Love and valentine

Love comes in different shapes and sizes. It takes different form and expressed in different ways. Romantic couples will kiss to express love while some other passionate ones will quarrel over small issues and later reconcile to strengthen their love.

The gifts given on this day depends on how rich, romantic or matured you are. . Going through my memoirs of the characters I have encountered in my journey in life; I have come across some bizarre valentine day’s gifts.

Gifts ought to be shared occasionally by loved ones. Most lovers only give gifts during the wooing season. To these less enlightened people it is the only day one should buy a gift for his/her spouse. 

The semi-literates and illiterates use this day to take their family to fast-food outlets (so romantic). You can see them in ‘aso-ebi’ on queues in crowded fast food joints.

You also see some hopelessly romantic ones purchasing roses which the average Nigerian lady doesn’t appreciate. I’ll advice all ‘maga must pay’ to stay away from ladies who haven’t shown them the green light ever since but till this month.

I am wishing everyone love and happiness, today and forever. I can’t wait till valentine’s day to do this because every day comes with the magic of love. Stay away from AIDS. Share the love not the virus.

Government paying lip service to insecurity

Could this government be really serious about tackling the menace of Boko Haram? This question is as a result of statement and sometimes action of government. The statement ‘that we should get used to the bombing’ shouldn’t have come from Nigeria’s number one citizen. He clearly told us that he wasn’t in charge of our security. In civilized nations, such statement is enough to make the president resign. It points to the fact that he isn’t capable of responsibilities we elected him to do.


Perhaps in order to restore confidence or probably attempts to show the government is working they called on the terrorist group to step out of the shadows to negotiate and make its demands known. A few days after this call for dialogue, the Government owned TV station (NTA) which has successfully remained behind in information dissemination claimed it received a tape from Boko Haram. The tape showed two masked guys who named some individuals as Boko Haram negotiators. It is important to note that there were reported multiple bomb blasts in some states in which the group claimed responsibility for that same day. How could a group that wants to negotiate still be terrorizing?


No one actually trusts NTA and to confirm that, Boko Haram dissociated itself from the tape aired by NTA. Also Boko Haram usually uses YouTube to pass its message across. Perhaps the group have been divided, or some people are trying to cash in on governments move for dialogue. That tape needs to be properly investigated by the State Security Service.


If the government is truly sincere in its bid for dialogue, the FG can negotiate with people the president claimed are Boko Haram members who work in his government. I am sure he can identify them, that’s why he spoke out about them. If the president is too scared to point them out, we have Ndume a senator representing Boko Haram senatorial district. Negotiate with him. Bring in Abu Darda or Abu Qaqa. Bring in Zakari Biu who I feel must have a link with them for releasing Kabiru Sokoto.


There is no reason waiting for more of them to come out since the government can negotiate with the ones already identified. 

Fighting corruption the wrong way

The last has not been heard of the chain effect of the fuel price increase of January 1^st 2012. The astronomical amount the governments claims it spends on subsidy has been found to be false. Revelations from the Faruk Lawan lead committee has been nothing but revealing. Ministries and parastatals headed by so called ‘technocrats’ have been found milking the nation.

The KPMG report ought to have been used to clear all the mess but a lot of big-wigs will lose their position. It was quite shameful when the minister for petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke (DAM) claimed she hasn’t read the report on official capacity. Does she need presidential approval before reading it? Yet, she could set up different committees with duplicate responsibilities of other parastatals.

It is important to note that such committees which were made up of former opposition will run at extra cost which wasn’t provided for in the 2012 budget. A typical example is NEITI which had been in existence to do what exactly what one of the committee is expected to do.

All the committees set up by Diezani Allison Madueke is just a move to throw the KPMGs report into the bin. Obviously she has a case to answer concerning the reckless withdrawal of money from the treasury to pay for unjustified subsidy. There have been clamours for her to step down in order to have a thorough investigation of her ministry which she has been trying desperately to ignore.

Diezani Alison-Madueke can never be a judge, plaintiff, defendant and even witness in her own case. For anyone to think the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu will clean up the system is mistaken. He is answerable to DAM and the success of his assignment may be restricted to favour her. 

Hitting the Wrong Note II

GEJ and his advisers keep getting it wrong. The government is more concerned with getting the trust of the people than actually succumbing to the peoples. The basics (power, security, food etc) are what Nigerians lack.  And to make governance easy, Nigerians don’t want more than these basics at least for now. Music is enjoyable but when we don’t have a good blend of the musical instrument it becomes noise. Our government at every time is hitting the wrong note thus making their music a cacophony of sound to the people.

The administration till today is still finding its feet. How long will it take for them to get rolling? Many months of inactions and shadow chasing has yielded no meaningful plan. Several illegal committees are being setup by the government without any provision from the budget. A government running on illegality which wants the peoples support - rather than address issues provoking the people, the government keeps searching for perceived people of integrity to man illegal positions.

The administration decides to ignore the extravagant spending on itself which has continually irk the people, yet it is forcing the people to sacrifice. They employ different methods to seek approval of the people. Presentation of false figures did not appeal to the people. Emotional plea from madam president (NOI) got no result but the brutal use of force was the only weapon an unpopular government can use to gain acceptance.

Nigerians have been brutally raped by their rulers and all goodwill is lost. Recruiting perceived men of INTEGRITY won’t add to the credibility of present government of GEJ. We have been robbed of our right. We were molested by the governments with its tool of oppression which includes the Army and NPF. The government itself started the war against its people. There are two sides to the war and no middle way.


Read: Hitting the Wrong Note 1

Legalized criminality

The national union of road transport Workers in Lagos could be said to be a dreaded body because of the violence they portend of unleashing anytime they so wish. The recent fracas in Lagos between two major factions of the union has claimed more than five life’s according the reports in newspapers.

The Lagos state government which is usually prompt in quashing any act of protest, even if it’s a peaceful one has time without number tolerated the excesses of this union. The average lagosians knows the political elites in Lagos use these unions and its violent members as instrument of oppression during elections and also to intimidate oppositions. This was the same people used against the peaceful protesters in Ajah against the toll gate.

The union leaders are thus stakeholders in Lagos, because I still can’t find a reason why their leaders can’t be arrested for destruction of properties and threatening public peace. Lagos has a time bomb underneath ready to explode anytime. Visiting the garages you’ll see the foot soldiers of these unions who act and look criminal, they obtain tolls indirectly from Lagosians through commercial motorist.

Whenever a new administration comes into power without the violent intimidation of this union; whenever a new administration decides to get rid of the menace of these miscreants called unions, we will have an increase in rate of armed robbery and other vices in Lagos. Until then, let’s continue to accommodate criminals in green and white uniforms molesting us day by day.

Boiling Point

Boiling point is where the otherwise tolerant or docile animal reaches and then snaps towards violence. The erupting violence at this point may not be under control thus the mind of the individual will be irrational. Pains and hurt from previous encounters re-surface and emotions blow out of proportion. Nigerians almost got to this point during the first few weeks this year.

Though praise-singers of Nigeria’s presidential ruler termed the gathering of angered and disappointed Nigerians has a jamboree. A nation that went through the harrowing experience of civil war doesn’t want to go through the same experience anymore. The veterans of the civil war caution the youths of the devastating effects of the war. The nation is divided amongst greedy populace who prefer individual solution than for a collective effort to move the nation forward. The ruling class and political elites have amassed so much wealth meant for the generality thus they can break any efforts by the people to liberate themselves.

The educational system is in ruins and the poor people who live below poverty level have to pay international price for lowest quality service and goods. We only heard stories of when our nation was so good, we never experienced it. Instead successive governments have fed us promises which have never been fulfilled.

Its unfortunate the present government is not trusted and the people see it just like its predecessors. The government cannot absolve itself of such blame because almost most of the people who make up this government have been part of the past government at one level or another promising what they never delivered.

Fela Anikulapo said it all-‘suffering and smiling’. We are not smiling anymore but we are still suffering. But I can assure you, Nigerians haven’t gotten to that point where they have no option but to fight back. We haven’t gotten to the point when we won’t listen to voice of reasoning. When eventually we get there, I can see the oppressors absconding to foreign countries. I can see some others being given the jungle justice. It is not only the oppressors who will pay dearly, but I see those who sit on the fence also paying too. Its either you stand for truth or against it. There is no middle way.

For the oppressors, continue to enjoy your largesse. The judgement day isn’t today or tomorrow but I know it’s moving in faster than I envisage. If you can’t see it, call on an average man on the street.

Boko Haram and Islam

Terrorism in the world today is always usually attributed to Muslims. So many extremist and fanatics have chosen violence as a means to get attention which shouldn’t be so. Suicide bombing and mass killing of innocent people is their way. Since the beginning of the administration of GEJ, the trend of suicide bombing which was alien to Nigeria appeared on our home front.

Rather than nip it in the bud, our government told us to bear with it until they (Boko Haram) get tired or run out of suicide bombers. They fail to realize that the spate of killings and bombings cannot be funded by the poor. It is capital intensive.

Differentiating between Islam and Boko Haram should be something an average Muslim should do. The reverse is the case, because I see even some Christians will tell you why Boko Haram is a political weapon but not a religious sect. The western media isn’t helping matters by always calling the sect ‘Islamic’. They go far enough by dividing Nigerians as Muslim north and Christian south. This shows they know little about us or they are desperately seeking for a division of Nigeria.

Right from the name ‘Boko Haram’, down to its ideology, operations and demands, it shows they can and will never be islamic. Not only does Islam make seeking knowledge important on every Muslim, it forbids the killing of innocent people either Muslims, Christians or any other religion.

If a Christian says it shameful if we don’t know that Boko Haram isn’t Islamic. Any Muslim who can’t convince any other person that Boko Haram isn’t Islam should cover his eyes in shame.