₦airaland Forum

Thumps up to the Kwara guys. We need more of this from our youths. But we can do it without guns.

MAYOWAAK: I have been wondering on the desirability of a Nigerian revolution as the calls become more frequent and intense. Are those calling for a revolution aware of its far-reaching impact or they simply assume it’s another buzzword they can bandy about? Are they mere pessimists who have found a cliché to romance so they will not have to address critical issues? Are they perhaps overwhelmed by the troubles with Nigeria and resorted to calling for a revolution as a sort of pacifier? Is there an ideology driving these calls or it’s just a nostrum that gives them time to do nothing?

How many of them have engaged in strategic thinking in readiness for the fall of the present administration? In fact, has it occurred to them that a revolution would mean at least toppling the present system of government and replacing it with something else, radically different? Have they thought of how to avoid a power vacuum post-revolution so that while we chase out one demon, seven others do not replace it? Or is this a case of “Let the Empire fall first”? What if we start it and the military hijacks it? Are Nigerians prepared to start all over again under a military government? Can they resist the military? Weapons, anyone?

Of course, we can compare the famous examples of revolution: French, Russian, Nazi and American. The first three had revolutionaries turned autocrats, more evil than their predecessors; the last one was comparatively successful because the founding fathers worked assiduously to build a great nation from scraps they wrested from the Empire. Does Nigeria have such selfless forward-thinking fathers/mothers waiting in the wings, ready to rebuild?

Have those who think a revolution will solve anything taken cultural specificity into account? Do they imagine Nigerians have as much staying power as the Egyptians or Syrians to sustain a revolution? Or we would soon be eager to get back to the rituals of our daily grind while hoping some other people keep up the fight?

Have we reviewed our history enough to question whether revolution is for us? Africa is full of old men who were youth revolutionaries but became a bigger plague on their countries than HIV/AIDS. The 1966 coup in Nigeria is a revolution in and of itself; till today, Nigeria is still giddy from its after-effects.

Wishful thinking is not a bad thing but can revolution advocates state how their end desires differ from what is already stated in the Constitution and why we need a revolution to achieve them? What really fascinates them about a revolution? The spectacles of violence and bloodshed, or a genuine desire for change? If the latter, is a revolution really necessary? Won’t protest culture or even rebellion suffice? Won’t a more participatory citizenship be far more helpful? I have put out all these questions, not necessarily to seek answers but for us to interrogate our thoughts.

Very soon, we would be called upon to begin the process of electing a fresh set of leaders. Rather than expressing outrage the President plans to re-contest, it is up to us to act with circumspection. It is our duty not to be carried away when our leaders start crawling to religious grounds or kneeling before gods. They will cut a perfect picture of pathetic prayer projects when they assume a humble stance and announce they need divine wisdom. When that time comes, can Nigerians transcend all this vaudeville and reject directionless and clueless leadership? Can we transcend tribalism, ethnicity, regionalism, sexism and all those factors that have successfully held us down in the past and choose more worthwhile people to lead us? That might be a revolution to look forward to.

Thanks for the Trunshi. At the right time, the people will revolt. What may not happen is the right type of leadership arising from their revolt. We have seen several Revolutions that was hijacked by reactionary elements without vision; but also were there those that gave rise to progressive hands in power. Our task is to ensure that when the Revolution comes, the evil people do not hijact it.

Btruth: Sit down there and be dreaming. Counting your millionaire if possible. It's only the rich & few favored people that are not worried about the situation in Nigeria. But, have you ever put into consideration the numbers of people (youth) that is unemployed in this country? The number is so alarming.

Imagine the Minister of Finance, (our madam), made a statement about 2 weeks ago about having a sleepless night over the numbers of youth been unemployed in this country and yet, nothing has/is been done about it. Yet, the prophet of God is giving a warning on how to avert the situation of a revolution in the country, but what people like you (& yet more silly people like you in Abuja) could just say is jokes about it and laugh it off. But to be honest, I don't really blame you though........, have you ever struggle for anything in your life?

There are millions of Nigerian out there this morning with hope of a single meal today: Many are in the hospital because of different kind of sickness & yet there is no single money with them to treat themself. Go to Oshodi, and see handsome & beautiful people begging for money in order to survive. I was surprised to read a thread few days ago here on nairaland, when a guy was begging nairalander for food for his mother online.......has it not gone to the level that people like that can bust out, out of anger of what is happening in this country? & is not here on nairaland that we saw a picture of a car been bought for N300 million plus.......a single car for christ sake!

But to be honest, I don't really blame you. Are your parents not like those of Cecilia Ibru, Erastus Akingbola e.t.c...., that their children don't even know where the money are coming from, all they do is to just spend. Why won't you talk with all your mouth? Thinking that you living in your comfort zone, there will never be such thing call REVOLUTION.

Boy, please, if you don't know what to say, I will advice that you might as well keep your mouth shut and just follow us here on the nairaland, OK?

Silly goat.

I am with you.

blaise26.abj:
There won't be any revolution anywhere in this country. Naija is too segmented ,too tribalistic and too religious. For revolution there must be unity. The masses must be united. But unfortunately we are not. And our leaders continuously fuel our lack of unity to their own gains and our detriment.

Nigeria is made up of a largely reactionary class who are divided along your tribal lines. But there is a progress class presently in the minority who sees beyond tribal lines. Luckily, it is also this class that have the tenacity to push for revelotion.

At the right time, we will see

adultiph: God will punish you for calling your president such name.Do you actually come from a home or where you born to ashawo and agbero family?

Our President is supposed to protect us. But the people we have in Nigeria only steal our money. So they deserve more than names. They deserve to be publicly totured and executed.

I want Almustapha to quickly expose the Fraud call Abdusalam. I am too happy the man is coming out alive. I hope the Prosecutor will not apeal the jugement to Supreme court.

KwoiZabo: Why is it that anywhere Amaechi heads there will be division. NGF divided, Rivers state PDP divided, Now rivers house of assembly divided. It's an indication that people like Amaechi are not meant for leadership. As a good leader your demeanor is important, you should know when to exercise absolute power and when to relinguish some powers. This is what brought egypt to where they are today. The day I knew Amaechi was arrogant was 2yrs back during a during a town hall meeting when he said he Amaechi was not in support of the amnesty programme.Even if he differ you are not to state it openly because its your party's position he wasn't even diplomatic with the statement also he accused orubebe and by extension GEJ for neglecting East-west road, he has other fora like the PDP NEC meeting to do that and so on it is Amaechi's arrogance that will kill him.

Simple answer. Because the evil at the Top is deploying the power of the Presidency against him.

COOLDUN: If what Nigerians has been witnessing from 1999 till this moment is what they call democracy, then military regime is the best option.

What most third world country citizens mostly the Africans fail to know is that the democracy that is practiced in Africa is another means of colonization by the west. Our rulers are corrupt , they hide their loots in those countries , for this reason the western people are seizing it as an opportunity to hold them to ransom, you know when someone knows your secrets you won't have boldness to challenge him/her anymore. For the fear of being exposed they agree on anything they tell them to do.

Nigeria's democracy is the costliest one in the world since 1999, the fund which is supposed to be used judiciously for the development of the country is used to fund our democracy. Politicians and families are using the economy for their personal funding.

At least in the military regime we have less officials , even if they steal at least little remains for the country, but this GEJ led government remains nothing for the country, instead they keep on borrowing and fix the payment dates when they might have all died. So that the coming generation would be indebted to the western people who would still hold hostage.

Imagine Power Holding making billions of Naira for not rendering any services to the people, while we are hoping for power improvement, if, someone is payed for a non rendered services, then how would the person care to serve you again?

There are many points to back up the support for a military rule in Nigeria, Africa is not ripe enough for a true democracy. Both GEJ, and the opposition are the same people, you can change a party but party can never change you.

Any sincere military officer that have the interest of the Nigerians at heart can change this country, but hoping on GEJ or the opposition is just like taking an already dead child to the hospital. No one gives what he doesn't have. The forces that brought GEJ to power is more than his capability, he can't do anything because the political parties in Africa are dens of EVIL PEOPLE, who don't care about the masses.

I support the guy that suggested a patriotic, sincere, brave , young military officers to take over this civilian Hitlers we call politicians in the country and clean up the mess. What we witnessing now is the best time of GEJ. Mark my words.

Believe me, you are close to the problem in Africa. But also remember that all our military officers are products of corruption. Are you aware of the recruitment process into the NDA or how the officers are promoted?

If you get to know these, you will weep for Africa. We are at a very difficult condition.

Anyhow, the first step towards the solution is as you have rightly done: recognising the source of the problem.

Welcome on board.

frankyychiji: nothing is going to save d traitor from d sledgehammer hanging over his head! Amaechi has since known this bit his stupid (apc) was nudging him on. Now they cannot save him!

Your wost is impeachment. You have tried and failed. What next do you have?

figment232: My friend find somewhere hide ur smelling head

Thanks my thinking man. I leave you with your woes

LastApostle: Buhari is a bigot!!!
Jonathan was a child of necessity upon the demise of Yar'Adua. Majority of the governors then wanted to usurp constitutional provision for sectional enthronement to maintain party status quo.
The lucky child wanted to rule according to the provisions of the constitution and entered agreement with the governors for their endorsement which in turn will obliterate any opposition to their return bid of their respective gubernatorial seat. That is called political leverage!

Buhari is a weakling oga...
While he was in power, Tunde Idiagbon, his deputy run the show. This is a man who couldn't command loyalty in the army. A harmless palace coup displaced him like the small river in otuoke in bayelsa that swept Jonathan shoes into the Atlantic ocean!!

Buhari was a weakling or whatever you chose to label him. So was Christ called "carpenter's son". When are we going to learn from our past. Must we tell God who the Messiah should be? It is God that chooses his messiah not me and you

LastApostle: Two entity you should fear in life; God and instituted authority.

they can make or marred you!

What is instituted authority? is a stolen mandate part of instituted authority? As your boss Jonathan does not give a damn about corruption, we do not give a damn fighting usurpers/impostors in power.

To all pro Jonathan calling for state of emergency, remember the House of Rep will legislate for River state once the state house of assemble is disbanded for any reason.

Meaning the war will move to Abuja. I wonder how clueless GEJ will survive this.

Jonathan is just too clueless and without class to be the President of Nigeria. All the people that created him are seeing the result of their hand work.

Amechi helped to create Jonathan. Dickson was one of them. All the PDP governors in the north helped. Tinubu betrayed Ribadu because of Jonathan.

When we are shouting for Buhari, you guys refused to listen. When we wanted rationality in our governance, you preferred tribalism, nepotism and sentiments. You have helped to create a clueless crudely ambitious bull. Those that created him should wake up and check him.

Buhari cried and we laughed. let know who laughs last.

I weep for Niaja

LastApostle: I ponder when people make unguarded statements of the political imbroglio prevailing in Rivers state. One doesn't need to be a student of political science to fully grasp the diatribe of political manoeuvring as currently bedevilled the oil rich state.

The political instability in Rivers state is occasioned by 'interest' as Gov. Amaechi arrogantly has refuse to run an all inclusive government. He usurp a political process by seeking redress in the court of law which eventually enthroned him as the sitting governor of the state. Rubbishing a process for personal gain is tantamount to calling bluff millions of credible voters that gave their franchise right to EX governor Omehia he dethrone. Omehia was a man the rivers people wanted and unanimously endorsed both by the common man and elites of the state.

This impasse taking place is not about Jonathan versus Amaechi as people are won't to speculate. No far from it. It is a fight between Amaechi and the Rivers elite. Amaechi is just heaping his frustration on the presidency because the presidency is sympathetic to their agitation just for him to garner emotional support.

Peter odili, Ex governor
Rufus Ada-George, Ex Governor
Celestine Omehia, Ex governor
Austin Opara, Ex national deputy rep speaker
Chibudom nwuche, Ex national deputy Rep speaker
Nyesom wike, minister
Sergeant Awuse, grassroot politician/bulldozer.
Uche secondus, PDP leader

Did Jonathan singularly recruit all this Rivers leaders with their conscience to fight Amaechi? IMPOSSIBLE!!!
Something is wrong with Amaechi.

River Elites that were no where to be found until Jonathan woke them up? Wise up man, we are no fools here.

thelastPope: You are clearly an idiota posting from Alausa. You have nothing to say so move on!

I can be anything. But you are as clueless as your Oga, because you cannot reason. Keep calling names. That is what your likes can do best

thelastPope: Shut your mouth my friend! Where in the report or videos did you see Jonathan? Or did you see him in your dreams?

I have told you where this war that was started by GEJ is leading to. This is not Obasanjo's time where he used same method to impeach Alams. River state is also not Bayelsa. Also a lot of vested interest is involved. It has gone beyond Amechi and Jonathan.

Mark my word, this is just about 2015 and all vested interest will be involved


Let see who the clueless one will play the game. I warned Nigerians. Now that we have empowered a clueless coward, let bear the consequence

[size=15pt]Somewhere in our constitution, it was written that the House of Representative should legislate for a state house of Assembly that could not properly do their work owing to any reason.

I call the House of Representative to urgently take up the responsibility of Legislating for River State. They should also investigate all that is behind the show, including Amechi and Jonathan.

As a matter of urgency, whoever is found culpable should be impeached.It is time to teach both Jonathan and Amechi that the fate of Nigeria is far beyond their selfish personal ambition.[/size]

Tambuwal should act quickly to save our Democracy. Alternatively, the military should take a cue from Egypt

confusion247: I am sure the OP just choose to save us time by mentioning the few of HIS(Buhari) sins. Even the recent ones that is not up to three years. Many have forgotten that nobody was killed when Buhari lost the presidential election to Yaradua, but many died when he Buhari lost to Jonathan.

You guys will never think. Before the last election, I did predict the election voilence that followed. I only have to follow the history of Nigeria to know what will follow. I called my friend in Kano and asked him to live Kano after the elction.

How did I forsee that.

I know there was serious anger in the North. I also know that GEJ might try to rig the election. Based on that, I told people that if the election was rigged, that voilence may follow.

And for your information, the last election was massively rigged by GEJ and PDP. What they did was to leave the city centres and rig from the villages. Buhari lacked the resources to send out agents to monitor his votes. PDP knowing that fully used their machinery which comprised all government officials (pure civil servants), elected officials and Chieftance holders to rig the elction.

Their method is that every one must return his area to deserve his office.

Buhari and his followers could not muster enough funds to send out agents. And GEJ had his way. It was the anger that triggered the killings.

I am not in support of the killing, but he that prepare grounds for evil shall not pretend when the evil falls.

We can always pretend to be smart, but natural justice will always catch up with us.

Now that we have rigged Jonathan in as President; let he rule Nigeria. We have shortchanged ourselves by tribalism by electing a complete idiot who cannot even marry patience as a wife to rule us.

As it was in 1966, it is in 2011. Same lies and manipulation, same mad behaviour from cheated northers, same failed nation, same suffering masses that will never see the whole truth.

Kill nyamiri, kill Huasa while the stealing elites remain.

Think Nigerians

What Soyinka has just done is using the power of literature to exagerate things. He picked out Buhari's errors and magnified them out of propotion.

Is there mush wrong with Buhari killing convicted Drug pushers with a retrospective law? Yes, it was wrong but is not as wrong as the lootings and killings under Obasanjo. Let us remember Bola Ige, Harry Marshal and so many others that were killed under obasanjo. let think of what happened at Odi and Zaki Ibaim under civlian regime. Let think about the confusion called Boko Haram in the North.


Is any of these comparable to the killing of two drug pushers?

How can Soyinka make mess of the repatriation of Umaru Dikko than for mischief? How did Soyinka criticise Obasanjo? he refused to criticise Obasanjo until when Bola Ige was killed. Let some one disprove me here because I was watching out for his criticisms then.

How dare Soyinka use wicked words to discuss Idiagbon - the only true leader we have had in our country? It is pure insincerity.

Soyinka is not without his own mistakes; are we to crucify him for the formation of the first university cultists in Nigeria? So shall he understand that people make mistakes.

What is important is people's intention and not honest mistakes.

I put it to Soyinka that Idiagbon and Buhari was honest in trying to solve Nigeria's problem in 1984. I want Soyinka to say something about the outstanding work Buhari did in PTF or his past activities as Ministers. Why is Soyinka being smart by half?

I respect Soyinka most importantly for his pricipled position during the war. I am begining to suspect that his motivation may not be unconnected with the fact that the ideology that instigated the first coup by Nzeogwu and Ifeanjuna was cultivated at University of Ibadan by the Likes of Soyinka and co. I suspect his stand may be a solidarity for people that shared same ideology and for pure justice.

How else can I explain his press release on why he was absent during Achebe's burial despite the several invitations sent to him? How can explain that he said nothing tangible than literary nonesense.

[B]Why I was absent from Achebe’s funeral, by Soyinka[/B]

Says attackers are sowing poison

ALMOST one month after Nigeria bade farewell to literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, issues associated with the colourful rites of passage are yet to be exhausted.

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Wednesday came down hard on those he says are still ‘caviling’ at his absence from the  funeral of Achebe that climaxed on May 23, 2013 at his home-town, Ogidi, Anambra State.

In a statement issued Wednesday, titled “The Village Mourners Association”, the literary giant said he “is a solid believer in the collective rites of Farewell. I believe in Ritual. Humanity is often assisted to reconcile with loss in a collective, and even spectacular mode.”

And the choice to participate or not, he insisted, “belongs to each individual, including even those who arrogate to themselves the mission of imposing on others their own preferred mode of bidding farewell.”

To Soyinka, “these self-righteous clerics are dangerous beings, especially where they flaunt the credentials of secular learning and gather in caucuses of presumed Humanities.”

Soyinka, in a recent interview with The Guardian, had frowned on making his ‘absence’ from the funeral a subject of debate on the Internet.

Reacting to a question on his view about life after death, he had said: “Before I answer that question, let me make a plea. I want to request the media to stop creating problems where there are none. I am referring to… even after all one has been saying and writing, and through interviews etc. Even after …Chinua Achebe … his last tribute, the poem to show we should respect the dead, and that mourning is a continuous process… it is not just now that he is dead. I am shock to read online… it was actually sent to me something like, ‘J.P. Clark, Soyinka shun Achebe’s funeral.’

“For me, this is so mischievous and dishonest. If I didn’t go to the funeral, it was because I couldn’t. In any case, we all have our way of sending off people. I haven’t seen J.P. ... since we made that statement. I am sure that there were reasons why he couldn’t be there. There are reasons why I couldn’t be there. But my presence was still there. As far as I am concerned, I was heavily there. We all have different attitudes to this thing. The media, especially a lot of this Internet blogs and so on, should just lay off and stop polluting the airwaves with their own diseased antagonism which they want to foist on other people.

“Let people resolve their own relationship the way they want. They shouldn’t have imposed relationship. What is that? ‘Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark shun...’ Shun is active. If ‘they couldn’t be present’ had been used, one wouldn’t have bothered, that is passive. ‘Shun’ means you take a deliberate action. What kind of nonsense is that?”

Part of Soyinka’s statement  read: “From the herd, the mindless Internet fiddlers for whom the landing of a planetary probe, or a medical breakthrough is simply distraction from fraudulent Internet mailing, nothing less is expected. What menaces the collective health of society is when the deserving highs of intellectual application of the former, become indistinguishable from the loutish low of the latter.”

The renowned dramatist, poet and social crusader insists: “I do not pander to the expectations of the sanctimonious,” noting that he could absent himself from any event, “for reasons that are personal to me.

“I can absent myself as the result of a mundane domestic situation, as legitimately as from a visceral rejection of occupancy of the same space, at the same time, in the same cause, with certain other participants.

“I may absent myself for the very reason of my disdain for that breed which is certain to cavil at the very fact of my absence.”

Condemning what seems like romanticising his absence as the matter has since become a subject of debate online, Soyinka declares, “such specimens pollute the very space they claim to honour.  Sputter and rage they may, but even the most illustrious of that ilk cannot control that choice, neither will they be permitted free passage to encroach upon, and abuse the private spaces of human responsiveness.”

Dismissing his critics, Soyinka said: “Your psychological profile is commonplace. It is not the honour to Chinua that agitates you, no, it is your own self-regarding that seeks to be reflected in the homage to a departed colleague. It does not take a psycho-analyst to recognise this phenomenon of greedy acquisitiveness, even of immaterial products.  Like emotional parasites, you feed off others, but you have never learnt to value what others give, or be thereby nourished.”

Soyinka described the architects of the attacks on him as “atavistic minds” that “once disseminated an unbelievably primitive accounting for Chinua Achebe’s motor accident.”

After narrating the story, especially “for those who seek light relief from ponderous unctuousness,” Soyinka asserts: “Yes, it is that same breed that continues to sow poison in the minds of the susceptible. Alas for you, it so happens that some of us insist on our own way of commemorating, of being there, even when absent.

“You, by contrast were never there, however ostentatiously you position yourselves at the event, or at vicarious gatherings to denounce, attribute sinister motivations, and inseminate hate against those whom your pedestrian vision cannot see.

“Your very loudness proclaims your absence. You were always absent. You will always be absent. So, this communication is not really meant for you but for those potential almajiri – whose minds you corrupt daily with your jeremiads in that accommodating madrassa known as Internet.”

“As a teacher, I lament your failure to use the opportunity of the passing of a revered writer to turn your younger generation in enlightened directions. You have chosen instead to coarse their sensibilities and breed in their minds misunderstanding, suspicion and above all – hate!

“You will have understood by now how I have come to view you as no different from the homicidal clerics who arm youths with kerosene and match, cudgel and knife, a few Naira in their beggars’ bowls, and dispatch them to set fire to structures of comradely cohabitation, of reflection, of mind enlargement, and destroy communities of learning. Your gospel of separatism goes beyond the geographical – in which I have not the slightest interest! – but the humanistic. The difference is in the weapon – in your case, poison, mind corrosion. The means – Internet, and its wide open, undiscriminating generosity. That is where you lay spores of poison, and doom future generations to a confinement of human relationships within the darkest corners of the mind.”

Soyinka’s concluding remark, a warning, is both stern and sarcastic: “You are beyond pity. Kindly absent yourselves from my funeral, when that event finally intrudes.”

The statement reads thus: “Nigerians who are old enough will surely recall the source of the above title. For others, I ought to narrate its origin. Fortunately, early this year, I delivered a lecture at the University of Ibadan where I made a passing reference to the true owners of that copyright. Here is the relevant section: “At the passing of a short-lived dictator, his successor decreed two weeks of mourning, two weeks during which the nation went into a coma. Even the television and radio stations closed down – nothing but martial and funeral music was played, while churches and mosques took over the abandoned air-waves to drown the nation in suras and canticles of lachrymose outpouring. A very sharp group quickly formed something that was called the National Mourners Association – clever lot!  While the nation was quarantined and bogged down in the orgy of lamentation, they were touring the world, sponsored by government, to take the gospel of anguish to every corner of the world that boasted a Nigerian diplomatic mission.”

 “Yes, that was at the death of Gen. Murtala Muhammed. But now, we turn to address the latest progenies of that association, operating in a different clime and context, but cacophonously enmeshed in variations on that ancient tune.

“When that day comes that individuals encounter hostility over their sensibilities in dealing with loss in their own way, privately, away from public eye, with or without symbolic public gestures, then we are witnessing the end, not simply of plain civility, but of civilisation, and the enthronement of Fascism. It is not the intolerance and excess of a moment’s excitation, but of a cultivated arrogance and will to imposition, one that attempts to dictate the private responses of others to shared events. Once again, we are confronted with the Nigerian phenomenon of the egregious appropriation of what is not on offer and thus, is not subject to dispute. Where frustrated, these claimants reel out chapters from their Book of Imprecations.

“Let it be stated here, for the avoidance of doubt, that I am a solid believer in the collective rites of Farewell. I believe in Ritual. Humanity is often assisted to reconcile with loss in a collective, and even spectacular mode. The choice to participate or not, however, belongs to each individual, including even those who arrogate to themselves the mission of imposing on others their own preferred mode of bidding farewell. These self-righteous clerics are dangerous beings, especially where they flaunt the credentials of secular learning and gather in caucuses of presumed Humanities. From the herd, the mindless Internet fiddlers for whom the landing of a planetary probe, or a medical breakthrough is simply distraction from fraudulent Internet mailing, nothing less is expected. What menaces the collective health of society is when the deserving highs of intellectual application of the former, become indistinguishable from the loutish low of the latter.

“I do not pander to the expectations of the sanctimonious. I can absent myself from any event, for reasons that are personal to me. I can absent myself as the result of a mundane domestic situation, as legitimately as from a visceral rejection of occupancy of the same space, at the same time, in the same cause, with certain other participants. I may absent myself for the very reason of my disdain for that breed which is certain to cavil at the very fact of my absence. Such specimens pollute the very space they claim to honour.  Sputter and rage they may, but even the most illustrious of that ilk cannot control that choice, neither will they be permitted free passage to encroach upon, and abuse the private spaces of human responsiveness.

“I shall speak to them directly: your psychological profile is commonplace. It is not the honour to Chinua that agitates you, no, it is your own self-regarding that seeks to be reflected in the homage to a departed colleague. It does not take a psycho-analyst to recognise this phenomenon of greedy acquisitiveness, even of immaterial products.  Like emotional parasites, you feed off others, but you have never learnt to value what others give, or be thereby nourished. I recognise you, atavistic minds – was it not your type that once disseminated an unbelievably primitive accounting for Chinua Achebe’s motor accident? Here goes the story, for those who seek light relief from ponderous unctuousness:

“What happened was that I found myself unable to return to Nigeria for a Colloquium in honour of Chinua’s sixtieth birthday.  My dramatic mind immediately scrambled for some striking manner of compensation. So, I telephoned a business friend who had some agricultural connections in Delta State and told him: find the chunkiest, spotless ram in Delta State – all white or all black, but a thoroughbred of striking physique. Find a leather pouch, tie it to its neck with the following message and deliver it at the venue of the Colloquium. I no longer recall the exact dictated wording, nothing inspirational, just the usual felicitations and injunctions to turn that ram into asun for general feasting.

“Those who attended the event will recall the grand entry of the gift - as reported by one and all, including the foreign visitors, and Chinua’s reported reaction, seated on the podium. He shook head and said, “Typical of Wole”. The ram was then led off to meet its destiny at the hands of the gathered. (As a side note, it was I who took a gift away from his seventieth at Bard University – a sobering flash of time past that resulted in my ELEGY FOR A NATION. I had that poem re-published to mark the day of his funeral.)

“Our story is only beginning. On the way back from that celebration, Chinua had his accident and was flown to the United Kingdom (UK). At the first opportunity, I made my way there and called up the High Commissioner, Dove-Edwin, who was certain to know the hospital location. It turned out that he also planned a visit that afternoon, and he agreed to give me a ride. We waited – I was joined by two others – waited, and waited, then a phone call came from him that the visit had been called off. The High Commissioner would explain why, on arrival – over a promised dinner, as compensation.

“That explanation was this: Dove-Edwin had received communication that some of “Chinua’s people” – a university professor among them, who was named – had pronounced publicly that “Chinua should have known better than to accept a spotless ram from his enemy” – yes, that was the word used – “enemy”.  I verified this report from various other sources.   Later, an alternative diagnosis surfaced: “Chinua had been too long away from the chieftaincy politics of his hometown, otherwise he would have realised that the title that he took was coveted by some others – and these were deeply steeped in traditional psychic combat”.  In short, those rivals “did him in”.  Both diagnoses competed for dominance for a while, petering out eventually.

“Before the promotion of that alternative cause-and-effect however, Dove-Edwin had re-scheduled, and we had a most bracing, optimistic afternoon with Chinua. Yes, our patient was eventually told the cause of the earlier postponement, and he had a good laugh. On my return to Nigeria, I could not wait to take the opportunity of a public lecture to invite all desperate enemies to please send me their rams of choice – spotless, spotted, piebald, stripped or nondescript – so I could treat starving writers to free meals in my home for the rest of the year. And I promised to taste a piece of each ram before serving.

“Yes, it is that same breed that continues to sow poison in the minds of the susceptible. Alas for you, it so happens that some of us insist on our own way of commemorating, of being there, even when absent. You, by contrast were never there, however ostentatiously you position yourselves at the event, or at vicarious gatherings to denounce, attribute sinister motivations, and inseminate hate against those whom your pedestrian vision cannot see. Your very loudness proclaims your absence. You were always absent. You will always be absent. So, this communication is not really meant for you but for those potential almajiri – whose minds you corrupt daily with your jeremiads in that accommodating madrassa known as Internet. As a teacher, I lament your failure to use the opportunity of the passing of a revered writer to turn your younger generation in enlightened directions. You have chosen instead to coarse their sensibilities and breed in their minds misunderstanding, suspicion and above all – hate!

“You will have understood by now how I have come to view you as no different from the homicidal clerics who arm youths with kerosene and match, cudgel and knife, a few Naira in their beggars’ bowls, and dispatch them to set fire to structures of comradely cohabitation, of reflection, of mind enlargement, and destroy communities of learning. Your gospel of separatism goes beyond the geographical – in which I have not the slightest interest! – but the humanistic. The difference is in the weapon – in your case, poison, mind corrosion. The means – Internet, and its wide open, undiscriminating generosity. That is where you lay spores of poison, and doom future generations to a confinement of human relationships within the darkest corners of the mind.

“You are beyond pity. Kindly absent yourselves from my funeral, when that event finally intrudes.”

http://www.naijapundit.com/news/why-i-was-absent-from-achebe-s-funeral-by-soyinka

The best African leader of all time is Julius Nyerere. Go read up his true story and try to avoid the lies of the Western liars

abes: verse:
The same boys ♫♫
from the south ♫♫♫
they moved to the north to cause kasala ♫♫♫♫
now the north is quiet ♫♫♫♫
they move back to their home base ♫♫♫♫

chorus:
la lala la lala la laaa baba nla kasala ♫♫♫♫♫

I see you guy.

akpomeme: I genuinely think if an opposition party want to grab power from the ruling party, they should be able to sell their ideology to the masses and not disrespect the same office they are seeking to occupy.
What I have seen in APC today is a party made up of a clique of dissatisfied politicians from ACN, CPC, PDP, ANPP,APGA etc coming together to try and wrestle power off the ruling party without any ideology.

We need to know what APC will represent. The signals so far give reasons for discomfort considering statements made by supposed leaders of the emerging party that a fight to dislodge terrorism is a war against the north (Buhari) and that the declaration of emergency rule in the north is an infringement on the fundamental human rights of a people (lia Mohammad ). The question is: who does APC represent?

Much as we clamour for better governance, we need to begin to ask ourselves if disrespecting the President and the office of the President is good enough strategy towards occupying the same office?

Honestly, we all should be ashamed when the office of the presidency is disrespected. Whoever brings the office to disrepute should be punished.

But what can we do when the very people that occupies the office are the chief culprits? What can we do when the greatest office that should be our centre of refinement has been made to drag us down? What can we do when the worst sorts among us occupy that office? What do we do when common criminals who loot our land dry occupy the office?

I think the punishment should start from PDP who imposed a dying Yar'adua as President and a clueless GEJ as his vice. I strongly believe that Obasanjo should be sentenced for seeking 3rd term against our constitution and thereafter imposing an unworthy two on us.

Are we supposed to tolerate criminals, or fight them? Are we suppose to close our mouths when criminals ravage our land? Who is not aware of the $1.1million scandal involving the Presidency and former oil minister? Who has not heard of the 20 billion naira stolen by the Presidency through agents using a made up land transaction between NITEL and CBN?

Who is not aware of the pardon granted to a criminal Alams?

Are these not bringing the office of the Presidency to ridicule? Are we supposed to close our mouths and our conscious because criminals have hijacked our greatest office of respect?

Never.

GEJ, PDP, ACN are gangs of criminals.

tiwasiaife: nt wen ur entire family is wiped out

Which is worse: living a life of denial and restriction of movement; or death?

Personally I will prefer death.

So keeping offenders in jail for life is a worse treatment. Also see my argument above.

But believe me, it will be very difficult to bear when they kill someone your know; but that is anger and not reason. When we come down to reason after anger; we will choose life jail fro offenders.

blaise26.abj:
Mr Godman, you should be ready to die without defending yourself when attacked; in war or in pursuit of dangerous criminals because like you said it is totally wrong to take a life that cannot be created.

Some people deserve death for their crimes. Even the bible says the wages of sin is death.If a man knows the penalty of a crime is death and he chooses to carry out the crime, then there should be no leniency once it can be proven without reasonable doubt.

The bolded is the probable reason the governors hesitate signing death warrants because our police are not equipped to prove anything.

Thanks god you recognised the bolded; many have been sent to the grave in the past that are not guilt.

Secondly, the whole essence of punishment is either to extract payment against evil done, for deterrent and reformation. Death Penalty only achieves deterrence. It offers no chance for offenders to repent; and also cannot repay losses accruing from whatever offence they have committed.

Moreso, for the Christians, it is unjustifiable to take life. Only at the threat of once life, can one contemplate such.

As a state, putting criminals behind bars have already taken aware the risk they pose to the society. reforming them where possible is the best because it preserves our population and workforce.

There are very few reasons to take life of a criminal that is already behind bars; except for crude (old testament) sentiments.

Afro connect: you are an ignorant fool,some criminals have choose to be killers,maybe when they kill your father,mother or loved one-you will think differently.
they should be killed,only in Nigeria we see this type of hypocrisy...in China,Malaysia,Indonesia,even America-condemned people are killed every week.
Nigerians-bloody hypocrites.

I am an ignorant fool? So, what have i done to deserve this abuse from you? Or is it your internal state of mind that is turning your mind upside down?

Guess you know not the meaning of ignorant, because if you do, you should have given a thought to many of the numerous moral/religious/ethics argument against corporal punishment as it is called.

Please try educate yourself because one uneducated mind can ruin a nation. We need less of your kind to move this country forward.

If I become a governor tomorrow, I will never sign a death warrant for anything. Once I have you in prison, that is enough. I can kill in self defence if confronted in a war or in pursuit of a dangerous criminal; but it is totally wrong to take life that we cannot create.

Having arrested someone into custody, the state should focus every energy on reformation and on worst case scenario; take the worst criminals into life-imprisonment.

It is very wrong to pass judgement over a anythings life.

Honestly if you ask me what I wish her, I wish that the lies she cooks up in Aso Rock be exposed. I pray that a strong wind sweep away her and her likes (her masters and her comrades in arm) out of our seat of power.

I wish that we Nigerians learn quickly how to disgrace these people that has refused to turn around our economy; that have refused to run an economy that can guarantee reasonable work for every Nigerians.

I don't wish her well because I am convinced that she has knowingly or unwillingly helped in our underdevelopment.

Sincere 9gerian: It is the JOINT responsibility of the states, federal and local govt to create jobs and eradicate poverty.

The national purse is shared 50-50 by the federal govt on one hand and the states and local govt on the other (via state-local govt joint account).

So, while we ask how many jobs the federal govt has created in the last few years and what percentage of Nigerians have been lifted out of poverty through policies and programmes at the federal level, we should NOT forget the states.

How are the states and local govts creating jobs and eradicating poverty with their share of the national purse? How many jobs has Fashola or Sullivan Chime created in the last few years? These are critical questions that demand answers.

The problem of lack of jobs and increasing poverty cannot be solved without looking at the issue of exponential increase in population. But how can we tackle the problem of population if Buhari and other northern leaders see population as a tool for winning elections, wrecking havoc and earning more funds from the national purse?

In the long run, if we TRUELY want to drastically cut down unemployment rate and poverty, we MUST re-structure this country. Power must be de-centralised down to the states. The present arrangement where Abuja tries to feed 160million people can only breed more poverty and unemployment. It should be the other way round. It is the 160million people that should feed Abuja. In other words, the states must be allowed to harness their human and material resources for development and pay taxes to the centre. This is the only way forward.

But unfortunately, the northern politicians, with eyes fixated on oil money, will resist any attempt to re-structure this country. Currently, even passage of PIB is witnessing major resistance from the north.

Until the much needed re-structuring happens, we have to make do with what can be achieved under the present arrangement. Also the Boko Haram madness must have impacted negatively in the poverty and unemployment rates in the northern states in the last 2yrs (usually the bulk of these negative data emanates from the north and weighs down on the rest of the country)

jmaine: Robust and fair enough view . . .

Guy. You said the worst logic i have come accrosss. For your information, when we accuse the government of not creating jobs, we do not want then to set up the companies and the businesses that will employ us. What we want is for them to expand the scope of our economy. By this, I mean for them to drive upwards the capacity of businesses to grow in our economy.

Really, states government have liitle space to manouvre here. It is government policies that determines the scope of any economy and almost all those policies lies within the powers of the Federal government. Have you heard of Local content law, export/inport laws, exchange rates, World Trade organisation and the numerous agreement entered by teh Federal Government on our behalf? What about the ways and manners the various governments (Federal, state and local) awards contracts to foreign firms? Are you aware that the Federal Government have powers to outlaw the award of contracts to Foreign companies or at least control them to ensure we utilise local resources and manpower before exploring Foreigners? Are you aware that the federal government alone can control the dumping of several products on us which have the effects of killing our local companies (which can employ us)?

It is a cumulative effects of the above policies that are killing our jobs.

Imagine if half of the cars and compuers we use in our country are assembled in our country by Nigerian labour. How much workforce will that give? Are you aware a simple policy by the Federal government and enforcement by Customs who are purely Federal agency is all it takes to enforce that?

The problem with Nigerian is that the Government in Abuja governs Nigeria for teh interest of foreign companies and foreign government.

try understand why Muritala, Buhari/Idiagbon and Abacha was removed from Power. it is all owing to our relationship with the MASTERS of the world, who want to have our jobs for the people.

franchizy: I thank God for Gov T. A. Orji who single handedly provided Abians wit a constant Electricity especially in Aba.
How I wish other state Governors wil emulate Gov. Orji and develop there own IPP and shun d FG.
Ride on Gov. Orji as Abians and Nigerians as a whole are proud of u for ur developmental strides.
You will live long to continue to reap the fruits of ur good deeds. How I wish dat Nigerians will rise up and adopt u as our president come 2015.
We want change in Nigeria and we believe u ve the capability to bring Nigeria bk to the promise land.
Your excellency, we Abians and Nigerians, we say thank you once again and we wish u all the best in ur guture endeavours.

Why are you lying? Gemotrics had no input from Abia State when building the power station. The project was purely private interest of Bath Nnaji and the project has taken off even before Orji became governor.

If we are to thank Orji, it should be for giving them access road to the power station. That's if he had completed that because I have not been to Aba for some time now

I told my friend back in 2010 that the only sector GEJ can succeed is the power sector because of Bath Nnaji. The clueless GEJ has sacked GEJ and we can see how weak he is.

It is a pity all of us are suffering what we have made effort to avoid by voting the right people.

Where is the Fresh Air?

Rossikk: Sorry but you cannot invent your own facts. Investors are trooping into Nigeria. End of story. Nigeria is among the fastest growing economies on earth. End of story. Nigeria is approaching the position of largest economy in Africa, with a 7 percent annual GDP growth rate, making it an investment destination of choice for the world's businesses. Nigeria posts one of the highest returns on investment of any country on earth. Her stock market is yielding profits of up to 40 percent per annum for investors, an unheard of figure in western nations. The middle class is expanding at an unprecedented rate. These are ALL easily verifiable facts. Therefore, it should not surprise you that investors are pouring into Nigeria. If you understand basic economic principles, you would have no problem accepting what is being posted here.

Oh, I see, the thread belongs to you. Paid agent of GEJ; aprt of the 40 laptops chap? Have fun spreading the lies

Rossikk: The problem with people like you is that instead of you to go out there and research what is happening, you sit somewhere assuming nothing is happening, and then you start throwing these rhetorical questions about like anyone has the time to educate you on developments. I don't. If YOU cannot be bothered to research the answers to your rhetorical questions, I can't be bothered with schooling you either.

I asked you specific questions and you called it rhetorics? Guess you have no reasonable answer to give?

Rossikk: The textile sector is already seeing a huge revival.

Rossikk: You really have no shame do you? Or maybe it is your illiteracy and lack of exposure that is bothering you. Every post I made was backed with links as diverse as Ventures Africa, Business Day Online, Reuters, Bloomberg, BBC, ITN news, Daily Mail, The Jakarta Post, Guardian, Vanguard, Thisday, Tribune, Punch, et al.... Unless you're saying that Mr President somehow contrived to bribe all these news agencies to manufacture news of investments... In which case it is between you and your psychiatrist.

Rossikk: Go and get an education. You're clearly under-educated.

Those are all your response to what valid issues raised by people. We can know who you are from this.

Good night.