A Live Show Of Shame

Godsday Orubebe

Just when we thought we had seen it all during this presidential election, a new rabbit is pulled out of the proverbial hat. With my mouth agape, I watched as Godsday Orubebe, the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs in Nigeria and an alleged Man of God, made a pitiful mockery of himself on live television.

His Twitter Timeline

I guess he could sense that the votes were not swinging in his party's favour so he took it upon himself to hold the result collation process hostage for almost twenty minutes on live television. He held on to the microphone and screamed about how Professor Jega, the INEC Chairman has shown himself to be partial and tribalistic. This same Jega has been in charge of the two previous electoral processes when it favoured PDP but of course he wasn't tribalistic then, it is only now that the APC are in the lead that he has taken up tribalism and partiality as a hobby.

His closing remarks to the disruptor. Absolutely bang on!

One thing I took away from that toe-curling show of shame is that indeed patience is a virtue because the INEC Chairman allowed this so called Elder Statesman rant and rave to his fill before schooling him as you would do a recalcitrant child hell bent on bullying the weaker children on the playground. Professor Jega also revealed the amount of pressure he must be under at this time because he ousted another PDP agent, Dr. Fadele for breaching protocols by lying to his (Jega's) personal assistant just yesterday and trying to pass some documents illegally across to Professor Jega.

Cool, Calm and Collected JEGA

It goes to show the level of rot and stench stemming from corruption in our country. I hope that truly Buhari will make a huge and positive difference if he is declared the winner and takes over the affairs of Nigeria.

Find the disgraceful video below:

Ease The Election Tension

 

There's so much tension in Nigeria right now as we await the results of the presidential election and I think the video below will ease the pressure. I love random and happy surprises like this. :)

Enjoy.

A Summary......

The much anticipated presidential elections in Nigeria finally held yesterday and due to some discrepancies it continues today. I was seeing as everything unfolded via Twitter yesterday and it was really interesting getting live feeds from various states across the country at about the same times. True to form, there were many hiccups and small pockets of violence as a result of the elections but overall, I think things were kept under control for the most parts.

The first set of hiccups occurred when the card readers (new and supposedly pre-tested) malfunctioned in quite a lot of pulling units. This was really embarrassing and ridiculous because INEC has had the past four years to get such minor glitches right. Even more irritating was the fact that some of the glitches shouldn't ever have occurred if only the INEC officials had been enlightened  and quick-thinking enough to know to remove the protective film on the faces of the card readers. You would think this was far too basic t have posed such a problem, but hey this is Nigeria; a place where anyhowness prevails.

And then there was the horrific violence and loss of lives in Rivers state and in a couple of parts in the North. I honestly could never understand why we would feel the need to take another life just t prove a point on behalf of a politician. There's no justification for the murders of those people and I hope the perpetrators get caught and are made to pay. 

I read a bit of anger online this morning from some Nigerians who felt the way CNN focused on reporting the violence as having "marked the elections" was a bit patronizing. Well, the thing is this, from an American's perspective, an election in a democracy shouldn't be so difficult in 2015, talk less of degenerating into cold-blooded murders over preference of candidates while from a Nigerian's perspective, it could have been much worse but it wasn't and it is clear that the people's voices are being heard at last. Bear in mind that we have been through a whole lot to get to this point and we are still going through plenty so focusing on positives rather than negatives seems more appealing. And as sad as the loss of lives in this election has been (I was mentally and physically drained by the reports and pictures yesterday), it pales in comparison to the number of people that have died needlessly during past elections and even more so during the tenure of the incumbent. 

Afterwards, it was seeing and hearing about the several Nigerians who couldn't vote initially because there were no ballots papers and so on. It was however really heartwarming to see a general resilient spirit flush through Nigerians and they remained in their polling units through the day till very late in the night to vote and oversee their votes counted. In some areas, torch lights and generators were used to ensure the counting of the votes were fair and accurate. In some areas, the voting was postponed till today and from what I've gathered online so far, theyve already commenced. 

All in all, fingers, toes and even eyes are crossed as the nation awaits the official declaration of the results of the election by INEC. I sincerely hope we get things right this time around. 

The Time Is Now!!!!

 

So, the elections are finally upon us. I would like to implore everyone to stay safe and avoid trouble. By all means, go ahead and cast your votes but stay sharp and alert at all times and avoid troubles. There's no need to provoke anyone or allow yourself to be provoked. 

Remember that in politics, there are no permanent enemies, which means none of these politicians and especially the politrickcians are worth dying for. As imperative as it is that you cast your vote for a better future for yourself and your future, enure you stay alive to witness the positive change you so desire.

Shey Na Like This We Go Dey Look Go?

I got really furious this afternoon when I saw the picture below on Twitter. These politrickcians are really taking the mickey now, aren't they? All these while they left the people hungry and without proper basic amenities and then suddenly, as a part of their campaign strategy, they've all turned Santa Claus, doling out food to the hungry and mentally-weary citizens. At least Santa does his rounds once in a year not once in FOUR years like they are doing. 

The lowest of lows.

All this time, not one of these looting politrickcians cared enough to come out to the streets and see how the people are faring. They did not build top class hospitals nor make available jobs for the  citizens, but now that they need our votes they are grovelling, cajoling, pleading, bribing and flinging grains and tidbits at the same people they have allowed to get hungry enough to rush these handouts. They now look like messiahs through the starved eyes of the long-forgotten, whose entitlements have been stolen from them without remorse.

It was really upsetting for me to hear that the governor who built a supposed world class stadium in his state (I wrote briefly about that here), fell ill and reportedly had to be flown ahead for treatment. I haven't confirmed this story about his health yet, but one would have assumed he would have been taken straight to the football pitch (for space purposes of course) in this awesome stadium and an IV line set up for him right there and then with nurses and doctors at his beck and call. I mean, why would anyone spent that outrageous amount of money on an entire stadium and not get emergency services, live entertainment, a personal butler and what have you as part of the package? 

Here's a Google image I found of what a hospital in Akwa-Ibom looks like and after that is what the interior of a luxury bulletproof van owned by the State governor looks like. Look, you better wake up and smell the coffee whilst sharing the aroma with those around you. We must not continue this way.

I am tired.  

#BlogFeature - Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

  
The article below is written by one of my BlogFeature writers Toyin Femi-Akinlade and once again, she's written a beautiful piece stemmed from a true life experience. Enjoy, learn and share. 

So it's exactly five days to the mother of all elections in our dear country and I decided to engage my older daughters aged 7years 2months and 5 years 6months respectively (you will soon understand why I am stating their ages like this) in a political discourse of sorts. The following conversation thus ensued between us.

' Who knows what is happening this Saturday?' I quizzed

'Election', screamed the older one in delight.

Pleased, I quizzed even further,

' So who are you going to vote for?'

Excitedly, the younger one replied,

'I'm going to vote for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Buhari and Ashafa', she said.

'Huh? You can only vote for either Goodluck or Buhari, not both of them'. I said trying to enlighten her to which she said,

'Ehn I will vote for Goodluck'.

'Why?'

'Because he's my friend'.

'Your friend?'

'Yes now'

'But he doesn't even know you'

'Yes I'll still vote for him even though he doesn't know me'.

Sigh.

'Why do you want to vote for PDP and not APC? You know Goodluck is in PDP'? I said to her while trying to gauge her response. Imagine my shock when she replied me confidently by saying,

'I will vote for PDP because PDP starts with power and ends with party and I loveeeee parties' she says waltzing away in a funny dance.

I couldn't help thinking and muttering under my breath in Yoruba, 

'Ha mo ti bi eleyi na' meaning this is one genius of a child (I think? 😁)

'Okay. So why do you want to vote for Ashafa?'

'I always see his face on the walls when we are going to school (referring to his campaign posters) and I just like him'.

So I move on to my older daughter who didn't quite appreciate my disturbance as she was engrossed in her story book.

'Madam, so who are you going to vote for?'

'Munmy I am not yet 18, I cannot vote!'she said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

'Yes I know but assuming you could vote, who will you vote for?'

'Buhari', she said

'Why?'

'Because Raheem said Jonathan  likes jollof and he is a thief so I won't vote for him'.

Ha omo yi ma pa mi! This child don't kill me! I thought out loud to myself while making a mental note to ask her teacher who Raheem is to have such a strong 'political' influence on my daughter.

On a final note I then asked both of them?

'Who is going to be the next President of Nigeria?'

Each of them excitedly shouted the names of their preferred candidate.

'Who is going to be the next governor of Lagos State?'

'Ambode', they both said.

To say I was shocked beyond words will be an understatement. I never knew I had such politically active and conscious daughters. While still reeling in my shock, the younger one walks up to me, gives me an attitude and in a shoki dance stance says to me or us rather (her sister and I)

' I no fit shout o, na Jona'.

I fainted, woke up by myself and fainted again within the space of five seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Article by Toyin Femi-Akinlade

Twitter: @y_toyin

#BlogFeature - Endometriosis: Removing the Veil of Silence.

Below is a thought provoking article by my friend Henry Okelue. It's his first time being featured as a guest writer on my blog and I hope it won't be the last especially on the issue he's bringing to light today. Read, be enlightened and please do share with every one you know. You never know just who might be needing this.

Thanks.
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Did you know that painful period or painful sexual intercourse might actually be something else? It might be something medically referred to as Endometriosis.

What is Endometriosis?

Certain tissues, called the endometrium, grow inside the uterus, normally. That is part of what gets shed when a female sees her period. But this situation could happen differently, abnormally. The endometrium could also grow on and in other parts of the internal organs, outside the uterus. 

So when a woman’s period is on and the linings of her uterus get shed, the endometrium growing outside the uterus also become active and begin to bleed too. This bleeding makes the internal tissues and organs they have bled over to adhere together. The situation causes a chronic, very debilitating, very intense pain in the pelvic region and other internal organs. This condition is what is referred to as Endometriosis. It is one of the biggest causes of infertility.

  

As a start, visit your gynecologist and have the cause of the pains you feel during sex or period checked out. Due to the fact that Endometriosis cannot be disgnosed via scan or X-ray, the most accurate way to diagnose Endometriosis is via a laparoscopy. Fret not, for it's a small procedure and not as scary as the name sounds. Laparoscopy is just a keyhole surgery whereby a small camera is inserted into the stomach to see if Endometriosis exists within and how far spread it is. You can have a laparoscopy and be discharged the same day, it also leaves very little scarring. 

No cure for this disease exists yet, and science does not seem any closer to getting a cure now than they were 10 years ago. One thing is key, Endometriosis, on its own, does not kill. Please take some time to read up on it.

Women with Endometriosis suffer on various levels – the actual physical pain, and then the emotional pain.

Many people misunderstand women in general and women with Endometriosis in particular. Every day we hear people mock women who exhibit certain irritable behaviors. They laugh at them saying “she is PMSing” or “maybe she is on her period”. These irritable behaviors could be as a consequence of the mind numbing pains they are enduring. Someone once told me the pains from Endometriosis are more intense than that from child birth. Women, by their nature, require more understanding from us. Women suffering from Endometriosis require even higher levels of understanding.

The mere fact that someone who has been diagnosed with “Endo” feels pain that nobody seems to understand could lead to depression.

Then, there is the case of infertility. Nothing kills a woman psychologically more than the fact that she might not be able to have kids. Every time she sees kids, or she sees her friends pregnant, she might get gloomy. Endometriosis can sometimes block the fallopian tubes. This means an ovary cannot travel down to meet a sperm cell and get fertilized. This, beyond the pains, is one of the major damages that this diseases causes.

But all hope is not lost. A woman with Endometriosis could actually still get pregnant. I recently spoke to a woman who was diagnosed with the disease when she was in her mid-twenties. She has kids now and she conceived naturally after intense treatments and a strong determination to beat the illness. Even for those who can’t conceive naturally, science has invented IVF to sort this. So please, smile dear warriors.

This disease can affect anyone of any colour, of any race, of any age. I recently saw a Caucasian girl on Instagram. She was recently diagnosed of Endo. She is just 14 years old. It is neither a curse from someone, nor a generational curse. It is not something you brought upon yourself.  No one knows why one female gets Endometriosis and the other doesn't. No one knows a proper and accurate cure for it. It is a disease caused by various factors, all of which a woman has no control over.

 

As a partner, you need to show a lot of compassion for your spouse. She needs all the support and understanding that you can muster, and more. There will be those nights you will wake up and realize the whole bed is soaked in blood. There will be those times she will wake you up in the middle of the night crying and writhing in pain. You should help her through this by knowing what to do to sooth her pains. It could be as simple as filling her hot water bottle, or massaging the area close to her pelvic. All of this could ease the pain. She might become turned off sex, simply because of the amount of pain she has to deal with whenever you guys make love. Please, do show understanding.

She could get ill many times over, in very bad cases, she might be ill every time. Very likely she is in and out of hospital most of the time. You just need to know you both are in it together and have to defeat the condition together.

Endometriosis does not last forever. At some point in a patient’s life, her period will cease to be active, so also the endometriums – endo leaves forever at the onset of menopause.

The statistics available say 1 out of 7 women suffer from the disease, about 170 million worldwide. But it just dawned on me that those numbers could be higher, especially in Nigeria where society, culture, and our attitudes never allow us follow through on these things. People do not want to go have medical checkups because of the fear of what they might find. They don’t want to seek help because of the fear of stigma, they don’t get adequate treatment because they believe they believe they can pray their way through it. Don’t get me wrong, prayer works, but medicine is there just to assist prayer in working.

 

I hope this article, not in any way an authoritative piece, will bring more attention to Endometriosis, make more people talk about it and make people seek for more knowledge about it. This could build a more formidable coalition that will join in putting pressure on science to find a cure.

To every woman on every corner of the earth silently and doggedly fighting the pain and trauma of Endometriosis, you are a true warrior, remain defiant, remain #Endostrong. 

We love you so much.

Article Written By: +Henry Okelue 

Twitter: @4eyedmonk

How Many More Should We Expect????

I watched this awful video last week and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine at how the issue escalated so quickly and cost the life of a mentally ill man right in front of his mother. His mother had called the police herself to help get her son to take his meds but if only she had an inkling as to how tragically it would all end, she probably would never have made that call. She did tell them over the phone that her son was mentally ill and asked that they send trained professionals to the hosue to deal with the situation. 

What pained me most was the fact that they could have used non-lethal means (a taser which can be clearly seen on the cop in the video) to subdue this poor young man rather than shooting him outright. I won't even lie, American is looking scarier to me by the day.The frequency of these occurrences are just too much, way too much.

***Please be warned that the video is very disturbing and graphic***

Neighbour From Hell.

A young lady, Ashley Brady, lost one of her legs in an accident last year and has since learned how to walk again using a prosthetic. Due to challenges of snow and ice, a handicapped car space right outside her apartment was assigned to her for safer and easier access. The importance of this space to this poor handicapped lady cannot clearly be overemphasized but unfortunately someone didn't see things the same way.

A neighbour of hers left this awful note for her and the contents would shock you.

The note reads:
Hey handicap! First, never place your hands on my car again! Second, honey you ain't the only one with 'struggles.' You want pity go to a one leg support group! You messed with the wrong one! I don't care what your note said shove it, but you touch my car again I will file a report, I am not playing! I let the office know the cry baby one leg touches my property I will cause trouble so go cry your struggles to someone who cares cause I'm walking away with both mine! -Bitch. 

I mean how cruel can a person be? I hope they find the coward and make her pay for sending such a venomous hate-mail. Clearly the writer of the letter is probably an online troll (you know those sort that leave nasty messages on blogs?) who decided to take the battle offline. What a shame.


Source: http://happyplace.someecards.com