As deliberations at the ongoing
National Conference continue, I want to thank Nigeria Village Square for making
it possible for me to make my voice heard outside of this Blog following the
publication of three of my articles in the past few weeks. The instant piece is
going to be my last major piece on this Blog until further notice. I have done
considerably well beyond my expectations at the inception of this Blog on
January 02, 2012. And it is time to move on. Before I proceed further, I would
like to express, with heavy heart, my continued interest in the search and
rescue of the kidnapped teenage "Chibok Girls" in Borno State,
Nigeria. My heart goes out to you and your family members. You deserve our
unflinching support and attention. The World is on your side.
I did not take into writing
because I write for a living. It wasn't in satisfaction or in pursuit of
passion, either. I write because I know I am blessed with unparalleled
foresight and invaluable lessons in humanity, leadership, governance, and change
management that I wanted to share. It is all about common sense ideas based on
prudent judgment anchored on Awoism, innate intelligence, leadership tutorials
from my Mother, and reading through the years. Yes, I write because I know I am
simply the best in what I write about - insightful, visionary, creative, more
daring, and audacious than those in the field as well as those managing our
public institutions. Like President Bill Clinton, I know little about
everything. And I write what leaders read, or should read. I am a total package - a one-of-a-kind God's
creation, with rare insights and foresight on most issues. Yes, I said it.
I speak and write the minds of
the people, especially those who seemingly know what is wrong with the system,
but do not have the time to write about it or the vocabulary to put them in
proper perspective for maximum effect. "For instance, petroleum marketers
who scammed our petroleum subsidy funds should be made to show proof of their
supply and concrete evidence of overseas dealers and how and where they deliver
their petroleum products in Nigeria." That was exactly what the Subsidy
Review Committee chaired by Mr. Aigbojie Imoukhuede did to nail bogus petroleum
marketers. You did not read those lines elsewhere, but only on this Blog. See
"The Need for a “Civil Asset Forfeiture Law”, posted on May 25, 2012.
Thanks to the internet and social
media for making it possible for me to do that - write, get published, and be
heard, without pandering or adjusting my language to the whims and caprices of
editors of newspapers and proprietors of online news outlets. We are not
investigatory; we are fact finders and public affairs detail oriented, focused
on solutions. Like a light shining through the murky night, we see what others
don't see, and build a case for a strategic approach. And 100% of the time, we
have been vindicated.
Once, I opined on this Blog that
an Obama School of Thought is emerging with respect to the global war against
terrorism. And I defined the School of Thought and stated unequivocally that no
one has written about it or talked about it anywhere. Three days later, I
repeat, three days later, President Obama held a news briefing where he
succinctly articulated his administration's new approach to the global war
against terrorism. His philosophy was on all four (totally in sync) with my
hypothesis. That is rare, very rare. It is like winning a Multi-Million Dollar
jackpot. See "Nigeria is at War: We Must Stand up and
Support our President", posted May 17, 2013.
It is about ideas and the ability
to articulate them, without leaving in the minds of the readers any doubt about
where I stand and what I stand for, and what my goals are. It is not about
semantics. It is about the message. After all, English is an elastic language.
I write not to entertain or to impress the literati of Nigerian journalism,
but to create a real impact and catalyze the target audience to action. The
intensity in my language is real. Not borne out of hatred or animosity towards
other people, tribes, or regions, but to create awareness, and new thinking in the
body politic in other to avoid the mistakes of the past. It is all about common
sense and moving forward.
Take, for instance, the
nationwide protest that took place on January 2013, popularly referred to as
Occupy Nigeria, over the proposed removal of petroleum subsidy by President
Jonathan. I was the only voice outside the government who supported the
removal. Not that I like the high cost of fuel products or because I was doing some
PR work for the Government. I did because the subsidy wasn't creating lower
prices at home. My argument then was that it is very likely that some Nigerians
are scheming or scamming the subsidy regime; otherwise, Nigerians would have
been enjoying affordable petrol and kerosene at petrol stations. I suggested
that until the government takes care of the loopholes in the subsidy regime, they should
take control of the importation of fuel products and reinvest the accruing
profits into the system instead of subsidizing the process for fraudulent and
bogus petroleum marketers. In the end, I recommended the Obama formula in the
disbursement of student loans to the students via the Department of Education,
dispensing with the services of Commercial Banks that were reaping where they
did not sow.
A few months later, Representative
Farouk Lawan and his investigatory committee came out with a damning report,
detailing how some politically connected and not-so-connected bogus petroleum
marketers cooked up figures and cooked up documents to scam the subsidy regime
of needed funds - being paid for products they didn't supply. That was my fear
when I supported the removal. I knew that the subsidy fund was going into the wrong
hands and not into petroleum products. And you know the rest of the story.
I gave life to the call for
"True Federalism and Decentralization of the National Government",
making them the most talked about issues at the ongoing National Conference
and in the news media in the past two years. Today, most commentators in social media as well as those in the public sector can now discuss with erudition
the major topics of the moment: "Devolution of Power", "Restructuring and
Decentralization of the Central Government", "Federalism", "Unitary System", and "Confederal option". It all began with "The Search for True Federalism:
Balancing Feudal Interests with Southern Greed and Opportunism." Followed by "Federalism, Presidential Succession, and Marginalization" written at
the beginning of this Blog about two years ago. And last, but not least
in that category is "Of Distorted Federalism, Structural Problems, and
Leadership Crisis in Nigeria: A Case for Decentralization of the National
Government", which appeared on this Blog on March 25, 2014, and on Nigeria
Village Square on March 29, 2014.
I no be follow. I don't
react to news or topics. I define and create topics - those issues that are
important and deserving of unqualified attention. Hamiltonatlarge.blogspot.com
has been the defining moment, the starting point of what is to become a new
Nigeria. It is vibrant, refreshing, aggressive, and easy to read and digest. Most
often, I see my ideas on this Blog in the opinions of other writers as well as
in the policy and programs of the government. And it’s all good. It's all about
spreading the message, helping to shape the future of this country, and focusing on
common-sense solutions for the benefit of all.
This Blog was opened to the
public on January 02, 2012, with the flagship article: "The Search for
True Federalism: Balancing Feudal Interests with Southern Greed and
Opportunism." That piece defined the Nigerian Story, the Nigerian Problem,
and the Nigerian Solution. It gave a new meaning to the call for Sovereign
National Conference and catalyzes the demand for true federalism. We
challenged southern political leaders to be more assertive on national issues.
We indicted southern columnists for devoting too much time and space dwelling
on polemics and stale news. That article was all I wanted to publish when I set
up this Blog. My prayer now is that the selected delegates presently
deliberating at the Nation Conference do the right thing and come out with a
document we can all be proud of.
On this Blog, you will find very
thought-provoking articles that made great changes in the political system of
great nations. From the urban
development protest in Turkey (see Stabilization Clause vs. Human Rights and Sustainable
Development), to the exercise of state power and control by the government
of Argentina and Brazil over their petroleum resources (see Bonga Oil Spillage,
Niger Delta and Sustainable Development). Also, we developed or defined a new
approach to the unrest in the Muslim world by Western Governments/Nations (see
Overcoming the Crisis in the Muslim World, published September 22, 20120).
Last, but not the list, we wrote an all-encompassing treatise/work on the last
US Presidential campaign/election - later to be labeled "the definition of
Obama's opponent" by the media.
It all began in May and
June 2012, when some highly visible Democrats in and out of government as well
as some celebrated pundits in the news media were breathing down on President
Obama's campaign team, warning them not to mention Wall Street and Bain Capital
in the Presidential campaign, I took a firm stand, arguing that the campaign
team does the exact opposite. I opined that it is strategically suicidal and
counterproductive for the campaign team to do what the pundits are saying. I
started on this Blog and on my Facebook Timeline that the campaign team should
disregard the advice and place Bain Capital and Wall Street on full blast. My
position was that given the fact that the President's opponent is campaigning
on his Wall Street experience and his ability to create jobs, then his exploits
on Wall Street as well as his stewardship at Bain Capital are automatically on the issue as
well as records of job creation in Massachusetts should be on the table. Thank
God, they did not equivocate on my position. And the rest is now history. See
"Obama: Citizen United, Invisible Resistance and the Hacking of American
Democracy" published on the Blog on June 8, 2012.
Everything about Nigeria and how to make it a great country
as God divined it to be are available on this Blog - written exclusively by me
and me only, without any outside editorial or proofreading support. And I take full
responsibility for any typographical and semantic errors you may come across on
the Blog. Yes, I am tested. And my ideas work. Therein, lies my confidence. I
thank every one of you for coming this far with me and for being a part of this
Blog. It has been a wonderful twenty-eight months of intense brain work and
invaluable lessons in vocabulary and public affairs. Please do not feel
despaired and despondent about the Nigerian project. We shall definitely overcome the madness of the moment. And when we do, the best and the brightest among us will
emerge at the center stage - not on the basis of who our godfathers are or on the basis of our last
names, but on the spirit and genuineness of what we stand for and hope for in our beloved nation - Nigeria. That is the next
chapter - the beginning of redemption and regeneration.
No comments:
Post a Comment
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.