Nigeria

Nigeria, the issues at stake

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Adeola Aderounmu

The news that Mr. Jonathan has dissolved the cabinet today is not to be received with any form of jubilation. If anything it is a new cause for worries.

Mr. Jonathan unfortunately does not have the choice of handpicking the executive members. For several years the system of governance in Nigeria is not based on merits or knowledge of the individuals in their chosen fields.

Right now what is going on is lobbying (which is normal and fair enough) at the different states of the federation where the new cabinet members will come from. At the end of the (new) long wait-which is a serious deficiency of the system-names will be drawn up from the different geographical areas of Nigeria.

The people who will get nominated will be happy for the invitation or re-invitation to loot and steal from the masses. This is the process since 1960-bring in people and let them lie and steal!

The Nigerian National Assembly will also be bubbling by now. We have seen these shameless people in the past soliciting for bribes from nominated candidates so that they can be confirmed by the senate.

For me, history is just going to repeat itself. The senate members will collect bribes, the new executive members will be square pegs in round holes or the other way around. The cycle of idiocy will continue.

There is nothing wrong in dissolving or re-shuffling the cabinets. I’m just afraid that I have seen thousands of that before in my life time. Things only get worse.

We run a system where everything we do is too cosmetic and irrational.

Rather than cabinet reshuffling I would have called these ministers to give an account of their stewardship and achievements. I would have recommended them for prosecution for all the monies that they have stolen. I would have used them as examples of how “not to steal and loot”. I would, as a leader, try to give good examples of what it means to lead.

These men and women will walk away from governance with all the monies that they have stolen and looted. They will be replaced with new categories of thieves. The whole nonsense will continue.

Mr. Jonathan is trying to ascertain his command, but in the end, he will get new people around him that he barely knew.

There are more pressing issues to face in Nigeria.

There is war in Jos. Niger Delta is waging war against Nigeria. There is poverty, millions of Nigerians-more than 70% of the population are extremely poor and living on less than 2 dollars per day. We are talking about approximately 90m people or more. It is one of the biggest human tragedies of modern times. Highly overlooked, but the consequences will make Biafra and Somalia to be children’s plays if Jos and Niger Delta escalate into full blown wars. The rest of the world will not be spared, and this is not going to be the price of gas only.

These grave problems dwarf the significance of the cabinet change in Nigeria, no matter how relevant it seems to the present occupiers of the seat of power.

Nigeria is on a brink, the gun-powders are leaking. Add the wars to the unemployment, insecurity of lives and properties and the uncertainties of everyday life, we are starring at a human disaster on the rise.

Something must give way, otherwise Nigeria will give way and hundreds of nations may arise. No one knows what the consequences and repercussions will be. It’s time for those in the rock to wake up. Even the rock is not immune from weathering. It can happen..!

The Genocide In Jos: The Killings Continue!

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Adeola Aderounmu

Reports from Nigeria indicate that more christians have been slaughtered last night.

Mad men dressed in military uniform invaded Riyom area and slaughtered their victims. It is not known how many people have been killed. The figures are between 12-50.

At this point, a state of Emergency should be declared in Jos. Dusk to dawn curfew should be imposed.

The governor should probably be impeached or sacked.

I have suggested in a previous post that Jonathan should move his office to Jos temporarily. Right now, he doesn’t seem to understand the nature of the problem.

Setting up committess and setting up panels to investigate bombings and genocide are outdated approaches to problem solving. The one who is a leader must move, he must go to places, see things for himself and show that he has solutions and ideas about what needs to be done.

Nigeria is collapsing and the rate is alarming. If Nigeria continues at this rate, Somalia will be a child’s play.

We have more than 300 nationalities in Nigeria and the current trend of events and extreme lawlessness indicate an imminent disintegration unless something extraordinary is done.

To do nothing but set up committees is the height of foolishness and ignorance.

Why are the mad men who carried out the latest attack dressed in military uniforms? This is an indication that the present war in Jos is a total war. This is a confirmation that some people in Jos are hell bent on killing on the christians in the state. It shows that they are on a mission called-No going back until all the christians are dead.

It is a sad situation but I am convinced that more attacks will follow in the days ahead. It is too obvious to see and too foolish to ignore.

Christians in Jos should start thinking of where to relocate. The governor cannot guarantte their safety and the president is not visiting to sympathise with them. They are at the mercy of the war criminals.

I,of course, condem the killings of muslims in January. All forms of genocide should be condemned and investigated. But I will really advise the Christians to do something to help themselves.

(To be edited and continued)

The Question is: Where is Mr. Jonathan?

/ Adeola / 4 Comments

By Adeola Aderounmu

Nigerians are still asking: where is Mr. Yar Adua? Silly question.

Yar Adua belongs to the past. As far as Nigeria is concerned Yar Adua belongs to the history books as one of the several illegal rulers. He was foisted on us by Mr. Obasanjo-the man who means many things to may people. To me, he’s just one of our biggest shames. A thousand years from now, there will probably be nobody in history that would have the same opportunity that life gave this man. He screwed up-big time. I cannot recount here, I’m sick of his shortcomings.

Right now, Nigerians should be asking: where is Mr. Jonathan?

Mr. Jonathan should face the reality or get out of the way!

Nigeria wants a leader. In the short term he has, he cannot afford to concentrate on wealth accumulation and signing contract. He is not even allowed to be pleasing any stupid member of the cabal or pro-Yar Adua organisations.

His task is simple: Make yourself visible and lead.

Go to Jos and show sympathy and empathy with the people of Dogo Na Hauwa. They need consolation. You cannot hide in Aso rock and pretend that you are in control. Actions speak louder than words. Go, be among them and console them. Help them bury their deads and fish out the killers. Put them where they belong.

If they are from Niger or Chad or Sokoto, go after them, sniff them out and bring them to Justice. Now, not later!

Make sure that this never happens again..!

Jonathan, you can’t afford to take it easy. If you do, Nigeria will go up in flames under your carelessness.

Jonathan, get out of your shell and end the useless power game in Abuja. Sack the sackables and step on toes to move Nigeria forward.

You can’t spend one year trying to please everyone. Please the poor masses, give them electricity.

Make their votes counts, give us total electoral reform.

Give us a referedum-it has eluded us for 50 years-let us decide how we want to live in a National Conference. Let us formulate our lives and make collective decisions on the type of lives that we want to live.

Mr. Jonathan, stop acting like a coward. Acting president in word, put it into power and action.

This is one of the rare opportunities for any Nigerian ruler or leader when the majority of the people seem to be on the side of the ruler (we have no leaders). The way you use this moment will define your political future. It will define your roles in the history books.

Corrupt you are, but you have a fine moment to clean up things and redefine yourself. This may be your last chance to make an impact.

You have been idle and the ball is staying too long in your court. Kick it or get knocked out..!

The Horrors from Jos

/ Adeola / 3 Comments

Adeola Aderounmu

I have seen images of the recent mayhem in Jos. Children were slaughtered like goats. Women were pierced and chopped into pieces. Men and their families were massacred without mercy. I don’t know the animals that carried out the massacres but those slaughtered were Christians. It’s easy to infer that they were killed by irate Muslim mobs.

Shame of a failed nation

Nigerians and the world at large are now used to these scenarios of religious riots and counter-riots especially in Northern Nigeria. Jos is the capital of Plateau State in the middle belt region of Nigeria. But it is a little bit tilted to the north.

The riots that took place over the weekend of 6-7th march is definitely not going to be the last of it. There are reports of tension and likely retaliation from the affected group. Let us not forget that the Christians defended themselves the last time they were attacked early this year. As a matter of fact their assailants were shocked by the defense mechanisms that the Christians put up, even in holy places of worship.

This would explain the nature of the recent attack which came as a surprise and the Christians were defenseless. But how long will this mice and cats games continue? How long? What is the origin of these crises? What has the governor of Plateau state done to end the crises? What is he doing on short and long term bases?

The Map of Nigeria

Some of us have argued that Nigeria is a failed country. We have been labeled as unpatriotic. But how does one reconcile the killing of innocent children and women in Jos with the pretension that Nigeria is not a failed country? It’s hard, isn’t it?

Nigeria is a complex country. The recent madness in Jos has heightened the call for the segregation of the country. But we must not forget that our country is not only complex but interwoven. There will not be any easy way out of the dilemma that was imposed on us by the British amalgamation of 1914 when Northern Nigeria was merged with Southern Nigeria. There will not be any easy way out of the message brought by the missionaries from the south and the jihadist from the north. Nigeria is a melting point for political, cultural, religious, and social disorientation and disasters. How we manage to survive together for so long is an additional mystery.

Nigeria may never know peace as a united country. It will be difficult to find political solutions to the country falsely called Nigeria. Nevertheless these aberrations do by any means not justify the stupidity and madness that has been displayed in Nigerian political and public spaces.

Nigerian politicians ranked among the worst in the world. They are corrupt, wicked and clothed in absurdities. They almost have no sense and no direction in their thinking. The significant thing with being a Nigerian politician is to be cunning and crafty with looting of public funds, and to be a genius with falsification of contract sums and other things they allow them to rip the national treasury one way or the other. This has been going on for 50 years, unabated!

Hence the country went on a free fall. Nigerian went from being the best place to live in Africa to one of the worst places in the world. In Nigeria today electricity generation is nearly 0%. Is there a worse place on earth? I am still trying to figure out if there is any where on earth where electricity generation is nearly 0%. If there is none, then Nigeria is probably the worst place to live in, Somalia apart. I mean what is life without the uninterrupted supply of electricity?

If I was the president or acting president of Nigeria, I will move my office to Jos for at least one week. I will take over the position of the governor, literarily. I will make consultations with the people and be among them. I will try to find out the root cause of the Jos riots. I will never set up any useless committee or delegation or fact finding committees. I will be on the field and find out the nature of the problems. In fact I will ask the people, how can we help you, how can we solve these problems? I believe that anything short of this approach will not solve the problem. Many more lives will be lost and the country will sink deeper into man-made depressions.

But in Nigeria the acting or whatever president will be busy with contracts, oil rigs, future election manipulations and self preservation. Nigerian politicians acts in senseless manners and they have no idea what public service entails. Sometimes I wonder if their brains sublimed the moment they get into office by their violent and dubious acts.

I’m trying to love Nigeria but I’m perplexed and honestly speaking I’m also confused. We give an impression to the world that we are uncivilized whereas we are not. In Nigeria and abroad we have millions of Nigerians who are brainers, geniuses and trailblazers in different fields and endeavors of life. Across the world we continue to mentor people, children and even in some cases there are Nigerians mentoring a whole community of people.

But the question is, where is this pool of intelligence where and when it is most needed? Why is the quality of our lives in Nigeria below acceptable international standards? From Nigeria, why is our image that of corruption, massacres, barbaric acts, poverty, no electricity, no economic prowess, no employment and all types of vices you can think of including armed robbery and kidnapping? I am a frustrated Nigerian. I don’t like how the events in Nigeria are affecting the way people are looking at me and my compatriots on foreign lands. Sometimes you can see in their looks-why don’t these “fools” go home and fix their country?

The point is there are millions of Nigerians living in Nigeria who know what to do about the problems in Nigeria. But like the rest of us, they have allowed the violent and ruthless people to take over governance. Sometimes several people with good intentions get into government and they soon join the bandwagon of looters. They suddenly forget the sons and daughters of whom they are and they begin to acquire wealth illegally! They forget their roots and add to the loads of problems. It is called the Nigerian mentality.

So where and what is our hope. Will there come a time when good people will show good traits in public service? Will this country by salvaged? By who? A messiah? Will Nigeria ever know peace, progress and true development? Will there come a time when rulers will be replaced by leaders with visions? What is the way out of the Nigerian dilemma?

Jos-Nigeria, a lawless state

/ Adeola / 5 Comments

Adeola Aderounmu

Jos has now become the death valley. Jos the capital of Plateau State in mid-Nigeria is now notorious for religious attacks, counter attacks and revenge.

What a sad situation!

Jos is supposed to be one of the most attractive tourist attraction centres in Nigeria, but see what religion has done to Jos. What a shame!

Jos has a climate that is superb and it’s one of the places I would have loved to visit but I dare not. I am disappointed, not in Jos really, but in Nigeria. The country is a completely failed state. Lacking in democracy and genuine leadership, the problems of the states is actually a reflection of the stupidity of the rulers. Not to fail to mention the absurd resiliency of the masses. These two abnormalities have now melted Nigeria into a jungle country.

The other day we read about, and saw horrible pictures of innocent people murdered and dissected by armed robbers. No greater insanity. Time after time, Jos and other places continue to erupt into violence and “small” wars.

There are problems upon problems in Nigeria but the politicians and conquerors of Nigeria are busy stealing, looting, talking nonsense in the house of assembly, sharing money and allowances across the various arms of government-monies that end up in private account and overseas. This country is a failed country! I’m so convinced.

No credible elections, no electoral reforms, no legal president, useless anticorruption war and all sorts of stupid things going on daily.

The one who is the acting president is still romancing the same people who stole, looted and destroy the country. He is one of them.

The Jos issue is not a local issue. It is a reflection of the lack of democracy and failure of the system. We have no defined system and the country is built on very useless people instead of strong institutions and good principles of governance.

I am not just crying for Jos, I am also crying for Nigeria.