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The Absurd Paradox There is something disturbingly absurd about the Nigerian story. How does a country blessed with millions of educated citizens, thousands of professors, and countless men and women of God find itself perpetually ruled by mediocre leaders – individuals whose credentials and moral capacities often fall far short of the demands of modern governance? It is a paradox that mocks the very notion of enlightenment, a tragedy that blurs the line between divine punishment and historical misfortune.   The Colonial Blueprint and the Culture of Mediocracy Since 1914, when the British yoked together diverse nations into one fragile colonial creation, Nigeria has been caught in a web of deliberate underdevelopment and leadership inversion. The most unprepared often ascend the throne, while the best minds retreat into silence, prayer, or cynical detachment. We have become a land where mediocracy is celebrated and excellence exiled – a country where those who can govern refuse to ...

    Nigeria, with other nations, is a land of constant negotiation with danger. To live here is to be alert. At Oshodi, a woman instinctively pulls her child back from the rush of okada riders. At Oluku, a man jumps aside as a reckless mini bus veers too close. When gunshots crack in a distant street, crowds scatter without waiting to ask who is shooting. Self-preservation is etched into our bones, a survival script rehearsed in every market, motor park, and traffic jam. And yet, paradoxically, this same instinct to survive is matched by an almost stubborn desire to flirt with death. The Lagos driver who carefully waits for the green traffic light later drinks himself into  stupor and insists on driving home. The civil servant who avoids unclean water to protect his health will, with equal certainty, consume endless bottles of sweet soda that quietly corrode his body. A man who cries out in panic when a snake slithers across the compound may, the same evening, light a cig...

 Please, 🙏 follow and click on this link: https://www.iwemi.com/outside-the-gold-circle , and buy  or share: OUTSIDE THE GOLD CIRCLE – A Captivating Journey into the Margins of Power                By Emmanuel Okom In Outside the Gold Circle, Emmanuel Okom crafts an unforgettable tale of longing, legacy, and the silent war between tradition and progress. Set in the fictional village of Inibosinbo, the novel is a moving exploration of how ordinary people, trapped outside systems of power, wealth, privilege and opportunity - the metaphorical "gold circle" - fight for relevance in a world that demands they remain voiceless.At the heart of the story is Ukaani Irikwom, a weathered but dignified farmer and ex-Biafran soldier whose deepest desire is to see his son, Lucky, rise beyond the reach of village drudgery. But five years after graduation, Lucky remains jobless—an echo of a generation betrayed by a republic that promises progress but p...