Not enough Dignity, nor enough Respect

We have again reached an independence anniversary and a chance to reflect on who we are. 

So President Goodluck Jonathan said, "[31] But again, I can reassure you that Nigeria’s place on the world stage today is strong and safe, and it is certainly a place of dignity and respect. We must continue to build on this by remaining a nation and a people committed to ideals, the noblest humanitarian values, and the rule of law."  Read full speech here.

Sometimes a sportsperson or team shines, a film grips, a songster shares, a brainiac leads, a soldier cares, the world can't close its eyes to the great stuff we're made of, and our dream of dignity and respect becomes a reality.  I crave more of such times. 

NEWSBUKA for all the burning topics in Nigerian politics and society.

OAU-AU Celebrates 50 Years of Existence.

In May 1963, Sekou Touré, Leopold Senghor, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Kwame Nkrumah, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Modibo Keita, Julius Nyerere, and other (male only) African leaders articulated the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

The African Union marks landmark anniversary

 As the host Haile Selassie said at that historic gathering, "We approach the days ahead with the prayer that we who have assembled here may be granted the wisdom, the judgement and the inspiration which will enable us to maintain our faith with the peoples and the nations which entrusted their fate to our hands."

Nelson Mandela and Muammar Gadaffi

That faith may have been broken time and again, and the reality of Africans may be far from the African Union's ambitious goals, but maybe today it's time to believe again in Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.

African youth in 2013 (source: al jazeera)

NEWSBUKA for all the burning topics in Nigerian politics and society.

Independence day

Nigeria is 51 today. 
The President gave a nice State address.  There is the usual data of Nigerian history with black/white footage.  The elite too, have had their say on TV.    I haven't taken the pulse on the street, but I suspect that people are poor/broke, optimistic as always, and in some cases glad to have a three-day-weekend. 

To summarize, Nigerians say they are grateful for the basics: life, a country name, basic technological change, etc.
Then again, Nigerians say this country sucks: even the President is not safe, thanks to terrorists; the promises of electric power provision have gone on for too long; the politicians still rob the country and toy with our future; the whole 150 million of us still produce approximately nothing...but it is good manners to say Happy Birthday (Happy Independence) and move on. 

NEWSBUKA for all the burning topics in Nigerian politics and society.