Things are in a state of flux; as such that Nigeria and its leaders are always making news for the wrong reasons. When one tries to let up on criticizing the bad leadership in Nigeria, thinking that President Buhari has stayed a bit as president to be diplomatic in his approach; to comport himself, with dignity, in a presidential manner; and to be getting his act together, he commits another blunder, making one to go back to the "trenches". I'm a person who can't keep quiet when things are going wrong: I hate deceit, lies, betrayal and arrogance. One may disagree with me on issues, but, it's not hard for any discerning mind to pinpoint where I will stand on any issue. That's my little mark. The point is that President Buhari is uncouth and keeps provoking scathing reactions due to his unguarded comments and deeds.
A man who calls himself the President of Nigeria went abroad to disparage the citizens of his country by calling them criminals. Wait a minute; has anybody seen such a president who de-markets his country overseas, and still wants foreign investors to come and invest in his country? I'm trying hard not to use insulting words. President Buhari was in United Kingdom few days ago, and there he warned his fellow citizens to stop trying to make asylum claims in Britain, saying that their reputation for criminality has made it hard for them to be "accepted" abroad. He said further that those who had joined the migrant exodus to Europe were doing so purely for economic reasons rather than because they were in danger. He added that because of the number of Nigerians imprisoned for law-breaking in Britain and elsewhere, they were also unlikely to get much sympathy. Hear your president oh Nigerians (This is what he told The Telegraph): "We have an image problem abroad and we are on our way to salvage that. Some Nigerians claim is that life is too difficult back home, but they have also made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking. I don't think Nigerians have anybody to blame. They can remain at home, where their services are required to rebuild the country." The Telegraph noted that "Mr. Buhari's remarks may upset refugees' rights groups, who claim that the vast majority of asylum cases lodged by Nigerians are genuine. In recent years, many have said they are fleeing Boko Haram, the Islamist group that Mr. Buhari's army is now struggling to stamp out in northern Nigeria"
I don't know where to start from, as I'm dumbfounded. My archives are replete with articles on this issue, so I decided to go searching for things I wrote through the years on this issue. I will be quoting myself here. I have never seen such a president who takes joy in painting his country people with a brush. With this now, I doubt Buhari's sagacity. May be he needs help.
The point is that majority of Nigerians are not criminals; majority of Nigerians are working hard to earn a living abroad, so nobody should accuse all Nigerians of being criminals. What was going on through Buhari's mind when he was castigating his country people? That's the difference between an illiterate and an educated person. About two weeks ago, former President Goodluck Jonathan had an interview with Swiss Journalists Union in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was honoured by International Diplomats Association, Cercle Diplomatique, and there, according to BT, he was asked: "What is your thought on the migration of Syrians and Africans to Europe and your message to Europe?" Jonathan answered thus:
"This is a serious and unfortunate situation that needs to be tackled. If you look at Africa for instance, you can divide the continent into three key areas: the pre-colonial, colonial and post-independence. Of course, during the colonial period, Africa was designed for commodity trading. Then, the independence era. During this time, there was not so much progress recorded also because of instability occasioned by the military through frequent coups and counter coups.
We have now moved to the post-1990s which can be classified as the democratic era where most African countries are governed by elected representatives. There is more stability now and the economies of these countries have begun to grow. There is also a lot of urbanization going on, with unrelenting pressure from a teeming population requiring jobs. And as you know, economic activities are still too low to cope with the pressures. So, this also speaks to the issue of many young Africans wanting to leave home for the West. I think the solution lies in the West working with us to ensure that we create more wealth within the continent. If we don't, the tendency for people to move will continue. Africa cannot be a continent that will be perpetually encouraged and prepared for commodity business. Africa must evolve and be supported to go into manufacturing to be able to add value to the raw materials they produce.
Currently, the condition for global trade is not controlled by Africa. It is controlled from outside the continent and I can tell you that the conditions are not favourable to Africa. And that is not helping in terms of wealth creation. Africa needs to get to the stage of having robust economies, not necessarily to compete with any other part of the world, but to get to a stage, where the economic needs of the people must be taken care of. Africa needs policies that will encourage growth and investments. If you have such policies in place, the pressure of Africa wishing to migrate to Europe and other places will indeed reduce. A number of people migrating are mainly unskilled people. But, we have also many well educated young Africans with skills leaving the continent. If we don't build the kind of economy that will create opportunities to absorb this category of people, the migration train cannot then be slowed down as we wish".
That's how a wise, educated and intelligent person should handle such issue; this shows that the difference between illiteracy and literacy is clear. Nigerians who did you elect as your president?
Comparing Buhari with Jonathan, one sees that the difference is like that between day and night: Buhari is crude while Jonathan is refined, and that's what education or lack of it does to a person's life. While President Buhari goes about bullying everybody, calling Nigerians criminals, turning himself into the petroleum minister, economic planning minister, governor of central bank, the minister of justice; President Jonathan, in what was an emotional speech during the Inter-denominational service to mark Nigeria's 51st Independence Anniversary, at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, on Sunday 25th September 2011, chided critics of his style and government, accusing them of trying to force him to act in ways that were contrary to his nature. President Jonathan then also noted that while he was condemned at home, he was celebrated outside the shores of the country. In his words then:
"Some Nigerians still want the President of this country to be a lion or a tiger; somebody that has the kind of strength, force and agility to make things happen the way they think. I don't need to be a lion, I don't need to be Nebuchadnezzar, I don't need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt, and I don't need to be an army general. I can change this country without those traits". President Jonathan, who read the second reading during the service, described such critics as Nigerians who wanted a leader who would rule with impunity. He said, "Some others will want the President to operate like an Army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am also not a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the Kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, and the Pharaoh-all powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the President to operate that way; unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don't have any of those attributes, or those kinds of characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time, is for God to use me to change this country. The then President said that there were forces that were bent on frustrating his administration, adding that these enemies must be dealt with for the nation to move forward.
Many Nigerians have condemned the blanket indictment of all Nigerians abroad as criminals. Senator Ike Ekweremadu tweeted that: "If people around the president are criminals. We are not criminals. I think the President should be diplomatic in his approach to questions", and, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce stated that Nigerians are not criminals but instead they are hardworking people, noting specifically that himself and his followers are not criminals. The senator added in his Twitter that, Buhari's statement will "negatively affect your ability to get jobs and opportunity abroad". I hope that the President will not later take the denial route by claiming that he was misquoted or that he didn't make such a statement.
There are good and bad everywhere; no country is made up of only saints, and no country has only devils as citizens, so accusing all Nigerians abroad of being criminals is the highest form of injustice anybody can do to the hardworking and enterprising Nigerians who are contributing meaningfully and immensely to the economic, political and social development of their place of abode.
Does president Buhari know that some Nigerians are judges, elected politicians, lawyers, teachers, medical doctors, nurses, astronauts, engineers, social scientists, pilots, military officers, taxi drivers, entrepreneurs etc abroad? Does he know that some Nigerians or their children are political appointees of the American or British government? The man who almost became the Labour Party leader in Britain, who's currently a Member of the British Parliament, is a son of a Nigerian immigrant, who studied and lived in Britain? There are also about 4 other Nigerians who are Members of the British Parliament. Does the president know that Nigerians are some of the most intelligent people in the world? Does he know that Nigerians are setting academic records all over the world? Does the president know that Nigerians are the most successful immigrants, in terms of education, in the United States? Majority of Nigerians in the United States have an average of two degrees each. In England, Nigeria has the second or third largest number of immigrant doctors, after India.
Many Nigerians, suffering to make ends meet abroad, are not criminals, rather, the president, who budgeted N1.7 billion to feed himself and his family in a year, when many Nigerians are dying of hunger, should look at himself well to see if he's not who should be accused of being criminally minded. Senator Bruce lamented the other day that it cost more to maintain Aso Rock than No. 10 Downing Street in London, British Prime Minister's office and residence, and still, our president will run to Europe, with cap in hand, begging for loan or economic aid. How can one reconcile that? From my archive came this excerpt: "Those in the corridors of power are only doing self-service; Aso Rock is spending billions of naira daily on refreshment and reading glasses while many Nigerians are going to bed on empty stomach. Those at the presidency, ministers, state and national legislators respectively are taking fat, recompenses, pays and allowances, are sharing funds that is supposed to be used in the service of the people, while the people they are claiming to be serving or representing are only existing, but, not living, as poverty and hopelessness have taken better part of them".
A man who calls himself the President of Nigeria went abroad to disparage the citizens of his country by calling them criminals. Wait a minute; has anybody seen such a president who de-markets his country overseas, and still wants foreign investors to come and invest in his country? I'm trying hard not to use insulting words. President Buhari was in United Kingdom few days ago, and there he warned his fellow citizens to stop trying to make asylum claims in Britain, saying that their reputation for criminality has made it hard for them to be "accepted" abroad. He said further that those who had joined the migrant exodus to Europe were doing so purely for economic reasons rather than because they were in danger. He added that because of the number of Nigerians imprisoned for law-breaking in Britain and elsewhere, they were also unlikely to get much sympathy. Hear your president oh Nigerians (This is what he told The Telegraph): "We have an image problem abroad and we are on our way to salvage that. Some Nigerians claim is that life is too difficult back home, but they have also made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking. I don't think Nigerians have anybody to blame. They can remain at home, where their services are required to rebuild the country." The Telegraph noted that "Mr. Buhari's remarks may upset refugees' rights groups, who claim that the vast majority of asylum cases lodged by Nigerians are genuine. In recent years, many have said they are fleeing Boko Haram, the Islamist group that Mr. Buhari's army is now struggling to stamp out in northern Nigeria"
I don't know where to start from, as I'm dumbfounded. My archives are replete with articles on this issue, so I decided to go searching for things I wrote through the years on this issue. I will be quoting myself here. I have never seen such a president who takes joy in painting his country people with a brush. With this now, I doubt Buhari's sagacity. May be he needs help.
The point is that majority of Nigerians are not criminals; majority of Nigerians are working hard to earn a living abroad, so nobody should accuse all Nigerians of being criminals. What was going on through Buhari's mind when he was castigating his country people? That's the difference between an illiterate and an educated person. About two weeks ago, former President Goodluck Jonathan had an interview with Swiss Journalists Union in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was honoured by International Diplomats Association, Cercle Diplomatique, and there, according to BT, he was asked: "What is your thought on the migration of Syrians and Africans to Europe and your message to Europe?" Jonathan answered thus:
"This is a serious and unfortunate situation that needs to be tackled. If you look at Africa for instance, you can divide the continent into three key areas: the pre-colonial, colonial and post-independence. Of course, during the colonial period, Africa was designed for commodity trading. Then, the independence era. During this time, there was not so much progress recorded also because of instability occasioned by the military through frequent coups and counter coups.
We have now moved to the post-1990s which can be classified as the democratic era where most African countries are governed by elected representatives. There is more stability now and the economies of these countries have begun to grow. There is also a lot of urbanization going on, with unrelenting pressure from a teeming population requiring jobs. And as you know, economic activities are still too low to cope with the pressures. So, this also speaks to the issue of many young Africans wanting to leave home for the West. I think the solution lies in the West working with us to ensure that we create more wealth within the continent. If we don't, the tendency for people to move will continue. Africa cannot be a continent that will be perpetually encouraged and prepared for commodity business. Africa must evolve and be supported to go into manufacturing to be able to add value to the raw materials they produce.
Currently, the condition for global trade is not controlled by Africa. It is controlled from outside the continent and I can tell you that the conditions are not favourable to Africa. And that is not helping in terms of wealth creation. Africa needs to get to the stage of having robust economies, not necessarily to compete with any other part of the world, but to get to a stage, where the economic needs of the people must be taken care of. Africa needs policies that will encourage growth and investments. If you have such policies in place, the pressure of Africa wishing to migrate to Europe and other places will indeed reduce. A number of people migrating are mainly unskilled people. But, we have also many well educated young Africans with skills leaving the continent. If we don't build the kind of economy that will create opportunities to absorb this category of people, the migration train cannot then be slowed down as we wish".
That's how a wise, educated and intelligent person should handle such issue; this shows that the difference between illiteracy and literacy is clear. Nigerians who did you elect as your president?
Comparing Buhari with Jonathan, one sees that the difference is like that between day and night: Buhari is crude while Jonathan is refined, and that's what education or lack of it does to a person's life. While President Buhari goes about bullying everybody, calling Nigerians criminals, turning himself into the petroleum minister, economic planning minister, governor of central bank, the minister of justice; President Jonathan, in what was an emotional speech during the Inter-denominational service to mark Nigeria's 51st Independence Anniversary, at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, on Sunday 25th September 2011, chided critics of his style and government, accusing them of trying to force him to act in ways that were contrary to his nature. President Jonathan then also noted that while he was condemned at home, he was celebrated outside the shores of the country. In his words then:
"Some Nigerians still want the President of this country to be a lion or a tiger; somebody that has the kind of strength, force and agility to make things happen the way they think. I don't need to be a lion, I don't need to be Nebuchadnezzar, I don't need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt, and I don't need to be an army general. I can change this country without those traits". President Jonathan, who read the second reading during the service, described such critics as Nigerians who wanted a leader who would rule with impunity. He said, "Some others will want the President to operate like an Army general, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion; I am also not a general. Somebody will want the President to operate like the Kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt, and the Pharaoh-all powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the President to operate that way; unfortunately, I am not one of those. But God knows why I am here, even though I don't have any of those attributes, or those kinds of characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time, is for God to use me to change this country. The then President said that there were forces that were bent on frustrating his administration, adding that these enemies must be dealt with for the nation to move forward.
Many Nigerians have condemned the blanket indictment of all Nigerians abroad as criminals. Senator Ike Ekweremadu tweeted that: "If people around the president are criminals. We are not criminals. I think the President should be diplomatic in his approach to questions", and, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce stated that Nigerians are not criminals but instead they are hardworking people, noting specifically that himself and his followers are not criminals. The senator added in his Twitter that, Buhari's statement will "negatively affect your ability to get jobs and opportunity abroad". I hope that the President will not later take the denial route by claiming that he was misquoted or that he didn't make such a statement.
There are good and bad everywhere; no country is made up of only saints, and no country has only devils as citizens, so accusing all Nigerians abroad of being criminals is the highest form of injustice anybody can do to the hardworking and enterprising Nigerians who are contributing meaningfully and immensely to the economic, political and social development of their place of abode.
Does president Buhari know that some Nigerians are judges, elected politicians, lawyers, teachers, medical doctors, nurses, astronauts, engineers, social scientists, pilots, military officers, taxi drivers, entrepreneurs etc abroad? Does he know that some Nigerians or their children are political appointees of the American or British government? The man who almost became the Labour Party leader in Britain, who's currently a Member of the British Parliament, is a son of a Nigerian immigrant, who studied and lived in Britain? There are also about 4 other Nigerians who are Members of the British Parliament. Does the president know that Nigerians are some of the most intelligent people in the world? Does he know that Nigerians are setting academic records all over the world? Does the president know that Nigerians are the most successful immigrants, in terms of education, in the United States? Majority of Nigerians in the United States have an average of two degrees each. In England, Nigeria has the second or third largest number of immigrant doctors, after India.
Many Nigerians, suffering to make ends meet abroad, are not criminals, rather, the president, who budgeted N1.7 billion to feed himself and his family in a year, when many Nigerians are dying of hunger, should look at himself well to see if he's not who should be accused of being criminally minded. Senator Bruce lamented the other day that it cost more to maintain Aso Rock than No. 10 Downing Street in London, British Prime Minister's office and residence, and still, our president will run to Europe, with cap in hand, begging for loan or economic aid. How can one reconcile that? From my archive came this excerpt: "Those in the corridors of power are only doing self-service; Aso Rock is spending billions of naira daily on refreshment and reading glasses while many Nigerians are going to bed on empty stomach. Those at the presidency, ministers, state and national legislators respectively are taking fat, recompenses, pays and allowances, are sharing funds that is supposed to be used in the service of the people, while the people they are claiming to be serving or representing are only existing, but, not living, as poverty and hopelessness have taken better part of them".
Hello, my name is Godwin Brain. I'm an ICT Analyst, blogger, web-designer and a writer. 
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