Agony from Sambisa Forest

I woke up that morning, unsure of what the day holds for us, but certain of one thing, that the WAEC examination is still ongoing, I got dressed and bid farewell to my folks, unknown it was the last time I will ever set my eyes on them, that I and many other girls will become the victim of the evil lurking round the noon.
We filed into the examination hall, waiting for our question papers and answer booklets to be distributed to all the candidates. Amidst the examination jittery, I heard several gunshots, there was great pandemonium, students and teachers scampering.
I heard a crusty voice from a megaphone, we were commanded to lay down wherever we were, which we obediently obeyed, I was scared to my skin and suddenly blacked out.
The operations lasted for hours, I was revived and ushered into a waiting sport utility vehicle and sandwiched among my mates, like cows taken to abattoir, we were driven away. There was great wailing, we cried until we lost our voice. I stopped crying few weeks ago, and told myself probably this is the prize I have to pay for been a girl child in a country like Nigeria.
It is almost the first semester since we were forcefully adopted from our country, however it seems like eternity. We have become victims of political propaganda, forsaken by a country we call our own, neglected by a government our parents elected. We were carted away like the spoils of war, our adopters in jubilation and chanting victorious songs.
Life in Sambisa has been traumatic, few days after our adoption, our human dignity was forcefully taken away from most of us, freedom of worship which is enshrined in the Nigerian 1999 constitution was taken away, those of us who were Christians were forcefully converted to Islam. We were distributed among our adopters, in hot tears and pain, our dignity is serially violated.  Amidst fear and trepidation we unwillingly submitted our pride to our captors. Daily I feel awfully lonely, and I have become an outcast. Sleep has become an enemy, I stay up late every night escaping into the wonderland of mystery that contains broken fragments of my dreams. Tears and sore is salty, I long to return home if help will ever come before my last breath.
Let me leave now, you will hear from me soon, if I am still alive.
With pain from Sambisa.

By
Onyibe Oliver.

Published by www.yekipedia.blogspot.com
Follow us @yekeme

3000 POUND TRAVEL BOND: WHY NIGERIA MUST TAKE CHARGE OF HER DESTINY NOW

By whatever fact they have on ground, the UK authority will never issue this sought of travel bond restrictions on citizens from the United States or China. The question therefore is, why Nigerians?

There is no need for the Nigerian government to beg the UK authority to reverse her travel policy on Nigeria. The same colonial master that raped Nigeria and the rest of Africa have finally told us that we constitute nuisance to her public facilities that were built largely from the plunder of Africa. Rather than put all our energies appealing to the UK government, we should focus on putting our house in order.  So Mr Minister of foreign affairs let it go and lets all concentrate at getting it right here at home because there is no need shedding crocodile tears when faced with the stack reality.

There is no need over flogging this issue, the truth is Nigerians are running away from their fatherland in their hundreds of thousands on a yearly basis especially young people because the nation seems to be making wrong policy choices and even when she makes the right one there seem to be lack of will for implementation. Today, ASUU is at it again leaving young undergraduates vulnerable to whatever vices that impress them. We seem to pride our self as the largest black nation on earth but of what benefit has this brought us; nothing but abuse and insult such as this from the UK. Take a trip to any airport around the world and see how Nigerian travelers are treated. This will give you a sense why UK’s recent action is taking this hostile direction.

We don’t need any soothsayer to tell us that it’s high time to start getting it right at home. Political leaders and wealthy Nigerians should stop this reckless attitude of running abroad for treatment any time they have ordinary headache but rather endeavor to creating the right environment here at home so these facilities can be found here too. This is the only way to save our name and face from this sought embarrassment.  

Nigerians who take pride in leaving their country and make Europe and America their abode should understand that those places where never a creation from heaven but by the commitment and hard work from citizens in those places. It’s time we take responsibilities for our collective destiny so as to move this country on a right path once again. A nation can only be taken seriously and respected by the rest of the world when its people are ready to make it competitive. This is what has driven countries like china to the level they are. Today the Chinese are all over the continent of Africa engaging in different economic activities. This is the path Nigerian should aim at. We can become a beacon of hope for Africa and a true pride to the Black race only when we understand our place in the scheme of human affairs and work assiduously towards it.

YEK KEME

@yekeme

ROLE OF JUSTICE IN SHAPING THE WORLD

Justice is one of the major concepts in political philosophy that still lacks a univocal definition, yet it is a vital ingredient for the survival of man as a social being.

Indeed, justice has shaped the world but the question is how has man come to see the true meaning of this conception. Many hold that it is as a result of the complexities attached to the social being of mankind makes the term increasingly intricate and difficult to pin down because of mans cultural variation and linguistic usage.

It is therefore the aim of this piece is to take a critical look at the nature of justice and the role it has played in turning society around and shaping the world for the better.

The survival of the human race is predicated on the template of justice. This is true because a critical examination of the hypothetical state of nature as espoused by philosophers such as Hobbes and Locke shows that if not the coming together of wise few who championed for the coming together of the rest in some kind of social contract, man would have long gone into extinction because in the state of nature, life was short, harsh and brutish. It was a dog eat dog world.

In their coming together, they set the pace for the emergence of a civil society regulated by concepts such as Law and justice which brings among others natural justice, socio economic justice e.t.c

Human civilization through the ages have had one form of justice or the other ingrained in its culture and mode of existence from the primitive stage of man to contemporary times of the rule of law.

It is justice that coordinates all what man has and will be, therefore justice is the panacea to mans and solutions to mans miseries in the context of human social evolution.

As a result of human rationalization, the codification of our laws aims to achieve this (justice). Hence man design constitutions charters, treaties e.t.c. Again how far has all these workings of man faired in the light of the challenges man is faced with in the 21^st century? Could one say that justice is a live experience in these modern times?

 However placed the argument is, justice truly has shaped the world. It has affected human psyche so much   that even our daily activities is geared toward attaining it. The most fundamental of it all is that justice has separated man from beast. The essence of our civilization is because of our gradual understanding of justice and our future will be determined by how much justice truly affects human social intercourse. Therefore, international organizations (the U.N), regional bodies and national governments must take urgent steps towards spreading the message on justice as a way of preventing wars and help the future challenges that await man in her match towards greatness.

Yek keme

Dept of philosophy, University of Lagos

Yekeme4u@gmail.com. www.yekipedia.blogspot.com