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Friday, May 30, 2008

One Year of Nothingness

The present Administration clocked one year yesterday 29th May. As usual, all the media houses were awash with paid advertorials from contractors, hangerons, political jobbers, etc congralutating the various administrations both State and Federal for a job well done in the past 365 days.

Ask the ordinary Nigerian on the street and he/she will tell you that there is nothing really to celebrate. Cost of living has gone astronomically high, insecurity of lives and property is rife. We seems to be going backwards in terms of development.

I sincerely hope our elected leaders will wake up from their slumber and face the ardeous task that is ahead of them.

Monday, May 26, 2008

My Random Thots

A friend asked me if I was going to be posting personal stuffs on this site which I said yes to. So from time to time I will be giving you guys gists about the happenings in my life and people around me. I must warn you guys though that I lead a very boring life.

Over the weekend we had a re-run of Gubernatorial elections in two states of Nigeria - Sokoto and Bayelsa. Their was very low interest everywhere as to what the outcome would be except maybe the participants themselves. And you wouldn't blame us for having this kind of apathy towards elections in Nigeria. After the sham called an eleciton that has taken place in the country in the past one year who wouldn't be fatigued from all the electoral robberies we have all been witnessess to.

As expected PDP won both states with a majority vote that is probably more than the total number of voters registered. I think INEC should be given the Best Magician Award for been able to conjure up election winning numbers from the most unexpected of places (from goats, cows, underaged persons, dead people, etc).

Anyhow not to be a bad belle person, I want to use this medium to congratulate the re-elected Governors Aliyu Wammako and Timipre Sylva of Sokoto and Bayelsa states respectively for CAPTURING (in the words of an ex-president of ours) their states. And to the opposition parties that lost overwhelmingly in the two states, I would advice them to go for further studies in an approved University to learn how to capture their states next time around and I am recommending UniPDP for courses in Politics 101-Fundamentals and Art of Rigging and then Politics 102 - How to Hijack Power For next 60 years

Friday, May 23, 2008

FOOTBALL AND NATION BUILDING!

It has always been said that the only thing that binds Nigerians from various walks of life together is our love for the game of football! This was further brought to the fore during Wednesday's Champions League final match between Chelsea and Man Utd, two English teams. The tension and expectations that filled the air on that day was clearly evident for all to see. Both the old and young, rich and poor, highly placed and struggling masses, educated and illiterate, male and female all sharing in one hope and vision that their team would carry the day.

There was so much passion and dedication exhibited on the part of the supporters of both teams and even neutrals alike in the cheering on of their teams.
How I just wish we could all bring this same passion and dedication into our daily lifes as Nigerians. Just imagine how great this country would be if our leaders were passionate about good governance rather than their pockets, if our (un)elected politicians were passionate about doing the duties to which they were elected instead of looking for ways and means of stealing us dry. Just imagine the Police doing their jobs passionately rather mounting illegal road blocks to look for twenty naira notes from the same citizens they are meant to protect. Imagine the Government officials been passionate about their jobs instead of allocating for themselves choice government properties or fighting for bogus estacode or medical allowances.

Imagine a situation where the various artisians we have in the country will be so dedicated that all he wants to do is to repair your damaged property rather than looking for a way of fixing inferior parts at exhorbitant prices for you. Imagine a situation whereby the numerous men of God would be only passionate about winning and saving souls rather than stealing from souls. Imagine a situation where ASUU and NASU would be dedicated and passionate in producing sound graduates rather than going on frivolous strikes to press home for God knows what.
Imagine if i wasn't imagining this! But as long as we are lackadaisical, uncaring and unconcerned in our attitudes towards the building up of this entity called Nigeria, so will the expectations of Nigeria achieving greatness remain where it has always been for decades now - IN OUR IMAGINATIONS!

On a last note congratulations to all Man Utd fans but they were just lucky cos Chelsea were better on the night (don't ask me which team I support).

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Niger Delta Militants – Heroes or Zeros?

A Toddler is kidnapped in front of his parents’! ‘An eighty year old grandmother is abducted from her home’! ‘Community destroyed by bitter clash between Militants’! These are just some of the disturbing and alarming news that daily emanate from the Niger Delta Areas.

The story of continuous degradation of the Niger Delta by successive Governments in power is no longer news. The area has over the years passed over in terms of development and modernization. The irony of it all is that 85% of the total earnings of Nigeria are derived from these areas. This situation has led to the taking of arms by the youths to fight against what is seen as an injustice to them by the Government and several Oil Companies operating in the area. This is not so surprising because successive Government has failed to take heed to their various protests and call for dialogue.

In as much as the intentions of the Militants is to bring justice and solace to the various peoples and communities in the area, what is however making their efforts and fight to look like one influenced by desire to acquire wealth albeit illegally is the advent of kidnappings for ransom and the turning of the gun on each other for control. This question keeps popping up in my mind- are they fighting for the masses or for their pockets? Why kill, maim, kidnap and destroy the same people you are supposed to be fighting for?
My fear is that after all said and done and all their demands have been met by the Government their might not be anybody or community left in the area to celebrate the victory with!

Friday, May 16, 2008

POWER PROBE

The House Panel probing the award and execution of Independent Power Projects in the country has been inviting the actors involved in the awarding and supervising of these Power Projects said to be worth a collective amount of $16billion.

The latest person to be invited is our erstwhile former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-though not surprising he refused to show up citing illness. What continues to baffle me is the level of corruption and laxity that was involved in the award of these contracts. For a government that sang ‘Due Process’ throughout its lifetime, its unfortunate to note that this was discarded to the dustbin when it came to the projects. All we have heard from these principal actors is to trade blames amongst each other and pass the buck or feign total ignorance. The facts on ground don’t lie. During the tour made by the panel to all the locations where this projects were to be cited all they saw were abandoned projects, slow pace of work in places where the contractor has even just managed to start something.

The question to ask these our so called leaders is how could such huge amount be allowed to fritter away with no checks and balances? How can they explain instances where money running into hundreds of millions of dollars has been paid some contractors yet level of work still falls below 5% or 0% in some cases?

Nigerians have been thrown into darkness with PHCN now serving as the secondary source of power while Generators has taken over as the primary. It is very unfortunate and depressing that these same cabals that put us into this situation are still in Government or still frolicking with Government with no shame whatsoever for their misdeeds.

We are all waiting to see what the outcome of the Probe will be whether it will go down the drain like the past probes we’ve witnessed in this country, eg Gulf War Oil Windfall just to name one. But one thing I want the Panel and the Executive arm of the government to know is that if noting tangible comes out of these dirty revelations then our country is doomed and we all better start praying.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

MY HEART BLEEDS

My last post was on the 17th of April. A lot of events have taken place since that last time. I think of my country with sorrow and tears in my eyes. We have come a long way as a nation yet with little or nothing to show for it. Am reminded constantly of the saying that ‘It s Not How Long or How Far BUT How Well’. Nigeria has not done well.

The much taunted Giant of Africa has simply refused to grow from its dwarfish stature. A potentially great country we’ve been labeled but we’ve failed to wake up from our lethargy and stupor to turn that Potential power to Kinetic (moving energy).
It is not for lack or want of resources be it material, human just name it and we have enough of it. The cause of our being in this sorrowful and dejected state can be traced to every Nigerian living and dead. We’ve all refused to play our parts towards building a greater Nigeria. We’ve paid lip service to those norms and values that have founded the great nations of this world. The irony is that we all blame the other person while forgetting that we as guilty as those we blame. My heart bleeds when I see the poverty pervading our society in the midst of plenty, I see darkness around me in the midst of light, I see despair and anger written all over the faces of the populace in a country which is full of hope.

We all need to take stock and reassess ourselves and determine that in our own little way, we will make meaningful contributions to the growth and well being of this country. What are you still waiting for?
God Bless Nigeria.

HILARY’s PRIDE

Hilary Clinton is a very ambitious woman no doubt and it’s not altogether wrong to be. What is wrong is when you ambitions is against popular opinions or wishes.

The way the Democratic election is going tends to point towards the direction of Barack Obama as becoming its Presidential Nominee he leads in popular votes and in Super Delegates. Hilary seems to be fighting a lost cause and all she needs to do now is to step down and give all the support she can to Obama. She should know that stepping down is not a sign of weakness on her part but what should come to her mind is that great leaders are not made in victory alone but even in defeat you could be made great.

 
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