I don't think the letter is a bad idea, and I hope it achieves the purpose for which it was drafted. I won't characterize it as sounding "hot air" -ish, as it seems its case is clearly stated. Maybe (and only maybe) undergraduates of our generation might be able to write this well, but certainly, not undergraduates of Nigeria today. Here are, however, just a few issues I have with the letter, and I stand corrected:
1. I wish it were not as long as it is. We are not a literate society; written records become a chore when it is an enormous literature. Even in literate societies, politicians are not known to pay attention to long missives. Ronald Reagan once said that if anything was longer than one page, he sent it to the office of his Chief of Staff, James Baker, who already had a million and one other things to deal with on his desk. Our own politicians at home are even worse; they don't have what it takes to read. Pure and simple!
2. I wish the signatories reflect a national character. Nigeria as it is does not do well when ethnic and/or regional characters are not reflected. The average Nigerian would see this as a "Northers" palaver, after all, all signatories point in the direction of the North. All institutions for which they signed off of are Kano, Kaduna, Zaria and Abuja - nothing coming from Lagos, Nsukka, Benin, Ibadan, etc. It is a sadly true fact that even for some of us who are a bit more "liberal" in our orientations and perceptions of some objective realities relating to our nation, looking at six signatories without any "Chukwu" or "Ade" or "Abilo" or "Eneyo" is bothersome; and
3. Excuse my pettiness here, but I did not like the letter ending with the phrase, "Yours faithfully." It sounded too friendly.
In all, it is a protest letter worthy of being written, at least, for the record, and on behalf of the people. It is an "open letter," which in essence is a note to nobody in particular and to everyone in general. I wish the authors the very best!
Michael O. Afolayan
(From Outside Looking In)
On Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 04:06:52 PM CDT, Hezekiel Gikambi <hezekielgikambi@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear colleagues,
The authors of this letter, have let down the institutions they represent.
There was the need to cite clear examples of any existing evidence for the claims.
This can be treated as 'Hot Air' in some quarters.
My two cents.
Regards,
Hezekiel Gikambi Peter, MPRSK,
Strategic Communication Professional/Swahili Expert and Linguist,
Assistant Director-Strategic Communication
Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI)
Ludwig Krapf Road, English Point
PO Box 81651 Mombasa 80100- Kenya
TEL:+254722358448
''Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity and dignity''. Titus 2:7 ESV
On Sat, 4 May 2024 at 23:53, Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:
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