₦airaland Forum

I know this will not make front page, but I believe these are credible ideas that should be passed on till it gets to many Nigerians

THE BLUEPRINT: 12 STEPS TO A NIGERIA WE NEED.
We all as a nation are shouting and screaming for change. This write up is brought about by the wrong conception Nigerians have that change is anything but the present administration.
If you were paid to support either of the 2 parties, this article is likely not for you, as there is nothing the information in this write-up has to offer you as you have made up your mind. You can stop here. If you are also feeding off of either of the 2 parties, whether in power or trying to be in power, this might not be for you as well. This is for Nigerians who still have that little flick of hope somewhere in them.
Before I continue, I want you to know something for sure that none of the candidates and parties the real change Nigeria needs. I will spare you the details of why this is so, and go to the proposed feasible plan of how Nigeria can be great.
The following steps if followed and applied will take Nigeria to the promise land. If any of the candidates can promise this and follow it to the letter, we shall become a Nation to reckon with in a short period of time.
First, I will like to spell out the problems of Nigeria as a whole, before outlining the solutions. I will like to be as brief as possible as a lot of readers are busy and have little time to spare.
The biggest of all problems of Nigeria as people will say is corruption. This word has been used so much that it has lost its real meaning. We all know what is going on in the country and I won’t go into details.
The solution to corruption will be outlined below.
1. The Federal might should be decentralized and power should be given to state governments to be responsible for growth and employment opportunities in their states. If you take a look at any situation, you will realize that the major drivers of fraud in any situation are pressure, opportunity and rationalization. You will also notice that when there is a problem in states, people blame the president, even state governors who have embezzled all the state funds blame the president. Why is this so? Because the present system has given the governors that opportunity to steal and not be questioned, and the blame can be diverted to the center. You will agree with me that the people are at least closer in proximity to the state governor than the president of 36 states. Once this is done, the governors should be held accountable for any flaw in any state. Whether security, electricity, employment and so on.
2. A scheme to have a complete and comprehensive database of all Nigerians should be created. Nigeria as a whole has no record of its citizens. This is appalling. You will ask me how this should be done. All hospitals should be controlled by a federal body, which I know there is something like that in place, and all hospitals should be connected to this federal body. All new born should be registered with a specific number just like the social insurance number used in developed countries. Other citizens should be advised to go online and register with their full details. A center should be opened in all areas of the country where their bio-metrics can be taken. I know some of you are thinking how feasible this is. The answer is that, so many conditions should be attached to this. Such conditions include, monthly payments will be made to youths who have no source of income and would be done only if you are registered on the database with all correct details such as home address, date of birth, place of birth and your true picture. This is just an example. Another one is that funds will be paid to seniors (older people) who have no source of income and are registered citizens of Nigeria. Bank accounts should be linked to this specific number as well as car registrations. Travelling Passports should also carry this number as well. By linking everything to this Nigerian number, people will be compelled to register. Taxes will also be linked to this number as well as health cards that should be issued for the use in Government hospitals. The importance of this is that, a sense of belonging will be created in Nigerians and slowly and gradually people will start believing in the country for once.
3. The Nigerian mentality should be worked on. Asides corruptions, Nigerians are also hostile people. We believe that the only interest we should have is that of ours and our family. That is a very wrong impression and is one of our greatest problems. We have also seen this in the way our political parties canvass for votes, no intelligence displayed in cajoling voters, just violence, hate and I am better than you methods. Billboards should preach the need for politeness in communication and the need for service with humility. People should learn the manners of talking. Hate should be reduced by government sponsored TV and radio adverts. People should know that what they say goes a long way in affecting the society. Immigration officers at the airport should be taught how to be polite to Nigerians and not just foreigners. Nigerians pay their salaries through taxes. Custom officers, police men should be taught how to communicate politely, obvious lies by our force men should be discouraged. Lecturers in Universities should be held responsible for mass failure. Students should be able to report lecturers without being victimized. Lecturers and elders should not be seen as gods in the society. If they are doing wrongs, they should be corrected. Civil servants should not talk to people like they are doing you a favor. The need for love and acceptance and being responsible for reporting evil in your street or neighborhood should be emphasized.
4. The police force is 110% corrupt and many times the problem of security. A body (organization) should be created with highly trained officers, who are not police men but will be given constitutional power over policemen. They will be everywhere working undercover and secretly spying on police officers. Policemen that take bribe as well as accuse drivers innocently and are out there to extort people will be caught technically by a photographic device or by documenting their names. Policemen with no name tags will be immediately arrested and jailed. The reason for this is that the police can’t curb the corruption of the police, an independent body can. This will also create jobs. You will see that gradually, Police wrath would be reduced to the barest minimum. Increased salaries should also be considered to reduce the pressure of corruption on the police.
5. Education should be standardized and made free and a constitutional right up unto high school level. Government schools should be paid more attention and teachers should learn to respect the fact that they are being paid by taxpayers’ money and not act like they are doing these kids a favor. Every individual in Nigeria should know that it is his constitutional right to be educated up unto high school or secondary school level. It should however be noted that anyone who decides to drop out should be allowed based on freewill. A typical Nigerian should be taught how to communicate politely and respect the values of a sane society. Hate should not be bred by teachers who deliberately look down on students and make them feel they won’t amount to nothing. This type of action and comment should be punishable. The reason why quality education is needed is to prevent the continuous cycle of breeding touts. People should be taught the values of life and common sense. This way, the future generation won’t be employed as political touts.
6. Electricity is one big problem of Nigeria. It is a plague destroying most small scale businesses. It is also the reason why so many people can’t sleep well at night. Electricity should be privatized with Government regulation of prices. This should be ensured when the companies are invited into Nigeria. As many Energy companies as possible should be invited to Nigeria. State governors should be made responsible for this in their states. Whatever excuse they have been giving us for this is not tenable. Saying Nuclear energy is risky to Nigerians is the most stupid excuse ever by any Government. Can there be any other thing more risky than Boko Haram should be our response? 24 hours electricity is overdue in Nigeria. Those benefiting from lack of constant electricity in Nigeria should be advised to get another line of business. Big shots that are into oil business and benefiting from it should also be satisfied with all the billions they have made and be advised to diversify. This will not be an easy task, but should be enforced. The reason is that these people have eaten too deep into our society and we even praise them and beg for peanuts from them. The trend should be stopped quickly as these people are handing over to their off springs and making them believe it is their birth right. We all know that Nigerians like capitalizing on a dysfunctional system to make money. This needs to stop.
7. Courts should be made functional and accessible. People should not be scared to contend anything in court. Police men should only be made to take photographs of cars that over speed or pull them over and give them a speed ticket. No exchange of cash should be allowed. I know someone is asking how this will work. Don’t forget that by now your state has a database with all your information and address. The fine will be sent to your house by mail. If you do not agree, you should be able to go to court to contend that with ease. Courts should not be a place for time wasting. It should be a place where every citizen has access to get justice. Individuals should also be able to sue the government. If the state government is using power illegally, the court should serve as an independent body to put that right.
8. Research and Development. Government should encourage research and development of cutting edge technologies and ground breaking inventions. This is the only way to have a sustainable and developed future. Universities should be focused on invention and improving on facts. Application should also be encouraged in schools rather than the memorizing of theory only method that we are used to.
9. Transparency and accountability. Every government should make all their spending known to the citizens of the country. They should be answerable to the people since they were elected by the people. If any representative is fighting for his own pocket in the house of reps or house of assembly, Nigerians should know about this, so that they can be well informed of who to vote out as soon as possible.
10. Boko Haram issue. I am not a soldier and do not have military experience, but I believe this issue can be solved by real intent. It is obvious that our military isn't capable of winning this war anytime soon as the mode of operation of this group is tricky. One thing I know is that, they have a base where they return to. Since our military can’t destroy their base and cut their supplies, it is obvious that they have sympathizers among the people living in the region, or they want us to believe so. What I believe is best is to look for a country with military might, especially in the air force. Strike a deal with such country maybe airstrikes to their base for oil barrels. Once the deal is struck, carry out the operation secretly. Spend money on our borders and secure it properly. Customs should be made to understand that their job is to secure the borders and not harass travelers that just picked up their luggage at the airport. They should also know that their job is not to stay on highways and be asking for clearing papers of vehicles. That should be out of their scope. Their duty is to secure the goods coming into the country and make sure everything is inspected. Failure to do a good job should attract penalties to their top shots.
11. Finally, politics should be made less lucrative. People should go into politics for the right reasons. This can be achieved by cutting down on the salaries of politicians and position holders. Politics should be made less attractive. Commissions should be cut down by 70 percent. Waste in tax payers’ money should not be tolerated. You will realize that the number of people going into politics will be reduced.
12. Employment and housing. Once there is constant electricity, sane and secure environment, the presence of good governance and not a government that creates organizations and toll gates to make life difficult for the people, small and medium businesses will thrive. More companies will come into Nigeria and the economy will be better.
These are few steps to getting to a Nigeria that we need. Note that I have stated all points that counter the 3 drivers of fraud and cheating. Opportunity which is the situation where no one is watching you, pressure which implies force from something above you pushing you to do what is not right, and rationalization, which means “everyone is doing it, I should also do it”. If none of these parties is presenting Nigerians with something similar to the above blueprint, there is no change in sight and Nigerians should be aware of the choices they make. Until then, this is my little token to my great country Nigeria. If you have made it to this sentence, thank you for reading and please pass the idea on until we get a better Nigeria. The change starts with YOU.
Signed
Marc the patriot
marcthefan@gmail.com

It is crazy how everyone talks about APC as if they are God sent. The way they create tons of units just to harass the citizens of this country is alarming. It is even more painful to think that they turn a blind eye to the happenings of these so called units. For goodness sake, what is Lastma"s business with your vehicle particulars. These Lastma guys also showed me until I stopped giving a hoot about them. They are just cheats and completely lawless and out to extort you. Please be advised that next time, do not leave your vehicle doors unlocked. Do not open your doors for them, all you should do is roll your glass down a little to hear what they have to say. It is better to waste everyone's time there and then drive off when you get a chance than giving in to them. I cry for Nigeria as a whole, as this is a common trend in all the forces. Police, Road Safety, Lastma and name it. The most unfortunate one is how they change the story whenever a superior asks them why they arrested or seized your car. It is this same reason that I conclude that Nigeria does not have a credible candidate for presidency yet, as both parties have failed the few honest Nigerians left. It is however true that the people deserve whatever leader they get. A conscienceless people deserves a conscienceless and clueless leader. Until Nigeria has a database of its residents, and penalizes drivers and motorists the right way, by sending a fine to their home addresses or fining them at the point of arrest like developed countries do, without seizing your vehicle and asking you for cash, Nigeria will remain a living hell for motorists.

This is just an honest observation of the trend on the social media world about your music. With so much work and quality put into some of your songs, it is evident that there is inadequate push from you and your management on social media and the internet. As much as you do not believe in the social media world as you claim in most of your interviews, I believe there has been a major shift from dailies, magazines, TV shows and words on the streets to what we read and believe in the blogs, social media and the internet generally. It is funny to know that a musician of your calibre just have a little less than 90,000 followers on your Instagram page, while the likes of Olamide and your former label mate, have as much as 400,000 followers. It may be true that you really do not care, but I think it is time you had a second thought, as enough awareness is not being done for your songs and label. I can remember that people got followers on Instagram by doing so many funny things, such as giving out money, recharge cards and all sorts of competitions that come with gifts, but you have not done any in recent times, and that has really affected your followership. Do not forget that people love those they eat from, even if it is crumbs. To appreciate what I am saying, I will give few examples. Look at Linda, Don Jazzy, Kcee, and check out the number of followers they have. It is from the above mentioned conscious efforts that they got their followers. I am not implying that you follow the same route; all I am saying is that, there is more you can do about your awareness on social media. If you are too busy, get someone in your management to handle your social media updates and posts. I believe that at this point, you are thinking, "what is this one saying, does he know how much I make", well, that is true, but you need to remember that before the endorsements was your music, and if your music is no longer loved and wanted, you know the rest.
Your new song, “Feeling the Ni**a” is a club banger and a hit, which can fall amongst your best offerings in your career, but I believe you should push the song more. I was on the phone with a friend last night and we were talking Naija music, and I mentioned “feeling the nigga”, and he said what song is that. I told him DBANJ’S, then he replied, was it out last week, as I saw a song by Dbanj, but I decided to scroll by as I thought it was Dbanj’s post MOHITS business as usual. This used to be a die-hard DBANJ’s fan. As much as I can say you have moved on and handled business properly, you have not handled your music properly. You have not successfully pushed anyone on your label. Kswitch is a bunch of talent, but I wonder why he is quiet. He has the ability to be one of the biggest acts in Nigeria, but after a couple of hits, he has relented and gone quiet. I believe if you have a proper management, Kswitch should be buzzing on our stereos and every hit list in the nation right now, while you pursue business and money which you know how to do best. DeeVee is a great producer as well, and I see you signed a couple other guys with Tonto Dike as DB’s first lady. I believe you need a proper management to handle all the artists while you do your thing and oversee. You cannot successfully be the money chaser, the executive producer, singer, fashion Icon, big brother and the farmer at the same time.
To bring my long write up to an end, I believe you should just take a little time to retrace your steps to where you started having more than normal internet haters and less lovers and fans. Where you started doing shows with a live band and talking more instead of performing, when you believed that the out of Africa fans can pay more than the home fans, where you thought breaking into the American market is the true definition of success. You need to be the DBANJ that you used to be, the one that dished out good, danceable and funny songs. I honestly do not care about how much you make, all I care about is your music. I hope to see you buzzing musically again as you anticipate a bigger 2015, and your 10th year anniversary in the music Industry.
From a true Music Lover
Marc
marcthefan@gmail.com