Dorians' Blog

Gelded youths held enthralled by corruption.

2014-04-02T07:36:00.002+01:00

Everyone these days seems to have suddenly acquired the rank of statesman and renowned diplomat. Everyone seems to know the answers to all matters of state and are fully equipped to handle delicate matters that have troubled regions for scores of years. Everyone seems to know how it should be done except of course those who we have elected to carry out the said job. It is indeed surprising that a man who seems to know what the problems of his community are would rise up and bequeath his future, mortgaging the development of his children by electing and re-electing a well known criminal to handle the affairs of his community.

Is this a curse, is it just ignorance or wilful stupidity? Like most things politics, there is no definite answer. Except of course that somehow God would deliver us from the shame we seem so anxious to throw ourselves into every four years.

Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate, news is now stupendously incandescent and its sudden flash can and would be seen thousands of miles away in an instant. Rather than enlighten and make literate it seems to have brought to the fore the sheer stupidity of some.

Reading blogs, news clips and interviews these days is one thing, reading comments underneath those blogs, news clips and interviews you come into a totally different world. A world populated by self acclaimed physicist , Doctors, Economist and Prophets.

Reading the comments left by these people is extremely worrying as it is sad. It is one thing to listen to a veteran politician try to defend his corrupt practices, it is quite another to listen to a youth in his late twenties/early thirties argue mindlessly about how there isn't anything wrong in embezzling state funds, and who mindlessly applauds impunity and corruption.

Progress and the future of a nation to a large extent depends on the calibre of its youths. Their literacy, state of mind, objectivity, hunger and desire for progress comes to the fore and from what I have seen and heard from my fellow youths I can only shudder in horror.

Our illiteracy is deep, lack of objectivity is legendary, dependency on God to do everything for us from buying us soap, to fetching us water, to giving us a bath and even drying us up afterwards and all we have to do is go to church on Sunday, and attend midweek service if we want Him to bless us by doing our shoe laces for us after He has dressed us up.

We seem to have given up the gift of thought, we have sold away our right to common sense, all we aspire to now seems to be sudden piles of money, everything else is secondary even the right to life and the right to spend that money. The Nigerian youth seems to be held enthralled by corruption, lack of an appetite to ask questions and most annoying of all the insatiable desire to recognize buffoonery with loyalty and credence as long as the buffoon in question is an elected official.

We have problems, and the least of these problems is the state of the Nation at present, compared to the mindset of the youthful population who; as is gradually being recognized, are inadequately equipped to take on or handle their own affairs.

Domination by a foreign entity is one thing, domination by ones own kind is sad. It leads to a deep seated lack of confidence, a gulf in reality slowly builds up and then the inevitable castration of ones desire and drive to be progressive.

In this 21st century, the Nigerian youth is held enthralled by corruption and recklessness. Shock therapy is one way, albeit a crude way to bring a man back to his senses. But then, would you shock vitality back into a gelded stallion? How do you suddenly inspire a rush of blood in the veins of an Eunuch? I sincerely fear what may be when we are inevitably shocked out of this comatose state, if ever we are..

The gelding process is a one track road, and for each right we give up or each method of suppression we give into we take a step further down that path of inevitability. From then on what used to be a roar would be a whine, what used to be a neigh of freedom and accomplishment would become a grunt of contented delusion.

Whatever it is, it is ours to decide.

Thieves, Buffoons and a Harvard Educated Economist.

2014-03-25T00:58:00.001+00:00

90% of the Nigerian political demography at present is comprised of Thieves, Buffoons and Harvard Educated Economists.

It is no news that the Nigerian Economy is haemorrhaging resources. With insecurity at an all time high investors are extremely skittish about setting up shop within her borders. Elections looming in 2015 further complicates the complexity of the general state of things.

With allegations and counter allegations of fraud ricochetting about the place and the President showing a distinct lack of appetite on tackling corruption, there seems to be no end to the level of impunity ravaging an already faltering economy.

To think that at the helm of things economy-wise is sat, the co-coordinating minister of the economy and of Finance Dr. Okonjo-Iweala who persistently insist that the Nigerian economy is fast growing, stable and holds monumental potential.

The only potential outside investors see right now is a giant smouldering keg of gun powder simmering over west Africa, and a bevy of bungling politicians playing with match sticks seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are sat right in the middle of it all. At present they seem to be getting a high from the panicked oohs and aahs and looks of apprehension from the world around.

Dr Iweala has seen her reputation torn to shreds mainly due to the fact that she has kept mum about a whole lot of goings on that have proved to be extremely detrimental to the economy. The pick of which is the non remittance of revenue by the NNPC to the Central Bank. A development that is not only constitutionally wrong, it is criminal.

Perhaps the saddest part of it all is that we have one of our most brilliant economist being part of a government that is obviously out of its depth and being oblivious to or rather pretending to be oblivious to the actual state of events. Which forces one to bring to question her intentions and moral standing.

It is impossible to fill a basket with water a fact Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been consistently arguing against.

Stemming the tide of sexual violence.

2014-02-05T16:33:00.000+00:00

I have just listened to an extremely disturbing interview conducted by CNN with a rapist in Alaska. Alaska by the way has just emerged as being the State with the most incidents of rape and sex related violence.

The interviewee did mention that he only raped women when he was drunk and was not in full possession of his senses. He really spoke as though he deserved everyone's sympathy. I mean he had to deal with the inconvenience of the afterthought that he just raped someone. Entirely forgetting that somewhere some poor lady has just been permanently damaged for life. To me that sounded just cynical given the fact that it seemed any time he feels an itch he just proceeds to drink some spirit and latch unto his next victim.

I just wondered if he has thought about another way of living his life without ruining the lives of countless victims for ever.

Possibly he could submit himself to be castrated, or sent to prison where some big fat sweaty ex-drug dealer rapes him three times a week, or get psychological help, or stop drinking. I mean there are loads of options he could pick from. Violently attacking and raping some poor lady cannot be in anyway a solution to appease his grotesque appetite when he is drunk.

Many societies have made the situation worse by trivialising the issue of rape and sexual violence. Third world countries stigmatise victims for having been raped. First world countries have reached a state of evolution on this matter such that people are now using the crime of rape for a wide range of factors. For every misplaced judgement, for every wrongful accusation, for every denial of justice this monster that is rape would continue to wreck havoc in our homes and society.

Lets' kick it out. Show respect. No is No. No to date rape. Consent not coercion. Tenderness not violence.

rape is a monster and you could leave yourself at its mercy if you do not take precautions for your well-being. All it would give you are the companionship of it's foot soldiers; depression, sadness, suicide, psychological trauma, stunted development and darkness. Having said this there are a lot of occasions where you inadvertently fall prey to it. In this situation find help. ASAP. If you don't it would fester on your psyche and could completely take control of you. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to keep walking. Find someone to talk to.

Let it out.

Combating impunity.

2014-02-05T16:05:00.001+00:00

Deterrent in every aspect of life is always preferable to punishment. It saves everyone a lot of time, resources and emotional stress. Saying that, it is only too obvious that much more should be invested in having a credible deterrent system in place in order to stem corruption, theft, graft and other forms of negative activities that plague our societies today.

Screaming and whining about corruption is and never could be the answer. It is just like standing underneath a leaky roof and complaining about getting wet. You try to mop up and keep towelling yourself dry over and over again. All the while you are still standing underneath the leaky roof which you have made no effort to fix and no effort to step away from underneath it.

You would save infinitely more by just fixing the hole in the roof and moving on with your life. In a lot of third world countries corruption has become not just a monumental setback but it is also damaging the chances of the coming generation. Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan and Cameroon are a few examples.

People in authority are constantly being accused of theft and bribery. Fact is they have the access and there is little or no deterrent in place to dissuade them. Making it difficult for politicians to steal should be a first step. Due process should be adhered to. Which is why in a few of these countries a variety of schemes have been put in place to ensure people become aware of proceedings and their duties. Although these schemes and processes like a whole lot of ventures before them have been warped and abused to benefit sitting politicians, I still do believe that they should be given a chance to work and a lot more effort should be put into them.

Having said this the Nigerian Aviation ministry comes to mind. The checks and balances which were put in place to ensure the smooth running of the due process scheme did catch out the Aviation Minister. To the chagrin of many Nigerians and people who mean well for progress she is still a sitting minister.

The Ministry of Finance has been feeding the populace with bogus figures and stats and hoping we would be too dumb to check and double check. The Petroleum Ministry has failed time and time again to remit funds from sale of crude to the Central bank and to cap it all up no one seems to know exactly what the President is doing or what his plans are for the development of the country.

This is a huge setback for the Nigerian state. A huge setback in the sense that one factor that can ruin any society, any institution, any organization is impunity. It is sad to say but the present Nigerian President is actually effectively promoting impunity by not taking action against his Minister. At this point his government has lost credibility hence all it has got to run up to the next election is just goodwill and the lack of appetite for anarchy from the populace.

All the same, we must support the present government as best we could to enable us exit this very dangerous period in our development.

Reasons, assertions and expectations of matrimony...

2014-01-28T16:16:00.002+00:00

"my most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me." Winston Churchill

Decades after exchanging vows with his spouse this was what Sir Winston Churchill felt of his beloved wife. He had come to the conclusion that he had indeed been dealt a good hand by God. Without saying, in-between his wedding day and the day he made that statement, there would have been occasions when he feared the worst. There would have been dark moments and moments of curious silence, shadows and whims of betrayals, condescensions and subjugations. Times of cold feet and wanting to withdraw into the solace of his soul and singularity. But then, they remained ghost of alternate realities that were never realised and instead his relation blossomed into a steadfast friendship with his soul mate that lasted a lifetime.

Marriage could be a statement of perceived love, a milestone, a rung on the career ladder, payment for a debt, a circumstance inside which the deranged cravings of lustful thoughts could be fed, the incorporation of a company to produce children, the amalgamation and unification of houses and tribes, political statements or charades behind which an alternate reality is built. Marriage could be for any of these and a whole lot more.

In each of these reasons the functions of the parties involved tend to differ. Expectations vary and outcomes are rarely similar.

Sir Winston Churchill for whatever reason he married his spouse did find peace and gratitude. He found justification to his reasoning. From Churchill's point of view, he placed the decision making at the feet of his wife to be. All he had to do was to present her the best of himself and give her a peek into the future he envisioned for them both. She deciding it was a one way ticket worth investing her life into, she got aboard and never looked back to shore again. This arrangement was one based on the knowing fact that they would both sail together, swim together or (God forbid) drown together.

On the other hand, Marilyn Munroe had a slightly different view of marriage, she was quoted as saying;

"before marriage a girl has to make love to a man to hold unto him. After marriage she has to hold him to make love to him."

Abraham Lincoln said;

"marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is purgatory."

A view Nietzsche who said; "It is not a lack of love but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages." would strongly disagree with.

Marriage though having a whole spectrum of meanings to different people has one constant, and that is two people abiding together, sadly everything else has become a variable. Variables based on reasons, reasons held secretly or openly by both parties and stakeholders.

With these reasons come the inadvertent future expectation. Warped futures expected, feelings, desires and duties ignored. Gaps begin to appear and consequently are transformed rapidly into black holes that consume the institute and parties involved.

Reasons are frequently veiled in promiscuity, shows of exuberance and the ever presence of friends and family. Eventually when all is said and done and both parties sit to commune the curtains are drawn and reality steps forth. At this point, two things happen, either and an alliance is formed outright or trenches are dug and positions established. Or worse a state of vegetative denial ensues.

Love is a by product of trust, on ornament of hope, a heirloom of dedication, a hallowed feature of selflessness and the willingness to be true regardless of circumstances. It is everything and yet nothing without everything. Most importantly it grows with time, and it assumes its purest form in times of hardship, tribulations and periods of uncertainty. So in essence it is almost impossible to marry out of love given the fact that you would need a whole lot more than a trip to the Bahamas or a hot session of lust to know what it is to love someone.

Hence for what reason should you get married?

Is it to be a helper, a shoulder to cry upon, pity, career progression, spite, belief or children?

Whatever your reason and to whoever you get married to, happiness, love, friendship, progress, children, bliss, laughter, joy, salvation are all products you and your spouse should spend the rest of your lives cultivating. These are products, they are delicious fruits with the sweetest of aromas and the most nutritious substances you could ever imagine. But, you have to roll up your sleeves and cultivate them upon the land of promise which is your marriage. There isn't a place called happily ever after, but I can tell you there is a fruit called bliss, thing is you have to grow it. And it takes a lot of commitment, trust, friendship, selflessness, sacrifice and belief.

These are tools and instruments you can not possibly use if you do not possess. Similarly these are tools you should look for in the tool kit of a potential suitor. Is she/he committed, trust worthy, focused, friendly, selfless? Does she/he believe in you? In searching his/her tool kit, love doesn't come into it, reason does.

Advertising your promiscuity would only bring to the fore a veiled personality of his/hers, duly responding to your whims and caprices.

Be yourself, make known your dreams, hopes, visions, expectations and a warm open heart. If she/he quails under the luminance of your countenance then possibly there is a hole inside of him/her that does not reflect your noble intentions and just maybe you should take a rain check, or tread with caution. In all of these never discount the likeability factor. For you indeed have to like someone before you could get close enough to make assertions and draw conclusions.

After having said all of these, I still do believe marriage is a very delicate institute. It's purity ought to be maintained. Under its beauty negative energy wilts and fizzles away. In the same vein in the shadows of its discontentment and selfish endeavours of parties involved festers a dangerous precedent that could consume it, ruining the lives of all involved in the process.

Be true to yourself and your spouse, the ship has left the port, you are both at sea, all distractions are either fish or salt water. Be committed, dedicated and trust worthy. It is a partnership, not a race, not a sulking contest. All you are required to do is sow trust and harvest a strong companionship, sow commitment and harvest likewise, bask in her/his essence and get a tan that the harrowing winds and salt water are unable to wash away. In all of this never forget to work night and day to cultivate love, more love and yet some more love. The beautiful thing about love is that it can grow in just about any circumstance. You just need to feed it constantly. You feed it with the very juicy petals of love you receive. Giving all you do receive and more is in itself the purest version of love.

Politician, hypocrites and our votes...

2013-11-09T02:38:00.004+00:00

"...Politicians are not born, they are excreted" Marcus Tullius Cicero.

The above quote for all its worth could have been made by Cicero this morning considering how true it does ring in present day politics.

It is well that we all seem disillusioned by the state of affairs in Nigeria, it is also well that we have watched and listened with increasing dismay the dire state of affairs our beloved country finds itself in. Watching with almost choking concern as the buffoonery of one politician is played against the outright hooliganism of another at the expense of a Nation being crippled by the strangling arms of corruption, manufactured sectarianism and poverty.

The situation has become rather bleak and with each passing day the tiny wriggle room seems to get smaller. The sad truth is that these men in power do to an extent reflect the average state of mind of the populace. They are the excrement that has emanated as a result of the corruption, poverty and inferiority complex we have so eagerly ingested over the years.

Like many democratic States around the globe ours is anchored on three arms of government one of which (the Judiciary) should be populated by bright minds, strong moral values, people with ideas and the power of thought.

While the Legislative and Executive arms of government are populated by anyone with money and guts enough to convince, deceive or cheat his/her way into being voted into office. As it so happens, that is what we have now.

With this structure of government the excesses of the Legislature and Executive ought to be regularly curbed and curtailed by the intellectuals in the Judiciary with of course at their disposal the power imposed on them by the sanctity of an established constitution and law.

We now find ourselves laying the blame of a dysfunctional government at the foot of the Judiciary whenever we hear about rouge politicians being released from prison, or corruption being supported by the judiciary who have time and again failed to convict and imprison government officials who have been accused of looting public funds.

Here is indeed where the problem does lie. If we are unable to prosecute thieves and corrupt officials then we have a huge problem because there is no deterrent, which ultimately implies that anyone in government is free to carry on as usual.

Our politicians have come to realise that with a fully functional Judiciary it would be considerably harder to be convicted or found guilty of stealing. Given the fact that our Police force and other allied law enforcement establishments are largely dysfunctional hence the significant lack of credible personnel capable of investigating any said infringement or suspected infringement. So, with the present state of affairs all that needs to be done for the status-quo to remain is for the Judiciary to do their job effectively.

We take to social media to denounce these judges and say all manner of things about them but the truth is more often than not they seem to be the only part of the country that functions at above average their capacity. They are the only arm of government truly functioning.

Our cries and wails of derision about injustice and corruption directed at them usually is a cry for them to join the gung ho attitude of the rest of us and disregard their oath. We would have them disregard due process and jail any government official we send their way accused of theft and corruption.

Now should they go ahead and jail these (obviously guilty) men regardless of the lack of evidence or the sorry state with which the investigation was conducted coupled with the inadequate nature of the case against them or should they stick to the letter of the law and carry out their duty and hopefully wait for the rest of the country to right itself and catch up with them?

Though we do have a third of the government fully functional with the other two arms eaten up by decay it is a dire situation indeed.

Do we damage the third leg of a three legged chair to make it stand or do we fix the other two legs?

Fixing the two broken legs would seem the better option, and it so happens that every four years we are given the opportunity to do this. And every four years the two broken legs of this arrangement seem to get in the way. We take bribes to keep them there, we sacrifice the promises of the future for a few perks now.

We have one day every four years to make this right, we have four years to make up our minds, when we fail to do so we spend the next four years laying the blame at the foot of the Judiciary and corrupt government officials.

The Judiciary are sworn to give justice in the name of justice as prescribed by law not in the name of conscience or weak here-say.

We vote thieves (literally THIEVES) into office. Somehow we hope that by some miracle which should take place in the government house and the corridors of power, these thieves and hoodlums ought to be transformed to vibrant philosophers and guardians of the people with halos about their head, fervently fighting the good cause. When they fail to transform into these fine beings we seem disappointed and turn our anger on the Judiciary accusing them of corruption. This circle goes on to the joy of the few and chagrin of the many.

So, I place the failings of the government firmly at my feet. I look in the mirror and firmly tell myself "I did this" by my actions or inaction. I let this happen. The good thing is every four years I should have an opportunity to right this wrong. You should look in the mirror, ask yourself some questions.

Do you know who your Senator (State or Federal) is? Do you know who your Rep in the house of representatives is? A lot of us do not know and we don't care, all we care about is to wail and whine while brigands, thieves and hoodlums scheme and plot to confiscate your inheritance and subject you to four years of hardship and irrelevance.

It is your time to make a difference, the ocean is only a collection of millions of drops of water, your vote and ideas count. The question is are they relevant to you? Are you too busy living that you are giving up the opportunity to live right? Well it is your right, do as you will and please. Make sure you cook what you are prepared to eat and build what you are prepared to live in.

The good Lord has given you life, the power of thought and speech, even blessed you with objects to think and speak about. Most of all He blessed you with the gift of free will. If He makes the decisions for you of what good is the gift He has so blessed you with?

Think, research your elected officials or aspiring officials, who are they? What do they do? What do they stand for? What are their plans and motives? Make an informed decision. Your happiness and the future of your children are what is at stake.

Indeed politicians are a bye product of the communities they live in. By our actions or inactions we have managed to excrete the worse kind and placed the future of our country in their hands. What do we expect them to do? Sober up and become refined minds? Well, obviously that miracle has not worked. It's time to do the right thing.

Democracy's continuum, from savagery to civilization and all the way back to savagery.

2013-10-27T22:51:00.001+00:00

Mankind has seen an awful lot of varying forms of governance all through the ages. the earliest being attributed to brute force and savagery. Where the biggest meanest was king, down to the middle ages with Monarchical systems and right down to present day Democracy. The key that was often the reason for each transition seems to have been the promise of a better life for society's most vulnerable. With each form it was inevitable that after a period of time the populace would come to realize that they settled for less. Hence, one revolution after another. Some bloody and swift some mundane and gradual. Nevertheless a transition always ensued.

I am not a historian, neither am I a political analyst or strategist. All the same I can not help but be amused by the different forms of governance at play all around the world. There seems to be two distinct categories. Monarchical Dictatorships and Democratic Dictatorships. The former being borne from hereditary factors, the latter? Well it happens to be a factor of a multitude of mitigating factors, the crux of which is the psychological state of mind of the populace which is often closely linked to cultural and traditional practices handed down through the generations.

The form of democracy in the United States can almost be described as a political joke. We have in quotes Red states and Blue states. What this largely implies is that no matter what the "Red" or the "Blue" political party are selling there are a certain number of people (an uncomfortably large part of the population) who would always vote for them. It's almost as if it were a religious rite carried out every four years. As if this wasn't ridiculous enough, there are also a smaller group of people who are usually referred to as undecided voters. This small but extremely annoying group of people could and are swayed by the most trivial of things. So, largely due to the entrenched beliefs and behaviors of these "Red" and "Blue" voters, elections are largely decided by this smaller group of people who are not in the least mindful or bothered about government policy or the economy as it were. So, where does the definition "government for the people, by the people" come in? Well, It doesn't. Not at the moment anyway. All the same, to an extent it does work.

In the United Kingdom it is a more closely contested form of governance, where politicians are swiftly punished for nonperformance. Regardless of ones political party or religious affiliation. Irrespective of this, it is still a somewhat lopsided arrangement given the fact that due to deep seated behavioral tendencies the ordinary people are less likely to arrive at or come by the opportunity to stand for election or have any meaningful say in the government. So, we see a constant stream of people with similar backgrounds which more often than not stems around a slightly more privileged upbringing. In other words a large number of people in government happen to be old school chums and fraternity colleagues. All the same, it does work. To an extent it does.

Moving to Africa, here we have a more confused, maybe even epileptic form of something. It, could hardly be called a democracy, not any where on the continent. Though, there were varying forms of pre-colonial democratically elected forms of governance. Colonization seem to have obliterated that and replaced it with the modern form of democracy. Between this transition was a vacuum. A vacuum which seems to have caused some sort of mental upheaval in the average Africans psyche. Modern democracy in Africa has been like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. And so, while the world largely moves on, Africa and Africans are constantly being hampered by miss-governance, corruption, and the ruinously crippling fingers of corruption. So, in most African states chaos is the norm. In varying degrees but chaos it is.

The idea of governance, of any form or shade is supposed to be centered on catering and looking out for the old, the weak and the most vulnerable in our society. But then just like animals do, what we see these days is a consistent and systematic predatory behavior on the most vulnerable by governments. It seems to be now the only mode of survival. It is either the most vulnerable being tricked into stepping into some vicious wheel or rat race to make sure funds are available to oil the joints and hinges of a government or to take from the weaker by force in other to feed to the populace so as to extend by any means a stay in government. A ghoulish mantra it is but it does work. It surely works.

And so, just like a continuum, mankind is headed back to savagery. Where the meanest, baddest, biggest guy is King. look around you, what do you see? We may as well be back in the caves as early men the only difference seems to be that the bad guy has got a different club.

Speech and Song..

2013-09-22T14:24:00.001+01:00

Singing is indeed a wonderful thing… It exhilarates you. You almost feel immortal, not just listening to a songs rhythm and eloquently contrived words but also to feel the magic of concocting those words and experience the thrill as it leaves your lips emanating from deep within yourself even as you realise its sweet meaning

Not being able to sing due to one’s inability to find a distinct soothing voice or being unable to sync words and melody could be painful. It could almost be described as a personal tragedy of some sort.

It is a gift comprised of not just the ability to find a soothing voice or sync words and rhythm but also possess that ability to mix, rhyme and belt out with confidence. Songs of war, battles lost and won, love, people or Natures little displays and magnificent artefacts, thrills of her almost Parnassian glory, exhilarating and peaceful or brimming with wrath and destruction.

We sing not just to experience what it feels like but sometimes to escape ones present state of mind and feel the temporary solace the words of a song builds us.
But then, to realise that the absence of the ability to sing could be such a small tragedy compared to the absence of the ability to craft words, bringing ones feelings and thoughts to life. Being unable to articulate ones feelings and thoughts and resorting to stammering or sudden displays of effervescent anger thinly veiled beneath a smouldering personality.

It must be a tragedy indeed to be unable to vocalise ones world, or dreams, or anticipations... The raging storms of one’s heart are left unrecorded, unvoiced, the serenity of ones thoughts forever lost, the tenderness of their inner self unknown to an uncompromising world where the spoken word is king and silence is often misinterpreted...

The power of speech is a path through which steady streams of emotions and intentions flow and are used as nutrition to an ever demanding environment.
An environment where the world slowly closes in on you from every side and all you have to stay its slow but steady onslaught is the power to articulate your thoughts and intentions.

Thus, suddenly ones inabilities to master one’s vocals and sync the words of a song seem petty.

It’s a talent for one and two for another and so we must live and behold the endless undulations of nature.

A week of mindless Carnage in Maiduguri and Nairobi...

2013-09-22T13:47:00.000+01:00

MAIDUGURI, has been a living hell for people of Borno State in Northern Nigeria. The indiscriminate slaughter of its own citizens by members of the Boko Haram sect this week took on an even more dire twist. 142 bodies were pulled out of bushes and off the road by security forces who have been reduced to just collecting bodies. The Nigerian government has been handicapped by its own inability to eradicate corruption, with more crude oil being stolen than is sold, and now with it's military and government infiltrated by members of the sect she has once again managed to pull herself to the bring of an abyss of a different kind.

The Boko Haram insurgency is a kind of it's own. Being a mix of disgruntled corrupt Government officials, misguided youths and hardened Islamic extremist from the North. Giving rise to a potent mix of stupidity ad criminality on dangerously massive scale. Lacking the full credentials of an extremist Islamic cult and also lacking the organization of a criminal cartel. It has become a monster that can not now be controlled by its founders. It now threatens to engulf not jut the whole of the Northern states of the Country but also the States of the Sahara.

Uhurru Kenyatta's Kenya has suddenly featured on every news outlet in the world. Sadly for all the wrong reasons. Anxiously watching Liverpool vs Southampton sweat it out at Anfield began to seem almost irrelevant when sordid and worrying headlines from Kenya kept flashing across the screen.

It is a sad story ones again. From people who believe that the old, the young, women and children are fair game when it comes to unconventional warfare.

For decades on end Kenya has been a smouldering pot of frequent acts of terrorism. The failed state of Somali has supplied a constant stream of misguided extremist who have continued to pour into Kenya.

It has indeed been a sad week for Africa and the world. With ongoing events in Nairobi no one is to tell where we would end up today.

Putting this occurrence in perspective. A few days ago hundreds of innocent Nigerians lost their lives and that story barely made headlines within Nigeria itself. What sane society on this planet can loose 142 of its citizens to gruesome murder and yet everything goes on as usual? Its baffling.

One is forced to ask Is the wholesale murder of Africans somehow secondary when it comes to the loss of one European life. Both are despicable and should not be tolerated, all the same I do believe that a human life should be held priceless irrespective of who it is or where that person originates from.

Terrorism in all its forms is shameful and cowardly.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims of both the Maiduguri and the Nairobi incidents.

Telling a Story......Carrion beast or Journalist?

2013-07-25T01:49:00.001+01:00

In the presence of war, famine, celebrations, disasters, and acts of God we now see a new breed of people. People who seek to tell what they see, people who seek to share the story of their experiences. It is with great pain that I have come to realize that these people are consequently products of these stories, they have become carrion, feeding off happy times and disasters alike.

On the one hand they represent the conscience of society, on the other they are just vultures who very much depend on the occurrence of the rotting depraved acts of man to further a career of story telling.

To accuse them would be futile for all they do is tell as they see, but then there should be a limit to ones ability to resist the temptation to stretch forth a helping hand to a dying human rather than just run and tell as they see.

Telling a story about a dying girl to prevent the future death of ten other girls is good but saving the first dying girl should be priority it should be the noble thing to do and her death should not just be used as material for a heart wrenching career boosting story.

As the years have gone by the heart of man indeed has become as stone.

A peoples dilemma......

2013-07-22T17:25:00.001+01:00

It is with much anguish and disdain that we perceive the current political turmoil that is currently wrecking the reputation of Rivers state as a political entity.

What seems to be the most perturbing aspect of it is that most of it is being generated by just a few people. All to buttress their selfish interest.

It is become a worrying situation indeed, because it does not just threaten the peace of Rivers state it is also threatening to destabilize the entire region.

With the two most important stake holders keen on fomenting the embers of what is already a precariously poised situation the only foreseeable result is a downward spiral that could ultimately end in a state of anarchy.

The present administration tends to be nonchalant about what people think. It is frightful to see a government being run the way the present administration is being run. It is indeed scary. It does leave much to be desired on all fronts.

With the Presidential spokesman who seems to be constantly in a bellicose state of mind bent on treating credible questions and complaints directed at the Presidency as minor irritations, the populace is becoming disengaged from the ruling class. It has gradually becoming a parallel system. With the government attending to issues it perceives to be expedient while the worries and real everyday problems of the common man are being dismissed as superficial and somewhat exaggerated.

One could hope and pray. Its all we have done in the last four decades. We hope and we pray while the world marches on.

A sponsored research on the Nigerian problem is very much overdue. As an entity the Nigerian state seems to be constantly in a state of flux, there seems to be an ingrained consciousness that reaches out and corrupts any good thing that threatens to rear its head out of this convulsing pile of corruption, miss-governance, crime and filth.

Politicians have lost faith in the system, the middle class have no stakes in its wealth, the lower class have decided that they are beyond hope and reprieve so all we have is a perfectly poised collection and brush wood waiting for the inevitable burn fire that we are approaching.

The current administration has no scruples about trading its soul now just to get ahead in the pols for the 2015 seat, it all means that between now and 2015 all we can hope for is a government run by a group of people whose sole aim and ambition for its people, the continent of Africa and the world at large is just to win a reelection it is scarcely credible to stand for.

Politics played around the world is rarely free of misdeeds and corruption but then what we are experiencing in the Nigerian political demography is totally on another plain. The nonchalant manner with which business is carried out is abhorrent. It is like a skyscraper built with foundation of rotten wood. With the elite political class moving ever closer to the roof where they have their getaway helicopters at the ready.

Everyone knows the system needs to be purged, everyone expects a revamp, everyone is aching and crying but no one seems brave enough to stand and make a difference. We all just carry on and hope a savior in the form of a powerful politicians marches on to the political scene and revamps the whole system.

With this state of mind we are going to be waiting for a while yet.

Rivers State is one of the largest Oil producing states in the country. Off Nigeria's 2.28 million barrels produced daily in the country Rivers state is accountable for almost 40% of this. Yet all its oil produced has amounted to almost null development to indigenous communities in the state. In comparison to the Dubai emirate with just 4 billion barrels of oil reserves it has seen almost all of its oil money ploughed back into its community transforming it into a playground for architects and financiers.

With the 10th largest confirmed deposits of crude oil in the world and the 8th largest confirmed natural gas reserve in the world Nigerians still languish in abject poverty and confusion reigns supreme. It is sad to note that the Nigerian state loses $18.2 million a day in burning off its gas reserves rather than harness it. Lacking the expertise and being constantly wary of western nations who always seem keen in locking unsuspecting developing nations into one dubious deal or another with the sole view of furthering their own gains.

The big oil companies seems content with waiting rather than engaging in serious endeavors to curb gas flaring. While corrupt Nigerian politicians flutter around knowing fully well they are sitting on a pile of raw cash but being oblivious without the slightest of how to convert this to real money.

We still hope and pray and believe that things would take a turn for the better.

Trayvon and Zimmerman two worlds apart...

2013-07-20T22:59:00.001+01:00

Oh sweet Florida my home my Friend

A host of choice, a port of hope

Oh sweet Florida, A home for heroes

A mansion of dreams, a place to love

your blue seas, white sands and shores of gold

Your palm trees to the wind do bow

Oh sweet Florida, oh Sweet Florida

of thee I sing

I feel your comfort, I feel your love though my skin be tanned, my hair be curled

my eyes jet black, my voice suave

of comfort of fairness a promise from you

of my race, not a question for equality we bought

I feel your riches, I smell your wine

of hardwork and oppurtunity a slice I have

now to protect your shores and my hard earned riches

To thy streets I hurl myself my sword

I should take a walk, I should feel your sweetness

I get some candy and smell the rain

Oh sweet Florida, of thee I sing

Oh sweet Florida, oh sweet Florida

I see a threat, a hood and swagger an enemy I tell

should I draw my sword and challenge this foe, or dog his steps then cut him down

he is armed all right, with a deadly hood and a black skin

to no good he is aimed, oh Florida thy shores I protect

I have a Shadow, a sickening feeling

I have been perceived to be a threat

my race, my colour questioned again

oh sweet Florida this tainted freedom please abolish

He slows his steps, why should he

he is a foe now I see

he must assume the position

or my steel would drive my challenge and question

I should walk faster and shake this shadow

of fear and anger I feel arising

Oh Florida oh Florida, of thee I sing

I would stand my ground and declare myself

Halt thy steps and declare thyself

to no good I perceive you to be

you would stand with me

till the sheriff does arrive

Why should I be held to ransom

on these lovely shores of mine and thou

No, my freedom I must protect and declare

of this, not an inch would I give

He does resist then my sword would speak

a blemish he is to these shores of ours

Now he is down his blood abroad, a closer look I take to see

a foe alright he is to us and has been for all of 17 years

Oh Florida, oh Florida I lie mortally wounded, for once again my skin belies me

now from me gushes my youth, my virtue my soul with the rain does mingle

oh Florida, oh Florida of thee I sing

I lie here spent, my future taken

Could I have waited
the sheriff would come
but then i did what I did to protect myself
after-all a hood and black skin he had on him

I go now quiet, for I must

for my body lies broken and spent beneath your sky

of justice and freedom I beg again

though I know it shall never be mine

Go on now young foe
I have a story to tell for us both
in the grave you can but rest
your colour on earth brought you non of that

Oh I wish my mother to see for just a moment ere I go

the silence is come, the night beckons

my heart flutters my breadth is stilled

goodbye Florida of thee I sing

Thoughts..

2013-06-18T22:09:00.000+01:00

It is better to be lost at sea, or in the desert or in the woods, for then you still stand a chance of being found and rescued or meet an end and perish. Within the confines of oneself however, being lost is indeed being truly lost. For not even the deepest recesses of the ocean or the vast nothingness of the sands of the desert can boast the endless intricacies, passages and space that is the human mind. It is even more unsettling to note that you are its only inhabitant.

Understanding the roots of an artificial insurgency

2013-05-17T13:39:00.001+01:00

“Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man”.

-Henry Adams

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?”

-Mahatma Gandhi

It is without doubt that the Nigerian demography is an extremely complex one in every sense and a few people have used this complexity to their advantage and intend to continue doing so at all cost.

Since its amalgamation in 1914 Nigeria has been a simmering cauldron of all sorts of strife and running conflicts. Crime, fraud and corruption crept into the mix unnoticed and unheeded. One after the other they have been added into this brew which was already so potent that their addition largely went unnoticed until they had changed the colour and texture of the brew.

Now, here we are, ensnared by guilt, trapped in a quagmire of corruption and fraud, enmeshed in a never ending circle of tribal and religious violence as we still reel from the chaos and destruction wrought by one Civil war.

Here we are guardians of an entity which was another man’s dream, a foreigner’s notion of a nation. Here we are bleeding and striving to sustain an entity that nature herself strives to tear apart. Here we are crying and gnashing our teeth at this chaos that streams and gushes upon us.

Here we are, in search of peace yet unwilling to offer her the sacrifices she solemnly demands, knowing full well that these supplications would involve disorientating ourselves and giving up the very ideals that define our separate entities and name us as individual people.

A compromise seems the best way forward, but at what cost?

Would a compromise issue us peace or simply a cessation of hostilities? Would a war without arms ensue and guarantee the birth of a generation of hate and an empire of intrigue and espionage or would it offer integration, coexistence and tolerance? A cross roads it does seem but at this speed it is impossible to veer either left or right. Full steam ahead and inevitable destruction seems most likely. All the same, it is said that Nature herself often plays tricks, and she could suddenly come to a halt in doing so throwing her inhabitants together forcing them to make peace.

It has been a tumultuous 24 months for Nigeria. Each day that goes by sees mountains of uncertainty looming ever closer.

The trick with using the carrot and the stick goes with making sure that your adversary believes that accepting the carrot is worth the while in contrast to the very real threat posed by the presence of the stick. When you substitute the stick with a cucumber then you would have a problem.

In the path of an inferno every item is an accelerant. Snuffing out a flame would ultimately prevent you from dealing with an inferno that could potential annihilate everything in its path.

Nigeria’s’ problems though complex are not insurmountable. There are quite a number of solutions that do not involve bloodletting, though with so many variables and equally as many (counterfeit) constants the calculus of this problem becomes ever more complex with time.

Worrying Development...

2013-03-22T12:44:00.001+00:00

Residents of Ijora and Lagos as a whole have woken up this morning to the stark reality now facing them. Boko haram have made good their promise to move their operations down to the south of the country. This is an extremely worrying development. Lagos does not only serve as second city diplomatically, economically it is first city to the most populous African nation.

At 7am this morning State security personel and soldiers were able to apprehend a group of terrorist who one would have to assume were in an advanced stage of mounting a terrorist attack. They were fully prepared with bomb, guns and other war paraphernalia.

At this point in time being wary of a Mumbai style showdown on the streets of Lagos wouldn’t totally be out of the question. It is sad that it has eventually come to this.
This Cancer must be checked before it consumes the country and everything in it. .

Chinua Achebe moves on.

2013-03-22T12:11:00.000+00:00

A literary giant was Albert Chínụ̀álụmọ̀gụ̀ Àchèbé, a blessing he was among story lovers and lovers of culture and tradition. He could put pen to paper and write down things that the rest of us could but vaguely dream about. He wrote it as he would have it read.

He was a true hero of modern Africa, an icon in academia. He would always be alive in the pages of his book.
All hail Chinua Achebe, may he rest well.

SMH

2013-03-18T09:09:00.000+00:00

People are always prone to see the funny side of events. People would always want to have a laugh about an issue that does not necessarily tickle them as it does present the stark reality that there isn’t anything they could possibly do to make the situation any less shameful. Over the past few weeks it’s been one blasphemy after another.

Facing down that reality needs a lot of energy, time and resources. No one has that time and energy to counter little niggling irritations so all we can do is poke fun, propagate it on Facebook and twitter, make T-shirts and we all have a good laugh. But then, the fact remains that we are inching towards the edge of a precipice.

Mediocrity is a dangerous web, it sets its own bounds and one would wallow inside its shadows, eternally insulated from any form of confrontation. Nothing would ever seem worth the while to raise one’s voice or to take action. So as long as factors are not potent enough to penetrate and jolt one out of this nice tidy rat race, everything would seem acceptable. Everything would seem bearable, the good, the bad and the downright shameful.

#MyOgaAtTheTop has been the height of events lately.

Before that there was the pardon granted to a world renowned thief who is still wanted in various countries for financial crimes. The shame about his crimes isn’t as much it is some complicated, sophisticated business acquisition/financial deal as it is a case of just stacking raw cash into suitcases and cheap plastic bags and yanking them across Countries. The stealing is a crime on its own; the stupidity exhibited is in itself a crime. To compound issues, we have had a Presidential spokesman come on air to justify this pardon. His words and actions have made the initial crime committed seem pale in comparison.

We all make mistakes, we all fall short. This is very natural we all humans. On the other hand standing up to defend a wrong, no matter what words or policy or law you use to justify your deeds is just downright shameful.

Like my friend Obi has said, Keep wearing the T-shirts, keep the word alive.

2013-03-17T23:06:00.003+00:00

It's all well and good to poke fun at and laugh at the current situation unfolding in Aso rock, but the sad truth is that these are desperate times. We must treat them as such.

Always some fairy tale excuse to siphon money. Now its N60 Billion for Mobile phones for farmers.

2013-01-15T14:05:00.001+00:00

The Nigerian Minister of Agriculture Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina recently put in motion an initiative in which 10 million Nigerian farmers would be in line to receive a mobile phone each. It is difficult to begin assessing this situation. There are a lot of factors to it.

Concentrating on what impact this venture would have on the Nigerian agricultural sector. On the one hand it is a fact that Information is absolutely critical on the other hand one is forced to ask, what information the government is looking to disperse to Farmers. How frequently would this information be given and why can’t it be given via any other means. Now, giving the fact that most of these farmers are in rural areas with little or no access to electricity, already this initiative is riddled with holes. A lot of them are illiterate and all they care about is growing their crops and getting them to the market. This they have done for hundreds of years. A mobile phone wouldn't in any way make this easier for them. It would only complicate things.

Now, Nigeria with over 110 million mobile phones in circulation has the largest number of active mobile phone users in Africa. Despite this staggering statistic, Nigeria does not have a viable program where the activities of mobile phone operators are monitored and the interest of the populace protected. The result of this is that mobile operators frequently defraud customers with dropped calls and lost credit, this they do with absolute impunity, MTN being the worst offender. This Practice does result in Trillions of Naira in windfall for the Mobile phone operators every year. In part this makes up for the shortfall in the number of new customers they now sign up every year.

This seeming Agricultural project of acquiring 10 million mobile phones for farmers on the surface does seem like an intelligent move. Well, the fact is it is an intelligent move; it is a very strategic business move. The question is, for whom? The answers to that question my friends are hardly the farmers or the Nigerian Populace or even the Ministry of Agriculture. I can only see 2 beneficiaries with regards to this scheme, and neither of them carries a hoe.

10 million farmers swear fealty to MTN. Promising to pay them at least N10,000 every month in buying credit and a further N2,000 in dropped call and lost credit. That gives us a total of about N120 Billion every month in the MTN kitty, this amounts to N1.5Trillion a year. This is of course before the domino effect takes off and the Farmers neighbours and friends also decide to get their own mobile phones in other not to feel left out. An estimate of this would be that at least one person would decide to buy a mobile phone for every five farmers who receive one. This does equate to an extra 2 million phones and an extra N24 Billion a month. In Total we are looking at about N1.8 Trillion a year ($12Billion) in Revenue for MTN and friends. I wonder what impact $12 Billion would have on the Nigerian Agricultural sector if invested wisely.

Minister of Agriculture. Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina

Dr Adeshina was on television last night to deny the existence of any N60 Billion put aside to purchase mobile phones. Now, mobile phones cost at least N8,000 per phone. This takes us to N80 billion, N20 Billion more than what was anticipated. Now, this being a quote for the cheapest mobile phones, I am really struggling to see where Mr Adeshina is going to get the phones from without having to pay for them. Last I checked Nigerian farmers don’t grow mobile phones. Nigeria doesn't even manufacture mobile phones.

On Second thoughts, given the current security situation developing in the country, tracking decedents and terrorist would be a little bit easier, albeit quite expensive.

So, our dear Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina has found himself a very comfortable nice niche being a middle man for MTN and Nigerian farmers. He gives the Farmers N60 Billion worth of Mobile Phones and in return the Nigerian Farmers give MTN and friends N1.8 Trillion a year. Not a bad investment. Of course, none of these huge amounts flying around would find its way to Dr Adeshinas’ backyard. Absolutely none of it.

From Dunblane to Newtown...How do you protect Children from such reckless mindless hate.

2012-12-14T21:35:00.000+00:00

I can still remember the morning I heard of the Dunblane story. I Can still vividly see those parents running into the school to see if their children were safe. I can still remember questions I asked myself that day.

Why?
What happened?
What did the children do?

These were questions that came to my mind because then as well as now I couldn't and can not seem to comprehend the rational behind shooting a child dead.

You see before that morning, I didn't know there was a town called Dunlane in Scotland. This afternoon, I didn't even know there was a town called Newtown in Connecticut USA. It is such a shame that wonderful communities get put on the map by events such as these. It is sad indeed.

What sick corner do people seem to turn that they in turn come up with the idea of taking a rifle to a child. Since that morning I heard about the Dublane story, I am afraid things have steadily become worse. Each deranged shooter trying to outdo his predecessor in some sick war against infants. What a tragedy of monumental proportions. How do you tell this? How do you prepare to fight this.

Though 18 children died today, a whole lot more have been scared and damaged for life. Families destroyed and livelihoods rendered null and void.

It is supposed to be a season of happiness and coming home. For a lot of Families in Newtown, there would be no coming home. In Connecticut today, it is a day of mourning and it would be a month to bury the dead. What chapter of ones life story should contain such an atrocity such as this. How do you weep? What do you tell a surviving child. How do you make him/her understand that they did nothing wrong?

My heart goes out to the People and Children of Newtown, Connecticut. You are in my prayers.

What a tragedy. What a Tragedy indeed.

Precipitating factors coming to light.

2012-12-14T20:57:00.000+00:00

Well, just like I iterated in my previous blog post it is now coming to light that Hospital management team at the King Edward VII hospital were not being particularly forthcoming with information regarding events leading up to the death of the Nurse. I think it is largely cynical on their path for them to expect we (the pubic) to believe they took the whole prank call situation as lightly as they stipulated.

It is now largely believed that one of the three suicide notes says differently. If it turns out that she did indeed receive the quiet kind of ostracism which isn't uncommon in institutions like the King Edward the VII hospital. Then, I would suggest nothing short of an inquest and possible civil charges being filed would suffice. Assuming justice and fairness are still principles we do allude to.

The Nurse, the Queen and two Listless Wallabies from Never-Never Land.

2012-12-12T15:12:00.000+00:00

The untimely death of anyone is always tragic. In this case, it is particularly so given the recent spate of events. The life of a lovely lovely lady cut short by a meaningless prank hatched from halfway across the world.

One can’t help but imagine and play over and over again mentally this whole short saga.

Australian DJs'

The period immediately after the prank call saw the BBC and other big news Establishment in stitches and green with envy at the two Australian DJ’s who had managed to pull off this mother of all pranks. Everyone had a good laugh; I couldn't help but guffaw when I heard it all on CNN. I mean, firstly it was obvious that the Queen in question definitely sounded quite strange. Of course listening in as a third party one would think so. What if you were a first party? What would your reaction have been? Would you have said to the Queen; please identify yourself? Or would you have slammed the phone down on her? All the factors that morning would have pointed to that call emanating from Buckingham Palace, except of course for the somewhat dodgy voice.

Well, the polite and professional Nurse simply obliged. Unaware she was granting access to two harmless buffoons from the heart of Never-Never Land.

Point made, it was all a big joke and a good laugh. I can even imagine the ever excited Prince Harry falling over himself in laughter. Everyone I would say, except, those proper Bureaucrats in the King Edward VII Hospital management team. I find it hard to believe they all smiled and gave the Nurse a pat on the back and went on their business as usual. On the contrary I can imagine the icy treatment the poor nurse would have received from them. It wold have been no surprise for her to have received a very polite letter a short while down the line, Thanking her for her wonderful and simply outstanding services to the Hospital.

Until her death the Australian DJs’ were the heroes of the day, the Nurse; the victim of a harmless prank. After her Death the DJs’ have become two cruel cruel human beings, the lovely Nurse; a victim of a dastardly act of inhumane cruelty. It just beats me how the hospitals' management team seems to be missing from this otherwise straightforward picture. When it is all too right to imagine the wrath the poor Nurse would have incurred upon herself from management for putting that call through.

Nurse Jacintha

Now, one is forced to think; what pushed her over the edge?

Was it the Stupid harmless prank from two Wallabies in the heart of Never-Never Land or the Icy reception and almost certain withering discipline she would have received from her Bosses at King Edward VII hospital?

It’s your choice.

She was a seasoned Nurse with two young lovely Children. She works in London. I mean she would have had more serious pranks played on her. The difference with this one definitely would have been the impending consequences. Consequences which King Edward VII hospital seemingly wants us now to believe were never forth coming.

The DJs’ did what DJs’ do best. Make stupid jokes and think up harmless pranks. This time however, their prank had a devastating ending definitely after being precipitated. That Precipitating factor I am sure we would never know. Left to King Edward VII hospital; doesn't exist.

My heart goes out to her lovely family and the Duchess of Cambridge who inadvertently has been caught up in this horrific state of events given her current delicate situation.

Hopefully, someday we would fully understand the whole sad story.

Too big for a conviction: An interesting character is Fani Kayode...

2012-11-22T16:05:00.001+00:00

Cambridge Educated lawyer, Celebrated politician, renowned columnist and blogger, alleged money launderer and looter, brother of late Rotimi Fani-Kayode (prominent photographer and founder of AUTOGRAPH), son of Victor Fani-Kayode (leader of the national Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons who famously moved the motion in 1958 for Nigeria's independence in 1960), proud father of five daughters and infamous husband of 3 wives and counting. These are facts that should be contained in David Oluwafemi Abdulatef Fani-Kayode's biography if one does suffice in the coming years. Note that I did not say his auto-biography. For sure he would have a few different things to include and a few to emit.

David Fani-Kayode

Last month Fani- Kayode released one of his infamous rants detailing the sins and future sins of President Barack Obama. This sparked many a dialogue and arguments in forums, TV programs and magazines. It did make me wonder. The author in question who happened to be in a position of governance only a few years ago is himself a character with question marks when it comes to life in Politics.

He happens to belong to the famous club of Past ministers of Aviation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Although like everything else about him, he does stand out even in this little clique. Under his watch, $300 million grew legs and walked out of his ministry. Although he was in charge, he knew nothing of it.

Every Aviation minister in the history of Nigeria has left that ministry worse off. Fani-Kayode's tenure however was particularly bothersome. Being who he was, one would have expected that the Aviation industry would have been on the road to recovery, and so it was. At least until the rescue funds were rescued from his Ministry.

He was subsequently arrested in July of 2008 and charged with the misappropriation of $300 Million. Charges were subsequently dropped. In December of same year he was again arrested on a 47 count Charge of Money laundering. Charges again were subsequently dropped and he was CLEARED of ANY wrong doing. Despite the fact that deposits into his bank accounts were highlighted as suspicious it was eventually stated that those deposits came from a legal source, It had nothing to do with the missing funds.

By the end of his second ordeal I would imagine he should have been completely cleared of both the charges and the money. Given the fact that it is quite an expensive exercise defending yourself against a very hungry Senate select committee in Nigeria. Especially a committee that knows what you are on about. I guess he learned the major principle of looting the hard way.

Set aside 25% of your loot for the EFCC and a Further 25% for a possible Senate Select Committee.

The Senate in Nigeria does not just set up investigatory committees just to investigate. They know right from the word go if there is oil to be found. God hep you if you try to play Holy with them. You would be subsequently faced with charges bordering on treason and the more unforgivable charge of "unwillingness to share". The later definitely could carry the death Penalty, the former means you would be confined to the dungeons of society.

In 2010 he defined the term "Corpsocracy" as the ruler-ship of the living by the dead. In a swipe apparently at the then ailing late President Umaru Yar'adua. I wonder what term he would use to explain "the ruler-ship of the People by a bunch of Cambridge educated looters".

It's sad, That in this day and age we still find it difficult to go after people who have done wrong. We still celebrate them. until we can get past this mountain we would forever be at the mercy of pick-pockets, petty thieves and looters like Fani-Kayode (allegedly), people who loot with absolute impunity.

We are constantly faced with these situations and on each occasion we fall short.

Wale Babalakin is the latest person to be dragged to court by the EFCC. The EFCC we must note has now morphed into an organization with a serious allergy for real criminals. Although they make a lot of noise and headlines they basically have nothing to show for it. It's all a matter of time before Wale Babalakin goes home a free man, just like Bode George, James Ibori and Erastus Akingbola before him.

Continuum of hate.

2012-11-22T14:04:00.000+00:00

Its been a great displeasure watching the latest edition of the Israeli Palestinian conflict unfold. It is even with a greater sense of sadness to have beheld the apparent disregard for the substance and phenomena that is Human Life. No matter what nationality it is. Regardless of its clad.

I fail to see the judgement in retaliating with such disproportionate use of force. I also fail to see the sense in hiding behind your wife and little kids in order to fire rockets at your neighbors kids and wives. Firstly you are categorically inhumane to use your own wives and kids as shields and secondly you are utterly barbaric for even coming up with the idea of shooting at your neighbors kids. No matter who they are.

This latest conflict was no war. It was not even a conflict. It was the worst of human behavior being publicly exhibited. Relentless display of hate.

Imagine a little girl of 8 crying, not because she cant go to school, not because her friends were making fun of her not even that she was due to face some punishment from her mum or dad, no, it was for the utterly unimaginable reason that she was afraid a bomb was going to fall on her. The utterly terrifying thing was that her fears were not unfounded. They are real fears. Irrespective of whether that bomb does fall on her or not, she has been damaged for life. In her psyche that fear would settle and fester and ultimately define who she grows up to be. I wonder what warped mind would wish that on a child. Even on the children of his enemies.

Terrified Palestinian girls

Sadly though, this is the Israeli Palestinian reality, it is an existence of hate. Endless farms and nurseries where hate is cultivated. Little yearlings and offspring are traumatized and blasted into the reality even before they can comprehend who they are and on what side of the fence they have been born into. What a tragedy.

Israelis take cover in a pipe.

The latest outburst has ended with a truce. A truce which Israel interprets as an opportunity lost and Hamas counts as an opportunity to reload. To prepare for the next fallout.

A war in perpetuity. A tragedy continuum which begins and ends in different shades of deaths and atrocities. All in the name of God.

What a shame.

Inhabitants of the throne room....

2012-10-07T17:36:00.000+01:00

Speculate, make naive insinuations, talk about conspiracies and counter conspiracies, talk about holes in the government, treason and stories of unparalleled patriotism.

These are the attributes of the common man when he is faced with the machinery of power which constantly remains out of his modest reach. This is a factor of life that rarely changes. The little man afraid of change desires to swim in his little pool of mediocrity and royalty also afraid of change do all they can to make sure the little man remains little.

At some point, we must ask ourselves who are the powers that are? What gears are in motion? Who is the faceless kingmaker? In a country like Nigeria the term complexity cannot be overstated. The makeup of the country itself is as complex as anything could be.

Somehow though, a status quo is maintained. Her gears grind on albeit to certain ruin. I always wonder though. Who are the forces we feel but never truly see? With this question in mind I set out to profile and try to understand these forces.

First name that comes to mind strangely enough is Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi who listed the Seven Deadline sins as;

Wealth without works

Pleasure without conscience

Science without humanity

Knowledge without character

Politics without principle

Commerce without morality

Worship without sacrifice

How true his words are in present day Nigeria. All these factors present can only give rise to a nation whose citizens become numb to anything unbecoming. Atrocities are met with bland looks and indifference.

Present day Nigeria would regard the massacre of a hundred of its citizens with barely half an hour of news being aired. The country seems to be in some sort of convulsed spasm or death throw.

A change in the status quo cannot come any sooner.