Fixing Nigeria:Everyone Above 18 years should get a Voter's Card

From the previous post,we learnt how we can take charge of our affairs using the Senator Melaye's a case as a case study.This shall be the bone of contention of this post.

In a Democracy,Your Voter's Card is Your Power
Democracy they say is a game of power,therefore,getting the highest number of people behind you is of high essence. Even if your idea is the dumbest, so long you are able to garner enough votes,you win!
Nigerians must understand this and ensure that they get a voter's card as soon as they are of voting age.Unless you have one,you don't have what it takes to decide the fate of your country.It is also note worthy that possession of the card is the first move,volunteering to go out to vote during election completes the process of exercising your power as a bonafide citizen of the country.
You can't sit at home during election periods and complain of misbehaving politicians.Sitting at home during election periods is a big show of irresponsibility...when you do,you encourage and embolden election riggers to do their thing unhindered.You are aiding and abating political corruption and crime.You can't change the situation of things in the country without a voter's card...other people shall be deciding your fate when you fail to get a card or use it.

With Your Voter's Card,You Can Install or Sack Any Political Leader or Representative
Take the Melaye's case for instance,the people of Kogi West SHOCKED Nigerians with their bold move to remove their Senator from office.Even the embattled senator was equally shocked to see that in just a week,the required number of people to register was reached!He had ever since been making every conceivable move to halt the process,in fact,he has been reported to have offered bribes to the INEC officers in charge of his case.We don't if he had succeeded or not,however,we are looking up to INEC to do their job and speed up the re-call process.
Whether he eventually got re-called or not,it doesn't matter,what matters here is that Nigerians have just learnt in practical terms that they don't need to wait till the following electioneering period to deal with any erring political post holder,they can punish him anytime, any day!
However,without your voter's card,you can't be a part of the process.You'll need to get a card and use it if you must be part of the decision making in the country.

When You Sell Your Vote,You have Sold Your Birthright
Our political leaders are supposed to serve us and do our bid always...this is what they sworn in to do every 4 years.They are our servants NOT our lords.However,the moment we accept bribes and cast our votes in their favor,we lose this right and the table changes and we become the servants and they the masters!

This is what has been playing out since 1999.Most Nigerians think it's a wise move to collect these gifts of money they offer during election period especially when we are not going to cast our votes in their favor.What we don't know is that even if we don't go out to vote,the moment we accept the cash,we have sold out our birthright and have given them the go ahead to rig elections.
Let's assume that during election period,an agent of one of the political parties approaches the polling booth with money in hand and offers you a thousand Naira for your vote.The moment you accept the money like others in the polling unit,you all have lost the moral to demand a redress should the results of the election counts against you.This is what they actually buy...your consent and right to complain if things go wrong!
This is why the better option remains abstinence from money politics.Let them come and go with their money.Even if INEC officials receive bribes to rig the election the moment they realize that the electorate haven't accepted bribes,they become useless and helpless.They won't be able to rig the elections as planned.
In situations whereby political thugs are used to rig elections or steal ballot boxes and papers or election result sheets and the wrong person is sworn in,then,we'll have to remove the politician from office not by protesting but by doing the needful...either by beginning the re-call of such a politician or impeaching him as the case may be.Either way,we still win and we get to assert our power to choose the leader we want.It's only then we may get our political office holders to do our bidding always and reduce the rate of embezzlement of public funds and corruption in general.

Election Boycott Never and Would Never Work in Our Favor!

We need to understand this fact.From news reaching me some of my pro-Biafra on facebook,Nnamdi and his IPOB followers are planning a massive boycott of elections during Anambra Election period.It is their hope that the boycott may win them their ever elusive referendum from the Federal Government.
One thing they fail to understand is that the very best they can get from the boycott is an imposition of a sole administrator!
Yes,according to the constitution,the speaker of the state assembly would be sworn in as the acting governor pending the expiration of his tenure.What they don't know is that the moment a second boycott of elections leaves the state without a governor or any political leader,the President would have no choice but to appoint a sole administrator pending the time they come back to their senses to elect a new political leadership.This,they don't know!!!
I rest my case for now.
God Bless Nigeria!!!

Fixing Nigeria: Regular Town Hall Meetings are a MUST

Having moderately discussed the need for public sensitization as to how they can truly take charge of their democracy,it's time to proceed to a yet another very important aspect of national development,it's none other than the establishment of regular town hall meetings.

Town Hall Meetings are the Most Important Activities in a Democracy
Man they say, is a social being or animal (as some may prefer to put it).Literally,social people are the happening people,they are the ones that get to decide what should be trending and for how long? Therefore,when we say that man is a social being,it means that man is not meant to live a secluded lifestyle,man must always reach out to others and interact freely with others.If this is the case,it's funny,therefore, to see that we Nigerians are living a secluded lifestyle despite living in big cities and towns.
If you go to the major cities in Nigeria,everyone is on their own...they hardly interact.In fact, in some cases,neighbors that have been living in the same community for years have never exchanged words other than greetings and exchange of pleasantries. To make things worse,some guys that pose as the happening guys would tell you how in western countries neighbors might never set eyes on each others for weeks!
This unfortunate issue has proved to be our greatest undoing as citizens of this great country Nigeria.This is most glaring from the middle belt region of the country all the way down South of Nigeria.We don't truly socialize,what we do is marginalize,discriminate and classify ourselves into groups,the major ones being the low,middle and high classes.
It's not like you won't find people that'll fit in into the 3 major classes of citizens,but the truth is that the social way of life they have adopted for centuries over shadows these divisions so much so that ordinary citizens have direct and unhindered access to his governors senators and other political leaders of their towns and states.This is what we call socializing...not clubbing and partying!

Socialization is the Free Interaction between All Members of a Society
I'll make it very simple.Socialization is a word that is created from 'Society' and what is a society?According to a dictionary meaning;
"Society is the aggregate of people living together in a more less organized community"
As you can see from this definition,the society is a place where you'll find the rich and poor living together as neighbors.Therefore,when we talk of socialization,it simply refers to the interactions that occur between every member of a community irrespective of their financial status.
Yes,we have other meanings of a society,but,the most basic of the meanings of a society is as above.Every other meanings derives its meaning partly or whole from the root definition I've given above.If you must know,democracy is for the social man and not for the non-socialized people.This is the major reason why Democracy haven't been enjoyed by us.We need to unite and socialized if we must reap the dividends of democracy.

Town Hall Meetings are Practicable only in Communities of Socialized People
I know that most parts of Nigeria are not socialized,even the North where we have traces of socialization,the platform has been hijacked by the elites who uses the platform to deceive and manipulate the general public in their own interest.
Generally,for democracy to work,there must be prior highly level of interaction and organization of the people in the area.Democracy is a game of number,hence,people must learn to come together to discuss and jointly take decisions that affects everyone in the society.Such types of meetings and get together's are exemplified in the common 'Land and Tenants' Association' that are found in the North Central and the Southern part of the country.
Unless we meet regularly and discuss common burning issues together and make a decision that is all bound with a single voice,unless we learn to speak with a single voice,democracy is of no use or benefit to us.This is because we won't be able to come together in town hall meetings and discuss our common interest together.Town hall meetings are NOT meant only for the indigenes but also for non-indigenes...it is meant for all that live their lives in a given area or community.

Town Hall Meetings are Where We Command The Political Class
Believe it or not,democracy is truly the government of the people by the People and for the People.But,of course with the additional adjective of ORGANIZED PEOPLE.It is not for people who live their lives like barbarians,people who only think about their personal interests alone,NO,democracy is meant for people of honor who thinks and places the general interest of their immediate community over their personal interests.Guy,Democracy is NOT for the selfish!
Unless we all learn to sacrifice and compromise for national and communal interests,we are not qualified to call ourselves civilized people...like it is rightly said,leaders in a democracy are all CIVIL SERVANTS that is,they serve and are submissive ONLY to civilized people NOT barbarians posing as civilized.
My point,therefore is that WE (including myself) have been living a barbarian lifestyle because we think only about ourselves and what we can get from Nigerian...we only think about TAKING and HARDLY about giving! We need to change that attitude if we must take charge as the masters of our destinies!
I rest my case for now!
God Bless Nigeria!!!

Fixing Nigeria:Orientation of the General Public

In my previous blog post,I promised to go more elaborate on the steps we need to take if we must take charge of our national life.The first and the most important is the Orientation/Awareness creation for the general public.
Obviously,the general populace are ignorant of the almost limitless power that are in their possession.Like I said in the previous post,we are the masters and they are our servants...that should be the theme of the orientation program.
NGO's have a vital role to play in this cause.Instead of wasting time and effort tackling the government,in my opinion,they should be on the vanguard of creating awareness and public orientation of the people in the ways and mechanisms by which a democratic government works.

Teachers and Lecturers as well as Religious Clerics are major Stakeholders in the Cause
The problem of most NGO's in Nigeria is what I like to call the 'copy cat effect'.Most Nigerians are fond of embracing foreign ideas (even when they are stupid) and discard the local ideas (even when they are effective and golden).This is why I wouldn't 100% depend on the NGO's for the orientation program.
All those that are in the teaching profession have vital roles to play in effecting the much needed change we need in the political scene.There's something we call 'catch them young',teachers are in the best position to effect this change.

Teachers in the Nursery,Primary and Secondary are the Most Important
The 'catch them young' mantra works most effectively at these levels.There's need for teachers at these levels to see it as a national duty to instill national love and pride in the young ones so that they may grow to appreciate and put Nigeria first in all that they do.However,the problem with these teachers is that they are narrow minded and in fact need a whole load of orientation classes to attend themselves.
Most teachers are 'Teachers by accident' and are in the teaching line as a means of livelihood as against the passion of impacting knowledge on others. This is why bribery and corruption is a big problem in our institutions of learning all over.Everyone tends to find his way of making his way in the illegal business.So,people like that would hardly think of how they can use their position as teachers to effect the change we need in the country.
What our teachers don't know is that they hold the power to change the fate of the country and defeat poverty,terrorism and corruption like forever!

Everything Begins and End in the Way we Think
It is said that a man cannot be greater than his thinking.The way you think is as per what you know and how well you know it.This is why our teachers are important...we all grow under their supervision and that of our parents/guardians.They teach us all that we know.It is by these little knowledge and beliefs we gained from them (our parents/guardians and teachers) that we live our lives.
Supposing that our teachers are able to instill the country's love in our lives,we would definitely grow up loving and caring for our dear country.This is why the introduction of Civic Education is a welcome idea to me.We need to learn about our country,her system of government and political structure so that no one would manipulate us for his personal agenda and interest.
It is to this effect that I would implore our teaching force to come together,form a Synergy and seize the opportunity that's availed them by their profession to gradually build a better future for us all by teaching our students to become patriots!

NGO's Should Network with Teachers in Breeding Better Nigerians
Everytime I watch the TV and see NGO's staging their highly Unfruitful 'Peace Protests',I cannot help but think that: "Oh! What a wasteful Venture!"
If any NGO is truly concerned about the Nigerian cause,let her members sheath their swords,pick up their pens and books and head on to schools to organize seminars,workshops and sometimes excursions with the Main theme being Patriotism.
Let them do this for a span of 10 years and see the result themselves.Only then would they realize that the people can actually fight this cause themselves and unless they do,the battle against poverty and corruption cannot be won!
I'm so convinced about this fact that I can bet my honor on it!However,it is not in my character to take a bet.This post would not be complete without the mention of a most effective but the least  utilized teaching tool of all...the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY!

There is Nothing like Learning with Fun!
To all students,the easiest way to memorize anything is by converting it to a song.Another cool way to learn a thing is by watching it as a drama or movie.In fact,for a teacher in the field like me,one of the greatest contributors to mass failure in exams and continuous assessment in school is the easy access to the products of the entertainment industry.What this simply means is that the young generation tend to spend more time on the products of entertainment industry than their studies.Now, what if we can actually use the industry to teach,what if we can send and share very vital information with the students???What if NGO's can liaise with teachers,lecturers as well as the members of the entertainment industry...the music and movie industries alike to deliver the message of patriotism,good governance and how democracy works to the country???
That would mean a nearly perfect victory...a better future and a greater country!Guess what?The whole country would be well informed on how to manage the country's affairs,no one would be taking for granted anymore and our political leaders would have no choice than to either work FOR US or get the BOOT!
I rest my case for now!
God Bless Nigeria!

  

Fixing Nigeria:Everything is Politics,WAKE UP!!!

I hope you were all able to pick a thing or two from the 'Food for Thought' post...my previous post that is? So, next time you are about to get down to quarrels and conflicts, please, do remember that we have winners and losers and that YOU and your enemy are the losers and the winners are far away somewhere feeding fat on their proceeds from selling the poison to you and of course the tools (weapons and ammunition) by which you get to 'dig' the fight to its conclusive ends.
The most painful part is that most often than not,those that sold the tools are the ones that shall be selling to you all that you'll need for reconstruction and rebuilding your destroyed abodes and the drugs and bandages for treating the wounds and injuries you incurred during the war!
Having said that, it's time to continue our discussion on how to fix Nigeria.The last time we talked about fixing Nigeria,I emphasized on the importance in patriotism in building a new Nigeria of our dreams.We must be proud to associate with Nigeria and in fact make the promotion of Nigeria and everything good about her known to the world as our personal business.Today,however,it's time to talk about arguably,the greatest cause of our socio-economic woes that has made every other thing extremely difficult to achieve....POLITICS!

What is Politics?
I'm sorry,I'm a teacher so,you shouldn't be surprised to see the fact that I always like to begin my arguments with the definition of some or all the jargon associated with the subject matter.This one won't bean exception of course.
Politics is a word, in my personal that has been greatly abused in Nigeria.You can hardly talk about National issues without mentioning the word politics.So,I would like us to define and understand the true meaning of the word politics. According to a dictionary politics is....

"the activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power."

From the above definition of politics,we can see that politics is all about governing, as in running a system,organizations,association,governments and any other set of group of people.This simply means whenever and wherever you have two or more people coming together as a team, as one, there's politics.Politics therefore,is not just a politician thing...it involves you and I even if we don't want to be involved.

It's either You are Making Decisions or Decisions are made on Your Behalf

Now,I suppose you can see why we are in the peculiar mess we find ourselves today.We have left politics in the hands of the so called politicians who keep on wielding power us as they wish and enriching themselves a great deal in the process.

Shying away from politics has cost so much and unless we stop shying away from it,we would continue to live like slaves for eternity!

We run a democratic government which is a government of the PEOPLE by the PEOPLE and for the PEOPLE. We are the people in that popular definition not the members of the elite or political class.It is us that are the people who should decide how we want to be governed.

Ideally, the elite and political classes are expected to listen and follow our instructions because, they are the civil servants and we are the CIVIL society they are there to serve.

We wish to take Control,but How???

It's simple!We should follow the due process.In case you haven't noticed,everything has a guiding principle by which it operates...natural and man made alike.As intelligent creatures,we are expected to learn the rules and follow them well if we must have our way.There are do's and don't's to be learnt and applied accordingly. 

Having said that,it's time to highlight the Due Process steps one after the other.The following steps concerns us as Nigerians not as Hausa/Fulani,Igbo or Yoruba.

No. 1: Orientation of the General Public

Yea,yea,yea! I know you'll think it doesn't make sense and it won't work.But,fortunately or unfortunately,this is the starting point for all that wish Nigeria well and want to make her great again.You can't fix Nigeria with ignorant people.You'll need well educated,well informed people who can continue and make good and correct decisions with little or no supervision.To fix Nigeria,we'll have to raise an army of intellectuals.

Sadly, most Nigerians don't know a thing about democracy and therefore,can't contribute meaningfully to national development.In fact, to so many out there,there's no difference between the military rule and the civilian rule.That's why you'll hear some people wishing and praying for military take over!

The public need to know how it's going down.I might have to treat each of this steps in separate post coz there's so much to say on each.

No.2: Regular Town Hall Meetings are a MUST!

Democracy is definitely incomplete without town hall meetings.It's in town hall meetings that the people meet and discuss political matters with their reps.This is where the people meet directly with their Senators,National and State Reps,their Governors,their LG chairmen even Ward Councillors!Without this all important institution,we can't really say we are in a democracy. 

No.3: Everyone Above 18 years should get a Voter's Card

Check out the case of Senator Dino Melaye who is currently under fire!The process of his re-call has begun and there's no stopping at this point despite the solid support he is enjoying from other Senators in the house.

Your voter's card is your power to elect and remove any political representative of yours.Without your voter's card,you definitely have no say in government.

No.4: We Must Respect and Tolerate Each Other

As a country of very diverse cultural and traditional heritage,it's important that we act and enjoin civility in dealing with each other.We should always opt in for the dialogue medium of settling matters of conflicting views.In matters that concerns us all,we must act as civil gentlemen in presenting and pursuing them we should NEVER use force in its mildest manner to make the other party bend in our favor.

When arguments does not suffice,we should result into voting and every party should accept,respect and comply with the outcomes of such voting process.After all,democracy is a game of numbers!

No.5: We Must show PRIDE in our Nigerian-ness!!!
This is in fact the most important of all that there is in Nation building.As you can see if you have been following this blog,Pride in Nigeria was one of the first things I discussed in the beginning of this current theme: 'Fixing Nigeria'.Here it is again resurfacing and it will continue to.
Unless we are happy and proud about a particular thing,we won't be able to excel in managing it.We all were born as Nigerians,none of us had the luxury to choose where we would like to be born and bred.This is also the same with those that were born into the United States of America and into the UK or any other developed country.
They had to work at it.The citizens of the developed countries had to work at it and show pride in their respective countries.They had to put their country first even before their own personal interests.This is why they are always on top,they'd prefer products made in their countries to those from other countries.To cut the long story short,LET'S ALL LOVE NIGERIA!!!
Politics is everything about our national life,we can not leave it to the politicians because,originally,they are mere accomplices and we are the masters that they serve.They civil SERVANTS and we are the CIVIL SOCIETY they are serving.I hope this suffices???
God Bless Nigeria!
Long live Nigeria!!!