Cults

I guess this is another of the “forgotten stories” I have been meaning to blog about but never got around to. Indeed it’s a story that comes to mind early in thinking about my experience in Nigeria, mainly owing to all the billboards the Ife campus.

What is a cult? Well not quite the same thing as an Australian would think. A cult here normally refers to a group of individuals, normally boys at university, who band themselves together to form a terrorizing group. This group can be best approximated to my idea of a mafia, where members commit crimes, extort money, get in lethal fights over territory etc. etc. They meet in secret, elect leaders and conduct rituals. For cults are often, but not necessarily linked to blood rituals/sacrifices/oaths and native magic (juju).

The University of Ife (OAU) is a bit unlike most Nigerian campuses (or so I’m told) in that it doesn’t have cults (or at least not very active or visible ones). For some years ago many people were shot dead when rival cults fought on the campus. There was subsequently a crackdown and hence all the billboards on campus telling students to shun cults and out their members. I was told by some AIESEC members that when they have held conferences in other cities that cult members have shown up at parties to collect money for “protection”.

Cults are a favourite topic for Nigerian movies. Lots of films are set on campus or related scenarios and tell the story of cult members, their crimes and, usually, their downfall.

NEPA no more and other acronyms

If you look back to one of my earliest postings I wrote a story about NEPA, the ill-fated national electricity corporation of Nigeria. Well known for its inability to supply constant power and most humorously known by the acronym Never Expect Power Always (NEPA!) in lieu of its proper title (National Electricity Power Authority).

I forgot to add that its actually NEPA PLC which is meant to stand for public limited company or some other such business jargon that all companies have. I was promptly informed by one student of Ife that PLC too has an “alternative” acronym - Please Light your Candle!!!

Well in a somewhat ridiculous attempt at re-branding, indeed I’d have to check on the exact reasons for it, NEPA has gone through a name change to become Power Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN). So what has changed? Basically nothing. Certainly not the service. A few signs and the official insignia. But that all doesn’t fool anyone around here. Even the NEPA…. sorry…. I mean PHCN employee who came to our workplace to give us the bill smiled as he handed me a bit of paper and said “Here’s your NEPA bill”. Old habits die hard and it will be generations before Nigerians forget the name NEPA I’m sure.

I am most interested to what the new acronym for PHCN will be. Any ideas Nigerians? I am yet to hear any good suggestions or better yet public consensus. With time no doubt some creative Nigerian will find a good solution.
Nigerians LOVE acronyms so I have one more funny one to share with you. It concerns the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Most Nigerians once they graduate will spend a year in service of their country, usually performing community service or working in their field of study at some location distant from where they grew up and/or studied, but somewhere within Nigeria. For example a Yoruba speaker who studied at Ife might well be placed in a Youth Service position in the northern Hausa-speaking region or the Eastern Igbo-speaking region. Apparently this year is known for its harsh conditions and most participants don’t enjoy it (or so they tell me, though I can see that it can be fun and rewarding in some instances). Anyways, I was informed by one new recruit to the NYSC that the unofficial acronym is Now You’re Suffering Continuously!

Naming Ceremony

Last but not least, I have attended a naming ceremony for a newborn baby. This is basically an event that every child will go through where relatives of the newborn will come together a week (or 8 days) from birth and give the child names. Usually done at home, but in this case a church, a short ceremony is conducted and a small party held.

It is the right of many relatives to give a name, hence most children will end up with seven plus names. The particular one I went to was the son of a neighbour, and the boy was given the name:

Emmanuel Inioluwa Oluwaferanmi Oluwarotimi Oluwafolawamiri Opemipo Tioluwani Osoniyi
As you might notice, there are whole lot of (5) references to Oluwa (God) in his name, though don’t ask me for the rest of the translations! I wonder at what age a child will actually learn to remember and spell all these names.