the o factor...

nigerians really like to feel cool. thats a fact. if you are nigerian, or have lived in nigeria long enough, one of the first things you'll notice is how people just like to identify with whatever the rave is. seriously, even ridiculous trends just catch on like wild fire down here. good example was the time when suddenly all the young girls who managed to gain admission into university felt that it was a show of americanism to use the phrase "like, you know" in every sentence. for no apparent reason, and with no heed to grammatical correctness. you'd hear an over made up girl telling her friend: "so the guy told me, like, you know, that he wants to be my boyfriend, so i'm like i beg your pardon, and he was moving back and feeling cool, like you know, walking away from me until he just fell into the gutter, like you know, like this". i mean, damn. thankfully that passed real quick (or maybe i just grew too old to notice).

and so yesterday, someone who works for my company picked up the phone when i called him, and assuming i was my friend peter, instantly said "petowski, whats up". two things, firstly this was my office line, hence the fact that even if it was peter, it was most likely a professional call, and secondly, is there a cultural problem with sticking to people's God given english names without ridiculous modifications? i mean, the average nigerian guy just adds an "o" to every other guys name. again, for no apparent reason. and so mike = myko, steve  = stevo, femi = femo, ralph = ralpho. i mean, people! and so, with the sternest voice, i say, "hello, this is not peter, its Orok" and i braced myself for the inevitable, because true to form, next thing i heard was (and you guessed right), "Oroko, whats up". what?!!! that doesn't even sound right?! what on earth is that, a cornflakes brand?!

don't get me wrong, i'm not new to the name change game as i have had my name mutilated from the day i entered kindergarten. my ghanian primary school teachers used to call me "Arak", in secondary school my yoruba teachers called me "Horror", and in university (Lord help me), i was called everything from "Rokovelli", "The Rock" (i like that one), "Rockstar", "Okro" (Lanre Obadina is to thank for this one), "Orokunle", "Orokiki", "Oropo" (don't even ask how that resembled my name in any way) and then "Rolex". Can people just stick with "Orok"? its shorter, simpler and my parents would appreciate it. Plus, i think i have enough issues with the name already, having to spell it out each time i make a phonecall to a bank or GSM call centre. we spend half the time trying to get my name right, so now, i just cut the crap and go straight to the point: "hello good morning, is this stanbis ibtc? my name is orok, thats "O for orange, R for Rhino, O for Awesome and K for Kidding". thanks.

so anyways, there's nothing happening in the news, the PHCN has called off the senseless strike, and life has moved on. Truth is, the definition of a senseless strike is not one that was absolutely unnecessary, because this strike was indeed necessary, but one which has an economic value that outweighs the human value. to me, when something has the potential of having a greater human effect than a monetary recompense, then it should be shelved as being senseless. but hey, thats just me...

I heard on the radio that some prominent nigerian thinks that IBB should indeed be begging nigerians to forgive him for dele giwa and the cancellation of the June 12 elections, instead of arrogantly pursuing his already failed ambition to become president in a form of government that he did everything to stop from materializing. Sometimes, it makes me joyous to realize that my views aren't totally out of sync with the common public psyche.

The way president goodluck jonathan works his magic and solves problems at the speed of light, makes me like him some more. during obasanjo's era, and thats my favourite era by the way, this strike would have lasted at least 4 days, while both government and the striking workers posture and fight a media war, before they finally collect 10% of what they were fighting for, and then move on. President Jonathan also unveiled the "Power blueprint" yesterday, and apart from the heavy police presence in lagos and the inconvenience of having to give way for sirens and things every other minute, i applaud the initiative. it shows that if nothing else, we finally have a thinking president, and one who is at least slightly more interested in the common good than his predecessors. he made it clear that the additional megawatts of electricity to be generated would overwhelm the current transmission network which would then need to be upgraded before we can improve the supply across the country. i like it when people have the foresight to anticipate future issues and manage expectations early. if only he was not in the PDP, i just may have voted for him.

speaking of voting, if anyone knows when they start voter registration, please give me a call or buzz my BBM. and while you're at it, please just call me Orok. nothing else.

thanks a burnsh.