LAURETTA ONOCHIE

He had just arrived from an OAU meeting in Adi's-Ababa. The then Nigerian President General Ibrahim Babangida alighted from his plane and confronted the Inspector General of Police Mr Etim Iyang right in front of the welcoming press corp. "Where is Anini".  The next day, the newspapers' headlines splashed those three words on their front page with the picture of Anini and that of the Inspector General of Police, Etim Inyang. The Nigerian police was visibly embarrassed. Three months later Anini was caught and the country heaved a sigh of relief from the terror a notorious gang had unleashed on the country for more than a year. Etim Inyang was to later go on voluntary retirement from his post, given the embarrassment. A police superintendent was arrested and shot for being an accessory to the notorious armed gang. The reason I decided to go back this short historical memory lane is to bring out how Nigeria has deteriorated since 1986 when Anini wrec

A people have a right to self determination. This charter of the United Nations seems not to apply to Anioma people and their Ndigbo neighbours. Anioma people are being forced to take up an identity that was never theirs; Ndigbo are not allowed to protest their unhappiness within the union!  As far as we know, the last protest by MASSOB was peaceful. But how did the Federal government react to that peaceful protest? Many Igbo youngsters were arrested, summarily executed and their bodies dumped in Ezu River. What has the Igbo elites said about this? Nothing! What they have done is file behind each other, falling over each other to become praise singers for the inept government of President Jonathan, including Uwazurike himself.  Thank God there are still many Ndigbo who have souls that can think outside the cashbox. On Tuesday, 13 February 2013, Attorney Emeka Ugwuonye filed a Complaint against several named officers of the Nigerian Security Forces as perpetrators and crim

Nigeria at 52 represents a conglomerate of wholesale failure in almost every aspect of human endeavour for the vast majority of its people, especially its teeming youth population whose collective future is at a great risk of being put in perpetual jeopardy. No one can argue this given the giant strides we have made, and are still making with great speed too, in the reverse gear. Why should we be celebrating, when at 52, we are still dissipating lots of energy in endless debates about rotational presidency that  has produced the worst form of mediocrity? We continue to debate the sanity of those in authority in our nation when other nations are constantly in search of the most capable hands to drive leadership and their economies, in a highly competitive 21st century! Why should we be celebrating when  access to clean, portable and drinkable water has become a fleeting illusion that can never be achieved? What is there to celebrate in the face of an embar

When I first heard of the insensitive act of Elrufai against Jesus and Christians, I just waved it away with the hand saying I did not believe he would cast aspersions on the Jesus Christ, whom Christians hold sacred. “Mallam has apologised”, I was also told. “Political correctness”, I muttered. I did not in any way believe that Mallam Elrufai would deliberately or even accidentally fall into such a religious pit as to draw to himself, the anger of Christians in a nation where he has emerged, over time, as a vocal opposition. Particularly in an environment of greed, corruption, tribalism and religious intolerance. I was still adamant that he did not say anything untoward regarding my Lord and saviour. I would not even consider the thought that Elrufai, a man I refer to as a Nigerian, would lose his decency to the point of insensitivity. I have followed the actions and utterances of this man and I was not in doubt that he was the stuff nationalists were made. Here was a m

IS DEMOCRACY WORKING IN NIGERIA? ‘Africa is the only continent that has moved backwards in the last 30 years’ - Tony Blair, March 2005. I have sat down several times to ask myself this question but always end up with the same answer. Before I go to that, let me talk of the type of Democracy or government we have been operating since 1999 in Nigeria, the longest period we have had under a democratic setting as it is called.  It’s sad to note here that despite the fact that Nigeria generated more than enough revenue to not only drastically reduce poverty and unemployment, but could have been the Dubai of Africa, raking in revenue from tourism as well as a destination for investors. these have been made untenable because of the bad leadership we have had from the Federal to Local Government Areas who loot rather than serve the people they asked to serve.  On electricity alone, the Nigerian government claimed to have spent over $30billion which to me can provide the

I find it in bad taste that those who arm our young men to snatch ballot boxes during elections would turn around to declare that God gives power. God is many things but he is not a criminal. God is merciful and gracious,  the reason He has not struck them blind, dumb or with leprosy as a deterrent to those who steal and lie in the name of the Lord. The other reason is that God allows a people to choose what sort of government they prefer, the sort that works for them. The truth is that if God were to have a hand in the choice of government of any nation, democracy would not make His top List. God is not a democrat, He is an authoritarian or if you like, a dictator.  He does what pleases Him, not what His children want. If you are wise to ask for something He has already mapped out for you, then you will receive it, but only in His own time, not yours. You see, many of us think its a duty to spend hours each day, telling God what he should do for Nigeria.  Nigeria