Nigeria might have every symptom of a failed state, none the less, attempts to ressucitate it or ameliorate the living conditions of her people can only succeed if the causes of yester-years woes are clarified.

Nigeria has had 11 heads of goverment since independence, yet it has been one tail of mismanagement to another. No doubt the country has had disciplined leaders like murtala and buhari, maybe even shagari and ekwueme (buhari`s probe alledgedly found them poorer than when they were in office), but none of them has been charismatic enough to either have disciples who share the same goal or instill long lasting policies and pro-people measures that can stand the test of time. fate, circumstances and events readily shove them aside.

An average nigerian will readily claim that our past leaders are to blame for our numerous woes, but if 10 people can fail to suceed, then maybe its more than a conspiracy, maybe its the system.

the biggest component of this system is the society, where you and I (nigerians) are members of. the society today has "yahooze" as its popular song. the society doesnt ask you how you got your money ?, only what you do with it. that way we encourage those abroad to commit fraud. we have a "get rich quick mentality" where politics is the most rewarding business you can do.

I am not and will not in any way justify the conscious evil and attrocities a selected few have done to this country, in their capacities as our leaders, but will want us to re-examine the root of it all.

these leaders in my opinion are products of a system. a system that rewards wealth not dignity. A man handed power over willingly to civillians in his military capacity as head of goverment. he was roped in a phantom coup and subsequently jailed for life. he was released and later became president. I don't know what other motivation a man can have to suceed (when he later became president) other than that. he had N20k in his account in 1999, today he is accused of stashing billions away. y? because he learnt that if he ever gets broke again outside office, he is as good as forgoten. if obj is greedy and mad, is abacha, ibb, abdusalami, gowon, shagari also mad people? if so, how come we are a country blessed with mad leaders?

you can only give what you have. though a president without university education will consider it no big deal if ASUU strikes for a year. but you musnt be president or govenor before you make a +ve impact. dora akinluyi is a ready example.

while it is the function of goverment to create jobs, it is that of labour unions to ensure that chinese firms don't pay our people N20 per hour. have they been up to it? and numerous other ways we can improve our country in private capacities. it evolves around the system.

a system that fights curruption and not prevent it, a society that celebrates debauchry and calls a man its "messiah" 6 months into office. 47 years after independence the biggest issue in our political circle is zoning. "the ibos have not produced the president or the south south". a system where political contests are all about personalities clashes and not issues. a system that requires you to spend billions before you can serve your fatherland as president.

would buhari have contested against obj in 2003, if obj had not cancelled PTF? would AC have been formed if obj and atiku`s ambitions had not clashed?. true to fact, I do not know who won the last elections (because obviously I am not Iwu), but i think i know who lost. the nigerian electorate, nigerian people lost the elections. none of the candidates discussed issues, it was all about "u want 3rd time, i no gree. u are a thief, i am not. u b ibo, i b hausa".

the average nigerian has a "messiah" mentality. he expects someone to come from no where, kill all the past and present political and over bearing traditional leaders. and then makes nigeria a paradise on earth.
good idea------- but guess what he is doing about it? he is simply praying! we have refused to put our fate in our own hands, only expecting the nigerian "mesiah".

there has never been a change in the pattern of (bad)leadership in any part of the world, except there is a militant, intellectual or aggressive) demand. ours is a society content with watching our leaders (mis)manage us.

we refuse to ask questions about how we are governed, and when we do (like the media sometimes do), we refuse to set yardstick for success, failure of perfomance.

yaradua and whoever succeeds him, cannot benefit the lot of the masses as long as they are products of a system that makes it possible for one man to steal N10b at a go, a system that is devoid of moral, traditional and family values.
so I think.

what do you think? Who is responsible for Nigeria`s Woes, our Leaders or the System?

who do you think created the system? the leaders of course. so to answer very briefly i'd say the leaders are the source of our woes.

so the leaders created you and I?

quinofhart:

who do you think created the system? the leaders of course. so to answer very briefly i'd say the leaders are the source of our woes.

i had to repost it , pls think about it. You asked a question who is responsible for Nigeria's woes? the Leaders or system?

Now you can not have a system without an origin. the system is set up and is oiled by the powers that be. Who are the powers that be? THE LEADERS
so if the lovely leaders made a system that fails and causes you and I woes then you can not blame a system but the brain behind it. THE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA IS FRANKENSTEIN'S OWN VERY MONSTER

To say that the system is responsible for the Nigerian problems all this while is to absolve the leaders of failure.

The problem in naija has always been LEADERSHIP.

We have never had a George Washington, Abraham Linclon, Winston Churchill or even a Mahtma Ghandi

accepted the leaders have failed us in their capacities, but none the less, certain factors made that possible. and it has continued to be so unchecked, because we "believe" they are right and have allowed them to have their way.

the evidences are all over, we have been silent and silence means consent. we are the system and we have failed ourselves.

when kibaki rigged in kenya, the people stood because they wont take that as a way of life. when mandela was in jail for 27 years, a generation that never saw him struggle took up his fight, y? the system there refuses to put its destiny in the hands of men _{men u call ur leaders}.If marthin luther king &co had accepted inferiority as a way of life, then latter-day racism will still be rampamt.

we as a people have accepted corruption, and nonesense as a way of life. we put individual safety before national goals. a society or system with undefined goals, will always be taken for granted.

except we change our way of life, thinking and reasoning habits, we will as well continue to get what we deserve.

y has kibaki now agreed for a re-run? the system stood its ground!

Leaders take advantage of the system and the followership
The followership takes advantage of the system
We are both guilty.
May be leadership more

hi oldie
i disagree there, leadership leaves a legacy which citizens follow in order to survive, if the odds are stacked against them. Where in Nigeria we had past leaders who showed us that it was ok to be ostentatious, money grabbing, cheats, liars. They showed that all these things came with no repercussion. So what do you have? people will try to survive, try to beat the system to get what the leaders have, what they have been denied. Look at the way the newspapers, magazinez parade all those leaders with their ill gotten wealth. Ovasion magazine makes me sick. they celebrate every tom dick and harry.

yes noetic things go unchecked. No one is saying rigging and scandals do not go on in the most advanced nations, the difference is there are checks and balances, people are made accountable.

@ oldie

you are getting at it, "we are both giulty". but change is in our hands, only the followership can effect these changes. except there is a demand, they wont relinquish power or prove accountable.

take for instance, a contract for a bridge for vehicular movements was awarded in ikorodu, lagos. the residents noticed that the iron the contractor was using is substandard. and considering the hetic nature of ikorodu, the bridge might collapse sooner than expected. _{u can only imagine the amount of lives that would be lost.}

they responded and made paid advertorials attracting the goverments attention to it, they stood their ground and protective measures were subsequently taken.

except the system demands for accountability and stands its ground it wont recieve it.
ask and u shall be given.

@ quinofhart

quinofhart:

hi oldie
i disagree there, leadership leaves a legacy which citizens follow in order to survive, if the odds are stacked against them. Where in Nigeria we had past leaders who showed us that it was ok to be ostentatious, money grabbing, cheats, liars. They showed that all these things came with no repercussion. So what do you have? people will try to survive, try to beat the system to get what the leaders have, what they have been denied. Look at the way the newspapers, magazinez parade all those leaders with their ill gotten wealth. Ovasion magazine makes me sick. they celebrate every tom privates and harry.

yes noetic things go unchecked. No one is saying rigging and scandals do not go on in the most advanced nations, the difference is there are checks and balances, people are made accountable.

no developed nation today has not at one point in time expirienced bad leadership. bad leadership is exclusive to humans. but the difference is they have stood up against it, fought and stood their ground and at most times make sacrifices.

when june 12 happened, the whole of nigeria saw it as a yoruba affair. but do u know that if the whole nation had stood up then, abacha wont have suceeded and we wont witness election rigging again. there would have been a precedent of free and fair elections in nigeria.

stand up to be counted, when it matters most.

noeti
i do agree with you there. You are right we need to stand up and be counted when it matters, sacrifices have to be made. However, it seems it's the people sacrificing all the time, or should i say being made sacrificial lambs. A Good leader must put his people first, if a nation is crying and want change a leader with a conscience should be able to put self aside and step down or offer alternatives, not stay in there and make it a do or die affair.

give instances when we have made sacrifices? ^{pls dont mention adams oshiomole`s NLC strikes}

i said this before, subconsciously nigerians are defeated people. how long ago did fela sing about shuffering and shmiling? we listened to the rythm, danced and laughed it over with propably chilled bottles of beer. we dint appreciate the message.

we surely do have the messiah mentality, someone somewhere showing up and solving all our problems, jerry rawlings kind of stunt. we know how that story ended!

you cannot separate the leaders from the system, u cant draw a line and polarize the two. quinofhart asked who created the system?

we heard the gist about a certain past leader saying money was not nigeria's problems but how to spend it! guess they found an answer to that eventually!

if u say stand up and be counted how do u mean??

it was easier fighting for independence, even though we knew some regions dint understand the purpose at that time, but eventually they rallied in their support.

but now, we no longer have a common enemy, we are polarized into separate segments, several tribes and regions.

the educational system also dint help us, we dont have a single nation called nigeria. what did we learn in school, the story of the benin kingdom, the oyo emmpire, the fulani caliphate. were we ever taught the story of nigeria's independence? as a nation as a people?

we first see ourselves as tribal citizens, and not as nigerians.

until we are able to see the nigeria picture, develop the nigerian dream, we'll always be sceptical about one another.

we need reorientation about the nigeria project, we need to wake up and see the true nigeria or we just simply evolve it.

all

kaycrystal:

you cannot separate the leaders from the system, u can't draw a line and polarize the two. quinofhart asked who created the system?

the system is a reflection of societal beliefs and convictions. societal values and priorities. A system has a always set the yard stick for others (including our leaders) to follow. please read my earlier posts about societies that have stood up when it maters most.

kaycrystal:


if u say stand up and be counted how do u mean??

It simply means be an active member of the society and not a passive member. vehemently oppose all socio-political and economic vices, thrown at us by laying aside all tribal sentiments.

Its a people thing, not a one man thing. you readily made refrence  to jery rawlings, thats because it was a one man revolution. south africa`s anti-apatheid struggle and kenya`s recent outburst readily comes to mind as "successfull" pro-people struggles.

@noetic

you are missing the main point here, people only stand up and fight for what they believe in. How many of us believe in this contraption called nigeria?

south africa's apartheid worked the same reason our independence did, there was a common enemy, a common unifying goal. do we presently have that now??

June for example: very recent, like you mentioned in your post,what was the outcome! why dint the people sit out the protests and make the needed difference at that time?

its simple, we dont see anything collectively, u first belong to a region, to a tribe before you are called a nigerian.

if we dont first settle the nigeria question, then we cant possibly have a successful mass protest and pro-people struggle as you put it!

kaycrystal:

@noetic

if we don't first settle the nigeria question, then we can't possibly have a successful mass protest and pro-people struggle as you put it!

and how do we settle the nigerian question?
By you and I spreading the gospel of responsibility and standing up to be counted when it matters most.
or what justification can you give ur kids for a failed nigeria?

the leaders!
I ask on ur kids behalf What did u do about it?

Hello guys again!

kaycrystal:

@noetic

you are missing the main point here, people only stand up and fight for what they believe in. How many of us believe in this contraption called nigeria?
if we don't first settle the nigeria question, then we can't possibly have a successful mass protest and pro-people struggle as you put it!

OMG! spot on. Hit the nail right on the head.

I really do not agree that the system is a separate entity, it is part of the whole mechanism that ploughs Nigeria on. The leaders have and will continue to leave legacies that will in effect be the SYSTEM.

quinofhart:



I really do not agree that the system is a separate entity, it is part of the whole mechanism that ploughs Nigeria on. The leaders have and will continue to leave legacies that will in effect be the SYSTEM.

So in other words, they (leaders) will continue to determine our destiny, according to u and there is nothing we can do about it?

humn!

I think the people detest their leaders more than they hate being Nigerians
Nobody will want to fight for the leaders
People know that the leadership is very corrupt, so why break your head to keep
them in power?

Most progressive societies have agreed rules/regulations, binding on all, no matter how wealthy or poor the person is, governing their day to day conduct in every sphere of human endeavour. . . . . . . I'm talking about the constitution of the nation.

A constitution generally agreed on by ''everybody'' in a society as the guiding arm, the lever of the society, the system, is bound to produce worthy leaders, followers, subordinates, presidents, senators etc. But a constitution imposed on people by feudal lords, their protege and offsprings is bound to produce terrible ''fruits''. . . . , . . . . .the result of which we're seeing and experiencing first hand in Nigeria. Let the constitution of the country be prepared by reps from all the people, tribes and states in this country. Let them come under one roof and debate and agree on how this nation should be governed. Let them decide how our elections should be conducted, and let them clearly spell out the consequences of failing to abide by the constitution.

Also, let us have a virile law enforcement agents. . . . . . free of corruption, well funded and responsible/accountable to no one but the ''people''.

So, to a large extent, the system is responsible. But also, we've been plagued by locusts parading themselves as leaders in this country, and this is also responsible for our woes in a way.

system is bad. fine. but who can change the system? leaders. why are they not doing so? they are enjoying from the bad system which works in their favour. even if the masses decide to revolt, the revolt will have a leader. who created the bad system? the leadership so you see, everywhere you look at it, the central point is the leadership.

next pls

noetic:

Nigeria might have every symptom of a failed state,
what do you think? Who is responsible for Nigeria`s Woes, our Leaders or the System?

Fulani/Yoruba/Hausa Corrupt Politicians and their Corrupt Military Generals are responsible.

willy*2:

Fulani/Yoruba/Hausa Corrupt Politicians and their Corrupt Military Generals are responsible.

thank you for excluding the Ibo`s
I can't be surprised, considering your antecedents
what a shame

The system(including you and I) are to blame for looking the other way.
The system for creating the enabling environment for corruption
You and I for glorifying national and thieves who embezzle the resources meant for our wellbeing.

The leaders for capitalizing on the system to steal.

noetic:

thank you for excluding the Ibo`s

When Hausa/Yoruba/Fulani corrupt politicians and their Corrupt Military Generals were institutionalizing corruption from 1969 they excluded the Ibos, it's unjust for me to include them on what they were not part of. or have you forgotten the first privatization by Chief Otumba back-Stabber Awolowo.

willy*2:

When Hausa/Yoruba/Fulani corrupt politicians and their Corrupt Military Generals were institutionalizing corruption from 1969 they excluded the Ibos, it's unjust for me to include them on what they were not part of. or have you forgotten the first privatization by Chief Otumba back-Stabber Awolowo.

uhmn

When Hausa/Yoruba/Fulani corrupt politicians and their Corrupt Military Generals were institutionalizing corruption from 1969 they excluded the Ibos, it's unjust for me to include them on what they were not part of. or have you forgotten the first privatization by Chief Otumba back-Stabber Awolowo.

are u trying to say their were no igbo generals or corruption in the eastern region. the last time i checked the first coup was started by mostly igbo officers . corruption isn't an ethnic issue. don't make it one.

bawomol:

When Hausa/Yoruba/Fulani corrupt politicians and their Corrupt Military Generals were institutionalizing corruption from 1969 they excluded the Ibos, it's unjust for me to include them on what they were not part of. or have you forgotten the first privatization by Chief Otumba back-Stabber Awolowo.

are u trying to say their were no igbo generals or corruption in the eastern region. the last time i checked the first coup was started by mostly igbo officers . corruption isn't an ethnic issue. don't make it one.

Keep on hiding from the truth. We know what transpired after the Nigeria/Biafra War. How the Tsunami of Yoruba/Hausa/Fulani Corrupt Politicians and their military Generals descended on Nigeria Coffers and it became Manna From Heaven for them. Since corruption is part of Culture on those regions, they must find a way to defend it.

The question is "Who Is Responsible For Nigeria`s Woes, Our Leaders Or The System?" please don't deviate

The answer : me and you

The solution: Lies within us.(what are our men doing about our woes)

Blackcat:

The answer : me and you

you are definitely right. we are the cause of our woes.

Blackcat:

The solution: Lies within us.(what are our men doing about our woes)

uhmn! we all need to get something done. and not sit down to cry over the woes of the land.

its our leaders and not the system!