2019: THE CHRONICLES…
2019 was a rollercoaster ride! Everyday had in its store a fresh dose of provoking news, incase you must have forgotten, here's a rather succinct run down of what went down over the past 364 days.
In January, France led the way with an ugly suicide bombing attack and a massive yellow vest protest which put a question mark on President Emmanuel Macron's leadership.
Then came, in February, the allegations of bribery against Israel's longest serving prime minister Netanyahu which would be the first in a series of allegations that sought to divide Israel and distract them from the real enemy without.
At the same time in Africa, the continent's most populous nation stole the spotlight for one of the most bizarre elections ever conducted which saw President Muhammadu Buhari return to power. Video footage on social media showed massive evidence of widespread rigging, violence and bloodshed that scored the elections as a democratic retrogression and the worst ever for the nation.
In march however, for some reasons unknown, an Ethiopian 'boeing' airline crashed, killing all on board. The small town of Christchurch, New Zealand witnessed one of the worst terrorist attack and so did a public school in Brazil. Narcissist North Korea thought it was a good time to test and launch their rocket satellite despite the measles outbreak that rocked the Philippines.
It was a black April as over 300 people were killed and over 500 injured in one of the largest suicide bombing in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. It was in the same month that US democrat presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren began clamouring for the impeachment of Trump.
In May, North Korea began testing missiles as Nigeria's president took a hypocritical oath to begin to obey court orders. a despicable statue was made in honour of the nepotistic president by a highly controversial south-eastern governor who owed state civil servants close over 24 months in salary arrears.
By the mid of the year, Donald Trump had added his historic presidential visit to North Korea to the list of his ever increasing achievements. Poverty striken Iran declared its plans breach the nuclear agreement with the US and there were three deadly suicide bombing attacks in Kano, Nigeria.
July saw another round of protests in France, as Boko haram -the world's deadliest terrorist group- perpetrated a gruesome attack on a crowd of bereaved Nigerians with their sympathizers at a funeral, killing scores and injuring many. Boris Johnson came through for Britain as the new prime minister after Theresa May resigned amidst brexit tension.
A knife attack in France, a wedding massacre in Kabul and a mosque shooting in Norway were the major buzz in the month of August.
Then came a deadly Xenophobia attack in South Africa, which had Nigerians living in South Africa, as prime target.
This was the focus in September. Nigeria's president however, was rather slow, incoherent and unsatisfactory in his reaction to the attack as well as his scripted response to a question on population at the 74th UNGA.
Nigeria turned 59 in October as the world capital for extreme poverty which ironically runs the most expensive government, little wonder the nation's senate president declared the nation as 'broke'. Both France and Hong Kong continued what would be one of the longest protests in their history against their respective governments. October was a big for the fight against global terrorism as Trump ousted ISIS leader in a clinical strike down.
By November, Buhari
had defied two court orders only confirming his tyrannical and autocratic tendencies. A ridiculous hate speech bill with death by hanging as the original punishment and an anti-social media bill was launched in an all out attack on freedom of speech and press freedom. Protests continue to worsen in Iran and Hong Kong and one of the world's most expensive diamond got stolen at Germany.
By December with the intervention of the US, Omoyele Sowore, a journalist and one of Buhari's sore critic was released from an unlawful detention. Trump got impeached in a rather shambolic hearing. The Nigerian 2019 budget shockingly earmarked 37 billion naira for a mere renovation of the national assembly and a massive wildfire currently ravage Australia.
Cheers to a hopefully better 2020.
