WHEN DEMOCRACY SUCKS

I have abstained from writing about our leaders for sometime but I can hardly hold this one in. Last week, I saw a video of Imo State on Instagram. I couldn’t believe I live in the same state where those miracles were happening. If you believe that Imo State is now heaven on earth, you might be right; just come and see for yourself.

Last Christmas, I saw a few tourism buses around town. I heard our governor brought them for tourism. I never saw those buses carry people on tourism; maybe it did but I never saw. Sometimes, I imagine the places a tourist would visit in Owerri- Shoprite, House of Freeda, the Owerri-Las Vegas Water Falls (warehouse junction), Ibari Ogwa Village and for the very important people, probably our governor’s Speed bath (which is actually his lodge, and which he changed the name to Rochas Foundation University after the president’s visit last year). I stand to be corrected though. If you know anymore tourism sites in Owerri, please add it to the list.

That same last year, when our state government were breaking down shops and offices at Item street, I asked one of their staff I was acquainted why it was so seeing there was hardly any traffic along that road, and that people were being put out of business and being hastily ushered into poverty. He replied the government was expanding and beautifying those roads for tourism (maybe it confirms the reason those buses we saw were brought in to the state). He asked me to watch out for the Christmas decoration. Yes, we had quite some nice Xmas decoration all over town but does it make sense?

The greatest problem in Imo State is unemployment. Our graduates become keke drivers. More than 30% of Keke drivers, if not more, are graduates. The rest play Bet Naija, invest in ponzi schemes, go into internet fraud, and do all manner of things to get by. When the government introduced the “Youth Must Work” scheme, graduates were paid twenty thousand naira per month at first, owed for 7 months, and then paid off after deducting seven thousand naira per month from their salary. We are all Nigerians experiencing the same biting economy; tell me how does anyone survive on 13K or 20K per month? Pensioners were seen some time ago lying on roads in protest, asking to be paid their money. This is after taking these old people through a rigorous process of data validation.

Our government is aware of all these and yet their answer is Christmas decoration and breaking down of roads, offices and destruction of business premises for road expansion; and the more recent multi-storey car park along bank road, and several other wonderful projects.

The people in Imo State are suffering. There’s so much frustration in the state and yet all we see are sign posts and bill boards that says, “Rochas is working.” What’s the use of all these projects when the people are suffering and already established businesses are sent packing? Can’t our government build industries and employ our youths? Most of the items we use in the state are either from the western part of Nigeria or imported. If the government cannot build, can’t they invite investors? (Although I’m not a fan of inviting investors. That is how they colonize your economy.) We have a teeming population of youths. That is trouble brewing.

So when I see the “Rochas is working” signposts, I’m tempted to think that he’s building with his money and not the state funds. He is only providing leadership to state’s resources and look how effective he’s been at that. Abandoned road projects littered all over the state, yet they keep breaking down more on a weekly basis; severe unemployment with the presence of a vibrant youth population; constant repair of roads. Why can’t our government use good materials and good companies to construct  instead of these constant repairs that waste tax payers’ money?

We see all these and yes, we can’t do anything. We can’t even protest. People are too fearful and too hungry to organize protests. A few of us can only blog or write on Facebook and then keep quiet. The State House of Assembly acts if they have been bewitched. They can’t talk because of the silencing power of money and political offices.

We can only wait for the oracle to finish his tenure and hope that he will not install a puppet when he leaves. At times like this, Democracy simply sucks.

Scriptwriter87@gmail.com

Twitter/Instagram: @club7teen

OUR HISTORY NEVER STARTED WITH SLAVERY

A message by the President of New African Chapter on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic on 25th March, 2017

For no apparent reason, whenever the history of the Black race is being told, it starts from slavery. But before then our history had a lot of positives, in fact slavery is just a tip of the iceberg. We were ruled by kings (Mansa Musah the richest man of all time, Sundiata, etc); we had empires (Songhai empire, Mali empire,  Ghana empire etc); we had heroes (Hannibal, Attila etc); and we were the first to start documenting ( the famous library of Alexandria- Egypt).

A quote from Marcus Garvey says, "If black people were aware of their glorious past, then they will be more inclined to respect themselves.The time has come for the Blackman to forget his hero worship of other races and to create and emulate heroes of his own."

 Indeed, Africa has always been the cradle of civilization before the ugly picture of the transatlantic slavery was painted, which has left mother Africa in tattered penury, destitute and impoverished; but conversely amassed generational wealth for the West.

Our ancestors were jettisoned like some rubbish when there was shortage of food and water. Our beautiful women were raped while the weak and sick ones were left die. Perhaps our ancestors' biggest mistake was to trust the Whiteman who initially appeared as a friend,trader and missionary but was rather something entirely dangerous. As the saying goes "trust 

is a form of weakness, so be careful with whom you trust".

As a race, we are not proud of this part of our History. It sends shivers down our spines when we talk about it. However, a people who have no knowledge of their history will never have a clear vision of the future.

For your brief enlightenment, "Slavery is the state of being under the control of another person, whether openly or clandestinely". The Atlantic Slave Trade or Transatlantic Slave trade took place across the Atlantic Ocean from the 15th through the 19th Centuries. The vast majority of those who were enslaved and transported to the New World, mainly on the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage, were Africans from the central and western parts of the continent who had been captured to Western European slave trade.

Indeed, America's agriculture industry became vibrant majorly due to the black slaves' hard work on their farms. Some of these slaves make their marks in technology: Nathaniel Alexander invented the folding chair in 1911, while Fredrick McKinley Jones invented the first automatic refrigeration system for trucks and has 60 patents for inventions to his name. As you would expect, these slaves never got the credit they deserved for their works.

These Slaves were mistreated and disallowed to vote until the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, and Harriet Tubman fought for the little freedom their siblings are enjoying today.

 Yes, we believe and know Africa to be the cradle of civilization (Egypt, Ethiopia, etc) yet we are discredited for that too; an experience similar to how the slaves were treated back then. We believe that all people have inalienable rights and need to be treated equally. However, it is a pity others don't see it that way. Today has once again come to remind us of the toils of our ancestors in foreign lands through Slavery. And we are raising our voice to say that "Slavery was a horrible experience and history and would always be."

Approximately 12 million enslaved people were transported in the transatlantic slave trade, at the rate of 100,000 persons per year. This large-scale organization of European slave trading and the development of industry and massive plantations dependent on slave labor gave rise to a trade in humans that was staggering in its scale. That scale of manpower totally changed their economy.

The question now is,"Has slavery ended or it has disguised itself into another form?"

As we mark today, let us all rise to observe a minute of silence for all our fellow Africans whose  freedom was taken away by slavery, the heroes of our past.

#SlaveryIsACrimeToHumanity

#InRemebranceOfOurBrothers

#HeroesOfThePastBright

Bright Bruce-Lewicki Acquaye

President and Founder

New African Chapter 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2017 - #BE BOLD FOR CHANGE

A MESSAGE FROM BRIGHT-BRUCE ACQUAYE
PRESIDENT, NEW AFRICAN CHAPTER INT’L

The #IWD, celebrated on the 8th of March every year, gives us all the opportunity to celebrate Womanhood, to appreciate the struggles of the Woman and also celebrate how far she has come in the fight for equality, freedom for expression and the right to a fulfilled living. Today, New African Chapter joins the rest of the World to celebrate the Social, Economic, Cultural and Political Achievements of Women all over the World and especially our African Women.
The world-renowned feminist, journalist, social and political activist, Gloria Steinem once said, “The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights,"  Thus, the International Women's Day is about Unity, Celebration, Reflection, Advocacy and Action.
The years have gone by, and women have soldiered on in the struggle for equality and dignity of life. This year’s theme "Be Bold for Change" further endorses the need for women to keep redefining themselves in the society. It endorses the need for women everywhere to see themselves as change-makers and to begin to make greater impact in the society.  It is a call for women across the world to believe in themselves; to be motivated to stand strong and courageous in securing the rights of the Woman.
For quite long a period, the female gender has been underestimated, mistreated, denied and looked down upon. Should it continue?  Haven't the female gender suffered enough suppression in the society?  The African woman has particularly suffered the most. She has been a victim of female genital mutilation (FGM) child marriage, Trokosi (where young girls are given to fetish shrines), forced under threat of death to live as domestic and sex slaves, Lip plate (girls and women in parts of Ethiopia wear lip plates for protection and marriageability. In some cases, the hole is so big that it can pass through the head of the woman) and etc.
Some men still erroneously think that the African woman's place is the bedroom and kitchen, and many of our women have come to believe and accept this as truth. Well, the truth is that several of our women have distinguished themselves and have been seen to bring more to the table other than sex and food.   In politics, we have Her Excellency Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Alengot Oromait of Uganda. In the movie industry, we have Lupita Nyong'o. In Economics, we have Dambisa Moyo of Zambia. In business and commerce we have Mo Abudu and  Folorunsho Alakija both from Nigeria Divine Ndhlukuka, Founder and Managing Director of Zimbabwe's first ISO certified Security Company, SECURICO. The list can go on and on but time and space will only permit me to mention this few.
As we celebrate the Woman today, we ask everyone to place their hands on deck to promote the education of the African girl-child who will grow up to become the African Woman. Let’s all help stop the traditional practices that belittle Africa Womanhood. Above all, let us all believe in the African woman's capability to become all that she can be and to make a difference in her world.
To all the women, we say, “Stand to lead in technology. Be as creative as you can be. Invent. Innovate.  Do away with self doubt; you have gone through trying times, now is the time to dream and soar and live your dreams.  It is time to create wealth through your own hands, and celebrate your own achievements. It is a good time to celebrate that which has already been achieved, and then strive harder to achieve more.”
 It is an honor to be a woman. Today, New African Chapter joins the rest of the world to celebrate the beauty, strength and uniqueness of the Woman and we say to her, go ahead and #beboldforchange.
 #womensday #IWD2017 #internationalwomensday  #NAC4Africa#NACWomen