Punocracy

… where sa-tyres never go flat

Lamentations of an Egbere

The road’s prayer: A Nigerian road’s supplicative commentary on the Paternoster

Every year, billions of money that the can break the jaw of a counter are allocated for my manicure and pedicure in the budget. Those monies are always too blind to locate me. The only place they know is the coffers of the same old corrupt politicians. The little that manages to locate me is usually shared with contractors who are always keen on having the lion’s share. Hence, my dreadful state!

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The Village People's Dictionary

The VP’s Dictionary: Activist, constituted authority, corruption, and 22 other words

Collins Dictionary, for instance, defines a road as “a long piece of hard ground which is built between two places so that people can drive or ride easily from one place to the other”. That’s correct you know—but only as long as you don’t import that understanding to Nigeria. Things are much different here… So different we’d need the entire dictionary rewritten to suit our realities. Here, a road would be more appropriately defined as “a warzone where potholes are mines, shock absorbers are shields, curses are bullets—and from which every soldier returns home a casualty”.

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From Our Allies

Old things shall pass away…

The state’s better run like a business empire. Maybe renaming would do. For leaping productivity. The revolutionising Governor AbdulRahman might have forgotten to reach out to the House. He can visit the dam in the morn, hydro- plants in the noon and see some patients in the hospitals in the evening offering words of encouragement. The documents needing attention on his seats can sleep. The Deputy Governor could attend to them if he’s not attending a party member’s function.

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The Book of Ajanaku

Undecorous Decalogue… The Nigerian politician’s 10 commandments

14. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour—save where thy neighbour belongs to the opposition camp in which case he deserves not a single shekel of pity and thou may paint him in whatever colour thou pleases. If he is from Airegin, thou may say to give an example that he haileth from the neighbouring town of Nooremac. If he is hale and hearty, thou may spread falsehood that he hath passed on and hath been replaced with a look-alike from the Northern kingdom of Nadus.

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