News

Nigeria: The Absence Of Commonsense[OPINION]

Published

1 year ago

November 29, 2024

Tunde Odesola

Long or short distance, life is an emotional roller-coaster journey characterised by doom or boom. Bólèkájà, a Yoruba word for mammy wagon, depicts the rough and tumble nature of road travel in the early days of Nigeria. Translated literally, Bólèkájà means ‘come down and fight’. Bólèkájà is an analogy for life’s combativeness.

Bólèkájà is the old Bedford vehicle built on a lorry chassis, having a wooden cargo area used in transporting people together with animals and farm produce in the Nigeria of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Why not? Nerves will easily be frayed in dingy lorries where humans, animals and farm produce contend for air and space, with the sun blazing overhead.

When an amateur grandstands in the realm of maestros, the Yoruba say, ‘wón ti kó eran m’érò.’ When passengers and animals are lumped together with farm produce in the same rickety Bólèkájà, the proverb, ‘Èlédè á d’Óyò, áriwo è lá á pò,’ comes to mind – the pig will get to Oyo, but with so much grunting.

Remember the Lagos transportation bus called Mólùé? The Mólùé is the Fela Anikulapo caricatured 44-sitting-99-standing transportation contraption in which you can get love potions to keep your husband or wife or concubines; buy medicines to cure any kind of ailment, including HIV/AIDS, and also buy juju, yes juju, to kill your family’s witches and wizards.

By its sitting arrangement and glass window design, the all-iron Mólùé is an improvement on the wooden Bólèkájà. In the Bólèkájà, passengers sit face-to-face on long wooden benches, and they can’t, in most cases, see their feet as farm produce, animals and other goods contend for space in the leg area.

If a passenger is alighting at the next bus stop, for instance, and the conductor wants to get out the passenger’s goods, he would need to get outside the lorry first and then identify the passenger’s goods through the opening in the wooden cabin, pulling passengers’ legs out of the way to reach the goods or animals, asking in the process, ‘Ta n lese?’, meaning: ‘Whose leg is this?’. The passenger, who sits above the goods underneath the bench, would, good-naturedly, be saddled with the responsibility of helping to bring out the goods and pass them to the conductor or owner.

But the Bólèkájà is much safer than the current One-Chance bus chauffeured by the Nigerian government. If you don’t know, a One-Chance bus is a typical bus full of robbers who pretend to be passengers, luring unsuspecting passengers. After picking enough passengers along the way, the robber-passengers bring out guns to rob innocent passengers, occasionally killing some in the process.

One-Chance bus defines Nigeria’s transactional electoral process, where politicians promise heaven on earth, only to loot the treasury after being elected. With socio-economic conditions worsening by the day, teeming Nigerian youth, whom today’s atóókú máku, amònà orún málo Methuselah leaders mockingly call leaders of tomorrow, are left to embark on Japa, Yahoo, ritualism and prostitution routes.

Dear reader, I’m not pulling your leg; I’m no Bólèkájà conductor. Neither am I pulling punches; PUNCH veterans don’t pull punches. A matter that affects the lives of millions of Nigerian children is no laughing matter. Federal and state governments should declare an emergency on the scourge of children beggars, a long-standing national calamity, most rampant in the North, where children, from the age of two upwards, line up the streets, clutching deformed aluminium bowls to solicit alms daily. Though they have parents, children beggars are left to wander off as soon as their eyes open after birth, like children of snakes, slithering through life with forked tongues and poisoned teeth.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: Apomu King Turns Warmonger For PDP

If the nation doesn’t collectively fight the scourge of children beggars by creating education and employment opportunities now, Nigerian society will soon buckle at the knees and beg today’s children beggars tomorrow. Made in the North terrorism will soon be a nationwide staple.

Unlike the Bólèkájà of the early days, Nigeria’s One-Chance democrazy, since 1999 to date, has given priority to goats over passengers. Remember, the Muhammadu Buhari regime proudly prioritised cow life over human life. The Bola Tinubu government is flailing in Nigeria’s economic ocean like an unskilled swimmer battling a rising tide. The clock ticks. The vulture waits.

As I watched a viral video of Kano children lining the streets in their frightening thousands, happily begging for alms, I saw the arms and ammunition that will shoot at Nigerian soldiers on the battlefields soon, detonating bombs, throwing grenades, shooting down military aircraft, rending lives and property asunder.

If the billions of naira budgeted for security yearly at state and federal levels were yielding results, Lakukulala, the name of the new terror gang currently troubling the North-West, wouldn’t have surfaced. Or, is the new terror group’s name not Lakukulala? Oh, yeah, I remember! The name is Lakarawas. This one comes with the plural ‘s’. Maybe because it’s a combination of terrorists from neighbouring African countries of Niger and Mali. I don’t speak Hausa, please.

The life of a newspaper columnist is not enviable. Abi, what’s enviable in looking at ‘reporteded’ events with a view to deconstructing them? It’s like flogging awake a dead horse, like I’m trying to reawaken the dead horse of street begging – as if our deaf and dumb governments don’t know it exists. That’s the fate of the columnist.

The life of a journalist is a struggle. You must meet your deadline; you cannot turn an empty page over to your editor. No journalist ever did that. I won’t be the first. As I ran into the video of Kano children beggars, so did I run into this gripping story of parenting and governance in faraway USA – all in the course of researching materials for this article.

Here’s the story as told by the New York Post, an American tabloid.

A Georgia mother of four arrested in front of her children after allowing her 10-year-old son to walk home alone last month isn’t going away quietly — and is using her newfound profile to make the case for free-range parents and their kids everywhere.

Brittany Patterson, 41, was taken into custody and slapped with child endangerment-related charges by the Fannin County Sheriff’s Department on Oct. 30. She’s been ruthlessly fighting back ever since, including refusing to accept a plea deal.

Patterson appeared on “Fox & Friends Weekend” with her lawyer to share her harrowing experience — and her next steps in her crusade for free-range parenting.

“It’s definitely been a little traumatizing. My kids have never seen anything like that or been exposed to anything like that, so really their first encounter with police or law enforcement is to see them taking their mother out of their home in handcuffs I think was pretty traumatizing,” Patterson said.

Patterson’s son Soren, who was 10 years old at the time, had ventured less than a mile away into town a day before Halloween. He did not ask his mother’s permission, but Patterson said she probably would’ve allowed him to go if he had.

Sheriff’s deputies spotted Soren wandering through town close to the North Carolina border and called Patterson to let her know where he was. At the time, Patterson was tied up at the doctor’s office with one of her other sons.

Deputies drove Soren home and returned later that day and arrested Patterson in front of her family.

Law enforcement officials have since suggested that they will drop the charges against Patterson if she agrees to put a GPS tracker on her son’s phone so she can track him. This has not been officially written or verbally offered, Patterson told the talk show, only vaguely hinted at.

“The irony here too is that the next day was Halloween, where kids walk often without their parents door-to-door in the dark and knock on the doors of strangers, and yet [Soren] was in the middle of the day just walking down the street not a tenth of a mile [away],” her lawyer David DeLugas said.

Her arrest sparked a wider conversation about the government’s control over parenting, and what exactly a free-range household can look like without authorities stepping in.

The reality is as parents we should have that autonomy whether we want to wrap our kids in bubble wrap or whether we want to give our kids a little more freedom and autonomy,” Patterson said.

“It should be our decision as parents, and not the decision of some government authority who doesn’t even know our kids or know our family.”

One of the two countries exemplified above has leaders in power, the other has dealers in power.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

News

Xenophobic Attacks: Oshiomhole Tells FG To Retaliate Against South African Companies In Nigeria

Published

11 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on the Federal Government to retaliate against South African businesses operating in Nigeria following the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said the Federal Government should consider revoking the working license of South African owned companies such as MTN and DSTV.

He argued that Nigeria must respond firmly to what he described as persistent hostility against its citizens.

“I am not going to shed tears. If you hit me, I hit you. I think it is appropriate in diplomacy. It is an economic struggle,” Oshiomhole said.

He argued that while some South Africans accuse Nigerians of taking their jobs, Nigerians should return home and take over employment opportunities created by major South African companies operating in the country, including MTN and DSTV.

“When we hit back, the President of South Africa will not only talk but will also go on his knees to recognise that Nigeria cannot be intimidated.

“We will not condone any life being lost. If a crime has been committed under the South African law they have the right to bring any such person to justice, but to kill our people as if we are helpless, we will not allow that,” Oshiomhole added.

DAILY POST reports that several Nigerians in South Africa have reportedly been attacked, and their businesses destroyed, in ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.

News

IGP Orders Officers Display Name Tag On Uniform, Gives Update On State Police

Published

12 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tunji Disu, has ordered all police personnel to always have their name tags on their uniforms for easy identification.

Disu disclosed that only police personnel who are undercover are exempted from displaying their name tags.

Speaking on Tuesday, Disu said: “All police officers should have their name tags. All of us on the high table have our names apart from the undercover among us so if you look at all the Commissioners of Police we have our name tags, so it’s not our standard.

News

Court Orders SERAP To Pay DSS Operatives N100m For Defamation

Published

17 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has ordered a non-governmental organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, to pay N100 million as damaged to two operatives of the Department of the State Services, DSS, for unjustly defaming them in some publications.

The court also ordered SERAP to tender public apologies to the defamed officers,
Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, in two national newspapers, two television stations and its website.

Besides, the organization was also ordered to pay the two operatives N1 million as cost of litigation and 10 percent post-judgment interest annually on the judgment sum until it’s fully liquidated.

Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory gave the order on Tuesday while delivering judgment in a N5.5 billion defamation suit instituted against SERAP by the DSS operatives.

The judge found SERAP liable for unjustly defaming the two DSS operatives with allegations that they unlawfully invaded its Abuja office, harassed and intimidated its staff, in September 2024.

In the offending publication on its website and Twitter handle, SERAP alleged that the two operatives unlawfully invaded and occupied its office with sinister motives.

The judge held that the publication was in bad taste especially from an organization established to promote transparency and accountability, as nothing in the publication was found to be truthful.

The DSS staff had listed SERAP as 1st defendant in the suit marked CV/4547/2024. SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, was listed as the 2nd defendant.

In the suit, the claimants – Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele – accused the two defendants of making false claims that they invaded SERAP’s Abuja office on September 9, 2024..

Counsel to the DSS, Oluwagbemileke Samuel Kehinde, had while adopting his final address in the mater urged the judge to grant all the reliefs sought by his client in the interest of justice.

He admitted that although the names of the two claimants were not mentioned in the defamation materials, they had however established substantial circumstances that they are the ones referred to in the published defamation article by SERAP on its website.

The counsel submitted that all ingredients of defamation have been clearly established and the offending publication referred to the two officials of the secret police.

However, SERAP, through its counsel, Victoria Bassey from Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, law firm, asked the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that the two claimants did not establish that they were the ones referred to in the alleged defamation materials.

She said that SERAP used “DSS officials” in the alleged offending publication, adding that the two claimants must establish that they are the ones referred to before their case can succeed.

Similar arguments were canvassed by Oluwatosin Adefioye who stood for the second defendant, adding that there was no dispute in the September 9, 2024 operation of DSS in SERAP’s office.

He said that since SERAP in the publication did not name any particular person, the claimants must plead special circumstances that they were the ones referred to as the DSS officials.

Besides, he said that there is no organization by name Department of State Services in law, hence, DSS cannot claim being defamed adding that the only entity known to law is National Security Agency.

The claimants had in the suit stated that the alleged false claim by SERAP has negatively impacted on their reputation.

The DSS also stated, in the statement of claim, that, in line with the agency’s practice of engaging with officials of non-governmental organisations operating in the FCT to establish a relationship with their new leadership, it directed the two officials – John and Ogunleye – to visit SERAP’s office and invite them for a familiarization meeting.

The claimants added that in carrying out the directive, John and Ogunleye paid a friendly visit to SERAP’s office at 18 Bamako Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja on September 9 and met with one Ruth, who upon being informed about the purpose of the visit, claimed that none of SERAP’s management staff was in the country and advised that a formal letter of invitation be written by the DSS.

John and Ogundele, who claimed that their interactions with Ruth were recorded, said before they immediately exited SERAP’s office, Ruth promised to inform her organisation’s management about the visit and volunteered a phone number – 08160537202.

They said it was surprising that, shortly after their visit, SERAP posted on its X (Twitter) handle – @SERAPNigeria – that officers of the DSS are presently unlawfully occupying its office.

The claimant added, “On the same day, the defendants also published a statement on SERAP’s website, which was widely reported by several media outfits, falsely alleging that some officers from the DSS, described as “a tall, large, dark-skinned woman” and “a slim, dark skinned man,” invaded their Abuja office and interrogated the staff of the first defendant (SERAP).

John and Ogundele stated that “due to the false statements published by the defendants, the DSS has been ridiculed and criticised by international agencies such as the Amnesty International and prominent members of the Nigerian society, such as Femi Falana (SAN)”.

“Due to the false statements published by the defendants, members of the public and the international community formed the opinion that the Federal Government is using the DSS to harass the defendants.”

They added that the defendants’ statements caused harm to their reputation because the staff and management of the DSS have formed the opinion that the claimants did not follow orders and carried out an unsanctioned operation and are therefore, incompetent and unprofessional.

The claimants therefore prayed the court for the following reliefs: “An order directing the defendants to tender an apology to the claimants via the first defendant’s (SERAP’s) website, X (twitter) handle, two national daily newspapers (Punch and Vanguard) and two national news television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television) for falsely accusing the claimants of unlawfully invading the first defendant’s office and interrogating the first defendant’s staff.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N5 billion as damages for the libellous statements published about the claimants.

“Interest on the sum of N5b at the rate of 10 percent per annum from the date of judgment until the judgment sum is realised or liquidated.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”