Despite a distinct lack of power to turn on the computers where they may exist in primary and secondary schools across the country, some egghead has decided to make ICT based exams compulsory for matriculation exams in Nigeria.

Sad news yesterday, the mother of the coordinating minister for our economy has been kidnapped. This is no time to by cynical. Mrs. Okonjo is an 82 year old woman, and being whisked away from home by eight gunmen is not something that even a man in his prime should face, let alone someone who is at an age where all she needs is her rest. Here is hoping that she is returned soon.

Also hoping for the return of Lanre Fashesin, kidnapped in Edo state four months ago. If you have by any chance a word or any bit of information that could lead to finding him, please call 08069439240. Thank you.

Hans-Rudolf Hodel has apparently been in Nigeria for too long. The Swiss envoy has imbibed the habit of making promises that he cannot keep. He’s telling us that the country, known for protecting assorted criminals from the Nazis to Mobutu all the way to al-Qaeda, will reveal the names of those who have looted the treasury. Suddenly I’m quite sure that when I die, I’ll be standing beside Adolf Hitler in the queue for heaven. Although at the moment, I stand a better chance of being kidnapped.

The rise of kidnapping in our country has so many causative factors. Trying to list them all, and take a look at each is the stuff of a Ph.D. thesis, but some of those probable causes rear their heads in our day to day lives. One of those causes is frustration.

Imagine as a young, unemployed, person in Nigeria, you waltz past one of the many “free readers club” that we have in the country, and the first headline you see has to do with someone on the run from justice, who simply because he has the means, can afford to lie down in hospital and the hospital goes the further step of covering for him? The questions that arise from erstwhile Don, Babalakin’s sudden “illness” are legion. First of which must remain WHY he conveniently fell ill when the bailiffs were about to get him…

…The funny thing is that Mr. Babalakin did not actually need to go into hiding within the confines of LUTH. All he needed to do was to arrange a “suspension”, and in just a short while all would have been forgiven and forgotten as a “family matter” usually is around these parts. You see, in Nigeria, Madam Justice is not blind, and she favours those with fat pockets, so when you oversee the disappearance of the little sum of NGN2.1billions in a bid to make your pockets fat, all that happens will be a suspension, which also gives you the right to write down the actual disappeared sum.

You see, it’s all about the money, and 28 people who were refused access to free money will be taking INEC to court soon. Scratch that, and make that number 53 as the stubborn babariga at Zambezi Crescent, Maitama has decided that another 25 political parties will be de-registered to join the 28 who are already screaming blue murder and reaching for their law books. INEC pays all of our political parties a stipend apparently, and some political parties are set up as scams with the sole intention of collecting money.

Scams being in the news, the ICPC has summoned Suraj Adekunbi, who happens to be the speaker of the Ogun state House, and a few others over a N168 millions scam. “Yes, the speaker and others have been invited, but I don’t have the details,” sang ICPC canary, Folu Olamiti, while a few miles away, Adekunbi wondered what hospital he would check into.

Bits and bobs

Despite a distinct lack of power to turn on the computers where they may exist in primary and secondary schools across the country, some egghead has decided to make ICT based exams compulsory for matriculation exams in Nigeria. Expect someone to make away like a bandit after the contract has been awarded.

Air traffic controllers are rather belatedly complaining about the safety of our nation’s airspace. They should look into a mirror let us know why flights never depart on time.

Delta state won the National Sports Festival. However, the devil in the detail is to be seen in the medals table. Our second most populated state, Kano, could only muster up seven gold medals. When you consider that Kano was the best performing state from the north, then it tells you that northern Nigeria’s problems go way beyond just economic and political.

————————–

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.