NgREN

I wrote this report in 2010 when I still had some of the 'techie'ness (as my colleagues at the time liked to say) left in me.  My report

I may not have followed up completely with the Nigerian Research and Education Network but following up on this report, work is still being done and efforts are being made, more clusters have been formed but how involved is the community in this effort?

Nigeria is a large country with diversity as large and on so many occassions, agreement wanders far off. 
Eko-Konnect, SokREN and OsunREN are the clusters in Nigeria that are currently up and running. The idea behind the clusters is to get the Higher Institutions in different regions to collaborate and at some point, they can all come together to form the National Research and Education Network (REN).

Well, I'll let you read more about this yourself but I have to warn you that it is somewhat 'technical' :-) See these links for yourself please Nigerian Research and Education Network and Ekokonnect (one of the many clusters).

What do you think of the NgREN?

Bitter Sweet

A story once untold, a tale once heard

From far away in the land of the unknown

To right amongst us

Hearts locked, deep crevices,

Cold as ice, devoid of all emotion

No impasse reachable, just blatant refusal

Years gone by, all down the drain

A life built together with blood and sweat and tears

Some wonderful memories will always remain

Unspoken words, unhealed wounds,

Deep hurt that time may never erase

Broken jaws, black eyes, maybe paranoia

Constantly engulfed in trepidation

Ashamed to reach out

For the criticism that would follow

Words once brought healing and assurance

Now they hurt, they pierce deep

Better left unspoken

Long ago sincere vows were made from deep within

Bitter those vows have turned never to regain any sweetness

Irreconcilable differences describes it most succinctly…

Way Forward FCT?

In the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, word has it that the city has since become a shadow of what it was six years ago… Mallam Nasir El-Rufai seems to be the best thing that happened to Abuja as there was sanity in this city while he was in power. What do you think?

Street beggars and hawkers – Driving on the roads, one has to be extremely attentive these days as beggars and hawkers are everywhere on the streets. At any traffic light, once the red light stops you, they all appear. Sad part is, hand bags and mobile phones could get missing if you have your car doors unlocked or windows down without paying attention. Once upon a time, these people would not dare show up on the streets as there were laws to ensure that such people were never around town.

Boss - Employee relationship

In her one year of working at this firm, Mfon got all the scolding she had not got since she was a child. With a boss throwing tantrums like this every now and then, he is worse than a woman going through that time of the month. It is usually women who are this bad she thought to herself, but not in this case!

She decided to track his record...previous employees all found that he was a horrible boss and couldn't put up with his tantrums for very long. She decided to be the different one and see this through. He would bend this time and not the other way round. Feisty she had been told she was but it was about to be displayed at the very maximum.

She talked with a friend who manages a major organization and his advise to her was simple 'bad managers are everywhere and you will always meet them, count yourself lucky to have a good one'. She had to read between the lines and her own interpretation of the statement was...be the best you can be given the circumstance! Zeal renewed and her challenge belt worn, that was what she was determined to be.

It takes some effort to be up there. Are you ready to put in what is required?

About time!

The mystery envelopes him like a blanket of darkness,

all directions make no headway,

becoming a seemingly aimless wander as if in a maze,

Head buried, arms clasped, uncertainty taking over….

The strength, the courage, the will, the hope have all been lost.

That light, that blinding light is nowhere in sight.

Once upon a time, he had so many aspirations,

reality, life, experiences, they all happened.

Tears roll freely; he feels emotions not felt in such a long time:

self pity, anger, resentment all course through every vein.

It’s useless staying down there, get up he had heard one too many times.

From the depth of pain, he vows, it’s about time…about time!

The Liebster Award

I was nominated by Lizi, (see her blog here) for the Liebster Award. l looked to see the origin of the award but I have seen numerous blogs so I'll stick to Lizi's introduction which is pretty much the same as many others.

The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
What is a Liebster? The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome

Pollution or Not?

Crackling sounds pierce through the quiet moments of dawn,

those microphones come to life in the bid to call on believers to pray, the day has just begun. . .

Cars on the roads move with little or no respect for traffic rules, impatient drivers cause unnecessary traffic jams and in between all of that, some hurl insults at each other while horns blare so loudly, almost deafening.

Some cars are road unworthy but how they stay on the roads is a story for another day! From emissions of silencers from such cars to the wobbly movements that scare the drivers right behind, driving is sometimes a pain. PHCN powercuts may excuse the intermittent street or traffic lights, but those cars driving without lights at night can't blame the faulty grid. And if our visibility wasn't bad enough already, you can normally count on someone having a bonfire of black plastic bags on the side of the road, spewing noxious fumes into oncoming traffic just as you'd put your window down to cool off. 

The road dividers sometimes serve as trash outlets for moving cars, street hawkers and not to mention the sides of the roads where heaps of trash stand unattended and this seems to bother no one. As a matter of fact, stalls are erected and business is carried out beside the trash without a care. Does the smell not almost choke these sellers? Man must survive abi?

Roadside sellers vs trash

Drainages are not spared; they are filled with trash and do not serve the purpose for which they were created. When the real need for these drainages is required to be met, it proves impossible. And we wonder why there are floods?!