Monday, April 26, 2010
A Word for the Day!
The following may sound bizarre: in every rumour, there's an element of fact; in the same vein, in every nonsense, you can make a bit of sense; and for an echo to reverberate for too long, there must be some instigation or provocation or some faceless actors behind it. But I think those are the intriguing side of world politics. I pray, that God helps us to fashion out the right path for the globe....
Monday, April 19, 2010
Gen. Babangida’s Unsavoury Remark...BBC Interview
My soured Birthday Cake for IBB....
What makes a good father can only be evaluated in the life of the grand-children. Majority of Nigeria’s past leaders have demonstrated that their fore-fathers were not ripe or that they were of lower category (The Artisans) going by Socrates’ grading. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had most of them doing the demeaning jobs of political boot-licking and the self-seeking politicking they’ve been so deeply entrenched in.
Recently, I read an interview granted The Nation Newspaper by a prominent Nigerian who said he was Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s (IBB) loyalists, an adviser, etc. In fact he had all the good qualities that can compel anyone to pay allegiance to him or simply brand him an elder statesman. But unfortunately, I got irked by his further statements - enumerating how, he appreciate the good works of IBB, and again how he used the opportunity of a condolence visit to lobby for Gen. Babangida’s come back. I just couldn’t help it but weep endlessly. The question I asked myself was, why lobby IBB to come back, what about himself?
I honestly wonder where most Nigerian elders pocket their senses whenever they make those Artisan kinds of public statements, without recourse to morality, integrity, posterity and respect for the rights and opinions of their compatriots. It’s a pity how we forget so easily in this part of the world. In fact, IBB’s remarking during his interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reminiscent utterance of people both late and living, who probably lost their senses in the lust/euphoria of the largesse and crumbs that often come to from the corridors of power.
We may all recall that in past someone like former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leader, Primate Sunday Mbang, a respected Reverend. made a statement which from all indication is manifesting the power of word/tongue/speech. Indeed his statement ...then, is a symptom of the fact that the Primate is a true Prophet/Servant of God. He said...Over his death shall Gen. Ibrahim Babangida become a President in Nigeria again. The man IBB, perhaps encumbered or in regurgitating the weight of that statement, decided to go solo until the death of his wife resurrected his comatose political spirit, courtesy of the entreats of his political apologists, opportunists and booth-lickers like the afore-mentioned presidential adviser from Benue State. And many more shameless and faceless Nigerian elders, who suddenly realized that resurrecting IBB’s dead political ambition, will amount to another opportunity to share loots and plunder of public treasury.
Most of these shameless kids in elders’ skin had better realized that, the time to quit their dirty politics is now! If they’ve all forgotten, they had better be told that late Gen. Adisa vowed that only in his death shall anything/anybody stop IBB from becoming Nigeria’s president. The question now is, where is Gen. Abdul Kareem Adisa, the Bulldozer? Let’s save ourselves the task of wondering, Gen. Adisa is late; Primate Sunday Mbang is alive. So can anyone see the nexus in the statements of these two “Prominent” Nigerians? Can anyone, anywhere in Nigeria or outside, think now? Or even give a thought to the fact that there’s God, and his word is yes and Amen!
If those Nigerians pushing IBB about don’t have consciences or can’t even think or do the least respect the dead, can’t IBB himself think or quietly mourn his wife for a reasonable time?
My friend Ben Eni, is of the opinion that IBB should rather pick up his son to take over Aso Rock/the Presidency. Unfortunately, Ben is full of regrets that IBB’s recent statement has dealt a big slap on that tall dream. Thus, his sweeping statement in the recent interview he granted BBC, has grossly abused the collective wisdom and competence of young Nigerians, whom he described as lacking leadership competence/confidence/qualities.... And that is why; I’m being compelled to send to him via email/print technology the soured leftover of my birthday cake.
What IBB doesn’t know is that, he has by that singular statement shot himself on the second leg, thereby foreclosing his ever-bleak chances of clinging, the presidential ticket; that goes to show how powerful word/speech can be, whether said before or now.
What makes a good father can only be evaluated in the life of the grand-children. Majority of Nigeria’s past leaders have demonstrated that their fore-fathers were not ripe or that they were of lower category (The Artisans) going by Socrates’ grading. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had most of them doing the demeaning jobs of political boot-licking and the self-seeking politicking they’ve been so deeply entrenched in.
Recently, I read an interview granted The Nation Newspaper by a prominent Nigerian who said he was Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s (IBB) loyalists, an adviser, etc. In fact he had all the good qualities that can compel anyone to pay allegiance to him or simply brand him an elder statesman. But unfortunately, I got irked by his further statements - enumerating how, he appreciate the good works of IBB, and again how he used the opportunity of a condolence visit to lobby for Gen. Babangida’s come back. I just couldn’t help it but weep endlessly. The question I asked myself was, why lobby IBB to come back, what about himself?
I honestly wonder where most Nigerian elders pocket their senses whenever they make those Artisan kinds of public statements, without recourse to morality, integrity, posterity and respect for the rights and opinions of their compatriots. It’s a pity how we forget so easily in this part of the world. In fact, IBB’s remarking during his interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reminiscent utterance of people both late and living, who probably lost their senses in the lust/euphoria of the largesse and crumbs that often come to from the corridors of power.
We may all recall that in past someone like former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leader, Primate Sunday Mbang, a respected Reverend. made a statement which from all indication is manifesting the power of word/tongue/speech. Indeed his statement ...then, is a symptom of the fact that the Primate is a true Prophet/Servant of God. He said...Over his death shall Gen. Ibrahim Babangida become a President in Nigeria again. The man IBB, perhaps encumbered or in regurgitating the weight of that statement, decided to go solo until the death of his wife resurrected his comatose political spirit, courtesy of the entreats of his political apologists, opportunists and booth-lickers like the afore-mentioned presidential adviser from Benue State. And many more shameless and faceless Nigerian elders, who suddenly realized that resurrecting IBB’s dead political ambition, will amount to another opportunity to share loots and plunder of public treasury.
Most of these shameless kids in elders’ skin had better realized that, the time to quit their dirty politics is now! If they’ve all forgotten, they had better be told that late Gen. Adisa vowed that only in his death shall anything/anybody stop IBB from becoming Nigeria’s president. The question now is, where is Gen. Abdul Kareem Adisa, the Bulldozer? Let’s save ourselves the task of wondering, Gen. Adisa is late; Primate Sunday Mbang is alive. So can anyone see the nexus in the statements of these two “Prominent” Nigerians? Can anyone, anywhere in Nigeria or outside, think now? Or even give a thought to the fact that there’s God, and his word is yes and Amen!
If those Nigerians pushing IBB about don’t have consciences or can’t even think or do the least respect the dead, can’t IBB himself think or quietly mourn his wife for a reasonable time?
My friend Ben Eni, is of the opinion that IBB should rather pick up his son to take over Aso Rock/the Presidency. Unfortunately, Ben is full of regrets that IBB’s recent statement has dealt a big slap on that tall dream. Thus, his sweeping statement in the recent interview he granted BBC, has grossly abused the collective wisdom and competence of young Nigerians, whom he described as lacking leadership competence/confidence/qualities.... And that is why; I’m being compelled to send to him via email/print technology the soured leftover of my birthday cake.
What IBB doesn’t know is that, he has by that singular statement shot himself on the second leg, thereby foreclosing his ever-bleak chances of clinging, the presidential ticket; that goes to show how powerful word/speech can be, whether said before or now.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Why should anyone Vote for People’s Democratic Party (PDP) again?
The best stance in time of crisis is the neutral one. That way you don’t take sides, and you don’t bother your head with the Walhalla of seeking neither an explanation nor justification.
So, those of us who don’t belong to any political party can be happy with our neutrality. We should be rejoicing over our unfiltered peace and freedom from responsibility. But the fact still remain that those of us who don’t belong to any political party have a lot to lose.
First, we don’t have a say in the affairs of the party that governs or rule us either by chance or sinister arrangement. Second, we don’t even know what they say or what they have been saying to us. Unfortunately, we don’t understand them either, because we’ve not bothered ourselves with learning the language they speak. And so they could sell us into slavery or impoverish us with their magical languages.
Third, we don’t get to see, study and understand their party constitutions, let alone know in detail what these parties have to offer in their manifesto.
Four, what we get in the end, is what we deserve, because they can’t give what they don’t have. Perhaps, if you and I were there, our offerings could make a mutual difference. Many of us have actually abandon these parties for cogent reasons and others for very trivial reasons, yet a lot of us are neither here nor there, because we prefer our freedom of not shouldering any responsibility.
Again, it’s unfortunate that if we decide otherwise now, our offerings may not really make any difference on the already laid faulty foundation; unless we want an outright demolition of the defaulted foundation. And even that can steam the already volatile political structure into combustible high flames. What should the majority do? Indeed if I’m given the mandate to speak for every Nigerian, I’ll say, it’s not about what we ought to do now; rather we should ask why on earth anyone should vote PDP into any office again? Granted that many would never be interest in active political participation; but if we give it a deeper consideration, we may as well find a need to abandon our political docility and become vanguards of the New Nigerian Political Transformation whose need surpasses even our daily bread right now.
From all indications, PDP a.k.a Peoples’ Deception Party; a.k.a Papa Deceive Pikin; a.k.a Peoples’ Domineer/Demolition Party; a.k.a Party of Devilish People has in the past eleven years done Nigerians more harm than good. It’s a pity that some of the rival parties have not helped matters either, many of them can’t come out boldly to say these are the enormous goodies we’ve given Nigerians, who gave us their mandate so far. So our case is that of lying between devil and the deep blue sea.
Given our dilemma, one might not be too wrong to suggest that it will be better we all perish in the deep blue sea rather than follow the devil call PDP whose yoke of burden is much more excruciating than the agony and fear of drowning.
In fairness to those development minded and humane few among them, we must give credit to those of them who have made little effort to make a difference – at the Federal level, we know them all, at the state and local government levels, evidence of performance abound as well. But in truth, any Nigerian who is alive and active cannot uphold the iniquities and calamities many of our compatriots from PDP have bestowed on Nigeria and Nigerians.
Their attitude in the face of the crises that beret or becloud Nigeria following the missing but found Alhaji Umaro Musa Yar ‘Adua, the “President” of the Federal Republic of favoured Nigerians has shown PDP and the generality of its leadership in a bad light! So bleak and insensitive to a point, where one can generalize without fear of contradiction that there’s no single righteous person among its members. Unfortunately, generalization is bad, yet the truth can’t be hidden for fear of generalization. In fact, it has become a necessity for us to do so, given the prevailing circumstance.
One can’t help but wonder how mute the membership of PDP has been, in the face of the agony and confusion that enveloped Nigeria for about four months. Outside Yar ‘Adua’s ill-health there are issues they’ve voiced out or even challenge their absurdity, yet they all kept quiet as if ‘mute’ was a golden rule for a party that claim to be the mammoth of our time and the biggest in Africa.
If the majority will keep quiet in the face of evil, misgovernance and poor performance, illegality and power tussle, then obviously, the “Spiral Silence Theory” has out-lived its stipulations. So, why on earth should we vote in a party that has a majority of cowards or blind or insensitive? Yes, they can claim that others don’t have anything to offer. But ask yourself, what have they offered Nigerians so far? And if they had allowed fairness and a level playing ground in all elections (both intra party and general elections) who says those evil geniuses in PDP would’ve taken any candidate anywhere? Unfortunately, they have capitalized on the fact that Nigerians are docile and disenchanted with their political jamboree; they believe they can keep doing the same election manipulation and recycling of their friends and family members, and go scot-free.
Yes, Chief Gani Fawehinmi has gone for good, but the good fight he couldn’t finish has challenged some of us into action. And so, it should sink clearly into the ears of the manipulation actors in PDP that many are ready to lay their lives to ensure that Nigeria gets a credible election come 2011. In fact, there’s every need to expand our prisons because many potential occupants are queue in wait to get in should PDP attempt any election manipulation again.
Perhaps, this is sounding apolitical or like a campaign for calumny, far from it, because some of us still chose to remain non-partisan and neutral, since that is the only way one can conveniently criticize the wrong doings of any party. Nigerians are not known for insubordination and confrontation, but some people in PDP have obviously pushed so many innocent and voiceless Nigerians into a sharp but tight corner, and it’s time to say “enough” to the nonsense verbal zoning formula!
No right thinking Nigerian will question the ethnicity, religion or background of any Nigeria leader who is fair minded, sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of every Nigerian. Neither will any Nigerian complain or even contemplate who their leaders are (whether citizens or aliens), where there’s adequate nation-wide electricity supply, equal employment opportunities and all basic infrastructures needed to move the country forward.
But a few parochial minds in PDP believes that what is good for them is never good for another person, and that they own Nigeria and can rule her through rigged elections infinitivally. It is a big lie! Again, the party helms-man, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor had come on air, so boldly and shamelessly to say that PDP has zoned the leadership of this great country, though belittles by people like him to the North till 2015 without remorse or apologies for the blunder the party has consistently committed. One would only feel ashamed and sorry for majority of our elders and elites who have towed the line of keeping mute in the face of evil like their allies in PDP either because of their cowardice.
Now they say, leadership is zoned to the North, yet they’ve not told us the basis and structure/formula of/for the zoning. Rather, they’ve handpicked loyalists and apologists or financers as consensus candidate(s) without recourse to the mistakes of the past leadership who had handpicked or cowed an unwilling and disenchanted Yar Ádua whose health situation is gradually turning the party and its members as well as Nigeria and Nigerians apart.
And in the face of all these, the cowards’ majority in the party has no say. Yet they say it’s the turn of the North. Ideally, the North in general should’ve been allowed to say who exactly they want. Instead, what the decision makers in PDP are offering is an arrangement where criminally minded few elders with the divide-and-rule tactics would foist another unwilling person/stooge to rule Nigeria, all in the name of northern candidature. But the truth still remains that these set of people often do this because of their selfish interests and the funny skeletons they tend to hide. They all know their faults, and they would do anything against the interests of the generality of Nigerians just to safe-guard their crazy interests and dirty faults.
Amazingly, you would find some cowards who called themselves leaders, IBB boys, Pro-Yar Ádua, Pro-Obasanjo, Pro-this, Pro-that, telling you, Oh! Let’s have it like that for the sake of peace. Yet that pretentious peace will erupt into wild fire whose flames will never heat the select few, but the voiceless and innocent Nigerians. And by the time, the true yearnings and agitations of the majority in the North who would’ve had nothing to show for their “alleged candidate” tenure, another round of confusion will emerge.
So, if we must have a northern leader come 2011, it must not come from PDP. And we must insist on having a level playing ground and not money politics. We must also have a free and fair election, and above all, Prof. Maurice/Mice Iwu must go for good, that way we can test the true popularity and strength of the PDP.
So, those of us who don’t belong to any political party can be happy with our neutrality. We should be rejoicing over our unfiltered peace and freedom from responsibility. But the fact still remain that those of us who don’t belong to any political party have a lot to lose.
First, we don’t have a say in the affairs of the party that governs or rule us either by chance or sinister arrangement. Second, we don’t even know what they say or what they have been saying to us. Unfortunately, we don’t understand them either, because we’ve not bothered ourselves with learning the language they speak. And so they could sell us into slavery or impoverish us with their magical languages.
Third, we don’t get to see, study and understand their party constitutions, let alone know in detail what these parties have to offer in their manifesto.
Four, what we get in the end, is what we deserve, because they can’t give what they don’t have. Perhaps, if you and I were there, our offerings could make a mutual difference. Many of us have actually abandon these parties for cogent reasons and others for very trivial reasons, yet a lot of us are neither here nor there, because we prefer our freedom of not shouldering any responsibility.
Again, it’s unfortunate that if we decide otherwise now, our offerings may not really make any difference on the already laid faulty foundation; unless we want an outright demolition of the defaulted foundation. And even that can steam the already volatile political structure into combustible high flames. What should the majority do? Indeed if I’m given the mandate to speak for every Nigerian, I’ll say, it’s not about what we ought to do now; rather we should ask why on earth anyone should vote PDP into any office again? Granted that many would never be interest in active political participation; but if we give it a deeper consideration, we may as well find a need to abandon our political docility and become vanguards of the New Nigerian Political Transformation whose need surpasses even our daily bread right now.
From all indications, PDP a.k.a Peoples’ Deception Party; a.k.a Papa Deceive Pikin; a.k.a Peoples’ Domineer/Demolition Party; a.k.a Party of Devilish People has in the past eleven years done Nigerians more harm than good. It’s a pity that some of the rival parties have not helped matters either, many of them can’t come out boldly to say these are the enormous goodies we’ve given Nigerians, who gave us their mandate so far. So our case is that of lying between devil and the deep blue sea.
Given our dilemma, one might not be too wrong to suggest that it will be better we all perish in the deep blue sea rather than follow the devil call PDP whose yoke of burden is much more excruciating than the agony and fear of drowning.
In fairness to those development minded and humane few among them, we must give credit to those of them who have made little effort to make a difference – at the Federal level, we know them all, at the state and local government levels, evidence of performance abound as well. But in truth, any Nigerian who is alive and active cannot uphold the iniquities and calamities many of our compatriots from PDP have bestowed on Nigeria and Nigerians.
Their attitude in the face of the crises that beret or becloud Nigeria following the missing but found Alhaji Umaro Musa Yar ‘Adua, the “President” of the Federal Republic of favoured Nigerians has shown PDP and the generality of its leadership in a bad light! So bleak and insensitive to a point, where one can generalize without fear of contradiction that there’s no single righteous person among its members. Unfortunately, generalization is bad, yet the truth can’t be hidden for fear of generalization. In fact, it has become a necessity for us to do so, given the prevailing circumstance.
One can’t help but wonder how mute the membership of PDP has been, in the face of the agony and confusion that enveloped Nigeria for about four months. Outside Yar ‘Adua’s ill-health there are issues they’ve voiced out or even challenge their absurdity, yet they all kept quiet as if ‘mute’ was a golden rule for a party that claim to be the mammoth of our time and the biggest in Africa.
If the majority will keep quiet in the face of evil, misgovernance and poor performance, illegality and power tussle, then obviously, the “Spiral Silence Theory” has out-lived its stipulations. So, why on earth should we vote in a party that has a majority of cowards or blind or insensitive? Yes, they can claim that others don’t have anything to offer. But ask yourself, what have they offered Nigerians so far? And if they had allowed fairness and a level playing ground in all elections (both intra party and general elections) who says those evil geniuses in PDP would’ve taken any candidate anywhere? Unfortunately, they have capitalized on the fact that Nigerians are docile and disenchanted with their political jamboree; they believe they can keep doing the same election manipulation and recycling of their friends and family members, and go scot-free.
Yes, Chief Gani Fawehinmi has gone for good, but the good fight he couldn’t finish has challenged some of us into action. And so, it should sink clearly into the ears of the manipulation actors in PDP that many are ready to lay their lives to ensure that Nigeria gets a credible election come 2011. In fact, there’s every need to expand our prisons because many potential occupants are queue in wait to get in should PDP attempt any election manipulation again.
Perhaps, this is sounding apolitical or like a campaign for calumny, far from it, because some of us still chose to remain non-partisan and neutral, since that is the only way one can conveniently criticize the wrong doings of any party. Nigerians are not known for insubordination and confrontation, but some people in PDP have obviously pushed so many innocent and voiceless Nigerians into a sharp but tight corner, and it’s time to say “enough” to the nonsense verbal zoning formula!
No right thinking Nigerian will question the ethnicity, religion or background of any Nigeria leader who is fair minded, sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of every Nigerian. Neither will any Nigerian complain or even contemplate who their leaders are (whether citizens or aliens), where there’s adequate nation-wide electricity supply, equal employment opportunities and all basic infrastructures needed to move the country forward.
But a few parochial minds in PDP believes that what is good for them is never good for another person, and that they own Nigeria and can rule her through rigged elections infinitivally. It is a big lie! Again, the party helms-man, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor had come on air, so boldly and shamelessly to say that PDP has zoned the leadership of this great country, though belittles by people like him to the North till 2015 without remorse or apologies for the blunder the party has consistently committed. One would only feel ashamed and sorry for majority of our elders and elites who have towed the line of keeping mute in the face of evil like their allies in PDP either because of their cowardice.
Now they say, leadership is zoned to the North, yet they’ve not told us the basis and structure/formula of/for the zoning. Rather, they’ve handpicked loyalists and apologists or financers as consensus candidate(s) without recourse to the mistakes of the past leadership who had handpicked or cowed an unwilling and disenchanted Yar Ádua whose health situation is gradually turning the party and its members as well as Nigeria and Nigerians apart.
And in the face of all these, the cowards’ majority in the party has no say. Yet they say it’s the turn of the North. Ideally, the North in general should’ve been allowed to say who exactly they want. Instead, what the decision makers in PDP are offering is an arrangement where criminally minded few elders with the divide-and-rule tactics would foist another unwilling person/stooge to rule Nigeria, all in the name of northern candidature. But the truth still remains that these set of people often do this because of their selfish interests and the funny skeletons they tend to hide. They all know their faults, and they would do anything against the interests of the generality of Nigerians just to safe-guard their crazy interests and dirty faults.
Amazingly, you would find some cowards who called themselves leaders, IBB boys, Pro-Yar Ádua, Pro-Obasanjo, Pro-this, Pro-that, telling you, Oh! Let’s have it like that for the sake of peace. Yet that pretentious peace will erupt into wild fire whose flames will never heat the select few, but the voiceless and innocent Nigerians. And by the time, the true yearnings and agitations of the majority in the North who would’ve had nothing to show for their “alleged candidate” tenure, another round of confusion will emerge.
So, if we must have a northern leader come 2011, it must not come from PDP. And we must insist on having a level playing ground and not money politics. We must also have a free and fair election, and above all, Prof. Maurice/Mice Iwu must go for good, that way we can test the true popularity and strength of the PDP.
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