Trust no body – will the real Nigeria stand up.
Will the real Nigeria stand up.
Ed Kashi who produced the photo journal “Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta” in 2008 recently returned to the Niger Delta for 7 weeks. Kashi’s photos vividly captures the way oil invades peoples lives on all levels. From the oil infested rivers and ponds, the pollution from gas flares, pipelines running through villages and the poverty of peoples lives to the rise of the various militant groups including MEND.
He returned to Nigeria to shoot some video in Bayelsa State and publishes excerpts from his dairy which capture the farcical disorganised bureaucracy and sheer frustration at getting anything done in Nigeria. Nigeria is full of farce and irony. The capital of Bayelsa State, Yenagoa is as far removed from the modern showcase that is Abuja, [which was built on money obtained from the oil produced in Bayelsa and elsewhere in the Delta] as you can imagine. I wonder how many residents and visitors to Abuja consider the cost of the city to those in the far outposts of South Eastern Nigeria. Not very many I am sure. To return to the diary…
Yenagoa….this is the capital city of the federal state of Bayelsa, which is only 12 years old. They have put me up in the bosom of the state, the Government House, a large compound for hosting guests and dignitaries. I have not been put in the VIP building. The furniture is broken, many of the lights don’t work, the TV is useless, there is no internet, the bed is a piece of foam on a piece of plywood, and it’s not clean. On the bright side, there is electricity, a functioning air conditioner and some lights. I have to focus on what I do have, not what I don’t, otherwise I’d go downhill fast.
This is so typical of Nigeria. I am in a grand compound, with a sense of decrepit grandeur on the surface. Yet inside so much is broken, unfinished or just done poorly. The irony is, being hosted by the government I have less than I would in one of the privately owned guest hotels in the town.
A woman dressed in Sunday best negotiates the crossing of 9 pipelines running in front of the houses. Photos by Ed Kashi
The last sentences encapsulates the essence of Nigeria – A grand country which on first sight gives one a sense of a slightly decrepit land. Scratch the surface and you find much that is broken, unfinished, doesn’t work or is just done poorly. A sense of “patch patch” everywhere and the resignation of “weytin for do now?”. On the positive side, expectations are relatively low so disappointment is kept to a minimum. Of course, for some, there is always the knowledge that secret hiding places of luxury exist built behind walls and irons locks. From here one can pretend one is in another Nigeria.
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“This is so typical of Nigeria. I am in a grand compound, with a sense of decrepit grandeur on the surface. Yet inside so much is broken, unfinished or just done poorly.”
Wow. Much has been said about Nigeria by Nigerians and non Nigerians. But, the quote above will likely haunt me the most, especially if that remains the legacy left to my children.
Many countries have problems, and/or ‘weak bones’. When it comes to Nigeria, it almost seems like there is no head/leader to turn to on most things. We are all so busy doing our things with little focus on how we can collectively do big things together. At least this new #lightupnigeria campaign is doing something to help Nigerians demand electricity. But, even imagine that? Demanding electricity in the 21st century? In a country that powers the electricity of Ghana. When the lights go off in the homes of my family members in Cameroun, they shout ‘NEPA’ because Nigeria provides their electricity as well. But, please believe me when I say my family in Cameroun have better electricity supply that my family members in either of the following states – Calabar, Rivers, Abuja, Lagos.
Regardless of these realities, there is only one main concern – to get as many Nigerians aware of their rights as possible. That awareness could help diminish the complacency and helplessness far too many of us feel far too often. And that awareness, in conjunction with other things, can shift the trajectory of Nigeria and other countries on the continent. We all have to work together.
Thanks for sharing this, Sokari. As always, an enlightening and inspiring read.
solomonsydelle´s last blog ..MEND ATTACK IN LAGOS
I heard somewhere very recently a comment that Nigerians had a high level of tolerance. Maybe we should begin to lower it and stop accepting second rate and lauding the “patch patch” mentality. But you are right – people are slowly changing just wish they would move a bit quicker – and then one has to factor in the “Lagos” factor which is far away from Minna or Calabar.
The horrors of oil production in Nigeria will eventually catch up with those enjoying cheap oil.
Beauty´s last blog ..Obama in Ghana
hallo there, I enjoyed reading your blog (found it via your posting of photos on the niger delta protests against shell in London). I’m actually Scottish and recently I’ve become very interested in Nigeria partly as it was in the news here due to the kidnapped oil workers. I’ve since read about Biafra, including Chimamnada Adichie’s excellent novel ‘half of a yellow sun’. What shocked me was the extremely biased reporting by the BBC, who basically don’t criticise the Nigerian government, and certainly have never questioned the morality of Britain’s continuing support for such a brutal regime. They like to see themselves as the free-est media in the world, but when you look at situations like this, it is completely hympocritical, and a dereliction of journalistic duty. But then the same thing happened in Biafra forty years ago, so we should not be surprised it continues now. What’s needed is more awareness of Nigeria’s legacy of injustice, in the same way there is for Palestine at the hands of Israel. Do you know of any groups in Britain aimed at pressuring the government to change its stance on Nigeria? I would like to join if there are any. As an English as a foreign language teacher I tried to do my bit last week, by showing my class an interview with Wole Soyinka and Ed Kashi on the Riz Khan programme. At least that’s twelve more people across Europe who know about the shameful situation. Keep up the blogging, I’ll come back to read more. I gave you a link to my own, which is actually a novel I’ve been working on set in Naples, Italy, where I lived a while. There is a Nigerian character, who probably I have not captured very well, but there you are – it’s not easy to write about someone from a cultural background you don’t really know. All best Tony
Tony Garner´s last blog ..Chapter 10
@Tony – thanks. You are absolutely right – the BBC standard of reporting is atrocious and most definitely never independent. They get by through their name but personally I feel Al Jazeera is far more objective and brings more truth to their reports that the BBC – just think of the comparison between their reports on Israel’s invasion of Gaza and the uprisings in Iran. Yes the Niger Delta Solidarity group which is a pan-delta group and we need all the support we can get. I will send you details by email by tomorrow.