It was the Anglo-Irish comedian Spike Milligan (1918 to 2002) who insisted that having served as a soldier in the Second World War which lasted from 1939 to 1945, the only lesson he learnt is that you don’t have to be dead to come to a dead end !!
“Milligan’s War is the one-volume selected edition of Spike Milligan’s war memoirs, published to celebrate the seventieth birthday of Britain’s funniest old soldier on 16 April 1988. Adolf Hitler, Monty, Mussolini, Rommel (who?) – all played their modest parts in the Second World War and the shaping of human destiny, but we all know where the real action was… Milligan’s war documents in words and pictures. The most scurrilous, bizarre and certainly the most hilarious military career embarked upon by any bombardier of the 56th heavy regiment, royal artillery, ever.
‘The most irreverent, hilarious book about the war that I have ever read’ Sunday Express
‘Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar’ Sunday Times
‘Milligan is the Great God to all of us’ John Cleese
‘The Godfather of Alternative Comedy’ Eddie Izzard
‘That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man’ Stephen Fry
Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children’s stories.”
There is no country other than Nigeria that is having this kind of energy crisis. Nigeria has over 90 million people without access to electricity
For more sanguine was Herbert Spencer (1820 to 1903) who famously declared that all wars are foolish but added:
“The result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools.”
It was left to Mr. Arsh Sharma, senior energy specialist of the World Bank to deliver a brutal message:
“There is no country other than Nigeria that is having this kind of energy crisis. Nigeria has over 90 million people without access to electricity. This is the largest energy deficit in the whole of Africa.”
In Lagos, in addition to fools and energy we have to worry about floods.
On October 24, 2022 “The Punch” newspaper devoted its front page to the following headline:
“FLOOD OVERTAKES LAGOS COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT DECRIES ILLEGAL STRUCTURES
“The Lagos State Government on Sunday said it had stepped up efforts to clamp down on residents who built structures along drains and floodplains.
This was after torrential rainfall, on Friday, overwhelmed buildings and washed away perimeter fences in different parts of the state, including New Oko Oba community, in the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area.
A video clip shared on Facebook by a lawyer, Jefferson Uwoghiren, showed many houses overtaken by flood.
The resident who filmed the incident said the flood swept away property.
“From 2.30pm, it is past 3pm at the moment, and the flood has been really worrisome; houses are being submerged.
“This is New Oko Oba and this is the street behind Abimbola Awoliyi Estate; you can see houses being submerged, gates and fences being removed and washed away by the flood because those houses (are) beside the canal,” he said.
A resident, who gave his name only as Dawodu for security reasons, said the flood was caused by the shoddy construction of canals in the community.
He said, “This is not the first time floodwater will be submerging this area. In May, floodwater from the canal swept away a Lexus SUV. The problem is that many of the canals were not constructed properly and whenever there is a downpour, it destroys property and sometimes, people lose their lives.
The same canal extends to Iyana-Ipaja, Command, Ayobo. But residents of those places hardly have any issue with flooding like what is being experienced at New Oko Oba and its surroundings.”
The Chairman of Iludun Community Development Association, New Oko Oba, Benson Aderemi, said the government had commenced dredging and reconstruction of some of the canals in the community.
He said, “Those who were affected severely by the flood were those whose houses were close to the canals. But I can tell you that the government is working as we have seen contractors at work already.
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Today, our CDA will even submit a report to the authorities over the issue of the flood and hopefully, when the work on the canals is completed, the issue of flooding in this part of Lagos will be a thing of the past.”
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said no causality was recorded in the flooding at the New Oko Oba area.
The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, enjoined residents to stop emptying waste into canals.
He said, “What happened was a flash flood and within hours when the rain subsided, the flood disappeared. As we all know, Lagos is less than two metres above sea level. Once rain falls, things like flash floods are expected in areas where the canals and drainage have been blocked by debris and you know we are still in the rainy season.”
The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, in a statement, urged all enforcement arms of the state to step up their supervisory roles.
He said, “Their impact must be felt by recalcitrant people and institutions who have defied the government and built structures on drainage alignments, floodplains, and low-lying areas now more than ever before.
Lagos is constantly monitoring the Ogun River which flows directly into the Lagos Lagoon and the state may be susceptible to dangers of flooding with the periodic release of rainwater from Oyan Dam by the managers, the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority.
The state is also working in concert with the authority to ensure that rainwater releases that pass through the Oyan Dam have a minimal negative impact on the residents.”
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