And the Lord saved us.

It's 5am and a neighbour is screaming Igwe,Igwe. My first reaction is to lock all the doors as I think there may be thieves around, then I see red. There is fire in the building.

My neighbor went to top up his fuel and next thing, it went up in flames, we suspect he didn't put of the generator before pouring the petrol but I refuse to believe it, can anybody be that stupid? So everyone is running out of their flats, on my way down, I remember my Jimmy choo bag that cost me both arms and both legs, God forgive that it should burn, I run back and grab my bag abeg and my car keys. Please a girl is allowed her vanities.

The compound is filled with good samaritans, some with Omo, water, sand, all sorts, but the fire keeps spreading, we start to bring out fire extinguishers from our cars, there's one in the house too and that's the one that saves us. Fortunately, the neighbor who started the fire, just went through a fire drill at work so he is able to open all the extinguishers.

My generator is burnt, my net, my water pipes. Amazingly, no one else loses anything(apart from the culprit whose generator is completely burnt down), perhaps I should visit mountain of fire, only last week, my phone crashed.

Please everyone, get fire extinguishers and more importantly learn how to use them. Had we none, I wouldn't be here typing this as I would be wailing about the loss of all my books.

A few days ago, I blogged about this heat causing deaths, little did I know, that it could easily have been mine. Thank God for God.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord deliverth him from them all.

Keeping Silent

In the time that I was gone,Yaradua was also gone. Three months and counting and we still can't find the president? There is nothing more to say as everyone has said it all.

I have not exactly stopped blogging but I find that these days, I have less and less to say. I have become simply the observer, removed from my immediate environment.

A few months back,my baby was ill and my neighbor(fantabulous woman)took us to her place of work, LUTH. I'll admit, they probably have the best professionals but the environment, HMMMM. and it's got nothing to do with money, what's the price difference between a pedal bin and one you have to use your hands? Was I really expected to use my hands to uncover the bin and with the same hands touch my baby? There is no running water in the children's ward except at nurses' station and parents are not allowed near. The toilet is a no go area so parents use potties for their kids no matter the age and push the mess under the bed till the next morning. The mother beside me has no mosquito net for her baby, the nurses claim they have run out of nets, how do you run out of nets in a mosquito infested ward in a country where malaria is still the highest killer disease in children. Some good parent lends her one. Some mothers sleep under their children's bed to escape the murderous mosquitos. sleep is the last thing on my mind, my baby's temparature is at an all time high, I am constantly sponging it. I seek out a nurse who only follows me the third time, she feels his body and advises I pour water on him. As early as 5.am, we are woken up by a shrill voice that rings louder than a rising bell. She tells mothers to return chairs(most mothers sleep on chaiirs)and clean up their kids. I see some women with buckets and I join them,we follow a path and find a tank that has water. If there's water here, why can't there be water everywhere at LUTH?

The experirence at Luth leaves my stomach tight and my tongue tied. I am sorry for Nigeria, sorry for my countrymen. Is this life that we live here? what would it cost to have running water in hospitals so that people can at least have clean toilets? I bet the Director has been given enough funds to provide that but in true Nigerian style, he feels the money would do better in his pockets. Is the heart of the Nigerian man more desperately wicked than the heart of other men? Why do Nigerians like to amass wealth and more wealth at the detriment of the poor, the sick.

It's been so so hot lately-35 degrees and above- and I keep thinking of OBJ and other past leaders that have syphoned Nigeria's wealth. Wealth that should have generated electricity, wealth that could have saved lives,for I know that people will die from this heat, from generator fumes, from congestion, from frustration and while people are dying, some people will be depositing stolen millions in swiss accounts.
On the last day, what will you say to God? That you stole money that people should have used to feed? That you sold your conscience for a car or two?

I am sorry for you, oh thieving leader, sorry for you oh Nigeria, for you are a country of many vagabondsssssss.

PS.

I didn't change my layout to this, it just happened.