WHO DO THEY REALLY SERVE

Why do they keep making policies or pronouncements that the generality of Nigerians cannot identify with? Why are we so insignificant in their eyes?

The other day I was listening to someone analysing Nigeria and making allusions.  According to him, Nigeria has joined the unenviable ranks of failed nations.  It is number nine now in the list he said. Listening to him, a very faint feeling of anger was growing inside me, but on a second thought, I simply nodded my head in agreement. I will only be deceiving myself refusing a spade its name.

On a different day, but not too far off, right on my TV, GEJ was telling Nigerians how his administration has made giant strides in bringing development to Nigerians. According to him Nigerians are now enjoying uninterrupted power supply because his administration has increased generation to 4,000 megawatts. My first reaction was to turn and look at my wife, just to check if I heard him well.  My wife’s reaction was dismissive. She simply told me not to mind them.  We were running on generator, and it’s been like that for three straight days.

These issues and several others, especially the new thinking by the government to buy mobile phones for 10 million farmers in Nigeria informed this piece.

Strange and bizarre things will not seize happening in Nigeria, at least for now.  Sometimes one wonders if our leaders’ brains still function in a manner that can be called sane.  Else how can a government enact a policy that supports expenditures that the eventual benefit is at best flaky?   Even a ‘no-brainer’ knows that buying mobile phones for farmers can only in the immediate, promote their social status and in the long run burden them financially, because of the recurring costs of buying recharge cards that are so expensive in Nigeria.

Considering the myriad of challenges that farmers face in Nigeria today, mobile phones are what our political leaders thought as the silver bullet.  What about infrastructure, ie., storage facilities, good roads, tractors, etc. Can't they even think of bringing back extension workers who in those good old days used to advise farmers on new methods?  How about fertilizers???

Sometimes one will be forgiven to think that our leaders approach to policy issues is guided by pure malice.  If not, how do you explain government’s pronouncement to buy 10 million mobile phones for farmers? What purpose will it serve? Will it solve the problem of failed crops? Will the farmers use it to weed their farms? Will it preserve yields that go bad before the next session? Will it fix bridges that stop farmers from taking their yields to the market themselves for better value? Will it provide them hospitals to treat themselves and save them from missing a farming season because of ill health?

Let's even go back to the basics, how did the government come to the figure of 10 million phones? Is this the number of farmers without phones or the number of entire farmers in Nigeria?  And why expend N60 billion on phones when the total budget of the Agric Ministry is a paltry N81 billion.  If it is a case of stealing through contracts that you guys are interested in, don't you think you are all been lazy even in the act of stealing? If you use your heads very well, you will make more money providing tangible things.  For instance, should you decide on a policy that will move say 10,000 small scale farmers to a mechanized level, don't you think you will make more money from that initiative, using the same resources you are planning to waste on phones that will not get to the farmers? And above all, you will receive several accolades from Nigerians.

Another basic issue to consider also, is that for decades now, the government cannot successfully distribute fertilizers to farmers; their usual claim is that the fertilizers are hijacked by middle men.  On the remote premise that we even agree that the phones are necessary, what guarantee do we have that the same middlemen that have refused fertilizers getting to farmers for decades will not put on their best acts of hijacking the phones again?

Mr President Sir, the actions of our representatives in government are becoming shameful to us, we are finding it very hard to defend you or your actions.  Please stop these nonsensical policies and channel the money to services that are beneficial to Nigerians. A stitch in time, wise men say, saves nine.

Fanning the Embers of Fire

Dear blog, here I am again filled with excuses why I wasn’t able to keep my last promise. I hope you understand. Its not easy being a Nigerian with all the woes - garnished prefixes of “lack” everywhere; electricity, peace, security, money and all. So I hope you will really understand.

I was forced out of my shell amidst all these woes, to write a passionate piece to Sahara Reporters, a web media news syndicator who have kept Nigerians informed about happenings around us. But sadly the umbrage that the “comments” to most of the news items elicit is so discomforting and provocative that I had to spare time to write this. Read on.

Dear Editor

I am one of your regular readers and also someone who believe that your efforts have taken information dissemination to higher and beneficial level, which eventually will lead to sustainable development especially in Nigeria. However, I am a bit worried by the amount of freedom you gave your readers, especially in their comments. Nigeria today is sincerely at a cross road and her unity, you will agree with me, is threatened as a result, such that any well meaning Nigerian is deeply worried about.

As a patriotic Nigerian, I take pride sincerely in our oneness, while been conscious of our diversity, which to me defines the beauty and elegance of the country. This diversity, which ordinarily should have been the cornerstone of our development, is still been peddled negatively since independence. The Igbo man in addition to his business, should have been guiding the Hausa man on how to manage his farm produce using his business skills such that waste resulting from storage and transportation is reduced. While the Yoruba man on the other hand, should have been acting as the financier for the two. And proudly, we would have been one big family call Nigeria. But sadly this isn't so.

Every opportunity, especially those bordering on negativities are exploited and interpreted by all using the prisms of ethnicity and religion, completely devoid of any kind of support to the region or group facing such "trying times". The outcome of this, is that all parties are beginning to feel totally disparate and by extension hated by the other. I think its time for us to start emphasizing on positives and less the negatives, to see if it will make a difference.

Reading the comments from fellow Nigerians on every news or article published by you, makes me feel so bad, that a times, I am forced to simply close your site, never to come back until the following the day. This is notwithstanding the urge to follow you on happens around the world.

The idea behind reading comments, is to triangulate stories, so as to arrive at a sound conclusion about a particular issue, but unfortunately the comments one reads on your site are filled with hate and intolerance that one finds very difficult to digest as a Nigerian who wish the country well.

I am not asking that you gag your readers, but there must surely be a way that you can filter comments such that only those that add value to the news or article in question are published. Allowing the currently trend where members of one region or religion cast aspersion on the other because of a news item about their member or son will not only in the long run affect your readership, but will also continue to negatively impact on the country.

Consequently, I am pleading that you kindly introduce content filtering of comments to bar publication of "hates" and the likes. I am asking this of you as a Nigerian who is passionate about the peaceful coexistence of the country and the application of its diversity for positive development as against the current mudslinging, backstabbing and bare face lies peddled by the elites across region and religion.

The country is indeed going through trying times, but fortunately Nigerians are resilient sets that have overcome bigger challenges in the past through collective efforts. Let this request be Sahara Reports role in ensuring that we overcome this trying time.

Let me use this opportunity to thank you for your effort in keeping Nigerians informed, thereby arming us with the necessary tool to fight these emerging ills.

FANNING THE EMBERS OF FIRE

Dear blog, here I am again filled with excuses why I wasn’t able to keep my last promise. I hope you understand. Its not easy being a Nigerian with all the woes - garnished prefixes of “lack” everywhere; electricity, peace, security, money and all. So I hope you will really understand.

I was forced out of my shell amidst all these woes, to write a passionate piece to Sahara Reporters, a web based news syndicator who have kept Nigerians informed about happenings around us. But sadly the umbrage that the “comments” to most of the news items elicit is so discomforting and provocative that I had to spare time to write this. Read on.

Dear Editor

I am one of your regular readers and also someone who believe that your efforts have taken information dissemination to higher and beneficial level, which eventually will lead to sustainable development especially in Nigeria. However, I am a bit worried by the amount of freedom you gave your readers, especially in their comments. Nigeria today is sincerely at a cross road and her unity, you will agree with me, is threatened as a result, such that any well meaning Nigerian is deeply worried about.

As a patriotic Nigerian, I take pride sincerely in our oneness, while been conscious of our diversity, which to me defines the beauty and elegance of the country. This diversity, which ordinarily should have been the cornerstone of our development, is still been peddled negatively since independence. The Igbo man in addition to his business, should have been guiding the Hausa man on how to manage his farm produce using his business skills such that waste resulting from storage and transportation is reduced. While the Yoruba man on the other hand, should have been acting as the financier for the two. And proudly, we would have been one big family call Nigeria. But sadly this isn't so.

Every opportunity, especially those bordering on negativities are exploited and interpreted by all using the prisms of ethnicity and religion, completely devoid of any kind of support to the region or group facing such "trying times". The outcome of this, is that all parties are beginning to feel totally disparate and by extension hated by the other. I think its time for us to start emphasizing on positives and less the negatives, to see if it will make a difference.

Reading the comments from fellow Nigerians on every news or article published by you, makes me feel so bad, that a times, I am forced to simply close your site, never to come back until the following the day. This is notwithstanding the urge to follow you on happens around the world.

The idea behind reading comments, is to triangulate stories, so as to arrive at a sound conclusion about a particular issue, but unfortunately the comments one reads on your site are filled with hate and intolerance that one finds very difficult to digest as a Nigerian who wish the country well.

I am not asking that you gag your readers, but there must surely be a way that you can filter comments such that only those that add value to the news or article in question are published. Allowing the currently trend where members of one region or religion cast aspersion on the other because of a news item about their member or son will not only in the long run affect your readership, but will also continue to negatively impact on the country.

Consequently, I am pleading that you kindly introduce content filtering of comments to bar publication of "hates" and the likes. I am asking this of you as a Nigerian who is passionate about the peaceful coexistence of the country and the application of its diversity for positive development as against the current mudslinging, backstabbing and bare face lies peddled by the elites across region and religion.

The country is indeed going through trying times, but fortunately Nigerians are resilient sets that have overcome bigger challenges in the past through collective efforts. Let this request be Sahara Reports role in ensuring that we overcome this trying time.

Let me use this opportunity to thank you for your effort in keeping Nigerians informed, thereby arming us with the necessary tool to fight these emerging ills.

Voodoo Poll

Dear Page, let me confess, deep in my heart, I wanted to keep you more busy and more informed of happenings around me, but my chase after daily bread won't let me. I have a lot of things to share, but as expected, they are stocked in my brain. It's not new year yet, I would have made a resolution. Not to worry. I will workout a strategy, and let you know of it.

Meanwhile, here is a small piece in response to This Day Newspapers poll pre 2011 general elections.

Predictably, last week, my friend and I talked about the This Day Polls and wondered when it will come. It's simply becoming a trademark of 'This Day' to try and sway opinion in favour of the ruling political party. Their polls interestingly, if you follow the trend, usually come very close to the general elections, and its results are always antithetical to popular view. I have no proof to support the fact that they have been compromised, but as a Nigerian, who also feels the pinch, I know that there is more than meet the eyes in their findings. Gauging the anger and deep yawning by Nigerians for a change, it will be very difficult for one candidate to run away with 60% of the votes out rightly. Its either the This Day's researchers are not Nigerians, or their data collection tools are flawed. Or better still, they may have a motive!! If you talk to 10 Nigerians on each of the candidates, you will get 10 different views.

With all sense of modesty, I am joining Nigerians in condemning this poll. This Day wake up, the days of shadow manipulation has passed, even politicians themselves have moved on. Empower Nigerians to make the right choice, but don't participate in taking their powers away through subterfuge.

Mistaking Passion for Fact

This is a response to one Wale on his write up on Saharareports on this address - http://www.saharareporters.com/article/open-letter-general-muhammadu-buhari?nocache=1#comment-140966

Dear Wale

I almost believed you in the first 2 or 3 paragraphs, and was nodding my head as I read along, until you started making comparisons. First with OBJ and finally with Ribadu. To the average northerner, the two names (OBJ & Ribadu) are quite synonymous. In the eight yrs misadventure that OBJ took the country through, I was in Kano. Before that period, Kano can boast of about 1000 light & heavy industries, all fully operational and servicing Nigeria, until a Tsunami called OBJ stroked. By the time OBJ was through with the Nigeria, Sharada industrial layout where most of this companies were housed, became a shadow of its old self. And it still is up to date. This disaster, swept through the entire north. With Kano and Kaduna as the most hard hit areas.

As for Ribadu, his crime is two folds, (1) playing to the gallery, too frequently and (2) mistaking governance with police work. The two traits are OBJ's stock in trade. And we have seen where such traits have taken us. So save us from another OBJ.

Wale as a Yoruba man, you disappoint me greatly by thinking that you can read correctly the pulse of every Yoruba man in Nigeria! If you and your few cronies are pro-Ribadu - by all means go for him - but please stop putting Buhari on the same pedestal with your "green & spur of the moment piece". Buhari may have all his flaws, but given the candidates we have today, Nigerians cannot but place their hopes on the doorstep of non other but Buhari.

Mr Wale, I will advise that you push less, issues that seek to divide us, and by extension forcing others to respond to you with sharper divisive views. If you want to campaign for Ribadu, there are better and cleaner ways of achieving your objectives. The days of smear campaign is past, our collective objective is to move the country forward, and if you think you have a candidate that can achieve that, please sell him in such a manner that you don't demean others.

mjdoko

Tribal and Sectional Sentiments in Nigeria

I read with grave displeasure the article on the infighting at the Nigeria Embassy in Malaysia. The article is about leadership succession reported on Sahara Reporters (http://www.saharareporters.com/report/ethnic-politics-nigeria-high-commission-malaysia-looming-dangers?nocache=1#comment-123638).

Whether the submission is true or not, it is my candid feeling that Nigeria is surely sitting on a time bomb of tribal or sectional sentiment, which at the end will do neither north nor the south any good. The earlier we wake up from this dangerous slumber the better. I don't have any link with Malaysia, Indonesia or the characters in the write up, to be able to confirm the authenticity of the claims made, but one thing is sure, - the substance of the write up is a living testimony of what is happening in the country today.

Rather than ensure that persons of integrity and quality are given the opportunity to lead the country, we are busy fighting each other on whether its the north or south that should be given the opportunity. I understand the crave for resource control, which is a subject for another day. But with good governance which has the rule of law at the heart of its affairs, will all this tribal and sectional sentiment weeping still be necessary?

For 50 years we've been "nominating" leaders, and putting wedges on the emergence of more credible ones. Haba!!! Isn't it time that we wake up from this dangerous slumber? Rather than debate north or south, I think we should be more interested in the change that every leader has been able to elicit. Or better still, if we feel very strongly that we can not stay together again as one, shouldn't we be thinking of splitting up the country peacefully, to avoid a repeat of the instances of the 60s and early 70s? Nigerians please wake up!!!

Nigeria at 50

As our "rulers" converge on Abuja to celebrate their loot in the last 50 years, I hope they left someone in charge of ensuring that the 15 school children kidnapped recently in Abia are set free. Come to think of it, how many of these kidnappers has been brought to book? what about the looters of the last dispensation, is any of them in jail? What is the status of the scandal in the National Assembly that almost deafened us few months back? How about the flood in Sokoto? several other woes bedevilling the country. Happy anniversary to the looted who have survived the hardship thus far. My friend said the fact that he is alive today is something to celebrate, but not because he is a Nigerian or that Nigeria has attain 50 years.

A cynic a few days back threw a poser to Nigerians, which I found quite interesting. He asked Nigerians to demonstrate their patriotism by indicating interesting on his blogsite to volunteer for conscription into the army to fight an imaginary war. Two weeks after, he got no response.

That is the character of the country Nigerians are celebrating today. Some see it as mere geographic expression where nothing exist that serves as the uniting factor.

That expression might be true, but if juxtaposed by the fact that we have no any other place to call our own other than Nigeria, shouldn't we all begin to reflect on how to bring about that uniting factor? What is it that we are doing wrong, how have other countries of the world that are adjudged successful, gone about it?

For Nigeria to move forward, its citizens must be patriotic and this include the leadership. The leaders can not expect the citizens to be patriotic if they themselves are less so. Stop looting today, and we may have something to celebrate about tomorrow.