NIGERIA @52; THE HAPPY SAD STORY OF THE REPUBLIC

Nigeria, the giant of Africa (as some people call it), gained her independence from British Colonial Masters on the 1st day of October, 1960. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, from Northern Nigeria, headed the executive council as Prime Minister. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, from Eastern Nigeria and a pioneer of West African Nationalism, became the first Governor General of the then three (3) regions of the country. They were the Northern, Eastern and Western Regions with Lagos as the federal capital. The regions were headed by Premiers with Governors as ceremonial heads. The Office of the Governor-General was later re-designated as “The Office of the President” under the 1963 Republican Constitution. Other prominent Nigerians like Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Chief Obafemi Awolowo worked tirelessly for Nigeria to gain her independence from our Colonial Masters and became what it is today. Despite their religious and tribal differences, these leaders put the interest of the country first before their personal, regional and tribal interests. All they had in mind was to make Nigeria a greater country that can stand on her own and compete with other world economies. They provided infrastructures and social amenities for the masses. They worked for a true and united Nigeria. Indeed, it was a rough journey for them. They were able to succeed because they were focused and had a sense of positive thinking. They were also united whenever it comes to issues that have to do with the development of the country. Nigeria at that time depended largely on farming. It was the major source of revenue for the country. The production of groundnuts from the Northern Region brought a lot of income to the country. This was because the region is endowed with vast fertile land for farming. That was when Nigeria had good leaders with vision of transforming the country, not minding which part of the country the income-generating resources came from. They were indeed heroes and role models worthy of emulation. The good journey started deteriorating in January 1966 when the Premier of the then Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and the Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, together with other prominent Nigerians were brutally killed in a coup d’état led by Nzeogu Kaduna. This was the first military coup in Nigeria and General Ironsi became the first Military President of Nigeria. Shortly afterwards, Nigeria experienced her first civil war (Biafran war). It started in 1967 during the military regime of Colonel Yakubu Gowon. The motive was to divide Nigeria and create the Republic of Biafra. It is on record that foreign powers like America, Israel and their allies supported the Biafran succession that was led by Colonel Ojukwu. However, Ojukwu lost the battle after thirty (30) months of fierce fighting. Thousands of innocent lives were lost and properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed. To harmonize the country, states were created by General Gowon and the policy of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (known as 3 Rs) was formulated. The compulsory National Youth Service (NYSC) was also enacted. There were counter coups by other military officers before the country returned to democratic rule after thirteen (13) years of military rule. In 1979, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was elected as the first Executive President of Nigeria. However, hunger, poverty, economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, election fraud and general lack of focus characterized his government. This prompted the military to overthrow his government in December 1983. Major General Muhammadu Buhari was installed as the Head of State. Buhari’s tenure was short but most remembered for its War against Indiscipline and Corruption. A bloodless coup in August 1985 brought Major General Babangida, the then Chief of Army Staff, into power. The misuse of power, violation of human rights and the government’s failure to deal with Nigerian’s deepening economic crisis were the justification given for the overthrow of Buhari’s regime. Babangida restored freedom of the press and released political detainees that were held without charges. Statistics and opinions of the people suggested that Babangida recorded a lot of laudable achievements. The country turned into turmoil when he annulled the June 12 election of 1993. Most observers said that the election was free and fair. The result showed that MKO Abiola, a wealthy Yoruba businessman, won the election. Babangida’s Government was forced to hand over to an Interim National Government (ING) that was led by Chief Earnest Shonekan, a prominent non-partisan Yoruba businessman. But after three (3) months in power, the Minister of Defence, General Sani Abacha took control of the government and forced Shonekan to resign in November 1993. General Abacha dissolved all democratic political institutions. He replaced elected governors with military officers. Abacha’s regime was somehow peaceful. The “No Non-Sense General”, popularly called “Dodon Turawan Yamma” (The Monster of Western Powers), did not condone indiscipline and misbehaviour. His government was focused and determined to deliver at all levels. Abacha hardly left the country in the name of the so-called “World Summit”. The security of the country was very tight. Hardly will you hear cases of robbery, kidnapping, or violence. Indeed, Abacha’s Government recorded a number of achievements that made meaningful impact to the lives of Nigerians. Can you remember the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) Program? General Buhari was appointed the chairman of PTF by Abacha. It is a well-known fact that PTF recorded huge success in the areas of education, road construction and other infrastructural development. Abacha also tried to pay Nigeria’s foreign debt before its due date, but the Western Powers refused to accept the payment. As usual, “the monster of western powers” did not bother about them, and did not give them any room to influence his government. Abacha promised to return Nigeria to civil rule. He also publically showed interest to contest in the election even though he was criticized by civil societies. All registered political parties, with the exception of the then Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ), adopted him as their Presidential candidate. However, Abacha did not live to actualize his dream. General Abdulsalam Abubakar became the Head of State following the death of Abacha in June 1998. In the eleven (11) months of his government, Abdulsalam is best remembered for handing power to a democratically elected president after sixteen (16) years of consecutive military rule. But something worthy of mentioning here is that, the billions of dollars saved by Abacha to pay the huge foreign debt of the county got missing during Abdulsalami’s tenure. 29th day of May 1999 saw the return of democracy to Nigeria. General Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military Head of State, became the President of the country. Violence and insecurity confronted his government shortly after its inauguration. Despite the dictatorship of his government, he took bold steps to end the communal violence that married his early days in office. The discovery of more oil wells during his administration put the Northern and Southern parts of the country into a “war of words”. This was due to the agitation of Southerners for increase in their monthly allocation and what they call resource control. Shouldn’t this prompt you to ask if such preferential treatment was given to the Northern Region of Nigeria when farming was the major source of revenue for Nigeria? What will they say now that oil has been discovered in Sokoto and Kogi States? For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a civilian government successfully handed over to another civilian in May, 2007 after a controversial election that was strongly criticized by both national and international monitoring observers. President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was sworn into office. He admitted that the election that brought him to power was full of irregularities, but he promised to reform the electoral process. He then proposed a Government of National Unity in which two (2) opposition parties, ANPP and PPA, agreed to join the government. Yar’adua’s Government lasted for about three (3) years before his death in May, 2010. However, he recorded remarkable achievements in a short period of time. Yar’adua was able to address national issues hindering the development of Nigeria. He created the Ministry of Niger-Delta to address the crisis in the region. Also, he reduced the prices of petroleum products, and recognized the autonomy of the Judiciary and other arms of government. His death caused a vacuum in Nigeria that is yet to be filled. Goodluck Jonathan, who was the Vice-President, was sworn into office as the President of Nigeria in May, 2010. However, the insecurity in the country increased beyond our imagination when he assumed power. Kidnapping, bombing, robbery and killing of innocent people on our high ways became the order of the day. Bombings in Northern Nigeria, kidnappings and shootings in Southern Nigeria are no longer news. From 2009 to date, thousands of people have died and many have been rendered homeless. People are no longer enjoying the benefit of the so-called democracy. We have no clue what the future holds for us! How will you think for a future when the security of your life is at stake? The insecurity of the country mainly affects the poor masses that are powerless. But despite all these, President Jonathan and his cabals always jet-out of the country for summits when their attention is most needed. Nigeria is in a sorry state of insecurity! Similarly, corruption in Nigeria is so common that it is no longer an issue. The recent Subsidy Investigation Report revealed that most of the indicted people are relatives and children of top government officials in Aso Rock. There is no doubt that corruption has eaten deeply into the government. It is no surprise that the Jonathan Administration is insisting on the introduction of new currency bills. Surely, this will pave way for them to loot from the treasury. The controversial #5,000 bill has continued to generate heated debate. But the Presidency has finally told Nigerians that it is not backing down on the policy. What a pity! Nigeria, the once vibrant and powerful black nation is 52 years today since independence on the 1 October, 1960. But ask yourself: “is there need for any celebration?” What are we celebrating when eighty per cent (80%) of the citizens cannot afford three (3) square meals a day? How can you celebrate when ordinary Nigerians cannot pay for medication when hospitalized for minor injuries? Do we celebrate when we live, speak and sleep in fear? Why should you celebrate when fellow Nigerians have become orphans and widows due to insecurity? Are we celebrating the pathetic condition of our hospitals, fallen standard of education, increased unemployment, or the closure of our industries? What dividends of democracy do Nigerians derive in the thirteen (13) years of uninterrupted democratic rule? Shouldn’t you wonder what we are celebrating for? The bitter truth is that President Jonathan must be focused and must have the interest of Nigeria in his mind. His cabinet members should be sincere when carrying out their responsibilities. Nigerians have to sit and think on how they can meaningfully contribute to the development of the country. Otherwise, Jonathan, you will continue to be the “most criticized president in the world” just as you always claim. A word is enough for the wise!

DETERIORATION OF EDUCATION IN THE NORTH: NORTHERN GOVERNORS SHOULD EMULATE KWANKWASO AND YUGUDA.

Education is unanimously agreed to be one of the indicators of Development. In Nigeria, however,Education has suffered a drastic setback, especially in the Northern part of the country, in which most of the people can't afford to pay for their children's school fees at both secondary and tertiary levels, and that led to the high number of illiterates in the Northern part of Nigeria compared to the Southern part. Those that are even lucky to attend by one means or the other never get the required training at their various institutions due to the lack of modern facilities at our tertiary institutions simply because the government is doing little (or nothing) to address the problem facing the educational sector. With the exception of few states in the North where their Governors are doing marvelously to improve the standard of education in their state, most of the Northern governors never give a damn whether their indigenes go to school or not, because to them, its not necessary for the less privilege ones to go to school. Lack of sponsorship is one of the major factors that contributes immensely to the high number of illiterates in the Northern part of the Country. There are quite number of intelligent people who can't further their studies at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels due to financial difficulties. Such people a times ended up without realizing their dreams simply because they don't have anyone at the corridor of power to sponsor them. I am not a member of PDP and I don't think if I will be for the rest of my life, but the truth must be told- Bauchi and Kano state Governors must be commended for given more priority to educational sector. Therefore, we must all keep our political differences and commend their wonderful initiatives and also call on the other Northern Governors to emulate them.

Bauchi State under the leadership of Mallam Isah Yuguda (Matawallen Bauchi) have sponsored a quite number of students to United State, Egypt and so on to study Aviation related courses, Medicine, Engineering, etc. Some of these students sent for Aviation related courses have successfully finished their studies and are currently serving at various aviation fields like Airports, College of Aviation Zaria, etc. while some among them have started their masters already. Therefore, credit must be given to Matawallen Bauchi for sending his people to study such noble profession in which we have limited number of northerners there. Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State has since his return to offfice (last year) committed himself to restructuring the standard of education in his state, where he offered free buses to convey students to their respective schools, free feeding, and lots more. Recently, the Governor , according to his Director of Press and Public Relations, Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, said that Kano state government will spend about 12 million US Dollars to sponsor 500 indigenes with First Class and Second class Upper degrees to pursue postgraduate studies abroad. Here is the full text from his Director of press "Kano state government is to spend about 12 million US Dollars to sponsor 500 its indigenes with First Class and Second class Upper degrees to pursue postgraduate studies abroad, the state governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has revealed. Speaking during an interactive session with Kano state PDP stake holders at the Government House, Governor Kwankwaso stated that admission into various tertiary institutions in several countries has been secured for the students, adding that most of them will depart Nigeria by next Saturday. He also stated that his administration is fine-tuning plans to sponsor about 500 qualified secondary school leavers from the state to study medicine overseas, pointing out that the move was informed by the dearth of medical professionals, particularly medical doctors in public hospitals in Kano. Governor Kwankwaso told the gathering that the government is working with Nigerien authorities toward building a boarding secondary school in Niger Republic for Kano students to enable them learn French, while the Chinese Embassy in Abuja has been contacted for support toward setting up a Chinese language school in Kano before the end of this year. These and other efforts, he said, are with a view to ensuring that Kano becomes an active player in the global village. The governor, who hinted that the state government is not relenting in its bid to provide education to the common man in the state, asserted that plans have been concluded to set up crafts and technical schools in all the 44 local government areas of the state. He explained that approval has already been given for the installation of facilities in some places, where structures exist in 16 local government areas for immediate take-off of the technical schools. Governor Kwankwaso also announced that each of the 44 local governments Community Re-orientation Committees has been given N5million for the renovation of schools in their respective domains while efforts are being sustained to provide teaching and learning facilities. He disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to construct public conveniences in all the 44 local government areas of the state to enhance public hygiene and environmental sanitation, while a selected number of youths will be trained in motorized borehole repairs and maintenance, as part of attempt to reduce unemployment in the society." Sincerely, the Northern Governors have indeed failed obviously in terms of education, but if we would have more of Kwankwaso and Yuguda who are willing to live up to their responsibilities and provide most of the necessary things to their people, then standard of education in the northern part would improve, otherwise, it will remain as its. Remember, every child has a right to education. The earlier the Governors rise up to the challenges, the better for them. I repeat, every child has a right to education, and providing education to every member of a certain community will of course minimize the number of criminals and thugs among the youth.

The Recent Improvement In Power Supply In Nigeria : It Is Not Yet Over Until The Fat Lady Sings

The recent improvement in the supply of power has been described as a great achievement by many Nigerians. Adding that President Goodluck and Nnaji have done marvelously well. With a population of more than 150 million people, Nigeria generates less than 5000 megawatts of electricity while Egypt with just 80 million people generates about 24000 megawatss. This difference is quite clear and it prompts one to question the sincerity of Jonathan's administration to address the power failure in Nigeria, though some people have credited them (given them the golden awards) already for what they considered "a well job done" in the past four weeks where we have constant (even though not uninterrupted) supply of electricity in some parts of the country. Power failure in Nigeria has greatly led to the closure of many industries thereby magnifying the numbers of jobless people in the country and the resultant effect of which is ,almost always , the increase in the number of criminals and the commission of crime in the country. Because of the constant power shortage in Nigeria, Nigerians were "forced" to rely on generators in place of "electricity" to earn a living and for their daily needs, which causes both noise and air pollutions to their environment. However, recently, there is improvement in the power supply almost all over the country, which some Nigerians deemed it necessary to hail the Honourable Minister of Power Prof Barth Nnaji and the President Jonathan for a job well done. No one is disputing the fact that, the power supply has significantly improved beyond our expectations, but must we commend them for doing what they Promised and duty bound to do? If the government can't cater for its citizenry, then who should? Countries like Saudi-Arabia , Egypt and the rest are having 24 hours uninterrupted power supply, then why not Nigeria? What does these countries have that we are lacking? Unfortunately for Nigerians, the previous administration and of course the present one (if not for the recent development) had spent Billions of Naira on "power", "power" , and "power" but it yielded no positive result. It has been on record that OBJ's administration alone squandered billions of Naira in the name of power. Same thing goes to Yar'adua's administration and so on. The government officials always use our money (at all cost) to provide for themselves light at any time and that's why they don't give a damn whether the Nigerian masses get even a blink per day (popularly known as "flashing" in the masses' parlance). So, the question now is, Why are we lacking behind in terms of power supply in Nigeria? Is it because our leaders who are expected to deliver at all levels can siphon our money and buy fuel for themselves and got scout-free? What have they done with the Billions of money Invested in the name of power ? If I will attempt to answer the first question, I will say that we are lacking behind because our leaders have no vision and we are powerless to stop them from squandering our money day-in-day-out, that's why we are still lacking behind. Egypt alone which is not as rich as Nigeria, generates more than 24000 megawatts, thereby providing its citizens with a constant and uninterrupted supply of electricity everyday. Then come to talk of UAE, Qatar and the rest, these people don't know what power shortage is all about. I personally see no reason to commend this government for just doing only one thing out of dozens responsibilities before (on) it. Time really is not ripe to give them credit at this point, although am not denying the fact that the supply of power had improved, and at least is one thing to appreciate, but must we give credit to our leaders when they live up to their responsibilities? Sincerely speaking, if government will invest much on power supply, it will surely reduce the rate of unemployment in the country. Because we have a quite number of jobs like welding, carpentry and so on that requires electric power supply, but those people who are engaged into that business can't afford to buy generator and let alone fueling it on daily basis during their respective working hours. Infact, atimes it cost a lot to buy even a small generator in Nigeria. Hence, providing uninterrupted power supply in the country is at least one step to reduce the number of unemployed youths and crimes within our immediate community, and government itself will of course slash down the amount it spends annually on fuel in Aso Rock.

A BREATH OF ROTTEN AIR FROM PRESIDENT JONATHAN

Some months before the general election last year, president Goodluck Jonathan promised a fresh air to the Nigerians if elected into office in 2011. Adding that he will continue with the 7-point agenda of his predecessor, the late president Umaru Musa Yar'adua. To his luck, he was declared winner of the 2011 polls by the INEC under the chairmanship of Prof Jega. And so many people were jubilating in the southern part of the country, but the story was quite different in the Northern part of the country- where post-election violence took place which led to the loss of lives and millions of properties were destroyed. Since his assumption as the (s)elected president of Nigeria, president Jonathan has not shown any sense of competence in his administration and things have drastically changed from bad to worst. He has not been able to address the major challenges facing the country, ranging from corruption which is now a daily business between top government officials, education which is in poor state and needs to be addressed on time, transportation and then the most challenging aspect which is insecurity. We are all witnesses of what our security situation is today. Places like Yobe, Barno, Kano have now become a deadly zone to live or another Baghdad to stay, whereby bombings and killing of innocent people takes place day by day and the clueless government is doing nothing to find a lasting panacea to these problems. Kaduna and Plateau states are known to be expert when it comes to religious crises. Violence had been heard and is still being heard in these states and other parts of the country. Today, we live in fear, speak in fear and walk in fear. Presently, Children go to school in fear, our parents go to farms in fear and our mothers go to market in fear. Fear of bombs, fear of shoot outs and fear of being caught up in clashes between people of different faiths, and it has become part of our lives. In June this year, there was crises in Kaduna state (as a result of bomb attack in some churches in Zaria) which resulted/led to a serious reprisal attack that left many people dead and hundreds injured, and it was also hot in Yobe state at that time, but President Jonathan at that moment left the country to Brazil with top government officials for a so-called UN summit. Was the summit more important to Mr President than the lives that were lost during the crises? Why is he not showing concern on situations like that? Presidents that are useful to their people don't leave their country for a submit when their countries are burning. They stay back and sympathize with their people and then find a way of tackling it. But the case is different in Nigeria. Our leaders give more importance to functions than any other thing. This clearly shows the incompetence of President Jonathan to rule the giant of Africa, Nigeria, with a population of more than 150 million people. Our educational sector too is not left behind, the situation is very poor. Our schools and universities are in critical state with the exception of private ones, which are not affordable to a common man and the government never care a bit because their children are abroad schooling, so its only a poor man that will suffer to get a qualitative education. The same thing goes to the transport sector. Every day, people are involved in road accident(s) due to poor road(s). Recently there was a terrible tanker accident in Cross River state that claimed the lives of more than hundred people. Also, June 3rd will never be forgotten to the families of Dana plane crash victims, that killed more than one hundred and fifty generation, because everything in Nigeria now is second hand. Our airplanes are second hand or old modern, our roads are not good, that's why Nigerians are dying everyday like ants. The one million naira question now is this, when are we going to get the fresh air that Mr President promised us during his election campaign? For how long shall we wait? Or does he mean that Bombs/bullets in Kano, Yobe, Maiduguri, and the bloodshed in Kaduna, Plateau and the increase in corruption among top government officials, etc are the fresh air he promised us? Or is it the 200 cars purchased for African first ladies peace summit? Alas, or was it the unprecedented increament in the price of petroleum by the federal government early this year? Tell us Mr.President! Answer us Sir! Sincerely speaking, even Jonathan's best friend will not tell him that all is well in the country. A lot of things needs to be addressed. We can't continue this way if really we want to progress. Please Mr president, Nigerians are still waiting for that fresh air, but put it at the back of your mind that Nigeria is not a country for clueless people to govern.