ShortStory II Such A Mess

 

  By Fred Doc Nwaozor    

         “Hello handsome!” Lady Bolanle greeted.

         The salutation was dished out as she walked closer to the supposed recipient having caught sight of him in the distance in one of the most famous supermarkets in Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria.

        Bolanle, a single mother at 45 whose only child begotten out of wedlock was ten years old, was no doubt a prosperous importer who specialized in all kinds of gold jewellery. Owing to her ego, she had vowed never to settle down with any man or to be under any mortal in the name of matrimony; to her, marriage was a forsaken union. Towards quenching her libido, she went for any young man whom she chose or whomsoever she found suitable for her classy person.

        “Hi!” the supposed recipient, Akeem responded, still concentrating on the wares showcased in the shelves.

         Going by the tone of her abrupt greeting, he needed not a seer to interpret what she was up to.

         Akeem a bachelor at 30 though deeply engaged, was a graduate of Human Physiology from the Lagos State University (LASU), Iyana-Oba, Lagos State who was yet to secure a promising job.

        “Sorry for bashing into you.” Bolanle tendered.

        “Noted,” Akeem said, looked at her. “What can I do for you?” He added unfriendly though seemed charmed by her elegant look.

         Balanle who had her handbag in her left hand was indeed both in nature and appearance a very attractive lady that had all it takes to win the attention of any man regardless of what he was made up of. She was fair, huge and about 1.75-metre tall. She put on a multi-coloured dress, grey balanced-heeled sandals, low-cut hairs and sunshade spectacles coupled with designer perfume and various gold jewellery ranging from earrings to necklace, wristwatch and what have you; everything on her was golden in appearance as it could be testified by even a visually impaired being.

        On his part, Akeem, clad in black jean trousers, light-green shirt, black trainers spotted with red colour and a red cum black baseball cap, was about 1.70-metre tall, chocolate and plump. Although financially less-privileged, he was actually looking resplendent and buoyant in his dress.

        Bolanle, who leaned on one of the shelves, stylishly removed her specs. “Don’t you think you are being harsh?” she queried cheerfully. “Common.., be a gentleman.” He urged submissively, smiling.

        This time, they were facing each other and closer too. Both of them were carrying their trolleys in their right hands.

       “Sorry if that was harsh.”

       “It’s okay,” she said. “Well, I am Bolanle.., but you can call me Bola.”

      “Alright,” he replied. “I am Akeem.”

      “Let me not waste your time,” she hinted, dipped her right hand into her handbag. “This is my card.” She added handing over her complimentary card to him.

      “What for?” He queried, ignoring the offer.

      “Please take it,” she enjoined. “Call me anytime, we need to talk.”

        He reluctantly collected the document and glanced at it stylishly.

        She smiled over the compliance.

       “I still don’t understand,” said Akeem. “What are we to talk about?”

      “Till you call, Mr…” She said, seemed to had forgotten his name.

      “Akeem.” He reminded.

       She nodded. “Mr Akeem, please try and call me, okay?” she reiterated, looked into his eyes passionately. “You would be glad you did.”

       “I will try.” He replied, looked away and continued with his shopping.

       “Cute man indeed.” She thought pleasantly, looked at him for the last time and left the arena for where she was, felt fulfilled.

        On Friday, 22^nd March 2002 being exactly three days cum three nights after the incident, having employed reasonable delay and tactics, Akeem made up his mind to put a call across to Bolanle with the opinion that the lady might be of help to his future since he was still job-hunting; a call that instantly transformed his status from a weary to a magnificent one just like a magic.

        During the phone call, they scheduled for a meeting at her office. Consequently, she succeeded in luring him into her net. Akeem concurred with her proposal to go on a date with him having disclosed to her that he had a fiancée. Keeping a ‘sugar mummy’ in his life was one of the ‘evil’ experiences he never dreamt of, little did he know that he would someday fell prey to such a mess.

        Afterwards, the moment the romantic affair commenced, Akeem was provided with everything a man of his age needed as he was promised. He could boast of a car, expensive wears and a befitting house in Benin, Edo State where he chose to relocate to.

         Prior to this time, he had lied to his pretty fiancée Bukola who was also resident in Lagos State that he secured a job in Benin with an oil servicing firm. The lie became consequential because he needed to distance himself from her in order to avoid any iota of suspicion that might arise in the future.

         Bolanle was very comfortable with the arrangement. She was frequenting Benin whenever she wanted to meet him, or she would send for him directly to a hotel suite in any locality in Lagos – apparently the choice was hers.

         The ugly scenario proceeded for over six months till one fateful day when Akeem thought it wise to lead Bukola down the aisle. Hence, he disclosed the intention to Bolanle who rejected it emphatically and threatened to make his precious life miserable if he dare went ahead with the plan. The unpredicted altercation dawned the awful truth on his person.

         He was so myopic to be preoccupied with the notion that whenever he disclosed to her the intention of settling down, she would hastily hug, cuddle him and therein lick his toes since he told her from the onset that he was seriously engaged.

         Though at the beginning, she agreed to allow him get married with his fiancée whenever he chose to, but just like the saying goes ‘it’s easier said than done’. No sane woman would be glad to watch her man walk out of her life let alone when the woman in question had spent a fortune on him.

        The depressed and flabbergasted Akeem who felt suppressed, later wore a bold skin, hence decided to give her warnings a deaf ear. Thus, he went ahead with his plan to settle down with Bukola having estranged from Bolanle. In view of this, he sold his duplex in Benin and relocated to Asaba, Delta State having told his wife-to-be that he got a transfer.

        Bolanle seemed to had been spying on Akeem right from when their estrangement set in contrary to Akeem’s presumption that there was no way she could trace him; needless to state that she was smarter than him.

         Two weeks on, Saturday 14^th December 2002 specifically, Akeem who hailed from Ogun State headed for Oyo State to pay Bukola’s bride price. On his way to the epoch-making ceremony in the company of his friends and relatives including his parents, the beautifully groomed bridegroom who wore a traditional tartan kilt was brutally murdered in cold blood along Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The assassins comprising three huge men whom had stopped the deceased’s motorcade for a brief scrutiny disguised themselves as policemen.          

         It was a very hard blow to his parents alongside the bride who got the news in a jiffy.

Nwaozor, a playwright, novelist & poet, could

be reached via frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador

                

TechDeck I The Mining Sector And Buhari's Agenda

By Fred Doc Nwaozor

Mining is simply the extraction of valuable minerals cum other geological materials from the earth crust, usually from lode, vein, ore-body, seam, reef, or placer, deposits.

         

These deposits constitute a mineralized package that is of economic interest to the prospective miner. Ores gotten via mining activity are gemstones, limestone, coal, oil shale, metals, dimension stone, clay, gravel, potash, and rock salt, among others.

         

Mining is required to obtain essential commodities that cannot be possibly grown via agricultural processes, or created artificially in a factory or laboratory. Mining of stones and metals has been a well recognized human occupation since prehistoric era.

          

Modern days mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analyzing the profit potential of the proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, and final reclamation of the affected land after the mine is closed.

         

The economic importance of mining cannot be overemphasized. In Ghana, for instance, the country’s mining sector is a very vital segment of its economy, and has played a significant role in its socio-economic development since the colonial period. Historically, the Ghanaian mining sector’s contribution to the country’s gross foreign exchange – particularly gold – has only been paralleled by its cocoa sector.

          

Not only do the products power the family car as well as heat the family home, the manufacturing sector, high tech industries, and even the better known resource industries, are all dependent – in one way or the other – on the mining industry.

         

The mining industry will continue to be an important support to the economy of any country that embraces it. Aside boosting Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it encourages high rate of employment opportunities and equally thrives to ensure that the number of entrepreneurs in the country is increased tremendously.

          

In spite of the ongoing boom in the sector, Nigeria still lags behind. It’s shocking to note that notwithstanding the unquantifiable solid minerals the country is blessed with, mining accounts for barely 0.3 per cent of the country’s GDP, due to the influence of its vast petroleum resources.

          

The country’s domestic mining industry is obviously underdeveloped, leading to importation of minerals such as, but not limited to, iron-ore and salt, that could be domestically produced with ease. It’s a shame that the only material that’s overtime mined across the country is sand.

          

Rights to ownership of mineral resources is held by the Federal Government (FG) who grants titles to interested organizations to explore, mine, and sell mineral resources, but ab initio, the business has been relatively unpopular. The Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration began a process of selling off government-owned mining corporations to private investors in 1999; till date, those firms are ostensibly lying moribund.

          

On assumption of duty, perhaps piqued by the ongoing devastating physiognomy of the Nigeria’s mining sector, the President Mohammadu Buhari-led government strongly assured the teeming Nigerians that the administration would rejuvenate the industry.

         

Little wonder the government recently approved a sum of N12.7 billion solid minerals exploration contract. Yet at the moment, pathetically no serious and practical impact has been recorded, probably owing to lack of policy direction.

          

It’s therefore high time Nigeria started mining the available solid mineral deposits abound in the country – to include tale, gypsum, lead, zinc, bentonite, gold, uranium, bitumen, coal, rock salt, gemstones, kaolin and barite – all which are highly lucrative and of economic value. This can only be actualized by deploring the required techniques tactically as well as imbibing viable policies into the system.

        

Surface mining and sub-surface (underground) mining are the available two major forms of mining. The targeted minerals are generally divided into two categories of materials namely, placer deposits and lode deposits. The former comprises valuable minerals contained within river, gravels, beach sands, and other unconsolidated materials, whilst the latter are those found in veins, layers, or in mineral grains widely distributed throughout a mass of actual rock.

          

Both classes of deposits could be mined by either of the aforesaid mining types. Moreover, in-situ leaching is another technique mainly used in mining rare earth elements cum soluble minerals like uranium, potash, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate. Of all, surface mining is currently much more common and viable.

         

However, it’s pertinent to acknowledge that mining, likewise petroleum drilling, is associated with various environmental factors. These include erosion, formation of sinkholes, and loss of biodiversity, coupled with contamination of soil, ground cum surface water by chemicals from mining processes.

          

In some cases, additional forest logging is done in the vicinity of mines to create space for the storage of the created debris and soil. Basic examples of pollution from mining activities include coal fires, which can last for years, producing severe amounts of environmental damage. This can be properly controlled through the effort of the concerned law enforcement agency by implementing stringent environmental and rehabilitation Acts and functional policies.

          

Now that diversification is apparently the only way to revive the Nigeria’s troubled economy, the government ought to endeavour to take the bull by the horn towards ensuring that the mining industry is accorded a well deserved attention.

           

It’s more interesting to note that exploring the industry apparently remains one of the prime agenda of the present administration. But for such an agendum to be holistically actualized, hands of fellowship must be duly and sincerely extended to the cognoscenti who can spur the sector to do more even when challenges are enormous.

          

Considering the impact the said sector stands to create on the country’s economy at large, it’s needless to state that its exploration is long overdue, thus feasible action is seriously needed. Think about it!

                            

Comrade Nwaozor, a tech expert, could be 

reached via frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador

POLITICS: Ekiti Installs New Governor, Fayemi As Fayose Takes A Bow

Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former Minister of Solid Minerals Development, had been successfully installed on Tuesday 16th October 2018 as the Executive Governor of Ekiti State in South West, Nigeria.

He was sworn in at exactly 12:24pm, shortly after his deputy, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi had taken his own oath of office.

However, his precedessor, Chief Ayodele Fayose was absent at the ceremony having previously said he would hand over the instruments of office to the State's Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Gbenga Faseluka, and the Government House and the Governor’s Office complexes to Police Commissioner Bello Ahmed on Sunday, 14th October 2018, as he would be in Abuja, the Nigeria's capital territory, answering the summons of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Dr. Fayemi graciously returned to a seat he vacated four years back, having previously served Governor of the state between 2010 and 2014.

He was declared winner of the July 2018 Ekiti State governorship election by the Returning Officer, Professor Idowu Olayinka on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Prof. Olayinka who happens to be the Vice Chancellor of the revered University of Ibadan announced he polled 197,459 votes to beat Professor Olusola Eleka, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 178,121 votes. Hence, Dr. Fayemi won by a margin 19, 338 votes.

PDP won only in Emure, Efon and Ikere, while APC cleared the remaining 13 local governments.

Rostrum reliably gathered that mammoth crowd coupled with countless elites graced the epocal occasion.