Nigeria and our super healthcare system.

I always wondered why I could never give valuable input in my Policy class on the healthcare system in America. Ihave to write a paper talking about how messed up Healthcare in America is

Nigeria has the fourth worse health system in the world (out of 190 countries). We ranked 187. I know people will say, they inflate and exagerrate statistics but when last did ANY of our relatives have major

And on of the few doctors in my village of a campus is Nigerian.

And the thousands of nurses of Doctors in America are Nigerian.

And millions more lining up at the Embassy trying for F-1 visas to study 'Public Health.'

Or my mum and sisters went on a health vacation to India for cheaper, more efficient health care in a hotel-style hospital FULL of Nigerians.

Travel Agents are beginning to branch out into the area of Health, no more hotels, cabins and best beaches to surf. Its now hospitals and doctors. Even to Sudan, Ghana (RIP, my aunt-in-law who died before heart surgery in Ghana)

And we waste so much time on Independence carnivals, I-rep Naija t-shirts, and cultural awareness celebrations (GOOD, I'm mama Africa Week/ anti-charity on my campus, so I'm guilty oh!) without realizing the reality of the situation on ground or figuring solutions out.

And My parents and their siblings have to send my Grandma to India to get a knee cap replacement for over $10,000 (cheaper than $30,000 to go to Israel which was top on preference for pilgrimage advantage).

Or my sister that could have been blind from piercing her eye (think graphic) but can see thanks to Mother's fringe benefits that paid millions for trips to london and india for laser surgery and subsequent maintenance.

So if they never went to school, my Grandma can't dream of walking thanks to illiterate children.

Anyway, if you ever want to be my friend, don't let me hear the word GREEN CARD!!! I'm kidding, but RELOCATION sounds sweeter to my ears.

Our government can never reform the system without people, I mean exposed, learned, intelligent people to do the job.

I vent!!!!

Thank God for his mercies.

-Ladi

Hiatus

Writers block. Or I have found a new way to vent my frustrations: facebook profile. I can't do Twitter, there are too many distractions in my life already. I am a double major with a ton load of work and papers, book reviews, two thesis/ projects, presentations, job applications and networking to do.

I actually want to start a new blog next year. It will be centered on my post-graduation plans, internships, working, graduate school, expanding my business, and perhaps relocating to Nigeria.

Ladi.

Nigerians actually Suck!

On the HDI- Human Development index, we rank 150s out of 170s countries in the World. In Africa, we aren't even TOP 20.

Vision 2020 is a bad joke. How will a country (not even close to being giant in Africa) become one of top 20 world powers in 11 years. We really like cracking jokes but I'm not laughing.

We sha kinda suck! But I'm still optmistic and relocating after I graduate.

Why Nigerians suck- Part 1 (Visa wahala)

I haven't had access to my laptop and the internet for 2 weeks and so happy that my frustrations of days past can be typed out in this post. I went to China for about 10days and as much as I loved the place, the people, the desire to develop and overtake the West, the fact that without democracy they have made the most economic growth of any 3rd world country and honestly, the China I stayed in was 1st world, more developed than the London, I've been to.

And to think that we Nigerians abroad brag about Lagos and Abuja being developed. I concluded that both ciies are slums (another post to come!) in comparison to what I saw. All the ASA (African Students Association) African week is just an ttempt to hide the truth. I started African week in my school and returned from Asia wondering what it is about being African that I love: mostly (though not totally) corrupt govts, rigged election, poor healthcare, NEPA (never had 24hrs power before), desperate attempt to be everything Western (Nollywood, Koko mansion and Ashionye's accent, lol!) and the long list of BS.

China made me curse my citizenship. I am extremely pro-Nigerian, carry my visa-filled green passport with pride(2 passports and even for 4hrs in frankfurt airport, I had to apply two weeks in advance for a visa) , and struggle with maintaining my accent: Hausa preferably. I intern in Nigeria not Rockefella centre, NY, addicted to Bellanaija, Thisday online, and Mimi magazine (for the sake of knowing what progress is being made on our continent), and unlike most of my friends, I wear traditional ankara pretty often to class.

Everyone in my school who was going to China just had to fill a form and send their passport to the travel agent who did all the runs. I did the same but got an email asking me to send my bank statement as well as two letters from China. Wait oh, this was a study abroad program and out of a group of 21 students, only one had to look for Chinese people to write a letter plus bank statement loaded with Naira and dollars. My father is just an honest civil servant and I am on a full schorlarship. Honest money doesn't mean loaded bank accounts.

My professor went through the trouble of getting the letters with the help of my Chinese friend, while I had to send a statement that had a decent amount of money BEFORE I paid for the trip. Note, NOBODY ELSE went through the extra jara.

I had to call and text all my relatives to join hands in prayer for my visa. At this point all, I needed those London churches I used to make fun of for praying for 'papers.' Trust my mother, she shared the issue in church and Elders added to the prayer dose.

Nothing made me sadder, when my professor handed everybody else's passport on the first day of the summer program. ALL but mine. The second Asian country that we were heading to after China didn't require visas for everyone oh wait, EXCEPT ME! The Nigerian. I was too embarassed and sometimes sat in my corner in the bus just to cry while forgetting the lyrics to our national anthem.

Lemme just say I got my passport two days before the trip and I couldn't even finish the trip because the agent forgot that I needed a visa for the 3rd country that the group was visiting. I stayed in China alone for two days which I didn't mind: it was Radisson, a five-star so I was being a diva/ African princess but sad that I was forced to be there because I was and am NIGERIAN.

I ran out of excuses to be patriotic. One black guy even joked about my getting a US Passport (that was like insult upon injury to my green passport, plus I have issues with being an immigrant in America). I could have slapped him but he was right, after three years of trying to prove to Americans that I rock, and 'Naija for Life,' 'Naija until I die,' tshirts, music, African week, and facebook profiles of patriotism, I broke down and cried on the 500thread count sheets of our five star hotel while everyone went to GT Banana Club, Beijing to party it out American style.

Democracy day (May 29th) was during my trip and I was in a Communist country, mesmerized by the awesomeness/ advancement of the place and wondering why the heck people overate democracy. 10 years with nothing to show, and my passport need a visa and its wahala plus public prayers every time I want to fulfill my wishes of travelling the world.

I love my country but it could really need some UNSUCKING!

KANNYWOOD: The unknown Nollywood

So, my last rant about tribalism o youtube with regards to Hausa movies led to my discovery that Nigeria is two different countries: The Lagos based, Southern Nigeria and the Northern one. One is Englich and the other Hausa.

Remember when Ali Nuhu won the AMAA (Africa's most prestigious movie award) and the Future Award for best actor and people were ranting about how they didn't know him. Check this old post.

Ali Nuhu is the Brad Pitt of Hausa movies, or the Jim Iyke. He was an idol up North for years and made his debut to the 'other' Nigeria when he stared in Sitanda, the AMAA award winner and relatively high budget Nigerian movie of 2007.

Kannywood is the movie industry based in Kano, Northern Nigeria's Lagos and centuries old 'business hub.' I've never been a Hausa movie addict, I watch more English Nollywood films and when I'm with my hardcore relatives that don't live in Abuja or when I visit very traditional hausa (malo) family friends, I get my sneek peek.Two summers ago aftre missing everything Ngerian, I went to a Hausa movie store in Abuja and bought a couple of movies. Most are romance and a lot have social issues like polygamy, reigion, culture and usualy incorporate other sultures in the north not only Hausa but Fulani and others from Chad and Niger Republic which border.

So I'll start a Kannywood series introducing Blogville to the world of Hausa movies.

Here is one clip of a Hausa movie. Note: It might remind you of Bollywood but don't forget cultures are similar. P.s. From the singing and dancing actresses you know that Hausa girls aren't all locked down with no rights.

Wasan Maza
I apologize on behalf of movie makers for bad quality. lOl!

Nigerians and Hausa Movies

Step on my toes. Ok, I don't mean all of y'all Southern Nigerians before someone start shooting Igbo, Calabar and Yoruba insults towards my e--direction.

I suddenly had a craving for Hausa Movies this week and decided to Youtube a few.

For the uninitiated, Hausa movies are greatly influenced by Indian-Bollywood movies. Because Northern Nigerians are generally more conservative due to Islam, we lean toward Bollywood movies (and Arab world stuff)while those in the South lean toward Hollywood (and Western stuff).

There is always singing and dancing between both sexes in hausa films. The choreography is usually upbeat, not all have girls wrapped in bedsheets, and the music synthesizing is what sells it ou as being Bollywood but its all Hausa culture with a twist. Story lines are mostly romance (nothing sleezy but relatable) and comedies.

I noticed the comments by Hausa speakers (written in Hausa mostly) was that of nostalgia, appreciation, and pride while the bad-belle people made comments like

"Sani Abacha dancing."
"Why do you copy Indians?"
"WTF?"
"They are spending Oil money from the South"

I can't recall calling all the Nollywood movies with actors and their fake-ass accents as copy-copy. Nollywood is influenced by the West in terms of language (Queen's English), clothing, plot, script, etc somethimes in unrealistic ways that are totally Western and unapplicable to Nigerian everyday life.

Hausa movies have Hausa actors speaking Hausa, singing in Hausa wearing ethnic clothes THROUGOUT, dancing the Hausa way and because they is a similarity to Bollywood, you start ranting and calling late dictator Sani Abacha (that has no relationship with a Hausa romance movie)????

I have neither based my comments off the Igbo trader that tried to rip me off in Wuse market or Clifford Orji (so-called cannibal from decades past). Those are stupid reasons to profile Igbo actors/ movies which I do like anyway Igbo Kwenu (love me some Mike Ezerounye)!

It's just plain tribalism that exists in Nigeria even amongst so called educated people. Don't complain if some white dude does some racist crap to you. Racism is the same as tribalism only that in one case, we just look the same and predjudice is still there (worse that looking differently I say).

Seriously, you watch a Hausa film and the first thing one says is Abacha or Oil money?

R_E_S_P_E_C_T is earned!

On Koko Mansion...slap me!

Everyone should know about this show which is the most anticipated since Linda Ikeji, Niyi Tabiti and Bellanaija put the news on their blogs.

This show guides DBanj to finding a Kokolette, one year companion who will win 5million for being Dbanj's groupie will "reinforce the unique role of an African woman in the development of our society."

I am particularly disturbed because of my feminist, neo-conservative views and my attempt to break away from traditional degrading feminine-roles (being a Northern Nigerian young woman with cultural/religous crap of women's inferiority being thrown at us daily). I like Dbanj's beats but I am peeved by his videos and lyrics which I think are disrespectful to progressive/ educated/ modern women in many ways.

The potential Kokolette:

"must be able to emulate notable women in society such as Honourable Abike Dabiri, Nike Osinowo among others even as she shows the ability to impress D’banj, under all circumstances in order to win the public’s votes to be in the house among others."

"the ability of the Kokolette to cook scrumptious meals for D’banj and his friends, especially during impromptu visits; her ability to furnish and maintain the mansion."

"also be industrious while being able to take care of the home front"

Cook for impromtu visits and maintain the mansion? take care of homefront? be a one year companion? Impress Dbanj at all times?

Based on the articles I've been reading, I now know what Kokolette means= Housegirl or Stepford Wife (if you've seen the movie(s)) with 5million paycheck and Chris Aires diamond ring. Plus she gets to represent HiTv like a model or something.

Does anyone know both Abike Dabiri. She's a legislator, former journalist with one fabulous career after the other and none of the other 'kokolette traits' of being subservient to a man will make anyone the next Abike Dabiri I'm sure about that.

How will our society develop when women sit at home waiting for their husbands and their friends to arrive at impromptu times and still expect food on the table? Unless the women just sits at home sha.

I'm an Economics major so I get the money making aspect of the show (Kudos to HiTv) but talk about perpetuating stereotypes through 12 groupies at Dbanj's beck and call in the name of being 'African women'? And that talk about developing the society is just BS. Y'all are trying to make 'Flavor of Love' classier by adding the words 'African woman' and 'development' and 'Abike Dabiri.'

Admit it, HiTv is trying to make money. SIMPLE!!!!! Else they should have just given the prizes to a women's rehabilitation charity if they were trying to 'develop' women and gone to my village to look for a Stepford wife to cook for Dbanj and furnish his mansion and then be the face of the company.

I don't get the vision of the show. I though they were looking for a Kokolette, abi Wife, abi Dbanj Excorter, abi Role model? abi supermodel, abi housegirl?

Slap me, I'm confused. I'll be in Nigeria in June so I'll see the show and see if it adds more pepper to my wounds.

- Ladi


Courtesy: Niyi Tabiti