Saturday, February 17, 2018


ZUMA’S FORCED RESIGNATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICAN LEADERS

After several years at the helm of the government of South Africa, President Zuma finally agreed to resign. While we applaud Zuma for getting out of the picture so that his nation would move forward, we am appalled, horror-struck that it took  this much  argument and prodding for the president to see the light and agree to step aside.

What was Zuma thinking about all along? Did he think South Africans are fools to let him run the nation aground like a pirate’s boat? Was he thinking he was accountable to no man but himself?  Was he aware  that South Africa is a democratic republic  rather than an autocratic regime? Did he know that thousands of South Africans  had struggled and bled to death for the nation to materialize?

 Has Zuma heard of Steve Biko?  Did he think he was above the laws governing  his nation and did he expect his citizens to obey the laws while he chose to flaunt them? Has he read Achebe’s Things Fall Apart or CryThe Beloved Country written by Alan Paton? We wonder.

First of all, Zuma is not South Africa, and South Africa does not belong to Zuma. So long as Zuma recognizes that Zuma and South Africa are two entirely separate entities, the better for all around . I find it unacceptable to imagine that an African president or governor of any country should feel that the nation he is elected or appointed to lead belongs to him and his family, or  that the country cannot exist without the president or governor.

 A nation outlives its citizens. A citizen or a leader may belong to a nation, but the nation cannot belong to a citizen or leader. The needs of a nation must supersede those of a leader, and not the other way around. Isn’t this the thinking of law-abiding citizenry?

The notion that a leader owns the nation is as wrong as wrongness becomes.  It is incorrect, mistaken, and erroneous,  A leader who feels he owns the nation is at a disadvantage in that he does not see the mistakes that are being made, he doesn’t have the opportunity or make serious efforts to correct his mistakes, and he does not have honest and loyal advisers to steer him right.

 All such a leader has is a bevy of ass kissers, ignoble sycophants, bribe takers who want to be in his graces for wrong reasons. African leaders ought to learn from  the mistakes made by Mugabe of Zimbabwe and South Africa’s Zuma.  

IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE  AFRICAN  LEADERS:
As a leader, you ought to realize that Africa is changing from a jungle ruled by lions to enlightened community of  thinking men and women. As such, you the leader  are nobody but a public servant; you have oga (master) over you, and your oga  are the people whose government you are leading. They all, including you, are citizens and stakeholders, not just those you voted for you, or just members of your political party. A leader leads all of his or her people.

The oga allows you to head the government, you did not come there by force or by any special talent you may think you have, and there are many citizens who have similar as you have  or better skills than you.

Conduct yourself humbly and circumspectly, meaning cautiously, vigilantly, warily, and suspiciously, knowing that one day you may be called upon to give an account.

Publish your doings carefully so others may notice and judge for themselves;  be open and transparent, and invite others to verify and correct. Avoid doing things in secrecy. Include private citizens in your administration and committees to provide transparency.

Develop a thick skin to listen to criticisms to gauge your progress ; however, do not allow reactions to criticisms, censures, disapprovals and reprimands from the press or individual citizen to cloud your head or to lead you to seek revenge and strike  out in anger. Encourage criticisms of your work, and invite criticizers to submit alternative plans.

Discourage others who wish to hero worship you. Remind yourself and others that you are but a public servant who does what everyone else can do for the nation.  Treat all and sundry with equal measure of love and care. Your motto shall be: “Ask not what Nigeria can do for you, but ask what you can do for Nigeria.”

Resist efforts by outsiders, agents of former colonial masters included, who might want to thwart gains made or to sell your nation’s soul or your country out on a platter of questionable and elusive promises. Be true to yourself.

Be careful how you handle public monies. State money does not belong to you. To dip hands into public bag is theft, pure and simple. It could lead to impeachment and earn you a vote of no confidence in you.

Do not be forced to resign. Call it quits when you’ve done all you can and conditions continue to deteriorate and you’ve held several consultative councils.  Explain the nation is bigger than an individual. Resign gracefully, and remain an elderly statesman helping younger leaders. 

Hand over all books and records at the end of your tenure. Be ready to be called upon to explain discrepancies. Be candid.

Your life and work should be a testimony after you,  a testament, evidence, witness, proof, demonstration, verification, authentication, or proof that modern Africa is advancing to take its place in the community of civilized nations. Good luck!

Written Saturday and posted  2/17/18
Dr. James C. Agazie; jamesagazie@gmail.com; jamesagazies.blodpot.com

ABOUT THE WRITER: Writer is a Nigerian residing in the USA, a retired college professor. He is not a politician, does not support any political party, and does not aspire for any advantage other than to serve as unpaid volunteer to advise and speak the truth. May be reached by text at 678-886-1613.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

THE FIRST NIGERIAN QUEEN OF ENGLAND

This essay talks about a Nigerian woman who sits on throne as Queen of England, and how faith and change can work together to effect the manifestation of what was thought to be an impossibility. You can never say never to certain people. You can never say never to Nigerians. The British tried it and fell flat on their long noses   As the population of Nigerians in England swelled and England grew darker with children born of Nigerians, there was a hue and cry from America.

“Nigerians must be stopped or the world would be ruined”, the crowd roared. President Donald Trump went on rampage, in a wild offensive to save England . His backers, the World Anglo Saxon Nationalists, wanted Nigerians out of anything white. They say the Africans must be stopped by any means necessary, even if it means tricking President Mohammed Buhari to vacate, leave  Aso Rock for giant rodents and rule from an office nestled  in Newberry Castle outside Glasgow, UK.

The Congressional Black Caucus in America fought tooth and nail to defeat Bill 1942 before the House which would reverse the gains Blacks have made and perhaps derail Nigerians’ emigration to Great Britain. The Bill 1942 in essence provides for a repudiation of Loving v. Virginia.

 In America, things changed at the speed of lightning with Supreme Court 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia which told Nigerians and other Black men: “You have a legal right to intermarry with white women of your choice.”  Spurred by the court’s decision, the number of interracial marriages in America exploded and, with it, the population of multiracial people has exploded. The population of Nigerians in UK followed similar trends.

 According to the 2000 Census,  6.8 million Americans identified as multiracial. By 2010, that number grew to 9 million people. Trump feared.  Determined to reverse everything President Obama did, including healthcare, Trump swore on his mother’s gravestone: “never in England at least not with shithole Nigerians in England”.

Trump ordered the English and  Norwegian governments to pass a law banning all emigration from shithole nations. England’s Nigerians fought back with enyi mba (elephant) dance. Some brave Nigerians,  including Harvard-educated historians and anthropologists, demanded that the position of the Queen of England be open for grabs by any commoner rather the exclusive property of the so-called blue blood Tudor.

To add to the Englishman’s confusion, Nigerian Theologian Professor Onovo  preached that God is a Nigerian. Things got out of hand nippily, very quickly. In the meantime, Nigerians poured into Britain, Some Nigerian women replaced pills with fertility capsules to fill England’s maternity wards with the newborn Nigerians.

In 2017, the pressure to replace octogenarian Queen mounted on the British Isle like a tidal tsunami as more Nigerians invaded Britain in the manner of a swarm of bees. The Nigerians claimed that, as members of the British Commonwealth nations, they were entitled to partake of all that Britain has to offer, including the Oxon (Oxford University degree in classics) and the Brew (British white women eager to marry Africans) .

The British teetered at first on the verge of collapse then settled on quiet acquiescence, submission to pressure from Nigerians. A few stubborn, proud dyed-in-the-wool  Britons refused to capitulate. The majority, with the aid of Donald Trump’s frequent tweaks, demanded that Queen Elizabeth abdicate the throne of England because she was weak on immigration. Insulted and humiliated, Elizabeth ordered the Parliament to erect a replica of the Buckingham palace in Norway to which she would retire. That suited  President Trump right as Norway is his Garden of Eden  and  Norwegians his incorruptible people.

A child was born in England of Nigerian parentage. Her name is Latifa Uche Moraso. No one paid attention when at age six, Latifa said in Kindergarten class , “I want one day to be the Queen of the Great Britain.” The child grew up in London and overheard the buzz of the abdication of Queen Elizabeth as the rumor overtook the universe as the Black Death, Hitler’s advancing armies.

 Latifa Ucheako (that was her maiden name) married a Scottish gentleman who suggested she attend Oxford and Harvard to prepare for public service. After a series of minor mayoral stints, Lady Latifa at 33 served as Home Secretary under the Conservative Party chairman Ian Smith an open homosexual whose father left South Africa when apartheid succumbed. Queen Elizabeth prepared to leave for Norway under Trump’s onslaught and impending loss of confidence in Parliament. Trump won.

At the beginning of the abdication of Queen Elizabeth, Parliament considered and passed Bill No. 1984, granting any British citizen the right to serve in any capacity, including that of Queen of Great Britain and Wales. The Queen Elizabeth met with Queen Omarosa  briefly to sign documents transferring  residence of the massive Buckingham palace to the new monarch.  The event rubbed Trump the wrong way and he swore to never attend.

The coronation of Queen Latifa  cameas fell on a Monday South African  Archbishop Desmond Tutu and prelates of the Ecumenical Church Movement met in London. Trump’s absence was not only inconspicuous, it was cheered by obstinate Nigerians . Trump was becoming unpopular among Nigerians. It’s payback.

The Nigerian strongman Mohammad Buhari  grew weary and weaker and retired to a castle outside Glasgow which he had acquired during active military service, a move that was necessary, Aisha agreed, so he could be near the doctors caring for his chronic middle ear infection and forgetfulness.
Today, Queen Latifa Moraso  reigns, sitting on the throne of Kings of England, and she is Nigerian. 

The influx of Nigerians became an epidemic; they poured into Britain by the millions. When the Nigerians say “go”, no one can say stop ; they are like a juggernaut with nuts loose, a foot wedged between the gas and brake  pedals of unstoppable Mercedes 704 travelling erratically at 100mph. No group is as stubborn , unstoppable as Nigerians. They take no No for an answer. Everything is Yes.

When one says Nigerians are unstoppable, one means these people’s actions are irresistible, overwhelming, overpowering, persistent, unrelenting, persisting, persevering, inexorable, or ife a adighi agwu agwu (Igbo for “this thing does not have an end”).

Aisha Buhari called it quits amidst intolerable confusion. Aisha  Buhari divorced her husband and married  a younger Igbo army general  to whom she wanted to hand over what is left of Nigeria. No one knew what became of Nigeria, except  for a few  phone calls from Hassan, Fulani educated at Oxford.

Hassan had indicated the herdsmen had taken over , overrunning and crisscrossing the length and breadth of the land of Nigeria in search of luxuriant meadows to feed their long horned cattle. Hassan was later executed in the jackass dance of Sambissa Forest in a mercy purge; Hassan was disowned by his family because he had converted to Christianity and preached the Gospel.

Things got to change and change had been on the way, and the change was dramatic when it finally dawned on the scene that things had fallen apart in London and never to be put back together It is melodramatic,  theatrical, histrionic.  The Nigerian Queen of England is dramatic in many ways. She is a commoner, with no royal blue blood, and a Nigerian blood flows in her veins.

Since a Nigerian woman is calling the shots at Buckingham Palace, the experiment the Britons left in West Africa is now ancient history and must be rewritten in an indelible ink. The Queen of England is a Nigerian, and she would rewrite it with a stroke of the gold ballpoint

 When a thing is written indelibly, the information is permanent. It cannot be rubbed off with a pencil eraser. It is ineffaceable, as unalterable as the word of eternal life. A Nigerian lives in Buckingham Palace as the Queen of England and Wales. Her name is Queen Latifa, and she is Nigerian.

Didn’t the congregation nod in agreement as the vicar said things are made  anew and all things are possible to those who have the courage to believe, not just believe but have confidence in a thing without substantiation, proof, or evidence.

The purpose of this essay is to describe the evidence of strong belief in the materialization of the reign of the first Nigerian Queen of England who now sits on the throne once occupied by the likes as William the Conqueror, Henry v, henry VI, Henry VII, Richard I, Edward I, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth. It has taken long in coming, The throne is now occupied by Queen Latifa of Nigeria. Yea Yeaaaaaaa!

The news of the coronation of Her majesty Queen Latifa  Uche Omoraso, broke in England at the time Nigerians were flooding Great Britain. The first thing Queen Omoraso did was reverse the definition of citizenship.  A Nigerian born in any of the British colonies or protectorates is a citizen of England.

As usual, you cannot expect the Nigerians to accept a kindness and stay in their places. They cherish adventure and who doesn’t? To a Nigeria, anywhere is home and any job is for grabs, if the job would provide food that keeps body and soul alive and together.
   
The British imperialists gloried in giving sententious speeches at the Independence Day celebrations of their colonies, extolling the virtues of the Empire which they say would not fall into the hands of a foreign Negro. They boasted: “Never shall the sun set on the British Empire, and never will.”  

The boast was followed with demands that the colony collect taxes on behalf of the Crown and additionally pay a yearly fee of 150 billion pound sterling into the London branch of the Bank of England. 

To the British, it didn’t mean a thing to ask: “Isn’t this  taxation without representation of a Negro who until recently was considered one-quarter human and three-quarters beast?” It meant nothing, and  that explained why Nigerians poured into Britain relentlessly, unremittingly, uncompromisingly.

The Independence Day speech given by outgoing Nigeria’s Governor General Douglas McPherson was portentous in that it was threatening and pompous. Nigerians were told what was to take place in order to merit protection by the Royal Air Force and the invincible, indefatigable British Armada in case of a foreign attack. The speech was sententious as it was devoid of deep thought, interest, or content and it was given with excessive demand and pomposity.

The British, by  the very fact that they participated in the scramble for Africa and featured in the Atlantic Slave Trade, made no apologies but went on to secure Nigeria as a source of revenue. They inhumanely arm the boko haram and Fulani herdsmen with automatic weapons  to create havoc when the cost of oil goes up and to cease fighting when oil price is at rock bottom.

The British are brutish, meaning they ruled with cold-heartedness, cold-bloodedness.  They had dug the graves of many Nigerians and stolen from the country. Who would think that one day a former slave would enslave the master?  

What happens to Britain is a lesson for those colonialists given to self-indulgence, arrogance, pretentiousness, snobbishness, affectation, or pride. How more can the taste of the pudding of revenge be proved than in its eating? The Queen of England is Latifa Omoraso of Nigeria.  

Long Live Her majesty Latifa Uche Omorosa, Queen of England. The kings or queens of former colonial masters run the risk of being replaced by Nigerians. It is predicted that Germany, France, Norway, and the Netherland shall experience upheavals which will usher in heads of states that are Nigerians. 

One should never say never to some people, precisely the Nigerians. Nigerians had learned from Trump of America about the futility of racism and threats of deportations. These don’t work against Nigerians. Even steel walls built on top of the Atlantic can scarcely deter a determined  Nigerian who swears to swim from Lagos to London.

Denying Nigerians the conquest of Britain is impossible. To Nigerians bent on conquering  England; failure to do so is as impossible as catching with the wind with a trap, particularly as Queen  Latifa, a Nigerian,  sits on the throne of England.

Written Wednesday, January 14, 2018. Posted 2/15/18 @9:18pm
Dr. James C. Agazie; jamesagazie@gmail.com; jamesagazies.blogspot.com




Saturday, February 10, 2018

NIGERIAN STUDENTS DON’T HAVE TO BE UNEMPLOYED AFTER GRADUATION FROM COLLEGE, THIS IS HOW
 Names are fictitious but facts are real about known persons.

Stories coming out of Nigeria nowadays concentrate on the high rate of unemployment, particularly among the youth.  Have you ever received a text or email from a relative complaining of hunger and asking for money to pay for a child’s education in the university?

Take heart. You are not alone. Many are  being asked to wire some money through the Western Union or those businesses that take your dollars and wire Naira into a Nigerian’s bank account, for someone’s school fees. You worry that the person you  are paying  the money for might graduate and not have a job.

Like this writer, you’ve been  sending money  for someone’s  education  only to find out later that either the student was not in school  or the money was used for purposes other than school fees.
What do you say to your friend’s daughter you has a degree in Food Technology and been unemployed two years in a row? How do you console your nephew who has not been employed after obtaining the BSc degree in mechanical engineering  and not been called for a job interview for dozens of positions he had applied for?

You wonder why college students in Nigeria are often complaining of unemployment after graduating and receiving their diplomas when that shouldn’t be the case. Numerous opportunities exist for  graduating students to plan to increase chances of landing a job, if they would listen and follow directions.

Didn’t you wash dishes, mop the floor, and clean toilets while you were going to school in America?  And you think your brother’s son at Yaba College of Technology or Nnamdi Azikiwe University is too special  and can’t do what you did? Perhaps you are part of the problem.

Let’s not forget one Nigerian named Dr. Akinkuoye who was mopping the floor at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Washington DC while attending medical school  and we ignorant, unemployed  Johnny-come-lately Nigerian  students were laughing , hooping, jeering at him.

We were asking: “How can a doctor be mopping dirty floor?” To hoop is to laugh uncontrollably. It is needless to say that Dr. Akinkuoye   is now a board certified cardiologist

Many college-educated Nigerians are unemployed many years after graduation for various reasons. Poor planning is a reason. When asked why they are not employed, reasons they given are interesting. A few say: “there are no jobs to get.”

Some will tell you that “there are millions of other people applying for the same position.”  A few seeking to get more money from you would say that prospective employers are asking for exorbitant bribes beyond the ability of candidates to pay.  

Our latest essay titled “True Nigerians Can Happily Learn To be happy” is closely tied to employment. The purpose of this essay is to discuss effective ways to overcome unemployment after graduation and to minimize its effects on the man or woman who  spent a number of years pursuing a course of study in college only to graduate without a job.

 Unemployment is a painful source of stress and unhappiness. An unemployed person tends to worry and to endure  penury, pennilessness, destitution, indigence, neediness, impecuniosity, impoverishment, or lack of money. Satan has plenty of work for idle hands.

That one is unemployed at the moment does not mean one would be unemployed forever.  Difficulties of life are not meant to make us bitter but better for a higher calling. Things will change for the unemployed if we do not grow weary or give up hope.  We must believe that change is on the way. But we need to change certain habits that might be militating against chances of landing employment.

 Procrastination has an effect on or works against employment in that we waste the valuable time we could have used preparing for a career.  Procrastination is defined as deferment, postponement, stalling, delay, adjournment, putting off, or failure to take action at the crucial time. Procrastination is a thief of time.

 As we waste time, life passes us by and never to be gotten back. And when time passes there’s no time to cry over spilled milk.  For example, if you miss a scheduled flight, you might have to wait for another airplane which may arrive the next day or days after.

I know a young Nigerian, a 35-year-old man named Joachin who had known unemployment for years because he wasted his youth at Lagos trying to make fast money. He followed a group of hooligans, ne’er do well, at Lagos motor parks to sell stolen stuffs. He called himself a used car dealer, and was not prepared for any profession.

Joachin had no secondary school education and no technical or business training. He was just there loafing around. To loaf is to loiter, laze, loll, be idle, be unoccupied, or lie around doing nothing useful. He was an eye sore.  Family was ashamed of him.  In American, a popular saying goes  that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and it is.

Suddenly, age caught up with him and Joachin  (fictitious) had to marry as he is the oldest son in a family that had lost both father and mother. Luckily, Joachin met and married an elementary school teacher. Have things changed for Joachin?

No, he is still unemployed, begging around for money to pay rent for a N250,000 two bedroom flat in a run-down area of Lagos. He quarrels with wife over her teacher’s salary. “Give me money for cigarettes. Give me money for a bottle of beer.”

Readers should not misconstrue this writer’s statement to mean  the writer is insulting  or looking 
down on Joachin. This is just to drive a point home about the evils of procrastination or postponement. Time waits for no man.

Being unemployed is usually a function of the choices one makes. Therefore, one has to be careful to prepare for a career while there is still time by making wise choices. A Nigerian proverb says that daylight  is the best period to look for a black goat because nighttime blends with the goat’s color, making it impossible to catch the animal.

Another proverb says that the dry season is the best time to gather  the firewood one would cook with during the raining season because… Readers can complete this sentence.

Speaking of unemployed college graduates, the point is that we need to need to emphasize is to not wait till after we have graduated from college to begin thinking about employment. Thoughts about employment should begin the first week we enroll in college.

Begin talking with your parents and grown-ups in the family for suggestions, if you do not plan on going to college. Ask questions about family members in various careers. Contact the family members and seek advice. You may serve on apprenticeship programs under someone in the career that interests you. Ask for a mentor.

If you plan to go to college or are in college already, focus on your professors, department heads, research professors, counselors, and university Vice Chancellors. You say: “These people are too busy to talk with a peon like me.” No, you’re wrong.

You’re not a peon (made-up word used to describe a small, unimportant person). You’re bargoon (made-up word to refer to an important personality). Go to the professors and persons mentioned in this paragraph and state your case. Say to them you are seeking directions for a career. Be honest, up front.

These people are paid by the government and placed at the university to assist you the student. You are the focus of attraction, the star of the show, the epicenter of the universe, the center of gravity around which everything that constitutes the university revolves.  You are important. The university or college  was established specifically with you in mind. Use the opportunity.

There is a tremendous power in your hand. You must use it wisely.  Get to know these university personnel and let them know you as well. Useful  information to leave with these college officials should  include your full name, area of study, village, parents, phone number, and special skills you possess.

Begin to market yourself on campus. Run for a position in the student government. Contribute ideas in university governance. Do you type well,? Can you write good grammar and do you spell well? Perhaps, you cook well or can sing a song.

Do you have a driver’s license and can chauffeur the professor and his family around town?  You can run errands, can’t you? While knowing the university official, find out  if he or she has a relative in State government , trading, building construction, or marketing  of imported products.

Use your vacation time or periods the university is out on strikes, to work for the university official or persons he or she recommends. You must avoid gang activities at all costs. Do not be caught associating with gangs who engage in illegal activities such as armed robbery, kidnapping, or murder for hire.  Use time wisely. Study hard in libraries when not working for someone. Make good rades.
I know one Nigerian man named Isaac (fictiious) who obtained the Master of Science in Political Science while following the idea we have outlined here. His professors helped him through the undergraduate program on part-time employment.

They then sent him to a merchant  who was high-up-there in importations from China and England. Isaac used his numerical ability to keep books for the merchant and his persuasive language to collect debts  from people who owed the merchant. After Isaac graduated, the merchant and the university people galvanized, and used their money and man-know-man (influence) to get Isaac into a Commissioner’s position. Isaac is a success story.

CONCLUSIONS: Whether you have a job or not after college will depend upon the “homework” you did  in college before graduation rather than the paper-an-pen application process you endure after graduation. Begin now to plan.  Good luck.
Dr. James C. Agazie, jamesagazie@gmail.com; jamesagazie.blogspot.com

Written Thursday, 2/8/2018