LAURETTA ONOCHIE

In the last two weeks, it has been a harvest of killings in some Nigerian higher institutions; first in the University of Maiduguri on September 29, followed by Federal Polytechnic, Mubi and lastly University of Port Harcourt. All the scenarios surrounding the killings are gruesomely disturbing. While those of Mubi and Port Harcourt have been receiving media and security attention, that of the University of Maiduguri seems to have passed unnoticed and almost unreported. Three bona fide Nigerian citizens were involved in that of Maiduguri namely; Abdulmalik Ahmed, a 400 level student of Mechanical Engineering, Halima Damchida, a 500 level student of Law, and one other young man simply identified as Yakubu also of the University. Halima, according to close family sources, is the only child of her mother, while Abdulmalik Ahmed Hassan is the elder of two sons of Master Warrant Officer Hassan Ahmed Isah of the Nigeria Army Archives, Ikeja Lagos. 

So, who do we blame, and really is it a blame game or the scary realisation that we are just a nation run on auto-pilot, one for which after 52 years, we are still plagued largely by the same problems? We are 52, part of the country is in water. We are deep in flood, and equally flooded on all fronts by corruption, mismanagement, maladministration and poor governance structure coupled with a citizenry with a vague picture of what patriotism is or should be. Two months ago when parts of the Shendam/Mikang axis and the Southern part of Plateau were cut off from the North, it was just one of those rare occurrences. The city centre was next with scores of death; parts of Bauchi were not spared. But like all floods, all issues that have plagued us, with a wave of hand, are confined to the bin of history. While we mark our 52nd 'dependence', we do so with the news that over a million Nigerians are likely to die with the imminent collapse of Lake Nyos Dam in Cameroon. Many

Lauretta Onochie Nigerians who are lucky to be alive have something to celebrate today. And that’s about all they have to celebrate, yes being alive, some barely. But that’s where the celebration ends. Except of course on Facebook where many Nigerians celebrated the good old days of Awolowo, Azikiwe and Balewa. Since the military incursion in our national polity, it has been a story of one woe after another. The military were high-handed and it is generally believed that corruption was made solid in our nation by the men in uniform. Nigerians suffered human rights abuses, and lived with the effects of corruption in the hands of these men in uniform. Civil rights groups around the nation, began to agitate for a speedy return to democracy. Who would forget Nigerians like Wole Soyinka, Gani Fawehinmi, Balarabe Musa, Chuba Okadigbo, Beko Ransome Kuti and his brother, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who used the Afro beat musical genre to hold the military to account. The military succu

Nigeria is a typical third world country when it comes to issues relating to democracy. It is true that no two nations practice democracy in exactly the same way but some ingredients of democracy, to a great extent are present in democratic America and the West. Every citizen, highly placed or not, rich or poor, is subject to the same laws, rules and regulations; the citizens rights to freedom of speech and association are respected and there is the presence of opposition, whose role it is to keep the government on its toes and hold it accountable to its words, actions and inactions. In Nigeria, there are quite a number of the ingredients of democracy missing so one is left to wonder if its democracy at all. The rule of law only applies to those who are unable to buy justice. Members of the national assemblies do not consult those they represent on any issue or issues affecting them. Evidence of extra judicial-killing abound across the nation. Once you are a public or an elect

I have been thinking of this for a while and looking for an opportune time to air my view on a sore issue that exists among us but about which many of us take a religious stance and others adopt the ostrich dimension by burying their heads in the sand. However, with the sticks and daggers being thrown at Chris Okotie at the recent revelation that his second chance has ended in disaster, I thought that the time was ripe to say some simple things many of us over-look and take for granted. I must state here that I am NOT taking a religious view on this issue but my approach is on the wings of common sense. Marriage in the Nigerian culture is patterned for the woman differently from the way it is for the man, in a slightly sort of way. A female child in our society is expected to be born, go to school (thankfully now), serve her older and younger brothers (as a practice for her lifetime role), marry, endure it whether she likes it or not,  and die (most times from pains of being

I am not sure what informed my decision to watch President Goodluck Jonathan’s arranged third media chat. I guess it was because I had no confidence in the ability of the England football squad to nail the Italians and clinch the opportunity to face the Germans in a semi-final of the on-going Euro 2012 tournament. It was one bad decision that has haunted me since that night. I had also given the lack-lustre president too much credit by assuming that his ignoring Nigerians for many months meant he was learning the art of being a charismatic president; so I wanted to be one of the people to witness the unveiling of a new and improved charismatic and sensitive leader of our nation. His hands flew around freely like those of an angry man who was tipsy at a beer parlour. His nervous smile did him no good. If it was meant to portray him as a man at ease, it did the opposite, it showed a man who is confused and lacks confidence in himself. He latched on words and phrases such as “Body

When I travelled to Nigeria for the #occupyNigeria protests, I was appalled at how Nigerians were disrespected by Services agencies like the Power Holding Company Of Nigeria (PHCN), Communications network providers like MTN,  airlines particularly Arik Air; but I was more disgusted by the way we Nigerians let them get away with blue murder. You arrived at the airport ahead of time, they checked you in late and then more than an hour after you were supposed to have arrived at your destination, you were still sitting at the depature hall of the airport. You were told nothing, you were completly left in the dark as to why you have still not boarded and no apologies either. I was very frustrated that Nigerians just sat there, some sleeping and snoring, some eating endlessly and some sitting comfortably and  feeling relaxed. I looked around and it was absolute peace and bliss. I was raging on the inside wondering what I had done to merit being disrespected by an airline that depended o