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Showing posts with the label GOVERNANCE/POLITICS

WHEN A CLEANER EARNS MORE THAN A PHD HOLDER: THE NIGERIAN EDUCATION SCAM

Introduction In Nigeria today, it has become painfully evident that education no longer pays. The irony is loud and clear: a person who has laboured through the grueling academic ladder – first degree, Master’s, and PhD – often finds themselves poorer than someone who sweeps office floors in other African countries. Across Africa and beyond, janitors and cleaners are treated with greater financial dignity than Nigerian scholars. This is not to smear the reputation of the janitors, or ridicule the honest cleaners; rather, it is to highlight the shameful undervaluing of academic excellence in Nigeria. When a PhD holder lives in debt, and a cleaner in South Africa, Kenya, or Ghana lives in dignity, something is tragically wrong with our system. It reveals, in the very depth, the misplacement of priorities in the country, and the endemic corruption that continues to perforate the socio-economic fabric of the Nigerian state.  Table  1 and 2 below reveal frighteningly the dispar...

WHEN A CLEANER EARNS MORE THAN A PHD HOLDER: THE NIGERIAN EDUCATION SCAM

Introduction In Nigeria today, it has become painfully evident that education no longer pays. The irony is loud and clear: a person who has laboured through the grueling academic ladder – first degree, Master’s, and PhD – often finds themselves poorer than someone who sweeps office floors in other African countries. Across Africa and beyond, janitors and cleaners are treated with greater financial dignity than Nigerian scholars. This is not to smear the reputation of the janitors, or ridicule the honest cleaners; rather, it is to highlight the shameful undervaluing of academic excellence in Nigeria. When a PhD holder lives in debt, and a cleaner in South Africa, Kenya, or Ghana lives in dignity, something is tragically wrong with our system. It reveals, in the very depth, the misplacement of priorities in the country, and the endemic corruption that continues to perforate the socio-economic fabric of the Nigerian state.  Table  1 and 2 below reveal frighteningly the dispar...

THE TYRANNY OF GODFATHERS: HOW WIKE’S ALLEGED GRIP ON RIVERS’ TREASURY EXPOSES NIGERIA’S CORRUPT POLITICAL SYSTEM

The political landscape of Rivers State has been embroiled in controversy, with allegations surfacing that former Governor Nyesom Wike demanded substantial financial kickbacks from his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. These claims have ignited debates about the pervasive influence of political godfathers in Nigeria, and the societal attitudes that enable such corruption to persist. ​   Allegations of Financial Demands Reports indicate that Wike insisted on receiving a significant portion of the State's monthly allocation. Specifically, he allegedly demanded 25% of all State allocations, a sum that would severely constrain the State's developmental initiatives. Additionally, Wike purportedly sought ₦ 2 billion from the ₦ 5 billion palliative funds intended to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal. These assertions were highlighted by activist and lawyer Chetam Thierry Nwala, who emphasized the detrimental impact such demands could have on the State's prog...

THE APOTHEOSIS OF ANARCHISM IN NIGER-AREA: THE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR EVERY NIGER-AREAN POSSESSING A GUN

  In what appears to be a tragicomic spiral of our national reality, some legislators in Nigeria are now seriously contemplating the legalisation of firearms for every adult citizen. What is their justification? To enable Nigerians defend themselves – yes, defend themselves – against what is now a state-sanctioned silence in the face of Fulani terrorism and unrelenting banditry.   The very suggestion that Nigerians should arm themselves marks not only a new low in legislative desperation, but it also signals the first full-blown stage of the collapse of the Nigerian state – what we might now call the descent from Nigeria to Niger-area , a crumbling caricature of a republic once paid for in the blood of nationalists and visionaries.   A Gun for Every Citizen? It is no longer hearsay. Senator Ned Nwoko recently moved to sponsor a bill that would legalise gun ownership for every Nigerian adult, citing the need for self-defence. He is not alone. Other voices in the ...

NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST MOBILE NETWORK INTERLOCUTORS

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is tasked with regulating the telecommunications sector, ensuring fair pricing, quality service, and consumer protection. Hence, among others, the NCC is to esure: ·          Consumer Protection: Ensuring that mobile users receive quality service, fair pricing, and protection from exploitation by telecom providers. ·          Quality of Service (QoS) Monitoring: Enforcing standards to ensure network operators provide reliable voice and data services. ·          Tariff Regulation: Preventing excessive charges and ensuring competitive pricing for mobile services.  (see the NCC's Consumer Protection Regulations .) These obligations align with the NCC’s mission to create a robust, consumer-friendly, and competitive telecommunications industry in Nigeria, y et, rather than standing as a shield for the average Nigerian ...

COMPLICITY OF THE POWER ELITE, AND THE GRADUAL FULANISATION OF NIGERIA

  In the throes of political apathy and cowardice, Nigeria today bleeds from an incurable wound inflicted, not just by foreign invaders, but by the criminal silence of those entrusted with her guardianship. The systematic infiltration of Fulani herders—many of whom are not even Nigerians—into every crevice of our sovereign land has become one of the most daring episodes of silent conquest in contemporary African history. From Sokoto to Enugu, from Zamfara to Oyo, stories abound of farmlands destroyed, women raped, sons slaughtered, and communities reduced to IDP camps, while their ancestral lands are claimed by wandering cattlemen who wield AK-47s with more authority than our security forces ( Amnesty International, 2018 ). The police pay deaf ears, when cases of Fulani invasions are recorded. But, dare you touch even a cow of the Fulanis who have  caused you severe harm, that is when the police will act, slamming you with several charges. And what do our leaders do? Nothing. ...

DRAMATURGY AND THE NIGERIAN LEADERSHIP LANDSCAPE

  Nigeria’s political stage is a grand theatre, where actors masquerade as leaders, delivering performances tailored for applause rather than progress. Erving Goffman’s concept of Dramaturgy, otherwise called the Conman Theory—where individuals present themselves in ways designed to control and influence their audience—perfectly encapsulates the chameleonic nature of Nigerian politicians. They are not driven by ideological convictions or a deep-seated passion for national development; rather, they are political performers, switching costumes, adjusting scripts, and defecting from one party to another in pursuit of personal gain. The question remains: can Nigeria ever ascend beyond this charade, or are we doomed to a perpetual cycle of deceit?   The Art of Defection: Politics Without Conviction In most thriving democracies, political parties are rooted in distinct ideologies—conservatism, liberalism, socialism—shaping policies and governance. In Nigeria, however, parties ar...

COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THE WAKE OF RIVERS' TITANIC DUEL

  The clash between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his erstwhile political godfather, Nyesom Wike, has transcended the realm of mere governance disputes to assume mythological proportions. Like the titanic battles of old, where gods waged war upon gods, this duel has left a trail of ruin in its wake. It is no longer a contest of political ideology but an apocalyptic struggle, a modern re-enactment of the Clash of the Titans—where ambition, vengeance, and power collide, and mere mortals suffer the consequences. The collateral damage extends beyond scorched government buildings and fractured alliances; it has rippled into the very soul of Rivers State.   The Smouldering Ruins of Governance In the heat of this epic confrontation, the first casualties have been the very structures meant to uphold governance. In Ikwerre Local Government Area, the council secretariat burned as though consumed by the wrath of feuding gods. Files of administration and governance, the chronicles of...

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA: ATTEMPTING TO SILENCE THE AKPOTI VOICE

The Anatomy of Power and Rebellion Throughout history, power has sought obedience, and where it finds resistance, it seeks eradication. The clash between oppression and defiance is as ancient as governance itself. In the heart of Nigeria’s political theatre, this timeless struggle is playing out once more—a calculated attempt to erase the voice of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate, the political space, and ultimately, from the consciousness of the people she represents. But power, like the ocean, is both fluid and formidable. Those who seek to wield it often mistake momentary control for permanence. And yet, the defiant ones—those who refuse to kneel—are the ones history remembers. Today, the battleground is Kogi Central, where the tides of political intrigue are clashing violently, threatening to drown truth beneath waves of deception. The Art of Political Assassination Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is no stranger to controversy. Her journey in politics has bee...