Saturday 2 January 2016

Lessons from President Buhari’s first #PresidentialMediaChat


Lessons from President Buhari’s First Presidential Media Chat.
The Scoop: Best of Opinions
January 2, 2016

The ScoopNG 

"President Buhari’s administration was heralded by his inaugural speech. His assertion, “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody,” endeared him to many people across the world, and also set an optimistic tone for his administration. And that increased the expectation of Nigerians about his administration- the expectation that his government will live up to the philosophy of the change mantra that his party had bandied about during election campaigns."

"No doubt, in few weeks from now, the dust which the presidential media chat has raised will settle. And life will go on. But there are lessons to be learnt from the presidential media chat."

"First, the presidential media chat reveals that President Buhari seems to be ill-informed about crucial policy issues in the country." 

"Second, the presidential media chat reveals that the doctrine of separation of powers among the three arms of government- the executive, legislature and judiciary- is threatened under Buhari-led government."

"Third, the presidential media chat further reveals that, although, President Buhari lives in the skin of a progressive leader, he speaks from the mind of a dictator."

"Fourth, the presidential media chat also reveals that President Buhari seems to be in denial of the serious ethnic differences that exist in Nigeria." 

"Fifth, on the positive side, the presidential media chat reveals, to a great extent, President Buhari’s sense of purpose to his mission and commitments to fighting corrupt practices, which have distinguished him from the previous administrations." 

"Finally, the presidential media chat reveals (once again) the shabby panel discussion that has characterized Nigeria’s presidential media chats in the past."

You can read the full article on The ScoopNG.
 
 





 


Thursday 31 December 2015

New Year Resolution 4



New Year eve is upon us again. And the time to perform the ritual- New Year resolution- is here once again. It seems hard to believe that the year 2015 is already gone. How fast time flies!

Last year, my resolution was to obey Matt Cameron; to live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive. No doubt, the year 2015 was one hell of a (tough) year. But I tried very hard to keep my head above water. The unevenness in the year 2015 sabotaged all the good plans I had mapped for myself for the year. As Thomas Kempis famously noted, “Man proposes, but God disposes; neither is the way in his own hands.”

Amid the ups and downs that came in the year, I discovered new traits that I possess, which really enabled me to waddle through the stormy year 2015. Although there are many lessons that the year 2015 taught me, but the lesson that sticks out like a sore thumb is never to live life without plan B. That reinforced my life culture- which is that no matter how down to the rock bottom life kicks me to; I always find a shred of hope deep within me to bust a gut.

In one of my articles within the year- Life is a ring; always make a comeback- I shared my thoughts on this life culture. Let me share with you my conclusion therefrom:

The punches that life hits our faces with should bring out the best in us, the pains that we experience when life kicks us in our testicles should bring more determination out of us, and the pains that come out when life squeezes some vital parts in our body should make us stronger than we were before. We should always make a comeback no matter how hard life has beaten us to the ground!

As I usher in the New Year 2016, what matters to me is not how the year 2015 ended- which for me was more like a bung of experiment with no attendant result- but that I am ready for the New Year. As an unrepentant optimistic, I cannot help but remain optimistic that 2016 will be a successful year. So, I will continue to keep my nose to the grindstone.

As you usher in the year 2016, I say to you from the words of Neil Gaiman:

“...I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”

Oh yes, the New Year resolution! My resolution this year is not to be changed or controlled unless it is in the bedroom. LOL..!

             Happy New Year! Thank you for always reading my blog! I hope you continue to stop by!






Why Nigeria Needs to Refrain From Membership of the Islamic Military Alliance



 Premium Times: December 31, 2015.

 
"In the joint statement released by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the formation of the Islamic Military Alliance to fight terrorism, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that 34 countries “have decided to form a military alliance to fight against terrorism led by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a joint operations center shall be established in the city of Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism and to develop the necessary programs and mechanisms for supporting these efforts.” The statement further stated that “more than ten other Islamic countries have expressed their support for the alliance and will take the necessary measures in this regard, including Indonesia.” Nigeria is not only listed as a member of the alliance but also as a country that has confirmed to support and play military roles in the alliance."

"It has been over two weeks since the Saudi government announced the alliance. Yet, Nigerian government claims that it has not confirmed its position in the alliance. However, evidence appears to show that Nigeria has not only confirmed to support the alliance but also has “opted to assist militarily.” It behoves the Nigerian government to rebut this claim with a strong public statement to the Saudi government, if truly Nigeria did not give its consent before the boxes were ticked for Nigeria. The continued silence of Buhari-led government on a serious foreign policy issue as this, rather speaks volume about government’s insensitivity to the pressing issues facing the country. This insensitivity has been symptomatic of past administrations in Nigeria. Not even the change mantra has changed it."
 
"It is the collective responsibility of Nigerian citizens to engage with the government to ensure that the decisions of the government reflect the expectation of the citizens. In the interest of Nigeria as a sovereign and secular state, the government of Nigeria must not join (if it has joined in principle it must withdraw) the Islamic Military Alliance."
 
"To conclude, the Nigerian government must withdraw its steps from joining the alliance, particularly within the context of the “Islamic” label attached to the alliance. The pockets of evidence from the crises in the Middle East have shown that there are different interpretations of what is Islam or terrorism, even within the supremacy of Saudi Arabia. Also, the government should not forget that Saudi Arabia is facing the worst economic downturn in its history with a budget deficit of $98 billion in 2015, which suggests Saudi’s declining power in the Arab world, hence a conviction that Saudi Arabia may be hiding under the guise of alliance to spread across countries both economic costs and otherwise, while it strives to maintain its supremacy in the Arab world. The non-inclusion of key players in the region- Iran, Iraq, and Syria- should be a tell-all sign that the intentions of Saudi Arabia for pushing forth the alliance are intrinsically hidden. Therefore, the focus of the government must be to make decisions that not only reflect Nigeria’s commitment to credible international action, but also favour all Nigerians irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation."
 
 To read the full article, visit Premium Times.
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