THE UNREGIMENTED REGIME

How much did I miss Buhari’s 2022 Independence Day speech? Not a jot! I made a super conscious effort not to even listen to, or watch, it belatedly. Why? You may ask and justifiably so, because to have an opinion about something, one needs to have some sort of knowledge about it. Otherwise such an opinion would be discounted as nothing but hot air, gibble-gabble, or just downright prating. Having been super disillusioned for pretty much the last four years (not that the preceding four was anything to write home about, but an allowance had to be made for the case of getting stuff into position), I just feel the need to say a thing or two before this horror show of a President winds up his unregimented regime of disasters and heads back to Daura to look back at what carnage he has made of Nigeria. I'm pretty certain that he'd look back with delusion and glee, rather than derision and regret.

I could not stress it seriously, and loudly, enough that I feel great shame in advancing Buhari’s cause in 2015 and again in 2019 but how I wish I had the proverbial crystal ball! The phrase ‘hindsight is a wonderful thing’ could hardly be more idoneous. Nevertheless, I, like many Nigerians, considered him the best of the worst bunch of political apples on both occassions; not that he was the sharpest knife in the drawer.

The multitudinousness of Buhari’s ineffectualness, and in a wide array of cases, abdication of responsibilities and unconscionable abandonment of duties, are manifestly obvious, well-documented and widely commented upon. You see, we all are on the receiving end of this non-governance as evidenced by the quotidian and rampant kidnappings (perpetrators almost invariably never caught); extrajudicial killings (very rarely satisfactorily investigated); the total breakdown of the tertiary education system (cue the almost year-long ASUU strike); the parlous state of the economy (does Nigeria even have a functional one?); the almost universal lack of employment or business opportunities (the hundreds of thousands of graduates and post-graduates riding 'okadas' for survival tells its own story); the unrelenting depreciation of the Naira (making business decisions an almost impossibility). The list is dispiritingly long and unedifying in its endlessness, and Buhari had the tactlessness to proclaim that he had changed Nigeria! What a shameless display of brute insensitivity and arrogant rodomontade! Oh, yes, he was right in his proclamation. Yes, Buhari has changed Nigeria in ways that defy belief and sane comprehension. Nigeria has never reached such an improbable and impossible low in hope and expectation (not even in the God-awful days of Babangida and Abacha), which has resulted in millions of youths and middle-aged Nigerians shipping out of the country by the planeload, and even, by the busload, scrambling for the nearest exit in desperation and exasperation in order to escape panhandling as a career. As far as they are concerned, anywhere will do!! Nigeria, under Buhari’s watch, has mortgaged the future of its citizens no end. Yet, a few that benefit from this insipient regime are often quick to paint such an impressive picture that only Leonardo da Vinci or Rembrandt could conceivably conjure up!

It is nigh impossible to paint a dimmer picture of our country, Nigerians have never had it so hopelessly awful, it would be funny if it wasn’t so hurtful and unendingly damaging. The plain truth is none of us, including those unborn, will ever forget Buhari for the untellable and the almost irreversible damage he did to the Nigerian consciousness, well-being and psyche.

Many a Nigerian has resorted to visiting the schlockmeister just to clothe themselves and their families while millions have resigned their mere existence to fate. The Nigerian passport is a magnet for derision while the Naira is just marginally worth more than toilet paper. The political scene is awash with the most unscrupulous beings who belong to worse than prisons while the political climate is crowded by abdominous rapscallions who perceive the national coffers as their meal ticket while the populace become straphangers on the bus driving excruciatingly, albeit ever so slowly, towards hardscrabble existence. Is it not pertinent to ask of each other, ‘Quo Vadis’? Where is the hope for Nigeria? How do we even begin to define what hope is in the context of this level of desperation and unmitigated want?

Now the General Elections are just around the corner, the insufferable and perennial carpetbaggers are it again, promising hapless Nigerians Heaven on Earth, bread, butter and jam, with the odd Indomie thrown in for good measure. The spirit of discernment has long ceased to be a value Nigerians held high; that spirit has long given way to that of sheer discontentment, utter disaffection and manifest disappointment. The joie de vivre Nigerians were universally famous for has been all but snuffed out of them by the reckless abandon with which their fortunes have been balkanized.

All I’ve got left to say for now is that we all need to lift our heads high, live as happily as we can, and look ahead in hope while we still have a remnant of it. From the ashes of ruin, Nigeria shall rise again like a phoenix, and we will begin de novo. I can bet my last dollar on it (whoops! Sorry, I almost said Naira).

In the meantime, I say ‘pax vobiscum’, God bless Nigeria AGAIN; may the Almighty God rid us of those malefactors whose nisus is to gormandize on our commonwealth and substitute them with mortals who are composed of charity, bags of cojones, and chariness. Never such an unregimented regime in Nigeria ever again. EVER!!

 

 

  

THE DAMP SQUIB REBIRTH

Is there a more severe form of man-to-man cruelty than that of the annihilation of hope? Human existence is replete with all manner and forms of cruelty, but I am yet to learn of one more total in its devastative effects than that of the destruction of hope. Without hope there's no optimism; without optimism there cannot be confidence; without confidence there can be no achievement. Thus, with hope destroyed, the reason for existence is absolutely shattered. As that most beautiful of poets put it, "Not without hope we suffer and mourn." (William Wordsworth; April 7, 1770 - April 23, 1850)

In war, there must be hope for peace; in famine, there must be hope for rain; in strife, there must be hope for rapprochement; and in poverty, there must be hope for prosperity. In the context of my manacled country, we can only hope for hope; the sure manifestation of mental and emotional devastation; the result of man-to-man injustice. Where else in the world is money interred like cadavers? When in human civilization was money used for roofing support, or as insulation in attics? My dear country holds the record for innovation in thievery and skulduggery, a record that can, and will, never be surpassed. If you think this is hyperbole, you don't live in Nigeria!

It pains me no end to infer that the state of affairs (or rather, of non-affairs, as nothing is working, in a positive sense) we are currently enduring has been largely self-inflicted, and I have no shame (as a former ardent supporter) in declaring that Buhari has single-handedly re-delivered Nigerians to the unrepentant destroyers of hope, and to the cabal of insatiable peculators of our commonwealth. Buhari showed he lacked the political nous to deal with the socio-political and economic malaise that has burdened Nigerians for many a year. It is one thing to be well-intentioned, but an entirely different thing to match those intentions with the requisite political know-how and operational intelligence. Buhari lacks both, to the detriment of Nigerians who were solidly behind him, myself included. So much trust and belief was invested in Buhari and he has criminally squandered it all. The messiah has turned out to be more lame than a lame duck, and the tiger has been tamed by the marauding herd of obnoxious career thieves. If you think I'm being overly harsh, go and endure just a couple of weeks in Nigeria!

The hope of a national rebirth proved a damp squib and the high expectation of a new dawn has become a nightmare of unimaginable proportions. All blame is attributable to Buhari and the reason is obvious and simple. The very moment Buhari acceded to that insufferable Bukola Saraki's dodgy emergence as the Senate President, Buhari's, along with Nigerians', fate was sealed. Buhari, for reasons known only to him, sold out and enslaved Nigerians in the process. All that nonsense about him being for nobody and everybody is now haunting him and Nigerians. Whatever political capital he hoped to gain from this eternal folly has gone with the wind and Nigerians are on the high seas with no lifeboats. What on earth was he thinking of when he gave such a committed aginner so much leeway? Buhari's current state of health has nothing to do with his failure; he failed long before he became ill. Frankly, if he were to sufficiently recover now and regain the mantle of leadership, nothing of meaningful tangibleness could ever be achieved by him. He has welshed on his promises to Nigerians and has now enabled the shysters to rule the roost.

I never imagined the day would come that I would finally turn my back on Buhari, but my loyalty and sympathy are with my fellow Nigerians, first and foremost. Buhari is best advised to concede defeat, attend to his failing health and leave Nigerians to lick their wounds while they work out a way out of the cesspit he has dug for them. Surely, there has to be a way, and we will find it even if the 'how' is a bit fuzzy right now. Nigeria will not go down, despite Buhari's best endeavours!

It is fitting to end this piece with another soul-searching observation by William Wordsworth, and see if it rings in the ears of the purveyors of evil: "Rapine, avarice, expense: this is idolatry, and these we adore. Plain living and high thinking are no more."              

FLAILING, FAILING AND AILING

As we approach the ‘half-time’ of Buhari’s presidency and government, it is worth taking the time to take stock and carefully, and dispassionately, assess exactly where we came from, where we are at, and where we expected to be at. It is no use rehashing the usual mundane narrative of politicians destroying the very fabric of our national existence and relevance. We’re past the time analyzing and/or rationalizing the very root of the rottenness in our political and socioeconomic life. The time for asking questions about how and what got us into the messiness that has become an albatross round the neck of our collective hopes and desires as a sovereign nation, and united federal constituents, is long gone. The time for serious answers has come. Nigeria is bogged down by an albatross of corruption, insecurity, hopelessness, political disarray, and the incongruities of politics and service delivery. Hyperbole this is not. Each and every one of us knows our history, and no matter our individual political colouration, we know we are better than this and we can do better than this, and do, we must..

So, before we come to any conclusions as to how our expectations of Buhari's two years in office have panned out, we should carefully consider our own level of expectations in line with the tons of promises made by the APC in the run-up to the 2015 elections. I reckon we, the ordinary Nigerians whose votes were being canvassed for, were unforgivably gullible in allowing ourselves to be herded like cattle into the political nirvana espoused by the APC. This herd mentality, I dare say, beclouded our collective ability to be sensible in discerning what was realistically achievable and which promises were the proverbial pies in the sky. Some may now come forward, triumphantly beat their chests and say 'I told you so', but no one should be fooled by such puerile show of triumphalism, because those kind of people had their own ulterior motive for the steadfastness and unmitigated bile with which they turned their noses up at the dizzying and dazzling array of promises. The truth of the matter is if the APC had made even half the promises they made in their electioneering campaigns, the outcome of the elections wouldn't have been any different. People just wanted a departure from the PDP's way of life.

All over the democratic world, political parties of all hues make desperate promises at election times. In all of human history, not a single political party in power, has gone on to fulfill every single promise made at election times, and to have expected so much of Buhari has been our Achilles' heel. However, all said and done, we fell under the spell of the APC mainly because Nigerians were sick to the back teeth of the blatant and unchecked level of corruption that pervaded the PDP's government of Jonathan Goodluck, such that we were more than prepared to change the trajectory and direction of our national travel. The unraveling of the level of inhumanity, culminating in the discoveries of unimaginable amounts of money stashed in people's houses, gardens, graveyards, and suchlike is actually a validation of our fury. All of these taking place in a country where access to adequate, and timely, medical care is an impossibility; education, an absolute shambles; unemployment figures, off the scale; infrastructural development, non-existent; salaries going unpaid for months, and pensioners unjustifiably, and undeservingly, dying in penury. A country in which social media is rife with arguments about the origin of 'gbegiri' and 'amala', rather than celebrate technological advancements and political solutions to the myriad of ills afflicting us! Is that the Nigeria to be proud of? Is that the Nigeria many in the diaspora aspire to go back to? Why are we so adept at shooting ourselves in the foot? 
What could be more befuddling than the fact that Buhari, with his acclaimed intolerance to corruption, being blindsided, outfoxed, outmaneuvered and sideswiped by the corrupt cabal he so passionately and vehemently promised to eradicate? How many cases of corrupt prominent politicians and officials have been successfully concluded? It may be unfair to put all of these failures solely at Buhari's feet, but he must bear some measure of responsibility for the judicial fiascos that have so inauspiciously defined the corruption-fighting agencies like the ICPC and, more pointedly, the EFCC. They have blurred the line between prosecution and persecution.

Not only that. Even within his own whiter than white cabinet, there are unrepentant and incurable fraudsters and hoodlums that have been, and being, exposed with frightening rapidity. Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Federal Government is currently under investigation (the report into the allegations are due out today, incidentally) for defrauding PINE (the Presidential Initiative for the North-East), which was set up by Buhari to facilitate relief, and rehabilitation, efforts for IDPs. What could be more evil than defrauding desperately needy and helpless persons who have been devastated by Boko Haram, and most of whom have lost the little they ever had? Thank goodness, more than eighty of the poor girls were released over the weekend, but with over a hundred still unaccounted for, what more should concentrate the minds of those charged with their welfare and rehabilitation? Still, they loot the very funds that were set up to aid their resettlement. What of the inordinate influence of Abba Kyari has on the administration of Government in Aso Rock? Didn't even, Aisha, the wife of the President, decry the serial failures and insensitiveness of her own husband's government? What a conscientious, classy and brave woman!

The economy has nosedived, while the CBN woefully failed in its constitutional responsibility to promptly implement monetary measures to alleviate the human suffering and corporate discomfiture that resulted from the depression of crude oil prices. The Senate and the House of Representatives are populated by proven thieves, uneducated opportunists, clowns, downright incorrigibles, with a bunch of hillbillies, whose only qualification is their mastery of thuggery, thrown into the mix. You had a particular Dino Melaye sarcastically singing "A je kun iya ni o je...." in mockery of severe allegations against him! What a classic example of the perversion that our so-called elected representatives so effortlessly and perfectly embody! Oh, Nigeria! They are more of lawbreakers than lawmakers. States' Houses of Assembly are just there to rubber-stamp whatever the ravenous State Governor opts to do. Local Government Chairmen are appendages of their governors and serve no discernible useful purpose. The judiciary is obscenely infested with God-forsaken rotten characters whose only concern is the dollar, and truckloads of it. Openly and happily selling justice to the highest bidder, and screwing innocent citizens whose only 'crimes' are poverty and deprivation, foisted on them by the very injustice being perpetuated and propagated by the perfidious and venal judiciary.

Yes, the problems are too many and they run too deep. To expect Buhari to confront so many and so much in so little time is insanely unreasonable and patently unkind. However, Nigeria is made more moribund by Buhari's erraticism in application, lethargy in motion and confusion in thought. Right now, we are at a crossroads: Buhari is flailing, his health is failing and Nigeria is ailing. According to Femi Adesina, the President is now in London for follow-up treatments. We can only pray and hope that he gets well soon, both for his sake and Nigeria's because the hawks are circling and the sharks are plotting. The brigade of recreants are now making frantic moves to position themselves for the possible eventuality of Buhari's long-term indisposition. Prevarications emanating from Aso Rock are not helping matters. Why should the state of the President's health be shrouded in so much secrecy? Nigerians deserve, and expect, to know the truth about their President's health. Haven't we learned our lessons from the Y'ardua's soap opera of not so many moons ago? These are worryingly ominous and acutely depressing times.  

All of these point to the sad reality that we are nowhere near where we ought to be; we are, as a matter of fact, a million miles away from the starting grid. The all-conquering Buhari has been reduced to an all-wavering Buhari and sadly, Nigeria and Nigerians are the losers. The slogan of 'Change' has been all but drowned out, but we must be careful not to fall back into the arms of the very evil cabal that brought us, in the first place, to this rather fraught moment. As the eminently erudite John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 - June 4, 2010) said, "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." We all have a responsibility to reignite the flame of change and prevent it from flickering and petering out. Our political differences, which incidentally are not based on any concrete readily identifiable ideologies, must not preclude our togetherness in the face of adversity, nor must they usurp our common resolve to face down the common enemy of our collective destiny. Some so-called educated and supposedly enlightened folks just can't see past the politics of hate, and deep down, they stand for nothing but pretend they care about everything. Silliness and pettiness must give way seriousness, and energy dispensed on working together to help improve our lot, and move Nigeria forward. It's time for us to detach parochialism from realism, decouple cynicism from sincerity, and be better educated and more mature, politically. This is at the very core of change, and I have never seen progress where there was no change. Change has to begin with the self, in an honest, deliberate and thoughtful manner.
There has never been a better time than now for us to stand up and be counted, otherwise what has gone on before would be a garden party compared to what may yet come as a result of our apathetic response to the perilous state of our national affairs, well-being and global relevance. I may be denounced as a wooly Pollyanna, but I make no apologies for having an unswerving trust in the readiness of Nigerians to rail, and rally, against any insidious attempt by the gross and contemptible goons that pollute our political ambience to make a U-turn to the politics of the past. We must map a new way to the future, conscious of the price of failure to do so in a timely fashion.
Herd mentality might have been our undoing in 2015, but that would be small beer compared to what would happen if we all became lemmings and fell off the cliff edge. Our collective thinking cap has to be slapped tightly on. History doesn't make men; men make history. If needs be, we must make the Arab Spring look like a picnic, make the Venezuelan uprising seem like a tea party, and make the South Korean riots akin to a peace conference! These are desperate times that call for desperate action. We must all play our part to rescue our country from the unapologetic troglodytes in the corridors of power. The torch of justice must be shone into all the nooks and crannies of our national life and the stain of corruption expunged from our social fabric once and for all. Yes, this sounds extravagantly fanciful, but it's certainly not impossible if the desire is real and the will is strong. We must shout in their ears 'JUSTICE IS BLIND', and chant in their faces, the uncompromising motto of The District of Columbia, "JUSTITIA OMNIBUS" (Justice for all)

We must draw strength from the ever-encouraging and sagacious words of a former POTUS, Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884 - December 26, 1972), "Men make history and not the other way round. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."
May the good Lord bless the beautiful Federal Republic of Nigeria and its extraordinarily resourceful citizens, now and always.

THE PERFIDY OF 'CONSTITUTED AUTHORITY'

Something I never thought would ever seriously cross my mind, not to talk of revealing such dark thoughts. We have, however, reached a point of no return such that verbalizing such a thought is most definitely not out of place, nor is it out of sync with the direction of travel most Nigerians would wish our country to take. My confidence is certainly not misplaced if I opined that most Nigerians would, today, not resent an enforced hiatus in the way our country is being run to the ground. Be honest with yourself, how would you react if you were to wake up in the morning and realized there had been a military takeover of government? Simple question. I understand the difficulty inherent in the contemplation of such a scenario, but being bombarded daily with an unimaginable barrage of impunities calls for a different approach. Anyone that suggests we’re in a democracy must either be out of kilter with reality or complicitous or both. Nigeria is a textbook example of a kakistocracy, laced with not a small dose of theocracy. Some might say, with some justification, that armed rebellion isn’t the solution to our man-made troubles. I have no issues with that at all. However, it has to be said that Nigerian contemporary history isn’t exactly replete with successful acts of peaceful civil disobedience. Our oppressors hold all the levers of power and they deride even our most cherished privileges of freedom of speech and of expression.

The court system is no longer the last bastion of democracy, but the first defender of tyranny and oppression. Corruption cases involving the robbing elite go on for years without resolution and if or when such are resolved, they are invariably in favour of the corrupt. The common man on the street has his case expeditiously resolved and in most cases end up with a guilty verdict. When you have ill-gotten wealth to burn, justice is inevitably skewed in your favour; to be poor in the Nigeria of today is a capital offence for which there can be no mitigation. When you're with people unjustifiably feeling the pressures of life, then you realise no amount of sermonizing about a better tomorrow would soothe. One doesn't need to have an Einstein-type brain nor be blessed with the mind of Socrates to come to the conclusion that the proliferation of churches has a direct correlation with the level of poverty in our society. It is exactly this that unscrupulous figures masquerading themselves as pastors are tapping into. When poverty bites real hard, cognitive thinking is the first casualty as people desperately look for ways to break out of the cycle, and what better way than to hide behind the cloak of religion? It's a double-whammy. Being screwed by politicians and mercilessly creamed off by fake pastors. What an existence! The whole system is rigged against the common man.

The Constitution, in its present form, is working against the interests and protection of the common man and must be overhauled. To rely on this crop of thieves that hold the reins of power to rectify the deficiencies in our Constitution is tantamount to relying on a vampire to donate blood. The courts are on their side and the fake religionists are their bedfellows. For how much longer are we going to bear this suffocative stench of inhumanity?

As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't be at all sorry to see the back of these ungodly oppressors and I would welcome a respite from their unspeakable acts of inhumanity, recklessness and stupidness. If an armed revolt is what it takes then so be it. I'm willing and ready to play my part. To die for a cause is preferable to dying from a curse. This curse on our nation has to be exorcised.     

THE LAST CHANCE SALON

First and foremost, I wish each and every one a much happier, healthier and more prosperous 2017.

I’d just like to use this opportunity to share my opinion on the state of play, as far as our collective destiny is concerned. This will most certainly not be a lengthy piece, but will just touch on the three most important aspects of our personal and national lives as we enter into yet another uncertain year. However, amidst the uncertainties, a certain pattern is emerging which should be of serious concern to all well-meaning Nigerians. The three areas I alluded to earlier are: the economy, unemployment and the much-vaunted war on corruption. I deliberately put them in that order, as I believe that the focus of this government's actions need to reflect their relative importance in that exact order.

The phrase "it’s the economy, stupid", attributed to the quondam President of the United States, Bill Clinton, has been oft-quoted. Considering the economy as the backdrop to any meaningful development and progress is kindergarten stuff. We all know it. The longanimity of Nigerians has been taken for granted, and ignored, for far too long by those invested with the authority to bring about a positive change in their fortunes. It was our largely collective belief that Buhari represented a welcome departure from the abnormal norm that we put our hope in him to herald in a new era of accountability and performance. The question most Nigerians now ask is ‘was that hope chimerical?’ The answer to that question depends on who you ask, but the consensus is, even among the staunchest of Buhari supporters (of which I was one, no shame in that), Buhari has so far miserably failed to deliver on the economy. Without a positive turnaround in the economy, other aspects of national life suffer. The tohubohu within the economic team has wreaked havoc on the already-suffering populace and there appears to be no respite in sight. 2016 was a complete miss; let’s hope 2017 fares better.

The big problem of unemployment is no nearer resolving than that of the economy. How could it be in any case? A sick economy bears no good fruit, and high unemployment is a direct result of a good-for-nothing economy. With all the promises and various initiatives aimed at the tens of millions of unemployed people, albeit with admirable intentions, the problem of unemployment has got rather worse, not better. This is not heaping the blame on the current administration, as the problem is long-standing and rather complex, but workable solutions are not impossible to device and implement. Of course it will take time for any solution to even begin to scratch the surface of the problem, but the slowness of the already-announced initiatives compound the problem rather than solve it. Unemployment isn’t a problem to be politicized, as lives depend on its resolution. Headline grabbers don’t help anyone, least of all those whose lives and livelihoods are seriously impacted by it. The government’s scorecard on this problem makes for a grim reading.

As far as the war on corruption is concerned, it’s fair to say Buhari is fast losing credibility, if he hasn’t already lost all. This so-called war on corruption is now so farcical it’s beyond belief. If anything, Buhari was voted in on the promise of cleaning up the system and ridding the administration of government affairs of unchecked graft. One can only imagine how many cases are ongoing that are not mired in one judicial logjam or the other. In all honesty, the war on corruption could now better be described as a romcom! Serious probeable allegations inside the Presidency itself have gone unprobed. Credible allegations against government cabinet ministers have been swept under the carpet. You see, inconvenient truths have to be said if one was to be an objective participant in this democracy of ours. The EFCC Chairman is even under fire and no one knows whether he’ll be in the post for much longer! For the life of me, I don’t know where all this would lead. He who wants to lead such an important war, as that on corruption, must demonstrate his intolerance of it regardless of who is involved. Buhari has demonstrably failed in this singular regard, and in the process, has lent credence to the claims of many that this is a phoney war, waged for political reasons. This is a sad indictment on Buhari’s sincerity of purpose, and Nigerians are perplexed, and vexed, by it.

The above are views held by many as of December 2016, but what turnaround there might be in 2017 depends on the Buhari’s government's willingness and readiness to make corrections and the necessary modifications relating to the issues that directly impact people’s lives. 2017 is Buhari’s last chance salon, because 2018 will most certainly be dominated by political jostling for 2019. So, to redeem himself and his reputation, Buhari has to make seriously great inroads in 2017. History, and posterity, would judge him by 2017. He should not betray the trust and goodwill of Nigerians.

Once again, Happy New Year to all, and God bless the Federal Republic Of Nigeria.         

PRESIDING JUDGES AND RESIDING THIEVES

If justice is the bedrock of a just society, then the judiciary, being the upholder of justice, is the anchor of a just society. An unjust society is indicative of a discredited, retarded and failed judiciary. With a discredited, retarded and failed judiciary, democracy is a mockery and freedom is a mirage. If justice is skewed in favour of the privileged few and rough justice becomes the staple of the oppressed majority, society disintegrates and jungle justice becomes the order of the day. When the poor has nowhere else to turn, the rich becomes the staple diet. Why then are the corrupt rich so thick in the head not to realise that it’s only a matter of time before they’re consumed by the fury of those they deprive of their valid demand for justice, fairness and equity? Why exactly is justness a gutter word in the ears of the greedy and the wicked? Has anyone ever wondered why the corrupt in society are so inept? The psychological imbalance of their being is staggering.

What drove me to my mouse and keyboard today is the furore generated by the dawn raids on some allegedly corrupt judges. I shook my head in wonderment when some people cried foul at the treatment meted out to these people. What on earth are we supposed to do? Turn the other cheek and let them carry on regardless? Yes, the treatment might have been rough, but was it any different from what obtains on our streets every single day when people are arrested on suspicion of wrongdoing? Didn’t the DSS have mandated search and arrest warrants to carry out their tasks? Should these accosted people be accorded special treatments just because of their elevated positions in society? The whole fight against corruption has been turned into an imbroglio of unprecedented proportions. However, it’s not to be unexpected as the depth and width of corruption have reached unimaginable levels, and corruption is bound to fight back with ferocity.

Is the fight against corruption worth it? Maybe we need to consider the unforgettable words of Frank Serpico (b. April 14, 1936) “The fight for justice against corruption is never easy. It never has been and never will be. It exacts a toll on our self, our families, our friends, and especially our children. In the end, I believe, as in my case, the price we pay is well worth holding on to our dignity.” This, no doubt, is a position any well-meaning Nigerian ought to take. Instead of castigating the officers saddled with the responsibility of bringing crooks to book, we should be applauding them when they fearlessly go about their tasks. Yes, mistakes may be made and they must be swiftly reprimanded for such. However, shielding culprits under the guise of obedience to the rule of law, when in fact what such sympathizers had in mind was for the arresting officers to show obsequiousness to the alleged criminals, who never thought a day like that would ever come. They have pecuniarily tainted the noble profession and have turned the last hope of the common man to a place to be feared. The rich buy justice for themselves while grave injustice is meted out to the have-nots. Judges have turned the serious business of justice dispensation into a serious business of à la carte justice dispensation. Presiding Judges have become Residing Thieves.

It is plainly obvious that if the judiciary isn't sanitized, the whole war on corruption would be a farcical nonsense. Fighting corruption is not for the facile or the feeble, but the war must be just and fair. Those in the temple of justice must be, and be seen to be, above board and must not deprecate the hallowedness of their calling. Who are the poor and disadvantaged supposed to look up to when they are being dispossessed of their fundamental human rights? The rich can pay to have the poor imprisoned for no just cause. It is anyone's imagination how many poor souls are in prisons up and down the land that are there on the whims of the rich, abetted by the corrupt justice system. The citizens' fiducial relationship with the upholders of justice is dead and buried. Our courts are no longer places of refuge for the common man. Judges dish out indefinite injunctions like confetti in favour of the corrupt, as long as the price is right. Those people lamenting the violation of the human rights of the accused have conveniently forgotten that my human rights and those of tens of millions of Nigerians have been trampled upon for decades. Who fought for us? Now the shoe is on the other foot, human rights have shot to the forefront of considerations. Only in Nigeria,

My contention is that nothing that happened to those accused people (I use the term 'people' for them because that's what they are in the eyes of the law) was untoward. They will have their day in court and the whole world shall see the evidence against them. It's about time we struck fear into the hearts of the heartless and make them feel the pain Nigerians have been enduring since time immemorial.        

DIVIDED BY FAITH, UNITED BY FATE

The title may be misconstrued somewhat, but the intended message therein is both unequivocal and unimpeachable. By faith, I'm not, in the slightest, referring to religion, but rather our individual faith, a total lack of it, or differing levels of it, in the so-called ruling (or ruinous) elite. We have been on this of attitudinal, moral and economic renaissance with President Buhari and his APC government now for the better part of sixteen months. There's no contending the fact that it's been hard, real hard, for the vast majority of us. The pain cuts across boundaries (age, ethnicity, religion, business, profession, educational attainment, gender, and so on.) The very few people that have remained largely untouched are those that are still bleeding us dry and bitterly fighting to continue feasting on the ignorance of the vast majority of us. Many of us are ignorant, or else we wouldn't be supporting the cause of those that have been asked to give account of the sources of their incredible wealth; and lending credence to the cries of persecution and witch-hunting by the accused. Many of us are ignorant because we steadfastly refuse to attribute our hardscrabble existence to the evil perpetrated, and still being perpetrated, by those in the corridors of power.
The promise of the future has been severely compromised by the consummate evil of the past, and yet we turn  our nose up at any attempt to extract our pound of flesh. I often hear some say 'the past is the past; let bygone be bygone.' I thoroughly agree with the first phrase, but not the second. The wrongs of the past have to be righted for the promise of the future to be attained. While I do not subscribe to whataboutery (which is often used by irresponsible and unresponsive leaders the world over), I consider it an obligation for any responsible government to go after our stolen commonwealth wherever it may be, and with whomsoever it may be, in order to reward the longanimity of the vast majority of Nigerians. While it is praiseworthy to right the wrongs of the past, the wrongs of the present have to be dealt with with even more vigour. Allegations of corruption in the current government must not be swept under the carpet, and absolute transparency must be brought to the fore. Had it been that Nigerians, by and large, were not endowed with an irrepressible sense of joie de vivre, even in circumstances that are not entirely eudemonic, many a Nigerian would have sunk in the sea of despair and buried under the mound of utter desperation.
The slogan of 'change' has been demonized by many, been derided by many more and been laughed at by even many more. There may be some reservations in its execution, but should that be enough reason to discount it outright? The slow pace of change may be vexatious, but should change be substituted with inertia, thereby oiling the status quo? I have particular problems (as indeed most Nigerians) with the pace of change, but shouldn't we take a look at all the organs of government, with particular attention paid to our peculiar judiciary? Isn't justice delayed justice denied? The other day I watched an interview with a so-called anti-corruption crusader doubling up as Patience Jonathan's legal advocate (Devil's Advocate?) and I sobbed all the way to bed! How on earth could this man have qualified as a lawyer? Such was his incoherence and inconsistence that he was even arguing with himself in a language no one would have recognized, in a zillion years, as English! That's indicative of the sorry level to which the 'learned' profession has sunk in our dear country. Now, how many days so far in this legislative calendar have the Senate and the House of Representatives sat? They have more recesses than the most incontinent of pigs, and spend more than half the days they sit bickering. For the life of me, I don't know how they qualify as lawmakers. Yet, we expect Buhari to morph into a necromancer and turn the country's fortunes around overnight.
The longer we tolerate idiocy and mediocrity in our political system, and the more we are accepting of the disgraceful ways we're being governed and treated, the darker Nigeria's future would be.
We deserve better and we should demand better. As I said in my last piece, to effect change we, ourselves, must change. Our change must begin by acknowledging our own shortcomings in the way we have embraced and 'rankadede'd' the thieves in office. We must wake up to the fact that we're united by fate, and must not let ourselves be divided by our faith in them. Our faith in them must be shattered to smithereens until there's a sea change in their individual and collective behaviours,  and we must begin to vehemently and uncompromisingly demand conscientiousness in public office.
Change is difficult and can be hard to stomach at times, but to improve our lot, stomach it we must. As I write this, the words of  Arnold Bennett (May 27 1867 - March 27 1931) echo in my ears, "Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." In unambiguous agreement was Mitchell Baker when he said "I've learned that for many people, change is uncomfortable. Maybe they want to go through it, and they can see the benefit of it, but at a gut level, change is uncomfortable."
As unremarkable and uncomfortable as the journey thus far may have been, it would be remiss not to wish Nigerians a Happy Independence Day ahead of Saturday. I wish our great nation a better deal in the coming years; and may the pace of real change quicken up and may the promise of a brighter future be realized.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its beautiful people. 

A UNIQUE DERIVATIVE

The new citizen awareness and social orientation initiative dubbed "Change Begins With Me" launched by President Buhari today may turn out to be a timely jolt in the arm for us Nigerians. It is without prejudice that I claim that most of us are swift to blame the government for all the ills of society while absolving ourselves of blame for complicity. Let me put it this way for clarity: how many of us, in truth, could say "you know what? I'm part of the disease afflicting this nation state of mine"? The sad truth is that only a very few Nigerians would readily concur the most verifiable of misconducts in all of our dealings and comportment. Of course not all citizens would be of good behaviour in any given country of the world, but where deplorable behaviour is the default, then such a country has got problems, really big ones. This is where we are at in Nigeria, and it's been decades of decadence, avarice, impunity and all the attendant offshoots such as armed robberies, kidnapping, political assassinations, and so on. Where money is king, morality becomes a swear sword. Where the paragons of decency are derided and purveyors of good conscience are relegated in the scheme of things, then evil prevails. Is it a surprise then that we're all paying the price for our proclivity for mindless greed and insatiable quest for wealth? Why exactly are we crying wolf when we have, by and large, brought this upon ourselves? No matter how much we say, or how often we say it, we have to go back to basics. The basics being we must become exemplars of good conscience and behaviour. We must stop seeing others as prime targets for scams; we must stop looking to the government to correct all the faults in the system; we must treat one another with respect, love and understanding; we must understand that we owe a duty of care to one another and realise that we all share one destiny so long as we believe that the progress of this country depends on each and everyone of us. Some may consider these necessary ingredients of a just society as an agitation for some utopian model, but I say, with due respect, they couldn't be more wrong. What all of these components produce, in the end, is a country that prides itself on the quality of its citizenry; a country that can rely on its people to produce their individual and collective best in the quest for that for which we all clamour: a society that rewards hard work, honesty of purpose and progressive governments. We must acknowledge the fact that without trust and accountability there can be no progress, nor can there be peace in the land. We must come together and forge a phalanx, because we have a common purpose.Why must we continually live in fear and anxiety? Why can't I be my brother's keeper instead of his killer? Why do we have to turn our homes into prisons for fear of being victims? It's now almost impossible to render or get help on the motorway should anyone have a breakdown. Instead of watching over each other, we're watching out for one another! This isn't the kind of life we should bequeath to our children and following generations. 

For fear of this piece being considered a megillah, I'll quickly point out a few salient points. All the tohubohu in the Nigerian society today is symptomatic of one inalienable phenomenon, which is the affinal relationship between corruption and poverty. Insecurity, unrest, anxiety, homelessness, joblessness, hopelessness, helplessness, ill health and high levels of crime all have their roots in corruption. If we all pulled together in the same progressive direction where misdemeanours in whatever form were swiftly and comprehensively punished according to the law, we would begin to have faith in the justice system and begin to believe, once again, that hard work and diligence are virtues to be proud of rather than burdens to be borne.

If the government indeed wants us to take this initiative seriously and not treat it just like any other fancy slogan, it must step up its efforts in tackling corruption and its causes while upping the ante in its prosecution and recovery efforts so that we may begin to have confidence again in Project Nigeria. I believe the "Change Begins With Me" initiative is a unique derivative of the Change mantra, but the government has to realise that to effect change we need more than initiatives and slogans, we need the government to show the way.  

I wish all my Muslim fellow Nigerians a safe and very happy Eid-el-Kabir.



BUHARI: A FAILING PRESIDENT?

I would be in self-denial if I didn't think our President had had quite a shambolic and utterly woeful fourteen months in office. I would be untrue to myself if I didn't feel disappointed in our President, despite the mountain of undesirables, both economic and structural, that he inherited in 2015. I, like tens of millions of my fellow Nigerians, feel distinctly disillusioned and utterly let down.

Leading to the general elections last year, the vast majority of Nigerians (as shown in the election results) had had enough of the gravy train government of Jonathan and had, in almost unison, embraced the slogan of 'Change' adopted by the APC. We put our hope in that change that had Buhari as its spearhead. Has that spearhead now morphed to a figurehead? How has our hope been dashed so soon? Why have our aspirations for a better government been smashed in such a little space of time? I was prepared to give Buhari and his government a year in which to come to grips with the dire economic woes bedeviling the country; a year I had hoped would herald in a series of initiatives and policies that would mark a new beginning and direction for our country in both economic and social terms. What has become of the determined and resolute Buhari I knew? Millions of Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, are asking the same question; wondering when and if things are going to get better for the long-suffering and dying masses. Pointing a finger of blame at prior administrations just doesn't cut it any more, and we're done hoping against hope as a people.

This isn't saying that no good has come from Buhari and his ministerial team, but the 'good' hasn't been good enough. If the pace of progress were any slower, it would grind to a halt, and it virtually has! Nigerians are simply fed up with slow action, inaction and excuses, that is the truth of the matter. We have, so far, been shortchanged and we feel conned by the 'Change' thingy. It's okay to pursue and retrieve stolen monies, and drag the incorrigibles through the law courts, but the population is fast becoming weary of the protracted court cases and claims of selective prosecutions persist.

People are malnourished and dying of hunger on an hourly basis; the UN is helping to feed our IDPs; the vast majority of states haven't paid workers' salaries for over six months; the education and health systems are still in disarray; no discernible forward movement on the shameful issue of lack power supply; oil pipelines being bombed with reckless abandon. For goodness' sake, this is Nigeria in 2016!!

Buhari now has to wake up and get to grips with the ever-depressing situation we are in.

The general perception, and in fact, reality, now is that this government has no clear-cut policy direction, nor does it seem to have any action plan as to how to deal with the insurgency in the Niger Delta, having scored a commendable, even though a not-yet-decisive, victory over Boko Haram. Nobody has a clue as to what plans there are about the badly-needed infrastructural revamp, and a coherent economic policy that we so desperately need.

Let the truth be told, every single one of Buhari's ministers has been a colossal failure, and thinking that it took Buhari almost six months to select them, it isn't uncharitable to say that he couldn't have selected a worse bunch of under-performers and downright non-performers. For the life of me, I don't fathom why Lai Mohammed should be anywhere near the corridors of power, he's the most useless of a useless bunch. Fashola has massively disappointed, even though we didn't expect any magic from him, the expectation was that he would bring his usual diligence to bear in his roles. Still, why he was saddled with so many ministries is beyond the comprehension of most mortals. I think Amaechi needs to be declared missing! Has anyone heard of him lately? Adeosun hasn't lived up to her billing in any shape or form, the economy is in doldrums and she hasn't reassured us that she is the woman to turn things around. What exactly is the Vice President (I can't even remember his name!) about? What is he doing about dragging our legislature kicking and screaming into the 21st century? What is the myriad of advisers about? What are they advising on? Communication with the population is zero! The country is no better now than it was pre-2015 elections, that's a fact; if anything, it's gone backwards. Why?

FDIs are virtually zero; after all, which foreign investor would wish to invest in a stagnant and directionless economy? Local businesses cannot borrow to invest because of a lack of reason and incentive to do so, talk less of the crippling interest rates. Inflation, unemployment and underemployment are getting worse by the day. Why?

I have said it in the past, I have no time for sentiments. I don't care about the APC or PDP or any political party for that matter. What most of us care about is to better the lot of Nigerians, and quickly. The first step for Buhari to take in retrieving his goodwill is for him to replace his deadwood of a cabinet with proven experts who have no political capital at stake, and who would be guided by what is right and just. We have them in abundance, and Buhari must take a firm and decisive action before the question 'BUHARI: A FAILING PRESIDENT?' becomes the narration: 'BUHARI: A FAILED PRESIDENT'. I most sincerely hope it never comes to that because the alternative is too scary to contemplate.        

THE INSANITY OF INANITY

When a crook is confronted with the reality of his ways, he naturally retreats into the denial mode. Is it then a wonder why, with almost no exception, those who have helped themselves to our common riches have pled not guilty when hauled before the courts. The basic tenet of law which stipulates that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty has been stretched to incredulous limits, even in the face of the most undeniable of evidences and money trails. They are also aided and abetted by those unscrupulous semi-humans called SANs who utilize all manner of delay tactics to frustrate the efforts of the State at clawing back that which was stolen. Then you have senators (who might as well be called detonators of national wealth) who troop along to the courts in 'solidarity' with their accused own. All of these have portrayed the EFCC, and other agencies saddled with the recovery of our stolen assets, in an unflattering light. The EFCC, in particular, has been accused of incompetence and heavy-handedness, and even contempt of court in some cases. Intimidation of the courts and spurious counter-allegations against sitting judges are the order of the day. What could be more insane than the shameless show of inanity by these rogues in politics? Isn't Nigeria then deserving of the tag of a 'fantastically corrupt' country? However strong the whiff of hypocrisy in David Cameron's pronouncement on Nigeria, he was essentially right. It is incumbent upon us to shed the shameful tag of being fantastically corrupt and the only way to do this is to behead the dragon of corruption that is destroying the very fabric of our national identity. A spade is a spade, no matter what one calls it.

The deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry has attracted mixed reactions, and accusations and insults have been flying all over the place. This was to be expected, so it isn't a novelty that a change in government policy would evoke such mixed emotions, and it is a healthy development. Whether one is for or against deregulation, the courage of the government in bringing about this policy cannot be denied. I was one of those who kicked against the previous government's attempt to adopt this policy and I had my reasons then. The tsunami of corruption at the time would have prevented ordinary Nigerians the benefits accruable from such a policy. In this era of intolerance to corruption, individuals and corporate entities alike will be able to enter the downstream market that has hitherto been the premise of the very few privileged. This will lead to more and better competition which can only be good for the consumer in the longer term. The hundreds of billions of Naira that will be saved from axing the fuel subsidy will be readily available to be expended on capital projects which will be of tangible benefit to all of us. I'm pretty certain that, over time, Nigerians will realize the absolute necessity of this course of action. The days of unencumbered economic sabotage by the thieving cabal are definitely coming to an end.

Now that the budget has been signed into law, can Nigerians now heave a sigh of relief? Well, much depends on the implementation. What we're crying out for is timely and diligent implementation. There can be no more excuses, no rigmaroles, no ifs, no buts. Nigerians expect that the only way should be up now. The APC government is now on trial, the honeymoon period is well and truly over.

Oh, by the way, it is pertinent to implore David Cameron to now put his money where his mouth is and expedite the return of our pilfered assets, both in the UK and in its Crown Dependencies, so that Nigeria could become a fantastically robust economy. Ah, almost forgot, David, why don't you confront the allegations of electoral malpractices leveled against your Tory Party before you go round insulting Nigeria again. That would be most helpful, bro.          

THY WILL SHALL NOT BE DONE

To the wicked, the voice of reason is inane; to the kindhearted, it is soothing. Doing what is right isn't an option, but a duty, for the kindhearted; for the wicked, it is a onerous and an undesirable endeavour. Wrongdoing is an unjustifiable and inexcusable engagement and it is even the more galling if a perpetrator of such has been put in a position of trust. I'm not preaching to the converted, but appealing to the false-hearted. For how much longer can we, as Nigerians, afford to make combating corruption and graft in government the biggest talking point? When do we actually begin to take our welfare, and wellbeing, into proper consideration? Why do we keep attacking each other while our common enemy has a field day at the expense of our immature attitude to the affairs of state? Where is the alternative route to progress when the so-called elite are just a bunch of sycophants and pretentious experts at everything? A case in point was when Nigeria entered into a currency swap deal with China and some so-called educated people went berserk! Many of them don't even have the vaguest idea of what a currency swap deal is all about. Do they know how many highly industrialized countries have similar deals with China? The United Kingdom, South Korea, and Singapore are just a few examples. Have they given our situation and circumstances the due care and attention they deserve? With the utmost respect, I'll refer them to the following:

http://www.reuters.com/article/china-uzbekistan-swap-idUSB9E7EN02P20110419

http://uzpedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/uzbekistan-signs-currency-swap-deal.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/31/content_7635007.htm

If only people could stop being lazy armchair critics and know-all-experts, there's a fountain of knowledge available out there to educate themselves with, and have informed ideas about what they say and think. It's only when we are adequately knowledgeable about what we're talking about could we give constructive criticisms and suggest alternatives. Must we just try to pull down those trying their very best to do the right thing by all of us? Why is our collective mind so beclouded with prejudice and intolerance? These questions, and more, should be occupying our thoughts so as to create a pathway to social justice, collective progress, peace and unity.

I keep on saying that I don't have time for people who criticize just for the sake of it when they don't have anything positive to contribute in facing up to the challenges that face our country's survival as a viable entity. What exactly is the problem with trying to right the wrongs that have been done to us? Is it really an issue trying to haul back the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been stolen from us over the years? Is it unjust to punish the guilty according to the law, and deter others? It is beyond my understanding why, with the incontrovertible evidence of mass pilferage of our resources, some people still take umbrage at attempts to do the right and just thing. If anything, Buhari is too slow and docile in confronting the biggest threat that we face, and that is corruption. How long would it take before the judiciary is reformed to prevent the abuse of court processes? Venal justices and judges are in situ and prolong the dispensation of justice. Lawyers whose pecuniary interests are at odds with their conscience dominate the legal system and have become a clog in the wheel of national progress. Yet, in the eyes of Buhari's detractors, Nigeria is going back to the Iron Age! What a load of codswallop! Yes, Buhari hasn't done many things right and we have a collective right to take him to task on those; but what is our justification for crucifying him when he attempts to do the right thing? We can't eat our cake and have it. Would it be beneficial to return to the old days of free-for-all stealing? I'm sure that is not what the suffering people of our country desire. Some may wish that, but I can assure those that do that thy will shall not be done.

I'm sick and tired of having to waste time on Saraki and his ilk. Saraki's humiliation must be total and complete, for he has taken us for a ride for far too long. Every single one of the thieves must be equally humiliated, I don't give a rat's ar*e which political party they belong to. In addition, every single name contained in the Mossack Fonseca revelatory list must be probed. I don't care about the APC, nor do I give a monkey's about the PDP. A thief is a thief and the law must be equally applied to each and everyone of them if the fight against corruption is to be total. Nigerians get sicker by the day with revelation after revelation of new fraudulent cases and indictments. We need to know what monies have been recovered and how, where and when they are going to be utilized. We need to know how many of these thieves are being banged up in prison for their treasonous exploits. It is only when these begin to happen that Nigerians would have confidence in the direction the government is taking. Hope would be restored and despair would recede. This life of incessant power outage and lack of petroleum products must have an end point. No jobs, no money, no power, no petrol, no hope! Why? The suffering is now intolerable.

On another note, the Fulani herdsmen rampaging through communities all over the country must be dealt with promptly and most severely. Enough of the killing and maiming of residents and landowners. Why are they being treated differently from Boko Haram or those blowing up oil pipelines? They are all terrorists. If those herdsmen are left to continue with their killing spree, Buhari would have a lot to answer for and he would justifiably be regarded as being complicit in the wanton destruction of lives and properties. It cannot be one rule for some and another for others. Peaceful coexistence should not be jeopardized by a few bloodthirsty herdsmen who think they own Nigeria.

On a final note, I have serious concerns about the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed. If he hasn't been compromised, he really has to put his skates on and begin the much needed reform of the Justice system. Enough of these endless adjournments of corruption cases, and the flagrant abuse of court processes being perpetrated by the so-called learned profession. Enough said.           

FACTIS NON VERBIS

Sometimes one cannot but wonder why Nigeria is so plagued on so many fronts at the same time. What the heck is wrong with, and about, our country? The quicksand of misfortune seems to be rooted in our country and nobody seems to have credible solutions to the myriad of largely self-inflicted wounds destroying the very fabric of our being and tearing apart the very wool that our commonwealth was woven with. Now, you may ask what the reason for my ire is today and I can honestly contend that the reasons are far too many for my humble brain to comprehend. All for us seem to understand the ‘why’ but not the ‘how’. We’re, for the most part, so pretentious in our individual belief that we know exactly how to solve our nation’s woes. Self-appointed intellectuals and experts, not to talk of those who have turned mudslinging into an art form, often come up with one ‘panacea’ or the other. Flip-flopping is the new trend, today they are for and tomorrow they are against. For and against what exactly? ‘Principle’ has become a swear word in the ears of Nigerians; it’s now a case of ‘touch ye not my anointed, he’s from my tribe or clan’. Trying to clamp down on corruption is now tagged ‘witch-hunting’ even when the facts are stacked to the high heavens. Judges, lawyers and bankers are in cahoots against the very notion of nationhood, their ever-bulging pockets unfillable. Politicians? Don’t get me started on the slugs! How and why on earth did we deserve these scumbags?

Define the thought of going back to the days of military regimes a retrograde one, but can anyone, in all honesty, say we’re better off now than we were during even the worst of military regimes? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the crass brazenness of our modern day ‘politicians’ gives me no option. Though not clamouring for a return to those dark days of our evolution, but a brief return wouldn’t do us any harm, if only to round up those who have destroyed Nigeria, and wasted millions of lives in the blind pursuit of riches, and bang them all up until they have coughed up their illegal acquisitions and accumulations. These shameless armed robbers that call themselves politicians incessantly bang on about fundamental human rights. What about the human rights of over 180 million Nigerians they have ruthlessly thrashed and mercilessly trampled upon? What about the destinies of tens of millions of young people that have been decimated? What about the entitlements of millions of pensioners they have appropriated to themselves thereby sending them into penury and early graves?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Ninety-nine point nine per cent of Nigerian politicians are worse than armed robbers! Ninety-nine point nine per cent of Nigerian lawyers are worse than armed robbers! Ninety-nine point nine per cent of Nigerian judges are worse than armed robbers! Ninety-nine point nine per cent of Nigerian bankers are worse than armed robbers! Need I say more? If Buhari is alone in this fight against corruption, he will lose. There’s no doubt about that. We, ordinary Nigerians, are complicit in this fight against sanity because we make excuses for the armed robbers and condone their remorseless attack on our common destiny.

Look at the state of play today. Corruption cases going on forever while many have been abandoned altogether. Looters burying money like corpses and pleading not guilty in the face of overwhelming evidence. Still, we defend them just because we hate the face of Buhari. What these apologists for corruption fail to see is that Buhari isn’t even fighting for himself, he doesn’t have to. As poor as he claims to be, he’s still not begging for food and struggling for survival like most Nigerians currently do. He is fighting for you and me, for our children and grandchildren, and those yet unborn. It is only in Nigeria that I see people attacking the very person who is fighting their corner. What sense does that make? Many of us, in our comfort zones in the UK, US and other places, abuse our keyboards thinking that we’re feeling the pains of Nigerians. Utter nonsense! Many of Buhari’s traducers wouldn’t survive the harsh realities in Nigeria for six months and they see themselves as experts in the art of governance. We all need to readjust our expectations and refocus on the real issues that need confronting if Nigeria is to cease being a laughing stock and a basket case.

We’re not in a democracy in Nigeria, but rather a kakistocracy; that much is abundantly clear. When you have eighty senators tagging along to court with Saraki, with scores of SANs. Can any sane person imagine that absurdity? When you have a half-educated excuse of a governor, gaining notoriety by the hour, proving beyond any doubt that he actually is a heartless thug, taking it upon himself to destroy any notion of nation-rebuilding that we all should work tirelessly to engage in? What an absolute nudnik!

Lest you deduce from the aforesaid that I am giving Buhari an unalloyed thumbs-up; I am not, not by any stretch of the imagination. He has made avoidable mistakes and we have a right, and an expectation, to take him to task on those from time to time. Fundamental human rights must be protected, even in the face of unimaginable transgressions. That’s for another time. What I cannot fault him for is his strive to bring a semblance of accountability to governance and to deracinate corruption and confront its unrepentant perpetrators. In that quest, I believe, he deserves our total and perpetual support. It should be one for all, all for one. We should not only say it, but our deeds must  from now on portray our desire. Factis non verbis.     

DAMN! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Ten months into the Buhari administration, Nigerians are predictably, and I'd contend, justifiably restless. I always had the belief that the novelty of Buhari would begin to wear thin round about this time, I didn't  even know that my level of optimism was unrealistically high. Nigerians are neither foolish nor naive. We knew from the get-go that things were pretty dire and that it would take a bit of time for the nascent government to find its feet and begin to fashion out a new era of hope for our country. We voted for a new and better approach to governance; we voted based on our belief that Buhari was best placed to herald in that new era. The APC shouldn't be under the illusion that Nigerians voted along Party lines, most voters that went for them did so because of Buhari. After all, quite a sizable number of shakers and movers in APC are PDP defectors. Old wine in new bottle, as far as Nigerians are concerned. Period!

Unearthing and fighting corruption to a standstill was one of Buhari's promises, but not the only one. Make no mistake, we applaud the stout effort on this front but we didn't envisage it would be as cumbersome and intractable as it has turned out to be. Again, we are not stupid because we anticipated the inherent difficulties in dislodging highly-positioned corrupt persons from their perches. We are nonetheless grateful that meaningful strides are being, and have been, made to bring to our awareness the extent of skullduggery that permeated the prior government. What is unnerving Nigerians mainly is that no visible and tangible result has been achieved despite the spate of investigations and indictments of these politically-exposed persons. When, the other day, Buhari was asked about this legitimately-held concern, he responded by querying what we were doing when these atrocities were taking place. That was not Presidential at all. With due respect, Buhari needs to be educated in the very fine art of responding to questions without betraying his emotions in such a disgraceful manner. He must grow his level of tolerance to an unimaginable level if he is to be the success that most Nigerians envisaged and prayed for. He is doing a great job of alienating the very people that got him into that exalted office and he must begin to claw back the goodwill of the people he is losing and lost.

The first anniversary of Buhari's inauguration into office is fast approaching and it is about time Nigerians started to feel his impact in the real sense of the word. He must identify with the main difficulties of the people as a matter of urgency because we are getting weary of excuses, and we are certainly tired of listening to the same old line of blaming the past government(s). We voted Buhari into power to bring about the change we so desired and deserve. It no longer washes blaming vandalism and sabotage for the lack of power supply. Damn! Do something about it. It is barmy to keep blaming speculators for the painful uncertainties in the currency markets. Damn! Do something about it. We are sick of hearing that the legal profession is hindering the effort in the fight against corruption. Damn! Do something about it. What's all about this dream team of Ministers he too so long to assemble? I don't think any Nigerian could say with a straight face that even one of them has lived up to the billing. I don't give a rat's arse what goes on behind the scenes, Osinbajo has been a let-down too. We need and expect visible action, not just Press releases churning out banalities. Direction is needed on all fronts, and fast. The honeymoon is well and truly over.

If I'm honest, I have to admit that Buhari's performance to date has been disappointingly underwhelming. He should up his game and begin to show Nigerians that we did not make an error in pinning our hopes on him. He should begin to understand and address the plight of people before it's too late. If Buhari fails, I genuinely fear for the future of this country. For Buhari not to fail though, he has to transform his government from one of excuses and inaction to one of action in the superlative order and hope for the hapless citizens of Nigeria. Time is ticking by fast.

TO DEVALUE OR NOT TO DEVALUE: A CRITIQUE

The reluctance of the Buhari government to devalue the Naira is causing quite a lot of consternation in some circles, and the furore generated thereof is causing even a lot more consternation in others. The depth of the passion whipped up on both sides of the argument is quite instructive, yet neither side has yet provided a cohesive and comprehensible analysis in support of their argument. Admittedly, neither argument is tangential to the real issue at hand, but it would be pertinent to explore the real reasons one side has proposed devaluation while the other is dead set against it.
In the first instance, there are a number of salient questions to be answered, the first of which is (though blatantly obvious) does Nigeria operate a fixed or a floating exchange rate system? The equally blatantly answer is yes, we do operate a fixed exchange rate system, as the official Naira:dollar is 197:1. That is fixed, and this is central to the argument at hand. What is clearly happening is that agitators for depreciation are, with due respect, confusing devaluation with depreciation. Depreciation can only occur in a floating exchange rate system, and it is not determined by government; the laws of supply and demand strictly apply in this context.
With this clarity in mind, many of the agitators for depreciation might want to reconsider, and reshape the nature of, their argument. Rather than agitate for a devaluation, they might want to press for a case for the government to consider unpegging the Naira from the dollar. Only then could depreciation be feasible, as the Naira would then find its own level, just like the proverbial water. This would be totally devoid of government intervention. However, we are where we are and as such, the issue of devaluation can be debated without the attendant prior confusion.
The economic benefits to be accrued from devaluation are, unfortunately, somewhat limited by the very nature of our economic architecture, and its obvious obtuseness. In a more and better structured market economy with readily discernible and verifiable economic indicators, one might expect, firstly, devaluation to make exports cheaper (increasing demand for exports) and imports pricier (reducing demand for imports). The resultant effect of both of the aforementioned instances would be higher economic growth and therefore, increased aggregate demand. These are much desired possible outcomes because overall, GDP should head north (improving the current account balance); the caveat being that inflation most inevitably heads in the same direction.
Moreover, even though the world economy is not technically in recession (as the growth rate is only easing, instigated by the slowdown in Chinese and other emerging economies), demand would be helped upwards and if growth rate increases, growth in demand would be even higher. As the world economy is not in boom time, runaway inflation resulting from a currency devaluation could be safely discounted. Now, the final and perhaps the most pertinent question of all is why exactly does the currency need to be devalued? If it is to increase competitiveness, then devaluation could be a desirable and necessary monetary tool. On the flip side, if it is just to target a specific exchange rate, its effect may even be counterproductive.
My contention, therefore, is that many of the agitators of Naira devaluation (some of my good friends included) have comprehensively failed to articulate the real need for a devaluation in the current Nigerian economic and political climate. For the reasons I alluded to earlier, our economy, being overwhelmingly mono-product-based coupled with the lack of reliable and verifiable economic indicators, would not benefit from a devaluation were it to be done at this moment. How are we supposed to benefit from increased export earnings when we hardly produce and export anything, apart from crude oil? Nigeria is overwhelmingly a consuming, rather than a producing, economy. In addition, with the recent and current travails in the global energy market, how are we supposed to benefit from increased earnings from our oil exports? We are currently chasing around for buyers in a very depressed global energy market. What competitive advantage is potentially accruable from a Naira devaluation? It is increasingly appearing to me that the agitation for a Naira devaluation has an emotional undertone rather than borne out of any economic rationalization and reality. Emotion ought to be detached from reality.
In summary, rather than follow the path of currency devaluation, I am of the humble opinion that we need to focus our collective minds and effort on devaluing corruption. It was corruption and criminal impunity that got us where we are. We frittered away our economic advantages for many years when a barrel of oil sold at an average of $110. We failed to fix the roof while the sun shone and we thought the party and the jolliness would last forever. The boom years were boon times for the thieving political elite and we should concentrate all our efforts on taking back what was stolen from us. Can anyone imagine the difference it would make if we got back even only 10% of what was stolen, and the recovered funds judiciously utilized? I'm sure nobody would even be thinking of any movement either way in currency positions. So, first thing first. Let's get our house in order and then have a solid basis on which to formulate sound economic and fiscal policies fit for the 21st century.
The raft of ongoing criminal prosecutions should be expedited and other suspects speedily indicted. We need the money, and the culprits severely punished, like yesterday!
              

STATE OF AFFAIRS; AFFAIRS OF STATE

At first it was slow-mo and it is now like Buhari is on a steroids-amphetamines combo. Who would have thought it? Derided for much of his first six months in office and even now more derided for moving at a frantic pace against the beasts who have virtually crippled our economy through sheer greed and unmatchable impunity. What can the poor man do to forestall the torrent of abuse and accusations flowing his way? One thing is for sure, I’d not like it one bit to be in his shoes. One’s perception of the way Buhari is conducting the affairs of state depends on one’s perception of the state of affairs. However, I’m bold to affirm that most of these criticisms are a contemptuous case of nit-picking.

Allow me to state my case, please.

As much as it pains me to have to refer to the state of affairs pre-Buhari, I simply have to, if only to draw our attention to the sad situation we found ourselves in. I’m not going into a ‘rage’ mode, I’m past all that, as indeed most forward-looking Nigerians. Would all the financial madness that was prevalent then have been revealed now if Jonathan had remained President? If the revelations, so far, of financial impropriety are not maddening enough to send one into a deep state of anguish, I’d question the sanity of that individual. With the wretchedness of the Jonathan administration now in clear perception, what would Buhari’s detractors have him do? To ignore all that has gone on before and high-five the thieves and pat them on the back?

All these accusations of tribalism and sectionalism simply have no basis in fact, as a matter of fact. If the list of scumbags so far arraigned or being investigated is objectively appraised, it is beyond doubt this is neither a political witch-hunt nor a trivial tribal pursuit. With the Naira in free-fall on the parallel market and the anaemic economy barely showing any signs of recovery, uninformed and/or uneducated minds, and dimwitted cynics, are pointing the finger of blame at Buhari. It is no use conversing or dialoguing with those stale minds because they can hardly see past their noses.

As for the vast majority of Nigerians, what we need to see more of is the revelation of scandalous behaviours of the Jonathan regime and the swift prosecution of those cases. It’s no use having protracted court proceedings regarding cases of glaring financial misdemeanours and Osinbajo should see to it that the judiciary is welded to the new regime of swift dispensation of justice so that funds can be quickly recovered and utilized for the benefit of long-suffering Nigerians, and fund the much-needed rebalancing of our economy.

The only beef I have with the current situation is the letting-off of those crooks being left off the hook once they’ve returned some of their stolen loot. What kind of justice is that? Thieves must be punished in accordance with the law. If someone who stole N10,000 should be jailed for 18 months, why should those who stole billions go scot-free? It is grave injustice and such practice must be discontinued. A clear message should be sent to those intending to follow the same path that graft would be punished in all circumstances.

Nigerians expect the judiciary to depart from the ways of old and play its part in ridding our country of fraudsters in political garb and give hope of a better future to Nigerians and repair the significant damage that has been done to our reputation as a country and as a people. No one should be above the laws of the land and transgressors should be held to account at all times. We should lay the foundation now for propriety in our public and private lives; it is only then that the expectations of a greater Nigeria can be actualized. For me, the state of affairs are affairs of state, and we're all players.

Nigeria needs help and it is only Nigerians that can help her.

INDIGENT INDIGENES

The unraveling web of the unimaginable acts of brazen daylight robbery of the Nigerian people and the satanic indulgence of the perpetrators of the heinous rape of the Nigerian psyche are no surprise to the generality of Nigerians. If anything, the only surprise so far has been that the nest of justice has not been cast wide enough to ensnare most of the chief perpetrators of this grand theft of our commonwealth. While it is admirable that the process of clawing back at least some of the pilfered  state funds is ongoing, it is also, without a shadow of a doubt, disappointing that the wheels of justice are rolling ever so slowly. Nigerians have been shortchanged and plainly assaulted by the consortium of criminals that misdirected the affairs of state for the past decade. The Nigerian people have been mercilessly ravaged and unfairly traumatized by the consequences of the criminal assault on their wellbeing. The country of Nigeria is now largely populated by indigent indigenes who merely subsist on hope that is as forlorn as that of a pig's attempt to outrun a cheetah.
The chilling irrationality of the PDP's initial cry of witch-hunting is now very clear amid the mind-boggling revelations of the fate of the billions of dollars Dasuki treated like confetti at a rowdy wedding ceremony. Even the whole world that has been hitherto immune to the reports and instances of blatant acts of corruption in Nigeria is aghast at the emerging details of Dasukigate. For most well-meaning Nigerians, the saddest aspect of this whole sordid affair, and others that are yet to surface, is the impact of the lasting legacy they have created. Many Nigerians, across all age ranges, now shrug off accusations and instances of corruption and dishonest behaviour in daily life. Some are actually bold enough to admit they would do exactly what those that have impoverished them have done, and more.
It is much easier to fight corruption and bring corruptors to book, but it is a wholly different ballgame to reconstruct the psyche of corruption that is so pervasive and embedded in the Nigerian society. Like I said elsewhere in my other blog (http://9jainc.blogspot.co.uk/), a lot thief catchers in Nigeria are just as bad as, if not worse than, the thieves they are after. As upright as we thought Ribadu was in his heyday, what became of him eventually? Didn't he choose to get into bed with the same rogues he was claiming to be at war with? Where is Ibrahim Lamorde today? Anyone seen him on the streets of Nigeria? Why has he decided to make a run for it? What percentage of judges in our law courts can be relied upon to fearlessly dispense justice? How many so-called men of God have a morsel of credibility? Gullible, impoverished congregations still being bamboozled into dispensing with their meager incomes to further swell the ever-deepening pockets of their pastors and overseers. Church members cannot afford to send their charges to the very schools and universities their contributions helped establish. Deceit is the order of the day in our society and the resulting damage to our culture is almost irreparable. Buhari and his government can holler all they like, not until the fundamentals of decent human behaviour are re-established can the war on corruption be deemed a success.
Yes, we are on the right path but Buhari must be careful not to end up wearying Nigerians by these endless revelations of corruption. We Nigerians are notoriously fickle people and we can now reasonably expect to begin to feel the impact of the change of direction of governance. Incessant fuel shortages, seemingly unending power shortages, worsening economic situation are the harsh realities for Nigerians at this point in time. Policies that could immediately bring relief to people would be most welcome; the short-term must not be overlooked, the medium-term must not be lost sight of, and Buhari can rest assured that Nigerians would buy into his long-term ideas for the nation. To expect Buhari to undo the damage done to our economy within seven months is absolutely insane. Change is a process, not an occurrence. Rabid sycophants like Femi Fani-Kayode, Olisah Metuh, Bode George and other disreputable wretched souls like them are just a pesky lot. They have nothing of value to contribute to the wellbeing of the Nigerian people and they have no justification, whatsoever, for their opportunistic forays into political discourse, talk less an economic one. They want to fight their way back into public consciousness, but their irrelevance is permanent, only they do not know it yet. Their moral bankruptcy is absolute and their intellectual fibre long deceased.
I wish all my fellow Nigerians the best Christmas in the circumstance and I sincerely pray that we may find happiness and may our hope for a better country be restored and realized in 2016 and far beyond. May we be deserving of the grace of the good Lord always.
God bless Nigeria and her very good people.  

VEXATAE QUAESTIONES

Anyone that has ever been on a roller-coaster will have experienced the palpitations that unfailingly tangle themselves in a web of exhilaration. But then, that's a joyride, a fun ride. Nigeria has hardly ever enjoyed the emotions of a fun ride but has been ridden and serially raped by the very people who have been joyriding it for the better part of half a century, but none more so brutal than by the consortium of evil that has choked Nigeria in the past decade or so. What is any decent human being with a beating heart to make of the Balkanization of the Nigerian State? Vexata quaestio. Why is the dream of our nation's founding fathers proving so unreachable, so unattainable? Vexata quaestio. Why do we still harbour and tolerate these hardened criminals and downright evil animals among us? Vexata quaestio. Why, when it is so blatantly obvious that these animals brazenly engage in daylight robberies, the so-called judges still bend the laws of the land to shield and protect them? Vexata quaestio. Why? Why? Why?
The cases of senseless corrupt acts and sharp practices keep flooding through and all we can do is sit on our collective backside and do nothing. The Dasukis, Sarakis, Jonathans, Iwealas, Diezanis are still prancing about in Planet Nigeria. Why are we so goddamn impotent? Vexata quaestio. If I were not a fierce opponent of the death penalty (only because of the possibilities of miscarriages of justice, mind), I would not even bat an eyelid to see these animals tied to the back of a truck and dragged through the streets. Soldiers are putting their lives on the line for our collective security and peace. These same soldiers are being denied the proper equipment with which to take the fight to the enemy, and dying needlessly because of these ars*holes' insatiable thirst for wealth. The animalistic accumulative traits of these criminals are unparalleled. The sums of money that have been stolen from our commonwealth can only be guessed at and not to be sniffed at. When are we going to egress this regressive cycle of lawlessness and unimaginable level of corruption? Vexata quaestio. Even the 'thief catchers' are themselves thieves. Where do we go from here? Vexata quaestio.
In reality, all of these questions are not vexatae quaestiones; they merely are quasi-posers. Anyone with half a brain knows that the judiciary is the chief facilitator of corruption in our society. Desperate people, with the acute need to stave off hunger, caught nicking a tin of rice or a bag of gari (not that that in itself is condonable though) get thrown into prison with consummate ease and impressive speed, in many cases without legal representation. The number of inmates all over the country that have been incarcerated for years without justifiable reasons can only be imagined. They are the lost brigade, with virtually nobody to bat for them. Human rights legislation doesn't apply to them. They cannot feign illness to allow them to go abroad for medical treatment. What injustice! Now, we have political and executive robbers who have killed  thousands through their avarice and destroyed generations through their greed. When they are called to sense the smell of justice, SANs in their droves come to their aid and protest that their fundamental human rights are being violated, that they are being witch-hunted and that their 'clients' need to go abroad to treat a hitherto unknown debilitating ailment. The judges are only too happy and ready to acquiesce and the wheels of justice are clamped. Heaven knows how many cases are languishing in various courts all over the land.
Thus, the nostrum that should be on the rostrum of political discourse and national rediscovery is the revival of the unimpeachable tenet of justice. When these political and executive thieves realise that impunity is no longer an acceptable word in our political dictionary and national consciousness, and its display would be met with the stiffest penalty the law prescribes, politicians, executives, professionals, businessmen, civil servants and all Nigerians would realign and straighten up. Whistle-blowing should be given prominence, manifestly encouraged and amply rewarded, while our law enforcement agents and military personnel are treated with the dignity they richly deserve and the respect they rightfully expect.
Buhari and his government have a lot on their plate and should be given all the help they need to decapitate this hydra-headed monster of corruption that is threatening us as a nation and people. You see, these willful destroyers don't give a rat's arse unless they are hounded, smoked out and booted out. The laws that guide human conduct don't apply to them because of their incorrigibility. The principles of decency are alien to them because of their intrinsic evilness. They flout the parameters of acceptable human conduct because of their insane inanities. The coordinates of empathy are blurry to them. Only yesterday Facebooks's Mark Zuckerberg and his wife declared they would be giving 99% of their estimated $45 billion to charity, thereby joining the likes of Bill Gates and the Sage of Omaha, Warren Buffett, and a host of other multi-billionaires who made their fortunes through the sweat of their own brows, as opposed to political jobbers and opportunists in Nigeria who looted the people dry and stash their loot in foreign banks and financial institutions. The table has turned and they will be made to regurgitate what they have unlawfully swallowed and put away for good. They lack dignity. They lack class. Their time is up.