ELECTION VIOLENCE, AN END TO IT. A CASE STUDY OF RIVERS STATE......... By Dotun George

Rivers State in the run up to today’s poll 19th of March, 2016 has been mired in violence, with mindless killings of opposition APC members rampantly reported. The speeches from Governor Wike and other Political Gladiators had only stoked tension, with calls for the killing of people who attempted to rig the polls.
Between Thursday and Friday, 17th and 18th of March, two Military personnel were killed in the high seas of Akuku,-Toru and Omoku headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area.

The Federal Government wants to ensure that the election is conducted without rancour and violence that characterised the March/April 2015 elections. Over 6,000 policemen, including 14 Mopol formations are in the state. Soldiers are on standby. Three police commissioners are manning three senatorial districts.

For the main political gladiators, they await the decision of the voters at polling booths.
It is after today’s rerun election that Governor Wike or Amaechi, will know who has the political bragging rights in Rivers state power game. Both of them had charged the political atmosphere of the state to its elastic limits with their speeches.

Rivers needs more than deployment of security. The state needs prayers to avoid more blood letting. The stakeholders need to sit down and examine themselves, which one is preferable, destroying the entire state because of someone ambition or protect the interest of the entire state and preserve posterity? Who wins?In less than 48 hours, a clearer picture will emerge.

The main question and puzzle in my heart all through the week was that, must we go through this route all the time, must we keep repeating the errors and blunders of the past? Can't we play politics without bitterness, violence, killing, rigging election and wastages of life and properties?

About 241 years ago, Africans are called Barbarians and unfortunately, Nigerians, the elites, the political class and the electorates are still behaving and acting like a barbarian. Too sad and unfortunate.

What Rivers people don't know and understand is that, the political class will always have their ways each time eventuality and uncertainty happen but the people will end up being a victim. When Rivers people are killing another Rivers' man and woman because of politics, our humanity has a question mark.

We must reinvent our humanity, ourselves, systems, structures, electoral laws, voting systems, our ways of life and human interaction, Government must be proactive all the time. except we do that on time at the government level and at the citizens level,  we are heading no where and our journey to eldorado will be far and unattainable.

TRIBUTE TO JAMES OCHOLI BY PRESIDENT BUHARI.

How do I begin to pay this tribute to a man who was the epitome of civility, the archetype of intellectualism, and the paragon of loyalty? How do I begin to mourn James Ocholi, whom you can describe as one of my right hand men in the quest to reposition our country, and fashion a land of peace and prosperity, where no man is oppressed?

A lot has been written about Ocholi since the tragic event of March 6, 2016, which took the life of our Minister of State, Labour and Employment, his wife, Blessing, and his son, Joshua. And a lot more will be written, for Ocholi was no mean man.

He was a man among men, an Iroko in a forest of trees. How are the mighty fallen!
Among many other positive and pleasant things, I will always remember Ocholi for his loyalty to our beloved country Nigeria, loyalty to our party, the All Progressives Congress, and loyalty to our administration, in which he had served for just about 4 months, before death took him.

In 2011, Ocholi ran to be governor of Kogi state on the platform of our then party, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). I believed so much in him, and in his ability to add value to the governance of his state, that I followed him round the state on campaign. We visited all the local governments, visited the paramount rulers, and urged the people to vote in a worthy man as governor. But politics is a peculiar game in Nigeria. The best often does not win.
Ocholi did not win. But he bore it gracefully.

In 2015, he threw his hat into the ring again. He sought to be governor on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he had helped midwife.
He still did not win at the party primaries, an eventuality he bore gracefully again.
When the APC was being negotiated into existence among the Legacy Parties, Ocholi did a yeoman’s job, contributing his quota to the legal processes. This he did under a junior lawyer, who was not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) like him then. But what mattered to Ocholi was the birth of a strong, solid party, which could wrest power at the centre, and bring change to our country.

Hierarchy is important in the legal profession, just as it is in the military. But Ocholi subordinated pride and ego, served under his subordinate, and APC was born.
Dream became reality.
Steadily but sure-footedly, he was part of the Change Cabinet, resolved to bring our country from out of the woods, and pedestal Nigeria among the greats in the comity of nations.

Then the unthinkable happened. The Grim Reaper harvested Ocholi. What a pity! Sad and tragic. But we have this consolation: the departed has taught us fidelity, commitment and loyalty to party, to government, and to God.

He will be sorely missed.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI

PRESIDENTIAL ORDER: MY TAKE........ By Dotun George

“We will be merciless and relentless in pursuing all those who abused public trust. Nigerians will see how some of the elite conspired to run the nation down,”
...............President Buhari

“We will deal decisively with all sponsors of violence. I have given the security services clear directives in this regard.
................ President Buhari

“We will show that violence in any form will no longer be tolerated before, during or after elections,”
................ President Buhari.

My Take........
Good intentions and directives. I am always excited to see the President of my country coming out with a firm decision and directives as regard violence, political motivated killings and wastages. The onus now lies on Mr. President to monitor closely and ensures the instructions are carried out to letters.

Violence, killings, wastages and carnage going on in some part of the country must stop. And in anyway must we allow the perpetrators of these dastardly crimes to go Scott free. Enough must be enough. The law must have its way.

As regard recovery of our loot, and dealing with those who runs down our country. I am interested seriously in the anti graft war going on and I want to see as many looters, plunderers and corrupt power mongers who abused public trust behind bar. If we can end corruption or reduced it to the minimum level, then we can sure we are heading toward recovery and prosperity.

"There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order and only lukewarm defenders in all those who profit by the new."
~ Niccolo Machiavelli

Mr. President should remember that the elites, corrupt elements and those who prosper from corruption and old order will not allow change to be effected. Therefore, the wisdom requires that government must envisages and strategize ahead of these elements. We as a people and government must be able to identity the real enemies of the Nigerians state and ruthlessly deal with them.

CONFIDENT OF THE FUTURE

In recent times, there have been many concerns about how viable our nation’s economy is. The cost of living is rising by the day. A good number people are apprehensive about the future. The question on most people’s lips is where are we heading as a country?

I understand their fear. But in the midst of all this, I am confident that this will turn out to be my best year yet. And it can be yours too. How do I know? What makes me speak so confidently?

You see, at a time in my life, I used to be worried about my future but now, I have gotten to the point that if everything I have is taken away from me, I would not be perturbed.

This level of confidence is not exclusive to a select few. 
Being confident about the future and working towards the future, is the best way to go.

.............................
Dotun George
A motivational & public speaker. A social crusader, a life coach and a trainer
E-mail: dotungeorge009@gmail.com
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Hypocrisy of a typical Nigerian political class....... By Dotun George

“I am shocked beyond words at the extent of destruction I have seen here in Agatu today. This is unbelievable. It is unimaginable.
“Nothing whatsoever justifies this brazen act of destruction meted out on the people of Agatu. My heart bleeds.”..... David Mark (Fmr. Senate President)

My take.....

This statement made by David Mark was nothing but hypocritical, and just a mere media sensational news. Why must we wait in this country for calamities to happen before we start to lament, and bemoan the consequences and implications that follows. The killings in Agatu has been on for years even at the time this hypocritical senator David Mark was the Senate President but the difference was the rate and proportion of the wastages and carnage we witnessed now.

David Mark just need to give us a break and find a way of returning back to the purposeful legislation his people elected/selected him for at the upper chamber in Abuja.
Before the carnage that took place in Agatu, Benue State, during and after, David Mark was busy campaigning and organising people and money so as to win the re run parliamentary elections. It was people like us who were not the indigene but cannot be quiet and not comfortable about the killings and wastages, that kept on alerting the government, state Governors and lawmakers about the killings, social implications and the potential danger the herdsmen are already creating.

The Agatu people must not allow themselves to be carried away by this media sensational news. David Mark has been representing his constituency since 1999, we need to ask him the change, what development, growth and legislation that he brought to his people that have any positive and meaningful impact on the entire people?
The gullible and ignoramus will think governance and legislation is about regret, lamentations and condemnation, no that is the language of the slaves, busybody, and the barbarians.

Most politicians don't know and never bother to follow up the happenings in their constituencies, the people are only important at the dawn of a new electioneering campaigns. Except and until we place a premium value on human lives, their welfare and their economic survival, we are just wasting our time, playing to the gallery and have no business representing the people.

Security of lives and properties is primary responsibility of any serious government. Let us stop admiring, lamenting, bemoaning and regretting our problems, predicament and evils in our land. Its time to act and end it headlong. No more excuses and no more lamentations because problems are not solve that way. Nations are also not built by lamentations, wailing and regretting.

XONOPHOBIC ATTACK, AN END IN SIGHT? By Dotun George

Relaxing at the face of obvious danger is most dangerous things. What is African Union doing about the xenophobic attack on the foreigners, especially the black African living in South Africa?
I saw a horrible pictures and videos how South Africans aided by the police to massacre the Nigerian citizens and other foreign nationals. If African Union failed to handle and mange this dastardly act and salvage the lives of others Africans living in South Africa now, then I can boldly say this, African Union has reached its dead end and lost its relevance.

The way African Union, formerly known as OAU and International Communities are doing now, sitting down and admiring the African problem without a serious and proactive solution was the same way, they all looked away when Liberians carried arms against themselves and countless people were wasted, the same way they looked away when closed a 1 million people was massacre in Rwanda, Serea-Leone, Ivory Coast and other volatile regions in Africa killed themselves without any response.

I am crying and weeping for the soul of Africa, for the sons and daughters of Africa, who knew nothing in their entire life than, war, crisis, unrest, daily wastages and carnage. Instead of Africa to find an African way to solve African problems, Africans are busy reducing themselves to the level of animals and desecrate the African soil with the blood of the innocent child, man and woman.

When you finish killing yourselves, then who will console Africa. African the land of the mighty but uses its might and strength wrongly and misdirected it.
I know without any doubt that, the spirit of Nelson Mandela will not bless all the soul of South Africans that engaged in the xenophobic act. Where is the Thabo Mbeki of this world that travelled around African to solve their political problems and help others in resolving their crisis? What happened to the same Thabo Mbeki now? Is domestic problem greater than international conflicts and crisis? Something fundamental must be wrong with Africa.

When South Africa was subjugated, maltreated, marginalized, segregated, injustices was melted against them and their self-worth and self-esteem were destroyed and damage. The whole world rose up to their aid to salvage, Nigeria spent more money than any other country to liberate South Africa, unfortunately today, South Africans has the audacity to launch a xenophobic attack on Nigerians and other Africans living in the country. Have they forgotten so quickly that, their citizen were illegal immigrants in most African nation during apartheid but they were welcome without any reservations and molestation. They were protected and even in Nigeria, South Africans were admitted free of charge into our universities. I am still weeping for the soul of Africa. So pathetic we forget the past so quickly.

The truth is that, there is an internal conspiracy against the foreigners in South Africa, firstly the Jacob Zuma’s son said the foreigners are taken over their business and industries and later the Zulu king said the foreigners should go back to their country. Can anybody connect the source of the attack?

I cannot blame these South Africans, if not irresponsible and irresponsive government we have in Nigeria, no Nigerian will have any cause to seek asylum and survival outside of the country. The time to rebuild Nigeria is now, enough is enough of becoming the ridicule of the world.

MOTHERS: WAKE UP THE SLEEPING GIANTS......... By Dotun George

As a little boy, I grown up to love this evergreen song "Sweet mother I no go forget you, for the suffer wey you suffer for me". The song portray the uniqueness, awesomeness and preciousness of motherhood.
In African tradition, children are passionate about their mothers and to them, mothers are second to God. By creation and design, mothers and wife are the custodian of their children career, life and destiny. They are the pillar that uphold families and we cannot wish them away. Remove their impacts, family is reduce to nothing.

Modernist, feminist and modernization of motherhood has robbed us a great value and heritage of motherhood and until we go back to the beginning and revisit all the values, norms and social expectations that gave us a good beginning as a people, family and society, we will continue to grope in day as if we are in the darkness.

We need to be concerned and bemoaned the various abuses women and girls are being subjected to in Nigeria.
Mother was one of the greatest gifts to humanity. I agreed but our mother must rise beyond their traditional role and form an alliance on how protect little and innocent girl child and teenagers that are being subjected to various pains, suffering, abuses, molestation, assaults, trafficking, rape, abduction and exposure to wrong values and immoralities.

What do we teach our children matters, especially the girl child, the values systems we exposure them has indelible impact on their lives, career, job, family and what they will turn to tomorrow, because they cannot give what they don’t have. The mothers of tomorrow cannot be mothers if they don’t have what it takes now.

It is high time all our mothers and grandmothers redirect their passion, interest and energy towards a purposeful ventures, and investment as regard raising godly and enviable children for our nation tomorrow.
Wasting all your finances on Aso-ebi, fake Brazilian hair, Owanbe party, and other unproductive and feeble issues will not only wreck us but exposes our inadequacy and failure tomorrow.

We are losing a whole generation, we are gradually experiencing total degradation and erosion of value and our pride as a community of people. Make hay while the sun is still shinning and except we understand the danger we tends to face by allowing the opportunities of training, coaching, modelling and mentoring this generation of people that is on their way already to perdition, we would not be able to do something meaningful now.

It is time to rise and fulfil our social responsibility of raising godly children, raising leaders for the society and nation. More importantly nurture  and protect them. Never must we leave our children and teenagers to chance.