binary politics explained next to Lekki bridge

zoom on Nigeria Future Forecast : war or prosperity

Binary Politics explained

As the election campaign becomes more and more present in everyone's mind, here is a an interesting diagram which needs concentration to fully comprehend (I was probably slow-brained the morning I saw it). But I guess it could apply to Greece too : Sacrifice - rule of Law and the expected outcome Love and Prosperity. In any case, a much better version to hope for than Greed and Corruption with the proposed outcome of Hatred and War which no one really wants to see happening.

In the office, recreational moments (during which work is put aside) generate loud conversations between opponents. The opposition saying to the proponents of the party in power: what have you done with all the money from oil sold at over 100USD a barrel? Now it has dropped by half, and we have very little foreign currency available to prevent the Naira from weakening against foreign currency. This will put strain on our purchasing power. One feels that debate could heat up at times even if it has always stayed within bounds.

Political parade are attracting a lot of attention from passers-by, watching the crowd of supporters carried away in cheers and dances, and occasionally cheering too as if their favorite football team would have one the European Champions League. Campaigning in Africa has to be festive!

the bigger picture of the elections

I asked some friends how they felt about the elections. The consensus was that APC and PDP were strong enough not to attack each other, so the elections should be held fairly peacefully, and in the unlikely event that things would turn sore, it was a wise precaution to have one's passport ready, full tank and stock of a couple of days worth of food because riots never last more than 3 or 4 days.
Then, one of them said the choice for president was the one of no real choice: between a thief and a murderer. The latter referring to the outsider. GEZ, the president, was praised for his lack of leadership which caused Boko Haram to develop and settle down in an area where it is too hot to go anyway.

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Lekki Bridge

The Lekki bridge is connecting Ikoyi and Lekki Phase 1. That is the place for cyclist and joggers to exercise early morning. Bridges are the only occasion for going up-hill or down-hill in flat Lagos. The bridge is fairly long curling its way between Victoria Island and Banana.

the suspended bridge of Lekki

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The Ogiamien family in Benin City: about wood and history

Roland Ogiamien in his wood-carving workshop Wood Roland Ogiamien is a renown wood carver. He is now retired in his home town of Benin City and is now in his 80s. We met him in his simple workshop, a barn opened on the surrounding greenery. A part of the studio is used to store wood pieces and make sure they are well dried. He is using a collection of german ustensils to carve and polish the wood. He spent most of his career working out of Lagos before relocating to Benin. Roland was explaining that the wood he uses today is different that the one he worked on in his early days. Ebony has become rare and wood carvers have had to switch to other types of wood. Traditional heritage is a large part of his inspiration which he translates on wood with his own particular style, exploring various techniques for the finish of his pieces. Roland Ogiamien and two of his favourite masks History Ogiamien is the name of an important royal family in Benin Kingdom. Towards the end of the

The mysterious stones images of Esie

turned into Stones Chief J. Agbo Ooye had been waiting in the shade of a large tree, in front of the National Museum of Esie, dressed in ceremonial costume with a velvet hat incrusted with crystal beads sown in the shape of his title and his name. He was sitting next to his wife on a bench, expecting our arrival. His wife, he would tell us later, was his best friend and she was actually demonstrating it by guiding his frail body from one place to another and guiding his hand when it came to sign autographs of his books. Chief Agbo Ooye is the author of two booklets on the Esie Stones. The first one, called A Personal Account of the Esie Stones is giving an overview of the differences between the scientific and the traditional interpretation of the Esie Stones. The second one is called the History of Esie and gives a brief account of Esie's history from the early settlement of Yorubas in various groups (Esie, Oro, Eku Apa, Igbonla, Edidi, Igbesi, etc...) to the present day. Thos

The Arala of Benin Kingdom and his large family music band

High Chief Arala of Benin Kingdom, Prince S.B. Omo Lawal Osula At the intersection of two potholed market streets in the heart of Benin City, somewhere along Lagos street, stood three marquees. Two of them were covering rows of plastic chairs and a plastic table for special guests. The third one was covering a wooden stage with numerous microphone booms. A band was getting ready to play. The setup was facing the house of the Arala, a High Chief of Benin City. In front of the house painted in orange was a wooden bank on which traditional percussionists would seat later on. Seated guests were waiting for the Arala himself. The Arala had come out, dressed in a salmon-pink suit and red loafers, to welcome us personally upon our arrival while we parked next to the marquees. He is a man of small stature but fit and lively for his age (he is in his mid seventies). The Arala runs an NGO to help international organisations fund rural education projects around Benin city. The NGO spares the

Nigeria, the land of plenty

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