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Last week, WikiLeaks released cables about Nigeria. The
information focussed on discussions between President Goodluck Jonathan and
former U.S ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders.

Since the publication of the alleged conversations, many
political opponents have tried to profit from the revelations, distorting and
misinforming the public in order to score cheap political points.

Some would want us to believe the cables have portrayed the
president as not being equipped for the job. According to a statement credited
to Garba Shehu, spokesperson for presidential candidate and former vice
president Atiku Abubakar, “this expose has once again continued what we have
always said, Jonathan is not a man to be trusted”.

But away with political opponents and let us face the real
contents of the leaks and look at them intelligently.

The leaked cables quoted Sanders quoting Jonathan as saying
after her meeting with him on February 26, 2010, “I was not chosen to be vice
president because I had good political experience… I did not. There were a
lot more qualified people around to be vice president, but that does not mean I
am not my own man.”

Some people would want us to believe this means President
Jonathan cannot be trusted: what an irony. It is uncommon, for a Nigerian
politician to admit that he is not the almighty and the omnipotent. In a
society where people who are trusted with public office immediately turn
themselves into deities to be worshipped, never to be questioned, it is rare
that a Nigerian could admit that he is not the only qualified person to occupy
a public position.

Public office is not necessarily given to the most experienced,
or the most educated, but to the man who is best able to bring about
development, a man who embodies the two fundamentals of leadership as postulated
by Steven R. Covey, the personal effectiveness guru: they are sense of service
and knowledge.

President Obama had little public administration experience when
he decided to run for the highest office in the country. But the American
people followed him because they saw in him a man willing to admit his
limitations and thus willing to learn. They also saw he had the passion and the
will to serve. Leadership is not self-centred behaviour, but others centred
behaviour. How many Nigerians can resist the temptation to trumpet their own
credentials and exaggerate their achievements in order to impress?

According to the revelations Jonathan allegedly, also said he
had intended to dissolve the Cabinet early in the week of February 22, and had
planned to make that announcement at the February 24 FEC meeting but found out
that Yar’Adua was returning and this dissuaded him from acting. He said the
last Cabinet meeting was disastrous, included yelling and screaming, and was
totally dysfunctional. Sanders reported that Jonathan said he is ‘not a
politician’ and had very limited experience as an administrator, but concluded,
“I will not tolerate a brawl.”

Is President Jonathan your usual Nigerian politician? The
obvious answer is no. The president is not a desperate power monger, as some of
his opponents would want the public to believe. In the heady days of the
Yar’Adua debacle when the nation tottered on the brink, had Jonathan been your
usual politician, our circumstances as a nation may have been different today.
He would have dissolved the Cabinet, instead he was loyal to his boss when he
learnt that he was arriving even though nobody told him formally or put him in
the picture. But he remained calm, not desperate to prove a point, but willing
and ready to step up to the plate at the appointed time. And he did.

Nigerians should be optimistic about the prospects of President
Jonathan. He has the right frame of mind to determine that electoral reforms
are germane to Nigeria’s development. Sanders said: “His sole focus is to leave
a legacy of both electoral reforms and credible elections, including changing
the entire Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

The question we should ask is what can be revealed in leaked
cables regarding other politicians in Nigeria especially the ones aspiring to
become President in 2011? There is no need to wait for WikiLeaks to do that for
us. A number of such names are synonymous with corruption. That is not the case
with President Jonathan.

The leaks have shown him to be humble, truthful, sincere and
patriotic. These may not be the best attributes for a politician in these
climes but they are the attributes Nigeria needs at this time. Jonathan is a
transforming leader not a transactional leader like those who have paraded the corridors
of power for too long.

Read the final verdict from Sanders: “We believe the US
government is firmly placed to advance our bilateral agenda, including the
creation of enabling environment conducive to free, fair and credible elections
with the approval and assistance of Nigeria’s de facto head of state. Even if
he decides to contest for the presidency, Jonathan seems sincere in wanting to
leave a lasting legacy of electoral reform for Africa’s most populous nation.”

Afam is a public
commentator and a pro democracy activist, he lives in Lagos

Isiaka is mild
mannered and soft-spoken man. On his way to work one morning, he was
flagged down by a policeman who asked for a ride. Without hesitation,
he agreed and they set off. The policeman promptly fell asleep, having
apparently been on night duty. At the destination, Isiaka woke him up.
The policeman thanked him profusely and walked off.

The next morning,
Isiaka’s son was washing the car when he saw a pistol under the front
passenger seat and immediately alerted his father. Isiaka came to the
conclusion that it must belong to the policeman who rode in the car the
previous day, so he proceeded to the nearest police station to report
the case.

At the station,
Isiaka was arrested and charged with ‘armed robbery and possession of
firearms’. The policeman he helped had reported that armed robbers had
attacked him and stolen his weapon from him. Despite protests, it took
Isiaka weeks and a lot of money to be released from cell and several
months to clear his name.

Akin, Jimi and
Daniel will never forget what happened to them in their final year at
the university. They had attended a friend’s birthday party and decided
to leave at about 11 pm. There were no taxis or ‘okadas’ at that late
hour so they decided to walk the short distance home. Halfway, they
were accosted by a police patrol and arrested for possession of
marijuana. Despite protestations, they were taken a police station and
pronto, the policemen tendered several wraps of marijuana as exhibits.
The policemen had stuffed the drugs into their pockets. It took their
families huge sums to bribe the DPO to release the students. Several
years after the incident, the bitterness remains.

Alfa is a civil
servant. Some years ago, he decided to travel out of town on
Independence Day. Along the way, he came across a police checkpoint.
The policemen asked for his particulars. Everything was intact except
for his driver’s license, which he didn’t have on him. The policemen
threatened to arrest and detain him unless he gave them money. Once he
did, another policeman emerged from behind a tree and arrested Alfa for
‘bribing a police officer’. He marked the money as ‘exhibit’ and
threatened to take him to arrest and charge him to court. Scared and
disoriented, Alfa was easy prey. The policemen took virtually every
kobo he had before letting him go. Till date, he doesn’t celebrate
Independence Day.

Uche is a
businessman who travels frequently by road. Not too long ago, the
vehicle he was travelling in was involved in an accident. It
somersaulted several times and came to rest in a ditch off the road. It
took some time for help to arrive in form of policemen who were more
interested in going through the pockets and possessions of the dead
passengers. To Uche’s shock, any passenger that showed any sign of life
was quickly finished off by the police. Though seriously injured, he
had the quick thinking to pretend to be dead as the policemen removed
his money, wristwatch and other valuable possessions. It was only at
the hospital, after the police had departed that he groaned for help.
Till date, he has been unable to forget the gruesome and cold blooded
murder of the passengers, who survived the accident, only to fall into
the hands of the Nigeria police supposedly on a rescue mission.

Musa is an
engineer. Some years ago, a group of young men robbed him of his car at
gunpoint. A few weeks later, the car was found abandoned and was
recovered by the police. Eventually too, the armed robbers were traced
and arrested. A few days later, Musa stopped by at the police station
to sort out paperwork about recovering his car. Out of curiosity, he
asked the policemen about the young armed robbers. ‘We don finish them’
came the casual reply. Musa found out later that the young men had been
taken to a bush and asked to run, then shot dead for ‘attempting to
escape police custody’.

The names have been
changed, but the stories are real. Every day, many Nigerians are
subjected to terrifying encounters with the police. Motorists have been
shot for refusing to pay N20 bribes; thousands have been arrested and
detained for no reason; female detainees have been subjected to rape;
many have been robbed outright by the police, or framed for crimes they
did not commit…

The stories cannot be completely told on this page.

Few days from
today, it will be Christmas; a Christian festival celebrated worldwide
in honour of the birth of Jesus Christ who died on the cross sins taim
imo riva. Christmas is in the air.

How do we say it in
Naija langwej? Why bother about how to say it in awa langwej? It is
important because it enables us to deeply reflect on our peculiarities
as a people; it provides a ready guide to celebrating krismas fo Naija.

Right now it is
common to hear people say, “Christmas is in the air” which in local
parlance means, “krismas de flai fo evriwie”, “krismas don rich
graund”, “krismas de smel”. The sweet smell of Christmas, like the
monsoon breeze, is already blowing across the country reminding
Christendom of the D-day: December 25.

It is the desire of
all to have a fun filled and memorable Christmas celebration. Since
wishes they say were never horses, beggars were never expected to ride
on them. Therefore, while some are working out how to celebrate
Christmas in style, there are many who are bogged down by thoughts of
the day’s meal and probably how to pay the next term’s school fees.

For this category
of people, Christmas is not a priority on their “must do” list. Painted
differently: as Mista Peter de arenj hau im go tek enjoi krismas, Mista
Josef de krak im bren fo hau im go tek setul im bele an im pikin moni
fo school fo Januari we de kom. As a matter of principle, there are
others who would say they can’t “waste” dia taim thinking about
Christmas because for them, it’s “just another day” that will naturally
“kom an go”. From such people come comments like; “wetin konsain mi wit
krismas?” And the question that usually follows is “hau wi go du am?”
which continues to dominate discussions bikos eviritin get as i bi.

There are some
Christians like the members of Jehovah’s Witnesses who by their
doctrine don’t celebrate Christmas. As we say, evribodi get im stail
bot wi nou se if graund levul, nobodi we no go laik to enjoi.

Simply put, Krismas
fo Naija means celebrating Christmas in Nigeria; home to the happiest
people on earth. One expects nothing but the best from Nigerians
whenever there’s cause for celebration. Irrespective of faith, the
people of Nigeria are usually united in making every celebration truly
memorable.

It is against this
background that on the day of any religious festival in Nigeria,
Christians and Muslims as well as members of other faiths happily
converge with family members in numerous parks, gardens and other
venues with family in the spirit of the season. Only recently, Muslims
and Christians celebrated the Muslim Eid Kabir religious festival in
one accord. As krismas de kom, let’s come together and do what we are
known for; enjoy to the fullest with the fear of God.

If what is good for
the goose, as they say, is also good for the gander, it behoves us to
go into every season of celebration with a general sense of sharing and
feeling of consideration for the less fortunate. In this spirit one
does not have to be a Christian to lend a hand of support to the person
celebrating Christmas. As a Muslim or member of any other faith
supporting a Christian at this time is a very good idea because your
reward would be bountiful. We are basically a socially- supportive
society where one’s true worth is measured by the number of people one
has supported or is supporting. The promotion of our values of
“family-support” is a major reason why we are still the unique people
that we are.

Abeg, no bi
evribodi hol pepe. So dia fo, no foget yo nes door nebo, no trowe fes
fo pesin we yu nou se graund no levul fo. Givers they say never lack.

Happy Xmas and violence free 2011 in advance.

Mr. Oribhabor is a promoter of Naija (Nigerian Pidgin) and resides in Abuja.

When I was growing
up, my mother took me through some gruelling training in public
behaviour and information management. I doubt if CIA, NSA, FBI, KGB or
SSS operatives go through the kind of exercises my mother designed for
me. Some of the poignant ones came to mind after I read WikiLeaks’
public laundering of the US envoy’s private conversations with my dear
President Jonathan in the Yar’Adua dark days.

Growing up in the
village, there were unwritten manuals on how to navigate the high wires
of surviving a tough terrain. My mother started early on me because I
was a bit exuberant and quick to trust people. She knew she needed a
strong arm to manage me, so she would tell me to curb my enthusiasm
whenever strangers were around. She focused on keeping secrets mainly
because many embattled couples came around to my father to resolve
their differences and at a young age I was privy t o all sorts of adult
crises.

She also embarked
on training me to read her unspoken language in public, like grunts,
eye movements or outright rough handling. Many times when I failed, she
would be left with no other option than to resort to her beautiful
black hands. My mother’s hands were elastic in dishing out some
Guantanamo Bay spanking, no matter how fast I tried to run from my
crime scene.

As kids, when some
aunties would come from the city with Cabin Biscuits and Goodie Goodie
during Christmas, I’d get carried away by misguided excitement,
knocking off tumblers and China. I’d forget myself and run my mouth
without sifting the kind of information I wasn’t suppose to release.
I’d also think my mother was in the same euphoric state at seeing my
city aunties. When my excesses got too many, she would excuse herself
from the visitor and arrest the situation by delivering justice faster
than a Balogun market mob on a thief. In all fairness to her, she would
have sent out all the warning signs like a few grunts, two seconds
silence in the middle of her conversation, one minute stare without a
blink, shuffling of her right foot on the floor, knuckle crackling,
go-get-me-a-cup-of-water even if she had just drank the entire River
Niger – warnings which I’d ignore because when the gods want to kill a
dog, they inflict it with deafening insanity.

Seriously, nothing
irked my mother more than you endangering the family with your basket
mouth in the midst of strangers. A stranger by this definition was
anybody other than my father, grandmother and four other siblings;
these were the only people that got my mother’s high level security
clearance. This meant if anything bothered us the children, we were to
tell her or my father. She must not hear about it elsewhere or she
would not spare her elastic hand.

For instance, I was
ten years old when my brother got the elusive visa and admission to go
and study in America and I couldn’t go screaming down our street
telling all my friends that my brother will soon go to the white man’s
land and start sending me toys and cool T-shirts and jeans. Do you know
what it takes to contain such excitement for a ten-year-old? O my belly
was on fire! And even later on when I could talk about my brother in
America to neighbours, I was not to blab about every detail I read in
his letters home. As my mother would say, you never know who would
misuse information they receive – listen more and talk less. You could
say she ran an air tight Costa Nostra, with her eyes and ears
everywhere in the village and other places we her children went. So we
never broke her rules.

And during those
strenuous training sessions, which were so many, I couldn’t honestly
tell you it was fun at all, but she balanced her stringencies with
supersize love. She would buy me the coolest gifts, including an
unforgettable silk bow tie and a blue velvet suit that I wore on my
11th birthday. So you can say my mother believed wholeheartedly in
Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for
those who have been trained by it.”

The reason why I
have gone into all this history about my mother’s training style (which
by the way if she were to read now, she would give me one of her long
looks of “did you not learn anything”?) is WikiLeaks’ revelation about
President Jonathan. The information is not damning as such, it only
shows a meek political lamb in a land filled with heartless hungry
lions. Only if he knew that my mother would have considered Sanders a
“stranger” and telling her his most kept secrets, what he would’nt tell
us ordinary citizens, was like taking a leak in a public toilet built
of glass. So to my good friend, President Jonathan, I would say, next
time please bridle your tongue even in your innermost sanctuary because
you never know when that innocent looking visitor would put uzonta in
your mouth for ulterior motives.

The leaders of
the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have spoken.
Unlike in previous times when the community had spoken without a
distinctive voice, our leaders on the West Coast of Africa, for once,
did not muffle their voices.

In a clear tone,
they told Laurent Gbagbo, the disgraced ex-leader who sits at the
Presidential Palace at Yammoussikro with a stolen verdict, to vacate
the scene. The new lyrics are: Gbagbo out; Allassane Ouattara in.

It is one
decision that has brought a cheer or two to long suffering nationals on
the West Coast of Africa. We rejoice in the fact that our leaders
appear to be responsive to the cry of the people. We hope and pray that
the talk in Abuja would not remain mere paper guarantee.

The Chronicle
urges our leaders to ensure that Gbagbo is truly shown the exit. In a
number of such conflicts, the defeated candidates had benefited from
power sharing deals, by hanging on and using the power of incumbency to
attract leniency from leaders of Africa, many of whom do not have
proper mandates from the people, anyway.

When the likes of
Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso and Yahaya Jammeh of Gambia, who seized
power with the aid of the intimidating powers of the gun and remain
glued to the presidential seat for more than two decades, after the
illegitimate seizure of power, are involved in the decision-making
process of such proportions, we stoop to applaud their action.

The West African
sub-region and the continent on the whole do not have any worthy
examples on how to deepen democracy. Faure Gnassingbe in Togo is a
father to son transmission of power, as if the presidency in Togo is by
inheritance.

On the continent,
Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Egyptian Head of State, Hosni Mubarak,
Mammar Gaddaffi of Libya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda among others,
cannot be role models in any democratic experiment. Leadership in
Africa is a lost cause.

The Chronicle is
submitting for serious consideration by those of us inhabiting the
continent with the largest concentration of the black race, to make it
a point of working to eradicate the autocracy being perpetrated in the
name of democracy on the African continent.

We have a duty to
clean our acts by calling errant leaders to order. For a start, we
appreciate the stance of ECOWAS, and hope that those who gathered at
Abuja and took the decision would walk their talk. Gbagbo should leave
the scene. That should be without compromise.

As a History
Professor, the disgraced former leader of La Cote d’Ivoire should have
a fare idea of what eventually happens to leaders who overstay their
welcome. Those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent
removals inevitable.

Editorial from The Chronicle (Ghana)

When I was with
Sketch Press as a cub-reporter, I was asked to cover an assignment
where Bolarinwa Babalakin, retired Supreme Court justice, was the
chairman. It was a gathering of old students of St. Anne’s School,
Ibadan. His speech that day is one I would remember for life.

He spoke eloquently
and it was from him I first learnt that quote, “Pursue the good you
can, with all the means you can, at all places you can, and with the
people you can.” He used the occasion as reminder to the old students
and guests to continually do good so that there will be great causes to
remember them for in life. This happened 20 years ago, and I can still
recollect vividly how people listened with rapt attention to the jurist.

Public speaking
skills are essential in our lives. It is one skill that everyone should
desire in order to express oneself and make great impact. If public
speaking is this important, then our people need to be very careful
when they speak.

My observation over
the years has left me bewildered because of the way people, especially
public officers, speak in public without considering the implications
of their actions. Public speaking is more than giving a speech or
making a statement just for people to hear. It should be one that
should strike a chord in the heart of the listeners. When you speak,
you should leave something for your audience to reflect upon.

I have listened to
several people, but only very few have impressed me with their delivery
style. I am not looking for someone with great oratorical prowess or a
good command of Queens English alone, but speaking to make an impact in
the listeners’ lives.

Public speaking
demands that one organises his/her ideas in a logical manner while
tailoring one’s message to meet the needs of the audience. It should
also be one that creates a good story telling format to drive home the
point.

Frederick Fasehun,
the Odua Peoples Congress founder, made a wonderful delivery during the
week when he spoke extempore at a book launch. He propelled his
audience to action after challenging them in a thought provoking
manner. Even though he spoke extempore, his speech was in very
structured, with brevity of expression and formal language devoid of
abusive or insulting words.

I mentioned our
public officials earlier on and the whole essence is for them is to
learn how to speak well in public. It has been discovered over time
that some of them do not prepare adequately before they speak. Even
when they prepare, they speak on issues without relevance.

Perception is important

What some people do
not also know is that perception is important when it comes to public
speaking. You create an impression about your person the way you speak
and act in public domain. The public disposition of our elected
officers leaves much to be desired. They engage in careless and
illogical statements that demean the office they occupy. If not, how
can we describe a governor who said the nation’s number four citizen
from his state is a curse to the state?

Regardless of
political affiliations, such statement is not expected to form the
fulcrum of the event at hand. The event in question was not solely
organised to pour incentives on the other personality. In public
speaking, there is the need for ethical speaking and the purpose, goals
should adhere to ethical standards. A good public speaker should also
be honest in what he says and not turn issues upside down.

This was the case
of a former Attorney General who said at an international Bar
Association event that he was conferred the SAN title with the Lagos
State governor the same year. This was debunked in a matured manner by
Governor Babatunde Fashola. If the governor had sent a representative,
the public would have been fed with falsehood. This is a blatant
contempt for the truth in public speaking and several people still
engage in such.

The use of abusive
language that has pervaded public speaking is indeed an unbecoming act.
It is totally wrong to use language to defame and demean the other
person. It is important to avoid bias in public speaking. I read in the
newspaper where a governor was also quoted to be saying, ‘The state
cannot be governed by vagabonds’. The occasion was a political debate
by governorship candidates.

The question is who
were the identified vagabonds that signified interest in the exalted
office? This is a serious issue that elected officials should look into
and put ethical principles into use when speaking publicly.

Also, elected
officials should attend public speaking schools to polish themselves.
There are basic guidelines to public speaking as caution should not be
thrown to winds because of personal animosity, bias, and prejudice on
certain issues or against some people.

It is indeed true
that we may not have the prowess of great speakers, but if there is a
strict adherence to some basic guidelines, public speaking can indeed
be a delight.

AYOPO, a communication strategist and public relations specialist,
is the CEO of Shortlist Ltd. email-shortlistedprspecialists@gmail.com

The story of the Good Samaritan is one that will form the theme for many sermons this yuletide period, as pastors and other men of God strive to drive home the point that we are in a season of love, and remind adherents of the faith to show a lot of love to other people. Some of the men of God will go a step further to remind the faithful not to show love in this season alone but let it become a habit that will transcend a show during festivities such as Christmas, rather turn it to a way of life – one that is committed to showing love to others all year round.

Sadly, this will not be the case for a significant proportion of these faithful. Many will be overflowing with acts of love till the first few weeks of January, but their inactions afterwards suggest it was some huge investment to ensure returns through the rest of the year – returns meant to be ploughed into their personal lives alone. The story of the

Good Samaritan is significant in a lot of ways in that it somewhat surrealistically points out some facts about our everyday living, but ends by suggesting a commendable way to spend our lives. It is an acknowledged fact that the road in which the traveller who was attacked – on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho – was a notorious one. In fact, the way was known as the “Way of Blood” because of the blood that was shed there by robbers on a regular. So, it was not uncommon for people to be waylaid irrespective of their nationalities.

It strikes an interesting chord to note that a cross section of people plied this route – the traveller, who was presumably Jewish, the Priest, the Levite, and of course, the Samaritan. The import of this little detail to present times is irrespective of our nationalities, positions,social status, or exposure in life, there are certain things that tie us all together. In literal terms, there are roads that we all ply. In not so literal terms, there are experiences we all share. So, here comes a bitter reality; sometimes everyone is on the same pedestal. Another significant point to this story is we are not all the same! As perfectly captured by the story, we all have different backgrounds.

Consequently, these varying backgrounds imply differences in our upbringing, exposure levels vis-à-vis education, social status, financial capacities, amongst other differences.

As also perfectly depicted in the novella by George Orwell, Animal Farm, with the famous phrase “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”, we are not all the same. Simply put, some persons are more privileged than others. Some people have and others do not. Some are above while others are beneath. Sad and unfair as it may seem, it’s just the way things are. And, according to a wise cow in some movie I saw, “The way things are are the way things are.” It is also important to note here that these differences will lead to extremes. This is evident in the distrust, dislike, and even hate felt by members of these different classes, one class to another, and even intra-class as well. The story is typical of Jesus’ provocative speeches in that the Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other.

However, in spite of the chaos stirred by the story, a better way is shown. A way in which religious, political, financial or other differences are put aside, and people simply find it natural to come to the aid of each other. One more significant thing about the story is that the events leading up to the Samaritan’s gesture did not occur on a holiday or during any festive period. This is profound. The tendencies of people to do a lot of good during festive periods, especially the Christmas period, has become a tradition in itself. People find it almost natural to do good during this period, and then do almost no good at all during other periods of the year. The point of this piece, incase it is lost on you, is that most persons around are periodic in their Good Samaritan gestures. This will get us nowhere except feed a few for the Christmas only so they can wait another 365 days for another sumptuousmeal. Sad!

That said, another chance is here again for you to do some good. A few friends of mine under the aegis of Feeding the Nation plan to feed 50,000 hungry people on December 26. This is not a call for you to do a yearly good deed, but it is hoped that if it is your habit to do good, then you do a little more, and if it is not on your list of priorities, you will include it and getting on board will trigger something in you that will turn you into a Good Samaritan all year long. To achieve this feat, 120 bags of rice, 650 cartons of turkey, 50,000 bottles of water, 100 volunteers, and other logistics are required. In monetary terms, N10,235,000 million will make this a reality. If you would like to be a part of this you can reach my friends on feedthenation@yahoo.com or call 08125793453, 07029152606. If you have been indicted, do not panic, there is redemption for you, and you can start now. Afterwards, remain a Good Samaritan all year long.