NIGERIA @ 50:
Growing or Groaning?
By: Uche Ohagwam
“…both literature and history are replete with man’s unending quest to break free from internal imperialism.”
Leadership failure in Nigeria has been a major impediment in our march to nationhood and real independence. Year after year, decade after decade, administration after administration, system after system, policies after policies, have all pointed to one singular fact: our leaders are purpose-barren and vision-finished. As we celebrate independence annually, we the followers, go home after every 1st of October, bowing our heads down in shame, in agony and in tears. Sure, we have been unsuccessful and unworthy of emulation; even if we have leaders who would dispute this with their “white papers.” Sometimes I wonder, “What is wrong with our land?” “Is it in our land even?” But as I contemplate further, I remember Shakespeare, who once said that,
“The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we’re underlings”
(Julius Caesar, I, ii, 140-141).
Sincerely, neither our colonial masters nor fate is responsible for the prolonged poverty, corruption, maladministration that have plagued us as a country in the past fifty, I mean, fifty good years; but the selfish and dishonest leadership style we have had in the past fifty years.
One major undoing of our country is that we have always had leaders who never feel what the masses are feeling. They feign ignorant of our collective pain. Like the proverbial elephant who stepped on a poisonous thorn, but made light of this thorn deeply imbedded in his foot, judging his size, as his strength and resistance; unmindful of the fact that as time wore on, this thorn became infected right inside his body and eventually led to his death. In the same way, Nigerian leaders have shown a carefree, indeed an “I dey kampe” attitude to the numerous thorns that are about to put out our national life.
That our shame and tears are brought upon us by own leaders are no longer debatable. Like many African writers have lamented and insisted, through fiction after fiction, play after play, verse after verse, that: Nigerians and only Nigerians can clean up this country. Citing Chinua Achebe’s The Trouble with Nigeria, a little book I read during my undergraduate days, Achebe proved that our leaders should be held accountable and responsible: “Corruption goes with power, therefore to hold any useful discussion of corruption; we must first locate it where it properly belongs---in the ranks of the powerful” (38). In this 63-page work published in the 80s’, I feel, he had submitted a guide on how to recover our beloved country. Yes, Nigerians have gained a global reputation for being densely corrupt, owing to the blatant display of wealth by our politicians and public office holders, without any sense of accountability. This has further heightened the lust for political positions by almost every Tom Dick and Harry.
In summary, a better Nigeria is possible. Our leaders must show a sincere commitment to serving the people and re-building our fatherland. We must have a national re-orientation; where our motive for leadership would be redefined: to build a strong, secured and economically- buoyant nation. A nation where our children can smile again, a nation where our youths can see hope in promises and willingly let down their arms; a nation where a vast population of our people could live their dream. Truly and really, We will make it, if only we choose to. God Bless Nigeria! Happy Independence!
Uche Ohagwam, is a strong campaigner for A Better Nigeria
uchemy@hotmail.com
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
A GRATEFUL HEART
Many are land lords of the CEMETERY
Lots are tenants of the MORTUARY
Many more are candidates of OBITUARY
But we are worshipers in His SANCTUARY
Because His love has been keeping us right from JANUARY
Couple with His goodness written in our DIARY
And all these He has done without demanding a SALARY
So instead of complaining about your SITUATION
See many struggling to be in your POSITION
Even if you cannot thank Him for His PROVISION
Why not thank Him for His PROTECTION?
I mean those testimonies that are far beyond human COMPREHENSION
When enemies wanted you in great LAMENTATION
He stepped in in His divine INTERVENTION
And ended your mystery like slave trade ABOLITION
So praise Him with a shout of ACCLAMATION
Gain His attention and be the center of ATTRACTION
Lots are tenants of the MORTUARY
Many more are candidates of OBITUARY
But we are worshipers in His SANCTUARY
Because His love has been keeping us right from JANUARY
Couple with His goodness written in our DIARY
And all these He has done without demanding a SALARY
So instead of complaining about your SITUATION
See many struggling to be in your POSITION
Even if you cannot thank Him for His PROVISION
Why not thank Him for His PROTECTION?
I mean those testimonies that are far beyond human COMPREHENSION
When enemies wanted you in great LAMENTATION
He stepped in in His divine INTERVENTION
And ended your mystery like slave trade ABOLITION
So praise Him with a shout of ACCLAMATION
Gain His attention and be the center of ATTRACTION
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Your SKILL will pay your BILL
This was written by a friend and it realy inspired me so, I decided to post it here to be an inspiration to many. Enjoy!
YOUR SKILL WILL PAY YOUR BILL
By: Uche Ohagwam
“To understand one thing well is better than understanding many things by halves.”
---Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832)
German poet, novelist and dramatist.
The concept of skill plays an important role in personal and national growth and development. Experience has shown that it is the man of skill, not the muscular man that will always and eventually win the competition and fulfill the task life bring before us. It is the man of skill that can successfully beat deadlines. Many entrepreneurs kill their business concerns as quickly as they started, while a few others wont go too far because they allow sentiments and other anti-business factors to override their senses, choices, indeed, their recruitment process. No doubt, it is far better to acquire skill, recruit skill than to kill the dream, vision or interest.
Skill, by definition is the learned capacity to carry out an assignment for excellent results, often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Skill is put forward as, ‘an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practiced it.’ Put differently, skill is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. It is business tactics that guarantee efficiency and positive excellence. A simple classification of skill gives us:
• General and
• Specific skills
Taking the work place for example, in the work environment, some general skills would include time management, teamwork and leadership, self motivation and others, whereas specific skills would be useful only for a certain job. Skill usually requires certain environmental stimuli and situations to assess the level of skill being shown and used.
People need a broad range of skills in order to contribute to a modern economy and take their place in this technologically-driven society of ours. Studies and activities within and not too far from our immediate environment have continued to emphasize and lay bare the fact that through technology, the workplace, the school, the church and the society at large is changing; thus, the skills that employees must have and acquire, to meet changing times and needs have become inevitable. There is nothing you can ever get done well without knowing how to do it. More so, the quality of your skill will determine the quality of your output, your worth and your growth in whichever environment you find yourself. The truth is, every man’s skill, if rightly used is capable of paying his bill.
Unfortunately, some folks around us are ignorant of the power of skill, and this is a major undoing of our time. The Nigerian society and more specifically, people from oil-bearing communities do not believe in skill acquisition but in “money accumulation.” Regrettably, even the few who have indicated some form of interest in skills acquisition are still not fully convinced on why they should be submissive to a non-indigene, who has the skill and is willing to pass it on to them via training. Hence, they end up with half-baked or zero training. Even among some of our religious friends, there is an erroneous conception that fasting, prayers and other religious activities are equal to skill, indeed, could substitute for it. But no sooner had they become addicted to these, than they will realize that these activities, though strong and effective, are poor substitute for skill.
Skill is not a gift, so you can neither pray it nor covet it; it is not tricks, which is the “strength” of today’s traders; it is not natural resources, which we as indigenes can lay claim to. It is ideas and specific knowledge that are consciously acquired through training for results. Deutshe Bank has this interesting slogan which holds that, “ideas are wealth, and the rest is money.” So, if this be true, then, skills, ideas, knowledge will continue to be fundamental for our country, if we mean to actualize the vision 20:2020. We must shun tricks and discontinue with all these “mouthing” and lazy outlook on life. As an individual, you must expunge tricks from your business dealings. As a student, if all you are using at present is tricks, then, be sure that you will have the paper, but you won’t have much relevance in this knowledge-driven society. So, if skill is this vital, then how can I acquire it?
HOW TO ACQUIRE SKILL
By Training: There is a saying that the more you know, the more you are known. So, stops living your life to chance, because you will soon be so frustrated to realize that you don’t have chance after all. You can imagine how plainly foolish and time-wasting it is to embark on any business journey without the least and basic information. It doesn’t matter what you know, there is much more that you don’t know than you all you have ever known. I fully agree with Mark Twain that, “There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to ‘angelship.’” In life, whenever you’re being trained, you’re expected to learn and if you learn well, you will not only sell yourself at a very high price, but you will also employ yourself and by extension, pay your bills. You Will Make It!
YOUR SKILL WILL PAY YOUR BILL
By: Uche Ohagwam
“To understand one thing well is better than understanding many things by halves.”
---Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832)
German poet, novelist and dramatist.
The concept of skill plays an important role in personal and national growth and development. Experience has shown that it is the man of skill, not the muscular man that will always and eventually win the competition and fulfill the task life bring before us. It is the man of skill that can successfully beat deadlines. Many entrepreneurs kill their business concerns as quickly as they started, while a few others wont go too far because they allow sentiments and other anti-business factors to override their senses, choices, indeed, their recruitment process. No doubt, it is far better to acquire skill, recruit skill than to kill the dream, vision or interest.
Skill, by definition is the learned capacity to carry out an assignment for excellent results, often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Skill is put forward as, ‘an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practiced it.’ Put differently, skill is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. It is business tactics that guarantee efficiency and positive excellence. A simple classification of skill gives us:
• General and
• Specific skills
Taking the work place for example, in the work environment, some general skills would include time management, teamwork and leadership, self motivation and others, whereas specific skills would be useful only for a certain job. Skill usually requires certain environmental stimuli and situations to assess the level of skill being shown and used.
People need a broad range of skills in order to contribute to a modern economy and take their place in this technologically-driven society of ours. Studies and activities within and not too far from our immediate environment have continued to emphasize and lay bare the fact that through technology, the workplace, the school, the church and the society at large is changing; thus, the skills that employees must have and acquire, to meet changing times and needs have become inevitable. There is nothing you can ever get done well without knowing how to do it. More so, the quality of your skill will determine the quality of your output, your worth and your growth in whichever environment you find yourself. The truth is, every man’s skill, if rightly used is capable of paying his bill.
Unfortunately, some folks around us are ignorant of the power of skill, and this is a major undoing of our time. The Nigerian society and more specifically, people from oil-bearing communities do not believe in skill acquisition but in “money accumulation.” Regrettably, even the few who have indicated some form of interest in skills acquisition are still not fully convinced on why they should be submissive to a non-indigene, who has the skill and is willing to pass it on to them via training. Hence, they end up with half-baked or zero training. Even among some of our religious friends, there is an erroneous conception that fasting, prayers and other religious activities are equal to skill, indeed, could substitute for it. But no sooner had they become addicted to these, than they will realize that these activities, though strong and effective, are poor substitute for skill.
Skill is not a gift, so you can neither pray it nor covet it; it is not tricks, which is the “strength” of today’s traders; it is not natural resources, which we as indigenes can lay claim to. It is ideas and specific knowledge that are consciously acquired through training for results. Deutshe Bank has this interesting slogan which holds that, “ideas are wealth, and the rest is money.” So, if this be true, then, skills, ideas, knowledge will continue to be fundamental for our country, if we mean to actualize the vision 20:2020. We must shun tricks and discontinue with all these “mouthing” and lazy outlook on life. As an individual, you must expunge tricks from your business dealings. As a student, if all you are using at present is tricks, then, be sure that you will have the paper, but you won’t have much relevance in this knowledge-driven society. So, if skill is this vital, then how can I acquire it?
HOW TO ACQUIRE SKILL
By Training: There is a saying that the more you know, the more you are known. So, stops living your life to chance, because you will soon be so frustrated to realize that you don’t have chance after all. You can imagine how plainly foolish and time-wasting it is to embark on any business journey without the least and basic information. It doesn’t matter what you know, there is much more that you don’t know than you all you have ever known. I fully agree with Mark Twain that, “There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to ‘angelship.’” In life, whenever you’re being trained, you’re expected to learn and if you learn well, you will not only sell yourself at a very high price, but you will also employ yourself and by extension, pay your bills. You Will Make It!
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