Category: Nigeria

Gay Nigerians face death penalty

From the BBC:

Eighteen men have been remanded in prison following their arrest for alleged sodomy in northern Nigeria, the state-owned news agency, Nan, reports.
The Sharia punishment for sodomy is death by stoning.
The men, reportedly wearing women’s clothes, are said to have gone to Bauchi town from neighbouring states to celebrate a “gay wedding”.

Bauchi state is one of the areas we visited when in Nigera. It’s in the North western section of the country.

More than a dozen Nigerian Muslims have been sentenced to death by stoning and for sexual offences ranging from adultery and homosexuality.
But none of these death sentences have actually been carried out as they were either thrown out on appeal or commuted to prison terms as a result of pressure from human rights groups.
Many others have been sentenced to flogging by horsewhip for drinking.
But there have been two amputations in north-western Zamfara State which pioneered the introduction of the Islamic legal system in the country.

What do you think about all this? Would you support a similar punishment for Sodomy in your country?

Spoiled rotten

Just when I want to gripe about AT&T DSL service (or sometimes the lack there of) or how my router isn’t working properly or how something doesn’t work right at home, I read an entry like this and realize how spoiled rotten we are…

From Erin’s blog in Jos, Nigeria:

Ok, but get this. It only took about 3 months to get it hooked up. For real. Poor Dan, our missionary computer whiz. He had so many challenges in getting us hooked up to wireless on our compound. The electricity would go off. Or the current would be too strong and would blow something. Or the cables were too short and we had to wait for missionaries coming from America to bring new ones. Or the rains would come. Or the back up battery charger would die. Or I would not be at home at the moment Dan had a second to hook me up. Or Or Or…. ok folks, appreciate your internet.

And so then what happens? Yesterday, ta da, Dan does his magic and I have wireless in my house!!! But, oh yes, my computer battery charger got fried because the stabilizer hooked up to my electricity had a short – sending too much power into my charger and poof. No battery. No internet. Can you believe it?

So. Now I have a couple of Nigerian guys ‘fixing’ my charger, but you can bet my Dad is already online, ordering one to send with the Chicago Team coming in 2 weeks.

My neighbor, Lauren, fell asleep while we were watching a movie on her laptop (cuz my dvd player also got fried – but I think that actually will be fixed by one of my friends). So, while she snoozes, I stole her laptop so I can get online in my house (!) and get a blog posted. This is fantastic. And a new beginning to my blogs, I hope.

The plan was to send a blog out every week, at least. To use my blog as a way to just be real about life in Nigeria.

Well, folks, when it takes me getting into my truck and over to the office to get online and then to try to download pics and… ok, so I got lazy, but as soon as my computer is up and running, or whenever Lauren lets me snatch hers, I will be back in the Blogging Business, better than ever.

Kid Update –
I just love our little kids. We had a debate today about whether or not we should watch Karate Kid 2 at tomorrow’s ‘Film Night’, or to allow all the kids to vote on which movie to watch. I was able to bring a projector out here and now have the whole set up of speakers and such so that we can watch a movie on the ‘big screen’ (large white sheet) under the stars. Last month we watched Karate Kid 1. The older boys were kinda bummed cuz they had already seen it. But man, our little ones had a blast. And wouldn’t you know, they were doing ‘The Crane’ afterwards!

All that to say, Aunty Erin agreed with the little ones today that they should get to see Karate Kid 2 because the older ones “always get their way”. And as we agreed on this, some kids started breaking into the moves.

Nigerian militants to end cease-fire

The main militants group in Nigeria’s oil producing Niger Delta say it will not extend its month-long ceasefire which expires on Tuesday.
The militants say they want the citizens of Nigeria to benefit from the money brought into the country from oil production.
From the BBC:

The main militants group in Nigeria’s oil producing Niger Delta say it will not extend its month-long ceasefire which expires on Tuesday.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) says it has been kept on the sidelines of government-led talks about the region’s future.
Mend also condemned the killing of civilians during a recent military crackdown in the area.
Mend called the truce to give the new Nigerian leader time to set up talks.
The BBC’s Abdullahi Kaura in Nigeria’s oil capital Port Harcourt says the militants are likely to resume their attacks on oil installations and kidnapping of foreign workers.
But he says a second Mend faction based in Warri appears to want to maintain the ceasefire.
‘Justice’
Other criminal armed groups in the region have continued sporadic attacks and kidnappings in the region during Mend’s truce.
The unrest has led to a 25% cut in oil output from Nigeria – Africa’s largest producer.
“We cannot bear to pretend all is well,” Mend spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an e-mail to the BBC, pointing out that talks with the new government of President Umaru Yar’Adua had achieved little so far.
Last month, Nigerian troops attacked an oil facility held by militants in Ogboinbiri village in Bayelsa State killing 12 militants and two civilians, military sources said.
Several oil workers held hostage were rescued in the operation.
“It is clear that the families of these victims won’t get justice,” Mend says.
The militants say Niger Delta residents see little benefit from the oil which is extracted from their region.

Bottled water – a symbol of U.S. commerce


Charles Fishman of Fast Company magazine talked about his article “Message in a Bottle” with Robert Siegel on All Things Considered Yesterday.
Fishman writes that when an industry that supplies something people don’t need — an industry “built on the packaging and the presentation” — grows and thrives like the bottled-water industry, it’s important to ask how that happened and what the impact is.
Funny how as Americans we pay for something we can get for free while millions around the world don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water.
And I’m not pointing fingers – we have a case of bottled water in the fridge – as well as a Brita filtering pitcher.
Oh and here’s a great fact: 24% of the bottle water market is simply tap water repackaged by Coke and Pepsi. Dasani and Aquafina are the #1 and #2 brands of water and it’s simply re-purified tap water.

(picture above & below – a water drinking well outside Jos, Nigeria – notice the used paint bucket. it’s used to pull water from the well and to drink out of)

Ireland elects Nigerian refugee as first black Mayor

A Nigerian man who arrived in Ireland as an asylum seeker seven years ago has become the country’s first black mayor.
From the BBC:

Rotimi Adebari has been elected as first citizen of Portlaoise in County Laois.
The 43-year-old fled from Nigeria in 2000 because of religious persecution. After a few weeks, he and his family settled in the County Laois town.
In 2004, he was elected in the local elections as an independent councillor and on Thursday he became mayor.

Awesome. Congratulations! Think he’s regretting his decision to move?