FGN, cut the crap called NYSC!

The original objectives of the NYSC scheme was to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. A quick visit to the NYSC website itself will explain these noble objectives.

According to the web page, “the unfortunate antecedents in our national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No. 24 of 22nd May 1973 which stated that the NYSC is being established “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity”.”

The drafters of the law, in their bid to pacify a country recovering from civil war, thought that by bringing youths from their home region/state to another region/state, love would automatically spring up among countrymen.

Thus, the military government of Gowon made the same mistake that led to civil war. The mistake of trying to single-handedly decide a people’s future on their behalf without even making any consultation with the people!

The youths of a country are the future and arguably the most important part of it. Therefore in order to be seen as bringing reformation to a recently war-torn country, where over 1 million youths were allegedly killed during the civil war, the then Military Head of State (General Yakubu Gowon Rtd.) decreed NYSC into our laws.

But just like most actions taken in this country by our leaders since the 1960 independence, General Gowon merely paid lip service to the idea of national reconstruction and reconciliation. His actions & that of his successors afterwards, speak louder than words. But that’s topic for another day.

The NYSC scheme might have been a success at first, and truly it did create some unique friendships among graduates, but the scheme has seen out its good days. The NYSC Act 1975, just like most of our laws in this country, ought to have been reviewed or repealed by now.

This is probably the only country in the world where old & archaic laws are still the order of the day, even in the face of changes all over the world. In my first year studying law in the University 9 years ago, we were taught that man makes his own laws according to the needs of his community. Laws don’t make men!

The NYSC was probably a beautiful project in 1973, but not anymore in 2019. Our leaders need to know better than to be playing to the gallery. Obviously, many profit from the scheme & wouldn’t see it stop even for a day.

Every year there are at least 4 camps being held between January-November ( Batch A stream I, batch A stream II and Batch B stream I, batch B stream II). Each camp in each of our 36 states hold for 3 weeks.

Youth corpers ( graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions) eat free food, clothed and housed by the Federal government. There are hundredths of permanent NYSC staff all over the country. Right from camp, govt starts paying these corpers’ salary for the next 11 months.

Some certain unknown companies get the contract of supplying the kits for all corpers. From the tags on the clothing materials, one could tell the kits come from China. It doesn’t last long & tears easily. Yet these kits come from same supplier(s) every year. Government isn’t transparent about these transactions, we don’t know exactly how much leaves the national treasury for those bogus materials.

The government spends billions of naira on this scheme every year. For what? Just to maintain a tradition that started in 1973 when obviously the population wasn’t half this current size. In 1973, our crude oil was like gold in the world market, unlike now.

In 1973, our roads were not potholes of death unlike now that graduates die of road accidents just by travelling from their home state to their new states of NYSC posting.

Scores of youths carrying out the NYSC program have been maimed, wounded and even killed in the regions/states where they were sent due to religious, ethnic or political violence.

After going through 3 weeks of hell in camp in which soldiers and paramilitary grill you, you wake up 3am & sleep 12am, the youths are still made to live in the harshest of conditions. Firstly, you’d be posted to a random state where you likely have no family member or relative.

Secondly, you’d be posted forcefully to a firm who may or may not pay your salary. Even where they pay, they give stipends compared to what resources your parents must have expended on you while learning.

Thirdly, during the one year of so-called national service, you must attend weekly, a senseless & time-wasting Community Development Scheme (CDS), where corpers do nothing more than gist noisily, & idle away!

Moreover, NYSC is a scheme where uneducated security officials & semi-illiterate zonal/area inspectors (staff) will bark at you for nothing during your registration. The soldiers are allowed to brutalize and slap corpers.

The registration which ordinarily ought to be simple has been made very complicated & tedious by the unintelligent & extremely lazy staff who’d rather gist on duty than attend to corpers.

As it is, NYSC just looks like an institution the govt has set up to brainwash educated Nigerian youths into compliance! They make us go through the ever boring Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) classes and listen to unlearned people lecture you on how to rear snails & plait hair! What nonsense!

They use poor graduates for cheap labour, even in harsh & unsafe environments. At best, if NYSC will continue it should be forced on graduates as it is currently. Those who don’t want to be part of the program should be allowed to proceed with their lives undisturbed.

Even the idea of reconciliation & cultural diversity for which the NYSC was instituted has failed woefully. 59 years down the line and Nigeria still isn’t united. Tribes still hate each other and almost all regions want to disintegrate & have their own country, even in 2019!

In recent years, the NYSC staff collect huge sums of money from parents & guardians to help the latter post their wards to favourable states like the F.C.T, Abuja and Lagos. So what’s the essence of such a mockery of national integrity & honesty called NYSC? It needs to be scrapped immediately!

Addendum: I commenced my own NYSC on November 21, 2017 and passed out on October 18th, 2018. It was finally good riddance to bad rubbish and the CDS days were a complete waste of my quality time.

True leaders will rise in Nigeria

President Buhari’s picture sourced from http://www.nairaland.com

The world is always in need of a leader, it could be you. Are you getting prepared? Remember, when good people refuse to lead, bad people will!

Did you watch the European championship final last Sunday? Prior to the match, we all thought the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7) would take all the glory as usual and win the final for his country. Some people even went as far as predicting he would score an unlikely hat-trick to usurp Antoine Griezmann’s tournament record. But what happened? The unpredictable happened. Ronaldo got injured in the 8th minute.

Then an unlikely captain and leader arose in person of Nani. In fact, an unlikely match winning goal came from the boot of Eder, the least expected hero! Eder, a player who started playing professionally in 2008 with Académica, a local Portuguese club. In comparison, Ronaldo as at 2007 had won the UEFA champions league with Manchester United and was already an established superstar. In fact, that same 2008 when Eder was just starting his professional football career, Ronaldo was busy winning a Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of
the Year awards, the first of many.

But Ronaldo couldn’t save the day on Sunday, an unknown Eder did. The Portuguese football team coach, Fernando Santos was quoted by Skysports to have later said of Eder’s exploit, “When he came on he told me he would score. The ugly duckling went and scored. Now he’s a beautiful swan.”

Some people will say “this is football,anything can happen.” But to me, this is not just football, this is life! Be ready for shocks and surprises.

Between 2014-2015, Nigerians(including me) rallied round in support of Muhammad Buhari’s candidacy. What has he done so far? His government, in the most unexpected manner, has created untold hardships on ordinary Nigerians. It’s the worst in terms of citizens’ welfare since Sani Abacha’s dictatorial rule which ended through his untimely death in 1998.

The corruption fight by the Federal government is laudable and for the first time in decades of history, corrupt politicians are being held accountable for stealing public funds. But where are the monies received so far? How long before someone else steals the monies if they’re not converted into good public use with visionary plans? In the same vein are allegations of witch-hunt and insincerity in the corruption fight. Clearly, it looks so. There are many corrupt men in the government. “Nemo dat quod non habet”, you simply can’t give what you have not. Corrupt men have no moral or legal right to hold fellow corrupt men.

Apparently, President Buhari is not the leader we all envisaged. We’ve all received the shocks of our lives from the sudden and provocative removal of fuel subsidy and high cost of kerosene which leaves the poor man no breathing space. Consequently, there is higher cost in price of transportation and food yet, state workers are being owed not less than 5 months salaries in over 25 states out of the total 36. Yet electricity supply is almost at level zero while tariffs have been increased nationwide. What should the poor man now do? Commit suicide or die of hunger?

Mind you, a hero will arise in this country one day. Quote me, the people will rise up! A leader will rise from Nigeria who would liberate not only the most populated black nation in the world but Africa at large. A leader will soon rise up whose political dimension is cosmopolitan, whose ideology is liberally democratic and who genuinely loves people.

A leader will rise who is not sectional in thinking, who’s neither tribalistic nor ethnocentric and harbors no hate towards people who are not his kith and kin. A leader will rise up who isn’t interested in enriching his own pocket and his family alone. A leader will rise up who really means business and would hit the ground running. A leader will rise who really wants to help solve world problems.

Of these, I believe.

Source:

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/19692/10498236/eder-reveals-cristiano-ronaldo-predicted-he-would-score-euro-2016-winner

Eder and Ronaldo’s joint picture appear courtesy Skysports

12 world leaders who grew from nothing into prominence

Today, I decided to compile a list of inspiring leaders, some were Presidents of their countries, others simply excelled in their chosen fields.

When I think of world leaders who share a common trait of humble background, these great men come to mind. They all rose from the bottom to the apogee height of their fields.

This goes to show that the odds actually do favor children of commoners to go on and achieve greatness. The list is released to inspire children and youths especially. Whatever your present condition, you can overcome as Martin Luther King jr. did!

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1. Nelson Mandela grew up in a hut in Transkei village. Struggled for everything from his education to life under apartheid & jail time.
Known worldwide today as the greatest African of the 20th century!

2. Abraham Lincoln grew up in a farmhouse, raised by an unpredictable mother battled from one failure to another.
He’s arguably the most popular/influential American President ever.

3. James Garfield grew up in a log cabin From log cabin to the White House! His life and death bares similarities with Lincoln’s.

4. Goodluck Jonathan grew up in Otuoke village (with no shoes, don’t forget). Rising from a series of miraculous events, he became Nigeria’s President at a very critical time.

5. Barack Obama grew up in Indonesia. He became the first American President of African descent.
From Africa to the world!

6. Obafemi Awolowo grew up in a farm. His father insisted he must go to school, ‘Awo’ simply loved farm life.
He later became one of the founding fathers of Nigeria, one of our greatest political leaders.
Originator of free education in old western region, politician par excellence, a sage of huge mental acumen. He’s my personal hero.

7. Mahatma Gandhi grew up in Porbandar, India. Married at 13 and extremely poor, his brother & family contributed to his trip to England for education.
He became India’s greatest ever leader and inspired Martin Luther King’s movement in USA several years later.

8. Nnamdi Azikwe grew up in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria. His father sent him to USA with all his life-savings & pension.
Nnamdi Azikwe became a god among men, probably the greatest intellectual leader Nigeria has ever had.
He flouted the first modern newspaper in Africa!

9. Martin Luther King Jr., raised in Atlanta in a conservative christian home, during America’s Great Depression.
Struggled through segregation in an unjust system, he became one of the greatest world leaders, leading African-Americans to attaining freedom and equal rights in USA.

10. Ben Carson, raised by an illiterate single mom in the Baltimore projects. He overcame failures and anger to become the greatest neuro-surgeon the world has ever seen.

11. Frederick Douglas used to be a slave but he became an abolitionist, writer or repute, prominent politician and statesman.
He taught himself how to read and became a famous orator. The first African American (several years before Jesse Jackson or Obama) to be nominated for Vice-President of USA.
The most influential African-American of the 19th century.

12. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery, extremely poor & struggled to attend school.
His life and leadership has inspired people all over the world.
He was a voice for the voiceless when African-Americans were segregated in America.

*You too can succeed like these great men. Keep doing what you do.

It’s a personal thing. Do you have a name you feel should make the list? You’re free to drop your own additions in the comment box. I’d probably draw another list in the future.

The Nigerian state: Things fall apart

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst,
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand…

-The Second coming; William Butler Yeats

I find it funny to read in the news daily as one Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo begs the newly-constituted body of Niger Delta militants, popularly known as Niger Delta Avengers to lay down arms and stop destroying oil pipelines. Few years ago, when Tompolo and his cohorts, Chief Ateke Tom and Asari Dokubo started blowing up Nigerian pipelines, they probably never thought of the repercussions of their felonious acts.

These shenanigans, claiming to agitate for the emancipation of the local people in the creeks, got juicy contracts and Abuja assets from the corrupt government ran under then President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and vanished into thin air. The same militant warlords who claimed government abandoned their communities became multi-millionaires and abandoned their own people. Now, the youths of those communities, aiming to also get rich through militancy are bombing pipelines and these old powerhouses are crying foul.

How can you claim betrayal when you’re simply beaten at your own game? It baffles thought that the same Tompolo who was alleged to have once bought six war-ships to battle the Nigerian state is now calling on the new militant group who obviously don’t pay him allegiance to call a truce and stop agitating. The likes of Tompolo, Ateke Tom and Asari Dokubo showed the Niger-Delta youths the way of violence and bloodshed under Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s govt in 2007. Now in 2016, under Buhari’s govt, the warlords are preaching holiness and gentility? What could have happened, did they suddenly meet Jesus Christ? I guess they’re just playing the same politics of deceit Nigeria is known for.

The recent bombings and destruction in that oil region, herdsmen massacres, Chibok-girls kidnapping and Biafra resurgence are what happens anywhere in the world where leadership has failed. There’s hardly a problem in Nigeria today that isn’t as a result of the failure of leadership. I read the Sunday Sun newspaper edition of May 22, 2016, where an interview was granted by a war veteran of the Biafra war. The retired Colonel Joe Achuzia who doubles as General Secretary of IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) claimed in the interview that Biafra people never surrendered after the Civil war.

That brings a new twist and vista to the Biafra debacle as we all know the then leader, late General Ojukwu fled the country, went into exile and left his vice president, Major Gen. Philip Effiong (rtd.) to surrender in a televised statement which I’ve watched and the statements made by Effiong were very clear. Now, for a war veteran of Joe Achuzia’s age to make such statements is very unfortunate. It’s even more unfortunate that these are the people leading Nigerians, people with no honor, who can’t keep their word.

The civil war claimed over 2 million lives, property worth billions of naira were lost and Nigeria went 20 years backward in development. At this stage, one would expect a man as old as Col. Joe Achuzia (rtd.) not to even try reopening old wounds. The man who spearheaded the Biafra front during the war, late General Odumegwu Ojukwu (rtd.) said severally before his death that he regretted going to war. Ojukwu said he led the war because he felt Igbos were going to be wiped off in a genocide.

Nigeria could really use some political stability at a period when oil prices has crashed in the international market and the country is going through a transition from being a oil-dependent economy to finding new means of survival. Nigeria doesn’t need any more drama from the Biafra agitators, Niger Delta militias, Boko Haram or herdsmen. If only the country could be united at this critical stage then we can all be happy in the end. That said, the FG should still find ways for dialogue, call a conference and discuss openly with any discontent ethnic group in Nigeria. Let’s negotiate our national unity if possible, the era of force is long gone.

On the issue of Boko Haram, our political leaders are still to answer. President Muhammadu Buhari, when he was running for office in 2011 had said that if he failed to win, Nigeria would be made ungovernable for the government under then President Jonathan. Now, the fact that he made that statement and was quoted doesn’t mean he sponsored Boko haram but the statement obviously fueled the insurgency that broke out from the north shortly after. The Boko haram eggs were laid by President Buhari’s hen, he must now kill the disturbing chickens. Thank God he’s now the President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed forces.

How sincere is this government on the fight against corruption? Recently, we heard about the secret CBN employment list which included only names of the bigwigs in Nigeria, especially one of President Buhari’s own children. This is insensitive at a period when the unemployment level in the country is alarming. Just about a week ago, Diamond Bank sacked over 200 of its workers. Yet our politicians are solidifying their stakes in this country buy fixing their children in the best positions.

I’m yet to see any sign the budget has been passed, life is still hard for the ordinary Nigerians. I don’t comprehend why Mr President is hoarding funds that belongs to all Nigerians. One would expect FG’s infrastructural development to have started by now to create job opportunities for the unemployed. One would expect the minimum wage of government workers to have been increased in line with inflated price of goods and services. By now, one would expect a genuine FG to be looking at ways to legislate for more economic autonomy for the states so that they depend less on the central government. By now, a national economic team or committee should have been formed, comprising the best brains in the field, looking as ways to improve the standard of living of Nigerians.

How sincere are we on education? Do we really want the Nigerian masses to be enlightened or we just want an ignorant population who are easily manipulated, especially by political parties? I recently saw a picture of the Osun state governor attending the convocation of the University of Osun & presenting the best graduating student with a mug! We keep complaining each year that the standard of WAEC and NECO exams drop. We keep complaining why majority of Nigerian students fail woefully in mathematics & sciences, yet we do nothing. These kids observe the body language of the country. They’ll rather start a dance group than start a book club!

Is it not obvious how much everybody is getting diverted by the entertainment industry and make-belief lifestyle? Orisaguna Olajumoke getting millions of naira of what I call ‘pity-funds’ for snapping a single picture that went viral, her life changed overnight though she’s still an illiterate & I’ve never heard her make a single intellectual statement. Reekado Banks, D’ija and Korede Bello getting millions of naira worth of Globacom endorsements after dropping just one single apiece. Beverly Osu getting acting jobs and being celebrated nation-wide even though her nude BBA clips are all over the internet. No wonder all our girls want to be models and dancers. Little wonder all our boys want to be musicians and comedians. This is where past and present Nigerian leaders got us. Who will deliver Nigeria now?

Intellectuals are scarce nowadays, social media is full of unintelligent arguments by Nigerian youths. Sometimes I’m too ashamed, sometimes I want to cry for my country. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said and I quote, “The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.”
Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his book, ‘Voice of Reason’, he said “to cultivate courage, strength, knowledge, and a sense of spiritual values, education is our most potent weapon.” Nelson Mandela even said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” One Mr Sunday Dada graduated with a 5.0 GPA in psychology department of Unilag early this year, I’m yet to see any telecoms company endorse him same way they’re always quick to adopt these drop-out artistes. If Sunday Dada was an American or British, he would have been celebrated country-wide, his story would have been featured on all their tabloids. Here, we celebrate drop-outs!

All through history, great leaders have inspired nations with speeches. Abraham Lincoln did with the Gettysburg address, Barack Obama did with his ‘yes, you can’ mantra. I’m worried for this country if the best our leaders can do is trade blames.
The May 29, 2016 Independence speech was so dry, even Goodluck Jonathan did better during his time. There was no energy, no encouragement for the Nigerian people, the whole picture painted was gloomy, with boring talks of how the previous administration looted the nation. I think by now Mr President ought to know that Nigerians don’t claim ignorance of the past regime’s looting, in fact, that’s why we voted for Mr President in March 2015 and all we want now from him is less promises and more actions. We don’t need to be reminded of the state of economy, we want it fixed soonest, that’s why we put President Buhari in Aso Villa and pay him from tax-payer’s money.

The president still failed to mention the fulani herdsmen killing thousands of people in the southern part of Nigerian. This President continues to prove suspicions right that he’s tribalistic. Those who make peaceful resolution impossible will eventually make violent revolution inevitable. It’s either President Buhari stops hiding behind the facade of Aso Villa & face real national problems or people will revolt in the long run. Past administrations of government had a way of shying from these problems & that’s why we have different insurgent groups now battling the government same time.

President Buhari has spent the last few months trying to persuade Nigerians to patronise home-made goods in the face of naira’s fall against the US dollar. It surprised me when the President had a little health challenge few days ago & quickly traveled to London for medical checks. So much for the so called ‘incorruptible and honest’ President, he could not even stay true to his words. As bad as the Nigerian economy is, doesn’t Mr President collect his bumper salary and travel bonuses? Has he been travelling abroad with his own funds? Why does he keep making excuses for the suffering Nigerian masses? It is unfair and insensitive. The President Buhari’s state of health and reason for traveling abroad is also a cogent reason for him to develop and invest national resources into our own medical system in Nigeria.

In the same Independence day speech, Mr President described the budget impasse, which dragged on for months before it was finally appropriated in early May (with almost half of the year gone) , as mere ‘consensus building which is integral to democratic government.’ Well, Mr President failed to build the same consensus with Nigerian masses who elected him before increasing fuel price from 86 to 145 naira per litre, in a country which is the 6th largest producer of oil in the world! President Buhari himself said in his speech that Nigeria once had four refineries & exported refined products. What happened to these refineries and why are we now importing 90% of our petrol?

When he spoke about the army’s combat with insurgency, he made a misnomer;
“I would like to pay a special tribute to our gallant men and women of the armed forces… Their work is almost done. The nation owes them a debt of gratitude.”
Point of correction sir, the work of the armed forces is never done! Even when they’re is no war or insurgency, they must be alert, security must never go to sleep, that’s what soldiers live for. That’s why we spend tax-payers’ money equipping the armed forces! These kind of statements made by President Buhari is misleading, it’s the kind of cynical statements that leads to indolence, the same lethargy that got us into this state of inertia.

The modest inventions during the Nigerian Civil war were never followed up & one wonders what happened to the inventors then. In Nigeria, we’ve been going to sleep not thinking about our immediate future. Sadly, we remain an exporter of abundant raw materials but importers of technical know-how and finished goods. We can’t survive economically or even protect our country within and without with this complete dependence on importation of our economic & defence needs. According to General D.M Jemibewon (rtd.), ‘The nation would soon find that by developing its own technology, it is developing the mind, the population and the nation which will in turn breed national pride and awareness and raise the level of technology and technological competence.’
The war veteran made this submission in 1981 and up to date, the condition hasn’t changed! Do our leaders read books at all?

As at 1981, in a lecture delivered at National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), General D.M Jemibewon(rtd.) had said of Nigerian defence that, “we had an Army without arms, we had arms without ammunitions, and when we had both there was no guarantee for their continued supplies.” He said that referring to the situation during the Civil war (1967-1970) whereby the Army lacked war munitions or the proper technology to combat the Biafrans. It’s appalling that the case hasn’t really changed much since 1981 when that statement was made by the veteran soldier.

The strength of our military system alone, at prima facie value, could have been enough deterrence to current insurgents or internal threats such as the IPOB, MASSOB, Niger Delta Avengers and Boko haram. Some of these groups wouldn’t dare disturb the peace of our beloved country if they knew Nigerian defence system was strong and autonomous enough. Currently, the 36 states of Nigeria has 36 state assemblies & 36 judiciary systems totally consuming over 60 per cent of annual gross national revenue and budgetary allocations. A constitutional system allowing such wastage & partiality in sharing resources could be amended to better provide for our National Defence. The Police force needs restructuring, the Army, Customs and every single part of our Defence system.

We all heard about the allegations of Access Bank GMD, Mr Herbert Wigwe’s connivance in money laundering with former Minister of petroleum, Diezani Madueke, money & assets worth several billions of naira. An average Nigerian enters Nigerian banks and all you hear is CBN rules, CAMA rules, the bankers go on and on. Sometimes you can’t even withdraw your own funds till you go to court for affidavits to prove ownership of account, even when the error wasn’t yours but the bank’s.

We need to exalt our values above formal rules in this country. True human values wouldn’t have made Access Bank GMD steal or launder money. Stealing is generally anti-social behavior and that’s why its wrong, apart from it being against the state laws. These influential people make these rules and find it easy to break their own rules, so why don’t we inculcate true human values & character into kids as they grow? This, they won’t depart from.

Sources:

David Medaiyese Jemibewon, The Military, Law and Society: Reflections of a General (1998, Spectrum Books) 20

dailypost.ng/2015/01/03/boko-haram-killings-increased-buharis-threat-make-nigeria-ungovernable-fasehun/#

https://www.naij.com/844542-breaking-bloodbath-in-biafra-pro-biafra-activists-clash-with-army-30-killed-photos.html?source=index_shared

President Barack Hussein Obama: A sellout and major mistake

I write full of disappointment! Full of anger and distraught towards our supposed role-model, angel of light and perfectionist who has proven to be unworthy of those good qualifications. President Barack Obama rode on the back of the goodwill of good people in the world in 2008, there was massive support for him. After hundreds of years of oppression of black people in the United States of America, all we wanted was a representative on that presidency seat.

As Sal Bommarito succinctly puts it,
“… to elect an African American president was a huge and very inspiring event for the country, I thought. Finally, after 200-plus years of discrimination and repression, a black man became the most powerful person on the planet. African-Americans rejoiced when this man was elected — they had a true role model. Well, the president has disappointed on this front as well.”

Tragedy is when you leave important things to attend to frivolity. President Obama has been spending the rest of his last one year of presidency, meeting with Hollywood celebrities in the White House, showing them around in a relaxed manner. Does this mean United States of America has no more challenges in its coffers? Come on, this is the world’s most powerful country! I don’t think Vladimir Putin is currently dining with celebrities in the Russian state house. We all know Obama rode on the back of these celebrities to office and their support & consequently their fan’s support gave him the needed votes, most especially the black and latino communities who listen most to Jay-Z, Jeezy, Nas et al. But if President Obama feels he needs to show his gratitude to these guys he can’t ignore the plight of millions other miserable Americans who aren’t celebrities.

Under Obama’s presidency, there has been more concerns about the mistreatment of migrants in USA than under any other President in American history. History has been good to Obama but he has not been good to history. He came at the perfect time, but instead of being that man, instead of returning the great favor bestowed on his lowly character he has decided to be a catalyst for repression. When you remain silent in the face of oppression & decide to keep mum then you are on the side of oppression. This president came into office with the impression of being on the common man’s side but he has failed, he’s no friend of the common man after all.

If I had read President Obama’s political book, The Audacity of Hope as at 2008 when it was released, I wouldn’t have been as enthusiastic as I was about his candidacy for president then. In the book, he appeared smart, intelligent & a visionary but then he showed how much of a politician he can be. President Obama is someone who would say whatever you want him to say even though he has his own reservations. He’s just like the rest of the other politicians, he’s not a saint after all.

In the Audacity of Hope, he spoke twice about Nigeria and it was not in good light. This is the biggest & most blessed country in Africa and the supposed “African-American” President Obama has no regards for its people. On page 168 he talks about USA depending on oil coming from Nigeria & other large exporters of crude oil & questioned how America’s $800 million goes into the hands of “the world’s most volatile regimes.” According to President Obama, “it doesn’t matter whether they’re despotic regimes with nuclear intentions or havens for madrassas that plant seeds of terror in young minds – they get our money because we need their oil.” President Obama has shown he cares not about what happens in Africa, millions can die but America will not budge, that’s what he’s saying. He had the temerity to also allege that USA’s dependence on oil from Africa & Asia undermines their national security. I’m an African, a Nigerian and I’m not a terrorist! Nigeria is not a threat to world security. What’s the President really insinuating, is George Zimmerman and his cohorts Africans or aren’t they threats to America’s national safety? Statements like these will always fall from the mouth of an African-American President who doesn’t see himself as an African, who has more sympathies for his white brothers than his true family. That’s why he can’t understand that Africa isn’t America’s problem, it’s the other way round.

He referred to Nigeria again on page 319 of the book, claiming that “countries like, India, Nigeria, and China have developed two legal systems – one for foreigners and elites, and one for the ordinary people trying to get ahead.” If Obama wants to berate African and Asian legal systems, what about the Judge who set George Zimmerman free to roam the streets after murdering young Trayvon Martin based on race prejudice? What of the police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri recently?

What about all the injustices that goes on in USA daily, human rights encroachments in the supposed citadel of democracy? What about the oppression of black people in America which claimed the lives of great men such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., young men murdered in their prime? What about Tupac Shakur’s political murder in 1996, which was made to resemble a gang or music rivalry but no arrest has been made till now? President Obama’s USA isn’t perfect and its even more imperfect and vulnerable under his regime. Obama is going to leave that seat worse than it has ever been economically since the great depression in 1929. Politically, it is the worst in the history of the country. The country is tensed and the world, consequently is tensed. ISIS is a new phenomenon, the tentacles are worldwide and it is a result of President Obama’s lack of political will.

The page 286 of The Audacity of Hope sees President Obama himself confessing to America’s sins of tolerating and aiding juntas and despotic regimes around the world, just to oust leaders who lean towards communism. USA aided Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo DR and the despot was visited by every single American president since Dwight D. Eisenhower, only Jimmy Carter was the exception. What has President Obama done to remedy those ills in the Congo? Congo was in peace before America decided to interfere in their politics. The same problems created by his predecessors, one would have automatically expected an African-American President of the USA to make things right. Isn’t it an open secret that President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered C.I.A to kill Congo DR’s first prime minister and one true legitimate leader, Patrice Lumumba due to his romance with the Soviet Union? Didn’t the USA aid Mobutu and Belgium in Lumumba’s eventual cold murder? What about Thomas Sankara, Nigeria’s Murtala Muhammed…? It’s about time the world puts America where it belongs.

No one really cared to check deeply the character of President Obama when he came in through the back door and took over with his cunning methods. Well, I wish people did as I’m sure most Americans have also seen the grave mistake committed by now. Unscrupulous politics can get you in power but won’t allow you have the best of administrations! Obama is afraid of White America. He’s too passive and lethargic to make any solid impact and I wonder why people didn’t see this on time. The man is such an accomplished con man who has succeeded in hiding his true colors. A president who never admits failure or mistake but claim misunderstanding or blame political opponents is not fit to lead. President Obama should learn to take responsibility for his shortcomings. Some of his “misunderstandings” of the situation has actually allowed the creation & widespread of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. It’s simply a case of negligence by an irresponsible and passive leader.

Sources:

10 Ways Obama Has Failed as President

http://m.mic.com/articles/61019/8-reasons-why-obama-s-presidency-has-been-a-disappointment#.pvUmfDv9e

These 4 Miscalculations Will Define Obama’s Presidency

http://opportunitylives.com/three-major-problems-with-president-obamas-isis-speech/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr01/3666/2016/en/

Women: are they really weaker vessels?

Gender discrimination and inequality is an inbuilt problem with the culture, tradition and socialization of many people in many different societies. The issue of gender inequality – disrespect of women, neglect of their rights and privileges, not allowing them play leadership roles at the macro and micro level of society – has always troubled me. In fact, I planned the topic of this article about three years ago while as a sophomore undergraduate in the university I studied with keen attention, the gender inequality in my school.

A university which ought to be the bedrock of politics, sanity and everything good in a country. In the student union government of the school, the highest a lady could aspire to was the post of vice president, while the presidential slot was normally reserved for a guy. I noticed even the brightest, most popular and strongest (in terms of personality) ladies on campus never aspired to be President of the union.

From the talks I’ve heard with some of them who were my friends, I discovered they never even gave it a thought. Throughout my nearly five years sojourn, no lady ever became President or even contested for the post! While trying to understand this problem, I looked at the macro-level of the Nigeria state and found out the highest position a woman holds these days is deputy governor of a state. In fact, it has been like that for a while.

The last and first ever female governor Nigeria has ever had was the Anambra state former governor, Dame Virgy Etiaba (2nd November 2006 – 13th June 2007). It must be noted that her instatement came not as result of popular election votes but the impeachment of Governor Peter Obi by the state legislature for alleged gross misconduct.

She had to transfer power back to Obi three months later when the appeal court nullified the impeachment. She was deputy governor to Obi. The last female speaker of the House of representatives, Patricia Olubunmi Etteh was booted out of office due to embezzlement and mismanagement of funds, a move which has further reduced the chances of a woman leading that lower chamber soonest.

That period in 2007 marked one of the most scandalous periods in the National Assembly history in recent years. At the last general elections in March 28, 2015, the only woman who contested for President was Prof. Remi Sonaiya of my alma matar (OAU) and she was snubbed by Nigerians, judging from the number of votes she got. It was unclear whether fellow women even believed in her candidacy.

When she declared interest in contesting, I had been expecting cheers and encouragements to come from the women in the country but as it seems, these days most ladies are only interested in ‘being a lady’ and not bothering for those ‘men-like’ vocations like politics and pure sciences.

Since independence in 1960, no woman has ever been Senate President, only one woman has been Speaker of the House of Reps and she was impeached within months! No woman has ever been president or vice president of the country.

The 8th National Assembly ushered in by the March 28, 2015 general elections has only 7 female senators elected into the upper chamber, the remaining 102 seats occupied by men! Only Anambra, Oyo and Ondo (maybe one or two others) elected female speakers for their Houses of Assembly between 2011-2015. At the grassroot level, in 774 local governments in Nigeria, I know no female chairman/chairperson.

I must say the idea of ‘weaker vessel’ which I’ve heard for the umpteenth time nauseates me down to my spleen! For how could you call women weaker vessels when 22 women are currently the Presidents and leaders of their countries worldwide. Liberia, Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Lithuania, Bangladesh, Denmark, Jamaica, Kosovo, Trinidad & Tobago, Poland, Chile etc. How then can women be weaker vessels?

Dr Joyce Hilda Banda was also President of Malawi while the strong Benazir Bhutto also led Pakistan, a country with an estimated population of over 191 million, making it the world’s sixth-most-populous country. How could I not mention the effervescent Indira Gandhi, a woman who was as gracious as her father and probably gave modern India an even stronger leadership than her father.

What of UK’s ‘Iron Lady’, Margaret Thatcher and Israel’s Golda Meir (both prime ministers), not to mention reigning UK monarch, Queen Elizabeth II? In the areas of academics, sociologists Jane Adams and Ida Wells Barnett made magnificent impacts in the lives of people, they’ve made lasting marks that even men cannot erase!

Some women are physically stronger and bigger than their husbands. There has been Customary and High court cases in Nigeria whereby the wife was alleged to have beaten the husband mercilessly in a domestic fight. It’s then clear from the foregoing that woman being a weaker vessel to man is not only a misnomer but a deliberate assault on the sensibilities of right thinking women.

The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) made an outline recently of a typical day for a man and woman in a family that grows both food and cash crops.

A typical woman’s day:
“Rise first
Kindle fire
Breast feeds the baby
Fixes breakfast
Washes and dresses the children
Walks one kilometer home
Feed livestocks
Washes cooking utensils
Washes clothing
Breast feeds the baby
Walk a kilometer to the field with food for husband
Walks a kilometer back home
Walks a kilometer to her field
Waters field
Breast feeds baby
Gathers firewood on way home
Walks a kilometer to fetch water
Walks a kilometer home
Kindles fire
Prepares meal
Breast feeds baby
Puts house in order
Goes to bed last”

A typical man’s day:
“Rises when breakfast is ready
Walks a kilometer to field
Works in field
Walks a kilometer home
Eats when wife arrives with food
Works in the field
Walks one kilometer home
Rests, eats, walks to the village to visit other men
Goes to bed
Summons wife to comfort him”

Personally I believe this outline to be a little over-blown in terms of the works women do, because in most families it is actually the other way round. In this modern era and with economic stress everywhere, the husbands practically break their backs to provide for the family while some wives shop and hang out with friends. Some housewives take at least two naps before the end of the day and still sleep at night. This being clear, we still can’t afford to undermine or belittle the impact of women in every home. A friend of mine once remarked that “women are the reasons why the world is enjoyable, without them there’s nothing to live for.”

According to Professor Ademola Popoola, ”gender refers to the socially and historically constructed relations between men and women, as opposed to their biological differences. The social relations of gender are dynamic and change over time, being shaped by cultural, social, political and economic relations of power that affect males and females in different ways of all societies.”

The Beijing declaration which was made during the 4th world conference of September 1995 was majorly to “advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of humanity.”

The divine purpose for which God created woman (as seen in Genesis 2: 18-24) was to serve as companion and certainly not as a slave or subordinate to man. Also, she (a woman) is to serve as instrument of ensuring the continued survival of the human race through procreation.

Thus, in the Epistles of St. Paul though, man is described as head of the family, same man is enjoined to love his wife “just as Christ loved the church and sacrificed Himself for her to make her Holy” (see Ephesians 5:20-21).

If there would be a change in gender inequality, there has to be a change in the way women view themselves too. I’ve met some very young women whose self-esteem and pride are so terribly low that they believe they must always be with a man and do degrading things to maintain the man before their lives can be ‘glorious.’

A lot of ladies are like the lady in Eddie Murphy’s 1988 award-winning comedy film “Coming to America” where the prince met his betrothed wife for the first time on his 21st birthday. While getting to know her, he asked her a few questions which the poor lady simply replied in a way that shows how many women have been taught to think (a sad reality). Eddie Murphy acted the character named Hakeem, the sole heir to the throne of a wealthy African kingdom named Zamunda, in West Africa. The conversation goes thus:

Hakeem: What do you like to do?
Lady: Whatever you like!

Hakeem: What kind of music do you like ?
Lady: Whatever kind of music you like?

Hakeem: Do you have a favorite food?
Lady: Yes

Hakeem: Ok, what’s your favorite food?
Lady: Whatever food you like? (is anyone laughing yet?)

Hakeem: Are you saying you’d do anything I say you should do?
Lady: Yes, your highness!

Hakeem: Ok, bark like a dog!
Lady: (she starts barking)

I remember the speech of legendary American female rapper, MC Lyte in 2013 when she was given the ”I am Hip Hop” at the BET awards. She finished off her acceptance speech by saying, “women if you want to be treated like a queen, act like one!” That’s perhaps the most important instruction to women that I’ve ever heard in my life. So cogent and apt that statement is, I’ve ceased to forget it in two years. For how can a woman rightfully hope to be treated with respect if she doesn’t respect herself first?

How can a woman hope to be seen for her intelligence and not as a sexual object if she keeps dressing provocatively? How can a woman hope to win a public election if she allows herself to be compromised? How can a woman hope to become President of a nation if she doesn’t herself aspire and determine to break the jinx and go against the odds? Women, the ball is in your court.

Sources:

Popoola, Ademola (Professor) (2015) Of Women, Law and gender justice: The rhetorics, the realities, and the African perspectives, University of Ilorin annual public lecture 2015

Rulers.org

WorldStatesmen.org

Regnal Chronologies

http://www.jjmccullough.com/charts_rest_female-leaders.php

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/nigeria-article/404112-list-of-nigerian-senate-presidents-and-house-speakers.html

Kindly follow me on twitter @tom_olas

The evil the West did to my Continent

*Author’s headnote

I have a small theory, which I’ve been trying to experiment upon with myself as much as I could, without confusing bias with value- isn’t that what Max Weber took most of his time to tell us? My theory is that, the best time to write a critical political article is when you’ve not had breakfast (and lunch together), for the hunger in your stomach brings the right anger you need to write. Hunger + intellectual anger equals to genius, a great piece of artistic creation! Note that the kind of anger I’m working with, not a violent one but the type that stresses your intellectual reservoir and makes you study & work on things you’d normally let slide. This I’ve further proven this morning as I write this article which started as a little chit-chat on the phone with my sister who’s in faraway Abuja. I hope you all feel my pain as you read. Enjoy.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Sir Edmund Burke

The West assassinated our brightest intellectuals and left us with despots, kleptocrats, thieves and rogues. Christopher Okigbo died in the war-front while trying to defend his region during the Biafran war (Nigerian Civil war 1967-1970). He was killed in Nsukka, the university town where he first started out as a poet, and which he had vowed to defend with his life. Chrisopher Okigbo is widely regarded as one of the most important African poets to write in English. What was he doing at the war-front? What changed his mindset? These are the questions that baffles the mind. Okigbo rejected the first prize in African poetry awarded to him at the 1965 Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, declaring that there is no such thing as a Negro or black poet. A step some other African poets like Dennis Brutus followed later by also rejecting awards that they felt degraded the idea of pan-africanism and encroached the dignity of mankind.

Dennis Brutus’s book, Sirens, Knuckles and Boots, published in Nigeria while he was in jail received the Mbari Poetry Prize, awarded to a black poet of distinction, but Brutus turned it down on the grounds of its racial exclusivity – similar to what Okigbo had done. What did these intellectuals see that most Africans don’t get to see? They had seen the truth behind the international establishments. In December 2007, Brutus was to be inducted into the South African Sports Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony, he publicly turned down his nomination and said; “It is incompatible to have those who championed racist sport alongside its genuine victims. It’s time—indeed long past time—for sports truth, apologies and reconciliation.” Why would Brutus reject South Africa’s biggest honour in sports? It is because he knew he would have sold his birthright by receiving that award. The initiators were trying to, mildly and latently, lure him to their side. Brutus was aware of this and immediately rejected the Honors, something most people would jump at. Miss such an opportunity to be more famous and decorated? No way! Those who offered the award too probably underestimated him & thought he would fall for such miniature temptation of vainglory.

Patrice Émery Lumumba (2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) wasn’t so lucky to laugh last over his European enemies. He was murdered in cold blood, he alongside two of his closest allies were gunned down at night by British and Belgian firing squad and his body dissolved with sulphuric acid so his corpse wouldn’t be found! Patrice, a Congolese independence leader, was the first ever democratically elected leader of the country. He was the leader of the mainstream Mouvement National Congolais (MNC) party, Lumumba played a pivotal role in campaigning for independence from Belgium. What was the crime of this very young and bright Congolese politician? He was an unrepentant pan-Africanist and wanted to unite Congo. You will feel nothing but contempt due to the brutality of the Belgians policemen and UK forces, including the American CIA who also wanted Lumumba dead. It was alleged that the ‘almighty’ President Dwight D. Eisenhower of USA had ordered Lumumba’s death. In an interview on Belgian television in a program on the assassination of Lumumba in 1999, Belgian police commissioner Gerard Soete displayed a bullet and two teeth that he boasted he had saved from Lumumba’s body. The question I keep asking myself is, ‘what were Belgian, British and American forces still doing in Congo, a year after the latter’s independence?’ Was the independence real or was it just a ploy to throw the country into chaos and stay around to kill the greatest citizens of the country? I need answers. Patrice is a national hero. He’s to Congo what Awolowo and Nkrumah are to Nigeria and Ghana!

Same thing happened in Burkina Faso with the young military captain, Thomas Sankara who was murdered at 37 years old in a coup led by the dictator, Blaise Compaoré. Look at the similarity in character with Patrice Lumumba, Sankara was a Pan-Africanist, young and vibrant, revolutionary and charismatic. He renamed Upper Volta to what is now known as Burkina Faso (which means ‘Land of Upright Man’) today. Sankara seized power in a 1983 popularly supported coup at the age of 33, with the goal of totally eliminating corruption and the dominance of the former French colonial power. What a vision Sankara had for his nation. He had begun achieving profound results in agriculture, health sector, economy, education, corruption, political stability and security when his life was cut short in a French-backed coup led by Compaoré. Sankara led by example, not as a dictator would compel you normally. Sankara outlawed female genital mutilation, forced marriages and polygamy, while appointing women to high governmental positions( when last did you see a military dictator who respected women?).

What happened after France backed Blaise Compaoré to assassinate and shatter Sankara’s body with bullets during the coup? Compaoré immediately reversed the nationalization policy of Sankara, overturned nearly all of Sankara’s policies, rejoined the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to bring in “desperately needed” funds to restore the “shattered” economy. Compaoré’s dictatorship then remained in power, until it was overthrown by popular protests in 2014 when he attempted to amend the constitution to further extend his 27-year term! As I pointed out from the start, these powerful western powers always spearhead the assassination of every intellectual, visionary African leader then, place an empty-headed imbecile in their stead. Look at the conspiracy and Africans keep playing into their hands. Even today, most youths don’t care to know what happened before their time. If you don’t know, how do you prevent being manipulated further? We cannot afford to make the mistakes our parents made. In Congo, Belgium replaced Lumumba with the Congolese politician they paid to hold the coup, Mobutu Sese Seko who reigned for 32 years of corruption and absurdity! As Edmund Obilo rightfully posits on one of his radio talks on Splash FM 105.5, “sadly, corruption continues to be a state policy in Africa.”

To win the Caine Prize or get well-known international publishers like Bloomsbury to publish your work, one must write slanderous things about his own people, major bad themes about Africa such as maternal mortality, the slave trade e.t.c. Then make sure you look haggard in the book cover picture. In this way, you get published real fast, maybe even get nominated for an international award or two. A little background check on the book cover pictures of Chimamanda Adichie and Buchi Emecheta proves me right. Its the same for any other writer who wants to sell on those international platforms. To win the Booker prize or Caine prize you more or less have to sell-out in some ways to the organizers. Want to know what I mean by selling-out? Go find out whether past winners who are of African origin actually continue to stay in their fatherland. They always leave. Background check on Chimamanda Adichie, Tope Folarin, Ben Okri, Buchi Emecheta, Okey Ndibe & co. proves me right.

What led to the sudden irritation? Chinua Achebe kept talking about the ills in the political and economic scene in Nigeria, but he refused to stay here. He eventually died overseas. The tragedy of post-imperialism and neo-colonialism is when Africans begin to refer to the hardships in their lives as a result of them being Africans. Humankind face hardships generally, be you Canadian, Asian or African. I see Africans playing to the hands of the imperialists if they feel nothing good can come out of themselves because of their origin. Merely reading Chimamanda’s Americanah brings to fore the racism which still exist in our world today. Who has seen Donald Trump’s comments on Barack Obama lately? We all thought racism died with Martin Luther King Jnr. And Malcolm X but the joke’s on us all because racism didn’t died, it still exist in our world today.

We have to bring the reading culture back quickly. Its direly needed. How do we question these forces if we don’t study our history books? There are still thousands of African heroes like Patrice Lumumba and we rarely hear anything about them because they were killed and buried secretly, even the records and legacies of them are near-dead due to the efforts of subsequent shenanigan governments and these powerful Western forces. Now, if the West killed all of Africa’s best minds, do they have the moral or actual right to turn-around & say Africans are monkeys who can’t think, who can’t rule themselves? What did the West leave Africa after centuries of slavery? The truth is, the West killed our best brains & left us with despots like Mugabe, Charles Taylor, Mobutu Sese Seko e.t.c. Now they’ve established all these ineffective charity organisations to bring aid to Africa, such as USAID, IMF, WHO, UNESCO, ICJ… It’s only because they want us to be in eternal servitude to them. Their plan has always been to subjugate Africa. United Nations officials were present in Congo when Patrice Lumumba was being brutalized, the knew about it but did nothing. Lumumba had personally sent for them at the beginning of the crisis. They never cared. They ruined Africa & now they’re giving us a ‘helping hand?’ UN are currently donating food to war-torn South Sudan. Ask, the war-fares were supplied by who? Who backed the rebel opposition? The same countries with the largest stakes at the UN!!! The aids United Nations claim to be giving Africa now, visionary African leaders like Thomas Sankara made more progress at local generation of these same things before being murdered in coups backed by France, Belgium, USA, Britain & co.

France backed up Blaise Compraore to plan his coup & assassinate Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso. Thomas Sankara was a soldier like no other, he wrote three solid books. He was an intellectual par excellence. The Nigerian civil war was made possible by western powers, USA, Spain, Belgium, France, Russia, Czech, Germany to name a few e.t.c. France was a major supporter of the Biafran secessionists, supplying arms and ammunitions. Funny enough, these same France later sent aid to starving children of the war-torn region. They even came down to train General Ojukwu’s lieutenants. Now, the same countries can’t send their soldiers to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram! Do you smell foul? These powerful western countries could back a region to secede from the rest of Nigeria but won’t send troops to Nigeria to help terminate minor Boko Haram in just about five states in Nigeria. Even South African mercenaries fought for Biafra, where are they now? The West can’t wait to see Africa explode from the gun-powder keg they’ve set and all true Africans must rise up!

Sources:

Priebe, Richard K. “Christopher Okigbo” Microsoft Encarta 2009. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.

Wikipedia

http://m.democracynow.org/stories/11555

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The People (part 2)

When Mr Tom Joyner mounted the stage to give his acceptance speech at the 2015 BET awards held recently, he made a point that touched me and affirmed everything I’ve ever really stood for. He said, “our purpose on earth is to help others.” What a statement! What a point! That, coming from a man who just won a highly distinguished award as the Humanitarian award is something to really hold dearly. It is also a clarion call and challenge to everybody who has led a selfish life until date.

The purpose of life is love. How can we show love? To whom do we show love? When do we show love? The answers are found in Christ Jesus (see John 21:15-17). Our actions reflect love. You can’t claim to love someone inside and all that comes out is strife. Love is a seed that germinates, if you love people they’d know! Love is to be shown to everyone, every man you come across in life. Imagine the results on the world order when love germinates from the tiny seed sowed by every individual. There would be no more wars! There’s no time-frame on being kind to others. Let love flow ceaselessly like waters from the river. Let’s show love all the time.

As a realist, I don’t blame people who show selfish tendencies towards others. I even try to encourage my friends who I noticed aren’t selfless. The reason is that I noticed humans are naturally selfish. Most people, if trapped in a burning house alongside a friend, would first struggle to save themselves and escape before remembering that someone else is still on fire! It’s not so wrong, just normal life actually. Everybody is born with a strong sense of self-defense mechanism that makes you run instantly when you hear a big boom like a bomb, without being told. I’ve noticed that even those people who complain that life is not fair and enjoy no luxury still want to stay alive! They don’t want to die.

We all love life, even with all the injustices to our persons! Now, that simply shows something. Man is naturally self-centred and it takes the extraordinary man to be selfless. Now, shouldn’t we all strive to be extraordinary? Is that not the higher call? To surpass the ordinary flesh!

The African continent is home to some of the most religious nations in the world. In my own country, Nigeria, there are congregation as much as 50,000 people on a regular Sunday service in some churches. The reason for this mammoth turnout is not because most of these people love God. Most people go for the miracles. The poverty in the continent has made many turn to God out of necessity, not willfully! Most people will join another religion if that offers them bigger hope of good life. I’m very sure, being a practical Christian, that many of the Christian faithfuls worship God so as to gain His kingdom of heaven. Probably if there was no promise of heaven or paradise, maybe many Christians wouldn’t be Christians! A lot of people, though religious, don’t really have the true understanding of God. God is love and He created man to love and worship Him, a part which man should & must play whether there is a promise of ‘goodies’ or not. Serving God for poverty alleviation, in my opinion, is really selfish, parochial & utilitarian in form. But God is the one true judge of us all.

They say ‘life is a teacher’, but how can we claim to have ‘lived’ if we don’t learn lessons from the master itself? Life is the master/teacher, thus, when we face troubles and tribulations we should absorb and try to overcome them so as to be better persons. Back in the days I used to struggle with God. Whenever I had a poor or average result in school, I ponder and think for a very long time. When I lost my step brother in 2009, I was depressed for the next 1 year. The result was dark write-ups that I don’t even open anymore due to the contents. In 2012, I had a long fruitful discussion in my room with my influential friend, Ibikunle Isaac ( former OAU Student Union president). That was the eye-opener. I told him my opinions on life and how I struggled with failure. Then he said to me, “Look, I used to feel like that too but I discovered that my life isn’t really mine but God’s. He knows what he wants for me and I’ve decided to lay down my dreams to Him. If and when I fail, it isn’t me that failed but God!”. I would never forget those words for I’ve been living by that code ever since and I don’t bother when bad things happen to me anymore.

God has given me a gift which, even more importantly, I’ve been privileged to discover. I do well with people. I’m a people person. People like me find it easy to make new friends whether we try or not. Even the people want to come to us and it’s just like magnetic force. In my final year in college, a friend of mine once commented when on the road leading to my hostel, I was greeting (or were they greeting?) people with every step we took from the main road. The young man was wondering when I moved to the area to know so much people and I told him it was just one year. This is a rare feat because I’m an introvert and most of the people greeting me don’t even know my name, just my face. In high school, popularity came for me without stress. My brilliance, composure and special skills endeared me to students and teachers’ hearts. Where others hustled to be seen, I was seen without hustle.

When I met my musician friend, Eazy +( sometimes written as ‘Plus’) in September last year, it was without stress. I was in my friend Tobi’s room when I saw the young man in his ‘Area’ music video on Soundcity. I instantly got impressed by the music and told my friend, ‘I’d bring this guy to school come October.’ I picked up my phone and called the artiste’s manager, didn’t really like him so I chatted Eazy Plus up through twitter. We instantly became friends and he performed at Alpha club’s charity week following month through my recommendation and he came for free. Till today, that still amazes the young man I was watching the music video with.

In 2008, I began writing articles when I discovered I could, through my knack for reading. My dad loves reading newspapers a lot, something I’ve got from him. I became a big fan and avid reader of a weekly Friday column on Daily Sun by Femi Adesina (title same as the writer’s name). The man was just the daily editor of the tabloid then and I started doing my research on him. I got the information I could, part of which is that we were from the same state (Osun), just different towns. Influenced by my love & study of several autobiographies, biographies & memoirs in those formative years 2008-2010, I wrote to my idol one day. I can’t remember the title but I asked him to write his autobiography & encourage people. His writings were inspirations to my soul every week and I thought it would be better if he wrote about himself.

It was a surprise to see him send a reply to that letter and we became friends, as he gave me an offer I just couldn’t turn down. He said, “Tomiwa, anytime you want to publish anything on our daily titles, don’t hesitate to send it to me.” That was opportunity for me to have my political views heard by people that time. My first published article in March 2010 was very long, I wrote on my idol, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. It was rightfully titled, ‘Awo at 101’. My mum entered my room then and was scared as I read from so many sources to write a single article! Books were scattered everywhere, my bed, floor, tables etc. I felt I owed my idol a duty of care to write well about him years after his physical death. When it was finally in print, my dad said his colleagues at work commented that the writer must be a lawyer due to the ‘knowledge’ in the write-up. Meanwhile, I was yet to get university admission!

My girlfriend that time got inspired by me, started writing and was even more passionate about it than I was, typical of women. She was opportuned to be offered a slot as a columnist for Nigerian Tribune. She got almost half of a page and was writing on marital issues because that was what she loved to do then. People at times don’t realise after getting what they want, never to let go of those who contributed to their success. It boils down to the earlier point that love must be renewed every time and not just sometimes. Sadly, she lost touch with her inspiration along the line and no more writes.

My journalist friend, Mr Femi Adesina later rose to be the Managing director/editor-in-chief of The Sun and we remained in contact, our relationship getting more robust over the years. He became the president, Nigerian Guild of Editors during the time. Last month, he was named the special adviser on media to the newly elected Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari. He was the only man from the south west among all the appointees, an even more special feat.

I’ve seen and met very good family men who belief in taking good care of their wife and children but think it unnecessary to be nice to their neighbour. A lot of Christians do that today. This is totally wrong. It only demonstrates our selfishness and weakness as individuals. A selfish individual is spiritually weak and God loves the strong. The love of our fellow men is the beginning of obedience to God’s commandments. When we do good to others, we’re actually do good to ourselves. Reason being that, whatever happens in the neighborhood that we care so less about will eventually reflect on the family that we care so much about. Everybody will bear the brunt of hatred if we refuse to sow love. God is love.

Look at the golden rule propounded by Jesus Christ, the most righteous man who ever lived. He said, ‘do unto others as you would love others do unto you!’ That’s very simple and straightforward. If we want love, let’s give love. We want peace, let’s make peace. Living by the golden rule alone leads to fair havens, a halcyon shore and a state of serenity.

As Nigerians Celebrate

Earlier on Nigeria’s democracy day & few hours to the inauguration ceremony at Eagle’s square, Abuja something symbolic happened. When the heavy rain started by 2AM in Osun state (as it did in so many other states), I knew it was the rain of CHANGE. I just heard the new President’s speech and I have only one word to qualify it- INSPIRING. President Muhammadu Buhari is a man who understands Nigeria like the back of his hand.

The new president is a very passionate man & its obvious in how Nigerian issues have moved him to tears severally in public speeches and even when he lost the presidential elections in April 2011, before eventually winning March 2015. He has made it known that he intends to be in office for a single term of 4 years which I believe was thoughtful of him due to his age. Meanwhile, the foundation he lays within the next 4 years should be enough for any progressive person who gets to the office after him to get Nigeria to the promised land.

As Dele Adesina (SAN) rightfully posited on a Channels TV programme today, “The President must try as much as possible to seperate politics from administration.” Let’s be true to Nigeria for once, and not just to our selfish wants. If all our leaders (not only the President now) do this, change will happen in the polity. I see no reason why President Buhari would not encourage Nigerians in diaspora to come home. Imagine how many Nigerian professors, professionals and scholars lecturing or working abroad, imparting their knowledge in foreign lands. Why not bring these people home to develop their fatherland?

I was really sad when I sighted the outgone President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan smiling at the inauguration, while President Buhari highlighted Nigeria’s problems in his speech. For crying out loud, these issues were there before February 9, 2010 when GEJ became Actg. President after Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s painful demise. They were there before April 2011 when he was formally elected to office for the apogee position of political power in the land. These problems were present in Nigeria in 2007 when GEJ was Vice President of Nigeria!

The same problems still exist in Nigeria after about 8 years of GEJ being in the Presidential Villa whether as Vice-president, Actg. or as President. Some of the problems (corruption especially) were even multiplied during the last administration! Boko Haram, erratic power, bad roads, unemployment, bad policies etc. have become ‘norms’ in Nigeria for several years now. It is a shameful thing that nothing rewarding or concrete has been done in strategic sectors of the federal government till now. Some loyalists (sycophants too) will argue that outgone President tried but I keep saying his best has simply not been enough. If anyone doubts, look at chibok girls and the failure of government to get those poor girls back since over a year (14–15 April 2014).

Today, May 29, 2015 marks a change in the history of Nigeria whether large or small. This change is bound to affect the whole world due to the place of Nigeria in global economy and politics. With her over 170 million citizens, Nigeria is unarguably the most populous country in Africa and 7th most populous country in the world. Nigeria is home to one of the largest populations of youth in the world and the country houses several nations (Yoruba, Hausa & Igbo being dominant among several others).

The President promises to tackle Nigeria’s problems “head on” & perhaps the most inspirational part of his speech was “Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problems.” I doubt if any Nigerian President in history has ever spoken like that!

It is hard to find many men of President Buhari’s calibre. His courage and dogged determination to succeed sets him apart. How many people would contest to be President a record 4 times? We’ve seen a Pastor Chris Okotie who once said God told him to contest presidential elections and consequently started Fresh Party several years ago but got discouraged after losing twice! Other ‘men of God’ have gotten discouraged like this too, I wonder if God told them to stop trying!

Tomiwa Olasiyan (2015).

Let General Buhari Do It This Time!

Ever since General Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential primary election of All Progressives Congress(APC), about two weeks ago, a new air of excitement has come into the race for the apogee height of political leadership of the country come 2015. The battle is mainly between Gen. Buhari and the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan who contests as the unanimous and undisputed candidate of his ruling party, PDP.
So outright, unarguable and undisputable was Gen. Buhari’s victory at the APC primaries that while he got nearly four thousand votes none of his fellow contestants got even up to a thousand votes though the primary election boasted of political giants of equal weight in person of former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, Kano state governor Rabiu Kwankaso and Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha. All these men, though consummate & seasoned politicians in their own right, what they lacked was the integrity, personality power, solid reputation, intelligence and the kind of love and respect Gen. Buhari commands from Nigerians!
More sardonic was the fact that Governor Rochas Okorocha even tried to appeal to the sentiments, hunches and prejudices of the youthful delegates at the APC convention in Lagos, by pointing out during his speech that he was the youngest of the contestants at 52 and thus, he deserved to be voted for! Well deservedly enough, his remarks were immediately met with jeers of ‘‘Arugbo la fe’’ from the crowd, which means ‘‘we want the old man.’’ Personally, I see no reason why the matter of age should always be brought into critical issues! This has continued to be our bane in Africa for years, the battle about who is older or younger! I’ve seen youthful politicians with all the hype of vibrancy, youthfulness and modern exposure who still performed woefully when given political power! A vital example might be former Imo state governor, Ikedi Ohakim.
I always make a statement within my close circle and I would make it public now. The problem I have with the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, is that despite him having been No. 2 man of this country for 8 years(1999-2007) under Olusegun Obasanjo, he did nothing to ameliorate the condition of ordinary Nigerians, he didn’t try to curb corruption, he was voiceless at a time when we seriously needed a voice to represent our collective national conscience, all he did was engage his boss then in a selfish battle of supremacy. Now, for the past few months he has suddenly become loud & vocal on social networks, especially twitter. This was another move by political hustlers of his coeval to in the die-minute associate with the youthful audience whom they initially sold-out their future while in government! I see this as a desperate move in his bid to become Nigerian President at all cost. But thanks to God, Nigerians are learning from past mistakes and this was seen in the free and fair primaries that saw Gen. Buhari victorious.
What endeared Gen Buhari to the hearts of many Nigerians are his passion and commitment to this great country which makes him still want to be President of this nation at age 72, when he could easily relax, watch tv and enjoy his pension. After all, he had tried to liberate Nigeria as military head of state in 1983 when he was just about 40 but the shenanigans disrupted his works. Gen. Buhari ran though unsuccessfully for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections and persistently enough he is in the bid for the 4th time, a bid which looks like his last move to lead a nation that is the bad mess of corruption, austerity measures, devalued currency, insecurity, erratic power supply, bad roads etc. Like my mentor, Femi Adesina, rightfully posited in his last Friday column on 19th December, 2014, ‘‘We need Buhari more than he needs us!’’
Look at Gen. Buhari’s records from when he was Military Governor of the newly created North-Eastern State during the regime of late Gen. Murtala Mohammed , Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources under then-Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976, head of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in 1977 till when he was Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) under General Sanni Abacha. His records were sparkling clean just like the white traditional attire he is fond of wearing.
Gen Buhari’s transparency and leadership qualities were top notch even as Military Head of state between 1983 to 1985. He is generally revered for his ability to keep the country afloat by making progress through discipline and sheer economic ingenuity by rejecting the IMF loan and refused to adopt IMF conditionalities to devalue our Naira. His government reduced inflation by refusing to devalue naira thereby, curbing imports of needless goods, curtailing oil theft and using counter trade policy to barter seized illegally bunkered crude oil for needful goods like machineries, enabling it to export above its OPEC quota. Can we compare Gen. Buhari’s government to our current President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that would quickly jump at any foreign aid without hesitating to look at the possible future consequence of such loans enslaving the country?
Gen. Buhari polled 12,214,853 votes to come close at second position to President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential elections. That he did under a tiny and politically fragile Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) and given the national strength of his current party APC, I see Gen Buhari tripling that figure come 2015. By now I expect the ruling party, PDP to know they are in for serious business against a very focused Buhari and APC and to put more salt to PDP’s open injury, the era of election rigging has gone in Nigeria and the electorates are ready to witness the freest and fairest general elections come next year. What the APC demonstrated at their convention last two weeks was also a sign of great things to come in Nigerian politics, that Nigeria can actually get things such as elections right!

Link to the same article as published in The Sun Newspapers on Tuesday, December 23, 2014. – http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=96699 

How African countries can benefit from NEPAD

Introduction

Between the 1960s to 1980s, so many African countries were liberated, but these were also decades that were characterised by political instability, military coups, one-party governments, dictatorships and the heightened influence of Cold War politics in African affairs. Faced with the onset of an economic crisis – huge foreign debts and declines in social development – and the failure of the international financial institutions’ free market policies, African countries tried to reverse these trends by calling for a new international economic order (NIEO) through which they could craft self-reliant, culturally relevant and state-influenced development strategies.
In such a context, African leaders found it necessary to transform the focus of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) from political liberation to economic development. Hence, throughout the 1980s and 1990s African governments went on to design a series of pan-African development approaches which they felt were relevant to the needs of their people. These initiatives included: the Lagos Plan of Action (1980), the Final Act of Lagos (1980), Africa’s Priority Programme for Economic Recovery (1986-1990), the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programme (1989), the African (Arusha) Charter for Popular Participation and Development (1990), the Abuja Treaty (1991) and the Cairo Agenda (1994) amongst others.
Faced with the failures of these plans, the ills of the structural adjustment programmes of modernisation and falling growth rates when other regions such as Asia were on the rise, ‘a new breed of African leaders’ entered the 21st century with proclamations of a re-birth for Africa. It is in this regard that the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is the result of three parallel initiatives. The first is the Millennium Africa Recovery Plan (MAP), led by South African President Thabo Mbeki and unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2001. The second initiative is the Omega Plan, crafted by the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, and presented to the Summit of Francophone African leaders in Cameroon in January 2001. MAP and the Omega Plan were then combined to give birth to a third initiative the New African Initiative (NAI) that then led to NEPAD in 2001.
All three initiatives shared a common interest in increasing the pace and impact of Africa’s development. While these initiatives share common characteristics, there were also differences reflecting the regional and other priorities of the enactors. Compromises had to be made in order to merge the three proposals into one initiative. NEPAD thus reflects the compromises involved in arriving at a single initiative. The founding member countries of NEPAD included South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt and Senegal.
NEPAD was adopted by African Heads of State and Government of the OAU in 2001 and was ratified by the African Union (AU) in 2002 to address Africa’s development problems within a new paradigm. NEPAD’s main objectives are to reduce poverty, put Africa on a sustainable development path, halt the marginalization of Africa, and empower women. The initiative was meant to be the mechanism for Africa’s development – today and tomorrow.
Since its initiation, NEPAD has been promoted widely both within Africa and in the industrialised North. NEPAD is now recognised as Africa’s development plan by all the governments of the North, and the international financial institutions, and by many international governance institutions like the United Nations. NEPAD is widely seen as the mechanism through which support to Africa’s development efforts can be best delivered. Thus, the NEPAD process has come to be accepted not only by African countries and RECs but also by Africa’s development partners as the framework mechanism for their development efforts.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is the vision and strategic framework adopted by African leaders to address poverty and underdevelopment throughouts the African continent. Its broad approach was initially agreed at the 36th Heads of State and Government Assembly of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) held in Algeria, in 2000. The meeting asked Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa to develop an integrated socio-economic framework for Africa. Subsequently, the 37th Summit of the OAU held in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2001 formally endorsed NEPAD as the framework for the continent’s development. In January 2010, the 14th African Union (AU) Summit strengthened the NEPAD programme by endorsing its integration into the AU.
The Secretary-General established the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) to increase international support for NEPAD, to coordinate UN system efforts in support of NEPAD and to report annually to the General Assembly on progress in the implementation of and international support for NEPAD. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is the vision and strategic framework adopted by African leaders at the 37th Summit of the OAU held in Lusaka, Zambia, in July 2001. The NEPAD strategy document is designed to address the current challenges facing the African continent.
One of the major frameworks for creating NEPAD was for placing African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development. Halting the marginalization of Africa in the globalization process and increasing the continent’s full and beneficial integration into the global economy. Also, establishing the conditions for sustainable development by ensuring peace and security, democracy and sound political, economic and corporate governance.
Moreso, regional cooperation and integration through policy reforms and increased investment in major large-scale human empowerment sectors like Agriculture. Human resources development with a focus on health, education, science and technology, building and improving infrastructure, promoting diversification of production and exports, especially in agro-industry, manufacturing, mining and mineral processing and tourism, accelerating trade among African countries and improving access for their exports to markets in advanced countries. Also, in the area of environment by mobilizing resources and increasing domestic savings and investment. Improving Africa’s share of global trade and attracting more foreign direct investment as well as increasing capital flows through further debt reduction and enhanced aid.
Meanwhile, for a concise and complete emphasis on the activities of NEPAD to be made, it’s imperative to make mention briefly of both two strong components of NEPAD. That’s the NEPAD Council (NC) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
NEPAD Council (NC) is a non-political and independent non-profit organisation that was founded to support The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which is a strategic framework for pan-African socio-economic development. NEPAD Council aligns its activities towards the original NEPAD six theme areas:
1) Agriculture and Food Security,
2) Climate Change and National Resource Management,
3) Regional Integration and Infrastructure,
4) Human Development,
5) Economic and Corporate Governance,
6) Cross-cutting Issues (e.g. Gender, Capacity Development and ICT).
NEPAD provides an historic opportunity to overcome obstacles to development in Africa. A council was created to aid contribution to the initiati designed to encourage the imaginative effort that underlies the NEPAD and to lay a solid foundation for future cooperation and sustainable development. The case for action is compelling. Despite its great potential and human resources, Africa continues to face some of the world’s greatest challenges. The many initiatives designed to spur Africa’s development have failed to deliver sustained improvements to the lives of women, men and children throughout Africa.
NEPAD Council offers something different. It is, first and foremost, a common vision shared by African professionals to support and promote the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. Together, Africa has an unprecedented opportunity to make progress on our common goals of eradicating extreme poverty and achieving sustainable development. NEPAD Council will support African leaders’ efforts to encourage public engagement in the NEPAD and will consult with NEPAD members on how to best assist their efforts. NEPAD Council will be committed to mobilize and energize global action, marshal resources and expertise, and provide impetus in support of NEPAD’s objectives. As NEPAD’s partner, NEPAD Council will undertake mutually reinforcing actions to help Africa accelerate growth and make lasting gains against poverty.
The Agenda of NEPAD Council focuses on a limited number of priority areas where, collectively and individually, we can add value. NEPAD Council focuses particular attention on enhanced-partnership countries. It also works with countries that do not yet meet the standards of NEPAD but which are clearly committed to and working towards such an implementation.
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – a key component of NEPAD – is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by the member states of the African Union (AU) as an African self-monitoring mechanism. The APRM is a bold, unique and innovative approach designed and implemented by Africans for Africa. The APR process entails periodic reviews of the policies and practices of participating countries to ascertain progress being made towards achieving the mutually agreed goals and compliance in the four focus areas, namely Democracy and Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance, and Socio-Economic Development.
As of June 2010, 29 African countries had voluntarily acceded to APRM: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. Twelve countries had been peer reviewed: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda.
1.
One of the ways through which industrialisation can be boosted in Africa especially in Nigeria, is by exploring the opportunities provided by actualising the rationale for adopting the agenda of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The Executive Director of the African Heritage Institution (AfriHeritage), Dr. Ifediora Amobi, made this submission at a workshop organised by the institution on ‘Strengthening the Effectiveness of NEPAD in Nigeria: The Way Forward’.
Amobi, who bemoaned the state of NEPAD Nigeria since its establishment 12 years ago, noted that the country had been devoting huge financial commitment to the initiative but yet to take advantage of the infrastructural development aspect of it, which could have helped the country overcome its industrial challenges. The AfriHeritage boss averred that the workshop’s greatest achievements would be to utilise the outcome to change public perception about NEPAD in Nigeria. He added that the belief in many quarters is that, after 12 years, the impact of NEPAD is yet to be felt in Nigeria; considering the fact that Nigeria is one of the five founding member countries of NEPAD and one of its highest financial contributors.
On the role the legislature must play to realising the agenda, Amobi called on the national assembly to see the current unemployment in the country as a great challenge that calls for pragmatic actions. He therefore expressed belief that the communiqué to be issued at the workshop would provide the lawmakers the additional impetus for accelerated legislature to drive for the enactment of the ‘Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the NEPAD Commission and Other Related Matters’.
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Strategic Research and Studies, National Defence College, Nigeria, Dr. Okezie Nwankwo, who presented a paper on ‘NEPAD and the Challenges of Economic Development’ said NEPAD Nigeria lacks specific policies and strategies to monitor and achieve its objectives. He added that such policies and strategies would enable it not only to benchmark the MDAs but also to apportion blame where necessary and set concrete and time bound targets.
According to him NEPAD Nigeria is yet to impact positively in the area of infrastructure development especially in the critical sectors of education and health. “Nigeria needs to adhere to the NEPAD policy on the development of education and the health sectors in the area of funding. By so doing, these sectors would be able to produce and sustain a higher skilled workforce which will invariably lead to greater economic development. “NEPAD Nigeria must be geared towards capacity building particularly for government functionaries to enable them promote through their various MDAs a set of concrete and time bound programmes aimed at enhancing the quality of economic and public financial management as well as corporate governance. For each sector, however, the objective is to bridge the existing gap between Nigeria and the developed countries so as to improve the nation’s international competitiveness,” he added.
Dr. Abel Ezeoha, a development economist at the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, who also presented a paper at the workshop on ‘The Thorny Path to NEPAD Implementation in Nigeria’ noted that before the advent of NEPAD, economic reforms and initiatives were more of national issues. Ezeoha added that apart from a number of some sub-regional efforts, there was no strong economic cooperation among African countries, saying this situation informed the adoption of NEPAD at the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Summit in July 2001.
He stressed that Nigeria currently lacks the requisite social and economic competitiveness necessary to actively participate in and benefit from the different NEPAD priority areas. According to him, “Nigerian entrepreneurs in other African countries do not enjoy the kind of support and protections their South African counterparts enjoy and unlike the case of South Africa, Nigeria is surrounded by Francophone West African neighbours that are more inclined to cooperating with their colonial powers than with their neighbours.” He recommended that for Nigeria, the best policy option should be to devise strategies for overcoming the broader challenges facing NEPAD in the continent; and more specifically, for improving its competitiveness in the region by effectively dealing with the background issues of insecurity, threat of rapid urbanisation, weak governance structure, and threats against Nigerian entrepreneurs operating in other countries.
Ezeoha averred that to do this, the Nigerian government needs to take some strategic steps towards, redefining development partnership in the country, redefining Nigerian economic goal in the region, mainstreaming Nigeria in the NEPAD development initiatives, especially in the areas of infrastructure and agriculture and providing institutionalised and strategic support for Nigeria’s private sector investments in Africa. He suggested that government should facilitate the transformation of NEPAD Nigeria into an institutional structure with requisite legal authority and capacity to push Nigeria’s own development agenda in the region.
Meanwhile, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is yet to impact positively on Nigeria’s economy, especially industrial and infrastructure development. This is after 12 years of its existence. Dr. Ifediora Amobi, the Executive Director of the African Heritage Institution (AfriHeritage), disclosed this during the above named workshop. He noted: “Since its establishment 12 years ago, Nigeria is one of the five founding member countries of NEPAD and one of its highest financial contributors without commensurate benefits to its economy.’’
Dr. Okezie Nwankwo, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Strategic Research and Studies, National Defence College, Nigeria, who spoke on “NEPAD and the Challenges of Economic Development,” said NEPAD Nigeria lacks specific policies and strategies to monitor and achieve its objectives. According to him NEPAD Nigeria is yet to impact positively in the area of infrastructure development especially in the critical sectors of education and health. Dr. Abel Ezeoha, a development economist at the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, noted that before the advent of NEPAD, economic reforms and initiatives were more of national issues.
In his paper titled ‘The Thorny Path to NEPAD Implementation in Nigeria,’ he observed that apart from a number of some sub-regional efforts, there was no strong economic cooperation among African countries. He recalled that this situation informed the adoption of NEPAD at the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit in July 2001. According to him, Nigerian entrepreneurs in other African countries do not enjoy the kind of support and protections their South African counterparts enjoy and unlike the case of South Africa, Nigeria is surrounded by Francophone West African neighbours that are more inclined to cooperating with their colonial powers than with their neighbours.
He recommended that for Nigeria, the best policy option should be to devise strategies for overcoming the broader challenges facing NEPAD in the continent; and more specifically, for improving its competitiveness in the region by effectively dealing with the background issues of insecurity, threat of rapid urbanization, weak governance structure, and threats against Nigerian entrepreneurs operating in other countries.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency and the NEPAD Business Foundation (NBF) have signed a memorandum of understanding, aimed at solidifying the relationship between the two organisations. While the NEPAD Agency and the NBF have worked closely since the inception of the NBF in 2004, this agreement marks a new chapter for both organisations, focussing on unlocking the potential for the development of Africa’s private sector. The MOU will enhance business potential within the continent through joint projects by accessing the resources, experience and expertise of both the NEPAD Agency and the NBF. This formal understanding will focus on building the African private sector to facilitate trade, training, skills development, technology and facilitating public private partnerships (PPPs). The latter is one of the most effective ways to undertake infrastructure development in Africa and a number of countries are exploring these vehicles for development.
The continent has demonstrated a high need for infrastructure development to facilitate inter-African trade and to create a conducive environment for international investment. “NEPAD provides unique opportunities for African countries to take full control of their development agenda, to work more closely together, and to cooperate more effectively with international partners,” says Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Agency. The NBF and the NEPAD Agency partnership will encourage project implementation and networking of private, public and civil society organisations to accelerate economic development in Africa. In addition, the NEPAD Agency and the NBF will also promote infrastructure development and regional integration while providing input and support to the continental framework of infrastructure requirements. The concept of development corridors throughout Africa is receiving much needed support from African Heads of State, culminating in President Zuma’s promise to champion Infrastructure development in Africa – focussing specifically on the North South corridor which runs between Durban and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania,” adds Lynette Chen, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Business Foundation.
Both NEPAD and the NBF have a vast store of experience, information and expertise in a variety of relevant fields, in collaboration with like-minded institutions and business communities. This agreement seeks to improve the coordinated development of Africa’s business environment. “Through the NEPAD Programme, the NEPAD Agency, as the technical development Agency of the African Union, works to improve the lives of families, communities and countries through a range of wealth creation and poverty eradication initiatives that cut across issues of health, agriculture, infrastructure, ICTs, education and other areas of intervention,” says Dr. Mayaki.
“It is in this regard that we welcome this strengthening of partnership with the NBF through the signing of this MOU. We believe that our joint work with the NBF will help us to bring together all the organisations and partners involved in Africa’s private sector – to help them voice their needs and to co-ordinate their work in support of the NEPAD agenda.” In signing this agreement, both organisations have pledged to continue supporting the development of agriculture and food security in Africa for this sector to become a growth driver for the continent. Jointly the NEPAD Agency and the NBF will work to achieve the agriculture goals as defined by the NEPAD Comprehensive Agriculture Advancement Development Programme (CAADP) _framework, where one of the key issues is to advance mechanisms to integrate smallholder farmers into the commercial value chain and provide access to markets.
“This is an exciting opportunity, as the NBF is currently incubating an innovative project that is developing a model that takes into account the vital role of the small farmer and gaining an understanding of their challenges and constraints and then developing models to create these smallholder farmers into viable entrepreneurial businesses,” says Chen. Another joint focus of both organisations will work towards the enhancement of human capacity and skills through the NEPAD Africa-wide Capacity Development Strategic Framework (CDSF) and through the NBF African Leadership Programme which concentrates on enhancing capacity and leadership potential of African top managers from the public and private sectors as well as NGOs.
On a practical level, both organisations will aim to create an enabling environment for effective public private partnerships, including the preparation of bankable investment projects and promoting Africa as an investment destination for foreign funds. “Our joint efforts are based on the consideration that the private sector in Africa can and should take ownership of the development process in Africa,” said Dr. Mayaki.
The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency acts as the technical body of the African Union, primarily facilitating and coordinating the implementation of Africa’s priority programmes and projects at the regional and continental levels, mobilising partners and resources for the implementation of Africa’s priority programmes/projects, conducting research and knowledge management; monitoring and evaluation of programme/project implementation; and advocating core principles and values of the African Union and the NEPAD Framework. The NBF operates in South Africa with extensive business networks in the Southern African sub-region and the Continent as a whole, driven by the vision to contribute to a vibrant African economy through private sector development, thus positioning the continent as competitive global player. The mission of the NBF is to support the delivery of the NEPAD objectives through the active participation of Africa’s private sector.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a comprehensive integrated sustainable development initiative for the economic and social revival of Africa. One of the major ways in which African countries could benefit from the activities of NEPAD is through the education sector. NEPAD donated books recently to Nyemoni Grammar School in Rivers State. NEPAD(Rivers state) has donated a total of 653 textbooks, 500 NEPAD-branded notebooks and 15 schoolbags to Nyemoni Grammar School, Abonnema, in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. The NEPAD Rivers State team, led by the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) Director of NEPAD Rivers State, Mr. Nemi Ibaraye, was received by the French teacher, Miss Patricia Harry, on behalf of the school principal.
Also in the security sector, NEPAD extends a Hand of Friendship to Rivers State Police Command. NEPAD Rivers State paid an advocacy visit to the Rivers State Police Headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, on Monday the 12th of May, 2014. Rivers State Governor and former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has called on Rivers people and those doing business to partner with his administration to create a conducive economic environment that would boost wealth creation and reduce poverty in the State. Amaechi spoke at the 2013 Rivers State Summit on Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction, an initiative of NEPAD and the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency with the theme, “Developing an Effective Comprehensive Framework for Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction” in Port Harcourt.
In the health sector, The ECOWAS also signed the Malaria Elimination Agreement with Rivers State. ECOWAS and the Government of Rivers State have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the construction of a factory to produce anti-mosquito biolarvicides under the ECOWAS Malaria elimination campaign. The NEPAD Green Initiatives in Rivers State presently has five Green Initiatives aimed to ameliorate the impact of climate change on Rivers State while providing avenues for the management of its natural resources.
Furthermore, NEPAD Rivers State Organized an HIV Awareness Campaign in Rivers state University(RSUST). NEPAD Rivers State organized a one-day HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, tagged “Know Your Status Today.” The campaign was held at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, on Thursday the 12th of December, 2013. Also, NEPAD Rivers State Proposes a development of a Theme Park. The NEPAD Rivers State Tourism Initiative promotes sustainable urban and rural development as a catalyst for wealth creation and employment generation.
For best contribution, it will be important that development initiatives under any component of the NEPAD framework be supportive of or compatible with agriculture, given its fundamental role in economic development in Africa. For example, NEPAD’s activities on good governance, infrastructure, policy reform, human resources development etc., all help to create an enabling environment for farmers to contribute more to Africa’s economic development. In short, agriculture must be the engine for overall economic growth in Africa.
However, there should be no illusion of quick fixes, or miracle paths, towards African self-reliance in food and agriculture. Achievement of a productive and profitable agricultural / agro-industrial sector will require Africa to address a complex set of challenges which includes low internal effective demand due to poverty, poor and un-remunerative external markets (with declining and unstable world commodity prices and severe competition from the subsidised farm products of industrial countries, vagaries of climate and consequent risk that deters investment, limited access to technology and low human capacity to adopt new skills etc.

Sources cited:
http://www.nepad.org,
Thisday life newspaper ( 16 Dec 2013) edition,
Vanguard news (December 18, 2013) edition

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South Sudan: will Africa ever learn?

The Genesis:
It has been reported that almost all the buildings in town were destroyed during the 1983-2005 north-south civil war. The fighting obliterated what little (yes, little!) infrastructure there was in South Sudan, and made development all but impossible. At independence, South Sudan was left very weak and extremely fragile. South Sudan was the world’s newest country and maybe even the poorest. The new country had gone through decades of conflicts with Khartoum.

These leads to the fundamental questions; why go to war in the first place? Why not employ other means to freedom aside violence, killings and a massacre? Why not the non-violent resistance? Why not employ civil disobedience? At least, the non-violence resistance worked in India under the able leadership of Gandhi enroute gaining the 1950 independence from the British. The same non-violent resistance/disobedience worked during the black revolution in USA, under the tutelage of Martin Luther King jr. Why does violence seem to be peculiar to Africa? Almost all African countries went through violent means to settle their differences in their pre & post independence periods! From Uganda, Kenya, Libya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Egypt, South Africa, Sudan, Guinea, Tunisia, the list goes on. Up till today, military juntas and acts of civil terrorism are stil perpetrated in nations like Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Central African Republic etc.

It would be difficult to hope wars will ever be eradicated wholly throughout the world as long as there is existence of mankind. Reason is that some useless elements and unscrupulous political class benefit enormously from wars. For instance, the manufacturers of ammunitions and war arsenals would never pray a war ever ends! This is where they make their filthy lucre, through bloodshed of fellow men. Also, for some politicians who see ethnic nepotism and tribal supremacy as virtues, they wouldn’t mind a massacre of any other tribe that stands in the way of their personal interest. These are major reasons why wars may continue in the world, especially in African nations where people are yet to embrace national unity over a minimal communal love.

Ethnic nepotism v. Political foundation:
In Africa as of today, there is a war going on somewhere or almost everywhere. If a white journalist or writer had written this write-up, I probably would have said he has rascist intentions but I’m African, I know what I know. In my own country, Nigeria, which is supposed to be the ‘Giant of Africa’, we still have the Niger-Delta militants in the south and the Boko haram menace in the north. I personally wrote about the Boko Haram menace about 4 yrs ago when the menace first broke out, the article was published by the Daily Sun newspapers then. Today, the sect seems to only grow stronger by the day and government still are yet to overcome them. Thousands of life has gone, several lives ended abruptly due to the northern uprising alone & university students are now scared of being posted to any northern state (not even the few peaceful ones) for the 1 year mandatory national service(NYSC).

Many people are still of the opinion that the little peace now known in the south due to the militants’ acceptance of the amnesty programme is solely because President Goodluck Jonathan is from the region. It is widely believed that should a northern man be president come 2015, we should expect more militancy from the southern youths. That’s the situation in my country too. Now, how will these things not happen when africans are still yet to embrace national peace and unity. When many africans still don’t appreciate brotherhood and togetherness. When africans still judge each other’s actions through the eye of tribal peculiarity, skin color & tongue, but not through the content of character and love. The bitter truth is we’re still not united yet. Nigeria, as a part of Africa, has been described by the political icon & sage, Obafemi Awolowo as a “mere geographical expression.” We’re all more or less like being forced to marry each other.

Once or twice, I’ve witnessed my mum instruct my two elder sisters not to marry anyone aside our tribe, so as not to ‘get lost’. That was the reason, staying together forever with your own kind. But that’s selfish and short-sighted, it lacked vision! I was too young then to question my mum. We are from the yoruba tribe in Nigeria & the country is home to about 200 other tribes aside the four major ones; hausa, igbo, yoruba & fulani. All these uprisings Nigeria witnesses today is as a result of the fact that people still don’t see each other as one! We want to only be with our kinds, shame! These are fundamental issues that I don’t know if man can solve them by himself without God. I’ve chatted with a few intellectual friends who believe ethnic nepotism and tribal supremacy battle is in the nature of man. There is a place in the Bible( book of Exodus)where a part of Israel were claiming a right belonging to their kind. Everyone believes his clan or tribe is better. That was what led to the slave trade! I’m of the opinion that if africans developed ahead of the whites, we actually could have been slave masters ourselves and took whites into slavery because all men are vain & proud like that! That’s for another day & write-up.

At the time of South Sudan’s independence in July of 2011, just free from Sudan and recovering from decades of civil war, hopes were high. I as an African, was happy for South Sudan and thought I could see the progression of a new country, right before my own eyes. As of December 15, several mass graves had been discovered, several thousands dead and tens of thousands have been displaced in South Sudan as a recent outbreak of inter-ethnic violence has Africa’s newest nation on the brink of civil war and possibly genocide. This same scenario was witnessed in another African country, Rwanda, in 1994. I was just 2 yrs old then and I’ve known what I know about the Rwandan genocide through learning history, research, documentaries etc. and I know the sight wasn’t great! But when will Africa learn from her own mistakes? Must every African country butcher their own people before coming to an agreement? This is pure madness!

I’m grown now and Rwanda is still battling with wounds from the genocide. Yet, another african nation, the newest in the world, with all the examples in front of them, take the same step. It’s such a shame. The whole world looks like Africa now like a set of confused people, those who are unable to govern themselves, like beasts of the field who know nothing that brutish life & fierceness. As tensions rise between the South Sudan’s two largest ethnic groups, the Dinka and Nuer communities, one cannot help but make hasty comparisons to the events of Rwanda 1994 between the hutus and the tutsis.

In the 100 days since the start of the conflict in South Sudan, the number of displaced people has soared to 700,000, including 380,000 children. Many young people, separated from their parents, have been forced to seek refuge in dangerous places. About 865,000 people have been displaced since violence erupted on 15 December in Juba – 740,000 within South Sudan and more than 123,000 in neighbouring Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda, according to estimates by Ocha and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Donors have pledged approximately $246m so far at a time when crises in Syria, the Philippines and the Central African Republic also require significant support.

Agencies reported that thousands of people have been wounded or killed in the conflict and, despite the ceasefire agreement signed 23 January, there is little sign of people returning home. In towns such as Juba, Bentiu, Bor and Malakal, where the conflict has been intense, displaced people have gathered in UN peacekeeping bases (an estimated 80,000), but many more have sought refuge in community spaces such as churches, hospitals or schools in areas less monitored by international media and agencies. In Awerial county in Lakes state for example, about 84,000 people are reportedly congregating in open areas.

The politics and eventual war:
South Sudan leaders are all formers rebels who together had once fought the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. These former brothers started wars together when in July 2013, President Salva Kiir sacked his cabinet, including Riek Machar who was the Vice. Meanwhile, Machar is from the Nuer tribe while President Kiir is from the Dinka tribe, making the cabinet reshuffle turn into an ethnic war. Riek Machar had split from the main rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) since 1991.

There is so much corruption and selfish interest in the political class. They have failed the people of South Sudan. A government that fresh from decades of war against her parent country needed a moral and politically sound leader in the frame of Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Nnamdi Azikwe, Obafemi Awolowo, MLK jr and others, not corrupt politicians who want nothing but life-presidency! The South Sudanese leaders inherited an awful situation, and have certainly brought about some positive change. Unfortunately, there are signs that they are repeating some of the errors made by the Sudanese leaders against whom they fought so fiercely.

Just as the bulk of Sudan’s resources were concentrated in and around Khartoum, Juba has developed at a rapid pace. In itself, Juba’s growth is no bad thing. “It is beautiful to see!” says Bishop Paride Taban. There has been some growth in the state capitals, too, albeit from a very low base. However, as in the Sudanese model, South Sudan’s 10 states are almost entirely dependent on Juba. The weakness of the governments in South Sudan’s states is structural, and replicates that of the federal government: just as the latter’s revenue comes almost entirely from oil, the states’ come from a transfer of funds from Juba. In any given state capital, the state government tends to hold tight to the money it receives, leaving the other areas under its control with next to nothing. This is another loophole, as the centre is so strong while the subordinate parts of the country are very weak. Any rebel that captures the capital city could as well rule the country automatically.

Conclusion and way forward:
President Kiir says he was trying to ward off a coup in the December 15 incident, but his critics and political analyst beg to differ. I personally think it was a massacre attempt. Each corner was trying to wipe out the other tribe out of frustration and selfish interest. Mr Machar has led rebel forces to capture key towns such as Bor and Bentiu, including oilfields. Meanwhile, peace talks are on-going in Addis Ababa. But we must remember that time is not on our side. The implication of this war on the over 300,000 children affected in this war is enormous.

We left all our property – our home, our goats and chickens. I ran out and this is all that I have,” Nyakuom Tongyik says, pointing to the floral dress and pink scarf she is wearing. The 22-year-old is one of more than 70,000 refugees who have crossed the border into Ethiopia, fleeing fighting and devastation in South Sudan. The war has ruined many families forever already. What would be the meaning of life now for people like Nyakuom Tongyik who has lost almost everything to the war? She deserves better than this! Her husband and father were killed when clashes erupted in their home town of Malakal, she says, sitting in her cramped, hot white tent at Leitchor refugee camp in Gambella, western Ethiopia. She escaped with two of her children, but was separated from the third amid the chaos. During the 20-day walk to the Akobo border, Tongyik’s daughter fell sick. “She died on the way,” she says. “There was no way to get her to the hospital.”

Something drastic needs to be done. The political fractures and conflicts must first be resolved. If possible, the two warring parties should sit on a round-table and reac some form of understanding. The political elites must wake up now! This is not a time to be lethargic but to be strong and proactive. Ideas are needed to move the young nation forward, not firearms to cause more chaos. South Sudan and Africa in general must now see that military battles are not the solution to political issues. If possible, a national reconciliation be arranged to appeal to any angle where there might be discontentment. African need to put their national interest above any ethnic interest, that’s the only way to guarantee lasting peace. Africa must take back its position as leaders in world civilization. We need to wake up from our slumber! Africa, arise!

All Photographs & some comments sourced from: http://www.theguardian.com

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Nigeria passes law banning homosexuality

President quietly signs new legislation outlawing homosexuality and imposing prison terms of up to 14 years for people prosecuted under the new act

A new law in Nigeria, signed by the president without announcement, has made it illegal for gay people to even hold a meeting. The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act also criminalizes homosexual clubs, associations and organizations, with penalties of up to 14 years in jail.

The act has drawn international condemnation from countries such as the United States and Britain.

Some Nigerian gays already have fled the country because of intolerance of their sexual persuasion, and more are considering leaving, if the new law is enforced, human rights activist Olumide Makanjuola said recently.

Nigeria’s law is not as draconian as a Ugandan bill passed by parliament last month which would punish “aggravated” homosexual acts with life in prison. It awaits the president’s signature.

But Nigeria’s law reflects a highly religious and conservative society that considers homosexuality a deviation. Nigeria is one of 38 African countries – about 70 percent of the continent – that have laws persecuting gay people, according to Amnesty International.

The Associated Press on Monday obtained a copy of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which was signed by President Goodluck Jonathan and dated Jan. 7.

It was unclear why the law’s passage has been shrouded in secrecy. The copy obtained from the House of Representatives in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, showed it was signed by lawmakers and senators unanimously on Dec. 17, though no announcement was made.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday the United States is “deeply concerned” by a law that “dangerously restricts freedom of assembly, association, and expression for all Nigerians.”

Former coloniser Britain said, “The U.K. opposes any form of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.”

A statement from the spokesman for the British High Commission, traditionally not identified by name, said the law “infringes upon fundamental rights of expression and association which are guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and by international agreements to which Nigeria is a party.”

The British government last year threatened to cut aid to African countries that violate the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. However, British aid remains quite small in oil-rich Nigeria, one of the top crude suppliers to the US.

Washington-based Human Rights First urged President Barack Obama to “consider all avenues for response,” saying leaders such as Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, will be watching.

“This law threatens the very livelihood of LGBT people and allies in Nigeria, and sets a dangerous precedent for persecution and violence against minorities throughout the region,” said the organization’s Shawn Gaylord.

The motivation for the Nigerian law is unclear, given that the country already has one making homosexual sex illegal. And gay people were not demanding to be married in a country where being gay can get a person lynched by a mob. In parts of northern Nigeria where Islamic Shariah law is enforced, gays and lesbians can be legally stoned to death.

Some have suggested the new law in Nigeria and the proposed one in Uganda are a backlash to Western pressure to decriminalize homosexuality. Several African leaders have warned they will not be dictated to on a subject that is anathema to their culture and religion.

Yahya Jammeh, the president of Gambia, has said homosexuals should be decapitated.

In June, Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, argued with Obama about the subject at a news conference. Sall told the AP afterward that other countries should refrain from imposing their values beyond their borders.

“We don’t ask the Europeans to be polygamists,” Sall said. “We like polygamy in our country, but we can’t impose it in yours. Because the people won’t understand it. They won’t accept it.”

Jonathan, Nigeria’s president, has not publicly expressed his views on homosexuality. But his spokesman, Reuben Abati, told the AP on Monday night, “This is a law that is in line with the people’s cultural and religious inclination. So it is a law that is a reflection of the beliefs and orientation of Nigerian people. … Nigerians are pleased with it.” Abati said he has heard of no Nigerian demonstrations against the law.

The few Nigerian gays and human rights activists who tried to give evidence last year during the debate in the House of Assembly were heckled and booed until one broke into tears and another could not be heard.

Nigerians are the least tolerant nation when it comes to gays, with 98 percent surveyed saying society should not accept homosexuality, according to a study of 39 nations around the world by the U.S. Pew Research Center.

Under Nigeria’s new law, it is now a crime to have a meeting of gays, to operate or go to a gay club, society or organization, or make any public show of affection.

In a recent interview, Makanjuola, the executive director of the Initiative For Equality in Nigeria, had said: “If that bill passes, it will be illegal for us to even be holding this conversation.”

The law now says, “A person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies or organizations, or directly or indirectly makes public show of same-sex amorous relationship in Nigeria commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a term of 10 years.”

Anyone convicted of entering into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union faces up to 14 years imprisonment.

Some critics have suggested the anti-gay law was designed to distract attention from Nigeria’s many troubles, and to win Jonathan favor with powerful churches that influence voters. His party has fractured ahead of 2015 elections over his expected plan to run for re-election.

Nigeria is enduring an Islamic uprising in the northeast that has killed thousands of people, deadly ethnic-religious clashes in the center of the country, and renewed militancy in the oil-rich south, where activists are demanding a bigger share of oil wealth, which is now being squandered by widespread corruption.

Makanjuola said those who will suffer most under the new law are poor gay Nigerians. Many rich ones have left the country, or say they will fly elsewhere to have sex, she said.

The court of the European Union recently ruled that laws such as Nigeria’s could provide grounds for political asylum.

A statement by the Nigerian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersex Diaspora urged lawmakers not to make them refugees.

Criminalizing same-sex relationships “turns us into asylum seekers in other countries,” it said. “We visit home with trepidation because at home we have to live a life full of lies and deny who we are for us to be accepted. Why do we want to keep subjecting our citizens to such psychological and emotional torture?”

Culled from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Role-playing in the polity

Whenever you feel the urge to blame the government for people’s woes at times, just imagine a big family where nobody does anything productive for support other than bring all matters to the Head( the father) for solution. Obviously, there would be pressure on the father , he will be visibly confused and perplexed just like most modern day govts we have today. It’s not like most of these govts or the administrators never wanted things to work too but things just complicated! They just discovered that the problems of the people were much more enormous and burdensome than they ever envisaged! I’ve been privileged to witness some very good people leave their administration or political posts with very little to show for it, yet these are very good and practical people in real life. Things got messy, shenanigans and unscrupulous politicians disrupted their plans! I guess when reality dawn on the good people in politics they usually panic. I still remember the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua, the former Nigerian President, who in 2007 confessed to the public that the general elections that brought him to power under the ruling party, PDP, was a fraudulent election.
In the administration of a political state, just like that of any regular family (in fact, politics starts from there) everybody has a role to play. The laws will state specific offices that will run govt activities but practically, everyone has something to bring down to the table! It might not be in terms of provision or funds ( you already play this role if you pay your taxes) but most importantly in terms of activities and good followership. In a family of maybe three children, practically there will be someone to clear the lawn (usually the boy in the house), someone to wash the dishes (the girl(s) in the house), someone to cook (usually the mother, unless the girls are grown enough or they hired a cook) etc. The children may not be forced to go to school, when they willingly enjoy schooling that eases the work of the parents. Then the father plays his role by of working and making provisions for his family. In some families, the mother(wife) might be a career woman, hence generating more funds for her family, though this means less time around. Otherwise, she might decide to be at home fully in the service of taking care of everyone. Simply put, everyone still brings something to the table.
Now, problems arise in the polity not only because of the corruption of the administrative but it starts when a particular section of a society feels they don’t have to partake in the their own governance! I think illiteracy and ignorance are not helping matters too in this aspect. Everybody has a role to play, including the old, not too old and the young.

…to be continued…

SAN decries alleged flouting of court orders by Imo state govt

OWERRI—An Owerri-based legal practitioner, Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN, has lamented what he described as the penchant to disobey court orders by alleged officials of the Imo State Government.

According to him, “nothing can be more hostile to a judicial system than contempt for judicial orders emanating from perceived partners in governance.”

Ahamba spoke in Owerri, the Imo State capital at the opening of the 2013/2014 Legal year in the state.

His words: “This phenomenon is regrettably assuming a cultural dimension in this state.”

On corruption, Ahamba wondered why the people of the state had not been told why the N1.5 billion bribe scandal which led to the impeachment of the former Deputy Governor was yet to be recovered from a contractor.

“May I respectfully recall that some months back, there was an impeachment proceeding in Imo State. One’s concern or interest in this issue is justice to the people of Imo State, who are interested in knowing where their N1.5 billion is and what has become of it.”

Ahamba stated that justice must prevail in the matter, in view of the state’s scarce resources.

Furthermore, Ahamba wondered the person accused of stealing N458 million from the said contract money was yet to be prosecuted, ‘’since he had lost his immunity, if there are facts against him.

“Why is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, sitting on the investigation of this matter? Why is it taking almost a year for the good people of Imo State to know the ownership of the accounts into which the money was said to have been divided and paid?”
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/san-decries-alleged-flouting-court-orders-imo-govt/#sthash.z5Xs9sIP.dpuf

Government’s funding of weddings – Vanguard News

Government's funding of weddings – Vanguard News.

Awo at 101: Is Nigeria moving forward?

The socio-economic and political situation of Nigeria today is one that does not merit the kind of efforts and self-sacrifice our founding leaders made for the country.From the visions they had and how they pursued its actualisation,it is quite obvious this is not the Nigeria of their dreams.Looking at Nigeria from a human point of view,a child born 50 yrs. ago should by now be a grown-up man.He is expected to be married with children,have a good job,comfortable,able to solve his own problems,and planning a secured future for his children.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo,Dr Nnamdi Azikwe,Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa(the list goes on) are men of indefatigable character who saw a country with infinitesimal influence on the outside world but still,with an infinity of resources and potentials.And because they believed in fatherland,they set out to achieve a common goal which is the emancipation and unity of Nigeria.From 1960 to 2010,many leaders have come and gone, all doing what they feel is best, and the result is what we have left today.We saw parliamentary system of government, witnessed coup d’etats and 11 yrs ago heralded democracy rule in Nigeria.Thus,we have seen it all in Nigeria and we should have been more than this. To avoid incoherence, I decided to stick to only one past great leader,Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who is very connected to the history of Nigeria.
The qualities that set Pa Awo apart are hardwork,selflessness,courage,Patriotism,God-fearing,integrity and his good conscience.With this qualities which are very rare in an average Nigerian politician today,he was able to achieve greatness for himself and his country.No leader in Nigeria today is really interested in casting his name in platters of gold forever.They do not seem to care about what people say or want.Everyday, newspapers write editorials,print people’s views and opinions,but still what we have is this inert system.
Pa Awo lived from 1909 till 1987,yet 23 yrs after his demise,every sector in Nigeria still points to him.His signature is on all the sectors-Labour,Housing,Education,Health,Sports,Agriculture,
Industrialisation,Roads & transportation,Political organisations and even the mass media.What a phenomenon!He must be a fore-runner or better still,a workaholic.
Through hardwork he was able to stamp his footprints and fingerprints on all sectors.He went into politics because he wanted to
serve the people and not to rule them.Many politicians today want to hold public offices at all cost leading to all the election riggings.Pa Awo’s patriotism led him to make friends with leaders of other regions-North and East-without minding the differences they might have had.Come October 1,another green and white cake will be cut in front of an august assembly in Aso Rock to mark the golden jubilee of independence.Does it really call for celebration?Sorry,I do not think so.
President Umaru Musa Yar’adua has been sick and flown outside of the country for three months in which the citizens of the country were left in the dark concerning the his state of health.He also failed to transmit a letter formally to the Senate to request for a medical vacation.According to Pa Awo:’Man is the executant of every project designed by him…His complete fitness is therefore,crucial to his success in the process both of planning and execution…’ It is true President Yar’adua has plans for the country but he can achieve them only when he is healthy. I know he has conscience. He shouldn’t allow himself to be gagged by anybody to come back abruptly.It was obvious he needed a vacation long ago,even before he got sick.He deserves a rest as he met Nigeria not better than this.He was just a victim of time and situations beyond his control.
The sickness of the President exposed some unpatriotic men in his cabinet.Yes,we all saw how the former Justice Minister wanted to make use of the logjam in the country then to boost his own political CV,gain filthy lucre and political stronghold at the detriment of the whole nation.He had the audacity to say the President can rule from anywhere,including the moon.Where is the conscience?What is loyalty to your boss when your personal integrity is being stained?Without integrity,there can be no lasting greatness.Is there still men of integrity in Nigeria today?I presume so,only that they are very few and probably not in government.We also saw how a minister flew to Vienna in december disregarding the order of then Vice-President,Goodluck Jonathan.
In february,the Financial Action Task Force{FATF}, an intergovernmental group that sets the global anti-money laundering standard listed Nigeria among 27 nations which are not doing enough to crack down on financial crime.All the former governors accused of money laundering by the EFFC in 2007 now go about freely without anybody daring to raise a finger.The people who commit crimes in Nigeria knows our laws are not firm enough.It is only in Nigeria that a public officer embezzles money,get charged to court,argues for a month or two,and then set free to go an enjoy his loot.
We have of, if not, the largest police force in Africa! It was widely reported last year that the Police Service Commission{PSC} do not have the exact number of policemen in the country.Police posts is everywhere but the result is still rise in crimes and money laundering.Nigeria is now reputed as the most religious nation in the world.This is the only country all over the world where people build houses and turn them to semi-churches.The total number of mosques in Nigeria today is much more than what they have in some Arab countries yet ,this countries have no other religion except Islam in contrast to Nigeria. We are so pious yet,many of us do not have conscience.
In the recent reformation of Nigerian banks by the new CBN governor, most of the main players affected by that reform were religious men and women.One of them(I do not want to mention names)is still yet to come out of his hiding place to vindicate himself. Why? Because he knows sooner or later he will be forgotten by the authorities.Are the authorities really doing enough to curb financial crimes? No, an why should they? The politicians who constitute this authorities are the most involved in financial crimes.They are the real money launderers.
As a youth in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I am yet to be touched personally by one single initiative by the Federal Ministry of youth development in Nigeria.Yet, the minister who heads this sector of government as I know and believe, takes vacations and travels around the world.He knows and sees the kind of programmes they have in place for their youths-tomorrow’s leaders and the future of any country.For how long will our present leaders continue to toy with our future in Nigeria? An average youth in America will speak very confidently about their country, what they intend to do with their lives and how they believe their country is going to support them all the way.How many undergraguate is confident of securing employment in Nigeria as a fresher?
In Nigeria, students study in pressure and discomfort yet, some people (including the education minister) had the effrontery and temerity to speak of half-baked graduates.If our leaders continue to neglect education like they do now,we will soon have ‘unbaked’ graduates in Nigeria! Why not? Since the system is faulty. All over the world,very intellectual Nigerians are scattered everywhere, afraid of coming home, where the government policies are unpredictable.
Young people with the great potentials and ideas some of our current leaders do not even have are being frustrated day by day. So many talented young people are wasting away each day. Nowadays, your scores no longer guarantee you admissions into government-owned universities unless you know a bigwig in the society.This is why many students do not read again because they know someone will help them. If the education of Nigeria is left to private schools(universities) as it is now, then how many people in this economy can afford their exorbitant fees?
During the face-off between the Federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) which lasted for about four months last year and which grounded all works in government-owned universities, I saw something in a widely read newspaper(not this one) that will later influence part of this write-up. It was the picture of a south-west governor, the governor’s wife and daughter, a PDP Chieftain from south-west, and the Minister for youth development, all in front of a London university. They went to celebrate the graduation of the governor’s daughter from the school.No wonder they were never concerned about the strike.
These people are holding very strong positions in government and they could have easily influenced the Federal government into making a fast decision about the strike.But since they were not affected, only the masses were, they preferred to be non-challant. The wife of that PDP chieftain (I will not mention names) died not long after that time and the strike was resolved through a man not even in government, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode. This is a man every youth in Nigeria should never forget.Up till now, many universities are still battling with the consequences of that strike.Yet, we say we want ‘full baked’ graduates. Has our current leaders done their very best for Nigeria?
It has become the normal tradition for some Senators and Honorables whenever they visit their constituencies, to distribute ‘dividends of democracy’ such as motorcycles,grinding machines and to build vocational training centres with their names.(Some ministers do that too). You can never fool all the people at the same time. I believe vocational centres should only be an addition to sound education. Any entrepreneur without education in a country like Nigeria will have no say in the affairs of the country. Even Pa Awo learnt a vocation(stenography), but he never depended on it to fulfil his dreams until he got good education.Lawmakers who build more and more vocational centres everyday are just short of ideas.
When you cannot fix schools which are currently in deteriorating conditions but you can make more cobblers and shoe-shiners through these vocational training stuffs then you lack good ideologies. I wonder what they treat at their party gatherings.Today’s politicians are too occupied with how to stop oppositions and the result is this inertia in the nation.Pa Awo never bothered about oppositions but the masses.What a quintessential man! A man for all seasons! The best president Nigeria never had. What a loss!
Unexpected earthquakes have rocked countries like Haiti,Solomon Islands,Chile and most recently Taiwan and Turkey.Hurricane has flooded some parts of western Europe in countries which are technologically and environmentally better than Nigeria. Since then, and even before, we have had call by experts about the possibility of a disaster especially in the south-western part of Nigeria. Up till this moment, I do not know of any measures put in place to lessen (if not prevent) the severity of a disaster.Infact, I doubt whether we can ever have such measures in a country which is not even politically stable enough. We are always at the mercies of God in Nigeria! May God save us.
Recently, I read of an incident in Jigawa state where a pregnant woman was neglected in labour by a hospital(Ringim General Hospital) and this led to her untimely death. The reason for the neglect was that the husband failed to produce the sum of 24,000 naira demanded as medical bill. Now, for how long shall we continue to watch our fellow compatriots die like animals? Many people die preventable deaths in Nigeria everyday due to the attitude of all of us.The recent Jos crisis is an example. Over 500 people including women and children were butchered by their fellow countrymen whose greatest claim to ethnicity is just language and culture. We are all the same. One people in one nation.
No nation can achieve good transformation without peace and unity. In an atmosphere of uneasiness, terrorism, cabalism, and bloodshed there can be no moving forward-no lasting greatness. Remember the almajiris are still piling up in the north. At 50 years of independence, our refineries are still not working, electricity is proving to be beyond PHCN’s control, the Federal government is proclaiming deregulation, and already there is hike in price of petrol. This is an irony in a nation regarded as the sixth largest producer of oil in the world.
We have potentials but no harnessing of these potentials. Nigeria is no longer an industrialized nation. The industries that functioned in the 80s and 90s had all gone to Ghana and South Africa. The main ‘industry’ in Nigeria today is Okada riding. The Chinese and Lebanese are making all our money now.Yet our leaders pretend as if they do not know all this things.
Public schools are in deteriorating conditions all over the country. In some schools, pupils sit on bare floor or hang on windows. I was part of this system and I know what it looks like. Presently, the future looks gloomy. We cannot make future leaders in this path we currently tow. Our leaders still travel abroad to access their health and for vacations. Why? There is no qualitative health facility in the country.
In january, I saw a picture of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa while he was still Nigeria’s Prime Minister in the 60s.He was on vacation in his village sitting on bare floor with his children and they were eating sugarcane together. Does it mean the man was timid? No, he travelled around the world like many of our presnt leaders. He was just humble in service. What a great man!

My Prescription
Let us stop abusing the sick President alone. Let all of us do our very best for our country. Some governors are already vying for the post of Vice President. Is this not for their selfish interest? Apart from the time of Pa Awo and the rest, no President or Head of state had the real ambition to serve Nigeria, they were all opportunists. Nigeria is our only home, let us make it a better place.
To the youths: ‘We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power towards good ends- Maya Angelou.
From my personal book of quotes: ‘It is when you learn to hold yourself responsible for your woes that you come up with great ideas to move forward.’
Yes, Nigeria will move forward if we can all accept our responsibilities as the conductor of our destiny ,and our nation.

Tomiwa Olasiyan,
a concerned Nigerian youth.
Opinions welcomed at tomiwatoluwani@yahoo.com

N.B: This article was written by me for publication in 2010. You could ask your vendor or librarian for a copy of the March 16th edition of The Sun Newspapers(for those in Nigeria) to read the published & edited version.

The Hullabaloo about football

I write in the face of all the noise and drama that has ensued since the senior national football team, the Stephen Keshi-led Super Eagles defeated the Burkina Faso team in the final of the Africa nations cup called ACFON 2013. With that triumph, the team reached the apogee level of success in African football, thus earning the bragging rights of being champions of the continent for the next two years.
Ever since the Super Eagles qualified for the knockout stages, there has been applauds & plaudits alike from Nigerians and every section of the media. Praises came from even those who never expected the team to reach the knockout stage, not to talk of even making any meaningful impact at the tournament. In fact, how many Nigerians actually believed from the outset that the Super Eagles could actually win the African tourney, the biggest competition in African football? I’m sure only about 10 per cent of the population did as it looked like a chimera. Many thought the chipolopolos of Zambia were going to crush us like chickens. A friend told me the match would be a massacre on Nigeria!
Well, I don’t blame anyone for losing hope in their country judging by the way things are being run by the administrators. But I’m proud to say I was among the 10 per cent who were optimistic of our chances in the tournament. I was always looking out for Emmanuel Emenike who I believe is Rashidi Yekini’s modernized version, a prototype. That is for another day though.
The Super Eagles were compensated with 30,000 dollars per player after they qualified for the knockout stages. This proved to be an important morale booster, especially for players like Sunday Mba who play in the Nigerian league. We all saw how the young man peaked since that match against the Ivorien team in the quarter final. Also, after the Eagles triumphed on Sunday, President Jonathan at a special reception held in honour of the team on Tuesday evening rewarded the players, technical & coaching crew with national Honours, plots of land in Abuja & several millions of naira.
Now, no one says it is bad to appreciate heroes who have defended their country’s pride with zeal and moxie. Indeed, if Nigeria is to go back to her roots and achieve the dream of our founding fathers, then there is the need to always honour our heroes. But what of earlier footballers like Haruna Ilerika, Sam Okwaraji who died playing for Nigeria, Sam Ojebode who never owned a house till he died, or even Yekini who died pitiably not too long ago? Who will repay these soccer warriors? Yekini had to take a job as player/coach at lowly Shooting stars to support himself for a while before his body finally couldn’t hold it. He never got the promised benefits the federal government made to him and his colleagues for the triumph in 1994, yet everyone is proud to say Nigeria had not won the Nations cup since 19 years ago! Have we compensated the people who made us proud then?
The team that made us all proud now consists of a 23-man squad, the coach and his assistants, and the technical crew. We all know Nigeria consists of well above 160 million Nigerians, while the vast majority of the citizens continue to wallow in absolute poverty compared to the luxuries a tiny minority of the same population enjoys. The poor gets poorer while the rich gets richer & live beyond the wildest dreams of the common man. Part of this unnecessary luxury was what was displayed on national television at the special reception for the Super Eagles on Tuesday. Only God knows how many billions of naira will go into that dinner, aside the money given to the team. All this in the face of the fact that many people in Nigeria live below one dollar per day!
The truth be said or not, an average civil servant will never be close to his children until he retires as he has to resume work by 8am everyday, which means you must have woken before your kids wake. Yet, these people are the poorest in the society! Imagine a policeman armed with a barrel to protect lives of the citizens earning so little as 18,000 naira as salary! How will he not accept bribes? President Goodluck Jonathan is never going to win any war against corruption unless he put attention to matters that will change the lives of the poor majority.
Everyday, our ears are filled with stories of millions and billions in the government or individual’s coffers with nothing meaningful coming out of it. What is 5 million naira to a Mikel Obi who earns about 60,000 pounds weekly at Chelsea FC in England? But that same amount of money will change a lot of lives forever in this country. As a student, I cannot recall the last time a major scholarship award was organized was organized by the Federal government to encourage exceptional students! Is it that nobody is brilliant again? No, the thing is that nobody in government really want us to learn so that we don’t challenge their authority with our knowledge. I leave everybody to their conscience.

I caught the Professor stammering

Last week friday evening(March 19), the Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN) decided to give us light in my area after two good weeks of blackout. I will not tell you where my area is but it is an open secret that everywhere in Nigeria today is always in blackout- day and night- except the Aso Rock where the PHCN may want to respect the Presidency. I learnt from a very reasonable source that even the PHCN officials use generators in their offices! This naturally depicts that we as common citizens should not in any way expect electricity since the people who give and takes the light also sometimes depend on generators in their offices and homes.
As soon as the light came on, out of surprise or amazement, I rushed to the television set to at least relax a little with any programme I could get before the ‘power owners’ hold the power again. I tuned to NTA and it was not long after I started watching their evening network news that my interest was aroused by one particular event. I call it an inspirational event.
The INEC chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu had gone to meet the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole to detail him about his(INEC’s) plans and preparations for the coming general elections in 2011. Now, the Speaker was trying to stress his views about the feb. 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra which was adjudged in some sections as controversial. According to the Speaker : ‘An election may be free and fair and still be regarded as not free and fair. Before an election can be regarded as free and fair, it must be free of controversy in every way’. After the words by the Speaker then came the opportunity for the INEC chairman to try and convince Nigerians about his commission’s efforts during the Anambra election and what he intends to do for Nigeria in 2011.
I must confess I was really disappointed at him and his defense. My mouth was agape with amazement at how a professor could suddenly become a stammerer when it was his time to finally display his mettle in the national television to viewing Nigerians. He stammered throughout and I could not even get a point or clue from all what he said. As my writer mentor, Femi Adesina, normally writes, that presentation by the INEC chairman shows he is badgered, confused, without liver and with weak biceps he could not even flex. It is also right to say he is presently in wonderland, too creepy and spooky for him to comprehend.
Honestly, I pity him but I still don’t pity him because he was one of those people who were forced on Nigeria by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, a man who must have brought publicity along with him while coming to the world. As portrayed in his middle name, Okikiolu, he is always in the news for one reason or another. I also remember the most publicized quote from Prof. Maurice Iwu after the 2007 general elections when he had the audacity to say ‘even America has a lot to learn from Nigeria’s ”wonderful” elections’. An election which even the unborn child knows was a fake one considering the way politicians butchered themselves, hired thugs for violence, and rigged the results to pronounce fake winners through the mercenary called INEC. Some of the fake winners were later flushed out by the tribunals. We saw it in Edo, Ondo and Rivers state. The man, Prof. Maurice Iwu tried to make a fool of every patriotic Nigerian with that controversial statement then, but he went away with it because he did it in Nigeria! No country in the world could have taken that except a country where the citizens don’t know their right to have credible elections.
Professor Maurice Iwu should never have become INEC chairman in the first place being a microbiology professor. He could have invested his wealth of scientific knowledge into future microbiologists if he had followed his call. Some people will argue that any professor or higher institution graduate should be able to solve any problem or head any division effectively considering the wide knowledge they must have acquired. Yes, this may be true but can we really be talented in every human field? Personally, I can never, after spending more than four years in the university, then Masters degree, and then after many years of scientific researches, end up collating election results and voters’ registers. By venturing into this line, Prof. Maurice Iwu had already put himself in national pressure and I will not be surprised if he suddenly becomes confused, perplexed, badgered, short of words, weird and hysterical.
Everyday in Nigeria, you already face traffic pressure when going to work(especially if you live in Lagos) , electricity pressure at home and at office, and if you are unfortunate enough to have a vixen as a wife and crooks as children you also face home pressure when returning home from work. And the list of pressures goes on.

Gadaffi is a Prophet

I have always despised the man, Muammar Gaddafi, for turning himself to a despot and dictator in his home country, Libya and for refusing to relinquish power to young leaders. Like many of our former military heads of state in Nigeria, Gaddafi is an opportunist who got to the apogee of political power through instability in his contry. After assuming power as a military man over 30 yrs. ago, he has since changed himself to a self-made civilian, just like many of our present day politicians in Nigeria.
Who says wise words do not sometimes come out of even confirmed mad people? That is why everybody must be given audience no matter who they are or used to be. Muammar Gaddafi surprised everyone last week when he called for Nigeria’s break-up. Since then, he has suffered a barrage of abuses from journalists, clerics, resourceful people and legislators, most notably the Senate President of Nigeria.
Gaddafi does not surprise me at all, only the people abusing him did. His abusers and accusers surprised me because Nigeria’s break-up is not just known and they should not have waited till the Libyan ruler talk before they show their unthoughtful rage. When the Jos crisis first occured last year and in january,why didn’t someone do something about it? People always look for scape-goats such as Gaddafi to blame for their woes. I think we are always afraid of the truth in Nigeria.
Anybody with capable intellectual and insightful abilities must have seen a looming break-up before now. Infact, I personally have been praying against Nigeria’s break-up since mid last year(2009) because I believe in Nigeria. That is why I called Gaddafi a prophet. He seems to know what many do not know and was kind enough to say it. The definition of a prophet. You do not need a fortune-teller to know what is happening as the signs are even in the air!
Now, are the signs not there for us to see? Militants(MEND) in the Niger-Delta, MASSOB fighting for Biafra, Boko haram, religious fanatics, ethnic disputes e.t.c. That is to mention but a few. For how long can we continue to bribe the militants in Niger-Delta with an unreliable amnesty? In the days of yore, ethnic disputes was between the Ijaws and Itsekiris, but now, it is the Berom and Fulani in Jos. After 50 yrs. of coming together, we are still yet to see ourselves as One Nigeria. We still do not believe we are one blood. Some tribes still claim ownership of lands. The only thing Gaddafi got wrong is by thinking christians and muslims will break apart. If truly Nigeria will break(this I don’t pray), it will be political and regionally, not for religious reasons.
If Nigeria will not break, then our leaders needs to be sincere with themselves and Nigerians. The Senate President should not pretend as if he does not know all these challenges. To pretend as if there is nothing means there will be no solution. Nigeria needs to work on ethical standards and not mere sweet talks. Not futile campaigns that encourages profligacy and reputation building such as the ‘good people, great nation’ era. Nigeria needs a change, a revolution, an emancipation, a salvation, a revival, and a deliverance. God, save us.

Tomiwa Olasiyan lives in Nigeria,
tomiwatoluwani@yahoo.com

N.B: I originally wrote this article years ago, when the issue of election malpractice and separation of Nigeria was still hot.

Corruption in Nigeria

The issue of corruption has been a subject of much debate in Nigeria ever since time immemorial. From the time of our forbearers to the period of independence, during the time of great thinkers and administrators such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe( The Great Zik) and Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and co., the subject of corruption has always been a popular topic in their speeches, demonstrations, and arguments. Still, coming down to the post-independent period in Nigeria, during the era which ushered in the men in military uniforms starting from January 15, 1966 when a military coup d’e-tat led by an army Major, Chukwuma Nzeogwu, overthrew the government of the Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Many resourceful citizens have been slaughtered, killed, wounded, mutilated, sent to exile and intimidated due to this same monster called corruption in Nigeria. Men such as the late Chiefs Anthony Enahoro and Odumegwu Ojukwu at some points in their lives went into exile. Heroes like the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, his wife late Chief Mrs Kudirat Abiola and the fearless Ogoni activist, Ken Saro Wiwa also suffered death as a result of the corruption in the land at the period when they lived.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (11th Edition), corruption is the action of corrupting or the state of being corrupt. Meanwhile, corruption has also been broadly defined as a perversion or a change from good to bad. Specifically, corruption or corrupt behavior involves the violation of established rules for personal gain and profit. Corruption is efforts to secure wealth or power through illegal means, private gain at public expense; or a misuse of public power for private benefit (Lipset & Lenz, 2000, p.112-114). Presently, Nigeria is ranked 139th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index, tied with Azerbaijan, Kenya, Nepal, and Pakistan. These are countries in which Nigeria should not even have anything bad in common with judging by our human and mineral resources not to talk of our age since independence. Later this year come October 1st, Nigeria is going to celebrate 53 years of independence. Countries of our stature and age such as India, Singapore and Malaysia have already become manufacturers of automobiles, computers, refineries etc. but Nigeria continues to remain in a lugubrious and sardonic state of stand-still due to corruption, which continues to baffle the senses of the remaining vibrant old and young in the country who are yet to lose their sanity and consciousness.
There are many unresolved problems in Nigeria, but the issue of the upsurge of corruption is troubling. And the damages it has done to the polity are astronomical. The menace of corruption leads to slow movement of files in offices, police extortion, tollgates and slow traffics on the highways, port congestion, queues at passport offices and gas stations, ghost workers syndrome, election irregularities, among others. Even the mad people on the street recognize the havoc caused by corruption – the funds allocated for their welfare disappear into the thin air. Thus, it is believed by many in the society that corruption is the bane of Nigeria. Consequently, the issue keeps reoccurring in every academic and informal discussion in Nigeria. And the issue will hardly go away! What continues to baffle me is that despite Nigerians stressing their dismay at our corrupt leaders each day through newspapers editorials and opinions, television interviews and programmes, seminars by independent and governmental bodies, caricatures and cartoon arts in magazines and dailies etc., the same occurrences we speak against continues to repeat themselves everyday.
THE most moderate estimates suggest that $4 billion to $8 billion is stolen from Nigeria’s state coffers every year. Yet not a single politician is serving a prison sentence for corruption or embezzlement. Charged with protecting the riches of sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest economy is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has brought charges against 35 prominent politicians, including 19 former state governors, since its foundation in 2003. The previous EFCC head, Nuhu Ribadu, made progress. But he floundered when he took on James Ibori, who was said to have stolen $290m. Mr Ibori was close to Umaru Yar’Adua, Nigeria’s president from 2007 to 2010. State governors still enjoy immunity from prosecution while in power. Three former governors, recently arrested for the suspected embezzlement of $615m, have yet to be tried. Moreso, those who have been tried before for corrupt practices and embezzlements now walk around majestically in the country and even attend ceremonial occasions where they glaringly spend their embezzled lucres.
Corruption is a huge brake on Nigeria’s growth. One official reckons the country has lost more than $380 billion to graft since independence in 1960. Foreign investors cite it as the main reason to avoid the country. Meanwhile, the problem of corruption has been around for a while, it is instructive to note that the will to combat it has become more resilient and with the expected co-operation of the international community and fellow Nigerians. It is already evident that corruption ruins a nation and Nigeria is currently under-developed because corruption is on rampage. It is our hope and prayer that very soon and in due course, the subject of corruption will become one that will be forgotten in our country and that the country would be free of perpetrators and saboteurs who do not have the love of Nigeria at heart. Amen.

Democracy in Nigeria: how far?

It’s an open secret that many things are still not working well in this 50 year old country. Yet, many people will try to make me cry by reminding me it is May 29, democracy day they call it. We operate a system which makes 90% of its money & financial security through crude oil. But even the region that contributes this oil is underdeveloped. We operate in a democracy whereby the votes of the people do not count in elections again. We have a nation where there is political apathy between citizens & the government. Of course I do not blame the people for their lack of interest in politics. Many have been frustrated, left desolated and depressed by the insensitivity & unscrupulous nature of the government to their needs and calls.
Do we really practice democracy in Nigeria? May 29 marks the 11th year of democracy in Nigeria but still, we don’t enjoy portable water, uninterrupted power supply & the basic amenities that we need. Thousands of people die daily in our hospitals due to lack of efficient working facilities. Our leaders still travel abroad to access the standard health facilities over there we are left to manage with the old fashioned equipments here.
. Education should be free. Why should the government charge students for school fees when their parents are being punished with unemployment and joblessness. A lot of money are being wasted in Abuja. Children of looters are the ones schooling abroad and in these private universities all around. Yet, the masses are not being given any chance of survival. Infact, the masses’ best opportunity which is public schools-primary,secondary,tertiary- are fast turning to private schools with fees being hiked at exorbitant rate.I know of a state-owned tertiary institution in Osun state which collects more than 100,000 naira as tuition fee.
In Nigeria, we only follow what philosophers call “Thrasymachus belief”. That is, “justice is the interest of the stronger”. When a political office holder has not been affected or disturbed by an anomaly in the society, he or she will not correct the situation. If there happens to be an epidemic disease in an area or a road is in bad shape with many potholes, the government will not move to correct that problem until it affects someone in that government. Not until a governor or minister discover how bad it is to get stucked in an unnecessary traffic hold-up, they won’t see reasons to tar the roads .
What we actually have since May 29,1999 is alienation of the people. Infact, May 29 should not be democracy day but “masses movement day”. The masses should come out & question the activities of these “so-called leaders”. Is it democracy when the people cannot have access to portable water,electricity supply e.t.c.
Someone like Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, when he was young like us(Nigerian student) his own predecessors, Pa Awolowo and co were busy preparing a future for him and his generation so as for them to also have an headway. Through selfless service, Pa Awolowo was able to create free education for all in the western state. But when Obasanjo got to the apogee of power in 1999, he began to create ways for private universities to emerge and to take control of education in the country. Olusegun Obasanjo is just a despotic autocrat.
Nigeria footed the education of Olusegun Obasanjo while he was young. He enjoyed the free education he couldn’t provide during his own time and infact, now that he is old, Nigeria still pay him salaries and pensions. Yet with all that he has got from this country, he has never for once see a reason to pay us back in good and in kind. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo created all this “useless” Open universities during his regime, where people get “stupid” and “unpracticable” degrees in sandwich courses. The word “sandwich” in the language context means a food that is for refreshment, not the real food. With this, Obasanjo ridiculed and worsened our education to the sorry state in which it is.
The major defect in our electoral system is our constitution. According to the constitution we have, precisely section 131, the least qualification required to contest a presidential election is school certificate. Now, could this not be a reason why many of our leaders are illiterates. The constitution does not give any chance to the masses. It is an open secret in the Nigeria of today, you need at least 100 million naira to contest in the Senate. You will have to buy campaign buses, buy cars, build houses for the traditional rulers and settle the local govt. chairmen before you can even be sure you are really contesting. Now, how many men of integrity in Nigeria has such money to waste. The “wicked” constitution does not support independent candidature.
Everyday, my prayer is always that all of Nigeria’s enemies should still be alive to be able to witness the full greatness of this country which is coming soon. But to be really great, Nigerian people needs to ask questions. We need to question our leaders who walk about around us. When the majority is passive and dormant, the minority will continue to deride them.