Obama…If America was Nigeria

Posted by: CareTaker on November 14, 2008 Under: Africa, Editor's Pick, Nigeria, Politics, USA

There has been a lot of serious discussion on the American ground-breaking election, a Nigerian blogger examines the facts and injects some humor into the topic. The blogger examines the possible newspaper headlines if the election had been in Nigeria.

Head to Anthony Arojojoye’s On a Lighter Mode blog, “If America Was Nigeria”

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4 comment(s)

Omotaylor | Nov 14, 2008 | Reply

Had a read, really very funny, but really truly stated. Dont know what George Bush take would have been, possibly:
“Make it a do or die politics” - George Bush to McCain - pm news.
Misi | Nov 14, 2008 | Reply

Funny headlines but sadly true. Will Nigeria ever change?
Omotaylor | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply

@Misi: The answer though not simple is YES Nigeria can change and it is the people that will make Nigeria change. Better awareness of people’s rights is being created here and there and especially in print. This will later be transposed into action and then the real change will commence. Sad to say, the issue of change is so slow in coming in Nigeria.

Nigerians love to enjoy even when they are suffering and smiling. Nigerians love to hero worship and play the sycophants for paltry handouts. Nigerians have had it to easy in the past and will rather hold on to easy life even if this doesnt come easy. Nigerians dont love to unite and forge a strong opposition against the evil in our midst. There is serious tribalism issues. Many believe in the divide and rule syndrome, many whine while others dine, to no effect. Hence the going is slow. But slow though it be, things are changing, and as long as this slow change gathers momentum, Nigeria will change.

When over a century ago, the black man was a slave in America, and highly stigmatised, am sure they asked the same question. Martin Luther King thought it was only a dream when he hoped to see an America where a white boy and black boy will hold hands and go to school together. Now it is reality. Now it is even better than reality as a Black Man steps into the White house as American President on 20th January 09, much to the disbelief of many, happiness of many more from all colours and races and well to balance things up to the consternation of a few. Nigeria will change if we are strong enough to make it change. The people, the masses need more education and if this is allowed, radios and TVs can give information on how to stand for your rights as a common man, etc etc. It can be achieved.

Now some actions e.g. Yaradua permitting the arrests of bloggers like Elendu and Huhu, thereby knocking a nail on the coffin made against freedom of speech, does not augur well for change in Nigeria.

One day one day, the people will collectively say “enough is enough” and something will be done. That revolution which for now is a Taboo word in Nigeria could still be the end result if the leaders of today dont allow for peaceful change. Nigeria cannot continue living in the dark ages of incompetence, inertia, corruption, gross misconduct, powerdrunkenness and what have you.

Peace.
Omotaylor | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply

Misi, just came across this post now on today’s Daily Independent and thought i should share it to butress my point above:

Insufferable Prodigality In Enugu
By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
Who is the British High Commissioner to Nigeria? Well, I don’t know; and I am neither ashamed nor proud of that. Whether I know him or not is not the issue now. All that is very urgent and extremely important now is that whoever is occupying that post should follow the example of his United States counterpart and deny UK entry visas to the members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, who have connived with their Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, to squander the sum of N200 million (or even much more than that) belonging to the mostly impoverished people of Enugu State on some very irresponsible and wasteful foreign trip.

Now, if the visas have already been issued, the High Commissioner should respect the deep feelings of the longsuffering people of the state and withdraw them immediately. And if by any chance they are already in the UK, the British authorities should deport them this very minute before the whole money is gone. I mean, what on earth can we possibly call this kind of mindless profligacy? How long shall we endure this madness in silence? Citizens of other nations who understand the meaning of decency are out there having a huge laugh at our expense because of the kind of leaders we allow to fool about in world capitals on our behalf! Now, we know that this N200 million may just be mere “change” in the face of the several other huge amounts that may have been quietly squandered under various guises in Enugu, but since information about this one has managed to come out in the open, it is the responsibility of all decent-minded Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to help save it. Maybe, by so doing, we may succeed in instilling some bit of deterrence and curtailing their spending spree.

Sunday Independent of October 26, 2008 had reported that the Enugu lawmakers had scheduled to be in the United States between October 28 and November 14 to attend a “seminar.” But the US Embassy had, reportedly, helped check their infantile and self-serving craving by finding some reasons to deny them visas, thus, helping Enugu people save their money from being wasted on some needless and frivolous foreign trip. Now when the US visas were, reportedly, denied them, the Chairman of their House Committee on Information, Mr. Marcel Njeze, announced that they were “now making another arrangement for Britain.” Please, could somebody help me understand this: what sort of seminar is this that could easily be shifted from country to country at such short notices? And why can’t it be held in Nigeria?

Of course, we know that when these fellows package these “seminars” abroad, the professors who are usually too busy to waste their time on such frivolous, uninspiring “academic tourisms” (even though they are paid handsomely for it) would detail some less-busy graduate assistants to go and handle them. Of course, it is clear that acquiring any knowledge for quality lawmaking is the least thing on the lawmakers’ minds. The real motivation, it should be clear, is the all-expense-paid safari they would get and the juicy estacodes and sundry allowances that would come with it. Mr. Njeze told Sunday Independent that they had chosen October for the “seminar” because they did not want to be “be caught up by the winter that is usually very cold there.” Now, I thought that seminars are usually indoor events, so why are the Enugu lawmakers scared of the winter? Or was the seminar scheduled to take place on some cosy beachside?

What makes this matter very painful and overly scandalous is that, as we talk now, several categories of Enugu State workers, especially, those working in government parastatals, are being owed about five - six months arrears of salaries. No doubt, hunger is presently ravaging many homes in Enugu because these workers cannot afford to feed their families any more. Only God knows how many deaths had occurred within this period because these workers (which in some cases may involve husbands and wives) have lost the capacity to send sick family members to the hospital. We need not be told that many children have dropped out of school because their helpless parents and guardians, being owed five to six months salaries, can neither afford school fees nor books nor even uniforms. Yet, what is important to Governor Chime and his fun-loving, light-minded lawmakers now is to go abroad to squander N200 million on some useless seminar, even when the governor has bluntly refused to pay the N7,500 minimum wage to workers at government parastatals, whose several years of leave allowances he has also withheld.

Now, imagine the difference this N200 million could make if it is rescued from these lawmakers and used to settle some of the unpaid salaries or leave allowances. To my mind, if indeed the lawmakers are in the least interested in acquiring any knowledge, we have many very brilliant and knowledgeable professors in this country who can give them more quality stuff than they can ever hope to get from the graduate assistants (or even the professors) from the backstreet college in the US or UK at which they may have arranged to have their seminar. Sadly, the story out there is that Gov Chime is using the foreign trip and, perhaps, other more mouth-watering inducements to secure the support of the lawmakers for his regime and second term bid - still about three years from away!

Well, if the governor is looking for genuine support and legitimacy after his controversial judicial victory, he should be seeking it from the people by providing them with social amenities and paying salaries to workers. Spraying money on mostly idle and loafing lawmakers or buying expensive cars (Chevrolet) for more than 200 councillors, but leaving the people impoverished and unprovided for amounts to unparalleled cruelty. And one day, Nigerians would feel they have just had enough of all this nonsense and rise with one mind to put an end to it all. Just one day.

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