Grandiose Parlor

An excerpt of a statement credited to Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, the National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian ruling party, PDP, reads:

“The safe arrival of Mr. President from his sojourn in Saudi Arabia is a testimony to the fact that the prayers of all Nigerians for his quick recovery have been answered. We therefore rejoice with our fellow citizens for this unique favour done to us by the Almighty God…

Now that the President has returned, we call on all Nigerians irrespective of political leanings to cooperate with him to realise the lofty programmes he has outlined for our dear country.”

what an arrant nonsense!

First, the prayer is not for the president to just return, but be able to function fully as the president. His presence in Nigeria is of no use if he can’t act and fulfill the responsibilities of his office.

The concluding statement gives the impression that all is now well with the president and ready to function. This is so far from the truth! Not the way the president was smuggled into the country in the dead of the night guarded by soldiers!

What irks me deeply is that utterances as this shows how much respect the PDP /Yar’Adua’s inner caucus / Presidency have for the Nigerian people: Zero!

Nigerians have been insulted and lied to enough over the Yar’Adua matter. Everything seen and heard so far strongly indicates the man is no longer able to function. So, in reverence to the national motto of Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress, all relevant forces must converge and be brought to bear on those obstructionists to yield and move out of the way.

As for me, Umaru Yar’Adua is an ill man, and no longer the president of the Nigerian federation. And nobody, not his wife Turai, or security aides and members of his inner circle have the right to direct the affairs of the nation.

This is the time the national assembly must act to not only save Nigerians from a prolonged international embarrassment but reverse this sprint toward destruction.

The construction of the world’s longest sea bridge is about to begin in China. The Y-shaped link between Hong Kong, Macau and China will be around 50km (31 miles) long in total, 35km of which will span the sea, according to the state news agency Xinhua. Expected data of completion 2015. Cost: 6.7billion Pound Sterling (73bn Yuan or 11bn USD).

It’s difficult to be hopeful that men and women that can dream big dreams (as this bridge), and make such dreams reality, will emerge in Nigeria in my lifetime! Continue reading…

I love Italians. They can’t hide their emotions; they make it clear where they stand (when they not trying to pulling a fast one on you), just as one did a couple of days ago by smacking his country’s Prime Minister in face (video).

I can think of many Nigerians in high places that deserve the “Berlusconi treatment” because they share all of his crimes, and even more.

The Italian Prime Minister has been the subject of intense criticism over his personal life and management style, and he’s not liked much in his country. “The prime minister scores highly in polls gauging Italian popular opinion, though he has been tried on various charges 17 times since taking office in 1994. The charges include corruption, false accounting and tax fraud”, according the media report.

There are dozens of eminent Nigerians with worst crimes than Berlusconi (the second richest man in Italy, by the way)…

Let’s go smacking!

Slum on stilts is the description for the 50,000+ strong fishing community called Makoko that abuts and stretches into the Lagos lagoon. Some have called it ugly, “ugly(” Idowu Ogunleye, photo journalist, Lagos), and even “dangerous and volatile” (John Vidal, Guardian).

Looking from outside, either though photographs, or from above while driving across the adjacent bridges, I see something different: I marvel at the resiliency of the inhabitants. Continue reading…

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State at a lecture entitled: “Critical Issues in the 2011 elections” delivered to participants at Executive Intelligence Management Course 2 of the Institute for Security Studies said if Nigeria does not desist from “electoral debauchery” through rigging and falsification of election results, the country’s democracy may not survive.

Continue reading…

“Big-man syndrome”, in Nigerian parlance, is a multifaceted social disorder which makes an individual feel ‘above the law’, and pushes him/her to engage in activities that may even run contrary to established protocol or civil ordinances.

This behavioral anomaly can push its victims to be discourteous, or rude to those considered as ‘low status individuals’, and in extreme cases, physical violence may ensue, as was the case between Nigeria’s federal legislator, Hon. Chinyere Emmanuel Igwe (photo), who slapped a ‘lowly’ security guard attached to the National Assembly complex in Abuja.

Continue reading…

The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, used her visit to Nigeria to highlight the core national challenges: corruption, rule of law and electoral reform. One of the significant moments during the visit was the Town Hall Meeting, where she reiterated what appears the Nigerian political class has yet to realize:

“The most immediate source of the disconnect between Nigeria’s wealth and its poverty is a failure of governance at the federal, state and local level. The lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of the government and contributed to the rise of groups that embrace violence and reject the authority of the state.”

Continue reading…