March 09, 2006

To your Tents Oh Nigeria!

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- While being an ardent supporter and advocate of one united Nigeria, I will not fail to register my displeasure for the recent unprovoked killings of my people by the Muslim Northerners. What exactly did these Nigerians being killed in Katsina and Maiduguri do to deserve these attacks?

Why are you these Muslims so bloodthirsty and murderous that they feel they can just take to the streets and start killing innocent Nigerians? A Danish cartoonist makes a caricature of Mohammed and Nigerians have to be killed for it? I need someone to explain it to me.

Please tell me why Southern Christians have to suffer once again for something they have no knowledge of. When will you Muslims stop shedding the blood of innocent Nigerians? This recent incident has come to prove that maybe we need to separate. Maybe we need to fight another civil war since it seems we are not satisfied with the previous one. One thing that irks me is how Muslim leaders come and tell us the same nonsense about how Islam is a non violent Religion; yet time after time their followers take to the street to kill people who have done absolutely nothing to them. Just like always we are sold the dumb idea that it was done by hooligans. Who are these hooligans, and why are they always after Christians especially the ones from the South? Someone needs to convince me that you so called Muslim leaders are not the ones behind all the mayhem and carnage brought upon unsuspecting innocent Southerners.

I want to use this opportunity to call on Christians to stand up and fight back. I do believe it is time to stop dividing yourself by tribe and get together and fight your own religious war. Are you going to continue to be murdered and butchered anytime the Muslims feel like it? Just as I was writing this I saw the reprisals in Onitsha. Let’s not relent in our efforts at retaliation. We need to kill more Muslims so that they will think twice before they start their murderous acts again. I am calling on well meaning Christians in all the southern cities to join the people in Onitsha and burn a few more mosques.

I think that this incident is one of the reasons a lot of people do not want Nigeria to remain one country. The life of a typical southerner is seen as worth nothing by these Muslim fanatics. Just like racism in which blacks suffer against whites, religious intolerance is often relegated to the realm of extremists, but I beg to differ. It is my contention that moderates will always outnumber extremists of any political, religious or tribal group, but the tendency to be complacent and sit on the sideline and watch will make them lose their power to change the order of things to the radicals or extremists.

If we cannot guarantee that there will not or never be a Muslim attack on innocent Christians anymore, then we ought to start singing “Nunc Dimitis” on the concept of a united Nigeria. I will always contend that we ought to work together to build a great nation one and all, but if the lives and property of Christians will continue to wasted by Muslims, then it would be better if Nigeria ceases to exist.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

Posted by Administrator at 09:26 AM | Comments (2)

February 23, 2006

We got Hoodwinked Again

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- I can now say with all authenticity that Nigeria is country full of wise people yet stupidity reigns supreme. The most recent magic act that was performed on us should still be fresh on all our minds. Remember the Gbenga Obasanjo interview or non interview? That was the magic act.

Think my fellow country men/women, think! If you chose to believe the company line and call it a gaffe, or if you truly believe that Gbenga spoke from his heart, somewhere in that conversation lies the truth about how my country, your country, is being taken to the cleaners. In my own humble opinion, I truly believe that the only thing Gbenga omitted was his own father’s complicity in the whole caper.

In a system of government where the 2nd in command is treated with disdain, and sometimes even below the status of a houseboy, it would be highly impossible for Atiku to execute all the shady deals all alone. How can the number one micro manager in the world allow for such independence in all the underhanded shenanigans going on in his domain, the presidency? What I believe is that Gbenga may have had a few drinks (hic) and confessed the inner workings of a rotten administration. His craftiness was the deliberate omission of daddy in all the deals. There is also another possibility that the journalist who wrote the article conveniently removed any mention of daddy OBJ for fear of real persecution.

Once again the truth about this bunch of selfish rogues in the presidency is told, and all we do is crucify and castigate the messenger. Instead of investigating to find out the truth we rubbish the guy and turn him into one without respect for elders. We even make him apologize. Don’t speak ill of the elders my foot. If the elders are a bunch of “armed robbers” will we be saying the same thing? We talk so much about fighting crime and eliminating corrupt practices, yet there is no outrage on our part after reading the interview? We continue to wait for the day God will jump down from heaven and deliver us from the evil done against us by our own brothers and sisters. Haba my people! Gbenga Obasanjo handed us a rope and all we did was hang him with it. He cried out for help and we totally ignored him. What exactly will it take for us to truly rise up and take back our country? Don’t you think we have been lied to, used and abused enough?

Another issue is General Malu’s statements which is now the new rallying cry for lies, confusion, and deception. All those ranting and raving about his statements are no more bloodthirsty than he is purported to be. From those who want him dead to those who are calling for his disgrace every one of you is pathetic. In a democracy, people’s thoughts don’t kill. Isn’t there supposed to be some freedom of speech or expression? After reading the General’s remarks I don’t know what the noise is all about. General Malu thought about overthrowing Obasanjo, yet Obasanjo in the past had ordered the killing of innocent Nigerians and we are making so much fuss about it. I wonder who the real criminal is. Once again we are being taken down the path of stupidity just to make us lose sight of the real reason the General made his statements. According to an Igbo proverb: Onye uno ya na’ agba oku adigh achu oke.” “One whose house is on fire does not spend time trying to get rid of rats.” Nigerians arise and put out the fire that has been burning your house since independence. Leave the rat chasing to cats and other rat eating animals.

Another issue I have with all the dumb attacks on General Malu for thinking about a Coup is that of pure and total hypocrisy of Obasanjo’s defenders. Didn’t Obasanjo himself carry out a coup in 1975? Yeah, so people say we are in a democracy. What democracy? The one where there is no press freedom, the brand of democracy where people are never elected but rigged into office? We certainly have a brand of democracy where the majority of the populace and citizens do not know their rights. Since it is now a crime to think about coup what do we do to all those who actually thought about it and carried it out? How about arresting all those alive who have thought about, planned and carried out a coup and publicly disgracing all of them. Better yet, let’s kill them all. Now we know that it may just be what we need to eliminate all our leadership and corruption problems.

It is common knowledge that third world leaders including the ones in Nigeria have the penchant to run their countries like a private enterprise. We know that it has taken place in Nigeria before, so why would anyone with a semblance of sanity say that Gbenga Obasanjo would not know the inner workings of his father’s kingdom. Hey remember Ghaddafi, Sadaam Hussein, Abacha, Babangida, Mobutu, and Houphet Boigny. Have we forgotten that Daniel Arap Moi wanted his son to succeed him? How about Eyadema’s son succeeding him in Togo? There are many other the third world countries where we have children of rulers occupying positions that they either merit or not.

Posted by Administrator at 07:38 AM | Comments (0)

Why Kill Another Man's Wife

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- I read with bewilderment and utter surprise the article where Abubakar Rimi claims that he knows his wife’s killer. He went further to say that it was some businessman residing in Abuja. My God, is this the state that our country has really degenerated into.

The brutal killings of Barrister Igwe and his wife is still fresh in our memory, and an unsolved mystery. Also we have the murders of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Marshall Harry and others still in question, now its Abubakar Rimi’s wife? I am not a saint, but it is near impossible for me to really understand the idea of taking an innocent life. I am assuming her innocence based on the fact that she may have been killed for what she did not know. If Rimi is to be believed, then this must either be a business deal gone bad, or the businessman in question does assassinations for a living. If the target was Rimi, what then is the meaning of killing his wife? Is this the part of the murderous villains residing in the ruling PDP as described by Wole Soyinka? We can recall the statement made by the Professor after Bola Ige was brutally assassinated.

What is it that could have transpired between Abubakar Rimi and the person or persons he believed killed his wife? Whatever it is, does the end result have to be the death of another? In Nigeria of today, it has become quite obvious that human lives now have equal or less value than that of animals .The wanton and reckless murders occurring now seems similar to the slaughtering of cows, goat and sheep. In fact, human lives really do not have any value in Nigeria except if the dead person or persons were rich.

Case in point; while on my recent trip home to Nigeria, I saw a very highly preventable accident while travelling from Onitsha to Lagos. A truck travelling from Lagos to Onitsha overloaded with what appeared to be bags of Tom Tom mints, went from its side of the expressway to the other side and ploughed into a bus and a 504 car killing all except the driver of the truck. First issue here is that the truck had no business going that distances carrying more than its capacity based on the deplorable state of parts of the road. Where were the police and Road Safety? Another issue with the vehicle was how it looked like it belonged to the junkyard instead of being used as a means of transporting that much cargo. Again, whatever it was that caused it to lose control may have been unavoidable, but the thick forest in the median had no business being there, because when it lost control it showed that it went a long way in the median before it got on the other side of the road destroying unsuspecting lives.

In a country of so much unemployment, would it be a crime to get people employed to cut the grass on the expressway before they grow into forests. All these are simple safety matters which could have been addressed if there is value placed on the life of every Nigerian.

In the case of the assassination of Saudatu Rimi are we going to have the same endless and fruitless search for her killers? Is this going to fall by the wayside as per the deaths of Dele Giwa, Alfred Rewane, Moshood Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, Barrister Igwe and his wife, Bola Ige, Musa Yaradua, Tunde Idiagbon, Marshall Harry, and Chuba Okadigbo? Wow we now have surpassed The United States in terms of unexplained mysterious deaths of prominent citizens. What it tells me is that there is total official misconduct, connivance and collusion in these deaths. I have not even done a death count on the lesser known Nigerians who have been killed by the Police, by unnecessary accidents, by worthless arguments, by armed robbers, by their own family members and other avoidable means. I reiterate that we have become a society with no value or premium placed on human lives.

Just like Rimi pleaded in his statement about finding his wife’s killers, I join him in his appeal for the truth to be made known to the public. Wouldn’t this be a nice addition to Obasanjo’s so called war on corruption? Maybe this time a killer will be unmasked and end the spate of unsolved mysteries. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Adieu! Saudatu Rimi! Maybe your death will mark the beginning of something new in Nigeria…the search for the truth.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA.

Posted by Administrator at 04:10 AM | Comments (0)

February 02, 2006

The Oil Companies are the Real Terrorists

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- Here we go again Mr. President Obasanjo, opening your loud mouth and again spewing out trash. The Niger Delta Freedom Fighters are terrorists and criminals? Not a chance Mr. Obasanjo. If these were times of Slavery you would qualify for an “Uncle Tom” or maybe a “House Nigger”.

For those of you who do not know what these terms mean, these were names given to blacks who helped the white master further oppress other blacks. These Negroes received special favours from their masters for keeping other blacks in check, snitching (reporting) on others just to make the Massa (master) happy. The Nigerian oil fields are like plantations, and Obasanjo and his ruling buddies continue to watch over it for the European and American oil interests.

What if I may ask have the Niger Delta people gained from the oil drilling that has been going on in their land since it was discovered? For an area that boasts of the highest percentage of exploration in Nigeria to be so poor and depressed is unacceptable by any standard. Sometimes I wish all the oil wells in Nigeria would dry up completely. From the American Department of Energy comes the following analysis of how Nigeria has fared since oil was discovered.

Ever since the discovery of oil in Nigeria in the 1950s, the country has been suffering the negative environmental consequences of oil development. The growth of the country's oil industry, combined with a population explosion and a lack of environmental regulations, led to substantial damage to Nigeria's environment, especially in the Niger Delta region, the center of the country's oil industry.

Furthermore, it says,

The Niger Delta region remains fraught with ethnic unrest. The Ogonis, an ethnic group that predominates in the region, have protested that not only have foreign oil firms degraded the local environment, but that the Nigerian federal government also has acquiesced by not enforcing environmental laws and regulations. Clashes between tribal groups and security forces have resulted in numerous deaths, as well as periodic disruptions in oil production. Protest actions occur with regularity, with local youths seizing oil platforms or taking hostages and forcing oil companies to withdraw their staff and/or to halt oil production until their demands are met.

The same memo also has this to say:

These protests are the result of the environmental degradation that has occurred--and is perceived to be continuing to occur--in the region as the result of oil development by multinational oil companies.

There have been over 4,000 oil spills in the Niger Delta since 1960, and gas flaring from oil extraction has resulted in serious air pollution problems in the area. One of the most visible consequences of the numerous oil spills has been the loss of mangrove trees. The mangrove was once a source of both fuel wood for the indigenous people and a habitat for the area's biodiversity, but is now unable to survive the oil toxicity of its habitat. The oil spills also had an adverse effect on marine life, which has become contaminated, in turn having negative consequences for human health from consuming contaminated seafood. The damages caused, and the continued exploitation of the people of Niger Delta leaves no doubt as to whom the terrorist and criminal is.

The other two negative by-products that the discovery of oil has brought about in Nigeria are; the almost near total abandonment of a once booming agro economy, and the three year civil war between Nigeria and Biafra.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

Posted by Administrator at 06:01 AM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2006

"Godfatherism" in Nigerian Politics

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- The issue of greedy godfathers in the Nigerian political scene has now reached epidemic proportions. Just like bribery, corruption, nepotism, tribalism and fraud, the perpetrators now want to make it a way of making a living. Why is it that social vices and ills easily flourish in Nigeria? Isn’t it time Nigerians woke up and reject these sick and degenerate ways and means that have robbed our country of genuine and real development?

The most discouraging part of the issue is that even the poor downtrodden masses have embraced these dastardly acts as being normal. In the case of “Godfatherism”, you hear people using making real asinine statements like, “why e no go settle the man, no be im put am there.” A real defeatist and compromising attitude towards a situation that is simply undemocratic and outright unacceptable. Settle him yes, but don’t open up the treasury to him. Appoint some of his people to your cabinet, but not the entire cabinet. Ask for gratuities and even contracts, but don’t give a bill for an ungodly amount for just sponsoring a guy.

In every society the existence of sponsors or godfathers is well accepted and is seen as part of the political fabric. In USA for example, in 1978 Bill Clinton of Arkansas was helped into office of governor by the Arkansas poultry farmers. The then young governor came into office and was at loggerheads with the same farmers who helped him get elected; the farmers didn’t form a kangaroo court and impeach the governor. They went home planned on the next election and made sure that Clinton was not reelected in 1980. Now here is the real show of political savvy and maturity, Clinton didn’t go about crying or looking for someone to kill, instead he went back to the same poultry farmers and struck a deal with them. He was reelected in 1982 and was the governor until he ran for President in 1992. The important issue here is that, godfathers need to work with their candidates not just to steal and plunder but for the development of society at large.

Why can’t the Nigerian Godfathers allow their candidates some breathing space instead of preferring that they become cronies or robots to be pushed at their whims and caprices? Anambra State was robbed and pillaged by the Mbadinuju administration just because he continued to pay homage to his Godfathers. Then there was the mess in Kwara where the Saraki family really showed us who owned the State. In Edo State Anenih and Igbinedion had their own infighting which I don’t know what their status is. Nwobodo and Nnamani had their turf wars in Enugu State which at some point could not even be settled by church leaders. In all these cases, the one who claims to have “made” the other would not let his product act on his own.

Again, in 2003 this phenomenon reared its ugly head in Anambra State, where another godfather by the name of Chris Uba was so desperate that he tried a kidnap/ coup and failed. He tried assassination and was unsuccessful. He then proceeded to destroy the state owned infrastructure just to spite the governor for not “settling” him. Even our President, a man whose morals belongs to the gutter, asked the Anambra governor to “settle” this would be plunderer of state owned funds. What other country could this happen in other than in Nigeria where corruption is king? Only in Nigeria, a country of immense human and natural resources where the same cabal has virtually misruled the country since independence.

Here we are in 2005 and the so called “majority” of retards and morons in Oyo State house of assembly unconstitutionally removed a sitting governor. Ladoja’s impeachment was nothing short of a slap in the face of the Oyo State people in particular, and Nigerians in general. Here, the godfather Adedibu, decided to remove the “father” part of his title and declared himself “god”. To hear that our President was bowing and prostrating to this jackass of a man is even more deploring. Yoruba tradition aside, who the heck is Adedibu? I guess he must be a very serious juju man for all these people including our President to be afraid of him. Now that the courts have ruled, will the “other governor” Alao Akala obey the law and step down? It remains to be seen. What with our outright disrespect and disdain for our judiciary.

What steps do we as Nigerians take to curtail the excesses of godfathers? What measures do we take to truly elect our leaders? There are really no true democracies anywhere on the face of the earth. It’s a fact that with the human factor involved lying, cheating, stealing and rigging always factors in. The major difference between our elections and those of the developed world is that they have measures to curtail their rigging. In Nigeria, its open season for the parties to see who will rig more than the other. The party in power manages to outdo their opponents by murder, mayhem and intimidation.

Posted by Administrator at 07:55 AM | Comments (1)

January 29, 2006

When did Nigerian University Fraternities Become Cults?

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- I read the attack by Frank Nweke Jr. “alias Information Minister” on Professor Wole Soyinka on the issue of the so called “Cults” on our University Campuses. First, I would love to ask my dear Frank which of the Nigerian Universities he attended, and what his social life was like.

To blame Soyinka for the so called “Cultism” on our Campuses borders on nothing but the same shoot from the hip reaction that we get from Femi Fani- Kayode. Please Frank tell the people of Nigeria that you didn’t mean to say it. Just say you were misquoted, and you will not be considered a pea brain of the Fani Kayode ilk.

Let me expound on Professor Soyinka’s reply to Frank Nweke Jr., by first giving the dictionary definition of a Fraternity:

1. a body of people associated for a common purpose or interest, such as a guild.
2. a group of people joined by similar backgrounds, occupations, interests, or tastes: the fraternity of bird watchers.
3. a chiefly social organization of men students at a college or university, usually designated by Greek letters.
4. Roman Catholic Church: A sodality.
5. The quality or condition of being brothers; brotherliness.
Contrast this with the following definition of cult and tell me where the similarity lies:
Definition of a Cult

Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following 5 characteristics:
1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members
2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society
3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma
4. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds
recruit people
5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society
In essence, the reference being made to Fraternities as Cults is a misnomer.

If they had changed from Fraternities to Cults then we cannot blame Soyinka who formed the Pirates/Pyrates/Seadogs/Aborigines many years ago. I would also like to add to Professor Soyinka’s statement on how fraternities in civilized and advanced societies have produced prominent leaders and presidents. Yale University in Connecticut USA has the famous Skull and Bones Fraternity which has produced numerous American leaders including present President George W Bush and his last challenger John Kerry. So it is not lost on any person with half a sense that Soyinka’s idea of a Fraternity has been bastardized into cultism by how our Nigerian Society in general has changed.

As a 2nd year student at the University of Calabar in 1982, I was approached by three very good friends to start an organization. I do believe that all others were invited exclusively too. We were in turn asked to invite other people, and I vividly remember rejections. Cults don’t recruit exclusively and they don’t reject. If present day groups are recruiting and indoctrinating by coercion it’s a shame. What irks me more are the meaningless and cowardly killings being carried out in the name of these Fraternities. Back then in 1982 my friends told me the organization was being formed to check the excesses of the Pyrates who at that time were the only Fraternity on Campus. You would laugh at what these so called excesses were in 1982.

Remember that back then we had not had the misfortune of being introduced to Babangida and Abacha. Pirates or Pyrates back then, chose not to be called a Fraternity; instead they were referred to as a Confraternity. I think these guys forming these organizations thought it was more rugged to be known as Confraternities without knowing what the word actually meant. The definition of a Confraternity is just similar to that of a Fraternity, with the exception of where it made mention of Christianity. For reference purposes, here is a definition Confraternity; a group of people united in common profession or for a purpose, often a group of Christians who have joined together to perform charitable acts. I agreed to help form the organization for two reasons; I trusted my friends and I hated the Pyrates. Sorry, I failed to mention that they were not even called Pyrates back then because they were banned, they were called Seadogs and in some Universities they went by Aborigines. I thought it would be fun to join a group that opposed the Seadogs, thus I found myself an original founding member of the Buccaneers Confraternity. At the onset it was fun, really fun, but after a short while it began to look just like the Pyrates, so I quit.

A year a later as a 3rd year student I was once again approached to help form the Black Axe Confraternity or Fraternity, this time I had a much more powerful role. I was to recruit, train and fashion the group and get it ready for approval from the parent organization which was based at The University of Benin. As a die hard idealist I thought I could mold these guys to be anything but Pyrates or Buccaneers, but I had serious opposition. Once again I packed up and left. I told them it made no sense having another group doing the same thing that the Pyrates and Bucs were doing.

I would emphatically say that having been an active participant in the formation of these two groups; I am more inclined to believe that Wole Soyinka was not trying to leave “Cultism” as a legacy. He started a Fraternity which morphed into a Confraternity and now they are referred to as Cults. My contention is still that based on the dictionary definition of the word Cult, these organizations are still misrepresented. To support Soyinka, I do believe that the cleansing of our society would in turn make these organizations more meaningful in our University system. When we live in a very corrupt country, corruption does not tend to be exclusive; it permeates all facets of the society including clubs and organizations in Universities.
Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

Posted by Administrator at 11:00 AM | Comments (7)

January 25, 2006

The Ngige Transparency

by Chibuzo Onubogu (Clayton, NC, USA) --- I just returned from Nigeria on the 20th of January 2006. I did not go for the annual Christmas rush, but I went for my mother’s 81st birthday celebration. It is quite unfortunate that due to certain logistical errors on my part I missed most of the event. I caught the end part of the celebration, and in other to make up for my lateness I decided to make my stay in my hometown Ogidi longer than usual. This yielded some unplanned but very fruitful results.

I witnessed the Ngige phenomenon. I never met Dr. Ngige in person, but somehow I felt like I did. The local news in the state was filled with Ngige has done this and has done that. He was simply the topic of most conversations I heard amongst majority of Anambra indigenes. In fact I don’t believe that in my lifetime that I had ever come across such an overwhelming support for a Nigerian politician. I am not talking about lip service and crony support, but I mean genuine, heartfelt, grassroots, real people support. I heard many mothers and fathers talk about the Anambra governor as if he were their own son. This type of populist fame had never been seen or heard in a state that had in the past produced a load of fakes and duds as governors. The popular view especially amongst the older generation was that not since M.I.Okpara had they witnessed a man of such genuine disposition. All I have to say Mr. Governor is, “Carry go”! The only thing I hope and wish for is that the forces of darkness and enemies of progress in Anambra state do not stop this phenomenon.

My belief has always been that if the people are provided with basic infrastructure the sky will always be the limit to their effort to become productive members of the society. Anambra State seemed very safe calm and peaceful. I actually spent 2 of my 3 weeks in Ogidi something I was afraid of doing when I visited in 2002. I’m sure you are beginning to wonder what my ranting is all about, well here it is; Governor Ngige has done the unthinkable! He has reconstructed roads that had been totally neglected by preceding administrations. People now get around in Anambra State like they have never been used to. Ngige actually has a plan that includes the welfare of the people that is why I believe that he will not be satisfied with road construction and rehabilitation alone. Teachers, Government employees, and pensioners have not been owed. Such is the manner of man now sitting at the helm affairs in Anambra. Ngige not only makes promises but he delivers too. I pray that your good governance which is solidly people oriented continue to flourish without any more issues from detractors. Amen!

I scanned the Nigerian news on the internet just before I began this article and saw where the entire markets in Anambra state closed so as to allow traders accompany Ngige to Enugu where his appeal case on election issues is going on. As a believer in the notion of allowing people to freely elect and not select their leaders I do not support all the Shenanigans that went on in the 2003 elections, but since Obasanjo is being allowed to stay on I don’t see why anybody wants Ngige to go. Who knows if Peter Obi would have done anything if he was chosen? I do strongly believe that Ngige’s coming was divinely inspired. Had he not stood up to fight against the initial attempted coup in Anambra, and all the other attempts at destabilizing his government it would have been business as usual, that would have allowed Chris Uba and friends to plunder and steal Anambra State blind. The call now is for the people of Anambra state to make sure that Chris Ngige is returned to the government house in 2007.

I once heard President Obasanjo make a claim about being one of the founders of Transparency International. If this is true, then it is sad that the Nigerian government which he presides over have continued to have abysmal ratings by the same organization he helped found. We have not climbed out of the bottom of the poorest country in the world and neither have we left the top of the most corrupt. All we have done is play musical chairs with countries like Haiti, Rwanda, and Pakistan in both categories. I have even read where Obasanjo’s shameless image makers have criticized Transparency International as being biased. Wow! Reality must be a very strange word around Aso Rock. Despite all the diabolical attempts to remove Ngige and destabilize Anambra State which we know was backed by the Presidency, Transparency has found a home in Anambra.

Governor Ngige, your detractors say that had you not undergone the baptism of fire like you did, you would have been like others before you. Whether this is true or not I do not know, but the old saying about when the going gets tough really applies to you. You could have succumbed to the demands of the crooks who wanted to handicap your good intentions, but you didn’t. You could have chosen the part of least resistance and imbibed the” you chop I chop philosophy”, but you didn’t. That is why in my heart I believe that your character is as solid as a rock. I don’t believe you working to please anyone or any group, but that you are doing what comes natural to you. Like my old principal at DMGS Onitsha late Mr. C.C Agunwa of AGULU used say “Reward for a job well done is, more work” So Dr. Ngige, carry on with your good work and know that what you are doing is transparently obvious to all believers in service to the people.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

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

January 23, 2006

Mr. Obasanjo: You had a Chance at Greatness.... Even Immortality

by Chibuzo Onubogu (USA) --- I was greatly overjoyed even to the point of euphoria when it was announced that our former Head of State, one of our revered elder statesmen, had won the 1999 election. Obasanjo we heard made it back, this time as our civilian leader. Nigeria, I thought couldn’t have elected a better person than the man who led the forces that ended the war that almost divided the nation. Nigeria was ready for a true nationalist and patriot to forge a new unity for a better country. Our own George Washington!

After the war of Independence, Americans chose George, the General who had led their forces to liberate them from British rule to be their president. He not only became America’s first president, but became the father/midwife of the nation regarded as the most democratic of all times. The steps of nation building taken by George Washington earned him immortality. Today, the greatness and immortality of Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, FDR and Kennedy cannot be overstated. America has had 42 presidents before the present G.W Bush, but we only hear about a handful of them. Included in the list of greatness are Jackson, Eisenhower, Truman, Nixon, Reagan and Clinton. These men took extraordinary steps and achieved a lot in their tenures in office. Obasanjo, Nigeria was begging for an extraordinary leader to take extraordinary steps to correct a major mess but you blew your chance. Now you think you can do right if you asked for a third term? Come on if you had it in you, you could have hit the ground running in 1999. What with the support you had. You could have tackled corruption at the onset of your administration; you could have taken steps to reform our education system, the police, NEPA and all the other problem organizations in Nigeria. No one expects you to cure Nigeria of all its ills for you are not a magician, but we could have gone a long way if you started when you should have. If you did this, you could have a consensus of Nigerians asking or even begging you to come back like Americans did Washington (though the latter refused). It was because of extraordinary leadership that Franklin Delano Roosevelt (although wheelchair bound and had myriad of health problems) was elected to a record four terms on office. What Mr.Obasanjo have you done to deserve a third term in office? Only sycophants and hangers on will give you a pass mark at your lackluster effort at leadership.

I definitely cringed at the foolish comparison people tried to make between you and Nelson Mandela, a truly great leader, one who has achieved immortality. I think one of your image makers may have had one too many and decided to make a childish attempt at comparing you with perhaps the only true great leader that Africa has ever produced. Mentioning your 2 year sojourn in the country club as if it has any resemblance to almost 27 years in prison under apartheid rule that Mandela had to undergo. The majesty with which Nelson Mandela accepted his presidency and the extraordinary things he did that made the black South Africans proud about their selves again. Like a master, he knew when to quit the stage to allow a new generation to take over the leadership of a nation he had practically brought into existence with his resistance and freedom fighting.

How can we forget Gorbachev? He could have tried to hang on to the Soviet Union like his predecessors did? Reagan apologists can continue to claim how they ended the Soviet empire; the truth is that if Gorbachev wanted he could have hung on longer. His decision to tear the wall down and open up for dialogue led to the end of the soviet empire and the independence of a lot nations. With this Mikhail Gorbachev earned greatness and I believe eventual immortality.

F.W. De Klerk will forever be remembered as the man who ended apartheid. Sure apartheid was crumbling, dying a natural death, but I believe it took an extraordinary man to make that decision. He was president, and knew he could never attain that high position again if he agreed to end apartheid. Like all the other leaders mentioned above he chose greatness over mediocrity, and thus ensured himself of immortality.

Mr. President Obasanjo, Nigeria needed a leader who would bring its various people together, one who would fight a real fight against corruption and hence reduce poverty. Nigeria needed to be healed and cleansed from the madness and incompetence of Babangida and Abacha. You pride yourself with a warped fight against corruption, a privatization process that has turned your buddies into millionaires and billionaires. What exactly have we gained with the proliferation of GSMs? We have an improved communication network? Hardly!! NITEL is still a problem organization that cannot provide the real backbone needed for effective communication. GSMs or not the land lines are still the true backbone of effective communication. Check out the developed countries.

I am not an expert on Economics or Economic theories, but I do believe that real economic reforms should have some sort of impact on the average or common people of the particular society doing the reform. Someone tried to convince me that all the globe trotting done by our president yielded some result. Debt relief or whatever they called it! What type of relief is it that makes us cough up 12 billion dollars? I really don’t know what economic sense it made when we could have used the money towards real reforms. Like helping add some life to NEPA or could our schools have been better equipped? How about roads? Did we do this because if we didn’t some of our pilfering experts would find away to steal it? Here is typical African scenario; those who use leaky buckets to fetch water never fill their holding tanks on time. Yes, a leaky bucket eventually fills it, but how about those attempting to do it with baskets? A reform where we still have a ton of stolen money lodged in foreign banks? A reform where we have no checks ad balances in government? A reform where our money is still being stolen and embezzled as I am writing this? What successful reforms? Despite the near heroic acts of Okonjo-Iweala and Soludo and their team members we don’t have any real tangible economic reforms because of the unchecked waste, abuse and outright stealing of funds going on at all levels of government. Come on enough of the lip service to reforms and let’s start a real reform that curtails and slows down corruption.

Much has been said about how the American president is the most powerful man on earth; sure I would say yes on purely military matters. If we would start talking about raw unchecked powers of a president in a so called democracy, then no president can come close to the Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. He has been totally unchecked by a very corrupt senate, house, and a laughing stock judiciary. The president would not allow his advisers/ ministers any original ideas, for they all have to be an extension of his myopia. He has continuously meddled in affairs of States and even local chieftaincies. He virtually controls a ton of the wealth of the nation. Yeah, a whopping 53%! He could have chosen Nigerians of honesty and integrity as his advisers, ministers and heads of parastatals. It is obvious that despite the good performances of some his ministers and heads of parastatals some have been boneheads and yet he keeps them around. He could have done a lot of real good things to promote Nigeria’s image and reputation but lacked the will to tackle such issues. In his time as President, the country has become as polarized and divided as it has ever been

The chance was there, and definitely the opportunity for true, unadulterated, and hard reforms but you chose the low road to infamy instead of one that would have elevated you to greatness and yes, even immortality.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA.

Posted by Administrator at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2006

Nigerians in Exile

by Chibuzo Onubogu (USA) --- There was a time (for Nigerians) when going abroad (later overseas) was just for studies. Most of these Nigerians ran back as fast as they could to help in the building of their nation. There were those who went on scholarship, those who couldn’t pass Nigeria’s local entrance exams, and those who went because their rich folks could afford it.

There was also another group though very small, that went for higher degrees. If you met these proud folks today they would tell you how it was that they didn’t feel there was any need to remain after their studies. Could you imagine a Nigeria without Zik, Awo, Ojike, and Mbadiwe? These are just a few of the names that could have been lost in exile if they had decided to stay back where they studied. Ojukwu? What would we be today without him? What we have today is more of a voluntary migration/mass exodus by Nigerians. It is a sad commentary that we continue to lose people and yet the reasons they are leaving could be easily addressed. Nigerians are now found living in countries where they never even considered visiting. This is just what continues to dwarf Africa’s giant.

The question to the ruling elite is this, “do you really care enough about the Nigerian people and its welfare? Despite tribal and religious differences can any of you work for true nationalism having patriotism as your driving force?” The Nigerians living in exile (both forced and voluntary) are gradually having children many of who will never have anything to do with the country of their parents’ origin. What a very sad situation! Further brain drain isn’t it? I may sound like an alarmist, but I don’t think I am an extremist. At least, I have not found myself using words like “lost generation” which is what prompted me to write this piece. I would be remiss in my duty as one who has deep love for my country of birth if I just let it be.

In my observation and opinion, there are many reasons why many Nigerians chose to remain in exile even when they know that they no longer want to live in foreign lands where they find themselves. Yes I know that many more are trying to escape, but I can say with some authority that conservatively speaking, about 70 to 80 percent of those in exile want to come home. Yes, that high of a percentage! I don’t know if most Nigerians ever realized that despite all the mess we have, it is still very unique to be a Nigerian. It’s not only because of our very universe within a universe of multiple languages and tribal differences. How about our several different religious expressions? I don’t think it’s just our numerous cultural and traditional and differences. To me, the uniqueness of a Nigerian is, our flair for the dramatic, our flowery ever growing coinage and connotation for every event, moment, and occasion that presents itself to us. How we make up nicknames for cars, telephones, flashlights and all other necessities. Where else could a Nigerian feel more in his/her element than at home? It’s quite unfortunate that for many of us in exile, coming home will continue to be a case of a dream deferred.

The most troublesome factor/reason why Nigerians choose to stay in their exile locations I believe is lack of security and the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness that accompanies it. It begins almost immediately after one arrives at any of our airports. The unnecessary grandstanding being put up by the government functionaries at the airport; the searches, the open demand for bribes, the harassment meted out to folks who don’t to part with their money. Just the feeling of general malaise that is associated with being in a facility run by government employees. After going through all these hassles, and your relatives are not picking you up, the safety issue involved when you have to take a taxi which may end up being your last trip. Then you embark on your final destination, which may involve several stoppages by the police. I have heard people express the opinion that sometimes they cannot differentiate between the police and the men of underworld. Finally when you arrive home you worry about wherever it is you are staying whether you will be there and truly enjoy your stay with your folks. Could you really close your eyes and sleep without worrying about home invasion? Could you drive out on visits without worrying about being accosted by the men of the underworld? There is crime in every country, but in most developed countries most people don’t often experience the crimes of home invasion and being waylaid by armed robbers, which are both deadly and humiliating. Either way it occurs you are either lose your life or you come out afraid and scarred for the rest of your life. I have heard this loony argument being put up by a lot of misguided Nigerians citizens about how unsafe it is in many major cities in the United States. Now here is the poser… Truthfully and honestly for those of you who have lived in both Nigeria and the United States: On which streets and time of day would you feel safer, any major Nigerian city at 6pm or any major US city at 2am? I am by no means an apologist for any thing that involves the US, but facts are facts and love country cannot make me blind to the truth.

The other major reason for most Nigerians in exile is the lack of what most regard as the most basic infrastructure that makes it easy on life, which leads to the enjoyment of liberty, and ultimately the pursuit of happiness. If you don’t agree with the US Constitution that these ought to be our goals, then The Dalai Lama cannot be wrong too because for him (a world renowned guru) “ our sole purpose In life as human beings is the pursuit of happiness”. I’m not going to give this dead horse another thorough beating. I will just reiterate these basic infrastructures, and they are; creation of jobs and job opportunities, access to housing and shelter, adequate supply of water, good and accessible roads, access to basic education, and services. I have not listed these infrastructures and amenities in any particular order, but I believe that however you list it the above listed are the pertinent ones.

For personal reasons I decided not to list power generation under basic amenities, for it would be an unjustified and inexcusable action. The major reason being that “NO NATION BOASTS OF ANY MEANINGFUL DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT POWER GENERATION” Imagine if you can the 19th century industrial revolution in Europe without power, or of more recent memory the ones in South Korea, Taiwan etc. We will continue to fool ourselves if we think that the current anaemic rate of power generation in Nigeria will take us anywhere. I have heard tales upon tales of how Kainji and Shiroro can provide all we need , well if that is the case we should now categorise it as a bonafide fairy tale because it is just that. I am 42 years old, and in my lifetime the diseased power supply system has been a constant feature in our national psyche. If you have a dog and its name is Bingo, you cannot remove the shame it brings to you by changing its name to Lucky. You have to either put it to death, or train it. So, from NEPA to PHCN what is the difference? Now here is my solution, please decentralize power generation. We have so many rivers in this country don’t we? Dam them all. I don’t care if one dammed river provides power to just one state. We still have the Oji river power station don’t we? Raise it from the dead. How about Afam power station? We can learn from countries that use coal on the know how of doing it without too much pollution. How about windmills? We can employ Dutch coaches to train our boys in football, why not an age-old technology, which they have mastered? How about learning the solar power generation from the Israelis? Sunlight is one thing we have an over abundance of.

Instead of all the tribal and religious idiocy going on in this country why don’t we try for meaningful development? I am willing to bet my life on it that if we have some of these pertinent issues alleviated people will not have time think of who is Yoruba, Hausa or Efik and what their differences are. Its obvious Mosques and Churches are different in looks. Islam and Christianity may never agree on how to reach the almighty, but a well-fed stomach with a job or a job prospect and opportunity may not want to start a stupid and useless strife against hi/her fellow Nigerian for some dumb and trivial reason.

Yet another reason is the continued belief and use of juju, voodoo, and all other sorts of magic and fetishes. Here is a parallel story to what I am talking about. In European History, we learnt about the dark ages, the period of inquisition, and all the other negative events of their past. The practice of witchcraft, magic and alchemy was frowned upon. It was not a good thing that many people were put to death for both real and trumped up reasons, but the eventual cleansing and revising of these acts and practices gave birth to science and today technology. I am not saying that these practices have completely ceased to exist in Europe, but its now on the minimal and used in most cases fro the betterment of society. Could we as a people in the entire continent of Africa stop using juju to kill each other? Could we stop using it in trying to prolong our lives? Could we stop using it to stay in power? Could a majority if not all the medicine men in Africa decide to join forces and turn their medicine into science instead of the so-called “dark arts”. Come together and refuse to help people who have come to kill their brothers and, those who want to use their wives and children to get rich quick. The people of Amazon are using their medicine to help mankind by giving them to drug companies to make medicine that will treat many illnesses and diseases. Why can’t we do the same? Truly spiritual people of all Religions should help in this endeavour. Whether these jujus are effective is still a subject of open debate, but I know that many Africans strongly believe in it. Africa will continue to lag behind in development and progress if the black magic of toady is not turned into science, and then technology.

Finally, the last reason is shame. Yes shame! The same shame, that has over the years prevented people from going home from Lagos after fruitless and unsuccessful attempts at making it there. Some eventually brave the cajoling, the insults and the derision that come from vitriolic and venomous mouths of losers in the village and go home. Some chose to stay and die in the cities where they are just regarded visitors. Some of the insults even come from parents and immediate family, some of whom have front seats in the church pew and read about the prodigal son every Sunday. Yet they choose to be so spiteful to their fellow humans just because they had not made or stolen baskets of money wherever they were coming home from. I have listened to the agonizing tales of these who are Nigerians living abroad that want to come back with the little they have garnered over the years but are afraid of being deemed as failures. These gossips running their mouths should look in the mirror and realize that not everyone makes it rich in life.

Government cannot provide all the services on its own, but as President Clinton proved, good Government will only facilitate meaningful development in any society that it is applied in. Much of what goes on the in the United States is so because it’s a Constitutional Republic where much is decentralized and the Constitutions of the Federal and State government guide most if not all they do. In contrast we have a juggernaut behemoth of a Federal government, which doles out as it wishes to the state and the local governments, hence all roads of criticisms and admonishment will always run through there. Rome was not built in one day, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Let’s take the step towards making our country a batter place for all. I do believe that an example set by Nigeria towards a patriotic nation building will only be a model to be copied by other African nations.

Everything I have pointed out is a call to duty and action. I don’t believe that anyone should feel his or her ox is gored. I will always believe that to whom much is given much is also expected. A country of such immense resources cannot continue to lose its citizenry to other nations and keeps wondering why it cannot move forward.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA.

Posted by Administrator at 10:46 PM | Comments (1)

December 30, 2005

Who is afraid of Solarin…eh sorry Soyinka, Fawehinmi, Achebe?

by Chibuzo Onubogu (USA) --- Dear Dr. Femi Osofisan, sorry I had to borrow the title of your book. I did it because I hold it in the very highest esteem. At least I substituted Tai with Wole Gani Chinua; yea I put them together to form a threesome. If I am not mistaken, there is a saying that reminds us that good things come in threes. The calibre of men I used to replace Solarin ought to prove my sincere intentions Dr Osofisan. I really
never read the book but I saw enough of it to believe it’s a good one.

I do believe it’s a book of virtues, the virtues of a truly great Nigerian by the name of Dr. Tai Solarin. Did Dr. Tai compromise his virtues towards the end? I have heard people say that, but only history vindicates the just. By the way Dr. Osofisan, I was introduced to your book by another Nigerian whom I believe is also aspiring to be great… Reuben Abati. Abati you said? Yes the one and the same. You see Reuben and I graduated from UNICAL the same year. Reuben was a Theater Arts student and I studied Philosophy. I used to go to the small amphitheater any night I could just to watch Reuben
perform, and perform he did. Reuben could have been the Nigerian version of Denzel Washington, but I guess he chose a higher calling. I am sorry folks I didn’t mean to deviate so much from my real purpose. I had to talk about Reuben, for he was truly a great thespian.

Today my fellow Nigerians, the threesome I mentioned above and a few others like Abubakar Umar, Muhammad Buhari, and Balarabe Musa are Nigeria’s conscience, but I will only concentrate my commentary
on the “three wise men”. While cronies and hangers on like Fani- Kayode, Afe Babalola, and Alex Akinyele are busy singing the praises about a most corrupt and downright atrocious administration, these three wise men and their compatriots are putting their lives and reputations on the line for the people. The truly amazing thing is whether the Nigerian suffering masses know who is on their side. The country has become so downright corrupt that people now choose to sing
praises and worship their tormentors rather than those trying to liberate them. Venomous attacks have been put out by Obasanjo’s hatchet men on those who dared speak the truth about the real situation in Nigeria.

Let us begin with Chinua Achebe’s refusal of the so called national award, his commentary and the subsequent reply by one of Obasanjo’s cronies’ sorry “adviser”. Chinua said, and I quote “Nigeria's
condition today under your watch is ... too dangerous for silence. I must register my disappointment and protest by declining to accept the high honour awarded me in the 2004 Honours List” What could be further from the truth? If there is any reasonable Nigerian who believes this to be an affront on the Nigerian government I would like to know. The key word here being, “reasonable”. As a student of philosophy I encountered the word reason many a time. It was considered by a vast majority of philosophers as one of the most reliable ways of acquiring knowledge. Its also is a requirement one needs in other to properly discern and comment on issues and opinions presented by others.

Wole Soyinka said “I'm not setting out to die for any abstruse concept, especially an artificial concept like Nigeria”. Is Nigeria worth dying for? “When such a representative section of the nation comes together I do not blame the government for believing there is a formidable challenge being mounted to its waywardness," Turning to the future, he said on a personal note he most feared senility, but would not be drawn on the future of Nigeria's democracy. I never
allow myself to be hopeful or pessimistic;” I take Nigeria as an on-going project.” He accused members of Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party of wanting to manipulate elections to transform Nigeria's political landscape into a "one-party democracy."

According to Gani Fawehinmi, “We are not heading anywhere. We have no destination in this respect. We are moving backwards. We are taking false and faulty steps backwards, rickety steps indeed. February 25
2005, was a very sad day in the history of Nigeria. The President acted as a dictator, and not as an elected democrat. He assembled 400 men and women, all of them nominated, but not a single one elected. In
charging them with the responsibility of finding solutions to the problems of the country, he made some heretical statements.” On the open letter Gani wrote Obasanjo he asked “Why did she go for abdominoplasty (popularly called tummy tuck)? Why should a 60-year-old woman consider that the next option? Isn’t there something conceited about it all? All these questions hung in the air, begging for answers, even as we sympathised with the President. Yes, for once,
we were all united by grief, arising from Stella’s death and the Belleview plane crash, at few hours interval of each other. And like I said in this column last Saturday, it sort of elicited a kinship feeling in all Nigerians. We shared one another’s pains, anguish, sorrow, and were like one indivisible entity. It was a good demonstration of national cohesion, which has eluded us for 45 years.

These are some of the excerpts of statements made by these three men of wisdom, honour and integrity… Wole Soyinka, Gani Fawehinmi, Chinua Achebe. Are there any lies here presented? These are the facts my people, raw unadulterated facts. Could we question Wole’s credibility? Was he unreasonable in his remarks? Would an honourable man like Chinua Achebe not have a reason to reject a national honour? How can Gani Fawehinmi Nigeria’s only true freedom fighter be off the mark?

What Femi Fani- Kayode said was nothing short of silly and ignorant about Chinua Achebe. A man of impeccable character and demeanour who had spent his entire life being more Igbo/Nigerian/African than most of his peers: a man whose works of literature has had more profound impact on the entire black race. According to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, after discussing with President Olusegun Obasanjo; the government stated that "if you feel that your country does not deserve to honour you, then we believe you certainly do not deserve your country.” Fani-Kayode in the statement stated that: "I discussed its (Achebe's letter) contents with the President yesterday (Tuesday) and our response is as follows: Our response is that his position as regards the state of affairs in his native land and his rejection of the great honour done to him by the Nigerian people is regrettable. It is not a slap in the face of the Nigerian government or Mr. President, but rather it is a slap in the face of the Nigerian people. I really felt like slapping somebody after I read the reply. What slap on the people of Nigeria? What a travesty? Fani Kayode and Obasanjo, how will history judge you? To whom much is given, much is expected. Nigeria was given to you to deliver it from its evils but you have failed and continue to fail.

In reply to Gani’s poignant and most astute questions and statement on the issue of why Stella Obasanjo did not need the procedure that led to her death, Information Minister Chief Alex Akinyele accused Gani of being wicked and inhuman, adding: “You talk with discretion. You talk with understanding. You talk with maturity. You talk with a sense of responsibility. This is a fellow human being like you. What has General Obasanjo done to deserve this at this particular time of his life? It is very, very unfair. It makes me sick… I dissociate myself very, very seriously from what Gani has done, and for once in my life, I’m ashamed of him.”

Haba Alex! Who wants to associate with you? I believe if the devil were to become Nigeria’s president today you would love to be in his cabinet. Do you have principles Alex? Have you ever in your life fought for or defended any just cause? I think that if one would write a pictorial dictionary and need the proper and exact picture for the word crony, you would fit it to the tee. Why didn’t you ask your Baba, how come we can’t have facilities and hospitals that can cater for its people? As a so called Regional power, Nigerians ought not to be dying like flies for “ailments and conditions that rarely kill people other places. Never speak ill of the dead? That to me should not apply in Nigeria, a denizen of thieves and to use the words of the great Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, “authority stealers”.

All the attacks that have been levelled on these Nigerians of good intentions have been nothing short of mind boggling and befuddling, hence my question; who is afraid of SoyinkaFahehinmiAchebe? Only in a
country like Nigeria where the truth is acid and poison will the real motives of such men of high class ever be questioned.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

Posted by Administrator at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)

It's a Poor Country: Isn't it?

by Chibuzo Onubogu (USA) --- This was the question I was asked when I was introduced as a Nigerian to a Brazilian that I had a chat with while attending a friend’s party. What began as a very honest and harmless exchange of hellos turned into one person being defensive and the other party trying his utmost best to apologize. Was I shocked? No! But I felt very awkward, betrayed and dumbfounded.

A Brazilian had described my beloved country as being poor. At that point, I had feeling in my gut that made me want to throw up in disgust, but should I blame him? No! I know exactly where the blame
lies. It’s not from the listing that has put Nigeria as one of the poorest countries in the world. It can’t be. That listing has nothing to do with greed, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, roguery, pilferage,
pen pushing robbery, official misconduct, maladministration, brigandage and outright stealing of funds by administration after administration that have misruled Nigeria since independence including the present band of thieves in power.

Nigeria did not fight for self rule, but in a certain sense it did, but no blood was shed. Nigerian independence was handed over to the people on a platter of crude oil, scores of many known mineral resources and a very vibrant agro-economy that could have been feeding the entire sub-Saharan Africa without sweat. No! These solid foundations were not enough; instead the country has gradually found itself continually riding that train into the group of chronically diseased countries without hope, remedy or redemption.

Nigeria is now purely a consumer nation with no manufacturing or industrial infrastructure, an unreliable and sick power supply system, a near non existent supply of water, an education system that has gone from one of the best to a laughing stock. I have a B.A. degree obtained from the University of Calabar in 1985 which I will not trade for anything. Today, degrees awarded by Nigerian Universities are seen being as worthless as the paper it’s printed on.
Nigerian streets are littered with able-bodied beggars who have resorted to a once dehumanized lifestyle as a means of livelihood. Armed robbery another byproduct of hunger poverty and hopelessness is rife and rampant with the majority of the robbers now being unemployed
graduates who in turn recruit undergraduates who see their future as bleak and doomed. Today, the infamous advanced fee fraud or 419 is what Nigeria is known for. No not for our fantastic feats in sports: Not for producing many of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century, but for the art of cheating people out of their wealth and inheritance. You cannot travel anywhere in the world with a Nigerian passport without being watched like a hawk, with the watchers expecting you to do something criminal or dangerous just for the mere fact that you are a Nigerian. What happened to Cocoa production? Whither palm oil, groundnuts, and cotton. What became of columbite, bauxite, tin, gold, and manganese? Who killed rubber, soy, iroko,
mahogany, obeche? There is a long list of items and products like the ones I mentioned above which I learned in elementary and secondary school Geography where Nigeria was always at least one of the top 20
producers in the world. I am being very generous and conservative when I say top 20. In fact, damn it being conservative. Nigeria was number one in at least three of the items mentioned above. I remember columbite, cocoa and palm oil. Which ones do you remember? It’s like

Nigeria and its citizens have been in a trance hoodwinked by the criminals who have caused and are still causing a serious injury to a once promising nation. Giant of Africa has now become dwarf of Africa. Nigeria is now the 2nd poorest country in the world, and the 2nd most corrupt country in the world. We have arrived. Is this the potential that we supposedly had? Not really. Nigerians through their
corruption, greed, avarice and selfishness have wrought their wickedness on their own nation. I always compare what these cowardly crooks have done and continue to do to the equivalence of having a child, and anytime the child is hungry instead of feeding him/her you eat some of the food and throw the rest in the garbage. This is how Nigeria’s ruling class have masterminded their ultimate goal: making poverty endemic and pandemic. Poverty is now their best tool for oppression, intimidation, political assassinations, election fraud and malpractice. The people after being made poor can now go out and
participate in criminal activity without regard to their lives, and other people’s lives and safety.

Sadly enough, the tools of success were in place prior to independence and shortly after it. The current decay in infrastructure and the general dirty outlook of the country was not so during the colonial days. I remember in 1972 when I went to Lagos (the then proud capital of Nigeria) for the first, the images of very beautiful roads, clean street is still burned in my memory. I was only 9 years old the civil war had just ended. I loved Lagos. Trips to Taqua Bay, Tinubu Square, Bar Beach and Tafawa Balewa Square left an indelible mark in my memory. Even when I made my second trip to Lagos in 1977, The National Theater, and the National Stadium were colossal edifices which made me proud of being Nigerian. As a young child I did not know any other country but Nigeria, and I developed a deep love for it. Despite losing 3 of my older brothers during and after the civil war I still felt no remorse and loved being a Nigerian. That is why it pains me that the crooks, criminals and brigands have continued to pilfer, rob and pillage the country without check.

Colonization, Segregation, Enslavement, and Apartheid were methods that the Europeans used to subjugate, maltreat and dehumanize Africans in the continent and in Diaspora. These were cruel and inhuman methods of treatments which need be belittled, but the Europeans left Nigeria 42 years ago. I know that current Western
Powers led by the United States try to topple governments in the developing world that they disagree with, especially nations with vast crude oil deposits and Nigeria happens to fall into that group.
It is still my contention that Nigeria still has the manpower, the brains, and the natural resources to develop the very basic needs of the people. Yet, today many people want to blame the west for all our
problems. The Western World cannot stop the building of good roads, water and power supply. They cannot stop provision of good education, healthcare and housing. One thing I know for sure is that the average
Nigerian is not lazy, and would not want a welfare state. I believe that the Nigerian that has not been led into quick and easy acquisition of wealth still will rather be provided with good paying job. This Nigerian will want this good job, and will want to have adequate supply of electricity, and needs to get steady supply potable water. This Nigerian will like to drive on a good road if he\she has a car, will like his/her children to have a good education. This Nigerian would like affordable housing. This Nigerian
will like appropriate and properly and duly elected representatives to speak for him/her. This Nigerian wants to elect and not select leaders who have the interest of the people at heart. This Nigerian would love to go sleep at night and not worry if he is going to get attacked by robbers. I have lived in the United States for the past 17 years. Though I am a US citizen, I am still a Nigerian at heart. Crimes are committed in the United States on higher degree than there will ever be in Nigeria. For some reason people are more afraid of crimes being committed on them in Nigeria than in the US. For example, you can take your family on a driving trip from lets say from New York City to Washington DC, (which is about250 miles) leave your house any hour of the day without fear of an accident or getting attacked by armed robbers and safely get there in 3 to 6 hours depending on your speed or if you have small children. Comparatively speaking, a family trip that starts in Enugu and terminates in Lagos which is of equal or less distance will only be done during the day and you will be doing it with fear at certain points of your journey. You will want to make sure you get to Lagos before it gets too dark.
During the journey you will not only be afraid of armed robbers, but you will be leery of the Police too. The journey may take you twice the amount of time. (You hear people arguing that Police in America
are racist, but I think they are in the minority). In Nigeria every policeman is a potential treat to civilian life and property. The other factor is the roads. Nigerian roads are death traps not so with
roads in the US. Comparing the United States and Nigeria is the proverbial apples and oranges comparison. They do not have equal power neither do they have equal strength, but I am willing to bet
anything on it that based on shear size and space, that Nigeria may have more natural resources than the US. Let us refer to the old world geography, US has coal, so does Nigeria. The US has crude oil, so does Nigeria. In this case Nigeria’s crude is the Brent kind, the highest quality crude. The US has cotton, so did Nigeria. The US has beef so does Nigeria. Here, once again my intention is not to compare the US and Nigeria, but remember the old saying “to whom much is given much is expected”. The expectations were once great on Nigeria. The Nigerian citizens and the rest of the world are waiting in anticipation for the potential to show signs of actualizing and materializing.

Another byproduct of the mess created in Nigeria is that Nigeria has millions in “exile” all over the western world and beyond. Conservatively speaking I know this for a fact, that no fewer than 80% of Nigerians I have spoken to no longer want to live in these foreign lands that they find themselves, but are forced to because to them there is no hope for “their stupid country”. Some people have gone to the extent of denying being Nigerians due to the shame and
insults that come with it. So many have died trying to escape from Nigeria; many more are trying to get out to anywhere else they can find to go. Countries grow through emigration and immigration not migration. One thing I have noticed is that the Nigerians in exile are gradually producing a generation of children that may not want to have anything to do with their parents’ country of birth. Many of these children due to no fault of their own cannot speak their parents’ native language or languages. These parents think it’s cool that their children can only speak English. Life in America and all these other foreign countries are good, but nothing is better than home. As the old saying goes “East, West, North, and South home is
still the best place to be .I will share with you three stories or instances of the exiled Nigerians and their disillusionment with Nigeria. Their disappointment comes with Nigeria’s hopeless and
rudderless direction, it sometimes makes them feel so apathetic to the point of loathing and despising that which they love so much. Here are the examples; these were actual situations I witnessed;
At a christening ceremony in New Jersey (USA) in the year 2001, a certain Nigerian made a statement which I particularly took offense to. He said and I quote “the best thing for Nigeria is someone to throw an atom bomb and wipe the entire country out including my relatives there” Harsh words! There, he was saying these brutal things with feeling of being lost and betrayed. Stranded in a country he doesn’t completely call home and not being able to go to his own and call it home. What a shame. I vehemently disagreed with the guy calling him names, and we argued about it. I told him how unpatriotic and mean spirited it was to speak such words about his birth country. Destroy his relatives too! Haba, my brother that is too much I said but, he stood to his gun feeling very unmoved about his stance.

On another occasion in Raleigh, North Carolina USA, a Nigerian, feeling so hurt about the demise of his beloved country wished that the white colonial masters never left. He went on to state instances of how things were when we were being colonized and how it turned out since the white people left. The man was willing to forego the lack of dignity that colonization was all about, the mere inhumanity of it,
just for things to work. Like good roads, good education, electricity and water. Once again I disagreed with this fellow, and it got to the point that we were not on speaking terms for a long time. The sad thing about it was that I had known him since my secondary school days in Nigeria. Another equally bad thing about it is that we both hail from the same hometown.

Another situation occurred in the same city of Raleigh, NC where another man called for the American invasion of Nigeria like they did Afghanistan and Iraq. For the Americans to come take over Nigeria and
rule it like a colony. It would not bother him one bit he said, just for things to work like jobs, electricity, water supply, good roads, good schools and affordable housing. People it seems are not asking
for too much, they are not asking to be president, governor or to own several cars, or several mansions. They just want the basics, water, electricity, jobs, roads, and education.

In other words the blame placed on the Western World for Nigeria’s continued problems is not a lie but it can be avoided. For example, Can the Nigerian ruling class and its cronies ask all the oil companies to shut their production until they meet the demands of
the Delta people?( where most of the oil come from). Would this be a far fetched demand? After all, the oil production does no good to the peoples of the areas where the oil is being drilled. Can the government stop raising the price of petrol? Nigeria still imports petrol and petroleum products despite having 4 refineries that I know of. Nigeria’s abundant liquefied natural gas is still being laid to waste. Nigeria is still the second poorest nation in the world in spite of its all resources. The issues raised above are two key issues that the government that truly cares for its people ought to tackle. Will they? The answer is an emphatic NO. The reason is that the “leaders” are benefiting more from the mismanagement of Nigeria and its resources than they ever will if things are done right. Until Nigerians demand for a real change in leadership then it will continue to be business as usual with one crooked group handing over
to the other.

I have heard too much noise made about sanitizing the polity. It’s just too much grammar without much action. I will tell you how to begin; First step is to bar anyone who attained the rank of major in the Nigerian Army or its equivalence in the Air Force and Navy from participating in any political endeavor. Let them remain military professionals. The retired ones should stay retired. I am not an advocate of non inclusion, but the only way to allow these military
people to participate in governance or civilian leadership, is for all their training manuals to get burnt or dropped in the ocean. Whatever they are being taught has nothing to do with civility. The entire culture of the Nigerian military needs to be revamped
and completely overhauled. I can speak on military culture not as an expert but as one who has participated in it. I spent 8 years in the US Navy, 5years of which was active duty, and 3 years being an inactive reserve. I went to boot camp in February of 1995 and was out of boot camp sometime in April. I don’t want to belabour you with my military service but I needed to make sure that people understand that
I walked the walk so I can talk the talk. I am delving into this area because I know that members of Nigerian military of yesterday and today are very unruly, untrained, and corrupt and morally bankrupt. Alas! How can they be trusted to lead? I remember an incident occurred when I was still an impressionable kid which left a lasting mark on the image I had and still do of the Nigerian Military. In 1980 while attending elementary school in Onitsha, I had occasion to stay with my cousin who was a sergeant in the Nigerian Army. I was just a 17 year old kid and I knew what place I was. A military barracks or Cantonment. All I did was go to school and come back. I never even went to their provision stores on base, or their mammy market. Pretty much, I went to school came back and stayed indoors until my cousin returned. One evening I was on my way back from school when I was confronted by one of the military guys, can’t remember his rank it might have been corporal or lance. He asked me
where I was going, I told him that I was coming from school and that I going to my cousin’s place in the barracks. The man grabbed me and started hitting me. He asked me to get off the base that I did not belong there. We were halfway to the gate when fortunately the RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) whom I had met a couple of times earlier because he had come to see my cousin in his flat intervened. He asked the corporal what he was doing (I think the corporal had been drinking on duty) and he said he was escorting a suspected criminal off the base. The RSM told him that I was not a criminal and that he should refrain from hitting me He also informed the gate guards on duty to make sure that nobody touches me any further. He also told them that he aware of my staying in the barracks with my cousin. I don’t want to make this too much of a personal tale. This type of unruly behavior is not common with the NCOs only. The lack of discipline is very much embedded in the officer corps too. Because
of the very flawed system of man know man that most these galoots get in the military they think they are above the law. Many of them are children of those already serving, another chunk are relatives of some
sort. The rest join on the recommendation of all kinds of godfathers. I have no bitterness towards the Nigerian military it’s just that I don’t think that the doctrine being taught is relevant anymore. There is an urgent need for a change so that military folks
whether active or retired or whatever can adapt to being part of the civil society. The way Nigeria is being run today is a classic example. We have an ex military Head of State masquerading as a civilian president, still deeply entrenched in his military style behavior and too thick headed to adapt to civility. His tendencies have rather hindered than help democracy grow, but he is too rigid and too militarized to understand what he is supposed to do as a civilian.

In the US, retired Generals and their like have been and continue to strive for the presidency and other offices, because they are taught that there is a time to kill and a time to protect. The Nigerian military doctrine I believe is all about killing. I doubt if they have anything about protecting the people in there.

In Nigeria there have been numerous cases where military personnel will run afoul of the law and the police dare not touch them or it leads to mayhem. Instances are abound where military men have laid siege at a police barracks or stations just because the police arrested one of them or their children for a legally legitimate reason. In Lagos, all uniformed men get on buses and never pay a kobo, acting as if it is some sort of right, as if they never get paid like most other workers do. The Nigerian military need to start training more than soldiers. They need to diversify. The US military train both their officers and NCOs to be Artisans, leaders, workers,
technicians, farmers, salespeople, bankers, telecom and IT specialists so that at the end of their career they can join the civil society without much need for adjustment. While still serving in the US NAVY, stationed in San Diego California I witnessed something that may be hard to envision in a Nigerian situation. The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) which is an equivalent of Nigeria’s CID needed to make an arrest of a member of the US Marines stationed on this same base. This Marine had gone out and committed
all kinds of offences and the FBI had tracked him to this particular military base. What they did was they contacted the local police and told them of their intentions. The local police in turn informed the base military police; the three groups joined together and made the arrest on base. In all the time when I was growing up in Nigeria, I never heard of the police having any success in attempts at arresting military persons or even their dependants on base. There were always scuffles between these two uniformed groups.

There can never be a serious sanitizing of the polity that will not involve the restructuring and overhauling of the Nigerian police. Personally I believe that this is the most important event that can
reshape Nigeria’s history. The role that an effective police plays in a society cannot be oversimplified. If we had effective policing the excesses of the military will be kept in check. Aha! Where have I heard this before? Circa 1986; the man who said it was Alozie Ogugbuaja, the one time Police Public Relations officer in Lagos state. The man was almost killed by Babangida and his boys for making that statement. Luckily for him, the Sunday morning grenade under his
car would not explode. Would the deaths of Dele Giwa, Bola Ige, and Marshall Harry et al still be considered mysteries? The death of John F Kennedy, which till today is still seen as mystery has all kinds of
fingers pointing in different directions. Its then up to you to follow which direction you want to though as we all know the truth lies somewhere in between. That Kennedy’s death still spawns a lot of tales, fables, and conspiracies shows that some top official was
involved somehow. The Police are not 100% effective and efficient in developed countries. In Nigeria the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the police cannot be calculated percentage wise. As a citizen if you lodge a complaint you never know how the case may turn out. In most cases the depth of ones pocket is the determinant of who gets justice. In the cases mentioned above the only reason the truth is not
coming out is that the murders can be traced directly to the person in power at the time it was done, be it Obasanjo or Babangida. A truly restructured Nigerian Police will make sure that the electorate will vote without hindrance. They are not forced to shoot and kill their own brothers and sisters for not voting for the party in power. An effective police will curtail the rampant occurrence of hard crimes especially, armed robbery, but more often than not the police are found to be involved in the robberies. All the hoopla and noise about foreign investors will never come to fruition unless adequate security is provided. The internal affairs of any nation can never be properly managed without effective policing. The Police if effectively restructured ands organized can arrest anyone who has committed any crime without fear or favor. In countries where policing is effective cases never really die completely that’s why in those countries criminals are apprehended 20, 30, or even 40-years after they thought they had beaten the crime.

Sanitizing the polity involves rejecting politicians who have the penchant for embezzlement. People should make sure they never get elected again. They must watch that they never find their way back into positions where they are wont to steal again. How about the show of how insensitive and insolent our present selected president Obasanjo is, in his attempt to appoint a man who forged his certificate to head some government owned and controlled Education review board. What a shame! The case of Obasanjo and his Presidency is purely one of whom much was given and has ended up being the most atrocious thing Nigerians have ever done. Obasanjo, “to whom much is given much is expected” So much was given to you and the returns
have been the utmost disgusting form of disappointment.The emperor has no clothes on, but nobody dare tell him for fear of being marked for public ridicule and removal.

Two years after you became president, I met your daughter Iyabo at a function organized by a friend in Durham NC, USA. The guests present were ready to fry and roast her for being your daughter. Like a loyal
daughter she was defending you, acting like a little Chihuahua dog trying to prove its mettle. She was getting angry just like you talking about your sacrifices, but she was overmatched. Your negatives
were getting too much after just 2 yearsin office. I was the only one who thought maybe you still deserved a chance, but all that came to naught. You continued to wallow in stupidity and mediocrity, then there was the assassination of Bola Ige a man you called brother
and friend, your Attorney General, you did nothing. Then you had your landslide selection, the attempted coup in Anambra, and then a coup in Plateau. You continued on your slide down to the road of infamy and
dubiousness. Then you started your new witch hunting, eliminating those who no longer kowtowed to your emperor behavior. Most of these people realized how naked the emperor was and dared laugh at him. You then got religion and found corruption as your witch hunting tool and went after these people. Alas Mr. President, corruption cannot fight itself. You are corrupt so is your Vice and all those who surround
you. The entire Nigerian National assembly is corrupt. That puny little scallywag called Chris Uba is back in Anambra desecrating my state at your wishing. Why did you have to bring him bag Baba Sege? Now Bayelsa governor has become your whipping boy. Did you say or
do anything about James Ibori… the crook. So what or who exactly are you fighting? You can’t be fighting IBB, because I think you are either afraid of him or maybe he knows you too much. The whole thing with Abacha is a ruse since you are allowing his family to keep some of the money they stole. So tell me who is the war against?

There cannot be an effective fight against corruption as long you are involved in it so please stop fooling the people. When you are done with your second term, (that is if you will not try to stay longer) if you leave, the polity would have received a boost in its sanitizing effort. If Atiku succeeds you, it will continue to smell. If Babangida finds himself in there the smell will be even worse than it was when you were there. All the talk about the polity being corrupt would not have been so had Nigerians allowed their true saviors to stay in power just a bit longer. I have no sympathy for all those political cronies and hangers on whether dead or alive,who selfishly dealt a deadly blow to Nigeria’s chance at getting rid of
corruption by helping remove the Buhari/Idiagbon government. By all means they were harsh, but that was what Nigeria needed at the time. Instead a plague was unleshed on the people with the regimes of Babangida, Abacha, and now Obasanjo, three men with sadistic intentions that have no interest in making Nigeria great. For those of you who think that the short-lived government of Buhari/Idiagbon did not have an impact on the Nigerian psyche, take a trip back to memory lane if you were there, and tell me what you would rather have. If you love corruption, I know how you will lean. If you love dirty streets and discordance, I know who you will choose. What if you want Nigeria’s name to be dragged in the mud all over the world, your choice is clear. So Nigerians, whether you see it or not that was your chance to take a path towards nation building.

The Nigerian mess did not begin in one day. It has roots. It has history. Let’s stop all the talking and start real action. A country that posseses what Nigeria has cannot be in any terms called poor.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

Posted by Administrator at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2005

The Emperor has shown his Nakedness, Again

by Chibuzo Onubogu (USA) --- Haba Obasanjo! what a buffoon you are and will continue to be. In your eternal wisdom or lack of it you summed up the cause of the crash of Sosoliso 1145 as corruption. It’s obvious that you have no inkling about what you are doing as president of Nigeria. What a shame that a country with greatness written all over it continues to wallow in mediocrity due to the fact that we have continued to produce village idiots as our leaders.

From Gowon, to Obasanjo, to Shagari, Babangida to Abacha to Abubakir, and now you again Obasanjo. Isn’t it time you ex- military retarded morons realized you are not fit to rear cattle not to
talk of being presidents of a country with such promises yet unfulfilled? Take stock, for if you have any sense of nationalism or patriotism you would stop seeking public office. Your mark has been total unequivocal F in all subjects presented. Obasanjo we have heard enough of your stupid corruption banter, for in the land of the corrupt you are king. The fact that you have done absolutely nothing to wage a war (like Buhari and Idiagbon did) clearly shows that you
are either the most corrupt or a bungling nincompoop unfit to lead. I guess its today trend all over. The world today is full of mediocre leaders in office and I guess that’s why you fit right in.

When you mentioned corruption, whose corruption are we talking about? The Federal Government of Nigeria, The Rivers State Government, The Private Sector, The Airline Industry, The Fire Service, The Health Department, Emergency Services, NEPA, Sosoliso Airlines, The Police? The entire Nigerian Populace? Who Mr. Obasanjo do you mean is corrupt? The fact that you narrowed it down to the Airline Industry and or Sosoliso Airlines, shows, that once again you have no concept of what the big picture entails and never will. That is what I mean by lack of leadership. Check out the list I have above and it shows you who is culpable.

Plane crashes happen everywhere, but in some other country other than Nigeria the entire crew and passengers may not burn the way they did. The Bellevue crash though not less devastating may have been unsalvageable given how remote of a village it occurred in. For it to happen in Kaduna and then Port Harcourt with no visible Fire Service or Emergency Services shows the full extent of your “CORRUPTION”.
Cities the size of Port Harcourt and Kaduna do need serviceable Fire and Emergency Services. Please never again say that New York City is richer than Nigeria. Where do you get such warped logic from? New York City probably generates and manages its budget and revenue better. New York City is definitely more accountable to the people it serves than you and your predecessors have ever been, so enough of the misinformation. Nigeria has more resources, more manpower and more
land than New York City so what is your point. If you and the past counterparts had not led porously corrupt and morally bankrupt governments then there would be accountability. We would not have an abundance of bogus millionaires whose wealth cannot be traced to
any inheritance or hard work.

Why would Mr. Okemini watch his own daughter die in that Aircraft fire without any attempt at putting it out? Why would Mrs. Ezue’s husband die and also lose his watch to a heartless thief who dared steal in such a condition? Or could it be that it was stolen by security operatives at the airport? Governor Odili, with all the wealth generated by oil in your state what real viable tangible projects have been accomplished after being in office for 6 years. I do not believe that the only crooked governors are Dariye and Alams. I also do not think Tafa Balogun is the worst ever IG. Is Fabian Osuji the only minister who dipped his hands in the ministry money? Did Chris Ngige rig himself into o office? What did Audu Ogbeh
do? Why is Atiku suddenly a misfit? The pattern and trend of selective punishment is glaringly obvious. So who are you really fooling with your corruption fight?

Being a Nigerian must either be a curse, a burden, or a misfortune. If not why would the Fire Service in Port Harcourt not have water to at least pretend that they were putting out the Aircraft fire? It would also amount to the highest level of incompetence if cities
like Calabar, and Lagos all “SORROUNDED” by water would have any kind of disasters that is fire related and don’t have the capacity to fight it. Let’s take a trip down memory lane Mr. President and recall the Ikeja cantonment incident. How time flies? I am sure this is a blur in your memory now. The bombs exploding in Army Barracks and the subsequent mass confusion and mayhem that followed also shows a country with absolutely no leadership. People panicked and died needlessly because there were no plans of emergency or evacuation. If the Nigerian leaders ever cared of its citizenry, I am sure that by now since that was the first time it ever occurred there would be training geared towards the civilian populace to avoid such a situation happening again. I would love to see such a plan if it exists. I am willing to bet that there is none. Instead, I am sure that we will continue with our off the cuff type of approach to everything. Just like when we woke up one morning and suddenly decided
we wanted to host the World Cup. Laughable! Our President in his infinite wisdom supported such a dumb move, formed a committee people collected all kinds of pays(because I know it was not done for free),
nothing in Nigeria is ever done with a patriotic fervour, then poof one day they idiots packed up and went home. The timing was wrong I think they said. The question is why would the Nigerian ruling class care? You are never elected into office by the people so why be accountable to them. Such responsible leadership and governance is only shown in situations where elections are actually contested and won. Typical example is in America today where Emperor/ King George
has continued his tyrannical/ oppressive and autocratic leadership knowing fully well he rigged himself into office twice. So Baba Sege, carry on you are in good company. The only thing I don’t ever want
to hear from either Obasanjo or Bush is their Religious bullshit because neither of them believe in God. Back to the corruption issue, I would love to see a new approach to your fight. Probe your self first for all you did from 1976 to 1979, and then give up all your illegal acquisitions that you have currently amassed. Then and only then will whatever you are doing make any sense. Other than that you have amounted to nothing but a toothless bulldog, barking profusely after nothing.

Once again, on the wealth, revenue and money issue, yes we have/ had money and continue to do so. Crude prices have been at an all time high, prices at the pump continue to soar. Since we decided to abandon all other forms of revenue and bury our heads in oil maybe we will not make as much. Since corruption and bunkering and payoffs take a giant toll we continue to manage our resources the same way. I t cannot be enough for a country growing in leaps and bounds in population. Oddly enough, Nigeria has more minerals per square inch than most other countries of the world. We have abundant farmlands rivers and oceans. In the 20th century, we have produced and continue to produce the most brilliant minds comparative to any country in the world yet we cannot get anything going. As long as we continue to bog ourselves down with trivial issues like Tribe and Religion we will continue to be bottom feeders. We need true unblemished and patriotic leadership. Let us stop all this nonsense about what divides and dwell on what makes us work, there and then will we achieve any meaningful goals in leadership. If we continue to
produce non nationalist, unpatriotic, parochial leaders we will continue to be doomed. If we are truly fighting corruption let us go all the way. Let us stop picking and choosing and stop all the grandstanding.

Chibuzo Onubogu writes from the USA

Posted by Administrator at 07:03 PM | Comments (0)