Missebo: Beninese market where Nigerians buy, sell okrika

Second-hand clothes, also known as okrika, has gained prominence among Nigerians, and even beyond, no thanks to the deplorable economic situation in the country that has forced willy-nilly many people to buy and wear used clothes and underwear. EMMANUEL ADENIYI visited the Republique du Benin recently and Missebo market, one of the markets in the country, where Nigerian businessmen and women frequent to buy bales of used clothes which are first smuggled into Nigeria before being sold in many Nigerian towns and villages. He also writes on the lives of Nigerians resident in the country.

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With a few thousands naira, getting to Republique du Benin from Lagos through Badagry-Seme border is not difficult at all. The major bugbear, however, is the irritating sight of touts who front for Beninese police and immigration extorting money from travellers before allowing them enter the small West African country.
Getting to Missebo market, too, from Seme takes less than 30 minutes and about cfa2,000. The prevailing atmosphere in the market, which is situated right in the heart of Cotonu and very close to Tokpa river, makes one doubt whether one is in Oyingbo or Agbeni market in Lagos and Ibadan respectively.
Aside Indians, Chinese and a few other nationals of different African countries, Nigerians call the shots in the market: Igbo men and women sell used clothes, Yoruba and a few Hausas are bureau de change operators, and many Yoruba women could be seen with their wares on display.
But for used clothes and Nigerians, who have popularised the market, Missebo would have remained the market of Indians and Chinese who sell made-in-Bangkok ankara and a few Beninese petty traders. Even at that, most of buyers of these ankara and other cloths sold by the Asians come from Nigeria.
In a way, Missebo (though the clothes are sold and repacked in Tokpa market) remains the major Beninese market where bales of used clothes imported from Europe are sold, or repacked  for Nigerian markets.
Formerly Biafran market
Formerly a car park for vehicles conveying goods and travellers to Abomey – a Fon city, which at one time served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey –  the market was said to have been renamed “Missebo” by the Beninese government.
According to Chief Samuel Moses, a prominent second-hand clothes trader in the market and a native of Abia State, who disclosed that he had spent 28 years in Cotonou, having arrived and settling down in the city in March 1986, the market used to be known as Biafran market, but was changed to Abomegah, meaning the part of the town where buses used to load to Abomey.
“My master who taught me trading came in 1960. Many of the Beninese people don’t see Ibos as Nigerians, hence the name Biafran market. It has not been easy in the last 28 years, but because I speak Egun and Fon languages as well as French, doing business here and interacting with the locals have not been challenging,” Chief Victor stressed.
He said those selling second-hand clothes also known as okrika in the market often sourced them from England, because Britons were very careful of what they put on, adding that some of the used clothes were also imported from China.
“It pains me today that China now sends used clothes to Africa. China of all countries? It shows that they are a serious people, and government is working there, because a few years ago the country couldn’t have dreamed of selling clothes to Africa,” he lamented, saying the cost of freighting a container load of bales of used clothes ranged between $5,000 and $7,000.
“Most of these clothes are still new and intact. Many of them have their labels and tags on them. Europeans, especially Britons, don’t use clothes the way Africans use their clothes. This is why many people prefer buying and wearing them.”
Commenting on the challenges faced in the country by Nigerians, he said many Benineses, just like other French-speaking African nationals, saw an average Nigerian as a criminal.
“I don’t know why they have that mindset, because their economy is heavily dependent on Nigeria’s. Sometimes when you bring out your passport, you are judged by its green cover, and you are not given any benefit of the doubt. Same situation prevails in Ivory Coast and other Francophone African countries. Most of what they hear about Nigeria is bad, however what about those things that Nigeria does right?
“Most non nationals in this country have consulate cards, but that of Nigeria is not respected. In fact, they prefer that of Burkina Faso, DR Congo and others to Nigeria’s. It is only in the Republique du Benin that West Africans are made to carry resident’s permit.
“In 1993, for instance, when Mathew Kerekou was the president, many Nigerians suffered harassment and intimidation. There were times they would invade houses inhabited by Nigerians and ask them to produce their consulate cards, failure of which would land many in prison. Many Nigerians are here without having any business here. I feel Nigerian government should put in place good structures that would discourage Nigerians from fleeing their country,” he advised.
Azeez Onifade, a port agent at Sekandji park and a native of Ede in Osun State, also attested to the highhandedness of the Beninese authority, saying many Nigerians coming to the Republique du Benin to buy goods were often arrested, while money found on them would be taken away, even having shown them their passports or identity cards.
“They must not hear anything about Nigeria or hear you speak English, you would be arrested. What is the offence of Nigeria? Besides, Nigerian embassy is not doing anything about it. The officials there are just ineffective,” he alleged.
Adelu Abeedeen, a bureau de change operator in Missebo market, who is also from Ede, Osun State, said what Nigerians were passing through could better be imagined than experienced.
 According to him, countless Nigerians are locked up in Beninese prisons for trivial offences. “In fact, some traders coming to the country to buy and sell are often arrested, and if they don’t have money to bribe the police they are hurled into prison.”
Excel Frank Ezema and Catherine Samuel, who are both natives of Abia State, and Samuel Etu, a native of Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, further narrated the ordeal of Nigerians in the country, saying many Benineses regarded Nigerians as outcasts.
“Since they don’t own television sets at home, if they see you with one, you are in trouble. If you greet them, they wouldn’t answer you. They sometimes come to the market to fight with us and break bottles,” he claimed.
Stanley Ogbonnaya and Mbaise Ogbonnaya also spoke about the difficulty often encountered before collecting resident’s permit issued by the Republique du Benin immigration, noting that to get the permit could take years, because they were fond of asking for papers they knew you would not get easily.
However, Hajia Binta Abdulazeez, who spoke with Sunday Tribune at the Nigerian embassy in Cotonou where she was waiting to meet with embassy officials on how she would sort out certain issues regarding her 20-year-old daughter’s admission to the University of Abomey-Calavi, disclosed that Nigerians were responsible for the hatred shown them by the Beninese.
 “I also come around here to buy goods. The Republique du Benin’s government issues resident’s permit to Nigerians because of the nasty things Nigerians do here. Hardly would you see a Beninese steal, but Nigerians steal and rob here.
“There is a particular hotel where almost all the prostitutes there are Nigerians. Why won’t they issue permits to foreigners who have come to destroy their country?” the mother of six and a widow, who said her husband died in 2008 in Kano, revealed, noting that she decided to bring her daughter to Cotonou to study Computer Science to avoid losing her to Boko Haram attacks.
“Rich people living in Kano who started Boko Haram crises have all taken their children abroad to study. Why wouldn’t I do the same if I know her future and life is safe in Cotonou? Besides, she would only spend three years to study the course, while it could take her up till five years in Nigeria due to persistent strike actions,” the vivacious woman added.
Nigeria’s second-hand clothes sellers
While explaining to Sunday Tribune on how they go about buying used clothes from the Republique du Benin, which are often smuggled into Nigeria, Mrs Josephine Ogundeji, said the clothes were often purchased either at Missebo or Tokpa markets, noting that bales of clothes purchased would then be conveyed to any of many vehicle parks in Cotonou to be taken to Nigeria.
“What I always do is to carry my purchase to Sekandji park where there are many souvres (drivers or crossers) who would carry them to Wobu, and from Wobu to Saki, and from Saki to Ibadan. We often pay the crosser N5,000 for every giant bale smuggled into the country, and conveying it from Cotonou to Ibadan, for instance, could take four or five days, because of customs on the way. Some traders also prefer going through Ipobe in Lagos, but that could take a long time,” she said.
Mrs Ogundeji disclosed that God had saved her several times between Badagry and Mile 2 expressway in Lagos while returning from the Republique du Benin, saying in April this year, armed robbers robbed her and okrika sellers on Badagry expressway at a point very close to the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos.
Faith Ogbonna, a native of Abia and Uzoamaka Ibe Uche from Ebonyi State also lamented the influx of people into the business. They added that the influx had dwindled their profit margin and said that trouble often given them by customs and the police was a great threat to their business.  

Seme corruption market

Seme is one of the busiest borders between Nigeria and its neighbours. It is also touted as one of the routes most banned items illegally enter Nigeria. EMMANUEL ADENIYI was at the border and witnessed a rare display of corruption by Beninese police and immigration, who station touts along checkpoints to extort money from travellers. He writes that the corrupt activities going on on the Beninese part of the border cannot, in any way, be compared with the N20 kickback oft collected by men of the Nigeria Police.

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Being a Nigerian/Beninese settlement with heavy presence of police and immigration officers of both countries, most of the oft heard stories about Seme border are on the corrupt activities of men of the Nigeria Police and immigration, but little is known about the extortion of travellers entering Republique du Benin from Nigeria.
The extortion commenced immediately I crossed the Nigeria’s part of the popular Seme border to the Republique du Benin’s, where I was greeted by crapulous, stern looking middle-aged men, also known as Kelebe by the Beninese people.
The stench of their breath was overpoweringly horrible – it reeked of tobacco. With their bloodshot eyes and icy gaze which glowered at me menacingly, a frisson of fear was sent down my spine, and my mind raced as I tried to figure out what I had done wrong.
No matter how smart you are, you can never escape them. At every checkpoint of about six police posts, you are spotted afar off by Kelebe, who obviously work for the Beninese police and immigration to extort naira from travellers, mainly Nigerians.
“D’où êtes-vous? Qui êtes-vous?” one of the men, dressed in a yellow and black spotted ankara, asked in French. He wanted to know who I was, where I was coming from and where I was heading to.
With my voice recorder on to record the conversation, I went blank, as my smattering French failed me, wondering how to communicate with him in a language that appeared tongue-twisting.
I eventually replied in English, but there was no response. I spoke to him in Yoruba, the man merely made a gesture to his colleague standing a few metres away – looking for victims to prey on – to come and see “ara won”, meaning one of them in English.
He even looked fiercer and blustered threats judging by the wave of his hand and the raging squawks of disgust his code-mixed expressions carried. I was later told he was code-mixing French, Fon and Yoruba. In fact, if looks could kill, I would be dead by the dagger his eyes threw at me.
Any person carrying a Nigerian passport, or any Nigerian traveller, as I was made to know much later, is branded “one of them” – an expression, which was said to have been coined by the Beninese locals to describe Nigerians, who wave after wave, visit or reside in the Republique du Benin.
I later realised that some of the men understood Yoruba perfectly, but often pretended not to, so as to confuse whoever  was “arrested” by them, knowing very well that the more confused their victims, the more money they would bilk out of them.
My international passport and identity card were of no use to them, and but for sheer fate, they would have seized and probably torn the passport as I heard they often did.
While all attempts to speak with the Beninese police/immigration officers at the first police post met a brick wall, as the officers looked away abandoning me to my fate, I eventually parted with a thousand naira before I was allowed to proceed on the journey, only to experience the same cycle of skullduggery at the second, third, fourth and the fifth checkpoints.
The last checkpoint, where a Kelebe spoke French all through sent me wondering whether the journey was worthwhile after all. “Vous ne pouvez pas entrer. Pour participer, apporter N2,000, ou mieux encore retourner d’où vous venez,” the man had said.
A Nigerian female student, who would not disclose her name and school, had assisted to interpret what he said in French. She, too, had parted with some money, even though she brought out her identity card and showed it to them. The Kelebe-burden, according to her, had said in French that I should go back to wherever I was coming from if I was unwilling to pay him N2,000. The rest is history.
Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou
At the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou visited by this reporter to get the side of the embassy concerning the complaints and allegations of Nigerians residing in the country, the atmosphere that hovered over the palatial compound of the embassy was not friendly at all.
From the attitude of the gateman, who told this reporter brusquely that the staff of the embassy were on break, the complaints of most of the people who spoke with Sunday Tribune and their allegation of neglect by the embassy appeared real, because even the two Beninese soldiers guarding the embassy showed conviviality in their interaction with this reporter than the embassy officials whose nonchalance (superciliousness?) blinded them to the maltreatment of their countrymen.
This reporter was later attended to by a Fehintola Adebowale, one of the embassy staff. His frigidity belied every air of importance and concern that he put up as he took this reporter to his office refusing to grant interview. He merely asked him to write down his questions and contact, promising to reply to them the following week, which he never did.
Returning home
Determined not to fester the Seme corruption market while departing the Republique du Benin by not giving a dime to anybody at the border, the Kelebe men, whose hearts of steel are/were impervious to feelings and my cry of not having enough to transport myself back home, still succeeded in extorting money from me and depleted my transport budget, which almost left me stranded on the streets of Lagos. Even a fly cannot escape them unnoticed.
Nevertheless, stepping my feet on the Nigerian soil bestowed on me a sense of overwhelming peace and calmness, though horrified by my experience at the hands of Seme touts, tales of highhandedness of the Beninese police and immigration against Nigerians in the country, and ultimately the unfriendly posture of the Nigerian Embassy in the Republic de Benin.
Anyway, one is happy to be back at home, where there is no fear of Kelebe extortion or harassment of any kind.

We need knowledge to grow Nigerian economy —Moji Ladipo

Chief Mrs Mojisola Ladipo is a former registrar, University of Ibadan, former visiting registrar, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and former registrar, Veritas University, Abuja. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Ibadan Business School. She speaks with EMMANUEL ADENIYI on the newly established school, Nigeria’s business environment and why government needs to develop infrastructure to grow the economy.

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WHAT is the vision behind the establishment of Ibadan Business School and how can the vision be deployed towards addressing parts of Nigeria’s human development index (HDI) said to be abysmally low?
Many people think that development is driven by the private sector. Though this is true to some extent, it is the public sector that really has the vision, drives that vision, lays down policy and even implements the laid down policy. Now, small-scale, micro-scale, medium-scale industries and large-scale entrepreneurs and multinationals will come in when government has instituted a policy. Therefore, it will be hard for a permanent secretary who should articulate government policies to do his job effectively if he does not attend conferences or trainings to imbibe, for instance, the basics of project management or data collection so as to know what industry is to be established and where it should be sited. Part of the vision of this school is to focus on the development needs of public sector, that is, civil servants and public officers, because they are the drivers of economy in the developing world. The private sector, too, has a major role in ensuring that the vision of government is actualised. By and large, this business school will also address the capacity needs of micro, small and medium enterprises, because of the vital role they play in any economy.

Most business schools in North America, Europe and even in Africa or Asia offer degrees in various programmes, but Ibadan Business School seems to be toeing a different path since it is a non-degree awarding institution. Is this a deliberate design by the owners or the school is constrained by certain factors?
Let me start with Lagos Business School. It did not start by awarding degrees. LBS started with short-term courses, because I am an alumnae of the school. You had a course that spread over 10 weeks. For example, a course in management would run for two days a week and at the end of the 10 weeks, you would be given a certificate of participation, and that happens in many business schools all over the world. Some may also run intensive residential trainings and at the end of the trainings, you will be given a certificate of participation. Ibadan Business School, for now, is not talking about awarding degrees or diploma. It is not registered for that purpose. It is found to ensure that people, wherever they are, can have certificate of proficiency or distinction or participation for short-term programmes. Our programmes are designed for first-degree holders and people who have master’s degrees but lack capacity in some areas that are negatively impacting on their businesses or prospects. We are running online courses and all you need is your PCs or internet-enabled phones or ipads for you to take lectures anywhere you are at your convenience two days a week for one month, which is about eight hours. At the end of it, you will sit an exam and you will be given a certificate of participation or proficiency. This is not to say that we don’t have face-to-face programmes, but about 75 per cent of our courses will be online.

Are you saying it has no plan at all to award degrees?
Never say never. We have just started; we have plans; maybe in another five years or 10 years, depending on the developmental needs of the country, we will consolidate and see how we graduate eventually into that level. It is not registered with the National Universities Commission (NUC); it is registered as a private business that is giving management and business-based short-term courses. However, the future will dictate the direction in which we go. We just may end up being the first online university in Nigeria when we have gone through the appropriate statutory necessities. We are credentialists in Nigeria. Credentialism has been the bane of our education system, just get the certificate whether you know it or not. That is not our focus. Even though you need to be certified that you attended a course, but more importantly, we hope that by the time you have finished you would have imbibed something, even if it is the ability to learn or the interest in empowering oneself with knowledge and skills.

What measures have you put in place to make IBS different from many glorified business centers mushrooming daily in the country as b-schools?
It is a business school that is growing out of experience in management consultancy. First, the online innovation makes us different. Second, the quality of our faculty, which is made up of first-class persons who are renowned in their different fields, makes us unique as well. Three, the quality of our examination system is second to none. Even though it is online, you can’t cheat, because we have installed a technology that would ensure that it is the same person that registered for a course is the one sitting the examination. Four, the school is backed up by the sponsor, Supreme Management Consultant Limited, which has been in the forefront of management consultancy and face-to-face short-term programmes in virtually all aspects of management. Besides, it is known globally. Five, we are partnering with international agencies and faculties  to develop our courses so that the courses are identified through market needs and prepared by experts, including people from outside Nigeria.  Our courses are needs-based. They are so designed to meet the needs of the economy. The physical facilities are there as well. We have comfortable classrooms for face-to-face deliveries and state-of-the-art technical equipment. The school is located in a serene environment, we have standard learning rooms, syndicate rooms, plenary halls, library, parks, state-of-the-art ICT facility, national and international members of faculty and Board of Advisors comprising distinguished and accomplished Nigerians and expatriates.  Despite all these facilities, we will continue to expand the infrastructure to meet future needs.  Similarly, our courses will change from time to time. If you take a programme this month, whoever that subscribes to it next month will not be receiving exactly the same thing.

How would you go about this?
There are new things that come up everyday, new knowledge and new experiences. Besides, market changes everyday. Certain factors drive the economy and all of these things are looked at and incorporated into our courses. We want to ensure that best global practices are reflected in every single course run in the school. To ensure standard, we grade our faculty, I mean our lecturers and those who prepare our courses from time to time. They, too, will go through the process of evaluation. If as a lecturer your course is not reflecting global changes, you are out.

Would your e-learning study approach not compromise standard since the study system only allows little or no supervision?
I don’t think so, because outside Nigeria, there are online universities that award master’s degrees without compromising standards. Ours cannot be different either.

Do you have same mechanisms such online schools use for quality control and effective supervision of their students scattered all over the world?
Yes, of course. If a student takes our online course, where we can ensure standard is to ensure that it is that same student that is answering our questions. We are using a combination of biometrics and iris capturing for this. Each human being has certain peculiarities that technology can discover, when we have ensured you are that person that took the exam, we will grade it. There are different stages of quality control; I can’t disclose everything for security reasons.

Your courses are short-term capacity trainings to bridge skills, knowledge and attitude gaps in your students. Why short-term trainings? Is it not wise to extend the duration of your programmes since acquisition of knowledge, skills and change in attitude may take a longer time?
In the first instance, it is not how long a programme is that determines its quality; it is how intensive the programme is. Sometimes, fatigue may even set in when a programme is taking too long. There could be discontinuity, the student may lose interest and abandon the programme. With regard to attitude, it takes some time to change attitude. As I said, when you have knowledge, when that gaps that make you insecure are filled, you will be able to take right decision. Many people are aggressive because they are insecure, and they are insecure, because they don’t know what to do. When you have acquired knowledge, the drive to put what you have learnt into practice will well up in you, so there is no way your attitude will not change. Once you empower yourself with knowledge your attitude will change, because you will become more confident. That is the vision, and that is what makes IBS different from other business schools. I don’t think the time factor is negative; it is a plus to our courses.

What is your view of Nigeria’s business environment?
I always like to be positive. The business environment is juicy, that is why despite all the happenings in the country, foreigners are still coming in droves and finding their niche. Why are they successful and we are not? Perhaps, what Ibadan Business School is doing may be what will empower that young graduate who, having not found a formal job, wants to set up a photography studio. He needs to know how to cost his service, determine the needs of his customers and so on. However, the things that bedevil business here is infrastructure. If we get just power sector right, Nigeria’s economy will grow in leaps and bounds, because the real players in the economy, the artisans and small scale entrepreneurs, will have opportunity to develop their businesses. Government should develop infrastructure and improve on the existing ones. I believe in Nigeria and the young people of this country, because they are ready to take risks. It is people who take risks that succeed. We will surely get there. Electricity will improve, the knowledge we acquire will help us to get better.

Many people believe that b-schools all over the world are expensive, what about Ibadan Business School?
We are very different from others. For example, we charge N19,900 for the online courses, that is not expensive at all, because we have removed all costs expended on logistics. For the face-to-face programme, we charge N75,000 for a one week course.

In what way can government partner with you apart from sending staff to attend your courses?
IBS is a private sector-driven project. At the appropriate time, government may come in and it is government that will decide where it wants to partner with us, but as far as sponsorship is concerned, this school will always remain private sector-driven, because that is the whole idea. Government has its own schools; the business of government is to provide the structure and infrastructure that will enable businesses and private initiatives to grow.

A world in crises

Events around the world seem to point to the fact that the world is bracing for its doomsday and may be nearing its end soon. There are violence and terrorist attacks here and there, just as hunger, poverty and natural disasters have stagnated developmental efforts in many nations, while many other belligerents have been devastated by wars. EMMANUEL ADENIYI chronicles some of the frightening occurrences the world over and reports that man’s inhumanity, if not checked, could fast-track the fulfillment of prophecies about the world’s eventual end.

The documentary evokes the feelings of sadness, fear and empathy. With its lucid message, the impression created is that a bleak future awaits the world, and Nostradamus’ prophecy of the world plummeting into the abyss of crises may soon catch up with us all.

Entitled, “Syria: The Wounds of War” and broadcast on Aljazeera,  it wove together the compelling narrative of war in the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) and the groans of injured Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters who were brought to Germany for treatment after sustaining varying degrees of injury while fighting against President Bashar Assad government.

The conflagration in the country is still burning, consuming everyone it comes in contact with and has even transmogrified Syria into an ogre that eats its own at their prime.

The Western Asian country is a metaphor of global unrest that conjures up the “provisional existence” of a lot of people across the globe and their lack of faith in a glorious future, no thanks to global cataclysm. It also gives a surmise that no nation in the world is witnessing absolute peace, while peace – that priceless “commodity” – has become elusive that each country fights tooth and nail to have, albeit in vain.

The stark reality is that the world is reeling under the weight of crises. Besides, the enormity of global upheaval is so frightening that the “wars” and catastrophe mankind failed to end years back have turned a daemon poised to wipe it out of existence.  

It needs be said that ghommids in human form are here with us. They have commenced their art of warmongering – they start a war, set the pace for cataclysm and allow the hapless to bear the brunt, while they snicker behind them. 

Where humans are not directly responsible for disasters that kill in droves, nature – the punctilious but vindictive host – strikes where it hurts most to avenge its despoliation, while man, a mere tenant of this transient terrain, runs around in anguish. 

Terrorist attacks and indiscriminate bombing across the globeAside the Middle Eastern countries that have continued to witness the spate of terrorist attacks in the last few decades, countries in Africa, Europe, North America and parts of Asia have become a new haven for terrorists who detonate bombs at will leaving behind hundreds of dead people and many others who carry with them the permanent badge of disability. 

From Afghanistan to Iran, Iraq and other Arabian countries caught up in the vortex of killings and bloodletting, the bombers, mostly on suicide mission, have remained undaunted in their resolve to send many innocent lives to their early graves.

The March 2004 Madrid train bombing that left 191 people dead  and over 1,000 injured comes to mind readily. The same incident recurred in July 2005 when 53 persons were killed by four suicide bombers, while about 700 got injured in London multiple bombings. 

Scores of terrorist attacks have similarly been recorded in different parts of Europe in the last 10 years. The intensity of terrorist attacks on Europe and other parts of the world has clearly shown that these ghommids are relentless and their devilish mission is not race, tongue or territory-bound.

In Africa; Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia have not been finding it easy in the hands of Boko Haram and al-Shabab extremists. While Somalia has literally been grounded by al-Shabab and turned it to a failed state, the fear of the terror group is now the beginning of wisdom in Kenya, as it has bombed the country several times in the last few years to avenge Kenya’s intervention in Somali crisis. 

To put it succinctly, Kenya catches cold each time the ghommid of al-Shabab sneezes, while many eastern African countries, too, live under the perpetual fear of the Islamic terrorist group.

Nigeria, too, is still having a running battle with the daemon of Boko Haram – the twin brother of al-Shabab in West Africa.  Though the government has been claiming “victory” over the sect, its operations are getting daring by the day, and anytime it strikes, the country weeps.

China, Indonesia and India have been having their own share of terrorist attacks as well. The Urumqi market attack that left 31 people dead and scores injured recently signposts the murder of peace in the Asian country. Indonesia and India, too, cannot forget in a hurry the deadly attacks that al-Qaeda has caused in the countries. 

Poverty, starvation In other African countries with no history of Islamic terrorism, the rate of “terrorism” waged by hunger and poverty is unarguably frightening. From Zimbabwe to Eritrea, down to the Republic of Chad and Malawi, many live in want, as hunger – the “terrorism” of the belly – towers over their capacity to provide themselves food and other basic necessities of life. 

Asian, South American and some eastern European countries are not exempted from the scourge of poverty as well. Citizens in these countries battle with the “terrorism” of want, while many have even been reported to have died of extreme want.

Full-blown warsWhile some African countries such as South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR) and northern part of Mali have been thrown into a full-blown war, the international war between Ukraine and Russia is getting messier each passing day. The outcome of these wars, experts have warned, could even begin another in some other countries across the globe.

The Syrian debacle has proved unsolvable, despite efforts to end it by the world’s super powers. Since the war broke out, hundreds of people have lost their lives, while it may consume more as it rages on.

Stockpile of nuclear weaponsNorth Korea as well as other nations, like Iran, Pakistan, China, Israel, India, USA, France, Russia and Britain have been stockpiling nuclear weapons in the last few years, while many of them have been testing their weapons, possibly in readiness for war. The 2012  Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS’) estimate of nuclear warheads in the world puts the lethal weapons at over 17,000, while about 4,300 of them are reported to be ready for use. Perhaps, the world should pray against the detonation of another Little Boy and Fat Man – the two bombs – detonated over Japan in 1945, or other newly developed bombs, otherwise the world, like gas, might evaporate sooner than prophesied.   

Natural disastersThe list of countries that have witnessed natural disasters in the last few years is endless. Virtually every part of the world has experienced one natural disaster or the other. From Haiti to the recent flooding in the Balkans, nature has created an impression that it is unhappy with the mankind. Currently, scores of Turkish coal miners are still missing after an explosion caused a pit to collapse, killing at least 238 workers.

Organised crimes, gun attacksThe world currently sits on a keg of gunpowder, judging by the spate of organised crimes and gun attacks that have sent many to their early graves. Schools and public buildings are often attacked in the United States of America and Britain, as well as in many parts of Europe. The 2011 Norwegian mass attack by Anders Behring Breivik that left 77 persons dead is reminiscent of the precariousness of the world we live in.

Clerics reactSome clerics, who spoke with Sunday Tribune, said the happenings around the world were a clear indication that the end of the world was at hand.

The General Overseer of Holy Ghost Assembly Church, Ketu, Lagos, Reverend John Abiola, explained that the biblical prophecy stating that the end of the world would be heralded by catastrophic happenings was true, adding that Jesus Christ had predicted these terrible occurrences during His earthly ministry.

The Imam of Answarudeen mosque, Osogbo, Alhaji Suleiman Akewusola, also disclosed that Quran had foretold world crises, but charged Muslims to prepare themselves for the impending end, as nobody knew the exact time that this would happen.

The elusiveness of peace in the world With the level of crises in the world and man’s search for solutions in spite of the persistence of these crises, it is evident that peace has deserted the world. Even the world’s leading economies cannot claim exemption, as different challenges throw up themselves daily and gnaw at their efforts to make peace.

It needs be stressed that man’s activities are largely responsible for the elusiveness of peace across the globe. His inordinate ambition, greed and quest for power have compelled him to bite off more than he can chew as he rides roughshod over other people.

Shall we then say that the horrendous happenings in the world signpost that it is on the threshold of oblivion, or what? 

Whichever way, that Yoruba’s dictum is instructive for us all – Aye n lo, a n to o (the world trudges, we ‘humans’, follow). 

Daughters of Chibok: That this carnival may end…

The abduction of close to 300 schoolgirls in Chibok last month by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has continued to receive global condemnation, even as civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and persons have similarly trooped out on the streets protesting the unfortunate incident. Little is, however, known about the theatrics of some of the protesters whose intention of joining others to demand the release of the hapless girls is best known to them, writes EMMANUEL ADENIYI.

The placards are of different sizes. Those carrying them, too, differ in age and physical structures.
With the same T-shirts – on which were printed different messages – the protesters, mostly women, walked through major roads across the country singing, crying, while some even danced to the a capella of mourning and unheard rhythm of sorrow.
Overtly, their common goal is to press for the release of schoolgirls abducted by the Mallam Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram, yet their intentions are not the same.
In fact, if Shekau still had his humanity intact, the torrent of shouts, wails and a capella of sadness rendered by the protesters would move him to tears and instantly order the release of the girls.
However, that is not to be. Boko Haram is impervious to tears and wails. As a terrorist organisation, one of its stratagems is to cow people into obedience by instilling fear in them. It rather derives joy seeing people crying and wailing.
Protesters with different intentions
While some of the protesters wailed genuinely and wearied themselves with a hoarse cry, some took pleasure in doing things that were not in any way related to the purpose of their protest.
Some of them were even seen taking photograph with their phones and cameras, while many grinned with delight and exchanged pleasantries with friends.
“You came?”, one of the protesters, smartly dressed in a red T-shirt and black jeans trousers, asked another woman along Mokola-Roundabout in Ibadan when they left Adamasingba Stadium, venue of an interdenominational prayer session organised by the wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi for the release of the kidnapped girls last Thursday.
The women, in their hundreds, had formed a long queue along Mokola-Adamasingba road and were on their way to the state secretariat in Agodi to stage the mother of all protests.
“I never knew you were here too,” replied the woman, who was in her late 40s. It wasn’t long after they exchanged pleasantries that they invited a cameraman, who had patiently trailed the protesters photographing those who dressed sleekly among them and making quick money from them, to snap them.
He didn’t waste time to do that as other people were waiting for him to use his camera to photograph their red and black outfit – a token of their sacrifice paid to secure the release of Chibok daughters.
Among the protesters were some who seized the opportunity to hawk their wares. A number of them, who did not mind what brought them outside, also bought some items useful for them at home.
In Abuja, Lagos, Benin, Kaduna and other places where people took to the streets protesting the abduction of Chibok daughters, most of the protesters displayed nonchalance. Their attitude sold them out. Their concern was not about the hapless girls; they had merely jumped on the bandwagon to seek attention.
Display of theatrics…
It was observed that most of the protesters did not know the essence of their protest. As shown by Ibadan protesters, market women and artisans turned the protest to a social gathering, while some rolled on the ground as though their display of emotions would make Boko Haram change its mind.
Attack on government
Some individuals, who have been looking for the opportunity to vent their spleen on government, it was learnt, found an opportunity in the street protests, as “paid” speakers took turn to criticise the government for its alleged slow response in rescuing the girls.
The Federal Government, according to them, should be blamed for the abduction, because of its failure to provide security in the schools. Their claim created a wrong impression that the government had prior knowledge of the abduction.
Would the Federal Government have left its citizens at the mercy of the merciless terrorists? If it did, what could be its aim? Many questions beg for answers as far as the Chibok abduction saga is concerned.
The protests, it was learnt, have even been hijacked by politicians who used it to lampoon the government. Some used the occasion to campaign and ridicule the ruling government before their audience as a means to score cheap political goals.
“It has been politicised,” a foremost lawyer, who doesn’t want his name in print, observed. Creating political intrigue out of the misfortune of others, according to him, reveals the capacity of Nigerian politicians to play mischief with issues of national importance.
Culture of protests and demonstrations among Nigerians
Taking to the streets to protest wrongdoing or demonstrating against unpopular government’s policy is not a bad idea. After all, the beauty of a democratic society lies in people speaking out their minds. Citizens have a voice in a democracy and they are allowed to speak out their minds when occasion calls for it.
Nigerians know this too well, hence their penchant for protests and demonstrations. The popular demonstration nationwide against the unpopular cancellation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election comes to mind. The demonstration eventually forced the then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), out of power.
The subsequent protests against the military junta after Babangida government and the call for the return of democracy in the country also contributed to the eventual return of Nigeria to democratic rule in 1999.
Similarly, the nationwide protest against the removal of petrol subsidy in January 2012 forced President Goodluck Jonathan to rescind its decision on the blanket removal of the subsidy.

 While this uproar lasted, either the call for the military to hand over power to democratic government or petrol subsidy removal, Nigerians were unanimous in their demands. Their passion was phenomenal and their unity of purpose fetched them results. There was no time for irrelevancies; the nation was mourning and the need to wipe away its tears was dear to them.

In a way, the culture of protest is entrenched in the country. Protest affords many the opportunity to convey their feelings to government, especially when government fails to recognise or closes its eyes to social intelligence, which it ought to latch on with a view to formulating policies or adjusting its programmes.
However, the Chibok-abduction-induced protest has a different shade. The enemy, though known, is unmoved by the charade of wails and cries of most of the protesting women who really did not understand why they were asked to come out to protest. You could perceive confusion in their troubled looks, although some enjoyed the moment as though their lives depended on it.
The mindset of terrorists
Terrorists have no souls! Their conscience is hardened and their joy is fuelled by the wails and agonising pains of their victims.
The fact is that everybody has become a victim; no one is left off the hook, not even the president who is ensconced in his heavily guarded Aso Rock Villa, because a surge of adrenaline is experienced in the body whenever the news of Boko Haram attack is heard.
The mindset of terrorists is filled with evils. They are emissaries of fear and death, and nothing gladdens their hearts other than seeing their victims live in the shadow of fear.
Ultimately, when people – victims of Boko Haram – take to the streets crying and rolling on the ground, its ego is gratified. It is pleasing to Boko Haram seeing mothers of the abducted girls protest. He, Boko Haram, a metaphorical purveyor of sorrow, is delighted seeing other women cry as well.
Call for action, not display of charade
If there is anything needed to contain the activities of the dreaded sect, it is to take action against it. Full military action may not be out of place, while not foreclosing the possibility of engaging it in dialogue.
War against terrorism is hard to fight and win, but efforts could be stepped up to contain its activities. Terrorists are impervious to feelings. So, street protests and torrents of cries from protesters do not touch their hearts of darkness in any way. This is why it is important to stop the charade of street wailing and crying; it is fruitless, distracting and pointless. Resources should be pooled together, intelligence should be gathered more vigorously so as to locate the whereabouts of the missing girls and rescue them.
Before this carnival ends…
The carnival of street protests needs to end. As it is, it has become a jamboree or a “political festival” deliberately planned to deride the ruling government, while important issues at stake are left unaddressed.
It also serves as a source of distraction to the government at the centre which ought to concentrate its energy strategising on how to secure the release of the missing girls and contain the Boko Haram menace in the country.
The nation is in a mournful mood and this is not the time for jollity, but for sober reflection. This is the right time for genuine show of empathy and compassion, this is the time for action and not carnivals, otherwise the whole nation will continue to “run Boko and Haram”.

Chibok schoolgirls: The search continues…

Despite frantic efforts made to locate the whereabouts and rescue the Chibok schoolgirls since their abduction over a month ago, little success seems to have been recorded by the combined team of the United States marines and Nigerian military, though promises from government and foreign nations, that vowed to help free the girls from the captivity of Boko Haram, still keep hope of their release alive. EMMANUEL ADENIYI reports.

Simao Kikamba’s Going Home sums it up. Though a chilling fiction of an Angolan immigrant in racist South Africa and the harrowing experiences that attended the day-to-day living in a foreign land, the text narrates the pang of nostalgia and lack of substitute for “home”.
Chibok is home to Kibaku people, but the pang of loss and negative publicity that their once cherished root has attracted in the last one month is not in any way cheering. As it is now, home, to the Kibaku, is a bugbear and a spot where wolf stalks its victim.
The wolf – Boko Haram – bared its fang on innocent schoolgirls  recently when it swooped on and took them to a yet-to-be-known location, thus throwing up global protests, while spirited efforts have been made to rescue them unharmed, all to no avail.
While the world waits with bated breath to see what would eventually end the schoolgirls abduction saga, the leader of Boko Haram sect, Mallam Abubakar Shekau, has told the world what he intends doing with the over 200 abducted girls.
Sheaku’s latest video
As widely reported, Mallam Shekau has, at last Monday, said he will sell the girls, stating that none of them will be released until the Federal government frees all insurgents in detention.
The girls, who dressed in Islamic attire, were videoed reciting verses of the Holy Qur’an, while Shekau was quoted as saying that some of the girls who refused to be converted into Islam would be sold.
In his message, which was rendered in Arabic, Kanuri, Hausa and English, the sect leader said that, “We have the girls in our custody and as you can see from the video, they have all accepted to become Muslims. In just a matter of few days, they have learnt to recite the first chapter of the Holy Qur’an fluently.
“We did not force them, but we have explained Islam to them clearly and they have all accepted it; and even some of them are now calling on their parents to join them in Islam, while they have been groping in the dark all these years.
“You are all out there worrying about these girls, but they are here now converted willingly into Islam. They are happy, because we treated them very well in the manner women are supposed to be treated.
“If you like you can go on again and insinuate, as usual, that we have given them some concoction to drink. Yes, go on and say Shekau has given them some portion to change their minds. But you should all know that we don’t drink anything here, we don’t drink alcohol. We are Muslims and our concoction is the names of Allah and his prophet.
“These girls have become our  property as it is the injunction in the Qur’an. We decide what to do with them. Yes, I repeat, they are now our slaves and acquired property; whatever we wish, we will do with them.  As I have said earlier, we can even sell them if we wish.
“But the fact remains that these girls remain with us until the Nigerian government releases our brothers and sisters being held in various detention facilities across the country.
“Just because of these few girls that we have taken, the world is shouting. But you should know that we have also abducted and taken boys that tripled this number in the past. Why is the world not talking?
“Let Obama, Ban ki Moon  and Goodluck Jonathan  know that there is nothing you can do to us, because this is the war of God and not human. This is not capitalism, this not socialism, this is not democracy; this is not United Nations charter; this is the religion of God, this is Jihad.
“These girls will go nowhere, until our brethren in Maiduguri, Abuja, Enugu and Lagos are all released from captivity.  So, it hurts this much, yet you have kept our brethren in detention for over five years; our women have been kept  in cells without marriage for all these years; some of our members, about 20 of them, were given poison to drink and they died silently in the cells. No one is talking about them.
“Let the world know that we are ready for whatever troops that are being deployed to fight us; we don’t fear American troops. Let even King Pharaoh himself be sent down here, we will deal with him squarely,” Shekau boasted.
US marines in Nigeria
The US marines arrived Nigeria penultimate week to help locate and rescue the abducted girls and step up the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria. Though the US Senate has ruled out the possibility of sending American Special Forces to help confront the insurgents, the marines have combed the Sambisa evil forest in search of the girls. To prove their expertise, the marines were said to have made arrests at Anyibe in Logo Local Government Area of Borno State, while other foreign nations like Britain, Israel, France and China were reported to have shown their readiness to support Nigeria in rescuing the girls alive and combating Boko Haram menace.
Mutiny in Maimalari Barracks
Just last Wednesday, soldiers in  Maimalari Barracks were reported to have mutinied  against the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 7 division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Abubakar Mohammed, over his alleged insensitivity to their plight and the killings of their colleagues by insurgents.
The enraged soldiers, according to an online news portal, were said to have lamented the neglect of their welfare by the military authorities, claiming that “We, the soldiers, didn’t have the kind of arms and ammunition that Boko Haram fighters have. So, every day, they kill our men anyhow, but it is never published in the media.”
The GOC was said to have escaped death by a whisker as the angry soldiers fired shots at his vehicle. The GOC has since been redeployed and replaced by another senior officer.
More protesters call for the girls’ release
Global condemnation has grown against the inhumanity perpetrated by Boko Haram, just as hundreds of protesters across the globe have continued to call for the unconditional release of the girls. The list of protesters is endless. It includes celebrities, politicians, sports men and women and religious leaders. While some women under the aegis of Women Arise Against Terror Group (WAATG) threatened to storm Chibok nude in protest against the abduction, overwhelming displays of solidarity by women groups all over the world have continued to pour in for the girls. The Senate President, David Mark, for instance revealed last Monday in China the readiness of the Federal Government to fight insurgency in the country with its resources, stating that, “Boko Haram has become a real nuisance…We will not allow it to go on for too long”. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has similarly called on the insurgents to release the girls unconditionally. According to him, “We condemn their action and also appeal to them to release the girls unconditionally, because they have important contributions for the future of this country.” Of importance also is the avalanche of tweets and messages in the social media calling for the release of the girls.
Cancellation of President Jonathan’s visit to Chibok
President Goodluck Jonathan was  allegedly billed to visit the beleaguered city of Chibok last Friday before jetting out to France, where he was expected to hold discussion with French and some Francophone African leaders on how to end Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. News, however, spread early on Friday that the visit had been cancelled over security reasons. The president had earlier paid an official visit to Congo last Monday to consult with Congolese president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, on security situation in West and Central Africa.
Any hope of release?
What the world is waiting for is to hear the news of the girls’ release, but threats from Mallam Shekau seems to have foreclosed any possibility of this. He appears hell-bent on holding on to the girls until his conditions are met. Time will, however, tell what b

ecomes of the girls whose hope of going back home rests on the shoulders of Boko Haram leader.