Thursday, May 9, 2013

BBC Timeline

Gen Sani AbachaThis is a well done timeline by the bbc. It starts all the way from 600 bc. to present day Nigeria. It covers many important dates like wars, civil wars, social unrest and its independence from great Britain. BBC Timeline I All ways thought it was very helpful to be able to view something on a timeline inn order to put things into perspective.
The Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale, put the current unemployment rate in Nigeria at 23.9 %. Dr. Kale states that he disbelieves the idea that the recent economic growth has done nothing to decrease the level of unemployment. He instead identifies the low budgets for gathering accurate new statistics as a portion of the inconstancy between raising economy and unchanging unemployment.

Link

Ministry of Health Prioritizes Polio Removal



The Ministy of Health's Director of Public Health, Dr. Bridget Okoeguale, announced that the ministry’s priority would be the complete eradication of polio in the country. The reports show that treated people are being paralyzed have lower chances of being paralyzed. The number of fully immunized children in 2011 was 53% and has likely risen since then due to Immunization Plus Days (IPDs)

Link

Steady Progress



Nigeria has been identified as being one of the most corrupt nations in the world and it is working on fixing that image by cracking down on corrupt officials. The former governor of Bayelsa, Timipre Sylva, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was linked to fraudulent financial transactions.

Here's the link:

Monday, May 6, 2013

Look at all the lonely people

Like many post colonial nations, Nigeria has faced many problems industrializing and building a secure infrastrutture. As a result, it is home to one of, arguably, one of the worst places to live: Lagos. Home to almost 18 million people, this city struggles with: over population, lack of proper transportation, space, sanitation, and traffic. And because of the pace that it is growing, it is very difficult to solve these problems as they are constantly changing. Lagos is a macrocosm of issues that plague many other cities and towns of Nigeria, and because of all of these issues; it makes it difficult to solve the countless other issues that Nigeria is wrestling with.  



Nigeria's Culture


The name Nigeria was suggested by British journalist Flora Shaw in the 1890s. She referred to the area as Nigeria, after the Niger River, which dominates much of the country's landscape. The word niger is Latin for black.
More than 250 ethnic tribes call present-day Nigeria home. The three largest and most dominant ethnic groups are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo (pronounced ee-bo). Other smaller groups include the Fulani, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, and Edo. Prior to their conquest by Europeans, these ethnic groups had separate and independent histories. Their grouping together into a single entity known as Nigeria was a construct of their British colonizers. These various ethnic groups never considered themselves part of the same culture. This general lack of Nigerian nationalism coupled with an ever-changing and often ethnically biased national leadership, have led to severe internal ethnic conflicts and a civil war. Today bloody confrontations between or among members of different ethnic groups continue.


Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nigeria.html#ixzz2SZ7kbWRC

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Let Them Eat Cake!

It's no secret that the vast majority of Nigeria's population is seeded in deep poverty, a complex issue that unfortunately has no magic solution. With this in mind there is a slim portion of the population who actually possesses wealth and, as shown throughout history, this minority is in control of the vast majority of the power. Incidentally, corruption is also another major concern in Nigeria. As illustrated in this cartoon, it is often easy for the government to "solve" problems, but only have those solutions reach a small minority. As the title implies, this cartoon reminded me of what Marie Antoinette allegedly said when informed that the people had to bread. The people don't have adequate roads? Let them fly jets!

Parker