Incubation

After a long drag on when to restart my reluctant blogging desire, I finally broke the block. My addiction to newspaper reading, especially as a free reader fetched me a motivator. Synonymous with free readers, I have gotten popularity at the vendor’s stand as a social commentator and critic. My motivator promised to offer me a reporting job at an undisclosed sum to compliment my non-paying job. The condition for the job is to produce a feature story on Wukari, the city where I serve in Taraba state.
Life as a corp member in a remote town is never easy. Aside dealing with social and psychological challenges of adaptation and alienation (especially if you find yourself in a lonely town), the prudent miser will be frustrated maximizing the monthly allowance. The hope of extra pay inspired me into producing a hush-hush feature story on Wukari titled, “Praising the Dearth of Infrastructure in Wukari”. Reproduced here is the excerpt;
PRAISING THE DEARTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN WUKARI.
At the heat of political activities following the old INEC 2011 election calendar, the sweat was profuse in Wukari, Taraba state. Though the shift reduced the tempo of activities, the political map had been drawn. The break created space for re-strategizing and redrawing.
The political landscape of Wukari comprises ; the political candidates with campaign offices at choice locations in the town, community “house” members at their airy chambers under the canopy trees, and the political praise singers who colour the atmosphere with campaign tunes awakening the political consciousness of the uninformed to the season.
A notable feature of political season in the town is the emergence of organized musical campaign groups made up of mostly youths. The car washers gird their loins for the drive. The commercial motorcyclists (popularly known as Achaba) perfect their havoc wrecking stunts. The teeming idling youths whose backlog of debt at the hot drink parlour could no longer fetch a shot of gin, dust their credentials in negotiations, mobilization, organizing and allocation of meager resources.
For the preparations, manpower is exerted on the clearing of strategic lands close to the side walk. Four wooden poled pillars are erected in square, with roofs over them. Sound system with long distance reach is acquired. Small generating set powers the base. Campaign songs of political candidate of support are played continuously with interlude of Nigerian popular (pop) music. More sophisticated base boasts of television set complete with DVD player, serving also as a mini viewing center. Political party affiliations of the base are identified by posters and banners. More vivid is the base of ACN with brooms tied on strings around the base.
One wonders if the politicians set up these structures, but inquiry reveals that the youth embark on this venture solely to win financial benevolence of the candidates. A firmly established base tends to get the allure of politicians. The town turns into cacophony of noise at the knowledge that a supposedly rich politician is in town. Support is shifted as long as the cash flows, to get and “share the money”. For the duration of the politician stay, the dwellers are in for sleepless nights occasioned by perpetual blasting of campaign songs. You receive mercy only if you are in an area that is not the politician’s route: usually the outskirts of the town. The peace of a library will be serious ruined, and in case of class room teaching, the teacher must learn how to win a shouting match.
A typical campaign day will run into the wee hours with energetic and competitive dances from the youths (women inclusive). The tempo pitches at the news of a cash gift from a politician. At dawn when the dancers are leaving the stage, dramatic quarrels ensues among the supporters over partial sharing of the money, which hardly covers the bill for a day meal. On sighting the entourage of the politician, the motorcyclists embark on their brazen stunts. All traffic rules are neglected (as if they were observed before). Speed races, with horn blaring salutes pollute the whole town causing traffic confusions and preventable accidents. If the town can boast of a first aid government owned hospital, an observer can say, “Go for the kill.”
One commendable political structure in the town wrongly used is the “House”: an assembly of able bodied youths who discussed issue of political interests. Observations showed that motions in the house include, which politician to adopt based on native, religion and tribal sentiments than on who can deliver. Fronting for financial patronage through organized group seems to be the underlying motivation. Community organizing has played developmental role in the growth and advancement of many nations. Obama, the influential US president in building his political antecedents was a community organizer. His duties then entailed; mobilizing the community to tackle issues such as the growth of gang crimes in the suburb of Brooklyn, decent housing for the town inhabited mostly by blacks, uniting racial differences, improving the standard of learning in the high schools, health care and other basic amenities. His team invested energy, intellect and sacrifices in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Closely related to organizing activity is the Town union group in the south east, whose activities have accelerated development in their towns.
Instead of deliberating on issues that divide or fronting for financial patronage, the “house” should be deliberating on the best strategy to mobilize for development and resuscitation of moribund infrastructures in the town. The face of health care delivery in the town is the General Hospital. Imagine a doctor in the hospital advising a close patient to seek medical care in neighboring Benue or exacerbate the illness if admitted. Many controllable diseases have ended the lives of agile youth, loved ones and cut so many dreams due to lack of drugs and other basic hospital facilities.
Knowledge or information is power. Wukari people need empowerment. One major tool for community organizing is publicity. Sitting and discussing endless problems without mounting pressure on the politician is like the mumble of a coward. A community radio would have bridge the gap. Voice of Wukari people need to be heard. Cries, complaints, protests are well received if a mass medium of information is employed. Politicians are afraid of publicity that affects their popularity ratings. Constructive criticisms put them on their toes.
Wukari deserves growth. The people are raring with energy, full of life and vigor. To avoid the onslaught of ignorance and its consequential greediness, conflicts and backwardness, the youth should channel their energy into songs of lamentation over the dearth of infrastructures. Reject politics of deceit of some of their politicians and hold them accountable. A proper channeling of efforts will eventually yield successes worthy of praise.
The encouragement from friends who proof read the story gave me the faith to start blogging again.
Looking at my forgotten, un-updated journal, I resolved never to start and relapse. To muster all the strength I need to withstand the challenges of blogging without a personal laptop and internet connection.
The Corper’s Diary in the camp has passed. At present the corper is swinging on issues like dealing with the roles assigned to me in my place of primary assignment. I am a Literature-in-English teacher. I teach all the SS1 classes, SS2 and SS3. I am still whirling in protest on the forced position of the project coordinator of my community development service group (WOTCLEF). Sometimes I am pushed into believing that I am running away from responsibility, but if I am coordinating projects in a CDS group, what the is the role of the CDS coordinator.
Studying for Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM) is one task that jolts me out of my resting peace. It rings read-read-read. I do not want to re-sit for any course; reasonable part of my time goes into that. I anxiously wait for 20th and 21st November, for the first set of the exam and December 4th and 5th for the last lap of the Proficiency in Management Certification examination.
Let Corper’s Diary begin.