Baco Services

At Ahoefa King Salomon Garden Hotel Lome, Togo
for a programme.

Fellow African compatriots, we have succumbed to the whims and caprices of our colonial masters who derogated and disparaged our character without at least a subtle resistance long enough. They have consistently refused to see anything good in us except the skin of inferiority; our black skin.
Africa is very beautiful, resourceful and indeed it is the Continent that is sustaining the economic wellbeing of the other Continents. But because they do not want us to look for succour within our domain and tap our innate natural resources to our benefit, they will continue to adopt myriad tactics to divert our attention from the path of self-sustainability and be fighting ourselves for no just cause.
I was in Sierra Leone recently and behold, despite the fact that they fourth a war that almost cripples the country some years back, the velocity of their recovery is astonishing.
I transverse through the nooks and crannies of Free Town and I saw the buildings on the hills and the mountainous terrain, they were all marvellous to catch a glimpse of. The city is very neat, you hardly find any refuse on the street; talk less of a heap of disused items. Sanni Abacha Street in Sierra Leone is the counterpart of Balogun and Ereko streets in Lagos Nigeria, but in contrast, you cannot find a drop of waste materials on the road despite the busy nature of the environment as a result of human and vehicular movements. In fact, vehicles stay several minutes on a sport before being able to move an inch due to business activities yet at the recession of the hustling and bustling, you will not find a heap of disused items.
I was curious to know how they manage to keep the city clean so well after each day's activities, and I was told that no matter how small or big the space one uses for his or her business activities, he or she is expected to clean such a space after the business of the day in spite of the fact that there are trucks that usually move around to carte away refuse and disused items. The crannies and corner areas are not left out of the neatness.
Honestly, just like what I noticed and said about The Gambia, the incidence of cheat and avarice or robbery are not very common; one can move around in the wee hours of the day without molestation or harassment from anybody; in fact, the operators of kiosks around the beachside don’t close until 1.00 am yet they will still go to their respective homes harmlessly without the phobia of molestation.
I was told a story of a man who was carrying a huge amount of money to the bank one day in a sack that we usually referred to as “GHANA MUST GO” in Nigeria unfortunately for him the bag fell and turn and the money scattered on the floor. The people around the area rallied around him, pack the money which was said to be Le 50,000,000. (Fifty Million Leone) while one of the passers-by volunteered to accompany him to the bank that day. Can such a thing happen in New York City without a sad story to tell? Yet the white man wants us to believe that nothing worth emulating can come from Africa. Time is now that we Africans must start to believe in ourselves and earn back our self-respect.
This tale was a fall out of the phobia I expressed when I went to Siaka Steven Street to buy some things and I became afraid because of the humongous human traffic, I was compelled to ask if someone could not be robbed in that sort of seemingly confusing environment but I was assured that no such thing could happen because people will assist to chase the suspect and that he would not find any sanctuary to hide in.
Africa wake up! The continent is very beautiful and replete with resourceful people; most of the technological advancements and breakthroughs around the world have the contributions of an African. If Africans decide in unison today to return home, Europe, America, Asia and other continents will collapse and crumble.
A ride on the sea coach from Lungi Airport to Aberdeen in Free Town will intrigue and convince you that Africa is the continent to be.
Lest I forget, I witnessed an incidence that fascinated me this week when the President of Sierra Leone was passing through Siaka Steven Street a very busy and crowded area of the town, I noticed that he did not roll up the glass of his vehicle which afforded him the opportunity to see, acknowledge and assess the countenance of his people as passed by. That is the confidence of a transformational leader who is ready to associate with his subjects and not a transactional leader that has problems home and abroad.
The latest antics of perceived derogatory tactic is the recent episode of S*X FOR MARKS against Nigeria and Ghana Institutions as if worst things do not happen in Europe or America. Yes, it is morally wrong but should that be turned to an international piece of sing-song news on CNN? If care and caution are not applied, a subtle campaign of calumny will soon emanate against our certificates.
Africa, please wake up from your slumber and take your pride of place turn the tide against those who want us to be subjective, subservient and be perpetually derogated as “cesspool”
God bless Africa,
God bless my great country Nigeria.