T-she, just gone through your blog and its loaded. I will be back when I am less busy and go through the othe articles, however some of the posts I have just read hit a vein. I am truely green blooded by the way and issues concerning niaja(abandon me Abati but na so e be) are dear to my heart. I will just comment of two issues.

Firstly, I read the article credited to Mr. Abati a few months back I believe and didn’t bother to comment because “Banky” ably represented the Niaja Youth with a beautifully worded response in my opinion. Music is the same everywhere because people produce what the fanbase  demand at the moment. For me Niaja Jamz has been revolutionized and is hitting the beatwaves big time. Check out any club even outside the shores of our great land and you will see that we are representing. No insults meant but a generation that celebrated FELA KUTI as great (I love his music by the way) with his walking naked on stage and smoking dope like it was Garri and  the radical lyrics, now turns around to condemn Idris Abdulkarim for singing Nigeria Jagajaga, is it not laughable. I could go on and on but the bottomline is that youths have found a way of escaping the harsh economic environment by making themselves useful. I agree that not all are talented and have good lyrics but that should not taint the image of those that put in great effort and have come up with beautiful lyrics and messages.P2,TUFACE,D’BANJ,FACE,NIGGERAW ETC have put our name on the map and should be acclaimed rather than been critcised. The world over musical lyrics take the same route. I do not want to cast aspersions on the older generation and the music of that time but this is a typical example of seeing only the negative side of issues. We are blessed with talent and they are representing and doing there best to stay afloat without clinging to negative vices.

Secondly, the stigma of been a Nigerian is an enormous burden. You only need to step out of the country to feel its full impact. We are been discriminated and yes, so are the Arabs. It is unfortunate that the actions of a few will leave such a huge stigma on the majority but that is the reality for you. I partly blame the media and the way they report events, and yes, a typical example is what Mr. Abati insinuated in his article. Nigerians are drug dealers, oh yeah, so are a huge percentage of the western world but I don’t see North American and South Americans been segregated at our airports. The drugs come from there country. Nigerians emigrate to Europe to search for greener pastures and yes as a result many constitute a nuisance to them, but then I don’t see anyone asking these whites that are all over Niaja to tender there visas. Most of them have expired passports and they don’t run from the cops. Niaja people have all been labelled 419,abeg make we know even go that side. Oyibo 419 starts on our own soil. Ask the millions that have gone to the embassies and paid the non-refundable deposits that are mandatory. Tell me why a country knowing fully well that it issues a limited number of visa yearly should go ahead and collect visa fees from desperate niaja youths. Our media problem is that unlike the whites who focus more on there positives and paint over the negatives,we do exactly the opposite. One will be at odds to believe that American streets are not paved with gold and the streets flowing with milk and honey. Forget it, thats the picture they paint. If the true picture is painted we will not even want to go there. With all the security they still have the highest crime rates and streets that can’t be walked freely on. I don’t see any reason why we should be treated differently and its an enigma that needs to be fought with the last drain of blood. Yes, we have bad people but then who doesn’t. Apart from the rebranding project, Government should situp and fight for its citizens. Do me,I do, God no go vex. I rest my case here.

Chuka