The approximately 1.38km Lekki-Ikoyi Link bridge has been open for a few months now and I'm sure 'Thank you Fashola!' is what most commuters are saying. Yes the toll is steep, yes there's sometimes traffic there too, but it still beats going through the LCC toll gate and sitting through hours of traffic on Kingsway road and Ozumba Mbadiwe road, if you have no business to conduct in VI and are merely trying to travel between Lekki and beyond on the one side and Osbourne and beyond on the other side.
Those of us whose addresses have been upgraded to 'off Bourdillon' are also thankful. I can now say my address and Ikoyi in the same breath. After all, only 1.38 odd kilometres separate us.
Another reason we have to be thankful for the bridge is the unprecedented surge in 'health consciousness' of residents from both ends of the bridge. At least I hope that's why there are hordes of people on the bridge everyday, especially weekends, engaged in all forms of physical exercise.
I myself walked the bridge this past Saturday and I wondered anew at the sheer numbers of cyclers, runners, joggers, woggers, walkers, and even dancers I saw. I kid you not- there was a man with his ipod earbuds firmly in his ears, sunglasses on his face, dancing away to God-knows-what he was listening to. He alternated between dancing and doing a few Taebo moves every couple of minutes.
There was an older gentleman with a barrel-belly who was surprisingly spry on his feet. I say barrel because calling it a pot-belly would be an injustice. You can only see a pot-belly when you are standing in front of the owner- I could see his belly from several yards behind him.
There was a younger gentleman who had to weigh well over 200kg, and yet another smallish gentleman who had clearly been a sprinter for his village primary school- nothing dainty or fanciful about his trot.
There were of course several women of various shapes, sizes, colors, ages and athletic ability.
I took all of this in while trying to keep pace with a rather long-legged gentleman walking slightly ahead of me, and to keep myself from being run off the sidewalk.
Aside: People, the rules are simple: Walk on the side of the road where you're facing oncoming traffic; If for some reason you choose to walk on the other side, imagine you are a car and keep the same lane you would. In Nigeria, that means stay on your right.
It would be really helpful if I didn't have to play a game of 'chicken' with everyone walking towards me. You know the game we sometimes like to play on narrow roads, when two cars are on the same lane and we wait till the absolute last minute to see who swerves to give the other one right of way?
Anyhow, as I walk I notice yet another group of commuters- people who were walking for transportation, not for exercise or for leisure. I saw various expressions on their faces- from amusement to bemusement.
Amusement, I imagine, at how we all seem so perfectly color-coordinated or color blocked: the orange tracksuit with the purple sneakers, the grey and lime green yoga set with the lime green running shoes. One guy couldn't even manage to match his 'buba' to his 'sokoto', I imagine in his rush to make it to his destination on time, and someone had time to match running gear?
Amusement, I imagine, at the fact that we need that much gear to exercise: the ipod, the phone, the pedometer, the headband and wristband and sunglasses, the...
Bemusement, I imagine, at the eccentricities of the rich and famous- they eat all that rich food and then try to walk or run it off; why would any sane person choose to walk in the heat when he has at least three top-of-the-range vehicles in his compound; they cycle for sport? If I had a bicycle all my transportation problems would be solved!
Well to the barrel-bellied and the overweight gentlemen I say 'Good job!' Its never too late to turn your life around.
To the dancer I say 'dance like no one is watching...'
To my fellow color-coordinated 'Bourdillon area' residents, I say good for us. At least we got off our cute behinds and did something.
To the regular pedestrians I say you can't really know what its like until you've walked in someone's shoes, and I bet you'd do the exact same thing when you get to be an authentic Bourdillon area resident too.
See you on the bridge next Saturday!
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Monday, 5 November 2012
The Scourge
Cancer is whipping the behinds of AIDS and Malaria in the race to become the single biggest killer of African potential. It's winning the race almost hands down! Forget the two biggest contenders AIDS and Malaria, forget brain drain, forget infant and maternal mortality. Think about it, how many loved ones have to lost to any of those causes in the past year? If you do have a number other than zero, please accept my sincere condolences. I'm willing to bet though, that you have at least an equal number gone to Cancer.
It's come up with a million and one varieties, a million and one cells to affect in a body, and a million and one ways to evade treatment!
Time was when it was possible to directly relate cancer in a patient to a specific causative agent or predisposition: a smoking habit; a family history of breast cancer; long-term exposure to a known carcinogen, possibly from working in a factory; etc. Today cancer doesn't need any of those excuses to strike anymore! People who haven't smoked a day in their life die of cancer. What do you do to predispose you to pancreatic cancer? or breast cancer for that matter?
Time was when we all knew what the carcinogens were and if we stayed away from them we were relatively sure to be cancer-free. Now every other day something else gets added to the list of carcinogens. It's practically impossible to live a normal life without being exposed to at least one cancer-causing agent each day!
We're told early detection is the only real solution, and yet a large proportion of detection/diagnosis is still incidental, happening only after treatment for other diseases has failed. This in particular is the case for people with no family history or known predisposition, and people in (3rd?) world countries like Nigeria.
Young ladies are getting elective mammograms every day now in some parts of the world because they have a family history of breast cancer. Older ladies are having elective hysterectomies because they have some predisposition to ovarian cancer- and those are the lucky ones! The ones who are educated enough and aware enough and possess the resources to actually do these procedures. That still leaves the rest of the population who still get blindsided by cancer everyday to deal with the debilitating sickness, the pain, the sheer agony of the sickness. It still leaves all of those families to watch their loved ones fade away before their eyes. We won't talk about how traumatic it must be for a woman of any age who takes preventive or even curative measures to lose such a intrinsic part of their anatomy, a portion that pretty much defines them as that gender. We won't talk about the fact that oftentimes even after these drastic measures they still lose the battle.
Oh how do we rationalize the loss of an able-bodied young man to cancer due to exposure to hitherto unknown or well-hidden carcinogens in the factory where he worked to put food on the table for his family? What if the carcinogens were already known but he could find no other work?
So even the handful who are willing and able to take preventive measures still do it at a huge cost- emotional, spiritual, financial, relational, psychological costs.
So it looks like any which way we all pay, right? In some form or the other we pay, whether first hand or 2nd hand we pay. Such a steep price we pay.
So here I am lending my voice to the cry for a cure for cancer. Can every nation put their money where their citizen's lives are going? Can every millionaire, every billionaire and every philanthropist put some real money into this? Can every religion talk about this on every holy day and consciously pray and fast about it? Can every research institute make this a priority? Can everybody do something concrete towards a cure when you read this? Please?
I acknowledge and I applaud all of the people who are in any way contributing to that search for a cure right now. I acknowledge the giant steps that have been made. I'm just saying I think we can do more if we all really just give it a moment of thought.
RIP Remi Lagos (aged 51), the latest to fall prey to the scourge. I didn't know her personally, but she contributed immensely to putting Nigeria on the fashion map.
This one is dedicated to my dad Professor Amos Babatunde Folarin (died aged 69); to our friend Bayo Muili (aged 44); to a lovely woman Mrs Ogundipe (aged 62); to Uncle Akintunde (50s); to Donna Summer (aged 63); to Yvette Wilson (aged 48); and to all the other people who've fallen, and those that are currently battling...
It's come up with a million and one varieties, a million and one cells to affect in a body, and a million and one ways to evade treatment!
Time was when it was possible to directly relate cancer in a patient to a specific causative agent or predisposition: a smoking habit; a family history of breast cancer; long-term exposure to a known carcinogen, possibly from working in a factory; etc. Today cancer doesn't need any of those excuses to strike anymore! People who haven't smoked a day in their life die of cancer. What do you do to predispose you to pancreatic cancer? or breast cancer for that matter?
Time was when we all knew what the carcinogens were and if we stayed away from them we were relatively sure to be cancer-free. Now every other day something else gets added to the list of carcinogens. It's practically impossible to live a normal life without being exposed to at least one cancer-causing agent each day!
We're told early detection is the only real solution, and yet a large proportion of detection/diagnosis is still incidental, happening only after treatment for other diseases has failed. This in particular is the case for people with no family history or known predisposition, and people in (3rd?) world countries like Nigeria.
Young ladies are getting elective mammograms every day now in some parts of the world because they have a family history of breast cancer. Older ladies are having elective hysterectomies because they have some predisposition to ovarian cancer- and those are the lucky ones! The ones who are educated enough and aware enough and possess the resources to actually do these procedures. That still leaves the rest of the population who still get blindsided by cancer everyday to deal with the debilitating sickness, the pain, the sheer agony of the sickness. It still leaves all of those families to watch their loved ones fade away before their eyes. We won't talk about how traumatic it must be for a woman of any age who takes preventive or even curative measures to lose such a intrinsic part of their anatomy, a portion that pretty much defines them as that gender. We won't talk about the fact that oftentimes even after these drastic measures they still lose the battle.
Oh how do we rationalize the loss of an able-bodied young man to cancer due to exposure to hitherto unknown or well-hidden carcinogens in the factory where he worked to put food on the table for his family? What if the carcinogens were already known but he could find no other work?
So even the handful who are willing and able to take preventive measures still do it at a huge cost- emotional, spiritual, financial, relational, psychological costs.
So it looks like any which way we all pay, right? In some form or the other we pay, whether first hand or 2nd hand we pay. Such a steep price we pay.
So here I am lending my voice to the cry for a cure for cancer. Can every nation put their money where their citizen's lives are going? Can every millionaire, every billionaire and every philanthropist put some real money into this? Can every religion talk about this on every holy day and consciously pray and fast about it? Can every research institute make this a priority? Can everybody do something concrete towards a cure when you read this? Please?
I acknowledge and I applaud all of the people who are in any way contributing to that search for a cure right now. I acknowledge the giant steps that have been made. I'm just saying I think we can do more if we all really just give it a moment of thought.
RIP Remi Lagos (aged 51), the latest to fall prey to the scourge. I didn't know her personally, but she contributed immensely to putting Nigeria on the fashion map.
This one is dedicated to my dad Professor Amos Babatunde Folarin (died aged 69); to our friend Bayo Muili (aged 44); to a lovely woman Mrs Ogundipe (aged 62); to Uncle Akintunde (50s); to Donna Summer (aged 63); to Yvette Wilson (aged 48); and to all the other people who've fallen, and those that are currently battling...
Thursday, 6 September 2012
DanaRama
"The federal government has lifted the suspension
of the Operating Licence of Dana Airlines," Joe Obi, spokesman for the aviation ministry
said in a statement.
On the 3rd of June 2012, at least 159 of God's most precious creation lost their lives in an untimely and gruesome manner. Multiply that number by an infinite exponential factor and you can begin to get a picture of the number of lives that were really affected, the number of families that were thrown into grieving, mourning, disarray, despondence, hopelessness, truncation, stagnation- you get the drift- on account of this one incidence.
Exactly 94 days after that ill-fated journey, on the 5th of September 2012, we hear the above announcement over various news media.
After the crash, people were understandably hurt and angry and the authorities did the right thing by opening an investigation into the cause of the plane crash, and suspending Dana from flying. The black box from the aircraft was sent abroad to be decoded, in aid of said investigation.
Forgive me for repeating information that we all got from the news media, I'm just testing to see that indeed that information was not available to only me, who had access to it by some special priviledge or connection with the powers that be. If indeed it is true that this information was openly available to us all, am I over-reaching in thinking that through the same news media, we should also have gotten the information on the results of the investigation, and at least a layman's account of the details of the 'rigorous technical, operational and financial audit?'
As far as I know, at the end of every audit there is an audit report. So I am not wrong in assuming that such a report must exist and must be in the possession of our highly esteemed officials, right?
Would it be too much to ask that they share that report with us, seeing as we are still grieving for our dearly beloved departed friends and family, and we would like to feel that we are doing something to ensure that their lives have not just been wasted, and that at the very least our authorities have done something to mitigate against a repetition of the same factors causing a future accident even though they are not God and cannot mitigate against other, as yet unknown factors?
Would it be presumptuous of me to expect to hear the news of the results of that investigation, and a report on a review of Dana's, and indeed all the other airlines' processes and procedures, before the news of the lift on the ban on Dana airlines?
It's 94 days after. Each victim didn't even get one day of respect?
Don't get it twisted, 94 days is sufficient to do all that's required, so I'm not advocating that Dana continue to be punished even after all that's required has been done. I'm saying let's show a little respect for the citizens of this nation. Let's begin to put their lives and welfare ahead of other interests, personal and commercial. Show us that due diligence has been done and I would gladly go out and fly Dana or any other airline that's expedient in the moment. It's simply not enough to announce that he ban has been lifted. All is not uhuru.
If, again, I am the only one who does not have this information on account of my reclusive lifestyle and lack of basic infrastructure, and indeed all this information has been made publicly available, then I apologise for my tirade, but today, I just don't feel like turning the other cheek!
"This follows government's satisfaction
with the air-worthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational
and financial audit."
On the 3rd of June 2012, at least 159 of God's most precious creation lost their lives in an untimely and gruesome manner. Multiply that number by an infinite exponential factor and you can begin to get a picture of the number of lives that were really affected, the number of families that were thrown into grieving, mourning, disarray, despondence, hopelessness, truncation, stagnation- you get the drift- on account of this one incidence.
Exactly 94 days after that ill-fated journey, on the 5th of September 2012, we hear the above announcement over various news media.
After the crash, people were understandably hurt and angry and the authorities did the right thing by opening an investigation into the cause of the plane crash, and suspending Dana from flying. The black box from the aircraft was sent abroad to be decoded, in aid of said investigation.
Forgive me for repeating information that we all got from the news media, I'm just testing to see that indeed that information was not available to only me, who had access to it by some special priviledge or connection with the powers that be. If indeed it is true that this information was openly available to us all, am I over-reaching in thinking that through the same news media, we should also have gotten the information on the results of the investigation, and at least a layman's account of the details of the 'rigorous technical, operational and financial audit?'
As far as I know, at the end of every audit there is an audit report. So I am not wrong in assuming that such a report must exist and must be in the possession of our highly esteemed officials, right?
Would it be too much to ask that they share that report with us, seeing as we are still grieving for our dearly beloved departed friends and family, and we would like to feel that we are doing something to ensure that their lives have not just been wasted, and that at the very least our authorities have done something to mitigate against a repetition of the same factors causing a future accident even though they are not God and cannot mitigate against other, as yet unknown factors?
Would it be presumptuous of me to expect to hear the news of the results of that investigation, and a report on a review of Dana's, and indeed all the other airlines' processes and procedures, before the news of the lift on the ban on Dana airlines?
It's 94 days after. Each victim didn't even get one day of respect?
Don't get it twisted, 94 days is sufficient to do all that's required, so I'm not advocating that Dana continue to be punished even after all that's required has been done. I'm saying let's show a little respect for the citizens of this nation. Let's begin to put their lives and welfare ahead of other interests, personal and commercial. Show us that due diligence has been done and I would gladly go out and fly Dana or any other airline that's expedient in the moment. It's simply not enough to announce that he ban has been lifted. All is not uhuru.
If, again, I am the only one who does not have this information on account of my reclusive lifestyle and lack of basic infrastructure, and indeed all this information has been made publicly available, then I apologise for my tirade, but today, I just don't feel like turning the other cheek!
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