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VOICE OF THE MASSES

Started by Hafsy_Lady, March 09, 2004, 05:40:05 PM

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Dan-Borno

Hey Guys, trying to bring a new topic, instead
just reincarnated same from the archives, since
it serves the same purpose.

On a serious issue, the percentage of people
suffering in this our country compared to those
who are comfortable is far too high.

Just take a walk to your neighbours house in
the morning (for those living in Naija kampe)
sit down and see what are they preparing for
their breakfast.

Is there any Mai-Akara or Koko or any small
restaurant near you?  Go there in the morning
sit down or order a plate of food and see how
many people (Some pretend to be Almajirai
but wallahi they are not, mazauna gida ne
just trying to get what to eat) they will be counting
each loma you take to your mouth figuring if
based from their calculation the food will remain
or not.

Common water, as rightly stated by Bill Clinton
while on a tour to Africa, is a very big issue in
Nigeria.  Nigerian kids dont talk about candy
anymore wallahi.

Attend any walima and see how yara da manya suke
warwason abinci.  Wallahi yunwa ne tsantsa.

Why are pretending that Nigeria is WELL?
Or is it because you can eat 5 or 7 times daily?
How many of us can eat in the above style?

No matter how we advocate for the complete
irradication of Almajiranci - we wil not succeed.

What is the way out?
"My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for" - Tupak

IBB

this is seriously a touching fact Dan-borno.

How about opening a Zakka office, where the wealthy ones can pay their Zakka so it can be shared to the masses
IHS

tofutokwa

Salam

I heard enough criticism???

At least there is something good in Nigeria

Just one question and I would not post anymore


If the people of Nigeria are called Nigerian
what does we can call for the people of Niger
who is then the right one to call the Children of Niger River???  ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???



Dan-Borno

IBB, most of the northern states have Zakka
office.  But the problem is "are people willing
to pay out their zakat according the the
prescription by Islam?" No.

I have worked with someone in 1995 who is
a very wealthy person, and I am in charge of
all his accounts and warehouse.

When the time for Zakat came and malamansa
sunce ya fito da zakka, wallahi kar kaga throughout
that week even his wives will know tha something
is wrong with him.

We will calculate and recalculate and recalculate
until Alhaji will give us his own formular on how to
calculate zakat according to his wish.  And if the
money is out, he will distribute the money in N5,000
and divide it among his staff.

So, you see, we have problem(s) at hand, when you
talk of Zakat.

Do you know anything about WAQF (Endowment)?
"My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for" - Tupak

Dave McEwan Hill

What would be the reaction if some great and honest Nigerian came to the people with this declaration?

The Constitution is suspended and regional governments are herby dissolved.
My dear countrymen, the aim of the Revolutionary Council is to establish a nation free from corruption and internal strife.
Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand ten per cent, those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so they can remain in office, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society.
I assure all foreigners that their rights will continue to be respected.
We promise every law-abiding citizen the freedom from all forms of oppression, freedom from general inefficiency, and freedom to live and strive in every field of human endeavour.
We promise you that you will no more be ashamed to say that you are a Nigerian

HUSNAA

Quote from: Dave McEwan Hill on June 19, 2007, 12:59:52 AM
What would be the reaction if some great and honest Nigerian came to the people with this declaration?

The Constitution is suspended and regional governments are herby dissolved.
My dear countrymen, the aim of the Revolutionary Council is to establish a nation free from corruption and internal strife.
Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand ten per cent, those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so they can remain in office, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society.
I assure all foreigners that their rights will continue to be respected.
We promise every law-abiding citizen the freedom from all forms of oppression, freedom from general inefficiency, and freedom to live and strive in every field of human endeavour.
We promise you that you will no more be ashamed to say that you are a Nigerian



You mean the military Dave? ;D
Ghafurallahi lana wa lakum

sheriff 05

Dave, are you implying a military type leader, who would rule above the constitution? Or an Obasanjo type democratic leader to whom the constitution is irrelevant? To be honest, while that may be effective, it may also be a recipe for instant chaos.

If he suspends the constitution on what basis therefore will he/she rule?
What will govern his responses to situations?
What role with the judiciary play?
Will he be forced to respect the rule of law? If so, considering the fact that the constitution is suspended, what law are we talking about? 
To whom will he be accountable? Or does he then reign supreme and cannot be held accountable? In this day and age, can there really be people to whom unlimited power such as you suggest can be given and they judiciously expedite their duties, while not being accountable to anyone?  While I would also hope that the answer to that will be yes, unfortunately, the reality belies our hopes.

Yes we need selfless visionary leadership, but such a dedicated visionary must work within the framework of the law and a national constitution for two principal reasons.
Firstly, it would allow him to demonstrate the effectiveness, transparency and efficiency of the rule of law and the national constitution, to show that no one is above it, and that a Nigerian society can truly be built on it. This would instil order in the society and therefore show people that without recourse to more violent means, justice can always be served. Secondly, such a constitution can provide the people with a means to checkmate the negativity of a bad ruler and those to whom the law means nothing. This we so clearly saw over the last year (tazarce!!!!).

I agree that leadership is everything, but to be honest, I am more inclined to the notion that our problem lies from our inability to take personal responsibility for our plight. Imagine what would happen if a community come together under the auspices of a council of some sort and decide that they will be developing a strategic approach to (for example) agriculture such that they aim to produce enough food within the next farming season to sufficiently feed themselves and to export to other neighbouring communities. As visionaries within such a community, they could transform there own agro-economic base and turn that into a significant money earner for themselves on an individual basis. We wouldn't need Aso rock to achieve this in Damaturu (my state capital!!!). We wouldn't need anyone suspending any constitution either. All we would need is a general sense of personal responsibility to the plight of our community and a general dedication to make things right. In this case, such a commitment will even pay us. But unfortunately, we're a lot more comfortable blaming the government.

Please don't get me wrong, we have a right to blame the government as it is its responsibility to provide all we need. Yes, I know, but since they don't, what should we do? Even if we revolt, fight them and replace them, we'll still end up with leaders with very similar mentalities. It would simply be a rat race. Therefore what do we do? We quite simply take responsibility for our communities and do what we can to develop ourselves hoping that one day, we would be internally developed enough to be of immense benefit to the world. History has shown that self determination and individual dedication is the only way a society can effectively move forward.


Dave McEwan Hill

That was the preamble to the first coup in Nigeria which for all its faults was probably the only honest coup.  I put it on the site because it appears to me nothing has changed in half a century and the problems remain exactly the same.

I don't know the solution but it lies in the long run with the people of Nigeria. Somebody, somewhere, sometime has to say "no" when a bribe is offered, or when undue favour is given to a friend or brother, or when someone decides that all people of whatever tribe or religion deserve equal opportunity and equal treatment - and starts a movement to persuade everybody else of these truths.
It means not only do you stop giving bribes but you stop taking them. It means that government money is everybody's money and not to be collected and banked by politicians and government officers.

It is also tme to reflect whether the various leaders that most people in Nigeria are fanatically attached to are worthy of the loyalty they are shown by those who support them and vote for them. I see no evidence of this.
As an outsider I see (particularly in the Northern context)simple people being taken advantage of by their leaders who continue to accrue power and wealth which should instead be used for the common good.
But then again, like most Scots, I am a socialist and I don't believe that anybody is better than anybody else.

HUSNAA


I have said it and I will say it again. I dont mind military dictatorship, in so far as the dictators are wont to be fairminded honest, and dedicated to the development of Nigeria.  Democracy in its present form and dispensation is not for Nigerians. Nigerians only know how to behave when they have to be whipped into submission.
We need military dictators because their word becomes the law. Now that in itself is not a good thing. On the other hand if we have leaders in uniform who are selfless and will only enforce right and prevent wrong and wont indulge in the wrong themselves, then we will be on our way to becoming a great nation. Unfortunately for us,  there have been only one (as far as I am aware of, and that should make it two if we include Dave's own, although I beg to differ with him) military dictatorship which was bent on reforming the Nigerian civic society. That was the Buhari - Idiyagbon regime. If Nigeria had continued to be ruled under them, who knows what we might have achieved by now? At least a strong sense of discipline would have been inculcated into the mass of humanity.
The problem is that the Western world frowns on military dictators even if they are the right medicine for that moment for a nation, so it imposes all sorts of sanctions on nations where the military is in power, and that acts to counteract any positive things the military might plan to effect on their ppl, thus undermining their effort at genuine development, and this is a deliberate move on the part of the west as well. It would rather see a bad democracy in place rather than a good dictatorship, just so that it can protect its own interests. The losers are always the common ppl of course.
Ghafurallahi lana wa lakum

Dave McEwan Hill

Exactly,Husnaa. Well said. The only problem however with Military Dictatorships is that if they decide to be wicked you can do nothing about it - as Nigerian experience has shown.
We will probably differ on the first coup though I genuinely believe there was a strong " One Nigeria" element to it and I think the easterners were initially the most enthusiastic "One Nigerians".  Political naivety presented a coup however that was dominated by "nyamiri" officers.

There were other failed coups and I had friends whom I respected hugely executed after one of them. I had no doubt that their motivations were completely honest.

The big problem facing Nigeria, unlike most other African states, is not lack of funds - the high price of oil should mean that Nigeria is awash with money which should be used to develop your country. Theft is still the real problem.

sheriff 05

The recurrent idea for a strong military type leader is indeed a sound one. I agree that in its present form as is currently practiced, democracy is not ideal for the Nigerian environment. It allows room for all sort of "idiocy" to publicly litter our political landscape and leadership circles.

The idea of a selfless military leader is fantastic. We need such people to instil the rule of law and to bring discipline back into the Nigerian system. On that point I very much agree with you Husna. My worry with this is that it would only work if the leader is selfless and if he indeed upholds the ethos of fairness and justice. If not, then we're stuck with him without having any possible means of saving ourselves. Unfortunately, even from the cadre of military leaders we have had over time, we have had a lot more bad ones than good ones. Therefore, this system may not work either.

We probably need a hybrid. Something that allows for such leadership, while also instilling accountability.

I also agree that the powers that be, may not be predisposed to the idea of an independent and courageous leader may rule a country like Nigeria, a country with such strategic importance to the global energy market. History is awash with examples of such interferences, the most common one being Omar Torijos of Panama. His valour could not be tolerated by the powers that be. His style of people oriented leadership and the right of self determination that he gave to his people along with his firm stance for the freedom of panama and its highly strategic canal, made him a firm US enemy no.1. He was assassinated and replaced by a subservient ruler who gladly left the canal in US control.



Dan-Borno

Well done Dave, Husnaa and Dattijo Sheriff, you have spoken well.
Both military and civilian government did not change anything in
this country.

Dave, you intelligently tried to figure out what the real problem
is with Nigeria, where you faithfully come to the conclusion that
theft is still the problem of Nigeria.

Well said, and I agree with you.  My question now is, what is the
cause of all these thefts? is it connected to the diverse nature
of tribes, culture or religion of Nigeria? 

There is one topic which we run away from it always:
Is the agitation for "ARABA" not going to work?

All the different regions in NIgeria are accusing one another
saying "monkey dey work, baboon dey chop".

What is the real voice of the masses?
"My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for" - Tupak

sheriff 05

"Araba" is quite an interesting issue which has come up for quite a while and ironically unlike other issues, its agitators cut across the entire strata of the Nigerian society. One major advocate for such being Mallam Waziri, I hope he can "tofa" his "albarkaci" into this discusssion.

On the streets of Nigeria, all masses from all around the country face the same problem. Poverty all across the country, inefficiency, corruption, no electricity, insecurity, all these are themes that exist in all parts regardless of the cultural leanings of the people. The only difference is the magnitude of exposure and the precedence of one problem over another, depending on location. Therefore, even if Nigeria splits, will this problem go away? To be honest, I think not. It would continue to follow us into the many facets we have split into.

This is because, in my opinion, our problem is a collection of personal problems that have amassed to define the direction of our nation. Yes, I agree that without a doubt the system gave birth to this personal problem, but so long as there is no willingness on our part to tackle these inherent problems collectively and individually and to take our own destiny in our hands, then things cannot work, regardless of how many pieces we split into.

I was with a colleague of mine a few days ago, and he narrated to me the circumstances surrounding the gubernatorial election in BAUCHI state, where Mu'azu was said to have used all the power available to him to ensure that Yuguda does not win. But Alhamdulillah, the people of Bauchi demonstrated that even within a completely corrupt and unfair political system as ours, the people should they decide to, can make things right. Yuguda was neither in control of the Security outfits, nor the electoral body nor any instrument of power, all he had was (Allah on his side) the good will of the people and the people merely defended what they felt was right. A similar incident was said to have been recorded in 2003, in Kano when Mallam was elected and Kwankaso, booted.

That is the true voice of the people which is beginning to cry out. The masses want a system that works, a system where all will be rewarded and that fulfils individual aspirations. A system where electricity, water, security, education and all, will be permanent features. In my opinion, the people can surely get all that, should we decide that we will collectively work together to give it to ourselves, through the choices we make, the leaders we choose and through our collective efforts. All we need to do as a people is be clear about our priorities and to take responsibility for our collective destiny. If it could work in the political scene, where bribery, theft, corruption are as common as oxygen, then why not in other areas which we require to rebuild our communities? Frankly, I am immensely hopeful that despite the failures of our fathers, this generation will finally be waking up to its responsibilities.

Splitting Nigeria up will therefore not solve the issue. True federalism, where the country is made up of economically independent city states with the centre being merely responsible for critical issues of National security; foreign policy etc. may be a better option. I must confess I know little about political systems, but I do know that judging by our cultural diversity, a single integrated political system will not be appropriate. The option of economically independent city states all converging under the auspices of a national body may be most appropriate. What we operate at the moment is a similar system, with too much power and economic clout hinging on the centre. But I'm sure that y'all are more suited to discuss this than me...

Dave McEwan Hill

A very thoughhtful piece from sheriff 05 with a lot of good sense. In particular he points out the propensity of Nigerians to notice exagerate or even invent the faults of Nigerians of other tribes while turning a completely blind eye to exactly the same fraudulent or dishonest behaviour by their own people in power.
This is how the rogues manage to stay in power. When a rogue leader is exposed tribalism protects him.
The North of Nigeria with its historical background of a feudal system of governance is at particular risk from this weakness due to the tradition of deference to its leaders.
This is holding the North back.
I helped Mallam Aminu Kano by designing some election material for him. His progressive views in a whole range of issues were lost to the Nortth when he died

The political system sheriff 05 suggests resembles in some way the political operation of the USA or Germany and other Federal states. Federalism varies greatly from nation to nation but I suspect internal forces in Nigeria will lead eventually to more and more power being demanded by the regions and many feel that three or four independent states will be the eventual destination (much like the Scandanavian model which is several independent countries co-operating in an organisation callled the Nordic council). What is impoprtant is that Nigeria's eventual composition is determined democratically by negotiation and the will of the peoples and not by conflict. Any part of Nigeria which democratically wants to secede has the absolute right to do so.

Dan-Borno

Alhamdu Lillahi, Malam Sheriff for a very good reply to my
question on "Araba".  You have raised so many issues, some
you have answered already, while others, you have left
for other forumites to elaborate and discuss upon.

Definitely, what the people of Bauchi State did is a welcome
development and also an eye-opener (sunnah) to other
masses to follow in all spheres of life (not only politics).

Malam Sheriff, what i came to understand with the problem
of our people (north) is lack of awareness and blind followership
just as rightly stated by Mr. Dave.  "Sarki ya ji maganan talaka"
"Tashi ka ba mu waje, Sarki yana barci" "Wane dan talaka ya ja
da Sarki" the likes of these and others pave way to a complete
blind followership and muteness exhibited by talakawas in the
northern part of Nigeria.

This with time transfered to our present political system.
The masses doesnt have any voice to be heard, only the
voice of the rich are being heard at the corridors of power.

It now rest on the masses of all regions of this country to
understand what the problem is, instead of taking arms on selves
and agitating for a split up of his great country.  Definitely, as
you said Sheriff, this is not the problem with us.
"My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for" - Tupak