ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR LANGUAGE?

Are you proud of your language? Does it ever get you challenged when you see a non-native commanding your local dialect with passion? See video of an American woman speaking one of Nigerian languages with excitement. Click HERE to see video.

 

 

DINO MELAYE'S VIDEO TO HIS POLITICAL DETRACTORS GOES VIRAL

Dino Melaye's video to his political detractors goes viral.
"You speak the truth, you die
  You lie, you die
   I, Dino Melaye, have chosen to speak the truth and die ..."

NASS - A CLOG IN THE WHEEL OF PROGRESS OF NIGERIA!

Contributed by Bunmi Awoyemi and edited by Chidinma Nnadi

Many people erroneously believe that Buhari is not fighting corruption; that none of the people arrested/detained/accused by the EFCC has been sentenced to prison.

Buhari wants to set up an anti-corruption court and the bill called the Special Criminal Courts Act has been submitted to the NASS (National Assembly) since last year, but they have refused to pass it into law.

The same thing is happening to the Whistle Blowers Protection Act meant to protect whistleblowers from injury, death, economic sabotage, and job termination.

The Senate told the government point blank that they will not pass the Anti-Money Laundering Act into law. The bill has been with the Senate since 2015.

If corruption is not tackled and the judiciary is not re-organized to tackle corruption, how will Nigeria leave the developing country status and become a DEVELOPED NATION?

Most of the funds recovered cannot be accessed until the cases are concluded at the Supreme Court. We are  talking about N2 trillion potentially that the government cannot touch until final judgment at the Supreme Court.

That is why passage of the Anti-corruption courts legislation is critical to accessing these funds because cases at the trial court level will be concluded more expeditiously.

Now this same NASS is asking for 2.3% of get this,  ALL FEDERAL ALLOCATION, for "constituency project".
Didn't we embark on the wrong protest after all? Can we now see the true enemies of Nigeria?

There is a perception deficit. Many people cannot even hear what the administration is saying because a dangerous narrative is being sold to people that Buhari caused the recession (the recession which since 2014 Madam NOI, awa 1st rate economist, has warned us will happen)

If this perception deficit is not corrected, Buhari will not be able to get the support he needs to get his programs through, especially the ones that need enabling laws from the NASS.

HERESY IN THE HOUSE OF ODUDUWA

Written By: Dele Momodu, Email: dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Fellow Nigerians, let me take you on historical excursions today. At this unfortunate time that History is not a compulsory subject in our school curriculum, it is pertinent to educate ourselves properly about our dear beloved nation. For those who may not know, Ile-Ife is the ancestral home of all Yoruba people. Please, ignore attempts by all manner of historians attempting to rewrite history. Ile-Ife occupies an eminent space on the world map today, and as far back as I can remember, as being the cradle of Yoruba civilisation, at the very least. That is why you will find that all Yoruba’s in the diaspora lay claim to no other ancestral home than Ile-Ife. The Ooni of Ife is their revered King.

I’m proud to have been born and raised in that ancient town. I was born in 1960, just before Nigeria attained Independence, in a neighbourhood called Obalufon, a stone-throw from Sabo, where the Hausa community lived, and still lives today. My father had migrated, according to oral history, from Ihievbe, now comfortably situated in Owan East Local Government of Edo State. He met and married my affectionate mother and I’m the only product of their conjugation.

Ile-Ife welcomes hundreds of immigrants from different parts of Nigeria and beyond and we were fully integrated. We lived in peace, and as one. Ile-Ife produced four Deles in journalism and three of the four – Dele Giwa, Dele Agekameh and Dele Momodu – had their origin in present day Edo State. The fourth, Dele Olojede, is from Modakeke, and lived close to Ojoyin and Akarabata Roads in Ile-Ife. No one could tell the difference. We can easily be called bona fide sons of Ile-Ife and you won’t be wrong.

I spent 26 out of my first 28 years fully in Ile-Ife, the other two years were used serving the former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Chief Akin Omoboriowo, of blessed memory. I also served The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II. I had studied Yoruba for my Bachelor of Arts degree and graduated in 1982 and returned in 1986 to enrol for a Masters in Literature-in-English and finished that in 1988. I’m therefore humbly qualified to regard myself as an authority on Ile-Ife, and indeed an adopted Ife son. I can vouch for Ife people as very friendly and welcoming people despite the internecine wars that have recently ravaged the town and halted the peace we all enjoyed growing up with.

In my close to 57 years on earth, I have come to see Ile-Ife as a modicum of tolerance and accommodation. Ile-Ife plays host to one of Africa’s greatest universities. I’m mightily honoured and proud to be an alumnus of University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. Most of our lecturers including non-indigenes usually build their homes in the town upon retirement because of the comfort and serenity provided by Ile-Ife.

I’m very familiar with the Sabo area of Ile-Ife. My father had worked with the Public Works Department, not far from Sabo. He also owned a small hotel and restaurant in Sabo and catered to the Hausa Community. My mum was also a food-seller by Ilare Prison, and we lived in Ogboku Road, by Akui Road, all very close to Sabo. I never heard of skirmishes between the Hausa and the Ifes, or anyone for that matter. You can therefore imagine my shock, horror and devastation when I read of the latest wanton killings in Ile-Ife and the communal strife that had spawned it. I was somehow relieved when I heard that the terrible situation had been brought under control. Kudos to the security forces for the big task of separating the warring communities.

I have read different and conflicting accounts of what led to the war. In every conflict, there must be two or more parties involved. In this particular case, all accounts I read pointed to a case of provocation and retaliation. I cannot confidently determine or say if the reaction was commensurate to the action, as propounded by Isaac Newton in his Law of Motion, but something definitely triggered the conflagration and dastardly massacre. I can still manage the news up to that point. But something else happened that rendered me speechless.

Those who should maintain the peace, protect the people and punish the homicidal lunatics who beheaded and murdered recklessly came in and took sides in the matter by arresting one side while studiously ignoring the other. “Which kind injustice be this?” in Fela’s voice. How can the prosecutor also be the Judge even before the case begins in the court room? Is it that the suspects just woke up and started shooting sporadically at anyone in sight, especially people in their community? How come not even one person was picked up from the other obvious party in the imbroglio? I also fail to see the logic in the mass arrests of Ife people and abducting them from the State of Osun to the seat of the Federal Government in Abuja. Any rookie lawyer knows that they can never be tried in Abuja but in Osun State. What Gestapo and Gulag facilities exist in Abuja that are not available in Osun State to warrant these people being moved?

I sincerely reject the excuses offered by the Inspector General of Police while trying spiritedly to justify the perfidiously odious decision to villainize only one party to the conundrum. I respect the Inspector-General of Police and considered him a thorough bred professional. However, it defies logic that the head of any of our security agencies would utter words to the effect that the Yorubas involved in this sad and ugly incident are criminals but the other side are not. Clearly, this was a clash between Hausas and Yorubas. Why have the Hausas not been branded criminals as well? Is it because the Inspector General of Police is from the North? such misguided, uninformed and ill-advised statements can only add to the palpable tension in Yorubaland and fan the flames of the seething discontent and anger that is becoming all pervading not just in Ife but amongst all Yorubas wherever they are.

Although the Ifes know who their assailants are, they have been reluctant to name them because their hospitable nature does not allow them to snitch on their guests. That is no reason for the Police who were on the scene quiet quickly, on Tuesday 7 March 2017 when the incident actually took wings, from arresting those Hausas that they saw committing atrocities. To take the position that until those involved on the Hausa side are named by the Ifes, they would not be arrested is too naïve and utterly presumptuous.

The response and reaction of the Nigeria Police bemuses me for a force seeking to assure Nigerians that it can be relied on for its neutrality and sense of justice. Its response to the crisis was utterly confused and disorganised. Once events began to unfold on Tuesday 7 March, a seasoned and professional Force would have begun to gather intelligence and deployed a strong contingent to the flashpoints to prevent further disturbance. On the contrary, the Police waited until full scale war had blown out before seeking to control the situation. By then it was too late.

The other thing I cannot understand is why the Police will not inform Nigerians of the current state of their enquiries and why only one side has been fingered in the crisis. I keep saying we are no longer in the dark ages. Information is key. The way that the British police has managed the information about the Westminster attack is a case in point. Regular updates are released. Nobody can therefore speculate.

The only solution to the current Ife Crisis is for the Police to release the remaining Ifes currently being held by them. If they need to be in some form of protective custody or to prevent a recurrence because of their presence, then they can be bailed with a condition that they should not return to Ife. There have been similar riots and incidences in other parts of the civilised the world. People are not just locked up but released on bail pending further investigations. There is a presumption of innocence until guilt is pronounced by a Court of Law. We cannot continue to behave in an anachronistic and primitive manner.

The bias of certain powerful forces is already extremely shambolic. I wonder if there are agent provocateurs and fifth columnists who are deliberately setting up our President Muhammadu Buhari for monumental failure. Nigeria has known no peace since we succeeded in sacking the profligate government of PDP. It is embarrassing that some government operatives cannot see what damage they are doing to our President who suffered so much personal attack because of the perception that he is an ethnic jingoist and religious bigot. There is a saying by the Yoruba that a man accused of being a thief should never romance someone else’s goat. Our President needs to rescue our people and disabuse the minds of Nigerians about his branding as a President who does not think other Nigerians are important except his own people. Some of us laboured hard to convince our people that General Muhammadu Buhari is a true Nigerian patriot who would come to defend every Nigerian, especially the poor. I still believe in him and wish to assume that some people are using his name to commit and perpetrate all kinds of malfeasance while he is ensconced within the gilded cage of Aso Rock.

The tension in Nigeria at the moment can be cut with a razor blade. Nothing is more dangerous than playing ethnic games in the midst of economic tragedy. Nigerians voted for change to enjoy the highfalutin promises we made to them. We promised to deliver them from prodigal sons and daughters; liberate them from terrorists and general insecurity; rescue them from hunger and disease; eliminate ethnic and religious crises; provide jobs, social security and succour for our agonizing youths and many such goodies.

We did not promise to abdicate leadership responsibilities for irrational pursuit of personal vendetta and wars of attrition. We did not tell Nigerians that they would have to survive and live more by faith and promises than by concrete plans and effective and efficacious governance. We did not envisage the nightmare staring us in the face today so horribly.

My appeal is to the President. Politics is give and take. Politics is about practicality. A good lesson came from America just last night. Democracy is a game of numbers. Being obdurate and obstinate has no place in democracy. Anyone telling the President that he can fight all battles and win all wars is a big liar. In fact, it was such a belief that heralded the downfall of the PDP that the President has now succeeded. We saw what happened in his absence when a different approach was tried and tested, Nigerians were happy, joyful and hopeful and they cooperated beautifully with the APC government despite their prior anxiety and palpitation.

President Buhari should stick to a winning formula. He should encourage and empower his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to carry on with the good news of the kingdom. The Ife crisis loomed large in our reckoning on 8 March 2017, While the then Acting President was marking his 60th birthday in a low-key manner. Due to my obvious connections, I am aware that Senator Jide Omoworare was at the private dinner to mark the occasion. I know that Prof Osinbajo mandated both him and Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso, who was also at the occasion, to utilise their influence and contacts in the respective communities to ensure that peace prevailed immediately. He also gave necessary marching orders to the security agencies.

History teaches us that a similar situation occurred in Ife and the lack of neutrality displayed by the authorities during the first Modakeke crisis led to the second crisis which saw carnage and mayhem in frightening proportions. Once peace was allowed to reign, reconciliation was effected by the neutrality eventually displayed by the authorities. Both communities no live in harmony. My fear is that if the same approach of neutrality, reconciliation and rehabilitation is not adopted the resultant inferno will consume our country. It is only natural for those aggrieved to seek their own form of justice and retribution. President Buhari must never let it get to that. He must take charge now because the buck stops with him and not the Inspector General of Police!

There is so much to gain by this government collectively. I do not want to believe that President Buhari would want to blow this chance of a lifetime. I seriously doubt he would want to be remembered as a champion of myopia and parochialism above being a national hero and global statesman. I pray our President would direct all his disciples to begin to act like nationalists and be less of incendiaries determined to set fire to Nigeria and dismember whatever is left of the carcass.

Nigerians want peace and prosperity and no more!

GORVERNOR SAMUEL ORTOM SAYS NO TO GRAZING LAND PROPOSAL BY THE FGN

Benue State government, in strong terms,  recently kicked against the moves by the Federal Government to establish grazing land for Fulani herdsmen as a way of ending crises between the herdsmen and farmers in the country.

The position of the state is that the establishment of ranches remained a lasting solution to the crisis.

 

This was reaffirmed on Sunday, in a statement issued on behalf of the government by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and ICT, Mr. Tahav Agerzua.

According to Mr. Tahav Agerzua, “Governor Samuel Ortom has reiterated overtime that the establishment of ranches remains the best global practice in animal husbandry that explains why there are no clashes between farmers and herders in countries that have domesticated the practice.
“It has become the generally acceptable practice, which necessitated the position of the government on the matter.”

He expressed surprise why Nigeria had not yet embraced the practice, maintaining that it would bring about a permanent solution to the unending clashes and effectively address the menace of herdsmen/farmers crisis.

 

He added further that it could be near impossible to convince any community to donate parcels of land for the purpose of creating grazing land for cattle rearers.

Ad interim, however, he said measures that would promote peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders must be promoted and infringement on the right of either party should be handled within the ambits of the law without resort to self help.

Nigerian Leaders, Wake Up Now!

Recently, I was  at the American embassy in Lagos. What I saw about this country made me feel sad and sorry for our leaders. The number of Nigerians alone who appeared for interview was alarming. If I have to be modest, the number was no less than 2,000 just in a single day.

 

Then I wondered what would be going on in several other embassies in this country. The number can only be left to be imagined. I asked myself, What are they going to do in those places? It is obvious that majority of these individuals do not even have concrete plans about their journeys. They simply want to get out as soon as they possibly can.

 

The next question that came to my mind was 'Why are they leaving this country?' The economy is worsening. Things are not getting any better. As a matter of fact, things are getting worse by the day. It appears nobody even know where the country is heading for. We are just moving hoping someday we will get there.

 

People have since lost confidence in the leadership of this country. It has got to the point where even the host countries around the world do not get comfortable with foreigners living in their countries because they feel they are coming to take from them rather than adding value to their economy. Case in point - the killing of Nigerians and other foreigners by South Africans (Xenophobia) See shocking video on Xenophobia in South Africa below. Also, the recent change in immigration policy in the US, Such similar preventable cases are too many than I can mention. All of these have direct and indirect impact on Nigerians and Nigeria.

 

 

What then is the solution? True leadership. Our leaders have to be true to Nigerians who brought them to power. They have to understand that without the people, they are nobody. In fact, they are there because of people.

 

They need to understand that true leadership means service. They are to serve the people and not to be served. They are answerable to the people who brought them to power and not to some Cabal or Godfather.

 

True leadership means sacrifice. They have to  sacrifice their 'stomach infrastructure' for the good of the people. It also means giving selfless service to the people

.

True leadership means fairness. Fairness to all irrespective of color, language, zone, region or religion.

 

Our leaders should remember an adage: 'the child you fail to train today will end up squandering your wealth tomorrow' Also, they should remember that as one lays one's bed so one lies in it. In conclusion, our leaders should know that today, they are players but tomorrow comes soon when they will be spectators. What would they like to see the youths play when tomorrow comes. It is not too late to make amends.

 

I have spoken to a number of Nigerians home and abroad. I have gathered the fact that 90% of the youths would prefer their homeland to foreign lands. There is no place like home, they say. Indeed, there is no place like Nigeria. Our leaders must wake up now before things get out of hand.

 

Finally, to those leaders who think Nigeria is a milk cow or a mine field, they should remember Jeremiah 17:11 that says 'As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not: so he that geteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at the end shall be a fool.

The Future of Africa

Article contributed by: Femi Komolafe
Femi Komolafe is a Leadership Development Consultant, Conference Speaker, Author and Pastor

 

THE current population of Africa, according  to the United Nations, is 1.1 billion, which is about 16 per cent of the world’s population. This 16 per cent takes 40 per cent of the entire world resources and 60 per cent of the world’s arable lands (see Global Public Square).

There is crude oil in Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Angola and Egypt. There is Chromium in Congo. Sierra Leone, Angola and Botswana have Diamond Mines. Gabon has Manganese. Ghana and South Africa have Gold. Guinea has bauxite in great proportion (the 5th largest in the world).

The entire worth of World’s Gold is $2.6 trillion and Africa takes $1.3trillion of it. Moreover, Africa supplies 30 per cent of the world’s demand for bauxite, cobalt, gold, manganese, phosphate and uranium; 57 per cent of chromium and diamonds; and 12 per cent of oil.

 

Mercantilism is an economic theory that says ‘a nation’s wealth is determined by its natural resources that are traded. Going by the above analysis of resources in African nations, one can easily conclude that Africa is the richest continent in the world. Yet, Africa is the poorest inhabited continent in the world.

Of the 20 poorest nations in the world in 2013, Africa takes 17. In spite all the wealth that God has blessed Africa  with, its nations are still the poorest in the world. What is wrong? My answer: it is lack of management. Then, where and how did we get it wrong?
 

Dr. Myles Munroe once said “You can never fully understand a thing until you go to its root.” So, my love for Africa made me to begin to research into the roots of Africa’s problem and I discovered that what brought us to this point of mismanagement, disorder, misappropriation and underdevelopment is ignorance.

Many African nations fought for independence ignorantly. We wanted independence from the colonial masters by all means without first acquiring enough knowledge on how to manage our resources and lead like those British masters would lead. We were like the prodigal son in the Holy Bible that asked for his inheritance without first asking for the knowledge to manage the inheritance. So, we began to have ignorant personnel who knew nothing about what leadership is all about as leaders over us.

Nothing destroys a leader like lack of preparation. Nothing is more damaging like plunging those who don’t know how to manage into abundance. A former Head of State in Nigeria once said that “money was no longer the problem of Nigeria but how to spend it”. This undoubtedly set the stage for plundering of the treasury.
 

African nations failed woefully in this aspect of preparing for leadership through vast knowledge acquisition before fighting for independence. The way you prepare is the way you will appear. Truly we gained freedom but we were only freed physically we were never freed mentally. That is why we still depend on America and Britain for aid. What a shame!

What is the way out? A wise man in this nation said “There is no mountain before any man; everyone’s ignorance is his mountain”. The way out is for us all to begin to embrace knowledge through books, internet research and interaction with great minds. Knowledge is Power. Knowledge is light. Knowledge is freedom.

 

Knowledge is life. History has it that between 2900 B.C and 300 BC, Africa was leading in education as people came from all over the world to Egypt for education. So, education began in Africa. Again, civilization started in Africa. Thereafter, Athens in Greece took over as the second centre in the days of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the great Greek Philosophers. From there to Britain and now to U.S.A.

Everywhere education went, civilization went too and development also went. Today, U.S.A is a world power not because of trade and commerce but because of intellectual property. Of the first 10 best universities in the world 8 are in USA; of the top 100, 48 are in U.S.A. That is why they are the most powerful nation. Knowledge is  power!
 

Japan was once very broke, in fact more broke than Nigeria. They called their children together and told them they were the only assets they had; sent them to America and Britain to go and learn and they came back with technology building. They are the 3rd strongest economy today.

Until we begin to embrace knowledge we may never see any drastic change. People are the greatest assets of any nation and a nation is weak when its people are weak. When the people are strong mentally the nation becomes strong eventually. If ignorance brought us to where we are, it will take knowledge to get us out.

Young people in Africa should begin to acquire knowledge by every means possible so as to become unusual managers, hyper-resourceful technocrats and expert thinkers. It is no longer enough to be a graduate, we need to become bookworms in and out of school. Every great thinker, reformer and revolutionary that I know living or dead is a bookworm. To mention a few Abraham  Lincoln, John. F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr, Myles Munroe, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Bill Gates among others. Every truly powerful man in the world is a book worm.

Your first pursuit in life should not be to be known but to know because when you know you will definitely be known. When you are loaded you will be needed. And it is what you take in that will take you out. Please, don’t run after leadership positions let positions run after your brain. It is your investment in research that will make you to be searched out. Dr. David Oyedepo said “School can only make you literate but it is your investment in Literature that will eventually create your future”.

I believe Africa has a great future and the future is in the hands of the youths. Let every African youth that loves his nation and continent begin to desperately seek knowledge. Read many books on Leadership, History, and Nation Building. The future of Africa is in knowledge. God bless Africa! God bless Nigeria!

If you have news-worthy articles to contribute to this publication, kindly forward same to: popularvoices@gmail.com.
Thank you.