₦airaland Forum

Commentary on the State of the National Space
Muyiwa Olasehinde
Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. And there's an opening convey of generalities. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner. (John Steinbeck)

Nigeria is a state of mind. Nigeria is an obsession. A Nigerian outside of Nigeria is a foreigner.
Okay! Scratch the last statement. It must not be true. I would not want to call the president a foreigner. In any case, we all were alerted a few weeks ago to an audio recording circulated and purported to be the official message of the President (not acting) to Nigerians on the occasion of the Sallah, the Muslim festival signaling the end of the Ramadan fast. Usually, such an audio would have elicited sounds of rejoicing, celebration and gladness in the camp of Nigerians who have not seen or heard from the President for over 60 days and still counting. The President is reportedly recuperating in the United Kingdom from an unknown ailment which has kept him away from his duty post for more than 100 days already in the year 2017 (today is the 207th day of the year). It would have been an occasion of note to receive a confirmation that the president is hale and hearty, as opposed to the permutations of the naysayers who would have us believe that the president was not in a state of health to even afford everyday communication, However, the circulating audio drew more flak and condemnation from Nigerians, who rather than savor the intent of the message to calm restive nerves, rose to the rooftops in condemnation, not at the content of the message (no one has even reported on that), or the means of transmission (some people have said it should have been a video recording, and not an audio transmission). The bone of contention is the language of communication - the President chose to send his first message to Nigerians in 50 days in his native Hausa Language, spoken by just a section of Nigerians. All efforts by the presidential aides, both official and unofficial to defend this faux pas has only drawn more gunfire from the Nigerian populace, who are still not fully convinced that the tribal and religious tag that the opponents of the president have always slammed on him is not without merit. Without mincing words, the release of that audio is a major goof. The president's handlers could have done a better job.
Foremostly, in what capacity was the President speaking to Nigerians? There is an Acting President who the President handed over to on the eve of his medical vacation in May; reports have it that the president has not really spoken with the acting president since his departure; so for the traditional Sallah message from the Presidency, we had one from the acting president and another from the Vacationing president which is a big goof. A similar scenario played out a few weeks ago when the same handlers announced that the President has authorized the Acting President to sign the country's 2017 budget that had been passed by the National Assembly. Question time! Did the Ag. President need the authorization of the President to sign the budget? Is there a limitation to the issues of state an Ag. President is allowed to arbitrate, without a fresh authority from the president? What are the constitutional implications of having 2 "ruling presidents"?
Secondly, whoever advised the president to send a "message" to Nigerians in a language more than 50 percent of them would not understand did not do the president's image and perception any good. In a multilingual and multi-ethnic society like Nigeria's, any attempt by any leader to be seen to be favorably disposed to one ethnic group over another is viewed with suspicious lenses which have been developed and sharpened with the various events of our national life since independence. Truly great leaders who have commanded the most respect from the generality of the Nigerian populace are those who were able to rise beyond the temptations of tribal nepotism and ethnic bigotry that Nigerian politicians are popularly known for and who were able to promote a nationalistic agenda. Theodore Roosevelt is reputed to have said that "We have room but for one Language here and that is the English Language , for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans of American nationality and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding - house." In a country that is regarded as a hot pot for over 200 ethnicities who speak different languages, English as the lingua franca was chosen for convenience sake and would be the only acceptable language of communication by a detribalized president to his fellow compatriots. The handlers of the President just had a communications learning moment there - message and medium might be right and the language would just mess up the whole sequence.
A final note on this issue - at a time when there has been so much ethnic sentiments whipped up by so many pressure groups all over the nation, and at a time when the prevailing language is beginning to sound like we are in 1966 again, it behooves on the handlers and advisers of the president to ensure nothing is done that will become a catalyst and provide a tipping point in the ester that is being prepared from the acidic jargon being promoted by the bigots.

A great man once declared that "The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased; and not impaired in value". Strive Masiyiwa, the Founder and Chairman of the Econet Group recently observed that the "the true wealth of Nigeria is its extraordinary human capital, and passion for education. Unleash that and no one can stop them!” The month of June had been a significant month so far, especially in matters related to security. There has hardly been a day without a report of a triumph by the security forces especially as it regards the spate of kidnapping and armed robbery in Nigeria. In the preceding months, Nigerians had been treated to tales of incessant kidnapping of political figures, civil service bureaucrats and, worst of all, school children. The temerity with which the kidnap gangs operated within our bothers and on our roads was frightening; hardly would a week pass without the news saturated with headlines of yet another kidnap of a bigwig, or a "small-wig" in the case of the innocent children kidnapped from their schools in Lagos. Juxtapose these with the almost daily reports of attacks by supposed herdsmen which have had no respect for territorial barriers and state boundaries. A few Chief Executives of States have tried to introduce legislations to curtail the activities of these men whose stock-in-trade, -from the hills of the Benue to the heartlands of the Imo, from the green pasture of Ekiti to the undulating interstates of the confluence city, - is to maraud causing havoc with kidnappings, rapes and destruction in their wake. Of worthy note also, is the spate of jaw-dropping gangsterism in some parts of Lagos masquerading as cult/gang wars with loss of many innocent lives caught in the crossfire or as intended recipients of the skirmishes of these blood thirsty ones most notably the Badoo gang which has been terrorizing the Ikorodu axis of Lagos for a few months now. All these activities of criminals have caused a lot of blood shedding in a country traumatized already by the pangs of a recession which is only abating on the pages of newspapers and by a gang of political actors who have since independence raped the collective well-being of the citizenry and prevented the nation from attaining the ideals propounded by her founders. It was therefore a most worthy achievement when the security apparatuses apprehended the kidnap kingpin, Evans who is reputed to have been involved in quite a number of kidnappings all over the country. There were also other reports of arrests of kidnapping gangs, armed robbery crews, criminals and bandits who have made it their stock-in-trade to reap where they do not sow and bring sadness and gloom into the lives on Nigerians. The security apparatuses of the county must be commended for these feats and re-energized for more achievements through the provision of up-to-date equipment, more effective inter-agency collaboration and the benefit of modern intelligence methods.
However, the events of the past month must set us on the path of deep thoughts. We are sitting on a ticking time bomb

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Happy birthday Pastor Sam! Thanks for being a role model

...And today, this is a reality.
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

There used to be a certain security man at that OAU branch of GTB, who was so courteous and friendly that you would actually look forward to visiting the bank. This man was even more customer friendly and more matured than the main banking staff themselves. I heard he's been transferred to the branch in the town. The guys who replaced him are quite inexperienced.

About 7 years ago, my secondary school was attacked during a religious riot in Kano city. I was writing my WAEC mathematics that day. The policemen practically evacuated our school and rescued us that day from the devils. They now took us to their station and finally drove us to the police headquarters late in the night. That day, I was actually proud of the Nigerian police

Foremostly, I just heard on the news that the acid rain issue is just a hoax. It's not real. It's not from NASA.
Secondly, if you read your chemistry Ababio textbook very well, you will know that acid rain occurs as a result of a reaction of reain water with acidic gases like CO², SO², NO² and others. As such, you will know that acid rain is not anything special as it falls virtually everytime, especially around industries that release fumes of these poisonous gases.
Therefore, pass the message around. Acid Rain story is not real but a hoax.

when the water level rises, the ship also rises. therefore, the 100cm legth will not change

when the water level rises, the ship also rises. therefore, the 100cm legth will not change

A man comes home one day 2 meet his son who had just graduated from d secondary school singing a song:
I am a danfo driver suo
sebi u be danfo driver suo

If U're d father of that boy, wetin U go do?

i wrote thrice - 240, 265 and 273. I go admission to UI with 2nd and OAU ife with the 3rd

GREAT IFE. GREATEST OF THE GRETEST GBA GBA.
It's like our great school will be reopened after elections, I just hope this ASUU strike will not affect us too. i'm just sorry for we the Part one students whowere so happy for been admitted to Nigeria's best university and Africa's most beautiful campus.

heard we are resuming after the election. too bad for we Part one students who were too glad to be admitted into 'Nigeria's best university'

uhm, funny. Unimaginable you know

that's too bad you, you know

I see you are a little bit drunk man//////////////////////////

I no blame them, when them no go school. abeg, nairaland carry go