Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Reflection and Regeneration: A Compendium of Thoughts on Thought Leadership

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. 


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