"MY POSITION: EVERYTHING IS WRONG" by Itunu Levi Akorede

The continent of Africa is richly blessed with intellectuals and traditional ways of transmitting knowledge. This is carried out through various ways, and one of these ways is PROVERBS. There are some proverbs which are peculiar to a particular people and some are universal.

Permit me at this point to bring in a proverb from the Yoruba culture and language which says : "O sa girigiri lo ibi oja ti n ta, n je o beere lowo ori". Respect to the elders. This proverb simply means that you didn't inquire from the deities what to do to succeed. You only saw that some people are succeeding in a particular venture and you joined them. This proverb is for no other reason than to discuss the few various forms of government and the Nigerian system.

Prior colonialism, the various nations in Nigeria had various styles through which the administration was designed. In the east, it was the council of elders and various age grade groups. In the north, it was the combination of both theocracy and monarchical systems while among the Yoruba people of the west, the oba (monarch) was the source and interpreter of laws. But the colonialists came and condemned every existing government system and replaced it with colonial Lords, a style of government only they can tell us but in Nigeria it was called indirect rule.

Not to dwell too much on the background which I am sure we are all familiar with, let's talk about democracy and its effects on the polity. Democracy is still a pretentious department of neo-colonial operation.

 

Britain and America are the two chief protagonists of democratic rule in every part of the world, but I have come to understand that democracy will not succeed in every part of the world. There are places where the success of the government will be in the hands of religious systems, some in the hands of monarchs, some in the hands of the wealthy people, some in the hands of the poor peasants and some in the hands of the military.

Britain propagated various doctrines which they don't even practice. They plunged us into the mess called "Nigeria" where we practice a democracy very different from other democracies. I laf. If Britain was sure that democracy is total, why do they have to preserve the seat of the Queen? America, on her own, has never practiced any other form of government in their entire history apart from democracy. So how do they know that it's democracy or nothing for every nation. What is the situation of Greece the origin of democracy?

Coming back to the home front, Nigeria started a full scale operation of democracy on the 29th day of May, 1999. What have been the gains? Ethnic brigandage, desperate political leaders, politics without manifesto, rigging, religious crisis and intolerance, bombing, industrial action, embezzlement of public funds, non-availability of basic infrastructure, etc. The 15 years of democratic rule in Nigeria have sent Nigeria 150 years backward. O ga o. We don suffer sha. The youths can't get employment. Even with a first class degree, you have to take to political thuggery, armed robbery, prostitution or internet fraud.

It's in Nigeria that a 72 year-old granddad wants to rule a majority population of youths. Aso Rock has no mortuary facilities, please. If truly you want to help Nigeria, why not look out there for a young energetic character who can be tutored and assisted to rule? Desperate politicians everywhere! What have the political parties offered us? Two things: empty promises and disappointment. My charge still goes to the youths in Nigeria, expect no miracle o. The status quo will remain unless we demand a change. We must not be complacent. We must rise to action. We must do something!

 Always in tears when I remember my homeland.... Nigeria the giant of Africa. I am even scared to call Nigeria a giant.

WHERE DID WE GET IT WRONG? SIMPLY PUT, EVERYWHERE!!!

 Akorede Itunulevi.


The views expressed above are solely that of the author and not of darasimioshodiblogspot.com or its associates. 

"Democracy Day: Nigerians Want a Better Life" by Itunu Levi Akorede

Itunuemma!!! I heard that voice call me in the early hours of today. "Today is democracy day in your country." “YES” , I replied. The question that came striking my medulla was: “Are there things to celebrate today?” The response to this question has generated a very strict pendulum of opinion. Some agree that there are things to celebrate but my very curious mind kept asking the question. Then I stopped for a while and started making an inventory of the country's arrangements since June 7, 1998, July 8, 1998 and finally had a brief stop at May 29, 1999. I asked isn't it a calamity that Nigeria decided to embrace democracy or is the calamity in the death of Musa Yar' adua or is the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan the ultimate calamity?

I searched through the history of Carthage, Rome, Greece and the old Empire of Benin to take a serious look into the issue of patriotism. I discovered that patriotism at a time or the other helped each of these kingdoms and empires to gain prominence over a vast domain but they were eventually brought down by enemies within collaborating with external forces which is the exact situation of our beloved country Nigeria.

So much is responsible for the struggle for national development and unity. Negligence, nepotism, ethnic sentiment, favoritism, religious intolerance, corruption and lots more that I call "forces of entropy". These have in no small measure destroyed the country once built on the proceeds of cocoa, cola nut, groundnut, beans pyramid, palm oil from the oil rich zone of Niger delta, coconut, etc. Our economy at a certain stage was basically agrarian, yet we could afford free education and free meal, give scholarships to students to study abroad, world class basic amenities, etc. I find it difficult to understand why a country who was an economic reference became a midget in terms of every available index. The nation can't afford anything good anymore. Industrial action is the order of the day, ASUU, NLC/TUC, COEASU are always embarking on industrial action. There is acute unemployment and the nation is almost 60 years.

How many have gone to the people they elected to represent their constituency to make life easier for them and asked them, “Sir/Ma, what is the essence of sending you to represent our interests if you are not delivering?” Nigerians lack the culture of reporting or better put, Nigerian political leaders lack what you can call the sense of accountability. Invite them to a town hall meeting and you will discover that they are comedians, but they will try to sweet talk you and come back to request to be voted back into office in spite of the fact that they are as empty as emptiness.

Nigerian youths can no longer compete with their contemporaries in the larger world. Why? The answer is right there on the table of the ministers of education, national planning, etc.

I have been outside of Nigeria, I have seen the same things we have in Nigeria in some places I have had the opportunity of residing in: fire service, effective policing, excellent infrastructure; and I know Nigeria is rich and can afford all these things. I am not expecting Nigeria to get to the same level as Britain, Japan, USA or Germany in one day, but the government should be able to give the citizens at least 40 percent of what people in Europe and America enjoy. Nigerians are not animals. We are human beings. I am waiting for the day when Nigerians will boycott elections and make request for better life and governance from the ruling few. I will help challenge in my own little way and style.

Since 1999, please go ahead and read, check out and ask the leaders from local government councillors to chairmen, House of Assembly members, governors and commissioners, senators and members of the House of Representatives, ministers and presidents what have they to show us for our uninterrupted democracy. What we demand as Nigerians is a better life.

What are we celebrating, DEMOCRACY OR DEMOCRAZY?

Akorede Itunulevi 05-29-2014

The views expressed above are solely that of the author and not of darasimioshodiblogspot.com or its associates.

"Together We Stand" by Alamu Oluwaseyi

Praying is a commandment that we ought to obey (Luke 18:1). Beyond making petitions to God it is an exercise of edification to the soul. Most often we understand the need for us to pray individually. It is not wrong.

However, considering the word of God that says “five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you” (Leviticus 26:8), it infers that the more we are in number when we gather, the mightier we are in battle. Prayer is not only a means of communication with God but also a weapon of warfare. Christians are soldiers expected to take more grounds for Jesus and also set free the captives. When Peter the Apostle was held captive in prison, the church came together to pray for him. This is the desire of God today too. God wants the Church to come back together to unite in love, passion, and care void of ulterior motives or selfishness. This is when we can take the battle to the gates of the enemies.

When the disciples asked Jesus Christ to teach them how to pray His opening was ‘Our Father in heaven...’ (Luke 11:2). The reason is because He wants the Church to be united in prayers before God and He desires the Church to always come together as a formidable force. Brethren, we cannot do it alone. We need one another to enforce victories.

So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another (mutually dependent on one another).

                                                                                       Romans 12:5 AMP

In the year 2003, a member of our Church was kidnapped by ritualists in Lagos, Nigeria and was taken to their ‘den’ where men were slaughtered like rams for evil purposes, but  the Church came together and interceded for her continuously in unity until victory was enforced. A week later she was released alongside another lady but other passengers that boarded that bus with her, lost out. How painful and sad will be the experience of such families.

As Christians, we are ‘one body – one big family’. This is time for Churches to come together holding hands and calling on God to change situations in countries where there are unrests. Jesus said “It is finished (John 19:30), as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). You here, refer to the body – the Church. Is there someone dying, sick, diseased or held captive? Jesus has and is sending the Church to enforce His victory. It is time we come together again as one body in truth and holiness. I conclude with the words of Jesus which says “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). It is my prayers that the ‘body’ will be knitted together again as it was in the beginning and the Lord be gracious to His Church in Jesus’ name. SHALOM

And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.

 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

                                                                            Acts 4:23,24,31,32 NKJV

                                                                                                         alamuoluwaseyi.blogspot.com

Why I Want You to Write for My Blog

I recently asked some few friends to guest post for me on my blog and I felt I could extend the invitation to as many others who may be interested. Some of the questions that I believe would have arisen in the minds of many of those I contacted with the offer are: “Why is this guy asking me to write for his blog?” “Does this guy have anything to gain from me writing for his blog?” These and many other questions have probably been going through the minds of my friends. One person actually told me he was going to consider my offer carefully so as to understand the implications of posting his articles on my blog.

Let me state clearly that as of now there is no pecuniary reward for me in this. There will be rewards later, I believe. But they may not be pecuniary (and they could be). But for now there is no financial gain to be enjoyed from the offer. So why am I opening up a blog that for about two years has been largely personal? First, I have been a beneficiary of guest posting. One of the things that have given my writing a lift is having my articles published on omojuwa.com. Having my write-ups published on the blog has given me more publicity and reach. Second, it is to give opportunity to those who for a long time have dreamt of publishing their creative materials or streams of thought online and for those who have started a blog but have not been consistent in operating it. Guest blogging gives the guest blogger an opportunity to publish their thoughts without the pressure of having to regularly update their blog. You do not have to start thinking you have to make sure another post is published as soon as possible or that you have to keep up with your posting schedule. It also gives an opportunity to those who have always wanted to blog but who do not have any inkling about how and/or where to start as a blogger. Guest blogging also helps drive traffic to your site if you already have a blog.

Is guest blogging beneficial only to guest bloggers? Not all. I also benefit from having you write for my blog. By guest posting on my blog, you are helping me to keep up with the demands of regularly updating my blog. Having guest bloggers on my blog gives it a versatility it wouldn't have if I am the only one posting write-ups and it will also give the blog a universal outlook. Guest blogging for me also drives traffic to my blog and the logic is simple: when your write-up is published, you will send the link to your friends and followers to read what you have written. So the truth is that guest blogging is a win-win situation for both sides.

To get your article published on my blog, send your well-edited materials in Microsoft Word (MS Word) format. No PDFs or links. Attach your material to the email as MS word. You can add your blog’s address to your article if you have a blog; it helps to push your blog. You may also add your byline. Add your twitter handle to your byline if you are on twitter. Email your materials to www.darasimioshodi@gmail.com. You can write on any issue or genre as long as what your write-up is not malicious.

So if you are interested in having your write-ups published, I will be glad to be of help.

Cheers!

Fallen... by Tomi Colors

I am going poetic today. Actually, a friend of mine who loves to write poems is guest writing for me today. So for the first time on this blog, a poem is being published. I hope you will enjoy the poem and not struggle with the meaning like I did when I read it.

Pieces fine china lies

Broken a heart of whom life is bleak

What skies do I know?

But for the red

Hidden by pride and

Swollen by loss

A fallen rose

A trampled vase

Whose weakness be held a guilt

Winding winds

Whirling stairs

Hope dashed on platter of gold

Faith crushed under the weight of justice

Alone we fight

Together we win

A mad town’s song

Who cares if it’s crazed or not

All we hear is a voice:

Slower I went weaker I grew

Torment on its tail

A weak lamb’s tale

What’s my story?

The coffin asked

Peace the preacher answered

The feeble leg wins

The 1 mile race

Life is dead

Who lived it?

Magic we lived

Reality we felt

Locked in a cage a bird named freedom

But free in the winds

The fly called weak

Who says the blind can’t see

How much black has his own eyes seen?

The lying truth

The living death

We all know is fable but real

Tell the mocking bird to listen well

And tell what he hears

A thousand more mocking him to

Ooh what a waste!

LIFE IS GIVEN ………. 

#BringBackOurGirls: Mr. President, I Beg to Disagree

This is the video of President Goodluck Jonathan giving reasons for not visiting Chibok.

With due respect, Mr. President, I want to disagree with your statement that visiting Chibok will not “solve the problem per se”. I disagree with virtually everything you said in your response to the question posed to you over your refusal to visit Chibok. You also said “If the president goes to Chibok today, it does not solve any problem”. Mr. President, in all honesty do you believe your answer to the question you were asked was valid? Dear Mr. President, the reason Nigerians want you to pay a visit to Chibok is not because they expect you to personally rescue the girls. And that brings me to your statement that the girls are not being held in Chibok, so you do not need to visit the town. 

Mr. President, are you saying if the girls were being held in Chibok, you would have visited the town? To do what? To rescue the girls? But Mr. President, it is in the news that the girls are being held in Sambisa forest. Will you visit Sambisa forest then?

Oga Presido, you said somewhere in the video clip that you would still visit Chibok. When will that be, sir? After the girls are rescued? What purpose will your visit serve then? The reason we are asking you to visit Chibok is to show that government is truly concerned about the wellbeing of the kidnapped girls and about their families. Remember it took you three weeks before you spoke about the abduction. That made Nigerians to start thinking that our government may not really be concerned about the fate of the abducted children. A presidential visit would have shown that the government is truly committed to bring back these girls. It will portray to Nigerians that we have a responsive government. Your visit will strengthen the hopes of the families of these children that their girls will soon come home.

Your Excellency, you may see no reason for going to Chibok but me tell you this, if this had happened in America, Obama would have visited the community. If you don’t agree let me give you instances.

In March of this year, a major mudslide occurred in Oso, Washington, United States leading to loss of lives. President Obama went to the place. His visit did not bring back those who died but a resident said his visit would help families who have lost so much begin to heal.

September last year, Obama visited the Washington Navy Yard, where a mass shooting had taken place.

In December of 2012, President Obama visited Newtown, Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred.

In May 2011, Barack Obama visited the city of Joplin, Missouri which had been devastated by a catastrophic tornado.

In January, 2011, President Barack Obama visited Gabrielle Giffords, a member of the United States House of Representatives who had been shot at the medical center where she was being treated.

These visits by President Obama did not bring back the dead or heal the injured but it must have healed minds and souls. This is what Yahoo News says about President Obama, “The president repeatedly has stepped into the role of national consoler in times of mourning.”

Nigerians also want a president who can be called a national sympathiser and a genuine one at that. You mentioned the fact that you visited the UN building and Police Headquarters in Abuja after they were bombed because of the physical destructions that took place. What about the emotional and psychological devastation that is taking place in Chibok?

Or can it be true Mr. President, that as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s armed forces, you are not comfortable with the idea of visiting Chibok because of the fear that you may be attacked? I don’t want to think so.

ARSENAL F.C. #BRINGBACKOURTROPHY CAMPAIGN: A PASSIONATE PLEA TO ARSENE WENGER!

It has been eight (8) years, eleven (11) months, twenty-four (24) days, twenty (20) hours, thirty (30) minutes, forty-eight (48) seconds (as at the time of writing this post) that Arsenal Football Club last won a trophy. That was 2005, when the club defeated Manchester United in the F.A. Cup final.

The club’s lack of silverware in such a long period has resulted in many believing that unless the club changes its coach and his philosophy, the club will not win anything. Also, many supporters of opposing clubs have come to disrespect the club and they make derisive comments whenever the club appears to be serious contenders for silverware. This has led them to tag the club title pretenders instead of title contenders. It is not uncommon to hear snide remarks predicting that the club will slip up in the league race even when they are topping the table.

The disrespectful attitude of others towards the club may not be without reasons. For example, during the 2007/2008 season the club led the table for two-thirds of the season only to finish in third position (It was a similar experience in the just concluded 2013/2014 season). In 2006, the club lost to Barcelona in the final of the Champions League. The club got to the final of the 2008/2009 F.A. Cup but lost to Chelsea. Arsenal also got to the final of the 2010/2011 Carling Club and unbelievably lost to Birmingham City when Obafemi Martins pounced on a calamitous Arsenal defensive mix-up two minutes from time.

But what most people have forgotten is that the Club are still one of the most successful clubs in England.

The club’s profile on Wikipedia says, the club are one of the most successful clubs in English football; they have won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups. Arsenal hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the English top flight and would be placed first in an aggregated league of the entire 20th century. They are the second side to complete an English top flight season unbeaten (in the 2003–04 season) and the only one to do so across 38 matches.

In order to silence those who have said the club will never win any trophy again under Arsene Wenger (who is one of the most successful football coaches in the world) and also restore the pride of the club, I plead with Coach ArseneWenger to please #BringBackOurTrophy. I also urge Arsenal Football Club to lend its voice to the ongoing #BringBackOurGirls campaign in Nigeria.

Suffering and Smiling: #BringBackOurGirls, Patience Jonathan and Ayodele Fayose

The national discourse in Nigeria in the past few weeks has been dominated (and deservedly so) by the kidnap of innocent girls from a school in Borno State by armed men. It is no news that The Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which was launched to put pressure on the government of Nigeria to expedite its efforts to rescue these girls, has gone international. The search for the girls is still on and our thoughts are with them. While we have all been agitated by the ordeal of these hapless girls, some events have taken place that made Nigerian laugh even in of this trying period. Our ability to laugh during trying times was captured by the late Afrobeat legend, the inimitable Fela Anikulapo Kuti in his song, Shuffering and Shmiling. This ability was probably the reason Nigeria was said to be the happiest nation on earth some years ago (whether that is still the case today is a matter for another day). In this post I want to share two of the funny moments we have had in the last few weeks and one other video which is still relevant.

This first video is a creative editing and re-arrangement of Dame Patience Jonathan’s recent ‘emotional’ outburst on national TV to make it appear as if she’s responding to Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon’s grammatical explosions.



This is the video of the First Lady's outburst:

I saw another video that made me laugh so hard. It is the video of Ayo Fayose' campaign in Ifaki Ekiti where the podium on which the campaigners were standing collapsed. Please note that this video's quality is low.

This last video is not new but it is a sad commentary on our nation.

The abducted girls are still missing and we cannot afford to forget that. Please join the campaign to #BringBackOurGirls.

#BringBackOurGirls: Captain Phillips, President Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, There Is God O!

I saw a film recently. The title of the film is Captain Phillips. The movie, which starred Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi was based on a true story; the 2009 hijacking of Maersk Alabama. In the film, the captain of the ship, Maersk Alabama, Captain Richard Phillips, was taken hostage by Somali pirates. The government of the United States responded to the situation by deploying the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge and two additional U.S. Navy ships. The rescue operation was successful and the hostage escaped without sustaining any injuries during the rescue attempt. The movie is a representation of the value the United States government places on the lives of its citizens. Because of only one life in danger, the U.S. government deployed a warship and additional naval ships.

In Nigeria, over two hundred girls have been missing for about four weeks and it took the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria three weeks before addressing the nation over the issue. Does the president’s (in)action not show how much value we place on human lives in our nation. In some other places, the president would have visited the school and the community where the abduction took place. We all saw the Malaysian government’s response to the disappearance of the Malaysian MH370.

Last week, it was reported that two of the women who protested over the school girls’ abduction were arrested and it was alleged that the president’s wife accused one of the women of being a terrorist and asked her why she was protesting since her child was not one of those kidnapped. If the report is true, then I hope the First Lady has sent a letter to Michelle Obama, expressing her displeasure at the American First Lady for carrying a placard with the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ inscription since her daughter is not one of the girls kidnapped.

In fact, she should order the arrest of everyone who has lent a voice to the “Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign. Yesterday, the police unsuccessfully tried to disrupt the meeting of Bring Back Our Girls campaigners and you shudder when you try to psychoanalyse our political leaders. Are they saying the campaign is meaningless or that the campaigners do not have the right to campaign? But it is on record that the president and his overbearing wife did not speak to the nation until the campaign gained ground.

Recently, the president and his wife made promises that they would not sleep until the girls were found. At a meeting with a group of people, the First Lady made this statement: “These children are my children. So I won’t sleep and allow you to take my children and do politics. No…. We must protect our children.” And at the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Abuja last week, the president

was quoted to have said, “We plead with the parents, as a father, and the President of this country, I feel pained and I don't sleep with my two eyes closed.  And, I will not sleep with my two eyes closed until these girls are brought safely back to their parents.” I hope the president and his wife are keeping their words. Whether they are or not, they should understand that there is God O!

#BringBackOurGirls: Mr. President, We Are Waiting for Heads to Roll

Last month, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won announced his resignation over the government's response to a ferry disaster which claimed hundreds of lives because the government had first announced that everyone had been rescued. In a brief announcement, Chung said, "Keeping my post is too great a burden on the administration. …On behalf of the government, I apologise for many problems from the prevention of the accident to the early handling of the disaster.” Chung's resignation was approved by President Park Geun-hye but he was to remain in the post until the rescue operation was completed

On April 14, 2014, terrorists invaded a girls’ secondary school in Borno State Nigeria and abducted the students. Some students escaped but about 276 girls are still missing three weeks later. The day after the kidnap, Nigeria's Ministry of Defence released a statement saying soldiers had rescued all but eight of the girls. When the school's principal denied it, the ministry withdrew the statement.

Do you see any similarities between the events related above? In both cases government announced that rescue operation had been successful only to retract the claim later. But that is where the similarity ends. While in South Korea, the Prime Minister announced his resignation after the blunder, in Nigeria, we are still waiting for a conscientious government official to resign due to the mishandling of the abduction case and even many other cases. But instead what our leaders have been trying to do is to create an impression that they are on top of the situation. In fact, we were treated to some comic relief when the country’s first lady burst into tears on national television.

The reality is that what happened in South Korea can never happen in Nigeria where we do not have a culture of preserving the integrity of political posts but instead we are usually bent on desecrating whatever office we occupy. In Nigeria, leaders prefer to lose their lives to stepping down from their position. Resignation from whatever position you occupy is not even considered hara-kiri (which is honourable) but a shameful act. One major reason our leaders will never resign their position is because they feel they are doing us a favour by agreeing to lead us. They treat us as if without them, we would never achieve anything as a nation. In fact, they carry on as if leading us is an inconvenience they have graciously accepted to suffer in order to make our lives better. Phew!

I decided to do a search on some political resignations in other climes and I saw that in these climes, when your reputation or competence is being called into question, you are expected to step down from whatever office you are holding. To them that is the most honourable thing to do. Below are some of the cases I found out. You will find out that some of the reasons for resignation like infidelity, public outcry, etc. are ‘laughable’ and ‘unimaginable’ based on our own standards in Nigeria.

In 2004, after being dogged by heavy criticism over questionable intelligence on Iraq and terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks, George Tenet resigned as the director of the CIA.
In 2005, Lewis Libby, chief-of-staff to Dick Cheney, Vice-President of George W. Bush resigned after being charged with perjury over an investigation into the unmasking of a covert CIA agent.

In 2006, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld resigned as Defense Secretary when calls for his resignation became strong.  He had been accused of "abysmal" military planning and lack of strategic competence.
In 2008, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned, after being linked to a prostitution ring and he apologised for not living up to the standards he demanded of others.

Also in 2008, Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, resigned after being defeated in a vote of confidence in the upper house of parliament.
In 2012, CIA director David Petraeus resigned from his post, admitting he had an extramarital affair. He described his behaviour as "unacceptable" for the leader of the nation's main intelligence agency.

 In 2012, Germany's President, Christian Wulff, announced his resignation following a series of scandals that prompted calls for him to step down.
In 2012, four State Department officials were disciplined in the wake of a review of the security failures that led to the deaths of four Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, a department spokeswoman said Wednesday.

In 2013, Steve Miller, the head of the US tax agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) quit after it emerged his staff singled out conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

In 2014, Barry O'Farrell, Premier of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state announced his resignation after it was revealed that he failed to declare a gift of $2,800 wine from businessman Nick Di Girolamo, whose company, Australia Water Holdings, is being investigated by the New South Wales corruption body.

Compare the foregoing stories with the ones below:

In 2013, Stella Oduah, former Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation was indicted for approving the purchase of two bulletproof BMW cars at an allegedly inflated rate of N255m. This development sparked a public outcry in the country with vociferous calls for her to be sacked. But this did not happen and it never occurred to her to resign her post, even after it was discovered that the Master’s degree she claimed to have received from a US college was fake. It was only months later that the president asked her to go with some other ministers.

Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Diezani Madueke is currently being investigated for allegedly spending N10bn to charter private jets for two years. And instead of resigning, the minister went to court to stop the investigation. What kind of nation are we in?

Earlier this year, the suspended Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, made a startling revelation that $20 billion dollars were missing from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company. Nigerians were expecting the president to query the Minister of Petroleum and some other personalities involved in the scandal but what the president did was to suspend the whistleblower. In a saner society, a gale of resignations would have followed the revelation but not so in my dear country. It was even reported that the president said, “The press overplayed the petroleum scandals to get at the minister…” Haba!

Also in this same year, the Nigeria Immigration Service carried out a tragic recruitment exercise which claimed the lives of more than 10 human beings and nobody has been punished. The Minister of Interior whose Ministry conducted the exercise has not resigned and has not been sacked.

The instances given above are just a few of some things that are wrong in our land. The abducted Chibok girls are still missing after three weeks. It does not look like the government will find and rescue them anytime soon. Yet, no one has been sacked. No one has resigned. Instead government is arresting those who are calling for the girls to be rescued through the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

Mr. President, even when the girls are found (I want to believe they will be found), heads must roll. And if you sacrifice your own head, it wouldn’t have been too much.

Random Musings: Nigerians Are Hard Working and Why You Need to Work Smart

This piece is an attempt to write down some of my thoughts on some things I have noticed in my environment. The two sections are from two different trains of thought and that is why I have demarcated them. Enjoy the read.

I have come to the categorical conclusion that Nigerians are hard-working. We are industrious. We want to make honest living. We want to work for our money. Our youths are not the lazy type some adults have been portraying them to be. Anytime I see people hawking, especially in traffic, I usually shake my head and mutter to myself: Nigerians are hardworking. Or how do you explain the actions of men and women, boys and girls who run after vehicles, risking their lives or limbs just to make end meet?

Have you noticed that some of them hawk only foams and nothing more? Foams, yes. Foams cut neatly for domestic use. How do you explain what makes a person trek long distances with a heavy load on their head, back or shoulder just to eke out a living? Have you seen old men (and women) with bent back going to or coming back from their farms? Have you seen pregnant women sweating under a sweltering sun just to fend for themselves and their families? To me, all these are demonstrations of Nigerians’ willingness to do something that will bring money into their pockets instead of resorting to crime or begging. 

But I usually wonder at how they are able to sustain themselves from their earnings. How much will selling foams only fetch the seller? How much? Yet, you see these people outside everyday going about their businesses. Who then says Nigerians are lazy? I dare say that the number of those people who are ready to sweat for their money is more than those of people who are involved in crimes like cyber fraud, armed robbery, etc. My country men are honest. They are industrious. We are not loafers or idlers.

We are a diligent, productive and energetic set of people who expect the government to do its part by providing basic amenities like constant electricity, potable water, good roads, security and so on for us so that we can enjoy our beautiful nation. We expect the government to give our children good schools, support our farmers, encourage SMEs and do all the other things responsible governments do for their citizens. When this will be? When will our government become responsive to our needs? The truth is that I do not know.

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Does this obtain in the town/city where you live: artisans, especially the not-very educated ones, are the ones building houses while graduates and professionals are renting accommodation from them? It is common where I live? In fact, opposite my house a vulcaniser lives there. And beside the house where he lives with his family, he built two other flats that he rented out. One day I saw that one this vulcaniser’s tenants has the sticker of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on their car and this was what started a string of thoughts within me. A vulcaniser built a house and a lawyer is renting it!!! So if the lawyer misbehaves, he can be evicted by the vulcaniser. I asked myself this question: “What is the essence of a degree if someone who does not possess one is doing better in life than the one who flaunts his degree?” And I came to some conclusions.

The first conclusion I came to is that we should not only work hard, we must work smart. It seems those who are not educated are more financially literate and savvy than those who are. These uneducated or half-educated people understand how to multiply money better than those who brandish different degrees.

My second conclusion is that education has its advantages. A degree gives the owner a platform that the one who does not have it may not have. For example, except in exceptional situations, only educated people can be considered for political appointments or even elective positions or multinational jobs. Thus going to school and obtaining degrees may not be a waste of time in the long run.

So what is the summary of everything I’m saying in this section? It is that one should get as much education as one can; acquire all the degrees you can but don’t just work hard, work smart.