The Blogosphere as I used to know

I first started blogging in 2006. That seems like a very long time ago now. My first blog was on what used to be known as msn spaces and as I discovered BlogSpot, I moved my blog here.

Looking back at those early days, I started my blog because I’m one of those people who just loves to talk! Matter of fact, I love talking so much that I often have to restrain myself from talking

Back in those early days, the blogosphere was a different place. I made friends with other bloggers from across the globe. I followed their posts religiously. Some really good bloggers came and went and I eventually ended up meeting up with one or two bloggers in London, Dubai and Nigeria. The likes of 30+, pink gloves and a whole host of others!

Blogging has really moved on or perhaps I’m the one who has not managed to stay in tune with the ever changing blogosphere

Ajebutter wannabe, Lagos Living

I've been in Lagos now for over a week. The plan was to spend the holidays with family and friends. This holiday has quickly morphed into me performing all manner of errands - house ghel type of work.

 My sister has sold her car which I usually cruise around with. This means all these errands are being done by taxis - Igbese thingz if you know how much the red cab will cost you including overpriced pangolo cabs that are like living skeletons. 

Having reviewed my taxi spendings and almost having a fit, I decided to vex and carry go with a danfo bus - Yes, why not! I ended up paying 100 Naira for a journey that would have cost me 2000 Naira with a regular taxi. I even enjoyed free A/C on third mainland bridge along with all other passengers - Shior. No ajebutter when your ATM card refuse to work in Lagos. This led me to visit my bank at Marina branch only to find that their system was down. After waiting forever and a hot minute, they decided to keep the forms, give me some  money and let me go. I tire for Naija banks

All in all, today has been great, long, tiring and filled with me trawling through Lagos on public transport. It was quite an interesting experience

My Amazing Story of God's Healing

Written on Wednesday 5^th February 2013

In the September of 2012 while canoeing on the River Wye with some of my friends, I was involved in a minor accident whereby the canoe I was in capsized (click for story). I was fasting during this period and coincidentally, this was the last day of my fast. Of all 3 of us involved, I was the only person who sustained an injury – a dislocated left shoulder.  I thank God for his grace that things were not worse.  The paramedics came out and examined my arm, I hadn’t sustained any broken bones to God’s glory but I had to immobilize my hand for a while.  As the healing process began, things just didn’t feel quite right with my hand, I would hear clicks while swimming or exerting myself but I would always ignore these until one eventful morning on 11^th January 2013 (this was just 5 days before my birthday) It was one of those mornings when the bin men were picking up the bins on a different day to the usual. I rushed out of bed in a sleepy haze to hurriedly get my bin out after 2 weeks of stockpiling waste. In my hurriedness, I missed a step and just as I was about the steady myself with my left hand, I twisted my shoulder all over again. The pain was sharp and it was like a frozen towel hit me in the face. I have been in so much pain in my left hand since then. Things had gotten to the point where I wake up almost every morning with my pinky and ring fingers completely numb. I also get terrible pains in my wrist and shoulder blades.  

Where is all this going you may ask? Well, a little more patience my friends. On Tuesday 5^th February 2013 I attended my 4^th Alpha course session titled “Why and How Should I pray” this is one of the things I struggle with in my Christian life. Trying to get it right has always been an obsession as well as knowing truly when God is speaking to me. The session touched a chord with me and during the discussion sessions, the presenter talked about the first prayer he prayed and God answered. He asked for a bible and a few minutes later, his father called him over and gave him a bible.  For me, this was a reminder of God’s promise to his children “Ask and it shall be given”

At the end of the session as always, Pastor asked if anyone wanted special prayers for anything. I was tempted to be quiet and have the session end so we could all go home but something within me spoke out and I made a special request for God to heal my left shoulder.  This was not the first time I had prayed for healing in my left shoulder, but this time, it was different. I had made a conscious decision prior to keep a prayer journal so I could list my prayers and then check the answered ones so I can have a constant reminder of all that God has done for me.  As pastor’s wife touched my left shoulder to pray for me, I just felt this really cool sensation in the inside of my arm right from my neck to my finger tips. I knew in my heart that something amazing was happening and I just tuned myself in to that sensation.  Driving home that night, my left arm felt different.  I went to sleep with a feeling that my left arm was healed but still at the back of my mind, I knew I had to wake up the following morning to see if I would have numb fingers. To God’s glory I work up and my left arm felt as normal as my right arm.

People, God healed my left arm! As I type this up on Wednesday 6^th February, I have joy in my heart and I am grateful for God’s glory. I know in my heart that God is true, loving and kind and all we need to do is believe in him and he will answer all the needs of our hearts. I would like to encourage you all to not be afraid to ask God. I truly believe that my story this morning would have been different if I hadn’t taken that step of faith and placed my troubled limb in God’s hands.  

ALUU4, MOBI45, Boko Haram, corruption in Nigeria and its effects on my generation

From a very young age, I always sensed that human life in Nigeria had very little value.  I am not very good with memory but I do have some surprising gruesome memories of horrifying events.

That first time, I must have been about 6 years old. I was home when I heard shouts of “thief” “thief” in the neighborhood. I rushed to the upper balcony of my home to find a naked young man running for his life. In hot pursuit were about two men. One threw a huge chunk of metal at the running man and immediately, a huge gash of flesh was taken off the running man’s leg. He stood no chance as he fell to the ground. My mother shouted for me to get back into the house. I do not know what happened to that young man. Most likely, he was taken to the local police station. I hope

The second time, I was about the age of 10. It was between the road passing through FESTAC and the Alajika area of Lagos. I had just gotten off a bus with our house help. I had been complaining about being pressed for the toilet when the house help told me to go into a nearby bush to “ease” myself. As I took a few cautious steps into the bush, right before my eyes only just a few meters from the main road was a corpse with a tyre around its neck. I was horrified. I started shaking and ran back to the road. I never till this day spoke about what I saw in that bush.

The third horrifying experience I had was only just a few years ago, perhaps 5 years maybe? I had returned to Nigeria on holiday after a number of years living in the UK.  As I was driving around with my companion on some road in Lagos, not too far from Ikeja, I was shocked and horrified to see a corpse just lying there on the roadside. I was shocked beyond words. This was right there in broad daylight on a very busy road in Lagos and the corpse was just sitting there. The following day we drove past the same spot and guess what? That corpse was still right there by the road side. My companion, a resident of Lagos was not so shocked. She told me about other corpses she had seen sitting on the roadside in lagos for days before being removed. I remember being surprised at her tone but I accepted this as it was Nigeria after all?

Finally, there was Llyod, Ugonna, Tekena and Chidiaka. These four boys were beaten mercilessly and then set ablaze while still alive. I did not see the video, I don’t think I could bring myself to see it but I saw some photos. In one of them, a young boy clearly distressed and bloodied from beatings and sitting in the midst of motionless bodies of his friends, a crowd was gathered around and of course, there was the camera taking the time to record these dastardly acts of murder in broad day light. I still feel the bile turning in my stomach

I am only 27 years old and in that time I have seen gradually how the humanity of Nigerians has degraded. Our police and army carry out indiscriminate killings no questions asked, no actions taken. Our leaders watch us suffer indiscriminately, no questions asked, no actions taken. Over the years, we have been gradually robbed of our humanity through poverty, strife and the daily quest for survival.  We do not even see suffering anymore. Suffering has become the norm and due to the inadequacy of our government and security forces, vigilante groups have thrived. The rule of law is nonexistent and all of these have lead to the murder of innocents  

 Corrupt leadership, compromised security, extreme poverty, struggle for survival, failed healthcare system, failed educational system, high rates of illiteracy and a desensitized people all lead to the deaths of the ALUU4, the MOBI45, that innocent man shot by police officers, those innocent civilians shot by the army, those innocent Christians killed in the north, those innocent Muslims killed in the South. 

Finally, I’ll leave you with a story I read about only just a few weeks ago.

A man returning from work had just gotten off a bus along a major highway in Lagos when he heard a number of people on his side of the road pointing and shouting (no doubt some would have had their phone cameras on standby). On looking at the direction of the commotion, he saw the body of a young woman in the middle of the road. She had just been hit by a car. He rushed over to move her body away from the path of oncoming vehicles. She was still alive but gasping for breath. I think by now, another man had come over to assist. No cars stopped to assist them but “Luckily” there was a parked mobile police car just a few meters away so, both men hurried over with the body of the young lady and asked the policemen for assistance.  The response of the police office was shocking. He responded that he would not take the woman to the hospital in his car; after all, the woman was responsible for her own misfortune because there was a pedestrian crossing bridge just further down the road. She didn’t use it! The police man did however assist them with getting a taxi.

Upon getting to the hospital and in the midst of the hospital staff requesting down payment and all sorts, the young woman died.

Such stories and even more horrifying ones happen every hour, minute and every second in Nigeria. I do not have hope in this government as they are only interested in lining their own pockets at the peril of innocent lives.

When will the blood of the innocents stop spilling across the country and when will Nigerians start to feel human again?

Kate Middleton Topless - Who Cares??

I am a big fan of Kate Middleton. I like the girl very much. In fact, I like her oracle more. Her oracle snagged Kate a real life prince. You gotta admire good work and give credit where it is due.

 Overall, I am sure she is a very nice girl married to what at the time was the most eligible young man in the world. Our dear William may not be the best looking but when you are loaded, it is amazing how money can turn King Kong into prince charming. 

Now, my gripe at the minute is the shamelessness with which newspapers the world over are displaying by posting half naked pictures of Kate Middleton. To make matters worse, these pictures were obtained by a peeping Tom who took the photos with telephoto long range lenses while the Duchess was on a private property in France.

I have seen these photos and being an African woman, I dont find them remarkable at all. I just want to stuff food into the girl so that she can add more flesh to places where it will really matter. All I saw was a very skinny girl indulging in top less sun bathing which I have never understood for the life of me. I mean, who cares if your boobs are tanned or not? its not like you are walking the streets with your boobs exposed for all to admire.. presence of boobs or not.

What is most annoying now is that Kate Middleton and her half naked photos are allover the news, cant watch CNN without hearing about them, cant watch BBC news or even listen to BBC radio without hearing about Kate's boobs. 

Dear God, please help the world's media move on from Kate Middleton's (lack of) boobs

Ajala goes Canoeing

Come and help me sing hallelujah!!

This is proper thanksgiving mate and add praise and worship to that. Yours truly (which is me in this case) was involved in a canoe capsize.

Canoe-cap-kini I hear you say. Well, you heard it right. A canoe capsize.

A few of my workmates and I (scratch that, one babe like that for work) organized a canoe trip on the River Wye (one very dirty river like that in Gloucestershire). This was supposed to be an adventure with two persons in each canoe paddling down a 6 mile stretch of the River Wye. I was all for it. I am usually a very adventurous person and I do know how to swim reasonably. So, this was gonna be a piece of cake

The whole trip was marked for misadventure the minute I was paired. I just knew that my paddling partner was going to get me into trouble. Throughout the whole trip, our canoe kept zigzagging down the river. The tour guide said I was paddling too hard while my partner was not paddling strong enough (dilemma!) How the heck is that my fault. All the eba I ate in Nigeria buffed me up

The trip went generally well and it was a lovely day to be out on the River. But just as we were rounding a bend in the river, our canoe was bumped by another canoe from behind onto a massive bush right in the middle of the river and we pushed onto the bushes and stuck right on top (imagine a boat running aground). At this point with the strong currents pushing us against the river, we could not free our boat. That was when the tour guide (aka Voltron Defender of the Universe) decided to come and free us.  As we were being rescued, the canoe overturned.

 My life did flash before my eyes as the brown, dirty, cold water of the River Wye slapped me squarely in the face.

My first thought was “OMG! I’m drowning!” I heard the tour guide yelling at me to put my feet on the ground and that was when I realized that the river was quite shallow, so I did as instructed. By this time, our Voltron had taken hold of the canoe and brought it back and gave me a firm instruction to jump in. I could tell he was pissed off. He had lost some of his kit in the river and I guess for the 19 pounds per person for the trip, we were not worth the trouble.

It wasn’t until I tried to start padding back (all drenched in murky waters) did I realize I could not make use of my left hand. As I lifted the paddle, I experienced such intense pain that I started to shiver. So here we were, sitting in the middle of this bloody river and I could not paddle. Lucky for us, other members of our group who could not find us returned to the scene of the incident and towed our boat to the end point.

By this time, I was shivering, in intense pain and had tears streaming down my face (and I wasn’t even crying!) I could not move my left shoulder and at this point, I could tell everyone was worried. I guess I was in shock by now

At this point someone called an ambulance. What we got were two ambulances, two fire engines and a police car. Boy did I fell very special!

 Ehhh.. I was well impressed. I was so thankful that I didn’t fall into Ogunpa River in Nigeria. Not even nearby fishermen will come for me!

After a few blasts of what we call “Air and Gas” – some really good gaseous pain killer which makes you feel no pain.. I was as high as a kite (laughing and giggling).  The medics determined that I hadn’t broken anything but had dislocated my shoulder. This was popped back in and I was put in a sling and off to the A&E for X-Rays. No broken bones. But I tell you, the pain was incomprehensible

In the midst of all the humor, pain and disorientation, I was still able to appreciate that this could have been worse. People have been known to drown in waters that people consider Mundane and so for walking away with a dislocated shoulder and a sling I am extremely grateful

The shoulder still hurts a bit but with gentle Physio excersies, I am getting berra.

Lots of love

PS: Sorry I had to "purple" out peoples faces here

Tolantino. 

The Good That Humans Do

Growing up, I've been fortunate to witness both my parents offer help and assistance to a number of people ranging from family to friends and in some cases strangers. Also, I have been fortunate enough to grow up within a stable family environment with a lot of discipline. This has taught me to be disciplined and very much aware of my actions and the greater impacts. I have learnt that my actions are more than me.

 We as humans leave a legacy wherever we go and in whatever we do. This is why I try to do good. I often do this not because I want to be thanked or praised. I actually detest praises. I am often embarrassed by it. If I were on the receiving end of a god deed, it would mean much more to me if I knew the person did not have to be good to me.

This is why it hurts when people try to take advantage of good doers. I recently had a very nasty experience with a person whom I thought was a friend. You know the type of experience where you feel violated as a human being.  Yea, that kind of nasty experience. I really thought at that moment that this was it! I was totally done with people, their problem will no longer be mine and to each his/her own.

For the first couple of days, it did hurt, true. But after this, my experience started to be a distant dull memory. I started to not think about the experience as much and then, the most amazing thing started to happen...I was grateful for all of the experience. Believe it or not, I was grateful that I went through this experience and I learnt a lot about myself as a person and what we as humans should expect as a minimum from other humans - Nothing. The best thing is to expect little from other humans because that way, you can rarely be disappointed. If they then go on to do great things, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Finally, I have not lost my sense of humanity. I recently had the chance to assist a person to give them a better experience and I rose up to this challenge. I am happy that this one nasty experience did not subconsciously have a negative impact on my outlook in life.. When a challenge came up, I rose up to it and I overcame!

I hope someone can learn something good from this experience.

Stay bless y'all

Tolantino

One thing I'm most grateful for is that this experience has not changed my approach to life and my general philosophy 

27th Feb 2011

For well over a year now, I have stayed away from my blog. I have not been in a place where I felt like sharing anything speak less of opening my heart out to blogsville.

I have noticed that a huge number of folks are no longer blogging. Maybe they have moved on. I have also noted that a huge number of bloggers are still in here doing their thing. This is really good. That is some commitment.

It is very interesting how the UK seems to sap the life out of you. Something about this country just aint right. My present local government area is not even making things any better. The past year has been one thing after the other. Frigging anti immigration sentiments is running deep. The UKBA is formulating tight policies to keep non-eu immigrants out of the country. A few of my friends have fallen in the process and it just doesn’t feel right.

Another thing on my mind is the question of relationships. Is it possible to actually make a long distance relationship work?? Ie Lagos vs. London. I have always managed to steer clear of this but recent happenings have brought these thoughts to the forefront of my mind.

Another thing is that I am working too hard. (At least I am getting the recognition for it which is the only solace here) Work in the UK is just that.. WORK.. catch flu.. work some more.. catch some more flu.. go on holiday and repeat the cycle.. Highly disturbing I tell you. It will be nice to get another assignment abroad and just step away from the UK for a bit. Lol.

A recent story in the news is of a certain 20yrs old naija-british girl called “Claudia” Claudia was a very pretty student based in London and she seemed to have it all..everything except a big ass.. ie Nikky Minaj type ass. Claudia had the ambition of being the ultimate hip hop honey and shaking it in hip hop videos but her lack of booty made her career prospects a bit bleak. So, Claudia turned to the internet to find a place where she could acquire some extra booty. A few months later, Claudia checked into a budget hotel in the US where she was administered a fatal injection of industrial grade silicone into her ass. 12 hours later she had some severe chest pains and she died of cardiac arrest at the hospital.

What really strikes me is the desperation people seem to face when they think a certain part of their bodies does not conform. Why did Claudia have to think her life could never be complete without a big ass? How could she have let anyone stick a big needle in her and inject her with crap that was so lethal? My big fear now of plastic cosmetics procedures is the desperation of people and how they would sign up for quacks in order to get cheap deals.

I would not be surprised if the next story I read would be that of some fat person who was so frustrated with being fat that they resorted to performing a homemade liposuction procedure using a dyson power ball hoover!

Stay bless you all!

Bikini Clad Fantasies

Ever since the moment I realised I was my own person and I could do whatever I wanted to do, the first thought that came to my mind back in 2006 was that I wanted to go to Ibiza. Why Ibiza? Well, Ibiza was the HQ of British sin-dom at the time. Teenagers going out on dead cheap flights, cavorting on the streets and getting arrested. I did not pick Ibiza because i wanted to get myself arrested but I picked Ibiza because it was probably the only holiday that I could afford at the time. They had week deals for ridiculous prices like 150Euros. Now if that was not a deal, I don’t know what would have been
Part of my Ibiza fantasy involved buying my very first bikini. Lol. Yes, Myself, TOLANTINO, at some sinful holiday resort in Ibiza, sipping on Mojitos, Cosmopolitan cocktails the whole lot, in my very sinful looking bikini beside the pool just enjoying myself into oblivion. But this fantasy was not complete. The next part would involve me slowly setting aside my empty cocktail glass and sashaying into the pool for a cool off swim. My GOODNESS.. that was the ultimate fantasy. However, there was a small glitch in this fantasy, Tolantino could not swim even if her life depended on it.
I just could not swim! I never learnt to swim as a child. So this little detail made my little Ibiza fantasy an impossible one. There is no way on earth I would go to Ibiza, lay beside the pool in a bikini, sip on cocktails in my bikini and not go into the pool for a cool off swim. No way. I was going to make this fantasy work one way or the other though and this was what motivated me to take up swimming classes in my final year at uni.
I vividly remember my first swimming class in the winter of 2005. I was so terrified to let go of the side of the pool. My instructor kept reassuring me and here was this grown ass of a 20 year old female screaming ‘’ Mommy.. I can’t do it’’ hehehehehehe. My instructor would come back and say ‘’Tola.. your mommy is not going to help you.. Let go of the wall!’’ Lol. I slowly started to understand that there was no way I would drown in 1m depth of water, I learnt my balance. We moved on to the breast strokes and the front crawl. I learnt my breathing techniques. I completed the beginner’s class and I believe till this day that this is one of my greatest non-academic accomplishments (other than passing my UK Driving Test!) I am so proud of myself for getting over my fear of drowning and trusting my body to keep me afloat. One of the most difficult things one could ever do as an adult is learn to swim. You have to get over your fear of drowning and this is not as easy as it may sound.

Recently, I graduated to the deep end of the pool. 2.0m and I felt totally confident. My new gym has a massive swimming pool as well so I will be going more often to practice my strokes. I am even thinking of joining the advanced swimming class now. I cannot wait to see how that goes

Why am I blogging about swimming again?
Firstly, I am trying to relate this to things in life which one may think is totally impossible and people’s reactions to such things. I look back 5 years to the day i bought my first swim suit and stepped into a pool for the first time. I remember those friends who teased me and said my ass was too big to float and i also remember those friends who were inspired by me and also took the step of learning to swim (and are still swimming!) Never let negativity and what people say affect your dreams baby. You are more than all that. The most important thing is your ability and your aspirations.
Secondly, I am finally going to buy that bikini, that bikini is going to be BAD ASS and I am not going to Ibiza. I’m thinking South America, maybe Venezuela where people live in their bikinis!! God knows I deserve this!

Complements of the season… from Lagos

After the terrorists’ attacks in Mumbai, I was sent to the rig shortly after, Discoverer 534 (my most fav rig so far). I went prepared with Xmas cards to give to my most fav people. Funny thing is that most people did not expect this gesture and it was well appreciated. My pastor will say I am sowing seeds.. hehehe.. The job itself was not a very stressful one. Just me and another guy. Very cool dude o. everything was too smooth with enough days as standby. Free money! My oga pulled me out of the rig like say two days before my Naija plane was due to leave Mumbai. I could not make it to Mumbai on the same day so had to spend the night in Rajahmundry.. Kai.. that place is dry sha. A whole Rajahmundry and nothing to do there.. The following day, I had to endure a 4hrs trip to Visakhapatnam aka Vizag to catch the flight leaving from there to Mumbai. I was already having visions of missing the following day’s flight to Lagos. I hadn’t done any kind of shopping and I was going to Naija the following day. The Lord is definitely my strength.

I got to Mumbai late in the evening on Thursday and started putting my things together. Following evening for 7pm, I was on the emirates flight leaving Mumbai for Dubai. I had already scheduled my flight in such a way that I would have a 15hrs layover in Dubai. Emirates had already booked hotel and visa on my behalf. All on the house.. very sweet.

I got to Dubai and first thing I did was call my girl Pink Gloves. Shout out to PG!! You sabi rock my girl. Took a taxi to her place and my girl had enough groove planned for me. From Trader Vicks to some other place that I cannot remember for the life of me. This was after I had sampled her pepper shripme.. that babe can also cook!! PG.. RESPEC o! I did not get back to my hotel room till 3.00am.. just in time to catch a quick nap for check out at 6.30am then straight back to Dubai airport to catch the 9.15am connection to Lagos. That layover is the best connection layover of my life.. hehehe.. enough groove..I shall be laying over more often in Dubai now.

Naija people can pack load sha.. all these market women in Dubai airport with enough cabin baggage that is even more than check in limit. Why now?? Then they will now come and obtain the bin space on top of your seat like say you did not pay for your seat on the plane. Kai.. and then there was the naija man who started to lament at the boarding gate that someone had stolen his passport. Enough drama for my entertainment o.

Na so I enter Lagos.. Lagos Na Wah O! Kai.. From Nepa to Bad Roads to Traffic to everything else.. Lagos is just too Much.. hehehe.. But the things I appreciate about lagos.. The liveliness of the place, the insanity of the place, seeing my family, being able to go to Ibadan for my cousins wedding.. Meeting Pink Gloves a week later in Lagos.. being able to go to saloons anyhow..Grooving on the Island.. anyone heard about 007 bar on the island.. if you never hear.. make you go find am.. and carry enough money with you. Gosh.. enough things that make me home sick for lagos. But I think this lagos is not the kind of place you come to for more than two weeks. Nepa has frustrated me die.. Mosquitoes sef take frustration join. I had a very good xmas. I went to visit family and friends.. everything was jolly.. even the police officers on the road were rather jolly. Greeting me Merry Xmas madam..” wetin you get for us??” (what do you have for us?) It is only in Lagos that the police officers will be greeting you “happy Monday madam” “Happy Tuesday” and Happy everyday of the week.. these guys are hungry!

Lagos and weddings.. people just dey marry anyhow.. even as I dey type.. I got one wedding to go today.. hehehe.. last week Saturday too.. I was at another wedding.. fun fun fun.. Lagos is just too much with all the craziness and all the fun that is there to be had!! If it is not a wedding.. it is a birthday party, if it is not birthday party, it is promotion party, there is sha always one kind of party or the other going on.. I love Lagos for this!

Wishing you all a happy new year in advance!

A selfless Ambition

Seeing as I’ve been reading a lot of politically themed blogs lately, I have chosen to share with bolgsville a dream which I have always nurtured.

During my very recent trip to Nigeria. I was really appalled by the conditions of the roads in FESTAC where I grew up. I mean, the roads are so bad.. its like almost unreal. My parents were one of the first families to move into FESTAC shortly after FESTAC 77’ and when I was born, FESTAC was like the VI/Lekki of the Mainland back in the days. We had playground all fitted with equipments and swings in every close. Everything was just Ideal. Now they are all gone. Everything.. just gone! I could not understand how things went so bad for Festac town. It actually truly angered me seeing the callousness of the Local Government and how they have stood by and done nothing to repair the roads in Festac. What further incensed me was the fact that the Local Govt. seat is headquartered in Festac town and the road leading to this office is also in a horrible condition. I am pretty certain that the Local Govt. Chairman will take this same road to his office every day and he does not even have the decency to do something about it. This really added fuel to my rage

Anyhow, on my last day before leaving for the airport, I had a very interesting conversation with my mum and dad. I was discussing how I remembered Festac as a child and what it is now. I spoke about the roads and then I announced to my folks that I wanted to become an activist of some sorts. I spoke about recruiting youths who would stage peaceful protests/sit-ins at the gate of the Local Govt. headquarters. We would lobby for better roads and I would not mind sitting out there with my picket fence/placard for as long as is necessary until people start to take notice and something is actually done.

My parents looked at me with what I thought was incredulity. It may have been admiration or pity but I really can’t tell. They had some things to say. My mother went first.

“Tolantino my dear, in as much as your intentions are noble and selfless, the truth is that you will not get the support you are thinking you will get”

I argued with my mother. How can people fail to support me? After all, I am sacrificing myself, trying to make all of our lives better. It was at this point that my father interrupted the conversation and I don’t think I will ever in my life forget my father’s words:

“Tolantino, just outside that Local Govt. office is a main road which is mostly plied by commercial busses going to Mile2 as well as private cars. This is the same road which is in an abysmal state. Lets assume that you managed to get a group of friends who are brave enough to go with you to stage your campaign and for some reason or the other, you guys manage to stray onto this main road and disrupt traffic due to no fault of yours, the bus drivers and the road users whom you are campaigning for will come down on you like a pile of rubbish. They will shout out curses at you for obstructing the road. They would not even mind that your cause is for the betterment of the whole town because for them, in that very moment, you are hindering them from getting on with their daily lives”

This was all I needed to hear to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t argue with daddy because I knew that what he said was probably true.

What I realized from my fathers statement is that we Nigerians are not the type that are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. We just want to get on with the hustle and flow of life. We live for the day/moment in a manner which is very selfish and don’t even think about the impact of what our daily activity will have say 2 years down the line. Take global warming for example. The polar ice caps are melting and the world is in danger of freezing/melting over.. what are we Nigerians doing about it? Nothing of course because we just DO NOT CARE. It is not in our nature to care about such things.

This attitude is why we have politicians who don’t give a toss about all the promises they made before going to power. It’s almost like WE the people are not interested in holding them accountable. We just want to get on with our lives.. After all, we Nigerians are known to be hustlers.. we can survive anything.. right?

Until this selfish attitude/way of thinking is reversed, and the masses fully throw their weight behind the candidate who is willing to sacrifice, showing support and admiration as well as giving praise and appreciation for acts of selflessness rather than ridicule, then Nigeria may just foreverly be known as the Staggering Giant of Africa who always showed so much promise.. but never quite made it to the finishing line.

Regardless, my dream is to still become an activist for the cause of my people. I believe that this is where my true calling lies.