So who still wants to be a nigerian?

Who still wants to be a nigerian?

Let me begin the above thought provoking topic, asking us if we still want to be Nigerians, amidst the reality of the challenging situations, scenario and dramas that we encounter daily in this country. I am still sure a whole lot of people would still have their reserved or hidden answers to that daring question. Am I right or wrong? Also judging from the first part of this piece, its quiet evident that most people would relate that there is always a certain attached pain and regrets being a Nigerian presently, except that one is such a deep hypocritical, corrupt, two-faced and self centred individual to deny that. The truth is always and will always be bitter.

The truth is always bitter and its nothing but the truth I am determined to voice out here for us, our people and the world to know. That there is so much wrongs we have to start making rights, so many sacrifices that needs to made,so much truths to tell and see, and so much patriotism we need again in other for us to be proud again when calling ourselves as Nigerians.But it takes the collective efforts of us all to redeem our name as a great nation again,saying NO to the incessant scourges of persistent corruption,greed,selfishness and the lackadaisical way of living,valuing and contributing to the success of other countries more than our mother land. How long will we as a nation keep existing with this shame, surviving amidst abundance that God has blessed us with year in and out?

One certain issue that has continued to rubbish the name Nigeria, its glory and pride of its citizenry is our Leadership inadequacy and shortcomings. We have this enduring troubles of leadership, Governance,credibility and performance that has gotten so many of us wish we were not Nigerians. And would we ever keep pretending that all is well in the land when we keep showing no concerns,seeking nationalism of other countries while we abandon what it takes to contribute, empower and make Nigeria a truly giant of Africa? Its high time we as a people stay united and resolute to decide,oppose and also reject every imposition,policies and selfish acts of Governance that makes us feel ashamed,cheated, misruled and uncomfortable as Nigerians. We all own the land, its our right to demand for justice, equity, fairness, accountability and proper rule.

Please we all need to redefine our loyalty, love, patriotism, value system and pledges to our dear nation, so we can all be proud again to be identified as Nigerians. We are a unique, strong and great people, and we still need to stay true to that. There is no longer what we call nationhood or patriotism again. Awards are given to corrupt officials while the ones who truly deserve recognition are relegated to the backstage and low corners. And where are these problems keep coming from? Where have we as a nation gone wrong? Is there still any hope left for you and I to still be proudly called a Nigerian? So do you still want to be called a Nigerian,are you a part of the problem or are you willing to be a source of solution? No amount of denying or closing our eyes to the facts will save us from what we have become as Nigeria, until we work together earnestly to change our labels now, for tomorrow and the next generations unborn.

There is nothing wrong being a Nigerian, the land, climate, our water or its airspace but its because of our collective failures as a people, who have totally lost out of our founding fathers values, our heroes past legacies and admonitions in the project called Nigeria. We are totally blindfolded in the pursuance of excess wealth, fame, greed and success at the expense of our fellow Nigerians. We can see that Americans or other successful nations of the world values human life,honours handwork, integrity, teamwork, efficiency, maintenance of structures, law & order and i can mention a whole lot more. Why wont we all keep dreaming and running away from our own land when we have misplaced our priorities as a nation? Why wont some people be so ashamed when it comes to identifying themselves as a Nigerian? Have we ever thought of having a Nigerian Visa lottery someday too? Isn't it time for us to awake and take our place as the giant of Africa again?

So who still wants to be called a Nigerian? Who else is willing and ready to stand and say enough of mistreatment, insensitivity, corruption and greed from our leaders and governing bodies? Are we as a people ready to unite and fight off these social malaise and plaque that tends to spoil the name Nigerian ? Its left for you and I to decide and now is the right time. The only time we fail is when we STOP trying and give in to the temptation of helplessness and indifference. Let us stand and retain our identity as Nigerians, strong, united and still very much more the good people, great nation we are blessed and called to be. May God help us to answer to the call and to obey, so we (and the generations next ) wont be ashamed tomorrow when looked or called upon as a Nigerian.

Atiku knees down to greet Obasanjo at customs conference!

The crowd at the venue of the 2012 Comptroller-General of Customs' conference in Katsina, burst into cheers and applause when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar knelt down to greet his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Atiku and Obasanjo, who served as vice president and president of Nigeria respectively between 1999-2007, had an estranged relationship during the last lap of their second term in office.

Both men were among a retinue of VIPs invited to the opening of the week long Comptroller-Generals' conference held at the newly inaugurated auditorium of Katsina State University.

Obasanjo, who arrived ahead of Atiku, was seated next to second republic President Shehu Shagari and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.

Atiku, who arrived nearly 40-minutes after his former boss, first greeted the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu, Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmimini Usman, the Ooni and Shagari who were seated at the podium.

When he got to Obasanjo, the former Vice President knelt down and bowed his head to greet his former boss.

The delighted crowd followed the mild drama with a loud applause and cheers.

A man who sat opposite the VIP podium raised his two hands up and shouted ``Alleluia''.

Earlier, Vice President Namadi Sambo who represented President Goodluck Jonathan had inaugurated the 1,500 capacity auditorium of the Katsina State University, venue of the conference.

Profiles: Meet Nigeria's Richest Woman and Africa's no #2 Folorusho Alakija, from a typist to a billionaire!

Folorunsho Alakija
Net Worth $600 M As of November 2012
#24 on Africa's richest 40
2nd Richest Woman in Africa
Age: 61
Source of Wealth: oil, self-made
Residence: Lagos, Nigeria
Country of Citizenship: Nigeria
Marital Status: Married
Children: 4

Summary:

Nigeria's richest woman draws the bulk of her fortune from oil. Folorunsho Alakija started her career in the mid 1970s as a secretary at the now-defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria, one of the West African nation's earliest investment banks. In the 1980s, after studying fashion design in England, she founded Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label that catered to upscale clientele. Her biggest break came in oil. In 1993 her company, Famfa Oil, was awarded an oil prospecting license which went on to become OML 127, one of Nigeria's most prolific oil blocks. Famfa Oil owned a 60% stake in the block until 2000 when the Nigerian government, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, unconstitutionally acquired a 50% interest in the block without duly compensating Alakija or her company. Famfa Oil went to court to challenge the acquisition, and in May this year, the Nigerian Supreme Court reinstated the 50% stake to Famfa Oil. Chevron owns the remaining 40%. Through her charity, the Rose of Sharon Foundation, Alakija supports widows throughout Nigeria.

For the full list of Africa's richest 40 click http://www.forbes.com/africa-billionaires/list/

Interview with Folorunsho Alakija

From that humble career which was imposed on her by her father and then to fashion designing which she later had to venture into, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija has proven herself a genius! Her foray into the oil business, which saw her becoming the Executive Vice-Chairman of Famfa Oil & Gas Limited, is also not an exception. This 61-year-old former President of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria – FADAN – is also a philanthropist of note.
Today, she opens up on her journey to fame and success. Enjoy!

Treading a career path chosen against one's will could be frustrating. How did you cope?

I didn't like it at all when I first started my secretarial Studies. I felt as if my ability had been undermined. I felt frustrated! I however took it as a career and worked hard at it. I had always loved the idea of being a Lawyer because I had an inquisitive mind. That hope was however dashed by my father who insisted I should study secretarial studies.

However, I made it work for me because whatever I take up, I always want to do it well. So, that saw me through the years of being a confidential secretarial, a personal assistant, and secretary to several Managing Directors at the now defunct IMB where I worked, until I decided to move out when I observed that new intakes were being ranked and promoted above me.

But didn't you feel inferior when these new intakes at the bank were being promoted above you?

I didn't feel inferior because I knew that I wasn't inferior! But I felt frustration because I knew that if I was given the opportunity, I would prove myself. But when it got to the point that others were being placed above me, I knew I had reached a crossroad where I needed to make a decision. I do not blame the bank because they were actually capitalising on degrees.

I'm however glad I took the right decision at that point. I believe very strongly that God ordered my footsteps because He had planned out my destiny. So, I traveled abroad to study fashion designing. As a matter of fact, my youngest son was two years old then. The condition I had with my husband under which I would go to study abroad was to take the youngest two of my four children along with me, which I did.

Let's look at the immediate success you recorded as soon as you joined the array of fashion designers in the country

That was the Lord's doing. Precisely three weeks after I formally launched my label, Supreme Stitches, I won a national award as the Fashion Designer of the Year 1986. To the glory of God, people liked my designs because I was creating them from within. I would say my creativity had always been inborn.

Would you compare the success you recorded in fashion with that of the banking industry?

Of course the success I achieved in fashion was a lot more! In the banking industry, I was not only part of a crowd but also wasn't making national news. I was doing my work diligently and was appreciated by everyone, most especially when I headed the corporate affairs department.

I was able to start many things that the bank never did. In fact, the creative aspect of me was harnessed, as I even created a corporate image for the bank when its name was changed. However, whatever I did was for and within the bank alone. It was just within a little island, compared to dealing with the general public like in fashion where people were inspired by my designs in so many ways.

So, what has life taught you about passion?

To me, passion is whatever you derive pleasure in doing, something that comes to you naturally. When passion is involved in whatever activity, struggle becomes less. Though I may not be making clothes anymore, fashion will always continue to be part and parcel of me because it's something that I love. I still note down designs as they come into my head. I also delight in encouraging younger designers.

Do you see any link between passion and success?

The mere fact that you're passionate about anything doesn't mean you'll automatically be successful in it. You may not make money out of it, but you'll enjoy it. It does not guarantee your getting to the top of the ladder! It will put food on your table if you decide to make it a source of livelihood, and it will set you apart from others because it gives you place, but that still does not determine the degree of success. The sure fact however is that it will get you off the ground. Then if you add hardwork to it, it will get you on top of the ladder.

So, how did you venture into the oil and gas industry?

In the 1990s, in the course of my discussion with a friend whom I was designing clothes for, my family and I got involved in a deal to purchase an oil field. After three years, we were allocated an oil bloc which nobody wanted at that time because it was deep offshore, over 1,500 meters deep and very expensive to explore at that time. We were approached by Texaco late in 1996, and, after three months daily negotiation, we signed on the dotted lines.

Chevron took over Texaco after a few years, but, to the glory of God, we actually stocked oil in commercial quantity, and we were told that the oil had been collecting in there for 17million years, and then we just considered ourselves very lucky. That was how FAMFA Oil was born. I and my husband and our four sons are all heavily involved in the business.

You seem very busy and quite successful, but do you ever find time to go into the kitchen?

Absolutely! Just yesterday, I still cooked beans for my church fellowship members. I always cook when my husband is in the country. I've had cooks for years, but there's always a difference when you add your own personal touch. At weekends, I cook. I also cook each time he's arriving from his trips because he always prefers to eat from my own cooking at such times. Also, we eat together. I do believe that no matter her level of success, a woman must always remember that she must not depart from her kitchen.

Many marriages are on the rocks because many women find it difficult to combine marriage with affluence. Why has yours remained the envy of many since 1976?

Money has nothing to do with love. Love comes from within. Money is something you acquire along the line. Only love keeps people together. From the time that we started courting, it has been like that, and we thank God that to His glory, we've known one another for 40 years. I pray also that God continues to unite us. I believe that if love is the foundation of a union, God will prove Himself faithful.

Every married person has a duty to ensure that they make their marriage work because nobody dragged them into it. Even looking after the children in that marriage calls for both parents to impact into them the skills, love, knowledge and talent required to enable them live fulfilled lives. When we shirk our responsibilities, we're being careless.

I understand that you now cater for widows and orphans in four states?

Taking care of widows and orphans is a calling, and it is in the fear of God that I am doing so. I'm not doing so because I have the resources, but because God has called me to it. He has also been faithful in providing the resources. I however had to register a platform, Rose of Sharon Foundation, a few years ago, to reach out to more widows and orphans. Rose of Sharon is also a means of giving back by my entire family on behalf of Famfa Oil.

You seem a very religious person, but do you know many are quick to forget God as soon as they acquire material comfort?

I don't see any reason why anyone shouldn't successfully combine his or her faith with affluence. As far as I'm concerned, wherever we get to in life is not because of what we have done, but because of what God has done through us. If God does not approve our success, we can never get there but can only try!

So, if you're blessed with fame and fortune, remain thankful and do not become boastful because pride goes before a fall. I'm grateful to God for making me who I am, and the way I am. I always look back and remember that nothing is as a result of what I have done but for what He's done through me.

When death becomes penalty for traffic offenders

The Lagos traffic law has somewhat become a horror for being pushed beyond its limits, this leaves me asking a very pertinent question: When did treating people in the most horrendous way become the only means of ensuring that rules are obeyed?

Policemen have suddenly become the accuser, judge and jury in this case and you will wonder when traffic laws became attached to their primary responsibility of ensuring lives and properties are secured.

There was a reported case where an 'okada' rider was shot dead at Ilupeju bypass, Lagos by a policeman during the course of this week. As if that wasn't enough, another policeman shot a bus conductor at Ketu tipper garage just a day after..... All in the name of enforcing the new Lagos State traffic laws. I mean, how exactly do we want be perceived in the world's eye, that we live like animals? Are we trying to convey a message to them that we only transformed from the military uniform to the civilian regalia on paper because our action denotes that of military?

When did death penalty become the punishment for disobeying traffic laws? I thought education and exposure was to help us think and actively put up effective policies whilst ensuring offenders are properly dealt with without infringing on their fundamental human rights in anyway. Why do the law enforcers derive joy in taking advantage of the power bestowed on them? Why is it that those ruling us think it normal for people's dignity to be eroded before laws can be effectively obeyed?

The government has not played its role adequately I must say. What measures were put in place to educate these 'okada' riders who have now been left with no other means of survival? What alternative is the Government leaving them with? You can't just ban them and expect that they will become idle knowing fully well that an idle mind is always the devil's workshop. Some of these men have got mouths to feed as they are the bread winners.

It will do us good if Governor Fashola will thread on the path of caution knowing fully well that over 40,000{as estimated} able bodied young men having their source of livelihood cut off abruptly could spell danger for the state as a number of them have a high tendency of taking to crime when pushed beyond the limit. Truth is you and I will be the ones at the receiving end when crime becomes rampart in the State. Not to also forget that the year is running to an end which increases the drive of people towards making money at all cost.

That I am pained at how we keep treating ourselves will be an understatement. News such as these leaves a bitter pill in ones mouth. I mean people break laws everyday worldwide and I have learnt over the years that crime is somewhat the nature of man, so why kill people who haven't threatened the tranquillity of the state in anyway. Even those accused of treasonable felony in other countries remain innocent until proven guilty but in this part of the world, you are guilty unto proven innocent...VERY SAD!!!

Cities will have 24-hour electricity supply by 2013 —Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday promised that quite a number of cities in the country would begin to enjoy uninterrupted power supply by June 2013.

He said the feat would be achieved by the time all ongoing power projects initiated by his government were completed.

Jonathan spoke in Islamabad, Pakistan, while answering questions during an interactive session he had with members of the Nigerian community living in the country.

He said, "We have (power) projects that are going on; so, before the end of the second quarter, that is almost middle of next year, most of these projects would have been inaugurated and we will be evacuating and that time; quite a number of cities will begin to have 24-hour of light.

"When we get to that point, you will see that small scale enterprises will begin to make returns, and that is the way we can create jobs."

The President said generation was no longer responsible for the problems being faced by the country in the area of electricity supply.

He said the major challenge was the transmission of the generated power.

Jonathan said the nation's power plants currently had about 1,000 megawatts of electricity that could not be evacuated because of problems related to transmission.

He said, "We have intervened robustly in the power sector, and if you call back home, they will tell you that power is improving, and we have promised that we will stabilise power supply.

"Currently, we are generating more than what our transmission capability can evacuate. We have over 1,000MW of power that we cannot evacuate because of the transmission infrastructure that has been weak over the years, and very recently, the government started the intervention."

The talk was held shortly after Jonathan arrived Pakistan for the summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of Eight Developing Nations (D-8).


Jonathan said notwithstanding the temporary setback, significant changes had been recorded and a lot more ground would have been covered by December 2013.

Boko Haram: Those Senators Know Something

There are many issues of national concern as usual in the country but the ones that have caught my fancy are the ones making headlines in the last few days both in the print media, television and various online forums. The news that the popular Islamist sect, Boko Haram had finally made up their 'church mind' sorry, their 'mosque mind' to end the spate of killing and destruction of lives and properties, is a welcome development.

The second issue is the statement credited to Amnesty International that Nigerian security operatives were being too hard on Boko Haram. I don't know what to tell Amnesty International, any way!

This piece will be concentrated more on the former because of its role as far as peace of Nigeria as a whole is concerned as well as the actors and bosses involved in the epic film.

The former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi, saw from then, that all these were going to happen and voiced out but instead of searching for the black goat while it was day, the power that be, truth haters that employed him chose to relieve him of his job as the security boss and showed him the exit door, under the disguise that he was incompetent.

One of the truths he told us was that the country called Nigeria was not prepared to fight corruption and terrorism.

Instead, the government decided to keep on chasing shadows rather than tackling the menace that has bedeviled the country from the root and from within. The more the carnage continued, the more Nigerians continued to lose their dear ones and properties.

The government in its usual choice of words kept telling us that it was on top of the situation, but the experienced Security Adviser did not see government as a magician that would find the answer to Boko Haram with the urgency it demands.

According to him, the government lacked the political will to take the bull by the horn by bringing this insurgency to an end and that the ruling Class especially the PDP, was the cause of Boko Haram and finally stated that Boko Haram was political.

Having struck the right cord, he was hammered left, right, front and back for telling the simple truth. Many called him names like anti-government, anti-Nigeria, separatist and the likes. Those who were no longer at ease with Azazi's statements, the ruling Class demanded apology from Azazi but he stuck to his gun, he never denied his earlier statements and he eventually got boot in the ass. Poor Azazi!

Then they told us that Azazi was sacked for lack of competence to tackle the security challenges of the nation but we know the truth. Months after his sack, more Nigerians kept losing their lives to Boko Haram attack, the number of orphans increased drastically even both widows and widowers increased in numbers owing to this old Boko Haram thing.

Then came the man, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who is directly the opposite of Azazi. While Azazi was bold, visible and outspoken, Dasuki is silent and self-effacing. The government told us that Dasuki's nature better fitted into the role of an NSA but no action at all is coming from the man called Dasuki. He neither talks the talk nor acts.

The scourge he came to fight has always been on the rise even during the holy season of pilgrimage.

Instead of taking the right steps to deal with the evil that has ravaged the land, government decided to play politics with issue of such national significance. The government has even started seeing Boko Haram as a normal stage Nigeria must pass through in her quest for greatness. That is why the only panacea left for the president is to issue press statements condemning the acts and describing it as wickedness from the pit of hell as soon as bomb explosion is reported in any part of the country.

What can you deduce from the arrest of a Boko Haram commander, Shuaibu Bama, by the Joint Task Force, JTF? While the JTF said that the Boko Haram commander was arrested in the house of Senator Ahmad Zanna, a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the senator denied it but said that the commander was actually arrested in the residence of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State.

To me, the best and the most reasonable thing (at least in the interest of Nigerians) that the government should have done is to crack down on those personalities so that the truth about Boko Haram will be made public because either of them or both of them know something about this evil called Boko Haram. God help us!

Nigeria, a nation where PhD holders desire to be truck drivers

The topic above denotes that of a failed Nation! Indeed, these are rife signs that we are heading for the rocks if things do not take a drastic turn in the nearest future or how can you possibly explain that we are busy engaging our own PhD holders as drivers when in other serious countries, their own Doctorate degree holders are busy in the research world and making amazing discoveries?

Really, we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder in this Nation and it is only a matter of time before it explodes! I will also corroborate former President Olusegun Obasanjo's words and I quote "Unless the government of Nigeria takes urgent steps to arrest the menace of youth unemployment and poverty, it is a certainty that Nigeria will see a revolution soon.

Waking up to the newspaper headline of "6 PhD holders, 704 Masters Degree holders apply for DRIVER'S job in Dangote Group"..... I was left with a big hanging question mark: "Where have things gone wrong?"

·         Should we re-evaluate the idea of "Education for All"?

·         Maybe it is time to change the Education paradigm according to Sir K. Robinson.

·         Does the conventional education really lift from poverty? Or collect the little you could have used to better your life and be happy, and leaves you praying to get on someone's payroll for your daily meal?

One of the reasons the world has left us behind is because we celebrate certificates whilst they celebrate discoveries.

Where is the place for vocational training for students who are out of secondary school and waiting to gain admission? Some of them spend a year or more waiting to pass UME and post UME that is even for those who have passed their SSCE exams.

I bet that if vocational education was made available for young school leavers to ensure they are enhanced with at least a skill, they will be able to use that in supporting/sustaining themselves whenever they gain admission and will definitely have something to fall back on when they graduate and are yet to get a job. You will be surprised that a whole lot will not even look for jobs but will rather establish themselves in the entrepreneurial world and the small/medium scale industries will begin to thrive. That way, more jobs will be provided and they will also take in more hands to be trained in that line of business.

With adequate support from the government, the small and medium scale industries will start expanding and in no time, we can start exporting our goods and services to other countries. This on its own will drive our economy positively, improve our foreign earnings, further stabilize our industries and strengthen our badly battered currency.

I sincerely hope someone is watching, someone is listening and most importantly, someone borrows these pieces of advice. That way, we can start expecting to see a drastic and positive turn of events in the course of time.