Beyond This

This is the story of a market woman, my story and my experience. It was difficult getting a topic for this blog piece. You know we writers are strung up on giving catchy topics to articles to entice readers; this time around I didn't feel that way. I was simply looking for a way to open a window into my soul so that you can feel what I feel right now and probably give me an answer. “Shouldn't we have gone beyond this?

So, I am a Nigerian, I do business in the market, I see a lot of things, I am a graduate, there are many graduates like me in the market, there are fathers and mothers in the market, we all make use of everyday commodities. Let me tie all of these up and then ask my question again.

Here in the market, I see people do a lot of things to survive; I respect that and that's also why I came here in the first place. However, some of the things I witness here are an eyesore and really troubles me to no end. Let me recount some.

One day, I saw an old man hawking cold satchet water in an empty crate of soft drinks. As the water defrosted, it dripped down to his face. Meanwhile, the worth of the entire goods he had wasn't up to ₦200. Check what this means in our current economy? As if this isn't bad enough, in 4/10 of all the shops in every block, someone is selling satchet water. So, the probability that he would sell off all the satchets of water is even lower. Analyzing the situation, he may have been a Keke driver who had to stop riding Keke because our governor suddenly banned Keke without considering the import of such a decision on us, the people; story for another day.

One lady, a mother of three who was selling food close to my shop suddenly stopped. One day, I saw her hawking cold drinks; the entire worth of what she had wasn't up a ₦1000 and the chance that she wouldn't sell all of them was there. She had to hawk them so she can feed her children that night, she told me when I asked why now hawks. She also said that she stopped selling food because she was no longer making profit from it; in every block, more than three people sell food. There are not enough people to patronize them. She, of course, is a graduate and a teacher (paid peanuts in the private school she teaches) who hawks in the evening.

Another time, I saw a rather plump lady carrying two buckets, hawking of course. One contained drinks, the other snacks. It looked too heavy for and from the way she dragged herself, you could sense it was weighing down on her arms: A bucket containing plastic drinks is usually heavy. I prayed in my heart that she would sell of quickly so she could go rest. A few hours later, I saw her sitting down to rest on a neighbor's bench, exhausted; her goods pretty much the same quantity.

I see young beautiful girls and strong young men hawking all manner of things here in the market. I see a lot of mothers and young ladies sell fruits all over the market and I wonder how much profit each of them make daily seeing they are so many of them and we aren't many patronizing them.

These analogies show something:

1.        The times are tough

2.       The level of unemployment in our country is hitting the roof top

3.       People are willing to do anything honest to get by

I'll give the fourth shortly after I give two other analogies.

Yesterday, as I went home, I saw a young man well dressed, walking down the road with his fumigation equipment hanging on his back and his chemicals in a basket he carried.

Finally, this morning, I saw another young man wearing a shirt, tie, plain trousers and dressing shoes pushing a wheelbarrow full of insecticides and rat poison. He chanted a special song about the efficacy of the rat poison; you could already hear the strain in his voice that early in the day. I've seen a lot more but let me stop here. When I saw him, I was kind of speechless. Would you call this packaging? How much would he make from that on a daily basis?

Looking at him, I saw him wearing a shirt, and so was everyone in my analogies. This means that clothing factories will thrive in Nigeria and employ millions of our people- graduates and non graduates. He must have had his bath with soap this morning, cleaned his mouth with a toothbrush and have a perfume on or not. Most of the commodities that we use in Nigeria are imported and some of the items we import are of inferior quality. This means we can set up many industries that can cater to our various needs, which will also create massive employment.

At some point I wondered why the makers of extract soap wouldn't establish a company in Nigeria to make the soap cheaper and also employ our people. Some time two years ago, 3 out of every 5 young ladies and many young men were using the soap. It got so bad that those who had the soap would hoard it and increase the price. And now, the fourth

4. Most of the everyday items we use in Nigeria are imported while our people who are willing to work and employ their energies profitably hawk, do menial jobs and wallow in unimaginable poverty.

Permit to ask this question again and who knows, I might even get an answer from you. Should we not have gone beyond this?

Igbokwe Vivian Ijeoma

Scriptwriter87@gmail.com

Twitter/Instagram: @club7teen

A YOUNG PRESIDENT, FREE & FAIR ELECTION AND VOTER EDUCATION:

My opinion!!!

(This is from a friend. It is totally worth your time!)

Good morning countrymen. 

I read on many platforms the cries for a young President come 2019 and the need for younger people to participate in politics. I wholeheartedly agree,  especially judging by our current experience where at some point we could not ascertain the exact location of our leader nor the status of his health, and his clumsy pace at work which he has consistently attributed to age, etc. 

But I'm also aware the current President of America qualifies for the title of an old man(the difference being that he knows his real age unlike ours). Yet, when you watch CNN today and see how all the market indices in America have broken decade long records, with unemployment at 4.1%, the lowest in 17years under Trump's administration, bettering the times of G.W Bush and Obama together, you will again ask if age actually is the problem with Nigeria leadership past and present. 

Don't tell me it is because Trump took over a stable economy.  That is true of course, but one year of cluelessness is more than enough to reverse all of Obama's economic strides. I mean it didn't take Buhari upto a year to plunge a struggling economy into the abyss of recession. So Trump, the old man in the white house has done farely well economically in his one year in office according to reports from CNN his number one critic. Thus, age 'may' not be all that should concern us come 2019.

Another case in point, the current Governor of Kogi State of Nigeria is the youngest Governor of this dispensation. He is not a recycled politician. Just like Trump Governor Bello of Kogi is a businessman turned politician. Now the question is, how has Kogi fared under this young Governor? The answer is there for all to see. 

Nigeria in the past was led by leaders in their 30's; Gowon, Muritala etc. But that didn't solve all our problems. In fact, two young men in their 30's; Gowon and Ojukwu of blessed memory led this nation into a horrible civil war that still reverberates in our fabrics. So age, again is not all that bothers me. 

I ventured into Politics while in the University because of the alarming rate of corruption and incompetence at the level of Students' Union Government. I vied for the highest office of President though unsuccessfully. Guess what, the looters of our common wealth on campus were not OLD MEN, they were fellow students, YOUNG MEN. 

I know you can relate with the last example, I know you understand the point made so far. I do strongly desire younger people in leadership, atleast for sake of the complications associated with 'very' aged leaders such as amnesia, people not remembering their age, the associated weaknesses and incompetence etc excused on age. But I'm more certain that in the case of Nigeria, the age bracket of our leadership is not the chief of all our legitimate concerns. 

FREE & FAIR ELECTION 

Again is the cry for free and fair election, another misplaced concern for an average Nigerian electorate. 

The idea of a free and fair election to the average Nigerian is the concept of ONE MAN ONE VOTE. But one man one vote does not guarantee good leadership, it at best legitimizes bad government. This is because under a one man one vote atmosphere, people can still make wrong choices. 

Take a look at your personal life for instance, you have made decisions devoid of external influences in certain areas of your life. So why do you still regret some of your decisions? Were your choices rigged? 

I once participated in a free and fair election of one man one vote in a social circle I belong in. A leader emerged. Few months down the line, impeachment loomed as he turned out worst that the man we voted out. That is because there are factors more important in arriving at a choice than who/what the choice is. In our case is the issue of VOTER EDUCATION AND AWARENESS. 

To what extent does the voter in Nigeria understand his problems? What is his concept of good governance? Is it water and electricity, bags of rice and stomach infrastructure? What is the level of awareness of those who desire the right to choose leaders in Nigeria under a free and fair atmosphere? 

Here in Rivers State where I reside (and this is not peculiar to Rivers), every day on my way to work, I hear over the radio, jingles and news items that make me shake my head in shame. 

The people of XYZ community, thanking His Excellency for USING PUBLIC FUND, THEIR OWN MONEY to construct a road to their community. That's your voter baby! The Nigerian voter. He sees his Governor, Chairman, President as Boss, not his employee. 

In December 2017, I saw over the news women with placards thanking President Buhari for giving them a bomb free Christmas in Abuja. And I wondered, is security, living in peace now a privilege to be so thankful to politicians for? 

So I imagined a day when the company I work for (my employer) will go on air, not once, but daily with radio advertorial and jingles thanking me for doing the work he has HIRED ME, PAID ME, MOTIVATED ME THROUGH TRAININGS, PAID & UNPAID ALLOWANCES ETC, to do. That will be the day.... 

I do understand what appreciation is, I also know the thin line between appreciation from an enlightened man and praise singing from one who cannot differentiate between his rights and privileges. 

Does the average Nigerian voter understand who is the EMPLOYER and the EMPLOYEE in governance? Does he understand what constitutes his rights (security, light, good roads, health care, etc) and privileges (none) in the contract of government? I mean are you supposed to thank me for respecting you, for allowing you to vent your opinion, and for allowing you to live your life free of any form of fear? Those are your rights not privileges. 

Now how can a people who PRAISE the Governor for doing roads with public fund demand for accountability? They don't even care how much was spent on the road so long as they drive on the road. That is the booby trap of voter 'uneducatedness'. 

In my final year, I was saddled with the responsibility of chairmanship of the electoral body to conduct the 2011 departmental election. I spent most of my time doing voter education and enlightenment. This is because as chairman I was determined the election must be free, but I also knew that a free and fair election is more than one man one vote. A free and fair election begins with voter awareness of his predicament. One man one vote would not guarantee our liberation from mediocrity. I made sure every voter understood what was at stake; the integrity of our union. I went to all classes on this campaign encouraging even those who knew people qualified to occupy positions to come forward with names of such persons. 

Friends, free and fair election is not the cure to bad governance. At best, a free and fair election can only produce the leader the electorates DESERVE, not necessarily the leadership they DESIRE. Those two scenarios are different. That is because one man one vote elections are not devoid of religious sentiment, ethnicity and tribalism. It simply means the man who can whip up the highest of such sentiments wins

When was the last time you chose competence over  friendship, merit over familiarity or 'my person?' How can an Hausa man vote for an Igbo or Yoruba man vice versa based on competence if not by his level of enlightenment. 

Only voter awareness and education can cure Nigerians of religious, ethnic sentiments and tribalism. Only voter education can guarantee good leadership in a clan where people are more loyal to party than country, where the people in the rural areas care much about the Umbrella and the Broom and not those carrying them. For without proper voter enlightenment, an electorate can comfortably and conveniently chose a Devil ahead of a Jesus simply because the Devil spoke a language he understood.... 

So my dear country men, in facing the challenges of 2019 coming election and the need for youthful leadership, we must critically examine ourselves and our environment. Each of us the enlightened must seek avenue to educate and enlighten our constituents however and in whatever ways we can, especially using the various tools available to us such as the social media. That is the only way we can guarantee that the result of ONE MAN ONE VOTE which we so desire in coming elections shall of necessity translate into good governance. A free and fair election begins with voter education. 

I THEREFORE COMMIT TO VOTER EDUCATION, AND ENCOURAGE ALL TO DO SAME.....

God bless Nigeria!!! 

©Obinna Asole...... a writer nurtured by conscience

When Survival becomes a Passion

This is the story of a market woman. "Lol." I never saw it coming but believe me when I say I'm having fun.

Those days immediately after graduation, I would see girls that run shops as less intelligent. Wow! Such cynism and cockiness. For me, the intelligent ones were the ones who work  in offices, the executives, the doctors, the lawyers, the bankers, the physicists, and all those very serious career persons according to my small brain then. Boy! See where we are now. In fact, I'm blogging from the shop I run, right inside the market. "Lol." Guess what? I enjoy each waking day I get here- the hassles of transportation to this place, each drop of sweat that breaks off my body, and each bargain whether fruitful or not. This is life, taking you through twists and turns and you would do well to embrace each situation and make the best of it.

After university, I dreamt of a job in a posh office, wearing high heels, walkiing into an air conditioned office and dressing to work corporate wears; and then the promotions would follow. None of these desires are wrong  or unrealizable but we live in a world where employment opportunities and job satisfaction are fizzling out. Well, I had a stint with working in an office; an experience I never want to relive. Some employees are just impossible and I happened to work for one.

Now, my perspectives about female graduates who become shop owners/managers have totally changed: After all, I am one now. "Lol." I also make out time to write and edit, just like I'm doing right now: Writing is my diehard life long passion. I love the life of a female entrepreneur; we are hardworking and smart people, you see? *winks*. I love the mental challenge and creativity I have to employ daily. I love the fact that I'm becoming streetwise (in a business sense). I love the fatigue I feel each day I get home. I love the hope that rises in my heart each morning-whether my expectations are met or not, my hopes shaa rises each day.

At first, business was a matter of survival; but now it is a Passion.

scriptwriter87@gmail.com

Twitter/Instagram: @club7teen  

About Racism

This may sound a bit off to many of my readers. What's our business with racism, many of you might ask? For one, I'm a free souled writer who expresses her opinion on any and every issue. However, I have two major reasons for writing about racism. One, I belong to a group comprised of members from different countries. The term “racism” comes up quite a lot in our discussions. Secondly, the recent alleged statement Trump made referring to Haiti and African countries as shit holes was seen by some as racial. Those informed my decision to write about racism, of course from the African context.

Discussing about Trump's statement with a friend, he asked me thus: "Is Africa a race? Is Haiti a race? Why is a statement about or against Haiti or Africa racial?"  If we could term Africa a race, would that be a white, black or pink race because we have countries in Africa who aren't black in complexion. We also have black girls having white babies for Chinese men. What race would this kind of Africa be called? I have always known Africa to be a continent. Have I been wrong?

The English dictionary defines racism as: 1. The belief that each race has distinct and intrinsic attributes.

2. The belief that one race or ethnic group is superior or inferior to another race or group of races.

3. Prejudice or discrimination based upon race or ethnicity.

While it defines Continent as: 1. Land (as opposed to the water). ▼

2.  A large contiguous landmass considered independent of its islands, peninsulas etc. Specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa.

3. Each of the main continuous land-masses on the earth's surface, now generally regarded as seven in number, including their related islands, continental shelves etc.

Which definition qualifies Africa-race or continent?

Haiti is a country in the Caribbeans. Is Haiti or the Caribbeans a race? What race is she? I read of how Utah representative, Mia Love demanded that Trump apologizes for his shit holes remark. Cool. Mia Love is of Haitian descent but she is a Rep in America. Question is: why did her parents leave Haiti? Why did they never return? Why is she a Rep in America instead of going back to Haiti to vie for political positions? No, she wouldn't. She prefers to stay in an America where things are actually working, where people of every color are accepted and can take up employment with several laws to protect them, where someone from Haiti can be a Rep (I haven't seen this in any African country). And now, she is in this America and asking Trump to apologize. ???

Haiti as a country is only 28 years younger than America but what does she have to show for it? If you talk about natural disasters, America experiences natural disasters in more frequency than Haiti but she rebuilds and moves on. Today, Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world. She lives at the mercy of donors; America being one of her highest donors since Haiti's 2010 earthquake. With all the billions of dollars that has been spent on Haiti in the form of foreign aids since 2010, her people still live in want and camps. Today, Haiti has more than 10,000 NGOs and counting. Instead of learning skills that will build their country, her citizens now learn foreign languages to serve as interpreters for these numerous foreign NGOs which have become the major employer of labor in Haiti. Yet, this awesome lady stays back in beautiful America and demands for an apology. "Sigh."

Don't even let me start on Africa and Buhari's Nigeria. Did I tell you of how a cab man carried us in his car by 7:18 pm without head lamps on a very bad road that has no street lights? Should I tell you of how people die in our hospitals because doctors are on strike, or there is not enough medical personnel on ground or because the patient cannot afford advance payment? Have you heard of how our children roam during school hours because the teachers are not in class because they (the teachers) are owed months and months of salaries? Our governor announces on the radio that he has paid workers; meanwhile, most of the time, the checks bounces. What can be more shitholed than this? I only know of one: herdsmen killing with impunity and my sick president doing nothing about it.  Right now in Cross Rivers State, we have over 10, 000 refugees who came in from Neighboring Cameroon. Why are these people fleeing their homes? They are being killed and marginalized because they speak English in Cameroon. How can colonial languages divide a people to this degree or to any degree at all? This only happens in Africa. Should I talk about Libya, South Sudan, Congo, Togo, and etc.. In all of these countries, Africans are going through hell right in the hands of fellow Africans, human rights being trampled upon and someone is calling for an apology. Please, just before you ask for another apology, look around you and tell me if Donald Trump is wrong.

Finally, when we were kids and someone jeers at you and calls Olodo (dumb, unintelligent) probably because you always took the last position in class, we were taught of only one response: do better the next session. You do not ask the person jeering at you to apologize because you are either Olodo or you are not.

Africa is either a shit hole or not. If we are (definitely we are), let's do better.

Let's be humans again; not black or white

Igbokwe Vivian Ijeoma

scriptwriter87@gmail.com

Twitter/Instagram: @club7teen