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The premier responsibility of any government is to assure the security of its
people. With the recent spate of murder and mayhem perpetrated by the Islamist
zealots in Nigeria, by the socalled Bolo Haram against mostly Christian
population, one begins to wonder if the Nigerian government led by Goodluck
Jonathan is living up to its responsibility of protecting the citizens.
"Don't try to juggle too many things. Find a few you
can handle, and then juggle those." - Anonymous
"Capital flows toward those who have a mindset that there is an
abundance of capital around them. Think big. Do not operate
out of fear, bitterness, or distrust. Think abundance and you will have
abundance."
January 13, 2012
Sometime ago, just last year in fact, I predicted the unrest gripping
Northern Africa will eventually come to Black Africa. I never thought it would
come so soon, but it has. Through carelessness, myopia, inability to read the
times, and being insulated from the needs of the people, against a black drop of
violence mostly in the north of Nigeria fuel subsidies were removed by the
government, now we have strikes and social unrests, mass protests have come to
Nigeria. The ineptitude of the leaders is revealed.
Let me say it again:: The primary responsibility of any government is to
assure the safety of the people. Today the
so-called Boko Haram is creating havoc in Nigeria, killing innocent Nigerians almost with impunity.
Goodluck Jonathan, so far, has been helpless; has not stopped this murderous
cult. With this as backdrop, without a sense of timing and preparedness, the government removes the
fuel subsidy. What you have is a country in disarray. This calls into question the
judgment of those running the country and their capacity to rule effectively.
Gadhafi, Time and Power
With time, power erodes, cultures evolve, people get enlightened, and they
stop putting up with the trickery, the falsehoods of the so-called
powerful. That is the drama. The transience of time, and the
transience of power, and the powerlessness of the powerful.
Therein lies the dilemma of most African leaders. Removed from the people
they serve, trapped in their own cocoon, they start believing their own lies,
they even start believing in their own immortality. The the political storms
come, and riding the new wave are mostly young people, with new ideas, a new
order, a different order. Those who resist this new order are swept away,
forcibly, into the archives of the past. Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast met his
destiny. Moammar Gadhafi met his bloody end. Change will come to Zimbabwe.
Social, political, and economic change will come to Nigeria. The present
order does not meet the needs of the people. What we have had is abuse and
misuse of the oil wealth. The institution of corruption, waste, greed, and
political myopia will have to end.
Culture informs government
There is a surge of democracy sweeping the world. There is a belief
that a particular of government influences the economic achievement of the
people. That assertion has truth to it. However, the culture, the
morality, the accepted norms of society will determine how successful a
particular style of government should be. Culture influences government,
and makes it effective or ineffective. Democracy under Shehu Shagari was an
unmitigated disaster. Culture must inform the kind of government we have.
We must develop a culture of honesty, transparency, dedication, hard work, an
earnest pursuit of truth.
Thankfulness
Do a little less desiring, and a little more thankfulness, and you'll be
surprised how happy you can be.
Your success is going to be circumscribed by your abilities, skills, and
talent; but more than anything else, by how much you can dream.
The pain of our existence arises when we circumvent or avoid the purpose for
which we were created. Never let them see you cry, a winner never does.
The theory of oneness, sameness, is false and
misleading. We are each different, unique, and varied. However, we all are
connected by history, DNA, blood, and spirit. In that interconnectedness we form
one body, one whole.
Manage for the Mission
The mission defines what activities to be engaged in. The purpose defines
what to do. You manage for the mission. The goal determines the means and
avenues to use to achieve the mission. That is the way it is. Apply
it in your life. Apply it in your organization and you are destined
for success.
DREAMS DELIVERED
We are the leaders we looked up to when we were 12. We are the children of
the civil war who vowed to revamp Nigeria when we grew up. We said we
would stay away from corruption and corruptible practices; we would love one
another irrespective of tribal origin.. We are school children of
the 70s that lined the streets of our home town, in my case Benin City, to
welcome Yakubu Gowon. We believed in the dream of a prosperous one Nigeria with
equal access to good education for everyone. We are the young men of the 80s
who saw the excesses and incompetence of Shehu Shagari, Umaru Dikko and his
cohorts. We said Nigeria deserved competent leadership devoid of
ostentatious waste of national resources. We said we would not be
manipulated by the constant psychopathic sycophancy from the general
populace. We are the young men and women of the 90s that saw the graft and
direct looting of the treasury by Abacha and his inner circle. We promised
NEVER AGAIN. The question now is: Are we the dreams we dreamt about?
Have we become part of the problem by our actions, inaction or simple
acquiescence?
Under the United States form of government, on ascension to power of any
president, at intervals of time, the performance of the president is measured
against his stated objectives and goals. Whether it is talking about the
bailout of insolvent banks, financial reform, health reform, the people want to
know how far along the president is moving. Nigeria cannot be an
exception. Goodluck Jonathan has promised dependable electricity
supply. Jonathan cannot be given a free pass. He must be held to
task. How well is he doing compared to his stated objectives at the
beginning of his presidency?
NIGERIA OF OUR DREAMS
I dream of a Nigeria where military coups are forever banished. I dream
of a Nigeria where our economy is diversified and we are not entirely dependent
on oil for foreign exchange.
Over the years, as I travel around the world, as I meet Nigerians, I see a
yearning, a deep wounded yearning for an economic emancipation of all Nigerians;
a deep weary yearning for a government that actually governs; a deep painful
yearning for schools that actually teach, for safe roads you can travel on, for
electricity supply you can depend on. I feel a tenacious yearning for peace,
unity and prosperity of the whole nation; a yearning for all the ethnic groups
to come together and see each other as one. I dream of a day when these
yearnings will come true. Do you hear me?
Nigeria at a Crossroads
To say Nigeria is a blessed country is to state the obvious. To say
there is scarcity and hunger in the midst of abundance is equally
true. Abundant natural resources, abundant oil but scarce
petrol. The delivery of the resources has been hijacked by a
band of cabals who do not have the best interest of Nigeria at heart.
There is a mad rush for self-enrichment through state apparatus.
That explains the decaying infrastructure, the bad roads, the death-trap
that is the Lagos-Benin expressway; that explains the fraud at the polls;
that explains the conspiracy at the PDP for a rotational presidency when
we should be asking for the best whoever the best is.
If there is such agreement of rotational presidency within the
PDP, let that be their agreement. It cannot be binding on the rest
of us. We want the best man for the job. We want someone with
enough personality to maintain national cohesion, bringing the Nigerian
disparate ethnic parts together. If PDP's mission is to maintain a
stranglehold on Nigeria's political and economic life, then every effort
has to be made to untie that stranglehold. New viable, alternative parties
have to be supported or created. If Babangida wants to run, let him
run. The question is: What substantive contribution did he make the
last time he ran the country?
NEW!!
The notion that Goodluck Jonathan should not run for the presidency in 2011
is vexing, just as the decision to ban the national football team from international
games for two years was misdirected. I am glad that Jonathan reversed
himself on that. The Niger-Delta has carried the country on its back by way of
oil for the past 50 years. To even suggest that a son of the region should not
run for the presidency on his own right, for whatever reason, is ludicrous and
unacceptable. Let the polls decide who should be the next president.
The issues for
Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria
There is no doubt that President Jonathan has good intentions, but good
intentions are not good enough. We want results. There has to
be a massive mobilization of the Nigerian populace to achieve the
objective. This is a crisis situation, and the response should be in a
magnitude that a crisis deserves. Jonathan will have to use every
available air wave to drive his message home. His
administration is going to have to contend with a mentality that says it
is okay to tamper with the electric meter. It is not okay. Jonathan will
have to reverse the pervasive idea that electricity should be free.
No, it cannot be free. You use it, you pay for it.
The magnitude of problems facing Nigeria demands a magna
response. Can Goodluck Jonathan deliver? Read Nigeria under Goodluck
Jonathan in Era of Discontent
Good Government In Nigeria
In the final analysis, government is about creating opportunities to the
people to fulfill themselves; it's about creating an environment for the
citizens to live up to their fullest potentials and contribute to
society. Government is about creating jobs. As Goodluck Jonathan
assumes the office of acting president, he should be cognizant of the fact that Nigerians,
especially the young, look for more educational opportunities, job
opportunities, and need a government that supports and encourages small
business. Good luck to you.
Jonathan's first task, in my opinion is to re-affirm once again, by words and deeds, our
belief in the democratic system, articulate a new path forward for Africa's most
populous nation, in effect, establish a vision for the country. Where does
he want to take Nigeria? There is a new crop of Nigerians, a new breed of
leaders, yearning and looking forward to transparency in our national
affairs.
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