Well, Mr Omatseye is attempting to revise political history here especially of the South West.
What unfortunately he failed to include or in a way help himself with in answering some of the questions posed by his inference from this is that there has been a considerable gap between the period Chief Awolowo was in active politics, leading up to his death and the new democratic experience we are having.
Chief Awolowo left an ideological legacy, not a political organisation. This explains why many of those who still believe in what he stood for are found in many political groups today. I am sure some of his children still believe in those ideals too, but we must be sure to note that our politics is bereft of ideologies today. And wining elections today has nothing to do with any legacies hitherto. Nay, our people do not even vote for any ideology nowadays, our politics belongs to the highest bidder as it is now. This may explain why none of his biological children are very active in the scheme of things.
The writer is also a bit ignorant on HID Awolowo's role as a Matriarch of the Oduduwa race presently. Her duty is not to make enemies with her children but to gather them together regardless of their political inclination. Which may explain why all the actors that have graced our political space in recent times have warmed to her. It is not representative of any bias or ultimate belief in what those people were doing.

At the end of the day, I think it would be a disservice to Awo's legacy that his children remain the ultimate beneficiaries of an egalitarian and emancipated Yoruba race that he laboured for. And because the Sarakis and Tinubus of today are riding roughshod on the political aspirations of others to "anoint" their wards does not make it al-right at all. The Kennedys and the Bushes of this world did not impose theirs of the psyches of Americans. Their wards made it in the world of politics by their own exertions and they could only do so in an atmosphere that rewards ideas and strong beliefs in the course society should follow. Unfortunately that is not yet our own story.

Someone said something about "Salvage auctions", Really??, are these vehicles in "salvage" conditions?

Idupaul wrote: "your wrong, Any body that takes up the mantle to become The president /head of state or whatever of this nation owes all Nigerians a lot meaning he will take decision to better the collective lot of us all, it doesn't matter if he got there by Vote, rifles or even a god damn rocket, the fact he elected to sit there he has automatically made himself answerable to the people, See am past looking for a messiah to turn the country around , i just need the nearest devil to fix the light and other infrastructure"




I can't believe this, There goes the hope of a nation, If we all will think like this, one wonders what will be left, as a nation, We might as well all go to bed and forget joining the rest of civilisation.

Idupaul, so you think our problems can be sorted in an atmosphere of injustice? You think if you are okay, then everyone else is okay? You need a rethink here,
I am sorry, Yaradua does not owe you anything, (OBJ did not either which is why we are here now). You had no hand in him getting there.In fact, you can not hold him accountable if he fails to solve some of our problems, He does not have your mandate to do that and neither do you have any hope in hell or paradise to question him on that. The entrenched system has made sure of that. That is the question here and if you fail to realise that it is a shame.

For once , I see someone thinking just the way I am thinking on a thread about Nigerian politics. Our politicians have so conditioned our national senses that we hardly know what we are about again as a people, We are forever at home with "moving forward"; "in the interest of"; "national security" and other divisive connotations they have imagined that we can not rationalize change.

Thank you, Sky Blue (maybe i don't even need to thank you but respect your discernment of what the real issues are).

Common sense? We Nigerians can excuse anything!!!!
When shall we depart from our paths of ignominy? When??

What now stops the 2011 election being worse than this last one?
I have heard arguments about Atiku and Buhari not being the answers to our problems.
We have treated this whole issue as if it is about the personalities involved rather than bequeathing a credible process. As if it was only Atiku and Buhari that contested the elections. I watched the proceedings live on the net, and noted references to "Awolowo vs Shagari"; "Falae vs Obasanjo" and I marvelled at what it was all about (referencing earlier controversial cases that have contributed to our present day rot), maintaining the status quo of a perilous electoral system or a turn around to move our nation towards a system in which fairness, equity and justice is the bedrock.

This is a sad day in our history,

Buhari's, for insufficient evidence.
Atiku's, that he did actually participated in the election,

I always had the inkling that justice will not be served on Nigerians.

Shame, shame, shame

It is all over the net now, we are watching live on the net, and both Atiku's case and Buhari's were thrown out, shame on us!!!

The story of Transcorp is a quintessential Nigerian episode.
We know the best things in the world. We know what we deserve and what we want. But essentially what do we lack in achieving our lofty dreams? We are not always ready to pay the price (this factor alone is the greatest impediment to our national prosperity).
I never bought into the Transcorp dream (and i am not anyone's typical nay-sayer)solely because it was a business venture being engineered by the government of the day (third termers who thought OBJ would at least have had a go for another five years).
A mega company of the type OBJ imagined needed to have had an organic growth not just one that would have started from the top to survive the tests of time. Even if OBJ had stayed another ten years as President I could have had my bet that Transcorp would not have lasted 20 years at the max. Transcorp was built not bottom-up but as an inorganic edifice with no roots and definitely no one was indeed ready to stake out for such (case example Jim Ovia setting up a rival company to it, what that tells any discerning individual is that these guys were only serving someone's agenda on the board and did not particularly share in the dreams of the organisation). Most of the Directors were government appointees, exposed to the whims and caprices of a maximum OBJ and essentially it worked more like another ad-hoc parastatal of government. And we know what the history of such ad-hoc arrangements are in Nigeria.
Another company that comes to mind that actually depended massively on government patronage is Dangote's, and herein lies the difference between the two coys in that, one is the dream of an individual who has taken the time and paid the price to build an organisation from the scratch. It will take more efforts at destroying Dangote's empire without tearing a massive part of the nation's economy apart with that action. Which is not the story of Transcorp, as soon as the dream (and the dreamer) fizzled out of political reckoning, all hell was let loose.

If Transcorp had succeeded, we would have recreated a serious case study for MBA students from around the world.

A lesson in time!

If this happened in Colombia, Berti Vogts wouldn't dare return, as he would be shot!!!!

Interesting. But it got me off when little kids were derogatively described as picaninnies. That was a jaundiced colonial outlook.

I am looking for rental properties to buy within the Lagos metropolis , and i am not being cheeky here , for about N5-6million, What are the average rentals per annum? and is this realistic?

Haha! Without sounding unduly unpatriotic, I think we deserve the bad publicity. Or are we to say they were “cooked-up”?

I just came back from Nigeria barely two weeks ago in which I had to make an unplanned journey to bring in back my son who had accompanied my wife to Nigeria endorsed on a Nigerian passport (because we still believe fervently in that green book) who was allowed out of the UK but was not allowed back in simply because he was endorsed on a Nigerian passport. Needless to say that I had to prove that indeed he was my son (almost to the point of disclosing when he was conceived) before I took him out of Nigeria and I found that particular scenario disturbing.
But indeed I learnt some hard lessons as well. Nigerians are involved in virtually anything untoward that you can imagine. Child trafficking, people trafficking, immigration racketeering just name it.

It is sad, as we are claim to be victims of an obtusely bad reputation but is it a lie? These are the questions we should really be asking ourselves as a nation.

I had planned to go to Nigeria later in the year more so to go access the state of things from “inside” and not just hide out here in the UK and be making postulations about what should and should not be in Nigeria, but alas, that journey was subsequently fast-tracked by events for me.

The Nigeria I met was not exactly the Nigeria that we are made to believe it is (or that many of us grew up in for that matter). And that cuts both ways if I may be sincere. It seems to me that there is a new breed of “happy go lucky” individuals who are indeed making the best of a horrible mess that the nation is now and on the other hand a near hopelessness on the part of those who can not see any ways out of the current situation.
The Naira is very well bastardised (or is it commonised) as you could easily be filling up your car with about N2000 or more and I could remember that about ten years ago while I was almost wrapping up at Uni that was a lot of money (in fact my monthly pocket allowance was not up to that as a student). It is very sad.
But I could not fail to observe the resilience of the Nigerian. The hope that still lies on faces that still believed it would yet be better (E go better now!) and I just marvelled at the spirit in the Nigerian. Only if we could channel those into meaningful productivity, what a great nation it would be.

Back to if CNN indeed needed to have broadcasted that piece. My people it is painful, but I would prefer it being in the public domain rather than it be continuously glossed over as an issue. It just makes the positive thinking rest of us more aware to the fact that we cannot just fold our hands and allow a discordant minority to continue soiling our hard –earned reputations. It is a tough call but I would rather that in fact we make so much noise of it ourselves too so that at a stage we begin a campaign to weed this rot out of our collective psyche.

It is also sad that we as a people tend to glorify material possessions for its sake and that is the root of all of these malpractices. We believe definitely that other guy with that sleek automobile (regardless of where the money is coming from) is a better person than us who are doing our bits and contributing positively to society. It should not be so and it is also one of the reasons we have not had any serious leadership in Nigeria to date.

“You also said strenghtening our institutions does not guarantee much”

Omoifa,
I have read my post again, and I can’t seem to find where I mentioned that. In fact, if I did, that would have easily obfuscated the import of what I wrote!

My sincere unbelief in the TTA as is now known is borne on the premise that it definitely does not harbour any good for our politico-economic structures and that is exactly what I wrote.
Over time, strengthening these institutions will definitely guarantee that political office holders will not ride rough-shod on the people putting them in power.

And in any case, I think you have failed to understand that when we talk about social institutions, we do not only mention those that drive the economy. In fact there is no absolute limit to what can be included in that mere word. But what they all have in common is the ability to provide the right social framework to produce a sense of nationhood and also that they are guided by rules that ensure that the people will believe whatever they get out of them is justifiable and fair.

And this is also my grouse with a lot of supporters of the erstwhile amendment charade that it was all hinged on OBJ’s attempt at improving the economy. The economy just by itself can not survive in chaos!

You have mentioned that we will be on a roller-coaster if we just change a performing executive simply because the rules allow that.
Need I bring out the inconsistencies of thought here? Need I point out that your support for solid institutions also must include respect for the rules that guarantee the strength of such institutions?

Sincerely, it is a new day after the defeat of the TTA now. In truth, we all should drop our battle swords now and go back to watch cautiously the events that will unfold.
Make no mistakes, there will be a lot of intrigues and there will be foul play but we just should keep on alert to bring into the public arena the enemies within.

Thank you very much Mr Nutter for agreeing to raise issues with the type of civility required to discuss them.

Yes, the failure of the Nigerian state is not because our leaders do not know these problems; it is more of they do not care!!
I agree with you that over time, there have been severe injustice meted out to the Igbos (and likewise other nationalities without a doubt) in Nigeria especially over such flimsy reasons as religious differences.
But I still believe the balkanization of the Nigerian state will not solve these problems.

Nigeria as it presently stands is designed to be a community of states in a Federation. But the sad scenario is that it currently operates as a unitary system which is the reason a lot of people (like you) remain disenchanted with the state as the Federal government is too far away to effectually affect the lives of the people. Easily this kind of scenario creates a monster of the Federal system.

You have mentioned the Welsh and Scottish examples which even though is imperfect but working, can be replicated in Nigeria as well simply by giving autonomy to the regional zones but still retaining the Nigerian structure for simply the administration of common institutions that will promote and secure our sovereignty (e.g. the armed forces, external affairs, economic direction and the likes). We have chosen to operate a Federal presidential system (with a whole comprising of many units) but in reality it still feels like a unitary-top command style as was evident in past military regimes.
These (and many other imperfections of the current constitution) I believe should have been the main thrust of an amendment programme/ agenda as some people would term it. But alas, our political elite as always seem to get it all wrong at every opportunity, the proponents were selfishly aiming to further enrich their nests by their talk of tenure elongation.

These issues are difficult (but not impossible) to untangle but in reality, if we have serious politicians who are ready to pursue the right solutions, we should be able to get a working solution. But my fear as always is that the present crop of politicians will not deliver these.

So Mr Nutter, it still is not yet uhuru!

Thank you Prophet Orikinla!!

Are you a member of the NCP?

Ashiwaju,

Please do not get easily incensed by Mr Nutty out here. He is only expressing his desire to see the actualization of a Biafran dream.

To Nutty however: It is only when you are ignorant of the trends in global politics and economies that you will in all honesty desire for the balkanization of the Nigerian state as it is now.
But like every nation within the Nigerian sphere your fears are not exclusively inadmissible. They are real but like I always mention, the problem with Nigeria is not that we don’t know that we have problems but essentially that we aim to reach our objectives but with the wrong methods.

The problems that we have either in the South-East or the South-South is the same in every zone of the country (as a practical analogy, Garri is not essentially cheaper in Zaria than in Lagos with a horrendously wide margin and I can assure you that every Nigerian faces the same life battles irrespective of where they are resident).
We have for a long time been having leaders who have no ties with the people they are leading hence, the dividends of good governance are forever eluding the people. People keep shouting resource control as if that alone will equate economic freedom. People keep shouting rotational presidency as if that in itself will be a succour to our national woes. Likewise the emotional warlords of Biafra and the Niger Delta. What will you do with Biafra if you have it today? I bet you do not know the first things about that.

Sincerely, until we have a welfare-driven leadership in Nigeria (which in all honesty is the duty of government), these problems will persist. And when I mentioned welfare on now rested Lagosforum.com last year some ignoramus was quick to label me a “die hard socialist/communist”. This is not about that, but it is about having a government which sets in motion a goal of recreating more resources for itself and thereby redistributing such resources to creating better life chances for its citizens. If you know that as a Nigerian, there are institutions that will guarantee that your eventual outcome in life will not be dependent on inheritance, status, tribe, clan, sex or any other social criteria and that irrespective you can aspire for anything of your heart’s desire without fear of injustice or systemic strangulation, you will not be anchoring for dismembering Nigeria! You in fact will be busy with the business of your life that you will want to effectively capture the best life can offer you.
The sad part is that a Biafran nation or Niger Delta republic with its present constitution of leadership will not guarantee such. Hence, we have to wake up to reality and stop all this tribal jingoist recantations of Biafra, Oduduwa and the likes.
The governments we have had in Nigeria have never made the welfare of the people a priority and it sad enough.
The bulk of the oil in the UK comes from the North Seas yet, the people in Scotland are not arguing about leaving the UK in its entirety to form a new country. In fact, Europe is aligning her constituent economies to form a larger front to have a comparative advantage in the global economy, so why should Nigeria break into tiny states with hardly the resources to effectively participate in world economy today?
Another scenario is that for those clamouring for a break in the Nigerian state, we should ask where does it begin and where exactly will the divisions end?

When I first read the news that the bill proposing constitutional amendments had been defeated at the Senate yesterday evening, my heart went out to the great warriors of the crusade against occupational enemies of democracies all over Africa (and by this I mean the Chukwumerijes, the Mamoworas, the Idris Kutas, the Tokunbo Afikuyomis etc. of this world). These are people who have fought gallantly against the machinery of the Presidency and this is also a first in the last seven or so odd years since return to civil rule. No Senate has been able to withstand the onslaught of the Aso Rock machine since 1999.
It is a great day for Nigeria and indeed for black Africa.

Let us be grateful even in victory though for OBJ’s camp in producing a perfect opportunity to entrench our institutions. Someone rightly mentioned that this episode will continue to be understudied by students of political history even a hundred years from now. It will be a reminder that sovereignty does not derive from one person but that it comes from a collective resolve of a people and also that even despite our young democracy with its own retinue of inadequacies; you can not railroad an unpopular wish against a people. That is one of the beauties of representative democracy. You can not plan the future of a nation around one person safe for if we want to revert to a constitutional monarchy.

There is a but though; the battle is not yet over.

We can celebrate but we should not get too drunk and shut our collective eyes to the “political concerts” that lay ahead in the next few months.
And this will ultimately be the test of OBJ’s legacy; the successful hand-over of power to a civilian successor (by a civilian administration) and mark me this will be a first in Nigerian history. This is why I think the battle is not yet over as there will be serious tackling and shuffling. This is more remarkable as there is an apparent dearth of political aspirants ( I may be wrong), and I want to pray the next few months will present us with the opportunity of seeing people coming out to fight for the Presidency. One thing the defeat of this bill will definitely produce is that the political sphere will be free of the near-hopelessness and apparent zero flux of activities within the political parties.

Now that we know (and this we can boldly hold on to) that OBJ is not staying in 2007. I pray our youthful eyes will be open to the political machinations of our politicians. We also need to pray for peace to reign. From the history of political transitions that we know of in Nigeria, it has never been devoid of violence etc.

Who next though? Mr IBB? (IMHO NO!); Mr Atiku? (IMHO NO!). The road is long and windy and definitely exciting, but by God, we will get there as a people. Amen.

Seun, I believe your platform is here to stay and I thank you for the wonderful opportunity this presents for Nigerian youth to share ideas which hopefully and eventually will diffuse into the larger society.

Omoifa,

I note your defence of the “third term” agenda and just wonder what a waste to the Nigerian cause! What a waste that a coherent debater of issues like yourself could end on the wrong side of issues. The world will be a better place for the likes of you only if you would be on the vanguard at defending the near helplessness of the Nigerian masses.
Your dexterity at defending this agenda has been a bit misplaced though. No doubt you sound informed but I can bet your doing a “yeo-man’s” job of this third term thingy is just not selling.
I believe on another day, at another appointed time and particularly on another issue, we might be moved by your fluidity of thoughts to believe there is something afterall that you have to offer.

I am discrediting your views on a few points which I would like you to note as well:

a) You make it sound as if the institutions that drive the economy (and by extension economic stability) are the only prerequisites to our dream of an orderly Nigeria where opportunity abounds and a sense of inclusion rules and drives our patriotic zeal for the nation. No, it is not. Yes, Mr OBJ has indeed tried to achieve a couple of feats especially where his erstwhile colleagues in uniform have all failed even when they had maximum opportunities to do such. But my friend (if I can call you that, because an enemy of the Nigerian people can not be my friend), that is not enough to guarantee him staying longer than he is due in executive office. OBJ will not take us explicitly to that stage where institutions have been so grounded to a fool-proof stage that anyone can just rule us as you have mentioned. In fact, no nation can boast of such a system. Institutions are eternally in a flux and they derive their fluidity from the people they are meant for. Ours should be allowed to grow and flourish at an organic pace and not at a situational one which is defined by some people’s perception of the one entrusted with leading us.
b) We can not be short-sighted as a nation to imagine that constitutional amendment only and always will refer to amending term limits for executive leadership. What OBJ and his henchmen in Abuja will be achieving if they actually succeed in this is creating a very bad precedent. That you can tamper with the constitution even in the face of great opposition to it without anything dire happening. What then stops a mischievous President in future deciding to change any other part of the constitution to suit his and his co-sojourners in future? As such when we talk about strengthening institutions, we all have to agree that the foremost option for us is to have rules that guide the operations of these institutions. If we can easily tamper with these rules and in such a brazen way that OBJ and Mantu are going about this, then we are essentially destroying the fabrics of such institutions ( for Christ’s sake this is about the soul of Nigeria, about her people and not the myopic interests of corporate Nigeria and the political elites). If this drive were actually people-led, this would have been a different scenario. But save for deception, we all know that it is only coming from a section of society (this is bad for democracy).
c) If per chance we have all been wrong afterall, why is OBJ himself not coming out himself to defend this agenda? Afterall, he is the one to lead us after all is said and done and he has been given that constitutional go-ahead. This just goes to show that there is something missing in the kind of leadership we have in Nigeria. A leadership that is so far away from the people. This begs the question: who is this third term for? The people or OBJ and his army of charlatans? There are rumours of some solid stuff changing addresses and accounts in Abuja as we speak, if they are true, then what sort of institution are we talking about building? Who shall we be fooling?

If OBJ loves Nigeria so much, he should leave in 2007 as stipulated by constitutional provisions, but before he leaves, he should prepare and start campaigning for a trusted lieutenant that always take good advice from him on thorny national issues. That way his legacy of reforms will be well intact.

I like the idea of someone in the ilk of Pat Utomi aspiring for Nigeria’s Presidency at least for the sake of a lack of quality candidates as it were at the moment.

Now, we will have to look at this assumption (that he will aspire) with critical objectivity.

Without resorting to the usual "Naija stylee" of praising what is not, Prof. Pat Utomi is an acclaimed academician, banker, businessman etc and one that we should indeed be proud of any day as representing the multitude of genuinely hardworking and intellectually grounded Nigerian youth (he is still one of us even though an elderly one).

But politics is a different ball game entirely.

I will vote for Pat Utomi only on one condition: If he knows what he will do with the Nigerian Presidency if ever he were allowed a shot at it. And by this I mean a coherent manifesto which we would use as a yardstick to know if he would be worth our worries. He will also need to prove to Nigerians that he neither represents any particular nepotic interests be it tribal(or even zonal) or elitist as it were.
Our problem is not that we do not have intellectuals or whatever sort that have had opportunities in power, it is more of them not effectively articulating what they wanted with power and pursuing such with the dexterity of purpose they have so shown in their various callings.

A Pat Utomi Presidency could be a blessing to our nation if and only if he will show that same sagacity that he has been known to attack issues on his talk-show coupled with his vast wealth of knowledge and exposure in economic circles to propel Nigeria on a march to freedom.
But who are we to know that until he comes out himself to promote himself and sell himself to Nigerians for starters?

Secondly, does Pat Utomi have a political base (a necessity in elective politics)? If he doesn’t, then we can only wish to have him as a council chairman not to talk of him being the President of Nigeria regardless of the sort of politics being played in Nigeria today.

This is a sign of the things to come. When public service becomes a perfect opportunity to leech on society forever!
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article01

What do you people think?

Sorry Akolawole you didn't get the import of my response to you. I am personally inclined to “geriatricks”!

The point really is that OBJ did not just become a figure in our politics after 1979 (or in 1999!). And if the truth be told our national mess started in the 70s of which our dear OBJ was a major actor. Like I said earlier he is one of the luckiest leaders who incidentally have been given another opportunity by providence to redeem himself and he should just run with that.

Omoifa: yes, seemingly the proponents of “third term” have this same excuse that OBJ has given us some form of purposeful leadership since 1999 therefore he should just continue the good job. Unfortunately, save for any mischief being contemplated, this might be true especially in some instances and we do not necessarily need arguments about that. But having said that, reforms and economic blueprints and what have you can not be entrenched in a society where all the other ingredients of stability are lacking and one of such is a solid political culture (and this encompasses national political ideologies, a tested mode of succession, respect for the rule of law etc.).

We have tried so many things in Nigeria, Structural Adjustment, SFEM, NEEDS, pseudo-privatisation and you can name it, but the problem with all these policies is not that on paper they lack merits, but that they alone can not survive in a society where there is not the adequate socio-political structures for them. This is why OBJ will rightly be scared that his legacy will be squandered by his successor.
Privatisation (and likewise any other economic reform agenda) for instance is potentially going to create more problems for us because the rules (and where there are even rules, they are not religiously adhered to) are not essentially well-defined especially concerning who owns, how much you can own, who arbitrates distress, industrial relations etc.

My “beef” (if I am allowed to use that word) with OBJ essentially is that he is not addressing the political problem; “third term” is just an ad-hoc solution to that problem and it potentially has the capability of worsening it.
There are a few leaders who have the rare opportunities of having the kind of control OBJ has over his party, in which case I believe he should be using that as a platform for political reforms in Nigeria. Do I see another missed opportunity here?
OBJ’s platform remains the PDP (let’s face it he became the President of Nigeria as a representative of a particular political organisation) and if he wants his good programmes (which I also believe are essentially not OBJ’s programmes but that of the PDP) protected when he leaves in 2007 (or whenever as things are shaping up now) he should continue to make those political investments in the PDP in such a way that within its ranks there could be another credible representative to carry on the programmes. That is how democratic foundations are solidified. We should be wise enough to “smell the coffee” here. We can not build our society around personalities. It even smacks of some kind of political mischief, if the PDP were confident enough of their achievements (and in fact the beliefs that define their organisation) in power, they should uphold their achievements and go back to the people for more time to continue their good “deeds” as a political group and not win the political argument via the backdoor!

So, I believe necessarily the “bashing” is not about OBJ but what he is doing and people are not dumb enough to recognise that there is a potential danger ahead.

You just answered my question. 1979 till date. Do I need to ask any more?  Nigeria did not start into being in 1979!!!

Please,

Akolawole,

I believe if you have a good understanding of our political and economic history, you would not think that was a baseless fact, It is not an assumption. It is a fact that is known to a lot of Nigerians.
OBJ has only been given a rare opportunity by providence to redeem itself, and he should take that and run with it,

My very dear omo ifa, ,

I read your post and marvelled. You have mentioned that there is a display of mediocrity in the comments of all other forumites here. I beg to disagree and I must also express my view that you seem the one most qualified to be labelled mediocre here. That is a personal opinion though.

Governance rightly is about the development, maintenance and protection of societal institutions and systems. These institutions include those that are responsible for creating a workable political system which is protected by the rule of law.
I have mentioned in many posts that it is of course foolhardy to imagine that OBJ has not contributed to our development even though most of those efforts are geared at tackling our macro-economic problems (which is partly why we are not having a trickled-down effect on the average Nigerian on the street). And that indeed should be the first step for any goal-oriented government. (I will refer you to an earlier commentary of mine here https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=10703.msg305372#msg305372 ). But having said this, it does not mean that OBJ should continue by doctoring an amendment of the constitution especially in the midst of so much opposition to that effect (except as we can note that you live in Abuja, you are too close to Aso Rock to feel the opposition).
Whatever may have been his achievements in this republic, there would be an evident failure of judgement if he has not been able to have within his coterie of hangers-on been able to groom successors to his political empire. No politician worth his salt ever leaves the political stage without this. That will mean no one is clearly faithful enough to uphold his legacy!!! If that is the case, then he obviously either has no legacy to be protected or the people around him are as mediocre or are insincere……

We need strong institutions in Nigeria and not ad-hoc solutions to our problems. The quest for an amendment to the constitution is an ad-hoc solution and smacks of an unveiled insincerity by the OBJ administration to protecting even democracy itself. It is unimaginable that less than 12 months to what would have easily been another election, the incumbent government is not preparing for another election as would be expected in any democratic setting not even at the other tiers of governance…

I do not know why some people easily believe that if you are not living in Nigeria you should necessarily become unconcerned with her progress. That is a myopic stand especially when issues that border on our socio-political emancipation are being discussed. The Asian Tigers that have notably defined our nascent global economy have in no small ways had their countries been re-engineered and carved paths to their national rediscoveries owing in no small parts to the efforts of their diasporan nationals. We indeed should aspire to that. A lot of Nigerians living outside Nigeria are more concerned because they see their host countries and note that they are not as endowed as our dear Nigeria and yet we as I once mentioned scupper to these countries.

OBJ remains one of the architects of that great robbery (they stole our today ages ago and that is why we are not in Nigeria today seriously contributing to national development); we necessarily do not have to allow him and his cohorts to steal the future of our children…,


On a lighter note… mi o ro pe ifa a gbe  e o… (I do not think Ifa will sustain you if you continue to support a misadventure such as OBJ’s third term)…,

Very good thread.

Danmasani: Irrespective of where people stay, their take on issues and obviously their political perceptions do not necessarily change. As someone rightly put it: “if you are a lizard in Onitsha, you will remain a lizard in New York”.
So if you have read some Nigerians living outside Nigeria who are stating their unequivocal and somewhat uninformed support to a criminal amendment in the constitution to allow a third term, it is not because they necessarily understand the environment they are living in or even support the principles that have held those societies. Some people live in the UK, USA or wherever and they are still as unenlightened as they have ever been.

Likewise, please… not everyone living outside the shores of Nigeria are necessarily living a fun-filled life as you have mentioned. That is a cliché that has been sold to a lot of people over the years. It is a steep curve out here if you must know. But I believe the import of this thread is not about that.

Asiwaju: Please do not forget that a lot of us who live outside the country do go home often and we tend to compare the situation of things prior to leaving the shores of the country and the prevailing scenario when we go back home. We are as informed as you can imagine about the tough scenario in Nigeria. It is the more disheartening for a lot of us who know that our host societies are not as endowed as Nigeria is… and yet, we are all scuppering to these places. The obvious question is why? I particular like your passion about this whole third term abracadabra but having said that we need to remain objective about political issues. That objectivity is one the greatest lapses in our socio-political system.

Back to the main discourse: I believe OBJ represents the worst that has been produced (and is still being churned out) by the Nigerian society. A society bereft of selfless individuals will always produce the likes of OBJ. A society where self matters more at all times will always produce the likes of him. He is not confused; he is only living to type.
As my Yoruba people say though “Ara won lon se” which means they are undoing themselves. The people who are his greatest supporters today will all live to reap the fruits of the discordance they are creating in society.

I find it very ludicrous (watch it is not ludacris) when people talk about the reforms that have been achieved by OBJ as a reason for him to continue. Yes, there have been macro-economic reforms that have been jump-started by the current administration, but it is only intellectual neophytes like Ahmadu Alli and Ojo Maduekwe who can talk on national TV and ascribe those as the reasons why OBJ should continue in government. Arrant nonsense! A nation is not built just around a personality or a particular set of reforms.

I have mentioned a number of times that those reforms where actually part of the mandate given to OBJ in 1999.He was given a mandate to put us back on a trajectory to national rediscovery; not  himself as the solution to our national woes. He can not even be the solution as he is one of the midwives of our national disaster. He has delivered what he can on that, it is time to go and give the baton to someone who will carry on the race from there.

It is even the funnier when people mention the lack of credible people to aspire to the Presidency. I wonder what political parties are about? Political positions are necessarily not about the persons occupying them but the beliefs shared by a group of people who control political power. The occupier of that post is just a representative of that group and could be removed on that note at any point in time if he stops sharing those same beliefs.
If the PDP (as the so-termed dominant political party) can not produce within its fold another “credible” person to aspire in 2007, then it should stop recognising itself as a political party but a “club of rodents” on the Nigerian system.
Political contests are fought on platforms everywhere in the world, so anyone should be able to fight for the Presidency from any party.

Let us back up to the USA a bit, we all remember that Bill Clinton was and still remains a political icon; in fact one of the best presidents the USA had in the last century, but when his time came up, he had to leave to allow for constitutional provisions. Is OBJ comparable to Clinton on any front?
OBJ should just leave peacefully and prepare for life out of power. He would even be more useful to Nigeria in that capacity.

Dear Prophet,

It is heart warming to read your piece. Obviously there was the original and almost instantaneous temptation to post a reply refuting all the claims you have postulated here in favour of OBJ’s government.

Before I delve into my reply to your post, I will like to note that I do not have an ambition to pose as a perpetual gadfly here even in the face of reality.

I have mentioned in many places that indeed if there was a Divine appointment for OBJ in 1999, it was to be a stop-gap leader to prepare Nigerians for the journey towards full blown accountable democracy. That was the mandate. OBJ was not intended to be the solution to Nigeria’s problems.

Obviously, between 1999 and today, there have been some steps towards rebuilding the nation (and that also is a relative fact) as you have mentioned and those that easily come to mind include improved communications, a sort of agricultural revolution (viz-a viz the cassava initiative), pragmatic tackling of our national debt palaver, increased confidence in the stock market and of course the consolidation in the financial sector.
These are indeed the dividends of democracy and should not be ascribed solely to OBJ’s ingenuity. He will obviously be the recipient of laurels for leading the government of the day when this all happened.

Now, you have made claims in your post that are a bit superfluous even for OBJ’s achievement in government.

Transparency: I do not agree we have  yet, a transparent regime in Nigeria. We were all witnesses to the fact when OBJ, while still in government was able to acquire a license to set up a private university in Nigeria. Shall we assume the process was transparent? Shall we assume this does not constitute a vital conflict of interest? Shall we assume that being the President does not give him leverage in the process of acquiring such?  In advanced democracies that you are wont to compare us with, would this not have been a major political scandal? (What was David Blunkett’s offence for being bundled out government if you remember?).

Anti-corruption: If you ask me, that is a sham too. Justice can never be said to be done when the people it is meant to serve have no faith in the system. It has been said in a lot of instances that the EFCC is an organisation that tends to chase after opponents of whatever the people in Abuja profess to believe and aspire to? And again, what has happened to the culprits of this so publicised arraignments? Where is Wabara today? Where is even Alams? What happened to Tafa even with the mouth-watering amount said to have been looted by the nation’s number one security officer?
What else could effectively describe corruption when court orders are daily been disobeyed and the government notorious for selectively effecting any judgement that suits it?

Freedom of speech: I bet you will agree that this also is enacted in the constitution along with the freedom to associate, freedom to rally and other freedoms so protected by the constitution. Has OBJ’s government had a pass mark in this? NO. It is daily becoming a past-time for the opposition (which is a requirement in any thriving democracy) to have their opinions forcibly stifled even in our democracy.

On PRONACO: if we could remember there was a government sponsored confab sometime last year. What can we say became of it? Was the whole idea not that there should be a parley for people to share ideas on the way forward?
If this did not happen, should people sit down and just pretend it is alright. PRONACO is not an anathema in a democracy. As far as I am concerned it is a forum of people with like interests to come up with ideas on what they believe should be a solution to our national questions.

As a minor addendum, you also mentioned that Tony Blair was yet to declare whether he is running or not at the next elections. I wonder where you get your facts from. Tony Blair has stated categorically that he will not be running at the next elections. The only problem now is that his rivals want to know when exactly there would be a succession within the Labour Party ranks. Get your facts right on that one.

You also postulated that the goal of achieving the best successor should be achieved in a civilised way through dialogue and good sense. This was evidently lacking in what has been a sham of the constitutional amendment process headed by Senator Mantu. We all know that the framework of our national existence needs to be overhauled, but you don’t achieve that within a few weeks just by taking representations from a select few who are sympathetic to the desires of the leaders of the day. Nigeria is bigger than anyone even OBJ.

Yes, there is an obvious exposition on the lie that our Presidency has been in the last seven or so years. Now the swords have been drawn. We shall wait to see who gets slain but remember that in a duel, no one goes unhurt. The question now is: do we need this battle? Or even how did OBJ manage to get us in this state?

My take on third term is very simple: OBJ should be thanked for taking up the battle to put the nation back on a pedestal. Indeed so far he has delivered on the mandate he was given. OBJ should however wake up to reality. He should instil confidence in our political process by declaring his intention not to prolong his stay at Aso Rock. As if by magic, credible people will start making political permutations to secure a successful succession in 2007. But as we have less than a year to the purported election OBJ’s insincerity about the entire process has put it almost in jeopardy. Who then is a lover of Nigeria?
I also find it bemusing that OBJ in all his supposed ingenuity had not been grooming worthy successors to his legacy since 1999. That questions his integrity if at all.
Our Yoruba people have a saying: “Bi ina ba ku, a fi eeru bo ju, bi ogede ba ku, afi omo re ropo” which literally means that each begets his own young to take over from where providence has made it to get to. Haba OBJ!
OBJ and his cohorts are tempting the Almighty by presuming he is the all-knowing answer to our problems. He is not. Only God can give wisdom to any man. He should quit the stage and let the men of the land decide who the next King should be.
On the contrary, he might decide to play the game but there will be repercussions. That we all know.

Atiku, IBB, Marwa and the rest might not exactly fit the bill but I think our democratic experience should not be made to suffer because we all of sudden seem to lack men of courage that will challenge the status quo. If they be the ones that will mount challenges, please let us pray out of all of this someone realises that OBJ is not all powerful and can be wrestled politically. Let us go beyond their personalities and hope something good comes out of that democratic journey. It is a journey and we might not even get there in this generation, but we don’t have to abort and turn around now just because it seems the logical way out (N.B: seems).

Oga Prophet, there will indeed be replies to your rants here, wait for it.
We had not in fact read this before your religious onslaught.

Please,

Dear Pastor,

I like your Nigerianess and obviously your patriotic effort at addressing the problems of the nation as you have so desired, but you know what, we Nigerians are terribly known for dwelling on the things that do not matter in the eventualities of time (and a particular reference to your perpetual romanticism with your MBA and title, I wonder if that is a highlight of your sojourn on mother earth) and when we do intend to get a hang of things, we go about it exactly in a way to destroy the good intentions.
Nigeria has a lot of problems, which definitely need people with a patriotic zeal like yours to contribute in uplifting her from the dire straits our erstwhile leaders have driven her to.
However, treating the Nigerian issue as if it were just a religious matter is not the way to go, in my belief. Religion when it is best used is to develop character in individuals but a particular emphasis on it especially in social issues breeds division.
We can argue about this forever, it is glaringly appalling considering the Nigerian penchant for religion, yet the laxity of morality, honesty, sense of community and love in our nation. What then is our religion if not to promote these?

You have also stated that Nigerians cry everyday about the parlous state of things, my brother, they are crying for help. The situation can be very real. I remember the last time I was back home about two years ago, I was robbed at gun-point (maybe I won't be here today) right in my parent’s living room in broad daylight and it all brought the whole picture to a realistic clarity. Society is failing, and the more we can keep our leadership on their toes to do something, the better. We can not all smile when people are daily losing life and limbs because things are just not right.

Sir, a little advice, please for people with some level of the real worth of your efforts to take you more seriously you can start by not attaching so much to your educational or spiritual accomplishments and write as a concerned Nigerian that you are.

Typical Nigerian with a love for titles,  Prophet, evangelist, MBA, MSC, PHD

Dr, Alhaji, Pastor, Oluwo, haba…

Let me start by saying I do not believe at all that Atiku is a saint and if presented with a more credible choice as it were today, I would rather support such.
I don't think, even within our political sphere, there are as yet any saints, so the notion of Atiku being a looter would need not be a criterion here (though in an ideal scenario it would be, but then are we in an ideal scenario in Nigeria?), except we want to throw away the "baby with the bath water" and then that would mean we are expending our political reality.

I quite agree that we need new faces in our polity. But the question to ask is: where are the people with guts to challenge the status quo? Are these people waiting to be driven from their homes to contest elections? In all democracies, people never become leaders without showing some aspiration.
It is only in Nigeria that people clamour for power without presenting choices. The South-south people wants it, but are not presenting candidates, the South-east wants it and are not presenting candidates. Even the opposition parties do not want OBJ again, and there are no presidential candidates. What democracy?
I believe truly that there are some governors who can mount the saddle and yes, take us on a beautiful journey. But they have to come out. If they are not going to come out, then I believe anyone who comes out to challenge OBJ’s tyrannical dreams will do. I still wonder if Nigerians will ask OBJ (and he will be true enough to state that too) if there was never an agenda in the making since 1999 and why the PDP had never been making plans for succession all these years.
This is ridiculous. They just want to maintain the status quo to further enslave Nigerians.
The goal here is to entrench democracy. Once we can stay firmly on the course of protecting democracy, the rule of law and especially constitutionality, then we surely will have hopes that a day will come when we can truly have a conscientious national leader. I believe Nigeria’s problems can not be solved by just one leader, not even by a generation, which is why it sounds so intellectually lazy for OBJ and his cohorts to believe he can stay on to finish the job (what job if you ask?).
OBJ was meant to be a stop-gap leader. One to bring us back on to a journey to democratic practices, and not a national problem solver (he aspires to that though). He should go back home to rest after delivering that.
If he so desires not to, then whatever it is he  has worked for in the past 40 years of national dominance is going down the drains.

Toshman,
Thank you for the last comment. Let anyone of Atiku’s critics throw the first stone.
For those who are shouting,  No to Atiku,  I beg of you, who is coming up against OBJ? Do we have any choice now?
For the sake of democracy, anything against OBJ will do for now.
We should never dream of reaching that Utopian state in a flight.
Our democratic struggle is a journey, and anyone who will stand up to defend that process should be a hero. Nigeria did not begin withe OBJ and should not end with him. If Atiku is bad today, entrenching our polity and eventual respect for constitutionality will ensure that people like him will pay one day for their deeds. An OBJ extension and criminal amendment to the constitution effectively takes us off that trajectory.
But we must never run away from the threats to society that the likes of OBJ and his crowd of “ghosts” represent today.

Thank you Mr Atiku for speaking up (and others who have vehemently done and are still doing so).
But to prove to the world that he is really a democrat at heart, Atiku must redeem himself at the altar of Nigerians by giving them hope. Hope to have the strength to fight the battles that lie ahead.

I wonder for a generation that only sees life from "what gets in " and not " what gets out",  and the more worrisome when you are a part of that generation.

Must we measure things by the amount of millions earned,  or what not?

The problems in Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with how many millions someone is earning. The society at large is at the brink of a , ? (lest i be called negative/ pessimistic).