One bit at a time

"Brooding endlessly about Nigeria would only make us bitter and a bitter you WILL NOT improve Nigeria, a better you WOULD."

It is a country where N300million buys a table at a gala event; a country where the citizens have to actively engage in fundraising to save lives; it is the country in which the most active of the governors (well, relatively speaking) has recently had an epiphany and now apparently believes that jail is the answer to everything even when it comes to beautifying your house; the first lady of the country is also a state’s permanent secretary, in absentia of course. This is Nigeria.

Oh, the list didn’t include the indefinitely suspended Dana Crash Inquest or the impending arrival of the N5000 note which we “can decide to not collect in the bank”. I once said the slogan for most things related to our government/leaders should be “we are not trying to make sense; quit trying to understand us”. No one wants to be the messenger of doom; however, it is getting harder to intentionally focus on the positives. I am not writing this in order to tell you about how hopeless Nigeria is. I am writing to inform you of the part that you can play in changing your immediate world, starting from the comfort of your bedroom.

MAN IN THE MIRROR

Hi guys, I came across this poem and thought to share :)

I'm starting with the man 

in the mirror

I'm asking him to change

his ways

  And no message could have 

  been any clearer

 If you wanna make the world

a better place

 Take a look at yourself, and

    then make a change.

By Siedah Garrett & Glen Ballard

You want a better Nigeria? Start by reading It's On You

 

10 #EndtheStory Questions for ‘SeunWrites’

"I know we have a lot of beautiful stories in Africa and we must find the African writers that will tell them beautifully" 'Seun Salami

 

‘Seun Salami is the author of ‘The Son of your Father’s Concubine’, a collection of short stories. He also works as a full-time editor at a publishing firm in Lagos, Nigeria. In this interview with Payme, ‘Seun talks about his first writing competition End the Story with which he is encouraging young creative writers to complete one of his popular stories, ‘The Sex life of a Lagos mad woman’ published on Ynaija.com where he also contributes stories from time to time.

What inspired your love for writing?

Reading. I say that because I did not set out to be a writer early in life. I wanted to be first a pilot and then an architect at different stages of my life. I also loved to draw. But when I would read books, published books, I would often find myself using a pencil to make corrections in what people have written. Afterwards, I began attempting to write them the way I thought they should have been written and then one thing led to another and so on and so forth.

What do you hope to achieve with the ‘End the Story’ competition?

We have a lot of fantastic writers in Nigeria as you already know. I always say I’m your favourite writer’s favourite writer (laughs) and that’s by faith, okay, because that’s what I want to become. But then, some people who have read my work have said, Oh, ‘Seun you write so well and all the other washings they give you on twitter. But truth be told, there are several other aspiring writers that are exceptionally brilliant. How do I know this? I have quite a number of protégés already on and off twitter, even though I still consider myself an aspiring writer. I have never met many of them before. I would read some of their works and go, Wow! So I have always known I had to be able to find a way to engage writers and get people to tell their beautiful stories. Sometimes people just need some form of platform, and those platforms are not enough. You dear (Payme) for instance, I got to know about you after my friend (Omojuwa) did Superbloggers. So we need these platforms. With End the Story, we hope to find three exceptional writers that I can help in my own little way to improve on their art and get better at what they do.

July 3rd...The Month After

"...and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."

1 Thessalonians 4:14b

The carelessness of it all shook me to the core; that part about “it could have been prevented” kept floating in my head for days. 

Nigeria is a cause I believe in. There was a period of time that it looked like we had awful news daily. It was bomb blasts and then the tanker explosion with about 27 cars I think. June 3, while at church, my TL was filled with the news of the most recent bomb blasts, feeling numb, I went to bed and then woke up to gory pictures of the Dana Crash. I am sure that at that point a lot of Nigerians like me were at a loss. I kept thinking “when is this going to end?” I could not help the tears as more news about the circumstances of the crash kept coming out. First, it was that the plane was to be repaired before detouring to pick passengers in Abuja, then the one about how it was on the ground for about 20 minutes before exploding etc. etc. As time went on, although no one knew the exact circumstances surrounding the crash, the general consensus still appeared to be “it could have been prevented”.

You Have A Voice - USE IT!



“…And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.” Martin Luther King



Twitter, Facebook – wherever you look, you really cannot escape ‘The Politicians’, their praise singers and their critics. We are all in one of these groups and I do not see this as a bad thing. However, I have noticed that most of these politicians sell themselves to us as ‘have been’ or ‘would be’ greats. Their tweets and updates range from being inspirational to mind-numbing.

While it is true that only a small percentage of Nigerian youths are on social media sites, social media remains a powerful tool and its potency should not be underestimated. President Jonathan in a way successfully exploited facebook during his presidential campaign. Despite the fact that another election would not be held for another three years, past and future aspirants are coming out from every corner. Before you know it, 2015 will be here. They know that they have their work cut out for them as the #occupyNigeria protests have stirred people up and Nigerians are becoming more interested in what their leaders are up to.

I am here to say, do not lose your minds people! It is time to get out of self pity; it is time to forget the noise; it is time to THINK.

Interview With Bella Antonio (Felisbella Foundation)

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." Ronald Reagan

Hello everybody, meet Bella Antonio! She is the founder of Felisbella Foundation Angola, a Christian Non-profit organisation aimed at helping Angolans. She took some time out to answer some of my questions and I hope you get inspired. Enjoy!!!

Hello Bella, tell us a bit more about yourself please.

Hello, I grew up in England (Bristol to be precise) and I currently live in Chatham. I just finished my degree in Diagnostic Radiography at Canterbury Christ Church University. As you already know, I am the founder of Felisbella Foundation.

When was Felisbella Foundation established?

Felisbella Foundation was established on 10th April 2010.

What motivated you to start the foundation and what is/are its aim(s)?

Angola was a country that was at war for at least 27 years. Being born in such a war climate, I believe it is enough to motivate anyone to help their fellow brothers and sisters who are less fortunate. I had always wanted to do something as such since I was a child and when I felt that God was calling me to start the foundation, I went ahead and started it. The aim of the foundation is to better the lives of those affected by the war in Angola.

A Call to Serve - Ogunyemi Bukola (Superblogger II Winner)

"The turn is now ours to act out our parts"

Here lies Nigeria, penned in an inglorious spot,

But it is no time to dole blames to the past,

O kinsmen, hang not your heads in reproach,

Though we must weep,

Let our tears water the seeds of hope,

Lest the hearts be rend beyond repair.

The foundation is fouled, the righteous is helpless,

A great responsibility has devolved on us,

To remedy the past and redeem the future,

Twice the hurdle that awaits us,

Twice the distance we must trek,

To reclaim the lost glory of our land.

I Love Nigeria BUT...

"It is more difficult, and it calls for higher energies of soul, to live a martyr than to die one" Horace Mann



Nigeria is a country on the verge of socio-political breakdown due to the constant plundering of her God given resources by a minority. Nigerians that have had to leave home and set up their lives in more developed countries know that it is possible to have a government that provides for the basic needs of its people; if only our leaders are half-willing. Note that I said ‘basic’, just basic.

Understanding or relating with our leaders has to be devoid of logic isn’t it? Anybody that has taken the time to study Nigeria will know that there is little or no logic applied to the way it is run. It is not run for the sake of humanity. For most, Nigeria is a business and the business owners, the cabals, are in no way going to take their hands off of her anytime soon.

We all know of Nigeria’s issues and can recite them off-hand without pausing for breath. From subsidy scams to Boko Haram’s bombs to ridiculous states of academic institutions to the high rates of unemployment (Happy Workers Day?) and so on, and so on.

Q - “So, how do we go about solving these?”

A - “Ermm…ermm…”