Awards In Nigeria (2)

This one attracted lots of negative comments to me from the guilty parties, but it’s okay and expected. I wrote about people using awards to service their bank accounts. I also talked about these awards going to the wrong people whose works are negatively affecting Nigeria.

What about our Red Carpets-mostly nights of immorality? It is really sad that the corporate bodies in Nigeria are not after the promotion of our values, but things that are alien to our society. There are totally forgotten people who have contributed in one area of national development or the other.

I always feel like hitting some people when I see congratulatory messages sent to thieves and looters on their birthdays. We are complaining about the way things are going in Nigeria and we are the same people encouraging crime. Until we begin to place these people where they belong, there is no way forward for us.

Don’t be surprised if by next year you see Dimeji Bankole with so many chieftaincy titles and awards. After all, Chimaroke Nnamani, after ‘the more you look, the less you see’ in Enugu State, is being honoured with several titles.

Values no longer matter to us in Nigeria; money says it all. Ikedi Ohakim, the common thief from Imo State, a well known 419 kingpin was elected or selected into power and now we are complaining about his numerous crimes in the state. What did you expect from a man who came from such background? Who were the people promoting his activities? It was still the media. Nigerian media has done us more harm than good.

Going through the newspapers this week, I was shocked to see our media come up with many beautiful things about the person, leadership style and achievements of Peter Obi. This justifies me when I say that what we have now is brown envelope journalism. I am from Anambra State and I don’t think there is anyone more qualified than the people of the state when it comes to assessing their leaders.

Peter Obi is a governor who shamelessly asked jobless graduates and youth corps members to register with N10,000 each during his campaign and promised jobs of different sorts. Some students from my village had their poor mothers go out to borrow the money for Peter Obi and today, they are in debt.

When was the last time Peter Obi paid salaries to civil servants, especially teachers in Anambra State? I think the editors who wrote those good things about him should bury their heads in shame because they are a disgrace to journalism.

Our elders are also not helping issues. Someone was lamenting over the state of the Igbo in the nation and how they have been relegated to the background. In my blunt way of addressing issues, I told him never to blame anybody in Nigeria, but the Igbo themselves. What kind of elders do we have in Igbo land? Do we even have elders at all? I don’t think we do because our so-called elders are all over the place, jumping from Arik to Aero, all roads lead to Abuja. They won’t even send presidential jet to them because they are not worth it. They don’t go there for the sake of the Igbo because they sell out with every brown envelope, the content doesn’t matter.

I stand to be corrected, but I don’t see an Igbo man becoming the president of this nation again. They are all greedy and gullible and are never united. I somehow loved what Ikedi Ohakim did to those elders in Owerri when he locked them out of Concorde Hotel. That is exactly the kind of treatment they deserve. They should stop parading themselves as elders and allow us, the youths to grow up and fight for our rights. We are tired of them and their “long throat.”

Recently, I started thinking of some great people of this country and posted some of their pictures on my Facebook wall. We easily forget those who are suppose to be heroes, but what our media people now do is look for those who have stolen from the national treasury, those with oil allocations and wells, those who are big time drug barons and fraudsters; these are the people we honour. What a shame to a nation like Nigeria and when did all these start? When did we start appreciating wealth, ill-gotten wealth, more than knowledge? There are better people to be remembered and honoured instead of the thieves and killers.

I see people who have done nothing for the society being given national honours and wish President Jonathan realises this himself and do something different. He should remember where he is coming from if at all the stories he told us is true. We believe him, but he shouldn’t make us see him as a liar. If truly he is coming from a poor background and was in the teaching profession, he should do something for our teachers because without them, we won’t be where we are. I salute every Nigerian teacher, I mean real teachers and not the kind we have in our private schools.

If the media houses are honest with their awards, the teachers and nurses will be remembered. But I know they will not do that because there are bills to be paid and they need more than enough to build houses and fly their own private jets. There are some staff of these media houses who have been with them for long and have worked tirelessly for the organisation; how many of them even feed well?

I see the media criticise our government both at the state and federal levels, but I think they are worse than our government. I think they should shut their mouths and put their own house in order first. Pay your staff salaries because destruction shall come upon you when you withhold the little they use to feed their families. The money you spend seeking recognition is big enough to take care of your staff. Recognise your hard working staff first before reaching out to the public—ana esi n’ulo mara nma we puta iro (Igbos understand).

Pastors keep inviting all the big names from America and the UK to come and speak in their churches. They spend so much for just two days programme when there are people in their midst with great gifts from God. These General Overseers are so mean that when you see their junior pastors and their families, you feel like crying.

They spend so much advertising themselves and their beautiful wives on televisions and newspapers thereby ignoring the main issue-the gospel. Do you think God is happy with you when you go out there and get preachers on the same level with the ones you have in-house to come and minister and at the end of the programme, you package very fat offering for them plus their hotel bill and first-class air ticket?

You do this, but you will never give your junior pastor the chance to manifest his gift because you are afraid of losing your congregation to him and the day he tries to minister outside the church, you send him a query with many false allegations. Your problem is low self-esteem and because your congregation from your former boss, you think everyone is like you?

Back to the issue at hand; I remembered the man who designed the nigerian flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi. I had to go to the internet to see what he looks like and when I did, I saw such a great man living in abject poverty. Where are those human rights activists who are all over the place making noise for their pockets? Why is there no one after the welfare of this great hero? We have thieves receiving awards and chieftaincy titles all over Nigeria, while this great national asset is allowed to waste away. If Pa Akinkunmi is allowed to die this way, his spirit will never forgive Nigeria. I think this man deserves a better life and care from the Nigerian government.

What about the brave soldier, the late Col. Adekunle Fajuyi? It is not enough to build monuments and name streets in his honour; his family members should forever be cared for. This great man laid down his life in loyalty to the service of the nation. We see people, worthless people, being honoured instead of this great hero. Thanks to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who deemed it fit to renovate his house for his widow.

The mathematician, Prof. Chike Obi, was completely forgotten by the people of Nigeria and he died in poverty.

Like Sony Okosuns sang,which way Nigeria? I wonder what will happen in the next ten years if we continue this way. There will be no value for education as money and ill-gotten wealth would become the only reason for respect and recognition.