FEATURE ARTICLE

Temple Chima UbochiSunday, December 23, 2012
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Bonn, Germany

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WISHING FOR A BETTER NIGERIA IN 2013 (1)


Yakowa and Azazi

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A waist that has wrappers shouldn't go naked. (�kw� nwere akw� adighi nma igba �t�) (Igbo Proverb) In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem (Ronald Reagan)

n its Penultimate article, this column wrote that "at a critical period in a great nation's history, a hero arises from nowhere to lead it back to the path of greatness". This writer's native Nigeria is at the crossroads without a "saviour" because the leaders and the people have refused to make it a nation since 1914 when Lord Lugard cobbled different nations, which had nothing in common hitherto, together for the British gain. Unless the people of the different nations within the space called Nigeria come together to decide the kind of union they want through a sovereign national conference, no meaningful progress would be made there, the entity may crash, and, corruption would continue to be the most famous citizen there (The peoples of the nations of Nigeria must determine their future and way of life themselves). If Nigeria has been a nation; by now, God would have raised a leader to safe it from being known today as a CORRUPTION INC (one of the most corrupt countries on earth).

Nigeria is being termed "the giant of Africa" because of the great potentials it has, which should have been tapped to make it a great country. The human and natural resources of Nigeria is what made it a potentially great country, but, instead, unlike China, India, United States, the population has turned the country into a weak one in that the elite of the different tribal groups play their people against one another. Instead of the "common people" to unite against their common enemies (the political elite of all the tribal groups inhibiting them from enjoying the proceeds from the natural resources of the country), they tend to see the other "common people" from the other tribes as their enemies. Nigerians of all tribes see everything through tribal and parochial prisms, and, the political elite of any tribal group starts crying foul when it feels that its selfish interest is not protected by any policy or action of the federal government. The common people of the tribes are hoodwinked or brainwashed into believing that "shortchanging" their political elite is an affront on them also. These poor people can go on fighting and even die for causes that would in no way benefit them.

The "common people" of Nigeria should have closed rank against their common enemies which have defrauded them and have stolen all the wealth of the nation. Afterall, it was the common people that made the Arab Spring possible. Today, many North African people have freed their countries from the misrules of the past. Egyptians demonstrated and Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign, and, today, Egyptians are also demonstrating for a better government and society. These things can't happen in Nigeria, because, the "common people" of Nigeria have been brainwashed by their political elite to see their fellow "common people" of other tribes as enemies and not partners to a cause (to change Nigeria for the better for all).

Dr. Tunji Braithwaite said that "If you look at the Arab Spring, which will be two years in January, the central thing is that where there is no justice, there can be no peace. Dictators and oppressors can find nowhere to hide anymore." Can that be said of Nigeria?

This writer wonders how Nigeria is "the giant of Africa" and still we are now importing refined fuel from no other place but Niger Republic. The Tribune of Wednesday, December 19, 2012 wrote that "the Operations Controller, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Kano State, Alhaji Syyadi Suleiman Abubakar, has said that Nigeria now imports diesel and gas from Niger Republic". The Nigerian Navy is on the spotlight because of its Augusta helicopter that crashed in the creek killing Governor Yakowa, General Azazi and four others. Although sabotage may be the likely cause why the helicopter went down, but, our armed forces have been a disgrace and are not upto the task of protecting the image and the people of Nigeria as the so called "giant of Africa". The Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Professor Joy Ogwu, as recorded by The Guardian of December 20, 2012, said the Nigerian military needs reinvention as well as sustenance of its ideology and doctrine. The Guardian wrote: "Ogwu, herself a soldier's daughter and former teacher at Nigeria's military institutions maintained that Nigerian younger officers must navigate through the waters of order and rank to speak truth to power in determining the direction of the country's military and it's ability to protect the nation's territorial integrity including other more specific operations for which it was set up. She said: "NNS Aradu was launched in 1982. It was a geo- territorial flagship of our navy. What is the state of our capability today? Many have spoken of deterioration of facilities. Dead operational vessels! How did it happen that South Africa could put a military boat near our shores over Cote d'Ivoire and we had no response? The navy is the guardian of our domestic economy. What happened to the concept of the coastal guard? You cannot build on a vacuum". To add to what Ms. Ogwu said, we must recall that Libya under Ghadafi insulted Nigeria so many times.

This column wrote this on Thursday, July 12, 2007:

"In 1990s, Ghadafi sent one of his submarines into Nigerian territorial waters (infact it was alleged that the sub came under upto Marina Lagos� sea front) without permission and the Nigerian Navy failed to detect this flagrant violation of our territorial integrity because our Navy got no submarine or the capability to detect underwater invasion (why can't Nigeria Navy acquire at least one submarine?). The Libyan submarine stayed days in our waters and left and as it got to the international waters, the submarine crew radioed the Nigerian Navy thanking Nigeria for harbouring them without permission and without detection".

This column also wrote this on Friday, March 28, 2008:

"The Nigerian military has no plans to go to war against any other nation no matter how Nigeria is being provoked by other countries. Cameroonian gendarmes has dared Nigeria so many times and damned the consequences because they know that Nigeria is a 'big for nothing' country, if I may borrow the words from Ghadafi of Libya, who has insulted Nigeria so many times in words and deeds even on our soil and got away with it. Some of the generals in the Nigerian military will develop high blood pressure or sickness any time Nigeria declares war with another country or will even desert the forces in any event of war, but, the Nigerian military are experts when it comes to dealing with the Nigerian population they are supposed to protect! What they did in Odi, the Niger Delta regions and other areas can attest to that and the maltreatment they mete out to the civilians are still in our memories".

Nigeria is a paradox; while the citizens claim that they are very righteous, it is a place where unimaginable crimes are happening. Everywhere are churches and mosques and still iniquities filled the land. The Channels Television of July 16, 2012 had this: "A survey conducted by condom manufacturer, Durex, in which 29,000 people in 36 countries were interviewed has ranked Nigerian women as the most unfaithful in the world. The survey revealed that the top two countries with cheating women are Nigeria, with 62 percent, and Thailand, 59 percent. An independent survey also conducted in Africa by AE affirms the fact that Nigeria with a population of over 160 million tops the chart for cheating women. Corruption and a general distrust amongst citizens are largely responsible for this".

A Nigerian woman is now the richest black woman on earth. What's the source of her wealth? Oil! How did she get the oil wells in the Niger Delta, then becoming the richest black woman, dethroning Oprah Winfrey, while those the oil is in their backyard are swimming in penury and hopelessness? This writer learnt that this woman, Ms. Alakija, got the oil wells, spewing out all the money for her, during Abacha's regime. This column wrote it before that the story was that Abacha was doling out our oil wells anyhow that even any woman who serviced him well in bed got an oil well for a job well done. So, was this a case of warming of Abacha's bed well and getting something in return? Who knows?

A Nigerian man is the richest black man in Africa also. But millions of Nigerians are living in abject poverty. Dangote, the richest African, decided to employ PhD holders as his truck drivers. It has gotten to that level in Nigeria. We learnt that Dangote group wanted about two thousand PhD holders to be trained as truck drivers, but, more than 32, 000 PhD holders applied.

To read more how quality human resources which should have been put to better use are wasting in Nigeria: Now, the Daily Trust wrote:

"About 800,000 graduates have submitted applications to the Independent National Electoral Commission seeking to be employed to fill only 1,500 available job slots in the commission, competent sources told Daily Trust in Abuja. INEC placed vacancy advertisements in newspapers on November 19, inviting applications for the positions of legal officers, system analysts, architects, engineers, estate officers and registration area officers on grade levels 07, 08 and 09. Only applicants with first degrees, Higher National Diplomas and National Certificate of Education (NCE) were invited to submit applications, but an official at the commission told Daily Trust that a number of PhD and master's degree holders also applied.

The official said INEC was alarmed by the huge inflow of applications into its website, as well as the calibre of applicants, some of whom are clearly "over qualified" for the jobs they applied for. In the first week alone, we had about 300,000 applications. We were alarmed," the official said. In fact there are PhD holders among the applicants; some of them have two master's degrees. That is a reflection of the job situation in the country."

Dangote is looking for PhD holders to be trained as truck drivers, and, many PhD holders applied for INEC jobs meant for holders of lower degrees, but, the Nigerian universities are in dire need of lecturers who must be PhD holders. How do we reconcile this? Why not allow universities to fill their vacancies with many of those unemployed PhD holders?

Also, the Punch of Wednesday, December 19, 2012, wrote that a Professor at the Department of Nursing Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Boluwaji Fajemilehin, has said going by the World Health Organisation's recommendation, Nigeria has a shortfall of 144,000 health workers. Fajemilehin, who spoke at the seventh Annual Conference of Nurses at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Lagos recently, said the global body had identified Nigeria as one of the 57 countries in the world facing critical shortage of health workers. This is when many Nigerian health workers have left the shores of the country for greener pastures abroad due to the poor working condition obtainable in the country. If Nigerian government gets it act together, those health professionals would return. Many Nigerians are tired of wasting abroad, suffering all kinds of indignation.

We learnt that Nigeria is being courted by Aircraft makers as it has become the second most lucrative aircraft market after China. How do we reconcile the poverty in the land and this crazy acquisition of aircrafts even when many of them, including helicopters, are falling off the Nigerian sky? Today, many Nigerian pastors are private jet owners while some members of their congregations can't afford a single balanced meal a day.

Despite the fact that there are many private aircrafts in Nigeria, about 20 more are expected in 2013. That is even when the commercial airlines are closing shop. How do we reconcile all these? The Sun of Saturday, December 8, 2012 wrote that "Nigeria, the world over, is believed to be a country with stupendously rich men and women, who will stop at nothing to show off their wealth, legitimate or not. For a nation, where majority of the citizens live below a dollar per day, having scores of private jet owners is a sharp and painful societal imbalance. In the midst of ravaging poverty, investigations have revealed that the number of political office holders, ranging from the president, state governors to ministers and other wealthy Nigerians moving around in private jets has suddenly jumped up in the last two years, raising concerns about how much is spent annually on these executive jets now more than the number of airplanes on the fleet of commercial airlines in the country. Further findings reveal that a moderate estimate of a whopping N78 billion is spent annually to maintain this air luxury by the nation's wealthy and powerful class.

From January till date, four domestic airlines (First Nation, Chanchangi, Dana and Air Nigeria) have vacated the domestic scene, taking with them about 22 medium haul jets. Today, the country has only five airlines (Arik Air, Aero, Medview, Overland and IRS), with a total number of 36 aircraft serving domestic, regional and international routes daily.

For any Nigerian bourgeoisie, the type of executive jet owned (not house) is the true reflection of his/her social standing. From oil magnates to governors, pastors to politicians, business moguls to celebrities, the insatiable quest for executive jets is glaring.

Pastors that cruise in executive jets include Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye, Rev Matthew Ashimolowo, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Bishop David Oyedepo and latest entrant, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, among others. In the secular world, top businessmen, like Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man; Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga; Chairman of Zenon Oil, Femi Otedola; Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, chairman/CEO, Capital Oil & Gas Industries and Executive Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Arumemi Johnson-Ikhide. Some state governors and top bankers also cruise in luxurious jets.

The rapidly growing market has also made the manufacturers of these luxury brands to fall over themselves to market their premium products, as Nigeria is reportedly the second most lucrative market after China. Also, there are strong indications that the economic downturn in Europe and the United States has made Nigeria and China to become the best choices for the manufacturers. Virtually on a monthly basis, the manufacturers fly in their latest series and dangle them before salivating Nigerians, who, without hesitation, begin to place orders".

The poor people of Nigeria have been failing themselves. According to Ike Ezekwu:

"STUPIDITY is when you don't have a bicycle and you give your last penny to your pastor to buy a jet�

MUMU is when you can't pay your children's school fees and yet have money to contribute to your church to build expensive school which your children will never attend�

IGNORANCE is when you believe it when your pastor tells you not to live worldly life, and yet he enjoys all the best things in the world, the fine houses, cars, jets, women, etc, while you are waiting till you get to heaven to enjoy your own...

IDIOCY is when you refuse to take your very sick child to the hospital because your pastor said you should not do so, yet that same pastor secretly runs to USA for medical attention any time he has a headache...

KOLO is when you see a poor beggar on the road and you refuse to give him 50 Naira (Nigerian currency) out of the 5,000 Naira in your pocket because it is your tithe money...

YOU are a zombie when you trek, dance, and gallivant for 30 kilometers under the hot sun; sweating and smelling like shit, during your revival program, while your pastor is inside a full-option, factory fitted air-conditioned, state of the art SUV, with his delectable wife, slowing traffic along the road.

Stop worshiping your pastors! They are human beings like you, if they were as super as you make them, Nigeria would not be the way it is! Worship God & God alone"!

Femi Falana said recently: "If a church is so rich to the extent of presenting a jet as birthday gift to its pastor, it should be able to pay appropriate taxes commensurate with its status as a rich religious centre. It is clearly stated in several parts of the Holy Bible that tithes are for taking care of the poor and the priests, as well as Levites who minister unto the Lord. Tithes are not supposed to be diverted for the establishment of commercial farms, bakeries and other businesses".

President Jonathan has so far failed so many of us who staunchly supported his ascendancy to the presidency. He has been doing nothing against corruption and insecurity in the land. During Obasanjo and Yar'Adua's eras, we were crying that government officials were stealing our billions of naira, but, now, in this President Jonathan's incumbency, government officials are no longer stealing in billions, but, in trillions, and, the EFCC has been unable to bring any of them to justice. The EFCC just said that it has been unable to convict any of the politicians and government officials charged with financial or economic crime because of the judiciary. That the accused are exploiting the loop-holes the corrupt judges and lawyers created to prolong cases and even wait it out. Unfortunately, a poor man will steal a loaf of bread due to hunger and he will get a fast judgment and may get ten years for that (in the north, may lose a hand or limb due to Sharia Law), but, the corrupt politicians, government officials and the highly connected in the society will steal trillions and will never get a conviction, rather, such criminals will be free, walking about, making noise and will even be deceiving Nigerians by telling us how to make the country great. What an insult?

Femi Falana said: "Nigerians expect the government to fight corruption. No government does that. In the case of Nigeria, the media and a few individuals called anti-corruption crusaders were fighting corruption and abuse of office to a reasonable extent. With respect, the media houses are largely owned by some of those who are being investigated or prosecuted. So, the battle is no longer fought by the media with the commitment of the past. The bar has no serious programme on judicial corruption because some leaders of the legal profession are deeply involved in corrupt practices. They serve as couriers for corrupt judges. Worse still, senior lawyers manipulate the legal system to frustrate the prosecution of powerful people in the society by filing frivolous interlocutory applications. In other countries, lawyers are recommended for discipline for filing processes designed to waste the time of the court. No lawyer should be allowed to manipulate the legal system in favour of his or her client to the detriment of the society. In essence, the battle against corruption has to be waged by Nigerians and not by the government. And the concept of the rule of law transcends obedience of a few court orders by the government. It is a way of life. It is about compliance with the law by all and sundry, the government and the governed. The exclusion of certain people from arrest or prosecution is antithetical to the rule of law. Whereas the law is higher than individuals, however powerful they may be in a civilized society, the contrary is the case in a neo-colonial society like ours. What I am saying is that certain institutions and individuals are higher than the law in Nigeria. Hence, they are entitled to immunity for life".

Second Republic presidential candidate, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, while criticising the immunity clause in the constitution, said it encourages corruption. He also decried poverty and insecurity in Nigeria. In his words, Braithwaite said, "There should not have been an immunity clause at the first instance. Because of immunity, a lot of people have complained that the country has been stolen dry. If it were possible for them to steal a country, they would have stolen Nigeria; they would have stolen different states like Delta, Lagos, Rivers and Bayelsa.

The concluding part to be out soon!

TIT BITS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_04WT87e8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FahD-Sy4Jhg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fijc_zzHRZc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWHj2SWGR0Y

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1zzv4_gloria-estefan-here-we-are_music?search_algo=2#.UNN556w8_6Q

Have for yourself a wonderful Christmas celebrations!

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!

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