Dividends of Terrorism

In their usual benevolence, the terrible terrorists (Boko Haram) that have been terrorizing Nigeria and Nigerians in the last decade, decided to return the over 100 kidnapped students back to Dapchi from where they were first abducted. From the pictures of the girls and their luggage on arrival, it was obvious that the terrerorist took them shopping before bringing them back. Either that, or the girls were allowed to pack before they were kidnapped and the luggages with them are their belongings and personal effects.

Completely at loss over the sudden appearance of the girls, the world was treated to a spectacle of information (mis)management by the man who has so personified the art of a certain vice that he was named after it. Alhaji Lai (pronounced Lie) Mohammed the minister of information said no ransom was paid to free the Dapchi schoolgirls and said their release "came with no conditions."

"The only thing they asked for was that they should be the ones to drop them off. They didn't want to hand them over to any third party. Nothing was given in exchange for them," Mohammed said.

Absolutely sir, having seen the way the government has been treating both the people and her natural resources, even the terrorists have trust issues with the government, and will rather not entrust the girls to them.After all, were the girls not first kidnapped under the nose of the government with all it's military presence? So, the terrorists without any compulsion and under no duress brought the girls back with their luggages! This government must really think Nigerians are as dumb as our representatives are derelict in the House.

While this government was pulling the wool over their eyes in the third world, here in the first world, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica were blindfolding the people with electronic brainwashing. Cambridge Analytical is a data analytic company that has just one mission: How to manipulate you at no cost.

So in 2014, many Facebook users were paid to take a research quiz and give up some certain personal information in the process. Cambridge Analytica funded this project with over 270,000 Facebook users signing up for it. What they however didn't know was that this seemingly research project allowed Cambridge Analytica to gain access into personal details of friends of those that signed for this quiz. By the end of the project, Cambridge Analytica had unfettered access into over 50 million profiles of Facebook users.

You can snort your nose, shrug your shoulder and murmur “whatever” in defiance, but here is the thing: Our data,especially the ones that borders on our demographics, in the wrong hand can be used for very horrible things. When such information are fed into the system, Cambridge Analytica can use it profile you and tell to a reasonable degree what you're likely to do in peculiar situations. So, armed with such data they were able to prey on people's mental weakness and wrap your perceptions around in a way that they can predict and influence your decision process. It was widely used at the USA 2016 elections, and Mark Zuckerback has tendered an apology on behalf of Facebook but he will still face the Congress to explain why such data theft was allowed on his platform.

The bad news however was that Cambridge Analytica was in Nigeria at our last elections at the invitation of the incumbent government. But, the good news was that that they couldn't interfere with our elections because of the unreliability and misinformation we peddle about ourselves online. In other words, our immunity to sophisticated election interference was predicated on our natural vice.

This is where however the story becomes interesting, in trying to unravel the plot of having another foreign government interfere with USA elections, Facebook was found to have been a willing platform and going forward, the founder has promised to use same platform to protect the integrity of future elections. The congress has similarly agreed to be asking intending visitors to USA to submit all online media accounts for scrutiny as part of visa application process.

Until we hear directly from the spokesperson of the alternative government in Nigeria called Boko Haram, you may want to take Lai Mohammed unseriously. And you can also be rest assured that we will never suffer the same inglorious shame of a foreign government interfering in our elections, we have always been doing that by ourselves and we call it electoral malpractices. Nothing serious.

Dr Ben Carson

Prior to his running for the office of the President of USA- before running out of breath- and flipping over to Trump campaign and finally ending up as a Secretary of Housing and Urban Planning, Dr Ben Carson was a born and bred African American neurosurgeon of international repute.

Behind his seemingly innocuous mien is a brain that led 70 other doctors in performing the first successful operation of separating the Siamese co-joined twins. Just like Wole Soyinka and the award of Literature Nobel Prize, this singular medical feat was an enough significant achievement for Dr. Carson as it led to a breakthrough in his medical career which gave him recognition throughout the world.

This feat launched Dr.Carson into fame, wealth and limelight - indices that are however not enough to transit him into a political career. Nevertheless, his announcement for candidacy of the greatest office in the world went viral. Sensing another Obama in the making,Nigerians lived and campaigned online for the doctor. Without any assistant passing him precision equipments and finding the political turf not sterile, Dr Carson soon wisely gave up his political ambition and joined Trump- the most unlikely of candidates.

With the white house in political turmoil, the GOP about to self implode and far more major scandals brewing here and in Russia, you will think that no one will take cognizance of the minute financial impropriety involving the Secretary. Now, that we know that the Dr Carson approved $31,561 to purchase a dining set for his office (Even, operating tables are far more cheaper).We also know that the department spent another $165,000 on “lounge furniture,”  for the sitting Secretary.Virtually every major news outlet is on the story for reasons beyond me.

Dr. Ben Carson sits in a far more white cabinet of President Trump, knowing fully well that there are more who are against him than for him. And that the choice of cabinet that he was offered and took was clearly outside of his competence, resulting in a below par performance in his first year in office. Still, he did not refuse the appointment. Though, Nigerians here are of the opinion that he is just being singled out for punishment more for his colour of skin than his sins. Which to me implies that the amiable doctor got to that position more on other considerations than on merit. Just like the present black RNC chairman, and Babatunde Fashola.

Sarcasm apart, the disproportionate focus on this small financial scandal seem on point when you consider the level of hypocrisy on display within this context. Two weeks ago, the White House proposed cutting the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget by $8.8 billion. Splurging on new office decor while cutting public housing projects for the poor clearly meets the definition of hypocritical.

I haven't been around here for long to be able to know if overspending on interior decorating with a budget excess that could have been retired can result in Carson being fired ( I have a feeling deep in my DNA that he will not resign). But, it is clear that the situation makes for a perfect scandal — easy to understand, clearly hypocritical and, unfortunately for Carson, hard to forget. And if he is determined to keep his job, he better forget washing his hands with chlorinated lime water and rather consider the following tips.

The Seventh day Adventist church where he worships should embark on a two prong frontal attacks, the prayer warriors must start dry fasting and prayers because this is clearly the devil's work. For Christ sake, the man is worth $29m and could personally afford any tree in the rainforest for his office furniture. Secondly, his kinsmen in Detroit Michigan should come out en masse wearing same shirts emblazoned with solidarity messages and screaming racism on the streets.

And lastly, his medical constituency must write a strongly worded letter supporting him, with a threat that if he loses his job on account of this small corruption tendencies,all doctors- including the 70 that performed the first major operation with him will all go on strike with their scapels firmly in their hands.

Time is of essence.

Pointless

patrickadegbamigbe.blogspot.com

Pointless.

There is no worse evil that can befall a parent than the loss of a child, especially if the loss is due to an avoidable circumstance. So, this piece is dedicated to anyone who is in this unfortunate position. The recent mass shooting in Florida where 17 students died and many others wounded, and the mass kidnapping of 100 or 110 or 117 students in Northern Nigerian school is another clarion call that the effort to keep our future(children) safe is the immediate duty of all decent and responsible adults, not just parents. The question however is how decent and responsible are our adults?

Since the news broke some weeks ago, there has been one frenzy activity after the other. America appears to have a more organized way of processing tragedies like these, purely because of experience. The Florida shooting is the 6th school shooting resulting in carnages this year. There have been 17 incidences of gunfire in schools this year, according to gun control group Everytown USA. It is also the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults.

After the shooting, the boy-shooter went to a Walmart, bought a drink in a Subway, left and then went to a McDonald’s. After walking out of the McDonald’s he was taken into police custody without incident. Are you serious? In a country with military presences in almost half of the world, a 17 year old bought AR rifle and ammunition, when he could not even buy a bottle of beer until he is eighteen! And Americans are acting enraged and surprised.

The problem is simple. There are over 310 million guns in America and because it is easier to buy a gun than an antibiotic, Americans are naturally taken to self help. Take away the guns or at least make them harder to get and you'll not instantly have a heaven like environment but a sane and safe place to live. The National Rifle Association(NRA) with it's insane funds however stood in the way of sensible resolution of the conflict. As politicians kowtow to the NRA’s incredulous second amendment- the right to bear arms. Trump felt the teachers in school should also carry concealed weapons to deter would be shooters. More guns, less control.

In Nigeria, we have less guns and more control as our few guns are equitably shared among deserving people. For example,you cannot bear arms if you are not a political thug, member of militia,Muslim extremists or a career thief. The rest of the citizens are considered too unstable to be charged with the upkeep of a gun. The police bear arms of course, even though, they have killed more innocent people from accidental discharge than criminals. You can't arrive late to a crime scene and still expect to meet anyone anyway.

Four year ago,more than 270 girls were kidnapped in Chibok about 170 miles away from where the present over 100 girls were kidnapped on Monday in Dapchi. The world is once again getting denials and misinformation from the authorities and disbelief and anger from the parents. President Buhari says troops and reconnaissance aircraft would be used and no stone left unturned in the hunt for the girls, yet they are refusing to give any further details of the search, because they don't have any. No names, no pictures and no idea who they are looking for.

Meanwhile, here in U.S., the dead kids have been buried, the injured receiving treatment,the survivors organizing rallies, putting pressure on lawmakers to ban automatic rifles and all stakeholders having town hall meetings on how best to prevent reoccurence.

Contrarily, our post mortem is predictable; the government will set up a probe committee headed by a general to look into it, series of religious leaders and G.Os will organize prayers and fasting, some fading human rights activists will use this to resuscitate their doomed careers,the parents and guardians will wail until they are exhausted and the general public will criticise government at the safety of their rooms as we all wait for Buhari to fix the economy, that he was so close to starting...until this kidnapping distracted him. Am kidding.