Friday, September 24, 2010

Elections 2011...What's your pick?


One of the main things that's been drawing so much attention of late is the Nigerian 2011 elections. Its like this is the most publizised in terms of the level of awareness and usual drama that follows.

Listening to Moyo Oyatogun's program, Daily Guide on Star FM, I heard a woman make a funny statement and she said: "I am 35 years old and I've never voted in my life but for the fact that IBB is contesting I will vote against him". Nigerians are finally standing up to fight for what they believe in. Let's just hope its fair and credible.

Another interesting one I read is the declaration by the 49th most influential personality in the world, General Overseer of RCCG who promised to fight back if anyone got tempted to rig the upcoming elections. In His words, “If anyone tampers with our votes in 2011, we will fight.”

I really never considered this voting of a thing too...never really had an interest in politics (voting involves politics trust me) but with the recent happenings I just felt I should do this brief analysis on a few major aspirants. I urge you to read through carefully on their milestones and as a famous politician, Patrick Obahiagbon would sound like, I urge you my readers not be soaked in the aqua of religious bigotry, desist from intellectual jejune acts resulting from the aqua of political chauvinism and let your mind be as elastic and free as the Tabula Raza. In other words, do not judge the book by its cover.

Short Review on top aspirants for presidency, then its left to you to take your pick.

Before you read through you would recall one of Nigeria's best leaders in the sense of what he did and the legacy he left, speaking of Obafemi Awolowo.
Awolowo is remembered for building the first stadium, Liberty Statium, Ibadan in West Africa, first television station WNTV in Africa, running the best civil service in Africa at the time (in the Western Region), He would also be credited with coining the name "Naira" for Nigeria's currency (formerly known as the Nigerian Pound) as the Federal Commissioner of Finance under the Military Government of General Yakubu Gowon. Today, he is remembered by many Nigerians and non-Nigerians as the best Nigerian president that never ruled.

Now a brief review of the top 2 contenders >>

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
A humane administrator, amazingly simple minded and loved by his people, friends and colleagues, nobody ever expected he will venture into the dicey and precarious nature of Nigerian politics. Nevertheless, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan saw the need to boost the socio-economic with political interest of the common man as well as bridge the lacuna of rural-urban dichotomy of his people through the provisions of social infrastructure.

Hence, he took to politics in the Fourth Republic and pitched tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was picked as the running mate to the Party’s flag bearer Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha. The duo emerged victorious at the polls in the 1999 gubernatorial election, and so, Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan became the first Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.
We all know what happened and he later became the Governor of Bayelsa State.
 In 2006, he was selected to run as the vice-presidential candidate on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in the 2007 presidential elections.
He was Vice-President of Nigeria from May 2007 until February 9, 2010 when the Senate through a resolution, invoked the doctrine of necessity to empower him to serve as Acting President, with all the accompanying powers, due to President Yar'Adua's prolonged absence from Nigeria. President Yar'Adua died on May 5, 2010 and Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as President Yar'Adua's replacement on May 6, 2010, becoming Nigeria's fourteenth Head of State, as mandated by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In the few month's he's done a lot of cleaning up of a lot of important names in public offices such as the recent sacking of Police Chiefs. He's also demonstrated a passionate leadership quality of carrying people along with open transparency as exhibited in his constant communication with NIgerians through Facebook where he declared his intent to run for presidency.

Latest Statement:
“In presenting myself for service, I make no pretense that I have a magic wand that will solve all of Nigeria’s problems or that I am the most intelligent Nigerian”

So after all said and done I feel you should do some more research and make sure who you're voting for makes sense and this is just my own little awareness.

Ibrahim Babangida
IBB
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) ruled Nigeria from August 27, 1985 to August 27, 1993 as a military Head of State. He introduced the concept of military president into the Nigerian political lexicon and till date remains the country's only military leader addressed by that title. He maintained a firm grip on power and tried to abrogate the unpopular policies he inherited in office.

Babangida's regime was popular for its liberal economic policies. He tried to introduce the culture of debate into the polity, with the open deliberations that preceded his launching of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF)-supported Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).

The killing by a letter bomb of Dele Giwa, a magazine editor critical of Babangida's administration, at his Lagos home in 1986 was largely attributed to Babangida and remains a controversial incident to this day. In 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo established the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa to investigate human rights abuses  during Nigeria's decades of military rule. However, Babangida repeatedly defied summons to appear before the panel to answer allegations of humans rights abuses and questioned both the legality of the commission and its power to summon him. His right not to testify was upheld in 2001 by Nigeria's court of appeal which ruled that the panel did not have the power to summon former rulers of the country.

On the political front, the phenomenon called IBB proved to be far more deft and superior than any other military ruler before or after at accommodating public opinion and turning into a tool to further his political agenda. Some called his style shrewd, others cunning earning him the nickname "Maradona" (from the legendary football master dribbler Diego Maradona) but better judgment knew he is simply genius.
Babangida's policies were coherent, well thought out and always applauded.

He assembled some of the brightest individuals from the military and the civilian class who set the stage for many good policies such as privatization and deregulation with recourse to the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Latest Statement: “For me, politics is not and has never been a do or die affair. If I lose, I lose and if I win, I win: such is life and life continues,” - Babangida 

 A few other aspirants are Nuhu Ribadu(AC), Muhammadu Buhari(CPC)Congress for Progressive Change, Pastor Chris Okotie of the Fresh Democratic Party and Pat Utomi of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP).

So the Big Question is WHO ARE U VOTING FOR? Who is worth voting for and why do you think he should be voted for????

Aren't we set for some drama! Please cast your votes wisely!

God bless Nigeria! Good People Great Nation! (Comments below)

     

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Rewrite the Scripts.

Remember as a child the very first time you broke an expensive plate. The scolding you got, the words that were uttered that made you feel irresponsible and careless. Well, you only cried as a child and soon forgot. That day was forgotten also, everything returned to normal, the plate was replaced but a script was written.


Ancient and Medieval Philosophers have regarded the mind of a new-born as a Tabula-raza (Clean Slate) and as time went on and as events folded, things were written on that clean slate and gradually following the Law of Process forms the individual’s character.


Those moments when she failed in a subject and knew the pain of what it meant to fail and saw the joy in the face of her successful mates thereby causing more internal pain, she got home and her dad looked her in the face and told her he still loved her, a script was written.

The times he listened to his dad talk to mum calmly while apologizing for something dad had done wrong, a script was written.

The times his teacher told him to shut up in front of the whole class for a silly contribution he gave and the whole classed laughed while he sat back in shame, a script was also written.

The times she got encouraged in church by her pastor at the Teen’s conference that she was fearfully and wonderfully made, a script was written.


Slowly these events meant nothing then, but now they mean something. You now act out the scripts given to you by family, society, peer groups, religious systems, and so on. You are just an actor whose been conditioned to give certain uncontrolled responses to events in your environment.
You are not in total control of your life. The script controls your subconscious and you act out the lines in the conscious.

20 years from now the individual who witnessed his dad’s constant respect for his mum now has the avenue to act out his scripts. He now has a wife. The scripts portray women as a gender to be respected and cared for. He treats his wife the same, It’s no big deal to him because he’s learnt his lines for years…It’s all in the scripts.

The individual whose opinion was damned in class publicly 15 years ago is now in a Board meeting, the directors are seated, he’s the youngest there, he has a crazy business idea, he wants to talk, he’s about to but something keeps holding him…What if they shut him up? What if they laugh at the silly idea? What if…? Indecision isn’t his challenge; it’s just the scripts, hard-wired into his subconscious.

Some years later, the lady who failed and got encouraged by her dad now has a shot at the same board meeting. As usual they are seated, intimidating looks, board-room silence, she has an idea, she’s a woman but it matters the least. She has experienced what it meant to fail and rise-up again. She knows they will laugh at first and then they’ll see the truth.

The scripts manifest again but this time to her advantage.


Now the issue is not living with the fate of having good or bad scripts, or a blend of the two.
The issue is the power that lies within everyone to rewrite the scripts. Throughout life, experience and events have shaped our character at home, in school, in church and everywhere you can think of and now determine our actions.


But like every movie script, it can be rewritten, edited or even updated to suit the desires of one’s life. You can choose to remain the way you are by complaining about the government’s bad policy, parents’ neglect or poor education system.


Or you can choose to rewrite your scripts, unlearn old habits, build on your person and watch your life improve before your very eyes.

Will you rewrite?
Adolf Hitler chose to live with the scripts.


Albert Einstein rewrote his scripts.


What are you going to do with your script? …THE BIG QUESTION!