Nigeria

The killing of Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara: Boko Haram and a Country on perpetual brink

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By Adeola Aderounmu

Boko Haram the terrorist organization that has vowed to force Islamic rule in Nigeria have slain Chris McManus (a Briton) and Franco Lamolinara (an Italian).

British Special forces entered Nigeria and headed for Sokoto State in an attempt to free the hostages. The captives died in the failed rescue operation.

This sad development brings to mind a lot of details and underlines the serious fragility of Nigeria. Doubts about Nigeria being among the growing failed countries in the world has longed been removed due to the uncontrollable spate of violence and terror war in Northern Nigeria.

This is in addition to the extreme poverty among over 100m people despite the wealth and potentials of the geographical area called Nigeria.

That British Force can operate in Nigeria is definitely a sign that Nigeria is a “forgone” country. No one needs further confirmation that those who rule in Nigeria are incompetent fools. From the presidency to the local governments, Nigerians have fools in power.
More than 50 years of gross and unhindered mismanagement means that a country founded on false foundations by the British took a fast track from grace to grass.

Nigeria is one of the worst places to live on earth. Before anyone finishes reading this essay billions of dollars would have looted from the treasury and the thieves who called themselves politicians and law makers will walk free after committing such crimes against humanity.

Upon the fact that Nigeria was borne out of the maliciousness of the British is the undeniable truth that Nigerians has been in the hands of fraudsters since 1960 and one of the viable options is to release the nations within Nigeria and allow them to go, and define how they want to exist.

The American prediction that Nigeria will disintegrate by 2015 will likely come true. If it doesn’t, the situation in Nigeria today will surely be worse off. Nigerians and Nigeria are not united and therefore the country has no real development strengths.

Nigeria is kept together for the benefits of the few corrupt and arrogant politicians. It has also been kept one for the benefit of the imperialists. In this new rave of terror, it appears everyone is a loser both the keepers and the imperialists.

The wave of terror has escalated under the incompetent Jonathan administration. In the history of Nigeria, Mr. Jonathan is the most clueless pretender to the throne. He is probably the most disorientated ruler in Africa today. He leads a pack of evil people in the PDP government.

Everything in the Nigerian political circle is about money, riches, contracts, houses, foreign trips, looting, senseless discussions and unbelievable display of stupidity. Nigerian politics is one of the biggest jokes known to mankind.

The politicians have been criticized but they wax stronger and get deeper in corruption. They steal money and they are doing so now.
Oil contracts and oil deals in general are a huge joke for a country with one of the largest reserves in the world, yet an importer of fake petroleum products. The lowest point of any human intelligence is displayed in policy making in Nigeria. When you scroll through the political decisions that are made in Nigeria, you will weep.

I will never understand why Nigeria imports petroleum products. Presumably I will pin it on the madness or stupidity of a person/ group of persons that has rubbed off the intellectual capacity of the remaining 160m people. It is an incomparable tragic occurrence-as well as-an inexplicable expression of dumbness of the highest order.

In short governance in Nigeria is rubbish and it has taken its toll on all aspects of the Nigerian life, from education to health, to whatever you want to name.

The culmination is the terror war in Northern Nigeria that has the potential to spread to every part of the country. MEND in Southern Nigeria is still another terror organization that has the same potential as Boko Haram. The endless riots and forever present mutilations and killings in Jos are swept under the carpet, but they exist even as you read this.

If the British Forces must enter Nigeria to save her citizens, does it mean that Nigerian Special forces can enter Britain to save Nigerians? The answer is No! This means Nigeria does not exist. This means that it is only a matter of historical time before the nations in Nigeria find their ways.

At that time it will not be EUREKA because break up might represent the way forward but definitely not the answers to regional political questions and upheavals that will follow.

I don’t know what or who will lead the African race to her promise land. A lot of things have gone wrong and I have not so many clues on all that needs to be done to change the mentalities of the African men and women as to the significance/ relevance of good governance.

Democracy in Nigeria is an additional curse because of how it has been practiced. It has not worked. So definitely there is more to understanding how democracy can lead to fulfillments that what is portrayed in Nigeria. Nigeria of course has no democracy because of the way the elections are rigged and predetermined.

The judiciary is dead and the people are disorientated. In general in Nigeria the rule of men is above the rule of the law. That is why there are several untouchables and that is why looting is not a punishable offence even after the veil of immunity is removed.

So we have a long way to go after the prediction of 2015 has come to past.

This essay has gone random since the second paragraph. I have repeated what I have been writing about since 2007. But I really feel sorry for the families of the two dead foreigners. They had waited and hoped for almost one year. The waiting, very sadly, ended in vain.

The losses are irreparable because death is the end of all things. But these were avoidable. A lot of chain reactions were set in place and the rescue operation did not achieve its target. Lessons will be learned and history has been re-written.

It is really a very sad situation. The useless politicians from Northern Nigeria cannot be absolve of blame. They ensured, on top of the corruption across Nigeria that their citizens were not educated or enlightened. In a way they promoted the wrong form of education. Northern Nigeria is fragile and the fragility has come upon all Nigerians.

As it is now, Nigeria has at least 100 years to glory. So it really pains to see that the regions within it have not been set free to start this journey to glory. The present order of things is simply a recipe for catastrophe which is what is happening daily.

The nations within Nigeria really need to wake up and make their nations ready for their children and children’s children. Posterity will not forgive those who refused to prepare for the future.

May the souls of the departed find peace and may the family find the strength to move on.

David Mark: Kettle Calling the Pot Black

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By Adeola Aderounmu

David Mark has described the Nigeria Football Federation as the most corrupt government agency in Nigeria. This is because he is frustrated with the misfortune of the Nigerian Super Eagles that even failed to qualify for the concluded 2012 Nations Cup in Gabon/Congo.

No doubt corruption is the number one problem in Nigeria and as things are now that disease will continue to see more Nigerians slip below poverty level.

David Mark incidentally is one of the most corrupt government officials that have walked the surface of the earth.

How he got the courage to pronounce corruption on fellow corrupt people is a mystery. David Mark can continue to deny to his grave but he was the one who told us that telephone in Nigeria is not for the poor.

The corrupt attitude of people like David Mark (whether he accepts it or not is irrelevant) is the reason why my family’s land telephone (00234 88 5432) disappeared into thin air. David Mark was part of the evil that ran the Nigerian Telecommunication into irreversible coma.

In summary David Mark along with his mentor Ibrahim Babangida were parts (and in fact are still parts of the evil cartel) that are running Nigeria into penury and widespread poverty.

If Nigeria was a “real country” and not an aggregation of “disjointed nations” David Mark should be cooling off in detention. In China he would have been beheaded for his role in corruption.

But he sits on top of the Nigerian senate pointing fingers at other corrupt institutions like the senate that he heads. Only in Nigeria..!

The Nigerian senate is occupied by looters who are carting away billions of dollars daily in salaries, contracts, allowances and estacodes while over 90m Nigerians live in permanent penury and irreversible hopelessness.

In Nigeria like I have pointed out a million times on this blog, corruption is the king. Even the president is probably stealing as I am writing this. He has depleted the external reserves and he is borrowing money to finance his extravagancies. Nigeria’s president cannot travel in normal aircrafts; he is still buying more presidential planes. He cannot live in a normal house; corruption is embedded in Aso Rock, Abuja. The presidency and other government arms and agencies in Nigeria are borne of corruption and live in permanent corruption.

Nigeria is runned by thieves and gangsters and David Mark does not have the moral rights to call the NFF the most corrupt government agency. There is no shame in being a looter of treasury and there are no consequences for serious crimes in Nigeria. Phone calls from the so called high places have overturned several judicial processes. The judiciary is a huge joke as revealed by the recent Ibori case. Ibori was declared innocent in Nigeria because he stole to make way for Yar Adu, Obasanjo and Jonathan. Useless people altogether!

If things were right, the one who threw the stones and the ones in the glass houses should be serving life sentences.
Nigeria will remain in coma until all these anomalies are addressed and the question is BY WHOM?

One day the people will rise up and take what is theirs. That day, sense and reasoning will prevail.

James Iroha ”Gringory” (19??- 2012)

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By Adeola Aderounmu

Gringory is dead and as usual Nigerians are praising him for the laughter he brought into their homes especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Gringory was a comedian in the TV Series Masquerade (later The New Masquerade).

He has been reported as 69, 70 and 74 years and I don’t know which one of them is correct.

I don’t know how much recognition late Gringory got when he was alive. He has the title of a chief (local) and OON (National award). But these meaningless awards did not add quality to the live of Gringory.

Like many artists and sportspersons who have represented Nigeria or made Nigerian proud, Gringory suffered neglect. I have not read that a monument was erected in his local government talk less of his state of origin.

I have not read that the government of Nigeria is taking care of her heroes and heroines but I know that former presidents who looted the treasury are still receiving huge sums of money monthly on top of their loots. Even other ex-politicians still collect contracts fraudulently and they continue to enrich themselves.

Those who remain in public service continue to loot daily with recourse to the serious damage their disservice has done/id doing to the economy and low standard of living/ severe spread of poverty and penury.

Gringory is gone but the Nigerian story remains the same-one of the biggest tragedies of modern era.
Gringory was a delight to watch those days on the New Masquerade. He was very funny and he made us laugh. Along with the other creative members of the cast, he did a marvelous job.

May James Iroha rest in peace. May his family have the fortitude to bear the loss.

The James Ibori Confession

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Adeola Aderounmu

James Onanafe Ibori is a Nigerian convicted for crimes in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom but who later became the governor of Delta State in 1999.

His stories have been well documented the latest being a BBC report on the extent of his criminal records/criminal life (www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17181056)

This story of a criminal who found his way to the highest office in Delta State is not unique or peculiar. Many Nigerian politicians are crooks and thieves before they get into offices. Several others join the bandwagon and became part of the looting syndrome. Dimeji Bankole is a proven classical example.

As I have written several times, the worst thing is that these thieves get away to enjoy their loots. The laws in Nigeria are useless or non-performing. Those who stole big now live big. Even ordinary personal assistants in government offices in Nigeria are thieves.

One way or the other all these crooks find ways to enrich themselves and cart away millions. Sometimes it’s just simply sharing money.

Several people have told me that I will never make it in Nigerian politics if I don’t loot and that I will be brushed aside. Whoever told them that I have a Nigerian political ambition? They have no idea I’d cursed the day I was born if I steal public loot.

Unless Nigerian politicians are executed or beheaded there is no solution for the looting syndrome. All Nigerian politicians will remain thieves as long as the power and privileges they enjoy remain the same. They have one special and stupid immunity clause that makes crime legal. And when they are out of offices, they still enjoy the immunity in 99,9% cases.

Not even a Ribadu-boast in the run-off to the botched third term agenda could ignite a mass prosecution.

The situation will NEVER change because it is accepted in Nigeria that you have to be rich after your political sojourn. It is okay to be a thief and governor or president because that is what your family, community and associate expect from you. It is what the political parties expected. Nigeria is a program invented to fail.

It was Obasanjo who used James Ibori to sponsor late Yar Adua and Goodluck Jonathan to Aso Rock in 2007. The ring of looters (Obasanjo, late Yar Adua and Jonathan) knew that Ibori was stealing money from Delta State to sponsor a presidential campaign and it was okay.

If the judiciary was effective in Nigeria and if there are no useless immunity clause, the Ibori confession should lead to the arrest of both Obasanjo and Jonathan without further delay. But since Nigeria is program to fail as a result of massive corruption, this will not happen.

Obasanjo and Jonathan have their own individual crimes which are still in progress but these men lead Africa Union negotiations and Nigeria respectively. There is no hope for the future under the present arrangement of things in most part of Africa and locally in Nigeria. We are ruled by gangsters and thieves.

Nigeria under Jonathan is a joke. This guy has taken new loans to finance his personal extravagancy and clueless regime. Nigeria under Jonathan, with the persistent of corruption and the rise in terrorism, is heading for an expected disintegration. Nothing has happened in the last one year to prove otherwise.

The National Assembly is even a bigger joke. Together with the executive these bunch of thieves run the most inefficient yet the most expensive government in history. Despite all complains and agitations they have not seen any reason to cut out their expensive salary and pay packets. The looting continues.

There will be no expectation from Nigerians that their lawmakers should pass a law that looters should be executed because it is tantamount to committing mass suicides. No one will come out alive of the National Assembly and the House of representatives. David Mark would lead the pack of awaiting death sentence if such law is passed today.

This is the severity of the calamities in Nigeria. More than 50 years of executive recklessness and outright stealing and looting.

It will not end because Nigerians are used to it and have come to accept such as norms.

It will not end because Nigerians put their hopes in Gods (Jehovah and Allah).

It remains a tragedy that 160m people think that it is okay. The common prayers have been that everybody’s time to (steal, loot, and benefit) from government should come.

Amazingly the churches and mosques are beneficiaries. Millions of stolen funds are paid weekly as tithes. This makes religious organisations in Nigeria to rank among the most successful business enterprises in Africa and Nigerian pastors especially are ranked among the richest men in the world.

Nigeria is a box of irony and metaphor.

Now and when Nigerians have gone their separate ways through true federation or outright split, it remains a pertinent question of how to solve this social malaise called corruption. Corruption has no tribal marks and it will continue to remain a stumbling block to progress.

Unless something radical is done to all the public servants and politicians who steal and loot, more and more people in that geographical zone will slip below the poverty level and the abundant resources will continue to lie in ruins and waste.

Today more than 100m Nigerians are poor and live day in day out with limited hopes. The situation will be worse if all the Iboris in the local, state and federal houses are allowed to continue to enjoy the useless immunity clause.

Nigerians need to stand up and they can start by asking the blood sucking Jonathan government to stop stealing. They can gather the momentum from the Ibori trial in London and ask the sleeping judiciary in Nigeria to wake up to its responsibilities. It is easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle than to expect the corrupt Nigerian judiciary to be effective. How did I miss that?

 

How Governor Danbaba Suntai’s convoy killed one of my best friends, Kokobili Edward

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Adeola Aderounmu

I wept uncontrollably. I wept when the news got to me that one of my best friends Kokobili Edward had been killed by the convoy of Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai of Taraba State.

My Friend Kokobili Edward

My Friend Kokobili Edward

The sad incidence occurred along the International Airport Road in Abuja on Monday the 23rd of January 2012.

The last time I saw Eddy alive was around the 27th or 28th of December 2010 when I visited Nigeria. We attended the Festac Grammar School alumni meeting together on the 26th and he invited me and my family to his house at 512 Road in Festac Town.

Even in December 2006 Eddy and I had a swell time together during my visit to Lagos that year. We were together for the entire 2 weeks that I spent in Nigeria and I remember how he drove me to the Murtala International Airport on the night of my departure.

I have several fond memories of Eddy. From the time we had together at Festac Grammar School (1984-1989) until 2010 I cannot recall a day that Eddy was angry or off beat. He was always smiling and very friendly. His laughter was infective and everyone recalls of his good deeds and happy moods.

My late friend Kokobili Edward, killed by the driver of the Taraba State Governor

My late friend Kokobili Edward, killed by the driver of the Taraba State Governor

Eddy was planning to get married this month-February 2012. So he had travelled to Abuja the fateful weekend of week 3 to start his wedding plans. His fiancée, the love of his life, lives in Abuja and he had travelled on Friday the 20th to fulfill the first of the marriage rituals-the Introduction ceremony.

It was a successful ceremony that Saturday and Eddy was in high spirit that weekend. He was able to gather together friends and families in Abuja for the introduction ceremony. He skipped the burden of transporting people from Lagos for the Abuja ceremony.

On his last day on earth Eddy was in a hurry to get back to Lagos and to return to work. He was obviously looking forward to sharing the good news about of the successful introduction ceremony with his other family members in Lagos. He never made it.

According to an eyewitness account, there was heavy traffic on the International Airport Road and the threat caused by the Boko Haram incursions into Abuja was an additional problem. The check points made travelling to the airport cumbersome and the movement of vehicular traffic was slower than normal.

In any case Eddy disembarked from the taxi and was negotiating with an okada rider when he was crushed to death by the car belonging to the Taraba state governor. Eddy had his back to the main traffic so he stood no chance when the overspeeding car went on the pedestrian path. He was killed on the spot.

Eddy became a victim of both the insecurity in Nigeria and the recklessness of government agencies.

The alumni association, friends of Eddy and the Kokobilis are asking question and looking for justice.

Governor Danbaba was already at the airport. Why was his driver in such an extreme haste to pick him up? Why did the reckless driver decide to drive along the pedestrian path? Was that a regular procedure for the governor’s convoy-that is-to drive at high speed and along pedestrian paths? Did the driver ignore a red traffic light which could have spared Eddy’s life?

What is the governor of Taraba State doing to ensure that the families of Eddy Kokobili are comforted in their sorrow? Who will console us-his friends and other acquaintances?

Is Mr. Danbaba planning to visit the family in Festac Town Lagos to express his condolence and sympathy over the recklessness of his official driver? Will this governor pay a personal condolence visit to Eddy’s fiancée and her family in Abuja to express his regret over the irreparable loss?

In general how many more lives are we going to destroy as a result of the carelessness and recklessness of government officials?

The office of Governor Danbaba Suntai or its representatives may have accepted guilt in this case but they must go beyond that. They must demonstrate that they really have human feelings and that the loss is unwarranted and highly regrettable.

They must participate in the burial ceremony and give the Kokobilis the utmost support that they need at this time. By taking adequate responsibilities for this sad loss the Taraba State governor can ensure that a healing process is initiated among the friends and families of Edward Kokobili. We loved him so much and we can’t believe he’s gone forever.

The reckless driver who drove the SUV Nissan that killed Eddy was reportedly arrested by the police. It would be useful to ascertain the mental condition of the driver. The investigation should cover whether he was driving under the influence. More importantly, he should be prosecuted without delay to serve as a deterrent for other reckless drivers in Nigeria.

Edward Kokobili lived a good life. Like the rest of us he struggled to make it in life. He was determined to succeed and he was still on his way up before he met his untimely death. He was the head of a company called Feed Addictives, Agrochemicals & Veterinary Products, Vitacem Nigeria Ltd.

Eddy was a graduate of the University of Benin and an active member of both the Festac Grammar School Alumni Projects Management Group and Festac Grammar School Old Students Association Klass ‘89.

Edward Kokobili will be missed by his brothers, families and friends.

Who will comfort us in our sorrow?

Eddy, you won’t be there the next time I’ll be on 512 Road. I will miss you. Sun re o..!