Happy Christmas everyone! This will be my first Christmas spent away from home; as such it will be tinged with certain sadness and perhaps the onset of home sickness. To date though, I am still in a relaxed and anticipatory mode, maybe akin to the expectant child on Christmas morning, wondering what delights will Nigeria bestow on me over the coming holiday season and beyond? Plenty of palm wine is a distinct possibility.
Today, my predecessor Ronan left for Ireland. He has lived and worked in Nigeria for the past two years, and the people here have left an indelible mark on his soul. We will meet at a still undetermined time in a watering hole in Galway in the future. Based on current climatic conditions, my thinking that it may be on a floating bar. My brother informs me that it has rained for the last forty days in Galway; Michael, maybe it’s an ark you should be building! Surprisingly, it’s still sunny here.
Having a place to call home is something instilled in the human psyche. This is very true of the Irish as much as Nigerians. A home should offer some security, safety and sense of belongingness. Thousands of such homes have been destroyed in Abuja over the past few years, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The reason for destroying the homes, simply put, they did not fit in the Master Development Plan for the city. While similar actions raised the shackles of the media when perpetrated in Zimbabwe, the actions in Abuja went largely unreported in the Western Media.
The signs of the destruction wrought over the city are not so visible now; the sites of homes are now covered by long grass, though one can still see particular buildings marked by an X, ready for bulldozing. One can appreciate that the federal government did not want another labyrinthine Lagos-like city to develop in the new capital, I guess it is important to remember though all ‘development’ is value laden, often determined by those with power.
So wherever you spend Christmas, appreciate where ever you call home and the people you share it with.
See you in 2007.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Back from Lagos
Time is moving on in its relentless fashion. Four weeks have passed since I left Autumnal Ireland for African soil. On Friday last, I visited Lagos. It’s a place like no other. Lagos and Abuja stand as testimony to the great contradictions and diversity of Nigeria. Lagos is loud, energetic, dynamic and more than a little wild; Abuja a calmer, safer, more prosperous but somewhat soulless city. How to bring some order to Lagos and life to Abuja, quite a challenge? Answers on a postcard please.
When you think of Africa what springs to mind? As I meet new people here in Nigeria, it is quite usual to be asked how long I have been in the country, what are my impressions, and have I been in Africa before?. As often as not, when I recount my experiences of South Africa (a magical country), you will be met with the retort that South Africa is not really Africa, it’s too developed or such like.
South Africa is as much African as any other country. It has a great diversity of people, boundless potential but enormous challenges to meet the needs of its people. As a country it can be a model for the rest of Africa it has good infrastructure (roads and telecoms), a growing economy (albeit without corresponding job creation) and a deepening democracy. Though, there is no escaping the enormity of challenges that face South Africa, reducing poverty and decreasing the yawning gaps of economic disparity in the country.
I can appreciate what people mean when they say such like about South Africa but really what do people envisage for the future of this continent. Will Africa remain forever in peoples’ minds a place of poverty, famine, war and other such ills? Maybe the future will mirror the present? What about my new home, Nigeria? Will it remain a great place to live if one is lucky enough to find a job or hold onto some levers of power or lines of patronage? Money though is not a prerequisite for happiness, for a new study of more than 65 countries published in the UK's New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria. Cash rich, time poor Christmas shoppers of Ireland take note.
In the future, can Africa combines its diverse cultures and people, unforgettable sights and sounds with responsive government who work with and for the people? Will Africa emerge as a place where people are not forced to leave their country or rural areas because of poverty? The future is unknown; we are forever restricted by bounded rationality, for few Irish people in the 1980s could have foreseen the New Ireland of the Millennium.
When you think of Africa what springs to mind? As I meet new people here in Nigeria, it is quite usual to be asked how long I have been in the country, what are my impressions, and have I been in Africa before?. As often as not, when I recount my experiences of South Africa (a magical country), you will be met with the retort that South Africa is not really Africa, it’s too developed or such like.
South Africa is as much African as any other country. It has a great diversity of people, boundless potential but enormous challenges to meet the needs of its people. As a country it can be a model for the rest of Africa it has good infrastructure (roads and telecoms), a growing economy (albeit without corresponding job creation) and a deepening democracy. Though, there is no escaping the enormity of challenges that face South Africa, reducing poverty and decreasing the yawning gaps of economic disparity in the country.
I can appreciate what people mean when they say such like about South Africa but really what do people envisage for the future of this continent. Will Africa remain forever in peoples’ minds a place of poverty, famine, war and other such ills? Maybe the future will mirror the present? What about my new home, Nigeria? Will it remain a great place to live if one is lucky enough to find a job or hold onto some levers of power or lines of patronage? Money though is not a prerequisite for happiness, for a new study of more than 65 countries published in the UK's New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria. Cash rich, time poor Christmas shoppers of Ireland take note.
In the future, can Africa combines its diverse cultures and people, unforgettable sights and sounds with responsive government who work with and for the people? Will Africa emerge as a place where people are not forced to leave their country or rural areas because of poverty? The future is unknown; we are forever restricted by bounded rationality, for few Irish people in the 1980s could have foreseen the New Ireland of the Millennium.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Lies, damn lies and ..........
November 30th Out and about in Abuja
Greetings, it has been an exciting week around Abuja as the capital city moved into party mode; the Carnival has been in town last weekend. I abandoned the festivities and played my usual round of footie with the lads. That in retrospect seems to have been a mistake on my part, we lost the game abysmally and I missed a great display of horsemanship and pageantry at a local Durbar. Oh yes, Colonel Gadaffi of Libya was spotted walking on the dualcarriage near Abuja, some diplomatic spat at the airport, not sure of all the detail.
Sometimes, I think back on past memories, some utterly joyful, others perhaps not so and at times look forward to life’s unknowns. In Nigeria, one out of every five children will not live beyond the age of five, or more starkly 200 of every 1000 babies born alive will not see their fifth birthday. That’s a statistic; take from it what you will.
So, let’s say an average child reaches the age of five in Nigeria, what are the likely or possible paths they will follow? Increasing numbers will go to primary school but many will drop out before reaching secondary school, not from lack of talent or drive to succeed, but oftentimes out of sheer poverty. In the 1980s Nigeria was widely regarded and recognised as having one of the best education systems in Africa, producing tens of thousands of graduates on a yearly basis, vast numbers though have chosen, by choice or otherwise to leave their country to works as doctors, engineers, lawyers and nurses around the world. So those with varying degrees of education, what are their chances of finding employment in Nigeria?
Nigerians living and working in Ireland, Europe or wherever might be surprised to know that the unemployment rate currently in Nigeria stands at 12.5 per cent or so the Federal Bureau of Statistics report here. This may be true, depending on how you define unemployment, but it is likely to be a gross manipulation of the figures or accurate perhaps if you define unemployment narrowly and exclude those living on the edges of society, those hawking goods, struggling on small farms, or the utter millions surviving in a multitude of ways but not in the formal economy.
Any idea what is the population of Nigeria? You can phone a friend, ask an audience if they are to hand or just hazard a guess. Current wisdom suggests that the population is close to 130 million. Problem is; there has not been a ‘proper’ census in Nigeria since 1963 A recent speech from the Minister of Finance quoted a population figure of 150 million inhabitants in this vast country. What’s in a statistic………. well, you can lose or gain 20 million people in the blinking of an eye.
The wonders of statistics, here is one that is likely to be true, in 2006, the Federal Bureau of Statistics reduced its workforce from 4000 to 2800, or in their words ‘disengaged’ 1200 workers. That’s 30 per cent of the workforce retrenched or is that a productivity gain of 42.85 per cent? Ponder what this may mean?
I am off to Lagos this weekend, home to millions of people, how many people, its anyone’s guess. So what’s in a statistic? A life extinguished, unfulfilled, a whole world of opportunity lost or gained, manipulation, power or just chance.
Have a good week.
Greetings, it has been an exciting week around Abuja as the capital city moved into party mode; the Carnival has been in town last weekend. I abandoned the festivities and played my usual round of footie with the lads. That in retrospect seems to have been a mistake on my part, we lost the game abysmally and I missed a great display of horsemanship and pageantry at a local Durbar. Oh yes, Colonel Gadaffi of Libya was spotted walking on the dualcarriage near Abuja, some diplomatic spat at the airport, not sure of all the detail.
Sometimes, I think back on past memories, some utterly joyful, others perhaps not so and at times look forward to life’s unknowns. In Nigeria, one out of every five children will not live beyond the age of five, or more starkly 200 of every 1000 babies born alive will not see their fifth birthday. That’s a statistic; take from it what you will.
So, let’s say an average child reaches the age of five in Nigeria, what are the likely or possible paths they will follow? Increasing numbers will go to primary school but many will drop out before reaching secondary school, not from lack of talent or drive to succeed, but oftentimes out of sheer poverty. In the 1980s Nigeria was widely regarded and recognised as having one of the best education systems in Africa, producing tens of thousands of graduates on a yearly basis, vast numbers though have chosen, by choice or otherwise to leave their country to works as doctors, engineers, lawyers and nurses around the world. So those with varying degrees of education, what are their chances of finding employment in Nigeria?
Nigerians living and working in Ireland, Europe or wherever might be surprised to know that the unemployment rate currently in Nigeria stands at 12.5 per cent or so the Federal Bureau of Statistics report here. This may be true, depending on how you define unemployment, but it is likely to be a gross manipulation of the figures or accurate perhaps if you define unemployment narrowly and exclude those living on the edges of society, those hawking goods, struggling on small farms, or the utter millions surviving in a multitude of ways but not in the formal economy.
Any idea what is the population of Nigeria? You can phone a friend, ask an audience if they are to hand or just hazard a guess. Current wisdom suggests that the population is close to 130 million. Problem is; there has not been a ‘proper’ census in Nigeria since 1963 A recent speech from the Minister of Finance quoted a population figure of 150 million inhabitants in this vast country. What’s in a statistic………. well, you can lose or gain 20 million people in the blinking of an eye.
The wonders of statistics, here is one that is likely to be true, in 2006, the Federal Bureau of Statistics reduced its workforce from 4000 to 2800, or in their words ‘disengaged’ 1200 workers. That’s 30 per cent of the workforce retrenched or is that a productivity gain of 42.85 per cent? Ponder what this may mean?
I am off to Lagos this weekend, home to millions of people, how many people, its anyone’s guess. So what’s in a statistic? A life extinguished, unfulfilled, a whole world of opportunity lost or gained, manipulation, power or just chance.
Have a good week.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Week 2: Road trips: Nigeria Style.
This week Ronan (my predecessor in Nigeria, helping me to settle in before he returns to Ireland) and I were on the road, travelling to Idah, a town five hours or so south of Abuja. Travelling on the roads is a chastening experience, for one is never truly comfortable that one will reach your destination in one piece. There are a number of alternative strategies to adopt 1) close your eyes, cross your fingers (toes are optional) and sleep! 2) remain awake and look out the window and do not look forward at any cost. 3) take a flight, (after three serious plane crashes in Nigeria over the past year or so), its an option.
So taking to the roads, very soon after you leave the capital, dual carriageway becomes single roadways and so on. Soon, the journey becomes a game of dodge the pothole, swerve the chicken, evade the policeman (invariably standing in the middle of the road) or whatever obstacle that lies in your path. Looking out the window is far more enjoyable, offering a host of sights and images of life in Nigeria, people on the move, trading a myriad of goods from roadside stall and sometimes one will see some most unexpected sights.
Nigerian elephants come in all sizes and shapes and can at once amaze the unsuspecting traveller; these not so rare creatures are easily recognised by their white colour dissimilar from their grey African cousins. The most splendid specimen is most visible in Ajaokuta, you cannot miss it; it is the Ajaokuta Steel Company. This is a behemoth structure, a complex that stretches for miles, with great smoke stacks stretching into the sky, an adjoining complex to house thousands of workers, a power plant to feed its voracious appetite for electricity, a railway to transport the iron ore, thousands of workers, many of which are still employed today. Sounds great, a feat of planning and engineering, one slight problem it has never produced an ounce of steel, not a paper clip, nothing! It just devoured billions of dollars of government revenue. Lesser examples of this creature, the white elephant exist along the roadside, large hotels in rural villages without guests, incomplete houses replete with grass carpet.Moments of quiet and near serenity are possible, peering at palm and coconut trees dotted across the landscape. Without warning, a wreck of a bus or oil will appear from the roadside. Often you will see a bus, perching plaintively on blocks, stripped off wheels and all dignity; its passengers long gone on their way. These buses disintegrate slowly, a rusty shell at the side of the road.
Our trip was for work purposes and involved attending the last days of a partner Livelihood Security evaluation that Trócaire was supporting. Trócaire has worked with a number of organisations (Justice Development and Peace Movement, Abeokuta, Diocesan Development Services, Idah and WODECO) that support the livelihoods of rural people through specific agriculture projects, micro credit and savings schemes and other interventions. It is apparent that the organisations have been successful in supporting the livelihoods of many people in their target areas. On a wider macro scale, Nigeria has consistently underinvested in agriculture and has shown scant attention to the needs of rural development. These are the structural issues that small organisations struggle to deal with. Nigeria has staked all its hopes on oil and left other sectors of the economy to flounder.
These remain difficult challenges for small organisations that are in themselves good organisations, working in a difficult and challenging environment. The following is a likely scenario in a livelihoods intervention, farmers adopt new and improved farming techniques after working in collaboration with an NGO, this leads to increased crop production but marketing arrangements are not in place, the food cannot be stored or processed for prolonged shelf life and so crops often go unsold. Now the farmer who had limited or no capital to start the planting season is again dependent on an NGO or other community support to meet their needs. This cycle of dependency is proving hard to break.
This is life in Nigeria, fast and unforgiving for many. It is a struggle for many to survive and live in peace and security.
So taking to the roads, very soon after you leave the capital, dual carriageway becomes single roadways and so on. Soon, the journey becomes a game of dodge the pothole, swerve the chicken, evade the policeman (invariably standing in the middle of the road) or whatever obstacle that lies in your path. Looking out the window is far more enjoyable, offering a host of sights and images of life in Nigeria, people on the move, trading a myriad of goods from roadside stall and sometimes one will see some most unexpected sights.
Nigerian elephants come in all sizes and shapes and can at once amaze the unsuspecting traveller; these not so rare creatures are easily recognised by their white colour dissimilar from their grey African cousins. The most splendid specimen is most visible in Ajaokuta, you cannot miss it; it is the Ajaokuta Steel Company. This is a behemoth structure, a complex that stretches for miles, with great smoke stacks stretching into the sky, an adjoining complex to house thousands of workers, a power plant to feed its voracious appetite for electricity, a railway to transport the iron ore, thousands of workers, many of which are still employed today. Sounds great, a feat of planning and engineering, one slight problem it has never produced an ounce of steel, not a paper clip, nothing! It just devoured billions of dollars of government revenue. Lesser examples of this creature, the white elephant exist along the roadside, large hotels in rural villages without guests, incomplete houses replete with grass carpet.Moments of quiet and near serenity are possible, peering at palm and coconut trees dotted across the landscape. Without warning, a wreck of a bus or oil will appear from the roadside. Often you will see a bus, perching plaintively on blocks, stripped off wheels and all dignity; its passengers long gone on their way. These buses disintegrate slowly, a rusty shell at the side of the road.
Our trip was for work purposes and involved attending the last days of a partner Livelihood Security evaluation that Trócaire was supporting. Trócaire has worked with a number of organisations (Justice Development and Peace Movement, Abeokuta, Diocesan Development Services, Idah and WODECO) that support the livelihoods of rural people through specific agriculture projects, micro credit and savings schemes and other interventions. It is apparent that the organisations have been successful in supporting the livelihoods of many people in their target areas. On a wider macro scale, Nigeria has consistently underinvested in agriculture and has shown scant attention to the needs of rural development. These are the structural issues that small organisations struggle to deal with. Nigeria has staked all its hopes on oil and left other sectors of the economy to flounder.
These remain difficult challenges for small organisations that are in themselves good organisations, working in a difficult and challenging environment. The following is a likely scenario in a livelihoods intervention, farmers adopt new and improved farming techniques after working in collaboration with an NGO, this leads to increased crop production but marketing arrangements are not in place, the food cannot be stored or processed for prolonged shelf life and so crops often go unsold. Now the farmer who had limited or no capital to start the planting season is again dependent on an NGO or other community support to meet their needs. This cycle of dependency is proving hard to break.
This is life in Nigeria, fast and unforgiving for many. It is a struggle for many to survive and live in peace and security.
Wednesday 15th November 2006.
On Thursday the 9th of November my presence was added to the teeming mass of peoples that reside in Nigeria. I now live amongst more than 130 million people, the most populous country within Africa. My journey here was largely uneventful, apart from a vacant look in the eyes of the check-in lady at the Aer Lingus desk, as my booking failed to register on her computer systems. Minutes later, a few phone calls made, panic subsided and my journey to West Africa had begun. This though was and is beyond a physical journey, it represents much, much more for me. This is my home and workplace for the immediate future.
For formalities sake, let’s clarify how I have made my way from my homestead in Mayo to West Africa. For the past year I have worked as an intern with Trócaire based in Maynooth Co. Kildare. An opportunity arose to further develop my career by taking up a position with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a sister agency of Trócaire, based in Abuja, Nigeria. Now as I settle into a new job and way of life, I will recount my personal experiences and impressions of this immense country.
Arriving in Abuja, one is struck by the orderliness of the streets and a shining, spanking new soccer stadium, as you approach the city gates. Abuja, a city of some two million, was crafted from the bush, beginning in the late seventies to become the capital of Nigeria in the mid 80’s. It is a city of wide roads that circle the city and intersecting avenues, the latter named after various leaders, democratic and undemocratic, many of whom, have amassed great personal wealth through corruption and greed.
The revenues derive from oil. Oil is at once lubricant and abrasive in this fractured country. Oil greases the lines of patronage that hold political alliances together but has created grave tensions and conflict in the Niger Delta, the source of Nigeria’s oil in the southern provinces of Nigeria.
Nigeria, divided into three regions upon independence in 1960, is now a collection of thirty six states and a federal capital territory held together in some manner by a federal government system. Nigeria at present is a hive of political activity and intrigue. Various figures are plotting and orchestrating to be a candidate for next year’s presidential elections due to take place in April next year. The place abounds with rumour and bright breezy billboards loom large over the streets and highways. Each candidate offers much; peace, prosperity, stability. This is what the country needs. Unfortunately their track records offer little and I have really no idea but only hope that some of these potential candidates can in some part match the rhetoric.
So, the highlights so far; arriving in a safe and orderly city, though regrettably one devoid of any real character and spirit, meeting a host of interesting people and characters, the most memorable perhaps, a singing troubadour on an off key guitar singing Hotel California and a wider ensemble of John Denver classics. This spectacle was set against the backdrop of a fish bar situated on the outskirts of Abuja. Within this open market, a host of ladies barbecue fresh fish and cook chips in pots perching on small open fires. Invariably, small children nestle snugly on their mother’s back, wrapped carefully and secured by a blanket acting as a harness. The children rest quietly in this African crèche. The fish bar offers a welcome contrast to Abuja, tented bars offer cold beers and men (mostly) hawk a variety of goods, from lighters, toothpicks to the latest DVDS. The goods are balanced upon the vendors’ heads, as they amble through the crowds looking to ply their wares. I like this place; it is atmospheric and abounds with life and energy.
Moving to a new country is both exciting and daunting at the same time. Though were one to dwell on the negativity that pervades our media regarding Africa, one would stay in the relative safety and sameness of Europe. Personally this represents a lost opportunity. Despite its problems, Nigeria affords immense opportunities for learning, friendship and an astounding milieu of sounds, sights and people. One can easily and blithely describe Nigeria as complex, when things seem inexplicable, one resorts to ascribing the word ‘complex’. Though at once, Nigeria is unfathomable, mysterious, it can be distilled to extreme poverty in the midst of plenty. More of that anon.
For formalities sake, let’s clarify how I have made my way from my homestead in Mayo to West Africa. For the past year I have worked as an intern with Trócaire based in Maynooth Co. Kildare. An opportunity arose to further develop my career by taking up a position with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a sister agency of Trócaire, based in Abuja, Nigeria. Now as I settle into a new job and way of life, I will recount my personal experiences and impressions of this immense country.
Arriving in Abuja, one is struck by the orderliness of the streets and a shining, spanking new soccer stadium, as you approach the city gates. Abuja, a city of some two million, was crafted from the bush, beginning in the late seventies to become the capital of Nigeria in the mid 80’s. It is a city of wide roads that circle the city and intersecting avenues, the latter named after various leaders, democratic and undemocratic, many of whom, have amassed great personal wealth through corruption and greed.
The revenues derive from oil. Oil is at once lubricant and abrasive in this fractured country. Oil greases the lines of patronage that hold political alliances together but has created grave tensions and conflict in the Niger Delta, the source of Nigeria’s oil in the southern provinces of Nigeria.
Nigeria, divided into three regions upon independence in 1960, is now a collection of thirty six states and a federal capital territory held together in some manner by a federal government system. Nigeria at present is a hive of political activity and intrigue. Various figures are plotting and orchestrating to be a candidate for next year’s presidential elections due to take place in April next year. The place abounds with rumour and bright breezy billboards loom large over the streets and highways. Each candidate offers much; peace, prosperity, stability. This is what the country needs. Unfortunately their track records offer little and I have really no idea but only hope that some of these potential candidates can in some part match the rhetoric.
So, the highlights so far; arriving in a safe and orderly city, though regrettably one devoid of any real character and spirit, meeting a host of interesting people and characters, the most memorable perhaps, a singing troubadour on an off key guitar singing Hotel California and a wider ensemble of John Denver classics. This spectacle was set against the backdrop of a fish bar situated on the outskirts of Abuja. Within this open market, a host of ladies barbecue fresh fish and cook chips in pots perching on small open fires. Invariably, small children nestle snugly on their mother’s back, wrapped carefully and secured by a blanket acting as a harness. The children rest quietly in this African crèche. The fish bar offers a welcome contrast to Abuja, tented bars offer cold beers and men (mostly) hawk a variety of goods, from lighters, toothpicks to the latest DVDS. The goods are balanced upon the vendors’ heads, as they amble through the crowds looking to ply their wares. I like this place; it is atmospheric and abounds with life and energy.
Moving to a new country is both exciting and daunting at the same time. Though were one to dwell on the negativity that pervades our media regarding Africa, one would stay in the relative safety and sameness of Europe. Personally this represents a lost opportunity. Despite its problems, Nigeria affords immense opportunities for learning, friendship and an astounding milieu of sounds, sights and people. One can easily and blithely describe Nigeria as complex, when things seem inexplicable, one resorts to ascribing the word ‘complex’. Though at once, Nigeria is unfathomable, mysterious, it can be distilled to extreme poverty in the midst of plenty. More of that anon.
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