Remembering Chinua Achebe

Quotes from Chinua Achebe's The Trouble with Nigeria

 

The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example with are the hallmarks of true leadership.

One of the commonest manifestations of under-development is a tendency among the ruling elite to live in a world of make-believe and unrealistic expectations. This is the cargo cult mentality that anthropologists sometimes speak about - a belief by backward people that someday, without any exertion whatsoever on their own part, a fairy ship will dock in their harbour laden with every goody they have always dreamed of possessing.

In spite of conventional opinion Nigeria has been less than fortunate in its leadership. A basic element of this misfortune is the seminal absence of intellectual rigour in the political thought of our founding fathers - a tendency to pious materialistic woolliness and self-centred pedestrianism.
Spurious patriotism is one of the hallmarks of Nigeria's privileged classes whose generally unearned positions of sudden power and wealth must seem unreal even to themselves. To lay the ghost of their insecurity they talk patriotically.
But whereas tribalism might win enough votes to install a reactionary jingoist in a tribal ghetto, the cult of mediocrity will bring the wheels of modernization grinding to a halt throughout the land.

Unlucky is the country where indiscipline is seen by ordinary people as the prerogative of the high and might. For, by the same token, discipline will be seen as a penalty which the rank and file must pay for their powerlessness.

My frank and honest opinion is that anybody who can say that corruption in Nigeria has not yet become alarming is either a fool, a crook or else does not live in this country.

Chinua Achebe (1930 - 2013)

Senator Maduekwe Spend N2.7bn on travel expenses

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

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'

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!!!!

I AM SOOOOOOO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!















YES WE CAN!

Iyabo Obasanjo's Criminal Debacle: Above The Law?

“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

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!!!