by Cheta Nwanze

Yes Nigeria, one of our big problems, is not just from our admittedly inept leadership, it is from all of us.

AP’s correspondent in Nigeria, Jon Gambrell, is a very interesting character. He has seen a lot in his decade as a journalist. Seven years ago, he joined the Associated Press, and was moved from his home state Ohio, to Arkansas. Then from there, he was booted to a nice, hot, country, and for the first time in his just over three decades on earth, experienced a power failure. Well, plenty of power failures. But never mind, he tore into his new assignment with a lot of gusto, and to be honest, really loves this country he was assigned to. His love for the place however, is a kind of tough love, the kind that a lot of its other 170 million or so inhabitants are not used to. You see to them, love means a constant fawning. Hence, many of the 2 million or so Nigerians on Twitter attack this Gambrell chap a lot.

It was noteworthy that this tweet from Gambrell yesterday did not generate the usual vitriol that accompanies most of his tweets. This one, on the other hand, generated a lot of agreement. While on this one, well, most of the Nigerian-Twitterverse simply reacted by enjoying Robin van Persie’s proving that little boy in his head right. Yes Nigeria, one of our big problems, is not just from our admittedly inept leadership, it is from all of us. This will not be the first time that something of major national importance is happening, and we simply blank it out and focus on issues (especially sporting ones) from elsewhere. Shame on us that a bloody foreigner shows more concern with what happens on our soil.

Bits and bobs

In today’s funny news, the Prez reacted to a recent American report about corruption in Nigeria. “We have been bringing down corruption gradually,” GEJ said while #DSPAlams prepared another visa application. All of this was said as yet another committee, who’s report would be ignored, was set up.

Part of the causes of corruption in Nigeria would be tribalism. This piece of tripe in the Punch is an example of such. A simple answer to Mr. Onwuka here, hey, if a major source of the $13 billions or so I have in a bank is cement, and governors such as Martin Elechi exist close to the major source of cement in Igboland, I wouldn’t invest my money there either. Di anyi, we should clean our stables first before wondering why the horses won’t come.

Forgive my lack of understanding, but how does the headline in this story correlate with the story published? Can someone help elevate my understanding?

Fresh from giving the PDP yet another ass-whupping in his domain, the Comrade Governor has turned on the Esama. “He (that is Papa Lucky) must never ever underestimate the fact that I have the will and I have the capacity to deploy that will; if he crosses the law, he will be cut to size,” Oshiomhole issued a shot of the sorts that have never been heard in Benin, before following it up with, “Elders must teach the younger ones to behave responsibly.”

No Future Ambition have again forgotten how to be humble. Now they have told Big Boss that Papa Eagles must qualify for the semi finals of the shindig in Brazil in June. Somehow I don’t think so. Asides Tahiti which I would chalk of as an 8-0 win for the Papa Eagles, our other group opponents are Uruguay with the Terrier of Liverpool in their line-up, and of course a more than half decent team. Then there is the small matter of La Furia Roja…

Right of reply

Dapo Ogunniran wrote,

Did I hear correctional facility? I am afraid Nigeria is going backward, correctional facilities around the world has been tagged a place of abuse of both boys and girls, In Ireland, those who were sent there decades ago are now looking for compensation from the government and justice so that their abusers can be locked up, unfortunately it was the church that ran the facilities (you are all familiar with the story) and in USA, Romania, Russia etc, the correctional facilities were nothing but a place to further the abuse and degrade the young and vulnerable in the society. We can all keep quiet about it today, but I can assure you all we will all regret not speaking against it in the future.

Orhie Oddiri wrote,

As the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is giving out money, I don’t think that is what the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is referring to.

I would say that ‘Operation Cashless’ ie the use of anything other than physical cash to pay for goods and services, (I’m making particular reference to debit cards) has been a resounding success. The 2 (two) supermarkets I shop at regularly have this facility as do a good number of the restaurants I sometimes eat at. 

Give credit where credit is due, Cheta. It’s a great load lifted off the shoulders when you know you don’t have to cart around the contents of Fort Knox in your purse in order to pay for things. 

Chxta responds, 

Okay, #OperationCashless is working in Lagos. Which is why I had to carry a large bag of cash to go and pay my mechanic last week. Abeg jo, the networks are down half the time except in the big superstores which you middle class people shop in. Okay, yes I am middle class too, but at the Ikeja Mall, three of the four ATMs there regularly do not dispense cash. I would be more convinced the day I can go to a pepper seller and hand her my ATM.

Chidi Okoye wrote,

Premium Times did break the story on the Baga tragedy. And yes, the CBN is right. Lagos has always been a cashless society; the landlords made that happen a long time ago.

Chxta responds,

Yes, Premium Times did break the story, and have been following it ever since. I’m sorry about that oversight.

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