October 22, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
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Poet Laureate in Alabama

New Poet Laureate in Alabama

I read about the new poet laureate in Alabama. She is Ashley M. Jones, a Black woman who is just 31. She will hold this post from 2022 to 2026.

Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones

She says, “true reparations require an enormous cultural evolution.” Her comments about race and its injustices certainly exceed my expectations.

She is the only Black person and the youngest to take this title. After all, the state is still struggling with a history of white supremacy. Their actions in the past speak louder than words.

Among her writing is this line, “Give me the songs you said were yours but you know came out of our lips first.”

Her appeal comes from her inclusive use of slam poetry, oral traditions, and outsider art, among many other attributes. In “Reparations Now!” there is a consistent desire for repair. This is clear in her longing for the “country, the state and individuals.”

She is a native of Birmingham, a place she left but has now come back to. Ms Jones’ poetry reflects her continued desire for praise but also a need for criticism.

Right now, in the state capitol, a committee is working to “extract racist language from the Alabama Constitution.” I wish them well!

A New Malaria Vaccine

The Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says of the new vaccine, “This is a historic moment. The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.”

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of WHO

Dr. Ghebreyesus is the head of the World Health Organization. He is highlighting the new vaccine and its long-awaited introduction to the malaria field.

It has actually been used in trial pilots in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa for 3 years.

“For centuries, malaria has stalked sub-Saharan Africa, causing immense personal suffering,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “We have long hoped for an effective malaria vaccine and now for the first time ever, we have such a vaccine recommended for widespread use. Today’s recommendation offers a glimmer of hope for the continent which shoulders the heaviest burden of the disease and we expect many more African children to be protected from malaria and grow into healthy adults.”

There are these facts about the vaccine: the vaccine is “feasible to deliver.” It is based on the results in the other countries up until now. Second, it is “reaching the unreached.” It has been used in countries where there are no bed-nets.

Third, it is a “strong safety-net for distribution” of the vaccine. It is highly regarded in the places where it has been used and looks for other areas where it will be distributed.

Who Will Pay?

Now which countries will allow the vaccine in, and help pay for it? And which countries will allow others to help pay for it?

Nigeria has said it will help pay for the cost. It is also allowing financing through an unprecedented collaboration among three key global health funding bodies: “Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Unitaid.”

Gavi is an international organization that stands behind most vaccines and has been around for a while. The Global Fund to Fight Aids is focused on Aids-prevention and protection. Unitaid, founded in 2006, secures funding from several donor countries.

Reality Confronts Perception

Excel template

Do you get a bit fed up with all the changes to our formats? My friend Jean was here the other day. She shared her opinion of the “new formats” in Excel.

She used to use Excel easily, as I did! But with the “new format” offered in Excel, she cannot use it so easily.

I admit that I haven’t tried to open a file with Excel now. With the changes underway, I probably won’t for the time being!

September 13, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
6 Comments

Not-So-New Novel

Cheluchi’s book, Son of the House

Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia

Cheluchi is my cousin and a dear friend. Her newish novel, written 2 years ago, has been named among 3 books for a $100,000 prize! I am so proud of her!

And I haven’t even read the book. It’s now for sale in the US so I’ll get it today or tomorrow. Writing about the book gives it a special appeal!

Tech Education for Africans

Nigerian Ustacky is teaching Africans how to do relevant industry skills. Ustacky will also teach young people how to manage success at an affordable price.

This will make them job-ready. The program, launched in 2019,  delivers training in programming. It uses its website and mobile app. Both methods deliver high-quality video courses offered by  excellent instructors.

The two instructors have been interested in doing this for 10 years! Finally two years ago they hit upon this method of making access to tech education easy.

We started doing things that would eventually lead to Ustacky over a decade ago. We have organised physical training programmes, created online courses with thousands of students, and mentored students, among other things (Nigerian spelling).

After trying several methods, both online and offline, the pair discovered there was no platform to make tech education easy! So they set out on their own.

My piano! Not quite so complete but most is there.

I’ll Be Practicing!

I’m getting a new piano! It’s a digital affair, 88 keys. It is like the one Kenechi has. Beth, my daughter, told me to get this; she said, “No substitutions!” She is sure I will take up the piano again. She doesn’t expect it to be easy, but believes I have the impetus to try!

I used to play regularly. But I have barely touched a piano in many years!

So I will be practicing, starting tomorrow. Therefore I will not send my blog for the meantime. Maybe it will be for a long time.

But don’t forget me! I may tune in briefly for a quick notice in between practices.

August 15, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
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Art Returns to Nigeria

Queen Mother Pendant Mask

Eventual Return to Nigeria!

Located in Benin, one of the regions of Nigeria, is a new museum, so new it is barely begun. This will be the Edo Museum of West African Art. At one time, before 1897, it had an amazing number of people who owed allegiance to Benin Kingdom.

The person in charge is David Adjaye. He is called a “starchitect” because he has won fame as the designer of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This museum in Washington is famous. My friend Judy Hamer has belongings there. I will have to look up what is there. (Judy, you can remind me!) Another friend was just in Washington and visited the Museum, but could only spend 4 hours there. He knows hde is going back. I still have not been!

Recently the German minister of culture has announced plans to send back to Nigeria hundreds of art objects. He is currently awaiting the result of the museum, which could take five years, so no rush!

Leopard head

Even more important are the objects in the British Museum. That collection reaches 700 items! Some would love to see those returned.

These items came from Benin which was the center of the artistic world in West Africa. They were taken in 1897. But the Germans were not in Benin, so one can assume the objects were sold on the international art market. They were then donated to the German museum.

Today only 50 pieces remain in Nigeria!

Calls for the return of art acquired by Western countries during the colonial period is an old song. Some countries, especially where national identity is weak, see the return of art as a dimension of nation-building. Other cases are more narrowly a matter of principle. Since the nineteenth century, the Greeks have agitated for the British return of the Parthenon sculptures (the “Elgin Marbles”). This perspective takes for granted that the art produced in a particular locale uniquely belongs to the people who live there now, hence the importance of its physical repatriation.

Benin art

But today another perspective is that art belongs to everyone. What matters is the art’s accessibility, not its current location. It should reside where it is open to all.

Quartz Africa

You might skip the three companies if you don’t wish to read about new funding. But these three are all worthy!

Three pieces in Quartz Africa deserve our attention. One is Chekkit, a counterfeiting firm. Chekkit says it is based in Yaba, part of Lagos.

What will it do with $500,000? It will “enable us to directly protect up to 100 million lives from counterfeit products by giving everyone the ability to identify and only buy original products, report the fake ones they come across, and get rewarded for doing so.”

The second one is Uber. The company uses the finance partner in Africa called Moove, which found the new funding.

The reporter talks about “the implications of Moove’s recent $23 million financing round, which it will devote to continental expansion, building on its current pilot in Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa.”

Is this a move by Uber to use its own fleet? Or is it an expansion of getting cars to people? We’ll have to wait to see.

The third is Zowasel, a Nigerian agri-tech startup.

The company has received $100,000 equity-free financing from Guinness Nigeria and Promasidor Nigeria. 

This was part of the UN World Food Program’s “Zero Hunger Sprint.” In its bid “to end hunger by 2030, the initiative funds disruptive innovations whose operations are at the intersection of smallholder farmers, communities, people, and networks, for seamless and accessible agricultural trade.”

These are all worthy. I hope to see more about them later!

August 7, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
6 Comments

Time to Travel!

Time to Travel

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s Guards

We are going to London! We’ll see Sam and his kids, and I’ll have a break in my routine. Beth, my granddaughter Nkiru, and I are getting set to go!

Sam left on Wednesday. Today, Saturday, the children have gone to a camp in Birmingham, 100 miles northwest of London. Sam is at dinner with a friend who lives in the city.

And I didn’t realize he was taking the children to camp today, though I’m sure he told me!

Beth, Nkiru and I have not figured out what we need in our record of vaccinations. I assume I’ll need my vaccination record with dates. Do we need recent tests? No idea yet but will hope to have it revealed soon!

Sam had a difficult time getting ready for this trip. The worst problem was when he discovered that Bruche’s passport had expired!

He submitted it in plenty of time to get a new one by Thursday last week. But in the end he had to wait until Tuesday, the day before they left! So he didn’t make reservations on Air B&B until they were about to go. He tried a couple of times from Lagos, then in London. Still he found they were full, even though the reservation said they were free! Now he’s staying in a hotel or at a friend’s house while the children are away.

Maybe he will try again when the children are coming back in 11 or 12 days. They will stay until September 1st or 2nd.

Harrods

Harrods has shows of many items

Fun in London

Well, we’re in London so we’ll have to go to Harrods! Maybe I’ll try on this outfit, or maybe not!

Do I want to see the museums? No, I don’t think so.

Where else would we like to see? Sam says we’ll take the ride on the big wheel, the major one that looks over London. Surely we’ll go to Buckingham Palace.

I’d like to go to Hampstead, and see if our old house is still there!

We’ll stay from the 17th to the 27th. We’re going on Business Class for Beth and me, and Extended Economy for Nkiru. I had asked Chinaku, my older son, to book my tickets. At first he objected to Extended Economy for Nkiru. In the end he finally gave way and booked all our tickets for us!

Chinaku took Sam to the airport on Wednesday.

My Memoir

breaking kola

My second book, Breaking Kola

Heidi Olsen, my classmate from the Yale School of Management, says she is intrigued by my book, the memoir. The second, the one on Breaking Kola: An Inside View of African Customs, I would have to give it to her.

I had no idea she had the memoir with her. In her stack of unread books she discovered this, picked it up, and read it.

She did not realize I had come to SOM having just left Nigeria a few days before. I think I may have connected with her in our last reunion. But I had forgotten.

She said she would talk to others about the book. Already she mentioned one, Patty Nolan. I believe she would like me to talk. I’d be happy to do that.

It would be fun! Given my stroke of a year ago, I am a little apprehensive. But I don’t think I’ll leave out any significant points in my talk. I will have an outline, even a write-up, so I can follow that.

The events in Nigeria were certainly important to me. The civil war, 1967-1970, was major. So were my times in Trinity House, and Nigerwives’ founding. There were so many more!

I will have to choose which ones to highlight. I have told her I am ready to proceed in the fall, though with a small group! Maybe I’ll do the same later with a larger group!

July 28, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
8 Comments

The Fisherwomen and My Daughter

Fishing people in Nigeria

The fisherwomen are among the very industrious workers in the riverine district of the Niger Delta region. Today it seems they have a major complaint against Chevron. They say Chevon is allowing one of its pipes to leak. But they are stymied by the intransigence of the Chevron people.

They noticed an oil system that was leaking but at first they had no way to know where it came from.

Then, out with some other fisherwomen one day in February, she said they spotted something bubbling up to the river’s surface. Ms. Joseph (one of the women)  steered her oil-blackened canoe closer.

Far below her snaked a pipe. The American oil giant Chevron laid that pipe 46 years before, according to many neighbors of Ms. Joseph who were there at the time, and now, they said, it was leaking.

Chevron says no oil was spilling from its pipes. But by March 26, the women had organized a delegation of 100s. These women paddled out on hand-carved canoes or were carried by speedboats!

They climbed up Chevron’s ladders. They scaled Chevron’s wire fences, dropping down on the other side. They shook palm fronds and banged plastic bottles, singing protest songs.

Then they settled in to wait.

After 10 days, the men asked them to return home. So they did. But they are still waiting!

The land in their region

Meanwhile, two guards are stationed near their home, so that Chevron cannot sneak in and fix the pipe unobserved. Planes keep flying overhead. Chevron says they are there to make sure no pipes are leaking.

All the women really want is for Chevron to make them “whole,” that is, give them supplies as a step in the investigation. And then proceed with the investigation, as promised.

The delicate ecosystem of the Niger Delta, once teeming with plant and animal life, is today one of the most polluted places on the planet. . . The fisherwomen who staged the protest didn’t want Chevron out — they just wanted the oil spill stopped, and an investigation started. And maybe some sacks of cassava or rice to tide them over until they could fish again.

Book I Read

How Beautiful We Were

I just finished reading a book by a Cameroonian author. She is Imbolo Mbue, and wrote the new book, “How Beautiful We Were.”

It relates to a village (I’m guessing it’s Nigeria) where the people are again devastated by big oil.

The village is hit by the big oil company. The oil company keeps leaning on them, asking them to be patient.

One of the people in the village is a supporter of big oil. He keeps reminding people to be content and have a good life. But they cannot.

Finally one of the women in the village goes on to Washington to make protestations about big oil companies. She succeeds only after many years. But the village has been emptied out by then. This book was very sad.

Her first novel, “Behold The Dreamers,” was published in 2016. That book won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

My Daughter Gets Me Excited

My daughter Beth emailed me yesterday morning with her news. She said the participation of OGN (Organon) to: “license the global development, manufacturing, and commercial rights to ebopiprant,” may gain them another $500 million over the long term!

They just heard about it.

She was relieved to be done with all the due diligence for this drug. It had lasted months, she said! But she was very excited!

July 19, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
4 Comments

People Who Care

The Story about Mgbokwuocha

Clinton Speaks About Human Rights

For Sunday’s service (yesterday), Beth Cliff launched a program called Women’s Rights are Human Rights. She invited 9 of us to tell stories about our countries that highlighted the differences and similarities between our (adopted) countries and the U.S.

I told the story of Mgbokwuocha, the woman who lived next door to us in Nanka, in Eastern Nigeria. This was during the Civil War in Nigeria, from 1967 to 1970.

I wondered why Mgbokwuocha had never married. So I asked my cousin Chinedu to tell me about her.

In 1949 or ’50, Mgbokwuocha was about to get married. But her two older sisters intervened. They said she should follow the custom of “Nnuikwa,” the “inside son.”

Poster about Women’s Rights and Human Rights

They asked her to accept the land their father had lived on, and adopt his place in the community. With this change, Mgbokwuocha would have the sons who could inherit her land.

The men accepted her in the role. They helped her spruce up the house and get the land ready for planting. They also served as “night visitors.” The children of these unions would not know who they father was. Nor was the father responsible for their behavior.

She owned the land now. She could barter small parcels for extra help, and she could sell the trees or their fruits. Her crops were her own.

In 2005 Mgbokwuocha died. I’m guessing she was about 73 or 74. Her children mourned her. So did the umunna, the elders of our village. I was sorry not to see her.

If I can go to Nanka for this year’s Christmas holiday, I would like to see her sons.

The full story about Mgbokwuocha is told in my second book, Breaking Kola. 

My Son Sam

Sam Onyemelukwe has been the head of cable TV music channel Trace for several years. Now he and his Chief Executive Officer want to encourage students in Ghana and Nigeria to be ready for tomorrow’s “industry leaders.” He and his CEO were highlighted in two articles, one in Punch and the other in the Nigerian Tribute.

Olivier Laouchez, the Chief Executive Officer, wants to invite 60 people to be Trace Troops. He was speaking in July at a celebratory event. Fifteen of the students would be hired to work with Trace for 3 months.

sam

Sam as Managing Director, Trace TV

He said the beneficiaries will be “required to develop a unique project of their choice . . . while TRACE will empower them with the necessary resources, alongside guidance on media and entertainment.”

The debut phase of the campaign, which is scheduled to run from July 22 to October 21, 2021, is targeted at male and female Nigerians and Ghanaians between the ages of 16-28, who are passionate about Afro-urban culture and change.

The Managing Director of Trace, Sam Onyemelukwe – and my son! – described the project, “as an avenue to equip the younger generation, while also exposing them to fun activities.”

He said the program will help the young people get excited about their own ideas. They will be able to launch them with the help of Trace.

In the same statement, Onyemelukwe noted that to expand Trace’s CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] initiatives, another program called Trace Academia has been launched. The same target audience will be reached with this program. “According to him, it would curb the menace of youth unemployment in Africa,” he said.

I hope this second program doesn’t run into difficulty! I noted their goal of 25 million young people in four years. That’s impressive, and difficult to achieve!

In the Nigerian Tribune, Sam said this program “is targeted at addressing the bane of youth unemployment in Africa.”

That would be a major accomplishment, even if it only reaches a portion of the people in the age group!

July 11, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
Comments Off on My Dream

My Dream

My Dream

Joy

Joy, Dream, Hope – all forms of the dreams!

My Sister Grannies, a group of 8 women who are all grandmothers, write every month. Our writing is not for generating ideas, but rather a way to get us to discuss the topic. We take turns, each reading what she has written.

This month our topic was Heaven. I poured over this idea for a while, and finally wrote this:

I have a dream! Many Black and brown people will have their daily needs met for the first time. All needs, including food, clothing, shelter, and a safe space, will be overseen by the city where they live, or by their county. The daily needs contain enough clothing for every season.

Their housing needs are also covered by the city or the county. A minimum house or apartment will have enough rooms for all the people who live in it. I imagine it will have a living space, a dining area, a kitchen, and enough bedrooms.

The coverage comes with a job! That job will pay at least $15 an hour. Together with the job comes a caretaker for the youngest children until they are old enough to be in school. And the caretaker is on call when they are out of school, so they are cared for at home.

OK, I can stop dreaming now!

I don’t have to go back so many years. In the 1930s and 40s workers were united by the need for a strong union. White and Black people were welcomed, though the Black people were few. In the 1950s and 60s the Black people were more, but they got put into levels or ranks. So they competed with each other, not with the company. More recently, the time has not seemed right for the workers.

The union had worked hard, but not hard enough. When the vote came recently in an Amazon plant in Alabama, the workers failed to form a union.

Degrees of the dream!

Who Will Help?

Ron Pollack is not a household name. But perhaps he should be! He has been an activist for decades. He says, “If we didn’t have these sharp divisions based on race, we could make enormous progress in terms of making sure that people are not hurting as badly as they are, or deprived of what clearly are the necessities of life. And I would like to think it was possible if we had a sense of social solidarity.”

So far, we have not developed this sense of social solidarity. What would it take?

I think that the basis of this idea is a sense that we need to be real to each other. We must interact together and form a basis of trust, and of course that involves getting over racism.

l think it is a great dream and not realizable now. But we can hope.

Heather McGhee says that the root of the issue is this: Who is an American? And what are we to each other? We have to embrace the new birth of freedom, rooted in the knowledge that “we” belongs to all of us!

“MY DREAM”

Other students in the contest.

In 2019 a 10-year girl gave her interpretation of her dream for Nigeria. She said she wishes not to be afraid of kidnappers. She hopes to go out without someone running her down. In her description of her travels, she lists many items. I’ve only included a few here.

  • Improving the state of roads
  • Reducing the stress of vehicle importation
  • Check corruption
  • Underground trains
  • Government mass transit schemes
  • Make air travel more functional

Jaida Roberts is a ten-year-old pupil of Corona School Victoria Island (Lagos, Nigeria). This piece is her submission for the Jordan Hill October 2019 Writing Challenge.

International Centre for Investigative Reporting

The Centre for Investigative Reporting has included instances of Nigerian media accusing journalists. Since 2016 to today, the report shows many journalists under arrest. From the #EndSars of nearly a year ago, to even further back, the Centre bears witness to these arrests.

Nigeria is gaining a reputation as a dangerous spot! Now, with Twitter suspended, the country is certainly deemed not exactly safe. Some of the journalists who were held by the state are now trying to get some sort of coverage for their time in detention.

July 1, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
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Insights to Nigeria

Does Nigeria Have the Right to Secede?

Former head of Biafra, many years ago

Biafra has the right to secede, the Northern Elders Forum in Nigeria said recently. The region known as Biafra seceded once before in 1967-70. But the secession was not successful.

The Northern Elders Forum said that the feeling of being “marginalized” by events in Nigeria seems to hold. But this move is not wise.

The leadership by Igbo people is only one symptom and not a strong one at that. Nor is it known how many others support this move.

Such feelings of marginalization are exacerbated by Nigeria’s nationwide epidemic of violence and economic malaise. The NEF (Northern Elders Forum), for its part, has responded to rising insecurity in Nigeria by calling for President Buhari to resign or to be impeached. Resignation or impeachment is a reversal of the NEF’s support of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential candidacy in 2015.

The Northern Elders Forum is widely regarded as a “general without an army.” Ango Abdullahi, the current head, is the distinguished former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in the northern part of Nigeria. (The vice chancellor is the equivalent of the president in the US.) He now seems to have no followers!

Nevertheless, his statements are widely regarded across Nigeria. So his pronouncements will have an effect.

Memories of Biafra

Today’s market is full of fruits and vegetables

During the civil war in Nigeria, perhaps my biggest memory is of going to Ekwulobia to the closed-in market. We abandoned our local market at Afor Udo to travel about 5 miles to Ekwulobia.

It was among the trees and in theory could be sheltered from the bombs falling, whereas other markets were open.

We would enter through a road that was used by just a few others, though now in the market days it was crowded. It was through a forest. We would approach the meat sellers, hoping for a piece of beef that would last for a few days. Toward the middle of the war, just before I left, the meat was becoming thin. I wonder if any was left by the end of the war!

We also found the other supplies I needed: candles, palm oil, ogili (used in making soup), yam, plantain, and rice.

As we were leaving the market, we drove my car out of the woods and onto the main road back to Nanka. I was aware of planes overhead, but actually did not see any.

I usually had two or three other women with me. We took care of each other during the war and I was fortunate to have the car.

Showing the area where Ogoniland is

New Insights on Nigeria and Old Themes

I read recently “How Beautiful We Were,” a story about an African fictional village where the people are suffering. They are held by the leaders of Pexton, the oil company that controls their lives. Thula, the daughter, begins to see a parallel between her people’s suffering and the rulers of Pexton. Over time, she becomes the outspoken leader against Pexton and its rights.

This reminds me of Ogoniland in the rivers region of Nigeria. The mangoes are threatened along with lots of other trees and bushes. The leaders of Nigeria call this a “disaster.”

The area around Ogoniland is being made more livable, the government says. But the power of the state is held by the leaders of Exxon Mobil or the other companies.

They cannot come to an agreement about the spills.

Devastation caused by spills

On the beach at Ibeno, the few fishermen were glum. Far out to sea oil had spilled for weeks from the Exxon Mobil pipe. “We can’t see where to fish; oil is in the sea,” Patrick Okoni said. “We don’t have an international media to cover us, so nobody cares about it,” said Mr. Mbong, in nearby Eket. “Whatever cry we cry, is not heard outside of here.”

How much of the spillage is due to oil thieves or to sabotage linked to the militant movement active in the Niger Delta {the region where the spillage is worst}, and how much stems from poorly maintained and aging pipes, is a matter of fierce dispute among communities, environmentalists and the oil companies.

A very few people believe it is the fault of the communities who do not care for the land. But more people seem to think it comes from the oil companies themselves. another group from the oil thieves, and another percentage believe the environmental people are at fault.

Overall, no one can agree on what to do or how to do it!

June 17, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
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Care for Autism

Engr. Chidi K.C. Izuwah

Passion for Including Children With Autism

Autism in Nigeria

He was committed to support autism in Nigeria.

The late Engr. Chidi K.C. Izuwah was the Director General of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). In that role he was helpful in linking infrastructure needs to a national need for public/private concessions.

But his role in advocating for children with autism spectrum disorder was even more important. He had a special relationship with autism. He used it to speak out for people with this disability.

In the early 2000’s he had a personal relationship with autism. With his wife, Dr (Mrs) Doris Izuwah, he founded Our Lady of Guadalupe Centre for Autism (OLG).

The generosity of Engr Chidi meant that a continuous supply of toys and books that improved play and fine motors skills were made available to the centre with his motto being “Never give up. There is ability in disability.”

different but not less

Different but Not Less

He began the center in his own home. Since then it has expanded to provide multidisciplinary services to over 100 special-needs children. It also gives jobs to 50 youths.

Help for the Center

The center has been strengthened by “organizing and sponsoring trainings that focused on education and community advocacy.” He was so encouraging to this kind of outreach.

He also concluded that help before the age of 3 was essential. So he brought in children in the younger age group to take part. He knew how much toys get damaged, and committed his own toys to the center. Later he bought toys that worked well in the environment.

Again with his wife he founded a group called DEFEAT AUTISM IN NIGERIA. Though I do not think the disability can be defeated, it still has great potential to fight the stigma associated with autism.

One way it fights the distrust associated with autism is by speaking out publicly. Engr. Chidi K.C. Izuwah spoke about the disability many times. He did not want people to have a fear of autism. Nor did he want people to associate it with faulty parenting. He recognized that autistic children are citizens of the country and deserve equal rights under the law.

autism

Autism in Nigeria

My Own Familiarity

My own familiarity with autism is in my daughter’s son, Ikem. He is now 7 and growing so tall!

He has some speech understanding but not enough to hear very well. After a year+ he is now going back to his special school. I hope he will do well there.

Looking forward, I think he might have more speech in the next year. I may have a better opportunity to connect with him! At least I will understand him more easily.

Young Nigerians with Disabilities Look to Soccer for Relief

Soccer is very popular in Nigeria. In one town, Katsina, the team plays daily. Their goal is to win of course, but in the meantime, they are training for leisure and health. I saw this report in “Deutsche Welle.”

Disability doesn’t stop them from playing soccer. The activity is recreational and serves for socialization. . . The rules of the game have been adapted for fun.

This team represents the town of Katsina in national competitions. Other towns also have teams. The rules are similar but specific to this particular game.

The games usually take place in the late afternoon. But guess what? “These young people don’t care much about the weather. Every day is a day for playing soccer,” they say.

Without Twitter, Can Nigeria Still be a Tech Hub?

Today Nigeria can hardly be a Tech Hub! Without Twitter, the country suffers from a ban on the social media site.

It seems likely that the ban will stay in effect for a while. It could even be until the next election in 2023.

June 10, 2021
by Catherine Onyemelukwe
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Guilty or Not?

Wearing Sam’s Clothes

I’ve been wearing Sam’s clothes during the day! Sam is my younger son. He had the business for 3 years in 1996-1998, but this was 25 years ago! The pants still fit me well; so does the shirt.

He left me pants that I wear around the house. He also gave me a wonderful shirt with long sleeves, button-down-the-front style. It’s a little warm now for the weather we are having, but I’ll wear it again when it’s cooler.

Sam was a stickler for excellent fabrics. I know he sometimes bought things from Italy. I wonder if he paid too much and then did not charge enough for the finished goods.

I know I did that in my early days at Trinity House!

Guilty or not Guilty?

How PSN Africa is addressing the realities of postpartum depression in Lagos State

Two people involved in two different groups help to explain the real benefit brought by their organizations.

The writers describe their organizations. One is called Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Initiative, or PRAI. Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem, a lawyer and founder, “offering this help was at the heart of their work.” He is providing pro bono legal and rehabilitation services for inmates and offered to help the woman in distress.

The other organization, Postpartum Support Network Africa, PSN Africa, was also deeply interested. Onyedikachi Ekwerike, a Clinical Psychologist and founder, knew this was a severe case of Postpartum Depression (PPD), “something he has dealt with before, inspiring him to found PSN Africa.”

The two organizations went to work on this issue. PSN Africa which took the bigger role held the lead. But this is only after years of work on the issue.

Post-partum depression is fairly well known in our society. In Nigeria, it is almost completely ignored. So the two began reaching out to others in the community.

One of the barriers was their access to medical personnel. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that “19.8% of women experience postpartum depression in developing countries, with manifestations differing in severity.”

But these were a new doctor in their field, and a new lawyer. The founder of one of the organizations fortunately had luck with an introduction to Dr. Kunle Oni, the head of a general hospital.

Dr. Oni introduced them to others, and this led to a more general acceptance of the condition. Today there are clinics in many hospitals in Lagos. The medical professionals at these clinics learn to ask a women, “How are you doing today?” and more specifically, “What symptoms are you having?”

Letting other people with shared vision take the lead is another reason they succeeded. “PSN is an organisation driven by the people and my role is just facilitating an environment where people can work together and make progress on our goals,” Ekwerike said.

Twitter Shut Down?

Last week’s access to the social media site Twitter was banned. The ban was due to “the persistent use of the platform for activities. . . capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence,” the government said.

What?

Twitter made the statement after it deleted President Buhari’s statement that he was unhappy with the social media site. He had used it to blame the people of the South-East for activities detrimental to the government.

After his statement, he said he was unhappy with the site overall. It would be banned, he said. The site was therefore suspended overall in Nigeria, with just a few sites able to carry it.

“Twitter in Nigeria remained sporadic this weekend, after the government suspended the social media platform indefinitely for deleting a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, which the social media platform said was in violation of its rules.”

The incident shows us a new picture of Twitter. This was demonstrated last year during the #EndSARS” episode. The government did nothing, but it remained unhappy with Twitter. The widespread #EndSARS shows late last year were part of the practice. The government blamed it “for an end to police brutality.”

Other government sites were also called to question. Nigerians used it to “complain publicly when a road needed repair or a health clinic wasn’t opening on time.” It made efforts more open and more accessible. But the government disagreed.

The government wasn’t happy about these efforts. As of yesterday, Twitter was still banned in the country.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, along with diplomats from several other nations, have denounced the suspension of Twitter in the West African nation, saying the path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less, communication.

The Anglican Bishop in Owerri, Most Reverend Dr. David Onuoha, has spoken out on the grievances suffered by the Igbo people in his province and indeed throughout Igbo land. He said, “What we have witnessed in the past couple of weeks leaves one no choice but to conclude that the threat of extermination of Igbos by the people with access to instruments of coercion is real.”

He continued, saying that killing of Igbo people has reached such a point that, “we really need to stop, reflect and quickly find a way to bring back order.” Good advice; I hope it is not too late!