I have in recent time grown to keep my political views to myself. At some point, especially around 2022 or so, I bickered with too many of my friends over politics and I regret some of the interactions. I also think the issue is that I am getting old. I am still young, but I am older than I used to be (obvious) and just do not care too much about these things any longer.

I however could not resist the urge to share this with Nigerians who do not listen to ‘Today in Focus’. I was a huge fan of Anushka Astana on that show. I loved the way she presented it and used to listen every weekday. Sometimes it was presented by Racheal Humphreys and I loved her too, but Anushka Astana had a particular flavor that made the show several magnitudes better. She left the show and I stopped listening for a time. Somehow, probably in part due to nostalgia, I returned to listening to it. Amongst many other things, listening to Today in Focus is linked to memories of my time in Brasil, which is possibly part of the best time of my life so far. Anyhow, ‘Today in Focus’ is the only politics podcast I used to listen to then, that I still listen to now. It can be very left- too left- sometimes, but I love it.

Regardless of what you love or don’t love, I recommend (highly so) that you listen to the Friday, November 22, 2024 episode https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2024/nov/22/nigel-farage-and-his-historic-mission-on-the-ground-with-reform-uk-podcast. If you are Nigerian, please do.  

I’d skip the part where I dissect the implications of the findings discussed in that episode. Maybe its due to age, maybe I am just lazy and uninterested, bear with me please.

In another five years, please do not say things like ‘where did Farage come from?’ Some of you haven’t stopped whining about where Trump came from, and it’s annoying. I have in the past made the argument that our pervasive inability to develop is driving political preferences and movements in the western worldhttps://daraalegbeleye.com/2019/10/03/before-the-next-xenophobic-outburst/. I’d tell you something, those media outlets that cozy up to you, are deceiving you. Recent political happenings is what democracy is all about. Its not an aberration, Its not strange or unusual, its not necessarily an indication that supporters of Politician X are bigots, its just democracy. I do not think you are averse to or harbor contempt for democracy now, do you?

Those of you (Nigerians) who continue to express distaste at Trump’s popularity are but loony Tunes, deceiving yourselves.

Listen to the show https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2024/nov/22/nigel-farage-and-his-historic-mission-on-the-ground-with-reform-uk-podcast., please and be sure about the following, so that you do not text me to chat about it any time, now and or in the future. Understand my position on key aspects of the show. To be sure, in the event that you strike a conversation with me regarding this matter in future, I will simply share this blog post with you. I won’t repeat myself. I am too old for that now.

1- The student who expresses concerns about immigrants and immigration (including you all and me) in his country? I am with him. As simple as that. Its his country, he says there’s too many of us there now, and well, yeah, he has the right to feel the way he feels. You also probably have a right to challenge or critique his opinion, but I’d say channel your energies elsewhere? E.g., into developing your own country so you and your descendants do not necessarily or desperately have to relocate to his own country?

2- There is nothing offensive about his comment on ‘native’ people.

3- The immigrant from Latvia? Hahaha. Ah tells me something about skin color, but look, why do we not want to work to fix our own country? Just why? By the way, this isn’t my opinion about the Latvian immigrant’s comment. I decided to keep that to myself. Ahem.

I know some of you will read this and not engage with the show. That’s fine. However, if you see me in another five years, please do not talk to me about Nigel Farage, regardless of the state of affairs at that time and how you feel about the state of affairs at that time. Though unlikely, but if what you choose to talk about is his grassroots appeal, or the fact that he is a great communicator, etcetera, let me clarify that I am open to that discussion. If you are going to complain about how someone you consider polarizing is leading a great Country (C), I am impervious to that. This seems simple, let’s agree to disagree. Thank you in advance.

Many of you (millennials) have children, some of you, up to four – never mind that some of you have the guts to lecture me about my meat consumption habits- even though you have four children, but I digress, as I tend to do many times. Some of you have four children, which is good, I really mean that, but you do not seem to worry about whether or not they will be able to live with dignity in future.

Do you play Whitney Houston’s song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w in the car or at home? Do you encourage your children to strive for those ideals? The ideals Houston is passionately and artfully communicating in that brilliant rendition? ‘They can’t take away my dignity?’ Ah if you teach your children that while Nigeria is in such a mess, they somehow adequately equipped to handle bullying or social rejection without losing their sense of self, you are misleading them.

You see, as the jappa generation, there will be too many oppourtunites for their dignity to be taken from them or at least diminished. They won’t be able to refute and bash down all of those oppourtnities. You can disagree with me all you want, in the appropriate depths of your soul, you know what I am saying is true. You have grappled with those very challenges yourselves. I do not think you like it very much. You can still send a message to agree with, or refute this moral questioning. If however, you begin your discourse with derogatory terms like ‘stupid girl’, or ‘bitch’, I will not respond to you.

You should start thinking about that brilliant podcast and associated happenings rather than just ‘jappa, jappa, jappa’. What you think about is however up to you, just don’t criticise Trump, Farage et al., when you see me. It would annoy me. I would say something scathing and then you will say ahh look what she said, she is such a xxxxx. I advise you in advance, avoid broaching that subject with me please.

Immigration is shaping and will significantly shape global politics in the near future. Don’t act like the signs are not there. Don’t be a hypocrite.