Many a time we keep saying that the problem with our country lies within our leaders. I totally don't believe it. I believe that the problem lies within us.Before you criticize me, let me say my reasons for making such a statement.

I believe there is no different between a leader who is trying to steal the country's money and a student who is trying to bribe a lecturer/teacher in order to have a higher score. The student bribed because he/she thinks that having a good score is what is important at that moment. There is also no different between a person trying to jump a queue when there is about 10-100 etc, on that queue. If such a person is to become a president tomorrow, believe it or not, he/she must definitely do the same thing.

My second reason is this; when a student(the so called future leader) enter into a university and start looking for protection,he/she he will join one cult or the other thinking that it will give him maximum protection.What do you expect of that person if he/she happens to be the leader of the society tomorrow.

My third reason is this; almost 90% of Nigerians believe that you cannot progress in Nigeria without the help of godfathers or bribing your way through. When we stop believing in God and start putting our hope in godfathers, how do you think our future will look like.

Even in the universities, most lecturers have formed the habit of not giving an intelligent student his/her real score. Most lecturer believe that "A" is for lecturer and "B, C, D, etc"  are for student. When there is no encouragement in the academic field, what is the hope of the future? The funny part is that even the lecturer open up his mouth to call the government a bad name. A POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK.

My fellow citizens, I have a question for you; IF YOU WAKE  TOMORROW AND DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE THE  PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA, HOW WOULD YOU LEAD US? TELL ME THE AREAS OF LAW YOU WILL AMEND?

@Poster, do you mind editing your post so we better understand you. I mean I am not asking for perfect grammar here. I just want to make sure that when I go off on you for having a view, I at least get it right. 

If not the leaders, who should be blamed? Are the gods to be blamed? NO! . There is prophesy that Nigeria will witness thid kind of rot and corruption. Candidly, the leaders are to be blamed. We handed over ourselves and our resources to them to manage. See what they have done to us and you think they should not be blamed? Think again brother.

@Jamace, can I ask that you actually read what is up there ? The dude makes it clear that he believes NIGERIANS are to blame. If you say that the leaders are to blame, then that means Nigerians are a bunch of COWARDS,and I hope you can see how their cowardice poses a problem.

jamace:

If not the leaders, who should be blamed? Are the gods to be blamed? NO! . There is prophesy that Nigeria will witness thid kind of rot and corruption. Candidly, the leaders are to be blamed. We handed over ourselves and our resources to them to manage. See what they have done to us and you think they should not be blamed? Think again brother.

Considering the sentence in bold, who do you think is responsible for it all?

chrishenzo:

Many a time we keep saying that the problem with our country lies within our leaders. I totally don't believe it. I believe that the problem lies within us.Before you criticize me, let me say my reasons for making such a statement.
I believe there is no different between a leader who is trying to steal the country's money and a student who is trying to bribe a lecturer/teacher in order to have a higher score. The student bribed because he/she thinks that having a good score is what is important at that moment. There is also no different between a person trying to jump a queue when there is about 10-100 etc, on that queue. If such a person is to become a president tomorrow, believe it or not, he/she must definitely do the same thing.
My second reason is this; when a student(the so called future leader) enter into a university and start looking for protection,he/she he will join one cult or the other thinking that it will give him maximum protection.What do you expect of that person if he/she happens to be the leader of the society tomorrow.
My third reason is this; almost 90% of Nigerians believe that you cannot progress in Nigeria without the help of godfathers or bribing your way through. When we stop believing in God and start putting our hope in godfathers, how do you think our future will look like. Even in the universities, most lecturers have formed the habit of not giving an intelligent student his/her real score. Most lecturer believe that "A" is for lecturer and "B, C, D, etc" are for student. When there is no encouragement in the academic field, what is the hope of the future? The funny part is that even the lecturer open up his mouth to call the government a bad name. A POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK. My fellow citizens, I have a question for you; IF YOU WAKE TOMORROW AND DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA, HOW WOULD YOU LEAD US? TELL ME THE AREAS OF LAW YOU WILL AMEND?

Lovely post! Excellent write-up, sound reasoning, well-thought. I totally agree with you chrishenzo, I hope to read more from you soon.

WIthout delving in the article yet, if you don't believe the Nigerian Leaders are part of Nigeria's problems, then you'll never believe 1+1=2, you'll never believe the world is round (geoid), you'll never believe white people are different from albinos, in fact you'll never believe jack.

_{Now I'll read your article and comment.}

chrishenzo:

Many a time we keep saying that the problem with our country lies within our leaders. I totally don't believe it. I believe that the problem lies within us.Before you criticize me, let me say my reasons for making such a statement.
I believe there is no different between a leader who is trying to steal the country's money and a student who is trying to bribe a lecturer/teacher in order to have a higher score. The student bribed because he/she thinks that having a good score is what is important at that moment. There is also no different between a person trying to jump a queue when there is about 10-100 etc, on that queue. If such a person is to become a president tomorrow, believe it or not, he/she must definitely do the same thing.
My second reason is this; when a student(the so called future leader) enter into a university and start looking for protection,he/she he will join one cult or the other thinking that it will give him maximum protection.What do you expect of that person if he/she happens to be the leader of the society tomorrow.
My third reason is this; almost 90% of Nigerians believe that you cannot progress in Nigeria without the help of godfathers or bribing your way through. When we stop believing in God and start putting our hope in godfathers, how do you think our future will look like. Even in the universities, most lecturers have formed the habit of not giving an intelligent student his/her real score. Most lecturer believe that "A" is for lecturer and "B, C, D, etc" are for student. When there is no encouragement in the academic field, what is the hope of the future? The funny part is that even the lecturer open up his mouth to call the government a bad name. A POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK. My fellow citizens, I have a question for you; IF YOU WAKE TOMORROW AND DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA, HOW WOULD YOU LEAD US? TELL ME THE AREAS OF LAW YOU WILL AMEND?

Excellent observation. . . .but could you tell us any of Nigeria's president who did not have a legit degree or who one joined a cult orrrrrrrrrrrr. . . .wait, what's your third observation again?

Don't get me wrong, I understand your post, just curious about which one of our presidy can use any of your excuse.


Wait o, did Yaradua even finish school?

I think it all starts fron the top. . . .

The leaders set a horrible example so what gives??

Considering the sentence in bold, who do you think is responsible for it all?

The same leaders are responsible for it. Note that any person who once held position of authority is still a leader even after he has completed his tenor, because he automatically becomes a godfather and a force to be reckoned with in his clan, or his village, or his LGA, or his state and even at the federal level, thus can influence issues and persons to the direction of his interest. Our corrupt leaders ensure that it is only persons who will do their biddings (stooges) that power be given or transferred to.

jamace:

The same leaders are responsible for it. Note that any person who once held position of authority is still a leader even after he has completed his tenor, because he automatically becomes a godfather and a force to be reckoned with in his clan, or his village, or his LGA, or his state and even at the federal level, thus can influence issues and persons to the direction of his interest. Our corrupt leaders ensure that it is only persons who will do their biddings (stooges) that power be given or transferred to.

You have still failed to tell me who allowed those leaders get there in the first place.
Also, they did not fall from heaven. . . they are Nigerians just like you and I.

Since we're blaming people . . . I believe everyone is to blame since the dawn of the era of mankind.

Anyway, Nigeria has itself (leaders included) to blame, among other factors. Nigeria was fragmented from the start. All that's left now is for it to shatter.

For nija to be better everyone has to work together, and not just the leaders. But we have very corrupt leaders sha.

For nija to be better everyone has to work together, and not just the leaders. But we have very corrupt leaders sha.

Who is supposed to show the example for all to work?

The leadership we have have not been imposed on us, so what we have as 'leaders, is what we have allowed.

When we learn not to be intimidated by rogues in power, and develop the culture of asking questions of those we have chosen to manage OUR wealth (not theirs), refusing to accept less than what we deserve and accepting responsibility for our failures as a people, without continuously looking for excuses or for whom to blame; when we stop hoping that our solution lies in some divine intervention in our personal and national lives, then only can things begin to change in Nigeria.

So, it's not the leaders, but we ALL are to blame for Nigerias problems. We all are to blame for keeping silent, while our nation is plundered.

We have become a nation of dead people.

'The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny'-Wole Soyinka

I agree with the poster.

The problem with NIGERIA does not ENTIRELY lie with our leaders.

REMEMBER: Charity begins at home.

Lets break things down.

How many of you have driven up to a petrol station, found a queue there and actually stayed on the line and patiently waited their turn. _{(By default, Nigerians cannot organize themselves).}

* How often do we see Nigerians driving on the shoulder or against traffic just so they can beat the hold up in front??

* How many times have we delibrately broken the law just because we know that we can pay our way out of any problem that might arise.

* How many of you have stood your grounds and refused to be pushed over especially by those in power. E.g Police e.t.c.

* Who here can swear that he or she has never cheated on any examination before i their life?? I'm talking bout from Common entrance to SSCE to JAMB to even the University level??

* How many Nigerians would return a wallet/phone/money they found on the street??

* How many times have you thrown out the wrapper of biscuit, or empty sachet of water from a moving vehicle??

* How many of you actually come out of your houses to observe the state environmental sanitation??

* How many of you would use a pedestrian crossing rather run across the experss way??

* How many Nigerian drivers actually have a valid drivers licence?? I did not say qualified to drive o!! thats another story on its own.


The truth is that these people we call leaders are actually products of the society that you and I live in everyday. They have run against traffic in the past so now that they are in office, they see nothing wrong in it. If every Nigerian conciously makes an effort to organize themselves, the country would slowly but surely turn around. If the leaders see that the populace have changed, they will also change. Even if we like sef, let the value of dollar to Naira be at par, Nigerias problem will remain.

I know for one that if I become the president tomorrow, and I have a chance to steal without being caught, I will. Cos I know that if I dont steal the money, somebody else will.


Change must start from you and I. Make a concious effort towards change today and watch Nigeria transform.

beneli:

The leadership we have have not been imposed on us, so what we have as 'leaders, is what we have allowed.

When we learn not to be intimidated by rogues in power, and develop the culture of asking questions of those we have chosen to manage OUR wealth (not theirs), refusing to accept less than what we deserve and accepting responsibility for our failures as a people, without continuously looking for excuses or for whom to blame; when we stop hoping that our solution lies in some divine intervention in our personal and national lives, then only can things begin to change in Nigeria.

So, it's not the leaders, but we ALL are to blame for Nigerias problems. We all are to blame for keeping silent, while our nation is plundered.

We have become a nation of dead people.

'The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny'-Wole Soyinka

thank you

I agreed with the poster to some extent, however, not in totality.
Here is some of the ways where i believe the leaders are to be blamed.
1. The leaders owes it to the citizen to provide the basic necessity and assistance should the citizen be in need of it, now are Nigerian citizen in need of assistance? as a matter of fact, the last time i check the meaning of "in need", i saw the picture of nigerians there.
Ordinary citizen cant depend on gas that aint cheap when they have no job to be able to even run electricity in their homes.
Talking of students bribing to be able to pass? let us break that down, please, dont think that i am in support such act, cos i think it is not kool at all, however, let us break it down.
many percentage of Nigerian student are walking around with smoke in the lungs from candles and lanterns, many are dead cos of fire hazards, now if students dont read be4 it is dark, it is hard to read if they wanna live long and be smoke free lungs, and i am sure you will ask, how come they cant read while it is day break, check this out, most students cant afford to live on campus, cos the monthly cost is more than the annual salary of the father and the mother put together, the student lives like 2 hours away from campus and the hold up on Nigerian roads makes a 2 hours trip turns into 6 hours, so basically, most of the student just showed up and go home, we yet to talk about the fact that some of the students are just schooling cos they even ave no idea if they will ever get a job.
No water.
No road
Nothing is working.
All the students see how the house of reps, senators and even the presidents gives brown envelopes in return for offices and victory at a poll that was never conducted, i read in the paper some years back that OBJ has more vote in a city more than the people that lives there, tell me what that was?
Here is my take, i think the leaders are examples and ought to be a role model.
i think we can all make changes, but for now, i think the leaders should take the blame and make a nation that is kool to live in and better nation for the people.
This is just my five cents.

The same leaders are responsible for it. Note that any person who once held position of authority is still a leader even after he has completed his tenor, because he automatically becomes a godfather and a force to be reckoned with in his clan, or his village, or his LGA, or his state and even at the federal level, thus can influence issues and persons to the direction of his interest. Our corrupt leaders ensure that it is only persons who will do their biddings (stooges) that power be given or transferred to.
The real masses have no power to choose leaders in the present day Nigeria. Either serving or retired leaders dictate who becomes a leader according to their whims and caprices. So in the actual fact, leaders are not elected by the masses but imposed by the godfathers.
Other vices by the masses are mere expression of their frustration in the system.

Poster,
please define a leader for us.
please tell us the duties of a leader?

if i have my way, i will tell u that a leader is he who has right to make laws, impliment the laws and punish law breakers.

if u agree with my definition, then tell me if our leaders are making the laws, tell me if they are implimenting the laws and then have they been punishing the law breakers?

making laws and not implimenting them or not punishing law breakers is failure on the side of the govt.

in case any leaders feels the people are no longer under his control, the next and right thing for him to do will be to resign but what do we have here? people killing others to remain in power even without the consent of the people.
if our leaders make laws that allow obj, any uba, tony annenih to be as rich as they want without accountability to anyone while goats will be on parade for robbery then it is ur fault.

with a better understanding of who a leader is, u will even believe that they are responsible for our misbehaviours. if the police has failed in their duty to protect lives and property, people can decide to do it their own ways and thereby going against the laws of the land. who is to be blamed.

please poster, make research i mean enough research on who a leader is and his responsibilities to his people and then come back here for confession.

for failing to give us electricity alone, our leaders have decided to accept whatsoever blames we have for them. for failing to protect our lives, they shld accept responsibilities of all jungle justices done in different parts of nigeria.

for not paying the police well, our leaders have accepted bribery as a way forward.

chidichris:

Poster,
please define a leader for us.

In a “democracy”, a leader is one selected by the people to serve the people.

chidichris:

please tell us the duties of a leader? .

The duties of a leader in a functioning democracy is to serve the will of the people. Should it be the case that the people are unable to carry out their duties in a democracy, then the leaders will be let to run wild as the people are needed in a democracy to hold their selected leaders accountable and ensure they do the work required of them by the people.

chidichris:

if i have my way, i will tell u that a leader is he who has right to make laws, impliment the laws and punish law breakers.

if u agree with my definition, then tell me if our leaders are making the laws, tell me if they are implimenting the laws and then have they been punishing the law breakers?


making laws and not implimenting them or not punishing law breakers is failure on the side of the govt.

Well, glad to know you have your way of defining the word.

chidichris:

in case any leaders feels the people are no longer under his control, the next and right thing for him to do will be to resign but what do we have here? people killing others to remain in power even without the consent of the people.

In a democracy, the power is not in the hand of the leader and so it is up to the people to decide if the leader should resign or not and not up to the leader to make such a decision.

chidichris:

if our leaders make laws that allow obj, any uba, tony annenih to be as rich as they want without accountability to anyone while goats will be on parade for robbery then it is ur fault.

Funny how you tweak meanings so that you can come back to spewing your rant against OBJ in every thread you can, sort of Becomerich’s obsession with his virtual earth maps.

chidichris:
with a better understanding of who a leader is, u will even believe that they are responsible for our misbehaviours. if the police has failed in their duty to protect lives and property, people can decide to do it their own ways and thereby going against the laws of the land. who is to be blamed.

I don’t think it is easy to think as you do. Your definition of a leader there goes against the basics of a democracy.

chidichris:

please poster, make research i mean enough research on who a leader is and his responsibilities to his people and then come back here for confession.

for failing to give us electricity alone, our leaders have decided to accept whatsoever blames we have for them. for failing to protect our lives, they shld accept responsibilities of all jungle justices done in different parts of nigeria.

for not paying the police well, our leaders have accepted bribery as a way forward.

I really suggest you do some research. Put aside your issues with OBJ and the others and focus on the words and their actual meanings; not the meanings you continue to give them so you can justify your continued choice to blame ordinary men with one head and 2 legs like you, for all the woes in your life and what not.

No need to turn around to attack my person, I am just giving you some advice since you are yourself so free in giving them to others.

In a democracy, the power is not in the hand of the leader and so it is up to the people to decide if the leader should resign or not and not up to the leader to make such a decision.

Kobojunkie,
pls give me example of a democratic country of the world. i really do not know ur major but i must inform you that i can lecture on on political science. most of ur opinions here are called idealistic in political science. idealistic in the sense that they belong in what ought to be. in a democrtic society, do the people make the laws, do they impliment the laws or do they punish the law breakers.
in a democracy, there are three arms of govt viz; the legislature - law makers, executive - law implimentation and the judiciary - law interpreters and punishers of the offenders so please where does the people come in here?
without even going to school, the world leader is self explainatory. if my deifinition of the word is not good then give us the real explaination of who a leader is.
what is election? simply the act or process of choosing a leader. so when u choose someone to sepak and act on ur behalf, he takes decission on ur behalf and whatsoever decissions he takes will at the end of the day influence the people who choose him.

clinton made policies and decissions that benefitted americans hence the stability in their economy but bush made policies and decissions that did not go well with the americans hence he was tagged a bad leader. today obama is in for a rescue and the whole world is looking up to obama as a leader. what soever decissions obama takes today will affect his people. american soldier are today in afghanistan and iraq not because they want to be there rather beacuse their leaders want them there.

wars and peace are always decissions of the leaders, if u hear in the news today that nigeria said there will not be importation of rice anymore, who is speaking the masses or the leaders?

unfortunately, kobo, u do not always give me points, i like u to reffer me to issues and points. in other arguement, u told me that it is not important to blame leaders but somewhere i caught u blaming orji uzor kalu for the situation in abia state. do i call u a hypocrite or what? who is kalu? a leaderr or the masses.

pls do not argue because u see arguement rather argue with points and reffer to situations. the laws in the usa, iraq and iran are different and these are all functions of leadership and the people will respond to that.

do u know that th revelution of 1979 in iran made alcohol a very big crime in the country and till date, there is no club in iran so another leader can come in tomorrow to change this situation and the people will have no choice than to start clubing.

bush stance on gay marriage is different from obama's so if any of them allows gay marriage the people will react to that.
in iran death by hanging is the punishment for homosexuailty but is not the same in usa so what do the people do?

I don’t think it is easy to think as you do. Your definition of a leader there goes against the basics of a democracy.

pls do not try to think like i do. what are the basics of democracy? give me example of a country where democracy is practiced in the world and make references to issues or situations. if u were thought this democracy in school, the teacher MUST at the end of the lesson ask such question as in where these basic points can be found and in response he will inform u that they are only possible in an ideal state. obviously there is no ideal state in the world but usa has been confirmed as coming close to the terms of democracy that is they are highest in the lader. like i said earlier, u are an idealistic person who believes in the idealistic words of political scientists without relating them to realistic terms of our societies.

i will be here to lecture you on political/economics issues if only u are ready to learn. i urge u to ask as many questions as possible and i will suely do my best to break them down with illustrations.

Okija_juju:

I agree with the poster.

The problem with NIGERIA does not ENTIRELY lie with our leaders.

REMEMBER: Charity begins at home.

Lets break things down.

How many of you have driven up to a petrol station, found a queue there and actually stayed on the line and patiently waited their turn. _{(By default, Nigerians cannot organize themselves).}

* Who here can swear that he or she has never cheated on any examination before i their life?? I'm talking bout from Common entrance to SSCE to JAMB to even the University level??

I think the exam cheat example is a very good one. I wonder what is the difference between the child who cheats in his exam and the child who doesn't. Me, personally, I loathed getting any help from anyone when I had to solve a problem in school. Sometimes the teacher would set a problem for us to solve. If I hadn't solved it before he tells us to stop so he can give us the answer on the blackboard I'd feel terribly upset. Ultimately this was because I had Faith in my intellectual abilities to solve the problem.

Whereas the kid who cheats in his exams doesn't have such faith in himself. He is resigned to the notion that he is stupid and he cannot solve the problem so his best bet is to cheat.
Similarly in the workplace I refuse to plagiarize even though I see others doing it all around me. It boils down again to my belief in my creative powers. Others just see me as being stupid, but I have soo much love for, and belief in, my creative powers that I'd rather only work at giving them expression.

Ultimately without a sense of destiny, a sense of purpose, and a trust in the processes of one's life that will bring about this destiny one is like a cheat in an exam hall. You look around and all the evidence suggests that you will fail in life and subsequently you decide to cheat and steal your way through life cos you don't believe that you can achieve success honestly. There is a sense of extremely LOW SELF ESTEEM attached to such behaviour that nigerians exhibit.

The problem in Nigeria is that the people suffer from Low Self Esteem.

All of you talking about we electing the leaders we derserve. How have your votes influenced who becomes what in Naija? The godfathers choose who they want and we only go there to vote like zombies or is it _kobo humanjunkies. I will say the umpteenth time that our leaders are responsible for our woes. Petty corruption by the masses arose out of the need to survive because our leaders have not provided the necessities for our existence. We are under captivities for now. There is nothing like democracy yet in Naija. Please know that for now.

How many of you have driven up to a petrol station, found a queue there and actually stayed on the line and patiently waited their turn.

i lived in dubai for like six years and i go to the petrol stations there and on no occassion did i noticed a special candidate in a petrol station but what do get here in naija? he was a senator so when ever he gets to the petrol station everybody have to wait. trafic lights are respected by all and sundry in dubai but is that the situation here. a leader must lead by example. it is everyday practice here that when a headmaster of a school is moving in the trafic, he will use a siren and the police will make way where there are no ways for him to pass and as good followers, we always join the rush and respect of the siren to break the law.
if the leaders believe that we are equal before the law, why jumping the ques at the bank, nepa offices, petrol stations and everyother public places?

last time at the international airport, the house of reps speaker fought with the security bcs he wanted to go through secluded areas and these are things that will never happen abroad.

what will be the moral justification of a leader who came into power through fraudulent means to preach against corruption?

u can hardly mention a leader in nigeria today without a criminal record past or present. can a blind man lead a blind man?

the role of an ordinary citizen in making nigeria good will come in form of bakasi boys in the east, opc in the west, the standing up against the govt will definitely be in form of millitancy as we are seeing in the niger delta or the seccession as we are seeing in the uwazuruike lead biafra all at the end of the day will amount to taking laws into our hands and other offences related to felony or treason of which many have been persecuted for same in the past.

the case in ghana was a leadership turnarround when Jerry Rawlings on behalf of the ghanian leaders accepted responsibilities for the sufferings of ghanian hence deal with those who were blocking the water passages and the water began to flow and today nigerians are rushing and sooner than later if thing refuse to change here, nigerians will be paying bheavily to obtain ghana visas.

it is not until our so called leaders begin to lead us by example, stop been hypocrites, begin to make accountability and transperecy their watch word, not until they accept that the mineral resources belong to every nigerian and that we are entitle to the benefits from same, provie us with the basic needs of man, not until they begin to treat us like human beings, those animalistic attitudes will still remain in us.

what do u expect from a hungary man in a dark environment, no education and no medical attention, no roads and no security? i guess someone somewhere will expect good behaviours. and that will be an illussion.

many pass through hell to be educated in nigeria only to die in one of the crazy religious riots in the north so one will prefer to do anything possible to bypass the nyc to stay alive.

Pastor AIO:


The problem in Nigeria is that the people suffer from Low Self Esteem.

True words!!! We really have so many who feel they are worthless as humans, and even more as Nigerians.

Sovereignty belongs to the people from which this government derives its power declared the constitution of Nigeria. It also said in another section that power belong to the people from whom this government derives its power and authority.
Going by this declaration, it is clear that without the citizens certainly there will be no government.

People deserve the kind of leaders they get. An average Nigerian has resigned himself to fate rather than protesting again his socio-economic woes he seeks solace in religion. Nigerians don’t realize that they are their own worse enemy. Most don’t know that the concept of government encompasses the whole. Though it is not possible for all of to be in Aso Rock, National Assembly but it possible to hold however representatives accountable for their deeds. By staging mass protests, by evoking the power of recall in the constitution we can recall any errant legislator.

The irony of the situation is that the average Nigerian loves the good things of life yet he is afraid to fight his right. If u want the good things of life u have to pay a price. He is afraid to die yet he wants to be free from oppression.  It is not possible for us to practice govt as in the olden day that is why representative govt is the trend. Whether we like it or not it is assumed that we are all participating in the democratic process since we elect representatives to represent us.

Our indifference to government and inability to take collective actions as in no small measure contributed to the mess we found ourselves in. as Montesquieu rightly noted eternal vigilance is a sure guard of liberties, the fact that the people are watching government acts closely; knowing that they will not yield to unnecessary interference will help guard abuse.

Black man you are on your own- Steve Biko

Arogunmasa:

Sovereignty belongs to the people from which this government derives its power declared the constitution of Nigeria. It also said in another section that power belong to the people from whom this government derives its power and authority.
Going by this declaration, it is clear that without the citizens certainly there will be no government.

Exactly!

Arogunmasa:

People deserve the kind of leaders they get. An average Nigerian has resigned himself to fate rather than protesting again his socio-economic woes he seeks solace in religion. Nigerians don’t realize that they are their own worse enemy. Most don’t know that the concept of government encompasses the whole. Though it is not possible for all of to be in Aso Rock, National Assembly but it possible to hold however representatives accountable for their deeds. By staging mass protests, by evoking the power of recall in the constitution we can recall any errant legislator.

Tell them ooo!!!

Arogunmasa:

The irony of the situation is that the average Nigerian loves the good things of life yet he is afraid to fight his right. If u want the good things of life u have to pay a price. He is afraid to die yet he wants to be free from oppression. It is not possible for us to practice govt as in the olden day that is why representative govt is the trend. Whether we like it or not it is assumed that we are all participating in the democratic process since we elect representatives to represent us.

Abi o!!

Arogunmasa:

Our indifference to government and inability to take collective actions as in no small measure contributed to the mess we found ourselves in. as Montesquieu rightly noted eternal vigilance is a sure guard of liberties, the fact that the people are watching government acts closely; knowing that they will not yield to unnecessary interference will help guard abuse.

Black man you are on your own- Steve Biko

O MA se oo!!!

Sovereignty belongs to the people from which this government derives its power declared the constitution of Nigeria. It also said in another section that power belong to the people from whom this government derives its power and authority.
Going by this declaration, it is clear that without the citizens certainly there will be no government.

People deserve the kind of leaders they get. An average Nigerian has resigned himself to fate rather than protesting again his socio-economic woes he seeks solace in religion. Nigerians don’t realize that they are their own worse enemy. Most don’t know that the concept of government encompasses the whole. Though it is not possible for all of to be in Aso Rock, National Assembly but it possible to hold however representatives accountable for their deeds. By staging mass protests, by evoking the power of recall in the constitution we can recall any errant legislator.

The irony of the situation is that the average Nigerian loves the good things of life yet he is afraid to fight his right. If u want the good things of life u have to pay a price. He is afraid to die yet he wants to be free from oppression. It is not possible for us to practice govt as in the olden day that is why representative govt is the trend. Whether we like it or not it is assumed that we are all participating in the democratic process since we elect representatives to represent us.

Our indifference to government and inability to take collective actions as in no small measure contributed to the mess we found ourselves in. as Montesquieu rightly noted eternal vigilance is a sure guard of liberties, the fact that the people are watching government acts closely; knowing that they will not yield to unnecessary interference will help guard abuse.

Black man you are on your own- Steve Biko

Arogunmasa,
two friends went into the bush and saw a sleeping lion, one said they shld run for their lives and one said he read in a book that lions are harmless when ppl pretend to be sleeping. the other one accepted having read the book but was afraid the lion itself might not have come across the book.

ur quotations and references fail to the solutions to our problems and not the causes of our problems.

this thread is about who the problem is and not what the masses are surpose to do.

if we have accepted the fact that our leaders have failed on their side or if we have accepted that the leaders are the cause of our problem only then shall we seek solution.

i will like u here to first of all identify the problem. is it the masses or the leaders before talking about solution. it is not possible to solve an unknown problem.

again, if there is any solution one is suggesting, i will still refer the person to the saying; leadership by example. if u want us to die to bring a change, show us the way to die.

all i know is, nigerians are not like the jihadist leaders who will preach to others to die via suicide bombings while they run away from death.

remember; leadership by example.

Nigerians. We are quick to point in another direction instead of facing the truth head-on.

Lets picture a Nigeria where

1. There is 24 hour light,
2. Working Traffic lights
3. Good roads
4. Working railways
5. Water
6. Gas

e.t.c

Now here is the part that will never change

1. We would still never queue up and wait our turn at a filling station, Supermarket or even the bank.
2. We would still toss things out of the window of a moving vehicle.
3. Nigerians would still use illegal connection to get light _{(Nigerians dont pay bills if they can help it)}.
4. Nigerians would still jump the traffic light whenever they can get away with it.
5. Nigerians would still run across the expressway even with a pedestran crossing there.
6. Nigerians would never slowdown or stop at a Zebra-crossing.
7. We would still patronise those street/traffic light vendors _{(why go to the market when you can just buy it in the convienience of our car)}.
8. Nigerians would still dispose their bins at undesignated dump sites.
9. Nigerians would still use okada without proper safety equipments
10. Nigerians will still offer and accept bribes when possible.

e.t.c

I will continue to say that the leaders are not the problem. Someone talked about the law-makers. The question is that Nigeria presently has certain laws that are supposed to be governing us, why cant we just simply comply??
I dont think a senator would walk up to an ATM machine and see everybody queueing to get money and then jump the line.


The bad habits of Nigerians have now become a way of life, and thats a difficult thing to change.

Yaradua cannot be everywhere at everytime, neither can the senators, police, law-enforcement e.t.c. If we individually make a change in our personal lives, collectively, the change would be reflected in our society. In Rivers State, the governor embarked on a mass demolition of illegal structures in the state and it was really appauling to see that not up to 2 persons on any particular street adhered to the building code for the area. Its only in Nigeria that a man would build a sky-scrapper in the middle of a residential area or a church built right next to a hospital.

Its true that our leaders are selected rather than elected, and there isnt much that can be done about that right now, but in that little way that you can effect a change, why not use it. Even if we elect an OBAMA tomorrow, Nigeria will still be the Nigeria you know. I cant make the police stop taking bribe, but I can stop giving bribe. I cant stop driver A from jumoing a red light, but I can obey the red light.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME, The solution starts with me and you,

Now imagine a Nigeria where;

1. People queued up for everything in an orderly fashion _{Even to enter an aircraft, Nigerians will still rush like animals without a shepherd,}
2. People actually obeyed traffic laws.
3. Everyone paid their bills regularly. _{(Dont forget that you and I ran down NITEL)}
4. People used the pedstran & Zebra-crossing instead of running across the road.
5. People knew their rights and stood by it. _{(Instead of looking away from broad daylight corruption)}


Dont ask what NIGERIA can do for you, but rather what you can do for NIGERIA.


OKIJA_JUJU^TM

Its true that our leaders are selected rather than elected, and there isnt much that can be done about that right now, but in that little way that you can effect a change, why not use it. Even if we elect an OBAMA tomorrow, Nigeria will still be the Nigeria you know. I cant make the police stop taking bribe, but I can stop giving bribe. I cant stop driver A from jumoing a red light, but I can obey the red light.

Okija juju,
the truth of the matter is that most of us here do not know who a leader is neither do most of us know who and who are in the leadership of nigeria talkless of the roles of a leader.

a leader is that one who has the authority to make rules and regulations guiding the act of ppl in a define area. like i mentioned earlier on, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary are the three main arms of govt.

now, making law is just a step, implimenting these laws are more important and at the end of the day, what happens to law breakers? drug trafickers know the implication of taking drugs to china and bangkok and that is exactly what they get.

if any of us is living anywhere arround lagos, he or she will not need a prophet to know that the fear of latsma is the begining of wisdom when ever he is using the roads and who said ppl are not responding?

someone asked how many ppl come out on environmental days, is it the same during the idiagbon/buhari regime.

the masses will only react to the actions of the leaders. bribe is common with police bcs the offender will only wait till his brother who is a senator calls the IG.

what do u think about the niger delta? they are responding to maltreatments and on the other hand bringing down the govt of the country. what happened in odi? a whole community wipped out and what happened till date? the answer is nothing.

i bet you, a man of honour in aso rock with sound policies will surely turn things arround. nigerians in america know the punishment and implication of jumping trafic lights so do they go about doing same? in dubai, it is about $1,000 and there is no short cut to that as long as u are caught on the camera so the choice is urs.

the ghana people are the same when they country was in a mess and they are the same masses now that they is ok. so what happened? a hange in govt. people with sound policies.

your obama example is a good one bcs it represents change. the change in question is not about the american ppl rather the american govt.

someone said leaders are servants, accepted but only on the pages of the news papers. how is an ordinary ward councellor in ur place serving u?

in the bible, we have bad leaders and we surely know the effects of their leaderships on their ppl. we saw pharoh take his ppl into the red sea.
in political history, we know hitler, we know idi amin, and today we know robert mugabe and they all represent bad leaders and whenever the head man is a criminal, the effect is always seen on his country.

are we blaming the zimbabwe ppl for the land refroms of mugabe which has brought the country down.

if a particular leader decides to give nigeria steady power supply which we have been crying for, are we going to praise him or the masses?

how many of our laws are active? how many policemen are ready to charge offenders to court? how many judges are there to give judgements against members or relatives of the ruling families.

the fight against cultism in our schools are very very unsucceessful bcs 99% of our leaders are members hence the war remains active only on the pages of our newspapers.

can u as bank worker bypass the manager and report illegal funds transfer in ur bank? wow! u will not only loose ur job which i scarce, u will die for trying to blackmail a leader and attempting to run down the bank.

Do u think any of these contractors is running away with the contract funds given to them? no way. the funds are always shared withing the leaders and instructions are given to the pet companies on how to behave and that is why u will see a whole president travelling to portharcourt to commission a non a existing project.

like i have said many times here, if anyone knows how to act as an ordinary citizen, he shld lead by example. if it means dying, let the person die first and we will learn from him.

i do not believe in ppl talking from a distance, do this do that, tell us where ur family is and we will all get them involved so that we will die along with them.

on my own, i have travelled to many countries and i have to say it categorically that nigerians are not in any way lazy. we are the struggling type that decides to go out there make efforts of our own not minding what God has blessed our country with. at least every nigerian household has a generator no matter how small it is just to survive not minding who is in charge.

in which other countries of the world will the ppl exist without the help of govt? all we need is prayers and God will one day remember us and send someone who will take us to our promise land.

the problem may be rooted in the absence of patriotism.the spirit of patriotism is neither in our leaders nor in us as individuals. patriots consider their countries first. not the interest of one man but the country collectively. as a virgin treasures love, as a father cherishes his family so is the country to the heart of the patriot.one can jump queue if the people on the queue allow him <health reason, and other sorts> and it does not necessairly make him a greedy money-loving man.but people paying you to be a leader and you feel nonchallant to their plight.
they should pass bills to make elective positions less attractive, in fact no pay at all     so that only those who want to selflessly make a mark and leave their names to be remembered for ages yet born can have the opportunity. may be then people go dey carry matchet   because dem no allow dem do good