Friday, December 16, 2011

The Evil that Men Do...

The other day, I got the BB broadcast message below:

"Gangs are placing a baby car seat by the road, with a fake baby in it, waiting for a woman (of course) to stop and check on the abandoned baby. Note that the location of this car seat is usually beside a wooded or grassy (field) area and the person (usually women) will be dragged into the woods, beaten, gang-raped and usually left dead.

If it's a man, they're usually beaten, robbed and maybe left dead too.

DO NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON. DIAL 767 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW, BUT DON'T EVEN SLOW DOWN.

If you are driving at night and eggs are thrown at your windscreen, do not stop to check the car. Do not operate the wiper and do not spray any water because eggs mixed with water become milky and block your vision up to 92.5% AND you are forced to stop beside the road and become a victim of these criminals.

Sometimes, they pretend to be accident victims and will prove you wrong the moment you get close enough to assist

These are all new techniques used by gangs. These are desperate times and there are unsavoury individuals who will take desperate measures to get what they want. Please pass this round to your loved ones"

I dialled 767 sha and the number doesn't exist.
2ndly, which statistician came up with the 92.5% figure?
3rdly, I don't know if these techniques are being practiced in Nigeria yet but it IS very possible.

I am usually wary of BB broadcast as a lot of them are filled with lies but I'm sure this one has plenty elements of truth in it. These days, the part of the Bible that says "the heart of man is DESPERATELY wicked" has become truer than ever! We hear all sorts of stories everyday of people committing various atrocities and I wonder if it was the same God that created those same people who commit unspeakable acts.

I feel so sad that I have become so wary of people. I feel molested. I feel like my innocence has been taken from me. It has been taken away, actually. I can hardly see a stranger and offer to help. Because you do not know who has lay a trap somewhere and who hasn't.

The kids on the street begging for alms, I hear they "submit" all the money they get to their master (usually an Alhaji). So these days, in traffic, I don't look at anybody's face.

The other day, one guy stopped me on the road begging me for money to buy medication, he even showed me a prescription supposedly written by a doctor. He told me his brother was sick and in the hospital and how he sold his phone to buy drugs. The amount he asked for was paltry (about N900 or so). I acknowledged that he might be lying and also acknowledged that it might be true. And in my opinion, N900 wasn't so much. After I gave him, I was warned to run away from such people because they could "charm" you into giving them everything you have. I never believed this charm story till it happened to someone close to me. She went into her mother's house and gave them ALL EXPENSIVE JEWELRY. Very long story.

The worst set are the "mothers with children". I always used to feel sorry for these ones and give them money. That was until I heard the story of how they rent babies to garner public sympathy!

After that, I quit! These people on the streets, you just never know. If I wanna help, I'd rather look for more deserving and "credible" recipients!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Who Is Fooling Who?!

Sometimes, I see certain News headlines that just make me cringe and make my intestines recoil with/from rage. Some make me sad. Some make me laugh. Some leave me puzzled.

Item #1:
JAMB yesterday said it'll expend over N2bn in constructing prototype offices in the 36 states of the federation at the cost of N56m each.

Now tell me, how many secondary schools in Nigeria have a value of N56m or even half or quarter that amount? How many schools have a 10% value of that amount? No answers required.

This is the same JAMB that under admits students into poor quality schools who can't find jobs after graduation.

Item #2:
Akwa-Ibom teachers have decided to embark on strike following the alleged refusal of the state govt to pay their two months salary arrears.

Assuming there are 200 teachers in Akwa-Ibom state earning N50,000 monthly, that'll be N10m monthly.  And we all know there can't be 200 teachers earning 50k. I'm jst doin best case scenario. Using best case, the govt would need N50m to pay 200 teachers in almost 6months. And that's the same amount being approved for "prototype Jamb offices". What will happen to the already existing ones? Putting the cart before the horse, taking out the tryres from the cart and feeding them to the horses till they die of poisoning  is what our Govt is good at.

Item #3:
Sale of pubic Albino Hairs booms in Delta State. It is used for Jazz/Juju because albino hair is supposedly effective for love charm

Ewwwww!! Seriously! Lord have mercy!

Item #4:
"Nigerians spend an estimated N93.9bn monthly to buy airtime or recharge cards for their mobile phones and other mobile devices"

All I can do is wonder what percentage of my money makes up that figure!

Item #5:
"Over 300 ex-militants yesterday blocked parts of Oron-Eket road in Urue Offong of Akwa Ibom in protest over non-payment of their allowances"

Why should the Govt be responsible for the upkeep of able bodied men cum criminals? I don't just gerrit. Isn't it a wiser option to provide jobs for these men and pay them salaries instead of allowances. That way, unemployment/crime rate is reduced, these criminals get some sense of of responsibility that comes with having a job, the economy is further strengthened by job creation, disruption of economic activities by these "militants" is reduced, and most of all, they provide services to the public. Dashing them money does absolutely nothing. it's only a temporary solution to a permanent problem

Item #6:
War Against War Against Boko Haram: To protect the presidential villa and its environs, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the sum of N5billion for the purchase of robotic bomb detectors for Aso Rock.

Need I say more? There are two issues here - the fact that it's 5billion and that they're taking extra steps to protect themselves without doing the same for the rest of us. Except you consider the CCTV cameras mounted everywhere within the Abuja metropolis which shows your face but doesn't help them locate you or where you live if the need arises. Sigh


Now, just heard that a mosque was bombed in Sapele by ex-Mend militants on the basis that Boko Haram has been killing their "southern brothers" in the North. Seriously? This can only worsen things for everybody! The most csualties in this Boko Haram madness have been northerners. Besides, so much for brotherhood, how many of them actually act "brotherly" in their home state?! Mschw

Who is fooling who???