Facebook peril

And talking of discord and distress the saga of Cynthia, the business woman and post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi who was gruesomely murdered in a hotel in downtown Lagos by her face book friends who incidentally are also students–or so we are made to believe, is exactly the sort of discord that we […]

And talking of discord and distress the saga of Cynthia, the business woman and post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi who was gruesomely murdered in a hotel in downtown Lagos by her face book friends who incidentally are also students–or so we are made to believe, is exactly the sort of discord that we all would wish for no one. Lured to Lagos from her place in Keffi by fiends purporting to be her friends, she innocently walked into a trap that cost her, her dear life.

Now tongues would wag on why a grown up and a businesswoman at that, would undertake a trip to meet people for the first time in a place far away from her immediate environment unaccompanied. In today’s Nigeria where bombs go off with unrelenting rapidity and kidnappers are forever on the prowl, out to snatch the unsuspecting and the innocents alike in order, to extort huge ransom, one simply cannot be too careful. True, the dead must be allowed their restful peace, but pertinent questions must be asked, if only to warn others who could fall prey to sick and depraved people who would undertake such an act as to take the life of someone they pretended to be friendly with.  Was she a touch too naïve to think anyone on face book with whom she chats could only be what put out themselves to be and not something else?

To be sure, anyone could fall prey or be conned into anything these days, after all unsuspecting people have been invited to Nigeria from Europe and the US by dubious people on the salacious prospect of an oil deal or some other imaginary- too- good to believe business transaction only to be left stranded after parting with their money. So rampant has this become that whenever one gets an unsolicited invitation to deal, as the lawyers would put it, from sources not too discernible, instantly the alarm bell tolls urging one to be careful of the 419ners. Cynthia- May God Almighty bless her soul—should have been aware of this syndrome to make her tread warily by taking the necessary precautions.

Her sad death once again shows the terrible use to which technological advancement can be put to. It is therefore a dire warning that the fellow at the other end to whom you are chatting, to whom you have given copious particulars of yourself may not be what he/she really is. You may jolly well be imperiling your life. And the young generation that have been so overtaken by the face book and twitter etc, phenomenon cannot be too wary.

Preserving Cultural Treasures

The director- general of the National Commission for Museums and monuments (NCMM) Yusuf Abdallah Usman recently promised that his commission would do everything to see that Nigeria’s cultural art and artifacts stolen are returned noting that most were in fact stolen and shipped abroad long before Nigeria became independent. On the face of it, there was nothing new in the DG’s statement because if colonialism and imperialism meant anything at all it is that it was a period when large scale pillage of resources took place which were carted away to Europe and the United States. It is therefore not enough for the DG of the NCMM to reiterate our resolve to ensure these priceless cultural items are returned because such statements have been issued so many times before now.

Considering the importance of the issue, Nigerians should be told what progress has been made so far and what items have been returned. Of course, this is assuming that the commission has an audit of what it is searching for and in which museums they are located. For all we know, rather than the ones stolen being brought back the reverse could very well be the case, judging from Nigerians predilection to sell off their patrimony.  Many times priceless cultural items have been intercepted at airports about to be taken abroad to be sold in on the lucrative arts and artifact market.

The DG therefore has his work cut for him—to ensure effective policing of cultural items from being taken abroad while at the same time pursuing the return of those stolen. The latter assignment would be well nigh difficult to achieve, because those in established and reputable museums might be difficult to collect. The argument has always been that –true, the items originated from Nigeria but they have now become part of the world’s cultural heritage which no one country should keep for itself alone. Since where they are presently being kept are world renowned museums they would be safer there than when taken to some obscure museum in Nigeria or elsewhere. This point is borne out by the looting of one of the nation’s museums not too long ago where many of these items were taken away and half hearted and bungling effort was made to find them.

So, the DG would need to first ensure these priceless possessions are safely kept beyond the devious machinations of cultural thieves and brigands. As for the ones outside the country, it would be helpful to know what items we seek to repatriate home and there after proceed to lay claim to them in a systematic manner. The recent destructive onslaught on such items in northern Mali, specifically in Timbuktu, where violence has led to wasting of art and artifacts might be used as reason why these items should not be returned to the country of origin.

The campaign to repatriate these items should be approached from a comprehensive standpoint which should include proof that when brought back they will be safe from theft and destruction. To be able to do this a befitting museum would have to be built, of the scale of the Louvre in France or similar such cultural edifices. Unless we are ready to undertake such a project any demand for repatriation of the cultural items would be treated with derision.