Nigeria @ 50: Waking Up The Sleeping Giant

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[Davincii]

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It doesn't matter what they think or say or do. Nigeria will rise again! Nigeria is on a course of irrreversible change!

[Davincii]

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I've stated on this forum before that the state government has a hand in what's going on. The main actors in this mess are well known to security agents and the state government. Jonathan has no capacity to nip this ugly trend in the bud with his recent flirtation with the grossly incompetent governor of Abia State whose only interest is in siphoning state funds. Those criminals cannot be touched because they are the very agents they have been using to cause mayhem during elections and to perfect rigging. If you have cared to notice, the trend has become even worse and the kidnappers have become even more daring as the elections draw near. If the governor of Abia would deliver his state to Jonathan by hook or crook, these guys need to be left off the hook. These activities will only cease when the elections are over or the people themselves decide and are willing to put a stop to it by meting out jungle justice to the kidnappers. The Nigerian Police Force are wililng accomplices in this whole mess!

This is a huge embarrassment to the country and a dent on the the Jonathan-led government!

Is this what we have to show the world at 50?

[Davincii]

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Thank God Jega has finally decided to patronize a Nigerian firm (Zinox) for the DDC machines, amongst other firms. The contract is expected to be signed next week. He, however, still needs to work assiduously to perfect the business rules as well as the rules of engagement. He also needs to ensure that the right ancillary technologies are deployed and tested in advance with a pilot scheme before the actual registration begins.

For better throughput and to achieve greater efficiency, he needs to ensure that data can be uploaded instantly fro every registration center to INEC's servers. This would help streamline activities more efficiently and clear all bottlenecks politicians usually exploit. This can be achieved if he gets proper advice form ICT practitioners, whose identity should not be made known to the public for security reasons and also to eliminate chances of such IT practitioner being approached by politicians to compromise the system.
Post Merge: September 26, 2010, 11:31:50 AMIBB is desperate to impose himself at all costs on Nigerians. This is despite the fact that he's not deaf to the resounding NO from all quarters in the country. He erroneously believes that most of the people who stood in his way back then of the likes of Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti, Chima Ubani and a host of others, were already dead. His morally bankrupt mind also makes him believe that Nigerians are fools and very forgetful and accommodating even as some of his atrocities then should have sparked off civil revolution.

That leprous general should be told that Nigerians accommodated his excesses in the past. His attempt this time will be met by over a hundred million Gani Fawehinmi's and Beko's.

We shall no longer sit back and watch him take us back to those locust years!
Post Merge: September 26, 2010, 11:39:59 AMIBB means evil and destruction. No Nigerian in his right senses should dine with him even with a 1 billion meter long spoon!

[Davincii]

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Meanwhile, Jega tabulated thus the timetable set by INEC on assumption that the Amended Constitution and the Electoral Act would have been in place by now but which has been affected by two weeks:

Deliverables
Timelines
(i) Identification of equipment suppliers, Early August 2010
(ii) Award of contract, Early August 2010
(iii) Delivery of 15,000 units of equipment for training Early September 2010
(iv) Delivery of balance of equipment for registration exercise, Mid-October 2010
(v) Training Early to Mid September 2010

(vi) Completion of deployment of equipment to polling units, Mid-October 2010
(vii) Registration exercise, Late Oct.– Early Nov. 2010
(viii) Printing of voters’ register for display, Early November 2010
(ix) Display of Voters’ Register,
Mid-November 2010
(x) Verification, correction and certification, Mid Nov. – Early Dec. 2010.

(Culled from Daily Sun, August 19, 2010)
Post Merge: August 19, 2010, 07:44:02 AMFellow Nigerians, let me confirm to you from the laid out plans above that INEC has reeled out, the entire exercise is subject to compromise. Jega is doing nothing different from what Iwu or any other person had done. Remember, Jega's integrity alone cannot get us there. What about the good old INEC personnel who are the real masters of results falsification?

Here are the reasons:

1.   INEC clearly does not intend to use the data capturing machines for what it really is, but as a manual system as using pen and      paper to record the proceedings. The aim is just to capture photographs and fingerprints, that are not going to be used anyway, and some data and then print out the voters' card or that would be printed and people would have to go and collect them later. There are no plans to print out immediately the captured list for the day so people and  verify. The data would then be taken to collation centres and INEC would print voters' register for display later, most likely days after the exercise, giving enough time for manipulation. The registered voter's card can be issued immediately after capture. So capture, production of voters' cards and verification takes place instantly. This is the only credible way and it can be done seamlessly.

2.    This is exactly what I've been talking about. The only way we can curb electoral fraud perpetrated through voters' register is to publish the data immediately after each day's exercise at each centre for people who participated to verify - they know themselves and can tell who did not really register. Then also, the data must be uploaded immediately fro each centre to INEC Headquarters' Servers loaded with analytical software to collate these data from different centres and give the needed summaries and actual listings. INEC can hook up the servers to large display screens in a hall at the headquarters and Journalists and party representatives can view these real data as they come in instantly and record them. Even the lists for each centre can also be printed out immediately and obtained by the interested stakeholders. That way also, NGO's and other interested parties can independently verify at the community-level the data so displayed and summaries published in the press. Then also, during litigations, the local copies at the communities, one of which must be pasted immediately after the day's proceedings and a copy given to the community leaders duly signed by the data handling personnel of INEC can be presented by disputing parties as hard evidence during litigations bordering on actual elections and would also make for speedy dispensation of justice.

3.   Anything short of this would guaranty us massive failure at 50!

Fellow Nigerians, this is INEC's shoddy plan to expend your =N=87.7bn on just one of the items detailed above (Voters' Registration Exercise). Jega has really not come to terms with the potentials of his personnel for fraud and how dexterous and desperate politicians are to compromise the system.

[Davincii]

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@Urchmammy: I believe u! While we work things out going back to the beginning in retrospect, let's keep the giant-status in view, cos that's where we really want to be. I concur with your position that we have a lot of work to do as Nigerians - indeed, we need to make up our minds as individuals if we want to go on like this or we would rather we made the needed personal adjustments which would reflect in our communities and in the larger society. It is only by doing so that we can achieve maximum impact and destroy the business-as-usual mentality.
Post Merge: August 18, 2010, 07:56:06 AMThe sole responsibility for salvaging this nation rests in the hands of the youth. Our so-called elders have failed woefully and persistently to lead us to the promised land. These days, there's no more a sense of justice and a feeling for the security of the lives of future generations in our elders. They have brazenly and without the slightest feeling of compunction mortgaged our destinies and the future of this country while they stash away billions and trillions (supposedly for their children who would come back to ruin us). All youths in Nigeria must stop listening to their lies geared towards dividing us and pitching us against each other. We must rise to the occasion now or never! These rogues in elders' garbs have no solution to the endemic problems of Nigeria which they caused in the first place and so do not have the desire to reverse the evils they've caused us. They do not even fell repentant. Fellow Nigerians, even if your father were one of them, remember that you would have to face stark-naked realities tomorrow. Let us join hands and speak as one voice to enthrone true democracy in 2011 by ensuring none of these monumental failures who have mortgaged our destinies as well as those of our progeny come close to the seat of power at all levels. They are not remorseful and must persistently keep us in this debilitating state so as to laud it over us! They have had more than 50 years experience on the saddle, yet they refuse to grow up. We can no longer accept to sit back and philosophize like fools claiming, "e go better!', "naija na wa!", "God dey!", "na dem no wetin dem dey do!". Fellow Nigerians, we are the real stakeholders in our future and in the Nigeria of our dreams where we shall have affordable quality education. Come out enmasse and do the needful. Vote for justice, vote for truth, stand in the gap for the future you desire!

[urchmanny]

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A dwarf man is better than a blind giant, for us to succeed we have to lay off this claim of being the giant of Africa and retrace our background and figure out how all the problem started, our democracy is not built on a solid ground- we are only practicing literally democracy, other constituents of democracy has not been seen in our system. I think,all hands must be on desk for us to start getting things right- we don't have to loose hope on our country, we should not allow our self to be used, we should always be patriotic and always cast our vote to the right person not minding his tribe or religion. In all this i also think that if we the masses will be upright , it will be easy for us to tackle bad government.

[Davincii]

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@mabotech: That's the spirit and letters of the change that we seek. True sovereignty belongs to the people. Not the other way round. We must wrest power from this people and make them accountable for their actions.
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 04:47:06 PM@mabotech: we can change things through our vote!
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 06:49:34 PM@mabotech: That's the spirit. If everybody gives up, they'll continue to have their way. That's what they want any way! We can't afford that luxury anymore!
Post Merge: August 17, 2010, 02:20:48 PMThis giant can only wake up and take it's favoured place in the committee of progressive nations, if (and only if) the demon of corruption is destroyed. Anyone seeking for elective office and does not have a clearly defined means and mechanisms for tackling this problem will end up just doing a window-dressing exercise as we've been doing for 50 years and will end up a sure failure! Such leader must be bold and have the will to step on toes and the ability to ensure that no vestiges of this demon and it's disciples are left to trouble the soul of this nation any more

[mabotech]

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@ Davincii you are right and i see point in your quote, i believe Nigeria can be great with the little effort of you and me, all that need to be done is for everyone to play his/her part positively. 

[Davincii]

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@mabotech: you don't have to have connections with any of these people. All you need do is have connection with your peers. Spread the word around. Every hand has to be on deck to ensure we have a free and fair  election. The will of the people must prevail in 2011. Let's not allow them have their way next year. They must be roundly defeated on all sides@

[mabotech]

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Nigeria is a great nation, all we need to do is to click the right botton and thing will begin to change.

How do click the right button when all and possible ways to the masses are block except if you have any connection with those in power.

[Davincii]

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These same set of retrogressive forces are seeking the mandate of every Nigerian again to misrepresent us and enslave us further. IBB believes he has a clearer understanding of the issues at stake in turning the country around and believes his love for Nigeria is transparent enough for us to vote him into power. It's so unfortunate that some people just don't understand that Nigeria has moved on from that point of innocence when it was so easy to play on our intelligence and insult our sensibility and get away with it. I speak for myself, and I believe that is the feeling of every other Nigerian, I say NO to the man who threw dirt in the face of every Nigerian by suppressing the will of the people expressed in a free and fair election. I say NO to a man whose tenure in government impoverished many more Nigerians and destroyed the once vibrant middle class. I say to to a man who turned most of our daughters and mothers and sisters into first class prostitutes in Abuja hustling for land titles and filthy lucre. I say NO to this brazen attempt to take us centuries back to a state of barbarism and utmost disregard for the rule of law. Nigerians say NO to a man who presided over the plundering and looting of the commonwealth with reckless abandon. We say NO to a man who brought untold hardship and pains to many homes when they lost their loved ones and bread winners to the cruel hands of death orchestrated by the evil genius! Posterity will not forgive Nigerians if this man gets close to power again! He's history! We good riddance to bad rubbish and to a man who wobbled and fumbled for eight years in government experimenting with all kinds of sham policies and using us as guinea pigs. We say an emphatic NO to a man whose government had the worst record of human rights abuses! Nigerians refuse to return to a state of barbarism and backwardness and secret torture chambers! The labours of our heroes past, indeed, shall not be in vain We reject vehemently this agent of retrogression and able lieutenant of Satan!
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 04:22:33 AMIBB dares the will of the people and decides to contest in the 2011 Presidential Elections. Nigerians wait for him at the polls to disgrace him. But don't forget he is a 'maradona'. He definitely has clear plans in place to rig that election. He most certainly can't win a free and fair election on the political turf. Then again, Jonathan, the lack-lustre president who abandoned the peoples' mandate that saw his ascendancy through, courting the favours of enemies of progress is suddenly left in the cold and panics because of General Gusau's withdrawal to hone his presidential ambition. A fool at forty they say, is a fool forever. It was obvious even before his re-appointment he had presidential ambition. This is one of the guys, under Jonathan, who had set up a racketeer to rake money for self lobbying for appointments and juicy contracts. Armed with much more stupendous financial resources, he has dumped the lame duck whose inaction has betrayed the trust of Nigerians. These set of never-do-wells have come back again, but in civilian garb to take us back to where we've left in 1999. Babangida claims the economy has gone worse since he left office 17 years ago. Nigerians remember very well his antecedents. A bunch of hypocrites, including journalists are about to join the band-wagon to betray the people. But, they have failed woefully. The average northerner should ask Babangida what they gained from his experimental tenure, ended by the will of the people? They should ask their former army generals what they did for their people in all their years in office plundering the nation's resources. Who's surprised how the Pius Okigbo Report disappeared? No Nigerian is ignorant of their devices! Fellow Nigerians, your destinies are in your hands. You can choose to mortgage it to persons who have proved to be monumental failures and who are only running to set back the hand of the clock or you may choose to restore our dear country back to glory by electing fresh responsible and hard working persons who have the interest of the people at heart. Is it not a shameful thing that in a nation of over 150 million people, we seem not to realize that there are many proven talents and achievers in their own rights who can deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. How long must these forces of retrogression use divisive factors such as zoning or no zoning, north, south and east, or christian and muslim to divide us? The country can burn for all they care. But, we shall not burn the country down. We shall defeat them at the elections. They will try every means to destroy democracy if they can't rule, setting in motion all kinds of tendentious propaganda to cause that one sovereign voice of Nigerians to break apart and, as usual, cash in on the confusion to wreak havoc on all sides! Nigerians should be on the watch out! They don't want the right people in because they have a lot to fear. There rotten cupboards are replete with all the records of evils they have perpetrated over time. They insult the sensible people of this country by attempting to recycle themselves over and over again as if governance is their birth right. There are many God-fearing and focused Nigerians of northern extract who have what it takes to deliver the dividends of democracy. We do not need those old, senile and atrophied leprous hands to infect us any further with the leprosy of corruption. IBB and Gusau, welcome to your political debacle. An ant that is destined to be crushed dares the elephant (the sovereign will of the people).
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 05:10:43 AMI really wonder who the losers are who are campaigning for a materials that are not marketable and dead on arrival. These are the same elements who you find around every government house. They are a shameless lot who have no pedigree but are forever cursed to be hangers-on, beggarly and miserly. They are in themselves failed persons who have nothing to contribute to Nigeria's development but the fan the embers of crises that claim the lives of innocent people. They are charlatans, political gigolos and prostitutes who must do this as a means of survival! May GOD frustrate all their plans and bring them to the Augean stable and the threshing floor! May they be disgrace utterly for all the pains they have caused this country. As for the youths, let us unite as one voice and refuse to be used by these inglorious bastards to destroy ourselves and what is left over of this charred country for us to salvage. Let us express our anger and bitterness and disdain on election day by expressing unequivocally our desire for true change! do not let them divide us with their usual tricks that promote ethnicity, religious sentiments and other devices they may come up with. If they must fight dirty, let them put their own children to lead their battles. Let these sons of the devil and evil cults be placed where they truly belong: the dustbin of history. Fellow Nigerians, enough is enough. It does not take anything else to change this country other than to stand as one and resist with one voice these invading locusts. That is why they gather money at the expense of the people in the national assembly haplessly and give nothing to their constituents. They have all shown who they truly are. None of them is free of guilt of betraying the people's mandate as there had not been one voice amongst them who has raised objection to their callous self-appropriation of the nation's wealth. They exploit the ignorance of the people and loopholes in the law to steal legally. For how long do you think we must continue like this? Let us do the needful. Terminate the rule of the oppressors in 2011. They have betrayed us all, north, east, south or in whatever colorations they seek to divide us for their selfish interests!
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 05:21:13 AMThis is our real first step as a nation to put our nation back on track. The problem with Nigeria is not the average Hausa man or the Ibo man, or the Yoruba man or the Calabar man or the Urhobo man nor the average person from any other tribe or ethnic group in Nigeria. Our problem is these criminals whom the law is afraid of because the made those laws and so they exploit the loopholes to their advantage, evading prosecution. Known thieves laud it over us. We prosecute them in the court of public opinion. Many of us were little children when IBB foisted the most backward government on us. There are many more adults who were old enough to take the bull by it's horns but failed to do so out of fear of the unknown. Today, we suffer, including they themselves, the consequences of their inaction: a battered economy, crippled political growth, enthroned corruption and wickedness of the highest order. Let there be no Ibo or Yoruba or Hausa man. Let there be true Nigerians whose hearts are set on an irreversible goal to redeem this country from the fangs of these devils. Or should this country remain a big fat fool beyond age 50? The choice is yours and mine to make come 2011!
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 05:25:40 AM'You know that most of our politicians do not have jobs. Once they leave office, they would not have any source of income again. And let me tell you, by the time Jonathan declares and is given the PDP ticket, all the governors including the ones who have been kicking against it would fall in line. That is where we lack culture of consistency, resistance and commitment to the common good. We have lost our values and people talk from all sides of their mouth and these are the same people we call our leaders.' Alhaji Shettima Yerima is the president, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and youth leader of Pro-National Conference (PRONACO).
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 05:40:27 AMLet the north or south or east put their best foot forward, not these dying criminals. Nigerians (north, east and west) will vet their programmes and their strategies for achieving them. Nigerians are discerning enough to choose the best! Besides, who appointed those big fools in the PDP to speak for Nigerians! Fellow Nigerians, do you ever recollect appointing those self-seeking buffoons to speak for you? Then they did not speak or minds!
Post Merge: August 16, 2010, 07:43:19 AMFellow Nigerians, are you aware that the $20b left in our excess crude account by the the Obasanjo administration has been plundered and looted by our President, His cronies and the sitting governors. Now all we have is barely $400m. Shame on us if we do not act in 2011 by sending these thieves out.

[urchmanny]

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Nigeria is a great nation, all we need to do is to click the right botton and thing will begin to change.

[Davincii]

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@emmy: You got the point. Niegrians need to wake up and begin to see who their real enemies are. Once they get the picture, they can be placed where they belong: in jail and in the dustbin of history! Nigerians need to take their destinies in their hands. Unfortunately, these criminals are the once who are the most vociferous on irrelevant issues such as whether or not Jonathan should contest, whether there should be zoning, women vow to go on sex strike should Jonathan refuse to declare. What errant nonsense! What has happened to intelligent discourse on how to move the nation forward. These guys heat up the polity so as to have their way, albeit in a clandestine way.
Post Merge: August 14, 2010, 07:49:46 PMI believe the first step is for every Nigerian to purge self and come out enmasse for the voters' registration exercise. Let us make every candidate present to us their plans and programmes. Let us tackle them hard in town hall meetings. Then we must vote only persons with clear vision and focus and not persons who have their agenda written for them and do not understand even the minutest detail. Let us hold them accountable. Let us vote and stay back to protect our votes at every polling station. 2011 must not elude us as an epoch making year - one in which all Nigerians will speak with one voice. It doesn't matter what party or what tribe or religion the candidates belong to. Let only just and upright men be voted in. Let only people with a proven track record and rich antecedents of record performance be voted in. Let's test their understanding of the issues plaguing our dear country!
Post Merge: August 15, 2010, 12:28:53 PMAs a starting point, after benefiting from free ans fair elections, the emergent president must be willing to step on toes. He must be seen in words and action fight and bring down the demon of corruption. anything short of this is a waste of time and a merry-go-round -  merely beating about the bush! There can't be any real or meaningful development in this country until the issue of corruption is tackled. That is the very reason all the economic theories and principles that have been applied to nurse this nation back to life has failed so far.
Post Merge: August 15, 2010, 02:51:36 PM'If you have forgotten, it is also to make you reflect that our 50 years is nothing to write home about. If you have a child who at age 50 is still crawling and not able to walk, under normal circumstances, you should be advised to visit the oracle. It depends on your faith. About 50 years ago, a child was born and up till now, the child is not yet ready to walk but crawling, then there is a serious problem.' Alhaji Shettima Yerima is the president, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and youth leader of Pro-National Conference (PRONACO)
Post Merge: August 15, 2010, 02:56:36 PMI do not know whether such a child wants to go back to its mother’s womb and that is where the American prediction comes in. My worry is that 50 years, we have nothing to show for it. Since Nigeria became a Republic, she had never had peace. The long stay of military governments compounded the problem. As I speak with you, we only believe we have democracy but I do not think it is working. This is mere civil rule. And I can tell you that the military are still in control. Major parts of our lives as a nation have been influenced by some of those officers in the military, some of whom are retired and some serving.

The products are the IBBs, Obasanjos who have metamorphosed from military to civilian dictatorship. Even the umbrella body, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) which I represent has been hijacked by these military characters. There is a case where you have a Board of Trustees of ACF headed by a General and the chairman is a General and you have a case where the Secretary General is a Colonel. You have other executive officers as Generals, colonel, Majors etc. So, you can now see what I am saying.

My worry is that rather than wasting this energy on doing nothing and on issues that do not really matter, why don’t we do it right? Nigerian politicians have a way of doing things always in a hurry to eat the national cake. Everybody is now thinking of how to be relevant and get something out of the unfolding politics. In the course of doing that, they jeopardize the future of this country and hand it over to rascals. They know nothing and have nothing to offer anybody in this country.

Some of them have done nothing to deserve where they are today. They have not sacrificed anything and they know nothing about struggle. Some of us who were at loggerheads with the military in the dark days of military regimes are still suffering today. We are not even in the system. We fought for democracy and when it came we left it for the rascals to take over. I think it is not over until we have a Sovereign National Conference (SNG) where every Nigerian would sit down and table his anger. At that level, we would agree on issues and go to a referendum and pass it. That is the only way I think Nigeria would survive.

[Emmanuel]

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A very wonderful right up, you already started the work by putting up this, members response in their views and opinion is what matters now.

[Davincii]

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Nigeria is indeed a sleeping giant. She has slept for 50 years not because you and I or any other Nigerian who has left the shores of this country have nothing to offer, but because our future as a nation had been long mortgaged by a bunch of never-do-wells who have held the nation to ransom. One major way they have done this is by subtly redefining the concept of 'Eldership' and surreptitiously engraving their corrupted version on our minds over the years. Let me define the real concept side by side with the corrupted version and you'll see the vast gulf between them and where our problem stems from. An elder is one who adds value to society and is valued for his wisdom distilled from years of varied experiences and knowledge acquired. An true elder is exemplary and seeks the good of his community or society at large. He is a fountain of wisdom and is looked up to by all in the community by all to provide direction and for much needed advice. True elders do not capitalize on their peoples' ignorance to enslave them. A true elder serves rather than enslave. However, before independence and after, we had a crop of erudite, God-fearing elders from various walks of life and religious leaning and from all the geo-political zones of this country who had the interest of the people in mind. The Awolowos, Azikiwes. Okotiebos, Williams, Shagaris, Balewas, Bellos, Enahoros and a host of others worked assiduously for the emancipation of their people (even when many were ignorant and were not politically aware) and did not take advantage of their ignorance. They planted the foundations for unity and for development. They brought positive development and massive transformation and growth on all sides and improved the fortunes of their peoples.

Along the line came a gang of street fighters, academically bankrupt, cheap criminals and a band of robbers in the army who for selfish reasons and the desire to flex their muscles and also because the had the power of smoking guns, they set back the hand of the clock. Yes, the soldiers came in without having a clue on what to do or how to rule. They brought in their brutish and brash mentality which today is responsible for the do or die mentality. They enthroned bastards and complete ignoramuses, bereft of ideas on how to move the nation forward. They went on spending spree destroying the foundation that had been laid. The laid waste our educational system, destroyed the virtues of hard work and impoverished the northern part of Nigeria the more. Yes, I repeat, they impoverished and destroyed the values of hard work the northerners were once known for, which original values were responsible for the massive transformation effected by the Balewas and Bellos. These cherished northern values were responsible for the groundnut pyramids and many other positives from the north. The soldiers went on a spending spree with the newly found petro-dollars and because the majority of them were of norther extract, they enthroned similar warped minds like them in civilian garbs who flaunted pertro-dollar at their people and everyone begin to see that it was no use toiling and tilling the ground day and night. You could get rich by just doing nothing. The foregoing point is not meant to be a derogatory statement about northern Nigeria, but a statement of the bitter truth on why the region especially has not experienced any meaningful development and why many of them still grapple so much with ignorance, unprecedented backwardness, illiteracy, abject poverty and diseases. And because also they must be used as foot soldiers to destroy fellow Nigerians, they were introduced to drugs by the boys in khaki to empower them to do and undo senselessly during religious crises. Do a check, you will discover that the part of the country with the highest number of cases of abuse of psychotropic substances is northern Nigeria. Sadly today, the north contributes virtually nothing in terms of revenue to the national treasury from which they get monthly allocation, thanks to the boys in khaki!

These same khaki boys who were power drunk, also looked for like minds in other parts of the country like the corrupt and grossly inept and highly demonic Adedibus, Nzeribes, Abiolas (he did a last minute about turn that cost him his life), Anenihs, Ogborus, Ibrus, Iwuayanwus, Moghalus, Otedolas, Odilis, Clarkes and many more satanic persons of like minds, empowered and enthroned them with ill-gotten wealth and made them demi-gods in their various communities who call the shots and dictate the political future as well as economic fortunes of their peoples. The shameless crop, along with their military-turned-civilian counterparts brought us to the era of God-Fatherism and Do-Or-Die politics. They brought in a new crop of political demons, worse than them such as the Mbas, Ogiadomhes, Okoroafors, Osunbors, Igbinedions and many more who acquire degrees through the back door, political misfits and prostitutes and who acquire chieftaincy (actually 'thieftaincy') titles from corrupt and shameless traditional rulers across the length and breath of this country. These self-appointed idiots foist themselves on their various communities and become heard as leaders and irresponsible fathers betray their households and sell the destinies of their children and go out to praise criminals so as to get handouts.

Now how do you become an elder? Simple! Steal as much as you can, kill as many people as you can for ritual purposes, traffic in hard drugs, rob and wasted innocent lives on the highway, collect bribes at the police stations where the highest revenues are collected daily but for self to free known criminals and to intimidate innocent persons arrested on trumped-up, meaningless charges, buy as many thieftaincy titles as you can from beggarly and hungry traditional rulers who have no sense of decency, buy as many degrees as you can from hopeless and poorly run institutions of higher learning with politically appointed professors, acquire as many religious titles as you can from churches and mosques where the truth has fled and lies and all the known fraudulent tricks and charismatic witchcraft are practiced and the god of money is now being served by gullible followers in search of miracles and where people are held spell-bound in charismatic zoos. Once you've done all of these, start speaking as an elder for the people.

M?y dear friends, in the light of all the foregoing, what do you think should be done for this sleeping giant to wake up and assume an enviable place in the comity of progressive nations?