So what’s new – not a lot really!
I have to admit I have been “lurking” tentatively over the past few days but as always, for me anyway, it is difficult to return to blogging. As Obi says on his return after just one week “been away for a whole week! damn! so what’s good? wars are still fought, bloggers still blog and haters still hate on and offline”.
So what else is new? Another Nigerian politician is assassinated – the second in just two weeks. This time it’s Dr. Ayodeji Daramola who was planning to challenge the incumbent Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose. From what I am reading that state seems to have a history of violence over the past four years led by a Governor that would fit in nicely with your worst B rated mafia gangster movie! Meanwhile riots have broken out amongst “youths of Ekiti State” as accusations flow about Fayose and others hiring thugs as they ready for the 2007 elections.
Nigeria handed over the Bakassi peninsula amidst much opposition from the local Nigerian community. Conflict between Abuja and Yaoundé may have been averted, however local residents are not happy with the handover. Some have complained that they do not want to be part of the Cameroon and therefore want to be resettled by the Nigerian government which has so far ignored their wishes. Based on the disdain of the Nigerian Government for it’s people, it is doubtful anything will be done in the immediate future. Others have said they will stay and resist any attempts by Cameroon to administer the area and have ominously called on Niger Delta militants to assist them . The whole handover has been mismanaged by both governments. As Chippla’s Weblog points out, the region is a victim of the arbitrary borders drawn up by previous colonial governments which make it difficult to decide where exactly Bakassi falls. Calls for a referendum by traditional rulers of the region were ignored by both governments in a typical dictatorial fashion that completely ignores the traditions and aspirations of local communities.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has resigned – old but not so good news. Some say her departure leaves the door open for a last minute ditch to “rob the bank” by Obasanjo and his cronies. Then there was the ridiculous announcement by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, that it is going to out past and present looters of the treasury. It’s been in place for 4 years so why wait until the dying days of Obasanjo and the resignation of Okonjo-Iweala or are they connected? Are they seriously telling us they are going to out the President? The whole thing sounds like a bad joke and I cannot see it happening now or even in the next few years unless we end up with an exceptionally honest, competent, educated and dynamic leader! Judging from the muderous feelings around the country I suggest a lot of people need to be watching their backs.
Then there is the story of presidential hopefull Babangida whose son has been arrested by the same anti-corruption squad that is going to out looters (which will include Babangida of course) in connection with owning and not declaring shares in Globacom.
Ok all that negative stuff aside – so what’s new? Well the National Population Commission has offered to help Sudan and any other African country with a census – thats positive. Obafemi Martins may be coming to play in the English league for Portsmouth – I’m clutching at straws here so I will end up on a personal note. My cousin has been given a professorship – the only professor of marine engineering in Nigeria and possibly sub-Saharan Africa – congrats Dr KBM.
Sphere: Related Content
Welcome back the the blogosphere!
Nothing as changed since your left and a lot has!!!!
For me, I have come to that realization that talk is cheap; it’s time to take a stance about Nigeria or fall out.
The elections is just a couple of months away, Nigerians, particularly the Nigerian bloggers must allign with a cause, for me I’m yet to find someone and something as invigorating and energizing as the the Pat Utomi’s cause; his massages are just like fresh breeze across the stale, murky, and humid Nigerian political terrain. Where do you and others stand?
Welcome back once again!
Imnakoya – completely agree with you on this one. Yes Utomi is someone I respect. I have read quite a number of his NVS articles and am impressed with his arguments on most issues. However I am not sure what you mean by aligning with “causes” and presumably you mean Utomi’s? As for political positioning I have not made up my mind as yet but the Progressive Grand Alliance is probably the nearest to my thinking at this time and previously. They are a marginal party but I think at the State and local level they can make a difference.
Sokari,
I kept on dropping by your blog wondering when you will drop your next post.
Your blog is a (daily) must read for me.
Yep, a lot has happened over the past week. A week away from your blog is a very long time in this business.
Welcome back…..
Aba Boy – Thank you very much.
I was quite happy to see, “So what’s new – not a lot really!” The only new thing here is the COLD, yes; we have had cool days and cold nights in Spain, during August.
To cede the bakassi peninsula to Cameroun is yet another blunder by Obasanjo.Is it sensible to uproot people from their ancestoral lands without their consent or indeed the overall consent of the citizenry?
First,the Nigerian legal representation at that epic judgement has been widely criticised by both legal luminaries and senior citizens.
This is a desperate move to facelift his already battered image.
ON Dr. Ngozi Iwealla.
In one of my submissions here more than one year ago,I opined that she has lost the momentum.
From the outset,the entire enterprise was doomed to fail.She accepted a finance ministry without powers to budgetry matters,and then later moved to external affairs.
I am of the opinion that for accepting her redeployment she failed and was disgraced out of office,like an average Nigerian employee who would do anything to keep his/her job.
ON POLITICAL ASSASINATIONS:
This government will go on record as the worst in our nations political history.Nigerians witnessing more mayhems than they did under such evil regimes like IBB and ABACHA.
Nigeria is bleeding and so are Nigerians,we got off the frying pan and landed just on fire –too bad.
LAST NOTE:
Is it not proper for to start thinking of ways to fashion out a new on how to move this nation forward?
Is it possible to really attain true and prosperous statehood with the current political equation?
Is it not time learn from history?
Do we really think that this british contraption is viable for us,at this time in history.
Should we not look back at the history of the imprealists and ethic struggle?
Is this forced AMALGAMATION not ploy to toy with our nations destiny?
Is the present EUROPEAN UNION not made up of nation states that did split along the way,And with a common language were able to rebuild as separate nation states,and are today coming together on their own terms while preserving their respective heritage?
Those who are clamouring for one Nigeria are chiefly those benefiting from this political imbalance and ignorance.
Great piece Herbert, how do wish to action your rant?
Beauty – whats with the cynicism? I know it was cold last week but normality has now returned at least here in Granada and we are once again roasting!
I think Herbert raises some interesting points which we as Nigerians are often reluctant to discuss such as the disintergration of the entity Nigeria into disparate parts. There are many who would like to see and an Igbo and a Niger Delta State for example despite the fact that it is a treasonable offence to even suggest such a thing. that in itself shows the dictatorial facist nature of our present leadership. There is something to be said for breaking the country up into smaller parts but I do not think the failure of Nigeria to move beyond 1966 (except in terms of consumerism) is all due to the almagamation of its many parts.
I pose the question why should Nigeria stay as one country? Why should it break up into pices? who benefits and who will loose?
Dear sister,
There are numerous reasons why this nation should disintegrate and peacefully too.
The present compostion is made up of three major ethnic nationalities who has no proven historical ties.
Events dating back from pre- independence till date,clearly indicates that there is no trust between these different groups.
Till date,we are still sitting on a time bomb,we have played ourselves into a tight corner politically;If not,what explains for rotational presidency?
Democracy and rotational presidency are strange bedfellows.
Our greatest undoing as a people is our inability to reflect on the past.We as a people forget so easily,again,not many of us cares about our history as a nation.Rather we choose to abandon ourselves to emotions and sentiments.
I share the deep conviction that there are only two ways out of the present political wilderness:(1)Peaceful disintegration (2)The complete implementation of true federalism,but ironically the later is a hard sale.
And if the implementation of true federalism is an elusive dream,what other option do we have as people?
Must we blindly and continually allow our people to wallow in abject poverty just to maintain the status quo?
By stubbornly upholding the idea of one Nigeria without evaluating the journey so far,and indeed asking ourselves critical questions and providing reasonable answers is foolhardy.
ON A FINAL NOTE.
This writer is more concerned about the surival and prosperity of all our various ethnic groups.
I refuse to hold unto any political views and formulas that is detrimental to the success of my people.
If indeed we decide to go our separate ways,we all would be better-off.
The loosers would be the slave masters and their cronies in our midst.
MY QUESTIONS:
I would appreciate if cynics provide answers to these few lines:
(1)With the possible exception of Canada and Belgium and partially Switzerland,which other western nation has more than one ethnic group?
(2)Why are most european nations made up of nation state whose populations are rarely up to that of Edo state?
There are as many arguments for keeping Nigeria as it is as there are for breaking up. I do not agree with this “time bomb” argument. People have been saying for years Nigeria will blow up and it just isnt happening. Nigeria is not going to blow up over ethnic differences. I seriously do not believe that younger people today are as obsessed with the notion of tribe as their parents. People are much more mobile moving from state to state, learning other cultures and speaking multiple languages. Someone asked me some months ago about Nigeria’s
ethnic differences referring to the Biafra war. He was was surprised when I responded that in actual fact Nigeria is testimony to the fact that so many different people have managed to stay together for so long and we should be celebrating this fact.
Also one minute you are talking about “true federalsim” and the next about everyone going their own way and disintegration.
Your Questions – I dont see the relevance of the either question and anyway the second question is not true. Are you telling me that there are 52, 50, 60 million people in Edo State?
If Nigeria disintegrates – how many pieces do you envisage? The main issue with Nigeria is to do with leadership or rather failure and lack of quality leadership on all levels. Breaking up in small parts isnt going to solve that.
“Beauty – whats with the cynicism? I know it was cold last week but normality has now returned at least here in Granada and we are once again roasting!” I was near Albacete when I wrote that here Lagunas de Ruidera
Most people I know have never known these parts to be so cool/cold in August. It worth a visit.
“I pose the question why should Nigeria stay as one country? Why should it break up into pices? who benefits and who will loose?”
“If indeed we decide to go our separate ways,we all would be better-off.
The loosers would be the slave masters and their cronies in our midst.”
“so many different people have managed to stay together for so long and we should be celebrating this fact.”
My take on the above and more is simply another question. Who benefits? Our country has turned us out into beggers and Herbert talks about peaceful disintegration. War is ugly! We must learn from the blunders of others and not go down that road.
“If Nigeria disintegrates – how many pieces do you envisage?” then the ethnic/tribal/comound/religious wars and so on.
“The main issue with Nigeria is to do with leadership or rather failure and lack of quality leadership on all levels. Breaking up in small parts isnt going to solve that.”
Most people care about a simple life. How do we get it? How about asking the USA/EU et all to hands off our country? It is not about sanctions (it is painfull to shoot yourself in the foot and it is not nice to shoot one’s friend by accident while hunting, ask dick).
I proposed to stop all Nigeiran public officials from using the systems they deny us back home. Help me Herbert et all.
Let me start by stating once again that the Nigeria political structure is comparable to the biblical house sitted on sands.Again,elementary government teaches us that rotational presidency and democracy are incompatibles.I do not believe our own dear Sokari when she says that the new generation are mobile,and are settling across the land.The issue of indegine and strangers is alive and kicking more than ever.Various state governments has continued to play the ethnic card much to the delight of the federal government.I opined that peaceful disintegration or True federalism is as the way out of the current political quagmire,and i see nothing confusing about it.
Virtually each of all western nation(our colonial masters)are members of one ethnic group,and since history is a fact of life;what stops us from learning from the past.
With the exception of Germany with a population of approximately 83 million,France and the UK with a population of approximately 60 million,Spain with a population of 40.1 million,all other 21 EU menber states has populations ranging from half a million (Luxemburg-the richest in europe) to the netherlands with a population 16 million.
HEAR THIS:
Austria :8.184.691 million.
Belgium:10.4million
Denmark:5.5million
Hungary:10.5million
Greece:10.6million
Sweden:9.1million
Latvia:2.3 million
Portugal:10.6million etc,etc,etc.
These figures are comparable to the population of some states in nigeria.
I do not believe that stopping leaders from using those goodies they deny us is a solution in itself Dear Beauty,but i think our problem stems from the fact that we have not been very open in articulating a viable way out the amalgamation of 1914 and its inherent factors such as the Nigerain/Biafra civil war.
We have played trick with our individual feelings as a people.Like i posited in my earlier write-up,most of these EU member states used to be one country.I do not share in euphoria that disintegration would lead us to tribal/ethnic wars,because such wars are in fact existing today as a result of our leaders incessant false demacation of boundaries.
Again,we can learn from the modern examples set by countries such as the old Czechoslovakia ,Serbia and Montenegro.They both separated peacefully.We need to develop more interest in politics as a people.We must know that our survival as a people is dependent on our level of political awareness.
There is no short cut to the promised land,we must move or else nothing else would.
If we fail to push for the complete implementation of federalism and refuse to sit down together and fashion out the best way to co-exist,it means our generation has abandoned its primary role.This is an obligation and we owe it as a duty to the coming generations.
Is it ok to say the following:
I had nothing before
I have nothing now
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
………..
i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me
We have had our civil war and that must stay in the past. We must remember our fallen heros and use their mememory to prevent a future war. War in any language is ugly.
The EU model is a good one just like the VISA card (yes, the smart plastic) and even though its functions can be confusing when you have bodies like the Council of Europe and the European Council, the general idea is that, it works for most of its peoples.
Our country also work for a few on another level, my simplistic thinking is to expand that which work now to 55% of our people. Why is that wrong? The numbers game is a way forward when only about 10% of our people benefit from a RICH country. Why shoot the hostage?
Again, I propose to stop all Nigeiran public officials from using the systems they deny us back home. Why not?
There is one central factor wrong with Nigeria and that is CORRUPTION on all levels of government and in the business sector. As long as that continues there will never be any improvement in the quality of life for anyone except the very rich.
A few posh shopping centers, restaurants and jazz joints do not a country maketh! As long as people are prepared to accept a failed infrastructure and corruption then that is all they will ever get – make do, third best, manage.
If the people of europe had failed to put in place a sound political structure,there would have been no VISA card.Nations throughout history has only been able to evolve from dictatorships and bad leadership into planned and successful economies through a shift in their political views and orientations.I am not implying that these will happen overnight,but,as a nation,time is ripe enough for us to realise that our basic problems stems from our political structure and not just corruption.We must seek for the true implementation of federalism;We must do this so as to weaken the centre,We must do this so as to make the centre less attractive;We must do this so that our states/regions/peoples can develop on their own.This is the secret of the WEST,and that is true federalism as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
It is unrealistic to continue hoping things would change without making efforts of effect the change.
Now,all eyes are on oil and for that reason when you mention federalism,opinion seekers jump to the conclusion that you asking for war,but Pre and post independent Nigeria practised federalism with resounding success.It was Gowon,Obasanjo and their cohorts that introduced the federation account,and this is the genesis on our problems as a people,but who cares?.Should we shy away from the reality just because we dont want war?
That in itself is putting off the battle for another day,and that to my mind is absurd.