Nainja for life!

The Fuel Subsidy Protests - It's Ups and Downs

2012-01-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

Considering the insults on Nigerians during the one - week protests/strike against the fuel subsidy removal and the aftermath when the FG deliberately sent soldiers to occupy OJOTA ahead of the protesters' arrival on the following Monday WITH GUNS,it's most glaring that the government that we have in this country do not bloody care how we fare,their primary concern is how to loot the more without being detected!But,for how long shall these people deny us our birthrights while we stand by and look???I say "enough is enough"! Just like any other Nigerian.But,is it enough to just say those words,wouldn't it be more meaningful if I can act on my words?
Honestly,I was surprised at the turn out for the protest,the more surprising is the fact that civil societies are now starting to live up to their responsibilities; meaning that subsequent protests/strikes shall be more interesting and dramatic than the usual 'hide and seek' games the NLC plays.Now,that is one BIG plus of the protests/strikes - it has successfully jolted our civil societies to their responsibilities.
Another rather interesting development was the free flow of information during the protests.People were suddenly aware of things that they were totally ignorant of,they got suddenly informed and things got worse for the government so much so that they have now lost so much ground with the people that PDP can not actually boast of people's support as before.I think this is good,very good for our democracy.
However,I shall implore civil societies to seize the opportunity presented by the protests/strike to step up efforts on civic education as that is where their power to win the government lies.The more informed are the people of their civic rights and responsibilities,the more in control they are and the more probable that they shall stand to fight for them!
Politicians over the years have been feeding fat on the ignorance of the general populace.The fact that most Nigerians are unaware of the kind of power they possess as citizens of this great country has made their manipulation pretty easy.I wish the civil societies both online and offline would see these loop holes and block them effectively against 2015 elections.
These societies should find a medium of communicating to Nigerians both in English and in local dialects of the people and use such mediums to awake the sense of patriotism in them so that they can stand up and fight for their own civic rights.
Talk of constitution amendments,fuel subsidy,deregulation of the oil sector and general improvement of the economy are just but a few areas where much work need to be done so as to ensure that the people knows and appreciate the present situation we find ourselves today as a country and most importantly,what can be done to improve it.
The Downs however,includes the fact that some people lost their lives during the struggle,May the Good Lord Make them rest in perfect peace.Ameen.
A second 'Down' is the fact that Labor,in the end disappointed Nigerians by calling off the strike.We understand the calling off of street protests but calling off the strike,ESPECIALLY when people had gone all out on a "panic buying fever" over the weekend in hope of and SUPPORT for the continuation of the protest/strike.It was quiet disappointing indeed.I really wish the civil society would take control of the strike next time!
Be as it may,I believe the government too have learnt a bitter lesson too - never ever to under estimate the power of the people and that,thanks to the social media outlets like the twitter and facebook,Nigerians are better informed and updated.
For the sake of emphasis,I'm imploring the civil society groups to go live and active on these social medias to pass useful information from time to time to the people as well as sponsor programs on radios and T.V.s to enlighten,educate and create awareness with the people on the need to come together as one to fight bribery,corruption and bad governance to a stand still!
God Bless Nigeria,
Long live My Fatherland!!!
Regards,
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.com

Revolution Naija!

2011-12-20T18:48:00.001-08:00

I just read something about how much the President and his vice were going to spend on food and kitchen utensils (N992million+,almost a Billion Naira!)along with readers' comments on facebook.The majority believed the story while a few thinks it's too ridiculous a story to make the headlines.The part that seems to bother me is not the amount of money they spend on food but how my people reacted to it.
As usual,the majority ended up just praying and giving no sign of doing anything about it.The remaining few,on the other hand (as usual too),a part was dreaming of becoming an equally corrupt President one day,others think it's high time we revolt against the government just the Arabs did.The question is:You chop liver like the Arabs???
You see,I marvel at the way some people think.Revolution,REVolution,REVOLUtion,REVOLUTION!!!The majority of those screaming this word know next to nothing about how revolution works.All they know about it what they have been told it is,most really don't know what it entails.
Yes,Nigeria needs a revolution but what type of revolution do we need,what type of revolution would be most effective and least expensive to run?
Obviously,the one that the Arabs are currently running are way to expensive and much more counter productive.Take Libya for instance.
Libya got what they currently see as freedom after a protracted conflict that lasted for months and has brought a rebel group to replace a constituted government to power.
Now,let's ask ourselves:'what was the need for the revolt in the first place,is it that the man in power wasn't delivering,do they really had to take to arms to remove him?'
Irrespective of what you think about this case,you'll agree that Ghadaffi was revolted against NOT BECAUSE HE WAS NOT DELIVERING THE DIVIDENDS OF GOVERNMENT TO HIS PEOPLE BUT FOR A TRIVIAL ISSUE OF HIS LONG STAY IN OFFICE AND HIS PROPOSED PLAN TO SUCCEED HIMSELF WITH HIS SON!His only offense was that he spent 42 years in power,even his enemies could not say he wasn't delivering to his people!
According to sources available to me, Ghadaffi made housing as a matter of human right for Libyans and Power supply was FREE not to mention the fact that Libya under him owes no debts and their reserve was $150 Billion up!Now,compare that to the bankrupt U.S. (owing over $10 trillion and still counting!) and her NATO allies' economies (the Eurozone of the verge of collapse)that helped topple a constituted government replacing it with a rebel leadership.
Look at Egypt that once had a democracy but its people 'decided' to topple it for the same ridiculous reason of tenure longevity.About 5000 dead in Syria over same claims.All these going on while Queen Elizabeth still rule supreme without any disturbance what so ever;50 years on the throne and still counting!
Why is the UK not asking her to live.Some would say she's not politically involved.If she's that irrelevant in UK's government,then,why should the British continue to allow her stay up there?Do you know that she's more like the overall head of Common wealth countries???
Look,my people,I'm not saying we shouldn't revolt,in fact,I'm a vanguard advocate for a change BUT NOT A BLOODY ONE!
Nigerians,we can revolt PEACEFULLY WITHOUT THE USUAL RALLIES AND PUBLIC CAMPAIGNS THAT MOST OFTEN THAN NOT END UP VIOLENT.
We got options and it's these options we need to explore.Revolution,yes,but NOT A BLOODY REVOLUTION!
Unfortunately,I have to go,but,next time,I shall elaborate on my own idea of a bloodless revolution that can drive a striking fear into the hearts of our cold hearted politicians!REVOLUTION NAIJA!
Keep the flag flying,
Regards,
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.com

2012 Budget:Anti People Policies

2011-12-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

In less than a year after being elected to power,President Jonathan presented 2012 budget to the house of assembly,Abuja.
The budget,by the President was tagged with so many names like,budget of consolidation...bla,blab,blah!
The 'koko' of the matter is that all in all,this dude call 'Goodluck' had presented an anti - people budget for the year 2012.The GREATEST being the oil subsidy removal.
You know,it's funny to see that those guys up there in power never get to find an easy ways to resolve national issues,all they ever see is the hard way out.Unfortunately,when they come up with these hard policies,they seal their ears and minds to any other form of suggestion that says otherwise.They don't know and DO NOT KNOW that they don't know!A very BIG problem,right?
I mean,how can a President of a country that have bagged his Doctorate degree come up with such nonsense as removal of oil subsidy and had gone on to implement it despite the fact that ALL people in NAIJA says otherwise?No matter how brilliant his idea might be,he's NOT expected to do ANYTHING against the wishes of those that elected him to office.I don't know how he thinks,but his budget proposition to the Assembly,in my opinion signifies disappointing...more like embarrassing.As a graduate,I'm highly disappointed and as a Nigerian,I'm very embarrassed and upset!
WITHOUT paying the minimum wage despite signing it into law,Jonathan went ahead to add salt to sore by proposing to remove oil subsidy.
Even my illiterate aunt in the village knows what catastrophic evil effect that increase of fuel can cause on the economy.For God's sake we are talking of the lifeline of our transport system!No transport no commerce,no commerce,poverty looms!!!
Oil subsidy removal would cause automatic increase in prices of EVERYTHING and ANYTHING and cushioning effect.In my area Garri presently (when fuel is still N65) cost N70,now imagine what it will cost when you now shoot the price of fuel up to N150/liter!
Many have commented in different ways from different angles.But I'm happy that all Nigerians are still standing their grounds and insisting on their rights!
Fellow patriots,I don''t have much to say on the budget or subsidy removal,my concern,however, is share and help Nigerians in cushioning the effect of the economic crisis that may follow the subsidy removal and the implementation of the anti-people policies contained in the budget.
They chose to remove the subsidy by all means,no problem,let them remove it but NOT BEFORE THEY FIX OUR 3 REFINERIES;they chose to increase the cost of wheat and rice (our staple food in Nigeria),fine!Let them remove it and Nigerian farmers should increase the production of rice and wheat.
Fellow Nigerians,there are ways we can turn things round and make our economy work WITHOUT the government's intervention!Nigerian youths need to know how to and start creating wealth by themselves!
So,my submission is that the NLC should agree with the FG subsidy removal PROVIDED the FG agrees to put our refineries back to work.Let the refineries work and they can remove all subsidy.As for the high crime rate and youth unemployment,let the youths stop craving for the white collar jobs and start looking inwards for things they can do to make our economy work!
In my own little contribution,I have created the F.I.A. to help create wealth for all that cares to know.You can click here for more info.
Regards,
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.com

Boko Haram...conclusion.

2011-12-01T14:24:00.003-08:00

Firstly,I'm sorry it took so long to conclude this subject matter on Boko Haram.But, like they say,it's better later than never!
Since my last post,very interesting headlines had being made by the Boko Haram sect,but the most recent and more relevant is the part that have COMPLETELY agreed with the fact that the sect is in NO WAY RELIGIOUS BUT POLITICAL!
Talk of the senator and the former Governor of Borno's involvement....people that can hardly be called devoted Muslims let alone fanatics coming to spend, in their billions, to back up a supposed Islamist fundamental group.I'm also happy that the media had been able to reveal their real aims and objective - to seize control of a state or the North Eastern region through terror.And that an acting senator (elected by his people that happen to be the foremost victims of such terror attacks) who is to vote and work in favor of the groups' annihilation has just been arrested in connection to the group!!!
You know what that means,it mean high-profile, first hand intelligence are handed over to this highly trained militia group about the current state of our National Security forces.One cannot also rule out the possibility of deliberate grant of 'free hand' by our security officers towards the smooth running of their terror campaigns!Like the proverbial adage of the Yorubas:"kokoro tin jefo,idi efo lowa"!Meaning that the pest that eats away on vegetable crops resides no where but right there at the base of the unfortunately suffering victim - the vegetable itself!Nigeria's WORST enemies are among those in power.People you and I have queued long hours patiently to vote for,they are the ones that have turned around to hurt and kill some of us and the survivors are left in constant fear and danger of loss of life and property!
We had our opportunity to vote them out and try entire new hands last April but we didn't,instead, we praised them and rallied support for their re-election and voted them back to power and the first few things they laid their hands on were anti-people policies!In less than a year after their assumption of power,we are already feeling the heat.My prayer is that we learn this time that there are no such thing as 'sacred cows' among a park of wolves or foxes!
Well,like every other problem we currently have in this country,the issue of Boko Haram can only be solved permanently, through the involvement of the populace!We as a people have a choice,we can decide to stand up for our rights.As human beings we have rights,as citizens of this country we have rights and responsibilities we can rightfully act upon and one of them is definitely the right to the accountability of the leaders we voted for as well as our representatives.We also have the right to question government's policies and modify them when necessary.These are rights we do have and which, unfortunately,the majority are ignorant of.Since democracy is a game of numbers,the corrupt have cringed to power by capitalizing on the state of ignorance of the majority and had always gained their blind support at the detriment of the society in general.
This is why knowledgeable patriots need to find ways of sharing their wealth of knowledge and intelligence,we need to emancipate our people from mental slavery and help open their eyes to see the light!That's why I'm blogging and that's why you too should be blogging!I don't know much of law but I'm determined to learn more and share same here on this blog!
For now,I rest my case on the Boko Haram issue by asking us all not only to condemn them by our mouths alone but also by our thoughts,deeds and prayers.It's high time we started cursing all that wish Nigeria and Nigerians evil spiritually too!Let's wage a war against all forms of oppression,mentally,physically and spiritually.Mentally,by learning about our rights and responsibilities that are enshrined in the constitution as well as how to seek redress under the law,Physically by not only learning about our rights but by also taking concise and bold steps towards enforcing and insisting on our rights, always and spiritually by seeking God's intervention, daily, in the Nigerian case.We should firstly change ourselves by repenting from our evil ways and then going ahead to seek for the transformation of all other erring Nigerians and begging for their full pardon as well and the COMPLETE annihilation and destruction of all that refuse to repent and are hell bent in harming Nigeria and Nigerians!
Mention no Names,don't worry, GOD knows them all, just go ahead and curse them but make sure you are not one of them!If you are,if you are harming Nigeria in any way,you better have a re-think!
Regards,
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.com

Boko Haram

2011-07-15T02:01:00.000-07:00

As an outfall of the 2011 general elections rose the most deadly militant group in Nigerian history - Boko Haram.
Like a virus, they struck a couple of deadly blows and already seem to pose a much greater problem than the Niger Delta militants put together.They have proved far more deadly than MEND considering a major attack on the Police Force's Power house in the very heart of Abuja - Nigeria's seat of power.
Several comments have been made by prominent Nigerians including religious leaders as to the origin, nature and how the government should deal with them.Most are not without the usual religious and ethnic bias undertone.But the fact remains that Boko Haram is a terrorist group that claims affiliation to Islam (the religion of the majority in Northern Nigeria where it originated from).In my opinion, Boko Haram is a political group as against the extremist group as they are made to look like.I'll explain.
The name of the group - Boko Haram means "book is Haram", "book is unlawful", in plain English,Boko Haram means Western Education is forbidden.From the meaning of their name and considering the fact that they sprung from a Muslim dominated region of the country coupled with the fact that they claim to declare war on the Federal government until they are allowed to practice Shari'ah in the Northern part of he country was more than enough reason to dub them religious extremists.But a critical look into their activities so far and the shabby way the issue has been handled by security enforcement agencies despite their deadly strikes even by the President himself seems to tell a different story.I'll start from the name.
In Islam,knowledge is of top priority,be it religious or worldly.Knowledge and wisdom are things that every Muslim is mandated to seek no matter how far it is from his native home.Quotations like "wisdom is a lost treasure of the Muslims,so seek and claim it where ever you may find it","Seek for Knowledge even if you have to travel as far as China to get it","the ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr" are attributed to the Prophet of Islam,where then does the principle of "book is unlawful" springs from?
Their major claim by which all and sundry had held onto as the major evidence of the fact that they are Islamic extremists is the fact that they demanded for Shari'a implementation.Shari'a is not new in Nigeria, in fact, it's a recognized code of conduct in the Constitution of Nigeria.Any state like Zamfara may chose to make it their law.If this is true,then,on what basis would they clamor for Shari'a which has been recognized in Nigeria for as long as Nigeria itself existed?Having said that,it's time to examine government's role in all these.
The leader of Boko Haram was captured by the military and consequently handed over to the Police in one piece.It's the duty of the Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into their activities and make arrests of the brains and sponsors behind Boko Haram.But what did the Police do with the leader of the sect?
Muhammed Yusuf's body was found lying in the filthy dirt outdoors with bullet injuries on his body.Yusuf was killed in the custody of the Police and till date the killer is yet to be fished out.The case was buried along with Late President Yar'adua who requested that the killer be fished out.
One may ask,who killed him and why,are there VIPs involved with Boko Haram,had Yusuf agreed to reveal his sponsors' IDs or do we have men in the force as members of the sect?These are questions that have been long ignored and after more than 8 incidents of bomb blasts within the short interval of like 2 years,I think it's time somebody started talking!
Jonathan,the President have been rather silent on this one and had in fact looked more confused.He's yet to make an elaborate speech on the issue and has practically kept mute all the while.That's not to forget the Governor of Borno state where it all began.He's in fact no where to be found in the picture,he doesn't seem concerned as I doubt if he had made the headlines concerning the crisis.
Another reason is the fact that they make use of bombs which could lead to their victims burning to death.If they were Islamic extremists,they wouldn't use it besides,guns and bombs are made from the study of physics and Chemistry which are more of books than otherwise.
These and many more reasons are why I believe Boko Haram is a terrorist group designed to take the appearance of a religious sect so as to adequately cover up the actual culprits who may be Muslims or Christians or a mixture of both (as far as I'm concerned).
Boko Haram is a faceless political terrorist group that has no religious affiliation as their activities is not supported by any known religion and the possibilities that they are sponsored by politicians either in power of with influences in the government are pretty high!

2011 general elections,I see no changes

2011-03-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

The follower-ship truly have their destiny in their hands and therefore are a major determinant, after God of course, of what sort of people that lead them. The leadership is only a mirror that reflects the true nature of the people they lead or at least, the majority.
You see, the problem with us in Nigeria and as human beings in general is that we hate the truth, truth is bitter and it has incidentally proved to be the only solution to problems. People lie even in the developed country but the degree to which a country develops happens to be DIRECTLY proportional to their level of acceptability of the truth!
Recently, a lawmaker was jailed in the U.K. for stealing from the government (tax payer's money). He could have gotten away like they do in Nigeria if the majority of the civil servants in service sees nothing wrong and in fact, justify bribery as their means of sharing in the 'national cake' as they do here in Nigeria.
Well, the truth is that even two rogues in government out there in the developed world are not sure if the other is a rogue or not, why, because the general notion is that stealing is wrong, if you are caught you get the hammer nothing less!
In Nigeria, the problem is not finding a 'brother in crime', no, it's not a problem at all. The problem, however, is the price of this new 'brother' of yours - whether it is low or high.
People feel hopeless in Nigeria of today so much so that they say and support the idea 'it won't get better' with their handiwork not because they truly believe in the hopelessness they so much prophesy but because they have allowed greed to take control. When greed is in control, you careless of how you get what you need, you care less of the rule of law and more of the material wealth you can accrue. this attitude unfortunately, is more like that of a common thief... like a ... like an animal!
In the animal world, only the strong gets all they want, only the strong. The strong takes anything and everything from the weak without giving anything in return. This is 'jungle justice'. Survival of the fittest - the strong survive, the weak wither away.
If there's a reason behind our gift of the sixth sense, it must be for the purpose of reasoning, ability to think and act far above the animal world level. It must be for us to see that life is all about give and take.
We all have talents - God given gifts by which we are unique and different in our rights just as we all have a need that we cannot meet, hence, we need the other man who is gifted in the line of our need to help out. This, perhaps, is the true essence of trade and commerce. Our sixth sense is there for us to realize that we are all weak just as we are all strong.
Yes, the rich is strong in terms of money and possessions but weak in terms of labor; politicians are strong in terms of making laws and policies but are weak when it comes to health issues... and so on and so forth. The bottom line is that we all need each other. We need a leader-ship just as the leadership needs a follower-ship. A simple truth we need to bear in mind is that whatever happens to us as a people is not the fault of a group of people among us but our collective fault."...God will not change the situation of a people unless they change what is in their hearts..." says the Quran.
What is the worth of Dollar and Naira bills hidden away in some bank account, tell me, of what value is money to a dying sick man, rich or poor?
Our political leaders steal simply because there are people who accept such money from them - their follower-ship, the people they lead! They shall continue the looting until the day they find no one that accepts it from them.
The day that the poor refuses to be manipulated like an animal by the rich and by his sixth sense realizes their equality in weakness and need - the rich needs something which he cannot do to be done while the poor needs the rich's money for sustainability. Until the day the electorate sees the bribe offered in exchange for their votes and support as the yoke of poverty and poor leadership to come, a day that serving political officers are removed from office when found guilty of any corrupt practices, until the day the follower-ship stop worshiping the leadership and sees themselves as the true masters, after God, of their affairs, until that faithful day, I see no changes.

...continuation.

2011-03-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

We are all excited and worked up as we entered the New Year. Nigerians worldwide are looking forward to April 2011, you know why? Because Nigerians would get another opportunity to right the wrongs of the past, but, from the look of things, I see no changes.
I mean, the same set of people that ruled in the past 4 years are the ones coming out for re-election or, should I say re-selection?
Selection begins right from the primaries in most, if not all the available ACTIVE parties. They rarely vote in the primaries, a few old men comes up with a 'consensus' candidate which all other members MUST accept as their candidate, be he good or bad he's accepted and supported by all and sundry.
Now, if the internal policy of a political party is to 'select' rather than to 'elect' their flag bearers, what do you expect that they do to win during the general elections ESPECIALLY when they happen to be the ruling party?!
This is the reason why I remain skeptical of any change during the next regime. Only a fool expects a change in out come when same things are done the same way. And I bet, I'm not that fool just as I guess you aren't either? The question now is if there could be a change at all and the answer to that question is a big YES!
Like I pointed out in the previous post, no leadership that I know of at least, can rule over a people with a different orientation for long.
When there's a continuous occurrence of foul play in a polity, the citizens should watch out as there are a few bad eggs among them that are sabotaging their efforts to effect changes. They must be wary of such people. These bad eggs are slippery and slimy, more like a snake, they come around acting and talking as though they are with you in the struggle but in the real sense, they are only there as spies for their greedy 'partners in crime' up the ladder.
They also ensure that you remain inert as they ensnare you with sudden valuable gifts of all sorts thereby killing the spirit of righteousness in you and replacing it with that of guilt and consequently that of shamelessness so much so that you see nothing wrong with someone stealing and looting public funds. Such is the case in Nigeria today.
Financial fraud is now the order of the day, the hero now is he who got away with the greatest loot, the theme of most political post holders as well as civil servants today has changed from 'service to the people' to 'take what you can and give nothing back!'
These explains why people can win elections from prison and the reason why ex-convicts and politicians and civil servants that are known to have committed financial crimes or to have mismanaged public funds before would come out to contest and win elections in Nigeria. When you ask how these criminals had managed to win major elections, the answers you get might sound like 'nobody voted for him, the election was rigged', funny, right? I bet it is.
It’s funny how people would rally round such criminals during political campaigns proudly wearing souvenirs bearing the name or picture of these 'corrupt leaders' around singing their praises. They start to explain how he did this or that during his time in office and how he would continue the 'good work' if given another chance.
Funny how same people we so bitterly complained of are now begging for another chance to continue and we give our consent, continue what, looting?!
Until we change, nothing's gonna change. Until we TRULY say no to money politics, we should forget about a truly free and fair election in this country.
The day in Nigeria when 'automatic tickets' are done away with both in internal elections of parties and inter party elections, the day those who mismanage public funds are not granted a 'second term' in office, the day when ONLY those that might have transparently declared their assets are allowed to contest, until that day when the political agenda of aspirants are demanded and put to test in national debates on national T.V.'s as they do in developed countries, till that day, I see no changes.

Leadership and followership-a critical look

2010-11-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

To begin with,I'll like to ensure a thorough understanding of the key terms of this discuss-leadership and follower-ship.
In plain English,Leadership refers to a person or group of people that runs and direct the affairs of a larger body,group,community of people as the case may be while follower-ship are those that are being lead by the leadership.
Without the support of the follower-ship,there's no leadership just as the follower-ship is in chaos without a leadership.
It is quite obvious from the above expression that leadership and follower-ship co-exist,they must agree to terms if things must move smoothly.What happens when one party decides to cheat on the other party?
If the leadership decides to cheat on the follower-ship,it risks loss of confidence of the follower-ship which can lead to its dissolution in some cases.It is quite rare to see the reverse case of this,but,if by chance it did happen,then,the follower-ship might lose the interest of the leadership to carry on which can lead to a serious conflict that can split the community for good.
The leadership must commit itself to a selfless service to the follower-ship while the follower-ship in turn co-operate and assist the leadership in achieving the common goals of the community.
Just like every other country in the world,Nigeria is a very big community with its leadership and follower-ship parties.But there's a big problem in the co-existence of Nigeria's leadership and follower-ship.
While the follower-ship blames the leadership for the multi-dimensional problems of the country,the leadership puts the blame on the follower-ship as well as the 'present economic situation' of the country.
What we seem to miss out is that the leadership has NEVER done ANYTHING without the consent of the follower-ship and vice versa.
To most Nigerians,Nigeria's greatest problem is that of corrupt leaders,closely followed by poverty and lack of infrastructural development.Yet I ask you,have you ever seen or heard of any senator,member of the house of representative,local government chairman,the president,governor or any of the political post holders hauling bags of 'Ghana must go' bags home from the treasury without at least an accomplice in the civil service,do you think a penny can be withdrawn from the national treasury without the prior knowledge of the accountant general of the federation,CBN governor or the bank manager of the banks holding these funds?
Let's be realistic here,money laundry,embezzlement,illegal withdrawal of funds are not possible without the help of the civil servants who are part of the citizenry.They aid the evil act and in fact share in the loot!It's those at the foot of the ladder that complain and it's not like most of them are different from those upstairs.In fact,they are far worse!
....to be continued.
Regards,
Abdurrahman

Nigeria at 50!

2010-09-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Naija!Nigeria's 50 aren't you happy about that?Now I know what to expect in answers as most often than not we in Nigeria have more to complain of than to appreciate.But the truth is that whatever situation we might have found ourselves is of our own making,US as in both leaders and followers alike and I stand to be corrected!
There are a million and one facts to back up my assertions,and I am ready to reveal some of these facts on this blog so stay tuned!

Amnesty-Easiest way out for the militants.

2009-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

I’m sorry it took so long for the update to come. Like I mentioned in the last publication, I made mention of education as a potent tool to fighting the menace in the Niger Delta. Fortunately, the FG has gone this way, though, really slow in their execution but at least they are on the right track. But that doesn’t mean that we can let the issue to rest like that as it is a very important issue that must be discussed in its details.
You see, the issue of education in Nigeria has unfortunately, been relegated to the background which has put the majority into darkness, especially in the Niger Delta. I know this not from TV but from the fact that I lived in the region for a year-thanks to the NYSC scheme.
If you live among this people you’ll understand them and cannot help but to pity these people. Why? Because majority of the people are illiterates and among those who are not, most didn’t go beyond the secondary school level. This is pathetic especially when you consider the fact that even those who are graduates too are not really different from those who aren’t. This isn’t surprising to me really, because from my experience with them I discovered that education isn’t a priority. How did I know that?
There was a day in the school where I serve that a student from SSS1 was brought to the staff room and was reported to be ignorant of current affairs. He doesn’t know the name of the governor of his state! This was surprising, but to our shock, he cannot even spell his name correctly, in fact, he couldn’t even write the alphabets correctly. Now, this is not to look down on the people of Niger Delta in anyway rather, its for the sake of simplification that I make such an example. I want you to see the extent to which these people are deprived.
I use the word ‘deprived’ because of the known fact that knowledge is power , knowledge is light, a guidance and assurance of a better tomorrow. Without knowledge humans are no different from the animal world, no plans, no focus, no hope for a better future and the worst of all, they wait in vain for a miracle that is never meant to be. It is as bad as that!
I took pity of these people because of the ignorance that has spread through the region so much so that even the graduates, doctors and professors from this area lack the much needed sense of direction. They believe so much in the militant activities that they have kept quiet over the issue and make complaints only when the militants are at the receiving end. I mean no one is talking of developing the area, they seem to enjoy the drama and have no intention to resolve the conflicts. Even the amnesty program was negatively criticized.
I pity them for their worst enemy is their elite who use their own people to achieve their selfish interests. Though ignorance of these type is a general problem of Nigerians but its more pronounced down there in the Niger Delta.
Instead of focusing on profitable engagement of the youth of the area and seizing the opportunity of the presence of oil giants in the area in setting up SMEs all over the region, the elite chose to back the already misguided youths of the area to wreck more damages, FIRSTLY ,to their OWN people and consequently to Nigerians in general owing to our carelessness of course! We fail to diversify our income source. We depend solely on oil revenue gotten from exploration taking place in the area. We’ve lost our Agricultural streak, all the ground nut pyramids of the North all that cocoa money from which the Ibadan stadium was built not to mention the fact that we use to be one of the largest producers of Agric products in the world. All that are history now.
My people, the success of our founding fathers was possible only as a result of their high level of education. They were highly educated people who know what it takes to rule, what it takes to serve and the consequences of falling short of their responsibility as leaders. These people understand something that is very vital, something most politicians don’t know for a fact-that in selfless service lies your richness the true treasure that we all seek. It was in selfless service that people like “Awo”, the great “Zik “, Tafa Balewa and Saudana of Sokoto that they were able to write their name in GOLD on the GOLD pages of our country’s history. These people cannot be forgotten in Nigerian history. They played vital roles in our “bloodless” independence struggle. Unlike in other African countries where there has to be a fight or struggle that leads to arms taking and in some cases, a massacre was necessary to gain independency. These men of honor were able to win the Country’s independency without a blood shed. This unique feat was only possible ONLY through diplomacy a method that can only be adopted by people of understanding – the safest and by far the most efficient method of conflict resolution.
It is worth mentioning that the outstanding performances of our past heroes during the independence struggle can be attributed to their perfect understanding of the power of peaceful resolution of differences which is impossible if they were not educated and enlightened by education.
In conclusion, I would say that so far so good, efforts are currently made in the right direction and I would only recommend that it should be taken more seriously and execution of the skill acquisition training should be carried out with more speed and the state and local governments in the region should be involved to a very high extent. They should be closely monitored to ensure that the extra allocation they get is judiciously spent and not embezzled. Because, in my own opinion the problems of the Niger Delta is as a result of their failure and not that of the FG. Take Lagos as an example. Lagos state missed their allocation for more than a year and still was able to cater for her citizens without complaints. Now, compare that with the Niger Delta states who get EXTRA chunk of the national cake and NDDC to go with it yet still complain so bitterly about marginalization!
But I know for sure that they complain ignorantly and hence, fight so blindly and get nothing but more devastating situation on their hands. Its a pity really, it’s a pity that they have punished themselves for so long without realizing it because no one felt the pains of militancy as they did. But at least ,they are back on track for good!
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.bravehost.com

Is the Niger Delta really Marginalized?

2009-05-29T05:14:00.001-07:00

The JTF's offensive on militants in the Niger Delta has been condemned by some groups while some others are in support of it.One can not but ask why there's so much chaos in the Niger Delta region of the country despite the fact that the area's crude is presently Nigeria's economic backbone.It can almost be said of Nigeria "no crude,no Nigeria" as can be said of river Nile and Egypt.Nigerian government should be most grateful to this region's rich oil lands.As a sign of gratitude the FG's expected to put development measures in place for the area.I mean, that's how it should be.The place should probably be the most developed region in the country.But unfortunately,the reverse is the case,why?Is it that the government isn't showing any gratitude or at least help develop the area as they are equally nigerians as every other citizen of this great country of ours.Is the Niger Delta marginalized?
From what I can gather,instead of retreating or surrendering to peaceful settlement of issues,these militants are actually regrouping and acquiring more arms to proceed,isn't that crazy?Do they not realized that they are fighting against the Federation?Must they be told before they see to it that they don't stand a chance to win at all,and by the way how do they get all the guns and ammunitions that gives them the courage to take on a professionally trained army personnels for this long, non stop and are still ready to continue?Too many things doesn't seem right here.Let us start the discussion by answering a major Question which is "Why do we have militant groups all over the Niger Delta Region?
I don't know for you but I know that these groups are meant to be pressure groups who are to bring the sufferings of the common people of the region to the Federal government's attention which isn't wrong.These pressure groups are said to have existed as far back as the 80s and have gotten very little attention from the FG.Due to petroleum exploration in the area,a very devastating damage was made to the soil and water of this local and peasant people of the region.The soil cannot not grow crops as the fish of their waters are killed due to occasional oil spillage which are not treated and taken care off as expected.People of the area who are majorly fishermen find it difficult to earn a living fishing,fishes are dying,soil is un-cultivable life's getting more difficult for these people and no help from the government is coming through,now thats a very bad situation that's unacceptable from the FG to that I quite agree.But my problem with them is the method they implore to make their grieviences known - the use force!
Irrespective of whatever could have happened,force should be struck out of their plans,I repeat no matter what!
This is because of the evil effect of such method on those using it and those its being used upon.Now,if I'm not mistaken the crisis began as far back as when oil was discovered in the region,which means that the unrest is since the late 70s and has lingered on till date.Everyone knows the kind of government that has been in power for the better part of those years,military government.You are also aware of how strictly the military takes hierarchy of authority,their whole existence depend on it - "obey the last order".You'll get a better grip of what I'm talking about if you have gone through the NYSC.
The military is dictator in nature ,so,when they rule,they brought to play dictatorship of the highest order.Like I said,their existence depends on it.It will be very stupid to take arms against them as we all know that,they live and die by the force,thats why they are referred to as "the armed forces",to them force is normal,to obey without questions is their culture,their way of life.Most unlike us,the civilians who are free to choose what we like,soldiers are to follow ONLY the dictates of their superiors even if they disagree with it.For a civil group of people to go to war with those who are made for war will only spell doom for such people and that's why things had gone that bad with the Niger Delta people.Instead of ironing things out in the most amicable manner,which is the way of civilians,they have gone to war with them.They have gone to war with the wrong set of people and for that reason,they have suffered even more neglect couple with the continuous petroleum exploration.The militants grew in popularity and in population
just as they get farther and even more farther from what they are really fighting for-government's considerations.With the very good part of their population not in school,ilitracy and ignorance are the order of the day.You know how it is,with so many kept in the dark,they are easy to manipulate and tossed around for the selfish interest of mischievous "enlightened" minority who really don't care about their welfare,they see their people as tools and means of achieving their selfish goals.Thats the picture of what is going on in the Niger Delta.I have my reasons.
"We learn how to talk not how to fight" is the literary meaning of an adage in Yoruba.When applied to the issue of Niger Delta,had it being that Niger Delta leaders have "unconditionally" adopted the dialog approach all these years,they would have been better of today. "words they say,can withdraw kola from the pocket just as it can withdraw a sword from its sheath"(another adage).Even the most cruel man on earth finds it hard to strike another that has always acknowledged his powers and capabilities.If you need attention you call for it you don't force it!
It is their land for sure but they must understand those they are dealing with,the military!On a good day,soldiers are not the type who turn down a challenge,they love challenges,they love threats,they never succum to pressure.They walk head high always,never to be intimidated.This is their business,this is what they do and they are never wrong.You can only persuade them to take to your idea not to force it on them.This I believe has been the major problem of the military juntas of the past with the militants of the Niger Delta.You don't proof to be tough when you deal with soldiers not even when they are wrong even when its glaring,they never wrong.You can only try make them see reason with you and making it clear that it is only a suggestion NOT A COMMAND!Unless you do this,you'll get no where with soldiers.This I'm afraid,the Niger Delta leaders refuse to understand.That was under the military right?Let see how they faired under the civil rule.
Civil rule began,big time in Nigeria May 1999 with Obasanjo as the President.We all know what we expected as a country from his reign especially when he narrowly escaped death by the whiskers in the hands of Abacha.We also know what we got,talking of the petroleum resources of the country which never had a Minister.I don't want to go into the dirty details but everyone will agree with me that none has paid so much attention to resolving the Niger Delta issue as the Yar'adua's administration.
Vice President of Yar'adua hails from the region,the NDDC ,exclusive 13% extra allocation to the crude producing states of the region and now they got a whole ministry to their credit all in the name of settling the scores yet it is still not enough,my God what do these people want!!!
Imagine other regions of the country coming up to claim a ministries too,how would we fair as a country?All this stuffs are given away by the government yet,we still hear of kidnap of expatriates in the region by the militants demanding for ransoms every now and then.The pressure groups,traditional rulers,LGA chairmen and governors of the region has not seen it as a problem .They have kept mute over the issue,neither condemning nor working together to fight the menace,it is now that the Federal Government came up with a drastic solution,all this while, they never see oil bunkering,the militants and the uncontrolled kidnapping cases in the area as threats to their peaceful existence,they never realized that their inaction can lead to this.Well,if they didn't,they are to accept it as their failure as leaders of their people,let it be known to every one concerned that the JTF's offensive is as a result of the failure of the Niger Delta leaders!
It began with the Ijaw communities of Delta state with Warri on verge of losing their hosting rights of the world soccer fiesta that is going to be held in Nigeria on security grounds.Bayelsa residents have been reported to repel militant occupation of their communities with stack warnings to the militants.Gaskia, Wallahi I'm in support of the offensive just as I'm terribly sorry for the impact of the attack on the common people of the area who are inevitably the most hit of all.This post would not be complete without suggestion of possible ways to resolve the issue for good,I would give this in the light of my experience as a Youth Corp member in the area.
* Education
People in this area are ignorant of their rights,they don't know them or how to get them.As far as they are concerned there's nothing they can do about the deplorable ways they live,Federal Government has neglected them to rot away and their governors,LGA chairmen legislatures and all others in authority in their respective states owe them no responsibilities but the Federal Government and Federal Government alone.I mean how can you explain the recent storming of the national assembly by women from the region? They are ignorant of impeachment protocols they can't even relate freely with the closest man in government to them,the local government chairman who they see everyday.They kind of "worship" these people,they can't even confront them and whatever they say is what they take and believe(this issue of education shall be discuss in full in later issues).Something need to be done in this respect.
*Engagement of State Security Service (SSS) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police in the area.
They are to commence investigation into the case,they should be mandated to find out who buy and supply the militants ammunition as it is hard to marry poverty with the multi million DOLLAR ammunition supply to the region.A revolver alone can cost up to $1 500 and we are talking of semi and automatic machine guns here.Some thing's wrong somewhere,some one big some where is benefiting from the crisis.To end this war for good we need to deal with the source,we need to fish out the big money bags involved.This is only attainable by a thorough investigation.
*Leaders of the region are to be held responsible by the Federal Government.
If Yar'adua is to get rid of the crisis for good,it is high time he start thinking of placing sanctions on governors of the warring areas.Very stiff sanctions should put in use against such governors if possible,they should be dragged to court on grounds of conspiracy against the country.If this done,they'll seat up and co operate with the FG to resolve the issue,for lasting solution to the crisis,they must be involved.
I got a lot to say on the issue Wallahi,But I think you,dear readers too have something or the other to contribute.Please leave a comment or two for me below as your comments are like lifelines to this blog.So go ahead,leave a comment today,drop a line!

regards,
Abdurrahman,
http://www.moneymakingmachine-alchemy007.blogspot.com,
http://www.jainx.bravehost.com

Nigeria's call obey!

2008-03-13T09:56:00.001-07:00

Fellow Nigerians!

Its high time we moved forward and take and rightful in the community of nations.This can not be done by just sitting back and allow a very few mischievous dictatate what we should have and what we should have not.Its high time we stood to contribute to our own success ourselves for ourselves and our children too.We shouldn't just stand back and hide on the pretence of leaving our affairs to God,we should exploring other sayings like heaven help those help themselves and which is basically letting us know that the much needed changing we are all clamouring wouldn't come if we just sit looking or waiting for it,but rather,by effecting the change ourselves.By rejecting all forms of corrupt practises even if its to our favour and upholding fairness if its against us!

These and many more shall be discussed as it affect Nigeria and its people.We shall be talking and discussinmg the BEST of ways forward on every topic or subject so as they affect us as Nigerians.In other words,your contributions shall determine the success or failure of this exercise.That is why I am asking you to please contribute your quota to any discussion found on this blogs!

God bless Nigeria!!! Ameen.