Nigeria needs its own Obama

I have come to the conclusion that Nigeria needs its own Obama. A leader who can inspire his people to take personal responsibility for their actions and move the country to greatness. A leader who has a passion in his heart for his country and willing to take on the powers that be to bring about just and right process that is fair to all, no matter their class, colour, creed or religious beliefs.

"Yes we can!"

Yes We Can!

As Barack Obama becomes America's first African American president, what lessons do we as Nigerians take away from this momentuous occasion? Should it be self-believe, in that if you believe you can do something good and set your mind to it, all things are possible?

If Nigerians both collectively and independently say "we will make our nation, a great nation", we can do it and "Yes we can". There is still hope for Nigeria, and we have been so blessed in where our country is located. We never have to cope with natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes or Tornadoes, most of the disasters that happen to us are man made.

Let us change the fortunes of our nation by every Nigerian doing his or her little bit to make this nation great again. Let what Barack Obama has achieved inspire us as a black people, that the sky is the limit and with God all things are possible.

And in the words of the man himself "YES WE CAN"

Judged by the content of your character?

Martin Luther King Jr said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Around the world today many Nigerians around the world are judged first by the content of their character, and not by the colour of their skin. What positive impact are you having for your country today?

Nigeria's reputation around the world

I have done a fair bit of travelling around the world, and I am amazed how far Nigerians travel on their green passport. This in itself has a downside, as every where I have been Nigerians are always treated as third class citizens. Our reputation around the world has been deeply tarnished through drug charges, money laundering, being insolent, loud and abusive. Many organisations have created rules to contain our bad behaviour. I'll give you an example.

I was told that a particular airline that flies to Nigeria has told its cabin crew to stand in the aisles to prevent passengers from rushing to the door as soon as the plane lands. This is just to contain us, and to get us to do the right thing we are now treated like 7 year olds. Its a similar picture everywhere around the world, we are truly a shameless people.

We need to begin to change our attitude in the spirit of patriotism, true ambassadors of our motherland. Lets get back to those times when General Idi Agbon brought some sense of decency and pride to be called a Nigerian. Self-discipline and self-restraint will make the international community take note, and we will become a people that are respected the world over once again.

The letters behind your name mean nothing to me!

I was reading a blog of a fellow Nigerian alluding to the fact that our current president is the first Nigerian to have attended University, and although I am a product of the university myself I think such thinking is seriously flawed. The fact that you went to university does not make you a better candidate to run an organisation or country than a non graduate, neither does it make you an effective leader.

For many years we have given adulation to people with many letters before and after their names. We tend to think that they have the ability to bring better and higher standards to the environment in which they operate. Its only in Nigeria that we prefix a person's name with Eng orEngr, if they have an engineering qualification, which is a load of tosh!

I have learnt that having many letters after your name or a title before your name does not necessarily make you an effective person. In fact it tends to make you a less effective person because you begin to think of yourself more highly than you should. I have worked with many highly effective leaders that have never set foot in a university, and have contributed immensely to the growth of the organisations they have worked in.

So let us ditch the titles and letters and become more effective leaders by walking the walk, and not just talking the talk, because talking achieves very little.

Food for thought - Cocoa Production

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s Nigeria use to be the top producer of Cocoa. Have a look and see where Nigeria is now and our annual production, then compare with that of Ivory Coast.

Country	Amount produced	% of world production
Côte d’Ivoire	1.3 million tonnes	37.4%
Ghana	720 thousand tonnes	20.7%
Indonesia	440 thousand tonnes	12.7%
Cameroon	175 thousand tonnes	5.0%
Nigeria	160 thousand tonnes	4.6%
Brazil	155 thousand tonnes	4.5%
Ecuador	118 thousand tonnes	3.4%
Dominican Republic	47 thousand tonnes	1.4%
Malaysia	30 thousand tonnes	0.9%

Data source: International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) - 2006

Becoming a compassionate people again.

Nigeria is probably the most religious country in the whole of Africa. During my visit to Nigeria recently I noticed that in Lagos there was at least one church on every street, but all the church and mosque going is not reflected in the lives of the people.

Given the opportunity many will take bribes, and shop their neighbours for a fast buck. Even within churches a great deal of adulation is heaped on the rich and famous, who flash their money around and hardly do anything for the communities they live in. In fact given the opportunity they will exploit and take undue advantage of the less privileged in the community.

Nigerians are a beautiful people, but because of hardship and poverty we seem to care less and always chasing after the fast buck. Even within the local communities, the household that is able to dig a water borehole will use it as tool to oppress their neighbours who do not have access to water.

We need to become a compassionate and loving people, in so doing we can begin to improve our communities, making sure that our neighbours have access to water and other utilities we can use to improve their lives. Our faith should be truly reflected in our lives practically everyday in what we say and what we do.

Your qualifications mean nothing unless......

I have come to a conclusion that having many letters after ones name is meaningless if the person with the qualification does not adhere to the code of ethics that guides the person's profession. The fact that you qualified as a medical doctor does not qualify you to practice as one.

My aunt and uncle who live in the USA just recently returned from a visit to Nigeria. During their stay my aunt sustained an injury that required a stitch to the upper part of her eyelid. The first challenge she faced was finding a recommended private hospital where she could be treated, when they did find a recommended hospital, the doctor who attended to her was so poorly dressed that his personal hygiene was questionable.

When the stitches were taken out at a different hospital due to their travelling schedule my aunt was attended by a doctor whose license needed to be withdrawn for the fact that as he removed the stitches he dropped them on the ground. I am not a medical doctor and neither do I have a medical background but I know that those stitches constitute a biological waste and must be disposed off in a controlled manner.

These medical doctors may have the knowledge to work as doctors, but practically the general code of ethics that a doctor should abide by are flaunted. Going to University to get a degree does not make you a qualified doctor, a qualified medical doctor is one that does his or her best to be a shinning beacon in his or her profession despite the challenging environment he or she operates in, and I hope that there are still many Nigerian medical doctors who are shinning beacons.

Have you ever wondered?

Have you ever wondered why Nigeria's infrastructure is crumbling? Ever wondered why after almost 50 years of independence our roads are in a state of disrepair, or a 24 hour uninterupted power supply is all but a distant dream? Ever wondered why most Nigerians who have lived overseas are more likely to be corrupt than those who have never left the country? Ever wondered why most of our leaders who studied overseas and seen how things work in the western world, are unable implement these best practices when they get back to their fatherland?

Ever wondered why most of us talk the talk but do not walk the walk? Ever wondered why Nigeria despite its wealth of human and natural resources is overall still a very poor nation? Ever wondered?

Welcome to my blog, welcome to my Nigerian perspective!