Reporting News and opinions
In 2004, in the heart of Edo State, 27 people reportedly lost their lives in circumstances so horrifying that they read less like a contemporary news report and more like a medieval witch trial.
Once the apparatus exists, point it wherever is politically convenient. The genius of the trick is that anyone who objects to the pointing can be accused of sympathising with the fear itself.
Shops is now an extension of the state’s security infrastructure. Congratulations! You’ve been promoted from entrepreneur to unpaid auxiliary detective. Pay for the cameras, the electricity (when NEPA remembers you exist), the cloud storage or DVRs, the maintenance, and the inevitable technician who speaks only in riddles. All so the government can claim progress while the actual primary purpose of government remains… whatever it was doing before this.
Oba of Benin gathers his chiefs, raises a ceremonial staff, and recites a rhythmic Edo formula to combat insecurity within his domain, the Western-trained mind instinctively shifts its vocabulary. Suddenly, it’s not a prayer. It’s an incantation. It’s a spell. It’s juju. Why does one man commune with the divine while the other plays with magic? The difference isn't actually in the action; it’s in the vocabulary of power, race, and who owns the dictionary.
The Year 1997 is the centenary of the conquest for the Great kingdom of Benin by the British. It is significant historical event for the black race everywhere. It was a great event which must be revisited and interpreted correctly. The British have been, understandably, economical with the truth about that momentous event. The kingdom …
Continue reading "100 Years after the Invasion of Benin Reflection By Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN)"
Centre for Nigeria Progress 