Your Truths Must Set You Free
By Kayode Oladipupo (a Yoruba Infant) | Published 27 February 2009
The question should not be whether or not Nigeria is a failed state. Every SANE and FUNCTIONAL society maintains functional road and transportation networks, effective water supply systems, efficient power supply systems, properly managed courts and laws and law enforcement agencies because these are the critical prerequisites for daily happiness and for effective business activities. Therefore the question should be: Why are these basic infrastructures missing in Nigeria amidst your plentiful natural and human resources, and who is responsible for their decay or absence? To say that Nigeria is a failed state without knowing what or who caused its failure is a waste of your energy. Put another way: If the same group of animals that led you to the current coquettish conditions and to your prevailing eyesores upon eyesores, are still in charge of your affairs and will still be in charge of your affairs 2 or 4 years from hence, why disturb God Almighty with your childish debates about whether or not Nigeria has failed? If your God truly created you in His true image, then I want nothing to do with your God because your God must truly be the EVIL that I see in you, in your culture, and in your results.
~~ The Editor
Is Nigeria A Failed State?
By Kayode Oladipupo (a Yoruba infant)
27 February 2009
When Senator Russ Feingold, the Chairman of the US Senate Subcommittee on Africa, classified Nigeria as a failed state and Prof. Pat Utomi with Dr. Kayode Fayemi both of Rainbow Coalition of Political Parties in Nigeria corroborated the unpalatable theory of Nigeria as a failed state, not a few well-meaning patriots were worried. Utomi and co. had listed the state of the nation’s economy, the issues of healthcare and the institutional failure, conflict of interests, and failure to being proactive in taking measures to prevent ordinary citizens from huge losses of their hard earned savings via stock market as strong enough reason to justify their claim. The government is yet to react to this.
Is Nigeria really a failed state? We may not be able to provide any intelligent answer without first defining what a state is and what really could make for a failed state. A state is defined as a country’s government and those government-controlled institutions that are responsible for its internal administration and its relationships with other countries.
When we look at institutions such as the electoral commission, the judiciary, the energy sector, the health and education for instance and their contribution to the state of the nation, one cannot pretend not see a failed state. It may be difficult to jump to the same conclusion when it comes to our relationship with the outside world. The Nigeria sacrificial role in restoring peace to Sierra Leone/Liberia via ECOMOG, and other places like Darfur, Mozambique, Congo belie the claim that Nigeria is a failed state.
Nigeria is, therefore, a metaphor for describing a failed state. We, however, certainly not where we should be as a nation. All the internally based institutional structures are in comatose. It is not just for the fact that these institutions are moribund but the situation is further worsening by the strange attitude that pervades our nation today.
There seems to be a conspiracy of not showing care and concern for anything Nigerian on the part of most of our citizens. There is apparent lack of commitment to the development of Nigeria. It is the same story either, you are talking about a Nigeria gatekeeper, or receptionist in an hotel, a teacher in the classroom, a religious preacher, a civil servant, a medical doctor, a lawyer, the law enforcement officers, a journalist and of course the career politicians, majority of whose only interest in Nigeria is to milk her dry.
It is our collective failure as a people, that close to fifty years after independent, we are yet to see ourselves beyond our tribal and/or ethnic cleavages. We remain Yoruba, Hausa, Ibo, Effik, Tiv, and what have you? No one is Nigeria by thinking or by orientation. While everyone strives to protect his ethnic interest, no one speaks for Nigeria nor protects her interest. Nigeria is like an orphan. She is only good for exploitation, but not good enough to be invested in. It is like a cake that everyone is quick to have her/his own share of, but no one is committed to baking. It is like a building where everyone is quick to own an apartment, but no one is willing to contribute to its maintenance.
Nigeria is yet to become a State. Certainly, she is nothing near a nation-state. You cannot evaluate a non-existing thing. We must first have a Nigeria State before we can begin to talk of whether it has failed or not. The task before us therefore, is that of putting our inglorious past behind us and we begin the task of a nation building. We all must start the culture of first seeing ourselves as Nigerians first, before we begin to see ourselves as Ibiobio, Idoma or Edo. We must put aside, our political and religious differences in favour of building a State all of us can be proud of. We must look within us for collective wisdom. Within our collective wisdom lies the solution to the myriad of problems bedeviling our dear country today.
We must hold Nigeria nation dear in our hearts and train our youths the virtue of patriotism and nationalism. We must all be willing to play our individual roles either as a university lecturer, a nurse in the hospital or a clerical officer to bring about a great and prosperous Nigeria State. We must all be committed to make Nigeria State work.
The time to speak the language of personal responsibility is now. If we allow Nigeria State to fail, we certainly will all pay for it and posterity will not forgive us. Let us admit our collective failure for daily pulling Nigeria state down and turn to God in repentance. He will save us from the pending calamity of a failed state. God had given an open invitation thus “Let the entire world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.” Think, Nigerians, think!
Oladipupo, Kings and Priests Initiative, 5, Ojulenla Street, Ijoka Road, Akure
The Yoruba Question II: Ole Soyinka
By Daily Sun, Tribune | Published 4 Feb 2009
According to Alfred Adler, to understand yourself or another person, close your ears to what is said and watch ONLY what is done or not done because what a person does or refuses to do is his real understanding and intention. In other words, watch the actions and not the tongue, because people’s words are often inconsistent with their actions. This Yoruba Ole Soyinka of a man has his ways with words. We must give him some credit for this ability, especially since the rest of the literary world did recognize the man’s ability to command the words of the Queen of England. Unfortunately, (and this is where Adler and I agree with Obasanjo), words without works mean nothing when words have nothing to do with actions and intentions and results. If words alone could fight corruption or provide healthcare or electricity or peace and justice for the suffering masses in his Yoruba Kingdom of Animals, Ole Soyinka would be right in his fighting words
The Yoruba Question
By Sun & Punch | Published February 28, 2009
Let us honestly face these questions concerning the attitude of the Yoruba people in matters of governance in Nigeria: If Yoruba Governor Gbenga Daniel of Yoruba Ogun State, Yoruba Governor Olagunsoye Onyinlola of Yoruba Osun State, and Yoruba President Olusegun Obasanjo MUST lead many teams from the same Yoruba South-West to plead and to supplicate to Peter Ayodele Fayose concerning elections in the Yoruba South-West, what does this say about the attitude of the Yoruba man toward the rule of law in Nigeria? What does this say about the mindset of the Yoruba people concerning democracy in general, and the rights and business of the Yoruba masses in particular? Flip the questions around: If Warlord Obasanjo respected the laws of Nigeria during his 8 years of sound and fury, if he treated his own Yoruba people humanely and respectfully by bringing Adedibu and Fayose to the courts of law when they were murdering and pillaging Yoruba communities, would there be the need today for the Yoruba Warlord to supplicate to Fayose, to beg a convicted criminal for something as simple as conducting an election for the Yoruba people in Yoruba Land? Now summarize the questions thus: If politics is a microcosm of culture, then the way in which politics is organized, who participates and who does not participate should offer important clues about the nature of the culture. The way politics is played in Yoruba culture provides important indicators concerning Yoruba Values and Yoruba Problems and how these Yoruba values and problems affect the values and problems in the rest of the nation.
The Yoruba Man is Truly Sick!
By Vanguard | Published February 27, 2009
The Yoruba man is truly sick in the head because of his culture of irrationality and conformity. Here is Peter Fayose who was involved in the murder of many Yoruba people. Every dick and Harry in Yoruba Land now sees him as the godfather of politics in Yoruba Ekiti State. This tells you that conformity is a way of life in Yoruba Land, especially when constant conformity is needed so that the Yoruba infants can escape from the responsibilities required by the public office entrusted to their care. No self-respecting life can ever exist among the Yoruba people when every one of them must think and exist as an appendage to murderers and thieves. The root of this is the Yoruba dependency syndrome which explains why every wealthy Yoruba person acquired his wealth either from politics or from murdering and pillaging other people.