Nigeria For Nigeria By Nigerians

POSTONING Nigeria’s 2015 general elections is good for Nigeria because it presents an opportunity for the citizens to demand and get the presidential candidates to a minimum of  THREE televised debates. These candidates have succeeded in marketing themselves to their respective political parties, but not to Nigerians. Nigerians are entitled to screen the candidates in a televised public debates if Nigeria should be considered to practice the idea that all people of Nigeria are socially equal.
Nigerians were told in the final days of the 2015 general elections that the same was postponed because insecurity or possible violent attacks by Boko Haram. Boko Haram has thrived in Nigeria in the last decade or so. As such, to rid or destroy Boko Haram within days or weeks before the election is not rational and realistic. Nigeria’s unemployment rate is at about 25% with 12% amongst 45-59 year olds; 19% amongst over 65; 26.3% amongst females and about 18% amongst males. Nigeria naira presently exchanges at about N210/$1 and much more for the British Pound Sterling and  the Euro. Real Estate property rented, leased, sold and bought; food and clothing, including many other essential products and services are bought and sold with primarily United States dollars; prime foreign currencies are legally tendered in most establishments in Nigeria; meaning that Nigeria’s naira monetary policy/system is almost obselete. Nigerians are hungry, wounded and injured by its elected officials.
Understandably, it’s fair to fear or anticipate violence at the polls in addition to possible attacks by Boko Haram; a hungry man is an angry man. I have always believed that a typical Nigerian wants to go to heaven without dying. Therefore, Boko Haram might not be a Nigerian terror group, may not be headed or led by a Nigerian or Nigerians. It must be foreign group using porous borders of North Eastern Nigeria to reach other West African Moslem nations; knowing that Nigerians
are very civil and Godly people. Without biometric system or schemes operational in Nigeria one may not emphatically identify this Boko Haram group as being of Nigerian origin and leadership; Nigeria does not know its citizenry either, because of the absence of biometric schemes. Many years ago many people claimed to be Nigerians, traveled
and committed crimes worldwide as Nigerians.
In 2007 President Olusegun Obasanjo approved and awarded a contract to an organization to institute BRISIN (Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria).
BRISIN biometric system will include schemes for facial, fingerprint, hand features, eye and iris , signature, vein and voice recognitions. Naturally, a nation like Nigeria plagued with bribery and corruption would not want such a program or system.
Following the award in 2007 through the present, budget for BRISIN has always been appropriated yearly without any payment to the contractor. Reason being probably because the contractor did not lobby for the contract as we understand, is not political, does not believe in bribery to provide essential service to his country; and because the contractor is from a minority and maginalized group/tribe. ‘He who
hates is brother is a liar and a murderer’. Without BRISIN. Nigeria may not be able to attract needed foreign investments and the economy will always be stagnant and the administration will be non transparent and unaccountable to Nigerians; and law enforcement will be almost impossible.
Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Incorporated, New York is now working with the BRISIN contractor in Nigeria to make BRINSIN a reality. NAACI, NY is presently in contact with some United States friends of Nigeria, including private
and corporate investors from the Silicon Valey and other concerned United States security agencies to achieve the goals of BRISIN in Nigeria. We will have the first phase running in 2015 and the rest of the phases fully up, running and operational in THREE years. We want to stop crimes in Nigeria before they happen. We owe this to our children and their generations: the promise given was a necessity of the past; the word broken is a necessity of the present. One should not enjoy the benefit of time but rather the benefit of one’s virtue and prudence, because time can bring evil as well as good.
This is an opportunity for Nigeria to rewrite its history and attract the western needed investments. In the 1970’s prior to the oil boom in Nigeria, the naira exchanged at about or in excess of $2 at the time of economic melt down. Presently, N210 is equivalent to the $1 at economic prosperity-time of maximum oil and gas explorations, discoveries and drillings; yet Nigerians are suffering. This suggests that Nigerians were better off at economic slow downs and worse at the time of economic prosperity.
This economic trend suggests that either Nigeria does not engage the services of real and experienced economist or social scientists or that corruption was less and elected and government officials were more transparent and accountable in early 70’s.
Not until televised national debates of the presidential candidates are conducted, the candidates represent the interests of their respective political parties, which must not be shoved on Nigerians. As such, Nigerians should reject the candidates without
appropriate televised  debates before Nigerians. Parading at campaign trails hiding behind written, coerced and intellectual dishonest speeches cannot do it for Nigerians in the 21st century. Nigerians should be able to look at the presidential candidates and ask unexpected hard but simple and realistic questions and obtain satisfactory answers.
Additionally, the candidates would have the opportunity to disclose sources of their campaign funds amongst other issues of interest to Nigerians. Each candidate may have mortgaged without collateral Nigeria’s future, including stability, security, revenue resources to foreign donors, contributors and investors  and interest groups amongst others. If a presidential candidate cannot debate issues of concerns to Nigerians, he cannot represent the interests of Nigeria and Nigerians to the world, particularly at the
United Nations General Assembly in New York. Frankly, the required debates will help the candidates prepare themselves to protect and preserve the constitution of Nigeria.
Nigeria demands high standards for its elected officials be it State of Federal offices.
No Nigerian elected official, senior civil servant or appointees to governmental agencies ever been arrested, detained, prosecuted and convicted and sentenced to prison for a crime(s) he/she actually committed. Because all are above the law. Several years ago, a Nigerian presidential candidate was asked in a public debate, “Sir, why do you to be the President of Nigeria if most of your investments are outside Nigeria, the United States of America ?”. The candidate answered, “Because that is where they are safe”. The candidate, however won the presidency.
A high ranking Nigerian official once said “Stealing is not Corruption”; meaning that corruption is not stealing either; amazing! Mr. Official. Malcom X of the United States said, “There is nothing wrong with committing a crime, but a lot is wrong being a criminal”. Corruption is a crime, stealing is a crime; and if either committed by a Nigerian national, elected or appointed it’s a betrayal of public trust and felonious.
“Men ought to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man out to be such that vengeance cannot be feared”- Nicolo Machiavelli.
Nigeria and Nigerians have been greatly injured since after the so called independence1960; too weak from the injury and cannot fight back. Financial crimes or frauds against a country can be construed an economic treachery and sabotage; therefore, treasonable in general interpretation.
Nigerians should be and are, and must be the architects of their future because we prize virtue and harmony above profit; at least, when I was growing up in Nigeria.
Nonetheless, Nigeria cannot create a society in which no one can make a profit; and one cannot find or envision a society in which no one takes a loss. Not what will  happen but what should be done to accord with or to avoid a given happening.
Politics and civil service are the most thriving industries, businesses and or employments in Nigeria. Hence, people kill, arrange kidnapping, cheat, and do anything to get elected or appointed to key positions in the government. Once there, one has an opportunity to launder money all over the world in briefcases, suitcases and private jets with impunity and with no questions asked at either the origin or destinations of the funds. People fight to get into these employments to steal not to serve; after all, stealing is not corruption and corruption is not stealing either said a high office holder in Nigeria.
Again, there may be nothing wrong with committing a crime, but there is something wrong being a criminal. “If man loses his wealth he has lost something, if a man loses his health he has lost a lot and if a man loses his character he has lost it all”-Hughes.
Bribery and corruption is the norm and core custom and tradition in Nigeria, particularly in high places- amongst elected officials and senior civil servants, including the judiciary system. These grounds are holding Nigeria’s economy hostage. The same group has
mortgaged without collateral Nigeria’s future generations. Unfortunately, Nigeria is probably the only country with its wealth in the hands of politicians and civil servants as opposed to the business community. Nicolo Maciavelli was nicknamed ‘teacher of evil’ by his critics because he believed in scientific racism-ridding humanity with “us” of  gasses. Who would disagree with him particularly in a society where the haves injure intimidate, rob, wrong, unjustly imprison; kidnap and kill the have nots – a voiceless
adversary of the haves over ideology, maybe. Nigerians in high places have exploited
the poor and called it allocations. We have neglected to discipline the young children or younger Nigerians and called it building independence and self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics and we have coveted our neighbors possessions and called it ambition. Nigeria, my Nigeria, our Nigeria may no longer exist because it has been publically raped, abused, disgraced, humiliated, exploited, and robbed of its talents, resources-human and natural.
Undoubtedly, bribery and corruption in high places led to the military coups of 1966 and 1983, respectively; nothing changed ever since. Corruption and bribery well in the open.
As such, neither the military nor civilian administration offered Nigerians hope.
Therefore, Nigerians MUST look reality in the face and say no to one Nigeria and try regional or tribal autonomies. Nonetheless, results of 2015 general selections would present us with various options for change for the future, if it must exist ONE Nigeria.
Every country, including Nigeria must run like a business, which generates continous profit, else shareholders would dismiss the leadership of the business. In government the leadership are the officials, elected or appointed and the civil servants and the shareholders are the citizens. Nigeria should have continuity policy as in business succession policy. The former will require a successor to continue with the sound, productive, employment creating and revenue generating policies of his/her
predecessor. Typically, IBB built Abuja and other enviable projects based on visions for Nigeria coupled with sound visions and polices of late General Murtala Mohammed.
In the very near future Nigeria, including state government offices should seriously consider electing experienced business executives as well as social scientists as opposed to political opportunists or prostitutes and wolf-like politicians waiting to devour the voters for votes only at election time. It’s safe to characterize this group as
such because some change political parties shortly before or during elections.
This attitude periodically changing political parties suggests that there is not patriotism; there is no loyalty and there may be no allegiance to Nigeria and much more its laws and constitution. The world is changing and Nigeria may be forced to change- Nigeria for Nigeria by Nigerians, Vol, II, March 1999, referred.
There is no strong and forceful business community in Nigerian because it has been disenfranchised by the government, because its top employees and officials can freely travel abroad at convenience and unchecked and import anything thereby shawns the services and products of Nigerian businesses. These officials(importers and exporters) have replaced or displaced the licensed companies in import-export, general merchants, wholesalers and distributors. Therefore, the private, small and medium sized companies are short-changed by the large holder of the economy-the government officials that have become business men and women. Additionally, the businesses are badly injured and hurt by adhoc import restrictions and trade regulations. Administration and ports interpretations of the restrictions and regulations
are more punitive, hence port administrators will most like bend the law(s) for their
monetary interests only. Nigerian business community should by all means necessary retake the economic power from the hands of the government and its officials.
Otherwise, it cannot grow or create employment that it’s expected.
Government may be the biggest employer but it’s not biggest job creator; the private is the biggest job creator. Therefore, Nigeria’s businesses community should seek education of its responsibilities regarding economic growth by banding together in rejecting any laws and restrictions that mares its growth. Traditionally, the business community holds any nation’s job and economic growth. Nigerian-American Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, Incorporated, New York will be organizing several seminars and workshops all over Nigeria and in the United States over next several years to educate Nigeria’s small and medium sized companies on job creation, access to capital and financing, including financing imports to Nigeria.
Despite some of the negatives above, I’m confident that 2015 presidential and general elections will be fair and free of intimidations. After all, if the process is right the product will be right, and the latter is the peoples hopes and expectations. However, I will advise that the right product, the new President of Nigeria to arrive at the edge of the world’s knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room
together, and have them ask each other the question they are asking themselves.
Nigeria and Nigerians should show blindness to ethnicity, tribe, religion and gender in
every walk of life to avoid the looming social, economic and political non violent
revolution. Nigerians would try to forget the past painful memories, if we can stop stealing from ourselves, from each other and from our government, which supposedly is the government for the people, not the government of the elite or the outlaws only.Dear Mr. New President of Nigeria, you may have to look reality in the eye to see what need to be done to make life/things better for all Nigerians and Nigeria. That’s to say ‘what must you do that nobody can or should do for you and that would give “us” the greatest return. No matter what name one gives to God, as long as one believes in Him; when we listen God speaks and when we obey God acts. “Remember, you cannot push water up the hill”- Emeka Ukasoanya.
Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies and units should be paid well and paid timely so
that they may honestly, diligently and timely respond to crimes and enforce the laws without favoritism and or fear of repercussions or reprisals from the officials of the government, which has been the case to the present. Members of Nigerian law enforcements are honest citizens will to enforce the laws, if encouraged. However, if one is meagerly paid in a country rich in natural resources he/she must supplement his/her income to make ends meet for a family of about SEVEN with probably only one working. To borrow the language of Retired General IBB in1991, about “It’s not the State Governors do have the money and unable to pay, but are unwilling to pay”.
Adversity is not a curse, it’s a blessing. The brightest stars in heaven are those who
have been tested in the furnace of tribulation. All good  and great achievements come from working and waiting. “Show me a human being who have never suffered adversity and I’ll show you the most unhappy person on earth”- OG Mandino.
Frankly, I’m yet to visit a Presidential Library, if any in Nigeria to read how history has recorded the achievements, pitfalls, regrets of Nigeria’s past Presidents. Historical records of the past presidents and its staff would help to shape the political culture of
Nigeria; and of course the same would educate the younger generation(s) about the expectations of Nigerians, particularly those in high places of the society in terms responsibilities, transparency, responsiveness and accountability.