Sunday Book Exchange.

Series| Books|
Sunday Book Exchange
By Master Ugwe .1/17/2017.

Library book shelf


Good day guys, its been quite sometime and some of you may be wondering whether this has fallen into the predicament like Nigerian road projects where it starts and then reclines into perpetual abandonment.

Well we have been doing some adjustments and restructuring to make this endeavor of having a blog  worthwhile. This is because if you decide to dabble into blogging I tell you it isn't an easy endeavor. Sense would start knocking on your brains when you realize that AdSense( the medium of making blog money) is not synonymous to a quickie. Time is what makes one eligible for such and as such one has to make that time worthwhile.

It is without doubt that if the Nigerian youth wishes to take charge of the future of this country condensed in physical and spiritual mess, reading is one true way. In furtherance of this we would be having our Sunday Book Exchange.

The Sunday Book Exchange is aimed at bringing book lovers closer and give readers the chance to continue enjoy different books of the same category. So lets assume Nkechi likes reading history and she reads There Was a Country by Chinua Achebe, she would make a brief summary of the book and state the category. More than often a book could fall into different categories. Nkechi would be willing to exchange her book with another book with falls into the same category; Why We Struck by Ademolegun. If Yusuf has this aforementined book then a book exchange has been successful. Note Nkechi is at liberty to reject offers she isn't contented with, more so when she has read the book or when the book doesn't fall amongst her taste.

Our first book on Sunday Book Exchange is - Awo on Nigerian Civil War.

The book is for those interested in Nigerian political history and the Civil war. Awo on Nigerian Civil War features speeches made by Chief Obafemi Awolowo at different times.

 Chapter 1 has the speech delivered by him on 11 September 1963 before Justice Goerge Sowemimo in the Lagos High Court.

 Chapter 2 contains a supplementray preface to Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution released by Awo at Ibadan on 8th November, 1966.

Chapter 3 contains a letter written by Chief Obafemi Awolowo to Col.R.A.Adebayo, withdrawing from the Ad hoc Committee.

Part Two of the book contains the most captivating part of this book. It provides one the memoranda of the meetings between Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu and a delegation of the National Conciliation Committee led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. At this point I wish to relish my best quote from the book.

 "We, in the University of Ife, met and wrote a lette r to the Federal Government saying that all Federal economic blockades should be dropped because we do not believe in economic strangulation of Region."
Professor Aluko. 

One may wonder what is so remarkable about the quote, but it shows that at a point when Nigeria was in difficulty the intellectuals were consulted. The delegation had Professor Aluko and Professor Eni Njoku making contributions.

In this time of recession I am yet to see a conglomeration our University economics lecturers voice out  a robust master plan for the country. I rest my case here.

In case you are interested in this book, you can send an email to magicsownices@gmail.com making your offer for an exchange. It is advised you give a brief summary of the book and how the reader can  benefit from your book. In addition if you wish your book to feature on our Sunday series, do send a brief summary of your book to the aforementioned email.

Have a lovely week.

About Us(With Furs) 2

Episode 2

Four  rooms away was another sovereign state who were relishing their victory against the human race. The gathering had the Potus(as they preferred to call him)  and his chiefs enjoying the news of the newly launched Operation .

  “Cheers! What a success. Our defence agency is simply ingenious .Who would have thought of such a strategy to cause havoc. I never imagined we could wipe out such number of people in few days. 120 people in 4 days.”

Adjusting his geeky spectacles , Director Kasali added “ Sir, we all owe it to your wonderful leadership, you pushed us to where we never thought we could have gone to. The idea of adopting the Kamakaze style albeit in a different way is really effective. The carriers of the bombs have shown to be true men. We sent 15 troops to drop the bombs in foods, water and pots , two were unsuccessful with their mission as they got struck with pestles.”

“We lose some to win some” the Potus  of Unwunsi said with a frown on his face.

Unwunsi Republic was the adversary to Shalanga. There had been conflicts which erupted from disputed treasures from the human world, female species, and new offsprings encroaching on each others territory. The last legal battle which  Shalanga won evoke national hatred for the Shalanga Republic. The Chief rode on this hatred to actualize the cleansing of his neighbours even though his people were also at a very high risk of being perished.

“Could you please reiterate the effects of our new invention. The different bombs within the missile actually builds butterflies in my belly” said the Potus of Unwunsi.

“Erm… sir it’s quite lengthy, but I can find my way through them. The onset of the manifestation of the bombs is usually gradual starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise. After a few days headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, cough and abdominal pain. In severe cases facial swelling, fluid in the lung cavity, bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure may develop. Protein may be noted in the urine. Shock , seizures, tremor, disorientation and coma may be seen in the later statges. Deafness occurs in 25% of patients who survive the bomb effects.”

He heaved a loud sigh and continued..

“ Death usually occurs within 14 days of onset in fatal cases.. the bomb is especially severe pregnancy, with maternal death and fetal loss occurring in more than 80% of cases during the third trimester”

To be continued…..............

Kings and Queens.

"The aim of a leader should be the welfare of the people whom he leads.

I have used the word welfare to denote the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the people "

Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Every nationalist especially of Yoruba origin revers the man being quoted above. It would be an unforgivable mistake to omit his name in the glorious list of Nigerian heroes.

I recently read an article where the writer made clearly the difference between his personality and that of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu asserting that Awo's legacy is immortal. It wouldn't be absurd to say that since his death Nigeria has lacked leaders so true and sincere to the welfare of its people; physically, mentally and spiritually.

If your thoughts are in tandem with the one I just expressed I'd like you to make a quick halt and rethink. Not too long ago I came across a leader who has shown that indeed Nigeria isn't totally lacking with sincere leaders . Before I share this person which you may guess as you read on, I would like to have a cursory look at our monarchical heads existing in our country.

Our great country boasts of cultural diversity, which I made known to my Grade III students in Civic Education class. This diversity tells for the 250 ethnic groups existing. So therefore it may be right to say that we have 250 kings or queens. I have pondered of what relevance are these kings and queens. The answer isn’t far-fetched as these Babas and Mamas are custodians of our cultural heritage. Okay. What more?

These respected individuals have added little or nothing to the plight of common people. Oh!  We may have to take note of how they try in their little ways to touch common lives. If we look deeply they are the traditional electoral commission. They get very busy during election periods. Many of us would not forget our former president Goodluck Ebele who sheepishly knelt infront of royal heads for royal divine blessings. Hell o hell. What a Odunsi ! . Lagosians wouldn't easily forget the comments of Oba Akiolu of Lagos State during the days of pre-election for Governor of Lagos State.

Not only do our kings and queens serve as an unofficial electoral accreditation centre they also serve as recipients and baskets of the nation’s wealth and resources. The kind of lifestyle of these people seems quite baffling in the midst of extreme poverty ravaging our country. One of them which lives the most lavish lifestyle is Obateru of Ilaje Ondo State(you should goggle him). In Lagos where I reside, royalty is above the law of the land. You can simply identify a car of royalty when instead of the required plate number which warrants a fine of 3000 naira in defiance, you see a well decorated plate number (more frequently with beads) with inscription such as ' Egba of Egbeland'. My sincere apologies to people of Yoruba origin if I fail to capture the title accurately. For the common man, you dare not express yourself in such manner.  Federal Road Safety Corps officials will get you even if it means barging into a running car. I am a living witness of this display of desperation in implementing internal revenue derivation strategy.

To the crux of the matter; that one leader who has shown the leadership isn't by title, beads and staffs. For those who devote time in reading news platforms you should still remember the King Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi , of Ogale  community, Niger Delta . If you remember his picture, it won't be vague to your memory that the Baba had a top hat and beads with bottled water and the 2011 landmark report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), on his table. Currently the Baba is at United Kingdom in a legal battle against Shell Petroleum Company. At this juncture I would like to share some of his words.

"My people are drinking this water"

"There are strange diseases in my community—skin diseases,people are dying sudden deaths, some people are impotent, low sperm count"

"I can afford to buy water. But can I

afford to buy for everybody? No."

"Shell is Nigeria and Nigeria is Shell. You can never, never defeat Shell in a Nigerian court. The truth is that the Nigerian legal system is corrupt,"

Well, every human cannot be the same in this world. We must have the good, the bad and the ugly. Also the sincere and insincere, the dishonest and honest, the selfish and selfless.

One thing that doesn't change is Truth. The truth is Nigeria is being raped and has been raped by all kinds of leaders ; political, religious, monarchical. Most young people do not understand the extent of rape, which tells for the reason why many of us are not concerned. Development, progress and growth wouldn't start with Buhari's administration it would start with us,young people. Until we realize the collection of rapists and desist from following their tracks, Nigeria will sleep more.

One day, mumu must wake up!.

 

About Us(With Furs)

Episode 1 (Continuation)

 

This was Chief Anjo. A well read advocate of Shalanga, who rose to prominence after a successful representation at the All Rodents Court where he won a claim against Unwusi Republic over four fingers of well ripen plantain. He premised his arguments on the principle of finder`s rights. Unknown to the opposing side he got wind of the principle from the conversation of two humans.

“I believe our generation should be wise. I recommend a 15 man panel that would go on nocturnal missions to bring us essential commodities for the next few months. An incontrovertible fact is that we are lower animals; the humans will forever be our head. Even in the Holy Bible,Genesis 1:26 , Adam is given “dominion over the fish and the sea, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. So what are we trying to deliberate here? Soldier here is saying fight, lawyer here is saying court. Don’t we see our outside world here Nigeria. Do any of these make impact on the people. Soldiers cannot protect lives and property, Boko Haram, Niger Delta Avengers, they are all there. The lawyers nko. Justice they cannot give. In fact these ones are the worst. Collecting money and selling cases and claims. Chief Anjo and you say you have read book. Your book did not teach you well at all. Is it the same system of the outside world that you want to use to fight for Shalanga Republic. Teacher don’t teach me nonsense. “ Chief Gida said.

Chief Gida was a realist of a different stock from Bacha. While Bacha was always biased by the feeling of revenge and hatred , he always liked to say things the way they seemed. This had not been working really well for him. At a young age he told an elder that his upper teeth were too big even if this was a characteristic of their specie. Indeed that was true, the elder`s teeth was unnaturally bigger than most of the people in Shalanga , but as they say it`s not what you say but how you say it.

The Oba had been quiet all along looking from three cardinal points at his subordinates. His republic was under incoming extinction and the rancorous nature of the council meeting didn’t help matters. He would have to summon an all citizen summit where all the people would decide what to be done. Such a decision cannot be done by taken by a collection of men sitting on a round table. He had heard so much about how the outside world had a law that didn’t have the ordinary people`s input and how it has been referred to as mistake.

“I have heard all your suggestions and I must say, I am proud to be from Shalanga Republic. You have shown today how much you care for the state in your different ways. However, in my opinion this decision we are about to make isn’t one to be done on a roundtable. It’s a very delicate situation which needs the whole state`s input. All citizens of Shalanga Republic need to be heard. We are just a minute proportion and how much do we know of the vast majority which we intend to make a decision for. We need to be very careful here, the last thing we want is an uprising in our nation. Therefore, I would invoke the provisions of section 306 of Shalanga Republic Constitution. An All Citizen`s Summit needs to be summoned with a referendum to   determine the next step forward, whether we go to war, or we remain in the enclaves or we migrate.”

“But sir”

“Enough! But me not buts”

The Oba quickly made his stance clear to Chief Bacha. He continued .   

“ Well, we do know that each one of us can campaign for the decision we want taken. War ,peace, isolationism, whatever it is we want. This meeting is hereby adjourned”

 

 

About Us( With Furs)

Episode 1

The hole was stuffy with proceeds from the just concluded nocturnal expedition. It was a dangerous one. Out of the five special operative personnel sent, four arrived back safely. The unlucky fellow was trapped by the Book of Death. The Council received the news and shared it with the people. The Director of Informations was short and brief.

“People of Shalanga we wish to inform you that the latest mission was successful albeit out of five special ops, four are safe and have good news for us. The world outside is replete with enjoyable and nutritious arrivals. This week shall be a good week for us as a nation. In fact from the evidence of our men, I can say it is a potpourri of goodies”

In the Republic of Shalanga that was brief and short. A republic made up characters who derieved inspiration from the world around them. Sadly this world wasn’t aware of its status as a mentor to Shalanga Republic. All what the outside world was concerned with was the benefits of having Shalanga Republic amongst them. They benefitted some things, notable amongst them was -meat. However at the present moment the outside world had a much more important take on Shalanga Republic. One could call it genocide. The euphoria from the good news of the Director vanished and the announcement  of the outside world came as a shock.

“People of Lagos, the State government has directed that all markets and homes should endeavour to put measures in eradicating rats. The Commissioner of Health has utilized his powers under the Public Health Act 2015 in declaring the outbreak of Lassa fever. Lagosians are advised to use all means at their disposal in exterminating the rodents; rats as they are highly dangerous presently.”

This statement came as a shock to the Council of Elders. They were just enjoying the success of their intelligence agency in ascertaining the resources to explore. This statement invariably meant isolationalism. An emergency meeting was convened. 

“Hoc est bellum! This is war!.I say we go to war with these people. We can mobilize other allies which would give us strength. I mean this is getting too much. This is the definition of genocide. These people are cannibals, demonic, selfish and greedy elements. They hunt our brothers, sisters, father, mothers and put them on stakes, brandishing their corpses for sale. We can’t even bury and mourn our dead.” Chief Bacha said.

Chief Bacha had been living in Shalanga Republic for many years. He was amongst the survivors of his generation. His parents passed on while he was four after they ate the food of the gods. It was more doleful as they were celebrating their wedding anniversary that fateful day. This event was a catalyst to his principles in life. He believed in realism and pragmatism. He never supported any form of pacifism in any situation against the outside world. History has it that when he was held at the tail by an agent of the outside world, he bit silly out of the agent.

“I recommend we use a different approach. The pen is mightier than the sword. As the Director of Legal Affairs I recommend we make our grievances at the world court. It is without doubt that we have animal rights. This has been recognized in jurisdictions around the world and with good research we can bring a claim against the humans at the International Court of Justice. Resorting to violence is foolhardy. We all know man`s best friend. Only that group of species can wipe a whole republic synonymous to the dastardly impart of man`s nuclear weapon. Are we forgetting The Holocaust too soon”

To be continued..............

Just Write it down.

I have been away for some time now and in order not to keep you waiting I decided to drop a little something. Sometimes a lot of us read through write ups and come across some new words but unfortunately don't check it up. It's either laziness or procrastination. In the end some of us would find ourselves in circumstances where we would be wishing we had a plethora of big words to either write a mail letter, complaint letter or even an opinion article.

So I have decided to share some words which I think would be nice for you guys.

Before you go further my advice is either you get a pen and paper or you simply save this page after reading. You can also copy and paste which you should save as a doc file on your phone.

Enjoy.
1) Saunter- to walk in a slow relaxed way. Stroll

2)Commiserate- pitying, to feel or express compassion or sympathy for someone or something.

3)Suave- charming, confident and elegant.

4)confectionery- foodstuff that taste very sweet,taken as a group.

5)Blithely- happy, cheerful

6) despondent - In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.

7)Iconoclast - a person who criticizes popular belief or established customs and ideas.

8) Gussy up- to dress yourself in an attractive way

9) Ginormous - extremely large.

10) Guile- dishonest.

11) Listlessness- lacking energy or enthusiasm

12) Auguries- signs that shows what will happen in the future.

13) epoch - a period of time in.history marked by particular event.

14) Otiose - unnecessary, having no.useful purpose.

15) Cul- de-sac - a street that is closed at the end.

Okay, I will stop here for today. Hope someone has something added to his or her vocabulary.

Amebo is a good something.

Photo Credits: @artXLagos
I saw that beautiful piece and couldn't help wonder how beauty could be made in such simplicity. Simple yet sophisticated. That artwork is titled Amebo.
Interestingly, this piece revolves around that the title of the artwork; Amebo. Let's do it this way. We ll have two talks, leisure talk and serious talk.
We all know about Amebo. I mean this word is a local parlance which is an identity to our Nigerian culture. It is used to describe people who enjoy prying into the privacy of others thereby violating their fundamental right to privacy. We have Amebo everywhere. Our government can do Amebo for the purpose of security and public order. Please endeavour to see the provision of Section 45 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended .
I even have a friend who enjoys Amebo a lot. In fact this friend  is one natural  Amebo . Recently I have come to realise Amebo is a good thing. Not only have I enjoyed the recent exploits of this friend of mine but I have come to also participate in the act.
So on Friday, 4th of November, 2016, I was at artxLagos VIP Preview. It was one wonderful experience. Not only the artworks were memorable but the class of persons in attendance. It was on.this day I realised that all those unilag girls that form babe are still jejunes in the business. I saw all nationalities of babes. Lebanese, American, British, Nigerian. But shout out to some selected few  who know what they worth. You all are still priceless   any day anytime.
I was checking out all the artworks  basked in melancholy for two reasons. Firstly my friend who planned to accompany me to the event abruptly terminate her journey for some reason and this point I knew it's suicidal to attend such events alone. Secondly, I had a flat battery, therefore  I couldn't even take photos to brag that I was at the VIP event.
As the doings of the spirit of Amebo would have it I  happened to be standing near Chief Atedo Peterside and Pastor Paul Adefarasin when they had a short conversation. In other words I had to eavesdropped.
Ladies and gentlemen that ends the leisure talk.
Atedo Peterside for your information is the Chairman of Stanbic IBTC bank. It happens that the brain behind  the ArtXLagos exhibition is his daughter Tokini Peterside. This man was all about "selling his daughter " to his old friends elucidating on the kind of job she does.
"She manages all these artists, writers and even musicians. They had to come from different countries today"

You see this got me reflecting about some things. Particular amongst them was the way most African parents have groomed their children. We live in an environment where the level of fixation on professional courses is evidently high. From the  cradle years of children their fate and professional track line is drawn by some parents and in most cases   deviation from the track line is not tolerated .
A lot of Nigerians can write enormously lampooning our educational system, forgetting that sometimes the socio-cultural psyche is also a problem. It is hard to find children declaring to follow  a novel path in their choice of ambition.  Most declarations are simply centred around professional courses which we all know the story when they meet JAMB; the changer of destinies.
It is hard to find parents who are supportive of children choosing courses which have no ties with certification. Music, sculpturing, culinary  courses are regarded as light courses. But we forget that these are the little aspects that improve the economy of a country through tourism. The ArtXLagos had 5000 visitors in three days. No doubt half the number could have come down to Lagos just to see African artworks in display. In this vein, this means money from other parts of the world would be brought into Nigeria to be spent.
As young people who would become parents one day, I honestly feel the only primary goal of a child in our society is to love Nigeria. Whatever his or her endeavour, it should be to the pride of our great country. It doesn't necessary has to be law,medicine,architecture, economics, electrical engineering.
Once again just keep in mind Amebo is a good thing. It inspired this piece.
#Ama rira.

Reading this piece would be three kinds of people. Those who are in a challenge, those who know of challenges and are scared of facing them and those who have none on their mind

Farewell to the first set of people. To the second set people, you all need to be reminded that fear is the killer of growth and progress. The body and mind should never be left docile and inactive. I propose to you to do yourself a favour, challenge yourself and unravel the strength in your mind. You could pick a book and set a deadline, you could start working on that idea that only stays in the closet of your thoughts . Remember that time waits for no man, the more reluctant you are the more enthusiastic your peers are. Some of us get downcasted when we see or hear the achievements of people around us. The reason is because you haven't  challenged your mind and brains. Don't lay docile with the few months we have get engaged and become productive to yourself and the people around you.

For the people on the third category. Take a cue from the people on the second category and stop being lazy. A lot of us complain and lament about the situation of our country. Let it be known that change begins with you. When all youths try to be productive, we start appreciating the values of hard work.

Ladies and gentlemen the watchword for today is be productive and stop being afraid to go on an adventure of self discovery.

Discover yourself, unlock the values of growth and progress. # a ma rira.

The Introduction

This is the introduction to your optical nerves and cognitive senses. As days would move on, what will be posted would be centred on the future and advancement of the Nigerian youth. From political, social,religious,economical,financial matters we would try as much as possible to get us covered.

I believed so much in young persons and the reason is not far fetched . We make the strength and power of a nation. A revolutionized youth is a revolutionized future. Nigeria is still far from our promised land, indeed we need a revolution albeit a mental revolution.

Let us have a youth revolutionized against the poor mentality saturated deep down in the system of our fathers and mothers with no prejudice to yours and mine . Let us strive in all our fields s; politics,religion, economics, music, fashion,lifestyle.

Let us ignite other places in Africa because Africa is our own now and will be our own in many more years to come.

The Nigerian youth is energized with unquantifiable will power. Let is not waste, let is not spoil. Let the Nigerian youth go on to ignite Africa.

Viva Nigeria. Viva Africa.