I don’t get it most times; it seems we (Nigerians) are under a general spell that pervades every nooks and crannies of this land, we all are conscious of the main challenge affecting us as a nation – Corruption. Unfortunately, we choose to look the other way (like leaders, like the led)! What is practically wrong with us? Are we this delusional and insensitive to all these stark realities staring us in our faces? Are we expecting one Angel to appear in the sky and show us how to go about our lives? What is happening in Nigeria on a daily basis right from 1960 till date is a sign of collective amnesia!

We all know a man called Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida who institutionalized corruption in the land, a man through his Machiavellian traits wasted over 120 young majors in 1992 and many more too numerous to mention. A man who makes sure the Southerners were finally marginalized in the Nigerian Army. A man who brought the almost dead “Kaduna Mafia” alive into Nigerian political mainstream. A man whose character was exposed during the maiden broadcast of Gideon Orkar coup of April 22nd 1990, when he declared, "Fellow Nigerian Citizens, On behalf of the patriotic and well-meaning peoples of the Middle Belt and the southern parts of this country, I , Major Gideon Orkar, wish to happily inform you of the successful ousting of the dictatorial, corrupt, drug baronish, evil man, deceitful, homo-sexually-centered, prodigalistic, unpatriotic administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.” A man who owns virtually anything from telecommunication, oil and gas, power generations, banking, insurance, defense (ammunitions), media, shipping and many other faceless shell companies. He is richer than many countries, all at the expense of this rich country right before our faces. He has bought into virtually every sector of the economy be it human resources (he has vested investments in big shots in almost every tribes of the Nation). Here was a man who was an unknown actor in the retaliatory putsch of July 29th 1966, he was involved in the Dimka’s coup (he was used by Danjuma to abort the coup), he was about to be retired and tried by the Iron hand regime of Buhari/Idiagbon but being a potential coup planner and master strategist, he struck before they could strike. He is by far the richest man in the history of this Country, all at the expense of this great nation. Even in retirement he is still in ‘control’! The influence of the rejuvenated ‘Kaduna Mafia’ (the chosen few) on the whole of Nigeria is too huge and killing to be ignored! We all know these, yet the Nigerian Media are behaving as if all is well.

I am so concerned about the way we keep deceiving ourselves! The Northern Nigerian Army erroneously called Nigerian Army has been in charge of this country since July 29th 1966, they are not ready to let go. Not even the late great sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo could withstood them in his time. He must have struck a chord when he (Pa Awo) declared that, ‘the worst of civilian rule is better than the best of military rule”! For that statement, they made sure he never tasted that power he longed for. Many are too delusional to understand that we are still under military rule. Forget this democracy, its pure farce! What is wrong with us? In those days, it is, ‘words of our elders are words of wisdom’, but what I see now is that the ‘words of our elders are words of corruption.’ These so-called elders are the ones that will still queue behind all these clueless, corrupt leaders to campaign for them to become Presidents. They will still be the one to say, ‘the youths are to be blamed’ and my question has always been, ‘who corrupted the youths’?

Sanusi Lamido, CBN governor was recently linked to the beheading of Gideon Akaluka in Kano on December, 1994; the reports even revealed that the said Sanusi Lamido was jailed for 2 years in Sokoto by the Abacha’s junta. Yet, no one (of Nigerian press) is intensifying the news further to prove its authenticity and Sanusi is still the CBN governor. Ibori the former governor of Delta State had a long history of criminal records right from his days in the United Kingdom in the 90s and was even convicted of a crime in Nigeria where he was jailed in Abuja, despite the fact that his nefarious activities were open to our press and many top Nigerians, yet he rose to become a governor of a state, no wonder the level of corruption in his time as the governor of the oil rich state. Early this year (February 4th, 2012), there was a shocking revelation of an ex-Boko Haram who has turned into a Christian fingering IBB and others (Atiku inclusive) as the main sponsors of the dreaded Islamic fundamentalist group, unfortunately, one of the same IBB’s companies was part of the shortlisted few companies picked for the privatization exercise in the Power Sector of the country – Can you imagine this madness! Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are now common sights in Northern parts of the country, yet, ‘all is well’ is what we hear from our “clueless leaders”.

On the 1st of October 2012, more than 40 students of the Federal Polytechnic, School of Health Technology and Adamawa State University, Mubi, Adamawa State were mowed down in their primes by yet to be named assailants. Information gathered after the gory incidence points accusing fingers at Islamic fundamentalists (these Muslims again). They were reported to have invaded the hostels of the students knocking on their doors and if they refused to open up, they force their way in ask them if they are Christians or Muslims and if the answer is, ‘I am a Christian’ they were either summarily shot dead or slit in the throats with their knives or given few seconds to renounce their faiths, it was that terrible! They were said to be shouting, “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is greater) as they were shooting and stabbing hostel residents of these three higher institutions. The next thing, Nigerian Muslims will continue to shout, ‘these Boko Harams are not Muslims, we don’t know them’ and my question has always been, ‘If they are not Muslims, then, who are they? Christians? As usual, the news is fast behind us now we are back to our amnesia-ravished memories – what is wrong with us?

Many of the nation’s whistleblowers (right from Kaduna Nzeogwu, Dele Giwa, Professor Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Gani Fawehinmi, Professor Sam Aluko to Gideon Orkar) both dead and alive have spoken, yet we all just choose to ignore those sacred revelations they gave us and continue in a manner that put our reasoning faculties as a people into question. There is no difference from what Kaduna Nzeogwu did in 1966 in Nigeria and what Jerry Rawlings did in 1979 (the only difference is that in Nigeria they failed to see it as it is, while in Ghana they saw it as it was – cleansing of corruption), little wonder the foundation of the peace and economical development Ghana is enjoying today is based on that coup. The elite class in every tribe has destroyed anything good in Nigeria, school fees in all government-owned Universities are beyond the reach of larger percentage of the students, no good hospitals around, joblessness is rising exponentially, all the past leaders and those at various posts of power who have been indicted of grave offenses are still involved in the politics of Nigeria – This curse of Collective Amnesia is indeed living with us (Nigerians)!

Sometimes I give up on Nigeria . However it is the structure of the country that fails to instill patriotism in the citizens, not that the citizens don't know what to do.
Ethnicity and Tribalism are the biggest impediments to the fight against corruption in Nigeria

ITbomb: Sometimes I give up on Nigeria . However it is the structure of the country that fails to instill patriotism in the citizens, not that the citizens don't know what to do.
Ethnicity and Tribalism are the biggest impediments to the fight against corruption in Nigeria

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I hope for the word 'structure' you actually meant leadership! Indeed, corrupt-minded, egocentric, self-centred politicians remains our national headache till date. It was this demonised First Republic politicians that open the eyes of our 'well trained, polished soldiers' to corruption, now see where that has taken us now!

Thank my lucky stars for an American passport.
Nothing like a ready-made KAUNTRI. . . .I tellya.
Reading ANYTHING about Nigeria is like phocking a old man with prostate cancer.
You can't tell who is bleeding from the anus.
It is always a painful S-EXER-CIZE. . . devoid of an iota of pleasure, for both parrrries.
Tufiakwa!!!!!

tomakint:

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[quote


I hope for the word 'structure' you actually meant leadership! Indeed, corrupt-minded, egocentric, self-centred politicians remains our national headache till date. It was this demonised First Republic politicians that open the eyes of our 'well trained, polished soldiers' to corruption, now see where that has taken us now!

A structure that provide that a secondary school to be built in my village or a transformer in my community has to be approved at the center, Hundreds of miles away by unknown textbook planners . Such structure does not encourage citizens to believe that they have a stake in the nation building. This pushes all activities to the desk of the central leadership who normally applies the one size fit all approach to national planning and making them look stupid and unorganized when the policy fails.

A true federalism is what we need to move forward . Each state or zone uses its resources and develop at its pace.

It is not much of leadership problem . Even if u put a clergy there , the textbook advisers, who have lost connection with the masse, would still lead him astray

[quote author=ITbomb][/quote]

While I quite agree on the way you defined structure here, you will still agree with me that everything bores down to 'bad leadership.' It stinks to high heavens that we are rich as a nation yet we are poor as citizens. The principle of egalitarianism was more pronounced when Nigeria was under regionalism, at least going by what obtains in each region. Ironsi scattered that wonderful platform and Gowon watered it to maturity by his creation of 12 states, a precedent that led to Nigeria’s precarious situation till date. No thanks to these two soldiers! You will agree with me that, a belligerent Nigeria is what this present arrangement (a too powerful central government plus a multi-coloured system of government) has turned Nigeria into. I would have preferred to see a more united and purposeful Nigeria entrenched in the principle of egalitarianism but with this present arrangement? No way! I would rather be a staunch supporter of a bloodless divided Nigeria; I believe Nigeria can divide peacefully! What many emotional-laden Nigerians have failed to understand is that we only practiced with regionalism that favoured federalism for 6 years, if we had stay a little longer with it, by now we (as a Nation) would have been the “real giant of Africa” and a force to be reckoned with economically in the comity of nations!

Broda , at this stage I believe we are too entwined to be divided.
What we need is true federalism.

ITbomb: Broda , at this stage I believe we are too entwined to be divided.
What we need is true federalism.

Please don't kill me with laughter here **still laughing**! Did I just hear "Federalism"! Don't tell me you don't know that Federalism has been dumped into the trashcan of Nigerian politics probably if you read this; https://www.nairaland.com/964274/tale-country-multi-coloured-system-government you will understand better. Federalism? please let's talk of something else....