Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I got a bad case of Obama Fever!!!
Full Text of Senator Barack Obama's Announcement for President
Springfield, IL | February 10, 2007
Watch the Complete Speech.
Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.
We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.
That's the journey we're on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea - that I might play a small part in building a better America.
My work took me to some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and lay-people to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren't simply local in nature - that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, there's a hole in his heart no government alone can fill.
It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the true meaning of my Christian faith.
After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a state Senator.
It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge - farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here - friends that I see in the audience today.
It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable - that it's possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we're willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.
That's why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That's why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That's why we made the tax system more fair and just for working families, and that's why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.
It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people - where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.
And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.
I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness - a certain audacity - to this announcement. I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King's call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more - and it is time for our generation to answer that call.
For that is our unyielding faith - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.
That's what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. It is because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people - as Americans.
All of us know what those challenges are today - a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren't learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We've heard them. We've talked about them for years.
What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics - the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems.
For the last six years we've been told that our mounting debts don't matter, we've been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an illusion, we've been told that climate change is a hoax, and that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happens, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we've been told that our crises are somebody else's fault. We're distracted from our real failures, and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.
And as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what's filled the void. The cynics, and the lobbyists, and the special interests who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we're here today to take it back. The time for that politics is over. It's time to turn the page.
We've made some progress already. I was proud to help lead the fight in Congress that led to the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate.
But Washington has a long way to go. And it won't be easy. That's why we'll have to set priorities. We'll have to make hard choices. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes we need, more money and programs alone will not get us where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility - for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.
Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.
And as our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity. Let's protect the hard-earned benefits their companies have promised. Let's make it possible for hardworking Americans to save for retirement. And let's allow our unions and their organizers to lift up this country's middle-class again.
Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids have a safe place to go when they work. Let's do this.
Let's be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment to the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let's be the generation that says right here, right now, that we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next president's first term.
Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.
Most of all, let's be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we've got. Politics doesn't have to divide us on this anymore - we can work together to keep our country safe. I've worked with Republican Senator Dick Lugar to pass a law that will secure and destroy some of the world's deadliest, unguarded weapons. We can work together to track terrorists down with a stronger military, we can tighten the net around their finances, and we can improve our intelligence capabilities. But let us also understand that ultimate victory against our enemies will come only by rebuilding our alliances and exporting those ideals that bring hope and opportunity to millions around the globe.
But all of this cannot come to pass until we bring an end to this war in Iraq. Most of you know I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake. Today we grieve for the families who have lost loved ones, the hearts that have been broken, and the young lives that could have been. America, it's time to start bringing our troops home. It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war. That's why I have a plan that will bring our combat troops home by March of 2008. Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace.
Finally, there is one other thing that is not too late to get right about this war - and that is the homecoming of the men and women - our veterans - who have sacrificed the most. Let us honor their valor by providing the care they need and rebuilding the military they love. Let us be the generation that begins this work.
I know there are those who don't believe we can do all these things. I understand the skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for president will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead the country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
That is why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.
But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.
He tells us that there is power in words.
He tells us that there is power in conviction.
That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.
He tells us that there is power in hope.
As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."
That is our purpose here today.
That's why I'm in this race.
Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.
I want to win that next battle - for justice and opportunity.
I want to win that next battle - for better schools, and better jobs, and health care for all.
I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.
And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.
Springfield, IL | February 10, 2007
Watch the Complete Speech.
Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.
We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.
That's the journey we're on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea - that I might play a small part in building a better America.
My work took me to some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and lay-people to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren't simply local in nature - that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, there's a hole in his heart no government alone can fill.
It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the true meaning of my Christian faith.
After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a state Senator.
It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge - farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here - friends that I see in the audience today.
It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable - that it's possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we're willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.
That's why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That's why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That's why we made the tax system more fair and just for working families, and that's why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.
It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people - where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.
And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.
I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness - a certain audacity - to this announcement. I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King's call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more - and it is time for our generation to answer that call.
For that is our unyielding faith - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.
That's what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. It is because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people - as Americans.
All of us know what those challenges are today - a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren't learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We've heard them. We've talked about them for years.
What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics - the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems.
For the last six years we've been told that our mounting debts don't matter, we've been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an illusion, we've been told that climate change is a hoax, and that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happens, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we've been told that our crises are somebody else's fault. We're distracted from our real failures, and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.
And as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what's filled the void. The cynics, and the lobbyists, and the special interests who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we're here today to take it back. The time for that politics is over. It's time to turn the page.
We've made some progress already. I was proud to help lead the fight in Congress that led to the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate.
But Washington has a long way to go. And it won't be easy. That's why we'll have to set priorities. We'll have to make hard choices. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes we need, more money and programs alone will not get us where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility - for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.
Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.
And as our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity. Let's protect the hard-earned benefits their companies have promised. Let's make it possible for hardworking Americans to save for retirement. And let's allow our unions and their organizers to lift up this country's middle-class again.
Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids have a safe place to go when they work. Let's do this.
Let's be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment to the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let's be the generation that says right here, right now, that we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next president's first term.
Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.
Most of all, let's be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we've got. Politics doesn't have to divide us on this anymore - we can work together to keep our country safe. I've worked with Republican Senator Dick Lugar to pass a law that will secure and destroy some of the world's deadliest, unguarded weapons. We can work together to track terrorists down with a stronger military, we can tighten the net around their finances, and we can improve our intelligence capabilities. But let us also understand that ultimate victory against our enemies will come only by rebuilding our alliances and exporting those ideals that bring hope and opportunity to millions around the globe.
But all of this cannot come to pass until we bring an end to this war in Iraq. Most of you know I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake. Today we grieve for the families who have lost loved ones, the hearts that have been broken, and the young lives that could have been. America, it's time to start bringing our troops home. It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war. That's why I have a plan that will bring our combat troops home by March of 2008. Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace.
Finally, there is one other thing that is not too late to get right about this war - and that is the homecoming of the men and women - our veterans - who have sacrificed the most. Let us honor their valor by providing the care they need and rebuilding the military they love. Let us be the generation that begins this work.
I know there are those who don't believe we can do all these things. I understand the skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for president will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead the country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
That is why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.
But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.
He tells us that there is power in words.
He tells us that there is power in conviction.
That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.
He tells us that there is power in hope.
As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."
That is our purpose here today.
That's why I'm in this race.
Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.
I want to win that next battle - for justice and opportunity.
I want to win that next battle - for better schools, and better jobs, and health care for all.
I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.
And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
NIGERIA's SALVATION IS IN US
Reform never comes to a class or a people unless and until those concerned have worked out their own salvation.
Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford (1866 - 1930)
Ghanaian journalist, lawyer, and nationalist.
Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
I just love this quote. Its message is spot on and poignant. Reform never comes to a class or a people unless and until those concerned have worked out their own salvation. Nigeria hear this! We cannot expect emancipation or change or whatever miracle of societal change we can conceive to come from International Aid, donors, expatriates etc.
Let’s say you are walking around your house one early morning and you discover the whole house is infested with cockroaches. They’ve virtually taken over everything. You see little droppings of cockroach turd all over your kitchen. Now do you sit down at your work desk and begin to draft letters and proposals to foreign agencies to help you clean up your own mess? Or do you sit down and begin to cast blame? “It’s colonialism! These white men who enslaved us brought these cockroaches upon us!”
That would be ludicrous.
I think it would be wiser and more economical to start to focus on the problem and work out a way to get to the root of the matter. Find out what’s making your house so attractive to roaches and get the necessary skills and tools to exterminate them. Of course you could hire a professional to do the job. It may solve the problem but until you take certain steps yourself, the roaches might just make a comeback. If you keep leaving leftover food in your kitchen sink overnight you can be sure there’ll be a part 2 episode of ‘The Roach Invasion!’
So Nigerians, let’s sit down at the drawing table and seek out the path that will rid our society of the roaches of corruption and poverty that infest our very existence.
A word is enough for the wise. But I welcome extensive comments because on the Nigerian issue, a word once spoken is hardly enough.
Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford (1866 - 1930)
Ghanaian journalist, lawyer, and nationalist.
Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
I just love this quote. Its message is spot on and poignant. Reform never comes to a class or a people unless and until those concerned have worked out their own salvation. Nigeria hear this! We cannot expect emancipation or change or whatever miracle of societal change we can conceive to come from International Aid, donors, expatriates etc.
Let’s say you are walking around your house one early morning and you discover the whole house is infested with cockroaches. They’ve virtually taken over everything. You see little droppings of cockroach turd all over your kitchen. Now do you sit down at your work desk and begin to draft letters and proposals to foreign agencies to help you clean up your own mess? Or do you sit down and begin to cast blame? “It’s colonialism! These white men who enslaved us brought these cockroaches upon us!”
That would be ludicrous.
I think it would be wiser and more economical to start to focus on the problem and work out a way to get to the root of the matter. Find out what’s making your house so attractive to roaches and get the necessary skills and tools to exterminate them. Of course you could hire a professional to do the job. It may solve the problem but until you take certain steps yourself, the roaches might just make a comeback. If you keep leaving leftover food in your kitchen sink overnight you can be sure there’ll be a part 2 episode of ‘The Roach Invasion!’
So Nigerians, let’s sit down at the drawing table and seek out the path that will rid our society of the roaches of corruption and poverty that infest our very existence.
A word is enough for the wise. But I welcome extensive comments because on the Nigerian issue, a word once spoken is hardly enough.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
OIL SMUGGLING in NAIJA! Ha!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7519302.stm
Just click on the link(open in another window)above and get the full gist. I always knew there had to be an answer to the stupendous display of wealth among some category of Nigerians while others wallow in abject poverty and squalor.
Presently I'm residing in one of the northern states in Nigeria. I've seen some of the most recent models of cars on the streets. But the state is one of the most under developed. On the streets of Abuja I see teenage girls driving convertible Audi's and BMW's, young kids flashing their parents wealth. I see young men having opening ceremonies for multi million naira mansions. I see folks like myself...only not like myself when you consider the aura of wealth that surrounds them.
I often ask myself, 'how does a young man of 22 years get to own the latest C class Mercedes Benz, live in a mansion all by himself, spend almost twice my yearly salary in one night of clubbing in Abuja in the Nigeria that I know?'
Inherited wealth most likely. At 22 years?! Inherited. But where does all this money being flung around come from when most Nigerian families are basically struggling to survive?
I have not lived an opulent lifestyle. So when I see such displays of wealth, my antennas go up on their own accord, and begin to search the waves for something 'fishy'. I thank God I grew up this way cos I have learnt that everything under the sun has it's purpose and that purpose is for good. So when I see wealth being thrown around and squandered, I know that something is wrong. Either with the source of the wealth or the present owner of the wealth.
Please don't mind me, I'm just a little frustrated with Nigeria right now. We have so much oil, gas, manpower, intellectual strength, spirituality etc but at the same time so much chaos, poverty, failed systems of leadership and government, evil and satanism.
I cant right now, authoritatively state or quote any sources of info, but I know for sure that all that oil smuggling, pipeline vandalisation, niger-delta militancy and so on, is the work of a handful of Nigerians who have formed cartels and mafias; and who are ultimately responsible for the decay in todays society.
So what can people like me do about it? Little you might say, but a little can do a lot (Remember David and Goliath?)
This is what I suggest for now. Evil thrives under the cloak of secrecy. Henceforth, lets do all we can to expose such evil. Not necessarily mentioning names but just letting people know more about the evil going on under their noses. By so doing, the perpetrators will begin to get uncomfortable. And someday, the masses will be sure that they are fed up.
Also let us advocate for efficient systems of punishment for crime. No one should be above the law. I have said it countless times before and I will keep saying it:-
If only we can change and cause a revolution in our law enforcement agencies, I believe some order will be brought to society.
So read this post again, click on the link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7519302.stm
and spread the message.
Just click on the link(open in another window)above and get the full gist. I always knew there had to be an answer to the stupendous display of wealth among some category of Nigerians while others wallow in abject poverty and squalor.
Presently I'm residing in one of the northern states in Nigeria. I've seen some of the most recent models of cars on the streets. But the state is one of the most under developed. On the streets of Abuja I see teenage girls driving convertible Audi's and BMW's, young kids flashing their parents wealth. I see young men having opening ceremonies for multi million naira mansions. I see folks like myself...only not like myself when you consider the aura of wealth that surrounds them.
I often ask myself, 'how does a young man of 22 years get to own the latest C class Mercedes Benz, live in a mansion all by himself, spend almost twice my yearly salary in one night of clubbing in Abuja in the Nigeria that I know?'
Inherited wealth most likely. At 22 years?! Inherited. But where does all this money being flung around come from when most Nigerian families are basically struggling to survive?
I have not lived an opulent lifestyle. So when I see such displays of wealth, my antennas go up on their own accord, and begin to search the waves for something 'fishy'. I thank God I grew up this way cos I have learnt that everything under the sun has it's purpose and that purpose is for good. So when I see wealth being thrown around and squandered, I know that something is wrong. Either with the source of the wealth or the present owner of the wealth.
Please don't mind me, I'm just a little frustrated with Nigeria right now. We have so much oil, gas, manpower, intellectual strength, spirituality etc but at the same time so much chaos, poverty, failed systems of leadership and government, evil and satanism.
I cant right now, authoritatively state or quote any sources of info, but I know for sure that all that oil smuggling, pipeline vandalisation, niger-delta militancy and so on, is the work of a handful of Nigerians who have formed cartels and mafias; and who are ultimately responsible for the decay in todays society.
So what can people like me do about it? Little you might say, but a little can do a lot (Remember David and Goliath?)
This is what I suggest for now. Evil thrives under the cloak of secrecy. Henceforth, lets do all we can to expose such evil. Not necessarily mentioning names but just letting people know more about the evil going on under their noses. By so doing, the perpetrators will begin to get uncomfortable. And someday, the masses will be sure that they are fed up.
Also let us advocate for efficient systems of punishment for crime. No one should be above the law. I have said it countless times before and I will keep saying it:-
If only we can change and cause a revolution in our law enforcement agencies, I believe some order will be brought to society.
So read this post again, click on the link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7519302.stm
and spread the message.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
LET US PRAY...AGAIN
I pray for Nigeria...May she blossom like a flower in spring
May her children find within her borders, peace and prosperity...
May her citizens enjoy freedom....
freedom to learn,
freedom to work and earn...
freedom to speak http://soulofabrother.blogspot.com/2008/10/freedom-of-speech.html
freedom to return to the homeland and not get arrested unjustly...
I pray for Elendu...
May God keep and strengthen his wife and kids and loved ones...
May justice and sanity prevail...
I pray for other bloggers...
May God protect and keep us
May He keep our pens and keyboards ever busy...blogging
I pray for True2society and other pro-Nigerian blogs...
May we blog Nigeria into her full glory and potential....
ELENDU STORY-IT GETS WORSE
http://www.nigeriancuriosity.com/2008/10/disturbing-news-on-jonathan-elendu.html?showComment=1225211100000#c1017171828479246054
Following this story is like a nightmare or horror movie that just keeps getting worse as it goes on. My concern is that the noise about the Elendu issue is more on the internet than in the country itself. The question then is, how much impact can noise on the internet have in influencing the case as a whole. How can bloggers really create a wave of opinion that will get Elendu real global attention? My fear is that things may deteriorate and he may just become another sad story in the history of human rights abuse in Nigeria.(God forbid)Well maybe I underestimate the power of the internet. If that is the case, then I beleive as we take a stand on the issue, come friday 31st, we just might change the story for the better.Amen
Following this story is like a nightmare or horror movie that just keeps getting worse as it goes on. My concern is that the noise about the Elendu issue is more on the internet than in the country itself. The question then is, how much impact can noise on the internet have in influencing the case as a whole. How can bloggers really create a wave of opinion that will get Elendu real global attention? My fear is that things may deteriorate and he may just become another sad story in the history of human rights abuse in Nigeria.(God forbid)Well maybe I underestimate the power of the internet. If that is the case, then I beleive as we take a stand on the issue, come friday 31st, we just might change the story for the better.Amen
Monday, October 27, 2008
NIGERIAN BLOGGER ARRESTED!!! HABA!!!
http://www.nigeriancuriosity.com/2008/10/nigerian-blogger-arrested.html
I am very disturbed by the news. I am concerned that this will foster an air of insecurity among free-minded Nigerians like you and I and other bloggers, who only do what we do to stimulate an intellectual revolution of positive change.
I wonder whether those who arrested him feel that doing so would silence any percieved opposition to the government. Nay, I say. We will show that people like us may have to have our tongues and hands cut off if we are to be silenced.
Nigeria belongs to us all. If my belle dey pain me, I have to halla! Abi?
I am very disturbed by the news. I am concerned that this will foster an air of insecurity among free-minded Nigerians like you and I and other bloggers, who only do what we do to stimulate an intellectual revolution of positive change.
I wonder whether those who arrested him feel that doing so would silence any percieved opposition to the government. Nay, I say. We will show that people like us may have to have our tongues and hands cut off if we are to be silenced.
Nigeria belongs to us all. If my belle dey pain me, I have to halla! Abi?
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