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September 30, 2005

Most Wanted: A Brand New President among 130-million Nigerians

by Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa --- Our Country needs a well cultured African whose exposure to the outside world is subdued, not a source of aggrandizement. I do not know how a Country such as Nigeria could have been ruled for so long by people trained only in the act of tactical warfare, in many cases uncultured and unlettered dominating civilized people, if not by the power of the gun. They have turned many people into images of themselves - Monkey see, monkey do. Is it any wonder that violence and greed pervade in our society and mediocrity rule?

Alhaji Ribadu who was the Defense Minister in the Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa’s Government would never have dreamt that the boys he wanted to defend Nigeria in the times of external aggression or natural calamity would be the same one bleeding us to death and perpetuating themselves in office by reappearing like a recurring decimal from khaki to agbada.

It is almost impossible to run for office in Nigeria if you have never stolen at gun point or get sponsored by some godfather who is connected to these armed robbers. Sad as it is, I am talking about powerful minority who have gained power over gentlemen of the armed forces and in the process corrupted many of them. It was Obasanjo who said he learned that there were no bad soldiers but bad officers. I refuse to believe that we have run out of choice among 130 million people.

Our youths who own the future of the County are confused – join the money bags as thugs or suffer as intellectual freedom fighters. Those of them who are products of 419 are small compared to the ones whose accomplishments get buried under the news. The silent majority must scream as loud as Obasanjo during Babangida’s regime, campaign as hard as Agbekoyas in the West, pray to any of the Heavens to show us the next President of Nigeria, as long as we realize that heaven helps those who help themselves. God will not come down to save Nigeria!

Nigerians are known to be very intelligent and clever. Both are not the same. Book knowledge is different from common sense. Those with common sense acquire knowledge by being self taught or through formal education. Nobody has monopoly of common sense. Since anyone can hire educated mercenary to actualize his primitive instinct, we may be limited to the choice of obsequious worshippers. After all, sound legal minds can argue favorable on either side of the coin and agree to disagree.

So it is puzzling that 130 million people watch a parade of former military generals that have neither monopoly on knowledge nor exclusive right to common sense, make presidency a no go area for others. These are the same caliber of people whose only experience is how they have brought Nigeria down to its knees or as one of them put it, wondered how Nigeria has not collapsed. Unbowed, they condemn their repentant colleagues who apologized for their misdeeds.

Instead of facing facts and stop worshiping generals, we blame a section of our Country for all the woes. We must not forget that this Country was ruled after Independence by the consensus of both North and South. The Prime Minister of the Country was anointed by a Southerner. In the wisdom of Azikiwe, it was better to have North and South representatives in the formation of Government. If he wanted, he could have become the Prime Minister but decided to become the Governor General. Others may interpret his motive differently, but his explanation is still practiced and holds until today.

One of the old politicians once boasted that there were two parties in Nigeria – NPN and the military. Some of us may disagree and claim that there is only one party – You Chop and I Chop Party.

Is it so bad that one can not pick some silver linings out of the deeds of the dictators? My fear is that, it may look like an encouragement because I am now hearing of third term for Obasanjo. Some of us did not even want him for the first term. If those who are asking him to return for a third term are his friends, it was the same friends of Gowon that propagated the same story until he was overthrown by his cohorts. Are those what you call friends?

Oh well, well, well! Yes, Obasanjo retired all those military politicians, confronted oil bunkering by bursting the balls of some powerful associates; and he is tackling corruption whichever way we may think. He has offered himself both locally to EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu for investigation and internationally to British Auditors Hart Group to look into Central Bank, NNPC and Federal IRS. Can anyone remember in the history of our Country a Head of State that has exposed his own domain to such scrutiny?

The closest person was Murtala Muahamed who forfeited his surplus. He was killed by the same gang of armed robbers who fear a change of attitude in Nigeria. Please, Mr. President this is not an endorsement for a third term, it is calling a hoe a hoe.

My ambivalence about our policies is not limited to this Government. The smell of foreign intervention in either economic, political policies or mimicry of foreign government interest repulses me. After our foreign mercenaries sell out their Country, they run out to Europe and America for awards on a job well done as Nigeria bleeds on the operating table. How many awards did Michael Imoudu or Kwame Nkrumah get from them? Then I should condemn Obasanjo for involving foreign governments in catching kleptomaniacs outside Nigeria, right? No, I support him. See my problem o! This is the same man who denied Lagos State its money in spite of Supreme Court ruling which he interpreted his own way.

I know the humiliation innocent Africans in Diaspora are subjected to by law enforcers in those countries. Any Blackman, who thinks he is beyond these assaults and persecutions has not learned and if he has learned, must be fooling himself. Some years ago while on a field visit, I warned an African landlord who refused an order from a senior health investigator to clean up environmental hazard. A court warrant was out for him since he did not show up in court. He shot back at me – Blackman, don’t you know there is a warrant out for most of us? The US Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas who was the darling of the conservatives learned the hard way. He claimed “high tech lynching” during his confirmation grilling for the US Supreme Court. An “African European” claimed discrimination? I beg your pardon!

At the same time, I do not turn a blind eye to reality. Corruption is so ingrained in Nigeria that the little man has given up. Each time a rogue is caught red handed, look at the parade of men from high places (enia pataki, jakan jakan) that I even respect and admire file out to beg for mercy. If you do not know where I am going, think about these cases: When Tafa Balogun was arrested who were the people who followed him to court and eventually stood for bail? Who went to Abuja to plead for the son of Abacha? Who pleaded for Dariye? Who were the people who stood up for Osuji before he withdrew his case against the Government? Who are the people crying for Alamieyeseigha?

These are not the informed little people of Nigeria. They are beneficiaries of corruption and only prey on the pain of the hungry man to divert attention. If they claim they care, they are hypocrites. While it may be wrong to desert a loved one, it is wrong not to tell him the truth. Our parents used to tell us that if you steal, nobody would bail you out. If they help, you become an embarrassment in the neighborhood. You become an outcaste.

So why do we recycle men who have soiled their name and were deft at picking people’s pocket as presidential candidates? So that some of the crumbs can fall into our sphere of influence or so that we may survive for the day while our children become beggars of Live Aids tomorrow.

How many Robin Hoods do you know that steal money from poor countries and take it to the rich countries or that refuse to pay local debts in naira to pensioners, in salaries, legitimate indigene contracts, or welfare but rush to pay foreign debts in dollars?

Some of us go as far as invoking the name of those who died fighting for rights of the oppressed and just causes to defend “Hood Robbers” as if our heroes could have been bought or if they wanted to steal money, it had not been within their reach.

What happened to the days when you would not dare take a young handsome man or beautiful lady home to our parents because of only one flaw – the reputation of their grandfather in the village. Nigeria, we can distinguish just cause from corruption.

As much as I would want to see the day we can pick a presidential candidate from anywhere in the Country. I also know the reality and permutation on the ground in our dear Country, Nigeria.

South-south President
This is the only region that has not produced a President. It is about time. There is no quality that is present in the other parts of Nigeria that can not be found in this part of Nigeria. The men and women have served enthusiastically since the days of Okotieboh.

The fear that if they become the ruling class or President, they will allocate all the oil resources to themselves is that of a dreamer. Nigeria is much more complex than that. Any system of government that we have or may evolve into would not permit a region to hold others as hostages. If it was done in the past, we all encouraged it and the crumbs seekers are still around, comparatively broke but eager for another day that will never come. I submit that one part of Nigeria can not be economically viable without the other.

Canada encouraged staunch federalists from trade unions and radicals from Quebec, a Province that wanted to break off, into National politics. Two of them later became the Prime Ministers of Canada – Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien. There are just as much federalist in the South-south as in the rest of the Country. Definition of a fair share may vary from one region to another but most of us believe in Nigeria as a Country.

Indeed, a President from that region can call off the bluff of the “oil farmers”, oil bunkers, “our son our money” and some so called freedom fighters who use the name of Issac Boro and Saro Wiwa in vain, with corrupt leaders. Where have they developed with their yields? I must say any President with the right frame of mind can cut their bluff.

However, some people are disturbed by some of the opinions coming from some groups in the region about negotiating for the position of Vice President in exchange for certain percentage on resource control. I think both should be mutually exclusive. A fair share of resources will and must go to the area that produces it. But a President of Nigeria, no matter where he or she comes from can not dictate that by fiat as it was done in the past.

Northern President
All Nigerians from any part of the Country must be able to aspire for the leadership of the Country. There are many young men and women from the North who can beat any candidate based purely on merit. The number of spent presidential candidates coming from this area has overshadowed the dedicated ones.

We must not forget that one of the purest Nigerian, Malam Aminu Kano is from the North. He lived like Mother Theresa, when he could have lived very comfortably. Other dynamic youths do not have the name recognition or stolen money to buy influence. But they are highly educated and do posses common sense.

The youths in the North are more concern about talikawa and the mistakes of past leaders who have nothing to show for their domination and military subjugation. Each time they meet their colleagues from the South, they have been able to resolve differences and avoided violence. They are more interested, as their colleagues in the South in sanitizing the Country than in power just for the sake of it.

This is not a way to deny them their turn in ruling Nigeria, but some Northerners have expressed the fact that they will exist without becoming the next President of Nigeria. Indeed, Alhaji Dogote categorically counted himself out of the contest.

South–east President
We have not had an executive head from that side of the River for a long time, either by design, omission or through generosity to the North on the part of Azikiwe or by rebellion. Whatever the case, South-south can not negotiate the Presidency away at the expense of the South-east. We should learn from Abiola who got a clear message from NPN that Presidency is not for sale.

Why South-east? Is it more palatable and easier to swallow than calling for Igbo Presidency?

There is much more to Nigeria than Hausa/Fulani-Igbo-Yoruba domination of the political power. The so called minorities are more than each of the main ethnic groups.
But before the presidency goes round these main ethnic groups again, the Igbo must have its share. It can not be bargained away.

Enough of all the favors Igbo never did, the State that never voted for Yoruba candidates, how the Igbo dominated the Rivers or looted Bendel. These are excuses not to give right to whom it is due.

Indeed, the Igbo can talk about marginalization in the political, economic and social fabric of Nigeria after the war. We can go on and on. No matter what this writer says, each side will find holes and faults. So this is not to please anyone but face the facts.

It has always interested me when I read about Igbo writers defending Obasanjo’s appointments against the marginalization charge. They first distanced themselves from his policies as this writer did above, before counting his Igbo appointments. The Yoruba grumbled about their displacement and how Obasanjo would not dare displace a Northerner. Actually, Okonjo Iweala replaced Adamu Ciroma a Northerner. There will be complaints, excuses but there is no reason an Igbo lady or man can not be the next President. It must be noted that some bodies from all regions have called for Igbo President.

I have noted above why any federalist from any part of the Country will fight to keep the Country together, so the notion that only certain part of the Country is committed to one Nigeria is false. Lest we forget, Azikiwe remained a federalist not withstanding Biafra, so was Asika and many who died fighting on both sides.

There has to be a day in our life time, now or as of yesterday where the best program would be more attractive than a bag of Jakande or Shagari rice. Some of us reminiscent about the days of Babagida, Buhari, Obasajo or Gowon. In fact what we are saying is that we had contacts and favors then and want it to continue now!

Nigeria needs to move on. Our prayers should be for better governance than the one we favored or left behind. There are too many people in Nigeria to be clamoring for the same generals over and over again.

Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa
faroukomartins@netscape.net

Posted by Administrator at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)

Nigerians in Diaspora: Are you Worried that your Kids do not know Nigeria?

by Simi Abohwo --- I am a 38 year old Nigerian living in the UK and bringing up two sons (aged 10 and 7). My sons were both born in the UK and one of the issues that I am having to deal with is whether my kids will grow up being able to identify with Nigeria and its culture. In other words, will they see themselves as Nigerian first and British second? Will they appreciate Nigerian/African values? Or will they, sadly, become culturally and morally ‘lost’ to Nigeria.

I am sure that this is a concern that many Nigerians in the Diaspora are trying to deal with. In this article, I would like to make a few suggestions on how parents in a similar position as mine can deal with this issue by sharing the various ways that I have tried to address the problem in my own family:

1. The yearly pilgrimage to Nigeria – well maybe not yearly but as often as your finances can allow. This is a good opportunity for the kids to meet other members of your nuclear and extended family. It is very important for kids to know who their family are. The best time is Christmas. Christmas is the time when most relatives are back home from wherever they are in the world. I am proud to be able to say that my kids have never missed a Christmas in Nigeria.

2. Make them read books by Nigerian/African writers and books about Nigeria/Africa – My older son has read Chinua Achebe’s ‘Chike and the River’. (Is that book still in print? – I can hear some of you saying). Well perhaps it is no longer in print but I was able to get an old copy tucked away in the corner of one of the bookshelves in the home that I grew up in. Anyway, there are so many other books that are in print. If you live in London, visit the Africa Book Centre in Covent Garden. If you live outside outside London or outside the UK you may order from them on-line by visiting their on-line store on www.africabookcentre.com. Or you may visit www.amazon.com to order books by Nigerian writers. Reading books about Nigeria (fiction and non-fiction) will help children become familiar with Nigerian culture.

3. Insist that they practice common Nigerian courtesies - such as kneeling down or doing a full (or half) prostrate when greeting their elders. A handshake should never be enough when your children are greeting your friends who are fellow Nigerians. Also, important is that they address older people as ‘aunty’, ‘uncle’, ‘mummy’ or ‘daddy’. A practice which seems to be dying out amongst modern Nigerian families is that of addressing older siblings as ‘brother’ or ‘sister’. Please, please, please let us uphold such practices and continue to stress their importance to our children.

4. Ensure that they have a few (or many) native outfits – Have you ever walked down a street in Europe or America wearing a beautiful native gown which attracts other passers-by to approach you and ask where the gown is from and then you proudly tell them that it is Nigerian. This is the kind of attention that you want your children to attract. It is an opportunity for them to feel proud of their roots. This boosts their self-esteem and confidence.

5. Your sound system at home should be booming with juju, fuji, afro-beat, high-life Nigerian hip-hop etc – let the music sink in through their ears and skin into the depths of their souls. Music has the power to captivate and inspire the minds of those who listen to it especially children. Let your children grow up appreciating such music and sooner or later they will become emotionally attached to the source of the music which is our dear motherland. Every major city in Europe and America should have various music shops that stock afican music. Otherwise visit www.amazon.co.uk or www.amazon.com to order cds by Nigerian and African musicians.

6. What do your children eat? – What would you say is a typical meal in your home? Is it mash potato with sausages and baked beans? Or fish and chips? If your children hardly ever eat eba or pounded yam or egusi then shame on you as a parent! Food produced in Africa is healthy, organic, free from additives or chemical fertilisers. So many children living in the western world are becoming obese because European diet consists of too much chemically processed food. Do you remember when you were growing up in Nigeria? How many children did you see around you who were obese? Children whose diets consist mainly of African food cannot become obese.

7. Send your children back to Nigerian for a few years of secondary schooling – My older son will be attending a boarding school in Nigeria next September after he turns 11 years old. Why? Because I am appalled at falling academic and moral standards prevalent in British state schools. I believe that such is the case in American state schools. I could have chosen to send him to a private school here in Britain. However, I discovered that Nigeria abounds with so many excellent private schools that offer the same standard of academic and boarding facilities as many of the best private schools in Britain. And private education in Nigeria is, on average, less costly than private education in Britain (even after you take into consideration the cost of travelling to and from Nigeria). Moreover, my son would have the opportunity to be exposed to the Nigerian culture and an environment where teachers enjoy absolute respect and authority, an evironment in which children are not allowed to talk back to teachers, and an environment where children are expected to be high-acheivers. If you decide that your children may benefit from education in Nigeria I recommend a visit to the website www.nigerianschoolsonline.org. This website provides links and contact details to many of the best private schools in Nigeria.

I hope that readers have enjoyed reading about my thoughts and experiences. I would like to hear from readers who want to share their own opinions and experiences about the issues I have raised in this article. Please email me: simi_abohwo@yahoo.co.uk.

Simi Abohwo
simi_abohwo@yahoo.co.uk

Posted by Administrator at 07:31 PM | Comments (1)

September 29, 2005

Governor Of Bayelsa Can Appoint Ambassadors?

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, United States) --- Where there is duty, there is responsibility and obligations. It would appear that too many public office holders in Nigeria are only interested in the benefits conferred on them, by virtue of their public positions and the perquisites they derive as public office holders?

Additionally, it is as if these public office holders selectively and surgically remove section 308 of the constitution of Nigeria 1999, for some special obeisance, while practically disdainful of the rest of our constitution, as if in complete disregard and utter contempt for the rest of the constitution? Section 308 which provides for immunity from prosecution for president, vice president, governors and their deputies therefore serves their warped and twisted interests, as they ignore the rest of Nigeria's most important legal document?

But what do they owe us members of the public, electorate or citizens?
What is their responsibility and obligations, in upholding our laws etc?

A holistic interpretation of section 308 is required, to have a clear understanding of what the rational and general intent of the drafter of our constitutions had in mind.The immunity provisions was not intend to confer infallibility on governors. The immunity clausse does not make a state governor an equal to a Nigerian president!

Diplomatic affairs is under federal exclusive list, legislatively and governors do not appoint Nigeria's foreign service personnel or ambassadors. /state governors do not conduct Nigeria's foreign affairs or enter treaties, independent of Nigeria's government at the center, that is, the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

The immunity clause in our constitution was clearly not intended to shield or protect a president, vice president, governor or deputy governor, if they engage in gross misconducts and criminalities, such as rape, armed robbery or murder! Just as the immunity clause was not intended to protect public office holders who plunder Nigeria’s public treasuries of wealth and national resources.

States Houses of Assembly appear to have misunderstood the relevant section to mean, a blank check or carte blanc protections for the aforementioned public officials, even if they commit homicides or act of terrorism!

The general intendments of section 308 provisions regarding immunity, was merely to enable freedom of actions in the discharge of the official duties by president, vice president and governor or deputy governor. Meaning that, Dr. Akinyuli of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has the right to confiscate fake medicines brought into Nigeria by me, or made in Nigeria by former girlfriend, and Dr. Akinyuli of NAFDAC should thereafter not expect to be sued by me or my ex-girlfriend for compensation or reimbursements, regarding our overhead costs and anticipated profits from our illegal business…

Another analogy, probably better one is, let us suppose that there is an outbreak of bird flu, Avian flu, in Otta Farms which belongs that guy who returns to the farms in 2007. Ogun state therefore, in protection of public health and safety, in efforts to avoid the spread of the deadly virus to other neighboring chicken farms and the branches in Adamawa, Edo and Enugu states, the Ogun state governor, is advised by Dr. Obasanjo the vet expert in animal husbandry, who intimate the governor, better act now, before this fatal flu spreads nationwide to other chicken farms and spread further to humans.

The governor of Ogun state heads straight to Otta Farms, slaughters all the chickens or birds there, all in good faith, to safeguard public health and safety in Ogun and perhaps nationally. The immunity clause enshrined in section 308 becomes a protection for Ogun state governor, so that our friend, the chicken farmer of Otta Farms, has no recourse and cannot sue Ogun state governor while he is in office and even when he is no longer in office… provided that the governor of Ogun state had acted in good faith without abuse of discretion and where such actions were guided by public interests and the common good of all. It is a different matter if the governor used bad faith or was malicious. And the result will be the same, even if our Otta Farmer hired twenty Gani Fawehinmins and 40 Dr. Abayomis (SAN) etc

As a sweetener for such public health and safety actions, the Otta Farmer may receive some (usually adequate or market price) compensation for the destroyed chickens or assorted farm birds.

The circumstances surrounding the thieving governors and other pillaging officials are spectacularly unique in themselves as some Nigerian officials have turned the immunity clause, to a culture of impunity and their misconducts are novel as they are ruinous!

Clearly, some Nigerian officials have bastardized the immunity clause in our constitution, that was generally intended as protections for some categories of public office holders, essentially, to enable them to have freedom of action, actions they undertake in their public capacity for the benefit of the general public or the citizenry.

We have now witnessed extreme abuses by some public officials, whereby, some of our officials engage in extreme illegalities, consciously and knowingly, as they seek protection from section 308, which was surely not intended to protect anyone, anyone! who willingly engage in the commission of heinous crimes for selfish purpose and personal interests and corrupt enrichment!

The specter of these flagrant and brazen abuses by our public officials, have led to so much outcry. The scourge of corruption has done so much damage to Nigeria both internally and externally and every Nigerian now wants corruption to quickly go away from our country, corruption should be eliminated, eradicated, killed and removed!

What is required therefore? Very extraordinary and drastic legal measures are imperatives. Anything short of draconian and arbitrary steps; hence I have written previous “Expunge, Excise & Repeal Immunity Clause and also the following links that have been provided below, in which I have discussed the crucially important nature of the immunity clause and concept in our laws, particularly, our constitution.

http://kwenu.com/publications/adujie/immunity_prosecution.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Immunity+From+Prosecution%3B+A+Delicate+Balancing+Act+Adujie&btnG=Google+Search
http://207.36.97.234/Articles/Adujie/P_Adujie_115.htm

Immunity From Prosecution; A Delicate Balancing Act
True, other countries institute immunity clauses. Into their constitutional and national laws and it is observed reciprocally by nations… (Please endeavor to read the links) as they provide my comprehensive view on the immunity concept.
The thieving governor of Bayelsa is not the president of Nigeria and he is not an ambassador….Bayelsa does not appoint nor send diplomats of any level, to various countries, separate and apart from federal diplomats….there are no “state diplomats” a state is of course, a subdivision/subsection of Nigeria.(Federal diplomats is an oxymoron)! Nigeria's constitution specifies state rights and the roles of state governors, governors are not to be seen as co-president or an equal in capacity, duties or as symbol of Nigeria as a president.

I am an apostle of the rule of law and all the ideals and tenets of democracy, including due process rules. I advocate passionately, the importance of the certainty of reward and punishment, (this is the crucial difference between Nigeria and the United States.

We must obey laws, there must be equality before the laws, there should be and must be respect for individual rights, including property rights. And my support for due process and the rule of law is unwavering, even in the face of the criminal onslaught by some of our thieving officials. I have personally written position papers on the value, worth or benefits imbued in the concept of immunity from prosecution, and also its pitfalls, abuses…some Nigerian officials have clearly turned immunity protection on its head!

But we must be fair and even handed, as we must ask these questions, in view of the enigmatic nature of these unfolding sagas! As thieving public officials seem to multiply in their numbers. What comes first? The chicken or is it the egg? The thieving governors are no respecter of the constitution of Nigeria, they are no respecter of the Code of Conduct Act, they observe no decency or commonsense morality. Those who come to equity, ought to come with clean hands!

It is amazing how, these same criminals and their cohorts, are ALWAYS the one, with superb knowledge of their “rights” and constitutional protections! Thieving public officials in Nigeria have no respect for Biblical, Koranic or Talmudic injunctions!
How about the constitutional provisions and all the other Nigerian laws that forbids stealing, Corruption, Pillaging with brazen/blatant impunity?

How about all the Nigerian laws that require State Houses of Assembly, to impeach morons like Governor Dariye and Moron in chief Governor Alamieyesiegha?

And how about all the Nigerian laws and ethics that required these criminals to fund hospitals and roads and schools and other public infrastructures in their states?

Why was Bayelsa governor in hospital in Germany? Are there no medical doctors in Yenagoa Bayelsa? Nigerian doctors in New York are excellent doctors and they were trained in Nigeria! Why won’t these governors equip the hospitals? Do you know what is worse? He was in a German hospital for cosmetic surgery or liposuction, because he was TOO FAT! While most Nigerians have become compulsorily a fourth of their weight, as a result of malnutrition!

Bayelsa looks as if she unlucky to have Deputy Governor Goodluck Jonathan, what with his endless solidarities and effusive praises for the million pounds sterling man, who he praised as upholding democracy ideals and tenets? DG Jonathan sound like a robot!
Governor Alamieseyegha is indisposed, disabled and incapacitated by reason of health, continued absence and criminal impediments or encumbrance. He should be removed or impeached and sent to cool his heels in maximum security prison in Britain and Nigeria!

Paul I. Adujie
lawcareer@msn.com
New York, United States

Posted by Administrator at 07:22 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2005

Expunge, Excise & Repeal Immunity Clause Now!

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, United States) --- A successful war against corruption in Nigeria is crucial for national development. Corruption has unarguably impeded Nigeria’s development and advancement. The immunity clause in the constitution of Nigeria 1999 has become an impediment and great obstacle in the war against corruption in our nation.

It is imperative that Nigeria urgently expunge, remove and repeal the immunity clause in the constitution of Nigeria, which has been turned into an impunity weapon by too many public office holders in the various levels of government in Nigeria.

It has become clearer by the day, that immunity clause need to be jettisoned immediately to enable Nigeria fight corruption at home and abroad. Too many office holders in Nigeria are now using the immunity clause as a sort of shield and bullet proof for their criminal behaviors and all manners of gross misconduct, while the hold on tenaciously to public office that was entrusted to them by the Nigerian electorate, whether these office holders are in such position de facto or de jure is almost irrelevant, they are there now!

In “A Delicate Balancing Act, Arguing Both Sides of Immunity” I argued that common good or public good of the majority of our citizens, requires freedom of action on the part of public office holders, and a protection against fear of and from prosecutions for actions taken for the benefit of the generality of the citizenry, such freedom of action should not have an impinging cloud, or danger of deterring public spirited actions by Nigerian public office holders, as I argued that immunity has immense value and benefits, if and when it is not abused; But now? Now, I have painfully, and agonizingly come to the conclusion that the immunity clause have become abused, cursed, misused and bastardized so much, the only way out, is to excise the immunity clause from the constitution of Nigeria 1999, just so, we can tackle the culture of immunity which has become so blatant in the brazen criminal misconduct of some Nigerian public office holders

Only last week, I read an article by one of Nigeria’s able and fair commentator, Mallam By Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo titled OUTSOURCING THE JOB OF THE NIGERIA POLICE? http://www.amanaonline.com/art_1302.razbell.htm And in it, he wondered why Nigeria has resorted to having the London Metropolitan Police or the British Police its parent body do the work that Nigeria law enforcement ought to be doing? He mentioned Nigeria Police, the EFCC and ICPC etc as such law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, who ought to aggressively and most vigorously pursue criminals, whether such criminals are messengers or governors of our states and other public officials from messengers to the president of our federal republic. And he is not alone, many other Nigerians for good or for ill, have expressed similar sentiments or concerns regarding fighting our corrupt office holder at an overseas front.

But it is now as if, some of our public officials, as a matter of abiding indifference to the ceaseless and inexorable hardships, sufferings and abject poverty of the majority of Nigerian citizens, even as they continue to rob our public treasury of our national wealth or resources; Corrupt public officials are insisting adamantly, in behaving as if possessed by the evils and with the devil-may-care attitude.

It must be borne in mind, that there are sufficient explanations and even justifications, for Nigeria’s federal government’s recent actions in seeking help and support outside of the shores of Nigeria to curb the extreme criminalities of some of Nigeria’s thieving officials. First, Nigeria is signatory to a United Nations Anti Corruption Convention and Protocol initiated in year 2000, ratified by Nigeria and almost two hundred countries; This means that Nigeria can practically seek help from any country on earth, in Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate, eradicate and tackle corruption head-on.

Secondly, well meaning Nigerians ought not to really fault the present federal government of Nigeria, for taking every desirably necessary steps to curb corruption, including seeking help, where ever help and support can be found. Particularly in the face of the blatant and brazen of thieving governors and other public officials, who continue pillage and plunder Nigeria despite efforts by our Police, EFCC and ICPC and the courts.

Corruption is a desperately bad and acute cancer in our road to development and national advancement, corruption must be removed from our society and whatever drastic, drastic, but not arbitrary or draconian measures that must used, should be used, so long as such measures comply with due process, the rule of law and common sense etc. Nigeria has diplomatic and trade relations with many countries, and Nigeria must impress it on all countries to help and support our fight against the corruption scourge, we cannot shout loudly about our loathe for corruption and attendant deprivations, and then, at the same time, refuse to demonstrate willingness to quaff the legal and diplomatic measures it takes to accomplish it!

Additionally, Nigerians should and must question why accused public office holders now abandon the time-tested and true defense of self with statements of own innocence, but instead we now see a new mode of defense by our corrupt public officials, which is limited to finger pointing at others, who the accused suspect may be also corrupt.

With impunities, the bulk of our office holders, are shield and proofing themselves with and within the immunity clause of our constitution as they sneer at our laws and institutions, such as the police, the EFCC, the ICPC and the entire legal system and this has resulted in the continued stay in office, of many of our public office holders, despite the clear, cogent, complete and compelling evidence of corruption against such public officials.

For instance, it has been the case, that Governor Dariye is a free man, not in any prison, he has not been impeached, all this, despite the overwhelming evidence of corruption against him, including some of such evidence in pictures and video tapes, and more recently, Governor Alamieyeseigha is also waltzing and wafting with equivocations, as he relies heavily on the much abused and misused immunity clause in our constitution.

Public officials in Nigeria and in fact, most Nigerians are quick to declare their passion for all manners of religions, but when it comes to the war against corruption, some Nigerians seem to be quick to forget their religious claims and protestations of fidelity and claims to holier than thou. These corrupt public officials neglect religious injunctions

How can corrupt Nigerians forget that the holy books require everyone to answer for his or her individual deeds? How can Nigerians who believe in heaven and hell forget that it is their individual good deeds or bad deeds that will land them in heaven or hell respectively, and certainly not the deeds of others, good or bad?

This means therefore that any Nigerian accused and accosted for misconducts or crimes, must state their innocence, defend their personal integrity, good character, and good reputation if they ever had any, to begin with! We cannot give prostitutes maiden virgin statuses by referring to other virgins and maidens in the neighborhood, just as we cannot excuse our prostituting proclivities by pointing to other whores in our area.

We do not become sinners, or excuse our sins, because there are others sinning sinners in our part of town! Each person according to the holy books must account for their sins and not the good or bad deeds of all others.

Now, will corrupt Nigerians answer the question, are you guilty or innocent?

Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer@msn.com
New York, United States

Posted by Administrator at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2005

Idealism, Realism, and Christianity

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji (Seatle, Washington) --- Broadly speaking, there are two types of persons: realistic and idealistic. The realistic person sees himself as he is, sees other people as they are and sees the world as it is, all imperfect, and has no illusions about them and accepts them as they are. He accepts himself, other people and the world as they are, not as he wants them to be. He adapts himself to what is, not what he wants to come into being. Because he adapts to reality he tends to be at ease in the world and is psychologically normal (not healthy, but normal; very few human beings ever attain mental health). On the other end of the human spectrum is the idealistic person.

This person, beginning in childhood, certainly by age six, sees himself as he is, sees other people as they are, sees social institutions as they are and sees the empirical world as it is and does not like them. He rejects what is and uses his thinking and imagination to construct ideal alternatives to them and wants his ideals to replace the imperfect world he sees with his own two eyes. The idealistic person struggles to make his ideals come into being. He works very hard to replace reality with his ideal forms of it. Generally, he gravitates to social philosophies that promise to change people, change social institutions and change the world. In our age, he gravitates to socialism.

The social idealist works to transform what he sees as imperfect man and his social institutions into their perfect alternatives. His desire for alternative reality is what drives him, what gives him motivation to work hard. Generally, in his mid thirties, the idealist gradually realizes that his ideals are not going to replace the real world. No matter what he does, human beings will remain imperfect and screw each other. There always will be the poor and the rich, the weak and the powerful and there will always be injustice in this world.

Those social philosophies that began out trying to transform human beings, such as socialism, tend to end up becoming the most oppressive schemes perpetuated by human beings on one another. Just think of the murderous rages of Soviet and Chinese communists. Wherever communism and similar utopias has been tried, the result is almost always the same: oppression of the masses in the name of a better future, a future that never comes into being.

I was an idealist. I wanted to change myself, change other people, change social institutions and change the world. I was a utopian socialist. By my mid thirties, however, I realized that I was living in the world of illusion. I recognized that human beings are not going to be changed into angels. I became a neoconservative.

As a convert to the philosophy of limited government, I went overboard and did not believe that government should be used to improve people. (See John Locke, Second Treaty on Government; Edmund Burke, Reflections on the French Revolution.) I did not like any kind of social engineering at all. I saw unlimited government that does everything for the people as potentially tyrannical. I wanted each individual to help himself. To the extent that other people should help the individual, I believed that it ought to be done by private persons, not by the government. I believed in volunteerism and philanthropy, provided it is not done by the government. I feared big government more than I feared death. Simply stated, I moved from left wing Democratic Party member to right wing Republican Party member. Milton Freidman, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher became my heroes.

My goal here is not to talk about political ideology but to talk about the psychology of idealists and realists.

The realist is generally born with a relatively healthy body. His body, though not perfectly healthy nevertheless enables him to successfully adapt to his physical and social world without much pain and suffering. Given the cooperation of his body, he accepts his body as it is, accepts other people’s bodies as they are and accepts society and social institutions as they are and, ultimately, accepts the world as it is. He is not at war with his body and world and is not motivated to change them. He lives with the world he sees.

The normal realist is competitive and competes at play, school and work. He tends to make a decent living. In our capitalist world, other people have needs and demand supplies that meet those needs. If one supplies them what they need to survive with, they buy it from one. It is a pragmatic world. You must give other people what they need to survive with for them to give you their money. If you have nothing to sell to people they have nothing to buy from you. Thus, you end up poor, suffer and die.

The world is a dog eat dog world, Charles Darwin said and Herbert Spencer said amen. In his Ethics, Spencer argued that we live in a world where the fittest survive and the weakest die. If you have what it takes to survive you survive, if not, you suffer and die. Life on earth is pain and then you die.

The normal person adapts to the exigencies of the tough world we live on and does not cry over spilled milk. He competes and his talents give him what he could get from the world. The best competitors generally wind up getting more than the average. Those who cannot compete generally wind up at the bottom of the social totem pole. Cest la vie, such is life, don’t cry over it; crying will not change anything.

The majority of human beings are realistic. Though one has not done an actual counting, one would say that nine out of ten people, that is, ninety percent of the people, are realistic hence normal human beings. On the other hand, about one out of ten, ten percent of the people are not realistic. These are idealistic persons.

Why are some persons extremely idealistic? I think that it has something to do with their biological make up. Those who are not physically strong, who, for any number of reasons, feel inferior tend to be those who yearn for an ideal world.

I saw myself as very weak and inferior. I was almost always in pain. I inherited two medical disorders, Spondilolysis and Mitral Valve Prolapse. The cumulative effect of these biological disorders is that my body felt pained. The slightest exercise made my heart feel like it was about to fall out of its thoracic cavity. Generally, I avoided physical exercises and much of social activities. I lived in my own world.

I felt inferior and used my imagination to visualize myself superior at the games other children played that I could not participate in. In elementary school, I vividly remember watching Cassius Clay defeat Sony Listen to become the heavy weight champion of the world. Thereafter, I used to daydream that I were like him, even better than him. I imagined myself wining Olympic gold medals in various sports that I did not even participate in. I have been a dreamer all my life, always wishing for things to be better than they are.

In North America, I was thrown into the mix of the peculiar institution, racism and wished for ways to make that society less racist. I dreamed of how to transform the United Nations, give it strong teeth so that it would bring about a different and better world.

Nothing real was satisfactory to me. Only the imaginary ideal beckoned me. In my mid thirties, though essentially an agnostic, I decided to explore spirituality. I gravitated from Hinduism to Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, Sufism, Islam, Christian mysticism, and finally African religions. I studied emergent African religious syncretism, such as Aladura in Nigeria. These contemporary religions exist in most parts of black Africa albeit with different names. These religions are variations of Black American Pentecostal Christianity. In it, folks do away with any pretense of reason and immerse themselves in emotionalism; they hope that yelling to their idea of God would give them whatever they asked for. Of course, their God, which is merely their idea of what God is, and not what God in fact is, does not deliver to them what they asked for. Despite their prayers Africans live in poverty.

The real world was not good enough for me and I was yearning for an ideal world. Why so? I think that because my body pained me, I hated and rejected it, and used my imagination to visualize an ideal body, which I wanted to replace it with. In time, I generalized and used my thinking and imagination to seek an ideal self, and, ultimately, to wish that people and the world were different from the way they are.

If I see a person, I immediately appraised his personality. The chances are (9:1) that he is a normal person and is probably average in intelligence (IQ from 85-115). Such persons do not interest me. The average person seems dull; he is, more or less, like an unconscious cow grazing grass in a pasture, satisfied with life. What excited me is gifted humanity.

I once taught Sunday school at a Unity Church, and came into contact with a ten year old boy who knew more physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics than many PhDs in those fields. This boy would lecture me on what Einstein actually wrote in his Special and General Relativity Theory. He explained quantum mechanics and did the most complicated mathematics? (He went to Harvard University.)

In the meantime, I go about wishing that every body was like my gifted prodigy. Alas, I know that most people are simply average, some above average (IQ120-130) and that only a handful of people are gifted (IQ over 132). If only wishes were horses beggars would ride them.

I wish for human beings to be ideal in every form: in their physical forms, in their social behaviors and in their intellectual productions. As it were, I was wishing for Plato’s archetypes of man and being. (See Plato’s Republic and Phoebe.)

Idealists are perpetually disappointed and frustrated because they are never satisfied by reality. One the other hand, realists who accept reality as it is, satisfactorily live with it. In fact, some realists do not even seem to see imperfections in the world. They simply see the world as good and even give thanks to their God for the world that sickens some of us idealists.

A fellow told me that he gives thanks to God for creating him and blessing him with living in this world. I asked him: what world are you grateful for? He said this world. I proceeded to tell him about the evils of this world: the fact that natural forces like earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, virus, bacteria, germs, plagues etc are at this very moment destroying innocent people and asked why a God that created such a world should be praised? To me, such a God seemed like a monster to be damned.

(I was, of course, pulling the fellow’s leg. As Arthur Schopenhauer reminds us, the world and God may be our ideas. Whatever we think that God is, or is not, is our conception. If God is good or bad, that is our conception. Thus, when Nietzsche said that God is dead, what he was really saying is that God, as invented by his Christian Europe, is dead. It is not the real God that is dead. For one thing, we have not established that God exists or not. If you are interested in such philosophical discourse, see the writings of Descartes, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Berkeley, Hume, Pascal, Voltaire, Rousseau and others.)

The chap insisted on telling me how beautiful life is. I asked how? He talked about his loving wife. The chap did not seem to realize that the things of flesh that normal folks consider interesting are often nauseating to idealists. He probably finds sex pleasurable whereas the idealist finds it animalistic, ridiculous and repulsive. Idealists reject the physical world and use their imaginations to invent an alternative to it, one that is not physical, and want to live in it. Alas, the mental cannot replace the physical world we live in.

God is a social construct. This does not mean that God does not exist; it means that whatever we say about him is our idea of him, and since information available to us is limited, our idea of God may not be correct.

My idea of God is that he is the whole and that we are his parts. I conceptualize God as a joined, non-physical being.

Man, I think, separated from God (which is non-material, aka spirit) and identified with a false self, the ego.

Our real self is unified spirit. We are still in unified spirit but seem to sleep and dream that we are separated from it. In our dream, this world, we see ourselves as separated selves living in bodies. We see boundaries between us and other people. We live in the world of space, time and matter.

To adapt to the world of space, time and matter, each of us constructs a separated, self concept/personality for himself. The separated self is the ego self. (In reality, ego is Latin for self, the I.)

On earth, each of us has an ego, an I, a separated self. That is what it means to be a human being.

Our real self, on the other hand, is not separated from God (the whole). The real self is not in form (body) and is not in space and time. The real self is timeless, immortal and changeless.

Nobody on earth is conscious of his real self. If one were conscious of the unified spirit self one would not be on earth.

It takes identification with the separated ego to be in an ego place, our world. If you are on earth you are an ego. The ego is a false self, a dream self, a dream figure used to seem to exist in a dream world.

While on earth, one has the option of forming a realistic ego or an idealistic ego. Both realistic and idealistic egos are false selves; both are dream selves, Maya, illusion. However, the realistic ego is an ego that shares the paradigm of reality provided by the individual’s culture. The normal person shares his people’s illusions. (The term normal is derived from norm, common practice; it means that the normal person lives as most people in his world live and that he embraces the rules of his society.)

The realistic person, who is the normal person, has a shared world view. He has a shared ego. He shares the dreams of his people; he participates in his people’s shared world view.

When a dream is shared by many persons, it seems real and permanent. The day dreams of this world, our world, seem to last billions of years hence seem permanent. It seems permanent because all of us share it. The world is our collective dream; it is our mutual participation in the world’s dream that make it seem permanent and real to us.

When a dream is not shared with other people its transitory nature becomes apparent. When the individual goes to sleep at night and dreams, his dream is not shared with other people. It is a solo dream. Because it is not shared, it is impermanent and ephemeral.

An unshared dream does not seem real and is quickly forgotten by the dreamer. When one wakes up in the morning, one recognizes that the dream world one had seen during ones sleep, a world that had seemed real, was not real and one lets it go.

We do not let go our day life, which is equally a dream, because all of us share it and that makes it seem permanent and real.

Those who recognize the illusoriness of the day world, and let it go, reawaken to their true self, the unified spirit self.

Idealism is the individual’s wishes for an ideal world. It is his dreams of how the world ought to be. It is an individual dream, and like the dream at night, is an unshared dream. Because idealism is an unshared dream, it is transitory and ephemeral. More importantly, it is not going to come into being, for a dream must be shared by many people for it to seem real.

If you have a goal, dream, and can get many people to be enthusiastic in realizing it, you can work together with them and realize it. But if your goal is not shared by other people, you are not going to realize it. An unshared goal is never realized.

In effect, idealism, or unshared dream, is a fantasy, an illusion, a fiction and is never going to be realized.

When a dream is shared it becomes realistic and is probably going to be realized in the context of society. Nevertheless, the shared dream, realism, is still a dream, not reality. It is only because it is shared that it seems real.

The realistic ego and its shared goals, our world, seem real but in the end is an illusion.

Neurotics and psychotics have idealistic, unshared dreams, fantasies of how they want the world to become.

Normal persons have shared dreams, hence are realistic and their dreams will come into being.

Normal persons have normal egos. Their normal egos share normal reality. They engage in society and politics and dance their ego dances. Politics is the abode of normal egos operating within the paradigm of reality the group accepts as real. Reality is a social construct. Several persons in a group mutually agree that something is real and it seems real to them. It is their consensus that that thing is real that makes it seem real to them. But what they agree is real is not necessarily real. Americans, for example, agree that it is proper to discriminate against black persons, and do so. They design their laws to marginalize black persons. That is their reality. But their truth is untruth to black persons.

The idealistic person, the neurotic, somehow does not want to engage in his group’s constructed reality. He deconstructs his group’s constructions of reality and constructs an alternative reality for himself. His constructions are not shared by other people. Nobody dreams his dream with him hence he is alone in his imaginary world. He, therefore, is tempted to return to his group’s socially constructed reality.

Thus, those of us who embraced socialism gave it up and returned to the self centered but socially accepted reality that we should not care for other persons. In doing so, we seem normal. But in becoming normal, we merely become like cows and quietly graze grass in the awful pasture that is called planet earth. The death of our youthful idealism makes something in us die.

(There must be an alternative to heartless neo-conservatism; if it is not changed, America is finished; give or take, a few decades and the spirit of America is dead and America becomes a dead empire and joins the rest of normal humanity: cows grazing grass while the people suffer. This alternative is Christ centered, social service oriented living. This is not socialism, but capitalism with a compassionate face. We are really our brothers’ keepers.)

PSYCHOLOGY VERSUS POLITICS

Psychology studies the individual’s ego and observes how it dances with other egos. Where the individual’s ego is weak, hopefully, psychotherapy (applied psychology) strengthens and enables it to dance well with other egos. But once the individual enters the arena of politics, he is now in the egos world. He is dancing with other people, within the context of shared reality. He is not going to change other egos. His idealism, his unshared dreams, is not going to change other people’s dreams.

In politics, one juxtaposes ones ego, dream, with other egos, dreams, and competes with all people. Generally, the most powerful egos get more rewards than weaker egos. (See Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan and Machiavelli, The Prince.)

Politics is the arena of power struggles; struggles to determine which egos get more than other egos. We live in a world of scarce resources: some get more and others less. (See Harold Laswell.)

Politics is of the ego and by the ego and cannot be any thing different from ego dances. If you cannot take ego dances, then get out of politics and go become a hermit, live in a cave and contemplate your navel.

B If you transcended your ego, you would escape from the world of separation and return to the world of union. There is no politics in the world of union, heaven, for there is only one person in it, God. God is simultaneously himself and his infinite children. In heaven only God’s will prevail, for there are no separated persons to disagree with his will. In heaven, there are no disagreements and conflicts requiring politics to resolve them. Politics exist where there are differences and inequality hence conflicts requiring politics to resolve them. On earth where people seem different and have different interests there will be politics to resolve their inevitable conflicts. There is no politics in heaven. (So do satisfy your desire for politics while you are on earth, the arena of separation, differences and inequality. When you reawaken to heaven, the arena of sameness, equality and mutual interests, you would obey the will of God, which is your will, for you and God are one self. There is no ego in heaven hence no conflicts to be resolved by political activities.)

From the perspective of real politics, idealism is childishness. The idealistic person is like a child who dreams of how the world ought to be and wants to impose his infantile dreams on normal persons. He is not going to succeed.

However, every once in a while, a realistic idealist comes along and accepts the use of force and uses it in an unsentimental manner to impose his wishes on society. He usually lasts for a while before he is thrown out by more normal egos. Adolf Hitler, an idealistic neurotic, was exposed to war during the First World War. He saw death and dying and understood that the human body is no better than the bodies of animals and trees. Man is just a variety of biological life. Put a bullet into a fellow’s head and his proud ego and body rots and smells just like dead animals do. Human beings are shit waiting to happen.

Because of his exposure to the human reality of nothingness, Hitler no longer hesitated in killing people to get his wishes met. Thus, he used guile and force to rise to political power. People’s death meant nothing to him. This is the ultimate in political realism. Hitler used force to impose his ideology on the people. He lasted twelve years before normal egos banded together and used his own means, force, to destroy him. With his demise, they returned to living in normal ego realism, shared power, not power given to a single egotist.

Soviet communism lasted seventy years before normal egos knocked it out. Americans, the quintessential “normalist” egos, worked with the other “normal nations” to destroy Soviet socialist idealists.

(America is currently indulging in infantile idealism, the idea that she is superior to other nations. These other people tolerate her fantasy for a while but will sooner or later band together to destroy narcissistic America. China is probably going to become the next economic, political and military superpower. It seems like the game is over for Europe and North America. It seems Asia’s time to shine. Africa sleeps, of course.)

ALTERNATIVE TO REALISM AND IDEALISM: CHRIST LIVING

Normal realism and neurotic idealism are both dreams and will not last. What will last is egoless realism. Here, people recognize that they are not their egos and that they are not normal, neurotic or psychotic egos. They are the children of God. They are Christ. They are unified; they are the same and equal.

In Christ living, people love and forgive one another their wrongs. They work towards a world of sameness, equality and shared wealth. This is not socialism but Christ realism. People are still different, have different talents and are rewarded according to their abilities but use their abilities to voluntarily serve other people. Go ahead and make billions of dollars, but use that money to improve the human condition. However, it must be emphasized that Christian living does not mean that our world is going to be heaven, approximate heaven, yes, be heaven, no.

Heaven is unified spirit. In Heaven there is only one will, the will of God, which God and his Son, us, share. God’s will is the will of his son, for his son is him, literally. God’s son is an extension of him and the extender and the extended are the same. There is no you and I, no subject and object, no seer and seen, all are literally one self and one mind. The earth cannot be heaven.

On earth, we live in the world of separation, space time and matter. We must, ip so facto, be different from one another. There is inherent inequality on earth. Some are tall and others short, some intelligent others morons. That is the nature of the world. The world is the opposite of heaven.

Here on earth we have to have politics. We have to build roads and must award contracts to some persons to construct the roads. In deciding who gets the contracts to build the road there is potential for corruption. Therefore, we must have laws to punish criminals. The point is that politics is inevitable in our world.

Any one who wants to avoid politics, the art and science of deciding that gets what, when and why (Harold Laswell) is not living on planet earth. He has negated the world and escaped into a never-never land.

I am not interested in a negating and escapist metaphysics. I am seeking ways to adapt to this world as realistically as is possible, not to negate it. I am an ego, as every human being is, and am fully in the world of ego politics. I say bring it on, politics and economics, that is.

CONCLUSION

Psychology studies the human mind. Its proper name is the science of mind. However, since mind is the name for the act of thinking, Psychology is best called the science of thinking.

Psychologists are preoccupied with understanding how people think and behave. In that sense, they believe that thinking, mind, is crucial in what people do. If this line of thinking is taken to its logical conclusion, psychology degenerates into Psychological idealism. Here, one thinks that only thinking determines the individual’s life.

Psychological idealism resembles spiritual idealism. Spiritual idealism reduces human beings to their spiritual thinking and believes that spirit produces matter, space and time. In fact, some spiritual idealists believe that matter does not exist. The extreme of this religious idealism is represented by Helen Schucman’s A Course in miracles. To her, thinking, which she deified and called mind, determines reality. Every thing is an idea in our minds. The external world we see is a picture projected out by our minds. We think in images and project those images out and see them as our day world, pretty much as we seem to do at night when we sleep and dream. The world is in our thinking/mind. This is solipsism.

Schucman denies empiricism. Her students deny the external world and concentrate on trying to improve their thinking, hoping that their improved thinking would bring about a change in their life’s circumstances. Many of these folks, in fact, ignore politics and economics; some go as far as to not even read the daily newspapers and or watch the news on television. As it were, they tuned out the external world and concentrate on the internal world.

Alas, a hurricane occurs at the Golf Coast of America and wipes out New Orleans. Obviously no one should ignore the external world. As long as we are on earth, the human body is real. If you eat a certain type of food, say drink coffee, the acid in it would corrode your gums and you lose your teeth. Your thinking alone cannot prevent this biological reality. The nature and state of the car one is driving affects how fast one can drive it.

The individual’s body affects his thinking, mind. Denying the temporary reality of matter, space and time is psychotic idealism.

I end by transmuting the famous view by AA groups, that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results, to our present area of interest, idealism. If the individual continues on being idealistic: dreaming, wishing and working for unrealistic and impossible goals, he will continue to receive poor results; in fact, he will get nowhere in this world. Poverty is the lot of sentimental idealists.

The idealist posits idealistic goals, places them outside him and pursues them. He is always working to becoming something that he is not, ideal, to attaining ideal pictures that are outside him. Such persons cannot win the goals they set for themselves for those goals are outside them and are impossible of attainment. Only inside goals are attainable.

The only inside goal there is is that one must accept is ones real self, the unified spirit that we are all parts of.

One needs do nothing to be ones real self. One only does something to be who one is not, ideal. One resolves to be ones real self and one is it for it is always who one is, whether acknowledged or not. The real self is not in form and is unified. This is called the philosophy of being. Most Oriental religions teach it.

To obtain positive results, ones goals must be realistic, that is, they must be shared by other persons in ones group. However, whereas social realism is better than idealism, it is not the best that human beings can be. Human beings are at their best when they embrace their true self, the unified spirit self, the Christ self. In that mode, they work for the common good of all mankind; they practice love and forgiveness. These people, though still a handful in the extant world, receive the best results from life, for they are in alignment with the forces of truth in the universe.

WHO IS THIS ESSAY FOR?

Many persons out there do not have interest in psychological and metaphysical matters. Normal folks are like cow and just want to peacefully graze grass unbothered by the macabre world they live in. Ours is a world where animals, man included, must kill other animals to survive. One supposes that there are a few persons out there who find such a world repulsive enough to be interested in real serious thinking? If so, one hopes that they find my essays helpful. But in the end, I write for me.

When I was a child, people around me called me Agu, tiger. That moniker symbolized their perception of my stubbornness and willfulness. I insisted on the truth and only the truth. No social pressure ever made me give my ground. I am still a tiger fighting for the truth. But I have learned that Odumodu (lion) kills tigers.

There is a force that knows more than our ego mentation understands. That force is nameless though it may be named God. All of us must surrender our ego wishes to God’s will.

God wills that our nature is eternally unified, holy, same and equal. God requires us to love and forgive one another. If we obey God’s will: accept our oneness, love and forgive one another and work for common interests, we experience peace, happiness and material abundance.

Those who obey the will of God, a higher power than their paltry ego power, are peaceful and smile all the time. They have accepted and live in reality. They have crucified their egos, given up their false selves and voluntarily permitted their real selves, Christ, to resurrect in them. They now live as their creator created them, unified self, not as they had made of themselves, separated ego selves.

Bartholomew (Nwa Adeem), I now understand why you were always smiling while I was tensely and humorlessly preoccupied with asking why questions. You knew the truth and laughed at those of us who took fantasy as truth. You knew that to pursue egoism is to pursue chimera and live in futility. You knew that those who accepted the will of God, love, as their will, and live it are blessed and know joy and peace, the gifts of God. Sleep tight in God, my cousin and friend.

With this material I end my self chosen task of giving folks psychological insights into themselves. I return to political and economic analysis of issues relating to Africa. I live in the real world; in that world, politics and economics are necessary for adaptation to it. Psychology merely improves people’s egos, their self structures, self concepts and personalities. With improved egos/personalities they then, hopefully, participate more effectively and productively in politics. I am not an escapist and do not encourage any one to escape from our imperfect world into contemplating their egos forever and ever. Psychological idealism is a disease. I teach Management of the real world. From time to time, I will share knowledge of leadership and management with my African brothers.

Cheers,

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

600-1 Avenue, Suite 325

Seattle, WA 98104

(206) 464-9004

Ozodi@africainstituteseattle.org

Posted by Administrator at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2005

Obasanjo and Atiku War: Fasawe Arrest - Too Close to Call!

by Jonathan Elendu and Sowore Omoyele --- The feud between Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Abubakar Atiku is in its final stages. The Titans have marshaled their arsenals in waiting. The first casualty of this phase is Otunba Johnson Oyewole Fasawe, a personal friend of Pres. Obasanjo, up until about four months ago.

Elendureports.com spoke to very reliable sources at the Presidency. Our sources confirmed that the recent arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of Otunba Fasawe is a preemptive strike by the President. Vice President Atiku’s camp had counted on using Otunba Fasawe as an ace in their fight against the President. Sources revealed to Elendureports.com that the Vice President and his people were planning to use Otunba’s business dealings, especially during the privatization process, to embarrass the President. To achieve this, documents have been compiled. These documents would reveal that Otunba Fasawe, who is generally regarded as the President’s front man, was heavily involved in corrupt practices which characterized the privatization process, allocation of oil blocks, and other deals.

Security reports and other sources provided the President with Atiku’s game plan. Knowing that Otunba Fasawe was Atiku’s ace, the President, in a manner reminiscent of a military operation, went on a counter offensive. According to our sources, by this preemptive move, the President is turning a deficit into gains. Otunba Johnson Fasawe and Pres. Obasanjo were so close that sometimes he played the role of the President’s personal treasurer.

Elendureports.com was informed that the Otunba sat closest to the President in the Presidential limousine every time they went out. It was he, who took care of expenses arising from some of the President’s personal past time. People who work at Aso Rock or who are very close to the Presidency were aware of the Otunba’s closeness to the President. Otunba Fasawe operated from the fifty-room Aguda house for months. This high-brow government guest house was the Otunba’s residence, as well as his office in Abuja.

In a previous story, Elendureports.com had exclusively reported a meeting between Pres. Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku. It was at this meeting which took place about four months ago that the President confronted Vice President Atiku with what the President thought was overwhelming evidence of corruption on the part of the Vice President. The President was hoping that Atiku would offer to exit honorably. Instead the Vice President made it clear to the President that he would not resign but would rather fight. It was at this juncture that the Vice President clued the President into his strategy. He told the President he was also complicit in the corrupt practices of the Presidency. Flabbergasted, the President asked for explanations. That was when Otunba Fasawe came into the picture. The Otunba, instead of falling on his sword, gave the President up and admitted that he had been collecting bribes on behalf of Obasanjo. The President was so infuriated that he ordered his pal, the Otunba, out of his sight and subsequently banished him from the Presidency.

Our sources confirm that the President was not only angry at Otunba Fasawe for engaging in corrupt practices, but was also upset that the Otunba did not make complete ‘returns’ on all the largesse that he collected on behalf of the President. Apparently, the Otunba had kept a large part of the ‘returns’ for himself. This betrayal was too much for the President to handle.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, according to our sources, is still hoping that Vice President Atiku will tow the path of honor and resign. However, the President is not holding his breath while waiting. The call on Atiku to resign by presidential candidate and retired army general, Buba Marwa, is part of the President’s game plan of forcing Atiku’s hand. Elendureports.com confirmed that Marwa was recruited by the Obasanjo camp to pressure the Vice president who is from his home state of Adamawa.

Vice President Atiku, on the other hand, is fully prepared for war. In the past few days he has made utterances that have been interpreted by analysts as a signal to Obasanjo to ‘bring it on.’ In a speech last week, the Vice President said Nigeria lacked good leadership. This was a direct attack on the President. Later in the week, the Vice President told a radio station that he had personal problems with the President.

How are Nigerians reacting to this fight of the Titans? Danjuma Onuaguluchi, a businessman who operates from Lagos, told Elendureports.com, “The country is in a big mess. An American report told us Nigeria may break up in fifteen years. From what I see now, Nigeria may not last fifteen years. How can the President and the Vice President be having an ongoing confrontation on the pages of newspapers? If they can do this in public, only God knows what goes on behind closed doors. We may not have fifteen years as a country!”

We asked some of our sources at the Presidency where they believe this feud might be headed. One replied, “The President will move heavily against Atiku. It is only a matter of time. The Vice President knows it.” Another source informed Elendureports.com that the Vice President has vowed to expose all of Obasanjo’s corrupt practices if the President moves against him. Is Nigeria at the edge of a very precarious bank, yet? You bet!

Email: jonathan@elendureports.com

Posted by Administrator at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2005

Governor Igbinedion of Edo State Should Shut Up!

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, United States) --- He Talked About Dignity? What Dignity? He Should Be Ashamed! Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State frequently visits the Americas and Europe and it has been speculated that his visits, usually, coincides with the schedule and time-table of federal allocations of revenue to Edo State; Edo state it must be said, is one of the oil producing states in Nigeria that has jointly, with other such states clamored for increases in the revenues allocated to oil producing states based on the principle of derivation.

This, even though the governors of the oil producing states, have not actually put the monies received so far from the federal government of Nigeria, based on the derivation principle, have not been accounted for, it is clear that these governors have not utilized these monies for the benefits of citizens of these oil producing states! But those gyrating in their prodigal son-like demands for 100% control of oil revenue, would not bother to demand accountability, on the part of the thieving governors of these oil producing states!

Recently, Govenor Igbinedion sent Commissioner Kingsley Osadolor, the man in charge of information and orientation in Edo state, he was sent on an impossible mission and task, to convince Edo sons and Daughters in the Americas, United States and Canada, to be specific, that the Edo state government is doing its best, even though we are all aware of Edo state governor’s has performed woefully, with stunning ineptitude and stunning incompetence and astounding spectacular failures in Edo state!

Governor Igbinedion tried, through the speech by Commissioner Osadolor, to blame armed robbery and high rate of crime on citizens of other states, or on the fact that the police is not controlled by Edo state! Instead of focusing on the corruption and deprivation that he has presided over or supervised in the state since 1999! He orchestrated feeble defenses of his failures after feeble defense! He blamed bad roads and traffic jams on the federal government and blamed prostitution and child-trafficking on rumors and gossip… he would not take blame for anything! Not his failure to create jobs or not coordinate crime fighting? After all, Edo state is a PDP state and one would assume that Mr. Igbinedion has unfettered access to the PDP hierarchy and access to the presidency?

Governor Igbinedion blames everybody, every circumstances on others, but himself, his incompetence, his high rate of ineptitude and complete disconnect from the people of Edo state. And with a bold face, he talks about the dignity of Edo people!

How do you give people dignity, in the face of high rate of armed robberies? How do you talk of giving dignity when the people are hobbled by all manners of indignities, unemployment, high rate of crime, decayed and abandoned public infrastructures, impassable and un-motorable roads, particularly in Benin City, house-to-house-ransacking by chieftains of brigandage? In recent times, His Royal Majesty, Omo N?Oba N Edo Uku Akpolokpolo has had to make passionate appeal in Edo state, to decry high rate of crimes and criminality, that has overwhelmed Edo state while Governor Igbinedion sleeps atthe wheels!

How can Governor talk about dignity of Edo man, when Edo men, out of unending hardships, sufferings, economically induced desperations which has led married men to herd their daughters and their wives to prostitution in Italy, France and other parts of Europe? How can this young but failed governor, expatriate ex-America and all, who has acted as if he is bereft of all and any ideas of governance, lecture the rest of about dignity? What dignity for Edo man are you talking about Mr. Governor?

Mr. Lucky Igbinedion lectured Nigerians of Edo state origin in the United States, about what he described as the “Dignity of Edo man” upon broaching the title of his lecture, I was completely aghast at the clear irony of the governor’s chosen lecture topic!

Here is a man, who is singularly responsible for depriving the Edo citizens of dignity more than anyone alive or dead, and he, without any qualms, actually was there, live and in person, lecturing anyone, anyone! about dignity for Edo citizens!
Under governor Igbinedion’s watch, Edo state has deteriorated incredibly! And you do not even have to be an Edo state citizen to be aware of the fact that Edo state used to be a model state among other Nigerian states of our federating states.

Edo in my lifetime was ahead in remarkable ways, severally, in Education, Sports, Culture and pretty much, everything else and most of these transpired during the administration of Dr. Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, a former colonel in the Nigerian Army, he has less formal education compared with Mr. Igbinedion, and he performed wonderfully and creditably well. Other states used to be envious of Edo state achievements!

Mr. Igbinedion on the other hand, received his education in Nigeria and in the United States, he is young, well traveled has out of Nigeria exposure and one Omosun Fadal wrote not long ago, how the young Igbinedion had expressed passion for public service while he lived and studied in the United States and how Igbinedion’s current shambles in Edo state is inconsistent with the promises he made and the vow to lead Edo state to greater heights.

I have it on good authority that he ran an excellent administration as the Chairman of Oredo Local Government Area, a part of Edo state where I resided many years ago, and as result of promises he further made to run the entire state in the good way he administered Oredo Local Government, the capital city of Edo state and the seat of the state government, the reasonable expectation was that he would replicate his performance as a good local government chairman and leader, statewide as governor. He therefore ran on his record of achievements for Oredo Local Government and he therefore ran a believable campaign in 1999 and won!

But Edo state according to my sources, have never had it soooo baaad! Edo state has become the poster boy for all that is violent crime, in prostitution and immoralities and brazen political thugs undertaking assassinations to achieve personal political ambitions.

When many years ago, I lived in Benin City, the capital of Edo state, it was the case that prostitution was illegal, a taboo and an abomination as well, even among single women, but these days, economic depression and desperation that are attendant, has driven ordinarily decent Edo women to be the best prostitutes money can buy in Italy, France and other parts of Europe! This started occurring before Mr. Igbinedion became governor of Edo state of course, but, you would have thought that he has had a chance to read his wife’s published writings in which she stated her abhorrence for prostitution and child-trafficking.

And how come, nobody has bothered to inform Mr. Igbinedion that creation of employment and economic prosperity, would be a huge factor in any serious efforts geared toward the elimination of prostitution and child-trafficking? How come no one has explained to this young governor, that the best way to curb crime is to keep people busy, employed with hope, expectations and decent life outlook?

Edo state is being pillaged at the highest levels! We hear of properties and investments in California by high ranking Edo state officials, investments in England and South Africa, all through proxies of Edo state government officials, and here we have, a representative of the same Edo state coming to address intelligent Edo state citizens in a speech full and replete with platitudes about dignity, when the same governor who directed Commissioner Osadolor to lecture intelligent Edo citizens about dignity, is the person that is singularly irresponsible and to blame for the high magnitude of indignities that Edo citizens have suffered during preceding six years? What a slap in the face of Edo citizens? What audacity? What an offensive irony?

In the face of governor Igbinedion’s most ignominious governance, he aspire to be anything, other than a dog-catcher, come 2007? Or dictate who becomes the governor of Edo state when he leaves? Why has good and decent people of Edo state, a formerly progressive state, a model state of proud people, a people of high education and high culture, sports excellence and all that is superb in Nigeria, why has Edo state been allowed to bleed and be bled by nitwits, grossly incompetent persons, who are putridly corrupt?

Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer@msn.com
New York, United States

Posted by Administrator at 06:47 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Infrastructure and Development in the eastern states of Nigeria (Biafra)

by Nnamdi Obodoechi (Greece) --- There is no gainsaying that since the end of the Nigeria-Biafra War, the Eastern part of Nigeria (Biafra) could be defined as the states with no single functioning infrastructure that the indigenes or the citizens past and present or the state governments up to Local Government could beast their chest about. The citizens of eastern Nigeria (Biafrans) cannot say to the(ir “fellow”) Nigerians that “we Biafrans have good roads too, we good drinking water, we have borehole in some Local governments in the states or good electricity supply, or anything financed by any level of government that benefits Biafrans.” Even in the eastern states capitals, there is no Police command, that is to say there is no security of life and property in the East.

The Federal Police of Nigeria has abandoned its duty to provide police protection to Nd’Igbo in their lives and their property. The five exclusively Igbo states are controlled from Zone 5, Benin City, Edo State, and the rest of the Land of the Rising Sun is controlled from Calabar. Should the IBOS continue with insecurity of life and property so that they they may appear to be good Nigerians? No! Let us have our separate development in order to gain our sovereignty because the intellectuals have nothing to do with dunces. No airport or no aerodrome, no stadium, the ones we have were buit by individual efforts. Even the project of a second Niger bridge / wharf awarded during Shagari regime has not been done. Forget medical services; they are nonexistent.

The unfortunate thing is that in some cases, contracts for building some of these infrastructures were awarded to some cronies of those in power, “big men or powerful contractors,” but the contracts were not performed. The people awarding the contracts and those to whom the contracts were awarded believe in embezzlement of public funds, and in stashing revenue allocations in countless foreign bank accounts. The contracts are awarded without an iota of care by those awarding the contract to monitor or ensure performance. The contractors squander half of the money, and the rest returned as kickback to those who awarded the contract in the first place.

These unwarranted influential contractors are not only in some eastern states; they are all over the Biafran territory. It pains me more for Anambra, for I am and I will always be an indigene of that State. As an Anambra indigene, I have witnessed the chameleon system of Nigerian Government. …Since they say charity begins at home, I should also begin my criticism with Anambra.

On roads, it will be in the best interest of all other road users including myself that the federal Government of Nigeria see to what is really happening on Onitsha - Owerri Road and Benin Agbor Road. Those roads that lead to Onitsha must have been awarded to one contractor or the other, possibly about a couple of times, possibly ten times or even more. Yet, nothing has been done to date. Some prominent Nigerians bribed are said to have bribed the government to stop the Onitsha Oba airport project, which remains dead till today.

To some Nigerians, all these unfortunate situations in the eastern part (Biafra) may be a joke. But, if those skeptical Nigerians would kindly take a trip to the eastern states they will quickly start to wonder of those states and roads belong to the same country where oil money has been used to develop states and build well maintained boulevards in the West and the North.

The Federal Government of Nigeria continues to underestimate Biafrans, continues to impede their progress. But, the Biafran and Igbo spirit remains high.

The word “IGBO” means intellectuals of good binding order (Igbo). Biafrans are running the race that must end in the promised land of Biafra. The coming out from bondage will enable the Igbos and their brothers to achieve their master plans in Agriculture, manufacturing, technology, all aspects of human and societal development. We did before in Biafra. We will do it again.

By Nnamdi Obodoechi writes from Greece.

Posted by Administrator at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

Bayelsa Governor's son cries out, "It is my father now; it will be Ibori next"

by Jonathan Elendu and Sowore Omoyele --- “It is my father now. Next it will be Gov. Ibori,” Tonbra Alamieyeseigha told Elendureports.com in a telephone interview last week. Tonbra, who graduated from Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington, told Elendureports.com that he was getting ready for graduate school.

We reminded him that he just received a two-year associate degree in Arts and Sciences on July 17, 2005. The young man waved it off. Tonbra's desire for a graduate degree as soon as possible may not be unconnected with his ambition to contest the election for the House of Representatives in 2007.

It is worthy of note that this college is in the same state where his father, the governor, earned a doctorate degree within two years. The said two year doctorate degree was awarded by the University for Northern Washington. The college touts itself as a business college. The University for Northern Washington is only accredited in Hawaii, but operates in Washington. The college was recently sued by the Hawaii Consumer Protection Agency for engaging in certain acts or practices that violated Hawaii’s consumer protection laws in a civil suit number 00-1-003366 GWBC in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit in the state of Hawaii. The University was ordered to stop making false representations. The court also awarded damages to members of the public who may have been misled by the University's fraudulent claims.

Dr. Kombo Mason Braide, in an article entitled, “Customized Degrees For Advanced Dropouts,” had this to say about Alamieyeseigha's doctorate degree: "His student identification number was UNN-UK 2108PD130. His Excellency obtained the bogus doctorate degree in Strategic Management on Friday, 15 February 2002, barely six (6) months after his admission! According to the bogus certificate, which was signed by the bogus "Registrar" and bogus "President" of the bogus university, the Governor made bogus excellent grades in virtually all the bogus courses he took, also while governing one of the most volatile states in the Niger Delta." The report was published on nigerdeltacongress.com.

Tonbra, until recently, lived in a four million dollar ($4,000,000.00) house in Bellingham City, Washington. A Colorado state-based firm, Carver, Inc., currently manages the property. Tonbra lives in Pinebrook, New Jersey.

Another offspring of Diepreye Solomon Peter (DSP), Oyindounbra, is reputed to live in stupendous wealth. While our investigations show she is a resident of California, Tonbra informed Elendureports.com that Oyindounbra has since relocated to Nigeria. There are allegations that Gov. Alamieyeseigha spent about four hundred million (N400,000,000.00) naira to organize a party for her in celebration of her graduation from college.

We also made several calls to Gov. Alamieyeseigha's London home. At one point another of the Governor’s sons, Feliaka, told us he was resting. The house, which is located on Edgeware Road in Southwest London, is valued at about two million pounds. According to Tonbra, Gov. Alamieyesigha bought the house in 2003. A former minister and friend of late Head of State, Gen. Abacha, also has a house on the same road.

Gov. DSP Alamieyeseigha's family, friends and cronies are in battle mode. They believe Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo is unjustly targeting them because Gov. Alamieyeseigha is in Vice President Atiku’s camp, and they point to not only the massive corruption in adjoining Rivers State, but the recent rumored arrest of Governor Donald Duke for a similar offense in one of the Western countries. However, our investigations show that allegations of corruption and profligacy made against Gov. Alamieyeseigha are legendary. He had been linked to corruption long before he was elected to the office of Governor of Bayelsa State. His ascension to the high office of Governor simply exacerbated this alleged trait. Some people have described the man as thinking of himself as a modern day Robin Hood of the Ijaw people.

On June 5, 2001, about two years after DSP was sworn in as governor, a motion was brought before the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to impeach him. This motion of impeachment, which was brought by twelve members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, charged the governor with twenty-eight counts of corruption and money laundering. The allegations included inflation of contracts, illegal transfer of state funds to his private accounts in London, United States, and other countries. He was also accused of acquiring choice properties in Yenagoa, Lagos, Abuja, London, France, and the United States of America. Between 1999 and 2000, the governor was also alleged to have sent his former “Balogun trader” wife to school in London at the expense of the Bayelsa taxpayers.

Although a little over a million pounds were said to have been found in the Governor’s London home, there are indications that the total sum involved in the money laundering allegations may be as much as forty million pounds. While there have been claims that Gov. Alamieyeseigha was a rich man before he was elected to the office of Governor, there are no records to show that he was in the class of Nigerians who could have millions of pounds lying around in a bank account. The source of his wealth has been controversial. Although his wife was a trader at the Balogun Market, he did not have a history of owning or operating a private business.

Barring serious diplomatic intervention by the Obasanjo Administration, the Governor, who cannot leave the United Kingdom until November 15 2005, when he will appear in a UK high court, may be headed to jail. There are also indications that the threat by some Ijaw groups to harm British and European interests in the Niger Delta may impact the attitude of British authorities in this matter. This is blackmail being perpetrated by some of the governor's cronies. As a preemptive move, Nigeria's Security Services recently arrested Niger Delta warlord, Asari Dokubo.

However, protests by armed supporters of Asari Dokubo in Port Harcourt may add to the pressure on the Nigerian and British governments, which are very dependent on oil from the Niger Delta area. Reports from our sources in Port Harcourt indicate that offices and businesses were forced to close early today as armed men took over the streets of Port Harcourt. Shell, a major oil conglomerate in Port Harcourt, is reported to have closed all their facilities in Rivers State. Unconfirmed reports show that the company may be making arrangements to fly out their expatriate staff. Police and members of the Nigerian Armed Forces were not seen on the streets as Asari Dokubo’s supporters, armed with sophisticated weapons and machetes, roamed the streets.

“DSP” was born some 53 years ago in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local government of Bayelsa State. He attended primary and secondary school in the area. ‘Luck’ began to smile on him when he was admitted to the Nigerian Defense Academy as a cadet officer in 1974 from where he joined the Nigerian Air Force.

Sources close to the Governor informed Elendureports.com that it was at the lucrative Supply and Logistics Department of the Nigeria Air Force where “DSP” started his meteoric rise in the world of questionable wealth. Ironically, DSP was awarded his first military medal in the late 1970s by then military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.

Amongst his supporters and loyalists in Ijaw land, DSP is seen as a hero. He is fondly referred to as the “Governor General,” an appellation that stems from his support for the broad agitation for resources control. With allegations of money laundering and corruption involving tens of millions of dollars coming to light, one wonders if "Governor General" will remain the toast of Bayelsans. Those who know DSP will caution, "Don't count him out, yet."

Email: jonathan@elendureports.com

Posted by Administrator at 08:46 PM | Comments (1)

Foreign Accounts is where Revenue Allocation Goes: Ask Governor Alamasiegha of Bayelsa State

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, USA) --- Some Nigerians are sprinting and springing to the defense of theiveing Governor Alamiesegha of Bayelsa state, but why are they doing this? Whatever happened to shame and embarrassment? Why do thieves and criminals, now turn instant celebrities in Nigeria? How come scandals no longer shock some Nigerians? Where is the outrage?

It now looks as if this crooked governor is a hero to some Nigerians? May be he should receive a national honor award?

It would appear clear now, once and for all, that most Nigerians are simply hypocritical about tackling corruption by public officers. Or how else would anyone explain the current rush and stampede to support the crooked governor of Bayelsa state?

Governor Alamiesegha was arrested in London based on specific information of his criminality and the various criminalities that he has been engaged in, since becoming governor of Bayelsa; Nigeria’s EFCC provided a dossier to the British government, the British Police at Scotland Yard and more particularly, the London Metropolitan Police who it was that picked up the disgraced crooked Governor Alamiesegha of Bayelsa state at Heathrow Airport in London, they found Eighty thousand Euro on him, and subsequently found a million pounds sterling in his London home… How did he pay for his home in London we should ask?

Governor Alamiesegha have been receiving very staunch support from too many Nigerians who have sought to make the most twisted and most warped of defense, on the behalf of the thieving governor, even though his misconduct has been known by many for so long!
What Nigerians and the entire world have witnessed since this crooked governor was arrested is simply nothing short of incredulous! Nigerians and the rest of the world received words of threats from a so-called Ijaw Youth Council, who you would think should be expressing its outrage against the governor, a governor who is apparently richer that the whole of Bayelsa state, courtesy of course, of his hard work, which is limited to siphoning revenue allocated to that state as an oil producing state!

The Ijaw Youth Council and others who are supporting and offering solidarity to the criminal suspect governor, reminds me of other cases such as Tafa Balogun and Professor Osuji, who, when they were accused of corruption, received seeming congratulatory messages from townsmen who argued that their arrests were spurred by some sorts of vendetta and vindictive actions on the part of their real and imagined enemies. As we are once again told that this governor is merely a victim of some witch hunt by the powers that be…ostensibly, some powers reside in Abuja and particularly in Aso Rock?

Here again, we are witnessing the same attitudes, as the Ijaw Youth Council have threatened to set Nigeria ablaze and harm foreign workers in our oil industry in Niger Delta, these threats are primarily and particularly directed at British citizens, because the crooked governor of Bayelsa state is facing the consequences of his criminal conduct, through his arrest and possible prosecution in London! It is unthinkable that this outlaw and high profile criminal is being defended by those who should be demanding that he is hanged for his crimes! Those whose resources he converted to his personal properties and estate! He is being defended by those who he pillaged and impoverished! Even though he deservedly arrested by the British Police, He was arrested because there is abundant evidence of his crimes against the people of Bayelsa in particular and Nigeria in general.

The world has since become aware also, the fact that Bayelsa State House of Assembly, the governor’s Deputy, have foreswore not to impeach the thieving governor of Bayelsa, they have instead, offered their unflinching loyalty, support, encouragement, succor, solidarity, to this crooked governor, all this done in a hurry, as if in some stampede!

All these makes you want to ask, whether morality is completely dead in some Nigerians? Or whether commonsense and logic still holds?

Commenting in the past, on the prodigal son like argumentation by agitators of more revenue allocations to Nigeria’s oil producing states, I had wondered aloud, why those gyrating publicly as they demand 50% or even 100% of revenues from oil derived from the soils beneath oil producing states, are the same people who are splendidly uninterested or happily oblivious of the plundering governors of their domains?

I have wondered aloud in public spaces, why none of these oil producing states citizens are uninterested in making their governors and other local officials account, in transparent manners, for the monies that have been allocated to these oil producing states since the inception of this present federal government of President Obasanjo who had seen to it, that a higher percentage of revenue allocation was accorded oil producing states.

We have argued in the past that the lot of the citizens of oil producing states, have not shown any improvements despite the increased revenue derived from higher percentage allocation since 1999 and yet, all the charlatans and political jobbers, who have otherwise become irrelevant in the general scheme of things, continued to clamor for more revenue, even as there is no reflection on the ground, by way of improved public infrastructures in the oil producing states, despite the huge allocations that they have received since 1999!

The truth that we know all the time has finally been re-revealed to us, monies allocated to oil producing states, are in foreign bank accounts of the thieving governors and public officials of most of these oil producing states… hence they frequently engage in junket to America and Europe, coinciding, always, with revenue allocation time table or schedule.

So the next time you wonder why the oil producing states have not faired better, despite higher amounts of monies pumped into them since 1999? Think money laundering and think of the ridiculous arguments made by Professor Sagay in which he compared a governor as co-equal to a president, as he claimed that Alamiesegha ought to sue the British government and police for wrongful arrest and detention, because in his view as a law professor, the crooked governor is entitled to some diplomatic immunity!

When ordinarily intelligent people such as this law professor, make spurious arguments, in defense of clear criminalities and high grade immoralities, all Nigerians ought to be really worried! We should demand the auditing of all governors particularly these thieving governors in the oil producing states, where crime, unemployment, prostitution and all other desperations usually engendered by depress economy have all gone up!

Look at Edo state for instance! Robberies, Prostitutions, political violence has skyrocketed! And the inept governor Lucky Igbinedion, is said to be busy posturing for vice presidential opportunity in 2007! Even as he spends his time junketing abroad! In the face of the decadence that Edo state has become, a state that was heretofore, a model state

And how about the accountability on the part of this governor and all the other governors of all the oil producing states who have clearly not used monies allocated for their people, but instead enriched their personal foreign accounts? Stealing Nigeria’s money is illegal, just as operating foreign bank accounts by these public officers. It is additionally illegal, for Nigerian public officers to acquire properties overseas while in office! How come these are not the focus of Bayelsa state House of Assembly, Deputy Governor and the so-called Ijaw Youth Council? Except for Mr. Sabella Abidde and Mr. Agbroko who have expressed outrage in connection with the pillaging of Bayelsa’s treasury!

Why are too many Nigerians only interested in solidarities with suspected thieves?

Nigerians ought to worry, additionally because, it now appears, that only a saint can prosecute the war on corruption in Nigeria, because as the arguments goes these days, other people are suspected to be corrupt and so, why ask me if I am my self corrupt?

These days, it appears, most Nigerians are no longer interested in arguing to convince others of their innocence, they are no longer canvassing their good character and integrity, they have become more interested in pointing fingers to the likelihood or suspected corruption of others, as their sole defense!

It used to be, that anyone accused, would vigorously defend their own character and integrity in efforts to establish their personal innocence, but now? It has become fashionable to point to the likelihood of the guilt of others as a shield of one’s own guilt?

Nigerians should not accept the idiotic idea that no one can be arrested or prosecuted for corruption, until a saint shows up on the political stage to embark on a national cleansing.

When anyone is investigated, arrested and prosecuted for corruption, the question to be asked and answered should be limited to the guilt or innocence of such person, and not the ancillaries or extraneous matters regarding the suspicions and likelihood of guilt of all others. All defendants must answer for themselves, guilty or not guilty!

Paul I. Adujie
New York, USA
lawcareer@msn.com
New York, United States

Posted by Administrator at 08:21 PM | Comments (1)

September 21, 2005

The Long Cold Winter Again

by Uche Nworah (London, UK) --- London’s long drawn summer is gradually coming to an end, this eventual transition to the cold winter months will obviously evoke certain feelings amongst folks living in London, most especially Nigerians and other African immigrants who may have grown up in the sunshine continent. These feelings may be those of nostalgia, despair, loneliness and even satisfaction, yes, satisfaction! Especially for those of us that have recently done the 1 +1 = 1 equation, so at least there is a nightly assurance of a second pair of feet to warm one’s cold set under the quilt. This ‘no shaking’ feeling is one that brothers and sisters have long yearned for.

Along the way, they may have adopted several strategies, and consulted many oracles and pastors, but then for many still waiting to exhale, this coming winter will be another cold and bitter reminder of the futility of self endeavour in searching for a life partner, wife or husband. It may lead to the re-awakening in the subconscious of the need for a total surrender to the Almighty and for His will to be done.

The spirit of the cold season has also made me to reflect on my brother, Sabella Abidde’s many writings. In his In search of a wife piece, he narrates the story of the four women in his life (Annabelle, Ebierere, Mikoyanna and Fatima), and the joys (sorrows, any?) they all give him. He appears to have his hands full I would say, and seem content with the juggling act, ride on brother!

But something deep inside tells me that this may be another example of men behaving badly, just like we all did in our days of ‘ignorance’. There are some risks, or danger in ticking women off, as if on a shopping list, we can’t expect to eat our cake and still hope to find it later in the fridge. Sabella after stating the reasons why none of his four women will make the ultimate wife for him throws in the icing on the cake by saying that, ‘The ability to engage in hallucinogenic sex would be a bonus!’ Well, I am sure there will be lots of women out there who will love to hear this, and who may be interested in being Sabella’s wife, so please, if you are reading this and you know anyone, kindly pass on their details to him, but please just don’t forward the names of any of my friends, sisters or cousins.

This is not personal against Sabella, but from the part of Africa where we are from, there are still some levels of decency and morality left, though they may be remnants. Sabella writes that he has been divorced now for eight years, but I am wondering if maybe he is not already brewing for himself another recipe for disaster if we are to go partly by his expectations from a potential wife, I also wonder how great my brother’s libido will be and how flexible his waist will be in the coming years, when the engines which have been working overtime start to slow down, and he can no longer indulge actively, what will be the fate of the woman then? Meanwhile, I would love to know how these four women thanked Brother Sabella for this ‘kiss and tell’ expose. Did they come back begging for more?

I belong to the old school, such that my sojourn abroad hasn’t taken away my taste for Onubu (bitter leaf soup), the type that my mum cooks with ogiri (a native spice) ede (cocoyam), okporoko (stockfish) and ukwu nama (cow leg), argue it anyway you like but I don’t believe that any male cook anywhere, not even those pretenders and regular winners of Maggi national cooking competitions in Nigeria can cook bitter leaf soup better than an Igbo woman, and so I wasn’t ever in doubt where my wife was going to come from. And so when I read my brother Sabella’s other piece titled why do African men go home to marry?, I not only chuckled but also wondered aloud if maybe Brother Sabella is not slowly carving a niche for himself as an authority and avid writer on issues relating to Nigerian wives, husbands and marriages. This assumption is supported by Sabella’s other writings, for example Nigerian men and their foreign wives, The problem with African men and The problem with single African women. I honestly don’t think that my brother, Sabella is doing himself any favours amongst Nigeria’s many singletons; he appears to be seriously on their case; rightly or wrongly.

In response to Sabella’s question of why brothers go back home to marry, well, I can only say that it may be in conformity with their plans for the future, some of us don’t particularly want to retire in Europe and America, if we all do, then who will drink those freshly tapped palm wine in our villages?.

I believe in the law of natural selection, that like attracts like, my friend Precious Osuala would argue that water will always find its level, As I understand it, there are advantages, and disadvantages of marrying a Nigerian wife or an Oyibo wife, but it is just about a question of choosing the lesser ‘evil’ (apologies to the women). Some of us saw the light a long time ago, how our relatives that studied in Europe and America in the 50s and 60s came back to Nigeria with their degrees and foreign wives, most of these women have since gone back to their countries, and the men? Well, the brave ones have since re-married while the rest are still walking about with sullen and sunken faces, plus the broken hearts, this obviously is not the situation that one wants to find himself when the sun sets.

This is not to say that I have got issues with mixed race marriages, for me, it is a
question of who wills, then let him. Just like my younger brother Charles did, but then
wait till you hear about this incident which happened recently.

It was his daughter’s first birthday anniversary, a thing of joy normally in traditional
African families. My brother had planned a small party on behalf of his lovely
daughter and had invited family and friends. I went along as big brother and uncle
with my wife, and also with a few friends I had invited on my own. My sister
Chinyere had laboured all day to prepare pepper soup, fried and jollof rice, plus other
Delicacies for the party. The party was billed for 5 pm but we all got there for 6 pm,
which by our own ‘African time’ standard was still early.

Halfway into the party, just when we were about to pounce on the different
orishirishi on offer, we received a marching order from my brother’s wife to leave the
house, yes, all of us were commanded to leave, else the metropolitan police will be
summoned. Now, I still didn’t know what pained me the most, the insult? Or the food
that I couldn’t eat?. Any way, we took it in our stride and left knowing that we had
visited what had happened upon ourselves, The Igbos have a proverb which says that
the man who gathers ant infested firewood also throws an open invitation for the
lizards to come out and feast.

Uche Nworah is a freelance writer and lives in London. uchenworah@yahoo.com

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September 20, 2005

Governor Kalu of Abia State Should Shut Up!

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, US) --- Governor Kalu of Abia State is PDP enfant terrible! He often speaks before he thinks!
Not long ago, he accused President Obasanjo of corrupt practices, and true to type, the rabble rouser that he is certifiably is, was returning to the scene of his previous crimes of screaming allegations of corruption without specifics and by this, he makes nonsense of real anti corruption efforts by all.

It has become a common practice among some Nigerians, to behave like Governor Kalu, who while hiding under the immunity clause of our constitution to break our laws, immunity as enshrined in section 308 has become a tool for impunity by too many office holders in Nigeria and prime among them, is this governor Kalu of Abia state.

In October 2004 I wrote the article below: Governor Kalu of Abia State must tell Nigerians and the entire world, what he knows! He must do so at once or immediately!
http://www.amanaonline.com/Articles/Adujie/P_Adujie_150.htm
The governor must make full material disclosures of the names of Nigerian public officials who he has accused of corruption. This is not the first time, highly placed members of the PDP current government in Nigeria have alleged being privy to corruption information, in connecting state governors and other high level officials. Governor Kalu must submit the information in his possession to the Police, SSS, ICPC, EFCC, the president of Nigeria and international organizations, such as the Interpol.

We have to assume that Governor Kalu made these public declarations, with all sense of responsibility and a high sense of national duty. We further have to assume, that his intentions are honorable. Governor Kalu’s declarations must not be taken lightly!
However, if these accusations are deliberate falsehoods or made for rabble rousing purposes, Governor Kalu must face the law now or whenever he leaves public office.

This is crucial, because fighting corruption requires information, accurate information that would lead to conviction after a fair trial; Further, it is very important, that allegations of corruption are not and must not, be made carelessly or lightly. Frivolous accusations that are not substantiated will demean the persons accused, as it will equally demean or belittle the efforts to eradicate corruption in Nigeria. We must cry wolf, only, when there is wolf.

Those who genuinely seek to eliminate corruption in Nigeria must not engage in any smear tactics. Allegations of corruption must be factually based, and anyone making such allegations must come forward with specific information in their possession.

The Nigerian public must keep their eyes on the ball regarding Governor Kalu’s corruption challenge, they must demand and insist, that Governor Kalu and others like him, who possess evidence of corruption against public officials, from the president to local governor councilors, must provide or disclose such evidence publicly, the same must apply to anyone with evidence of corruption in the private sector.

It should be clear to all Nigerians by now, that our country cannot continue to have the unsavory label and reputation of endemic corruption, only this past Sunday October 10, 2004, The New York Times castigated Nigeria, particularly, Nigerian Universities as citadel of corruption when it wrote, in “THE ETHICIST” By RANDY COHEN Acceptable Bribe http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/magazine/10ETHICIST.html

Thereafter, Kalu recanted and apologized to President Obasanjo and everybody else. now, Kalu is at it again! Again, he has tantalized Nigerians at home and abroad, with his hot and heavy allegations of President Obasanjo, and who in turn forwarded the allegations to the EFCC for investigations, Kalu is invited by the EFCC, Kalu ignores the EFCC with impunity, because he selectively insists that the EFCC is not a neutral or independent body!

In America where I live, the President of the United States appoints Directors for the Central Intelligence Agency CIA and Federal Bureau of Investigations FBI, just as the president of Nigeria appoints EFCC Chairperson, I cannot imagine, any circumstances, where the governor of my home state of New York, flippantly makes a hot and heavy charge against the president of the United States in connection with corruption and abuse of office, but without specifics, no facts, no evidence and much worse, the governor of a state in the United States who so accuses a United States president, when invited by the FBI to submit the specific exactitude of his corruption allegations, he resorts smugly, that the FBI Director is appointed by the president, and so, the FBI is not neutral and independent, and as a consequence, he the governor refuses to attend a hearing and refuses to submit documentary evidence that he had claimed he had, as proof of corruption by the American president! Where is Governor Kalu’s logic?

The other day, a lawyer in open court, accused the honorable Chief Justice of the Federation of Nigeria of corruption, if the allegations were true, his actions will be courageous in the most monumental sense, but the lawyer did not bring forward, the facts, the proof of what he alleged.

In essence, this lawyer, governor Kalu have resorted to flippant and flimsy accusations and allegations of corruptions against office holders, but without adducing evidence to establish such allegations and in doing so, they undermine all of us, our institutions and our nation. Labeling the Chief Justice of Nigeria corrupt without evidence or proof, and labeling the president or vice president corrupt without facts or proof, undermines all of us and our institutions and our nation!

If you allege, you must prove or you must shut up!

Paul I. Adujie (New York, US)
Lawcareer@msn.com
New York, United States

Posted by Administrator at 07:33 AM | Comments (1)

September 19, 2005

Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu in Conversation with Pini Jason

by Pini Jason (Chinua Achebe Foundation) --- Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu had a conversation with Pini Jason a columnist for Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper, Associate Editor of New African, London (1987-2004), author of A Familiar Road, and publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The Examiner newspaper. Mr. Jason has several years of experience in major Nigerian newspapers as well as international publications. The full interview is published in the BNW Magazine. Click here to continue reading Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu in Conversation with Pini Jason.

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September 15, 2005

Katrina and Nigeria’s Image

by Uche Nworah (London, UK) --- Nigeria is currently in the process of re-branding her image, the Nigerian government has given the Federal Ministry of Information the task of doing that, and have also empowered the ministry with an initial sum of N600 million ($4 million) to execute the project.

In their traditional civil service wisdom, the Ministry have been going about the implementation of the project (formerly the Nigeria Image project, but now renamed the Heart of Africa project) the best way they can. Till date, one can easily count on his or her fingers what the project coordinators have done so far. A professional branding agency (Alder Consulting) has been engaged, although it is not yet clear what brief the consultancy received, what targets were set and how they actually intend to re-brand Nigeria and make it an investor’s paradise.

The branding consultancy recently published what it called 10 Facts about the Heart of Africa project in Nigeria’s major newspapers; it has also produced an informational CD about the project, a logo has also been designed.

Obviously, the advertisement about Nigeria currently showing on CNN is part of the project implementation; it does not seem however that the branding consultancy in question, owned by Leke Adler has anything to do with the advertisement in question. Why do I think so? Well, my experience in the Nigerian advertising industry tells me that Alder Consulting can do much better, unless they have succumbed to a higher authority and have endorsed the scheduling of the embarrassing ads in CNN, if that is the case, then the agency is seriously putting the reputation it has built for itself in danger.

I have read quite a few uncomplimentary things about the CNN advertisements as well; the Nigerian Guardian newspaper editorial of Sunday, September 11, 2005 qualified it as a theatrical portrayal of Nigeria, a gaudy advert and a cacophony of incongruence.

Several other writers and observers have also written about the heartbeat advertisements which are fast turning into a debacle and farce for Nigeria on CNN, Eziuche Ubani in his This Day opinion column of August 18th 2005 asks the question Who did this to Nigeria?, he quotes a presidency source to state that the CNN advertisements are costing Nigeria about N130 million ($1 million). Any surprise? Not really, the only surprise will be if there will be anything left of the N600 million Heart of Africa project budget before the end of the year. The big question remains what Nigeria and Nigerians have gained so far, from the CNN media campaign. Not minding what the Federal Ministry of Information will claim and the figures/statistics they will eventually cook up to justify the money spent so far, Nigeria is not any different from what it is before the campaign started, our image is also not any whiter, cleaner or better from the embarrassing CNN advertisements. We haven’t yet put our house in order, so as to leverage on any mileage we may gain from a well orchestrated international media campaign.

Have the ad minds in Alder Consulting compromised themselves in all these? Well, that will depend on if they had solely written the script which President Olusegun Obasanjo acted out in the CNN advertisements, the gist however is that the agency’s original concept and script was doctored by those ‘gatekeepers’ at Aso Rock, the boot lickers who thought they were doing the president and Nigerians a favour by suggesting that he appeared in the commercials, in the mould of a GQ model to issue a most unwelcome message in his usual tone of voice and thick accent, with the president’s ‘welcome to Nigeria’ testimonial, you now begin to wonder where the Agbani Daregos, Oluchi Onweagbas, Femi Okes, Akeem Olajuwons, Jay-Jay Okochas, Philip Emeagwalis, Shirley Basseys, Sophie Okonedos, Sade Adus and the Emeka Okafors are, all successful Nigerians with strong international and recognisable faces. Has the Federal Ministry of Information and Alder Consulting tried reaching out to these people to enlist them as they originally proposed? We don’t know.

What has Hurricane Katrina got to do with Nigeria’s image? A lot I will say, especially if you consider that economic diplomacy has been the main focus of President Obasanjo’s government. How did they not think of getting in on the donors list right from the beginning? What are the names of poor countries like Latvia, Cuba, Honduras etc doing on the list when that of the self-styled giant and heartbeat of Africa (Nigeria) is not on the list, where are the proceeds from Nigeria’s excess crude oil sales? That obviously would have come in handy here, what were those economic think - tanks, and diplomatic egg-heads doing? Didn’t they know that a token contribution into the Hurricane Katrina fund will gain Nigeria some great mileage, today and forever? That each time donors list are mentioned or read, that Nigeria’s name will be well represented? What is Nigeria doing, when its contemporary – Venezuela is donating 1 million barrels of gasoline, $5 million in cash, water purification plants, canned food and water.

Whatever happened to the phrase, be your bother’s keeper? What if Nigeria was to suffer one major disaster (yes, it is possible), where does it think that help will come from? Or does the government not know that Nigeria is also a risk country? Signs abound all over the country; there is the Lagos bar-beach problem, with the constant overflows and flooding of surrounding Victoria Island areas, also there are the different oil producing communities whose resources are being depleted and their environment polluted, classic examples of ecological disasters waiting to happen, so what if something major and serious happens in Nigeria? Will Nigeria cry out to America for assistance? Will America be condemned by Nigeria if it doesn’t respond?

Nigeria obviously has got a lot to learn from Slovenia, yes, Slovenia. The country which used to be regarded as part of the former Yugoslavia was generally regarded by outsiders as backward; they have however, within a short time turned around their image, uniquely positioning themselves as a sought-after destination for investment in Eastern Europe. How did they do it? They listened to the advice of branding consultants and stopped boasting about their achievements – through advertisements and public relations – and started to pursue policies that would demonstrate their success in a more tangible way, so what else did Slovenia do? They began behaving like a wealthy country by giving aid to other parts of the old Yugoslavia, this attracted for them lots of positive, and free media coverage, thus gaining them lots of image mileage which they would never have been prepared to pay for. In nation branding, paid-for media advertisements are just like throwing money away. Simon Anholt, a man who knows more about this area and one of the world’s leading experts in nation branding advises that countries like Nigeria should pursue ‘policy-based branding’ just like Slovenia, according to him, ‘people have strong prejudices about places, the only way you are going to change that is to prove to them that they are wrong. You have to do stuff’ he concludes. And that (doing stuffs) for sure, Nigeria is not doing with these CNN advertisements when it could easily have gotten in on the bandwagon with the Katrina fund. To quote Gary Silverman of the Financial Times, ‘Good works could be good fun and the rest of the world would be spared another tedious round of governmental bragging, countries, states and regions have been doing that forever’.

Hopefully the new man in charge at the Federal Ministry of Information, Mr. Frank Nweke and the appointed brand consultants, Alder will try and do the right thing.

Uche Nworah is a freelance writer and branding scholar, he teaches advertising at the London Metropolitan University. uchenworah@yahoo.com

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September 12, 2005

Sadomasochism and America's Future, Part II

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji (Seatle Washington) --- What does abuse of jailed black youngsters mean? It hardens them, and makes them disenchanted with their country. They become disengaged from their society, and live on the fringes of it. They become potential soldiers, awaiting a strong leader to mobilize, and organize them against the state.

So many young African Americans are disenfranchised and angry at their society that when a sustained push is made on that polity, it would find out that it has few friends defending it. (It is the poor that join the army and fight to defend the rich, it was the poor Germans that joined the Roman army and defended the Roman patricians in their gilded palaces, just as today, it is poor whites and blacks, that join the American military, and defend the rich neo-conservative whites who talk big about war, but when push comes to shove, chicken, and run into National Guards, where they hide out the war, and then come to power, and use other peoples children to fight their reckless wars.)

In the international scene, the all-powerful sole superpower is alienating just about every person, even its hitherto European allies. The arrogance of white America is incredible; in fact, it borders on the psychotic. Here are people, who on individual level, are no better than other persons, but for historical accident, cannot really compete with folks from many parts of the world. But as the arrogant superpower, they feel justified in telling you what to do. You humor them, and pretend to go along with their idiocy, bidding your time until you feel able to fight back. The world is currently humoring Americans, and they think that they are respected. Sooner or latter, they would find out that many people consider them as clowns masquerading as supermen.

In the meantime, the clowns are spending themselves into bankruptcy, trying to seem powerful. They practically devote half of their annual budget to military matters, while ignoring what matters most, health insurance and education for their people. To finance their overseas military adventurism, they engage in deficit financing, and borrow heavily from other countries particularly Japan and Germany. Should their creditors decide to call in their debts, the empire would collapse?

As for the weapons of mass destruction that America is accumulating and trying to prevent others from having, that too is a misguided effort. History shows that every weapon, ever developed by man sooner or later, becomes available to all men. By the time this century is over, all countries will probably have weapons of mass destruction, despite America’s efforts to check their spread?

America’s efforts to check the spreading of weapons of mass destruction is done out of its self-interests not global interests. It wants to be the only one having such weapons so as to be able to intimidate others into doing what it wants done. It wants to enjoy the terrorist’s rights to intimidate other folks, but those folks know what it is doing, and humor it, until they are ready to stand up to it.

The final delusion is the belief that if America possesses anti ballistic missiles defenses that it would be able to intercept other countries missile attacks on it in mid air, hence prevent them from harming America. If we assume that it is possible to develop anti ballistic missiles, history shows that in a short order, other countries would do the same, and we will be back to square one.

(Americans would like to think that they are mature and able to handle nuclear weapons, and that others are not adult enough to have the responsibility of possessing nuclear weapons. Good God. Let it just be stated that many non-Americans consider Americans a childish breed of humanity. Field Marshal Montgomery spoke for all of us when he said that we tolerate the newest barbarians, out of pragmatic necessity, not respect.)

In the not too distant future, all countries that desire them will have nuclear weapons. Those of them that hate America, like Arab Moslems, would not hesitate using them on America. Arabs are angry at America for supporting Israel, in its wars with Palestinians.

Americans know that its detractors would not hesitate using those weapons on it. That is why they are currently trying to either bribe or cajole North Korea and Iran into relinquishing their nuclear programs.

(The rational alternative course of action is for all countries, including America, to mutually agree to destroy all weapons of mass destruction. As long as one country has the weapons to clubber others, they cannot feel secure until they are able to match her. Political realists of the balance of power school tell us that much. These same realists also tell us that once the genie is out of the bottle, that you cannot put it back. Nuclear weapons are here to stay. All we can do is, like men, prepare to die at any moment, rather than pretend that we can wish away what can destroy us. Death is inevitable, and no one should fear it. We must still live our lives as if death is not around the corner. That is the warrior’s philosophy: live fully, aware that one could die, at any moment.)

America has a delightful delusion. It, in fact, expects those it abuses to see it as innocent and respect it. Indeed, it expects them to see their intolerable fate as their own faults, rather than the fault of their abusers. Thus, Americans abuse blacks, deny them jobs, tell them that they are an inferior people and actually believe that blacks would accept this nonsense, and blame themselves for their unenviable state in America.

Why are you, a black American, unemployed? It is because you are an unintelligent black person, whites hope that blacks would tell themselves. Their whole propaganda machine is aimed at convincing blacks that it is their faults that they are poor in America. Something must be wrong with them if they cannot make it in God’s (or is it Devil’s) own country, in the land of equal opportunity?

(There is equal opportunity in America, all right; it is for white persons. Asians are often cited as making it in America, hence evidence that there is equal opportunity in America. A closer look, however, shows that Asians are denied access to political positions. They make it in technical professions like medicine, engineering, accounting etc, but should they dare aim to break into political and managerial arenas, where decisions are made regarding what Harold Lasswell calls who gets what, when and why, they are discriminated against, as much as blacks are. When the so-called model minority asks his master to share power, he suddenly becomes not so model, any more.)

Any body discriminated against knows who is discriminating, hence abusing him. Every unemployed black man in America knows why he is unemployed, racism and discrimination. Of course, in the nature of things his own specific character plays some role in his situation, but in the final analysis, it is the social structure that determines an individual's life chances. (Many black persons have personalities that refuse to kowtow to America’s social order. The oppositional defiant type may choose to stay out of America’s corporate and bureaucratic structure.)

These days, white folks would like to believe that discrimination is a thing of the past. As they see it, America is now heaven on earth. In so far that black folks are unable to secure jobs they would like you to believe that it is because of their faults. On the other hand, if you listen to black folks, they talk about what the “man” does to them. They talk about walking into rooms where they are invited for interviews and notice changes in the interviewers' faces upon recognizing that the candidate is a black person. Those of them with African or different sounding names, tell you that white employers see their names and throw away their letters of applications, without bothering to find out whether they are qualified or not.

I am familiar with the university scene; so let me tell you about it. Universities will before hand decide that they want one black person around, and go hire one. Having satisfied their need for a token black they find ways not to hire other blacks. They, in fact, would go out of their way to invite black candidates for interviews, but hire white ones, so as to tell the various affirmative action monitoring bodies, that they made vigorous efforts to find qualified black persons, but could not find any. They compile phony statistics on their efforts and submit them to their funding agencies, and hope that they have satisfied the rules of the game, and do not need to hire blacks.

As they see it, blacks are seldom intelligent enough to teach at white universities. In fact, many of them believe that the presence of black faculty lowers the perception of their school as academically rigorous. They believe that white students and their parents would not come to schools where there are too many black instructors, for they would think that such schools are not up to par with those with overwhelming white faculty. (Interestingly, the supposedly rigorous and qualified white faculty graduate students who are essentially functioning at high school levels.)

White America does whatever it could to damage black folks’ self-esteem, and self-confidence. They have so rejected black Americans that the latter came to believe that they are not good enough and doubt themselves. The racist society has damaged the Negro. But the smart black person knows better than to listen to the feedback he receives from insane white racists, and finds ways to convince himself that he is not the problem, but the solution. The problem is with the racist apes he is dealing with.

There is no doubt that America has made some headways towards ameliorating gross racism, but to say that racism is a thing of the past, is to beg the issue. At any rate, most black persons know when they are been discriminated. Even the “ass kissing Uncle Tom types”, the so-called black conservatives (what are these fools conserving, are they conserving the society that oppresses them?) know that they are living in a racist society. These sambos get on TV, or write in newspapers about America the paradise, but in the privacy of their homes, talk about the issue of racism.

Actually, some of these conservative brothers are so sick, that they joined their oppressors, and partake in oppressing their own brothers. They are like the Jewish Kapot in nazi concentration camps, who were more oppressive than SS guards. These self-hating Negroes find every opportunity to criticize black persons, and to punish them so as to please their white masters, hoping that the latter would throw some crumbs to them.

(If you are interested in the psychology of oppressed persons, see such writings as Kardiner and Oversay, The Mark of Oppression; Thomas Pittigrew, A Profile of the Negro American; Karon, The Negro Personality; Franklin Frazier, The Negro Middle Class; Franz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, Black Skin White Mask; Albert Memmi, The Colonizer and the Colonized; Stanley Elkin’s Sambo; Ommanini, Prospero and Caliban, the Psychology of Oppressed People; Kenneth Clark’s studies of Negro children choosing white dolls over black ones; etc.)

Racism and discrimination are alive in the devil’s own country, and we all know it. The sad part of this phenomenon is that, it prevents white folks from coming close enough to black persons, to know them as they are. White folks do not know who black persons are. They have their caricatures of who they think that blacks are. Just read David Duke, and learn that blacks have only one leg or one arm, in addition to been unintelligent. The grandiose god, Duke, believes that he has a right to decide the fate of black people, whether they exist or die. Reading him is like reading Hitler’s Mein Kampf, and Secret Talks edited by Trevor Roper, as the psychopathic god talks about what he would do with eastern Europeans, once he conquers Russia. He’d kill most of them, keep some alive to serve their supposed masters, Germans, and prevent them from going to school so that they would not challenge their masters. Of course, he’d take over their lands and give it to their superior Aryan race…. the man was so deluded in his grandiosity, that it is a wonder that people followed his leadership at all.

The racist assumes the right to decide for black persons; it never occurs to him that black persons have minds, and can decide things for themselves. Such is the nature of psychosis.

Historically, white America has not cared for black America. In this light, white America is self centered and narcissistic; it uses others for its own good while seeking admiration and attention from those it is exploiting. Like the narcissistic personality they are, white Americans would like black persons to see them as very important persons, indeed, as godlike persons. (Actually the Africans I know of see white Americans as childlike, immature and foolish. But for America’s technology, Americans would learn that they are held in contempt by a great many people out there.)

The great thinkers on the nature of man, Thomas Hobbes and Adam Smith, told us that man, is by nature, self-interested, and if he can, uses other people for his own good. In which case, there is no reason why a white person should care for black persons. Whites being self-centered creatures are only obligated to care for themselves. As Edward Wilson in his social biology writes, people have selfish genes, and care for their offspring out of a desire to preserve their selfish genes, not because of their loving nature.

If one posits religion and says that God asks us to care for one another, a cynic could ask: how much does God himself care for people? Where was God when Africans were enslaved and abused in America? Where is God as the powerful abuse and oppress the weak, all over the world? Some skeptics, particularly the atheistic type, feel annoyed at the mere mention of God, and ask that he be taken out of the political discourse.

In Africa itself, African politicians seem not to care for their people’s welfare. In pursuit of personal interests, African leaders steal from the public treasury, and have made a mess of their economies. Man is a self-centered creature, and no rational person needs to be sentimental and deny the obvious.

When I see a white man, and a black man for that matter, I assume that I am seeing a potential criminal sociopath, and I’m fully prepared to deal with his exploitative behaviors. I have no misguided idealistic views of human beings. People, who enslaved one another, cannot be romanticized; they are brutes and must be dealt with draconically.

In rational pragmatic terms, we still must find a way to cooperate with one another, and serve each other’s interests, if society is to exist. I assume that man, black and white, is self-interested in nature. We came into being by attacking and separating from one another. We survive by killing and eating animals, and from taking from each other. The world is a dog-eat-dog place, and those in it must be predatory to survive. However, I go beyond negative perception of man, to say that with effort, he could be rehabilitated, and made to care for society, not just himself?

In the meantime, in America, a black family moves into a white neighborhood, and white folks move out, because they feel that they would be contaminated, and made inferior. They run. They will keep running until there are no more places to run to, and, at that point, would stop and confront the reality that we must all live together, in a shared world.

It is a sign of mental disorder to flee from reality, and into imaginary made up reality. But sooner or later, reality would be confronted, for it does not go away. Reality is that our world is a space ship, and we must coexist in it, or sink it. The world is becoming literally a global village, and there is nowhere to run to, that is not part of that village.

All mankind originated in Africa, and some went elsewhere. Wherever they now are, they are still Africans. In time, even Europe itself would be composed of black and white people. The world belongs to all human beings, and whoever has the illusion, that a certain part of it is to be preserved for himself and those like him, is in for a rude shock. In fact, give or take a few thousand years, and all people would be mixed and brown in color. That is reality, and there is no use fighting it.

The best response to what cannot be changed is to manage it. We can stop and provide university level education to all people, and that way make sure that scientific civilization is encouraged everywhere. Human beings have a tendency to revert to superstitions, therefore, we must make sustained efforts to teach them science: physics, chemistry, biology, etc.

The qualities we used to attribute to the gods are what human being could become, if only they learned to work with one another.

Because white folks segregate themselves from black folks, and consequently, do not know who black persons are, they, in fact, do not appreciate the level of anger and rage harbored in the minds of black persons towards them. As they see it, black persons are like children, always happy and smiling. Well, these folks will wake up one day, and the barbarians in their midst would have taken over their land, as the barbarians took over Rome.

Racism is the Achilles' heal of the American civilization. It will be one of the factors that brings that civilization down. It does not have to be so. One is not a nihilist praying for the downfall of others, to feel good about one’s self. In fact, one prays for the well being of America, provided it changes, and becomes a polity that respects all its citizens.

What is asked of America? She is asked to treat all her citizens equally, and with respect. She is asked to employ people on the basis of merit, not race.

(If racism is taken away from America, black folks probably will dominate many sectors of the American economy, much as they do in sports and music. In the 1950s the color bar came down, and blacks showed that they were good in sports. Currently, blacks are supposedly not good in academics and business. But if the color bar comes down in the Ivory Tower and corporate America, blacks would shine there too.)

Remove racism and discrimination, provide all persons with equal opportunity to find themselves, and hire people on a color-blind basis. That is all any descent society can offer its citizens. No one in his right mind asks to be given preferential treatment. In fact, it is insulting to be made allowances for, and hired on the basis of affirmative action. But know what merit is.

Merit is not having a bunch of white men using their biased values to decide what constitutes merit. Merit means having blacks participate in making employment decisions. You must pause to understand how other people evaluate merit, and not just use your own self-serving idea of merit, to make employment decisions. (This reminds me of what happens in academic publications. White men decide what article is considered worthy of publication. Generally they decide what serves white interests. They shut out what makes sense to black persons, and serves black persons interests. So what exactly is meritorious publication, the trash white academics publish…trash to black minds? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.)

The sad part of this whole racist business is that, if America decides to dismantle its racist’s institutions and operate on a colorblind basis, it is probably going to be the best country in the world. It is certainly going to be very competitive in the world economy. America is a veritable united nations, with folks from all over the world in it. It can utilize the strengths of the various people in it, in competing with other nations. No other country would come close to a well-integrated America.

(The buzzwords of the day are diversity and multiculturalism. If by these are meant respecting all cultures, please count me out. Many cultures contain superstitious aspects to them. What makes sense is to ascertain what is scientific, and accept it. One is a Universalist, a believer in the scientific method and scientific culture. There is an ascertainable best way of doing something, and that is science. Thou should not kill is science. Thou should love thy neighbor is science. One is not interested in respecting primitive aspects of any one’s culture. If your culture says that women should not go to school, to hell with it. All people, men and women, must be given equal opportunity to go to school, vie for work, and leadership. May the best be hired and lead us. Culture is the last refuge of the scoundrel. Give me a universal scientific culture, not particularistic cultures formed in isolated corners of the world.)

America underestimates black people’s capacities, and does not believe that they are capable of fighting back in a destructive manner. When they see black persons, they visualize primitive persons running around in the equatorial jungles of the Congo. They see Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. But these folks are in for a surprise.

I know Africans. I know how vicious and vengeful they can be. In the heart of authentic Africans, is anger at white Americans for enslaving and abusing their brothers. When this African thinks of what white America did to Africans in the Americas, his blood boils and itches for war, for destruction of everything white in sight. But he knows that technologically, the playing fields are not yet even. We have almost a century before Africa catches up with the rest of the world, in the world of science and technology, and at that time, demands will be made for reparation.

Oh yes, believe it or not, Europe and North America must make amends for stealing Africans’ wealth without compensation. Whites must pay reparations for enslaving Africans, and using their labor for free, to build America. You can count on this eventuality, or there would be no peace in the world.

All this can be averted, if Europe and America beg Africans for forgiveness, make amends for their past evils, and embark on not treating Africans in the discriminatory manner they currently do. Past mistakes must be accepted and corrected, for there to be universal peace.

To pretend, that injustice will be ignored forever, is to be like the proverbial ostrich, and hide one’s head in sand. Human nature demands that Africans feel their pride hurt by what Europeans did to them. Their vanity demands assuaging. But at present, their narcissistic rage seems empty, since they cannot yet fight back. But they are laying the foundations for a scientific culture in Africa, and when that takes hold, the world will see what Africans are made of.

Despite the rubbish propagated by white racists, it is doubtful that in a match up with Africans, any other human race would out compete them. Hang around and you will learn.

In a manner of speaking, one actually pities Americans, for they do not know what the future holds for them. They do not understand what is coming at them. Like drunks, they go about their merry ways, unaware that they have set the terms for their destruction.

Look, America relatively did nothing really wrong to Arabs, other than support Israel. So the Arabs are angry with them and want to destroy them. (I am a strong supporter of Israel’s right to exist. Arab aggression must be checked, as they are taught to live and let live. Israel is entitled to live on its ancient lands in the Middle East, and Arabs have to accept that reality, and quit the nonsense of trying to drive Jews into the sea. We all are a part of this world, and no one has a right to say that others should not exist. Every particle and atom is necessary to complete the universe. If it were possible to take one atom away, which is impossible since there is nowhere to take it to that is not part of the universe, the universe would collapse. Jews, blacks and other minority persons have a right to live in this world, for the world belongs to all of us, whether racist Arabs like it or not.)

Imagine what will happen when those white Americans, when the really wronged Africans come at them with vengeance? It would be better that, when this begins to happen, that people were not born and not alive. Armageddon would be nothing compared to the tribulations of the future. The level of anger and vengeful feeling, one sees in Africans towards white America, is so thick that, when it erupts, may God save us all.

(A political realist could suggest that, it would be better if white America used its nuclear weapons in a preemptive manner, and destroyed Africans before the latter showed their rage. Why not go ahead and do it, one asks? You cannot intimidate and hold Africans in hostage with your nuclear weapons. It is better to die, than to live as a second-class citizen. So do it, and let us get it over with, now. One is tired of white stupidity masquerading as civilization. It is either we construct an egalitarian civilization, or this world must be destroyed. Who said so? I did.)

Americans trust in military power to save them, and will do everything in their power to fight back. Then so be it. May what they trust in save them. However, history shows that when push comes to shove, that only those who trust in the power of love, and love, survive. Military power can be checkmated. A nuclearized Africa, as will soon be the case, despite the silliness that Africans are not good at science, will be a match to America.

Delude your self, but if you live long enough, you would be disabused of your delusions about Africans inferiority. Hitler saw the Russians as an inferior people, and the same inferior people destroyed his army, and made the arrogant rat commit suicide in his burrow-bunker. By the same token, the Romans underestimated the barbarians, and the barbarians destroyed them.

Americans keep on attacking black persons, and it never occurs to them that black persons might feel pain and counter attack them. They rest in the illusion that, since black persons are weak militarily, that there is nothing they can do. But they will learn. In fact, America’s actions are preparing Africans to fight back.

Today, America’s arms merchants sell their outdated military weapons to Africans, and encourage one tribe to fight others. Thus, there are wars all over Africa, and American arms producers make profits. The sociopaths actually enjoy selling arms to Africans, to kill themselves with. In their minds, they have killed two birds with one stone, made profits from selling their arms, and dividing and conquering Africans. If you get Africans fighting one another, they would be sapped of strength, and unable to fight their real enemy, whites, they would be too weak, and are easily dominated.

But there is another angle to this situation. Generations of Africans now grow up witnessing wars, and seeing people die all around them. They become immune to the idea of death. They know that, sooner or latter, all human beings would die. They overcome their fear of harm and death, and are able to insist on tolerating life only on the condition of justice. Like Thomas Paine, they would say, give me liberty or give me death.

I grew up during the Biafran war, and as a kid, saw hundreds of dead people strung all over the place, after each battle. Since then, when I see a human being, I see a dead and rotting body. You may paint yourself all you want; you are no more than a whited Sepulchre to me. I do not respect the human body. I know what it is, rotten, smelly garbage. I respect only justice. You cannot impress me with your body. I believe that many Africans are at my stage of evolution. They would not mind destroying bodies, for they know that bodies are no different than trees, vegetables and animals. What matters in human life is what we do, not what our bodies are.

In the meantime, one sees Americans over-valuing their bodies. They strike you as thoughtless children, who are not aware of their existential reality, and the nothingness of the human body.

When I was in college, I used to observe America’s know nothing university professors pretend to be something important. I would visualize their dead bodies and go vomit. To me, they were nothing, period. I am an existentialist, and look at man realistically, not the illusions that America takes as reality. See Sartre, Being and Nothingness.

Africans who have come close to white Americans, and dealt with them for a sustained period of time, generally develop contempt for them. They see them as either amiable fools or irredeemable racists.

The sociopathic African, upon confronting what seems to him racist Americans, takes out his anger at them, by stealing from them. Many of the Nigerians stealing from Americans, the 419 crowd, are in fact engaged in a misguided sort of covert war with those they perceive as their enemies, those who had fattened themselves from their suffering. (See Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.) Be that as it may, one is a law and order type of person, and these criminals ought to be arrested and punished. I would myself send these idiots to prison. In fact, I would shoot and kill them. No one has a right to take what other people worked for. One cannot sanction thievery under any circumstances, and draconian punishment should be meted out to the Nigerian rogues scamming Americans.

For all its problems, America is still a decent country. As a matter of fact, one sees no immediate replacement for America. Europe and Asia are spent political forces, and cannot offer us an alternative to America. Russia is a primitive country, and of no relevance to the current political discourse. I am invested in America’s survival, I just want to improve her, make her a race free country.

In the long run, I know that since mankind began in Africa, that the most mature civilization would sprout in Africa. Africa is where all mankind would come together, and start a truly glorious civilization, where we love one another. As Jesus said during the water to wine miracle, at the wedding at Cana, the best wine is reserved for the last. The best human civilization would come out of Africa, it fits.

In that vein, since Africa is the cradle of mankind, the United Nations must be head quartered in Africa. One sees a future where Nairobi, Kenya is the headquarters of a world government. But this is not going to happen in the next few years. Power politics rules that out.

In time, Africa would correct its present lacking. Africa lacks dedicated leaders. In fact, it can be said that contemporary Africans lack knowledge of modern leadership, management and organizational skills. See, many African leaders are corrupt and make a mess of their countries. But all that would be rectified soon, as true Africans take over the reins of leadership, and drive away the compradors of western colonialism from African leadership positions,

One often wonders whether white people believe in their propaganda that black people are not intelligent? Are these folks merely propagating rubbish, calculated to make black Americans feel inadequate, hence permit whites who are propagated to be intelligent, to rule them? Is it all propaganda or do whites, really believe in the drivel of African unintelligence? If they believe that Africans are unintelligent, obviously, they are insane, and have dug their own graves. Actually, it serves Africans well for white persons to believe that nonsense, so that they would not take Africans seriously, and when push comes to shove, they would be surprised, as the Romans were surprised that those they considered barbarians, Germans sacked them.

If white America must test black Americans, then first teach them the subjects you are testing them on. Moreover, include them in America’s culture, so that they feel part of it, and internalize its parameters, before they are tested on it. You cannot keep black persons apart from white culture, and they form their own sub-cultures and then test them with instruments meant to test folks who adapted to white culture.

In America, American black kids go to crummy secondary schools where they are taught nothing, literally, and then they are tested (SAT) with instruments that assume that they went to real secondary schools. This is an outrage. If you actually had qualified teachers teaching these kids mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geology-- the subjects that matter in our world, many of them would shine at them. In Los Angeles, a dedicated mathematics teacher got an inner city school to graduate students with almost perfect scores in calculus.

Are whites really unable to see what they are doing to the black population? If so, they are truly evil. They are so deceived that there is no redemption for them. If they do not see their evil, then they are born sociopaths and sadists, as many black psychologists believe, that they are. (The typical educated African believes that white Americans are narcissist and sociopath.)

American whites waste black people’s time. You are educated and they would not offer you jobs. White America does not offer black persons the opportunity to find and demonstrate what they are made of and then turn around and say that black persons have produced nothing significant. This is an outrage.

America is despicable. Consider that its schools deliberately discourage thinking and intellectual pursuits. Its high schools do not reward students who think for them selves. Thinkers necessarily challenge the status quo, and seek better social arrangements. If a student dares challenge the status quo the lackeys of the establishment called psychologists would diagnose him as opposition defiant, and fill him up with psychotropic medications, in a misguided effort to make him conform to the system. America is damaging its young people’s bodies with psycho stimulant medications; those with ADHD are given Ritalin and other amphetamines to so over stimulate them that they do not think. Who knows what the long term, genetic effects of these medications would be?

America’s schools discourage thinking even at the university level. An exception is in the world of technology. America shines in technology, but not in pure sciences…the seminal ideas that underpin science came from Europe.

America’s culture eschews thinking, and if you are the thinking type, you had better know that America would punish you or ignore you. America rewards only practical people. It offers people opportunity to make a good living in the economic arena, but punishes them, if they want to utilize their brains. As it were, America construes people as only animals, and offer them food, but shuts down what truly makes us human, our ability to think.

America has produced only few outstanding philosophers: William James and John Dewey’s Pragmatism.

We are currently undergoing what is called America’s cultural imperialism, whereby American culture dominates other cultures. The interesting thing is that this cultural imperialism is actually shaped by African cultures. The aspects of American culture that people worldwide imitate are black Americans heavily influenced aspect of it: music, sports and entertainment. African Americans heavily shape America’s popular culture.

So much for the nonsense that Africans have contributed nothing to America’s civilization. Actually, if we examine those areas where American whites made significant contributions, we see that there were black men lurking in the background. It is not an exaggeration to say that black Americans contributed to most white-American inventions.

CRITICISM

I do not bear grievances against any one who has harmed black people in the past, but I insist that the person change his harmful ways, and learn to love rather than harm people.

I forgive but do not condone evil. One of the delightful passages in Nietzsche’s writing, is his poking fun at Jesus’ insistence on forgiveness. If you blanketedly forgave evildoers, and did not do anything to correct their behaviors, it follows that murderers should be left free. We would leave rapists to roam our streets, endangering women, and did nothing about it. We would leave the misguided Talibans to oppress women in Afghanistan. If forgiveness were taken to its logical conclusion, we would revert to living in a jungle. Civilization requires us to arrest and punish criminals. However, while incarcerated we can teach criminals appropriate social behaviors.

In this light, I wish America well. In fact, of all extant countries, arguably America is one of the best. Its political structure is probably one of the best in the world. In my writings on African politics, I suggest that we borrow America’s federal structure…center, state, county and towns/cities and appropriate governments. I suggest that Africa become a federation, and that each of its 500 or so tribes become a state. I suggest that we have a president; a legislature and a Supreme Court, modeled on American lines, and at the state level have governor, legislature and judiciary and at the county level, a county administrator, county council and court and at the town level a mayor, city council and magistrate court.

There is a lot to admire in America. As a matter of fact, if its founding fathers were not slaveholders, I would suggest that African children read about them. (As it is, Jefferson, Washington and company are not African role models, for they were oppressors. I often wondered why an obviously intelligent man as Thomas Jefferson had slaves? One can understand if the ordinary soldier boy, George Washington, had slaves, but Jefferson, an intellectual? The man’s voracious reading reminds me of my self. He is, in fact, a kindred spirit. Although I generally do not sees white Americans that seem intelligent, I grudgingly admit that Jefferson seems intelligent. He could even be an Ibo man. Yet I detest him for having other people work to provide for his well-being, while he lived off their sweat. A slave owner cannot be a hero of mankind. Only those who love all of us are our heroes.)

America has a lot to offer mankind and we are grateful to her for it. Just think of the contributions she has made to the world of technology: telegraphs, telephones, electricity, radio, television, automobiles, aeroplanes, VCR, computers, Internet etc.

Americans have contributed more than their fair share to the well being of mankind and we all must respect them for it.

Nevertheless, America has a weakness; a weakness that, if not corrected, will lead to its downfall. No one should quibble about this fact. The way whites treat black persons has all the makings of tragedy. All though whites think that blacks are not intelligent and cannot pull them down, they are about to be exposed to their worst nightmare. They do not know who Africans are.

Africans are an ancient people. They are kind, but they can be vicious. I know that I myself can close my eyes, and destroy the entire world, if it is not a just place. I do not care for an unjust world. At any rate, if you must have an unjust world, it will not be at our expense.

You do not have the right to live off my suffering, and if you insist, you must die, and I would not feel guilty at all from killing you. In fact, I believe that the universe is better off without you. And I do not squeamish upon seeing blood, death and dying. I am not a pacifist. Dead bodies mean nothing to me. Men are born, grow, age and die. The human body is just another variety of biological matter, not that different from animals and trees. That is our fate. All that matters is that within the time frame we are given to live on earth that we live lovingly. Sooner or later, we must die so I am not willing to tolerate injustice, just so that I keep my body alive. As I see it, if you must live, live well or die. I completely agree with Roman Stoic philosophers like Epectatus, Seneca, Cicero, and Marcus Aurelius. With Ovid, I say: Carpe Dien, Seize the day. Live fully and then die, and disappear into the nothingness from whence we came. Do not beg to live, but if you live, live well.

America is courting trouble by maltreating black persons. It is risking the rage of black people. It may have trained black Americans to accept their masochistic social conditions, but it cannot train ancient Africans to accept abuse. In a world where weapons of mass destruction will soon be available to all mankind, I think that you had better learn how to be fair to all people. Those who are angry with you, and who want to destroy you, will find a way to accomplish their goal. It is truly sad that the only models of black persons white Americans have are black Americans, those socialized to accept their slavery and second class social status. These white folks are actually not aware that there are black persons who would off with their heads in a minute if they felt insulted by them. My grandfather felt insulted that a British District Officer dared talk, when he was talking, and wanted him punished. Apparently, white America has no idea of who Africans are, at all. It is this unawareness that Africans are men, prideful men, men that would do everything to destroy you, if you degraded them that would bring the American polity down. When this writer felt discriminated against by whites, he felt angry enough to resolve to work for the fall of America. One sufficiently determined person could bring a whole civilization down.

The desire for vengeance keeps people alive. Jesus may talk all he wants about forgiveness, but the fact is that those you humiliate, particularly the type of humiliation black persons have suffered in the hands of white persons, must seek restitution, or there would be no peace in this world. You do not deliberately and consistently insult a people, and pretend that you are a nice person; you are not, and ought to be punished. Although your insulting behavior can be understood as childish… blacks generally see whites as childish… the fact is that in the adult world, if you keep on insulting people, you must be dealt with, to teach you not to do so, ever again. The first lesson one ought to learn about human beings is that they are nothing seeking to seem like they are something and therefore that you ought to respect them if you want to be in their good graces. If you do what reminds them of what Alfred Adler called their feelings of inferiority, they will get back at you. They will kill you to prove to themselves that they have existential worth.

The good thing about human nature is that those who perceive you to be fair would never harm you. I would never harm an America that I see as fair to black people.

Africans are an intensely religious people. Many of them are even Christians, if you understand what Christianity means. Christianity is not the nonsense represented by the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches of America. Christianity is any effort to live like Jesus.

Jesus is the fullest manifestation of God (Holy Spirit) on earth. God is unified spirit and love. His manifestation is love and teaches love. Jesus taught people to love one another, and to forgive one another their mistakes…while correcting them.

The Holy Spirit is the spirit of correction. It corrects our mistake of separation from God, and from our real selves. It corrects our hatreds and teaches us to love one another.

Jesus, having fully identified with the Holy Spirit, teaches love and forgiveness, and Africans readily accept this aspect of Christianity.

Africans practice love and forgiveness and correction of mistakes. They have loved their white brothers and, more or less, forgiven their sins of enslaving them…after all they, too, played a role in it. Africans sold their brothers, and their brothers' fears disposed them to tolerate sadomasochistic relationship with white folks.

Africans have reached the end of their tolerance for pain. From now on, whites must give up their sadistic, socipathic nature, and learn to love, rather than exploit, and abuse black people. If they refuse to learn this lesson, well, will they take the consequences of their behaviors? An evil world has no business existing, not for another day. May a loving America survive, but may a sadistic, sociopathic America perish, now.

(Some white psychologists would like to prove that black people are born sociopaths. Look who is calling names? Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Groups that killed Indians, stole their land, and enslaved Africans, and show no remorse for their crime against humanity, by any ones definition, qualify as anti social personalities. It is the kettle calling the pot black. )

Currently we live in the age of Arab terrorism. On September 11, 01 Moslem Arab terrorists attacked and killed thousands of Americans. Since then, Americans are understandably paranoid. They do not take any one’s loyalty for granted. Like the clinically paranoid personality, they are suspicious, guarded and scan their environment, looking for danger. Any one perceived to be anti American is arrested and jailed, and denied due legal process, to defend his self. Indeed, he may be tortured and killed as the events that transpired at the Abu Ghraib prison attest.

These days, many people are self-censored; apparently, they do not want legal hassles. For what it is worth, let it be said that this writer is willing to fight for America against the Islamicists. For all its problems, America is at this point in time the best country on earth; indeed, she is still the best hope for mankind. I want to change America but not destroy it.

Arabs enslaved Africans, and currently are killing them in Sudan, and Mauritania. In the past, they killed Africans in North Africa to take it over and call it their home. North Africa is what the name says: the home of black people, for the name Africa means the home of black people (Latin Aferi is black, and the Romans saw blacks living in North Africa, hence called it the home of black people).

One is not a supporter of Islamic terrorism and its theocratic goals. One does not want to return to primitive, seventh century Arabia. One wants to work towards a just world, where all people, black, white, Arabs etc. live.

REPRESSED GUILT AND DEPRESSION

Americans are human beings? Normal human beings do feel guilty when they commit crimes. As human beings, Americans must feel guilty for the evil they have consistently visited on Africans. However, like the sociopath, they deny their guilt and shove it into their unconscious. They use facile rationalizations to excuse their apparent evil towards Africans. When that guilt tries to surface, a flunky psychologist comes up with spurious evidence showing that blacks are not quiet human hence justifying abuse of them. That way whites feel good about themselves, despite living in an evil society.

But repressed guilt is still there. Sooner or later, the repressed guilt will come out. At that point, I expect a substantial number of white Americans to become depressed. Their psychiatrists would then fill their bodies with serotonine reuptake blockers, the so-called anti depressants, happy pills…Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Those merely give temporary pleasure, and postpone awareness of guilt.

Sooner or later, America must confront its evil, and experience its masked depression. That depression would be good for it. In the Paranoid Process, and Psychotherapy for Paranoia, William Messner pointed out that, among other things, paranoia is an attempt to deny an underlying depression.

The paranoid feels guilty and evil from his actions (identification with the ego and lack of love for other people) but denies and masks it with his obsessive compulsive seeking of grandiose power and social importance. Paranoid America compulsively seeks power and fame. When she stops seeking power and fame, she recognizes her underlying depression.

When the paranoid person, America, accepts his underlying sense of nothingness, and accepts that worth and meaning is found only in love, for all mankind, he becomes healed. A healthy human being must accept our existential reality, our apparent lack of special-ness, power and importance.

Man is an animal that knows himself as nothing, and seeks to seem something important. When one accepts existential reality, one overcomes depression, and paranoia. Interestingly, when one accepts human existential reality, nothingness, and one is ready for redemption, deliverance and salvation from the prison and bondage of the ego.

When man recognizes that he is not in control of any thing, and that what religious people call God, is in charge of his world, he becomes humble, and attains inner peace and joy.

For our present purposes American whites feel guilty for the evil they visited on Africans, deny it with facile rationalizations, but sooner or later they must acknowledge their evil, and ask for forgiveness. They must go through their repressed depression, if they are to become a civilized group.

A truly civilized people love and work for the good of all humanity, instead of exploit people for their selfish goals.

It is always useful for one to see how other people perceive one. Man is not an island, he is a social being. He is how he sees himself, and how other people see him, combined. It would help Americans to see how Africans see them. This catalogue of American shortcomings could become an opportunity for Americans to start making amends for their past evil, hence become truly human. At present, they strike one as over fed children contemptible creatures that one tolerates because they control the world economy, and have the military power to make one humor them, by telling them that one obeys them.

One obeys only reason, not people.

The rule of sadomasochism must come to an end. We need a new world order, one based on love. We need the type of society true Christianity advocates for, a love-based society, a society where we love ourselves and each other, and doing to others how we want them to do to us.

REFERENCES

Alfred Adler, The Neurotic Constitution. In Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler. Ed Henry Stein. San Francisco, CA: Alfred Adler Institute, 2003.

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Washington DC. APA Press, 1994.

Jeremy Bentham. The Economic Writings of Jeremy Bentham. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Eric Fromm. Escape from Freedom New York: Morrow/Avon, 1994.

Man For Himself. New York: Routledge, 1999.

Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. New York; Henry Holt and Company, 1992.

Edward Gibbons. The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire. New York: Random House, 2003.

Adolf Hitler. Mein Kampf. New York: CPA Books, 2002.

Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan. New York: Broadview Press, 2002.

David Hume. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Harold Lasswell. Psychotherapy and Politics. New York: Textbook Publishers, 2003.

Harold Lasswell. Politics: Who Gets What, When and How. New York: Peter Smith Publisher, 1990.

John Locke. Two Treatises of Government. New York: Nuvision Publications, 2004.

Nicolo Machievelli. The Prince. New York: Sagebrush Educational Resources, 2003.

Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Nuvision Publications, 2003.

William Messner. The Paranoid Process. New York: Aaron Aronson Publishers, 1980.

------ Psychotherapy and the Paranoid Process. New York: Aaron Aronson Publishers, 1994.

John Stuart Mill. Principles of Political Economy. New York: Prometheus, 2003.

John Stuart. Mill. On Liberty. New Heaven, Con.: Yale University Press, 2003.

Ozodi T. Osuji, Real-Self Psychology. Real Self Center, Seattle, 2004.

Thomas Paine. Common Sense. New York: Broadway Press, 2004.

Jean Jacques Rousseau. Social Contract. New York: Dover Publications, 2004.

Adam Smith. Wealth of Nations. New York: Penguin Group, 2004.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji, PhD

Africa Institute, Seattle

600-1 Avenue, Suite 325

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Sadomasochism and America's Future, Part I

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji (Seatle Washington) --- ABSTRACT: This essay points out the symbiotic relationship between white and black America, with whites playing the dominant role, and expecting blacks to play the subservient role. It claims that the system is based on human fearfulness, with the weak fearing harm by the strong. The relationship of white and black America is sadomasochistic. The essay argues that if this sociopolitical structure is not altered, in favor of equalitarian relationship, that, sooner or later, the oppressed black persons would break free from the fear that makes them tolerate white abuse, and lunch a relentless attack on those that abuse them. At that juncture, America, like past empires based on oppression, would fall.

Part two of the essay provided information on religions, and the role they play in maintaining extant societies. Religion is generally distorted and manipulated by the leaders of society to help them maintain their chosen social structure, but true religion is pursuit of knowledge of who we are.

INTRODUCTION

One has always wondered why great empires decline. Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, India, Arab Moslem Caliphates, Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire, Attila the Hun’s Empire, France, Britain, Russia etc. were once great empires that today are shadows of their former selves. What happened to bring those great empires down?

I believe that past empires had Achilles heals that inevitably brought them down. Built into their greatness was the seed for their destruction.

In Greek tragedy, the hero’s character has something in it that propels him to greatness, and, yet must drag him down. The tragic hero is blinded, and unable to see his character flaw, and change it. If he was able to see his weakness, and changed it, he would not rise to greatness, and would not fall, and would not be considered a tragic hero. As the Greeks see it, life is interesting precisely because we are all like the tragic hero living a charmed life with built in traits that must bring about our ruin, and yet we do not see them. Character foibles in us, that other people easily see, we do not see, because, as it were, the gods blind us to them. Apparently, the gods want us to rise to the top, and then fall. It seems human beings are an amusement for the gods? If we did not rise and fall we would be like the gods, and the gods would loose the source of their fun and hilarity?

As an outsider, an African, I see Americans character weaknesses, vividly, but apparently, Americans do not see them. It seems that they are blinded to these apparent weaknesses. As it were, they must have those weaknesses, if they are to rise to the apogee of world civilization, and then collapse. If they did not have their character weaknesses, they would not become the world’s sole and arrogant superpower, and, then, eventually decline. The gods, apparently, destined that America rise to the zenith of power, and collapse, so that they would not miss their scheduled laughter? The gods must have their humor at our expense?

Apparently, Americans cannot change their character weaknesses, for if they were to change them, they would not achieve great things; they would be ordinary, and the ordinary is of no importance to history. The tragic hero is fated to achieve his greatness, and America, a tragic hero, must achieve its greatness. America must have its rendezvous with destiny. In this light, one is not naively trying to change Americans; one merely observes them, as one sees them.

It is very difficult for Americans to imagine their country not very powerful. That is human nature. But we are, however, dealing with reality, and that reality is that great powers come and go. History does not respect our pride and vanity. Indeed, it is our hubris that guarantees that we must do what trips us, and brings our fall. Only yesterday, the Soviet Union was a colossal world power. She had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world several times over. No body could have imagined that that other superpower could collapse in a matter of days. Despite her ability to destroy the world, today, Russia is in the dumps, and does not matter in world power politics, although she still pretends to matter. C’est la vie, Gorbachov said, and rode into the sunset, taking his defunct communist empire with him.

Past empires died for some reasons. We shall explore two of those reasons here. They died, inter alia, because they were built on fear and sadomasochism.

America, like past empires, is built on fear and sadomasochism, and, if it does not change that situation, it, too, must die. America’s massed nuclear weapons would not be able to save it, as similar weapons did not save Russia.

(If America hopes that her possession of weapons of mass destruction would make other people kowtow her line, well, we got news for her; the possession of those weapons does not cow any body with courage in his soul. In fact, they arouse defiance in the truly courageous human being. The truly courageous person lives with a simple motto: give me social justice, or give me death; life is not worth living, if it is to be lived in an unjust environment.)

The universe does not make excuses for our weaknesses, and behaviors predicated on them. The universe has implicit in it the rule that our behaviors have consequences, good or bad. If we do certain bad things, we must receive certain bad consequences. Empires built on fear and sadomasochism are required by the universe to fall. There is no compromise here. If you think that there is compromise, then where are past empires, today? America must change its ways, or join the have-been empires of the past. In fact, if it does not change its ways, its fall would be sudden, and more spectacular than the collapse of the Soviet Union. It could all happen in a month, as was the case of the other evil empire, the Soviet Empire. Just one attack by Arab terrorists, and the American economy was shook to its foundations, and has not really recovered yet. Imagine what would happen, if there were sustained and relentless attacks on America?

Erich Fromm, in his various writings, particularly Escape from Freedom, Man for Himself, and Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, elaborated on the nature of sadomasochism. He is useful background reading. However, I will focus on my own understanding of what sadomasochism means.

FEAR

To be human is to be fearful. In fact, fear is one of the two emotions that best characterize human beings. The other is love. Fear separates us, and love unifies us.

One cannot be a human being without being fearful. If you were not fearful, or if fearful, and could overcome your fear you would escape from humanity and, as it were, return to the abode of the gods. Human beings are fearful and the gods are fearless.

(I employ the term gods, not because I believe in them, but because I am writing in the tradition of Greek tragedy. The Greeks believed in many gods. See Homer’s Odyssey, and Iliad and Sophocles tragedies.)

We are fearful because it is fear that keeps us alive in human form. Fear maintains our physical lives on earth.

We live in bodies. Our bodies are vulnerable to attack, pain, injury and, ultimately, death. If a person shoots your body with a bullet, he injures, and inflicts pain on it. If the bullet enters certain parts of your body, say the heart, and or brain, the chances are that you would die.

The human body can be inflicted pain on, harmed and destroyed. Therefore, to stay alive, the body devised a means of alerting itself to that which could cause it pain, harm, and death. The human body devised fear as a signal, alerting it to environmental threats to its integrity and existence, and compels it to take measures that protect it. Fear keeps people alive in bodies.

Love makes them peaceful and happy.

For fear to perform its function of enabling us to defend ourselves against environmental attack it must work in an involuntary manner. When threatened, you do not stop, and ask what you should do; fear takes over, and makes you do what you have done to survive.

A person points a gun at you, and threatens to kill you. Without thinking about it, your body releases adrenaline, a neuro-exciter, and it stimulates the workings of most of your biological processes. Your heart pounds very fast; your body releases stored energy, and blood rushes it to all parts of your body, giving them strength to fight or run from whatever is threatening you. Your stomach either reduces or stops digesting food, so as to rush blood to where it is needed, the muscles, for example, to prepare them to fight back, or flee from the danger confronting you. Your lungs breathe faster, and drag in more oxygen into your body, and blood rushes that oxygen to all parts of your body, enabling them to have the energy they need to respond to the perceived attack. Your nervous system works very fast sending messages to the brain and the brain interprets them and gives feedback on how you should respond, and that information is rushed to your muscles. The brain asks stored information in its memory bank whether you have the capability to successfully deal with the present danger or to run from it? If your past experiences believe that you can fight back it asks you to stay and fight, and if not, it compels you to run, hence the involuntary fight-flight response of fear.

The purpose of fear is to enable us take measures to protect our biological life. What currently serves our survival needs could be running from an attacker, or fighting it. If one misjudges what is an appropriate response to perceived danger, and do the wrong thing, one is harmed, and may even be killed, but if one judges correctly, one lives to see another d

Fear has survival value for all animals, human beings included. Those animals with deficient fear response mechanism seldom do what they have to do to defend them, and die. There are children who are born with deficient pain/fear response mechanism, do not feel much pain and fear, and, therefore, do not take adequate measures to protect themselves. They generally die young. If fire burns you, and you do not feel pain, and consequently develop healthy avoidance of fire, you would be badly burned, and die from fire-induced injury.

Given our paradoxical world, that which is useful to us, generally, is also detrimental to us. Fear is a two edged sword. It enables us to survive, but implicit in it is our tendency to tolerate social oppression. Because human beings are fearful, they tend to anticipate what could harm and or kill them, and avoid them. And where they cannot avoid danger, they do what they have to do to survive despite it, and that includes permitting stronger persons to lord it over them.

All human beings can harm or kill other human beings. If I want to, I can harm or kill you, and you can harm or kill me, if you want to. Man is a threat to other men. Because we are a threat to each other, we naturally fear each other. We take actions to protect ourselves from each other. As Thomas Hobbes pointed out in his seminal work, Leviathan, government was instituted largely to protect us from each other’s potential threats. In the state of nature, apparently, human beings were predators and killed each other at will, and or used each other to procure their welfare. Hobbes observed that in nature, human life was “nasty, brutish and short”.

To protect ourselves, we anticipate that our fellow human beings can injure us. Some human beings do, in fact, take advantage of the fact that human beings can harm and or kill one another. They threaten other people, exploit them for their own good, and, indeed, kill them if they do not do as they are told to do.

SADISM

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (1994) noted in its sections on personality disorders, that antisocial personalities enjoy exploiting, harming and even killing their fellow human beings. These people do not have conscience and enjoy hurting other people. They have no remorse and guilt feeling from exploiting, hurting and or killing people. Indeed, it gives them a sense of power and sadistic joy to use and or harm other people.

MASOCHISM

The average human being wants to live. He so desperately wants to live in body that when threatened by sociopaths would readily do what they are told to do. Terrorists know this fact. They randomly kill a few persons, and make the rest of the people feel that they, too, could be randomly killed. The people, therefore, feel fear. Feeling fearful, they do what the terrorist asks them to do. Thus, terrorists intimidate, and control people by manipulating their tendency to fear.

(How would you respond if a mugger pointed a gun at you, and demanded your money, or he killed you? Ninety nine percent of human beings probably would feel fear, and, to live, give their money to the thug. The run of humanity is bloody cowardly. Perhaps, only one percent would defy fear, and do what is honorable, fight for justice, and, if necessary, die in the process? There are not too many courageous people out there. The average human being is a lily livered coward, and knows it. Because they are cowards begging to exist in bodies, whoever has a sadistic will to power can get them to do what ordinarily they would not like to do. Hitler, a sadist who enjoyed killing people, got them to do, as he wanted them to do. Sadists exercise power over masochists.)

Because the average human being is fearful, and would kowtow to the demands of sadists, sadists manipulate them. Sadistic and criminal politicians exploit human tendency to fear. They arrange social relationships in such a manner that sadistic persons rule the fearful persons around them.

(Most leaders of human societies tend to have elevated sociopathy in their personality profiles. Politicians, judges, soldiers, policemen, prison wardens, bureaucrats, businessmen etc tend to be narcissistic and or antisocial in personality structures. They feel special, and desire admiration from other people; they feel justified in exploiting other people, whom they perceive to be inferior to them; they feel entitled to the best things in life.)

SADOMASOCHISM

In my observation, all extant human societies are arranged in a manner that those who are less afraid to harm, and or kill rule those who are afraid of harm and death. Those who do not mind killing a few persons, every now and then, rule those who are squeamish of blood. All human societies are organized sadomasochistically. (This is obviously an assertion. Refute it, if you can.)

In the Prince, Machievalli advised rulers to deliberately and randomly jail, and or kill a few people, every now and then, so as to instill the fear of harm and death in them, and, thereby, get them to obey them. Machievelli observes that most people obey the laws of the land out of fear, not because those laws have any shred of justice in them. He advised leaders to instill fear and respect for them, in the people, if they want to be obeyed.

My observations of human societies show me that sociopaths rule all human societies, and that all human societies, past and present, are organized on sadomasochistic basis. The sadistic element rules the masochistic elements. This includes contemporary America.

(I am limiting my analysis to America, not because she is different from other societies, but because I chose her as my focus of analysis. Moreover, I believe that America is the last of the great empires based on sadomasochism; after her, we shall enter a new era of human civilization, one based on egalitarianism and love.)

A sadist enjoys harming and killing people. A masochist seems to enjoy being harmed by sadists. As utilitarian philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and John Mill tell us, people prefer pleasure to pain. No healthy human being enjoys pain. The masochist is merely submitting to the abuses of the sadist because he wants to avoid infliction of pain, from the latter, not because he likes pain.

For our present purposes, in all human societies are two classes of people, sadists and masochists, and the sadists’ rule the masochists. This is the way it is in Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and everywhere else human beings live.

Masochists do not relish the pain from the abuses of their sadistic rulers. They tolerate their pain and abuses until they are able to throw out the yoke of the sadists ruling them. It may take hundreds of years, but the human capacity for pain tolerance is limited, and at some point, the abused and oppressed have had enough, and fight for their freedom from pain. When the masses defy fear of harm and death, and fight their rulers, the rulers being sociopath, hence cowards (only the loving is courageous), run, and another social order comes to an end.

In On liberty, John Stuart Mill observed that liberty is obtained only when a significant number of human beings are willing to stand up, and fight for it. As long as the majority of the people are afraid to fight for their freedom and, if necessary, die, they are not ready for freedom, and would be ruled by tyrants. Thomas Paine said: give me liberty, or give me death. If the individual has not embraced this battle cry of freemen, the sadists who rule his society would oppress him.

It usually takes a few eminently courageous persons to mobilize, organize and lead the masses out of their bondage to sociopaths. Spactaccus, a courageous slave, organized his fellow slaves and resisted the Roman yoke. Indeed, it was when the enslaved Germanic elements in the Roman Empire fought back, under Theodosius that that empire of oppression came crashing down. It should be recalled that Rome was divided into two classes, patricians and plebeians, rulers and slaves. The slaves were supposed to tolerate their rulers, and to accept the abuses of their rulers; they were supposed to see this sadomasochistic social relationship as natural, and accept it. (See Edward Gibbons, The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire.)

Nor was Rome unique in its sociopolitical organization. All past empires were organized on a sadomasochistic basis, and lasted for as long as the masses allowed themselves to be abused, and oppressed by their sadistic rulers.

In our own lifetime, we witnessed sadistic communists oppressing the masses of Russia. But at some point, the masses of Russia resisted their sadistic communist oppressors. The picture of Boris Yeltsin on top of a tank, that came to crush the people’s rebellion, is forever imprinted in the minds of freedom loving persons all over the world. Yeltsin is a hero of mankind and will forever be celebrated as a liberator of human beings from the yoke of oppressors. Another heroic picture is the young Chinese man who stood in front of a tank, during the 1989 Tienemein square rebellion against Chinese communist dictators.

Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, France (Frankish Empire, that is,) Britain, Russia etc were all based on a sadomasochistic social model. In England, a brutal criminal gang that called themselves kings, dukes, earls, counts and what not, oppressed the masses with an iron fist. The English, beginning with the magna carter, 1215 AD, gradually gained their freedom from the thugs who ruled them.

(The thugs who dominated European politics called themselves aristocrats, and claimed to rule by the authority of God, the idea of divine right of kings. It took Jean Jacque Rousseau’s Social Contract, and John Locke’s Second Treaty on Government, to point out that only the people’s general will legitimizes all political authority and power over them.)

I will not write the specific history of past empires here (though, as a history enthusiast, I am familiar with most countries’ histories). The relevant point I wish to make is that all past empires were predicated on oppression of the many by the few, and that that oppression was based on human tendency to fear, and the fact that the fearful generally permit the fearless to tell them what to do.

The thesis of this essay is that all past and extant political arrangements are based on sadomasochistic arrangements.

Do you have any problems with my thesis? If you can refute it, I would gladly change it. I do not, however, want an emotional refutation. I deal in the world of facts, not sentiments. I am a political realist, not an idealist with a namby-pamby view of history, and human nature. The only difference between me and such political realists as, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Pareto, Joseph Shumpeter and Henry Kissinger is that I believe and, in fact, know that human nature can be changed. I believe that it is possible to have a non-sadomasochistic government. I believe that it is possible to have a non-fear based government. I believe that it is possible to have governments that sought ways to reduce fear in people, rather than increase and exploit it. I know that the future organization of the world is going to be more humane and not oppressive. In this positive light, America is the last of the sadomasochistic empires of the world. We are entering a glorious era in human history, one where we are truly “our brother’s keeper” (Bible) and “from each according to his abilities, and to each according to his needs” (Karl Marx).

AMERICA’ SADOMASOCHISTIC POLITY

America’s government and society are based on fear and sadomasochism. This is a fact, and not a conjecture. America must change this form of socio-political organization, or experience the fate of other societies organized along this primitive pattern of social organization. America has no choice, but to change; if she does not change she would be passed over by history.

The American people and government that I observe is one where government and ruling is based on the assumption that the people are a fearful bunch. The rulers assume, perhaps unconsciously, but mostly consciously, that the people are so afraid of harm and death, that if you threatened to arrest, harm or kill them that they would do as you asked them to do. By and large, this assumption is correct, for human beings are, in the main, cowards.

America’s government would last as long as the masses are fearful and easily intimidated. But should a significant number of Americans refuse to be intimidated, that is, become less fearful, and do not mind dying, America’s rulers would loose their grip on the masses. America controls its citizens, black and white, with fear and intimidation. As it were, America’s rulers are really terrorists. This is also how it is all over the world, so Americans are not unique, in this regard.

The point, however, is that when the people overcome their fear, and refuse to be intimidated, their rulers would no longer have control over them. At that point, the only appropriate government, one that fearless people would accept, is a Christ like government, a government that works for the well-being of all people, and sells its policies through persuasion, not intimidation.

One is not wishing America ill. In fact, I am one of those curious Africans that believe that America has offered the world a lot and wish her well. When Arab-Moslem terrorists attacked America on September 11, 04, I wished to join the American military and go fight them. What America represents, though unfulfilled, is still the best hope for mankind. Democracy and economic well being for all are worthy goals that all men of goodwill ought to aspire to.

Nevertheless, I am a student of history and human nature, and know that history does not countenance our weaknesses. If you refuse to change your weakness, and continue doing what would bring you down, you must be brought down. That is all there is to it.

The universe may not seem just to you, but it is just. The universe gives us chance to change and improve ourselves, and if we refuse to do so, it simply moves on, with or without us. It would be unfair for the universe to sanction sadomasochism forever. If it did, it would be an unfair universe. An unfair universe ought to be destroyed, now, not tomorrow.

The universe exists forever precisely because it is logical and gives us opportunities to make mistakes, and learn from our mistakes, and change. It gives empires opportunities to learn that oppression and abuse of human beings is not right, and if they keep doing so, it gets them to fall, and raises new empires from their ashes.

The Universe, through its most developed human beings like Buddha and Jesus Christ, insist that justice requires human beings to “do unto others how they want to be done to”.

What do you want other persons to do to you? If you are sane, you want to be loved by all people. Only the insane wants other people to inflict pain on him. Therefore, love other people. As Alfred Adler said, do only what serves social interests, not just your private interests. America must learn to serve all peoples interests, or die. It has no choice in the matter. The universe does not make excuses for America’s stupidity.

Now, let me show you why I know that America is based on fear and sadomasochism.

Let us see how America treats African Americans. Please feel free to let me know that my cataloguing of white America’s evil towards black people is wrong.

In 1492, Spaniards, under the Italian, Christopher Columbus, came to the Americas. The British, under the Italian, John Cabot, made forays to New Foundland in 1497, and Sir Walter Raleigh visited the Carolinas in the 1580s, but for all practical purposes, the British experiment in North America began in 1607, when they settled at James Town, Virginia. Twelve years latter, in 1619 the first African slaves were brought to Jamestown. Thus, in 1619 began the history of sadomasochistic relationship between whites and blacks in British North America.

Britain in 1619 was not more developed than some African empires were (Ghana, Mali, Songhai, etc.). Nevertheless, for some reasons, the British assumed that they were superior to the slaves they brought to the Americas. In the Americas, in general, not just in British America, white persons assumed that they were superior to black persons. They came up with all sorts of rationalizations, pseudo theology, and later pseudo science, to justify this silly view.

Based on their self-serving belief that they were superior to black people, white folks proceeded to arrange a social structure where blacks are abused by whites. They constructed a sadomasochistic society, where whites acted out the role of sadists, and Africans acted out the role of masochists.

Africans acted the masochistic role, not because they enjoyed pain and abuse but because like all human beings, they were prone to fear of pain, and when a determined group of sadists employed force on them, they went along with them.

Africans were enslaved, abused and oppressed in every way imaginable by white Americans.

Laws were made mandating that white folks abuse black folks, at will, and for black folks to accept this situation as the natural order of things. If black folks did not acquiesce to abuse, they were physically abused, and often killed. Given their natural fearfulness…as pointed out, the run of the mill human being, black or white, is prone to fear…black folks permitted white folks to abuse them.

White America and black America formed a sadomasochistic relationship. Whites became sadists and apparently seemed to enjoy abusing black folks. Black folks, fearing harm and death, allowed white folks to abuse them, hence acted, as masochists do, seem to enjoy abuse. Whites and blacks formed a symbiotic relationship, with whites assumed superior, and blacks assumed inferior.

(In the Dred Scott ruling, 1857, the Chief Justice of the American Supreme Court, Roger Taney, made it clear that he assumed white superiority over blacks, when he said that: “black persons have no rights that a white man should respect”. Some Nigerian criminals have turned Mr. Taney’s self serving rationalization on its head, and say that white America has no laws that black men should obey, hence justify their criminal activities on that ground. I know Nigerians who do not consider white Americans as human beings. They ask: how can a slave dealer, a discriminator, be a human being? He is either evil or an animal, and, as such, ought to be used, and discarded. Whites may not know that there are Africans who would like to use them as slaves, and will do so in the future, White America amuses itself with its notion of racial superiority when, in fact, those Africans who have lived with them tend to consider them inferior persons. Of course, all criminals are wrong, and ought to be arrested, and punished. But the point is that we can employ rationalizations to suit whatever we want rationalized. )

America has gone through some cosmetic restructuring; it has ameliorated the gross aspects of slavery. Nevertheless, racial discrimination, de facto and not necessarily de jure, is still the order of things in America. Many white folks simply assume that it is their god given right to discriminate against black folks. Like their forefathers, they have rationalizations for their abuse of black folks.

White America acted like terrorists and, for all practical purposes, is like a terrorist towards black Americans. Like the terrorist, they understood that human beings are prone to fear, and that if you randomly killed a few of them, and threatened to kill them all, that you would arouse fear in them, and in the process intimidate them into doing whatever you want them to do. White America randomly arrested, punished and killed black Americans, and intimidated the rest of them into obeying their unjust laws. They controlled black persons by terror, by manipulating fear. The Ku Klaus Klan, indeed, the entire American justice system, deliberately intimidated black Americans, and controlled them by instilling fear of harm and imprisonment and death in them. If black folks stepped out of line, they were apprehended, tried in white kangaroo courts, and sent to jails. Today, one out of every four young black male under age twenty-four is either in prison and or is supervised by parole and probation folks. America has the largest percentage of her population, mostly black persons, in jails compared to other countries in the world. (Once you have been in prison, your right to participate in politics, to vote, is taken way. Thus, some black conspiracy theorists argue that white America deliberately sends blacks to prisons, as a ruse for disenfranchising them, preventing them from participating in politics. Such persons see black prisoners as political prisoners, hence, a priori, pardon them, and would restore their citizen rights to vote and take part in politics.)

When you see black Americans you see fear written all over their faces. They are an intimidated and terrorized people. White persons terrorized them. White sadists and terrorists have, in essence, destroyed the life of black persons, and rendered them eternal slaves. (Until those of them who were not subjected to slavery show them what it means to be a free spirit, to be men, to be assertive and self confident human beings who look you in the face and ask you to do your worst, and are willing to die fighting for freedom, rather than live as fear controlled slaves. To live in fear, as black Americans do, is to live in hell, to be living dead. These people need to be resurrected from the grave that white sadists have relegated them to.)

Those who make sure that their fellow human beings live in fear cannot be called civilized persons. They are savages. White America is composed of sadistic, sociopath, and criminal personalities. These people used gun and intimidation to enslave Africans, and to expropriate Indian lands. They then turned around and told the rest of the world that the reason black persons and other minorities do not do well in America is because they are unintelligent. That is to say that they told lies and did so boldly.

The reason black persons are not making it in America is because a bunch of amoral psychopaths intimidated them. Those living in perpetual fear do not perform at their best.

White Americans are liars. If truth is said, they are contemptible specimen of humanity.

We are being moralistic, and should not be, but merely address ourselves to facts. In factual terms, those who abuse others are primitive human beings.

Truly civilized human beings do not rule by fear, but strive to reduce the fear that binds people; they do what they can to reduce fear in all people, knowing that those who live fearlessly tend to be more productive.

(No human being can live without fear; to have absolutely no fear is to die to individuality. It is fear that maintains the individual’s body, and keeps his ego self concept in place; if one completely lets go of all fear, one dies to the body, and ego, and returns to undifferentiated state, what religious persons call heaven and god. We are not interested in retuning to heaven yet. We must first make our separated, individuated world a loving place, before we leave it, and return to wherever we came from.)

RATIONALIZATIONS USED TO JUSTIFY RACISM

Now, let us examine some of the rationalizations on which discrimination is based. The father of these rationalizations is the belief that black people are less intelligent than white folks.

To provide evidence for the assumption that black folks are inferior to white folks, some white psychologists, pseudo scientists, really, cite the differential scores by the races on their intelligence tests. They claim that on their intelligence tests, that, on the average, black folks score fifteen points less than whites. (85:100). The main IQ testing instruments employed in North America are the Weshler Intelligence Scales for Children and Adults, and the Stanford Binnet Tests.

(Some black folks score at the highest level, 132 and above, on these tests, but this fact is not made known to the public. What the public is told is that black folks, on the average, score low on these tests, and most whites, even those with lower than average scores on the tests, the mentally retarded types, IQ under 70, assume that they score higher than all black persons. The IQ propaganda is aimed at planting the impression in the minds of white folks that all black persons are not intelligent; hence dispose them to discriminate against black folks. By the way, in syllogism, if you can show that one black person has superior IQ, you cannot make a categorical statement that all black persons are unintelligent. One does not, however, expect brain dead racist psychologists to be logical persons.)

It should be noted that Oriental persons, on the average, score fifteen points more than White persons. (115:100).

(How do you explain this differences…the average Asian score is more like the above average white score…the above average score is 115-130. Are Orientals genetically superior to white persons, or is the difference explained with such variables as the fact that Orientals tend to be disciplined, and study very hard, and possess a culture that is rational, and encourages thinking? Hinduism and Buddhism are decidedly rational philosophies that encourage the development of thinking faculty in their adherents. It is interesting to watch white psychologists use the factors they reject in explaining why blacks score lower than whites, culture, to explain the differences between Asian and White persons.)

White racists also claim that black persons, on the average, do not do well at white schools, as reflected in their poor graduation rates from high schools and colleges.

It is true that, generally, black persons do not do well at American schools; they do poorly at such tests as SAT. The writers of the “Bell Curve” have made this point. (Also see the writings of Arthur Jensen, the great educational psychologist who is so intelligent that if you showed him the map of the world, he would not point out where Africa is. This is correct, and not made up. The ignorance of the average American is such that few of them are technically educated. It should also be noted that most of the distinguished scientists at America’s universities are foreigners. America imported its brilliant people, Europeans, and increasingly Asians were responsible for most of the Nobel prizes Americans won. America tends to produce less intelligent persons, although these empty headed morons masquerade as psychologists testing other persons’ intelligence. One ought to be intelligent before one tests others intelligence. I will give it to you straight: I seldom run into a white American who seems intelligent. I am yet to see an American that I would place ahead of any Ibo person. Given the choice, the average Ibo person would like another African to be his children’s teachers, not white Americans. To him, white Americans are not intelligent enough.)

Let us begin our refutation of racist propaganda by asking basic questions: who constructed the tests, on whose bases black persons are deemed unintelligent? White folks did?

Let us then ask: can tests constructed by black folks be used to test white folk’s intelligence? If not, why not?

Could it be because testing requires unequal power relationships? Adults test children, teachers test students. Colonizers test the colonized. The tester assumes his superior relationship with the tested.

Now, where is it written in nature that white folks are superior to black folks, and ought to be testing them? Shall we say that the fact that white folks test black folks is symbolic of the current unequal relationship between them?

The powerful decides what constitutes intelligence and tests the weak and when the weak becomes powerful, he defines what constitutes intelligence, and tests other weak folks.

What constitutes intelligence anyway? Is ability to do well in technical matters the only indicator of intelligence? It is obvious that white Americans are very good at technical matters. Does intelligence include the skills necessary to adapt to the steaming forests of the tropics? Should we say that the fact that the average African child knows more about the medicinal properties of leaves in his world, than the average American chemist and pharmacist does a sign of intelligence?

Intelligence is that which enables a people to adapt to the exigencies of their world. Africans adapted to their world. They survived, meaning that they must have done something intelligent to do so. Obviously Africans have to learn new adaptation skills, what is necessary to cope with the scientific and technological world they now live in. Unfortunately, it takes centuries to change traditional cultures into scientific cultures.

Of course every society needs to test its people. The real question is who tests whom? That question is answered by power and politics. It is only when black persons test themselves or are tested by their friends, would it be said that they are genuinely tested.

If ones enemy tests one, what do you expect? That he should tell one that one is good enough? One can imagine a world where people are each other’s friends, and persons from other races can then test others. But as things currently stand, and whites are hostile towards blacks, for whites to test blacks, is an outrage that only a mad man could fail to see.

Adam Smith, in his seminal work, Wealth of Nations, pointed out that human beings are motivated by self-interests, and that this makes for efficient economic activities. Now, if people are self-interested and their self-interests guide their behaviors, since when have white folks relinquished their self-interests, and work for black persons interests? If white folks work for white interests, why would it not be in their self-interests to claim that black persons are not intelligent? If they could get black people to accept the foolish thesis that they are unintelligent, they would transform them into perfect slaves. They would make black folks to feel so inferior that they would willingly permit white folks to lord it over them, to oppress and abuse them.

(Is it possible to persuade another human being to accept his inferiority? Racists do try to do so, but do they succeed? They do not succeed although the powerless, out of fear of punishment, harm and death, may seem to go along with the inferiority drivel. If one can accept ones inferiority to others, one has made a judgment that one can also be superior to other persons. It is not left to human beings to decide their worth. Their creator made that decision for them. All people are equal, the same and one. This is a fact, not conjecture. Indeed, genetic studies show that all people originated in Africa, and are 99.9% the same. It is left to science challenged pseudo-psychologists to manipulate their made up data, and to tell us that people are different. People are not different. In fact the term race is a misnomer; I employ it to humor childish American psychologists. In my world, only physical scientists, physicists, chemists, biologists, and mathematicians are credible persons, not some air headed so-called psychologist ideology as science.)

Rational economics suggest that it is in the self-interests of white folks to tell black persons that they are inferior, hence to dominate them. Therefore, no white psychologist could ever pretend to make an objective statement on the subject of intelligence, unless he has changed human nature, from self-interested to loving. The last time I looked, I did not see one loving white psychologist, I saw self-interested psychopathic psychologists. (The psychological profile of psychologists is narcissistic cum antisocial personality. The psychopathic psychologist is now the savior of mankind, savior, indeed.)

In the political world, the powerful makes the laws that the weak obey, and in America this means that whites make the laws that black persons obey. This is political realism. Still, we could ask: why should black persons obey laws that they did not participate in making? It is fear of harm and death that makes black persons obey white American laws.

In a democratic society, all persons participate in making the laws that govern the polity hence see them as their laws, and obey them.

Obviously, every society must have laws, for without laws, there could not be civilized society. Lawbreakers must be arrested and punished; that is the requirement of social order. Black Americans who disobey American laws ought to be apprehended and punished. If they want to change those laws, they ought to participate in the polity, and change the laws but as long as they live in society, they must obey laws.

When black persons become truly free in America, they would participate in the making of America’s laws, and all things being equal will influence those laws to serve their interests, hence obey them, as their own laws. In the meantime, black Americans are obeying laws that are, by and large, not their own laws, and that is an unnatural situation that must be corrected.

The wonder is that most of them obey these unnatural laws, at all. The natural thing to do is for the oppressed individual to disobey laws that he did not participate in making and do not represent his interests. One marvels at the low level of sociopathy in black America, for all things considered, they ought to be breaking more of the alien laws they live under. Black Americans are a lawful people, contrary to the white psychopathic psychologists trying to make them out as sociopaths.

FEAR AND POOR PERFORMANCE ON TESTS

Why do black Americans do poorly at ridiculously easy American schools, and so-called IQ tests? To answer that question, let us examine the role of fear in learning, and testing situations.

How did you feel when you were afraid? Would you say that you would do as well at examinations when you are afraid, as you would do, when you are secure? What does your experience tell you?

Here is the empirical, observable and verifiable fact on how human beings perform under fear. If one were afraid, one would do less well at schools and examinations. An anxious child does not perform at his potential level.

Fear overwhelms the brain, and makes the cortical part of it, the rational part of it, to either stop or work in a reduced manner, and accentuates the rapid working of the involuntary part of the brain. During fear response, the hypothalamus takes over, and does what one needs to do to for one to survive. In fear, the animal part of man takes over and the intellectual part is reduced. In fear, one is functioning more as an animal than as a human being.

Fear and anxiety reduces the individual’s learning by at least fifteen percent, and reduces his performance on examinations by the same percent, if not more.

Do you agree with this assertion or not? All you have to do is examine your own performance, when secure and when insecure, to know that the assertion is rooted in empirical facts. Every parent and teacher worthy of those terms, know that children and students do poorly when they are in a state of heightened fear, hence they try to reassure them, make them feel secure before they are expected to learn, and or take examinations.

Now, what is the state of the black American in America? He is permanently attacked by his environment, and made to live in a state of perpetual fear. White racists, at any point, could attack him; he knows it, and his white oppressors know it.

White policemen randomly stop black motorists, and if no one is looking, physically abuse them, and write false reports about their abuse, and blame their victims. (Of course, this is not the America that America presents to the world to see. America presents itself as heaven on earth but black folks experience it as hell itself. Black folks live in tension and die from cardiovascular diseases induced in them by the Satan that is in charge of their hell.)

Black Americans live in heightened state of fear and anxiety. Their brains are constantly overwhelmed by those neurochemicals/neurotransmitters (adrenalin, noripiniphrine etc) associated with fear response. They are in a perpetual state of fight-flight response. Their oppressive white brothers perpetually make them insecure. They are abused and abused persons live in fear.

Teachers will tell you that pupils abused by their significant others, seldom do well at school, even if their measurable IQ is superior.

Living in fear, the brains of black Americans are functioning at survival modes. Therefore they do not do well in intellectual functions. They do not do well in American schools, not because these schools are difficult, but because of their state of mind.

Black Americans generally live in the lower strata of American society. Whereas, a few of them could be said to have made it into the middle class, the overwhelming majority of them are poor. In his book, the Negro Middle Class, Franklin Frazer doubts that there is a genuine black middle class; what passes for black middle class are caught in efforts to seem important, dressing in gaudy clothes, driving expensive cars and consuming other conspicuous goods that make them seem socially important, while not really devoting their energy and time being productive, as the true middle class does. The Negro was so convinced by his white masters that he is nothing, that he devotes most of his energy trying to show to any one willing to look that he is somebody, and has less time to working hard, as middle class professionals are supposed to do.

Generally, poor persons do not do well at intellectual activities. Let us recall what Abraham Maslow said on this subject. Maslow posited what he called hierarchy of needs. They are physiological, safety, social belonging, esteem and self-actualization. He believes that those needs are primary, and that the lower ones must be met before higher ones are pursued. The individual must satisfy his need for physical survival (food, clothes, shelter etc.) before he seeks security, and then social belongingness and so on. It is when lower order needs are met, that the individual is able to free his energy to pursue self-realization. According to Maslow, self-actualizing persons, that is, persons doing what they truly enjoy doing, and what is congruent with their nature, tend to be the most productive persons in any society.

Those with their basic needs met have the luxury to ask: who am I, and what should I be doing with my life? As Maslow sees it, it is those who are seeking to realize their real selves that tend to be successful at intellectual activities and at school.

Empirical evidence everywhere shows that children from middle class homes, whose basic needs are met, tend to do better at school than children from the lower classes, who often come to school hungry, and in tattered clothes. Black Americans and most African persons have not met their basic needs and are seldom trying to actualize their true selves; they are caught in struggles to merely survive at the physical level, to exist as mere animals do.

The point is that to the extent that black Americans do not do well at American schools and examinations, and so-called IQ tests, it is because they live in a state of fear and poverty, and not because the schools and examinations are particularly demanding.

In Africa itself, people live in fear. Imagine what Africa was like during one thousand years (900-1900 AD) of slavery: five hundred years of Arab slave trade and five hundred years of European slave trade. A person, particularly a child, leaves his home to go play with other children and he is apprehended, and kidnapped by lurking slave traders, and sold, never to see his family again. People must have lived in intense fear. This level of fear induces paranoid suspiciousness, and must have made Africa a hellish place to live. Can any one perform intellectual functions in this heightened state of fear, anxiety, paranoia and depression?

Walter Rodney, in his book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, emphasized the economic aspect of what European slavery did to Africa. However, he merely made a on the subject. Europe and Arabia underdeveloped Africa by inducing fear in the population, hence stifled the people’s creativity. These criminal sociopaths retarded Africa’s development, by at least one thousand years.

Masochists (in contemporary psychiatric nomenclature, dependent personalities) do not do as well as the sadists they are involved in a symbiotic relationship with. Any teacher can tell you that the shy, dependent, avoidant child seldom does as well at school as the secure and out going child, even if the introverted child is more intelligent than the extroverted child. Despite their seeming bravados, black Americans are really anxious persons hence do not do well at ridiculously easy American schools. (This writer found his American college, the University of California, less challenging than his African secondary school.)

DISCUSSION

American society, like all societies, is organized along sadomasochistic lines. Those it oppresses and abuses resent America. Black folks resent their white abusers. In the present, the abusers are very powerful and can pretty much get away with their abuses. Nevertheless, the abusers are resented. Sooner or latter, the abused will stand up and fight their abusers. This may happen at any moment, now, or in the next thousand years.

We should recall what happened when Los Angeles policemen beat Rodney King senseless, and a racist white jury acquitted them. The oppressed black folks went on riot. Of course the forces of law and order, quickly restored order. The point is that there is suppressed rage in the hearts of the abused, and sooner or latter it would burst out. Sometimes, when this happens, no amount of brute force can repress it. It is at such junctures that sadomasochistic empires come crumbling down. A house built on a foundation of fear, and force, not love, is a shaky house, a house of cards really, and when a determined force pushes it, may fall.

The powerful often are tempted to believe that the weak cannot overthrow them. The almighty Roman Empire, and its supposed invincible army, could not imagine a situation where the primitive barbarians, Germans, whom they enslaved and used as cheap labor, overthrow them. But the barbarians and their rag tagged army, did overthrow the Roman Empire. By the same token, the sole superpower cannot imagine other persons challenging it. But challenge it, others must.

As a matter of fact, America may be in an advanced state of decay, but does not know it. Some observers of its moral degeneration conclude that America is moribund; that it is a house of cards, and when pushed, would easily collapse? This possibility seems impossible to Americans, but those who study history, know that the seeming impossible is always possible.

At present, the rulers of America believe that they are doing what they have to do to prevent those they abuse from fighting back. They quickly arrest, try and jail black persons, who commit minor crimes, such as possessing drugs. Their psychologists cavalierly diagnose those blacks convicted of minor crimes antisocial personalities. But the fact is that the legacy of slavery and racism forces some black persons to engage in criminal activities.

I do not approve antisocial behaviors, but the fact is that those who are discriminated against, and are unable to secure employment, are tempted to resort to stealing, to procure their physical survival. Poverty plays a large role in criminal activity, as attested to by the criminals in the white population. Lower class whites tend to engage in as much criminal activities as lower class blacks. It should also be noted that when Italians came to America, and were discriminated against (they were called wogs because of their darker color), some of them resorted to criminal activities, via the Mafia.

(Talking about culture and IQ scores, Southern and Eastern Europeans tended to do poorly on American IQ tests that Congress banned their coming to America in 1924. It was believed that they were inferior stock and would lower the quality of traditional white Americans who came from Germanic stock…the English, French, Scandinavian etc are Germanic…Eventually, these non-Germanic whites acquired the Northern European culture of America, and, today, do as well as Northern Europeans in so-called IQ tests.)

America’s justice is such that blacks are more easily clamped into jails than white persons who committed similar crimes. There are racist judges out there who, upon seeing a black face in their courtroom, throw the books at him. America’s jails are filled with young African Americans. Some believe that this is not an accident but calculated effort to control black persons, to marginalize them for those jailed looses political rights and could no longer participate in the political process, where, as Harold Lasswell tells us, who gets what and when, is determined.

America is spending much of its scarce resources housing black Americans in jails, rather than providing them with education. Jails are built in just about every town in America rather than schools. It costs a few thousand dollars to educate a child but over fifty thousand dollars a year to house an inmate in jail.

Jails are one of the greatest growth industries in America. In fact, America now has the dubious honor of having more of its citizens in jail, than any other country in the world.

In a rational society, all young people ought to have at least a university level education in the physical and technical sciences, paid by society. A rational society provides all of its citizens with universal health insurance, but in America upwards of 45 million persons, many of them are black Americans, do not have health insurance coverage. Instead of spending money to train and heal its citizens, America spends it keeping them at jails.

It is not inconceivable for the country to go bankrupt doing what America currently is doing. America is penny wise and pound-foolish.

Now, what happens to those who have gone to jails? At jails they are abused, and sometimes raped by sadistic jail security guards. (Homosexual and pedophilic perverts are currently working hard to impose their life styles on Western society and getting people to accept their behavior as normal. A similar situation existed before the fall of Greece, and Rome, and other sadomasochistic empires. Political correctness dictates that no one say that these bizarre sexual practices are wrong. Well, Africans consider them wrong. African villages told folks with these particular forms of defying reality (God) to leave their villages, and never return.)

Ozodi Thomas Osuji, PhD

Africa Institute, Seattle

600-1 Avenue, Suite 325

Seattle, Washington 98104

www.africainstituteseattle.org

Ozodi@africainstituteseattle.org

(206) 464-9004

dint

Posted by Administrator at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

The War against Corruption: Obasanjo Oily hands!

by Jonathan Elendu and Sowore Omoyele --- A report in Thisday, a Nigerian daily, described the feud between Nigeria's President Obasanjo and his deputy, Vice President Atiku, as mere rumours. The report, which was published on September 9, quoted Olabode George, a former military officer and deputy chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as saying that the feud is, "A creation of the media." Should Nigerians be surprised by this attempt at whitewashing a serious problem concerning the affairs of the Nigerian State by the top echelon of the PDP?

The PDP, under the leadership of President Obasanjo, appropriated Nigeria's resources and has continued to manage these as they would a personal estate. Any attempt by the Nigerian people to call this cabal to order is met with the generic refrain: "It’s a family affair." It is as if Nigeria ceased to exist the moment Obasanjo and his people came to power. And when their idiosyncrasies cause problems for them and the nation? They call it "a creation of the media." During the ignoble days of the military, all Nigeria's problems were caused by "disgruntled elements." It appears the General continues to borrow from both Gen. Babangida and Abacha’s playbook!

Elendureports.com can authoritatively report that the feud between Pres. Obasanjo and Vice Pres. Atiku Abubakar is real and growing. The President's loyalists are burning midnight candles plotting Atiku's downfall. Many options have been discussed, agreed upon, and discarded. But the plotting continues in this high stakes game. Some of the results of the plotting can be seen in the various stories that have been leaked by the President's people to media houses. The most damaging one so far has been the Newswatch story which chronicled the Vice President's corrupt practices with the active collusion of his fourth wife, Jennifer. Ironically, when Elendureports.com first reported the Atiku and Jennifer story, a top Newswatch editor, Soji Akinrinade, derided the story and described the writers as "half-baked journalists." The Newswatch report, from all indications, is a series of half-truths blown out of proportion. Elendureports.com has information to show that while the Vice President may be complicit in some of the allegations reported by Newswatch, the reporting is a celebration of exaggerated inertia.

Atiku, as has been reported by the Nigerian media, is set to give the President a serious fight. In this regard, Elendureports.com investigations show that the Vice President has employed the services of several investigators around the world in an attempt to unravel every investment the President and his family have made since 1999. The Vice President and some of his surrogates have met with several important Nigerians within and outside the country to state his case. The Vice President is also employing the services of Nigerian web bloggers in this fight. The Vice President may have recently met with Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka. A request for an interview with Prof. Wole Soyinka was recently turned down as the professor is said to be in Nigeria currently.

Apart from the need for Obasanjo to establish his political clout within and outside his party, crude oil is one of the reasons the relationship between the President and his Vice is soiled. According to a report by Africa Confidential, the latest auctioning of Nigeria's oil blocks did not benefit the Vice President and his cronies. However the President's men/women were adequately taken care of. Although the report in the Africa Confidential commends the Obasanjo Administration for providing more information than its predecessors, there were some indications that the bid for oil blocks was another "settlement" policy. The paper states, "…documents obtained by Africa Confidential raise concerns about the technical expertise and political connections of many of the Nigerian companies eligible to bid."

Shell and some of the other major oil companies refused to participate in the bidding. While more than one hundred companies were approved to compete for the ten per cent blocks reserved for smaller indigenous companies, there was a lot of criticism about the process that led to the qualification of oil companies, and the exclusion of twenty-two others. Some of these companies that bid had no experience in the oil industry. There are reports that some of the companies were registered for the sole purpose of the bid as they were not in existence until a few days before the bid. According to Africa Confidential, "Many of those qualifying to participate owe more to political connections than technical know-how."

Former Aviation Minister and Obasanjo's pal, Kema Chikwe, is the major share holder of Prime Time, one of the companies that qualified for onshore oil blocks. A former teacher, Chikwe did not have a previous interest in or link to the oil industry. Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel and Otunba Onabanjo are said to be the promoters of Dogon Oil and Gas, one of the companies that rushed into the bid process. Some members of the National Assembly were not left out of the "settlement" process. Senator Lee Maeba of Rivers State, whose committee oversees the Upstream Petroleum activities, is said to be the promoter of New Tigerhead, one of the companies involved in the bidding.

Other Obasanjo cronies involved in these oil deals are Gov. Peter Odili of Rivers State, Minister of State for Petroleum and shareholder of Platform Oil; Edmond Daukoru; Andy Uba, Presidential Adviser; and, Abdullahi Mohammed, Chief of Staff to the President. The list of companies also involved in these deals includes Godsonic Oil and Gas, Tap Oil, and Owel E&P; all companies linked to Anthony Annenih, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP. Another company is Overt Oil. The disgraced former Senate President Adolphus Wabara has interests in this company.

The practice of bribing people with oil allocations is not new. The Ibrahim Babangida Junta (1985-1993) made it a State policy. The President/Head of State, his deputy, Service Chiefs, and some top ministers were given oil allocations. Subsequent regimes have continued this trend. In the fourth Republic, the Obasanjo government, according to sources, has allocated oil blocks to the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Defence Minister, and Service Chiefs.

The disappointment for many watchers of the Obasanjo Presidency is that he consistently touts his Anti-Corruption Crusade, yet he continues to perpetrate corruption at alarming levels. In an exclusive interview with Elendureports.com, former Head of State and Presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari said, "Chief Obasanjo cannot be serious about fighting corruption…how did Tarfa Balogun, the former Inspector-General of Police, acquire over seventeen billion naira in so short a time…where was the President?" The General's contention is that if one man in the Administration can acquire so much within a few years then his boss, the President, cannot be trusted to wage war on corruption.

Gen. Buhari wondered what led to the contradictory situation where Nigeria is supposedly making more money than it has ever made and yet the common people have become the poorest they have ever been. A recent UN report ranks Nigeria as the twentieth poorest country in the world with a life expectancy of 43 years, down from 54 years. The current budget, passed by the Nigerian National Assembly and signed into law by the President, had projected the price of crude oil at $28 a barrel. As at press time, crude is selling for nearly $70 per barrel. This is a time of unprecedented earnings for Nigeria. Yet, the level of unemployment and poverty is the highest it has ever been in the history of Nigeria, except for the period of the Nigerian Civil War. What has happened to all the money? The President and his friends ought to be held accountable.

Email: jonathan@elendureports.com

Posted by Administrator at 06:58 AM | Comments (1)

September 10, 2005

Are Nigerians United Against Corruption or is it, You First?

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, United States) --- Are Nigerians agreed on corruption elimination and eradication? Maybe NOT! I have maintained in the past that I abhor corruption because of its consequences. You would think that all reasonable persons, especially Nigerians, are united against the corruption scourge or pandemic, and therefore intently focused in the war against it?

Copiously, I have written about the adverse effects of corruption, corrupt practices and those who perpetuate it, in a series of articles, I had argued that corruption is anathema to national development, as it deprives Nigeria for instance, needed resources for the development of public infrastructures and the consequent stagnation, stifled and stunted growth, development or advancement, adding that Nigeria’s greatness depends on corralling our efforts to decimate corruption, wherever it is found. I assumed then that a majority of Nigerians are united and agreed on fighting corruption successfully!

A successful war against corruption requires that everyone is put under the radar, and no passing the buck! Any defense of persons accused of corruption must be rooted in their innocence and certainly not the unproven guilt or mere suspicion of other persons.

In the past two weeks or so, I have written two articles, supported with facts and internet-links to buttress the arguments that I had presented; I regret to announce that the overwhelming majority of Nigerians who responded to the two articles, Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Explain and Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Resign Now, were in favor of the VP as the responses defended the VP, instead of a focus on the issues

Those defending the VP, have anchored their argument on their fervent beliefs that corruption is pervasive in Nigeria, that corruption permeates the federal government and that President Obasanjo is even more corrupt than Vice President Abubarkar; Defenders of the VP are uninterested in the evidence or facts adduced to support the presentations that I made, and their excuse is simply that, there is corruption everywhere, and that it is therefore pointless fighting corruption at all, or starting the fight from the middle?

My criticism of the VP is encrusted with specificities, such as dates, locations, amounts and names of persons involved etc. Defenders of the VP are not interested in the specific exactitudes of facts presented, they are instead wishing away the facts by seeming to say, not-in-my-backyard! They have managed to convince me that the war on corruption must mean every other persons being prosecuted and punished first, and then, their family, political associates and friends of the VP defenders and the VP, must be punished last, if at all!

How about the personal responsibility of these accused individuals? These individuals who it would appear, are always camouflaging their guilt by pointing to others, who may be equally guilty or others who are just being pointed to, to distract the real guilt of those being investigated, arrested and charged? This is as if to say, my defense is rested on the guilt of others? Instead of using or relying on, my complete innocence? We ought to require or even demand that accused persons answer for themselves, and not depend on mere suspicions, unproven allegations and guilt of all others!

In various cases, these sorts of warped and twisted arguments have been made to protect corrupt public officials in Nigeria during the past six years. In Plateau state for instance, the Plateau House of Assembly overlooked stunningly glaring evidence, including some of such evidence on tape, against Governor Chibi Joshua Dariye and refused to impeach him and cheered him, instead, after the state of emergency previously declared in that state was lifted. There is also the resort to immunity shield and cloak, abused by some.
And even in Governor Dariye’s case, British Police testified, British Police is also on President Obasanjo’s payroll, and subject to his manipulations? Does President Obasanjo also manipulate the American FBI? Was it not the FBI that initiated VP’s investigations?

In Cross River State, the Deputy Governor Ekpenyong was impeached for purchasing a house in the name of his twelve years old son, and then, like magic, the governor was reinstated and then he resigned, I think with full benefits, as if he had not committed the breaches of the laws and ethics, which were obvious!

Governor Kalu Orji, (the boy who cried wolf) is always crying wolf, imagined wolves and no wolf at all, Governor Orji has been accused of improprieties and he seem to have completely ignored the charges, but instead, he frequently accuses others of corruption and improprieties of his own! But famously omitting to provide specifics as evidence of facts to sustain his accusations, as if he is not required to?

He has accused persons ranging from Chief Annenih to President Obasanjo etc. Kalu Orji has had cause to apologize to President Obasanjo and PDP in the past, for such flippant accusations that he had made against the president, only to repeat more accusations at regular intervals! Corruption wars again by Kalu Orji? Kalu Orji accused others of being killers once, but without providing specifics proofs? Kalu Orji’s Deputy not recanted threats to Kalu, that were allegedly made by Chief Annenih, Kalu would not answer to accusations against him, he relies on immunity? Of course, not in his backyard, President Obasanjo should be punished first, the other person, must go first, no person for whom there are specific evidence or facts? Such as we have demonstrated against the VP?

Kalu has been alleged to own Slok Airlines, Sun Newspapers (the proud tabloid) Kalu is also said to own a home in Maryland, United States, according to Jonathan Elendu and Omoyele Sowore, Kalu’s home is ironically close to the VP home the US, looters know where to shop for homes I suppose. I do not have evidences or facts connecting Kalu’s to properties, proving alleged breaches, I do not for instance know the names of the board of directors of Slok Airlines, Sun Newspapers and whether it includes Kalu’s name, I do not also have the block and lot numbers or land registry information on Kalu, as I have on, I have hear speculations regarding numerous deals by Governor Igbinedion, deals he is said to have had, in California, in London, South Africa etc, but I do not have specifics! I have head that an Ibori has a two million pounds value property located in choicest area of London, (is this Ibori, any relations of Governor Ibori?) I do not have specifics regarding Igbinedion, Kalu or Ibori, whereas, I had specifics on Mr.& Mrs.? Atiku!

Everybody else, seems to deserve punishments for their corrupt enrichments, but don’t start the corruption war with me or my family, friends and or political associates? But why does the war against corruption in Nigeria appear to be a war that some Nigerians are only interested in fighting, and directed against all others, but themselves?
We have 26 letters in the English alphabet, Nigerians are analogous to these alphabets, now, it would seem as if, attempts to prosecute A for corruption, leads to A, pointing very quickly to B, as A insists that B is also corrupt and deserving of severest punishments, before the contemplation of punishments for A, if at all? A natural progression will of course result in B pointing at C and C pointing at D, the finger-pointing as to who is culpable for corruption and who should be punished first, is therefore obviously endless!

Nigerians are now quite familiar with Tafa Balogun, former Inspector General of Police in Nigeria, as we are as well familiar with former Minister for Education, Professor Fabian Osuji and former president of Nigerian senate Senator Adolphous Wabara
We were told that that these persons were corruptly enriching themselves at the expense of Nigerian taxpayers and voters. But defenders of these men, in a rapid response manner, have labeled them, as victims of vendettas, witch hunt by the ever vindictive and vengeful presidency!

Naturally, these turns of events would make all reasonable people ponderously wonder, whether it is possible to actually fight a successful war against corruption in Nigeria?
How could the elimination and eradication of corruption in Nigeria become a successful undertaking, when as it is, ulterior motives are always ascribed to every effort that has been made by the current federal government of Nigeria? Some have in the past suggested that those persons that have been prosecuted for corruptions were so pursued, because they are mere political enemies of Nigeria’s current president, a president who is intent on punishing his enemies for every real or imagined infraction!

Adducing ancillaries and very extraneous reasons, which are merely poor excuses or defense, ridiculous and incredulously self-serving distractions, has become a time-tested and perfected method for the corrupt persons in Nigeria to avoid well deserved prosecution and punishments, as they are now quick to argue and point fingers falsely at prosecutors and persons merely doing the hatchet job for the presidency.

Nigerian general public have become inured and immune to these outlandish and outrageous excuses and “defenses” The corrupt are being pursued because they are from the wrong ethnic, regional or religious grouping which Nigeria is comprised and composed. Which makes me want to ask, more questions, including; where is the outrage? How come nobody is shock at the revelations or public disclosures against the VP? How is it that the public seem to accept the obvious lies, feeble and nebulous defenses from the defenders of the VP?

A big challenge has clearly arisen, perhaps unanticipated by those who established the Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, two new anti corruption agencies established by current Nigerian federal government, to ferret out those who were, are and continue to engage or condone corruption and corrupt practices

How can Nigeria successfully fight corruption with present mindsets that believed Tafa Balogun will never be arrested? Mindsets that believed Osuji, Wabara, and Osomo were selectively being prosecuted? How is it possible that everyone that is arrested or investigated by EFCC, and ICPC, the Nigeria Police, is somehow because such person is a political enemy of President Obasanjo? How is it that the president is able to possibly manipulate all these grown persons at all these government agencies? Where is their personhood, if they actually such puppets on stings? How is President Obasanjo able to emasculate everyman and woman at these agencies? How does President Obasanjo manage to put every Nigerian tied to his apron strings? Could this just be elaborate disinformation? Could these mindsets have arisen from economic disenchantments and attendant expectation fatigue among Nigerians? Or could it be that too many now benefit or expect to benefit from corruption? Are Nigerians ready to eradicate and eliminate corruption? Will any Nigerian President, the current one or the next, succeed in doing so?

Some people seem to believe that the EFCC, the ICPC and the Nigeria Police are not independent or neutral and cannot investigate or prosecute corruption in Nigeria, or that they are controlled by President Obasanjo, but, how about British Police testimony against Governor Dariye and America’s FBI investigation against Atiku? Are some now prepared to argue that President Obasanjo has the whole world in his pocket? Including having the EFCC, the ICPC, the FBI and Scotland Yard in Obasanjo’s control and influence?

At this rate, only aliens or beings from Mars can be trusted to probe corrupt Nigerians? Martians would not be blamed for ulterior motives or hidden agendas; Only beings from Mars have no friends or sympathies or block-interests in Nigerians of particular groupings, be it regional, ethnic, religious or whatever else! perhaps this is why the government of Nigeria has now invited Britons to audit CBN and NNPC?

When will Nigerians accept that the war against corruption is real? And then trust and support President Obasanjo to intensify the fight against corruption; then provide specific information for prosecuting this desirably necessary war? Nigerians must unite against corruption, support the current president, the next and everyone who fights corruption!

Paul Adujie, Lawcareer@msn.com

Posted by Administrator at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)

Hurricane Katrina Exposed Endemic Inequality for Africans

by Farouk Martins, Omo Aresa --- One guy stood out in my mind, he said Africa looks good to me now. Others white and black who have seen Tsunami in Asia, famine in Africa and war in Europe claimed they have not seen anything like this. That it happened is nobody’s fault, that it took so long to come to peoples’ aid in the most powerful and richest country in the whole world leaves more than an indelible mark on our faces.

If America could have prevented it right there and then, it could have. Sincerely, no reasonable human would have wished so much destruction on their own people. But that area belongs to the powerless who were caught in their entrenched economic realities. As we all cry and wonder, we must not miss the point. The economic realities did not just hit New Orleans, it was part of America before Hurricane Katrina hit. Those who could afford it got out of the way but some were simply helpless.

It is a fact that blacks are three times as likely to be poor as whites did not just hit New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina or that most blacks live in the ghetto. I have been accused that Nigerians run away from the ghetto too. New Orleans accommodated all of us during and after festivals. I made calls there searching for friends who later told me they lost everything; one was more concern about his documents! I remember the actress who said – I have been to Africa, I have seen Africans, I am not an African.

One of those water coolers at work conversation between an African man and woman went like: If you say that to me, I will just shove you aside. She answered him: if you try it, you will find yourself in Africa. Another African who was listening said: at least he has a country to go, where are you going to go?

It is one thing to get hit by the train while daring its part on the railway line, it is another if the train departs into our houses. Poor people, no matter where they are, always get the short end of the stick. In bad times, most stick together but as they start to gain some leverage, some of us get drunk!

New Orleans is similarly situated as Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt, etc in Nigeria. Indeed, these areas have experienced series of minor floods. Nevertheless, most of us have no where else we can call home and no place to go.

All those who are pointing fingers at America should ask themselves, what they are doing for the poor in their own countries. In France, some African immigrants lost their life in two apartment buildings fire that could have been prevented if the authorities took precautions regarding substandard code violations. When the Ikeja cantonment blew up in Lagos, Obasanjo was booed when he later came. People even got angrier when he said he did not have to be there. Some leaders forgot that whether you are baby Bush, Blair or Obasanjo, your foremost responsibility is the welfare of your people.

Of course baby Bush could have shown more concern, caring and responded earlier. That could have made a difference. Sometimes it is not enough to be fair, one must be seen as being fair. There is no reason for the people to have gone without food and water for more than a day in America.

Baby Bush came from a good home in the East (eastern part of USA). Gary Trudeau of Doonesbury poked fun at the papa Bush he knew at Yale who was not as conservative. After that time, we know papa Bush who was a moderate conservative in the primary election with Ronald Reagan. We credited him with “Voodoo Economics” label of Reagan economic plan then. But as American moves to the right, politicians move along in order to win elections.

Baby Bush is a likable guy one would like to have a beer and esiewu with. How can you dislike a guy who at college convocation and told graduating C students that he was a C student himself, that they may become the President of America one day.

As conservatives who wanted to win election, both papa and baby Bush became cow boy Texans with swagger. That the President reacted too slowly to Hurricane Katrina was a miscalculation on the part of his handlers. That Bush does not care about black people, according to Kaye West, is how most blacks feels he comes across. I think he was just indifferent, which is a great deal for blacks.

But baby Bush knows how to appeal to voters. In the last narrow election, he appealed to the conservative instinct of black churches in Ohio about increasing acceptance of the gays in the Country. They helped deliver Ohio to him.

Hurricane Katrina and the reaction of Bush crossed political leanings and most of the people in the Country blamed every level of Government for the late reaction. The conservatives handler were out of synch with the Country and did not make Bush look good to the rest of the world. One can not anticipate the reaction of humans all the time.
The fear is out there that Hurricane Katrina may rekindle the liberal side of America.

Even worse, were the portrayal of blacks on television as criminal “looting” stores for food in other to feed their families, while white families who were doing the same were just “takers” of food. These stereotypes did not just hit as the hurricane. It has always been there. A black man running around the neighborhood is stealing; a white man running is jogging.

The total evacuation of the area can be frightening not only to whites who do not want to lose their homes, but also to blacks who have many experiences of urban renewal. It is more than evacuation for blacks, urban renewal always turn into “nigger removal”. By the time the place is redeveloped, blacks would not be able to afford it.

I have heard about billions of dollars that are being allocated, with more coming. How much of this money will actually benefit the victims is the real task. There are big time contractors, developers and speculators standing by to do “good” for the victims who would loose their properties. Someone suggested that Jimmy Carter should oversee rebuilding. I doubt that will happen. Carter stands for non-profit organizations.

In addition to that, the new US Supreme Court ruling about the use of eminent domain to change the neighborhood in order to attract more taxes for the cities by building new housing developments will be too much for both poor blacks and whites.

At the same time the amount of sewage and diseases floating in the flood in and out of the houses has become a public health issue. It has become a no win situation. We just have to wait and watch how much compensation those who would leave all they have ever own would get.

If there is any silver lining in all this, it is the resolve of the Africans to come together and create a fund so that when a similar disaster strikes again, we do not have to wait for government to take care of our people. My own fear is that this has been proposed many times before. As soon as time and weather change, we forget our histories of survival despite the odds against us.

Some of those who gain by quota in those days, have turned against it now that it has become a bad word. Most of the government contracts and positions set aside for minorities have been challenged in courts as reverse discrimination. We then move on to “affirmative action”, which has been discredited. Actually, most of the beneficiaries are women, a welcomed break. The new word now is “diversity”. I do not know how long that is going to last. Hurricane Katrina is a reminder that the same battle is being fought over and over again.

After all is said and done, Africans will always find ways to survive even in America. We may be surprise by the poverty in America; it still has the richest blacks on earth.

Posted by Administrator at 06:58 PM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2005

President of Vice: The War on Corruption and Obasanjo's Complicity

by Jonathan Elendu and Sowore Omoyele --- Why is Nigeria’s President Obasanjo talking about corruption, and yet people don’t believe him? After all, he is the first President in the history of Nigeria to accuse his inspector-General of Police of corruption. Why is Segun Aina, the former managing director of Fountain Merchant Bank, living in opulence in Atlanta, Georgia and Toronto, Canada, while his friend, Tafa Balogun, is facing tons of charges of corruption? Our investigations reveal that the President’s war on corruption may be just for show.

Pres. Obasanjo

One beautiful afternoon the President asked a former Justice Minister to ride with him in his presidential helicopter. “I would like to show you something,” the President said. Soon the chopper was hovering over a huge expanse of land in Eruwa, a town in Oyo State. Below there were about a million teak trees that had just been planted by construction giant Julius Berger. Shortly after this trip, the former Minister was granted a license to operate a private university and Julius Berger got a multi-million dollar contract to construct the Lagos/Abeokuta highway. Three years later and with millions of dollars paid, there is nothing to justify such a huge expense.

At Aso Rock, the seat of the Nigerian government, Vice President Abubakar Atiku is not the only one who uses cronies for illegal schemes. This is an entrenched practice at “The Villa.” Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo is part of this game. Very reliable sources in Aso Rock told Elendureports.com about one Otunba Fasawe who is reputed to be Pres. Obasanjo’s friend. Though not a government official, Fasawe is said to reside in a government building. No one facilitates access to the President faster than this guy. Fasawe was the President’s link man to the privatization deals orchestrated by Abubakar Atiku, the Administration’s point man during the privatization process.

Elendureports.com was reliably informed by sources that the President was given information about some dealings of the Vice President by a foreign government. Pres. Obasanjo confronted Atiku and told him he was disappointed with his corrupt practices and requested that Atiku resign. Atiku looked the president straight in the eye and said, “Mr. President, you have benefited from every deal I have done.” The President was aghast and demanded an explanation. Atiku told the president that he always passed on the President’s share of the deals through Otunba Fasawe. The President summoned Fasawe, who confirmed Atiku’s claims. What did the President do? Our source said the Obasanjo in exasperation told Fasawe to leave his presence. Apparently, the President was outsmarted by his trusted crony.

President Obasanjo is reputed to have established his Otta farm with his pension and gratuity payments. The Obasanjo Farm is one of the biggest farms in Nigeria. For a man whose entire life was spent in the military, his establishment of such a huge project raised a few eyebrows. By the time Obasanjo was jailed by the Abacha junta on trumped-up treason charges, the farm had started experiencing a down-turn in fortunes. Some assets of the farms were being sold off by his children during his period of incarceration. It is public knowledge that the farm was also involved in lawsuits arising from the sale of assets. There were claims that the resources of Obasanjo’s pet project as a military Head of State in the seventies were diverted. The Operation Feed the Nation’s, OFN equipment and money may have funded Otta Farms Nigeria, OFN. In 1999, following his release from prison, Obasanjo discovered that he was broke as there were no funds coming from the farm. All that has changed as the farm has experienced another reversal of fortunes. Today, Obasanjo Farms, according to Presidential mouth-piece, Femi Fani-Kayode, earns about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars per month.

Andy Uba, the president’s adviser on domestic affairs, is another Obasanjo crony that deserves closer scrutiny. A source at Aso Rock, told Elendureports.com that Andy’s job as domestic adviser involves other personal interests of the President. The President’s reputation in this regard is well-known and needs not be repeated here. However, Andy, whose brother, Chris, has been the brain and money behind all the political problems in Anambra State since 2003, in addition to sharing some other interests with the President, is reputed to love exotic and expensive cars. It is believed that he owns about fifteen of such cars from all over the world.

We have yet to determine the number of children Pres. Obasanjo has sired, but we know that about six of them live in the United States. While the President’s children have managed to stay out of the pubic spotlight for years, their activities are beginning to attract public attention. Elendureports.com last week exclusively reported the purchase of a property in New York early this year by Olu Obasanjo G. One of the Obasanjo children manages the Obasanjo mansion in Buckhead, Georgia. This young man is said to live in Decatur, Georgia.

Bush, Obasanjo, Young

Gbenga Obasanjo has been seen as his father’s front man. Gbenga, who operates from Houston, Texas, is behind the Virgin Atlantic project with Richard Branson, the British business icon who owns Virgin Airlines, which is presently Nigeria’s official carrier. Gbenga is also involved in Ajaokuta and Delta Steel companies. The Abacha sons were also involved in deals with the two steel companies during the time of their father’s stint as Nigeria’s military Head of State. It has been reported that Gbenga accompanies his father on official tours. The President introduces him to potential investors as one of Nigeria’s reputable business leaders. Gbenga also runs oil deals for his father, the President.

President Olusegun Obasanjo is also said to be one of the owners of Suntrust Petroleum. The other partners in the company are former Ambassador Andrew Young and Carlton Masters, the president of Goodworks Intl, LLC. The story of Malabu Oil and Dan Etete is another indication of Obasanjo half-hearted attempts at fighting corruption. Malabu Oil and Nigeria are locked in a case in the Federal District Court, New York. Sources say Dan Etete, a former petroleum minister during the Abacha regime, had awarded his company, Malabu Oil, a very lucrative oil block. In 2000, there was a meeting between Atiku Abubakar and Etete. Atiku demanded shares in Malabu Oil on behalf of Pres. Obasanjo. Etete refused and the Obasanjo government seized the oil allocation from Malabu. Dan Etete has threatened to expose Pres. Obasanjo’s investments in a French bank. There are rumors in certain quarters that the Obasanjo government and Dan Etete may have reached made some deals which placated Etete.

During the President’s first term, his cousin, Julius Makanjuola, was arrested for embezzling four hundred and twenty-one million naira (N421, 000, 000.00 ) from the Ministry of Defense. He was released on bail and to this day, Makanjuola has yet to be prosecuted for those crimes.

This and other information in the custody of Elendureports.com adds credence to the assertion that Obasanjo’s anti-corruption crusade is selective and targeted at the President’s enemies--perceived and real. It would be recalled that during the Abacha regime, he established the failed banks tribunal which was used as a tool to hound the regime’s opponents. Incidentally, one of the people caught in the web of the failed banks tribunal, Jimmy Lawal, is now a very close adviser to President Obasanjo and his government. Jimi Lawal former founder and managing director of moribund Alpha Merchant Bank now works very closely with FCT Minister, El-Ruffai, Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and other top ministers in Obasanjo’s government. Lawal is said to be heavily invested in Canada, China, and even the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Jimi Lawal, in a chat with Elendureports.com confirmed that all his assets that were confiscated by the Failed Bank Tribunal, including stocks, cash, and other properties were given back to him by the Obasanjo government.

There are also indications that former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, who was implicated in the fifty-five million naira bribery deal may eventually walk free. Several sources told Elendureports.com that Wabara was set up by the Presidency because of suspicions that he was nursing a presidential ambition. One very reliable source told Elendureports.com, “Everybody knows Wabara is a very corrupt and greedy man. When he started talking about running for president in 2007, they set a little trap for him and he fell for it. He didn’t need the money but just like our president can’t resist beautiful women, Wabara can’t resist money.” Another source told us Wabara had no difficulty returning the money because it had not been spent as at the time the deal came to light. Other people involved in the deal, like Prof. Fabian Osuji were part of the collateral damage of a sting operation that targeted Wabara. Hence, the belief that Wabara, Osuji and the rest will not go to jail is widely held in Abuja as their disgrace has achieved its purpose.

A source close to Vice President Atiku told Elendureports.com that one of the President’s houses in the United States may have been searched by officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Elendureports.com has not been able to independently verify this story. We shall report our findings as soon as we get more information.

Obasanjo and his entire Administration typify the saying that things are not always what they seem. Unfortunately, Nigerians remain hostages to a cabal whose penchant for stealing from the people knows no bounds.

Email: jonathan@elendureports.com

Posted by Administrator at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Resign Now!

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, USA) --- Based on long established fine legal principles, anchored on the presumption of innocence, we sought last week, to elicit explanations from Vice President Atiku of Nigeria, regarding his unexplained wealth, particularly, the excessive wealth he controls overseas, more so, since becoming Nigeria’s vice president on May 29, 1999.

Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Resign Now!

We at the time assumed that he could somehow extricate himself from illegalities!

Last week, we had mainly focused on the sham, fraud and illegality that appeared to have been committed through proxies of Nigeria’s current vice president, Jennifer (multiple surnames?) Abubakar, (who, as have since been revealed, earns only $200 a week), and yet purchased and “owns” a $2million dollar mansion; Jennifer, it is, she, who if you recall, donated $25,000.00 to the Republican Party, the political party that has produced the current American federal government and their wonderful domestic and foreign policies! Jennifer is a model citizen of America and Nigeria! Is she not?

Our impeccably reliable sources have since made further revelations, to the effect that Jennifer (how many surnames?) made a lodgment of $600 million dollars into a Swiss Bank, the Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS. An account which contains the signature of your vice president and mine, and as co-signatory and therefore co-owner, of the tidy sum of six hundred million dollars, money that is enough to provide clean drinking water for all of Adamawa State, money that is enough to generate electricity for 100 years, for Yola and Jalingo, and Numa and more towns in our beloved Adamanwa and environs!

Nigerians must be reminded of (inconsequential?) facts that the Constitution of Nigeria and the Code of Conduct Act for public officials, prohibits, in absolute terms, the possession, ownership and title to, foreign accounts in banks, financial institutions, including ownership of homes, even if through proxies or mistresses or absentee wife.

Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s sumptuous living quarters in the United States, his unexplained affluence and opulent life style indicate breaches of provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution and Code of Conduct Act, this, coupled with the $600 million dollars that was moved from the United States to Switzerland, (the home, sweet home, and repository of looted monies and banker to looters or lootocrats) is proof beyond any iota of doubt, that the VP has egregiously breached provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, the Code of Conduct Act and other laws of Nigeria, Switzerland and the United States as suspected

By natural progression therefore, our request that the vice president explain himself, his absentee wife Jennifer, who has been on wild spending sprees, possessing $15,000.00 cash in the Jennifer- Atiku Abubakar mansion in Maryland, an amount that was not considered staggeringly obscene by the VP’s numerous assistants and retinues, of see-no evil handlers! Defenders of the VP, it appears do not find it immoral and sickening, that a majority of Nigerians wallow in grinding abject poverty, while brethren Jennifer donates $25,000.00 to a political party, money that is clearly not hers, impossible to save from $200 a week, which is less than current American minimum wage! How many Americans with income of $200 per week donated $25,000.00 to any political party or charity?

There is high rate of unemployment in Nigeria, there suffering and utter hardships and hopelessness in the land, while the vice president and his dear lady squander our public treasury and national wealth on themselves and American political parties?

There are abandoned, neglected and decaying public infrastructures in Nigeria, but public officials of Nigeria are greedily amassing mansions upon mansions in America and Europe, where public infrastructures do work and perform efficiently… these Nigerian public officials, are behaving as they were refuges, bad refugees, who are only interested in what they can get out of their current environment, but with intent to invest in some other place (America and Europe) where they really plan to make their homes!

Instead of investing in hospitals in Nigeria, these public officials rely on overseas medical facilities for their care, instead of investing in public infrastructures in Nigeria, they want to loot our public wealth and from our treasury, the improve the housing market for America and Europe by purchasing the most expensive homes or mansions of palatial sizes in choice locations. Nigerians must make the looters of Nigeria accountable!

Defenders of the VP who have been harassing me for about ten days now, apparently find nothing “ignominious, disgraceful” in the words of Tonye David-West writing in www.Nigeriawold.com http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/david-west/090405.html He sees the uncouth and outright illegal in the doings of the VP and his wife, instead they seek to excuse them, with, there are other corrupt officials in Nigeria! How does it amount to any defense of a thief, caught red-handed, that there are other thieves somewhere else? A police officer arrests an armed robber in Ikeja, the robber and his friends defend, by saying there are some other robbers in Ikoyi and Surulere? What do we know? About Corrupt Persons and their practices? Please provide specifics, not wild speculations and rumors, as distractions or defense to your crimes!

Let us deal with the armed robber against whom we have specific information, let him sing the names of fellow robbers, his accomplices or accessories before or after the fact. Let heads of more looters at all levels of our government roll, let the heads of the corrupt roll, from messengers to the president, whoever is found wanting, deserves severest of penalties… but … the corruption by others cannot be the defense for your corruption!

According to Newswatch Magazine, in its edition published on September 5, 2005

Vice Presidetn Atiku Abubakar has a lot of explaining to do! www.newswatchngr.com

http://www.newswatchngr.com/editori...10905140331.htm

“The tenure of Atiku Abubakar as vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria may end abruptly in a matter of weeks, even days. That is because he has been given marching orders by President Olusegun Obasanjo to quit immediately or risk being handed over to security agencies over illegal financial dealings involving himself and Jennifer, his wife.

Their offences are said to include money laundering, tax evasion, and terrorist financing. Newswatch learnt that one of the major reasons for the recent raiding of the residence of Atiku in Maryland, United States by the Federal Bureau of Intelligence was in connection with his alleged shady deal with William Jefferson, US congressman as well the discovery of his multi-million dollars foreign bank account. Sources said that at first, Atiku and 20 other Nigerians who were maintaining foreign shady bank accounts in the United States were asked to close them. This was because the American security agents who initially did not know the origin of the money, later traced it to deals from Nigeria. It was against this background that they asked all those involved to move their money out of the US. It was at this juncture that Jennifer reportedly moved $600 million out of the US to the Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS. In that bank, he has Jennifer, his wife as a co-signatory to the account.

When they successfully moved the money, Jennifer went to Geneva and attempted to move it again, specifically to build the ABTI American University, Yola owned by the Atikus. But the Swiss banks did not allow her to move the money. This was based on their suspicion that the money came from Nigeria through money laundering. Although Jennifer is married to Atiku, she is an American citizen. This was why the Swiss bankers told her that as an American citizen if she had such money, she ought to have declared it to the US Inland Revenue Service. They argued that since she had not declared it in US for tax purposes, it stands to reason that she was dodging payment of taxes to the US government and the penalty for this offence is jail.

Swiftly, the Swiss bankers reported to the US government that such money came from the US. The US security agents immediately swung into action and searched Jennifer residence because she was earning $200 a week. Baffled by what they discovered, the US government officials called Obasanjo on August 1, alleging that his government was very corrupt. They asked him where Atiku got the money which he stashed in a foreign bank account. Obasanjo's response was that it had nothing to do with his government but was strictly an individual's issue.

Newswatch gathered that during the search of Atiku's house in Maryland, USA, by F.B.I officials, August 3, they found documents on payments to American congressmen through Jefferson. The last cheque was $100,000. It was further learnt that F.B.I. subpoenas are focused on a telecommunications deal Jefferson was trying to engineer in Nigeria over the past year.. The US government then called George Obiozor, Nigeria's ambassador to US to alert him about the happenings. Obiozor immediately sent two reports on the incident to the federal government. He was instructed to follow it up through diplomatic channels to establish the facts involved on the issue”

Jennifer is the happy political parties’ donor, with apparent unlimited and limitless wealth, based on her hard work upon which she is paid $200 per week! Which of course is below the poverty measuring scale in America….how does anyone with income level below the poorest American then make180 degrees turn to donate to the party of Lincoln? The political party in America that is synonymous with the political party of the rich? Jennifer certainly posses a most bizarre transformative personalities, that will make the worst multiple personality sufferer bristle with envy! Poor $200 per week rich wife of VP, live in a mansion! Co-owner of $600 million, frequent donor to political parties! This is better than fiction! Who could have thought up such wonderful true life fantasy of phantasmagoria? Let defenders of the VP and Jennifer refute or challenge our facts!

We wrote “Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Explain!” published at http://magazine.biafranigeriaworld.com/paul-adujie/2005sep02-vice-president-atiku-abubakar-must-explain.html and other Nigeria-related websites, based on the investigations and findings that became available to us, since then, we have received hate mails, churlish commentaries by defenders of the vice president, unwarranted telephone calls chastising me, some threatening my personal safety and life! Even though what we wrote was incontrovertible or if some think it is, they ought to write rejoinders to my article, instead of labeling, castigating and threatening my life and liberty!

I have since received countless annoying telephone calls to my home and to my cellular phones… these pranks and cranks of calls, have strengthened my resolved to pursue those who loot Nigeria’s resources… I refuse to be intimidated, and no price is too high to pay

I have accordingly, informed American authorities of these threats to my safety and life

I am not afraid. It is a worthy cause to rid Nigeria of corruption, it is just cause! Looters deprive Nigeria of development, advancement and greatness! Looters make Nigeria object of ridicule in international arena, and looters have damaged our sense of pride in our nation! Looters have stunted our growth and development, looters are our bane and burden. Looters drive Nigerians out of Nigeria, Nigerians throng foreign embassies daily!

I am undeterred and unbowed! We will ruin those responsible for the ruination of Nigeria

E-mail: Lawcareer@msn.com

Posted by Administrator at 02:28 AM | Comments (1)

The Rot in Aba: An Eye-Witness Account

by Uche Nworah (London, UK) --- Eziuche Ubani, the former media adviser to Ghali Umar Na-Abba (former speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives) writes a well read back page column every Friday in This Day newspaper, just like me, Mr Ubani is an ‘Aba brought up’ (ABU), a term people born in Aba, the Enyimba (Elephant) city proudly use to describe themselves.

We take so much pride in the ABU label as compared to, for instance the ‘Ajebota’ (softie) label normally ascribed to people born in Enugu or any other town where life was supposed to be rosy and beautiful. Although my folks are from Anambra state, but having lived all our lives in Aba - Abia state, it is natural for us to also claim Abia as our state. This logic is sustained by the fact that if for instance I had been born in America or in the United Kingdom, I would have claimed their citizenship by birth.

Ordinarily we ABUs take so much pride in our town, perhaps the song ‘I’m a survivor’ by the female R ‘n’ B group, Destiny Child best describes the indefatigable and ‘never say never’ spirit of people ‘born and bred’ in Aba. This obviously may stem from the fact that despite our not- so -‘ajebotaish’ upbringing, we always strive hard to overcome the challenges of our immediate environment and make something out of our lives. Hence, proudly we can name some famous Nigerians who are also ABUs. This also includes the Governor of Abia state, Chief (Dr.) Orji Uzor Kalu, the main subject of this piece.

As an ABU and a concerned one at that, Eziuche Ubani wrote an article on the 22nd of July in his weekly Friday column titled ‘The meltdown in Abia.’ With that article, Mr Ubani confirmed once again the saying that the pen (or is it the keyboard?) may indeed be mightier than the sword. His indictment of the Orji Kalu administration over the ‘meltdown in Abia state’ has indeed left some of the governor’s many special advisers and consultants panting for breath, and licking their wounds like wounded dogs. Since the article was published, I have at least identified 3 individuals who have tried to douse the fire raised by Mr. Ubani’s article in their different capacities as either media adviser, special assistant on media and information to the executive governor, or as secretary of the parastatal responsible for the clearing of the rubbish in Aba, the problem which is at the crux of this whole matter.

The first of the governor’s ‘executive foot soldiers’ to come to the governor’s rescue was Victor Onochie, Abia state Executive Secretary on Environmental Sanitation. Mr Onochie obviously was quite pricked by the truthfulness of Mr Ubani’s article, especially as regards the environmental and sanitary situation in Aba, the job that Mr Onochie was appointed to do but which apparently was not being done, like a man about to be drowned; Victor Onochie quickly wrote a rejoinder titled Abia: The curse of political liliputs & eunuchs. Expectedly, Mr onochie’s ‘white-wash article’ was granted audience in the Sunday Sun, a tabloid which belongs to the governor. In his article, not only did Mr Onochie fail to address the main issues raised by Mr Ubani, which is to explain why Aba, the commercial city and Abia state’s only revenue generating cash cow was being buried in filth and rubbish, and also explain for example why a journey from Alaoji junction, through Port Harcourt road to the Aba main motor park, a journey that in normal circumstances shouldn’t take 20 minutes has now become a journey through hell lasting hours if at all, a most difficult if not impossible journey, as a result of acute traffic caused by gashing pot-holes and mountains of rubbish lining the road.

The gridlock at Crystal Park Avenue/Port Harcourt road junction is routine.

In his poorly executed response, and attempt to discredit Mr Ubani, Mr Onochie decided to toe the line of least resistance, the road widely travelled, he resorted to subtle propaganda and name calling by alleging that Mr Ubani’s beef with Governor Orji Uzor Kalu was as a result of the governor’s refusal to support Eziuche Ubani’s political ambitions during the 2003 general elections. In Victor Onochie’s own words;

What else do you expect of a failed candidate who is not worth more than 100 votes in a general election? Yes, that is all Ubani polled in the 2003 elections when he contested the primaries for house of reps seat in Abia.

However, I submit that Mr Ubani’s article is consistent with what I saw when I visited Aba in July 2005 and took these pictures. I feel sorry for Victor Onochie and sorrier for the governor who appointed him, obviously Mr Onochie is not competent, and he owes the governor a huge explanation as to why he let things get to the level they have gotten in Aba. Maybe someone needs to read his job specifications and descriptions to him once again, the fancy title of his position not withstanding, broken down, Mr Onochie’s job is to ‘carry dirty’ and he is not doing that at the moment as these pictures show.

Mountain of rubbish at Uratta Road/Port Harcourt road.

Is this Port Harcourt road or Rubbish road?


Bonfire of the vanities? Heaps of rubbish along Asa road, opposite C.K.C Aba.

The same old story, view of Asa road from inside a taxi. Rubbish everywhere.

Another of the governor’s many advisers is Onuoha Udeala, the special assistant to the governor on media matters, Mr. Udeala seemed to have arrived late to the party, his response came almost 3 weeks after the damage had been done, and how did he try to justify his position? As usual, he wrote a rejoinder in the Sun newspaper (where else?); this also appeared in their online edition. In his write-up, he started by stating that ‘Governor Orji kalu and the government of Abia state are not averse to criticisms.’ In continuation he said that ‘We encourage constructive criticisms since they enable us bring about a desirable change in policies and programmes.’

Now if the above statement is true, isn’t it what Eziuche Ubani did in his article? Again, just like Victor Onochie before him, Mr Udeala failed to address the issues raised by Mr Ubani; he rather used the opportunity to outline the governor’s numerous ‘achievements’, the way he went on about them, I was quite surprised that Mr Udeala even found enough space in his article to enumerate all of them. Unlike Mr Onochie, he didn’t call Mr Ubani names directly but rather tasked him

To use his column to alert the federal government on the deplorable state of federal roads in Abia state, particularly in Aba… He should use his contact with those in authority to appeal to the federal Government to release to abia N3 billion bond, approved by the Nigeria stock exchange for over three years now.

Port Harcourt road, typical of Aba roads, water-logged and pot holed, sorrows everywhere for Aba residents

Ngwa road by Asa/Port Harcourt road junction is no longer passable; hence ‘Okada’ motorcycles have taken over.

Another of the trio is Iyke Ekeoma, I am sure we have seen him somewhere before, if I am right, it must have been during the Ogbonnaya Onu administration in Abia state or during the administration of one of the military administrators in the state when he performed the same media advisory role. In all these, I haven’t yet read any sequel from Mr Ekeoma although he has made some pronouncements in the state owned Abia Broadcasting Corporation on behalf of the governor, but then thinking about this now, I am wondering if maybe the governor does not have one too many media advisers. But looking at the way both have handled the gathering storm generated by Ubani’s article, one need not be a soothsayer to see that they have really not done a lot for the governor, unless maybe they are short of good counter evidence to present to Abians and the Nigerian people. As the elders say ‘it is difficult to conceal pregnancy’ and reality bites.

As you may know, Governor Orji Uzor kalu wants to be the President of Nigeria in 2007, if you ask me, there is nothing wrong with his having such ambitions, as a matter of fact it is nice to see an ABU having such ambitions but the governor should know better. Didn’t they say that charity begins at home? Well, his hordes of advisers should have told him that the measure Nigerian people will use to judge him will be his achievements in his backyard.

Agreed the Governor started well during his first term, when there were efforts at urbanisation and road construction hence his being called the ‘action governor’ by President Olusegun Obasanjo, this was when the going was good between the two, although I am not so sure if the president would not now be thinking that he may have praised the Governor a bit too soon. 4 or 5 years later, it is difficult to believe that this is the same Aba that witnessed all those ‘road constructions’ by Elite Constructions Company, a company rumoured to also belong to Governor Kalu.

Jinx maker or Jinx breaker? A billboard at Nicholas Avenue/Umungasi junction announces the Governor’s presidential ambition and calling him the manager Nigeria needs.

Who is to blame for the fast rate of ‘wear and tear’ of Aba roads? It is important to remember that prior to Orji Uzor Kalu’s 1999/2000 road construction efforts, almost all the roads enjoyed by Aba residents had been built in the early 80s by the late governor of Imo state, Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe (Dee Sam), the roads then were built by Monier Construction Company (MCC) and they really lasted several years until Governor Orji Uzor Kalu’s attempt. That being the case, maybe Elite Constructions Company has some questions to answer to the tax payers over the quality of materials they used in Aba roads.

As ABUs, are we being unfair in our critiscms of one of our own? I don’t think so. We are only complaining because we know that things can be better, especially in Aba, the town that generates the most revenues in the state, a town that is famous even beyond Africa for the level of enterprise of its people, one of whom is the governor himself, whose SLOK empire actually started in Aba. We hate to see Aba, our beloved town underachieving and not realising its potentials.

Let us leave the Federal road/state road dichotomy aside, there are some governors who have taken on the challenge and have gone ahead to rehabilitate federal roads in their state, the same can still be done in Abia. What about the rubbish? What about the Chairmen of Aba’s two Local Government Authorities? (Aba North and Aba South), Whose primary responsibilities also include road rehabilitation and refuse collection? This is another sad tale as well.

Probably as a result of the ‘non-attractiveness’ of the positions of local government chairmen in the government hierarchy, the media in Nigeria may have in the past brushed past them to blame only state and federal governments when things are not working right, but then aren’t LGAs created to bring government closer to the people? They are definitely not doing this, it is indeed a wonder what they do with their monthly allocations, but the state governor can not also escape the blame, because he is the Chief executive of the state, the buck stops right at his desk.

Sadly, Aba people have never been blessed with any reputable and hard working local government chairman, as far back as I can remember, we have always been saddled with journeymen, trespassers who only come into Aba town hall to raid and loot her treasury, at some point there was Chief Ngozi Anyaehie who only came to the office with his buddies to play cards or poker with high money stakes.

Tax payers money in action or dividends of democracy? The freshly painted and glistening Aba Town Hall.

During my 1 day visit to Aba in July 2005 (I couldn’t stay a day longer because of the stench in the air and the difficulty in moving around); the only evidence of government or tax payers money in action that I witnessed was the freshly painted Aba Town Hall. What a joke.

So where do we go from here? Well, someone seems to be listening to Eziuche Ubani’s critiscms after all, according to Onuoha Udeala,

In the interim, the government has set up a task force to rid Aba of filth. There are also mobile sanitation courts set up to try offenders of the state environmental law. In fact, Governor Kalu has voiced his disenchantment with indiscriminate dumping of refuse by residents who are mainly traders, and has vouched to make Aba one of the cleanest cities in Nigeria.

Well, well, let us wait and see but if you ask me, it’s all gibberish and a load of rubbish.

Uche Nworah is a freelance writer and lives in London. uchenworah@yahoo.com

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Why we Must Confederate African Countries, Part II

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji, Ph.D. (Seatle, washington) --- We do not have to deny some of the inherent problems of confederal governments, but with good effort, confederations can be made to work, after all they work in Switzerland. At any rate, it seems the only alternative that would avert Africans penchant for mutual mayhem.

THE SOCIAL- PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF CONFEDERATION

Each ethnic group in Africa is very distinct. It evolved over the past thousands of years and developed a unique culture, a particularistic way of approaching phenomena. Obviously, culture, like everything else in this world, is adaptable and must evolve and adapt to changes in its environment for it to enable the people survive changes in their environment. Anthropologists tell us that when different cultures come into contact with each other, that they diffuse to one another and the result is borrowing from one another and changes in the manner each approaches reality. (Reality, itself, is unknown and is largely a product of individual and social constructs of it hence can be deconstructed and reconstructed on a different and, hopefully, better footing.)

African cultures were until recently isolated from each other and from the rest of the world. They have now come into close contact with each other and with the cultures of the rest of the world. They are now incorporating aspects of other cultures. In the long run, they will adapt, that is, change and become different from what they currently are.

Nevertheless, each culture tends to remain unique despite accepting influences from other cultures. This particularistic aspect of culture is not necessarily bad. Total cultural universalism when we do not know what is ultimately good for mankind may not be the answer. Until science comes up with a verifiable universal scientific culture for all mankind, we are best served encouraging each ethnic group to retain aspects of its culture.

Consider the peoples of Nigeria. The Igbo is very individualistic, democratic and republican. He is free enterprise oriented. Igbo culture is very much like the culture of Ancient Greek city states. If you have read of Athens during the age of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the classical age, you pretty much have read about Igbo culture.

In traditional Igbo societies, the entire town made up the ruling elements. All adult males over age 15 gathered to rule their town. They discussed matters arising and voted on them. They then delegated to a few the executory function of implementing their decisions.

The Freeborn of the town, Diala, gathered as Oha (also called Amala) and made decisions regarding their town’s governance. The Oha acted as legislature, executive and judiciary of the town. This way Igbo ruled itself like the Ancient Greeks did, without resorting to the auspices of kings, dukes, earls, counts, marquis, squires and the other Germanic governing elements which the English superimposed on the Igbos. (Unfortunately, like the ancient Greeks, Igbos did not permit women and slaves to participate in governance. Obviously, every person must now be permitted to make inputs in how society is governed.)

In the economic sphere, all Igbo strove to make a living independently. Each person is encouraged to do his best and procure a living for himself and his family. Farming and trading were encouraged. Dependency on other persons to support one was discouraged.

The cumulative effect of these social practices was that every Igbo child felt empowered and recognized that his life was in his own hands, not other people’s hands and that he must support himself. Every Igbo child was encouraged to be competitive and goes out there and competes for what he wanted out of life. He did not ask for handouts from other people, but asked for equal opportunity to compete. He knows that in every race some will win and others lose. He accepted unfettered competition and always strove to do his best, and when he lost, congratulated the winners and ground his teeth. In this life, there are always winners and losers. The best that we can do is tax winners and use that money to help losers. The Igbo are realistic and reconcile themselves to reality without undue emotionalism and sentimentalism. Cest la vie, such is life.

This magnificent Igbo culture only recently came into contact with Western civilization. In less than a century of contact, Igbo families routinely send their children to universities. This is an outstanding achievement and the culture that made this possible ought to be preserved. (The Igbos believe that there is no better culture in the world than theirs. Given what their belief makes them accomplish: be one of the most achievement oriented peoples in the world, we should permit them their belief, even if it is a myth.)

There is no doubt that if given the opportunity, if the Igbo is allowed to be Igbo, Alaigbo would compete with the best in the world. In the economic sphere, if the Igbos are let loose and unhampered by the burden of having to adapt to other Nigerians restrictive ways of lives, they would be at the apogee of world economic attainment.

If let loose, in fifty years, the Igbos would be second to none in the world. But, at present, they are shackled with the necessity of conforming to their neighbors’ cultures, some of whom eschew competition and expect handouts from life.

Every people are entitled to their culture. If some people like to sit around and ask God to send them food and or beg for food on the streets, that is their prerogative. The Igbo knows that God helps those who help themselves. If you want to eat, you go work for your food. The Igbo wants the opportunity to earn his living the old fashioned way: earn it legitimately. He must, therefore, be given the opportunity to be himself, rather than be handicapped by shiftless cultures that expect external others to fend for them.

The Igbo has internal locus of authority and knows that only him ought to do what he needs to do to survive. He and his Chi (personal God) are responsible for his fate in this world. He does not depend on other people to help him survive. Of course, where necessary, the Igbo cooperates with other people for their mutual survival, but he does not lose sight of the fact that his survival is in his own hands, not other people’s hands.

In Nigeria, we have a situation where the Moslem North wants to impose the Moslem legal system, Sharia, on the rest of the people. If we recall, Mohammed (570-622 AD) and his disciples evolved a certain legal system, the Sharia.

This legal system evolved in Arabia and is obviously rooted in Arab culture. This legal system is predicated on feudal Arabia of the seventh century. If so, one might ask: how reasonable is it to impose what evolved in Arabia fourteen hundred years ago on present African societies?

African societies ought to be governed by African legal systems. Of course, Africans must borrow from other lands. They currently borrow from the British Common law system (and aspects of continental European Napoleonic codes). In the long run, a uniquely African legal system that synthesizes European, African and other legal systems would come into being in Africa.

If the Moslems in Northern Nigeria want to embrace a seventh century Arab legal system, if they are so unaware of the evolving nature of social institutions, the fact that every thing adapts to changes in its environment, if the Northerners want to go back to practicing what was probably functional in seventh century Arabia, but not today, that is their prerogative. They are free to impose Sharia law on themselves.

One submits that the North does not have the right to impose Sharia on other Nigerians. And if they attempted to do so, they ought to be resisted. The Igbos ought to go to war rather than permit themselves to be hobbled by Arabia’s jurisprudence. It is better to die fighting than to live as a slave to other people’s archaic world views.

ANTIDOTE TO CORRUPTION IN AFRICA

Without beating around the bush, most African leaders are criminals. The real question is: why are African leaders criminal? One has given this problem quiet a bit of thinking. Is stealing in the genes of black men, as some white racists would like us to believe? If black men are born with criminal genes, what shall we make of white men, men who killed Indians, stole their lands and at present steal from all over the world and live off other people’s suffering?

If Africans are born with criminal genes, white folks are born as murderers and plunderers. Let us dispense with the nonsense that people are born with a predilection to criminal activity. Criminal activity is learned. It is circumstances that determine whether people steal or not.

Africans are corrupt because of circumstances, not because of their genes. One believes that whereas many factors contribute to Africans current tendency to stealing, that the issue of ethnic identification plays a critical role in it.

In so-called national politics, each ethnic group sees national wealth as a cake from which it takes and gives to its own people. The idea is to please the members of ones ethnic group, rather than serve national interests. Let us be specific rather than abstract.

Nigeria obtains most of its money from selling oil. Oil comes mostly from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The various ethnic groups in Nigeria come together to get their own share of the money coming from the Ijaw area of Nigeria.

Here is what is happening in Nigeria. The Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba and others steal the resources that come from Ijawland. These criminals gather at Abuja and devise means to steal Ijaw wealth and cart it to their home lands. They use Ijaw resources to go develop their own areas, while ignoring the needs of Ijawland.

Having accustomed themselves to stealing from Ijawland, they generalize their thieving habits to stealing from their own people, too. As it were, it seems that thieving is now in Nigerians’ blood.

Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world. One gets nothing done in Nigeria without one bribing some one. Even to collect supposedly free forms from government offices requires one to bribe the dispensing clerk. If you do not bribe some one in Nigeria, you simply would not get any thing done.

Nigerians are so corrupt that they are beyond being angry at. One treats them as one treats children, that is, not expect them to behave like adults and do the right thing. They are to be taught the right way to live on planet earth, for they have forgotten it. They are in darkness and need some one to show them the light of love, mutual caring and service to one another.

Those who want to stop corruption in Nigeria cannot do so for as long as the various ethnic groups in Nigeria collude with one another to steal from Ijawland. The only way to stop corruption in Nigeria is to permit each ethnic group to have total control of the resources that come from its lands. Let the Ijaw have 100% control over their oil resources.

If each ethnic group runs its affairs, those without natural resources would work very hard to come up with the money to fund their governments. Igbos are good business men. They would find ways to come up with the money to fund their governments.

More importantly, if each ethnic group in Nigeria funded its governments by itself, it would pay attention to how its money is spent by its public officials. It would audit its accounting books and where a penny is missing punish culprits in the most draconian manner. Any public official who stole a penny and or took bribes ought to be sent to twenty years jail, with hard labor; he ought to work to feed him self; the public does not have to feed him, a detritus of mankind.

One believes that the only way to stop corruption in Africa is to permit each ethnic group to be a state, to rule itself and to have total control over its resources. The added advantage of this system is that it would force Nigerians to work harder. At present, the people do not have to work to get the money to fund their governments. They sit around doing nothing to get the money to fund the central government. All they do is figure out ways to optimize stealing the oil money that comes from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In the process, they develop stealing skills and are lazy. If we compel these lazy bums to go work and seek productive ways to fund their state governments and developmental activities, they would develop the habit of industry and, for a change, become admirable human beings, rather than the contemptible and despicable animals, they currently seem to be.

Nigeria has practically abandoned exploration of its other resources, such as Coal, Zinc, Bauxite, Palm oil, Palm kernel, Cocoa, Coffee, and Rubber. It did so in pursuit of oil money. Those other resources used to be explored, exported and generated sufficient income to feed most Nigerians. But now, most Nigerians have their eyes set on stealing Ijaw oil money and are unwilling to develop the resources that nature reposed in their neck of the wood. If we permit the Ijaw sole ownership of their oil money, other Nigerians, because of economic necessity, would return to developing the resources in their states hence making the economy more diversified and stable. When people’s backs are against the wall and their survival is at stake, they tend to work hardest. Let go of Ijaw oil money and let the threat of suffering compel other Nigerians to work hard. If they do, soon, they would have more wealth than oil ever promised them. Little Biafra had its back against the wall and invented incredible technologies that no African nation has replicated. Necessity is the mother of inventions. Let Ijaws have their oil; the rest of the people will survive.

Like every thing in this world, there are downsides to having each ethnic group control its resources. The ethnic groups that have lots of natural resources would become rich. We know what wealth does to people. One has observed what happened to Alaskans as a result of wealth. If you recall, Oil was discovered in Alaska in the late 1950s and 60s. In 1974/75 the Alaska Oil Pipe line was built from the North slopes to Valdez. Oil was piped from Prudhoe Bay to Prince Williams Sound and ships carried it to the lower forty eight states. Suddenly, Alaska was awash with money.

Alaskans did away with individual income taxes. They funded their government through oil revenue. Indeed, the government saved enough of that oil revenue (at the time of this writing, estimated at $28 billion) and each year shared the profits accruing to investments made with that fund. Generally, each year, every Alaskan receives anywhere from one to two thousand dollars in dividend. This is in addition to having just about everything done for him for free by his government: free education, free medical insurance (for persons under 21) and so on. The result of all this generosity is that Alaskans tend to be lackadaisical. As far as one knows, they are not noted for their industry and contribution to America’s science, technology and business.

The situation is even worse with Alaska Natives. Alaska has about 650, 000 people. Natives (Yupik, Inuit, Athabaska, Klinkit, Haida, Aleuts etc) are about 80, 000. African Americans and Asians are about the same in number as the natives. The rest of the population is Caucasians.

In the early 1970s, the United States Congress entered into what is now called Alaska Native Land Settlement with the various native tribes. Essentially, the natives were given about 10% of the land of Alaska, and the other 90% are left to the Federal and State governments.

If you recall, Russia came to Alaska in 1746 (under Captain Bering). Russia considered Alaska part of mother Russia. (Sitka was its capital). As a result of the impoverishment inflicted on Russia by the Crimean war, Russia needed money and approached the United States government to buy Alaska. Seward, the then secretary of State, bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. He paid ten million dollars for a piece of real estate almost twice the size of Nigeria. Many Americans were opposed to the Secretary buying what they called a “chunk of snow”; Seward’s folly, the purchase was called.

The United States government bought Alaska from Russia and owned it. All the land of Alaska, the great land, belonged to the United States government and was managed by the US department of Interior.

As a result of the Alaska Native Land Settlement Act, Alaska Natives were given parts of Alaska. This means that the resources coming from those lands are given to the natives.

The natives were untrained in capitalist ways. So, the federal government set up native corporations to run the affairs of the various natives for them. These corporations are run by white professional managers. They make profits for the natives, and each year, share these among the natives. During this observer’s last year at the University of Alaska, each Cook Inlet native (Anchorage area) got about fifty thousand dollars from this pot of money. The result is that the natives do not have to work. They have free money coming to them annually.

What do you think that they do with all that money? They waste it in riotous living, particularly on alcohol. Three months after receiving their cheeks in September, most of them are flat broke. Many of them die from alcohol induced diseases. Their life span is 42, in a society where whites routinely live to be 78 years.

What is the point? It is that if you give people free money that they might self destruct and or become lazy. The Ijaw might experience the fate of Alaska natives.

As they say, to be pre-warned is to be saved. The Ijaw can learn from Alaskans and invest their money for the raining day when oil runs out, as it must. They do not have to squander their oil resources in reckless living.

THE ABURI ACCORD

In 1966, as a result of the pogrom that they were experiencing in other parts of Nigeria, Igbos fled to their Igbo homeland. The military governor of Alaigbo, Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu, apparently, believed that Igbos were no longer safe in Nigeria. He sought a different political arrangement with the Nigerians. The Ghanaian head of state, General Ankrah, invited the head of the Nigerian government and all concerned in the dispute to a series of meetings at Aburi, Ghana.

Apparently, some sort of accord was reached by the parties in dispute. One has not read this accord and cannot attest to what it specified. However, the Igbo leader, Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu, seemed to have told his people that the accord specified a confederation form of government for Nigeria. He later said that the Federal authorities reneged on this agreement by creating twelve states (dividing the then Eastern region into three states) under the banner of federalism. For this and other reasons, Ojukwu went ahead and declared his region separated from Nigeria.

Today, the battle cry of many Igbos is “On Aburi we stand”. They seem to believe that confederation is the best form of government for Nigeria.

This observer is generally not swayed by mass sentiments. He goes with what seems self evidently true to him. In his observation, confederation seems the best type of political arrangement for Nigeria.

Nigeria has a choice to make, a choice of which of the three main forms of extant governments to choose from. The three forms of governments are unitary, federal and confederal. (Monarchy/Aristocracy is no longer a serious option.)

Of the alternatives, confederation seems the only realistic option. Why so? Unitary form of government tends to suit a homogeneous society. England and France seem to do well by this form of government. These people are, more or less, homogenous. However, as we have already pointed out, the unity of Britain may be skin deep. The Scottish, Welsh and Irish elements, Celts as opposed to German English, are agitating for some form of autonomy. We have not heard the last word on the political structure of Britain.

Nigeria has a heterogeneous population and unitary form of government is out of the question for her. Aguiyi Ironsi, apparently, toyed with that idea and it so enraged Northern Nigerians that they decided to eliminate him before he imposed that form of government on them.

At present, Nigeria toys with federalism, although what it has, in fact, is better called Centralism. The federal government controls all the resources of the country and doles out whatever it wants to the mini states it created.

Nigeria currently has 36 states, few of which can function independently. To function, these so-called states need handouts from the central government. The central government steals oil money from the Niger Delta and shares it with the thievish governors of the so-called states. The governors and the leaders at the central level are in cohorts with each other to steal and divide the loot they got from Ijawland.

For our present purposes, we do not have federalism in Nigeria, if by that we mean what obtains in the United States of America.

Federalism has not worked and will not work in Nigeria. Whoever governs the central government of Nigeria uses force to terrorize the periphery to go along with his wishes.

On paper, Nigeria emulates a badly misunderstood American form of government. It has a president, a legislature and an independent judiciary, all structured along the lines of the United States constitution. One wonders what idiots did this copying of America. America herself knew that she was different from her mother country, Britain, and constructed a government that suited her needs.

Nigeria is unique and cannot function properly with a political structure that works well in America. Nor does the American system work well for all Americans. The American political system was designed to work for white Americans. African Americans and Indians are marginalized persons in the American polity. When the latter are finally incorporated into the polity, as eventually they must, for there to be peace in the land, America must have another constitutional conference to work out a different political system, one that takes into consideration the interests of non-whites.

We are not at present focusing on America; we are talking about Nigeria and Africa. Why should Nigerian leaders copy something just because it works in America? What works in America is not guaranteed to work in Africa, for Africa is different from America.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO RESTRUCTURE AFRICAN COUNTRIES

If Africans were a rational people, they would have reconfigured the polities they inherited from their former colonial masters. They all know that the polities they inherited from their European masters are flawed and are the causes of their present problems. They all know that each country is a conglomeration of disparate people, some of whom do not want to be in the same country with others. They all know that it takes force to hold these restive people together; hence they have dictators all over Africa. They all know that for there to be democratic governments in Africa that they must restructure their present artificial polities.

But they have not done what they ought to have done, fifty years after obtaining independence from Europe. Instead of solving their problems, they kill each other in senseless wars to protect the territorial integrity of their artificial countries.

In as much as there is a failure of will and leadership in Africa to do what needs to be done to bring about stability in Africa, one is calling for an international conference, organized by the United Nations, at which African countries are restructured.

There are about four hundred legitimate ethnic groups/tribes in Africa (I named them all in a different paper). Each of these ethnic groups ought to be made a state, within confederations.

This international conference to restructure Africa must be held soon, if possible, tomorrow. It is the only way that the world would reduce Africans mismanagement of their continent and their tendency to killing each other. Failure to do this, Africans will continue making a mess of their continent and the world would continue seeing starving Africans.

Starving Africans means Africans who struggle to go live in the Western world. To avoid these people inundating other parts of the world, the world must help them do the right thing.

Failure to hold this conference and correct the mess that is Africa is tantamount to writing Africa off and permitting Africans to needlessly suffer and die. The death of Africans will be in our heads if we do not work to make sure that Africans restructure their countries and learn responsible self governance.

CONCLUION

African countries were hastily put together by European nations. With the exception of a few of them, most African countries are not natural countries. They are composed of many ethnic groups, many of whom do not get along with one another. In most cases, some ethnic groups grab power and use that power to subjugate members of other ethnic groups to their wishes. This is terrorism.

Countries like Nigeria, Congo and Sudan are terrorist states where a few armed persons use force to intimidate other ethnic groups into kowtowing to their undemocratic wishes. These terrorist leaders are not invested in managing their countries well but in being dictators who tell every body else what to do.

The world knows what is going in Africa and looks away. It is not right to look away as criminals who call themselves leaders in Nigeria, Congo or Sudan destroy the people’s spirit and mismanage their countries economy. The world ought to have reached a state of development where we all understand that we are all one and that what we permit to happen to our brothers we have permitted to happen to us. If we permit the continued hijacking and mismanagement of Africa by brutal criminals, we encourage criminal behavior in Africa. For example, by permitting criminal governments to exist in Nigeria, we encourage Nigerians to become criminals. In time, Nigerians bring their criminality to the Western world.

Nigerian criminals are currently swindling Americans and Europeans. These Nigerians are heartless and will take any one for a ride, without the slightest qualms of conscience, remorse and guilt feeling.

We permitted these groups of Africans to revert to animal status and escape from civilization. We did so by looking away as the Hausa-Fulani-Yoruba clique appropriate power and use it to oppress and abuse other groups in Nigeria. As long as these thieves maintain enough order for us to obtain our oil from Nigeria, we look away and do not do something about their criminal activities. A poor Nigerian becomes a politician and within a year has multi million dollar mansions all over the world. He diverts the national treasury to his pockets, while Nigerians live like dogs in the various shanty towns that stand in place of cities.

One does not think that the world ought to look away as crime is committed in any part of the world. The suffering of any human being is our collective suffering. In a general system, what happens in any part of it affects all parts of it and all must adjust to it. The evil we have permitted in Africa is affecting decent people in all parts of the world.

We must, therefore, intervene in Africa and help to restructure it and for the first time help these people have realistic governments that are designed to address their issues, not ignore them.

The key problem of Africa is the fact that different ethnic groups were lumped together against their wishes. The solution to this problem is to fragmentalize African countries and permit each ethnic group to govern itself. This was done in Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. It could be done in Africa. If done, since Africa has about 400 legitimate ethnic groups (not the thousands we are told, the idiots who band around the number thousands count dialects as separate languages) we would have four hundred nations in Africa.

Clearly, 400 nations, some of whom are too small and are not politically and economically viable, are too many countries in one continent. The next best alternative is to make each ethnic group as autonomous as is possible and then group many of them into confederations where they willingly delegate the performance of certain functions to a central government. But under no circumstances is the central government to ride roughshod over the constituting states.

In this paper, one outlined how such a confederation could be structured. One suggested that, first: we transform current African countries into confederations and later work for regional confederations, such as West Africa Confederation, East Africa Confederation, South Africa Confederation, and Central Africa Confederation. By the middle of this century, Africa ought to have no more than four confederations and by the end of this century; she ought to have become one confederation.

In the future, it is possible for all of Africa to become one true federation. But in the present, what Africa needs are confederations.

This goal the world must help Africans achieve. Failure to do so amounts to abnegating our collective responsibilities to help each other be our best.

One believes that Africans are corrupt because the world permitted them to be so. Consider Nigeria. The world looks away as members of other ethnic groups steal the revenue from a certain part of the country, the Ijaw area, and share that wealth among themselves. In doing so, Nigerians learn that it is not worthwhile to work hard and manage their affairs well. They seek short cuts to becoming wealthy.

Today, most Nigerians have become lazy and have forgotten that people in a developing country ought to work, at least, twelve hour days, to pull themselves up. When the West was being developed, folks worked more than twelve hour days.

The Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba must learn to fund their governments and develop their regions with resources from their regions and not be like locust and descend on the Niger Delta to rub it clean.

It is the function of the international community to help put Africa right, after all the international community of the nineteenth century created modern Africa at the 1884 Berlin conference. At that conference, a resurgent Germany and her iron chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck got the other powers to divide Africa among themselves. They arbitrarily fixed Africa’s current national boundaries.

We need a similar international conference to re-fix the boundaries of Africa, to correct the mess we made. This is a duty and obligation that the rest of the world owes Africans. Left alone, Africans have proven incapable of doing the right thing; they must be helped by the international community to do the right thing: restructure their countries and have each ethnic group constitute a state in confederated countries.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji, PhD(UCLA)

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Why we Must Confederate African Countries, Part I

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji, Ph.D. (Seatle, washington) --- HAMLET: What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? ~~~~ Hamlet, II, ii

Human beings are ratiocinative creatures. It, therefore, confounds one that they see problems and ignore them until they explode in their faces. This is a tragic flaw in the human character. They fail to take proactive and affirmative actions to address problems that are so palpable that one could literally touch them.

African countries are problematic countries. They are artificial social constructs. None of them is an organic community. They are all artificial entities put together by European colonial powers. Those powers constructed these countries for their own good. The motivations and behaviors of Europeans are understandable.

It is not for other persons to do what is good for one, but what is good for them. Europeans had a right to construct African countries that served their interests. It was in their interests for African countries to be weak. You make your enemy weak so as to better control him.

What is not understandable is why Africans have not reconstructed their countries so as to serve their African interests. Instead, they merely complain about what Europe did wrong in constructing the countries they inherited from Europe. Why not stop complaining and fix the problems you see? What are Africans, children or adults? Children see problems and complain about them. Adults accept the problems that existence gives them and solve them, or, at least, struggle to solve them.

Those who struggle to solve their problems develop a feeling of empowerment; those who refuse to address their issues feel depowered.

Instead of bellyaching about what Europeans did wrong, Africans ought to correct the mistakes they perceive in Africa. African countries are like powder kegs waiting for someone to light a fuse on them and they explode. When any of them explodes, people are killed and the international community wrings its hands in wonder, asking why Africans cannot seem to do anything right; why can’t they seem to govern themselves well?

There have been ethnic cleansings in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leon, Ivory Coast, Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda and in other African countries. We shall continue having these problems until we decide to behave rationally and call for a conference, pretty much like the 1884 Berlin Conference that fixed Africa’s current boundaries, and reconfigure African countries, this time, on a realistic footing that would no longer generate future conflicts.

Extant African countries were put together by European countries. These Europeans did not consult Africans but arbitrarily congregated disparate people into political conglomerations that served their imperial goals.

Let us use Nigeria as an example in our effort to explicate the problems with contemporary African countries.

In 1460, Prince Henry the Navigator built a navigation school at Lagos, Portugal. He gathered sailors and had them explore the coast of Africa. By 1487, history tells us that the first Portuguese (hence Europeans) sailed to Nigerian ports. They visited the King, Oba, of Benin. They reported that the city of Benin was comparable to what they had in Europe at that time.

For our present purposes, the salient point is that it was in the late 1400s that Europeans came into sustained contact with Africans.

Christopher Columbus visited the Americas in 1492 and, thereafter, the Transatlantic Slave Trade began. The Portuguese established slaving ports on the Coast of West Africa and arranged for coastal Africans to sell them Africans, whom they took to the new world and used to work in their plantations.

It should be observed, however, that prior to the Trans Atlantic Slave trade that Africans were already selling themselves to Arabs. History books tell us that as early as the tenth century of our common era, Africans were already selling themselves into Arab slavery. In fact, the earliest West African empires, such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai, were little more than slaving syndicates for capturing and selling Africans to Moslem Arabs. We are told that the leaders of these so-called empires (such as Askia Mohammed and Sony Ali) took thousands of slaves with them when they visited Mecca for their hajj and sold them to Arabs.

(It is safe to assume that slavery had existed for at least five hundred years in Africa before the Europeans came to the scene. Africans sold each other into slavery for, at least, a thousand years: between 900 and 1900 AD. As such, Africans developed a slaving culture and a slaving mentality. This mentality contributes to their present anti social behaviors: they do not identify with their people and, instead, see them as slaves to be sold. Today, the international community prohibits slavery; otherwise, Africans would still be selling each other. Now, they sell each other in other ways. They exploit each other. For example, they pocket the monies that would have gone into helping their fellow Africans live decently. The contemporary African has as much a callous heart as his slave selling ancestors. He needs psychological surgery to teach him that the best lived life is one that devotes itself to serving fellow human beings. Africans have a sickness of the soul and until this sickness is accepted and healed, it is doubtful that they can effectively and decently govern themselves.)

The Portuguese established a slave port at Lagos (Nigeria) in 1529. In time, Portugal, as a seafaring power, declined and was replaced by other seafaring nations, first, by the Spanish. The Spanish, in turn, fell and was replaced by the Dutch, who, in turn, were replaced by the French and English. In the meantime, whichever European power was on ascendancy used the slaving ports established by the Portuguese on the coast of West Africa, to buy African slaves.

Slavery eventually elicited opposition to it. In England, William Wilberforce led the fight to outlaw slavery. In 1807, the British House of Commons outlawed slave trade. But, for all intents and purposes, the trade continued to flourish. The British Royal Navy was, therefore, mandated to patrol the Guinea Coast, West Africa, and board and search ships in those sea lanes and ascertain that they were not involved in slave trading. British war ships searched many ships and freed many slaves. Some of the freed slaves were settled at Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Ultimately, Britain recognized that it was not enough to intercede on the high seas and free slaves but that she had to go to the source of slaves and do something about selling Africans into slavery. Thus, in the mid 1800s British war ships began making calls on West African coastal cities, trying to work out arrangement with local African chiefs that would stop them from selling their people into slavery. In 1851, the British Navy landed at Lagos and tried to negotiate with the city’s king, Oba Kosoko, to stop buying and selling slaves. The Oba refused. The British, therefore, intervened militarily and removed the Oba from office and replaced him with another king who agreed to stop the horrible trading in human beings. This arrangement eventually required the British to maintain military presence at Lagos, to make sure that slavery was not going on under the cover of darkness.

The British did the same at other West African port cities. In Nigeria, they intervened at Calaba and Bonny, notorious slave ports. The cumulative effect of these interventions is the British decision to maintain permanent presence on the Coast of West Africa, to prevent slave trading. (It is interesting that many coastal African peoples fought tooth and nail to maintain slave trade. One would think that Africans would have taken the initiative to fight slavery, but, no, others did so and they resisted the effort to stop them from selling their own people. They are still selling their own people, albeit in different forms. These people’s characters were so distorted by slavery that to the present they hardly know the difference between right and wrong. Consider corruption. It is wrong to engage in corruption. But these people do so no matter what any one tells them about it. Watching Nigerian policemen taking bribes from motorists makes them seem like despicable animals.)

Britain attempted to replace trading in slaves with trading in other goods. British business men were encouraged to trade with Africans in goods other than slaves. The idea was to give hitherto African slave traders alternative sources of income.

In Britain, the Royal Niger Company (later called United African Company, UAC) was charted by the House of Commons and encouraged to trade along the River Niger and its delta tributaries, buying local produce like Palm oil and Palm kernel from Africans.

Coastal Africans learnt to go into the interior to buy palm oil and palm kernel, rather than buy slaves and traded these for European goods at the various factories that the Royal Niger Company set up along the Niger and its creeks.

The Royal Niger Company, more or less, became a government and ruled the communities where it traded. Professors Kenneth Dike and Ajayi have written splendid books on the activities of Sir George Goldie and his Royal Niger Company; we need not rehash what those outstanding African scholars said.

The activities of other European countries in West Africa, particularly the French, led the British to decide to intervene and directly govern the area that the Royal Niger Company governed. Thus, in 1906 the British government declared a protectorate over what it called Oil Rivers. An employee of the Royal Niger Company, Frederick Lugard, was hired to run the area. His girl friend came up with the name, Nigeria, and the oil rivers was changed to Southern Nigeria. The British made similar arrangements with the Sultan of Sokoto and his emirs (Sultan is Turkish for chief and Emir is Arabic for the German word, chief) of the Northern part of what is now called Nigeria and formed the protectorate of Northern Nigeria.

In 1914, Lugard united the Southern and Northern protectorates into what became Nigeria. Lugard became the first Governor General of Nigeria and appointed lieutenant Governors to help him govern the southern and northern parts of Nigeria.

Later, Nigeria was divided into three regions: North, East and West and lieutenant governors were appointed for each region. The deputy governors reported to the Governor General, who, in turn, reported to the colonial secretary at Whitehall, London. The colonial secretary, in turn, reported to the foreign secretary, who was part of the cabinet led by the British Prime Minister.

INDIRECT RULE SYSTEM

Lugard studied the pattern of governance in Northern Nigeria and was impressed by what he saw. He decided to rule Northern Nigeria through the already established rulers of Northern Nigeria. Thus, he told the Sultan of Sokoto and his emirs (each Hausa town had an emir, a chief, that helped the Fulanis rule their conquered Hausa states…the Fulani chieftain, Othman Dan Fodio, conquered Hausaland in 1804) what to do and they, in turn, got their people to do it. This system was called the indirect rule. Essentially, Lugard, assisted by a secretariat of colonial administrators stationed at the colonial capital, Lagos, told his lieutenant Governors, stationed at Kaduna, Enugu and Ibadan, what to do, and the lieutenant governors, in turn, told their district commissioners/officers what to do and these told emirs of their districts what to do, and the emirs got their people to do what their British overlords asked them to do. In effect, Lugard ruled Nigerians through Nigerian chiefs. The advantage of this system was that it saved cost and manpower for the colonial administration. With a handful of British colonial administrators, Britain governed Nigeria.

Lugard easily replicated the system he had established in the North in Western Nigeria. In Western Nigeria, there were already existing chiefs, Obas. Lugard, his lieutenant governor and district commissioners ruled the Yorubas through the obas.

In the East, particularly in Alaigbo, the going was a bit more difficult. There were no preexisting chiefs through whom Lugard and his assistants could rule the Igbos. Lugard proceeded to invent warrant chiefs for the Igbos. He appointed chiefs among people who, traditionally, were democratic and republican and had no chiefs. (Igbo ama eze; today, some phony Igbos disregard their history and run around calling themselves chiefs.)

Lugard attempted ruling Alaigbo through his artificially invented chiefs and had a difficult time of it.

Like every thing else in this world, there are always exceptions to a general rule. Some Igbos had chiefs. Those Igbos who bordered non-Igbo people, apparently, were influenced by their neighbors and had chiefs. Igbos in Onitsha, Asaba and Abo were close to Edo people. Edos had chiefs, the chief of whom was the Oba of Benin. Thus, these Igbo towns had Obis, such as the Obi of Onitsha.

Before we get carried away talking about the “great institution of kingship in Onitsha”, however, it should be remembered that until recently, Onitsha was just a town of no more than a few hundred people. We are talking about a minor chief. For all practical purposes, therefore, Igbos had no chiefs.

Lugard retired and his successors made minor changes to the system of governance that he established in Nigeria. Nigeria had many constitutional changes, such as Arthur Richards, McPherson and so on. Suffice it to say, however, that no major changes were made to the system of governance established by Lugard until Nigeria gained her independence from Britain in 1960.

The Littleton/Lancaster House constitution that gave Nigeria Independence retained the British form of government for Nigeria, a parliamentary system with the party winning the majority at elections forming the government and its leader becoming the prime minister and its sub leaders given cabinet positions. The first independent government of Nigeria was led by the Northern People’s Congress (political party) and the Prime Minister was Sir Abubaka Tafawa Balewa.

In 1966, the Balewa government was overthrown by a military coup. The coup leader was an Igbo, Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu. Nzeogwu was quickly arrested and jailed and the most senior military officer took over governing Nigeria.

Major General Johnson Thomas Umunna Aguiyi Ironsi became the first military ruler of Nigeria. He was an Igbo. Aguiyi Ironsi toyed with the idea of giving Nigeria a unitary form of government.

In August of 1966, there was a counter coup and Ironsi was murdered and Major Yakubu Gowon, a Christian Northerner, became the head of government.

In the meantime, Igbos all over Nigeria were massacred. It is reported that over two million Igbos were killed. What was left of the Igbos in other parts of Nigeria ran to their Igbo homeland. The governor of the then Eastern region, Lt. Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in 1967 declared his region the Republic of Biafra.

The Federal authorities engaged in what they called a police action to quell Ojukwu’s secession. That police action lasted 30 months. In the process, it is reported that three million Igbo people were killed.

In January 1970, the Federal forces, under General Olusegun Obasano, Nigeria’s present President, received the unconditional surrender of the Biafran armed forces at Owerri. Ojukwu had fled the country and his second in command, General Efiong, had the onerous task of surrendering to the victorious Nigerian forces.

In 1975, while out of the country, Gowon was replaced by General Mutala Mohammed in a bloodless coup. Mutala ruled with Obasanjo as his second in command. An attempted military coup by Major Danjuma killed Mutala and Obasanjo became the head of government of Nigeria.

Obasanjo wrote a constitution for Nigeria and handed power over to an elected civilian government in 1979.

Alhaji Shehu Shagari became the first executive President of Nigeria in 1979. Four years later, Shagari won re-election. His government was allegedly characterized by corruption and graft, and General Buhari, on that account, overthrew it.

Buhari, by most accounts, was a man of probity. So far, no one has accused him of corruption. Nevertheless, he was replaced by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

Babangida, the maradona of Nigerian politics, handed power to a civilian, who was quickly dispatched by General Sani Abacha.

Abacha allegedly instituted the most corrupt government in Nigeria. He died while in office and his assistant, General Abdul Salami replaced him.

Abdul Salami wrote a constitution for Nigeria in 1999. That year, an election was held and Obasanjo and his People’s Democratic Party won the election. Obasanjo became the president of Nigeria. Obasanjo is still in office (September, 2005).

The purpose of this paper is not to provide the reader with a thorough history of Nigeria. The paper’s goal is to reflect on the type of government that suits Nigeria and other countries in Africa. If the reader is interested in a more detailed history of Nigeria, he or she should read books on Nigeria’s history.

THE MULTI ETHNIC REALITY OF NIGERIA

What is the reality of Nigeria? It is that it is an artificial country. Nigeria was put together by the British. The British did not consult the people living in Nigeria before they forcefully agglomerated them into one political entity.

Nigeria is composed of Hausas (Hausa is actually not a tribe; it is a Creole language, mix of Arab and African, spoken by those Northern tribes that had accepted Islam as their religion, and who were greatly influenced by Arab culture; they tend to have a unified, Moslem based worldview, and, for all practical purposes, may as well be considered an ethnic group), Yorubas, Igbos, Ijaws, Edos, Efiks, Urobos, Isikiris, Tivis, Kanuris, Fulanis, Bornu and many minor tribes.

These tribes, ethnic groups, call them what you like, are different from one another. They were forced to live with one another against their will. This, then, is the major problem of Nigeria. Different groups of human beings were forced against their will to live in the same country.

Generally, some of these tribes detest others. However, for some reasons, they are compelled to live together. As noted, in 1967 the Igbos seceded from Nigeria. The Gowon led Hausa-Fulani government at Lagos went to war with Biafra and successfully defeated it. Why did the Hausa-Fulani and their Yoruba ally go to war with the Igbos? Was it for their love of the Igbos?

Biafra encompassed the Niger Delta region, the region that produced most of the oil that provided the revenue with which Nigeria survived. Therefore, Biafra had to be defeated so that the Hausas, Fulanis and Yorubas (the triple alliance that fought the war with the Igbos) would have access to oil revenue.

The Nigerian civil war was, in effect, an economic war. The people from the North and West needed to get their hands on Niger Delta oil and had to defeat the Igbos so as to do so.

Today, revenue from oil supplies over 90% of the money that funds the Nigerian federal government, the Hausa and Yoruba governments and some other governments in Nigeria.

The men from the North and West essentially keep Nigeria together for economic reasons: they need to get their hands on the oil revenue that comes from the Niger Delta. They could care less for the Ijaw who live in the Delta. They, of course, in a Machiavellian vein manipulate the Ijaw and tell them that their neighbors, the Igbos, would like to take over their oil. Thus, the Ijaw, who are, in fact, a mix of Igbos and themselves, see the Igbos as their mortal enemies and then run to the Hausas to protect them. The Hausas protect them alright.

Money from Ijawland’s oil is used to develop Northern and other parts of Nigeria, while Ijawland is ignored. Ijawland is so devastated by oil drilling and burning of gas that it literally looks like denuded moonscape.

What we have in Nigeria is a collection of odd bedfellows who, for the sake of oil money, agree to tolerate each other. These people hate one another with passion but know enough to realize that they need the oil revenue from certain parts of Nigeria. Thus, like honorable thieves, they agree to get along with one another, provided that they share the loot from Ijawland.

There is no doubt whatsoever that what holds that strange country called Nigeria together is oil money. If there was no oil in Biafra, Northerners would have gladly seceded from Nigeria and not give a hoot for Igboland. It has been reported that the original intention of the August 1966 counter coup was to secede the North from the rest of Nigeria. Apparently, the coup plotters wised up to the fact that they needed revenue from the Niger Delta, changed their minds and decided to keep Nigeria one.

As long as these strange fellows have oil money to share, they would probably continue to agree to be in the same country. But when that oil runs dry, Nigeria probably would disintegrate. Nigeria probably will not last a second longer than oil lasts.

We have established that the political entity called Nigeria is the invention of Britain. We have further established that the British put together different people who did not want to live together and forced them to live together.

The various ethnic groups are radically different from each other, some as night is from day. The Hausas are Moslem. The Igbos are Christian. The Hausa had established a feudal political structure before the British came to their land. The Hausas seem to have adjusted to their feudal social structure. On the other hand, the Igbos are very individualistic, democratic and republican in orientation. Before the advent of the Europeans in Alaigbo, Igbos did not have kings ruling them. The Igbos do not like the Hausa feudal social- political structure.

How can these two very different people coexist in the same political arrangement? They cannot do so without conflict. The Igbo detests what he sees as the Hausa feudal system of governance and the Hausa does so regarding Igbo republicanism. The result is conflict between the two groups. So far, this conflict is masked by the preponderance of power that the Hausas have.

The Hausas control the Nigerian military (with second fiddle role performed by the Yoruba). For practical purposes, the Hausa-Fulani-Yoruba military axis overwhelm the Igbo with their superior military power and, in effect, terrorize them into going along with the pseudo political entity called Nigeria.

The Igbos are a terrorized people. The men from the North and West use military power to intimidate the Igbos into going along with the government of Nigeria. Without force holding them down, the Igbos would break away from Nigeria, today.

(One may ask whether it is right to terrorize a group of people? Hasn’t human civilization gotten to a point where terrorism is no longer tolerated as instrument of governance? If terrorism is wrong, why does the rest of the world keep quiet while a group of human beings are intimidated with brutal force? Moslem terrorism in Europe and North America is fought by the West. Why does the West permit Moslem terrorism in Nigeria?)

One is searching for a political arrangement that gives all Nigerians freedom to be themselves and not intimidated persons.

In Ones view, it is necessary for the various ethnic groups that exist in Nigeria to come together in a national conference and renegotiate the parameters of their continued existence as a nation. In all likelihood, they would choose a confederation, not total divorce from each other.

Let us restate the obvious. The various ethnic groups in Nigeria are different from one another. Each of them ought to be allowed to develop along its natural lines. No one ethnic group should impose its worldview on the others. Each group ought to have the opportunity to pursue its destiny, without others interfering in it.

At present, the various ethnic groups are forced to live together. The more powerful ones impose their values on others and these others silently resent being imposed on. A sort of Carthaginian peace prevails in Nigeria. But we all know that such peace does not last forever.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a mask for Russian empire, comprised of sixteen republics. In 1991, those sixteen groups separated from Russia. Within today’s Russia Federation are many ethnic groups, these suppressed by the Russian people. Some of these ethnic groups are agitating for freedom. Chechnya is fighting for independence. By and by, the various ethnic groups in Russia will obtain a measure of independence from Russia. Until Russia has the foresight to give some independence to these people, it must remain an unstable empire.

In Yugoslavia, President Tito used iron hand to hold six different nations together. These nations: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Kosovo-Albania etc are now running their own governments, but not before Yugoslavia had under went political and military convulsions.

Czechoslovakia saw the hand writing on the wall and peacefully separated into its two component parts, Czech and Slovakia republics.

The English used force to unify the disparate people that lived on Britain. The various Celtic groups were forced to accept the ruler ship of the English (Germans). But, today, the suppressed groups are agitating for a measure of Independence. The Welch, the Scotts and the Irish are asking for independence. Tony Blair, the astute British Prime Minister, has read the hand writing on the wall and realized that you cannot suppress a people forever and ever hence devolved the government and gave the Welch and Scotts a measure of independence.

After over a thousand years of being subjugated, the Celts of Britain are today resurrecting their “dead languages and cultures”. This goes to show that you simply cannot suppress a people forever.

In the United States of America, the Anglo Saxon elements employed superior force to displace the Indians and relegated them to reservations. In these ghettos, the Indians are given alcohol to drink themselves to untimely death. Genocide is being perpetrated against Native Americans, and the world keeps silent.

Nevertheless, if what we know of history remains constant, American Indians will some day come to their own. In the not too distant future, the various Indian tribes will probably rise up and become self governing entities.

THE MERITS OF CONFEDERATION

We have posited that Nigeria and most contemporary African countries are artificial social constructs. We have established that these countries essentially constitute forced marriages. Like in all such social arrangements, those in them itch to get out. In most cases, they are held together by brute force. In the case of Nigeria, military force is used to terrorize the Igbos into staying in a political arrangement that they detest.

What is the alternative to terrorist African states? Is total divorce called for in Nigeria?

The various ethnic groups in Nigeria are often too small and weak to go it alone. Independently, most of them are not viable political and or economic entities. Somehow, they need each other to survive.

The real question is not dissolving Nigeria but finding a better form of association for the current strange bed fellows called Nigerians. Since these people need each other and yet do not get along with each other, one believes that the best workable political arrangement for them is a confederation.

We need to retain the fiction called Nigeria but reorganize and make it realistic to its multi-ethnic composition.

Each of the twenty ethnic groups in Nigeria ought to become a state, a state in the real sense of that term; a state that rules itself. The various states then should cooperate with each other in a confederation of states called Nigeria.

The states should delegate certain functions to the central government, such as foreign affairs and military control. But beyond the specific areas given to the central government, each of the constituent states ought to govern itself in every other way, including having 100% control of its resources.

(The Ijaw ought to have 100% control of the oil revenue that comes from her area. Ijaw indigenes, like every one else, should pay income taxes to the confederal government. The confederal government ought to be able to impose no more than 25% tax on the individual’s annual income, and use such revenue to fund its activities.)

There should be the following states in the Confederation of Nigeria: Hausa State, Yoruba State, Igbo State, Edo State, Efik State, Ijaw State, Tivi State, Kanuri State, Bornu State. The minor tribes should be grouped into states. The total number of states in Nigeria should not exceed twenty.

The critical requirement is that each of the major ethnic groups constitutes a state and has the opportunity to govern its affairs, unimpeded by other ethnic groups.

Each state must include all those who speak a unique language, different dialects not withstanding. Alaigbo State, for example, must stretch from Ikwerre (Egwuocha/Port Harcourt) to Abo, from Arochukwu to Ida/Nsuka, with its capital at Owerri, the Igbo heartland.

One visualizes the state structure to be as follows: a unicameral legislature (not bicameral legislature, to reduce cost and avoid duplication of functions), not to exceed fifty elected legislators, who serve fiver year terms, not to exceed six terms, for a total of 30 years; a Premier selected from the dominant party in the state legislature, who is the chief executive officer of the state; a governor who is the nominal head of the state and signs bills passed by the legislature into law, an independent judiciary (High Court of seven judges, headed by the state chief judge, district courts, and town courts).

The state political structure is replicated at the district level: A district council of nine members, a district executive, elected for a five year term, two term limits, who heads the executive branch; a district court with district judge of first instance.

Finally, a town/city government: town/city council of seven members and a mayor heading the executive branch and a town magistrate court.

Each state is to have no more than fifty districts (and district governments).

The states would be responsible for delivering education and health services to their citizens. Each state must provide all its citizens with free six year primary education, free six year secondary education, free four year university education for at least one third of the graduating students from secondary schools and free four years of technical education for all the other graduates of secondary schools. Graduate education should be for the top ten percent of university graduates (a two year masters’ degree program and another three years for the doctor of science degree program for the top two percent of graduate students.)

Towns/cities are to be required to provide preschool education for children from age two to five…here working women drop off their children in the morning and pick them up after work, with such centers remaining open from six in the morning to seven in the evening. The town must find the resources, through property and sales taxes and licensing fees etc to fund this and other services.

Each state is to obtain its revenue independently from the confederal government. It is to tax its citizens and seek other revenue streams with which it funds its activities. Under no circumstances is a state to be financially dependent on the central government.

The confederal government is to be composed of a legislature (at least two delegates from each state, not to exceed overall 100 legislators for the country), legislators serve five year terms, not to exceed six terms, 30 years altogether; a prime minister elected by the legislators from among themselves; who serves a term of five years, but not to exceed two terms, ten years; an elected but nominal president who serves one term of ten years, the president must be of retirement age, a 70 year old national achiever, say, the best scientist in the country; an independent judiciary with the usual three tiers: Supreme Court of not more than thirteen justices, one of whom is the chief justice, appellate courts of three judges and district courts of single judges; each state having at least one district court, and a group of states constituting an appellate area.

What one visualizes for Nigeria is a situation where each of the ethnic groups in it is essentially governing itself while delegating certain powers to the national government. This arrangement would give each ethnic group sufficient sense of independence and leg room to be itself. This system will work for Nigeria.

In fact, it is the only system that will work for Nigeria. Not only will it work for Nigeria, it will work for other multiethnic countries in Africa. One advocates that multi ethnic countries in Africa adopt confederal systems of government. African countries, in fact, do not have any choice but to do this.

If in the future Africans freely choose to become federations with strong central governments, rather than confederations with weak central governments, that are welcome. In the present, confederating the present African countries seem the only way to avert some groups dominating others, and those dominated resenting it, with the result being intermittent civil wars in Africa.

DISADVANTAGES OF CONFEDERATIONS

Whereas confederal government seems the best government for extant African countries, this type of government tends to have inherent weaknesses. It is because of its weaknesses that the United States of America gave it up. It should be recalled that after its war of independence, America first adopted a confederal constitution (Articles of Confederation) and later found that system unworkable. Essentially, the Articles of Confederation made the central government too weak and the states too strong. The states did not have to accept direction from the center. There was no president or judiciary; congress was not even standing but met occasionally. This arrangement was particularly detrimental to the country’s military so that enemies easily walked all over America.

In light of the inherent problems in confederations, one made some changes in them by insisting on a standing national legislature, nominal president, executive prime minister, unified military command at the central level and the center’s control of foreign relations.

Each state must have control of its own police force (the central government must have its own police and additionally a secret police).

We do not have to deny some of the inherent problems of confederal governments, but with good effort, confederations can be made to work, after all they work in Switzerland. At any rate, it seems the only alternative that would avert Africans penchant for mutual mayhem.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji, PhD(UCLA)

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September 06, 2005

Weep Not for Atiku

by Aliyu Habeeb (Gombe, Nigeria) --- For me, any form of pity for Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in his recent tango with his boss is misplaced. I think Atiku, as the architect of his own woes and as the progenitor of our present problems, got it coming. Rather than sympathise with him, Nigerians who believe that the vice-president is being punished for humiliating President Olusegun Obasanjo in the run up to the 2003 polls should literally pour water on the sand and drink there from in jubilation. Because the man who weaved the whip with which they are being lashed now tastes the rough side of the same whip! We must not have any soft centre for such a person.

Before I make my point, let me clearly say that I am not holding brief for Obasanjo in this fight. I am also not a sadist who enjoys the pains being inflicted on Atiku just for the fun of it. No. To be sure, I don’t admire the president’s face, and that is exactly why I clap as he lampoons his vice. I will always be thrifty with my sympathy with the vice-president because he single-handedly plunged us into the present quagmire of having to contend with a sadistic president who doesn’t want to go despite widespread indignation against him.

My quarrel with Atiku is that even though he knew well enough that Obasanjo had inflicted enough grave wounds on Nigeria and Nigerians by the end of their first term, and despite the fact that he could stop him by the wave of the hand, the vice-president rallied round his political machinery to return the president in 2003. We don’t need to go far in our history books to remember that Atiku was instrumental to Obasanjo’s re-election in 2003. Reports had it that Obasanjo kneeled before and begged Atiku to get his support. We Nigerians on the other hand shouted ourselves hoarse in unison to anybody who could do it to help us get rid of the president. But Atiku clogged his ears against our deafening cries that the president must go so that our suffering would end.

In fact, shortly before the PDP convention in which Atiku strenuously worked to convince his political associates to back Obasanjo, the president was facing an array of charges of gross misconduct by the National Assembly. But for the unwarranted intervention of some misfits, the man would have been impeached. Coming out from the impeachment imbroglio, Obasanjo was the hardest sell you could display in any market. During the convention, he was facing heavy weights like former vice-president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who could have run the president down and give us some good governance. Atiku said it himself on the eve of the PDP primaries that he could defeat the president or pair up with Ekwueme to rout him. But notwithstanding the resentment of Nigerians against the prevailing misrule, Atiku chose to go with the president, simply because he thought he could bank on the president’s support in 2007. May be Atiku did some rough calculation and found that he would better off that way because he would be in the presidency for 16 years, that is eight years as Obasanjo’s vice and eight years as president. Now the president has made it clear even to a blind that Atiku would never succeed him. He has also ruined the country further and is devising ways to transmute in to an emperor, in spite of not only Atiku but the nation as a whole!

Had Atiku done the right thing, which was to jettison Obasanjo, Nigerians would have been paying less than N30 for a litre of petrol, because I can’t see any other president, be it Ekwueme or even Atiku, increasing the price of what we are the sixth world’s largest exporter notwithstanding the soaring international prices. That we are paying through our noses and even eyes to fuel our vehicles alone should make us think twice before shedding our tears for Atiku! I need not recap the ills being perpetrated by Obasanjo to make my reader appreciate the level devastation Atiku brought to this country by virtue of his role in returning the president. They are glaring for all of us!

Many of these politicians crying foul as Obasanjo cuts Atiku to size are merely shouting because their man is on the losing side. They are not crying for Nigerians or for democracy. When people like former political adviser to Atiku, Dr. Usman Bugaje talk about democracy, I laugh. This is a man put up for the race into the House of Representatives just for the single purpose of becoming the speaker. He benefited from the PDP’s rigging machine and ‘won’ an election that was far from free or fair. It was not even free from fear! His Jibia/Kaita federal constituency of Katsina state was among those with the highest record of thuggery in the state during thie 2003 elections. Since he lost his speakership race to another man whose election was no less dubious, Bugaje consistently criticises Obasanjo for being an intolerant despot. If the Bugajes are truly for Nigerians why did they allow Atiku to run with Obasanjo in 2003 since by that time they knew quite well that the president was not a democrat?

In my opinion we should not weep for Atiku. Let us leave such task for Bugaje and co. Ordinary Nigerians should all remind the vice-president that he is not only the mason of his travails but also a huge investor in our collective troubles inflicted by this government. The honourable way out for such a man is for him to divest from this project. It is never too late to seek for redemption.

Aliyu writes from Buhari Housing Estate, Gombe, Nigeria

Email: alhabeeby@yahoo.com

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September 02, 2005

Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Explain!

by Paul I. Adujie (New York, United States) ---- Two seconds after he was sworn in as Vice President of Nigeria on May 29, 1999, he ceased to be a private citizen, as it were. And as a Nigerian public official, he is required to abide by and comply with relevant provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution, in conjunction with the Code of Conduct Act, which prescribes specific standard of conduct expected and demanded of public officials in Nigeria.

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The World is our Idea: So, let us Make it Better, Part II

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji, Ph.D. (Seatle, Washington) --- When you return your thinking, mind, to the condition that God created it (unified), not what you have made of it (separated), you have reconciled the ego and Christ, the earth and heaven. You have resurrected from death (ego is metaphoric death). You are reborn in God.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST TO THE WORLD

Initially, God created you as Christ, unified spirit, and you died when you identified with separated ego, and came to this world. Now, you have permitted the ego, the spirit of separation and rebellion, in you to die. You have permitted Christ to be reborn in you. Christ has come a second time to you. You are now living in New Jerusalem, New Israel; you are now at heaven’s gate, helping those of your brothers and sisters still sleeping to awaken and join you. When all children of God resurrect from death (ego state), the world ends.

Christ comes back to the world one at a time. Christ is reborn in each of us when one jettisons the separated ego and reawakens to one’s unified self. Christ will not come to the world from the cloud, as folks believe, but come to us, one person at a time, when that person knows that he is the unified son of God and lives as such, loving and forgiving all people.

LAST JUDGMENT
Each of us must perform the last judgment on the world. This means that each of us must make a decision to let go of the separated ego self and re-embrace his unified self. When a son of God lets go of the ego and its world, he has passed the last judgment on the world, he has overcome the world and moves on to a different world. The last judgment is not going to be done at the same time for all of us, but one at a time, when each of us let go of the ego and accepts his real self, the Christ self, when he replaces hate with love, anger with forgiveness.

THE END OF THE WORLD

How will the world end? The world ends when all people have resumed living as their real selves. Each person experiences the Holy Instant at a time and when all have done so, all children of God would be at heaven’s gate. They would be living in the real world and having a happy dream. Then, suddenly, the gate of heaven opens and all of us know that we are one with God and with each other. We disappear into God and he disappears into us, each not to be lost but to be expanded. There will still be individual us, but now we all know ourselves as unified with God and all people. We all suddenly experience the material universe seems to disappear and experience our selves as unified spirit.

Where would the material universe disappear to? The world of separation will disappear to where it came from, which is nowhere. As Dr Schucman sees it, the material universe does not exist and has never existed for a second. It exists as in a dream. If the dreamer awakens from his dream, the world that had seemed real to him seems to disappear. It did not disappear, for it had not existed.

(Dr Schucman’s eschatology, of course, is different from what physics tells us. According to the present conjecture of physics, the world came into being fifteen billion years ago, in a big bang. The world is expected to end in either a Fiery End or Big Chill. We are told that our sun has enough energy to last four more billion years, after which it would burn itself out. First it expands into a supernova and incorporates its nine planets and then bursts, shatters into smithereens and dust is spread in space. Perhaps, out of that star dust new stars and planets are formed? But, ultimately, science expects the material universe to end in either a fiery end, where every thing collapses into every thing else, or cold end where the galaxies, stars and planets speed off too far away from each other and die cold deaths. I happen to accept the scientific conjecture of the fate of the universe. If so, what do I make of Dr. Schucmna’s poetry? My mind is capable of simultaneously holding ideas and reality. Her poetry, somehow appeals to me, while I have my eyes fixed on the reality of science.)

Jesus became aware that this world is a dream. He was attacked and killed. He did not defend himself. He forgave those who seemed to have killed him. He loved his murderers. But since there was no world and his murderers were mere dream figures, figures produced by his sleeping, dreaming mind, in forgiving and loving his seeming murderers, he merely loved himself. In loving all people, Jesus experienced perfect love for all people hence perfect love for him self.

The experience of perfect love, perfect union, made Jesus return to the awareness of unified spirit, God, heaven. As it were, this world disappeared from his awareness and he continues to live in spirit.

But since he knows that the rest of us are still in sleep and dream this world, Jesus, undertook to return to this world to help us awaken from our own sleep. If we pray to him, ask him to help us, Dr Schucman says that he will do so.

Where is Jesus? Dr Schucman says that he is unified with our true self. Christ is one and simultaneously infinite in numbers.

Jesus, the separated ego, has died and Christ the unified self lives in us. In our own true self, Christ, Jesus Christ lives.

Thus, Jesus Christ is where each of us is, as part of our true, unified self. Ask him to guide you in lieu of asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and he would do so.

Jesus so completely identified with the Holy Spirit that he now deputizes for him. Jesus is not God but he acts on behalf of God.

When you let go of your separated self, ego, and embrace Christ, via perfect love and forgiveness, you, too, will act for God.

SALVATION

What are salvation, healing, redemption, and deliverance? All these terms mean one thing: to return to the awareness of ones true self, which is unified self. One is unified with God and all people. To know so, one must love and forgive at all times. The saved child of God loves at all times and forgives all those who seem to have wronged him.

What is his reward? The saved child of God lives in peace and happiness. To the extent that you love and forgive all people, to that extent do you experience peace and joy?

Do you feel peaceful and happy? If you do, then you are a loving person. If not, you do not love other people, you do not forgive other people; you do bear grudges and grievances and seek vengeance and revenge for the wrongs done to you.

You do not forgive other people, and since all people are you, this means that you do not forgive yourself.

If you do not forgive other people, hence do not forgive yourself, you do not feel peaceful and happy (for, as you do unto others, you do to you…if you judge others, you must judge yourself, if you hate others, you must hate yourself, if you do not forgive others, you do not forgive yourself, for others are you, literally, and what you do to them, you do to you, and what you do to you, you do to them…blame other people means blame yourself; blame yourself means blame other people; so, neither blame yourself nor other people; forgive your self and others their mistakes).

SIN, PUNISHMENT AND INNOCENCE

The unforgiving mind thinks that he is a sinner and that other people are sinners. For what one thinks of ones self is what one thinks of other people. He then denies that he sees himself as a sinner and projects his self-view to other people and sees them as sinners and wants them punished. He wants God to punish others but God knows that he is all people hence to punish any one is to punish himself. God does not punish other people hence does not punish himself. Without waiting for God to punish sinners, which he will not do, we, egos, undertake to punish them for him. We punish them and since they are us, we punish our self.

Are you a sinner? If you did separate from God, then, you are a sinner. But separation is impossible. The Son of God cannot separate from his father; he cannot disobey God’s will. He merely dreams that his wishes had replaced his father’s will.

Reality remains as God created it: unified. We have not separated from God. Because we have not separated from God, we have not sinned. All the seemingly evil we do on earth are done in a dream. What is done in a dream has not been done. Therefore, we are innocent.

We have not done what we see ourselves do on earth, in the dream. White folks, on earth, in the dream of separation, do discriminate against black folks. They do so in the dream. In reality, they have not done so. They remain as God created them, Holy, sinless, guiltless and innocent. Despite black people’s wish that white folks be guilty hence punished by God, they are innocent and will not be punished by God.

Despite your wish that Hitler be guilty and punished, he is not guilty and has not been punished and will not be punished. When you experience Holy Instant, Hitler is there in heaven with all the so-called saints. Hitler merely entered your dream and acted the role of a murderer in it, a role your dream called for him to act. If he seemed to have murdered you, you are immortal and were not murdered by him. Forgive him. Love him. If, in the first place, you had loved him, he would not have called for your love by attacking you.

If you want to prevent future Hitler’s in this world, love all people, for, if you love people, they would not feel unloved, hence would not attack you as a violent call for your love.

DISCUSSION
Is Dr Schucman correct? I leave it to you to decide. I have tried to explicate her philosophy. If you want a more thorough presentation of it then read her book. But I must warn you that she wrote in a convoluted, highfalutin, gabbled gook manner. Her book is written in pretentious Shakespearean verse. Apparently, she read Shakespeare and tried to imitate his style of writing in her own writing.

I did not come to this world to teach what dead white men and women teach, or what oriental religions teach. I am here to teach what seems true to me. I am an African and can only teach what I believe is useful to Africans.

What seems true to me? As of today, what seems true to me is that everything in the seeming external world is my idea. Of course, the external world seems to exist apart from me. I assume that the external world has temporary existence apart from me but that ultimately it does not exist apart from me. In the here and now, I operate as if the external world seems apart from me. I study it in a scientific manner and use technology to adapt to it.

Whereas the world seems apart from me, that world is represented in my mind as ideas. I do not know what the external world is; all I have are ideas of it. The world is what I think that it is; the world is what other people think that it is and what we collectively think that it is.

Each of us is operating in relative ignorance. Society is operating in relative ignorance. Science is still in its infancy. We have only begun to know the truth about the nature of matter and energy.

In the meantime, we have ignorant ideas of what the world is. Each of us acts in accordance with his (ignorant) idea of what other people and the world are.

I see you. I have an idea of who I think that you are. That idea is colored by my past, my history, learning and experiences. My idea of who you are cannot be who you are, in fact. Nevertheless, I react towards you as I see you.

I have an interpretation of who you are and respond to my own interpretation of who I think that you are. That is to say that I am not really responding to your real self but to what I make of you; I am responding to my own projections.

You do the same to me. You see me, you have ideas of who you think that I am and behave towards me accordingly.

All perception is based on interpretation of what seems real. All interpretations are flawed. At best, ones perception is 90% accurate. One is always 10% wrong in ones perception of other people.

Still, one relates to other people in light of ones perception of them. As long as we live in a perceptual world, we seem condemned to false perception and response to each other.

Is there no way out of this dilemma? As long as we live in the world of space, time and matter, past, present and future, we must live in the world of perception. In the world of perception, we must color what we see with our past. We must distort perception. We must respond to other people inappropriately. So what shall we do?

Those who have experienced eternal union, folks like Jesus Christ, say that there is a way to purify our perception, so that we see people, a bit, as they are in fact, but not hundred percent as they are. As long as we are in the world of perception, we can never know people as they are, no matter how much we purify our perception and try to see people correctly. The mere fact that we are perceiving people, that is, interpreting who they are with our past learning, we are distorting who they, in fact, are.

To know people as they are, we have to return to the non-perceptual world, to unified spirit. At present, we are on earth, not in heaven. We are in the world of separation, space, time and matter.

Jesus Christ tells us that if we love and forgive all people, ourselves included, that we shall have purified our perception. Love and forgiveness purify our thinking, mind. Whatever we do out of love and forgiveness, we have made holy. Whatever we do out of hate, we have made separated. (Holy is contraction of the word whole, to be holy is to be whole, that is, unified, returned to our original and true self, unified. To be separated, unholy, not whole, is to live in a false state. Nevertheless, holy, whole also means sanctified, innocent, guiltless and sinless.)

While still in the world of perception, hence still dreaming that we are separated, if we see people as unified with us and love and forgive them all, we would see them a bit correctly, as they are.

In their reality, people are love. Love and forgive them. If you consistently do so, people no longer look ugly in your perception. If you forgive and love a person, he suddenly looks beautiful in your sight. If you hate a person, he looks ugly.

Let us see how this works. In America, white folks generally discriminate against black folks. Aware of discrimination against those who looked like me, I hated white folks. I looked at them with hateful eyes. In those hateful lenses, they seemed ugly to me. As a matter of fact, when I was in my twenties, the life and death of a white person meant nothing to me. I saw whites as criminals and as lower in evolution than animals. Their death elicited no sad emotion from me, not one bit. I saw them as plagues and their death was good riddance.

But I began to practice forgiveness and love. I try to forgive all people, whites and blacks. I forgive racism and discrimination and follow that up with teachings on how to live a non- racist life. In so far that I have forgiven whites their racist behaviors, I tend to see them as human beings. If I am in a totally forgiving mode, a loving mode, all human beings, black and white, look beautiful to me.

Hatred makes the world look ugly; love makes the world look beautiful.

Forgiveness does not mean tolerance of racism. The Holy Spirit is the correction principle. He did not come to the world to perpetuate its mistakes, but to correct them. He is here to reinvent the world, to show us how to live a more beautiful life.

The Holy Spirit asks us to love and forgive one another. What this means is that the Holy Spirit asks the racist to love his fellow human beings. As a person who identifies with the Holy Spirit, one must teach racists to love and not hate any one.

The teacher of love does not condone hatred. He insists on love and where he sees non-loving behaviors, such as racist behaviors, he teaches those involved to become loving persons.

A good teacher models his teaching. If you value love, be a loving person. If you live a loving life, the hateful racist would learn from your peaceful and joyful life style and love other people. When we all love one another, the world becomes a lovely and happy dream.

FEAR VERSUS LOVE BASED THINKING AND BEHAVING

Dr Schucman made a clear distinction between what she called fear versus loved based thinking and behaving. She said that when we separated from God, from other people and from our real self, we developed fear. We developed fear of punishment. We believed that we did something bad and that God and other people, those we separated from, are after us, trying to catch us and punish us. To live on earth, which is to be separated from God, therefore, is to live in fear. To be human, the lady doctor tells us, is to be fearful. She says that to be human is to be fearful, feel guilty and expect punishment from God and other people.

Do you feel fearful and guilty and expect punishment?

The lady doctor tells us that there are only two emotions, love and fear. She said that God made the emotion of love and that we, human beings, made the emotion of fear. Love is the emotion that unifies; fear is the emotion that separates. We do separate from those we fear. If you feel that some one is endangering your life, you do fear him and separate from him. In that sense, fear is a means of maintaining separation. On the other hand, if one feels that other people support one’s life, one does move towards them. We unify with those who love us and those we love; thus, love is union making. God being union, the affect he made is love and the ego being separation, the affect it made is fear.

Please note that Dr Schucman gave a different interpretation to the origin of fear. Normally, we tend to see fear as a biological mechanism evolved by all animal organisms to alert them to danger that could harm and or destroy them. All animals, with the exception of a few, do feel fearful when they perceive threat to their lives and respond with fight or flight, to save their lives. Fear has biological markers, such as fast heart rate, rapid breathing, taut muscles, and rapid movements in the nervous system, quick thinking and so on. Despite these seeming verifiers that fear is biological in origin, Dr Schucman tells us that fear is psychological in origin, and that it is caused by our sense of wrong doing, and guilt. To her, the act of separation from God is tantamount to Catholicism’s idea of Original sin. As Catholics see it, we sinned against God and live in sin. That existential sin is rooted in the allegorical act of disobedience of Adam and Eve in the mythical Garden of Eden. Schucman gives a different interpretation to the original sin: separation from God. As long as we live in separation, that is, on earth, we live in sin (a sin that has not been committed, since, at no time, she tells us, are we separated from God.)

Dr Schucman tells us that the emotion that we are operating under shapes how we think and behave, that if we are in love we think loving thoughts, that is, unifying thoughts, and that if we are in fear, that we think fear based thoughts, which are separating thoughts.

It is self evident that we tend to think in a certain manner when we are under the influence in fear. When one is afraid, one imagines all sorts of horrible things happening to one. One exaggerates all the bad things that could harm and or destroy one. If you are afraid of your boss, you imagine that he or she is going to fire you from your job; if you are afraid of your teacher, you image that she is going to give you bad grades; if you are afraid of your spouse; you imagine that she is going to leave you. Fear produces uncertainty in human beings.

What fear makes people think are, generally speaking, unreal thought? However, if people persist in their fearful thinking, they tend to generate what they fear. For example, if you feel that your boss will fire you from your job, though he was not thinking about doing so, you will eventually do something that would make him fire you. Fear of your boss makes you put a distance between the two of you and not relate well to him, hence make him not to trust you. Not trusting you, he may find it easy to fire you from your job. (You fear your boss and coworkers because you do not like the job you are currently doing; you want to be fired from that job and will be fired. You want other people to fire you, so that you would gratify your desire to feel like a victim unto whom others do bad things. If you had courage, you would quit the job that you hate and go seek and do a job that you truly love doing and do it well, so that nobody would sack you from it.)

Fear produces what is feared. Perhaps, it does so by generating some sort of negative energy that communicates to other people that you want to experience what you are afraid of? If you fear punishment, you will eventually be punished, so that you experience what you fear.

Apparently, what you fear is what you want to experience. Think about that: if you fear discrimination, you want to experience discrimination; if you fear rape, you want to experience rape and if you fear failure, you want to experience failure.

The universe gives you the opportunity to experience what you fear. Why? So that you learn that even if what you fear happened that it would not destroy you. Discrimination does not weaken black people, in fact, it makes them stronger human beings; rape makes women see men for what they are, fear driven little boys exercising powerless power over women; failure makes one learn that one can only fail if one accepts permanent failure; as long as one has not given up, one is not a failure.

In my experience, exaggerated fear is generally found in those who believe that they are in charge of their lives and are in control of their environment. Those who do not believe in a higher power being in charge of their lives tend to be more fearful than those who believe in God protecting them. The fact of the matter is that the physical and social environments are so vast and powerful that no human being understands them, much less has control over them. Therefore, to believe that one has control over the environment is an illusion and generates fear, for deep down one understands that one does not understand even one percent of the contingencies of life affecting one, for good or bad, and has no control over any thing. If one leaves control to God, does ones best and accepts uncertainty and ambiguity one tends to experience less fear. This behavior does not mean that, in fact, God exists. To science, God is an illusion (See Freud’s Future of an Illusion.)

In my experience, human beings tend to attempt using religion as magical wand with which they try solving the problems of this world. Magical thinking is thinking that attempts to solve the problems of this world in a superstitious and unrealistic manner. Scientific thinking, on the other hand, tries to understand problems, as they are, and solve them realistically, with technologies.

I have noticed that some of the folks who call themselves Students of A Course in Miracles, who adopt Dr Schucman’s philosophy, tend to use the Course as magical tool to make life bend to their ego wishes. Their egos attempt to use the book and its ideas to control the world. Of course, the world is objective and has its laws independent of the individual’s wishes; hence, magical thinking does not yield the desired results.

If you want to be rich, you have to earn it the old fashioned way: work for it (or, if you are the antisocial, criminal type, steal it). You cannot become rich by merely wishing to be rich and sitting around and asking the Holy Spirit to give you money. Life does not work that way. To sit around doing nothing and expecting the good things of this life to drop into your laps is the best recipe to become poor. Expecting God to help one is magical thinking and paralyzes those who do so; what works is helping ones self and trusting that a higher power is working with one (even if that belief is an illusion, it gives one psychological security).

Most prayers to God are magical efforts to control the environment and predict the future; it does not work. Only science and technology works.

In society, we know that other people can harm us. Therefore, we construct laws and governments to enforce them. Laws and governments are what protect us from each other’s depredations. America, for example, is a law and ordered society. Most Americans obey the laws their leaders make. They, therefore, feel safe and secure. Their laws protect them. On the other hand, many Africans do not obey their laws; and, therefore, do not feel secure.

Of course, there are limits to the protection offered by law and order. To believe that the civil authorities totally protect one is magical thinking. The fact is that if a murderer wants to murder one, he can do so, despite the protection of the legal authorities. If terrorists are bent on sacrificing their lives to their crazy gods and strap bombs around them and walk into crowded rooms and blow themselves up, they will kill those around them. Simply stated, this life of ours has contingencies that are beyond our control and beyond the control of law and order authorities. Therefore, one must find a way to trust in a higher power to protect one and, in the meantime, resign one’s self to the fact that in our world seeming random acts of violence and kindness do occur; one is not in charge of the world.

THE EGO IS NOTHING AND WITHOUT BELIEF IN IT NOTHING IS HAPPENING

Dr Schucman says that the sense of separated I, the ego, is nothing and that it does not even exist. The self that we currently think that we are, she says, is a dream self. A dream self is not a real self. As she sees it, our sense of self, the separated ego, does not exist in reality but in a dream setting.

The ego is a self that must be believed to be real to seem real. If it is believed as real and defended (with the various ego defense mechanisms that psychoanalysis described, and with fear and guilt) it seems real to one. But if it is not believed, it does not seem real. In fact, if we totally withdraw belief in it and do not defend it, when it is attacked, become forgiving and defenseless, the ego disappears into the nothingness from whence it was conjured from.

If you do not identify with the ego, nothing is happening to you. Consider. If you identify with a proud ego, for example, you might feel insulted by other people’s disrespectful behaviors. On the other hand, if you are not a proud ego, what other people do to humiliate you could only make you laugh. White folks, for example, seem invested in degrading black people. If a black man is proud, he feels humiliatable by white folks. But if he is not proud, he is merely amused by the efforts of white egos to reduce black egos to second class citizenship.

The mature black ego sees the dance of white and black Americans with detachment. In this dance, whites act as sadists and blacks act as masochists; the one inflicts pain and humiliation on the other and the other accepts it.

If a black person jettisons his ego he can get out of the vicious dance of white and black in America.

What is the point? It is only if one identifies with the ego that one experiences the slings and arrows of this world. In fact, if one lets go of the desire to live in body as a separated self, as Buddha corrected noted twenty five hundred years ago, one would not even feel fear. It is desire to live as a separated self that produces all the sufferings of this world. If one gives up desire or desire with detachment, and not be invested in what is desired, one tends to be less affected by disappointments and suffer less.

IDEALISTIC REALIST

I am an idealistic realist; a person who simultaneously accepts the philosophy of idealism and materialism. I am not interested in escaping into some wooly metaphysics. I have my feet solidly planted on this earth. I do not escape from the exigencies of this world into some imaginary ideal world.

Nevertheless, I think that there is a better world. But I will cross that bridge when I get to it. In the meantime, I want to improve the known world, our world.

What does this means in reality? Most things in the world seem, at least, temporarily, out there. But in as much as my response to them is dependent on my perception, my idea of what the things I perceive means, I can change my ideas about everything out there.

I can change my ideas about you. If hitherto I see you as bad, I can choose to see you as good. If I choose to see you as good and respond to you accordingly, I contribute to a peaceful and joyous world. For example, I was raised to see Hausas and Fulanis as bad, for, during the 1960s, they killed my people, the Igbos. I have changed my mind about them. I choose to see them as good persons, but persons, who, like me, can and do make mistakes. I choose to believe that they can learn from their mistakes. I have forgiven them. This means that I Love them.

In return, I ask them to love all Nigerians. If we all love and forgive one another, we contribute to peace and happiness in Nigeria.

What is the point? The point is that in as much as the world is my idea, my perception of it, my conception of it, my interpretation of it, I can choose to have a different idea of what the world means to me. I can change my ideas of who I am, who other people are and what the world means. I can choose to love and forgive all people. Where I had chosen hate and anger, I can now choose forgiveness and love.

I take the consequences of my choice. An unforgiving attitude results in mutual attacks, tension, conflicts and wars. A forgiving and loving approach to people results in a peaceful and happy world.

A SERVICE ORIENTATION TO LIFE

Choosing love means doing something to help a suffering world. A loving person does not stand by and see other people suffer; he seeks ways to alleviate their suffering. I choose a life of service to all human beings.

There is a pay off from serving all people. In serving all people, I feel peaceful and happy and indeed wealthy.

How do I serve people? One serves people with the talents that the universe has given one. I do not have money to give any one. What do I have? I have knowledge of human nature. I serve people by teaching them the right way to live. The right way to live is to love and forgive all. I serve people by teaching people to love and forgive all people.

I do so through my writing and my actions towards every human being I come into contact with.

I know that most people try to live out of their false ego, separated selves. People are normal, neurotic or psychotic, all of which means that they are not healthy, as Karen Horney said; they are not healthy because they are trying to live out of their false, ideal separated selves.

The ego self is the selfish self. I teach people that to be peaceful and happy that they must let go of their identification with the ego, separated self and identify with the Christ unified self.

Our real self is the unified self, who is spirit. Christ is love. To identify with the real self, hence with Christ is to love all people and teach them to love all people. This is my job, my function. I came to the world to teach love, forgiveness and union. I came here to show us how to live out of Christ, unified spirit hence transform our world into a peaceful, happy and materially abundant place.

CHANGING THE IDEAS PEOPLE HAVE IN THEIR MINDS

I began my life on earth with a tremendous desire to change other people. My desire to change the world is, of course, rooted in my desire to change myself. To desire to change one’s self, one must see one’s self as bad; to desire to change other people, one must see them as not good. I saw myself, all people and the world as deficient and wanted to change them and make them better than they are.

Now, I have learnt that the world is a pattern of thinking. Each age of this world is characterized by a pattern of thinking.

When we change the world’s pattern of thinking, we have, in effect, changed the world. To change the world’s pattern of thinking is to change its paradigm of what is real and what is not. For example, people used to believe that the world is flat; that was changed to belief that the world is round. That change in conception of the world resulted in changed behaviors, the consequence of which is our exploration of the world.

The individual cannot change other people’s patterns of thinking. That is to say that the individual cannot change the world. What the individual can do is change his own pattern of thinking (and behave accordingly).

When the individual changes his pattern of thinking and behaves accordingly, he models his changed thinking/behaving for other people to see and evaluate its consequences. If his changed pattern of thinking and behaving produces peace and joy for him and those around him, other people will see it and imitate it. If not, they would ignore him. If you model peace, people will learn from you.

The only way you can change the world is by changing your thinking and behavior. You cannot literally change the six billion people on this earth.

Change of thinking and behavior is a choice that each of us must make. You cannot choose for other people and cannot force them to choose, as you want them to choose. You choose for yourself and if what you choose is good for you and the world, the world will choose it. Therefore, work to change your thinking and behavior and stop trying to change other people’s thinking and behaviors. Not even God will change people; he gives them the answers and permits them the freedom to decide when they would choose to receive the answers that he has already given them.

What is the answer to all our problems? Love and forgiveness. What is love? Union. Union is peace and happiness.

CONCLUSION

As we look around, we see things happening to us. Our empirical perception tells us that we are passive agents and that what we do not want to experience happens to us. Science seems to reinforce this view and tells us that we are the victims of random events.

Interestingly, having told us that we are victims of the world, scientists proceed to manipulate that world and transform it to their liking. They study how matter and energy works and develop a technology with which they literally make the world obey their wishes. Here then is the paradox of living: if we are victims of the world, how come scientists are able to do the things they do? Would it not be better to see human beings as co-creators with the world, as acting on the world and as the world acting on them, not in an either or manner, but both?

In my experience, those people who see themselves as victims of circumstances tend to amount to nothing in this world. They tend to be pathetic people, complaining about their fate and blaming every body but themselves. If it is not their parents’ fault that they are poor, then it is the fault of other people. If they are black folks’ they blame white folks for their fate. All these behaviors depower them and make them not efficacious.

In my experience, those persons who tend to be fully alive are those who take their lives into their own hands and go do what they want to do. These people do not see themselves as victims of any one else. They do not ignore the fact that the external environment has impact on them. A tsunami wipes out thousands of people alright. Still, these people go do what they want to do to make their lives worthwhile. They give themselves goals and work affirmatively and proactively towards attaining their goals. In pursuing their goals, the universe works with them and helps them to accomplish them.

As I see it, people on earth are metaphorically dead. To live in ego state is to be metaphorically dead, to live as a false ego-self. True living is characterized by love and forgiveness. To the extent that a person loves all people and dedicates himself to serving the world, he is beginning to awaken from the death that is this world.

In so far that I am doing what I think is useful to other people, I feel alive, and to the extent that I am serving only my ego, I feel dead. The choice is mine to make. I can chose to start the awakening process, by which I do not mean escaping into any religious or metaphysical mumbo jumbo, but any effort to serve all people.

I can change my perception of all human beings, from seeing them as separated from me to seeing them as unified with me and to loving them all.

Corrected perception means seeing all people as the same and coequal with me.

Salvation means making endeavor to do that which serves all peoples interests. To me, that is what it means to be alive.

In the end, the individual can change his concept of who he is, who other people are and what the world means to him. If he does so and follows his changed cognitions with changed behaviors, he is a changed person. However, one must observe that there is a limit as to how much a person can change. The human personality, for example, is obviously influenced by the individual’s inherited body. Changing how one thinks about his body helps but one is not likely to change one’s personality intoto until one has changed one’s body. If one inherited a sensitive body that makes for introversion, one may try and become somewhat extroverted, but one is not going to be a thrill seeking, introspection lacking extrovert. Body is a limit. What one can do is change limiting thinking to possibilities thinking and accepts the limitations imposed by physical reality.

Thus, I commit myself to writing about the nature of the real self and publishing on it (in Real Self Magazine) and organizing Real Self Fellowships where all people are enabled to live through their real selves, hence find peace, joy and abundance.

Finally, I recognize that the human mind, the ego, is like a raging bull. It pulls one in all directions, compelling one to think about this and that, to do this and do that. One must tame the raging bull and compel it to go in the direction that one wants to go, and not go to all over the place that it wants one to go to. One must discipline ones thinking, limit it to a few subjects at a time and think them through. Ultimately, one must learn to not only control one’s thinking but to shut off thinking, altogether. In Buddhist terms, one must learn to make one’s mind empty; emptied of all conceptual thinking and just be a void for a while. In an open mind, a mind emptied of all presuppositions and preconceptions of what truth is, a mind that accepts that, in the final analysis, that neither it nor other human beings know what the truth is and stays quiet and asks truth to reveal itself to one, that mind feels quiet and peaceful. Peace and happiness are synonymous. A peaceful mind is a joyous mind. In a quiet mind, the truth of union, whatever that is, dawns.

PS: Even though I am sharing this material with other folk, one should make no mistake about it, it is primarily for me. My goal is selfish. But make sure that you understand what selfishness means. True self includes other people; a truly selfish action serves all people’s real interests.

I write to clarify reality for me. If other people have a need to learn what I am trying to learn (we teach what we need to learn), they can benefit from reading my materials.

I would not feel a bit disappointed if nobody else reads my writings. This is because I understand that folks are at different levels of psychological and spiritual development and will read only what they need to read, not what any other person wants them to read.

As I survey Africans, most of them are not proactively and affirmatively pursuing goals of their own setting. They merely pursue goals set for them by others, particularly by Western civilization. Because they are pursuing other people’s goals, they really do not know where they are going. Things happen to them against their wishes. Circumstances not of their makings push them along They do not have ideas of what types of jobs they want to do and simply accept any kind of job that they can make a living from and survive with. Their goals are to put food on the table and physically survive. Since they are mostly doing jobs that their minds are not in, they do not do them well; they do half assed jobs. More importantly, they are wasting their times, energies and lives.

One cannot get somewhere unless one knows where one is going to. You cannot accomplish goals unless you have goals to accomplish. It is time that Africans paused and examined their minds, knew who they are, identified their real selves and the jobs that suit their real selves and dedicated their lives to doing them. If they do, as Abraham Maslow tells us, they would begin to actualize their potentials and become productive human beings, not the present unproductive consumers of Western ideas and products that they seem to be.

FOR FURTHER READING

Adler, Alfred, (1999) The Neurotic Constitution New York: International Library of Psychology, Routledge.

Berkeley, George. Dialogues.

Campbell, Joseph. (1973) Myths to live By. New York: Bantam Books.

Freud, Sigmund. (1961) The Life and Works of Sigmund Freud. Ed Ernest Jones. New York: Lionel Trilling and Steven.

Horney, Karen. (1991) Neurosis and Human Growth. New York: W. W. Norton.

Hume, David. The Philosophical Works of David Hume. Ed. T. H. Green and T. H. Grose.

Jung, Carl, G. (2001) Basic Writings of C.G. Jung. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Kelley, George. (1955) The Psychology of Personal Constructs. New York: W. W. Norton.

Laing, R. D. (1964) The Politics of Experience and the Bird of Paradise. New York: Penguin.

Maslow, Abraham. (1970) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper.

Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Idea.

Schucman, Helen. (1976) A Course in Miracles. Tiburon, CA. Foundation for Inner Peace.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

Seattle, Washington

africainstitute@yahoo.com

Posted by Administrator at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 01, 2005

The World is our Idea: So, let us Make it Better, Part I

by Ozodi Thomas Osuji, Ph.D. (Seatle, Washington) --- Not long ago, I woke up thinking that every thing that I think that I know, or that people, in general, think that they know is an idea. Everything is an idea in my mind and in the minds of other people. The world itself is an idea in my (your) mind.

I think that I have a self. You probably think that you have a self. We think that we have selves. (Descartes said: cogito ergo sum: I think, therefore, I am.)

The self is not a self-evident reality. The self is not something that any of us can touch and ascertain. The self is intangible; the self is an idea, a concept we individually and collectively have of our selves. As a concept, it is not self evidently true or false.

As an idea, the self is whatever the individual says that it is. Some persons, apparently, have positive self-views and behave accordingly. On the other hand, some people have negative opinions of their selves and behave according.

External perception of the individual is not the easiest way to ascertain what he thinks of himself. One can look very handsome and have negative self esteem, whereas one can, as the world sees these things, look ugly and have a very positive self-esteem.

Psychologists tell us that the self esteem, the individual’s opinion of who he is, is a product of his past experiences; that how he was raised, loving or not, and what type of feedback he has received from his environment, supportive or not, affect his self evaluation.

There are two levels of conceptualizing the self, the individual and social level. The individual has an idea of what his self means to him. The society he lives in also has an idea of the individual’s self. Sometimes, the social constructed self and the individual constructed self agree. When there is congruence between whom the individual thinks that he is and what his society thinks that he is, he is, more or less, said to be normal. On the other hand, if who the individual thinks that he is, is not what other people in his society think that he is, he is said to be abnormal. For example, the neurotic would like to think that he is a very important person; the psychotic believes that he is already a very important person. The people around these two see them as ordinary human beings. Thus, there is a disconnect between the individual’s self-perception and social perception of him in mental disorders.

The human personality is an idea, a concept. The concept of personality is derived from persona, Latin for mask. The idea is that each of us has a persona, a social self that he wears in interacting with other people. That social self plays the roles that society expects of him: child, schoolboy, worker, father, mother etc. The social self, the persona, the mask each of us wears in society, however, may not be all there is to the individual. The self may be more than meets the eyes. Some persons, for example, believe that the real self, as opposed to the social self, is a spiritual being. Beneath the mask of personality is a different, albeit unknown, self, Carl Jung tells us.

George Kelly tells us that personality is an idea, a concept, and a mental construct. He believes that each human child takes from his inherited biological constitution and social experiences and uses both variables to construct a personality for himself.

For our present purposes, the salient point is that personality is a product of the individual’s thinking. Personality and self are ideas in our thinking, aka our minds. (Mind is concretization of thinking. I have a mind means that I do think. There is no such thing as mind outside our thinking.)

Each of us has idea of what the self and the world are. He tends to behave in accordance with his conception of his self, other selves and the world.

Is the world in our thinking or is it outside us? Let us see. Science seems to believe that the world is out there and that it can be perceived by our five senses: seen, heard from, smelled, felt and touched. To science, the world of space, time and matter are external to the individual human being. All of us can see a tree out there; we can touch and study it. Therefore, the tree seems outside us.

The belief that the world is outside us and that it is composed of matter is called materialism. Science is predicated on material monism. (See English Empiricists and French Logical Positivists, such as David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Saint Simon and August Comte.)

On the other hand, some observers hold that the world seems inside the perceiver of the world. Consider the old philosophical question: if a tree falls and there is no human being around to perceive it fall, did a tree fall? It seems that it takes human beings to perceive the existence of trees, their falling and the sound they make? George Berkeley, in his Dialogues, suggested that the external world might, in fact, be an idea in our minds. The view that the seeming external world may be in our minds is called solipsism.

The philosophy that the world is our idea is called idealism, or idealistic monism. (See German Idealistic philosophers like Emmanuel Kant, George Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, even Leibniz and Nietzsche.)

If the world is an idea in our minds, one may legitimately ask: how come it seems outside us? We do see a world that seems external to us. Berkeley did not convince this reader that the world is inside his mind.

What Berkeley did not resolve, some contemporary new age religionists believe that they have done. Professor Helen Schucman of Columbia University, New York City, in her book, A Course in Miracles, argues that the seeming external world is an idea in our minds; she claims that we think and project our thoughts out, and see them as the world we see as external to us. She used the dream analogy to explicate her thesis. At night, we sleep and dream. In our dreams, we see a world that seems external to us. Each of us sees himself, other people, trees, animals, stars and planets in his dream world. In our dreams, we see a world that looks like the world we see during the day. But when we wake up from our sleeping and dreaming, that seeming external world disappears. Where has the dream world gone?

Dr Schucman pointed out that the seeming external world of our dreams is our thinking (she said that we think in images) projected out and experienced as if it is outside us. She proceeded to argue that what we call our wake living, daytime, is also our thinking in pictorial form, projected out and made to seem real. The world, the lady clinical psychologist claims, is an outward picture of thoughts in our minds. The world we see as outside us, this amazing psychologist cum theologian claims, is a pictorial representation of our thinking. The world is made of ideas in our minds; ideas that we projected out and see as if they are objective things outside us.

As Dr Schucman sees it, the world we seem to live in is a dream in each of our minds. As it were, the collective us dreams the world and each of us is a part of that collective self and contributes to it. Each person, as it were, has his or her dream, which is a part of the collective dream of mankind.

Put differently, the seeming objective world is in our minds. We think the world, deny that it is the product of our thinking, dissociate from it and project it out.

Because the world is our individual and collective thinking/dreaming, Dr Schucman argues that each of us is responsible for the world and for what happens to him. As she sees it, each of us is dreaming what is happening to him.

If the individual sees other people discriminate against him, he is in a dream where he thinks that discrimination is possible and dreams himself being discriminated against. He projects out a seeming real world, and in that world projects out people who seem to be discriminating against him. In other words, what one sees other people and the world do to one, one, in real terms, did to one. It is one who, in ones dream, projects the world out and places dream figures (people) in the roles one sees in one’s dream.

The implication of Dr Schucman’s philosophy (or is it rationalization for evil?) is that if whites discriminate against a black man, he is the one who did so to himself. The black man dreams that discrimination is possible, projects out those he calls white persons and places them in roles where they discriminate against him. As long as he is asleep, the dream world seems real to him. In our world, a dream ala Dr Schucman, it would seem like white people are discriminating against the black man. But it is the black man that is dreaming that he is discriminated against. He is doing it all to himself. No external person is doing anything to him.

As Dr Schucman sees it, if it were possible for what the individual does not want to experience to happen to him, the world would be unfair. To her, an unfair world is a world without God. As she sees it, God’s existence requires that there be justice in the world, for God is justice itself. Justice, God, requires that nothing the individual does not want to experience happen to him. Dr Schucman says that there are no accidents and randomness in the world.

Science, on the other hand, posits that every thing in this world is a product of accidence and chance. In the empirical world we do see what seems like accidence does occur. A chap could be relaxing in his house and a car being chased by the police badges into his house and kills him. (This is an actual case that I witnessed at Los Angeles, California.) To science, there does not seem planning and design in nature. There does not seem justice in this world. If justice existed, how come Westerners are well fed while Africans are starving? If God existed and is just, why does he permit African-American children to grow up malnourished hence find easy American schools difficult to do well at?

Obviously, religion and science operate on different premises. Dr Schucman is operating on a religious paradigm. Let us grant her audience and complete reviewing her theology before we criticize it.

Dr Schucman argues that the individual is the one who dreams whatever he sees happen to him in his world. To her, the fact that the individual experiences only what he wants to experience proves that there is justice. In God’s universe, she claims that nothing God’s children do not want to experience can happen to them.

In Dr Schucman’s view, the world is a game, a trick we perform on ourselves. We attack ourselves and project our self-attack unto what seems like other people attacking us. The dreamer wants to be discriminated against and projects out a world that seems to discriminate against him. As long as he is sleeping and the world of dreams seems external to him, he necessarily believes that other people are discriminating against him. But he is the one discriminating against him. Nobody else is discriminating against him. The world is the individual’s dream.

The world is a dream of self-attack. The individual wants to attack his self and projects out a world that seems to attack him. He experiences this attack in his own preferred ways, such as being discriminated against, being raped, not being loved etc. Either way, the individual does something to himself but do so through seeming other people. He then forgets that he did everything that seems to happen to him and sees other people doing them to him. He feels like he is a victim of other people’s uncalled for attacks and justifies being afraid of other people and being angry with them.

If you are a woman, and in your dream, a man rapes you, you feel like you are a victim of the rapist; you feel justifiably angry with him. You want him arrested and jailed, even killed for inflicting pain on you. Then you wake up from your dream, and realize that the man who raped you in your dream was a dream man, and not a real man. It was only a dream rape. You quickly forget the dream.

Dr Schucman claims that our day living is like our dreams at night. The man who rapes you during the day is exactly like the man who does so in your dream at night. In both cases, you project out the rapist. It is a dream rape. Nothing, in fact, has happened to you; you have never been raped in your day or night dreams. You merely dream that you have been raped.

If you are a black person, despite seeing white persons discriminate against you, nobody has, in fact, discriminated against you. You merely dreamed that white folks, your dream figures, discriminated against you.

As long as you are in the dream, and believe that the dream is real, you feel angry with those who seem to be doing something bad to you. But when you wake up from your dream of self-attack, you recognize that no one did any wrong to you.

Dr Schucman claims that one is caught in a world of one’s making. To her, this world is not real: we made it up. She said that literally, not figuratively we, the children of God, invent the world we live in.

What we made we can unmake; but if we were not the ones who made the world we would not be able to get out of. If we were victims of this world, we would, indeed, be stuck. To her, thank God that we invented the world and can, therefore, reinvent it, change and transform it into a better world.

She says that there are three ways to approach this world. The first is real, the second is semi real and the third is false. We are already engaged in the third option: our present ego ways. The ego is the self that adapts to the realities of this world and perpetuates it on its own terms. Whenever the individual sees himself as different from other people, as not the same with all people and as not equal with all people and whenever he works for his self interest only and not social interests, he is in ego state; he is perpetuating this world.

Since the world is a dream, the individual can resolve to awaken from it, right now, and do so and walk away from it. Dr Schucman did not quite explain how one is to accomplish this goal, but one supposes that it means rejecting this world and its attractions, giving up the ego and its body and dying to the world? Since she inveighs against suicide, one supposes that she means some sort of spiritual overcoming of this world of woes. Let us just say that she was vague in explaining how to accomplish this first option. All that can be made of what she said is that she says that our real self is unified spirit and that when we awaken from the dream of this world, we return to the awareness of ourselves as immortal, unified spirit.

The second approach to the dream, the world, is to stay in it and make it a lovely dream. Dr Schucman elaborated on this option; in fact, her book can be seen as effort to expatiate on this manner of attaining salvation.

According to this path to deliverance, one still dreams, but dreams with love and forgiveness. How is this done? One loves all the people one sees in the world. And since despite ones apparent love for all people some would seem to do bad things to one (one did that bad things to one and projects them out to others. One also did all the good things one sees other persons do to one, one did so through them), one should forgive them. One should forgive those who seem to do bad things to one.

In Dr Schucman’s views, there are only two permitted ways to respond to other people: love them or see their unloving acts as calls for one to love them. If other people do bad things to you, forgive them.

To forgive is the true meaning of love. If you truly love people, you must not only love them when they do good things to you, but must also love them when they do bad things to you. To forgive is to love.

All attacks on you by other people are calls to you, by them, to forgive them, hence to love them. Attack is a call for love when love is perceived as missing.

If some one attacks you, discriminates against you, does bad things to you, he or she must have perceived you to have not loved him and to have done bad things to him. He then attacks you to give you the choice of doing one of two things: one, counter attacks him and perpetuates the egos world, or forgives hence love him and in the process transcend the egos world.

Other people’s attacks on you give you the opportunity to choose forgiveness/love. Choose again, hitherto you chose attack and hate hence are in this world, now choose love and escape from this world and return to unified state.

To be in this world, you had chosen attack, now, choose differently, choose love over hate. If attacked, choose forgiveness, that is, love the attacker. If a white man discriminates against you, forgive him, that is, love him.

Since the attacker you see attack you is you, you projected out, dissociated from, denied as you, when you forgive him, you have forgiven you your self attack. When you love the person who does bad things to you, since he is you, you, in effect, have loved you. The people you see love you and generally do good things to you is you projected out as another person. In effect, you love you through seeming loving other persons, just as you hate your through seeming hateful other persons.

What is the benefit of forgiving other people? If you forgive other people, since they are you projected out in your dream of separation, you, in effect, forgive yourself. Since forgiveness is love, you, in effect, love yourself.

Love is union. In forgiving other people, in loving other people, you unify with them. You form union with those you forgive/love.

In earthly union, you return to semblance of your heavenly unified state, your natural state before the genesis of this world.

When we all love and forgive one another, Dr Schucman claims that we transform our world into what she called a happy dream. She has other metaphors for her idea of a loving world, such as gate of heaven and real world.

Heaven’s gate is not heaven; it is a world that approximates heaven’s reality, but not totally so. Heaven is perfect union. In our world we are separated. At heaven’s gate we are still separated but now we are using our seeming separated selves to love one another. That which was designed to separate with, ego and body, are now used to love with, to unify with.

The resultant world is said to be a happy world, a world where the will of God is obeyed, rather than the wishes of the ego. That world is said to be more peaceful and happy, though not quiet like the perfect peace and joy of heaven.

Heaven requires perfect union, which requires an end to separation. We cannot perfectly unify as long as we are in bodies. Perfect union requires us to shed our bodies and be spirit. Heaven is formless, for only the formless, spirit, can unify.

ORIGINAL SIN: THE FALL FROM GRACE

Let us examine Dr Schucman’s mythology of the origin of the empirical world. As Dr Schucman sees it, originally (and still so), we are unified spirit. In her view, there is God. God is spirit. God is creative. God creates his children. One God extends his one self to his children. Thus, there are in heaven God and his children. But all of them are unified and know themselves as sharing one self and one mind. Heaven is composed of God and his infinite children, all of whom are one literal self. If you like, you can visualize this reality as one God manifesting in infinite parts, children, all of whom are him, and he them. God is simultaneously himself and his creation.

God gives his children his creative self.

The child of God is exactly like God; he is spirit and is creative. He creates his own children. Creation has no beginning and no end. There was never a time when God did not exist. Since, by definition, God is a father, without his children he would not be a father. God has always had children. In effect, the children of God have existed for as long as God has existed. God and his children are of the same age, which is forever.

But there is one attribute of God that his children do not have. God created his children. God’s children did not create God and did not create themselves. Though each of us is creative and do help in creating other children of God, we do so with the creative power of God in us. We do not create by ourselves, but by the power of God in us.

Dr Schuman believes that the children of God resented the fact that God created them and that they did not create themselves or create God. They wished that they created God and themselves. Since it is impossible for the son to be his own father, the Son of God, as it were, became insane and imagined a world where he seemed to have created himself, created his brothers and created God. As it were, he cast a magical spell on himself, forgot about his unified nature and seemed to sleep and dream that he is separated from God, his brothers and his real self.

The dream of the Son of God, all of us, is this empirical world. In that dream, this world, each of us invents a self-concept for himself, and invents concepts for other people, and they do so for him and for themselves.

The invention of the self-concept, the separated ego self, as Dr Schulman sees it, is tantamount to self-creation. The self concept, the ego, is a replacement self, a substitute self; we use the ego self to hide our real self.

Our real self is unified self, also called Christ self. We replace that real self with a false self, the separated, ego self.

To Dr Schucman, in forming a separated self for one’s self and for other people, one lives in delusion, psychosis, insanity, and madness.

What is madness? It is the belief that one created ones self, the separated ego self housed in body.

What is sanity? It is the knowledge that God created one, and created one holy, that is, unified self.

One is not God but the mad person believes that he is God, for he has done what only God does, create him, by creating himself, create other people and create the world, not in reality but in fantasy.

In our dreams, at night, we create other people and the world and assign roles to our dream persons to play for us, so as to enable us, to achieve whatever dream objective we seek. The day world, Dr Schucman tells us is exactly like the night’s dream world.

In so far that there are differences in the two, it is that in night dreams each of us individually invented his dream world and is the king that assigns roles to all his dream figures. But in the day dream, our world, we dream it collectively and collectively assign roles to all the people in the world.

The day world (dream) lasts longer than the night world (dream) because the day dream is a shared dream, whereas the night dream is not a shared dream. An unshared dream does not last long; only shared dreams lasts long. Our world is a shared dream and lasts longer than our nightly unshared individual dreams. Heaven is shared experience hence lasts forever. Heaven is permanent and changeless.

As it were, we are now the authors of reality, the creators of our world; we are, it seems to us, as powerful as God.

The world, dream, is a symbol of the Son of God killing his father, usurping his throne and sitting on it. The world means that we have created ourselves. God is no longer the creator of reality, now we are. We are now as powerful as God.

As Dr Schucman sees it, each of us came to this world to play god, to create himself, create other people and create God. This is insanity. The world is an insane place. In sanity, in reality, God created us.

Reality is unified. The world created by God is a unified, spirit world. We invented the opposite of God’s unified world, our separated world.

We invented space (separation) time and matter. We use matter to invent bodies for each of us. We now seem to live in bodies. (But at no time do we live in bodies, Dr Schucman reassures us.)

Bodies are calculated to give each of us a sense that he is separated from other people and that he is not other people. Body gives us boundary from one another.

By the same token, space and time give us boundaries. I am over here at Seattle, and you are a long distance from me (space- time interval) and live in a different body, hence we seem separated from each other.

As Dr Schucman sees it, this entire world is designed to give us the illusion that we are separated from God and from each other.

What is the purpose of the empirical world? The world is designed to give us the appearance that we are separated from each other and from God. The world is a means of separation, is used to maintain separation and make it seem real.

Dr Schuman believes that none of this whole song and dance is real. To her, we have not separated from God and from each other. We do not live in our world of space, time and matter. We are still in the world of unified spirit.

While in unified spirit, we imagine ourselves in this world. The world is a dream in the mind of the children of God.

As it were, you are right now in unified spirit, with God and all of us, and seem to be sleeping and dreaming this separated world. All of us do the same. In your dream, you assign roles to all God’s children to play for you and they assign roles to you to play for them.

The Son of God, Dr Schucman says, cannot disobey the will of his father. No human being can disobey God. All we can do is wish that we had different wills from God. We then dream out our wishes. Wishes and the fantasies designed to gratify them are not real. The world is a fantasy, a wish, and a dream. The world does not negate the existence of God, his unified spirit and unified mind.

Nevertheless, the separated world can obscure the awareness of God’s unified world. As it were, our world is like a veil with which we prevent ourselves from seeing God’s world. The world is a cloud that covers the light of God. The world is a block that prevents us from seeing the face of Christ in each other.

God is love. Love is union. We always live in love, in union. While inside love, in union with each other, we do not know that we are in the presence of love, that we are unified with each other. In love, we dream hate. In union, we dream separation. Dream is not reality.

Dr Schucman proposes to enable us awaken to God’s unified reality. How is that done? Since God is love, to return to the awareness of God, we must love each other. Since we do attack each other, and love requires forgiveness, we must forgive each other. Dr Schucman teaches that we must love and forgive each other. She says that when we do so, that we have met the condition for the awareness of God.

God is love and knows only love. When you love/forgive, you have met the condition for knowing God.

HOLY INSTANT

Dr Schucman says that if you love and forgive at all times, that every now and then that you would experience what she called the Holy Instant. Here, you experience yourself as one with God and with all people. As it were, you temporarily return to heaven and experience your self as unified with God and all people. Since only the formless spirit can unify, you experience yourself as formless, unified spirit. You literally feel as if you are one with all creation and its creator. In that state, you feel immortal and eternal, not born and do not die. In it you know everything (not things concerning the separated world, but heavenly, spiritual world). In it, you do not see space and gap between you and other people. In it, there is no subject and object, no seer and seen, no I and thou. All are literally one shared self. You literally feel like God is in you and that you are in God; that you are in all people and that they are in you. Where God ends and his children begin is nowhere.

Of course, one cannot be in Holy Instant for long, for if one does so, one exits from this world of separation. Thus, one returns to the awareness of separation, space, time and matter. One, again, sees people who seem apart from one. However, now one knows that separation is an illusion and that union is reality. One loves and forgives all people, for one knows that all people are part of one and in loving them all one loves ones real self.

If one has attained this state, what Roman Catholicism calls mystical union, Hinduism calls Samadhi, Buddhism calls Nirvana and Zen Buddhism calls Satori, one has re-established direct communication link with God. God reveals himself to one. (The Holy Spirit is the bridge linking the temporal and permanent worlds; he is the voice for God, telling us about God and our true nature; he is our comforter in distress.)

As Dr Schucman sees it, God is always communicating with all of us. But, in as much, as we believe in separation, space and time, we seem separated from God and do not hear his voice. But when we believe ourselves unified with God, meet the conditions of heaven, love and forgive each other, we have reestablished our channel of communication with God. We talk directly to God and God talks to them. This type of relationship with God, Dr Schucman says, is like our original relationship with God and one another and is called communion. In eternity, we commune with God and each other.

In communion, we know ourselves to have one spirit self and one mind and know exactly what each other is thinking and respond to each other. In eternity, all minds are joined and respond to the thoughts in other minds.

Visualize a giant computer. All of us are tuned to it. When each of us thinks something, all of us know what he is thinking, as he knows what we are thinking; we respond to him, as he responds to us.

This spiritual state is still taking place in the world of space, time and matter, but not in a conscious manner. We are still tuned to each others thinking and respond to each other but we are not conscious of doing so. What other people do to you is what you want to experience and your mind sends out a call, a signal and other minds respond to you and do so to you.

If you want to experience discrimination, you make that request, send that signal out into the universal ego mind, computer, and other people, apparently, those who want to experience discriminating against other children of God, come to your world and discriminate against you. You then see yourself as a victim and blame them. Seeing yourself as a victim, you attack them. They, then, see themselves as victims and defend themselves by counter attacking you. The result is our world of mutual attacks and wars.

Dr Schucman tells us that you did to you, through other people, what you see other people do to you. She asks you to love those who did bad things to you. To love them is to forgive them.

When you forgive and love other people, you have loved and forgiven your self. In doing so, you feel at peace and experience joy. You are now at the metaphoric gate of heaven, experiencing the world as a happy dream; you now live in the real world. Occasionally, you experience the Holy Instant. You are now a teacher of love, a teacher of union, a teacher of forgiveness, all of which means that you are a teacher of God. A teacher of God is a teacher of peace and love.

HOLY SPIRIT

As Dr Schucman sees it, when the children of God separated from him and seem to sleep and dream this world, God came to the world with them. God, as it were, entered his children’s dream as the Holy Spirit.

Thus, there now seems three Gods. God the father (who remains in heaven as the transcendental God), God the Son (the real you, the unified Christ you, the sleeping you that dreams this world) and God the Holy Spirit.

DEATH AND RESURRECTION

When the real you, Christ, unified spirit, went to sleep, as it were, Christ has metaphorically died. To be in this world is to be metaphorically dead. Look around you; all the people in this world, yourself included, are metaphorically dead. (Each person is at different stages in waking up from death, in returning to his real self, unified spirit.)

As long as the Son of God seems dead, is sleeping and dreaming that he is in this world, God, as the Holy Spirit, the immanent God, entered his mind and tries to resurrect him.

In our mind is the ego. The ego is the dreaming self, the self that sees itself as separated from God and his children. The ego mind is now where the Christ mind is supposed to be.

The Christ mind knows himself as the Son of God and as unified with God and all God’s children. The Christ mind in us is sleeping and forgets about his union with all creation and its creator.

God, as the Holy Spirit, enters our mind and occupies the place the Christ mind ought to be. Thus, now in our sleeping minds are (1) our unified mind, the mind we share with God and each other, (2) the Holy Spirit ( or, right mind) and (3) the Ego or wrong mind.

The ego asks us to separate from God and from one another, and to defend ourselves when other people attack us. Defense leads to separation, as much as attack does.

The Holy Spirit asks us to forgive, hence love one another. Forgiveness and love leads to the awareness of union. In effect, the Holy Spirit reminds us of our condition in heaven, unified.

God talks to his sleeping children through the Holy Spirit.

When you listen to the message of the Holy Spirit, God, and love and forgive at all times, you experience the Holy Instant. Subsequently, you no longer need the Holy Spirit to mediate between you and God. You have reawakened to your Christ status. Jesus Christ did so. Jesus has resumed communing with God and all of us, in a direct manner, without the auspices of the Holy Spirit or other awakened children of God.

When you return your thinking, mind, to the condition that God created it (unified), not what you have made of it (separated), you have reconciled the ego and Christ, the earth and heaven. You have resurrected from death (ego is metaphoric death). You are reborn in God.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

Seattle, Washington

africainstitute@yahoo.com

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