₦airaland Forum

NwaAmaikpe:




Those Christians are a disgrace to Christianity.
No matter the provocation, why fight back?
This is not what Christ preached.

He said if you are slapped on one cheek, turn the other cheek.

It is better to be killed by a Muslim than for a Christian to resort to defending himself.
It is not biblical.
It is also not biblical for a Christian sister to share her toto with a Muslim.

El-Rufai should jail all the Christians who participated in such wanton destruction.

You shouldn't be quick to condemn them, they're not stupid. I know you're probably not a Christian or a stupid one.

I, Adelakun Temitope Adeyinka, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University wish to inform the general public that Column Publishers, the news outlet that was said to be owing students in the national debate and essay competition organized sometimes between June and October 2016 has finally paid students.
It is worthy of note that this report is coming some five to six months after the receipt of payment.
It is also noteworthy that barrister Chuks Akamadu, one of the organisers of the debate and essay competition was the sole financier at the time the students were being owed.
Also, the delay was said to have resulted due to the fact that there was change in the internal board of directors.
It is on this note that I thank the general public for their support having brought same to this platform as at the time of default.
I also thank barrister Chuks Akamadu for the payment and for clearing his name over this pressing issue.
Thank you.

This pamphlet was written by OLUWATAYO OLAWALE ADEPETU; a student of Pharmacy, OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE.



INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this article is neither to advocate for a particular political candidate nor to preach to politicians, but to encourage Nigerians to take up their responsibilities in the coming general elections. It is my desire to have a greater role in the coming elections but circumstances would not allow me do as I wish. Therefore, I have decided to put some of my thoughts in writing, hoping that it will lift some of my burden. These thoughts of mine are only from the perspective from which I have seen our circumstances in the nation, it can therefore change in the future if I'm able to see things in new lights. It can also be different from the opinions of my reader. I however will be willing to know my reader's opinion(s).
Oluwatayo Olawale Adepetu ( Adepetutayo@yahoo.com, 07030370756)

1) ON NIGERIAN POLITICIANS
The race to the Aso Villa in 2019 has started. It has started with different politicians decamping from one party (where they think their interests may not be well-served) to another (where they think it will be well-served). In my yet short stint on earth, I have observed how politicians behave. As I have lamented in one of my articles, people like us (the millenials), have not been so lucky to have any awesome political role model in the Nigerian political sphere. Thank God for the advent of the internet, we have been forced to look elsewhere, to other well-organised societies or better developed democracies, for us to have a cue of what good governance and leadership means. Through my observations, I've been able to see the difference in the way political parties are organised in those societies as compared to ours. There, politicians belong to political parties based on ideologies. Most of these ideologies must have been either innate or inbuilt very early in their lives. This singular attribute makes a very big difference between their politicians and ours. For example, it makes them more principled and this also makes it very rare for them to change political parties as if they're changing clothes, as it is obtainable here. Here, the claim to a political party is merely for interest and survival, nothing else. For example, a politician in party A will say the same thing as that in party B. No difference of opinion, no diversity in ideas; therefore, no one will ever use their words against them whenever they decamp from one party to the other. My believe is that this does not serve our democracy well.

After fifty seven years of independence, it is long overdue for us to have political parties with clearcut ideologies and the constitutional provisions for individual candidacy to political offices. While we don't have to directly copy the different ideologies that are rampant in Europe and America, it is best to choose political leaders based on what they believe and represent. Governance in Nigeria can only improve when we force prospective political aspirants to make their opinions on national issues known and make leaders accountable for everything that comes out of their mouths.
Although I consider myself not to be an ideologue but a pragmatist. Therefore, I favour regulated capitalism to socialism and I'm more of a liberal than a conservative. This knowledge of myself, gives a limit to any compromises I can make when making decisions. Nevertheless, our ideologies must not make our opinions on national issues so different that we will not find common ground in finding solutions to national problems. At the end, all decisions must be made to provide the greatest good, for the greatest number of people.

2) MY OPINION OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF A REALISTIC 2019 PRESIDENT
My realistic 2019 President must be
Detribalized, Educated, have immense Political-will, and be Intelligent enough in finding ways of doing what he wishes to do. Mind you, I would like to add that he should be incorrupt, but I think to ask for an incorrupt President in 2019 is to ask for a saint from Nigerians - which I already know to be impossible. As for me, I've realized the fact that we cannot have a saint as President in 2019 (for if we will, we would be seeing the possibilities already), and I know that like the previous elections, we may have to choose a lesser of two evils. The best we can do for ourselves is to choose the best out of all available candidates, for I know that the Nigerian political system knows how to make the most qualified people unavailable.

It's not that we've lacked visionary individuals making attempts at leadership but the Nigerian system have prevented them from having any chance of occupying real leadership positions. We've had people like Gani Fawehinmi, Obafemi Awolowo, and others, losing out to visionless leaders in elections in their days. In this way, Nigeria lost its chance of experiencing true leadership in her childhood state. Same is happening in her youthful state for she's missing the opportunity of experiencing true leadership once again. This is because by the time the Nigerian system screened prospective candidates based on money, ethnicity, and political loyalty; the only available candidates will be the least qualified ones. Nevertheless, election is not about choosing the perfect person, it's about choosing the best candidate contesting.

The only way for us to set our democracy on the right track is for the electorates to get more interested in all the electoral processes and for them to make sure they get unambiguous opinions of all candidates on cogent national issues. Nigerians must know that election is a process that consists of various stages, and so it is more than open-air campaigns and going to the polling booths on election day. If we're to make way for real change, Nigerians must follow all the stages and get them right. A practice by which some candidates will avoid public debates throughout the campaign season must not be tolerated, and such debates must be certified impartial in all ramifications; for it is through these debates that we can know their opinions on national issues, not in open-air campaigns that will only be characterized by noise and personal abuses. When the electorates get interested in electoral processes, then they will be able to cast their votes purposefully. Like in the united States, majority of those who voted for Trump did so because they were tired of the bureaucracies in Washington and many believed they could entrust him with their economy.

My belief is that it is not as if none of those leading (or are leading) us do not want to do for us one or two memorable things that could immortalize them as leaders; but the numbers of people pulling down are always greater than those pushing up, so they find even those little things impossible to do. This is because a leader is just as good as his advisers.

What I believe is that if we can get the presidency right as much as possible in 2019, then we will be on the right track for the first time in our political history. Because my opinion is that the power embedded in the presidency is sufficient to set the wheels of change of the country into motion, and once in motion, it will be hard to stop until we have dramatic change. Just as Thomas Paine said in his pamphlet called "common sense," "for as the greater weight will always carry up the
less, and as all the wheels of a machine are put in motion by
one, it only remains to know which power in the constitution
has the most weight, for that will govern; and though the others, or a part of them, may clog, or, as the phrase is, check the
rapidity of its motion, yet so long as they cannot stop it, their
endeavors will be ineffectual; the first moving power will at
last have its way, and what it wants in speed is supplied by
time." Even though it will be great to have a national assembly that can initiate this desired change, it is noteworthy that the most important asset for initiating peaceful change is a willing presidency. All that is needed for the national Assembly to fall-in-line is for them to know that the presidency ran on a particular mandate and it is willing to pursue it. A good fact is that the presidential elections always have ways of shaping the national Assembly elections.

2) ON POLITICAL-WILL
Note that it is a combination of all the mentioned attributes that can have any meaningful impact on leadership and all of these if looked at carefully, are interwoven and necessary attributes of a visionary leader. To set the record straight, "Political-will" should be at the center of it all, because without it, the leader will only use all other attributes for his own greed. Yet, political-will is so hard to define and that is why Hammergren characterized political will as "the slipperiest concept in the policy lexicon, the sine qua non of policy success which is never defined except by its absence."

Political-will according to Craig Charney, is equal to "Opinion plus intensity plus salience." This means all these three things must be present before political-will can be established. As I had stated before, the opinions of the candidates on national issues must be well scrutinized, and Craig Charney said that "Opinion begins with the simple fact of having one." He said intensity, which is the second factor, implies how strongly-held public opinions are. This is because people can have opinions about some public matters but at the same time those opinions may not be strong, and so could change or may not be in a hurry to effect those opinions. He said "the cognoscenti may be concerned, but the masses may not be concerned." He later added that "even strong opinions form political will only if they’re salient to public choice; there’s no political will if they have no connection to public affairs." Meaning, "will is weak because issues, even if public, have not been politicized."

There is no doubt that we have a lot of national issues, things threatening our coexistence, and a large proportion of us have our personal, very strong opinions on these topics. So, issues like restructuring, marginalization and security must take the center stage in the coming elections; because I believe that all other problems of ours cannot be adequately approached without we first properly dealing with those things that are germane to our coexistence.

What could pose a major problem to Political-will in the country is "intensity", that is having a substantial number of people to support a single policy proposed to solve a national problem. This is due majorly to our diversity in the country, making us to have diverse opinions which are usually shaped by how we perceive that we and our kindred will be affected by a policy. For I believe if anybody thinks that any solution could be proposed to any of the national issues we currently have without proper consideration of our diversity, then such a person is out of touch with reality.
A realistic President must therefore have salient opinions about national issues, this will ensure the presence of political will.

3) ON INTELLIGENCE
Politics is a game, it requires a high level of intelligence to be successfully played with good results to show for it. Even the strongest-willed politician must possess the intellectual wherewithal to remain focused on the interests of the masses; for a leader will have many friends but the largest number of them are around for their own interests. Like the words of Benjamin Franklin, "few in public affairs act from a mere view of the good of their country, whatever they may pretend; and though their actings bring real good to their country, yet men primarily considered that their own and their country's interest was united and did not act from the principle of benevolence. Fewer still, in public affairs, act with a view to the good of mankind." Other than that the self interests of our own leaders have never brought any "real good" to our country, I totally agree with the observation of Franklin. It is therefore my opinion, that not until the interests of the masses and those of their leaders align could there be any meaningful improvement in the lives of the masses. A nation whose leaders believe they are more secured when their followers are impoverished will forever remain impoverished. Our next President should have adequate knowledge of statecraft, be diplomatic and resourceful enough to be able to successfully steer the ship of good governance across the political divides. He must have the capacity, ability, and strategy to accomplish set goals.

4) ON EDUCATION and DETRIBALIZATION
There is no dispute on the fact that leaders are readers. An informed leader will be able to make good decisions, for you cannot give what you don't have.
Some people will say that President Goodluck Jonathan was a Doctor of zoology and still it didn't make him a superb President. Then I will want such people to know that a Buhari's administration would be worse than it is if there is no "one Yemi Osinbajo" as VP.
In the same vein, a detribalized leader will approach every national issue with an open mind and be able to make good judgments, free of sentiments. It is not possible for him not to belong to a particular tribe but it is necessary for him to know that as a President, he's representing the interests of all tribes. Every constituent ethnic groups must be carried along with respect to good governance. He must know how to make every ethnic group feel a sense of belonging again.

5) IN CONCLUSION
There is certainty that education contributes to detribalization and equality in the society. Political-will will enable a leader pursue targeted goals with vigour and that is why Craig Charney described it as "the motive force that generates political action." Intelligence will enable him device strategy to achieve desired goals.
Yet, it is my belief, that our democracy will have a better definition when all card-carrying members of our political parties are allowed to have voting rights in party primaries; instead of giving such a right to a few handpicked candidates that can be easily bribed. This way, the people will have the full right of choosing their leaders. It is also the only way Politicians will accept the fact that their responsibilities are to the people and not to any godfather. This way, they will count public opinions as significant and be mindful of those they choose as allies.

hatchy:
Many people especially Nigerians are ignorant of Isreal as a Jewish nation and that they hate Christians and Christianity.
Isreal is a racist country that looks down on blacks like no other country.

Stupid people.

You're more stupid than them. It is the right of any country to determine those it admits into its territory. For a fact, why would one blame a country for sending out those illegally entering its country? They should be happy they're not being jailed.

datribune:
d right decision
While Trump, the "p*ssy grabber" is just playing politics by energizing his political base of Evangelicals in d USA, Netanyahu is a dangerous & dishonest right wing zionist extremist who does not believe in peace. He had to resign his appointment as finance Minister in protest to Sharon's giving back of Gaza to d Palestinians in furtherance of d 2-state solution & peace.

As an enlightened Christian, i realize dat d Israel to whom God gave d land is not the same nation dat we call Israel today. God gave the land to a people united to him by a solemn covenant ( Ex. 19-20 ). The present state of Israel is a state that does not recognize d God of d Bible as its supreme Lord. These unbelieving Jews hav been broken off frm dis covenant for in their unbelief they regard Christianity as idolatry & Jesus as a false prophet who came to turn humanity away frm God.

You've successfully put together gibberish in a sense-making form. The issue of Israel is not about religion because I can see how bigoted your reasoning is; it is about recognising history and reality. Every historical fact points to Jerusalem as part of Israel, so why should Israel be cheated out of its right? Yet, what US is fighting for is its right in locating its embassy wherever it wants. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

Diiet:
Innoson must pay his debts.




And with the way innoson played a smart one on GTB, no bank in this country should offer him loan again.


A debtor claiming right. Wonders shall never end.

Your sense of reasoning is absurd and below common sense. Every business person owes money to one or more financial institutions, and for your information; Dangote is our greatest debtor in Nigeria and yet he's still the richest in Africa. US is the greatest debtor in the world and yet it's still the largest and most prosperous economy in the world. So the next time you make a comment on public platforms, try to make sure you're in the right state of mind because you don't always seem to be.

SicilianMafia:

Did you go to primary school?

And the Word Yoruba never Existed 40years ago so now do the maths!!

Yoruba or whatever u call yourself are not a tribe but a gang just like APC

Dindinrin leleyi oooo

doyinisaac:
But at least the propaganda is better than someone using people hard earned money to buy private jet when they still have hungry congregations sweeping the floor of the church everyday to survive....

The world may say Elijah is a Swindler for Collecting a Widow and her child's last meal. It would seem sweet for today's headline and twitter activists to roast Elijah and call him Prophetpreneur, Yahoo Yahoo Prophet, Thief In Suit etc.

Darksider131:
shut up

Building schools for the rich

Well, I know that people like you only see what you want to see (it doesn't matter if your eyes seemed to be opened) so that you can say what you wish to say. That's the only way you wouldn't have seen the part where the writer said Landmark uni is majorly a scholarship awarding institution. It's so easy to fund education that's why your alma mata lack adequate finance.

And why is nobody asking who the "person very close to Dangote" was?

A host of People will accept that a major thing that has influenced the way People live in this world is Religion. Although, some People call themselves Atheists,some Agnostics,but to a large extent their lives have been influenced by Religion through co-existence.Have You ever thought that if truly there is God then the Religion of one's birth should be the Religion this God want one to have?. We were unable to choose a lot of things that are very important to our Lives,such as:Our Parents,Our Country,in fact to a large extent our Language. The truth is that most People were not the Ones that choose their Religions. every religious Family will have their Children believe that their Religion is the best from birth.
Therefore,if You were born in Italy or South America;You are likely to be a Catholic,if You were born in India;You are likely to be a Hindu,if it is Pakistan;You are likely to be a Muslim,if it is China;You are likely a Budhist. if Religion so much influence the World,don't You think this God might also be giving us an opportunity to choose as we deem fit our Religion?.If this is so,then neither our geographical location nor our Family should determine our Religion.
This is why we must ask some questions,such as:Why my present Religion?,and Why the denomination of my present Religion?,since some of these Religions even have denominations. To answer these questions,we need to understand the origin of the world's Religions. As Geoffrey Parrinder states and I quote "To study different Religions need not imply infidelity to one's own faith,but rather it may be enlarged by seeing how other People have sought for reality and have been enriched by their search". Investigating these different Religions will only shape our believe and enhance our faith.

A host of people will agree with me that a major factor that has influenced the way of life of people in this world is 'RELIGION'. Although, some people call themselves Atheist,some Agnostics; but to a large extent their lives have been influenced by religious people through coexistence.
Have you ever thought that if truly God created us , the religion of ones birth should be the ideal religion this God want one to have?. We were unable to choose a lot of things that are very important to our lives, such as: our countries, our parents, in fact our Language to a large extent was chosen by our parents. The truth is that most people were given their religions by their parents.
Therefore, if you were born in Italy or South America,you're likely to be a Catholic; if you were born in India, you are likely to be a Hindu; if it is Pakistan, you're likely a Muslim; if it's China,you're likely a Buddhist. Since a host of other things are chosen for us,why not Religion?.
If Religion so much influence our world,don't you also think that this God might be giving us an opportunity to choose as we deem fit our Religion?. If this is so,then neither our geographical location nor our Family should determine our Religion. This is why we must ask some questions: "what are the characteristics of a good Religion?", " why my present Religion?", and," why this denomination of my Religion?", since some of these Religions even have denominations.
To answer these questions, we need to understand the origins of the world's Religions. Geoffrey Parrinder says "To study different Religions need not imply infidelity to one's own faith, but rather it may be enlarged by seeing how other people have sought for reality and have been enriched by their search". knowing more about our Religions will only shape our beliefs and increase our faith.