The Beard: A hot trend or a terrorist threat?

Snapshot_20151223I was apprehended by my landlord earlier today whilst I was on my way out to shoot some 8-ball and it wasn’t to give me some Christmas cheer I assure you. He asked me what I thought about the ongoing crisis in and out of Nigeria i.e. terrorism. I told him it was all rather unfortunate that the present government cannot give the public the assurance that there is adequate security in place. All that was left, I concluded, was to pray for a positive change. He agreed. But what he went on to say was not what I was prepared for. He expressed his concern for my full beard.

Apparently my landlord believes these are dangerous times where my bearded look can easily have me mistaken for a terrorist. I beg to differ. If terrorists could only be identified by beards and this was common knowledge then the directive from government should be thus: ‘Any man caught sporting a full beard will be imprisoned and assumed to be a member of Boko Haram or ISIS‘.

My question now to you dear readers is this – Do you think I should shave my beard off completely come 2016? I’ll put a poll up and leave you to decide for the rest of 2015. The power is in your hands…

Everyday Words that irritate Nigerians

Gallery

This gallery contains 2 photos.

It’s the start of a new year and the Nigerian economy isn’t necessarily better than it was in 2014; power supply has gone from epileptic to epically lacking, Boko Haram terrorists’ have orchestrated more explosions than all the fireworks set … Continue reading

Christmas day bomb shakes Nigeria’s capital

The nation got quite an unexpected package delivered around a Catholic Church in Abuja this morning – it was a lethal bomb which exploded and killed at least 25 people this morning on the last count. Sadly, the death toll is rising. Another report I saw on Skynews confirmed that there was also an explosion in Jos – another state in the savannah belt of Nigeria. Whilst no one believes that Santa Claus would do this on his day, the prime suspect on everybody’s lips is the Notorious BHG (Boko Haram Group). Who else would perpetrate such a despicable act on a day commemorating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Now it seems that on the Gloom & Doom calendar will read as follows on December 25th and 26th: remembrance of victims who died in the Abuja-Jos bomb blast; and remembrance of victims who died in the Tsunami at Indonesia. This ugly episode would definitely leave a bitter taste in the mouths of both resident and non-resident Nigerians. I’ve noticed that unlike yesterday the traffic on the roads in Lagos is virtually non-existent. Is it because everybody is too busy celebrating Christmas indoors or is it because nobody wants to venture out into crowded places for fear of getting blown into smitherings? Hope all of you reading this article remain safe. It is a crazy world we live in…

Full story available from Reuters Africa