Better Nigeria: ABUJA TRAFFIC

BY ELLA

No one needs a soothsayer to tell him or her that Abuja is indeed one of the fastest growing cities in Africa (if not in the world by now) both in living cost  and people (yea,yea, landlords are frying people's asses in the name of rent)

The steady influx of people into this city amazes me. If u have noticed, 70% of graduates want to serve in abuja during the one year compulsory NYSC programme. "What for?" I keep asking. I guess they think this is the land of "opportunities" (a big lie we have told ourselves) .Anyway, that is a topic for another day. My worry today is the MAD traffic in Abuja currently on the rise. 

I remember us moving to abuja in 1991. Yes! I have been here that long! *grins* 
Then, the city was very different from what u have now. There was no berger round about for instance. No flyovers. Wuse market as it is today was non-existent .Few cars, few people. We lived a very quiet life and there was literally no night life then. One had to walk some distance to get transportation . As a growing child ,I walked to nearly everywhere: market, school ,errands etc.

Now in present day 2013, the story is different! Driving out of my area-zone 6- is almost an impossible task at anytime of the day. At hours between 4pm - 8pm zone 6  is a no-go-area. Normally from my house to berger junction should take an average of 3mins - 5mins but now it takes me an average of 15mins( on a good day) or 35mins ( on a horrid day). Now am beginning to have a taste of what its like to live in lagos. Deciding to go to wuse market or pass through that route is another ball game. You need a huge garment of patience  to help you contend with the crazy bus drivers and  an AC chilled car plus a cold drink to endure the torture when everything stands still. Those going to nyanya, mararaba  and  the likes must have a taste of traffic on lagos 3rd mainland bridge. (laughs).

Now to the issue of buses. Bus drivers in abuja are a set the most unruly and rude people behind the wheels u will ever meet. Gosh! A lot of people who drive private cars will understand this more. They act like they alone "own" the road  and treat other private road users like "who do u think you are with  your fancy car?" Lol.  But seriously, saying that these bus drivers have no road manners is a huge understatement . They park at any spot picking  and dropping passengers ,beat traffic sign,squeeze their buses into any available space not minding your car (well na ur fine car go scratch so which one concern them?) and most annoying of all, they hurl insults at you for daring to take offence at their attitude or challenge them. And because of this, whenever i have the opportunity i never let any bus get in front of me *wicked smile*.

When at the beginning of this year the FCT minister announced the ban of buses and taxis on certain routes (wuse market road inclusive) i was overjoyed! Bad belle ba? Hehhehee.  However, as usual, our government never plans a perfect execution of any project  απϑ  the ban was lifted.

Some people would want to call me selfish/wicked at this point because "u have a car  απϑ  do not have to use public transport". To the extent of having a car at my disposal, I agree but I will disagree with you if you call me selfish/ wicked. It is the government who have robbed us of our rights to a good life in broad day light that should be called selfish/wicked! 

I understand that everyone cannot own a car but there should be some form of sanity and decorum on the road among road users.

The major problem is see here is our government and their so-called town/urban planners. In modern big cities eg. London,Leeds,Paris etc, there are "bus routes" just like what Gov. Fashola is doing in Lagos with BRT . With these bus routes,buses,taxis and private cars won't compete for space on the road. This eases traffic and tension too!

When Abuja was being built initially there was so much noise about  "the Abuja master plan" and we all  thought there was a plan indeed. smh.  If u have been to other parts of the world where "things" work as they should, you will know that our transport system is laughable and no way near civilisation. Since our government and their advisers( honestly I don't know why we waste money paying those people) didn't or haven't had the initiative to copy well from these countries, we are stuck with this predicament because whether we like it or not, the traffic menace in Abuja will get worse in the coming years.

To ease the situation, the government owes the public the duty of maintaining our traffic lights, but no! Instead they prefer to designate a "yellow fever" or policeman at major junctions  απϑ  when they are tired they leave their duty posts especially at night when they do not feel obligated to work thereby causing jamming of the road with impatient road users.

I sincerely do not think banning the buses will work the magic here. Its far beyond that. I will suggest the following be done to help 

• Programmes can be organised between the government and the public transport operators to create a platform where these drivers can be educated on the ethics of road usage & attitude towards other road users before they are registered as licensed bus /taxi drivers; 

• Attach a strong penalty for those who will default in obeying the rules:

• Be firm about enforcing the penalties (not taking bribes and letting the defaulter go); 

• Create other means of transportation FAST!!!

Do not "YIMU" me oh! It is do-able! If only we (Nigerians as a whole) are willing to work.

Finally, I look forward to an Abuja with much improved transport system. Let's play our own part by being patient and obedient behind the wheels if u drive or learn to caution the bus or taxi driver when he is being unreasonable on the road,if u are a passenger in one. 

God bless Abuja!
God bless Nigeria!!

Emmanuella Nwabundo Enweonwu is a lawyer, a volunteer program officer with Society for Community development (SCD), free lance writer and a makeup artist. She is passionate about what she does and very enthusiastic about the quest for a Better Nigeria.

Young and In Charge: Oluwasheun Olumide aka GAmeboi

As I interviewed Gameboi, the realisation that one could actually have fun on the job hit me. He talked about IT like it was nothing more than a video game. I just want to say, for youths out there who have passion for something and are yet to gather their wits and guts to pursue it, START NOW. So I present to you, our Young person of the week, who is very much in charge of what he does, Oluwasheun Olumide aka Gameboi. Read and be inspired. Tell us about yourself.  My names are Adeyemi Oluwaseun Olumide aka 'Gameboi' How was growing up like? Whao! Growing up was crazy. Being the first and only son of a family without a Dad (He died when I was 5years old.). So it was really crazy. Tell us about your educational background. Okay. I went to Honey Comb Int'l School, Akoka...then CMS Primary school for a year. My secondary education was at Ajayi Crowther Memorial Grammar School, Bariga and Studied Economics Education in Unilag (University of First Choice...Great Akokite!!) What is your business all about? Well! its basically all about Information Techonology (IT) eg...computer softwares/programming, computer engineering, networking, Web and so on. Sounds like a lot isn’t it? How did you go from Economics education to being an IT expert? Laughs. My mum told me when I was little,  that she will take me to her office on weekends and all I would do was sit in front of the computer playing games and all. So I guess that was how it all started for me. So it was kind of naturale anytime I see a computer...I just want to sit in front of it. So what I studied in school (Economics Education) was just for additional knowledge basically.   What is your typical day like? Wow! Errmmm.....it depends basically on what am handling at that particular moment. Well! for thing I wakeup and pray, sometimes I forget to brush my teeth and take my bath *Covers face* especially if am working on a web job, I spend the whole time in front of my laptop working...sometimes even forgets to eat. Mostly indoors all day. What do you love most about what you do?  Its just fun...it could be crazy sometimes especially when a client is on your neck. But its Fun and I love to have fun! What is your best work ever? I have to say I have no idea...cause am still coming up. Every Job has its special feeling. What are the challenges involved in IT business? Well, The main difficulty is internet speed in Nigeria. Secondly, People's conception about computer business. They believe every young guy in Nigeria doing computer business is a fraudster. And People still have not or should I say people still do not appreciate/understand the relevance and important of computer in this present age. If you were not involved in this what would have been doing? *Laffs* Playing basketball I guess. I was a very good basketball player was I was in secondary school. And if not basketball maybe Economics. *winks* Have you ever felt like giving up on this business? Yes! So many times. But the fun of the job is what keeps me going and the belief that nothing good comes easy. Who or what inspires you? Loads of people. First, my mum and my brother/uncle "Mr Dipo Ogunade" and my biggest inspiration has always been Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Considering the level of success you have achieved so far, youths out there would be itching to know how old you are. Laughs.  Am now old o! Am 26 years old.  What do you do for fun? Whoooohoooo! Watch movies, Play games, love listening to music, read books (any kind) and I joke a lot people hardly take me serious sometimes*. Advice to youths that wish to follow your footsteps. Well! All they need to do is have passion and determination for what they do. If the passion is there...the rest is very simple.  Where do you see yourself and your business, five years from now? Wow! Maybe Nigeria's version of Bill gates or Steve jobs. Laughs, but basically spreading the gospel about what I do and keep building the company. And also  making lots of money too. *winks* Now that we have heard from the IT expert, let pictures of websites he has created speak to us! enjoy. Contact info:  Phone: 08062377483 Facebook: Gameboi Adeyemi Oluwahshewun ( http://www.facebook.com/shewunsmsb ) Twitter handle: @gameboi007 ( https://twitter.com/Gameboi007 )  Contact info:  Phone: 08062377483 Facebook: Gameboi Adeyemi Oluwahshewun ( http://www.facebook.com/shewunsmsb ) Twitter handle: @gameboi007 ( https://twitter.com/Gameboi007 )

NIGERIA IS THE SADDEST PLACE IN THE WORLD???

by ADESUWA ILUOBE

On 10^th January, 2013, the dailies were awash with this :

“Forbes has ranked Nigeria as the 20th saddest place to live in the whole world.

In its analysis, it said: “The best of the worst, Nigeria ranks 123rd overall on the Legatum Prosperity Index.

Decades of corruption have squandered great oil and gas wealth, while new concerns involve sectarian violence.

The list of saddest countries on earth is dominated by African and Asian countries and the top 20 are:

Central African Republic (1st),Republic of Congo (2nd),Afghanistan (3rd),

Chad (4th), Haiti (5th), Burundi (6th), Togo (7th), Zimbabwe (8th),

Yemen (9th), Ethiopia (10th), Pakistan (11th), Iraq (12th), Liberia, (13th),

Angola (14th), Sierra Leone (15th) Guinea (16th),Ivory Coast (17th),

Sudan (18th), Mozambique (19th) and Nigeria in 20th position.”

Forbes is an American business magazine owned by Forbes, Inc. Published biweekly, it features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, and law. Headquarters are in Newyork. Newyork is a city in the United States.

I expected Nigerians to raise dust, like speak out and either agree or disagree, so I could make my conclusions before thinking about writing this. However, I guess our silence is an admittance.

I do not really want to care right now who is behind Forbes, or what informs their decisions as to their rankings, but I really and most defiantly disagree that Nigeria, my country is a sad place.

To be sad or happy is not a feeling that is dependent on tangible things or situations, it’s a decision!

Oh yes! Nigeria is besieged with corruption, fiscal irresponsibility, flagrant disregard of rule of law, economic mismanagement, security issues, darkness orchestrated by PHCN…and would my fellow Nigerians list on! Amen!

Well, when I look around me, I do not see sad Nigerians mostly, I see disappointed Nigerians. Nigerians are disappointed but far from sad, I see us striving each day to make an impact, thankful for life. Nigerians love life and even the government and its inactions is not enough to make Nigerians give up. I know a lot of Nigerians have lost their lives and loved ones to bad leadership, but we still move on.

To be sad is extreme. Wikipedia says :

“Sadness is emotional pain associated with, or characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness and sorrow. These feelings of certain things are usually negative. When one is sad, people often become less outspoken, less energetic, and emotional. Crying is often, but not necessarily, an indication of sadness.

Sadness can be viewed as a temporary lowering of mood, whereas depression is more chronic.

Sadness is one of Paul Ekman's "six basic emotions –happy sad, angry, surprised, afraid, disgusted …"

Being the 20^th saddest place to live in the world, and looking at the above definition,one would have expected Nigeria to be heavily characterized with suicide deaths and depression. Sadness can make one want to give up on life, if you disagree please do a quick survey. So, I went online and looked up World Health Organisation's (WHO) statistics for ‘suicides rates by country’, lo and behold! Nigeria didn’t make the list at all. South Korea is 1^st on the list, China 6^th, United states 34^th, United Kingdom 38^th, Denmark 36^th, Sweden 35^th, Canada 39^th,  Norway 91^st, all out of a total list of 107 countries.

The same WHO did a recent study in 2011 as to what countries have the highest rate of depression:

“The study, sponsored by the World Health Organization, found that 21 percent of people in France and 19.2 percent of people in the U.S. reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime. On average, 15 percent of people in high-income countries reported having an episode, compared with 11 percent in low-income countries, according to the study, published July 25 in the journal BMC Medicine.

Depression affects nearly 121 million people worldwide and is the second leading contributor to shorter lifespan and poor health for individuals 15-44 years of age, according to the Geneva-based WHO. The higher percentage of depression reported by people in wealthier countries may reflect differences in societal expectations for a good life, said study co-author Ronald Kessler.

“There are a lot of people in the U.S. who say they aren’t satisfied with their lives,” Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, said in an interview. “U.S. expectations know no bounds and people in other countries are just happy to have a meal on the table.”

Now, am not saying we should be happy not being termed as a as a wealthy country or that we should be happy the way things are in Nigeria or we should fold our arms and not do anything to help the situation. I an just trying to buttress the fact that that contentment is a major key to happiness. 

Okay, so maybe we are sad and we are using other means to cover up our pain, means like hard drugs (I went that far in my thoughts). So I checked for the countries with the most use of hard drugs and found this out :

“In spite of the most stringent drug policies and punitive laws in the world, the United States also has the highest levels of lifetime illegal cocaine and marijuana use, according to a study of more than 54,000 people in 17 countries.

The United States also has the highest rate of lifetime tobacco use but comes in third in alcohol use, behind the Ukraine and Germany. The study, by Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) and colleagues, is based on the World Health Organization's Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).

Cocaine and Marijuana Use: The survey, which asked participants about their lifetime cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and alcohol use, found that 16.2% of people in the United States have used cocaine at some point during their lives. This rate was almost four times the rate of the second-place country, New Zealand, where 4.3% said they had tried cocaine.

The researchers also found that 42.4% of people in the United States reported marijuana use during their lifetime. New Zealand was second with 41.9%, but the two countries were far ahead of the other 15 in lifetime marijuana use.”

So, my dear Nigerians, in as much as we are facing a lot of negativities, we are not sad. We are the most grateful people around who are thankful for life, we are most receptive, we don’t do racism, even though religiousity not spirituality is being more emphasised these days, we still have a measure of regard for GOD. We can still party, buy aso-ebis not because we are very buoyant, but because we know the essence of support and even if we can not buy , we go for occasions and enjoy ourselves. We don’t have high rates of alcoholism and addictions so much that ‘Associations for Alcoholics’ societies are almost extinct in our country. We are not mostly found to be high on heroine because we cherish memories and are not looking for ways to escape.

Most importantly, we are a people of hope!!!!

So I strongly advise that we stop taking in every rating we see and to stop applying these ratings to our selves. Happiness is a feeling of contentment. Money (good things of life… you can make your list)  or the prescence of it would not make you happier. Yes, other countries are doing well but they fought for it. many Nigerians are yet to find a reason out of a lot of reasons to speak up for their country let alone fight. We aid the world in under developing us by admitting to everything and seeking to run to them. The money and good life we are running to go and experience in some of these countries, is here in Nigeria and even in abundance, so much that they do not want us to leave their apron-strings so we would not see clearly to fully enjoy the blessings in this country. 

By the way, Norway ranks the happiest with Denmark (2nd) and Sweden (3rd) closely behind. Canada ranks at 6th, The US at 12th and UK 13^th. From the foregoing statistics, do you agree with this?

GOD bless Nigeria.