Independence52 Shocker: Bayelsa governor immortalises ex-convict Alamieyeseigha and late dictator Abacha

by Stanley Azuakola

It is this kind of news that one hears, sighs, and concludes that there’s something fundamentally wrong with Nigeria.
Bayelsa’s increasingly controversial governor, Seriake Dickson, announced this morning in a statewide broadcast that he will honour both ex-governor Diepriye Alamieyeseigha and ex-military dictator, Sani Abacha.
Alamieyeseigha, the ex-governor under whom President Jonathan served as deputy is also an ex-convict who has been indicted of corrupt activities in both England and the United States. Under this dispensation of President Jonathan, Alamieyeseigha is being gradually resurrected, especially in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party where he chairs the Elders Council and played an advisory role in the Goodluck 2011 campaign.
Seriake Dickson said in the broadcast that the ex-governor will be honoured for his “commitment to the Ijaw struggle”. The honour for Alamieyeseigha includes the naming of an auditorium in the Ijaw National Congress, INC, secretariat, built by the state, after Alamieyeseigha, who was the first civilian governor of the state.
Bayelsa was created 16 years ago today, when Gen. Sani Abachi in a national broadcast announced its creation from the old Rivers State. For that singular act, the Dickson administration has decided to immortalise the late dictator. Abacha, during whose tenure, Nigeria experienced unprecedented brutality, who has been indicted of looting Nigeria’s treasury and from whom billions of dollar have been recovered.
Abacha would have a 150-duplex housing complex named after him. Also, the state government, in partnership with the INC, also named the main auditorium of the INC secretariat after the dictator. Furthermore, a memorial tree would also be planted in honour of Abacha.
Gov. Dickson is gradually making a name for himself as a controversy loving governor. Shortly after assuming office, he appointed the president’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan as permanent secretary in the state, a decision which was met by raised eyebrows by most citizens.
Some people have questioned the governor’s Independence announcement, saying it is a ploy to divert attention away from his health situation, which reports say is deteriorating.
He only just returned on Sunday from a foreign trip, ostensibly to “woo foreign investors,” but reports say he travelled for health reasons.
The governor has, however, denied being ill.

Enough of Your Sirens, Already. My Ears Hurt – An Exasperated Letter By Ayo Sogunro

October 2nd, 2012 by Editor

To: The Military Officer
Who on the Third Mainland Bridge
Blew Past Me with a Blaring Siren
Dear Sir:

Re: Enough of Your Sirens, Already. My Ears Hurt.

I refer to the incident on the Third Mainland Bridge this morning, a very common incident, too common, in fact, but still very annoying despite its commonness. I refer, sir, to the effrontery with which your convoy bullied me, and several other drivers, out of the road. I refer to the manner in which, Moses like, you parted the thick traffic of the Bridge at the command of your sirens.
Of course, I understand your haste, traffic should not be a hindrance to the military man on his way to wage war at Ikoyi—I’ve been told that the gunfire and artillery shots in the officer’s mess can be heard for miles around. I quiver to think of the men at the Obalende frontlines, the men who would perish if you arrived too late to sign some cheques. I hear the battle is raging fiercely in Victoria Island as men wait for you to come in and sign all those documents. Ah, the travails of defending the country! Ah, the toils of saving our lives from the menace of expensive prostitutes and the rising cost of beer! I understand your hurry; after all, you would be facing a firing squad if you got to work late while I would only face a sack letter.
As you can see, I have gone out of my way to introduce myself as an understanding fellow. It’s only fair that you should try to see my point of view as well. This letter intends to explain that perspective. In summary: please turn off the siren and join the queue. Yes, I understand that you are in a rush, but so am I—and a hundred thousand other people. You have important work to do, but so do I—and a hundred thousand other people. If I could, I’ll take flight above the insanity of the road, but since nature has not deemed us fit to have wings, I’m willing to take my turn. It would be a mad, weird world if I were to fix a siren on my Honda and chase everyone out of my way.
Of course, you are a military man, with a big gun and several men around you—and I suppose you think this qualifies you to a right of way? Maybe in 1996, it would have, but not in 2012. That’s why you ultimately take your instructions, not from the man with the biggest gun in Abuja, but from a man I’m capable of sacking every four years. So, listen, if your boss is my boy, I don’t think you should be strutting around. You’re important, but not that important: you are the guy we pay to guard the gate. Security guards, sir, should not blow sirens in the living room—except in a period of emergency.
Well, I suppose we both have different ideas of what constitutes an emergency, but let me give you a quick guide: an emergency involves life or death—strictly so. No metaphors. If nobody is dying around you, and there’s no likelihood of people dying anytime immediately, kindly depress the mute button, wait your turn in traffic and don’t kill people with heart attacks.
Because, that’s what you do! You increase environmental and biological tension, induce high blood pressure, stimulate hormonal imbalance, prompt cardiac arrest, and even cause accidents! Come on, officer! You’re supposed to be defending me, not killing me! I hear your siren and my heart races to 440! It’s a dog’s life already—jumping out of bed at 5 a.m., bleary-eyed and aching joints; having to start up the generator or stumble around in the dark, eventually wearing two colours of socks, joining the morning traffic—without you adding hypertension to the parade.
Maybe you just love the noise—like boys with firecrackers, maybe you are tickled by the sight of cars hurrying out of your way, maybe you don’t even give a damn, whatever your reasons—it’s fine. However, we can’t always have what we want. Now, here’s a warning: guns or not, whips or not, juvenile, trigger-ready men around you or not, I won’t get out of your way again. You, sir, are a man like me, same flesh—same blood, same response to virus and bacteria, and same biological reaction to being beaten to a pulp by an angry mob. Please, do not let’s get to that stage: you may have the guns, and whips and boys—but I have the people. The harassed and angry people you dismiss out of your way like so much chaff before the wind.
Meanwhile, keep being cheerful. A happy solider is a good soldier. Don’t worry, nobody will attempt to assassinate you, it’s not like you hold nuclear launch codes or something. Next time we meet on the road, I expect you to join the line and queue behind me. Enjoy the view same as I do, it reduces anxiety. I won’t move out of your route and I would encourage other drivers not to move out either. Let’s not smash each other’s faces over this small issue, ok?
Regards,
Ayo Sogunro
@ayosogunro can be found blowing sirens on Twitter—a proper place for noise making.

FOR THE RECORDS: President Jonathan’s Independence Day Speech

 

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Beloved countrymen and women, on this day, fifty-two years ago, our founding fathers brought joy and hope to the hearts of our people when they won independence for our great country. Nigeria made a clean break with more than six decades of colonial rule, and emerged as a truly independent nation. That turning point was a new beginning for our nation..
Those who witnessed the lowering of the Union Jack and the emergence of the Green White Green flag continue to relish the memory, because that ceremony was not just about the destiny of a nation, but the future of a people.
That future is here; we are the inheritors of a great legacy that goes even much farther into the past.
The worthy patriots who made this possible were young men and women in their twenties and thirties. They worked together to restore dignity and honour to the Nigerian people. Their resolve united a multicultural and multilingual nation of diverse peoples, with more than 250 distinct languages and ethnic groups.
In 1960, our diversity became a source of strength, and the new leaders resolved to carry the flag of independence for the benefit of future generations. They had their differences, but they placed a greater premium on the need to come together to build a new nation.
It is that resolve, and that glorious moment that we celebrate today. We also celebrate the patriotism of our heroes past: Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Herbert Macaulay, and several others who made the case for our independence.
We remember as always, their contributions to the making of the Nigerian nation, and the efforts of their successors since 1960. We also celebrate the unfailing optimism and resilience of Nigerians who remain proud of our national identity.
On this special day, I call on every Nigerian to remain steadfast, because our nation is indeed making progress. I call on every Nigerian to rediscover that special spirit that enables us to triumph over every adversity as a people:
We weathered the storm of the civil war, we have refused to be broken by sectarian crises; we have remained a strong nation. I bring to you today, a message of renewed hope and faith in the immense possibilities that lie ahead.
Fellow citizens, I have an unshaken belief in the future of our great Country. I consider it a priority and sacred duty to continue to strengthen the bond of unity that holds our nation together and to promote and nourish the creative energies of our people. This is a central objective of our administration’s Transformation Agenda. Nigeria, I assure you, will continue to grow from strength to strength.
Since I assumed office as President of our dear country on the 6th of May 2010, I have continued to work with our countrymen and women to enhance our nation’s growth and development.
Our vision is encapsulated in the Transformation Agenda. We are working hard and making progress on many fronts. We have cleaned up our electoral process; our elections are now globally acclaimed to be free and fair. Nigeria is now on a higher pedestal regarding elections.
Over the past five years, the global economy has been going through a weak and uncertain recovery. During the same period and particularly in the last two years, the Nigerian economy has done appreciably well despite the global financial crisis. Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown by 7.1 per cent on average.
It is also significant that the GDP growth has been driven largely by the non-oil sector. In pursuance of the main goals of the Transformation Agenda, a number of reforms and initiatives are being pursued in key sectors of the economy with a view to consolidating the gains of the economic growth.
Our country’s power supply situation is improving gradually. We are successfully implementing a well-integrated power sector reform programme which includes institutional arrangements to facilitate and strengthen private-sector-led power generation, transmission and distribution.
We have also put in place a cost-reflective tariff structure that reduces the cost of power for a majority of electricity consumers. I am pleased with the feedback from across the country, of improvements in power supply.
We are continuing to improve and stabilize on our crude production volumes; our 12-month gas supply emergency plan, put in place earlier this year, has produced more than the targeted volumes of gas for power generation. A robust Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been placed before the National Assembly. Its passage into law will ensure far-reaching reforms, transparency, accountability, increased government revenue and predictability for investors in the Oil and Gas sector.
Several government programmes and projects are creating wealth and millions of job opportunities for our youth and general population. Such programmes include: You-Win, both for the youth and for the women, Public Works, the Local Content Initiative in the Oil and Gas Sector, and the Agricultural Transformation programme.
We have improved on our investment environment; more corporate bodies are investing in the Nigerian economy. Our Investment Climate Reform Programme has helped to attract over N6.8 trillion local and foreign direct investment commitments.
Nigeria has become the preferred destination for investment in Africa. It is ranked first in the top 5 host economies for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa, accounting for over 20 per cent of total FDI flows into the continent. We have streamlined bureaucratic activities at the ports to ensure greater efficiency in the handling of ports and port-related businesses. Specifically, we have drastically reduced the goods clearing period in our ports from about six weeks to about one week and under. We have an ultimate target of 48 hours.
We have put in place, a new visa policy that makes it easier for legitimate investors to receive long stay visas. We have achieved a 24-hour timeline for registration of new businesses, leading to the registration of close to 7, 000 companies within the second quarter of 2012.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has disclosed that, as at July 2012, 249 new members across the country had joined the Association, and that capacity utilization has also improved. The multiplier effect of this development on our job creation programme cannot be over-emphasized.
In the last two years, we have put in place structures for an upgrade of the country’s health sector, to promote in every respect, the individual citizen’s right to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare.
In this regard, we are devoting resources under the Subsidy Reinvestment Program (SURE-P) to reducing malaria incidents, dramatically reducing maternal and child mortality, and eradicating polio.
Fellow Nigerians, in recent times, we have witnessed serious security challenges in parts of our country. We have taken pro-active measures to check the menace. This has included constant consultation and collaboration with our neighbours and other friendly nations on issues relating to internal and cross border security, and the sharing of information on smuggling and illegal dealing in small arms and light weapons.
Our security agencies are constantly being strengthened and repositioned for greater efficiency. Many Nigerians have acknowledged that there has been a significant decline in the spate of security breaches.
While expressing our condolences to the affected families, let me reiterate the commitment of this Administration to ensure the safety of lives and property of all Nigerians.
Even as we remain focused on the issue of security, the fight against the scourge of corruption is a top priority of our Administration. We are fighting corruption in all facets of our economy, and we are succeeding. We have put an end to several decades of endemic corruption associated with fertilizer and tractor procurement and distribution. We have exposed decades of scam in the management of pensions and fuel subsidy, and ensured that the culprits are being brought to book.
In its latest report, Transparency International (TI) noted that Nigeria is the second most improved country in the effort to curb corruption.
We will sustain the effort in this direction with an even stronger determination to strengthen the institutions that are statutorily entrusted with the task of ending this scourge.
I have given my commitment of non-interference in the work of the relevant agencies and I am keeping my word. What we require is the full cooperation of all tiers of government, and the public, especially civil society and the media.
This Administration has also introduced for the first time in Nigeria’s history, a Performance Contract System for all Ministers, and other officials of government. This is to further place emphasis on performance, efficiency, and service delivery.
Fellow Nigerians, our determined efforts on several fronts not-withstanding, our country still faces a number of challenges.
Those challenges should not deter us. In the last few weeks, for example, many of our communities have been ravaged by floods, resulting in the loss of lives and property, and the displacement of persons.
I want to reassure all affected Nigerians that I share in their grief, and our Administration is taking steps to address these incidents, in collaboration with the States and Local Governments.
I have received the interim Report of the Presidential team that I set up to assess the flooding situation across the country.
The Federal Government has taken measures to assist the affected States, while considering long term measures to check future reoccurrence.
We must continue to work together, confidently and faithfully, to ensure that our country’s potentials are realised to the fullest; that our dreams are translated into reality; and that our goals are achieved.
Let me reiterate that our administration is committed to the pursuit of fundamental objectives of an open society: the pursuit of freedom, security and prosperity for the Nigerian people, and the rule of law.
In the next few days, I shall lay before the National Assembly the 2013 Federal Budget Proposal so that deliberations can commence in earnest on the key policies, programmes and projects that will mark a decisive year for our development and transformation.
I have no doubt that by the time I address you on our next independence anniversary, many of our reform efforts would have yielded even better results.
Over the years, several leaders have built on the foundation laid by our Founding Fathers. The baton is now in our hands. Let me assure all Nigerians that we shall not fail.
I am confident that Nigeria will continue to be a source of pride to its citizens; to Africa and the Black Race and to humanity; a land that is known for progress, freedom, peace and the promotion of human dignity.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May God bless you all

Our Case Against Jonathan – By Chinedu Ekeke

 

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Last week, I did a deep commentary on the deceitful publication by the Jonathan government on what they termed “Sure and Steady Transformation”. I dismissed the book as nothing, and particularly stated that the president and his team wouldn’t need to write books to show us their works which, ultimately, are expected to be visible on our roads and in our homes. I was clear on my assertion that the president is a bumbler, and that that book was another needless waste of our money by Mr Jonathan and his handlers. And as expected, his supporters rained their anger on me. From Facebook to Twitter, and from Ekekeee to Saharareporters, they were everywhere, calling me names. Some said I am a recruit for the opposition, and that I cast aspersions on the person – and office – of the president, just for the sake of money. Of particular interest to me was the comment of a reader who simply typed; “Nice article. Mumu writer.” I guffawed when I saw it, and just mumbled to myself; “What a paradox!” At the last count, I’ve read three rejoinders on that piece; and the writers all tagged me. None of them could prove to me that any of the trumpeted achievements could be seen on the streets. None could prove to me that mere meetings attended in Ministries were not part of what was termed “achievements”. It was all hubris, falsehoods, and then more hubris.
Well, such is the fate of the critic. You don’t rail on the president of 160 million people, especially on a project he considers key to his public rating, and expect everybody to rise in instant praise of you. Those who particularly see President Jonathan as a performer simply because of where he hails from were the most hurt. They had thought that the minor – actually, quite negligible – improvement in electricity generation, in the last two months or so, was significant enough to hush us up. They must have been quaffing expensive wines in their closets in celebration of what should amount to the eternal silence of the twittering children of anger, a standing member of which I am. It was shocking to them, therefore, that I made attempts – and I was the first person who did – to reduce their ‘performance’ book to what it is: nothing.
Here’s a notice I wish to serve my critics: I will not be stopping my critical analysis of the Jonathan administration any time soon; not until he addresses the one and only real issue holding Nigeria on the ground. For now, Mr Jonathan is the chief promoter of that killer: sleaze.
In one of my essays, I wrote on The Time Value Of Corruption. Those who claim I have never proffered any solution to my criticisms were blind to that piece. Well, that article was celebrated everywhere, churches, Mosques, the academia, corporate circles and amongst civil society organizations, as a clear blueprint to any serious government on the reason why the fight against corruption should commence now and be sustained. Of course, the only place it wasn’t seen must have been in government circles; the bakery of corruption.
In that piece, I proved, in quantitative terms, using the basic concept of Finance, how a kobo stolen today becomes naira tomorrow, and how we will be jeopardizing our 20 years from now if we keep quiet on the massive stealing of our oil subsidy funds. I equally showed in clear terms, using a steady exchange rate, how much the Gulf windfall stolen by Babangida’s regime was worth this year. If you want to read or re-read the article, search for it on the home page of www.ekekeee.com.
Our case against Jonathan is corruption. I am convinced – and this is one conviction I hold strongly to – that once we take the fight against corruption as seriously as we should, more than half of our problems as a nation will be solved. Unfortunately, in every way, President Jonathan has demonstrated his love for corruption and the corrupt, and his desire to put those fighting them in check. I have heard several arguments against my conviction on corruption. But none of those arguments is convincing enough.
We have tried all manner of things, and they have all failed: we have zoned the presidency and other political offices, we have created many states and local governments, we appoint at least a minister from each state, we appoint two ministers to handle some ministries, we have uncountable parastatals and agencies, we have set up innumerable committees, we have set up probe panels, we have coined up acronyms that never worked: FDRI, MAMSER, SAP, FEAP, NEEDS, SURE-P; we have done many things which never really sent any criminal to jail. In all these, we have not demonstrated to anybody the powers of the Nigerian state in upholding that which is fair and just. Everything we have done has been to, in truth, avoid the real work which is to jail thieves and deter others from stealing what belongs to all of us.
We have tried every other thing, and they failed us. Why don’t we try fighting corruption and see if we won’t get this solution that has eluded us for decades?
There are proofs that corruption rate in any country has an inverse relationship with development and sound economy. The higher the rate of corruption, the more sickly the economy and the higher the undevelopment. In other words, corruption and development cannot share the same room. They are incompatible. In November 2011, in an article titled Seek Ye First The Death Of Corruption, I wrote about how Nitish Kumar, the chief–minister (equivalent of governor) of India’s once poorest and most lawless state of Bihar, grew the state’s economy to the second healthiest (Second only to India’s capital) by simply waging a tough war against corruption and lawlessness in the state. How did he do it? Here’s an excerpt from that piece: “Kumar’s formula for good governance is based on straightforward, effective initiatives. He set up fast-track courts that convicted nearly 66,000 criminals – including three members of parliament…” Properties of rogue former government officials were confiscated by the state; police was allowed by the governor to do their jobs. The culture of ‘order from above’ in not prosecuting offenders became a thing of the past. I published that article, but I’m sure those who think I am a destructive critic didn’t see it, just as those who survive only on corruption will never see it. I am still accused of not proffering solutions.
But that isn’t only the place where a sincere fight against corruption has grown the economy and spurred rapid national development. There’s a country called Georgia which used to be, in every aspect imaginable, what Nigeria presently is: a disgusting criminal empire. In 2004, Mikhail Saakashvili was elected the country’s president. That was the beginning of a new Georgia. Saakashvili set out to confront the criminals of the state, the IBBs, Anenihs, Iboris, Akalas, Ubas, Otedolas and many others of Georgia. In a robust research carried out by Johan Engvall, a Nonresident Research Fellow with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, which is a Joint Research and Policy Center affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, the world was given an insight into how a sincere leader rescued his nation from the hands of criminals intent on keeping it non-functional.
Read Johan; “A particularly important component in rebuilding the state was to confront the entrenched authority of Georgian organized crime bosses. From the outset, the new administration took on the task of breaking up this vicious cycle of criminalization of the state by confronting criminal authorities head on. In February 2005, the Parliament passed an anti-mafia law, which allowed persecuting and convicting persons for the crime of being members of mafia groups. The law was inspired by the American RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) as well as Italian anti-mafia legislation. As a result of the law, it became possible to criminalize affiliation with organized crime groups. The law also allowed for plea bargaining and large-scale
confiscation of property acquired through corrupt or criminal deals, and strengthened the protection for witnesses in crime-related cases. The new legislation was vigorously enforced from the start.”
“… To confront the entrenched authority of Georgian organized crime bosses”. That’s how to rescue a country from the hands of its killers. Compare that to what is happening here. The bosses of crime who were confronted and jailed in Georgia are in the mould of the crime bosses here who President Jonathan trembles before, and offers his worship. That explains why Ibrahim Babangida will be allowed near our national assets, and then watched as he buys them without being made to answer to how he got the money. It is Mr Jonathan’s worship of questionable elements that will allow him gloss over the sale of Nigeria’s power station to an Otedola, a serial bank loan defaulter and a beneficiary of fuel subsidy funds stealing. It is Mr Jonathan’s adoration of the organized crime bosses that is stopping those who stole our N2.6trillion from being hauled into jails since January when our resistance to his strategy of avoiding their prosecution, subsidy removal, forced the world to know how much we have been raped.
Our case against Jonathan is that he supports corruption, and has laid a firm foundation for its growth, even as the monster has already attained a troubling peak in Nigeria. The only reason we will drop this case against him is his immediate confrontation of the criminals who have stolen Nigeria empty. He can begin, as Prof Okey Ndibe once opined, by granting them amnesty – which is to ask them to surrender all they stole peacefully. If they fail to surrender within the set timeframe, then the force of the state will be applied in bringing them to justice.
He must equally tackle the criminal elements in the nation’s judiciary, because those have shown how well they want to sustain the current misnomer in the polity.
Those who run organized scam in various sectors of Nigeria’s economy cannot continue to be in the good book of any president who wants Nigeria’s progress. Those are the people President Jonathan must face squarely. Ironically, those are the same people he likes to see as his friends. This is why his supporters claim the task is tough, another laughable argument.
There’s nothing difficult about this task for a president who understands patriotism and the need to return his country to a pride place in the comity of nations.
A state in India jailed as much as 66,000 criminals. It didn’t cause war, it didn’t result to earthquake, and the world did not end. Let Mr Jonathan set up fast-track courts and prosecute 66,000 people in Nigeria for corruption and see if sanity will not return to this country! It is only then that people like me will take him seriously, and begin to see him as a patriot.
The question now is whether he understands patriotism and nationhood, or just politics of rent-seeking and patronage.
Whichever one he demonstrates his understanding of in the weeks and months ahead will determine what we would want to say – or not say – about him and his government.
For more direct engagement, follow @ekekeee on Twitter

Gunmen Spray Students With Bullets In Adamawa

October 2nd, 2012 by Editor

Close to forty students may have lost their lives in the latest act of brutality to have visited the North of Nigeria.
Reports say, on Monday night, unknown gunmen invaded an off campus residence in Mubi, Adamawa State, and left scores of students severely wounded and dead.
Majority of the victims were said to have consisted of students of the Federal Polytechnic, Adamawa.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks at the time this report was filed and there has been no official statement from Government quarters.

How ‘E Go Beta’ Is Making Us Bitter–By Jude Egbas

 

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Last Friday, as I awaited my turn on the Petrol queue in suburban Lagos, I made new friends.
In between Tweeting from my mobile and nibbling on stale ‘gala’ and quaffing ‘La Casera’ in the sweltering temperatures, my new friends and I engaged ourselves in a conversation on Nigeria. Uzor was a clergyman, Tunde was an itinerant salesperson and Funke earned a living as a Banker. As has become the norm when Nigerians meet during a crisis, we took the Government at all levels to the cleaners; analyzing and cussing where applicable. My new friends were firebrands—passionate about their country and debating amidst caustic decibels.
As I posted my Tweets on my ordeal at the Petrol Station to my handful of followers, I asked the inevitable question intermittently: “So, guys, what can we do individually to save Nigeria?”
“E go beta”, said the Clergyman. “Only God can save us because the rot is so deep”, intoned the Banker. “Well, e go beta”, the Salesperson added resignedly, to compound my afternoon.
E go beta. Nothing sums up our woes as a Nation like those three words uttered passively. E go beta brings us to a point where we stop engaging our mental faculties—a dangerous and inert cul-de-sac.
Two months before, I was on a Job related tour around the country. In Nigeria’s oil rich Delta region, our tour-de-guide, a young man in his 30s, dwelt on the subject of our woes as a nation at every stop; at the slightest opportunity. “So what do you think of the Jonathan administration and who did you guys vote for around here?”
“Look, Oga, Nigeria’s problems are beyond Jonathan. We are dealing with a systemic rot here. Goodluck is doing his best and the Northerners are just doing all they can to frustrate and distract him with Boko Haram. Goodluck is trying….E go beta…….”
E go beta.
I hear these words all the time—in traffic, at the eatery, on campuses, at the office and while stocking up on groceries at the mall. I grew up to hear the cliché: ‘E go beta, na poor man prayer’. Some Nigerian artistes even did a duet bearing the sing-along: ‘One Day, e go beta’. The nerve of it!
I cringe whenever I hear those words. E go beta is probably why we are stuck with Politicians who do not know their onions. E go beta could be the reason why we do not ask our Local Government Chairmen or Councilors any questions. E go beta could be the reason why our representatives at the national assembly get away with murder. Our Pastors and Imams indulge us to keep praying and believing, dissuade us from joining the struggle to salvage Nigeria, because ‘One day, e go beta’.
E go beta is a national malaise. E go beta makes me cringe. E go beta is a death knell of some sort—the medical equivalent of a laparotomy leading to a complete cessation of life as we know it.
As we celebrate nationhood today amidst the long and boring speeches that will inevitably follow and the jaded goodwill messages from foreign embassies, the greatest gift we can offer our nation going forward will be to eschew the E go beta syndrome from our psyche.
E go beta has been an ill wind that has blown us no good.
The writer is on Twitter @egbas

Blame It On BusinessDay And The Opposition’—Presidency Reacts To ‘Lie’ In Broadcast

 

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One phone call was all it took to burst the President’s bubble and puncture one of the many half-truths that littered President Jonathan’s Independence Day broadcast yesterday.
Just one phone call.
That call, carried out by an online news medium, has set the entire communications sector of the Presidency on a tailspin. President Jonathan had made wild claims concerning Nigeria’s rating on the Corruption index. That claim, copiously found in the speech the President delivered to the world yesterday, has been found to be false.
The President’s aides have come out in full defence mode, however. They blame the BusinessDay Newspaper from where they say they got their facts from. And then, the opposition came next. Reproduced below is the Press Release signed by Presidential aide, Reno Omokri and emanating from the Research, documentation and strategy unit (manned by Oronto Douglas) of the Presidency:
Our attention has been drawn to reports from some opposition leaning media houses alleging that Mr. President made some false claims about Nigeria’s standing in this year’s Transparency International anti corruption rating.
As is the practice worldwide, we accept the premise that whatever is published in the media and goes unchallenged is the truth. On this issue, the media published their synopsis of the most recent Transparency International report and BusinessDay, a well respected newspaper with a bias for business reporting in a headline on the 12th of September 2012 with the titled ‘FG’s anti-corruption initiative impacts Nigeria’s global perception’ said “The survey on global corruption perceptions for 2011 versus 2001 showed that the third best improvement in the world was in Nigeria, with its score improving by 1.5 points”.
The above quoted comments were relied upon in coming to the conclusion that Mr. President honestly came to in good faith. To this day, Transparency International has not disputed the findings of BusinessDay.
For a section of the opposition to now cast aspersions on the integrity of the President when he relied on notorious facts (anything published in the press and which remains unchallenged is a notorious fact) is proof positive of the now obvious fact that they lack ideas on how to move Nigeria forward and would rather snipe at efforts of the President to move the nation forward for which any patriot would do.
In conclusion the President acted in good faith and his statement was based on notorious facts and are evidenced by recent breakthroughs in fighting corruption in the oil industry where subsidy fraud suspects are already facing trial as well as in the Agricultural Sector where decades old corrupt practices in the fertilizer distribution network have been eradicated via the voucher system which cuts off the middle man.
Regards,
Reno