Introduction

These days, I have wondered why nations, peoples, tongues have lost a sense of shame in today’s industrialized, high technological-informational, and digital-communication age; one may be tempted to excuse the continent’s backwardness in digital divvied, specifically due a combination of factors: foreign aggression, domestic imperialism and greed. There is colossal resources in the global community, the impression left on the minds of mankind today, is such that gives little-hope, little light at the end of the tunnel, pure-nothingness, not enough to make it round for the well-being of world’s peoples. But alas, international community is confused with resources and potentialities that could make rounds for enjoyment and well-being of world’s peoples. This notwithstanding however, greed, shamelessness, avarice, cronyism, individualism, nepotism, imperialism, capitalism, pseudo-communism, pseudo-socialism, well-connected-syndrome, monopoly by multinationals, separatism, global and domestic racisms, poor policy-prioritizations, and poor policy-implementations, and others ills like these have created the illusions, which has deluded and degraded our world; leaving the false-impression that there is little today to make it rounds for all human family. The truth is that this impression is false. Today, besides, nations’ familiar terrain for example, Nigeria’s recklessness, lawlessness and unconstitutional conducts that speaks volumes, there are still chances to restore the dignity of man, in other to restore a sense of place. Markedly, this indeed, must emphatically begin from our homes.

Nations, Nigeria and its Peoples Must Change Their Way[s]

Within the global community, using Nigeria as a platform example, there are still enormous riches including, human resources, mineral resources that could make its rounds to better the lots of these peoples’ lives. Using state-of-the-art prisms, equitable mass-schooling, industrialization, better economic planning, digital-divide, safety-nets for those still trying to find the ropes in other to gain access to the economic mainstreams of societies can do the magic. Additionally, free-and-fair governance, accountability, responsibility, transparency not Transparency International [TI] via: ethnicity-equality not tribalism, qualitative and quantitative standardization of economic programs, cooperative entrepreneurships that would engineer peoples’ control over their resources, with better and well-equipped infrastructures, massive-investment in science and technology, true-democratization of the land through people’s centered programs, voting-education to elective offices by engaging private and public sectors contributing toward educating its citizenry; again, accountability, responsibility, transparency, at least to the level of 80% to 90% of these capacities, educating on understanding of today’s challenges and constraints must prepare these peoples matrix, so that they can practically replace the current pseudo-post-colonial-nationalism with true-nationalism. Observing these components is a good head-start. With this currency effectively and efficiently structured, moving world’s peoples away from this bogus-nationhood to communities they are in charge of. A revolutionary driven nationalism, which stimulates the citizenry into positive actions, into a statehood they could call theirs, be proud of and, ready to defend it by any means necessary. It is called extreme or true-nationalism. There are downsides to everything. Sometimes, strong-or-true-nationalism could lead to aggressive stands. Today North Korea has tested its Nuke, first ever; its “dear Leader” and its leadership believe the arm-proliferations or tests are deterrence to threats from foreign aggressors against its soil, this could lead to wars. How about Syria, Iran and others? The world is a dangerous place and as time goes on, it will be become a bigger dangerous place for mankind to live in including the scary Nigerian situations. These are factual projections not charades.

The question is, in today’s Nigeria, can the ill-equipped military sector fight and defend her well-being; can its citizenry especially its corrupted-youths, its regions and communities put its lives on the line to defend her? If, Nigerian corrupt leadership has abandoned its population, one does not need a rocket scientist to conjure or decipher the outcome. It is NO; this so considering particularly the sky-rocket joblessness and failings in the educational sectors and more? Perhaps not! What about its queenly-feminist movement of 60s that made the land proud; do we have them today?  Perhaps no!  Things have fallen apart; this sector has turned itself into a sea of prostitutions.

Young girls have abandoned or traded-off, its virtue into the outer-space in the quest for materialism. Respected and valued childhood, innocence of the girl-child today has been invaded, infested by western-materialism and pop-cultures, they are now, gluttonously seeking immediate gratifications of life enjoyment without observing standardize norms of work-ethics and respectable behaviors. Perhaps not! Other school of thoughts will add that lack of employmentability another and, sustainable infrastructural capacities have totally destroyed family-units of societies, the girl-child, by the present day corruptive cultures. The corruption indexes even as transferred from colonialists, its mentality has continued to deride the land ever since, and thusly destroying the character and dignity of hard-work, leaving the youths and leaders of tomorrow with little or no options except left to vulnerability, and self-destruct. What an end-game—precipice!     

Shamelessness is a Senseless Disease

Today, from all indicators, lifting from the foregoing paragraphs, these capacities are almost non-existence, were it exist at all, its does in miniature proportions. This is due to vastly pretensions, shamelessness amongst the country’s leadership[s] past and present and majority of its population playing along. All the aforementioned pitfalls found in the article’s introductions remain a disease that troubles and challenges the nation[s] and specifically Nigeria. Worse still, indexes of corruption have plummeted at all level: from Councillorships, chairmanships, governorships, to the petro-dollar multinational-largesse, to the presidency at deep-steeped-neck with excruciating failings; a failing that has by all empirical data defiled all solutions. These steepnesses are ubiquitous irrespective of EFCC war on corruption since EFCC itself is culpable and even corrupt in an attempt to protect the rotten head.  

In this war on corruption, EFCC time and gain has suffered credibility crisis and continue to do so in record numbers, such that very few believe in it, because of its selective methods; because of its vindictiveness that serves its “truth bringer”, the president. Obasanjo administration has no shame. Its irrationality, rascality in allegedly democratic setting is mind boggling; its vehicle is a misplaced power deployment of its mission in accomplishing its goals, collapses the constructive argument on war on corruption, logically debasing its arguments of the foregoing due to its crass conduct surrounding the constitutionality of its acts; conversely distances her in conclusions, from the cream of civilized societies, groups and/or leaderships.   

EFCC has failed in part because the head is rotten—Obasanjo is rotten; Atiku is rotten, period. This rottenness trickles down to the greater masses or populations. Where is the shame in these accusations and counter-accusations at the presidency? Where is the national shame, what happened to due process, what happened to individual and collective shame? Have we gotten so corrupt that there is no shame anymore? When a nation and its peoples grow beyond shame that nation and its peoples are finished and must prepared itself for eventual destruction—punishment.  

Recently, an agent of the Western based Transparency International [TI] published a remark attributed to one Mr. Mickolas, stating their disappointment in Obasanjo administration with respect to war on corruption. To their chagrin, President Obasanjo has been the President of the Nigeria without a Minister of Petroleum this past eight [8] years. TI quickly changed their position when the heat was on from Abuja.  

Now, if we continue to wait for others to response, takeover our responsibilities for us, or use their measuring instruments to determine our own capacities, then, it is apparently clear that such is of sub-standard—foreign engineered. It is important that we set our own standards/goals, fundamentals, law and order, free of foreign interventions and aggressions. We can do things ourselves, irrespective of neo-imperialism, pseudo-colonialism, and emergence of individualism in our societies which prior now, were known for its mutual-cooperative-community, communal and collective cooperative communism and entrepreneurships.   

Entities like World Bank/IMF Transparency International [TI] and others in this category are rouge entities; listening, seeking their fraudulent economic-diatribes, and international economic bigotry, favorable-economic-policies for themselves and, unfavorable-economic-policies against us, will leave us with nothing but perpetual servitude for centuries to come. God forbid!

Where is the Outrage; Where is the Sense of Urgency?

From archives-communications, records show that when the nation is challenged, there ought to be some national outrage, a sense of urgency amongst our peoples. From 40s, champions like Labor-congress, Nigerian Students Union, civil-societies and market women took then leaderships or thieves to tasks. Today we have regional-soapboxes, displaying their regionalists and ethnicities for all to see because we don’t have nationalists anymore. In post-colonial era, there was record high Pan-Africanism, pan-Nigerianism movements. We still remember the likes of Zik, Nkrumah, Awo, Lumumba, Ojukwu Sr., Kaunda et al. However in neo-Nigeria, preceding military coups after military coups, foreign interventionism with foreign aggressions made these accomplishments today stagnated; even to a point of were it receded to nothingness. Today’s outrage and sense of urgency are regionally motivated, sectionally deployed with no unified forces a sign of failed nationalism.

The nation has never seen its nationalism collapse at this magnitude, never before. Militancy after militancy has sprang-up across the globally community and Nigeria in particular. There is a mountainous rise of militancy in the former Eastern region of Nigeria than any other time due to dissatisfaction of the central governance. This can change, if fed do their job. Restoring true federalism is everybody’s responsibility. One wonders if it is a little too late. We should be concerned because if pan-Nigerianism is based on regional blocs then, Nigeria-nation ceases to exist. It does not matter how anybody tries to market it or spin it. Solutions: in this writer’s view, the first step for a true federalism to work in Nigeria for example, would be to convey a national conference; release all leaders of freedom fighters such as, Adams of OPC, Uwazurike—MASSOB, Dunkubo—NEND and others. It is there and then, that we can mutually get into discussions, sharing of ideas in furthering national resolutions and moving the nation forward.  

Lack of Communication Capacities

Mobility networks are very relevant in furthering nation’s developmental processes. In order to better and improve its economic, peoples and goods mobility requires a reliable, sustainable communication networks; it is therefore, feds responsibility to act on the foregoing situations in collaborations with other branches; create a climate such that allows investing in road and food networks, communications and mobility productions. Nigeria has no road networks, whether it is rail-networks, feeder-roads, air or sea. Its communication and mobility networks are in tatters. Something needs be done in these fronts. No nation be it in North-Americas, Western-Europe, Japan can effectively and efficiently run its economic engines and machines without effective and efficient communication, and other mobility-networks. Today, Nigeria networks operate in ruins; it still retains medieval-communication and mobility networks of its colonial infrastructures; irrespective of its petro-dollar revenues that run in billions if not trillions of dollars annually; also, resource allocation and resource derivation areas like the Niger-Basin has suffered greatly in part due to massive oil-spillages and constant ecological degradations. To this effect, if care is not taken it will sooner or later become a ghost town because of its fallouts on human and animal existence.  

Currently the waterways, creeks and farmlands of these areas are in precipice, causing additional global emission—global-warming.  Creating a network of economic and industrial accessibility, affordability and reliability for its habitants will open better possibilities, for example, this will facilitate grounds for social-political stability for its population; create climate of employmentability for this population, a core that is mostly in high demand in these sectors for a brighter future.  

Democratization and Voter’s Education

It would be over-emphasized to state that post-colonial Nigeria is still tainted with colonial infrastructures, colonial and borrowed educational curriculum. We need to produce our own curriculum. Many Nigerian-scholars especially those who studied in the 60s still communicate scholarly works based on their anachronistic colonial trainings. If you are privileged to read through their works you are left shaking your head in disbelieve. These scholars due to lack of retraining in today digital habitations still believe that Mongo-Mark discovered River Niger; while one Italian-Africana discovered what they call Africa. Many of them still measure their educational indexes, accomplishments, son-ship, Princeship/Princesship based on Europeans standards and records. What a shame!

Others in this category assume that our ancestors have no records, no constitutions except the one handed down to British vassal states by the colonial Privy Council in London. These empirical assertions are false. Today anthropological and archaeological records emanating from Timbuktu University in Mali, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Nubian and other records have proven these pseudo-scholarly postulations as aphetically wrong and unfounded.

Imposition and false teachings of foreign ideals and ideas to our children: old and young is simply wrong. That doesn’t mean there is nothing we can glean in these foreign education. But, man is agent unto himself; and no nation thrives under coercion against its citizenry regardless the circumstances. People should be free to choose which direction to go including free for self-determination. Democratic processes through mass-schooling and modernization should replace old-infrastructures especially post-colonial infrastructures and its human-products with indigenously built technological machines and engines with hands-on attitude. Democratization and voter’s education that are tainted with alien-impressions are controlled by foreign-oppressors with these alien-equipments and therefore needs be replaced with indigenous capacities; and were they do not exist new ones be should be created, and equipped locally.  Corruption and electoral fraud are egregious and should be seen and treated as such no questions asked.  

Recently, some moneybags are plotting to remove Iwu, Independent Electoral Commission [INEC] Chairman. According to report from Abuja, Nigerian Maurice Iwu, following compilations of sins of Iwu, by some insiders in the commission, “two senior officers of the Commission from the South South geo-political zone, are being positioned for the job.”

According to Sunday Tribune:

“Some of the issues the INEC: chieftains believed the Presidency was unhappy about included the adoption of the Direct Data Capture [DDC] for the registration of the voter’s register, which would also entail the opening of databank for thumbprint and photographs of voters and the use of electronic components as part of the 2007 elections. It was believed that some measures could derail the attempt by certain forces to influence the outcome of elections. Iwu is seen as someone who wants to take the computerization matter too far, the measures he is introducing could upset some rigging plans, adding that plans have been concluded to either force INEC to adopt the manual method of registration for the 2007 election or get the chairman replaced by ensuring that the presidency is dissatisfied with him.” It is also gathered that Iwu will appear before the Senate on Tuesday to demonstrate the electronic component of the voter’s registration machines.  There is also the issue of 20 billion naira INEC cheque, that bounced by the Central Bank last week, all in the attempt to frustrate the INEC work toward the preparations for the 2007 elections. Apparently there is a clear indication from the above Daily Tribune postings that 2007 elections are already rigged by forces representing status quo against the wished of the people before 2007 elections. Nigerian masses must rise and resist this fraud because it is a shame if they refuse to act! 

It is clear therefore, that corrupt at all level is indeed the issue at stake. True nationalists are being rejected by the status quo for its institutional reasons—greed. This has to be rejected by the popular movement of the people for a better and free society to emerge.  

Conclusions

In my epilogue, I will assert that I have finished my mission in this empirical analysis on the aforementioned topic to the best of my ability to restore a sense of place. It is left for constructive critics to go to work, review, and dispatch rejoinders, etc. From the look of things: the writer has presented a hypothesis, that there is a massive-corruption in our world particularly in Nigerian-plate. This corruption is massive to the point that its thickness and depths has defiled all solutions; it is wide-spread across this plate. Worse still there is no shame within the rank and file of the so-called leaders particular those in the homeland. This pandemic by all measures is robbing the citizenry just about every chance to civilization, sustainable-development, industrialization, quality and quantitative education for its youths, our tomorrow’s leaders;  denied the seniors and retirees the chance of hope, sense of place to ponder, rests and review their contributions toward well-being of mankind.

Shamelessness and corruption go together and they are pretty much inseparable to the core and thusly diminish the strength of productivity including cooperative enterprise. Something needs be done urgently. Publish it at the world’s gazettes and other renowned publications with the declaration that this joke is over. Precautionary measures must be deployed today starting from our individual homes and workplaces. This recklessness, lawlessness and unconstitutionality of this administration, and administration elsewhere, its fiat aggressions against its peoples is record high and suffocates these global peoples. If there are chances to restore a thread of hope, to restore a sense of place, we have to begin today from our individual-self. Home is the bedrock of education, law and order, industriousness, love, kindness and civility; any family units were these capacities of integrity and honor are in short supplies is in big- trouble. Our global community, from Gulf peninsula to Europe, North-Americas, Southern-Americas, Asia, Egypt-Ethiopia-Hebrew-Nubian, [Egypethiohenuh] making up what some scholars and thinkers call Africa have a work to do. These nations-states, with its communities, neighborhoods, regions with its resources and much more will remain in total commotion, cracked, and collapsed states, and ready for destruction if we fail rescue the sinking ship today. If we failure becomes our portion, then what follows is a new-rebirth—rebuilt; this earth-plate and its inhabitants must prepare itself, it will be replaced with a new earthplate. Thusly, triggering an emergence of a new scroll-of-earthplate—a new-dispensation. Restoring a thread of hope and a sense of place must begin from the ORIGINS—this is possible, if we begin to revisit, retrieve, and restore the STOLEN LEGACY for ourselves and for posterity yet unborn; this must begin from our HOMES today were it all began.

Carlisle U.O. Umunnah

Is New York Based Freelance Writer

Contact: cuu1_liberties@yahoo.com

October 2006

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