₦airaland Forum

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United States of America’s world power status for almost the past century may make imagining her once powerless, subdued by British colonialists, unbelievable. As a boy, it was to me unthinkable, similarly so to some people today. Like Nigeria before 1960, USA before 1776 was exploited politically and economically for British gains. But unlike Nigeria granted independence in diplomatic circumstances, USA was denied that goodwill and constrained to battle her way through. Her resilience on the battlefield for years compelled Great Britain to recognize her independence declaration. I reason Nigeria is among beneficiaries of that unforgettable British experience and can become another USA.

US President Donald Trump's ongoing state visit to Britain, marked by grand royal aerial and terrestrial activities British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) regards unprecedented, attests to great influence the US has amassed with her independence for 249 years. As I listened so raptly to Windsor castle state banquet speeches of King Charles III and President Trump—appeals by Britain's monarch to deepen security and economic collaborations—it was self-evident USA had leveled up. USA ranks number one globally in economy, military, digital technology, politics, entertainment, athletics, education, health, to mention a few. Presently, Britain or United Kingdom (UK) conceiving war against USA is suicidal a mission. If you doubt a former colony can rise to glory, USA testifies it is achievable.

Actually, Nigeria shares similarities of colonization, founding fathers/nationalists, civil war, heterogeneity, sizeable population, massive land mass, significant natural and human resources with USA. But how they've functioned elucidate Nigeria's divergence that so despairs us. Most of our nationalists allowed selfishness and tribalism override patriotism, a price we pay to date. They lacked vision and determination of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin to plant trees that would feed and shelter, not them but posterity. Most Nigerian leaders repeat those mistakes. Aware it took USA at least 100 years to stand tall, confronting us is reality Nigeria may not become a USA in our lifetime. But Nigerians, leaders and citizens, must begin now constructing runway for our nation to take off and fly in the future. Nigeria can prosper.

©Kelechi O. Naze,
Concerned Nigerian.

Socio-cultural vices surrounding us are skyrocketing. Fraud, drug abuse, and prostitution rank high. I agree engagers bear consequences of their actions. However, observation compels me to identify complicity of their parents/guardians in most cases. Opinions aired online or offline by many youths and some elders evoke pity towards their misfortune of negligent parents/guardians and misguided children/wards under them respectively. I sense many parents are either ignorant of their responsibilities or too careless allowing other concerns blur their obligation.

Providing shelter, nanny, food, clothing, recreation, and educational enrollment to your child is incomplete. This default parental mode in our society unravels why children of rich and poor can become liabilities. Filling a child's parental void cannot be delegated unless you prefer risking worst case scenarios. What completes parenting is excellent enlightenment. From year one, intentionally start enlightening your child about your family’s vision, values, purpose, discipline, reward, impulse, excellence, finance, authenticity, hard work, envisioning, strategy, puberty, romance, dressing, persistence, etcetera. Communicate so understandably, stop leaving these topics to chance! Supply your son or daughter a foundation on which their teachers build. By year fifteen, ensure your child has been taught all life's essentials by you to minimize bad decisions and multiply best decisions in your presence or absence. Life is a battleground, prepare them. But can a coward forge a warrior?

Indeed, fatherhood and motherhood transcend making a child. Many parents today have no business having a child, even in marriage. Marriage doesn't cure ignorance, it waters ignorance to yield negligence. You cannot give what you don't have, so children therefrom are mostly bound to emerge dangers to themselves and society. If you're not yet a parent, begin embodying life-enhancing virtues you desire in your child; but if you are, reexamine yourself, readjust your character, redirect your actions to fit man or woman from whom your child draws inspiration.

©Kelechi O. Naze (KON)

Past one month has been tense in Asia. Swiftness in which deadly missiles are exchanged between some nations therein stirs concerns across international media and organizations. From Israel versus Palestine (Gaza), India versus Pakistan to Israel-United States of America (USA) versus Iran, we witness how inter-country confrontation nowadays transcends words to fatal actions. I see sophisticated missiles and bombs impact targets, destructions on lives and infrastructures left in its wake. Beyond widespread nuclear-weapon-centered world war III paranoia, thoughts about Nigerian military’s formidability so burden me.

How strong is Nigeria's military? How current, practical, decisive and sustainable are trainings inculcated in the Nigerian army, air force, and navy officers? How substantial are their incentives? What advanced weapons are in our arsenal? Are there researches ongoing to improve them and innovate more? Do values of excellence, meritocracy override favoritism? How prepared is it today to confront any invasion with a success probability rather than improbability? What is our military's realistic 50 to 100 years plan? What are the corresponding present concrete efforts? These questions merit attention of every Nigerian, political or apolitical, northerner or southerner, religious or atheist, man or woman, educated or uneducated, student or worker, young or old, ruling party or opposition.

Indeed, this concern is more so amid upsurge in hostilities between nations globally. Nigeria's incapacity to exterminate Boko-haram insurgents and bandits after several years gainsays our military's solidity; its full support to the police and paramilitary bodies is unsatisfactory. I understand many Nigerians are religious, often so hasty to apportion hundred percent protection responsibility to God or deities. This is unsustainable. Maintaining peace, Art of War author Sun Tzu observes, demands preparing for war. Time for downplaying pivotal role of our military to end has come. Throughout history, no country survives, thrives without fierce a military; neither Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, Britain, France nor biblical Israel. A nation's military is difference between preservation and extinction.

Finally, link between Nigeria's primitive politics, shaky economy and mediocre military is obvious. It is a symptom of consistent deficiency in visionary leadership, a disease plaguing Nigeria since 1960. I acknowledge neocolonial interferences but disagree this trumps our will to have a working nation. Unlike USA that resisted Britain's neocolonial attempts after her 1776 independence, Nigeria's political class is tolerant and complicit. However, upgrading our military is an emergency necessitated by today’s technological warfare. Nigeria’s presidency and national assembly need realize only Nigerians alive can reap democracy's dividends. We cannot bear unending Dasukigates of siphoned military budget. Military chiefs need compulsion by recent events to be futuristic in leading. I hope these stakeholders draw inspiration from queries above.


©Kelechi O. Naze,
Socio-political Analyst.

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President Trump's bluntness and decisiveness is worthy of emulation in any part of your life.

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This isn't intended to defend 2face Innocent Idibia or patriarchy, as you may suppose. Instead, it approaches 2face’s decision to discontinue marriage to Annie Macaulay with minimal emotions unlike many reactions online/offline. Disagreeing with me doesn't erase this truth's existence regardless of how much it discomforts you.

Though I wished 2face-Annie divorce is fake news, 2face’s affirmation video surfaced. I wasn't delighted but rather compelled to contemplate how they got there, which would interest you. In fact, Annie shouldn't have married 2face. 2face never hid his insatiable appetite for women, hence baby mamas and children abundance and regard as “Abraham, father of many nations.” It indicated inability to commit, be loyal and love one woman in marriage. 2face wasn't innocent but Annie stayed optimistic about his character change. Why?

Annie crossed paths with 2baba as a teenager, growing so attached to him over several years together. As 2face philandered with results, it was natural sticking to him. But not all natural tendencies or feelings are in our best interest; we need filter them with reason. That was enough signal to cut her losses, walking away. Annie didn't. She endured repeated disloyalty from 2face and rewarded him with marriage. Whether marriage lasts for a lifetime or short-time depends on love’s conception.

Love is a decision, neither a feeling nor attachment, of commitment and loyalty to man's or woman's vision and values. 2face may have had a decent vision but his values indecent and insufficient to sustain a marriage. Love's cornerstone is reciprocity. One person's love is incapable of preserving any marriage; Annie’s love for 2face was unrequited but feelings blinded her, yielding divorce today. Don't let it blind you, too. People demotivated by this incident to marry showcase their ignorance. Annie neglected opportunities to decline marrying 2face during courtship, so blame her more than 2face.

©Kelechi O. Naze (KON)

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US President Donald Trump's inauguration few days ago marked climax of his November 2024 presidential election win that delighted me. Given odds of resilient state sabotage and millimeter distance to death overcame, Trump's return to the White House inspires, deserving replication as a biopic on our TV screens someday. Engrossed in Trump's inaugural speech live on BBC News, three points therefrom struck me.

First, “God saved me to make America great again.” In a world so advanced in science and technology that many people regard God redundant, it was satisfactory hearing leader of the world’s most powerful country give glory to God before thousands sitting in Capitol Rotunda and millions viewing on TV. 2024 July’s unsuccessful assassination of President Trump was ensured neither by his security nor podium on which he stood in Pennsylvania campaigning but by divine fortune. This reminds us of Romans 9:16. Trump isn't perfect but I think God showed him mercy for reasons we shall see unfold in the next four years.

Second, “My administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence.” Reiteration of this effectiveness principle reflects an administration ready to forgo mediocrity rationalized by gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or religion for meritocracy. From the ancient to our contemporary era, excellence proves a foundation that rises nations whereas convenience falls them. I think excellence is among timeless universal laws worth abiding.

Finally, “It will be official US policy to recognize only two genders, male and female.” I’ve begged to differ with US government sponsoring gender extension beyond biological male/female and how she promotes such ideology with vehemence though discreetly in Africa. If you encountered most US program application forms in recent years, you see sections devoted to “inclusion” sometimes demanding uncomfortable answers from you. I think this contributed to transgenders fame in Nigeria, since many Nigerians are prone to either copying or accommodating indiscriminately values from the US to feel trendy and superior. Nothing robs you of authenticity more than self-imposed inferiority.


©Kelechi O. Naze (KON)

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Kindly forward to front page.

iamherenow10:
The answer is both

Why do you think so?

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“She isn't your friend. Our CCTV saw her poison your birthday cake,” Joanna (not real name) recalled words of the Lagos hotel manager. Goosebumps enveloped me as she narrated how her best female friend preferred her dead for reasons unfathomable to her over a year later. This is one of many incidents most ladies ruthlessly and relentlessly seek to undermine each other unseen. It is sad successes are recorded often. I'm bothered and burdened to alarm unsuspecting ladies, brothers, fiancés, husbands, fathers, and uncles.

Always stirring my curiosity in observations of and conversations had with different ladies, young and old, is the grand motive behind the ongoing silent deadly competition among them in our society. Envy? Many ladies, beautiful or average, today burn with envy within towards other ladies—friends, colleagues, congregants or relatives—for reasons so trivial like beauty, physique, complexion, social media post engagements, or male advances. And in other cases, for marriage, pregnancy, motherhood, promotion, commendation, health, or wealth.

Truly, envious ladies plot either how to displace another lady in privileges she enjoys, shorten her happiness or execute murder. Sometimes, ladies are envious of other ladies unknown to them, hence the future-ruining advice they dish out online/offline consistently. Some ladies who still approach how much they divulge to or advice they receive from other ladies with minimal restraint play with fire. Beneath the sweet names and smiles lies consuming hatred towards you. Those “Awwws” or pity you desire can destroy you. Save yourself! But is envy natural?

In fact, envy isn't natural to women (or men). It is an arising emotion to demand another's edge or privilege for yourself gifted by nature or gained by effort and then despise her (or him). Envy happens when you allow your best wishes to another evolve to worst wishes because you believe it should be you, not her (or him). How a lady perceives another lady's progress requires intentional personal conditioning to override bitter thoughts within or suggestions without to be happy for her thoroughly. Resolve to always wish fellow ladies well online/offline without sabotaging them. Believe yours will come and work towards it, if achievable by human effort. If not, be content and find other areas where you can attain similar or greater success. Uniqueness is our human nature, not envy.


©Kelechi O. Naze (KON)

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Front page material. The above post draws attention to how Nigerian followers and leaders ensure stagnation of our nation through unending trading of humanity for money. It exposes hypocrisy beneath bad governance complaints and clamours for a truly human, not market, society.

Kindly forward to front page to enlighten other Nigerians about their responsibility in midwifing a desired better society. Thank you.

This topical question at first sight appears redundant. But commercialization of almost anything in Nigeria imbues it with relevance. Our nation's retrogression is triggered by a widespread cliché everybody and everything has a monetary price. I beg to differ, arguing this devalues our humanity and Nigeria as a market society conserves her challenges.

It ought to bother us no aspect of our society today is untouched by this market syndrome. We are surrounded with price tags on prayers/miracles, grades, promotions, employments, elections, romantic/family love, courtesy, admissions, due processes, friendships, awards, court judgments, law enforcements, etcetera. Hence, many Nigerians are fleeing abroad from Nigeria. Denying these questions your comfort with truth. I share author Michael Sandel's view money's idolization and human values monetization tears a society apart.

Indeed, humanity in Nigeria is crashing. This confronts both rich and poor, educated and uneducated, theist and atheist, male and female, young and old. Commercializing all your actions or sacrificing doing right for monetary rewards decays our society. Nationwide hardship presently should remind us our unqualified and underperforming leaders didn't emerge unassisted. A Nigerian somewhere compromised. Most societal evils, too numerous to mention, we condemn are traceable to exchanging human values for money; treating ourselves or others as commodities. Time for us to address this hypocrisy is overdue.

Also, a market society waters Nigeria's social, economic, and political problems. This is why I insist prayers alone are insufficient so consistently. Actions resisting tendencies within and offers without to sell human values of empathy, excellence, meritocracy, dignity, justice, integrity, fairness, patriotism are crucial. Be exemplary where you are. Otherwise would continue stretching our endurance until we either change or die complaining. I hope you prefer change.

©Kelechi O. Naze (KON)

I hope these abundant news of Enugu Governor Peter Mbah's projects initiation and execution aren't political theatrics.