What kind of democracy gives the presidency to a convicted felon, a criminal?
When a convicted felon, a criminal is sworn in as president in a democracy, then democracy should be placed under the spotlight and questioned.
There is every reason to discuss about the consequences of the type of democracy that the US is displaying to the world. It’s hypocritical. Put rightly, it is a like a dictatorship mimicking democracy, or a democratic face painted on tyranny. It is a dangerous experiment.
What kind of government, what kind of democracy gives the opportunity for a criminal to become president?
What kind of law system makes a person to be above the law. Prisons across the US are filled with convicted felons, citizens who have been found guilty of one crime or the other, and dully serving time for their crimes. Fair enough. But Trump as a free man in the US, even becoming president means that not all animals are equal, and some animals are more equal that some others.
A democracy that placed a criminal in the position to make laws, to amend laws and to dispense laws, in my opinion, is not better than any form of dictatorship. I would find it hard to state the benefits of a criminal making laws in a supposedly democratic dispensation. I would find it difficult to place the value of a criminal-president in a pseudo-democracy above a tyrant in a non-democracy. I can’t come to terms with the possibility to accepting the conducts and leadership of a criminal-president in a civil society.
I started writing this article before trump was sworn in and I was already going to suggest that Trump could close all the prisons in the US and send all fellow criminals’ home. I was not shocked by the executive orders to send home more than 1 700 criminals few hours after he returned to the White House. Nothing trump had done in a few days or nothing he would do in 4 years would shock me. Tyrants don’t send shock, they radiate the characteristics of tyrants.
Nowadays I have so much to do that my articles are late and not covering the depths of my thoughts. But I must put them down anyway just to make sure that I wrote my views.
We are in the early days of Trump administration. So, the only thing to do now is to fasten our seat belts and be prepared for one of the bumpiest rides in world history. Every day will unfold with drama, with threats and with vows to reverse the world order. Denmark should probably start preparing to go to war if she must keep Greenland.
A few years ago, in my first article about trump, I wrote to the American people that MAY THE WIND BE THEIR WAY.
Now I am writing to the rest of us. Under a Trump rule as a convicted felon, may the wind be our way.
In 2008 when I turned 36, I started this series called My Random Reflections. Today I’m writing my random reflections @ 52. Usually, I’d write the article the day before my birthday or exactly on the day and publish it.
This year, I’m working hard to put my thoughts together 3 days after. It is not for the lack of random thoughts. It is not because there are no issues to reflect upon. How do you even choose what issues to reflect upon albeit randomly? England have just lost the EURO football second final in a row. The best English defender, arguably, Fikayo Tomori, did not even make the team. When a goal is conceded in the dying seconds due to the wrong positioning of 2 defenders, first Walker, then Guehi, I can say: serve you right England! Fight for your best to represent you!
My focus on my random has always been Nigeria. Sometimes it is a general focus or reflection on life from my perspective. The reasons are obvious. I lived in Nigeria for 29 years before relocating to Sweden in 2002. Over the years my views of Nigeria have changed. It started from my wish for Nigeria to be one indivisible super (world) power to my sarcastic article in the Nigeria village square wondering what would happen if Nigeria was recolonized.
Today, my opinion about Nigeria is constant because having observed Nigeria politics since 1979 as a 7-year-old, I have come to the irreversible conclusion that Nigeria should be dismantled so that the prosperous nations that are entrapped in Nigeria could emerge.
Unless the system of government in Nigeria is abolished, I don ‘t see a bright future for the unborn generations entrapped in it
At some point in the time past, I was one of those focused on putting all the problems on the president(s) and politicians in the country. Indeed, in this Tinubu’s jaguda government, one can still describe the politicians as criminals for that has not changed. I mean, my knowledge of Nigerian politicians and the military regimes that intersected the periods from 1979 to date gives me the right to classify both the civilian and military governments as pure gangsters in power.
But the regimes that emerged are also direct products of the citizenry. However the worst thing about Nigeria is the crazy system of unitary government where the president and the politicians for example are simply above the law. The unitary system of government in Nigeria is the dumbest system of government on planet earth. The charade called elections to get into this system of government are also a complete disgrace to the lowest of intellectualism.
What this has led to, for me, is that whilst I can call Tinubu’s government a jaguda government or Nigerian politicians complete criminals, I am at the same time aware that even a criminal Peter Obi as governor of Anambra state would not fare better than Tinubu in power in Aso rock. A Phd Jonathan was as useless as a senseless Buhari in power. A cunning Obasanjo stole as much as he could to secure his finance. Atiku almost sold all of Nigeria! If one is criticizing Tinubu and assuming that Peter Obi or Sowore would do a better job, I think intellectualism is far from that individual.
In my opinion, what took (Nigeria) to stardom and placed development in Western Nigeria (Yorubaland) ahead of London or Paris in the 1950s remains the only permanent solution for Western Nigeria to come back and retain that position (probably in the next 50 to 100 years) if Nigeria is dismantled today or reverted to the old order. In those days the Eastern part of Nigeria was also making advancement in technology (evidentially proven later in the civil war) and the Northern part was a rising agriculturally independent nation. It was jolly to live in the 1950s Nigeria because of the economic and political independence of the regions. There was focus in / on the regions and political corruption was minimal but not detrimental to development, as it is normal even till today in the most developed countries of the world.
Allowing the poorest people on earth to exist in the most blessed region on earth, in my opinion, is a very disturbing occurence in the history of Africa.
I’m not the best official custodian of Nigerian geography and history but I know enough that by carefully re-carving Nigeria under conditions of mutual respect and understanding, the various nations in Nigeria can seek independence again and, in a few years, rub shoulders with the most advanced countries in the world. It is the people who must demand this and see it to a logical end.
The fallacy and the error propagated by the elites and the political class is that greatness can be achieved as one indivisible Nigeria. Time, space, politics, events and the ambitions that I have witnessed since 1979 have shown that the views of the elites and the political class are mirages. I have waited for Nigeria to be great since 1979. I would be foolish in 2024 to think that that greatness would come.
I have discussed extensively on my blog how Nigeria’s fourth generation is wasting away believing in the same nonsense and false hopes like their parents before them. This blog you are reading is one of Africa’s oldest individual blogs. Let that sink in that my goal is to see you in that geographical region come out prosperous and that your unborn generations need not suffer like you and me or our parents and grandparents.
I would like to leave it there so I can discuss other things, randomly. I’m trying hard to stay away from US politics but it’s hard not to feel embarrassed on behalf of the American people when their current president, Mr. Biden continued to speak nonsense while at the same time sitting tight in power and vying for a new term. I remember how African rulers have been called sit-tight rulers by the western press. What does one call Biden? How does one move on from the stupid debate that Biden and Trump participated in? We are currently waiting for the report of the security apparatuses in America regarding the assassination attempt on Trump. Interesting times ahead for the world.
In other reflection moments, when I’d reflected on conflict/war in the Middle East and the Ukraine-Russian war, my conclusions always took me back to one point: that humans may be suffering from deficiency of what I called “collective global intellectualism”. I’m now sure that humans, despite all our achievements and advancements, are devoid of sound reasoning power in conflict resolutions. I’m not particularly a good student of history, so I might need help to remember where one party had been right in a war and examples of using wars to resolve conflicts and misunderstanding.
My knowledge of Nigerian history, Nigerian civil war and what my mother (now late) told me about the Nigeria remain good bases for me to understand how Nigeria is the mess it is today and how keeping it as one country would continue to favour poverty, impoverishment, and a hopeless life/existence for several millions.
There are so many aspects of our lives in the geographical entrapment called Nigeria that must be looked to at the same time.
How is our level of education today? How does it compare to the global situation?
How is our transport network on land, water and air? How do we limit accidents?
How is the level of security of life and property? How is our night life for work and pleasure purposes?
What is our plan for our good life and a good life for three generations from now?
Does “the common good” exist in our vocabulary, in our thoughts and deeds?
What is our state of basic infrastructure for supply of electricity and water to every home?
What is the housing policy for workers, the elderly, the young people and the pensioners? What are the plans for now, the future?
What are our plans for health care and medicine?
What about research and development?
What happened to dignity in labour? How do we want to reposition education?
Let me be clear, trying to do resolve all our problems in Nigeria under a unitary system of government will never fully work. That is why I’m just looking at people shouting at Tinubu. I think they might get some changes if they shout at their governors or local government chairmen. They might get a better response if they shout at their constituent representatives.
Imagine then a system of government where all the changes needed are concentrated in a region or a smaller nation like the Yoruba Nation or the Biafra. Have you thought about the ease to get your thoughts across?
Jonathan did not see you, Obasanjo did not see you, Buhari, Yar Adua, and now Tinubu. Even Babangida was busy lining his pockets. Abdulsalami nko? That is what they all do, they eat and quench. They take care of their families and friends. That is what a unitary system of government does. It turns men to gods, saints to (d)evil people.
Bring on the regional government or even separate nations that would compete with one another and see how the other countries of the world would start to shiver. Biafra, Arewa, Yoruba and the Delta are prospective world powers and until they are set free, their existence in a British-made, elite-sustained Nigeria would continue to mean a life time of hopelessness, poverty and impoverishment such that it would be impossible to remove Nigeria from her position as the poverty capital of the world.
Allowing the poorest people on earth to exist in the most blessed region on earth, in my opinion, is a disturbing occurrence in the history of the African. The region around the heart of Africa is well endowed so much that the entire continent and beyond can feed from the flow from the heart of Africa. Unless the system of government in Nigeria is abolished, I don’t see a bright future for the unborn generations entrapped in it.
We cannot keep relying on religion and think that we can catch up with the rest of the world. Great nations are built on simple and common things like common language, custom, culture trust, common good, service to humanity, respect for law and order, sound education, developing infrastructures, accessibility to public servants/politicians. These things can be built and created in nations like Yoruba, Biafra and Arewa but never in a fictitious Nigeria.
The stand of women should not be demarcated by their political parties or political views. Men are a common evil that women have to face or confront in solidarity.
Disrespecting Magdalena Andersson, Former Swedish PM
By Adeola Aderounmu, Sweden.
In the spate of 1 week or so, both the prime minister of Sweden-Ulf Kristersson and the head of the Swedish Democrats-Jimmie Åkerson have verbally attacked the former female Prime Minister of Sweden, Magdalena Andersson.
Magdalena Andersson, former (& first female) Swedish PM.
These attacks are vicious and malicious.
In 2023 when one would think that women have come a long way in Sweden and made giant strides in all facets of lives. Sadly, in the field of politics, the story about women persecution leaves a lot more to desire for the role of women in modern Swedish politics.
One of the most prominent politicians that got my attention when I came to Sweden was Anna Lindh. She was the Foreign Minister and a prospective candidate to become the prime minister on the platform of the Social Democrats before she was stabbed right in the center of Stockholm. She died of her wounds a few hours later. She was campaigning for YES vote to “Euro” in place of the Swedish “Crowns”.
There is a Mona Sahlin who was prosecuted and shoved out of politics. Every tiny error she made was put under the microscope. She retired to a private life.
Earlier in the week, the Swedish prime minister coined a new phrase to describe Magdalena Andersson. He described the political party headed by M. Andersson as being “terror-romantic”. Before the week ended, Jimmie Åkersson also accused M. Andersson of promoting Islamism in Sweden and said that the only way she could get support to win elections was to promote Islamism or terrorism. The vicious attacks on Magdalena therefore seem to be calculated and deliberate.
The tactics used by men to cage women is through direct intimidation. They also degrade the statuses of women in many spheres of life. Politics seems to be the most pronounced area of attack.
I remember several years ago an article I wrote about how women can stand up for each other, for one another. The humiliation of Magdalena Andersson is not a Magdalena Andersson’s personal problem. The women in the Moderate party of the Swedish Prime Minister, the women in the Swedish Democrats party of Jimmie Åkersson have as much responsibility as Magdalena Andersson and all the women in Sweden generally to stand up against the vicious attack on women.
The stand of women should not be demarcated by their political parties. Men are a common evil that women have to face in solidarity.
Swedish PM, Ulf Kristersson.
Jimmie Åkersson, SD
Both Ulf Christensson and Jimmie Åkersson could have made their points in other ways. Their use of language in debates and speeches surely need to improve. The Prime Minister need to develop more social skills and he need to work on his communication problems. In recent days, his mistakes, body language and choice of words have been a cause of concern.
Living in Denial. The Absence Of Freedom BY Adeola Aderounmu
In 2007 I compiled my articles and published them as a collection titled “The Entrapment Of A Nation”. The title suggested that I wrapped Nigeria (which itself consisted of several disjointed nations) as a nation. The suitability of the title apart, what is obvious is that the geographical area occupied by the people called Nigerians is largely entrapped. The journey into this entrapment happened systematically.
The nations entrapped within Nigeria first lost their identities and dignities due to exposure to foreign merchants. These merchants later metamorphosed to slave masters and religious masters. Despite the declaration of independence in 1960, Nigeria remains largely in the hands of neocolonialists and heartless tropical gangsters disguised either as democrats or soldiers under varying dispensations.
As nationals of the entrapped nations within Nigeria, we cannot cry forever over our disrupted civilization. We cannot cry forever for all the stolen knowledge that came out of Africa and converted to European knowledge. No, we cannot.
As a blogger my responses to events in Nigeria nowadays (2023) are very slow. There is a reason for that. I refused to be reactive, and I do not jump on the bandwagon. For over 2 decades, I have blogged about Nigeria, first as a believer in the project Nigeria, then as a convert, fiercely advocating not just for the dismantling of the Nigerian project, but a soul-searching journey into the meaning/essence of life and how to live and let’s live.
It is such that there is nothing I’ll write now that I’d not written before in the last 10-20 years on this blog or some Nigerian newspapers as a freelance columnist.
Two recent things caught my attention. One is the criminal record of Tinubu. They are super obvious to the point where both the weaklings and oppositions in the Nigerian political space are using the criminal records as wind-sail to unseat him. But ask yourself: how did a criminal like Tinubu become the (s)elected president in the first place? What kind of useless, stupid and senseless political parties elevate and reward criminality? The kind that is based on laughable unitary system that is practiced only in Nigeria. You must be a criminal to participate or engage in a unitary system of government. I cannot forget that on countless occasions, I advocated for the end of the reign of Buhari. It’s the same pattern, Buhari is a dunce, a nonentity and a tyrant that was allowed to reign for 8 years. EIGHT YEARS!!!
The posterity of the nations entrapped in Nigeria is on a permanent pause for as long as Nigeria exists. This leaves a question mark on all the discussions about Nigerian politics. It is a huge mark on the collective mental states of Nigerians. You cannot engage in a unitary system of government and complain of its outcome. You cannot plant cassava and harvest cocoa.
Moreover, there is no single soul trying to unseat Tinubu that does not have his or her own criminal tendencies. As a matter of fact, the chief seeker Atiku Abubakar is in the same league as Tinubu as active Nigerian criminals masquerading as politicians. The ills of Nigeria are huge and obvious. My argument has always been that Nigerians put evil people on the scale and choose between the lesser and the greater one. Doing this in a unitary system of government rewards nepotism, laziness, ineptitude and slave mentality.
The second thing that caught my attention, but no reaction until now, is the untimely death of the artist called Mohbad. I have no inkling of who he was when he was alive and everything I know about him now are from headlines that I stumbled upon. Whatever led to the untimely death of this promising young star is, once again, one of the several symptoms of a rotten system where the rule of men is mostly above the rule of law. There are now uncountable members of the jury who are making their own judgements of the matter. It’s a mess. May his troubled earthly soul find peace with the ancestors.
When all the noise is over, who will see over the sanity of the music industry in an undesirable unitary system of government? What can be done for the music industry in the Yoruba Country? How can the Igbo nation regulate and make money from her music industry? How can the music industry add value of the economy of the Arewa Kingdom? These are the questions for the future of the nations that today remained entrapped in Nigeria. There is a lot to be gained from drawing the carpets under the feet of the politicians that are keeping the rest of the population in bondage.
I remember my essays on Nigeria at 50. I asked then, what is there to celebrate”? who could have thought that 13 years later, Nigeria and Nigerians are still sailing like there is another life. This is the life. The fourth generation of it is on the waste lane as well. Hoping that things will get better for all was the bad dream that our grandparents passed to our parents and we have passed it to our children, in a stupidly active manner. Hoping against hope is now in our genotypes. It is a very deep mess. Almost incurable.
Nigeria is now 63. Rather than seek freedom for the different nationalities entrapped in Nigeria, majority are praying. It’s like believing that Satan exist and praying that Satan should repent so that Jesus can excel. We are so messed up in our mentalities.
Avicii said “Wake me up when it’s all over”. If you ever get to find out the meaning of this phrase, when the morning comes, you’ll be the first to gather men and women to seek for your freedom. The opportunity cost is the demise of Nigeria. Nobody will wake you up when it’s all over, deep people rest, permanently.
As History Beckons Again: Nigeria’s Knee And Jerk Demon-crazy
By Adeola Aderounmu
This British-established country is perpetually drowning in some unpretentiously visible overdose of regional (mostly ethnic-driven) type of democracy. It is pseudo in nature and volatile in mix. But now, it may go to rest on all of her false foundations for the next 4 or 8 years. Depending on foreseeable and unforeseeable circumstances in the days and months ahead, there will be the usual turbulences most of which will be absorbed by the plasticity and elasticity of the resilient human population and landmass.
Who could have thought that an incompetent Buhari (fake or real) would steer the affairs of a failed British experiment for 8 years? But someone did. How can a person who is very daft steer the affairs of a country such as Nigeria (with all its faults) for such a long time? You have to actually stop whatever you are doing and think for a moment: how? I may have written here before that that Buhari that represented Nigeria would not even qualify for a domestic work in a home. But he ruled a country. You should be very worried by the type and composition of the people in that country.
When the 2023 (s)election results were announced, the polarised nature of Nigeria was thrown open again. All the agitations that were previosuly channelled to the freedom of the Yoruba Country and the Igbo Nation were predominantly diverted to the support for APC or Labout Party. It is clear that several billions of Naira went into the hands of so-called agitators. The 2023 elections became the money spinner of many of the people we thought were genuine agitators. There were opportunists, just like the rest of us. The cry for freedom was transformed to the smile to the bank.
On several fronts, on many platforms, there are uncountable cycles of idiocies within and outside Nigeria, about Nigeria. There is a new cycle of idiocy for the elites holding the country hostage every 4 years. There is a cycle of idiocy for the masses performing the usual follow-follow mentality just as the late music icon Fela sang a few decades ago. There is a cycle of idiocy for the wannabe freedom fighters cashing out every 4 or 8 years following the same wavelength as the political cycle.
There is a cycle of idiotic, perhaps civil-less citizenry where both the intelligent and the foolish follow the stream of collective amnesia. It is here, in this cycle, that the highest level of wisdom can be thrashed by the lowest level of stupidity. It is here that your sanity is directly proportional to the number of hours you avoid the social media space and web put together. In that social media space, you need a buoyancy to resist madness.
In whatever Nigeria that emerges before or after May the 29th, May The Force Be With You All.
A View From The Scandinavian 