SANMI ADEKOLA BLOG

Hon Dayo Saka Fafunmi, member representing the good people of Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 01 at the Lagos State House of Assembly has commiserated with the Dr Obafemi Hamzat, the incoming Deputy Governor of Lagos State and other family members on the demise of HRM OBA OLATUNJI MUFTAU HAMZAT, the people of Ifako Ijaiye and indeed all Lagosians for this great loss. According to him, we come to this world with nothing, and we go back with nothing, but what we do for others remain indelible. The good people of Ifako Ijaiye, entire Lagosians and indeed all Nigerians have lost a rare gem, a father figure, a political strategist, and leader of leaders in the person of HRM Oba Olatunji Muftau Hamzat. This loss no doubt is an irreparable loss, and one which will be hard to fill. Be that as it may, we take solace in the fact that Baba lived a meaningful and fulfill life while on Earth, for Baba Hamzat as fondly called is one of the few men who came, saw and conquered as far the world

No nation last forever. No empire exists for eternity. No ruler or leader lives endlessly. Everything and everyone comes and goes. With the exception of God, the Supreme Being who rules in the affairs of men, we are all transient agents, but what we do while we live become history tomorrow. Leaders must therefore know that power is a transient commodity that will outlive its users. From the Biblical accounts to the Quran records, no leader or power has survived mortality. Where is Pharaoh and Nebucadenezer of the Bible days? Even King Solomon with all his wisdom and wealth didn't live perpetually.  The experience in the modern world also lends credence to it. At a time in history, the fear of Benito Mussolini of Italy and Adolf Hitler of Germany was the beginning of wisdom. How about Samuel Doe of Liberia? Abacha of Nigeria and not too long, Mugabe of Zimbabwe? Since the advent of this Republic, we have seen Governors who once ruled with iron fists now the jokes of town? We h

*_Novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who has lived in Lagos on and off for a decade has written an essay for Esquire's new Travel & Adventure issue, in which she reflected on life in Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos. Read below:_* Lagos will not court you. It is a city that is what it is. I have lived part-time in Lagos for 10 years and I complain about it each time I return from my home in the US — its allergy to order, its stultifying traffic, its power cuts. I like, though, that nothing about Lagos was crafted for the tourist, nothing done to appeal to the visitor. Tourism has its uses, but it can mangle a city, especially a developing city, and flatten it into a permanent shape of service: the city’s default becomes a simpering bow, and its people turn the greyest parts of themselves into colourful props. In this sense, Lagos has a certain authenticity because it is indifferent to ingratiating itself; it will treat your love with an embrace, and your hate with a shrug. W

Success is an overkill. It teaches men to believe they cannot fail, that they are the best, that it can only get better when in actual fact it can get worse, that others are not good enough. When men succeed, there is tendency for them to attribute it to their personal prowess, to see their strategies as the best in the world, to see others as weaklings, and become mouthful and boastful. Success creates friends, families and allies. It turns foes to well wishers, gainsayers to overnight lovers, and give men a forelone hope that all is well when in actual fact, there is fire on the mountain. A man of success is likely to take things for granted, belittle others, hold in high esteemed his tactics and strengths, forgetting the role of faith and fate. This Barca yesterday defeat is a wake up call to me and all men alike. That we are all fallible, that invincibility only belongs to God, that it's more difficult to manage success than to manage failures, that how far we go in life dep

To say Nigeria is a failed State is to say the least. The country is currently in a comatose, and unfortunately no one seems to care. Its handlers are fast asleep. They are not only helpless but hapless. Sincerely, nothing is working in this country except we are lying for ourselves from local government to State government, and State Government to the Federal Government. We are in a deep mess but we are in a complete state of denials. This 'roof we are standing under' (i.e this country) may soon fall on us all. My point of writing is not on the State or local government where I reside for now, but the days are fast spent when I will be commenting on those entities. My main concern today is on the deplorable state of the Lagos / Abeokuta Road. To say, the road is a death trap is to say the obvious. Almost every segment of the roads are fast becoming impassable, yet the Federal Government appears are in different to the plight of motorists passing through this route everyday.