As news filtered from the senate that Nigeria's 'change agents' senators had vehemently opposed a motion sponsored by the opposition PDP senators seeking to compel the federal government to begin payment of the 5,000 Naira monthly stipend it promised unemployed graduates during the electioneering campaigns, not a few Nigerians were taken aback by the retrogressive stand of the APC senators. The shock made some well known APC affiliated activists to begin another deceptive hash tag(#Buharioptics) - the motive for this face saving move(as with all things) will be brought to the fore in the fullness of time.
While I scrolled through my twitter TL reading tweets from those whom the presidential media aide tagged wailing wailers and the lamentations of those who had fallen for the scam packaged and presented by the APC as change; Innocent 'Tuface' Idibia's song 'E be like say' kept playing in my head.
The APC, Nigeria's 'change party' had once again played 'ojoro' on those who could not see beyond their propaganda and empty noise(unfortunately the effect of their naivety won't be selective).
With what happened on the floor of the Nigerian senate, I wonder how president Buhari on his next foreign trip will tell investors the wrongs of past governments and that Nigerians are not trustworthy hence unfit to do business with, without indicting himself and his crew of confusionists, I digress.
Maybe the pain experienced yesterday by those who fell for the APC's stories would have been lesser if their 'change agent' senators and lacklustre legion of volunteers had not out rightly tried to deny that such promises were ever made at different times and places. Perhaps if they had just said, that the present economic realities have made it impossible for them to fulfil such outrageous promises, many of those who voted for just that benefit alone would not have been as sorrowful as they were yesterday. Inasmuch as that excuse would not have been acceptable(considering that even while the APC campaigned with these things, our economy was already experiencing a downturn due to the fall in global oil prices. Yet each time the APC campaign team(led by those we thought then to be intelligent) was asked how feasible these things were, the usual response was we will “block leakages, recover looted funds and fight corruption”; well here we are now.), but at least it would not be as insulting as the failed attempt at outright denial.
At the 10th anniversary of cresent university, the vice president pastor Yemi Osibanjo boldly stated “one of the most striking promises we made during campaigns was the payment of five thousand Naira to the poorest Nigerians across the country” http://leadership.ng/news/440494/unemployed-poor-nigerians-to-get-n5000-monthly-fg. How then is the APC going to deny it's commitment to Nigerians? Is Osibanjo no longer seen as a qualified voice of this administration? The fulfilment of this promise is even more crucial now, considering how many breadwinners have lost their jobs from may 29th 2015 till date, as our economy continues to dance “go down low”.
This article on Vanguard newspaper of January 5th 2015 http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/buhari-promises-allowances-unemployed-corps-members-free-meal-pupils/ clearly states General Buhari's promise to provide loans/grants to discharged but unemployed graduates along side the 5000 Naira monthly stipend - need I remind the president that two batches of corp members have passed out since he was sworn into office.
Femi Edun in his piece “paying for APC's spending promises”
://metropole.ng/index.php/metro-views/item/3592-paying-for-apc-s-spending-promises warned that the promises of the then opposition APC were unrealistic considering the austere times and “not having been well thought out in terms of their affordability”, yet we listened not.
While the PDP may not have optimally made use of its 16 years in power to transform Nigeria to the paradise(or something close) it's citizens yearn for; history will forever be kind to the PDP senators who on 4th November 2015 stood up for millions of unemployed Nigerians, asking only that the Buhari led administration fulfils promises that were not made under duress. In 5 months and 7 days all we have witnessed with this change is lies, propaganda, accusations and denials(repeat cycle), not even one project is ongoing. If it continues like this, I am very certain when the monthly alerts is no longer received, the noisy volunteers will become wailing wailers. For now, we still await the commencement of the change process!
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Sunday, 25 October 2015
ON BIAFRA: NIGERIA GETTING IT WRONG AGAIN - Enenim Ubon
always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” 2 Timothy 3:7; aptly describes Nigerians(or should I say Nigerian leaders).
In 2009, Nigerian security forces engaged a group of persons whom they thought they could overpower without much resistance(events that have followed have proved otherwise); the groups leader was captured by the security forces and summarily executed. Prior to this several warnings had been given to the Nigerian forces about the activities of the emerging sect, as usual all the warnings were ignored. When the government eventually woke from its slumber, it took the wrong approach. Where this has left the nation is clear for all to see.
Fast forward to 2015, the Nigerian government under President Buhari is again faced with a somewhat similar situation and is already making the same mistake made by his predecessors. From 1999 till date, no amount of intimidation or arrests has stopped Chief Ralph Uwazurike from carrying out his activities under MOSSOB. As a matter of fact, it seems MOSSOB members multiply after every arrest or attack. (Just as no level of intimidation and even the arrest of Asari Dokubo at a time, could stop the militancy in the Niger Delta).
The emergence of Nnamdi Kanu with his radio Biafra has added a new dimension to the Biafra struggle(and I dare say has made more Igbos believe in the Biafran dream becoming a reality). His recent arrest and subsequent detention sparked protest in some cities including port harcourt - a pointer to what should be expected if he is detained further or dies in detention. The question then is, why is the man still been detained by security forced based on order from above?
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly(paragraphs 27 and 28), president Buhari(of Nigeria) openly canvassed for self determination for the people of Palestine in accordance with the ideals of the United Nations. If mr Kanu is being arrested for canvassing for the same thing mr president is seeking for the people of Palestine, it is very unfortunate. Why should two people asking for the same thing be treated differently? One clapped for and the other detained. Some persons have accused mr Kanu of making treasonable comments hence the 'justification' for his continued detention without recourse to the law (in an era where change is preached), yet in this same nation we have seen people who've made similar/worse comments being elected governors and others being nominated as ministers. As stated in the UN chater, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights and the African Chater, the right to self determination/secession is a right of any people who feel deprived where they are.
The Nigerian government should not fall into the trap of further worsening the security situation in an already volatile nation. If Nnamdi Kanu and his followers(or any other group for that matter) want to renegotiate the terms of their remaining in the entity called Nigeria or seek to outrightly leave the union for being unfair to them, nothing stops the Nigerian government from allowing and ensuring there is a referendum - as we have seen in other countries. In the end there is no gurantee whatsoever that ever igbo person will align with Kanu and Uwazuruike's desires but the government would have avoided unnecessary rancor,tension and all that comes with such a situation.
All the intimidation, arrest and illegal detention will not achieve anything other than worsening the situation beyond what it presently is. If it could not quell militancy in the days of Obasanjo(even if it did), it won't work now - not with the current level of awareness citizens possess and their “understanding of the times”. But if the Buhari led government decides to make the country ungovernable for themselves - no wahala! While they are at it, they should consider the capacity of our security forces to handle any security challange/uprising that will be added to the present ones(boko haram, kidnapping, rampaging fulani herdsmen). No union is forced - if it was in the past, times have changed. Every union is negotiable.
“Change does not come by wishful thinking and the leader who just sits and wishes for change is without doubt a failure”.
The present government MUST exhibit the change it claims to represent, nothing else is acceptable.
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
Thursday, 22 October 2015
EMPTY DENGE, EMPTY POSE. - Enenim Ubon
Wetin dem get? Dem no get nothing.
Wetin dem be? Dem no be nothing.
Dem go dey pose, dem go dey denge!!”
The above lyrics are from Baba Fryo's hit song of the 90's - DENGE, POSE.
Since assuming office on May 29th 2015, president Buhari has found it convenient to pose around the country/world, telling whoever cares to be deceived that Nigerians have already started enjoying change; well since change is a relative word, the change crew can believe whatever they choose to but in fullness of time, the cry of the baby will be heard down the street!
During the campaigns we were told General Buhari had defeated terrorism before. Pa even bragged to us that age is a thing of the mind; hence his resolve to lead the war against terrorism from the front(whatever that means). After being sworn in as president, he right away launched the 'empty denge' campaign by declaring that the military high command had been moved to maiduguri, the 'denge - pose volunteer dance crew' hailed this 'world class' move; next, mr president brought on board a 'fit' chief of army staff(who demonstrated his fitness by showing off his push ups prowess on national tv) - how all these have helped the fight against insurgency, I am yet to see.
Recently the terrorist group have intensified their onslaught against innocent citizens. We have seen for the first time, five bombings within 24 hours - a clear indication that our intelligence gathering has only gotten worse. The Nigerian military has also joined the 'empty denge crew' by steadily telling stories that do not add up. All we hear is that terrorists are surrendering and are also being decimated. The army chief is always in the news with sweet bedtime stories, what they do not seem to realize is that all these stories have not detered the terrorist from striking at their convenience nor does propaganda/noise win wars. Majority of Nigerians have in the past(and will continue to) supported the military, therefore it would be better if the army tells less lies to these ones in order to be able to concentrate on the task at hand.
The rampaging fulani herdsmen have gradually become a menace to Nigerian(north central,south west,south east and south south) farmers. The height of their recklessness being the kidnap of Chief Olu Falae after destroying over a kilometer of his farm, unsurprisingly the change government(like previous ones) have kept quite, preferring to look the other way(i wonder what change they represent then), while the fulani army march on farms mostly cultivated without any assistance whatsoever from government. I really hope the government will also maintain its silence when the farmers also begin to use whatever means necessary to protect themselves and their means of livelihood from these mindless invaders.
The Bayelsa and Kogi gubanitorial elections risk being postponed and all the work being done so far by both INEC and the respective political parties would amount to nothing, because the president who has a SAN as vice president does not understand the relevant laws relating to the constitution of INEC. Since the president is not a learned fellow, if there is any substance in their leadership the vice president ought to have know that two INEC commissioners and an (then)acting chairlady cannot form a quorum to take any important decision regarding an election. I join the 'denge -pose dance crew' to congratulate the vice president on his numerous achievements since assuming office beyond what previous vice president could ever do - including his failure to advise his boss on very simple issues regarding the law until yesterday(thats assuming he was the one that told his boss the need to do the right thing, at least this one time) and hoping the damge has not already been done.
The fate of the judiciary is yet to be known. How independent it will be in the next four years only Nostradamus can accurately predict! The Bukola Saraki, court of appeal and code of conduct tribunal drama of monday has exposed what the Buhari presidency has in its play book. The presidency and the judiciary can keep up with the denials - which for now are not necessary; but if the baby died in the morning after the witch cried at night, would it be improper to accuse the witch of killing the baby? Time will indeed reveal more.
It is two months to the end of the year, a serious government which promised to hit the ground running on assumption of office is yet to appoint ministers. It took the president four months of dancing around to come up with his star list of noise makers. If this move on the 30th of September was not one of those characteristic playing to the gallery attitude of this government, one wonders why more than eleven ministerial nominees already confirmed by the senate have not been assigned portfolios by the president. Perhaps mr president is still waiting on the contractors to deliver the saintly robes of his ministers. Equally there are parastetals whose functions are higher than that of some ministries and which the president does not need confirmation of his nominees by anybody before he can appoint such persons; why has the president not gone ahead to do the needful? Or will he keep studying the handover notes for another six months before he can find suitable people for such offices.
Since taking over power, this administration is yet to embark on ONE project by whatever name. State governments sworn in on the same with the president have already began doing the needful. From Udom Emmanuel(who has embarked on the task of industralizing his state) to Nyesom Wike(who is making visible impacts aimed at correcting unexplainable actions of the immediate past governor and 'star' ministerial nominee Chibuike Amaechi) to Professor Ben Ayade(who two days ago, made the president experience first hand what it feels like to flagoff a capital project, the same project some mischevious persons have tried to ascribe to the federal government) et al. Graudally we are beginning to see those who have a grasp of what promising and delivering on their campaign promises is all about. What the presidency is yet to tell us is where the revenues that have accrued within these five months is and what it will be used for subsequently.
While the economy is dancing “go down low”(from all available local and international financial indices) and the president and his crew busy 'dengeing' and 'posing' all over the place; those who have not allowed themselves to be deceived by the lying tongues are earnestly waiting for the rainy season to begin in December(as mr president has predicted) and praying the rain washes away all our problems - the inconsistent body language inclusive; while bringing in its wake a better economy and the fulfillment of at least the 5,000 Naira monthly stipend promised jobless youths.
For now fellow citizens, let us all 'denge and pose' till the rain of change begins to fall!
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Independence Day Musing - Akanimo Eyibio
While Nigerians mourn...
It is another anniversary! Yea! Let's recall some soldiers from the (boko haram) war front to come and parade for us. Let's cut cakes, release pigeons and give inspiring speeches, after all we have come a long way. Let inspiring messages flood social media and newspapers. “55 years no be beans”, is it?
What has changed? Why should we celebrate? Have the chibok girls been found? Do we have steady electricity supply(there has been some improvement I must say)?. Why is our economy going down the drain? Remind me, how many jobs have been created?
This article is just to prove that once in a while, we should 'suspend' our dreaming and look reality in the face. Someone compared the huge amount of money spent by previous administrations at anniversaries like this to the 'paltry' 70 million budgeted for this year. And I say, imagine how many kids with holes in their hearts who surgery that amount can pay for?
Our president just returned from a 'holiday' well deserved at the UN with imperialist nations and other countries. By other countries I refer to the likes of Kenya's Kenyatta, Zimbabwe's Mugabe (his 'we are not gays' shout makes me remember with nostalgia the days of pan africanism, but I digress) etc. Is there anything new that was said this time that we haven't heard before? Each year, they gather to recycle promises like war stories without actually DOING something.
We should mourn - I am serious. On October 1st next year,a public holiday should be declared, but this time it should be called 'national mourning day'. For the millions of youths still jobless (we await the presidential explanation on the fate of the 2000 recently recruited immigration officers, men who have faced the odds for the job - having left all other engagements behind, only to be dispersed forthwith like primary school children), again I digress. For the Chibok girls who may/may never be seen again; for the Nigerians being killed daily by rampaging herdsmen, 'accidental discharges from our military men and police officers, for my younger brother who couldn't get admission in Nigeria because he didn't have 'long legs', for my doctor friend who has not been paid his salary since joining the federal civil service, for our statesman,Olu Falae, who was embarrassed(being kidnapped is embarrassing for a great man who retired from politics to farm). For my breast feeding neighbor who is about to be evicted because she does not have the rent(her husband a soldier died in maiduguri). You can add yours.
My name is Akanimo Eyibio(@preciouseyibio), I am from Akwa Ibom state. Mme ndakaanda!
Saturday, 12 September 2015
THE WONDERS OF PRAISE - Enenim Ubon
“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits”. - Psalm 103: 2
They are many reasons why we ought to praise God, that you are breathing is one - no matter how hopeless you think your situation is, the breath you enjoy is a sign that things could definitely get better; but the how would things be better, if we do not continually/ have not thanked the one who has graciously given you the gift of having a tomorrow to look forward to?
In praising God, we become less(dropping all iota of pride, humbling ourselves before the one who is the epitome of majesty) acknowledging that he is greater.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”(Hebrews 11:1); how best can we express our faith in God than by praising Him for what he has done, what He has not done and what He will do?
The exquisite joy experienced in praising God is a source of strength. When we praise God, we open the doors of his fullness towards us. In praising God, the love relationship(with Him) is made more real and personalised, “God inhabits the praises of His people”.
God expects everybody( everything that has breathe) to praise him. Psalm 8:2a reads “from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise...”, even the young ones are not exempted from this noble duty. if man refuses to praise God, the stones will cry out(Luke 19:40). Would you live in a generation where God would raise stones to worship him? “Let the high praise of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hands”(Psalm 149:6); to defeat the our adversary, to overcome seemingly impossible situations we cannot do it all alone with the sword but also by praising God, “praises move God”.
If the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures are constantly worshipping God(Revelation 19:4), how much more mere mortals? We who he has made ruler over the works of his hands and crowned with glory and honour(Psalm 8:5), owe him a duty to praise and worship him without ceasing and tell the world of his wonders towards men.
Paul and Silas despite being imprisoned without cause, praised God with their feet bound and the miraculous happened that night - leading to the salvation of many souls. “Praising God brings a display of his power in hitherto difficult circumstances”, even when it seems our prayers/requests have not been granted - the believe that He who promised is also able to perform(Romans 4), more than we could ever ask or imagine - will keep his praises in our mouths.
David(the man after God's heart) had the habit of continually praising God, even when he walked in the valley of the shadow of death. The praises of God continually on David's lips made him witness the hand of God in his life, from running from Saul to being pursued by his own son, yet in all this David still declared “I will bless(praise) the Lord at all times”. Why then should you not praise God?
Henry F Lyte's hymn 'Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven' tells us how, when and why we should praise the everlasting King.
In praising, our burdens are lifted off our shoulders and placed on him who truly cares for us.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of his lips that confess his name”(Hebrews 13:15) - this is the whole duty of man.
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
They are many reasons why we ought to praise God, that you are breathing is one - no matter how hopeless you think your situation is, the breath you enjoy is a sign that things could definitely get better; but the how would things be better, if we do not continually/ have not thanked the one who has graciously given you the gift of having a tomorrow to look forward to?
In praising God, we become less(dropping all iota of pride, humbling ourselves before the one who is the epitome of majesty) acknowledging that he is greater.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”(Hebrews 11:1); how best can we express our faith in God than by praising Him for what he has done, what He has not done and what He will do?
The exquisite joy experienced in praising God is a source of strength. When we praise God, we open the doors of his fullness towards us. In praising God, the love relationship(with Him) is made more real and personalised, “God inhabits the praises of His people”.
God expects everybody( everything that has breathe) to praise him. Psalm 8:2a reads “from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise...”, even the young ones are not exempted from this noble duty. if man refuses to praise God, the stones will cry out(Luke 19:40). Would you live in a generation where God would raise stones to worship him? “Let the high praise of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hands”(Psalm 149:6); to defeat the our adversary, to overcome seemingly impossible situations we cannot do it all alone with the sword but also by praising God, “praises move God”.
If the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures are constantly worshipping God(Revelation 19:4), how much more mere mortals? We who he has made ruler over the works of his hands and crowned with glory and honour(Psalm 8:5), owe him a duty to praise and worship him without ceasing and tell the world of his wonders towards men.
Paul and Silas despite being imprisoned without cause, praised God with their feet bound and the miraculous happened that night - leading to the salvation of many souls. “Praising God brings a display of his power in hitherto difficult circumstances”, even when it seems our prayers/requests have not been granted - the believe that He who promised is also able to perform(Romans 4), more than we could ever ask or imagine - will keep his praises in our mouths.
David(the man after God's heart) had the habit of continually praising God, even when he walked in the valley of the shadow of death. The praises of God continually on David's lips made him witness the hand of God in his life, from running from Saul to being pursued by his own son, yet in all this David still declared “I will bless(praise) the Lord at all times”. Why then should you not praise God?
Henry F Lyte's hymn 'Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven' tells us how, when and why we should praise the everlasting King.
In praising, our burdens are lifted off our shoulders and placed on him who truly cares for us.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of his lips that confess his name”(Hebrews 13:15) - this is the whole duty of man.
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
Thursday, 10 September 2015
DAYS COUNTING, YET NO MOVEMENT. - Enenim Ubon
It is no longer news that the 'change' agents are now in power in Nigeria; it is pretty obvious because we have witnessed so slow a start, making us realize 'fresh' people are in government.
While many Buharist, Tinubuist, El-rufaist, Amaechist et al are still gloating over their victory and telling those who care to listen of their new found relevance(they can continue for as long as they want), the truth is neither the economy nor the citizens who are hoping that their lives will be improved have the luxury of time to waste on frivolities.
While those who can afford three meals per day, data on their smart phones, flight tickets to visit their various godfathers, sleep in luxury hotels and maintain mistresses can understand body language and how it puts food on their tables; unfortunately those in states like Osun who have been reduced to beggars overnight, those who have been sacked from various jobs(even in the oil sector), their wives and children nor those who are expecting the 5000 Naira social welfare package understand the mechanism behind body language. To the later group, talking to them about body language and it's numerous accomplishments is equivalent to speaking french to a rural woman, who has spent all her life in itu mbuso.
This government has spent 'few' days in office compared to what's left, but you see why I agree they still have time to prove doubters wrong, the fact remains that we cannot lose the 'little' gains of the PDP wasted years(as they claim), while waiting for them to recover from their victory induced sleep. Suddenly the all knowing people around presidential candidate Buhari have all disappeared. Those who felt Dr Iwela is better off as a farmer than an economist have suddenly lost their magic wand. The economy of the country is steadily on a decline daily; it would have made sense if the president was being perceived to be doing anything other than denials about it,(whatever induced the sleep in aso rock should be properly investigated, people probed and the findings made public!), but you see when Nigeria's 'almighty' oil industry begins to downsize it's workforce, only someone living in self deceit willl believe the ship is sailing smoothly.
For the record, some of the ways the change agents led by President Buhari promised to change the economic fortunes of Nigeria/Nigerians include:
•Empowerment scheme to employ 740,000 graduates across the 36 states and the federal capital territory: How many months down the road, NO SHOW. We have not seen ANY sign of better days. Some will say "time still dey", but dear brother/sister, a day in the life of a financial unstable/jobless person is like a thousand years, let alone the ones who ran around in the sun and rain waving coloured brooms and chanting change, hoping that their lives will be changed too.
•Establishment of a free tuition and scholarship scheme for pupils who have shown exceptional aptitude in science subjects at O levels to study ICT related courses: Well a new academic session is about to begin in most tertiary institutions in Nigeria following the release of O level and JAMB results; the presidency seems to have lost its voice regarding this promise. If they have only forgotten - fair enough, that's easier to understand than outright denial.
•Three million jobs per year: Maybe the Buhari government is yet to realize that we are already heading towards his first year in office. We would like to see the modalities for just 100,000 jobs first, then we will believe the 3 million jobs fairy tale. So far nothing on job creation has been seen in ANY regard(job creation) - unless of course being a presidential volunteer is considered a job.
•Promise to embark on vocational training, entrepreneurial and skills acquisition scheme for graduates along with the creation of Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme to create at least 5 million jobs by 2019: This will be a life saver right now. With the various job cuts in the country, with access to these kind of funds and training, many people will be willing to venture into the world of running their own business; so far this is all just a dream - no signs yet of it becoming a reality.
•Making our economy one of the fastest-growing emerging economies in the world with a real GDP growth averaging 10% annually: With JP Morgan's threat to remove Nigeria from its key bond index, it is safe to say that the government has failed woefully in stabilising the economy, let alone growing it at any rate. Nigeria has been placed on a negative index watch; I believe it would have been a lot easier for the JP Morgan team to keep quiet while watching events unfold over the next six months of grace they have given before delisting us from its Government Bond Index, if they had noticed any sign of "understanding of the times" by the Buhari team. Having noticed the
Laissez faire attitude towards the economy, it became necessary to raise the alarm and alert Nigerians/foreigners on the nations economic state. With these revelations the aso rock and volunteers crew can deny all they want, we now know all is not well.
If the president does not want to constitute a cabinet- it is all good, he should only inform us in time via the local media not Ghanian or United States media. If he can run the country alone - no problem - all we care about is that the economy works fine; else in the fullness of time, even lying liars will also become wailing wailers.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
While many Buharist, Tinubuist, El-rufaist, Amaechist et al are still gloating over their victory and telling those who care to listen of their new found relevance(they can continue for as long as they want), the truth is neither the economy nor the citizens who are hoping that their lives will be improved have the luxury of time to waste on frivolities.
While those who can afford three meals per day, data on their smart phones, flight tickets to visit their various godfathers, sleep in luxury hotels and maintain mistresses can understand body language and how it puts food on their tables; unfortunately those in states like Osun who have been reduced to beggars overnight, those who have been sacked from various jobs(even in the oil sector), their wives and children nor those who are expecting the 5000 Naira social welfare package understand the mechanism behind body language. To the later group, talking to them about body language and it's numerous accomplishments is equivalent to speaking french to a rural woman, who has spent all her life in itu mbuso.
This government has spent 'few' days in office compared to what's left, but you see why I agree they still have time to prove doubters wrong, the fact remains that we cannot lose the 'little' gains of the PDP wasted years(as they claim), while waiting for them to recover from their victory induced sleep. Suddenly the all knowing people around presidential candidate Buhari have all disappeared. Those who felt Dr Iwela is better off as a farmer than an economist have suddenly lost their magic wand. The economy of the country is steadily on a decline daily; it would have made sense if the president was being perceived to be doing anything other than denials about it,(whatever induced the sleep in aso rock should be properly investigated, people probed and the findings made public!), but you see when Nigeria's 'almighty' oil industry begins to downsize it's workforce, only someone living in self deceit willl believe the ship is sailing smoothly.
For the record, some of the ways the change agents led by President Buhari promised to change the economic fortunes of Nigeria/Nigerians include:
•Empowerment scheme to employ 740,000 graduates across the 36 states and the federal capital territory: How many months down the road, NO SHOW. We have not seen ANY sign of better days. Some will say "time still dey", but dear brother/sister, a day in the life of a financial unstable/jobless person is like a thousand years, let alone the ones who ran around in the sun and rain waving coloured brooms and chanting change, hoping that their lives will be changed too.
•Establishment of a free tuition and scholarship scheme for pupils who have shown exceptional aptitude in science subjects at O levels to study ICT related courses: Well a new academic session is about to begin in most tertiary institutions in Nigeria following the release of O level and JAMB results; the presidency seems to have lost its voice regarding this promise. If they have only forgotten - fair enough, that's easier to understand than outright denial.
•Three million jobs per year: Maybe the Buhari government is yet to realize that we are already heading towards his first year in office. We would like to see the modalities for just 100,000 jobs first, then we will believe the 3 million jobs fairy tale. So far nothing on job creation has been seen in ANY regard(job creation) - unless of course being a presidential volunteer is considered a job.
•Promise to embark on vocational training, entrepreneurial and skills acquisition scheme for graduates along with the creation of Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme to create at least 5 million jobs by 2019: This will be a life saver right now. With the various job cuts in the country, with access to these kind of funds and training, many people will be willing to venture into the world of running their own business; so far this is all just a dream - no signs yet of it becoming a reality.
•Making our economy one of the fastest-growing emerging economies in the world with a real GDP growth averaging 10% annually: With JP Morgan's threat to remove Nigeria from its key bond index, it is safe to say that the government has failed woefully in stabilising the economy, let alone growing it at any rate. Nigeria has been placed on a negative index watch; I believe it would have been a lot easier for the JP Morgan team to keep quiet while watching events unfold over the next six months of grace they have given before delisting us from its Government Bond Index, if they had noticed any sign of "understanding of the times" by the Buhari team. Having noticed the
Laissez faire attitude towards the economy, it became necessary to raise the alarm and alert Nigerians/foreigners on the nations economic state. With these revelations the aso rock and volunteers crew can deny all they want, we now know all is not well.
If the president does not want to constitute a cabinet- it is all good, he should only inform us in time via the local media not Ghanian or United States media. If he can run the country alone - no problem - all we care about is that the economy works fine; else in the fullness of time, even lying liars will also become wailing wailers.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
2015 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY: YOUTH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. - Enenim Ubon
Wikipedia defines civic engagement thus “the encouragement of the general public to become involved in the political process and the issues that affect them”.
In the recent past there has been an agitation by youths to be part of the process of leadership in Nigeria, this is quite commendable. During the last elections we noticed movements like #30%OrNothing amongst others as a way of having a voice within their various political parties; an indication that this generation of youths have realised that leadership is not given to people while they 'rock away' in beer parlours or snoring in the confines of their bedrooms.
While one may be tempted to celebrate the level of awareness of the youthful population on issues around them, it is appalling to note that in the quest to be noticed(for whatever menial responsibilities) many youths especially on social media have thrown caution to the wind. In the name of engagement, people have said things I am certain their families would be ashamed of(if they ever heard/read them).
Recently a group of mostly 'careless talkers' was assembled in the name of volunteers for the president's media team(i still do not understand their functions, but then people need to be made to feel important while being continuously used to perform task the kids of their bosses will never perform). With this sort of 'reward' for a display of unparalled naviety, ignorance and illmanners, many more people are bound to further mistake irresponsibility as civic engagement.
The participation of the Nigerian youth is a sine qua non to the attainment of sustainable human development. While the opportunities for these engagements in all spheres may be few, the fact remains that many youths lack the ability to engage one another without resorting to the use of abusive words.
The 2015 international youth day aims to draw awareness to the importance of youth civic engagements and it's attendant benefits, and also to encourage youths to contribute to societal development in whatever little corner they find themselves; but first for all these efforts to be successful youths must be encouraged to engage responsibly. Will your children be proud of what you have said to be 'recognized' if they ever come across your speeches? The voices of the youths must be heard as leaders of today, tomorrow and the future - saying the 'right' things not just empty rantings that further destroy instead of rebuilding.
The major youths organisations in the country have to wake up to the challenge of mobilising their peers towards responsible civic engagement rather than running around political office holders for crumbs, even if it means betraying their followers/members. As a new political era has begun, youthful participation is necessary and should be encouraged. People must learn to restrain themselves at least for the sake of posterity; not everything on onesmind ought to be made public. The gains of talking carelessly may appear enormous now but in the long run, no body wants to be associated with someone who cannot bridle his/her tongue, no matter how intelligent.
HAVE A LOVELY INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY CELEBRATION.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
Sunday, 14 June 2015
WHERE IS OUR PRESIDENT? - Enenim Ubon
Today is the eighteenth day since the inauguration of President
Muhammadu Buhari. After all the fanfare, merrymaking, presidential
dinners and congratulatory messages, it appears our president is yet to
resume duty. For two weeks and four days Nigerians are yet to understand
where the new administration is heading. As a matter of fact, not a few
Nigerians are of the opinion that we do not have any leadership in
place yet.
For well over two weeks all we have heard are tales of our president visiting various countries for reasons not yet clear, other than the wish list he was asked to submit by and to his 'seniors'; all we have seen are pictures of him enjoying the comfort of the presidential jets, pictures with other heads of states and governments. Even the vice president has been so bored that he had time to call a meeting(meant to settle the national assembly power tussle) of various APC factions. The duo have become like the notorious Marie Antionette, who offered her people cake when they needed bread. So lost is the present administration that it presents Nigerians with pictures and continuous talk, when ALL the people demand is action.
For a man who had spent twelve years seeking to be Nigeria's president, it is indeed shocking that he appears totally bereft of the moves to make since assuming office. It would not be wrong if anyone should assume then, that perhaps he had succeeded in his first presidential quest, the 'snail speed' movement we are experiencing now, would be worse. With all the noise about "hitting the ground running from day one", all we have seen is a president who has hit the ground crawling instead - in the process earning himself the nickname 'crawling president'. After two weeks of not making any significant appointment/s, yet traveling around the world with people without portfolios - spending tax payers money on private citizens for reasons only he(the president) can explain. His senior special assistant on media and publicity(Garba Shehu) has found a way of shifting blame; "the president did say he would hit the ground running, but he has NOT BEEN GIVEN THE CHANCE to hit the ground running". As childish and unbelievable as the above comment is, the 'good' thing about it, is that even the president's man acknowledges that his boss is snoring on duty and urgently needs to wake up to the reality that Nigerians don't have time to waste looking to an absentee leader. Perhaps one is to take Mr Shehu serious, who are the people he refers to? How powerful are they that they can prevent the president from keeping to his words? How many are they to effectively hinder a man voted in by over 15 million people? Does the president have an antidote to these hindrances or is this the same story we will hear for four years? Is this part of the gimmick to hide incompetence? After-all a governor(whose state the president's party called a model state) accused the immediate past administration of withholding funds meant for his workers salary, with the truth now bare before our eyes, it is obvious his excellency lied. Time will tell if Mr Shehu's explanation is "bobo gist", as I believe it is. Besides the president also told us he belongs to nobody, was he also lying? I am sure majority of Nigerians want to know what these encumbrances are.
Whatever the explanations the president and his team have for us, is meaningless; not when he told us he was prepared for the job. It is unthinkable that almost three weeks after, PMS is still being sold for N120, Nigerians are still dying daily (in hundreds) from the hands of 'fulani herdsmen', that modalities have not been put in place to begin the free school meals program, nor have we heard of any policy meant to ensure N1 = $1, neither have names of jobless graduates been compiled for the monthly stipend promised. Many have argued that it is still early days, but then if the president is finding it so difficult to handle elementary issues, it means issues like fighting corruption(as we already have noticed), reviving/building new refineries etc had better be totally forgotten.
It is time the president sits up to deliver on the many promises he WILLINGLY made to Nigerians. Mr President, the holiday should be offer by now, either you resume fully or inform us in time to give up on your administration.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
For well over two weeks all we have heard are tales of our president visiting various countries for reasons not yet clear, other than the wish list he was asked to submit by and to his 'seniors'; all we have seen are pictures of him enjoying the comfort of the presidential jets, pictures with other heads of states and governments. Even the vice president has been so bored that he had time to call a meeting(meant to settle the national assembly power tussle) of various APC factions. The duo have become like the notorious Marie Antionette, who offered her people cake when they needed bread. So lost is the present administration that it presents Nigerians with pictures and continuous talk, when ALL the people demand is action.
For a man who had spent twelve years seeking to be Nigeria's president, it is indeed shocking that he appears totally bereft of the moves to make since assuming office. It would not be wrong if anyone should assume then, that perhaps he had succeeded in his first presidential quest, the 'snail speed' movement we are experiencing now, would be worse. With all the noise about "hitting the ground running from day one", all we have seen is a president who has hit the ground crawling instead - in the process earning himself the nickname 'crawling president'. After two weeks of not making any significant appointment/s, yet traveling around the world with people without portfolios - spending tax payers money on private citizens for reasons only he(the president) can explain. His senior special assistant on media and publicity(Garba Shehu) has found a way of shifting blame; "the president did say he would hit the ground running, but he has NOT BEEN GIVEN THE CHANCE to hit the ground running". As childish and unbelievable as the above comment is, the 'good' thing about it, is that even the president's man acknowledges that his boss is snoring on duty and urgently needs to wake up to the reality that Nigerians don't have time to waste looking to an absentee leader. Perhaps one is to take Mr Shehu serious, who are the people he refers to? How powerful are they that they can prevent the president from keeping to his words? How many are they to effectively hinder a man voted in by over 15 million people? Does the president have an antidote to these hindrances or is this the same story we will hear for four years? Is this part of the gimmick to hide incompetence? After-all a governor(whose state the president's party called a model state) accused the immediate past administration of withholding funds meant for his workers salary, with the truth now bare before our eyes, it is obvious his excellency lied. Time will tell if Mr Shehu's explanation is "bobo gist", as I believe it is. Besides the president also told us he belongs to nobody, was he also lying? I am sure majority of Nigerians want to know what these encumbrances are.
Whatever the explanations the president and his team have for us, is meaningless; not when he told us he was prepared for the job. It is unthinkable that almost three weeks after, PMS is still being sold for N120, Nigerians are still dying daily (in hundreds) from the hands of 'fulani herdsmen', that modalities have not been put in place to begin the free school meals program, nor have we heard of any policy meant to ensure N1 = $1, neither have names of jobless graduates been compiled for the monthly stipend promised. Many have argued that it is still early days, but then if the president is finding it so difficult to handle elementary issues, it means issues like fighting corruption(as we already have noticed), reviving/building new refineries etc had better be totally forgotten.
It is time the president sits up to deliver on the many promises he WILLINGLY made to Nigerians. Mr President, the holiday should be offer by now, either you resume fully or inform us in time to give up on your administration.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
Friday, 29 May 2015
FAREWELL DR JONATHAN. - Enenim Ubon
“I am always content with what happens; for I know that what God chooses is better than what I choose”. - Epictetus
The above quotation is a summary of the life of Dr Jonathan. A man who in 16 years of Nigeria's(return to) democracy has risen from deputy governor to president; a position many Nigerians would give ANYTHING to attain. As the saying goes “who God has blessed, no man can curse”, Dr Jonathan is a man ordained from birth for great exploits. From the back waters of a polluted ijaw community, 'Jona' has become a global citizen.
As you leave office today, people will remember you for different things, depending on which side of the divide they belong to. Some for your 'cluelessness', others for your 'inability to be decisive', another group as an 'infidel' who tried to take what belongs to them, another group for your transformation agenda/visible accomplishments in several sectors of the Nigerian state and yet another group for your rare action of conceding defeat even before final election results were announced - something still alien to the african continent.
You once said "Nigerians will appreciate me when I leave office”, you were wrong sir. Even while you were still in power, the discerning minds had already started realizing that some of the actions you took that earned you various names from clueless to weak, were the best actions under the circumstances at the time. Sir you did not have to leave office for those who allowed themselves to be used to #OccupyNigeria to realize that you did the proper thing by trying to totally stop the fraud associated with the subsidy on petroleum products. Today even those who called you insensitive for that heroic action(which also contributed to a large extent in deciding your electoral fate) sing a different tune. I do not know how many have now realized they were being used by the same people you wanted to protect them from.
We are told your successor will allow the rule of law reign supreme - in simple english this means the various arms of government(judiciary inclusive) will be allowed to function independently. The very persons who are trying to sell this message mocked you for not influencing the EFCC to arrest and publicly disgrace those they already condemned in their bedrooms. For allowing the law take its course, you were said to be silent on the anti corruption war. They hailed the actions of the ota General and despised you for allowing the anti graft agencies and judiciary perform their duties independently and yet tell us that the same respect for rule of law you adhered to will also the hallmark of your successor.
Sir, you did not need to leave office for your efforts in the agricultural sector to be applauded. For your successor to openly canvass for your minister of agriculture to be elected AFDB president is a clear acceptance of the fact that under your leadership, the agricultural sector in Nigeria fared well. You did not have to leave office for Nigerians to realize that the story of your administration being the most corrupt in Nigeria's history were all lies. As a matter of fact under you watch Nigeria's corruption rating(as released by Transparency International) dropped to its lowest level ever.
As clueless as they say you are, you are intelligent enough to know that a nation cannot tackle insurgency with obsolete weapons and have significantly equipped our armed forces; something even Generals could not do. It this is an act of cluelessness, many people need to buy dictionaries. It took your coming for people to know that the almajiri's should be treated as humans. You proved to them, that having sympathy for the under privilege is not an act of weakness.
You did not need to leave office for us to know that our power generating capacity has improved significantly. We are very far away from our contemporaries are but we have moved on from where our ex president who also doubled as petroleum minister left us, after spending billions of dollars for 8 years on so called power reforms. For reviving our rail system, you were mocked for not giving us all high speed trains - forgetting that if administrations as recent as the one from 1999 - 2007 had revived the railway, maybe by now we would be traveling to other african countries by rail. Your abuja lite rail project was ridiculed at conception; with what has become of the multi billion naira Rivers state monorail, it is now obvious why they thought you would fail.
While you still were in office it became obvious that for two straight years Nigeria maintained a single digit inflation rate, with an economy growing at a faster pace than envisaged; all these right before the eyes of them that accused you of destroying our economy resulting in the inability of governors to pay salaries. Under your leadership the sovereign wealth fund(SWF) was established to ensure some money is saved for times like this but our self-centered governors did not allow you be. You went further to reduce expenditure by initiating the Integrated Personnel and Payroll system which helped eliminate ghost workers thus saving 118 billion naira for the country.
As you step aside a lot more of your actions will be clearer and the reasons they were opposed even more clearer. As every human being you had your flaws(in governance), some of which I criticized but then who can lead a 170 million people and meet all their individual expectation, acting in a way that will please everyone - even Moses with all the anointing could not. What matters most is that you have contributed your significant quota to a nation you have proven(in action) that you love.
“Who saves his country, saves himself, saves all things and all things saved do bless him. Who let's his country die, let's all things die, dies himself ignorably and all things dying curse him.” - Benjamin H. Hill
You have served and saved your nation. As you hand over today, I wish you the very best and also hope I will have as much 'good luck' as you do.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
The above quotation is a summary of the life of Dr Jonathan. A man who in 16 years of Nigeria's(return to) democracy has risen from deputy governor to president; a position many Nigerians would give ANYTHING to attain. As the saying goes “who God has blessed, no man can curse”, Dr Jonathan is a man ordained from birth for great exploits. From the back waters of a polluted ijaw community, 'Jona' has become a global citizen.
As you leave office today, people will remember you for different things, depending on which side of the divide they belong to. Some for your 'cluelessness', others for your 'inability to be decisive', another group as an 'infidel' who tried to take what belongs to them, another group for your transformation agenda/visible accomplishments in several sectors of the Nigerian state and yet another group for your rare action of conceding defeat even before final election results were announced - something still alien to the african continent.
You once said "Nigerians will appreciate me when I leave office”, you were wrong sir. Even while you were still in power, the discerning minds had already started realizing that some of the actions you took that earned you various names from clueless to weak, were the best actions under the circumstances at the time. Sir you did not have to leave office for those who allowed themselves to be used to #OccupyNigeria to realize that you did the proper thing by trying to totally stop the fraud associated with the subsidy on petroleum products. Today even those who called you insensitive for that heroic action(which also contributed to a large extent in deciding your electoral fate) sing a different tune. I do not know how many have now realized they were being used by the same people you wanted to protect them from.
We are told your successor will allow the rule of law reign supreme - in simple english this means the various arms of government(judiciary inclusive) will be allowed to function independently. The very persons who are trying to sell this message mocked you for not influencing the EFCC to arrest and publicly disgrace those they already condemned in their bedrooms. For allowing the law take its course, you were said to be silent on the anti corruption war. They hailed the actions of the ota General and despised you for allowing the anti graft agencies and judiciary perform their duties independently and yet tell us that the same respect for rule of law you adhered to will also the hallmark of your successor.
Sir, you did not need to leave office for your efforts in the agricultural sector to be applauded. For your successor to openly canvass for your minister of agriculture to be elected AFDB president is a clear acceptance of the fact that under your leadership, the agricultural sector in Nigeria fared well. You did not have to leave office for Nigerians to realize that the story of your administration being the most corrupt in Nigeria's history were all lies. As a matter of fact under you watch Nigeria's corruption rating(as released by Transparency International) dropped to its lowest level ever.
As clueless as they say you are, you are intelligent enough to know that a nation cannot tackle insurgency with obsolete weapons and have significantly equipped our armed forces; something even Generals could not do. It this is an act of cluelessness, many people need to buy dictionaries. It took your coming for people to know that the almajiri's should be treated as humans. You proved to them, that having sympathy for the under privilege is not an act of weakness.
You did not need to leave office for us to know that our power generating capacity has improved significantly. We are very far away from our contemporaries are but we have moved on from where our ex president who also doubled as petroleum minister left us, after spending billions of dollars for 8 years on so called power reforms. For reviving our rail system, you were mocked for not giving us all high speed trains - forgetting that if administrations as recent as the one from 1999 - 2007 had revived the railway, maybe by now we would be traveling to other african countries by rail. Your abuja lite rail project was ridiculed at conception; with what has become of the multi billion naira Rivers state monorail, it is now obvious why they thought you would fail.
While you still were in office it became obvious that for two straight years Nigeria maintained a single digit inflation rate, with an economy growing at a faster pace than envisaged; all these right before the eyes of them that accused you of destroying our economy resulting in the inability of governors to pay salaries. Under your leadership the sovereign wealth fund(SWF) was established to ensure some money is saved for times like this but our self-centered governors did not allow you be. You went further to reduce expenditure by initiating the Integrated Personnel and Payroll system which helped eliminate ghost workers thus saving 118 billion naira for the country.
As you step aside a lot more of your actions will be clearer and the reasons they were opposed even more clearer. As every human being you had your flaws(in governance), some of which I criticized but then who can lead a 170 million people and meet all their individual expectation, acting in a way that will please everyone - even Moses with all the anointing could not. What matters most is that you have contributed your significant quota to a nation you have proven(in action) that you love.
“Who saves his country, saves himself, saves all things and all things saved do bless him. Who let's his country die, let's all things die, dies himself ignorably and all things dying curse him.” - Benjamin H. Hill
You have served and saved your nation. As you hand over today, I wish you the very best and also hope I will have as much 'good luck' as you do.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
Monday, 18 May 2015
WHAT DOES CHANGE (IN NIGERIA) MEAN? - Enenim Ubon
“Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor”. - Robert Frost
With the conclusion of the 2015 general elections over a month ago, the party with the change slogan will now occupy the central position - becoming the country's new ruling party. With its slogan being change and the many(in some instances unrealistic) promises made during the electioneering period, not few Nigerian are expectant of change in every ramification.
The expected change goes beyond mere words or change of party with executive powers. The change expected is an all encompassing one which should ordinarily be a departure from the old order. The old order in this instance being corruption,impunity,lack of respect for the rule of law,discarding of due process,abuse of both executive and legislative powers and every other thing that hinders the development of democracy in any country. Change is what Nigerians voted for, 'real' change is what they ought to get, not excuses nor more promises.
In a continent where ousting an incumbent president seems like a task that can never be accomplished, a people who found the 'courage' for such an action deserve to get the best from the new set of people they have entrusted their destinies to. Unlike some other countries on the continent, the change in Nigeria happened without a revolution nor protest but a 'smooth' process where an incumbent(to prevent the kind of occurrences witnessed in Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya a some years ago, when it appeared like incumbent presidents lost elections) conceded victory to the winner even before the counting of votes were concluded. Quite commendable!
Now that the change is here, the question many Nigerians are asking is, will this new change bring with it better governance, seeing that a precedence has been set? The answer to this question and many more will be passed across within the next four years. As a matter of fact, I believe the incoming administration has started realizing the enormity of the expectations from those who voted it into power and with the dwindling oil revenue, only time will tell how far this change will go in transforming the lives of poor Nigerians and the country as a whole.
Personally, I do not expect so much from the incoming government. I am of the opinion that the change in Nigeria is nothing but a mere slogan, that has accomplished its aim and is gradually fading. With happenings each new day, this believe is strengthened further that nothing spectacular should be expected from these change agents. My pessimism stems partly from the fact that in a democracy neither a president nor governor has exclusive powers to take decisions and actions that can effect any desired change. Democracy gives room for bargaining,horse trading etc. This is were the challenge lies, no matter how good the leader(going by the doctored stories being told without recourse to history) is, the people around him will either contribute to his successes or further cement his failures.
Looking at the architects of Nigeria's change, it is obvious that these are the same people who have contributed in several ways to the present woes of the nation. From former governors to senators, house of representative members, former ministers, house of assembly members, party officials, followers and even ex presidents etc. It is even on record that most of the incoming governors on the platform of the former opposition party were members of the new opposition party and that their various decisions to quit the party were based on their annoyance for being sidelined and has absolutely nothing to do with good governance nor service to the people. Same goes for some other persons elected into various offices on the platform of the new ruling party. This being the case, it would be an exercise in futility to set the standard too high for these ones, who know no other way of doing things better. These set of persons are the problems of Nigeria and for as long as we keep recycling them, change will always remain a slogan and will bring no positive impact on the lives of Nigerians. Change will continue to mean nothing until these generation of leaders who have continually failed their people are faced out for good.
The incoming government is yet to be inaugurated but has already started making excuses as to why they may not be able to perform the 'magic' it initially promised. This to me is already a sign that Nigerians need to lower their expectations in other to avoid unnecessary disappointments. With the D day drawing closer, the incoming administration has suddenly realized that falling oil prices will affect its performance in office; the irony of the entire scenario is that oil prices were at an all time low during the campaigns yet they still went ahead to make sweet promises without also making proper contingency plans. It is also on record that the president elect promised to stabilize oil prices once elected. With the reality dawning on him that he posse no such ability, the stories have started changing. Is this change dependable? Time will tell.
The earlier the incoming government realizes that is has so much to do and to prove within a very short period of time, the better for it and its arrow heads. Nigerians are watching keenly and there will be absolutely no room for excuses. Things are not the same around here anymore!
As May 29th approaches and for the next four years, the world waits to see what manner of change will take place in Nigeria. It will also be confirmed if those who chanted the change slogan meant it for good or if they did so because they believe they will find favor before the incoming government to keep lining their pockets with what is meant for the development of the nation.
I hope the change in Nigeria is not going to be the kind Groucho Marx referred to when he said “it isn't so much that hard times are coming; the change observed is mostly soft times going”. The change in Nigeria means a lot(I suppose) to those who believe in it and I hope they will not be disappointed. Realistically, only time will tell what this change really means to Nigeria.
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
With the conclusion of the 2015 general elections over a month ago, the party with the change slogan will now occupy the central position - becoming the country's new ruling party. With its slogan being change and the many(in some instances unrealistic) promises made during the electioneering period, not few Nigerian are expectant of change in every ramification.
The expected change goes beyond mere words or change of party with executive powers. The change expected is an all encompassing one which should ordinarily be a departure from the old order. The old order in this instance being corruption,impunity,lack of respect for the rule of law,discarding of due process,abuse of both executive and legislative powers and every other thing that hinders the development of democracy in any country. Change is what Nigerians voted for, 'real' change is what they ought to get, not excuses nor more promises.
In a continent where ousting an incumbent president seems like a task that can never be accomplished, a people who found the 'courage' for such an action deserve to get the best from the new set of people they have entrusted their destinies to. Unlike some other countries on the continent, the change in Nigeria happened without a revolution nor protest but a 'smooth' process where an incumbent(to prevent the kind of occurrences witnessed in Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya a some years ago, when it appeared like incumbent presidents lost elections) conceded victory to the winner even before the counting of votes were concluded. Quite commendable!
Now that the change is here, the question many Nigerians are asking is, will this new change bring with it better governance, seeing that a precedence has been set? The answer to this question and many more will be passed across within the next four years. As a matter of fact, I believe the incoming administration has started realizing the enormity of the expectations from those who voted it into power and with the dwindling oil revenue, only time will tell how far this change will go in transforming the lives of poor Nigerians and the country as a whole.
Personally, I do not expect so much from the incoming government. I am of the opinion that the change in Nigeria is nothing but a mere slogan, that has accomplished its aim and is gradually fading. With happenings each new day, this believe is strengthened further that nothing spectacular should be expected from these change agents. My pessimism stems partly from the fact that in a democracy neither a president nor governor has exclusive powers to take decisions and actions that can effect any desired change. Democracy gives room for bargaining,horse trading etc. This is were the challenge lies, no matter how good the leader(going by the doctored stories being told without recourse to history) is, the people around him will either contribute to his successes or further cement his failures.
Looking at the architects of Nigeria's change, it is obvious that these are the same people who have contributed in several ways to the present woes of the nation. From former governors to senators, house of representative members, former ministers, house of assembly members, party officials, followers and even ex presidents etc. It is even on record that most of the incoming governors on the platform of the former opposition party were members of the new opposition party and that their various decisions to quit the party were based on their annoyance for being sidelined and has absolutely nothing to do with good governance nor service to the people. Same goes for some other persons elected into various offices on the platform of the new ruling party. This being the case, it would be an exercise in futility to set the standard too high for these ones, who know no other way of doing things better. These set of persons are the problems of Nigeria and for as long as we keep recycling them, change will always remain a slogan and will bring no positive impact on the lives of Nigerians. Change will continue to mean nothing until these generation of leaders who have continually failed their people are faced out for good.
The incoming government is yet to be inaugurated but has already started making excuses as to why they may not be able to perform the 'magic' it initially promised. This to me is already a sign that Nigerians need to lower their expectations in other to avoid unnecessary disappointments. With the D day drawing closer, the incoming administration has suddenly realized that falling oil prices will affect its performance in office; the irony of the entire scenario is that oil prices were at an all time low during the campaigns yet they still went ahead to make sweet promises without also making proper contingency plans. It is also on record that the president elect promised to stabilize oil prices once elected. With the reality dawning on him that he posse no such ability, the stories have started changing. Is this change dependable? Time will tell.
The earlier the incoming government realizes that is has so much to do and to prove within a very short period of time, the better for it and its arrow heads. Nigerians are watching keenly and there will be absolutely no room for excuses. Things are not the same around here anymore!
As May 29th approaches and for the next four years, the world waits to see what manner of change will take place in Nigeria. It will also be confirmed if those who chanted the change slogan meant it for good or if they did so because they believe they will find favor before the incoming government to keep lining their pockets with what is meant for the development of the nation.
I hope the change in Nigeria is not going to be the kind Groucho Marx referred to when he said “it isn't so much that hard times are coming; the change observed is mostly soft times going”. The change in Nigeria means a lot(I suppose) to those who believe in it and I hope they will not be disappointed. Realistically, only time will tell what this change really means to Nigeria.
Enenim Ubon is on twitter @EnenimUbon
The Taste Of Vengeance. - Razon-Anny Justin
No sooner had Ekene alighted from the sweltering heat of the Marcopolo
bus he had boarded from Onitsha to Maiduguri sixteen hours ago than meet
a crowd dorning ankle-length sutans, jalabias, khaftans and
jumpers. They trooped towards them shouting and whistling in Hausa.
While most had wares to sell, others were taxi-drivers and
motor-cyclists hustling for passengers.
Few of them tried to engage him, but he ignored them and walked away.
Then came the flies: in thick buzzing swarms, settling on his jet-black hair, back and even face. Ekene wore a beautiful perfume, so it seemed like some of the flies on scenting him went to invite others. Such a horde trailed him, but he walked along unperturbed.
In Maiduguri, like other parts of North-eastern Nigeria, flies abounded and the inhabitants became used to it.
“Any attempt to swat the flies or drive them away will sell you out as a totally new visitor to the city”, the Igbo bus-driver had warned as they approached the bus terminal. Ekene had a deathly mission and didn’t want to be sold out before he executed his plans, so he walked on, silently listening to the song of the horde flying behind him.
At some point, he could swear he heard what their buzz was- a terrible gossip like those emanating from market women. Those flies were chattering away, behind him as if he didn’t exist.
One was singing about how he would be perched on his corpse by late evening. Another said he was very concerned about the his deep southern blood. He wanted to get there immediately after he was butchered, before his thick red flowed into the gutters and congealed away.
“His blood will smell of the Atlantic and fishy too”, another quipped. The others hummed their chorus of agreement. Fish was in Ekene’s blood.
“Let’s watch what our Boko boy’s will do to him, for soon he will be lying at the open street; very dead”, buzzed another.
One bold fly even took his feathery wings to his ear and screamed: “You are already dead, Sir!”, then flew away.
Ekene smiled. Patience! Patience is the ultimate virtue, he heard himself mutter. Though his blood was as hot as a gorilla’s and his anger was burning in his veins, he let it fly away. The fly was entitled to its view, he thought.
He walked on, he could see a Fulani boy of about fifteen stalking him. In his mind’s eye, he could see the boy’s feet soaked in blood, treading lightly behind him. The blood was that of the thousands of easterners martyred by Boko Haram.
“I have to purge these streets”, he reasoned.
“By evening, bodies will be lying -very dead- on these open streets of Maiduguri, those flies will hover and feast on them; but with certainty, such bodies will not be mine”.
“I didn’t travel hundreds of miles across the Niger and Benue, over thick forests and across rivers to the savanna of northern Nigeria to die on the open streets”, he soliloquized.
“That must have been Ikenna- my late elder brother’s fate, when he was brutally butchered by Boko Haram blades two weeks ago”, he muttered on.
Ikenna lay dead for days on the open streets. The flies perched, buzzed and gossiped. But nobody took the ill-news across the Niger and Benue to his people at home. The news eventually came last week and Ekene was sent to retrieve the cadaver from the morgue it was dumped in and transport it home. But Ekene had another mission- a secret one: to avenge his brother’s death, before he brought him home.
Seven carcasses will lie on these streets this night, their bloods will gush and flow, their heads will be cut-off, the buzzing flies will hover and feast over them; and afterwards, by morning tomorrow, he shall collect his brothers’ from the morgue and proceed home.
“Ikenna was destined to die in their hands; I was destined to avenge his death and I will not sleep, not until I accomplish my destiny”, Ekene boasted to himself.
They Northerners will taste Vengeance!
Epilogue:
The sun came out early as usual. By six-fifteen in the morning, it’s rays were already beaming strong. Yet, it failed to wake up the usual bustle around the central part of The city. There was a fight at night near the Zological Gardens along Shehu Laminu Way. It is rumoured that an Igbo-man, a christian started the fight and butchered a Hausa man. He killed two more, both Hausa- Moslems, before he too was killed. The locals had fled the area over the night.
©Poet Razon-Anny Justin
Few of them tried to engage him, but he ignored them and walked away.
Then came the flies: in thick buzzing swarms, settling on his jet-black hair, back and even face. Ekene wore a beautiful perfume, so it seemed like some of the flies on scenting him went to invite others. Such a horde trailed him, but he walked along unperturbed.
In Maiduguri, like other parts of North-eastern Nigeria, flies abounded and the inhabitants became used to it.
“Any attempt to swat the flies or drive them away will sell you out as a totally new visitor to the city”, the Igbo bus-driver had warned as they approached the bus terminal. Ekene had a deathly mission and didn’t want to be sold out before he executed his plans, so he walked on, silently listening to the song of the horde flying behind him.
At some point, he could swear he heard what their buzz was- a terrible gossip like those emanating from market women. Those flies were chattering away, behind him as if he didn’t exist.
One was singing about how he would be perched on his corpse by late evening. Another said he was very concerned about the his deep southern blood. He wanted to get there immediately after he was butchered, before his thick red flowed into the gutters and congealed away.
“His blood will smell of the Atlantic and fishy too”, another quipped. The others hummed their chorus of agreement. Fish was in Ekene’s blood.
“Let’s watch what our Boko boy’s will do to him, for soon he will be lying at the open street; very dead”, buzzed another.
One bold fly even took his feathery wings to his ear and screamed: “You are already dead, Sir!”, then flew away.
Ekene smiled. Patience! Patience is the ultimate virtue, he heard himself mutter. Though his blood was as hot as a gorilla’s and his anger was burning in his veins, he let it fly away. The fly was entitled to its view, he thought.
He walked on, he could see a Fulani boy of about fifteen stalking him. In his mind’s eye, he could see the boy’s feet soaked in blood, treading lightly behind him. The blood was that of the thousands of easterners martyred by Boko Haram.
“I have to purge these streets”, he reasoned.
“By evening, bodies will be lying -very dead- on these open streets of Maiduguri, those flies will hover and feast on them; but with certainty, such bodies will not be mine”.
“I didn’t travel hundreds of miles across the Niger and Benue, over thick forests and across rivers to the savanna of northern Nigeria to die on the open streets”, he soliloquized.
“That must have been Ikenna- my late elder brother’s fate, when he was brutally butchered by Boko Haram blades two weeks ago”, he muttered on.
Ikenna lay dead for days on the open streets. The flies perched, buzzed and gossiped. But nobody took the ill-news across the Niger and Benue to his people at home. The news eventually came last week and Ekene was sent to retrieve the cadaver from the morgue it was dumped in and transport it home. But Ekene had another mission- a secret one: to avenge his brother’s death, before he brought him home.
Seven carcasses will lie on these streets this night, their bloods will gush and flow, their heads will be cut-off, the buzzing flies will hover and feast over them; and afterwards, by morning tomorrow, he shall collect his brothers’ from the morgue and proceed home.
“Ikenna was destined to die in their hands; I was destined to avenge his death and I will not sleep, not until I accomplish my destiny”, Ekene boasted to himself.
They Northerners will taste Vengeance!
Epilogue:
The sun came out early as usual. By six-fifteen in the morning, it’s rays were already beaming strong. Yet, it failed to wake up the usual bustle around the central part of The city. There was a fight at night near the Zological Gardens along Shehu Laminu Way. It is rumoured that an Igbo-man, a christian started the fight and butchered a Hausa man. He killed two more, both Hausa- Moslems, before he too was killed. The locals had fled the area over the night.
©Poet Razon-Anny Justin
FEAR FROM WITHIN. - Eddy Eyo
An individuals GREATEST fear in life is not that we are less brilliant or nonentities but FEAR OF SELF.
If you could oblige yourself a little sincerity, you would agree with me that at some point in life you pondered on the following thoughts in your mind :
Who am I to be this Brilliant,
Gorgeously made,
So Beautifully designed,
So Handsome that men wished they could be me,
So Blessed and Favoured among men,
So Talented that Kings and Queens come soliciting for my assistance.
The truth is, we are often afraid of only one person in the entire universe apart from our creator; that one person is OURSELVES.
THE MOMENT YOU STOP BEING AFRAID OF WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF AND START DOING, THAT IS THE MOMENT A LEADER IS BIRTHED.
Do not consider yourself to be less of a human just because of other peoples accomplishments, you are ORIGINAL AND NOT A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL. So start acting like one and become all that you can be.
Of course this can't be a reality if you do not STRETCH OUT YOURSELF BEYOND WHAT YOU THINK IS YOUR LIMIT. There is always more to be stretched.
YOU CAN, ONLY IF YOU WILL.
Friends how far you go in life is totally dependent on the scale to which you measure yourself, by this I mean: What you have done compared to WHAT YOU COULD AND SHOULD HAVE DONE. It affirms the above said fact that YOUR TRUE SELF CAN ONLY BE MEASURED BY WHAT YOU HAVE DONE COMPARED TO WHAT YOU COULD AND SHOULD HAVE DONE RATHER THAN COMPARING YOURSELF WITH OTHER PEOPLES ACHIEVEMENTS AND GETTING DEPRESSED ABOUT THEM.
Getting mastery of WHOM YOU TRULY ARE is the takeoff point of your flight (as regarding the fulfillment of your set purpose in life).
Accepting this fact, is good enough to propel you into YOUR SELF DISCOVERY.
Have this is mind, you can never imagine how far you can go in life until you're willing to start where you are, with what you have, no matter how messed up your situation might seem at the moment.
Just know that since it did not destroyed you then it was meant to mend you and shape you for your next level.
Accept yourself the way you are and get pass your past because you cannot change it but you have all it takes to make the future what it should be.
Decide to overcome this SELF INHERENT FEAR OF FAILING. REMEMBER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FAILURE COIN IS OPPORTUNITY FOR INCUBATING SUCCESS. Meanwhile failure is simply LEARNING HOW TO DO IT AGAIN MORE INTELLIGENTLY.
You are Unique, you are one of a kind likewise what is deposited inside of you.
The world is waiting to receive an off load of those deposits, you not an accident on this planet instead you were Beautifully and Wonderfully made by God to fulfill an assignment.
Get started and get busy with your TRUE SELF and the moon will have no option but to become your footstool.
See you there!
If you could oblige yourself a little sincerity, you would agree with me that at some point in life you pondered on the following thoughts in your mind :
Who am I to be this Brilliant,
Gorgeously made,
So Beautifully designed,
So Handsome that men wished they could be me,
So Blessed and Favoured among men,
So Talented that Kings and Queens come soliciting for my assistance.
The truth is, we are often afraid of only one person in the entire universe apart from our creator; that one person is OURSELVES.
THE MOMENT YOU STOP BEING AFRAID OF WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF AND START DOING, THAT IS THE MOMENT A LEADER IS BIRTHED.
Do not consider yourself to be less of a human just because of other peoples accomplishments, you are ORIGINAL AND NOT A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL. So start acting like one and become all that you can be.
Of course this can't be a reality if you do not STRETCH OUT YOURSELF BEYOND WHAT YOU THINK IS YOUR LIMIT. There is always more to be stretched.
YOU CAN, ONLY IF YOU WILL.
Friends how far you go in life is totally dependent on the scale to which you measure yourself, by this I mean: What you have done compared to WHAT YOU COULD AND SHOULD HAVE DONE. It affirms the above said fact that YOUR TRUE SELF CAN ONLY BE MEASURED BY WHAT YOU HAVE DONE COMPARED TO WHAT YOU COULD AND SHOULD HAVE DONE RATHER THAN COMPARING YOURSELF WITH OTHER PEOPLES ACHIEVEMENTS AND GETTING DEPRESSED ABOUT THEM.
Getting mastery of WHOM YOU TRULY ARE is the takeoff point of your flight (as regarding the fulfillment of your set purpose in life).
Accepting this fact, is good enough to propel you into YOUR SELF DISCOVERY.
Have this is mind, you can never imagine how far you can go in life until you're willing to start where you are, with what you have, no matter how messed up your situation might seem at the moment.
Just know that since it did not destroyed you then it was meant to mend you and shape you for your next level.
Accept yourself the way you are and get pass your past because you cannot change it but you have all it takes to make the future what it should be.
Decide to overcome this SELF INHERENT FEAR OF FAILING. REMEMBER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FAILURE COIN IS OPPORTUNITY FOR INCUBATING SUCCESS. Meanwhile failure is simply LEARNING HOW TO DO IT AGAIN MORE INTELLIGENTLY.
You are Unique, you are one of a kind likewise what is deposited inside of you.
The world is waiting to receive an off load of those deposits, you not an accident on this planet instead you were Beautifully and Wonderfully made by God to fulfill an assignment.
Get started and get busy with your TRUE SELF and the moon will have no option but to become your footstool.
See you there!
Thursday, 7 May 2015
LOVE IS NOT ALL THAT MATTERS. - Enenim Ubon
“We all have one heart, and one heart needs another. LOVE IS ALL THAT
MATTERS, it matters after all...”. - Diana Ross(lyrics from the song Love
is All that Matters).
I have heard it being said severally that “when two people love each other, they can survive whatever life throws at them(and their relationship)”. Examples have been given of relationships that survived till the death of the couple because they truly loved each other. As tempting as it is to believe this notion, I have come to the conclusion that no relationship can survive on love alone.
Every love no matter how strong(without the necessary ingredients) has an expiry date. The most important ingredient for an healthy relationship is UNDERSTANDING. When a couple understand each other, they can overcome whatever challenges they face. Understanding beget trust. Understanding beget faithfulness. Understanding beget mutual respect etc.
When a couple understand each other unnecessary quarrels will be reduced to minimum; because the couple know what to say to each other, when to say same as well as what each person likes or dislikes. Love alone cannot perform this function.
Where there is understanding, forgiveness will thrive. It is way easier to forgive the actions of people towards us when we understand their motives than it is to forgive the actions of people whose motives we do not have a grasp of, no matter how much they profess to love us. Couples have divorced, engagements have been broken, lovers have gone their separate ways despite the feeling of love they still have for one another.
Love is great BUT it is just not enough. The willingness to understand the people we love remains critical to the sustenance of our relationships with them. Understanding people is never an easy task but that is the price one must pay to sustain any union. “Love without understanding is like flowers without water”.
Our egos are put in check when we understand the evolving needs of one another. Love can bring two people together, an understanding of their different peculiarities will keep them from drifting apart. When understanding each other ceases to be a priority, the relationship has run its course. Understanding one another takes away our inner desire to always prove we are right regardless of how much we have hurt the other person.
For any relationship to be healthy and last 'forever', understanding(one another) ought to be given much more priority than love or at least equal priority.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon.
I have heard it being said severally that “when two people love each other, they can survive whatever life throws at them(and their relationship)”. Examples have been given of relationships that survived till the death of the couple because they truly loved each other. As tempting as it is to believe this notion, I have come to the conclusion that no relationship can survive on love alone.
Every love no matter how strong(without the necessary ingredients) has an expiry date. The most important ingredient for an healthy relationship is UNDERSTANDING. When a couple understand each other, they can overcome whatever challenges they face. Understanding beget trust. Understanding beget faithfulness. Understanding beget mutual respect etc.
When a couple understand each other unnecessary quarrels will be reduced to minimum; because the couple know what to say to each other, when to say same as well as what each person likes or dislikes. Love alone cannot perform this function.
Where there is understanding, forgiveness will thrive. It is way easier to forgive the actions of people towards us when we understand their motives than it is to forgive the actions of people whose motives we do not have a grasp of, no matter how much they profess to love us. Couples have divorced, engagements have been broken, lovers have gone their separate ways despite the feeling of love they still have for one another.
Love is great BUT it is just not enough. The willingness to understand the people we love remains critical to the sustenance of our relationships with them. Understanding people is never an easy task but that is the price one must pay to sustain any union. “Love without understanding is like flowers without water”.
Our egos are put in check when we understand the evolving needs of one another. Love can bring two people together, an understanding of their different peculiarities will keep them from drifting apart. When understanding each other ceases to be a priority, the relationship has run its course. Understanding one another takes away our inner desire to always prove we are right regardless of how much we have hurt the other person.
For any relationship to be healthy and last 'forever', understanding(one another) ought to be given much more priority than love or at least equal priority.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon.
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
THE WAIT - Razon-Anny Justin
Wait for me
Tarry, Mon Diamanté
For it's a long journey
Across jagged rocks of despair
To the oasis of sweats
I am on the roads
At the junction of hearts
I drive in haste
But love is a snail
Wait while I come to thee.
You must wait- when I delay
You cannot walk alone
Through depths of old fallows
We must hold courage's hand
And hasten through the jungles
If we are together spent
At the pith of our essences
There I shall seek dreams
In the vale between your luscious breasts
While I come to thee.
Wait underneath the shades
My boon stretched shadows
Soak the tears from your other eye
Thy soul hangs over those cliffs
I drive in haste, yet come late
To quench desires of dampness
Of careless moans
And senseless songs
I shall hold thee through the gale
When I come to thee.
Wait a bit more
For love is a snail
I'm clearing the paths
Over shades of still streams
So we match pace
Sync rhythm and calm breathes
Dance to strokes of broken harpsichords
I implore thee to slow speed
For I drive in haste
And you must wait- though I come late.
Wait a season more
For I've driven over sand-shales
Cuddling over purple sheets
And curled under pink blades
I see your pink blade
The scar of careless incisions
As I swim over streams
And dive into warm fountains
We shall find our harmony
When I eventually come to thee.
©Poet Razon-Anny Justin(Thoughts from a warped mind).
Tarry, Mon Diamanté
For it's a long journey
Across jagged rocks of despair
To the oasis of sweats
I am on the roads
At the junction of hearts
I drive in haste
But love is a snail
Wait while I come to thee.
You must wait- when I delay
You cannot walk alone
Through depths of old fallows
We must hold courage's hand
And hasten through the jungles
If we are together spent
At the pith of our essences
There I shall seek dreams
In the vale between your luscious breasts
While I come to thee.
Wait underneath the shades
My boon stretched shadows
Soak the tears from your other eye
Thy soul hangs over those cliffs
I drive in haste, yet come late
To quench desires of dampness
Of careless moans
And senseless songs
I shall hold thee through the gale
When I come to thee.
Wait a bit more
For love is a snail
I'm clearing the paths
Over shades of still streams
So we match pace
Sync rhythm and calm breathes
Dance to strokes of broken harpsichords
I implore thee to slow speed
For I drive in haste
And you must wait- though I come late.
Wait a season more
For I've driven over sand-shales
Cuddling over purple sheets
And curled under pink blades
I see your pink blade
The scar of careless incisions
As I swim over streams
And dive into warm fountains
We shall find our harmony
When I eventually come to thee.
©Poet Razon-Anny Justin(Thoughts from a warped mind).
Monday, 4 May 2015
WISDOM: THE PRINCIPAL THING IN LIFE. - Eddy Eyo
Get this UNDERSTANDING about WISDOM:
It is not the celebration of Information that is WISDOM but THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION RECEIVED AND THE PRACTICALIZATION OF INFORMATION GATHERED.
It is not about KNOWING WHAT TO DO - that is 'INTELLIGENCE' but DOING WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT PER TIME.
Yes it is the mother of extra-ordinary exploits but it is confirmed by WORKS NOT BY WORDS.
It is defined by your ATTITUDE,
The way you THINK,
The way you REASON,
The way you TALK,
The way you WALK,
The way you DRESS,
The way you ACT,
The way you RESPOND,
The way you DECIDE,
The way you PLAN,
The way you STRATEGIZE,
The way you WORK,
The way you RELATE,
The way you ASSOCIATE,
The way you COORDINATE YOURSELF,
The way you BEHAVE,
And the way you LIVE.
All of these represent the extent to which you UNDERSTAND WISDOM.
THE GREATEST OF ALL IS THE WISDOM OF GOD, WHICH IS THE PURSUIT AND DISCOVERY OF GOD'S WAYS AND PRECEPTS THROUGH HIS WORD.
IT IS THE SURRENDER OF ONES WILL AND PLAN TO THE WILL AND PLAN OF GOD.
IT IS ABOUT MAKING EVERY STEP FORWARD WITH ELSHADAI.
IN HIM ALONE CAN WE FIND TRUE WISDOM FOR LIFE.
IN ALL YOUR GETTING, GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF HIM.
©Eddy Eyo
May 2015
It is not the celebration of Information that is WISDOM but THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION RECEIVED AND THE PRACTICALIZATION OF INFORMATION GATHERED.
It is not about KNOWING WHAT TO DO - that is 'INTELLIGENCE' but DOING WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT PER TIME.
Yes it is the mother of extra-ordinary exploits but it is confirmed by WORKS NOT BY WORDS.
It is defined by your ATTITUDE,
The way you THINK,
The way you REASON,
The way you TALK,
The way you WALK,
The way you DRESS,
The way you ACT,
The way you RESPOND,
The way you DECIDE,
The way you PLAN,
The way you STRATEGIZE,
The way you WORK,
The way you RELATE,
The way you ASSOCIATE,
The way you COORDINATE YOURSELF,
The way you BEHAVE,
And the way you LIVE.
All of these represent the extent to which you UNDERSTAND WISDOM.
THE GREATEST OF ALL IS THE WISDOM OF GOD, WHICH IS THE PURSUIT AND DISCOVERY OF GOD'S WAYS AND PRECEPTS THROUGH HIS WORD.
IT IS THE SURRENDER OF ONES WILL AND PLAN TO THE WILL AND PLAN OF GOD.
IT IS ABOUT MAKING EVERY STEP FORWARD WITH ELSHADAI.
IN HIM ALONE CAN WE FIND TRUE WISDOM FOR LIFE.
IN ALL YOUR GETTING, GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF HIM.
©Eddy Eyo
May 2015
Monday, 27 April 2015
THE 'GAME CHANGER' SHOULD BE CHANGED. - ENENIM UBON
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something but I can't accept not trying. - Micheal Jordan
In January 2014 when PDP announced that Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu was taking over from Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, members of the party looked forward to having a chairman who would galvanize the party ahead of the just concluded general elections. Party members and supporters hoped for a chairman that would unite the party and woo back disgruntled members who were already seeking succour elsewhere. Being a two term governor of Bauchi state and having remained in the party since 1999 despite losing his senatorial bid in 2007, it was believed Mu'azu had all it takes to lead the party to 'battle' - this believe earned him the nick name 'game changer'.
Did he actually change the game? Yes he did, but obviously not in favour of his party and certainly not in accordance with the expectations of its members and supporters. As a matter of fact, members of the party are still wondering what hit the green,white and red umbrella. The 'political tsunami' has torn the umbrella almost to shreds and even the 'game changer' could/can do nothing about it.
On his resumption at Wadata Plaza, the number of states with PDP governors were eighteen(18), with the defection of governor Mimiko and election of governor Fayose the number increased to twenty(20). This number excludes states like Adamawa and Rivers that had APC governors but with an active PDP population. Governorship elections were conducted in sixteen(16) of the twenty(20) states, when the dust had settled PDP had lost eight(8) of the sixteen(16) plus Adamawa. The most embarrassing, is the party's defeat in Bauchi state - the home state of the party chairman, FCT minister and with a sitting PDP governor. I do not know what else would define failure, if this does not.
In Kogi state, the PDP lost ALL senatorial sits to the opposition. In Benue, Senate President David Mark is the only senatorial aspirant from PDP to pull through - a sitting governor inclusive. The party under Mu'azu has lost its majority status in both chambers of the national assembly. All of these point to the fact that the PDP under Mu'azu performed woefully at the polls.
As Micheal Jordan stated in the quote I used to begin this piece, 'actual' failure is in not trying at all. The 'game changer' tried his best but obviously it was not good at all, not to talk of being enough. It is therefore expected that he steps aside for another person to try and rebuild what's left of the PDP.
A lot of factors have contributed to the PDP's present predicament. Even the immediate past chairman has acknowledged that “the lack of adherence to internal democracy was responsible for the PDP's defeat”. There is hardly any state where this did not manifest. From Kano to Adamawa, Benue, Plateau, Lagos, Nassarawa etc. Popular candidates were substituted with friends and allies of party chieftains. In some cases even the panels set up to handle post-primary issues were also hijacked by the chosen candidates. In some states primaries did not even take place, while some others had theirs conducted in Abuja in accordance with the wishes of 'powers that be'. Some of these aggrieved aspirants left the party and ended up defeating the anointed candidates of the PDP. Those who stayed back and whose complains fell on deaf ears, worked against the party from inside. All of these is past tense now.
With the elections concluded, the PDP needs to be repositioned to be a serious opposition not one of those 'aligning' parties and having failed in his previous assignment Adamu Mu'azu should step aside for someone else to take up this task - but knowing our leaders, I have my doubts.
I have listened to people say he should be allowed to rebuild the party - this is laughable. If eight(8) states with PDP governors were lost under him as chairman of the ruling party, I wonder how many more will be lost under him as chairman of an opposition party. Mr chairman may still have fresh ideas but he can contribute same from the sidelines. For some of us who watch football, form matters a lot; a good player can be benched by his/her coach simply because he is not at his/her best at the moment. The game changer lost his form at a time his party desperately needed his dribbling skills, the HONOURABLE thing to do is to step away from the scene accepting that he did the best he could.
Alhaji Mu'azu should follow the footsteps of party leaders in recent history who resigned after leading their parties to landslide defeats:
* In November 2014: Taiwan's premier Jiang Yi-huah announced his resignation after his party lost a number of strongholds
*In September 2014 Scottish Nationalist Leader Alex Salmond resigned after Scottish voters rejected independence and decided that they wanted to remain in Britain
*Neil Gordon Kinnock resigned as (British Labour Party) leader and resigned from the House of Commons,following Labour's defeat in the 1992 general election.
*John Major former prime minister of United Kingdom announced his resignation(immediately after the election) as party leader after losing by landslide to Labour party.
Sincerely I do not see Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu quitting his position without a fight(I really hope he proves me wrong though), but if he loves his party(as he claims) he will not wait for the agitation for his removal to take another dimension because what his party needs right now is a united front to confront what is coming and prepare well in advance for 2019. Having failed woefully in his first and much simpler assignment, the second one will be too big for him.
For the PDP members who believe he should step aside, inasmuch as I share your sentiments, caution should be applied so as not to pull the entire house down. Chasing the chairman and his crew out of the party will be a wrong move. His experience will still be needed by the next person in order to avoid the 'landmines' he missed this time.
I hope the PDP does the necessary 'house cleaning', restrategizes and reposition itself well ahead of 2019 and most importantly avoids the mistakes of the past; but before that can be done, those who led the party to its worst electoral outing need to take a bow and leave.
Mr 'game changer' you came(to Wadata Plaza), you saw but did not conquer. It is time to pass the torch to another.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
In January 2014 when PDP announced that Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu was taking over from Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, members of the party looked forward to having a chairman who would galvanize the party ahead of the just concluded general elections. Party members and supporters hoped for a chairman that would unite the party and woo back disgruntled members who were already seeking succour elsewhere. Being a two term governor of Bauchi state and having remained in the party since 1999 despite losing his senatorial bid in 2007, it was believed Mu'azu had all it takes to lead the party to 'battle' - this believe earned him the nick name 'game changer'.
Did he actually change the game? Yes he did, but obviously not in favour of his party and certainly not in accordance with the expectations of its members and supporters. As a matter of fact, members of the party are still wondering what hit the green,white and red umbrella. The 'political tsunami' has torn the umbrella almost to shreds and even the 'game changer' could/can do nothing about it.
On his resumption at Wadata Plaza, the number of states with PDP governors were eighteen(18), with the defection of governor Mimiko and election of governor Fayose the number increased to twenty(20). This number excludes states like Adamawa and Rivers that had APC governors but with an active PDP population. Governorship elections were conducted in sixteen(16) of the twenty(20) states, when the dust had settled PDP had lost eight(8) of the sixteen(16) plus Adamawa. The most embarrassing, is the party's defeat in Bauchi state - the home state of the party chairman, FCT minister and with a sitting PDP governor. I do not know what else would define failure, if this does not.
In Kogi state, the PDP lost ALL senatorial sits to the opposition. In Benue, Senate President David Mark is the only senatorial aspirant from PDP to pull through - a sitting governor inclusive. The party under Mu'azu has lost its majority status in both chambers of the national assembly. All of these point to the fact that the PDP under Mu'azu performed woefully at the polls.
As Micheal Jordan stated in the quote I used to begin this piece, 'actual' failure is in not trying at all. The 'game changer' tried his best but obviously it was not good at all, not to talk of being enough. It is therefore expected that he steps aside for another person to try and rebuild what's left of the PDP.
A lot of factors have contributed to the PDP's present predicament. Even the immediate past chairman has acknowledged that “the lack of adherence to internal democracy was responsible for the PDP's defeat”. There is hardly any state where this did not manifest. From Kano to Adamawa, Benue, Plateau, Lagos, Nassarawa etc. Popular candidates were substituted with friends and allies of party chieftains. In some cases even the panels set up to handle post-primary issues were also hijacked by the chosen candidates. In some states primaries did not even take place, while some others had theirs conducted in Abuja in accordance with the wishes of 'powers that be'. Some of these aggrieved aspirants left the party and ended up defeating the anointed candidates of the PDP. Those who stayed back and whose complains fell on deaf ears, worked against the party from inside. All of these is past tense now.
With the elections concluded, the PDP needs to be repositioned to be a serious opposition not one of those 'aligning' parties and having failed in his previous assignment Adamu Mu'azu should step aside for someone else to take up this task - but knowing our leaders, I have my doubts.
I have listened to people say he should be allowed to rebuild the party - this is laughable. If eight(8) states with PDP governors were lost under him as chairman of the ruling party, I wonder how many more will be lost under him as chairman of an opposition party. Mr chairman may still have fresh ideas but he can contribute same from the sidelines. For some of us who watch football, form matters a lot; a good player can be benched by his/her coach simply because he is not at his/her best at the moment. The game changer lost his form at a time his party desperately needed his dribbling skills, the HONOURABLE thing to do is to step away from the scene accepting that he did the best he could.
Alhaji Mu'azu should follow the footsteps of party leaders in recent history who resigned after leading their parties to landslide defeats:
* In November 2014: Taiwan's premier Jiang Yi-huah announced his resignation after his party lost a number of strongholds
*In September 2014 Scottish Nationalist Leader Alex Salmond resigned after Scottish voters rejected independence and decided that they wanted to remain in Britain
*Neil Gordon Kinnock resigned as (British Labour Party) leader and resigned from the House of Commons,following Labour's defeat in the 1992 general election.
*John Major former prime minister of United Kingdom announced his resignation(immediately after the election) as party leader after losing by landslide to Labour party.
Sincerely I do not see Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu quitting his position without a fight(I really hope he proves me wrong though), but if he loves his party(as he claims) he will not wait for the agitation for his removal to take another dimension because what his party needs right now is a united front to confront what is coming and prepare well in advance for 2019. Having failed woefully in his first and much simpler assignment, the second one will be too big for him.
For the PDP members who believe he should step aside, inasmuch as I share your sentiments, caution should be applied so as not to pull the entire house down. Chasing the chairman and his crew out of the party will be a wrong move. His experience will still be needed by the next person in order to avoid the 'landmines' he missed this time.
I hope the PDP does the necessary 'house cleaning', restrategizes and reposition itself well ahead of 2019 and most importantly avoids the mistakes of the past; but before that can be done, those who led the party to its worst electoral outing need to take a bow and leave.
Mr 'game changer' you came(to Wadata Plaza), you saw but did not conquer. It is time to pass the torch to another.
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
TIME IN IT'S ENTIRETY. - Eddy Eyo
Friends, this is one thing in life that is very IMPORTANT but often less talked about or regarded as a valuable commodity. Kindly spare a few minutes of yours to really understand what it is in reality.
TAKE NOTE OF THESE THOUGHTS:
*What you are and what you will become is dependent on how you use your TIME.
*TIME can't be stopped but can be effectively managed.
TIME AND LIFE:
*Time is life.
*Life is time.
*Life is defined as time.
*Life is measured by time.
*Life is determined by time.
*Life is qualified by time.
*Life is lived out in time.
*Life stops when time stops.
*The passing of time is passing of life.
*Time is temporary but life is eternal.
*Time could be a blessing or a curse.
TREASURE IT.
DEFINITION OF TIME:
Time could be defined as -
*An interruption in eternity.
*Small measure of eternity.
*A piece of eternity.
*It is a slice of forever.
*It is a limited period during which an action or process exist and take place.
*Time is the measurements of space.
*It is the passing of existence.
*God created time and placed us in it so we can live life in doses.
APPRECIATE IT.
PURPOSE OF TIME:
*To take us out of eternity .
*To protect us from forever .
*To measure the existence of life .
*To define life.
*To measure the quality of life .
*To account for life spent so far.
*To define the distance between our beginning and end.
*To live life in doses.
*To measure the purpose of life.
FULFILL IT
MEASURE OF TIME:
*Time actually measures life in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
*Time measures life in Mornings, Noon, Afternoon and Evenings.
*Time measures life in yesterday, today and tomorrow.
*Time measures life in day and night.
*Time measures life in seasons (Winter, Autumn, Summer and Spring).
MAKE IT COUNT
THE EQUALITY OF TIME:
*It is the only commodity that is common to all mankind.
*It is the only commodity we all possess.
*Every human on planet earth is given the same ration of time (24 hours), not more or less.
APPROPRIATE IT
VALUE OF TIME:
*Everyone on earth are where they are today depending on how they have used their time.
*Time is the currency of life.
*Time is used to buy life.
*Time is so powerful that whatever you spend your time on, you become.
*Time gives us time to drop some relationships that are detrimental to the measure of our life and a time to make some more relationships that will add more value to our time.
VALUE IT.
FACTS ABOUT TIME:
*Time is money.
*Time can be abused.
*Time can be stolen.
*Time can be lost.
*Time can be depreciated.
*Time can be appreciated.
*Time can squandered.
*Time can be devalued.
*Time can be revalued(after being lost by adjusting it to focus on things that are productive).
*Procrastination kills time and postpones it to the future.
MAXIMIZE IT.
LIMITATIONS OF TIME:
*You can never stop time.
*You can never control time.
*You can never resist time.
*You can never compromise with time.
*You can never repossess time.
*You can never buy time.
*You can never slow down time.
*You can never speed up time.
*Until death, you are stuck in time.
MANAGE IT.
WHAT TO DO WITH TIME:
*Manage it or it will manage your life for you.
*Use it, your life depends on it.
*Appropriate it,it is yours.
*Invest on it so as to gain it.
*Convert it into something productive and valuable.
*Time should be used to INITIATE, CREATE, DEVELOP, BUILD AND ADD VALUE TO THE LIFE THAT EXISTS IN IT.
*Use time to fulfill your divine purpose.
MAKE IT PRODUCTIVE.
HOW TO REDEEM YOUR TIME:
*By taking ownership and control of your time.
*By converting it into opportunity to fulfill your purpose.
*By designing your days to create value in life.
*By managing how it is being used.
*By protecting it.
*By allocating it a focus.
*By giving it a vision.
*By apportioning purpose to it.
*By measuring it results.
*By knowing it's worth and value.
REDEEM IT.
KEYS TO REDEEMING TIME:
*Document a plan.
*Establish your priorities.
*Pursue your passion only.
*Protect your plan and priorities.
*Identity what you value.
*Make decisions based on destiny.
*Inventory your associations and see who is wasting your time.
*Review your investments of time.
*Do not try to please everyone it encourages time wastage.
*Forget about the past and begin to pursue and design your future now.
*Learn and gain mastery of your time and also when it is time to take actions.
PROPER MANAGEMENT OF TIME GUARANTEES A FULFILLED DESTINY.
I BELIEVE THAT WITH THIS REMINDER, YOU WOULD MAXIMIZE THE NEXT FEW SECONDS OF YOUR LIFE AND MAKE IT COUNT BY ADHERING TO THESE INSIGHTS. IT IS MY TIME POURED OUT TO YOU.
MAKE YOUR LIFE COUNT BY MAXIMIZING YOUR TIME TODAY, STAY INSPIRED AND BLESSED.
Saturday, 25 April 2015
Comedian Aregbesola and his Osun state Audience - Enenim Ubon
I always thought the last I would see of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola comedy
skills is his appearing in various school uniforms with matching
knee-length socks and long-faced shoes; alas I was wrong. Here is a
governor who constantly makes a mockery of not only his office but also
his 'blind' and sentimental followers. The worst hit by his latest
actions are the workers of Osun state, whom I feel no pity for. Theirs
is a classic case of “the people getting a government they deserve”. The
people of Osun state(civil servants inclusive) reelected this man and
even celebrated his victory(even when it was obvious he didn't wish them
well); I hope by the time the show is offer, they won't be tales of
workers dying of starvation.
Prior to his reelection in August 2014, the government of Osun state was unable to pay salaries(but spent billions on campaigns and financing of thugs for 'election duties'). The excuse then was that the Jonathan led government was deliberately withholding funds meant for opposition states - the truth is gradually coming to fore. How he pulled one over the Osun state workforce remains a mystery(when one considers how the PDP has been rejected by the workforce in Benue and Kogi states over the same issue); most surprising is that the people of Osun never considered that any government which cannot pay salaries in an election year is most likely to owe many more months after election. The fruits of their naivety is what they are reaping.
In 2013, Ogbeni came up with Opon Imo. Whoever sold the idea to him is a 'genius' and deserves commendation for not only conning his excellency but for also exposing the mental capacity of our social media intellectuals who hyped the scam and could not see the project was a channel to embezzle funds and (as time has revealed) was 'dead on arrival' - largely due to approach,implementation and MOTIVE. N8,300,000,000 was spent on the first 50,000 pieces. This amount spent on each 50,000 pieces of the Opon Imo(if there ever was another set) would have taken the abandoned projects in Osun state to a reasonable level of completion but baba was much more interested in 'cornering' money for his reelection. So obvious was the Opon Imo scam that the Late Senator Uche Chukwumerije withdrew his earlier endorsement of the project. The questions then are: How many of this device have been delivered after 2 years? Where is the money budgeted for it? Wouldn't the money be useful in this of starvation(for the Osun workers).
Recently it has been widely reported that the Osun state government intends to stop the feeding program(Omeal). Reports have it that “the state government is also planning a review of the state's free health program for children and the elderly and may recommend that parents be made to pay a little levy for each child in school”. The questions that arise from the above are: a) Where these projects not well thought-out and planned for before implementation? b) Where the projects meant to be mere political projects to deceive the osun electorates into re-electing ogbeni? If it was, it worked perfectly. I read a comment from someone which suggested that the reason governor Aregbesola intends to stop the free meals because the incoming federal government of his party intends to replicate same across the country - how laughable.
Despite the many troubles at home,governor Aregbesola is still fingered in the Ekiti impeachment debacle knowing his antecedents this is easily believable. The man is an entertainer indeed! With uncompleted projects like roads and the much hyped ultra modern school building etc all abandoned, that ogbeni still has money to spend on frivolities is to say the least befuddling. What a man!
While the workers of Osun state mourn and look to the heavens, I hope the comedian listens to their pleas and saves them from starvation soon. In the event he does not, at least the lesson would be learnt “all that glitters is not gold”. If this continues for another 4 months, the number of workers that will survive I know not but one thing I know, the people(workers) will be a lot wiser(even more) than their colleagues in Benue,Kogi,Rivers etc. Till then I wish the Osun people well. May these 6 months of penury be over soonest and may Osun state not experience this kind of dry jokes ever again!
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
Prior to his reelection in August 2014, the government of Osun state was unable to pay salaries(but spent billions on campaigns and financing of thugs for 'election duties'). The excuse then was that the Jonathan led government was deliberately withholding funds meant for opposition states - the truth is gradually coming to fore. How he pulled one over the Osun state workforce remains a mystery(when one considers how the PDP has been rejected by the workforce in Benue and Kogi states over the same issue); most surprising is that the people of Osun never considered that any government which cannot pay salaries in an election year is most likely to owe many more months after election. The fruits of their naivety is what they are reaping.
In 2013, Ogbeni came up with Opon Imo. Whoever sold the idea to him is a 'genius' and deserves commendation for not only conning his excellency but for also exposing the mental capacity of our social media intellectuals who hyped the scam and could not see the project was a channel to embezzle funds and (as time has revealed) was 'dead on arrival' - largely due to approach,implementation and MOTIVE. N8,300,000,000 was spent on the first 50,000 pieces. This amount spent on each 50,000 pieces of the Opon Imo(if there ever was another set) would have taken the abandoned projects in Osun state to a reasonable level of completion but baba was much more interested in 'cornering' money for his reelection. So obvious was the Opon Imo scam that the Late Senator Uche Chukwumerije withdrew his earlier endorsement of the project. The questions then are: How many of this device have been delivered after 2 years? Where is the money budgeted for it? Wouldn't the money be useful in this of starvation(for the Osun workers).
Recently it has been widely reported that the Osun state government intends to stop the feeding program(Omeal). Reports have it that “the state government is also planning a review of the state's free health program for children and the elderly and may recommend that parents be made to pay a little levy for each child in school”. The questions that arise from the above are: a) Where these projects not well thought-out and planned for before implementation? b) Where the projects meant to be mere political projects to deceive the osun electorates into re-electing ogbeni? If it was, it worked perfectly. I read a comment from someone which suggested that the reason governor Aregbesola intends to stop the free meals because the incoming federal government of his party intends to replicate same across the country - how laughable.
Despite the many troubles at home,governor Aregbesola is still fingered in the Ekiti impeachment debacle knowing his antecedents this is easily believable. The man is an entertainer indeed! With uncompleted projects like roads and the much hyped ultra modern school building etc all abandoned, that ogbeni still has money to spend on frivolities is to say the least befuddling. What a man!
While the workers of Osun state mourn and look to the heavens, I hope the comedian listens to their pleas and saves them from starvation soon. In the event he does not, at least the lesson would be learnt “all that glitters is not gold”. If this continues for another 4 months, the number of workers that will survive I know not but one thing I know, the people(workers) will be a lot wiser(even more) than their colleagues in Benue,Kogi,Rivers etc. Till then I wish the Osun people well. May these 6 months of penury be over soonest and may Osun state not experience this kind of dry jokes ever again!
Enenim Ubon tweets from @EnenimUbon
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