Bring Back Our Girls - Across the Globe [Photos]

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Thursday, May 08, 2014

One of my readers asked me why I haven't done anything on the missing school girls of Chibok and I tolk her I hadn't thought of what to actually do concerning that. This is because I usually want to do something that's not usual but just couldn't think of anything. Besides, the whole world is already making the noise so I was thinking was there any use of me doing likewise too?

While there is an campaign that's crying out and spreading across the globe like wildfire, there are still questions that bug me about the missing girls...questions that poke holes in the stories surrounding their disappearance. It is loopholes like this that makes some people wonder the authenticity of the story but then a lot of other things have confirmed that the girls were really abducted. Out of the numerous questions asked, there is one that I'll always echo..

Why are there no photos displayed of the missing girls yet?

I guess we may never know why...

Ibrahim Abdullahi

The #BringBackOurGirls campaign was started by Ibrahim Abdullahi who was part of the audience for a speech in Port Harcourt by Obiageli Ezekwesili - a Nigerian former minister who called for the government to take action to "bring back our daughters".

The statement caught on and tweets calling for the government to #BringBackOurDaughters emerged but Ibrahim had a brainwave and thought that not everyone may have a daughter and that the afore hashtagged statement may limit people expressing it across. According to him "we may all not have daughters but everyone has a girl". Thus he made the modification which he reflected in his tweet that began the trend.

Later human rights activists and organisations began to thread along and gradually it spread across the globe till it gathered a life of its own. It was not a campaign that was marshaled for others to rise up and do the same; it just became a phenomenon that was further helped by Nigerians and sympathizers based abroad who also staged protests.

Across the world, its buzzing and the photos are numerous....

Celebrities such as the US first lady and hollywood stars and artistes also joined 'chorus' by instagramming or tweeting pictures in solidarity call for the girls to be found. 

This is probably the most trended pic for the campaign...Michelle Obama carrying her own card

Leona Lewis

P Diddy

Actors and artistes like Ashtom Kutcher, Drake, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Jamie Fox, Ludacriss etc...focused mainly on hitting back at the Boko Haram leader's threat to sell the girls. They all waded into a campaign that was an offshoot of the #bringbackourgirls trend which said, 'Real Men Don't Buy Girls'. I guess that was targeted at discouraging anyone from purchasing the girls.

More pictures from Nigeria and across the globe...

Sierra Leone Rally

Nigerian women rally be-crying the girls

  

South African Rally

Ogilvy one Africa 

The campaign is on her shirt

The campaign has been yielding results as the World Powers are standing up to help Nigeria with the situation. Social media helped herald the information with the likes of tweets from John Kerry of the US

And as we speak, the forces from the US are already arriving in Naija.

Let's all hope and pray that this marks the end for the Boko Haram menace and the safe rescue and return of the girls.

The Siege of 'Ember' Months

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Wednesday, November 20, 2013

As we move towards the end of the year through the dreaded ‘ember’ months, the obvious scary happenings have begun to take place and they’re all inspired by either of two things – the desperation for cash and the thirst for blood.

For the former, it’s just people desperate to make money for the burgeoning season and for the later, it’s a desperate move to gather surplus blood sacrifice to fulfill evil supernatural purposes and appeasing of demons. Many times it’s a deadly combination of the two which results in ritual killers all out to make money from human blood sacrifices.

What is more shocking is the level of desperation.

Last Sunday, a band of gunmen stormed into a government hospital in Ado-Ekiti and demanded for day-old babies to be handed over to them. On learning that there were no babies they beat the staff to stupor… refusing to believe and annoyed that they had met a dead end.

Take note of these two things: One – they were demanding for day-old babies (they had a spec for what they wanted), Two – they got annoyed on discovering there were none available and beat up the staff (they were angry they got none). These are signs and pointers that they are desperate ritualists. Where else can you get a day-old baby?

Then last Friday, I was on my way back from a church workers meeting at around 8.30pm and had climbed the pedestrian bridge at Obanikoro bus stop to cross the Ikorodu road expressway. As I was descending on the other side which was close to Sheperdhill Baptist Church, I suddenly noticed a taxi was parked some distance away from the bus stop and some people stood near it. One of them was a gunman who was threatening the others with his weapon. He smacked a guy over the head and ordered him to get into the car. I hastily retraced my descent from the bridge and went back up, warning other pedestrians descending that there was a robbery taking place below.

The pedestrian bridge (right) where I was descending before I witnessed
the incident on the service lane (right side of the bridge)

Well, it looked like a robbery and at the same time like a kidnapping taking place because the next minute we checked the location, the taxi, all the victims and gunman were gone. Were they kidnapped or robbed? Whatever the case, a crime had just taken place.

The Ikorodu expressway sidewalks from Idiroko bus stop all the way down to Obanikoro bus stop have always been locations of crime scenes, especially when commercial motorcycles popularly known as ‘Okada’ were still in operation. Okadas in the past were well used by men of the underworld to rob people at the bus stops.  

I was unfortunate at one time to be a victim of Okada henchmen back then at Savoil bus stop which is before Anthony bus stop.  I was seeing wifey off who at that time was my fiancé. We stood at the bus stop at about 8.00pm when two motorcycles each carrying a gunman cornered us and dispossessed us of our mobile phones, cash and wifey’s bag.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine was killed at Idiroko bus stop because he was reluctant to surrender his laptop to robbers who accosted in the very early hours of the morning.

After the ban on Okadas by the government, the crimes seemed to reduce. Also with the rehabilitation of streetlights on the road, the dark alleys became well lit making it hard for crooks to hide from the glare.

It’s no wonder this operation I witnessed from the pedestrian bridge took place with the help of a getaway taxi instead of an Okada; the absence of okadas and introduction of street lights seems to have heightened the desperation of robbers.

We’re in the ‘ember’ months – fast moving towards the month of the ultimate celebrations – December; but while getting into the fanfare we should be very vigilant and prayerful because there are people out there who want to do Christmas and new year or perform quarterly rituals by any means possible.

God help us all.

When a Man Falls In Love With a Goat...SMH!

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Monday, September 16, 2013

Is the goat a unique animal?

Is there something that makes this renown ruminant stand out?

Apart from the fact that it is a symbol of stubbornness, (you've heard of the stubbornness of the he-goat, no matter how much you smack it, it never learns.) stupidity (they never seem to understand what it means to be in danger until it is too late.) and ability to crap at random (ever seen a goat drop shit like its hot?), they are also used as metaphors for elements that won’t make heaven, the likeness of the devil and his esoteric symbolisms (occultic baphomet and the likes)

But nowadays, we are seeing goats standing out in more bizarre circumstances.

From news of men ‘straffing’ goats to even marrying them to people paying millions for them.

I came across a news item where a Saudi Arabian businessman sold a goat for three million dollars. I was like…is there something unique that this goat would do to my life if I ate it? Would I become smarter? Would I shit out the remains of the digested goat as pieces of gold?

Why did the goat cost that much? They said it was because it had unique features! *SMH!*

Maybe I should start looking about for any weird-looking local fowl in my neighborhood to sell to a Saudi Businessman, those guys have a lot of oil money to waste.

Back to the issue of the goats, I read a news item where a man was banned from every farm in Britain and sentenced to six weeks in jail for ‘kpanshing’ a goat.

While the news of humans getting caught sexing animals is not new, even here in Naija, I’m just trying to figure out what kind of sick devilish ‘agro’ would make a full human-being lust after a ruminant? What kind of insane sex appeal does a grass-eating-stinking-herbivore have that a fellow woman-being doesn’t have?

I tire.

And if you think that’s downright disgusting, what will you say about Aparecido Castaldo, a retired stone cutter from Jundiai, Brazil who decided to actually marry a goat?

Imagine being labelled the husband of a goat...eeww!

Did I hear the person who never heard the story say ‘Haa!!’?

Oh yes he did. And guess where he did it? In a Church of Satan!

Why? No Christian church would ever honor such a disgusting request to be married to an animal. According to the report, Aparecido fell in love with his pet goat two years ago, and apparently she has already been accepted as a “stepmother” by the man’s seven children.

Hmm…so the insanity is no doubt hereditary – that his kids decided to embrace his move an accept a goat as their ‘stepmother’!

I can’t even imagine it!

Although the wedding between the man and his goat caused a lot of controversy in the community and attracted accusations from animal rights activists, Castaldo said they don’t intend to ‘straff’.

See attempted tomfoolery! There’s no way I’m buying that story.

This sick old man must have been ‘kpanshing’ that goat till he developed a sick soul-tie and couldn’t imagine life without it. Thus they got married….

What an abomination!

Goat illustration courtesy:

www.dragoart.com

The Alausa Explosion - Fears Arising [Photos]

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Friday, August 02, 2013

I'm sure when people first heard this explosion last night as it rocked the environs of Alausa, in Lagos, they must have suddenly thought that Boko Haram had begun terrorist operations in Lagos. This would have been worsened by the recent news of the arrest of fleeing Boko Haram members in somewhere in Ibafo.

But thank goodness it was just three fuel tanker trailers that exploded last night in a trailer park behind GT Bank.

While details as to the explosion, its vividly reminiscent of a similar kind of explosion that happened earlier in January in which two tankers also exploded at a loading bay belonging to Petrol-Cargo Limited in Apapa.

The Apapa explosion that happened in January

My question would be - what on earth is causing parked trailers to explode?

Was it sabotage or some person's careless act?

I hope this is seriously looked into otherwise we all have every reason to be wary of any fuel tanker parked around our neighborhoods.


Image Sources
www.thisdaylive.com
www.africanspotlight.com

Underage Marriage: Stella Damasus Spits Fire

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Monday, July 22, 2013

Lord! I have never seen Stella Damasus as genuinely angry as this! And she spits the venom very well! In this video she expresses her disgust over the underage marriage fiasco being purported by Yerima and his senate cohorts.

She raises some valid points that are very strong; points such as WHERE ON EARTH IS PATIENCE JONATHAN IN THIS MATTER? WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN IN THE SENATE? Do we really have a first lady in this country at all or she's just a figurehead?

Its time to stand and fight against this rubbish coming from the knuckleheads in the senate. I have a four year old daughter and I can't imagine her being married off as a baby to some ignorant pedophile aboki...Never.

In fact, I just had an idea for a video which I'll shoot and ipload on youtube and this blog soon...

35 Senators Have No Bills To Show in 2 Years After Earning Over N13 Billion...

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Monday, July 22, 2013

I heard this news being mentioned on newspaper headline report this morning on radio and was shocked at the nature of the Nigerian senate.

How can 35 senators sit their asses in the Senate and be collecting fat over-bloated earnings for two years yet have not passed a single bill since? What are they doing there? Of what use are they to their constituency?

According to a report from The Nigerian Telegraph:

Despite receiving more than N13 billion in salaries, allowances and benefits that clearly positions members of the Nigerian Senate as the world’s best paid lawmakers, at least 35 serving senators have not listed a single Bill in their name since taking office in 2011, an investigation by The Nigerian Telegraph has shown.



Between 2011 and June 2013, each senator drew about N400 million in salaries, allowances, and self-allocated bonuses, according to details of lawmakers’ allowances, as well as listed earnings for federal lawmakers stipulated by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

The National Assembly is seen in some quarters as a huge drain to the nation’s finances.
For the 35 members, the sum for two years totals N13.2 billion, and N41 billion for all 109 members.

But while a majority of the lawmakers have made fair efforts at delivering in their primary lawmaking duties, sponsoring at least one Bill between June 2011 and June 2013, 35 of them have posted not one.

In that duration, 74 senators, an impressive figure relative to past years, sponsored and followed through with a minimum of at least one legislation apiece. A few presented more than a dozen Bills, with the Senate Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba(PDP, Cross River), sponsoring the highest number, 25.

Other Senators, each with a minimum of 10 Bills are Ben Ayade (PDP Cross Rivers state) – 18 Bills; Ita Enang, (PDP Akwa Ibom) – 13 Bills; Dominic Obende, (ACN Edo) – 12 Bills; Smart Adeyemi, (PDP Kogi) – 11 Bills; and Ifeanyi Okowa, (PDP Delta) – 11 Bills.

At the bottom of the ranking are two states – Zamfara and Borno – with none of their Senators presenting a single Bill in two years.

Yerima

Even Senator Yerima, who is at the centre of the Child’s Rights Act controversy has not presented a Bill since he became a Senator.

Each Senator, according to RMAFC, is entitled to N8.2 million annually or N683,000 monthly as salaries. This salaries are exclusive of allowances such as estacodes, cars and furniture.

But the comprehensive compensation runs far higher into several millions per quarter of a year, as the legislators also approve what they call “running cost” to themselves. For “running cost”, each senator currently draws N45 million quarterly – about N180 million annually, in addition to the “meagre” salary.

Lawmakers, weary of the public’s outrage over their pay, are often quick to cite the few hundreds of thousands monthly as nothing exceptional or deserving of the aggressive attention they receive.

But despite the huge pay, quite little has been delivered on legislation since 2011, according to the Business and Rules committee.

Those without Bills in two years, as analysed by The Nigerian Telegraph, based on figures from the Senate committee on Business and Rules are:

Isn't it even amazing that David Mark former Senate 'Oga patapata' has also never raised a bill too? I also noticed there seems to be more northerners on this list. Yet the our Senate is ranked as the most expensive in the world...SMH

In the same voice of that famous sticker for lawyers I say; Wetin Senators Dey Do Sef?

You can read more on the story here.

Miami & Victoria Island: A Tale of Two Doomed Cities?

Chronicled by Afronuts @ Thursday, June 27, 2013

Miami

I came across this article on a forecast by scientists on the future of Miami at the end of the century. It’s a future that reads like a apocalyptic scenario unfolding. According to scientists, Miami is doomed due to the land’s flat topography and porous rocks which make it susceptible to rising sea levels. Its reported that with just three feet rise in sea level, more than a third of South Florida would vanish.

I looked at the cityscape of Florida and how it sat at the edge of the sea and shivered as it reminded me of a similar looking topography in Nigeria – Victoria Island.

A few years back, Victoria Island experienced ocean surges that washed past the famous Bar Beach and washed onto the streets. Alarm was raised and engineers were hired to construct protective blockades against the ocean’s raging surge.

But would the Island still be that secure by the end of the decade?

Victoria Island

Despite this there’s a lot of land filling going on along the coasts creating more land space for more buildings to spring up. I’ve seen how terrible flooding takes place in places like Lekki which is predominantly land filled space. I wonder what it will look like in the next ten years.

The famous Eko Atlantic project which involves massive land filling at the banks of the sea to create space for a super mega city even scares me the most. It looks too much like a major disaster waiting to happen.  With the flooding disasters of the last two years, the whole project doesn’t seem the least bit safe in any way.

What's left of V.I's Bar Beach today.

Proposed Eko Atlantic City

Jeff Goodell, an environment writer wrote this chilling bit about Miami in the Rolling Stones Online Magazine:

When it rains in Miami, it’s spooky. Blue sky vanishes and suddenly water is everywhere, pooling in streets, flooding parking lots, turning intersections into submarine crossings. Even for a nonbeliever like me, it feels biblical, as if God were punishing the good citizens of Miami Beach for spending too much time on the dance floor. At Alton Road and 10th Street, we watched a woman in a Toyota stall at a traffic light as water rose up to the doors. A man waded out to help her, water up to his knees. This flooding has gotten worse with each passing year, happening not only after torrential rainstorms but during high tides, too, when rising sea water backs up through the city’s antiquated drainage system.

Wanless, 71, who drives an SUV that is littered with research equipment, notebooks and mud, shook his head with pity. “This is what global warming looks like,” he explained. “If you live in South Florida and you’re not building a boat, you’re not facing reality.”

Goodell’s description is very similar to the scenarios experienced on the streets of Victoria Island. We saw how the terrible floods of last year made people resort to the use of boats as cars submerged and homes got flooded. It was a harrowing experience.

And it has been reported that more heavy rains and floods are to be expected.

Still, more landfill projects keep springing up, big investments go into real estate in these seeming endangered areas.  Must we end up learning from a disastrous experience when we could prevent it?

How long will we close our eyes and court with this danger?