A Life in Development: Reflections and Resistance

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on June 09, 2019

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FAREWELL NIGERIA.

I came to Nigeria in 2017 with a very open and objective mindset, to manage the UK funded Anti-Corruption in Nigeria Programme (ACORN). I found the scale of corruption mind blowing, far worse than anything I could have imagined. But on reflection, I would not have spent my time in Nigeria doing anything else but supporting Nigerians in their fight against corruption. The experience turned me into an Anti-Corruption Crusader! I think many Nigerians have become quite desensitised to this very cruel aspect of their society, driven by a greedy few who use positions of power to grab public resources, leaving only crumbs for the majority. As a crusader, I found this very hurtful and gained a good insight to some of the strategies, good and bad, that ordinary Nigerians use to survive. I think Nigeria has the potential to be one of the greatest countries in the world and I understand why some Nigerians are so steadfast in fighting corruption to secur...

Lionel “Bill” Johnson – The End of an Era

If I had to use one word to describe my dad it would be enigmatic. This tall, dark and handsome man was a complex character with a tough exterior, but soft core. As his eldest child, I observed his strengths and weaknesses as a human being with objectivity. I often felt a sense of pride, because he was so well known and respected by many Barbadians. He did not emigrate like many of his peers. When I asked him why he never left, he always said that there was no place in the world like Barbados. Above all, I admired the professionalism with which he pursued his career in the Barbados Police Force for almost 40 years, which gained him a good reputation. He acquired extensive knowledge of policing by attending various courses in the US and UK which helped to improve his service to the public. This was recognized by many Barbadians because when we travelled around the island, people would always shout “Bill” and he wou...

A FIGHT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

As a victim of racial discrimination, I was shaken to the core. My thirty-three years of dedicated service to my organisation melted away in a heartbeat, leaving me exposed and feeling the most vulnerable I have felt in my entire adult life. I had two options: to fight back or join the broken black victims who had also endured the injustice of racial discrimination, without the means of holding those responsible to account. I had every intention of fighting back and I also intended to win. Racial discrimination is debilitating and traumatising, more so when it comes in the form of institutional racism in the workplace, because those with a duty of care to protect, abuse their positions of power and authority. I experienced racial discrimination in the form of conscious and unconscious bias, which is even more pernicious in the manner in which it causes physical and mental harm to the victim. Nothing could have prepar...

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