Nigeria

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.

Treason in Nigeria and other stories

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Adeola Aderounmu

We need to continue to remind ourselves of the nature of our problems and our frustrations concerning our inability to solve our national problems. And for me it becomes a personal burden that as much as I’ve tried to stop, I still find myself in this position of criticizing the Nigerian government and politicians because of what I see as willful acts of wickedness and evil machinations on their parts.

And I don’t want anybody to tell me about proffering solutions. It’s simple, if those who are destroying Nigeria do not have the common sense of how to govern a country and how to tackle our national woes then let them get out of the way. I reserve my rights and freedom of expression to continue to say that in Nigeria most of the people in power are empty-skulls whose only idea of governance is to steal and loot. And that is so disgusting!

Take Dimeji Bankole for example, you will never understand why such an individual have made himself the new face of corruption in Nigeria. I am so ashamed and disappointed in him that I cannot express myself enough in words. That young man is a disgrace to his generation (my generation) and on a broader scale a serious embarrassment to his race. And let me make it clear that on my honour I would rather quit a political post than accepts bribes or make decisions that will destroy the lives of other people. I have done that before, it doesn’t matter that I did it as a student leader at the University of Lagos, way back in ‘95.

In recent days we have seen how crazy and foolish people can be in our public institutions. Those people who brought Yar Adua to Abuja are stupid and should even be facing treason charges by now. It was purely an attempt to destabilize the country and throw it into turmoil. If they brought Yar Adua to Nigeria in an ambulance, why not take him to his house in Katsina? Why Abuja?

All the military men from Kebbi State who participated in the criminal activities perpetrated during the wee hours of Wednesday and those who gave the orders for the deployment of military men in that unsuccessful bloodless coup should be arrested without further delay. Delay is dangerous. And this is not a question of arresting Military men from the north. No, far from it. This is a matter of arresting military men irrespective of their tribes for participating in a coup. They and their sponsors must face the law. To do nothing is to imply that a coup will be accepted in Nigeria today or tomorrow.

Yar Adua remains sick and probably unconscious. He cannot make his own judgments-and if he could- they are probably not sound enough. Why did the members of the kitchen cabinet plan a coup against Goodluck Jonathan? They gave orders to military personnel and they compromised the security of 150m Nigerians. No greater coup, no greater acts of treason! They should be arrested and tried in the court of law.

To let them get away with this act will be the greatest mistake Jonathan has made so far as acting president or president. Jonathan should try all he can to be a hero. He needs to make bold decisions and he needs to show the traits of a leader. Nigerians are tired of rulers and dictators. They want a leader. How can Jonathan, against the backdrop of his massively corrupt past, provide good leadership morally and socially? Time is short but it will surely tell. History will not forgive those who stood on the same side as tyranny and those who refused to make the decisions that could have sharpen our lives for the better.

This nation is falling apart for many reasons that we have highlighted before now. What has happened, since 2007 especially, gives us reasons to worry and ponder about now and the future. Corruption has increased, ineptitude is on the rampage. Poverty is spreading like wild fire. Unemployment became firmer than ever and the banking industry has not been spared.

Education is dead as public institutions are mere shadows of themselves. Brain drain continues unabated. Roads and other infrastructure are not being provided. Road accidents are common and traffic congestion remains a public health hazard. Nigerians are at an all time low. Motivation is zero and the struggles are tiring and sickling.

Social security remains at zero level. No one is talking about vulnerable women, children and old people. Pension schemes are death sentences and health care does not exist, not even for Yar Adua! He was in Saudi Arabia for more than 90 days. Mariam Babangida died in a US hospital. It doesn’t matter that his husband was a ruler for more than 8 years in Nigeria. These wicked and evil rulers even forgot to take care of themselves! Otherwise they would have provided the health care for themselves and the rest of us right here on our own soil, in Nigeria.

With all these national problems, it becomes worrying that rather than we focusing on how to solve these problem, the best we have done is to remain in conflicts fighting for political powers and political positions. Why? Because the winner takes all. Those who win political offices steal all the monies and make themselves richer and richer. In Nigeria the politics is about politicians getting rich and stealing. The masses have no say since the politics is bridled in violence and arson.

Direct target and elimination of opposition is part of Nigerian politics. It is well known that some politicians send assassins to kill their opponents as part of the dirty game of politics in Nigeria. Intimidation or the ability to intimidate and instill fear is a plus factor. These are some of the reasons why decent people do not participate in Nigerian politics. I make bold to say that in Nigeria, we do not have democracy. Our politics is complete nonsense. This is why some people think that the black race is cursed or non-intelligent.

In Nigeria we have the largest concentration of the black race. 1 out of 4 Africans is reputed to be a Nigerian. Therefore what we do or don’t do in Nigeria reflect on the black race. What we do in Nigerian politics is pure madness. We don’t even count votes and in several instances we know who will win an election before the actual voting.

Since 2003 many people have won (s)elections simply for 2 reasons. One if that Mr. Iwu who is in charge of the results can decide who wins or loses. The other reason is that the ruling PDP has the federal machinery, ex-military dictators and stolen monies to influence the results of elections. But that is not to say also that some opposition parties are beginning to learn some tricks to counter these scenarios.

So, here we are. We remain at a crossroad for most part of our history. We have the resources. We have the money, we have everything to make Nigeria the greatest country on earth but we have not done enough in that direction.
Nigeria remains in the hands of a few people who will never give us our freedom if we don’t fight for it. We have oil. But we also have pains and sorrows. We have no refineries and a cabal has held us hostage for 50 years. Our 1960 independence from the British was actually the beginning of internal slavery. We have one more fight to go. We must earn this freedom and with that we will (hopefully) be able to do some of these things:

• Be able to install true democracy where our votes will be counted
• Be able to say no to corruption and yes to prosecution of all those who have stolen our money
• Be able to plan our lives through participation and recognition of our common rights, social justice and fairness
• Be able to rebuild this nation through a sense of oneness and belonging
• Be able to respect the religion and rights all and sundry
• Be able to relegate tribalism and nepotism and give the jobs to the best man or woman
• Be able to do all that is necessary to enjoy our lives and live as decent people
• Be able to tackle problems without fear and favour
• Be able to raise our heads high and say YES, I’m a Nigerian and I represent the black race.

If these things don’t happen in my life time, we have succeeded in breeding three wasteful generations. What hope is there for our children and children’s children?

Nigeria Appoints Lars Lagerbäck As Coach of The Super Eagles

/ Adeola / 2 Comments

Adeola Aderounmu

Lars Lagerbäck has been appointed as the coach of the Nigeria Super Eagles. Shuaibu Amodu has been sacked from that position because of the poor performances of the Nigerian team at the Angola 2010 African Cup of Nations. The sack is also connected to the pattern of play and the unconvincing manner in which Nigeria qualified for the world cup.

This is not the first time that Amodu would qualify for the world cup. He did it before and was sacked. The reasons and the circumstances are exactly the same. In fact the administration of football and sports in general in Nigeria has gone worse under the same period of time.

By sacking Amodu the NFF is actually sweeping the dirts under the carpets. NFF did so in France 98 and Korea Japan 2002, the outcomes were disastrous. More devastating when we lost our qualifying spot to lowly rated Angola in 2006. Not that Amodu is indispensable or that he could not have done better, but the fact is that there is more to sports and football in Nigerian than the use of Amodu as a scape goat. Goodbye Amodu, I hope the day will never come when they will ask you to come and help Nigeria to qualify for the world cup again.

The baton has now been passed to Lars Lagerbäck. I have followed Swedish football since 2002. That year Sweden defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the Japan-Korea 2002 World Cups. That was after Aghahowa put Nigeria ahead with a beautiful header off Yobo’s cross. Henrik Larsson and Fredrik Ljungberg got a goal each for Sweden.

Before 2002 I knew Martin Dahlin, Henrik Larsson and Tomas Brolin. Brolin was a huge success in the Italian league and he has a famous way to celebrate his goals. I don’t have any problem per se with the appointment of Lagerbäck. I think his track records give him a good edge for that position.

Sweden has not produced several big names in recent years but Zlatan remains outstanding. Sweden failed to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. Lagerbäck was relieved of his position. Lagerbäck was not a failure but I am convinced there are a few things he would have done better as the head coach for Sweden. Sweden does not have many skilful and talented players as Nigeria.

As the coach of a Nigerian team Lagerbäck has entered into a position where non-performance will not be tolerated. There are 140m football analysts in Nigeria. His seat is even hotter than that of the president. Does he know that? Nigerians don’t care about the presidency as much as they do football-football is the number one religion in Nigeria.

Lagerbäck who has been used to organised environment and structured attitude to work has now suddenly entered into a position where he may probably be looking for jerseys on match days. Lagerbäck will be shocked to know that his salary will not be paid on the 25th of every month. He will have to get used to be living in advance as the salaries will drag and drag. He needs tolerance, endurance and perseverance to survive the 5 months that have been handed to him.

Lagerbäck will inherit players of different ratings and attitudes. Obviously he needs to get used as quickly as possible to the Nigerian football ages and get rid of tired legs as soon as possible. He will see players who think they are doing Nigeria a favour by playing in the national colours. Lagerbäck will see players who are dying for their club sides because of the money they earn and strolling on the pitch when they play for Nigeria. He will be shocked! In fact he will see players impressing in training but posing on match days.

I have suggested in a previous post that we need to work on the mentalities of our players. But the complexity of the problem is that our players are Nigerians and we cannot isolate their mentalities from the national mentalities. Most of the people in governance or administrative roles in Nigeria are doing things that will profit them and not Nigeria. We have an attitude that has robbed us of our pride and duty to nation. Nigerian players are not exceptions!

I don’t know the nature of Lagerbäck’s contract but if I could just imagine-it would be wonderful to have him bring some organisation and structure into our football. If they could employ him not just as a coach but as a “tool” to institute the organisation that is missing in our football, that would be great.

Imagine if our democracy is structured like Swedish democracy-where you can vote at a post office or at designated centres before the Election Day-and your vote will still be counted. Imagine if we could sack corrupt people and let good and knowledgeable people run our sports, our football and our government-the world will be at our feet.

I wish Lagerbäck the best of luck. I wish I could meet him and give him some solid advice and information about his new task and terrain.

I wish Nigeria goodluck in South Africa. And I sincerely hope that Amodu will find the place in his heart to forgive Nigerians, we are a bunch of _________people..!

Nigeria is obviously not a democratic country

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Adeola Aderounmu

My work is not allowing me to blog out my heart concerning the TOTAL MADNESS in the Nigerian seat of power.

Mad men are back to power and a probably insane woman is about to uproot the weak foundations of Nigeria.

I shal blog more over the weekend after I have taken a closer look at the ABSOLUTE MADNESS going on in Nigeria.

I hope to hit out hard at Nigerians including myself that we have totally lost the plot and maybe it is time for everyone to return to his/ her mother’s house.

I cannot believe how insanity has taken control of the rulership in Nigeria.

Anyone who says Nigeria is a democratic country would need an immediate psychiatric evaluation.

As I write Nigeria is like a jungle where some fools and idiots are holding the rest of us to ransom. For all they care, the rest of us can go to hell.

This is unbelievable. What a crazy dilemma.

These are probably the worst of times for sane Nigerians. We are all down no doubt!