ARE THERE STILL REAL MEN???

...... I checked my facebook page this afternoon and I saw a friend's update. Well, the update was nice and just in case you cant see it clearly in the picture, here it is. "I don't care how alarming the percentage of cheating men is....I know of a truth that I'm marrying one of the faithful ones left!most def! I mean pple should stop this mess**smh** There are still some real men around!" Hmmmmm.. hmmm... (got to clear my throat, sorry) 'now let's continue' While some church goers would call the above statement a positive confession or a statement of faith, some people even ladies would regard it as mere wishful thinking. I was trying to figure an angle to this when i remembered that I read something similar to this on Sumptuous' blogpost, "Yes, Sumptuous is a girl and my friend, a good one at that" she actually wrote on something like this on her blog in 2010 and she presented the opinions of some of her friend..... hear her (please read in her beautiful voice).".....The general concensus among my people here is that there is no faithful man and as long as he respects you by not flaunting his affairs in ur face, then you couldn't wish for a better husband. My insides literally churn when i hear this view and especially if they are held by the female folk. WHAAAAAT? So they are preparing themselves for a lifetime of unfaithfullness and bulls**t? No be me, i dont roll that way. In the course of trying to present my view, sumbody calls me unsubmissive (i cant even fit to laff) dude was going on and on, giving advice to the femalefolk on how to keep their men and condone their cheating philandeering ways, he advices that women should not fight/confront their cheating spouses but instead pamper them, have their food ready run him a hot/cold bath as the case maybe, make ur body available for him (in case he wants dessert after chopping anoda woman belleful?), then he'll see the error in his ways and change, and i say lai lai and dude says that he can already tell that i aint the submissive type. na u sabi, Submissive and mumu arent synonyms in my dictionary" Sumptuous was a corper in 2010 and the above conversation took place in the corper's lodge somewhere in the Niger Delta where she proudly served her fatherland, But Sumptuous' opinion expectedly, was different... "I believe that as a 'good' girl with morals and values, i deserve the same and won't settle for less, i was conceived, born and brought up in love, so i expect noting less than what i have to give" she continued..... "....After 23 years of marriage, my dad calls my mum his girlfriend, kisses her in public and he is not ashamed to declare his love for her anywhere. And now some random boy is telling me to accept that i will marry an unfaithful man? No way! To whom much is given much is expected. I have seen true love and i'm gonna get mine! *wish me luck*" I will have to ask her on bb tonight if she still hold same opinion after 2 years and having dated outside school environment where your chance of bumping into 'the boy' while going and coming from class, library or cafeteria is considerably higher than when he lives and work several kilometres away from you. What am i trying to say? I believe there are honest men, I have seen them, I have come across them but their population grows thinner each passing day. before now, when a man is an ardent church-goer, you could comfortably call him a faithful man... presently, most of us don't even trust our G.O when it comes to women(I trust mine)...! I have seen men who profess love for thier wives and still "do" thier househelp... i have heard of women who says 'as long as he doesnt bring them home, he can do whatever he wants to do, we just have to manage them like that, men MUST cheat..' So, I am thinking, even if the man does not want to do it, his wife will still thinks he is doing it, so why not 'kukuma' do the thing..! But my questions really are, 1. WHERE ARE THE FAITHFUL MEN? 2. IS IT TRUE THAT WE MEN ARE POLYGAMISTS IN NATURE? 3. DO OUR WOMEN ENCOURAGE US TO BE UNFAITHFUL? 4. WHEN MEN CHEAT, WHO DO THEY CHEAT WITH, FELLOW MEN OR OTHER WOMEN WHO WANT/WISH TO MARRY FAITHFUL MEN? 5. THIS THOUGHT PROVOKING STATEMENT, IS IT POSITIVE THINKING, STATEMENT OF FAITH, STATEMENT OF FACT OR MERE WISHFUL THINKING? Over to you ladies

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT JONATHAN BY SEGUN SOKOYA A CONCERNED CITIZEN OF NIGERIA

Dear President Jonathan, My friends call me Sokii, but you, well just call me Segun. I have watched you in the last one year jump from pillar to post under the pretext of governance; clinging to the inconsequential and deliberately ignoring that which the times demand of governance in today’s Nigeria. From the moment you were sworn in as an elected president, it’s been a galore of gaffes and conscious distraction of Nigerians from the things that actually do matter to them. Within weeks of your Presidency, your first executive move was to amend the constitution so as to allow for president and governors to serve just one term of six years in office. Not sooner than the dust raised by that move settled, you declared an economic war on the Nigerian people with an imposition of fuel tax, called fuel subsidy removal, which was just a way designed for you to avoid confronting your friends and officials who defrauded the country you preside over. Mr President, you may recall that last October, during a church service to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day, you lamented that we condemn you at home while Obama commends you abroad. Even then, we argued that Obama’s commendation of you – whatever it was meant to achieve – was ill-timed and ill-informed. We reasoned that we were the ones who elected you our president and so were best qualified to assess your performance in office. Today, the table has turned. Does Obama still commend you? Just in case you haven’t heard, the United States government has seen you for whom you are – a president who presides over a criminal empire without making any meaningful efforts to curtail corruption. Before you dismiss my message as another baseless rant from a disgruntled opposition member, kindly read this, Sir: In its year 2011 report on global human rights released Thursday by the State Department, the U.S. said the three tiers of the Nigerian government was ridden with “massive, widespread and pervasive corruption,” that failed to receive appropriate punitive response from the authorities. “The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity,”the report, submitted by Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton, to the U.S. Congress said. “Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces,” it continued. So this is what your government has come to be known for. Still in that church service, Sir, you told Nigerians that God was the captain of the Nigerian ship. So I had expected you to show more than a passing interest in surrendering the fight against corruption to God. But I was surprised that when the rare opportunity came, last Sunday, during another church service – this time to commemorate your one year in office – you refused to support the man of God who pleaded that you and your administration officials took the fight against corruption to the alter of God. What were you afraid of, Mr President? That, Sir, speaks volumes about your sincerity in the corruption war. And that brings me to the role you played in the hurried moving of N155 billion out of our account under a questionable circumstance. It was done a day before Okonjo-Iweala resumed as your Finance Minister. And the characters involved in the transaction, the Etetes, is the reason I will need your explanation on this. I will go straight to your Democracy Day speech. As expected, it could not boast of any visible achievement other than economic indices and statistics that were quite divorced from the stark realities on ground. You showed an amazing excitement when you announced your administration’s empowerment of 1200 youths who benefitted from your Youth Enterprise with Innovative Programme, YouWin. I was surprised that such was considered an achievement by you, Sir, let alone being included in your anniversary speech. Mr President, may I humbly inform you that 70 per cent of the Nigerian population is comprised of people who are thirty five years and below. Each year, Sir, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) churns out at least 100 thousand young Nigerians who throng into the labour market in search of nonexistent jobs. This is in spite of the fact that a larger percent of those who passed out before them may not have gotten jobs. So why should we be excited about 1200 people in a population of 160 million? Is it a deliberate celebration of mediocrity or just an attempt to appear serious with the job we elected you to do? In reference to electricity supply, you said, “By mid-2010, the national power output was about 2,800 MW. By the end of 2011, we reached a peak of more than 4, 000 MW. A National Gas Emergency Plan has also been launched to redress the problem of gas supply which are essentially due to poor planning.” Curiously, you didn’t tell us where we were by end of May, or mid-May, the period you were reeling out the achievements. So I ask now, Mr President, where are we on power generation? How many megawatts have we achieved between 2011 and mid-May, 2012? Where we are on electricity generation, Mr President, is on the region of total darkness. The wattage is negligible. Nauseating sound of generators still buzz in my neighbourhood daily, and darkness is the light in the villages where poverty even bites harder. That must be why you jumped it. The efforts you put in advertising your cassava bread, if not tragic, would have been funny. You cannot re-write history, Sir. Cassava bread is not novel. Your constant efforts to lay claim to it as your achievement in office is worrisome. For the records, on 1st July, 2005, Obasanjo’s government made it mandatory for bakers to include 10% of cassava flour in the production of bread. I followed that administration closely. Yet even at that ,you cannot force people to eat what they do not want. Telling us you eat it makes no difference in our lives. Our billions are stolen by the day, anyway; and you watch without taking any punitive action against the criminals. Your penchant for majoring in minor, if not entirely irrelevant issues, should worry every sound mind. Your change of Unilag to MKO Abiola University just by a presidential fiat betrayed your love for vanity; your lack of appreciation for substance. And as expected, it stirred up eruptions in the school. Yet rather than quickly reconsider your stand, you declared to many who think you made another gaffe; “no going back”. I know political expediency informed that decision. But unfortunately, that was politically incorrect. It has boomeranged, and will not shield you from the harsh verdict of your critics, which is that your first year in office as president was a total failure. It was a shock to me that you ended your speech without making any mention of the fuel subsidy scam – the biggest in Nigeria’s history. You said nothing about your plans to prosecute the offenders. In case you don’t know, Mr President, the amount involved in that fraud is N2.6trillion, more than half of our annual budget. If that is not weighty enough to cause you to act, I wonder what will. I have a hunch some 19th century folks have been giving you lessons on how to rule Nigeria in 2012. They may have presented the IBB model and you bought it hook line and sinker. But that will be risky for you, Sir. Unfortunately, you are heading Nigeria at a time when there is only one way to face the task: fight corruption and shun patronage! You cannot do this job the way you want, or the way your predecessors handled it. The cumulative effect of the mess your predecessors put Nigeria into has saturated our landscape, forcing people to demand serious leadership from their president. Distractions will not just do. And you must understand this, Sir. And talking about serious leadership; did you hear, Mr President, that Mrs. Joyce Banda, the President of Malawi – an African country – sold off her country’s presidential jet and fleet of 60 limousines? President Joyce declared that she was “happy to offload” the jet and the cars, and she would be traveling on passenger airplanes like every other citizen. Mrs. Joyce Banda understands basic economics and means well for her people. She appreciates the truth that a poor man who seeks future comfort must delay gratification. She is a living example of a serious leader. Can the same be said of you, Mr President? I will not wait for your response, Sir. I know it will never come. The same cannot be said of you. You do not mean well for Nigeria, Mr President. In 2010, you ordered 3 more presidential planes to increase an already over bloated fleet of presidential jets, underscoring your penchant for wasting public funds and downplaying the depth of poverty in our land. You can’t mean well by having 10 presidential jets when the reality on ground demands that you travel with commercial planes. You can’t mean well with a feeding budget of almost 3 million naira per day in a country where 112 million people live on less than N300 (three hundred naira) per day. You can’t be seen to mean well with the number of cars in your presidential fleet. The British Prime Minister, who runs a civilization and economy that is light years ahead of yours, has no official jet. You have effectively wasted the last one year, Mr President. And for a country with steady drop in life expectancy, we don’t have the luxury of time. We have the need for speed. We need a president who is ready to work, not distract us with an uninspiring campaign for cassava bread. We need Boko Haram’s onslaught on the Nigerian state to be addressed by your government. We need our people to be lifted out of poverty, not some phony statistics. We need leadership, not mediocrity. You, Mr President, have not been a leader in the last one year. But will you be in the remaining three years? I don’t think so. I only hope you prove me wrong. Your body language tells me your eyes are fixed on 2015. But that is a tragedy on its own; for you maybe, not for me or Nigeria. Most of your moves are made with the intention of securing your seat in 2015. But I am also shocked that neither you nor your advisers understand that the surest way to winning re-election is to work and be seen to have worked. I will be glad to see you declare for re-election. The thoughts of having you as the first sitting president in Nigeria to be emphatically defeated excites me. Kindly follow your secret quest for re-election, Sir. I’d like to see the next sentiment your team will sell to the electorate. You could see, Mr President, that I didn’t have time to pretend about the message I wanted to pass across. You already have enough praise singers to last you a lifetime. Pardon my directness, it was meant to deliver the message in a manner you will be stirred to act. Do have a great day, Sir. I hope the domestic staff will remember to not prepare imported rice for Sunday. Kindly remind them of your “resolve to always eat local rice”. Today should be for Abakaliki or Ofada. And lest I forget; happy anniversary, Mr President!

A NATION REPRESENTED BY IDIOTS

When Vanguard newspaper reported that the House of Representatives has summoned a Korean Company, makers of Hyundai Motors to appear before the National Assembly for investigative hearing over alleged defective Elegance Jeep sold to one Willie Ogbeide, Honourable of the 4th assembly. The house in a letter signed by the chairman, House Committee on Public Petition, Hon Uzo Azubuike invited the company and Ogbeide to appear before the House next week Thursday over the alleged defective jeep sold by the company to Hon Ogbeide. Hon Azubuike states in the letter to the "Hon", “The House of Representatives at its sitting of Wednesday, 22nd February, 2012 received a petition from you against the managing director, Hyundai Motors Nig Ltd on alleged sale of defective Hyundai Jeep 1 x 35 Elegance GLS OL. To this effect you are invited to an investigative hearing on the matter”
"Honourable" claimed he purchased a Hyundai jeep for his wife at a cost of N4.1million from Hyundai Motors Nigeria Ltd in Abuja on October 27th October 2011. in his words, “The car had no Wheel spanner when it was delivered to me and that I first complained ,to them. Then when l drove the car to Benin for my wife, I observed that it has acceleration problem, immediately l called Hyundai office to complain to them, they promised to rectify it since it was still under warranty and before we could solve that, the air-condition had problem for which l also called their office through my lawyer and in less than five weeks”.

“When l got tired of their dripping, I requested that they refund my money to me within seven days. They did not and have not responded and l wrote to House of Reps to save me and other Nigerians from the Korean company”.

Well, while I do not have a problem with the Honourable buying a jeep or complaining to the company that sold it to him I do have issue with the House turning the case into an Investigative hearing, it is laughabble and idiotic at best. Just while Nigeria is burning daily with Zero Security and no means of livelihood for millions of Nigerians, the House of Shame has taken it upon itself to harrass and embarass a car company for knowingly or unknowingly selling a defective car to one the friend's of the house. My question is, How does House of Representaive come into this business matter? Are they suddenly now a police force or court of law to hear cases of breach in a signed contract or is my elementary knowledge of the three arms of democratic govermnent failing me?

These 'honourables' happened to be the highest paid in the world yet, their head seems empty of anything that seems like a brain, or maybe they are simply shameless. Only in my country will such a thing happen and no one will see it as a big deal. These people are really getting on my nerves. I think what they will do next is invite durex over a defective condom.

Nigerians should begin to see the kind of 'idiots' who preside daily over us. Just last thursday in Lagos, Patience Jonathan and her security goons made the lives of thousands of Lagosians struggling to make an honest living hell. Commuters, office workers and local and international businesspersons got stuck in hours of endless traffic and detours just because of one person-the wife of the President who was never on the ballot or voted for. What happened on Thursday is the height of executive insensitivity and a flagrant violation of our constitution.

Nigerians had on display a naked show of strength and overzealousness condemnable in every sense of the word. It was an assault on the rights and sensibilities of Nigerians, unsurpassed in recent times that the wife of the president, whose name was never on the ballot and whose role is not recognized by the Nigerian constitutional is accorded such expanse of power and the abuse of same. For a ‘Thank You and Peace Advocacy’ visit it was overkill. Why choose Lagos for a thank you visit meant for South-South women voters?

Just to attend an event at Ocean View Restaurant on Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, she shut down Lagos for NINE hours and turned the lives of residents to hell. The whole security apparatus of the federal government and other personnel and services were deployed and put at her service. I recall the President himself had visited Lagos a few times in the recent past, yet the city did not groan or suffer a shut down like we saw last Thursday. Even if I do not like President Goodluck, he is Nigeria’s constitutional leader. He was the one that Nigerians voted for and by virtue of his position within the ambit of the law enjoys the highest level of protection and security. It is however most unjustifiable for his wife, who is unrecognized in our constitution by any stretch of imagination to appropriate the same protection enjoyed by the president. I wonder how many States Michelle Obama has shut down for nine hours in the US.

I think it is ok for Nigerian to go about unprotected and without security while the wife of the president should be over protected. I think it is ok for the common man to die due to the weakness of the first lady's husband? I think it is ok if we are ruled by IDIOTS over and over again. 2015 beckons, I think it is ok to go ahead and vote for PDP since we are FOOLS ruled by IDIOTS.....!

TAKE THIS SHACKLE OFF BUHARI

Fellow Nigerians,
Why set limitation on a man because of his age, colour of skin, tribe, geographical locations and religious affiliation(s) and beliefs? I hear funny Nigerians, yes funny! say Buhari will be too old at 73 yr of age to contest in 2015! I say, why are we then crying and complaining since 1999 till date for bad governance and leadership under relatively young nigerians like OBJ,GEJ and the likes?
Really, If I 'bi' God I will really allow Nigerians to suffer this human disaster in leadership [I don't think we have learnt our lessons yet] , because really when the chips are down, Nigerian will follow their sentiments, {religion, ethnicity, [media]-propaganda} which of course has just been upgraded by one now: 'old age'. Well, I want you to consider these people below and see for yourself that it is all sentiment. I know for sure an 80 year old man could be more effective than a 40 year old, depending on who he is, his vision and who he surrounds himself with.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Maybe some of them are too young to know [not anymore in the age of google] maybe they have forgotten - [thank God for records], that Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was 76 yrs old when he became the president of South Africa in 1994, before then he had been in jail for 27yrs before he was released in 1990. Yet as an old man, took his country to another height. [Pls compare him with Thabo Mbeki or Jacob Zuma!] But here is Buhari, who has not been in jail (for right or wrong reasons) actively engaging the polity of this nation and yet are dismissing him with a wave off the hand saying 'he is old!'.

Golda Meir
At 70 years old, Golda Meir became the 4th prime minister of Israel. At the age of 49, she was Israel’s ambassador to the Soviet Union. She was born in Russia, but raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She became the foreign minister of Israel at age 55, and retired at age 66, [but came out of retirement at 70] and served for 4 years, to become the first female head of the country.
If a woman [am not a sexist ooo] could come out of retirement at 70, so why not Buhari?

Ronald Regan
The average age of the men who have served as president of the United States is 54 years and 11 months. The youngest was Teddy Roosevelt, age 42, the oldest, Ronald Regan, who became President 16 days before his 70th birthday. He was president for 8 yrs afterwards.

FDR
Why must we always have 'variables' as substitudes for real virtue? Is it age or the heart and competence of the leader or even his state of health [A man with paralytic illness was once a president in [and of] America, he was paralyzed before he became the 32nd president of the United State in 1933. [am sure such will not stand a chance in Nigeria politics and populace opinion]. Infact, Franklin D. Roosevelt was and is still the longest serving American President, elected into office more than 2 terms.

So, am saying if Buhari is too old, so is any one over 50 yrs of age in Nigeria, because that Individual is a miracle walking, since life expectancy in nigeria as at January 9, 2012 is slightly below that.

Am tired of shallow Nigerians, who are easily swayed with facts that holds no water, If others in the nations of the earth can do it, irrespective of natural proceedings,then why not Buhari or any other person that has a track record of Interity and righteousness? or can Buhari or anyone for that matter stop his age, or the aging process?
I sincerelly hope we will not make another mistake of casting our votes base on sentiments, i hope we are tired of being a nation of 'fools ruled by idiots'

25 REASONS I WON'T VOTE FOR PRESIDENT JONATHAN

Voting is not child’s play, it is an action a people do when they willingly surrender the ability to determine the direction and the pace in which the country will go (towards development or damnation) into the hands of one man/people. Apart from being a reflection of our intelligence, it is also the only major opportunity a people have to choose their leader peacefully. Once that is done especially in Africa, we are left with complaining and protests. We are about to put the scepter and the staff in the hands of someone and I think it is an insult for us to vote without a careful and objective thought and how it affects our daily lives.

I have decided not to vote for the PDP in the next elections. They’ve had the opportunity to deliver the dividends of democracy to my nation and her people and they have largely failed. They have continued to over-promise and re-promise the same things without doing anything significant to make the life of the ordinary Nigerian better. For 12 years they have allowed our cousins, friends and neighbours become sacrifices on roads they habitually collect money to repair – ok, they repair it when their close relatives die. They have consciously slaughtered every public infrastructure created to make our lives better only to tell us they will be better when we sell it to them and their cronies. We have empowered them by not voting and they punish us for voting them into power (with our silence) by building an island of prosperity in the quicksand of poverty. Without telling us their ideology they have demonstrated it, they have shown they care more about having power than doing something with it.

In 25 ways PDP won’t have my vote and in 25 ways I will demand we vote not for anything and anyone that represents the same ideology (PDP or not); we must vote and ensure the people we are voting for have the capacity to cause a reversal in our fortunes. Nigeria needs drastic and aggressive reforms and we need leaders with the heart, courage and capacity to do that.

1. Firstly? I gave up long ago about getting President Jonathan to willingly appear for any presidential debate, I still hope he does. In the past 12 years, no PDP presidential aspirant has featured in a presidential debate. After watching Lagos Gubernatorial on Channels TV, I think you should know why …
2. The PDP has demonstrated over time and across situations that they are not interested in solving the Nigerian problem except staying in power… their solution? throwing money at problems (check here http://tinyurl.com/5rbtmtp)
3. In 1999 Petrol was N22 per liter and 12 years after, after billions being pumped into refineries and papers written, the price of petrol per liter is almost competing with that of a liter of bottled water (N65)
4. Though crude oil has witnessed a boom and has sold well above the benchmark price for a better part of the last 12 years, the PDP-controlled government had not been able to address the critical issues of power and poverty
5. In the last 12 years, PDP has mouthed its commitment to the rule of law on one hand and the certification of illegality on the other e.g. President Jonathan’s South west Campaign Manager (OGD) runs his state without a Legislative arm and his Bauchi counterpart has two deputies, he has made no single statement about this.
6. PDP hasn’t stopped using state resources to harass its political opponents. After clearing allegations on Tinubu, Ribadu and El-Rufai over some time, they have begun to unleash every state parastatal at its disposal to distract these people from the electoral process.
7. Under PDP’s watch in the last 12 years, Education has nose-dived and is collapsing. In all public examinations Nigerian students failed with an average of 92% with the NECO exams having Nigerians having up to 98% failure rate. PDP’s solution - Throw more money at problems again by building one university in each state while the existing ones are barely surviving. Duh?
8. If a list of 100 people were to be compiled, with the names of people that have pauperized Nigeria and reduced the country to a theatre of unending tragicomedy, 80 of the names would probably be PDP top shots. – apologies to Salisu Suleiman
9. Few years ago, webcasts were seen as archetypes of the Middle East. Today Nigerians are whipping up every reason in their minds to maim and fight one another. Our NYSC members posted for national service are being turned into sacrifices to the god of disunity. Insecurity has reached frightening proportions. Yet the Jos they refused to go when people were being slaughtered is the place they thronged to when they needed votes. Security? I score PDP 25%
10. Nigerian presidents have been characterized by the people surrounding them. People said Abacha was a good man who had bad advisers. The difference between Obasanjo’s first and second term ministers and advisers have proved this. I really may not be against a Jonathan as a person, but I wonder the kind of president he will be with the kind of new friends he has (Have you read “My REAL friends and I?)
11. Asking about their plan for the next four years, PDP has said nothing different from what they have been saying. More money, more committees and they smile to the bank
12. Despite admitting they have made income that will make all other African nations grow with envy, Nigerians have continued to groan under the yoke of inconsistent economic policies, lack of electricity and an abysmal results in maternity and mortality rates – Nigerians are dying, PDP is dancing
13. I remember Mallam Muhammadu Buhari for WAI; Abacha for PTDF; Abusauhlami for handing over; IBB for Third Mainland Bridge and Abuja …. The only landmark PDP will have me remember it for is telecommunication…Then they reduced our indebtedness and they’ve got us into debt again.
14. Forget the mouthing of campaign rallies and promises to fight corruption. Corruption rate in1999 was 50% and 95% in 2011. Haven’t the PDP reflected its ideologies in celebrating the ‘achievements’ of an ex-convict? OBJ said he was tricked, what has Mr. President said?
15. Despite huge budgets allocated to the transportation and the awarding and re-awarding of contracts, I still cannot mention a major road in Nigeria that has witnessed a transformation within PDP’s rule in last 12 years. Oh ok, the Sango Bridge in Ogun State – it took them 10 years. But, must some Nigerians die so that others can live?
16. Manufacturers also agree with me, more companies have moved out of Nigeria under PDP’s watch than at any other time. In the textile industry alone, the 129 companies have abandoned factory, infrastructure and disillusioned staff to begin again in neighboring countries. We have been turned into a country that imports everything.
17. Brazil built a power plant of 120,000 MW in 3yrs with a loan which they also paid back in 3yrs. South Africa gave a contract for a 5,000 MW power plant at a cost of just $3b!!! PDP spent $17b in 12yrs yet electricity remains a priviledge.
18. The PDP doesn’t believe our political system needs adjustment. OBJ allowed reforms to push his third term agenda, Yaradua said he was elected to make that decision, and Jonathan said it is 96 years late. Will we continue in this macabre dance? ( apologies to Igodomigodo)
19. While people might say the reason why PDP’s weakness is pronounced is because they are in power, their culture of impunity is unprecedented and they are gradually dragging the judiciary into the fray. Can we just try someone else?
20. While the average Nigerian employee is fighting for the approval of NGN 18,000 as minimum wage. Our House of Assembly men were busy milking the nation. They remain the highest paid employees in the nation (yes also in the world!). Yet, evry tenure, the House allocates money for Officers’ quarters only to offer it up for sale to themselves at the tail end of their tenure. The next set of Assembly members come in and the cycle goes on again … presently, official quarters of key official are up for sale and Mr. President hasn’t said anything
21. While we have recorded successes in terms of reforms within the financial and economic sectors everyone admits it has not translated into economic progress for the average Nigerian. The key issue? Infrastructure. But then PDP’s approach is to award more contracts to cronies? Will this ever work?
22. Of course everything is hitting the roof and income sources are dipping fast; Fertilizer: N1,200/bag in 1999 and N4,800 in 2011; Sugar:N2,500/bag in 1999 and N8,500 in 2011; Cooking Gas:N450 in 1999 and N3,000 in 2011; Rice:N2,500 in 1999 and N9,000 in 2011. Well the people benefiting from the system will never know the difference.
23. In a country where people were complaining and finding difficult to eat, my President expended 17 Billion Naira to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of a nation to which he admitted that the only thing to celebrate was our being together. ( CNN interview: - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYj9coCZpc8)
24. Of course Jonathan seems like the good guy with all the luck, but then he is learning the ropes fast. The people he has been encouraged to approach for donations don’t give donations, they make investments
25. Finally I look at the myriad of challenges and courage it will take to lead Nigeria. I look at our multifaceted challenges and the amount of gusto the next leader will need to have. I look at the multitude of varied interests and opinions that need attention in Nigeria. I look at the contestants and I have decided to do President Jonathan a favour and not vote him into power.

In the last few weeks I have seen people give support because they want an honest man. I have seen the eyes of the okada man brighten with the possibilities of a new Nigeria. I have seen Christians go for meetings in a mosque (and vice versa) for a new system of leadership. I have taken time to be on the streets, I have seen the efforts of someone’s NGN1000 and another’s NGN50 make a difference in our efforts. I have seen the enlightened and the uneducated agree to pull our efforts in the direction we believe in. We can never remain the same again, we have seen the light; we have embraced the new Nigeria from afar. I see it; I smell it, a nation where your diligence makes a difference; a nation of equal opportunities to succeed. A nation we will believe in and not the one we will be leaving; a nation where sound character can stand as legal tender. Between that dream and our present realities are our votes. I have decided to cast mine for the Buhari-Bakare ticket, what about you

HEAVEN OR HELL!

While walking down the street one day a Corrupt Senator was tragically hit by a car and died. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance."Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.""No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.."Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.""Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator."I'm sorry, but we have our rules."And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down,down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St.Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven.."So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St.Peter returns."Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity." The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers:"Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell...Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders."I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"The devil smiles at him and says,"Yesterday WE were campaigning. Today, YOU voted.."

Vote wisely in Elections 2011

BODE, TIBI TIBI NKO?

SAW THIS ON A FRIEND'S WALL.... COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING!!!!! “Madam Roli, Madam Roli, can you tell our people outside to reduce the noise? I am trying to have a word with Bode on behalf of the elders’ caucus of the PDP. We need to debrief your husband.”
“Ok, Baba, I will tell them. I hope your people are fine in Otta sir”

“O kare iyawo wa. Well done, our dear wife. Ku afoju ba once again. Your husband is looking younger even after the enemies have done their worst.”

“Em... Baba, Roli is my wife o. Not our wife. I’m still alive abeg. I only went to jail. Anyway, Roli, se awon supporters won yen ti jeun? They’ve eaten? Good. Tell them to reduce the noise like Baba said. Tell them we are expecting twelve more trailers of cows tomorrow for distribution to each ward. The remaining five trailers of aso ebi should be reserved for the women’s delegation coming from Abuja.”

“Bode, once again, ka’abo. You are welcome. We thank God. Where are the traitors behind your travails today? Awon da loni? One languished in a hospital in Saudi Arabia before returning home to meet his maker. The rest of that rude and power drunk cabal is history. They did all this to you just to get at me. Awon afore su ni se buruku.”

“Baba, e ku ile once again. I am so happy to be back with you and I am moved to tears by all the support from our people. Our convoy could hardly move through the crowd of supporters. We even performed better than when Alamsco returned from London to the warm of embrace of his people in Akwa Ibom. God has really honoured us. But where are Gbenga and Ayo? They came to the church and should have followed us home in the convoy.”

(Baba laughs)

“Why? Am I missing something?”

“Ah, Bode, see what prison has done to you. God soda Yar’Adua’s mouth wherever he is. I thought they allowed you to read newspapers and watch TV in the presidential wing of kirikiri that we arranged for you?”

“I still don’t understand what I am missing here.”

“Well, all lizards lie prostrate. How to tell the one with a bellyache?”

“Meaning?”

“Haba, Bode, you no longer know the meaning of all lizards lie prostrate? A ni gbogbo alangba lo danu de le. Just because you saw Gbenga Daniel and Ayo Fayose in church does not mean that they are still with us.”

“O ti o. Those are our boys now”

“Ah, Bode, things happened while you were away! Iya je mi! You won’t believe that Gbenga became so power drunk and arrogant that he started pointing in the direction of Otta with his left hand!”

“Haba, Baba, Gbenga cannot do that to you. He cannot do that to us! Mo j’eri e. Gbenga is a river that came into being before our very eyes. How can its currents sweep one away?”

“That’s what my eyes saw o, Bode, but I still dey kampe sha.”

“So Gbenga is truly misbehaving? What happened? We were around when that boy was born. Oju wa na se bi. We even watched him grow up. Awa la wo d’agba. How can he turn against you, Baba?”

“That is life for you, Bode. Osoba won that election but we did our usual do and gave Gbenga egusi soup but he has now drenched his chest with palm oil. But Gbenga’s own is even small o. The arifin I have been receiving from Fayose is worse”

“Ehn, Ayo Fayose too?”

“Yes o, I don’t even know the mouth with which to tell that one’s story. That bastard saw me in Okuku and called me a father of bastards.”

“Eewo! Abomination! Fayose said that to you?”

“Look, Bode, today is not the day to talk about all these useless boys that we picked up from the gutter and made governors. We have work to do. We have so much lost territory to reconquer. We lost most of the southwest in your absence. And Fashola has been behaving here in Lagos like the rat that became a landlord in the absence of the cat.”



“This is all so depressing, Baba. How did we lose Ekiti, Ondo, and Osun? Where was Goodluck Jonathan?”



“Jonathan? Bode, please don’t mention tails in the presence of frogs. I have been trying hard to use patience in my dealings with that man.”



“And it’s not working? Didn’t they say that she controls the man?”



“Who is talking about his wife? I mean one needs patience to deal with Goodluck because of his perpetual sme sme. He has been misbehaving on the do-or-die front. He is not delivering at all. For instance, he was supposed to have announced a presidential pardon for you as part of a process of national healing before our convoy arrived here from church. That is what we instructed him to do. We also asked him to upgrade your national honour to GCON. Once your rehabilitation is complete, I am thinking of retiring and handling over the mantle of Founder of Modern Nigeria to you.”



“That is true o. I am surprised that he hasn’t announced my presidential pardon yet. Maybe he wants to announce it when I join him for breakfast in the Villa next week.”



“He has surrounded himself with too many drunken fishermen sailors who are talking nonsense and making him wobble and fumble through every assignment we give him. Just imagine what he did with our winning formula for the April elections.”



“What’s the formula, Baba?”



“As you know, we are going to win the election the usual way and we expect Buhari, Ribadu, and Utomi to go to court as usual after addressing press conferences with my friend, Jimmy Carter. We know what will happen when they get to the Supreme Court because the judgement to be read by Katisna-Alu and supported by Ogebe will be written by some of my boys in Otta. In fact, we already have anticipatory drafts and Katsina-Alu will be in Otta to practice judgement delivery next week. Our only problem is the Court of Appeal where Justice Ayo Salami has refused to play ball so far. We asked Goodluck to take care of that problem.”



“That’s a small problem now.”



“That’s what we thought. Jonathan outsourced the assignment to Katsina-Alu and they somehow bungled it. The whole thing exploded in our faces, causing untold embarrassment. Now, the man is still there as President of the Appeal Court and that could cause a lot of problems for us in April.”



“That’s true Baba. That is one problem we need to solve immediately. Why didn’t they just use the Esa Oke protocol? Didn’t anyone think of that?”



“Of course we thought of the Esa Oke protocol. One of my boys even mentioned it to me again recently during Oyinlola’s birthday thanksgiving in Okuku but after careful consideration we decided to just leave that option on the table for now.”



“That’s good, Baba but I hope that Anenih, Andy Uba, Ahmadu Ali, Babangida, and all our other people are aware that we may need to put that option to good use after April...”



“Yes, our people are fully aware of that. Let’s talk serious business jare. Bode, tibi nko?



“Tibi?”



“Yes, Bode, what about tibi? Where is tibi?”



“Baba, I don’t understand the tibi that you are talking about o.”



“Bode, you just love to joke with serious matters. Abeg, talk better jare. The day is far spent. A o r’ojo mu so l’okun. I still need to get to Otta today.”



“Baba, I’m serious o. I don’t understand the tibi that you are talking about. Unbind me. E tu mi nle.”



“Bode, are you serious?”



“Baba, I’m not joking o.”



“Bode, you are starting to annoy me. Must I speak with the full complement of my mouth?”



“Baba, I honestly don’t understand what you are talking about.”



“I am talking about the eighty billion naira.”



“Eighty billion?”



“Bode, you are misbehaving o. Did the judge who sent you to prison ask you to refund kobo? Look at what happened to Tafa Balogun, Lucky Igbinedion, and Cecilia Ibru who all went through the injustice of having to refund a small part of their jibiti to the Nigerian state. You think your head is different from theirs? When did monkeys start boasting of a better destiny than gorillas?”



“Baba...”



“Don’t baba me at all Bode. Did Balogun, Igbinedion, and Ibru offend God? No. But they were asked to refund various sums of money. Who do you think worked the miracle that allowed you to keep all of your own tibi and to return to it and all the interest accumulated after thirty months in prison?”



“Baba...”



“I am still talking, Bode. Who do you think worked that miracle for you? Enoch Adeboye? David Oyedepo? Chris Oyakhilome? No, my friend. Some of us pulled a lot of strings during your trial. The judge didn’t wake up and allowed you to keep eighty billion naira just like that.”

“But Baba...”



“No need to argue any further, Bode. Here is what you will do. You will do omoluwabi to me with five billion naira; you will do omoluwabi to the Jonathan/Sambo campaign with five billion naira; you will do omoluwabi to the PDP national secretariat with five billion naira; you will earmark another five billion naira for omoluwabi to other deserving stakeholders, elder statesmen, and chieftains of the PDP. That still leaves you sixty billion naira and interest accrued. Go and sin no more with that one.”



“Haba, Baba, you won’t even let me rest before...”



“Bode, Bode, Bode, how many times have I called you? Farida Waziri has been a very good girl since Ribadu was booted out of the EFCC. She has been a very useful girl. If you now need outsiders to explain omoluwabi to you, I can get Jonathan to activate Waziri.”



“Baba, all I am trying to say is that the money is...”



“O-r-d-e-r-l-y!!!!!!”



“Sah!!!!!!”



“Tell the driver to get ready. We are leaving for Otta right now.”

LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT. DR. GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN

Dear Sir,
It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow I write this. The events of the last weekend left me in a state of disbelief and surprise. It left me feeling really stupid, illogical, irrational, and worst of all naive.
I was up until the events of this last weekend a staunch believer in your rights to run for the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I was a dogged advocate of justice and equity being served by allowing the Niger Delta produce the next President with a real mandate. I am disappointed in the line you chose to tow. Who does the kind of thing you did at this time in a Presidential election year?
In my books, you were the best ever chance the South-south had to get some form of real development to come to the region, to the creeks, to Oloibiri and to Opuekeba. You were the best opportunity to make Shell, Chevron, and all the big oil players to show some respect to the soil of where you were born, the desecrated, scorched and scorned land of your fathers and forefathers. I carried a banner and joined other youths from Eagle Square to the hallowed gates of the National Assembly in Abuja, under the constant danger of the Police suddenly turning maniac and cutting me short in my prime..We all were chanting “Enough is Enough”. Before then, I joined a multitude to scream and rant and vent at the Fountain of Unity in Abuja…all of these asking that the “cabal” release their grasp on power and allow you, sir, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, become President. This was because I thought you were a man of integrity, a simple man with a simple plan – a plan to jettison the still – birthed 7-point agenda and set in motion a real plan to getting electricity stable, get universities properly funded, and deal decisively with the abysmal security in the country. I debated, I argued, I talked everywhere I could about your innocence, about your capability, and about your integrity. Even when last year, terrorists struck severally, killing, maiming, and taking away the virginity of our psyche to such level and sophistication of horror, I still argued your trustworthiness. I didnt allow fear becloud my convictions, I didnt waver in my opinions, I stood resolutely behind you.
Then you struck!
I can remember vividly, in the early days of your campaign, you used a footage of CThief Bode George, you cited him as one of the examples of what your government will do to corrupt public officers, no matter how high they are in society, no matter their estate in life. I hailed the fact that, even though it was seen as a slap on the wrist, the government you were part of sent the aging criminal to jail, effectively turning him into an ex-convict and by virtue of that making him unfit to ever hold public office again and saving us from his hunger for loot. I am sure he tried everything in his power to wriggle free, but still you made sure he completed his term.
So what went wrong? why the sudden volte-face? Why did the whole of the Peoples Democratic Party throng Kirikiri Prisons to go welcome him? A welcome that was befitting enough for a conquering General, a welcome befitting a King, royalty, a welcome even OBJ didnt get when he had his go at gulag time. What is that hidden magic you all realized the criminal had? Did a voice from within the prison walls speak to you sir, that Bode George was your talisman to winning the April elections? Why did you have to do something so preposterous? Something so abominable. With a Phd, I would have expected you to know that Bode George shouldn’t have been touched even via bluetooth!!! but Alas you sent a representative, a senior member of your cabinet, to the shameful church service, presided over by a man of satan who is surely headed for hell. Oh, you probably didnt know what Bode George did? Is that your story Sir? Ok, let me act the fool which you obviously think I am and assume you don’t know, I will hold your hands and tell you what the former Chairman of the NPA did – He stole our money, my money, taxpayers money! He was at the head of a gang of contract inflaters. That was why the honourable court sent him to jail. We all applauded the bravery of the court and the sincerity of the government. So Sir, please tell us, does it mean you condone corruption, or probably even corrupt yourself, or what other thing influenced this very uneducated “mistake”. I have a feeling you were almost kicking yourself for not personally making the welcome party of calumny. I shed a tear inside for what is left of my country.
I see you on TV telling me, and other people who worked their nails off to afford the TV you appear on, that “I am one of you” – how???? How can you be? We applauded the jailing of that ex-convict, you probably wept in your home, you wept because this might be your fate if you commit that kind of atrocity and you were caught. And when he got released, we all wanted him to go home quietly, have a shower and settle down into life as a nobody, we werent happy he got off so easily, we frowned. But I suspect you popped champagne, you jubilated because you suddenly say a ray of hope on the horizon. Sad stuff.
What does this tell us? folks like James Ibori, Lucky Igbinedion, just to mention a few are getting away with their crime, they will all comeback home from exile or jail heralded as heroes. May God punish them all!!
Mr. President, I wish I could add “outgoing” to your title, it would have given me so much joy, but I wont, but I will instead tell you one thing – either the elections are free or not, you have lost my vote, and that of many Nigerian youths who make up about 70% of our dear country, and mark my words sir, we shall come out en-masse on April 9th, and vote and vote till we run out of time and eligible voters. I hope you are taking particular note of happenings around the world, and I hope that will give you pause. Since you have chosen to side with the devil…..we have chosen to side with the power of our votes and our resolve to make Nigeria great again. You wont be left with any other option than to attempt to rig this election. I assure you, God is on our side.
So long Dr. GEJ, see you at the polling booths, and give my regards to your pal, Bode George, tell him that God is merciful, but also a God of wrath and anger. I shall type no more.
God bless our motherland.
Yours Sincerely,
Naija Citizen

REFLECTIONS ON BUHARI PRESIDENCY

I READ THIS SOMEWHERE AND I FELT I MUST SHARE IT



From all indications Nigeria looks set for the April general election. Although one expects a hitch-free exercise, Muhammadu Buhari’s recent warning against rigging and against the replication of the North African scenario in Nigeria bears amplification. I believe that the only revolution possible here is a progressive one and President Goodluck Jonathan has already kick-started it, unwittingly though. Thus, as from April, we only require a proactive government in order to take it to the next level.
Nigerians afraid that the revolutionary wind sweeping across North Africa and the Arab world could spill over to the rest of the continent should perish the thought. Anyone familiar with the history of North Africa will attest to the fact that the unfolding scenario is hardly strange to the region. There will be nothing like that in Nigeria in April or the nearest future. The people of Tunisia are united by religion, tribe and tongue. Ditto for the Egyptians, Algerians and Libyans.
By promising free and fair elections and pursuing the same, and refusing to echo the familiar refrain of the Obasanjo/Ogbulafor satanic ballad which said that the PDP would rule the country for 60 consecutive years, Jonathan has unwittingly unleashed a tethered polity. He has thus encouraged liberal politics which has enabled even his ministers to resign and join parties of their choice without being victimized.
This to me is revolution par excellence.
Today, the PDP must embrace reform or disintegrate like the Whigs suffered in 18th century Britain as a result of inexorable socio-political reforms necessitated by the agricultural and industrial revolutions, resulting in the emergence of the Liberal Party which took over control of governance from 1760. Since the end of World War II, the Tories or Conservatives and Labor have taken over.
The ongoing realignment of forces has significantly enriched our politics. It has helped the Action Congress of Nigeria ACN to attract members who have broadened its outlook with the possibility of winning not just ordinary seats outside the southwest but also gubernatorial contests. Above all, the unleashing of the polity has ensured the emergence of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)-as a party to watch. In fact, I must confess that I am fascinated by the concept of the CPC and its presidential ticket. It appears to be the party with the most thought-provoking title and most profound message.
The idea of “progressive change” couldn’t have been arrived at by rule of tongue. The change that could effectively take root in Nigeria, let me repeat for the umpteenth time; will be progressive unlike in North Africa where it happens in one fell swoop.
Therefore, I do doff my hat to Buhari and co for their wisdom, maturity and foresight. Buhari is a beacon. Even though for four consecutive years (1975-1979) he was in a position to amass wealth (as state governor and as Petroleum Minister/Chairman, NNPC and later (1994) as Chairman Petroleum Trust Fund) he was never swayed by material possession, perhaps believing like Chaucer that “overplenty feeds the pride which poverty conquers.”
Anyone who has closely followed his political career will appreciate that though he is self-effacing and near taciturn, he is honest and resilient, consistent and courageous, patriotic, frugal, selfless and hardworking. Let me also confess at this point that I have never been enamored of the idea of any transformed military officer leading a democratic dispensation in Nigeria. But all that has faded in the face of the hydra-headed troubles of the land.
It is true that President Jonathan is not doing badly in the face of all this, but to what extent can he cope in the years ahead? The office today requires a person with “big biceps”. If Jonathan’s biceps are not big enough, which of the other parties, beyond sentiment, can save us from a situation that calls for real courage, gumption, initiative, decisiveness and a measure of aggressiveness?
President Jonathan is of the mould of Jimmy Carter-a dovish kind of leader-whereas the contemporary challenges of the office call for either a Ronald Reagan, or Bill Clinton or a Charles De Gaulle since the Churchills are very rare breed. I would prefer a president like De Gaulle of whose image Buhari reminds me.
In 1958, France’s many woes-domestic and foreign-forced the return of De Gaulle, a World War hero and highly disciplined leader, back to power. Thus was born the French Fifth Republic.
Conscious that part of the country’s troubles stemmed from official ineptitude and colonialism, De Gaulle made up his mind right from the beginning to let go of all colonies. To achieve this, he had asked for and obtained the enabling constitution plus the powers of executive president. He then systematically proceeded to out-maneuver the notorious French forces at home and abroad, decimated the OAS in Algeria, stopped political terrorism and in the end France stepped out majestically and was able not only to explode its own nuclear bomb in 1959 but also look NATO in the face and say no.
In view of the Nigerian situation which resembles that of France in 1958, I am inclined to think that between Jonathan and Buhari, only the later can effectively manage here. The combination of Buhari and Bakare is novel and unprecedented in Nigerian politics. I don’t know Buhari from Adam and although it is difficult to forgive and forget his jailing of Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor, he appears compassionate.
I was editor of Satellite the Enugu based newspaper in 1984, when Buhari as Head of State paid a four-day state visit to Anambra State. The Governor, Allison Madueke had ordered the arrest and detention of my colleague and editor of Sunday Satellite Chigozie Ozim on the flimsy excuse that he published a letter to the editor considered to be offensive to the Anambra State government. All entreaties for clemency by the management of the company and other sympathizers fell on deaf ears.
Ozim’s Wife Urel was six months pregnant when her husband was arrested and had been delivered of a baby boy two weeks before Buhari’s visit. The baby, because of the incarceration of the father could not be named. Mrs. Ozim thus seized the opportunity of Buhari’s visit to cry out for help.
With her baby in tow she came to the newsroom and broke down in tears. “Please help bring the plight of my husband to the knowledge of the Head of State, I have suffered a lot”, she cried with tears flowing freely. Pointing at her baby, she continued, “This child won’t grow up a happy boy if he is reared in bitterness, agony and avoidable hardship. You can see this baby has no name because his father is not around and I have no access to him”.
The next day, September 24, 1984, we published the story front page, together with the picture of Mrs Ozim and her baby. The minister of internal affairs, Major General Magoro who was on the entourage of Buhari drew his attention to the story and Ozim was released even before the end of the tour. For a man who often appeared to be uncompromisingly strict in public, such manifestation of considerable personal empathy in private is an enamouring attribute of great leaders.
(Nzeakah, a journalist writes from Lagos)

A NEW BREED WITHOUT GREED!!

When the Youth Department of my Church decided to put together a programme/seminar on the 29th of May 2010 marking Nigeria’s “Democracy day”, it was more than a welcome idea for me to be part of it and believe me, I enjoyed myself and I make bold to say I have never learnt so much in one day about my country and what we are supposed to do to birth a new NIGERIA………..

The programme tagged “THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN THE NEW NIGERIA” had speakers like Mr. Jimi Agbaje, the DPA Governorship Candidate for Lagos State in the last Gubernatorial Election, Dr.Joe-Okei Odumakin, the Convener, Campaign for Democracy and Dr. Tunde Bakare, Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly. I will try to be very brief and share with you few things I learnt from these three dynamic persons. Pardon me if along the line I sound as if those words were coming from me, they are really not but they are coming from my fingers and from inside of me.

Shocked was an understatement when Jimi Agbaje was reeling out statistics of many things in my dear Country. But the ones that struck me and I remember vividly was the fact that poverty rate in Nigeria in 54% which translates to about 75 million people and these people live on less than 1 dollar a day………… Incredible……..!!! Life expectancy in Nigeria is 42 years for male and 48 years for female…………. I have lived the better years of my life????.....!!! We have approximately 80 million Youth in Nigeria and out of these number, 64 million are unemployed, 1.6 million are underemployed which means they are just working for the sake of having somewhere to wake up and head to and 4.5 million Youth enter the labour market every year for the non-existent jobs….. We are in trouble….!!!!!!! He went on to tell us what we can do to birth a NEW NIGERIA as Youths of this great country. First is choosing our role models carefully. Who do you want to be like? The Iboris of this world or the Obamas of this world? I was dumbfounded when he reeled out Nigerians who we see as “Big” men and women and how much EFCC is probing them for and the least was 1.2billion of my Nigerian Naira and the highest was 227 billion…..!!!! I asked myself, Did they actually get all these money from this land? Well, YES………!!!

But what I really took home and will share here is what Pastor Tunde Bakare shared with us, I will try and share them like my own words but believe me I learnt them from him.

In life, we always envy other people, other countries, other culture and everything that belongs to others. The grass is always looking good at the other side, we always say some people are at more advantage than we are, but the truth is there is what is called “PRINCIPLE OF EQUIVALENT ADVANTAGE” it posits “Every problem that has a potential of drawing you back also has a potential of moving you forward” you may want to relate with this or not but I want you to know that every possibility has difficulties and every difficulty has possibility, the determining factor of who of who you become is not the circumstances of your birth, the colour of your skin, the village or hamlet you come from, the school you attended or the people who gave birth to you, but it is the thought you keep, the ones you meditate on and the size of the hope you carry that will be determine who you will become. I have seen people who attended the best schools in the world and the best most of them have become is an employee in a very nice and normal organization, taking home their normal take-home pay, marry a normal spouse, have normal children, live in a normal house, grow old in a normal way, die a normal death, have a normal burial and have a 3x5 column obituary in a normal Newspaper…..! end of story……!!!! But I think anyone who is a new breed who wants to affect his generation must not wish for that kind of life, I personally do not want to live the kind of life just painted above.
In every society, especially among the youth we have basically 4 types of people and if you are a youth, you must fall into one category here. They are:

THE OVER-PAMPERED, WITH THE ENTITLEMENTS MENTALITY. These group of people always believe that they must have other people doing things for them, whether their parents, their society or their country. They are always waiting for inheritance and never say thank you for people who bless them with anything simply because they think they deserve more at all times, they never value anything and they are never contented. Now, do not get me wrong, I am not just referring to some rich kids here, in fairness to them some of them are very hardworking and will work for every penny they earn but in reality so many of the rich kids belong to this group and others simply follow them always demanding for what could be done for them and not what they can do for others.

THE DESPERADOES. This group of people are typical strugglers, they constantly want to be like the over pampered, they are simply envious of them so they do anything and everything to get whatever it is they think someone or some people somewhere is owing them, they are the kind of people that believe money can do anything will do anything for money, they are always in haste to meet up with the current trend and just live large at the expense of anybody and everybody, they are yahoo boys and girls, they are girls who use what they have (body) to get what they want, they are the fraudsters and cheats in every sphere of our national life, they are the young generation of politicians who came from ghettoes and loot our treasury blind to preserve their 14th unborn generation. These people have zeal without the right knowledge, they do just about anything without thinking about anyone but themselves, they are people who don’t even think about the consequences of their actions, the effect it is going to have on the society at large, they constantly look on the other side and want to check out as soon as possible, they queue in front of every embassy including that one of Siberia, they travelled across Africa via the Sahara desert just to get to Spain. They just want to live large……AT ALL COST!

THE SPECTATORS. These people are totally disconnected from what is happening around them, they are just there reading the papers, the magazines, watching TV and never do anything about what they hear or see. It is often said “Those who spend too much time watching TV never appear on it”. They never participate. They cheer and condemn very loudly from the sidelines or the stands and never lend a hand, a voice or an opinion ever in their lifetime. English premiership comes to mind as a good example in this area, so many of us watch and will give anything away just to see “our” darling team play. But while some are making it happen on the pitch, some in the boardroom, some in the news room making money from talking football and others on the internet and through so many avenues and all what some of us do is just to watch…….!!!! We can do better than that concerning our National issues. We have to be fired up, put our hands on the plough and willing to go hungry for what we believe in.

THE STAKEHOLDERS. These set of people might be few, their voice might be muffled, they might be busted, bruised and battered at every opportunity but when they arise, they make a difference, they were the Martin Luther King Jnr of this world, the Malcom x of this world, the Ghandi of this world, the Keyamos of our time, the Femi Falanas, Tunde Bakares and so many of them I can’t mention here. They see themselves as units who make the whole. They don’t sit down and just rant about everything, they get in the kitchen and do it right, they go out there and vote right, they defend their votes with everything they have, they make their votes count, they raise their voice against tyranny and oppression in khaki or Agbada and Babariga. So, which group do you belong? The Over-pampered? The desperadoes? The Spectators? or The stakeholders? It is time to rise, take our national destinies in our own hands, determine our fate, it is time to belong to the new breed without greed!!

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!

You have got to be kidding me if u say the death of former president Umaru Musa Yar'adua shocked you...

You have got to be kidding me if u say u didnt make or laugh at jokes about his medical conditions...

You have got to be kidding me if u didnt realise that his state of health was not his fault, and he didnt choose to live a sick and unfortunate life...

You have got to be kidding me if u didnt know that he was just 'forced' into presidency... Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he had no choice...

You have got to be kidding me if u blame his wife- Turai, for being a loving n protective wife... What help could those who wanted to see a dying man render?? They were probably going to see him to mock him anyways.

You have got to be kidding me if u don't feel pity 4 a man who served d country the best way he could even under pressure.

You have got to be kidding me if u dont know u will die one day.

Bad things happen to people.. We cant decide our destiny, we can only pray n be the best we can, live life to the fullest each day, cherish the ones that we love and try to leave our footprints in the sands of time... Many people die each day without being recognised 4 any thing- good or bad... They are forgotten as if they never lived. Like it or not, Umaru Musa Yar'adua will always be remembered as the controversial president who tried his best to give his best to the country despite his medical conditions... He thought he could make the difference.. His spirit was strong, but his body was weak..
HE CAME, HE SAW, HE CONQUERED
If u don't realise this by now... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!

5 LIES ALL WOMEN TELL!!

You trust her, you adore her, and you worship the ground she walks on. However, make no mistake about it, gentlemen; all women lie in certain situations and your little angel is no exception. For the sake of this article and to help you out, we've narrowed the spectrum to the essential five lies all women tell. Sometimes, they just tell these lies to make you feel good about yourself but it still remains a lie. Certain lies occur much more frequently than others. It's up to you to learn the five lies all women tell, and how to handle them.

"I'M NOT MAD AT YOU."
Oh, yes she is. Don't think you're getting off that easily. This lie is one of the most frequently used in relationships. Typically, women who have been hurt by men in their lives -- often inadvertently -- use this phrase as an emotional defense. For example, if a guy forgets his girlfriend's birthday, calls her by his ex's name or commits any of the other minor screw-up’s that most men do on a daily basis; women usually can't just let it go. They dwell on it, letting worries whittle away normal feelings of well-being.

Instead of admitting that she's actually quite hurt by his relatively minor offense, the woman will halfheartedly pretend that she doesn't care at all. In reality, she does care, very much so, but doesn't want to look too bitchy about it, so she puts up the flimsiest of facades to indicate otherwise and tells one of the five lies all women tell.

LIE RADAR: This lie is extremely easy to pick up on because women barely bother to hide their irritation in this situation. As unfair as it may seem, they basically want men to read their minds and learn that, in this case, "No, I'm not angry" actually means "I am shooting invisible hate laser beams at you right now, please pick up on it." Excessive eye rolling, mean tones and passive-aggressive behavior in general are dead giveaways.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Save yourself some time and headaches later on by calling her on her real feelings and discussing why she's so angry.

"I DON'T MIND IF YOU GO TO STRIP CLUBS WITH THE BOYS."
Wow, you have the coolest girlfriend ever! Not quite. If this one sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. Virtually all women mind when their men go out to ogle other women at strip clubs without them. It's only a question of how much they mind.

This one of the five lies women tell is very similar to lie No. 1, in that it is told by women to make themselves seem less pathetically needy. In general, women are extremely wary of their boyfriends being in highly sexually charged situations without them. Also, they hate to feel second best to a boys' night out. In this case, she's either telling one of the five lies all women tell to save face or to test you.

For the same reasons, they are also lying when they say they don't mind you checking out other women in front of them.

LIE RADAR: This lie is usually a little bit more artfully concealed than the first because it's a little bit more pathetic to own up to one's insecurity. It's best to just always assume that this statement is a lie.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: You're probably better off just not going. Ask yourself: Are two hours of bare booty worth weeks, even months, of bitchy comments?

"I'M JUST NOT READY FOR A BOYFRIEND RIGHT NOW."
Once again, this statement is almost always false, although at least it's told with the best intentions, in order to soften rejection. It might be followed by an additional excuse such as: "I just came out of a bad relationship, and I don't want to be hurt again," or "I'm just too busy with my career right now to have a boyfriend." The truth is, if the woman is single and at all interested in you, she will certainly make the time to date you. It's that simple.

LIE RADAR: Does she seem uncomfortable, avoid eye contact, talk too much, and come up with numerous excuses? Liar, liar, miniskirt on fire.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Let it go. Don't bother letting her know that you see through it. Take the easy way out by pretending you believe her for your own personal dignity, and just walk away. She will come after you………!

"I DON'T MIND PICKING UP THE TAB TONIGHT; YOU ALWAYS PAY ANYWAY."
Not true. Although this lie doesn't apply to all women, most still do expect men to pay for things, especially if the man asked them out in the first place. They will secretly think that the guy is cheap if he wriggles out of the bill on a regular basis. Men should always at least offer to pay for dinner if they have asked the woman out. If she protests vigorously, then you can hold on but if she just protests casually, she's only doing it out of politeness -- so pay for it.

LIE RADAR: If she says: "Oh, I'll cover this," but doesn't even make the motion of rooting around in her purse for her wallet, it means that she has no real intention of paying.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Dude, just go to the date fully prepared to pay for the whole thing. In later stages of the relationship, you can work out a fair way to determine who treats who when, but in the early, critical dating stages, don't risk looking cheap.

"THAT WAS FUCKING GREAT!"
This lie falls under the broad category of sex lies. When women are committed to a man, they focus on him, often believing, time and time again, that he is "the one." Because girls have this tendency, they also tell guys whatever they think they want to hear (like they just had an orgasm), just to make them feel good about themselves.

Sex lies are a dime a dozen. Other sex untruths women often tell are the following: "I only cum with you"; "You have the longest penis"; "Yes, I came"; and "I've only been with X number of guys before." (They will decrease their actual number of sex partners because they're worried you will think they're promiscuous.)

LIE RADAR: When it comes to sex, that most sensitive of topics, it's safe to say that you should take most things she tells you with a grain of salt.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: You shouldn't be asking her to rate her sexual experiences, period. That's just in poor taste. If she offers you one of the lies above on her own, however, laugh and change the subject, as if to say: "That's flattering, but I don't really take these things too seriously as long as we're both happy with our sex life."

Now that you know the five lies all women tell, be on the lookout for them, and react accordingly. Once she learns that you can't be tricked, she'll be more straightforward with you in the future.

WHEN TO GET TESTED

In today’s age of life-threatening sexually transmitted infections, you have every right to know that your potential girlfriend/boyfriend has a clean bill of health before climbing into bed with him/her. You’re also entitled to a little reassurance at other points in the relationship, when the need arises. Some will find the idea of asking such question intimidating, which is understandable, as the recipients of such question often find them offensive.

Not to worry; asking is far less difficult than you realize, and a little sensitivity can go a long way. The following tips will help you determine when to get tested, and how to ask him/her to do the same.

New relationship
Unless you’ve been tested during the last 24 hours, or have been abstinent since your last checkup, it’s a good idea to suggest mutual STI testing when starting a brand new relationship. This will ensure your partner doesn’t feel like you’re accusing him/her of being already infected, and will put the focus on mutual health -- as opposed to only safeguarding your own. Tell your partner you think it might be a good idea if you both drop into your local clinic for some peace of mind. If he/she recoils in horror at the idea of visiting the clinic together, that’s fine; testing for women especially is more involved and many prefer using their own gynecologist. Either option is fine, as long as he/she chooses one of them.

Testing tip: If your partner flat-out rejects the idea, this could mean he/she is afraid of learning the answer, which suggests he/she is no stranger to risky behavior. This doesn’t mean your partner is infected, but it does mean you’d be wise to use protection until things are proven otherwise.

Trying to get pregnant
If parenthood is on the agenda, both you and your woman should be tested for STDs before you start trying -- even if you were both tested at the start of your relationship. Why? Because most sexually transmitted infections have a window of time during which they can slip beneath the radar. In other words, one of you could still be infected, despite your test results having said otherwise. It’s important to note that your results are both as important; either of you could be carrying an infection the other hasn’t yet acquired, but the woman could acquire during pregnancy. This is highly significant, because diseases like syphilis and hepatitis B (blood-borne infections that can be asymptomatic for decades) can be passed from mother to fetus, sometimes resulting in premature delivery or stillbirth.

Testing tip: If the woman hasn’t already suggested this one herself, the guy should approach it from the angle of responsibility. By telling her you know it’s unlikely either of you has anything to pass on to your future child, but you want to ensure the baby’s health at all costs. Your woman will find the suggestion admirable and endearing.

Either of you have cheated
If either you or your partner has cheated, it’s time to get tested. This goes for whether or not the cheater went the whole nine yards. When it comes to oral sex, women can pick up Chlamydia and gonorrhea during fellatio -- and they can pass it to someone else the same way. You should also be tested if either of you cheated “safely.” Bacterial STIs, like the aforementioned Chlamydia and gonorrhea, don’t require intercourse for transmission; heavy petting is all it takes. The same goes for incurable diseases like herpes, the gift that keeps on giving. Cheating is like opening a box of rotten chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get, but whatever it is, it won't be pleasant.

Testing tip: If either of you just confessed to cheating, the cheating partner should be asked to get tested immediately. This is especially important if you’re going to stay together and work through the infidelity. Waiting a few weeks, or months, to broach the question will only re-open the wound, which could undo any emotional healing that’s already taken place.

One of you notices physical changes
As we mentioned earlier, most sexually transmitted infections have a window of time during which they can go be undetected. If an STI goes unnoticed in the early stages, the symptoms could mistakenly be dismissed as benign when they finally present themselves. For example, if the woman develops an unusual genital ulcer five months into your relationship, it’s more than reasonable to expect her to get tested again. After all, illnesses of that nature are particularly difficult to detect.

The same goes for the guy; if the woman notices a significant change in the smell or color of her man’s semen, the man shouldn’t be offended if she brings it to his attention and asks him to get tested. Follow-up testing is in both of your best interests. In the other way round, if a guy notices some changes in his woman’s body he should ask her how she’s feeling, tell her he is worried about her, and think she should visit her gynecologist to rule out infection.

Testing tip: Don’t come out and mention STIs right away; mention the symptoms and give him/her a chance to draw his/her own conclusions. If he/she doesn’t connect the dots, say that you think it would be a good idea if you both had some follow-up testing done. This will sound more like genuine concern and less like an accusation.

Better safe than sorry
While few people relish the idea of asking a partner to get tested, it’s a pleasant alternative to coming down with a sexually transmitted infection. If you approach the situation from the angle of mutual responsibility, most people will agree to get tested without taking offense. After all, they will feel better knowing that you’re free of infection too. Let your partner know that your concern is genuine and he/she will view your suggestions as the epitome of responsibility -- and women especially just love a responsible man. Don’t they?

ARE YOU BEING COMPARED TO THE EX?

Being in a relationship can be fun and exciting because it brings new memories and experiences to your life. You feel new emotions toward a person while you get to know them, never knowing what to expect next -- hopefully, only the best.

But what if your girlfriend keeps comparing you to her ex-boyfriend? What do you do then? It's understandable that we all have benchmarks when it comes to love; standards which we hope to exceed. This only makes sense.

If comparisons to your girlfriend’s ex (assuming her ex-boyfriend met certain standards) become a daily routine, however, then you might have a problem. "My old boyfriend had a bigger car, my ex used to kiss better, my ex used to cal more often, my ex this, my ex that." You can see how this can quickly become a problem.

CASE OF THE EX
Inadvertently, your girlfriend is always looking for a steady and loving boyfriend. So, since she's not with the ex anymore, it's obviously because she's on the lookout for someone better (unless he dumped her hard and fast). And her way of gauging where you measure up to her ex(s) is to compare you with her tainted past. Some women do it subconsciously, some simply make mental comparisons, while others don't beat around the bush, and tell you up close and personal what the deal is.

I'm pretty sure these women don't realize the negative effects this can have on men; if they did, they would think twice before they spoke in order to avoid placing their Gucci heels in their lipstick-stained mouths. But women should know how this affects us.

Wanting great things when in love is perfectly normal, but often times, women have a tendency to shoot for the stars and never look down. The problem is that if they find anything less than a stellar individual, they pass. You can see how troublesome this can be for them, as the constant search for eternal love is frustratingly never appeased.


TAKE IT FROM ME
To give you a hands-on approach, I used to date a lady that used every ex-boyfriend as a launching pad to select her new beaus, which, if you ask me, is a disaster waiting to happen.

An old girlfriend of mine would use everything around her, not just ex-flings, as a means of comparison: "look how this guy is buying his girlfriend gifts and flowers see how the birds sing in unison," and so on.

"If you were really sorry, you'd buy me flowers." Now how does buying flowers and showing up unannounced at her doorstep on a rainy night make up for a mistake I might have made? It doesn't. The problem here is that she was comparing this love to the one found in movies, with the "happily ever after" nonsense!

If you're asking yourself how this relates to your girlfriend comparing you to her ex, then you're on the right track. What I mean is that it doesn't really matter what she compares you to, but rather the fact that she is comparing you to something/someone.

So What Do You Tell Her When She Compares You To An Ex?

TELL IT LIKE IT IS
Next time you have to sit through an interrogation and lecture about how a “relationship expert” thinks a relationship should consist of openness, have your cards ready. If she says you don’t show affection like her ex or send sms or make calls to her for a particular time(s) in a day. Make her realize that relationships should go at a steady tempo and on a gradual increase not at the speed of lightning which will be like a flash in the pan. If you start with calling each other or seeing each other 5 times in a day. You should ask yourself, “Can we sustain this?” If the answer is NO, you know what to do!

Now don't get me wrong, I can understand how not calling or not seeing at all times could be devastating for a woman, but what is more harmful is extrapolating this isolated event towards her new mate's behavior.

My response anyway to this case of paranoia was, "You refer to this guy as your ex for a reason. So don't put me in the same category because you know I'm worth more than that."

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TRUTH
This wake-up call usually forces women to open their eyes to reality and cherish what they have in their possession at that moment in time. Women have to understand that there's no use in dwelling over past boyfriend(s) and going for a new and improved 2.0 model that has all the old practical characteristics, plus a couple of new gadgets on the side.

So next time she compares your beliefs and actions to how her ex(s), tell her that she's well on her way to finding another ex under her belt. That should knock some sense into her.