TRADITIONAL VALUES ARE DOING MORE HARM TO AFRICA THAN GOOD

Culture of disgrace in Africa


Some traditional values, such as female circumcision, polygamy, and other outdated customs handed over by ancestors to tribes, are doing more harm to Africa than good. 


Female circumcision has caused more health hazards to females than ever imagined, but this old tradition of female genital mutilation is still widely practiced in many African countries.

Polygamy in royal households in Africa is another factor draining some of the African countries' financial resources. A couple of months ago, King Mswati III of Swaziland caused public outrage by sending his favorite wives on a globe-trotting shopping spree. 

The royal ruler, despite the poverty of his people, used 7 million dollars of state money to send five of his thirteen wives and dozens of their aides to France, Italy, Dubai, and Taiwan on a secret shopping trip.

The Swaziland people are suffering, but they are smiling, even though it is a criminal offense to criticize the king's private life in their country. Campaigners have reacted angrily against the British government, which gives aid totaling 65 million pounds to the African country. Swaziland also receives about 235 million dollars from the US.

The king of Swaziland has a personal fortune of $240 million and also receives money from the national budget for the upkeep of his family, yet more than two-thirds of the country's 1.2 million population survives on less than fifty cents per day, and more than a quarter of the adult population suffers from HIV.

In a country like Swaziland, where education and health should be priorities, he spent $5 million on 20 armored Mercedes-Benz cars. A journalist from the Swaziland Solidarity Network told the British Times newspaper. 

"They shout about Zimbabwe, but they keep quiet about what is happening in Swaziland, even though they are one of its biggest aid donors. They are wasting British taxpayers' money on this tyrant."

Men and women, which of them are the most faithful and sincere?

A cheating man caught red-handed


I write about many interesting issues, but I have never thought of writing about gender faithfulness or unfaithfulness to each other, when one day, someone asked me, "Why do most men die and leave behind their wives?" 

I couldn`t find an answer to her question, then, without a thought, I said, "Because most men are unfaithful to their partners." I was surprised she was satisfied with my answer.

But is it very true that men fall short when it comes to dishonesty? Well, many men lie and cheat on their partners, but also women. 

Most men cheat on their wives and girlfriends for several reasons, including lack of sexual satisfaction, biological problems that the woman is not aware of, but of which the man cannot speak. But with women? I keep on asking myself, "Why do they often cheat on their men?"

Are they also looking for sexual satisfaction or money? On Monday, 28 September 2009, whilst waiting at London`s Victoria Coach Station to join my bus to Dorset, a sad story caught my attention in an entertainment newspaper called "London Lite." 

The story was about a woman who was allegedly strangled by her own husband after discovering that she was having an affair with another man.

The husband, after having enough evidence, including a secret taping of 127 hours of his wife's conversations with her lover, confronted his wife, who asked for a divorce. To me, that was a very good wife. 

She did not deny her unfaithfulness but quickly asked for a divorce of which her man should have accepted the request and given her freedom.

Instead, he did the most stupid thing a man could do. Fearing the loss of his home, two children, and fortune, the jealous husband chose to kill his wife, pretending he did not know of her death. 

The court heard of his wife`s previous adulterous adventures. Marriage always turns to a different angle of diverse problems when there isn`t any transparency, honesty, and faithfulness.

Even though I know that most men die leaving their partners, I can`t really say it is because of their unfaithfulness to their partners, since women also cheat on their husbands. But it is a fact that a greater percentage of men cheat on their wives than women.

Bijlmer is beautiful but is it a dangerous place to live in Amsterdam?

The Bijlmer in the South-East of Amsterdam


In the southeast of Amsterdam lies a nice, lively neighborhood called Bijlmer. Bijlmer is always in the news, firstly due to the big firms and industries that have created thousands of jobs for the Dutch people and secondly due to the wave of crime that has soured the image of its inhabitants, mainly foreigners. 


Bijlmer has also situated the magnificent modern Ajax stadium, which has hosted thousands of international matches, conferences, and concerts.

The influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal, has made Bijlmer a dangerous place to live in Amsterdam. With diverse immigrants, mainly from Surinam, Antillean, and Curacao, former colonies of the Dutch and West African immigrants, Bijlmer is now a commercial center for drug trafficking and harbors the most hardened criminals.

How do we call this? Holland dream or Dutch dream? Like the American dream, inviting many Latin Americans and Mexicans into the country, Suriname came in their numbers to the Netherlands. 

Without any basic education, the majority of Suriname is stagnant, without any future. Feeling dejected and frustrated, the only means to survive the material world of Bijlmer is to resort to drug trafficking, crime, and violence.

With the desire to study the background of Africans living in the Bijlmer, I have never seen merciless, hostile, and aggressive people like Suriname before. 

They even think the police fear them and they would not like to come their way. But what makes these people so aggressive and violent? 

My opinion is that the free smoking of marijuana is. In public, the metros running Gaasperplas and Gein, from the Central Station and the lifts of apartments, are always choked with heavy smoke and the odor of marijuana.

Some of the drugs they smoke and use have taken their toll on them. Junkies are a common sight in the Bijlmer. The effects of drugs on users are disastrous. Horrible creatures like people acting in horror movies. 

An investigation conducted recently by two Dutch journalists, Jan-Willem Navis and Joris Polman, in the neighborhood of Bijlmer revealed that for between two and three hundred euros, someone could own a gun, and they fear that, within a short period, guns would overflow in the neighborhood of Bijlmer. Young boys move around everywhere with knives hidden on them.

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Is the crime wave in Bijlmer too much for the police to handle, or bring the situation under control? Over the years, the police force has demonstrated how good they could be by catching many criminals, and those who wanted to resist arrest jumped to their deaths. 

They have tried everything to make Bijlmer a safe place to live, but from every angle, it seems the police are losing the battle.

Obama's historical visit to Ghana

Obama in Ghana


U.S President Barack Obama, like many heads of state, has Africa in his mind or on his agenda to work with. Africa, many times, is like a continent totally neglected, but the fact is, there is no head of state that could push the continent aside because of its vast mineral resources, which the developed and developing countries depend on.

Obama chose Ghana as his first country in Africa because of the country's peaceful political events on the path to democracy. Ghana, formerly called "Gold Coast," gained independence in 1957, and recently had its fifth successive civilian government elected since 1992.

It is Ghana's political success of peaceful democracy that caught the attention of Obama to choose the country as his first country to visit after his inauguration as the president of the United States of America, a couple of months ago. 

The American president was welcomed at the airport by President John Evans Atta Mills, also a newly elected president under the umbrella of the National Democratic Congress(NDC), amidst drumming and dancing at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, the capital.

"Akwaaba," welcome, says the Ghanaian president to Obama. Here, I can't explain in detail the happiness and the delight that accompanied the family of Obama family as they stepped on the Ghanaian soil for the first time.

In a speech at a fully packed convention center, Obama said, " I have come to Ghana for a simple reason. The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but what happens in Accra as well."

Obama hit hard on corruption, which has been the only tool that has crippled and is still crippling the economy of Africa in general. He reminds African leaders of the task on their shoulders as heads of state, by taking the masses that brought them into power into consideration. 

He called on the Africans to build democracy, create employment, fight corruption, and end the conflicts in Africa, which he called 'a millstone around Africa's neck.'

After touring many interesting places, the president and his family were emotionally moved when they visited the slave dungeon at the Cape Coast Castle. The slave trade was long abolished, but the grim terror was still fresh in the minds of African-Americans who came on a visit to Cape Coast Castle. 

The shackles and the chains used to bind the slaves over three hundred years ago are still there to be seen. After his emotional tour, Obama described the slave trade as one of the evils committed against humanity.

He commended Ghana for preserving the castle and those who contributed to the abolition of slavery. He said the essence of the tour was to learn about the oppression that African Americans went through and to interact ancestral lineage. 

"As somebody whose father comes from Africa, I'm pleased this visit has been particularly meaningful for me." He concluded.

THE BITE OF THE MANGO - Mariatu Kamara's Book

Mariatu Kamara, author of 'The Bite Of The Mango'

Interviewed by Jim Clancy, CNN's Inside Africa, the Sierra Leonean-born victim of war and author of the book '' The Bite of the Mango,'' Mariatu Kamara, told her horrific ordeal during the ten-year-long brutal war that maimed thousands of civilians in her country.

Mariatu narrates her story. At 12, fleeing from the activities of the rebels, she finds herself in another village. She felt hungry and decided to go to her village to get some food to eat. On the way, she was captured by the rebels, and they amputated both of her wrists. 

For what reason? So that there wouldn't be any hands to vote for the government. But they were wrong ''I still have hands to do whatever I want to do said the courageous woman.

Asked by Jim Clancy why she named her book ''The bite of the mango,'' she explained that after her wrists were cut off, a man came to her aid and offered her a mango to eat. But she felt like a child being fed. Despite the pains and blood gushing out from her wounds, Mariatu held the mango to eat it herself.

At her book launch in the United States of America, the courageous war victim was awarded the ''Voices of Courage Award." She happily interacted and answered questions of people who wanted to know her story and spoke of the meaning of the award to her. 

Her message is ''Never give up in life, no matter the situation. She went on further to say that victims of war and other calamities to keep on pushing until success is achieved.

Mariatu is not only a courageous but strong woman who has brought to the awareness of the world the suffering of war victims globally.

Book available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bite-Mango-Mariatu-Kamara/dp/1554511585/

Britain's Economic Crisis, will they get out of this disaster?

Beautiful London

Eurozone
Britain is a country known to adhere to special rules, regulations, and principles, to be neutral, conservative, and probably to be unique amongst other advanced countries in the world. The official reasons for staying out of the Eurozone are a good example of what Britain stands for. 

In the first place, Britain should know best, united we stand, divided we fall. There is no way the economy will be successful with its single currency within the Euro currency zones.

From every angle, one could clearly see that the "imperial system of political ideas" in that country has taken its toll on them. In any crisis, people, instead of finding an immediate solution, would rather want someone to blame. 

Britain accused the United States of America of this unprecedented economic setback, failing to realize that the country's economic woes were brewed by internal factors as well. 

Just imagine how advanced auto technology is constantly shaping and changing this world, but Britain is still driving and producing "right-hand steering Vehicles" in Europe. 

The type of vehicles Europeans and Third World Countries don't need. Even if they produce the right form of vehicles for countries that need them, it will still affect them in many ways because countries driving right are more than those driving left.

Teenage Pregnancy

Take, for example, how the economy of a country thrives when teenagers ignore education and choose to be mothers instead? According to statistics, Britain has the highest percentage of teenage pregnancies. Teenage pregnancy has a great effect on the economy of every country. 

A brilliant child who pulls out of school because of pregnancy is a waste of human resources. It's very common to see  British teenagers speaking English but can't write. How can she write an application letter for a job, when she can't correctly spell words his or her own language?

Alcoholism

Alcohol is another factor that has affected the health system of Britain's economy. The passion for alcohol in Britain is beyond cure. There is nothing that the British government can do to prevent or reduce the rate of alcohol consumption in that country, even if the price of drinks is raised. 

Alcohol and drug abuse are some of the factors linked to teenage pregnancy; therefore, the government needs to find solutions to these problems, or else Britain will experience economic depression always no matter how good a politician is.

Discrimination in employment

Employment discrimination is another factor that has worsened Britain's economic crisis. Discrimination in employment takes place in Britain in many ways, against women, religion, race, and color. 

Many qualified professional workers are denied jobs in Britain daily, because of the color of their skin, his or her religion, or their sex. Instead, they employ someone unqualified and lazy, because of the slogan "Our People First." Developments in such circumstances are never achieved or slow because of the inefficiency of production.

Lazy workers call for sick leave, stay at home for long days without working, claiming benefits and other allowances, affecting the hard workers and taxpayers' money. Employment discrimination is somewhat better in London and places with good integration. 

The worst place in the county of Dorset (Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch), British Blacks and other foreigners are aware of that, which is the reason one can hardly see them in the neighborhoods.

People actually enjoy Britain on a visit, but I'm always sad whenever I'm in that country due to what I see. Almost on every street, I see dozens of "pregnant men." Obesity is taking its toll on the health of the people, but they simply don't care because food is delicious. 

When you talk about fashion, I think the worst-dressed Europeans are the British. When one visits places like Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium, one can see that they dress better than in Britain.

High Transportation cost

The cost of public transport in Britain is higher if compared with its European counterparts. Within the city of London, a short trip by bus costs £2. 

The ticket expires as one alights from the bus. In most of the European countries, for example, in Belgium, a city trip by tram or bus costs one euro twenty cents (from the ticket machine) and one euro fifty cents (from the bus or tram chauffeur). 

The ticket has an hour validity; in this case, one can join more than for four of five teams, depending on the length of the journey, until the ticket expires.

Despite all the harsh taxation systems, property tax, congestion tax and other means of money collection, Britain is a restless country to live in Europe. This is an indication that capitalism has failed in Britain. 

The lazy man wants to live like a rich man and have the same things as the rich man. The crime rate is increasing rapidly in Britain. God help the Scotland Yard. 

Until Britain's economy comes back on the right track, politicians in that country must be serious about finding solutions to the aforementioned problems.

A BELGIAN MURDERS HIS AFRICAN WIFE

Problems in relationships or marriages are very common.



What provoked a Belgian to the extent of killing his Black wife? This was the question on the lips of the African community in Antwerp. The shocking murder of Evelyn Amarim-Vanacker, a 31-year-old mother of two, led to a peaceful demonstration recently.


Evelyn, a native of the Anioma local government in the Delta State of Nigeria, was reported to have been strangled to death by her husband at their home on the 2nd of March 2009. According to sources, the murder took place while the children of the deceased, aged 4 and 1, respectively, were sleeping in one of the rooms upstairs.

After the brutal murder, the husband took the lifeless body of his wife into the boot of his car and drove 100 kilometers to dump the body in an open field by the border between France and Belgium, where the French police discovered the body the next day.

After committing the brutal crime, Mr. Vanacker reported to the Belgian police that his wife was missing. After a heavy interrogation that followed, he broke down and confessed to the killing of his wife. 

The motive behind the murder is not clear, but according to sources, there was no more happiness in the marriage after five years. Constant quarrels and exchanges of words were bringing the marriage almost to its knees when this occurred.

The question is, how would the Belgian police handle this case? Especially in Antwerp, where such cases are not seriously dealt with. This has given license to many Belgians to treat foreigners, especially Africans, the way they like.

Many Africans are angry with the African ambassadors sent overseas. "They don't do anything to protect us; all they care about is corruption and greed. Europeans know that they are weak, so they take advantage of this to kill us," said one Nigerian who spoke to me about the killing of Avelyn.

VLAAMS BELANG NOT INVITED TO OBAMA'S INAUGURATION

Philip De Winter, leader of the 'Vlaams Belang' party

Belgium has been a center of controversy many times, in regard to issues pertaining to foreigners, especially in Antwerp, which has the "Vlaams Belang," a political party known to have extreme views against foreigners. 

the 

They preach hatred against foreigners to solicit votes during political campaigns, yet they find it unacceptable when the American Embassy in Brussels excludes them from attending Obama's inauguration.

According to the "Vlaams Belang", weeks before the inauguration of the 44th president of the USA, Barack Obama, at the Brussels residence of the American Ambassador, all Belgian senators of the committee of Foreign Affairs received an invitation. 

However, on the morning of the inauguration day (January 20th), the US embassy made a phone call to them(Vlaams Belang) claiming the invitation was a mistake and that Vlaams Belang was not welcome.

The "Vlaams Belang" thinks the behavior of the American Embassy is inappropriate for the world's largest democratic country. They went on further to say that "It isn't the task of an embassy to become actively involved in the internal politics of another nation.

I don't understand the "Vlaams Belang" getting bitter over this non-invitation issue when they know what the USA stands for. Americans are people that had learned a lot from past issues regarding racial problems, just like former Apartheid South Africa. 

Now they don't want to repeat those mistakes they made. Changes of constitutions, laws, and other things have brought peace and unified all Americans under one democratic umbrella. This is what the world should emulate.

The "Vlaams Belang" is are selfish, and non-realistic party that doesn't care about bloodshed but preaches hatred against foreigners because they are power conscious. 

They shouldn't forget that there are also Americans living in Belgium, and whatever they say against foreigners also affects other foreign nationals living in Belgium. To me, the American Embassy has done the right thing by not giving them an invitation.

The world is tired of hearing things like "An immigrant murdered in Antwerp", "I bought a gun to kill people of foreign origin." Every investigation made in Antwerp over such cases links up with something from the "Vlaams Belang." 

If the world wants peace, then it mustn't let such political parties survive in any part of the world. They must exclude them from taking part in any international conference. Antwerp can keep them; we don't care.

Murdered Immigrant in Antwerp, family gets no compensation

Oulematu, the Malian babysitter who was murdered with the child The family of Oulematou Niangadou, the Malian babysitter, shot and killed by Hans Van Themsche in Antwerp, Belgium, will not be compensated. The commission of financial aids for victims of criminal acts announced in an official statement given to the press that the Belgian Justice Ministry decided to compensate the victims 71,500 euros,  but the court challenged the compensation to the Malian woman, owing to the fact that the victim was illegally staying in Belgium. The victim came in with a visa that has since expired. It will be recalled that in 2007, racist student Themsche bought a rifle at 500 euros from a shop in Antwerp, to kill people of foreign origin. Unfortunately, his gun didn't take away the Malian immigrant, but a poor, innocent Belgian child, the victim was babysitting.  His bullet also struck a Turkish woman sitting on a bench nearby, but she survived. The full story about this ruthless and senseless killing can be read in my book called "An African in Antwerp." In the book, I accused both the mayor of Antwerp, Mr. Janssens, and the police of being responsible for the killing of this poor immigrant. You need to live in Antwerp as a foreigner before you will know or understand what I'm talking about. How could they like foreigners when they don't even like themselves? When you are speaking French at some Flemish institutions, you can be confronted and questioned about the reason you are speaking French instead of Flemish.  Unbelievable. What is wrong with it when one speaks a different language spoken by its own nationals? That is Antwerp. Kris Luyckx, the advocate for the victim's family, hopes that the rules on compensation will be amended and points to previous changes brought in to allow victims of human trafficking to get compensation from the commission.

PENSIONER LOST HER FUNERAL MONEY

Pensioners need protection because some are too old to defend themselves. Life is like a journey full of loads. If you can carry this load throughout your lifetime with discipline, endurance, sacrifice, and truthfulness, you can succeed in life. If one's life goes the opposite way, then things might never be better for the one.  Most people, while living, think of the death ahead of them and save money towards that to have a befitting burial after death. A pensioner living in England, who has carefully saved £1000 to pay for the funerals of her and her 85-year-old disabled husband, accidentally lost the money, leaving her unable to sleep with high blood pressure.  According to her, she left her home at the Watford end of Wimborne, around 11.30 am, on Monday, 12 January 2009, and walked to town with the money at the bottom of her shopping bag. However, when she got to the Nationwide Building Society to pay the money into her account, she discovered that the money had gone missing.  The sixty-nine-year-old woman who wants to remain anonymous said, "I was absolutely gutted. My husband had been saving the money for some time so that we could pay for our funerals in time," She said. She has no clue about the disappearance of the money. "I have been hoping that someone would find it and hand it over to the police, but no one has. We have had to work hard for every penny we have, so to lose it this way was heartbreaking," she said. I wonder why she was expecting a miracle to get her money back in a country like England, where youths have no regard for the elders. They rob, beat up, and steal from the old, without any second thought that one day they will be old as well, and the same thing could happen to them.  Whatever the case, old woman, don't be distraught; give thanks to God that you are still alive.

WHY DO PEOPLE BLAME GOD FOR TODAY'S VIOLENCE?

There are many churches throughout Europe, but they are empty every Sunday.


Christianity found its way to Africa through the white missionaries who went to the continent years ago, but it is like Africans have embraced the Christian faith than the whites themselves. 

It is very common to see Africans worshipping God in churches on Sundays, while on the same Sunday, you see Whites at the drinking pubs enjoying glasses of wine and beer. 

In Britain, a few churches had been converted to drinking pubs, yet the government is fighting hard against alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, hooliganism, and crime without success.

Many simply have no time at all to think of God, let alone to attend church service on Sundays to worship the creator. Once I visited a church in a small town in Rome-Italy called "Sacrofano." 

The beautifully designed ancient church attracted me into it with the desire to fellowship with them that Sunday.

 

I was shocked to see that the pastor was preaching to only two people in this big church. I joined them, and the number increased to three. 

In Antwerp, Belgium, most of the time I see people at the church when someone has died. It is like the church was built to pay last respect to only the dead, not the living.

The world today is full of turmoil, war, tribal conflicts, racism, discrimination, etc. All these problems are caused by man. Man decides to cause pain, havoc, and unrest to people and our societies, but not God.

 

Why then do people ignorantly ask, if there is God, why must all these problems occur? People drink and lose their minds to kill, stab, and beat their wives and children, yet many prefer to drink rather than read the Holy Bible, a book that heals our spiritual and physical problems.

Hebrews chapter 12:26-27, predicts that "Everything that can be shaken will be shaken.....so that only those things that can not be shaken will remain." This means that our jobs, retirement, pensions, children, health, etc, can be shaken at times. 

At the same time, the Bible says, "Everything shall pass, but the word of God shall be there forever." This is an important message to remind men to find solace in God by reading the Holy Bible. 

Alcohol, crime, and all the evil things men commit will lead us to a place we have never dreamt of, that is, going to hell and jail.

JOHN LENNON IMAGINED AFRICA'S POLITICAL CRISIS

The great John Lennon, ex-member of the 'Beatles'


John Lennon once said he was more famous than Jesus Christ. Many faithful Christians around the world weren’t happy over that defamatory statement he made. However, I’m not writing this article to condemn Mr. Lennon but to congratulate him on his concern over the political crisis in Africa during his period.


Africa has been a neglected continent for a very long time, even though most of the wealth in Europe was taken from that continent. In the sixties, the members of the Beatles were presented with MBE awards, Nigerian-Biafran Gowon haunts did, and John Lennon returned his award to the Queen in protest against UK foreign policy.

He wrote, “Your Majesty, I’m returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts” with love, John Lennon. 

The Nigerian-Biafran war in the sixties between Yakubu Gowon and Ojukwu claimed thousands of lives. It was a catastrophe, a human disaster, and a nightmare that still haunts Nigerians.

It’s astonishing that while the world does not care about the turmoil in Africa, just as the racist Margaret Thatcher does not care about the Apartheid, segregation, and the discrimination going on in South Africa ca that time, a common musician like John Lennon cares much about the carnage going on in Africa.

To me, John Lennon wasn’t only a great musician. But a special statesman, an envoy interested in bringing peace to Africa. At the same time, he was bringing the problems of Africa to the awareness of the selfish leaders who do not care about the continent’s political crisis, but the Beatles were only interested in the looting of the continent's rich mineral resources.

Fans of the Beatles want the rejected award that has been in storage at Saint James’ Palace, since 1969, to be placed at the museum, but a spokesman for the Chancery Department of the Royal said that it’s only John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, could decide if it has to go on display or to the museum.

AFRIQIYAH AIRLINE MUST IMPROVE ITS SERVICES

Afriqiyah Airways, poor service, poor facilities




While modern aviation has taken new dimensions to improve aviation safety and ensure the safety of passengers and luggage in all flights, other airlines such as Afriqiyah has broken every rule in civil aviation. 


This is a true bitter experience of a passenger that joined the airline Afriqiyah, a couple of months ago.

"I find it very necessary to write my story for other intending passengers that want to travel with this airline to think twice before making any fatal decision," said a woman residing in Britain. In July 2008, I traveled with my son, an eleven-year-old boy, from the United Kingdom to Accra- Ghana, for a six-week-long holiday.

Even though my luggage was controlled and tagged, right under my watchful eyes, when we arrived in Accra- Ghana, our luggage was nowhere to be found. How could our luggage mysteriously disappear? Afriqiyah officials had no clues to the disappearance of our luggage.

When I called their office in Accra to find out where our luggage was, none of the airline officials gave me a positive answer. On many occasions, they don’t want to pick up the phone when I called. At a certain stage, they felt being disturbed by my constant inquiries. How could such a thing happen to a passenger?

It’s only Africa, one could hear such stories. We are a subject of mockery in the eyes of the developing world due to the way some of us do our things. It takes so many years to build up a good reputation but it takes just a second for a stupid fool to destroy all the good works that had been done. 

One shocking thing I also observed was that the toilet on the flight wasn't in good order. A hostess stood by, with a bucket of water and rinses the toilet after each use before someone else enters. It is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.

I spent the whole six week holiday with my son in the same clothes we wore on board the flight from the UK to Ghana. Eventually, we returned to the United Kingdom without a trace of our luggage by Afriqiyah officials. 

Three months after my arrival; I received a confirmation call from them that our luggage had been found. I wrote a letter to the airline demanding compensation. Till now they refused to reply to my letter or even to send a word of apology.

Is that an airline I would encourage someone to travel with? She asked. Sometimes passengers make mistakes to join cheap airlines but in the end, they lose more than traveling with the best airlines. A word to the wise is enough.

THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL IN SOCIETY

Once alcohol takes control over you, it's hard to break free



Alcohol is now known to be equally dangerous to cocaine and other dangerous drugs that affect the health of the abusers but the fight against it is much relaxed or slow. 

A group of doctors in America believes that before the government loses or wins the campaign against cigarettes, cocaine, and other dangerous drugs, without considering alcohol much, it would have claimed millions of lives.

During my youth, I witnessed the effect of alcohol on some of my teachers during lessons in the classroom. When it’s eating time, we had nothing to talk about but the stinking or stench of alcohol we smelled on a particular teacher. 

I could also remember my mother on many occasions counseling an alcoholic living in our neighborhood. When my mother didn’t see him any longer passing in front of our house to buy the strong, locally prepared drink, she thought he had gotten the message. 

Unknowingly, the man changed his route to avoid my mother seeing him. Eventually, the man succumbed to illness and died. The postmortem revealed that he died from excessive drinking.

In America, medical statistics have it that nearly 14 million over 18 are alcoholics. Another 1.3 million suffer from alcohol dependencies. Overall, almost 8% of adults have problems with alcohol, costing the economy an estimated $100 billion a year in health care costs and loss of productivity. Fatal road accidents worldwide are also related to alcohol.

Indy Mehigan, 17, a transformed alcoholic, once terrorized the streets of Lowestoft, Suffolk, in Britain. According to her, “I was just 12 when I first swigged vodka with my giggling mates in the school toilets. A few years later, I had turned into a violent, drunken youth who thought of nothing but smashing someone’s face."

"Then a friend told me about Positive Futures, a youth project in Lowestoft that helps teenagers with addiction and other problems. With their help, I left the gang and started a college course, and I’m now retaking my GCSEs. 

I’m also doing a course where I can mentor other kids. These days, when I see gangs of youths, I’m the one who crosses the street. But I also feel sorry because they are wrecking their lives.” She said. (Culled from Daily Mirror, Saturday, February 23, 2008, edition)

This is the confession of a young girl who has been in the abyss of alcohol drinking, but now is out of it and piously and consciously stepping out to help others. As a nation, people have to understand the crisis in alcohol abuse for several reasons. 

Drinkers may find it legal, pleasurable, and even beneficial, but at the end of it all, when hooked, let’s us view its disastrous effect on humans and on the roads. Besides the deaths alcohol has caused, it has also contributed to many broken homes, painful divorces, separations, and juvenile crime. .,

Alcohol is not just a closet problem but a full-blown health crisis that is crippling our nation as well as families. Kick it early or don’t go for it at all.