I imagine myself there
As a big eye
Seated at a high attitude
Twinkling in Blinkless Orbit
If I see nothing
Shall I not go highier
o behold the world from it edges
And exhume the nakedness
And wickedness of human heart
What shall I, the mega scope behold
Sexual priggishness, Bribery
Corruption, oppression
And the injustice of tyrants
Then shall I blink my eyes
To leave the world inflamed

Ahaiwe Kenneth
1997

Our Rough Styles
Whoever wish to quench let him ask this simple question
whoever wish to go limb and dismayed.
Let him raise a voice against.
this fresh charge and rough blow of wind
this coarse whilom on our convention.
this sudden reign of terror and annihilating victimization
let him just asks why there is unjust justification of deprivation
and exploitation.
The recent trend of unfair manipulation of our fates let him ask why there is unfair subjection of toiling sons of Africa to the abyss of jeopardy.
Let him ask why human degeneration continues before sighing sight of oblivion
and why, men in servile fearfulness dumbfoundedly, fold arms in passive expectation of a change.
Let him ask why we chose to die in this fear of death.
Whoever wishes to die green let him be bold to pronounce, their names, the authors and lovers of these virtuous vices.
That have impregnated our nation folks with folksiness, the unfair relegation of human right that injustices charlance becomes our bane.
In disregard to the debt we owe ourselves, nature and mankind the denial of "Love" a thing we share in common.
Let him be bold to say No to devouring hands of animosity on human development.
Like the dog that likes the pants of piety among our Dons and Lords
Priceless exploitation of human energy that justifies suffering fruitlessly, working without pay and examination without result.
A new method of deprivation, deaf to the injunction that "Labourer deserves his wages" a new method of oppression here grows chick and puppy. Unless we come in unity and borrow the strength to say no.
We shall be silt up but for me I dare not complain for this is our rough style.
Ahaiwe Kenneth 2001

Nigerian bomb blast havoc

The two poems above aptly describe the situation of Nigerian in the wake of independence in 1960. Fifty two years after things seem to be worse. Am I even sure that Nigeria is not 55 years? After all on August 29th 1957 Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Belewa was appointed the first prime minister of Nigeria. Our leaders battle from one economic ideology to another without a lasting solution to our collective problem which has remained very elusive, as it keeps resisting the various therapy adopted by the Government. It is very unfortunate that Africa as a Continent has been thrown into a dark valley by its greedy rulers. And is not as if there have not been prophesies of impending failure in administration over time. Taking you back memory lane on the 1st of Oct., 1964 independent message of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, "let it not be said of us that we struggled all those years to win independence for our people and when we had chance to build heaven on earth for them, we made a colossal mess of our country because of our selfish materialism. We allowed our private prejudice and partial affections to distort our interest to our mother land". What a prophesy reality in our time.
The problem of Nigeria is that everything seems very good to our leaders without recourse to the implication of such things on the masses. May be because, these Boko Haram fanatics are not focusing directly on them. Instead of marching force to force, the Jonathan's led administration is set up reform panel. Must every thing have reform panel? Why do we always embark on this lazy panel methodology/ definitely you and I know that nothing will come out it. This panel, that is chaired by the chairman of the police service commission, Mr. Parry B.O Osayande DIG (rtd). Other members include Mr. Casmir T. Akagbosu AIG (rtd), Mr. Bashir A. Albasu AIG (rtd), Major Gen S.N Chikwe rtd, Prof S.D. Mukoro, Dr. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), Aisha Larai Tukur and the Solicitor General of the Federation. The permanent Secretary, SSO, Office of the SGF is to serve as the secretary to the committee. Reuben Abati listed the committee's terms of reference to include the following: identifying the challenges and factors militating against effective performance in the Nigeria Police Force and make recommendations for addressing the challenges, examine the scope and standard of training and other personnel development activities in the police to determine their adequacy or otherwise, determine the general and specific causes of the collapse of public confidence in the police and recommend ways of restoring public trust in the institution, examine records of performance of officers and men of the Nigeria Police force with a view to identifying those that can no longer fit into the system due to declining productivity, age, indiscipline, corruption and/ or disloyalty; an make any other recommendations for the improvement of the Nigeria police force. Then it was said that the committee's recommendations shall be implemented along with those by previous committees set up by the government on the reform of the Nigeria police force. The question now, is how many more Nigerians will die before this book Haram issue will be arrested? As far as I'm concern the panel methodology is a toothless behaviour.

Little wonder, why Diogo Freitamdo Amaral, one time president of United Nations General Assembly confessed that "Africa is the biggest problem facing the international community". While we grope for space to pitch our tent in the global economic space, other, developing countries like China, India, Malaysia, and other third world countries are advancing into hyper economy in both technology and infrastructural development.

One may argue that the gentleman was too harsh on the Continent of Africa by postulating that Africa has been grossly underdeveloped by the Western World. From the intimidating slave trade to the colonial experience of Africa the West has in every facets destroyed the program that would have assisted Africa to grow beyond its present status. The recent problem of the continent is Neo-colonialism which has succeeded in making Africa an ordinary noisy vessel in the hands of the western drummers.
There is hardly, nothing in African that is not structured after the western model. Africa could not evolve a permanent political structure for just a decade. Most of the regimes that have ever sprouted out in Africa have died a natural death due to military intervention in government. Those that survived till date are battling with economic crises or political crises.
From sub Sahara to the Arab region of Africa, the civil society and the masses have not seen peace. Scores of innocent civilians die as a result of senseless and inordinate escalation of social and political crises. We have blamed our stunted growth so much on the colonial and slave trade experience. It is rather important to note that fifty two years of independence is enough time to change and make the fate of a nation a juicy and positive one. However the problems of Africans are in African themselves. The Continent, perhaps, took off from a very bad and suspicious ground that the ethnic groups in the Continent form a bulk of discontent allies working towards the destabilization of the government in power. The spirit of patriotism has died off among Africans.
In Nigeria for instance each successive government introduced one economic policy or the other that was aimed at making life better for the ordinary man on the street. These ideologies were sabotaged and the human and financial investment on them will always be wasted.
If we go through memory lane, we can vividly recall that the unitary system of government introduced by the General Aguiyi Ironsi led administration after the 1966 coup, totally destroyed the healthy competition among the four regions. Agriculture was the main source of income for the four Regions then. The Northern region was known for groundnut, Cottons, Vegetables, Millet, Tomatoes, and Maize. The Western region was producing Cocoa, Cotton, Kola nut, Coffee, Tobacco and Timber. The Eastern region had the Palm Oil and Rice as her major agricultural produce, while the Mid Western region had rubber timber and coffee as its agricultural produce. The Cocoa export was controlled by the Western region, the Groundnut pyramid left a historical mark in the city of Kano where bags of groundnuts were piled into tall pyramids for export.
The Rubber plantation was a major source of employment in Mid Western region, it became a high revenue earner and people were comfortable. The Eastern region was completely self sufficient as it solely depended on the cash crops that generated revenue for the region.
However, with the discovery of oil deposits in Niger Delta, at a commercial quantity, attention was shifted from Agriculture to oil money. Nigerians grew weak and lazy as everyone depended on petroleum resources. There was indeed an oil Boom then Nigerian fifty Kobo was equivalent to one American Dollar at the international market, the exchange rate remained for about ten years. As early as 1977 and 1979 the exchange rate was still one Dollar to fifty Kobo. Then Nigerians had no need to sojourn to America except for the Golden Fleece.

Nigeria had not managed the resources from the oil Boom very well. Instead of building industries for the manufacturing of goods, the Gowon led administration, in order to punish the Easterners after the civil war, destroyed all the Biafran currencies which represented the wealth made by hardworking Easterners during the civil war. He also seized their accounts in the Banks and gave out only Ten Pounds to everybody, no matter the millions each person had in his account. Buildings and fixed identifiable properties where confiscated by hitherto lazy Nigerians who took advantage of the civil war to dispossess Easterners of their hard earned assets. As if that was not enough, Chief Awolowo as the minister of finance and economic planning of the Gowon led government propounded a policy of indigenization of the multinational companies. Shares were bought then by few Nigerians especially the Yorubas who did not witness any civil war.

Therefore the measure was used to displace the Igbo's economically. The ever flourishing multinational companies owned by Indians, Americans, Britons, Frenchmen and Germans eventually entered into the hands of greedy Nigerian CEOs who mismanaged them to the sorry state of today. The interest in Agriculture fizzled instantly as white kola job as it was regarded become the only thing in vogue. It is disheartening to note that what would have been left as relics of those companies have been transferred to churches, schools and eatery joints. Building for multinational companies have been sold to individuals, banks and churches who use them for less productive ventures.
It is indeed very pathetic that what used to be the Mandillas, the Kingsway; Leventis Stores, the Keycee, Chellarams, the SCOA Stores have all disappeared in Nigerian major towns due to fraud and mismanagement by indigenous Directors.
The Groundnut pyramids, the Cocoa house investment and the palm oil business which were collectively cherished as regional investments died at the exit of regional administration. Gowon started the policy of the winner takes it all in his post civil war administration. Although he used the word rebel to discredit the Igbos' yet he claimed that there was no assault and pogrom of Igbos in the Northern cities of Nigeria. It was obvious that those things existed and still exist in the wake of Boko Haram activities today.
Gowon's creation of twelve's states in 1967 was grossly against the colonial principal of three region based development. Gowon in his own wisdom gave the north six states and six states in the southern part of Nigeria. This abuse is what successive government anchored on in structurally reducing the southern states in 1976, when Murtala Mohammed created six additional states. The anomalies were not corrected. The distribution of states between the North and south was lopsided.

Gowon collapsed three regions into six states. Lagos state, Westerstate and Mid Western state, the old Eastern Region had East central State, South Eastern states, River sates
While the Northern Region had, plateau state, North central state, Benue North western
state, Kano State ,Niger state and Borno state. What an injustice!
The military government of Murtala Mohammed continued the same way by furthering the oppression and under development of Southern Nigeria. Mohammed gave the North Ten states while the three former regions in the south were just given nine states.
In 1987, General Ibrahim Babangida created two more states, Kastina and Delta states. Each time states were created the North had a lion share. The same thing applies to the Local government creation in which case two or three hamlets were given one local government with a population of not more one thousand men and women in the North.
The problem was worse during Abacha's regime when three out of the six states he created were from North. These included. Zamfara state Gombe state Nassarawa state while East west and mid western Nigeria had only Ekiti, Ebonyi and Bayelsa states. Out of the 776 Local government area in Nigeria about 482 are in North, with Kano state alone having about 44 local government.
The funny thing about the local government creation is that the areas that benefited are not better qualified than areas that were denied it in the south. The criteria for the creation of local government then was based on the number of people that one had in Army or the ability of the men requesting for the Local government to "play the ball" so it is not very surprising that the North controls more seats in the National Assembly than the South.
The problem of discontent among Northern politicians is very obvious when they discover that they have lost out at the centre. This is not new. We can recall that in 1951, the problem of the date of Independence came up at the conference, then, Chief Anthony Enahoro moved a motion for independence for Nigeria in 1956. Alhaji Ahmadu Bello opposed the motion vehemently. This made Chief Awolowo to remark that he was surprise that Alhaji Ahmadu Bello would be opposed to move for independence. Chief Awolowo added that the Uthman Danfidio would not be happy with him in the spirit to hear that one of his descendants resisted independence. The Northern delegation led by Ahmadu Bello did not take the remark light and they all walked out of the conference room demanding for apology from Chief Awolowo for mentioning such a sacred name at the conference. That was the first time the North opted for separate political recognition. The North was appeased and the motion for independence was changed with another motion which read independence for Nigeria when practicable.
The North felt the South would dominate them in the State affairs of the nation. They feared that the region had at that point not produced enough man power to take up from the colonial masters. This made them to resist, the call for independence in 1956. This however made the north a beautiful bride for the British government to manipulate Nigeria.
In recent times it is quite obvious that the North has in many ways antagonized the President Jonathan led administration. In what could be seen as power play the Northern elements, in Alhaji Yar' Adua's cabinet especially, members of the kitchen cabinet who were then more powerful than the vice president resisted his taking over the seat as president when it was most apparent that president Yar' Adua would not make it back to the seat as Nigeria president again. Thank God that the national Assembly in her wisdom reviewed the constitution and through the doctrine of necessity empowered the vice president to act as Acting President. Today President Jonathan has been duly elected as a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria yet the tension and forces that wish to make his administration a write off are glaringly springing up here and there.
The first challenge he had was the issue of security which has given rise to a great violent crimes and kidnapping among the disgruntled element in government. It is unfortunate to note that in most of the states of the federation the armed robbery gangs and the kidnappers are sponsored by the people we look up to as role models or responsible Statesmen. It is unfortunate to discover that traditional rulers can descend so low as to sponsor kidnapping for the sake of making money. The custodians of social justice have by that singular act abused the sacred traditional institution and command no respect among their people. In Imo State and Abia State at least three traditional rulers have been involved in kidnapping cases. These suspected and suspended monarchs should be made to face the music in accordance with the law.
Another problem facing Jonathan led administration is ethno-religious crises which is trying to tear Nigeria apart. Few years ago it was a problem of the Arewa and Odudwa youths who in various ways unleashed terror on innocent citizens of Nigeria. But today we have the Boko Haram Islamic sect threatening the peace and unity of Nigeria. In August 20, 2011 the United Nation's Building was bombed in Abuja and hundred of people died and others were deformed. On the 25th of December 2011, St. Theresa's Catholic Church Madala in Suleja, Niger State, near Abuja was bombed. Many innocent children of God were martyred in cold blood. The same bombing took place during Nigerian Presidential inauguration on May 29th 2011 and cars were bombed few meters away from the Eagle Square, venue of the inauguration. It is not only in Abuja that the case of bombing has been witnessed.
Kano, Borno, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi and even Yobe state has witnessed series of bombing. The Boko Haram has also accepted being responsible for the bombing. The most recent in Kano state that took the life of my editor's friend Enenche Akogwu of Channels Television was the worst that took over 200 lives, left many deformed forever and demolition of properties worth millions of Naira. According to my editor, Godwin Enenche was the best graduating student in their set; 2004 graduates of mass communication of Benue state university, Makurdi. What a colossal waste!

Recently few Muslim were caught in Imo State and River States trying to plant bombs. The situation is getting worse as these evil fundamentalists are penetrating the Christian cities in the South to carry out their infamous act. What baffles Nigerians is how this sect beat the Nigerian security network to carry out their actions. During the subsidy removal strike, tension was high and politicians and the hoodlums hijacked the situation to terrorize the nations. The Boko Haram issued a threat to Southerners in the North to leave the region immediately. The military and the police have dismissed the threat as an empty one yet they can't promise Nigerians of their security. This was exactly what happened in May 1966, the Governor of Northern Nigeria Late Colonial Usman Kastina made several empty promises to both Ojukwu and the Igbos in the North to no avail.
The problem of Nigeria is not beyond us, if is something we can solve ourselves. We do not seem to go straight to the truth because we are all afraid of the truth which is light. The truth is that most Nigerians that took part in the civil war can not escape involvement in one war crime or the other. The sense of injustice which the civil war brought is still growing winds and extending to new grounds. It was the war against the Igbos in the 1966, in 1992, it came as injustice against the Yorubas, and today it may be another ethnic group. It is based on the multiplying effect of injustice that Martin Luther Kings jr. stated that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". To add to this Francis Bacon cautioned that "Revenge is a kind of wild justice''.
It is very difficult for people in this media profession to base their argument on the rumour or information from the grapevine, but it is sometimes very important to listen to side talks for one to survive. Indeed, before the death of Chief Chuba Okadigbo, there was a rumour that the military brass after the war signed an agreement that the Igbos cannot be allowed to be President of Nigeria until after two hundred years. Whether that is right or not is not my concern here but my worry is that the rumour was given much credence after the death of Okadigbo when it was rumoured that a police sergeant was paid to teargas him at close range so as to provoke his asthmatic problem. It was also rumoured that he was privileged to get the content of the agreement as a vice presidential candidate to Buhari under ANPP and made it known to some Eastern elites.
In as much as I dismiss this as one of those market place rumours, I still can see why Aristotle explained that "his best man is the noblest of all animals, separated from law and justice he is the worst". If the rumour appears to be true, is it not proper to commend Aristotle who in his Nicomchean ethics explained. That "the high minded man does not bear grudges, for it is not the mark of a great soul to remember injustice, but to forget them". Then where is the greatness in Nigerian Statesmen? If such a secret meeting and agreement could be made against a race, then the idea of mutual association is defeated. No wonder Sir Williams Schwenck Gilber said that "man is nature's sole mistake".
The great Dr. Nnamde Azikwe on November 21, 1978 after denouncing politices in 1969, said that the political activities around that time was disheartening and heart-rendering to the point of disillusionment that he had no option but to come into politics so as to stall the drift. Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe's participation did not stop the drift because the 1979 civilian administration was a replete of corruption and maladministration.
It is important to point out that fraud has never gone in Nigeria politics since then. The funny thing is that ideologies are propounded. Scholars are also paid for such academic exercise, but implementation is always zero.
When President Jonathan came on board, Nigerians were happy because, he is educated and very experienced in all ramifications; he is at least a graduate of a conventional University, a doctorate degree holder, the first academically qualified doctor to be Nigerian President. He was a class teacher before joining politics. More importantly, he was a pauper as a child. If what he said during his campaign is right. Suffice it then to say that he never had a Shoe as a primary school pupil. He was not born with silver or golden spoon. He experienced almost every thing a common Nigerian is now experiencing. However what baffled Nigerians is the way he pounced on the masses with his New Year message of disaster. (Subsidy removal). The increment of petrol from N65 to N141 was too much for Nigerians. It was more of betrayal of trust from the presidency. It is important to remember that the N65 per litre was a campaign slogan that paved way for him. At the podium during the primaries of PDP, he promised to bring hope to the common man, and make the supply of fuel readily available. He also promised to generate employment to the masses. I did not to believe Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who during the primaries insisted that President Jonathan was insincere. I saw that as campaign strategy.
Few months after his election, insecurity of life and job took the centre stage at one PDP controlled state (Abia State) against the programme of the federal government, threw caution to wind and poke fingers into the eyes of Mr President by sacking Nigerians in his state on the ground that they are not indigenes of that state. The President has not done any thing to call him to order since then. In a similar way another governor can sack non indigenes in his and confiscate their properties because such people will then have no right to invest in another state in Nigeria.
A precedent has already been set. Another issue is the level of unemployment which stands at 32 million presently in Nigeria which the President has not addressed and the problem of strike at the various tertiary institutions in Nigeria. One would expect that as a former lecturer, President Jonathan would have stalled the drifting away standard education by initiating dialogue with ASUU and also implementing the out come of ASUU vs Government dialogue.
The worst problem in today's Nigeria is that President Jonathan has refused to use his executive power in matters that are serious. This made people to ask if President Jonathan is indeed a toothless Bull Dog­?
Without sounding very derogatory, one can categorically asked why the Presidency has allowed the capitalist mafians to play prank on Nigeria economy by hijacking the fuel importation. Can't our refinances be repaired to solve the problem of fuel scarcity? That will also create employment. Is it necessary to hand over the importation to individual profiteers who often quote what they have not supplied? Can't the NNPC take over the importation directly? The most worrisome problem is the way the oil marketers have refused to adjust to the new price of N97 per liter as directed by the president. This has even continued to unleash hardship on the masses from where the eight days nation wide strike stopped. The President, as a matter of urgent importance should sanction the petroleum marketers who are involved in hoarding fuel while the masses suffer.
Lastly, Nigerians are waiting ardently to see what the proceed of the petrol subsidy removed will bring to Nigerians as they go about grudgingly carrying the weight of hardship over hardship imposed on them willingly by their so called democratic government. If the President is not really a toothless Bulldog, Nigerians therefore expect him to march force with force and destroy the mafian group among the capitalists who have form a clique in order to make Nigeria ungovernable. He should give the police a marching order to produce the Boko Haram king pins and for a while, allow peace to reign in Nigeria. I don't believe in the sack of the Former police chief Hafiz Ringim; for his deputy Abubakar Mohammed to take over. Although it is a positive step in the right direction at this momentous epoch but the truth is that, Nigerians need nothing but positive result which is not all about changes.
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However, if the Presidency cannot assure the masses of their protection and a stable economy, then he is therefore inviting anarchy. And such anarchy may bring Nigeria to a disastrous end.

Ahaiwe Kenneth C.