Talk Movies (Movie Review)

As 2012 comes to an end, I find myself hustling to watch some great movies being released like Cloud Atlas, Disney’s Oz the great and wonderful, the musical Les Miserables, Jackie Chan’s latest action adventure movie Zodaic and many more. Thanks to a cool friend of mine that visited 2days ago, I’ll be able to do just that, maybe not for all the movies I listed but for others like The Hobbits: The unexpected Journey, Lincoln, Pitch Perfect, etc. I’ll tell you about them next year. Here are a few of the movies I’ve watched since our last movie review:

1. Think Like A Man – I have to applaud the writers of this screenplay (Keith Merryman & David A. Nweman) for their ingenuity in creating a dramatic story revolving around an actual book by Steve Harvey titled “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” especially for the witty dialogue. I also have to acknowledge the Director (Tim Story) for casting such great choice of actors, their act were believable and their characters, loveable. This 2012 movie may not be uniquely different from the movie written & directed by Mark Brown in 2001 Two can Play that Game, particularly for those whose genre preference isn’t Romantic Comedy, but what stood out for me in this movie was the way the principles of the book were portrayed by the characters. With a production budget of $12.5millon, it went on to become a worldwide hit grossing about $99.1 million; I guess it’s safe to say this film is a massive success. Thanks to the film, I sincerely believe that every single woman should get Steve Harvey’s book because the truth in it is so subtle and realistic (infomercial objective achieved). As for this movie, I learned that in the end Love is not a game to be played but a choice that we make to share our lives with someone who truly matters to us.

2. Total Recall – Someone asked me if they should go to the cinema to watch this movie when it just came out. Based on the previews and Behind the Scene shots I had seen, I encouraged him to and it was worth the cash spent. This 2012 dystopian Sci-fi action flick reminded me of Minority Report & Aeon Flux especially with the futuristic approach to societal living and technological advancements. Funny, I hear this movie is also a remake of the 1990 version of Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as lead character. Also that the film is based on a short story by Philip K Dick titled We Can Remember It for You Wholesale which is also responsible for inspiring the movie scripts for Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. What I liked about this 2012 futuristic thriller was the great fights between Kate Beckinsale and Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel (now Mrs Timberlake) and the interesting car chases. The twists in the plot that was not easily predictable especially since we were left guessing if the entire movie is real or just in his subconscious. Even though I got to watch a pirated version compiled in a DVD I bought where the heads and eyes of the characters were completely out of the screen in some shots, while other screens were blurry, it was still an enjoyable movie to watch but the storyline is highly unmemorable.

3. I am Number Four – Although it was released in 2011, this movie by Dreamworks Pictures to me was all about the chase amongst aliens on earth (kinda reminds me of a cartoon I love watching on Cartoon Network, Symbiotic Titans) and the fight to live a normal teenage life by the lead character John Smith aka ‘Number 4’ played by Alex Pettyfer. The movie is actually an adaptation form a novel within a series called the Lorien Legacies written by Pittacus Lore (James Frey & Jobie Hughes) and published by HarperCollins in 2010. The story from the book is engaging but the movie had its low almost clichéd moments that nearly turned me off from watching it to the end. You want an example? How about Number 4 running off with the other characters and forgetting his wounded shape-shifting dog in the school bathroom after the dog fought to protect him; leaving the dog hopping on 3 legs to find its way to him at the end of the film as both he and (Teresa Palmer who played) ‘Number 6’ drove on to find the other numbered aliens on earth which had not been found or killed by the Mogadorians. My worst almost clichéd moments were Alex is seen playing love in the river at night with a girl and when Teresa set a house on fire and walked away in slow motion with Adele’s Rolling in the Deep score as the house exploded behind her. After a movie like Jaws or Piranhas, why would people playing in the water at night not let you know something bad is about to happen? Besides the fact that Number 6 was fire resistant, thanks to Jasmine Sullivan’s Burst Your Windows' musical video, messing up a property in anger is now overrated. At the end of this Young Adult Sci-fi movie, I kept asking myself “where on earth was Number Five?”

4. Footloose – Until I heard the footloose soundtrack at the end of this 2011 movie, I found it hard to believe it was a remake of the 1984 version starring Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, John Lithgow etc which frankly, i don't remember. The storyline is basically the same with the 1984 version which was around overprotective parents stifling the freedom of expression their teenagers so desperately desire. This modern version adds technical modern dance moves like housing, windmills, head spins, flips, lindy hop, texas-line dance and acrobatics to the mix (in the old version, the dance move was mainly tap dancing). I like that teenagers were encouraged to put forth their strong reasons for their intentions logically to their parents while acknowledging their parents efforts as necessary for their own good. There was an adequate balance between the story being told and street racing (not as much dancing as I would like especially after watching tight dance movies like Step Up Revolution) making it quite an enjoyable movie overall but not one I would like to watch more than twice.

5. Battle for Terra – hah! Life won’t be complete without a little Animation. This Sci-fi Anime is the tale of heroism and how desperation and grief drives one to hostility, be it humans or aliens. It was popular in 2008/2009 when it was released winning a Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival held in Ontario, Canada. For some reason we in Nigeria never really heard about this film. I thought maybe because there wasn’t any shockers in the storyline despite the voicing been done by Chris Evans, Danny Glover , Evan Rachael Woods, Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, among a long list of others. It reminded me of the beauty of an Alien World as created by the 2009 movie Avatar starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, written and directed by James Cameron. this anime may not have been 100% visually stunning or have tight gripping plot but it is still a nice film to watch when you are looking for a delightful light hearted entertainment that has 3D graphics and cool CGI effects.

6. New Year’s Eve – this star-studded romantic comedy is fun to watch on the 31st night of any year. It shows how much value people place on what they hold dear to, love or believe in and how special being alive to celebrate a new year is. My favourite character was Sophia Vergara, her accent and lines were just as hilarious as her act. There were a few moments I loved in the movie; one was Katherine Heigl slapping Jon Bon Jovi, another was Zac Efron interpreting Michelle Pfeiffer’s fantasy wish list into a meaningful reality and last but not least was Lea Michele getting her moment in the spotlight as she sang the first song in the New Year celebration at Manhattan after the countdown to the New Year. I wasn’t fond of the kiss someone as the clock strike 12midnight/12am culture portrayed at the end of the movie though. There is a sharp contrast though between how the New Year is celebrated all over the world and here in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, we tend to go to our places of worship, pray into the New Year and celebrate with brethren of similar faith before the fan fare of fireworks, knockouts, walking in a single file with lighted candles till 1am, begins. If not that then people choose to stay home watching a televised service of any denomination into the New Year or go out partying in a club or joint and what not depending on which part of the country you find yourself.

There you have it. With this I say good bye to 2012 and hello to 2013 where a ton of great movies are waiting to be released.

A thought at Christmas

I shared this write up last year on Facebook and felt my dear readers who didn’t know me back then would like to see it. I have an elaborate article on Christmas but this year, I decided to go with this very short piece:

A crazy friend walked into my office last year and lamented on the Christmas frenzy in Nigeria. To my surprise I found his line of reasoning fascinating. Most appalling to him was the carrying of live animals about, the hike in transport fares and other food items, the rush in the marketplace, and might I add, the hustle for Christmas songs via CDs/online media. According to him, some questions had become fashionable such as “What are you killing for Christmas?”, “Are you traveling?”, “You dey town?” even if the person is obviously in front of you. It’s funny how we Africans and Nigerians in particular celebrate Christmas.

We put ourselves through unnecessary stress and forget the reason for the season. It is actually to celebrate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ, and his unique entrance into the world. Over the years, feasting has replaced reminiscing; activity has replaced reflection and even the act of love has overshadowed the person of love himself. Now songs of his birth are being replaced with lovers’ songs to each other, songs of the weather and gift giving culture of the season.

Let’s not lose sight of what’s really important this season - the celebration of our Messiah who left his riches, glory and throne in heaven to partake of our humanity. This Christmas, I hope we’ll have a better understanding the significance of what we are really celebrating which is our life in Christ. I’ve bought my Christmas hat, ready to dress up in red and white, symbolic of His blood and holiness to me and I’m ready to give God all the praise he deserves because He is truly worthy.

Back To The Basics

Some of my readers have quizzed me about when my books will be released. I’ve been so busy establishing my online and print presence (by sending out articles to Websites and Magazines) that I kinda slacked off for a while *covers face in shame*. If you haven’t been following me online on other web pages, visit http://bit.ly/SC8aM4, http://bit.ly/TIRHne, http://bit.ly/TPzbj7 and http://bit.ly/TCb550 .

So I’ve resolved to go back to the original plan for 2012; that way when I look back at this year in retrospect, I won’t have any regrets. Till my next blog piece, I leave you with this story I wrote two years ago. Why put it up now? Well, that’s because it has become a testimony to me about the power of words. Someone read it then and today he has gone on to fulfill his musical aspirations, even becoming a nominee in the best gospel category in the 2012 South-South Music Awards in honor of artistes in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. I hope it inspires you as well.

ANY LAST WORDS?
“I loved to write… it was my pride and joy. The one thing I could sit in a corner and do for hours when I was eight. Dreaming of all my imaginary friends… listening to how they talked and playing in wonderland, a world I created. Then I fell in-love with movies as I entered my teens, because they gave expressions to thoughts put on paper. I tried to write stories and picture them as movies. In my mind they flowed just fine but on paper … I’d rather not say. So I proposed to study on writing, how to share my world and life with the world. I got books my friends’ parents used in England when studying journalism. I ravaged the books and thought I was an expert until I got multiple criticisms on my lexical abilities. I read up key points on English language in a bid to improve my command of English. I was told by well-meaning friends I had grown and my goal was fulfilled. I tried to get out stories based on the examples I saw in books – fiction and nonfiction – that I read in the university. Friends commended my tenacity in writing and encouraged me to take the writing beyond my bedroom. I tried but got slammed by series of rejections from publishers and editors.

Despondent I gave up on writing. My husband noticed without my ‘little green place’ I became a pain to live with so he urged me to go online and get knowledge from free online-courses and degrees, to help teach me what I lacked. I did. I spent my life gaining knowledge, trying out for writing competitions to know if I’d become better while working in my mundane job and raising kids that made my house a home I couldn’t get away from. I’m not saying getting knowledge is bad, but a little tryout in the world of practicals won’t hurt. Besides, what have you got to lose? Here I am, writing my last words almost nine decades later. I wish I dared the world and followed my heart, I won’t be here watching everyone around my coffin in black saying goodbye to my body lying in rest while my heart wrestles with eternity knowing the thing I loved the most I never excelled at it. Dear ones, follow your dreams and never let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Mercy raised her head to establish eye contact with her audience before she proceeded, “These were the words of my mother, Mrs. Grace Arile. And these are my words to you who hear me today. Life is too short to spend it in fear of not being perfect. Do your best and know you lived a fulfilled life in the end. Thank you.” Mercy said and exited the stage, leaving the crowd of secondary school children who looked upon her in utter silence.

I FEEL PRETTY, SO PRETTY, SO PRETTY....

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If you’ve watched the movie Anger Management starring Jack Nicolson and Adam Sandler, you’ll definitely be familiar with the title of this piece. As a writer, I’m always seeking for different sources of inspiration for subsequent article material. Of course, i know that actually living my life everyday is one of the best ways to get material to write about. Life is so full of moments and experiences to share that being engaged rather than watching on the sidelines is the most fulfilling way to be inspired. Enough of the philosophizing, I bet you are wondering what has all this got to do with my feeling pretty.

A friend of mine was planning the first edition of her colourful online magazine,Ardent, and I had the privilege of being featured in it. For once, I wasn’t writing for the magazine. My role was simple: get dolled up and pose for photo shots. Since we were all to be ‘el naturelle’, I stretched my hair at the salon and headed to another friend’s beauty studio for the makeup session. From then on, it was a matter of hanging out with a bunch of cool and beautiful lady friends. Having the touch of a professional make-up artist has a way of making even a beautiful woman look more gorgeous and making everyone want a snap shot of their beautiful self. So I got to play armature photographer taking pictures of friends with their phones.

Though it seemed like fun, it soon turned into something meaningful as I found myself being helpful in organizing the ladies being transported to the photo-studio of another friend of mine where I ended up playing hair-stylist on set. What started at 10:30am ended up taking the whole day with me as the last person to be photographed. How best to end my day than a meal of Scotch Egg, Cake and Ice Cream. Now I not only looked pretty, I felt pretty for being helpful. To end the day, I kept up my appearance to impress hubby when he returned from work and when he saw how pretty I was, he went ‘wow’. But these amateur shots of me and a few others are nothing compared to the professional shots taken.

Check out my one day of fame day as a ‘celebrity’ writer by visiting www.jemimasemoy.com

Addicted to Books

It’s a new month and I’ve been thinking, ‘what can I give my readers that would be worth the wait since my last post in October?’ Then it hit me like one of those light bulb moments: A Book Review. You see, a friend of mine started a Book Club on her blackberry network and the whole process of deciding on books to read reminded me of my love for reading. I started a Book club on Facebook called Parchment Review earlier this year but for some reason (probably laziness); the club has been unable to function as I hoped. Besides, I’m supposed to be reading two books this month, The Ruins by Scott Smith and For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn. So I thought I’d share a bit of my library with you. Remember, readers are leaders. Hope you enjoy it!

1. A little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul – a 64page mini-book designed exclusively for J.C. Penney (a chain of department stores in America). It is filled with excerpts from the New York Times best seller, Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul, written by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthrone and Marci Shimoff. Even though this book was published in the year 2000 by Blessings Unlimited, it is filled with heart warming stories of mother-child relationships and can be read in an hour. It’s so refreshingly positive; it is bound to leave you with a smile when you are done.

2. A Simple Plan – this novel written by Scot Smith is one of my favourite books. It’s a spectacular thriller that shows how easy it is for good people to do bad things. This book is so cool that Stephen King endorsed it as ‘...the best suspense of the year’ in 1993. The rave reviews were so much that in 1998, it was made into a movie (bearing the same name). The story starts with a simple plan to conceal $4.4million but as time goes by, the plan gets complicated and the risk of exposure becomes the fuel that drives all the characters in the story. In other words, it shows just how dark the human heart will go to protect what is believed to be his/her property. It is definitely a good read.

3. The Icarus Girl – As an African writer, I’m always on the prowl for other cool writers’ works. I got this book as a Christmas gift and when I was done reading it, I was glad I did. Helen Oyeyemi - the author – published this work of fiction in Great Britain in 2005, combining her knowledge of life abroad with her native roots in Nigeria. Its genre is a cross between fantasy and young adult as it tells the haunting tale of a weird eight year old, Jess, who encounters TillyTilly, a friend with mysterious origin, during one of her visits to her mother’s family home in Nigeria. Although the end leaves more to be desired, the relationship between both Jess and Tilly is sure to keep you glued till the end.

4. Church Shift – a lovely non-fiction book written by Sunday Adelaja. After reading this book, I was left with a passion for my nation and a desire to see the will of God established in every sphere of my society. Amidst his true life story of his struggles in Nigerian and Europe, he also shares self-taught revolutionary methods gained from the revelation knowledge he gained from his fellowship with God. By combining his Masters in Journalism degree with his passion for the gospel, he’s been effective in communicating his side of the story about the Christian revolution that began in Kyiv, Ukraine since 2006 and how it enabled him build the ex-soviet republic’s first true megachurch. This book is a must read for all Nigerians who claim Christianity as their religion.

5. The Housemaid – this indigenous story written by Amma Darko brings back fond memories. As an African, I grew up in superstitious environments that deemed old women as witches (for no apparent reason); we saw villagers as desperate people always seeking greener pastures and single rich business women as prostitutes. All these form the premise on which the characters thrived. The story which can be read in 24hours is so intriguing that you won’t want to stop till you’ve found the answer to the mysterious question: who killed that baby?

There are so many books/articles I read that I would love to share but one step at a time. If you would like my take on any book/subject matter, drop a comment here or tweet me (@annkite0) and who knows, I may just review it in my next book review post.

Arise O Compatriots

To celebrate Nigeria's Independence on the 1st of October, 2012, a friend of mine wrote a very intriguing poetry which i hear was inspired by my little sister (Mya of Super2 - a contemporary dance duo) who was planning a dance concert(that held this month, on the 20th of October). As much as i would love to talk of her concert, i think it would be unfair to let October come to a close without sharing this piece. It was actually a recital and it packed a punch when listened to and since i can't play his voice reciting this piece for you, i hope you enjoy it all the same. Read on!

Arise O Compatriots Nigeria's call obey
But to these words we turn deaf ears like we are not to be blamed when our country falls short each day simply because we decline to serve our father land with love strength and faith
Principles deeply rooted in our hearts to do we now uproot throw in the trash not to use
Forgetting we had pledged that the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain
I am talking about great men who put their lives to the ground and minds to what Nigeria should be built around; One of peace, progress , prosperity and purpose
Knowing we are a people with souls of a unique race that shows forth greatness, justice, equity and insight;
A people willing to serve with heart and might in a Nation bound with the integrity of true freedom
For we are free sons and daughters and in us is wisdom found in a land with diversity in tribe and tongues but never at heart.

For just as our colour is the same so is the blood in our veins
If only these words can mean more to us than just lyrics to recite when we think of a song to sing or as a proof that this is a land where we reside;
But take each word not as they seem but as they imply and sew it together with the fabrics of our minds
becoming the true Nigerian willing to do much more than just saying them, painting the picture that shows who we are:
A people not ruled by fear, hatred, bitterness or strive but of love and of a sound mind
Only then can we truly experience in our lives, in our lands much more evident The undoubted peace and Unity...
The type which the God of creation has bestowed on us so gracefully
Along with creative minds jealously directing our noble course
Through a bearing of sincerity angled on the basis of sacrifice constructed on the decrees love

A compass of truth in hand that would guide our leaders right
Only to do not of their will but of that which takes each son and daughter of this land on the strong wings of the eagle flying up to our highest height
Soaring on the chronicles of integrity that would help our youth the truth to know
One that would easily flow from generation to generation we would plant it in the fertile soil of love and honesty and patiently watch it grow
And with every of our deeds live in and not living out being just and true.

All these can start today as we turn 52
The number of years that we all share both old and young
Seeing the possibilities of miracles through faith happening... Understanding the significance of the numbers we now attain 5 and 2
Remember Christ fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fishes A miracle that surpasses just hopes and wishes
But of a conscious mind with a belief of constantly achieving One day at a time the type of greatness and glory that you as a Nigerian will now live in
We would grow in it, flourish with pride in it, attaining great lofty heights in it and with diligent hands building a nation where Peace and justice now reigns supreme in it
So rejoice Nigeria for the creator has given us the power to succeed complete
No more mourning only a change of heart towards this calling
For we are magnificent and we are Nigerians
Happy 52nd Independence day celebrations
by Philip Asaya.

Talk movies (Movie review)

Since my last movie review, I’ve had more than enough opportunity to watch some really great movies like the Amazing Spider man, the Expendables 2, Men in Black 3, Bourn Legacy, Resident Evil 1-5, etc. I’ve even had the pleasure of giving advice to a few friends in Lagos advice on which films are cinema worthy. Rather than talk on all the latest movies I’ve seen, I’ve decided to spend a little time talking on some not so recent films that I’ve enjoyed watching recently as well. Here they are:

Foster – Now this is one endearing movie I couldn’t stop gushing about after I watched it. A simple storyline by Jonathan Newman with start studded performances by Golden Globe winner, Toni Collette, Ioan Gruffudd (you probably remember him as Mr Fantastic from the movie Fantastic Four), the adorable Maurice Cole and so many other talented actors and actresses. It had hints of magical mystery which kept the film intriguing but what I loved best was the subtle message of hope and positivity which is reflected in the movie’s tagline: Miracles can come true. You want to know about the story? Well, here’s a teaser: Life was becoming a chore for high school sweethearts Zooey and Alec Morrison who had recently faced a painful tragedy that affected their ability to have kids. In a bid to move on, they decide to adopt a child but what they didn’t know was just how special the 7year old Eli (who showed up at their doorstep unannounced) would be to them. This is one 2011 English Comedy-Drama, you’ve got to watch.

Tempest - When I saw the DVD case of this movie starring Helen Mirren as Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan and Djimon Hounsou as her brutish Caliban slave stranded on what seemed like an enchanted island, I felt compelled to watch this modern 2010 take of an old Shakespearean classic.

To my disappointment, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. For me I felt it was too theatrical for a movie, the conversations were in old English – rather than today’s English – which made it a bore and my least favourite moment was seeing Russell Brand play Trinculo, one of the comical lost sailors. What I did like was the story was brought to life in vivid pictures using visual effect, nice costume (although I wasn’t too fond of Djimon’s black and white patch mud covering), great acting and use of beautiful locations in Hawaii and New York soundstages. Uh, I also liked Ariel, the weird puckish spirit played by Ben Whishaw, which I had a hard time figuring if he was actually male or female. If you are a fan of Shakespearean work and live theatrical drama, then you might just enjoy this 1hr 20mins movie written and directed by Julie Taymor.

12 Rounds – Every once in a while, I indulge in watching what I call senseless action movies i.e. films with little or no meaningful storyline. Even though I liked the brief short storyline and its twist, I would like to put this 2009 American action flick directed by Renny Harlin (Director of popular action movies like Die Hard2, Cliff hanger, Deep Blue Sea and Mind Hunters) and produced by WWE Studios in that category. The hero of the day was none other than the emotionless John Cena, an WWE wrestling star who played Danny Fisher, a local police officer who got promoted for arresting a ruthless terrorist arms-dealer Miles Jackson (played by Aidan Gillen), whose girlfriend Erica Kessen got accidentally killed. A year later he’s back to even the score with 12 challenges and Fisher’s girlfriend’s life as the prize to be won. For a great chase, stunt, effects and funny dialogue, this is not a bad movie to watch in your free time.

Neverland – After watching a 2011 re-imagination of Treasure Island which starred Elijah Woods, I was curious to see what new twist can be added to the classic story of Peter Pan (not one of my favourite childhood fantasy stories). Since it was advertised as the prequel detailing why Peter Pan never wanted to grow old and why he and captain cook were enemies; I figured it would be a good watch.

At least I got to understand why people love the character Peter Pan; I enjoyed the fantasy of Neverland (except the poor visual graphics of the 8legged crocodile) and could better swallow Peter’s inability to age. There were a few things that I didn’t like such as the inappropriate attraction between Peter Pan and Aaya, the Red Indie princess, the boring last sword fight between Peter and Captain Hook where Hook lost his hand and worst of all for me was the Pirates lady Captain, Elizabeth Bonny. Rather than the characters flying to a place called Neverland, they were transported by a magical orb forged from a meteor shower. Even though the graphics wasn’t all that great, it was nice to see Bob Hoskins again as he played Smee, a role he played in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 version of Peter Pan called Hook. This 2011 Adventure Fantasy written by Nick Willing is a nice film to watch if you want to relax and you have four hours to spare.

The Duchess – I had seen the preview of this movie in 2008 but never got the chance to watch it. One night I stumbled on it on a local TV channel and couldn’t take my eyes off it, I don’t know what it is about 18th century period dramas and stories that keep me glued to my TV set.

This movie is based on Amanda Foreman's biography on the life of a young aristocrat, Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire (played by Kiera Knightley). At age 17, she’s married off to the Duke (played by Ralph Fiennes) on the grounds that she produces a male heir with no knowledge of what joy of marriage, depth of love, pleasures of sex and strength of character truly mean. Despite becoming famous for her fashion and political aspirations, she fights inner demons in her secret closet like betrayal, adultery, giving up a love child, living together for more than 25years with her husband’s mistress, choosing between being loved as a woman and sacrificing that love to remain a mother. The uphill journey faced by women of old always brings tears to my eyes and once again I find myself appreciating this era in which I was born into. This 1hr 45mins movie which tells the tale of Princess Diana’s great-great-great-great-aunt is truly one to watch.

Nigeria at 52

As October 1st draws near, Nigerians are faced with the challenge of celebrating our independence. Since 1960, celebrating our independence with 24hour festivities has never really been the norm because October 1st has always been a time of sober reflection. More often than not, we find ourselves comparing our Nation to other countries about our age. The vast difference technologically and otherwise usually sends Nigerians into the spiral of blame games. Rather than logical self examinations to find the root of our challenges so as to proffer practical solutions, we look for whom to blame but can anyone blame us really for doing that?

At our 50th national celebration, Nigerians adorned themselves in the national colours – green white green- ran through the streets and celebrated the beginning of a new era where democracy meant we would get involved in government decision making, where things would start anew and get better for the masses. After the untimely passing of President Umaru Yar'Adua on 5th of May 2010, his successor, Goodluck Jonathan stepped up to the plate intermittently till his official election on the 16th of April 2011. For once our presidential election was free and fair; people had hope that an un-ambitious president would do more in our favour. But in the past two years, things have not become the fairy tale Nigerians hoped for.

Imagine being greeted on 2012 New Years’ day with the news of fuel scarcity because the government had removed the fuel subsidy claiming it could no longer afford to subsidize fuel if it had to save our economy in the years to come. The life of the masses became more expensive and difficult causing protests all over the nation. Officials came on television telling the people for months how it would be in their best interest and by April this year, a compromise which was still higher than the masses would have wanted was reached. A few months later, we were told there had been a scam and the money to be reserved (1.6trillion or so) was no longer available and the culprits were being investigated.

Another move that got the Nigerian public displeased was the seemingly forceful cashless society scheme. The plan was to reduce the amount of money spent printing currency notes. With so much wrong in the country, the last thing on Nigerians’ mind is to walk around with no visible cash in hand. Imagine going to an ATM machine with your card in a store and finding out the network is down. Does that mean you don’t get to buy what you need because your bank’s network is faulty? It’s one thing to deal with the embarrassment, it’s quite another to walk away from a purchase empty handed because there was no POS machine or functional ATM network to purchase you needs. Nigerians were not having that. So the matter of how feasible it would be to practice the scheme remained debatable.

Also, imagine how insulted the Nigerian populace felt when we were told (after our currency was renovated to polymer to cut cost and going cashless was less expensive) that the Central Bank of Nigeria wanted to introduce a new currency (the N5000 note), redesign currency notes (N50 - N1000) and convert lower denominations (N5 - N20) to coins. knowing that doing so would cost the country over N40billion, the common man was left wondering how that was a less wasteful economic plan. The worst part was the government has now made it its style to approve policies and plans without asking the opinion of the people or trying to sensitize the people before implementation. Then we hear the present administration feels they are the most criticized by the Nigerian people. Why won’t they be when the people had so much hope in them and so far nothing has changed? Bottom line, our systems are still faulty and majority of the motivation to improve the nation are born from personal money making schemes.

Infrastructure has still not improved and with the recent climate changes, Riverine settlements like Lekki in Lagos State, Markurdi in Benue State and Lokoja in Kogi state are now dealing with intense flooding issues. By-pass roads that have been neglected have now become potential death traps. Death toll this year has been uprising. Not to forget the amount of property damage caused by Boko Haram, Niger Delta militants, violent riots and aviation mishaps. Amidst all these chaos, the House of Reps recently were asking for N7 million increase in their pay packet. Why on earth would they feel the need to say so when the president tried to cut the expenses of the Executive arm of government to show the masses its commitment to selfless national development? It’s like our leaders have not known the nature of the people they are ruling. What Lord Lugard deduced during his analysis of Nigeria in 1912 – 1916, our leaders still grapple with till date.

All our leaders have to do is go back in time and learn the act of self-examination/analysis of a people from a man (Lord Lugard) who knew how to get the diverse cultures of people to work towards one goal of national unity. We, Nigerians, need to know what can work for us and how to harness the best out of what we already have. Lord Lugard’s analysis can be seen from his book, The Dual Mandate in British Tropical Africa which was published in 1926. There he talked about the strategies needed to govern the African people as at that time. These days Africans have evolved especially Nigerians and it’s too bad our leaders are still just as he described centuries ago. Here’s an excerpt that (emphasis: I believe) still rings true about all who get into power in Nigeria: they lack, “....self control, discipline, and foresight ... full of personal vanity, with little sense of veracity (my emphasis: honesty). His thoughts are concentrated on the events and feelings of the moment, and he suffers little from the apprehension for the future or grief for the past. He lacks the power of organization, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business. He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility...”

There has been a bit of good news in our history as a people despite our many challenges. For once, our government has tried to show its ability to visualize the future needs of the people and is currently working towards it; needs such as stable power supply, repairing of our national image, enhancement of tourism, reformations in the banking and aviation sectors just to mention a few. Another good thing about Nigerians that can see us through all our challenges till we become better is our dependence on religion. Irrespective of religious preferences, we tend to commit our nation into the hands of a Deity we believe can help. That is why October 1st has always been a day dedicated to National prayers by every religion in the country. As our challenges evolve as a people, so do our prayer points and recently, the reality that everyone needs to act one way or the other to make Nigeria great has become a daily truth.

We, the children, who were called the leaders of tomorrow, are today aware of the national transformation needed to lead our country to greater heights. At age 52, Nigeria has become a more mature nation who does away with wishful thinking and tackles the reality of the challenges ahead. It is our prayer that as we grow nationally, we would look beyond our selfish interests and do what’s best for the future our people. Happy Independence Day Nigeria!

Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics (aka A Symphony of British Music)

So by now you’re wondering why I’m still writing on the past London 2012 Summer Olympics. Well, I do like to finish anything and start and if I could tell how it started and what happened in between, I think I owe you a conclusion to that journey for all those who missed it due to our country’s epileptic power sector. As you know, electricity in Nigeria is never really constant and this has a way of affecting everything from business to personal enjoyment of entertainment. Such disappointing moments with lack of electricity did affect my viewing of the closing ceremony as directed by Kim Gavin and David Arnold a great deal.

But from what I did see, I could tell that it was concluded with a few countries like Brazil receiving their gold medals before the musical fan fare began. It was such a pity we couldn’t glimpse Queen Elizabeth 11’s scowl but at least she was represented by the jolly Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton who were more than happy to be there. With a worldwide viewership of 750 million people (a few millions shy of the opening ceremony’s 1 billion people viewership), it was a night meant to be remembered.

The stadium glowed with the colours of the British flag (a tribute to the Union Jack) – and I’ve got to say, the lighting effects for both opening and closing ceremonies were spectacular – and the floor was covered in what looked like newspaper clippings. Once again, comic relief was provided but by a fat looking batman and an elderly robin character. Once the jokes were over, it was party time.

The crowd not only went wild as a series of popular British acts playing rock, rap, pop, etc hit the stage but they also sang along filling the arena with a thunderous chorus and applause. As for me, certain performances stood out. First on the list was Scottish singer, Emeli Sande’s vocal excellence as she sang an acoustic version of her song, "Read all about it". Next was the drum-roll of the street percussion group with drummers beating on aluminum dustbin bins/covers with drum sticks while the stomp and acrobatic dancers did moves that left me with one word ‘wow’. Unfortunately this moment was disrupted for me when Ryan Davis’ performance followed. Yeah I had lots of down moments but let’s stick to the good ones for now. I also was pleasantly surprised by the open party scene with volunteers wearing colourful plaid outfits, party hats, abstract fashion pieces and colour-coded suits as well as the royal guards trumpeting.

Lots of musicians made guest appearances and I was glad I could catch a glimpse of One Direction singing on what seemed to me like a dismantled truck. Spice girls made a grand entrance on moving vehicles and sang their signature songs, as did Jesse J, Tairo Cruz and Tinie Tempah who also came in moving cars. Other singers include: Madness, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Ed Sheena, Take That, etc.
Amidst the musical concert, the athletes were paraded one last time bearing their national flag. It was nice to see countries truly celebrating because they were returning home with gold medals like USA and China who walked away with the highest amount of medals won in the 2012 Olympics (104 and 88 medals respectively). Jamaicans had a lot to celebrate besides able to hold on to their world records; as the closing ceremonies coincided with their country’s 50th anniversary. On the other hand, Brazilians were excited about the prospects of hosting the next Olympic Games (Rio 2016).

I wasn’t too psyched to see Nigeria’s parade especially when we were coming back home empty handed. My disappointed was shared by so many other Nigerians on twitter, some of which made sarcastic jokes about the team. The word Nigeria was trendy that day on twitter as Nigerians vented their anger at seeing a fellow athlete dancing during parade of nations. Everyone felt our team should hang their head in shame especially when the disabled team did so well at the Summer Para-Olympics.

Let’s get back to the closing ceremony shall we? Talking of Nigeria could start a long chain of issues relating to what ails this ‘failed state’ as diagnosed by *a CIA report predicting our disintegration by 2015. Since we are on low moments, might I say I was irked by Jessie J’s off key as she made her way to sing with Tinie Tempah and Tairo Cruz. Thank God she redeemed herself by the time she sang a classic rock song “We will Rock you”with Bryan May. Beady Eye’s rock piece with Liam Gallagher, from Oasis band, had such a nasal pitch to it I almost wished PHCN had seized the light during his performance.
I’m sure glad I had no electricity to watch Russell Brand’s musical performance though (being divorced from a popular pop musician did not qualify him to imagine he could actually sing and if that was meant to be funny, I doubt it was). Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts *fore-fingers to my temple with eyes closed. Then I take in a deep breath*.

*Smile on my face, commence conversation*. Once again the spirit of emotional freedom to cry was celebrated as pictures of athletes crying tears of joy and pain were displayed on projector screens, proving that it was now socially accepted in Europe to express emotion in public. Homage was also paid to minority groups like British Indians, though the gladiator’s dance part was lost on me sha. Don’t forget the stunts like the person who walked on a tight rope above the stadium or the human cannon ball. The London welsh choir performed the Olympic theme, soothing our ears and cleansing our memory from bad vocal performances of the night. Tribute was made to the Union Jack, Winston Churchill, Models and British fashion designers. Extinguishing of the Olympic torch which was the last feature of the celebrations was as glamorous as its lighting at the opening ceremony.

It would be hard to forget the London 2012 games especially since most of the clothes – t-shirts, leggings, jackets, etc –bearing the British flag which were used during the games will no doubt find its way to Nigeria in the form of Okrika. Or shall I say second clothing?

Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images, Copyright: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/Press Association Images.