José Mourinho, is he really special?

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one” This statement was made by Jose at the press conference that followed his entry into the EPL. That statement made the English media dub him “The Special One”.

Taking a look at the career of Jose Mourinho, it reminds me of my past time activity. I am a successful football manager and I have a lot of laurels to back my claim. I have managed teams like Manchester United, Napoli, and Real Madrid to mention a few. Like Jose, I have cleaned out in every league I find myself winning all laurels available every season. Before you start wondering who I am, my Manchester united (& other teams I have managed) are virtual teams on the computer game EA Sport FIFA manager 2010. Although Jose & I have a lot in common the major and significant difference is that he manages real live teams and unlike me, Jose does not have the luxury of restarting a game if it is not going in his favour. Most recently, he has won all titles available in Italy and also the UEFA Champions League eliminating the finest attacking teams in the world. Even though he has been critisied for playing negative football, he has redefined the role of a coach in football by mixing coaching theory with motivational and psychological techniques.

Little wonder he was awarded a doctorate honoris causa degree by the Technical University of Lisbon for his accomplishments in football on March 23 2009. But why all the noise about this man, what has he achieved that no other coach hasn’t? What makes him special?

My first encounter with this man “The Special One” was that faithful evening sometimes in April 2004. I was with some die hard Manchester United fans and we were all hoping that the referee will blow his whistle soon and Manchester united will proceed in the competition and the supposedly underdogs Porto FC will find their level. Porto was on the verge of an away goals defeat when Costinha scored an injury time goal to win the tie. One man in a trench coat celebrated to the goal flamboyantly on the touch line. His emotions were palpable. He was evidently the happiest man alive that day. That year FC Porto won the UEFA Champion League, with a 3–0 win over AS Monaco in Germany. FC Porto had eliminated Manchester United, Olympique Lyonnais and Deportivo La Coruña and their sole defeat of the competition came against Real Madrid in the group round. This success trailed a third place finish in his first year as head coach of Porto FC (2002) after a strong 15-game run (W–D–L: 11–2–2); Portuguese Liga (2003, 2004), Cup of Portugal (2003), Portuguese SuperCup (2003) and UEFA Cup in 2003 under the same man. Also notable in his career in Portugal are the records he set. This include his stint with União de Leiria, whom he took to their highest-ever league finish of fifth place, a W-D-L: 27–5–2 record with Porto in 2003, 11 points clear of Benfica, the team he quit two years earlier, a Portuguese record of a total of 86 points out of the possible maximum of 102 since the rule of three points per win was introduced. In 2004 his team secured the title five weeks before the end of the season. His success in Europe and Portugal did not go unnoticed. Mourinho was linked with several top European clubs, including Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea. Mourinho publicly stated his preference for the Liverpool job over the Chelsea one:

"Liverpool are a team that interests everyone and Chelsea does not interest me so much because it is a new project with lots of money invested in it. I think it is a project which, if the club fails to win everything, then [Roman] Abramovich could retire and take the money out of the club. It's an uncertain project. It is interesting for a coach to have the money to hire quality players but you never know if a project like this will bring success."

Liverpool offered their managerial position to Spanish coach Rafael Benítez and Mourinho instead accepted a large offer of a salary of £4.2 million a year, subsequently raised in 2005 to £5.2 million from Roman Abramovich and pledged his immediate future to Chelsea. As is his tradition, his winning ways continued and he began to pick up available laurels by winning the League Cup against Liverpool 3–2 (AET) in Cardiff in the 2004/2005 season. The club under Mourinho added more trophies as they secured their first top-flight domestic title in 50 years, setting a string of English football records in the process. Mourinhos’ Chelsea started the next season well. They defeated Arsenal 2–1 to win the FA Community Shield, and topped the Premier League from the first weekend of the 2005/06 season. Chelsea beat rivals Manchester United 3–0 to win their second consecutive Premiership title and Mourinho's fourth domestic title in a row

The 2006/07 was Mourinho's first season without a league title win in five years. However Mourinho led Chelsea to a 1–0 victory against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Cup Final, winning in the first final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium. This was his first FA Cup win which meant that he had won every domestic trophy available to a Premier League manager (Just like me too on EA SPORT FIFA MANAGER). He also won the League Cup for a second time in the season. Jose Mourinho is not done with setting new records. Mourinhos’ Chelsea beat Birmingham City 3–2 in the first match of the 2007/08 season. He set a new record of 64 consecutive home league matches without defeat, surpassing the record set by Liverpool between 1978 and 1981. Mourinho unexpectedly left Chelsea on 20 September 2007 "by mutual consent," although there had been a series of disagreements with Chairman Roman Abramovich. Mourinho left as the most successful manager in Chelsea's history, having won six trophies for the club in three years. He was also undefeated in all home league games.

Despite a bad ending of his Chelsea era, José Mourinho will always be remembered as the man who made a squad of inexperienced boys become champions. "I had three fantastic seasons here. The fans gave me love and support - I gave them trophies. I will never forget Chelsea nor their supporters. I love the English football culture and I will return to this country one day, for sure." I hope he comes to united.

Although He started his career as a footballer, he was quick to admit the fact that he lacked the skill and pace to make him the best of the best. He did not allow is set back or back ground keep his back on the ground and decided to go into coaching against his mothers will. This turned out to be a wise choice. I'm sure he would not have made the top 5 list in his prime as a footballer, but as a manager, he has the following personal awards in his kitty just under a decade as 1st team manager.

UEFA Manager of the Year (1): 2003

UEFA Champions League Manager of the Year (2): 2002–03, 2003–04

UEFA Team of the Year Coach of the Year (3): 2003, 2004, 2005

Onze d'Or European Coach (1): 2005

IFFHS World Manager of the Year (2): 2004, 2005

World Soccer Magazine Coach of the Year (2): 2004, 2005

BBC Sports Personality of Year Coach Award (1): 2005

Premier League Manager of the Year (2): 2004–05, 2005–06

Premier League Manager of the Month (3): November 2004, January 2005, March 2007

Serie A Manager of the Year (1): 2009

He leant a lot under great football coaches like Sir Bobby Robson of blessed memory and Louis van Gaal who just lost the chance of becoming a treble winning coach and also a 2^nd UEFA Champion League title to Jose Mourinho. Also notable in Jose’s record creating career is that he has an outstanding record of making a fortress of his home ground. As of May 9 2010, after the 37th round of 2009–10 Serie A, Mourinho is on a run of 136 home league matches unbeaten: 38 (W36-D2) with Porto, 60 (W46-D14) with Chelsea, 38 (W29-D9) with Internazionale. His last and only home league defeat came when Porto were defeated 3–2 by Beira-Mar on 23 February 2002 as at the 6th of April 2010, he became the first manager in history to take three different teams to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League (this record was equaled by Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal a day later) after his Internazionale managed to overcome CSKA Moscow 0–1 in Russia in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, which ended 2–0 on aggregate. Wesley Sneijder's goal in the sixth minute proved the difference in a match played in laid-back style. This marked the first time in seven years that Internazionale managed to make it to the semi-finals of the competition. On April 13th, Internazionale continued its good season, having managed to qualify for the Coppa Italia final, for the first time under Mourinho, by beating Fiorentina 1–0 away (2–0 on aggregate). On April 28th 2010, José Mourinho reached the UEFA Champions League Final for the second time in his career after Internazionale beat current holders Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate, after losing 1-0 on the night (which Mourinho called "the most beautiful defeat of my life") and brought Internazionale back into a UEFA Champions League Final 38 years after their last, where they were defeated by AFC Ajax. The final was at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid against Bayern Munich on May 22. On May 2, after a 2-0 away win at Rome against Lazio, Inter almost secured the Serie A title. On May 5, the team won the Coppa Italia, defeating AS Roma 1-0 and on the 16th May Inter beat Siena 1-0 to secure the domestic double. On May 22, 2010, Inter won the UEFA Champions League beating Bayern Munich 2-0, and in doing so Inter became the first Italian club to complete The Treble and Mourinho personally celebrated the second "treble win" in his managerial career and second Champions League win. What’s next for him which other league is there to conquer? Real Madrid seems to be the next big project and the Spanish league is the next big league to conquer. This man has been talking and calling teams he would like to coach. His first choice was Manchester United (if baba fergie retires) and recently Real Madrid. Is this guy not too arrogant? I don’t think so. He has a history of turning every team he touches to winners and presently he is the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and UEFA Champions League winner. He truly is the special one! Congratulations José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho! His Royal Specialness!!

PRODIGY, BEST AFTER BIGGIE

"Dagrin actually walked with aids to a private ward from ICU"

Christopher Wallace AKA Notorious B.I.G, AKA Biggie is arguably the best rap lyricist the music world has ever seen. Biggie's style was unique. He was a story teller that could use his language effectively. His pronunciations and grammatical inflection provided the necessary rhymes that make the rap genre of music an art nay science. His musical career was short. He had one album, a monster hit before he was felled by bullets of an unknown assailant. His second album was released some weeks after his death. His death rocked the music industry in the U.S and the entire world just as the ill-timed death of Olaitan Olanipekun AKA Dagrin AKA Fimi Le Joh AKA wateva u wanna call me is rocking the Nigerian music industry. The self acclaimed best after Biggie (like the lyrics in his song- Gboro, goes omogidi ya to si omolangidi am a prodigy, I’m the best after Biggie) seems to have a lot in common with Biggie. Apart from having a short music career, his rap style was unique and he was also a terrific story teller. Dagrin knew how to make rhymes with his native language (Yoruba) mixed with a twist of English and Pidgin English yet spiting bars and making rhymes. Someone without a good understanding of his language choice would think he was saying gibberish just to make rhymes. The truth is that the contents of his music made sense and he told stories about his rough beginnings and his dreams of the future (Gehtto dreams), his lifestyle (Gboro, Pon-Pon) his sexual orientation (Kondo) his gratitude to God (Thank God) etc. It is sad that his stories came to an abrupt end some weeks after he recorded his latest single titled “If I Die”. One wonders if he had a premonition of his death. The self made millionaire, CEO of Mosofunyin (thought I told you) Entertainment, the stable which released his second album titled CEO (Chief Executive Omoita) was involved in a ghastly motor accident on Wednesday April 2010 . He was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at LUTH and was later moved to a private ward after showing signs of improvement. Quoting his manager, Dagrin actually walked with aids to a private ward from ICU. Upon hearing the news about his improvements I was thankful that the lyrical story teller has a new story to tell the world upon his comeback. My hopes were dashed when I got a call that he passed on 8 days after his accident from complications arising from the accident. What could have happened? This incident punches a lot of holes into our Medical system in Nigeria. He was just 24 years old and his star had just begun to shine brighter. I was watching his Uncle on TV and he said that Dagrin was the bread winner of his family. Oh what a pity!! Today 30th April 2010 he will be committed to mother earth. Nigerian Music industry mourns this great loss and I wonder if we will ever get to hear more of his works released after his death. It’s a great loss and the emotions his fans and colleagues feel is palpable. Yeterday a candle light procession from his house in surulere to O’jezz at the national Stadium caused so much traffic that people who did not know him commented “He must have made a lot of impact”. Yes he did!! R.I.P Dagrin

SEE KETTLE CALLING POT BLACK

"It is an ignominy that THE PUNCH newspaper, a publication renowned for the best practices in the Industry and respected by the public as a bearer of truth has found itself in the troubled waters of unethical practices involving the ED publications who is celebrated for wielding a battle axe on corrupt public officers and even private individuals, with his editorial column"

Ethics is acting in accordance with right principles as defined by a given system or professional conduct. The importance of a code of ethics for any profession cannot be overemphasised. This is more so because practitioners strive to enhance generally accepted standards in their practice in other to weed out charlatans from their midst and enhance trust and credibility in such profession. The Mass Communication practice is not immune to this assertion.

As a PGD student at The Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba Lagos, part of our curriculum and requirement is a study of ethical practices in the media. We carried out an analysis of various ethical factors and problems in mass communication and my group was assigned to look at the issue as it relates to employee/employer relationship.

During our study, we discovered the following;

1. Although an overall code of ethical code exist which was issued by the Nigerian Press Organization in 1978 and signed jointly by the President of the NPAN, the President of the NGE and the President of the NUJ, It has not been fully accepted and practiced by all journalists, editors and producers. Only a few media outlets have “house” codes however many of them fail to create a favourable climate to practice them

2. The Nigerian media still lacks a set of overall professional standards, which would be equally honoured and observed by journalists and managers of media houses

3. The lack of a uniform, enforceable ethical code

4. The gate keeping habit practiced in some media houses where certain individuals within the organisation (Editors, Reporters and Publishers etc) decided to “Kill” a story thereby preventing such story from getting to the public.

5. What is called “The Brown envelope syndrome” among some practicing journalists in Nigeria.

These amongst others have been the bane of the media industry in Nigeria. Also we gathered from the code of ethics for Nigerian Journalist as ratified by The Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and The Nigerian Press Organization (NPO) at Ilorin in 1998, which has become a reference point for Nigerian Journalist and the informed public concerning issues of self regulation in the practice of the media profession; that the media employee/ employer are ethically responsible to each other in the areas of; loyalty- a media practitioner must be loyal to his/her organization. This means he or she must not have double allegiance; honesty- a media practitioner must be honest in dealing with the public and employer; gratification- media practitioner must not accept gratification either from the public or from the employer to distort fact . This in Nigeria is referred to as “The brown envelope syndrome” and must be avoided at all cost in order to create and maintain credibility.

The success of the media depends on a high degree of public trust. To earn and maintain this trust, it is morally binding on every media practitioner to observe the highest professional/moral and ethical standards.

It is an ignominy that THE PUNCH newspaper, a publication renowned for the best practices in the Industry and respected by the public as a bearer of truth has found itself in the troubled waters of unethical practices involving the ED publications who is celebrated for wielding a battle axe on corrupt public officers and even private individuals, with his editorial column. It has become a case of kettle calling pot black.

A synopsis of events that led to the eye-opening and embarrassing disclosure goes thus- The editor of The Punch Newspaper was sacked unjustly for planning to plant a story about some Lagos state public officers in the same paper that he edits. The story was not published in The Punch Newspaper on Wednesday February 17 2010; however the story appeared in every other newspaper with full pictures on the same day. The Editor felt he had been treated unjustly and this led to his writing a letter dated March 1, 2010 to the board of Directors demanding justice and opening a can of worms that revealed the true identity of their respected and presumed morally upright and ethical sound ED Publications.

The editor’s letter revealed the many atrocities of the ED Publications of Punch Newspaper right from when he was the editor of the paper. The sacked editor gave facts and mentioned names of members of staff past and present who could be contacted should the Board of Directors choose to investigate his allegations. In the letter, the Ed Publications was accused of disloyalty to The Punch Newspaper, using the newspapers resources for his selfish interest, the brown envelope syndrome that has stigmatized the industry for so long, gate-keeping stories about highly placed individuals who he incidentally was on their payroll among many other unethical practices. This was someone whose editorial was sought after by so many Nigerians who believed they were getting an objective and critical view of happenings in Nigeria. It turned out that the mouth piece of the public to corrupt leaders in private and public sector was indeed corrupt himself. What a shame!

Personally I am disappointed and I imagine what huge responsibility God Almighty will have on his shoulder on judgment day. This is a lesson to other corrupt media practitioners and public in general that there is nothing covered under the sun. What you do in secret will one day be brought to the open, so please do what you will be proud of even when no one is watching you.

COLLAPSE IN THE NIGERIAN CAPITAL AND MONEY MARKETS: THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA

“Perhaps, if the investors were better informed on the enormity of risks that were associated with their level of activities in these companies in the capital market, the level of their investment decision would have been different”

I. INTRODUCTION

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with over 150 million people, the eighth most populous country in the world, and the most populous country in the world in which the majority of the population is 'black'. This implies that the Nigerian media will probably be the largest in Africa. With 140 local Television Stations, 6 Satellite TV providers, 98 Daily Newspaper, 45 Magazines, 40 Weekly Magazines and 124 radio Stations this statistic is debatable. The economy of Nigeria is one of the fastest growing in the world, with the International Monetary Fund projecting a growth of 9% in 2008 and 8.3% in 2009.

Nigeria is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies. The Next Eleven (or N-11) are eleven countries—Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam—identified by Goldman Sachs investment bank as having a high potential of becoming the world's largest economies in the 21st century along with the BRICs. The bank chose these states, all with promising outlooks for investment and future growth, on December 12, 2005. Goldman Sachs used macroeconomic stability, political maturity, openness of trade and investment policies, and the quality of education as criteria. The N-11 paper is a follow-up to the bank's 2003 paper on the four emerging "BRIC" economies, Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

This however was in 2005 when the Nigerian capital market experienced a boom. If Goldman Sachs carried out another study in 2010 their findings and report may be different. The Goldman Sachs investment banks disclosure was just after the banking industry consolidation in which the then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Charles Chukuwma Soludo, set a bench mark of N 25 billion as bank capital base. Some banks in Nigeria went public and sold shares to investors. The future of the Nigerian economy, capital and money market looked bright. In the later part of 2008, the world witnessed a depression in the financial sector and this trickled down to Nigeria causing a backward trend in the money and capital market and leading to loss of investors’ funds and confidence in the Nigerian capital. As if this was not enough, an audit carried out by the new Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, last year revealed that some of the banks held in high esteem by the Nigerian public based on reports in the media and also the excellent results reported in their financial statements were actually distressed. In all this the citizens of Nigeria have been on the receiving end. What is the role of the media in crisis that has rocked the capital and money market in Nigeria in recent times?

First let us define some key terms so that we all can be on the same page.

II. DEFINITION OF TERMS

MEDIA: According to the Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, Media is the various means of mass communication considered as a whole, including television, radio, magazines, and newspapers, together with the people involved in their production

CAPITAL MARKET: According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, capital market is a market for securities (debt or equity), where business enterprises (companies) and governments can raise long-term funds. It is defined as a market in which money is provided for periods longer than a year, as the raising of short-term funds takes place on other markets (e.g., the money market). The capital market includes the stock market (equity securities) and the bond market (debt).

MONEY MARKET: The money market according to Wikipedia Encyclopedia is a component of the financial markets for assets involved in short-term borrowing and lending with original maturities of one year or shorter time frames. Trading in the money markets involves treasury bills, commercial paper, bankers' acceptances, certificates of deposit, federal funds, and short-lived mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. It provides liquidity funding for the global financial system.

MARGIN LOANS: A margin loan is money lent by a brokerage house/ financial institution to a client that allows the customer to buy stocks on credit.

III. THE MEDIA AND ITS ROLE

The Media is responsible to the Government and public of the nation in which it operates. However the Medias’ loyalty should be to the public where they operate. The media is expected to use facts to describe events, ideas, or issues that are relevant to the public and Government of the country. Its primary role includes among others, information dissemination, educating and entertaining the public. It is also a catalyst for agenda setting and opinion polling. In reporting technical issues like money& capital market activities, the report must be well written enough to appeal to the specialist and sufficiently simple and relevant not to bore the average news consumer but to sustain his interest and attention and inform him/her accurately so that he/she can make informed decisions.

A close examination of activities of the Media as regards the subject at hand reveals that the media has failed in its function of educating and informing the public and the Nigerian economy in general. The media failed in informing the public of the dubious activities of the executives in banks and other companies on the Nigerian Stock Market. The money and capital market is driven by the forces of demand and supply and like any other market it can be manipulated. This was what happened in the Nigerian capital and money market. The media were either ignorant, reporting only what they were been fed by these executives or they did not carry out their own investigation using measurable accounting/economic indices to determine the true financial state of these organizations and report facts to the public.

The crash in the capital Market can be directly linked to the margin loans which individuals received to finance purchase of shares in companies whose books were obviously been manipulated to suit major stakeholders in the companies. Over time, the market forces took charge and the prices of stocks began to drop. This put the investors in a mess and they began to count their losses.

In a recent publication the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido commenting on the crisis in the money and capital market links the crash to financial illiteracy. In his word he said,

“High level financial illiteracy on the part of the Nigerian investors basically contributed to the crash witnessed in the capital market”

Sanusi said the investors obviously lacked knowledge of the workings of the market and they were unaware of the high risks involved while accessing huge margin loans during the market’s boom period. He further said,


“Perhaps, if the investors were better informed on the enormity of risks that were associated with their level of activities in these companies in the capital market, the level of their investment decision would have been different”

The media only reported what they got from the corporate affairs department of the various organizations which eventually turned out to be false and also on the daily activities in the stock market. This is what investors based their decisions on, got involved in margin loan acquisition and this eventually led to the crash in the capital market and also the eventual discovery of the activities of the executives in the money market who are presently facing the wrath of the Economic and Financial Crime Commissions (EFCC).

Some specialized financial publication also involved in the practice of advising the public on which stocks to buy there by setting the agenda for the public. My personal investigation revealed that some of these media houses are owned by directors in some of these organizations and they used the media as a tool of enriching themselves by wrongly informing the public to buy a particular stock. The price of the stock will naturally increase as demand for the stock increases they will then sell at the high price to the numerous ignorant investors and the price will then begin to drop as supply will now be more than demand.

IV. CONCLUSION

The capital and money market reports are scientific reports that ought to be reported with precision. Precision journalism is the use of social and behavioral science → Research Methods to gather and analyze data, bringing a level of rigor to journalistic work beyond anecdotal evidence. This is what is expected of the media. They need to develop themselves well in knowledge of money and capital markets so that they can in-turn inform and educate the public accurately.

V. REFERENCES

1. Wikipedia Encyclopedia
2. Microsoft Encarta Dictionary 2009
3. Businessday Newspaper

50 YEARS! I HAIL THEE OH!! BUT WHICH ONE UNA DEY?

"Our legislators and political leaders have twisted and turned the constitution on its head all in an attempt to confuse the masses while they enjoy “Ogas’” absence and do whatever they like."

The most populous black nation with over 150 million people, blessed with immeasurable natural resources and human capital; firsts in diverse fields and endeavours, 50 years of independence, over 10 years of civilian-“democratic” rule. I sincerely hail thee Naija, but sometimes I wonder why our leadership in every area of our polity has failed us.

When I look at our politically elected and appointed leaders, I wonder where we got it all wrong. For weeks now our president has been away from office on medical grounds. We have a constitution (written plainly in English, our official language that an elementary school pupil understands) which spells out the process and procedure that The National Assembly should take in the kind of situation we have found ourselves as a country. Our legislators and political leaders have twisted and turned the constitution on its head all in an attempt to confuse the masses while they enjoy “Ogas’” absence and do whatever they like.

My question is to the Legislators at the National Assembly and our political leaders- “Which one una dey?” Which political schools of thought una dey follow? Constitutionalism abi na Anarchy?

The Microsoft Encarta Dictionary defined constitutionalism as “government by constitution: the principles or practice of Government regulated by the constitution”. Evidently the practices of government in Nija starting from Mr. President to the Legislators are not regulated by the constitution. The same dictionary defined Anarchy as a chaotic situation: a situation in which there is a total lack of organization or control. It further defined Anarchy as lack of government: the absence of any formal system of government in a society. An internet source defined Anarchy as "absence of government; a state of lawlessness due to the absence or inefficiency of the supreme power, political disorder; absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose. Obviously in the Federal political terrain we have a chaotic situation; the Attorney General of the federation today will say one thing, some lawyers will counter him then the National Assembly will say their own, the fact still remains that there is lack of organization due to the absence of Mr. President, inefficiency of the Vice- President and the National Assembly, absence of unified standard and purpose.

Enough is enough! Do what needs to be done constitutionally!! We are not fools!!!

Which one una dey? Constitutionalism abi na Anarchy? Naija people judge!

I rest my case.

REFREE NO OJORO OH!!!

The light of the Nation -located in south-eastern part of Nigeria has really brightened up our Nation in various ways. The international communities’ attention has been drawn to Nigeria because of the various outstanding achievements of our brothers/sisters from Anambra State.

Despite its small size, Anambra has produced a fair number of outstanding individuals and a number of firsts in Nigeria. Anambra boasts Nnamdi Azikiwe a native of Onitsha who was the first President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nwafor Orizu was the first Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike, a pre-eminent scholar of African History and native of Awka, was the first indigenous Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Ben Enwonwu a native of Onitsha was the first Nigerian sculptor of international repute with artwork gracing the United Nations headquarters. Chinua Achebe, a native of Ogidi and known for Things Fall Apart was the first African writer whose books are standard curricula in schools and universities across the world.

“It also portends a very dangerous development that the container load of election materials will be floating about Anambra 21 days to the governorship election. If security documents can be treated this shabbily one wonders the credibility of what we are about to do and the outcome of the exercise”.

Others include Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu, a native of Nnewi who was the first Nigerian millionaire and first president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, his son Emeka Ojukwu the leader of the secessionist Biafra Republic, Emeka Anyaoku, the first black Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Professor Chike Obi, a famous Mathematician, Cardinal Francis Arinze once considered a potential Pope at the Vatican, Charles Soludo, a famous economist who spearheaded Nigerian economic reform from 1999-2008 and was ex-head of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dora Akunyili, who cleansed Nigeria of fake drugs as head of NAFDAC, Chimamanda Adichie, an up-and-coming writer, Chioma Chukwuka and Jim Iyke famous nollywood actors, P-Square a popular Nigerian music group, Emmanuel Ammunike a soccer star in the 1990s and many others have all been light bearers for our great Nation.

However in the political terrain, the light of the Nation in recent times has been thrown into darkness. In the last four years Anambra State has had four governors at the helm of affairs. Anambra state witnessed electoral malpractices in the 2003 elections; court rulings bringing justice to the winner of the 2003 election as well as the people of Anambra state in 2006, disruptions in the State House of Assembly leading to impeachment on 2 November 2006 of the governor, court ruling re-installing the governor on 9 February 2007, another court ruling by the Supreme Court on 14 June 2007 upholding the contention of the governor who claimed he had not used his term in full which sent the winner of the April 14 2007 general election packing. In all these, Peter Obi, the incumbent governor has been on the receiving end and like the executive he is, has chosen the part of justice to fight his course. After Peter Obi what next for the light of the Nation?

Peter Obi’s unsettled tenure has witnessed its share of ups and downs; he did some good things and left many undone. He built many roads and constructed administrative buildings. He equipped many secondary schools with modern laboratories and libraries filled with new books. To Obi’s credit he has a comprehensive blue print that touches all areas of the government including neglected and dilapidated hospitals. In security, he did not fare well as kidnappers and robbers have had a fun time during his tenure. Who will pick up form here and continue the good work that has been started?

Come February 6th 2010 a fresh election will be conducted. The likes of Dr. Chris Nigige (Action Congress), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (Peoples Democratic Party), Mr. Andy Uba (Labour Party), Hon. Uchenna Ekwunife( Progressive Peoples Alliance) and Governor Peter Obi (All Progressive Grand Alliance) are major contenders of the over 20 candidates that have signified interest in the driving seat of the State. All these people have a record of successes in their various endeavors. They have a lot to offer and have made their intentions known. My concerns as well as that of other Anambarians are will the votes of the people count?

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been presented with an opportunity to prove to Nigerians that they are ready for the general elections come 2011. Will they deliver? I wonder? What is disturbing is the rate of corruption and malpractices that have plagued public agencies in our nation. Recently, the Police force in Anambra State intercepted two trucks with electoral materials in Okija town along the Onitsha - Owerri road. One of the drivers who claims to be a soldier in the Nigerian Army was later discovered to be a student in a tertiary institution. He is however helping the police with their investigation. We hope it will see the light of day. What is alarming is the source of the electoral materials? Could it have been sponsored by some charlatans who seek political power through scrupulous means? Only time will tell (If the police do their job). A reporter of the Saturday Independent Newspaper who investigated the situation said the Public Relation Officer of INEC in the State refused to speak on the issue but directed the reporter to the administrative secretary, Tony Agbache. He claimed that he is not aware of the incident. When asked about INEC guidelines for reception of electoral materials, Agbache declined comments saying, I am a civil servant not a political appointee and that he does not have the power to speak to the press. Reacting to the incident, the chairman, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo Campaign Ogranisation, Okey Muo-Aroh, a lawyer said: “Until INEC makes a categorical statement on who owns the materials and where they were going, I think it is a very alarming situation. “It also portends a very dangerous development that the container load of election materials will be floating about Anambra 21 days to the governorship election. If security documents can be treated this shabbily one wonders the credibility of what we are about to do and the outcome of the exercise.” We urge the commission to make a public statement on the incident and also reassure us that the process would be free and fair. Governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Okey Nwous, told reporters that Anambra people have suffered enough from electoral fraud perpetuated by enemies of democracy, urging the police and other law enforcement agencies to save the state from the evil machinations of miscreants. Also speaking on the issue, Director, Uche Ekwunife Campaign Organisation of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), Mr. C.J. Chinwuba, said, “We commend the security operatives on their valiance and we condemn such acts aimed at rigging this election.” We in PPA and the entire Anambra State have insisted that the votes must count”

Anambarians votes truly must count and we hope that the referee- INEC will do its job effectively so that the light of the Nation can beam a ray of hope into the Nigerian political horizon of the 2011 general election and we Nigerians will see that like the Ghanaian general election of 2009, we can have a free and fair general election free from litigations, court rulings and multiple governors in a four year period

NO BREAD….IN THE BAKERY..?

This happens to be the situation we find ourselves in Nigeria at this time. Nigeria a major oil producing country and source of crude oil to other countries finds itself lacking the finished products that power the country. Kerosene, Diesel, Gas and most especially petrol are in short supply. How can we be in lack in the midst of plenty? This is embarrassing to a country that has been dubbed the giants of Africa!

"It is obvious that the scarcity is artificial and it is always so that the petrol marketers and other stakeholders can extort Nigerians thereby enriching themselves. What still remains a mystery is why we have to export crude oil and then import the finished products?"

This situation has lingered on for years and a possible solution in the nearest future looks bleak as few are selfishly benefiting from this lack of finished crude oil products to the detriment of Nigerians. What is appalling is that this lack or scarcity often occurs before during or after festive periods in the country. This reminds me of a story I heard about a year ago – The Chief operating Officer of a trading and Service Company in Nigeria owned by foreigners was accosted by her sales team and service engineers during a fuel situation like we are experiencing now. They asked her for an increase in their daily conveyance allowance since the prices of petrol has increased and this has affected the transport fares to and from the offices of their various customers. Her response – I don’t know why you guys are making so much noise regarding this situation. I was born in this country and have lived here all my life. You should be used to it by now; don’t you know that this is our Christmas present from our government every year? This is from a foreigner living in Nigeria. Thinking back, I remember spending Christmas day at the filling station in 2007. This has been the trend for years. It is sad.

It is obvious that the scarcity is artificial and it is always so that the petrol marketers and other stakeholders can extort Nigerians thereby enriching themselves. What still remains a mystery is why we have to export crude oil and then import the finished products? What will it take to refine the raw material (crude oil) into finished products (petrol)? Nigeria can shamefully boast of 4 non-functional refineries when some developed non-oil producing countries have refineries in every county that serves the community where they find themselves. How can our government explain this situation? In a developed society, a high school student can follow defined steps and refine crude oil into finished products in his laboratory however our Government make us believe that they have to commit millions of Naira into building and maintaining refineries.

What we lack in the petroleum industry as well as the country at large is committed hardworking and honest leadership. Our leaders have played on our intelligence for so long all in a bid to selfishly enrich themselves and their close family and associates. We have been deprived of what is rightfully ours and in the midst of plenty we experience lack. The infamous militants in the Niger delta region of Nigeria might be fighting their cause in the wrong way but it is no doubt a worthy fight. They have been to the FCT Abuja and have seen the level of infrastructural development that has been achieved from the crude oil that is obtainable at their backyard. Even though Abuja can not boast of internally generated revenue sufficient to achieve such infrastructural development, it continues to develop and become beautiful while the States in the Niger delta oil producing region are riddled with poverty, under development and inadequate if not lack of infrastructure. This is the situation in which Nigerians at large find themselves.

I remember years ago, my Aunt that resides in the United States of America had to call the Hotel opposite our house and ask the receptionist to please call us so that she can speak to us. She will hang up and call back after about 10 minutes. Communication was a luxury and our Government made sure that getting a Nitel line was tasking and expensive. The infrastructures were in place to provide communication services to all but our Government was not proactive and responsible enough to make it happen. The case is different now. The solution; proactive, honest individuals with good intentions brought in their money into the sector and made it work for them

We can not continue to live in the bakery and not have enough bread to eat, swim in the ocean and yet complain of being dry. Government rules and regulations that constrain the free operation of market forces in the petroleum industry should be simplified or completely removed so that there will be healthy competition in the industry and the finished product derived from crude oil will become readily available to everyone. It has happened in the telecommunication industry in can happen in any other industry. We will get there!!