Happy new month Linda! We thank God for letting us see a new month and we pray for God's guidiance and protection in this new month, Amen.
Happy birthday Nigeria. Seemed like only yesterday we were celebrating Nigeria @ 50 and boko haram blew up a part of Abuja during the ongoing celebrations.
The Federal Government has an urgent responsibility to ensure national security. Many international agencies deserted Lagos and relocated to Abuja not only for reasons of proximity to the seat of government but because Abuja as a city held special promises in terms of security and infrastructure. If Abuja, the headquarters of all the security agencies is no longer safe, then which part of Nigeria is safe? The October 1 security breach should be carefully investigated and the culprits fished out and punished. This is the least that government can do. It should also pick up the healthcare bills of the injured in addition to paying special compensation to the families of the deceased. The Government of Nigeria should not wait until the people begin to ask the question: who is effectively in charge: government or the insurgents? The government are not sincere to the Issues Affecting The Masass. Till date, they have not paid any compansations to the victims of Oct, 1 2010 bomb blast. Not even good medical treatment. Shame to most of this people in position of autourity
It is one of the original purposes of government to secure the people and guarantee human dignity and other freedoms, for it is only within the context of security that the individual components of a country can best express themselves and fulfil their potentials in accordance with articulated national objectives. This is an area in which the Nigerian authorities have consistently failed the people even when security is taken in an expanded sense beyond physical protection of lives and property. The bomb blast in Abuja on October 1 2010 has had the Presidency vowing to deal with the dissidents who brought shame to Nigeria on the day of its 50th independence anniversary. The question to ask the authorities is: how exactly do they intend to deal with the insurgents? Nigeria has found itself at a point whereby insurgents seem to wield greater authority than the state. They strike at will, wherever and whenever they wish, confident that the state can only bark, and lacks the capacity to bring them to book. For more than a decade, the security agencies have proved incapable of resolving many cases of murder, including the murder of prominent Nigerians; criminal elements have proven to be better equipped and more determined than the state. My humble self, With all my critical thinking as a Criminologist cannot understand the kind of foolishness running in the vain of the government who can not take the issue of security seriuos.
In 1960 when Nigeria became independent, 17 other countries gained independence that year: Cameroon (January 1), Senegal (April 4), Togo (May 27), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) (June 30), Somalia (July 1), Madagascar (July 26), Benin (August 1) , Niger (August 3), Burkina Faso (August 5), Cote d'Ivoire (August 7), Chad (August 11), Central African Republic (August 13), Congo (August 15), Cyprus (August 16), Gabon (August 17), Mali (September 22), Mauritania (November 28). October 1 is the day of Nigeria's independence, it is also a special day for the following countries: Cyprus and Tuvalu and more importantly, October 1 is China's National Day. The word independence simply means freedom. Are Nigerians free, 51 years after the British colonial masters lowered the Union Jack and the green-white-green flag was hoisted and the people danced all night long: Free at last, "thank God we are free at last?" This is the same country where journalists were once convicted and fined for daring to write during the colonial era that Nigeria will one day be a free country. Are we free? How free? Bad things continue to happen due to the wickedness of our leaders.
Look at all the countries with which we share the symbolism of 1960 and October 1. It can be said that most of them are better than Nigeria in terms of development indicators. On October 1 in China, the Chinese will be singing their country's national anthem and reviewing national progress and achievements, and the place of China in the world, many Nigerians will be busy frowning and hissing and wondering what independence means after all. Nigeria is rated among the poorest countries of the world. It is also regarded as one of the most corrupt. Its human devlopment index is low, given the frightening statistics on maternal mortality/morbidity, as well as infant mortality/morbidity and life expectancy ratios. We are, to borrow a phrase from Adebayo Williams, "a land of living ghosts." Cynics would say well it is not so bad, after all we are better than Somalia, Congo, and Gabon, and we are still the most populous and happiest country in Africa. Yeah, how about Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Tuvalu, Togo where the quality of life is much better in comparison? And should we be comparing Nigeria with Mali and Mauritania? What has happened to the country of Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Funlayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela, Ayodele Awojobi, Ben Okri, that at 51, we have to search for happy stories to tell in form of present realities and not as past achievements or untapped potentials? Shame
In a situation such as this, a few Nigerians will ask: what should we do? We all know what is wrong with Nigeria but how do we move it forward? Quo vadis? These are stale questions. The problem with Nigeria is not about knowing what to do: the solutions are embedded in the identifiable problems, it is gettting the right people in the right positions who are willing to make a difference. Ours is, 51 years after independence, a country in search of patriots and citizens. The leaders are incompetent, the people are complex, the country itself is a question mark. The challenge is in all of us rediscovering the purpose of nationhood: Why Nigeria. Am crying now.
It is just simple. If the politicians can play down on the flamboyant life they live that will affect the psyche of those young men who engage in those anti social activities positively. Look at an elected representative who, before now, was not living any meaningful life. He gets into politics either as a senator or a member of House of Reps. Just give him a year he will build or buy a couple of houses, buy some overseas, buy a couple of cars, begin to manage a fleet of girlfriends and he is investing excessively. It took him just one year. So for people who are very sensitive they feel they will have to react. I think these politicians should play down on their life style. I think too they should concentrate a lot more on what their electorate demand. If your constituency puts you there, you should consult them from time to time before some decisions are taken because it is true that many politicians do not even go to their constituencies and some of the decisions taken are not in favour of the electorate and by extension if government can create more employment opportunities with the social security in place, I think kidnapping and other criminal activities like armed robbery will be curbed. But will they listen? Shame, Shame, Shame
United Nations revealed that Nigeria loses $110 billion annually to treasury looting. According to UN, the country cannot boast of tremendous development because of the large amount of money being siphoned out of government and taken outside the country. What has the president done about it, nothing. findings reveal that UN hit the bull in the eye. Every ministry, government’s agency and parastatal corporation have been discovered to be involved in the looting spree. Indeed, during her first anniversary as Chairman of Economic Finance and Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri noted that former governors, ministers and members of parliament alone have stolen N285billion in this political dispensation.
With this and other reported cases of corruption Transparency International cannot therefore be faulted in its position that corruption is high in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that one of the reasons the military sacked the civilian government of Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983 was corruption. Corruption still continues. When what happened then is compared to the looting in the last 10 years, the former pales into insignificance. When the country started another journey in democracy, led by Olusegun Obasanjo, a probe was instituted against the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, which led to the discovery that the former military junta stole $3billion from the country’s treasurer. Someone alone has stole more than Abacha. What Abacha stole is insignificance to what is going on now. Nothing to celebrate my dear.
The uproar this generated and the recrimination it attracted to the Abacha family did not deter others from helping themselves from the treasury, whether it is national, state or local government levels. On daily basis political office holders’ siphoned money, through various means, from the treasury. Nigeria Network on Stolen Assets, Revealed that the N65billion looted by Abacha, which had been returned, had been mismanaged. From evidence, the Federal Government, under Obasanjo, disbursed the funds and could not provide evidence of transparent disbursement. The same fate greeted the N16billion recovered from Tafa Balogun, which was said to be missing and no record to trace it. Its a shame. What are we celebrating at 51? Looting I guess. I feel sad whenever I think about my beloved country Nigeria. Whenever I want to be sad, I think about nigeria.
What do u mean by nigeria has fail 4 being 51 years,do u know how many years is amarica,dat means we still have time to make that change if you will make it start by you i mean you you you
Even if Nigeria were as old as America, we will still not make it due to the backward, myopic mindset Naija people have. America encourages every man and woman to excel in their chosen career fields. Nigeria on the other hand spends her time oppressing and sexually molesting women and putting excessive pressure on women to marry any douchbag they can find, become glorified housemaids in their husband's homes and birth a gazillion children like an unspayed guinea pig that they have no strength or finances to adequately take care of. So tell me, how can a country like that prosper when the citizens have a warped sense of reasoning? Abeg!
I'm not proud to be Nigerian, actually I regret it.
People hitting me up, are you going to the independence party, picnic...excuse me? Until Nigerians start learning everything is not always about ENJOYMENT, eating and drinking but actually using the sense in their head, called COMMON SENSE.
Nigeria's Report Card after 51 years: Health- E7......... Poverty- A1........ Education- E6.... Transportatn- D7 Security- F9...... Communicatn- C6 Social Amenities- D7....Sports- D7 Corruptn- A1..Unemployment- A1 Kidnapping- A1.........But then we are hopeful for a better result
First and foremost happy new month Linda and more power to your elbow,secondly happy independence day Nigeria and thirdly hope Nigeria gets well soonest cos it's currently very sick.
Happy new month Linda. May God continue to protect you IJN. Respect, Justice, Courage, Compassion, Hope, Responsibility, Integrity, Wisdom - Social values taught in American and German schools. If there is any Nigerian who can claim a combination of four of the above value variables for sake of country or for self as an individual, let him/her stand up to be counted. In reality, there can be none. Most people who profess Nigeria unity/patriotism do so with little or no conviction. It is either they belong to the mafia/military/ruling clique or they are among those sucking Nigeria dry.
They love Nigeria because of the pecuniary benefits the bleeding cow makes available to them. Next time you see a Nigerian parroting patriotism, look at him twice! Whenever, I see them (such people), I am not usually impressed. They live a life full of lies because Nigeria is a goat.
Sometimes, you don’t blame them. Most of them are not where they are right now because they had followed the golden rule that admonishes a man to have the love of God and country. Or that they were taught so, to respect country or die for her. Most latter day Nigerian nationalists and patriots are there only by accident of economic opportunism. Remove the economic benefits from them, they become villains overnight.
For example, is the core north of Nigeria not burning Nigeria down and declaring Islamic Republic left right and center because they have been temporarily out of power? What was the reason for NADECO? Did they fight because they loved Nigeria or because power eluded them? What does Arewa want in a supposedly united Nigeria? Why do the Arewarists cry louder than every segment of the Nigerian polity whenever ‘Nigerian unity’ is the subject of discussion? Why is the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on top of the Jonathan presidency and candidacy?
Why can’t they let the man and by extension Nigeria be? What does Ohaneze want when every now and then they issue statements loaded with subtle threats and what they expect should be good for the Igbo? In a one, indivisible, supposedly united Nigeria? You may ask! A nation where justice and equity and honesty and integrity ought to have been taken for granted. If there are equity and fair play, would the Ohaneze and the ACF and ARG be doing what they do constantly in the interest of their respective peoples?
And what the hell do the Afenifere people want in a united Nigeria? Sure, what they have been asking for is always in the interest of the Egbe Omo Oduduwas. Anything that could lead to the realization of the great utopian Oduduwa Republic! Do you call the heads of these variegated organizations nationalist/patriots? No way. They are sectional hate mongers that massage the links that divide rather than that which unite Nigeria. Nigeria is indeed, a goat.
I have listened to German children recite their prescribed German virtues since they were toddlers. (By the way these virtues are supposed to have been universal – that is, have universal applicability). This is what the German and American school, from pre-k to 12th grade teaches the average child. No matter which order of preference you placed these virtues, they teach one central principle: Patriotism. This is the American and German equivalent of the biblical Ten Commandments. Every child born into those great country is brought up choked with ideals that the government hope will make him/her a great citizen. A respecter of the German/American constitution, the flag and in the end, if need be, make him die for her. With all this, you see, American and German can’t be a goat.
But first, let’s play with these virtues a bit. Respect yourself and the people around you. Let justice prevail in all you do. Be courageous in the defense of your country and always say the truth. Have compassion and hope. Be responsible, but above, all have a lot of integrity and wisdom. When President JFK enjoined the American to “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country,” he meant a country which has already done a lot for you. A fetus conceived in America or in Germany is an German/American fetus.
That’s where anti-abortionists and I have a thing in common. I am against abortion but support death penalty as a Criminologist. Contradiction? Yes. We talk about that another day. A child born in Germany/America is an American/German child and an elderly person who can no longer fend for him/herself is an American/German elderly person. Can you in good conscience make same case for Nigeria? A Nigerian child belongs to his/her parents. What if he is an orphan? He belongs to nobody. What of our elderly? They die in poverty and frustration occasioned by pinching pains from age-related diseases. My father was a victim of this case too.
It is at this early stage of the child’s development that the government deliberately plants the seed of patriotism in him/her. Mind you, among the first words he learned to speak are those I highlighted at the beginning of my comments. And so, from the beginning, the government has consciously channeled a child’s thinking pattern towards leaning on government and by implication supporting his government at all cost when he is called upon to do so at his adult life. What about you LINDA IKEJI?
If you remember, when Kennedy said those golden words, he was not directing them to infants or the invalids; he was directing them to every American that has the ability to make positive contributions to the growth and development of motherland. Yes, to an American adult that had earlier been taken care of by his government.
You see, my friends in this blog and Linda Ikeji, what the government has consciously done here is to make the child have a sense of all the virtues enumerated above. For, above all, if my country Nigeria showed me transparent equity and justice and responsibility when I needed it, when I was helpless, when I could not stand on my feet, why should I not die for her as a youth or an adult? But I never got help from Nigerian state. Am a nigerian but my loyalty and whatever goes to German Nation. They made me what I am today.
32 comments:
NEPA bring d light abegNEPA bring d light abeg
Happy new month Linda. As for Nigeria, Loool what is there to celebrate?! 51 years of failure right?
Happy new month and happy independence to you linda.
same to you dear and all readerssame to you dear and all readers
SAME TO YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS NIGERIA
same to you hope you are enjoying urself.
Cry my beloved Nigeria!!!!!
This new generation, let's make Nigeria glorious please.
Happy new month Linda! We thank God for letting us see a new month and we pray for God's guidiance and protection in this new month, Amen.
Happy birthday Nigeria. Seemed like only yesterday we were celebrating Nigeria @ 50 and boko haram blew up a part of Abuja during the ongoing celebrations.
what is nigeria celebrating....rubish
HAPPY??????? WHATEVERRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
their honor and glory!
wow.. a 9ize independent pix.. but linda it would have been good if you are the 1 standing on top of the logo.. lol. its cute......
hapibindependentNIGERIA1love
Keep rocking Nigeria.
The Federal Government has an urgent responsibility to ensure national security. Many international agencies deserted Lagos and relocated to Abuja not only for reasons of proximity to the seat of government but because Abuja as a city held special promises in terms of security and infrastructure. If Abuja, the headquarters of all the security agencies is no longer safe, then which part of Nigeria is safe? The October 1 security breach should be carefully investigated and the culprits fished out and punished. This is the least that government can do. It should also pick up the healthcare bills of the injured in addition to paying special compensation to the families of the deceased. The Government of Nigeria should not wait until the people begin to ask the question: who is effectively in charge: government or the insurgents? The government are not sincere to the Issues Affecting The Masass. Till date, they have not paid any compansations to the victims of Oct, 1 2010 bomb blast. Not even good medical treatment. Shame to most of this people in position of autourity
It is one of the original purposes of government to secure the people and guarantee human dignity and other freedoms, for it is only within the context of security that the individual components of a country can best express themselves and fulfil their potentials in accordance with articulated national objectives.
This is an area in which the Nigerian authorities have consistently failed the people even when security is taken in an expanded sense beyond physical protection of lives and property. The bomb blast in Abuja on October 1 2010 has had the Presidency vowing to deal with the dissidents who brought shame to Nigeria on the day of its 50th independence anniversary. The question to ask the authorities is: how exactly do they intend to deal with the insurgents? Nigeria has found itself at a point whereby insurgents seem to wield greater authority than the state. They strike at will, wherever and whenever they wish, confident that the state can only bark, and lacks the capacity to bring them to book. For more than a decade, the security agencies have proved incapable of resolving many cases of murder, including the murder of prominent Nigerians; criminal elements have proven to be better equipped and more determined than the state. My humble self, With all my critical thinking as a Criminologist cannot understand the kind of foolishness running in the vain of the government who can not take the issue of security seriuos.
In 1960 when Nigeria became independent, 17 other countries gained independence that year: Cameroon (January 1), Senegal (April 4), Togo (May 27), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) (June 30), Somalia (July 1), Madagascar (July 26), Benin (August 1) , Niger (August 3), Burkina Faso (August 5), Cote d'Ivoire (August 7), Chad (August 11), Central African Republic (August 13), Congo (August 15), Cyprus (August 16), Gabon (August 17), Mali (September 22), Mauritania (November 28). October 1 is the day of Nigeria's independence, it is also a special day for the following countries: Cyprus and Tuvalu and more importantly, October 1 is China's National Day. The word independence simply means freedom. Are Nigerians free, 51 years after the British colonial masters lowered the Union Jack and the green-white-green flag was hoisted and the people danced all night long: Free at last, "thank God we are free at last?" This is the same country where journalists were once convicted and fined for daring to write during the colonial era that Nigeria will one day be a free country. Are we free? How free? Bad things continue to happen due to the wickedness of our leaders.
Look at all the countries with which we share the symbolism of 1960 and October 1. It can be said that most of them are better than Nigeria in terms of development indicators. On October 1 in China, the Chinese will be singing their country's national anthem and reviewing national progress and achievements, and the place of China in the world, many Nigerians will be busy frowning and hissing and wondering what independence means after all. Nigeria is rated among the poorest countries of the world. It is also regarded as one of the most corrupt. Its human devlopment index is low, given the frightening statistics on maternal mortality/morbidity, as well as infant mortality/morbidity and life expectancy ratios. We are, to borrow a phrase from Adebayo Williams, "a land of living ghosts." Cynics would say well it is not so bad, after all we are better than Somalia, Congo, and Gabon, and we are still the most populous and happiest country in Africa. Yeah, how about Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Tuvalu, Togo where the quality of life is much better in comparison? And should we be comparing Nigeria with Mali and Mauritania? What has happened to the country of Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Funlayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela, Ayodele Awojobi, Ben Okri, that at 51, we have to search for happy stories to tell in form of present realities and not as past achievements or untapped potentials? Shame
In a situation such as this, a few Nigerians will ask: what should we do? We all know what is wrong with Nigeria but how do we move it forward? Quo vadis? These are stale questions. The problem with Nigeria is not about knowing what to do: the solutions are embedded in the identifiable problems, it is gettting the right people in the right positions who are willing to make a difference. Ours is, 51 years after independence, a country in search of patriots and citizens. The leaders are incompetent, the people are complex, the country itself is a question mark. The challenge is in all of us rediscovering the purpose of nationhood: Why Nigeria. Am crying now.
It is just simple. If the politicians can play down on the flamboyant life they live that will affect the psyche of those young men who engage in those anti social activities positively.
Look at an elected representative who, before now, was not living any meaningful life. He gets into politics either as a senator or a member of House of Reps. Just give him a year he will build or buy a couple of houses, buy some overseas, buy a couple of cars, begin to manage a fleet of girlfriends and he is investing excessively. It took him just one year.
So for people who are very sensitive they feel they will have to react. I think these politicians should play down on their life style. I think too they should concentrate a lot more on what their electorate demand.
If your constituency puts you there, you should consult them from time to time before some decisions are taken because it is true that many politicians do not even go to their constituencies and some of the decisions taken are not in favour of the electorate and by extension if government can create more employment opportunities with the social security in place, I think kidnapping and other criminal activities like armed robbery will be curbed. But will they listen? Shame, Shame, Shame
United Nations revealed that Nigeria loses $110 billion annually to treasury looting. According to UN, the country cannot boast of tremendous development because of the large amount of money being siphoned out of government and taken outside the country. What has the president done about it, nothing.
findings reveal that UN hit the bull in the eye. Every ministry, government’s agency and parastatal corporation have been discovered to be involved in the looting spree. Indeed, during her first anniversary as Chairman of Economic Finance and Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri noted that former governors, ministers and members of parliament alone have stolen N285billion in this political dispensation.
With this and other reported cases of corruption Transparency International cannot therefore be faulted in its position that corruption is high in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that one of the reasons the military sacked the civilian government of Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983 was corruption. Corruption still continues. When what happened then is compared to the looting in the last 10 years, the former pales into insignificance. When the country started another journey in democracy, led by Olusegun Obasanjo, a probe was instituted against the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, which led to the discovery that the former military junta stole $3billion from the country’s treasurer. Someone alone has stole more than Abacha. What Abacha stole is insignificance to what is going on now. Nothing to celebrate my dear.
The uproar this generated and the recrimination it attracted to the Abacha family did not deter others from helping themselves from the treasury, whether it is national, state or local government levels.
On daily basis political office holders’ siphoned money, through various means, from the treasury. Nigeria Network on Stolen Assets, Revealed that the N65billion looted by Abacha, which had been returned, had been mismanaged. From evidence, the Federal Government, under Obasanjo, disbursed the funds and could not provide evidence of transparent disbursement. The same fate greeted the N16billion recovered from Tafa Balogun, which was said to be missing and no record to trace it. Its a shame. What are we celebrating at 51? Looting I guess. I feel sad whenever I think about my beloved country Nigeria. Whenever I want to be sad, I think about nigeria.
TtERRY TEDDY!!!!!!!!
What do u mean by nigeria has fail 4 being 51 years,do u know how many years is amarica,dat means we still have time to make that change if you will make it start by you i mean you you you
Even if Nigeria were as old as America, we will still not make it due to the backward, myopic mindset Naija people have. America encourages every man and woman to excel in their chosen career fields. Nigeria on the other hand spends her time oppressing and sexually molesting women and putting excessive pressure on women to marry any douchbag they can find, become glorified housemaids in their husband's homes and birth a gazillion children like an unspayed guinea pig that they have no strength or finances to adequately take care of. So tell me, how can a country like that prosper when the citizens have a warped sense of reasoning? Abeg!
I'm not proud to be Nigerian, actually I regret it.
People hitting me up, are you going to the independence party, picnic...excuse me?
Until Nigerians start learning everything is not always about ENJOYMENT, eating and drinking but actually using the sense in their head, called COMMON SENSE.
If you ain't got it, go learn it.
Nigeria's
Report Card after 51 years:
Health- E7......... Poverty- A1........
Education- E6.... Transportatn- D7
Security- F9...... Communicatn-
C6
Social Amenities- D7....Sports- D7
Corruptn- A1..Unemployment-
A1
Kidnapping- A1.........But then we
are hopeful for a better result
First and foremost happy new month Linda and more power to your elbow,secondly happy independence day Nigeria and thirdly hope Nigeria gets well soonest cos it's currently very sick.
Happy new month Linda. May God continue to protect you IJN. Respect, Justice, Courage, Compassion, Hope, Responsibility, Integrity, Wisdom - Social values taught in American and German schools.
If there is any Nigerian who can claim a combination of four of the above value variables for sake of country or for self as an individual, let him/her stand up to be counted. In reality, there can be none. Most people who profess Nigeria unity/patriotism do so with little or no conviction. It is either they belong to the mafia/military/ruling clique or they are among those sucking Nigeria dry.
They love Nigeria because of the pecuniary benefits the bleeding cow makes available to them. Next time you see a Nigerian parroting patriotism, look at him twice! Whenever, I see them (such people), I am not usually impressed. They live a life full of lies because Nigeria is a goat.
Sometimes, you don’t blame them. Most of them are not where they are right now because they had followed the golden rule that admonishes a man to have the love of God and country. Or that they were taught so, to respect country or die for her. Most latter day Nigerian nationalists and patriots are there only by accident of economic opportunism. Remove the economic benefits from them, they become villains overnight.
For example, is the core north of Nigeria not burning Nigeria down and declaring Islamic Republic left right and center because they have been temporarily out of power? What was the reason for NADECO? Did they fight because they loved Nigeria or because power eluded them? What does Arewa want in a supposedly united Nigeria? Why do the Arewarists cry louder than every segment of the Nigerian polity whenever ‘Nigerian unity’ is the subject of discussion? Why is the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on top of the Jonathan presidency and candidacy?
Why can’t they let the man and by extension Nigeria be?
What does Ohaneze want when every now and then they issue statements loaded with subtle threats and what they expect should be good for the Igbo? In a one, indivisible, supposedly united Nigeria? You may ask! A nation where justice and equity and honesty and integrity ought to have been taken for granted. If there are equity and fair play, would the Ohaneze and the ACF and ARG be doing what they do constantly in the interest of their respective peoples?
And what the hell do the Afenifere people want in a united Nigeria? Sure, what they have been asking for is always in the interest of the Egbe Omo Oduduwas. Anything that could lead to the realization of the great utopian Oduduwa Republic! Do you call the heads of these variegated organizations nationalist/patriots? No way. They are sectional hate mongers that massage the links that divide rather than that which unite Nigeria. Nigeria is indeed, a goat.
I have listened to German children recite their prescribed German virtues since they were toddlers. (By the way these virtues are supposed to have been universal – that is, have universal applicability). This is what the German and American school, from pre-k to 12th grade teaches the average child. No matter which order of preference you placed these virtues, they teach one central principle: Patriotism. This is the American and German equivalent of the biblical Ten Commandments. Every child born into those great country is brought up choked with ideals that the government hope will make him/her a great citizen. A respecter of the German/American constitution, the flag and in the end, if need be, make him die for her. With all this, you see, American and German can’t be a goat.
But first, let’s play with these virtues a bit. Respect yourself and the people around you. Let justice prevail in all you do. Be courageous in the defense of your country and always say the truth. Have compassion and hope. Be responsible, but above, all have a lot of integrity and wisdom.
When President JFK enjoined the American to “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country,” he meant a country which has already done a lot for you. A fetus conceived in America or in Germany is an German/American fetus.
That’s where anti-abortionists and I have a thing in common. I am against abortion but support death penalty as a Criminologist. Contradiction? Yes. We talk about that another day. A child born in Germany/America is an American/German child and an elderly person who can no longer fend for him/herself is an American/German elderly person. Can you in good conscience make same case for Nigeria? A Nigerian child belongs to his/her parents. What if he is an orphan? He belongs to nobody. What of our elderly? They die in poverty and frustration occasioned by pinching pains from age-related diseases. My father was a victim of this case too.
It is at this early stage of the child’s development that the government deliberately plants the seed of patriotism in him/her. Mind you, among the first words he learned to speak are those I highlighted at the beginning of my comments. And so, from the beginning, the government has consciously channeled a child’s thinking pattern towards leaning on government and by implication supporting his government at all cost when he is called upon to do so at his adult life. What about you LINDA IKEJI?
If you remember, when Kennedy said those golden words, he was not directing them to infants or the invalids; he was directing them to every American that has the ability to make positive contributions to the growth and development of motherland. Yes, to an American adult that had earlier been taken care of by his government.
You see, my friends in this blog and Linda Ikeji, what the government has consciously done here is to make the child have a sense of all the virtues enumerated above. For, above all, if my country Nigeria showed me transparent equity and justice and responsibility when I needed it, when I was helpless, when I could not stand on my feet, why should I not die for her as a youth or an adult? But I never got help from Nigerian state. Am a nigerian but my loyalty and whatever goes to German Nation. They made me what I am today.
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