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

Many African countries are experiencing serious foreign exchange shortage that is crippling their economy and creating record high inflation. How do we solve this perennial problem? Let's address the problem of insecurity that is precluding the continent from maximizing its tourism and direct foreign investment potential.   Let us work to reduce importation of everything including toothpick.....petroleum products, rice, wheat...these are the major draw of foreign exchange in many African countries...that is crippling their economy.   Let us boost local production of value added products... Cassava starch and pellets, chocolate not cocoa, textiles not cotton, peanuts butter not peanuts, cashew products not unprocessed cashew... Let us buy local...local SUVs, local rice, local wines, local furniture, local fabrics, local shoes,....... compel manufacturers to come open factories on our land.. Let's give incentives to investors who wants to come...let our rich and middle-class buy

Nelson Mandela remains one of the most respected figure in the world today, even after his death. What many do not know was that he was tagged a TERRORIST by the United States of America's government for decades. He was still on the terrorist list while he was South Africa's president. Obama had to sign a special order to remove him from the list before he was able to visit the US in 2008. Mandela was the leader of the arm resistant wing of African National Congress (ANC), the dominant party in once an apartheid South Africa (SA). The party was proscribed and banned from any form of political activities. The arm resistance of 1960 was what led to Mandela being jailed for 27 years. Successive U.S. government, just like its western counterparts, supported the apartheid regime in SA for decades. What was the end, shame..... Israeli government and Hamas should learn from South Africa's experience. Violence and shedding of the blood of the innocent will not lead to peace. Nelson

We do not know his real name, we know the name he bears is adopted. He has neither denied this nor say it is the truth. We do not know who his parents were.... we know the famous Iyalode of Eko was not his biological mother.... We do not know a single member of his extended family We do know which schools he attended ... the one he submitted was not founded when he claimed he attended the school.. meaning, he used Oluwole certificate to gain admission to the College in the U.S. It is best to imagine the implication of this for future prospective Nigerian student into foreign university…. We do not know his real age because there are conflicting information on official documents We do not know his real state of origin... we know he claims one but we know he is connected to another because his nephew was installed as a governor in one..... His whole life is shrouded in misery and full of all kinds of questions. It reminds me of college politics when people with all kind of background sch

  "Forgive and forget Syndrome", bane to good governance in Nigeria. It appears Nigerians have a short memory. The confusion created by religious doctrine of forgiveness has created a culture of wicked impunity in leadership. It is unbelievable how the "Syndrome of Forgive and Forget" has permeated every faceted of life in the country. We are quick to forget the corruption of many politicians so much so those who suffered because of the wicked acts of these politicians are the one that lead the call for elevation later... Sometimes because of vested interest that clouds their judgment and their ability to make rational decision. They canvas for politicians we do not know their real name, we do not know their parents or state of origin, they canvas for politicians we saw with our own korokoro eyes that collected bribe, they advocate national honor for leaders that decimated our economy for lack of mental acumen to lead, they openly support known thieves to get into p

RULE OF ENGAGEMENT IN A WAR The rule of engagement in war is that civilians should not be deliberately targeted in a time of war or peace ..... when this happens, the warring party responsible is deemed to have committed war crime and should be prosecuted ...... wherever they are .... All forms of terrorism should be condemned in the same spirit of fairness.... nations cannot use imbalance weight to measure how and when to condemn acts of terrorism - if your ally commits war crimes by killing innocent journalists, citizens (whose only offense is that they are family of a terrorist), and civilians... don't just advise them, hold them accountable the same way you hold their opponents accountable ...... There is a saying in my language that when a sheep (a supposed docile animal) is pushed to the wall and it has no where else to go, it will bite like a dog...... Peace cannot be forced and delivered by high handedness.... it can only be negotiated.... for peace to reign in any sphere

  At 63, Nigeria is broke and caving under a heavy load of foreign and domestic debts. The nation lives on borrowed money ..it spends 99% of its revenue to service debts borrowed to execute mostly white elephant projects or money stolen by those trusted with our commonwealth... Nigerians home and abroad are afraid at home for fear of bandits, kidnappers and terrorists. We have lost hosting right to many international events because no part of the nation is safe anymore.. Companies that have called Nigeria home for decades are leaving in drove because of high cost of doing business in Nigeria...a volatile currency and high cost of power....and insecurity and inconsistent government policy ... The only ray of hope is the die-hard spirit of ordinary Nigerians, the entertainment industry (Nollywood & the music industry) that continues to put us on the global map, the individual effort of our athletes and Nigerians in the Diaspora who continue to shine because of enabling environment..

I continue to question the sensibility of those who claim there is no more RACISM (especially against people of African descent) in 2023. I just saw a video of a young Gymnast in IRELAND from early 2022 who was literally skipped from receiving a medal as if she did not exist. Several Caucasian kids before and after her were given medals, and she was skipped. You can see in the video how confused the little girl was .....as if "what did I do wrong?" Africans in the West have been asking this question for centuries, including in 2023.... what did Africans do wrong for them to be treated as if they are invisible..... Those who coined "Black Life Matter" are not saying other lives don't matter. What they are asking is, "Why are we being treated as if our lives don't matter." The only excuse of the lady is that it was an error - very convenient https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcJkuWOhFtM .... see the video yourself and see how it is almost impossible

It is disheartening when you read about young people in Nigeria dying from mysterious ailments. This speaks volumes about the state of healthcare delivery in the country.... it is practically non-existent for poor and middle-class Nigerians. .. Hospitals have been Undertaker houses for decades and successive governments have done nothing to help the situation.... People die of sicknesses that will cost a few hundreds or thousands of naira to treat... where are those hospitals, where are the doctors and nurses (most of them have left and some are boarding the plane as I am writing to leave), and where are the supplies to treat, where is the ethics - many are prioritizing money above their oath, where is the compensation for healthcare workers, where are the modern equipment, where is the power to keep the hospitals afloat, where are other utilities.....? There is a deep connection between access to qualitative healthcare and the prosperity of a nation. A healthy workforce is a productiv

  ECOWAS has played itself to the corner with its threat of war against the Nigerien junta. They have drawn the battle line in an affair they should have mediated and managed with caution. If they back down, they will lose face and credibility. They will be seen as toothless bulldogs by other Russian prompted would be juntas who are considering ceasing power in other African countries. The same can be said of the coup plotters who have sworn times over that they will defend every inch of their country against outside interference. Can they and for how long before they replace France with Russia and China in their quest for true independence? Africa has become the new play ground in the fight of dominance and supremacy between the Western block and the Russia-China alliance. The brutal Russia backed Wagner militias has been disrupting the stability of countries on the continent for a while now, strategically helping rogues to topple democratically elected government in exchange for brut

Nigeria should be careful not to plunge itself into the Western nations' proxy war... We have no business going to war with the Niger Republic and its allies in Burkina Faso and Mali. They should let France, the U.S., and entire Western countries who have a strategic interest in Niger's Uranium reserve (25% of the global reserve is in this country) should fight the war themselves... Nigeria as a nation has no strategic interest or benefit in Niger. In fact, Tinubu needs to cancel the $1.2 billion wasteful rail line being built by his predecessor because he has cousins in Niger.. Nigeria is in a state of economic chaos. Fighting a war while we are living on borrowed money is the most stupid decision any country like ours will ever make... We will be fighting against countries that most of our loans are coming from.....and most of the burden of the war will be borne by Nigeria, and West Africa could be destabilized by this war for decades from now and we will impoverish our peopl

If race-based admission violates the American constitution, so also is LEGACY admission that favors the majority of Caucasians. Almost half of admitted students to Columbia University (an IVY league school) are legacy admission (meaning, someone in their lineage had attended the school - father, mother, aunt, uncle, grandfather, etc....). What is good for the GOOSE is good for the GANDER......otherwise, the decision yesterday by the US Supreme Court comes short of being racist. It is going to perpetuate exactly what they claim they want to stem out....They are creating space for "white kids" whose generation has dominated admission to top schools in America and preclude those who the system has deliberately deprived of opportunities for centuries from enjoying the benefits of going to the same top schools or going to school at all. Perhaps, the SCOTUS should also abolish Minority Serving Institutions on the same premise they scrapped Affirmative Action - America in 2023 is CO

One way to quickly gauge the "empathy quotient" of a government is by its policies. Irrational removal of subsidy, the purported plan to increase electricity tariffs, and proposing student loans to students who have less than 10% chance of gainful employment after school is nothing but cluelessness..... You need to think before you suggest or implement life-changing policies... Tinubu and his appointees will receive a 114% increase in salary and benefits while ordinary Nigerians are paying over 156% more for a liter of petrol. They said it is FAKE news after testing the waters of public reaction, and it was too hot to handle. There is no fire if there is no smoke... Politicians in Nigeria have perfected the art of impunity because many times, they get away with doing stupid and crazy stuff that doesn't make sense and won't be tried where the power to elect and unelect resides with the people. A government just hikes the price of petroleum products, one of the most e

Majority of Nigerians agreed that fuel subsidy is a fraud forced on us by wicked Nigerians who destroyed four refineries and then began to siphon billions of dollars annually in the name of petroleum products importation. (What we did with cash crops, pre-petroleum discovery, we have resulted in the same. How will the rest of the world not think we are idiots?) Many did not import one gallon of anything but they have become billionaires from subsidies. All leading presidential candidates in the last election agreed we must rid ourselves of this 'agbana' (blood-sucking idols), but how do you do it in a way that will not further compound the suffering of already beating down Nigerians who were barely scraping by under the last president? Here comes the new man, on day one, he removed subsidy without a plan, without consulting the stakeholders, without addressing the people on his strategy on how the monumental effect of subsidy removal will be cushioned. He acted with impunity an

In conservative communities, showing any sign of what is perceived as weakness is looked down upon. Being open about your bad situation is sometimes considered a sign of entitlement and attention-seeking. Mental health is one of the ailments many suffer in silence and don't get help for. It has reached an alarming rate among young adults. Science presents many reasons as the causative factors: 1. Change in socio-cultural behavior instigated by many things 2. Change in lifestyle of caregivers - parents. It is commonplace now that both parents are professionals and are often not available enough to supervise the upbringing and meet the emerging needs of their wards. 3. Technology - the internet, smartphone, tablet, laptops, Nintendo, X-box, etc are drawing time away from young adults (even adults). The time they should spend socializing by playing with their siblings, friends, and parents is spent playing games and surfing the web looking for what is not lost. 4. Peer pressure from s

Whereas policemen carry bags and umbrellas for "big men" and politicians, whereas they are assaulted by celebrities in daylight. These same policemen go about harassing ordinary people for no just cause.. Seun Kuti slapped a policeman in daylight and he was not arrested there and then. It tells you that Nigeria is a lawless country. Police kill many Nigerians daily and nothing happens, but when one is confronted by a celebrity artist, he lost himself as the officer of the law and allowed himself to be humiliated publicly - it does not happen in a sane world. Seun knows he could not repeat the same abroad and not be arrested immediately and jailed. You know, many Nigerians are daily assaulted, maimed, raped, and extorted, and we see it as the norm - they carry guns and wear uniforms that symbolize they are the face of the laws of the land. I was almost killed by one in 2010 on the Iwo-Ibadan road when I challenged him for intimidating and harassing innocent road users. I just

At a time when Nigeria is spending 96 % of its revenue to pay debt When resident doctors are threatening to go on strike and ordinary Nigerians are the ones that will pay the price. When millions of children are out of school When tens of millions of Nigerian youths are jobless When infrastructures are in a terrible state - hospitals, schools, colleges, airports, intra-city and inter-state roads When 100 of millions of Nigerians are hungry Our political class have decided to share over N63 billion as a severance package. This tells you the mindset of these people and where their hearts have been since they got to the office. This can only happen in a country where the electorates are powerless and voiceless.... This is what Nigerians have done to themselves....when we are tired we will stand up against recklessness, tyranny, and impunity.

Abraham Lincoln defined DEMOCRACY to mean the government of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, and for the PEOPLE. If a government was not elected by the PEOPLE, it can never be a government of the PEOPLE, nor will it be for the PEOPLE. It is important that in every election, FREENESS and FAIRNESS are allowed. The people should be allowed to elect their leaders - good or bad. If the leader is bad, the people will have the opportunity to elect someone else in the next election. However, when a few powerful people subvert the process and buy votes to get to office, it can never be a democracy. Those who get into office through this means will never act in accordance with the laws that guide their office and they will abuse the power of the office with impunity because they know there is no accountability. They can always take the back door to get back to the office anytime they want. Those trivializing the importance of free and fair elections should know they are supporting tyranny, dictatorshi

Before Buhari took the rein of power in 2015, the projection was that Nigeria's economy would grow by about 7.1% annually till 2030. The growth started at the turn of the century under the presidency of OBJ who paid off our national debt through negotiation led by Madam Okonjo Iweala. The growth trend continued under GEJ even though it was threatened by serious corruption left uncontrolled by GEJ's government. Nigeria's economy has shrunk in the last few years, and the future looks bleak for the nation. Nigeria's GDP growth was in the negative twice during Buhari's (the first time since the turn of the century) tenure. We were only above 3% once, and that was in 2021. Nigeria's Growth Projection, PRE-BUHARI   The government of Buhari was elected with a lot of hope but it is the worst mistake that happened to Nigeria since the turn of the century if not in its history. All indices of growth have gone south and the President remained blithe and unresponsive. He ne

One in every FIVE dark skin people of African descent (Sub-Saharan Africans) is a Nigerian. For as long as Nigeria remains an under-performing nation, the black nation will not gain the respect of the world. This leads to the topic of how Nigerians at home perceive Nigerians in the diaspora. Many Nigerians at home are fiery and angry when Nigerians in the diaspora speak the truth about the state of the nation and the fact that we can not continue to be satisfied with incremental change that leads nowhere, and why the ORDINARY people of Nigeria are the only one who can make the change that the nation needs - first by electing smart, educated, enlightened, proven, and unifying leaders, especially the president; and by being the change we want in Nigeria in our daily endeavor. Some Nigerians at home use lines of attack such as: 1. YOU HAVE LEFT, SO, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL THE REST OF US LEFT HOME WHAT TO DO. No, we have the right - some of us still pay tax at home, we carry th

One of the key wisdom I have imbibed (internalized) that has helped me greatly in my relationship with others is learning to agree while I disagree - it simply means, I have learned to acknowledge other people's positions and opinions without necessarily agreeing with them. This is a key wisdom that will help you in dealing and relating with your spouse, your colleagues, and rivals at any level.. Phrases such as: "I hear you, however,......" "I acknowledge your position, however, have you considered .........." "I recognize where you are coming from, in addition, I think ......." ....... and others like it are critical for interacting with others, lead to less shouting bout, and allow for more productive discussion in meetings and gathering.....I hope it makes sense to some...

I saw Baba-Ahmed Datti's interview with Seun on Channel TV a few days ago, and I am still in shock at his utterances and interpretation of the electoral laws. Someone, Obi & co, need to call Datti to order. I watched his interview with mouth agape earing his conclusion and interpretation of the electoral law that governs the criteria for winning the presidential election. He stated that the winner must win Abuja, so, because the APC candidate and his party did not win Abuja, therefore he is not a legitimate winner. That is absurd and weird. What confers Abuja with the special power to decide the winner of a presidential election in Nigeria, nothing? Then Datti made a lot of apocalyptic statements about the fate of Nigeria, post-May 29 if the opposition who was declared the winner was sworn in... That is inciting the polity into violence, and someone needs to tell him the consequences of stirring up violence on a baseless interpretation of the law. LP, Obi, and Datti are losing

Singularity was said to be an illusion seen in fiction movies. We are in uncharted territory with the speed of advancement in AI ... ChatGPT is one of such ... what DEEPFAKE is doing to content creation is disturbing.... these among many. I wonder where developing regions like Africa stand in all of these when we are still grappling with organizing free and fair election and are not able to feed everyone.... the gap is widening and I hope those who are leading are concerned and repent from siphoning our commonwealth.. When disruptors, inventors, and great minds like Musk and Wozniak (co-creator of Apple) are calling for a six-month halt in the development of these techs, you should know we are really walking a thin line between life and death with what these technologies would do to us if we do not create a strong boundary for development, use, and application....

INEC's leadership failed Nigerians again. The chairman promised everywhere from Chatham House to national television. He promised unequivocally that results would be transmitted electronically. He made claims that they have test-ran the technology at the state level. He was vividly angry when he was told before Feb 25 that some of the presidential candidates were concerned that the process would fail.    There is news that international observers urged him before a president-elect was declared to slow down and investigate what the problem was with the BVAS system and fix it before a candidate is declared the winner. The inauguration is still later in May - delaying election result announcements to ascertain the authenticity of the results is within the power of INEC. He promised he would but the next thing we saw was that he declared a president-elect and issued a certificate. All you hear is, "go to court to challenge the process," which one is faster, INEC rectifying w

Congratulations to Mr. Tinubu for being declared the winner of Saturday's election. I personally wish him well - I hope he succeeds because his success will alleviate the sufferings of ordinary Nigerian. This is not pandering to anyone but being factual about what Nigeria and Nigerians need now, GOOD governance - a government that solve problems. Tinubu was never my preferred candidate for many reasons I have alluded to here and on other platforms. The election was full of malpractices perpetuated by the major parties and it is a shame to be candid. I do not think this is the voice of Nigerians in its entirety, here are my points: 1. Only 4.1% of Nigerians were claimed to have voted for Tinubu to emerge as the winner. That is 9% of registered voters and 25% of those that actually voted.. INEC reported that over 93.4 million voters were registered only 8.8 million were claimed to elected Tinubu. Such a low turnout is prone to manipulation. 2. The election was marred with fraud acro

Are you ready, Nigerian youths (those between 18 - 40 years)? Nigerian youths constitute over 70% of the electorate, the power to influence a change and install the right leader is in the hands of young Nigerians. Please, seize this power - the power of your vote. I implore Nigerians, especially the youth, to troop out on Saturday to vote, bearing in mind that the nation's future is in their hands. We cannot afford to experiment or make another mistake. It will be another four years of compounded suffering that will escalate. There is a need for power to change hands to the person that you believe will lead a change for ALL Nigerians - not the one that will benefit you personally because he is of the same religion or ethnic group as you, or because he will give you contract or hire your family. When Nigeria is prosperous, you do not need any politician to be successful, you just need to work hard and be ready to stake rightly. I, like many Nigerians in the diaspora, am nervous and

Hundreds of millions of Nigerians are suffering and among these suffer-suffer "pepulu" some are busy cursing and abusing their friends and family members on social media in the name of politicians that will throw banters after the election, win or lose. Nigerians are supposed not to take the bait again. Instead of fighting one another, we should grill these people like eran asun (roasted meat). We should ask them what their plans are for us and our wards, we should tell them to debate each other so that we can know who is truly competent, and we should tell them that our votes are not for sale but free for the best candidate who has proven him/herself. What the majority of Nigerians want is a better Nigeria where we can all thrive without any connection to any politician or influential person. The way to get that is not by fighting on social media but by being truly a part of the process..... In the end, if you are eligible to vote, make sure to go out and vote your conscienc

I am not in any way discounting the importance of an excellent leader in causing a change in his country. A leader is only as good as his followers. For any new president to succeed post-Buhari era in Nigeria, he must receive the backing of all, especially the majority of the people including the special interest groups.   The rush of many Nigerians to back Peter Obi I presume is because the two mainstream parties that have ruled Nigeria since 1999 have failed the people of the nation miserably and the people are desperately in need of change. Buhari promised so much 8 years ago, but he delivered HELL instead and he is unapologetic about it. Buhari believes he has done well with the pain of Nigerians which include his kinsmen in Katsina and Kano that stoned him lately - he is a grossly incompetent president that refused to engage in the process of governance and uses de factos with selfish interest to lead. The bottom is almost caving under him and he is not bothered one bit. He refuse

You may know Blessing Okagbare, the Nigerian athlete who holds the national 100 m record and Africa's record until 2021, and her debacle with performance-enhancing drugs during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The provider of the drugs to Okagbare, an American by name of Eric Lira, was also implicated in another athlete's case, who is designated as "athlete 2" while Okagbare was designated as athlete 1 by the FBI who investigated Eric Lira. There are no other athletes outed other than these two Nigerians whereas the court filing said there were others. That Athlete 2 happens to be Divine Oduduru. How come only Nigerians were scapegoats in Eric Lira's case? There is no single American. FBI does not do a haphazard's job, they are thorough. They must have seized Eric's phone and have access to all the athletes he has ever treated or communicated with about selling drugs to, why was none reported to the professional associations of the athletes. Oduduru's crime

I implore Nigerians of voting age to vote their conscience because the vultures have set themselves again to derail any potential for the emancipation of Nigeria. They want to continue the bleeding of the country without consideration for those who are powerless, the majority of the people of the nation. Nigeria's situation is beyond pathetic and very disheartening. Everything seems to be falling apart, and hope is becoming dimmer while the majority of the politicians (irrespective of party affiliation) continue to lie to Nigerians to maintain the status quo. The current administration has destroyed what is left of the gains since the turn of the millennium when we thought Nigeria has turned the corner, ruined the economy, impoverish more Nigerians per capita than at any time in the 62-year history of the nation, and more children are out of school, diasporans are afraid to come home again because of the state of insecurity - drawing from the experience of others who have met misfo

Governor SEYI MAKINDE and his Associates within the Oyo State government who are seeking a second term are CALLED OUT on the subject of none payment of GRATUITY of many Lautech Pensioners in the last 13 years (if not longer). Almost all, if not all lautech staff (academic and non-academic) who retired since 2010 (as much as I can gather) have not been paid their FULL GRATUITY since they left the services of the University 13 years ago. Inflation has made nonsense of this money for many of these people. Only God knows how many have died waiting for their gratuity that may never be paid again because of the bureaucracy around securing payment for a deceased During the tenure of Prof. Ologunde, an effort was made to pay some part of the gratuity but a significant amount is still owed to a majority. I do not know anyone who has retired since 2010 that has been fully paid their Gratuity. During the current tenure of Prof. Liasu, zero naira has been paid - nothing. It is disheartening that u

https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/pixels-of-progress-chapter-5 If you are interested in indices of growth globally, this McKinsey's report 👆👆👆 on growth in China and other microregions of the world will be of interest to you. Unfortunately, sub-Sahara (SSA) performed worst - no single region in SSA saw a GDP increase up to $8,300 concurrently with life expectancy over 72 years - ZERO, not Ghana, not Senegal, not Botswana, not South Africa nor Kenya or Nigeria, not even Rwanda that has seen significant growth in the last decade. I presume the life-expectancy aspect is where most SSA countries fell short. The continent needs to do better when it comes to primary and secondary health delivery to its people. You can imagine when the majority dies before the age of 54 years - that is the case in Nigeria where life expectancy is 53 years. The region loses a lot of brains to unnecessary death because our hospitals have become undertaker houses - no doctors/poorly trained doctor

Who is more despicable - faceless people (members of the FIRM - core Royal family) who feed information to the press who spins and spices it with lies in a destructive way to sell their papers OR someone who used his own mouth to say it as he experienced it in pain and agony hoping someone would listen and make the needed change. We all should be a judge, especially the majority of the British people who appear mortified by Harry's revelations ..... How the FIRM and the INSTITUTION address Harry washing their dirty clothes outside will define them in the next couple of decades. They could choose to be vindictive, crumble what is left of the bridge, take Harry and Meghan's titles, ban them from the royal family and double down on not having a toxic relationship with the British tabloid and on maintaining the falsehood about issues around implicit bias against minorities OR Begin a private, and then public effort to reconcile with Harry and his family to heal the wounds on both s

  I have always asked the question about dress code - for men and women, especially women and why dressing half naked seems to be a norm for the female gender today in the name of fashion and looking "sexy". The video below shows how much we have fallen in 60 years. I have and will never support any form of violence against anyone (especially women) because of provocation and indecency or any reason for that matter. This speaks to the notion of sexual harassment or violence again women on the premise that they dress indecently. However, I do not understand why some women will want to expose their bodies in a provocative way - being completely oblivious that men naturally respond to what they see and connected to women first because of outward appearance. Just as many women respond to muscular men or rich guys, so do men respond to women who objectify the sexual parts of their bodies... I do not want to care how holy or sanctimonious that man may be, when a woman almost naked