Omaks' Speakers Platform Series

UN partners with European Commission to promote ‘climate-smart’ agriculture

2012-01-22T23:24:00.000Z

UN partners with European Commission to promote ‘climate-smart’ agriculture

Kenya cuts fuel prices, citing stronger shilling | Daily Times Nigeria

2012-01-15T09:05:00.000Z

Kenya cuts fuel prices, citing stronger shilling | Daily Times Nigeria

Amosun sacks 14 Perm. Secs

2011-09-10T21:24:00.001+01:00

SATURDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2011 00:00

KUNLE OLAYENI

Amosun sacks 14 Perm. Secs

In a manner considered most bizarre by civil servants, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has sacked 14 permanent secretaries.

The affected former public officers include Mrs O.O. Okuboyejo of the Bureau of Lands who was slapped by one of Amosun’s aides, Segun Abiodun, recently.

Abiodun is the governor’s special adviser on Land.

Also sacked by the governor is Mr. Jide Oyenuga of the Political Affairs and Administration unit who was called a thief by the governor and spoke back, declaring that he was not a thief.

Although she was forced to write a public letter denying that she was slapped, Mrs Okuboyejo was included in the list of sacked permanent secretaries. The state government believes that she leaked the report of the assault to the press.

Also given the boot, apparently to enable Amosun appoint people he believes will solely serve his interest are Mr K.A. Lawal of the Civil Service Commision, Seyi Banjoko, Forestry; PAO Obawunmi (OGSIEC), and Kehinde Ogunfowode, Bureao of Employment Generation.

The rest are MW Salawu, Youth and Sports; Babatunde Oyeti, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; K.A. Adegbite, Finance; M.O. Lawal, Teaching Service Commission; M.A. Opebiyi, Bureau of Economic Planning; Alhaji Solarin, Education; one Alhaji Adeniji of Commerce and Industry and one Alhaji Salawu, Pension.

Others are Adekunle Adegbite (Ministry of Finance), Mufutau O. Lawal, Alhaji Moshood Iyanda Opebiyi (Bureau of Economic Planning and Development), Olubunmi Olusola Okuboyejo (Bureau of Urban and Physical Planning), H. O. Adeniji (Commerce and Industry), Alhaji Adesegun Solarin (Education)and Babatunde M. Salawu (former Accountant-General).

Workers in the state are alarmed at the decision of the state government which runs against the most elementary rules of civil service.

Those who spoke with the Nigerian Compass on Satutday on the condition of anonymity disclosed that the action was grossly unjustifiable.

A civil servant said; “One, the government cannot claim to be saving cost by that action becvause permanent secretaries, by law receive their salaries for life. The appointment of fresh permanent secretaries when the extant ones have not reached the retirement age is an unnecessary addition to the state’s wage bill.

“Two, the cost of tyraining those who have now been retired compulsorily is enormous. It is like throwing gold into the ocean. We simply cannot understand the vindictiveness behind this action which is sure to set the workers against the government.”
Another civil servant said: “Apparently this government is yet to imbibe the spirit behind the title Permanent Secretary. Their jobs cannot be at the whims and caprices of politicians.”

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, confirmed the retirement of the permanent secretaries.

Details of their retirement were not made public by the state government although there were speculations that some of them were due for retirement while others have not yet reached mandatory retirement age.

The Nigerian Compass on Saturday, however, learnt that Amosun met with the affected officers at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta yesterday and thanked them for their service to the state.

It will be recalled that the governor had in June sacked eight permanent secretaries in the civil service but later reversed his decision, amidst controversy.

The Clerk of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Demola Badejo, who was among the eight permanent secretaries whose sack were initially put on hold, survived the latest shake-up in the civil service.

Nigerian president sacks counter-terrorism chief

2011-09-08T16:39:00.000+01:00

Nigerian president sacks counter-terrorism chief

1 of 1Full Size

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked his special adviser on counter-terrorism, two weeks after a car bomber killed 23 people at the UN's Nigeria headquarters, a presidential spokesman said on Thursday.

Spokesman Reuben Abati would not give details on why former counter-terrorism chief Zakari Ibrahim was removed.

"Ambassador Ibrahim is no more the counter-terrorism adviser and coordinator on counter-terrorism matters, he has been replaced by Major General Sarkin Bello, who is now saddled with the responsibility to counter the rising wave of bombings in the country," he said.

Nigerian authorities are investigating how the bomber of the U.N. headquarters on August 26 was able to breach state security.

Last week they arrested two suspected members of radical Islamist sect Boko Haram over the attack and said they suspected a third member with an al Qaeda connection led the plot.

If it was them -- and the group has claimed the bombing -- it marks the first time they have struck an international target.

Nigerian authorities said on Tuesday they had found a bomb-making factory near Abuja and had arrested six suspected members or people connected with Boko Haram, including a foreign fighter from Niger.

The group has been held responsible for frequent bombings and shootings in the north.

EFCC absolves Jonathan's wife of corruption allegations

2011-09-08T10:44:00.000+01:00

Reports from the whistle blower, WikiLeaks have alleged pending case of money laundering against the wife of the Nigerian President, Patience Jonathan. Photo: NAN

EFCC absolves Jonathan's wife of corruption allegations

By Soji Bamidele

September 8, 2011 09:25AM

The chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri, on Wednedsay in Abuja debunked a claim by WikiLeaks of an alleged pending case of money laundering against the wife of the Nigerian President, Patience Jonathan.

Speaking when a non-governmental organisation, the Women Empowering and Enriching Lives (WEEL), led by an American-based Nigerian, Jennifer Gbeshi Ehimika, visited the EFCC headquarters, Mrs Waziri said there was no record of the commission launching any investigation of either Mrs Jonathan or her husband over their actions when Mr Jonathan was governor of Bayelsa State.

"I have checked our records and cannot find any case of money laundering against Mrs Jonathan or the president himself," the EFCC chairperson said. "So, each time I get an enquiry or read about this, I wonder where this is coming from.

"The commission does not in any way have account or records of where $13.5 million was recovered from Mrs Jonathan in 2006 and will not allow the commission's name to be used to drag innocent people's names into crimes, cases or allegations they know nothing about. I think that is criminal and a big sin.

"People work hard to build their names and image and then to overnight come and cast this damage or scandalise to hunt someone, I think, is a great sin and I don't allow it. I have read my predecessor say in the media interviews in September 2010 that Mrs Jonathan was not in any way involved in any money laundering investigated by him." She said she had been a victim of people wanting to destroy what she had built over the years and advised Nigerians to separate truth from blackmail because society can only thrive on justice and fair play.

"Each time the commission receives a petition, we look for the writer to come and adopt it and if it is unanimous, we don't throw it inside the dustbin. We carry out covert enquiries to see whether there is substance in it. But we do not, for sake of politics or sensationalism, drop people's names," she said.

Prepared for mudslinging

She also said that when she took up the job, the late President Yar'Adua called her and asked if she knew what it entailed to handle the job.

"He told me that my name will be rubbished, I will be scandalised, people will write all sort of rubbish against me, tissues of lies will be conjured against me. He asked if I realised that and I said yes, I have been through it before and I know," Mrs Waziri recalled.

"This is why in the EFCC today, only the mischievous will say the EFCC under my leadership witch-hunts or drags people's names in the mud or violates rule of law in our operations. I am proud to say that, in the last three years, we have done much more and achieved great feats without operating outside the ambit of the law.

"For us in EFCC, we will continue to promote the right values, focus on our mandate and abstain from tendencies that will not help the cause of a better society. This we cannot do alone, and that is why we continue to enlist as many patriotic citizens and groups like yours to join in our crusade for good governance through a vigorous and masses-driven fight against economic crimes including corruption." Ms Ehimika, the group's coordinator, said the visit was to seek partnership with the EFCC.

Panic as alleged bomb found in Lagos

2011-09-07T20:12:00.001+01:00

Panic as alleged bomb found in Lagos

on SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 · in NEWS

By Evelyn Usman and Ifeanyin Okolie
Ikeja area of Lagos was, Wednesday, thrown into panic following report of the discovery of substance suspected to a bomb, in one of the offices in Ikeja Local Government.

Staff and those who came for different transactions, rushed out of the building with some car owners abandoning their vehicles as they fled for dear life.

The alleged bomb found at the Ikeja Local Government office in Lagos

A multiple auto crash was also averted as motorists including commercial motorcyclists plying the route hurriedly made u-turn.

Traders were not left out as some of them managed to lock up their shops and vacated the area.

Report said the combustive substance was planted and connected to an air conditioner behind the councils’ doctor’s office. It was reportedly discovered by one of the staff who was at the verge of putting on the air conditioner.

Unconfirmed reports said bomb experts who arrived the scene later stated that the substance would have exploded if the air conditioner was put on.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Yakubu Alkali, who was having a security meeting with his senior officers at the time of the incident, reportedly drafted some policemen to the scene.

Policemen from the Bomb Disposal Unit who promptly arrived the local government, directed that all vehicles be removed from the premises as they went about their search for the combustive substance which they later discovered.

The Council Secretary who gave his name as Hon. Ayodele told Vanguard that the policemen from bomb squad promised to take the substance to the laboratory to ascertain whether it was an explosive or not.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Samuel Jinadu, who was also at the scene, told journalists that the substance was not an explosive . But he did not state what exactly it was.

Jinadu disclosed that prior to the bomb scare, policemen from Bomb Disposal Unit had gone on awareness campaign on bombs round many institutions in the state.

However, despite assurances by the police that the substance was not bomb, none of the local government staff dared to go inside as they all stayed out of the area for fear of another explosive material. As at the time of going to press, story of the bomb scare had spread all over the city heightening earlier fears that the dreaded Boko Haram group may have finally focused attention in Lagos.

It would be recalled that in the past weeks, rumors of threats by the group to bomb the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos has been on the air with security agents assuring that there was no truth in it.

FG begins overhaul of three hydro power stations

2011-09-07T19:57:00.001+01:00

FG begins overhaul of three hydro power stations

Some of the turbines, which were installed in 1968, had not been overhauled since then

ARTICLE | SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 - 4:17AM | BY ADAEGO OGBULAFOR

The Ministry of Power says it has begun overhauling three hydro-power stations to boost the nation’s power generation.

Cdon Adinuba, the spokesperson to the Minister of Power, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos. He said that Jebba, Shiroro and Kanji Dam hydro-power stations were producing at low capacity because they had long been due for overhauling.

According to him, the Kanji Dam hydro-power station, which has installed capacity of 750 mega watts (mw), hardly generates 60 mega watts due to the poor state of the turbines.

He said that some of the turbines, which were installed in 1968, had not been overhauled since then.

“But since the overhauling began, Kanji-Dam hydro-power station generation has increased from 60 mw to 400 mw,” he said. “Our hydro plants can generate at their full capacities if effectively overhauled. What we need is to ensure that all the units are working at their installed capacity without constraints.”

AbdulAzeez Daudu, the Chief Executive Officer of Shiroro Hydro-power Station, also said that the station would soon start generating at its installed capacity of 450 mw.

According to Daudu, the station is currently generating about 300 mega watts because one of the four turbines is faulty and it is being overhauled.

He said that the overhauling of the turbine would be completed in November.

2011-09-07T19:37:00.000+01:00

Buhari's petition dismissed by Tribunal

Justice Mohammed Garuba, dismissed the application for lack of merit

ARTICLE | SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 - 3:54PM | BY EMMANUEL OKUBENJI

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has dismissed the application filed by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) against the electoral victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in the April 16 presidential elections.

The Presiding Justice Mohammed Garuba, dismissed the application for lack of merit.

The CPC had alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was working in conjunction with the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to frustrate its petition.

The panel had earlier ordered INEC to allow the petitioner access to some electoral materials, some of which are believed to be sensitive.

After the order was granted however, CPC returned to the tribunal accusing INEC of frustrating efforts at accessing the materials.

The petitioner thus argued that judgment should be entered in its favour due to the violation of the order of the tribunal by INEC.

Justice Garuba, disclosed in the ruling, that there was no ambiguity in the order granting the Congress for Progressive Change access to the electoral materials.

He clarified that the access granted to the CPC is not the same as releasing the materials to the petitioner but for its observation.

The four-man panel agreed with the objection raised by President Jonathan, the Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission that releasing the materials to the CPC will reveal the patterns of voting, an action that can jeopardise national security.

How INEC rigged for Jonathan in 20 states -Buhari

2011-05-09T13:18:00.000+01:00

How INEC rigged for Jonathan in 20 states -Buhari

A Presidential Aspirant's Pledge (1): Fighting Corruption In Nigeria

2011-03-30T03:48:00.003+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen, having watched with keen interest the various presidential aspirants’ and their pronunciations on how to tackle the problem of corruption in our beloved country Nigeria, I have had no other option than to throw my hat into the ring and run for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria at the forthcoming elections.

At political rallies and during political debates, the recurrent question has always been, ‘if elected into office as the president, how will you tackle the problem of corruption in Nigeria?’ I have watched with utter chagrin and dismay the share amount of lip service that aspirant upon aspirant to the office of president have paid to this national malaise that have brought international ridicule to our image within the comity of nations, and deprived our dear citizens meaningful standard of living and development commensurate with the abundant human, material and natural resources at our disposal.

To this end, it is my candid opinion that to successfully tackle the scourge of our society called corruption, a ZERO TOLERANCE ATTITUDE needs to be adopted, and promoted across all levels of government, at federal and state level. As a first step to demonstrating this approach, nobody should and will be shielded from the full extent of the law, no matter what position or status such an individual occupies, be it in government or within our society. As such, I will make it mandatory for any potential public officer to be thorough checked through a robust system of national and international security procedures before assuming office. Anyone with the slightest of blemish will not be allowed to take up any political appointment in my administration whatsoever.

Also, any public office or political appointee who has the misfortune of having allegations of corruption or mismanagement levelled against him will be mandated by clearly laid down processes and procedures to vacate such position immediately, and absolve him or herself of such allegations. In the case that such persons successfully clear themselves of any wrong – doing, they will have the opportunity to be fully reintegrated back into their positions soon after. Nobody, no matter their position in our society or the level of political clout they wield should be protected from the long arms of the law if they are suspected of committing acts inimical to the well-being our good country, Nigeria and its people. Thus, as it is the norm to be deemed innocent before the eye of the law until proven guilty any public officer who finds himself or herself in the unenviable position of corruption charges will be given all the necessary support to absolve themselves of such claims, but this will not preclude them from defending themselves before relevant legal systems.

Historically, it has become the norm for elected politicians to cite constitutional immunity as reasons for not submitting themselves to public investigations on allegations of corruption. To this extent, any political office holder no matter what position he or she occupies will be subjected to public investigation and possibly trial before a competent court of law. Where immunity constitutionally precludes a political office holder from trial, I will ensure that statutory provisions make it mandatory for relevant investigative and security agencies to investigate and try such matters irrespectively. Public office holders who are protected by such immunity clauses in the Nigerian constitution will have the option of either waiving their immunity under the law, and subject themselves to investigation and trial where necessary, or will exercise their rights to immunity under the law, but must compulsorily be subjected to investigation and trial immediately after the expiry of their current term of office. Such political office holder will as a matter of law to be promoted through the national assembly, be automatically disqualified from seeking any elective office until the allegations of corruption have been conclusively determined, and his or her innocence established beyond any reasonable doubt.

Personally, if at any time during my tenure as president of Nigeria allegations of corruption are levelled against me, I shall have no problems waiving aside my entitlement to immunity under the constitution of Nigeria. I shall resign my position as president of Nigeria where undisputable evidence abound to support such accusations of corrupt practices while in office, and I will expect all political appointees to follow the same principles if the occasion arises.

To really demonstrate that my administration is serious about the plans I have enumerated above, I will actively seek for the total and complete independence of the Economic and financial Crimes commission to be entrenched in the constitution, with tits funds appropriated in the federal budget accordingly. It will be the responsibility of the President as it obtains under the present constitution to nominate the chairman of the commission subject to the approval of the national assembly, but beyond that neither the president not the national assembly will have any rights or powers to interfere in the affairs commission, except in cases of gross misconduct or other such cases of a disciplinary nature.

When I become president of Nigeria, I shall cause to be made a law establishing a ‘Corrupt Offenders’ Register (CORE). Any corrupt offender who has been successfully prosecuted, and found guilty of perpetrating corruption in the course of his or duties, either in public or private enterprise, shall be mandated by the EFCC to be put on the CORE for a period not less than 10 years. Any individual entered unto this register will be automatically being disqualified from holding public or corporate responsibilities of any kind during the duration. If during that period, a convicted individual is found to be actively or covertly partaking in such functions, such persons will be liable to a minimum of 5 year jail term on conviction without an option of fine

It common practice these days for corrupt offenders to serve sentences concurrently, to such an extent that such people who may have been charged and convicted on multiple counts e.g. 10 counts of corruption carrying 2 year jail sentence on conviction, will only serve less than two years on conviction, taking into account time spent in detention prior to conviction. In my opinion, this is projecting a wrong signal to culprits. As such, I will actively sort for a change in law that allows concurrent sentencing. Any convicted corrupt offender with three or more counts of corruption should be made to face a minimum of five years or half the total years sentenced. This will further project my administration ‘zero tolerance to corruption in public office.

It will be almost counterproductive waging a successful war against corruption in our society, without paying particular attention to the causes of corruption. The approach towards fight against causes of corruption will be done in a variety of ways. The first on will be to institute a massive awareness campaign on a frequent basis, to educate the Nigerian public on the folly of engaging in corruption, the need to admonish and educate our young c children both at home and in school on the negative impact corruption has on our daily lives, and to include in our national educational curriculum a subject at both primary and secondary schools, that teaches our children about not only issues of corruption, but other issues that revolve around every good citizen’s civic responsibility to his immediate society.

In furtherance to waging war against the causes of crime and corruption, I will cause to be established through appropriate legal instruments, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to serve as a watchdog on crimes and corruption. Currently, all our security and investigative agencies are left to their own devises unfettered. Hence when complaints are made, it is apparent that the complainant is unsatisfactory with the way and manner they are dealt with. Thus it will be the mandate of the Crimes and Corruption Watchdog to amongst other things receive relevant reports of unsatisfactory or other complaints regarding corrupt practices and the relevant agencies involved. The Crime and corruption watchdog will be able to liaise with the relevant security or investigative agencies to facilitate appropriate resolution of conflict or misunderstanding between the complainant and such agencies, and provide feedback where applicable. If appropriate, the Crime and corruption watchdog can facilitate the investigation of investigative and security agencies to determine whether they had followed due process in the investigation of reported cases of corruption, and in so doing arrived at acceptable and appropriate conclusions in the cause of doing so.

The Crime and corruption watchdog will also have powers under the law to indict and prosecute or cause to be prosecuted law enforcement agencies and their agents where appropriate, and cause appropriate punishment under the constitution to be applied.

AT this present time, I will like to restrict my plans and programmes with regards to crime and corruption to those highlighted in this pledge, but I will like to say that this is by no means an exhaustive list. Furthermore, I am open to positive suggestions and contributions aimed at augmenting and enhancing the processes geared towards a successful fight against corruption in public offices and beyond. Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

My Name is OMAKS KOGBAROYE, and I’m running for office of the president of Nigeria

(NnekaTV.com) What About Us Presidential Debate (Part 1)

2011-03-29T15:24:00.000+01:00

Nigeria Is Just Like Any Other Place

2011-03-29T14:31:00.001+01:00

Omaks' Speakers Platform Series: NIGERIAN POLITICAL CLASS: TAKING THE ELECTORATE FO...

2011-03-29T12:41:00.000+01:00

Omaks' Speakers Platform Series: NIGERIAN POLITICAL CLASS: TAKING THE ELECTORATE FO...: "By Olukayode Akingbogun (Omaks) As the general elections approach in Nigeria, there is a sense of apathy pervading the country. As various..."

World's most valuable resource, a curse for most Nigerians

2011-03-29T12:39:00.000+01:00

Story Highlights

Nigeria is one of world's richest oil states; people are among poorest in world

Nigerian agency: $300 billion to $400 billion in oil profits squandered, stolen

Militant group MEND attacks oil pipelines, demands profits given to Nigerian people

UN: Niger Delta has had more than 6,000 spills; 10 times more than Exxon Valdez

By Lisa Ling

Special to CNN

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (CNN) -- Trash litters its cities. Electricity is sporadic at best. There is no clean water. Medical and educational services are limited. Basic infrastructure is severely lacking.

These are not conditions that should plague one of the richest oil states in the world. Hundreds of billions of dollars has been made from the Niger Delta's oil reserves and many people have gotten very rich. Conversely, the average Nigerian has suffered as a result of the country's oil prosperity. The United States Agency for International Development says more than 70 percent of the country lives on less than a dollar a day -- the population is among the 20 poorest in the world.

Oil companies are only part of the equation. The other is the Nigerian government. Transparency International, a global organization intent on stamping out corruption, has consistently rated Nigeria's government one of the most corrupt in the world.

Nigeria's federal government and oil companies split oil profits roughly 60-40. The money is then supposed to make its way down to the local governments to fund various projects. Somehow, little money actually reaches its intended destination. Nigeria's own corruption agency estimates between $300 billion to $400 billion has been stolen or wasted over the last 50 years. Lisa Ling travels to secret location to meet notorious Nigerian militant group »

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state, one of the largest oil producers of Nigeria's 36 states, acknowledges past problems with corruption, but thinks progress is being made.

"There's a lot of improvement," Amaechi said. "The work being done by the corruption agency and the federal government has somehow been able to control the level of corruption in government."

Over the last few years, a culture of militancy and violence has arisen in the absence of jobs and services. Kidnappings for ransom, robberies and even murder happen with regularity.

The biggest and most powerful armed group is the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND. They say they are at war against the Nigerian military and the oil companies operating there.

MEND, formed in 2005, said it has more than 30 camps throughout Nigeria. Members are armed with high-tech weaponry they said was obtained from "foreign sources." Hundreds of people have been killed on both sides and countless oil workers have been kidnapped.

Over the years, MEND's attacks on oil pipelines have halted oil production and, therefore, raised the price of oil around the world. They demand oil profits be distributed to average Nigerians of the Niger Delta and said they will not stop their attacks until their objectives have been fulfilled. See environmental battle lines for "Planet in Peril" »

The battle is over oil -- one of the world's most valuable resources. But to most Nigerians -- oil is a curse.

It has provoked an environmental disaster of monstrous proportions. Since the 1970s, the United Nations estimates there have been more than 6,000 oil spills in the Niger Delta -- that is equal to more than 10 times the amount spilled from the Exxon Valdez in 1989. Yet, there is no international outcry and rarely are the spills reported, even to most Nigerians. They are still happening and the consequences are nothing short of devastating.

Communities along the Niger Delta have lived off subsistence fishing and agriculture for decades. Collecting food becomes impossible when a spill happens, like one that occurred in August. The waterways and mangroves are blanketed in thick brown oil sludge that goes on for miles. Toxicity overpowers the air and a sense of lifelessness pervades the landscape. Many say it will take 10-15 years for the area to be free of contamination -- if the cleanup effort commences in a timely manner.

The August spill was a result of a leak from an old pipeline that had corroded. It took the oil company three months to clamp the leak, but the company said it wasn't reported for a full month after it began. Once the leak was reported, the company said it was denied access to the site by the community. Leaders of the village deny that, and the finger-pointing between the two sides is nothing new -- there is no love lost here.

Who is telling the truth? Who knows? Either way, the creeks are blackened. This is life in the Niger Delta

Nigerian Presidential Debate 18/3/11 Part 1

2011-03-23T12:42:00.000Z

NIGERIAN POLITICAL CLASS: TAKING THE ELECTORATE FOR GRANTED.

2011-03-22T12:41:00.000Z

By Olukayode Akingbogun (Omaks)

As the general elections approach in Nigeria, there is a sense of apathy pervading the country. As various political office aspirants strive ever so hard to sell their candidacy to the electorate, it is obvious that the majority of them haven’t yet grasped the yearnings of the electorate.

As revolution sweeps through much of the Arabian Peninsula, our political elite in Nigeria are yet to take a cue from these happenings, and realise that they can ill afford to sit pretty in the face of the many transgressions many of them commit against the Nigerian populace. Corruption is endemic in the society, development is sparse and inadequate. Many ordinary Nigerians wallow in abject poverty and this in the face of grandiose wealth by many of those elected to serve them. It is heart breaking to know that at a time when oil prices is at an all-time high, this has not reflected in the well-being of the ordinary Nigerians. It took strike action for the minimum wage to be raised to 18,000 naira recently, and even that is yet to be signed by the President, Jonathan Goodluck. The flipside to this is that, public office holders have access to fantastic pay packages and allowances, and these are immediately approved and disbursed.

The Uwais Electoral reforms recommendations have been ‘selectively’ implemented, such that the core aspects that would have brought the activities of politicians severely under scrutiny, and curtailed their excesses have been either watered down or completely expunged. It is common knowledge that the legislature is inadequately equipped to discharge its responsibilities, and oftentimes focus its attention of the benefits accruing to it both financially and politically. This is evident in the fact that, the recently revised constitution has had to be ‘revisited’ on at least two different occasions, specifically with regards to the 2010 Electoral Act’. This exhibits a lack of foresightedness and articulation on the part of our lawmakers. How is it that they could not have envisaged the inadequacies of the laws they were making at the first attempt, and make adjustments accordingly? At what costs have these visitations and revisions being to our country, Nigeria? At present, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has stalled once again due to ‘semantics or nomenclature’.

Any government of political dispensation that is not beneficial to the Nigerian populace should be discarded. The People’s Democratic Party has been in power for almost 12 years now, and the meagre progress accruable to the Obasanjo – led government at the early stage has been frittered away, right from the inept and uninspiring Umaru Yar’Adua – led government through to the present ineffective and confused leadership of Jonathan Goodluck. Obasanjo promised the greatly improve the problematic electric power problem in the country, but this did not materialise in his time in office. Yar’Adua mumbled and fumbled about making it one of his top ten priorities, but evidently, his government was on a ‘slow paced’ mission to nothing. Yar’Adua’ demise foisted upon Jonathan Goodluck the presidency of Nigeria, after much ‘dilly dallying’. Since assuming office, Jonathan Goodluck has ‘talked the talk’, but it is somewhat difficult to see if he can ‘walk the walk’. It is a case of ’more of the same’ in my opinion.

In all of this who suffers most? Obviously, the ordinary Nigerians are at the end of this maladministration. The potential for growth and development is there for all to see, but it seems that the capacity for development is stunted by the decades of corruption. Those who have occupied the corridors of power during these periods are reluctant to cede power to the young generation. If truth must be told though, the young generation must not expect power to be handed over to them without them fighting for it. The question is; is the Nigerian youths in their multitude ready to take on the responsibilities of dragging their country back from the abyss? There average age of our politicians at present is something between 55 and 65 years of age. While, I’m not necessarily supportive of age discrimination, it is reflective of the type of society we have in Nigeria, that many young people have little or no role to play in the development of their country. Many of the young generation are busy scrapping for survival, while the ‘GERONTOCRATICS’ perpetuate themselves. Look at the political terrain in Nigeria, and what you see is a long line of ex – military officers, old politicians, or scions of old politicians. It’s an unending cycle of despotic or filial congregation.

In many of our political parties in Nigeria, and there well in excess of 50 of them, there is a visible lack of ideology, manifesto, vision, mission or programmes for the benefit of their followers. For whatever its worth, the five political parties between 1976 and 1983 were clearly defined along political ideology and philosophy. UPN, NPN, GNPP, NPP and PRP were all known for their programmes, and one didn’t witness the kind of ‘desperate cross carpeting’ that currently obtains in the political parties these days. Even when we had two political parties, it was clear which was socialist in inclination and which was leaning towards capitalism. These days what you have is ‘strange bedfellows’ co habiting together for selfish ulterior motives. The overriding effect is that our political landscape is disorganised, ineffective, and overpopulated by unscrupulous and corrupt personalities. Nothing good can be expected to emanate from such a sham.

Let’s look at the fiscal astuteness of those in whose hands we as Nigerians repose our faith. It is a worldwide knowledge that there currently is a downward economic situation, but in all of that our politicians have been spending money like it is about to go out of fashion’. The excess crude account has been purportedly depleted to the tune of $30 billion. This is the mount that was claimed to have been left behind by Umaru Yar’Adua’. More disheartening though is the news that the senate has approved a budget for 2011 of 4.97 trillion Naira. Now considering that we have already been told that 70 per cent of our budget is always spent on recurrent expenditure, which is basically indicating that a huge amount of the 2011 budget will be spent on NON DEVELOPMENTAL SPENDING. How wise can this be, in a country that aspires to drive forward development? Many countries are tightening their belts in the face of prevailing world economic hardship, but the opposite is the case in Nigeria. Not once have we heard from the President or his advisers that the over bloated government he currently runs will be trimmed down drastically to reflect the realities of the present economic climate. The legislature that approved it too has exhibited a huge lack of sensitivity by their actions. Whether it is accepted or not, the size of the government at all levels is too big, too expensive and absolutely inefficiently operated. There is a dire need for it to be trimmed down, and in so doing, cost will be saved. The civil service at all levels of government has been historically over bloated. Recently, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria cried out about how the government was compromising laid down agreements and fiscal policies as embedded in the 2010 budget, specifically the ban on the importation of furniture and rice. This is a classic example of a confused government and one that is grossly irresponsible and irresponsive to its duties. Like Sanusi Lamido pointed out, even if the decisions on these matters were to be rescinded advance warning should have been given to the public. Herein lays another example of the contempt and disdain with which Nigerian politicians hold the electorate. Their interests count for nothing in the eye of the politicians and their lackeys.

So far during this electioneering period, only a handful of aspirants have actually raised issues that genuinely affect the electorate. Majority of the aspirants are either lacking in ideas on the yearnings of the electorate, or are too arrogant to subjugate themselves to an engagement with the electorate. They probably are confident that what they lack in ideas, they will make up for with their little bribes to the voters. Even those who bother to discuss political issues are restricting their focus on corruption. This is a dangerous trend because corruption, though a big malaise in our society, is not the only problem in our country, Nigeria. The education sector is in total disarray, but not many of our politicians seem to care. The level of unemployment in Nigeria is horrendous, but haw many of our politicians really have any idea on how to redress the issue? The Health sector is a huge joke, but I cannot remember hearing cogent solutions being proffered by our politicians. The norm is that the just glaze over these highlighted problems, but do not exhibit an in-depth knowledge on what is required to improve the situation.

It is a dangerous fad to take the citizens of any country for granted in the scheme of things. Nigerians are known for their abundant patience and hope, that ‘God will take control one day’. Yes, but our political elite should not take that for granted. They should learn from the upheavals currently engulfing some of the Arab countries. The fact of the matter is that when the time comes, and Nigerians finally lose patience with their pilfering political leaders, their revolt will be tremendously more profound than what is currently being witnessed in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt or Tunisia. They should take a cue from one simple fact; the quagmire is the Niger Delta region is one the federal government has been unable to control effectively as it obtains. What would it do when faced with an upheaval on a national scale? The trick to peace and security in any country is to do what’s right by its citizens. If our political elite continue to take the electorate for granted and they have done for eternity, who knows what is in the offing? If it happened in Libya, it can happen in Nigeria. It does not necessarily have to take a mass revolt by the Nigerian citizens for their political elite to sit up and take note of their sufferings. Whether they do so or not is another issue altogether. One thing is certain, ‘we (Nigeria and its citizens) cannot continue to the same things, the same way forever, and expect a different outcome’. Our political leaders need to change their ways positively, otherwise, the Nigerian populace will have no choice but to change theirs.

My Blackberry Is Not Working! - The One Ronnie, Preview - BBC One

2011-03-10T17:32:00.000Z

THEWILL - Appeal Court Affirms Bode George’s Conviction

2011-03-03T13:25:00.000Z

THEWILL - Appeal Court Affirms Bode George’s Conviction

Vince Carter hits a 86-foot shot sitting down - World Record

2011-03-03T12:48:00.000Z

The Punch:: 25% of Nigeria’s budget lost to corruption –Ribadu

2010-12-16T00:56:00.000Z

The Punch:: 25% of Nigeria’s budget lost to corruption –Ribadu

Exclusive: Q&A with TED Fellow Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, candidate for president of Nigeria

2010-11-26T11:29:00.000Z

Exclusive: Q&A with TED Fellow Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, candidate for president of Nigeria

Consensus Candidacy as a Parody of Democracy in Nigeria

2010-11-25T10:53:00.000Z

According to the dictionary, CONSENSUS means majority of opinion, general agreement or concord, harmony. Now the Ciroma - led committee pronounced yesterday (23rd November 2010 that Atiku Abubakar had emerged as the consensus candidate from the North to contest the PDP presidential tick with Jonathan Goodluck. It has further been revealed to the public today how the '9 wise men' of the Northern Political Leaders forum (NPLF) voted to eventually produce Atiku as the Northern candidate for the PDP primaries. The question that comes to mind is, 'who gave the Ciroma - led committee the mandate to seek for any sort of candidate to represent the North at the PDP primaries? It has already been confirmed that the Ciroma - led committee was self-selected. Therefore, it had no locus standi and its action is ultra vires. This committee led by Ciroma have no bonafide approval from majority of Northerners it claims to represent, and thus doesn’t have the right to make decisions and pronouncements on their behalf.

How can a committee of 9 people claim that they are making decisions on behalf of millions of Northerners? How acceptable can it be that 9 people gather together to nominate one individual who is likely in the long run to emerge as the leader of a country like Nigeria, with a population well over 170 million people? It is a ridiculous antecedent, one that must be refused outright by the majority Northerners who were not a party to this charade, PDP as a major political force in Nigeria and all other political parties in the country. This is a travesty that must not be treated with kid’s gloves. 9 supposedly 'wise men' of northern extraction hide behind the garb of being Northern leaders to foist their personal preferences and wishes on their imaginary followers first an foremost, their political party (PDP) and probably by all other implications on the rest of Nigeria. That is unacceptable in all its ramifications.

Why does the north need a consensus candidate? Why will any part of Nigeria feel need for a consensus candidate? It is anti-democratic to adopt a process that benefits a few cabals to the mutual exclusion of a large majority of party faithful and the electorate. Consensus candidacy in itself is undemocratic, and any politician worth his salt should be ashamed to be part of this selfish political gimmick or be a beneficiary of it. This is the same kind of concept that a senatorial district in the South western zone - the Ogun West Senatorial District has adopted in choosing the governorship aspirant at the next polls.

Not too surprising, the party involved is also the almighty Peoples Democratic Party. So is it safe to assume that this is a norm within the party? If it is Nigerians need to rise up and tell the party in no uncertain terms that the party's practices are unacceptable. No political party, no matter how influential or powerful should be more powerful that Nigeria and its citizens. If PDP cannot develop principles and practices that will be suitable for the totality of Nigerians, then Nigerians should vociferously tell PDP where to go, and what better time to do that than at the next election. This clarion call is not against PDP alone by the way. Any political aspirant or party that adopts unpatriotic and underhand tactics or systems to cheat, deprive or impose its will on Nigerians should be rejected at the polls.

In an era where we have witnessed the emergence of youthful political leaders in both the United State of America and the United Kingdom, Nigeria continues to suffer from the imposition and domination of 'geriatric politicians' within its democratic dispensation. This in itself can be conceived to be a reason why our democratic experience hasn't differed from that of years gone by. These old politicians know no new or better ways of playing politics, but for the divide and conquer style they have been brought up with. The danger inherent is that if they are not swept aside soon, they will afflict the emerging youthful political leaders with the same unacceptable and unprofitable political practices that they hold dear to. It is time for Nigerians to shout out loud their desire for change at all levels. It is the right time for Nigerian politicians, old and new to adopt the 'best practices' i political and democratic processes as witnessed in the developed countries from where we have borrowed our democratic and political styles.

Consensus candidacy is a travesty in our democratic dispensation, and anybody who promotes it or benefits from it is not worthy of leading Nigeria. It is divisive and disruptive, just as it is unproductive. What should it matter that the Nigerian electorate are blessed with a wide array of quality aspirants from every nook and cranny of the country? Why should leading a country, nay, Nigeria be a doo or die affair? If we have 8 quality aspirants within a political setup from the North, why can PDP faithful not have the luxury of choosing from amongst them? Of course the problem is the tradition of winner takes all, wherein he who wins at the polls has all the power to do as he/she deems fit. This coupled with the old age tradition of nepotism, ethnic discrimination.

According to a national daily newspaper, the TRIBUNE (Written by Taiwo Adisa, Hassan Ibrahim and Leon Usigbe Tuesday, 23 November 2010), ‘It was confirmed that defeated General Babangida who was the runner-up would nominate the vice-presidential candidate, while General Gusau would nominate the President of the Senate.

Although Dr Saraki is already being linked with the position of Chief of Staff, the power sharing formula indicates that he would nominate either the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)’.

This demonstrates vividly the capricious pretences of this self – involved, selfish committee put together to find a consensus candidate for the north. Was carving up the important positions part of their remit? To what intents and purposes was the allocation of these positions? Were they made in the best interest of Nigerians or their political party, the PDP? This practice of usurping the rights and responsibilities of majority stakeholders in a political party by a cabal of select individuals is criminal, and unacceptable. It must be rebuffed at all cost. Nigerians and party faithful should not allow a small group of self-important people to dominate and impose upon them.

From all evidence available, the political elite as demonstrated by the Northern Political Leaders Forum are not aware that Nigerians yearn for a change. So it is the responsibility of every well-meaning party faithful, every patriotic Nigerian to start sounding the bell of change vociferously. Nigerians are tired of old habits of our political elite. The old ways of playing politics have done more harm than good to the totality of Nigerians. The rich and powerful have used the weakness that poverty has unleashed on majority Nigerians to undermine us. It’s time for us to tell them to change their ways or for us to change them. Nigerians should forsake any politician old or young if such person is not serving their best interest. Anyone who promotes or is a beneficiary of any scheme to impose minority wish on the majority of Nigerians should be rebelled against. Such candidate should not be voted for or supported in any way. Nigeria will survive pretentious leaders be they from the North, South, East or West. A new dawn is imminent, and the old guard politicians either embrace the wave or change, or be consumed in it. Nigerians will say NO TO CONSENSUS CANDIDACY.

Dele Okenla urges the youths to rise up to the coming challenges in Nigerian politics

2010-11-22T17:52:00.000Z

Dele Okenla urges the youths to rise up to the coming challenges in Nigerian politics

Nigeria distributes 404 bln naira revenues for Oct

2010-11-15T16:36:00.000Z

Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:38am GMT

ABUJA Nov 15 (Reuters) - Nigeria has distributed 403.5 billion naira ($2.68 billion) from federal accounts to its three tiers of government for October, down two percent on the previous month, the finance ministry said on Monday.

Yabawa Wabi, minister of state for finance, said $387.2 million had been transferred to the country's excess crude account, into which it saves windfall oil savings above a benchmark price.

The account, which stood at around $20 billion at the start of the current presidential term in 2007, now contains $1.16 billion, Wabi said.

The monthly distributions from federal accounts have a major impact on liquidity in sub-Saharan Africa's second-biggest economy and can trigger shifts in bond yields and interbank rates.

Wabi said Nigeria's gross revenues, which come largely from oil exports, fell to 451.7 billion naira in October from 472.6 billion in September. (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Nigeria: Dealing With An Irresponsible Political Leadership.

2010-08-05T17:07:00.001+01:00

The 2nd of April 2009 will witness the gathering of world leaders at a meeting in London to discuss plans to tackle the current economic crisis the world over. This meeting is being held under the aegis of the G20 summit. The G20 is a group of the world’s most powerful countries that together represent 85% of the world’s economy. It includes both major industrial powers such as the US and Germany, and emerging powers such as Brazil and China. The full membership of the G20 are; Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United kingdom, the United States and the EU. Nigeria is of course conspicuous by its absence, despite being the fourth largest oil producing country in the OPEC.

In light of the efforts by many of these countries individually and collectively attempted at resolving the financial meltdown ravaging their countries, one is moved to ask this burning question; 'what are the Nigerian political leadership doing to arrest the financial problems afflicting Nigeria?' Indeed sometimes ago, Professor Soludo gave and impression that the Nigerian economy was insulated from the global financial meltdown, as if Nigeria was existing in isolation. Also very recently, the financial institutions requested for financial bailouts similar to those given to banks in the United Kingdom and the US, to which Dr Mansur Muhtar replied that ‘a financial stimulus package by the government akin to that of the United States and other developed economies might not be possible now because of the nation’s weak financial base'. This gives a picture of a group of people who are not expediently responsive to the true magnitude of the global financial problem, or perhaps are hugely lacking in knowledge on how to combat the problem.

As far back as November, the UK government reduced its tax rates to encourage spending. Also the Australian government sort and received the approval of its senate for a stimulus plan worth 27 billion pounds to kick start the Australian economy. 'What did the Nigerian government do in that time'? When it finally made a pronouncement on the state of the economy, it was to give the Nigerian populace a false sense of hope and security that the Nigerian economy was in good shape to withstand the global financial meltdown. Now everyone knows different.

It is very interesting to note that whereas many of the developed economies are sourcing funds to implement their financial stimulus plan from the external reserves, Dr Muhtar seem to infer that this had to be provided for in the federal budget. Obviously, no one plans for adverse economic downturn, so how could this have been provided for in the 2009 fiscal budget? We were made to believe that at the time of departing office, Ex President Obasanjo left an external reserve of up to 40 billion dollars, which in the early days of the present government rose to about 60 billion dollars at the end of September 2008. Going by the way some of the developed countries calculated their requirement for financial stimulus, if Nigeria were to spend 2 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which stood at $328.1 billion approximately, then it invariable implies that Nigeria could afford to utilise approximately $6 – 7 Billion dollars of our external reserve for such purpose.

However, considering the instability currently obtainable in Nigeria’s foreign exchange markets, it would be absolutely difficult to put a finger on the real amount that will be required for such purposes. The Nigerian currency market itself has become a major source of concern with its going up and down 'like a yo – yo incessantly', and the inability of the Central Bank of Nigeria to meet the dollar requirements for trading. As such, unscrupulous banking officials have resorted to foreign exchange scams called ‘round tripping’ – where the banks purchase foreign currency from Central bank ands sell them on the unorthodox black market at huge profit. This has therefore rendered the exchange rate unstable, and largely free falling in value.

It beggars believe that our so called economic gurus who have been put at the helm of our monetary and fiscal affairs have exhibited a huge lack of knowledge or will to take on the numerous challenges militating against economic vibrancy in Nigeria. The communication of events is at best negligent or unprofessional. There seem to be an air of recklessness with the way our economic managers tackle the issues affecting the economy. A former Finance minister in the person of Okonjo Iweala recently voiced out that Nigeria stood the risk of being left behind in an effort by all other countries to tackle the prevailing economic down turn. This is more so true, considering that South Africa is the only African country included in the G20. Furthermore, Apart from South Africa, no other African country Nigeria inclusive, has derived any type of financial stimulus to arrest the escalating adverse economic situation.

It is extremely appalling to see that despite the fact that Nigerians have already had to cope with extreme levels of poverty resulting from the disappointing performances of many of the political leaders in the current democratic dispensation, they will have to the extra burden of the current financial crisis, largely because of the directionless, purposeless and inept manner in which the matter is being attended to. Sure enough as is typical of our irresponsible political leaders, we are once again waiting for the initiative to be made by the developed countries before meaningful solutions are proffered to resolve the financial crisis.

Indeed Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister who currently chairs the G20 global summit has scheduled a meeting with the African leaders to discuss his concerns over how their economies have been affected by the global downturn. The question is why we as a sovereign country have to wait for other countries to clean up our mess for us? Why can there not be an African initiative sponsored by Africans to solve our collective problems? This deficit of responsive and responsible political leadership gravely rubs Nigeria and other African countries the due respect they should attract. Unfortunately, the good people of Nigeria and Africa in general are the ones who suffer for the irresponsible political leaders forced upon us inadvertently.

(First published on NVS on the 29 Mar 2009)

How Governors Rig Elections by Donald Duke [Guardian]

2010-07-31T14:43:00.001+01:00

A comprehensive expose on how elections are rigged in the country has been unveiled by one of the insiders in the political process and former Cross River State Governor, Mr. Donald Duke.
Last Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Duke gave a blow by blow account to a gathering of pro-democracy advocates, including the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), of the modus operandi of State Chief Executives and Resident Electoral Commissioners to thwart the mandate of the electorate, not just in states controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but all the others.

In his opinion, it is not just a question of replacing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, but getting a critical mass to come out to vote and ensuring that votes count.
The Guardian today delivers excerpts of his extempore speech:

“LET me start this way. Professor Maurice Iwu is truly an enigma; he enjoyed the limelight. He enjoyed all the attacks, thrown and meted at him, he remained undaunted. I think, he belongs to the school of thought that believes that bad publicity is better than no publicity. So, even though he was being attacked and scolded and all sorts of things were said about him, he didn’t shy away from even going to the United States and talking to Nigerians in the Diaspora about his work, he didn’t shy away from it. I was told he organized a rally to ensure that he will come back to do the work he was appointed to.

Why do I call him an enigma? The truth is, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission has little or no bearing on the success of elections, that’s the truth. To me, it’s actually immaterial because he is head of the administration he takes the brunt. The best he can do is perhaps, draw up a blueprint but the implementation of that blueprint is outside his control. So, if elections are rigged in say -Taraba State- we don’t do that stuff in Cross Rivers State (laughter),

Every one looks at Iwu and he proudly says we did this or that. Hogwash!
Let me now take you through the process of an election. We have a hundred and twenty thousand booths in Nigeria. At the hierarchy, you have the Chairman of INEC, then you have the zonal Commissioners, then you have the Resident Electoral Commissioners and they are the heads in every state the zone as the name implies; we have six zones in Nigeria, so you have six of them. Then you have the Resident Electoral Commissioners and there are 36 of them of course, and Abuja. Then for each local government, you have an electoral officer. Beyond that you have a hundred and twenty thousand polling booths, headed by presiding officers. The people think that at the end of the elections, the PDP would just decide who wins and who doesn’t and announces the results. I think the process is a bit more sophisticated than that.
This is what happens; the Resident Electoral Commissioner is usually from another state. The electoral officers, they move around. They are usually from that state, but for the conduct of elections itself, you would probably move from Cross River to Akwa Ibom or to Abia, but these musical chairs don’t mean nothing.

When the Resident Electoral Commissioner comes before the elections are conducted- of course when he comes to the state, usually, he has no accommodation; monies have not been released for the running or conduct of the elections and all that because we always start late. He pays a courtesy call on the governor. It’s usually a televised event you know, and of course he says all the right things. ‘Your Excellency, I am here to ensure that we have free and fair elections and I will require your support.’

Now, at that courtesy call, most governors, at least I did, will invite the Commissioner of Police because he is part of the action and he sits there.
After the courtesy call, the Resident Electoral Commissioner now moves in for a one-on-one with the governor the says, “Your Excellency, since I came, I’ve been staying in this hotel, there is no accommodation for me and even my vehicle is broken down and the last Commissioner didn’t leave the vehicle, so if you could help me settle down quickly;’ and the governor says, ‘Chief of Staff, where is the Chief of Staff here?’ And the Chief of Staff appears. Governor says: ‘Please ensure that the REC is accommodated–put him in the Presidential lodge, allot two cars to him, I give you seven days to get this done. Then the relationship has started; I am going to share some of these things with you so that we don’t leave here with any illusions. A lot of us, folks who have gone through an election or have been elected for one thing or another, see groups like Save Nigeria Group (SNG), the CLP as woolly-eye dreamers, you have to come down to the backsides, since I am now a hybrid between both. I want to bring you both down to backsides. Let me take you down to what happens so that you can change it because if you don’t change it, we here won’t suffer but I think of our children will.

We the elite, I am one of them, we send our kids to the best schools around the World, when they come back they are misfits, they cannot fit in and so ultimately we are designing a system that would destroy us in the end.

Let me take our minds back to Somalia. Somalia is mono-religious, mono-ethnic; they only have clans (but) they have one tribe. What has happened there? It’s a failed state because the elite in Somalia were so disconnected from the people that once they had some money, they buy houses in England, Washington and all those places; they were not investing, putting their best foot forward and I think that was what Pastor Bakare was talking about. If you want to be in a contest, you put your best foot forward; at the end of the day, there was such a disconnect that even till today, they cannot bridge it. Let me tell you, the last recognized President of Somalia is buried in Lagos-Siad Barre.

We are multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-problematic. The reason why most people worry about us is if we explode, who will contain us? Let me also say this, I know what I am saying now is an aside, I will go back to the elections. When we conducted the census in 2006 or so, the raw figures said we were over two hundred million; when they went and processed the figures it came down to 140million.

When you look at those figures and compare to those we had in 1991 at a growth rate of 2.1 or something like that, it is really just an extrapolation, because we were too embarrassed to admit our true numbers. If we get it wrong, we will fail like Somalia; in Somalia, half of them are in Kenya, Ethiopia, and a few are in Europe here and there; who will contain us in all of West Africa and Central Africa and for that it is imperative not just for ourselves but for the rest of the continent that we get it right.

Now, back to the elections, once that relationship has been established between the governor and the REC, if you are a governor who is ‘A Governor’, maybe two nights after you just pop by at the governors lodge and see the REC and say ah, ‘ah REC how are you doing? Are you OK?’ He says, ‘ah! Your Chief of Staff has been wonderful. He has been very nice to me; he supplied me the vehicles and everything is Ok’.

A few weeks to the elections, the REC sees the governor; you probably have on the average about three thousand five hundred, four thousand depending on the polling booths in every state. So, REC goes to the governor and says, ‘Your Excellency, could you please give us the names of about four, five thousand people so that we can hurriedly train them, we need them as Presiding Officers.’ You need experience. A good coach is one who has played and has lost matches in the past?

The REC now goes down and says, ‘we need to conduct a training programme for the presiding officers and em, headquarters hasn’t sent us any money yet, you know.’
And the governor is like: ‘How much would that cost?’
REC replies: ‘N25million for the first batch, we may have about three batches.’ Governor: ‘Ok, the Chief of Staff will see you.’

Now, the Chief of Staff, you call him: ‘Make sure, that we arrange N25 million this week and in two weeks time another N25 million and Seventy-Five million in all.’
Chief of Staff: ‘Your Excellency, how do we do it?’
Governor: ‘Put it under Security Vote.’

In other words, its cash, ok, now, cash in huge Ghana Must Go bags – some of my colleagues will shoot me- (turns to the audience) is any former governor here? (Crowd replies no!)
Good. Cash is lodged in huge Ghana Must Go Bags for the REC and of course, to be fair to them, they call their electoral officers and say the governor has been very benevolent; he has given us this and that. I say three batches because they have them in Senatorial districts. So, you have one in Calabar, you have One in Ikom and Ogoja, those are the headquarters of the Senatorial districts. Each one costs twenty-five million. Of course, the sums are not properly retired. I don’t know how much of this twenty-five million worked. But, there is a rapport this is going on.

The governor now turns round and says: ‘call me the party chairman.’ The party chairman appears and the governor says: ‘INEC requires 50 thousand people for conducting the elections. See to it that we meet their needs.’ The chairman goes and you hear in the evening on radio and television: There will be an urgent meeting of all chairmen and secretaries of XYZ party at the headquarters. They should report promptly at 10am (because) matters of urgent interest will be discussed. End of announcement. Now we have texts messages, so its easier, in no time everyone is here.

It’s a very short meeting, please go back and within 48 hours submit from each local government two hundred and fifty names of trusted party members. So in a week the deed is done. The names, sometimes even passport photographs if required are sent to INEC.

And the training programme is carried out. Let me pause a bit, this is at party level. They are usually civil servants. They may be teachers, whatever, but they are party members. The remuneration, for each of them for the elections from Abuja is 10,000 Naira for the day’s work. But the state in its benevolence gives 50 to 100,000 Naira to each of these folks right before this election.

This is even where it gets even more interesting. So, you have each of the three or four thousand polling booths; they are manned by party stalwarts. They are usually party stalwarts. You don’t send any peripheral member. The remuneration from Abuja has not arrived but that of the state was received 48 hours prior.
On the day of elections, each polling booth has no more than five hundred ballot papers, that is standard.

There is not a polling booth that is more than five hundred. So only two hundred people appear here, three hundred there, one hundred there, fifty there, four hundred there, at the end of election what happens. The Presiding Officer sits down and calls a few guys and says, ‘hey, there are a few hundred papers here, let’s thumbprint. This is the real election. Well, this is not a PDP thing. I am not here to castigate the PDP; it’s a Nigerian thing. This process may sound comical and jovial, it happens throughout the country, whether its Action Congress or APGA it’s the same thing. We are all the same. They start thumb-printing, some are overzealous. So at the end of the day you find some voting more than the number of people that were registered to vote.
Other wise they do it, you have 95 percent turnout. You start wondering where were the voters, I didn’t see so many people. And the election results are announced; XYZ party wins and it takes a week for this paltry ten thousand Naira for each presiding officer to arrive.

Listen to this before you ask your question: Who is the most important person in an election? – The presiding officer. And if there are a hundred and twenty thousand of them (booths) there are a hundred and twenty thousand presiding officers, they are the most important people in the elections, not the Chairman.

So, as long as we keep applying that same method, you will get the same results. Its crazy to think that because you substitute Iwu for Jega all will change. In other words, Iwu is a crook, Jega is a saint. Jega is great, he has an impeccable reputation. Iwu was great, now he seems not so great. Ok, they are both professors, they have reached the peak of whatever discipline that they profess. The point is that it is the system and the personnel and the chairman has little or no control over that.

Where are we now, we don’t even know when the elections will be. The Constitution amendment seems to be stalling somewhere. So it’s either in January or in April. Sometimes, we behave as if we invented democracy. We always want to draw new rules. We should know the day of elections. It should be fixed. We should know that on so and so date I think, America is the 4th of November or so and if it falls on a Sunday it doesn’t make a difference. The point I am making here is that date is fixed, you know; because in a democracy, election should be a norm, not an event. In our democracy, election is an event. Its like, we are going to spring on to you with fire works, hey, we are going to have an election, we are all running around- I know most politicians are broke right now, so we are all running around the field.

Secondly, if you have your ears to the ground there, are whispers that may be, we need to postpone this thing. The whispers are there. In a democracy, you postpone an election? You postpone things you didn’t plan for, not things that are there in the Constitution, that says you must do this, that and that, you can’t but –you know two ways of moving forward. This is where I like what SNG and CNP are doing.

We need a critical mass of Nigerians to get out and vote. It is important because the more ballot papers that are legitimately used on election day, the fewer available to be used to rig the vote, that’s the truth. Don’t keep to yourself and think that they will announce results. They are more sophisticated than that. And that’s why the aspirants who felt cheated and had the resources to employ forensic personnel, like those elections had the elections upturned in Edo and Ondo, because they could establish multiple voting by thumbprint.

So, if it’s an AC state the procedure is the same. I remember a state, that state will remain nameless. I hear the story that the then President was so determined that he must change the leadership of this state and he called the IG and said, ‘look, that Governor is a security breach. Let's have elections and flush the governor out, and the governor knows he is under siege. A week before the elections, a new police Commissioner arrives. And you know if you are a governor and a new Police Commissioner arrives before elections, you know something is wrong somewhere and he spends two, three days without going to see the governor, which is again a breach of protocol. The day he decides to see the governor, the governor says, I won’t be at the office. However, if he gives him a particular address they may discuss. Then the chap goes there and smartly salutes and it’s in a highbrow neighborhood of the city. (Shouts of Ikoyi rent the air.) ‘No! It’s Yobe!’ (The hall explodes in loud laughter).

The Commissioner of Police walks up to the governor and smartly salutes and says: ‘Your Excellency, I just came to introduce myself. My name is Mr. So, so and so. And the governor goes: ‘Ah, you are welcome. I heard you were here two or three days ago and I was wondering whether I won’t see you. Anyway, you are welcome. Have you settled down?’ ‘Yes I’ve been given accommodation and all that. And the governor asks, ‘where was your last posting?’ He tells him, he says fine.
Governor: ‘That car over there, this is the key and this is your house.

The Commissioner of Police now says: ‘Your Excellency, this Obasanjo is a very bad man. He is a very, very bad man. If you see all the things he has planned for you eh Olorun maje.’
How do we move on? How do we get out of here? What I have done is I’ve tried graphically to paint a picture of a process. How do we change this process?
One, I think, since we cannot change attitudes as quickly, we must ensure mass participation. In an election where there is a very high turnout, the results are usually genuine. The most celebrated election in Nigeria, June 12, 1993 what happened? People came out. The more people who come out to vote the fewer–there may be mago, mago here and there but there wouldn’t be much in such a critical manner to upset the will of the people. Beyond that, if you don’t vote in an election, you have no reason to criticize the government and I tell folks everywhere that guys, I would say, I have lived my life. You guys have not and you are all criticizing Nigeria but did you vote in the last election? Most of them say no then I say, you’ve lost the moral right to criticize what the government does because you were not part of the process.

Is there a way out? I think there is. I think we need to employ technology. It's just a suggestion and I want to share with you. I have said this in one or two fora and I’ve heard people say it has not been done in America or the West why should we do it here? I say they don’t have the attitude we have here. Necessity is the mother of invention. It is not necessary for us to do what I’m about to suggest.

For the purposes of this, 3455, this number is for a phone and that number is unique to you and valid for that election or the set of elections. And each party has a numerical equivalent. AC could be 1, the PDP could be 5, the Labour Party could be 3, whatever. And on the date of elections you decide that your number even if you don’t have a phone, you can go to a centre where they have a bank of phones and once you put in your number 3455 it recognizes you, it cannot be duplicated. Its only you that has that number and for that election on that date, once its used it cannot be used by anyone else. Then you can do this one from your house or anywhere, and any time between the hours of 9-12. When it says which party, you say 3 or 4 whatever the number, they ask you, ‘are you sure you say Yes’. You press it then you’ve voted. With that, I think we can conduct election but people say ah, it’s to technological and I say, why do you always underestimate the people in the rural areas? If you send them money this way, won’t they be able to cash it? Why is it that when it is to conduct their civic responsibilities it becomes high tech? I know this country, I ran a state for eight years, I know the nooks and crannies of my state. We are not the most enlightened of states in the country, but you see, I had a deal with MTN and Glo to ensure that every community in Cross River State has a base station; for that I gave them sites free of charge; so, virtually every nook and cranny of Cross River has a base station. Even the most rural of places; even in Bakassi when we still had control of it. And they all use it. They still use it to call their folks in the urban centres to say send us money. Why is that when it comes to civic responsibility it is high tech? Because the politicians don’t want to use it, that’s the truth.

I am not saying this is a perfect system, it can be fine-tuned, that will ensure that within an hour or two every one has voted and the results are near perfect.
Of course, once you design a system, there are those whose work is to un-design the system. There are people like that and they work backwards. Once you have that we also think the same way. How do we work backwards, where can this be faulted? It can be faulted in many ways. The service companies if you are able to break-through the integrity of the system, you know, here and there; but I think we are going to think outside the norm.

The point I’m trying to make is we have to think outside the box. I want to commend the federal government, each time the government talks about elections, it keeps on talking about credible elections with brilliant sound bite. But it must go beyond the sound bite and lets not kid ourselves, by thinking that by putting a Jega there that all is well. With Jega there, all will be well if he is able to design along with his team a system that is virtually fool proof. In other words, he himself must understand the system of elections, he needs to know how it works and how its been holding.
As I speak to you, we’ve not started voters’ registration. That exercise will take any where from three to four months. It will take at least, ninety days to run through its course, another six weeks to tidy up before it is published; lets not kid ourselves. You can have elections anytime, but you can’t have credible elections in January. So, for those thinking we can have elections in January, I think we have to rethink the process; we cannot have credible elections in January. We may have elections but it may not be credible. Where are we? We need to get out of these holes; we need to traverse the length and breath of this country. We need to recruit an army of people may be 5, 000 in each state, two hundred young men and women who will reach our (people), give each of them a task to ensure that he registers at least a hundred person. That alone, will bring twenty million people into the fold. This is what they did in the Obama election.
Fortunately, I was monitoring the Obama election, whether you attain voting age or not, you are able to send text and move around and get people to vote. It's one thing to register, some folk tell me, ‘how can I go to line up for hours to vote for this person’. This is again what pastor Bakare was talking about, if people are not excited about the candidates they will not come out. ‘Look at the four people running, they are all clowns. I’ m going to watch television; I’m not going to vote because either way a clown is going to win’.

So, we have to get involved in the process. We can’t all run for offices, we all can’t. ...”

Nigerian Elections 2007: The Political Class and The Electorates’ Mandate

2010-07-26T20:04:00.002+01:00

Another round of elections into various elective positions is just round the corner. Politicians of all kind are busy jockeying for positions of relevance, and in the process all manner of intimidation and mayhem are being perpetrated. The ‘funny’ thing is that in developed countries where elections are held, the major focus of campaign trails are the manifestos, programmes and performances of the parties and candidates contesting for offices. In the recent past at least two aspirants to elective offices have been allegedly murdered. By the time the electoral processes are completed many more politicians, supporters and innocent citizens will die, all in the name of politics. This represents the trademark of the Nigerian democratic dispensation in which politicians aspire to elective office at any cost.

From now till the end of the electoral process will represent a season of harvest for the incumbent office holders who will be reaping more benefits and dividends from their ‘investments’ to gain power in the last four years or more. They will loot the treasury of their various offices, carting away in the process billions of Naira in cash and materials. This will represent the reward for their ‘selfless’ service to their people in the last four years, despite the fact that they have been handsomely remunerated for their services through the attractive salaries they drew while in office. There will be not a moment spent to think of those who lost their lives during the campaigns to get them elected in the first place. Neither will they spend a moment’s thought for the sufferings of masses who had placed their hope of a better life under their tenure, and which they have largely failed to deliver.

In this political dispensation, the welfare of the electorate is not of paramount importance. The lining of the pockets of the politicians and their cohorts are the primary objective, and the politicians do their level best to out – embezzle each other. So while the electorate on whose back the politicians rode to power suffer, they live a life of opulence without a care in the world. There is no adequate programme or policy to provide meaningful social welfare for the benefit of the Nigerian citizenry; tertiary education has become a symbol of scorn in the international world, where acquired certificates are deemed not adequate enough. Medical facilities have been degenerating for the past two decades or more, and there is no hope in site yet that some of these greedy politicians will deem it fit to develop a programme of rehabilitation for the sake of Nigerians. There is wholesale unemployment in the country, and years ago Professor Wole Soyinka made references to a ‘Wasted generation’. A whole lot of generations have been wasting away for far too long now that it will behove those in authority to find a lasting solution to the under-utilised human, manpower as well as natural resources the almighty God has granted Nigeria.

‘Where there is a will there is a way’ is a very familiar adage, for which our national leaders have not heeded at the very best. If there had been competent and well-meaning leadership, it would not have been difficult to find lasting solutions to depreciating social amenities, high level unemployment, inadequate health facilities, high level corruption, mismanagement of resources and frequent social unrest. Poverty is at a high and unacceptable level. National infrastructures such as Nigerian Telecommunications PLC and NEPA PLC are in a permanent paraplegic state. They have remained moribund for far too long, and it should be a source of shame to those who have ruled Nigeria that there is no continuos supply of electricity, water or well-maintained road networks.

With hindsight it should be pointed out here that these inadequacies are the avenues by which corrupt politicians reap the Nigerian nation off, by canvassing for votes on the basis that during their tenure they will ensure that all these epileptic infrastructures will be brought back to light. Alas once in office, it becomes business as usual. The fraudulent messiahs pontificate on how they will make things better on assumption of office, but the minute they are sworn into office all promises go out of the window. There is a general lack of sincerity on the part of our political leaders to improve the overall well being of the people of Nigeria, and bask in avarice and power to the detriment of the Nigerian populace. It is therefore pertinent that the Nigerian electorate rises up to their rights and responsibilities as entrenched in the constitution.

It is the legal, moral and social responsibility of the electorate to exercise their enfranchisement without expectations and receipt of often fraudulent and ill – intentioned inducements from corrupt, incompetent and selfish politicians. This is a serious and debilitating factor that is so far rendering the electoral process fraudulent. It is the responsibility of every Nigerian qualified to partake in the voting process to be alive to their responsibilities, and not fall to the shenanigans of those politicians with evil intentions. The beginning of drastically curtailing corruption and underachievement in Nigerian politics should start by ensuring that the right person, capable of delivering good governance is voted into office. The electorate should aim not to fall to temptations in the form of accepting monetary and material inducements in return for votes. The singular most potent power of the electorate is their enfranchisement. Used wisely, this is the only opportunity they have to elect good leaders capable of providing for their well – being for the next four years. Once misused, the electorate will have to wait another four years before they can exercise their rights to effect a new leadership. As such, it is better for the electorate to start appreciating the unique and influential role they have to play in ensuring a better government for themselves and generations yet unborn. This is why it is paramount that the electorate makes the best use of this power at the initial stage of the election process, and not sell their souls to the devils dressed as politicians.

I was reading an article somewhere recently, in which someone described the people from the South-western region of Nigeria as being more sophisticated and enlightened voters, but looking carefully at the political terrain in Nigeria there does not appear to be anything sophisticated or enlightened about the electorate. Or how can one describe an electorate that receives monetary and material inducement from politicians in exchange for their birthrights – their votes, knowing fully well that such politicians are more often than not unlikely to protect and represent their interests on assuming office? I am of the opinion that corruption is not the exclusive preserve of the political leadership in Nigeria, but that this cankerworm called corruption has eaten deep into the crevices of the whole nation, involving both the leaders and the followers [led]. It is a national malaise that knows no bounds. This is why there is an urgent and robust need for a national reorientation to be instituted so that the evils of bribes, inducement and all forms of corruption are eradicated.

Many relate the root cause of the problem of corruption to poverty and the bad example shown by most of the political leadership, but I say it is as a result of degenerating home values in our society. Gone are those days when family values of honesty and hard work were entrenched in the family systems in Nigeria. Nowadays, wealth is worshipped, and questions are no more asked by families about instances of sudden wealth. ‘The adage if you cannot beat them join them’ has now become the norm rather than the exception, and within families there is no real scrutiny on how a member had come across his wealth. There are a lot of retired Armed Forces Generals showing up right now with the aim of contesting for the 2007 general elections. Many of them are known billionaires, but nobody has been asking what their sources of stupendous wealth are. It is important that these types of military politicians are not allowed to govern Nigerians, until they are able to justify how they became so wealthy. Otherwise it will be a bad example to many people and the cycle of corruption will only continue to revolve irrespective of any meaningful attempts to arrest the culture of corruption.

Issues of nation importance should be the focal point of any political campaign during the forthcoming election. The electorate should not let themselves be intimidated into voting for unsuitable elements dressed up in ‘political falsehood’. There is the need for the electorate to be alive to their responsibilities as patriotic citizens of Nigeria to protect their mandate. They should defend themselves from professional political rogues who are set out to steal their votes, steal their enfranchisement, steal their public funds and make their whole live a miserable one for the next four years, just as they have done in the past.

(This article was first posted on the 6th November 2006 on NVS)

Devolution of Power In Nigeria

2010-07-22T13:29:00.007+01:00

My fellow countrymen and women, today i was ruminating over the many problems Nigeria and its citizens have been faced with over five decade. To say that the source of our problems are the very leaders we have had the misfortune to have would be an understatement. Recently, Mallam Ribadu made claims that state governors and their acolytes carted away $10 Billion every month during his time at the EFCC. Even the strongest of economies cannot withstand that amount of money flying out of their economy, without disastrous consequences. If Ribadu thought this was going to provide him some positive image, i'm happy to disappoint him, 'cos it only goes a long way to show how inadequate, ineffective and suspect his methods of combating corruption was at the time.

Now that is not the point of this blog. I have suddenly realised that, Nigeria with all of its complexities is backing down the wrong alley with respect to its desire for democratic rule. Many people have asked whether it is wise and reasonable for Nigeria to practice democracy, and if at all it should be the presidential style of self rule. My thirst for civil rule at a point in time covered my eyes to the inappropriateness of presidential form of government to the Nigerian situation. What is good for the goose is not often good for the gander sometimes. It is estimated that contrary to our believe that Nigeria's population is approximately 160 million, we have far exceeded that tally to a more reasonable tally of about 210 million people (albeit not according to our suspect population census).

To my understanding we have 774 local government councils in Nigeria, which make up the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Seeing that the Presidential system of government is proving too difficult for our politicians to practice, it is my candid opinion that there is the need now more than ever, for power at the centre to be devolved immensely for the benefit of the ordinary Nigerians at the grassroots.

The idea is to scrap the three tier system of government, and replace it with a two tier system. So we have power at the federal level, and much more power and responsibilities at the local government levels. The benefit of doing this is immense. First and foremost, it reduces the cost of governance. Secondly, it reduces the duplication of roles between the federal, state and local government executive arm of government. In other words, rather than local government council chairmen serving as stooges and doormats for the state governors, they can actually serve as the conduit through which federal government policies and processes will be delivered to the people at the grassroots directly. There will be no need for state ministeries, rather each local government will have its own departments responsible for delivering federal government instructions, policies and acts of law to the people directly.

I know that devolution of power will have far reaching consequences, but the benefits far outstrips the disadvantages. For example, the cost of conducting elections will be drastically reduced, since there will be no need to conduct elections for state governors. Salaries for state governors will varnish, as well as those of their commissioners, special advisers etc. Furthermore, there is a real potential of reaching out effectively to many more people at the grassroots level. dividends of democracy will reach these people faster and effectively than currently obtains.

By far the biggest suggestion on the back of devolution of power will be the abolition of a single president for our country Nigeria. In recent times the whole country has been innundated with the saga of rotation of the presidency amongst the ethnic groupings, The North is seemingly aggrieved that they haven't served the full term of presidency (as if there was a natural guarantee that the incumbent would/should have won such an election in a free and fairly organised election) due to the demise of Umaru Yar'Adua. Personally, i believe that we as a nation have failed to embrace the moral lessons the almighty God is trying to convey to us, which is that, 'only God disposes while we continue to propose'. Anyhow, since Nigeria has six geo - political zones (North East, North Central, North West, South East, South South and South West), why can we not have one representative for each of these zones to form a National Government of Consensus (NGC)?

The chairmanship of this committee/group is rotational, so that each of the six representatives serves a year as the chairman of the committee, and by inference is the president of Nigeria for the year he serves as the chairman of the committee. Now, that will solve a lot of the problems being encountered in our electoral system. For one, each zone is responsible for electing its representative, and each zone knows they have an equal stake in the governance of our country Nigeria. Obviously, power is shared amongst the six representatives, and decisions will have to be made democratically. This reduces enormously the power wielded by the president of Nigeria.

In conjunction with having local government councillors, each local government should be entitled to 10 lawmakers at the centre. There should be two assemblies as it currently obtains. So five will contest for the lower house and five for the upper house. The one term of office should be six years for all those who contest and win elective office irrespective of what position they contest for. As a nation, Nigerians know their history. We know that southern and Northern protectorates were amalgamated in 1914 to form what we know today as nigeria. Those agitating for a break up of the country are only being selfich and mischievous. All we need to do right now is to form a consensus as to how we really want to govern our country, to gether in unity. If everyone is assured that they have an proportional stake in Nigeria, nobody will agitate for a break up., and thus no one tribe will feel that it is being cheated in any shape or form.

Nigerians have co - existed for many years successfully, and aside for minor skirmishes can continue to do so for the forseeable future.The time has come for the Nigerian youth to arise and live up to his responsibilities. Nigeria needs its youths to take up the mantle of leadership. Nigeria needs its old and tired politicians to go into hin=bernation. They have done what they are capable of in terms of moving nigeria foward, and whether good or bad, only history can judge them. For how long will our elders continue to prevent the youth of our nation fromassuming the mantle of leadership in nigeria. Nobody, young or old is a monopoly of ideas. Our elders have doen their bit, its time for others to have a go at it.

Nigeria is a very large country, with a very large population. It therefore dictates that, as a country we need to adapt our ways to reflect the complexities of a large country such as Nigeria. We have attempted some other forms of government in the past as well as the one we are currently trying out. There is no shame in us turning round and saying, 'let's try something else. Of course, there are some who will resist change for purely selfish reasons. Theyare not agents of progress, and so they don't count. With a unanimous stand they would have to shape up or ship out. Those are he two options available. The era of us decieving oursleves must end. We muist start exploring alternative ways to make the lives of our citizens more meaningful, more worthwhile being a Nigerian.

Poverty Is A Terrible Thing

2010-07-22T12:47:00.001+01:00

Poverty is a terrible thing in any society. Poverty is the reason crime abounds in our society in Nigeria. Poverty is the same reason ou rpolitical elite deprive the the teeming masses of the most basic of social welfare needs. Poverty is also the reason we as a nation unsuccessfully propagate the ideals of democracy. Poverty of morals, ideals, sincerity of purpose, patriotism all conspire to rob NIGERIA and its citizens of the ability to overcome its toga of an under - developed nation.

Poverty is the reason our greedy politicians entice the electorate with minusclule incentives in exchange for votes, and poverty is the reason the electorate accepts them. Poverty of morals on both sides. Poverty had dug deep into the crevices of out nationhood. The solution stirs us in the eye, but the will to combat this nemesis is fragile. Our corrupt leaders know this, and exploit it to their selfish benefits. They even mock us by pretending to sympathise with our plights, a plight they so callously helped to enthrench.

Many hold hope that one day Nigeria will free itself from the starnglehold of its retrogressive politicians, but the signs are alarmingly on the contrary. They all talk the talk right now. the soundbites are sweet to the ears, 'cos they know that ordinary Nigerians are sufferring under the crunching weight of poverty. So they say the things Nigerians want to hear so as to woo them , as they often do as the day of reckoning approaches. Promises are made, speeches are given to gloss over the painful reality of the impact left by their evils ways. In the end it all boils down to the elections. Once they are returned into office, they forget about the promises. They forget about the pains, the sufferings of the Nigerian masses. They forget about their constituencies for another four years.

So i sieze this opportunity to encourage all Nigerians to be vigilant. I urge all Nigerians to arise, and seek that which is true. Do not sell out to the politicians who have nothing to offer you, but pain and sorrow. Seek out the ones that have a track record of delivering the dividends of democracy, and usher them into office. Your vote counts. Not voting only gives the advantage to the usurper.

We can combat this nemesis called poverty if we live up to our responsibilities as citizens of Nigeria. We can collectively run corrupt elements out of our political arena, and indeed out of town. It does not matter be you an Hausa, Ibo or yoruba person. History binds us together, and no matter how much we try to deny it, avoid it or even erase it, that is what we are. We are brothers in unity. Unity of purpose will see us victorious against poverty and its proponents. God bless Nigeria.

Nigerian Democracy and the Legislative Procedures

2010-07-21T13:57:00.003+01:00

There is something fundamentally wrong with the democratic process in Nigeria. It has to do with the so-called performers on the political terrain we find ourselves. Everyone is at fault in this matter, the leaders and the led. Why in the first instance do we have an epileptic constitution that cannot stand the test of all challenges emanating from this democratic dispensation? Why have we elected incompetent and selfish political leaders who are nothing but a bunch of dunces, incapable of applying the laws of the land to the letter? Why, given that everyone with a little bit of common sense and education is aware that there are flaws in the 1999 national constitution, can our legislators and senators not perform their responsibilities and amend those sections of the constitution that are found wanting? Why is it that many people rise in defence of the impeached governors, senators and so on knowing fully well that the common knowledge is that they are inept, corrupt and underachievers? In the case of any miscarriage of justice it is the responsibility of the judiciary to intervene and correct any misrepresentation or misapplication of the law. Why are they lacking in proactive involvement in ensuring that powers of the legislature are not abused at any level?

The answers to the many questions above are not far fetched. Nigeria is about the only country in the world with an ill conceived and unworkable constitution at the moment. It behoves the national assembly to protect, enact and repeal laws accordingly. However, many of them go about in ‘Babanrigas’ chasing contracts or other personal activities in order to amass wealth. All this is done at the expense of the ordinary Nigerians who have ‘mistakenly reposed their yearnings and aspirations in these criminals decked out as political leaders. The fundamental errors in the 1999 constitutions shows up those who partook in putting it together are short sighted, incompetent and mischievous in their intent. Otherwise it should not have taken the many anomalies currently pervading the country to discover the monumental errors that are inherent the constitution. Furthermore, if the national assembly was alive to its responsibilities in the first instance by now Nigeria should be the proud owner of a new constitution, one that is well articulated and effective for all.

I read somewhere in one of the national daily newspapers that the court of appeal at Ibadan has decided that for impeachment procedures to be carried out all members of the house must be present. I am quite sure that this is never going to be possible in any legislature in the land whether at national or state level. It is essentially because bribery and corruption has eaten deep into our society, and it does not require much effort and money to persuade the required number of legislators to disappear from the scene during such crucial sittings, thus rendering the whole process a sham. The danger inherent in this pronunciation is that at any given time legislators can stay away from any scheduled house sitting in order to make it inappropriate in legal parlance.

What is the minimum attendance requirement for our legislators? How many of them have not met these requirements, and what forms of reprimand have been meted out to erring legislators? These are some of the yardsticks that should be used in determining the quorum for any given meeting. In my days as a student union representative (clerk of the student representative council), we continuously monitored the attendance of members, and those who failed to meet the attendance requirements were firstly warned, and then barred from subsequent meetings if they do not improve on their attendance. As such, quorums were adjusted according to the number of members who have met attendance requirements and were active in all businesses of the house. This is not rocket science, and I understand that some of the arrangements mentioned above may not be easily applicable. This is where the Nigerian electorate has a big role to play. Any legislator who is found wanting can be recalled by members of his constituency, if they are convinced that he/she is not representing their best interest. This is a big failing on the part of the electorate, and we all have to share in the blame for the attendant problems facing us at the moment. I am yet to hear of any representative at the state or national assembly who has been recalled. So when the electorate are failing in their God – given right to perform their civic duties they have no moral justification to complain when the leaders they have elected, those who have tempted them with bribes, false promises and insignificant largesse have failed to serve them properly.

Let’s go back to the drawing board, and tell all our representatives at the state and national assemblies and indeed the executive arm of government, that all we ask from them is to give us a proper constitution, one we can be proud of. Let us tell this ‘shambolic’ law – makers that it is not too much to ask of them to do their duties, and if they are not up to the task they should get out and allow competent people to have a chance. Let people with genuine intentions represent the poor Nigerian masses. Let these frauds who walk about as political leaders go into hiding and cover their shameful faces, considering the monumental destruction and disappointments many of them have caused our great Nigerian nation and its people.

(First Published, 5 November 2006 on NVS)

Omaks' Speakers Corner Series: When Morons Rule the Ruse

2010-06-17T00:23:00.000+01:00

Omaks' Speakers Corner Series: When Morons Rule the Ruse

When Morons Rule the Ruse

2010-06-16T17:12:00.002+01:00

I do not intentionally want to be abusive toward any quarters of our ruling elite. However, if I appear to be doing so it is because they have brought it upon themselves, and I have no apologies for that. In a country of approximately 150 million people, is it so hard to find a handful of people who can dedicate a little bit of their time towards serving the interest of the whole people of Nigeria, as against serving their own selfish interests? How difficult is it to discern the yearnings and aspirations of the majority of long suffering, ordinary Nigerians?

First and foremost, there is this new group that has been parading itself before our very eyes for some time now. It’s called the ‘Nigerian Governors Forum’, and its clout became more pronounced during the search for a new vice President to the newly installed president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan. Now I have no opposition against pressure groups if their motives are noble, but I strongly believe this governors’ forum is an embodiment of largely self seeking, ineffective and selfish individuals who do not have the best interests of ordinary Nigerians at heart. While they were busy parading the corridors of power in Abuja to install one of their own as the new vice president of Nigeria, NECO was busying itself, collating the results of examination conducted all over the country in our secondary schools. It turns out that there were widespread failures recorded across the whole of Nigeria. This is obviously an indication that these governors had not paid adequate attention towards providing qualitative education in their states, but rather they occupy themselves with searching for a new vice president. The question I ask is two – fold; Who gave them the mandate for that assignment, and how did that form part of their primary responsibilities to their immediate constituencies?

Secondly, it is common knowledge that our National Assemblymen, after so much dilly dallying, have finally found it within themselves to produce a harmonised version of the reviewed/revised constitution. We must not forget the amount of time and effort spent bickering over whom between the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representative should chair the proposed joint session to review the constitution. In the end they had to go their separate ways and do their business independent of each other. Think my people, of how much would have been saved in terms of costs if these egomaniacs had put their differences aside to serve their country and its people selflessly. Anyway, the constitution has been reviewed and harmonised by both houses in the National Assembly (at least so they say). The Nigerian governors’ Forum is now clamouring for discussions on the harmonised version of the review of the constitution to be taken to the states for discussion with stakeholders. My questions are numerous on this issue here. What were they (the governors) doing when the reviews were being done? Were there no legislators or senators from their constituencies represented on the committees responsible for reviewing the constitution? What does the forum of governors mean by stakeholders? Are they referring to the constituencies and wards across the country who are supposed to be represented by their legislators and senators, or are they referring to the governors and their acolytes? Was there no consultation at ward and constituency levels during the constitution review exercise, such that discussions of the harmonised version of the review are pertinent? How does their roles as the executive arm of government tally with that of the legislature? My sixth sense tells me that this is another of these indulgent, self seeking governors’ ploy to manipulate things to their advantage at the expense of the ordinary Nigerians.

It is visibly evident that the issue of electoral reforms and creation of states is topmost on the agenda of most of the state governors in Nigeria, and mostly it’s for selfish ulterior motives. Our lawmakers are in the national assembly for a reason. There is what is called separation of power deeply entrenched in our legal statutes, and these rabble rousers calling themselves state governors should respect that. Their remit is primarily within the four corners of their respective states. They should foremost subject themselves to the service of their various constituencies. The problem with our democracy is that vast majority of our people are alienated at the grassroots. Our so called political elite take it upon themselves without our consent to think breath and talk for us. Even the electoral process by which they would most like to hide behind to claim our consent is defective procedurally. Attempt to rectify such defect is the reason why the governors are colluding amongst themselves to the harmonised revised constitution.

Mr Jonathan Goodluck is the most coveted bride of our political mainstream. He would do well to recognise first and foremost that he needs to do what’s right by all Nigerians, and his sycophantic eulogisers. Our erstwhile former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has been quoted in various papers that Goodluck Jonathan has to contest the next presidential elections. Hang on a minute folks; doesn’t the opinion of Jonathan Goodluck’s ward/constituency count for anything? To be honest I too agree with one fundamental fact, which is that Jonathan has the right under the Nigerian constitution to contest the elections. In fact I would love for Jonathan to contest the elections on the platform of the PDP, but unlike many I would love for him to lose to any of the other mainstream political parties. This is for a very simple reason, it is not the birthright of the PDP to be in power indefinitely, just as it is not the birthright of the North or the South to be in power or share the rotation of power alternatively.

Nigerians should wake up and be alive to their civic responsibilities. These moronic political leaders are taking Nigerians for a ride, and in the process Nigerians are losing out big-time. What would it take for us to fight for our rights as Nigerians? Countries with lesser resources both human and material are holding their political leaders accountable for their actions. In Nigeria, all we ever seem to do is moan, gloat and then carry on with the struggle of making ends meet. This incessant and blatant underperformance, corrupt practices, abuse of office/power and disenfranchisement has to stop at one point in our lives as a nation. The question is, when? For as long as we continue to be nonchalant about the iniquities of our politicians, they would never change. They are beyond redemption. In other countries, politicians and business moguls are taking a pay cut or waiver to their performance related bonuses. Isn’t it ironic that our lawmakers are at the same time clamouring for an increase in their wages? We have a body that reviews the pay of our politicians, but alas the lawmakers do what the lawmakers want without giving due consideration on how the ordinary, impoverished and under privileged Nigerians will feel about it.

Our political leaders are morons and we should stand up and tell them to their faces. We should accost their children in the streets and tell them that their fathers are idiots w, who cannot organise a ‘pissup in a brewery’. In fact there is too much injustice in Nigeria. If not, the armed robbers know who the real rich people are, but would rather steal from the poor. Why ca they not co to the houses of the many rich, affluent and powerful in our society and relieve them of some of the ill – gotten wealth they so wantonly display all the time? Don’t get me wrong, I abhor the act of robbery of any kind, but if anyone needs to be robbed, it’s those who daily rob average Nigerians of a decent livelihood. We need a ROBIN HOOD in our society, who will be brave and cunny enough to take from the ostentatiously rich, and distribute it amongst the impoverished average Nigerians. If our political leaders fail to provide a decent welfare programme, health insurance scheme, education and many social amenities, then it behoves upon us to deny them the latitude to bask it their stupendous, but ill – gotten and largely unaccountable wealth.

In 1992, ‘option A4’ proved to be the best electoral process Nigeria ever embraced to undertake a largely recognised election that was deemed to be free and fair. What happened afterwards is deeply etched in the annals of our political history. It has since come to light that anything that turns out to be good for the ordinary Nigerian inevitably becomes bad for the rich and powerful. In the end they harass, intimidate and deprive average Nigerians the right to choose freely those whom they want at the helm of their political affairs. That is why; once again our political elites have developed itchy feet (and hand) with respect to the harmonised revised constitution of Nigeria. What was wrong with the Uwais Electoral Reforms recommendation that attracted an initial lack – lustre reception from our political elite? Nothing, except for the fact that it recognised many shoddy tricks which they used to deny average Nigerians a good government, and sort to plug those loopholes. Fortunately for Nigerians, There seem to be a possibility that Jonathan Goodluck would display some form of ‘testicular fortitude’, and implement the recommendations of the Uwais Reform Committee without exception. Till that happens, Nigerians are on a hope and a prayer. Ordinary Nigerians are the ones who should be forcing the issue here, but, they have been abused and deprived so seriously that their psyche is at an all time low. Yes, the strength to fight, the will to resist is gone, dissipated, varnished whatever you want to call it. Many of our political elite are dangerous criminals, looters, womanisers, fraudsters and charlatans, who ordinarily would not have any business in our corridors of power. .

Ordinary Nigerians know what they want. They know what they need, but have lost the wherewithal to present their aspirations forward by the very simple means possible: the ballot box. The reason is not farfetched: our moronic leaders have seized our ability to make our own choices for their own benefit. They are now the know all – see all – do all in our country. What they what matters at our expense, and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it. How many of our (S) elected politicians have a base in their Wards or constituencies? How many of them give feedback to their constituent members on a regular basis? Barrack Obama believed in, and tirelessly fought for a reform of the health sector in America. He met stiff opposition from the largely, republican led – legislature. In the end, by negotiations and dialogue he was able to get a vote on the reforms he desired. This week, Obama (not his aides) is embarking on a nationwide visit to the elderly to talk to them about the new health initiative and its benefits for the country in general. In Nigeria, our politicians haven’t got one single issue they can point to as having been decided for the benefit of the country and its citizen; talk less of any president, or otherwise embarking on a nationwide visit to garner support for such.

In the end, all we hope for is that ‘manner falls from heaven’. We hope in vain that miracle will happen somehow, and bestow upon us a leader worthy of acclaim. Well, I say to ye O Nigerians, miss the forthcoming elections (if they do happen) at your own peril. The opportunity is nigh, wherefore all those rabble rousers will throng en mass to your various door once again (after the last visit four years ago) They have nothing to show for the last four years, but will try to ‘Confuse you’ that they have been working hard and need another four years to complete their work. Chase them away with cudgels, cutlasses, axes, sweep them away with broomsticks whip them with horsetails, for they are no good. Turn deaf ears to their lies, and look carefully and hard for truly selfless and honest politicians to give your mandate to (if there ever happens to be any). Don’t throw you vote away. Don’t sell out. Also remember that the constitution of Nigeria provides for a recall of any elected politician for whatever reason. They don’t have the power. Ordinary Nigerians do.

Falling In Love All Over Again

2009-10-08T23:40:00.000+01:00

Yes i'm falling in love again,With whom you might be thinking, Myself i say to y'all.

Yes I'm falling in love with myself over again, and all the people round me are better for it. My love particularly has noticed a marked difference in the new me.It's a season to be merry, but it's more like a whole new era of merriment for me and my sweetheart. It's not borne out of selfishness, rather i just didn't know how much i had abandoned myself.

During the course of the last year there were many good things, and some not so good things happening to me. As a result other aspects of my life suffered immensely, but like a proper trooper, i gathered myself together, I reached deep down inside me, and found the necessary resuscitation that has brought me back from an almost abyss.

The new me, ah how i love the new me. I have instituted courage where there was fear. I have discovered wisdom where there was foolishness. I have unearthed maturity where none was existent in the past. I have found love in place of loathing. I am definitely in love again, and all my loved ones are better for it too.

'Sharing the confessions of a troubled soul'.

The Nigeria We Deserve

2009-10-08T23:33:00.003+01:00

It is the 21st century, and looking at the way our beloved country Nigeria is, one is tempted to wonder if indeed we are progressing with the advancement of age. Definitely Nigeria is still categorised as an emerging economy to some, to others a developing country and to many more, a third world country. Whether all these appellatives mean the same thing isn’t quite clear. What is clear though is that our country Nigeria is not compared with any of the developed nations. So do Nigerians have a country they deserve?

Whether Nigerians have a country they deserve is a matter of individual perceptions. Personally I would like a Nigeria where there is a well organised social and welfare structure to cater for the needs of its citizens. So a well organised and efficient Healthcare system is desirable. Obviously there is some form of healthcare system in Nigeria, but the real question is does it meet the needs of its citizens? To what extent does it satisfy the yearnings of majority of Nigerians?What are the core entitlements of all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, tongue or social status? Is our healthcare system effectively and efficiently being administered to the mutual benefits of all its stakeholders? Nigerians deserve a country where our healthcare system guarantees appropriate medical facilities to cater for all their needs.

Nigerians need adequate pharmaceutical provisions to cater for their medicinal requirements at reasonable costs.Nigerians deserve a country where the education system is being managed to the most efficient levels possible. Unfortunately, our education system in recent years have suffered numerous damaging disruptions, either through staff strike actions masterminded by labour organisations or student unrests of diverse types. The end product is that Nigeria continues to churn out ‘half baked’ and largely unemployable youths.If the future of our beloved Nigeria is supposed to be in the hands of these youth, the same youth that our oftentimes inadequate education system has let down, then the future is alarmingly tethering on the brink of collapse. To say that our education system is in a confused state is to put it mildly.

We have witnessed in recent times the proliferation of Private universities in alarming numbers.This is a severe indication that our education system is directionless, and being managed by individuals who have glaring selfish motives and interests. We deserve better, and we should seek better from our educational administrators at all levels. The private universities are further avenues of making profits for the pathetic state of poverty in which many Nigerians find themselves. This should not be acceptable in any shape or form, and should be rebuffed individually and collectively by Nigerians.Many of our tertiary institutions would be better off with more funding, and instead of many of our wealthy sons and daughters of Nigeria to contribute their widow’s might towards these institutions, they rather chose the path of founding private institutions to suck out more from the gaunt financial frame of ordinary masses.

In the meantime our tertiary institutions are falling apart at the seams due to lack of adequate financial investments. We need a Nigeria where all these inadequacies are removed, and the fortunes of all our educational institutions from primary up to tertiary are turned around for the benefits of our children.Nigerians deserve a country where all of our social infrastructures are in perfect working conditions, and serve the public efficiently. Son in this instance our road network in Nigeria should be very good. That we have numerous death traps for roads are the failings of successive governments at the helm of our governments (at local, state and federal level).

Whenever you come across any road anywhere in the country in a state of disrepair, you know straight away that the government of the day at any level is a failure. At this stage our national existence when should have moved on from we should have moved on from construction roads to just frequently maintaining the existing infrastructure. However, we continue to hear state governors launching new road construction projects, which are often avenues for siphoning public funds.It’s a huge embarrassment to our country that many of our streets are still not completely surfaced appropriately, and are often dusty and unkempt. Drainage systems are appalling, and often lead to erosion.

What are we supposed to take pride in, if our environment is devoid of beautifications and architecture edifices that are inspiring? Why are we still living in the dark ages of deprived privileges, which many of our elected politicians arrogate to themselves?We deserve a Nigeria where there is positive, purposeful leadership. We need a Nigeria where our leaders have listening ears and proactive minds. There is no continuity in government policies. Everything has been politicised, to such an extent that previous policies have been abrogated irrespective of whether they are good or bad. This is an ‘ill wind that blows no good’ in the end for the benefit of all Nigerians. We deserve a Nigeria where our leaders put the country’s interests first, before theirs.

We deserve a Nigeria where crime and corruption is not the order of the day. We deserve a Nigeria where or political participants serve their constituencies diligently and selflessly.More importantly, we deserve a Nigeria to be proud of. If only our citizens can awake from their perpetual ‘slumber’, and live up to their civic responsibilities Nigeria better off than at present. We will ensure that the right calibres of leaders are elected to represent our collective interests in the various public offices they occupy. Where they fail to do this, then we should have the collective strength to replace them. We deserve a Nigeria where everything is working for the benefit of its citizens. We deserve a Nigeria where our socio - economic and political systems are well developed and serve to benefit the entire country.

Nigeria At 49: A Time To Celebrate?

2009-10-08T23:25:00.002+01:00

October 1st, 2009 marks yet another day in which Nigeria has the chance to take stock of its achievements over the last 49 years of independence from its colonial masters. Is it indeed time to celebrate any achievements, real or perceived?

Personally i think there hasn't been much to celebrate in the last two and a half years of the current administration of President Yar'Adua. To this end, rather than bring out my best dress and head out to celebrate, i'm just going to do what i think is the right thing - SOBERLY REFLECT on the events of the last three years.

So as Nigeria turns 49, our brothers and sisters in higher institutions are at home because their lecturers have decided to down tools. Now in the midst of all of this our President Yar'Adua embarks on a journey to Saudi Arabia to amongst many things, open a university. That to me is laughable as it is ridiculous.

The amnesty granted the Niger Delta Militants seem to be tethering on a breakdown. Just as we were hoping and praying that by some miracle the yar'Adua administration would succeed in concluding once and for all a peaceful resolution of this long drawn out problem, the financial times reveals that China is aiming to take over 1/6th of the most viable oil blocks in Nigeria. So the militants, especially 'MEND' are baying for a new conflict.

The world economic recession is still biting hard, and as can be expected, the impact is more pronounced in Nigeria where things are already difficult for many of the approximate 140 million citizens. So the CBN Governor shows some muscles in revealing the 'fat cats' that have been helping themselves to money representing the deposits of hard working Nigerians. They ate vcalled 'Toxic Loans' or 'non performing loans'. The difference between the problem in our banking sector and some orf those of other countries is that, while the loans in questions in the other countries were actually lent out to individuals and businesses unassociated, those of our banks were actually borrowed by the bank owners and eminent persionalities.

We now know that apart from those who help themselves to public funds by virtue of the occupance of public offices, another way of becoming wealthy is either to own a bank or have friends who are managers of those banks. eitherway, you are bound to have access to money, which you could decide not to pay back, and of which you may not need any meaningful collateral. those who suffer most are the depositors. This is not the first time this kind of thing would happen, but thanks to the prompt intervention os Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the problem wha quickly identified and some executives of some of our foremost banks are in troubled waters.

The perreniel problem of power supply shortage is still there. Obasanjo came, promised heaven and earth that he would sort the problem out, left after eight years, but the problem still remains. President Yar'Adua is borrowing a leaf out of OBJ's book, and has started vituperating about how he's goign to sort out the problem. Well, we are ever so patient about many things, and this will be no different.

Finally, the elections that ushered in Yar'Adua were not the best in terms of being free and fair. Yar'Adua promised to do something about it for future elections, and thus set up the Electoral Reforms Committte, chaired by a retired Supreme Court Judge in the person of Justice Uwais. After much time and energy had been invested, the committee presents its recommendations to the Federal Executive Council. In turn the President summons a National Council of States meeting comprising of the incumbent governors and all living past Presidents in Nigeria, and the council outrightly rejects the recommendations, selecting only a handful that are in tandem with their interests. The National assembly too has been showing some worrisome indications, indicating that it too will not be interested in enforcing the letters of those recommendations, claiming that those recommendations are not 'binding' on the national assembly. In the end all that is clear for all to see is that these greedy and self seeking politicians are ready to fight tooth and nail to preserve the staus quo, thus continuing in their rigging and manipulation of election results.

So, while many are celebrating all the same, i'm here ruminating over whether there's really cause for us to be joyous, or whether indeed there are causes for concern. I have indeed struggled to include many things that this current administration has done to benefit us in the last two and a half since it took office. I cannot sincerely identify anything. I know i should be looking at the whole span of 49 years, but i'm not that old enough to know how better or not Nigeria was in the early years of independence. What i do know though is that if our forefathers had laid down solid foundations for future generations, we should be better off thatn we currently are. As it is, close to a million naked students from amny of our tertiary institutions are threatening to invade Abuja and Aso Rock pretty much soon. In the eyes of many Nigerians, that's nothing to be happy about.

In twelve months time Nigeria will be celebrating the 'Golden Jubilee' anniversary of its independence. The only thing though is that there won't be anything golden to celebrate, except if Yar'Adua and his acolytes are able to perform some sort of 'houdini act' and develop our country Nigeria 'super fast'. Going by Yar'Adua's history of 'Snail Pace' action, there's no chance in hell of that happening.

So maybe the one reason one should celebrate after all, is the fact that in spite of all the trials and tribulations face by Nigerian citizens, the country is still 'Standing', still relatively habitable. It's different tribesmen are still co - habiting as one, an life still goes on. That must be a helluva reason to celebrate, right? Congratulations Nigeria as we mark the 49th anniversary of our Independence, and hope for a better future to come

Emotions Running Wild

2009-09-26T05:26:00.005+01:00

I thought of the appropriate way to put my feelings at present, but the most practicable of all my consideration is to post them here.

Okay, what's on my mind? It's this mad country called Nigeria, that's what's on my mind. Yes, not the average Nigerian people, but the high and mighty Nigerian elite. The corrupt politicians, the inept people managing our national affairs. I keep asking myself all the time, why? Why do we have to tolerate all this nonsense from these morons called leaders? Basic welfare programmes are either none existent in our country or ineffective, but we are still tolerant of these bastards who can elope to foreign countries for medical treatment, foreign education e.t.c at the snap of a finger. Yet, we tolerate them.

The roads are so bad, ordinary people are dying incessantly on our death-traps called roads, yet we still tolerate them. There's no constant electricity for both personal and industrial use. Do we wonder why the price of goods and products are at an astronomical level? People are hungry in our country, Nigeria. Unemployment is increasing by the micro - minute, yet we tolerate these buffoons in political offices.

Okay, you are saying it's not the fault of ordinary Nigerians, but who's fault is it then? Many of these political rascals are in their present privileged positions because you and i failed to live up to our responsibilities. Yes, we have become docile in a country where, our leaders daily take us for granted. For example, our brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren are staying at home presently because the 'Yar 'A - d - Nothing' - led government is at daggers drawn with ASUU. Guess what though, this joke of a president finds it expedient to embark on a journey to Saudi Arabia, to do what? That's right, to go and Open a University in Saudi Arabia. (CLOSE Nigerian Universities. OPEN Saudi Arabian University - IRONY, RIGHT?). This, my people, is beyond believe. What is even appalling is that we are all quiet in the face of a travesty like this.

Democracy is a failure in Nigeria, simple as. What we have isn't democracy at all. We have no rights in Nigeria, and we lack the will to fight for what should justly belong to us.We daily pray to God to deliver us from this bondage we are in, but we have forgotten that 'God will only help us if we help ourselves'. We have created an enabling environment where these 'bad, bad leaders dem' thrive unfettered. They don't care about us the ordinary Nigerians, and they are self - assured that there's not a damned thing we can do about our plight.
That, my people is the summary of how i am feeling right now.

The Dilemma of a Sojourner.

2009-08-08T17:42:00.001+01:00

I woke up this morning with a feeling of sickness, only I'm not really sick. Perhaps again i am sick, home sick that is. Oh yes I'm definitely home sick, and I've been for some months now. Every time now i see myself ruminating over the many happenings in my beloved country Nigeria. My thoughts are laced with all things Nigeria. My discussions are revolved around all things Nigeria. In fact, my choice of TV programmes are mostly Nigerian nowadays. Even my choice of drinks now are Nigerian. I'd rather watch HiTV, AIT and NTA as against the many other available satellite channels available. I'd rather drink a bottle of Gulder, Star or Nigerian Guinness rather than alternative foreign beer. I'm visiting Nigerian restaurants and Nightclubs more often than i used to, and I'm listening to Nigerian music more often now. I suppose this change in lifestyle is what's brought on this new yearning for home, sweet home, and this is not in any shape or form the dilemma i face in itself.

The real dilemma i face is that i lack the courage to take the bull by the horn and return back to my beloved country Nigeria. Oh yes, i lack the courage, simply because i fear that i will not be able to exist appropriately in the country in comparison with my current lifestyle in my country of residence. That's the plain truth. I cannot exist in a society where there is lack of basic social and welfare amenities. Okay, i lived a great deal of my life in Nigeria long time ago, but can i readjust to the same hardships that inadvertently drove me out of the country? No.

I was discussing with a friend the other day, and he said you should go back and contribute your quota to making a difference. My belly still aches from the laughter that ensued. What difference? What quota? In fact i stand as much chance of making a difference in Nigeria of today, as a dead elephant walking. Especially if you arrive from 'obodo oyinbo', no one wants to listen to you. As far as they are concerned you have nothing to offer. Moreover, you are far better off than them, and so you have no moral justification trying to influence the ways things are done there.

Furthermore, it would be foolhardy to subject my young family to the hash conditions as it entails in Nigeria. All my children have lived all their lives abroad, and to subject them to incessant power outage, lack of portable water, road - deathtraps and inferior educational systems is boding on share wickedness. How can it make any real sense for me to take my family out of a place of settled livelihood and subject them to a life of uncertainty? On the other hand a part of me wants to get stuck in the process of re - engineering Nigeria, in the process offering my little bit towards making the country a better place.

I see people rushing back home in the face of the economic down turn, and i envy their courage. Unfortunately months later, i see them scampering back. My conviction is further hindered by this. They claim it's better to be unemployed in Europe, but at least be assured access to basic human dignity, than to return home and watch all your savings disappear into thin air in the twinkle of an eye. So i want to return back home, but the inadequacies in Nigeria makes it difficult for me, and I'm sure if many people will be true to themselves it must be the same for them. I wonder how one solves such a dilemma like this.

Nigerians Unite Against Corrupt Politicians.

2009-07-25T00:56:00.001+01:00

I've had enough of everyone vituperating about how corrupt our politicians are. I'm sick of individuals, groups and countries taking their turn to slate Nigeria for its perceived reputation as essentially a country of corrupt people.

So what am i going to do about it? Well for starters I'm going to start a crusade aimed at mobilising people to , not only talk about the problem, but also to strenghten up their resolve to stamp out this malaise from amongst us.

We want politicians with probity and accountability as the pillars of their characteristics at the helm of our political affairs. Nigerians deserve that much, and i am going to start a crusade aimed at enlightening a majority of Nigerians that 'WE SHOULD NOT SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS'.

The agenda is very simple. Any idea and every idea is welcomed in the fight against 'CORRUPT POLITICIANS'. This i am to co ordinate through interactions with Nigerians on Twitter. Anyone following me is able to contribute to the gathering and we can hopefully spread the seeds of this new venture. Let's all 'Unite Against Corrupt Politicians'.

Which Way foward for a better Nigeria?

2007-11-12T21:53:00.001Z

After successive years of misrule, it has become pertinent for Nigerians to find out the best possible way forward in making Nigeria better. The array of politicians currently on the horizon don't seem to have the interests of the ordinary Nigerian on the street at heart. This is not all together surprising, considering that successive elections in Nigeria have been largely polluted with all manners of electoral malpractices, thus producing ill - equipped, confused, inept and wantonly corrupt representatives.

Though elections are not due for another 4 years, this is the time when all Nigerians should resolve that come next general elections everyone will make concerted efforts to elect the right people into office. Right now is the time for everybody to start thinking of what they would like their prospective representative to do for the Nigerian masses to make their live much better than it currently is.

What therefore do the ordinary Nigerian want? How can our present crop of representatives better the the lives of the ordinary Nigerians? How can the Nigerian people ensure that the right people are elected for? Over to you folks, keep it coming in bundles.