NIGERIA POLITRICKS

Senator Maduekwe Spend N2.7bn on travel expenses

2009-12-24T12:17:00.005-05:00

Senate slams Maduekwe over N2.7bn travel expenses
VANGUARD Dec 24, 2009 http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/12/24/senate-slams-maduekwe-over-n2-7bn-travel-expenses/comment-page-3/#comment-116053

By Emmanuel Aziken
Abuja—The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs yesterday vowed that it would in 2010 cut down the N2.7 billion expended by Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, in his international travels in 2009.
The Senate’s pledge was despite strong arguments by Chief Maduekwe for an increase on the amount as he argued that he needed more money to pursue the course of international diplomacy.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Jibril Aminu, who presided at the budget defence session, described the N2.7 billion expended by the Minister for his international travels as an economic waste.Aminu described the amount expended by Maduekwe in his international travels as more than the entire budget of the Federal Ministry of Commerce which was put at N2 billion.
“The whole budget of the Ministry of Commerce is about N2 billion while that of the Ministry of Police Affairs is about N1 billion, but you have used N2.7 billion for international travels alone. And you are even asking for increase in the 2010 budget. These foreign travels are wasteful, you have to cut them down. There is no way we are going to give you more money for international travels.”
But claiming that the travels were to the benefit of the Ministry and the country, the Minister said: “Diplomacy is all about visibility; even technology has not helped in reducing international travels in diplomacy. There is no way that the travel commitment of the Foreign Ministry could be compared to that of the Ministry of Commerce.”
Maduekwe who was flanked by the Minister of State, Alhaji Jibril Maigari, also responded to comments about financial hardships in the country’s foreign missions which it was revealed has led to the inability of the government to pay salaries and allowances of diplomats in the last three months.
Maduekwe, on his part, blamed the financial squeeze partly on some Ambassadors who, he said, were in the habit of undertaking frivolous trips for the purpose of cashing estacodes.

NigeriaPolitricks:
“Diplomacy is all about visibility; even technology has not helped in reducing international travels in diplomacy…” – Madueke
this is insane!
I have a simple solution by the use of the same technology this dimwit is alluding has not helped in reducing international travels…it's all about cutting waste and ineffectiveness....buy this ministry a private plane and let the fed govt. fuel it and give it to Madueke for his official travels…the cost of buying & fueling of a private jet will be in the couple of millions- very cost saving method!!! – that way this globe-trotting minister can travel all over the world even for personal reasons, because that’s what he is doing anywayz other than cooking the books and putting the money in his pocket….
diplomacy is not visibility; it’s about getting the job done…which Madueke is not doing!!!!….the audacity of this dufus to accuse ambassadors of the habit of undertaking frivolous trips for the purpose of cashing estacodes…while he is doing the same thing is very galling!!!

CNN REPORTING: World's most valuable resource, a curse for most Nigerians

2008-12-11T15:37:00.022-05:00

Story Highlights:
1. Nigeria is one of world's richest oil states; people are among poorest in world
2. Nigerian agency: $300 billion to $400 billion in oil profits squandered, stolen
3. Militant group MEND attacks oil pipelines, demands profits given to Nigerian people
4. UN: Niger Delta has had more than 6,000 spills; 10 times more than Exxon Valdez

By Lisa Ling - Special Reporting Culled from CNN.com
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (CNN) -- Trash litters its cities. Electricity is sporadic at best. There is no clean water. Medical and educational services are limited. Basic infrastructure is severely lacking.

These are not conditions that should plague one of the richest oil states in the world. Hundreds of billions of dollars has been made from the Niger Delta's oil reserves and many people have gotten very rich. Conversely, the average Nigerian has suffered as a result of the country's oil prosperity. The United States Agency for International Development says more than 70 percent of the country lives on less than a dollar a day -- the population is among the 20 poorest in the world.

Oil companies are only part of the equation. The other is the Nigerian government. Transparency International, a global organization intent on stamping out corruption, has consistently rated Nigeria's government one of the most corrupt in the world.

Nigeria's federal government and oil companies split oil profits roughly 60-40. The money is then supposed to make its way down to the local governments to fund various projects. Somehow, little money actually reaches its intended destination. Nigeria's own corruption agency estimates between $300 billion to $400 billion has been stolen or wasted over the last 50 years.

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state, one of the largest oil producers of Nigeria's 36 states, acknowledges past problems with corruption, but thinks progress is being made.
"There's a lot of improvement," Amaechi said. "The work being done by the corruption agency and the federal government has somehow been able to control the level of corruption in government."

Over the last few years, a culture of militancy and violence has arisen in the absence of jobs and services. Kidnappings for ransom, robberies and even murder happen with regularity. The biggest and most powerful armed group is the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND. They say they are at war against the Nigerian military and the oil companies operating there. MEND, formed in 2005, said it has more than 30 camps throughout Nigeria. Members are armed with high-tech weaponry they said was obtained from "foreign sources." Hundreds of people have been killed on both sides and countless oil workers have been kidnapped.

Over the years, MEND's attacks on oil pipelines have halted oil production and, therefore, raised the price of oil around the world. They demand oil profits be distributed to average Nigerians of the Niger Delta and said they will not stop their attacks until their objectives have been fulfilled.

The battle is over oil -- one of the world's most valuable resources. But to most Nigerians -- oil is a curse.

It has provoked an environmental disaster of monstrous proportions. Since the 1970s, the United Nations estimates there have been more than 6,000 oil spills in the Niger Delta -- that is equal to more than 10 times the amount spilled from the Exxon Valdez in 1989. Yet, there is no international outcry and rarely are the spills reported, even to most Nigerians. They are still happening and the consequences are nothing short of devastating.

Communities along the Niger Delta have lived off subsistence fishing and agriculture for decades. Collecting food becomes impossible when a spill happens, like one that occurred in August. The waterways and mangroves are blanketed in thick brown oil sludge that goes on for miles. Toxicity overpowers the air and a sense of lifelessness pervades the landscape. Many say it will take 10-15 years for the area to be free of contamination -- if the cleanup effort commences in a timely manner.
The August spill was a result of a leak from an old pipeline that had corroded. It took the oil company three months to clamp the leak, but the company said it wasn't reported for a full month after it began. Once the leak was reported, the company said it was denied access to the site by the community. Leaders of the village deny that, and the finger-pointing between the two sides is nothing new -- there is no love lost here.Who is telling the truth? Who knows? Either way, the creeks are blackened. This is life in the Niger Delta.

NIGERIA: POLITICS OF 'BOW AND GO'

2008-11-27T18:06:00.035-05:00

Ok, that is it. My Obama euphoria is over!!!!…I was all high with excitement and flowing in clouds for the last several weeks, feeling like I’m smoking that good shyt and planning to be in DC for the inaugural with my flowing white babariga repping Naija in the front seat on the White House lawn when I stumbled into this -“Obama's election and the needed change, by Obasanjo. Com’on, is Obasanjo serious?…OBJ of all ignoramus Nigerian leaders, writing an exposé on Obama’s presidential election or who did he pay this time to help spout his santimonious gibberish?! Do this man have an original thought in his medulla oblongata? I’m sick of Sarah Pain-lin, but geez, OBJ just sounded like a male clone of that brain dead woman. Hear this: "Obama's movement which began in the US and which had seen the Senator through to victory in the election has swept all over the world. He out-campaigned, out-strategised, out-funded, and out-debated his Republican rival, Senator John McCain. The crowd drawn by Obama during his visit to Europe was nothing short of a movement and it was simply electrifying. I must express my admiration for the managers and advisers of Senator Obama during the campaign. They were cautious, meticulous, and painstaking; they left nothing to chance. They checked and crosschecked everything and every milieu.”
Ok, STOP PRESS OBJ! Reading this gibberish, one would have been moved to tears if only Saint OBJ had remotely practised the ideals he sooo espoused in this article. In his eight years in office, he was not only a tyrant, but a visionless and corrupt leader. His regime was characterised by a litany of broken promises to Nigerians, as he descended to the level of a despot in dealing with all opposing views. His re-election was hogwash. OBJ out-campaigned, out-strategized, out-funded, and out-debated (debate, ke?) his political opponents by using state funds as his personal treasury to entrench himself in office and to impose another imbecile 'democratic' Yardua govt.

After so many months of soul searching and being pulled by countless strings from all sides by his political thugfathers, President Yardua finally came up with a list of his 2nd batch of 'selected' ministers. It is ironic that while there is so much talk about getting rid of the Nigerian quota system, Yardua is still abiding by this rule in nominating ministers from each state of the federation. The main rukus however was over the senate tradition of“"Bow and Go" where nominated ministers were not being grilled or allowed to take questions during their confirmation hearing in the Senate, but were simply allowed to introduce themselves, then take a bow and leave. One of the loquacious senators, Uche Chukwumerije took umbrage to this mediocre, pat-in-the-back, charade of a ministerial confirmation process as a subtle form of bribery: "My point of order is my privilege and right as a Senator of the Federal Republic and as somebody who speaks on behalf of the people of the country, not just the people of my constituency, it is very much a breach by this bow and go short-circuit. By the bow and go short-circuit, you are depriving not just us here but through us the tax payers public of this country of the opportunity"
I wholeheartedly second Chukwumerije in accusing the other senators and the Senate president David Mark, who has been orchestrating this tradition or subtle bribery; for their do-nothing attitude and political scheming in confirming ministerial nominees. Dont these senators know that Nigerians deserve to ask legitimate questions of these selected ministers? And to question them on what they are actually going to contribute to the growth of the nation and in moving Nigeria forward? To question their integrity and honesty in relation to their shady past in government, considering the fact that most of them are being recycled and for never accomplishing anything while they were in past govts. Dont the Nigerian senators have to vote for or against the confirmation of a political appointee? Is this a matter of being selected as ministers for a second round of looting galore; or is it merely to fill a gap of a biased and discrimatory Nigerian quota system? "Bow and GO" is a disservice to Nigerians and should be scrapped immediately!!!!!

Anywayz, sorry I have to talk about OBJ again! Guess where Obasanjo has been hiding these days? Well, that's easy to figure out; he is hanging out in the Congo - “Obasanjo hopeful on Democratic Republic of Congo crisis. Wonders shall never end - OBJ is now a UN Ambassodor?! Brokering peace in war torn Congo? Ok, this is freaking hillarious. LOL! How can OBJ try to secure peace in the Congo when his own govt festered an open wound with militants in the Niger Delta? Should’nt Obasanjo be working to secure peace and healing Nigeria after his backward regime of 8yrs rather than lobbying for a job with the UN to make some peace outside the shores of Nigeria?…Why didn't the UN send OBJ to Borokiri or Opukushi or Harbour Creeks in the Niger Delta so he can actually be in a war front and talk to the militants there. Trust me, I am all for peace in a neighboring or African country; I do NOT ever want to see another Rwanda in our continent; but geez…..Our Niger Delta is fast becoming one; a hotbed of violence and mayhem which were allowed to flourish into a kidnap-an-expatriate-for-ransome business while OBJ was in office; and sadly enough, that business is now turning into a full blown war. How can anyone try to put out the fire in another man’s house when his own house is been gutted in a raging inferno? Now just so we don’t lose sight of what is going on in Nigeria; this is just a reminder of what happened in the Niger Delta this past couple weeks - “JTF, militants in five-hour shoot-out! Having OBJ in the Niger Delta in securing the peace will be a real peace mission.

At the start of Yardua administration, most Nigerians gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was going to be tough on corruption and combat fraud in our political landscape; with the manner in which he was dropping the “rule of law” mantra left, right and center. I was a little bit skeptical at best; looking forward to the day that the Nigerian govt. would actually do something about rogue politicians, who do not have any shame in displaying their ill-gotten wealth! However, this is nothing new in Nigeria, but today the PDP seems have taken the show of corruption to a whole new level and even with President Yardua now at the elm of affairs of the ruling political party when - “PDP rakes in billions at fundraiser!
Ok, raising money in a political fundraiser is great!…but for a PDP secretariat? For an office building? Haba! With all of the dilapidating infrastructures that Nigeria is so bedevilled with - bad roads, failing schools, hospitals in shambles, no power electricity grid, one would think that these politicians would be fundraising to fix our broken infrastructures; rather, they are all in show of shame donating billions of stolen wealth…to erect a single structure; just to curry favors from those in power or the PDP Yardua govt. This is reminiscent of OBJ fundraising to build a presidential library while he was still in office. Nigerian politicians do not need billions worth of state of the art PDP secretariat to win elections; neither do they need to show who has the most stolen bucks in the bank….they just need to fix our broken political system and ensure that they do not trample on our individual and constitutional rights in choosing our leaders; when we actually have a true election!!!

Until that day when Nigeria will have a free and fair, unrigged elections, I am going to take my "bow and go"!

CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA!!!!

2008-11-05T01:30:00.007-05:00

I AM SOOOOOOO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

YES WE CAN!

Iyabo Obasanjo's Criminal Debacle: Above The Law?

2008-05-21T11:27:00.023-04:00

“Iyabo Obasanjo remanded in police custody, weeps"

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello has no basis to be pitied for allegedly undermining the law or the constitutional authority of the EFCC in a classic case of “above the law” political philandering. The criminal case against Senator Obasanjo-Bello should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and while it is legally expedient to quote ‘a man is innocent until proven guilty”, it is a blatant affront to try to subvert the judicial process by not submitting oneself to constitutional authority; having being indicted for breaching your oath of office. Any complicity in the courts or EFCC in any "quietly subverting or trumping the code of EFCC criminal act" will reflects negatively on EFCC and Yar’dua’s anti-corruption posturing for playing outside the rules.

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello performance in this criminal charade was not only a show of demagoguery of a corrupt politician but an assault on the Nigerian democratic tenets. Iyabo Bello-Obasanjo’s show of shame and emotional outburst to garner self-pity, truly manifest her ruthless quest, driven by raw ambition and emotions, to sweep our judicial process under the carpet.

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello tears for self pity has no significance or meaning and counts for nothing in Nigeria rule of law. It is bogus for Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello to argue that she should be remanded outside of prison custody while fighting to clear her name. Nigeria have one prison system; and all, regardless of being a serving senator or the daughter of a corrupt ex-president does not grant any one the right, not to be subjected to the same system. It is absolutely absurd and it will be a travesty of justice!

The courts, with due respect and integrity and no respecter of persons, should decides every ones fate that have been subjected to the due process of our legal system. Any attempt or an orchestrated attempt or an end-trial conspiracy by OBJ and his cohorts to thwart the legal process before the case is resolved, should be regarded as a slap to Nigeria democracy and should be forcefully resisted with all the might and constitution of the Nigerian people.

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello criminal ploy is a ruthless tactic, meant only to continue to pillage on their corruption antics and it is an extension of one of the worst regimes of modern day Nigeria – the OBJ govt. The likes of Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and the vestiges of OBJ criminal gangs should be curtailed and effectively put in a lockbox, with no apparent reign in any facet of the Nigerian government; Yardua inclusive.

At the conclusion of Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello trial, all parties should be heard and all dissent should be given a fair hearing; our legal process should be transparent and be able to show integrity and courage in our most difficult and trying times as Nigeria continues the march towards a corrupt free, full-fledged democratic nation.

The Nigeria court is the arbiter of justice and any justice that is meted outside the courts jurisdictions, is unconstitutional, null and void, and without any basis. Let Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello suck it up, and stand trial for her crimes. Nigerians must continue fighting for the rule of law and transparency in our courts. All rational Nigerians must respect our judicial process.

In Nigeria, no man or rather woman, should be above the law!

Politricks Update: Sorry ma peoples, make una no vex

2008-03-22T19:04:00.012-04:00

Sorry ma peoples, make una no vex. I’m getting tired small small with Naija politricks as U.S. presidential election was beginning to get interesting. Now that the U.S. election is getting uglier everyday, I am temporarily abandoning my adopted country and shifting focus back to the nation of my birth, the nation of my ancestors, Naija. So you see ma peoples, politics is a ugly business; in as much as I try to find sanity in all of these political brouhaha, be it in Naija or in the da U.S. we are all stuck with politics of same ole, same ole, nothing changes, same rhetoric’s and cut throat politicking and life, (un)fortunately, moves on!

And I’m moving on….

Wonders shall never end with our political election riggers INEC!
Of all the fraudaulent elections that have been cancelled state after state after state,“INEC seeks bank loans to organise Kogi, Adamawa gov elections. Anyone who loves Naija will shudder at the thought of INEC and this delusional clown Maurice Iwu abi Ewu (goat), not only conducting an election, but taking a loan to conduct another fraudulent election. At what price and at what cost, can INEC and this he-goat continue to bamboozle Nigerians. INEC as an independent non profit making govt. establishment does not have the legal backing to take a bank loan. Why didn’t Ewu approach OBJ, Ibori and Yawdua for this loan; he has been a good lackey in rigging elections to their favour!
If Yardua is honest with the Nigerian people in sanitizing our nations electoral process, this Ewu would have long resigned. INEC is not only incompetent, but grossly corrupt and lacks the credibility to even conduct a school inter house sport on a fairly, non-partisan level. And the face of Ewu portray a doomsday political scenario awaiting Nigeria; the more you see his face the more you see that character in Nigerian leaders that says, we don't care what anyone says, our culture is corruption.

It’s been reported that,“Ibori's Airline Beechcraft 1900 with three crew members on board has been declared missing hours after it should have landed at Obudu, Cross River state. The mssing Beechcraft 1900 aircraft has been the aircraft of choice for charter flights by several high net worth clients and companies, was in perfect condition as at the time the flight was operated. Considering the fact that Nigeria have had three terrible air crashes between 2005 and 2006, this is no surprising news. Again, the aviation industry’s inadequacy in search and rescue operations has been exposed. Again too, since we all know it takes the Nigerian authorities several days for search and rescue team to even locate a missing aircraft, it should have been an eye opener to not only the authorities but to Ibori and it’s stolen billions that something needed to have been done urgently to remedy the situation while he was in office. Honestly, while my prayers are with the crew members, I hope that this airline did not make it back in good condition into the hands of this indicted criminal Ibori.

Lastly, earlier this month, an entourage of“Govt delegation denied entry into Mexico . A delegation of the Federal Government that left Nigeria to cheer Samuel Peter to victory in his World Boxing Council fight against Oleg Maskaev in Mexico did not make it to the venue as Mexican immigration officials refused them entry into the North Amercan country. According to the news report, over 20 people came from Nigeria instead of four agreed on between the two countries. It was also revealed that the Nigerian officials failed to pick up their visas from London, with the delegation unilaterally making their transit through Spain from where they boarded their flight to Mexico City. The Mexican immigration officials, who spoke from Mexico City, also claimed that the delegation did not book hotels where they could be located, giving room to further the suspicion that they were up to some tricks in Mexico.

Hold on a second while I go outside to puff a cig and breath some fresh air!(I can't stand stupid people; and our govt is full of plenty!)

Anywayz, I'm baaaack! Bloody idiots; why would they not deny them entry to Mexico?. What have they done for Samuel Peter (funny name tho:)) in training for this fight that they would want to go and partake in his glory?. This govt. delegation should have stayed in Nigeria and cheered him on in their TV screen; but rather decided to make the long trip, inviting their family, friends and cronies all for the estacode. Perhaps this delegation thought the Mexican immigration officials are like our own security agents, who will betray our nation and let you in our country with a flash of a dollar; by taking bribes. This is typical Naija cow mentality and all of these govt. officials should have been arrested by the EFCC for being stupid; for embarking on a dubious, irrelevant and inglorious trip and bringing shame to Nigeria.

These are the fools running the Nigerian Sport Commision. They cannot even follow simple instructions. It is such a shame that we let these morons represent us in anything. Common! 4 valid visas and 20 people showed up? What a shame!!!

Yardua's Worst Election Nigthmare

2008-02-24T08:52:00.019-05:00

It’s silly season in Naija political landscape!

As a prelude to this new political reality, the Nigerian elections tribunal have been knocking (s)elected officials off their pedestal like flies –

Early this month, the Inspector-General of Police,“Mr. Mike Okiro, ordered the recently removed governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, to vacate the Government House ,Lokoja with immediate effect.
I wondered if he would adhere to the orders of PoPo Mike Okiro, after he’d brazenly boasted that he's still calling the shots; even while the speaker of the house was been sworn in; but alas, surprising enough, Idris vacated the government house overnight; like a scared chicken governor he was!

Coming on the heels of the demise of Kogi state governor,“the Benue State Election Tribunal sitting in Makurdi on Saturday annulled the election of the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark. Shortly after the ruling, one of the counsel for David Mark, indicated that Mark would appeal against the judgement, saying that justices are allowed to err. Mark’s loss of his seat came in spite of last-minute maneuvers that involved the use of police officers to intimidate his opponent, Mr. Usman Abubakar, popularly known as "Young Alhaji". Mark's opponent was declared wanted and detained for several hours less than 24-hours before the ruling. PoPo Okiro, please get your koboko ready to flog some sense into this the six million £££pound gorrila David Mark, if he refused to vacate the senate. This is a man that has not only erred politically on many fronts, but on the side of Nigerians many years back when he declared that: “Telephone was not for the poor”

Now this is the koko of this post. Super Tuesday is fast approaching in Naija as Nigerians now await the verdict of the Presidential Elections Tribunal on last year’s controversial presidential polls, which 2-slow Yardua, under the blatant rigging of his thugfather OBJ, claimed to have won!
Anxiety and suspense builds up, as “Master of Reversals” Yar'Adua, awaits the impending judgement and debacle that is about to befall his illegal presidency! I know that Yardua is a little bit 2-slow in timing, but it would do Nigerians a lot of good if he should start packing his things from Aso villa. Someone is going to reverse your election, so why not start packing early?!
But on a serious note, I doubt if this verdict will see this humble mallam heading back to Katsina where he belongs anytime soon.

Yardua may have some tricks up his sleeve. It is curious how the Chairman of the Presidential Elections Tribunals, Justice James Ogebe was nominated as a Supreme Court judge a few days ago. The move has been widely condemned by lawyers and legal analysts, and seen as a cynical move calculated to help the judge consolidate his stance in support of validating the election in the name of national stability.

But since Yardua’s mantra has been respecting the “rule of law”; can he be honest with himself and the Nigerian people by upholding the law and the decisions of the courts? By vacating office and calling for new presidential elections if his election is annulled? Will PoPo Mike Okiro order 2-slow Yardua to vacate his office with immediate effect and automatic alacrity? Or will the rumours of bribery attempts making the rounds by the Yardua govt help turn this verdict in his favour.
Well, we will just have to wait and find out; and I will be posting the update as soon as the news break! UPDATE: Nigerian Tribunal Upholds
Yar'Adua's 2007 Victory!

Until then, let's keep our fingers crossed and hail the revolutionary trends in the Nigerian justice system: “Up the Nigerian Courts!” - down OBJ, Yardua, Iwu abi Ewu (goat), David Mark and co; plus the other misbegotten election-riggers. Nigerian Judiciary is so beautiful now, were it to be a woman, I would romance it nonstop!

teehee!!!

Nigeria Revolution: Change We Can Believe In

2008-01-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

Over the past week, there has been a discussion on“Solomonsydelle's blog about the Nigeria Revolution question? I have made my views known by commenting succinctly on this subject.

But there are so many of us who doubt Nigeria’s desire for something new - who are saying a revolution is a fluke and should never be thought of; or like the Nigerian civil war experience, never be repeated again. I beg to differ. However, I do not believe in a bloody revolution, I believe a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of our thinking and behavior is urgently needed. That is a revolution in itself.

A change from the status quo; a change from the old political brigands and a change from the corrupt establishment in Nigeria. A fundamental change in political organization; a change of paradigm; a change of ideas; and of articulating a new vision and a new hope to move our nation forward in this generation!

We do believe that this change is possible. And this revolution message should resonate loud and clear to all of us. Nigerians alike, from the four corners of our nation and in the diaspora; young and old, Hausa or Yoruba, Igbo or Ijaw, the rich and the poor, we have to remember that this is a fight to salvage our nation, and that all of us share an abiding desire to end the disastrous policies and actions of our past administration.

Well today, this revolution had already began“in Nigeria's court rooms and in the“offices of the anti-graft agency - EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) , but the cynics are at work and they will stop at nothing to make us believe that this is just an illusion; and they will do anything and everything to stop this revolution, but all of us Nigerians need to stand up and tell a different story that change is what we believe in.

But there are real differences between those of us who believe in change in Nigeria and those cynics who wants to maintain the status quo. We are looking for more than just a change of government. We’re looking to fundamentally change the status quo in the Nigerian political, economic and social landscape - a status quo that extends beyond any particular individual or political affiliations. And right now, that status quo is fighting back with everything it’s got; with the same old tactics that divide and distract us from solving the problems people face in Nigeria everyday, whether those problems are poverty; that people can’t afford three square meals a day or homelessness; that ordinary Nigerians can’t afford to pay their rent.

So this revolution will not be easy. Make no mistake about what we’re up against in Nigeria.

We are up against the belief that it’s ok for corrupt politicians to dominate our government - that they are just part of the system in Nigeria. But we know that the undue influence of corrupt leaders is part of the problem, and this change is our chance to say that we’re not going to let them stand in our way anymore.

We are up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to become the“President of Nigeria comes from longevity in our corrupt political system or proximity to those who have the influence of power or powers that be. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to move Nigerians from all walks of life around a common purpose - a higher purpose. Change!

We are up against decades of bitter partisanship and politics that cause politicians to demonize and kill their opponents instead of coming together to make food items affordable or fuel prices cheaper; it’s the kind of politics where you’re not even allowed to say that you have a different idea – by not conforming with the status quo. That kind of politics is bad for Nigerians, it’s bad for our country, and this revolution will be our chance to end it once and for all.

We are up against the idea that it’s acceptable“to say anything and do anything to win an election . We know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics; this is why people don’t believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this revolution is our chance to give the Nigerian people a reason to believe again.

And what we’ve seen in these last years is that we’re also up against political forces that are not the fault of any one individual, but wrong ideological establishments that feed the habits that prevent us from being who we want to be as a nation. It’s the politics that uses tribalism as a wedge, and corruption as a bludgeon . A politics that tells us that we don’t have to think, act, and even vote within the confines that define us in exercising our human rights. The assumption that Nigerians are apathetic to who is going to govern them. The assumption that Nigerians are not ready for change. The assumption that Igbo’s can’t support Yoruba’s; Hausa’s can’t support the Ijaws and the north and south cannot come together.

But this revolution is to say that this is not the Nigeria we believe in. This change is not about tribalism nor the actualization of ethnic nationalities, but a fight for all Nigerians from all walks of life; men and women of every tribes and gender who want to serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud Nigerian flag. We know what Nigeria is, and we believe in what Nigeria can be.

It’s about the past versus the future.

It’s about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today, or whether we reach for a politics of common sense, and innovation - a shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.

That is the Nigeria we see. That is the country we want to see. But now it is up to us to help the entire nation embrace this vision; this revolution. Because in the end, we are not just up against the ingrained and destructive habits of politicians in Nigerian, we are also struggling against our own doubts, our own fears, and our own cynicism. The change we seek has always required great struggle and sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we’re willing to work for it.

So let us remind every Nigerian that change will not be easy. That change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts, and sometimes we will make mistakes. But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope. Because there are people all across Nigeria and in the diaspora who are demanding for change; who can’t afford another four years of misrule because our past leaders couldn’t come together, articulate this vision and get it done.

This post is an inspiration from Barack Obama’s South Carolina Victory Speech; a great and inspirational speech indeed and we can draw a lot of parallels from the change Obama is advocating for and the revolution that is urgently needed in Nigeria.

Timaya: Remembering Odi Massacre

2008-01-15T13:45:00.000-05:00

If you have been to Nigeria recently; there is a new rave in town…down with the Dbanj, Tuface and the PSquare's of this world. Timaya is the shiznit! Hate me if you want - Timaya is hawt like fire!! All Timaya’s songs are on heavy rotation on my cd playa. One particular song got stuck in my head and everytime I replay “Dem Mama”, it brings to mind the attrocieties of a mindless and ruthless Obasanjo’s regime. Why do we want to rehash these issues? We need to spotlight the evils in our society…so as to hold accountable a civilian regime who threw all caution to the winds; for laying a human habition to waste…for unleashing the animalism of the military on Odi because a crime was commited.

The Odi massacre was an attack carried out on November 20, 1999 by the Nigerian military on the predominantly Ijaw town of Odi in Bayelsa State. The attack came in the context of an ongoing conflict in the Niger Delta over indigenous rights to oil resources and environmental protection.

Prior to the massacre, twelve members of the Nigerian police were murdered by a gang near Odi, seven on November 4 and the remainder in the following days. Pursuing those responsible, the military invaded, exchanged fire, and then proceeded to indiscriminately attack the civilian population and the town's buildings. Every building in the town except the bank, the Anglican church and the health center was burned to the ground.

A wide range of estimates was given for the numbers of civilians killed. Human Rights Watch concluded that "the soldiers must certainly have killed tens of unarmed civilians and that figures of several hundred dead are entirely plausible. Environmental Rights Action claims that nearly 2500 civilians were killed. The Nigerian government, in their spin, initially put the death toll at 43, including eight soldiers.

While Obasanjo is now cooling his feet at Otta Farms after vacating office; enjoying the spoils of our nation and being allowed to show-case, flaunt his ill-gotten wealth, and talk gibberish whenever he deems fit, Timaya’s song reminds us all of this crime against humanity; the killing, maiming and raping of over three thousand innocent and defenseless women, children and men committed on the orders of a neo-fascist despot.

I honestly hope that one day, our ex-government officials will be put on trial for this, and for the other heinous crimes that have been committed against our nation. How any human being can sanction this sort of massacre, especially in a 'democracy' is way beyond my imagination.

Read more on Odi Massacre -“HERE

Enjoy Timaya "Dem Mama"!

Ribadu's Demise: Death To EFCC

2008-01-08T16:49:00.000-05:00

I will have my head examined if I dare to absolve President Yardua from the odium of suspicion and complicity in Ribadu's removal. I would further posit that the little credibility or benefit of doubt that Yardua's govt had with this sham anti-corruption crusade, if any, has irrevocably dissipated by this shameful Ribadu's "one year course" ordered deployment service and was permanently "extinguished" (pardon the pun) in this recent convenient “tight-lipped” Yardua posturing.
Pardon the Okiro's and Aondoakaa's of this world; they are hatchet-men; stooges in the hands of despots; whose servitude to Nigeria will be marked by uncouth pronouncements, rash actions and unholy association with thugs masquerading as political party stalwarts; playing a major role through their undemocratic acts in ruining our nation.

In Nigeria, those that are in dire need of training in democratic tenets are the ones shooting off bazookas of orders! How did these 'weasels' ended up in a position of authority in our political landscape anywayz? Shame on us Nigerians for letting these corrupt political brigandes thrive on our passive acquiescence to their garrison politricks!

Yardua's illegal govt; imposed by a spineless cabal of criminals will stop at nothing to ensure that their wicked and self-serving reign of corruption and wanton looting is not interrupted by anything or anyone.

Ribadu is just a victim of a corrupt establishment; but we, all Nigerians, are suckers to a motley crowd of uncouth brigands and leeches led by renegades of a criminal govt.

With the death of the EFCC a.k.a Ribadu's romoval, Yardua will be condemned to the dustbin of history for frittering away these golden opportunities to lift the country out of the doldrums; moreso for presiding over the demise of the country's democracy with his mediocre performance and primitive disposition.

T'is is the Season. A New Year. A New Dawn. Time for change is NOW!

NP

There is No Place Like Home...

2007-12-22T04:19:00.000-05:00

I'm back at home in Naija. There is nothing as good as spending time with fams and friends!!!

Thanks for all the love and support at the passing of my friend! I wish you all the best in the New Year coming. Much Luv!!!!!

R.I.P. To A Dear Friend

2007-11-09T00:36:00.000-05:00

I dont know what to say
I am hurting to hear that you took your own life
why do you do that to me Dawg?
Suicide is not an option
But when you were confronted with life issues, you felt that was the only option
why? Now I'm hurting...
Tears rolling down my cheek while I am writing this
You mean so much to me Dawg...as a friend, a brother, everything I need in a Dawg pal
now I can't think about the things we shared together, because I am always gonna be hurt by your thought
I have never lost someone so close as a friend; and just the way you took your own life without reaching out to me will haunt me forever
I wish you had giving me the option to help out
I wish I had been more of a friend to you to reach out
I wish you had never taken your own life
I can't forgive myself Dawg...I feel like I've failed you
Now you're gone...what can I say to your Daughter when I see her?
It hurts, yes it hurts...
You took the easy way out...it's harder for us now
why? why? why? I can't believe you're gone
I'm gonna live in constant denial...I dont believe you are gone forever
I remember when we talk about growing old together
Riding on Wheel chairs with 22's chrome wheels blinging
And smoking on Cigars and just enjoying life reminiscence about struggling through life
Now you took that away from me...from us
You took your own life and ours with you
I will never forget you Dawg
Kevin Osa, your thoughts will be in my memory forever
Till we meet again
REST IN PEACE!

"Things Done Changed"...

2007-10-31T15:11:00.000-04:00

Nigeria political landscape is ever so changing that it is reminiscent of Biggie’s classic hit song, ‘Things Done Changed’ lyrics being played out. And rightfully so indeed. Biggie vents on the album “Ready To Die” opener, “My mother’s got cancer in her breast—don’t ask me why I’m motherfuckin stressed...”. Yes, Nigeria sure has more than a cancer in her breast and we are all stressed about the state of affairs in our motherland. It will not only take the Supreme Court, but our electoral surgical experts as well; Nigerians that is, to continue to work on these issues to weed out the political hanging chads, dead beats and the less than honorable men who, by hook or crook have found themselves in the corridors of power.

Clearly a 'Things Done Changed’ Tsunami is sweeping across Nigeria. It will be premature to get carried away at this point, but we can gladly say “good riddance” to our new casualties, Speaker Etteh (madam speaker finally gave up the fight when the pressure became unbearable and after a lawmaker gave up the ghost) and her deputy -“HERE , the governor of Rivers state - Celestine Omehia -“HERE , Yardua's Son In law and Kebbi state governor - Usman Dakingari -“HERE , Kogi state governor Ibrahim Idris -“HERE and Anambra state governor - Andy Uba (though, this was a while back, but he was governor for only two weeks. Ouch, that hurts!)

So who's next? I bet the following are having sleepless nights:
“the six million £££pound gorrila - David Mark
Adedibu's (thugfather of Ibadan politricks) protege and governor of Oyo state - Alao Akala
And the governors of Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Delta, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Enugu, Ogun states as“Anxiety grips governors .

Who knows this 'Things Done Changed’ whirlwind might even turn into a coalesced category 5 hurricane-Tsunami and sweep Yardua himself...nuff said!

threading Ijebuman's footsteps 4 inspiration!

Good News: Home-made helicopters hit northern Nigeria

2007-10-22T09:31:00.000-04:00

To my critics and for everyone's enjoyment, here is good news from Nigeria! Courtesy of Yahoo! News -“HERE...

One of the most shocking revelation of this news article was what Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern Nigeria had hoped for with his new helicopter invention -

"He'd hoped -- and still does -- that the Nigerian government and his wealthy compatriots would turn to him and stop placing orders with western manufacturers."

And Nigeria Politricks find this paragragh very puzzling --- "So far, however, government response to his chopper project has been underwhelming to say the least.
Although some government officials got very excited when they saw him conduct a demonstration flight in neighbouring Katsina state, Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has so far shown no interest in his aircraft.
"No one from the NCAA has come to see what I've done. We don't reward talent in this country," he lamented."

There are many Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi in Nigeria, but in a country where we glorify corruption and shun talents and innovation, this is one feat that will go unrecognised and probably never encounraged. In a country where the norm amongst our political class is buying private jets at the espense of helping the poor and the needy; where you will have a speaker of the House of Reps, Madam Etteh fraudulently contracts out the renovation of her residence in the sum of 628 millions of Naira; a country where an Attorney General of the Federation would debase his high office by stooping so low as to write a letter to unfreeze the asset of a corrupt ex-governor; a country where President Yar'dua has a 7-point plan agenda on paper, also touting a Vision 2020 plan from his visionless master OBJ, but with no apparant agenda for creating new jobs, fixing the economy and developing and encouraging young talents and innovation amongst our teeming youths and young graduates.

One wonders why armed robbery and wanton destruction of innocents lives and properties by men of the underworld has continued to be on the rise in Lagos and other major Nigerian cities. One wonders why we have restive youths in the Niger Delta, who have taken up arms and have made kidnappings of oil workers, foreigners and innocent children a favorite pastimes. One wonders why the state of our nation is always on the decline; our infrastructure is at it's worst compared to what we have in decades past; Lagos is now renowned as the World Capital of Power Generators and Power Generating Plants; as our only means of power PHCN has completely gone kaput on Nigerians. One wonders where are the trillions of Naira OBJ sunk in a black hole or rather his deep Agbada pockets all in a failed bid in reforming our energy sector? One wonders why the lip-service anti-graft Yar'dua govt. have not found any of the indicted corrupt ex-governors guilty and made to face the consequences of their actions.

The answers are not far-fetched. Our leaders have failed us. And like Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi rightly said, we don't reward talent in Nigeria!

What do you have to say?!

DEATH IN DA HOUSE: ETTEHGATE SCANDAL CONTINUES

2007-10-18T15:48:00.000-04:00

ETTEHGATE: Logjam continues at the House of Reps as Speaker refuses to step down, one member dead!

It can't get any more tragic than this as Ettehgate scandal continues! Logjam continues at the House of Reps as Speaker refuses to step down, pro-Etteh lawmaker collapses and dies. The Nigeria's lower legislative chamber went into a deadlock for the second day as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Patricia Etteh refused to resign her position due to earlier corruption indictments against her.

The house resumed on Wednesday after a short adjournment on Tuesday as members opposed to her continued stay in office staged protests and stalled a planned debate of a panel report which accused the speaker of corruption in the award of contracts for the renovation of her official residence. The cost of renovation put at N638 million were approved without due processes and laid down procedures.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Madam Speaker Patricia Etteh refused to vacate her seat so that a temporary speaker could conduct the debate, she insisted that she was eligible to judge her own case. Her stubbornness led to a second day of rowdy session and total chaos in the house.

House of representatives leaders said they had earlier agreed to resolve the issue of her stepping down so that a "Speaker Pro-tempore" can take her place by tomorrow when house activities resume, but Mrs. Patricia Etteh reneged on the agreement and staged a carnival-like entry to the chambers today. It was apparent that there doesn't seem to be any truth in the majority support from House of representatives members standing by her as claimed by the Speaker and her supporters, which include former president Ole Baba Jaguda (OBJ) and his erstwhile former domestic assistant, Emmanuel Andy Uba.

Meanwhile, tragedy struck at the house of representative today as a member of the house who was part of Speaker Etteh's carnival upon her defiant entry to the chambers died of congestive heart failure. 46 years old Aminu Shuaibu Safana was a member of the PDP representing Batsari/Danmusa/Safana Federal Constituency in Katsina State, he suddenly fell ill during the rowdy session and was pronounced dead at the National Hospital few minutes later.

The announcement of his death did nothing to move the speaker from her seat until members shouted on her to leave the chambers to honor the dead member.

It took the death yesterday of Hon. Aminu Safana, ironically the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Health, for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rein in on the Speaker to step aside. In a seeming volte-face, PDP asked Speaker Etteh to step aside for the consideration of the Hon. David Idoko panel report saying the Speaker could not be a judge in her own case.The party also lamented the death of Safana, a pro-Etteh lawmaker, describing his death as unfortunate and incredible.

Is it only unfortunate and incredible? One wonders why our Nigerian Politicians; Madam Speaker Etteh being a poster child, would throw all sense of decorum to the winds and engage in petty politricks rather than taking the honorable path to resign if they'd been found to have abused their exalted office? Beats me!

AGF AONDOAKAA'S LETTER UNFREEZES IBORI'S ASSETS

2007-10-04T17:20:00.000-04:00

While the rest of the nation were being hoodwinked into celebrating Nigeria’s 47th independence as a giant stride towards a 'democratic' government, President Yar’adua and his thugs of criminal councels were busy celebrating the unfreezing of Delta State stolen assets to an indicted ex-governor.

Attorney General of the Federation-turns-Nigeria’s Attorney General of Corrupt Politicians, Michael Aondoakaa sent a letter dated August 7th 2007 to Chief James Onafefe Ibori's lawyers in London with the sole aim of sabotaging money laundering investigations against Ibori and his accomplices. The letter which was exclusively obtained speaks for itself; in it the AGF sought to exonerate Chief James Onafefe Ibori from charges of money laundering and corruption by claiming that he was only investigated while in office, but had never been charged to court or currently face further investigations.

It was a cleverly crafted letter that provided James Ibori's lawyers the needed ammunition to get a restraining order earlier granted by the Southwark Crown court in London to be lifted on October 1, 2007; the very day millions of Nigerians were busy celebrating independence day. The AGF secretly wrote a reply to an inquiry from Ibori's lawyers without recourse to the EFCC or any other security agency of the government.

Meanwhile when the London Metropolitan Police tried to contact him for help, the AGF dribbled them around and delayed any timely response that could help their case against James Ibori. The result is an exposure of the hypocrisy of the Yar'adua government who have publicly claimed that they will fight corruption with zeal. Yar'adua also said that he will not shield his former thieving colleagues, but the actions of his government points to a farcical and theatrical war against corruption.

As expected, the British governments and the UN, whose convention against corruption specifically calls on nations around the world to cooperate and collaborate, have shown indifference to Yar'adua's rhetorics.

Celebrations in Delta State?
We cannot but express more outrage in the aftermath of the courts decision! READ HERE
Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan; cousin to Ex-Governor James Ibori declared a state thanksgiving service at the City Hall, Government House, Asaba to express gratitude to God for the victory.

Reacting to the development, the Delta State government through the Commissioner for Information, Mr Oma Djebah, said: “This is not just a victory for Chief James Onanefe Ibori but also a victory for all Deltans both in the state and in the diaspora as well as the state government.”
He said the court’s decision was widely welcomed in the state and greeted with jubilation in places like Asaba, Warri, Sapele and Ughelli. “People were calling me from Warri when they heard the news over the radio. So, all Deltans were in jubilation,” he said.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday directed that there would be a thanksgiving service at the City Hall, Government House, Asaba to express gratitude to God for the victory.

Does the looting and outright plagiarizing of Delta state's treasury calls for celebration and thanksgiving? Nigeria Politricks have advocated that AGF Aondoakaa Must Go!
Over to you Nigerians – What do you have to say?!

Courtesy: sahara reporters

RESIGN NOW!

2007-09-28T11:51:00.001-04:00

House of Reps Fighting & Fasting

2007-09-23T06:12:00.000-04:00

Nigeria political arena never ceases to amaze me, but this is one of the most tumultuous week ever. A free-for-all fight erupted at the House of Representatives' Hearing Room One, with House members loyal to Madam Speaker Patricia Olubunmi Etteh and her critics trading punches and wrestling one another to the ground. However, they quickly decided to placate some house members by distributing gifts meant for Sallah at the end of the week.

Food items like rice, milk, sugar and vegetable oil worth about N43.2m are now being distributed to all members of the Federal House of Representatives. Each member is collecting two cartons of milk, one gallon of vegetable oil, two bags of rice and one carton of sugar. Some members, however, expressed surprise that gifts meant for Sallah were being distributed to all members, irrespective of their religious persuasions, well ahead of the Sallah festivities, which is expected to be marked on October 13.

The gifts, which many members have already collected, is raising eyebrows as some members are wondering why its distribution is so close to the Wednesday date set for receiving the report of the panel investigating the N628m contract scandal.“HERE...

While the rest of the nation is grappling with the harsh economic realities of feeding members of their family with little or no resources, these house legislators are busy awarding fraudulent contracts, fighting like animals in the house chambers and doling out govt largesse for some religious celebration without even passing a single Bill that will help alleviate the sufferings of ordinary Nigerians. These are supposedly lawmakers who turn out to be law breakers in a show of shame. Because they are not duly elected, this kind of despicable behaviour will linger on in our political arena, until the Nigerian electorate exercise their rights to hold leaders accountable by electing people with character that will represent them.

Like I have said in my earlier post “HERE., a house divided against itself cannot stand. Madam Speaker needs to resign NOW!

AGF Aondoakaa Must Go!

2007-09-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

Early last month, the federal government, with the prompting of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, took a decision that could have put the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in a straitjacket. The government directed the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies to seek the approval of the Attorney-General before embarking on the prosecution of suspected violators of the country’s anti-corruption laws. Many Nigerians wondered what could have prompted the action. To them, the reason was as complex as the spelling and pronunciation of the Attorney-General’s name.

Fast forward to today, there have been news going round that reports that President Umar Yar’adua machinery has perfected a plan to spare all corrupt ex-governors, former President Ole Baba Jaguda (OBJ) and top officials of his administration from prosecution for corrupt enrichment. Each official has been advised to scout a corrupt high court judge willing to issue an order restraining the official’s arrest or prosecution. Yar’adua’s attorney general will then order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to desist from harassing any official who is protected by this “bought order”, and it can be authoritatively revealed that a lot of former governors, ministers, special aides to Ole Baba Jaguda and even the former president himself have paid off judges who have written such orders.

As part of the general plot, the hatchet man Attorney General Michael Andoakaa, have been having secret meetings with ex-governors to guarantee them that the EFCC would be thoroughly emasculated. One wonders, is this the Attorney General of the Federation of Nigeria or AG of Corrupt Nigerian politicians?.“HERE"...

Under the pretext of defending the rule of law, Yar’dua and AGF Andoakaa are trying to cover up corruption, money laundering and crimes against humanity by ex-governmnent officials. Yar’dua cannot be talking about the rule of law when his government emerged through fraudulent elections. Yar’dua cannot be speaking from both sides of his mouth; with one claiming staunch support for the anti-graft crusade and the other, supporting a serving AGF, who is flagrantly undermining the constitution, the public interest, the interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process in prosecuting corrupt government officials.

For these reasons, AGF Andoakaa Must Go!

YAR'ADUA: A FICKLE MINDED PRESIDENT?

2007-08-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

“Soludo should go screw his new naira policy"...

I didn't say that, but Yar'dua did by putting a "screech" on the new naira policy. Yardua has now become a fickle minded Go-Slow president. Yardua can't make up his mind on what direction Nigeria should be heading; he backed out of the proposal of having the AG exercise his oversight function over EFCC within 48hrs "Here"... and now he quickly retraced his footsteps on the new naira policy in less than 2 weeks. I am neither in favor nor against any of these policies, since I am not in support of an illegal Nigerian govt. However, I am positive that Yardua either lacks the vision to lead or he doesn't have the balls to make hard decisions to move Nigeria forward or at worst, he is being controlled by some unforseen political forces...who are doing a good job to undermine the interest of Nigerians.
Yar'dua lame ass excuses? First, he was misled by the attorney-general of the federation on the AG-EFCC fiasco. Now, the same Attorney-General just discovered that the CBN Act 2007 does not in fact grant Prof. Soludo the powers he claimed with respect to currency denomination. Ummmmh, is the whole Yardua's ruling cabinet so slow they can't get it the first time?....

Yar'dua, Sicko he is and so is the Nigerian government! Thinking about it, we should all ask ourselves...what do we expect from an illegitimate Yar'dua government?!

The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

MADAM SPEAKER: BIRTHDAY BASH AND FRAUDULENT CONTRACTS

2007-08-22T08:03:00.000-04:00

Madam Speaker's Birthday Bash at Bowie, Maryland!

Contrary to denials by her colleagues at the National Assembly in Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh celebrated her Birthday on Friday night at her Willes Vision Drive home in Bowie, MD (USA). There were lots of guests and many house of reps members who traveled from Nigeria for the purpose of celebrating her 54th birthday. Could this be the medical check up Mrs. Speaker came for? You judge!

“MORE PICS OF MADAM SPEAKER BIRTHDAY BASH HERE"...

Prior to this celebration where she led some members of the House to the United States for her birthday bash, Madam Speaker Etteh and her deputy illegally approved an unbudgeted N629m to renovate their official residences. Nigerians are miffed that the Speaker and her deputy could spend such a whopping sum on the renovation of their official residences and the purchase of 12 cars in a country where poverty and disease are endemic, where unemployment remains sky-high and where basic infrastructure have broken down, with more than half of the nation’s 140 million people living on less than a dollar a day.

The costs of the projects of renovating their official residences is mind boggling and unacceptably exorbitant and the award of the contracts was illegal as it was not provided for in the 2007 budget. The National Assembly must approve any extra-budgetry expenditure to be made by any public official. The award of the contracts also violated laid down procedure, as the jobs were not advertised in the Federal Tenders Journal or national newspapers to allow for competitive bidding. In conclusion, Etteh’s action is an economic crime for which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should bring her and her collaborators to book and she definitely needs to be impeached.

Etteh is believed to have reached out to her bigger powerful "pimps", former President Ole Baba Jaguda (OBJ), the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and the leadership of the Senate to save her from disgrace.

In contrast, here are hapless Nigerian women who were branded as prostitutes and whose less powerful "brothel" pimps couldn't do anything to save them from the hands of the over zealous Nigerian Police Force.

Now who deserve justice? The innocent hapless women or the fraudulent Madam Speaker? You be the judge!

Apparently, in an attempt to prove their mettle, the Lagos State Police is chasing after Nigerian females paraded in this photo, they, the police have ignored two categories of men who make Lagos ungovernable, immoral and unsafe. The armed robbers who the police claim hides out at the "Brothels" where these citizens were arrested and the men who prostitute them (especially the married men and corrupt politicians who engage in this acts at the expense of their wives), since it takes two opposite sex to tango in a prostitution business. This is chauvinism at its worst. Leave these women alone if you can't parade their patrons. Shame on Lagos Policemen!

NIGERIA: GOVERNANCE AND DECAYING INFRASTRUCTURE

2007-08-10T22:21:00.000-04:00

A World Bank report: "Governance Matters, 2007: Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) 1996-2006" says that some African countries are making significant strides on the path to good governance and corruption control, a development that is encouraging, given their place in long-term growth and poverty reduction.

According to the report launched last month by the World Bank Institute and the Bank’s Development Economics Vice-presidency, Kenya, Niger, Sierra Leone have between 1998 and 2006 showed marked recent improvements in voice and accountability, while Algeria and Liberia have strengthened their rule of law.

In a press release, the bank said countries like Algeria, Angola, Libya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, the report notes have made improvements in political stability while Tanzania has recorded gains on control of corruption. However, other African countries still face enormous governance and development challenges, the report says.

While emerging economies are matching rich countries on key dimensions of governance; with poorer African nations showing marked improvements on key benchmarks of governance, Nigeria did not show any improvement that was worth mentioning in this report.

Now, click on the color coded key Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) chart for Nigeria below.

You will see that Nigeria is ranked below the 50th percentile on Voice & Accountability (VA), below the 25th percentile on Government Effectiveness (GE) and Regulatory Quality (RQ) and below the 10th percentile on Political Stability (PS), Rule of Law (RL) and Control of Corruption (CC). This is a shameful statistics for a nation that prides itselfs as the "Giant of Africa"!

This research study was based on the premise that; in a country like Nigeria where there is no voice and accountability; no freedoms for the citizenry to participate in selecting their government, no Government effectiveness; as in lack of quality civil service and it’s independence from political pressure, the quality of policy formulation and implementation and the credibility of the government’s commitment to such policies, it may be hard to pressure public officials/administrators to be accountable to the public. As a result, it is hard to control corruption. Thereby giving rise to the perception of the likelihood that the government will be destabilized or overthrown by unconstitutional or violent means including political violence or terrorism.

To say the least, this is an indictment on the last administration for the lack of governance in Nigeria for the last decade – the period in question in this report. And adding to this, the scathing statement made last week that “Revamping Nigerias Decaying Infrastructure is taking too long...
”by Kavalsky, a World Bank official, one is constrained to pass judgement that the Obasanjo vis-a-vis the Yar’Adua's administration would be the worst Government Nigerians will experience in recent memory.

The World Bank team from the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) who was in Nigeria to assess the impact of the bank’s projects in the last 10 years expressed shock that the country was still grappling with the problem of infrastructure, and indeed all the facilities that could have made life easier for Nigerians in spite of the huge funds injected into its provision during the tenure of Obasanjo.
"Infrastructure is a difficult problem. There should have been a breakthrough but it is taking a longer time. In my discussion with President Obasanjo, he said he thought they could fix the problem in six months but it was not possible." Kawalsky added.
Nobody knew what was Obasanjo's excuse for failing Nigerians on this most crucial duty as a president!

Here is an excerpt from the news article - “Both federal and state roads across the country have been the subject of much concern by business and the Nigerian public who use them. Over an eight-year period, the last government, under Olusegun Obasanjo, is believed to have spent well over N1-trillion for the rehabilitation of roads across the country for which nothing is on the ground to show for the huge expenditure.

The country also continues to suffer from poor state of electricity supply, with generation capacity falling to below 3,000 megawatts this year. The country actually requires an estimated 40,000 megawatts to be able to enjoy constant power. Poor state of refineries has also meant that the country is faced with constant disruption in fuel supply, with a litre of petrol selling for N150 in some far northern and eastern states.

Education remains in a shambolic state in a period of rising global oil prices for a country known for being the world’s eighth exporter of crude oil in the world. The five-man team from the World Bank appears to have been convinced to draw its conclusion from its observation of the current state of disrepair of the different infrastructural facilities that it examined. “
He, however, described the privatisation programme under the last administration as a difficult issue with the several policy somersaults experienced as he condemned the sale of refineries.

This brings to mind the fallacy of Obasanjo's questionable achievements, when mirrored against his administration many evident failures. One is forced to question - What was the sense in handing off billions of dollars to the Paris Club in settlement of questionable debts when your nation's roads are in deplorable condition? How do you justify keeping $40 billion in foreign bank vaults when Nigeria’s infrastructure remains inferior to Ghana’s, the Congo’s and Uganda’s, and closer to those of war-torn Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia? And why hasn’t the EFCC responded to the grave accusations, by his Vice President no less, to the effect that Obasanjo has engaged in corrupt self-enrichment? How committed is this anti-graft crusade anyways, when Yar’dua have now decided to cage these anti-corruption agencies and strip them of their independence?

Let's not even rehash the issue of insecurity of the nation; as the Nigerian Police have now stooped to the lowest of the lows; wantonly arresting defenseless women for dressing ‘inappropriately’ under the guise of imposing a veiled Sharia state; while leaving 419ners, rapist, street thugs, pedophiles, murderers and armed robbers to roam freely, unleashing terror and mayhem on the ordinary citizenry. And do we expect a President Yar’Adua’s govt to stop this ugly menace by the police? Not in Yar’Adua’s lifetime; this is the same staunch Shariarist zealot, whom, while he was the governor of Katsina State, allowed the conviction and death sentence of a hapless Muslim woman who was still nursing her child for allegedly committing adultery!

The sad news is that while a considerable number of countries, including poorer and smaller African nations are showing that it is possible to make significant governance progress in a relatively short period of time, Nigeria continues to experience deteriorations in a number of governance dimensions and decaying infrastructures. The reality is that the Nigerian government will never come to grips with the fact that improvements in governance are critical for government effectiveness and for the sustenance of long-term political stability and economic growth, if any.

Corrupt Government Shares Loot

2007-08-04T06:14:00.000-04:00

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are to get a total of N19.5 million as severance pay as soon as the National Assembly ratifies the payment of severance allowance to former public office-holders.

Documents exclusively obtained from the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission on Friday indicated that Obasanjo will get N10,544,115; while Abubakar will collect N9,094,717.
These figures represent 300 per cent of their annual basic salaries. The documents showed Obasanjo’s basic salary as N3, 514,705.00, while Abubakar’s was N3,031,572.50.
Already, all former members of the National Assembly and its leadership have been paid. The highest among them is the former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, who got N7,452,727. He is followed by the erstwhile Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Masari, who was paid N7,431,330. While Nnamani earned N2, 484,242.50 annually, Masari got N2,309,166.75.
The documents also showed that each of the former governors is to collect N6, 671,115.00; while each their former deputies will receive N6, 336,645.00 each.
Of the 36 former governors, only nine returned. They are the governors of Borno, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Anambra, Kano, Kogi, Kwara and Gombe. Apart from the Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, who was the deputy governor of Oyo State, others who returned as deputy governors after the 2007 elections include those of Bayelsa, Borno, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Anambra, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Kaduna and Gombe. The former governors and deputy governors were on N2, 223,705.00 and N2, 112,215.00 respectively.
For the former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, his severance pay is put at N6, 927,566. This represents 300 per cent of his N2, 309,188.75 annual basic pay.
For former senators, whom it was gathered had been paid because they did not require legislative approval as stipulated in Section 70 of the 1999 Constitution, they each went home with N6,079,200.00. Ex-members of the House of Representatives got N5, 955,637.00. The former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara, was also paid N4, 337,947.00.
At the state level, the commissioners and each of the former Secretary to the State Government is due for N4,011,675.00m; while the permanent secretaries and auditors-general will go home with N3,743,610.00 each. Each of the former special advisers to the governors are also to get N5, 000,440,00.
For the former local government chairmen, each of them will collect N3, 406, 170.00 while their deputies will pocket N3, 198,960 each. The councillors are not also left out as each of them is to smile home with N2,850,285,00.
Former ministers; the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Obong Ufot Ekaette; the former Head of Service, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed; and chairmen of some public parastatals are to go home with N6, 079,200 each.
For this set of former public servants to be entitled to the severance pay, it was stated that they must have served for a period of two years in office.
While millions of Nigerians are struggling to survive with meagerly stipends, these bunch of political buffoons are cutting for themselves fat severance package from the national treasury. What did these politrickscians achieved in the past 8 years to justify this largesse? Beats me!!!

Is Turaki A Burkinabe?

2007-07-25T17:46:00.000-04:00

Corrupt Governors Granted Bail, But...

Embattled former Governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye, was this morning granted bail by the Federal High Court, Abuja, but he cannot go home yet because he has another matter hanging on his neck at the FCT High Court, Gudu, Abuja. Dariye, who is standing trial on money laundering and criminal concealment charges before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, was granted bail in the sum of N100 million with two sureties. Each of the sureties must be a senator or/and a traditional ruler with landed properties in Abuja. Despite this, Dariye is to remain at the Kuje Prison as there is another 41-count charge of theft filed against him at the FCT High Court, Gudu, Abuja. The matter is being presided over by Justice Abimbola Banjoko. And in the matter concerning Alhaji Saminu Turaki former governor of Jigawa State, who is standing trial for alleged corrupt enrichment and criminal concealment at the Federal High Court, Abuja, his counsel, Ayodele Adedeji (SAN), this morning moved the motion for adoption of his bail application. In his argument, the counsel maintained that the offences for which the former governor was standing trial were bailable and that he should be granted bail. But the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, opposed the application on the grounds that Turaki would likely jump bail because he holds multiple passports. Jacob argued that being a citizen of Nigeria and Burkina Fasso, Turaki could flee to Burkina Fasso to escape prosecution. The EFCC counsel pointed out to the judge the implications which granting Turaki bail would have on his trial. He said it would be injurious to the trial to grant Turaki his application for bail. Justice Binta Murtala Nyako adjourned till Friday, 27 July 2007 hearing in the bail application.

Courtesy: Sahara Reporters

MADAM DOLLAR$ - OKONJO-IWEALA

2007-07-23T15:33:00.000-04:00

Expensive business everywhere: OBJ/NGOZI mixing business with pleasure. THE COST +$247,000 per year

DOLLAR SALARIES... brought Okonjo-Iweala back in the news. The travials of this woman continues -

TOO MUCH TRIBULATION FOR AN "EXPATRIATE ECONOMIST"-
1. She was disgraced and humiliated out of office.
2. She was constantly berated and humiliated at cabinet meeting, with chief gigolo, Ole Baba Jaguda (OBJ) calling her "oko 'n jo" (ask your Yoruba friends to translate). The woman was blinded by greed, she had no honour and dignity to quit.... (Very unpatriotic Nigerian; to be asking for dollar$ salaries while being the Finance Minister, PUBLICLY stating that she would not accept her country, Nigeria's currency as legal tender; and she even had the audacity to look the other way while OBJ circumvent the law by breaking into the coffers of the UNDP funds, meant for the development of poor communities, to pay her. What a travesty!)
3. Her geeky boi (Husband-Neurotic Surgeon, Ikemba Iweala), was paying some cheap hooker, about $20,000 a pop, poor dude........!!!!!!!!!!!!THE COST? close to $300,000 Per Annum!!! ************ Quote from AK47 - Keeping them honest, after all it is our money and lives that are wasted.... *********Naijapolitics. ...AND NOW SHE HAS TO REFUND HER DOLLAR SALARY. WE HOPE THE PARIS CLUB WILL COME TO HER AID!!!

Courtesy: Sahara Reporters

Breaking News...

2007-07-13T20:59:00.000-04:00

Four ex-governors charged with money laundering

For more than 40 days after the former governors have left office, the lame duck EFCC has finally grown some balls to now charge four ex-governors with money laundering charges in several billions of naira belonging to their respective states. The ex-governors are Joshua Dariye (Plateau); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba).

This action by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have long been awaited by majority of Nigerians who wants to see justice

done. We have long advocated that ex-politricksians who have been found to curruptly enriched themselves and have taking looting of the public treasury as a fovourite past time, be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and be made to face the consequences of their action.

The prosecution of these four ex-governors may be a start in cleasing our polity of currupt practices by Nigerian politricksians, but the EFCC should also endeavour to go after the rest of the Nigerian political class and their cronies who have contravened the law by stealing from the Nigerian people.

The time to start holding our politricksians to account for the injustice done to the Nigerian people is NOW!

Nigerian Governor T.A. Oji at the Shrine - Okija Groto

2007-07-07T16:26:00.000-04:00

T.A Orji is the new Governor of Abia state. He was 'elected' while in detention. As at the time of electioneering campaigns , T.A. Orji was at the Kirikiri Maximum prison, Lagos awaiting trial for multiple count charges of money laundering, fraud and conspiracy. He never featured in the campaigns to read out his action plans for Abia state. He was sworn in before May 29 while out on bail and he is now protected under the 'immunity' clause in the Nigerian Constitution against any alleged criminal misconduct.
Now there are half naked pictures of him at a shrine as he went to swear allegiance to his political Godfathers/Godmothers at the shrine in secret ritual ceremony.

Do the gods at Okija shrine vote at election or the Nigerian people? Beats me!

Abia State politricks is noted for oath taking or swearing allegiance to some juju or political godfathers at Okija shrine -...Oath-taking.

YAR'ADUA'S PUBLIC ASSETS DECLARATION

2007-07-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

Only a president Yar’Adua is clinically capable of understanding that corruption have consequences and that he could take the right action - PRESIDENT'S PUBLIC ASSETS DECLARATION. Yar’Adua has just sent exactly the right signal to the country and to other political leaders in Nigeria. In Yar’dua's Nigeria, it is apparently okay for a president to publicly declare his assets instead of hiding under the cloak of political immunity for corruption gains, mislead and misrule to the Nigerian people.

For this action, we commend Yar’Adua!

The Nigerian political elites and their cronies may think that they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences of their corrupt act. The cause of equality under the law should be applicable to everyone and all Nigerian political leaders should follow the footsteps of Yar’Adua and declare their assets publicly. Failure to do so will be a contravention of the code of conduct of public officers and they should be made to face the consequences of the law. The lame duck EFCC should please take note and take ACTION!

Review of This Week Naija News

2007-06-16T21:04:00.000-04:00

Obi in, Uba Out This is the most explosive news of the week! Xmas came early for the people of Anambra State as they went agog with celebration; with Uba now licking his wounds of shameful defeat in the hands of the justice system. Kudos to the Nigerian justice system for rejecting these sham and fraudaulent election winners. The thought of Andy Uba only evokes memories of his criminal act of ferrying huge caches of stolen cash on Nigeria's presidential jets. And for the ruling political elites to impose this buffoon on Anambra state as governor, is a class act of reckless display of power. Glad one is down, many more Obasanjo boys to go!

One cannot but ponder what future now lies for the people of Niger Delta when
Militants Announce Ceasefire over Dokubo’s release, but in the same breath are sending mixed messages, as their renegade brother's in arms are actively in business.
Militants kidnap 2 Indians in Sapele. Can't they all put their acts together for the peace and stability of the nation, rather than unleashing mayhem and terror on the ordinary citizenry that is far more worse than those inflicted by the government and oil companies. It's sad to see that Nigeria has degenerated to the point where these militants are now holding foreign nationals to ransome, under the guise of agitating for a better life for the Niger Deltans. What better life are they asking for, if not for their own selfish interest?!! *hiss* Dialogue people. Dialogue!

No nation can top the ingenuity of the Nigerian Police Force as they've masterminded the act of criminality. Police fraud: Detectives find naira bills inside refrigerators, TV sets Talk about having a police force that have sworn to uphold the rule of law and the creed (of being model citizens) in protecting the lives and property of the Nigerian people! What a hypocrisy? ( cough* cough**)

Can you believe this news story? Politicians, govt officials order armoured vehicles Are Nigerian politrickcians and government officials now scared of the insecurity of the nation? Are they now hiding in armored vehicles in fear of armed robbers and political thugs, that their fraudaulent acts and inactions in creating a stable and crime-free polity, have unleashed on to the streets of the nation? Wonders shall never end!

Is this still news? Election materials disappear from INEC’s office The last time I checked, this is the only way Nigerian politrickcians know how to win elections; by stealing election materials and stuffing ballot boxes.

Stop looking outwards for Africa’s salvation, Yar‘Adua tells ECOWAS . What, Yardy 'yardy??! Ok, seriously Yar’Adua please take your own advice and apply it in fixing Nigeria's humongous problems. You need to look inward to fix our roads, health care, electricity, water, crimes and unemployment and stop going on unproductive foreign trips, medical treatments abroad, and having children, wives, cuncubines, living and schooling in obodo oyibo! And this must be applicable to all government officials and political office holders; because as soon as they appreciate looking inward at the mess they've created in Nigeria, maybe they can start doing something to fix our social, economic and political problems!

I think I'm even getting tired of this really stale news? Our politrickcians have not only perfected the act on how to loot directly from the Nigerian treasury but, they've mastered the art of using the pen as well; giving themselves mouth watering pay raises that are far beyond the imagination of the common man . Union Leaders Condemn Allowances For Federal Legislators

Yoruba protest Yar’Adua’s appointments. Of the millions of problems that are bogging us as a nation, tribal politics is now rearing it's ugly head. This selfish, ethnocentric turn by turn politricks, is going to destroy us as a nation! I'm not sticking up for Yardy Yardy; however, when OBJ was at the helm of affairs, did anybody questioned him when he appointed only his brothers, sisters, wives, and his many many children? So why are these old, good-for nothing, OBJ ass lickers, alms begging, petty, so-called Yoruba Elders now 'bad belleing' the new government. Please, they need to go sit don for corner jare and do something positive with their time rather than trying to play tribal politricks.

I was curiously optimistic that Ex-governors who no longer have immunity and have been found to have enriched themselves illegaly, would soon be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law when I read this news article.
EFCC quizzes Tinubu over fraud - Ex-gov Nnamani arrives, appears at EFCC Thursday, but then, sadly came this news on this glorious halleluyah Sunday morning. Yar’adua asks EFCC to “cool down” on corrupt governors.

Now is Yar’adua serving the interest of Nigerians or those of his criminal friends? Well, since he was never elected, but hoodwinked into being our nations leader, you can tell whose side he is on. This is a bad precedent for the nation and it shows that Nigerian leaders are back to business as usual - Chop and clean mouth politricks!

In conclusion, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has boasted not only in Nigeria, but all over the world, that he is the anti-corruption czar in Nigeria and that some governors would be prosecuted after leaving office. Now it's two weeks after the former governors have left office, none of them has been arrested in spite of the position of the EFCC that they looted the treasury. What is this mallam going to do since his boss is now singing a different tone? Is this a true Mallam...all the aboki's I know carry daggers, and you better not mess with them! Na which kain mallam be dis one sef, shuo?...Mallam Ribadu, you better start taking action before the EFCC loses it's feeble credibility as an anti-graft government entity. And for you, failure to take action, simply shows that you're just another egoistical puppet on a string of a visionless and corrupt Nigerian government!

C ya'll people. Let me know what you think! PEACE NIGERIA!

OBJ's Legacy

2007-06-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

For many Nigerians, the exit of Obasanjo is a good riddance to another visionless, corrupt and despotic regime that our nation has been cursed with. For eight years, the legacy of OBJ's regime would be remembered as one of the worst that any president has ever bequeathed to a nation - considering the fact that the modern Nigeria OBJ boasted he created is now rife with chaos, an enthrenchment of corruption, plagiarized infrastructures and shattered dreams! As we look forward to a new regime; albeit it was ill conceived, a sham and one borne out of illegality, Nigerians must hold our past rulers accountable for the injustice done to the Nigerian people.
The EFFC should be tasked to not only go after probing a selected few, but should bring the Obasanjo administration to justice. We should endeavour to probe the sale of oil blocks, the Port Harcourt and Kaduna oil refineries, and their surrogates in these shady deals. We should review the books of the sale of public companies; NITEL, NEPA, Ajaokuta Steel, National Arts Theatre, Tafawa Balewa Square and all other national infrastructures that the Obasanjo administration sold to himself and his apparatchiks under the guise of privatization.
Nigerians should bring the wrath of the law to bear on every past leaders that has stolen from the public coffers. Yar' dua should start his presidency on a clean slate, by ensuring that the regime before him was devoid of any corrupt practices. And this should be his number priority. The failure to be burdened by this honorable task will be regarded as being in acquiescence with corrupt Nigerian leaders that have now become the bane of our beloved country!

Moving on, and I will leave y'all with this article culled from SaharaReporters. Please enjoy it!

AS THE DAYS TICK FOR OBASANJO.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, the owner of the PDP and the self-crowned architect of a modern Nigeria is on rampage. The modern Nigeria he boasts he created is a chaos writ large where life has reached its lowest and most brutish best. His modern Nigeria is an amalgam of crises, hobbled infrastructures and crumbled dreams.

It is a pot pourri of shambolic policies and deliberately sabotaged aspirations. These days, his very last in a sad eight years on power, Obasanjo can hardly end any public show without issuing one threat or the other. When he was not issuing threats, he is sounding as one that have mastered the country so well that he need not lift a finger to impose his will on a conquered people. After eight years when the heavens opened up an unprecedented cash vault, Obasanjo still feels he has an unfinished business with Nigeria. He feels so because he is not quite sure of what the future bodes for him. It is so bad that Obasanjo now practically lives on hubris as to think he can commander the country to trudge along his vain paths. With the minutes ticking away, Obasanjo is fast becoming vegetables and ironically he demonstrates this uncertain posture by grandstanding and issuing feeble threats and innuendos.

At one time, he was blowing hot and cold on how he can’t be pocketed by anybody and you wonder why this feeling of invincibility should so obsess a person that says he has done so well for his country. In another instance, he would be desperately trying to provide a sneak review of the protégé he violated all known canons of decency to impose on Nigerians, as if we need him at all bends come to terms with the reclusivist fellow he forced upon the throne. Nigerians are not fooled by Obasanjo excessive obtrusiveness with the soiled processes leading up to the emergence of Yar A’dua and his obsession with what he would do with the stolen mandate kept in his custody. Like all rulers that are webbed on all sides by acts that threaten their future, Obasanjo is trying to buy protection from prosecution for the many acts of indiscretions that were so rampant in his eight years disastrous regime. He knows that he turns mere vegetable in just a few days time and would only hang on the impression he makes on his protégé to survive what could turn out the most scandalous inquest into his stewardship these past eight years. It is for this that he has coveted PDP and for which he has committed criminal electoral robbery to force the PDP and his protégé on the country, just like the way he was imposed on the country by a cartel of corrupt ex-rulers that saw in him avenues to escape from justice for their many sordid acts while in power.

In one breadth Obasanjo would be breathing fire and brimstone and in another, he would be trying out a very cunning mien of a fellow that was genuinely concerned about the many problems he had only exacerbated in an awful eight regrettable years in power. In another instance, Obasanjo, in a half-clever bid to shake off the bad patch and putrid tar the obnoxious third term put on him, would be boasting of how he would have stayed forever, if he wanted, as if the country is one vast estate under his manipulative thumbs. Yet in another case, he would seek to cut the picture of a contrite fellow that was genuinely concerned about the deepening plight of his people and not in worsening them as he succeeded in doing for the past eight years. But one strand weaving all these demonstrations of a fluid, wracked and troubled mindset is the image of man that is sorely troubled by the prospects of a very unpredictable future. He should be concerned about his future because he knows deep in his heart, as many Nigerians know, that he had greatly compromised the office of the president and has further opened it to abuse and ulterior use.

Truth is that Obasanjo is so troubled that he tries a complex mix of grandstanding and vain bluffing thinking that he would confuse the citizenry further by his antics. He wanders through the solitary lanes of puerile vanity to seek to further confuse a citizenry that endured his visionless and amoral reign for eight years and who are coming to terms with the reality that this evil cup, a sad and dreary chalice of unprecedented poison is passing us after eight strenuous years of unmitigated personalization of power and unbridled mediocrity. With the years ebbing away in minutes, Obasanjo is so troubled, so distracted and so confused that he seeks to hide in the many subterfuges his aimless commentary in recent times create for him. He demonstrates the most uncoordinated thought and the most distracted mindset at a time he would be at peace with the elements were he committed to lift governance beyond the petty corridors of self-aggrandizement and pursuit of naked vendetta. But Obasanjo has created a cult of predatory rich men and millions of poverty-ravaged citizenry. He had tilted state instruments and resources to create a cabal of rich men out of the privation and haunting want of many. He has made some few millions from Nigeria’s malfunctioning power sector, carved a cult of rich standpatters from the premeditated energy crisis, hewn out a sybaritic brood of buccaneers from the bankrupt state infrastructures he is leaving after eight years of uneventful rule. He has brewed social malcontent, spurred social upheaval and has provoked strife by the deliberate policies he pursued to rob the many and empower a few.

But one thing that Obasanjo has not imbued with some level of finesse in the last eight years of bizarre rage is his intrigues. With his entire knack for self-glorification, he looks like a peevish schoolboy in the many infantile intrigues he generously visited to governance in the past eight years. As he practices his trade for dubiety, he fancies himself as being so smart for Nigerians yet no Nigerian is fooled by the many adult pranks of Obasanjo. He is so readable and so predictable that most Nigerians always know where he would end once he launches on any of his pranks. The wonder is why he never sought to disappoint those that always predict his moves and their outcomes and this is not unconnected with the sparse endowments of the government he ran. Even as his antics rebound in his face, he makes a hell lot of job of his awkward smartness that even when all deride him for his half-wits, he fancies himself the next best thing God created for Nigerians after pure water. He plays the ostrich with so much relish and cares little that people equate him with a swimmer whose back flashes at those that watch from outside the stream. That explains the reason he can shamelessly boast that he would have had a third term if he wished. Just the way he tried to wash his hands from that dastardly plot only when the move had been killed by the senate and just as many Nigerians predicted he would. All these cases of cheapening intrigues and the hide-and-seek character of this president accounts for why Nigerians are almost completely united by the hate and repulsion of the person of Obasanjo and why everyone is just desirous that he disappears from our public scene, like the expired drug he has become. No president can be so cheeky!

He is behaving as if he was talking to breast-suckling babies that never witnessed the dirty maneuvers and the wholesome threats with which Obasanjo pursued the third term ambition. He was pretending that Nigerians never recalled the many acts of official bribery and the gargantuan social and political insecurity he provoked in the attempt to get the constitution fraudulently doctored to give him an open-ended term. He pretended Nigerians have forgotten the many manipulations he imbued in the system so as to continue staying in power. Obasanjo wanted Nigerians to believe that the blitzkrieg that attended the grand failure of the obnoxious third term fancies, which obtained in the deadly haunting of the opponents of that evil plot was a mere fluke; so also was the manipulation of most of the legislators that opposed the third term out of the present legislature and the rewarding of the running dogs among them that brazenly promoted that plot with another term. Obasanjo believes he has cowed all Nigerians into a permanent state of amnesia that they never witnessed the untoward deployment of all known state instruments of corruption and coercion to obtain for him another term when Nigerians are riled to the bones by his manifest shortcomings in power.

Nigeria is quietly begging me to remember, what America slowly urges me to forget! – Bassey Ikpi

2007-05-29T11:09:00.001-04:00

Excruciatingly talented and beautiful poet. Poetry from the heart of a genius with true Nigerian intensity. The way we really are. True Naija's! Please enjoy it!

Homeward - caught between a divided African and American cultures!

Diallo - Trubute to an unarmed African shot 41 times in New York city by the NYPD!

Apology to my Unborn

Review of African Blogs

2007-05-21T14:31:00.000-04:00

Nigeria Politricks was recently reviewed in PAMBAZUKA NEWS – A Weekly Forum for Social Justice in Africa as one of their prolific writer and online Editor Sokari Ekine made a Review of African blogs.
You know how y’all get excited when you receive a message that someone has left a new comment on your post! This message was not only an excitement, but a recognition of our fight for social change - holding our political elites to account for the injustice done to the Nigerian people. Please click on the link below to read the full article.

Nigeria Politricks - Reviewed in Pambazuka News

Hope you enjoy it and let us hear your comments. Thanks everyone!

NAIJA POLICE DEY READ BIBLE

2007-05-15T13:03:00.000-04:00

On a lighter note, here is a joke a friend forwarded to me and I've decided to share for everyone's enjoyment!

On Lagos-Ibadan express road, when a Pastor met a team of policemen who, quite naturally, wanted 'something' from him. Since he was not prepared to play their games, they asked for his papers and having combed through everything without any offence with which to nail the 'stubborn' pastor, they now asked him to open the bonnet of his car. A careful scrutiny of the engine number against what was on paper revealed that letter U was written in such a way that it could be mistaken for letter V. That was all the officer-in-charge needed to shout "stolen vehicle! Sensing trouble, even when he knew he committed no offence, the pastor called the OC to say he was a priest to which the officer replied :"Please, leave that pastor thing...in any case, if you are indeed a pastor, then you must have a Bible in your car, bring it." The Pastor did as was commanded after which the officer now ordered: "Please read Matthew 5:25, 26 to me". The incredulous Pastor opened to the recommended passage and read: "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to a judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth; you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."The man of God quietly made an "offering" of "just" one N100 to his newly found "preacher".End of service! Go in peace and argue no more, said the OC.

Funny, huh? And I will leave y'all with this political song by Eldee - I go yarn!

Rape of a Nation!

2007-05-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

Nigeria Politricks have long predicted that the just concluded Nigerian election would be a sham and a criminal act to legalize an unconstitutional process. We all know that the outcome had been predetermined. We salute the courage of millions of Nigerians who turned up their noses at the corrupt institution of the Obansanjo government by boycotting the election en masse. We are glad OBJ is going to retire in ignominy back to Otta farm come May 29th – good riddance! For the rest of the ordinary Nigerians, the struggle continues! We strongly believe there was no election and the so-called president-elect Yar’Adua was borne out of illegality and his regime will be a charade; the continued entrenchment of the wanton destruction of the Nigerian social, economic and political lives!

Moving on, here is one of the most disturbing article in the Nigerian news that calls for concern!

Ritualist beheads neighbour’s four-year-old daughter
By Niyi Odebode, Abeokuta - Punch Newspaper!
Published: Friday, 4 May 2007
A 25-year-old ritual killer, Owolabi Jimoh, was on Thursday arrested for allegedly beheading a four-year-old daughter of his neigbour, Timileyin Abiona, at Idofoyi area, Ayetoro, headquarters of the Yewa North Local Government of Ogun State.
The Commissioner, Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Joseph Apapa, who paraded the suspect at the state police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, said Jimoh and one Hakeen Ogunleye committed the offence on Wednesday.
Apapa, who said Hakeem was still at large, also paraded a herbalist, Matthew Ogunleye, whom he alleged asked the suspects to bring the head for money ritual.
However, in an interview with journalists at Eleweran, the herbalist said he was innocent of the crime.
But Jimoh, who was paraded with the decomposing head, confessed that he and Hakeem commited the crime.
He said, ”Hakeem said if we could get a human head and take it to the babalawo, we will become instant millionaires.”
The suspect stated that he and Hakeem lured the girl by sending her to buy bread.
”She was playing with her colleagues when Hakeem gave her money to buy bread at 2pm yesterday (Wednesday). She came back with the bread. Her colleagues also accompanied her to the bread seller,” Jimoh said.
According to him, while other children were sent back, the girl was taken into a room in the house where he lived.
The suspect added,”I strangulated her while Hakeem held her hands and legs. After killing her, we put the corpse into a sack and called an unsuspecting commercial motor cyclist that took us to Odorori, on the outskirts of Ayetoro.
”At Odorori, I held the legs and hands of the girl, while Hakeem was cutting the head with a cutlass. We were taking the head to the herbalist when we were arrested.”
But in an interview with journalists, the herbalist denied involvement in the crime.

We all might have experienced or heard worse stories from Nigeria, but to kill a poor innocent child in this manner is mind boggling! As a society, it is our responsibility to protect the innocent and the weak. And for the Nigerian Police to have the audacity to make a public spectacle of this gruesome act; parading the suspect with the victim’s decomposing head is despicable. How is the family of this poor child/victim going to find the healing and closure of this nightmare that befell them? For the animals that murdered this poor child, I have some few choice words for them! They are worse than dirt. They are the scum of the earth; the lowest of the lows that have been reduced to bestiality as a result of the get-rich-quick mentality that have now become the bane of the Nigerian society. I hate these animals from my gut, they are revolting and I feel strongly that justice needs to be done. But how much faith do we have in the Nigerian judicial system? How much faith do we have in a police state in carrying out justice? How much faith do we have in a failed system of government that cannot protect its weak?

This brings to mind Amnesty International report launched Nov. of last year, Nigeria: Rape - the silent weapon. Violence against women and children is endemic in Nigeria as is the abject failure of the Nigerian authorities to bring perpetrators to justice. There is the urgent need for Nigerian Federal and State authorities to urgently overhaul the legal and social systems that tolerate widespread abuse, arbitrary murder, rape and sexual violence against women and girls across the country.

The report draws upon the testimony of survivors and identifies disturbing trends of rape, domestic abuse and sexual violence against women and girls in their homes and by the society! The report also argues that these acts are compounded and encouraged by failures at every level of the judicial system and persist because of consistent failure by the state to tackle the abuse of women and girls by the police and security forces.

Whether abused in their homes and or in their community, by the police or security forces, the report outlines the enormous difficulties faced by women and girls who are raped or sexually abused in Nigeria. The harsh reality is that if you are a woman or a girl in Nigeria who has been at the receiving of injustice say rape, murder, domestic abuse, your suffering is likely to be met with intimidation by the police, indifference from the state and the knowledge that the perpetrator is unlikely to ever face justice,"
There are serious obstacles to the reporting and prosecution of domestic violence, rape and even murder in Nigeria, including inadequate training of police that results in the humiliation and intimidation of the victims and police investigations hampered by corruption and incompetence. On the legislative level, differences between federal, state, Sharia and customary law lead to uneven standards of justice and arbitrary decisions concerning the seriousness of the crime.
The report depicts the near total failure of the Nigerian state to protect women and girls from these terrible crimes. The Nigerian government has taken no meaningful action to translate its international legal obligations towards woman and girls into national law, policy and practice. It is now time that the state and federal authorities meet those obligations and offer real security and justice to women and girls in Nigeria!

In conclusion, the anguish of losing a child is a nightmare, but to lose a child this way and not get justice is just horrendous. My heart goes out to the family of this child as we say a silent prayer for the repose of her soul.

PHOTO NEWS - Leaders who are Screwing up Nigeria!

2007-03-29T21:25:00.000-04:00

Now, let's poke some fun at our so-called leaders who are screwing up Nigerians!

YEE PARIPA!!! Where will I go after May 29th!
President Obasanjo at a recent public outing looking confused, tired and distraught, finally his shady acts caught up with him. He will be remembered for doing NOTHING, with SO MUCH, really, so, we can understand his worries. But Baba since you will be obtaining a degree from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) soon will it be a bad idea if you head into the huge "Unemployment Market" your Economic REFORMS help create in the last 8 years.That's not a bad market, you know, afterall, it is a FREE MARKET too!

Hey Umaaru, are you DEAD, NO sir, but I am still very sick!
President Obasanjo calls Umaru Yar'adua on his sick bed in Germany to confirm that he was not 'dead'. Yar'adua is back in town to continue his Presidential campaigns after a sudden sickness led him to seek urgent medical attention at an undisclosed hospital in Wisbaune, Frankfurt, Germany. Makes us wonder, was the rumor of Yar'adua's death/resurrection staged by the PDP to whip up sympathy for an obviously sick Yar'adua and a tanking campaign? Emm!

A Candidate on LIFE "Baba" Support!
This photo shows PDP Presidential Candidate with a huge lesion at the back of his left hand arising from a hurried dialysis. Contrary to what the ruling PDP might want the world to believe, their candidate is critically ill with a serious kidney condition that has left him near dead. There are several of these lesions on the scalp of Gov. Yar'adua according to a medical source who saw him off to the airport in Abuja on his way to Germany where he was checked in for treatment. Umaru Yar'adua is only in the race because President Obasanjo keeps him on life support- what we call BABA Support. Wait and see when he will pull the plug!

Why And How Nigerian Leaders Run To Overseas Hospitals...
Rivers State: Consequences of Looting... If Pres. Obasanjo, VP Atiku, Gov. Yar'Adua, Gov. Odili, etc were made to go to Hospitals in Nigeria -- may be they will fix the health-care issues. Overnight patient facilities in a comprehensive primary health care center run by Etche Local Government. The floors were caked with mud and strewn with vaccines ruined during a recent flood. The center had no mattresses, toilet facilities, or other basic amenities. Gov. Peter Odili has two Executive Embraer Jets - shown - “Our Lady Queen of Victories”... which he claims doubles as air-ambulance... each jet costing $US 11 million [1.375 billion Naira]... for a total of $US 22 million [2.75 billion Naira]...

Eweeeu!.....8 Years after return of "DEMOCRACY", this is how Nigeria's goat meat is processed!
You may say what has "Democracy" got to do with it, but nah! you're wrong, we had been told that democracy comes with dividends, not divisions, if there was constant electricity as promised and delivered on time why would anyone buy goat meat transported this way? In Edo State, Nigeria thousands have died of Lassa Fever because of these unhygienic conditions of transportation of meat.

Mr. Governor Fatso, "Chop and Quench"
A Toad-like Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State ravaging a combo of God-knows-what meal. We guess it is a combination of Amala, Ewedu, Oha Soup, Edika-ekong, fufu, lafun+Akpu, ogogoro plus Chinese food. His dessert? You guess, Asian dormittila's , of course! Here you could just tell how this bloke governs a state. Maybe na im deh eat all dem rotten goat meat the Okada man above delivered to his ill gotten mansion!!!

Obasanjo awards Abacha

President Obasanjo offers recognition -long due- to former dictator and his alter ego, General Sanni Abacha (expired). Finally, Mr. Anti-Corruption has realized that he was probably more corrupt, more brutal, less intelligent and definitely more dictatorial than Sanni Abacha. This is the Obasanjo legacy of 8 years. Time to name Aso Rock after Abacha! Wonders shall never end!

Never Expect Progress And Development (NEPAD)

These are the so-called African leaders at a NEPAD (Never Expect Progress and Development)/AU (Africa Unsettled) meeting somewhere in the middle of Africa. Here is the 'Peers Sleeping Review' session. Chei'.....mogbe!

IBB's first day time job since 1993.

Since "stepping-aside" in 1993 General Babangida(rtd) only worked at night scheming with others to stage a comeback. As soon as his decade-long plot to return to power collapsed earlier this year he sought and got a day time job visiting petty African dictators facing internal rebellion from their population. His first visit was to Conakry, Guinea to meet with some \"Boys Scouts\" involved in a coup. Will a Babangida bring about Democracy in Guinea is just DEMO-STRATION-OF-CRAZE to get paid!

OBJ and OBY
This is a photo of President Obasanjo and his real daughter also Federal Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, could this be the child he had with an Igbo woman, as he declared at a rally in Awka, Anambra State last month?

Nigeria's most expensive graduation ceremony!

Photo was taken at the "graduation ceremony" of Oyindoubra Alamieyeseigha, the daughter of DSP Alamieyeseigha the former governor of Bayelsa State in California USA, in the company of Gov.Ibori of Delta State, his partner-in-crime according to sources. The graduation event cost $300,000 per day for a degree the equivalent of an associate degree. See why Alams wants to be restored to Bayelsa State instead of going abroad for his well deserved follow up "tummy-tuck" surgery. Goodnews that he is languishing in jail. Tufiakwa!!!

Courtesy of SaharaReporters!

Nigeria – Is this the way Forward?

2007-02-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

I have been in hiatus due to mental laxity; I coundn't bring my foggy brain to function to update my blog. I am overwhelmed by the decadent state of affairs in Nigeria that sometimes; honestly, I feel that I alone can't fight the battle to right the wrongs that is being meted out to us in our beloved country. I may engage in passive activism with my blog, but the challenges Nigeria poses to us is far more overbearing than one man can deal with. This is the struggle I deal with everyday! There is so many things that are not right in Nigeria, but how long or how often can you speak on these issues for us to see some drastic changes. This is not a question of I am living in the United States and I've got a good life here! This is a question of over 150 million Nigerians who are being enslaved by a tiny cabal; the ruling elite, who've chosen to marginalise and denigrate the Nigerian people by encroaching on their fundamental human rights.

But I am excited to post this article; being called upon to host the Nigeria Discussion series by Nilla. In essence, this is a continuation of the discussion to fashion a way forward for Nigeria. In today's Nigeria, there are two classes of people; the government and the rest of us (people). There is too much concentration of power in the hands of the Nigerian government; that is against the tenets of democracy and a travesty of justice. This is an open platform; we must all engage in this discussion and fashion out a way to wrestle power back into the hands of the people.

Just before I sat down to compose this article, I read a news item in the Vanguard entitled “Obasanjo explodes: April polls do or die affair for PDP”
Here are the president’s words: “I read that somebody said that I was campaigning. I will campaign because this election is a do or die affair for the PDP. We have a reform program which we have started; we want those who we will hand over to continue the reforms. If we continue with the reforms, the next 20 years, Nigeria will be one of the leading countries in the world. I even said that 20 years is too long, that we should be targeting 15 years.
“If we are targeting 2020 as the year Nigeria will become one of the 20 leading economies in the world, we must not pray for spoilers and criminals as our leaders in the next elections. Why should we have criminals as leaders? We want those who will succeed us to continue where we stop. In 1979, Nigeria was self sufficient in rice production and in poultry. Those that we handed over to lifted bans on those things and we became importers of them and we could not produce them again.
“In 1979 when we handed over, Nigeria was the 48th biggest economy in the world. Do you know the position we were when I came back in 1999? We were 173. Now, we want to be among the 20 leading economies in the world by the year 2020. This cannot be possible if those who are going to succeed us are rogues.“ Nigeria ’s next leaders must be people that will continue the reforms and take the country to the promised land”.

On reading such news, one always wonders what part of the universe the Obansanjo’s in our midst inhabit. The only people that have been reformed by the Obansanjo administration is the President himself and his apparatchiks. And to what promised land is Obansanjo and his cronies promising to take us? To the western world where all of their ill gotten and stolen wealth are stashed away from the prying eyes of ordinary Nigerians. Or to the United States and Western Europe where they have their families/siblings in schools and living in million dollars mansions/castles at the peril of the commom man. To these crook politicians, it's the same rhetorics now that election is here again, but they've definitely upped their ante! Promising to hang on to power with an iron grip even in death!

To have this man elected (sorry, imposed by politricks) as the leader of the most populous black African nation in the world is a slap to us Nigerians. On what criteria would any sane human being associate the Obasanjo presidency with? Exemplary and visionary? Leadership? Please!!! Were he equipped with a sense of decency, Obasanjo would long have recognized that both his military and civilian regimes are failures and hoisting his mediocre accomplishments (if any) as works of unparalleled genius and reforms was shear irony . Had he a sense of shame, he would have being modest when his political party, on the strength of his lack lustre performance, broached dressing him in the robe of founder of modern Nigeria.

Sadly, the ridiculous idea that Obasanjo is the central catalyst of modern Nigeria has picked up a political momentum with the continuum philosophy – Do or Die, Obasanjo must continue to rule as the president of Nigeria with a proxy Yar’Adua! This is anti-democratic and a show of shame that the April election will not be free and fair. Obasanjo and his Oligarchy PDP are ready to die to cling on to power as long they breath!! Continuum is a plane of thought; and the continuum philosophy reminds us that ideas have fuzzy boundaries. It behooves me to remind us that Obasanjo’s fuzzy ideas was stymied by a problem as relatively simple as fuel shortage. It doesn’t matter that he continues to invest all his energy in a power tussle with his Vice President Atiku, ignoring the ubiquitous hardship inflicted by the fuel crisis. It doesn't matter that Obasanjo's government continues to pay lip service to fighting corruption under the guise of "EFCC"; whereas this outfit has become a state sponsored tool in fighting it's perceived political enemies, both real and unreal. Suffice me to state here that I am one Nigerian that is not in a hurry to forget that the president; until a few motnhs ago the nation’s petroleum minister, must be held directly responsible for the latest fuel scarcity.

Those habitues' trumpeting the president’s remarkable gifts strike me as insentitive to the truth or lacking intellectual acuity. Ask them to enumerate the basis of their inflation of the president ego and they are inclined to respond that he paid off the Paris and London Clubs, that he was economically conservative with a resultant $40 billion naira in foreign reserves, that he has earned praise from G-8 leaders, that he embarked on a war against corruption, and that he courted sound technocrats, inviting the likes of Charles Soludo, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nuhu Ribadu and Nasir el-Rufai to serve in his administration.

The fallacy of this conception of greatness is easily exposed when these questionable achievements are mirrored against the administration’s many evident failures.
What is the sense in handing off billions of dollars to the Paris Club in settlement of questionable debts when your nation's roads are in deplorable condition? How do you justify keeping $40 billion in foreign bank vaults when Nigeria’s infrastructure remains inferior to Ghana’s, the Congo’s and Uganda’s, and closer to those of war-torn Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia?

How committed is this anti-graft crusade when one of the president's aides, Andy Uba is permitted to ferry huge caches of cash on presidential jets? And why hasn’t the president responded to grave accusations, by his Vice President no less, to the effect that Obasanjo has engaged in corrupt self-enrichment? Finally, while this president has brought in a few bright stars, is it not curious that the likes of Adedibu and Emmanuel Nnamdi (Andy) Uba, with little proven vision or technical prowess, exercise far greater influence on the president than, say, a Soludo?

In conclusion, is this the way forward for Nigeria? Do we want to continue to have the likes of Obansanjo at the elms of affairs? Our response should be DO or Die, we need to kick the PDP, the elitist politicians, the corrupt Nigerian leaders to the curb and start afresh on a clean slate. Nigerians speak a lot of games but don’t do a damn thing! We can’t sit back, fold our arms and don’t get involved. We need to develop an action plan. Young generation Nigerians need to take back our country. We are so educated and well traveled not to allow vagrants to rule us like puppets and slaves in our beloved country. We must start the conversation today and we need to take action today. The future of Nigeria is being mortgage at the alter of demagogue and corrupt practices.

I get emotional thinking about the socio-economic and political state of affairs in Nigeria, that I sometimes wish that the country should implode; you know, disappear from the face of the earth into oblivion, so that when you look at the map of Africa, there should be a deep dark void where we used to have the country called Nigeria; like the biblical hell hole. But why get frustrated and wish one’s country to disintegrate into oblivion; destroy innocent Nigerians lives that’ve had no stake in bringing the country into disrepute, and to this sad and dilapidating state. Then I try to be more succinct with my thought process; maybe a hard-line approach could be our only option at the end of the day. Nigeria may be a lost cause, but we as Nigerians can move forward. The initial step would be that all of those politicians that have been entrusted to rule the country; most especially those who've stolen from the Nigerian people can be tried in a law court, found guilty and summarily executed or put in a jail for life! Then we will need to set up a Reconciliation and Truth Commission and a true Sovereign National Conference where all Nigerian nationalities (tribes) will decide if they want to secede or continue to live together as one Nigeria. Thereafter, we can create many Nigerian nations recognized by the U.N. and every new Nigerian nation can go their separate ways and start on a clean slate.

In all of these, I continue to search for answers to the Nigerian question - What do we need to do to move Nigeria forward? I’ve always wanted to elevate the conversation; proffering solutions rather than over-stating the sad issues that confronts us a nation. We need to act fast today to save our beloved country, for tomorrow Nigeria may be no more!

Let me know your thoughts on how to move Nigeria forward!!!

Corruption - Tears of My People

2006-12-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

Here is a preview of an article on SaharaReporters.com HERE which I think it's a must read!

Open the news pages of Nigerian dailies or world news about Nigeria, only very few things would make one smile. Beautiful and handsome but sad faces roam the streets. Unemployment rate may run as high as 70 percent and very high inflation rate makes the case worse.
There are conflicting reports on the value of income accruing to the nation that was stashed away in foreign banks by Nigerian leaders. President Obasanjo was quoted in 2002 as putting the total
Amount of money stolen by African leaders at $104 billion (BBC Online of 6/13/02 HERE). In an article published by BusinessDay, written by Wale Haastrup the total amount looted by Nigerian leaders was put at $20 trillion (refer to HERE and HERE). The chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu was quoted by BBC as putting the loot by Nigerian leaders since independence at over $380 billion (BBC Online of 10/20/06 HERE). It is not certain the value of Nigerian leaders’ loot, but one thing that is obvious is that it is enormous.

High number of elected and government officials seem to be misappropriating and siphoning money. Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan, the Accountant- General of Nigeria at the National 5th Seminar on Economic and Financial Crimes spoke on how public servants loot the treasury(refer to HERE).
Widespread poverty accounts for the bourgeoning rate of crime in the country, which is being exported overseas through Internet or mail scams, popularly known as 419.

Here is a clear example of widespread looting in our national treasury! Let us hear your comments on this!

"I go chop your dollar" 419ners and Mugus

2006-12-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

ABC's 20/20 featured a program on Nigerian 419 on Friday (12/08/06) at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. For a preview... click HERE!
This is really sad, but let's reflect on this Nigerian scam issue for a minute!

Here is a quote from the program -
Lagos - "a corrupt, crime-ridden DISGRACE of a city"!
And i'm like "was that called for?". Not that I am sticking up for the 419ners who have and will continue to rubbish Nigerians in the mud, but there are many notable Nigerians in the U.S. who are working hard for their daily dollars: entrepreneurs, professionals, even some fighting the on-going war on terrorism in Iraq on behalf of American people. Many Nigerian Doctors and Nurses are in critical positions in hospitals around the United States. They won't do a documentary on the good ones - That's my beef and here is more!
MSNBC had it's own review on the Nigerian Email scam HERE some months ago. Dr. Phil had his own filler of "Nigerian 419" a few weeks ago and I hear there will be more in the new year 2007.

Well, the real victims in all of these are the ordinary Nigerian people who are being scammed by those in government. They have hijacked democracy and are flaggrantly enriching themselves by stealing from the public coffers. The Nigerian government pays lip service to fighting corruption under the guise of "EFCC"; whereas this outfit has become a state sponsored tool in fighting it's perceived political enemies, both real and unreal. The final word here is that those in the Nigerian government are the real 419ners! and the Nigerian people are the Mugus! The Nigerians being caught in these videos and the gullible Americans are all actors & criminals in this big political and financial scam called 419!

Are you guys really reading this? Please post your comments!

Babangida - A Recycled President?

2006-11-16T12:33:00.000-05:00

Here is what has been in the Nigerian news this past week! Anyway, with all the political talk on Babangida entering the race to vie for the position of President in Nigeria in the various Nigerian blogs, I thought that I would add in my own 2 cents....I need to emphasize the importance of being informed about the political discourse in Nigeria in protecting our constitution rights as well as our civil liberties as a nation. No matter what kind of activity you are involving yourself in.....We should all get involved in fashioning a stable and vibrant democracy in Nigeria.....don't be counted on the statistics of those sitting on the sidelines while despot hijack our nascent and ever evolving democracy!

IBB's track record:
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, a.k.a, IBB, is popularly called Maradona by Nigerians for his special skill to cheat and divert, in the fashion of Argentina's soccer genius, Diego Maradona, who infamously cheated to earn victory over England in the 1986 World Cup. A self-described 'evil genius,' Babangida led Nigerians through a tortuous and deceptive political and economic transition that ended in a cul-de-sac. Perhaps because of his craftiness, it wasn't until the end of his military career that the dictator's ruthlessness and lust for power became obvious.

Enough of the name bashing! You will find an interesting and very informative read on IBB and how we can STOP him in his tracks in becoming the next recycled president of Nigeria - HERE

Check it out and let us know what you think about this man called IBB!

Dysfunctional Democracy

2006-11-09T06:29:00.000-05:00

The Obasanjo administration has succeeded in stifling the voices of dissent as Nigeria continues to disintegrate into a slippery slop of total ineptitude and corruption on every facets of our social, economic and political life! There is political crisis in Oyo; the judiciary arm of OBJ's admin can't enforce a court verdict, thugs are roaming the streets as killer squads, and the purported Gov Ladoja is left in a cliffhanger with an unfinished mandate. While OBJ gloats over the impeachment of another Gov. in Anambra and it's fighting to ouster yet another in Plateau state. What a tragedy and double standard! OBJ & his apparatchiks continues to disengage themselves from the real issues that affects us as a nation by entrenching divisiveness and demagogue on the alter of meritocracy and good governance to the Nigerian people. Nigerians need to hold our political elites to account as we struggle to free ourselves from the shackles of the lowest rung of degeneracy!

Click HERE for some mind boggling information that indicts OBJ on corruption and maladministration. You need to see this...Check it out and let us know your thoughts!

A Sad Day for Nigerian Aviation

2006-11-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

Glad to hear that the Minister of Aviation has swapped position with another imbecile Minister. That's what we call "same 'ole' same 'ole!. I am disappointed, as a Nigerian, that we only have 'doughy' people in positions who bask in being called "Ministers". These heiffa's; President Obasanjo inclusive, lacks the necesary experience, professionalism and statemanship to steer the rudders of our nation-state out of muddled waters! I am appalled and absolutely disgusted whenever mediocre excuses of "it's the handiwork of God" are given where due negligence, rot in the nation's social and economic polity are common day occurences to ordinary Nigerians.It's about time young generation Nigerians take back our country from these political half wits before it disentigrate into the throes of abysmal dome!

Let's pay tribute to all of our fallen Nigerian brothers and sisters! Click HERE and say a little prayer for the repose of the souls of our departed plane crash victims.

Feel free to share your thoughts and prayers!