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Read the following pontifications on Nigeria's past and future.

A Reflection on Nigeria 

Turmoil in Libya and Nigeria

The place of the Edo People within the Nigerian socio-economic and political configuration has to be re-examined. No doubt, the Edo State has suffered economic and social decline in the past decades. The question is Why?  And how do we address the needs of the people?  How do we resuscitate a dying culture? How do we regain our place and voice in Nigerian affairs?  How do we infuse the economy with vitality? First read an account of a people.

 


Sacrificing to Achieve

The idea of religious sacrifice is out of vogue, and appropriately so, but sacrifice is at the root of success. You must give up something to achieve something.  The habit of instant gratification is the bane of most not-upwardly moving social groups around the world. Black Africa may have to give up having large families in order to have a more satisfying distribution of available resources. Something to think about. 


 

There is a babble of voices out there, confusing and confounding.  Only listen and accept the voice that builds you up, that says that you are bigger and better than you ever thought possible, and that is the voice of Truth.

 

 


 

No matter how charming you think your existence is now, no matter how wonderful you think you have it, at some point your life will be touched by some pain, some trouble, some sorrow, some tragedy.  Don't be dismayed, do not wallow in misery for too long. Remember He still loves you.  He still cares. And tomorrow will be a brighter day.

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do.  All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough.  They'll say you're the wrong height or wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you NO, a thousand times NO, until the NOs become meaningless.  All your life they will tell you NO, quite firmly and very quickly. They will tell you NO, and you will tell them YES! YES!! YES!!!"  _Anonymous.

 

 

 


 

Wealth is not necessarily found in abundance. You might just find wealth and happiness in economy, appreciation and thankfulness.

 


 

Write-ups from my archive:

 

 

 

 

  

Assurance Izevbizua
 

 

 

 

 

 
   

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. 

 

Great gift idea

Nigeria's Earthquake

If there was to be an "earthquake," a monumental challenge, or disaster, whether natural, economic or political, will Nigeria be ready? What would we show the world? Our shanty towns like Maroko, our decaying school system, our neglected highways like Lagos-Benin Road, our corruption and mistrust of one another? Tell me  Read more about Nigeria's Earthquake

Self-doubt, that self-disqualifying mentality is the greatest obstacle to personal success and achievement. Suddenly, Saul believed and embraced the Living God.  Was it that sudden or was his the case of protracted denial? Read on 

  • Where are you? Are you lost in the wilderness?  There is a sure way to finding yourself. Read
  • "Growing up in the sixties in Benin City, Nigeria - a tale of promise denied."  Read

 

 

 

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I tried, a poem by Mary Rambow, is simple yet  touching and powerful

In his latest writing, Pastor Endurance Izevbizua asserts what it takes to achieve a higher level of success and happiness through Higher Power. Read it now It is about bringing higher power to bear on your situation.

Then he counsels you on what to do when life doesn't seem to make sense.  It is a compelling read: When Life....


 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.-

From Coach Carter, as written by Mark Schwahn and John Gatins 

 


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