₦airaland Forum

Aisha2, I'm with you on this. I just finished penning this article for publication in Nigerian papers.

Kidney Centre: A Better ‘Nigeria @ 50’ Gift
By ********
For start, let me state that the above is not my original idea. It was suggested by a concerned lady that opened discussion on the subject on Nairaland.com, Nigeria’s largest online discussion forum. Aisha2, as her moniker goes, is a lady with an uncommon passion for humanitarian services. I find her suggestion above not only laudable but also worthy of trumpeting to the outer world.

Nigeria is a nation of jesters. It baffles me when we brazenly celebrate mediocrity. Ghana celebrated 50 years of independence three years ago. They had something to show for it, yet they did not go on spending spree like this. Now three years after, Ghana is gradually becoming a lesson in what good governance can earn you – from politics to economy and even to mundane aspects like football, the country is getting it right.

Now, Nigeria is 50. The state of things in the country is currently in its all-time low. Our politics is in shambles and economy hovering on the valley of death. Even in less serious aspects like sports, we continue to disgrace ourselves at the global scene.

Given this shabby situation we are currently, rolling out drums to celebrate one anniversary is the last thing I expect a serious government to do. More surprising is the bogus amount set aside for the litany of unproductive events lined up for the anniversary.

Splashing 6 billion naira on independence anniversary, is wanton display of profligacy in a country where thousands of people die on daily basis due to lack of adequate healthcare facility. I read in papers almost on daily basis cases of poor parents begging for assistance in raising funds to finance the treatment of many Nigerians, especially children, suffering from renal diseases. This is why I am backing Aisha2’s suggestion. Kidney disease is now prevalent in Nigeria and due to the unaffordable cost of treatment, many people have already died of the disease.

I am made to understand that there is no single kidney centre in Nigeria. Setting up one, equipped with modern facility, I learnt, costs about 500 million Naira. Putting up four in different parts of the country will cost 2 billion naira, just one-third of the amount about to go down the drain in the farce called Nigeria at 50 anniversary.  This is a better gift for Nigerians, especially the children.

Aisha2’s suggestion was prompted by the story of the death of a brilliant boy, who died earlier that day. The boy, said to be the best physics and mathematics student in his school, died after 3 years efforts to raise 10 million naira to undergo treatment abroad proved abortive. Within a couple of hours after the discussion was initiated, two other contributors narrated how they lost father and sibling respectively to kidney problem, underscoring the prevalence of the disease in our midst today.

Do we even need to remind our government of the importance of this? Having just lost our number one citizen to the disease, I am surprised the new government did not even deem it fit to look along that line. This is another wake-up call for Jonathan government.

Becomrich0:
beaf, you are a young man, you are joking with yoruba people. You dont want them to be upset with you. There can make your wife visit every church in the world for you to look for healing. Do you know what they call aiye.

There is power were there is power. Go and watch agbarala.
Have you heard of ogboni and others before. There is power were there is power. That all I can tell you. men not come after you.

Word on the mapple

[quote author=sd-6 link=topic=478192.msg6377968#msg6377968 date=1279024237]This is more philosophical than political. It is understandable that people expect the critics and radicals to be unreservedly dogged and rugged and as such must not acquiesce to the whims of unpopular governance . The masses refuse to take cognizance of the "human" aspect of these individuals havin developed personality cult for them. They neglect the relative subjectivity and volatility of human idiosyncracy and are dissapointed when these men exhibit such human compromises.[/quote]Oh, this summarizes my take. The rate with which people suddenly change opinion about the so called 'radicals or critics' is the main reason I don't try to be one or be seen as one. People regulate your reason. If you say a word that they say see as 'out of character', you are suddenly expunged from reckoning and respect.

For knowing Iwu alone, some people are questioning the so-called radicalism of Attahiru Jega as if radicals are from another planet and are not meant to interact with other people.

denzel2009:
Do you tell them you are from Nigeria where you work in Canada?

See this one. BCR doesn't work in Canada, they work on him

[quote author=onye_ngbu link=topic=477125.msg6377282#msg6377282 date=1279017114]'African Pikin English'

theres always some new stuff from BCR[/quote]

Newest:
Thought it should be the man "I SO MUCH LOVE THE TATAFU section

Which one be tatafu section again?

Nice one

webgenius:
How can Nairaland be what it is without Becomerich If na joke make una stop am!!!!! Becomerich certainly deserves to be one of the unsung hereos or villians if you like, of Nairaland,

Becomrich is already 'oversung'. In fact, if NL Politics section is named after Becomrich, it's not too much.

mbulela:
will be with you shortly.

No wahala

jidobaba:
see entertainment!

I refer to the 1st page
Becomrich's chaotically insane yet sweetly rabid 'first attack' was the stuff of legend, but Jack' o omo's pseudo-emotional but clearly contrived riposte was , I must say, touche-per-excellence. This exchange has served to elevate my otherwise perpetual state of ennui somewhat

Kosovolese

VPersie:
I am back and ever-ready to continue my quest for NL popularity. Just got two more hours of cafe time. The aim is to be on the top 3 most popular Nairalanders at the end-of-the-year awards. I know I have my work cut out for me, but I am up to the task.

It is very unlikely that someone that browses from cybercafe gets into Top 3 Popular Nairalanders. But at least with this thread, you should have entered TOP 100 POPULAR NAIRALANDERS now. Keep it up and let's see where you stand by end of 2010.

@beaf and DK,
Which set were you guys in FGC Ilorin? Bros finished there.

Becomrich o, ma ba se e lo

Dr Kitaun:
Check for a similar earlier thread.

NL encyclopedia,
Has this been discussed here b4? Wiill check.

mbulela:
Jarus, please take note.
You have become the Dele Momodu ati Seye Kehinde of Nairaland

Mbulela, let's enter here: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-478192.0.html

Lively discussion is welcomed. From the general perception of criticism to criticism as it is done on Nairaland. All issues I identified are open for debate.

THE COLUMNIST AS A CRITIC
In Nigeria, columnists, especially those that write on political happenings, are generally seen as critics. Well, they are not seen as one, that's in fact what they do. Now if a columnist praises government, does he lose your respect? Should a columnist that has been criticizing government keep silent when he sees a right done by the government he criticizes? Has he become a sell-out if that happens?

CRITICISMS ON NAIRALAND POLITICS SECTION:
In a country where more bad events occur than good ones, it is fair to accept that criticizing and lamenting among Nigerians is not out of place. Like in the real Nigerian world, any discussion of politics borders on criticism. NL is no different. Some posters are however more known for the fierce way they criticize(and they are entitled to that), some are subtle critics, some mix criticisms with praising when they feel there is need for it, some are here only to praise, some even obviously PR agents for some people(see my expose on Saraki agents: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-464911.0.html). But I'm not interested in the last class here.

I for one have never seen myself as a critic. Rather I prefer public affairs commentator. I praise(whether government or individual) whenever I see something I find impressive done, and I criticize whenever I see an act that is condemnable. My good friend, Mbulela, notices this very well and he has misunderstood me as a person of double identity - a critic and a praise singer. He says I excessively praise people, so my criticism at times is questionable. But I have never seen myself as a critic in the first place, but I try to be a progressive.

;d ;d

WOLE SOYINKA AND IBB'S TEA: Recently there were media reports of how WS and some AC Chieftains left Adam Oshiomole's 'one man, one vote' rally for teh fact that IBB was present. Reports later had it that WS and IBB had earlier met in the same lounge and even took tea together. One writer, Kola Oyeyemi, made a story out of this and accused WS of hypocrisy, that he never mentioned in his interview with the press at the airport on his departure from Benin that he met IBB earlier. Now questions: If WS had attended same rally with IBB, will you still see him as a progressive?

ADAM OSHIOMOLE: Comrade governor of Edo state, Adam Oshiomole, is respected for his being on the side of the masses always. He was(and is still by my people) seen as a radical, progressive. With Oshiomole's recent romance with IBB, has he, in your honest reckoning, lost your respect as a pro-masses progressive?

ATTAHIRU JEGA: The wide adulations that this man received on his appointment as INEC boss showed what radicalism can do for you. This is just a point by the way worth mentioning here.

PRACTICAL CASES FROM NIGERIAN POLITICAL SCENE
-TAI SOLARIN: The man was a fierce critic of the government. Everybody accepted he was a radical, a progressive, a man on the side of the masses. He was known for his spartan lifestyle, for his dress style of simple jacket and shorts like those of colonial era policemen. He soon took up government job, under IBB, as Chairman of People's bank, I think. For the first time, he was seen in agbada. Nigerians went to town. Tai Solarin was accused of dumping his radical bend and now playing along. Do you agree this act expunged his radicalism bend?

-DR. OLU ONAGORUWA: He used to be a human rights activist, a respected lawyer. He later accepted job as Attorney General under Abacha regime. That dented his credential. Although he later fell out with Abacha, to the extent that Abacha's killer squad got rid of his 29-year old medical doctor son. is Onagoruwa still a radical to you?

-GANI FAWEHINMI AND THE MARWA RAM: Sometime in 1998 I think, then Lagos state governor, Col Buba Marwa, sent out Rams as gifts to prominent Lagos Muslims, including Gani Fawehinmi. Of course, Gani was never a friend of the government. He not only rejected the gift but invited the media men to witness the rejection. Questions: Was this in order? Was this not an unnecessary alarmism? If Gani accepted the gift, will he diminish in value as a human righst activist in your reckoning?

I had little challenge titling this thread. A lot of titles came to my head. First I wanted to use, How Not to Criticize or How Not to be a Radical, but that appears too leading and conclusive. Also hovering around my head was 'Who is a progressive? or Who is a radical?', before I eventually settled for the above.

Let me set the background by asking these questions:
-Who is a critic?
-Must a critic criticize always?
-Should a critic keep silent if he sees government do something right?
-If a critic, suddenly and out of character, praises a government, has he automatically become a sell-out?
-Who is a radical?
-Who is a progressive? Are Dino Melaye and co progressives?
-Must a radical or progressive or critic believe he's right always? What of differing opinions?
-Is there anything like separating message from messenger?

Becomrich0:
The way I write is a form of written developed in Nigeria. I am missing Nigeria pinkin and africa languages with my written. It is like batu.

Yeee, ori mi o

blacksta:
See attack oooo ooo - it is not u peoples fault - Cyber cafe operator lol - If i tell u what i do and how much i earn a day - u will loose your mind. I mostly come to NL to breakway from the serious work and it works best for me. Unlike you fulltime NL addicts.

Now this is getting serious.

blacksta:
Unsung hero ko Guitar hero ni --

o serios o

mbulela:
Jarus, please take note.
You have become the Dele Momodu ati Seye Kehinde of Nairaland

Taken note, but not accepted. It's not all about criticizing. I'm not a sadist that see things only from the negative side. I praise people when I think they deserve it and criticize when need be.

Mbulela, let's meet at our usual joint - Politics Section - to debate the issue of criticizing and praising, as you have always reminded me of this at every turn

In teh mean time, more nominees please!

A rejoinder to Amuta's article:

Amuta goofed on Abia
By Chinyemike Torti 12/07/2010 00:02:00

Reactions, interventions and wise counsel from stakeholders in the Abia project have and will always be gladly received by Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji who maintains and insists, that the opposition is an essential attribute of constitutional democracy, which is all about debates, transacting the people’s business in public and of course the right to dissent in a civilised manner. From day one, Ochendo, a consummate and thorough bred statesman, extended an olive branch to and welcomed the opposition parties for an inclusive and anti-exclusionary ideal government that will move Abia forward.

According to him, everyone is welcomed, nothing is unimportant, and no one is insubstantial. But where this role is devalued by carpet baggers whose sole essence is to overheat the policy then the right thinking critical mass must demur. Chidi Amuta’s recent piece titled "The Abia Tragedy" was a caricature of critical prose that fell short of scholastic traditions.

Dr Chidi Amuta struggled in his backpage THISDAY newspaper column of June 1st, 2010 to lampoon Abia State by deploying his template of turning darkness into light, rhetoric and gimmicks of mass hysteria and scare mongering.

By conjuring fictive and morbid images of warfare a la Mexico, Liberia, Mogadishu, Democratic Republic of Congo, the ‘learned writer’ unsuccessfully wrestled with the idea of painting a self fulfilling portrait of utter hopelessness, danger, anarchy, virtual paralysis, which he concludes have wider implications for national security. Not done yet with his bundle of fibs, the erstwhile Dodan Barracks house Negro, embarks on a voyage of discovery where kidnappers in his native Ukwa/Ngwa axis ‘control the land corridor’ between Rivers and Abia State.

By his own admission, Chidi Amuta has not visited home for some time due to, the fatuous reason of ‘being ensconced in the opulence of fine homes in Lagos and Abuja’ and his inability to pay for a flotilla of mobile policemen and soldiers. In plain terms the tall story he put out on Abia about armed bandits, sundry security agencies, string of levies, unpaid pensioners/salaries, was a treatise gleaned from grapevine sources and not the product of real time investigative journalism. And this does grievous damage to the integrity of the piece which in main, was just a vile compendium of abuses, insults, scathing and virulent name calling.

If Amuta was not on ground to report events, never witnessed nor obtained unassailable evidence of issues he pontificated about, then he must be setting some questionable standards in journalism.

Amuta deserves our sympathy for sketching an untenable agenda which is located in his unimaginative call for a state of emergency to be declared in Abia. His choleric argument rests on the hocus pocus that kidnappers in God’s Own State now spread their dragnet further afield to adjoining states like Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Imo etc. What a parody of down market media hype. Propaganda has its limits. Amuta’s discourse on the crime and security situation in Abia demonstrates a crashing failure of judgment on the aetiology, sociology and origin of kidnapping in Nigeria. It smacks of mischief, ignorance, or a combination of both to posit that the malaise is an Abia exclusive.

What we have on ground today, albeit localised and limited to three local government areas strictly in the Ukwa/Ngwa area, is an alien, copycat criminal behaviour whose origin is traceable to militant groups in the oil rich Niger Delta region, fuelled by ransom taking, went haywire with kidnap of foreign oil workers. In 2007, they seized over 150 foreigners, including a three- year-old British girl (Miss Margaret Hill). Nigeria then acquired a rating as second to Iraq in terms of being the greatest risk to oil workers.

The original motive, to attract global attention to the horrendous living condition in the Niger Delta, went to the dogs. For the better part of 2006/2007, Rivers State was under the siege of all manner of gangsters who feuded, maimed and kidnapped in the Port Harcourt killing fields.

Like cancer, entrepreneurial kidnapping spread to neighbouring states like Imo, Anambra, Abia and Enugu, where Igwe Uche Nwachime, a royal father in Nkanu West Local Government was abducted and butchered in cold blood. The proprietor of Grand Riveri Hotel, Enugu, was kidnapped but was released after the ransom payment of N5m. The younger brother of the Federal Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili, was captured by kidnappers asking for N30m.

In Abia, the kidnappers debuted with the snatching of the Enyimba Club chairman, Anyasi Agwu; and erstwhile ASUBEB chairman, Comrade Iruke; and a host of Abia State top functionaries, fuelling speculations that some nefarious anti government saboteurs were the ragamuffins perpetrating this abominable behaviour. However, the wave of terrorism that goes on in various parts of the nation could at best be described as federal in scope but local in jurisdiction. Recall that President Goodluck Jonathan authorised an interventionist approach like the JTF security template for the entire South East zone.

The Abia State Government has gone beyond the call of duty to institute measures to abate the risk of body snatchers. First, the constitution of a Joint Task Force consisting of the military and Police with appropriate logistical back-up of 147 brand new vehicles. The notorious flash points contiguous to Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway have been specifically reinforced with a flotilla of crack anti-insurgent troops. The state government also provided dedicated hotlines, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Confidentiality is assured all citizens who have information to give. To date, Governor Theodore Orji has continued to pay a reward of N1m to informants whose efforts have resulted in successfully dislodging and arresting these criminals.

Rather than excoriating Ochendo administration, a pragmatic thing to do is to rally round him to fashion out strategies to combat this new wave of terrorism which makes no distinction between friend and foe. The nature of our federalism concentrates all powers and agencies of coercion in the hands of Abuja authorities. The governors are mere sitting ducks, though they are dubbed the ‘chief security officers’ of their states.

It is important to state, without any fear of contradiction that nobody and nobody is being owed any salaries arrears or entitlements by the Abia State government. The few comatose industries and SME’s in Aba and elsewhere in the federation are fallout of the harsh national operating environment like infrastructural deficits, erratic electricity, fiscal policy somersaults, and global melt down.

The principal channel of transmission of the adverse impact of the global economic crisis to LDC’s has been trade/industry. As contraction started to take root in the Nigerian economic space from the third quarter of 2008, this pulled down growth, hitting particularly hard the leading SME’s in Nigeria which includes Aba, all out of the control of the state government.

Those self-appointed guardians of public morality who flatter themselves as ‘illustrious citizens’ should get enlightened with proper perspectives of issues in the political economy. People who pioneered the "come and chop" syndrome in Babangida’s DFRRI should be wary of pointing accusing fingers at innocent people. What goes around comes around.

Writer is Abia Governor's media assistant

Found this article, written by a friend, insightful.

By MT,
USA

Congratulations to the new world champions — Spain! I was going through all the games I saw in this world cup in my mind and some of the lessons they brought with them:

1. There is a first time for everything. Think South Africa. Before now, all host nations have made it through the group stages. In 2002, even South Korea and Japan, arguably the weakest teams back then made it to the knock-out stages “just” because they were hosts. Of the last 18 editions of the World Cup (WC), host nations have won the ultimate prize six times. France and England have won the Cup once and that was when they were hosts! The host nation myth is just that — myth. Reality is painfully different. And we all watched with surprise as the host — South Africa — got kicked out early in the tournament. South Africa fans started the tournament chanting “Bafana Bafana”, before long they were singing “BaGhana BaGhana”! Understand: There’s scant consolation in the belief that nothing will never happen because it hasn’t, yet. Each day is different and so are the forces at work. A new history is always waiting to be made.

2. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Think France. France was one of the four European teams to play in the inaugural WC in 1930, in 1998 they were host and they won the final match beating Brazil 3-0, in 2000 they won the UEFA European Football Championships and a year later the Confederations Cup. As recently as the last WC, they were in the finals which they lost to Italy under, uh, dramatic circumstances. By any standard, this is one of the world’s football powers, a team to beat, a benchmark of some sorts. But all that they came to nothing as infighting took its toil and tempers flared. The world watched in disbelief as the coach’s insecurities, the captain’s ego and the players’ indiscipline played out in training camps, in press conferences and on the field. Ever heard of players going on strike during a major tournament? This mighty giant self-destroyed. This great team imploded. They couldn’t overcome the enemy within and so they were like a city with broken down walls. They became a prey to every team they came across. A 2-0 loss to Mexico followed by another 2-1 loss to South Africa was enough to quickly send them back to Paris. Franklin once warned: We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

3. Success is how you define it. They were 32 teams in the WC and they all were contesting for that Golden Cup or were they? Each country came to the WC with different expectations and so while Spain are definitely happy, they are not the only “successful” team. Greece for instance was very happy with their performance even though they were eliminated in the group stages. Why? Because for the first time in their history, they won a World Cup match! That, to them, is success. It looks like the world is set up to make one miserable. Or why else would FIFA create only one Cup knowing very well that 31 other teams won’t touch it. Can we all be winners? Must some people lose out? Key: Define success on your own terms. Compare yourself with yourself only. Are you progressing? Is today’s performance better than yesterday’s?

4. The fence is an unprofitable place to sit. Think New Zealand. The All Whites never won — or lost — a game in this WC. If you strike them, as did Slovakia and Italy, they will strike back; if you leave them alone — like Paraguay did — they will leave you alone. There’s something endearing about pacifist teams like New Zealand: they are fun to be with, they won’t disagree with you or strike you first. There’s also something unsettling about people like that: you don’t really know where they stand. In times of moral crisis, they keep quiet. Are they for it? Are they against it? They are afraid to take sides so they find a middle way, a fence, to sit on. Because they neither blew hot nor cold, they were promptly spewed out of the tournament. The world can be ruthless. There are win-win scenarios, win-lose situations and lose-lose circumstances. There’s just no place for the neutral, the lukewarm, the apathetic. Theodore Roosevelt said it best: Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though chequered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.

5. Past performances are no guarantee for future results. Think Italy. You see this caveat in adverts on financial services. I think it is a motto everyone who has tasted success before should be reminded of. The Azzurris were the defending champions and most of the members of the winning team four years ago were here but history is not enough. Three matches later (every team is entitled to at least three matches, we have that to be grateful for), they were back in Italy. So is history useless? Doesn’t history repeat itself? Make no mistake about this: History repeats itself, but only in outline and in the large. We can reasonably expect that the in the future, as in the past, some new empires will wax and some old empires will wane and that new generations will rebel against the old and pass from rebellion to conformity to reaction. History repeats itself in the large because human nature changes with geological leisureliness, and man is equipped to respond in stereotyped ways to frequently occurring situations and stimuli like hunger, danger and sex. But in a developed and complex civilization individuals are more differentiated and unique than in a primitive society, and many situations contain novel circumstances requiring modifications of instinctive response; custom recedes, reasoning spreads; the results are less predictable. There’s no certainty that the future will repeat the past. Every year is an adventure.

6. The World is bigger than your backyard. Think England. All the English players ply their trade in the English Premier League (EPL). The EPL is one of the best football leagues in the world and so England has its fair share of stars. Rooney , Lampard, Gerrard, Defoe to mention but a few entertain us weekly with their surreal soccer skills. They struck fear in opponents during their qualifying matches. On paper, they should be a strong team. So why don’t they win WCs? Perhaps because its easier to get players together than to get them to play together. A collection of brilliant minds is quite different from a brilliant collection of minds. Or perhaps the answer lies in that statement: “All the English players ply their trade in the EPL.” They are a bunch of local champions. They have not seen the world, not played in other good leagues around the world, think the EPL is God’s gift to mankind and so when they come to a truly global stage like the WC, the bubble they live in burst quickly. Is it any surprise then that the only time they won the WC was when they hosted it in 1966? I predict they won’t win it again until they host it again or until their pampered players leave their cocoons in England and engage the world. Don’t miss the point: Do yourself a favor, leave your country for a while, no matter how great you think your country is. You will be much better off for it.

ilugunboy:
Go ask Becomrich.

Exactly what I wanted to tell him . . .[quote author=Okija_juju link=topic=476925.msg6364788#msg6364788 date=1278808510]@ Poster

Get a catchy username. e.g Okija_juju's Apprentice.

Make sound contributions.

Be nice to other bloggers.

Start nice thread.

Be a comic

Start gettin a fan base.
Be like me.[/quote]These are definitely a good way to get popular, but their opposites have proved to be faster on NL.

Convert this sentence to becomrichlese: Each state in Nigeria has 3 senators.

From my little knowledge of Nigerian football following, I think Fabio Olanipekun, formerly of NTA, is one of earliest Nigerian supporters of foreign team. He has been a fan of Liverpool since the 1950s.

I also have an ex-boss that has been supporting Tottenham since 1979.
Mumini Alao and Qasim Alao of Completesports have been Liverpool supporters since mid-80s.

I started supporting Arsenal in 1999 with the signing of Kanu and Barcelona about the same time, when my favourite player then, Patrick Kluivert was there. My later favourite players (Ronaldinho and Eto'o) further strengthened my fanship of Barca.

On the local scene, I used to be a fan of a club called Okin United in Division 2 then being my town's FC. This was in the mid-90s. Later I supported Kwara bombers and followed them passionately until local league went into oblivion. Today, I don't even know the coach of Kwara United.

Oya, let's go down down memory lane.
Which club(s) do you support and for how long have you been suppporting them?
You may let us into teh circumstances that endeared you to the team.
Team here could be anywhere. From Abiola babes to Fenerbache to Ajax