Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Corrupt Leader and his cronies

 
 
Former Governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu will never cease to amuse me with his uncivilised character, this man obviously thinks because he came along with three seating ACN governors to the court makes him above the law. He thinks he's too much of himself. There was empty chair in the dock which he vehemently refused when the judge instructed him. Honestly, opposition or no opposition, this man... should be made to feel the full wrath of the law. PDP corrupt ex officials never disobeyed court orders in past. Hello! Lagosians are so gullible with their Bola foolishness. I sincerely want to know why any sane person would want to have three accounts with different names in the same bank and he does same in multiple banks. I heard he studied in Toronto, how many accounts was he having before he left Toronto, what work was he doing as a student. We are indeed dealing with a crook. If I may ask, is it not contempt of law to refuse to enter the dock and sit? Frankly speaking, most judiciary in civilised country would have him charged but in Nigeria, anything is possible, sacred cows everywhere, so my question remains, if the judge can not call an accused to obey court protocols, what is the possibility that such a spineless judge can convict Tinubu. Phoney politicians, mediocre judiciary. Late Gani will be turning in his grave now when he hears how Tinubu used his Shakara to disobey the court. I use to know the law is no respecter of persons, not in this case! All na Shakara! Who no go no know. Thief na thief. He's nothing but a common thief and code of conduct bureau should please bear its fangs for once. Failura to do so will be setting a very bad precedent. Besides, unscrupulous lawyers are major part of the headache in Nigeria and they contribute largely to the culture of impunity more than any class of charlatans relegating the country into lawlessness
 
Written by: Kester Raymond Okodede
 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Kidnapped: pleading for action


This story has so many dimensions of fraud, scandal, and disappointment. Where is the Rochas Okorocha government’s response? Where is the urgency regarding rescuing the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Imo State Nigeria, Lady Chioma Ogoke, with contradicting reports of her regaining freedom?. In the U.S. when an individual is missing, the person’s information is spread across media outlets. Law enforcement agencies from local, state and federal agencies respond with swift actions. If the person went missing near a body of water, divers are sent in to search. If the person went missing near a woods or forest, bloodhounds are brought out to track the person’s scent.

Volunteers come out in force to search for sometimes weeks. Families hold candle light vigils and are constantly reaching out to media for assistance. Unfortunately, none of this has occurred in this case by the Government of Rochas Okorocha in Imo State. This is a major government official Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Imo State Nigeria…it is scary to think of what the response would be if it was an “average Joe.”

Other government officials are consumed by fear. They are living in constant terror not knowing if they will be next. Do government officials do their best work under these conditions? The message that the Government of Rochas Okorocha seems to being sent to the kidnappers is to go forth because there is no reaction, no intervention, no justice. I ask of you Governor Rochas Okorocha is this the type of reaction/behavior that will move Imo state Nigeria forward?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

A Culture of Fear...

Source: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=266345973386639&set=a.200860933268477.50643.100000337165757&type=1&theater

 • The police routinely brutalize people on the flimsiest of excuses. PHOTO: OLATUNJI OBASA - PMNews Lagos Title page - Amnesty Slams Nigeria For Rights Abuse May 26/2010
 
Source: http://adedunmadeonibokun.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-nigerian-budget.html

A Culture of Fear...

This photos depicts Nigeria police officers in a position of power humiliating and ridiculing citizens of Nigeria. As you can see, the citizens are complying with the directives given by the police officers, one is being forced to leap like a frog. I ask you, what type of action justifies this consequence? Why are these police officers allowed to humiliate these individuals. I truly believe that individuals that violate the law need to receive consequences, but how is leap frogging a justifiable consequence? The citizen is forced to comply with the officer's directives because of the culture of fear that currently exists in Nigeria. If this individual were to question the officer or worse yet, not comply, God only knows what would happen.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Bragging Rights


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15048700

The rape video on youtube - http://youtu.be/3Td0RVdJSmY


I am utterly disgusted by this chain of events. A gang style rape of a woman. These men deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law. What bothers me most about this, however, is that there was not urgency in this case until it started to be catipulted into the media. Why did the government wait to react until the media began pressuring them for answers. I can't help but think that if the media hadn't pressured the government to take action against these men, they would still be free and bragging about their actions.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Where’s the Money


Where’s the Money : Rejoinder FG (Nigeria Federal Govt.) Removes 43,000 Ghost Workers from Payroll http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-removes-43-000-ghost-workers-from-payroll/94835/    


                                           Dr. Olusegun Aganga, Former Finance Minister

This is a startling story. While no public or private agency is immune to fraud and fiscal mismanagement, 43,000 ghost workers seems extreme and frankly frightening. This article has left me with more questions than answers. The obvious question would be how could this happen? Who is responsible? How much money is missing? Will the money be recovered? While these questions most likely will never be answered, the below questions, however, do need to be answered.
What safeguards will be put into place to ensure that this does not happen again? What accountability will be put into place to ensure the safeguards are followed? Now that the new payroll system is in place, how will this be implemented throughout the nation to minimize and eventually eliminate the payroll fraud that has permeated the Nigerian government payroll system for 50 years plus?
This fraud is disturbing, let’s hold our elected officials accountable to ensure that this NEVER happens again.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Aspiring for a higher accountability

One of the philosophies that continued to mystify me about the Nigerian government is the mismatch of priorities. Public officials seem to be overly concerned about the status their position affords them and seem to be significantly under concerned about the happenings within the society in which they govern.

In a country with high poverty, incomparable levels of corruption, and significantly low educational levels, why are they so concerned with being addressed as honorable. It seems to be the Nigerian officials are consumed with using their positions to better themselves and their families rather than improving the lives of the people they serve.

Nigeria continues to lose out on opportunities to to be competitive within the global marketplace. It is time for our public officials to make decisions based on the best interests of all of the individuals they serve. They need to stop using their positions to better themselves. They need to stop the corruption and be advocates for those that can not advocate for themselves. If the current Nigerian political regime is unable or worse yet unwilling to do so, let's get the right people in office to truly bring about a better Nigeria for all.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

National Crisis... Nigeria a country without a valid national identity card


A national ID is commonplace in developed countries such as the US. The national ID is used for everything from proving your identity for a doctor's appointment to applying for a loan, to proving identification during a traffic stop. In the US it is a crime to falsify your identity. If you are found to be in possession of a stolen or falsified ID you are not in a good position. In the US, births and deaths are a matter of public registry. While this does not eliminate identity theft, it helps to greatly reduce it.

In Nigeria, however, it is commonplace for individuals to have multiple ID's. Births and deaths are not recorded. This is a very dangerous place for a nation. When a nation is in a position in which they are unable to verify a person's identity, how are they to ensure general safety and security in their country. When it comes to the seemingly simple task of voting, how does Nigeria ensure that the individuals voting are citizens? How do they ensure that the voters are only voting once?

When a country is unable to verify the identities of the people residing there, how are they to know who to be wary of, who is in their country illegally, and who is a potential safety threat? I would be very wary of living in a country in which anyone can present any name in which they like and be able to obtain a fake ID with relative ease.

Am I the only one wondering if my name and identification are being falsely used in Nigeria?