ARTISTIC TRIBE

A Year of Disappointment: Kajola Local Government and the Burden of Wasted Opportunity Two weeks ago, on a Monday evening, a few of us—young people from Kajola and its surrounding towns—were grooving at Sango, just opposite the police station in Ibadan. It was one of those casual hangouts where laughter flowed easily, and conversations danced from politics to pop culture. Then someone mentioned, almost offhandedly, “It’s exactly a year since the Kajola Local Government executives were sworn in.” I paused, turned to the group, and asked, “So, what has been their most significant achievement so far?” The response? A chorus of shrugs and sighs. One person spoke up and said, “They haven’t been duly funded. The state government hasn’t released enough from the LG allocations.” Others nodded in agreement, repeating what has now become a common refrain. But I told them point blank: those are rumors or at best unverified facts. Even if they were true, lack of funds is no excuse for ...

Diaries of Concerns I keep a diary, written in disappearing ink just in case God reads between the vanishing lines. My prayers are paper planes they fly, crash softly, then burn without smoke. I gave life my account number it debited peace, credited chaos, and left my balance in doubt. I water my wounds with laughter they bloom into sarcasm. It’s cheaper than therapy, and twice as cruel. Hope knocks like a scam call frequent, familiar, but never worth picking up. My shadow keeps secrets even daylight won’t touch. I walk tall, but bend in places mirrors can’t see.