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!!

NIGERIANS, TERRORIST; WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?

"No doubt Faroq Mutallab is a Nigerian however his beliefs have been altered by extremist in Yemen. These extremist changed his perception and his inner identity his religion and therefore changed who he is"

Recently, United States of America included Nigeria in the infamous terrorist watch list. This caused a lot of hue and cry in Nigeria. Many believe we do not deserve it, some have threatened that Nigeria should be removed from the list. How can Nigeria, during this period that she is attempting to re-brand; Nigeria… Good People, Great Nation, fun loving, friendly, peace loving people be classified as terrorist?

On December 25, 2009 on board a Detroit USA bound Northwest Airline was a young man, 23 years old. He boarded the plane with an intention to detonate a bomb that will kill him as well as 278 other passengers on board the plane. This man Umar Faroq Mutallab failed. Upon investigation, this man had a Nigerian passport and further investigations revealed that he was born in Nigeria and has a Nigerian Father from the northern part of Nigeria, Kastina State to be precise. This undoubtedly makes him a Nigerian. Further investigation revealed that he is not a national of any other country.

This man got the best education money can get. A Mechanical Engineering graduate from the prestigious University College London (UCL), son of the recently retired chairman of the oldest bank in Nigeria, a young man brought up according to the tenets of Islam a peace loving religion, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, feed with golden spoon at every meal, lacking nothing all his life. What could have happened?

He had his primary education in Nigeria before proceeding to the British School of Lome for his secondary education. According to his History teacher at his school, Faroq loved discussing about world politics. He remembered Faroq as a model pupil. He however admitted that he had some radical views in his teenage years as he grew older. He remembered during a school excursion to United Kingdom, Faroq refused to enter a restaurant where alcohol was been served. A devout Muslim you will say! His peers dubbed him “Alfa” a local term meaning Islamic Scholar. This goes to show that Faroq Mutallab was a serious student of Islam that would want to improve himself religiously as well as intellectually. His brother described him as a “quiet, nice and gentle boy” always minding his own business and was morally upright. This tells us something about his early life and conducts however a family source that prefers anonymity said Faroq Mutallab in recent times had arguments with his immediate family members over his religious views. He said “we noticed Faroq developed extreme views and we were always apprehensive of where it might lead him”. Obviously the curious Islamic Scholar-Faroq Mutallab had done some further studying that shaped his perception and identity about his religious views and who he is. The question was who was his mentor, what was he studying and what did he become? Obviously he studied the extremist rather than studying the fundamentals of Islam.

After his first degree, he moved to Egypt and Dubai in United Arab Emirates where he studied for an MBA before dropping out. Between August to September 2009 he was at San’a Institute for Arabic Language in Yemen to study Arabic- what more will you expect from an “Alfa” that wants to broaden the scope of his knowledge. However in October 2009 Faroq Mutallab sent a text message to his father saying that he wanted to stay in Yemen for the next seven years to take a course in Sharia and Arabic studies. His father objected and like a responsible father he threatened to cut off his funding. Faroq responded that that will not be necessary as someone else is paying for his studies. His father asked who and his response – “that’s none of your business”. He said “I have found a new religion, the real Islam - please forget about me, I’m never coming back home- please forgive me –I will no longer be in touch with you, and forgive me for any wrong doing, I am no longer a child nor am I your child”. At 23, independent of his fathers’ financial support, an adult legally, there was little the father could do to stop him at this time. He however reported his son who he brought up according to the tenets of Islam to the CIA officials at the US Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria on November 19, 2009.

We live in a global village. At the click of a button you can connect with anyone anywhere. In an interview with FBI agents Faroq Mutallab said he made contacts via the internet with a radical Imam in Yemen, who connected him with Al Qaeda leaders in a village north of the countries capital Sanwa. No doubt Faroq Mutallab is a Nigerian however his beliefs have been altered by extremist in Yemen. These extremist changed his perception and his inner identity about his religion and therefore changed who he is. I remember a story I heard about American POW during the Korean War. The Chinese communist got information out of the American POWs; without torturing them or physically assaulting them. How did they achieve this? By getting the American POW to see how they think communism is better than socialism, getting him to put it down in writing and also say it. They later played it over the loud speakers to the hearing of other American POWs. They asked him why he said so and he became defensive supporting communism rather than socialism. His colleagues became his enemies and his captors became his friends because of his utterances and view. They changed his perception, his identity and ultimately they changed him and turned him to a traitor.

Although Mutallab is a Nigerian by birth, his identity has been changed and therefore his personality has changed. They say one bad apple spoils the bunch, how about 200 or even a thousand. Let us not forget that the international community is not blind to the happenings in Nigeria. The religious crisis caused by Islamic extremist that has become part of us for years, the recent Boko Haram saga, Nigeria’s links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda Network all these have been put into consideration before we were included in that list. Previously a Nigerian at any International Airport around the world in the eye of the immigration officers is either trying to smuggle in banned substance or in possession of fake identity. Now Mutallab has added to the list of suspicions. This Nigerian might also be a terrorist; we know they are linked with Al Qaeda and the Taliban Network, please watch out! Umar Faroq Mutallab’s failed bomb attempt is the last straw that broke the camels back. The first step to change is acceptance of fault. Nigeria deserves to be on that list. It is now left for our Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Communication, Defense and other relevant agencies to go back to the drawing board and nip this issue at the bud and project Nigerians the way we truly are. It’s a big shame to us not at this time when we are trying to re-brand