Nigeria

TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World: Lies and Jargons

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By Adeola Aderounmu

I read with dismay the nonsense comments written by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Goodluck Jonathan. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Almost what Ellen wrote are lies that any dummy can verify. How that beats the TIME editorial beats my imaginations.

In Bayelsa, Jonathan had nothing to show for his time as the governor, just like Alamieyeseigha his boss who was arrested in London but later escaped as a woman. Jonathan’s wife is a well-known money launderer. She could have only stolen through her husband’s access to power.

Under Jonathan, Corruption in Nigeria reached a new height. What is Ellen talking about? What kind of madness has been published in TIME to deceive the world?

Jonathan has almost emptied the Nigerian treasury buying Presidential jets after presidential jet.

Under Late Yar Adua and Jonathan, James Ibori who sponsored their elections as president and vice president in 2007 is a saint. In London Ibori has become the most famous prisoner.

Which corruption is Jonathan fighting in Ellen’s and TIME’s worlds?

It is one thing to say that Jonathan is influential-all Nigerian presidents and head of states who have looted the treasury are all influential-it is another thing to write nonsense to feed the world. It is unacceptable.

Of course Jonathan is influential. Nigeria is probably going to finish under him with the spate of bombings that have turned Nigeria to one of the most dangerous places to live in the world.

Who needs a greater influence?

Nigeria: Of Treasons and Breakups (Or The Last Chapter)

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By Adeola Aderounmu

Boko Haram members are doing nothing other than committing treasonable felony. Now they have even gone ahead to say they will kill Goodluck Jonathan latest by June 2012.

Boko Haram is not the first group of terrorists on the treason list. MEND has been there and MASSOB leader stood trial for his roles.

With Rauf Aregbesola on the list from Western Nigeria, the list got longer.

But how truthful is the Rauf Aregbesola’s case? Is the PDP on his trail genuinely or for the sake of political persecution?

Well in Nigeria, anything is possible and everything goes.

The US has predicted (like a god will do) that Nigeria will disintegrate by 2015. Whether this comes true or not is not supposed to be a game plan and it will never justify the role of the US in global instability.

But what I know is that politics in Nigeria remains an insane game. It has created a killing field outshined only by real declarations of war. The corruption in Nigeria conceals or maybe reveals the absurd stupidity of what politics should be. Nigerians mock the definition and essence of democracy.

With Nigeria as an example democracy cannot be the best form of governance since its advent has contributed to increase in poverty, increase in the level of ignorance and a rise in the death rate of Nigerians. Democracy as defined by Nigeria has promoted illiteracy, backwardness and underdevelopment.

But that is not the norm even though that is what obtains in Nigeria where a fool can be the president or governor. Many Nigerian lawmakers are almost illiterate and unknowledgeable. The major motivation of becoming a politician in Nigeria is to become a thief, that is to steal from the national or state treasury.

Nigeria’s politics is silly and therefore we now have a consequential outcome as a result of more than 50 years of useless rulership, almost devoid of real leadership.

Treason has been in the air for long and the conditions on ground permit it.

Raul Aregbesola is now on the watchlist based on security reports.

But no one placed Babangida, Shekarau, Buhari and Atiku on the watchlist based on the same security report that was leaked several months ago.

The PDP and the Jonathan administration have redefined the meaning of enemy of the state.

Where does Nigeria go from here? Their tents or to war? Time will tell.

Nigeria’s NEPA (PHCN) is the most useless organization in Africa

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By Adeola Aderounmu

The national power provider in Nigeria popularly called NEPA is probably the most useless government company or organization in Africa, if not in the world.

Power supply is almost absent despite billions of dollars earmarked for this company annually. The problem with NEPA has been treated in several essays here.

https://aderinola.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/if-nepa-goes-on-strike

https://aderinola.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/everybody-is-on-strike-in-nigeria

Power supply in Nigeria is worse than a nightmare.

Every Nigerian family/household now has a generator. The size, numbers and quality of your generation is even a revelation of your economic strength. Therefore generators have names and one popular one is “I pass my neighbor”. I pass my neighbor is one the smallest generators you can buy and if your neighbor doesn’t have any, definitely you are richer than him/her.

What is even worse is that you will pay monthly for electricity bills whether you have used it or not. NEPA is a government agency in Nigeria that is duping the people of billions of naira across the country everyday.

USELESS NEPA AND USELESS GOVERNMENT PROMISING END TO BLACKOUT IN 1986

USELESS NEPA AND USELESS GOVERNMENT PROMISING END TO BLACKOUT IN 1986

 

Sometimes you can have electricity for 2 or 3 days only in a month, yet your bill will be on the rise. NEPA forces you to pay anyway. The option is that NEPA can “cut” your light so that you are deprived of resting your generator for those (2 or 3 days) of interrupted power supply.

NEPA is one of the biggest woes in Nigeria. Among other national calamities in Nigeria NEPA is a clear revelation of the total absence of intelligence among the evil ruling class.

Some countries in the world have had uninterrupted power supplies for hundreds of years and Nigeria cannot boast of 24 hours of uninterrupted power. Nigerian rulers are fools to the core.

What would have been more rewarding than to set a one-agenda program of ensuring that power is steady in Nigeria? Since 1999 rogues, thieves and looters have paraded the landscape of Nigeria.
They are all thieves.

Before 1999 it was the same story but things got worse under civilian looters. There is no sense in Nigerian politics and policy.
On what will the economy rest? What is the backbone of technology, science, innovations, growth and development if not constant power supply?

Several companies both big and small run on own power generations.
Those who cannot do have left Nigeria and others have packed up totally. Nigeria has about 5 to 6 generations of unemployed graduates and unemployment generally will be on the rise in the absence of power.

There are no genuine commitments from any Nigerian government to make power constant. A serious / an embarrassed government will almost invariably shed other agenda or program to ensure that power supply is constant at all cost, at any cost. Not Nigeria where fools are in power all the time. It’s a shame, a disgrace beyond human comprehension.

The kind of power supply in Nigeria does not correlate with the fact that people pay bills for electricity. By now the government of Jonathan should be so ashamed to even ask people to continue to pay NEPA bills.

The way things are in Nigeria, people should not be paying for electricity until it is constant and assuring. That much the government owed the people.

I cannot believe that NEPA and the government of Nigeria especially is still asking people to pay for what is rarely available. It is robbery and very characteristic of the Nigerian government populated by thugs and thieves from the presidency to the last man in the local council area.

In my opinion this is a great scandal and it qualifies NEPA to be the worst government agency in the world today.

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..!

The War on Fuel Subsidy: Isn’t It Time for Jonathan To Get Out of the Way?

/ Adeola / 2 Comments

By Adeola Aderounmu

By removing subsidy Mr. Jonathan and Mrs. Iweala are trying to save N1 000 000 000 000 but together with others before them they have all stolen more than N60 800 000 000 000. Is it not wiser to try to recover the stolen monies by fighting corruption TOTALLY? So much for Iweala’s Havard Education and IMF employment.

If Jonathan and PDP remain in 2012, I won’t recover from the shock..!

Nigerians should resist by any/all possible means the proposed removal of the subsidy on petroleum products.

If the pump price of petrol hits N140/per liter Nigerians have a duty and the obligation to make the country ungovernable for Mr. Jonathan. Since Nigerians insisted in April 2011 that they voted for Jonathan and not the PDP, then a moral obligation here is to ensure that they remove the evil they accidentally or stupidly voted for.

At that time, Nigerians should demand for the sack of Ngozi Iweala. This is the same woman who in connivance with Obasanjo ensured that Abacha’s loots disappeared into thin air. Now she is the champion for the removal of subsidy.

No Nigerian politician or Minister will be affected by this policy because they steal and loot as they like. Instead it the people who are already poor that will become poorer. More than 90m Nigerians live from hand-to-mouth, mostly on less than 2 dollars / day.

Already since many years now, many civil servants don’t go to work daily because of insecurity and the cost of transportation. With the removal of subsidy the cost of transportation will be one of the highest in the world on some of the world’s worst roads!

When the cost of transportation increases, the cost of food will increase and hunger will become more rampant. A spiral effect will ensure and the cost of housing increases. In a country where unemployment is a way of life, crime will increase and insecurity will reach an unprecedented height.

And the thieves in Aso rock and other government houses will continue to merry and loot. This is probably the last chance for the Nigerian revolution!

It is time for the people to seize their regions and stop this homage to Abuja. For the government that has always denied the people an open referendum for how to lead their lives, there will probably be no better opportunity for self-determination than now.

Jonathan as a typical corrupt Nigerian politician has refused to confront the hydra-headed problem which itself is corruption. If you are corrupt or you have skeletons in you cupboards, then it is clear you cannot fight corruption.

The same goes for Mrs. Iweala and the zeal with which she is pursuing this evil agenda.

Otherwise all the corrupt people in NNPC should have been prosecuted by now. All the corruption around the Nigerian oil should have been tackled by now. Jonathan came to power in April 2011 and it is business as usual.

Instead of rolling out a blue print for Agriculture and how our mineral sources (including Uranium) will be used in 2012, Mr. Jonathan and Mrs Iweala are reading out riots acts. Jonathan stated that he is ready to confront the demonstrations that will follow.

It appears that N921.9 billion for “war” in the 2012 budget was not only for BOKO HARAM war. Part of it will be used to fight the people and kill the voters if possible. The evil in PDP will be manifested more than ever before in 2012.

Iweala and Jonathan want to save N1 Trillion. I challenged both to them to prosecute all the corrupt politicians in Nigeria, they will emerge with more than N60 Trillion.

They can start with the USD12 billion that Babangida cannot account for. They can then proceed to the N16 billion that melted away under Obasanjo while pretending to be fixing the power problem.

Even Abacha’s loot should be retraced and Iweala can tell us what exactly happened to the recovered loot. What she must not say this time is the lie she told a few years ago: that the money was used to execute projects that pre-dated the recovered loot.

In several ways and through several avenues, Nigeria can recover billions of dollars of stolen funds that will make the proposed removal of fuel subsidy a useless adventure.

In that sense Nigeria needs strong men who can take actions and prosecute thieves and loots. We are tired of weak men and weak women like Mr. Jonathan and Mrs. Iweala.

Nigerians have only one major obligation in 2012, to end the PDP Regime in any way they can as a way forward..!