An Open Letter To The Ministry Of Information & Media Stakeholders

The eye is the window of the soul and our ears also compliment the eyes which is why whatever gets into our brains ought to be adequately 'filtered' as they possess the capacity of building us up or destroying us.
Taking a close look at the bulk of information Nigerians are exposed to, one gets to wonder less at the increasing rate of unpatriotic attitudes and moral decadence in our society.
The media has been saddled with the responsibility of dispersing information to humanity and they ought to be commended for the good job thus far. However, let truth be told that 'destructive information' and lies have dominated the media, almost eliminating constructive ones.
When was the last time you ever watched the network news and got inspired or even smiled? We mostly encounter stories that make us feel bad about our country, stories we pray against, stories that make us feel weak, stories that render us unproductive. It's only when you are aware of specific information sources that you get to listen to or read exactly what's good for you.
In Nigeria, we complain about so many things (our media is chiefly responsible for this), how President Buhari and his government are deceiving Nigerians, how Dasuki did this and that, how robbers now operate, how people die mysteriously, how we pay tax and see no dividends, how electricity tariffs are so high, how bad our roads are, how this, how that making everyone feel as though Nigeria is a hub of catastrophic quagmires.
Only a microscopic few see this country in a different light. The transformational programs on ground, essay competitions, poetry and art exhibitions, quiz competitions, spelling bees, sporting activities (other than football), NGO/GO health and community programmes, agricultural programmes, youth empowerment programmes, scholarships and grants, technological advancements, etcetera. Such are not properly propagated and ignorant Nigerians would swear blindly that Nigeria does not do this, Nigeria does not do that, and these could be things already in existence for decades!  Worthy feats our media personnel consider uninteresting.
I challenge the ministry of information to look seriously into this issue. The things we hear and read have a compounding effect of either building or destroying an entire generation. Our citizens need to be encouraged and motivated. Lying to citizens in whatever guise is childish and unprofessional.
God Bless Nigeria.

Palm Oil or Pam Oyel?

I came back home yesterday evening and settled down to 'whack'  my ona g'ishkapa (tuwon shinkafa) with alakpa (gbegiri) meal. On swallowing the first ball, i felt a sharp slap on my jaws, that wrong-palm-oil kind of slap and my evening was ruined. I just had to eat because of the fish, pepper, beans etc plus the time and effort my younger sister Joy had put into the cooking, but I was vexed in spirit.
What heightened my vexation was the fact that this palm oil was bought from our neighbour who came to advertise that she now sells good palm oil. "Mummy I dey sell original palm oil now" she said, but as it turns out, she either knows not what she is selling or she simply is hungry to earn a bad reputation.
Let me iterate the experience of this 'original palm oil' in question.
Upon opening the 5 litre gallon of original palm oil, mum saw that it had congealed which made her to doubt its 'originality' but felt she should give it a try.
Mararaba district in Nasarawa state happens to be quite hot in the afternoons, hot enough to melt an exposed candle stick, but that same afternoon when Joy was preparing the soup, the oil, unlike liquids had taken its own shape inside the gallon. Placing the gallon over raw flame to melt the oil was time wasting since the gallon was filled, so she had to squeeze, shake and hit the gallon held upside down before lumps of palm oil dropped into the steaming pot of soup constituents like animal droppings which still took time and stirring to dissolve completely! Palm oil!
I then inquired on how such a bad product was processed and was alarmed to discover that the ideal palm oil is being mixed with akamu (pap) in order to boost its volume and thickness. Akamu! For some of us who believe we've never taken pap in our lives well..... I believe in miracles.....
Is it that our palm oil producers cannot process enough palm oil to satisfy the customers and hence resort to this 'health threatening' alternative or is it simply an act of greedy wickedness?
The Golden Rule asserts that everyone should be treated in equality and fairness but this rule is being observed mostly by none, myself included. These producers actually produce two brands of Palm oil. The 'family and friends' brand and the market brand. This family and friends brand was what Adam actually named 'palm oil', the market brand can and should be named something else. Like 'pam oyel'
There are certain things that manufacturers ought not to adulterate. I am okay with wristwatches, jewelry, shoes, bags and the likes being adulterated but never what is ingested into the human body. Things like food, drugs and drinks should be off limits inasmuch as adulteration is concerned. Affordability should not even be debated upon here.
As for the consumers of pam oyel, I advice you guys to stop patronizing such products at the detriment of your health. I am not an expert in the palm oil business but I hope those who are would help drop a comment or two. Here are a few tips I would like to share though :

• Never buy palm oil that feels like butter. The cold weather is not responsible but the akamu inside is. 
• Never buy oil from a boiling drum/pot at any distribution/retail outlet. It's not a post manufacturing nor a purification process but rather a technique used in keeping the oil in the second state of matter i.e. liquid. 

Confirm palm oil no dey sleep even for Jos, and the scent alone dey cure some sickness.
Let's work together and get bad palm oil out of our markets. 

God bless Nigeria. 

Corruption In Our Agencies

I applied for my driver’s license on the 28th April, 2015 at the Gombe State Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) 0ffice. In the process (which consumed three days of my life), I had to go to Specialist Hospital Gombe for a certificate of medical fitness, presented some documents, Visited the Vehicle Inspection Officer’s (VIO) office for endorsement, Standard IBTC Bank for payment of the license fee, paid another fine in the FRSC’s office for a six month learners permit (Even if I had no car at the time) before my temporary driver’s license was processed and issued to me (with errors on my details) which was to expire in the next three month.
I went back to the FRSC office after three months to collect my permanent driver’s license. The officer in charge rummaged through the new arrivals of the permanent driver’s licenses, and mine wasn’t found and I was asked to come back later without a fixed date. I began complaining and one man standing next to me at the office asked me what date I applied.
“Since April” I told him.
“Last year or this year”
“This year” I responded.
“April this year and you’re complaining: my younger brother applied since December last year and up till now his own is yet to arrive...”
“So I have to be going about with this expired temporary license or what”
“That’s how they’ve been using it. Na normal thing, nobody will disturb you” 
What the man said so much irritated me for whatever situation many label to be the “trend in vogue” sometimes get me bored to tears. This happened during my youth service, and on travelling back home, I learnt of a guy who paid way below what I spent (a difference of about four thousand naira) to an FRSC officer and was issued his driver’s license in three days!
As we talk about positive change in our country, some systems/agencies ought to be retrained on how to be proactive in carrying out their responsibilities, devoid of the ‘African time’ mentality so that responsible citizens of our dear nation are not made to appear foolish where the “smart guys” get the standing ovation.
Why would a driving license not be ready after three good months in a computer age? Why are many government agencies aiding and abetting corruption by frustrating those who ‘knock at the front door’ and welcome those who come in through the back door with a ‘peace offering’?
The government should as well realize that this wicked phenomenon bedeviling our public and even private agencies is carting away billions of naira annually which should have gone into the government purse as revenue. The earlier this ugly trend is being curbed, the better, else patriotic Nigerians who have been driven up the wall may begin to make bullshit of every due process. Even I, have already boycotted some in recent and distant past.
God Bless Nigeria.