ometimes in June 2009, The United States Senate approved a fiercely worded resolution formally apologizing for the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery" of African-Americans. The significance of such unanimous voice vote was that it came five months after Barack Obama became the first Black US president, and ahead of the June 19, "Juneteenth" celebration of the emancipation of African-Americans at the end of the US Civil War in 1865.

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It was also a significance landmark in the life of Kennedy family, especially late Ted Kennedy, to have witnessed the first black as US President in his life time. When he got sick, in the middle of the election, my singular prayer was for Ted to witness a Black man as USA President. Thank God it so happened.

Ted was one of the authors of the Senate Resolution for the US to apologize to African-Americans for the enslavement. It was a dream came through for Ted. He would have lot of stories to tell his brothers, assassinated for their efforts in liberating minorities especially African-Americans. They had been sleeping in the Lord and we would say sleep on peacefully for ever.

May the soul of Ted Kennedy rest perfectly in the Lord! Amen!

Ironically, while America is apologizing for the enslavement of African-Americans, Nigerian leaders have determined to self-enslave their fellow Nigerians. Taking a closer look at the US Senate apology, we would say that some Nigeria leaders have a lot to do in apologizing to their fellow citizens that they had sentenced to everlasting hopeless life.

The country has been plagued with unnecessary Marginalization Fever, Cosmetic Federal Character, Religious Fishing Baits, Unjust Dispensation of Resources, Women Craving, Social Injustices, Infrastructural Disengagement, Darkness all over God's own country, Public workers have been wage-wise caged like destitute with nothing productive coming from their daily responsibilities, and Water harboring policies of some Nigerian governments in the country. In addition we also have Bank Grief, ASUU Malignancy, and PHCN Diahorea. Nigerian Governments would have to do more than apologizing to Nigerians for injustices to humanity.

While apologizing for the mental enslavement and division among peoples of Nigeria, they should be reminded that Nigeria was a symbol of Africa Giant, endowed with both human and natural resources. Millions of Nigerians have been held captive to the idiosyncrasy of their leaders. Marginalized Nigerians with the mental enslavement have been mentally brutalized, emotionally humiliated, socially dehumanized and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their conscience and being disrespectful to their culture.

The white people came and used their knives to split Nigerians as they liked and the minority became the mainstream as a result of their might in war. Gowon kept Nigeria as one after the civil war, Obasanjo worked on the same premise; some sections in Nigeria have resolved to use religion as a weapon to destabilize the country at the expense of peace in Nigeria.

When a cow is about to be shipped abroad, little did he realized that when he gets to the Whiteman's land he becomes corn beef. Visa lottery was introduced by America little did Nigerians realize that it was another fishing bit to rob Nigeria of its best capitalizing on the melancholy Nigeria leaders, as a continuous way of enslaving the obvious, we call it brain drain. Nigerian leaders owned Nigerian apology for this atrocity of brain drain.

Lawyers, Engineers, Medical Doctors, among all high grade professionals abandoned their professions in Nigeria and made way to USA to find out neither could they practice their professions without passing through the processes of Americanizing their professional certificates, nor be gainfully employed. Nigerian leaders have messed up the country for the loss of professionals in Nigeria to the advanced countries and to be under-employed in whatever country they found themselves.

Some past Nigeria leaders who are still alive, should come out and apologize to Nigerians for their erroneous poor sentimental policies. Not just mere apology, but they have to make some moves to stir the country forward. The brink of Nigeria collapsing is just at the corridors of Nigeria leaders.

Nigerians cannot boast of adequate security of their life even within the confines of their homes. And any Nigerian leader would say that he is doing the right thing for his citizens. President Yar'Adua could and should not tell Nigerians that he has tried. Armed robbers have more sophisticated weapons than the half-baked Nigerian Police, NPF. It is the believe that NPF, mostly the bad eggs among them, actually aids and abets some very high profile robberies, car snatching, or misuse of weapons. Could those in that school walk with their heads up with high shoulder on the streets and walk freely after their terms in public office?

Some Nigerian leaders are neck-deep in enslaving their fellow human beings through many ways. Using religion, most especially, as yardsticks for public office, is abnormal in this global village today (2009). Some of our leaders' exposure to the outside world is like they passed through civilization without any of their experiences passing through them. Thereafter when they get to the position of authority, the unholy policies crept into their administration and inflict pains on their fellow human beings.

What is wrong for any Nigerian to attain any level in his qualification within the country of his citizen? Nigerians attain top level policy making levels in American most especially, as Executive Director, Facility Manager, Mayor, Professor, Dean, President of Higher Institutions, Manager, Executive Secretaries, what prevent their leaders from absorbing them to their specific areas of qualifications, skills and experiences without using his religion, State, or ethnic affiliate as yardsticks. Nigerian leaders that endorsed this policy have offended humanity and need to apologize to their conscience first before apologizing to the entire humanity. They would even need more than just apologizing, they have to add some reparations to it and make it real.

America thought an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot erase the past. However, confession of the wrongs committed and a formal apology to African-Americans would help bind the wounds of racial divide in America. The country that is rooted in slavery can now speed racial healing and reconciliation, and help the people of the United States understands the past and honors the history of Americans.

Nigeria leaders could borrow from this and apologize to Nigerians for the mental enslavement of their fellow citizens, polarizing the country into religious and ethnic divides. They have to acknowledge the injustices to Nigeria labor force, cruelty in not providing Nigerians with adequate power supply; water supply; good and motorable roads; adequate and avoidable medical services; and proper housing. The brutality in breeding public nuisances out of Nigerian public Universities, turning them to total societal misfit, armed robbers, hired killers or assassins, yahooers, need be apologized for.

In addition we have fake religious leaders milking the cow of God's making, squeezing water out of dry rag, and inhumanity of using religion as bait for their citizens preventing them from thinking of what they could do to better their life, is not pretty. Nigeria leaders have to apologize to Nigerians on behalf of Nigeria for the wrongs done to the founding fathers of this country that labored and sacrificed their life for turning Nigeria what it is today, a country of no RESPECT.

Some Nigeria leaders without backbones should express their commitments to the principles that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all Nigerians to work toward eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and discrimination or marginalization from the Nigeria society.

What some Nigeria leaders have done to mentally enslave Nigerians is one of the greatest crimes in the history of humanity. The racial bigotry fed by mental enslavement of Nigerians did not end with marginalization or religious divide, the point is that, as most religious leaders have agreed and prayed for, the judgment day is around the corner. Nigerian leaders have no choice but to confess, apologize and make a U-Turn to make Nigeria a country everyone should be proud of. If we may echo this regardless how long the journey, Nigeria destiny is set, that is liberty and justice for all.

The regular power supply promised to come by December 2009 has gone to the abattoir table with some confusing knives to use by those assigned to work on this. Even when those assigned to work in the power sector are as confused as the man that drank kainkain, buruku, palm wine and odeku together, when would Nigeria be told the truth about power supply. State of emergency, Federal government goals of 6,000 mega watts of electricity by the end of 2009, is still causing confusion among the players of slavery. According to Minister of Power, Dr. Rilwan Lanre Babalola, the current available capacity is "just over 4,000mw", possibly out of the total demand in Nigeria of 5,100 mega watts, instead of about 15,000mw long held as the current requirement.

If I may come again, the issue of irregular power supply in Nigeria is a shameful policy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that has decided to handle everything in Nigeria. Nigerians have been subjected to enslavement of the natural resources God has endowed the country.

It appears that the man who pretends to be at the helm of Nigerian affairs is not taking the power supply seriously because he has 24/7 power supply in his office, home, even at squash room. That cosmetic speech made at his May 2007 inauguration was a misguided hope for Nigerians. The speech was designed to soothe Nigerians at that period in time. Since May 2007, what have been gains of Nigerians from this administration? It could make someone throw up when Yar'Adua's name is mentioned in relation to power supply in Nigeria. God says, let there be light and it was so. Yar'Adua says darkness should be for majority of Nigerians. It is a national embarrassment.

The search for power solution in Nigeria has taken Yar'Adua to far away Brazil with President Luiz Inacio da Silva. Germans, Swedish, Norwegians, and recently Brazilians have chipped in their services and still Nigerians are yet to feel an impact. Ironically there is a continuous drop in megawatts generated, and Elemelu's towncriers committee of Power Probe crumbled. Where is the outcome?

Ironically Ghana is going to be a major power energy exporter to Nigeria. Nigeria leaders need to drop their heads in shame and apologize to the inhuman treatment of Nigerians. It does not take a genius to know that

"supply of adequate, reliable and economically priced power supply is vital for the socio-economic development of every nation and that it has been observed that the GDP growth rate of a nation has direct relationship with the growth in the per capita electricity consumption."

Nigerians cannot and should never wait for its leaders to continue going below zero point before talking, because they've failed already. I guarantee Mr. President, when Nigerians are provided with regular power supply, they would not be negative about their leaders any more. Nigerians are progressive people, but most of its leaders are pathologically skilled liars. Power supply could be better in some GRAs with the community contributions to better generators. No one is comfortable being negative about his or her country. However, when some obvious and basic needs of its citizens cannot be met, they have no choice than to point this out to the leaders.

Nigerians realized that one of the areas Obasanjo did not complete is power supply. In a civilized society it is for the incoming administration to continue where the other one stopped. Yar'Adua capitalized on the psyche of Nigerians that he would declare state of emergency on power supply in Nigeria. He REFUSED to continue where Baba Iyabo left off; in some cases he dismantled some of his good policies. Yar'Adua deviated from the speech he gave May 27, 2007, when he declared "My fellow citizens… Luckily we are not starting from scratch… The administration of President Obasanjo has laid the foundation upon which we can build our future prosperity. …: to deepen democracy and the rule of law; …. Build an economy driven primarily by the private sector, not government".

I doubt if he realizes that lack of adequate power supply is seriously affecting the economy, and social life of Nigerians. Nigerian industries are relocating to Ghana at a very large alarming rate. The amount spends on diesel to run generators is enormous and could no longer bear the cost. When generators broke down, sometimes they have to wait for weeks to get spare parts.

It makes a mockery the desire of Nigerians for the President failure to back up his words that "…regular power supply holds the key to the radical transformation of the national economy and the Nigerian society." Yar'Adua should go beyond rhetoric as the one proclaimed in May 2007 has not yielded Nigerians with the dividend of his administration as the legitimate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria especially on power sector.

If I may repeat again, Nigerians should ask this administration to back up another President Yar'Adua's rhetoric on power supply to the Minister of Power as well as top officials of the Ministries of petroleum, Power and NNPC at a recent meeting at Aso Rock Presidential Villa that, "Whatever you need to succeed, I will give you. If anyone stands in your way and you want him or her out, just tell me and I will clear such a person for you. But I want results. I can hardly sleep again because of the power situation. I made a pledge to Nigerians that by the end of this year, they will enjoy stable electricity and it is a pledge I intend to keep. My name and credibility are at stake on this issue."

Nigerians want to feel the impact of power supply this year (2009) if there is anything like "holistic approach" of Yar'Adua's administration on his "on going projects across the country not only for additional generation but also for building injection and distribution sub-stations and for massive rehabilitation works of the grid system". Nigerians want his confidence manifest in providing regular power supply to Nigerians.

The social life of Nigerians have been seriously infected with the 'I don't care attitude' of some Nigeria leaders. Everything has been crippled. Education is seriously being infected with the virus of derisory education. I guaranteed you, ask a Nigerian graduate with his masters, or Ph.D. Student to take minutes of any meeting, you will be surprised the level at which their English is equated with the First Leaving Certificate of the 70s.

At the Ramadan month when we are supposed to reassess ourselves as to the level of our services to humanity, what Yar'Adua says is that "Yes, I have tried my best". Wow! So what we've seen in two years is the best we could get from President Yar'Adua. This is a sad story for Nigerians.

In the midst of self-enslavement, do we hear Nigerian President saying that he has tried his best? His best so far does not measure up to the level of pass point with Nigerians. He might not be happy at what Nigeria has become today? No one happy either. It is interesting to note that Yar'Adua could relate with those that are very critical about Nigeria disappointed status. Prof. Akunyili would not only blame Nigerians Abroad for being so critical about Nigeria or being negative of their leaders.

There is no doubt that Nigeria Banking system has some challenges which needs some corrections; over inflation of real-estate assets, secret lending to their own private businesses, their dubious relationships with foreign exchange markets, and possibly insider-trading illegal practices with over inflating their stock value to dent to themselves and indent the stockholder. This is for another day.

May I leave my readers with the joke of the day;

"Someone went to a Naija Restaurant recently and asked for 5 wraps of Eba, 2 pieces of meat, 4 ponmo and 3 Yar'Adua. The woman briskly went about serving the customer. Then she got stuck after dishing the first and second items and asked, 'but Oga, wetin be Yar'Adua now? The customer responded "abeg, that's the SNAIL".

Nigerians abroad are more than ready to get the 'snail' a better facelift for the 'bukataria'.