2011 election as threshold for this generation of Nigerian youths

It is an incontrovertible fact that every generation comes with its purpose. For a generation of youths in Nigeria, it was their duty to win for us, an independent state from the colonial masters. It was the duty of yet another generation of youths to stand up against military dictatorship and win for us a democratic state. For our generation, it is our duty to re-order politics. It is to ensure that politics transform from being a mere power game to indeed being a mixture of ideas and forces that would meet the common need of our people.

The 2011 election present itself as threshold for us as youths of this era to enter into our purpose and we must seize the moment. We must be burdened by the waste that characterises our polity. After having made well over 1.5 trillion dollars from oil exploration, our country still lies in waste and it has been proven beyond every reasonable doubt that this has resulted from our lack of visionary, sincere and incorruptible leadership. The 2011 election therefore being another time to determine the leadership of the country serves as an opportunity for us to rise to the occasion and ensure that at all levels, from the local government to the presidency, only those who would serve the common interest of sustainable development of our land and people emerge victorious at the polls. It is as we ensure that people’s vote count and thereby elect the right people who would then be responsible to the people that we can guarantee good governance, which is the irreducible minimum for sustainable development.

Every fact and statistic point to our ability to indeed live up to the purpose of our generation because if politics is factually a game of numbers and the population of youths in the country is not less than 55% of the total eligible voters, you would agree that rather than continue to agonize, we only need to organize ourselves and the rest will be positive history on our part. It is an open secret that one of the tools of oppressors from time immemorial is the divide-and-rule tactic and it is unfortunate that this remains one tool that has been and continues to be deployed against a cohesive common front by Nigerian youths since the heyday of the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS). This time however calls for the youths of this generation to rise above this and forge a cohesive common front to take back our country from the hands of usurpers and set it on the true path of greatness, beginning from the 2011 election.

We have taken the bull by the horn by pulling over a 100 youth NGOs and youth-led community organizations together under the banner of the National Youth Network on Nigeria Elections (NYNNE). The National Youth Network on Nigeria Elections (NYNNE) is a non-partisan, grassroots-based coalition of several vibrant and committed youth NGOs and youth-led community organizations with the sole aim of championing effective youth participation in the electoral process. NYNNE came into being in April of 2010 following a National Youth Summit on the 2011 general elections organized by the International Republican Institute (IRI) in Kaduna. The summit was a follow-up to a Youth Dialogue on Electoral Reforms that was put together in June and September of 2009 in Jos and Lagos respectively by the Youth Action Initiative Africa (YAIA) with the support of IRI.

NYNNE’s intervention in the electoral process is presently set on two clear objectives, which are: 1.) Increasing youth participation in the electoral process from voters’ registration to actual voting. 2.) Reducing youth involvement in electoral violence. While the first objective is targeted mainly at the educated youth (and some uneducated youth) who have vastly developed apathy to the system and are not particularly interested in both the electoral and political systems, the second objective is aimed at both the uneducated and vulnerable youth who are easily recruited for violence during elections. NYNNE has adopted a Ward Membership Model (WMM) in which membership is mobilized and coordinated at the ward levels under the headship of what we call Ward Leaders.

One critical work for the NYNNE on Election Day is the duty of ensuring the votes are counted and that the votes count. It may not really be herculean mobilizing people to come out and vote while also ensuring that the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) does the right things from voters’ registration to the actual voting exercise but the onerous task is guarding against political thugs at the polling stations to ensure the will of the people prevails. It is in this regard we are building our membership structure at the ward levels for us to form ourselves into blocs of youths in each polling unit, already given orientation regarding election security, to work with security agents and electoral officials through the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) and the INEC respectively in ensuring the safety of voters and the votes. It is on this premise that it becomes critically important for us all to join the NYNNE in our localities.

The starting point for the 2011 electoral revolution is the voters’ registration exercise and the NYNNE is committing itself to guarantee that it is a ‘no youth left behind’ exercise. During the registration exercise, please get registered no matter how difficult or time-consuming the process might get and encourage your friends and family to do same. History beckons and we cannot afford to fail posterity.

SECURITY ALERT: WHY NIGERIA'S 2011 GENERAL ELECTIONS MAY NOT BE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF 2003 AND 2007

The issue: security at the polls

The conduct of the 2011 general elections is now constitutionally less than 120 days away except, if by unparalleled ingenuity, the National Assembly accedes to the request of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for extension till April 2011. And as usual with so many things Nigerian, preparations for the elections have been bedevilled, as a result of lateness in commencing the preparations, which has made even the INEC like several other analysts to ask for more time beyond the current constitutional provisions. Only recently the convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) likened the appointment of Attahiru Jega as INEC chair to that of Lars Lagerback as Super Eagles coach, which was also done very close to the World Cup fiesta and while the SNG leader hoped that Jega would not fail the way Lagerback did with the Super Eagles at the fiesta, what the comparison elicited in me is the wise saying that, ‘it is insanity to do things the same way and expect different results’.

It was in order not to sound as a prophet of doom that I opted to reframe the title of this piece from the original, ‘Why 2011 general elections will still fail’. Just like I found it hard to convince a number of friends before the World Cup fiesta that there was no miracle that could make the Super Eagles perform well even with the appointment of the best coach to replace Amodu Shaibu at that time, I believe it will be a herculean task to convince optimistic Nigerians that the success or otherwise of the 2011 general elections goes beyond Attahiru Jega and the INEC. As Nigerians, we are too accustomed to closing our eyes to obvious realities before an event, with unfounded optimism for the best of results, only to become expert analysts on how we got it wrong when the results at the end of the event proves contrary to our optimism.

The significance of security in the conduct of elections, particularly in Nigeria, cannot be overemphasized. The 2007 general elections and subsequent re-run and by-elections have left us with undesirable experiences regarding the security of electorates, electoral officials and election materials with the entire process completely hijacked by political thugs in several of the polling booths across the country. As a matter of fact, the funds and stress that went into the post-2007 elections judicial contests could have been saved only if the Police had ensured the incidences of ballot-snatching & stuffing were eliminated.  And if the truth must be told, with the present situation of things, there is no indication that any measures have been put in place to ensure a different situation in this regard come 2011.

Notwithstanding the commendable efforts by both the Executive and the Legislature thus far on the preparations for the elections as well as those of the INEC in opting for a fresh voters’ register to guarantee credible polls, so long as the security component of preparations is neglected, the 2011 elections will still fail to meet the genuine aspirations of the people. While the INEC has been doing a lot in preparing for the elections and the politicians too have begun preparations with a good number of them already declaring interests in the various elective positions and the political parties already fixing the dates for their conventions, there is doubt if any preparation by the Police to guarantee maximum security during the conduct of the elections is on.  

 To complement all the efforts and resources already expended on the preparations including of course the over N87 billion of tax-payers’ money released to procure the Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines for the voters’ registration exercise, the Nigerian Police must also adequately prepare for the elections and this must transcend the usual day-to-day policing tendencies for which we know the Police. The Police can help ensure that the true will of the people emerges at the polls by ensuring that at the polling stations, there is no room for the intimidation of voters by political thugs of those who are bent on usurping the voting power of the electorate to impose themselves on the people.

A good example to underscore the security dimension of the conduct of elections was given by Adeyeye Joseph in his column in The Punch of Tuesday, August 24, 2010 in which he made reference to Obosi in Anambra State where thugs ordered voters who were not PDP members to ‘vacate’ the polling booth during the 2007 elections, a situation he said made a young voter to ask the question during an electoral enlightenment programme to the effect that, “what should we do when we go out to vote and party thugs surround us with cutlasses and insist we vote for a particular candidate?” And in the same column, he had alluded to the report of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) on the 2007 elections, which underscored the fact that ‘when elections are preceded by last-minute security preparations, the organizers are only programming them to fail’. 

Proposed Interventions

In the same manner the INEC was able to articulate its position to secure N87 billion for the conduct of a fresh voters’ registration amongst other things, it is expected of the Police hierarchy, with the benefit of previous experiences in the conduct of elections, to come up with their requirements for effective security at the forthcoming polls, no matter what the cost is. This must cover the requirement of men and equipments to be deployed in all the polling booths during the elections, such equipments as are needed for effective communication and mobility by the security men on election duty. And I believe that the same way the INEC’s request was treated with national urgency, such a request from the Police would also receive adequate executive and legislative support.

In projecting the idea of the National Youth Network on Nigeria Elections (NYNNE) in its press statement, for effective policing of the 120,000 polling units, there ought to be at least 2 police officers in each polling unit fully armed with adequate communication and mobility resources. This gives us the need for a minimum of 240,000 officers to only man the polling stations. Considering the fact that the Police would not abandon its duty to several other areas of State all because of the elections and may as such not be able to deploy this number of men, that is if we even have up to that figure in the force, NYNNE has suggested the formation of a Joint Elections Para-military Commission (JEPC) to pull human resources from other Para-military agencies like the Civil Defense Corps, Man-O-War and the likes, to join forces with the Police. This is to ensure that away from the old ineffective mode of collaboration among these agencies, there is such a commission as the JEPC with men and officers pulled from the various agencies under a single command that is singularly responsible for effective security at the polls.

Further to this, an intensive training of about six to eight weeks should be conducted under the auspices of the commission for all the officers in all areas of election security covering but not limited to ‘Handling of electorates in quelling untoward situations during an election’, ‘Safeguarding electoral officials and election materials’ and ‘Channeling undue influence by politicians’. With the recent advent of bombing in Nigeria, the Police must also undertake training in relation to this so as not to take chances.

The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should also give attention to advocacy in this regard of election security and not limit their work on the aspects of preparation that concern only INEC. The Network On Police Reform In Nigeria (NOPRIN) should take responsibility to lead the CSOs on this course of action. We all have a responsibility to ensure that the 2011 elections have at least a measurable 80% success and no stone must be left unturned in this regard.

Conclusion

When INEC is able to produce a credible voters’ register and is able to mobilize men and resources to the various polling stations but the Police and other security agencies cannot guarantee security of those men and resources along with the electorates, the desired results cannot be realized. It is in this regard that the necessary efforts must be kick-started towards the emergence of formidable security machinery for the elections.   

The Police hierarchy must wake up to its responsibility of ensuring and assuring adequate preparation for effective security at 2011 polls. The CSOs should as well be upbeat about this. This is an aspect of the electoral process that is largely overlooked but eventually ends up being very critical as has been largely witnessed in the recent re-run elections in Ekiti state. Rather than wait to simply put reports of woes together in this regard after the elections, we can join forces together now in ensuring that better preparations are put in place by the security agencies just the same way it is on with the INEC.

8 sure strategies of getting to the top on your job

I had recently gone over my jotter and thought it wise to share the following from it. They are nuggets that I jotted from one of the reports on Robert Allen’s website after digesting his best-selling book, Multiple Streams of Income. The report is on how to become an Intrapreneur, as in the other side of being an Entrepreneur - you can access the full report on www.multiplestreamsofincome.com.

I have termed the nuggets the sure strategies of getting to the top on your job. If you would not think of pulling out and setting up your own business (an entrepreneur), then you must be thinking of getting to the top where you are and someday becoming a partner or a director (an intrapreneur). Find below the 8 strategies that would aid this aspiration.

1.     Think on how to become indispensable. Seek specialized positions.

2.     Think like the boss – to cut expenses and generate income. See/consider every job function component in the light of the bottom-line.

3.     When an assignment is given, treat it in terms of quality (content/what’s required) and quantity (time-line given).

4.     Do more than you are told ALL THE TIME – far more than what you are asked to do.

5.     In the course of any assignment and/or any job function component, probe any challenge and if need be, report for assistance immediately.

6.     Make your immediate supervisor look like a winner. To get to the top and be more valuable, make peace with your boss and commit yourself to your boss’ goals and objectives.

7.     Find your purpose at work and decide to be the best at it. Find what you love to do, what you enjoy about your job. Follow your heart and the money will follow. If you are not presently doing what you enjoy, make a plan to move toward that position in your company as soon as possible.

8.     Constantly retrain yourself. In addition to continuing learning what you need on the job as the world changes, you need to learn three specialized skills: i) How to think like a bottom-line business person. (ii) How to negotiate, persuade and influence. (iii) How to package and market yourself.

For more nuggets like this on related issues of job, money, business and technology, send your request to info@naijaunlimited.com. And for a copy of Robert’s book, Multiple Streams of Income, visit amazon.com via the link above on this page.

It’s a world of boundless possibilities. See you at the top!

A TRIP TO IKENNE – THE HOME OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO

It’s sure a journey to really look forward to, even if it came unplanned for. I had seen the announcement the previous day but it was not until I was again going over the paper earlier in the day that it struck my mind, I could actually make the meeting. The meeting was that of the Yoruba Unity Forum convened by Chief (Mrs) H.I.D. Awolowo (HID), the wife of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo (Awo), one time Premier of Western Nigeria and one time Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria.

The nostalgic feeling I had when I concluded on going and eventually embarking on the journey was not so much of the meeting but that of visiting the former abode of the late sage. It filled me with so much excitement that I could not just wait to be there. It took less than an hour from Lagos but I had to stop by and asked people for the exact junction that leads to the town off the Sagamu-Ore expressway. From that junction, the rest you will agree with me became as easy as spelling my own name as expectedly, everyone in town needs no further explanation to direct me as required once I mentioned that I was on my way to the house of Baba Awolowo.

An expansive compound sitting, in my estimation, on one acre of land. There are about six different buildings including the main house with an attachment of Sopolu Library, the first house called Segun’s corner, a museum, Awo’s mausoleum and Efunyela Hall, the venue of the meeting. Efunyela Hall was built in 1979 and named after Awo’s mother. The hall, which conveniently sits upward of 200 people, is really a center of historical pictures. It really reinforces the essence of pictorially capturing moments, you would love it.

I had the privilege of seeing real pictures of the likes of Mobolaji DeBank Anthony, Olabisi Onabanjo and Ambrose Alli, away from the statues to which we have become familiar. The picture of Mobolaji DeBank Anthony was taken with Awo and two other friends in 1946 in London when Awo passed his bar exams. Those of Olabisi Onabanjo and Ambrose Alli were in the photograph Awo had with the five Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) governors of 1979 to 1983 democratic dispensation. Then, there are several family pictures and a whole lot of thought-provoking writings including Awo’s allocutus at the hearing of his case in 1963 before he was sent to gaol.

Apart from the entire content of the allocutus, which inspiringly projected Awo as a man totally unshaken in his belief about his destiny, two other writings made a lasting impression on me and these are: One, Awo’s assertion that his success in life can be attributed to God’s grace, a life of Spartan discipline and a good wife; Two, Awo’s conviction that in years to come, generations after theirs would come to reckon with his contributions as imperishable. No wonder after over 20 years of his death, he remains a celebrated phenomenon. What a life worthy of emulation!

I would have loved to explore the compound more, particularly the museum but I learnt that would require a letter of permission to HID. But then, one item in the outer part of the museum that could be seen from outside is the 6-sitter Mercedes Benz on which was written that the vehicle transversed the length and breadth of Nigeria during the 1979 and 1983 Presidential campaigns. I look forward to still having time to re-visit the compound for a more detailed programme of work on the imperishable footprints of the late sage.

And to the meeting, it actually went well and it was actually a routine monthly meeting of the forum, which seeks to position the Yoruba nation in the scheme of things in the federation. Interestingly, we had the new anthem of the forum on the day. But much more than the proceedings of the meeting, I could not but covet the grace of God that is upon HID and Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi. They looked so graceful in old age. You won’t believe HID is 95 years of age. She sat through the entire meeting of over two hours, spoke eloquently and at lunch time, ate by herself while receiving Pa Lateef Jakande.

It was a waoh experience for me and a testament to the need to dedicate one’s life to good causes.

HOW PRESIDENT OBASANJO LOST OVER N750 MILLION TO 3RD TERM BID

But for his failed attempt in 2007 to have the National Assembly alter the 1999 Constitution and thereby secure him a chance for a 3rd term in office, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria would have been the 3rd recipient of the Mo Ibrahim Prize after Festus Mogae of Botswana (2007) and Joachim Chissano of Mozambique (2008). President Obasanjo was considered for it in 2009.

The Mo Ibrahim Prize, which was founded by a UK-based Sudanese business mogul, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, who is the founder of Celtel, is awarded to a democratically elected former African head of government who has served his/her term in the office within the limits set by the country’s Constitution and has left office in the last three years. The prize consists of a cash award of five million US dollars (N750 million) for ten years (N75 million annually) and two hundred thousand US dollars (N30 million) annually for life after those first ten years.

President Obasanjo, along with some other credible candidates, was screened by the Mo Ibrahim Prize Committee for the award in 2009 but did not scale through, like every other candidate. His disqualification stemmed from his unsuccessful bid at extending his tenure in 2007 after having completed the constitutionally allowable period of two terms of four years each. Now, President Obasanjo is effectively out of the race for this prestigious and most outstanding prize having been out of office for over three years (May 29, 2007 – May 29, 2010). The conditions for the prize clearly states that an eligible candidate must have left office in the last three years. What an eternal loss for Mr. Obasanjo!

And beyond Obasanjo, the prestigious Mo Ibrahim prize has turned out to be a sad documentary of governance in Africa, where there has been a prevalence of sit-tight rulers over the decades with accompanying misrule, leadership mediocrity and everything antithetical to good governance. For two years running (2009 – 2010), no African has qualified for the prize and there’s a great doubt if any would qualify for it in the nearest future. While I weep for Obasanjo for the eternal loss, I weep more for Africa. More than weeping though, our own generation of Africans must rise above the level of leadership mediocrity we are today plagued with and marshal our continent on the path towards the enviable height it belongs. I believe that a new Africa is possible!

Integrity, the soul of living

I'm careful in making reference to this but the story of John Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, is one that accentuates the need of keeping one’s integrity intact, against all odds. The man was reported to have lost his department in a cabinet reshuffle following the exposure of his untoward affair with his private secretary; an affair, according to another report, that would eventually cost Mr. Prescott the chance of becoming the Prime Minister when Tony Blair had to leave.
A man may lose everything but must jealously safeguard his integrity. When you lose your integrity, you’ll soon lose everything else; whereas if you lose everything but still have your integrity in place, it will make you regain all you have lost and still have more. When anyone descends so low as to drag his or her integrity in the mud (and in this regard, I will elevate two areas: as regards the opposite sex and money), such a man or woman will be rubbishing all he or she may have laboured for all his or her life (his/her past up to his/her present) and at the same time be doing an irreparable damage to his or her future. No wonder the Psalmist in Ps. 25: 21 earnestly prayed, ‘Let integrity and uprightness preserve me’.
Integrity is adherence to moral and ethical principles. And it is demanded in every facet of human endeavour. It shows up when you keep your promise, honouring your word. In trade, it is referred to as the soul of business. It is simply keeping your honour, having your ‘white garment’ unblemished. It is demanded in relationships as well as in positions of trust. In fact, integrity or the lack of it defines you.
To keep your integrity requires a conscious effort on your part. It requires you to ‘watch & pray’ because one can indeed be weighed down by the ‘flesh’ to such an extent that one would do what one would not believe of himself.

Watch: be vigilant, be transparent in all your dealings, run from every appearance of evil, confide in trusted friends, and be sincere, let reason prevail upon emotion.

Pray: “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”Romans 7: 17-19. “. . . For without me ye can do nothing.”John 15: 5. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Phil.4: 13.
To hold the flesh responsible when you fall short of integrity, with respect to Romans 7 quoted above is quite untenable. Hence, the provisions of John 15 and Philippians 4 as quoted above.
And finally, when those moments of temptation come, always remind yourself of this: the temporary pleasure you will derive will be insignificant when compared with the irreparable damage that would follow (let reason overcome emotion).
You may lose everything but always ensure you safeguard, defend, maintain & uphold your integrity.

Six life-changing books everyone needs to read

As a man thinks in his heart, so he is. It is therefore very important to guard our hearts with all diligence regarding the things that gain entrance therein and form our thought pattern.

The accesses to our hearts are the routes through which information gains entry. These include our eyes – what we see and read; our ears – what we hear; and our skin – what we feel. All of these things we see, read, hear and feel altogether form what we know, which then create opinions in our hearts and as such guide our thinking. It was Sam Adeyemi who once said something to the effect that whatever a man attains in life is partly due to the things he knows and partly due to things he does not know; for if he has known better, he would have attained higher.

In all of these, one of the greatest sources of what we know that eventually guide our thinking and in effect who we are is the book. It is commonly said that if you are to hide something from a Nigerian, put it inside a book. And that can easily give you a clue as to why, as a people, we have remained where we are in development. Books are indeed things!

Out of several books that would qualify as life-changing in the last decade, there are six that I read which positively altered the course of my life and I recommend that everyone that truly desires to fully live out his purpose of coming into the world should read them. These books are as given below:

1.) 7 habits of highly effective people (Author: Stephen Covey)
2.) Purpose-drive Life (Author: Rick Warren)
3.) Think and Grow Rich (Author: Napoleon Hill)
4.) Rich dad’s cash flow quadrant (Author: Robert Kiyosaki)
5.) The richest man in Babylon (Author: George Clason)
6.) Multiple Streams of Income (Author: Robert Allen)

If you would want to know more about these great books, you can search for them by their titles using the google custom search at the top of this page.

If you have also read any of these books, you would like to share your impression of them; kindly leave a comment below.

And if you would love to receive special reports on each of the books, please leave your name, phone number and email address in the comment box below.

See you at the top! It’s a world of boundless opportunities!!

Life is more than just living

One of the most powerful words I have ever come across is this, ‘we make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give’. It is sure better to make a life. It is to outlive one’s earthly existence by way of one’s impact continuing to affect lives positively long after one is physically no more. And this is by our contribution, our giving to our world.


I have always known, also, that a life lived well is an accumulation of days lived well. Ps. 90: 9-12 dwells on the shortness of our existence and shows us the need to have a daily countdown if we are to tread the path of wisdom. There’s the need for daily accountability on our lives. We need to end each with an appraisal of our contribution or otherwise in the day. And ultimately, we need to know if our undertakings in the day have in any way contributed to the overall purpose of God for our lives.
So, is there any contribution from my life today? It is as we give that we add meaning to our lives. And everyone sure has something to give. You don’t necessarily need to have so much before you could give. We can still recall the poor widow in Luke 21: 1-4. We must look for an opportunity to make a contribution each passing day, an opportunity to put smile on someone’s face and make the world a better place. Don’t wait till you can start an NGO.

Indeed on a daily basis, we set out to do one or two things that we might brighten our chances of making a decent living but we must realize that life is not about what we get only but what we give in return. If we are sensitive enough, we will notice several opportunities that pass us by on a daily basis by which means we could actually give. Give a smile, give a helping hand, take time to have a heart-to-heart talk, give out physical items of need, etc, etc.

To cap it all, what you give has a way of coming back to you. An adage goes thus, ‘when you point a finger at someone, the remaining fingers are directed to you.’ So, not only are you adding colour to the world, not only are you setting yourself to earn a life but when you give, you are indeed sowing a seed from which fruit you will surely have a portion. Luke 6: 38 says, ‘give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again.’

Seize an opportunity now to make a contribution and surely, your life is being extended.

When you pass through difficult times

Let it always be known to you that there's nothing you pass through that's not needed where you're going. Nothing happens by accident. Our lives are lived out as ordained from the foundation of existence. So there's nothing that comes your way that you wont someday go through and get to the other bright side.

Cheers!