Akinbode's BLOG on Faith, Politics, Science, Engineering, Education and Health

        Friends can make or mar you. I have shared stories of friends who helped me when I was planning to come to North America 21 years ago. Without those friends, my journey would have been harder, perhaps even impossible. That is why it is critical to surround yourself with friends who see your values and potentials and are willing to genuinely look out for you; friends who respect you for who you are, see you as an equal partner in the relationship, and are never condescending. Friends who share their opinions or advice without insisting that their position is the only correct one. Friends who listen when you share your deepest pains and concerns about an experience or relationship and do not judge you negatively...even when it is obvious you may be wrong, but instead offer guidance without insisting. Friends who repeatedly offer contrary advice when you are sharing a painful experience are not respecting you or your perspective. When you describe constant ill-...

In age, yes, Alaafin Owoade is like a son to Oba Rashidi Ladoja ... but the stool they sit on is equal before the law of Nigeria today. They are both first-class kings in Oyo State ... There should be mutual respect between the two. I wrote on this subject early last year at the wake of the installation of Alaafin Owoade and his deliberately orchestrated feud with Oonirisa, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi . There is nothing like Alaafin of Yorubaland , period! It does not exist. It is a fiction of the imagination of people fanning the destruction of Yorubaland ... Oyo used to be a great empire... it is no more...Just as the Kano Empire , the Borno Empire, the Dahomey Empire , the Bini Kingdom , etc. Oyo-Ile was located hundreds of kilometers from the present location of Oyo town ... They were driven to the present location by the defeat of Oyo in the 19th century... I read many people quoting the mischievous colonial master's document to stamp the supremacy of Alaafin over all other...

I saw the Al Jazeera show " Head to Head " where Mehdi Hasan , a prominent British-American journalist, interviewed a right-wing apologist, Oxford Professor Nigel Biggar . In his book titled, "_Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning and Reparations_," Nigel Biggar projects British colonization of other nations as a thing that means more good than bad, and that no reparation should be paid and no need for apologies. Nigel called it the Tyranny of Imaginary guilt . Even though the British took over 3 million Africans across the Atlantic from their homeland into centuries of slavery , replacing slavery with colonization, and today, their museums are still filled with precious arts from their former colonies - mostly stolen. Much of the infrastructure and wealth in the UK for over 400 years of colonization was obtained from plundering the nations they colonized, and Brits today still enjoy those plunders in one way or the other from tourism, taxes, etc. The fact that the c...

Many traditions believe you have a DESTINY that determines who you become. That we are pre-ordained to be something or do something in our short lives. In Yoruba culture , it is called KADARA or ORI . Many hold on to ISENTAYE (prophecy) based on KADARA. The question is, is there truly KADARA or ORI, or our natural gifts and learned habits that make ways for us…? Do I accept I am destined to be poor, to be childless, to be the scorn of society, accept my fate, and resign to the background all my life? If KADARA is true, do we then say the creator is fair? Why will he destine one to die young or not amount to anything, no matter what, and then give others KADARA/ORI to always be on top, beautiful, rich, loved… I know those who will say they believe in destiny wholeheartedly, and they have benefited from knowing that they are pre-determined to be great. These people are not wrong; that is the story of every human being. We are all pre-destined for greatness; we just need to find our pl...

I am from Osun State , but I have been a resident of Oyo State all my life... I was born in Ibadan and received all my education in Oyo State. I worked for Lautech for over 13 years before I left the country. Most of my investments are in Oyo State. Here is what I know from experience. Governor Seyi Makinde remains one of the best governors Oyo State has had in terms of doing what is expected of a governor... What transpired between him and President Tinubu is a classic example of politics at its best. Why did Seyi Makinde support Tinubu against Atiku in the 2023 presidential election? It has a common-sense answer: It was a North versus South political dominance issue ... After eight years of a northern presidency, it was time for power to return to the South... Supporting Atiku, a northerner who violated the unwritten agreement between the North and South in Nigeria , is acting like an " omo ale " – a bastard. It was a no-brainer. If he expected something in return, it...

I drove on the roads in Nigeria for many years before I left 21 years ago, and I still drive on the roads every time I am home... I drove more than 1000 km (700 miles) when I traveled home this year. I can tell you unequivocally that Nigerian roads are some of the most dangerous in the world for many reasons... I know there are worse...   1. Many roads are not properly constructed and maintained... the one on which AJ had an accident is one of the newly reconstructed roads in the country, and perhaps in excellent condition, so what went wrong is where the lessons are for the system in the country....   2. Road signs are either absent or inadequate....Road lanes are not usually properly marked with dividing lines between lanes and arrows and other signs to guide motorists... so vehicles change lanes without any form of guidance on the ground....   3. Nigerian roads are not being properly monitored... You see cameras at every stretch of major highways in the West ... Not...