my neighbour' generator is faulty, this same reason could also be applied to some small and medium businesses which under performed yesterday, it can also be the reason why the young guy down the road who wanted to set up a barbershop as a means of livelihood has to wait till be would be able to buy a generator. It could also be the reason Chinedu couldn't type his assignments. It is could also be the reason why Adaobi was successfully harassed and her phones stolen by hoodlums on the street because there were no lights there.

The benefits of constant, adequate electricity to every society are innumerable. Therefore something needs to be done to annihilate this problem because what is obtainable now is highly disheartening.

DERANGED (series)

As I was walking down the isle with him that saturday mid day, my heart was filled with joy beyond measure. I looked at the faces of the gathered congregation, most of them were beaming with smiles and looking at me. Maybe they are all admiring my beauty, maybe they are looking at my gown, yeah Ken could afford it. Maybe the ladies aren't looking at me but at ken. He is very handsome and muscular built and we ladies love muscular built men. I searched enerstly till I could spot my best friend, Angela. She is the only person that knows the true me, she knows my story my history. We were so close that people thought we are sisters, friendship bond two unrelated individuals together. I have come a long way to be at the place I am today. I have struggled to become who I am today. I have searched the nooks and crannies of life for personal freedom, in search of real love, in search of knowledge, in search of wealth. I have found knowledge and knowledge has given me personal freedom, I have found real love in the person of Ken and Ken I am sure would give me wealth. It is like I am killing two birds with one shot. I have really struggled to be someone good enough for somebody like Ken.
When someone sees me, especially an outsider. By an outsider I mean someone who isn't as close to me as Angela is. The person would think that I have always been this lucky, the person may think that I have the world under my feet. The truth is that I have never been this lucky, in fact I have never been lucky at all. I have been so unlucky that Angela had mapped out a day to always fast and pray for me. In her own words, 'spiritual breakthrough is what you need, what deals with you is beyond physical.'
I accepted what she said about me, not because I like being so negative but because fate has never been smiling on me.

I lost my parents at a very tender age, so tender that I did not get to see them. Apart from one old picture of their wedding day, I do not have any image of what they look like. The picture showed an handsome young man and a woman that should be in her late twenties. She was holding a clover of flowers in her right hand and she is being held on the left by the handsome man. She was wearing a white Lacy material,a white low heeled shoes, she had a small crown on her black hair, the hair was well packed in a professional manner. She was visibly excited and happy. Who wouldn't be on her own wedding?
The man was wearing an all white attire, white three piece suit, white shoes. He looked happy too, he was looking like a man that has everything he needs. A contented man. That is the only knowledge I have of my parents. The picture makes me understand how we give values to items. To me, this picture is the most valuable thing I have. I console myself by believing that so far this picture exists, my parents would never grow old. The picture depicts a young happy couple. So the picture may some day become so old and crumpled but the people in it would forever remain young.
I grew up in an orphanage in Edo state, there we are well taken care of and also well dehumanised. The matron makes us to understand that ones key to survival lies in his/her ability to be very obedient. Being obedient in that orphanage entails doing everything you were told to do by your superiors, the good, the bad and the very ugly.
At the age of twelve we were taught the art of sex.

Mothers Day

I cannot really say the reason why I did not write anything over the weekend. Maybe because it's called weekend and am expected to rest, or maybe because I lacked ideas on what to write about.
Waking up this morning, I decided that it would do me no harm if I write something about a woman that is the greatest mother I have ever seen.

You know, though I could have been very little then, but I can still remember vividly the type of woman my Aunty is. The way she would juggle house keeping with other things that needed her attention. The way she treated me, the way she nurtured me, the way she would scold me when I misbehave and also praise me when I do something great. Like when I started saying prayers in English even though I was just three and half years old and was fluffing the words and had no idea what I was saying ( everybody said it was English, so I believe it was English). Like when I started making 80percent average in my primary school; she encouraged me, made me understand that I should strive to maintain that average, that I should strive higher but never lower. She taught me how to wash my clothes, how to cook some meals and how to manage what one has. She taught me 'not to hang my clothes above my height'. She taught me virtually all the good things I know today.

It has not always being rosy between us. During my early teenage years, I was stubborn,and had a penchant for doing bad things. Since she couldn't condone most of things I do then, we were always at loggerheads. Nevertheless, she did not abandon me nor treat me with any sort of contempt whatsoever. Although she was an Aunty to me, she treated me like a son, so much so that I see her as an epitome of motherhood.
As I am writing this, I am trying so much not to delve into criticising the women that cannot treat children that are not theirs like their own. I don't want to delve into that, because I believe that everything that happens in life happens for a cause and a reason. But, I have grown up to understand that their are 'mums' and their are 'mothers'. 'Mums' are the ones that only know how to give birth to a child Mothers are those that not just give birth to a child, but also nurture the child and train a child that is not even theirs in the right way to grow.
In such a way that the person would become a better person for the society at large. Apparently, one can categorically say that all 'mothers' are 'mums' but not all mums are 'mothers'.
So, I am saying that not all 'mums' should call themselves a Mother.

Had my Aunty not been who she was for me, maybe I would have turned out to became a very bad person. I am not in any way saying that I am an angel, but I am sure that if our society have about 40% of people like me, the society would be a better place. # SELF PRAISE

Mrs Norah Udoh, may God bless you for making me a good man. I know you may not get to read this, but whoever reads this, would recognise that you are one of the best women on earth today. Happy Mother's day Mama. Many women worketh, but thou excellest them all..you are the greatest mother I have ever seen.

The nonsense in belonging to a sort of Nonsense.

They told him to try out this man, ' we are strongly behind you they said, if you belong nothing can happen to you' . Nobody would ever mess with you again in this vicinity' , Bode told him.'If anything goes wrong, give me a call and we would storm the place'.

With much swagger, Ejike moved towards the shop where the man was seated eating akpu and egwusi soup. As usual there was no electricity, the power holding company has held power in that area for a whole week. The people had complained but all to no avail, they have gotten used to the darkness. Since their is life, everything won't be perfect but could be managed.
Ejike was not able to see the man's face maybe because visibility was low due to no electricity, or maybe the effects of the marijuana he smoked earlier has began to manifest. Ejike tapped the man on the shoulder, the man did not turn, so he nudged the man a little bit harder to get the man's attention.
The man was then forced to move his gaze from his food to Ejike, 'what is it'? he asked. Ejike told him, ' who goes, Identify yourself'.
The man ignored him, and continued with his food. Ejike nudged the man on the shoulder again. ' I said who goes, identify yourself'. Once again the man ignored him. This time, Ejike was very much direct and angry with the man for totally ignoring him. He pushed the man,banged his hand on the man's table very hard saying, 'who you be sef, I dey ask you to identify yourself and you no wan talk, abi'? As he did this, the man's plate of soup moved off the table and spilled some of the hot egwusi soup on the man.
The man immediately stood up, gave Ejike a very had push that knocked him off balance. Ejike fell to the ground on his back with his legs outspread in a sort of V-shape. The man rushed him on the floor, lifted him up and threw him on the hard cemented floor. The man rushed him again, lifted him up and threw him once more on the floor. This time a small group of people have gathered round the scene, trying to stop the man from lifting Ejike up the third time. Immediately Ejike got up from the ground and dizzyingly took to his heels. He rushed to one of the roadside shops and bought a hundred Naira recharge card and dialled Bode's number it was switched off. He dialled Emeka's number, it was also switched off. Since their has been no electricity for a very long time, he concluded that maybe these people he had just called have flat batteries. So he decided to rush to the uncompleted building where they normally hold their meetings, they would all probably be there, he thought. On getting there, he saw Bode. Bode was standing at the entrance of the uncompleted building, smoking his favourite brand of cigarette ; Dorchester. After narrating the whole story to Bode,Bode took out a white envelope and gave it to him. Telling him, 'don't open this letter, till you get to the confines of your room,we will tidy that guy's fuck up, just don't worry'.

Though disappointed, by Bode's non action on the issue. Ejike took the white envelope and headed home. When he got home, with much anticipation, he opened the envelope and brought out a while sheet of paper. He was surprised to see that the sheet of paper doesn't have much written on it. Then he saw it, written very bold on the other side of sheet of paper; "THERE IS NO BROTHER IN THE JUNGLE". It dawned on him, that he had been played. He tore the sheet of paper to shreds. And laid down on his bed, starring at the ceilings.

They told him that they had his back, so whatever he does, they would come and fight for him. But they all absconded when he needed them most. Ejike was thinking, 'what happened to the oaths we took together', so they could abandon him like this.

They would tell you that joining them would give you some sort of protection. They normally target the vulnerable fresh students who feel that they are all alone in a very wide society, therefore they seek where to belong, where to get protection and allegiance. They are more active during the admission period, when there would be new in-takes in the higher institutions, they go around scouting for the very vulnerable ones. The vulnerable freshers would be cajoled or compelled to join, most of them would be used as mercenaries to carry out all forms of atrocities in the school environment.
Then, there are some that have joined in the streets. These ones joined them even before they come to the higher institutions. These ones are the worst ones, because they were already hardened before coming to school. These ones joined them in the streets, so it comes naturally to them to join them immediately they get to higher institutions.

When one is doing something, and the disadvantages accrued from what one is doing is greater than the advantage, it is only logical that the person should stop that which he has been doing.
In this case, I am referring to students who indulge in Cultism and its clandestine activities. It is awesome to stand for something, to defend something, but it is equally unwholesome for one to totally forget his primary objective of leaving home and coming to the higher institution.

In other words, I am saying shun Cultism. Always remember that in this life, one is always on his own and life has no duplicate.

The One

She is on her way now, how would I explain to her? Would she be able to understand why I accord great significance to these things? If she understands well and fine, if she does not, then I don't know.....It dawned on me that I don't know what to do if she doesn't understand. The last time she was here she asked me "of what consequence are these to you?" that was her exact question, she asked it brusquely. But, the camera, the butterfly knife, the toy car, this tea cup, the watch, the IBM 1980 computer are all individually and collectively characters that tell the story of my life. Each depicting one turn of event in my life. The toy car: that was the only toy I possessed as I was growing up, in fact, it is the only personal belonging I had after the Biafran war. It was a toy my father bought for me shortly before the war. Whenever I see it, I remember the excitement on my face the day father came home with it. The butterfly knife: also a war memento. The knife fell off my uncle's pocket as he was being pulled off his clothes because he was stung by a scorpion during the war. When he recovered from the scorpion incident he did not ask about the knife so I decided to keep it. The watch: The first time piece owned by anybody in my family. My father told me that he received the watch as a gift from the British man he was serving during his early school days. He handed it over to me on his death bed The tea cup reminds me about Mother's motherliness. It just seems right and best that her favourite tea cup should be there in the middle. The 1980 IBM computer, was a status symbol in my neighbourhood back then in Nigeria. Father was the only man in our town to own a computer then. People came from all over the neighbouring villages just to have a glimpse of the computer. This computer made me believe that I was unique and better than my peers. The leica camera: the one tool that made me who I am today. I saved hard to buy this camera then. Through this camera I have seen life, and gotten money. This camera moulded me into an international photographer. These things are memories, but memories are important to me. Memories reminds me of whom I was before this opulence. With every other things I have now, I simply cannot make do without them. The knock on the door brought me out of my ponder, that must be her, she is already here I thought. I picked my smart phone from the top of the 1980 IBM computer, slipped my three rose cigarette into my pocket. If she understands why I value these things, if she doesn't think that I am weird after this dinner, then there is hope for us.

Today is the last Sunday of the year, and my first post on blogger. As a Christian, I am expected to have attended the last Sunday of the year. Most people around me did, and they look at me with bewilderment when they find out that I didn't attend any church service today.
With each look from a new face, I remember how I have gotten to where I am today. I remember vividly my last prayer for the year 2013. I spent that last day in the church, not really waiting for the countdown and when to light my bangers(knockout) like most youths of my age do. I actually spent it praying and asking God to lead me onto the next year. I actually resolved to be consecreted to God in the coming year. To serve him and participate in church activities as much as I can in the new year

Ok, 2014 came , and 2014 is going and I can count the number of times I attended a church service apart from a funeral service and a wedding ceremony. I can't even remember participating in any sort of church activity whatsoever. So, I ask myself, what went wrong? Why couldn't I honour my resolve. Why did I allow this particular one to go down the drain like every other new year resolution? Why is it that I tend to fail especially whenever I resolve (at the end of a particular year) to do something. Maybe, I am not just good with the resolution something, it's just not my thing.

Nevertheless, on this year's 31 night , I have resolved never to resolve to do anything in the new year. I am not going make any new resolution. I would seek to find a plan in planlessness, even as I am saying this I remember what I learnt in school, that who fails to plan, plans to fail. But, I am not going to take heed to that cliché this time. I will not plan, perhaps I will not fail either.