Tag Archives: Protest

#PAUSIBILITY: CONVERSATION WITH BENJAMIN, A LAGOS DANFO DRIVER by Adebayo Coker

danfoFew weeks ago, I went with a friend to carry out some maintenance works on his car. We left Willoughby Street, Oyingbo, Lagos, late in the evening and in order not to aggravate the fatigue of the day with the road rage that is most likely to happen on a typical Lagos road, we decided to cool off at one of the bars in the National Stadium (pity that is what this national monument has become). After cooling off (I won’t mention my brand so that Okupe through his retinue of assassins will not poison me), we hit the road. Just at the exit of the stadium, we heard a funny sound in the engine compartment of the car, and when we checked, we confirmed that the fan belt that was bought few hours ago had given way (Standard Organization of Nigeria is obviously sleeping). Perplexed, the fatigue increased even though the traffic on the road had cleared.

My friend decided to sleep at his friend’s place in Surulere to ease his taking the car back to Oyingbo the next day while I HAD TO GO HOME to my wife and son that night. The cab man saw a kill but I have always been a Lagos boy. Even though it‘s been a very long time that I used public transport last, I still can find my way round Lagos without my car, even at the oddest Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: CONVERSATION WITH BENJAMIN, A LAGOS DANFO DRIVER by Adebayo Coker

Re: Omojuwa & other arrested Nigerian protesters. Can we chat? by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

omoju

It was an evening not anywhere surreal. As usual, everyone went about their daily tasks rather differently; some peacefully, others riotously, irritably, miserably, grumpily or some like billy-o. However, for some of us who were privileged, to say the best, or disadvantaged, to say the obvious, to be members of the academia, we were cocooned within an office space that was dimly lit, ventilated by a small slit called a window. As we sat, marking time, a song that waltzed itself straight to my spine was Fela Anikulapo’s “Suffering and Smiling”. I wondered why but wasn’t it rather apparent?

 

Here in Nigeria, at a time when young Nigerians should be brazenly outspoken at demanding the respect of their long-trodden rights, everyone seems to be sated by the crumbs that fall off “God knows where”. No one talks, no one agitates, no one cares about their trampled rights; everyone simply grumbles and submits “Why should I be the one to lead?” There’s a Yoruba wise-saying thatomo Continue reading Re: Omojuwa & other arrested Nigerian protesters. Can we chat? by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi