A Plateau Author Who Lives in Obscurity

Changchit Wuyep, Plateau Author

Changchit Wuyep is an author with three published books to her credit. Her books include Offspring in Peril and Jiji volumes I and II. She said, she has finished Jiji volume III and is working on publishing it. The Jiji is a book set in Tarok folklore. The Tarok people are in Lantang North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau State.  

Because of funding challenges, Mama couldn’t finish formal education, dropping out midway in her secondary school. Thanks to eternal examination, she studied on her own and wrote the external General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams. With a brilliant result, she proceeded to nursing school and later worked as a midwife until her retirement.

Given her training as a midwife, one can’t help but ask how she became a writer. She says the secondary she partly attended ensured they understood the importance of reading, not just academic materials but anything else. That was how she built a strong romance with books. As a midwife, she often had ample time while off-duty and read works of Shakespeare with their typical Elizabethan English. She says her writing is inborn and explains why she was able to start writing by just critically looking at the works of other established authors. 

She feels she has an overcrowded mind and often wants to have a channel of release and relief. After reading so much, she wanted to be heard, too. Writing presented that channel to communicate the issues in her mind, issues triggered by people, places and events. One day, she sat down and simply started writing Jiji, her debut novel. But there was hesitancy at times. So the book may not have seen the light of day if not for her daughter who often returned from boarding school and went through the manuscript, discovering that the book has a strong potential as a result and insisting the book must see the light of day.

Offspring in Peril, which has a moral theme, was inspired by a place underneath a cashew tree, which was littered with waste suggesting the place was a rendezvous of drug users. Given her supplementary passion for bible class hosting, she felt deeply hurt in her mind. Thus, there was the need to reach a larger population of youths. Offspring in Peril was born.

Despite her talent, Mama Changchit lives in obscurity. She has come to believe that writing a book isn’t the difficult part of the job, but publicity is. She had liaised with the Association of Nigerian Authors and made attempts to be published by an international publishing firm. She also tried to be heard through television interviews. All efforts, however, failed short of giving her adequate publicity.

Mama Changchit, who holds an advanced diploma in Public Administration, is now aged yet her writing inferno continues to burn –she has completed Jiji volume III and is working on publishing it. 

 

Fanstory Wasn’t the Reason Why I Got Published

An author. Resource: ttsmaker.com

I had been practising journalism for about a decade but discovered the beauty of literature after the shortlist for the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing came out. I was inspired and started writing short stories and fiction.

However, I couldn’t get published. Each time I tried, I was turned down. Somehow, I discovered Fanstory. It is a rendezvous of authors with a hunger for visibility. At Fanstory, authors share their writings and receive reviews that help them discover loopholes.

When I got published, eventually, it wasn't because of Fanstory. Nevertheless, everyone has a peculiar experience at Fanstory –some people may have become published because of it.

If anything, I suffered racism over there. Each time I think about Fanstory, this is what comes to my mind. The site has a plan that allows members to create contests. One day, I created a contest titled, The House with the Red Roof. I was shocked that most members who wrote had streaks of racism in their stories. I am a black African and, on my profile page, nothing was hidden –there was my picture and nationality.

The most upsetting of the racist entries received the highest votes and won.  This is part of the winning story (not in the exact words of Michael Cahill, the author):

The ship docked. It was quite silent except for faint sounds that came now and then and suggested there were extremely exhausted people, exhausted from hunger, thirst, and immobility in the many months of the voyage. When eventually they disembarked, they appeared withdrawn, cuddled to their dirt as if it were some kind of blanket.

The human cargoes were asked if any of them had a skill. One woman raised her hand, saying she could play the piano. The man wondered if indeed she could be of any use other than for sexual satisfaction. She was given the chance but appeared bamboozled. She was warned sternly that if she continued to waste time, she would regret the dire repercussions of doing so...

The creator of a contest must pay to have his contest displayed so members can see it. The money, together with a fee every contestant must pay, is used to reward the winner of the contest after Fanstory has taken out its charges. In the end, I realized I had rewarded someone for racially abusing me. At least that was how I felt –racially abused. Devastated, I removed my profile photo, also hiding my nationality.  When the renewal of my subscription to Fanstory was due, I declined and opted to leave, considering my devastation. Fanstory kept sending me messages saying, "We miss you at Fanstory,” but my mind was made up.

"Some authors never become authors" goes the saying. It is what every aspiring author dreads. I continued trying to get published. Eventually, the Cecile Writers helped me get published, by telling me precisely my shortcomings.  I had sent a particular story several times; each time addressing what I guessed was the reason it wasn’t published. One day the editor of the publication, based in the Netherlands, found me on LinkedIn.  I told him how humiliated I felt, each time the story was turned down. I also made it known to him that punctuation issues were the bane of my writing, to which he replied with an empathic, "No." He was generous enough to tell me what my challenges were: my stories were mostly plot-driven and archaic, as a result. Modern stories are character-driven, helping readers to emotionally connect with the stories.  He also talked about the technique of showing, rather than telling. So, I knew that I had to learn what these techniques were.

Over a couple of months, I learned them and, together with elements of plot, that I also discovered, I realized that getting published simply requires meeting the right teacher. Today, I am a proud author of six published stories, under the name, Yiro Abari High.

In a short story, there are elements which include:

1.         Characters, which are the people mentioned in the story

2.         A setting, which is the time and the location of the story.

3.         There is a point of view. This is the voice with which the author tells his story – it could be in the first, second or third persons.  In the first person, the author writes as if he is the character in the story and is writing about a story in which he was involved. So, he uses the pronoun,” I.” In the second person point of view, the author is telling another person what happened to that very person. So, in place of the pronoun “he,” he uses “you.” It is awkward and is the reason why many authors don’t like writing in the second person –you can’t be telling someone what happened to him, since he knows it more than you do, except if he had suffered dementia. In the third person, the author tells a story that happened to another person. So, he uses the pronoun, “he.” Here are examples: first person –“I” went to heaven. The second person –“you” went to heaven. Third person –“he” went to heaven.

4.         The fourth element of a short story is the plot. The plot is the events that happened in the story.  The series of events arranged in the order in which they occurred is referred to as a plotline.

5.         The fifth element of a short story is the theme, something I often refer to as the colouration of the story.  It is the aspect of life to which the author intends to draw the attention of the reader. If the author intends to draw the attention of the reader to the eminence of global warming, for instance, the theme is environmental.  Other themes could be romance, war and crime, biographical, historical, etc.

6.         The last element of a short story is the style. The style is responsible for the mood the reader feels while reading the story. It comes from the choice of words the author loves to use, his experience and, sometimes, what the author has been reading just before writing his story.

 If you must get published, you must also understand the elements of plot. The plot has five elements, which include: exposition, conflict, climax, conflict resolution and the conclusion.

The exposition is the beginning of the story, which gives the reader the back story from where the story continues. Conflict is the challenge the main character, also known as the protagonist, faces and which must be solved. An example of a conflict could be a situation where a character is chased by wild carnivorous animals. The climax is where the conflict gets worse. For instance, the character comes across a gorge that is too wide to jump across as the animals get closer while he must find a way of overcoming both adversities within the few minutes he has. The conflict resolution is how he overcomes both situations to emerge victorious. The conclusion is merely the closing events of the story.

Now that you understand the elements of a short story, read several short stories to see how the elements play out and where flexibility is possible. 

President Tinubu Could Simply Be Taking His Revenge

President Tinubu. Source:Daily Mail 

It is surprising how Nigerians easily forget fthe past. Nigerians have all forgotten how President Tinubu was taunted, jeered and goaded while he campaigned to become the President. It was so severe he came out to say he doesn’t log into social media anymore.  Nigerians told him that he:

1.     Said, “balablu bulaba.”

2.     Was sick.

3.     Said, “God bless PD-APC.”

4.     Often staggered back and forth during campaigns.

5. He slept in the house of a northern emir, where he had gone to seek political support.

There are so many things that were said to frustrate his ambition of becoming the President. But it has been said that Mr President is not one who forgets easily. Thus he is simply taking his revenge.

There was another disparaging post I saw on Facebook. It was obviously from a Yoruba man. I was shocked that, contrary to our tradition of supporting one who comes from our tribe, a Yoruba man posted to say that, on a trip from Abuja to Minna via Mr President’s private jet, Tinubu had to visit the comfort room of the plane eighteen times in the less than thirty minutes journey from Abuja to Minna.

It takes a miracle for someone who has been subjected to these kinds of humiliations not to take his revenge when he gets the chance. However, Mr President should know that not everyone said things to humiliate him. The day he launched his campaign, there were so many people in his team, people who had been with him in good and bad times. They will also be affected.

If it is true that he is actually taking his revenge, he should remember he has got relations in the village who are experiencing this excruciating economic trauma and that what is happening will change the country in such a way that we may never recover.

If it gets too far, the powers supporting him can withdraw that support –there is the National Assembly and the cabal, whose mention sounds like a conspiracy theory at any time. They are human beings and have feelings. They could feel that enough is enough.  

It feels strange that the wealthiest nation in Africa has transformed into a nation where many now beg for food. 

How Nigerian Music Collects the Cash

 

Image Credit: furtherafrica.com

Before Nigerian music arose where the world could see it, I was an avid critic of its lyrical component. Some people loved to sing purely in local tongues. Others preferred to mix English and local tongues. I was an avid critic of the second category, saying that you should either sing in English or the native tongue –it makes no sense mixing the two. At the back of my mind, there was also the intellectual angle. I was, however, defeated when the music found global popularity.

The absence of intellectual content in our speeches or writing is a tradition that should be blamed on Britain for the colonial education they gave.  So many times, it has been said that Britain gave just enough to support its colonial ambition. I had come to believe this while teaching kids with Ginn Books imported from Britain, while teaching at St. Maria Gorettis School in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Britain deliberately designed a colonial curriculum so that a pupil's creativity is stifled. 

Against the odds, Nigerian music rose to global fame and is competing well. So, how did the music rise to such standing, despite the lyrical weakness? The strength of music doesn't only rest on the lyrics but also on melody, pulse, structure and modesty that enables many to relate to it. The modesty, plus the let-us-play-together dance style, is very fundamental to the success of the industry.

The modesty in the lyrics turned out to be a silver lining behind the clouds.  When something is highly intellectual, only the intellectuals can relate to it. Sadly, this demography of the world's population is a handful. By this, highly intellectual genres like Reggae, Soul and Hip Hop failed to pull a huge population of the world's population into their fan base. Now, Afrobeats by its weak intellectual content is engaging everybody.

Even the success of the Nigerian movie industry boils down to the emphasis on a simple storyline that everyone can understand. Now, the industry is ranked among the three most watched globally, collecting the cash.

Thus, it is about tradition, not weakness. This is because, when Nigerians travel to foreign lands and find strange traditions, they can adapt and succeed. I want to believe that Nigerians are just waiting for this conversation to register in their minds. When this happens, a Nigerian songwriter will have it in his mind that his song should have a conscious hue. When this happens, things will change –it has always been one thing at a time.

It is, however, important to understand that not all Nigerian music lacks intellectual content. If you do a survey, you will see that this is true.

Yiro Abari is the author of How to Become a Music Maestro.

 

If I Rule Nassarawa State

Areal Photo of Akwanga from Google Photos

Nassarawa State is one of Nigeria’s thirty-six states. It is located in the North-Central region, touching Kaduna and Plateau to the North and Abuja and Benue to the South.

From an indistinct past, the town has carved out the reputation of a stopover for people travelling in all directions.  Additionally, there is College of Education Akwanga that has pulled people from far and near. The town, thus, becomes an enduring imprint in their hearts.

Sadly, Akwanga is a paradox of sorts –iconic, yet forgotten. Given its popularity in the country, Akwanga shouldn’t be in the cold. This, sadly, is what you see when you pass through the town. Why has the town been left in the cold? When governors come, why aren’t they able to see that Akwanga, by its special place and the fact that humans live in it, should have been transformed for the good of Nassarawa State and the joy of the people who pass through it? So, what have past leaders of Nassarawa State been doing that is bigger than the subject of building Akwanga? We could say that they are either selfish or don’t have the eyes to see the necessity of its renewal.

When one talks about Akwanga, the picture that comes to mind is of that small roundabout, the business area. It is a small space that sadly accommodates the scale of activities of a big town. It is, thus, distended and bulging with cracks manifesting. Hence, the impression that one gets is that of a human jungle. From this, it is rational to say that, from way back, there have been expectations of expansion and the addition of physical brilliance. But the decades scrolled by with nothing changing. The Akwanga situation mirrors the character of Nigerian country towns, and we are speaking for all of them.

The outcome is a country jungle of sorts. In that tight space, there are women selling fura da nono, dudes roasting suya, fuelling stations, auto-mechanic workshops that spill greases everywhere, motor parks, trodden litters from used plastic bags, scores of school-age girls dashing back and forth with bowls of kunu to cope with orders, and hoodlums on eroded road shoulders, scheming to pull out the guts of your pockets. Ninety per cent of these humans walk with the air of ignorance, a situation that stabs the heart of a deeply conscious human.

In Nigeria, when we get educated, we don’t seem to know its purpose. Since independence, we have run Nigeria without a purpose –we don’t seem to have something we intend to achieve. The decades will roll past, trillions will be squandered and yet the towns, people and everything else remain as crude as they had been for the past one hundred years.  

I wish I was the Governor and ruler of Nassarawa State, the A. A. Sule. If I were, I would have embarked on a careful demolition to create space that allows the town to take in air. Then I will design a plan that ensures that the banks, auto mechanic workshops, motor parks, fuelling stations, comfort rooms, hotels, restaurants, and everything else are exclusively built and spaced, creating a town of sparkle that is the pride Akwangans, Nassarawas and the people that pass through.

When one passes through Keffi and Lafiya, he sees a sparkle. Why is Akwanga different?  

Rephrase with Ginger (Ctrl+Alt+E)

How to Become a Music Maestro

A Handbook for Intending Music Artists

Preface

Before now, the long and uncertain road to the "stage" had prevented many talented men and women from following their music dreams. A lot of money was needed to make a music album. Only the influential in the industry had money they were willing to sink into the sponsorship of music projects. You had to be discovered by these influential individuals within the industry, who would then give you a record deal.

Information Technology came and created a bypass to music dreams, making it possible for aspiring artists to evade the recording companies. Information Technology brought software that integrates a complete music "band" into a computer that one can carry in a knapsack. What's more? If you don't have a computer, there is a chance the boy next door, or a classmate, has it and knows how to operate it.

As a result, making music has become so cheap and affordable for anyone who has the talent.

With a bypass available, interests in music careers soared remarkably. Nevertheless, not all ambitious folks take the time to study the rules and techniques that are fundamental for a successful music career. In the end, dreams are broken with frustration setting in.

Late Jamaican songwriter and singer, Bob Marley, once said, "Some people know it, but they can't do it". He was referring to people who have musical talents, but who have, for one reason or the other, chosen to stay off the stage. Until an individual with musical talent gets confronted with making a critical decision on whether to engage his talent or not, he or she may not know that there could be a mountain of reasons capable of preventing one from venturing into the profession. Some of these factors include family influences, disability due to health reasons, cultural perceptions of music stars in the individual's locality, the music setting that may or may not warrant success, pride that stems from wealthy family backgrounds or towering educational qualifications, stage fright, a dislike for the odyssey that music profession involves, etc.

It is difficult for one who has lived out a successful music career to think about writing a book that teaches people how to make music. Such an effort would appear trifling to him. The second reason is that he would have taught members of his band, nevertheless! This is because, during rehearsals, a music artist teaches his band members what to play to achieve what he has conceived would be a chart-topping hit. His band includes instrumentalists and support vocalists. Often, these persons go on to become established solo artists as a result of the experience gained from working with a talented person.

Jesus once gave a parable about a rich man who gave his servants business capitals before travelling. The wise among them invested what the master had given them and generated more wealth, while the unwise dug the ground and buried what the master had given him. When the master returned, he scolded the unwise servant for his lack of productivity. I strongly feel that talent comes from God, and is meant to be used. If one were to be a saint but refused to use his God-given ability while on earth, it would be the sole reason why God would not be pleased with him. I decided to write this music guide because I felt uncomfortable, living with an idea and not using it.

The content of this book is merely a simple approach to music-making as it has been from time immemorial when early humans could make music by just the revelation that came naturally. The music principles, as presented here, are the same as those of gifted musicians who never had advanced education. People with this level of musical understanding have, nonetheless, produced some of the greatest songs ever made in the history of mankind. This is the reason why, I believe, the book will help many who have talent, but who have, for some reason, failed to realize the significance of certain facts that should make their music acceptable and successful.

Some musicians are remarkably successful, while others have modest success. If one can critically compare the works of these categories of artists, he would be able to discover the differences between them. These differences are responsible for the differences in successes, as I discovered. My study cuts across several music genres (and subgenres) in pop and revealed that the principles of making music remain the same, with the differences being the cultural influences from which the genres find their roots.

In general, the revelation that followed my study showed that successful musicians are masters of the different bits that make superior music: the ability to spontaneously identify a personal experience that can be translated into a good song, the ability to write a good song, the ability to discover a suitable melody, the mastery and creative use of instruments … 

When music-making follows these steps, the maker finds that he enjoys making good music for the sake of it. He feels fulfilled by just the fact that it provides him or her to opportunity to use his potential fully.

Some people never find the opportunity to use their potential fully. Based on my experience, this is part of the reason why some people don't find joy in life. They may not know that they are victims of this and that it is responsible for their inability to find full joy in life. The moment somebody finds satisfaction from the mere fact that he has discovered the opportunity to use his gift fully, he is undoubtedly on his way to greatness and money and fame will, no doubt, follow.

The principles discussed in this book are those that many already know, but, at the same time, many don't know them, despite having the potential. This book is aimed, primarily, at the latter group. Those who know them can still find the book interesting, as it will provide a different perspective on the subject. Some individuals love collecting books in areas of interest or in areas in which they are experts. This, I believe, is a material that can enrich their collections of music books.

Buy the ebook edition here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H4XQAQ 

Buy the paperback edition here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTDRCLL4

Yiro Abari Pede

 

How to Become a Music Maestro

How to Identify a Scammer

My Fake Parcel from the UK

Someone presenting himself as a white woman from the UK sent me a friendship request on Facebook. I just told myself, “Here come the scammers again.” But I was curious to see how it goes –it could be legit.

She told me she would want us to become friends. That her husband was involved in a road accident was rushed to India and failed to make it. So, she wants someone to share her life with, someone to be the father of her kids. She asked if I was married or single. I said I was divorced.

The first reason to be suspicious: she has only one friend on Facebook and I am the second.

The second reason to be suspicious: my cover photo on Facebook is of myself and my wife on our wedding day and the profile photo is of me and my daughter. Why was she asking if I were single?

She said she wanted us to be chatting via i-chat on an Apple computer and asked if I had an Apple computer. I told her the computer I have is a Toshiba laptop. She said she would send me an Apple computer if I promised to chat with her so we could get to know each other better.

The third reason to be suspicious: it doesn’t matter what computer is used for chatting.

I told her I wouldn’t mind if she sent me that computer. She requested my trust again. I assured her. As our conversation progressed, she informed me that she had sent the computer together with the iPhone 12 and 3000 pounds to pay for the delivery when it arrived. After doing my conversion to naira, I saw that I was going to be a millionaire. At that point, I became afraid for my life. These things could be delivered truly. But it could get complicated with me ending up with the police. Long-throat couldn’t let me. So, I followed along.

She messaged me, giving details of what she had sent including a photo of the parcel. She informed me of the need to call Customer Care to tell them I was expecting my parcel. She sent me the number to call. That was in the night at about 9PM. But I didn’t call because it was late. Early in the morning, someone called, speaking in decent English, albeit with a mild Yoruba accent, as would be expected of a Lagosian who is educated. He also demonstrated an understanding of how couriers are handled. He asked where I live. I told him that I live in Jos. So, he told me to come to Lagos and get my parcel. But I told him that Lagos is too far and asked if it wasn’t possible for them to send it to Jos. He said it would cost me N35500 and that he was going to send me the Kuda account number to which I would send the money. My delivery will come at about 10 AM, about four hours later. But the situation was so urgent and I felt I was being rushed, not giving adequate time to think. Truecaller revealed the identity of the line as “Nigerian Airways.”

There were questions in my mind: does the Nigerian Airways still exist? If it does, does it handle couriers?

The fourth reason to be suspicious: he asked to confirm if my parcel was made up of an Apple computer and iPhone 12. Is he supposed to know the contents of the parcel? The only way would be if he opened it. The person sending the delivery said he included 3000 pounds and I shouldn’t tell them. So, if he opened the parcel to know its contents, he must have also seen the money. So, I wouldn’t be a millionaire, after all.

So, I asked myself some questions that led me to understand that it was clearly a scam: Was the person sending the parcel someone I had known before? Why should I pay money to someone I have not met and who is far away in Lagos? If there is a problem, how would I meet the person to resolve the situation? In conclusion, I resolved not to pay the money until the parcel is delivered.

This was our last conversation that confirmed he is a rogue:

Me: “Can’t I pay the money on delivery?”

Him: “No, we accept payment before delivery.”

There was a break of about five seconds with neither me nor he speaking.

Me: “I am sorry. I can’t pay for something I have not seen. Sent it so that I pay when it comes.”

Him: “We don’t do that.”

Me: “OK. Forget it.”

Him: “OK, make half payment.”

“Make part payment! ” was clearly an act of desperation for someone trying not to lose all. Corporate policies are not easily bent that way. I immediately end the call.

 The bottom line on how to identify a scammer: IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, YOU DON’T KNOW THE PERSON, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO BE THE FIRST TO PART WITH MONEY. 

 

Plateau the Mecca of Solid Minerals

Solid Mineral Collection

If you have never heard, Plateau State is a theatre of sorts, boasting of diversity in a couple of areas that stretch from tribes, vegetables and mineral deposits. It is the Mecca of solid minerals and, potentially, oil and gas close to its border with Taraba State. Thus, Plateau is a colourful theatre of mineral wealth.  

Before the last twenty years, Plateau has been known largely for tin and columbite, leading to its epithet of the Tin City. While tin mining lasted, other minerals drew no attention, since they had no economic value. However, with increased research and innovations, the economic significance of these minerals has soared, especially with the rise of monsters of technology like China. The need for wind turbines, electric vehicles, solar panels, medical devices, lights, lasers, satellites, fibre optics, batteries, better telescopes, as well as mobile phones, computers, etc, has been the impetus propelling the commercial values of the other minerals to the clouds. Thus, the breadth of the minerals that Plateau State can supply to the world has widened significantly. A large chunk of these minerals embraces cassiterite, columbite, pumice, garnet, rutile, wolframite, galena, sphalerite, fluorite, feldspar, aquamarine, mica, ilmenite, sapphire, quartz, amethyst, lithium, zircon, beryl, monazite, granite, etc.

Now, here is the ugly side of the Plateau story: it is one state with modest subventions, a situation that frightens anyone who knows what Plateau’s subterranean resources are. Just as oil-producing states get 13% derivation for oil taken from their land every month, solid mineral-producing states are also entitled to 13% derivation for any mineral taken from their lands. By comparison, 13% derivation to solid mineral states is trivial and changes nothing, ensuring that the economic plights of the affected states remain what it has always been. Take the Plateau-approved budget of N294 billion for 2024, translating to an average of N24 billion per month. This is inclusive of 13% derivation. It is miserable compared to what goes into the coffers of a small, albeit oil-producing state like Bayelsa, whose budget for the year 2024 stands at N489 billion, translating to an average of N40 billion per month.  

The huge gap between oil-producing states and solid mineral-producing states comes from the little attention the Federal Government has paid to solid minerals since the discovery of oil. The oil industry is so organized that only huge corporations like Shell, Mobil and Chevron carry out explorations, drilling and production. It makes transparency easy since the Federal Government is a partner in all these corporations and knows exactly the “country” share of the profits. In the solid mineral industry, though, this organization is absent. Companies simply pay for leases and get down to mining, paying paltry royalties to locals and taxes to the Federal Government. Whatever remains belongs to the company. What makes matters even hazier is the inability of the Federal Government to properly police the industry to prevent illegal mining, a category that falls below the tax radar. Thus, while the minerals are going, all tiers of government, including the Federal Government are getting robbed. This absence of transparency ensures that the 13% derivation paid doesn’t reflect the degree of mining activities taking place in the states.

In 2023, the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, was quoted as saying that the solid mineral industry can contribute 50% of Nigeria’s GDP. Though third parties estimate that the value of Nigeria’s solid minerals reservoir stands at $750 billion, Mr Alake believes that this is conservative and with deeper investigation, it should run into trillions of dollars. Thus, proper organization of the industry will ensure that states with solid mineral wealth, including Plateau, begin to have enough revenue to deal with the economic challenges they face.

 

Who Is Greedy: The Farmer or Someone Else

A greedy Middleman

On the Plateau, we count ourselves lucky, and extremely so. In Plateau State, we don't only talk about the accommodating character of the people, but also the accommodating character of the climate, as well. Under the Plateau climate, we don't talk about what crops do well, we rather talk about crops that do not do well –it is easier to look at it that way, given the abundance of the crops the Plateau sun accommodates.

One crop grown in Plateau State more than elsewhere in the country is Irish potatoes. It grows abundantly, especially in the northern and central parts of the state. Back in the seventies and eighties, we often looked forward to the rains, during which nearly everyone grew the crop in even the smallest portion of land to which he had access. People will even cultivate potatoes and just share them with neighbours.

By its attraction, the demand just kept growing as other states farther away came to know about it. But since farmers had the challenge of how to store it, the crop remained cheap, despite this monster demand. With education and developments, farmers started learning ways of storing the crop. That is how irrational business practices came into the industry. Some people would buy and store them until a period when demand is highest when they would bring them out and raise the prices to the roofs.

As this happened, the crop started getting out of the reach of ordinary people, becoming an elitist crop. In Jos, you will see women selling it along the road to Abuja, an indication that the crop has now become the special food of the influential, who make their money in the millions. Now, however, we have reached a situation where even the elite are beginning to groan. This is May 2024 and a bag now sells for as much as a hundred and twenty thousand naira or even more.

This example of what obtains in Plateau is, sadly, everywhere in Nigeria. Back in the decades, farmers often cried over the lack of profitability. But while former President Mohammadu Buhari campaigned for the Presidency, he promised to create jobs in the agric industry. When he finally won the election, he banned the importation of rice, which largely came from Asian nations, particularly, Thailand. The decision of President Buhari was just the prompt required to correct miserable pricing in the industry. Before this, foreign rice had a higher advantage in competition, due to its high refinement at the mills. The local versions were endemic with stones and debris of chaff the modest technology couldn't get rid of. The administration encouraged people to get better technology leading to what is now hysterically referred to as "Nigerian foreign rice."

But, now that we have Nigerian foreign rice (I have defined it), prices have continued to rise –we thought local products would mean local prices. But because rice is among the few most revered meals in Nigeria, it became the reason why other foods are rising in price –maize, guinea corn, millet, fonio, sweet potatoes and even garri, the resort of poor people. If you argue that this is driven by inflation, other schools of thought would argue that it is the rising food prices that drive inflation.

The spiralling prices of foods in Nigeria raise the question of what many think is the killer greed of farmers. Farmers, on the other hand, blame it on middlemen and the rising cost of farm resources. Retailers of foods, who often go to rural markets to buy understand the situation better. They blame it on hoarding, which is largely orchestrated by middlemen. They build large warehouses, buy and store the foods until that period when they are in high demand. For grains, it is the period around August, just before harvest, when people's bans are depleted. For tubers, it is the period between April and May.

When farmers talk about resources, they are referring to fertilizers, herbicides and manpower. For chemical fertilizers, it is still middlemen that are to blame. They use all manners of enticements to buy fertilizers state governments have subsidized for their farmers and then sell to the farmers at high prices. It, however, takes the collusion of state officials. Thus, it could be said the constant enemy of the ordinary Nigerian is the middleman who goes to any extent to make money.

So, how can we tame the middleman so that ordinary people can breathe in Nigeria? We have to find a way of checking the middleman. One way is the law. If the middle man can continuously orchestrate challenges that ridicule the government's economic policies, it makes him public enemy number one and attention should shift to curbing his excesses. 

The Bachelor of Technology Certificate

A link was shared on Facebook by a journal concerning ongoing discussions regarding the possibility of replacing the Higher National   

This throws in my mind the relevance of doing such. The challenge holders of Higher National Diplomas have in Nigeria is the fact that the certificate is not as respected as a University degree. It has created a situation where, for instance, you don’t get promoted to anything higher than Grade Level 14 in the Civil Service. Even in other organizations like the oil industry, holders of HND certificates have had to undergo degree programs while working. The aim is to get upgraded to enjoy what their university counterparts enjoy. 

The question is: will changing the name of the certificate change the way the certificate is perceived in Nigeria? Looking at the situation rationally, one will understand that this wouldn’t change the discrimination holders of the HND certificate face, as long as it is issued by the same polytechnics and entry requirements remain the same. What about people who go to the polytechnic to study Social Work, Business Administration or Public Administration, for instance? Would their certificate also read, "Bachelor of Technology?

Most holders of the certificate argue that they should be accorded the same treatment because, in their view, there is nothing university graduates have that they don’t have. A university graduate, who prefers not to be named, is of the opinion that changing the name makes no difference and that they will continue to face the same obstacles they have faced regardless of what they are called. When students write the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Exams, JAME, candidates with the highest scores end up in universities, while the polytechnics are left accepting candidates who scored comparatively lower marks.  Of that, the polytechnics have accepted to deal with candidates that failed to compete well.

Another university graduate, who believes he is better than a poly graduate argues that if you know that going to a university will end up with you having a professional ceiling, above which you cannot rise, you have an option to go to a university. If, however, you choose to go to a polytechnic, you are doing so because you have failed to meet the requirements for university admission. The best for you is to admit you went to a polytechnic because you failed to meet the university requirement and maintain a humble posture. You will be respected more than someone who insists he is better despite knowing the modest score that left him with the option of going to a polytechnic. 

However, one doesn’t conclude that another person knows little because he failed to go to a university. There is a myriad of situations that end up with many going to polytechnics even when they were hardworking enough to find university entry requirements. Some decide to go to polytechnics even when they have entry requirements for university admissions for reasons they alone can explain. On the reverse side, there are university graduates who fail to perform well in their professions as compared to some polytechnic graduates. 

The institutions that award degrees must not be universities. They can be any institution, but the entry requirement is what matters. Unfortunately, we have seen institutions working to be upgraded to be referred to as universities. In the last decades, many institutions have had their statuses changed to universities in broad daylight. 

The bottom line is that our polytechnics must be allowed to bestow to their students the HND certificate so that the decision to go to a university or polytechnic is left in the hands of the candidate. If you know the limitations of a HND certificate, then it is left for you to work hard to avoid ending up in a polytechnic.  

 

Why I Don't Like Boys-Only Schools

AI-generated Photo

I attended two public elementary schools in Jos South. Most elementary schools are mixed, with boys and girls learning next to each other. But when I was about to finish elementary, I started learning that some schools are exclusively unisex. There are examples of such schools in Plateau State. There is the Boys High School Gindiri, Science School Kuru, College of Mary Immaculate Zawan, St. Joseph College Vom and hosts of others. 

Many people assume that Government Technical College Bukuru is a unisex school. It is not. The fact that it is a technical college makes it repellent to girls, but there have always been a handful of girls. The current Principal of the school, Mercy Patu Wambutda, is female, the first woman to hold that position. She is an alumnus of the school and was also the first Head Girl of the school. 

Government Technical College Bukuru is a school that admits students who have already finished the foundation level of secondary in other schools. It used to be the first two years of secondary, but with the 6-3-3-4 system, you have to finish the first three years of secondary to meet the criterion to attend the school, also referred to as Butechs.  

Inter-school sports competitions or Man-o-War jamborees often brought schools together.  It was where I learned the character of Butechs as a school that breeds hard nuts. They would splurge to get attention. For instance, they could go to the extent of eating bread with the polythene plastic covering or pushing three balls of chin chin burns at the same them, making their eyes bulge as if wanting to pop out of their sockets  –they just loved creating a scene. 

The hard-nut character of Butechs’ students did work on our psychologies, making us believe that the school is a-most-attend. So, I wrote the entrance exams to get to Butechs, but I wasn't admitted due to my weak mathematics foundation at the time –it became a silver lining. 

Science School Kuru is one of the most iconic schools Plateau State has ever known. It became very glaring to me when I was a student at the University of Jos –the school would boast of scores of students at the university when other schools had but a handful.

The entry criterion of Science School Kuru is similar to that of Butechs –you must complete basic education. So, while in class two of my secondary, I reluctantly wrote the entrance examination, reluctant because I never liked an exclusive boys' school –it seemed like a prison to me. So, when the results came out, I pretended I hadn’t heard about it. People who saw my name on the shortlist still came to inform me, but I jettisoned the idea of going. When I gave my reasons for refusing to go to Science School Kuru to an old student, he confirmed to me that it was true that they often had to violate the rules by jumping over the fence just to see girls in the host community. 

What is the aim of schools and education? To sum it up, schools are intended to fade the darkness in our minds and provide a good life, position, power and sometimes wealth. Science School Kuru stands along the way to Abuja, the work base of many educated and successful Nigerians. On their way to or from Abuja, some of them will disembark to meet with the local women who sell by the roadside. They give financial donations to the women, admitting the gifts are reparations for the damages done to tubers and livestock, years back. Isn’t this a confirmation that boys' schools are prisons of sorts?

Where I work, there are a couple of men from some of these schools. There are times they talk longingly about their antics during the school days. Some students were daring enough to kill whole goats and take them to the mountains where the goats are grilled and eaten. They would talk about how they often defied the rules to hide cooking stoves in dormitories so that inspectors wouldn't find them. They would talk about how “inmates” would fight ferociously over the illegal meals. When they talk about these things, however, I begin to feel like it may be a prison, but it is an experience that is worth having. I think that I gained and missed something at the same time.  

 

Abroad by Any Means is Edo culture

The front page news of Vanguard Newspaper of today, May 12th refers to a story of Gaius Obaseki, Edo State Governor, talking about how he is educating Edo youths to understand, on the whole, the idea of abroad. According to Abaseki, there were 30, 000 Edo youths in Libya alone, when he became the Governor of Edo State. 

I wasn’t surprised there were this much of Edo youths in Libya alone. The love of travelling abroad is a culture around that region of Nigeria and goes more than fifty years back. As far back as then, a lot of other people have not taken notice because it hasn’t become an issue to the foreign destinations of desperate travellers. 

As a member of the National Youth Service Corps, I served in Edo State, staying in the St. Saviour area of Benin City. That was as far back as 1993. It was a time when commercial buses carried huge iron drums in the back, rather than passengers’ baggage. The drums housed huge speakers from where the sounds of Shaka Demus/Pliers, Mad Cobra and Shaba Ranks rose. It was a time when women wore long skirts with slashes that began from the helm right up to the thigh; you would think they were sabotaged with Gillette razor blades. That crazy skirt was referred to as “Shaba,” after Shaba Ranks who happened to be the king of Dancehall at the time. Certainly, the girls who wore those skirts are now grandmothers and are now looking back at what time has done to their pride. 

The Liberian war was ongoing at the time. Liberians were accepted as refugees in many parts of the Western world. All that was required of them was to present a Liberian passport. I was at a barbing saloon at the last bus stop in Inhiwhinwhi area when a guy approached me with a fake Liberian passport, pitching to get me to buy it. He requested an amount with a five as the starting digit. I can’t recall if it was five or fifty thousand. But I came from Jos and we don’t have that huge adventurous culture on the Plateau. In my typical Plateau mindset, I just looked forward to getting a job with Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, where I served or getting back to Jos and seeing what Heaven brings.  

Four years later, I found myself in Port Harcourt, Rivers, hustling. I run into a guy from Agbo, Delta State –they are all related, you know.  He studied Mechanical Engineering and had two options in life: either he find a job with an oil company or conserve enough money from the petty jobs and find his way abroad. He was always talking about the adventurous journeys, saying, “Where I come from, they don’t care about your graduate shit. What they want to see is how much you have.” He eventually left to travel abroad and I never heard from him anymore, despite searching all social media. I dread the idea of my friend ending up in a Moroccan pit of hell.

While still in Port Harcourt, there was this lady from Edo. She was an English teacher in one of the schools in Port Harcourt. Her ambition was to travel to the Netherlands. I had feelings for the dark slim and brilliant Edo woman. She knew it but I didn’t have what she wanted.  One day, I heard the shocking news that she was in Holland, already.  She was civil enough to avoid the idea of travelling through the desert with all manner of companions –desert storms, aridity, the ignorant, the young and old, the clean and the clumsy, uncertainty... She just worked to save enough money to travel via a safe, legitimate option. Her case is one of a known, documented success. 

Travelling by any means necessary has moved from what it is to trafficking kids that are, at times, willingly offered by their parents. The reasoning is that “Well since I am not young enough to go through the hassle, my kids can go, get the money and send it back.” 

Obviously, economics is at the root of the epidemic. It is the reason why it will spread and it has, indeed, spread. The Edos were just the first to see and understand it from a distance.

While the war in Libya got so messy everything became chaotic, warranting some Libyans to begin taking black Africans as slaves, I watched footage on YouTube, beholding the ignorance some victims played out and I wondered how someone with such profound ignorance would navigate the complex societies of the west, their ultimate destination. The depth of ignorance was such that you can’t help but ask yourself the question: what is she going there to do?

The profundity of ignorance can best be addressed through education and, hence, Gaius Obaseki hits the nail on the head. But education will do little to someone whose psychology is hardcore and rooted, since it is going to rest largely on reorientation –poverty and hardship have already given their orientation. It is the reason why basic education of the right quality is what is needed, not only in Edo state but across the length and breadth of the Nigerian space. 

Stanley Meyer, Nigeria and Fuel Scarcity

Fuel Queues in Nigeria. Credit: businessday.ng.

As of today, May 5th, it is getting to a couple of weeks since Nigerians commenced another episode of petrol fuel scarcity. Considering that Nigeria is an oil-producing nation, the situation triggers heartbreak, gloom, distrust and despondency.

It is a bizarre situation; people as high as university dons and directors in all tiers of the Nigerian Civil Service have resorted to commuting via commercial tricycles since they can't afford to power their private vehicles at the current fuel cost of about N1000/litre of fuel. We have suddenly found ourselves in a situation where the country belongs to a handful of politicians and highly successful businessmen and women.

As far as Nigerians are concerned, those who viewed Nigeria's oil as a curse are getting vindicated. Looking at the situation broadly, the global oil industry has given us a huge reason to view oil as coming with some level of course, albeit a minuscule. Some people will argue that the global curse is huge. Fossil fuel has brought staggering progress to humanity, but when the potentially apocalyptic dimension of its downside is viewed, it is a curse of sorts. For a myriad of reasons, people in different places are desperately praying for an option for fossil-driven engines.

This brings us to the story of Stanley Meyer, a guy from the US state of Ohio, who is said to have invented a hydrogen-driven car. Meyer's technology involved the process of electrolysis that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is combusted to power the engine, while the oxygen and other residues are propelled through the exhaust, enriching the atmosphere with more oxygen. The invention was meant to power a dune buggy capable of driving for 180km on four litres of water. Many folks must have said, "Who cares about the quantity of water? If it meant driving that far with 100 litres of water, all it would have required was to find the nearest river, well or water pump and just refill."

Meyer was said to have died in 1998, at a restaurant where a waiter served a purportedly poisoned drink. In the conversation that ensued, there were accusing fingers in the direction of the oil industry, the only institution that would have suffered if his invention were to fully come to reality.

There is that saying that "the triumph of evil over good is only fleeting." The doom the oil industry was trying to avoid if Meyer's invention were to come to full application is sure to come. The whole issue is something bigger than Meyer; it is about the whole of mankind. For the love of money and power, we cannot let humanity perish. Fossil fuel is getting closer and closer towards actualizing its target extinguishing the whole of mankind. Every day, we see events pointing in that direction. Recently, we saw it in the United Arab Emirates and Kenya, through floods of the magnitude that convinces the strongest sceptics of the veracity of the global environmental crisis.

In Nigeria, millions are praying frantically for the coming of the electric car. In the ignorance of many, their prayers aren't motivated by the day of doom that the use of fossil fuel would bring, should we lose the fight, but by the excruciating hardship, the exorbitant cost of petroleum products has brought.

We understand that Stephen, Stanley's brother, has moved his late brother's invention to Canada for safekeeping. Eventually, even the killers of his brother would beg this invention to be revisited. 

The Sad Power Verdict of Adelabu

Adebayo Adelabu. Source: Theindependent.ng

Recently, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu warned that if the recent increases in electric power tariff are not accepted by Nigerians, there will be a total blackout within the next three months in Nigeria. We thought that Adelabu would be advocating for the ordinary Nigerian, considering that he is talking on an issue that pitches ordinary Nigerians against a profit-driven institution. 

If one has been watching events in the power sector, one would have no option but to doubt if that warning is hinged on any sincerity. The history of electric power reforms in Nigeria is replete with tariff increases and lies since there aren’t corresponding improvements in the power supply. This, largely, has been the narrative. 

Let us look at cases of insincerity that we have witnessed along the way since the power reform got underway. There is the issue of metering. It was pronounced, from the onset, that meters would be free. The issue continued lingering such that those who eventually got the meters had to make one form of payment or the other. 

But there is also the preposterous issue of estimated metering. The estimations kept rising steadily and it reached a situation where some consumers were paying as much as N17, 000 month. So, if a country pays a minimum wage of N17,000.00 –as it was then – you know that something was awry. While some consumers were waiting for their meters, the story changed –you have to pay as much as N80,000 to get a meter currently. What happened to consumers who had their connections on condition that their meters would come free? It means that they have been robbed. 

There is the question of whether the distribution companies were sold to third parties. The tradition in an atmosphere that is rife with greed and graft is that people in power skim such that everything ends with them. People in Nigeria feel that when you are in power, ensure you make the “most” of it. So, the issue of transparency was questionable. If you look at other corporations that were sold at the time, most ended up in the hands of people who were in power at the time of the privatizations. An example is NICON HILTON in Abuja which ended in the hands of the government officials of the Obasanjo’s Presidency.  

Recently, there has been the issue of Band “A” consumer communities that would be charged over N200 per unit of electricity because they get not less than 20 hours of electricity per day. It was a deal struck with the distribution companies. It failed disgracefully as the companies could not keep their side of the bargain and is, thus, an indication that the companies are never sincere, never corporate in their dealings and shouldn’t be trusted to guarantee any improvement in power supply regardless of how much they charge. 

Now, the combined distribution companies made a profit of over eight hundred billion naira in 2022. In 2023, it rose to over a trillion naira. So, when the Minister of Power gave that warning, it seemed like the companies had not been making profits. The question is: why is it that despite these profits, the supply has only declined? At least, we don’t see any electricity.