Solutions To Nigeria's problems

When I started this blog I decided to write about Nigeria’s problems from a laid back point of view but immediately felt people would think I am trivialising Nigeria’s problems. I’m beginning to suspect my feelings about what people would think is true.

My last two posts on Barack Obama’s victory, which came across as very serious received quite a few responses. It appears people take me seriously when I come across as very serious. Honestly, I believe that you can’t be too passionate about Nigeria’s problems. We’ve got to look for more practical solutions to our problems and that brings me to what one of the bloggers said in his comment. He said and I quote, ‘…blogging evidently, will be the next political platform of the future.’ I could not agree with him more. I am one of those truly grateful for the advent of Internet technology that has made it possible for someone like me to publish my thoughts out there for the world to see without paying so much money or licking some editor’s arse. (Pardon my language).

Before Obama’s victory I wanted to continue writing about Nigerian Policemen extorting money from motorists. I wanted to make an appeal to fellow bloggers living in Nigeria to please take pictures or even make video recordings of such Policemen and publish these videos or pictures on their blogs. What are we doing with all those Nokia N95, LG Viewty and I-phones that I hear are quite common in Nigeria now? Oh, sorry no light to charge the phones. Seriously, bloggers should P-L-E-A-S-E start taking pictures or making video recordings of these criminal acts and publish them on their blogs. On the other hand, you can e-mail the pictures and the video recordings to me and I’ll be glad to do the honours. My e-mail address is achibuzor@gmail.com. I’ll be waiting to hear from you guys.

Sill on the issue of bloging as a way forward in Nigeria, I really think people should blog seriously about things happening in Nigeria with a view to exposing corrupt government officials. Someone said, 'dem no get shame' but I tell una say dem get family wey get shame. E sweet craze man make im go dance naked for market place na im family no go let am.

Another important point that was made was the fact that we have people like Obama in the country but we do not have political parties that will accommodate them so when they are eventually elected instead of them to carry out their agenda they have to satisfy those responsible for their coming into power first and there is no end to satisfying these vultures. Hmm… true talk.

My fellow bloggers how many of you want to join me in this blogging revolution to turn this country around for good? Let us start by publishing pictures or even videos of public servants, especially policemen caught in criminal acts. I was telling a friend that one of the reasons why crime rate is relatively lower in civilized countries is because of the presence of CCTV cameras on the streets.

Where Is Nigeria's Obama?

I’m sure most of you will be wondering, ‘wetin concern Naijaleta with Obama sef, abi im tink say when Obama become President im go dey dash Naija pipul visa go America anyhow?’ Well, there’s nothing wrong in having hopes, is there?

Anyway, that is really not the point. I ended my last post by asking when Britain is going to have an Obama. The next question then is, when are we going to have an ‘Obama’ in Nigeria?

When are we going to have someone, who was completely unknown to the rest of the world four years ago, contesting to become President of Nigeria under the banner of one of the most prominent political parties in Nigeria? I tell my friends here in the UK that Nigeria is a very green country and I’m not referring to our National colour. What I mean is that we believe so much in recycling that we even recycle our old politicians. After a politician serves a particular Government we don’t allow him to retire we put him back on the queue to serve in another Government or make him head another public body immediately, ignoring his poor performance in Government and the plethora of allegations of incompetence and financial impropriety being levied against him. Abi no be recycling be dat?

I was ashamed to read about President Yar’adua’s election on the BBC website. It wasn’t his victory that was being reported it was the fact that he was Nigeria’s first graduate president since independence. I’m not being biased but I think it’s a shame that we are yet to produce a lawyer President in Nigeria. Some of the greatest leaders in the world were qualified Legal Practitioners before they became leaders of their respective countries. People like Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Bill Clinton of the United States, Tony Blair of the United Kingdom and even Fidel Castro of Cuba. Little wonder George Bush is not a lawyer. Yeye man. Of course, Barack Obama is a lawyer as well. When are we going to have an eloquent, soft-spoken, brilliant, lawyer contesting on the platform of a prominent Nigerian party to become President of Nigeria?

When will the time come when a member of a minority tribe in Nigeria be chosen as the Presidential candidate for a prominent Nigerian political party? Obama is considered black. When Obama was born there were no equal rights for black people in the United States but today his chances of becoming the next President of the US look brighter than that of any other person. Can a man from Isoko, a tribe from Delta State that I had never heard of until two years ago, ever dream of becoming Nigeria’s next President?

Finally, we must remember madam, Mama Clinton. How many of you noticed that she is not talking of joining another party or even registering another one quickly? After all, over eighteen million Americans voted for her. If she decided to break away and form another party or declare herself an independent candidate she could still have a shot at the Presidency. No, her principles would not allow her to do that. She has decided to support Obama’s Presidential campaign for the sake of the Democratic Party, which they both belong to. She considers the party’s interest more important than hers. When are we going to start having politicians like Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton in Nigeria?

Obama's Victory

I may have to start today’s post by making another apology. Two, actually. Firstly, I’d like to apologise for not making any post yesterday. Did I hear someone say, ‘no one noticed.’ Anyway, my second apology is for the fact that my post today is dedicated to Barack Obama’s victory at the end of the US Democratic Party nominations. To some of you, Obama’s victory is like, ‘wetin concern agbero with overload’. May your own no be laik Saddam Hussein. Amen. Wherever he is now he must have learnt in a hard way that you don’t play games with whoever sits at the Oval office.

The reason I couldn’t make any posts yesterday was because I got carried away watching news bulletins on his victory.

As black people there is a lot Nigerians have to learn from Obama’s victory. One of the most important lessons to be learnt from his victory is that black people can rise from our present difficulties and dominate the world someday. It’s interesting that Obama is being referred to as a black person. There is a rule in Western societies called ‘the one drop rule.’ What this means is that you are considered black as long as there is one drop of black blood in your veins. Regardless of the fact that Obama’s mother is white he is considered black because his father was black. If Obama had married a white woman their children would still be considered black because Obama, their father, is black even though they are more white than black. The black blood in them is considered a stain.

Talking about marrying a white woman, one of the very first things I admired about Obama was the fact that he married a ‘sistah’. A beautiful, elegant well educated black woman! Big up for the black woman. He is not like the arse brained, over-pampered, over-paid, over-rated black professional footballers in the Premier league here who think it’s some kind of status symbol to be seen hand-in-hand with a white chick. Now, if this white girl wasn’t some blonde bimbo picked up from some night club in a seedy part of town their actions would have been excusable but... A beg make we tok beta.

Obama’s nomination to lead the Democratic Party forty-five years after Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech is nothing short of remarkable. When Obama was born forty-six years ago inter-racial marriage was an offence in some parts of the United States; blacks and whites were not allowed to sit together on buses in some other states. Until the late sixties some schools in the United States would not admit blacks as students. That was how bad racial segregation was back in those days. Today however, a black-man is on his way to becoming the President of the United States of America, the most powerful public office in the Western world.

It has happened in the United States, when is it going to happen in Britain? One day, when the average Jamaican on the streets of Brixton stops living on marijuana and fathering babies like a rabbit; when the typical Nigerian in Peckham stops having that ultimate ambition of hitting a large sum of money in a shady deal in order to buy the latest Hummer jeep. One day, when our teenagers stop thinking it’s cool to carry knives and guns around on the streets of London and Birmingham, we just might have a black man leading one of the main Political Parties in Britain.