Bloody Christmas: How Long Will This Continue?

The scourge is terrifying and the pallatives have all proved abortive. It was a day of uncommon significance for all christains. It was Christmas day, and with it came the glitz and the razzmattaz that always attends the event. Thus, parishoners of St Theresa's Catholic Church, Madalla, Suleja, in Niger State, went to usher in the 'baby Jesus'. However, they were ushered into mayhem, and got what they never bargained for. Undoubtedly, this was a Christmas that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Again, it was one attack too many. Again, it was Boko Haram reeling in it's finest hour, a case of crass madness. Again, it was a incident that reminded us that our goverment cannot meet their basic responsibility of protecting our lives. Indeed, the unfortunate scenerio demanded a swift response of resolve, intent and condolence from the presidency, but did we get? A presidential statement that puzzles the mind and befuddles reason. Our president had the effortnery to say that 'This was a burden we must learn to live with'. Which leader displays such unspeakable cowardice when his nation is in distress? Pathetic! It is no longer news that Nigeria is now a haven of insecurity, and that our security operatives is as porus and toothless as a cursed child, however, one begs the question: For how long will this wreckage linger?

Nigeria And Her Catalogue Of Problems...

I cringe for this country. The odds are simply daunting, terrifying and enormous. The air so nauseating that you wonder where the 'fresh air' that the Jonathan led administration promised us, has absconded to. The signs so bleak that it astounds the cloud. No doubt, Nigeria is at a crossroads, emashed in a fix, being governed but rudderless in more ways than one. As the Boko Haram plague remains intractable, with Nigerians living under it's shadows in 'thick' fear everyday and in the reality of it's evil, the worst looks like it is yet to come. As if the indignity of poverty for many Nigerians was not enough, the Jonathan administration seems poised to compound our woes. The fuel subsidy debate has lingered on. Each day ushering the reality of the impending doom. Removal of subsidy by the government will simply skyrocket the prices of virtually everything in the nation. Inflation lurks, poverty awaits. Yet, this is the transformation Jonathan and his cohorts promised us. At a time when steady power supply seems like a distant dream, the government of the day is bent on adding salt to an already bleeding and open sore. What a jester of a country this is! The administration insists that removal of fuel subsidy will flourish the nation's economy, but they are yet to explain how this will be. Until they tell us how subsidy removal will put food on the table of the average Nigerian, improve power and booast education, then the idea will remain a charade. In addition, just in case you have not heard, in the 4.7 trillion naira 2012 budget submitted to the legislature, 977 billion naira was allocated to security. Put simply, that's 2 billion a day on security. What a joke! When did more money start to guarantee the security of lives and properties? We simply never learn in this part of the world. Indeed, we have already witnessed the Arab Spring and no one should write off the possibility of a Nigerian Harmattan. President Goodluck Jonathan might have had a great affair with lady luck in the past, but he might run of that luck if he dosen't retrace his steps!

Reality Check As 2011 Fades Away...

It is that time of the year when both governments and institutions take stock and tell themselves the home truth about what the year has been for them. However distressing this inquiry might be, it is both salient and pertinent for the future. As individuals, we are bound to make a reassessment of the twelve stints that were doled out to us in January. For some, the year was a masterstroke, a tale of achievements that streched them to their goal. For others, it wasn't the happy ending that they had envisioned. Whatever side of the divide you fall, there is the need to look at the brighter side of things, and keep your resolve to succeed. Life, as some of us have learnt, is a voyage to be embarked looking forward, not backward. You might have been racked with hard knocks, ruffled by acute mistakes and deflated by miserable occurances during the year, yet, it's no use remaining in this pathetic state. You must muster the courage to move on. It is worth remembering that courage is not the lack of fear, but the mastering of it. Having said that, there is the importance to take a reality check, and examine why the year did not pan out the way you had anticipated. For those that had a sublime year, it will be foolhardy to sit on your laurels. Indeed, there is always more to aspire to, more records to smash, more lives to touch and more battles to conquer. As 2011 presents us with it's last days, we can only pray that God will grant us the hindsight to know where we've been, the foresight to to know where we are going and the insight to know when we are going too far.

Ojukwu And History!

For anyone with a paltry sense of Nigerian history, the name, Dim Odemegwu Ojukwu needs no introduction. Rehashing in mere words, the historical travails of the Ikemba of Nnewi will surely distort the facts. However, what needs to be stated was that Ojukwu while still in his youth, led a rebellious 30 months war that failed to see the broad daylight. Ojukwu's conviction was hinged upon the fact that the Igbo race does not deserve to be treated as second class citizens in their own homeland. Of course, Biafra lost the war of secession. But this defeat was only in the battlefield, for Biafra still found a home in the hearts of many of her sons and daughters. Though Gowon made a 'no victor, no vanquished' mantra after the war, We now know enough to see that post civil war Nigeria was a tale of vendetta, a classical case of throwing away the baby with the bath water, and an apt scenerio of giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it. Ojukwu's life will forever divide opinion, but one thing is certain, He will be remembered as a man who chased his dreams and beliefs, even through the shadows of death. As a country, it is worth mentioning that rebellious acts still persist. From MASSOB to MEND to Boko Haram, the intents might differ, but the song is the same. Government has continued to be insensitive to the plight of it's people. Perhaps, the 'prima donnas' and the 'cremé dé la cremé' of our society should remember that when there is nothing else for the poor to eat, they will eat the rich!