Memorial Day

Tide Turning

Max Siollun is a Nigerian journalist and historian. I’ve quoted him before. He shared his story in The Guardian about Boko Haram and how the fight has changed. Now it is Boko Haram that is on the run, he says, no longer the Nigerian army.

He cites several causes for the change. “Although many factors played a part, perhaps the most obvious has been a ruthless crackdown on dissent within the military itself.” He says dozens of army deserters have been court-martialled.

Deutsche Welle also reported on the court martials.

Nigerian Army website logo

Nigerian Army website logo

In addition, Siollun says, there has been a change in army command and the troops trust the new leadership whereas they did not have faith in their earlier leaders.

He also warns that there is much more to do. He says, “. . the army’s gains on the battlefield have inadvertently exposed the magnitude of the task still ahead. The fact that the military rescued nearly 1,000 women and children and yet not one of the nearly 300 kidnapped Chibok teenagers was among them demonstrates just how many people are being held.”

He points out that winning the peace may require new tactics, including finding the ways to care for the victims already rescued and those still in captivity.

And former Boko Haram? How will they be protected from revenge seekers, he wonders.

Advice from Abroad

Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, has offered his advice to Nigeria. Abolish oil subsidies, he recommends, and use the revenue to bolster the infrastructure. There’s no doubt that funds to improve the infrastructure are badly needed.

But I wonder if Blair remembers, or if anyone reminded him, what happened last time the oil subsidy was to be removed.

All of a sudden on January 1st 2012 the government announced the end of fuel subsidies. So the price of petrol rose significantly. There were riots and strikes and an Occupy movement, and the government gave in and kept the oil subsidy. I’m sure Buhari would have the nerve, but would it be best for the country?

Weston Newcomers Book Club. A lovely group; a couple of guests had to leave early.

Weston Newcomers Book Club. A lovely group; a couple of guests had to leave early.

Weston Newcomers Book Club

I had my first experience of meeting with a book group to talk about my memoir, Nigeria Revisited, My Life and Loves Abroad. The group is called the Weston Newcomers Book Club, but most of the women have been in the group for several years.

I spoke for a few minutes using a condensed version of my usual PowerPoint presentation which I had printed out for them.

They had lots of comments, questions, and wonderful connections to share. One woman is married to a British man who was a baby in 1952 in Nigeria  where his father was the colonial police commissioner in Onitsha and Enugu. Another had been with a Nigerian man for over two decades. Though she is no longer with him she was very familiar with Nigerian customs.

A third had been in Kenya during her 4th grade school year – her father was with Mobil Oil – so my children’s experience in a British primary school was familiar to her.

They were a lovely group and gave me a good grounding for my next book club meeting in two weeks in Park City Utah.

Kelvin and Ikem at the beach

Kelvin and Ikem at the beach

First Beach Visit and Parade

Daughter Beth, her husband Kelvin, their three kids, and their daughter’s friend Lily are here for Memorial Day – what fun!

We made our first 2015 visit to the beach soon after they arrived this afternoon.

Ikem, now 22 months old, loved running the sand through his fingers.

There were a few clouds, mostly sun, but when the breeze was blowing, it was cool. We have a little beach towel with a hood that belonged to another child, probably our friend Chloe, so we wrapped Ikem in that.

Nkiru and Lily took Ikem to the playground. He didn’t care for the slides until the end – then they got a big smile from him!

The Westport Memorial Day parade is tomorrow morning.

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter

Beth and family are not happy about the 8:15 reporting time, but I think they’ll join me. I promised Beth I’d make a Black Lives Matter sign to carry. I have the banner with the TEAM Westport logo.

Memorial Day Service

Our interim minister Rev. Roberta led an emotional service this morning at The Unitarian Church in Westport.

Iwo Jima Flag Raising

Iwo Jima Flag Raising

She divided the candle-lighting into two segments.

In the first, she asked people to come forward to name someone close who had died in military service, and say where the person had died.

The first person named her brother who had died at Iwo Jima. Several people named friends and relatives who had died in Viet Nam. One had lost a cousin in Iraq.

Are you remembering someone special this Memorial Day?

 

Author: Catherine Onyemelukwe

Author, blogger, speaker. Born in New York, grew up in mid west United States, lived in Nigeria for 24 years, back in U.S. since 1986. Advocate for racial justice.

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