During the week”…Former President Olusegun Obasanjo called on the Federal Government to develop the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy in order to create job opportunities for the youth.

Delivering a lecture entitled ‘Managing agriculture as a business to unlock Nigeria’s agricultural potential’ at the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin Mr. Obasanjo said going by the number of graduates produced in Nigeria annually, the government must develop new ways of job creation…”

He summed it up saying “Nigeria was sitting on keg of gun powder”. The fact is that whether we like it or not even the devil tells irrefutable truth, the motive is the only thing that can be questioned.

There is a growing ‘unemployment haram’, it is not just about unlocking the agricultural sector, it is about virtually all socio-economic and ethno-political sphere of the nation in terms of youthful productivity.

I hardly take to heart when past leaders talk about matters they had opportunities to have addressed yet failed to solve. The  tip of the iceberg however is that if we look at  this, we know it is worse……the National Population Commission (NPC) has said the country’s population has risen from the 140,431,790, to 167,912,561 as at October 2011.This represents an annual population growth rate of 5.6 million people.

The Ministry of Youth Development, added that there are 68 million unemployed youths in Nigeria, that’s like some 43% youth population.

And with approximately 300,000 graduates enrolled in the NYSC scheme, excluding the number of graduates that do not make it for various reasons, the real haram is simply building up.

Today we are engrossed in the amnesty for Boko Haram, when the truth remains that a larger Haram is staring at us in the face, and I honestly hope we will be able to provide amnesty.

I need not remind us of the rise in the rate of criminality, vices and bestial acts. However the worrying part is, that 7 out of 10 apprehended criminals ‘have seemingly’ legitimate reasons for their crimes of theft, robbery and kidnap and are graduates of one form or the other.

Our system is not working from South-North, Onitsha-Kano, Kaduna-Abeokuta, it is full of fallacy, and new universities are not in any way the solution, as the established ones keep dropping in standard.

Questions have been asked regarding the curriculum of our schools in relation to job preparedness and entrepreneurial skills teaching. While most schools are now teaching courses in peace studies, conflict negotiation and terrorism, very few are preparing employable products.

After an average of six years for a four year programme of study, a young grad can barely do a resume/curriculum vitae, he simply copies a template. If given a take-off grant she barely knows what to do beyond a Blackberry Smartphone and Brazilian hair.

Permit me to ask, where do you live, have you noticed the flock of young people around–they are defined by the phrase “I am waiting for admission, I am waiting for NYSC, I am hoping I get the job”. They are increasing, from ages 18-35; some still with their parents, no hope, no hopeless, best describes the situation, idle hands waiting the devil’s instruction, with the proliferation of Small Arms; there is a willing population growing and the repercussions are better imagined.

The growing haram of unemployment is not just about the government providing jobs, not at all, it is about an enabling environment that facilitates private enterprise that encourages entrepreneurial spirit without a monopoly.

We have a population that can be our blessing or ultimately our undoing.  The government through its spokes-people should stop all the lies and know that there is no disappearing trick better than the availability of a dense forest to disappear into; projections to create 4 million jobs in two years, and significantly grow the economy according to Olusegu Aganga is a fat lie.

Let me end with this insightful story, a man and his friend was in a city, walking through the street. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were blowing their horns, taxis were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the man said to his friend, “I hear a cricket.”

His friend said, “What? You must be crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!” “No, I’m sure of it,” the man said, “I heard a cricket.”

“That’s crazy,” said the friend.

The man listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed. “That’s incredible,” said his friend. “You must have super-human ears!”

“No,” said the man. “My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you’re listening for.”

“But that can’t be!” said the friend. “I could never hear a cricket in this noise.”

“Yes, it’s true,” came the reply. “It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty meters turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.

“See what I mean?” asked the man.

“It all depends on what’s important to you.”

As a people for now we are a nation, till otherwise, let us focus our attention and minds on the more important aspects of life, it is not about the likes of ‘liebaran’ Maku, who heard that a total of 195,534 jobs were generated in 2012 by the Federal Government of Nigeria via several contracts awarded by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) or Northern thieving governors, Southern mugu parks, and a vast number of dishonoured legislators that only hear their greed.

Sometimes we hear but do not listen; the haram is closing in on us, the axiom I started with simply implies that practical and realistic moves are more reliable than mysterious expectations. We still can, if we want to, but only time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson

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What Exactly Is The Problem With Nigeria? We… Let’s Work At Solving It

Jos, Nigeria / April 23, 2013 -

The phrase ‘oga at the top’, some forthnight went virile. We all know how the NSDC Lagos state commandant and ‘Channels TV Journalists’ exchange resulted in that now virile four-word-axiom.

We have since seen ‘oga at the top’ shirts, cups, fez caps, ringtunes, movies, you name it, infact I was quite fascinated seeing a Nigerian UK based TV use the phrase as the new catch slug. This is Nigeria, recall, Jonathan’s first coming, people named their kids ‘goodluck’.

Well, this is not much about Mr. Shem who uttered the phrase, nor his ignorance, it is not about the journalists who unprofessionally rattled him, it is not about Nigerians who seem lost on the real thematic problem in that phrase or people whose new pseudo are ‘oga at the top’.

So, what is it, that this writer is overflogging. Follow me in the next few paragraphs and let’s see Nigeria.

My name is El-Emeka Adebayo, I work with the Federal Civil Service, I am what you call an ‘oga at the top’, not so many of us, but enough to wreck havoc on the Nigerian dream, that is not if we have any.

You call us Perm Sec, Directors, Assistant this and that in various ministries and parastatals, and extra-ministerial platforms.

Many of us have been around the top for ages, some as far back as 1976, 79, and early 80s. We have put in two-three decades ruining Nigeria.

This is my story, by our set standards I work hard; I do not know what the general standards are because they vary depending on situations, persons, time and other factors.

In one year I can hardly tell you how hard I work, but for sure I work hard, traveling for all sorts of seminar, workshops, and conventions. Did you notice my name, I go on both Hajj and Pilgrimage to Saudi/Isreal depending on how I feel. Its an entitlement, and did I tell you, I have been 60years old several times, and I have forgotten my real age now.

I have a wife, I could actually have four but I put up a decent face de jure in public. Really my concubines, girlfriends and babes are as many as the 36 states of Nigeria. There are just a few of them that don’t have a car gift from me, several of them live in houses in various GRAs across Nigeria. I pay the bill. As for children from them, I have lost count.

I have ‘just’ 6 houses in the FCT, a few in Lagos, and a shopping plaza in Port Harcourt and then my country home mansion. With six kids, I am not spending much on Ivy league schools, the first lad just finished from MIT, not so intelligent but money does cover up for that, one is in UK, two in US and the last two in Canada and Australia respectively.

My wife deals in gold and other jeweleries, smiling, I am sure it’s a good excuse for our source of income. Never mind she only buys not sell. Her holidays per year are like her ‘menstrual flow’ are.

I spend an average of 2hours a day, and four days a week at the office and that’s when I am not in one of those marathon meetings with the honourable minister, a governor or some legislative ogas at the top. Calculate that!

Don’t mind me, I will soon be done, I have as of the last time I counted, three official cars, some regular cars, not sure if three too, my personal luxury, a Mercedes Jeep, and another luxury Sedan for my country home. These excludes the cars the kids drive when around. Well, quite a garage you ‘d say.

We have a family doctor, actually three doctors, a family lawyer, few family teachers, drivers, gardeners, some domestic helps, several utility personnel, all well paid monthly, and excluding tips.

These also excludes my external family social services, you know how it works, I am an oga at the top. My generosity knows no bound.

I have a sound-proof power generating set, so has PHCN improved? I cannot say, though I have a whole transformer met for a community in my house, sorry I mean mansion. With those AWD luxury jeep with four tyres costing same amount for a second hand car. I can’t tell you the roads are bad because Sule one of the drivers maneuvers them nicely.

My office pays other bills, water rates, some insurance things, and other utilities. I really careless about pension, paid myself that, a long time ago.

My sitting rooms, several of them, are an example of real life ‘argos mall catalog’ for electronic gadgets etc and some powerful industrial scanfrost refrigerators, and choice bars, both in bedroom and parlour.

My kids don’t know hardship, struggle or stress, they have all been on some form of allowance since their 14th birthday and these excludes some few millions in their various accounts both home here and those domiciled abroad.

And guess what? I am not exactly smart. How much do I earn? I do not know again sef…but I steal “whole budgets”…so who cares.

I expect gratification, a cash-backed thank you, I cheat the system, after all its government, and still I am at the center of all sorts of reforms, promises and clichés, but sadly no result because the system itself is premised on a faulty foundation.

Whether you bring in academics, politicians, or the so-called career civil servant like myself, the result is still largely the same, more crooks are bred.

Well it remains to be seem, my story is similar everywhere, very little difference, from Zamfara-Abia, Sokoto-Abeokuta, in the police, army, mdgs, even in our churches and mosques.

We are the ogas at the top, and with a few at the corners we thrive to deal with those of you below. We are game for whatever propositions might be made, Nigerians at the bottom, are not ready, we are at the top, are still game, if we want change, only time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
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Photocracy–It is a style of government in which people who should be leading and governing are engaged in all manner of phototricks, some say ‘photo-shoped’, like Tinubu in that democratic convention in United States, Suntai and we know the rest, Chime too and some three wise men.

In ‘photocracy’, it is not restricted to governance by photographs, it includes by telephone calls, by cabal, by cabinet and governance from anywhere. You can add leadership by total disappearance too or by lies, like Dame…hospital can turn vacation.

In Nigerian-styled way of doing things, photocracy is also a situation when you see pictures of tarred road, hospitals, sports complex, schools and more on the pages of newspapers, online media, and on tv stations, yet nothing of such exists.

In photocracy, our leaders see beautiful photos of those places they visit abroad, yet their blurred memory cannot replicate such.

Join me, as we take an admonition on a little aspect of this solely Nigerian phenomenon.

It is 2013, and 2012 is far gone and for many 2009 seems like ages already; I call it the ‘photocratic’ year with its drama. It was the year of the cabal, those who ruled from Saudi, the Turai era, the enough is enough rallies, and early morning of the Save Nigeria Group…

Then I stated I felt sorry for Nigeria but truth is that, it is a waste of empathy…because despite all the best of efforts, we have made out a custom of taking few light steps forward and several giant leaps backwards. It’s still the same today.

Then, late Yar’Adua was gone for over two months before BBC came with that 59seconds drama, with love from Jeddeh.

Infact a friend swore then it was the work of a master ventriloquist. I recall then in the light of the problems besieging the nation, the president that BBC spoke to, left all the important issues facing the nation, he was silent on muttalab, left the saga behind his budget signing and was addressing a ‘no-longer super eagles’ wishing them luck and sadly they lost.

It was in the middle of protests to force him to hand over power to his deputy, and his voice surfaced in far away United Kingdom telling super eagles to go ahead.

We forget so soon, learn slowly…then we were told by the then reigning Mr. Fix It (Aondoakaa) that the man can govern from anywhere, Labaran Maku said same of Jonathan early last year too…

An entire National Assembly, Ministers, Governors, kitchen and toilet cabinets and no one then could tell Nigerians the truth…infact 99.99 percent of that group did not even know the truth, so how do you give what you do not have?

Reason continues to clash with interest and we are tied with the rope of those that do not believe in the constitution, those whose rule of law is greed, primitive accumulation of wealth and reckless display of such, a group that has elevated madness to a habit and stupidity a culture.\

No one takes into cognizance how much we keep loosing as a nation to this governance system called ‘photocracy’–a government by photo, telephony and disappearance laced with all sorts of ‘phototricks’.

To keep sanity and balance, a level of self-denial is needed as one watch Taraba leaders visit Suntai, make telephone calls, and snap photos. A government delegation that visited simply muted, except for some Suswam song from Benue.

To understand photocracy you need to recall a certain Mallam Tanimu Yakubu lied to an entire nation that then President late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua called key government officials, including then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, on phone and spoke for five minutes each.

Same way Chime of Enugu is calling a few and posing for a few on camera…and each week, someone tells us, he is coming back next week and in ten days.

Some mulls just jet in and out to everywhere and anywhere and tell us they just came in from one investment tour or visit. We talk of health tourism; nobody has told us how much the absence of key government officials is costing Nigerians. Who pays the travels, estacode, medical bills, girlfriend/concubine allowances and the cost of all the lies?]

On numerous occasions I have stated that government people have the fundamental human right to be sick, they are human, but the fact remains that their health cannot be placed above the well being of hundreds of thousands and millions in cases.

Let me be naive, who is and why are we afraid to do the right thing, why are we always looking for other countries approval, and acceptance, why are we a timid people, why are we never doing the right thing.

What in this whole episode called Nigeria is political correctness? Every issue that is raised in respect to moving our nation forward is narrowed down to north-south, Christian-Muslim, however when our leaders steal, it has no coloration. My take is that the leaders of the country are only united in looting the state treasury. And then we fight across our naive idiosyncrasies, while they watch us.

It’s our failure at home that has made U.S, Europe, parts of Asia and Africa so relevant to us. We have to send our children there because the universities at home have failed. We have to look for jobs there because there are none at home. Some people even feel inferior to them and will rather live abroad at all cost- in their minds, by doing so, they’ve become superior human beings. All photo-tricks…

A great nation with wonderful people, some of the best brains in various spheres of life, yet governed by a few bunch of criminals, a nation where election posters appear from a skyless night and yet to be circulated currency vamoose. We keep keeping on and hoping against hope, only time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
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It is not just a case of bribe-for-job, we have bribe-for-admission, bribe-for-marks, bribe-for-promotion, bribe-for-transfer, bribe-for-nysc, bribe-for-justice/injustice, bribe-for-treatment, bribe-for-bail, bribe-to-lead, from private to public sector, it has no religion, to say the sarcastic least, while Christians and Muslims fight, if the matter is bribe related, they all become pagans, if the bribe is in millions, both Yoruba and Igbos, Niger Delta and Hausa persons claim to be patriotic Nigerians…its one thing that unites us–bribes!

A culture of gratification that has left us as a nation in a state of neither here nor there. Many Nigerians feign ignorance of this phenomenon that has not just eaten into our moral fabric but has equally torn it into different bits, shreds and pieces.

A family has a health emergency and it runs to the National Hospital or any of the many docile general, teaching and specialist hospitals littered across the country and first question you are asked is “hope you know someone”? You must know at least a messenger, at best a doctor, a nurse or auxiliary staff before you will be attended to. You need to facilitate the process or you have yourself to blame. After paying, you bribe-for-bed, bribe-for-drugs, bribe-for-a-good-doctor, it is almost a case of bribing you way all through to the great beyond.

These bribes apart from being outrageous sums of money, could also come in form of a letter or complimentary card from some Minister, ‘big woman or bigger man’, with some phrase like “assist the bearer he is from me”. Whether ‘the him’ is qualified is another matter entirely. The complimentary card plays the score of a bribe.

We often lie to ourselves, like we do not know…but very few of us can claim to be innocent of the charge, …of her many sins, the former comptroller-general of immigration was painted in bad light for the recruitment scandal in her side of the wood, we forgot that it is not about her. How many of us do not know that at both federal and state levels there are different kinds of job/recruitment syndicates?

Recruitment into The Nigerian Police goes for between N100-300k depending on who the middleman and end recipient is, the Civil Defence is not any different, so also Prisons, Customs, how about the armed forces, or I recall the popular Alhaji (real names withheld) that gets procures admission for candidates into the defence academy for N1M and trust me, people say he is ‘reliable’.

Let us quickly look at this dynamics, the chap who pays for the job and indeed does get it, what kind of employee does he make, is it a case of goodluck, luck, the Nigerian myth, or a ‘Nigerian-prayer-answering-god’.

How does it really work in Nigeria, a nation where you pay as much as N100K for your kid to get into a Unity School and in five years on, you pay another N100K plus and minus for her to get admitted into a university, your daughter then bribes her lecturers for marks, and then gets out with ‘sweet grades’ and then bribes and gets the job. She cannot really function without bribes…she collects bribes for the most primary duty to be executed in her office and we wonder why…?

My constituency is as guilty as charged…bribe-for-stories, you bribe to kill the story, you bribe to give it life, it is called “brown envelope, though these days we even have cases of envelopes with many colors.

In a nation as diverse as ours, how this affects balance so badly is often underestimated, a parastatal has an opening for 2000 workers–The National Assembly gets 500, Ministers get 60, another 40 is shared around, governors get a 100, and then the ruling party and bigger beings get 1000, we have barely 300 to go through several hundreds of thousands that have applied.

These slots are sold for money, racketeered by syndicates, sold for sex, sold for who your dad, mom, uncle, aunt or family is, it is sold for where you come from, and other favors. Merit is thrown to the wind and then we still ask why there is intolerable mediocrity in the system.

We operate a system that has become ‘bribedized’, so things do not just happen the normal way, if a young person applies for a job, goes through several tests, and interviews, he scales through and is picked, surely it is abnormal, so people ask him, “how did you do it, and who helped you?”.

The bribe syndrome is everywhere, in everything we do, you want to adopt a child from an orphanage you bribe–you want to buy fuel, there is a queue, you pay a bribe, skip the queue and get served. With a bribe an innocent can always be harassed by the police and with even more bribe a thief will go scot-free.

With enough bribes, affidavits change our true age, with some bribe, we get married through the registry and when really there is no marriage. Even kids in homes now demand bribes from either parents or siblings not to tell or report either party.

In holy places we even attempt to bribe God, you are not qualified but we are told, “Give generously, provoke the Lord and see Him do a miracle in your life”. Very funny testimonies are told by our ‘sisters-in-the-lord’, how ‘their god’ has done it.

The first victim is the truth, the system suffers, we romance mediocrity, very little progress is made, the number of millions that can’t afford a bribe increases and discontent swells–for how long we continue to bribe ourselves, only time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
Editor, burningpot.com

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It is a privilege, a rare one to be alive in a nation that recorded all forms of avoidable violent deaths almost every week of the year…Optimistic commentators and citizens may argue that it could have been worse and at least it was not as bad as painted, some continually have argued that all is well.

But while we cannot run away from realities, we have gone through a year largely of the criminals…and if 2013 is to be any different, we have to make a very conscious, determined effort on profiling the criminal, rather than the crime itself, analyzing the nation’s most dangerous criminal minds in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again or else 2013 would be terrible.

In this last admonition and farewell to the year 2012, I will just ask us to reflect on what I call the reality of criminal minds everywhere.

Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu ex-rays the effect of the criminal minds on the Nigerian masses “The situation our country is in today is both sad and unacceptable. We are as a people without a leader, a country with no trustworthy men at the helm of affairs, and a nation now lost at sea. Our leaders must commit to a better country, not tomorrow, but beginning now – today, because time is not on our side and the continued patience of the people may no longer be guaranteed.”

Last week Professor Mbibu Hyacinth, a surgeon and head of Surgery in ABU, Zaria was victim of common criminal minds, not assassins or BH, sources confirm he was killed while returning from his clinic around a black spot that, a security guard of the university was killed same week.

Imagine how much it took to raise the fine gentleman and doctor and what has been lost, he was one of the best in his field.

General Olusegun Obasanjo, a man who knows how criminal minds work recently said. “I am afraid–and you know I am an army General. When a General says he is afraid, that means the danger ahead is real and potent. The danger posed by an army of unemployed youth in Nigeria can only be imagined.

There is absence of serious, concrete, realistic, short and long term solution to youth unemployment. Nigerian youths have been patient enough. This patience will soon reach its elastic limit. Nigeria will witness a revolution soon unless government takes urgent steps to check growing youth unemployment and poverty”.

Same week at Aku, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, US returnee, Ogbo Edoga was killed by gunmen. “The economist was trailed to the house of one of his kinsmen, from where the two assailants, accosted him and shot him at point blank. Family sources said the deceased returned to Nigeria to attend a meeting of Nsukka professionals based in United States, geared towards raising funds for the construction of an ultra-modern medical diagnosis centre to be built at Ede Oballa community in the area”.

Online commentator Cornelius is apt when he says “Nigeria is worse today than it was during the civil war. At least then, you knew who your enemies were, where, possibly when and why they are going to strike, you make adequate arrangements to respond. Today, you have no clue who is going to strike, why they are going to strike you and the lethality of their anger. Worse still, everyone and everything seems to be at the game for different reasons. The gateman, the clerk, the police officer, the army, the airforce, your brothers and sisters, the elected leaders, the tribalists, etc. The nation and its people are boiling over and over and no one seems to be leading. It is at war with itself.”

In another breath several scores were feared killed and inmates set free when unknown gunmen, struck in Maiha, Adamawa state. The Divisional Police station, the prison, the Customs area office, the presidential lodge, all located at the local government headquarters were completely razed, with heavy artillery they came in ‘motorcycles’ and foot’.

According to a paper report The Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Godfrey Okeke confirming the incident said, “Nobody should disturb me now, already I am in Maiha, and you people should allow me to rest.”

The Department of State warned U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Nigeria …because of the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks…Canada did same, even little Taiwan was not left out.

In the East of the Niger, kidnap became a-per-second-billing business, with no exact figures as to how much was made by the criminal minds from un-receipted payments on returns on investment. While many kidnap deals were with-figures undisclosed, actress and aide to Gov. Rochas of Imo state, Nkiru Sylvanus parted with N8M. In the South West, you are not just kidnapped but literally stolen…and accidents on the Sagamu, Ibadan-Lagos express road account for over half a thousand deaths.

The problem of criminal minds that ruled the terrain in 2012 is not just Boko Haram, there were several harams, poor people were left battling Sanusi on N5000 Note haram, we also witnessed the January occupy Haram, the nation was held ransom by subsidy cabal haram.

We almost forgot Farouk and Femi haram, all the blasts and bombs harams, Oteh haram of SEC, the Alu and Mubi Harams, the Cynthia facebook killing haram…

Again, prominent persons died, some good men, and plenty crooks, politicians, academics, artistes and a long lists of ordinary Nigerians unaccounted for.

No criminal mind was convicted/punished for violent crime, we just moved in circles, and with failed promises. Will be 2013 be the year where we get water to quench these fires…time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
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I intend to recruit more people to the discuss using the only medium available, for me, I will be guided by the motto: no one is more Nigerian than us. My admonitions will preach oneness, it will address our differences. I will hurt us, not with arms, but the truth…this will be the little summary of my creed for this year 2013.

Having stated the above, back to my admonition today. Idris Wada, is controversial PDP governor of Kogi state, even his party was/is against him. I recall he was same person that documents made round questioning his sanity. He has been at loggerheads with the state House of Assembly while there has been a speakership tussle.

He has the honour of being governor in what I call one of the ‘red states’ (states always in the news for wrong reasons). Only recently a former governor of the state was on the run from EFCC, another governor was a carpenter with questionable educational qualification. Idris Wada, was a victim of a motor accident, a Lexus bullet proof luxury 4X4, this and that proof but not accident proof. He completed the list of governors with misfortunes for 2012.

So let us rewind, after an event in some part of the state, he was driving back when the one of tyres of the car burst and the rest is story. He survived with a broken leg or thigh one and minor wounds on other parts of his body.

His ADC was not that lucky, he paid the ultimate price. May his soul find peace.
So how does Idris Wada’s leg matter or mean a thing to you or anyone at that? Before I tell us, let me wish him a quick recovery. However I am happy that it is Idris Wada’s leg, wish it was more…very crude and wicked of me to wish him such. Sadly these are the thoughts of many Nigerians who have lost loved ones due to the reckless driving of government convoys. Many who have broken any part of their bodies can’t wish Wada any well.

Just last month, last year, the Gombe state governor’s convoy killed two persons, and it barely received a mention. I know that PR defence ‘the speed was normal, bla bla bla’.

The truth is that a first look at the accident-ed car tells you the speed it was being driven at. It is almost as if these government drivers, their boss and the convoy are hell-bent on a suicide mission.

Where are they often speeding to, is the place leaving that location? Why is it that government convoys from local to presidential cannot obey traffic rules and why are they in a hurry to break our legs, hands, heads, flog us, and push us out of the roads?

The same us they claim voted them, same us, they insist they are serving.

While I looked at the picture of Idris Wada’s encased leg as Jonathan ‘greeted’ him. I counted the many Nigerian legs, the many Kogi legs that cannot get such treatment as our governor was getting.

The governor was humble enough (maybe PR) to say he was not going to Nigeria’s 37th state i.e Germany for further treatment. But really how many Nigerian legs could afford that private hospital in abuja, infact, how many Nigerians can get to the national hospital abuja. Can the hospital cater for Nigerians?

Why can we not have 36 first class medical facilities in Nigeria and specialist hospitals across major cities? Why can’t simple DNAs, kidney transplants, CT scans be done just about anywhere. Why must CS operations cost as much as N70K?

Is it not true that Igbobi is about the only Orthopedic Hospital we have, the rest being renowned Orthopedic professionals scattered across the nation and Nigerians barely left at the mercy of local ‘bone setters’. So what happens if and when its my leg or your leg.

Its 2013, I dare hope, infact I wish I wake to a government convoy driving at barely a 100km an hour, on good roads.

Hence according to Gowon, the money is not the problem, but how to spend it–I suggest that we spend some few millions to building a first class health facility for broken hands, broken heads, hearts, and importantly for broken legs of ordinary Kogites, and Nigerians, then we will know that Idris Wada has learned from the accident, then we will know that government means business, until then–only time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
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During the week, I sent out the above question across various platforms in and out of Nigeria, we discussed it in various forums with friends and ‘foes’ of Nigeria.

I have chosen to share excerpts from the volume of responses I got with us as an admonition. The respondents cut across creed, ethnic groups, faith, age groups, area of domicile, and gender but the core is the Nigerian question and the subject is ‘YOU’.

I start with Lekan who said: Capital ‘YES’. The reason is very simple: I have no other country that I can lay claim to. I’m not a dual citizen like some of you. I don’t even own a Ghanaian Green Card not to mention American citizenship.

Kamal responded: Yes, because I have faith in Nigeria.

For Toska it was: No, you can only make sacrifice where and when it can be appreciated. Nigeria is not worth dying for as it has not made life worth living for its citizens. Nelly answered in the affirmative too: Yes, to sanitize the rot.

“Sorry, I won’t die”, was Femi’s simple answer. Livy added: …Nigeria is not worth dying for.

Hilyeng in typical Nigerian fashion answered a question with another: Am I crazy, why should I die for Nigeria? People embezzle monies meant for development yet they collect national honors. People steal plenty money chieftaincy titles accompany them. Why should I, I have not stolen and you want me to die?

Shanono in his answer pointed out: No, I am sure all the police personnel killed by BH, just died for nothing, what has government done for their families?

Francis is patriotic in his response: Yes, Nigeria is same as me. I can die for myself. And Joe added bite: I can because no matter what the circumstances, it is still my country.

Aurora saw it in this manner: I would die for a Nigerian not Nigeria. While Heni’s response was dual, no reasons though, “Yes and No”.

Gen. Magada blurted: Never! I can’t spare even my finger nail for this country for very obvious reasons too numerous to mention…Oga I am only telling you the truth. The country has for long been for the highest bidder, so what do you expect sir?

Freddy: Not for any reason, I have never stolen money before so why should I?

Tonia: No, Nigeria and Nigerians are presently confused. If you do someone a favour, you are expecting either of two things. One, you want the person to feel indebted. Two, you want the person to say thank you, I appreciate you. But the present Nigeria won’t do any till you are dead. Why, tell me thank you after I am dead? I rest my case.

Taiwo: …. except one wants to deceive oneself there are no Nigerians (I mean ‘ordinary’ Nigerians) that are not risking their lives living in the sharks hole called Nigeria presently. It is a high risk job mere living in Nigeria!

Christian: Yes, anytime, anywhere. And Ugo countered: No! Tell why I should waste my precious life.

Victor reflects: The issue with Nigeria in my view, is a deep lack of patriotism in high places. Our leaders see politics with the same lens a business man sees his profit. People are not going into power because they are passionately driven by patriotism but to have a share of their national cake that could serve them, their family and friends for decades and long after they are out of power.
CAN I DIE FOR NIGERIA? He continued “Nigeria is my country and I have a great sense of love, passion, and commitment to contribute and impact greatly to its second birth”.

He ends by saying, “Nigeria is not going to be changed by the growing mountain of prayers that booms out of our churches and mosques daily; rather, the transformational revolution which our country needs would be possible through redefining our patriotism. Only Nigerians in Nigeria through formidable institutions can do this. If the radical transformation of Nigeria is dependent upon my dying, then I’m ready to die for my homeland. That would mean: the new nation after my death shall serve the needs of the future generation equally; build a transparent, air and truly independent judiciary. An executive totally incorrupt and accountable to both the man in suit as well as market women on their duty…then I’m ready to die in order to stop this gross economical assault, unbalanced deprivation and inhuman treatment of generations past and present”.

Wind: Die? I’m already dying for Nigeria, everyday! This present condition is it life?

Atayi puts it this way: Nigeria is only worth living for!

Kingsley says its “A big NO…I can’t be the only one making the sacrifice; at least if we are all making the sacrifice, no problem; but from the look of present day Nigeria, I still re-emphasize no.

Let me end this admonition by commiserating with the people of Kaduna state, the people of Bayelsa, families of Daba, and Sowole and thousands that don’t even get a mention.

The death of Gov. Patrick Yakowa, and the conspiracy theorists again highlights whether Nigeria is worth dying for, it’s been trivialized to a Muslim/Christian thing. And the key issues pass us by.

I will ask us to please reflect on the Nigeria in you, would you die for Nigeria, is there a Nigeria, are there Nigerians…A Dane gun is mere wood, it is the bullets that give it life, and yet in all its life, it brings only death, it cannot cause rain to fall. Nigeria is you, what happens only time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
Editor, burningpot.com
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By Prince Charles Dickson | Jos, Nigeria | Dec. 21, 2012 |

Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, group, idea or object that “for better or for worse, …has done the most to influence the events of the year.”

The first being in 1927. I would not bore us with the history of what led to it, but since then its come to stay and not without its controversies. Despite the frequent statements to the contrary by Times Magazine, the designation has been regarded as some form of honour, a kind of prize or award.

There was the selection of “You” in 2006 or The Computer in 1982, “Endangered Earth” in 1988. We had “man of the decade”, Peacemakers in 1993 and last year was “The Protester”.  We seen the likes of Hitler, and Stalin win the accolade, its believed Osama lost out to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for obvious reasons.

The Times Magazine Person of the Year has been replicated. Nigerian of the Year, Person of the Year, Financial Times Person of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Footballer of the Year.

First let me apologize that there were no votes in this particular contest, but largely a debatable subjective behaviour by people who “for better or for worse, …has done the most to influence the events of the year in Nigeria.”

In the light I introduce my first persons of the year. Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, with an almost combined entry of over 40, 000, 000. Depending on how you google the names, you can’t say Nigeria’s number one citizen has not affected the lives of some 150 million Nigerians.

For a president who during his campaign said in one swing he wasn’t promising anything, to the one who in a mouthful said there would be an airport in every state.

We have seen a president fight corruption so hard that we have only witnessed monumental corruption rise in government circles and the jailing of maggi cube thieves while the cabal of real thieves thrive.

He really doesn’t give a ‘damn’ thus scoring him high up there as one of the topmost presidents anywhere in the world, he cares less about what we think or say, besides if he has survived the year with BH sponsors and sympathizers…He sure is the man.

Two presidential media chats have not done Mr. President any good. He remains a man many love to hate. In what cannot be described as less an intellectual discourse, people have questioned even his Phd in relation to tangibles and deliverables.

He is butts of so many jokes, several of them unprintable. Same man who riding high on the wave of popular opinion despite negligible electoral fraud galvanized Nigerians with his ‘no shoes’ slug. The man whom many voted instead of PDP has done very little to shore up the confidence of Nigerians.

For a man that Nigerians entrusted their destiny as a nation into. Its been one calamity after the other, while a section argue, its our turn, his our man…others say, give him time, besides he did not cause all these.

Jonathanians as I often refer to his supporters point to some snail pace developments, the trains are slowly picking. Power will come back fully in most parts by June next year, like BH was supposed to be a tale earlier this June.

Even in the heat of our social ills, our struggles and hopes, Nigerians found time to argue if Mr. President is handsome, why that patch on his nose, or that his peculiar smile. We have scrutinized his condolence tirade, breaking it to the usual, how he reacts to attacks on different faiths.

Mr. President has fought several policy inconsistency as one with Multiple Personality Disorders, for example, just one term, 2015, still far, 2015 is a distraction, 2015-I have a right.

I think its rude to say the President lies, but his several half-truths and misinformation by his aides, tells you of the group he heads and how they are running the nation on an ‘any-how-belly-face basis’.

From ‘Ma-Dame’s vacation turned ill health, to Power contracts, his friendship with questionable characters and more.

He’s removal of fuel subsidy, his invention of unSURE, renaming of University of Lagos and security challenges on several fronts have left the canoe maker who mastered in hydrobiology and fisheries biology bewildered.

For the Zoology doctor who joined politics in 1998, treating Nigerians like animals while masquerading as the soul provider of fresh air has become a hobby. His now many shoes seem to heavy to walk the path of reality.

A cursory look at the life, ways and manner Mr. President has run the affairs of the nation in the last one year leaves more to be desired. It leaves a bleak picture. The impact on Nigeria and Nigerians has been dire.

For a man who has watched his countrymen suffer fuel queues due to some few stealing dudes and he’s done barely nothing. I dare say we must patiently watch with hope that the party lounge for Aso Rock, the VPs house, City within city centenary project, million naira toilet building parastatals will benefit Nigerians.

If he does recall, we were promised dividends come 2013, however for an expectancy fatigued people and promising shattering leader. For my person of the year, it may still be meme, meme like the french say.

A man whose government has made billions and millions look like few hundreds, I say Nigerians are hurting, 2013 provides another opportunity for goodluck to smile towards Nigerians, for now its cruel patience…we have to keep waiting, for how long…time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
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By Prince Charles Dickson | Jos, Nigeria | Dec. 14, 2012 -

Today, my admonition is targeted at the people of Nigeria…when I say we, let
me use it as it appears in the Nigerian constitution…

“We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having firmly and
solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and
indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of
inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and
understanding, …for the purpose of promoting the good government and
welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom,
equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of
our people; AND ENGAGING IN ALL FORMS OF ILLEGALITY/­LAWLESSNESS AS IT
IS PROFITABLE IN OUR SYSTEM UNDER THE BROAD NAME NIGERIA and
‘CORRUPTION’ AS SURNAME.

The last take of the above  paragraph in capital is mine. Many including this writer have argued
that Nigeria’s problem is largely that of leadership, bad governance,
electoral malpractice, feeding bottling federalism, ethnicity, religious
conflicts, lack of good roads, poor healthcare, et al, all anchored on
corruption.

But the truth is that corruption in Nigeria is not a political affair or leadership matter. Corruption in Nigeria is
a case of all of us. A woman has a child by you and you still say you do not see her inside…In my alumni, the University
of Jos, it cost several thousands of naira to get admission whether you  are qualified or not. It varies from as little as N20-200k depending on the field of study or the link-man/woman, is he or she ASUU or NASU, an
ordinary lecturer or professed professor?

Its not a UNIJOS thing, it is across most federal and state universities,
polytechnics and even unity secondary schools…hands are greased, all
manner of frauds are perpetuated, students are asked to pay all manners
of bills ‘acceptance’, ‘caution’, ‘language’ and ‘computer’ fees
incorporated into tuition.

You buy handouts and you pass whether you opened it or not, it is often the tutors’ gateway to passing his subject.
In 2012, bail is still not free, and women cannot be admitted to bail a  suspect or accused. You report a case, you are responsible for purchasing stationary or fueling the patrol van, and from complaint, in a minute you could be the accused.

Taulpaul Oselen captures it when he shares… “I make N200,000/daily from ‘collections’
at the TINCAN port–that’s a Custom Officer.”

The LASTMA chap makes more money every week on the streets of Lagos from drivers,
than his monthly pay. From adjusting of meters and reconnections of
wires, the  PHCN official makes several thousands on the side for
services not provided.

Do you how much people pay for redeployment to NYSC officials, how much it cost to get ‘posted’ to
lucrative states and parastatals and how our daughters engage in ‘sex for marks’, step up to ‘sex for service’ and finally ‘sex to be
retained’.

The male folks just pay for or rather buy the marks, posting and job. Its a big business called ‘corruption’, an
organized crime with willing buyers and those selling.

Recruitment into the Nigerian Police cost about N150k as a constable. Its
applicable in the Civil Defense.  Just like the various armed forces,
civil service, and several government agencies.

Applicants for jobs in University College Hospital Ibadan have to pay N1k with the
bank teller attached to the application for jobs. Millions of naira
ripped from desperate unemployed populace by her very own in acts that
is nothing but corruption.

The official cost of the Nigerian passport is less 10k but visit an immigration office, you must
pay ‘facilitation fee’ if you need it properly done and in good time.

“To speed up the process, applicants have to put ‘small something’ in an
envelop for me, so their documents can reach my boss.” That’s the MD’s
secretary.

If you don’t ‘sort’, your file will simply disappear and reappear only at the right price. ‘Supposedly’ responsible
parents buy ‘exam leaks’ for their kids irrespective of class/status.

“I know your story is of utmost importance to Nigerians but if you are not
willing to share the ‘brown envelope’, I’m sorry I’ll have to cover
something more profitable for me.” That’s Mr. Journalist talking. If the
envelope is heavy, lies can sail.

You are faced with a queue either to board a cab, use an atm, purchase fuel–you pay to jump
the line or to prove you know the boss, you break the rules. We are almost all guilty.

We don’t run a monarchy so leadership largely stems from citizenry. So even the very patriotic few almost take
the surname because ‘his people’ will encourage him to ‘please steal o’, it is our turn to benefit from the surname corruption.

An EFCC suspect paid tithes with stolen monies. Off course private jets must be flown.

Affidavits are hot cakes because lying about our age is lucrative, you must be 26
as of your last birthday with NYSC discharge certificate and have not
less than 3 years experience. So after deducting several years on the
resume we still include Muslim/Christian on it as faith.

The ‘big boys’ don’t do carrying of ballot boxes, they don’t kill directly,
they give ‘us’ peanuts, they know us, they were once one of us. The
problem is us…with a little prodding we take on the surname
corruption.

Corruption has no religion, an imam and reverend collaborated to swindle faithfuls in Taraba, we fight each
other in the name of natives, non-indigenes but deep down we only await  our opportunity to ‘chop’ from the national cake.

‘Pay’, ‘collection’,'runs’, ‘sorting’, ‘kicks’, ‘pay’, ‘facilitation fees’,
‘drop’, ‘chop money for the boys ‘are some of the few terms used to
denote corruption.

A woman has a child by you and you still say you do not see her inside “know her mind”; would you have her
expose her intestines? Let’s forget those stealing billions, how about
you looting a few hundreds, thousands, and millions. Are we really ready
to do a change of name from corruption to integrity. Time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson
Editor,  burningpot.com

Nigeria’s 1st Online Newspaper
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