₦airaland Forum

Rossikk: Great post okada man. Did you read The Destruction of Black Civilization by Dr Chancellor Williams? I consider that a seminal work on African history. You know the late Dr (an African-American) spent 20 years of his life visiting over 30+ African nations in the course of his work? That book was a hell of an eye opener. It's been called the Black Man's Bible and I could see why after reading just halfway through it.

Thanks. To be honest, I never finished chancellor Williams, but I did enjoy what I read. I did not agree with all his evidence, personally, I wanted more, as in more research. But I understand historical research is not an exact science. History especially ancient ones have several limitations and can lend itself to diverse interpretations.

If Hegel and Roper can make such blunders, why can't Williams or Ivan Sertima.

Anyway, to my main point, there are several reasons why history is important, for me it has a political value. Europeans have done a great job of recognizing and exploiting that particular value to further their own objectives. Africans will be silly not to do the same.

One can spend all day arguing about who first invented what till one turns blue, but for me, I'll appropriate anything I can if it will give my people the pride, esteem, drive and excuse they need to achieve higher goals. I don't care really. I'm a political animal and the more we recognize the power of these narratives the better for us and our people.

Interesting thread.

The back and forth arguments here reminds me of my first encounter with core African History as a university course.

I never understood the power of history, especially positive historical narratives until I got to the university. I first heard the quote below during an History GST class in my first semester. It bothered me so much then not because he was right, but because I could not articulate why he was wrong. I had to dig deep and read books and works done by African Writers, Philosophers and Historians like Samuel Johnson, Ben-jochannan, Frantz Fanon, Chancellor Williams, Bolanle Awe, Cheikh Anta Diop, Wole Soyinka, Ade Ajayi, Ivan Van Sertima, John Henrik Clarke, WEB Dubois etc.

Their work gave me a counter example, a positive otherness. This was important for me. It may not be the same for everybody. but If you grew up reading quotes like the ones below, it's not difficult to see the African as irredeemable. Especially if you are not African or have little or no interest in exploring further.

So History, especially positive ones are great, yes, one should not focus on the past while ignoring the present. But at the same time, it's dangerous to leave your history for other people to define for you. You may not like how they'll inteprete you

See examples of world famous historians and philosophers concocting nonsense because they just can't be bothered to do better.

I encountered the first quote in School, the second was by Hegel one of the most important philosophers ever, Hegel influenced people like Marx, Heidegger, Engel, Deridda and other powerhouses of Western thought.

“Perhaps in the future there will be some African history to teach. But at the present there is none; there is only the history of Europeans in Africa. The rest is darkness, and darkness is not the subject of history." - Hugh Trevor-Roper the Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford.

Hegel;

"The peculiarly African character is difficult to comprehend, for the very reason that in reference to it, we must quite give up the principle which naturally accompanies all our ideas—the category of Universality.

In Negro life the characteristic point is the fact that consciousness has not yet attained to the realization of any substantial objective existence—as for example, God, or Law—in which the interest of man’s volition is involved and in which he realizes his own being.

This distinction between himself as an individual and the universality of his essential being, the African in the uniform, undeveloped oneness of his existence has not yet attained; so that the Knowledge of an absolute Being, an Other and a Higher than his individual self, is entirely wanting. The Negro, as already observed, exhibits the natural man in his completely wild and untamed state.

We must lay aside all thought of reverence and morality—all that we call feeling—if we would rightly comprehend him; there is nothing harmonious with humanity to be found in this type of character.

The copious and circumstantial accounts of Missionaries completely confirm this, and Mahommedanism appears to be the only thing which in any way brings the Negroes within the range of culture."

Then Hegel Concluded thus:

At this point we leave Africa, not to mention it again. For it is no historical part of the World; it has no movement or development to exhibit. Historical movements in it—that is in its northern part—belong to the Asiatic or European World.

Carthage displayed there an important transitionary phase of civilization; but, as a Phoenician colony, it belongs to Asia. Egypt will be considered in reference to the passage of the human mind from its Eastern to its Western phase, but it does not belong to the African Spirit.

What we properly understand by Africa, is the Unhistorical, Undeveloped Spirit, still involved in the conditions of mere nature, and which had to be presented here only as on the threshold of the World’s History.

[quote author=okada_man]Same kind of utterances that were made by ACN cheiftains and youth groups across the country before that election?

Utterances like "defend your vote" were made by all well meaning Nigerians during that election period, youth groups said it, church and mosque people said it, Okija Shriners said it. People even made songs and jingles out of it.

I gave you a verbatim quote from Edo State Governor Adams Ishiomhole who made the same statement in a very strong, very harsh way. Why are you not holding him responsible?

Okada_man said the same stuff, even my grandmama said it and stood proudly at her polling booth to act it out.

People were killed in Delta, Bayelsa, Benin, Akwa Ibom, Ibadan. Violence was present in every region during that election. Not new in Naija politics. More people probably died in the south sef over election violence(non-religious) in the last 12 years than in the North.

It is really sad to see young people like you (I'm assuming you are less than 40) fall for and continue to parrot propaganda and lies toward a party that had less power, less money, zero control over security forces, little to no access to NTA but still tried their best to oppose a party that had it all, spent it all and bribed everyone bribe-able.

Now you are holding up the words of PDP as Truth?  

PDP? The same party that has minimanaged Nigeria for 12 years?  the same party filled with majority of those who ruled Nigeria for the last 30 years. IBB, OBJ, Atiku, Ciroma, Yar'adua, Danjuma. Some of them still contested under PDP in the last election.  

It's really sad how this generation has allowed Tribal and religious sentiments to cloud their reason.

Yes, Buhari was a dictator when he ruled Nigeria, just like all of them.

The same PDP you are supporting is a dictatorial party hiding under democracy to continue the impoverishment of our People while enriching those within their circles.

The same PDP is filled with former Dictators and killers like IBB, Danjuma, Aliyu Mohammed and OBJ.  All coup plotters and cold-blooded murderers.


I expect a young Nigerian like you with access to Internet and information to use that power to push for a robust opposition against that party of thieves, but you are here posting their unsubstantiated propaganda as truth. I'm ashamed of you.

You dissapoint me dude. I was hoping this generation will be better, but evidently we will do worse than our fathers generation with people like you running things.  

As your NL handle suggests, if you really desire for Nigeria to discuss fundamental changes that can lead to reorganization of our country, you are definitely backing the wrong people.

PDP will never split naija. How many businessmen have you seen destroy their own shop? Huh?

PDP will NEVER reorganize this foundation. They benefit from the chaos and misrule and you have bought their lies.

See, If you are not related to a PDP powerbroker,, not getting PDP contracts or working and getting paid by looters, then you must be a very STOOOOOPID IDIOOOOT for supporting that evil murderous party For free.

I look around me and I see nothing tangible that PDP has achieved in 13 years, I'll rather bite off my finger than support my oppressors. I don't care if they are from my compound or worship my God.

I'm ashamed of idiooooots like you for real  [/quote]I came back to re-read this my post from 10months ago and I'm proud of myself.

I wish I can put ii in a "newspaper" like Thisday

Or better still crack open the skulls of these oppressed but idiooooootic fooooools still supporting jona with no sense of history.

Anyway, I'm proud of me, but still ashamed to share the same country with the I voted GEJ not PDP crowd.

He is joking.

Ban wetin?

ifihearam: @okada man
Go back to history
Even a governor can depose a king u hear
Oba. Of benin has been suspended before

Okadaman lives inside history.

The Great Oba Ovonramwen was forcibly sent to exile by the British Empire, Benin had no Oba till he died. Essentially, he remained the Oba till death..

For those who are doubting or unsure:

It is IMPOSSIBLE for the Nigerian government to depose the Oba of Benin. Impossible.

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

1999

We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Having firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and understanding

Negro_,

So this your constitution was designed to promote African Solidarity, World peace and International cooperation?

Is it the UN constitution? Was it written for a Sports Club or a Nation?



It is insulting and stupid to mention those meaningless, vague and unnessessarily broad goals before mentioning its convenant with the specific people for whom it was puportedly written.

Obviously, this document was written by shallow minded, visionless men and women, their lack of depth and their inability to properly define what their country should stand for is evidenced both in those first few words and all over the nonsense document.

Anyway, what else do we expect from a document written by unlettered men with no sense of culture or pride, men with no philosophical depth, no trace of ideological leaning and no ambition Or sense of vision beyond selfishness, avarice and a vainglorious pursuit of power.

One day, we the real people will do the needful with every paper on which these meaningless words are written, we will s/h/i/t on it and forever condemn the legacy of these usurpers into the latrine of history.

Negro, I must say I appreciate your noble effort, but it's hard to avoid bowel movement at the sight of such crapper, regardless of the number of times one has seen it.

The Report also vindicates the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) position stated on December 20, 2011 before President Goodluck Jonathan.  The NLC had at that meeting in the Presidential Villa made allegations of fraud in the subsidy regime and the manipulation of figures in a presentation made by the Minister of Finance.

In response, the President had asked the NLC to come up with its facts at the next meeting, which was fixed for the New Year, but that meeting never held.

For the NLC, the Report is a mere tip of the iceberg; there is the need for further investigations.  For instance, the recommendation that the Executive Secretaries of the PPPRA from 2009 to date be probed does not go far enough.  There is the need to probe the oil industry from the inception of civil rule after the rapacious military regimes had departed.

In response, the President had asked the NLC to come up with its facts at the next meeting, which was fixed for the New Year, but that meeting never held.

Yet you called off the strike and protests and deserted the movement.

NLC should occupy their Shame and Cowardice.

If you couldn't stop a clueless regime in January when you had many Nigerians behind you, I doubt you can do anything now.

Abeg make NLC collect their monthly salary and go buy N100 fuel while the looters pop champaigne.

By Owei Lakemfa


The Report of the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on fuel subsidy, which revealed the criminal looting of the nation’s resources, is a vindication of the Nigerian peoples protest on the issue.

The people had for eight days beginning January 9, 2012 gone on strike, held mass rallies and street protests against Government’s mindless increase in the price of fuel, its decision to remove fuel subsidy and the sleaze in the oil industry.

The Report also vindicates the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) position stated on December 20, 2011 before President Goodluck Jonathan.  The NLC had at that meeting in the Presidential Villa made allegations of fraud in the subsidy regime and the manipulation of figures in a presentation made by the Minister of Finance.

In response, the President had asked the NLC to come up with its facts at the next meeting, which was fixed for the New Year, but that meeting never held.

For the NLC, the Report is a mere tip of the iceberg; there is the need for further investigations.  For instance, the recommendation that the Executive Secretaries of the PPPRA from 2009 to date be probed does not go far enough.  There is the need to probe the oil industry from the inception of civil rule after the rapacious military regimes had departed.

Some of the findings of the House Report show clear indication of criminality; therefore it is not enough for private and public organizations like the NNPC and PPPRA to be asked to make refunds.  The Government has a duty to bring the officers of such organizations and their supervisors to justice.

We also hold that the Ministers in the Finance and Petroleum Ministries and their lieutenants under whose watch the NNPC made unconstitutional deductions from the country’s  oil income before dumping the balance in the Federation account, should be investigated for culpability.

The massive looting of the subsidy funds and the corruption in the oil industry are sufficient grounds for the N97 per litre cost of PMS (petrol) to be drastically reduced.  The NLC holds that if the government plucks up courage to do local refining, the cost of PMS need not be as high as the old price of N65 per litre.

The NLC commends the House of Representatives and its ad hoc Committee for carrying out the probe and mustering the courage to make the Report public.  We also, commend the House leadership for its decision to televise live, the debates on the Report.

We are aware of claims that the Committee Report has been “doctored”. It is incumbent on those making such claims to make public the “Original” Report.

The NLC calls on the Presidency and the National Assembly to ensure that the findings of the Report are speedily followed up and implemented. The country cannot continue to be bled by unscrupulous people.

 

Owei Lakemfa

Acting General Secretary


http://mobile.saharareporters.com/press-release/nlc-press-statement-subsidy-scam-culprits-should-be-prosecuted

Epic Thread!

Epic!

Has Mallam collected evidence of Genocide?

We cannot allow Boko Haram murderers to keep killing our people like chicken abeg.

If innocent women and children are being killed, that is terrible. but it should not be too difficult to provide evidence, this is 2012.

Well, we told you people last year, Fashola cannot ban us. We run the streets.

Vrooooooooooom!

Both of you should stop fighting now.

We "the investors" will buy Nigerian universities and compel government to provide funding through student loans and grants.

OK?

poor peeople too like to dey fight sef :\

When will they put OAU up for sale?

I want to buy

subsidy "reduction" don butter my bread

The hyprocisy of the spoilt bourgeois stinks to high heavens. Their hand-maidens, by which I mean BEAF especially, were all over this forum a couple of months ago praising the government when the Nigerian police was arresting and turning back citizens from traveling without any incriminating evidence/material to Abuja. I can bet my salary that they are still doing the same thing till tomorrow - all in the name of security. Yet, we heard nothing from the FG & the NASS - even when such an act is not only unconstitutional, but completely immoral. This same sorry bodies are now all up in arms because another country, after adequate warning, decided to exercise its right to protect its international borders.

Very well put Koruji

We were all over this site screaming during the Libyan unrest, calling on the Nigerian Government to protect Nigerians from those murderers. But no they buried their heads in the sand for weeks if not months.

That Buffon called Gbenga Ashiru and his ilk went from outright denial to ridiculous excuses before issuing some lazy words. Still they kept killing and raping Nigerian migrants. He did nothing.

Anyway, I'm glad they are now acting, but how you treat your own people matter. Gani Fewehinmi said something like that before he died. You can't treat your people like dirt and expect others to respect or value them.

Wetin be this?  

All these Nigerian-Americans and their wahala.  

Chelsea na mumu.

One United!!!!!!!!!

I remember this thread. So Sylvia is now trying to drag GEJ under the lying and corruption bus too 

Buncha Dangerous Looters

Hat tip! to OYB for refreshing my memory.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-863141.32.html#msg10126067

Ndubuisi. . . . . . .said his service was “warned” sometime in 2002, by the federal ministry of finance, in a letter, not to press for documentations for petroleum imports to “avoid crisis.”

You cannot protest so "to avoid Crisis". .

You must vote for MR XXXXX the Looter  "to avoid crisis"

We cannot prosecute thieves and Murderers "to avoid crisis"

Your pastor must not criticise politicians in church "to avoid crisis"

We cannot Scrap a redundant ministry "to avoid crisis"

We must do rotational presidency "to avoid crisis"

We cannot push for Sovereign National Conference "to avoid crisis"


"TO Avoid Crisis" is the greatest line of lies The owners of Nigeria have in their arsenal. It never fails to work on the gullible.


Nigeria is a country so scared of "crisis" that it will rather keep its people perpetually in a state of crisis. . .oh well

One day their greed will unleash the mob. it will not be funny for all those looters.

Wetie happened once, it can happen again. let them keep stealing. . .

If you are hiring 911 or MAN truck to transport your goods, you have gone beyond subsistence farming sir.

In any case,

The subsistence farmer will buy bread.

She will transport herself to market.

Most of them hire smaller transport vehicles like cars and buses. Not large commercial ones like lorries, or 911.

Their small motorcycles use Petrol. If you have lived one day in Nigeria during a fuel hike, you know it affects your liquidity within hours, The price of essential commodities will be directly impacted by an increase in PMS costs within 24hours.

in a country where we have near zero infrastructure, petrol is a benchmark product. It powers some of the closest things to the people, from small generators to Okada transport.

Increase in PMS Price affects the life of a subsistence farmer faster than Diesel can.

Subsistence Agriculture rely on diesel?

I'm tired. No hope for the gullible.

PapaBrowne:
Merriam Webster Dictionary: Definition of Treason.


The article says those calling for "Regime Change". There is a difference between calling for "regime change" and calling for "impeachment".
"Impeachment" is usually against one person. "Regime change" demands that the whole Presidency is removed.-Now anybody that demands that overtly or covertly is commiting a treasonable offence.

And by the way, if the president is impeached, his vice takes over. So U are still saddled with the PDP you loathe so much till 2015 except you commit treason or you plot a freaking coup, any of which is punishable by the death penalty. So try your luck.

But calling for regime change is not the same as  trying to "kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family"

In any case,

I. Jonathan is a democratically elected president, supposedly elected through the ballot, he's not a king. He's NOT a sovereign. Go back and relearn the proper usage of that word


2. The Nigerian people do not owe an allegiance to the president, STOP that spin. The president in a democracy owe allegiance to the people and their constitution. They owe him no loyalty, none whatsoever.

That is why they reserve the right to remove him at anytime they choose.

3. The point most of you proponents of continuity failed to grasp in 2011 is still lost on you. I'll explain again like I did in April.

It does not matter so much that we elect another imperfect political party, what matters is the message sent: that we the people can punish politicians when they display gross incompetence, the deterrence and message is paramount.

The best way to keep them in check is to constantly exercise the right to replace them and therefore punish them for their actions. Even it it means replacing one ACN with PDP and vice-versa.

You perpetuate a culture and mentality of impunity when you fail to punish a party that Misruled you by replacing them with their opponents, that circle is vital in a democracy.

Anyway, let's see how this will finally play out.

Beaf:
Presumably, the constitution allows for protesters to shut down oil wells?
IMHO, if people like Bakare had been shot, it wouldn't have been a step too far.

Really? You mean you caught Bakare at the crude oil pump shutting down the taps?

Protesters shutting down oil wells?

So Pengassan Union threatening to down tools = death by gun shot?

Really?

Isn't it funny that in a so called democracy, where the constitution expressly made provisions for the removal of a president, these buffoons are trying to criminalize calls for his removal ?

It does not matter if the call was made on the street, in the house of assembly or screamed by a muezzin. The peoples right to withdraw their mandate should be inviolable.

Treason is a language you use for enemies of the state, spies and other saboteurs, not for citizens in a peaceful procession across the streets of your country.

These protests were as peaceful as they come. The only violence we saw was perpetrated by The Nigerian Police shooting and maiming innocent citizens.

BTW, a mob removed Mubarak. Not Ideal, but every Mob has a tolerance treshhold.

Hopefully, Ebelemi will not be pushed to the point of no return by the goons surrounding him.

Hahaha this same police that ran behind the army because they saw an unarmed mob?

They are now talking?

These jokers around this president have ruined him. The last card a dictator can use is call out his army. After that, what else, secret police? Even Abacha gave up and died.



Make no mistake. It's already all over for GEJ, best bet now is to restructure. This regime cannot last. He played his final card by asking the army to occupy peaceful protesters. I'll see what he'll send against the Mob.

She said she was going to do her nails, I figured, there would not be more than 6 nail-designing shops within walking vicinity of that 100 sq metres, so it would be worth giving it a shot just looking if she was still in any of them before I give up. So I walked around and went from street to street looking for any nail-designing shops. Luckily in the second street I checked 150 metres away I saw her head backing the window reading a mag

You recognized the back of her head from 150M? After seeing her for just a few mins?

You wanted to visit all 6 nail shops?

Walahi, o ti ya were koja "be careful"

When Niger Delta Militants ran into wahala and stalemate with the Federal Government few years ago, they had only one mediator to trust. As a matter of fact, they insisted on having him:

A Yoruba man called Wole Soyinka. That intervention probably led to the amnesty program.

Today, Dokubo has declared to those who voted this incompetent oaf how foolish they were. A man with no vision beyond his pocket will clutch at every straw to hang on to his Loot.

Nigerians were warned in April.

As for me, I simply cannot wait for Dokubo to carry out his empty threat. Time to restructure on the ashes of a failed Experiment.

mbulela:
The crux of the matter according to Simom Kolawole

Jonathan Must Not Waste this Crisis

15 Jan 2012
Font Size: a / A

Simon Kolawole Live!, Email: simonkolawole@thisdayonline.com

Question: How did President Goodluck Jonathan manage to rally the entire country against himself barely 24 hours into the New Year? Answer: He underestimated public reaction to a major public policy—the removal of fuel subsidy. And I’d like to be honest: even though I knew that removing the subsidy (or, more appropriately, fuel price hike) was always going to elicit negative public reaction, I never knew demonstrations would grow in monumental proportions by the day. Judging from past experiences, we thought the strike called by labour would be a huge success on the first day and then gradually peter out. After all, President Olusegun Obasanjo increased fuel prices nearly on a yearly basis until he left power in 2007 and the strikes and demonstrations were never as massive as what we’ve had so far.

But under Obasanjo, there was no twitter, no facebook and no blackberry as tools of mobilisation. There was no Arab Spring. There was no “occupy”. Things have changed dramatically over the years and it was Jonathan’s luck to be the first Nigerian leader to taste the bitter fury of social media-induced resentment. Apart from underestimating public reaction, Jonathan made the mistake of thinking that Nigerians have not changed. His advisers thought removing fuel subsidy was a pure technocratic decision to be taken without any serious consideration for the political backlash. They also did not do enough scenario-painting, such as who was likely to take advantage of the situation to whip up public sentiment against the government. They simply took a decision and expected a standing ovation from the citizens who are already confronted with soaring costs of living—electricity bills, toll gates, new driving licences, new number plates, and so on.

I laughed hysterically when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) started grumbling that the opposition had hijacked the protests. Can anything be more naïve? What is the job of opposition? To project and protect the interest of the ruling party? Was PDP expecting the opposition to start defending and marketing deregulation? Watching the Republicans debate in the United States, you could see the candidates make deliberate efforts to blame President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party for all the woes of America, even when they knew that he was not the architect of the country’s misfortunes. But that is politics. You tell the people I am better and I have better policies than the man in power. At the last Republican debate, the candidates deliberately ignored newly released figures which showed that employment figures had improved, with additional 200,000 jobs created. That is politics.

My offering to Jonathan today is quite simple: don’t waste this crisis. He has a rare opportunity to listen to the people and take a broader and deeper look at the entire governance structure. Fuel subsidy sparked off the crisis, but a lot of messages have been passed across in the process and it would be tragic if Jonathan missed these signals and concentrates his energy on blaming the opposition for politicising the protests. The first message is that something is wrong with the marketing of deregulation. From what I have heard most of the commentators and activists say, deregulation in itself is not bad. However, it is just one aspect of the reform we need to carry out in order to reduce the cost structure in governance. This is a very important message. Governments, over the years, usually rushed to increase fuel prices without taking a global look at the hindrances to our development and how to make judicious use of our resources. Regulated pricing is the not only problem and deregulation is not the only solution. We need to see a larger picture of our fiscal nuisance if things would ever change in Nigeria.

What exactly is Jonathan’s deregulation strategy? That is a very important question. It is not enough to have a policy that will ultimately benefit Nigerians; it is also very important to manage the entire process methodically and get the buy-in of the stakeholders. The best economic policies that ignore political realities will suffer in the public arena. Now, are we looking at a one-year or two-year deregulation programme? How would it achieve results? How do we realistically encourage local refining? Or should we just hope deregulation would automatically force licensees to build refineries? What if they don’t build even after deregulation? What options are available to us? How do we address the issue of what to do with the existing refineries? Sell them or lease out the management? If licensees refuse to build under any guise, should there be an interventionist strategy by the Federal Government? Or should we continue to rely on importation for ever?

Furthermore, in achieving the objective of deregulation, are we going to remove subsidy 50 per cent now, show the people what we have done with the savings and then remove the remaining subsidy later? In the meantime, how do we cut the rot and clean up the subsidy regime? How do we deal with those who have abused the subsidy regime over the years? What is the overall government engagement strategy for deregulation? How do we get the critical stakeholders to make constructive inputs rather than just dump the policy on them and expect them to simply fall in line? What is the communication strategy? What is the exit strategy if it doesn’t work out as expected? In public policy, these are critical questions that can only improve the quality of planning and implementation. Those who think the public have no right to make any input into the policy process are deluded; good governance is best attained when the co-operation of the different publics is gained through mutual trust and respect. If the key stakeholders had been part and parcel of the deregulation process—not just calling them to a meeting and presenting a fait accompli to them—resistance would not have been on this scale.

The second message—and the most important one for that matter—is: how do we reduce waste and corruption in government? We keep saying the citizens should sacrifice, but does it make sense for the Federal Government alone to spend N1.3 trillion on personnel costs every year (I don’t have the figures for states)? As many analysts have pointed out, do we need 43 ministers? Does every minister need four aides? Do we need 469 federal lawmakers, each entitled to aides and what have you? When I was growing up, I used to hear of Minister of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture—just one person. Today, it has become four ministries, each with the full compliments of bureaucracy! Why? How has that improved governance in Nigeria? Is that not why costs keep going up? Also, can’t we have four or five senators per state and abolish the House of Representatives entirely? Do we need both the Senate and House of Representatives? Can’t we make do with just 20 ministers?

[b]I am aware that the Jonathan administration is trying to merge some departments and agencies, but the fact remains that it is never going to be far-reaching enough. By appointing 43 ministers, Jonathan had already lost the opportunity to make a statement that he wanted a lean government, that he wanted a break from the past. It would have been easier for the president to preach sacrifice to Nigerians if he had taken concrete steps to reduce waste and corruption in government all along. The message of sacrifice would have been better received by the populace. Many have suggested that we should reduce the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet, which is a perfect suggestion. Also, most governors take chartered flights. I can’t remember the last time I was on a flight with a governor on board. Some governors even built airports specifically to be able to take chartered flights to their states. These are wastes. Some governors appoint scores and hundreds of aides who do nothing than deplete the treasury. We need to perform surgery on all these wastes.

President Jonathan has a very good crisis in his hands. He has to decide what he wants to do with it. He can seize this rare opportunity in the nation’s history to propose wholesome changes in the way we do our things in Nigeria. He has been talking about constitution review and has even empanelled a body for that matter. The sections that we now have to seriously consider for amendment have been pointed out by the people. Everything to cut the size of government at every level must be built into the new constitution. This crisis must not be wasted.[/b]

He won't act. They won't act.

They did not join politics to solve Nigeria's problems, they joined politics to solve their own financial issue. They joined politics to feed their greed.

They are not ideological. They are simply looters.

Abeg, when will ND militants legalize their own NNPC? Let's end this fraud once and for all.

I hope they never give up the oil wells they occupied. Time to end the oil curse.