The Dogs of War

Visitors to my blog will confirm my incessant critique (the unfavourable kind) of the Nigerian government and for that matter, any government that has not shown it's desire to improve and alleviate the burden their people find themselves under.

I have spent hours arguing and engaging in verbal and written slugs, all trying to catch the ear of those in the know, to see if we can find a solution to the mangled image of my beloved country, but slowly it has started to occur to me that perhaps there is a need to change tact, for what we all want is progress and if a tactic is shown to be flaccid and ineffective, new ammunition might be the way forward.

I came to this juncture, as a result of long days spent asking myself some pertinent questions. For instance, can I really be sure that the likes of Obasanjo, would really not want the advancement of Nigeria? Is it truly possible that he would not want constant electricity and drinking water? Does he really enjoy the tragic state of our roads, which by the way, have claimed many outstanding lives? I only ask because, if I was President, it will be my fervent wish that I be remembered as the man who brought all these good things to Nigeria. I find it difficult to comprehend why a man who has ruled that dynamic country or 12 years would like to be known as despicable administrator, when he can do good and be showered with the praise reserved for the likes of Fashola in Lagos state. It is a riddle to me.....or is it?

I think Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora, should now begin to prop themselves into a mindset that those who actually direct the affairs of our nation might actually be unseen and unheard. Yes, I know I am spouting old news, but one has to reaffirm these facts, to fully understand the challenges we face. Ask yourself, if a man could direct a repayment of our Paris Club (a crippling debt that enslaved us), why would it be difficult for him to solve our infrastructure issues? What or who is it that makes the government's task so impossible? Are there shadowy characters who see any progress as an impediment to their own selfish progress or are we just farting in the wind and trying to find a non-existent enemy?

As a once signed-up, but now releuctant member of the diaspora, I wonder if those of us who live abroad, are actually missing a trick and thus unaware of our influence in the direction of Nigeria. In the end, the amount of money we pump into the society more than puts us in a prime positon to sway a change, by engaging with those who wear the crown. Our cerebral bank is being spent venting on our government, whilst we invest our future to various Western societies...how long can this go on for?

I only ask because, I just want progress. The likes of the ultra-respected Sahara Reporters expose all the shenannigans going on in the corridors of power, but is true change happening? Are we just teling Nigerians what they already know, i.e. there is unbridled corruption in high places? Maybe it is time to tell them what to do to bring comfort to everyone. Is it time to engage the juggernaut and work with the powers to be? If I have to dine with the Devil to bring a just society to a vibrant nation like Nigeria, then so be it! What do you think? Is it time to use our talents to fight the good war and stop all the rabid, ineffective barking? Or have i just committed the constant sin of too much talking, when quiet action is needed?

I am open to suggestions.....

The Future is Brown....

James Purnell looking at Gordon Brown and wondering whether he knows what he's doing

As a committed student of politics, I always love the intrigues that characterise the corridors of power and the treachery that emerges when the situation becomes tough. Of course it's a shame that the transparency needed to enjoy the theatre is missing in my own nation, but all through the political history of major nations, individuals of outstanding candour and heart have shoved their way into the hearts of their respective electorate, cementing their place in history in the process.

Irrespective of your politics, one has to doff their hats to dogged politicians like Margaret Thatcher (stubborness), Churchill (inspiring), Bill Clinton (outrageous charisma)and Obama (well, genius...perhaps). It takes an incredible amount of chutzpah, to battle your way through what has been described as an impossible task and then in the process succeed to convince millions of people that your way is the way to go. It is a God-given talent and as we can see quite clearly with the current Gordon Brown crisis in the UK, it is also a trait that is very limited in circulation.

Whilst we fawn over the oratory and screen-idol looks of Obama, we are left with nothing but sheer discomfort when we observe Mr. Brown. A man of incredible intelligence, but cursed with the facial expression of your neighbourhood mortician, poor Gordon is like the neglected grumpy big bear stuck in a private zoo with little cute furry animals, who attract the majority of visitors. He is constantly irritated by what he must view as cerebral cretins who kiss his arse to his face and do otherwise, once he turns his back!

In the end, I happen to believe Mr. Brown has the tenacity to deal with the ongoing furore and will therefore weather the storm. The parliamentary Labour party cannot afford a leadership election (they are terribly expensive!) and there isn't anyone except Alan Johnson perhaps, who has the nerve or the gravitas to emerge as a formidable force to repel the oncoming Tory army. And so, even as minister after minister resigns (and there will be more...trust me!)and their leader is festooned and beleaguered, I just somehow have this feeling that it will not be enough to get the man out of Number 10.

I still believe the future is Brown.....

The God Business (Part 5)

As torrents of economic drought and anorexia lash the pockets and stomachs of the average man from New York to Siberia, many have said the situation was signed, sealed and delivered by the greedy fat cats and 'get rich quick' brigade. I recall a conversation with some rather agitated acquaintances last week, where someone actually called the current situation; a battle between evil and good. A scenario that has now arisen (according to the same person) due to the nonchalant nature of those who represent the so-called 'good'.

Apparently, lawyers and bankers were wrongly seen as the 'new' priests and holy men, and 'making a buck' attained the same gravitas as having a decent and upstanding character. The speaker went on to condemn the ubiquitous 'rich lists' developed by the likes of Forbes and The Times, which have now, accordingly to him, become the commandments that Mankind has decided to live and die by(?!!) It was a poignant night which meant the conversation never recovered from the gloomy, downward trend introduced by Mr Good vs Evil, although his passion for the topic was infectious to say the least. I only began to appreciate the remarkable slant of the gathering, when those involved set off a full-fledged navigation of the complete morals and ethics landscape, before ending in that dreaded one-way conundrum; doubting the existence of God!

Don't open your mouth so wide. The amount of people who are beginning to join the atheist army is alarming and yes, there are fully registered Nigerian conscripts within. The theory is simple......how can there be a God, who will stand aside and watch so many desperately suffering and disadvantaged? If he really exists, is he really in control? If he is in control, what exactly is being controlled? The Good or the Evil? Blah, blah, blah....

Well, as you can imagine, it wasn't exactly a mild chat and I contributed my two pence, by stating quite clearly and loudly that I felt our current dilenma was endemic of the 'end times,' which is clearly predicted in the only holy book where I can lay claim to some affliation......you never know, there might have been an angel passing by!

The Coffin in the Sky

A crew member monitors instruments, in this photo released on June 2, by the French Defense Ministry, during a search mission over the Atlantic.

In the wake of the Air France tragedy, it seems inevitable for the issue of air safety to resurface in some quarters. As an incredibly bad flier (anyone with Nigerian blood should join me, especially in the light of our air travel record), I have always believed that any vessel that can carry hundreds of people and tonnes of luggage and still take off and stay in the air, sometimes for fifteen hours is definitely prone to catastrophic possibilities.

I have actually addressed the issue in one of my previous blogs and received a full length reply from a seasoned pilot who assured me that it was by far the safest mode of travel. His argument, like those of most people who love flying, was that when one considered the amount of people who fly every year and then looked at the percentage of casualties, it was a very low indeed. Well, my reply to him and those who share his views is this; what is the percentage of survival on a crashed aircraft?! This recent tragedy has claimed a 100% and that number has been replicated through the years, with high survival in crashed flights being in the extreme minortiy.

In the end, with all the science and gizmos, air travel is still an unknown sphere for the human mind. I know we have all the so-called experts with their well prepared statements; 'this aircraft is the safest in it's class and we have never had any electrical problems on this plane, blah, blah, blah.' All of it is little relief for the bereaved and hot air to the us bystanders and potential customers.

The truth is the science of planes is not as exact as we are led to believe and whether we accept it or not, it is still a business and irrespective of any tragedies, the money-making has to continue. How else could it be possible, that we are now being told that we may never know the true cause of the Air France flight 447crash? So, no bodies for the relatives, no explanation of the relating circumstances and no effect on the constant stream of people needing to take another plane......hmmmm. What was the greatest trick the Devil played on mankind again?

Air Travel? Could it be the greatest trick man ever played on man?

The God Business (Part 4)

I have just emerged from what I can only describe as an extremely sensitive argument, relating to the potency of good and evil or at least that is what I conceived it to be about, until one of the verbal pugilists dropped the killer hook and asked the most impossible question; 'If God exists, is he aware of the evil pervading the world at the moment and if he is, can we then say this God is in really in control or have things overtaken him?

It was a roadblocker then and it's still a roadblocker now! I am still conjuring up my arguments and will return to the topic soonest, but in the meantime, it is a poser I am putting out there. My advise is that in reply, we refrain from scare-mongering and predictions of doom being visited on anyone who might have views different from ours.

Looking forward to the wordslinging!

Same country......different Flag!

After an unannounced and eventful one-month sabbatical, I have decided to return to my creaking laptop and freshen up my backlog of commentary on the state of the 'Enigma' that is Nigeria. My time away has been spent publicising my novel; 'A Candle in the Sun', travelling to Lagos and starting the draft of my second novel. Prior to the time off, I had been engaged in several verbal clashes regarding my blog entries. A few of my peers took exception to what they saw as excessive vitriol directed at our government and wondered why I hadn't cut them any slack.....so I decided to chill out with my keyboard. Alas though, things ain't really changed, so it's the return of the Hack ;-)

To be frank, it has been a refreshing, enlightening and damn right enjoyable break for most of the time. There have been lows (Liverpool throwing away the Prem), highs (Barcelona outclassing Man U!)and the odd average day (MPs getting exposed at last). As for my time in Nigeria, well, it continued to confirm some of the fears I have harboured regarding her direction, although, the greenshoots of progress - though hard to see - can be observed slowly coming through. Of course, it was difficult to ignore the decibels generated from the 'US destabilising Nigeria' palaver, saying that, it must be said that the average man on the streets, would probably welcome any kind of foreign takeover, as it could never be worse than what most are going through on a day to day basis.

I am not really sure about the efficacy of the source of the 'destabilising' rumour, but it is worth asking whether it will be such a bad idea if Nigeria was destablised (for the better)? Aside from the loss of national pride and being the victims of some international ribbing, what else could we lose? I guess the situation is quite clear-cut; if those given the manadate(?) to rule Nigeria continuously fail and those of us who are their subjects, refuse to do anything about it, then, is it not viable to let a proven state like the US take over? For one, it will be a million miles more transparent and symbiotic, when compared to the ridiculous situation we have found ourselves with the Chinese! We speak the same language to a large extent, we share a federal system of governance and our legal and democratic structures are not dissimilar. Definitely less takeaways for sure!

Okay, on the downside, we will become a rather big 52nd state (actually, isn't that position already taken by the UK?), but hey, who cares as long as we have a strong armed forces that can protect the nation and kick the hell out of the Niger Delta millitants. Now, couple that with uninterrupted electricity, constant water suppy and a booming economy?

In the end, isn't that what we all really want?

A Word is enough for the Unwise.

Those who have come across my blog, can confirm my love of quotes. I revel and swim in the delightful waters of a great quote. Something that has occured to a great mind and they have in turn, been generous to share it. As I view the world around me and cast a critical eye on events in some of the world's most challeneged regions, namely Africa and Nigeria in particular, I did some research and came up with these pearls aimed solely at those who navigate our political vehicle:

It's impossible to be loyal to your family, your friends, your country, and your principles, all at the same time. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh useless, since their chief purpose is to make us bear with patience the injustice of our fellows. ~Jean Baptiste Molière, Le Misanthrope


If honor be your clothing, the suit will last a lifetime; but if clothing be your honor, it will soon be worn threadbare. ~William Arnot


Conscience warns us before it reproaches us. ~Comtesse Diane (Marie Josephine de Suin de Beausacq), Maximes de la vie, 1908


If a man is not rising upwards to be an angel, depend upon it, he is sinking downwards to be a devil. ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge


Every wrong seems possible today, and is accepted. I don't accept it. ~Pablo Casals


Are you not ashamed of heaping up the greatest amount of money and honour and reputation, and caring so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul? ~Socrates


Every human being has... an attendant spirit.... If it does not always tell us what to do, it always cautions us what not to do. ~Lydia M. Child


To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. ~Will Durant


Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. ~William Faulkner


There is no man so good that if he placed all his actions and thought under the scrutiny of the laws, he would not deserve hanging ten times in his life. ~Michel de Montaigne, Essays, 1595


Nuff said.....