Tag Archives: National Issues

Adeolu Akinyemi
January 28, 2011

Who is Thinking Nigeria? -2


Picture Credits: www.esqlaw.com

I won’t talk about Prof Pat Utomi, because he seems already aligned with this position… being or not being is not do or die, he’s willing to work from any position to move Nigeria forward. He would willingly vice a Buhari, or take a Ribadu as vice… and that in my view is a true reflection of their experiences and how they can offer value. According to the holy books, he that is faithful in the business of managing financial resources (talents) is given charge over cities. The greatest pre-requisite to governance is financial and business mastery. Crisis becomes the order of the day when we calculate political office occupation as experience over demonstrated capacity to manage mammon. Those who take cities before they can manage personal wealth ultimately ruin cities. Don’t tell me your experience was former Governor, show us what you managed successfully before entering into the corridors of power. Even a fool knows how to spend N50 billion in a way that it will show… but then, our stomachs have craved for so long, that we now call bitter sweet!

Mallam Ribadu under “Asiwaju Congress of Nigeria” – some of these dailies are so creative. I love Ribadu, his work in the EFCC made it clear to the world, that we are all not as we are painted. It was a nationally visible role, and I would have thought that the next major assignment would have been as IG, but then, we know how it works around here. Ribadu has good followership among the elites, and if the votes were strictly out of Nigerian soil, no doubt Ribadu would have won. I don’t think anyone can take away from Ribadu his achievements within that EFCC chairman role. Most of his 25yrs as a police officer are not in public light, and there are a few here and there’s that don’t make him too saintly for the role – I have heard that we don’t need a saint, after all are we? Ribadu would get a big chance if Buhari was not running – come to think of it, the difference in their name is h and d, you can almost rearrange the letters to call the same names otherwise. I have seen the debates about the elder stepping down for the younger and supporting the younger, I think they are valid debates. I have also seen the debate of the other side. I think the answer should not be answered based on personal ambitions and a quest for “my turn”, I think it should be by “Thinking about Nigeria”.

So far, all I have seen play out, is ACN using Ribadu  as it’s negotiation chip for Buhari to move to ACN as it’s aspirant. Well, I guess when a pawn reaches the line of the opponents kings, it can chose to become a queen – Let those that play chess understand :)

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu holds huge possibilities for a new generation in power, but is he not riding on a horse that has a mind and direction of it’s own? I like the hand he’s playing though, it’s a hand that will gather opposition support ultimately if the greed of men and their personal agenda don’t allow an alliance that has the muscle to tackle PDP, but who is thinking Nigeria?  Then there is this argument that we have tried the old… in Obasanjo and are not significantly better for it (we have moved from 45% poverty to 75% poverty – the truth however is that the middle class got the better of it), let’s try someone younger. If young people support young people, young people will win – at least with population on our side. On the other hand, GEJ is also young people, and like it or not, the South South region have never had the opportunity to lead Nigeria despite producing the majority of it’s resources, and providence has provided them with one such opportunity. Let’s discount the fact that the current opportunity is being sown completely as a seed to get 4yrs, 7yrs or 8yrs (30fold, 60fold and 100fold). There is also the school of thought that we need an experience that India had in 1991, an elder state man with nothing to lose and a name to make. The thought that if a man has been in power as Governor, President, Chairman NNPC, PTF and Oil minister and can’t boast of much possessions, there shouldn’t be much else he’s looking for other than immortality.

When all the chips are down, may the options that will birth the New Nigeria be real and clear! I still believe in miracles, and nothing is too hard for God.

My prayer in all these regard, is that we would be a people that deserves the best type of leaders. Than we as a nation will humble ourselves, turn away from our wicked ways at the level of citizens and pray to the God of heaven. He says’s He’ll hear us, and heal our land! I also pray, that the fear of failure will not stop the opposition from advancing forward even if we are already late. May God help us to register, to select the best, to vote, to protect our votes and make them count.

In the final analysis, may the God that sets kings in place and deposes king, may he be our God. May the God of heaven rule and reign in the affairs of Nigeria. May the weeks ahead pass without bloodshed, and may the fresh and new Nigeria spring forth in our time. May we see the end of darkness, the end of abject poverty, the end of failed civil service and systems, the end of non inspirational leadership, the end of government by the rich that oppress the poor, the end of era corrupt generals. Let the kingdoms of this world, become the kingdom of our Lord and anointed. Amen!

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Adeolu Akinyemi
January 28, 2011

Who is Thinking Nigeria? -1


Picture Credits : www.servitokks.com

There is a dark cloud hanging over Nigeria today! It’s not the dark cloud of rain, but a gross scary darkness that indicates nothing short of doom! The 2011 election is around the corner, with the parties positioning their flag bearers for every office, there is a question that burdens my heart and moves me close to tears – “Who is Thinking Nigeria?” Is there one of these aspirants that is truly thinking about someone other than themselves? Are we dancing to the rhythm of Michael Jackson’s “All I want to say is that, they don’t really care about us” or do we have true patriots whose guiding interest is, what is good for Nigeria?

I have restrained myself from writing anything on this site about our Political fortune as a nation, about what has been, what is coming and my sudden plunge into study of the history of Nigeria and indeed Africa. I have seen the quality and calibre of people who bring change to any nation, I have studied bloodless revolutions, and kept an eye out for bloody revolutions. I have delved a little into countries that beat us in population, and those that we dwarf. I have even learnt a bit about the country that is perceived as our ideological twin – Indonesia, and how they turned their fortune forward. The process for change did not start with the other arms of government, it started with national leaders, who were selfless enough to think about their God and nations ahead of themselves.

Here are the thoughts that burden my heart, and shape my prayers to God. You might find them useful points to take before  God as well.

We are more than this!

Nigeria has been called a country of great potentials for too long. We are like that student voted by his classmates as most likely to succeed. Measuring every indices under the sun, Nigeria is meant to be equated and ranked with the greats, but this is not so. From Nigeria alone, we can carve out at least 6 Dubai’s – splendor for splendor, building for building, value for value, but today, if Dubai was a picture of heaven, we are like the other place. We have declined in every aspect and every way. Values? We have moved from a nation where people sell items without being there, to one in which people get kidnapped even when they are there. Leadership has embraced a culture of impunity. The Nations purse has become the personal account of whoever is in power. Our concept of wealth transfer is – “do it yourself”. Corruption is so normal that integrity is getting stigmatized. Infrastructure and Systems? 40 years ago, Saudi Royals came to UCH in Nigeria for medical check up and treatment, in our days, our past president has only their city to run to. While we had television before France, we can boast to have better light than Cotonou or even Somalia – Cameroon is planning to sell us some Megawatts. Education? The real figures without parents paying for mercenaries to help their children during the exams is alarming! Foreign organizations that researched our education say that 80% of the teachers failed the exam questions of the students. National Security? We are currently all prisoners in our own homes, our fences cover the buildings, our security guards are great attempts at job creation, we have built islands of prosperity within the quicksands of abject poverty, suspicious of our neighbors, in fear of kidnap or recently bomb blasts! While the fire burns in Nigeria, our political parties and political class, jostle for positions for their family members, impose candidates and practice the demonstration of craziness brand of democracy.

While our nation falls through the cracks, God is searching for a man, not an assembly, first a man. He sought for a man from among them, who will stand like a Noah, like a Lot, a standard by which the whole dough is leavened. Our prayer should be that God will restore our land, and cause men of value and men of Integrity to arise. Our prayer should be that God sends us a deliverer, whose heart is not towards his personal gain, but who fears God and sees the discipling of nations as a higher call, than the evangelism of individuals.

The Umpire

Prof Jega! Not much to say about a man that is making millions of poor Nigerians warm up to the idea of Billions. My prayer for him, is that he would do his Job with wisdom and not pipe the sound dictated by his financiers – it takes a lot of faith to pray this prayer without wavering, so pray it without ceasing. He holds a sacred position in our history, may he be relevant to doing God’s bidding in our finest hour!

The Aspirants and their Parties!

These are my opinions, I expect them to be debated by those who consider themselves informed enough to have contrary opinions, I expect them those that I lead to reason with it and align, and I expect those in the quest for knowledge to find balancing perspectives to aid their search.

GEJ to me, is like the trusted servant to whom the master entrusted the Kingdom in the absence of the rightful heir and has decided that rather than find the heir, to take the position of  ”what is good for the goose is good for the gander”. There are few men like GEJ, who will have a really sick boss, and not fast track the process of their own emergence. His demonstration of patience and willingness to accept his fate endears him to many of us. He’s enjoyed 6yrs as deputy Governor, 2yrs as Governor, 3yrs as Vice President and almost 1 year as President. Quantitative aptitude already gives insight to interesting trends. He’s enjoyed in the myth of Nigeria, that always seems to hand over power to the person who refuses to strive for it, but is that still the case?

The era of patience is however over, the President has found the inner room of Aso Rock, and is no longer patiently waiting for power to come. He’s going after it! When we analyze everything in his history and in the last 8 months, we are tempted to say that all that has happened is merely patience and staying amiable to all the parties concerned. After all, as my people will say, you shouldn’t ask for your father’s murderer until you have the swords in your own hand. One school of thought says that GEJ is consistently demonstrating he is vying for a post out of his league, another school of thought says, he’s only waiting to get the sword. The questions I have are… can compromise birth confidence and freedom? In whose best interest is the current play? Obasanjo? IBB? or now both?

I fondly remember a political chant of back in the days “Ba ti e dibo, o ti wole!” – Meaning even if we don’t vote, you have entered. The natural trend is that GEJ may become, and then we hope that he knows what to do with the sword. My prayer here is that God will vote and His vote will count! In America it was God’s vote that changed the tides – out came recession and the scales were turned. In Nigeria may God’s governorship of the nations hold sway.

Buhari – GMD! I have never voted for him, my childhood memories of him were about discipline – War Against Indiscipline. It happened at a time when we easily memorized all TV adverts, so I can quite easily replay a number of the reigning adverts then – In Yoruba and English… “Kai, iwa ibaje ni yen”. My study in the last few months however have shown me, that if ever Presidency was a Job in which your CV of experience  and values was required, then he’s the best candidate we have. With a military training the same with the likes of Collin Powell (Same school), with patriotism that warranted fighting in battle to keep a significant part of Northern Nigeria untaken by Chad, with varied administrative experience spanning different administrations with his integrity still intact. He’s tackled the economy – buharinomics, he’s built two refineries (Warri and Kaduna), He’s ensured the completion of infrastructure projects all over the country, in the universities and hospitals while under PTF. He’s denied himself a salary while serving because it clashed with his values. If presidency was a Job, and we were looking for most qualified, he’s far above the league of the other contestants. Oh, there are serious allegations against him… about religious bigotry that allows him to jail an emir, cut the allowance for Haj and ensure zero religious crisis, about backdating the law in order to kill drug traffickers, about jailing some journalists for publishing the ambassadorial list before the countries approved,  about one 53 suit cases of money which hasn’t been traced to his account, about selective justice and tribalism in the administration of PTFs funds when he was chairman. Add it all together, his good, his bad and his ugly and he still get’s the Job if on merit ahead of all. There are some aspirants, I forgive and skip their names, who getting the Job will be equivalent to putting a pilot on the seat of the national plane and sticking learner in front.

If all good men voted for good men, and all otherwise for otherwise today, will a good man win? If a people deserve the type of leader that the have, should we get a good man? Are we good? In this chess battle game of Generals, what position favors Nigeria? He’s old, no doubt, and that counts for something. We are not sure if he’s the man that he once was. The only comfort I get is that India and Indonesia were turned around in the last 20yrs by older people who had nothing to lose. They only built a group of arrow heads who were young and ran the country’s engine. My idea ticket, is a ticket that has all the progressives aligning to position someone that has sufficient followership and structure to almost win and create an MOU based relationship where the government of one is the government of all. Prof Pat Utomi, Ma-lam Nuhu Ribadu? To be continued…

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Adeolu Akinyemi
July 7, 2009

The Sin of Negligence


“Advertorial – An Alliance for Progress meeting on behalf of Prof. Pat Utomi, would be holding at Golden Gates on the 10th of July, 2009. It’s a fundraising dinner organized for all who have interest in electoral reforms, and practical solutions to ensuring that the people we vote for in 2011 and beyond win! If you are interested in being a part of this dinner with the greats, the entry ticket is N25,000 and N10,000 for young professionals. For more details email : joshua.olaomi@newnigeriaclub.net”

Sitting beside the intensive care unit of the hospital in Ilorin where my mother was before she finally transited to glory, gave me a shocking realization. Every time power shuts down, some lives are endangered. I noticed with amazement that even my mother who was in the most funded section of the hospital regularly had her existence dependent on a UPS. The UPS was no different from the small ones supporting a personal computer. My mind wandered back easily to the road accidents that I have seen on my road travels over the past few weeks, and to the other thousands of lives lost uncelebrated. It is real, that we are losing people who ought to be alive daily in this country. And no, we are not to blame, it’s all the fault of the government, isn’t it? I’m here today to show you that our enemies are closer home than the government. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the lord!

Everybody who has the capacity to lead us, who has the potential to be voted for, who is a leader and has earned the trust and respect of people in this nation, has committed a great offense. Our negligence has put the wrong people in power, made our hospitals unequipped, left our roads as deathtraps, and have assisted in killing, murdering and sentencing many young talents and future leaders to early graves! The silence of your pastor, your CEO, your mentor and yourself is the reason for our bad roads, is the reason for the deplorable state of power in Nigeria, is responsible for poverty and the deathroll in this country. If you know how it can be better or know leaders, like we all agreed a few days ago, that can make things better and don’t position them, we have sinned! Continue reading →

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Adeolu Akinyemi
July 1, 2009

Pastor E.A.Adeboye for President!


adeboye-yr4901-vl-vertical

Today, I really want to welcome you into the second half of the year 2009. The match started January 1 this year and it was you vs 2009. It’s a great time to ask yourself what the scores are, and what your strategy for the next half should be. It’s a good time to do your life audit, and a good time to seek Gods face afresh for direction, for grace and for help! While this is something I’ll like to write about very well, I’m sorry that today I must write about something else that really bothers my heart – Nigeria!

I’m sure you read the title and wondered what was going on, I’ll like you to join me in this video I’m about to paint with words. Sorry, I could have done it on You-Tube, but our link in Nigeria is not strong enough to allow most people to watch it, it’s even going to be difficult for me to upload. So bear with me, and use your minds eye to follow me in this journey of our imagination!

Imagine with me if you can, that Pastor E.A. Adeboye indicates interest in becoming the president of Nigeria. What do you think will happen? Let me tell you what I think. First of all he’ll likely win, I do not attend the Redeem Christian Church of God, but I know many people from different churches and religions who will gladly and passionately vote for him. We’ll have the largest voters turn out in the history of Nigeria’s voting. I know many churches that will align, I know many people from diaspora that will fly in if voting was restricted to Nigerian soils. I know that many things will shift, peoples attitude to participating in Nationhood will dramatically change, Nigerians will know that something different was in the air.  All our dreams and aspirations for a New Nigeria would all of a sudden seem possible to millions of Nigerians who believe in this man of God.  All these if he indicates interest in becoming president, now imagine what is possible if/when he wins. In case you don’t know who Pastor Adeboye is, he’s the General Overseer of the Redeem Christian Church of God, and Newsweek ranked 49th most influential man in the world and 1st most influential person in Nigeria. Continue reading →

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Adeolu Akinyemi
March 27, 2009

Rebranding Reloaded


I had two great meetings yesterday, one was the Future Movement’s steering committee meeting, and the other one was a  New Nigeria Club Online Conference. I’m so thrilled at the key issues we were able to trash out in both meetings yesterday. I’m particularly impressed with how much we are achieving with the online conferences, technology is sure making things easier.

There was an interesting eye opener during the NNC online conference though, and I think it’s an idea I should quickly bring back on board and re-communicate. With so many great heads brainstorming together, we were able to obtain a good variation of personalizing our issues with our leaders’ name concept. I was thrilled with the additions and have decided to capture it as Rebranding Nigeria, Reloaded! Rather than sound abusive or use words that might ultimately lead us nowhere, we have decided to add an interesting positive tweak to the personifications. Here are the thoughts. Continue reading →

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Adeolu Akinyemi
February 10, 2009

Prof Dora Akunyili and NNC


Yesterday night, I got an sms from someone yesterday that Dora Akunyili might actually be looking for the New Nigeria Club. That I need to get searching and find out exactly how to link up with her.  I took the information in my stride, showed a few colleagues with the intention of getting all the creative juices flowing. I continued through the night and slept, only to be woken up this morning by a phone call from senior officer in the Ministry of Education. 

The question rang clear pulling me out of dream world, the assumptions the same – “Dora Akunyili is looking for something in the perimeters of what you people are doing in the New Nigeria Club!”  That got me to an early start this morning, checking the news and rummaging through the dailies, the TV and all sources of information on what exactly could be happening. What exactly does Dora Akunyili want, and how does it concern us at the New Nigeria Club?  My search was rewarding, but it didn’t leave me with answers, it left me with questions. Questions are not bad however, wisdom is a function of questions, intelligence a function of answers. I’ll like to call an emergency meeting, online and offline of New Nigeria Club members, let’s brainstorm on this together, and let’s see if we need to be invovled with this. Continue reading →

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Adeolu Akinyemi
January 20, 2009

God, Please Give Us Leaders


As I sit here, right here and now, I’m watching the inauguration of the president of the United States of America – Barack Obama. As I watch, my ears are getting hot, and my stomach turning. My heart yearns for a fresh breath of political leadership for Nigeria. My soul and my heart prays for Nigeria – “God, please, give us leaders!”. In the breath that I utter the prayer, I recieve a call from another comrade, he called to tell me that right now he is just calling me to tell me that he is praying that God should give us leaders!

Praying this prayer, I also hear God loud and clear – what are you waiting for? God will not come down to give us a leader, God will not cast his votes with paper, God will not write his name in the clouds. God will do it through you and I, through hands and hearts that are willing to engage themselves in the process of change. If we don’t have good leaders, is because you and I don’t think we deserve it enough. If we live in darkness, it’s because you and I didn’t switch on the light. If we live in the past, it’s because we have mortgaged our futures. Continue reading →

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Adeolu Akinyemi
January 15, 2009

Naira Slide


 

In the wake of this year, I described the things that we’ll find happening in the economic terrain in 2009. I described a story where the first sign in war led famine, was things becoming expensive. Well, we are not so far gone in the year and it’s happening already. I’m not merely writing a report of the state the nation, I’m writing to give you an idea of my analysis of what is happening, and to give you some guidance into what you can do to make the most of this time. I will offer guidance, no absolutes. Let’s say I’m learning not to put myself in the position where people hand me responsibility for their choices. 

First, when you hear anything is happening, the first thing you ought to do is understand why. If it get’s resolved without your understanding why, if it happens again, you are in a fix. Let’s say for example you are trying to run a particular software, the software stops on a particular page and refuses to go forward. The average person begins to pound on different keys and “Wala!” the computer begins to work again. If it happens again, he’ll possibly waste a lot of time again, banging the keys without knowing which of the key combinations unlocked the page. He might even end up destroying the computer. We will never be able to accurately and efficiently solve our problems if we don’t take time to understand the root causes. So, why is the Naira sliding, where will the slide stop, how does it affect you and I? What can we do? Continue reading →

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