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Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè

3 Nov, 12 tweets, 3 min read

@MBuhari

An Open Letter to Mr. President, @MBuhari from a Patriotic Citizen.

Dear Mr. President ,

I saw this @SaharaReporters news and thought to pen this heartfelt letter to you, as a very concerned working class Nigerian youth who loves and lives in Nigeria.

We are troubled.

Thread.

@SaharaReporters

First, I hope in my heart that that @SaharaReporters news in untrue. I hope the true story is that these people died in a boat crash. Because now, Nigeria is at an all time low.

Our youths no longer appeal for power or education or healthcare, we are now begging to stay alive.

We are being slaughtered. Lekki, Oyibo, Zamfara, Maiduguri, Kaduna. All across Nigeria. People are dying. The body language of government is too discouraging for the hopelessness that many of us feel. Containers, herdsmen, bandits, iPOB, Boko Haram, especially Police & Soldiers.

The penalty for protests, looting, cybercrime or wearing hippy cloths should not be death. It should not be so easy to kill a Nigerian.

It’s bad enough that we struggle through poor infrastructure and minimal opportunities, we are creating them, and putting Nigeria on the map.

Please Sir, encourage us.

Some of us have young families & kids, and we are worried for them. The value on the life of citizens of other countries make us constantly question what the value being a Nigerian is. You can be shot & the government will deny your existence & death.

I am confident that Nigeria will get it right at some point, & that point can be now, under your regime. If only you can look above the average African leaders control of power, & focus on leadership. It is an opportunity for you to make legend of your name.

Please fix the rot.

Fix the politics. Fix the economy, Police, army. Security. Even better if you fix education, health, power & roads. I can go on, but let’s start with a focus on security.

I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable at the sight of a Police, it is abominable. And hunted for daring to speak.

Many of us are overtaxed, yet get threats or hunted for demanding for governance. Please appeal to your appointees to do the job and respect citizens. Some Nigerian youths that our country pushes away are amongst Africa’s best talents in their fields.

You brought hope in 2015.

Please help us keep this hope alive Sir. The default government response to everything shouldn’t be denial. Citizens’ trust for your government is at an all time low. I know you are shielded from this truth.

Don’t let them push you to infamy as they did to other Presidents Sir.

There are 41million MSMEs in Nigeria, I interact with thousands of them yearly. If government genuinely inject NGN100billion in them, well spent & accounted for, we will create wealth & boost the economy. How much more the hundreds of billions already spent. Corruption persists.

Do not let political opportunists and jobbers ruin your chance at changing things.

I want to be proud to be Nigerian. I want to raise my shoulders because my country is a beacon of hope in Africa. Because there is value on my life as a Nigerian.

I have faith in this country.

Though now fast dwindling. Please help us restore hope to high levels.

God bless you Mr. President. God bless Nigerian youths. And God bless Nigeria.

With the highest Regards,
Ayo Bankole Akintujoye

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More from @AyoBankole

Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè

@AyoBankole

28 Sep

A few months ago, I shared my story on how we could have been rendered homeless months after my Dad died and our landlord kicked us out, insisting he wasn't renting to a widow. Recently, I met with some young folks who get confused about real estate vs investment options. Thread

I was 16. But that experience influenced the lenses through which I see real estate from the perspectives of an African child from a modest background. Another was the crisis in the early 2000s, where many lost their jobs & many of my friends were kicked out of their rented homes

I've noticed how very easy it is for young folks here to get swayed by popular folks and how they “yass queen, yass king” to every thread that sounds complex & fancy. And MOST times, the writers don’t share the same background with you nor know your realities. Hence this thread.

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24 Sep

Please, I beg you, make sure you are comfortable enough to eject all forms of poverty MENTALITY before you date or get married, so you won't have to be arguing over silly things like washing of pant. Laundry has evolved beyond literal washing. And anyone, man or woman, can do it.

Having said that, nothing justifies washing pant on national TV. And its not about a man doing it. Nothing even justifies washing your own underwear publicly on nationalTV. Neither should it be a focus of public discussion. They are underwears. Somethings are better left private.

Many people in BBN have done their laundries since the several weeks they've been there without making it public or it being a topic of discussion - because it was done as it should be. Both Nengi, Vee and Neo making it public, either by intention or omission, is ridiculous.

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Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè

@AyoBankole

24 Sep

While I’ve written about the imbalance/problems in corporate Nigeria between Nigerians & foreigners, we need to understand that our market realities simply can’t afford the same pay levels as is some in the West. Many companies that tried it reversed it on the brink of failure.

Many factors impact pay. What salaries can accommodate in the middle of other costs(electricity, infrastructure, security, bribery etc), another is what the market can generate, another is what the country encourages through lax labor laws. You can’t look at one in isolation.

E.g, a top global professional services firm came into Nigeria and started paying entry level almost same as was obtainable in the West, a few years down the line, they had to soft pedal when they saw the numbers weren’t making sense. Our market simply doesn’t give as much.

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Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè

@AyoBankole

17 Sep

I saw 4 missed calls from a close relative who rarely calls. I got very anxious immediately, almost panicky. Then I remember a debate sometime ago about phone calls causing anxiety. I think it takes a degree of heartlessness to not have anxiety panics regularly in Nigeria. Thread

I think it's a function of societal anomalies. Too many risks& fears. I also believe very strongly that the average Nigerian is prone to anxiety disorders (though I don't have the data), except if there are a few things or few people you care about. Let me explain.

For example, in 2019 alone, 11,072 road crashes occurred, in which 35,981 were injured, while 5,483 were killed. This is largely due to bad roads, lax road traffic regulations& controls, container falling etc. Yet, the road remains the major transport. Then there is SARS shooting

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Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè

@AyoBankole

16 Sep

If you are a fresh grad looking to join KPMG or any Big4, don’t let the N130k salary bant discourage you o. KPMG & all are called academy organizations. They give rigorous training & the fastest career path to rise. The leverage it gives your CV will/can change your life forever.

Many talk about KPMG, etc entry level pay being poor. What they forget is that the entry salary is not poorer than most of the banks. And no other place guarantees annual career growth like them. Laugh at KPMG today, 5yrs later, your KPMG junior will be poached as your boss.

Go and read the profiles of very many of the CEOs and even many successful entrepreneurs, many of them were Ex-Big 4. Segun Agbaje of GTB, Adeduntan of First Bank, Sulayman Abu of Sterling Bank, 280 xters won’t let me finish. All ex Big 4. Una Dey sleep on top bicycle.

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Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè

@AyoBankole

10 Sep

I just caught up with this Mowe to Ikate trend and I’m amused at some of the “advice” & comments. Are we pretending that we don’t know that most people, esp at the early career stage live on the outskirts & work on the island/in town? So everyone should quit their jobs? To what?

It amuses me how social media culture and convos often appear to be so disconnected from reality. It’s either we are so buried in pretense or just funny. Everyday, people come from Akute, Satellite, Mowe, Alagbado, Sango, etc to Island. All of them should quit or live in Lekki?

I lived in Alagbado and worked in VI/Ikoyi at the early stages of my career. I moved to town when I could afford it. Millions of people who live in Lekki duplexes today started like that. The problem is not with them, it’s with the govt that fail to provide multimodal transport.

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