Jonathan's regime:Politicking or Good Governance?

Can you point to 3 MAJOR achievements of the Jonathan's regime? Please note that the completion of road projects and the privatization of the PHCN cannot be taken as achievements. Unless the road is NEWLY constructed from scratch,whatever you do on it would be put under maintainance not achievements and the sales of the PHCN in itself is not an achievement on its own,until we begin to experience 24/7 electricity supply as a result of the sales,it remains an on going project not an achievement.
I don't know how you evaluate achievement but you would agree with me that any project that has no DIRECT impact on the lives of average Nigerians remains an on going project, not yet an achievement. IT HAS TO HAVE DIRECT IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF THE AVERAGE CITIZENS OF COUNTRY.
In a situation whereby people like Ngozi the Minister of Finance would come and tell us how much our foreign reserves have grown and how much is being traded on the stock exchange market and present them as achievements is unacceptable. Even the SURE-P projects of the present regime,how many lives has it touched,how many people are directly affected by SURE-P? A few thousands at most....they can't even boast of half a million! Now,is that an achievement? I don't think so. This is not about criticizing Jonathan's regime,no,rather,its about counting the cost of democracy and trying to harmonize achievements of democracy with its costs.
So far so good,in my opinion,the costs by far exceeds the achievements. Nigeria pays EACH of 109 senators more than Obama,the PRESIDENT of the USA to whom Nigeria as a whole is a loyal servant. If each senator get paid more than the US President,one cannot but wonder how much Jonathan is paid for doing next to nothing as the President of Nigeria. The major thing I have seen and observed so far is criticisms and counter criticisms.
Today,its about Nigerian government forum leadership,tomorrow,its about impeachment moves next tomorrow,we are either talking about how the first lady went for a rest and not a  medical checkup or how she'd replied her critics....or wether Jonathan would contest come 2015 or not. No one's talking about improved health care system,the boosting of agricultural production,creation of cottage industries to add more value to our agric products or even the establishment of food banks and reserves for the country....talkless of improvment and further development of our education systems. Jonathan's regime has been much more concerned about politicking than National development.
However,this is not the issue of the president alone. When you enter states controlled by the opposition parties too,the story is still the same although to a very much lower extent,the bottomline is still the same - politicking is taken much more seriously than the delivery of good governance. The reason behind this unfortunate development is not far fetched...its the people.
People have IGNORANTLY submitted their dignity,pride and birthrights to the political class. This is why you would see people,old and young,men and women,literates and illitrates are turning politicians and loyal servants of political leaders. Who cares about due process these days,is there anything called professionalism in today's Nigeria? Carpenter dey construct bridge in Nigeria so long he is well connected politically. Everyone is in one political party or the other not for good governance and the delivery of democratic dividends but for their selfish interests alone. This is why I don't blame Jonathan for everything... in fact most of the problems we face today are not his fault but those of others like the governors,LG chairmen,Councillors,Senators and honorables among other VIPs.
In case you haven't observed,our democracy is so structured that the impact of political leaders that are indigines of the land is far more felt than those that are not.5 out of the 7 of our political leaders are indigines namely;your councilor,LG chairman,state rep,federal rep and Senator are all indigines of your locality,its only the governor and president that might not come from your place DEPENDING on the state. Now,IN A SITUATION WHERE POLITICAL LEADERS THAT COME FROM YOUR AREA REFUSE TO DELIVER GOOD GOVERNANCE TO YOU,WHY CRUCIFY JONATHAN FOR THE SAME OFFENCE???
My message,therefore,is that Nigerians should pay less attention to WHO WINS THE ELECTION  and pay attention to WHAT SUCH A LEADER OR PERSON ACHIEVED DURING HIS TENURE!!!

ASUU Strike:Right or Wrong?

Its been 4 months long since universities nationwide has been closed down due to the on going industrial action of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities,ASUU. Ever since,students have been sent back to their parents/guardians. NANS president and some youth leaders have been reported to have blamed the lecturers for the strike action. The lecturers are head bent on the continuation of the industrial action despite alleged threat to their lives and the 'no work,no pay' tactic of the FG. But,who is to blame? Let's look at the issue very critcally.
Usually,before an industrial action takes hold,there would have been a formal complaint made to the authorities in reagards to the problem causing the rift. There would be no reason to press further if the problem is solved promptly. But in a situation where the complain is not taken seriously after series of complaints are made,the union then go on a warning strike to register the seriousness of the employees' grievances. Employees go on full fletched,indefinite strike as a last resort.
Considering carefully the series of events that leads to the proclaimation of an indefinite strike action,you would agree with me that the 4 month long strike is very much preventable. Especially considering the fact that this agreement was reached since 2009 and Jonathan was very much in power as the vice president...at least (can't recall if he had become the acting president then). If you would consider the fact that Jonathan was once a lecturer too,you would now understand and appreciate the very high level of irresponsibility displayed by Jonathan's regime who used to be a lecturer himself!
I can not but imagine the great contrast between the feelings of the president when he was a lecturer and without doubt had participated in such strike action as a member of ASUU. In a situation whereby a lecturer turn president,a former educationist,would delay the implementation of lecturers' agreement with a government he fortunately now head for 5 years only to drag ASUU and Nigerian students into a now 4 months old industrial action and come out to blame it on politicking,one cannot but wonder what type of lecturer the president was during his lecturing days!
Was he a passionate lecturer that appreciate the value of education and the invaluable positive impact education can make on nation building or was he the passive lecturer that was in the education system simply for it economic gains...that is a food for thought my brother. Ordinarily,one expected that lecturers would enjoy the most and that the quality of education would be greatly improved. But,what do we have in our hands? A former lecturer as president who has refused to grant the laudable demands of his....former couleagues ( abi,levels don change na!),kai! This is very embarassing...a very big show of shame if you ask me!
On whether it is wrong for ASUU to go on strike,it has never been wrong.I mean,in a situation where your employer takes you for granted and treats you like a slave,it is only natural that you stand up for your rights and tell the bully of a boss that you are no slave and you deserve some respect which you have fairly earned through your work/services. This is exactly what the lecturers are doing right now and they need our support...even if their only demand is an increase in salary!
In a country where the ward councillor who,as far as I know adds NO VALUE to his community gets paid over N300 000 and his wife goes home with N50 000 monthly,why would it be a crime for a lecturer who adds value to his community on daily basis to go home with N500 000/month and his N150 000?!
Nigerians need to get their priorities right and fight for the right things. Our politicians are clearly un patriotic in their dealings. The money is there,let them spend it on us,they should meet ASUU's demands and give them the chance to prove themselves. If after meeting their demands,they still graduate 'half baked' products,then we know who to blame.
So the next time someone say something about the strike in your presence,you should know whose side you should be as a true patriot.
My heart goes to the students whose academic pursuits have been staunted as a result of this strike.I want you to know that this is only a little delay that is meant to ensure that you resume into a better academic environment,a much more highly motivated and happier lecturers and possibly a better training than you should have received. If you are in your final year,see it as your little contribution to ensuring a better university environment than you are about to leave behind. In short,I want the youth to see this as a beginning of a form of revolution whereby our political leaders are made to face their responsibilities as leaders squarely!
Right here,I rest my case and happy eidil Kabir celebration. Avoid eating too much meat,ensure you eat a lot of vegetables and fruits along with the meat.BARKA DE SALLAH!!!

Independence day,wetin we dey celebrate sef?!

Congratulate Nigerians on Nigeria's 53rd anniversery as an idependent state and what you'll get as response,most often than not would be negative. The negative responses are as a result of several reasons,but,in my view,the variety of reasons behind these negativity can be traced back to a MEGA reason of THE DISBELIEF OF THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE IN THE NIGERIAN PROJECT!
Most Nigerians do not belief in Nigeria,very few Nigerians are proud of their country. This is why we experience communal clashes in Nigeria,we don't see ourselves as one. Allow me to show you how this singular factor have contributed to virtually every problem we face as a nation.

I dare say it all began with our founding fathers that were responsible for the creation of the first 3 major political parties in Nigerian history. True,they joined hands to rid the country of British rule,but,unfortunately and sadly too,they were the author of our greatest problem as a country. THEY CREATED POLITICAL PARTIES IN LINE WITH TRIBAL AND ETHNICAL DIVIDES OF THE COUNTRY.As a result,people's way of thinking was conditioned along ethnical lines and unfortunately,we are still yet to break away from this evil and viscious circle of tribalism. Over the years,several criminals have been created from this tribal bias and we have refused to bring the culprits to book,guess why...TRIBALISM! This is why Nigeria have failed to develop all this while. People commit heinous crimes and should be brought to book but we disagree and shield them from prosecution simply because they are our tribesmen.
If a hausa man is caught,the Arewa Elder's Forum would stand by and protect him,when the criminal is a Yoruba,OPC would claim that if he were to be a hausa,he would have gone scot-free! The Ibos are like that too. This has been the case in Nigeria till date.
Despite the fact that Jonathan is not performing,ex- militants from Niger Delta would threaten war if he is not elected as President the second term. The Notherners too insist on the next President being a hausa,is that democracy please???
Personally,I have no problem with anybody from any part of the country becoming president,my problem,however,is lack of accountability on the side of our elected leaders. No one complains of lack of performance (if the person in question is of our tribe),rather,we busy ourselves with verbal tribal wars. It's quiet unfortunate we,the youth,refuse to see through the smoke screen (guess its too thick for us!), we do not realize,that all these talks of National Conference,presidential candidature of Jonathan ....etc are all in the interest of the aristocratic few and not in the national interest.
Tribalism born of our lack of faith in the Nigerian project is the major problem we face in this country. My clarion call,therefore,goes to the youth of this country,guys,lets wise up and network to make things happen. Lets shun all the fake,selfish and tribalistic conflicts manufactured by the criminals created through the ethnic and tribalistic political culture of the past. Its high time we started seeing ourselves as Nigerians and not as hausas,yorubas or ibos. Let us all denounce the so called "federal character" - a curse and enemy of progressive competitiveness that's enshrined in our constitution. And remember as always that NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT HAS NEVER AND NEVER BE THROUGH POLITICS BUT THROUGH ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT.
I,therefore,implore you all to denounce your membership to political parties and connect,mingle and communicate with one another nationwide for economic advancement. Lets do business! For this is the key to National development!!!
We may not have much to celebrate right now,but,at least,we are still together even after 53 years of independence,that is worth celebrating,so let us celebrate and at the same time reflect on our experience as a nation so as to hatch a progressive plan for the future!
One more thing,help spread this message by taking just a minute or two to share this message with your friends on facebook,twitter,google+ and any other social bookmarking site you may belong to,thanks for your time.
God Bless you,
God Bless Nigeria @ 53,
happy independence day!!!
Regards,
Abdurrahman.

2013 budget dey?

I was watching TV one quiet morning when a news headline from the national dailies was quoted which reads thus:"2013 budget unimplementable". It wasn't quite surprising to me,really,however, it was quite amusing that the first budget failure is happening NOT DURING MILITARY RULE but a civillian rule! Especially,the supposed best tenure in Nigerian history.
Its unfortunate that things can go this bad,I mean, every Nigerian and all businesses operating within our territories always look up to the national budget for economic direction. Its the budget of the country that helps businessmen to carve out a most effective business plan which has direct and indirect effects on the on Nigerians. It helps businesses to determine whether to employ more staff or to retrench some of their present employees,it also help to know whether to increase production or even shut down production of some products. This is because THE NATONAL BUDGET IS A YEARLY FINANCIAL PLAN THAT SHOWCASES THE GOVERNMENTAL ECONOMIC POLICIES AND STRATEGIES FOR THE YEAR.
You see,without a national budget,its quite difficult to tell what direction the nation is heading to financially and economically which in turn makes it difficult to tell which business to invest into and which business  you need to stay off from. As a result,businessmen tend to be cautious and either stop production or reduce it to the bearest minimum which is the reason why the economy seems to be at a grand halt.
A nation without a budget has no plan for the year,NO PLAN on spending for the year. He who fail to plan,they say,plans to fail!
In a situation whereby the president and his ministerial cabinet with their legion of special advisers that are paid so heavily to deliver democratic dividends to Nigerians have failed to deliver the very basic instrument of national economy,one cannot but wonder what people in government are actually doing in office?
Is it that the President refused to present a budget or the members of the national assembly refused to endorse it? Or,could it be that the unnecessary and rather childish 2015 second term ambition and the PDP faceoff has pre-occupied the President so much so that he has forgotten all about the budget? I mean,no budget for the year 2013... its very ridiculous!
The fact that he is currently changing his cabinet seems to have dashed all hopes that anything is happening this year. No budget,another first from President Jonathan...abi 2013 budget dey?

Nigeria Project

The greatest hinderance to Nigeria's development and progress is non other than the Nigeria's citizens' attitudes to the Nigerian project. If you ask an average citizen who he is,the probability he would say he is Nigerian is pretty low. Most would rather answer for their tribe and ethnical sect than answer for Nigeria. Most Nigerians donnot believe in Nigerian project. To add salt to sore,this ungodly attitude has been enshrined in our constitution backed up with law and a commission setup.
Literarily,this said commission,the federal character commission,is empowered by the constitution to enforce the sharing formula as agreed by the commission and the national assembly. For instance, if an hausa man is the Inspector General,the Director General of the State Security Service must be a yoruba
man even if there is a more qualified Ibo man while the Chief of defence staff would be an Ibo!
This highly sectarian way of appointment has the GREATEST damage to our co-existence and poses the greatest treat to the spirit competition and high quality productivity. And one more thing...it doesn't adequately provide for certain ethnic groups in the country!
People in the middle belt region,for instance,are often marginalized. By middlebelt,I am referring to the peoples of Benue,Kogi,Kwara and Niger states. We do have other minority ethnic groups that are not properly covered due to their small population and the discrimination of the larger ethnic groups in the same region.
The Okun,Tiv and Ebira people of the middle belt are few examples of such minority groups.
These minority groups of people seldomly get a fair share of the federal appointments allocated to their region. The Hausa/Fulani ethnic groups of their region dominate and take the largest chunk of the federal government appointments and benefit that are allocated to the North-Central region where they belong.
This has been the basis of most of the crisis and conflicts in the region. The Jos-plateau inscessant crisis,for instance, where the crisis,over the years have developed a religious undertone is a typical example of the adverse effects of encouraging tribalism in form of federal character!
Had it been that the federal character abuna no dey and every position in the country are competed for and ONLY the best is picked IRRESPECTIVE OF HIS RELIGION AND TRIBE,Nigeria would be better for it.
This federal character thing is killing us,in fact,it should be removed so that all governmental appointments are thrown in as opportunities to be competed for by EVERY AND ANY INTERESTED NIGERIAN. This would not only rejuvinate the spirit of competion and enhance productivity,it would also give a sense of belonging to a whole lot of marginalized sects and tribesmen of this country which in turn strenghten our unifying factor - the project Nigeria.
I therefore implore all Nigerians,home and away to call for the scrap of this evil sectarian policy and law and EVERYTHING associated with it. We are all Nigerians same and equal before the law,if we all contribute to the progress of the country,then,why should we have to share the benefits and rewards of everyone's hardwork by some formula that doesn't properly cover ALL those that laboured for it???
SAY NO TO INJUSTICE,SAY NO TO PARTIALITY, SAY NO TO SECTARIAN GOVERNMENT AND TRIBALISM,SAY NO TO THE FEDERAL CHARACTER PALAVA!
God Bless Nigeria!!!
Regards,
Abdurrahman.