AFRICAN PLUME

By Akin Ojumu Apart from the occasional government shutdowns and the consequent no paychecks, one of the serendipities of my job is that I get to travel around the world on Uncle Sam’s dime. I’m currently on one of such taxpayer sponsored travels, and the destination this time around is, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Although soccer is one thing that most people will point to as common between Nigeria and Brazil, the two countries share a lot more in common than the beautiful game of football. Ranked 5 th on the list of the world’s most populous nations, Brazil – with its 209 million people – has 2.73 percent of the world’s population and is the most populous nation in the South American continent. On the other hand, Nigeria with its 193 million people is ranked 7 th , constituting 2.5 percent of the world’s population, and is the most populous nation in Africa. The two countries are among the most culturally and ethnically diverse countries in the world. Whi

By Akin Ojumu Unlike their peers in the advanced nations with matured democracies, the Nigeria political class is terrible at accepting losses at the polls. As soon as the outcome of the elections is looking as though it may not go their way, and long before the collation and counting have been concluded, they start to yell “the polls are rigged, the polls are rigged, the polls are rigged.” In a country like Nigeria, the democratic experiment is still infantile, and electoral process isn’t always without serious flaws. Often, the elections are characterized by amateurish glitches and cynical misses. Many of these irregularities are partly man-made, some are a result of antiquated machines, and they are all due to the widespread systemic  inefficiencies that are predominant within the society at large. Nigerian politicians of all stripes engage in one type of fraudulent electoral practice or the other. They all buy votes, snatch ballot boxes, and employ political thuggery

By Akin Ojumu Wars have been caused by words carelessly uttered, and many have been incinerated by the flames of an unbridled tongue. When you look back at the carnage, the maiming and the butchering of innocent lives that have been left in its wake, nobody remembers, or cares, about the factual basis of the words uttered, for by that time it no longer matters. Nigeria is currently a powder keg waiting to be lit. When you are in such an incendiary state, all it takes is just a little spark for the whole place to blow up.  Therefore, the onus is on every Nigerian, who loves their country, to understand the dangers inherent in spewing out inflammatory information about alleged nefarious activities regarding the outcome of the elections.  Whether or not those claims are accurate should not matter. When you receive such information, you must handle it with care. It is imperative that you remember that there are countless rabble-rousers out there, and they are counting on you to h

By Akin Ojumu "Cleanliness is next to godliness" or "Cleanliness is godliness" That is a phrase commonly attributed to John Wesley, the English theologian and evangelist who founded the Methodist church. He he is said to have first mentioned it in a sermon he gave almost 250 years ago. To many of us, the phrase is nothing more than one of those cliches employed by adults who are trying to impress upon a child the importance of personal hygiene. While the modern use of phrase may have been credit to John Wesley, the concept of an outward cleanliness as a reflection of an inward purity is as ancient as the Babylonian and the Hebrew religious worship. Prominent in the Hebrew Torah - as well as the Christian Bible - are prescriptions and regulations for washing of hands and other body parts before a Hebrew can enter into the Temple to offer sacrifices. Due to the nature of what I do for a living, I get to do a fair bit of traveling. These trips have taken throu

By Akin Ojumu Yesterday, Nigeria engaged in illicit and ill-advised sexual intercourse with an unfaithful paramour without using any type of protection. In yet another presidential election, the motherland has willingly opened up herself to men who see in her a mere object of inordinate pleasure. Without coercion, Nigeria has once again surrendered to chastity defilers and thrill seekers, giving them consent to take advantage of her. For the 11 th time in the nation’s history, the matriarch of our destiny has been ravaged by savages who would debase her like a woman of no virtue. It is the morning after. And like a whore who, at the climax of her fertility period, has had yet another unprotected sexual encounter the previous night, mother Nigeria is overwhelmed with guilt. For jettisoning her dignity so easily and cheaply, she is consumed with regret. Fear envelopes her soul because she can feel the product of her promiscuity as it forms in the depth of her womb.