The orchestrated plans to break up Nigeria

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

¯ Albert Einstein

True, my dear country Nigeria is no longer a safe place, especially with the daily bombings, kidnapping and senseless killings of innocent souls across virtually everywhere in the country. To be honest, I am even scared writing this column this week, because who knows where the next deadly bomb is going to explode.

Like everything Nigeria, the spate of bombings in the country has taken another dimension, with faceless living human beings among us senselessly going after innocent church worshippers and Islamic pupils. A shameless action and ungodly if you will agree with me. Is it not actually a worthless less efforts to go bomb or kill people worshipping or praising that magnificent, all knowing and all seeing God that none of us has ever seen or behold, and at the end of the day both the bombers and everyone else will definitely die and answer to all his or her good and bad deeds on earth?

What justification do we as humans really have to kill another soul none of us can ever or will ever be able to create? Or is there any one among us that God the owner of everything in this vanity world has given the license or birth right to kill on His behalf? The fact is, whosoever commits any evil in a house of worship should expect a disgraceful retribution beginning from here on earth before the final one on the Day of Judgment.

Well, it is just a matter of time before we all depart this turbulent world and go answer to all the deeds we used our hands, legs, mouth and body to commit before our creator and I am sure none shall escape His judgment, especially those who have one way or the other destroyed or killed his creations on earth.

Back to my dear country Nigeria, no doubt the series of confrontations by various groups on the people and nation known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria is without double saying a sign of war on the peace loving people of this great country. If not, why should any sincere group want to instigate a religious war in the country, a dangerous war that no sensible country would want to engage in. Right now it seems the die has been cast and those who are bent on breaking and splitting up this resilient country are fighting desperately to do so.

Another overview of the various deadly crimes going on in this country over the past ten years might showcase another angle to their motives. From the current deadly systematic bombings and ethno- religious crises going on across the north, the vicious kidnappings and armed robbery in the south-east, the orchestrated assassinations and political wrestling in the south-west and the diehard militancy and political unrest in the south-south. All these tend to point to an orchestrated plan to fulfil that doomsday prediction by the West of the breaking up of Nigeria before 2015.

Well, maybe we should not just close our eyes and senses and give way to these faceless people to win over our sovereignty. Unless if we want to overlook some of the deadly atrocities that have been committed against this country over the past ten years or thereabout. Carnage such as the spate of deadly bombs that has continued to shake the fabric and foundation of the country, the daily orgy of killings in the name of religion, tribe, settler, indigene and other narcissism that lead to senseless loss of lives across the country.

Should we overlook the ransomed attitude of some militants that occasionally threaten our co-existence, or prudently view it as part of this orchestrated plan to break up Nigeria, the nation bestowed with some of the richest natural resources on planet earth? Won’t it be proper and elaborate if we try to see the daily invasion of our villages and towns by faceless killers as part of this coordinated preparation to tear asunder the ‘Giant of Africa’ in fulfillment of 2015?

What about some of the daily inflammatory utterances and comments of some of our political, religious and traditional leaders over the years as the country boils and groans under insecurity, ethno-religious crises, kidnappings, armedrobbery,assassination, militancy,political crises, corruption, maladministration, injustice and all the other underdevelopment forces and wahala that have continued to bedevil this great rich nation over the years; should we see all these as part of this jealous sketch to sever the tight cold that has continued to bind us together since our unfortunate civil war or just overlook them as the country keeps boiling and slowly losing its hitherto solidness and vibrancy?

I tell you there seems to be many organized plans to destabilize this country, and a good observer would have noticed some of these man-made arrangements, but like everything that goes under the sun, man plans, but God the creator, designer and owner of everything has His own plan. So, it is important that we must not and should not bow to the plans of man. This is our country, none of us really begged to be made a Nigerian; we all found ourselves as creatures in a vanity world, and I think it is important that these faceless human beings among us who are all bent on cracking and splitting up this one nation under one sun would realize that none among them can really modify any part of what God has made this country to be without His consent.

Again, like everything that happens under the sky, I believe there are always solutions to everything, and Nigerians must understand that we are not the first; neither shall we be the last to be threatened by these various challenges. But the ability of those saddled with the responsibility of ensuring our continued co-existence, who are actually men and women among us is presently what is in doubt. It is important that they sit up to their responsibilities, and be courageous to step aside if they are not capable of holding to their oath of protecting and defending the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including its territory and its people. They should be bold to hands-up if the current tide of unrest and insecurity are weighting them down, instead of holding on to their positions and pretending that all is well and under their control, while hundreds of innocent lives are daily lost to this orchestrated chart to break up this resilient country.

Oil subsidy removal: The President, his tiny faction and the majority of us

“Nothing is more revolting than the majority; for it consists of few vigorous predecessors, of knaves who accommodate themselves, of weak people who assimilate themselves, and the mass that toddles after them without knowing in the least what it wants”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The oil subsidy palaver: It is currently the hottest debate and one of the most talked about issue across the country and beyond our shores.  And its few proponents are daily churning out different propagandas and ideologies on why the vast majority of us should and must support the oppressive idea of subsidy removal as being planned by the present administration under the commanding power of President Goodluck  Ebele Jonathan.

I am still finding it very difficult to believe that our dear coordinating minister for Economy and Finance could disrespect her intimidating gele and almost practically weep to convince the majority of us to accept this repressive plan. And to quote her as reported by the press, “What we are asking you Nigerians to do is to give us a chance. We know there is lack of confidence in government. We need to rebuild the trust. Even those of us in government are tired of complaining. We can’t succeed without you. Give us chance to perform and see if we can make that change” she said.

 Thank God, our dear minister boldly accepted that we the majority have since lost confidence in government and are very suspicious of any proposed policies and promises of most of our politicians.

Perhaps the minister and those strongly advocating this unpopular plan are not really listening to the loud voices of Nigerians across the country and beyond  on why they don’t want  or subscribe to this plan called subsidy.  They are not listening and hearing the pathetic voices of our mothers and wives on the skyrocketing prize of  kerosene, garri, masara, dawa, elubo and all the other hitherto cheap foodstuffs the  majority of us have been pacifying our oppressed bodies with to keep body and soul, amidst the insecurity and total lack of confidence in  government over the years.   It seems the president and his few supporters of oil subsidy removal have not been listening to the daily lamentations of the majority of Nigerians about the crazy yearly increase of house rents across the country. They have not adequately relaxed their busy minds to really see, feel and understand the pain most of us daily go through in the hands of our overzealous transport owners as we strive daily to get to our places of work, markets and schools. They have failed to comprehend that the majority of us are already tired of this long fruitless journey of promises and failure.

The majority of Nigerians on which all the goodies from this planned oil subsidy removal would fall are loudly saying NO! to this one-sided plan that is already causing serious hardship and wahala in many homes across the country.  The few minority supporting this plan I believe are not being sincere with their conscience, if not, the poor states of our roads, hospitals, schools, including our various shut-down industries and retrogressing  villages should have illustrated how truly the various imported government plans and policies on oil have failed us massively over the years.

I think it is important for the president and his few supporters to shine their eyes and listen to the mobilizing voices of the majority that could ignite a fire that might prove difficult for them to extinguish when the furious flame roars across the country and probably igniting that revolutionary vision acknowledged by the president few weeks ago.

It is important for the president and his tiny faction to see beyond their secluded views and broaden their vision to the reality that the power of the majority can always put a match to a time bomb waiting to explode, and the index so far is indicating a fragile timeline waiting to burst.

Also very important for the president to know is the fact that unpopular policies have always been the catalyst that saw to the downfall of various  governments that failed to listen to the majority voices of their people across the world and an albatross to their regime.

I think the president and his cabinet owe all those enthusiastic Nigerians who voted in this administration and made it possible for them to now occupy their present positions a mark of gratitude and an un-quantifiable public service for all the trust they gave to them, including their selfless sacrifices before and during the presidential election; one of the most tensed period in our history as a nation, instead of now subjecting them to economic tension.

Some thoughtful questions for those in support of this anti-people polices are: Do they really have control over the pump price of petroleum product in the country? Do they have the will and gut to unmask and tame the elusive cabal that are ripping us off and benefitting greedily from this collective wealth? Do they truthfully have the patriotic zeal to deregulate this important sector of our economy for God and country? Has it really occurred to them that no government can and has so far succeed if its focuses depends solely on oil to revive its economy, initiate development and rebuild its infrastructure? Do they put into consideration that this planned oil subsidy removal is wrongly timed given the insecurity and our yet to recover economic meltdown?

The truth is the president and his fuel subsidy collaborators cannot claim to know more than all of us. It is relevant for them to have it at the back of their minds that the ladder of life is fragile and succumb easily to the inevitable wind of  change which might someday turn against them  as the future of many Nigerians, including them, their families and offspring depend on the good or bad  policy and vision they will have left behind. It is significant that they know that we all belong to this country and own it as a responsibility to see that we all enjoy the free natural wealth bequeathed to us by God.

Right now the majority of Nigerians have said no to this unnecessary government policy and I think it is imperative for the National Assembly and all the state legislative arms, and the judiciary to compel the president and his proponent team to listen to the wish of the people who are the majority and make them see the wisdom on why our mass voice is opposed to this unpopular plan. The majority I believe brought about their emergence and will continue to have the vast support of the mass populace and shall always carry the vote of victory.

President Jonathan and his many wahala…

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” Peter Drucker

Perhaps no other President has been unfortunate to be confronted by so many wahala since Nigeria independenceth than President Goddluck Ebele Jonathan. These wahala can be categorized into two:  the man-made and God made, with the latter dominating the scale.  And to be fair to the president, it has not been quite easy for him as the number one man of this great rich controversial country.

The daily challenges and wahala confronting Mr. President comprise various strikes from different sectors of the Nigerian social, economic and political fronts, which are ASSU and NLC strikes amongst others. This administration has to its credit one of the most challenging and threatening internal problems since our independence. This courtesy of the deadly Boko Haram   mayhem, the Niger Delta militancy, the Jos, Bauchi, Kaduna, Yobe, Nazarawa and Benue ethno-religious slaughtering. Not forgetting the constant political thuggery and bloody Motor Parks rivalry in Oyo and other part of the south-west environs. Worthy to also mention is the record breaking increase in dare devil robbery and kidnapping in the south –east and part of the south-south.

To be honest, my eyes just took a peep more prudently at the Nigeria nation and I can clearly see that this present administration has no option than  to buckle up and face all the man-made  challenges and problems daily  confronting it furiously. From the disgraceful Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and its scandalous privatization exercise, and the other massive corruption cases hanging boldly like a tag on its head perpetrated by past and serving government officials and politicians.

Another burden and challenge facing this government is the pathetic state of our educational sector and the eyesore that has become our public schools. Though the administration has to its credit the record of settling up new universities across the various geo-political zones in the country, it has always failed to really look inward and behold with shame what has become some of our historical public schools, from primary, secondary to higher institutions across the country. Some of the hitherto beautiful structures are now more of relics and unfortunately still accommodate hundreds of innocent Nigerians under hash and disgraceful conditions. Some of our young pupils  and  under-graduates can still be seen sitting and squatting  in various classrooms, despite the yearly billions of naira allocated to this  important  sector of our lives.

The load on the shoulder of this administration, I tell you, is not an easy one.  How else should we describe our nose-dived sport ministry and its various shameful failures despite all the commitment of the administration and support from the Presido personally in ensuring that our sport ministry has the best, especially our corruption infected Nigeria Football  Federation (NFF) and their bunch of unpatriotic and money induced administrators, coaches and players?  I wonder how many Nigerians this cluster of failed sportsmen and women would have sent to their early graves through high blood pressure anytime they come, make their loud boastfulness and at the end fail woefully with cheap excuses. Thank God, Nigerians are now wiser, they now funnel their energy to how to get their daily bread and garri, instead of wasting unfruitful time and vigour supporting or worrying about our failed sportsmen and women, who over the years have brought nothing but scandals, corruption, infighting and shame to our hitherto number one sporting nation in Africa, and among the best in the world.

It is not easy to rule a country like Nigeria;anyone with ambition or privilege to vie or govern this rich diversified nation must and should be ready to confront all the big wahala that should be expected from a country with more than 150 million people. That person should be bold enough to confront the security challenges and massive corruption that could greedily swallow it if left untamed.

Among the loads the Jonathan administration is currently carrying on its over burdened head is the important issue of good roads across the country, steady power and water supply, modern hospitals and equipment, unemployment, closure of industries, especially in the north where almost all the hitherto vibrant textile industries, and other manufacturing enterprises have long kissed the dust. I am sure the present administration has not forgotten that on its shoulder still lies the promise of  establishing a modern school system for the battalions of almajiris  still daily roaming our town and cities, disgracefully in rags with weather beaten bowls in search of food and where to lay their  oppressed heads.

There is this popular Hausa saying: tsunsu da yaja ruwa, shi ruwa kan daka. Translate: The bird that draws rain got beaten by the rain. The president since assumption seems to have been drawing some of the thunderstorm and rain that is falling over his administration negatively. From his proposed single tenure bill, his long overdue promise of naming and exposing those behind the spate of bombings across the country, the names of the greedy cabal milking us from our oil sector and his current controversial oil subsidy removal plan.

Though I am yet to meet Mr. President in person, my eyes from afar could deduce that he seems to be someone that should be able to face these many wahala confronting his administration presently, given the fact that providence so far has been on his side and fair to him in all the battles he has so far been confronted with in life. How he does this rests squarely on his shoulders, and Nigerians and history shall only remember and refer in these words: During the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, because the final buck and solutions to these loads of wahala presently, still stop on his table.

The Nigeria nation: Are we not ashamed?

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.--- John Ruskin

True, I have always tried to ask myself why Nigeria the most populous rich black nation on earth has still remained like this, despite our unquantifiable human and natural resources. Sometimes I ponder, wondering if all the intellectual capital and mineral resources at our disposal are real or mere imaginary assumption.  But my eyes over the decades I know have not been deceiving me with what I have been seeing, hearing and witnessing over the years since I found myself as a citizen of this great diversified country. To be honest, I sometimes feel mortified whenever I look round me and I see the wastage of both human and natural wealth littering everywhere. I am more embarrassed by the wasteful attitudes of some of past and present leaders, especially our current politicians who despite all the mother luck that has   smiled on them in terms of modernization and globalization are still finding it difficult to steer the wheels of this capable rich nation towards one of the most developed nations in the world. We boast of anything you can ever imagine on earth, both in human and natural endeavors. We have some of the world richest concentration of natural resources from natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, bitumen, lead, zinc and  arable land, where some of the world richest agricultural products are produced; is it cocoa, groundnut, cassava, yam, palm kernel, millet, rice, maize ,beans, tomatoes, sugarcane, and other body nourishing food scattered everywhere yanfu-yanfu? But upon all these the Nigeria nation is still credited with some of the worst roads and hungry homes in the world with malnourished citizens.Our death trap roads are daily trampled upon by expensive deceptive automobiles, from end of discussion, discussion  continues, Infinity Jeep, Hummers, BMWs, Rolls Royce, Bentleys, Jaguar, Limousines and the other illusive luxurious  man made road machines, while most of the roads are a sorry sites to see.  Are we not really ashamed that despite the large concentration of luxurious cars in our country, we are yet to create a made in Nigeria car? Is it not really a big embarrassment to our present generation of big men and politicians that in spite of their purported wealth and collection they   have nothing to show the world or leave behind like their predecessors did? Thanks to our past leaders; they brought us and left behind Peugeot, Volkswagen, Fiat and Lada assembling factories; a legacy our present leaders are still chopping from.  And the fact that they have privatized this heritage to themselves and their cronies, these legacies today are sadly a ghost of their past glory.        We boast and have the record of  being the African nation with the highest rate of schools, from public to private primary and secondary schools, government  and private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and the rest, yet our educational sector is so prejudiced and lagging behind disgracefully. No wonder, none of our strike indulged universities was chosen among the 300 best in the world recently.  Are we not truly ashamed that despite the full concentration of battalions of professors, teachers, lecturers, intellectual capital and other intellectual and education stakeholders in the country,  rich Nigerians still annually globe throt across the world with huge capital flight in search of knowledge and other sundry educational materials. Is it not a big embracement and shame on our leaders and some unpatriotic Nigerians that in spite of our status as one of the world richest oil producing nations, our mothers, wives, concubines, mistresses, and other struggling citizens are still finding it difficult to afford a gallon of kerosene? is it not part of the shame that most Nigerian homes have never seen or witnessed how gas is used for cooking, while the government and our big men export some of the highest quantity in the world to other nation; even though some of the communities where this gas is flared are yet to enjoy the blue flame of cooking gas in their homes.I don’t know about you, but I am ashamed that we are still witnessing ethno-religious, tribal and political crises in this 21st century. I am sad that despite our large concentration of mosques and churches, with world acclaimed imams and pastors, reverend fathers and sheiks, many innocent Nigerians are still daily maimed and killed in the name of religion. Come, is it not a big shame that given the high number of different traditional institutions made up of different class of emirs, obas and chiefs, we are still fighting senseless hostilities about settlers and indigene, breeding discrimination and nepotism among our various tribe and people.Shouldn’t we cover ourselves with the thickest blanket in shame, as we watch our previously energetic sporting activities degenerate into a shamble and have continued to wobble in disgrace, despite all the abundant talents that are scattered in all corners of this country and the huge financial expenditure constantly funneled into the moribund sector? Are we not abashed that almost twenty years since our new democratic dispensation our politicians across the states are still finding it difficult to execute one meaningful national project that could stand the test of time?  Should our representatives not cover their face in shame as they daily fight over monetary gains and political positions? Are they not embarrassed that the prices of almost everything in our markets have risen to the highest price since their takeover of our hitherto vibrant economy?  Is it not an amazing phenomenon that for more than fifty years after independence the Nigeria nation is still wobbling in darkness as a result of epileptic power supply and our farmers are still crying for fertilizer and other farming inputs every farming season, while our railways are more of a boju-boju on our rails.? Is not  scandalous that our hitherto peace loving and easy going nation is now more identified with corruption, drug trafficking, 419, terrorism, incompetency, maladministration, militancy and ritualists? What has really happened to that Nigeria nation that has produced some of the world acclaimed writers, journalists, technocrats, administrators, soldiers, policemen and women,  great sportsmen and women, musicians, actors and actress, artists and all other world class human beings in all human endeavors?   Are we not really ashamed with all the present man-made wahala that are bedeviling this great nation which could be fix and should be fixed in order for posterity not to laugh at us, especially those whose responsibility it is to fix them?

The Nigeria nation: Are we not ashamed?

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.--- John Ruskin

True, I have always tried to ask myself why Nigeria the most populous rich black nation on earth has still remained like this, despite our unquantifiable human and natural resources. Sometimes I ponder, wondering if all the intellectual capital and mineral resources at our disposal are real or mere imaginary assumption.  But my eyes over the decades I know have not been deceiving me with what I have been seeing, hearing and witnessing over the years since I found myself as a citizen of this great diversified country. To be honest, I sometimes feel mortified whenever I look round me and I see the wastage of both human and natural wealth littering everywhere. I am more embarrassed by the wasteful attitudes of some of past and present leaders, especially our current politicians who despite all the mother luck that has   smiled on them in terms of modernization and globalization are still finding it difficult to steer the wheels of this capable rich nation towards one of the most developed nations in the world. We boast of anything you can ever imagine on earth, both in human and natural endeavors. We have some of the world richest concentration of natural resources from natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, bitumen, lead, zinc and  arable land, where some of the world richest agricultural products are produced; is it cocoa, groundnut, cassava, yam, palm kernel, millet, rice, maize ,beans, tomatoes, sugarcane, and other body nourishing food scattered everywhere yanfu-yanfu? But upon all these the Nigeria nation is still credited with some of the worst roads and hungry homes in the world with malnourished citizens.Our death trap roads are daily trampled upon by expensive deceptive automobiles, from end of discussion, discussion  continues, Infinity Jeep, Hummers, BMWs, Rolls Royce, Bentleys, Jaguar, Limousines and the other illusive luxurious  man made road machines, while most of the roads are a sorry sites to see.  Are we not really ashamed that despite the large concentration of luxurious cars in our country, we are yet to create a made in Nigeria car? Is it not really a big embarrassment to our present generation of big men and politicians that in spite of their purported wealth and collection they   have nothing to show the world or leave behind like their predecessors did? Thanks to our past leaders; they brought us and left behind Peugeot, Volkswagen, Fiat and Lada assembling factories; a legacy our present leaders are still chopping from.  And the fact that they have privatized this heritage to themselves and their cronies, these legacies today are sadly a ghost of their past glory.        We boast and have the record of  being the African nation with the highest rate of schools, from public to private primary and secondary schools, government  and private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and the rest, yet our educational sector is so prejudiced and lagging behind disgracefully. No wonder, none of our strike indulged universities was chosen among the 300 best in the world recently.  Are we not truly ashamed that despite the full concentration of battalions of professors, teachers, lecturers, intellectual capital and other intellectual and education stakeholders in the country,  rich Nigerians still annually globe throt across the world with huge capital flight in search of knowledge and other sundry educational materials. Is it not a big embracement and shame on our leaders and some unpatriotic Nigerians that in spite of our status as one of the world richest oil producing nations, our mothers, wives, concubines, mistresses, and other struggling citizens are still finding it difficult to afford a gallon of kerosene? is it not part of the shame that most Nigerian homes have never seen or witnessed how gas is used for cooking, while the government and our big men export some of the highest quantity in the world to other nation; even though some of the communities where this gas is flared are yet to enjoy the blue flame of cooking gas in their homes.I don’t know about you, but I am ashamed that we are still witnessing ethno-religious, tribal and political crises in this 21st century. I am sad that despite our large concentration of mosques and churches, with world acclaimed imams and pastors, reverend fathers and sheiks, many innocent Nigerians are still daily maimed and killed in the name of religion. Come, is it not a big shame that given the high number of different traditional institutions made up of different class of emirs, obas and chiefs, we are still fighting senseless hostilities about settlers and indigene, breeding discrimination and nepotism among our various tribe and people.Shouldn’t we cover ourselves with the thickest blanket in shame, as we watch our previously energetic sporting activities degenerate into a shamble and have continued to wobble in disgrace, despite all the abundant talents that are scattered in all corners of this country and the huge financial expenditure constantly funneled into the moribund sector? Are we not abashed that almost twenty years since our new democratic dispensation our politicians across the states are still finding it difficult to execute one meaningful national project that could stand the test of time?  Should our representatives not cover their face in shame as they daily fight over monetary gains and political positions? Are they not embarrassed that the prices of almost everything in our markets have risen to the highest price since their takeover of our hitherto vibrant economy?  Is it not an amazing phenomenon that for more than fifty years after independence the Nigeria nation is still wobbling in darkness as a result of epileptic power supply and our farmers are still crying for fertilizer and other farming inputs every farming season, while our railways are more of a boju-boju on our rails.? Is not  scandalous that our hitherto peace loving and easy going nation is now more identified with corruption, drug trafficking, 419, terrorism, incompetency, maladministration, militancy and ritualists? What has really happened to that Nigeria nation that has produced some of the world acclaimed writers, journalists, technocrats, administrators, soldiers, policemen and women,  great sportsmen and women, musicians, actors and actress, artists and all other world class human beings in all human endeavors?   Are we not really ashamed with all the present man-made wahala that are bedeviling this great nation which could be fix and should be fixed in order for posterity not to laugh at us, especially those whose responsibility it is to fix them?

Why we must not leave our fate to Jonathan alone

“Let it be said of us that we, too, did not fail. That we, too, worked together to bring America through difficult times. Let us so conduct ourselves that two centuries from now, another Congress and another President, meeting in this Chamber as we are meeting, will speak of us with pride, saying that we met the test and preserved for them in their day the sacred flame of liberty-this last, best hope of man on Earth.” ---- Ronald Reagan

 the I don’t really know about you, but for me I have long decided never to leave my fate in the hands of our politicians alone. Like Chinua Achebe, I have decided not to make myself available for any national award unless the presidency and the other arms of government find an effective lasting solution to the various wahala bedeviling my dear country Nigeria.

I think it is important and paramount that we all join hands together to save our one and only country from these man-made problems that are fast tearing us apart and robbing us of our shine. This is the time for the oppositions and opponents of the various political policies in this country to sheath their swords and contribute to the peaceful coexistence of this resilient nation. We must set aside our political, religious and tribal differences to confront the menace of bombings, kidnappings, robbery, ritualists, economic depression and ethno-religious bigotry now shaking our hitherto solid foundation.

We should not close our minds and senses and leave our fate to the ruling People Democratic Party and its candidates to continue to drive us at their leisure towards our destiny. We must continue to boldly tell them the truth and criticize them constructively for the good of all of us. It is important that we comprehend that this great rich nation does not belong to Mr. President and Co alone but to all of us and at such we must protect our land and rights from both internal and external threats.

We must not succumb easily to some of the political promises of our politicians and always be ready to scrutinize and find out the reality about their promises and policies.  It is our right to know and also part of our freedom to see how and what they do with our collective wealth. This country I tell you does not belong to Mr.Jonathan alone, including the vast reserved of oil and other rich mineral resources abounded everywhere. So, we must be courageous to resist his planned oil subsidy removal if we are certain and sure that it will never favour the majority.

This is actually the ripe  time for our religious, tribal and elder statesmen and women to stand up to defend this nation that sheltered and gave them a ray of life. The land that has in its belly their ancestors and hopefully one day retail them too. I just hope they will understand that this big country from the north, the south, east  and west should not be left to Mr. Jonathan and his cabinet  alone, neither should they sit down look  as our villages, towns and cities are daily held under siege by terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists and ethno-religious fundamentalists.

Perhaps some troubling questions we should ask our conscience are: should we keep silent while our country is constantly under threat which could affect anyone, anywhere? Should we just look at the Jonathan administration from the surface and view it as a mere government by a clique that should be allowed to come and go, while our roads are getting worst and our citizens are daily dying from different diseases and hunger? Should we leave the country alone to the politicians while our refineries are moribund and the price of Kerosene fast flying away from our homes? Or maybe  it is better that we keep silent and watch as some ungodly people  continue to maimed  and killed innocents people in the name of religion and tribe?

Presidents come and presidents go, this country and Aso Rock does not belong to Jonathan alone, so, we must never fold our hands and close our eyes while our cities are burning, our hospitals are dying and the rate of unemployment across the nation is becoming alarming. We must not leave our educational sector to Jonathan’s ministers alone, unless our large concentration of professors and other gurus in the education sector have accepted defeat and have succumbed to be led by mediocrities.

We must patriotically not leave this country to Jonathan alone and continue to shout out loud on the present security situation in the country. We should be wise enough to remind him that we are more interested in his administration tackling this scary situation instead of wasting time and resources on subsidy removal and other not so important projects. It is left for us to comprehend that the Nigerian army, the police, the navy the air force, civil defense and all the other security apparatus of this big country does not belong to our politicians alone and that we are all entitled to the security of our lives and property.

I want to believe Mr. Jonathan as a human being would not claim to know everything and at such know how majority of us downstairs really feel on the issue of insecurity, hunger, ethno-religious violence and all the other wahala that daily confronts the common man down the ladder. So, it is now left for us to keep raising our voices louder against these biting policies that hardly pinch those upstairs, like Mr. President.

 True, it is our duty and not only Mr Jonathan’s responsibility alone to eradicate those oppressed alamajiris on our streets. It is a constitutionally duty upon our raining politicians and leaders, both elected and selected to metamorphose our slums into modern cities and safeguard us from the calamity of man.

This country is bigger and broader than a single individual and it is our responsibility to protect it from invaders unless we are willing to let go the rights of our children and future Nigerians. It should be our collective duty to preserve this rich nation as those before us safeguard it for us.

It is the constitutionally liability of our elected representatives to sit up boldly on their seats and stop playing politics with our hopes, fate and lives. The right of every Nigerian to an efficient health care system, secured roads, modernized schools, economic freedom and security should never be seen and used as political tools. This country belongs to all of us irrespective of where we are standing in the ladder of life.  Change, which is inevitable, has this naturally way of changing the course of this temporary ladder and those upstairs sometimes come crashing downstairs.

 Every particle and atom that makes up Nigeria is part of every Nigerian and not for Mr. Jonathan alone.  So, we must and should never leave it for good luck unaided.

Why we must not leave our fate to Jonathan alone

Why we must not leave our fate to Jonathan alone

“Let it be said of us that we, too, did not fail. That we, too, worked together to bring America through difficult times. Let us so conduct ourselves that two centuries from now, another Congress and another President, meeting in this Chamber as we are meeting, will speak of us with pride, saying that we met the test and preserved for them in their day the sacred flame of liberty-this last, best hope of man on Earth.” ---- Ronald Reagan

I don’t really know about you, but for me I have long decided never to leave my fate in the hands of our politicians alone. Like Chinua Achebe, I have decided not to make myself available for any national award unless the presidency and the other arms of government find an effective lasting solution to the various wahala bedeviling my dear country Nigeria.

I think it is important and paramount that we all join hands together to save our one and only country from these man-made problems that are fast tearing us apart and robbing us of our shine. This is the time for the oppositions and opponents of the various political policies in this country to sheath their swords and contribute to the peaceful coexistence of this resilient nation. We must set aside our political, religious and tribal differences to confront the menace of bombings, kidnappings, robbery, ritualists, economic depression and ethno-religious bigotry now shaking our hitherto solid foundation.

We should not close our minds and senses and leave our fate to the ruling People Democratic Party and its candidates to continue to drive us at their leisure towards our destiny. We must continue to boldly tell them the truth and criticize them constructively for the good of all of us. It is important that we comprehend that this great rich nation does not belong to Mr. President and Co alone but to all of us and at such we must protect our land and rights from both internal and external threats.

We must not succumb easily to some of the political promises of our politicians and always be ready to scrutinize and find out the reality about their promises and policies.  It is our right to know and also part of our freedom to see how and what they do with our collective wealth. This country I tell you does not belong to Mr.Jonathan alone, including the vast reserved of oil and other rich mineral resources abounded everywhere. So, we must be courageous to resist his planned oil subsidy removal if we are certain and sure that it will never favour the majority.

This is actually the ripe  time for our religious, tribal and elder statesmen and women to stand up to defend this nation that sheltered and gave them a ray of life. The land that has in its belly their ancestors and hopefully one day retail them too. I just hope they will understand that this big country from the north, the south, east  and west should not be left to Mr. Jonathan and his cabinet  alone, neither should they sit down look  as our villages, towns and cities are daily held under siege by terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists and ethno-religious fundamentalists.

Perhaps some troubling questions we should ask our conscience are: should we keep silent while our country is constantly under threat which could affect anyone, anywhere? Should we just look at the Jonathan administration from the surface and view it as a mere government by a clique that should be allowed to come and go, while our roads are getting worst and our citizens are daily dying from different diseases and hunger? Should we leave the country alone to the politicians while our refineries are moribund and the price of Kerosene fast flying away from our homes? Or maybe  it is better that we keep silent and watch as some ungodly people  continue to maimed  and killed innocents people in the name of religion and tribe?

Presidents come and presidents go, this country and Aso Rock does not belong to Jonathan alone, so, we must never fold our hands and close our eyes while our cities are burning, our hospitals are dying and the rate of unemployment across the nation is becoming alarming. We must not leave our educational sector to Jonathan’s ministers alone, unless our large concentration of professors and other gurus in the education sector have accepted defeat and have succumbed to be led by mediocrities.

We must patriotically not leave this country to Jonathan alone and continue to shout out loud on the present security situation in country. We should be wise enough to remind him that we are more interested in his administration tackling this scary situation instead of wasting time and resources on subsidy removal and other not so important projects. It is left for us to comprehend that the Nigerian army, the police, the navy the air force, civil defense and all the other security apparatus of this big country does not belong to our politicians alone and that we are all entitled to the security of our lives and property.

I want to believe Mr. Jonathan as a human being would not claim to know everything and at such know how majority of us downstairs really feel on the issue of insecurity, hunger, ethno-religious violence and all the other wahala that daily confronts the common man down the ladder. So, it is now left for us to keep raising our voices louder against these biting policies that hardly pinch those upstairs, like Mr. President.

 True, it is our duty and not only Mr Jonathan’s responsibility alone to eradicate those oppressed alamajiris on our streets. It is a constitutionally duty upon our raining politicians and leaders, both elected and selected to metamorphose our slums into modern cities and safeguard us from the calamity of man.

This country is bigger and broader than a single individual and it is our responsibility to protect it from invaders unless we are willing to let go the rights of our children and future Nigerians. It should be our collective duty to preserve this rich nation as those before us safeguard it for us.

It is the constitutionally liability of our elected representatives to sit up boldly on their seats and stop playing politics with our hopes, fate and lives. The right of every Nigerian to an efficient health care system, secured roads, modernized schools, economic freedom and security should never be seen and used as political tools. This country belongs to all of us irrespective of where we are standing in the ladder of life.  Change, which is inevitable, has this naturally way of changing the course of this temporary ladder and those upstairs sometimes come crashing downstairs.

 Every particle and atom that makes up Nigeria is part of every Nigerian and not for Mr. Jonathan alone.  So, we must and should never leave it for good luck unaided.

Please Spare Us From this Same Sex Madness

“Homosexuality is a psychological and psychiatric disorder; there is no question about it. It is a purple menace that is threatening the proper design of gender distinctions in society.”

——-Dr. Charles Socarides, Former NARTH President

Our selected legislators to be honest are some of the most amazing bunch of representatives in the world. They are unpredictable and sometimes very funny in their legislative duties. And over the years since the lucky break from military regime almost twelve years ago, the Nigerian citizenry have been subjected to different bills and funny law making by our lawmakers at the states and national assemblies. 

One of the amazing parts of our legislators is the fact that since 1999 when the country regained its democratic freedom, the Nigerian legislators are yet to sign into law one significant bill or law that is visible and has affect the lives of the ordinary Nigerians. 

Still fresh in our minds are some unimportant bills like the repatriation of Nigerian prisoners in America, the controversial Health bill, the bill to further enriched some of our past head of states, and the rumored bill on prostitution. We have been unfortunate to see a proposed bill from the presidency on single tenure or tenure elongation as many sees it, including the raging controversial oppressive bill on fuel subsidy removal; and now another bombshell the same sex bill.

Honestly, perhaps the most shocking and embarrassing of all these bill is the shameless bill on same sex marriage currently being advocated by some shameless group and brazenly deliberated and debated upon by our expensive legislators, as if there are no more important and urgent issues to be discuss and visionary bills to be legislate upon any longer in the country.

Our flamboyant lawmakers are wasting our needed resources to jaw-jaw on senseless and psychiatric induced subjects that every right thinking human being, especially Nigerians should be ashamed to be associated with. They feel no compulsion to their children and wives, including families and friends on the disgraceful aspect of publicly discussing this abomination in our society.  They failed to see the glaring reality that some of them are really exposing their sexual weakness to the world and truthfully portraying their own sexual disorder, especially those who for long have been rumored to be gays and lesbians in the corridors of power. Or is it true that some of our selected representatives are homosexuals and lesbians? If not why the futile need to accommodate the debate of same sex bill in our turmoil nation and create more confusion and mistrust.

Even the animals around us have so far shown their civility in their habitation and mating. I am yet to see a male dog mates another male dog, neither do female chickens nor male hen lust after each gender. Then why should a man want to marry a man and a woman lust after another? 

One would have thought that our legislators should have devoted much of their time and energy on deliberating on more important bills that would salvage us from our current security challenges, poverty, corruption, maladministration, ethno-religious conflicts, and economic recession, instead of wasting taxpayers’ money on a foreign induced bill that would never win over the majority of Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religious or political inclination. I am certain and bold to say that majority of my country men and women would continue to oppose and fight against this diabolic bill and shall resist any form of inducement or blackmail by those agitating for the passage of this psychiatric disorder bill and their western collaborators. We shall never and would never succumb to any cheap blackmail by any super power to accept what majority of us are convinced is a spite against us and our creator.

It is time we remind our legislators and those sick agitators of this dishonorable bill that the Nigeria nation has more important problems confronting it than their selfish lustful campaign.  Our streets are still daily swamping with helpless innocent almajiri children roaming around in tattered clothes in search of food to eat. Our public schools are in a shamble and a disgrace to see in this 21st century. Millions of our youth are frustrated with lack of employment and are daily turning to crime. Our mothers and wives are still finding it difficult to afford the price of a gallon of Kerosene, and most of our young girls are now more into prostitution openly or hidden , due to various failed government policies, including high rate of poverty in most homes .

Truly, it will be in their own interest if our legislators quickly discard this Sodom and Gomorrah bill, fear God and use their position and common sense to bravely fight this repugnance crime against nature and do what is right for their creator and posterity. 

Let every right thinking and God fearing Nigerian; please tell them to spare us from the calamity of this crazy same sex madness gradually eroding the world.

The Greedy Few and the Rest of Us

“A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men” - Thomas Carlyle

There has been various suggestions by different thoughtful minds on the need to eradicate a few living human species among us, particularly here in Nigeria where a few group of men and women among us have over the decades turned us into modern day slaves in our own country. These few segregated few among us have since and before independence forcefully inherited our collective national treasure.

They are those cliques of Nigerians who are the rich minority of our large populated country. They cut across all the political zones and have been enjoying the vast rich wealth of this nation to the detriment of the majority who as rightfully described by the late Afro Beat icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti are those who are daily suffering and smiling.

To be honest, it takes an animalistic feeling for one to wish his fellow human being dead or elimination, but the current situation in my dear country is quite frustrating and pathetic  which could instigate a rational thinker to not only wish for the demise of his fellow human being, but also wish he could be wiped out entirely from the surface of the earth.  The Nigerian ‘few’to be honest, are extremely greedy and sometime inhuman to their fellow citizens.

I sometimes conjecture silently if the  inventors of some of the man-made devices that has helped alleviate and revolutionized our lives like the computer, the telephone, electricity, cars , airplanes, penicillin , the ipod, TV, radio, newspapers and the rest were  these few Nigerians , I marvel and shuddered on what could have been the fate of the  rest of us. Definitely the computer would not have been affordable to an average Nigerian like in America, neither would cars have been built cheap like Henry Ford did in America, majorities of Nigerians would still be sweating it out to communicate with their loves ones as the price of owning a telephone would be compare with the price of going on a holy pilgrimage to Mecca or Jerusalem. I tell you if the Wright Brothers the inventors of the airplane were Nigerian, I am positive majorities of travelers by air would be slavering hard to fly.   Again I wonder how many Nigerian children would have died for lack of subsidize to buy a dose of penicillin if the discoverer of the universal life safer was Nigerian. Definitely many children would have lost their young innocent lives in the hands of their greedy countrymen and women who could have flooded their lives with counterfeit drugs, as currently being experienced across the country. Or is it not a greedy insane human being that would feed his fellow human being with fake drugs.

Perhaps nowhere else presently in the world has a concentration of rich ‘few’ that has been so wicked to the ‘rest’ than Nigeria.  These few men and women among us from our villages, towns and cities have also failed to assist us in climbing up the ladder of life the way someone, somewhere helped uplift them.

Ironically most of our present rich few are beneficiaries of the abundant legacies built and left behind by our past patriotic leaders.  It should baffles any reasonable thinker to what would have been the fate of this enduring nation if the past nationalistic Nigerians had been as greedy as the present ones. I am sure most of them would not have tested the four wall of western education; neither would they be in the presently monopolized wealth they are greedily holding on to.  Today in the same country, education is now being monopolized by these greedy few. Our hitherto vibrant public schools are now frightening pathetic sites to behold. Only this cabal of greedy few could now afford to send their children to expensive private schools at home and abroad, while those colonial structures that nurtured them and gave them a ray of life are left to crumble under their uncaring watch eyes.

It is actually sad that our today’s leaders are so blind to the realities on the ground.  They are blind to the fact that while they globetrot across the world their own country is a public shame to see. They proudly traveled to various developed and well organized countries and come back home to gawk shamelessly at the bad roads in their communities, towns, and cities. They spend millions of looted funds on vacation to top cities and still come back home to meet the insecurity and hunger across their backyards.

The Nigerian few are excited and happy with the planned fuel subsidy after all they have always been the ones ripping from all the oil wind fall in the country. It is only here in Nigeria that a few among the majority are always happy with any plans that would further add to the hardship of its people.  This part of the amazing characters of the Nigerian greedy few which includes, depriving their  fellow citizens the rights to many good things of life through their greed and quest to loot, siphon and amass material wealth. The Nigerian  rich few are the basis why our railways don’t work, because of their vast interest in the transportation sector of the economy.  They are part of the secret oil thieves that control the price of petrol and made it impossible for the average Nigerian housewives and mothers to buy kerosene at subsidized rate across the country.  It is quite astonishing that while other rich citizens of other countries have leant how to help and assist the less privilege in their societies through various laudable developmental initiatives, our own rich few are so biased and daily swim on the cheap tide of nepotism and hypocrisy.

The Nigerian rich few see nothing shameful on the plight of our old citizens and elders. They feel no remorse or dishonor on the number of frustrated dead pensioners recorded monthly across the country. It is none of their business if our streets are jam-packed with economically frustrated Nigerians daily roaming our streets in search of an unfeasible daily bread.  The self-centeredness and lack of patriotic vision has hampered the foresight of our rich few to critically study how their counterparts in other developed nations have been able to hold on to that noble law as philosophically stated by Giovanni Cellini to his son in the classic: The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini “it is a duty incumbent on us, and the command of God Himself, that he who has property should share it with him who had none”

The few self imposed rich men among us don’t ever see it as a duty to share with us; they don’t see it as a duty to help facilitates the availabilities of good roads in their communities without having a hidden agenda. They cannot sacrifice like their counterparts in Europe, Asia, and some Africa countries around us in reviving the sorry state of our educational sector. Our rich Diaspora are scared of investing genuinely  in their  fatherland  and some who have dare to, have been shown pepe, by different  failed government policies  and arm twisting fraudulent deals.

While the world is growing globally and breaking down cultural, religious and political barriers, my dear country Nigeria is still enmeshed in regional, ethno-religious and political segregation and conflicts. Our higher institutions are now divided with prejudices, religion and regional bases. The rich few in our midst who are where they are today through our collective wealth are never ashamed to show the world the many ill-equipped hospitals across their villages and towns, including those in our flamboyant cities. They see nothing ungodly in the massive importation of fake sub-standard drugs into the country or the number of child mortality recorded yearly in our morgue- like hospitals.

Year in year out, the Nigerian oligarchy are good at fighting disgracefully over budget allocation, which region should be appointed into exclusive positions, which area should produce the next head of juicy agencies and which turn it is among them have the exclusive monopoly of selecting and producing the next sets of favored representatives that further protect and serve their interest, while the majority groan under economic, social and political wahala. The Nigerian few are excellent in organizing flamboyant commissioning of cheap projects, ceremonious celebration and other pompous wasteful spending. 

Any way the fortune of life deals us its blow, one thing that is certain is that our virtue can never be stolen away from us, and the law of nature that has always given strength to those who are oppressed shall someday sooner or later prevail against these greedy few men and women among us who over the decades have subjected us to suffering and smiling; while they continue to ride and surge towards illusive vanities that shall one day sooner or later overtake them and free us from their shackles of oppression.

Can Nigeria ever be ONE again?

I remember growing up in the bustling city of Kaduna not giving a hook and eye on the tribe or religious background of my playmates, classmates and neighbours. Like many Nigerians who lived anywhere and everywhere then around the country, north, south, east and west, I never cared or was I ever apprehensive about the culture and tradition of others around me. All I was taught and grew up with was the understanding that Nigeria was one country with so many tribes and people.

I remember that many of us Muslim kids in our neighbourhood partook in eating heavy pounded yam or rice in Emeka, Joseph, Esther, Bidemi, Segun and the other wonderful Christian friends around during Christmas and they also happily did the same in our houses during Sallah celebration. Our detribalized parents never discouraged us or bombarded our ears with segregated and hate induced upbringing instructions. We were a united bunch of happy and merry-go-round kids.

Our parents then I could still remember were their brothers’ keepers and sort of good Samaritans to each other in term of sorrow, joy and needs. Our markets were never segregated nor were our schools. There was nothing like private schools for the rich as we all rumbled it out in public schools, both the sons and daughters of the rich and those from poor background. The civil servants among our parents served diligently everywhere across the regions irrespective of tribe or religion. There was nothing like state of origin, religion or tribe discrimination in promotion, training or transfer. They were superb Nigerians and patriotic civil servants who served their country for God and country.

Today all that has changed across virtually all the regions in the country where we now have a segregated and self-centered leaders and parents, including some ethno-religious induced youths who have been brainwashed and constantly used as pawns in the various ethno-religious and political motivated crises that have torn the country asunder. From Jos, Bauchi, Kaduna, Maiduguri, down to Oyo, Abia, Delta and the other crises swallow up states across the country.

It is actually a shame that in this 21

What about the hitherto beautiful Plateau? Should we view the myopic utterances of some of the so-called elders and leaders as reasonable and a sign that they really want us to continue as one, when all they seem to see is a vanity land, and other materialist recycled things we must all leave behind one day. Who among them really owns this gigantic land with God? I mean both the so-called indigenes and settlers. Are we not all settlers in this free world?

Should we also outlook the recent selfish and childish expulsion of Muslims in the Niger Delta by some unpatriotic and short-sighted group? History seems to have eluded them to the fact that no man is really an island. Has it really occured to them that all across Nigerian are scattered millions of Niger Deltas in the north, west, east and south? How do they plan to accommodate, feed and employ these millions of their people if they were eventually sent packing from the other regions, especially from the north, where there seems to be a large concentration of people from the Delta? Are they certain the men and women from their regions who daily ply their goods and services and trade freely among the Muslims and northerners are in support of their lopsided stir?

Can Nigeria ever remain one again with the senseless bombings and killings of the notorious Boko Haram and its dare devil suicide bombers? Are these people really Nigerians and sincerely have the country at heart? Has it also occured to them that they cannot really bomb all corners of Nigeria while other regions and its people fold their hands and succumb in defeat to their mayhem? Has it come to their mind that they have wasted many innocent souls and turned many children to orphans and various women to widows? Would other Nigerians agree to accept them in their fold and embrace their ideology and agitations? Or has it transpired in their minds that Nigerian being a federal nation with over hundred languages and different religious view will be difficult to stamp sectionalized ideas and specific doctrine on? Maybe it has not really registered on their minds that Islam actually emphasized that there should be no compulsion in religion.

And back to our self-centered politicians who have long been using the cheap idea of divide and rule to lord it over the people. I mean those men and women who see nothing wrong in regionalizing our democracy and instigating us against each other through myopic policy and selfish agendas. How can there ever be true development in Nigeria when most of them are championing different regional and tribal groups? How do we expect to see light in our homes, industries, factories, offices and streets when the whole exercise has been subjected to narrow-mindedness and corruption? Why should there be a stable fuel price and working refineries in the country when tribal and regional sentiments have overtaken the reality? How can we have good roads and efficient transport system when tribal and sectional interests are the top identity of those in charge? Can our educational sector ever be the same again given the massive corruption, maladministration, nepotism, sectional and tribal sentiment that have taken over our education ministry, schools and classrooms?

Will Nigeria ever be one again or are we silently falling to the prediction of disintegration as predicted by the western world and other modern day soothsayers? And if we are to take into consideration the various sectional, ethno-religious and political crises that has engulfed this hitherto one nation over the years, maybe one tends to take seriously these contemporary prophecy of a divided Nigeria in the nearest future.

The veracity of our present situation as a sentimentally divided people is noticeable in our social, economic and political lives. And until we learn how to appreciate ourselves irrespective of our social, religious and political differences, we shall never progress in our developmental drive. Until our sectionalized leaders and rulers brazen up and discard their myopic vision and learn how to fix the right pegs in the right holes will our roads ever be safe and good, our refineries will bounce back to life, our epileptic electricity stable and our economy truly vibrant.

I am still in Nigeria, but not the Nigeria that I grew up knowing as a one united federal nation, where the style of my clothes, my religion and my tribe meant nothing to anybody, but rather the fact that I am a Nigerian gave me that privilege of living and working anywhere nature pushes me to. This, unlike what we now have across the country today, where narrow-minded people have taken over our hitherto one nation under the sun.

st century a governor of a state could disgracefully retrench hundreds of so-called non indigenes from his state civil service and blindly expect unity among his Ibo brothers and sisters across the other states in the south-east and south –south. In my view I think people like Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, who is where he is today as a result of the people should never be allowed to hold another high position in this country again. His cheap action has exposed him as a sectionalized leader without a nationalist view.

The Police vs. the Media: A Bullying Gun and the Mighty Pen

Frankly speaking one would have thought the massive enlightening and happenings going on across the globe with  regard to the new information age should have been eye opening to our security agents,especially our scandalized Nigeria Police Force (NPF). But,unfortunately, this seems to have worsened the understanding and social conscience of our men in black. It is quite baffling and sometimes embarrassing when you hear the stories of our policemen still being used as puppet by some of our selfish politicians. Just like what happened last week, when the police hierarchy threw caution into thin air and shamelessly went bullying some patriotic journalists who were just doing their job for God and country.

The coming of the internet and the globalization of our today’s activities, especially our freedom of expression and freedom of opinion has not really sank properly into the minds of our police force, neither have they comprehended that no nation, no matter how much it tried, can  suppress the freedom of speech of its citizenry. Yes!  Sir, Mr. Policeman, the world is now bigger, broader and more information free than you still carry in your outdated modus operandi.

I wonder if the Nigerian Police Force thought it wise to comprehend that even  if The Nation newspaper and its patriotic staff had not published that selfish letter attributed to our do or die Baba Ota, it would have definitely found its way to the internet and from there syndicated across the globe.   And I am sure the force would not want to face the embarrassment of its futile efforts to arrest those enthusiastic internet posters and publishers on Facebook, 2go, Twitter, My Space, Nairaland, Sahara Reporters, and the many happy bloggers who would have been happy to blog the letter freely to the world to see.  I doubt, if our police force understands the simple logic that they can no longer harass the Nigerian citizenry anyhow, while the eyes of the world are now staring at their naked impunity and sabi –sabi.

The Nigerian citizenry I am sure are more interested in how they arrest the security situation in the country than bulldozing their way into an intellectual setting and arresting few good men doing their job. The Nigerian taxpayers including the arrested journalists are paying their taxes for the police to effectively and boldly tackle the menace of the Boko Haram, their encumbrance, instead of bullying innocent press men, who are zealously exposing the selfish agendas of some of our failed leaders.

Have the police arrested those thieving politicians around us, siphoning our money and under developing   our country? What have they done about the daily deadly robberies across our roads, towns and villages and the invasion of our land by illegal aliens, who have taken over our economic activities and are fast scheming into our social and political lives?  Have the police and its highest chain of command sat down and prudently tackled the problems bedeviling the force and the shameful condition of some of its personnel and their families across the many dilapidated police barracks across the country?  Instead of arresting this embarrassing menace and patriotically ensuring that those corrupt leaders who over the decades have stolen their right to proper living, training and sensible enumeration are arrested and jailed for longer years, the police are going after innocent pen men who are justifiably fighting a cause that one way or the other affects them.

What have our bullying police force done about arresting corruption in virtually all corners of our country and the numerous  fraudulent  activities of some public servants we hear and witness every day.  Who among the notorious Nigerian oil cabal have the police been able to arrest and prosecute patriotically in the eyes of the world?   What are they doing on the unvarying ethno- religious   killings and madness going on in some section of this country? How have they been able to tackle the shameless issue of child rape, rituality, kidnappers,child labour and domestic violence, including some fraudulent political and religious activities going on under our eyes?

Are the Nigerian police force bullies on helpless citizens as some analysts have projected? The hostile relationship being portrayed on journalists across the country over the years is a serious concern to every right thinking 21st century individual. The Nigerian media and the Nigerian police have always portrayed  a comic-like strip of the famous Tom and Jerry relationship.  Is it true that the police only bully and arrest those it can shout on,beat senselessly and lock up without mercy, as long as the godfather  is not there or the naira wont flow? Is it not actually a shame to the force that at this age of information technology where even the  remotest village in the world today can be seen from anywhere and every single activities captured on satellite, yet they allowed themselves to be used and dumped in the eyes of both local and international media who now have a true picture of their one sided unconstitutional behaviours.

How many writers and publishers of the various letters and opinions that float most of our newspapers have they arrested and how many complainers do they have in their record? Or is Baba’s letter a reincarnation of the famous Dele Giwa letter?   When would the Nigerian police establishement understand the simple fact that they are paid by the tax payers to protect their rights to speech, right to movement and assembly and right to the security of their lives and property? When will it occur to them that the Nigerian citizenry irrespective of class, statue, religion or tribe is their primary constituency?   As it really occurs to our bullying police force that without the media only God would have known what would have happened to the many atrocities, maladministration and corruption that had bedeviled  the hitherto respected force over the years. The distinguished men of the pen have fought gallantly over their many causes: ranging from proper remuneration,compensation, accommodation, training and justice to many of them that had fallen one way or the other to injustice among its ranks. When will they recognize that the world see them more as bullies due to their ill- treatment of innocent citizens over the decades and their anti social behaviours?

Has it really occurred to the Nigeria police that they are policing Nigerians like themselves and not illegal aliens from other nations or planets? Is it actually possible that they understand that their wives, children and other members of their families attend the same markets, schools, and travel the same roads with us?  Question, question and questions, so many questions for our men in black.

Anyway, I think, it is important for the Nigeria Union of Journalists on behalf of these patriotic men of the pen who were disgracefully arrested from their line of duty sue the Nigeria Police Force and its hierarchy locally and internationally, to serve as an example to other overzealous policemen who might be instigated by the letter of another failed leader among the many sitting on our collective wealth and enjoying them freely under the full glaring eyes of the police. And importantly, to remind them that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian empowers the Nigeria media of a freedom of expression and a legal law of freedom of information, and that no matter the bullying and intimation, the Nigerian media historically have never and would never succumb to the timid guns of the police; that can never be mightier than the pen.

Sycophancy and governance in Nigeria

Sycophancy and governance in Nigeria

“The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about anyone else.” - President Theodore Roosevelt

This week, my ever curious eyes took a pip into the various arms of government in my dear country Nigeria.  And my eyes specifically picked up one of the most dangerous blight silently eating away our social, economic and political fabric. This is no other than sycophancy: defined as a process of using flattery to win favour from individuals wielding influence. The Greek definition of a sycophant went further to illustrate him as someone who brings all kinds of charges and proves none. “It is their practice to bring charges even against those who have done no wrong. For from these they would gain most profit. The word of a sycophant entails false accusation, malicious prosecution, and abuse of legal process for mischievous or fraudulent purposes.”

All across Nigeria, the number one gainful trade now is to become a sycophant and praise most of our rulers to high heaven. It is now profitable in most of our local government councils, state Houses, including our fortified Aso Rock to become a sycophant and know your way around. Sycophancy has since taken over the job of sincere policy thinkers and makers and most of our social, economic and political ideas are now initiated and proposed by the unregistered association of Nigerian sycophancy.

Just take a careful scrutiny of most of our government offices, ministries and agencies and you will notice their conspicuous presence; Always decked in flamboyant regalia and their sweet talk trademark. They wine and dine with our representatives in our states and National Assembly; they mingle freely among our local government chairmen and women, our governors and the presidency. They are so strong and powerful; what they only lack is the truth from their mouths.

It is no longer a big deal in Nigeria if wrong pegs are being put in the wrong holes and assigned to head sensitive and important positions across the country. This is actually part of sycophancy, the abuse of legal process for mischievous or fraudulent purposes. Sometime you don’t really blame these cliques of modern con men and women; they actually help expose the weakness and quality of those purported to be representing our interest at the local, states and national level.

It is a known fact that the Nigerian politicians and other government officials, including some of their private counterparts derive joy and satisfaction from flattering and praises; they love and worship titles, awards and other organized recognitions. They hate criticism and any opposition to their failure and ideas. The daily praises of some of our failed politicians in the pages of newspapers, radio and television is a good example of how sycophancy has taken over the reality in our development. You can hardly open three newspapers or magazines in the country today without beholding some commissioned pictures of purported achievements of a local government chairman, a commissioner, a minister or governor. Nigerians are bombarded everyday with commissioned articles, write-ups, commentary on radio and documentary on television of some of the achievements of these men and women, using public funds for cheap image propaganda.  The Nigerian media both the print and electronic have since been conned into the activities of the sycophantic movement, with some of them daily smiling happily to the banks, fully aware that they have been selling innocent Nigerians falsehood and undemocratic propaganda.

 Some of our traditional and religious leaders are not left out in this new venture, as some of them are well known supporters and sympathizers of various politicians and political parties. In fact, some of them are the grand patron of the sycophant interest group and humble beneficiaries of stolen wealth and government patronage. Their sycophantic voice and positions provide them with the opportunity to win contracts and fix their cronies in high government positions and private establishment across the country. Those who have already been bought by their various benefactors cannot and will not tell them the truth when the time warrants. They are always scared of losing their transitory positions and the good things of this vanity world.

What about our various public and private organizations?  The act of sycophancy is now part of the qualifications that qualify a potential worker to gain employment and rise quickly in his position. You must be able to daily, weekly or monthly sycophant for your superior or co-workers otherwise you might find yourself stagnant in your career for many years while those with false and malicious minds overtake you like jet engines. Who cares if what they are saying or doing are selfish and destructible to the reputation of the person or organization; just try to be a convincible sycophant and you shall see some temporary wonders.

Sycophancy has been one of the most challenging factors why our roads still remain a dead trap despite all the billions yearly spent on them. It is the reason why our public schools are still looking like junk yards in this 21st century, and also part of the reason why we are still struggling to generate all the thousands of electricity megawatts promised by different administrations. I tell you, the daily adulation of our rulers has been part of the origin why most of our local and state governments are still finding it difficult to see the truth and effectively develop their constituencies. The sycophants have long knocked some false notions into their psyche. They cunningly tell them and show them what they want to see and not what they should sincerely know and understand.

All across the country, the most profiting business seems to be the smooth talk trade and some of our inefficient politicians are enjoying the sham ride on the false wheels of these men and women around them, whose number one interest is to abuse the legal process for mischievous or fraudulent purposes. Who cares if you are a failed politician, manager, religious or traditional ruler in Nigeria? Just have a good number of sycophants around you or become one yourself; then you shall see and feel the wonders of the sycophantic business in the country, especially if you can make your way in government cycles and always remain foolish and greedy and importantly unpatriotically never criticize the wrong actions of those in power even when you see the shape of truth glaring triumphantly across your face.