NEWSWORTHY OR NOT, HERE YOU GO

A thousand words could be written about the events of yesterday – but a thousand words are too long and no one would read that. So many things made headlines yesterday. It was our president’s birthday and he shares more than just that with my mother. If you didn’t throw in a special prayer for him, today is your chance (actually everyday is your chance).



The most interesting news item has to be the confrontation between the Nigerian army and the Shi’ite Islamic group in Zaria on Wednesday. Here’s what I learnt; the army was driving through the city in a convoy but had to pass through a street where this group was having a “celebration” of some sort. According to video evidence, the army tried to converse with them to allow them pass through but the “celebrants” refused. Much of the whole discourse was in Hausa (which surprisingly I do not speak) but it was clear that they were not interested in the negotiations.

You could see them carrying weapons like machetes, sticks and (don’t laugh) I even saw one guy with a catapult. Checkout the YouTube video here.

For a convoy bearing the presence of the Chief of Army Staff, I feel they exercised too much restraint. If any group feels they have the power to hold back the army of a nation without consequences, how much more can they do to civilians. This behaviour is nothing short of terrorism and while I have reservations about the response of the army in the long run, I believe using full force at that point would not be so condemnable. In further fallout, the sect had come out to list “conditions for peace”. Who else does that remind you of? (clue: every terrorist group on earth).

In more sensible news, a London council is trying out anti pee wall coating to discourage people from urinating on walls and causing that ugly smell. The wall is covered by a special kind of paint which bounces urine back onto the Creator. Nice technology, yeah?

Surprise! Surprise!! Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Chelsea. He leaves the club 16th in the league having lost 9 if his opening 15 games. The club has suffered an inexplicable dip in form since winning the league 7 months ago.

We also heard uncle Raymond Dokpesi has advocated for prison reforms after spending some time at the Kuje prisons, I’m just going to end on that note. There are so menu things wrong with that statement, one being that someone who has had cause to go to jail cannot perhaps be in the best place to advocate anything – especially when there is still the possibility of him being very guilty.
Pray for the world.