Paying It Forward: The Way I want To Live

In this story l want to share some real life experiences of paying forward.

Paying It Forward: The Way I want To Live

By Adeola Aderounmu

One day my phone rang 5 minutes after l returned home from a shopping mall. I had done the weekly grocery shopping for the family at a store barely 2 km from our home.

I picked up the phone and the voice at the other end was not a familiar one just as the number also did not turned up any name. Have you been shopping at the store today? The voice asked. Yes l just came home, l replied.

Can you check your wallet if you are missing something? Sure l said and immediately knew something was wrong. Yeaaaa….l said….one of my credit cards is missing.

I have it, he said.

Another 5 minutes l met the man at the store and he gave me back my credit card.

How did you find me, l asked full of curiosity.

When l saw your name, l sent a text message to my son and he looked up your contact information on the address book online. That’s how l got your number, he concluded.

I was short of words. It came to me at as a shock. The speed at which he got in touch with me gave me the conviction that he didn’t think twice about what to do when he found my credit card.

He could have gone on a spending spree and l wouldn’t have known until the next day or the next time l need the card.

I was so convinced of the man’s honesty that l kept using the credit card until it expired. I mean l was not afraid that he could have copied the number and the 3-digit security code at the back.

I was pleased.

When we exchanged pleasantry further with each other, he told me that he migrated to Sweden from Iraq many years ago.

We shook hands and l drove back home. I explained to my wife and she smiled. We were both pleased.

I know that when you talk about righteousness that l cannot claim to be holy. But l am sure that l do the best l can. I try to radiate love and to show people that l care.

I have paid forward so many acts of kindness that have been done to me.

I have asked friends and acquaintances to pay forward, but not all the time. Sometimes l need some things back so l can carry on with a normal life as well.

Just two weeks ago, l was at another shop where they sell stuffs they claimed come from all over the world. I found Nigerian plantain there, so their claim may be true.

On this particular day, an elderly woman was ahead of me and she had paid for all her grocery and stuffs. She was packing her things and had forgotten to remove her credit card from the payment machine.

The machine was positioned so that the cashier does not see if the card has been removed or not. The idea is that cashier do not see your codes when you make a payment.

Luckily for this elderly woman she was still packing her things when l wanted to insert my own credit card. It went quickly because l bought only 2 or 3 items. So l took her credit card and handed it over to her.

She was pleased.

On my way out, l said to her trevlig helg! (have a nice weekend) and she replied tack detsamma! (thanks, l wish you the same).

I didn’t think twice when l had the chance to hand over the elderly woman’s credit card. She has completely forgotten it in the machince.

I could not waste the chance to represent. I mean l grew up in Nigeria and we were raised to be good, to be kind and to be helpful.

In my family especially my father always say, remember the son of whom you are.

I am so ashame of all the negative news about criminals in Nigerian government and the stupidity of Nigerian politicians.

I am not going to be a perfect man or claim that l am a righteous man but l do my best.

Last week, precisely on the 4th of december 2015 l was on my bicycle  about 2 km away from home when l noticed something unusual on the ground, so l stopped.

autumn_morning

Cold Autumn Morning in November, Sweden

If you don’t know how it is in Sweden at this time of the year, then it will be hard to comprehend the cold, dark, winter mornings.

On this day it was cold and raining.  So l had every reason to hurry up to work. I should ignore every object that intends to distract me.

When l stopped my bicycle, l looked down at the dark object lying on the wet ground on this dark morning. It turned out to be a mobile phone. It is a Samsung-Galaxy S5.

samsung_S5

The Samsung S-5 l found on the ground on my way to work

The first thing l did when l got to work was to check the mobile phone out properly. Luckily l could access the phone by just swipping the screen. Luckily too the owner had a facebook account where l saw a home-telephone number.

10 hours after l found the phone it was reunited with its owner.

She was very happy and she brought a gift when she came to our house to collect her phone.

choco_plant_1 (2)

The Gift l got in appreciation

I do not know what she and her husband whom l got at the other end of the phone in the morning have discussed but the gifts she brought gave volume to their thoughts. I accepted the chocolate and the special seasonal plant that she presented to me. (see pictures)

This is the way l want to live.

This type of paying forward is what makes the world go round.

I hope Charlotte is as impressed as l was when a man from Iraq gave me back my credit card which l had forgotten in a shopping wagon as l hurriedly left the store.

I hope that that elderly woman at the global market store was impressed that some of us are in this country not just because of what we gain from the country but also because we are good people who can contribute our bits to make the country a better place to live.

We came here to learn and to share our experiences too. Now Sweden is our home too.

We are good people.

I can recall that l have been good in uncountable ways both at work and at play.

Some people have touched my lives both in Nigeria and here in Sweden. l have tried so hard to pay forward by touching other people’s lives positively. But we soon learn that we cannot please everybody and some people will make good deeds look like divine favours. They don’t pay back and they don’t pay forward.

I have always thought of writing for the rest of my life, because everyday in my head, there is always a chapter that is left unwritten out of my life’s experiences- at home, work, with friends, families and the people l see everyday on the train, on the bus, and everywhere l go.

The way l live and work have given me adequate shield and buffer from the negativity that surrounds me. For examples, all those extra hours l have spent on my students since 1990, without pay, are the ones that count most.

For it is at those times that l have gone out of my comfort zone to give my students the extra help and support that they need.

I am happy when they find the motivation with which they succeed in the moment and subsequently obtaining the momentum that keeps them going throughout life.

This is the way l want to live-full of content and paying forward all the good deeds.

In my view, this is part of the secret of authentic happiness. It adds meaning to our lives.

 

aderounmu@gmail.com

 

Faleke’s Trauma: APC’s Dictatorial Tendencies Unfold

The lack of common sense within the APC is tragic. Where is the change? Where do we go from here?

Faleke’s Trauma: APC’s Dictatorial Tendencies Unfold

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Sometimes when you hear about certain things happening in Nigeria and especially those things that emanate from the political circles, you get so shocked that you begin to wonder if these people running Nigeria have any brain cells at all.

I have seen many comical pictures on the social media where different Nigerian rulers or presidents have had their heads replaced with coconuts.

On a closely look, those comical images are near to reality for Nigeria’s political class.

So Audu Abubakar died. Some have called for autopsy reports to ascertain if he was murdered or if he died of natural causes. I think his family has more say on what path they choose.

Ordinarily one would have thought that succeeding or replacing Audu Abubakar ought to be common sense. Mathematicians will call it logic.

Late Audu’s deputy Mr.  Faleke should step into his shoes and finish the race for the his late boss and definitely for his party-the APC.

As I understand it now, there are about 49 000 votes up for grab.

Bu what has the APC mandate under Mr. Buhari done?

They have brought out a man from the PDP to be the replacement for APC’s Audu Abubakar. Yahaya Bello campaigned for Idris Wada after he lost the APC governorship ticket. They have now brought him back to the APC and chose him ahead of James Faleke.

Let those who have ears hear now, the trouble in Kogi will most definitely add to the already brewed troubles in Eastern Nigeria and the war in Northern Nigeria which will make Nigeria one of the most unstable and most unpredicatable places on earth.

James Faleke has gone to court. The cases may draw for a long time and they may stall the proposed conclusion to the elections.

The constitution of Nigeria is already messed up on this matter. There are as many opinions as contributors.

I learnt INEC which was supposed to be an independent body even ran to the Attorney General for suggestions. That way it became easy to finger the presidency in the dilemma.

I am not the one to bring out the ethnicity and religion of James Faleke. His names will do. I wish he could called on Ifa though.

If APC needs help in flaming their politics of tribe and religion, they will get as many help as they want with this nonsense and ingredients that they have started.

For, the death of Audu was already a matter that created problems for the interpretations of Nigerian electoral law.

The problems would have been mild and probably manageable by sticking to Faleke and hoping that he will gather the necessary votes from the disputed ones.

Who will tell the dunces and mumus in APC that Yahaya Bello can never win the governorship election with 49 00 votes even if he claims all the votes?

When late Audu Abubakar contested with Faleke as his deputy, they had votes that counted for both of them. Is APC interpreting these votes as votes for the party and not the candidates?

Then, they should also be preparing their lawayers for the suits that will come from the PDP.

As it looks now, PDP is contesting both with Idris Wada in their official party and with Yahaya Bello on the platform of the APC. Head or tail, PDP will win the elections if they are conducted on Saturday but Bello will not be the winner.

He cannot possibly be allowed by Wada or the PDP to assume the position of the governor with less than 50 000 votes.

APC is not even gradually showing its true colours, it is doing it with speed. As soon as the party took over from Jonathan and PDP at the center, it was quick to show in the morning what Nigerians should expect for the rest of the day.

Not least is the rise of dictatorial tendencies and one-sided prosecution of persons perceived to be political enemies and adversaries.

The side-tracking of Faleke (if APC succeeds) will be a new chapter in the books of dictatorship. It is too easy for the presidency to lie and change a lot of stories in the media. This is because they have not allowed Buhari to speak to Nigeria in Nigerians.

Unless someone can prove otherwise, l have read many statements credited to Mr. Buhari when he is outside Nigerian than when he is in Abuja.

It is time to hear him speak. His opinions count. During the elections’ campaign, he hardly spoke. When does he intend to start talking and giving his opinions directly to the people and the media?

Is the APC not tired of having to change every single opinion that is credited to it or Mr. Buhari?

Some of those opinions and issues will continue to trail this administration for as long as it exists at the center.

The APC as it seems is always changing and does not seems to stand for anything. That is why it is falling apart and falling for everything.

For sure, a lot of people will want to bring party ideology which is of course nonsensical and other lines of legal implications into what is transpiring in Kogi State.

My take is that it is simply wrong and actually stupid to replace Faleke. If Audu was alive he would have re-contested with Faleke. If Audu had won, he would have been governor and Faleke is deputy. If Audu had died one week after he became governor, Faleke would have been the governor.

What we know now is that the last sentence does not hold water with APC mandate and Buhari’s rulership. Faleke could have been booted out of office, and Yahaya Bello imported from PDP to the governor’s house.

These are all hypotheses. But again, the last option is very possible with APC dictatorial tendencies as we now know.

Have we forgotten too easily how we all rallied round Goodluck Jonathan during those trying months? I do not intend to elaborate further. A word is always enough for the wise.

APC must not forget that what goes round, comes round. It is Faleke today, you will not hear it from me where this is going to come up next. But it will happen and some people will run from Cape Town to Cairo asking for sympathy and placement.

Meanwhile all these nonsense and ingredients from APC are perfect distractions from other dangerous situations in Nigeria.

The petrol scarcity is back and the eastern part of Nigeria is gradually locking up or is it down. Unemployment is on record high, crime rate hitting the roof and the standard of living digging deeper.

Where is the change?

Where do we go from here?

aderounmu@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

At War With Ourselves

The importance of a lasting political solution can never, never be over-emphasized.

At War With Ourselves

By Adeola Aderounmu

 

Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola Aderounmu

Our lives remain a struggle of different shades. In Nigeria we need a massive overdose of peace.

Each day still comes with its own struggles and puzzles, and whilst we try to live or make a way, we are sometimes confronted by violent assaults from fellow citizens as if the endless non-violent assaults from the political class are not enough.

When tens of robbers decided to storm Agbara in Ogun State 2 weeks ago (week 47), they were not joking. They made a statement of fact. They are at war with the society. After 90 minutes they  made away with millions of naira.

The robbers did not leave until they have inflicted sorrows and tears by also drawing the blood of some the innocent people around. There are diverse reports on the numbers of people slaughtered during the 90 minutes long operations.

Some policemen working in the Estate/ at the bank lost their lives and some bank customers were either shot dead or injured.

The official police response at the time of the robbery must have been extremely late considering that the robbers took their time, a time long enough to watch a football match. Even if the police took a flight from Abuja when the robbery started, they could still have met the robbers and foiled the operations before the robbers got away.

They got away in style. They shot at people at a nearby market killing a market woman in the process and they blew up a car. The language of war was clear and unmistaken.

This particular robbery by a gang that may have numbered 40 is the latest in the series of aggravated assaults on Western Nigeria. In Lagos State for example, the crime rate has soared significantly, especially since the emergence of Mr. Ambode as the governor of Lagos State.

A lot of things have gone worse in Nigeria generally especially since the emergence of the new dispensation at the center. The gaps and lapses since the month of May have exposed one of the ills of the system of governance in Nigeria. It is rather apppalling that Nigeria goes on recess every 4 years after the elections; a recess that usually means that things usually go from bad to worse.

But now that the federal executives have emerged and with the state executives also in place across Nigeria, a lot of people are looking forward to improvements, at least to the levels things were before the downward spiral. Things were already bad enough, why should they always get worse?

The organised criminal act perpetrated in Agbara was not an isolated occurence. In Festac Town, a similar rambo-style robbery was unleashed on the banks recently. It is time for the banks in Western Nigeria to invest more in the security of their staff and customers.

The ambulance response and the way people flooded the crime scenes after the bank robbery is a note for another day. It was just too awful to behold the non-response to crimes and the violations of crime scenes by onlookers and passers-by.

[The police were later reported to have arrested and killed the gang leader and other robbers who participated in the Agbara robbery]

There are constant sources of worries in Nigeria. The wars are many.

It is when you step into one of them consciously or unconsciously that you’ll know how that heart attack kills just as easily as a gun shot.

Growing up and living in Nigeria has already created the automated and life-time sources of worries. Invariably, struggling for common things like water, transportation and even education is a way of life. It is disheartening.

We are constantly at different types of war, it all depends on how you see life.

Some wars are too obvious you cannot miss them.

The war with Boko Haram is official.

Despite several claims that the sponsors are known, the group remains largely faceless. Recently, the Nigerian government published the pictures of people wanted in connection to the sect. Aside that, no one knows how the pictures were obtained or the stories/history of the accused.

Intelligence collection?

While some say that the group was formed by the Northern elites in an attempt to seize power from the South, others continue to finger the international community as flamers of the war in Northern Nigeria. The North did get back power and the terrorists got more brutal. Is it a case of a machine or robot out of control?

Irrespective of the speculations or the conspirations, Boko Haram has decimated the population of North-Eastern Nigeria and it has sent many people to their graves too early.

Millions OF PEOPLE are displaced within and around Nigeria.

The group is at war with Nigeria and it is shameful and ridiculous that they continue to embarass the Nigerian intelligence agency and the Nigerian military.

I think Boko Haram will last for as long as the rulers of Nigeria sees the decimation of Boko Haram as an attack on Nigeria.

The truth is, in this Boko Harm war, unless the funding of Boko Haram is cut away by arresting and prosecuting the local sponsors, or exposing the international ring if that be the case, the group will continue to re-organise and carry out attacks.

It is becoming obvious that the APC just like the PDP are denying the truths of the matter and they continue to play politics with the lives of the people. In the face of deceit, the war will thrive.

It is in view of this that the recent upsurge of the Biafra struggle is also worrying. Now there are claims again of external and internal sponsors for the biafran proponents. Both may be correct.

Africa continues to hold most of the world’s wealth beneath her soil. Stability in Africa will make her emerge as a powerful continent. So definitely the enemies of Africa posing as friends do not want peace on the continent.

But what do Africans want for themselves? Peace or war? Greed or common good of all?

This brings me to the point of the non-violent wars whose consequences unfortunately are physical wars and violence around Nigeria.

By organising corruption, greed and a non-functional system of government the Nigerian politicians have continuously remain in war with the rest of the society.

By some inexplicable means, one generation after the other continue to toe the line of non-functional methods of governance. The greed in people deafened them when it is their chance to effect a change.

In Nigeria’s classical example, the politicians are the same even though they want the people to believe that the political parties count. Since the demise of the UPN, NPN, and the likes of the GNPP, political parties in Nigeria have simply become a group of birds of the same feather in different nests.

What is likely now is that Boko Haram may outlive the Buhari administration the same way it outlived the Jonathan government. This is so because the deadline given by the APC to defeat Boko Haram has expired.

Boko Haram, Biafra proponents, and even the Oodua Republic will outlive the Buhari government the same way they have (under different names and agitations) outlived the different governments over the years.

Nigerians have neglected the voices of reasons that a lasting political solution is imminent for Nigeria. The British formula will not hold water forever.

No one has told us what is wrong with regional system of government. It was amazing for Nigeria whilst it lasted until the regimes became intoxicated with the oil wealth of the Niger Delta.

There are indeed no perfect ways forward for Nigeria but the dirts have been under the carpets for more than 55 years. It’s time to start cleaning and talking.

Once the Nigerian people decide on putting the right amount of pressure on its political class, they’ll be able to force constructive debates and consequently a referedum to decide the political future of the country put together in 1914 for the benefit of Britain and the Western world.

A functional political structure and a working society will reduce the crime rate drastically. It will go a long way to address unemployment issues and tackle many of the societal ills that continue to put Nigeria permanently on the edge.

One hopes that the political class does not take the war, increasing uprisings and agitations with kid gloves any longer. Drastic situations require drastic solutions.

The surest thing in the future is that one day under a certain generation, that political solution which we keep avoiding will stare at people in their faces as the only way forward.

If it is not too late, it will become the only alternative to war.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Life, Still A Passage

Just 2 weeks ago, (actually 3 weeks) l wrote: death either abroad or at home appears to be the only leveler between the corrupt and the saints, the rich and the poor. Life will remain a passage and only fools don’t see the vanity of primitive accumulations.

 

Life, Still A Passage

 

By Adeola Aderounmu

I have made references to my essay ”A Passage Called Life” on several occasions. The essay was first published in the Nigerian Village Square on November 7, 2007.

At that time Ms. Bunmi Etteh was already brushed aside as the speaker in the Nigerian House of Representatives.  One Aminu Safana had also suddenly kicked the bucket.

In that 2007 episode l wrote about the recommendations of the Japanese.

I don’t remember where l got it from but the Japanese gave only 3 recommendations for a fulfilling life. These recommendations are 1. Have children 2. Write a book and 3 . Plant a tree.

I wish l knew where l got this from but it does not matter now. I can make my own inferences.

I remember also an ex-colleague of mine who told me that he was no longer afraid to die. When I asked him what he meant, he said now he has a child and all his fears are gone.

The meaning of the expression is deep and l leave it to my readers,the fathers and mothers out there to interprete.

For my ex-colleague, his thoughts may be in line with what the Japanese inferred.

Can everybody write a book? It depends on how you look at it. I think what will be relevant here it to tell our stories. Ideology and traditions have been sustained even in the absence of books. We can tell our stories and the custodians of history can write them for us.

Since we want our stories to be beneficial to mankind or humanity, we want it to contain good deeds.

It will be hard to read the minds of the Japanese but l do hope they realise the imperfection of mankind.

Not all of us will have children especially now that biological rules have been rewritten. We will not all plant trees because we depend on some institutions in the society to do so on our behalf.

Our stories will be our books if we write them. If we don’t, still we should not fail to share them with those we love and trust.

Then, just 2 weeks ago, l wrote an essay (108 Modern Hospitals Now) and in the conclusion l stated that death either abroad or at home appears to be the only leveler between the corrupt and the saints, the rich and the poor.

Life will remain a passage and only fools don’t see the vanity of primitive accumulations.

In the recent essay l threw a challenge to the government of Nigeria and the politicians as the custodians of our commonwealth. It was my response to the death of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and all the Nigerian politicians who want to go abroad to die.

Why not build hospitals for yourselves and the citizens of Nigeria?

Nigerian criminal politicians and in fact all greedy and selfish people need to be told (because they do not appear to know) that life is transient and nothing last forever.

Was it Akon who sang and mentioned that tomorrow is not guaranteed?

Whilst the poor people and the masses are still clamouring for the dividends of democracy 16 years on, some fools are already scheming for the 2019 elections.

This means that they are already looting and stealing monies in small and big amounts from different corners of the country and piling them up to execute the 2019 elections.

At the same time, they-the politicians continue to earn undeserved wages, award themselves contracts and buy houses from Dubai to the US, from Britain to the Carribean.

The tradition of the Nigerian politicians since the exit of the colonial thugs remain to suppress the people and continue to impoverish them. To an extremely large and unbelievable extent they have succeeded.

Hence no matter how we have preached about the need and importance of good governance, the priority remains their selfish gains and how to make their families and friends wealthy.

It was not a good omen when people jubilated in the streets in those days when dictators or crook politicians died.

Nowadays the jubilation is on the social media. Invariably the majority of Nigerians wish that many of the politicians could drop dead one after the other.

So far, many have dropped dead actually. There is no pity here because like l mentioned in 108 Hospitals Now, we have all lost some of our loved ones due to the recklessness of governance and disorderliness in the society.

Nigeria is on rampage daily.

But our political problems are not solved by death at home and abroad because the spread of wickedness and insensitivity are still irredeemable in the souls of the conquerors of Nigeria.

Today the conquerors are the men and women parading themselves in APC and PDP folds.

I have come to the conclusion that the APC and the PDP are birds of the same feather in different nests.

Fot them there are no lessons to be learnt about the transiency of life. No lessons are learnt from history.

Nigerian politicians do not give a damn. As long as there is yam, they are glad to remain the goats until they drop dead, whichever way.

So once again, as Nigerians continue with their daily struggles looking for food and water to put on the table, one hopes that sense will prevail and that gradually Nigeria will move towards finding a lasting solution to the problems plaguing country.

Not least is the political solution that is even now more urgent.

If a man participated in an election in the morning and dropped dead in the afternoon, then it is not just tomorrow that is not guaranteed but also the rest of today

Life will remain a passage. We are all here, only for a while.

Nobody leaves this planet alive. Live and lets live..!

aderounmu@gmail.com

 

The JETS Club, We Were Members!

In this jet age and in the JETS CLUB, they don’t sell jets, they fly them! Moreover when the king’s house is burnt, the new one becomes even more beautiful.

The Jets Club, We Were Members!

By Adeola Aderounmu

I remember many things from my days as a child and as a young boy growing up in the city of Lagos. I remember many things from my school days as well. At school we had a group called the Science Club. I was a member of that group from my early days in secondary school. So l had the opportunity (a few times) to interact with my seniors and l look up to them.

Attending the Science Club meetings every Wednesday after school was also a way to introduce myself early to my future science teachers. Some of them stayed long enough in the profession to see me off my school days. Many of them left somewhere along the time. The global movement of teachers remains a syndrome to this day and is a point of discussion for another day.

jetsclub

Later on the science club did not exist anymore. The nomenclature became JUNIOR ENGINEERS TECHNICIANS AND SCIENTISTS CLUB-JETS for short.

Suddenly the hall became full every Wednesday when we had extra-curricula activities. I was now one of the senior students and the turn outs were massive from both the junior and senior classes. The new name-JETS was so captivating that everybody wanted to belong there-to the club.

So this week l read about president Buhari and the APC government still hanging on to the JETS bought by Jonathan and the PDP. Who no like jets? Why should Buhari sell the jets?

The other day vice-president Osinbajo went to Kogi state to support one of the most corrupt Nigerians alive-Abubakar Audu-in his bid to become the governor of Kogi state. Did we expect him to trek to Kogi ni? He has to fly in the corruption ballon called presidential jet in order to get to Kogi now. Abi?

How else can you support corruption if you are not dwelling or flying in corruption? Abeg o, naija people, join the JETS CLUB.

How many times have Mr. Obasanjo and Mr. Jonathan visited their friend President Buhari in Aso rock? Do you want them to trek back and forth? Nigeria needs even more presidential jets to fly all the corrupt ex-presidents and all the former and serving corrupt ministers and government official. Why is this hard to understand? Please stop complaining.

Leave the science club and join the jets club o jare, please!

Let APC fly!

Can’t you see that the presidential air fleet is the Nigerian national carrier? Book your tickets online or get connected to the Aso rock villa. Abi?

So you want Buhari to sell the jets? Really? How else can the Buhari government and the APC family fraternise with one another and the corrupt elites in Nigeria? Do you want them on our dangerous roads? We don’t even have a reliable railway line yet.

Did you think that all the overnight trains and railways commissioned by Mr. Jonathan were real? Ask Dr. Okupe for more information. You actually think your rulers are ok?

How did you think the Abacha family got to Aso rock in 2015? Did you think they trek like the refugees? They are not internally displaced people now?

Get it now, Buhari and the APC need the several jets to fly the likes of Abacha’s family in-and-out of Aso rock for dinner, prayer and merry making. Who no like jets?

Ask you minister of transport Rotimi Amaechi what he went through when his cousin from the Niger Delta Goodluck Jonathan grounded his (or maybe it was Rivers State) governor’s jets. It was like his world was turned upside down!

So now as the transport minister, Nigerians wants Mr. Amaechi and his boss Mr. Buhari to sell the jets? In this jet age and in the JETS CLUB, they don’t sell jets, they fly them!

Amaechi will now mock Jonathan in a thousand ways. He will fly around in jets as the minister of transport. He needs many of them just to show Jonathan that when the king’s house is burnt, the new one becomes more beautiful.Ha ha ! The JETS CLUB.

How many times has president Buhari attended events outside of Nigeria? Many, many times of course. If the tempo is maintained he will break Obasanjo’s record and make Jonathan’s flying habit a child’s play. Then you want him to sell the jets. Seriously?

President Buhari needs one jet per day for his trips. He will change them like l change my underwears. Each time has to the different from the previous one. Sell Jets? Sell fire. Abeg carry go, bad market!

Nigerians should praise this APC and Buhari government abeg. Before Emperor Jonathan was deposed, there were plans to buy more presidential jets. It was already in the budget. So if Buhari has not bought any new jets, he has saved money for Nigeria.

Under Jonathan, and probably now sef, the number of Nigerians belonging to the JETS CLUB was used to measure our national wealth and economic growth. As l remember now, l’m wondering, how did all these coconut heads become rulers of Nigeria?

Am l supposed to cry or laugh remembering that Jonathan said Nigerians are not poor because more Nigerians own private jets. To even remember the paperwork that Mrs Iweala did in order to deceive Nigerians and the world on the status of Nigeria’s economy is more disheartening. These people are not normal.

Who can forget the acknowledgements that the various African countries accorded to Nigerian diplomats and government entourage. In Nigeria there is no electricity to boost the standard of living or employment situation but the low thinking politicians continue to fly around Africa and the world in jets. No greater shame!

But for the APC and the Buhari intervention, it appears that Jonathan’s white elephant goal was that every household in Nigeria will own a jet. They already started with the ministers, their wives and husbands and their children.

The social media connected to Nigeria celebrates the looting of the Nigerian treasuries by the politicians by ways of writing and publishing images of ministers and their families flying in jets while the rest of us can trek or go to hell.

The cost of service under Mr. Buhari and the APC mandate? Was it 6 billion naira already? So how much will this corrupt government spend on jets before the end of the year? Before the end of the APC mandate?

If this wasteful government does not know how many homeless or poor people that could have be housed or taken off the streets by 6 billion naira, they should please employ Lateef Jakande immediately.

Since this government does not believe in the youth, they will need an old reliable hand like Lateef Jakande. They need him for the UPN blueprint on housing for all in western Nigeria. How many Jakande type of low cost hosuing estate can be erected with 6 billion naira?

How many junior civil servants who have no access to looting or organised crimes could have been made happier and healthier with 6 billion naira housing estate? Don’t ask google. Ask Jakande!

Anyway, in Nigeria that attitude of putting political party before sense, political party before reasoning remains constant. Therefore the government of APC with president Buhari and Mr. Osinbajo as the flag-bearers are not seeing the nonsense that they have been involved with lately.

Vice-president Osinbajo was in in Kogi to support corruption. What the APC should have done in this era of their stillbirth change is to at least struggle to present a new candidate in Kogi. They did not. They went ahead to fly corruption. It is amazing and very shocking. It is so disgusting one could throw up on the faces on all pro-APC ranters!

President Buhari is still living behind time, mostly showing insensitivity to current issues. He needs to be schooled and updated by his media team and advisers how the majority of Nigerians feel and their expectactions from him.

He must be able to leave the years of tyranny behind as the citizens try to forget the wounds of the military years which he contributed in inflicting.

lt was also an insult and a spite to the families of those murdered by Abacha and to the rest of us who (almost) gave our lives so that democracy can survive in Nigeria. Some people paid the ultimate price in the fight to wrestle tyranny under the watch of Abacha.

As for the JETS CLUB at Festac Grammar School, l wonder what happened to it especially when the 6-3-3-4 system that came behind us crashed with the same speed as it arrived.

What did not crash in Nigeria? Health care? Housing? Basic infrastructure?

I know what didn’t crash.

The sustenance of the Nigerian president air fleet did not crash. Not under Jonathan, not yet under Buhari.

Who cares about the revival of the Nigerian Airways? In Nigeria, there is a flying JETS CLUB.

In Africa we have the giant, the Ethiopia Airline, in whom we trust!

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