Ladder

Take careful climb ladder,

ladder  dey  fall.

You don climb ladder go up,

remember say people dey down.

Take sense climb ladder,

Ladder dey shake.

you don land ontop ladder,

careful – you fit fall down.

Take wayo climb ladder,

ladder dey break.

Copy Right Ahmed Dodo
2011.

Sisi

Sisi wey dey go – hope you dey look road

Make you no go fall and break your waist.

Rub powder small-small for face, but no

take am cover sense, go land for disgrace.

Sisi wey dey pass – hope you know say some

Eyes dey count your steps, easy make you no fall.

Carry smile decorate your lips, why you go wear

 frown, When happiness no dey cost kobo.

Sisi wey dey look – shine your eyes well-well,

no be everything wey dey shine fit be gold.

Copy Right Ahmed Dodo
2011.

Nigeria @ 50: What happened to the ‘Giant of Africa’?

I am a Nigerian and always proud to be one , a citizen of an area that covers approximately 924,000 sq km, with an exploding population of about one hundred and forty-five million people and blessed with about two hundred and fifty ethnic tribes. A very rich nation blessed by God with human and natural abundance.

Membership of almost all the major International organizations around the globe, the likes of the all powerful United Nations (UN), The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO),ECOWAS, the Africa Union, OPEC, the Commonwealth, Food and Agricultural Organization, (FAO),International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU),International Labour Organization (ILO),International Communication Union (ICU), International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRCS), the INTERPOL among others, including the famous G groups: G24,G15,G77, and other various International bodies too numerous to mentioned.

A great adventurous nation Indeed, but what has all these international adventures contributed to the transformation of this ‘giant of Africa’ and its people. A salient question begging for answer is: what happened to Nigeria my beloved country, known for its rich groundnut pyramid, vast cocoa land, rich palm oil trade and the other numerous rich agriculture products found in all the corners of our spacious fertile land?

I mean that Nigeria reputed to be rich in Bitumen, Petrol, Tin, Coal, Iron ore, Lead, Zinc, Gold and the other numerous discovered and undiscovered rare metal pegmatite scattered abundantly across all the seven hundred and seventy-four local government councils across the country.

The reality is that one does not really need the assistance of a soothsayer or modern day consultant, for one to know that God indeed has blessed this great nation with ‘almost everything’ on earth. What then could be said to be the factors militating against the proper development of this ‘great nation, with great people’? Under a reasonable circumstance the membership of Nigeria in some of the above listed International bodies, should have placed it as one of the most organized countries not only in the Africa continent, but as one of the well organized and developed in the world. Unfortunately, the scenario we have today has not really tallied with our international reputation.

The Nigeria I see today is totally different from that Nigeria I used to know, hear and read about back in school, that rich country with solid educational infrastructure, efficient rail system, effective health -care sector, reliable power supply and a vibrant economy. This Nigeria that had just celebrated its fifty years as an independent nation, to be honest, is different from the one promised us by our patriotic and nationalist leaders, the likes of great Nnamdi Azikwe, the amiable and visionary Ahmadu Bello and the erudite Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory, and the other nationalist leaders who fought diplomatically for the attainment of independence from colonialism.

Could this be the same Nigeria with patriotic sport-men and women, the likes of Garba Okoye, the famous Thunder Balogun, Dick Tiger, Hogan Bassey, the Odegbamis, the Okalas, the Owolabis, the Dahiru Sadis, the Mary Onyali, Innocent Egbunike, Power Mike and the others too numerous to mention.

I am finding it hard to believe that this is the same sport loving nation with some of the best sport facilities in sub-Saharan Africa that had competent sport administrators and athletes that could compete boldly anywhere in the world. What happened to that country called Nigeria that proudly hosted one of the world spectacular International cultural festivals (FESTAC 77)? Could this be the same country now unattractive to tourists and foreign investors? This largely due to infrastructural decay and lack of maintenance culture.

What happened to that Nigeria that had so many surpluses that it thought it wise to raise wages of its then vibrant civil service with the mouth watering ‘Odoji’ windfall? Could this be the same Nigeria with an efficient corrupt-free civil service, laced with visionary and God-fearing men and women drawn from all the regions irrespective of tribes and religion? Is this present country that has just won the tag of an unquantifiable golden medal as an independent sovereign nation really moving forward or taking more steps backward, behind some of its Africa neighbours and indeed far behind its counterparts in its various International membership organizations?

Funnily, our membership of most of these International bodies has done nothing to alleviate or reduce the daily biting of poverty among our countrymen and women, neither has our position as one of the sixth largest oil producing nations and a bona fide member of OPEC reduced the sky-rocketing price of petroleum products or cut down the unjustifiable price of kerosene to our towns and villages. What has our membership of the Commonwealth or the United Nation brought to us? Or our membership of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Confederation of Trade Union (ICFTU) done to tackle the high rate of unemployment across the country or help resuscitate most of our collapsed industries? Has it changed the daily exploitation of Nigerians by our so-called ‘foreign partners’ in most of the few foreign dominated companies still operating in the country?

Again what has our membership of the International Communication Union (ICU) done to the daily exploitation of Nigerians with high call tariffs and exorbitant price of assessing the Internet?

Our visionless leaders have sold their conscience to greed, forgetting that the strength of our population should naturally make us one of the most competitive business nations in the world. Instead Nigerians are daily blindfolded with ‘ cheap raffle promos’ and other loud promotional self-serving promos, that hardly add any value to the society in terms of corporate responsibilities, as obtained in other prudent nations. Here the service providers are happy and daily smiling away with huge capital flights, while we are daily conned into expensive talking.

Could this really be the same serene Nigeria with safe roads, world class infrastructure, clean environment and creative people? No! – Someone should wake me up from my chimera. This can’t be the same place now ravaged by death trap roads, armed robberies, kidnappers, assassins, cultists, corruption, religion intolerance, extremism, fatalism, nepotism, hypocrisy, unpatriotism, political mediocrity and blander disregard to the rule of law and respect for individual creativity, economic freedom, maladministration and mismanagement of various government agencies across the country, left behind by our visionary past patriotic leaders.

Someone should boldly tell me this is not the same Nigeria that spearheaded the formation of the Organization of Africa Unity (Africa Union), now swimming disgracefully in politics of regionalization and division. What happened to that country that made us proud as a people, with a vibrant leader like the late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, who was not only an efficient Nigerian leader, but a strong voice from Africa that made us believe that indeed “Africa has come of age”. A patriotic soldier who effectively demonstrated the reality that leadership is not all about khaki or ‘Caftan’ but commitment, principle, vision and the fear of God.

He came in and did in six months what many of our past and present leaders are still stumbling blindly to do in the past thirty four years after his death. And today our hitherto vibrant respected voice in the competitive global stage has continued to shrink, drowning helplessly like a drowning man on a high sea.

Today Nigerians are branded with different aliases: from 419ers, drug pushers, terrorists, kidnappers, corrupt people, yahoo men and women, human and body traffickers, ’ojoro’ people and what have you. Worst our membership of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has done nothing to interfere or assist Nigerians in the Diaspora, daily deported like sheep from various countries across the globe, especially from Britain our so-called ‘Colonial Godfather’ and head of the commonwealth, including America the land of ‘equal opportunity and freedom’. Again, what has been the contribution of the rich Nigeria Diaspora population to the effective development of the Nigeria project over the past thirty years, like their counterparts in India, China, Ghana, South Africa and other nations with large intellectual capital in the Diaspora?

What happened to that Nigeria that had patriotic politicians, with political ideas, eloquent speeches, and nationalism as their trademark? Are the current crops of ‘siddon chop’ politicians purported to be representing the ‘people’ really doing what they are supposed to be doing in the states and national assemblies? What single bill have they proposed since the past ten years that has made any impact in the lives of the ordinary Nigerians that anyone of them can boldly come out to pinpoint to the world? Why is the Nigeria of today practising one of the most expensive democracies in the world shrouded in political assassinations, lack of political ideas, political corruption and imposition and election ringing?

Could this be the same country that had eloquent politicians and leaders like Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mallam Aminu Kano, Chief Anthony Enahiro, Chief Michael Okpara, Hajia Gambo Sawaba,Ladi Kwali, Madam Margaret Ekpo, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and the many others who came, saw and conquered?

Where is that country that had some of the best entertaining artists in the globe, the likes of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Mamman Shata, King Sunny Ade, and the rest who were a strong brand in the musical world? Is this the same country that brought out some of the best literary minds in the world, the likes of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Abubakar Imam? Could this now be the same Nigeria that once had a vibrant cinema, patriotic actors and actress like Ogunde, Kassimu Yaro, Chief Zebrudaya, Chief Eleyimi, Baba Sala, Jaguar and the rest?

What has happened to educative and enlightening national TV programmes the likes of the Village Headmaster, Cock-Crow at Dawn, the New Masquerade and other screen presentations that bonded us as a prosperous nation? Today they have all been forced out of our mind set, with foreign movies and culture, and our celebrated but not too successful Nollywood, left in the hands of mediocrities.

Fifty years is a golden age, and Nigeria as a nation has passed through some trying periods, largely man-made problems that could effectively be tackled by its over 145 million people, but the ship seems to be sinking under visionless leadership and maladministration by its ‘selected captains’ and one question that would keep rising today and tomorrow from generations of born and yet unborn Nigerians would be “What happened to the ‘giant of Africa?

Unless we all come together to rescue our big rich ship from sinking into that dirty mouldy water, some of our greedy leaders are blindly and greedily navigating us towards a dangerous and violent storm as the next year elections approach.
God bless Nigeria our beloved country.

The Nigerian President

“I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic” — John F Kennedy. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) outlined the qualification for the election as president in section 131 that: A person shall be qualified for the election to the office of president if:
(a) He is a citizen of Nigeria by birth
(b) He has attained the age of forty years
(c) He is a member of a political party and sponsored by that political party and
(d) He has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent.

But today in the same Nigeria one of the hottest and currently the most talked about topic is the question and confusion on whose turn, amongst all the geo- political zones in the country ,it is to produce the next president of the most populous rich black nation in the world.

I have since tried everything in my power to find any part of this constitution where the issue of “power-shift” was outlined. I had searched the book prudently, thinking that I had not been too patient enough to go through the green book. But with my entire search which took longer than necessary, I never found this recently invented “power shift”, the current most controversial issue in our hard-earned democracy and what could be the watershed in our country’s survival and continuous togetherness.

After going through the constitution and carefully studying the agitations and claims by a selfish few amongst us-who are trying to suddenly change the status – that all a person need be in order to be the president of this great country is just to be a “citizen of Nigeria by birth”, irrespective of any of the geo- political zones the person might have come from. Who really cares anyway?

That is the big question. Who are the people really clamouring for this change to their geo- political zones alone or insisting that their party must zone the presidency to their purported region as if they are so sure that they will produce the next president or know what would happen tomorrow, and what exactly are their motives? Yes! This same old conservative people are closing their ears and mind to reasoning, forgetting that we all as a federation agreed with a pledge to work and abide by the laws in this revered book of ours.

Who are the people fighting to have a president from their purported zones, when all we need and are yearning for is “the Nigerian president” irrespective of the region he comes from. Who are these few self-appointed cliques, organizations, associations and groups shouting daily in the media, clamouring for a president from a zone, when God who gives and takes power is still in control. Who are these short-sighted men and women who have closed their understanding to some unchangeable facts on the ground – about what really makes us a federal nation today.

I am talking about those selfish few amongst us who have suddenly forgotten that we all fought a civil war to remain one indivisible nation. Those self-centred few amongst us who cannot comprehend that bags of corn, millet, yam, onions and baskets of tomatoes from the north still pass daily to the south and the other zones, as trade, establishing friendship amongst the neutral thinking Nigerians who just go about their daily businesses, not minding who is buying, a Yoruba, an Igbo or a Hausa.

Who are these visionless men and women amongst us who have closed their eyes to the sights of palm oil, garri, cassava, kola, and cocoa as they are transported daily by easy going Nigerians from the east, south, mid-west and the other geo – political zones in the country, building courtships and marriages.

My people, let’s ask ourselves questions like: are these people clamouring for this shift part of us? Are the other Nigerians from the other geo-political zones, popularly referred to as the ‘minorities’, ghosts or aliens from other planets? I mean what is the fate of that potential qualified candidate from Wukari, Beriberi, Angas, Fulfulde and that other one from Ogoni, the one from Itsekeri, Ijaw, Idoma, Igala, Ibie, Kataf, Birom, Okun, Ebira and the many others?

Are we no longer doing it for God and our country? Or is the constitution no more that legal book that guides us and part of what is written and accepted by us as a united federal country?
Who is it that can truly shift power amongst us, when none really knows what he will earn tomorrow? Or are some people trying to play God? Who are these one-sided thinking men and women amongst us who are refusing to understand that we shall all have to contend with our lawful rights, guaranteed to all of us by our maker?

My people, let’s listen to wisdom and understand that we can never achieve anything through agitations for separation, power shift or violence. For as rightly stated by Martin Luther King Jr that “Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.” Are those clamouring for a shift really truthful or could murder the many lies around us today? Those lies that have left many of our countrymen and women confused and impoverished and our youths unemployed! Those lies that a shift in power would bring a better Nigeria when the same “old captains” would be in charge of the ships, with nothing new to offer in the turbulent journey they have long taken us through! Is power shift what we really need now or a change?

Yes, change that only consistent feature that must take place in our lives, politically, socially or economically, whether we like it or not.

My people, have we not daily lived together, traded together, shared our gains, pains and sorrows together? Have not Emeka, Bala, Segun, Etim, Amina, Sarah ,Ada and the many others from all the geo-political zones in our country attended school together, worked together, ate together ,shared and exchanged ideas and vision of how to carry and move this great nation forward? Who are those talking about a president from their zones, when the president we are asking for is “ a de-tribalised Nigerian President” who could be an Efik, a Gbagyi, an Idoma, a Kaje, a Nupe, an Ebira an Okpella or someone relatively unknown from Koma.

True, my people, do we choose and give power, or is that right still exclusively in the hands of God, our creator, who makes and chooses all things?

Yes, we need a change – but we must choose this change wisely. We should be transparent and open to ourselves; to all Nigerians from whichever zones we find ourselves. Closing our eyes today might hurt us tomorrow. We should come together and allow God who has always been in charge of our destinies to choose a Nigerian President for us. This Nigerian who will be neutral in his policies and development plans, that President who will build a bridge or road, without injecting all the mago mago and wuru wuru that has characterized virtually all our policies and development plans.

That President who will have power and love, that president who will be for every one of us irrespective of tribe, zone, religion, gender or class; that true Nigerian President who will be ours and not theirs.

Nigeria: 2011 elections - Please have you seen the women?

I don’t know why I am always amazed, whenever my curious eyes take a peep at the Nigerian political terrain, specifically on the burning issue of our women in politics. Intriguingly, my amazement is more centred on the political drama in Nigeria over the past ten years. The truth is, I have always consoled myself with a wry grin, long aware that the present Nigerian political terrain has failed partly due to the conspicuous fact that the country’s politics lacks women with bold character and strong will, as witnessed in the first, second and third republic, when we had strong characters like the late firebrand women’s right activist, Mama Margaret Ekpo, the late sharp tongue and no-nonsense Hajia Gambo Sawaba, and the resilient Mrs. Fumilayo Ransome Kuti.

Unlike the first and second republic, when we had fearless women social mobilizers, who took on the men squarely and played major roles as grass roots and national politicians, in an era of male dominated political masculinity, including cultural and traditional discrimination of women empowerment. These women unlike their today’s womenfolks were able to put the men on their toes and thanks to them, the Nigerian women actually had a say and a voice in the political policies then. Today the story is different. Apologies to our present day women politicians, who are more visible during the sharing of the ‘goodies’ siphoned by the male counterparts, and popular at political dinners and luncheon, thus allowing the ever dominating and cunning male to use and dump them for their selfish reasons.

The present day Nigerian women politicians are funnily different from those amazons of the past, who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the freedom and betterment of the women folks. They fought and won the battle against the imbalance in administrative promotions, cultural and racial discriminations, price control of goods, and struggled for women’s rights in tax and voting matters. They were humble, motherly and fearless.

They never allowed the menfolks to buy them over with cheap atanpa, Ankara, soaps, rice and other cheap materialistic Greek gifts. Even though they had little resources at their disposal then, they were able to mobilize various women from different geo-political zones and formed viable and vibrant women pressure groups, which became a pain in the neck of the colonialist, including their fellow Nigerian collaborators, who saw pepe in their hands.

These women acted like the mothers and leaders they were naturally. Keeping the home front prudently and at the same time battling the injustices and suppression that were prevalent then in the society. They were united and not carried away by monetary inducement and fake political promises. Unlike our present day women politicians and women leaders who are now rich landladies, more seen and known in their flamboyant gele, imported hollandis, glittering jewellery and state of the art cars, and famous for their numerous shopping trips to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, London, America, France, Beijing, Malaysia and the other well organized countries, where the women there have continue to stand up for their rights, and their male counterparts had no option but to give them what they deserved and make their homes a better place to live.

Interestingly, our women politicians, turned shoppers, daily travelled to these beautiful cities, interact with other women from these countries and are in constant admiration of them and their rich cities, but yet don’t come back home and put pepe in the eyes of our male leaders who have been more dominant in the affairs of the country and the main reason why their own cities and homes are not as beautiful as their friends and acquaintances in these other nations.

What we now have today are women who are mainly in politics to better their lives, send their offspring to rich schools abroad and own gigantic malls, supermarkets, boutiques and very happy with the popular first lady tag, Hajia, Alaja, Madam, Princess, Chief- Mrs., and the other funny deceiving tags coined for them by their ever tricky male counterparts.

Actually, I don’t mean disrespect for our women, nor am I trying to be a chauvinist, but the truth is, our women need to stand up and rally around themselves to bring about a stable and well organized peaceful Nigeria, just as their counterparts in Liberia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, India, Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, Ukraine, Canada, Philippines, Finland and the other countries across the globe where women have been able to mobilize and support themselves into the highest political offices in their land. I believe it is important that our women politicians shine their eyes and be wary of the dangling N100 million carrots recently approved for them by the federal government as Special Trust Fund for women politicians, and instead they should dust their wrappers, knot them firmly and take their rightful place in the affairs of this country.

They should forget about their political, tribal, and other differences and rally around a viable Amazon, who would boldly fight for their rights in having well equipped hospitals, and good schools for their children and a secured environment. They should say no to the various cheap inducements and demand better markets with affordable price control of foodstuffs, wrappers, jewellery and all the other vanities that could be available in their markets if they want. Infact they have the charming power to sweet talk our expensive politicians to build some of the best salons, and jewellery stores in the world in the country, as well as sweetly instigate them to make each state in the country look like Dubai. True our women if they could be more patriotic, has the power to unveil the masks on the faces of our politicians and make them see the reality that most of the abandoned textile industries across the country can as well produce some of the best hollandis in the world and create millions of jobs for frustrated Nigerians.

They should say no to the many foxy promises, stand up and demand good safe roads and not the death-trap ones that over the years have turned them into widows and claimed some of their children, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, including friends. We have the money and the resources and nobody knows this better than they. As the ears and pairs of our male politicians, they should continue to put more pepe in their eyes and encourage them to develop our villages and moderniz our towns and cities with infrastructure, reliable electricity and running tap water. They should comprehend that they have the power to starve our flamboyant politicians with hunger and other hidden ‘bedroom secrets’, until they are willing to stop siphoning our wealth to other countries, which help to develop and groom the women of these countries and provide them with better living conditions.

The famous 2011 elections is fast approaching with different drama, and I am yet to see the dominating beautiful gele of our women at the high political stand, apart from Dr.Sarah Jibril the only Amazon still standing, even though her womenfolks disappointedly abandoned her along the bridge at her crucial crossing point.

I don’t know if we should count those other women in the country, who all along have been riding on ‘daddy’s shoulders’, as our women politicians, but all the same, my curious eyes, are still looking out to see the women, as we ride towards dramatic election 2011. Please have you seen the women?

First published in the New Nigerian Newspapers & Ngex.com

Christmas

I can smell Christmas - deep sweet aroma,
My neighbour chicken in hand and a wide
busy smile.

I can perceive Christmas with young innocent ones
looking radiant in their new hair styles, new looks,
and happy free smiles.

I can look at the joy of Christmas - she baking flour,
Under a deem grey moon, other voices singing and,
laughter escaping with freedom tunes.

I see Christmas - My neighbour’s pots screaming
silently under the scorching woods, while the oil
mellow down for some fries...

It`s going to be Christmas - anticipation visible on
many merry faces, thoughts now in line with the,
dress of joy as many wishes pass through the minds..

Copyright © 2004 Ahmed Dodo

Dis Lagos

Dis lagos self the thing I don take my eyes see , no be small my brother.

I see many people everyday as dem dey run with time, take style wan over take the thing.

Dis lagos no easy my sister , na plenty story dey fly everyday with wings, na so many mind no dey sleep.

Ha! dis lagos self , the roads plenty, I beg shine your eyes make molue no carry you go-go dump for lagoon.

Dis lagos big , na so many yellow - yellow colour dey push man for road, money dey pose dey do yanga.

Dis lagos good - na there water dey, wey dey carry different story about.

Dis lagos wide, everyday na different drama dey dance for road and so many people dey do their things.

Copyright © 2006 Ahmed Dodo