Can the poor stand up and be counted?

Some of the things have been good, some not so good and some outright terrible. But we have to find a way to put all that behind us.

A colleague pointed out one way to do this through a fable.

He said that a donkey fell into a well and the owner could not get it out. Eventually, he decided to bury it. He called his neighbours to help put the animal out of its misery. But they noticed that after some time, the donkey stopped braying.

When they looked they noticed that the donkey was shaking off the soil being piled on it and the mound reduced the depth of the well. And as the well filled up, the donkey made its way up. Eventually, it jumped out.

Which reminded me of an old saying. That the true test of our courage is not in falling but in rising up again every time we fall.

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Out of Africa

Last week, something heart-warming happened in West Africa.

Nigeria finally agreed to give up its claim to the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula which has been at the heart of a long-standing dispute between that country and Cameroon.

The end of the conflict was evidence that the African continent can find amicable ways to solve some of the problems afflicting it.

Interestingly, many of the people who were living in this area have decided that they are Nigerians and have been leaving the peninsula in droves and crossing the border into Nigeria.

Which means that the sacrifice “our broddas” made has won them the respect of the people.

Now, the country must confront the challenge of ensuring that its citizens benefit from its enormous oil resources to end the intermittent clashes that have turned its Niger Delta into a war zone.