Could it be said that it is all over in the struggle to ostracize impunity from our society and prevent political terrorists from imposing their unpopular will and mislead people by their tainted conscience (if there is any)? The Ekiti case is suffix to make assertions. If we could not win the war against political fraud and corruption in just 10 local governments of a State, I am worried or how do we triumph over corruption syndrome in the 774 local governments that make up the Nigeria entity? Just an avoidable step of an electoral umpire cost us to lose the mini war. It becomes more spine-tingling when recourse is made to the claim of the umpire who brilliantly misled the country and the global community by her womanly posture and feministic style of letter writing. No wonder she initially won the heart of the country but unfortunately thereafter, she lost the heart of the country by hiring her conscience out (I don’t want to say ‘selling her conscience out’, she might repent and confess one day) to the ‘almighty’ Professor of political fraud and electoral corruption who is ‘too’ weighty to be permanently lifted off his appointment seat by even the Grand Commander of the country. I think he is also enjoying immunity even if our constitution does not give him. But do not forget that he has his own constitution which explicitly shields him from the hands of his enemies (the progressive ones). Section 2(a) of Iwu Personal Constitution, 2007 states that: “In accordance with the do-or-die platform (soon to be transformed to die-and-let-us-live) on which I am commissioned to serve my depraved fatherland, I stand to enjoy immunity against all forms of antagonism from 2007 up to another 60 years, the period through which my political party will reign supreme. I am hereby commissioned to continually rig elections and go scot-free starting from 2007 up to 60 years time and in the case of my death before the completion of the assignment, my anointed cohort will take up the challenge”. What then shall we say of a woman whose conscience suddenly flew her? She would have become another Condoleezza Rice but for her ‘fraud-filled Christian conscience’ purportedly tied to God (as if God is dead). In more decent societies, she would have been a guest of the law enforcement agencies (are they not corrupt in Nigeria?) that would be interested in knowing those who wanted her to subvert the people’s will. Frankly speaking, I hate to think that she was compromised. Or was she? If she was, then the all-time shameless Professor of electoral fraud would surely be involved. To this end, rebranding Nigeria should be aggressively geared towards Nigerians conscience rather than engaging in a fruitlessly inconsequential SMS-powered rebranding jamboree championed by the once celebrated Amazon Professor whose profile (garnished by her accomplishment in NAFDAC) is about to be stained by her current futile initiative. Or why should she want to paint us white to the outside community while we are black? And it is against logical reasoning to venture into marketing promotions of an unmarketable product. Or what would you say of a country where the truth is far away from people’s mouths, where corruption reign supreme, where people’s votes no longer count, where people lie against their conscience under duress, where the chief electoral man is conscience-less, where the president is slow at implementation, where people are law unto themselves, where politicians want to become political Methuselah and where political office holders want to stay in office forever (as if death is dead)? Funnily when the apostle of ‘Christian conscience’ resigned, the Rebranding Minister, oh..sorry..Information Minister was restless (almost crying) arguing that the resignation was a dent on her rebranding project. What an argument by a “Professor”! Instead of hijacking the opportunities offered by Ekiti debacle to foster her rebranding campaign, she allowed the opportunity to slip by and was busy dancing in the cloud with Mr. Rule of Law, the occupant of Aso Rock. “I will allow rule of law to prevail,” Mr. Slow chorused. But this is a goebellian propaganda that will soon boomerang. Where is rule of law in Ekiti where the court ought to have pronounced the winner based on valid votes rather than calling for a rerun in places where electoral fraud took place? Where is rule of law in Osun, where the court ordered retrial instead of declaring the outright winner? What is happening in Ekiti is apartheid in another dimension. It is case where Nigerians are enslaving Nigerians. Could there be rule of law in this kind of situation? Or could there be rule of law where the Inspector General of Police (IGP) is a law unto himself? But before Mr. IGP waxes lyrical in his grim comedy as he showcased in Ekiti case, he must remember the fate of the likes of Sunday Adewusi (1983), Tafa Balogun (2003) and Sunday Ehindero (2007). For clarification, I am not a member of any political party but I belong to the progressive class that believes in true federalism, liberalized democracy with social equity and justice as the bedrock of the political structure. What happened in the ‘Fountain of Knowledge’ was a clear pointer to the fact that the people of Ekiti were robbed naked. Since the voice of people is the voice of God, then God was also robbed naked in Ekiti. But believe me, it is written in the holy books, you cannot rob God and escape with it. Surely with time, nemesis will catch up with the evil doers!
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
WE ALL NEED HELP
Again, I have chosen to push my pen for an issue that is germane to our continued existence as a people. But before I proceed I want to jolt your attention to the fact that I belong to the school of thought which believes that no man is an island. I said this because the fusillade of questions that came after the publication of my last article titled: “I Will Dream Again” gave a cause for reflection. While this article is not a repose, as it were, to the reactions of some concerned youth, it is principally meant to consolidate my understanding of human existence as exemplified in my last article. Hence, this vignette should not be pooh-poohed as mere balderdash deserving no thoughtful attention but it should be seen as a call for all of us to throw ourselves into the towel for pensive mood in order to think about how helpful we can be to ourselves. This ultimately, will prevent us from allowing a political blitzkrieg to alter our political equations so that we will not be left in the wake of a despondent and despairing populace and a dazed and disoriented progressive leadership.
Don’t we all need help? I think we all need help, no matter our status. Let me elucidate this claim with my recent encounter with a supposed bum. I was in a car with a man when the man parked to wipe off his car. As we alight form the car, we saw a presumed desolate fellow. He was indeed, a sponger. It was written boldly on his face that he had no home, clothes and money. There are times when one feels generous but there are times that one will just feel not to be bothered. “I hope he doesn’t ask us for money,” I muttered. Surprisingly, the presumed despicable young man did not. He came and sat on the curb in front of the Bus Stop but he did not look like someone who has enough money to take a bus. After a few minutes, he eventually spoke to us. “That is a very pretty car”, he said. He was actually putting on ragged clothes but he had an air of dignity around him. “Thanks”, we responded and continued wiping the car. He sat there quietly as we worked. The much expected appeal form him for money never came. After a prolonged silence, the owner of the car told me to ask him if he needed any help. I was sure that he would say “yes” as I held true to inner voice. “Do you need any help? I asked. He answered in five simple and profound words that I will never live to forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect wisdom from people of higher status and social class but wisdom can as well come from a bum. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. The five words ricocheted off his mind and hit me on my right palm. “Don’t we all need help?” he answered.
Yes I think we all need help. I need help. May be not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I need help. So colleagues, no matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded with problems you are, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. It might just be a compliment; you never know when you may see someone that needs just an ordinary compliment to make the person happy. Who knows may be the bum was just a homeless stranger wandering around the streets or he was sent by a power that is great and wise (God), to minister to souls that feel so comfortable in themselves. May be God said to the bum, “Go minister to that man wiping his car, the man needs help”. Can you see that we all need help? Dear colleagues, purse that exchange of banters over that that plenteous fricassee and ponder on what I have said. Give help, if you can. Someone else will also help you. Think over this gospel, I say unto you. We all need help. Please colleagues, this thinking must be done with historical hindsight and changing historical circumstances, particularly given the heavy erosion that has characterized the inner consciousness or our existence. We all need help. Don’t you?
LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW
Don’t we all need help? I think we all need help, no matter our status. Let me elucidate this claim with my recent encounter with a supposed bum. I was in a car with a man when the man parked to wipe off his car. As we alight form the car, we saw a presumed desolate fellow. He was indeed, a sponger. It was written boldly on his face that he had no home, clothes and money. There are times when one feels generous but there are times that one will just feel not to be bothered. “I hope he doesn’t ask us for money,” I muttered. Surprisingly, the presumed despicable young man did not. He came and sat on the curb in front of the Bus Stop but he did not look like someone who has enough money to take a bus. After a few minutes, he eventually spoke to us. “That is a very pretty car”, he said. He was actually putting on ragged clothes but he had an air of dignity around him. “Thanks”, we responded and continued wiping the car. He sat there quietly as we worked. The much expected appeal form him for money never came. After a prolonged silence, the owner of the car told me to ask him if he needed any help. I was sure that he would say “yes” as I held true to inner voice. “Do you need any help? I asked. He answered in five simple and profound words that I will never live to forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect wisdom from people of higher status and social class but wisdom can as well come from a bum. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. The five words ricocheted off his mind and hit me on my right palm. “Don’t we all need help?” he answered.
Yes I think we all need help. I need help. May be not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I need help. So colleagues, no matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded with problems you are, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. It might just be a compliment; you never know when you may see someone that needs just an ordinary compliment to make the person happy. Who knows may be the bum was just a homeless stranger wandering around the streets or he was sent by a power that is great and wise (God), to minister to souls that feel so comfortable in themselves. May be God said to the bum, “Go minister to that man wiping his car, the man needs help”. Can you see that we all need help? Dear colleagues, purse that exchange of banters over that that plenteous fricassee and ponder on what I have said. Give help, if you can. Someone else will also help you. Think over this gospel, I say unto you. We all need help. Please colleagues, this thinking must be done with historical hindsight and changing historical circumstances, particularly given the heavy erosion that has characterized the inner consciousness or our existence. We all need help. Don’t you?
LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW
Sunday, May 3, 2009
OBAMA and AFRICA'S ENEMIES
Within my biological make-up, emotions mixed with joy, I beamed a hopeful smile with tears cascading down my cheeks as I watched President-elect Barack Obama delivering his heroic speech during the Democratic Party Convention in Denva in august 2008 prior to the world’s most celebrated election, even though our own indefatigable Professor of Rigging, ah!... sorry, Professor Maurice Iwu tried unsuccessfully to poke hole in the said election. I wiped my tears and I embraced the gospel of “The Change We Need” being preached by Obama. With Obama at the helms of affairs of the world, I began to see myself as a new person who would contribute to the emergence of a happier Africa and a peaceful world at large. I could remember vividly when the results of the elections were announced, I spent about 30 minutes appreciating the God Almighty for making ‘The Change We Need’ possible. On November 5, 2008 , New York Times succinctly captured Obama’s victory at the polls in an emotional headline: “ Racial Barrier Falls as Obama Wins”. I muttered to myself that I could also make a change in our depraved generation full of individuals with unbecoming atavistic antecedents.
No doubt, Obama is my role model any day, any time but the events of the last couple of weeks have raised dust as to his sincerity in ‘The Change’ he preached. Please don’t call it political statement, hence you would misconstrue me. However, my faith in Obama remains unshaken. Some weeks ago, I read it in yahoo news that Obama has appointed Paul Volcker, Lawrence Summers and Tim Geithner as Economic Adviser, National Economic Council Director and Treasury Secretary respectively. As an ardent follower of Obama’s Presidency who has gotten unwavering inspirations from Obama’s Dreams of my Father and Audacity of Hope, I swiftly sought the profiles of Obama’s economic heavyweights who would help Obama neutralize the current global financial meltdown.
Geithner worked with George Bush as the President of New York Federal Reserve, hence a central figure in the current global credit crunch. Geithner served in Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm during the mid 1980s, joined the Reagan-Bush administration in 1988 and then worked for Lawrence Summers and Robert Rubin in the Clinton ’s Treasury Department during the 1990s. The biggest error Geithner committed was the popular first round ineffectual Wall Street bail-outs in 2008, in which he bailed out J.P. Morgan in a day and surprisingly failed to foresee the catastrophic impact of the demise of Lehman Brothers Investment Bank on world’s financial dealings the next day. Geithner who claimed that credit market innovation should help to make markets more efficient and more resilient and better able to absorb stress surrendered to willful blindness when he said: “we cannot turn back the clock on innovation or reverse the complexity around risk management. We do not have the capacity to monitor risk outside the banking system. We cannot identify the likely sources of future stress to the system and act preemptively to diffuse them.” Then I ask, why did Obama give him such pressing job?
Lawrence Summers once gained infamy as a crusader of African genocide and environmental racism. In 2006, he lost the race to become Harvard President. His failure was attributed to his crude and controversial understanding about sexism. Summers wrote that women could not do Mathematics and Sciences. As environmental racist and World Bank Chief Economist, Summers wrote: “I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest-wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that. I have always thought that under-populated countries in Africa are vastly under-polluted, their air quality is vastly inefficiently low.” What has Africa-Obama’s origin, done to this man?
Born in 1926, Volcker is one of the living Africa ’s economic enemies. Wall Street Journal described him as a Cigar-Chomping Banker (1979-1987) who jacked up interest rates and tipped the United State (US) into the deepest recession since the Great Depression. He was famous for what was known as Volcker Shock in the 1970s that brought a sharp rise in the world’s interest rates and a sustained appreciation of the dollar. Owing to the Volcker Shock, Africa was nearly squeezed to death. When fielding questions from journalists, Volcker said: “ Africa was not even on my radar screen.” Again I ask; what has Africa done to Volcker? President Jimmy Carter chose Volcker in 1979 to chair the Federal Reserve and he retired in 1987. Surprisingly, Volcker is back in White House through Obama’s invitation.
With these economic criminals and Africa’s enemies hovering around Obama, how can he realize his dream for his father’s people and ultimately, for his mother’s people? Americans need “The Change” they voted for. Hangover from the past is a breach of promise.
No doubt, Obama is my role model any day, any time but the events of the last couple of weeks have raised dust as to his sincerity in ‘The Change’ he preached. Please don’t call it political statement, hence you would misconstrue me. However, my faith in Obama remains unshaken. Some weeks ago, I read it in yahoo news that Obama has appointed Paul Volcker, Lawrence Summers and Tim Geithner as Economic Adviser, National Economic Council Director and Treasury Secretary respectively. As an ardent follower of Obama’s Presidency who has gotten unwavering inspirations from Obama’s Dreams of my Father and Audacity of Hope, I swiftly sought the profiles of Obama’s economic heavyweights who would help Obama neutralize the current global financial meltdown.
Geithner worked with George Bush as the President of New York Federal Reserve, hence a central figure in the current global credit crunch. Geithner served in Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm during the mid 1980s, joined the Reagan-Bush administration in 1988 and then worked for Lawrence Summers and Robert Rubin in the Clinton ’s Treasury Department during the 1990s. The biggest error Geithner committed was the popular first round ineffectual Wall Street bail-outs in 2008, in which he bailed out J.P. Morgan in a day and surprisingly failed to foresee the catastrophic impact of the demise of Lehman Brothers Investment Bank on world’s financial dealings the next day. Geithner who claimed that credit market innovation should help to make markets more efficient and more resilient and better able to absorb stress surrendered to willful blindness when he said: “we cannot turn back the clock on innovation or reverse the complexity around risk management. We do not have the capacity to monitor risk outside the banking system. We cannot identify the likely sources of future stress to the system and act preemptively to diffuse them.” Then I ask, why did Obama give him such pressing job?
Lawrence Summers once gained infamy as a crusader of African genocide and environmental racism. In 2006, he lost the race to become Harvard President. His failure was attributed to his crude and controversial understanding about sexism. Summers wrote that women could not do Mathematics and Sciences. As environmental racist and World Bank Chief Economist, Summers wrote: “I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest-wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that. I have always thought that under-populated countries in Africa are vastly under-polluted, their air quality is vastly inefficiently low.” What has Africa-Obama’s origin, done to this man?
Born in 1926, Volcker is one of the living Africa ’s economic enemies. Wall Street Journal described him as a Cigar-Chomping Banker (1979-1987) who jacked up interest rates and tipped the United State (US) into the deepest recession since the Great Depression. He was famous for what was known as Volcker Shock in the 1970s that brought a sharp rise in the world’s interest rates and a sustained appreciation of the dollar. Owing to the Volcker Shock, Africa was nearly squeezed to death. When fielding questions from journalists, Volcker said: “ Africa was not even on my radar screen.” Again I ask; what has Africa done to Volcker? President Jimmy Carter chose Volcker in 1979 to chair the Federal Reserve and he retired in 1987. Surprisingly, Volcker is back in White House through Obama’s invitation.
With these economic criminals and Africa’s enemies hovering around Obama, how can he realize his dream for his father’s people and ultimately, for his mother’s people? Americans need “The Change” they voted for. Hangover from the past is a breach of promise.
EDUCATION MINISTRY ON THE FREEWAY
At last, Education Ministry is taking the lead. I have seen the signs. I have deciphered the handwriting on the wall, many thanks to my dream. Just like 2pac’s hit track, Changes where the late Amaru said that things would never be the same, that is just the way it is. Hey! Please do not say 2Pac appeared to me in my dream! While still basking in the euphoria of the aura that came after my ability to fathom the undertone of retrogressive forward movement of the Education Ministry (you call it paradox?), I swiftly swung into an extempore writing, given no room for ominous omen to hijack my present mood. Many thanks to my telepathic understanding of the historical forces at play and my adaptive affinity garnished with my enigmatic pen. Never mind, I am only defining the premises that saw the emergence of this vignette. So let’s go back to business.
For those who can cultivate the courage to look convincingly without making recourse to magnifying glasses, they would observe that the Education Ministry is on the threshold of making history. What history? You seem to soliloquize. Then you will need to send your memory arbiter to a thoughtful journey. If you cannot identify the historical happenings, you will need to cultivate the courage to look convincingly. It becomes more spine-tingling when the Ministry is viewed from the perspective of the current state of understanding of the Minister of Education vis-a-vis the rebranding jamboree. Now the education sector is get an immensely paltry amount of allocation in the 2009 budget while millions have gone down the drain in the all fruitlessly inconsequential SMS-powered rebranding gigs in Abuja. Isn’t that historical?
Again, this year marks the end of the grace given to all our lecturers to get their PhDs which is the benchmark for teaching in Nigerian universities as propagated by the Ministry through the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2007. Lecturers are currently rushing to put their thesis together; those who are running experiments are boycotting experimental procedures in a bid to save time. Those who are being neglected by their supervisors are making recourse to trado-pastors and trado-alfas to get stuff that could help them win the hearts of their almighty supervisors (what if they were God?). Even those who started in 2007 when the directive was issued are in the race of putting finishing touches to their PhD programmes in 2009 (is two years too short for PhD programme?). To the Ministry, quality teaching and ingenuity become inconsequential in the face of flashy and mere PhD certificates which is utterly absent in the culture of our role models (developed nations). Hurray! All our lecturers will e PhD holders by the end of 2009. Isn’t that historical?
The Ministry is at present, muscle-flexing with virtually all educational civil associations (ASUU, SSANU, SSANIP, NUT, NASU etc.) as to which should bend for another. Isn’t that historical? Ok, let’s look at this critically. Among the big boys in Africa (of course Nigeria also prides itself as a big boy-yes, recall giant of Africa). But over the years, it has been only the Ministry of Education in Nigeria that has been synonymous with non-result based policies formulation. Take for an instance, the failed polytechnics and universities merger and truncated privatization of Unity schools. It then becomes ultimately essential to relate the failure of the past to bear on the morass of current policies particularly when talking about the future of the pre-university basic education system and unified entrance examination into tertiary institutions.
Trust the busy bodies, they have lampooned the current semi-innocent (if at all) Minister of Education for not prioritizing his dealings. Some critics said the Minister was not prepared for the task given to him and that he was only made the Minister as a compensation for losing the ruling’s party chairmanship. Anyway, these critics must understand that the Minister needs to learn too. He needs time to understand the happenings around Nigerian campuses and I guess, that is why he is currently busy attending convocation ceremonies alongside his entourage (even if uninvited). Alas! Our Minister is on tour and education is on the freeway to the valley down below!
For those who can cultivate the courage to look convincingly without making recourse to magnifying glasses, they would observe that the Education Ministry is on the threshold of making history. What history? You seem to soliloquize. Then you will need to send your memory arbiter to a thoughtful journey. If you cannot identify the historical happenings, you will need to cultivate the courage to look convincingly. It becomes more spine-tingling when the Ministry is viewed from the perspective of the current state of understanding of the Minister of Education vis-a-vis the rebranding jamboree. Now the education sector is get an immensely paltry amount of allocation in the 2009 budget while millions have gone down the drain in the all fruitlessly inconsequential SMS-powered rebranding gigs in Abuja. Isn’t that historical?
Again, this year marks the end of the grace given to all our lecturers to get their PhDs which is the benchmark for teaching in Nigerian universities as propagated by the Ministry through the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2007. Lecturers are currently rushing to put their thesis together; those who are running experiments are boycotting experimental procedures in a bid to save time. Those who are being neglected by their supervisors are making recourse to trado-pastors and trado-alfas to get stuff that could help them win the hearts of their almighty supervisors (what if they were God?). Even those who started in 2007 when the directive was issued are in the race of putting finishing touches to their PhD programmes in 2009 (is two years too short for PhD programme?). To the Ministry, quality teaching and ingenuity become inconsequential in the face of flashy and mere PhD certificates which is utterly absent in the culture of our role models (developed nations). Hurray! All our lecturers will e PhD holders by the end of 2009. Isn’t that historical?
The Ministry is at present, muscle-flexing with virtually all educational civil associations (ASUU, SSANU, SSANIP, NUT, NASU etc.) as to which should bend for another. Isn’t that historical? Ok, let’s look at this critically. Among the big boys in Africa (of course Nigeria also prides itself as a big boy-yes, recall giant of Africa). But over the years, it has been only the Ministry of Education in Nigeria that has been synonymous with non-result based policies formulation. Take for an instance, the failed polytechnics and universities merger and truncated privatization of Unity schools. It then becomes ultimately essential to relate the failure of the past to bear on the morass of current policies particularly when talking about the future of the pre-university basic education system and unified entrance examination into tertiary institutions.
Trust the busy bodies, they have lampooned the current semi-innocent (if at all) Minister of Education for not prioritizing his dealings. Some critics said the Minister was not prepared for the task given to him and that he was only made the Minister as a compensation for losing the ruling’s party chairmanship. Anyway, these critics must understand that the Minister needs to learn too. He needs time to understand the happenings around Nigerian campuses and I guess, that is why he is currently busy attending convocation ceremonies alongside his entourage (even if uninvited). Alas! Our Minister is on tour and education is on the freeway to the valley down below!
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