THE GATHERER

The Guyanese born Pan-African writer, Walter Rodney, indentified that formation of what is known as “Third world countries” didn’t come about by chance – it is as a direct result of occupation on their land by countries referred to as “First worlds”. Meaning modernisation in the “West” is directly proportional to underdevelopment in the world’s lowly rated countries. As it pertains to Africa, he extensively discusses it in his book, which I like to consider as the African Bible – How Europe Under Developed Africa – published in 1972. An excerpt from the book, which I want to dwell on, is: “What was a marginal difference (in terms of development) when the Portuguese sailed into West Africa in 1444, became a huge gap...440 years later” . Referring to the Berlin Conference, 1884, a period when innovative technology advancements had clearly given the West a superior edge over Africa. Industrialising their societies with the labour of athletic built healthy African youths; taken in their

            I read with pain the response of MKO Abiola’s family to the renaming of University of Lagos after their principal . Quickly jumping in queue to praise the government of the day and choosing to abuse undergraduates and alumni of the university for protesting against the name change. I have since concluded the “family” obviously doesn’t realize MKO is a national icon and not just their family head.   I’ll take you guys 19 years back to 1993. I’d just barely gained admission into Saint Patrick College, Asaba. When my dad took my elder sisters for voter’s registration. The atmosphere was alive and smiling faces lit every corner of my neighborhood. I must say this singular experience instilled an excitement for democratic elections in me; I looked forward to when I’d be legally permitted to partake in this exercise that elevated, in my opinion, the man fondly called Money Kudi Owo (MKO), from socialite to statesman. And this reignited the spirit of ‘ progressives’ in my famil