Nigerian Newspapers Online

The rate children in Nigeria are taking to the streets has become quite alarming and something needs to be done to help children overcome this sad development by the Abuja government. Economic hardship and bad governance are fast combining to exacerbate the condition of children in the country. The Nigerian-child is fast becoming deprivable socially thus having their future hanging in the air. This is the air that accounts for nothing and gives nothing in return to children in the country. It is the air that the Nigerian-child breathes.

Nothing from the government seems to favour the children in the country. It is doubtful whether there are official feasible policies that are geared towards the well-being of the Nigerian-child. It is also a country that majority of the Non-Governmental Organizations are in pursuing political clean slates in the country thus relegating the well-being of the children to the background. Until many of these groups and associations decide to stand to stand up children, the future of these children is very unwelcoming.

The educational situation of children in Nigeria today requires children to enroll in expensive private schools whether, nursery, primary, secondary or the university. Public schools in the country are gradually going down on extinction without support from the government. Interestingly, churches too are on the fastest lanes to establishing private schools with unaffordable fees and parents are groaning. From nursery to university, it is difficult for parents to train their children in schools in the country. The situation is more terrible for the children that have to be given out as maids to richer families who maltreat them and see them as articles that require paying back money to their parents and no one takes note of these things.

The word “street boy or girl” is fast gaining recognition amongst the youths of the country. It is now a matter of pride and competition for youths in the country to proudly claim that they are doing well in the streets. But the truth is that they that often end up in the jails or return to terrorize the society that has refused to give them the best in life where the government plays no role in their lives. It is that an unhelpful society for the children who have the potentials of ruling the country someday. Indeed, a lot of youths that have brought glory to the country were from the streets of Lagos accepted in the society because they had made names. The situation describe here is not different from the other sectors of the country. The Nollywood and music industries of the country are two of the examples.

The basic necessities of life should be put in place to encourage child development in the country. Sadly, again, hospitals are in bad shape in a country where not many special hospitals exists for children. The British colonial government recognized that children should be specially treated differently in their own kind of hospitals something which has become very strange to the Nigerian government whether within local, state or federal level. The Nigerian child should be well catered for with all the basic things of life.

Ironically, the unfair treatment of the Nigerian child has continued outside the shores of the country as many of them have been reportedly shot dead in Britain and other countries without any official intervention from the Nigerian government. The Nigerian government had failed severally to diplomatically intervene on behalf of their child-citizens and make them feel loved. No one instance exists in which the Nigerian government has protested over the decision of a court in respect of a child whether in Nigeria or anywhere else.

UNICEF and other Child related NGOs should do more to encourage the growth of children in the country and make them feel loved. Areas that should be looked upon are fake drugs for children which pour into the country on daily basis. It is harmful to reason that children that can hardly express themselves are made to live on fake drugs courtesy of heartless importers. There is also the education sector, where the Nigerian child can no longer compete with their counterparts in other parts of the world. Parents are known to be lacking fate in what is on ground as public schools. If the government of the nation is made to inject more funds and reform the sector, it will as the bedrock of child development, advance the course of children in the country.

Play-grounds and leisure centers should be built for the teeming population of children in the country. It is difficult to imagine that major cities in the country are lacking of play-grounds yet the government of the nation preach the social development of children and want to produce many sportsmen and women which are impossible. In Festac town, Lagos for instance, has had all the play-grounds reserved for children disposed-off by the government. The government continued to sell-off vacant lands without considering the interest of children. Plans for youth development are no where near the agenda of the government in a country that heavily believes in the future of the youths. The Federal Housing Authority’s only play-ground in the large estate often called “FHA Field” is in bad state. The authorities responsible for the play-ground usually show preferences for social and religious activities over sporting activities.

Only the timely intervention of the government will determine the fate of children in the country.  Lives of children must not be wasted by the leaders of the country.

Emeka Esogbue is a Nigerian.

emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Nigerian Newspapers Online

In 1972, the then Nigerian military leader, Gen. Yakubu Gowon inaugurated the National Stadium located in Surulere, Lagos. In what was known as a sports fanfare, he had opened a new phase in the history of sports in the country referring to the stadium as the nation’s sports village. The stadium has hosted many important tournaments significant to the nation image and international figures that have brought joy to the people.

That nation’s sports village is today a national embarrassment to Nigeria and Africa. Portraying Africa as where setting up public projects was not the case but the ability to maintain them which usually results in shame. Nigeria is the giant of Africa in this regard. In Nigeria, policies of the leaders of that very country are often shrouded in mystery because they are never understood, much less beneficial. The world is today missing actions in the stadium courtesy of the Federal Ministry of Sports. No one remembers that at was inside the National Stadium, Lagos that the nation won its first ever African Cup of Nations in 1980 exactly 20 years of its independence from the British.

The present condition of the stadium can best be described by sports authorities in the country. Utterly abandoned for no known reasons, it is in utmost neglect. Its front premises is best suitable for urinating, there is no water in this massive stadium anywhere around. In the weightlifting gym, weights and bells are missing. The condition of the swimming pool which remains permanently shut is in terrible state without any water in the pools. Lovers of football will weep inside the main stadium where the scoreboard is not functioning. The irons of the gates have rusted to the extent that they have added a new kind of beauty to the stadium. Urine, garbage, excreta etc can still found here. Some plastic chairs have also been removed.

Sadly, electricity in the stadium has been disconnected by the Almighty Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) “The power holders of the country” since 2002. It is understood that the stadium is indebted to the Power management to the tune of about N4m. Is it not laughable that the statue of the legendary Samuel Sochukwuma Okparaji who died for the nation still lies in the stadium helplessly wondering why it should be there? Who out there would wish to die for his nation and one day be left to rote-away in a forgotten monument like the Lagos Stadium?  

As usual, social and religious activities are thriving inside the sports hall where events cost about N200,000.00 per day and N65,000.00 per day at the outside space. Remember that permission is necessary all the way from Abuja before social and kind of religious or social activities can be staged here.

Nigerians and especially Lagosians are baffled as to why the Nation’s leaders in sports decided to abandon the stadium that has brought glory to the nation in football competitions. The problem with the Nigerian leaders seems to be that everything in the country must be rotational, thus politicizing even sports. Little wonder, the Kano venue cost the nation the 2006 World Cup ticket. The National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos will always remove the shine in the Abuja Stadium any weekend bearing in mind that Lagosians will do anything to be at the stadium to watch matches. The 1999 under-age football tournament hosted by the nation and played inside the Abuja Stadium is a testimony of this as the sports authorities of the country almost went begging football fans in their houses to come to the stadium and watch matches inside the stadium.

A nation should know where its bread is buttered in every sector and no yardstick conditionally underlines that a stadium located in the capital city of a country must play host to important football tournaments even when spectators are sure to be scanty. Abuja is a city where ordinarily inhabitants do not dedicate so much time to visit the stadium to watch live matches if compared to the Lagos State which remains the commercial nerve of the country.

What has become the problem with Lagos and the stadium located in it is a mystery to football lovers in the state and elsewhere. Recently, a stigma attached to the stadium by the nation’s sports helmsmen began to manifest reflecting in absolute abandonment. The feeling from this quarter is that the Lagos fans are in the habit of constantly booing their own fans resulting in negative feelings from the Nigerian players and maybe losses but this is too an unjustifiable reason to abandon one’s own sprawling sports city which the nation spent so much money in the period of oil boom to construct.

Every nation has unique features and reactions, it is surprising that our leaders fail to realize this and view the action with sentiments. More so, with an unbeaten record in the stadium running for many years, victories are better guaranteed in the stadium than anywhere else. The successes of this action owe the fans who ensure that the Nigerian players are prepared and more serious, and willing to give in his best. But who says that the action of booing the Nigerian players when they are failing to do well in action is dead in Abuja where more than half the spectators are Lagos fans? Certainly, the implication of the rejection of the stadium is that in the dearth stadiums in the country, authorities are doing away with what should count above the vast play-grounds often termed stadiums. 

Closely facing the abandoned National Stadium is the Teslim Balogun Stadium which now enjoys some much patronage. But what is the tendency that this very stadium definitely not as large as the National Stadium will not one day be abandoned? The Teslim stadium itself took donkey years to arrive at its present state.

If the country is one that detrimental policies are quarried and leaders held accountable to the people, the abandonment of the stadium will in the first place be considered incomprehensible and unprecedented for a situation like this should never occur because elected office holders ought to come up with policies that should satisfy the citizens of the nation. Now that the National Stadium has become a museum of some sort in the minds of the nation’s leaders, it is hoped that others alike do not go its way as a call should go to the Federal Ministry of Sports to do something else the stadium will become one of those debris found in Lagos.   

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria.

emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Nigerian Sun Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

I have on my own identified the worst enemies of our country Nigeria and as it is said problems known have certainly become half solved so the earlier we tackle these challenges, the better for our dear country, Nigeria to move ahead progressively. Treat these enemies with neglect to your peril. As I have observed, we need to address them with such speed as that of light.

Bad leadership- The first of these enemies is bad leadership. The country Nigeria has never had a good leader since 1960, and this jinx is continuing until the record is broken. It would appear that none of the nation’s leaders was ever prepared for the assignment of leading the teeming innocent citizens of the country. Only a bad leader can effectively solve the seeming intractable challenges confronting the nation. Bad electoral system- Only the unborn will turn blind eye to the kind of outlandish and odd electoral system that continue to produce our kind of leaders. Election in Nigeria has become a selection exercise and if nothing is done a day will come when only our politicians will go out in the rain and vote themselves in. This is the number two enemy of the nation. Don’t ask me for solution. Corruption- You know it better than I do. Corruption has eaten so deep into our system that “egunje” has become officially recognized in our political dictionary. No sector of the country can assume ignorance of the “settle me” syndrome. We see it happen everyday but what we don’t see is top political office holders going to spend at least 5 years jail term for not executing contracts awarded to them. We see only part 1 out of several parts remaining in the days of Ribadu but all that is history now. Politicians- Politicians are the fourth worst enemies Nigeria has. A Nigerian politician can afford to spend several millions of naira celebrating his victory. Why? Because he now has an opportunity to steal money. And when he thinks that his party is not doing impressively after bagging a position, he deserts to another party commonly PDP as seen in the case of Bauchi State now. He never surrenders the mandate given to him as a member of his ex-party but absconds with it.   The Niger Delta region- This is the beautiful region that has contributed to the development of the nation since 1956 when oil was first discovered leading to the development and continued growth of cities like Abuja and Lagos and feeding the personal pockets of the nation’s leaders. However the region is in neglect today as the people cannot fish from their waters, farm on their lands and breathe clean air from their homes. The people have also protested this very violently which is unfortunate though leading to fall in oil production. The region is ranking fifth as the enemy of the nation because if not properly addressed by the FGN, the future is blink. Frequent electricity failure- Interestingly, the nation cannot supply its citizens with adequate power supply. It has therefore come to a stage the people only see with “atukpa,” candles and lanterns. We are back to the dark ages. Believe me if I tell you that a 10 year-old child born and brought up in the country may not have seen electricity stay on for 6 hours. Such is the situation of the country in terms of power and energy. Aristocrats- Many Nigerians can be effectively categorized in the family of nobility in the country today. These people have ruined the nation with a lot of money they have stolen from the country and parade themselves as wealthy and famous individuals while the ordinary Nigerians groan in the streets with no streetlights, good roads, water and even food to mention just a few. We know, see and read about them on daily basis even as we are dying. A portion of the country- This issue needs to be discussed if we must move forward as one nation with one destiny. A section of the country has ruled us for many decades with the nation remaining stagnant. Out of a total of the 13 leaders that the nation has produced, this very section of the country has produced about 9 of these rulers yet ideas have not taken the nation beyond the deserts to the Promised Land. In fact, there are people of other ethnic groups who ordinarily should be having the same right to rule the nation but have been relegated to the background. Education system- This system like ones in the country is getting ruined by the day. With this sector now sold to private hands and public universities increasing fees almost on daily basis, only the children of the rich can now afford to educate themselves. Something drastic must be done to correct this anomaly. Bad policies- Bad policies not aimed at benefiting the common man in the street is usually the agendas of the nation and when these agendas are high sounding not one sees the light of the day. The situation has become such that when our leaders announce their agendas for us we only smile and not take them into considerations

The list is endless, so add your own  

Emeka Esogbue a Historian, International Relations Analyst and journalist is a Nigerian citizen.
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Nigerian Newspapers Online

Nigerian Newspapers Online

The world has no idea what life is like in Nigeria. Living in the country located in the western part of Africa is like living in hell. In fact, Nigeria is like a very big prison where the common masses are allowed to move about freely while wealthy politicians and cohorts can move in out of the prison. No one single person who has not lived in the country and experienced hardship can exactly explain what living in the country involves. The people are suffering and everything that humans should ordinarily and commonly posses are lacking to the average Nigerian who must doubly struggle hard to keep hope of survival alive.

It is certainly worse than the political office holders in the country are aware of because it is difficult for the leaders of the nation to mix up with the commoners in the streets and even their offices. Getting to visit one “small” office holder is like the 8th wonder of the ancient world. The people live among the people like them while the leaders live in the moon. The people have lost hope entirely and only stay alive to watch what goes on the world they live. Economy is in shamble and purchasing commodities for consumption is like achieving the unachievable. Beggars are on the increase in the country ranked the sixth larger supplier of oil to the USA. It is a country where people wake up the early hours of the day wondering what food to feed their children with. Babies too have learnt to go on many days of dry fast.

Religious activities have grown astronomically too. Churches now spring up in private kitchens, restaurants and hotels and offer the last hope to the people who are naturally afraid to die and looks up to God for the final mission. Nigerians have never seen anything like this before as poverty bites harder and harder. Hilary Clinton had no faintest idea what it was when she commented that the government of the country had better do something to bridge the gap between the rich and poor. She perhaps merely heard from people but didn’t see for herself.

In Nigeria, the people swim along big floods of pot holes before accessing their homes after the day’s job. Has anyone seen a thing like this? You remove your shoes and deep your feet and knees inside a pool of dirty water when your children are innocently screaming “welcome daddy”. Roads are terrible in the country; it is now so terrible that it takes more than six hours to journey to Benin City from Lagos. Did you know that it now also takes more than five hours to travel to Obollo-Afor from Ibusa? Raining season is one of the worst enemies of the nation; it is a period that people become fearful, fares increase as people abandon their vehicles inside floods. Nigerians are suffering and nothing is being done about it.

In Nigeria there are no visible signs of leadership whether within the state or federal level. The only sign appears to be that the literate citizens of the nation read about stolen billions of naira on daily basis in newspapers. You must be discouraged to be a Nigeria when you experience all these. One seeming good policy of any state hailed by the people infects other states. In Lagos State, demolition of property exercise has since been in the news even as cockroach businesses groan to pay taxes in a nation that the government gives back nothing in return to its masses. It is increasingly becoming difficult to live in Nigeria as every potential citizen lives in the danger yet unknown.

Football which is the only national game that unites all the ethnic-groups of the nation is fast failing them again as everyone wonders whether the national flag of the nation will ever fly in South-Africa. Just as the last Olympic Games have failed the nation, the nation may well be prepared to brace another unpleasant surprise which may arise out of foolish policies. The Super chickens may have failed the nation once again.

As we read this article, Ibusa, a town in Delta State has not had electricity supply for the past three months and the teeming inhabitants have taken it as their destiny. In Festac town, many electronics may no longer function if ever power returns. It is certainly worst than you think. Workers now have to pay as much as N100.00 to iron only a shirt to meet up in the absence of any light. Solution to all these problems is far because the leaders of the nation usually deny that there are problems in the country. It is a big problem not getting solved because problems to solve are often handpicked with scapegoats serving undue punishments on behalf of evil doers. At least Nigerians can predict that arrested bigwig will be released soon without proper application of the law. What happens in a country where school fees for University part-time students is as much as N100,000 per annum in a country where majority cannot feed themselves? 

Discussing Nigeria’s problems caused by the leaders of the country is a waste of time because meaningful policies that will better the lives of the people will only return to the nation after the second coming of Jesus Christ. Everyone awaits

Emeka Esogbue is a Nigerian.

emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Nigerian Newspapers Online

Wikipedia encyclopedia refers to human rights as "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." This exists in the areas of civil and political rights and particularly describes the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law, social, cultural and economic rights includes the rights to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work and the right to education. This is expressly summed up by Article 1 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR as:

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Although this article will not delve into the history of Human rights which covers thousands of years and mainly drawn from almost every department of life such as culture, politics, religion and economy etc, it will merely look into a certain period of military rule in Nigeria when Buhari/Idiagbon and the Late General Abacha were in power as the rulers of Nigeria. It will seek to some extent objectively compare and contrast these two regimes for the purpose of establishing human rights situation in Nigeria within the period under study.

However, it is very germane to add here that so many ancient documents which can be recognized as concepts of human rights have existed globally, but credit should be given the United Nations Organization for the shaping of International Human rights Law as we have it today.

Human rights is agreed to be violated when a state or non-state actor within the International Community breaches any part of the United Nations Human rights treaty. This is hard to hard as such state or non-state actor may constantly risk condemnation by vehemently denying the act, and consequently covering up these acts of abuses with several sets of further acts which may prove difficult to demonstrate, particularly in several parts of the African continent. 

General Mohammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon (now deceased) came to power on Saturday December 31, 1983 although the regime of this duo was too short to appraise but the regime reigned in what many people of Nigeria could at best describe as dictatorial, even the successor regime of this regime led by General Ibrahim Babangida described the regime thus:

"He was too rigid and uncompromising in his attitude to issues of national significance".

No sooner did Buhari/Idiagbon ceased government than the infamous Decree Number Four (DN4) of 1984 was promulgated by the duo; Buhari/Idiagbon became famous for coming down heavily against the Nigerian press, making the report of truth a very serious offence in the country, not many will for get the terrible situation of Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor of the Guardian who were imprisoned for making a ca report on the Government.  The Buhari/Idiagbon regime would also executed Bernard Ogedengbe, Bartholomew Owoh and Lawal Ojulope for an offence committed by them as alleged by the regime after a national debate in spite of public pleas, the execution of these gentlemen were made possible by a retroactive decree courtesy of Buhari/Idiagbon regime.

Buhari and his Deputy would again promulgate another Decree called Decree Number two (DN2) of 1984 which made it possible for Tunde Idiagbon to detain anybody whether such person is a citizen of the country or foreigner, this decree stripped the court of law of the powers to depend the reason such person is being detained. In essence, the decree did not recognize the significance of the judiciary but was merely interested in achieving its aims of dictatorial tendencies. In what would later follow, the world became amused to hear the verdicts of 125 years imprisonments handed down to the regime suspects.

Buhari was also noted to have utilized excessive force in handling drug peddlers caught, as he issued death penalties to them in what political commentators believed should not have attracted death sentences, still death was the fate of several of these suspects in laws that resembled that of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations.

The tactics of the Buhari/Idiagbon regime became too harsh for the survival of the people, with arbitrary creation of decrees to lead the regime but promulgated to harshly lure the Nigerian public into playing into the waiting ready-made hand of the regime. Victims who became preys of these draconian decrees were mostly detained and made to remain inside prisons for as many years as Buhari and Idiagbon pleased.

There are those have argued in favour of this regime, in that according them the regime came up with the famous War Against Indiscipline which re-awakened Nigerians to the social norms of the society and helped to maintain societal order and respect for the Nigerian society as a whole. But this is outside the human rights records of the time.

The regime of General Sani Abacha who lived from 20 September 1943-8 June 1998 and the de facto military leader of Nigeria between 1993 and 1998) suffered stiff opposition internally and externally because Pro-democracy activists made the regime unpopular. His regime was accused of gross human rights abuses both home and abroad. The heights of his human rights abuses was the arrest and detention of Chief Moshhod Kolawole Olawale Abiola, the man who won the 1993 Presidential election in the country, Abiola would later die in detention in a circumstance yet unclear till this day though this was not in the days of Abacha but his mere detention caused a global uproar as the appeals of several notable people from around the world to the Military leader to free Abiola was not heeded by him.

But the peak of the gross abuse of human rights in the country was ushered by the arrest, detention and hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa, an activist by the regime in what was globally condemned.

Some the activities that characterized his regime as a tool for the gross violations of human rights in the country were the trial in absentia of Prof. Wole Soyinka, charged for treason, and the arrest and detention of Olusegun Obasanjo also jailed for treason. Abacha was also notable for banning political parties, in what people viewed as a means of likely transformation of himself to the life president of the country, and the personal control of the press. Several human rights activists who opposed his policies whether from the military or civil society were either detained without trial or jailed. Many other persons, chiefly members of the press were also jailed. Allegations of coups and counter coups reined in this regime too. The regime abruptly ended when General Sani Abacha reportedly died of heart attack in June 1998 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.   

Having narrated the background of certain of the human rights violations of two military regimes Nigeria during the military era of the nation, this article will go further in comparing and contrasting the regimes in terms of human rights violations.

In the first place, both regimes were not democratically welcomed by Nigerians as power was ceased through fraudulent means, Buhari/Iidiagbon overthrew a democratically elected government of shehu Shagari , while Abacha ceased power from an interim government led Ernest Shonekan. It is also a known fact that Buhari, Idiagbon and Abacha all participated in the coup that overthrew the government of Shehu Shagari. Abacha and Babangida would further bring down the government of Buhari/Abacha.  

While the regime of Buhari/Idiagbon reigned for too short a period that any political analyst could valuably access, one can still point out that certain violations of human rights charter were committed that resembled the Abacha regime. One can not forget the incessant arrest and detentions of pressmen many of whom were jailed after trials too unconvincing to justify their offences. Buhari/Idiagbon shut down some media houses which was also a major feature of Abacha, in trying to personally control information and limit it to the whims and caprices of the regimes. Innocent pressmen who heard the names of Buhari/Idiagbon and Abacha fled for their dare lives and often abandoned their cameras and materials.

The two regimes also shared in the executions of persons globally thought innocent, especially after unconvincing trials, Buhari/Idiagbon executed Bernard Ogedengbe Bartholomew Owoh and Lawal Ojulope in yet a controversial circumstance, while Abacha executed Ken Saro Wiwa and his kinsmen, yet in another controversial circumstances. General sani Abacha operated with many of the draconian decrees set up by Buhari/Idiagbon administration, which both regimes used to try to gag the press and haul many innocent people into prisons.

Both regimes were tough on Nigerians, operating with draconian laws without recourse to the rule of law and legalities. This affected Nigerians negatively and brought sufferings to the people without correcting the anomalies both regimes claimed brought them to power. Again, it would seem that none of these two regimes announced a set date for the return of power to a democratically elected government.

 Both regimes continuously received harsh criticism from the civil populace, and in fact, however, while the overthrow of Buhari/Idiagbon was very surprising to the people, many Nigerians may have rejoiced over the exit of Abacha which they attributed to divine intervention, believing it to be welcome development.

Again, the attitude of Buhari in present time, has been described as a desperate one as he continues to express absolute ambition to once again lead the people of Nigeria, the extent he has pursued this to the Supreme Court level amidst the lack of interest attitude of his party has been used as indices to conclude that Buhari is power thirsty and may not have concluded his plans within himselve as the Head of State of the country to hand over power to any democratically elected government, a date he never mentioned until he was overthrown by Babangida. Abacha also never expressed any desire to hand over to civilians; in essence, both regimes had no plans for transiting to civil rule. Buhari/Idiagbon and Abacha were no democrats.

I have so far tried in some way to compare the regimes and shall now dwell on the area differences between the two regimes, Buhari/Idiagbon we may conclude was a not self-centered one, while that of Abacha was considered selfish with a lot of looting, accountability was not considered a responsibility to the people of Nigeria by Abacha while Buhari/Idiagbon felt they owe the nation regular accountability and transparency.

The major point of departure of these regimes was a more vocal international condemnation of Gen. Abacha which would further lead to the suspension of the country from Commonwealth in November 1995, when the regime hanged Ken Saro Wiwa and nine other persons believed to be enemies of the military regime in the country. This was with further condition "That if no demonstrable progress was made towards the fulfilment of these conditions (democratisation and respect for human rights/release of political prisoners) within a time frame (of two years), Nigeria would be expelled from the association."

As we later observed Abacha bluffed this condition and the nation was made a pariah State, and in fact a leper-State not deemed fit for relations by other good nations of the world, Abiola would soon die in Jail still die in detention in a controversial State, it was partly as a result of this that the country failed to make it to a particular nations cup in South-Africa.

With the reported recovery of huge sums by the Obasanjo regime from Overseas which has implicated the deceased general and his family in a wholesale looting of Nigeria's coffers and some $3 or $4 billion USD in foreign assets have been traced to Abacha, his family and their representatives, $2.1 billion of which the Nigerian government tentatively came to an agreement with the Abacha family to return, the Abacha is regarded as highly corrupt, another major departure from the Buhari/Idiagbon regime.

However, we conclude this article by stating that in spite of the differences highlighted here no military government is ever considered good by the people, and as they say, the worst civilian government is better than the best military government.

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate and Public/Political Analyst
emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Guardian Nigerian Newspapers Online

Nigerian Newspapers Online

The Nigerian situation in the hands of our own leaders has shown that even our former colonial governments performed better. Our freedom fighters such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, Ivan Ikoku, Herbert Macaulay, Mokwugo Okoye and Anthony Enahoro etc fought to win independence for us but only little did they realize that one day history would prove the British more capable. They mistakenly have asserted the opinion that the nation would fare better in the hands of its indigenous rulers but how disappointed they have become. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe lived to witness the civil war, series of military coups, downturn economy, electoral malpractices and finally in his dying years, evidences that a section of the country may not allow the rest to have a share in the leadership of the nation.

For Dr. Obafemi Awolowo, the sage cried fowl after the 1979 presidential election in which he believed his party was out rigged. His experiences did not end there, it continued with inability of the military leaders that took power to restore normalcy in the socio-economic problems that confronted the nation, weighing it down completely. The worst had not been seen by the icon whose advice only captured the wrong ears. He lost the patience he never recovered and must have felt that power was wrestled from the British and given to the wrong hands. Herbert Macaulay never lived to see the eventual situation of the country he fought so hard to win independence for, but the father of nationalism must have at least noticed the ugly situation that awaited the nation from the lot of betrayals he experienced in the hands of his fellow freedom fighters.

In 1960, baby Nigeria was born with promises but her condition has remained worsened by her parents and senior family members who will do nothing worth it to make her citizens grow. Nearly fifty years afterwards, Nigeria is still a crawling baby with feeble legs incapable of making her stand. Nearly fifty years after her doubtful birth again, no one can ably guess her sex and every argument in this regard have yielded anything positive. Citizens are now like slaves and the youths without any future. The condition of the country can best be described as recyclable for the worst.

All the freedom fighters that fought one way or the other to win independence for the nation must be utterly disappointed in today’s Nigeria which has given birth to nearly 200 million people. Every road to Nigeria is leads to disappointment. Nigeria is walking along a dangerous path where even America has found so hard to predict since every national policy of the nation is meant to promote the interest of the privileged rulers. Surely, the nation needs to be rescued by its people irrespective of what its leaders think for it is usual to here them comment and blame faceless and non-existent enemies of the country for the woes. Blaming the outside world officials of the nation is like the second national anthem of Nigeria. The people are used to it anyway.

The British colonial government only chose a particular political system of government upon which the nation of Nigeria was founded but a more modern history of the nation since our leaders took over badly tells it all. Parliamentary system of government has had its way unsuccessfully; the military have come and gone with guns and other forms of ammunition, yet nothing changed for good and now democracy is fast failing the nation proving too expensive in the eye of the ordinary masses who gain nothing in return with astronomically improving corruption.

Although, academic books and indigenous propagandas have condemned the British colonial government to the extent that no achievement is often credited to it, the much taunted “ancient government” can be effectively compared to what the Nigerian leaders past and present have given the people, and has fared better by far. The British chose particular policies and implemented them to the later bearing in mind that perfection only exists in words and humans should be treated with dignity. The British in power were not perfect but made a lot more laudable achievements more than any indigenous government or all of them put together. Let us not deceive ourselves, laying foundations are much more tasking than raising and perfecting them. From what is seen of our own leaders with their own kind of governmental policies, the British scored high points in building the country.

Hospital such as National Orthopaedic hospital, Igbobi, Lagos and Messy Hopital, Lagos and more built by the British governments can still stand the test of time if proper funds are genuinely channeled into them because they are better and more purposefully built than what our leaders have given us inside local government compounds. But what can they offer us anyway?

A look at the institutions of learning established by the British colonial government shows that they were better political players with more concern for the Nigerian citizens than all other indigenous Nigerian governments put together. Even secondary schools built by them were spacious, with facilities put in place for learning conveniences plus good standard of education guaranteed, in the years that arrived with the Nigerian indigenous leaders followed poultries as schools. I learnt from them (the British) that a secondary school should have missions built inside them. We often hear of the “good old days”, Was Yaba College of Education, Lagos originally set out as a full-fledged University? No but when our leaders could not do more, it became a university over night.

Has the Nigerian government not destroyed St. Thomas’ Teachers’ Training College, Ibusa, Delta State one of the first higher institutions of learning in the whole of Nigeria and the pride of Nigeria? Certainly, the volunteer Corps who arrived from America and other parts of Europe in 1945 to instruct in the institution will be surprised to hear that the once higher education set up by one of their own in 1929 is now a Girls Secondary School. A certain American citizen and one of the volunteer corps that taught in the institution in the period stated once contacted me to inquire on what has become of the institution; I told him that the once glorious institution and citadel of learning he was enquiring about had become an all sex female institution and he fearfully screamed. These things happen only in Nigeria. I further told him.

Have you realized that our grand-fathers who schooled under the colonial government speak better and flawless English language than those with Ph.D Degrees hurriedly trained and graduated from poultries called schools built by our leaders? How many new generation of good writers has the country produced since independence besides Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and a few others of the old generation? How many more good scientists besides Augustine Esogbue and Philip Emeagwali? Ask yourself. Has Nigeria progressed or regressed? Don’t be deceived with endless National Merit Awards and senior Advocates of Nigeria awards hurriedly conferred on themselves because if the nation is able to produce at least 5 true National Award winners, things will turn around in the country for good. Know it today that we have more honourary and traditional chiefs than the so-called National Merit award winners.  

What is more surprising to the British than that 6 years after handing over to Nigerians the acclaimed original owners of the land, meaningless and baseless crisis erupted leading to an unnecessary civil war which claimed millions of lives. Should postulate that Nigerians like other Black leaders in Africa cannot rule themselves bring succor to their fellow Blacks? The Blackman loves violence more than anything else in seeking to achieve results which never come anyway.

Today the situation has become indescribably worst than any human being on earth can imagine. Everything is wrong with us as a nation. Our leaders have obviously demonstrated incompetence in ruling us. They lack the wherewithal to give us even joy; we live in a country where our lives are being wasted on a daily basis. The leaders of the nation easily forget that life is but once as they amass public monies available and selfishly move them to develop other countries while the common masses are left to die in a country where there are no standard hospitals with standard equipment. Little wonder why our leaders travel out for mere medical check-ups to India, China, and Indonesia etc while the poor are left to die at the corridors of ill-smelling hospitals in the country.

Nigeria is one of the few nations in the world where leaders emerge without elections, yet poor citizens are either made to stand all day in the sun or rain to fulfill the righteousness of the mighty politicians. The Ekiti scenario best describes how the government of the country has fared in organizing election. There public office holders who speak in this country and no one bothers to listen to them. Electoral chiefs are some of them.

No policies favour the generality of the citizens because it is a taboo to see the masses smile. Electoral reform story can be better imagined than expected. Acting according to the will of the people is also a taboo. Information Bill story is also has taken more time to deliberate before the National Assembly because it will do the masses good if passed. Motions to remove oil subsidies are more hastily considered because of the harm it will cause the people.

Oh Britain! Create another country for us. We are tired of living with our leaders in this country called. We are now ready to move out to found our own country like one of them recently advised us. After all, Nigeria is for only the wealthy not for people like us. What can our leaders do for us? Do a hungry people see? Why stop us from importing frozen chickens, “moi-moi”, apples, bread, “chin-chin” and “akara” from Republic of Benin when we cannot find them here. Remember that a hungry man will desperately look for what to eat no matter how far illegal it may be termed because he must survive.  

When the bible said that the love of money is the root of all evils it definitely referred to Nigeria because it is a country that everyone wants money without hard work. What more is expected in a country where employments are hard to find. Everyone also live in darkness because it is impossible to provide constant supply of electricity in this modern age. It is a country where generator sets may outnumber the citizens in terms of population. At nights, the noise generated by these generator sets makes the environment appear like a large factory and everyone sick.

Who has fared better, the British Colonial government who first lit up the country or the nation’s indigenous leaders who many decades later cannot keep pace with what foreigners in started in our own country? I, for sure prefer the British colonial government because they gave us all we wanted especially food and I will vote for them in any credible election any day. The British colonial government, I doff my hat for you.

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations Analyst.

emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
Article Source

Nigerian Vanguard Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

1. PERSONAL SAVINGS

This is by far the most popular method people are using to get their house built, there is no fear of creditors knocking on your door and it gives a lot of rest of mind. Honestly, no matter how small your salary is, you can build a house if you set your mind towards it. There is always a case of you saving from whatever your income is. Study has showed that 30% of the moderate level of what we get monthly goes to buying very unimportant goods and junks. So you can cut unnecessary costly foods in costly restaurants.Sit down, make an inventory of wasteful spendings and start saving 20% only of your income, no matter how small in 2 years time you will start a home of your own,whatever you are able to save will be enough to start your house. Professionals benefits most from this type, with up fronts, profit sharing and commissions amongst others.

Personal savings amongst others is the first option if you want to acquire a land and building a house.

ADVANTAGES

i. There is no debts to service or pay no matter the turns of things.

ii Rest of mind, since there is no creditor coming to knock on your door.

iii.It is healthy at the long run, when your mind is free of fear you are most likely to live a heal their life and avoid hypertension.

iv. It gives you room to channel your earnings towards something valuable and gives you more responsibility.

DISADVANTAGES

i. It may take a long time to achieve your dream

ii It bites on your income and may moderate your style of living

iii.Staying for too long, might make somebody to loose interest altogether and abandon the project.

iv. There is alway fear of families of (Omo Onile) Landowners rising up to lay dubious claim on your land especially when the seller is dead, because of long time of building.

v. There is always probability that the savings might be converted for other uses.

vi. Inflation on cost of materials and labor may also be seriously catching in.

2. WORKPLACE MORTGAGE AND LOANS

This is most attractive to workers that are planning to invest in Real Estate. Though it is mostly used for personal buildings, but giving honest advice from me, it is better for you a young man or woman to build it, then rent out and let the building pays for the loan back while you sit down and collect rents . Then now use the dividends to finance another project.

The National Housing Fund remains the most attractive leeway for those who desire to build with loan especially the civil servant. It is designed by the government to aid the federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, with less bureaucracy unlike before and it offers presently a maximum of N5m at an interest rate of 6% and a whopping 25 years of repayment tenor. This fund can be joined through any of the mortgage banks in Nigeria.

ADVANTAGES

i. Fast completion of building

ii. The paying back period is long and is remove automatically from your monthly income without you feeling the pinch because it is usually very small.

iii.The interest rate is very low.

iv. If you understand real estate, this opportunity can turn you into a millionaire.

DISADVANTAGES

i. You are indebted for a very long time.

ii. Interest rates no matter how small will still eat into your pocket.

iii.Sudden severance of your job, may leave you in the cold against your creditors, what if you are unable to get another job.

3. THRIFTS AND COOPERATIVES’ HOUSING SCHEMES

This method is becoming more popular among the young workforce and a lot of cooperative housing schemes are springing out daily. It employs the same old mold of operation, only that in this case you are expected to own a home. All members pool resources together to build houses for each member in areas of choice. This is an alternative to mortgage for the low income earners, who makes monthly minimal contribution overtime.

ADVANTAGES

i. Just as in mortgage loans, fast completion because of readily available funds.

ii. At times members purchase large expanse of land and divide between members which is more comparatively cheap, they get professionals to do the projects in large volume, and the professionals in turn charge less because of large numbers of jobs. Housing cost can be reduced by 25% with this method.

iii.Encourages other mutual benefits and promote friendliness.

DISADVANTAGES

i. It definitely goes without saying that the cooperative society of choice must be well researched and thoroughly investigated to ascertain the commitment and integrity of its members. Some members can decide to default and this may lead to the collapse of the cooperative club.

4. LAND SPECULATION & CAPITAL MARKETS

Have you packed into a developing area before, which is still full of vegetation? Within 3 months what you will notice is a surge in inflow of people of that location either they are trying to secure their land or are encouraged by the moving into the location by you, and are sure of meeting neighbors to talk to, transact business or probably for security, whichever, there is always a trend of people moving into a location because somebody like you have just moved in. So what happens? as you have more traffic, the value of properties in that area will naturally increase. So when you are buying a land, why not make it two or more, as you build one, the other plots will appreciate in value sell them and use it to complete your resident house.

ADVANTAGES

i. You may not feel the pinch of paying so much because of your investment that will augment for you.

ii. This may be a starting point for you in real estate investment, this will give you a first hand knowledge on how it works

iii.Benefits like naming of the street after your name and others.

iv. You are not bothered by repayment of loans, since you are building from your investment.

DISADVANTAGES

i. Because this is a fresh area with less development, you may not have access to some infrastructural facilities already existing in the main towns.

ii. It may take some waiting for other lands to appreciate before you can complete your project.

5. SOURCING OF LOANS FROM YOUR BANK

With consolidation of Nigerian Banks, there is a lot of money now available for business transactions, so banks these days are ready to loan you money to be able to complete your building, though this process is the most difficult to choose.

ADVANTAGES

i. Completion of job in time because of availability of funds

ii.If you are sure of the location then you may sell the building and make quick profit because of fast completion

DISADVANTAGES

i. Request for collateral

ii. Bureaucratic bottlenecks

6. DIVIDENDS FROM HIGH YIELD INVESTMENT PROGRAMS (HYIP) AND SHARES

Some smart young couples are making use of this program to develop their homes stressfully. Though high yield, high risk, this is by far the best and the easiest way I can recommend to anybody when building their house. Before present problems with most of the HYIPs, There is an high yield investment program being promoted by an Oil and Gas firm in Nigeria called Nospectus, you invest N450,000 in their company and they in turn by the end of every month will be paying you N40,000 in 12 months you would have made 100% turnover, and the good thing about this company is that you can withdraw your capital of N450,000 anytime you want to.( Also you have Clubfreedom among others.)

A couple grew theirs to N200,000 per month i.e. 5 slots and they build their house of choice so stressfully, imagine having N200,000 per month as an additional salary without any further effort. “Note: though I am not recommending them, I know of quite a few people in this scheme. There are a lot of HYIP’s also going on internet but you have to consult those that are already into it before you get defrauded. Less risky ones is to buy shares, bonds etc and use the profits to build your house.

"My general advice is to start small”

ADVANTAGES

i. Very easy to generate steady flow of cash for your building.

ii. The more investment , the more money to help in financing your building project.

DISADVANTAGES

i. High risk

ii. Shares may plummet

iii.Companies can pack up tomorrow

iv. Wrong decision by the investment company may lead to closure of business thereby affecting you.

Article Source

Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

Although some have argued against creation of states in the country, stating that such can only lead to over-dependence on the federal government, I differ from this argument, in that the experience drawn from the creation of states in Nigeria in previous years has yielded abundant dividends for the country. Many of these impacts this article will discuss as proves that the creation of states contrary to dissenting opinions has ushered in new dawn of growth and developments and in addition availability of social amenities in the country.

The remark that the Nigeria of today is much more developed than the Nigeria of 1966 before the creation of 12 States by Gen. Murtala Mohammed more than anything else holds water. The reason I feel indifferent to opinions that have arisen in condemnation of creation of more States in the Nigeria is that people who have been in condemnation of this arrangement fail to remember that the country is an artificial creation from many unrelated ethnic groups and tribes dissimilar in socially and religiously, and hurriedly put together for the benefit of the British. Today, neither our government nor the British who artistically created the country can statistically state how many tribes and ethnic groups that make up the Nigerian State. All our records tell us is Nigeria has is a country with more than 250 ethnic groups.

As a country with over 250 ethnic groups with 250 ethnic groups as our records tell us, political grouping of peoples with similar linguistics, history, ancestries, traditions, and other criteria will guarantee sense of belonging, off course granted that many would want to argue that as a nation, we need to co-exist. Co-existence is important and necessary but certain political wills and other certain tools are necessary if this is to be achieved. International Relations experts are aware of the big gap existing between “Nation-State” and “State-Nation.” The British tried to mould one geo-political entity with people that never imagined they could ever come together as one.

As we have already experienced in the country, marginalization reigns in the country, and minority ethnic groups made to geographically squat with giant ethnic groups within the country have no voices at all. It is for this reason that most ethnic groups in the country continue to shed tears of marginalization. Those of us with good knowledge of politico-economic situation of the Igbo people in generality have an unlimited understanding of what marginalization is all about. The South-East is the only geo-political zone of the country with only 5 States even as most the areas of the Geo-political zone with oil have been deliberately and carefully annexed to other States notably Rivers State. A new kind of marginalization of marginalization I am particular about is that which even ensures that peoples lumped in a States are still marginalized.

No sooner the National Assembly of the country announced the creation of more States than about 50 proposals were registered with the Country’s law makers. For sure, the people understand the immense benefits inherent in forming an organized political community as part of the country. The importance of Statehood forming part of the country cannot be overemphasized, it is a result of this development that the Law makers of Lagos State was able to successfully adopt Yoruba language as its second official language. One effect this has created is that the people of this State see one another as a people with common destiny. Discrimination again if ever it exists becomes limited, because the basis of intensely discriminating against one another becomes reduced to the barest minimum.

Cry of marginalization reigns in the country because the government of the country has not really gotten it wholly right when creating States in the country, thus federating amongst the existing States of the country is strangely suspicious and inefficiently meant to be. In the first place, it has made absolute nonsense of the geo-political zone, a new political design, which has no place whether in the administration or geographical composition of Nigeria. This would have at least found sense if political appointments in the country are genuinely designed to rotate among  these geo-political zones, rather geo-political zones merely exist as regions.

Number of States comprising geo-political zones in the country are unequal, yet the basis for arriving at which zone should posses more States is uniquely indeterminate, who can tell me the reason certain political zones of the country have as much as 7 States while many have 6 and even as low as 5. This is what creation of more States in the country will set out to correct. Our law makers should also see to it that both regions of the country i.e. North and south have equal number of States, so that both regions will regions will have equal number of representatives in all affairs of the State. Creation of more States will therefore usefully correct this impression.

Though one is absolutely unsure of exactly how many States the national Assembly may want to create, advisedly, I would implore the House to consider some necessary factors in creating these States to act as a limitation for future cry for more. Some of these factors or criteria to be given consideration should be linguistics, economic viability, ancestral history, homogeneity, histories, agreement to come together etc. Economic viability is necessary because over dependence on the federal government will further add burden on the central government, and in over all cause a reduction in the allocations to other States. A situation whereby a State may not be able to pay salaries if created should be totally avoided. This has formed one argument of the opponents of new State creation, but we know that if certain small and less economic viable States can survive, others alike are certain to survive.

Ancestral history, linguistics, homogeneity and histories are all necessary determinant factors in the creation of States, this is because a people are what they choose to be, and should be regarded as they so wish. The people of Anioma for instance today the oldest agitators for the creation of their own State are a people who under willing agreement decided to come together and form a State and a people in spite of difference in ethnicities. It is particularly wonderful that this group comprise of Enuani (Igbo,) Ika, Ndokwa, Ukwani/Ndokwa, Aboh, these peoples are willingly joined together by shared aims, being the first of its kind in a country where separatism is deemed preferable to unity. The Anioma people demonstrated the possible of different ethnics coming together to form one ethnic group, and has since been so since 1951 since the founding fathers of the union practically actualized the socio-political action.  

Linguistics should also form the basis of creating States in any environment because it is a natural cause that unity, peace and progress only prevails in an environment where the people see themselves as one. The case of the adoption of Yoruba as the language of law making in Lagos state has been cited in this work. Creation of States should rather gather displaced peoples who see themselves as lost because they are forcefully made to stay in the midst of people who they are bound to distance themselves from. It is for this reason that agitation for State creation continues. People should not be unwillingly placed where they not belong.

What  is the sense in having an Ika town of Igbanke in Edo State when they are in fact Anioma, recognize this and even regularly hold social inclined meetings with their Anioma kits and kin? The Igbanke for as long as they remain in Edo State where they do not naturally belong will continue to view themselves as strangers, which they really are. This ugly development explains the reason the community is in utmost marginalization, it was an impression Babangida failed to correct in 1991 and the opportunity is here once again.

Today’s Delta State is one which everyone agrees deserves further splits into several States because if for anything, the Anioma people should be made to exit the State with a State of their own joined by the Igbanke people presently unwholesomely lumped in Edo State where they do not belong. Anioma State should be created with its capital at Asaba, while the present State should remain but with its capital either in Warri or Ugheli. The Government may further venture into creating Ijaw and Itstekiri States from the said Delta State to make the State a non-volatile one. The Idoma nation presently located in Benue state, North Central also have a valid claim to statehood, this peoples need Apa State, as we know, the Idoma nation is one that has never produced a governor of the State, quite akin to the Anioma people of Delta State. A State will carve the political verves of the people.

On why more States should created in the country, the impact of this is too immense to mention here but we know that States that have been created so far in the country have all become developed more than they were when situated in other States. Anyone in doubt should imagine how many state and federal universities that existed in the country when Nigeria had 12/19 States and compare with how many in existence now with 36 States. With creation of more States it is compulsory that more ministries, universities, polytechnics, airports, seaports, Banks, press centres, mosques, church headquarters, government offices, stadiums, general hospitals, International organization centres, and other institutions necessary to make State etc that come with it. These may not all exist within a day but certainly they must be seen to exist in a state no more how long it takes.

There come into existence more job openings, people migrate into these newly created States to discover opportunities for greener pastures, which occasion leads to decongestions of major States like Lagos and Kano. Opportunities once again are almost immediately created for politicians who must jostle for political appointments and positions, secretariats are constructed. Roads are constructed; bridges are also constructed, with the governor of such state seeking to explore every available means of discovering means of revenue.

Who says creation of states does not come with benefits?

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate and Political/Public Affairs Analyst.
emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
Article Source

Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

The Arewa Consultative Forum in a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting in Kaduna over the weekend decried the activities of the Niger Delta militants and said that the leaders of the region and the federal government should be blamed for the resurgence of militancy in the region. The Arewa Consultative Forum accused the leaders of the region of wasting the huge resources accrued to the region in the last couple of years and failing to invest in the development of projects to enhance the standard of living of the people.

Arewa Consultative Forum would further support this by stating that “recent regimes have embarked on spirited efforts to address the problems of the Niger Delta region” Oil Minerals Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were cited as some of the efforts of federal government apart from the 13% derivation formula. The concern of the North in this matter should be commended but the question remains who should be blamed for the woes befalling the Niger Delta region. As matter of fact, the North should take this responsibility which is befalling not only the Niger Delta but the nation at large including the North itself. The North having consumed nearly forty years in the leadership of the country out of the forty-eight years of the country in existence have failed to pursue national developmental policies instead corruption has reigned.

The North continues to treat the leadership position issues of the country at the federal level as if it their birthright and this portrays danger for the country at large. After nearly forty years of the leadership of the country at hands of the North, we have come to nothing. Any rationale person would have expected a southerner from perhaps the South-Eastern, South-southern region or any other part of the south to take its turn by succeeding Chief Obasanjo but because the North is eternally in love with power and because Esau must claim his birthright by means the North returned one again in 2007 with same unyielding policies everyone is tired of.

Interestingly, the ACF would allege that the 13% formula accounted for a situation in which a state in the Niger Delta region had a budget of N377 Billion while another had N53 Billion as its budget. The North also stated that as recent as last month “some states in the Niger Delta took home as much as N42 Billion while many of the non-oil producing states went home with a paltry N6 Billion”. Are all of these amounts quoted here equal to what was corruptly lost to Nigerian leaders? Again, if the total amount the North had as reported here by ACF was also spent in the North the region would have been at least developed. After all, the North is part of Nigeria and we have other Nigerians living in that part of the country. So the situation in the Niger Delta is only a little worst than what prevails in other regions of Nigeria.

Niger Delta and other regions today are existing under sever marginalization because all of the nine leaders who in the past and present ruled Nigeria have pursued ‘northernization’ policies a situation that frequently maintains the eyes of the region on the political power position of the country.

The statement or communiqué of ACF group on the Niger Delta situation amounts to nothing but ‘stricto senso’. We remember that some years back, Oodua Investment planned to establish a fast train connection between Lagos and Ibadan which would have been useful to the whole nation but the initiative was completely crushed by the insistence of the federal government that railway remains the responsibility of the centre. What centre? We know this ‘centre’ to be Northern centre. When last was Charles Soludo who being an Igbo man miraculously broke all odds to emerge a governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria allowed to perform unhindered? What happened to his naira re-decimalization policy idea?

Why are national positions in the country such as oil, security, finance, agriculture, water resources, planning, energy, culture, infrastructures so importantly domiciled in the North? We can at least tell that Obasanjo retained this formula because of the secret agreement he had with North before assuming office. Even the like of Mahmud Jega, editor of the Abuja based Daily Trust and straight talking northerner loudly lamented and wondered why most of the close aids and associates of the President from his days in Katsina government house were brought with him; the likes of Chief economic Adviser, Dr. Taminu Yakubu and the Agriculture and Water Resources Minister, Dr. Abba Ruma are part of this development and some who initially comprised of his key appointments (see The Nation, Sunday June 29, 2008)

What is the Headquarters of Nigerian Ports Authority doing in Abuja, a city with no access to sea port? And why was the capital of Lagos relocated to Abuja without the conduct of plebiscite? These are some what demonstrates northernization policies which Arewa Consultative Forum would readily blame on other regions. We all know that the Abuja was unnecessary and lacks basis from the very first day the idea of the city was conceived to this moment. If all the facilities which existed in Lagos were reduplicated in the city (Abuja) all in a bid to bring the capital of the country to the door step of the North, then there is bound to be an inevitable hardship in the country and the underdevelopments of other regions which the Niger Delta bears now (for further details, see the article on ‘Abuja: how the Nothern Oligarchy Led by the Military Junta Brought Nigeria’s capital to their Doorstep of the North, by same Author on Articlesbase.com)

In 1980 it was recommended that 1.5% of the Federal Account be set aside to tackle the problems of the oil producing areas but this became ineffective because funds ended in private pockets, bureaucrats and contractors, the result was the scrapping of the ‘1.5% committee’ in 1984 by the military junta headed by a northerner.

Next was the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) by the ACF group set up by Ibrahim Babangida administration. This project became a woeful failure under both Babangida and Abacha regimes. (OMPADEC) became pregnant with projects worth over $500 Million with the bulk of the money paid to contractors whose addresses coulpd not be traced. There was also the much publicized disappearance of $200 Million (see the Book, Where Vultures Feast: Shell, Human Rights, and Oil by Ike Okonta et al)

The history of Petroleum Trust Fund established in 1995 and headedby Gen Buhari (Retd) is well known and not any different from the story told above as Gen. Buhari (retd) was accused of nepotism and financial recklessness. How Buhari ceased to become the Head of PTF is now a history.

Abdusalami Abubakar inserted a minimum of 13% clause in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria. What is 13% to a region that produces over 80% of the total wealth of a nation?

While one is not encouraging the region to take up arms because the result if matched with the use of force will be fatal to the nation at large especially after the civil war experience of the nation which ended about 38 years ago, which the people of south east still blames on the north as the facilitators. This may further amount to another round of accusation pointing to the North once more if not amicably resolved. The federal government should therefore seek the most peaceful ways of resolving the problems in this region so that peace can reign again in the region and indeed Nigeria as a whole.

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is is a History and International Relations graduate with lots of tremendous published and unpublished works.
emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
Article Source

Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

It grieves me so much when I read from Nigerians that we do not need further creation of states, these Nigerian writers heap myriad of problems on the division of the country into various units, they believe that Nigeria has not progressed developmentally since the country shifted from regional structures put in place by the British colonial government. My views on state creation in Nigeria are in sharp contrast to the views shared by this group of writers and political scientists. I wonder why some of us expect state creation to solve the country's problems, which is absolutely impossible, we forget that Nigeria as a country inherited burdens and problems, socially, economically and politically from its founders. It was personally painful to me when a certain Igbo writer did an article in the vanguard newspaper on why the South-East does not need a sixth state in the geo-political zone, and I wondered whether we understand that the number of states comprising each geo-political zone politically shape and re-shape the destiny of each of the regions of the country.

Some writers have also rested their points against the creation of states in the country on a lean argument that divisibility of the country into smaller units called states reduces the size of states, this is but a very weak argument, not supported by even common sense, and far from political reasoning, for geographical size of a state not behind the creation of states in the country. I once read in "The Guardian" newspaper that no state in the country has distinguished itself in terms of development and advancement of their inhabitants, and again I wondered if the word "development" has another definition outside what we know it to be.

That creation of states in the country has not led to any form of development is one issue we must tackle, with the number of projects existing in all of the states in the country, Headquarters of several parastatals and ministries, federal and state universities as we have them in the 36 states of the federation. It is silly for instance to argue that before the creation of Osun State, there was Osun State Polytechnic. We also forget easily that the scope of development in the country has been politically widened so that it can accommodate 36 Governors, 36 State of Houses Assembly, more legislators, more State High Courts, more police officers etc.

Creation of more states has brought development economically too to the door-step of many towns and cities, many of which have been labeled capital territories. Asaba was a town very obscure within the Mid-western region, but today, the town is on the verge of joining the list of towns with international Airport status. Oghara in Delta State is another town that has also immensely benefited from state creation, with modern developmental structures. It is a fact that today, all the Banks in existence in the country have their headquarters located in each of the 36 states, with several more branches. This has come as result of state creation in the country.

Interestingly with the creation of states in 1991, many people have freely moved down to their communities because of the level of development available to these towns. So how can anyone argue that the country has not seen development with state creation? I maintain that the problems of Nigeria have nothing to do with state creation because state creation is like a tool that yields development. I stand to prove it any day that state creation is the best achievement our leaders have made since 1960, because with it, there would not be a lot of governors, universities, colleges of education, Federal and State Ministries as we have them today. Those who are demanding states be carved out for them are not doing so out of ignorance, but because they have noticed the doors of developments it has opened to other towns and communities.

We need not prophets to tell us those regions now in the forefront of developments in the country have been able to make these attainments because they have been made to exist in states, in this country, we shy not shy away from the truth that developments are mostly to stay in capital cities and territories close to them.

 When we deeply think even with logicality, we will realize that the Federal Executive Council is rested on the number of states in existence, and that most times decisions democratically reached by the body is usually put to votes, and the number of states that make up each geo-political zones matters in every of its aspect. The number of states in each geo-political zone also determines the weight of allocation formula which goes to each geo-political region, and these capitals are meant for development. Is it not for this reason that we ask that the number of states that make up all the geo-political be balanced? The South-East is grossly shortchanged, and there is every need to put the zone at par with the rest of the regions by creating additional one or two states for the region.

State creation in the country has exposed many towns and has many hitherto hidden communities much good, that Jigawa today enjoys a capital status owes its origin to the creation of more states in the country, and it is commendable indeed because a country like Nigeria with large population deserves development.

As stated earlier in this piece, Nigeria inherited a lot of problems from its founders; one of these is the unnecessary arrangement in which over 260 ethnic-groups with different socio-political differences were hurriedly amalgamated by the British in their (British) own interest against the wishes of the unsuspecting ethnic-groups. Even Britain the once mother of all European countries would have failed with that experiment, those who are against state creation in the country should therefore stop alluding to European countries. We know that any British Prime-Minister, French, German leaders etc can stand up today and address their citizens with one language but this cannot happen in Nigeria, and may never be brought to possibility.

More states should be created in the country but this must be done in such a way that the states to be created will posses the expected economic viability that will make them stand the test of time, unlike many of the states in existence today made to exist out of favoritisms. Yes state creation in the country has brought about development, and more states should be created in the country.

Emeka Esogbue is a Nigerian citizen.

emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

Roads in Nigeria have truly become what we now refer to as death traps, which cause that typical vehicular and human traffic jam, the type you have never heard or seen all your life. The situation described here is worst in Lagos, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt, Onitsha (Head-Bridge) and Benin City. You can expect much more intense traffic jam even along high-ways, especially the now infamous Benin-Ore Road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway etc, anyone who for satisfaction of his curiosity can drive around and take a look at what the people of the country call “Go-slow.” It is this word Go-slow that this article will use to describe this situation.

These Go-slow may sometimes be artificial with no visible cause in sight. You arrested by this hold-up for several hours, sweating and instantly removes your jacket, instead you receive stuffy air much to your discomfort, and as you manage to gradually drive to the beginning of it all, while hoping to find that large object which has blocked the entire road, you discover nothing much to your amazement except maybe a pot-hole. You suddenly discover yourself join others in swearing and cursing which in the end yields, only for you to become hooked up in another Go-slow some few metres away from the previous scene.   

Once I was in a commercial bus, driving from Festac Town across the Festac-Amuwo link bridge, after experiencing a stand still for several hours on this road, it was time to drive on, suddenly we noticed that a particular private bus did not make moves like other vehicles now jostling like the heavens was open for self-acclaimed righteous to enter but there was a much more difficult snag, the private bus driver was not driving, surprisingly, the man was noticed resting his head on the steering of bus, while other vehicles maneuvered their ways out of his stationary position and as usually, tongues began to wag, was he dead or strangely had slept off? As it is typical of Nigerians, other passengers began to pray for him, though no one attempted to come down and verify what the problem was with him.

We can at best qualify the kind of Go-slow we find in Lagos as “made in heaven” this kind of Go-slow is not found in anywhere else, in fact, Lagos is the king of Go-slow. Every single available road in Lagos appears to be designed with Go-slow as its major target. No journey which requires plying the Lagos road would take you less than one hour, no matter how short you may consider it. Interestingly, the people of the State plan their daily routine, which requires plying the roads with Go-slow. The more usual excuse to tender upon late arrival to work is go-slow, just mention it and your Boss will readily agree with you, or will narrate his terrible experience to you.

Rather than expand these roads to accommodate more vehicles and allow free flow of vehicles, the Lagos State Government demarcated and further reserved a portion of the road which it named BRT routes, this is a fine idea, but with this portion of usually narrow and congested roads reserved for Lagos Government Buses, the implication is the rest of the other vehicles struggle to utilize what is left for them.

One major reasons the Lagos roads has become home of Go-slow is abandonment by the federal government, the Nigerian Government rather than consider the once capital of the federation as its maintenance priority, the federal government considers all affairs having to do with the State as a matter for the people of the State, yet Lagos State continues to host, accommodate and shelter politicians and their families. Lagos can pass as a State in the country where every politician of high profile have one form of business or the other, yet it State which is the commercial nerve of the country is deliberately stagnated in oblivion.

The long stretch of road, the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, an international route which links the country with Republic of Benin is the worst route anyone can ply. From Mile II down to Okokomaiko, your troubles begin, this narrow road is never free, and most parts of the roads have been taken over by humans who trade. It has been suggested that the best period to ply the route is before 5.00am when you assume every other person still sleeping. Suddenly we heard there were plans to expand the road; suddenly nothing is heard again from the federal government.

Generally, Nigerian roads require urgent attentions, now that Christmas is at hand when we expect quite a lot of persons to travel to their hometowns for the holiday, Nigerians are panicking because they are aware of the level of inconveniences they will encounter on our roads as vehicles are sometimes seen alternatively moving from the road and plying farmlands in villages to beat Go-slow. Benin City has also emerged as one Go-slow den that drivers must avoid if they are to at least arrive home at a reasonable time rather than kill their time in stationary traffic jams. It beats our imagination that the State Government has still not found solutions to this traffic jam problems in the ancient city of Benin.

We know that our government cannot suddenly and magically supply solutions to the road needs in the country especially now that Christmas is at hand but they can do a lot to better the lives of the people who pay taxes, and are naturally entitled to living good lives like their counterparts in other parts of the world, it is for this reason that we call on the various governments of the States of the federation and the federal government to urgently arrest the bad situation of roads in the country to reduce the number of deaths and maiming that occur on our roads as a result of motor accidents by reconstructing, re-planning and  expanding these roads.

We have also noticed that in other countries of the world the Police do not stand in the middle of the road while performing their functions, rather these officers are well positioned by road sides where they quietly discharge their duties with the traffic flow unhindered. Street traders have also occupied more than half of our roads, with the remaining half left for vehicles. This must be discouraged. Most times, I wonder why our government cannot procure and manage traffic control lights like it is done in other countries of the world, if this is provided with the Police quietly monitoring the situation, a lot of stress will be saved the traffic warders who must be relaxed while performing their road duties. Until we stick to these, we shall continue to entertain panics before and when on the Nigerian roads. Pray against hypertension.        

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate and Political/Public Affairs Analyst.
emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

According to Wikipedia, Leadership may refer to “Those entities that perform one or more acts of leading,” “ability to affect human behaviour so as to accomplish a mission,” and “influencing a group of people to move towards its goal setting or goal achievement. The political aspect leadership is indeed more than anything failing us not only as Nigerians but as Blacks and indeed everyone will definitely agree with me when I say this. This has continued to bother my heads as Africans do not seem to naturally posses what it takes to lead their followers or subjects. It is more than shameful for us all who are Blacks. The case of Nigeria is simply sympathetic because our leaders are not very leadership oriented. The definitions given above are viewed as tools for presenting to our so called leaders that political leadership is not mainly Caucasian owned but open to all fully interested humans wishing to lead their followers to the Promised Land. The leadership model as provided for in the annals of Nigeria has failed to promote the understanding of techniques involved in political. It is today acknowledged that Nigeria is a potential giant of some sort of promises; the country has all it takes to rank with the rest of best world economies but the leaders crops the nation has produced have all lacked the wherewithal to position it in this avenue because of certain vices which are associated with these leaders. A look at the generality of leaders which the country has produced whether then or now clearly shows that the nation has never had good leaders but individuals only interested in their own well-beings and those of their families. Before this time, Chinua Achebe has emphatically stated in one of his books well known to all that the problem with Nigeria squarely has to do with leadership, however I wish to state in clear terms that now added to this perhaps beyond Achebe comprehended was “corruption” which has added colours to the ways leaders roles are schemed in Nigeria. Every system of government appears to have failed Nigeria too, Parliamentary system known then as the Westminster model which the country inherited from her colonial masters, Britain was condemned as a not too good enough model by the military men who thought they had all it took to liberate Nigerians from the bad leadership chains of the first civilians, again, this military men who ruled the country for decades proved that fraudulent acquisition of the nation’s wealth was more than anything topmost in their selfish agenda. Within decades, a new generation of khaki men with different political ideologies, agendas and personal attitudes to life such as Buhari, Babangida, Abacha, and Abdusalami had in their selfish interests taken power in different incredible circumstances wasting the lives of millions of Nigerians through hunger, protests, lack of amenities, frequent increase in the prices of petroleum products, deliberate elimination and execution of brilliant individual citizens usually through unfounded rumours of trump up coups. Lives were lost in these battles notably M. K. O. Abiola and Ken Saro Wiwa, with the whole world again starting to attach credence to democracy as the best form of governance for the nation. Political leadership has once again failed Nigerians and the nation was now a pariah in the international arena not good enough for to relate with. Not many will easily forget how the civilians recouped again to battle these khaki men in order to wrestle power from them in the name of democracy and finally democracy returned courtesy of Abdusalami, the man who had seen beyond Buhari, Babangida and Abacha, and even the old generation of Aguiyi-Ironsi, Gowon (the one who had every opportunity to industrialize Nigeria but went on to announce to the world that how Nigeria would spend her money was the problem) Murtala/Obasanjo (the man who handed over to a democratically elected leader) Democracy again returned with Obasanjo handed the mantle of leadership after he suddenly became a born-again. His leadership model is indescribable here as he was himself a controversy manufacturer who ironically was accused of everything he accused his opponents of. The leadership style of this man became a failure to the whole nation and opinions once again began to condemn him. Obasanjo was hurriedly made and sold by People’s Democratic Party unprepared with the tag as “a saviour,” a party without any agenda priding itself as the biggest political party in Africa and maybe “the entire world” With time it became clear that this man was visionless without any clear direction. The height of his own crisis of leadership was the foundation for the auctioning of Nigeria’s Bakassi to Cameroon. Worse still, the man stylistically and unconstitutionally called for his term elongation to the amazement of the whole world. Obasanjo lacked political stature and was far from activists, the result was irrational behaviour and apolitical authoritarian attitude the type required to only maintain one’s family. Actions referred to as policies were only geared towards what political friends would gain and what political foes would lose, these for him were assumed sufficient to pilot the affairs of his giant nation called Nigeria supported by his political party, PDP. Obasanjo no doubt added to the political crisis of his nation such that his immediate “selected” successor, inherited innumerable problems like nation wide hunger, teachers’ protests, increase in VAT and petroleum products and voluntary giving out of Nigeria’s territory to an unfriendly-friend Cameroon. Professor Rita Kiki Edozien has said that “the crisis in leadership in Africa perhaps not one of the regimes in power per se, but it is a crisis in the broader civil society which lacks vision and a strategic plan on how to put the continent back on its toes” With a development the ugly situation of Nigeria will persist. The result of leadership failure in Nigeria today is the present 2008 Index for Accessing Governance ranking of the nation as the 39th in terms of governance out of 48 countries in the world, and the 14th out of 16 West African countries which indeed is very shameful. The criteria used are: 1. Safety and security 2. Human rights 3. Transparency 4. sustainable development 5. Human development, and 6. corruption The result of the above is that Nigeria is only better governed and fast developing than two West African countries. One major problem Nigeria has is that the nation is lacking in consistent policy which puts the mechanism of the political leadership of the country and achievements in inertia. Nigerian leaders engage in sorts of probes with no reports seen or even implemented such has become the identity of the present administration. The implication of these probes is that victims do not lose sleep as they go about their normal businesses in their typical manners. Perceived representatives of the people as they claim to speak for the people are in the eye of these people lacking legitimacy. Nigeria has not learnt any lessons of history, however there is need to reposition the nation and strategic plans for attaining this must be employed in order to make progress and responsive political culture, these must be upheld if the nation is to gain success in leadership. so much monies are spent on electionsand re-elections only good enough to be called sham. The 2008 Lagos Lg election is a typical of what I mean. The moment a particular government is power, it sweeps the result of the whole election. Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate with lots of tremendous published and unpublished works.
emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
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Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

You will not help but laugh at the treatment usually given to job seekers in the country, there are two types of job seekers in the country, those that already have jobs waiting for them courtesy of "connections" and applicants who have to live on information to pursue search employments processes, I call this group, the true job seekers. This article will especially lay emphasis on these group true job seekers, and how they do their things to gain employments.

A typical job seeker in the Nigeria today must remain awake to information that may lead to his securing one, he does this by buying the Guardian newspapers of Tuesdays and Thursdays edition, and sometimes Punch newspaper as well if he posses qualifications above secondary school level. For persons who are not graduates, he must wake up very early the morning searching for sign-boards that must display "Sales-Girl Wanted: Apply in person" or "Are you beautiful, bold and fluent in English, then your services are needed as a Marketing Executive" Different boards may read different high sounding but usually funny sentences proclaiming demand for workers.

It is therefore not surprising that applicants once describes as Marketing Executives find their way standing all through the day mainly between 7.00am and 6.00pm on the busy roads of the country pursuing and trying to win passers-by to purchase their products. The annoying thing about this employment is that these Marketing Executives who are often given targets, with mandates to sell to passers-by whose minds were not prepared before leaving their homes unimaginable number of these products. Our Marketing Executives are often required to sell within a week the number of products that the entire firm has not sold in 4 years and they must achieve this before they will be paid their paltry salaries which is also ridiculous.

You will be appalled to discover that in the end Marketing Executives are never paid their salaries by unsuspecting employers instead, some of our Marketing Executives accept their fate as dictated by their employers, yes it happens in Nigeria and we experience it everyday, it happens because there are no jobs available and our ladies who hate to prostitute must work to earn monies.

For the graduates from our so-called prestigious universities with high sounding degrees, they solely depend on newspaper advertorials for vacancies, if you are good at studying newspapers, you may secure one soon. It is now common to see youths surrounding vendor stands with papers and biros writing out vacancies they have "hired" from newspaper vendors. Describing what patterns vacancies take in Nigerian newspapers are very vital to enable you understand the difficulty in securing even the worst forms of job positions in many firms in the country. Every job vacancy in Nigeria comes with conditions, which you may never fulfill in your entire life time, thus these conditions makes it possible for those already working to switch over to newer establishments, while fresh job seekers keep seeking and counting on God for  miracles to take place.

Certain of these conditions may require you to be between the age of 19 and 24, and I ask you how often do we see children who graduate from Nigerian Universities within this age, when it is glaring that economic situations of the country is biting your family so hard? Another condition may demand "not less than 5 years experience in a similar position" Where do you get this experience, as a boy of 24 in Nigeria? Who will have given you a first time employment at the age of 22 when you just haven't got this experience in the first place? Job seekers' experience in their search for a job makes utter rubbish of securing one in the country.

Securing a job in the Banking firm in this country can be deemed juicy but working in this sector may mean hell for you. Bankers in the country might be considered the busiest set of workers in the country given that they resume 8 00am and call it a day 5.00pm, the usual busy roads of Lagos dictates that they rouse from sleep as early as  5.00am because they have to beat heavy traffics in the state. Bankers work from Mondays to Saturdays, and are never opportune to see daylights outside their offices. Individuals are fast denouncing the positions of "Marketing Executives" in our banking industry; imagine when as a Marketer, you are given unattainable target to fetch millions of naira for the firm, achieving this becomes something else.

Sometimes too, we graduate from the Nigerian Universities to discover that the courses have read are as good as unnecessary in the Nigerian job seekers world, and you entirely regret it when you discover it. It is for this reason that the Banking industry is the last hope for the Nigerian job seekers, graduates of Arabic, English Language, Political Science, Library Studies, Yoruba etc all end up in the Banks. It is also interesting that as a graduate of Science inclined discipline from our University, our society offers you no job placement. Only limited opportunities exist for instance for graduates of Physics-electronic who usually are graduated without practical knowledge.

If you are a job seeker in Nigeria, you need nothing but pray hard, for only good luck will guide you through.

Emeka Esogbue is a NIgerian from Ibusa, Delta State
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Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

The 2008 Olympic Games have come and gone with Nigeria the largest Black nation and giant of Africa returning to Africa the place she rightly belongs with one silver and three bronze medals. Those who refused to blame the country hinge their argument on shabby preparations and arrangements made possible by the authorities responsible, the Federal Ministry of “Football”  

There are no doubts that majority of the Athletes in Beijing, China to represent the country where on-lookers who only were there to observe other prepared Athletes counterparts perform creditably well. Anyone who had followed up arrangements as put together by the Nigerian authorities will have definitely realized that the nation did very little but dabbled into almost all the games available in Beijing. This earned the country the name “Jack of trade, master of none.” For sure, we all counted more on men’s football event to the detriment of other games.

Thanks to Samson Siasia, the Chief Coach of the country’s Dream Team IV who for the second time has written the country’s name on the table of countries with silver medals in men’s football event of the games and thanks to the players too who determinedly performed well not minding the unfavorable environment in the country. After all, we are used to it. Only Nigerians understand themselves.

Someone who saw one of our Boxers thoroughly beaten by a particular Ghanaian Boxer remarked that we needed to face our Kerosene scarcity problem, which will put food on the table of our Boxers. Only a man or woman who does not understand the country’s man made problems living with us will heap blames on our sports men and women who represented us. This brings us to the question of whether there exist sports facilities on the country for Athletes for our sports men and women to train. Everything is simply wrong with our system including sports.

One thing the outside world does not know is that most our representatives financially funded their trainings in bids to represent their fatherland. A very good example is Chika Chukwumerije, who won bronze in Taekwendo, and even defeated the world champion during the event. He reportedly funded his trainings in Asia, Europe and other continents and spent over 25 million Naira. This paid off when he was eventually crowned with Bronze medal in the championship, a testimony that only those who have worked hard will reap the fruits of their labour. Preparations are therefore very vital to sustaining victories in sports and no one can rule out this. Governments must invest monies and other resources in other for interests to accrue to them bountifully.  

The country is notorious for abandoning even those who have won honor for her. Is it necessary to ask here what happened to Chioma Ajunwa, the first Lady to give the country her first individual gold medal ever? Where is Peter Konyegwechie, the silver medalist in Boxing? The general feelings among would-be representatives of the country are that they live but forgotten after glories. Little wonder, many of our Athletes continue to flee to acquire the citizenship of foreign countries to escape what befell those before them. After all, “When the toad in front falls into a pit others behind take caution”

You need not be told again that most of the coaches appointed to take care of the Athletes by the country’s authorities did not have many opportunities to do so as their coaching durations are usually too short. We expect the worse to happen which of –course is “sack.” The axe will dangle again on their heads. Expect it soon. With the human and material resources available to Nigeria in abundance, anyone will have expected our representatives to come home with more medals than what we have now because Nigerians are highly talented.

The country’s Football Authority showed inability to secure the release of Taye Taiwo, Ike Uche and Vincent Enyeama by their respective clubs, a situation that clearly indicates that the Nigerian Football Federation needs to extend its influence beyond the enclave of the Nigerian society. Though the men have performed well to the admiration of all, we still need to do much to make more improvements and not any less.

In one of my visitations to a training ground in Festac, I had observed an Athlete do her personal training, with her legs often stretched by some sports loving people. Upon inquiry from me, I was told that she was one of our Olympic representatives, upon further inquiries on when she was not at the country’s stadium; I was further told that the stadium in Lagos was in neglect. A much-neglected stadium would have been better than FHA playground in Festac town but she just knew better than I did or so I assumed. She too must have been neglected. Training in that local playground and hoping to compete with American, British, Chinese and Russian Athletes must be ineptly.

Asking our authorities questions on why the once National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos has been in neglect will amount to a waste of time as the nation’s media have widely condemned this with little or effort made by the government to make restorations. It is on record that the super Eagles of Nigeria maintained a long stretch record of not having lost in that stadium in much of their numerous matches played in the main bowl of this stadium. Our authorities would prefer playing and doing badly in an obviously less standard Kano stadium, were the Super Eagles performed poorly and ended up losing a ticket to the 2006 world cup Angola. Quota system was it.

The 2008 Olympic Games have come and gone but we must do more on our part to take care of our prized representatives who bring pride and honor to our dear nation. We need to identify the areas we are good like other countries do and concentrate on them rather than delve into every event and come back home with nothing. This will be a useful tip to us particularly if our purse cannot take care of us all even though we tend to ask why this is so with all the high sound of amount of money we hear in this country. Many African countries that returned with gold are not superior to Nigeria neither do they have better talented sportsmen and women than us.

Everyone cries or berates the Nigeria national female team for inability to journey beyond first round each time we face bigger teams from Europe and America but no one remembers that they are hardly made to engage these super countries in friendly matches as preparations to major events.

Nigeria places too much attention on football to the detriment of other sports; no wonder the Minister for Sports in Nigeria is nothing more than a Minister for “Football.” This development is very disturbing to the growth of other sports in the country. Boxing, for instance, which used to be the pride of the nation, is now in utmost neglect and on the verge of extinction. Other kinds of sports are affected too and this situation if not quickly arrested will lead to the “death” of athletics in the country. If you were surprised like me, then you would probably have expressed this when we realized that a Nigerian could favorably compete and return home with medal in the Taekwando event even though the nation’s representative determinedly did so after personal funding and practices. The result of unnecessary emphasis placed on football to the detriment of other sports was the fruit the nation reaped in Beijing, China. Every kind of sports is necessary for each of them will reward a nation with medals.

We need to stand up if we must improve.

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate with lots of tremendous published and unpublished works.
emekaesogbue@yahoo.com
Article Source

Nigerian Newspapers

Nigerian Newspapers Online

If you are thinking of getting a bright career for you then you are not alone in the row. There are an end number of professionals available all around the world who struggle hard to get the best job for them that matches perfectly to their profile and interest. But it is worth to note that it is here the real problem starts because finding a job that suits both to the profile and interest is really a daunting task.

Though it is really very difficult to search for the jobs that satisfy all the parameters of the job seekers but it is definitely not an impossible task. With the help of right search option and reliable source you can find the right job for you.

Today with the help of internet you can find anything and everything that too without wasting much of yours time and money. However as there you can find everything, it is sure with good things or options you also have to face the bad ones. There are several websites available on the net that are just there to extort money from the customers. So if you don't want to take chance and if you are looking for one such website that offers the option of best jobs in Nigeria then Careers Nigeria is the name of the website you must opt for.

Careers Nigeria is a website that publishes the latest Nigerian jobs, employment gist and career opportunities in Nigeria. It is an online recruitment website that publishes only the good jobs in Nigeria. Unlike other websites that are just there to offer any job option to earn money that thing is not at all possible with Careers Nigeria.

There are many other websites available that offer various Nigerian jobs but what makes Careers Nigeria an inevitable choice for finding best jobs in Nigeria is a long list of extraordinary features. Some of the most important features of Careers Nigeria include the following:

1. Goodwill: The first and the most important feature of Careers Nigeria is that it is one such website that is really very high in terms of factor of goodwill. Since its inception in April 2007 it has witnessed such popularity and goodwill that is really very hard for other companies to even imagine. It is because of the quality Nigerian jobs offer that it offers that it gets over 10,000 unique visitors every day. 2. Dependable: It is yet another important feature of Careers Nigeria that it is one such website that offers the results that are 100% dependable. If the requirement is of best jobs in Nigeria then it is sure to expect results from this site that are highly recommendable. So if you want to avail the charm of extraordinary Nigerian Jobs options then there is definitely no better option than Careers Nigeria.etc.

The above mentioned are just two important features that are enough to explain why Careers Nigeria is considered as the number 1 destination for job searches in Nigeria. If you really want to have such job options in Nigeria that can help you get both name and fame together then you must go for taking valued services of Careers Nigeria. So for what are you waiting for? Let the rays of bright career come straight to you. Visit Careers Nigeria now!

Careers Nigeria offers only the best jobs in Nigeria . Select the best out of the rest Nigerian jobs now.
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Nigerian Newspapers