All over our dear country are pointers of corruption: if it’s not the dilapidated roads which billions of naira have gone into their constructions, it is the budget with staggering figures for frivolous expenditures or it is the police, spread across Nigerian roads seeking bribes from motorists whom they end up extorting. Acts of corruption are…

Though situated in the very heart of the city of Port Harcourt, my sister’s new residence, a three-storey building with 12 tenants, was one of the few unfinished buildings in the area. Part of what was yet to be done, was a proper electrical connection. It was said that immediately after the rooms of the building…

As a teenager growing up, I loved the Navy. My love for the force came from the many Hollywood movies I watched. The heroics of naval officers enthralled me to the point that I decided I was going to be a naval officer. I bought comics and magazines that displayed naval officers, their equipment, firearms and…

I once came across a movie audition posted online by a popular movie director. As a young upcoming actress, I read it and was moved by the words which read “Come and showcase your talent.” I was so happy. The next day I prepared and went for the audition. I sat patiently, waited for my turn.…

The corruption in the Nigerian Immigration Service is one that has been overlooked over the years. Given that corruption is now “normal” in our society, the ones perpetuated by officials of the Immigration Service is mind-bugling and wicked. I work in an oil servicing firm in Port Harcourt and I travel a lot. One of the…

In Nigeria, elections are a do or die affair. Politicians hardly hide their desperation to win, neither do they disguise the fact that they are willing to unleash all the ‘weapons’ and strategies at their disposal to do so. They strategize endlessly in their desperation, while we, the voters continue dancing as pawns to their tunes.…

At a certain time in Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corp was considered the most honourable and upright of all the law enforcement units. It was famed that once you were in violation of a traffic or road safety rule, paying a bribe to get off was not even an option. It was better to pay…

It was morning, that time of the day when the sun has come up but you wouldn’t want to leave the bed because sleep has a way of caressing your eyes after dawn. The sun had forced its way through the window blinds and Udo could feel the warmth of the morning even though he was trapped between sleep and wakefulness. He jumped out of bed and glanced at the clock on the wooden wall of his one room apartment; it was 8:07am.  “O boy, I don late. I hope say this woman never carry another person go work o,” he muttered as he dragged himself to the door. Udo is a taxi driver. He doesn’t just drive a taxi, he uses his Wagon to transport illegally refined petroleum products for willing customers. He was billed to transport some jerry cans of ‘kpofire’ kerosene from the jetty at Nembe Waterfront to other retail distributors at Mile 1, Diobu in Port Harcourt. A customer had booked him the previous day, and they had agreed that 7:00am was the best time to move the products. At that time, security agents, especially the Police officers who had worked all night, would likely be off the road to take a rest from their night’s work. (more…)