Independence Edition

Honestly guys, I ran out of caption for this write-up. I wouldn’t mind your help in suggesting captions (in the comment section). And I am keeping this one short and straight to the point.

Well, it’s another Independence anniversary week, and I guess we are all expected to be writing or saying ‘Happy Independence Day’ to Nigeria, but the truth is I do not know anymore. We are a long long way from a ‘happy’ independence guys! I have a million and one reasons for this conclusion and I am sure you may have more, but I’ll share one that is still very fresh.

So this past week, I went to undergo an eye examination for my drivers license at one of the state teaching hospitals in Nigeria (name withheld). I do not want to go on about the ‘road’ that led to the eye examination. So I walked into the room after asking close to a dozen people for direction from the gate, and these two women are sitting at the desk with bottles of soft drinks half empty on the tables and their eyes fixed on their phones, and it’s about 10.30am. I walk up to the desk and say ‘good morning ma’ thrice before one of the women looks up at me after almost 30 seconds after the third ‘good morning ma’ and asks me to take a seat after telling her why I was there. For another close to 30 minutes, these two women are still with their eyes on their phones while sipping on their bottles of soft drink intermittently, while myself and six other people in the room remained seated ‘awaiting our verdict’. After about 30 minutes, one of the women looks up and makes eye contact with me (already getting very irritated, although expression-less) and asks me to come, she then opens one of the files on the table and hands me a form, asks me to fill it and go make payment at the cash point. Luckily, I am back with the payment receipt in less than 10 minutes, and I am asked to ‘hold on’. After another 15 minutes of ‘holding on’, the form and receipt are taken from me, stapled and handed back to me to take to the eye clinic.

Eventually, I leave the room after almost an hour from my arrival with the form and receipt in my hand, and am wondering why it took me one hour to fill a form and obtain a receipt, but unfortunately, that’s all I could do ‘WONDER’!

I know I said this will be short and straight to the point, but unfortunately it’s difficult to make ‘short’ talks about Nigeria these days. I’ll be looking forward to your suggested captions in the comment section. Also feel free to share your own similar experiences (if you don’t mind). 

In the meantime, ‘keep your head above the water’ while we continue to seek solution to the terminal illness of our dear country.

#myrandomweeklythoughts

@dr_mykk

57 Hearty Cheers!

It’s here again; this time it’s the 57th celebration of October 1st; day of Nigeria’s independence. Obviously, however, this years anniversary is perhaps the most decisive of many others before it. After exactly 50years of ‘celebrating’ independence in the heat of the civil war, Nigeria is yet again at a threshold as a nation; the indivisible, indissoluble unity of Nigeria continues to suffer a multiplicity of perspectives.

Among other issues, restructuring is the song that everyone seems to be singing in Nigeria at the moment. While I do not intend to complicate the debate, I am proposing a ‘more excellent way’ - mind transformation and love, will do the magic. 

How about if we loved each other the same; if we are first Nigerians before Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo? How about if we looked out for the interest of others as much and as sincerely as we sort ours? If we resolved to pursue peace regardless, trusting that the conquest of Peace always outlasts the victories of violence? How about if we simply choose ‘the more excellence way’; leaders and followers alike?

Meanwhile, it’s 57 hearty cheers; Happy Independence Day celebrations! For me, the best days for Nigeria still lie ahead, ‘the more excellent way’ will get us there a lot more faster.

Happy 57th Independence Day anniversary!