04 October, 2017
Masari and his critic
26 September, 2017
The Church and the People
Some people are complaining about the issue of tithing in church. They are of the opinion that they are unable to afford the school tuition for the Churches' Primary and University. The people allege these set of pastors are living large while the church members are languishing in penury.
The pastors counter this saying the tithe belongs to God. It is an injunction commanded by God. My friend on Facebook declared last week his total rejection of the Christian Church as it obtains in Nigeria. He said he he still a Christian but would not be going to church henceforth. He is particularly piqued by the attitude of the pastors in not returning tithe paid into the church coffers by fraudsters and looters of the people's commonwealth. He believes the pastor should return stolen monies paid as tithe back to the government or the rightful owners. Meanwhile, the pastors claim they have no authority over tithes already paid in. They should go to God to collect it.
Herdsmen From Hell
The treatment of the Fulani herdsmen with kid gloves should end henceforth. These Fulani guys have their abode in the Northern part of the country but prefer to migrate down South with their herds of cattle in search of greener pastures. This would have been all well and go good if not for the fact that these herders are wont to clash with their hosts without any provocation whatsoever. Their hosts, especially the farmers, are the Fulanis frequent victims. The host is expected to keep mum when the Fulani cattle eat the farmers’ crops. If the farmers dare to complain they are promptly killed and the females raped or maimed. I think if the host is not the aggressor the guest should definitely not be.
That the Federal Government is weighing in on the issue on the side of the Fulanis is rather unfortunate. The F.G is proposing a National Grazing Reserve Council which would have the power to take away land from wherever, anytime they want and pay whatever they want as compensation to the land owner. The land when taken shall be assigned to the Fulani herdsmen who shall use the land for grazing purposes. If, as a landowner you object to this, you can go to the court but not before notifying and getting the consent of the AGF before you can sue. If the AGF declines consent to the suit you lose your land forever to the herdsmen. The Chairman of the National Grazing Reserve Council will be appointed by the President.
From the foregoing it can be seen that the aces are stacked against the land owners. The F.G is proposing the appropriation of lands from the Southerners but this time using the instrumentality of the law. This must and can not stand. Even though the proposed Bill has passed the first reading at the National Assembly it will be impracticable even if passed into law.
Cow herding is just one of the different professions we have in Nigeria. We have the fishermen, the spare parts sellers, the farmers, the cloth weavers, etc, etc. why then is the issue of the Fulani herdsmen so important to the government as to deserve presenting a Bill on the issue. They are individuals doing their individual businesses to survive-just like the next guy. The money they make is to their pockets so why the hue and cry?
Countries that are known for exporting meat e.g. Australia, Argentina, and U.S etc. don’t move their cattle from one place to the other. They don’t take their cattle to the food but rather the food to the cattle. Water, hay, fodder, etc, are taken to the cattle in the pens and pastures. Science and technology has overtaken the need for cattle pastoralism. The F.G should introduce global best practice in cattle management to these Fulani herdsmen and spare us the constant headaches the activities of these herdsmen cause the nation. The government should tread cautiously on this issue so as not to create a monster they can’t control. A word is enough for the wise.
Herdsmen From Hell
The treatment of the Fulani herdsmen with kid gloves should end henceforth. These Fulani guys have their abode in the Northern part of the country but prefer to migrate down South with their herds of cattle in search of greener pastures. This would have been all well and go good if not for the fact that these herders are wont to clash with their hosts without any provocation whatsoever. Their hosts, especially the farmers, are the Fulanis frequent victims. The host is expected to keep mum when the Fulani cattle eat the farmers’ crops. If the farmers dare to complain they are promptly killed and the females raped or maimed. I think if the host is not the aggressor the guest should definitely not be.
That the Federal Government is weighing in on the issue on the side of the Fulanis is rather unfortunate. The F.G is proposing a National Grazing Reserve Council which would have the power to take away land from wherever, anytime they want and pay whatever they want as compensation to the land owner. The land when taken shall be assigned to the Fulani herdsmen who shall use the land for grazing purposes. If, as a landowner you object to this, you can go to the court but not before notifying and getting the consent of the AGF before you can sue. If the AGF declines consent to the suit you lose your land forever to the herdsmen. The Chairman of the National Grazing Reserve Council will be appointed by the President.
From the foregoing it can be seen that the aces are stacked against the land owners. The F.G is proposing the appropriation of lands from the Southerners but this time using the instrumentality of the law. This must and can not stand. Even though the proposed Bill has passed the first reading at the National Assembly it will be impracticable even if passed into law.
Cow herding is just one of the different professions we have in Nigeria. We have the fishermen, the spare parts sellers, the farmers, the cloth weavers, etc, etc. why then is the issue of the Fulani herdsmen so important to the government as to deserve presenting a Bill on the issue. They are individuals doing their individual businesses to survive-just like the next guy. The money they make is to their pockets so why the hue and cry?
Countries that are known for exporting meat e.g. Australia, Argentina, and U.S etc. don’t move their cattle from one place to the other. They don’t take their cattle to the food but rather the food to the cattle. Water, hay, fodder, etc, are taken to the cattle in the pens and pastures. Science and technology has overtaken the need for cattle pastoralism. The F.G should introduce global best practice in cattle management to these Fulani herdsmen and spare us the constant headaches the activities of these herdsmen cause the nation. The government should tread cautiously on this issue so as not to create a monster they can’t control. A word is enough for the wise.
25 September, 2017
On Tinubu
20 September, 2017
Facts or fiction?
07 September, 2017
Madness & the Nigeria Nation
The classic definition of madness is said to be that of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Why anyone bother to expect a different result of the status quo trumps me. From our paper Federalism to the quota system to the lowering of standards by JAMB etc, etc. Iam afraid things will not get better for Nigeria soonest. Mind you, I am not a naysayer but a realist. Things will simply not work because you will it to work. Nigeria have to walk the talk. We resort to the safety of our kit and kin when challenged. We are first and foremost local guys before being national. Millions of dollars are allocated to the Presidency clinic yet the occupants' medical expenses are picked up by the people. Pray, what is the need for the huge allocation in the first place? The state of Education continues to fall simply because the ruling elite have their children schooling in the best schools abroad. Devil may care is their approach. The pages of the newspapers are replete with our politicians felicitating with their children on the occasions of the later graduation abroad. If these state of affairs persist Nigeria can only continue to be the worse for it. A nation where a mark of 120 over 400 is regarded as a pass mark is a laughable one. The auguries do not bode well for the future.
12 July, 2017
#Copied: Igbos and the South/South
The biggest crime committed against the Ogoni people was the killing of Ken Saro Wiwa and his eight colleagues. Their crime was that they mobilized their people against the exploitation of their land. The tribunal was headed by Justice Ibrahim Auta. Other members of the tribunal were Justice Etowa Eyo Arikpo, Lt Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (the incumbent Comptroller General of Customs), while the government prosecutor was Mr Joseph Bodurin Daudu SAN.
The Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), the highest decision-making body of the Abacha regime that took the decision to kill Saro Wiwa comprised General Abacha, Maj. General Patrick Aziza (Minister of Communications under Abacha); Major Gen. Tajudeen Olarenwaju (GOC); General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Chief of Defence Staff); Lt. General Oladipo Diya (Chief of General Staff); Maj. Gen. Victor Malu (GOC); Ibrahim Coomasie (Inspector General of Police); Mike Akhigbe (Chief of Naval Staff); Maj. General Ishaya Bamaiyi (Chief of Army Staff); Nsikak Eduok (Chief of Air Staff), and Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni (Minister of the Federal Capital Territory). There was no Igbo man.
It was Chief Emeka Anyaoku, an Igbo man, who as the secretary-general of the commonwealth of nations, that led a protest that made the Commonwealth of Nations to rise to the occasion, and warned Abacha not to carry out his wicked act. Although he later did, the Commonwealth under Anyaoku sanctioned Nigeria.
Today, ask an Ogoni man to show you his enemy, he will point at an Igbo man.
May the spirit of Saro Wiwa, and his eight colleagues hunt you for your foolishness.. An eye opener..
And we said;
Kenule Saro Wiwa was the champion of that foolishness. A man educated at the famous Government College Umuahia ( Fishers) and University of Nigeria,vNsukka. He led the federal forces against the Biafrans and for his betrayal was made Administrator of South east state. He asked that Igbo properties be declared abandoned properties and be forfeited to them. He personally took over Ojukwu father's property in Port Harcourt which he occupied at a time with a certain Lt. Sani Abacha his friend and killer. To rub in the humiliation of Igbos whom he hated so much, he wrote " Toad for Supper" which was a mockery of how they made Igbos suffer so much during the war that they fed on toads and lizards. He encouraged the Ikkwerres to deny their Igboness and assisted Elechi Amadi to invent the corruption of Igbo names by adding "r" and "y" to form jargons like Rumuokoro and Oyibo instead of Umuokoro and Obigbo. This they said is Ikkwerre a distinct language and tribe.
It is important to note that Ken Sarowiwa was not killed by his co travelers for agitating for environmental rights. Environmental rights was one of his pastimes which he used to extort money and exert influence on government and oil companies. He was killed for the murder of five Ogoni chiefs( Chief Fugbara, Kogbara Kobani et al) . These were men who were opposed to his immoral and outlandish lifestyle and actually wanted a more responsible engagement with government and oil companies. He labelled them vultures. Masterminded and led a mob attack on these men and killed the five of them in a single day. It was a murder trial and environmental issues was not on the charge sheet. He was found guilty, convicted and hanged. His friend and collaborator in arms, now Gen Sani Abacha was the Head of state. It was not in vain that Ojukwu, (may his soul find peace), made effort to see him at Port Harcourt prison before his execution. Of course all effort to save him by the emasculated Igbos had failed. Emeka Anyaoku did his best. God bless him. Ojukwu visited him and greeted him " Good morning" in broad day light. The Igbo spirit is a forgiving one, the day the Yoruba, Efik, Ibibio, Rivers, Ijaw people will come to terms with the Igbo, that will be when Nigeria will have everlasting peace.
21 July, 2016
The State and the Coupist
Should former military heads of states continue to collect salaries and other emoluments from the Nigeria state? If it is agreed that Military regimes are aberrations on the polity it follows that coupists should be outcasts, to say the least, within a democratic setting. For a coupist to be drawing salaries and emoluments from the state is a misnomer and a contradiction in terms. For the very states these military officers overthrew to now turn around and be pandering to their needs is turning logic on its head. It just doesn’t follow. A former coup leader, Major General Murtala Mohammed’s face adorns our currency, Major roads and streets in Nigeria are named after him and other s in his circle. Late Gen. Abacha still has a stadium in Kano, his hometown, named after him. This is even after cases of fraud have been established against him. Switzerland and other countries in the West are still repatriating Abacha’s stolen wealth back to Nigeria.
Our current President, a coupist, is also a beneficiary of the Nigeria State largess as he was being paid salaries and emoluments by virtue of his being a former Head of State. His vehicles were being replaced every three years or so. Now, he has even been compensated for overthrowing the state by becoming our President through the ballot box. Street names and buildings bearing the names of these coupists should be changed forthwith. They don’t deserve our appreciation.
The State and the Coupist
Should former military heads of states continue to collect salaries and other emoluments from the Nigeria state? If it is agreed that Military regimes are aberrations on the polity it follows that coupists should be outcasts, to say the least, within a democratic setting. For a coupist to be drawing salaries and emoluments from the state is a misnomer and a contradiction in terms. For the very states these military officers overthrew to now turn around and be pandering to their needs is turning logic on its head. It just doesn’t follow. A former coup leader, Major General Murtala Mohammed’s face adorns our currency, Major roads and streets in Nigeria are named after him and other s in his circle. Late Gen. Abacha still has a stadium in Kano, his hometown, named after him. This is even after cases of fraud have been established against him. Switzerland and other countries in the West are still repatriating Abacha’s stolen wealth back to Nigeria.
Our current President, a coupist, is also a beneficiary of the Nigeria State largess as he was being paid salaries and emoluments by virtue of his being a former Head of State. His vehicles were being replaced every three years or so. Now, he has even been compensated for overthrowing the state by becoming our President through the ballot box. Street names and buildings bearing the names of these coupists should be changed forthwith. They don’t deserve our appreciation.
24 June, 2016
Contradictions
Nigeria is a nation of contradictions. We import what we have and export what we don’t have. We are the top petroleum producer on the African continent yet we import a sizeable amount of our fuel. Every second tones of gas are being burnt off because the infrastructure required for liquefying it is either nonexistent or grossly inadequate. The attendant effect is the very high cost of cooking has in the nation. Nigeria has more gas deposit than petroleum. It is therefore a wonder that we find it hard to buy cooking gas to cook our foods not to talk of powering our houses with gas powered electricity from the electric generating station. Every thing the nation needs has been benevolently deposited on and in our land by the Almighty. We have no reason importing vegetable oil because the northern region could still reproduce the miracle of the groundnut pyramid of yore. Ditto with palm oil down south. Nigeria claims it does not have money but still manages to keep the political class’ nest well feathered. To say the Nigeria political class is sitting pretty is to say the least. Life pensions here and there for the Governors and their deputies. Choice land in the choicest part of the country all paid for by the hoi polloi. Pray, were the politicians forced by anyone to run for office? Why are they now posturing as if they have done us a favour by being elected into office? Contradictions!
Political Greediness
The issue of salary for life and life pension for political office holders is fast generating discourse in the political space. For example, a retired General gets his full salary for life upon retirement, governors either collects full salary or a portion of same or pension as long as they live. In a situation where a retired General ,for example, becomes a state Governor .At the end of his Governorship he still goes home each month with his full General’s salary and pension from his gubernatorial stunt. All paid for by the Nigeria hapless tax payer.
It comes as a huge shock when the Nigeria Senate came up with a proposal to include the Senate leadership in the swindle called life political office holders. Do not forget that while in office the state caters for all these characters needs, nay, wanted. From the littlest pin to their first class air travels. From cradle to the grave, these political jobbers’ lavish lifestyles are borne by the bent backs of the citizenry. This is as selfish as it is immoral. The perks of office must be reduced to the barest minimum in order to deter charlatans and self serving people from seeking political office in the first place. Political office is very ‘juicy’ in Nigeria, the reason many will kill to attain office. Without the glamour and the lucre of office, political assassinations and brigandage would be reduced to a minimum as many would simply reason it is not worth the trouble. Alas, with the present resignation of the citizenry to their fate the political class will yet continue to have a free day many seasons hence.
21 April, 2016
Shame of the Senate
You daily see people fighting each other on petrol queues instead of rightly situating the cause and the blame where it should: the feet of the authorities. In Nigeria the buck never stop at anyone table but is rather passed along in a curious game of ' tag, you are it'.
Truly a Most Docile People
Talk about the scarce petrol and some would tell you it is not the fault of President Buhari. You will rather be told it is the fault of the State governor who is not managing the situation well. Tell them about the increase in the price of virtually everything and you would be told it is the fault of ex President Jonathan and his party, the PDP, who (mis) ruled the country for 16 years. They conveniently forget that it is on the back of correcting the so called misrule that got the current administration into power. The ruling party and it's supporters should please tell us what we don't know. Alleviate people's suffering or get out of government. The time for campaign is long gone. The government is not elected to whine and complain but to make life better for the common man. You either shape in or shape out. Even if things get better tomorrow the increase in prices of commodities and services would not come back to the initial prices. In Nigeria nothing ever comes down except the rain. Even the rain is having to hard time coming down nowadays.
Any attempt to demonstrate disapproval of the status quo is met by the administration supporters as an opposition to the government. With this state of affairs half the populace is seemingly cowed and rendered ineffective by the other half. For the fuel crisis to linger for so long and not a single demonstration to jolt power to action is nothing short of a miracle. A miracle that can happen only in Nigeria.
A Tale of Two Citizens
Nowadays it is common to espy a station selling to 5 or 6 vehicles only to be told after branching in that the station is not selling. Even though you can see these people buying the attendants and managers insists the fuel is not for the public. That is the sorry pass Nigerians find themselves. The relevant agencies should be alive to their duties by arresting this ugly situation. There should be no two tier citizenry. While one tier citizens rough out the night and day on the queue, for the other tier it is come easy go easy. This must be stopped.
02 March, 2016
Muses on the Ese Oruru's Saga
Sharia law requires the parents' consent for a marriage to be valid. With this knowledge it is therefore surprising that the Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammad Sanusi ll, allowed the child to be kept under his roof in the palace for so long. Agreed that he halfheartedly called for the girl to be released way back in September 2015 what he should however have done is see to it that his directive is followed to the letter and conclusively . After all, he is the leader of the Emirate and if his body language had shown seriousness I doubt if any of his subjects will defy his directive. He could have even gone further by handing over the said Yunusa to the security agencies. Afterall, Yunusa had committed a crime by kidnapping and abducting Ese Oruru from her family back in Bayelsa state to Kano state. A leader is expected, at all times, to be above board and be seen upholding the law. However, the buck lies ultimately with the police and the state security both which were aware of the case from day one. They obviously knew a crime had been committed yet they were powerless to bring the culprit to justice and also get the hill released. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) was quoted as saying :
"The Emir decided that he was going to mediate. But, because of his trip to Mecca with the president. That was what caused the delay. But now that he is back, we are going to sort it out as quickly as possible.” The IGP Solomon Arase further asserted that the release of Ese was dependent on the intervention of the Emir.
Pray, is the civil authority now subjected to the whims and caprice of the traditional rulers?
This is definitely not good enough. In saner climes he wouldn't have resigned or booted out of the force for pandering to power and not upholding the law to which he was sworn.
It was cheering news however, that the girl is finally on the way back to her family in Bayelsa. Thanks to the #freeesenow movement on social media and the mainstream media. This movement in no small way brought the plight of little Ese to the national, nay, international frontburner.
I sure hope a lot of lessons have been learnt going forward. The family of Ese should be well compensated by the state for the unnecessary stress and trauma it was put through by the conspiracy of silence and the dilly dally of the security operatives. Punishment must of necessity be meted out to Yunusa for the kidnapping and abduction of Ese according to the extant law of the land. This will serve as a deterrent for others who might also in want to toe this ignoble path in future.
Muses on the Ese Oruru's Saga
Sharia law requires the parents' consent for a marriage to be valid. With this knowledge it is therefore surprising that the Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammad Sanusi ll, allowed the child to be kept under his roof in the palace for so long. Agreed that he halfheartedly called for the girl to be released way back in September 2015 what he should however have done is see to it that his directive is followed to the letter and conclusively . After all, he is the leader of the Emirate and if his body language had shown seriousness I doubt if any of his subjects will defy his directive. He could have even gone further by handing over the said Yunusa to the security agencies. Afterall, Yunusa had committed a crime by kidnapping and abducting Ese Oruru from her family back in Bayelsa state to Kano state. A leader is expected, at all times, to be above board and be seen upholding the law. However, the buck lies ultimately with the police and the state security both which were aware of the case from day one. They obviously knew a crime had been committed yet they were powerless to bring the culprit to justice and also get the hill released. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) was quoted as saying :
"The Emir decided that he was going to mediate. But, because of his trip to Mecca with the president. That was what caused the delay. But now that he is back, we are going to sort it out as quickly as possible.” The IGP Solomon Arase further asserted that the release of Ese was dependent on the intervention of the Emir.
Pray, is the civil authority now subjected to the whims and caprice of the traditional rulers?
This is definitely not good enough. In saner climes he wouldn't have resigned or booted out of the force for pandering to power and not upholding the law to which he was sworn.
It was cheering news however, that the girl is finally on the way back to her family in Bayelsa. Thanks to the #freeesenow movement on social media and the mainstream media. This movement in no small way brought the plight of little Ese to the national, nay, international frontburner.
I sure hope a lot of lessons have been learnt going forward. The family of Ese should be well compensated by the state for the unnecessary stress and trauma it was put through by the conspiracy of silence and the dilly dally of the security operatives. Punishment must of necessity be meted out to Yunusa for the kidnapping and abduction of Ese according to the extant law of the land. This will serve as a deterrent for others who might also in want to toe this ignoble path in future.
23 February, 2016
Demystifying Oil
The fixation with the Petroleum Industry by our leaders is simply mind-boggling to say the least. The fact that a mono-economy has been shown to be a less than desirable state of affairs is immaterial to these set of people. These leaders cannot be bothered that Petroleum has constituted more of a curse than a blessing to the nation. They still go about as if our very being as a nation depend on the black gold when the reverse is clearly the case. I dare say without any fear of contradiction that without crude oil, Nigeria would have been a better country and a proud member of the world economic committee. We would be ranked up there with the world economic giants.
With the avowed promise of President Buhari during the 2015 electioneering campaign, of improving the economic lot of Nigeria citizens, one would have thought he would be proactive per the "oil conundrum." The first false step President Buhari took on assumption of power is making himself the Petroleum Minister. This act, to all intents and purposes, shows that he is very much an "oil man." One would have thought he would have made himself the Minister of Agriculture to underscore the importance of the sector to his administration. The fact that billions of naira was budgeted to look for oil in the Chad basin is another pointer to the fact that crude oil still remain central to this administration policy thrust.
At present President Buhari is in Saudi Arabia and later will be in Qatar on a week long meeting with the sole agenda of arresting the oil price free fall in the international market. This is coming at a time when the President's attention is sorely required at home considering the current mauling of the naira by the dollar. N370 to the dollar for an importing country like Nigeria is enough reason for the President Buhari to stay put in Nigeria for now. Most developed nations like Japan, South Korea etc lack any sizeable mineral resources yet are wealthy through the conversion of imported raw materials into finished products. Rather than relying on crude oil Nigeria will do well to invest massively in the agro-allied industry. We have a huge comparative advantage in agriculture and common sense dictates this is the way to go. For our teeming unemployed youth the agriculture sector offers a veritable employment opportunities. Figuratively speaking, what Buhari is looking for in Sokoto is right there in his sokoto pocket.
18 January, 2016
Wanted :A Visionary Leader
Opportunities however abound within the nation. Wither the groundnut pyramids, the textile industry, the real sector of the economy? Nigeria has no foundry industry to boast of. Since when was something invented in the country? The environment where excellence can breed is lacking. With a teeming population Nigeria should be coasting economically. However, this sorry pass we have gotten ourselves into was of our own making. Our so called leaders have failed us woefully. They've been superlatively lacking in vision and foresight. What you sow that you'll reap. This is an eternal truism. As a new oil producing nation Gen. Gowan, the then Head of State was said to have said money is not Nigeria's problem but how to spend it. What an unfortunate utterance as as at then a lot of towns and villages were still without roads, electricity, potable water, modern rail system etc, etc. This present parlous condition we find ourselves had been set in motion a long time ago. Where nations like the Emiratis where looking forward to a time when oil will lose it's shine, Nigeria was busy eating it's future. Those countries have diversified their economy to the extent that when you talk of those nations you don't think of oil but tourism, financial services and other allied activities.
The earlier Nigeria invests in agriculture the better for everyone. I humbly believed that without the curse of oil Nigeria would have ranked high in the comity of nations. Where did the groundnut pyramids go, our cocoa, coffee. Our palmtrees? With our teeming population and our land and climate there is no reason why we should be feeding Africa, nay, the world.
Wanted :A Visionary Leader
Opportunities however abound within the nation. Wither the groundnut pyramids, the textile industry, the real sector of the economy? Nigeria has no foundry industry to boast of. Since when was something invented in the country? The environment where excellence can breed is lacking. With a teeming population Nigeria should be coasting economically. However, this sorry pass we have gotten ourselves into was of our own making. Our so called leaders have failed us woefully. They've been superlatively lacking in vision and foresight. What you sow that you'll reap. This is an eternal truism. As a new oil producing nation Gen. Gowan, the then Head of State was said to have said money is not Nigeria's problem but how to spend it. What an unfortunate utterance as as at then a lot of towns and villages were still without roads, electricity, potable water, modern rail system etc, etc. This present parlous condition we find ourselves had been set in motion a long time ago. Where nations like the Emiratis where looking forward to a time when oil will lose it's shine, Nigeria was busy eating it's future. Those countries have diversified their economy to the extent that when you talk of those nations you don't think of oil but tourism, financial services and other allied activities.
The earlier Nigeria invests in agriculture the better for everyone. I humbly believed that without the curse of oil Nigeria would have ranked high in the comity of nations. Where did the groundnut pyramids go, our cocoa, coffee. Our palmtrees? With our teeming population and our land and climate there is no reason why we should be feeding Africa, nay, the world.
15 August, 2015
Pilgrimage and the Nation
It is an economic scam in the sense that their is no known criteria for inclusion into the scheme. Everything goes. Inclusion is based primarily on political patronage. An exercise where public money is spent on a scheme whose inclusion criteria is nebulous should be strongly discouraged.
Nigeria is by no means a spiritual nation (what with a corruption ridden landscape) but only a religious one. Nigeria should divest herself from investing in non yielding ventures but rather invest in sectors like education where the results are positive and can be traced directly to the investment. Recently the Adamawa government voted N200m just to pray to end the Boko Haram scourge. N200m voted for so-called 'prayer warrior s'. These are all laughable misapplication of scarce resources that the people can jolly do without. It is criminal to say the least.
09 August, 2015
Of flags and Correctness
They are most times emblazoned with this 'foreign' coat of arms.The horses in the normal Nigeria coat of afms should be white in colour. Can we safely say these public functionaries are aliens and foreigners? No wonder they don't represent the people in governance. If a student is asked the colour of the horses in Nigeria coat of arms and he answers yellow would you say he is wrong? How can our political office holders seat on chair's chairs with some alien coat of arms on the back. If these anomalies occur in such high settings little wonder that Nigeria is in such state she is. National Orientation Agency(NOA) over to you.
Of flags and Correctness
They are most times emblazoned with this 'foreign' coat of arms.The horses in the normal Nigeria coat of afms should be white in colour. Can we safely say these public functionaries are aliens and foreigners? No wonder they don't represent the people in governance. If a student is asked the colour of the horses in Nigeria coat of arms and he answers yellow would you say he is wrong? How can our political office holders seat on chair's chairs with some alien coat of arms on the back. If these anomalies occur in such high settings little wonder that Nigeria is in such state she is. National Orientation Agency(NOA) over to you.
Buhari's Difficult Job
The moot question remains: can the General go far in his avowed anticorruption crusade? I believe the President is damned if he did and dawned if he didn't. The simple reason being that Buhari rode to power with the active support of some known corrupt personalities. Buhari was (and is) supported by politicians of questionable sources of wealth. To move against such characters is to open Buhari to a campaign of being an ingrate. And no doubt these powerful politicians sure know how to manipulate the media to pursue their narrow and parochial agenda. If, on the other hand President Buhari decides to go after the opposition he would be accused of selective dispensation of justice. It therefore seems the President is balanced precariously on the horns of dilemma. How he chooses to move forward will, to a large extent, define his Presidency.
Buhari's Difficult Job
The moot question remains: can the General go far in his avowed anticorruption crusade? I believe the President is damned if he did and dawned if he didn't. The simple reason being that Buhari rode to power with the active support of some known corrupt personalities. Buhari was (and is) supported by politicians of questionable sources of wealth. To move against such characters is to open Buhari to a campaign of being an ingrate. And no doubt these powerful politicians sure know how to manipulate the media to pursue their narrow and parochial agenda. If, on the other hand President Buhari decides to go after the opposition he would be accused of selective dispensation of justice. It therefore seems the President is balanced precariously on the horns of dilemma. How he chooses to move forward will, to a large extent, define his Presidency.
04 August, 2015
Salary, Workers, and their Governor
Watching Coretv some days ago I saw some on obviously paid miscreants in Imo state demonstrating in support of the Governor, Okorocha. The kernel of their demonstration is that the striking workers of the state should be given the boot and that they should in turn be employed instead. It is instructive to say here that the state workers are presently on strike due to the government inability to pay their five months (and upwards) salaries. It would have been laughable if not for the seriousness of the matter.
That some group of people would want to take the place of workers who are presently on strike due to lack of salary speak volumes of their collective and individual intelligence. To think the Governor was on the entourage of president Buhari to the U.S last week. Okorocha is however not the only Governor owing workers backlog of salary. I make bold to say these governors are either bad managers (read damagers). Their respective administrations should be probed by the EFCC and allied anti-corruption agencies. The livelihoods of untold numbers of workers and their hangers-on are unnecessarily put in abeyance due to the actions and inactions of these governors
19 July, 2015
As Buhari leaves for the U.S today
As Buhari leaves for the U.S today he should not not defer to Obama when he gets there. The is especially so on issues pertaining to what the people of Nigeria nay,Africa holds dear. The unnatural phenomenon presently sweeping the West is especially in mind. This is the homosexual movement that seems to be the vogue in the U.S and some European nations. To equate same sex relationship and marriage to its heterosexual counterpart is to stretch freedom to its elastic limit. Procreatively, homosexual relationship cannot produce children. Humanity as we know it can't last with homosexuality. It is an aberration. The problem lies with attempting to paint an unnatural act as being natural. Homosexuals have always been with us. They can jolly well survive like they have been surviving. Apart from the immediate problem of relationship, homosexuality throws up a lot of legal issues like sperm donor issues, calling a male a wife and vice versa etc. If the west will not give us aids because of Nigeria's refusal to bow to pressure then let them be. We should look inward and put our house in order. It may well be an opportunity to pick ourselves up, roll up our sleeves and do the needful to make our nation great again.
As Buhari leaves for the U.S today
As Buhari leaves for the U.S today he should not not defer to Obama when he gets there. The is especially so on issues pertaining to what the people of Nigeria nay,Africa holds dear. The unnatural phenomenon presently sweeping the West is especially in mind. This is the homosexual movement that seems to be the vogue in the U.S and some European nations. To equate same sex relationship and marriage to its heterosexual counterpart is to stretch freedom to its elastic limit. Procreatively, homosexual relationship cannot produce children. Humanity as we know it can't last with homosexuality. It is an aberration. The problem lies with attempting to paint an unnatural act as being natural. Homosexuals have always been with us. They can jolly well survive like they have been surviving. Apart from the immediate problem of relationship, homosexuality throws up a lot of legal issues like sperm donor issues, calling a male a wife and vice versa etc. If the west will not give us aids because of Nigeria's refusal to bow to pressure then let them be. We should look inward and put our house in order. It may well be an opportunity to pick ourselves up, roll up our sleeves and do the needful to make our nation great again.