Many Sides of Yaradua by Mahmud Jega(Warning- longish post)

Amidst the darkness shrouding our new "President to be", a friend forwarded this to me which I thought I ought to share....

Many sides of Yar’Adua
By Mahmud Jega
mmj...@yahoo.com


The fourth transformation in five decades of Nigerians’ understanding of the meaning of
“Yar’adua” is in the offing. For many generations until the mid-1950s, Yar’adua was synonymous with the old Yar’aduwa quarters in Katsina town. But for 20 years from the mid-1950s, the name was most associated in Nigerians’ mind with Alhaji Musa Yar’adua, the Tafida and later Mutawallen Katsina, the powerful NPC chieftain who was Minister for Lagos Affairs in the First Republic. From 1976 until two weeks ago, most reference to Yar’adua in Nigerian politics and the news media referred to the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, Tafidan Katsina, Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters in 1976-79 and, more seriously, one of the greatest politicians to walk the Nigerian soil in 1988-97. Now, beginning from yesterday and for the foreseeable future, most references to Yar’adua would refer to Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua, Mutawallen Katsina, Governor of Katsina State until May next year and, most probably, President of the Federal Republic afterwards.
In the wake of yesterday’s rather efficient conclusion of the PDP national convention and his victory over 11 other aspirants in the first ballot, many Nigerians are likely to see Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua as a stooge, who was picked out of the blues, very late in the day, and was railroaded to the nomination with a combination of EFCC threats and other hard tackling of his opponents and other party chieftains. The corollary to that is that, if and when he makes it to the presidency, Yar’adua is expected to reign while Obasanjo and his greedy cabal continue to rule.
That is many people’s fear, but for me, having reported on the politics of the Yar’aduas in the last 15 years, the reality could turn out to be very different from the appearance. Many people like to think of Umaru Yar’adua only as General Shehu Yar’adua’s taciturn, soft-spoken, low profile junior brother. Certainly, it is doubtful if Malam Umaru could have achieved so much prominence in politics if he was not the son of Mutawalle Musa and the brother of Tafida Shehu. However, anyone who thinks of Umaru as a passive, pampered passenger on the bull-dozing Yar’adua political train in the last 5 decades has got another thing coming.
In the late 1970s, when General Shehu, as Chief of Staff, was busy meddling in NPN affairs and [according to Alhaji Umaru Dikko] was negotiating to become Shagari’s Defence Minister, Alhaji Umaru was a die-hard PRP supporter in the old Kaduna State, and he built up a strong personal following of his own among zealous PRP cadres. I know this for sure, because in 1990-91, my editors at Citizen Magazine sent me to Katsina many times to report on the heated SDP gubernatorial primaries and the subsequent elections. Unknown to many people outside Katsina, there was a lot of tension within the state SDP, caused by General Shehu seeking the presidency while Alhaji Umaru was seeking the governorship. While the party’s elders were more keen on the General’s presidential aspiration, the younger, rank-and-file members were much more keen on Alhaji Umaru’s guber ambition. They said if one of them must give up, it was the General who should give up. Most of them were old PRP men who couched their position in ideological terms, but their most important reason must had been that a governor is nearer to them than a president would be.
Besides, they told many stories about Alhaji Umaru’s extreme dynamism in politics. Unlike the General, who mostly operated in smoke-filled board rooms, Alhaji Umaru was a tireless grassroots mobiliser in those days, who easily outpaced all his coterie of zealous campaign workers. I reported in Citizen that time a story I picked up about how Umaru led one 72-hour non-stop operation to visit every hamlet in one remote corner of Katsina State. At about 4 o’clock in the morning on the third day, according to the late Alhaji Ali Ruwa, with the campaigners near collapse, they pleaded with Umaru to end the tour because the only hamlet they had not visited had only a dozen people. But the SDP candidate said he must visit it, and he ploughed through the sand in the night, alone, while the rest of the team sat down to rest. He had not slacked a bit by 1998, when PDP was formed. That year, I reported in the New Nigerian Weekly about the gruesome one-month operation leading to the formation of the K-34 organisation. Some of the participants told stories of how Umaru Yar’adua led them to visit almost every important political figure in any locality throughout Katsina’s 34 local governments, thousands of people in all, often going for days without sleep. In the end, he put together the powerful K-34, which teamed up with Alhaji Lawal Kaita’s PDM to form the state PDP, and to overwhelm it. An interesting coincidence in this story was that it was General Aliyu Mohamed Gusau who, not long after Abacha died in 1998, told Alhaji Umaru to prepare to reclaim the gubernatorial mandate that he controversially lost to NRC’s Alhaji Saidu Barda in 1991. There is no doubt that Yar’adua, not Barda, won that election. Don’t forget that the election petitions tribunals in 1992 admitted that the vote tally was falsified in one local government, corrected it and lowered Saidu Barda’s winning figure to only a few thousand. The only reason why the whole result was not upturned was because when Umaru’s lawyer Chief G.O.K. Ajayi applied to contest the results of two more local governments, the panel said he did not so apply before the deadline.
In any case, a year later, I personally overheard two Katsina NRC chieftains arguing about who claims the credit for rigging Barda into power. At issue was Governor Barda’s heavy political dependence in those days on Alhaji Wada Nas. So one of the NRC men said, “Barda listens to Wada Nas more than us because he thinks it was Wada who rigged the elections in Funtua and earned victory for him. What he does not understand is that we were the ones who actually did the rigging in Funtua, not Wada”.
Last week, Umaru Yar’adua made a statement during a campaign visit to Damaturu. He quoted the Qur’an and said, “Allah gives power to whom He wants at the time He wants”. It is a favourite phrase of his. In the course of an interview in 2001, when I asked him about the 1991 elections, Umaru Yar’adua said, “In 1994, my daughter was admitted to the University of Maiduguri, so I took her to Maiduguri and stayed overnight in Alhaji Maina Ma’aji Lawan’s house. [Maina won election as governor of Borno in 1991, on SDP’s platform, the same time that Umaru was defeated]. Something happened in the house that day that made me to wake up in the middle of the night and offer two raka’ats’ special prayer to Allah, to thank Him for not allowing me to win the election of 1991”. What was it that he saw, Alhaji Umaru refused to say. Someone should ask him again before he disappears into the State House.

When he finally became governor of Katsina in 1999, Umaru Yar’adua promptly introduced his rather severe sense of humility, simplicity and openness to the state’s governance. I know, because in 2002, he hosted us to a dinner at the Government House. We were served plain white rice with two pieces of meat, and I could not help thinking that the food in my own house was tastier than the governor’s food. The following day, when I interviewed him for two hours at his official residence, there was power failure. To my surprise, no standby generator was started, and both the governor and myself were sweating profusely as we did the interview. At one point, Alhaji Umaru was so drenched in sweat that an aide handed him a handkerchief.
I therefore seized the opportunity to ask him why he had no generator, why he was seen at the Friday mosque praying under a tree and not inside the mosque, near the Emir of Katsina, why his food was not tasty, and why he was seen driving a car and stopping by the roadside to buy a cigarette. Alhaji Umaru gazed at me closely, perhaps wondering if I was as foolish as I looked. Of course he knew me a bit, because in 1995, I was the editor of the Sentinel magazine when our publisher, General Shehu Yar’adua was arrested by Abacha. Umaru Yar’adua then took over overseeing the magazine for a few months, before it collapsed.
Anyway, he gave an answer that I reflected on for some time and which, when it was published, drew several remarks on the internet. He said, “You see, I have been praying under that tree for the last 18 years, and I am not about to change now just because I became the governor. As for the other things you mentioned, my concern is not really for myself, but for women and the children. I do not want them to get used to something, only to lose it some day. As for me, even if I wake up tomorrow and there are no cars or anything, I can adjust, but women and the children find it very difficult to adjust to such changes. This is what makes many public officers to steal money in order to be able to maintain such facilities for their wives and children when they are no more in office”.
He did many other things, such as forcing the state Finance Ministry to reveal its accounts on radio and television every month and to listen to public comments on it. In 1999, Umaru Yar’adua made public his declaration of assets; I remember he mentioned a house in Katsina and another in Kaduna that were both given to him by his senior brother.
It was around that time, in August 1999, when we were part-time research assistants at the Shehu Yar’adua Centre, then based in Kaduna, that Malam Ibrahim Sheme told me the story of what happened when center’s director Jackie Farris gave him the
centre’s cheque book to take to Governor Yar’adua in Katsina with a request for him, as a
co-signatory, to sign “two or three” blank cheques so we could be paid. It must had been traumatic for Alhaji Umaru, to be asked to sign blank cheques. He silently pushed away all the files on his desk, began to furiously sign the cheque leaves until he finished the whole book, then turned over the last leaf and said, “Is that all?” He then pushed the book back to Sheme. In Katsina in those days, Umaru Yar’adua also began the controversial policy of accumulating money in state government coffers before any contracts were awarded. For nearly a year into his rule, he did not initiate any projects, saying he must have the money in hand to pay first. Of course some people alleged that he was only accumulating the money so as to shore up Habib Bank’s reserves. When I interviewed him about this in 2002, he said it was because governments in Nigeria had greatly helped the spread of dishonesty in the society by not living up to their own obligations. He said if government signed a contract with a citizen, he did his own part of the bargain and government failed to pay him in time, it sent a very bad signal throughout the society for others to follow. Hence his resolve to award contracts only when he accumulates the money to pay. That is why, during this PDP campaign, I saw some Yar’adua ads saying KTSG has N6 billion in its coffers today.
Still, when he finally started to embark on projects, he did some wonderful ones, especially in the educational sector. An NTI Kaduna review team that inspected educational facilities built in Katsina under Yar’adua flatly stated that they were amazed by what they saw and that it was the best in Northern Nigeria. That’s in one sector; I don’t know about any others. Yar’adua often has some down-to-earth explanations about projects he embarks on. In 2001, when he rebuilt one broken bridge without repairing the road that led to it, he said it was because all his predecessors said they could not repair that road because of the cost of doing the bridge. He therefore resolved, he said, to do the bridge, so that some future governor would have no excuse not to do the road!
I am not sure that Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua has sustained the very high moral and ethical
standards that he set for himself and for Katsina State nearly eight years ago. I have not been visiting or reporting from Katsina in recent years, and some of the stories coming out of there are not sweet. Let’s mention two. Many Katsinawa tell stories about some of the business moguls very close to Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua, and they are controversial, to say the least. He also got very negative publicity in recent weeks in
the manner he handled the state’s PDP governorship primaries. Yar’adua at first
supported, then unceremoniously dumped Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, who is very similar to Alhaji Umaru in simplicity, humility and relative honesty. Was it an order from Obasanjo, as many people now allege?
Anyway, when all is said and done, many Nigerians are not going to vote for Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua because of his own personal qualities and weaknesses, but according to their perception of whether he will be an Obasanjo front. Which is just as well, for when the Yorubas rose in unison and rejected Chief Obasanjo’s presidential aspiration in 1999, they did not do so because they thought the man had no qualities, but because Northerners selected him. Obasanjo did not turn out to be a Northern stooge. With luck, if Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua also makes it to the State House, he may not turn out to be an Obasanjo stooge.

Sad and depressed

Haven't blogged in a while. Lots to talk about but been pretty busy with the day job.

However the news yesterday that the taciturn, chronically ill Yaradua had been selected as presidential candidate for the PDP and then that Goodluck, governor of Bayelsa state by default following the impeachment of his predecessor the thieving Alamieyeseigha, had been picked as his running mate sent me into a deep depression.

As everyone points out, Goodluck's wife is currently under investigation for money laundering, millions of dollars are mentioned- not bad for a former university lecturer and civil servant.

Apparently these two have been handpicked by Obasanjo to replace him. Obviously he cares more about immunity from prosecution than anything else. So much for his oft-vaunted patriotism then.

Everyone seems to be resigned to the fact that these two are a shoo in. Whatever happened to protest votes? According to the news reports, there was little in the way of celebration even from the delegates who voted for Yaradua whoe were said to have left the convention venue gloomily.

Would that the opposition would rally around say a Donald Duke and give Nigerians a true choice and voice. But there are probably greater chances of me seeing a pig whizz past the windows of my 5th floor office.

Weep my beloved country.

Espionage-real and imagined, notable books, disconcerted by gmail etc

Listening to the news this morning I am struck by how at almost the exact same time as the latest James Bond film is released we are assailed by a real-life espionage drama. Each morning the airwaves are agog with the latest twists and turns in the story of the Russian ex-spy hospitalized in London after allegedly being poisoned. On the day of his poisoning, he had met with a mysterious Italian acquaintance (described variously as an academic and elsewhere as a security expert) who said he had revealed that he had information implicating the Russian government in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. The Russian government has stoutly denied any involvement either in the murder or in the alleged poisoning. Amidst the swirl of rumour, half truths, allegations and counter-allegations, I am transported back to my childhood in the days of the Cold War when such happenings were common place and am struck by how much the world has changed. The makers of the new James Bond film can't be complaining too much, tragic as this incident is . Should Scotland Yard be looking that way rather than towards the Kremlin?

Two books by Nigerians make the New York Times Notable Books of 2006- Chimamnda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Uzodinma Iweala's Beast of No Nation. For other books on the list- see here http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/review/20061203notable-books.html .

I've just finished in quick succession (and enjoyed) two books from the Booker longlist for this year. James Lasdun's Seven Lies was charmingly elliptical as it slowly unwound from contemporary New York back into Stasi dominated East Germany, while Edward St Aubyn's Mother's Milk was a witty elegant inquisition into the nature of parenthood, relationships, New Age religion, death and the United States. I must really go and search out his earlier work now, so enthused am I....

I also recently quite enjoyed Toby Young's The Sound of No Hands Clapping. Having earlier read and enjoyed his deadpan account of his attempt to break into New York's media world in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, I was eager for this his second offering. It's not as good as the first I think, but still Young had me mouth agape reading about some of the things he got up to- he is so crass and commits the most crashing blunders and yet somehow in the end he emerges so clueless that you can't help but feel some sympathy for him. Like his friend Boris Johnson, I often wonder how much of it all is an act....

I recently signed up to Gmail, only to find that when I'm reading an e mail from Lagos, adverts about Lagos pop up on the screen, ditto when I read e mails from say Scotland- I get ads offering cheap flights to Scotland. It's slightly disconcerting to think that someone or some machine is scanning my email and reading it and deciding what adverts to send on to my screen. I know Google says it's all automated but even then....

Meanwhile in Nigeria the attempt by the Nigerian Navy to take a tougher line with the Niger Delta militants ended tragically with the death of a British national. I notice that they were no Americans involved- I wonder how the US government would have reacted if there had been.....

And to politics where the prehensile chairman of the PDP gloatingly counts up the takings as more and more candidates beat their way to the party's doors- 5 million naira in hand to pick up nomination forms for the party's presidential primaries. It's a pity that the opposition is so gormless that it's pretty obvious whoever gets the PDP nomination is a virtual shoo-in for president. Would that the PDP delegates would display some sense of national duty. Judging from the performance of their representatives in the National Assembly, their votes will be up for sale to the highest bidder. No wonder there was bloodshed last week when delegates to the primaries were being selected....

Meanwhile, a very interesting account by Dr Bolaji Aluko of registering to vote (complete with pix) can be found here http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php/content/view/4341/55

Stumbled across another interesting Nigerian blog by a recently qualified medical doctor who thinks deep and writes beautifully http://houseofficer.blogspot.com/ even as the ferociously frank and bold Disillusioned Naija Girl leaves the blogosphere http://nijaoffspring.blogspot.com/ And so the ebb and flow continues....

Migrant's dilemma- corporal punishment or child abuse

Just stumbled on the news that the Nigerian professor in the US who was charged with child abuse has been sentenced to two years in prison. When the news first broke, I was horrified at some of the things that he was supposed to have done to his child- putting hot pepper juice on various parts of the child's body, putting ants on the child and so on. I was angry when the Nigerian columnist Reuben Abati tried to paint a picture of this poor man maintaining his culture and being oppressed by an insensitive alien US system and I had meant to blog about it or even write a rejoinder. However a number of people beat me to it, including a few who detailed their experiences in Nigeria of what must only pass for cruel and inhuman behaviour regardless of the context. And yet, reading the account of the sentencing I was moved with pity for this man and his family caught in what is indeed a clash between two cultures. I suppose it is the classic migrant's dilemma- how much to hold on to and how much to let go. Read the account and Abati's article here http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php/content/view/4142/46/

Read some of the rejoinders here


Reading the article took me back to a debate about corporal punishment which I had with some Nigerian friends a while back. This was when there was a strong move to ban corporal punishment in the UK and various opinions were being aired. All of us agreed that we had been beaten or smacked as children, but disagreed on whether that had affected us negatively or not. Those of us who said we had not been scarred by the experience were effectively shut up when one of those present, a psychiatrist laughingly said "well you all think you're okay, but are you really?" And we all had to admit that he had a point. Another contributor argued that corporal punishment in a Nigerian context was fine because there were always mediators/moderators to prevent chastisement from escalating into dangerous physical harm. As she put it "The neighbours, the grandparents, the whole community will rush to stop the beating from going too far. The problem with migrants is that that regulatory mechanism is no longer there and so parents are more likely to overstep the mark"

I thought about it all long and hard that evening as I made my way home. Reading this article brought it all back and I wondered if there was not a kernel of truth in her thesis

War on London streets, remember Saro-Wiwa and marriage in southeastern Nigeria

In these days when darkness falls almost immediately after midday, I find myself making my way through cold huddled crowds heading home. This early darkening still takes me by surprise but then I remind myself that it's payback for all those long summer nights when we sit sipping Pimm's and lazing in the sun till 9pm or later... I realize that everything is balanced

On the streets of London, there's a war going on between free two evening newspapers- the london paper and London Lite. Now for the four or so years I've been here- there's only been one evening newspaper- the Evening Standard which cost 40p until recently when it went up to 50 p. It's on sale at all the train and underground stations and many commuters grab one to avoid having to look their fellow commuters in the eye.....Then a few weeks ago, vendors appeared on the streets every evening handing out free copies of something called the london paper.....free paper versus 50p paper? Hmm not a tough choice there, so the Evening Standard guys hit back with their own free paper- London Lite which is like a dumbed down version of the Standard. So now commuters on their way home have to run the gauntlet of not one but two sets of vendors handing out free papers. Looking on the positive side, most of the vendors on my route home are black or Asian, so they're obviously providing jobs for the brothers and sisters. On the negative side however, the streets and the train carriages heave with discarded free newspapers....Surely these two newspaper giants should make some contribution to the extra cleaning costs which their commercial war is generating. And I haven't even started on the forests that are being massacred to feed this paper war....

Angela Davis and Ken Wiwa are appearing at City Hall on Friday in the final event in the Remember Saro-Wiwa programme for this year http://www.remembersarowiwa.com/ . I'd hoped to go but the main hall is full up and I really will not go to all that trouble just to sit through a video link- sorry.

Stumbled across another paper by the anthropologist Daniel Jordan Smith on marriage in contemporary South Eastern Nigeria...very interesting reading http://paa2006.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=60281

Meanwhile, the launch of the Heart of Africa project appears to have received very little if any coverage in the media here. I haven't seen any. Even the Nigerian newspapers concentrated on the bizarre attempt by protesters to hijack the event http://allafrica.com/stories/200611210309.html . Yet there are Nigerians in strategic positions in the media here, but I bet no-one asked them....and so it was the usual suspects...

Liking Scotland, BBC ojoro,Naija politics and adoption palaver

I've been away for work just outside of Edinburgh- it was my first visit to Scotland and I really enjoyed it. Autumn must be the best time to visit, the hills and valleys are covered in the most amazing browns and reds and yellows- literally on fire. I think I like Scotland- there's something about it that I found vibrant and attractive- apparently the vision of the Scottish devolved government is "to be the best small country in the world" I like that and the idea that they have also built a strong partnership with Malawi- in health and education and economic development.....how that works in practice, I don't know but the partnership seemed to have a really high profile in government documents and in the media in the period while I was there....Perhaps my liking it is to do with my affinity for the underdog.... I was surprised at the number of Englishmen I met who complained of the Anglophobia of the Scots- one in particular was upset that most Scots felt that it was only a small minority of the population that was responsible and failed to appreciate the subtle ways in which the media and wider society perpetuated prejudice. Welcome to the club, bro, was my response.....

The food was great and I got to taste the famous haggis- it had echoes of pepper soup for me- I guess it was the combination of offal and pepper that did it. It was not at all as unpleasant as English friends had led me to expect.....

In the week that Nigeria was rolling out its image laundering team into London for the launch of the Heart of Africa project, I wake up to the news on BBC Radio 4 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6163700.stm that a new report has indicted the UK and Nigerian governments for not doing enough to tackle financial crime. The timing of the report release does make one wonder if it was not a calculated attempt to rubbish the Heart of Africa project....besides the BBC report completely ignored the corrupt practices by British businessmen and businesses in Nigeria, and the repatriation of looted money to the UK by Nigerian politicians both of which were also highlighted in the report http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/pdf/research/africa/Nigeria1106.pdf Thank you BBC for another balanced piece......

I've finally found one person who's been able to register to vote, Ore blogging from Nigeria describes her experience http://orenotes.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_orenotes_archive.html I like the idea of voter's cards with photographs on them, but am still surprised at the potential for multiple registration. Perhaps the electoral commission should repeat the 1993 style where voting held at the same time throughout the country, using transparent glass boxes and results were announced in front of everyone by the officers before everyone dispersed. While that method is inconvenient and resource intensive, it did mean that those who registered in several places could only actually vote in one place as they could not physically be in more than one place at a time....

I see Atiku has moved out of his official residence prior to formally declaring his presidential ambition under the auspices of the Action Congress, having left the PDP for Obasanjo and his acolytes....interesting to see how that plays out. Does he stand a chance of stopping IBB? Part of what IBB has done in coming out is reducing the race to a pro and against IBB matter, and so yet again he is responsible for harming the Nigerian political space and process.....selfish so and so that he is...

On the way to Scotland I finally finished Korouma's Allah is Not Obliged- it's a darkly funny historical account of the wars in west Africa in the 90s seen through the eyes of a child soldier....highly recommended

Meanwhile, the father of Madonna's adopted Malawian son has married his pregnant girlfriend- and looks forward to making a home with his new wife, her daughter from a previous marriage and the expected baby........just when I'm sure Madonna was heaving a sigh of relief that the publicity had died down.....Chimamanda Adichie weighs in on the adoption controversy in the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/12/AR2006111200943.html

Velasquez, classic combos, poppy debates, recent reading& heart of Africa launch in London

On Saturday to the National Gallery to see the Velasquez exhibition that just opened. His paintings are powerful and still speak contemporary...I was particularly moved by his representations of ordinary people in powerful extraordinary ways imbuing them with as much dignity as the royalty and nobility who are the subjects of many of his portraits. I was particularly moved by the gravitas and nobility of the African king in his Adoration of the Magi....

Then to dinner with friends and our host had served up a warming winter stew with carrots and parsnips and chunks of tender delectable beef, followed by cheese and pears a combination I was convinced to try and came away admitting that it was a classic combination- right up there with banana and groundnuts, roasted maize and coconut and other well known and acknowledged clasiic combinations.....

Still mulling over IBB's declaration for the PDP presidential contest- now he's no fool, so what assurances does he have that have given him the confidence to throw his hat into the ring? Besides he doesn't need to convince the whole country- just buy the votes of the PDP delegates and he's halfway there- the sleazy machinery of the "largest party in Africa" will do the rest...or at least try to. He's misread the Nigerian electorate before though- in 1993, he thought Tofa, his shoo-in candidate would beat Abiola especially as the latter was running on a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Nigerians astounded him then and I hope they'll do so again. If only Obasanjo had properly referred him to the EFCC for his financial crimes then he would have been barred from contesting and the whole question would not even arise....

Still on the poppy debate. On Sunday on my way to church, I saw a mother and daughter on the train- the mother was wearing the new pacifist white poppy and the daughter waswearing a white poppy and a red poppy. In a chat with a decidedly pacifist friend, he told me the retort that he had come back with...

Woman- Young man, why aren't you wearing a poppy? They died so you could be free you know

Pacifist friend- Yes, they died so I could be free to choose to wear a poppy or not

I'm well into Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men- it's a stunning portrayal of life in a repressive regime seen through the eyes of a child. In places I was reminded of Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus. Reading it, you feel as if you are drawn into a dark sinister world with the oppression bearing down on you...

I've also just finished Selling Olga, an account of international women trafficking. It's well-written and readable and the sheer horror of some of the things victims have endured is nauseating. There're two interviews with Nigerians- one, Vivian Wiwoloku a pastor in Palermo who runs an organization Pellegrino della Terra which helps victims of trafficking and "Bright" a young Nigerian woman who was trafficked but is now studying in university in Italy. The book also highlights the debate about whether all these women are victims or whether there should be more recognition of the fact that some women choose to enter foreign countries illegally to sell sex. The author does acknowledge the difficulty in the distinctions- as always, the debate revolves around the question of what we mean when we talk about choice....

On the front page of Thisday today is a photograph of the newly installed prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria. Seeing him and his fellow princes of the church decked in their fine robes, brought to mind a conversation I had recently with a young woman who worked in one of the top ecclesiastical robe makers' shops in London. Apparently the Nigerian clergy are responsible for a huge chunk of their sales and they want all the extra fripperies and trimmings, regardless of cost. Much as she appreciated their custom, I sensed that she seemed slightly bemused at the flamboyant displays of extravagance in the midst of grinding poverty....

I'm falling behind on the cinema front- I'm told Anthony Minghella's Breaking and Entering is a must-see for every Londoner- it was apparently mostly all shot around the currently regenerating King's Cross area. I was at the tube station last week and was surprised to see the changes- it's gleaming new with signs for the Eurostar terminal which I suppose will be coming in there soon.....again I wonder what happens when an area regenerates- do the poor and down at heel just get moved on to other degenerate areas or do they actually benefit?

Browsing on the Nigerian High Commission website I see details of the launch of the Heart of Africa image laundering project in London http://www.heartofafrica.com/uk_launch.cfm Methinks the biggest boost to our image will be having free and fair elections next year

Sleepy, soul sista, reading Hisham Matar, family politics etc

I wake up this morning, slightly deadened and lethargic- it is the end of what has been a long and busy week. The radio cuts into my sleep-tinged reverie, the head of MI5, the improbably named Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller has announced that the agency is tracking no fewer than 30 terror plots involving nearly 2000 individuals in the UK. She warns that the threat of international terrorism will be "with us" for at least a generation. Various talking heads appear- some to defiantly suggest that Britain has been through this before with the IRA in the 70s, others to urge caution. It is unclear why she has made this statement public at this time....to influence the impending budget allocations? To genuinely alert the public? Who knows....

Yesterday I visited Soul Sista's Diary on Nigeria Village Square http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php/content/view/4104/55 . In her latest column, she speaks about ringing a legislator from Anambra State to upbraid her on her role in the impeachment of the governor and how they subsequently have an interesting conversation which again reveal that like many things Nigerian the Anambra crisis has several layers and depends on who you believe. Again truth lies invisible beneath the murky layers of claim and counterclaim.....

I have just finished Sweet'n'Low: A Family Story in which Rich Cohen, a writer and disinherited grandson of the sugar substitute empire's founder deals spectacular revenge in a very readable and intriguing book. He weaves an intriguing picture of family politics in a Jewish immigrant family interspersing it with photographs and a history of sugar and all things sweet...

On the train to work I begin to read Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men, the book set in Libya which was shortlisted for the Booker- the language and imagery are dreamlike serving only to accentuate my lethargy and somnolent state.....

Donald Duke, the debonair governor of Cross River State has thrown his hat into the ring for the race to become Nigeria's next president. He's young, educated and forward looking and has set up a blog to boost his campaign. I like his youth, his laidback nature (witness his sax playing at public events accompanied by vocals from his elegant wife Onari) and his achievements in making Calabar, the state capital clean and vibrant. And his efforts to promote Calabar and Obudu as tourism destinations coupled with his investments in agriculture and education and the ambitious Tinapa free trade zone are all marks in his favour. And yet there are worrying issues as well- he's very close to Obasanjo for one and has had bitter falling-outs with rivals and supporters alike in his eight years as governor. But then that is in the nature of politics and perhaps Nigeria needs an adept political player to make the compromises that leading such a complex nation demands. I'll be watching to see when he begins to put forward a manifesto.....compared to many of the other contenders though, he's looking quite attractive..

Last night I had a late meeting and then drinks and dinner with colleagues, one of whom is going through a divorce at the moment. He's had an affair and his wife has kicked him out. He admits that the affair was only the symptom of a deeper malaise- his chafing at a number of things which he now wishes he had been brave enough to confront rather than taking what he calls the coward's way out....

Bush now looks like he's going to be forced to change his UN ambassador as well. He thought he was being smart appointing him while Congress was on recess and so bypassing the need for their approval. Now with the shift in the balance of power and time running out, he'll need to come up with someone more acceptable to both parties..... Ah the joys of democracy!

Poppy brouhaha, farewell to Rummy, no to IBB, missing Gukira& looking for a new mobile network

I remember as a child in Nigeria the teacher selling and us wearing red poppies in primary school. I'm not sure I knew what they were for but I remember pulling at the black disc in the centre which always reminded me of a sweet, and I remember my shock that it was plastic. I was probably about four then. Looking back I suppose that was when Nigeria still remembered its war heroes on the 11th of November following the British tradition honouring the end of the First World War on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Later it switched to the 15th of January, honouring I think the end of the Nigerian civil war or the military coup of 1966- not sure which. Similarly instead of the poppies, we had red vaguely heartshaped symbols with the Nigerian flag and a bleeding heart in the middle. This tradition continues.....I give this history because poppies are in the news here in London- yesterday in the free Metro newspaper given out on the tube, a certain person wrote in from Doncaster chastizing non-white Britons for not wearing the poppy. She/he argued that he had noticed that it was mostly whites who wore the poppy and stressed that the soldiers whose memory the poppies honoured had died for everyone- white and non-white. There were no figures to back his assertion- just something he/she had noticed. Predictably it drew angry responses today, one chastizing the correspondent for trying to turn the whole thing into a race issue and others attacking the broad generalizations in his statement. Another black person said he/she refused to wear the poppy because the contributions of non-white soldiers had been ignored by the British establishment...and so it went on. Then on the radio this morning, a Christian group Ecclesia called for a white poppy, which Christian pacifists could wear, arguing that the red poppy glorified war and blood....... I wore a poppy last week on my way to a meeting in Scotland, simply because I felt sorry for the elderly veteran selling them outside the train station. But on getting to my meeting I was the only person under 40 wearing one- never mind that I was the only black person in the room.....who'd have thought poppies could cause such a fuss?

Rumsfeld's gone and I cannot hide my glee. In many ways he epitomized the casual, sneering arrogance of the Bush administration and this was evident in many of his photographs- or perhaps I just imagined the sneering smugness driven by my antipathy to his utterances and policies. I wonder though if it isn't a deft move by Dubya to put the Democrats on the wrong foot... A kind of "Okay you asked for Rummy to go and he's gone, watcha gonna do about Iraq now?" The new nominee for Defence secretary is described as a realist where Rumsfeld was a neo-con ideologue so perhaps good things may yet come from this...

In what was obviously a sad moment for Nigeria, the amoral military dictator- almost single handedly responsible for entrenching a kleptocratic culture in Nigeria- picked up a nomination form for the presidential primaries of the People's Democratic Party yesterday. With his glamorous fashion-plate Evita-like wife beaming at his side he spoke eloquently as always of how he had come to seek the votes of the Nigerian people. Knowing him and his Machiavellian tendencies, I worry for my country and am almost driven to make the kind of vow that die hard military apologists made in the hey day of the Abacha regime, when they swore to leave Nigeria if Abacha was not allowed to continue as President. I cannot help thinking that if, we Nigerians by omission or commission allow Babangida to return to power it will make it difficult for many not to be convinced that the country has a death wish....He says he believes in democracy - let us tell him in no uncertain terms that we want no part of him and his cabal. Any of our IT whizzes up for an anti-IBB website?

Meanwhile Omoyele Sowore of Saharareporters continues to serve up stories of the misdeeds of Obasanjo's close aide Andy Uba who was indicted in the US for bringing in USD 170 000 undeclared in cash on the presidential jet. The court documents can be seen here http://saharareporters.com/eLibrary/
As long as people like these continue to be clasped close to OBJ's expansive bosom, and continue to be promoted for higher office (in Uba's case as governor of belaguered Anambra State) his frequent anti-corruption noises will continue to ring hollow in the ears of people like me, even if foreigners are taken in.....

Returning to the blogosphere, I note a gap where Gukira, the highminded, beautifully written blog of Keguro Macharia, a Kenyan postgraduate student in the US used to be. He tells me he's concentrating on his dissertation and will be back. I have however stumbled, courtesy of Jeremy of Naijablog on Funmi Iyanda's blog http://fiyanda.blogspot.com/ . Years ago, I loved Funmi's column in Tempo, the Lagos evening newspaper . Called Jisting, the writings of an opinionated female- it hit the spot totally. Ah the ebb and flow of the blogosphere....

Finally I would appreciate recommendations for a mobile telephone provider in the UK, having had it up to here with Orange. Right now I have a headache having been on hold for twenty five minutes and then being passed from Directory Enquiries to Billing and back trying to sort out errors on my bill. I'm finally told to write a complaint to a given address as this is the only way they deal with complaints- a mobile phone company asks me to write a letter- not call? Not even threatening to leave the network wakes them up....They claim it's the same with all the other networks but if anyone knows a network that at least picks up their customer service number within 10 minutes, please let me know..... (I know 10 minutes is still a lot but Orange have forced me not to aim too high)......Dang if I had a couple of hundreds of million quid maybe I could set up my own all singing and dancing customer focused network....

Mulling over paradoxes, unhugged hoodie and sneaking lunch

Still haunted by the plane crash and asking myself whether it's time to head home, so frustrated by all the ineptitude and madness. And then as I toss and turn and mull over this decision, there's the rational voice saying "Yes, I appreciate your desire to contribute and your frustration but what exactly are you going to do when you get there?" I suppose I could try and get a job with one of the new telecomms companies or the new mega super banks or join the 4X4 driving brigade of NGO employees....or what? Or perhaps I could run for local government chairman- but then I'd need to win the party nomination first and spend lavishly and maybe not even get elected..... or perhaps I should wait a bit more and try and do an Okonjo Iweala- ie build up your international credentials to a point where you can leverage them as bargaining chips into a position where you can actually achieve some change- but even then look how she ended up....

Work is as hectic as ever, interspersed by a visit to Buckingham Palace and the paradoxical pleasure in saying to the taxi driver "Buckingham Palace please" and walking up the red carpeted gilt encrusted hallways and stairways to the drawing room and meeting the Queen- she's small and bustling and grandmotherly with a dazzling warm smile that vaguely reminds me of my own late departed grandmother- even though their lives couldn't have been more different. I suppose that's the essence of the human, or maybe I'm just star-struck. I feel less guilty about this than I did at the time because even some of my more senior tightlipped English colleagues did confess to a frisson of excitement at the prospect of being in the palace and in the presence of Her Majesty.....

The paradox of Anambra State underlines the paradox of Nigeria. The news that the first female governor has been sworn in should ordinarily be a thing of joy until you begin to read of the sordid machinations that led to the "impeachment" of the substantive government and how half the impeachment panel and the Chief Judge all come from the new "governor's" village. I met the impeached governor Peter Obi once in London and was struck by how impressive, human and humble he appeared. I was also impressed by his sticking through for three years with the legal case after he was rigged out in 2003 and finally taking up office only this year. And then this.....

It's cold on the streets of London now, feels like someone turned on a huge airconditioning system- one minute it was warm and we were walking about in thin cotton shirts and then the next it's out with the heavy gear- the scarves, the gloves and the hats and caps. I'm just sticking to my very warm hoodie picked up in Vancouver earlier in the year...it's brilliant- a garment for all seasons.....I haven't had many hugs though in spite of David Cameron's hug-a hoodie exhortations....I live in hope....

Have just finished Aminatta Forna's Ancestor Stones- the story of four women growing up in Sierra Leone. It's beautifully written in lyrical almost poetic language but the chop and change between the lives of the four sisters is sometimes difficult to keep up with......

Have discovered a new place for lunch tucked away in the basement of an office building- the most fantastic Thai food- egg fried rice, vegetables and a meat dish( changing every day) I suspect it should not really be open to the public (is a canteen for workers) but I was taken there by a colleague and have not been accosted yet on my frequent return visits to the venue.... and the food is so delicious that I keep going back each lunchtime. It certainly beats the sandwich man...

Good to hear the news from the US elections. After the elections in 2004 when I stayed up till 12 30 and then went to bed thinking Kerry had won, and then waking up to learn that Dubya had won a second term I promised not to bother this time. At a meeting on Monday I was sitting next to an American who was surreptitiously filling in her postal vote- she voted Democrat I was pleased to notice and I flashed her a smile and a thumbs up....so waking up to the news that the Democrats had taken control of the House was good. At least hopefully the smug arrogance of Dubya and his team cannot continue- they will need to engage and negotiate which is no bad thing for democracy. I'm not sure why I'm so passionate about the US elections but I remember getting into heated arguments with some Nigerian friends and relatives in the US in 2004 who were going to vote for Bush because of his position on "family values" When he won, I couldn't bring myself to speak to some of them for a while.....

Meanwhile on Iraq, the Democrats say a change in policy is needed but stops short of calling for withdrawal. The other side says we must not cut and run with one gentleman saying that there will be scenes reminiscent of Saigon in a few months as a result of the Democratic victory. I was on the anti-war march in London with 99,999 others but I honestly do not know what the way forward is- either way it seems there will continue to be mayhem and bloodshed in the area for a while to come....

Too numb to blog

Has anyone seen the manifest for the aeroplane that crashed in Nigeria on Sunday? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

It was like deja vu, Sunday morning leaving church, phone vibrates. Plane crash in Nigeria, Sultan of Sokoto feared among the victims. Run home and switch on the television, BEN TV (the so-called Nigerian network) showing some cash madam's birthday party in some church hall in London. BBC News 24 and Sky News only talking about the two children found dead in Corfu and then the twenty people killed in Iraq that day. Absurd as it sounds I begin to compare body counts. My disaster is bigger than yours- 104 bodies versus 20 something versus......I know I know don't blame me just so frustrated especially as I can't seem to get through to my folks in Naija. Finally get through and they have only just heard....Finally catch something on CNN. Only the next day do I begin to realize that people I know have been on that flight. Been in a state of shock ever since. Trawling the Naija blogs today, there's a welter of opinions. I am numb. What does it take I ask you, what does it take for my people to say thus far and no more?

In another month or so it will back to business as usual....until the next time?

I feel so helpless, so numb

Greyness, painting, muddledness in Nigeria and wanting

Gosh, I really am slacking on the blogging front. It's not like nothing's happening- loads are but I just get sucked up by other stuff and so don't get round to blogging. Perhaps it's something to do with the grey days that are fast upon us here. There's something about the greyness that almost seeps into your soul as My talking beginnings muses on his blog.... http://mytalkingbeginnings.blogspot.com/2006/10/sigh.html

Had a good weekend even if the all day rain yesterday made any and every thing that required any energy an unappetizing prospect. I still managed to drag myself to the National Portrait Gallery to meet friends for the David Hockney exhibition that just opened. I just love the man's use of colour- it's so vibrant and warm, but then I like colour. I also admired his photographic collages which made very interesting viewing. I was quite interested in a series that detailed portraits of all the people who had visited his California studio one year, and was struck by the absence of a single black person. But later down a few rooms there were paintings of an African American doctor, a close friend. Should I have noticed, or am I becoming paranoid?

Dinner on Saturday night with friends in their modernist flat in the East End. Crab done in three ways- a souffle, dressed in its shell and as a tart with smoked fish. Delightful. Amazing views of the Thames and fireworks exploding everywhere over London- we debate whether they mark the end of Ramadan or Diwali- no one seems to know for sure.....

I still do not know what to make of the events in Nigeria. Everyone I speak to at home is convinced that there is some grand plan by Obasanjo to foment chaos and render next years elections unworkable. Yet there is very little in the public domain to confirm or deny this. I suppose the people at home are privy to all the little tittle tattle that in Nigeria is often better than any formal media for communicating happenings in government. I do find it strange that only a few months to the elections, all remains so quiet on the campaign and manifesto front.....

The police say they have found the killers of one of the governorship aspirants who was murdered recently in Ekiti State. I would ordinarily congratulate them except that there already seems to be much murkiness and things that do not add up in the alleged confessions. On the subject of murders, it's twenty years this month that Dele Giwa, the journalist was killed by a parcel bomb while Babangida reigned as president. No one has ever been found guilty of his murder. In a few weeks it will be five years since Bola Ige, serving attorney general was killed while Obasanjo reigned as president. No one has ever been found guilty of his murder either. When I think of all the murders that have happened and been solved in the years that I have lived here, I wonder what it would take to just find one set of these Nigerian killers.....

I have just started reading Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah is Not Obliged- a fictional account of life as an African child soldier. It's quite different from Uzodinma Iweala's Beast of No Nation, to which it will no doubt be compared. I'm loving the humour in Allah is Not Obliged and can almost visualise the cheeky war hardened little boy narrator......

It was good to see the veil debate put in perspective. Apparently less than 10 000 women wear the veil.The majority of Muslim women in the UK do not wear the veil. In a country of over 50 million, debating the veil issue surely seems like really really high priority

I want to go and see the Velasquez exhibition and I want to go and see Caroline or Change- the new musical set in civil rights America that's written by Tony Kushner and I want to read the new Ngugi wa Thiongo and I want.....that'll have to do for now

Really back this time

Okay, so it's been nearly three clear weeks since my last post. Got sent to the US at rather short notice for work and it was pretty hectic so I wasn't really able to post. Not that the dizzying whirl of events in Nigeria and the UK made things any easier- from the debate about Muslims wearing veils and the media brouhaha over Madonna's adoption (or not) of a Malawian boy to the rash of impeachment notices in Nigeria- it's been dizzying to try and keep up. Anyway I'm back now and hopefully will be a bit more regular.

Virgin Atlantic have got it right with their new in-flight entertainment system. I was able to watch a number of fairly recently released films I'd been meaning to see, and the ability to pause, rewind and fastforward each film meant that you didn't have to stay in your seat with your bladder bursting for fear that you'd miss an important part of the film. I watched Scarlett Johansson in The Black Dahlia, a James Ellmore thriller set in the thirties with a suitably complex plot which I often found difficult to follow but the sight of the lovely Miss Johansson more than made up for it. Meryl Streep turned in a sterling performance in The Devil Wears Prada which wasn't a great film..I suppose no one said it was but which was funny. Richard E Grant's WahWah was also good to watch- a tale of a young English boy growing up in Swaziland in the last days of colony there as his parents' marriage falls apart. It's autobiographical and very well made. I was fortunate enough to read his account of making the film- the Wah Wah Diaries almost immediately after watching the film and it was great to gain insights into the challenges that it takes to bring a film from concept to the big screen at a seminar near you.

I'm looking forward to going to see The History Boys- the film of Alan Bennett's play which I went to see at the National two years ago and which had me leaving the theatre musing on my teachers and knowledge and learning and how I have come to be the person I am today. I thought it would be very UK specific but it was a hit on Broadway and has now been made into a film....

While I was away Kiran Desai won the Booker Prize, beating favourite Sarah Waters. I'm looking forward to reading her book especially as I didn't think Waters The Night watch was Booker material, much as I'd enjoyed it.

Looking at the attempted impeachment of Peter Obi in Anambra State, I wonder when the people of Anambra State will say enough. After all that they have endured over the last few years and the way that Obi came to power, having doggedly fought his claim through the courts for three years, you'd think they'd stand up for him. I have met him once in London and he seemed an entirely decent person with the right attitudes and values. Impeaching him will serve no useful purpose. But perhaps the forces against him may find that this is one manipulation too far for the longsuffering people of the state.

There's a ferment in Nigeria and while it may feel uncomfortable I welcome it because I'm hopeful that it portends well for our democracy. As the various players brief and counter brief against each other, the people will hopefully see our "leaders" for what they are...

Although some suggest a gameplan by Baba to create chaos since he failed to secure his third term...we'll see

Back again

I cannot believe how long it's been since my last post. And yet so much has happened at work, at home, on the national and the international stages...where do I start

In true English fashion I'll start with the weather- or the lack of it- today's been drab and dark with the pissy kind of rain that never quite seems to make up it's mind whether to fall properly or not. Last week, we did have a tropical, get-drenched-dashing-between-your-car-and-your- front- door type storm which beat down on everything in sight. Hwever because there are no zinc roofs here, I missed the drumming sound which as a child often had me convinced that the roof would soon give way to the insistent pounding...

The Conservatives have just finished their annual party conference and everyone seems to agree that Cameron put in a good performance. The question remains why the UK public- at least in the opinion polls are still very cautious in handing him their wholesale endorsement. To hear his people tell it- we all love Cameron but are skeptical of the Tory party- once famously referred to (by Teresa May its then chairman no less) as the "nasty party". Granted what she really said was that they were perceived as the nasty party but the quote stuck. Others argue that it's his image is everything, content is nothing approach to policies that are making the public wary. Whatever it is, his task of projecting the image of an inclusive caring sensible Tory party certainly wasn't helped by the utterances of some of his members. See http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1799471.ece for what I mean

Have just finished reading a book that I stumbled across in the library last week. It's called Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Skeptical Muslim and it was well-written and very informative- tracing the Pakistani-born British Muslim author's journeys as he seeks to make sense of his Muslim faith in a contemporary setting. I found it very educatibve in understanding the history of the various strands in Islam- Shia, Sunni, Ismaili, Sufi and the Islamic contribution to Western civilization. What made the book fascinating for me was that the author wasn't writing from the perspective of one who had repudiated Islam, he was still obviously a committed Muslim, but was quite willing to question that faith. I did bristle at his repeated reference to Nigeria as a Muslim country and felt like firing off a letter to him to put him straight but on reflection, thought I'd just mention it here.....

I'm intrigued by the mysterious blog: stopsexpredators.blogspot.com which played a major role in the scandal engulfing the Republican Congressman Mark Foley who had to resign this week following the emergence of "inappropriate" correspondence between him and underage interns....amazing how it's blown up into such a huge issue. I'm sure all the jostling is to do with the forthcoming Congressional elections....

Saturday morning I woke up to a voice articulately laying out to one of the BBC Radio 4 interviewers the argument that the US and the West were responsible for the fighters who had overrun Pakistan. It turned out to be Pervez Musharraf, the military president of Pakistan and even though I'm no fan of his (I've heard horrid tales of what the military there have got up to in plundering the nation's resources- sound familiar anyone?) his argument was compelling...

At midnight on the 1st of October as I made my way to bed, I realized that it was Nigeria's 46th Independence Day. I still remember how awed we were as children to hear the that India was celebrating its 40th independence anniversary...and now we are 46, perhaps the continuing Obasanjo-Atiku brouhaha are the growing pains of a nation finally stretching towards maturity...

The cold creeps in, Cherie& Gordon, dreaming of meatpie

It's beginning to feel quite cold in the mornings and the evenings and I suppose that soon I will have to dig out my warm clothing, swop my light soled summer shoes for my thicker soled winter ones and begin to contemplate the cost of heating.....

The barbecue the other night was a qualified success- getting there was a nightmare as there were so many roadworks going on and the Northern Line was closed so I couldn't get on the tube. I was amazed at how intolerant of traffic I had become- I, veteran of three hour long sweltering, packed solid, no movement traffic jams almost throwing a tantrum because of an hour's delay.....Anyway the food and company more than made up for it- even if there was no meat proper- the burgers, sausages and salmon were just right- and unlike the case at many barbecues I've been to, the host actually managed to produce well-cooked, juicy food without burning any of it.....

Yesterday I decided to be adventurous and had a Jamaican meat pattie for lunch. What I had really wanted was a Nigerian meat pie and the patty did not quite measure up. Cornish pasties which also look like meat pies and which I've tried as a subsitute have ended up being stuffed with more vegetables than meat which as every Nigerian knows is the first no-no for a real meatpie.....the sort that Kingsway used to sell with thin, crusty, flaky pastry and thick savoury meat before they morphed into Mr Biggs and started selling the mass produced starchy nonsense that they sell now.....Perhaps I'll just have to make my own....

The news here is filled with stories of the Labour Party conference- it appears that the verdict on Gordon Brown's speech yesterday was good but not great. But it was overshadowed by the allegation that Mrs Blair had been seen saying "Well that's a lie" when Mr Brown spoke of his warm and productive working relationship with her husband- Tony. Apparently there has never been any love lost between Cherie and Gordon- and she hasn't really refrained from showing it.... I suppose not being a politician she can afford to be more frank than her husband.... Amazing how little things change...look what I was blogging about a year ago
http://uknaija.blogspot.com/2005/09/leaders-squabbling-with-their-vices.html

The political jostling in Nigeria continues to unfold- with allegations of Senators being bribed to impeach the Vice President- and refutals and various "leaders of thought" and senior citizens calling on the President and his vice to sheathe their swords as their exalted offices are "being damaged" by the ongoing feud. As far as I'm concerned, both parties should continue with their revelations- I believe the whole process strengthens rather than weakens the Nigerian democratic process......

I'm reading and enjoying Howard Jacobson's Kalooki Nights which was also longlisted for the Booker this year.Jacobson, himself of Jewish heritage explores Jewishness in a half humorous, half serious way that is engaging. You can almost sense in the writing the author's own struggle with what it means to be a Jew as he paints various perspectives including that of the Orthodox Jews, Liberal Jews and atheist Jews.....it's a great book and one which I approached with some skepticism but am enjoying....

Nigeria- cui bono,where's Prezza, image politics and recent reading

I seem to be going through another period where finding time to blog is difficult. It's been a busy time work wise, but I hope it eases off soon. The problem with being away for such a long time is that by the time you come back, so much has happened it's difficult to know where to start.... Anyway here I am....

Neither of the two gladiators- Obasanjo and Atiku- has been impeached yet and it appears that they may not be anytime soon. It was interesting to see them both, dressed in identical blue robes at the funeral of the generals who died in the plan crash last week. How they can continue to exchange social pleasantries while each plots the other's downfall continues to intrigue me. But then Blair and Brown have long elevated that to a fine art. The evil genius himself, IBB lurks in the background and I wonder what role he has to play in all of this...as the lawyers say cui bono? Who profits from the Atiku-Obasanjo face off

Meanwhile in the UK, John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister seems to have completely disappeared from public view after his double fiasco earlier in the year- his affair with one of his secretaries and then being pictured playing a game of croquet during working hours while he was supposed to be deputising for Blair- not evn during the recent heightening of the Blair Brown face off did we get a glimpse of good old Prezza....

An opinion poll in yesterdays papers show Cameron beating Brown on most questions put to the people. The only question where Brown scored higher was on who would be more able to make difficult decisions. Brown was thought to be more arrogant, less of a team player and had a less likeable personality. I'm seriously beginning to think that if the Labour party wants to hold on to power, they'll need to get someone young and fresh to compete with Cameron- in this media age of politics, poor dour Gordon doesn't just cut it...Will the Labour party dare do the unthinkable?

On the subject of image politics, I read TIME magazine's cover story on Segolene Royal, the frontrunner for the Socialist Presidential nomination in France. She's another example of someone using image and media-friendly perceptions to get ahead in the opinion polls. Reading some of the criticisms about the lack of policy content to her campaigning, I was reminded of Cameron whose content free policies haven't stopped him from tearing ahead in the polls.... Besides perhaps it's time France with its much vaunted egalite got a woman in the top job as the UK and Germany have...

On the reading front I've just finished Peter Carey's Theft which was longlisted for the Booker Prize. I enjoyed it on several levels especially the insights into the art world. I've just started Kalooki Nights which was also longlisted for the Booker. I'll see how I get on but it looks promising. Meanwhile Doreen Baingana's Tropical Fish which I thoroughly enjoyed a while back is now out in paperback in the US. I'm surprised it never got published in the UK, especially as it contains not one but two Caine Prize shortlisted stories.....don't be put off by the short story tag though- they all kind of hang together tracing different aspects of the lives of three Ugandan sisters. Here's an article she had published in the Guardian a while back http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1540698,00.html

Meanwhile the sun's out and I'm off to a barbecue- friends making the best of the last bit of sun before the chill descends...

Catching up, the Queen, and the mystery of Booker prizes

You turn your back and so many things happen at once. The last week has been so hectic work wise that I've had no time to blog. Or perhaps that's just a lazy man's excuse. From the Pope's speech and the furore it caused to the continuing mudslinging between Obasnjo and Atiku in Nigeria to the armed forces plane crash to the march for Darfur yesterday- it looks like the world has been far busier than I have.....

I just wish the National Assembly would get their act together and impeach both Obasanjo and Atiku, leaving the Senate president to preside over what would then hopefully be a level playing field as there would be too little time for the Senate President to rig himself into the presidency...dare I wish?

Went to watch The Queen, Stephen Frears' new film starring Helen Mirren who plays Her Majesty so well it's uncanny. The film is set in 1997 around the events when Diana died and watching Martin Sheen play the young ambitious newly elected Blair you begin to remember why his election was greeted with such excitement. It's a great film and has some great cinematography ofthe stunning landscapes around Balmoral, the Scottish royal retreat where the Queen is holed up with the royal family at the time they receive the news of the Princess' death. There's one shot where the deep red of Her Majesty's lipstick is echoed in the deep red border of her Hermes scarf and the deep red of the blood running from a stag that has been shot on a neighbouring estate which of course is supposed to echoe the sense of Diana the huntress turned the hunted.....At the cinema where I watched it, the audience roared at a scene where Tony Blair asks his secretary to put Gordon Brown on hold...

Just finished Caine Prize winner Segun Afolabi's excellent collection of short stories- A Life Elsewhere which was poetic and evocative of a displacement echoed in the lives of many immigrants. I'll look forward to his Goodbye Lucille which is due out next year....

I'm reading Theft by Peter Carey which made the Booker longlist but failed to make the shortlist. I'm still reeling at Sarah Waters' The Night Watch being the favourite for the prize. I read it ages ago and while it was quite entertaining, I hardly thought it Booker material.....still I suppose the judges must have seen something in it that I missed...

On a final note it appears I might be "meeting" the real Queen before the year runs out on some work related stuff. As iconoclastic as I claim to be, I guess there's enough of the old colonial mentality in me to thrill at the thought....

Humid days, a radical solution, Little Miss Sunshine and Dhaliwal's Tourism

Monday September 11 - humid and hot with the earthy scent of a sky pregnant with rain. Yet the rain does not fall and it feels like I am breathing steam when I walk out to lunch. The weather is almost tropical and reminds me of home- is it global warming or just one of those days- who knows?

The war of the vices -the Obasanjo-Atiku and Blair-Brown sagas continue to unfold. While in the UK there appears to be a temporary truce as the truth slowly sinks into the skulls of Brownites and Blairites alike that they haven't been elected to spend the time squabbling like nursery school brats; in Nigeria VP Atiku ratchets up the heat by heading for the courts. I read the report of the "investigative panel" the president set up and I wonder where in the Nigerian Constitution this panel fits in.......at least in the UK everyone sort of knows the framework within which the fight is conducted...oh well! I'm increasingly being drawn to the neither/nor option in both cases- dump Blair AND Brown in the UK and dump Atiku AND Obasanjo in Nigeria.....

Went to watch Little Miss Sunshine over the weekend- it's the kind of dark comic tale of a dysfunctional family where you never quite know if it's okay to laugh. For me the best scene is one where a smarmy serenades the contestants in a beauty pageant with America the Beautiful as they strike suggestive poses and their dolled up faces grin. Problem is they are all under ten years old and if you think kiddy beauty pageants are ok- you really should watch this film......

Have just finished Tourism, by Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal. It's no surprise he gave Gautam Malkani's Londonstani such a harsh review- they're kind of in the same market....Tourism is an okay read-with liberal instances of equal opportunity provocation- everyone in modern London from the working class to the middle class to the rich are slagged off, as are every ethnic group from the author's own Sikhs to blacks to whites (or honkies, as the author persisted in calling them) I've never actually heard that phrase used except in books and comics from the 7os USA but then perhaps I've lived a rather sheltered life. Apart from the provocation, there's lots of fairly graphic sex but frankly it feels like a hodge podge of scenes and ideas and thoughts cobbled together.... Nevertheless there are some great scenes of contemporary London and certain echoes ofAlan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty- in the way in which outsiders enter the circles of the rich in London and are corrupted....

Parallel political drama at home and abroad

Roughly a year ago, I blogged about theparallel feuds between the leaders and their "vices" in the UK and in Nigeria http://uknaija.blogspot.com/2005/09/leaders-squabbling-with-their-vices.html

Imagine my surprise therefore to find a year on, the simmering feuds bursting to the surface suddenly, unexpectedly- In the UK, Brownites forced Tony Blair to announce today that he would not be attending the Labour conference next year as Prime Minister. This announcement did not seem to go far enough for the Brownites who wanted a firm departure date and promised to keep baying for blood. What the reaction of the Blairites would be, who can tell? There were rumours of a heated confrontation between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown yesterday, alleged to be the worst ever between the two men.

Meanwhile back in Nigeria, the long simmering cauldron of bitterness between Obasanjo and his vice president Atiku bubbled over as the President sent a request to the Senate requesting the impeachment of his vice president, on the alleged grounds of corruption. As the Atiku camp struggled to fight back, potentially with a proposed impeachment of the President, I wondered if a scenario I've long hoped for would come to pass- a situation where Nigerian leaders dished the dirt on each other- it'll be interesting to see how this plays out...

Who would have thought that this would all come spinning into the open now- have the holidays had anything to do with it? Perhaps plans were honed and polished during the recess and are now being put into play....

Blair, Brown, disloyalty and Okija, female foreign ministers, recent reading and Isioma Daniel

The whole fuss around Tony Blair and his leaving date seems to have reached a new peak or trough(depending on whose side you are on) overnight. Only yesterday morning Blairites were insisting that it would be premature and damaging to set a leaving date and then by this morning, they were all over the place loudly saying that the Tone would be gone by next summer. Whether this had anything to do with the leakage of a planned triumphal victory tour of the country by the Blessed Blair early next summer was unclear but it was obvious that there had been an orchestrated message sent to the Blair loyalists to let rip. What was crystal clear to all observers was the hilt of the dagger sticking out of Gordon Brown's back....in all the interviews, the Blairites made it clear that there was no anointed successor and that the field for the succesion was open to all comers. While I have had my reservations about whether or not Gordon Brown can pull off the feat of leading Labour to a fourth election victory, I can't help but feel that he has been massively betrayed by Tony Blair who appears to have reneged on whatever formal or informal agreements they had had when Brown stepped down for Blair in 1994....Perhaps Brown should have considered dragging Tony to the infamous Okija shrine and made him swear there like some Nigerian politicians do to their acolytes, and then he wouldn't be where he is now....

For some reason I was thinking recently about Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and then my thoughts turned to female foreign ministers as she's since been replaced by another woman- Professor Joy Ogwu- and it then occurred to me that Nigeria, Israel, the UK and the US all currently have female foreign ministers- Tzipi Livni, Margaret Beckett and the delectable (!?!) Condi. Googling to see if any other countries did led me to this very interesting website http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/foreign_ministers_current.htm which has details of female leaders globally (complete with pictures)...

Just finished Atonement- Ian McEwan's novel published in 2001 which I had been meaning to read after I enjoyed Saturday. I was initially skeptical and unsure where the story was going but the ending definitely packed a punch- really great, thoughtful book. At the moment I'm reading what would probably be the equivalent of blogs from 1940s England- diaries kept by various ordinary people as part of the Mass Observation project http://www.massobs.org.uk/introduction.html now published in book form in Our Hidden Lives. It's very interesting to see what ordinary people made of the end of World War II, the Nuremberg trials and other historical events

I see Obasanjo has carried out another of his minor reshuffles exchanging the Ministers for Communications and the Minister of Works- what this really means six or so months to the end of his tenure, who can really say?

Meanwhile 7 months to the Nigerian presidential elections, there's a deafening silence as far as candidates putting forward their manifestos- perhaps they are still waiting for an anointing at Okija or whichever shrine has taken over as the anointing venue of choice for aspirant Nigerian leaders....

Finally, if like me you have ever wondered- "Whatever happened to Isioma Daniel? (the NigerianThisday reporter whose article on the Miss World beauty pageants in 2002 allegedly set off an orgy of violence) There's an update here- http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/isioma.html

Fighting colds, Blair's regret and critics on Adichie

Not a great weekend not least because I appear to be battling a filthy cold- i wonder if I picked it up on the plane. I hate colds because of their ambiguity-You know the feeling- you're not really unwell enough to completely drop out of life and yet you just feel like crap and like crawling into bed and staying there forever....

Tony Blair must be regretting the day he let slip the statement that he would not serve a full term following his reelection last year. Ever so often the UK media descends into a frenzy trying to speculate and get him to name the date. Brownites, acolytes of the taciturn Chancellor (the presumed anointed successor) leap into the fray and talk about how Blair's continued presence is a liability to the Labour party. The Tories watch, cautiously egging them on from the sidelines and rumours swirl of a final treachery in which a third party, a dark horse is anointed in Gordon Brown's place at the last minute. This morning, one of the leading contenders for dark horse- Alan Johnson the Education secretary was on the radio to talk about the new school meal standards Labour were introducing- away with deep fried food and semi-processed "meat" and in with fruit and veg- but all the interviewers wanted to talk about was whether he had any plans of running- like a true politician, he refused to be drawn, one way or another, simply repeating "I've made my position clear and I have nothing to add" in a rather unhelpful manner.

Stuck in bed over the weekend, I devoured the Guardian and was pleasantly surprised to see two Nigeria-related items in the Review section- one was Diana Evans' account of her reading tour of Nigeria facilitated by her publishers- Jeremy and Bibi of Cassava Republic and Naijablog fame http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1863011,00.html and the second was a distillation of two reviewers views on Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1862903,00.html Both reviewers were generally positive, but the Times reviewer was upset at the effeteness of the only major white character in the book, Richard whom I quite liked. The Telegraph reviewer however was upset that the book was not longlisted for this year's Booker Prize, a sentiment echoed by the Independent in an earlier interview http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/article1219876.ece

Over the weekend, with my cold and blocked sinuses I yearned for some hot pepper soup, but a friend brought me the next best thing- beef chilli ramen from Wagamama- as I slurped the noodles, crunched the onions and chewed the beef, I could feel myself getting better. ....

One year on: Back from Canada, Loving Almodovar and Adichie, thinking of human rights & a silly restriction

Back in the UK now. The last three weeks have been exhausting, exhilaring and invigorating all at the same time. Great training time and now I feel ready to take on whatever challenges the future holds at work- great feeling. I'm desperately hanging on to that feeling as I go through the nearly two hundred e mails that were waiting at work. I used to look at people at work talking about how many e mails they had to work through as rather sad- a kind of "My e mails are greater than yours" kind of thing- but now I find myself indulging......

I kind of liked Canada- the bits I saw- it seems to have its heart in the right place- the people are generally warm and friendly in a way that I liked and appreciated and I fell in love with their governor general- the Rt Hon Michaelle Jean http://www.gg.ca/gg/index_e.asp after watching her on television- the petite Haitian-Canadian who only came to Canada in 1968- is an impressive asset. I don't think that she could attain a similar position anywhere else in the world.....

Monday went to see the new Almodovar film Volver (Return) starring Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura. It's an amazing film rich in visuals, vibrant colour, humour and textures plus a quirky, subversive plot- all the hallmarks of an Almodovar film. I still can't believe that I had never even heard of Almodovar before I moved here. It was only thanks to a Mexican classmate that I went to see Talk to Her (Habla con Ella) when it came out a few years ago and then I got hooked. There is this one scene where Cruz is chopping red peppers and as you watch the shot of the grey blade of the knife biting again and again into the redness of the peppers, you can almost hear and feel the crunch. In another scene Cruz is washing up at a sink and there is this amazing shot from above framing her cleavage and the sink with the water running and swirling.......I'm no film sophisticate but Almodovar's films resound with the very essence of Spain- a country I'm growing to love more with each visit.....

I've just finished Half of a Yellow Sun- Chimamanda Adichie's new work and it is stunning - the broad canvas, the sweep of the characters, her exposition of a time and place- Biafra- that Nigeria and Nigerians have never properly exorcised are all remarkable. Now I understand why the phrase Dickensian keeps recurring in the critics reviews of the book. It's an amazing achievement- and quite different from Purple Hibiscus. I was initially skeptical looking at the heft of the book that it could keep me engaged but I was engrossed from page one to the very end.

I've also recently finished Geoffrey Robertson's Crimes Against Humanity: the Struggle for Global Justice- the tome written by one of the UK's foremost human rights lawyers-though dense and legalistic in areas was an illuminating and inspiring exploration of the evolution of internatonal human rights law. He is scathing on the African Human Rights Charter and I can only hope that in the 7 years since the book was published the new African Union has taken a new look at the charter in the spirit of the "African Renaissance"

On the flight back from Canada, no duty free shopping as far as spirits or perfumes was allowed- it seemed slightly silly that while the bottles were clearly visible on the trolley that the stewardesses pushed through the aisles, passengers were forbidden to buy in the spirit of the ban on liquids.....

Oh by the way, just realized it was the first anniversary of this blog six days ago. To everyone who's dropped by- Thank you

Crab cookouts and musing on African hippies

Yesterday we were invited to a crab cook out by one of the local staff here. I was not quite sure what to expect but it turned out to be something like a barbecue except that instead of meat being barbecued, it was crabs being cooked and served with melted butter. I'm not sure that the crabmeat, delectable though it was was worth all the work needed to crack the shell and the claws to get at the morsels....I did enjoy the salads though

After the crab cook out, we drove out to visit what would probably have been described as a hippy commune in the 70s, but is now probably referred to as a sustainable community- ecologically sound, environmentally friendly and awash with dreadlocked and multiply pierced surfer and alternative types. It struck me on our way back having enjoyed the organic smoothies and bran muffins that were on offer that I had never seen a hippy of African/black origin. Raising this in the car, my English colleague offered that it's because the whole hippy-surfer-alternative lifestyle is a specific rebellion against affluence. I wondered about this on the journey home- I mean I have African friends who lead what would be regarded as alternative lifestyles but their ethos is significantly different.....

The homeward journey begins tomorrow as we head to Toronto.....

Thinking of "home", thoughts of Canada and reading Upstate

Yet another snatched opportunity to blog. We are slowly coming to the end of our training and I honestly cannot wait to get back home to London- the concept of London as home is one I still struggle with...but as the youth here so eloquently put it- whatever!

Canada is a funny mix, a halfway blend between the US and the UK- it's evident in the language and the architecture and the food- fish and chips, that quintessential English dish can be found on just about any menu here, but then so can barbecued ribs and burgers and other solid American fare. Some parts of Toronto with their towering skyscrapers and perfectly laid grid street systems draw manhattan to mind and yet others with their red brick Victorian neighbourhoods leave you wondering whether you are in an English village. The Canadians are friendly- much friendlier than the reserved English, but not the over the top sickly sweet friendliness of their cousins to the South..... I could go on and on. Another thing I don't understand is why Canada is seemingly unknown/uncovered in the international media. I mean before arriving here three weeks ago, I did not know who the Canadian prime minister was... and I don't regard myself as poorly informed. But maybe I am!

One similarity between the Canada and the US is in the toilets- I've never understood why American (and now Canadian) toilet bowls have water levels coming up almost halfway to the top, as opposed to the UK and Nigeria, where the water is way down in the bottom of the pan. Is it part of the abundance of North America- they can afford to fill up their pans just that bit more?

I have just finished Kalisha Buckannon's excellent novel -Upstate- which tracks through a series of letters, the love story between two African-American teenagers in Harlem. I was sceptical at first, wary of what I felt would be sickly sweet sentimentalism, but it was a tightly written powerful insight into the lives of young urban African Americans in contemporary America. It had echoes of Random Family, Nicole LeBlanc's deep and moving account of the ten years she spent following the lives of a number of Latina women in New York.

Another snatched chance to blog, worrying about inflight entertainment and musing on liquid soap

Finally managed to get a few minutes off what is a punishing schedule to drop a few lines here. We're just outside of Toronto where the International AIDS conference is going on at the moment and each time I go into Toronto, I see lots of conference delegates wandering around. I've spotted quite a few Nigerians as well...no surprise there. The newspapers and television are filled with stories about the conference.

I hear you are only allowed one book on board UK flights and that has to be bought from duty free after you have checked in everything else. I'm frantically trying to work out which fat book I've been dying to read to take with me on the flight back in two weeks. the prospect of an eight hour flight with Air Canada's abysmal in-flight entertainment sends shivers down my spine. I can just see myself exploding in a rage of boredom induced air rage

In the hotel where we're staying instead of soap and little bottles of shampoo etc, there's a plastic dispenser on the wall with nozzles for shampoo, conditioner and liquid soap. I still can't get my head around the concept of liquid soaps and shower gels- I like the comforting heft of a cake of soap in my hand- perhaps a carryover from when I was a child and not allowed to bath myself - I remember the first time I was allowed to hold the soap myself- maybe that's why I miss my solid soap now...

I see there has been another murder of a governorship aspirant in Nigeria- I hope this is not what 2007 is going to look like..... and all the IBB EFCC shenanigans- what on earth is that about?

Ok, break over, back to work now...

A snatched chance to blog, terror and current reading

Finally, a snatched chance to blog in between what have been a very hectic few days. I arrived in canada and plunged straight into work. Hectic days, but very interesting. On the plane I read Marie Fatayi-Williams' tribute to her son, For the Love of Anthony and at many points found myself close to tears, I think the girl in the next seat must have noticed and so asked to see what I was reading. It's not fantastic writing, but in some ways, it is the homespun heartfelt nature of it that is it's greatest strength. In the book, she is particularly critical of the UK Police and the Government in their dealings with the families of the deceased and queried whether the government was doing enough to prevent a recurrence. By the way, fellow Nigerian blogger Molara Wood is quoted in the book, even if incorrectly she is referred to as Molara Woods.

This morning, I wake up to the news that the UK is at high alert following a discovered terrorist plot to blow up planes to the UK. To think that only yesterday I was strolling through Heathrow, dashing to reach the baggage drop off before it closed. I had already checked in online- but one of the problems with checking in online, is that it induces a sense of complacency- I found myself dashing to get to the airport on time, having dilly-dallied on a number of issues. At this time, the details of the suspected plot are unclear but if it is true that there were British Asian Muslims behind the plot, then I can't help but reflect on how they might be making things more difficult for the people whose cause they claim to be espousing. Only last week, the most senior Muslim police officer in the UK police said that the way in which the police were implementing anti-terror laws risked alienating young British Muslims. His comments provoked a flurry of debate, with some arguing that the police were only doing what they had to do, and if anyone was "collateral damage", then tough. If these allegations turn out to be true, then it will appear as if these hardliners have been vindicated....

Joe Lieberman has lost the Democratic nomination for the US Senate after receiving the "kiss of death" from George Bush. Apparently at the last state of the union address, as Dubya made his way out of the congress, he planted a kiss on Liebermann's cheek. Liebermann has paid dearly for "sleeping with the enemy" as Democratic activists upset by his closeness to Dubya's policies,especially his support for the Iraq war helped ensure that he was not renominated for the seat that he has held in the Senate for many years. It is suggested that he might run as an independent. Is the Democratic lion finally waking up from its slumber?

I'm currently reading Claire Tiffany's Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living which was nominated for the Orange Prize but lost to On Beauty. It's a gem of a book, the simple humour-inflected anguage evoking a different time and place is completely charming. Highly recommended!

Finally I note that Chimamanda Adichie's new book Half of a Yellow Sun is to be launched in London next Wednesday. I wish I could be there, but will be stuck here in Canada....

Last day at work and meeting visiting old friends

It's my last day at work for three weeks and I'm struggling to clear my desk. I'll be off to Canada on a training course and as I suspect I'll be very busy, I'll try to keep blogging but I suspect my blogging may be intermittent. We'll see....

An interesting weekend largely filled with visiting and meeting up with the various friends and relatives visiting from Nigeria in the usual summer holiday onslaught. thankfully this time, I haven't actually had to play host to any, but just getting around, catching up with everyone is quite a feat. It's a strange feeling, dashing half way across London to meet some old classmate or friend and their families, and then struggling to make the most of the couple of hours you have together before dashing off to the next rendezvous. How do you compress the events of the last two years into a hurriedly snatched hour, interspersed with buying rounds and pub lunches, with many of the visitors raring to get on with the shopping that is the high point of the London holidays for many of them.

Forget Trafalgar Square, forget the museums and galleries, forget the tourist attractions of London, for many of my friends visiting from Nigeria- Jermyn Street, Oxford Street , Liverpool Street and Finsbury Park markets are where it's at....

As I walk home on Sunday night to meet a pulsating rooftop party on one of the houses on my street, I reflect on how much I and my friends have changed, and how much we've stayed the same.......

Appreciating Okonjo-Iweala's achievements

Now that the news of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala resigning (or Okonjo-Wahala, as she half-jokingly referred to herself in an interview with the UK Guardian this week) http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1540043,00.html from the Nigerian cabinet has been confirmed, I think it's important to note her many achievements which are detailed in the Guardian interview. It is very sad that someone who had sacrificed so much and who had contributed so much could be discarded in the shoddy way that she has been. Obasanjo is obviously sending a clear message to Nigerian professionals abroad- come back home and contribute what expertise you can so we can use and dump you.

In some ways I'd seen Dr Okonjo-Iweala as a role model- she had travelled abroad for higher education, attained a position where she was INVITED home to Nigeria to contribute, and because she had been invited and was confident of her competence; and because she had not lobbied anyone for the job, she was able to go into office and take tough decisions and produce results. In 2003, the Nigerian rumour mills were agog with the story that she had resigned her job after President Obasanjo had reneged on their original agreement to put debt management firmly under her portfolio as Minister of Finance. As the story put it, she had already packed her bags and booked her flight back to the US when the President realizing she meant business, had to appeal to her octogenarian professor father to ask his daughter to reconsider. True or not, she did continue in the role of Finance minister and managed the enviable feat of negotiating Nigeria's exit from the Paris Club, the first African country ever to achieve this. Many criticized her policies and some suggested that the debt buy back was not the best deal that Nigeria could have negotiated; but all agreed that her practice of publishing revenue allocations introduced a level of transparency never before seen in economic management. It is also instructive that there has been no whiff of corruption around her person- even the rumours that have swirled have only extended as far as her wider family members- no mean feat in a country where her actions would have meant that many would have been keen to smear her.

Her financial and economic achievements have been widely acknowledged but I would like to celebrate a part of her that did not often get acknowledged- her simplicity.

In Nigeria where flamboyance is the order of the day, Ngozi's consistent dressing in simple ankara cloth often accessorized with simple beads or coconut shell jewellery sent a powerful message to the Nigerian public. She showed that you did not have to be swathed in yards of lace, silk or satin and draped in tonnes of gold to be an effective or powerful woman. Her blunt speaking and sharp mind made her an alternative role model for young Nigerian women everywhere and earned her the respect of the international community.

It is sad that some Nigerian commentators see her decision to resign as a sign of an ego problem. It is no such thing. It was an act of pride and dignity from a fulfilled, capable and self-aware professional woman. She was left with no other choice, following the humiliation that she had received in the last two months. Reading her resignation letter, it's interesting that while she quotes two reasons for her resignation- urgent family reasons and having completed her assignments, the President's reply only acknowledges the first- the family reasons.

When all is said and done, President Obasanjo has not been fair to Dr Okonjo-Iweala, who had borne the brunt of criticism that she and others like her were responsible for creating a veneer of credibility around a corrupt and intellectually bankrupt government.

Yesterday was another sad day for Nigerians everywhere whether we realize it or not. Some of us who were hoping some day to follow in her footsteps will now have to re-evaluate our strategies