ONUKWULI; Where is President Buhari?

The Reason for the cancelled Tuface's planned protest.

My parents are civil servants so they have had the opportunity to embark on many solidarity protests when there is a delay in salaries or bad working conditions. The 5 years old me would always mistake the solidarity song as ' soaking garri is forever! !!We must always fight for our rights '. Its a wonderful prospect for the 5 years old me to watch my parents sing and dance with placards to Government offices to discuss their unpaid Salaries. My parents were sometimes victims of violence from police and other security agents but they never stopped because protest has a long history of bringing justice and solving social issues.
Few weeks ago one of Nigeria's famous musicians Tuface Idibia ( 2baba ) announced a Nation wide protest against the Federal government because of high cost of living, bad economy and other mishaps in the Country. He was criticised by Academics and was even threatened by the Police and other Security Agencies. Despise the threats, he announced the Meet up Venues and dress code for the Protest. The date of the protest was shifted from 5th February to 6th February. Many people argued that the protest was politically induced but I see it as an amazing step for Nigerians to come out en mass to protest against something that they felt is not good enough. I woke up this morning only to discover that 2baba has cancelled the planned protest and in his own words he said ' Dear Nigerians! Due to security concerns and public  I hereby announce the cancellation of the planned March '. I was disappointed because I wanted to see people fight for a common goal.
Last year in University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria a Final year student who was the President of his faculty was killed in a protest by a DSS member. Himself and other students were protesting against the law that says that the students must pay all their fees before writing any exams. The students wanted more time to make payment but the school authorities were quick to call the police and other security agents and students were injured  and a student was killed in the process and all these happened in the school's campus. The student that was killed has paid his own school fee but decided to stand with other students to fight for a common goal. I sometimes wonder what is a University without students?
About 3 years ago in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, the Student Union president otherwise known as SUG President protested against the cost of transportation within the school premises. He wanted the price to be reduced to #20 which is fairly affordable and he also protest against the School Authority concerning unnecessary levies that students pay for. He organised a peaceful protest and he was rusticated from the University. Noble Eyisi is from a privileged family, his mother is a professor and he can afford to pay for transport fares and pretend that all is well  but he refused to pretend.
It is one thing to feel something emotionally and it's another thing to engage ones intellect in making conclusions and about the cancelled protest, I was devastated and emotionally exhausted. I couldn't find any space for humour and laughter. I wanted more, I wanted to see people fight a good fight and in a more matured way. 2baba cancelled the protest because he felt that peoples lives would be endangered and he's right about that. The Nigeria Police are not well trained to handle protests incase it turns into a riot; of course they don't have rubber bullets and water guns all they know is 'kill 5 individuals and the rest will run for cover'. The same way they brutalised students of Uniport last week in a recent protest,  the same way they killed IPOB members from time to time and the last one in Port Harcourt left me disappointed in the Police Force. Now security and safety is now a luxury only the Elites can afford. What a Country?
Recently people of the United States of America came out en mass to protest against some of President Trumps new laws and I watched the March and I all I see was a group of people fighting for a common goal. I didn't see it as a politically induced protest. Although 2baba cancelled the protest he organised,  Nigerians are not ready to settle for less this time around and many people have taken the protest personal. The protest still holds.

 Am now an Adult and I can sing the solidarity song perfectly well & it goes like this;
Solidarity Forever!
Solidarity Forever!
Solidarity Forever!
We must always fight for our Rights.
Daalu.

A Tribute to Buchi Emecheta; N'odu na Ndokwa.

It's a Tradition in Igbo culture for a Man to kill a goat or a Cow ( according to his financial capacity ) in Celebration of his Wife if she gives birth to male children three consecutive times. My Mother had 5 sons consecutively but she didn't get a piece of beef from my father maybe because they are Christians and decided to ignore the Omenala of our Land. Now am not interested in fighting Christianity for depriving my mother a good celebration because she had sons but am more interested in talking about a Culture that only celebrates Women only when they give birth to male children three consecutive times. What a Culture?
Late last year in one of Nigeria's biggest denominations, a couple came up to give a testimony of how God proved himself in their home . The wife when she was pregnant went for a Scan and the result and the result showed that she will be expecting a baby girl but God proved the scan wrong by giving them a baby boy after much prayers. Praise the Lord! And it was 'Hallelujah' in the church. If they had a baby girl, I don't think they would have come out for a Testimony. Now I often make the Mistake of thinking that issues that are Obvious to me are as Obvious to other people but Assumptions are costly. If my mother had 5 daughters consecutively, she wouldn't get a goat but she would be very worried about having a son; someone that will carry one the family name. I told these stories for us to see the function of Gender in our society and this cut across borders and this makes girls grow up to think that some how being females they are guilty of something. This is Gender Stereotype in African Culture.
The first time I saw the word feminist was few year ago when I was reading one of Buchi Emecheta's book. I was about 13 or 14 and I was quick to check out the word in the dictionary. I was already a Feminist then but I never knew the exact word to call myself. Buchi Emecheta was not an exemption of gender Stereotype; she had her first dosage when she was barely 8years. Her father refused to train her in school but prefer to train his brother but Buchi convinced him and later went to school. She finished her secondary and later joined her husband in London where she got her first degree and became a single mother. Her books were centered on female strength and she wrote against the discrimination of women and what it means to be a Single mother but the amazing part is that Buchi Emecheta refused to be called a Feminist.
Gender as it functions today is a great injustice to both genders. Although am in a process of unlearning some of the wrong ideas about gender that I have internalised while growing up but I still feel guilty in the face of gender expectations. If you are a man it's easy to tint your eccentricity with untidiness or a full grown beards but not feminism; it comes with lots of baggage and so it's hard to wrap oneself with feminism (for both gender). My friend Eberendu is a Jehovah Witness and she will always put up arguments to prove to me that her 'religion' doesn’t fall under Christianity but if she's to fill in forms she will always tick Christianity as her religion and this has made me not to see Eberendu as a 'hypocrite' but someone that's afraid of accepting the full gravity that comes with whatever Idea they stand for. From Eberendu's case I could relate very well to Buchi Emecheta's case; not accepting to be called a Feminist. You hate Men? You're angry? And Fela will use the word 'You be Ladi'. It's comes with too many baggage but that doesn't mean that Buchi wasn't a Feminist and she didn't decide to advocate for women because of her first hand experience of gender Stereotype; she have the option to smile over things and pretend that all is well but she decided to write because Women mattered to her.

Feminism is not a bad thing and please it's not a luxury for Elites and Rich people. Feminism should be an all inclusive party and not an Elite party with esoteric rights of membership. I didn't discover my own feminism from reading western books, I discovered it from observing the world and the way it treats women. I learned about feminism from watching women struggle and knowing that the World will not always extent to women many of those small courtesy it does to men.
Onyebuchi is an Igbo name and it tranlates to a Rhetoric Question 'who is God?' I often ask myself this question and I also ask people 'Are you God ' to say that the full Humanity of the female gender is not our culture? If it's not then we should make it our culture.
Buchi Emecheta died on Wednesday 25th of January 2017 and she would always be remembered for her works and the lives she touched while on earth. She was indeed a Feminist and she will always be remembered by those that love her.
To Buchi Emecheta; N'odu na Ndokwa.

Education is a Streamliner.

Mr Nwosu is a character from my primary 2 reader.Mr Nwosu is a trader who lives in Onitsha with his wife and two daughters. Every Christmas he comes home with 2 big Chicken and Chicken Stew was a great deal for the 7years old me so I decided that I will be a Trader in the Future. I told my parents about it but they dismissed it without any thought and much laughter. God forbid! None of my Child will ever be a Trader.  I was disappointed because I wanted them to say something but I was young and naive so it was easy for them to dismiss the conversation without any Argument. Two years later I read about Mr Saba in my primary 4 Reader; Mr Saba is a Farmer who grows yam, beans and Maize among many other crops. I love watching plants grow so I decided that I must be a Farmer but am not going to tell my parents about my new found ambition. Now I already know the difference between professional and unprofessional Courses and the prestige that comes with having a University degree .Years later when I was applying for Universities in Nigeria I told my parents that I wanted to study Agriculture Economic and the first Question my parents asked was ' Those people dey work for oil company? '. So if you must go to University, the first priority is getting a Job in an Oil Company. I later gained Admission into one of Nigeria's prestigious Federal University to study Chemical Engineering after which I graduated and joined the League of Unemployed Graduates.
The Anecdote above is not to tell you about my discovery of the damage 'Education' has done in our society but if not for Anything it should be an Ode to Children's Opinion in Africa. Education can be a very wonderful tool but it depends on 'What kind of Education? '. Education as it functions today in Nigeria is a Streamliner. There's this idea that everyone must study to be an Academic or for one to be Successful you must go to University after which your priority is getting a Job in an Oil Company.  Education streamlines people into one thing and there is no diversity. The idea of Students absorbing Materials and spitting it back to the Lecturer to get an A is not proper Education. Over the years people have argued about the decay in the standard of Education in Nigeria and many people agreed that it's due to the bad learning conditions, less pay of Academics and poor working conditions but I think the Curriculum for teaching matters alot and the curriculum in Nigeria is very Rigid and inflexible so there is no room for ICT or any changes. There should be a Change in the definition of the Word ' Education ' and this is what we should do; we have to start a correction from our foundation which is the kindergarten. We should Listen to Children and not to pretend like they are Adults because they are not. Listen to Children's Opinion always because they are alot more perceptive and intelligent than we give them Credit for. And the idea that everyone must study to be an Academic should be eradicated.
Children are not allowed to have Opinions! If you have Opinions then you are Rude. As a child you're not expected to ask your Teacher Questions, it doesn't tell well of you. If you must ask Questions in Class  it should be easy if not it's a take-home assignment for the Class. If you're in Undergrad school, don't ask your lecturers Questions and please don't think aside the box just absorb Materials and Spit it back to the Lecturer words for words and get your A. This is one of the silly idea behind Learning in Nigeria. It shouldn't be so.
What if we have different centres that specialises in agriculture or ICT or Trade and Commerce where people can go and learn to become what they want to be? But there's a flaw because those places will be considered less prestigious and students would prefer to go to University than Agricultural learning centres.
What if my parents were more perceptive and listened to my opinion about becoming a Farmer, I would have been a better me.
What if my parents were not product of a Society that values University degree more than Ability?
The Igbo word for University is Mahadum which translates into ' knowing it all '. My fore fathers called it Mahadum for good reasons and I think the Education system in Nigeria has failed my fore fathers definition of a University. We could make changes and here is how we should go about it; Teachers should listen to their pupils and students in all levels of learning and the idea of Teachers being the ' Lord ' should be eradicated.
Thank

Victimhood is not a Virtue.

People don't die in my Village; they were either killed by a wicked Uncle or Aunty or more still by an Angry wife. People in my Village don't die of Natural causes especially when they are rich and well-to-do; they were either poisoned or charmed by witches in their Umunna. I know because I have been a Victim of different Circumstances. My Grandfather died at a ripe age of 83 but my Uncle Obiajulu was accused of his death; which means he didn't die of a natural cause but was killed by my uncle over a land dispute(they had a brief land issue  few days before my Grandfather passed on). What a Coincidence?
My Father died in an Automobile Crash in Lagos when I was 13 years and my Mother was accused of his death by the members of our Umunna. My Mother is not a Mechanic neither does she knows anything concerning Automobile apart from driving but since  my Father was Rich and well-to - do, he was certainly killed by his 'wicked' wife. So my Mother have to prove her that she's 'innocent' by drinking the water used in washing my fathers' corpse and also had to sleep with his Corpse for 4 market days. My mother's hair was forcefully shaved by the Umuada and she had to mourn my father for the next 3 months. Now for non-Nigerians Africans in diaspora, when a woman 'mourns' her husband she doesn't have to do it just emotionally; she must do it both emotionally and physically so her hair has to be shaved against her own will and she has to wear white clothes and jewelleries for 3 months but if a Man 'mourns' his wife, he doesn't have to do it emotionally and he doesn't have to wear white clothes and jewelleries, all he just need to do is to wait patiently for 3 months before picking a new wife ; in that way he looks more 'responsible' to the Society.
Of course this is not the first time I'm discovering gender injustice in some African Cultures but I'd like to talk about how it has affected me and my family. My greedy Uncles were not interested in my mother's innocence but in my father's properties and investments. We were thrown out of our family house in Lagos and I couldn't do anything because I was young and female and my younger brother (who was assumed to be the successor) was barely 9years old so we had to forego all my father laboured for. We were just fragile in the hands of our Umunna because my brother is not yet an Okolobia nor a Dike and so we couldn't fight back and even if he's now a Dike, a strong man what will then be the fate of myself and my Mother. Will that avert the stigma that comes with Being Female?
My father while he was alive called me Akunna which means Father's Wealth and my Mother still calls me Nwanyibuife which means A female child is something but after my father's death I have had many Questions concerning these name and I don't know how true and valid the name is in the Society.
All these happened years ago, am now an Adult and Sometimes whenever I think about the things my Umunna did to my family I am tempted to hate them and to hate men too but they are not necessarily bad people but a product of a Society that treats women badly. I know men are not that bad but just privileged. Privilege blinds because it's the duty of privilege to blind and sometimes we have to take off the Glass of 'privilege' so as to see very well the Nuances in the Society.
I have since discovered that Victimhood is not a Virtue and being treated badly does not make one somehow morally strong. Being the Centre of Attention for a Negative thing does not make one a Celebrity; I know because my mother was later labelled a Witch who ate her husband. We have to change some culture because someone once made them to suit their time and if the full Humanity of the female gender is not our culture then we have to make the change now.
Thanks.

Ugwu Nwanyi; The Pride of an African Woman.

Last Month I went to my Hometown in South Eastern Nigeria to visit my paternal Grandmother and other members of my Umunna as it's now a tradition for Igbos in Diaspora to come back Home almost every December(or once in every 2 or 5 years) . It was a lovely experience as I get to spend much time with my Octogenarian Grandmother. She has a very wonderful Routine; she wakes up in the Morning, pray the Rosary and take her bath. She would later sit down on a mat at our big Varenda and wait for younger women to come visit her and seek her advice on family issues. It was a wonderful prospect for the 19 years old me to watch her give advice in fluent Igbo Language.
On one of the Occasions, a young woman in her late 20's or early 30's (difficult to tell her age, she looked overworked for a young person) came crying to my Grandmother.  She came to complain to her about how her husband whipped her with his leather belt (she showed my granny her swollen back) and as if that was not enough, he forcefully took (stole) her #3000 which she use for her petty trade. From the discussion, it was easy for me to guess that this is not the first time She's reporting such issues to my Grandmother. I could tell. She constantly reminded her about the last time. The other time and the time before but what baffled me was that she was less concerned about the beatings, she was worried about the Money (#3000) for her petty trade if not she won't be able to Trade and her children will sleep on empty stomach.
My Grandmother asked her to endure everything and never to nurture any thoughts of leaving her husband. Its an Alu. Abomination. She told her to always look after her children and to always pray for God to 'touch' her husband and 'change' him for good. She ended by saying (in her own words) ' You must never leave your husband house. Ugwu Nwanyi bu be di ya'. I was moved out of pity for the poor woman so I went inside the house and returned with #5000 and a tuber of yam. She thank me in tears and left.
Ugwu Nwanyi bu be di ya. It's not the first time am hearing that phrase; I have heard it many times when my parents had Quarrels and my Aunty will always remind my mother that 'A Woman's Pride Is Her Husband's House'. Wow.
Now lets ignore the Ridiculousness of the phrase and focus on the grief injustice the phrase has forced women to Face. The phrase is weight down with injustice and sometimes I ask my self what then is the Pride of a Man?
Marriage as it functions today in Africa is a thing of Ownership rather than a thing of Partnership (to be discuss later on). The Man owns the Woman and the Woman owes the Man Respect and Loyalty. Marriage is not an Achievement. It's also not a do or die affair, its supposed to be a partnership between two adults, a thing of Love & Joy & Mutual Support . But it now a thing of ownership and unequal sacrifices. Years ago my Aunty got an Employment opportunity in Lagos but she lived with her husband and children in Port Harcourt, so she has to let go because 'Ugwu Nwanyi bu be di ya' & years later she got a divorce but the position was no longer vacant. What a loss?
In most marriages,  it is the duty of the Woman to 'endure'. If a Man Cheats, then probably the Woman pushed him to the hands of another Woman but  if the Wife Cheats; she's an Akwuna and not fit for the role of Motherhood. In Marriage, women sacrifice their Dream,  Job and Ambitions but the Man 'sacrifice' what shouldn't be at all like Late Nights, Smoking Habit or anything that shouldn't be. They should be a Change in the way Marriage is seen, it should be enjoyable and Women should be allowed Multiplicity of Roles. A wife can be a Mother, a Worker and not a Housewife.
My Poor Grandmother is a product of an African Society that believes the role of an African Woman is to endure Pains and Violence. That's what her generation believed but things have changed.  Twins were killed in her generation but not anymore.  Someone has to take the bold step. Finally,  Write Books that talk about ' How to Keep a Woman Happy ' because there are already too many Books that talk about ' How to Keep a Man Happy '. And to the Women, dare to Speak and Please never be socialise to Silence.
What a narrow definition for Women's Pride?
#daretospeak
#stoptheviolence

Innoson Vehicle; Manufacturing or Assembling Company?

Many people have argued over this topic time and time again if IVM is a Manufacturing Company or it's an Assembling Company? For non-Nigerians, IVM means Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company limited and it's a Nigerian Automobile & Bus Manufacturing Company. It was founded by Innocent Chukwuma and runs a plant in Nnewi. 70 percent of the car parts are produced locally while the rest is being imported from Japan, China and Germany. Before we draw a Conclusion let me take you back to late 2009 & early 2010.
Toyota Company recalled a certain Model of their car. The first recall, on November 2 2009, was to correct a possible incursion of an incorrect or out-of-place front drivers side floor mat into the foot pedal well, which can cause pedal entrapment. Second recall, on January 21 2010 was after some more crashes shown not to have been caused by floor mat incursion. This latter defect was identified as a possible mechanical sticking of the accelerator pedal causing unintended acceleration.
Now these brake pad(or accelerator pad) and floor mats were manufactured by another Company & not Toyota Motors. If there is any sense in this flash back it's to bring to our Knowledge that one company's FINISH PRODUCT is another's Company's RAW MATERIAL or WORK-IN-PROGRESS. No Company is self depended and Toyota Company (one of the biggest Vehicle Company in the World) does not manufacture it's own brake pads. Does that make Toyota Company an Assembling Company ? Of course Not.
Back to IVM Co . Ltd that does 70% of its production locally and only imports just the Car Engine and Lights, does that make it any less than a Manufacturing Firm? Someone might ask but 'why should a Vehicle Manufacturing Company be importing Car Engines?' Here is your answer;  Every Company has it's own Blueprints and it's the Secret of that Company that can never be shared.  IVM has it's own Blueprint for Engine specification for different Models of their Car and they have to design it and send it to other Engineers in Japan or China or Germany for it to be produced. Why not in Nigeria? It's economically feasible to produce such delicate parts there(Japan  China Germany) than to do it in Nigeria and we also have not discovered (yet) the Technical-Know-How on how to produce Engines cost effectively. Now this answers the Question....IVM Co . Ltd  as the name implies is a Manufacturing Company and not an Assembling Company. It's really Wonderful to know that there is a Vehicle Manufacturing Firm in Nigeria despise all Technological & Technical odd, Epileptic Power Supply but Someone Somewhere in Nnewi is Manufacturing Vehicle. Ndi Nnewi unu di egwu!
Mama Nkechi leaves down my Street and she produces Buns and Egg rows but she knows nothing about the production of flour or Margarine or baking powder and does that make her any less of a Producer? She's certainly not  'assembling' Buns and Egg-rows.
IVM Co . Ltd and Mama Nkechi's Buns are perfect example of Nigerian producing what they Consume.
Thanks.