Author: bababunkunmi

A Change of Guard: May 29

Change, it has always been what every Nigerian expects from those in authority. Not sure if they got the information right about the whole change thing, because they actually gave change, but definitely not the change Nigerians wanted and desperately needed for themselves.

They wait for four years and sometimes eight years only to be torn to shreds when another expected success happens to be an unexpected failure. The record of setbacks in Nigeria seems to supersede that of the success achieved. Change is needed in Nigeria, and it is needed urgently. Well another change has began, another hope, another success we wish wouldn’t turn out to be a failure. Another change, but this time they are specific in their request, they want good and positive change, one that grants a better life for Nigerians, change that gives opportunity to the young stars; you know the ones that are said to be the “future of tomorrow”. The ones that have planned their life out only to be delayed by extra years in the university, and the adults/parents that work hard so they would be able take care of their family but gain little or nothing for their hard work. The first class, second or even third class graduate that has no choice but to try a trade with the hopes of keeping body and soul together, due to the unavailability of jobs or perhaps because the jobs are given to those undeserving of it.
No one is sure how things would go for Nigerians as this new era begins, the possibility that things would actually get bad at first is visible, the possibility that the fuel price would go up is also there but there is also the possibility that there would be good change, one that might give Nigerians the chance to enjoy their mother land. But Nigerians also have a lot to do so as to achieve this change, it is not all about those in authority – last time I checked, the government is not only those in power, it is the people. The lowliest of Nigerians are also the government, so why not work to increase the value of Nigeria?
Change is expected again but everyone should brace themselves up for the best as well as the worst. As must as change is needed, one must also help in making the change effective, change cannot happen if the citizens are not ready for it. No matter what this new era does to effect change if everyone is not ready to put their selfish interests aside, it would take ages to effect the expected change.

When last did you follow the rule of keeping your environment clean?
When last did stand right when you heard the National Anthem?
When last did you obey the traffic rules?
When last did you not only think about yourself but about the effect of your actions on your fellow NIGERIAN?

Change begins with you!

29th May 2023
BLACK AND SHINE

Black but still very shinny.
Though you have been laughed at;
Your adorable beauty remains sparkling
Shinning brightly like a golden cat

Black who shines everywhere she goes
Why shouldn’t I be proud of you, my love?
Shining brighter than silver and diamond;
Clothed and adored with beautiful things of life

I wish I could meet you again
What a natural being you are.

10th April 2023
Valentine, A Season Of Love.

A season of gifts and expression of love; exactly what humans need to remind them that there is still someone that cares about them. I would like to get something right, is February 14th only for lovers or to show love to people who lack a feeling of love around them?

Come to think of it, in secondary schools, well at least my secondary school, we were usually made to pick random papers to get a Val (the boys would pick from a ball filled with the girls’ name and vice-versa). What we understood then was that you had to give gifts to those you knew nothing about to make them feel special. Now outside my school walls its entirely different, so different if I must say, it is no longer a gift to make a stranger happy but a must do gift for your lover.

Don’t get me wrong it is a nice thing but don’t you think it would have been nicer to make it a time for gifting the stranger to make the person feel loved. Let’s go back in time a little, to settle our doubt and at least find out the true meaning of “VALENTINE”.

I know that it has something to do with one of the many St. Valentine’s we have but the one that I am considering is the one that has February 14th as his feast day in the catholic church. So I made some research to confirm my doubts and of course put everyone in the light. There are a lot of stories surrounding this saint but this is the one that people hold on to till date. The day takes its name from a Roman Bishop, who was martyred {someone that died for the cause of Christ} about 270CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.

So the story is that marriage was against the law in Italy under Claudius who was against it, but valentine on the other hand believed in marriage and love, so he married couples who were in love in secret. The emperor believed that marriage made his soldiers weak, moreover, he also felt his soldiers were small in number and wanted to recruit more but he found out that St. Valentine had been wedding couples. He became very furious, and he jailed St. valentine.

While in jail, Valentine became friends with his jailer, a judge, apparently the judge was interested in his faith and also learnt from him, he and his household were converted, he brought his blind daughter and asked him to teach her and read to her. The Emperor too became close to him and told him to renounce his faith, instead of doing so he asked the Emperor to convert and told him he would not change his faith. Again the Emperor became very angry and condemned him to death, before he died he wrote a letter to his friend the jailers daughter and signed it “FROM YOUR VALENTINE” as it got to her he prayed to God that she be able to read it and not to be read to, guess what? The miracle happened, and so began the sharing of letters, heart shaped chocolate, flowers and teddy bears.

I feel like I just wrote the story of how I was born and cleaned, but that’s by the way, so this story clarifies everything, but why is it that from this Saint people only pick out the aspect of letters and love? what about the sacrifice of himself for the sake of the gospel? Not that I condemn the fact that love is in the air, as people say, but I just feel from every story there should be a lesson learnt not just from one side but the two, at least that is why the story is told in full and not in bits and pieces.

I also feel that the season should not be characterized by much pressure, as you all know people, most especially girls, await this day like the judgement day or their second birthday. They expect a lot, and when disappointed some break a relationship of two to three years. Now if we were to follow the origin, then you should expect nothing more than the letter “from your valentine”.

As time went on it changed from just letters to flowers and letters, then from then it went to chocolates and then to stuffed animals and other things, so I ask after this what next? What other gifts or actions would be added to this day? Anyway, the day is to show love and care for each other that’s why the day is there, all I ask is that the day should not be used as an excuse for your actions. This year I think there should be a change, or what do you think?

13th February 2023
What Is History? (My view)

Now, sitting to think about it, I realize I didn’t quite think that history might actually have its own history. You know how everything we do now has a reason and a beginning, something that was recorded or told to us by our grand parents under the light of the moon at night, something we read in books that gives us the reason why things are happening the way they are, but I have never heard or paid attention to the origin of history.

I made some research about history and I found out that, it is gotten from the Greek word “Historia” which means “learning or knowing by inquiring”, and that the word History entered English Language in 1390. When I found this, some questions popped into my head, like, how do Historians {people who look into the depts of an event or a thing} find the etymology of such old words and also give dates to them? They are so good at what they do. History according to findings is said to be the systematic written account of events particularly of those affecting a nation, institution, science, or art, usually connected with a philosophical explanation of their causes, personally this definition is too long and as a lot of big words so here is a shorter on, History is the arrangement of past event, events that resulted to how we live our life presently. Apart from what we read online and in books could there be another hidden meaning to what History means? For me the only hidden thing I see in History is the fact that removing the “HI” in History leaves you with “STORY”, and story is what is told or written fiction or Non-fiction, real or not.

History can not only be what had happened years back but also what has happened yesterday, eight hours ago, history is something that have lived and not what you are living or is about to live, there is is saying that goes thus “Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today, Today is a Gift that is why it is called Present”, It acknowledges the fact that whatever happened yesterday is past, even what happened a minute ago is still history. Now the history of historical study, it’s methodology and practices are called historiography, an historical theory {History of History}. I have not seen a thing that doesn’t have its own history, nationally, geographically, chronologically, even our culture, religion, and social life it’s characterized by it. History is to educate on the reason why things are meant to be done in such a way and who invented it and thought it wise to bring theories that have solved a lot of problems which may have led to anarchy in the world.

History brings those people and their reasons and motives to light for us, in the present time, to appreciate, it also brings out past events as reference to settle present issues, just the way the judiciary does – once a case has been solved in the past and the same reoccurs in the present, the judge would go back to the records of that case to solve the present case. This is what they call judicial precedent.

Come to think about it, what if there was never history, something to record events or to take notes of what had happened in the past, how would the world look like? How would things turn up?

1st February 2023