RETURN OF THE MACK

Have you heard of it before?
You probably have. It was a very popular song that came out in the early 90’s sang by Mack Morrison.

This is not really about the content of the song but the title. It makes it sound as if Mack had been out of circulation for a very long time and is now back.
Guess who our Mack is here in Nigeria? The man called Bode George.
For the purpose of this write-up, let me just remind you that BG was charged along some 5 other guys for conspiring to inflate the contract price for the rehabilitation of Kalmar Container Handler from 215,555.52 Euro to 269,965.71 Euro and also the contract awarded to Dateks Ltd for the replacement and installation of six 11KVA High Tension Panels with accessories at Sub-station C, Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, from 310,500.40 Euro to 345,925.00 Euro.
Take care of the mathematics and see just a little of what people pocket in the name of holding offices. They got a 2 year jail term after that. No doubt.

How does that sound to you? For me, it is enormous and in any sane gathering of homo sapiens where moral values are not up for sale, anyone coming from such a background should either be in the corners of the bedroom, begging for forgiveness or still, in front of the pulpit asking to be delivered from the blood of the innocent and wrath of God.

Chief Bode did that and now people are making noise, why?

I have an answer; because we are sane people and we understand that it doesn’t end at going to the church but what exactly was the message from the church and what the possible impact could be.

Before you read too far, if you are this person that has the hyper-craze for religious sentiments, don’t read any further; for the content of these piece, there would be neither apologies nor regrets.

I have not being a fan of Pastors in Nigeria. It has nothing to do with being a Muslim because I have compared notes with Christians and I have come to see we share the same opinion on the conduct and utterances of these celebrated men of God as they claim.

The church has no reasons to discriminate. In fact, if I were to be plain, the church is meant for the sinners so that they may make contact with God and have a change of heart. That is the essence of Jesus coming to this ‘sinful’ world to die on the cross of Calvary; a journey made to redeem the lost sheep. These are the lessons preached from the pulpit and I am going to leave it at that.

As against what I have witnessed at similar gatherings, I would have to respect the sermon of the cleric at the thanksgiving of BG. Whatever the PDP has decided to make of it and in fact, the chief image maker of the MEND, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is a mere reflection of the kind of future we are getting prepared for. It's a lot convenient for GEJ to send representatives to celebrate BG, a convict but not convocations where he is a Visitor by Law!

Many Pastors and indeed, General overseers should learn from Venerable Tayo Aduloju who gave a clear, plain and direct message to Bode. Nothing else should come after that kind of sermon beyond GO AND SIN NO MORE.
Click here for excerpt of the sermon from Tribune
I don’t have facts as to whether or not BG came out openly to give his life to Christ after the sermon. I however have this feeling that he didn’t. The message has been passed and there is evidence of that.

Religious leaders by now should understand that they have a role too sacred to play that does not leave room for them to frolic with criminals, murderers and political warlord as a measurement of their relevance. It serves no purpose to lay hands on a President without telling him to be Godly in his ways and step up his responsibilities to the people as bestowed upon him by his office.

The blood of Jesus is not meant to be something people can be made to feel they can afford to buy some quantity and rub it over their bodies after committing heinous crimes. Let the messages from the pulpit be clear, firm and basic. The spade has no reason to carry a different name if the person in question is a big man.

I don’t buy the blackmail of God would do it that has pervaded the mentality of the average Nigerian man without making conscious efforts to get things done properly.

Most men of God from all divides and faiths spend more time emphasising wealth than addressing the decay in our societies. While the government have successfully grounded to public schools to make their private counterparts thrive, churches and mosques have joined the race to rake in as much money as they can, not minding whether or not the same people who pay tithes and zakat as mentioned in the scriptures can afford to bring their wards to that school. So what is left for us as a people? Where do we turn to for direction?

My message is simple, until we begin to reason as a people and not let the religious leaders who are making efforts to assume the position of deputies to GOD Almighty who needs none and none would ever be, enslave our thoughts and commercialise our fear of God, we are in trouble.

Unless other men of God begin to thread the steps of Aduloju, saying the truth whether or not it is palatable, we are in trouble.

Unless people turn to God truly for repentance and that is seen of them as genuine, we are in trouble.

Unless we understand that we owe it to ourselves as a people not to celebrate decay, eulogise thieves, and consciously set a regrettable example for the younger generations, we are in trouble.

Bode, you have been told, go and sin no more. Now tell, how do you intend to win the Lagos state for PDP as an ambassador of Christ that you have been admonished to be?

Time will tell.

Welcome back, BG, the latest Christ Ambassador.

I DEY THINK OOO

For some reasons, I have always thought top notch politicians were great tacticians. Not particularly because they deliberately dye a portion of their hair grey nor they are superhuman but that they have considerable hands on experience in the game.

It has however become clear I need to have a rethink if the various political calculations and miscalculations are anything to go by. I may have one reason or two to mention issues affecting the Nation as a whole but I would prefer to spend time thinking about my dear state, Ogun.

I am trying to in the first instance understand what went wrong all of a sudden between Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his political Son, Gbenga Daniel. What exactly brewed so much bitterness? I also want to have a clear idea of how it extended to Jubril Martins Kuye and Chief Alani Bankole, father of Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole.

At various times in the last few years especially counting from the beginning of Daniel's second term, many actions and utterances painted a clear picture of discord between these individuals.

I have always maintained that if the reasons behind their rivalry are not in the interest of the people which in almost all cases are not, to hell with whatever the interest they stand to protect. I therefore do not readily pick interest in their matter. At the end of the day, it is a question of power play and string pulling.

This rivalry which above every other things further describes how unruly and disorganised the Ogun State chapter of the ruling party is and also her members got so embarrassing that separate full fledged primaries were held producing two different candidates for virtually all offices. The comedy is that each primary was so tailored that no one from within individual faction is contesting the outcome.

While I must admit my bias for respective candidates and also make it known that I had a preferred candidate amongst the lot, something more than obvious is that both primaries were based on the regular padi-padi arrangements.

I am still thinking how Dimeji Bankole settled with the Governor Gbbenga Daniel at the eleventh hour and became part of his faction's primaries held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium. That to me is an unforgivable goof.

Certain things might explain such immature move. First, we should understand that a man can't give what he doesn't have, not even to himself. Mr. Dimeji has not being particularly known with intelligent ideas all through his reigns as the Speaker of the National Assembly. If I would forgive him based on this, what about his Dad who had virtually ran the office from Abeokuta residence or the retinue of political advisers and think-tank?

They still luckily have another opportunity to retrace their steps and help poor Dimeji get a ticket to return to the National Assembly. That also is based on the outcome off the general elections. As it stands, winning a PDP ticket doesn't guarantee victory at the polls anymore. People are wiser and more committed to participating in this process.

I am thinking they, (the Bankole's) all the while might not have had any principled reason to lock horns with Daniel; that must have made the resolution so easy. If on the other hand, they claim to have, I am dead sure no attention was paid to the strength of their allies in the marriage of convenience against Daniel.

For the Martins Kuye and Obasanjo camp, I am thinking there was an understanding to properly harmonise and define who the Boss is. That also would mean that one of them understood the need to concede leadership and nomination forms were shared without noise.

Obasanjo, the man who is in the middle of the whole crisis played a fast one by presenting Tunji Olurin who incidentally is a Yewa indigene as against the rumours he was going to impose his daughter, Iyabo, (coincidentally, she also is a ticket holder for the Senate). That's a mark for the General. This doesn't endorse such criminality but gives me great joy to watch the key players within the elitist democratic stage in this country play a fast one on each other.
Hard as I find it to bring Mr. President into this, I have once again come to understand his weakness and desperation to hold on to power judging from his presentation of the party's flag to Tunji Olurin as the party's candidate in Ogun State.

I would've expected GEJ to ensure the crisis was resolved and have the state produce a unity candidate but what would have been the need for it in the face of a stooge serving his master's orders.

How he intends to manage the crisis of the Niger Delta still beats me as well.

I would've given full credit to Gbenga Daniel for not attending the Ibadan jamboree but for his excuse that he was stopped by his supporters. Would he have gone to witness such presentation or stop it from happening? He is not in any way better than Mr. Bankole who must have attended to resound his desperation to get a ticket by a way of identifying with the true Boss.

INEC's list-in-motion approach to the contestants' list stamps the fact that so many things would still happen before the elections thereby leaving a room for prodigal sons and daughters get on the list.

Based on the power indices, Chief Obasanjo has been able to prove his hold not only on Ogun State chapter of the party but also the National Body. This as well, marks Baba's desperate attempts to remain relevant by proxy at all levels.
Gbenga Daniel should not feel so bad in any case, as he is a product of the same system and approach and also, he is set out to achieve the same thing Baba wants to achieve which brings me back to the point that none of these issues points to any other thing beyond the selfish political gains of this men.

My loss would not be measured by either Olurin or Gboyega losing at the polls; something tells me Daniel and his Governor to be Boy would move out of PDP to contest the elections, afterall there are so many parties that can afford to step candidates down for the right price. My loss would be if the Yewa/Awori project is killed because of set out individual gains.
Whatever happens at the end of the day, I think anybody who would truly serve the interest of the people should win the elections and put the state on the right track rather than have the Yewa/Awori project politicised by the state-born gladiators.

For all its worth, I will like ly spend so much time thinking about the damages they have caused our state.

I still dey think and the process is continuous.

IN THE PURSUIT OF GOOD GOVERNANCE

Recent events across the stretch of the Middle East seem to all have a common factor. Without the need to run through the list of nations directly affected by the wave of reaction and also avoiding making an unduly long write-up, I am compelled to agree first with myself and then, other followers of this events that citizens of respective nations currently protesting and calling for immediate resignation of their heads of state all seem to be craving for a favourable form of government.

A government modality that does not perpetually keep an individual or a family as the only occupant of the number 1 seat. A government that represents the wish and input of every willing and enfranchised citizen. A government that provides security, combat unemployment, implements reasonable foreign policies and above all establishes the rule of law and respect for human rights.

If I were in similar situation, I wouldn't ask for less as a minimum. As such government matures; other demands might begin to crop up.
Where my concern lies is what name to give to this type of government and the attendant expectation. What readily comes to my mind is 'Democracy' and 'Dividends of Democracy'; if you agree with this, then we are on different sides of the divide.

First, I am not a fan of this over hyped kind of democracy and my reason is simple. The beauty of it starts and ends with its definition in the books. As I have heard people say most times this issue comes up, 'it is atleast better than military regime!'
That for me is not only lame but also celebrates how complacence we have grown over time so much so that our rights are fast becoming priviledges. My standpoint may in some way suggest there is another form of democracy; though I haven't yet witnessed it. To be safe with such opinion, I'd rather see a government from the perspective of what it is established to offer the people and not the nomenclature.

This is not to excuse any form of government from its downsides but to further argue that performance of any leadership has very little to do with the name tag of the government type.
For any individual to have held an office for over two decades and still counting doesn't in anyway appeal to common sense but the truth of the matter is that staging an uprising as the people of these regions have would send a signal that they want a change but does not necessarily guarantee the adoption of any better alternative. It may be argued that such uprising is a starting point and I would be in perfect agreement.

Everything points to the ‘democracy’ option, no thanks to the input and discussions of the American government. While the beginning of the end of the Mubarak hold on Egypt is just around the corner, I fear they don’t end up with the Iraqi gift from America. I am also struggling to define what form of government Egypt currently runs.

I am also interested in what becomes of the Jordanian monarch just as I hope it is extended to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

I must salute the decision of the people of Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan for voicing out against harsh policies of their respective government. So resilient they have been that such uprising would pass for a revolution. For the first time, people who have been characteristically tied to a particular style of government are beginning to align with the dictates of change.

Interesting, these countries are agitating for a change or better still transition of whatever it is they have to an all-encompassing government at a time when we are preparing to transit within the same nomenclature; a nomenclature that might eventually become their very first stop.

The lessons for us as a nation are clear. Our leaders should by now understand that human tolerance, even for the most complacent race, has a limit. Also, that the scarce resource they have wastefully doled out to stooges and allies to fund pro-government campaigns would not stand in the way of a convinced and determined majority when the time is right.
As Nigerians, we also would learn that it is not enough to put blames at the door step of our fathers who have watched things decay before now. All we need do is identify the decay and demand a better way of doing things. Our lives are worth nothing in the real sense if we have nothing we are living for.

Surprisingly, our unemployment rate as a country as at 2009, was higher than that of Egypt and Tunisia. This presupposes that we have more than enough reasons to have taken to the streets before this people but I would also quickly understand that our Leaders don't stay in office physically for so long. they do so by proxy!..

Every man who intends to go to Heaven would have to die to start with.
The uprising has started already and we can only wait for its likely outcome. If it is the resolve of incumbent government to roll out the tanks against its own people, we can only ask who such government intends to govern aftermath the genocide. If on the other hand, the will of the people especially the ones asking for immediate resignation is acceded to, the question of what manner of leadership would come afterwards is another matter of concern.

For what it’s worth, every man who believes in the truth should continue to pray and support the people of the Middle East at this time of their national history.