My Letter to the 7 Billionth Citizen of the World

Today, the 31st of August, 2011, the world population would reach 7 Billion. This is what i have to say to the the child that makes us hit that milestone:

Dear Mr./Miss Seven Billion,

I would address you  like how I addressed the 1 Billionth child born in 1830, the 2 Billionth child in 1930, the 3 Billionth child in 1960, 4 Billionth child in 1975, 5 Billionth child in 1989 and the 6 Billionth child in 1999. Although, the circumstance in which you were born is different from that of the previous children mentioned above. You are the 7 Billionth child born in the world and that's a special landmark for the world.

You were born in a time of revolutions in the Middle East, drug wars in the Central America,  economic crises in Europe and loss of jobs in America. You would hear of things like natural disasters (perhaps, the Turkish President and the Thai  Prime Minister can enlighten you on that after the recent earthquakes and floods in their respective countries), but I pray you don't experience them. Also, you must learn how  to spend money well so you wouldn't be a victim of the recession (the Greek President could give you some tutorials on that out of experience)

In this world you would meet a lot of good and bad people. You were born shortly after the death of some seriously bad men. One of them died a couple of days ago after ruling his country for 42 years and terrorizing his subjects while another one was killed a couple of months ago and was buried at sea after notoriously earning the title of the world's most wanted man. Your history teacher would teach you about a very very good man called Adolf Hitler (I hope your literature teacher tells you the meaning of sarcasm). There are also good men in the world. In fact,  before you came to this world, the "Apple of our eyes" left us (perhaps, I might get you an iSad to console you) . You would grow up using his gadgets and inventions  and I would like you to impact the world just like how he did.

                                                   The Good, Bad, Ugly and the Beast

They say out of six blacks in the world, one is a Nigerian. So if you are a black, there is a high probability that you are a Nigerian. You might be wondering what Nigeria is. Nigeria is a country with good people and it's a great nation with the happiest people on earth and the highest paid politicians in the world! We have a President that was shoeless when he was young, and now that he's old is clueless with a First Lady that probably skipped English classes while at school. We just had the first indigenous successful suicide bomber some couple of months and our President said it is Nigerians turn to deal with such issues. If you are a boy, you are expected to die by the age of 38 in this country but I pray God preserves your life. If you are a girl, there is a slim chance that you might go to the university. Nevertheless, you'll be celebrated as the 167 millionth Nigerian!

So my dear 7 Billionth citizen of the world, I'll advise you to live each day like it's the last and trust in God to watch over you. Welcome to the world. Hope you have a nice time!!!

But Seriously … WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!!!

The Tale of Four Governors

It's been a while since I've done a post on this blog. It was due to some circumstances beyond my control (permit me for using that lame excuse that media houses always use). A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the last time I posted a piece. Most notable is the unfortunate bombings that were carried out by the Boko Haram guys. May God console the families of the lost and wishing the other victims speedy recoveries.

Actually, what woke me up from my "blogging sleep" was not the bombings but the arrest of four (4) former governors by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).  The governors are Gbenga Daniel,  Adebayo Alao-Akala, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Akwe Doma. As we all know, it's a normal thing for ex-governors to be rightly "harassed" by the EFCC especially when their successors are from an opposing party but the money involved in the case of these four men is really appalling, upsetting and inexcusable! These men were arrested for "misusing" $674 million (that's over 100 billion naira)! They all have different degrees of misappropriation of money but I'll evenly divide the 100 billion naira amongst the four of them. That gives us 25 billion naira per governor. Let's assume that these 25 billion naira was stolen (tired of referring to it as 'misuse') in just a term in office. It then implies that each of them stole 17 million naira every day while in office!

The four Musketeers

In their last report on how far the world is in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the UN reported that 64.7% of Nigerians  live under $1 dollar per day. That means 97 million Nigerians can't afford  150 naira  for eating, transportation etc per day and just 4 Nigerians by virtue of being public servants had the audacity and effrontery to embezzle 17 million naira every faithful day of service! What a service to the people!!! Do these people know what 17 million naira would do to the lives of the citizens of their states in a day??? Imagine the number of public secondary schools that would have  desks and chairs if these governors decided to be sane for just a day! Imagine the number of beds 17 million naira would have provided for their hospitals! Do you know what? With this amount of embezzled money, they had the ability to give scholarships of 100,000 naira to 170 tertiary education students every day of their administration!

A Public Secondary School

It's a pity Nigerians hear and see all these ungodly levels of corruption and still praise, salute and blow the horns of the perpetuators of the evil act. It's no news that Danjuma Goje has over 30 honorary degrees and awards from Nigerian Universities and also 20 chieftaincy titles! This is wrong!!! Many Nigerians celebrate these men and it gives upcoming public servants the urge to follow in their evil and shameful footsteps because every man wants to be celebrated! It's a fact that hypocrisy and sycophancy are good catalyst that boost misuse of power. These guys are voted in to serve and I see no use dancing and forming parades  when one of then builds a road or provides pipe-borne water because that's his job! He's to SERVE!!!

At this juncture, I would like to state that the cases of these governors are still in court and it's also likely that they embezzled more but the EFCC couldn't track the other sums. So as our public servants continue buying vehicle foot mats for 150, 000 (Bank Ole) and renovating houses for over half a billion naira (our dearest Patricia), let's do our own part by stoning them with bags of pure water whenever they are driving past (it was my friend that suggested that ooo).

Weapons of Warfare

 But Seriously … OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS SHOULD TAKE IT EASY ON OUR MONEY VAULTS!

The NYSC Scheme and the Violent North

Today is Easter, the day when Christians remember and mark the resurrection of  our Lord, Jesus Christ from the dead. All over the world, Christians are celebrating and they are all in joyous moods but these don't apply to Christians in Northern Nigeria because of the unrest that has been dominant in the region over the past two (2) weeks. My heart goes out to those whom have lost loved ones in riots most especially the parents of youth corps members  that have been killed. But wait a minute! What the hell is the NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) doing about the youth corps members in the danger zone??? Left to me the service scheme should be scrapped!

Mr President's Easter "gift"

 They say that once the purpose of something is not known, abuse is inevitable. So I googled "the purpose of NYSC". The first result that appeared was the official website of NYSC. I opened the site and the first line in the site contained the purpose of NYSC. It goes thus: "THE NYSC SCHEME WAS CREATED IN A BID TO RECONSTRUCT, RECONCILE AND REBUILD THE COUNTRY AFTER THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR". The purpose is clear and is in three (3) folds; reconstruction, reconciliation and rebuilding (although to me it's just in 2 folds because reconstruction and rebuilding are the same thing).

Some corps members marching.

The aim and objective of the service scheme is good but it's a pity that the environment and people are militating against its success. Just last week I saw an headline that said that 25 youth corps members were killed in Bauchi. Also, today, I read that 20 youth corps members have so far been killed in Kaduna. Those news reports don't sound like and doesn't give the impression that a word like "reconciliation"  exists in the dictionary. It is quite obvious that these corps members are easy prey and the NYSC has not done enough to protect them.

Thank God we have graduated!!! Let's hope we don't go North...

So should we continue sending our brothers and sisters to the "lion's den" just because we want to rebuild and reconcile with some people whom have no iota of civilization and rational reasoning? It is utter foolishness to put these bright minds, the future of Nigeria, these budding set of exceptional skills and expertise into harms way all in the name of reconciliation. It is unexplainable why the government would want to cause grief in the heart of parents whom thought their children would harness all what they were taught in the university to become successful and all of a sudden get killed because they were sent on a scheme that promotes "reconciliation".

After graduating, this is what happens to some of them...

 I believe the reconciliation process was instigated so that we remain "ONE NIGERIA". Anyone that has been following the developments (or should I say under development) in the North and still thinks there is something like "ONE NIGERIA" is either kidding or is paranoid. I admire the fact that the scheme is to promote reconciliation but we all know it is very unlikely that it happens. I believe we have been stretched beyond our elastic limit and we'll only be deceiving ourselves if we think we can come back to our normal or ideal state (or even imaginary state) of "ONE NIGERIA".

The people they are to reconcile with

The North is volatile and is not hospitable for any non-northerner. Gov. Rauf Aregbesola understood this fact and he made efforts to retrieve all indigenes of Osun State serving in the North (what a wise man!). The Director General of the NYSC should follow the governor's foot steps and  either withdraw the corps members  or he should take measures to beef up the security around the corps memebers or else the executioners would have a bumper harvest!

But Seriously…WE DON'T NEED THE NYSC SCHEME!

Why Did Buhari Cry?

It took me over 30 minutes to come up with a title for this post because there were many titles coming to m y head like "The Politics of Tears", "Weep no more, General", "From the Military with Tears" and a host of others. I decided to stick with the obvious question that is on the minds of many Nigerians after the public display of emotions by General Buhari, CPC Presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.



"Come on guys, vote for me. I'm pleading!!!"

I googled "why did buhari cry" and the results did not give me any reason. So I have decided to come up with twelve (12) reasons why he wept when he was rounding off his campaign.
1. It is pretty obvious that the General is the presidential candidate that has the strongest links with the military. Since many Nigerians don't want the military to be in power (Thanks to Abacha and IBB), Buhari now decided that the best way to show that he is democratic is to do what Maria Jones did when she was convicted - CRY!!!
2. The ruling party, PDP (People's Democratic Party) has done enough damage in our nation and its members have shown a great deal of indiscipline (Bode George, Ibori, Fayose etc) and still , forty-six (46) parties endorsed the presidential candidate of PDP. Come on!!! Is that not good enough reason for the inventor of WAI (War Against Indiscipline) to cry???
3. As we all know, CPC and ACN ( Action Congress of Nigeria) have been trying to merge so as to over throw PDP. A last ditch effort was made on Tuesday but it failed. The General couldn't just bear it again and he let it out…
4. General Buhari's running mate is Pastor Tunde Bakare (I respect him and I love his messges). Maybe the Pastor had just finished preaching the Good News to him and he was convicted of his sins. So he did what the jailer that imprisoned Apostle Paul did -WEEP!!!
5. Did you guys notice that others on the podium were also crying? I believe a malicious police man (they are always present in such gatherings) "mistakenly" released a tear gas. Have you not wondered why they call it TEAR gas???
6. Go check out the number of Senatorial seats CPC has.
7. Jesus wept, Awolowo wept, Abiola wept, who should be the next man on the queue???
8. Do you know the General didn't go to university? So as he was reading his manifesto, he was having difficulties with some words. What should a man do to save himself in such situations? Little wonder that his manifesto is the shortest among the four (4) fore-runners.
9. The General was remembering the Lagos metro-railway project he rejected when he was the head of state. Now it has come back to haunt him because Gov. Fashola has embarked on the project.
10. Don't you know that Chelsea lost on Tuesday and due to his tight campaign schedule, he just heard that Elizabeth Taylor died?
11. They say action speaks louder than words. When you are in front of the camera and you don't know what to say, CRY! Michael Jackson's daughter did it, Charles Taylor (as stone hearted as he is) also did it in the Hague. The General also employed the tactics.
12. There are a lot  of reasons, but I would leave the 12th reason to the readers.



Please stop crying, I've finished this piece.

But Seriously… THE GENERAL LOVES NIGERIA!!!

The Metamorphosis of Aunty Dora

It is common knowledge that Dora Akunyili contested for the senatorial seat of Anambra Central Senatorial Zone. She ran under the APGA (I don't know the full meaning but I know that the 'PGA' means Progressive Grand Alliance). What makes this senatorial zone very interesting is her opponent - Dr Chris Ngige (a former governor of the state). This post is not about the circus surrounding the elections in that senatorial zone (I need a whole different blog to comment about that because the zone is so dramatic that INEC itself is confused and doesn’t know who won and more importantly that is the senatorial zone I hail from).

"My eyes are fixed on that seat"

"I'll crush Dora in the elections"

She was once the sweet heart of the Nigerian public because of the efforts of NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control) which she was heading. Her efforts as DG of NAFDAC brought her recognition from every one within the country and in the international community (even the armed robbers and assassins in her home town). She dealt with those dealing in fake drugs in the country and when she finished with the one's in Nigeria, she continued her ordeal in India shutting down industries there that import fake drugs (what a passionate woman!!!).

10 million naira logo

After a while, she was made the Minister of Information and she became a Professor. It was at this juncture that our cherished unpolluted dear egg changed to a voracious larva. Firstly, how did she become a Professor? How can someone who has not seen the 4-walls of a classroom and is not involved in academic activities become a Professor? Have Nigerian universities invented " Honourary Professorship"??? Also, as a minister, she decided to rebrand Nigeria. She collected billions of naira to rebrand Nigeria and we cannot see the effects of what she did except for a logo that is rumoured to have cost ten (10) million naira  (Ironically, thieves decided to 'rebrand'  her phones on the night that she launched the project).

After a while, (or after the 'rebranding' of some of the naira notes to her pocket) she decided to run for a senatorial seat in the house of assembly and she resigned from her post of Minister of (rebranding) Information. It was at this point that our voracious larva turned to a parasitic pupa. There has been a lot of reports about how she often campaigned and moved about with thugs. It reached a point after the elections that the INEC official in charge of the senatorial zone came out publicly and said that she offered him a duplex and ten (10) million naira if he danced to her tune (I watched him live on Channels television). I don't know how true that is. 

Dr Chris Ngige was declared the winner but the cloud has not yet settled in the area because the INEC official that was to head that zone has been changed three (3) times in the last five (5) days and they all said different things. The INEC chairman said this evening that they are confused and he'll start investigations. Let's just hope that our dear aunty does not change to a butterfly because she may would develop wings and fly above the law"(like the old man of Molete in Oyo State).

But Seriously… IT'S TIME TO CUT THE WINGS OF THE "BUTTERFLIES"!!!

Femininity of Social Netwroking

A Girl with her favourite tool

The TV series Gossip Girls portrays vividly and explicitly the validity and genuineness of the topic. The rate at which those girls upload pictures, gossips and whatever and the dexterity with which they handle those there QWERTY keypad phones is so amazing. I recently read an article about a girl in Australia that sends at lest 2000 messages every day and i asked, "did good give them special muscles on their fingers?". Social networking has come to stay but it prefers to reside in the apartment of the ladies.

What's the latest gossip???

If you still have doubts concerning the femininity of social networking, go to your tweeter time line and check the number percentage of girls there. Check those topics that trend worldwide and you would be amazed at the number of girls that contribute to the topic (even topics like "Transfer Deadline" that are masculine). Why is it that a lady would update "a" on facebook and you would see over 20 comments but a guy would update "My little sister just died" and you would see five (5) comments? They say there is gender equality, but it is not present in the social networking world.

Oh Lord! save me from my system

I believe the reason that social networking is quite feminine is that girls like expressing their feelings and thoughts in form of words (twitter has given them that platform and I believe the140 character limitation gives them the impetus to continue tweeting every second). It is also a general believe that girls like talking a lot (no offense meant). So when they see an opportunity that would make them keep on "talking" and the whole world "hears" them, they give it their best shot. 

Lets take this shot!!!

It would be advisable if ladies can put a check on the volume of their thoughts and feelings they want the world to know because they might be used against you in the future and Jesus said we would give account for every loose word (the fact that He used "word" doesn't mean that tweets are not included). The person that said "it is a ladies world" must have been referring to social networking.

But Seriously...LET'S NOT FULLY RELY ON THE VIRTUAL WORLD!

The Explosive Elections

When I hear of bomb blasts my mind strays to the middle east. But in recent times, my intuitive judgment has been wrong and it doesn't really have to go as far as the middle east, it just stays here, at home (Nigeria). Today, Nigerians would go to the polls to vote who would stay in the House of Assembly and just yesterday, 11 people were killed in INEC (the electoral committee) office in Suleja and the police also discovered 100 strands of dynamite in Kaduna.

Dynamites

The rate at which bombs and explosives are becoming a common weapon in Nigeria is disturbing. I thought that during elections, the thugs use guns and knives. I never knew they have graduated to the levels of explosives (but I knew they would get there). What does this signify? I believe it shows how "power hungry" our politicians are that they can go to any level to get into the office. It's not that surprising because a seat in the National House of Assembly means that you can never be poor. President Obama has to work for three (3) months to make the pay that an average lawmaker in Nigeria is making in a month. A senator in India has to work for 36 years to match the salary a Senator in Nigeria takes home in a year. And the people that they are serving have to work for over 435 years (if he is collecting minimum wage) to make what his senator his making in a year.

Welcome to Delta State

So tell me why should not they use explosives? I wouldn't be surprised if we see fighter jets during presidential elections (at least they deployed armor tanks  during Delta State's gubernatorial elections). With all these show of fire arms how would they expect people to leave the security of their house to come out and vote. And for people like us who registered in a desolate place, (I did my voter's registration in a station located on the University's farm where no car passes, no farm settlement, no sign of civilization only bush) we have to take police escort to vote because those thugs can come out of the bush and we don't know what they would use to attack (maybe nuclear weapons) and just trust God to preserve our lives while on the farm.
But Seriously...WE WANT PEACEFUL ELECTIONS!

Piece of Mind 1

From time to time, I would be posting articles on the issues that are presently on my mind and I'll be calling them "Piece of Mind" (borrowed the title from my brother).

There is no electric power in my neighbourhood presently (I'm living in Nigeria) and we are tired of the noise of the generator so we put it to rest (moreover the breeze is cool and we are enjoying it). The solemn nature of the house got me thinking about one of my close female friends.

I went to the nearest "phone booth" to give her a call (I could not use my phone because I knew it would take time and we had some issues to talk about). We spoke for around 20 minutes, I took a walk, came back home and started typing this piece.

I ask myself, what’s the use of trying to build relationships (whether friendships  or otherwise)? Why go through all the stress of being a good friend? Why is it that girls like the "bad" boys and somehow disappoint those whom put extra efforts to build themselves? Why don't girls like communicating their feelings at the onset instead of waiting till the dying moments to reveal how they full? Is it even necessary relating with people of the opposite sex? Those and other questions are on my mind.

I hope I'm not sounding like an "heart broken toddler whom doesn't have any grip on his emotions". Please, I'm not heart broken and I was not (and I'm not) in any dating relationship. It's just that I couldn't just understand some things and I had to press hard and question her for her to reveal some important things that I should have known since and it was quite disappointing.

Thank God for his Word that says "His divine power has given me all things I need for life and godliness….". I hang on to that word and I know that I have all that I need to be a good friend and when the time comes, a good partner (that should be a very long time). So I'll continue building on myself and make sure that disappointments don't become a trend between my friends and I.

But Seriously…KEEP ON BEING THE BEST FRIEND YOU CAN BE!

Sex and the Village

The popular American cable television and film series, Sex and the City focuses on four white American women whom are big-city professionals, just living the false "American Dream". Sex and the village not about four (4) women nor is it about a large city like New York (I think that's obvious from the name).

 What common characteristics do you think all these men whom are above 55 years of age share in common? Bill Clinton (former U.S President), Jacob Zuma (South Africa's President), Moshe Katsav (Former Israeli President) and Oba Adebukola Alli (Alowa of Ilowa). You might be imagining, what can a former a U.S President and a lowly traditional ruler in Osun State have in common? The answer is not that far fetched considering the fact that they have cartilage in between their legs - SEX SCANDALS.

"...how on earth did i get stuck with this man..."

Jacob Zuma ("we must fight AIDS")

Monica Lewinsky at the age of 22, became notorious for her role in performing the marital duties of the present U.S Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. The case of Jacob Zuma is a little bit disturbing, despite the fact that he had five (5) complete wives, he went ahead to sleep with the daughter of his very good friend, Irvin Khoza (indeed the heart of man is desperately wicked). Moshe Katsav case is a special one, notwithstanding the fact that he is 65 years old, he was convicted of two (2) rapes (what a sacrilegious abomination in the Holy land). The Oba's case is quite different because he has not been convicted yet.

Moshe Katsav (warning Isreali's against infidelity)

It was reported that the police is investigating Oba Adebukola Alli, the Alowa of Ilowa following allegations of rape levelled against him by a 23-year old corps member. The corper who is teacher in a community school in Ilowa said that the Oba approached her to train some kids so as to make them computer literate. She accepted the offer and did as the Oba said The Oba was happy with her and decided to take her to his house to have a light refreshment. The rest is history. She claimed she was raped there.

That's her own part of the story. The Oba has not yet giving his part so I wouldn't pass any comments yet. But all I want to say is that sex scandals are immoral, ungodly and should not be tolerated a bit. And I believe tougher penalties should be imposed because it is tantamount to the defamation of the feminine gender. It's time for men to show that they are real men by treating ladies with some respect even the one's that don't deserve it. I'll be following developments as they unfold in Ilowa.

 But Seriously… LADIES SHOULD BE SEEN AS HUMAN BEINGS NOT SEX OBJECTS!

The Garrulous Mallam

I've been getting some comments and reactions to my posts and I really appreciate them (did I forget to mention criticisms too? I now feel like a blogger). This would be the last piece on the presidential debate and it's about Mallam Nuhu Ribadu the ACN  candidate who could not just stop talking. Clad in a white native attire, the Mallam was the best "talker" of the night. He couldn't just keep to time. It had it's negative side because he was the only one that was cautioned by the moderator and booed by the audience.

On the night, I believe he was the most eloquent and the most prepared (or even over prepared) but that doesn't mean you have to go against the rules of the debate. I believe if he wins the race he'll become another Fidel Castro and Moammar Gaddafi when it comes to UN general assembly speeches (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google "longest UN general assembly speeches") but unlike those two dictators, he has something cogent and reasonable to offer.

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

There is nothing much to say his principles because they were reasonable but I have a problem with the way he was attacking the other candidates. Statements like "some people have been retired for 25 years while some of us have been working for the past 25 years" (was refering to Gen. Buhari) and "some of us have the global experience while some have not yet left the local level" (reffering to the Kano state Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau) were constantly resonating from his podium.

I believe that was poor judgement on his path. Looking at it very well, you came well "loaded" to the debate, why waste your precious little time being sarcastic and not laying down your ideas? I agree with his idea that Nigeria needs younger leaders. I think its time for young people to take active roles in politics in Nigeria (so all of you that are on strike, go and buy nimination forms). Most of the world leaders are not above 60 years old (unlike most of our presidential candidates). The old men need to rest.

But seriously… NIGERIA NEEDS YOUNG PEOPLE IN POLITICS!

The Insensitive Governor

Back to the presidential debate (I know some of you are tired of this but I'll just put one more post after this. Happy now?), I was awe struck at the attire one of the candidates was adorned in because it looked like a piece of tie-dye that I did I my JSS 3 in Fine Arts (ironically I got the highest mark for my "great" piece of art). I'm talking of no other person but Gov. Ibrahim Shekarau. Of all colours to wear, it was bright yellow that he decided to wear and he looked like a caricature when standing amidst his well clad opponents (I started to wonder if its against the Sharia law to have a wardrobe advisor).

Gov. Ibrahim Shekarau

Let's leave his clothes alone and focus on the man and his principles. During the debate, he was asked why he stopped the polio immunizations in Kano state (the state in which he is the Governor). I was shocked and it was as if I did not hear the question well (The Governor probably did not hear the question because he asked the moderator to repeat it). I started to think, what in the devil's vocabulary would stop a sane man to stop the immunization of babies in this time and age? He was giving some reasons (or excuses) but all of them were sounding like "blah blah blah blah blah…".

An Immunization worker (obviously not in Kano State)

Let's examine this. Nigeria is one of the few (I really mean few) countries where the disease called poliomyelitis is still present. Behind India, Nigeria is the second most infected country when it comes to this disease. It's a shame to still be battling with polio in this time and age. Cases of polio have not been recorded in many countries in over two (2) decades and some people in this world don't even know that the disease still exists (not to talk of it being a killer in some countries). And still, an elected public officer, who is serving in the capacity of the Governor of a State (the most populous state in Nigeria) has the audacity, guts and effrontery to stop the immunization of babies against poliomyelitis.

Showing the Polio Infested countries of the world

In my opinion this a crime and it is tantamount to the serial killing of children and it should be punishable. Let's face the fact, there is no pertinent reason to stop immunization and the action that the Governor took is a very insensitive one. He said he is a guidance counselor by profession but his action does not give any inclination that he saw the four walls of a classroom.

But seriously… LET'S KICK POLIO OUT OF NIGERIA! 

The Cynic General

Still on the presidential debate that was held this week, I must once again commend NN24 and its partners on the organization . The production was good, the stage setting and sound was of good quality and the moderator was harsh!!! (good for the candidates because she threw tough questions at them). Due to the quality of questions coming from the moderator and the tone she used, General Buhari was going off point (I believe he was shell shocked because as a general, he is not used to being questioned especially in that kind of tone by a younger "girl"). This probably led him to say that "Nigerians are corrupt and undisciplined".

Gen. Buhari

I my own opinion, I would say that the above statement is very negative and it shows the pessimistic, cynic and skeptic perspective that the General would use to tackle issues if he is voted into power. Come on General (or retired General), you have to have some faith in the people that you are leading. If you were I Christian, I would have asked if you knew the power of negative thoughts and speech (maybe your running mate may exhort you on that). But, since you are not a Christian, I just have one (1) question in regards of the authenticity of that statement because I believe that it is a fallacy of hasty generalization.

General, you should be aware that there are many Nigerians living outside the shores of the nation. And you would agree with me that most of those countries have rules and regulations. If Nigerians are corrupt and undisciplined, why is it that when they go to other countries they become civilized and disciplined? They pay their taxes, park their cars at authorized spots, obey the traffic light and abide by the rules set before them. There is even the story of a man who stopped the cab driver on his way back from the airport (after landing from abroad) and went to the side of the road to urinate on the side walks because he is back in Nigeria.

 General don't you think that it is the system not the man that is corrupt because the system over there never gave him the chance to do that? What would you call a system where the amount of money the House of Assembly uses to fuel its generators on a daily basis is more than the amount that is allocated to my department (Computer Science and Engineering) on an annual basis.

General, even if we bring those whom you think are not corrupt and very disciplined and you make them live in this type of system we are operating in Nigeria, they'll become worse. I'm not trying to say that we are not also to blame for the way things are run here but it is not good enough reason to say that Nigerians are corrupt and undisciplined. I believe in a greater and brighter Nigeria and statements like that would not help matters.

But seriously…NIGERIANS ARE GOOD AND DISCIPLINED PEOPLE!

Mr President, The Kokomaster

There are 18 people running for the post of President in Nigeria. During the week, the news channel NN24 in conjunction with Tony Elumelu foundation and Benson Idahosa University organized  a presidential debate for the four "forerunners" in the up-coming presidential elections (It seems the other 14 are just there to amuse Nigerians). The forerunners are Pres. Goodluck Jonathan (PDP), Mallam Shekarau (ANPP), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (CAN) and Gen. Buhari (CPC). There where four (4) podiums but one was empty (it was that of Pres. Goodluck Jonathan). Where can the President be on this special evening?

 The answer to the above question would surprise many of you and it may make you question the smartness and the decision making abilities of our president. You might be wondering, "what in the devil's vocabulary can keep our president from showing up from a debate like this that would be viewed by millions all over the nation and give him a great chance to reach out to the public?". Who on earth can he be granting  audience when he has the chance to prove to Nigerians that he has something upstairs? It wasn't Barack Obama neither was it Nelson Mandela it was…wait for it…. D'Banj (a musician)!!!

Pres. Goodluck Jonathan

 When I first heard that, I felt like vomiting (it not only caused emotional upset but also stomach upset). I asked my self, "what in the devil's vocabulary can our President be doing with D'Banj at this time when his mates are on a platform expressing their views (it reminded me that biblical story of David, walking on the roof of his house when the Kings were at war. And  you know what he saw…). It was said that he was being interviewed by D'Banj and I started to ponder about the rationale behind that.

 I believe the time has come when our leaders should stop "covering" themselves and come out and tell us what they have got. It's time for our leaders to involve themselves in intelligible conversation with their rivals and not loafing around with any frivolous artiste that has captured the hearts of musically deaf and irrational Nigerians by his unreasonable, incoherent and morally depraved shouts and yells. I would like to congratulate the three (3) candidates who showed up.

 Some people say he was on tour with D'Banj, others say that Mo'Hits  Record has signed our President up and he was waxing an album with D'Banj in the Aso Rock. Nevertheless, irregardless of what he was doing with D'Banj, the truth is that there was a Presidential debate and the President, who is a candidate was not present due to some reasons best known to him but don't seem pertinent enough.

 But seriously… NIGERIA DOESN'T NEED A KOKOMASTER AS A PRESIDENT!

Lessons From Fukushima

Last week's tsunami hit Japan very hard and I sympathize with the government and people of Japan. I would also like to acknowledge the laudable efforts of the international community in assisting with clean up and rescue missions to find survivors.

 The tsunami has come and gone but there is an impending danger still looming around - FUKUSHIMA. Fukushima is a town that was hit by the tsunami and do you know the creepy thing about this town??? Yeah, you were right if you said it has a nuclear reactor. The disaster affected the reactors and radiation levels started to rise (it got me wondering what kind of karma Japan has with radiation? Remember Hiroshima?). It doesn't take an atomic physicists  to know the effects of exposure to radiation. But for those of you who don't know, the person would undergo some transformations, hair falling off, nails removing and the likes (it reminds me of one popular black and white musician).

 So what can Nigerians and the entire African continent learn from Fukushima (that's if we learn anything at all)? The major source of generation of electric power in Africa is through coal, gas and hydro-electric plants and I read reports sometime back that Nigeria wants to start generating power through Nuclear energy. And I had some questions.

 It is common knowledge that there are eight (8) turbines at Kanji dam (the major hydro electric power generation station in Nigeria) and only one (1) turbine is working. If the government can not maintain and improve on a technology that some Chinese farmers were using decades ago (hydro-electricity) how can they maintain a technology as advanced as a Nuclear power station?  How can the government whom can not take care of its sports men and women even when on national  assignments take care of a nuclear power plant? How many Nuclear engineers and Atomic physicists do we have at our disposal to manage the facility? We all know the low grade materials used for building projects, how are we sure the materials used for the power plant would be an exception? I would like the Federal Government to consider these questions before they go on another white elephant project.

 Once again, I would like to congratulate the officials in Japan for their management of the reactors and also Manchester United, for observing a minute silence in their previous two (2) matches.

 But seriously… NIGERIA IS NOT READY FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR!

Thank God For The Strike

Have you  realized that it is at the time of adversity that talents and gifts are properly honed? The break out of diseases made Alexander Flemming's star shine brightly, the Second World War made Winston Churchill to bring out his excellent leadership traits and the injury of Jose Bosingwa (a bad moment for Chelsea fans in the 08/09 season)  made Branislav Ivanovic show that he's not just someone who came all the way from Serbia for sight-seeing in London (I don't blame him, Stamford Bridge is beautiful).

Similarly, I have been affected (or infected)  by that principle. Presently, my School has been closed down (the Vice-Chancellor was tired of seeing our faces and our Student Union leaders were feeling homesick) and that has given me the opportunity to sharpen one of my latent gifts - WRITING.

Many Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U) students would look at the title of this blog and call me names like "loafing truant with misguided intentions and aimless aspirations" (that was actually what I called those whom were protesting by sleeping on the road). They would ask questions like "How in the devil's vocabulary can you be thanking God for this strike that has sent over 30,000 youths to their houses or even the devils workshop (because of the high rate of pregnancies strikes like this)?"

But seriously, let's consider this issue very well. First of all we are urged to give thanks in all situations by the Bible. Also, this strike is an opportunity for self improvement. As I always say, the school calendar should only affect your education not your learning nor your growth. People see this strike as another avenue to waste time (or to get pregnant), I see it as an avenue to gain time by learning skills that would help me in the outside world. Don't let any day pass by without adding value to your life because, wait for it….BREAKING NEWS: LIFE IS SHORT!!!!

You might be saying that it is not easy to live such kind of disciplined and growth inclined life during strikes like this and I fully agree with you. It's not easy because YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN!!! I wouldn't like to go much into making plans. I would save it for another time. I hope this is good enough for my first blog post.

but seriously... LET US THANK GOD!