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100<br />
N1,500 $10 £7 PILOT EDITION<br />
It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who<br />
points out how the strongman stumbles, or where<br />
the doer of deeds could have done them better. <strong>The</strong><br />
credit belongs to the man who is actually in the<br />
arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and<br />
blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes<br />
out short again and again, because there is no effort<br />
without error and shortcoming.<br />
<strong>The</strong> person who does actually strive to do the<br />
deeds; who knows great enthusiasm and devotion,<br />
who spends himself in a worthy cause, who “at best”<br />
knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,<br />
and who at the worst “if he fails”, at least fails while<br />
daring greatness, so that his place shall never be<br />
with those cold and timid souls who neither know<br />
victory nor defeat.<br />
<strong>The</strong>odore Roosevelt (<strong>The</strong> 26 th President of the<br />
United States of America)<br />
1
Paul Okade jr wears many hats. He is an Author,<br />
Entrepreneur,Finance coach and investment consultant.<br />
Paul has authored dozens of articles and has featured on<br />
several television programs in the United Kingdom. He<br />
was born in London England to Nigerian Parents.<br />
His Father worked for the Central Bank of Nigeria<br />
prior to his relocation to the United Kingdom for further<br />
studies and his Mother is a Director in a blue chip pharmaceutical<br />
company also in the United Kingdom.<br />
Paul has written over 50 books and brings passion and<br />
excellence to everything he does. His love for Nigeria was what informed his decision to publish<br />
this magazine.<br />
He is passionate about Nigerian Politics and he is actively playing his part in order to ensure<br />
that Nigeria remains a united entity. His book “Nigeria, one nation one destiny” offers timely<br />
solutions to the current economic and social challenges facing the country. Paul is happily married<br />
with children.<br />
Paul would like to thank the following people for their incredible input into this publication;<br />
• Engineer (Mrs) Omonefe Okade (Co-founder of Dream Academy Institute)<br />
• Ibrahim Mohammed (CEO of Webland Visionz Nig LTD)<br />
• Isaac David Balami (President of the National association of Aircraft Pilots )<br />
• Honourable (Dr) Zakari M B Wali (Former Chief Whip of the Kano house of assembly)<br />
2
THE <strong>POLITICIAN</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
JONATHAN<br />
Nigeria, By 2015<br />
DAME PATIENCE<br />
JONATHAN<br />
<strong>The</strong> Power Behind the Throne
DIEZANI ALISON<br />
MADUEKE<br />
For God and Country<br />
WHO IS NIGERIA?<br />
BOKO HARAM, TRIBALISM<br />
AND<br />
THE DESTINY OF NIGERIA
ISAAC BALAMI<br />
<strong>The</strong> Son of Destiny<br />
MUSA MOHAMMED SADA<br />
<strong>The</strong> Diamond of Katsina<br />
PRINCESS STELLA ODUAH<br />
<strong>The</strong> Wind Beneath our Wings
WEALTH PROTECTION<br />
STRATEGIES<br />
FOR NIGERIANS<br />
AISHA JUMMAI ALHASSAN<br />
An Exceptional Leader<br />
OBASANJO<br />
<strong>The</strong> Quest for a United<br />
Nigeria
HON DR ZAKARI MB WALI<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rising Star of Kano<br />
Politics<br />
ALEX SABUNDU BADEH<br />
<strong>The</strong> Golden Son of<br />
Adamawa<br />
ABDULLAHI SANUSI KAIMA<br />
<strong>The</strong> Moses of Kwara People
UMARU MUSA YAR'ADUA<br />
Gone but not Forgotton<br />
TINUBU<br />
Let He without Sin, Cast the<br />
First Stone
Welcome to the pilot edition of our quarterly magazine titled “<strong>The</strong> Politician” a publication that aims to<br />
bring a fresh perspective on all the political happenings across the Federal Republic of Nigeria. <strong>The</strong> magazine<br />
will consist of “food for thought” articles and exciting interviews of some of the most influential politicians<br />
in the nation. It was Aristotle the Greek Philosopher and Polymath that stated and I quote “Human beings by<br />
nature are political animals” or to put it in Lay mans terms, there’s a politician in each and every one of us.<br />
<strong>The</strong> word “politics” in many circles is viewed in the same light as profanity, and politicians are mistrusted all<br />
over the world. People often wonder why politicians struggle to fulfil their election pledges, and they cite the<br />
reason for this to be because in their opinion, politicians are by nature dishonest souls, but I disagree.<br />
Many politicians step into public office with the best of intentions but they encounter already established<br />
“power structures” which make the fulfilment of their election pledges an uphill struggle. Let’s look at the power<br />
(electricity) sector of our economy. To the ordinary masses it looks like a simple matter. <strong>The</strong>y believe that all<br />
the government has to do is pump several billions of dollars into the sector and case closed. What they did not<br />
factor in is the fact that they’re very powerful people in the society who are making 100’s of Billons of Naira<br />
from the importation of Diesel and they’re not just going to sit down and allow President Jonathan to come and<br />
close down their operation without adequate compensation. President Olusegun Obasanjo led this country for 8<br />
years and throughout that time was he able to solve the electricity problem? No he was not able to, and it wasn’t<br />
because the country didn’t have the money either. In fact the country had so much money that we were able to<br />
pay of our national debt which we owed to the London and Paris club and had $67 Billion dollars left over in<br />
the excess crude account.<br />
Many people may not know this, but the Federal Reserve Bank, America’s central bank, isn’t actually owned<br />
by America and neither is it controlled by the American government. <strong>The</strong> FED, as it’s popularly known is<br />
owned by private international banks, and what they do is print $dollars, and then borrow those $dollars that<br />
they’ve printed to the American government and charge them interest on it. Can you imagine such a thing?<br />
International bankers came to America, bribed some high ranking politicians (Republican Senator Nelson W<br />
Aldrich) and these bribed Politicians voted in the Federal Reserve act on the 23rd of December 1913, which<br />
basically turned over control of the printing and distribution of the American $dollar to private bankers.<br />
10
For further reading on this please purchase “<strong>The</strong> Creature from Jekyll Island” a book by G Edward Griffin.<br />
American politicians such as Republican Senator Ron Paul have been advocating for the removal of the Federal<br />
Reserve Bank so that the power to print currency can be returned back to the American congress. This is the<br />
reason why Ron Paul could never clinch the Republican Presidential nomination because the powers that be, the<br />
secret unknown, the private bankers who control the $dollar will never allow this to happen.<br />
<strong>The</strong> only US President who attempted to close down the Federal Reserve Bank was President John F Kennedy<br />
and we all know what happened to him, he was assassinated. Politics is much bigger than what you see on the<br />
news or read in your daily newspapers, and until you begin to seek the real truth from alternative media outlets,<br />
you will continue to wallow in ignorance. President Woodrow Wilson, the President who signed into law the<br />
Federal Reserve act that gave these unscrupulous private bankers control over America’s money supply, realised<br />
what he had done to his nation. Below are quotes from famous American Presidents and politicians about the<br />
reality of the FED.<br />
“A great industrial nation is controlled by it's<br />
system of credit. Our system of credit is<br />
concentrated in the hands of a few men. We<br />
have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of<br />
the most completely controlled and dominated<br />
governments in the world-- no longer a<br />
government of free opinion, no longer a<br />
government by conviction and vote of the<br />
majority, but a government by the opinion and<br />
duress of small groups of dominant men." --<br />
President Woodrow Wilson<br />
11<br />
“I believe that banking institutions are more<br />
dangerous to our liberties than standing<br />
armies. Already they have raised up a<br />
monied aristocracy that has set the<br />
government at defiance. <strong>The</strong> issuing power<br />
(of money) should be taken away from the<br />
banks and restored to the people to whom it<br />
properly belongs." -- Thomas Jefferson, U.S.<br />
President
I decided to share the above quotes with you in an attempt to open your eyes. Please conduct your own research<br />
and start educating yourselves about the economic realities of our time. Far too many Nigerians have<br />
placed America on some sort of moral pedestal and act as if America is a corruption free society and that is<br />
the biggest lie of all. Let me tell you something, some nations have mastered the art of convincing the gullible<br />
masses that a “lie” is indeed the “truth”. All we hear on the news is how righteous America is and how corrupt<br />
the rest of the world is, and yet the entire American economic and financial system is built on corruption. Why<br />
is it that America only has 2 political parties? A country which is supposed to be the principle exporter and<br />
custodian of modern democracy with a population of 300 million people, only allows two political parties to<br />
contest their Presidential elections.<br />
<strong>The</strong> reason is because those 2 parties (<strong>The</strong> Democratic and the Republican parties), are both controlled by the<br />
same power structure, so it doesn’t matter who becomes President because both political parties are puppets<br />
controlled by the same central bankers that control the nation’s money system.<br />
It was Nathan Rothschild (Part of the Rothschild banking dynasty) that said and I quote “Give me control of a<br />
nation’s money supply and I could care less which puppet sits on their throne”.<br />
My prayer for Nigeria is that we will have a generation of young people who would spend their time on the<br />
internet seeking for the truth instead of wasting their lives on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter discussing<br />
the size of Kim Kardashian’s booty or Beyonce’s Brazilian hair.<br />
<strong>The</strong> world is a far more sinister place than many of you realise and unless you make a concerted effort to seek<br />
the “real” truth for yourself, you will become a pawn on the chessboard of deception. Just because somebody<br />
has been elected President of a country does not mean that he or she has absolute power. You can sit on your<br />
laptops from morning till night insulting President Goodluck Jonathan and using derogatory adjectives such as<br />
“useless” and “clueless” to describe him but if the truth be told, we all know deep in our hearts that the President<br />
is a decent human being who means well for this country. When he took over as acting President in 2010<br />
after the death of the late great President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, he met a power structure which has been in<br />
existence since the time of Nigeria’s independence.<br />
President Yar’Adua was President for 2 years and when he took over from President Olusegun Obasanjo, we<br />
had well over $60 Billion dollars in our excess crude account. So why didn’t President Yar’Adua immediately<br />
solve the power (electricity) problem? Because the power structure that controls the importation of fuel where<br />
not ready to slaughter that multi-trillion Naira proverbial “cash cow”. So politics in any country isn’t as straight<br />
forward as many of you may think. You have seen how America’s system is being run and now you can understand<br />
why America’s national debt which is fast approaching $20 Trillion Dollars can never be repaid. It’s not<br />
because President Obama does not know what the problem is (the Federal Reserve Bank) but that he is completely<br />
powerless to do anything about it, because it was the same system that brought him to power in the first<br />
place.<br />
President Goodluck Jonathan is not the problem in this country and until Nigerians start asking themselves the<br />
right questions, they will remain in ignorance. Isn’t it interesting how the minute President Goodluck Jonathan<br />
became the President in 2010, Boko Haram went into overdrive and intensified their activities, do you think that<br />
it was a coincidence?<br />
7
Of course not, it was clear that certain individuals were not happy with the decision to make President Jonathan<br />
acting President after the death of our beloved President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and they decided to make<br />
his Presidency a living hell. My Fellow Nigerians, our problems are much deeper than what we are being shown<br />
in the media. President Goodluck Jonathan urgently needs our support and our prayers because we have no idea<br />
what type of internal conspiracy that man is facing. He honestly wanted to transform this country, but as you all<br />
are seeing with your own eyes, certain power hungry and greedy elements in the society have vowed to frustrate<br />
him and his agenda.<br />
Even within his political party we have all seen what is going on. People who have no moral authority to<br />
call the President “corrupt” are opening their mouths, the entire thing is laughable. <strong>The</strong>y’re calling themselves<br />
“<strong>The</strong> New PDP”, wow, what an original name. What exactly is new about their movement? Do they have new<br />
policies or new politicians with fresh ideas? No they don’t. It’s just the same old faces wrestling for power and<br />
claiming to be fighting for Nigerians. <strong>The</strong> truth of the matter is that 2015 is on the mind of some of these so<br />
called New PDP members and the desire to seize power by any means is far more important to them, than the<br />
chaos and national instability that their actions are causing. Instead of them to concentrate on the job that they<br />
were elected for as Governors of their individual states, they’re busy running up and down Abuja holding press<br />
conferences.<br />
<strong>The</strong> people in their states need food, water, healthcare, quality education and employment today, but all their<br />
Governors are doing is plotting about 2015 and if some of them become President in 2015 what is this new<br />
thing that they’re going to do for Nigerians?<br />
Nigerians need to wake up, and refuse to allow themselves to be deceived by these selfish career politicians who<br />
do not seem to want to join any other profession other than politics or rather poli-tricks as one of my friends<br />
would say. Nigerians should rise up and tell those people who are not allowing President Goodluck Jonathan<br />
to govern that enough is enough. We should not allow<br />
ourselves to get mixed up in the politics of ethnicity<br />
because we are all Nigerians and the majority of us<br />
believe in “one Nigeria”. We don’t want to divide the<br />
country because many of us have friends and relatives<br />
from practically every tribe and religion and we see<br />
ourselves as one people.<br />
I repeat, President Jonathan needs our support, our<br />
encouragement and most importantly our prayers. He<br />
means well for this country, but if we are honest with<br />
ourselves we will admit that right from the onset of<br />
his administration the plot to make Nigeria ungovernable<br />
for him thickened. <strong>The</strong>re is a conspiracy by some<br />
demonic elements in the system to frustrate President<br />
Goodluck Jonathan out of office, and every well meaning<br />
Nigerian can see it. No matter how much money<br />
or followers you think you have, you’re not God and<br />
therefore you cannot behave as if Nigeria is your personal<br />
property, and that the only person who can become<br />
President is the one you anoint.<br />
8<br />
Even within his political party we have all seen what is going on.<br />
People who have no moral authority to call the President “corrupt”<br />
are opening their mouths, the entire thing is laughable. <strong>The</strong>y’re<br />
calling themselves “<strong>The</strong> New PDP”, wow, what an original name.<br />
What exactly is new about their movement? Do they have new<br />
policies or new politicians with fresh ideas? No they don’t. It’s just<br />
the same old faces wrestling for power and claiming to be fighting<br />
for Nigerians.
<strong>The</strong> day the American $dollar crashes and becomes<br />
as worthless as toilet paper will be the day of reckoning<br />
for some of these people who think that they’re<br />
too rich. What will you do when the American dollar<br />
crashes and it’s no longer accepted by the international<br />
community as the currency of international<br />
trade? It would mean that the $30 billion dollars you<br />
have stashed away in your secret vault would become<br />
practically worthless. This is the reality of the modern<br />
economic system, nothing is certain any longer. We’ve<br />
seen entire countries such as Cyprus brought to their<br />
knees<br />
and as I<br />
write this<br />
article,<br />
countries<br />
such as<br />
Greece,<br />
Italy and<br />
Spain who<br />
are supposed<br />
to<br />
be fully<br />
developed,<br />
are still on<br />
very shaky<br />
ground.<br />
So<br />
let us all eat a slice of humble pie and stop behaving<br />
as if we are God Almighty, because we certainly are<br />
not. This is why I always laugh when some people in<br />
Nigeria call themselves elites. In Great Britain where I<br />
was born, the elites are the ones who have had money<br />
and influence in their families for over 500 years. In<br />
Nigeria in order to become Elite you only have to rig<br />
an election and become Governor, and all of a sudden<br />
you have become part of the elite. What where some<br />
of these Governors before they entered politics? So<br />
please let us all relax and humble ourselves because<br />
none of us is better than the other.<br />
We are all one people, irrespective of our ethic<br />
origins or religious dispositions and we need to unite<br />
and fight the forces that seek to divide and rule our<br />
country. Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Anioma , Ijaw , Itsekiri,<br />
Urhobo, Efik, Tiv, Esan, Bini, Isoko and all the other<br />
9<br />
<strong>The</strong> day the American $dollar crashes and<br />
becomes as worthless as toilet paper will be<br />
the day of reckoning for some of these<br />
people who think that they’re too rich. What<br />
will you do when the American dollar<br />
crashes and it’s no longer accepted by the<br />
international community as the currency of<br />
international trade? It would mean that the<br />
$30 billion dollars you have stashed away in<br />
your secret vault would become practically<br />
worthless.<br />
tribes that make up Nigeria are all one people. Some<br />
of the names we call our children and certain verbs<br />
and nouns found in our vocabularies are almost identical<br />
so we should stop deceiving ourselves by claiming<br />
that we’re so different from one another, because<br />
we’re not.<br />
We are one people and we need to learn to celebrate<br />
the things that unite us instead creating unnecessary<br />
divisions. I am from Delta State and yet some of my<br />
closest friends are Yoruba and Hausa. <strong>The</strong>se are people<br />
that I consider my Brothers and I will do anything for<br />
them, so<br />
we need<br />
to stop<br />
all this<br />
divisive<br />
rhetoric<br />
and seek<br />
for pragmatic<br />
ways to<br />
promote<br />
national<br />
unity and<br />
Brotherly<br />
love.<br />
I was<br />
born in<br />
Britain<br />
and yet I do not call myself British. I am a Nigerian,<br />
and I feel sorry for other Nigerians who were also<br />
born in the west who are claiming that they’re not<br />
Nigerian.<br />
If your name is Oluwatobi Olabisi, or Chukwuemeka<br />
Umunna, or Habib Yusuf, then I don’t care where you<br />
were born or what colour passport you have because<br />
as far as the western democracies are concerned,<br />
you’re Nigerian, and if you think that you’re not a<br />
Nigerian then I am sorry for you. Recently there was a<br />
black Man on the news who murdered a British soldier<br />
in broad daylight. This young black Man was born in<br />
England and has a British passport, and yet when the<br />
British government where describing him they did not<br />
describe him as being British, instead they said that<br />
he was of Nigerian descent because his Parents were<br />
Nigerian. So you can see that the white man whose<br />
country some Nigerians are trying to claim as their<br />
homes do not even want them. Even if you were born
describe him as being British, instead they said that he was of Nigerian descent because his Parents were Nigerian.<br />
So you can see that the white man whose country some Nigerians are trying to claim as their homes do not<br />
even want them. Even if you were born inside Buckingham palace, if your skin is black then as far as the British<br />
establishment is concerned you’re a foreigner.<br />
Let this be a lesson to the countless Nigerians who have made the West their home, because when push comes<br />
to shove those countries where you have chosen to domicile will remind you in a not so overt manner that you<br />
are not from there. My fellow Nigerians, the time has come to put away the wrong looks and the bad blood and<br />
come together and sit down at the table of Brotherhood and seek appropriate solutions for our problems. As a<br />
nation there is no doubt that our economic potential is huge. Nigerians are go getters. We are an extremely ambitious<br />
race of people who are willing to work as hard as is humanly possible in order to achieve our goals. But we<br />
cannot make progress without peace and unity.<br />
We cannot make progress until those in the society who are sponsoring Boko Haram are brought out and made<br />
to either renounce their actions or face the full force of Justice. Pray for yourselves, pray for our President and<br />
pray for Nigeria because despite our numerous challenges, I still believe that Nigeria’s best days are still very<br />
much ahead of her. It is not over for us.<br />
Nigerians are leaders, anywhere we find ourselves across the world we excel, and our faith in God and in ourselves<br />
is what will truly turn this country into the envy of not just other African nations, but of the entire word.<br />
I am so proud of my Nigerian lineage and there’s no other country in the world I would rather have descended<br />
from. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, one united nation filled with liberty prosperity and justice,<br />
surely such a nation is worth fighting for. God bless you all. Paul Okade jr. Publisher of “<strong>The</strong> Politician”<br />
10
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11
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
Many Nigerians are wondering what Nigeria would<br />
look like at the end of the Presidency of His Excellency<br />
President Goodluck Jonathan. Prior to the<br />
emergence of democratic governance in Nigeria in<br />
1999 very few Nigerians believed that Nigeria could<br />
ever recover from the nearly two decades of military<br />
miss rule. But nearly 14 years after the democratic<br />
renaissance that swept across the national landscape,<br />
it has become clear to all that the Federal Republic of<br />
Nigeria is truly on the path to the proverbial “political<br />
utopia”.<br />
With the emergence and triumphant rise of the<br />
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and many other<br />
political parties all claiming their stake in the political<br />
quagmire of the nation, the practice of democratic<br />
governance with a multi-party expression has become<br />
the norm. With recent gubernatorial elections in Edo<br />
and Ondo states respectively being flagged as the freest<br />
and fairest electoral bouts of recent times, it is also<br />
fair to say that the sanitisation of the electoral process<br />
by the Goodluck Jonathan administration is yielding<br />
fruits.<br />
<strong>The</strong> recent onslaught of the “Boko Haram” menace<br />
across the federation has failed to dampen the optimism<br />
of the average Nigerian, and their resolve to<br />
forge ahead as a united and free nation stands firm.<br />
So what does the future hold for our beloved nation?<br />
What can we expect in the last 2 years of the Goodluck<br />
Jonathan administration? Firstly we can expect to<br />
see the completion of several major federal highways<br />
which connect the country. Already we can see expedited<br />
work on the Lagos-Ibadan express way, a major<br />
13<br />
highway which has plagued users for generations. Its<br />
completion will open up that axis, create tens of thousands<br />
of new jobs and cause an exponential growth in<br />
the real estate value of the area.<br />
Such a major highway which serves millions of commuters<br />
weekly should have been completed long ago.<br />
<strong>The</strong> proximity of Ibadan to Lagos is economically<br />
strategic and the completion of this all too important<br />
expressway would ease the immense pressure which<br />
has been exerted on the Lagos real estate market and<br />
help to stabilize prices. It is indeed an open secret that<br />
the price of Land and housing in Lagos is ridiculously<br />
high and even “blind Bartemaeus” can see that the city<br />
is heading for a major bust in their housing bubble.<br />
Ibadan, a great city filled with hospitable and highly<br />
welcoming people will experience a housing boom<br />
as a result of this great initiative by the Goodluck<br />
Jonathan administration, and we will also see many<br />
world class hotels, resorts, housing estates, recreation<br />
centres, schools, corporate offices and hospitals<br />
spring up along this expressway. <strong>The</strong> high taxation in<br />
Lagos state will further fuel the exodus of Lagosians<br />
to Ibadan and its environs, and we will see the emergence<br />
of a new corporate cluster in the area, as major<br />
corporations seek to escape the growing cost of being<br />
domiciled in lagos.<br />
Many other federal highways are also being worked<br />
on and these highways will open up many of our<br />
coasts and boost the local as well as the national<br />
economy.
Already we can see expedited work on the<br />
Lagos-Ibadan express way, a major highway<br />
which has plagued users for generations.<br />
Secondly, we can expect to see the completion<br />
of the privatisation drive of the power sector and<br />
Nigerians will at last have access to 24hr electricity<br />
supply, something which has eluded them for<br />
generations. Private companies will soon take over<br />
this sector and begin to provide Nigerians their<br />
long awaited power supply. Within the next 2 years<br />
we can also expect to see a huge reduction in our<br />
national debt due to the excess revenue that we will<br />
receive as a result of the increase in world crude oil<br />
prices that is imminent. <strong>The</strong> price of crude oil is set<br />
to rise significantly once again due to the political<br />
instability of the Middle Eastern political terrain.<br />
Iran, a major oil supplier has been a proverbial<br />
“thorn in the flesh” of the Western democracies for<br />
well over 2 decades and the threat of war in that<br />
region will certainly threaten the supply of crude oil<br />
and force prices to soar. Politics and Economics are<br />
Siamese twins and it is extremely difficult to surgically<br />
divide the two of them, especially in a world<br />
where crude oil is so vital to economic growth and<br />
to the continuity of modern civilisation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> excess crude revenues that our nation will<br />
realise as a result of the political crisis/uncertainty<br />
in the Middle East will be used by the Goodluck<br />
Jonathan administration to pay our national debt<br />
and bolster our foreign ($dollar) reserves. I will<br />
also like to see the government building our Gold<br />
and Silver reserves also, so that when the American<br />
dollar collapses (something that will occur within<br />
the next 5-10 years) Nigeria’s economy will not be<br />
wiped out with the rest of the un-informed nations<br />
of the world who have bought into the lie that say’s<br />
that somehow the American economy is indestructible.<br />
we can expect to see the completion of the<br />
privatisation drive of the power sector and<br />
Nigerians will at last have access to 24hr<br />
14<br />
electricity supply<br />
America is no longer the global economic super<br />
power, China has taken over and America’s national<br />
debt which is approaching 20 Trillion dollars can<br />
never be repaid by them, so their economy as well<br />
as their currency is on life support machine. An<br />
economist worth their salt would testify to this fact.<br />
America is falling and the dollar is falling with it<br />
and any nation that keeps the bulk of their foreign<br />
reserves in dollars is heading for a major economic<br />
catastrophe.
<strong>The</strong> Chinese Yuan, Gold and Silver and the<br />
three vehicles that African nations should be<br />
stock piling and they need to substantially<br />
decrease the amount of US greenbacks they’re<br />
holding in reserve.<br />
<strong>The</strong> stabilization of the Naira is another great<br />
fete which will be credited to the Goodluck<br />
Jonathan administration. In the next 2 years we<br />
should expect to see a stronger and more stable<br />
Naira due to the solidification of our political<br />
and economic environment.<br />
Nigeria is about to enter a period of incredible<br />
economic growth and 2014-15 will see our economic<br />
growth enter double-digits, and I candidly<br />
predict that the Naira-dollar exchange will hover<br />
around the N125 to $1 dollar figure by mid 2014.<br />
That is the Nigeria that our President will leave<br />
for the incoming President in 2015, a strong<br />
Naira underwritten by a strong economy and a<br />
stable political environ.<br />
<strong>The</strong> drive to promote national unity, economic<br />
stability and political tranquillity has been the<br />
guiding star of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency,<br />
and by the 29th of May 2015 when the<br />
President hands over the sceptre of national<br />
leadership to the Man or Woman whom God has<br />
chosen to lead our nation for the next 4 years,<br />
Nigerians would have received the complete realisation<br />
of the electoral pledge/promise that was<br />
made by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011<br />
when he was sworn into the office of President<br />
of the federal republic of Nigeria.<br />
Those who wondered whether President<br />
Jonathan truly meant well for Nigeria will soon<br />
have their question answered as his works would<br />
prove unequivocally that in his dispensation,<br />
Nigeria truly entered into its finest hour.<br />
2015 is clearly on the minds of many Nigerians,<br />
most of whom are wondering whether<br />
President Jonathan would contest the presidential<br />
primaries and seek another 4 years in office.<br />
15
Whatever the President decides to do, one thing<br />
is certain, he has every right to do so. However, the<br />
Presidency is a thankless job, and that seat is highly<br />
contested because of the incredible power that the<br />
office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria<br />
holds, but how many in our nation are actually vying<br />
for that position for the right reasons?<br />
<strong>The</strong> last thing Nigeria needs now is somebody aspiring<br />
for the position of President just because they<br />
desire the position. Say what you want about President<br />
Jonathan, but we all know that he never aspired<br />
for the office of President of the Federal Republic of<br />
Nigeria. In 2007 he was selected as the vice presidential<br />
running mate of the late and great President Musa<br />
Yar’Adua, and had it not been that the cruel hands of<br />
death snatched President Yar’Adua away, President<br />
Jonathan would not be the president of Nigeria today.<br />
But destiny played its hand and delivered to Nigeria<br />
her 14th president. His presidency has been far from<br />
rosy however due in large part to the exponential<br />
growth of the Boko Haram terrorist threat across the<br />
Northern part of the country. It has become ever so<br />
clear that they’re certain elements within our nation<br />
who are working tirelessly to undermine his presidency.<br />
Boko Haram is not a new organisation, it has been in<br />
existence for many years but it doesn’t take a Prophet<br />
to see that since President Jonathan was sworn in as<br />
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, their<br />
destructive acts have multiplied a thousand fold. <strong>The</strong><br />
media onslaught against his administration has also<br />
been relentless coupled with political infighting within<br />
his own political party. All this would make anybody<br />
not want to continue after 2015 and to simply say to<br />
Nigerians “to your tents O Israel”. But leadership is<br />
not a popularity contest and regardless of what certain<br />
people may think or say about him, the courage of<br />
conviction which informed his decision to contest in<br />
2011 will continue to strengthen his resolve.<br />
I can never forget the day President Barack Hussain<br />
Obama was elected America’s 44th President. <strong>The</strong><br />
global media was buzzing and some reporters were<br />
describing Obama as the “political messiah” who has<br />
16<br />
come to save America and the rest of world from the<br />
political abyss. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize<br />
only a few months into his Presidency, a decision that<br />
did not sit well with many, because at that point in<br />
time he had done absolutely nothing of note which<br />
would warrant such an award. Even till date, the world<br />
is still waiting for this man of peace to appear but to<br />
no avail, the only peaceful things about Obama are his<br />
speeches, body language and handshakes.<br />
His policies are far from peaceful. He is slowly<br />
stripping Americans of their civil liberties, constantly<br />
under-mining their constitution, excessively taxing<br />
businesses, crippling entrepreneurship and seeking<br />
for ways to topple Middle Eastern governments in the<br />
name of “human rights”. His predecessor George Bush<br />
jr told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass<br />
destruction and that the world should get rid of him.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y did just that, they executed Saddam and most of<br />
his family members but today, many years later, the<br />
truth has come out that there was never any weapons<br />
of mass destruction anywhere in Saddam’s domain.<br />
Was Saddam Hussein an Angel? Of course not, the<br />
man was a despotic leader, but he was imposed on the<br />
Iraqi people by America because America wanted to<br />
use him to fight Iran. Mubarak was also installed and<br />
supported by the same America who ended up removing<br />
him from power.<br />
I think that it’s pretty<br />
clear that America is<br />
not a nation that anybody<br />
can rely on, because<br />
the minute you<br />
decide to stop being<br />
their puppet and you<br />
stop dancing to their<br />
tune, they discover<br />
chemical weapons in<br />
your country and declare<br />
war against you.
This is not the country that African nations should<br />
be in partnership with. We need to build stronger<br />
links with China and other emerging economies such<br />
as Brazil, because they’re proving to be a lot more<br />
civilised than America, and they also have much stronger<br />
economies too. I am not saying that we should<br />
do away with America completely, because for now<br />
they’re still a proverbial “necessary evil” .If Obama<br />
was a Nigerian Politician he would certainly not have<br />
my vote. Check the opinion polls and you would see<br />
that the Majority of Americans are not happy with his<br />
Presidency and they were many reports of electoral<br />
malpractice (election rigging) during the last Presidential<br />
elections.<br />
America has a long history of electoral malpractice.<br />
I will never forget the fiercely contested 2000 Presidential<br />
elections in the USA. Al Gore, the democratic<br />
candidate received more votes than George Bush jr,<br />
the Republican candidate and yet George Bush jr became<br />
the president (work that one out).<br />
I don’t know about you but to me that is a classic<br />
case of the proverbial “the more you look the less you<br />
see” syndrome. Why am I speaking like this? Simply<br />
to show Nigerians that “corruption” was not founded<br />
in Africa irrespective of what the western media may<br />
try to project, but that the western democracies are the<br />
true architects of political malpractice.<br />
Obama spent $1 Billion dollars (N160 Billion Naira)<br />
on his last presidential campaign. Where did he get the<br />
money from? Large corporations and banks where the<br />
ones that sponsored Obama’s campaign and they did<br />
it for obvious reasons, and that was to gain political<br />
favours from Obama as and when they need it. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
didn’t do it because they love America, but they’re<br />
simply protecting their own selfish interests, end of<br />
story.<br />
18<br />
So please, the next time you bloggers, tweeters and<br />
social media addicts want to malign Nigeria and the<br />
African continent’s political terrain, have it at the back<br />
of your mind that the “America” that many of you<br />
worship and hold as the flagship of true democratic<br />
expression and the place where many Africans have<br />
made their permanent abode, is in actual fact the modern<br />
architect of political corruption. Is Nigeria perfect?<br />
of course not, but it is still our country. Is PDP<br />
flawless? Certainly not, but in my opinion it is still<br />
the only political party in Nigeria that has a national<br />
expression.<br />
Is President Jonathan perfect, not at all, but he is our<br />
President and he and all the Governors, Senators, Representatives,<br />
Ministers, advisors and LGC’s are working<br />
for a better Nigeria.<br />
States such as Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos,<br />
Edo, Kano, Nassarawa and many others have seen tremendous<br />
economic growth and development. Can the<br />
state governors do more, I am sure they can, but we<br />
should still laud them over what they’re doing thus far,<br />
all under the Goodluck Jonathan administration. If you<br />
must criticise a leader for what you feel are his shortcomings,<br />
then please try and balance your criticism by<br />
also citing the things he is doing right, surely this isn’t<br />
too much to ask?<br />
Nigeria isn’t developing fast enough to take advantage<br />
of its economic potential, and the state Governors<br />
and Ministers urgently need to seek creative ways<br />
to expedite this deficit in infrastructural development.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y need to come together and combine their<br />
resources and develop a rail network that will connect<br />
the country. <strong>The</strong>y also need to look critically at<br />
nursery and primary education, because this is the<br />
foundation of the academic crisis besieging our nation.<br />
Healthcare is also a crucial and state governments<br />
need to do more to address this sector also, especially<br />
in the rural areas.<br />
Our Nation endured a destructive civil war, a gruelling<br />
military era and a challenging transition into<br />
democracy, but through it all our economy is growing,<br />
and foreign investors cannot get enough of our robust<br />
and extremely fertile investment environ. Nigeria’s<br />
best days are still very much ahead of her and the<br />
infrastructural and economic foundation that is being<br />
laid by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration<br />
will ensure that our nation will certainly be<br />
amongst the 20 most developed nations in the world<br />
by the year 2020. May God bless and strengthen the<br />
Goodluck Jonathan Presidency and may God bless<br />
the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
19<br />
May God bless and<br />
strengthen the Goodluck<br />
Jonathan Presidency and<br />
may God bless the Federal<br />
Republic of Nigeria.
DREAM ACADEMY<br />
20<br />
REDEFINING THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
DREAM ACADEMY<br />
Dream Academy is an international Nursery and Primary school in the<br />
heart of Abuja Nigeria. <strong>The</strong> Principal and Co-founder of this academic<br />
institution is Engineer Mrs Omonefe Okade, a graduate of Electrical and<br />
Electronic Engineering from Nottingham Trent University in the United<br />
Kingdom. Her passion for education and dissatisfaction for the status quo led<br />
her to formulate a teaching style which enabled her 6 year old Daughter<br />
(Esther Okade) to pass the GCSE mathematics exam at the tender age of<br />
just 6 years of age. Esther is now 9 yrs old, has already passed 3 units in A-<br />
Level mathematics and is preparing to start her Degree shortly...<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-black-country-11091046<br />
Above is a picture of Esther Okade, the 6 year old girl who passed GCSE Maths<br />
which is the UK equivalent for GCE maths<br />
<strong>The</strong> school is set to launch in September 2014 and as you can imagine, the<br />
spaces are almost filled up. To register your child for a place in the next<br />
academic session (September 2014) kindly send an email to;<br />
dreamacademyasokoro@gmail.com, a registration form and a prospectus will be<br />
emailed to you.<br />
21
Very few first Ladies of this great nation of ours<br />
have been as maligned, ridiculed, insulted and disrespected<br />
as much as our current first lady. <strong>The</strong>y have<br />
insulted her with adjectives that I cannot even bring<br />
myself to repeat on this medium. <strong>The</strong> most hurtful<br />
for me as a proud Nigerian was when the first lady<br />
began to endure insults because of her command of<br />
the English language. And when you consider the<br />
fact that the majority of these insults came from her<br />
fellow Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora,<br />
it was even more disheartening.<br />
Who amongst us has not erred be it unintentionally<br />
at some point or another in either written or<br />
spoken English? Even the so called custodians of the<br />
language have made statements that would cause<br />
their ancestors bones to rattle in their graves and<br />
shriek with horror and sheer disbelief at their misuse<br />
of the English language.<br />
For example, President George W Bush, the last<br />
Republican president of the United States of America<br />
made the following statements;<br />
• <strong>The</strong> German asparagus “are” fabulous<br />
• I thank the diplomatic corps, who “is” here<br />
as well. March 12 2008<br />
• And they have no “disregard” for human life.<br />
July 15 2008<br />
• Anyone engaging in illegal financial transactions<br />
will be caught and “persecuted”. September 19<br />
2008<br />
Sarah Palin, a Republican Governor and one time<br />
Republican vice presidential candidate in the 2008<br />
presidential elections made the following statements<br />
• I love “that” smell of the emissions. May 29<br />
2011<br />
• But obviously we’ve got to stand with our<br />
“North” Korean allies. Nov 24 2010<br />
• John McCain and I “we” love you and thank<br />
23<br />
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
you for spending a few minutes to talk to “me”<br />
President Barack Obama, a man who is loved by<br />
so many Nigerians despite the fact that since his<br />
inauguration as President of the United States of<br />
America in January 2009, has not even bothered<br />
to come to Nigeria even once. Nigeria, the nation<br />
which up until recently was supplying almost 25% of<br />
his nations crude oil needs. Such is life. Some people<br />
don’t want you, but are only interested in what you<br />
have. It’s analogous to what happens in the lives of<br />
so many beautiful women. Men are only interested<br />
in their beauty and in the shape of their bodies, but<br />
the real inner person (their emotions, spirituality,<br />
aspirations, world view etc) is of no interest to them.<br />
So when a Man tells her that he loves her so much,<br />
what he’s probably talking about is the “physical”<br />
part of her and nothing else.<br />
Now you can understand why they’re so many<br />
beautiful women in the world who are divorcees<br />
today. <strong>The</strong> man married her because of her physical<br />
appearance, but after the wedding day he began<br />
to notice the other side of her being (her character,<br />
attitude etc) and then realized that he wasn’t as “in<br />
love” with her as he had previously thought.<br />
Anyway, back to Barack Obama, a graduate<br />
of the “humanly” prestigious Harvard Law School<br />
made the following statements;<br />
• <strong>The</strong> reforms we seek would bring greater<br />
competition, choice, savings and “inefficiencies” to<br />
our healthcare system. July 20 2009<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Middle East is obviously an “issue” that<br />
has plagued the “region” for centuries. January 2010<br />
• Let me be absolutely clear, Israel has been a<br />
strong friend of “Israels”. It will be a strong friend<br />
of “Israels” under a McCain administration and it<br />
will be a strong friend of “Israels” under an Obama<br />
administration, so that policy isn’t going to change.<br />
July 22 2008
This is just a drop in the proverbial “ocean” of<br />
what is available for public perusal and consumption<br />
on the worldwide web, I only added these few quotes<br />
to this article in order to make a point. Bush, Palin<br />
and Obama are American politicians and English is<br />
their first language, they all attended “supposedly”<br />
prestigious academic institutions and yet they too are<br />
not infallible when it comes to their command of the<br />
English language. So excuse me for being a little upset<br />
at the manner in which our first lady Dame Patience<br />
Jonathan has been treated in this regard.<br />
Nigerians are the ones complaining about her<br />
command of the English language,<br />
not the English or the<br />
Americans who are the true<br />
custodians of the language<br />
and therefore should be the<br />
most offended at the manner<br />
in which their precious language<br />
is being utilized. I was<br />
born in London England and<br />
like all non-whites I experienced<br />
varying levels of racism,<br />
a situation that still exists in<br />
London today irrespective of<br />
the multi-cultural expression<br />
of the city. Nigerians are hated<br />
in Europe and are branded as<br />
thieves and criminals, even<br />
though the majority of Nigerians<br />
in Europe are honest and<br />
hardworking, and yet when<br />
an English person comes to Nigeria they’re treated like<br />
royalty.<br />
24<br />
What is it in this mentality amongst Africans which<br />
seems to always give preference to foreigners? We seem<br />
to believe that “White is right” and that we “the African”<br />
are second class citizens even in our own continent.<br />
We love people who do not love us in return, and<br />
yet we hate our own. <strong>The</strong>y’re Nigerians who have never<br />
entered an Airplane before who are attempting by any<br />
means necessary, to speak with either an American or<br />
a British accent. <strong>The</strong>y’re trying tirelessly to lose their<br />
Nigerian accents all because of their low self worth and<br />
esteem and utter disregard for all things “Nigerian”,<br />
and yet the Nigeria that some Nigerians hate and criticize<br />
ceaselessly has become the investment destination<br />
of choice for thousands of Lebanese, Chinese, American,<br />
British and Indian investors.<br />
As Nigerians are busy looking for visas to flee from<br />
their own country, foreigners are taking over all the<br />
local businesses, and if this trend continues, Nigerians<br />
will find themselves becoming tenants in their own<br />
fatherland.<br />
Even now when you look at the business sector in<br />
Nigeria you can see that very few of the major corporations<br />
in the country are<br />
Can Michelle Obama speak<br />
Yoruba or Ibo or Hausa? If<br />
she came to Nigeria, and<br />
managed to speak 2 words in<br />
Igbo while she was here every<br />
Nigerian newspaper would be<br />
applauding her efforts and<br />
shouting that “she tried”.<br />
etc are all in foreign hands.<br />
even owned by Nigerians.<br />
In the construction<br />
and Engineering sector<br />
Julius Berger has completely<br />
dominated it, in<br />
the hospitality sector<br />
the majority of the<br />
hotel chains are foreign<br />
owned, in the telecoms<br />
sector, other than Globacom<br />
which is owned<br />
by Mike Adenuga all<br />
the other telecoms<br />
companies are owned<br />
by foreigners. All the<br />
major Oil companies,<br />
insurance companies,<br />
shopping malls, restaurants,<br />
private schools<br />
MTN, a South-African owned telecoms company<br />
now makes 60% of its global revenue in Nigeria. We<br />
are a nation under occupation and this new form of<br />
colonization isn’t taking place with guns and bullets,<br />
but by economics. Our nation is being taking away by<br />
foreigners and all we know how to do is to insult our<br />
first lady regarding her use of the English language. Is<br />
she an English woman? I never knew that Okrika in<br />
Rivers state was part of the United Kingdom.<br />
Can Michelle Obama speak Yoruba or Ibo or Hausa?<br />
If she came to Nigeria, and managed to speak 2 words<br />
in Igbo while she was here every Nigerian newspaper<br />
would be applauding her efforts and shouting that “she
tried”. So why can you not give the same respect to our<br />
first lady, a woman who was born and bred in Nigeria?<br />
She made a few simple mistakes in a language that is not<br />
her native tongue, and her own fellow Nigerians decided<br />
to use it as a weapon against her.<br />
Have you never heard Chinese Politicians attempting<br />
the English language? You can’t even understand 99% of<br />
what they’re saying and yet you will never see Chinese<br />
people insulting their leaders over their command of the<br />
English language. It is only amongst Nigerians that you<br />
find people taking the proverbial “medicine for another<br />
person’s sickness”.<br />
We have become the self appointed international<br />
watch dog for all things relating to the English language.<br />
For all the English that Nigerians are speaking I can’t see<br />
what they’re doing with it. Whilst they’re in their houses<br />
speaking good “English” the Lebanese and the Chinese<br />
are here speaking good “economics” and are taking over<br />
the country. Foreigners have taken over corporate Nigeria,<br />
and yet all that doesn’t seem to bother us, all we are<br />
concerned about is whether our leaders can speak English<br />
better than Queen Elizabeth. When you make it a<br />
point of duty to constantly pick out peoples weaknesses<br />
and shortcomings, they will become so discouraged to<br />
the point of inactivity. <strong>The</strong>y will simply shut down and<br />
won’t bother to make a difference.<br />
I once heard a story about a Woman who was constantly<br />
abusing her husband and repeatedly used adjectives<br />
such as “useless” and “stupid” whilst addressing<br />
him. She kept describing him as someone who is<br />
constantly making wrong decisions. One day she came<br />
home and saw her husband looking through their wedding<br />
album, she looked at him and asked “what are you<br />
doing”? He said “oh, I am just looking at our wedding<br />
pictures and asking myself why I made such a stupid<br />
decision such as marrying you”.<br />
Perhaps she thought that by insulting her husband it<br />
would cause him to change for the better, but the opposite<br />
effect was the outcome. Words are powerful and<br />
if we concentrate on peoples strengths and praise and<br />
encourage them instead of picking out their weaknesses<br />
and amplifying those, we will get the very best out of<br />
them.<br />
25
<strong>The</strong>re’s no human being on the surface of the Earth<br />
who is perfect, we all have our flaws and shortcomings<br />
and that is the reason why we need each other.<br />
No man, woman, community, city or Nation has it all<br />
or knows it all, we’re interdependent.<br />
China needs Africa and vice versa, Africa has its<br />
strengths and its weaknesses and so does China, and<br />
if both entities were to concentrate solely on each<br />
other’s weaknesses then that would spell the end of<br />
the Africa-China relations.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chinese have trillions of dollars to invest and<br />
Africa has multiplied billions of barrels of oil under<br />
its surface, and both regions are in a race against the<br />
clock. Africa must diversify its economy before the<br />
world stops buying her oil and China must utilize its<br />
vast dollar reserves before the American dollar collapses,<br />
and at the rate at which the American federal<br />
reserve bank is printing dollars “quantitative easing”,<br />
which is in the region of $75 billion dollars per<br />
month, it won’t be long before the American “fiat”<br />
dollar becomes worthless. I personally do not believe<br />
that the $dollar can survive another economic roller<br />
coaster like the type the world experienced in the<br />
autumn of 2008. I give the American dollar a 5-10<br />
year life span, after which the $dollar as we know it<br />
will be history and the global elite will have to devise<br />
an entirely new financial system. I cover this in detail<br />
in my upcoming book titled “winter in June; the day<br />
money died” due for release in March 2014.<br />
I was raised by my Mother and Grandmother<br />
(RIP) and I witnessed firsthand the enormous power<br />
which resides in the spirit of the African woman.<br />
When an African woman decides to stand behind<br />
a Man and give him her unyielding support, there’s<br />
nothing in this world that such a man would not be<br />
able to achieve. Such is the power of women.<br />
When most people think about their Mothers,<br />
thoughts of warmth, unconditional love, empathy,<br />
compassion, encouragement, refuge from daddy and<br />
delicious home cooked meals readily spring to mind.<br />
26
Mothers are the incubators and carriers of destiny, and they’re<br />
backbone of every family. <strong>The</strong>y're the rock upon which communities<br />
are built, and it is indeed said and rarely refuted that “the man<br />
may build the “house”, but it is the woman who builds the “home”.<br />
By the predetermined purpose and sovereign choice of the Most<br />
high, his noble Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has<br />
been chosen to lead our nation.<br />
He is a humble and well educated man who is on a mission to<br />
ensure that Nigeria achieves its vision of becoming one of the top 20<br />
most developed nations in the world by the year 2020. An audacious<br />
task indeed but one in which our dear President is more than able to<br />
accomplish. He is a strategic, compassionate and empathetic leader<br />
and a natural manager of men, and these qualities are the basic<br />
building blocks of greatness. He hasn't however, always been the<br />
President of Nigeria, and neither was he born in Aso-Rock. So what<br />
is the secret of his meteoric rise in national politics?<br />
<strong>The</strong> answer can be found in the ancient proverb which states and<br />
I quote “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor<br />
from God”. It takes a queen to produce a king, and the arrival of<br />
her Excellency Dame Patience Jonathan into the life of President<br />
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, was the signal that his fortune was about<br />
to change. Dame Patience Jonathan, through feminine intuition<br />
perceived that there was greatness wrapped up in the life of her husband<br />
and she decided to do something about it.<br />
She began to encourage him and to speak possibilities into his<br />
being. She created an enabling environment through which her<br />
husband could nurture his political ambitions, interact with the<br />
right people and boldly step into politics without fear of failure or<br />
of man. He walked tall with his head held high because he knew<br />
full well that his rock, his strength, his number one encourager and<br />
supporter, her Excellency Dame Patience Jonathan was behind him.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is nothing in this world that a man cannot achieve when his<br />
wife is fully backing him.<br />
Great women have the ability to propel their men into their glorious<br />
destinies. This is the reason why it is widely stated and rarely<br />
refuted that “behind every successful man, there’s a woman”. If a<br />
woman decides that her husband will be great, no power on Earth<br />
can stop that man. However, if a woman decides that her husband<br />
will be nothing in life, a nobody, a spectator in the affairs of affecting<br />
his generation, a non-entity, a beggar, a perpetual failure, an insignificant<br />
fellow, a dwarf in the midst of giants, lifeless, purposeless<br />
and without vision, then that is exactly what that man will become.<br />
27
This is the power that resides in the spirit of women, the power to<br />
build and to destroy, to empower or to weaken, to kill or to make<br />
alive. In the mouth of a woman are the words of power and when<br />
she speaks she can alter the destiny of her husband in one of two directions;<br />
Either in the direction of greatness, or in the direction of<br />
failure.<br />
A man can never rise above the woman that he is<br />
married to. If she believes in your destiny, then you<br />
will make it, but if she doesn't, well as the saying goes<br />
in pigeon English and I quote “my Brother, your own<br />
don finish ooo!”<br />
Our illustrious and most noble first lady Dame<br />
Patience Jonathan decided to use her divine power<br />
to build up her husband. She used the words of her<br />
mouth as an instrument of encouragement. She spoke<br />
possibilities into him and told him that she believed<br />
in him, and that there is nothing that he cannot do.<br />
She told Mr President that nothing will be impossible<br />
for him, that he should not be afraid, that her love and<br />
strength will not allow him to fail. So he leaped out<br />
into the unknown and entered the turbulent waters of<br />
national politics, and just as her Excellency predicted,<br />
destiny was on his side and he went from deputy Governor<br />
to Governor, and then from Vice President, to<br />
now becoming the President of the Federal Republic of<br />
Nigeria.<br />
Such is the spirit and might of our beloved first lady.<br />
This same belief that she has in her husband, is what<br />
she also has in all Nigerians. As our mother, she has<br />
publicly declared her love and affection for us. She has<br />
told us as a nation that she believes in us, that she is<br />
behind us with her spirit and with her full strength.<br />
Nigeria will certainly achieve its goal of being amongst<br />
the top 20 most developed nations in the world by<br />
2020 because of the spirit of this great lady.<br />
She is telling the nation of Nigeria that she can be a<br />
great nation, and because she has said it, we will certainly<br />
become that great nation.<br />
First lady, we believe that you mean well for Nigeria.<br />
Whatever you say we will be is exactly what we<br />
will become. We are not afraid of the challenges that<br />
lay ahead; we are not concerned about the mountains<br />
that we have to climb or the seas that we must cross,<br />
because the spirit, the love, the encouragement and the<br />
power of our mother is with us. Nigeria, this is indeed<br />
our moment, our hour of greatness has arrived. We<br />
have a first lady that believes in our future, a mother<br />
that is willing to fight tooth and nail in order to ensure<br />
that we fulfill our highest potential.<br />
To our first lady, our beloved Dame Patience Jonathan,<br />
on behalf of Nigeria, I want to say a big thank<br />
you to you. Thank you for your empathy for the poor<br />
and your desire to eradicate poverty from our nation.<br />
Thank you for being a role model to women across the<br />
nation. Thank you for being the proverbial “wind” in<br />
the sail of Mr President. Thank you for your passion<br />
for education, and your desire to make sure that every<br />
child in Nigeria has access to quality and affordable<br />
education, clean water and quality healthcare. I know<br />
that you feel the pain of millions of Nigerians who go<br />
to bed hungry every night and that you intend to do<br />
something about it. First lady, you have our full support.<br />
We promise to give you all the respect and honor<br />
that the first lady of a nation deserves. We know that<br />
you will not let us down and that you will fight tooth<br />
and nail to see that every Nigerian gets a fair shot of<br />
the proverbial “Nigerian Dream”. Quality Healthcare<br />
and Education are major issues in the country today,<br />
please look into these sectors and use your position as<br />
first lady to transform them and if you do, you will go<br />
down in history as the “true” mother of the nation and<br />
all Nigerians irrespective of their geo-political origins<br />
will love you eternally. We know that you can do it because<br />
finally we have a first lady with a listening ear, a<br />
caring and wise woman who has nothing but our best<br />
interests at heart.<br />
28
A mother who only wants the very best for her<br />
children, and who is willing to sacrifice her own comfort<br />
and luxury in order to ensure that her children<br />
attain greatness; Our Mother, we will not disappoint<br />
you. Your labor of love and your sacrifice for Nigeria<br />
will not be in vain.<br />
Millions of Nigerians are eagerly waiting for you to<br />
rise up and take on the “Goliaths” that are besieging<br />
our nation. Health is wealth and a nation which places<br />
healthcare and the education of its youth at the apex<br />
of its national agenda, will certainly become a nation<br />
to be reckoned with. Thank you for giving us our 14th<br />
president, thank you for raising our hopes and aspirations,<br />
thank you for answering history’s call to be our<br />
illustrious first lady; May your star continue to shine<br />
for the whole world to see.<br />
Nigeria’s best days are still ahead of her because<br />
God in his infinite mercy decided to give us one of his<br />
most prized possessions, a precious jewel as our first<br />
lady.<br />
To her most gracious Excellency Dame Patience<br />
Jonathan, we say thank you for being the answer to<br />
the problems of Nigeria, truly you are the “<strong>The</strong> power<br />
behind the throne”.<br />
29
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In 1999, the nation known as the “giant of Africa”<br />
transitioned from an almost 20 year military dictatorship<br />
into a democracy. <strong>The</strong> Man elected to head<br />
this new democratic government was the one-time<br />
military head of state President Olusegun Mathew<br />
Obasanjo, known simply as “OBJ” to many within<br />
and outside the country. As a Nigerian, it was a<br />
dream come-true for me to witness this new era in<br />
the political environment of my country. It meant<br />
that the opinions of the ordinary people actually<br />
counted for something, and that their interests will<br />
be protected, being chaperoned by the Nigerian constitution.<br />
Many things could be said about the two-term<br />
Presidency of President Obasanjo, because it was<br />
filled with numerous success stories. He re-negotiated<br />
Nigeria’s foreign debt to the Paris club and paid it<br />
off, He granted GSM licences to competent operators<br />
and created an enabling environment for them to create<br />
what has now become the largest telecoms market<br />
in Africa. Prior to 1999 you could count on one hand<br />
the number of people outside of government that had<br />
access to mobile communication but today, they’re as<br />
common as agege bread.<br />
Banks and financial institutions flourished, the<br />
stock market came alive and flourished, international<br />
investors flocked to Nigeria and invested billions<br />
upon billions of dollars across the country. President<br />
Obasanjo brokered a peace between the North and<br />
South that was comparable to the “Pax Romana” that<br />
was created by Caesar Augustus (the sacred one)<br />
arguably the greatest Emperor in the history of the<br />
Roman Empire. Of President Obasanjo’s numerous<br />
achievements, the one act that stood head and<br />
shoulders above the rest was his recognition of the<br />
countless talented and qualified Women of Nigerian<br />
31<br />
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
ancestry who needed to be grafted into the very centre<br />
of national leadership.<br />
From national icon’s such as Professor Dora Akunyili<br />
to World renowned bankers like Dr Ngozi<br />
Okonjo-Iweala , President Obasanjo recognized the<br />
fact that as a nation which claims to adhere to the<br />
true democratic principles of fairness and equality,<br />
Women had to take their rightful positions within<br />
the corridors of power. As a Man who was raised by<br />
a strong, educated and highly accomplished Woman,<br />
and now also married to one, and also become the<br />
proud Father of yet another one, I have experienced<br />
firsthand the immeasurable and irreplaceable qualities<br />
that Women possess. <strong>The</strong>y simply have an innate<br />
ability to make anything that they touch “better”.<br />
Women are the backbone of every home and the<br />
lifeblood of communities, Cities and nations, and<br />
it was only just and right that they should also be<br />
well represented in national politics. This quality<br />
that President Obasanjo possessed was passed on<br />
to his protégé and current head of state of the federal<br />
republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele<br />
Azikiwe Jonathan. President Jonathan has continued<br />
this trend of selecting and appointing to their rightful<br />
positions educated, experienced and service driven<br />
Women to strategic positions within his cabinet, and<br />
also within government run institutions. It was this<br />
philosophy that informed his decision to appoint on<br />
the 6th of April 2010 Mrs Deizani Alison-Madueke<br />
to the position of Minister of Petroleum resources.<br />
Mrs Deizani Alison-Madueke, who holds an MBA<br />
from Cambridge University, has well over 10 years<br />
experience in the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry and<br />
amongst her numerous accomplishments in the private<br />
sector was her appointment as the first ever
female Executive Director of Shell Petroleum Nigeria.<br />
She is an exceptionally talented and highly astute<br />
woman with phenomenal interpersonal skills, whose<br />
gift of oratory has served the nation well as she represents<br />
us at conferences and strategic meetings all over<br />
the world.<br />
She has raised the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector to<br />
“giddy” heights and has shown the World that Nigeria<br />
isn’t just open for business, but that it is open for<br />
“ethical” business. As a nation, we have suffered from<br />
the pens of unpatriotic journalists within our borders,<br />
Men and Women who profess to be Nigerian with<br />
their lips but their works betray them. <strong>The</strong>y have sold<br />
a highly “toxic” image of Nigeria to the outside world<br />
and given our enemies ample ammunition with<br />
which to malign us as a people. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are so many Nigerians in different<br />
parts of the globe who are<br />
not involved in any form of<br />
criminal activity, and yet<br />
their stories are never<br />
reported.<br />
However, within the<br />
Oil and Gas sector the<br />
story is very different.<br />
Investors from all over the<br />
globe are flocking to Nigeria<br />
to invest their hard earned<br />
money in this sector because of the<br />
competence and extraordinary integrity<br />
which Her Excellency the federal Minister of Petroleum<br />
resources is endowed with. Her word is her bond<br />
and she stands by them, contracts once ratified are<br />
irrevocable and investors are confident of the fact that<br />
their financial investments are safe and their promised<br />
ROI’s are delivered. Integrity, integrity and more integrity<br />
so help us God, this is what Mrs Deizani Alison-<br />
Madueke has brought to the table of the ministry of<br />
petroleum resources.<br />
She can simply be trusted, and under her leadership<br />
we have seen production levels rise from 1.8 million<br />
barrels of crude per day to 2.6 million. She oversaw<br />
the signing of the Nigerian content act, a bill that will<br />
allow every single Nigerian to benefit from the proverbial<br />
“national cake” in ways that were previously<br />
32<br />
unheard of. <strong>The</strong> natural Gas industry is also about to<br />
be propelled to centre state as the honourable minister<br />
and her team prepare to begin extracting the 187 trillion<br />
cubic feet of Gas reserves sitting below the surface.<br />
A move that will create well over a million jobs over<br />
the next decade and bring revenues in excess of a trillion<br />
dollars into the country, revenues that will develop<br />
our nation and transform it into the “Singapore” of<br />
Sub-Saharan Africa.<br />
As a nation, we must learn to encourage our leaders<br />
and not just seek for ways to bring them down. If an<br />
elected/appointed official is found guilty of misconduct<br />
then by all means criticize them and bring them<br />
to order, but make sure that your criticism is based on<br />
proven facts and not on idle speculation and predisposed<br />
prejudice, because words once<br />
Constructive criticism<br />
is highly effective other hand, when they’re found<br />
uttered cannot be retracted. . On the<br />
if it’s just that “constructive”, to be doing what is right and<br />
and the one’s being criticized under<br />
such conditions are more likely<br />
fulfilling their ministerial<br />
obligations, we should also<br />
trumpet that also.<br />
to listen and even implement the critique<br />
that you have given. But when petually on the negative and<br />
We cannot just dwell per-<br />
your words contain nothing but never report the positive<br />
abuse, insult, slander and character<br />
defamation then why in the because that only serves a<br />
things that are taking place<br />
destructive purpose and it hurts<br />
World would anybody take<br />
our brand/image at home and<br />
you and your words abroad.<br />
seriously?<br />
Constructive criticism is highly effective if it’s just<br />
that “constructive”, and the one’s being criticized under<br />
such conditions are more likely to listen and even<br />
implement the critique that you have given. But when<br />
your words contain nothing but abuse, insult, slander<br />
and character defamation then why in the World<br />
would anybody take you and your words seriously?<br />
Facebook used to be a forum that many of us used to<br />
enjoy logging unto and exchanging ideas, but in recent<br />
times it has become a gutter, a place where human rats<br />
congregate to spew out their poison against anybody<br />
who has any form of governmental position. Some of<br />
the comments on there are just ridiculous and I think<br />
that the Facebook management board needs to look<br />
into it urgently. I am an advocate of free speech but
I am an advocate of free speech but there is a huge<br />
difference between free speech and an all out attempt<br />
to destroy the character and public perception<br />
of an individual, and something drastically needs to<br />
be done about this.<br />
Our leaders are not perfect. If they were, then they<br />
wouldn’t be leading an imperfect people such as us.<br />
Many of them are doing the very best they can to<br />
improve the lot of Nigerians, and even if we feel that<br />
the change we seek is not happening as fast or in the<br />
magnitude that we would like, that still doesn’t justify<br />
the use of the sort derogatory terminology being<br />
used when we speak about them. Let us learn to<br />
encourage our leaders and give them the benefit of<br />
the doubt, because things are not always as easy and<br />
as straight forward as they may appear. Leadership is<br />
an incredibly arduous task, and more so in a country<br />
like Nigeria where people with various motives are<br />
tussling for the same thing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Oil and Gas sector is the economic backbone<br />
of our nation and the person charged with its oversight<br />
and leadership must be able to intertwine the<br />
economic and political components of the sector,<br />
and make sure that they both work in harmony.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Oil and Gas sector is as much about politics<br />
as it is about economics and to navigate this great<br />
ship of state, one must be able to bridge the socioeconomic/political<br />
and religious divides that exist<br />
within our country. In the person that we have come<br />
to know as Mrs Deizani Alison-Madueke, such great<br />
qualities domicile.<br />
She is cut from a different cloth altogether, a Woman who has distinguished herself in her field and continues<br />
to be a shining example to Women from all the geopolitical zones of the country, pragmatically demonstrating<br />
that Women are not just biologically different, but can indeed make a difference, and lead our country to<br />
greater economic heights. Join me therefore in the celebration of a woman who embodies the spirit of service,<br />
and has given her life to the development of our country.<br />
A true patriot and a loyal daughter of the nation, whose efforts and contributions to Nigeria’s economic<br />
development have proven to be invaluable. Our dear Sister, thank you for all that you’re doing, your labour<br />
of love will never be forgotten and your sacrifice for the people of Nigeria will indeed stand the test of time<br />
and in the end, even your detractors and critics would have no choice but to admit the truth, and what is this<br />
truth? That you were truly sent from above at this specific time in our nation’s history, and that your labours<br />
were indeed, for God and Country. God bless you, God bless the Goodluck Jonathan administration and God<br />
bless the federal republic of Nigeria<br />
33
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I can’t speak for anyone else but as<br />
for me, I am sick and tired of people who constantly<br />
complain about the state that Nigeria is in. <strong>The</strong>re’s no<br />
light, the schools are bad, the hospitals are terrible,<br />
the roads are suicidal, kidnapping is rampant, HIV is<br />
rapidly spreading, not enough jobs for graduates and<br />
on and on and on. Since when did complaining about<br />
a problem ever solved it? We can criticize the government<br />
till we’re blue in the face and accuse all the politicians<br />
of irresponsibility in the call of duty, but none of<br />
these will fix Nigeria. It was John F Kennedy, a onetime<br />
democratic president of the United States of America<br />
that said and I quote “Don’t ask what your country can<br />
do for you, but ask what you can do for your country”.<br />
Nations are nothing more than a concentration<br />
of individuals within an identified boundary. Human<br />
beings make up countries (real deep stuff right? Lol!),<br />
and it is the action/s of those individuals within that<br />
country that makes the difference.<br />
At the top of this article I have deliberately at<br />
tached the pictures of our founding fathers, men that<br />
34<br />
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
decided to do something about the freedom and destiny<br />
of our nation. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and<br />
Obafemi Awolowo were not Angels sent down from<br />
Heaven, they were ordinary human beings just like you<br />
and I who decided to stand up and be counted. What if<br />
these three legendary figures decided to sit on their behinds<br />
and criticize the state of the nation, like most of<br />
us do? Had they done that, Nigeria would never have<br />
gotten its independence, and we would still be a colony<br />
of the British Empire, instead of the sovereign nation<br />
that we are today.<br />
A population that believes that their destiny is in<br />
the hands of their government, is simply delusional<br />
and nothing more. <strong>The</strong>re is no government on Earth<br />
that has the ability to solve all the problems facing its<br />
citizenry. Even the nations that we admire such as <strong>The</strong><br />
United States of America and Great Britain are nations<br />
that were birthed by individual men and women with a<br />
pioneering spirit. Many towns and Cities in both these<br />
nations are named after their founders. Yes, individuals<br />
bought large expanses of land and began to develop<br />
them.
<strong>The</strong>y built houses, schools, hospitals, hotels, churches,<br />
fire stations, police stations, offices, roads and so<br />
on, and over time, people began to migrate to those<br />
towns, and the population began to grow alongside<br />
their economies. Human progress and development<br />
has never been as a function of government but rather<br />
as a function of the individual.<br />
<strong>The</strong> government that we have all focused all our attention<br />
and energies upon was established by individuals.<br />
God didn’t come down from Heaven to establish<br />
the United States of America and neither did Angel<br />
Gabriel write the American<br />
constitution (the rules by<br />
which the nation shall be<br />
governed )these things were<br />
thought out and written by<br />
human beings. For a nation<br />
to change, and rise to its<br />
highest potential, its citizenry<br />
must take upon themselves<br />
the mantle of individual responsibility.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y must look<br />
at the problems facing their<br />
country with the eyes of duty<br />
and service and not with the<br />
passive stare of complacency<br />
and criticism. <strong>The</strong>y must<br />
identify a sector that they<br />
would like to tackle; anything<br />
from building a school to a<br />
medical centre and everything<br />
in between. <strong>The</strong> nation of Nigeria is not in the<br />
hands of politicians and elected officials but in the<br />
hands of the ordinary citizen.<br />
Nigeria is a nation of pioneers and as such, that<br />
pioneering spirit must once again be stirred up and<br />
activated in the hearts and minds of all Nigerians. We<br />
must stop criticizing and start doing. No matter how<br />
small you may feel your contribution will be, it will still<br />
be a billion times better than those whose only contribution<br />
to national development is gossip, slander,<br />
character assassination and criticism.<br />
History only records doers and not critics. What<br />
our nation needs are problem solvers, not problem<br />
35<br />
spotters.<br />
We all know that the healthcare system in Nigeria<br />
is bad but what are you going to do about it? We all<br />
know that the educational structure is in shambles but<br />
what are you going to do about it? We all know that<br />
there aren’t enough jobs for graduates, so what are you<br />
going to do about it? We all know that the nation needs<br />
to put tribal and religious differences aside and work<br />
nation building but what are you going to do about it?<br />
We all know that HIV is spreading across the population<br />
so what are you going to do about it?<br />
We all know that there are major security issues<br />
in the country so<br />
what are you going<br />
to do about it? It is<br />
one thing for you<br />
to sit down and<br />
say “they will do<br />
it” but my question<br />
to you is this; who<br />
exactly are they?<br />
We behave as if the<br />
responsibility of<br />
building our nation<br />
has been given to a<br />
select few, and the<br />
select few that we<br />
always point to are<br />
the politicians, as<br />
if they alone can<br />
fix all of Nigeria’s<br />
problems.<br />
Nigeria has the potential to become a G7 nation,<br />
but what you must realize about the nations that make<br />
up the G7 is that their citizens aren’t just sitting down<br />
waiting for their politicians to fix everything. <strong>The</strong>y, in<br />
their own right are pioneers, they taking over entire<br />
sectors of the economy and reforming them. <strong>The</strong>y’re<br />
partnering with one another and generating the capital<br />
needed to birth new schools, companies, roads etc.<br />
Here lies one of the major stumbling blocks to national<br />
progress, the curse of individualism. When you<br />
dwell in a nation where everyone wants to be the biggest<br />
boy, it is hard to preach the gospel of partnership,
Arguments have been posed to the effect that these<br />
foreign partners were brought in because of their superior<br />
competence and expertise in business and even<br />
though there is some element of truth in that, there<br />
is also another reason why some Nigerians prefer to<br />
partner with foreign entities and that reason is simply<br />
because they don’t want any other Nigerian to know<br />
what they know, do what they do, and have what they<br />
have.<br />
This attitude however must be flushed out of the<br />
Nigerian psyche’ if our nation is to achieve its target<br />
of being amongst the 20 most developed nations in<br />
the world by the year 2020. We have less than 10 years<br />
to achieve this great vision that was set out by President<br />
Olusegun Obasanjo, late President Umaru Musa<br />
Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and<br />
we can only achieve this when we realize that the<br />
task of nation building is “ours” and not “theirs”.<br />
So when I titled this article with a question “who is<br />
Nigeria”? <strong>The</strong> answer is simple, we are Nigeria. You, me<br />
and every single person of Nigerian ancestry has been<br />
mandated to be a problem solver in our great land. My<br />
question to you therefore is this; will you roll up your<br />
sleeves and begin the work nation building or will you<br />
join the other faceless and nameless critics that have<br />
absolutely nothing to offer the nation apart from cheap<br />
rhetoric and accusations? <strong>The</strong> choice is yours but as for<br />
me, I have decided to be on the right side of history. I<br />
have decided to stand up and be counted, to play my<br />
part in the realization of the 2020 vision laid out by our<br />
illustrious leaders.<br />
I believe in Nigeria because I believe in myself, what<br />
about you?<br />
36
Order Now<br />
As our nation faces its greatest challenge thus far, this book could<br />
not have been written at a better time. As a country we are at cross<br />
roads. Internal enemies are working tirelessly to divide our beloved<br />
country and undermine the great work that our leaders are<br />
attempting to do.<br />
In this timely book you will learn the following:<br />
• Why Nigeria must stay united<br />
• <strong>The</strong> cause of the Biafran war and lessons learnt<br />
• <strong>The</strong> future of our economy<br />
• Why we will become the next economic super power<br />
• What the western nations are saying about Nigeria<br />
• <strong>The</strong> benefits of a united Nigeria<br />
• And so much more<br />
37
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
<strong>The</strong> terrorist attack on a Catholic Church on Christmas<br />
day which claimed scores of innocent lives was<br />
indeed the proverbial “straw” that broke the Camel’s<br />
back. It wasn’t the first attack of this malicious sect<br />
against Nigerians of all ethnic and socio-economic<br />
divides but it was the first time that they identified and<br />
singled out a place of worship on one of the most sacred<br />
religious days of the Christian faith “Christmas”,<br />
a day when the birth of the son of God, Jesus Christ of<br />
Nazareth is celebrated.<br />
I must state at this junction that the majority of<br />
the Muslims in Nigeria are peaceful, law abiding and<br />
religiously tolerant people and they do not advocate<br />
nor endorse the radical extremism of the sect that has<br />
now come to be known as “Boko Haram”, which in<br />
English translation simply means anti-western education/teaching.<br />
This sect claims to be against what they<br />
believe is the secularisation of the Northern part of<br />
the country, and have sadly embraced violence as a<br />
means of expressing and furthering their cause.<br />
Although there is no historical evidence that authenticates<br />
the actual birth date of Jesus Christ, there<br />
is however overwhelming evidence of the existence of<br />
such a personality. Both the Christian Bible and the<br />
Muslim Quran recognise the existence of Jesus but<br />
differ in their beliefs about his divinity. According to<br />
the Christians, Jesus Christ is the Son Of God but not<br />
in the sense that God gave birth to him in the delivery<br />
room the way a pregnant woman delivers a baby, but<br />
in relation to his position and heavenly ranking. <strong>The</strong><br />
Christian belief of a triune God i:e one God expressed<br />
in three persons (God the Father, God the Son (Jesus<br />
Christ) and God the Holy Spirit) is at the centre of<br />
their faith.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Muslims on the other hand believe that Jesus<br />
Christ was simply a messenger/Prophet of God and<br />
not divine as the Christians believe. Both Muslims<br />
and Christians however do believe that Jesus Christ is<br />
coming back again and that He will judge the World.<br />
As far as I’m concerned, religion isn’t a good enough<br />
reason to murder innocent lives, people who were created<br />
by the same God you claimed to be acting for. It<br />
makes no sense whatsoever and such acts can definitely<br />
not go unpunished.<br />
40<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is absolutely nothing wrong with any group or<br />
sect deciding to opt out of the so-called “white man’s”<br />
educational system in order to pursue their own form<br />
of knowledge and intellectual capacity development.<br />
<strong>The</strong> freedom to choose is indeed one of the hallmarks<br />
of a democratic environment. People are free to worship<br />
whichever God they choose, train their children<br />
in the manner that suits their religious/ideological dispositions,<br />
as long as it does not infringe on the lives,<br />
liberties, freedoms and personal safety of others.<br />
When Boko Haram decided to adopt murder and<br />
violence as a political strategy, they lost all credibility<br />
as a legitimate democratic opposition and became<br />
nothing more than thugs and cold blooded murderers.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y have not only turned the government of Nigeria<br />
against them, but the whole nation and the World at<br />
large.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), was<br />
a man of peace and reconciliation. He was neither<br />
a suicide bomber, nor an advocate of one so I don’t<br />
know where these deceived murderers are getting<br />
their inspiration from.
41<br />
Majority of the Muslims in<br />
Nigeria are peaceful, law<br />
abiding and religiously<br />
tolerant people and they do<br />
not advocate nor endorse the<br />
radical extremism of the sect<br />
that has now come to be<br />
known as “Boko Haram”,<br />
which in English translation<br />
simply means anti-western<br />
education/teaching. This sect<br />
claims to be against what<br />
they believe is the<br />
secularisation of the Northern<br />
part of the country, and have<br />
sadly embraced violence as<br />
a means of expressing and<br />
furthering their cause.<br />
One of the most memorable quotes of the Prophet is as follows,<br />
“To overcome evil with good is good but to resist evil by<br />
evil is evil”. <strong>The</strong>se are the words of the Prophet himself. If he<br />
was alive today he would be the first to condemn the murderous<br />
actions of these terrorists. <strong>The</strong>re is no place in our society<br />
for murderous acts in the name of politics and freedom.<br />
Nigeria is a multi-cultural society with over 250 ethnic groups<br />
living as one entity under the umbrella called “Nigeria” and<br />
the majority of us want to stay that way.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re still a number of small groups within our nation<br />
who are still clamouring for the separation of the country. I<br />
cover this topic exhaustively in my latest book entitled “Nigeria;<br />
One nation, One destiny”. <strong>The</strong> book will be out on<br />
general release from September 2013. <strong>The</strong> majority of Nigerians<br />
however are still very happy to be part of this incredible<br />
nation, and we will not allow the myopic views of a few racist<br />
vermin’s in our society to alter our perception and love for<br />
our fellow Nigerian brothers and sisters irrespective of their<br />
ethnic/tribal origins and ancestry.<br />
As a nation, we have come a long way since the civil war<br />
and yet the journey is still far. We still have a lot of work to do<br />
to in order to heal our nation of the ethnic and tribal wounds<br />
of yester years, and bridge the gap between the rich and the<br />
poor. Nigeria, just like every other nation in the world has its<br />
elites, families who dominate the economic landscape of the<br />
nation, and whose influence and connections go right to the<br />
very apex of political power. It is the way of the world and I<br />
don’t understand why so many people treat it as if it is idiosyncratic<br />
to Nigeria when it certainly is not.<br />
In the United Kingdom where I was born, the British<br />
elites are fully entrenched in the society and they dominate<br />
the lives of the common man on the street. <strong>The</strong> gap between<br />
the rich and the poor is also widening and we witnessed its<br />
manifestation last summer when the country of the United<br />
Kingdom spiralled into an inferno of rioting and violent disorder.<br />
Currently, in cities all across America and Europe, the<br />
citizens have mobilized and begun demonstrations which<br />
they have tagged “occupy”, protesting against economic inequality<br />
and corporate greed. So for us to sit here and behave<br />
as if Nigeria is the only country in the world where there are<br />
issues of social class and economic division is nothing short<br />
of “ridiculous”.
I personally believe that they’re people who love nothing more<br />
than to sit down on their blessed assurances and tear down the<br />
image of our nation, and the minute you begin to speak up for<br />
Nigeria, they automatically assume that you have been bribed by<br />
some politician to do so.<br />
How did our minds become so bastardised as a nation? What<br />
happened to us? Why do we behave as if our country is the worst<br />
country in the World? We should travel to Sudan and Zimbabwe<br />
and Rwanda and Burundi and so many other countries, and then<br />
compare them to Nigeria. Perhaps then we will begin to appreciate<br />
our country a bit more and begin to seek for ways to improve<br />
our nation and the lot of our people. Thanks to social networking<br />
sites like Facebook, so many unelected and un-appointed wannabe<br />
politicians use these platforms to spew out garbage about<br />
Nigeria from morning till night.<br />
Nigeria has a destiny and no mov<br />
divide the country, we simply won<br />
disagreements, then we should sit<br />
discuss them, and if tensions have<br />
no longer bring ourselves to the ta<br />
involve the United Nations. Let th<br />
skilled in the art of mediation and<br />
our meetings, but under no circum<br />
arms and begin to slaughter innoc<br />
<strong>The</strong>y all know how to solve Nigeria’s problems and yet they<br />
won’t even join a political party or start an NGO, or even visit a<br />
motherless baby’s home and give out milk and pampers. All they<br />
know how to do is insult public office holders who are not even<br />
reading any of their stupid blogs or comments anyway.<br />
I am yet to meet a Nigerian in all my travels who doesn’t know<br />
how to fix Nigeria. <strong>The</strong>y all have the answers and yet most of<br />
them can’t even keep their marriages together. You can’t even keep<br />
your marriage together and yet you believe that you can keep the<br />
North and South together. What a bunch of clowns! Keep talking,<br />
after all that’s all you’re good for. <strong>The</strong> rest of us will keep working<br />
to improve our nation by investing in the country through starting<br />
companies and creating jobs and praying for our leaders that<br />
God will give them wisdom and strength to make the right decisions,<br />
and continuing to speak well of our nation whenever we’re<br />
abroad.<br />
Nigeria is a blessed nation and cursed be they who curse this<br />
country of ours, and may their negative words return upon them<br />
and their generations.<br />
America has dropped more bombs than most people have had<br />
hot dinners, and there is still a great divide economically between<br />
the Blacks and the Whites and yet, I have never met an American<br />
who wanted to be from another Country. <strong>The</strong>y’re so patriotic, so<br />
proud to be Americans despite all their shortcomings, and yet<br />
Nigerians would rather spend their time on social networks rubbishing<br />
their country, and washing their dirty linens in public.<br />
42
ement can stop that destiny or<br />
’t allow it. If we have<br />
down like civilised people and<br />
reached to a level where we can<br />
ble of dialogue, then we should<br />
e UN send personnel who are<br />
reconciliation and let them chair<br />
stances should we rise up in<br />
ent civilians.<br />
We are looking for nation builders and not nation destroyers. It<br />
was the late President John F Kennedy who said and I quote “Don’t<br />
ask what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for<br />
your country”. <strong>The</strong>se are the sorts of people that our nation needs at<br />
this time. You’re not happy about the removal of fuel subsidy, well<br />
who is? In every nation of the world, fuel prices have been increasing<br />
exponentially, it was only in Nigeria where the prices were<br />
still so low for such a long time. In the UK, the prices have risen<br />
to historic levels and yet nobody is calling Prime Minister David<br />
Cameron the sort of names that some Nigerians have been calling<br />
President Jonathan.<br />
We have no respect for our leaders and yet we want them to<br />
respect us. We speak to them as if they’re fools and then we turn<br />
around and wonder why they don’t take our grievances seriously.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a way you petition a King or somebody in authority if you<br />
want them to listen to you and take your words into consideration.<br />
It is called adequate or appropriate protocol, and we must learn<br />
this as a nation. No matter how much we disapprove of our leader’s<br />
actions/decisions, we must not use insolent or derogatory language<br />
when we’re addressing/discussing them. Some of the comments<br />
that have been made about President Jonathan and first lady Dame<br />
Patience Jonathan were straight out of the gutter, and to think that<br />
some of the people using such vulgar language claim to be educated<br />
and exposed. Exposed to what? What were you exposed to that<br />
would cause you to speak as one without proper home training?<br />
Is that how your parents taught you to speak to and about people?<br />
I think not. <strong>The</strong>re are appropriate ways to address concerns and<br />
dissatisfactions with the actions of public holders, and supposedly<br />
educated minds should indeed know how to address authority<br />
figures.<br />
Sadly, the enemies of our nation are within our borders. Men and<br />
Women who claim to be Nigerian but have become a cancer, eating<br />
away at the health of our nation, but they shall be isolated and cut<br />
out before they spread any further. Nigeria has a destiny and no<br />
movement can stop that destiny or divide the country, we simply<br />
won’t allow it. If we have disagreements, then we should sit down<br />
like civilised people and discuss them, and if tensions have reached<br />
to a level where we can no longer bring ourselves to the table of<br />
dialogue, then we should involve the United Nations.<br />
Let the UN send personnel who are skilled in the art of mediation<br />
and reconciliation and let them chair our meetings, but under no<br />
circumstances should we rise up in arms and begin to slaughter innocent<br />
civilians.<br />
43
Such murderous conduct is against the<br />
teachings of both the Bible and the<br />
Quran. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus<br />
Christ said and I quote “Blessed are the<br />
peace makers for theirs is the Kingdom<br />
of Heaven”. <strong>The</strong> Prophet Muhammed<br />
(peace be upon him) said and I quote<br />
“Do you know what is better than<br />
charity, fasting and prayer? Keeping<br />
peace and good relations between people,<br />
as quarrels and bad feelings destroy<br />
mankind”.<br />
Both our lord and personal saviour Jesus Christ the<br />
Son of God and the Prophet Muhammed (peace be<br />
upon him) advocate nothing but peace, and cordial<br />
relations between all people groups irrespective of<br />
their ethnic origins or religious affiliations. We are all<br />
human beings, born of a woman and are all destined to<br />
die one day, and this body that we so much cherish and<br />
indeed almost worship, will return to the dust from<br />
which it came.<br />
It is appointed for all Men to die and after death is the<br />
judgment. What will you tell God when he asks you<br />
the reason why you murdered so many innocent people<br />
who have not done anything to you? What will you<br />
tell him on that dreadful and terrible day of judgement,<br />
when the books of our lives will be opened and everything<br />
we have done is laid bare? Can’t you see that<br />
hatred solves nothing? My dear Christian and Muslim<br />
brothers, it is high time we put away our differences,<br />
come together, and sit down like the civilised people<br />
that we are, and iron out our differences. We owe it to<br />
our children and also to generations yet unborn, to<br />
seek a peaceful resolution to our problems so that they<br />
can have a Nigeria to inherit. Boko Haram, I call upon<br />
you to put down your weapons and stop the slaughter<br />
of the innocent across the nation.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re not resting in peace because they left before<br />
their time. Put down your weapons and talk to us. Our<br />
ears are open and we are willing to talk, but you must<br />
lower your weapons because we cannot stand idly by as<br />
a nation and watch you continue to destroy innocent<br />
lives, not on our watch and not during the watch of<br />
President Goodluck Jonathan.<br />
As the head of state and President of the federal republic<br />
of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan<br />
swore to protect the lives and properties of all Nigerians<br />
and therefore he had no choice, but to declare a<br />
state of emergency in the troubled parts of the country.<br />
That is part of what he was elected to do and the nation<br />
is 100% behind him. <strong>The</strong> time to heal our nation has<br />
come. Let us put away the bad looks and the bad blood<br />
that is stifling our economic growth and hindering the<br />
full manifestation of our national potential.<br />
We are the envy of the World because of our vast human<br />
and natural resources. I don’t think that many of<br />
us know what we have or who we are as Nigerians. It is<br />
time for us to sit down at the table of brotherhood and<br />
reason together. North and South, Muslim and Christian,<br />
we are one people, Nigerians, a people of class<br />
and incredible worth and as a nation, we are poised to<br />
become one of the most industrialized countries in the<br />
world by 2030.<br />
We have so much to give to each other and to Africa,<br />
so let us unite, let us unclench our fists and extend a<br />
handshake of brotherhood and national identity. We<br />
are one people and we share a common destiny and<br />
that destiny is to be the economic powerhouse of the<br />
21st century.<br />
We have read the teachings of Jesus Christ the Son of<br />
God and of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon<br />
him), and we have seen that they both stood for peace,<br />
love and unity. Let us therefore listen to their voices<br />
today and embrace one another, because Christians<br />
and Muslims are indeed “Brothers” in every way.To my<br />
Muslim family “Asalam Alaykum”, and to my Christian<br />
family “God bless”. Nigeria; One Nation, One destiny.<br />
You are spilling precious blood, and the precious<br />
blood of all those you have slain are already calling<br />
for vengeance from the grave. Can’t you hear them?<br />
44
We owe it to our children and also to generations yet<br />
unborn, to seek a peaceful resolution to our problems so<br />
that they can have a Nigeria to inherit.<br />
45
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47
Once in a generation a force of nature descends upon<br />
a nation and the destiny of that nation is forever altered.<br />
Nelson Mandela’s emergence into the apartheid<br />
struggle in South Africa forever altered the destiny<br />
of that nation. Mahatma Ghandi could not stand idly<br />
by whilst his nation was being pillaged by the British<br />
Empire and through the principle of non-violence, he<br />
resisted the British occupation and won India’s independence.<br />
Time wouldn’t allow me to speak about the<br />
impact of men such as Thomas Sankara, Michael Collins,<br />
Kwame Nkrumah and so many others who fought<br />
tirelessly for the liberation and empowerment of their<br />
people and achieved great fetes despite the personal<br />
cost.<br />
Isaac David Balami was born in Borno state in the<br />
North-eastern part of Nigeria. Isaac didn’t have an<br />
easy childhood and economic challenges forced him<br />
to do manual labour, farming and anything he could<br />
lay his hands on in order to make money to support<br />
himself as he tried to acquire an education. Isaac’s<br />
persistence and determination paid off and he was able<br />
to gain a HND in aircraft maintenance engineering followed<br />
by a post graduate diploma in Aviation management<br />
coupled with several other professional qualifications<br />
from Nigerian as well as American institutions.<br />
He is also the recipient of numerous awards<br />
and accolades including the “this day newspaper”<br />
top 50 professionals of 2011 and the<br />
international African role model for business<br />
development. In April of 2010 he was<br />
elected as the national president of the national<br />
association of Aircraft pilots and Engineers<br />
(NAAPE), a position which he was<br />
once again re-elected in this year.<br />
48<br />
Isaac is also the spokes person for the trade union<br />
congress of Nigeria. He is an enormously talented and<br />
hardworking professional who attributes his meteoric<br />
rise in the Nigerian social ladder to providence, hard<br />
work, integrity and dedication to his duties. A young<br />
man who understands and fully implements the principle<br />
of deferred gratification, because surely true greatness<br />
doesn’t come except by patience and hard work.<br />
This is the attitude that the Nigerian youth so desperately<br />
need to imbibe in this fast food, microwave<br />
generation where nobody wants to wait for anything.<br />
If they try something for five minutes and it doesn’t<br />
work they immediately throw in the towel and look<br />
for something else to do. This short cut generation<br />
that wants to buy a Bentley even before they’ve even<br />
learnt how to drive car. In life’s numerous endeavours<br />
the principle of “sowing and reaping” holds sway and<br />
the people who we look at today as being “successful”<br />
didn’t achieve that status overnight. <strong>The</strong>y spent many<br />
years in obscurity honing their craft and perfecting<br />
their skills.<br />
Tiger Woods began playing the game of Golf at the<br />
age of 2 and his father would take him to the golf<br />
course daily and teach him that discipline and hard<br />
work are far more much more important than talent.<br />
<strong>The</strong> world is filled with talented failures,<br />
gifted people who refused to pay the price of<br />
self discipline and commitment. <strong>The</strong>y wanted<br />
overnight success and when it didn’t come<br />
quick enough for them they simply threw in<br />
the towel and abandoned their dreams.<br />
BY PAUL OKADE Jr
<strong>The</strong> discipline and focus that this young man brings<br />
to every single thing he puts his hands to are the attributes<br />
which continue to set him apart from his peers<br />
and make him the “go to” man in every organisation<br />
he joins. His name “Isaac” simply means laughter and<br />
this is exactly what this young man has brought and<br />
continues to bring into the lives of hundreds of orphans<br />
and economically challenged Nigerians across<br />
the six geopolitical zones of the federation.<br />
This young man is on a mission which I sincerely<br />
believe has been instigated by “the divine” to transform<br />
the lives of millions of Nigerians who have given<br />
up hope on life itself. From the school fees he pays for<br />
over 50 orphans to the micro-business initiatives he<br />
has launched for hundreds of people across Nigeria,<br />
Isaac has shown the world that truly “one man can<br />
make a difference”. His compassion for the poor and<br />
the down and out in the society speaks for itself, and<br />
hundreds of lives can attest to this. I personally have<br />
never met a young man who’s sincere love for the<br />
poor and the orphan has moved me as much as Isaac.<br />
He has made the plight of the orphan and<br />
the destitute his life’s ambition and he has<br />
a dream to see poverty completed eradicated<br />
from Nigeria and from the entire<br />
African continent. This is not just rhetoric<br />
either, Isaac walks his talk and well over<br />
50% of his income is given to charitable<br />
causes. He is a young man on an unstoppable<br />
mission to transform the lot of Nigerians.<br />
What an incredible role model Isaac is and his desire<br />
to plant the seeds of greatness into the hearts and<br />
minds of the Nigerian youth is what has now led him<br />
to create an extension of his foundation, a National<br />
youth organisation dedicated to raising tomorrow’s<br />
leaders.<br />
49
Let the youth of Nigeria rise up and draw inspiration<br />
from this young man who rose from obscurity like the<br />
proverbial “cactus in the desert” to become a motivational<br />
force that cannot be stopped. Isaac is wise<br />
beyond his years, he is an avid reader and his thirst for<br />
knowledge and self improvement are unquenchable. It<br />
is often said and rarely refuted that “you cannot stop a<br />
Man who has refused to be stopped”.<br />
As a nation we are blessed to have such young Men<br />
in our midst, but I wonder how many more potential<br />
“Isaac Balami’s” are out there yet to be brought to<br />
the limelight? Let this young man’s life inspire you<br />
to hold on to your dreams and never let go regardless<br />
of the obstacles. Isaac is indeed a force of nature, a<br />
young man called and sent to his generation to declare<br />
that “nothing is impossible for those who will dare to<br />
dream”. <strong>The</strong> economically challenged environment<br />
which he was raised in could have shaped him and<br />
limited his dreams and aspirations but Isaac did not allow<br />
it, instead he decided that “he was not going to be<br />
a product of his environment, but that his environment<br />
should become a product of him”.<br />
This is just the beginning of the story of a remarkable<br />
young Man, who is on a mission to transform his<br />
generation, and posterity will read of his exploits and<br />
the great fete’s which he accomplished in his life time.<br />
Isaac, may your days be long and may millions of Nigerians<br />
draw hope and inspiration from your incredible<br />
life. Your parents named you Isaac David Balami but to<br />
us you’re simply “the son of destiny”. May God bless<br />
you.<br />
This is just the beginning of the story of a remarkable young<br />
Man, who is on a mission to transform his generation, and<br />
posterity will read of his exploits and the great fete’s which<br />
he accomplished in his life time.<br />
51
ISAAC<br />
Isaac Balami Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization that has a<br />
primary aim of EMPOWERING AND UNITING PEOPLE. <strong>The</strong> NGO is focused<br />
on empowering the Widows, Youths and Orphans which has the core<br />
objective of Encouraging and promoting peaceful co-existence of citizens<br />
irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
53<br />
Isaac Balami Foundation has improved the lives of countless individuals<br />
through programs aimed at empowering and uniting the youths and less<br />
privileged irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.<br />
For the past Five Years (5yrs) Isaac Balami Foundation has:<br />
•Organized training for youths in Borno State and also Opobo Local<br />
Government of Rivers State in liquid soap making, carpentry, antiseptics<br />
production, brick laying etc<br />
•Sank boreholes for irrigation in the host community {1 completed and<br />
9 on-going in Michika-Adamawa State plus 5 on-going in Hawul-Borno<br />
South}<br />
•Opened a high-tech musical recording studio for aspiring musicians to<br />
record & produce musical albums directly promoting peaceful coexistence,<br />
national unity and inspiring lyrics at no cost.<br />
•Opened a computer training center where individuals undergo training<br />
and are certified in Computer Skills appreciation<br />
•Undertake in charitable activities for the benefit of the Nigerian<br />
populace<br />
•Opened a Cyber-cafe in the host community, where individuals can<br />
have access to internet and complete their examination forms i.e (SSCE,<br />
JAMB, WAEC, etc) at no cost.<br />
•Gave scholarships at various levels of education to over 400 people<br />
between 2011 to date.<br />
SPONSORS ARE NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS;<br />
•ISAAC BALAMI SCHOOL PROJECT<br />
A Nursery, Primary and Secondary School project for orphans. <strong>The</strong> school<br />
will be located in Shaffa in Borno State, Nigeria and will consist of<br />
boarding facilities and Sports centre. Cost: N50 Million Naira<br />
•ISAAC BALAMI MEDICAL CENTRE PROJECT:<br />
A childrens hospital project in Shaffa in Borno State providing free<br />
medical care to Orphans and Widows. Cost: N30 Million<br />
Kindly make your donations into the following account;<br />
ISAAC BALAMI FOUNDATION<br />
ECOBANK<br />
48 ADENIYI JONES AVENUE, IKEJA, LAGOS<br />
Account number: 2122082608<br />
Block 2, Flat 1, Femi Okunnu Estate, Lekki, Lagos State<br />
Telephone: (+234) 0806 964 8792<br />
Email: info@isaacbalamifoundation.org<br />
Website: www.isaacbalamifoundation.org
54 BY PAUL OKADE Jr
Katsina state has a track record of producing some<br />
of the greatest public servants in the federation, men<br />
and women whose sole purpose for aspiring for public<br />
office is simply to better the lives of ordinary citizens.<br />
From political reformers such as Shehu Musa<br />
Yar’Adua, a military vice President in the Military<br />
government of President Olusegun Obasanjo and the<br />
pioneer president of the Social Democratic party, a<br />
movement which fought tirelessly for the transition of<br />
national governance from military to democratic rule.<br />
Mohammed Tukur Liman, a onetime majority leader<br />
of the Nigerian Senate and of course His Excellency<br />
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who served two<br />
terms as Governor of Katsina State and then as President<br />
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.<br />
Out of the womb of this great state comes another<br />
public servant whose achievements and accolades are<br />
as numerous as the stars in the sky. Musa Mohammed<br />
Sada was born in Mani in Katsina state and as a child<br />
he showed academic brilliance and displayed leadership<br />
qualities which would one day take him to the<br />
pinnacle of his career. He is a businessman of repute<br />
and a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects. He<br />
serves on numerous boards as Chairman at both state<br />
and Federal levels. He was the chairman of the Katsina<br />
state government inauguration committee, chairman<br />
of the implementation committee for the Katsina<br />
state youth craft village, a fellow of the Institute of<br />
Industrialists and Cooperate administration of Nigeria<br />
and he currently serves as the federal minister for<br />
Mines and steel.<br />
He is an accomplished professional who worked his<br />
way up the corporate and political ladder with grace<br />
and with dignity. He is equally a deeply religious and<br />
pious man with a heart for the poor and destitute in<br />
society and a true public servant whose only mission<br />
is to uplift the standard of living of his people.<br />
In his capacity as the Federal Minister of Mines and<br />
steel development he has completely transformed the<br />
mining sector in Nigeria and has turned it into a viable<br />
revenue enhancing sector. <strong>The</strong> challenges and rapid<br />
changes currently taking place in the global economy<br />
has thrown light to the vulnerability of the fiat currency<br />
model and the nations of the world that can<br />
“quickly” move their $dollar reserves into minerals<br />
55<br />
are the only ones who will survive the coming global<br />
monetary crash. <strong>The</strong> American economy along with its<br />
$dollar is collapsing.<br />
Every single day the dollar loses<br />
more and more of its buying power<br />
and intelligent nations need to look<br />
for alternative hedges that they<br />
can use to secure their wealth.<br />
Throughout history, records have<br />
proven time and time again that the<br />
safest way to shield your wealth<br />
(both as individuals and as nations)<br />
is by investing in commodities. You<br />
only need to look at what has happened<br />
to the price of commodities<br />
such as Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron<br />
ore and so forth in the last 3 years.<br />
Today Gold is trading at $1311 an<br />
ounce and it is projected to rise to<br />
well over $5000 over the next 3-5<br />
years because of what is happening<br />
to the dollar.<br />
Why is the $dollar so central to the global economy?<br />
It is because it is the currency of international<br />
trade and all global business transactions are quoted<br />
and traded in US Dollars, so if the dollar should collapse,<br />
the global economy will follow suit, and the<br />
impact will hit nations who have not managed to<br />
move their $dollar reserves into commodities mostly.<br />
America’s national debt has reached $20 Trillion dollars.<br />
How can one single country have so much debt?<br />
and just in case you don’t understand the magnitude of<br />
this, let me quote it in Naira. America’s debt in Naira<br />
is 3200 Trillion Naira (in words: Three thousand two<br />
hundred Trillion Naira). It is economically impossible<br />
for America to ever clear this debt and to compound<br />
the problem even more, they’re printing $billions of<br />
dollars and dumping it into their economy in an attempt<br />
to kick start it, and all it is doing is devaluing
It is basic economics, the more of “something” you<br />
have in circulation, the less valuable it becomes. <strong>The</strong><br />
reason why Gold is so valuable is because there isn’t<br />
a lot of it in the world, it’s a rare commodity. Nigeria<br />
must intensify its mining operations and under the<br />
leadership of Musa Mohammed Sada we are beginning<br />
to see this happen. As a nation, we need to start<br />
building up our mineral reserves. We are already<br />
endowed with so much minerals so we do not need to<br />
buy it, we simply need to exponentially increase our<br />
mining output because the $dollar does not have long<br />
to go before it finally collapses.<br />
China is the biggest buyer of minerals, they have<br />
the largest deposit of Gold in the world and they mine<br />
it and store it. <strong>The</strong> Chinese do not sell their minerals<br />
because they know that in the coming fiscal tsunami<br />
that will soon hit the world, paper money will have<br />
no value and the only thing which nations will be able<br />
to trade with is minerals. As the Federal Minister of<br />
mines and steel development, his Excellency Musa<br />
Mohammed Sada is working tirelessly to protect Nigeria<br />
from the coming economic storm. His knowledge<br />
in mining will help to secure the economic future of<br />
this nation and see to it that we do not fall victim to<br />
the fiscal incompetence of the western democracies.<br />
Africa must understand that<br />
it has “real” wealth under<br />
its soil and we need to begin<br />
to cultivate and store it in<br />
preparation for what is coming.<br />
We need to stop chasing<br />
$dollars and start mining more<br />
and more minerals because<br />
they’re the true wealth. America<br />
prints paper and gives it to<br />
us in return for our precious<br />
minerals, they’re treating us as<br />
fools and enough is enough.<br />
56<br />
If they want anybody to take their paper money seriously<br />
then they need to stop printing it, because if they<br />
don’t, it will become as worthless as monopoly money.<br />
We need more and more leaders like Musa Mohammed<br />
Sada occupying state governments across the<br />
federation. Men who are in tune with the happenings<br />
of the times and have not bought into that old colonial<br />
lie that “white is right” because they know better. <strong>The</strong><br />
manner in which the European and American economies<br />
were shaken in 2008 and continue to shake till<br />
today has shown the whole world just how unstable<br />
their economies are. Cyprus went bankrupt and as we<br />
speak nations such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Ireland<br />
are on the verge of total economic collapse.<br />
We have nothing to learn from the western democracies<br />
any longer, and if we copy their system then we<br />
will only end up suffering the same fate. We need to<br />
look to China and model our economies around theirs,<br />
because they have become the strongest economy in<br />
the world and it didn’t happen by chance. We need to<br />
look closely at what they did in order to attain such<br />
a lofty height and then reproduce it in every state<br />
across the federation. <strong>The</strong> governments (both state<br />
and federal) need to look at alternative ways of raising<br />
revenue instead of borrowing. We need to stop running<br />
to the World Bank and the IMF each time we need<br />
money because they’re slowly getting us into massive<br />
debts which our children and grandchildren will have<br />
to contend with. Debt is bondage, and borrower will<br />
always be the slave of the lender.<br />
I repeat, we need to look at China and study what<br />
they did. <strong>The</strong>y stayed away from the two evils (World<br />
Bank and the IMF) and simply went into manufacturing<br />
and as a consequence they have become the market<br />
of the world. Everything we use is made in China.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y manufactured their way to the top of the food<br />
chain and now the whole world is at their feet. <strong>The</strong>y’re<br />
so rich that even America owes them over a Trillion<br />
$dollars. Isn’t it ironic that America (the country that<br />
prints and owns the $dollar) owes China $1 Trillion<br />
dollars? This is the reality of the modern world and<br />
America is becoming the economic laughing stock of<br />
the world.
As I sit and write this article the entire American<br />
government is at a standstill because their congress<br />
cannot agree on the contents of the budget and as such<br />
President Obama cannot sign it and authorise funds to<br />
be sent to government agencies. America is falling and<br />
Nigeria and the rest of Africa better move out of the<br />
way before America falls on top of their heads.<br />
This wealth of experience in the importance of<br />
minerals to the next global economy is what his Excellency<br />
Musa Mohammed Sada continues to share with<br />
Nigerians, and he has made his own people of Katsina<br />
extremely proud in the process. Katsina continues to<br />
produce many other great public servants such as His<br />
Excellency Ibrahim Shema, an outstanding governor<br />
whose tireless work in service of the people of Katsina<br />
speaks for itself. Katsina has undergone a complete remodelling<br />
and the citizens of the state are seeing with<br />
their own eyes and are fully partaking in the dividends<br />
of democracy.<br />
Musa Mohammed Sada’s<br />
credentials and history in public<br />
service speak for themselves<br />
and he will bring his vast transformational<br />
leadership experience<br />
which he has gleaned over<br />
30 years in both the private as<br />
well as the public sector, to any<br />
future role he is called upon to<br />
play in Nigeria’s development.<br />
He is a man of the people and<br />
God has endowed him with a<br />
listening ear. He leads with humility<br />
and empathy and he feels<br />
the pain of those who have less.<br />
58<br />
His plan to reduce unemployment, reduce crime<br />
and empower the youths through his charitable deeds,<br />
will completely transform the destiny of thousands of<br />
ordinary residents in his home state of Katsina.<br />
People can only rise as high<br />
as the leader they’re following,<br />
and when you have<br />
leadership capital such as the<br />
likes of Musa Mohammed<br />
Sada at the helms, then the<br />
sky is the limit for what the<br />
ordinary people can achieve.<br />
He is a visionary leader who<br />
has the well being and prosperity<br />
of his people as his<br />
primary objective. Join me<br />
in honouring an outstanding<br />
public servant whose candle<br />
continues to shine brighter<br />
and brighter as he pursues his<br />
dream to touch the lives of<br />
ordinary people through his<br />
philanthropic and charitable<br />
initiatives, a man known to<br />
his family as Musa Mohammed<br />
Sada but to us he is simply<br />
known as “<strong>The</strong> Diamond<br />
of Katsina”.
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Mish Aviation Flying School<br />
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Block 4, Flat 1,<br />
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<strong>The</strong> great people of Anambra state in the South-<br />
Eastern geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic<br />
of Nigeria have produced many outstanding public<br />
servants who have done them and the entire nation<br />
of Nigeria extremely proud. <strong>The</strong>y produced the first<br />
ever President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His<br />
Excellency Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (RIP), Professor Chinua<br />
Achebe (arguably one of the finest writers of his<br />
generation), Alex Ekwueme (Former Vice President of<br />
Nigeria), Charles Chukwuma Soludo (Former Governor<br />
of the Central bank of Nigeria), Emeka Anyaoku<br />
(the first black secretary general of the commonwealth),<br />
Dora Akunyili ( the former head of NAFDAC<br />
whose tireless efforts to fight the importation of fake<br />
medicines into Nigeria saved the Nigerian healthcare<br />
system), Nwafor Orizu (the first ever senate president<br />
of the Federal republic of Nigeria) and Chinyelu Onwarah<br />
a British politician and first ever female member<br />
of the British Parliament of African descent.<br />
Once again Anambra state has produced another<br />
outstanding public servant, a woman who is on a<br />
mission to reclaim Nigeria’s aviation glory. Stella<br />
Oduah- Ogiemwonyi comes from a prestigious royal<br />
family. She is the daughter of Igwe D.O Oduah of<br />
Akili-Ozizor in the Ogbaru Local Government area<br />
of Anambra state. As a child Princess Stella excelled<br />
academically, and her desire for learning was what<br />
propelled her to the United States of America where<br />
she acquired a Bachelors degree in Accounting and<br />
a Masters in Business administration (MBA) respectively.<br />
It is indeed an open secret that Nigeria almost be-<br />
63<br />
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
came the laughing stock of Africa because of the poor<br />
state of the nations Aviation sector. Nigerians both at<br />
home and in the Diaspora were becoming so ashamed<br />
of the state of their airports, coupled with the fact that<br />
we no longer had a national airline. All indications<br />
suggested that as far as air travel was concerned, Nigeria<br />
was a failed state. From decaying airports right<br />
through to a non-existent national airline, it is fair to<br />
say that for a Nation which is reputed to be the biggest<br />
producer of crude oil in Africa and certainly it’s most<br />
populated, we had a lot to live up to.<br />
It is also projected that by 2015 Nigeria will overtake<br />
South Africa as the Continent’s largest economy. We<br />
are indeed a mighty nation, and to think that without<br />
a steady supply of electricity and almost 20 years of<br />
military miss rule, we have managed to become the<br />
African economic super power. What then will we<br />
achieve as a nation when the foundational necessities<br />
of industrialization such as steady electricity, a national<br />
rail system, a robust healthcare system, a reformed<br />
academic system and major investments in Agriculture<br />
(at least 20% of GDP) are fully in place? We will<br />
become the envy of the world.<br />
However, such great fete’s can only be accomplished<br />
when competent public servants are installed<br />
in their rightful positions. On the 2nd of July 2011 His<br />
Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan,<br />
having looked at the poor and rapidly decaying<br />
state of the Nigerian aviation industry made a decision<br />
that will forever transform that industry. He installed<br />
Her Excellency Stella Oduah Ogiemwoni as the Nigerian<br />
Minister of Aviation.
Prior to her appointment as Minister of Aviation,<br />
Princess Stella was the CEO of Sea Petroleum and<br />
Gas (SPG) Nigeria limited, a major player in the<br />
downstream oil sector and it was a company that she<br />
started after spending almost a decade as an executive<br />
in NNPC.<br />
When she first took the helms<br />
of leadership in the Ministry of<br />
aviation, many criticised her appointment<br />
because they felt that<br />
they were more qualified and experienced<br />
Nigerians who should<br />
have been given the position.<br />
However, with just 2 years in the<br />
job, many of her critics have suddenly<br />
become mute because her<br />
works are indeed speaking for<br />
themselves. <strong>The</strong> revamping of the<br />
International airports and the<br />
construction of over a dozen new<br />
ones across the federation have<br />
shown that she is truly a visionary<br />
leader who understood only<br />
too well the impact that overcongestion<br />
was having on the few<br />
functional international airports<br />
in the country.<br />
This arduous task to build world class international<br />
airports in the six geopolitical zones of the Federation<br />
will not only create thousands of jobs for the indigenes<br />
of those zones, but will also create an avenue for rev-<br />
64<br />
enue diversification, because an international airport<br />
impacts many other sectors of the economy such as<br />
hospitality, tourism and retail. Princess Stella Oduah<br />
has only been in this exalted position for 2 years and<br />
her proverbial “hand writing” is already on the wall.<br />
<strong>The</strong>refore, I am equally optimistic about the resurrection<br />
of our National airlines. I, just like many other<br />
well meaning Nigerians would love to see Nigerian<br />
Airways resuscitated, revived, reformed, re-born or<br />
any other form of “re” that will cause it to return unto<br />
our skies, and I sincerely hope that this is on the horizon.<br />
As a nation, we are rich enough (both in human as<br />
well as in economic resources) to build a world class<br />
airline which is fully owned and fully operated by<br />
Nigerians. We don’t need Engineers from China and<br />
pilots from America to run our airlines because we<br />
have well trained Engineers and Pilots of Nigerian<br />
ancestry both at home and in the Diaspora who are<br />
well able to run our national airline. Princess Stella,<br />
our beloved Sister, you are making us proud, please<br />
keep up the great work, and may Nigerians see and appreciate<br />
your tireless effort to breathe new life into our<br />
aviation sector.<br />
Leadership isn’t easy and people<br />
rarely take the time to assess the<br />
real situation of things, they simply<br />
jump on the critical “bandwagon”<br />
and begin to unleash<br />
their venoms of insults and verbal<br />
abuse upon their latest victim.<br />
It is an open secret that I am not an “Obama” fan. I<br />
don’t like his politics or the corresponding policies<br />
which proceed from them but I sincerely believe that<br />
some of the criticisms and verbal assaults that segments<br />
of the American press have unleashed on him<br />
are unfair, especially as it relates to the economy.
Political leadership is a relay race, and at the end of<br />
one person’s tenure another leader is elected and handed<br />
the Batten of leadership, and we all know the state<br />
of the American economy when President Obama took<br />
over don’t we? America (thanks to George Bush) was<br />
in an economic crisis which was threatening to destabilise<br />
the entire global economy. So when Obama<br />
took over as President, he immediately went to work<br />
in an attempt to revive the American economy. Now,<br />
whether he has done a good job or not is a different<br />
story but many Americans feel that the quantitative<br />
easing exercises are helping, although anybody with<br />
even a basic knowledge of economics can see right<br />
through it and know that with each new Dollar bill that<br />
is created out of thin air, the overall value of the dollar<br />
goes down, but that is a discussion for another day.<br />
Now, what was the condition of the Nigerian aviation<br />
sector prior to Her Excellency Princess Stella Oduah-<br />
Ogiemwonyi’s appointment as Minister? It was comatose?<br />
A completely lifeless and visionless sector which<br />
lacked any form of direction, and yet just 2 years into<br />
65<br />
her tenure we have seen the remarkable transformation<br />
which is taking place in the aviation industry.<br />
For some Nigerians that change is not happening fast<br />
enough, and thus they have decided to overlook the<br />
positive and dwell on sheer negativity, and this was<br />
why I asked the former question regarding the state of<br />
the sector prior to Princess Stella’s appointment.<br />
As a nation, we need to learn the art of appreciation,<br />
especially when it comes to public servants who<br />
are pulling their weight and fighting tooth and nail to<br />
make a difference in their sectors instead of simply<br />
just looking for how to pull them down with our nasty<br />
comments and counterproductive rhetoric.<br />
We have to judge situations with an unbiased mind<br />
and critically appraise each person’s work honestly<br />
and without partiality. Like I said before and I believe<br />
it’s worth repeating, the state of the aviation sector<br />
prior to Princess Stella’s appointment was abysmal.
She practically had to start from scratch to rebuild the<br />
sector because there was no structure in place which<br />
she could leapfrog from, and in just 2 short years she<br />
has transformed the industry and set very achievable<br />
goals for the next 2 years to consolidate her efforts<br />
thus far. Now we can all sit here and pontificate about<br />
this, that and the other, and complain about the pace<br />
of development till we’re blue in the face, but the fact<br />
still remains that her work thus far is evident and visible<br />
to all who choose to see, and therefore she should<br />
be commended and congratulated for a job well done.<br />
I don’t know when encouraging a public official who<br />
is working tirelessly to do her position justice became<br />
a Federal crime? With all that the Fashola administration<br />
has done in Lagos State, there are still many<br />
voices who cannot help but find something to malign<br />
him with. From high taxation, to the increasing debt<br />
burden of the state, Fashola’s critics seem to be having<br />
a field day maligning his efforts and they’re attempting<br />
to dismiss all his labours as Governor of Lagos as<br />
superficial. This is the reality for public office holders<br />
in Nigeria, it is practically a thankless job and<br />
anybody who embarks a mission to become a public<br />
office holder must have an extremely thick skin, and<br />
be able to ignore their critics whilst remaining focused<br />
on the job at hand.<br />
As a Nigerian, I am proud of the<br />
exceptional work that Princess<br />
Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi has<br />
done since assuming office, and<br />
I look forward with great eagerness<br />
to what she will accomplish<br />
for Nigerians in the next 2 years.<br />
Let us learn to appreciate our<br />
public servants and extend them<br />
the same curtsey which we would<br />
66<br />
want extended to ourselves. No<br />
human being is flawless, we all<br />
have our shortcomings and our<br />
weaknesses, but if we learn to<br />
overlook them and focus on our<br />
collective strengths, then there<br />
is nothing we will not be able to<br />
achieve as a nation.<br />
Princess Stella, thank you for<br />
breathing new life into our aviation<br />
sector. You have started<br />
well and we believe that you will<br />
equally end well. Thank you once<br />
again for being the proverbial<br />
“wind beneath our wings”. May<br />
God bless you.
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restaurants and other public buildings. Through functional and innovative Architectural and Interior<br />
design, skillful workmanship and professionalism in Project Execution, we bring life and unique<br />
character to every Project we undertake. We pride ourselves in our paying attention to detail, and<br />
maintaining a longstanding relationship with our clientele, long after project completion. We aim at<br />
raising the standard for Functional Design and Interior Architecture in terms of design, choice of<br />
finishes, detailed workmanship as evident in our projects affordable luxury. We're young, skilled<br />
professionals and we are at your service.<br />
67<br />
Architect HAMSATU ALIYU<br />
C.E.O EDEN SIGNATURE LTD<br />
ABUJA, NIGERIA.<br />
Email: hamsatu@edensignature.com<br />
Telephone: +234-8074709898
Far too many people in the world stake their future and indeed the future of their families on the illusion<br />
known as paper or fiat currency which is popularly known as legal tender. Paper money, which isn’t backed or<br />
under-girded by anything, is nothing but an accident waiting to happen. <strong>The</strong>re was a time when printed paper<br />
money was backed by Gold and it was called the Gold standard. For every $dollar of printed money that was in<br />
circulation there was a $dollar’s worth of Gold set aside to guarantee it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> American government gradually removed the $dollar from the Gold standard until they abolished it completely.<br />
Today the $dollar is not backed by anything, and with America’s debt situation spiralling out of control<br />
with debt figures approaching £20 Trillion $dollar’s, it is only a matter of time before the dollar crashes completely.<br />
<strong>The</strong> only reason why the dollar has not collapsed is because it is still the currency of international trade, but<br />
even that has not shielded it from the economic quagmire of devaluation and diminishing buying power which<br />
as clearly demonstrated in the table below.<br />
69<br />
Table showing the devaluation of the American dollar over a 100 year period
From the table you can see how the American dollar<br />
has depreciated in “real” value i:e purchasing power<br />
by over 25 times. For example, what $1 dollar could<br />
buy in 1900 now requires $25 dollars, or to put it in a<br />
real scenario, if you wanted to buy a house which cost<br />
$1 million dollars in 1900 today,<br />
it will cost you $25 million dollars.<br />
Many people seem to believe<br />
that the more “paper” money<br />
they have in their bank accounts,<br />
vaults, mattresses and safes, the<br />
more economically secure they<br />
will be and yet that assumption<br />
couldnt be further from the truth.<br />
Paper money is not wealth, it is a<br />
means of exchange which means<br />
that it can be used to purchase<br />
wealth. So if paper money isnt<br />
wealth then what is?<br />
Wealth is any asset which has the inherent ability to<br />
maintain its value over several generations. <strong>The</strong> greatest<br />
form of wealth known to Man is “land”. It was<br />
Mark Twain the famous American poet who said and I<br />
quote “Buy land because they’re not making anymore<br />
of it”.<br />
In communities all over the world the value of land<br />
continues to increase from generation to generation.<br />
What your Grandfather paid for a plot of land in 1930<br />
is certainly not what you and I would pay for that<br />
same piece of land today. So if land is valuable then<br />
so is anything built<br />
upon that land. This<br />
now leads me to the<br />
ultimate wealth preservation<br />
vehicle “property”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> demand for<br />
housing in Nigeria far<br />
outstrips the supply<br />
and this is what has<br />
fuelled the exponential<br />
growth we are seeing<br />
in the real estate sector.<br />
Houses which were<br />
sold last year for N20<br />
million naira are being sold for N40 million a year<br />
later. It is an open secret that Nigeria has one of the<br />
fastest growing real estate sectors in the world and this<br />
is just the beginning.<br />
With a teeming young population which makes up<br />
75% of our 180 million population, the growth in the<br />
real estate market has only just begun.<br />
We are a professional real estate development and management company and our services are second to<br />
none. We will hedge your paper money against currency devaluation through the construction, rental and management<br />
of exquisite apartment blocks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> services we provide are as follows;<br />
• We source the land<br />
• We design the apartment block (Minimum of 12 apartments)<br />
• We build/construct the apartment block<br />
• We seek tenants for the apartments<br />
• We rent out and manage them on your behalf<br />
• You must simply seek back and watch your investment grow<br />
70
Our bespoke development model works perfectly on the Airport road axis of Abuja, and here we will develop<br />
the following for our clients;<br />
• 12 (3 Bedroom apartments)<br />
• Fully furnished<br />
• Swimming pool<br />
• Tenis court<br />
• Gymnasium<br />
• Corporate rental<br />
• N1.5 Million rental income per apartment<br />
• We will build this development for N250 Million<br />
71
Upon completion each Apartment will have a market value of<br />
N35 Million Naira, making the entire development value<br />
including swimming pool N500 Million.<br />
For an investment of N250 Million, We will build you an<br />
apartment block valued at N500 Million and giving you an<br />
annual rental income of N18 Million.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is only one place where you can secure your cash and<br />
that place is real estate<br />
. For further details kindly contact us;<br />
Mr Paul Okade jr<br />
Email: napoleoninvestments@gmail.com<br />
73
By Paul Okade jr and Ibrahim Mohammed<br />
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and<br />
then seek to win” Sun Tzu (Chinese military strategist)<br />
Many people desire to enter the Nigerian political terrain and become House of Reps members,<br />
Senators and Governors without adequate planning. It is often said and rarely refuted that<br />
“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”.<br />
74
Sun Tzu, one of the greatest military and political strategists of all time, has truly said it all in the opening<br />
quote stated above. Victory belongs to the person who wins the battle long before the fight even starts but in<br />
order for that to happen, you must be in possession of a winning strategy.<br />
What is strategy? Strategy with the Synonyms strategics-tactics is a plan of action or policy designed to achieve<br />
a major or overall aim.<br />
As a company we are experienced in the development and design of winning political strategies. We intertwine<br />
our knowledge of grass roots politics with modern technology to deliver strategic political master plans<br />
totally capable of winning any election. Our services are as follows;<br />
Our research team will conduct an indepth study of each of the local government areas in your state in order<br />
to ascertain important demographic data that will give you a significant advantage over your competitors.<br />
We will design an action plan for you which will enable you to penetrate effectively all the local government<br />
areas in your state with your campaign message.<br />
75
Social media has become such a dominant force in the world today and it is the biggest “opinion shaping”<br />
medium currently in existence. <strong>The</strong> youth (people below 30 years of age) make up 70% of Nigeria’s population<br />
and tens of millions of Nigerians are now on social media.<br />
It has indeed become an inescapable reality. We will design and update your social media content and integrate<br />
it with your website in order for you to stay connected to voters and all your state indigenes both at home and in<br />
the Diaspora. You will win the social media campaign war.<br />
76
A world class website for a political aspirant is no longer optional. As I stated previously, Nigeria is now a<br />
youth driven nation with 70% of the population below 30 years of age and multiplied millions now have access<br />
to the internet. We will design a world class website worthy of a political aspirant and the site will include the<br />
following; social media integration, an SMS and voice message application, an interactive blog(video +written),<br />
a full presentation of your vision and reason for seeking political office, your bio and so much more. Your<br />
web visitors will have a world class web experience and will be able to interact with you, ask you questions and<br />
comment on articles, speeches and political events taking place during your campaign.<br />
77
What is the point of having a great vision or idea which you are unable to write down for your target audience<br />
to read and to follow? Do not worry, we will take charge of all your speech writing and article writing requirements,<br />
and we will write world class articles and speeches for you that will touch the hearts of your target audience<br />
and propel them to rally round and support your political ambition. We will also publish your articles and<br />
speeches in our monthly political magazine titled “THE <strong>POLITICIAN</strong>”.<br />
78
After writing a brilliant speech for you, we won’t just simply give it to you and leave you in limbo. We will<br />
also teach how to deliver the speech effectively in order for the written words to have the maximum amount of<br />
impact on your listeners. Speeches are not just about “what” you say, but “how” you say it. We will teach you<br />
the art of great speech making.<br />
As a political aspirant in this modern age it is more than likely that you will be called upon to attend a television<br />
interview. We will prepare you thoroughly via role plays for the interview, so that when the time comes you<br />
will be fully prepared to answer every question in a relaxed and yet competent manner.<br />
79
We all know that political campaigns cost money, and the last thing a political aspirant wants to do is to enter<br />
naively into a campaign without knowing exactly how much he or she would need to spend in order to have a<br />
successful political outing. Our budgeting department will design a financial plan for you that will allow you to<br />
implement your campaign strategies effectively in order for your campaign to be a success.<br />
80
When one person can wear the number of hats worn<br />
by Her Excellency Senator Aisha Jummai-Al Hassan,<br />
you instantly take notice and ask yourself a very<br />
poignant question; who is she, where does she come<br />
from and what makes her tick? In 2011 Aisha Jummai<br />
won the PDP senatorial primaries after defeating<br />
the incumbent Manzo Anthony in a fiercely contested<br />
primary which has gone down in the history of Taraba<br />
state as one of the most prolific political contests in<br />
modern times.<br />
Taraba north which is made up of Jalingo, Yorro,<br />
Zing, Karim-Lamido, Lau and Ardo-Kola local government<br />
areas became a political battleground, and<br />
through superior political intuition and sheer determination,<br />
Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan saw off all competition<br />
and<br />
clinched the<br />
seat decisively.<br />
Today, 2 years<br />
into her Senatorial<br />
position her<br />
great works are<br />
indeed speaking<br />
for themselves.<br />
She has represented<br />
her<br />
people with<br />
great dignity<br />
and class. Tirelessly<br />
she works<br />
day and night<br />
to ensure that the civil rights of ordinary people are<br />
protected. Aisha Jummai is a Lawyer by training and<br />
prior to her ascension into political life, she was a devout<br />
and committed civil servant. She was the former<br />
Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of<br />
Taraba state and also the former chief registrar of the<br />
High court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. She<br />
hails from an outstanding political family. Her brother<br />
Abdulazeez Ibrahim once held a Senatorial seat also.<br />
She is an industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist<br />
whose sole desire is to improve the living standards of<br />
all the residents of Taraba state.<br />
Her exposure to the Judiciary, business and politics<br />
83<br />
She is a grass roots politician who<br />
understands the needs of the common<br />
man and has devised an action plan<br />
that will completely eradicate poverty<br />
and injustice in Taraba North local<br />
government area. An outstanding<br />
public servant on an unstoppable mission<br />
to be the voice of the voice-less,<br />
and bringing light where there was<br />
once darkness and prosperity instead<br />
of poverty and peace instead of chaos.<br />
BY PAUL OKADE Jr<br />
has given her exceptional qualities which she is currently<br />
using to represent her people at the senate. Her<br />
leadership experience is undeniable and her desire<br />
to help the poor and the needy of Taraba state is well<br />
evidenced by her own efforts in the state. She is a<br />
grass roots politician who understands the needs of the<br />
common man and has devised an action plan that will<br />
completely eradicate poverty and injustice in Taraba<br />
North local government area. An outstanding public<br />
servant on an unstoppable mission to be the voice of<br />
the voice-less, and bringing light where there was once<br />
darkness and prosperity instead of poverty and peace<br />
instead of chaos.<br />
Aisha Jummai is a political change agent who has<br />
been commissioned by the divine to be the saviour of<br />
her people. As religious as<br />
many Nigerians may be, they<br />
cannot deny the fact that<br />
God uses people as instruments<br />
of assistance i:e that<br />
God uses people to answer<br />
other peoples prayers, and<br />
when a leader whose sole<br />
desire is to better the lives of<br />
her people, then it can truly<br />
be said that such an individual<br />
was truly sent from<br />
above. Nigerians as a whole<br />
are crying out for leadership.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y want to be led<br />
by somebody who actually<br />
cares about them and their<br />
children, somebody who has<br />
not only good intentions, but<br />
the corresponding strategy necessary in order to make<br />
those good intentions a reality.<br />
We must realise that there is a world of difference<br />
between politics and governance and even if we have<br />
a leader who has incredible attributes that will enable<br />
him or her to govern well, if that leader isn’t well<br />
versed in the art of politics then he or she will not be<br />
able to govern effectively, and in some extreme cases<br />
they won’t be able to govern at all.
What is politics? It comes from the Greek word<br />
politikos and is defined as “the practice and theory<br />
of influencing people on a civic or individual level”.<br />
Governance however comes from the Greek word Kubernao<br />
and it simply means to steer, direct and effectively<br />
manage something. But my question is simple;<br />
how can you steer something that you have not yet<br />
influenced? This is the reason why individuals with<br />
this dual ability are the types of leaders desperately<br />
needed in Nigeria today, and Senator Aisha Jummai<br />
Al-Hassan embodies both qualities completely.<br />
As a politician she is first class and she demonstrated<br />
especially during her grass roots campaign to become<br />
the Senator for Taraba North that she knows how to<br />
influence people effectively and caused them to rally<br />
behind her and support her cause. In business and in<br />
all her entrepreneurial endeavours, she has demonstrated<br />
incredible management and leadership qualities<br />
which have strengthened her ability to govern, and to<br />
become an effective manager of both human as well as<br />
financial resources.<br />
She exemplifies a courageous heart and as Aristotle<br />
one of the greatest philosophers of all time said and<br />
I quote “Courage is the first of human qualities<br />
because it is the quality which guarantees the others”.<br />
It takes the personal conviction of one’s intentions<br />
and a courageous disposition, to embark on a<br />
political career in Nigeria. Senator Aisha Jummai<br />
Al-Hassan is a political trailblazer who continues<br />
to serve her people with dignity and with the highest<br />
level of integrity. She is a role model to women<br />
nationwide and a credit to the great people of Taraba<br />
state; a truly remarkable Nigerian Politician, lawyer,<br />
business woman and philanthropist who feels the pain<br />
and struggle of the common man, and works day and<br />
night seeking for ways to alleviate the sufferings of the<br />
masses. We are highly expectant and unequivocally<br />
convinced that the future has only great things in store<br />
for this remarkable public servant and humanitarian<br />
whose life is impacting thousands of people in and out<br />
of Taraba state. She is truly an “exceptional leader”.<br />
She is a role model to women nationwide and a credit to<br />
the great people of Taraba state; a truly remarkable<br />
Nigerian Politician, lawyer, business woman and<br />
philanthropist who feels the pain and struggle of the<br />
common man, and works day and night seeking for ways<br />
to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.<br />
84
One cannot ignore the reality of the tribal, religious<br />
and ethnic divides which exist across our beloved<br />
Nigeria. We call ourselves “Nigerians” in public, but<br />
in private we retreat back into our ethnic enclaves and<br />
speak about other Nigerians of differing ethnicities as<br />
though they’re from another planet. Whilst the majority<br />
of Nigerians would never even contemplate the idea<br />
of dissolution, voices still exist in our nation whose<br />
prayers and wishes are centred around the division of<br />
Nigeria. While their rationale for such a disposition<br />
may well be valid, it isn’t the wish of the majority of<br />
Nigerians who have embraced the idea of a united<br />
Nigeria.<br />
By Paul Okade<br />
On the 1st of October 1979 President Olusegun<br />
Obasanjo peacefully handed the reins of power to the<br />
democratically elected government of President Shehu<br />
Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Several<br />
years later the military intervened once again and<br />
ousted President Shagari in 1983. It would be another<br />
16 years before Nigerians would be given the opportunity<br />
to elect/choose their own leader. <strong>The</strong>y say that<br />
lightening does not strike in the same place twice but<br />
on the 29th of May 1999 that myth was forever disproved<br />
by the emergence of President Obasanjo as the<br />
overall winner of the presidential elections with over<br />
62% of the votes.<br />
How does one even begin to unite a country with<br />
over 200 different ethnic groups and languages with<br />
varying religious beliefs such as Islam, Christianity,<br />
Traditional/native religions, sorcery and witchcraft,<br />
as well as the Polytheist’s who also are amongst us?<br />
What type of personality would such an individual be<br />
who would even attempt such an audacious task?<br />
In 1999 our nation transitioned into a democracy after<br />
years of military rule, and the Man who was divinely<br />
selected to lead this democratic renaissance was none<br />
other than a former military head of state during the<br />
1st republic President Olusegun Mathew Obasanjo. He<br />
first took the helms of national leadership on the 13th<br />
of February 1976 when the Supreme Military Council<br />
appointed him as Head of State after he restored order<br />
and security in the nation by arresting the perpetrators<br />
of the coup attempt of 1976 which culminated in the<br />
assassination of General Murtala Muhammed the then<br />
Military head of state.<br />
86<br />
Once again the man who saved the country in 1976<br />
and peacefully transitioned the nation into a democracy<br />
3 years later, was at the helm of national affairs.<br />
But what condition was Nigeria in when President<br />
Obasanjo became its President once again? After<br />
16 years of military rule one could not blame many<br />
Nigerians for being cautiously optimistic, because as<br />
far as they were concerned the Nigerian nation was no<br />
longer a reality, and the country had descended into a<br />
freefall of every man for himself. However, the nation<br />
was in for a huge surprise because as history will now<br />
read, the Obasanjo Presidency was marked with one<br />
success story after another.<br />
<strong>The</strong> national debt was paid off, GSM licences were<br />
granted and the telecoms industry became a major sector<br />
of our economy leading to the creation of hundreds<br />
of thousands of jobs, the Nigerian Stock exchange was<br />
revitalised, Banks flourished, the Real Estate market<br />
experienced a boom which still continues till today.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was equal representation in the corridors of<br />
power for all ethnic groups,
Nigeria became the investment hub of Africa as<br />
foreign investors flocked to our shores and sunk billions<br />
of dollars into our economy due to the enabling<br />
entrepreneurial environment that was created by the<br />
President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.<br />
Women took their rightful places as leaders of several<br />
government ministries, Nigerians in the Diaspora<br />
began to shut up shop and return home to take advantage<br />
of the countless economic opportunities that were<br />
now available, and many of them have never looked<br />
back.<br />
Both Citigroup and the World Bank gave the Nigerian<br />
economy a clean bill of health and cited that Nigeria<br />
was the nation to watch with regards to economic<br />
supremacy in the new markets.<br />
Over and above this catalogue<br />
of achievements by the President<br />
Olusegun Obasanjo administration,<br />
the greatest fete of his administration<br />
has to be the creation and preservation<br />
of the unity of Nigeria.<br />
A kingdom divided against itself<br />
cannot stand, irrespective of the<br />
vast natural and human resource<br />
that such a kingdom might possess.<br />
Even in a family unit which sociology<br />
describes as the smallest unit of<br />
socialisation, there cannot be progress<br />
and prosperity outside of unity.<br />
Nigeria has never lagged in potential<br />
or in economic possibility.<br />
We are a nation that has been blessed by God with<br />
unprecedented Natural and human resources and with<br />
a population fast approaching 200 million, it is truly<br />
an entrepreneur’s wet dream. 200 million people who<br />
need to be fed, clothed, educated, housed and entertained,<br />
and the entrepreneurs that can supply those<br />
needs to the population will prosper, and are indeed<br />
prospering beyond their wildest dreams. Look around<br />
you, the Indians, the Chinese, the Europeans and<br />
Americans are flocking to our shores in order to capitalise<br />
on this economic renaissance, and the Lebanese<br />
have practically made Nigeria their home because they<br />
know that they cannot prosper in Lebanon in the manner<br />
with which they are doing in Nigeria.<br />
President Obasanjo fought tireless for the preservation<br />
of our national unity via the strategy of political<br />
inclusion. He made sure that all the ethnic/geopolitical<br />
zones across the nation where fairly/proportionately<br />
represented and that the proverbial “national cake”<br />
was evenly distributed across the states.<br />
<strong>The</strong> principles of fairness and equity where the hallmarks<br />
of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and in<br />
2007 when his tenure had ended, he once again demonstrated<br />
his passion for unity and national tranquillity<br />
by supporting a candidate of Northern extraction to<br />
contest the PDP presidential primaries, that candidate<br />
not only won the primaries but he later went on to win<br />
the Presidential elections in 2007. Without compromise<br />
there can be no unity and those who refuse the<br />
see the wisdom of the unofficial “zoning” arrangement<br />
do not have the interest of Nigeria at heart.<br />
<strong>The</strong> divine wisdom, with which President Obasanjo<br />
regularly functioned in, is what saved our union and<br />
kept the nation united. One tribe/ethnic group cannot<br />
hope to govern peacefully if they don’t recognise the<br />
leadership qualities/potentials in neighbouring tribes.<br />
Every ethnic group in Nigeria has something to contribute<br />
towards the leadership of the nation and the<br />
recognition of this truth and its pragmatic implementation<br />
by the Obasanjo administration was what secured<br />
forever the oneness of Nigeria.<br />
88
Women took their rightful places as leaders of several<br />
government ministries<br />
<strong>The</strong> national debt was paid off<br />
89<br />
GSM licences were granted and the telecoms<br />
industry became a major sector of our economy<br />
leading to the creation of hundreds of thousands of<br />
jobs
When the clarion call of duty is echoed across a nation<br />
very few have the audacity and courage of conviction<br />
to take the proverbial “Bull by the horn” and<br />
rise to the occasion. <strong>The</strong> majority seem to be content<br />
to dwell in a state of mediocrity and inactivity, where<br />
as the microscopic few, summon the courage and dare<br />
to believe the impossible, and pick up the gauntlet of<br />
sacrificial service for the sake of humanity.<br />
From the prestigious and royal family of Bashir Wali<br />
comes a man on a mission to transform the destiny<br />
of his beloved people of Kano State. Honourable Dr<br />
Zakari Mahe Bashir Wali embodies the spirit of political<br />
service like no other in his generation. He is a man<br />
whose heart and mind have been fully engaged in the<br />
service of his people. Integrity, hard work and philanthropy<br />
are his trademarks. He is a devout Muslim who<br />
follows closely all the tenets of Islam especially as<br />
they relate to the poor and the needy in society. It was<br />
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), that said<br />
and I quote “Do not turn away a poor man, even if all<br />
you can give him is half a date. If you love the poor<br />
and bring them near you, Allah will bring you near<br />
him on the day of Resurrection”.<br />
This burning desire to help his generation achieve<br />
great things was what informed his decision to contest<br />
for the Kano state house of assembly, and in 1999 he<br />
was elected as a member of the house. Such was the<br />
dedication and political brilliance that Honourable<br />
Zakari M B Wali brought to the Kano state house of<br />
assembly that it wasn’t long before the other members<br />
of the state house of assembly conferred on him<br />
the prestigious position of “Chief Whip”, a position<br />
he held for 4 years. He is an exceptional lawyer and<br />
public servant whose passion for service and love for<br />
the people of Kano are immeasurable.<br />
91<br />
By Paul Okade<br />
Once again he has responded to the cries of his<br />
people for effective representation at the federal level<br />
and as a consequence, he has decided to contest to<br />
become a member of the Federal House of Representatives<br />
in 2015. An audacious and bold step, but one is<br />
hardly surprised, because such great fete’s of courage<br />
and duty are exactly the stuff that his Excellency Honourable<br />
Zakari Mahe Bashir Wali is made of. He is a<br />
fearless go getter who is willing to climb any mountain<br />
and overcome every obstacle which may stand in<br />
the way whilst attempting to achieve his dreams.<br />
Kano State, the great centre of<br />
commerce has once again given Nigeria<br />
one of their greatest stars, a<br />
man poised to make history and<br />
redefine the practice of politics in<br />
Nigeria. He is a true democrat who<br />
believes wholeheartedly in the rule<br />
of law, justice and equity for all<br />
Nigerians irrespective of their geopolitical<br />
origins.<br />
I sincerely urge the great people of Kano state to get<br />
behind this great son of the soil and give him all the<br />
support and encouragement that he requires in order<br />
to achieve his goal of representing his people at the<br />
national level.
It was Caroline Kennedy the Daughter of John F Kennedy<br />
the late/former President of the United States of<br />
America who said and I quote “Sometimes it takes a<br />
while to recognize that someone has a special ability<br />
to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to<br />
our highest ideals and to imagine that together we can<br />
do great things. In those rare moments, when such a<br />
person comes along, we need to put aside our plans<br />
and reach for what we know is possible”.<br />
Honourable Zakari Mahe Bashir Wali symbolises everything<br />
that is good about the great kano people such<br />
as honesty, dedication, hard work, transparency and<br />
philanthropy. <strong>The</strong> people of Kano are one of the most<br />
hardworking and industrious people in the Federation,<br />
and their desire to succeed despite the odds was<br />
the catalyst that ignited the Kano renaissance which<br />
transformed Kano into an economic power house with<br />
a GDP bigger than several African nations.<br />
Kano is a land that produces political giants and Captains<br />
of industry whose impact can be felt across the<br />
globe, so therefore it is not surprising that once again a<br />
political giant is about to emerge from its loins. A true<br />
son of Kano state who carries his royal status with dignity<br />
and humility, a man destined to impact the lives<br />
of his people and set a new precedence for the practice<br />
of democracy in Nigeria.<br />
Please join me in celebrating a man who has been<br />
singled out by providence to carry the glorious torch<br />
of equity, unity and prosperity on behalf of the people<br />
of the industrious and hard working state of Kano to<br />
the Federal House of Representatives, Kano’s royal<br />
son, his Excellency Honourable Dr Zakari Mahe<br />
Bashir Wali, a man who I have aptly called “the<br />
rising star of Kano politics”.<br />
92
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Anybody who knows the history of Adama<br />
wa State doesn’t need to be told the record numbers<br />
of exceptional public servants who come there. From<br />
Politicians to technocrats and industrialists, Adamawa<br />
has numerous Sons and Daughters that are doing them<br />
and the nation as a whole extremely proud. It is therefore<br />
not a surprise that the state named after the great<br />
warrior Emir Modibbo Adama has once again given<br />
Nigeria one of its finest Military personnel.<br />
From the cradles of Vimtim in the Mubi North Local<br />
Government Area of Adamawa state cometh a<br />
distinguished gentleman of the highest integrity and<br />
bravery. Air Marshall Alexander Sabundu Badeh rose<br />
from obscurity to become the Chief of Air staff of the<br />
Federal Republic of Nigeria. His career spans well<br />
over 30 years, and in that time he has undergone training<br />
and instruction from some of the finest institutions<br />
in the world.<br />
He holds an MSC in strategic studies from the prestigious<br />
University of Ibadan, and his exceptional Piloting<br />
skills/training were honed at the world renowned<br />
Vance Air force base in the United States of America.<br />
He worked his way up the proverbial “ladder” and has<br />
held numerous positions within the air force such as<br />
fleet operations officer in the Presidential air fleet, and<br />
later he became the overall commander of the Presidential<br />
air fleet.<br />
He was appointed as Chief of Air staff of the Federal<br />
Republic of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan<br />
and he has not looked back since. Alex Sabundu<br />
Badeh is a strategic thinker, world class Pilot and a<br />
natural leader of Men. As impressive as his service in<br />
the national air force is, his philanthropy in his home<br />
state of Adamawa is just as outstanding. He is truly an<br />
unsung hero and because of his meek and calm nature,<br />
he has never sort the praises of men for his philanthropic<br />
work.<br />
Alex Sabundu Badeh embodies everything that<br />
is exceptional about our great nation. He has fully<br />
understood that success is more than the acquisition of<br />
personal wealth, but it is rather a function of charity<br />
and empathy for the poor and needy. Charity cer-<br />
95<br />
tainly begins at home and this was the reason why Air<br />
Marshall Alex Sabundu Badeh embarked on one of<br />
the most philanthropic missions ever witnessed in the<br />
history of Adamawa.<br />
From his borehole and clean water<br />
projects to his micro-Entrepreneurship<br />
endeavours, he is impacting<br />
the lives of hundreds of Adamawa<br />
indigenes. He is indeed a man with<br />
a big heart and this is only the beginning<br />
of the wonderful plans he<br />
has for his people.<br />
It is widely stated that the true definition of a leader is<br />
the person who is able to identify and meet the needs<br />
of those around him with dignity and honour, and<br />
Air Marshall A S Badeh certainly ticks the proverbial<br />
“boxes” of what a true leader is. We pray that God will<br />
continue to lift him higher and higher and put more<br />
resources into his hands in order for him to serve his<br />
people better.<br />
Often times it is human beings that are the answer<br />
to the prayers of other people, and when Men and<br />
Women who have a heart for the people are exalted<br />
and placed in positions of great wealth and authority,<br />
destinies are preserved. With almost 4 million people<br />
spread across 21 Local Government Area’s endowed<br />
with incredible skills in Agriculture and industry, Adamawa<br />
state has the potential to become an outstanding<br />
state in Nigeria.<br />
Air Marshall Alexander Sabundu Badeh, thank you<br />
for remembering your people and for having the empathy<br />
and human decency to give back to the poor and<br />
needy in Adamawa state. Hundreds of families have<br />
access to clean water, food, and hope for the future<br />
because of you. May God continue to strengthen,<br />
preserve and bless you in every way, because we know<br />
that this is only the beginning of your labours for your<br />
beloved people of Adamawa. We therefore join with<br />
all indigenes of Adamawa state to celebrate the life<br />
and achievements of one of their brightest stars, Air<br />
Marshall Alexander Sabundu Badeh“<strong>The</strong> Golden Son<br />
of Adamawa”.
From the cradles of Kaiama local government area of<br />
Kwara state cometh a man with a mission to liberate<br />
the great people of Kwara state from the shackles of<br />
poverty and destitution which has plagued the state for<br />
generations. Just like the historical account of Prophet<br />
Moses whom God sent to liberate his people from the<br />
grip of slavery and impoverishment, Abdullahi Sanusi<br />
Kaiama, a proud and loyal son of the great and<br />
harmonious people of kwara state has a burning and<br />
an unquenchable desire to take his<br />
people into the proverbial “promised<br />
land” flowing with peace,<br />
prosperity and overwhelming<br />
happiness. He has a robust and a<br />
well thought out plan to completely<br />
eradicate poverty and illiteracy<br />
from Kwara state and turn kwara<br />
into the most industrialized and<br />
literate state in the Federal republic<br />
of Nigeria.<br />
He plans to remove poverty and<br />
illiteracy in the rural communities through the orchestration<br />
of his micro-business model and the rural<br />
literacy initiative that his administration will launch.<br />
He is a visionary leader who understands only too<br />
well that poverty and illiteracy are the two biggest<br />
challenges facing far too many of his people and he is<br />
determined to stamp them out. Kwara has a population<br />
of 2.8 million people and many of them are domiciled<br />
in the rural communities with poor schools and few<br />
employment opportunities.<br />
As a successful business man and astute entrepreneur<br />
Abdullahi Sanusi Kaiama fully understands that<br />
the way to break the curse of poverty and bring his<br />
97<br />
By Paul Okade<br />
people into true and lasting prosperity is by training<br />
his people on how to run and manage micro-businesses,<br />
so that instead of them looking for a job, they will<br />
create their own jobs by becoming micro-entrepreneurs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> ancient proverb states and I quote “give a<br />
man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach him how<br />
to fish and he will eat for a life time” readily springs to<br />
mind.<br />
Abdullahi Sanusi Kaiama is a<br />
man who has ran an extremely<br />
successful oil and gas company<br />
for many years and therefore<br />
understands only too well the<br />
skills necessary in order to run a<br />
successful business, and he wants<br />
the opportunity if elected Governor<br />
of Kwara state, to pass these<br />
skills on to his people.<br />
We live in an economically<br />
driven world and the leader than<br />
can solve, once and for all, the<br />
economic challenges of his people and completely<br />
erase systemic and endemic poverty from their lives<br />
will certainly go down in history as the true “saviour<br />
of his people”. What is the job of a leader?<br />
Simply put, a leaders job is to identify the problems<br />
facing his people, organisation or any other entity that<br />
he has been mandated to lead, and then to apply the<br />
appropriate solutions necessary in order to solve those<br />
problems.<br />
Far too many leaders across our great federation are<br />
doing the exact opposite. <strong>The</strong>y don’t even know the<br />
“real” challenges facing the majority of the people<br />
with whom they have been elected to lead.
<strong>The</strong> minute they see a Governor in one state building<br />
an international airport, they too quickly jump on the<br />
band wagon and begin to build airports, even though<br />
that may not be the immediate need of their people.<br />
What is the point of spending billions and billions of<br />
Naira to build an international airport when well over<br />
half the population of your state cannot even afford 3<br />
square meals in a day? Who exactly did you build that<br />
airport for? Not for your people obviously, because<br />
your people certainly cannot afford the plane tickets,<br />
most of them are seeking for ways to put food on their<br />
tables and stay alive.<br />
only good intentions for his people and come 2015, if<br />
he is given the opportunity to lead his people, he will<br />
completely transform the destiny of Kwarans.<br />
With his agenda to completely eradicate poverty<br />
and illiteracy from the state and take his people into<br />
the promise land filled with happiness, prosperity and<br />
harmony, no child in Kwara state will ever go to bed<br />
hungry ever again. Any Man or Woman of working<br />
age will be empowered either by the micro-business<br />
initiative or by the employment opportunities that this<br />
initiative will provide.<br />
A friend of mine from a particular state told me<br />
about a road construction project that took place in<br />
one of the communities in his state in western Nigeria.<br />
<strong>The</strong> road project cost billions of Naira and yet very<br />
few people in that community even have a car. He said<br />
he has driven on that road several times when he visits<br />
his state and that you can be driving on that road for<br />
hours and not see a single car. <strong>The</strong> people in that community<br />
can hardly feed themselves so where exactly<br />
are they going to get money to buy a car when they<br />
can hardly feed themselves and their children?<br />
This is where Abdullahi Sanusi Kaiama is different,<br />
he exemplifies true leadership by identifying the real<br />
challenges that are facing his people and then applying<br />
the appropriate solutions.<br />
When the people of Kwara state come to understand<br />
the nature, integrity and sincerity of his noble Excellency<br />
Abdullahi Sanusi Kaiama, they will unanimously<br />
and wholeheartedly elect him as the Executive Governor<br />
of Kwara state in 2015. This visionary leader and<br />
widely exposed entrepreneur and business guru has<br />
98<br />
100,000 Kwarans will be trained in business and given<br />
microfinance loans to launch their businesses. Each of<br />
them will be mandated to grow their business to the<br />
point where they can employ at least 10 people over a 4<br />
year period and by doing this they will create 1 million<br />
brand new jobs for the great people of Kwara state.<br />
Now for a state which has a population of 2.8 million<br />
people, 1 million jobs will completely eradicate unemployment<br />
in the state. No state in Nigeria has ever<br />
achieved this, but this is what is waiting for the people<br />
of Kwara if they elect his Excellency Abdullahi Sanusi<br />
Kaiama as their Executive Governor in 2015.<br />
God has heard the cry of the great people of the Harmony<br />
state and has decided to send them a deliverer.<br />
Kwarans, the hour of your freedom and your prosperity<br />
has come, vote for change, vote for peace, vote for<br />
prosperity, vote for Abdullahi Sanusi Kaiama, THE<br />
MOSES OF KWARA PEOPLE.<br />
With his agenda to completely eradicate poverty and illiteracy<br />
from the state and take his people into the promise<br />
land filled with happiness, prosperity and harmony, no<br />
child in Kwara state will ever go to bed hungry ever again.<br />
Any Man or Woman of working age will be empowered either<br />
by the micro-business initiative or by the employment<br />
opportunities that this initiative will provide.
100
By Paul Okade Jr<br />
On the 5th of May 2010 Nigeria lost one of its<br />
greatest sons. President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua may<br />
only have led the nation for 24 months, but in that<br />
short space of time he exemplified leadership in its<br />
purest form and gave the nation a glimpse of what it<br />
could become. He was a selfless and a humble politician<br />
whose sole desire was to better the lives of all<br />
Nigerians irrespective of their religious dispositions or<br />
geopolitical origins.<br />
President Yar’Adua was born and raised as a Muslim,<br />
but he never allowed his religious beliefs to<br />
interfere with his politics because he understood that<br />
all Nigerians whether they’re Muslim, Christian,<br />
Traditionalists, Witches, Wizards, idolaters or any<br />
other belief are all human beings who require housing,<br />
healthcare, education and all other things necessary for<br />
human existence.<br />
This is the reason why racism, tribalism and all other<br />
ethnic divisions are truly the pastimes of the ignorant<br />
because irrespective of the colour of your skin, the<br />
language you speak or the religious belief you adhere<br />
to, we are all still God’s children and we all breathe<br />
the same air, drink the same water and aspire for the<br />
same things in life. We all want to see our children<br />
succeed, our elderly parents retired comfortably, and<br />
for wealth and health to be the proverbial “cushions”<br />
under our feet.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s nothing worse than an educated bigot, and<br />
such people should never be allowed to ascend the ladder<br />
of national politics. Tribalism and ethnic divisions<br />
shouldn’t have a place in Nigerian politics, because<br />
101<br />
every Nigerian should embrace and welcome each<br />
other and seek to find a common national expression.<br />
This is why Sport is so important? Because if there’s<br />
one thing about sport, especially football, it is that<br />
for those 90 minutes that those 22 players are on the<br />
pitch, people forget their religion, language and skin<br />
colour and become completely engrossed in the game.<br />
Even the most ardent racists in Great Britain that hate<br />
all things “Black”, suspend their racial prejudices for<br />
those 90 minutes, and if an African player happens to<br />
be the person who scores the winning goal, then as far<br />
as they’re concerned that player is no longer Black, he<br />
has now become one of them, a full British national<br />
lol.<br />
<strong>The</strong> day a match is lost however due to a mistake<br />
made by a Nigerian player, the same British public<br />
who were calling him British a moment ago will<br />
quickly remind that player of his Nigerian ancestry.<br />
Such is the power of sport. People get emotional over<br />
their football teams, and in Europe Football is fast<br />
becoming a religion and the players are the Prophets.<br />
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, our 13th President<br />
loved his country. He was a man of exceptional integrity<br />
and the first ever Governor in the history of Nigeria<br />
to declare his assets prior to assuming political office.<br />
He was born into a political family, his late Father<br />
was a former minister of Lagos in the first Republic<br />
and his older brother the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua<br />
was one of Nigeria’s first progressive politicians and<br />
leader of the Social Democratic Party, an organisation<br />
which sought to end military rule in Nigeria.
President Yar’Adua Governed Katsina state for 8<br />
years and his transformational leadership style was the<br />
catalyst for the vast economic growth which occurred<br />
during his tenure. He worked tirelessly to deliver the<br />
dividends of democracy to the people of Katsina, and<br />
earned his hereditary title of the Mutawalli of the Katsina<br />
Emirate, a prestigious title which once belonged<br />
to his late Father, a title which in English simply<br />
means “<strong>The</strong> custodian of the treasury”.<br />
On the 29th of May 2007 he was sworn in as the<br />
13th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and<br />
immediately he went to work. Several months into his<br />
Presidency, the world experienced one of the worst<br />
economic crisis in history, and Nigeria was not exempt<br />
from the fall out. Our capital market went into a freefall<br />
and the Naira was shaken to its core.<br />
<strong>The</strong> banks were exposed and several of them were<br />
found wanting. <strong>The</strong>ir CEO’s were removed, prosecuted<br />
and some were sent to Jail. It was a challenging<br />
time for the fragile Nigerian economy, but President<br />
Yar’Adua rose to the occasion and with the help of his<br />
very capable cabinet, he was able to save the Nigerian<br />
economy and currency from the economic abyss.<br />
Although his passing was a great loss to Nigeria, we<br />
are thankful to the Almighty God that we were able to<br />
experience (be it only for a short while) his incredible<br />
leadership style and his relentless efforts to keep the<br />
nation united.<br />
President Yar’Adua, though you’re no longer<br />
with us in the flesh, your spirit and the great works<br />
you accomplished in your life time continues<br />
to live on and Nigeria is a better country today<br />
because of your sacrificial and selfless service for<br />
the nation. Continue to rest in peace and know<br />
that even though you’re gone, you will never be<br />
forgotten.<br />
He was a selfless and a humble politician whose sole desire was to better the lives of all<br />
Nigerians irrespective of their religious dispositions or geopolitical origins. President<br />
Yar’Adua was born and raised as a Muslim, but he never allowed his religious beliefs<br />
to interfere with his politics because he understood that all Nigerians whether they’re<br />
Muslim, Christian, Traditionalists, Witches, Wizards, idolaters or any other belief<br />
are all human beings who require housing, healthcare, education and all other things necessary<br />
for human existence.<br />
102
103
104
Love him or hate him, the truth of the matter is that<br />
you certainly cannot ignore him. Many Nigerians are<br />
still wondering how Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu<br />
rose from extremely humble beginnings to become<br />
the most powerful politician in South-west Nigeria.<br />
Till date they’re still intense debates going on about<br />
his state of origin, parentage, his wealth and business<br />
interests and his relationship with an accounting firm<br />
charged with overseeing revenue collection in Lagos<br />
state. His leadership style is described by many to be<br />
“Machiavellian” at best and at worst “Orwellian”, but<br />
while his critics are on social media pontificating, the<br />
man who has come to be known as the “Asiwaju of<br />
lagos”, continues to expand his proverbial political<br />
empire.<br />
For me, even though I have also heard the above criticisms<br />
on numerous occasions, the reason why I don’t<br />
weigh in on them is simply because none of these<br />
accusations have ever been proven. So, for supposedly<br />
educated and exposed minds to condemn a man with<br />
whom no evidence of misconduct has ever been unearthed<br />
leaves little to be desired. I personally pay no<br />
mind to unfounded gossip and speculation which have<br />
nothing to substantiate them, because such a disposition<br />
is retrogressive and certainly doesn’t convey the<br />
educated mind which many of Tinubu’s critics claim<br />
to subscribe to.<br />
I will never forget the incidence which occurred on<br />
social media where a supposedly educated and exposed<br />
Nigerian domiciled in the United Kingdom was<br />
calling all Nigerian politicians corrupt, only for that<br />
same individual to be arrested by the British Police for<br />
105<br />
By Paul Okade Jr<br />
using somebody else’s documents to work, and for being<br />
an illegal immigrant in the UK. Isn’t it interesting<br />
how the same people who lied and cheated their way<br />
through their Visa applications in order to leave the<br />
country have now re-invented themselves as the moral<br />
compasses of the Nation?<br />
<strong>The</strong>y sit on social media from morning till night<br />
spouting their poisonous rhetoric against anything<br />
Nigerian, and yet many of them are overseas illegally,<br />
or conducted fake marriages in order to gain American<br />
and European citizenship, and daily they continue to<br />
lie to and deceive the authorities in their host communities.<br />
We also have many Nigerians at home who<br />
have also jumped on this band wagon and equally<br />
spend their days abusing politicians and calling them<br />
a bunch of thieves, and yet many of these same people<br />
got their jobs by nepotism, bribed their way through<br />
school and slept with lecturers in order to pass their<br />
exams. None of these acts are deemed corrupt in their<br />
eyes all they know is that politicians are corrupt.<br />
You studied fine art at university and yet<br />
you got a job as an account executive in a<br />
bank. What connection has a degree in fine<br />
art with banking? You got that job because<br />
you knew somebody in the bank and not because<br />
you were qualified for it. Is that not<br />
corruption? Oh I get it, when you do something<br />
wrong then “God understands”, but<br />
when a politician does it they’re corrupt.
It is this hypocrisy that is hindering true reformation<br />
across our Federation, because the sins which you accuse<br />
these politicians of committing are the very same<br />
sins that you also are committing, the only difference<br />
is that you’re an unknown person so nobody is blogging<br />
or tweeting about you. When we can agree as a<br />
nation that “corruption” is not only found in politics<br />
but in every sphere of society then we will begin to<br />
make changes, but as long as we keep pointing our<br />
“self righteous” holier than thou fingers at the political<br />
class, and forgetting that for every finger we’re pointing<br />
at them, 3 fingers and a thumb are pointing right<br />
back at us, we will not make true progress.<br />
Many Nigerians are in<br />
their homes praying that<br />
their Brother, Sister, Aunty,<br />
Uncle and School friend<br />
will be elected/selected<br />
into public office. Why<br />
are they so interested in<br />
somebody they know occupying<br />
a political position?<br />
Is it because they<br />
love Nigeria so much and<br />
want the nation to change?<br />
Or is it so that they can use<br />
the “connection” to benefit<br />
themselves? <strong>The</strong> latter<br />
is the truth for many people, and just admitting it to<br />
one’s self would be a great place to start. When a Man<br />
or Woman is elected/appointed as a Governor, Senator,<br />
Minister and Commissioner, do you have any idea the<br />
amount of pressure they automatically come under?<br />
Every relative, friend, school mate, town man, old<br />
neighbour, church/mosque member etc would descend<br />
to his or her office seeking for favours. So who is really<br />
corrupt, the politician or the thousands of people<br />
that descend on them asking for favours? God help<br />
that politician if he or she refuses to oblige them.<br />
was not born in the Governors lodge and that<br />
when his tenure completes he will still have to come<br />
home and answer to them, so if he likes let him not<br />
begin to share the dividends of democracy with them.<br />
His school friends also abandoned him and many other<br />
people followed suit.<br />
It didn’t take long before this said individual buckled<br />
under the weight of the psychological and emotional<br />
pressure that his friends, family and acquaintances put<br />
him under and he immediately started issuing contracts<br />
without due process to people.<br />
This is the reality of the Nigerian environment.<br />
Some of the biggest critics<br />
of the government<br />
today are those who use to<br />
enjoy political patronage<br />
in the past, but now that<br />
their connections are no<br />
longer in power they have<br />
transformed themselves<br />
into preachers of holiness<br />
and integrity. <strong>The</strong>y’re only<br />
deceiving themselves,<br />
because when their “man”<br />
was in power, and they<br />
were enjoying contract<br />
money, they didn’t know<br />
that there was corruption in Nigeria. Now that the<br />
money has finished and other people’s “Man” is in<br />
power, they have turned in a political “John the Baptist’s”<br />
and are now preaching repentance to us all.<br />
When a Man or Woman is elected/appointed as<br />
a Governor, Senator, Minister and Commissioner,<br />
do you have any idea the amount of pressure<br />
they automatically come under? Every relative,<br />
friend, school mate, town man, old neighbour,<br />
church/mosque member etc would descend to his<br />
or her office seeking for favours. So who is really<br />
corrupt, the politician or the thousands of people<br />
that descend on them asking for favours? God<br />
help that politician if he or she refuses to oblige<br />
them.<br />
If you truly want to convince us that you’re the<br />
righteous messiah sent from heaven to save the nation,<br />
then you should start by selling all the houses and assets<br />
which you acquired through the money you made<br />
via your old political associates.<br />
I once read an article about a particular politician<br />
who attempted to do everything by the book. He refused<br />
to do special favours for his school friends, relatives,<br />
town people etc. One day a delegation of elders<br />
from his home town came to his office to see him. In<br />
the meeting they made it crystal clear to him that he<br />
106<br />
You cannot live in a house built with money made<br />
without “due process”, drive a car bought with money<br />
from the same source and send your children to school<br />
overseas with the same money, and still turn around to<br />
condemn the rest of us, and call us corrupt.<br />
You are nothing but a hypocrite and if hypocrisy was a<br />
crime you would be in prison.
Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has risen to giddy<br />
heights in the Nigerian political terrain and has<br />
amassed so much political capital that nothing can<br />
happen politically in the South-West without his say<br />
so. He seized control of the Action Congress of Nigeria<br />
and used tribalism to bring many of his Yoruba<br />
brothers and sisters under his iron grip, and became<br />
the undisputed Godfather of South-west politics. It<br />
takes a particular kind of political intuition and will, to<br />
accomplish such a task in such a short space of time.<br />
His political skills and prowess are exemplary, and his<br />
ability to spot and select talented individuals to work<br />
with him, and in the case of Fashola, succeed him, has<br />
indeed marked him as a one of the greatest leaders<br />
ever to emerge from the South west.<br />
that as a politician he has certainly carved a place for<br />
himself in the history books, and when the history of<br />
South-West politics is written, his name will certainly<br />
be amongst the likes of Awolowo, Akintola, Abiola<br />
and Obasanjo ,as one of the great political titans of the<br />
Yoruba clan that has left his footprints in the sands of<br />
time.<br />
Asiwaju 1, the Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom, may<br />
God bless you and your family and may his face<br />
continually shine upon thee. You’re indeed a force<br />
of nature whose exploits has forever redefined the<br />
political landscape of South-western Nigeria.<br />
Alex Ferguson became an iconic figure in Football<br />
because he knew how to build winning teams, and this<br />
unique skill which he possessed turned Manchester<br />
United into one of the world’s greatest football clubs.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re people in my home town who have never left<br />
Delta state who know who Alex Ferguson is. Whether<br />
or not you support Manchester united or “Man U” as<br />
they’re affectionately called, is neither here nor there,<br />
the truth however is that you cannot ignore them or<br />
pretend that they have not achieved great things.<br />
This is the same rationale that I have applied whilst<br />
talking about Bola Tinubu. I have never been a member<br />
of the AC, or ACN and now APC, but that does not<br />
mean that I cannot give honour and recognise the talents<br />
of those who are members of that political party.<br />
Tinubu is a gifted man and there’s no doubt that God<br />
called him to be a politician. Is he a perfect man? Well<br />
that’s not for me to judge because the bible clearly<br />
states and I quote “remove the log in your own eye<br />
before trying to remove the speck from your brother’s<br />
eye”, and what that means in layman’s terms is that<br />
before you condemn your brother for his shortcomings<br />
you should deal with your own, because believe it or<br />
not, you’re not perfect either.<br />
I do not know what the future holds for Bola Ahmed<br />
Tinubu and neither do I know what other “political”<br />
surprises he is yet to unveil, but one thing I do know is<br />
107
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