Firstly,I'm sorry it took so long to conclude this subject matter on Boko Haram.But, like they say,it's better later than never!
Since my last post,very interesting headlines had being made by the Boko Haram sect,but the most recent and more relevant is the part that have COMPLETELY agreed with the fact that the sect is in NO WAY RELIGIOUS BUT POLITICAL!
Talk of the senator and the former Governor of Borno's involvement....people that can hardly be called devoted Muslims let alone fanatics coming to spend, in their billions, to back up a supposed Islamist fundamental group.I'm also happy that the media had been able to reveal their real aims and objective - to seize control of a state or the North Eastern region through terror.And that an acting senator (elected by his people that happen to be the foremost victims of such terror attacks) who is to vote and work in favor of the groups' annihilation has just been arrested in connection to the group!!!
You know what that means,it mean high-profile, first hand intelligence are handed over to this highly trained militia group about the current state of our National Security forces.One cannot also rule out the possibility of deliberate grant of 'free hand' by our security officers towards the smooth running of their terror campaigns!Like the proverbial adage of the Yorubas:"kokoro tin jefo,idi efo lowa"!Meaning that the pest that eats away on vegetable crops resides no where but right there at the base of the unfortunately suffering victim - the vegetable itself!Nigeria's WORST enemies are among those in power.People you and I have queued long hours patiently to vote for,they are the ones that have turned around to hurt and kill some of us and the survivors are left in constant fear and danger of loss of life and property!
We had our opportunity to vote them out and try entire new hands last April but we didn't,instead, we praised them and rallied support for their re-election and voted them back to power and the first few things they laid their hands on were anti-people policies!In less than a year after their assumption of power,we are already feeling the heat.My prayer is that we learn this time that there are no such thing as 'sacred cows' among a park of wolves or foxes!
Well,like every other problem we currently have in this country,the issue of Boko Haram can only be solved permanently, through the involvement of the populace!We as a people have a choice,we can decide to stand up for our rights.As human beings we have rights,as citizens of this country we have rights and responsibilities we can rightfully act upon and one of them is definitely the right to the accountability of the leaders we voted for as well as our representatives.We also have the right to question government's policies and modify them when necessary.These are rights we do have and which, unfortunately,the majority are ignorant of.Since democracy is a game of numbers,the corrupt have cringed to power by capitalizing on the state of ignorance of the majority and had always gained their blind support at the detriment of the society in general.
This is why knowledgeable patriots need to find ways of sharing their wealth of knowledge and intelligence,we need to emancipate our people from mental slavery and help open their eyes to see the light!That's why I'm blogging and that's why you too should be blogging!I don't know much of law but I'm determined to learn more and share same here on this blog!
For now,I rest my case on the Boko Haram issue by asking us all not only to condemn them by our mouths alone but also by our thoughts,deeds and prayers.It's high time we started cursing all that wish Nigeria and Nigerians evil spiritually too!Let's wage a war against all forms of oppression,mentally,physically and spiritually.Mentally,by learning about our rights and responsibilities that are enshrined in the constitution as well as how to seek redress under the law,Physically by not only learning about our rights but by also taking concise and bold steps towards enforcing and insisting on our rights, always and spiritually by seeking God's intervention, daily, in the Nigerian case.We should firstly change ourselves by repenting from our evil ways and then going ahead to seek for the transformation of all other erring Nigerians and begging for their full pardon as well and the COMPLETE annihilation and destruction of all that refuse to repent and are hell bent in harming Nigeria and Nigerians!
Mention no Names,don't worry, GOD knows them all, just go ahead and curse them but make sure you are not one of them!If you are,if you are harming Nigeria in any way,you better have a re-think!
Regards,
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.com
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Boko Haram
As an outfall of the 2011 general elections rose the most deadly militant group in Nigerian history - Boko Haram.
Like a virus, they struck a couple of deadly blows and already seem to pose a much greater problem than the Niger Delta militants put together.They have proved far more deadly than MEND considering a major attack on the Police Force's Power house in the very heart of Abuja - Nigeria's seat of power.
Several comments have been made by prominent Nigerians including religious leaders as to the origin, nature and how the government should deal with them.Most are not without the usual religious and ethnic bias undertone.But the fact remains that Boko Haram is a terrorist group that claims affiliation to Islam (the religion of the majority in Northern Nigeria where it originated from).In my opinion, Boko Haram is a political group as against the extremist group as they are made to look like.I'll explain.
The name of the group - Boko Haram means "book is Haram", "book is unlawful", in plain English,Boko Haram means Western Education is forbidden.From the meaning of their name and considering the fact that they sprung from a Muslim dominated region of the country coupled with the fact that they claim to declare war on the Federal government until they are allowed to practice Shari'ah in the Northern part of he country was more than enough reason to dub them religious extremists.But a critical look into their activities so far and the shabby way the issue has been handled by security enforcement agencies despite their deadly strikes even by the President himself seems to tell a different story.I'll start from the name.
In Islam,knowledge is of top priority,be it religious or worldly.Knowledge and wisdom are things that every Muslim is mandated to seek no matter how far it is from his native home.Quotations like "wisdom is a lost treasure of the Muslims,so seek and claim it where ever you may find it","Seek for Knowledge even if you have to travel as far as China to get it","the ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr" are attributed to the Prophet of Islam,where then does the principle of "book is unlawful" springs from?
Their major claim by which all and sundry had held onto as the major evidence of the fact that they are Islamic extremists is the fact that they demanded for Shari'a implementation.Shari'a is not new in Nigeria, in fact, it's a recognized code of conduct in the Constitution of Nigeria.Any state like Zamfara may chose to make it their law.If this is true,then,on what basis would they clamor for Shari'a which has been recognized in Nigeria for as long as Nigeria itself existed?Having said that,it's time to examine government's role in all these.
The leader of Boko Haram was captured by the military and consequently handed over to the Police in one piece.It's the duty of the Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into their activities and make arrests of the brains and sponsors behind Boko Haram.But what did the Police do with the leader of the sect?
Muhammed Yusuf's body was found lying in the filthy dirt outdoors with bullet injuries on his body.Yusuf was killed in the custody of the Police and till date the killer is yet to be fished out.The case was buried along with Late President Yar'adua who requested that the killer be fished out.
One may ask,who killed him and why,are there VIPs involved with Boko Haram,had Yusuf agreed to reveal his sponsors' IDs or do we have men in the force as members of the sect?These are questions that have been long ignored and after more than 8 incidents of bomb blasts within the short interval of like 2 years,I think it's time somebody started talking!
Jonathan,the President have been rather silent on this one and had in fact looked more confused.He's yet to make an elaborate speech on the issue and has practically kept mute all the while.That's not to forget the Governor of Borno state where it all began.He's in fact no where to be found in the picture,he doesn't seem concerned as I doubt if he had made the headlines concerning the crisis.
Another reason is the fact that they make use of bombs which could lead to their victims burning to death.If they were Islamic extremists,they wouldn't use it besides,guns and bombs are made from the study of physics and Chemistry which are more of books than otherwise.
These and many more reasons are why I believe Boko Haram is a terrorist group designed to take the appearance of a religious sect so as to adequately cover up the actual culprits who may be Muslims or Christians or a mixture of both (as far as I'm concerned).
Boko Haram is a faceless political terrorist group that has no religious affiliation as their activities is not supported by any known religion and the possibilities that they are sponsored by politicians either in power of with influences in the government are pretty high!
Like a virus, they struck a couple of deadly blows and already seem to pose a much greater problem than the Niger Delta militants put together.They have proved far more deadly than MEND considering a major attack on the Police Force's Power house in the very heart of Abuja - Nigeria's seat of power.
Several comments have been made by prominent Nigerians including religious leaders as to the origin, nature and how the government should deal with them.Most are not without the usual religious and ethnic bias undertone.But the fact remains that Boko Haram is a terrorist group that claims affiliation to Islam (the religion of the majority in Northern Nigeria where it originated from).In my opinion, Boko Haram is a political group as against the extremist group as they are made to look like.I'll explain.
The name of the group - Boko Haram means "book is Haram", "book is unlawful", in plain English,Boko Haram means Western Education is forbidden.From the meaning of their name and considering the fact that they sprung from a Muslim dominated region of the country coupled with the fact that they claim to declare war on the Federal government until they are allowed to practice Shari'ah in the Northern part of he country was more than enough reason to dub them religious extremists.But a critical look into their activities so far and the shabby way the issue has been handled by security enforcement agencies despite their deadly strikes even by the President himself seems to tell a different story.I'll start from the name.
In Islam,knowledge is of top priority,be it religious or worldly.Knowledge and wisdom are things that every Muslim is mandated to seek no matter how far it is from his native home.Quotations like "wisdom is a lost treasure of the Muslims,so seek and claim it where ever you may find it","Seek for Knowledge even if you have to travel as far as China to get it","the ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr" are attributed to the Prophet of Islam,where then does the principle of "book is unlawful" springs from?
Their major claim by which all and sundry had held onto as the major evidence of the fact that they are Islamic extremists is the fact that they demanded for Shari'a implementation.Shari'a is not new in Nigeria, in fact, it's a recognized code of conduct in the Constitution of Nigeria.Any state like Zamfara may chose to make it their law.If this is true,then,on what basis would they clamor for Shari'a which has been recognized in Nigeria for as long as Nigeria itself existed?Having said that,it's time to examine government's role in all these.
The leader of Boko Haram was captured by the military and consequently handed over to the Police in one piece.It's the duty of the Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into their activities and make arrests of the brains and sponsors behind Boko Haram.But what did the Police do with the leader of the sect?
Muhammed Yusuf's body was found lying in the filthy dirt outdoors with bullet injuries on his body.Yusuf was killed in the custody of the Police and till date the killer is yet to be fished out.The case was buried along with Late President Yar'adua who requested that the killer be fished out.
One may ask,who killed him and why,are there VIPs involved with Boko Haram,had Yusuf agreed to reveal his sponsors' IDs or do we have men in the force as members of the sect?These are questions that have been long ignored and after more than 8 incidents of bomb blasts within the short interval of like 2 years,I think it's time somebody started talking!
Jonathan,the President have been rather silent on this one and had in fact looked more confused.He's yet to make an elaborate speech on the issue and has practically kept mute all the while.That's not to forget the Governor of Borno state where it all began.He's in fact no where to be found in the picture,he doesn't seem concerned as I doubt if he had made the headlines concerning the crisis.
Another reason is the fact that they make use of bombs which could lead to their victims burning to death.If they were Islamic extremists,they wouldn't use it besides,guns and bombs are made from the study of physics and Chemistry which are more of books than otherwise.
These and many more reasons are why I believe Boko Haram is a terrorist group designed to take the appearance of a religious sect so as to adequately cover up the actual culprits who may be Muslims or Christians or a mixture of both (as far as I'm concerned).
Boko Haram is a faceless political terrorist group that has no religious affiliation as their activities is not supported by any known religion and the possibilities that they are sponsored by politicians either in power of with influences in the government are pretty high!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
2011 general elections,I see no changes
The follower-ship truly have their destiny in their hands and therefore are a major determinant, after God of course, of what sort of people that lead them. The leadership is only a mirror that reflects the true nature of the people they lead or at least, the majority.
You see, the problem with us in Nigeria and as human beings in general is that we hate the truth, truth is bitter and it has incidentally proved to be the only solution to problems. People lie even in the developed country but the degree to which a country develops happens to be DIRECTLY proportional to their level of acceptability of the truth!
Recently, a lawmaker was jailed in the U.K. for stealing from the government (tax payer's money). He could have gotten away like they do in Nigeria if the majority of the civil servants in service sees nothing wrong and in fact, justify bribery as their means of sharing in the 'national cake' as they do here in Nigeria.
Well, the truth is that even two rogues in government out there in the developed world are not sure if the other is a rogue or not, why, because the general notion is that stealing is wrong, if you are caught you get the hammer nothing less!
In Nigeria, the problem is not finding a 'brother in crime', no, it's not a problem at all. The problem, however, is the price of this new 'brother' of yours - whether it is low or high.
People feel hopeless in Nigeria of today so much so that they say and support the idea 'it won't get better' with their handiwork not because they truly believe in the hopelessness they so much prophesy but because they have allowed greed to take control. When greed is in control, you careless of how you get what you need, you care less of the rule of law and more of the material wealth you can accrue. this attitude unfortunately, is more like that of a common thief... like a ... like an animal!
In the animal world, only the strong gets all they want, only the strong. The strong takes anything and everything from the weak without giving anything in return. This is 'jungle justice'. Survival of the fittest - the strong survive, the weak wither away.
If there's a reason behind our gift of the sixth sense, it must be for the purpose of reasoning, ability to think and act far above the animal world level. It must be for us to see that life is all about give and take.
We all have talents - God given gifts by which we are unique and different in our rights just as we all have a need that we cannot meet, hence, we need the other man who is gifted in the line of our need to help out. This, perhaps, is the true essence of trade and commerce. Our sixth sense is there for us to realize that we are all weak just as we are all strong.
Yes, the rich is strong in terms of money and possessions but weak in terms of labor; politicians are strong in terms of making laws and policies but are weak when it comes to health issues... and so on and so forth. The bottom line is that we all need each other. We need a leader-ship just as the leadership needs a follower-ship. A simple truth we need to bear in mind is that whatever happens to us as a people is not the fault of a group of people among us but our collective fault."...God will not change the situation of a people unless they change what is in their hearts..." says the Quran.
What is the worth of Dollar and Naira bills hidden away in some bank account, tell me, of what value is money to a dying sick man, rich or poor?
Our political leaders steal simply because there are people who accept such money from them - their follower-ship, the people they lead! They shall continue the looting until the day they find no one that accepts it from them.
The day that the poor refuses to be manipulated like an animal by the rich and by his sixth sense realizes their equality in weakness and need - the rich needs something which he cannot do to be done while the poor needs the rich's money for sustainability. Until the day the electorate sees the bribe offered in exchange for their votes and support as the yoke of poverty and poor leadership to come, a day that serving political officers are removed from office when found guilty of any corrupt practices, until the day the follower-ship stop worshiping the leadership and sees themselves as the true masters, after God, of their affairs, until that faithful day, I see no changes.
You see, the problem with us in Nigeria and as human beings in general is that we hate the truth, truth is bitter and it has incidentally proved to be the only solution to problems. People lie even in the developed country but the degree to which a country develops happens to be DIRECTLY proportional to their level of acceptability of the truth!
Recently, a lawmaker was jailed in the U.K. for stealing from the government (tax payer's money). He could have gotten away like they do in Nigeria if the majority of the civil servants in service sees nothing wrong and in fact, justify bribery as their means of sharing in the 'national cake' as they do here in Nigeria.
Well, the truth is that even two rogues in government out there in the developed world are not sure if the other is a rogue or not, why, because the general notion is that stealing is wrong, if you are caught you get the hammer nothing less!
In Nigeria, the problem is not finding a 'brother in crime', no, it's not a problem at all. The problem, however, is the price of this new 'brother' of yours - whether it is low or high.
People feel hopeless in Nigeria of today so much so that they say and support the idea 'it won't get better' with their handiwork not because they truly believe in the hopelessness they so much prophesy but because they have allowed greed to take control. When greed is in control, you careless of how you get what you need, you care less of the rule of law and more of the material wealth you can accrue. this attitude unfortunately, is more like that of a common thief... like a ... like an animal!
In the animal world, only the strong gets all they want, only the strong. The strong takes anything and everything from the weak without giving anything in return. This is 'jungle justice'. Survival of the fittest - the strong survive, the weak wither away.
If there's a reason behind our gift of the sixth sense, it must be for the purpose of reasoning, ability to think and act far above the animal world level. It must be for us to see that life is all about give and take.
We all have talents - God given gifts by which we are unique and different in our rights just as we all have a need that we cannot meet, hence, we need the other man who is gifted in the line of our need to help out. This, perhaps, is the true essence of trade and commerce. Our sixth sense is there for us to realize that we are all weak just as we are all strong.
Yes, the rich is strong in terms of money and possessions but weak in terms of labor; politicians are strong in terms of making laws and policies but are weak when it comes to health issues... and so on and so forth. The bottom line is that we all need each other. We need a leader-ship just as the leadership needs a follower-ship. A simple truth we need to bear in mind is that whatever happens to us as a people is not the fault of a group of people among us but our collective fault."...God will not change the situation of a people unless they change what is in their hearts..." says the Quran.
What is the worth of Dollar and Naira bills hidden away in some bank account, tell me, of what value is money to a dying sick man, rich or poor?
Our political leaders steal simply because there are people who accept such money from them - their follower-ship, the people they lead! They shall continue the looting until the day they find no one that accepts it from them.
The day that the poor refuses to be manipulated like an animal by the rich and by his sixth sense realizes their equality in weakness and need - the rich needs something which he cannot do to be done while the poor needs the rich's money for sustainability. Until the day the electorate sees the bribe offered in exchange for their votes and support as the yoke of poverty and poor leadership to come, a day that serving political officers are removed from office when found guilty of any corrupt practices, until the day the follower-ship stop worshiping the leadership and sees themselves as the true masters, after God, of their affairs, until that faithful day, I see no changes.
...continuation.
We are all excited and worked up as we entered the New Year. Nigerians worldwide are looking forward to April 2011, you know why? Because Nigerians would get another opportunity to right the wrongs of the past, but, from the look of things, I see no changes.
I mean, the same set of people that ruled in the past 4 years are the ones coming out for re-election or, should I say re-selection?
Selection begins right from the primaries in most, if not all the available ACTIVE parties. They rarely vote in the primaries, a few old men comes up with a 'consensus' candidate which all other members MUST accept as their candidate, be he good or bad he's accepted and supported by all and sundry.
Now, if the internal policy of a political party is to 'select' rather than to 'elect' their flag bearers, what do you expect that they do to win during the general elections ESPECIALLY when they happen to be the ruling party?!
This is the reason why I remain skeptical of any change during the next regime. Only a fool expects a change in out come when same things are done the same way. And I bet, I'm not that fool just as I guess you aren't either? The question now is if there could be a change at all and the answer to that question is a big YES!
Like I pointed out in the previous post, no leadership that I know of at least, can rule over a people with a different orientation for long.
When there's a continuous occurrence of foul play in a polity, the citizens should watch out as there are a few bad eggs among them that are sabotaging their efforts to effect changes. They must be wary of such people. These bad eggs are slippery and slimy, more like a snake, they come around acting and talking as though they are with you in the struggle but in the real sense, they are only there as spies for their greedy 'partners in crime' up the ladder.
They also ensure that you remain inert as they ensnare you with sudden valuable gifts of all sorts thereby killing the spirit of righteousness in you and replacing it with that of guilt and consequently that of shamelessness so much so that you see nothing wrong with someone stealing and looting public funds. Such is the case in Nigeria today.
Financial fraud is now the order of the day, the hero now is he who got away with the greatest loot, the theme of most political post holders as well as civil servants today has changed from 'service to the people' to 'take what you can and give nothing back!'
These explains why people can win elections from prison and the reason why ex-convicts and politicians and civil servants that are known to have committed financial crimes or to have mismanaged public funds before would come out to contest and win elections in Nigeria. When you ask how these criminals had managed to win major elections, the answers you get might sound like 'nobody voted for him, the election was rigged', funny, right? I bet it is.
It’s funny how people would rally round such criminals during political campaigns proudly wearing souvenirs bearing the name or picture of these 'corrupt leaders' around singing their praises. They start to explain how he did this or that during his time in office and how he would continue the 'good work' if given another chance.
Funny how same people we so bitterly complained of are now begging for another chance to continue and we give our consent, continue what, looting?!
Until we change, nothing's gonna change. Until we TRULY say no to money politics, we should forget about a truly free and fair election in this country.
The day in Nigeria when 'automatic tickets' are done away with both in internal elections of parties and inter party elections, the day those who mismanage public funds are not granted a 'second term' in office, the day when ONLY those that might have transparently declared their assets are allowed to contest, until that day when the political agenda of aspirants are demanded and put to test in national debates on national T.V.'s as they do in developed countries, till that day, I see no changes.
I mean, the same set of people that ruled in the past 4 years are the ones coming out for re-election or, should I say re-selection?
Selection begins right from the primaries in most, if not all the available ACTIVE parties. They rarely vote in the primaries, a few old men comes up with a 'consensus' candidate which all other members MUST accept as their candidate, be he good or bad he's accepted and supported by all and sundry.
Now, if the internal policy of a political party is to 'select' rather than to 'elect' their flag bearers, what do you expect that they do to win during the general elections ESPECIALLY when they happen to be the ruling party?!
This is the reason why I remain skeptical of any change during the next regime. Only a fool expects a change in out come when same things are done the same way. And I bet, I'm not that fool just as I guess you aren't either? The question now is if there could be a change at all and the answer to that question is a big YES!
Like I pointed out in the previous post, no leadership that I know of at least, can rule over a people with a different orientation for long.
When there's a continuous occurrence of foul play in a polity, the citizens should watch out as there are a few bad eggs among them that are sabotaging their efforts to effect changes. They must be wary of such people. These bad eggs are slippery and slimy, more like a snake, they come around acting and talking as though they are with you in the struggle but in the real sense, they are only there as spies for their greedy 'partners in crime' up the ladder.
They also ensure that you remain inert as they ensnare you with sudden valuable gifts of all sorts thereby killing the spirit of righteousness in you and replacing it with that of guilt and consequently that of shamelessness so much so that you see nothing wrong with someone stealing and looting public funds. Such is the case in Nigeria today.
Financial fraud is now the order of the day, the hero now is he who got away with the greatest loot, the theme of most political post holders as well as civil servants today has changed from 'service to the people' to 'take what you can and give nothing back!'
These explains why people can win elections from prison and the reason why ex-convicts and politicians and civil servants that are known to have committed financial crimes or to have mismanaged public funds before would come out to contest and win elections in Nigeria. When you ask how these criminals had managed to win major elections, the answers you get might sound like 'nobody voted for him, the election was rigged', funny, right? I bet it is.
It’s funny how people would rally round such criminals during political campaigns proudly wearing souvenirs bearing the name or picture of these 'corrupt leaders' around singing their praises. They start to explain how he did this or that during his time in office and how he would continue the 'good work' if given another chance.
Funny how same people we so bitterly complained of are now begging for another chance to continue and we give our consent, continue what, looting?!
Until we change, nothing's gonna change. Until we TRULY say no to money politics, we should forget about a truly free and fair election in this country.
The day in Nigeria when 'automatic tickets' are done away with both in internal elections of parties and inter party elections, the day those who mismanage public funds are not granted a 'second term' in office, the day when ONLY those that might have transparently declared their assets are allowed to contest, until that day when the political agenda of aspirants are demanded and put to test in national debates on national T.V.'s as they do in developed countries, till that day, I see no changes.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Leadership and followership-a critical look
To begin with,I'll like to ensure a thorough understanding of the key terms of this discuss-leadership and follower-ship.
In plain English,Leadership refers to a person or group of people that runs and direct the affairs of a larger body,group,community of people as the case may be while follower-ship are those that are being lead by the leadership.
Without the support of the follower-ship,there's no leadership just as the follower-ship is in chaos without a leadership.
It is quite obvious from the above expression that leadership and follower-ship co-exist,they must agree to terms if things must move smoothly.What happens when one party decides to cheat on the other party?
If the leadership decides to cheat on the follower-ship,it risks loss of confidence of the follower-ship which can lead to its dissolution in some cases.It is quite rare to see the reverse case of this,but,if by chance it did happen,then,the follower-ship might lose the interest of the leadership to carry on which can lead to a serious conflict that can split the community for good.
The leadership must commit itself to a selfless service to the follower-ship while the follower-ship in turn co-operate and assist the leadership in achieving the common goals of the community.
Just like every other country in the world,Nigeria is a very big community with its leadership and follower-ship parties.But there's a big problem in the co-existence of Nigeria's leadership and follower-ship.
While the follower-ship blames the leadership for the multi-dimensional problems of the country,the leadership puts the blame on the follower-ship as well as the 'present economic situation' of the country.
What we seem to miss out is that the leadership has NEVER done ANYTHING without the consent of the follower-ship and vice versa.
To most Nigerians,Nigeria's greatest problem is that of corrupt leaders,closely followed by poverty and lack of infrastructural development.Yet I ask you,have you ever seen or heard of any senator,member of the house of representative,local government chairman,the president,governor or any of the political post holders hauling bags of 'Ghana must go' bags home from the treasury without at least an accomplice in the civil service,do you think a penny can be withdrawn from the national treasury without the prior knowledge of the accountant general of the federation,CBN governor or the bank manager of the banks holding these funds?
Let's be realistic here,money laundry,embezzlement,illegal withdrawal of funds are not possible without the help of the civil servants who are part of the citizenry.They aid the evil act and in fact share in the loot!It's those at the foot of the ladder that complain and it's not like most of them are different from those upstairs.In fact,they are far worse!
....to be continued.
Regards,
Abdurrahman
In plain English,Leadership refers to a person or group of people that runs and direct the affairs of a larger body,group,community of people as the case may be while follower-ship are those that are being lead by the leadership.
Without the support of the follower-ship,there's no leadership just as the follower-ship is in chaos without a leadership.
It is quite obvious from the above expression that leadership and follower-ship co-exist,they must agree to terms if things must move smoothly.What happens when one party decides to cheat on the other party?
If the leadership decides to cheat on the follower-ship,it risks loss of confidence of the follower-ship which can lead to its dissolution in some cases.It is quite rare to see the reverse case of this,but,if by chance it did happen,then,the follower-ship might lose the interest of the leadership to carry on which can lead to a serious conflict that can split the community for good.
The leadership must commit itself to a selfless service to the follower-ship while the follower-ship in turn co-operate and assist the leadership in achieving the common goals of the community.
Just like every other country in the world,Nigeria is a very big community with its leadership and follower-ship parties.But there's a big problem in the co-existence of Nigeria's leadership and follower-ship.
While the follower-ship blames the leadership for the multi-dimensional problems of the country,the leadership puts the blame on the follower-ship as well as the 'present economic situation' of the country.
What we seem to miss out is that the leadership has NEVER done ANYTHING without the consent of the follower-ship and vice versa.
To most Nigerians,Nigeria's greatest problem is that of corrupt leaders,closely followed by poverty and lack of infrastructural development.Yet I ask you,have you ever seen or heard of any senator,member of the house of representative,local government chairman,the president,governor or any of the political post holders hauling bags of 'Ghana must go' bags home from the treasury without at least an accomplice in the civil service,do you think a penny can be withdrawn from the national treasury without the prior knowledge of the accountant general of the federation,CBN governor or the bank manager of the banks holding these funds?
Let's be realistic here,money laundry,embezzlement,illegal withdrawal of funds are not possible without the help of the civil servants who are part of the citizenry.They aid the evil act and in fact share in the loot!It's those at the foot of the ladder that complain and it's not like most of them are different from those upstairs.In fact,they are far worse!
....to be continued.
Regards,
Abdurrahman
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Nigeria at 50!
Hello Naija!Nigeria's 50 aren't you happy about that?Now I know what to expect in answers as most often than not we in Nigeria have more to complain of than to appreciate.But the truth is that whatever situation we might have found ourselves is of our own making,US as in both leaders and followers alike and I stand to be corrected!
There are a million and one facts to back up my assertions,and I am ready to reveal some of these facts on this blog so stay tuned!
There are a million and one facts to back up my assertions,and I am ready to reveal some of these facts on this blog so stay tuned!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Amnesty-Easiest way out for the militants.
I’m sorry it took so long for the update to come. Like I mentioned in the last publication, I made mention of education as a potent tool to fighting the menace in the Niger Delta. Fortunately, the FG has gone this way, though, really slow in their execution but at least they are on the right track. But that doesn’t mean that we can let the issue to rest like that as it is a very important issue that must be discussed in its details.
You see, the issue of education in Nigeria has unfortunately, been relegated to the background which has put the majority into darkness, especially in the Niger Delta. I know this not from TV but from the fact that I lived in the region for a year-thanks to the NYSC scheme.
If you live among this people you’ll understand them and cannot help but to pity these people. Why? Because majority of the people are illiterates and among those who are not, most didn’t go beyond the secondary school level. This is pathetic especially when you consider the fact that even those who are graduates too are not really different from those who aren’t. This isn’t surprising to me really, because from my experience with them I discovered that education isn’t a priority. How did I know that?
There was a day in the school where I serve that a student from SSS1 was brought to the staff room and was reported to be ignorant of current affairs. He doesn’t know the name of the governor of his state! This was surprising, but to our shock, he cannot even spell his name correctly, in fact, he couldn’t even write the alphabets correctly. Now, this is not to look down on the people of Niger Delta in anyway rather, its for the sake of simplification that I make such an example. I want you to see the extent to which these people are deprived.
I use the word ‘deprived’ because of the known fact that knowledge is power , knowledge is light, a guidance and assurance of a better tomorrow. Without knowledge humans are no different from the animal world, no plans, no focus, no hope for a better future and the worst of all, they wait in vain for a miracle that is never meant to be. It is as bad as that!
I took pity of these people because of the ignorance that has spread through the region so much so that even the graduates, doctors and professors from this area lack the much needed sense of direction. They believe so much in the militant activities that they have kept quiet over the issue and make complaints only when the militants are at the receiving end. I mean no one is talking of developing the area, they seem to enjoy the drama and have no intention to resolve the conflicts. Even the amnesty program was negatively criticized.
I pity them for their worst enemy is their elite who use their own people to achieve their selfish interests. Though ignorance of these type is a general problem of Nigerians but its more pronounced down there in the Niger Delta.
Instead of focusing on profitable engagement of the youth of the area and seizing the opportunity of the presence of oil giants in the area in setting up SMEs all over the region, the elite chose to back the already misguided youths of the area to wreck more damages, FIRSTLY ,to their OWN people and consequently to Nigerians in general owing to our carelessness of course! We fail to diversify our income source. We depend solely on oil revenue gotten from exploration taking place in the area. We’ve lost our Agricultural streak, all the ground nut pyramids of the North all that cocoa money from which the Ibadan stadium was built not to mention the fact that we use to be one of the largest producers of Agric products in the world. All that are history now.
My people, the success of our founding fathers was possible only as a result of their high level of education. They were highly educated people who know what it takes to rule, what it takes to serve and the consequences of falling short of their responsibility as leaders. These people understand something that is very vital, something most politicians don’t know for a fact-that in selfless service lies your richness the true treasure that we all seek. It was in selfless service that people like “Awo”, the great “Zik “, Tafa Balewa and Saudana of Sokoto that they were able to write their name in GOLD on the GOLD pages of our country’s history. These people cannot be forgotten in Nigerian history. They played vital roles in our “bloodless” independence struggle. Unlike in other African countries where there has to be a fight or struggle that leads to arms taking and in some cases, a massacre was necessary to gain independency. These men of honor were able to win the Country’s independency without a blood shed. This unique feat was only possible ONLY through diplomacy a method that can only be adopted by people of understanding – the safest and by far the most efficient method of conflict resolution.
It is worth mentioning that the outstanding performances of our past heroes during the independence struggle can be attributed to their perfect understanding of the power of peaceful resolution of differences which is impossible if they were not educated and enlightened by education.
In conclusion, I would say that so far so good, efforts are currently made in the right direction and I would only recommend that it should be taken more seriously and execution of the skill acquisition training should be carried out with more speed and the state and local governments in the region should be involved to a very high extent. They should be closely monitored to ensure that the extra allocation they get is judiciously spent and not embezzled. Because, in my own opinion the problems of the Niger Delta is as a result of their failure and not that of the FG. Take Lagos as an example. Lagos state missed their allocation for more than a year and still was able to cater for her citizens without complaints. Now, compare that with the Niger Delta states who get EXTRA chunk of the national cake and NDDC to go with it yet still complain so bitterly about marginalization!
But I know for sure that they complain ignorantly and hence, fight so blindly and get nothing but more devastating situation on their hands. Its a pity really, it’s a pity that they have punished themselves for so long without realizing it because no one felt the pains of militancy as they did. But at least ,they are back on track for good!
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.bravehost.com
You see, the issue of education in Nigeria has unfortunately, been relegated to the background which has put the majority into darkness, especially in the Niger Delta. I know this not from TV but from the fact that I lived in the region for a year-thanks to the NYSC scheme.
If you live among this people you’ll understand them and cannot help but to pity these people. Why? Because majority of the people are illiterates and among those who are not, most didn’t go beyond the secondary school level. This is pathetic especially when you consider the fact that even those who are graduates too are not really different from those who aren’t. This isn’t surprising to me really, because from my experience with them I discovered that education isn’t a priority. How did I know that?
There was a day in the school where I serve that a student from SSS1 was brought to the staff room and was reported to be ignorant of current affairs. He doesn’t know the name of the governor of his state! This was surprising, but to our shock, he cannot even spell his name correctly, in fact, he couldn’t even write the alphabets correctly. Now, this is not to look down on the people of Niger Delta in anyway rather, its for the sake of simplification that I make such an example. I want you to see the extent to which these people are deprived.
I use the word ‘deprived’ because of the known fact that knowledge is power , knowledge is light, a guidance and assurance of a better tomorrow. Without knowledge humans are no different from the animal world, no plans, no focus, no hope for a better future and the worst of all, they wait in vain for a miracle that is never meant to be. It is as bad as that!
I took pity of these people because of the ignorance that has spread through the region so much so that even the graduates, doctors and professors from this area lack the much needed sense of direction. They believe so much in the militant activities that they have kept quiet over the issue and make complaints only when the militants are at the receiving end. I mean no one is talking of developing the area, they seem to enjoy the drama and have no intention to resolve the conflicts. Even the amnesty program was negatively criticized.
I pity them for their worst enemy is their elite who use their own people to achieve their selfish interests. Though ignorance of these type is a general problem of Nigerians but its more pronounced down there in the Niger Delta.
Instead of focusing on profitable engagement of the youth of the area and seizing the opportunity of the presence of oil giants in the area in setting up SMEs all over the region, the elite chose to back the already misguided youths of the area to wreck more damages, FIRSTLY ,to their OWN people and consequently to Nigerians in general owing to our carelessness of course! We fail to diversify our income source. We depend solely on oil revenue gotten from exploration taking place in the area. We’ve lost our Agricultural streak, all the ground nut pyramids of the North all that cocoa money from which the Ibadan stadium was built not to mention the fact that we use to be one of the largest producers of Agric products in the world. All that are history now.
My people, the success of our founding fathers was possible only as a result of their high level of education. They were highly educated people who know what it takes to rule, what it takes to serve and the consequences of falling short of their responsibility as leaders. These people understand something that is very vital, something most politicians don’t know for a fact-that in selfless service lies your richness the true treasure that we all seek. It was in selfless service that people like “Awo”, the great “Zik “, Tafa Balewa and Saudana of Sokoto that they were able to write their name in GOLD on the GOLD pages of our country’s history. These people cannot be forgotten in Nigerian history. They played vital roles in our “bloodless” independence struggle. Unlike in other African countries where there has to be a fight or struggle that leads to arms taking and in some cases, a massacre was necessary to gain independency. These men of honor were able to win the Country’s independency without a blood shed. This unique feat was only possible ONLY through diplomacy a method that can only be adopted by people of understanding – the safest and by far the most efficient method of conflict resolution.
It is worth mentioning that the outstanding performances of our past heroes during the independence struggle can be attributed to their perfect understanding of the power of peaceful resolution of differences which is impossible if they were not educated and enlightened by education.
In conclusion, I would say that so far so good, efforts are currently made in the right direction and I would only recommend that it should be taken more seriously and execution of the skill acquisition training should be carried out with more speed and the state and local governments in the region should be involved to a very high extent. They should be closely monitored to ensure that the extra allocation they get is judiciously spent and not embezzled. Because, in my own opinion the problems of the Niger Delta is as a result of their failure and not that of the FG. Take Lagos as an example. Lagos state missed their allocation for more than a year and still was able to cater for her citizens without complaints. Now, compare that with the Niger Delta states who get EXTRA chunk of the national cake and NDDC to go with it yet still complain so bitterly about marginalization!
But I know for sure that they complain ignorantly and hence, fight so blindly and get nothing but more devastating situation on their hands. Its a pity really, it’s a pity that they have punished themselves for so long without realizing it because no one felt the pains of militancy as they did. But at least ,they are back on track for good!
Abdurrahman,
http://www.jainx.bravehost.com
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