The season is over! For professional footballers around the world, this is the best time to enjoy exuberant getaways anywhere in the world. Chelsea defender, John Terry who has no World Cup to look forward to is currently holidaying in Florida. He was pictured kissing and cuddling with dolphins at the Discovery Cove in Orlando.
“As President of our country and Commander in Chief of our military, I accept that people are gonna call me awful things every day and I defend their right to do so” – Barack Obama.
“With great power come great responsibilities” – Peter Parker
Zoology 101 teaches us that the most important trait for the survival of an animal is adaptability. Nature does not care if you are the strongest, fastest or smartest: if you are not adaptable, you will go extinct. It is a fact that you are the first president to bear the brunt of social media in this country.
Unfortunately, you have handled it despicably at best. You have lost the information war: both online and to Boko Haram on the ground. Time and again, you have been at the brunt of internet uproar, anger and worldwide outrage based on information asymmetry. Boko Haram is running amok in the North East and you admitted that journalists know more than you about the situation down there.
You’ve lost the confidence of your people. Your media aides have denied the kidnap, cursed and harassed people over the Chibok girls online until international pressures forced you to admit that the girls are indeed missing and you know nothing about what is being done, why?
The answer, I think, is the Cersei Lannister complex. Cersei, a character in the popular “A Game of Thrones” television series is a queen who specializes in seeing traitors where there is none and making enemies of who should be her strongest allies. That, unfortunately, is the position where you have placed yourself in sir. Your friends and allies are your worst enemies. They are not telling you the truth.
You see the hand of the opposition in every legitimate demand of the citizens, hence the lackadaisical attitude towards mounting a rescue for the Chibok girls due to belief that it is just opposition propaganda and your insistence that the 2012 anti-subsidy protests where bankrolled and managed by the opposition. The country was tilted then and if the opposition had any initiative, they could have easily toppled your government. They can topple it now too if you do not seize the initiative because people are truly disenchanted that a Nigerian life means nothing to you.
Just like Cersei, you have bad advisers. Every good thing you do is greeted with cynicism because of the people you surround yourself with. The reason is because your advisers are giving you 20th century ideas for a 21st century country and citizenry. Information-hoarding does not work anymore: you have to lead with the news. No journalist should break news not given out by the government first. Your cabinet’s taint with corruption has made you a corrupt man by extension: more despicable in people’s eyes, because you refuse to investigate those that tell you what you want to hear.
Presidents don’t make new friends. Do you not have friends you grew up with who are blunt and can tell you to your face the truth? A 21st century President cannot always be right but must always be ready to right any perceived or real wrong and not play the “victim of opposition propaganda”. Get your bluntest friends around you sir. Get young men who understand how information works in the 21st century (foreigners if you have to).
Go to Borno and claim it back on behalf of all law-abiding citizens of Nigeria. And for Goodness sake, bring our girls back.
“One cannot be made a hawk and be fearful of preying on chicks”. You cannot be seen to be afraid of Boko Haram. What Nigerians are asking for is a President who will defend the lives of every single law-abiding citizens of this country, even those who hate you.
If you can guarantee that, they will gladly die for you. Mr President, now is the time to give a damn. Respect the Office you want us to respect. Do the needful. Listen and act on what Barack Obama said at the UN (2012) in the first quote in this article. When it comes to running a successful democracy, “America will know”.
Nigeria Shall Overcome.
Credit: opinionriver.com
Popular broadcaster and co-CEO of Kennis Music Entertainment, Dayo Adeneye has been appointed an ambassador for Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The Southern University, Illinois-trained TV personality who was unveiled yesterday, May 22nd, 2014 is expected to use his new office to preach against drug trafficking especially to the youths.
2014 has not been a good year for former Manchester United coach, David Moyes. Less than a month, after he was relieved of his job at Old Trafford, the 51 is to be interrogated by the police for allegedly beating up a man who taunted him in a wine bar at Lancashire yesterday. Hell hath no fury like an ex-Manager scorned!
According to eye-witnesses; Moyes and his friends walked into a wine bar around 10pm, a couple of drinkers saw him and hurled insults at him. He reportedly lost his cool when a guy named Joshua Gillibrand told him he was shit and has never won anything. A scuffle ensued afterwards, Moyes reportedly threw him across the table, grabbed a bottle from a table and hit him on one side of the head. He was later restrained and taken away by his friends.
The 23 year-old victim spoke to The Sun: ‘He grabbed me around the neck and struck me on the back of the head. I ended up face down on the floor. I felt I was going to die. There were tables flying everywhere and glass all over the place.’
Another eye-witness confirmed that, “Moyes had completely lost it and was bright purple in the face and quite clearly out of control. No one could quite believe what had happened. We were stunned. He’s obviously had enough of all the abuse he’s been getting after his miserable season.”
Josh’s friend also added, “He was quite drunk and went up and said something to him like, “What are you doing around here? It didn’t go down at all well with Moyes who started swearing at him, so Josh said something like, “Well get out of town then”, and turned his back on him, which is when Moyes hit him in the back of the head.”
There’s nothing as traumatising as watching your loved ones die right in front of you. May God continue to help our nation. Deborah Peter, a Boko Haram survivor who now lives in Virginia, USA has lent her voice to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Speaking during a presentation organized by members of the US congress yesterday May 21st, 2014 , the 15 year-old held up a #BringBackMySisters” paper sign narrated her ordeal in the hands of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram.
According to her, on the evening of December 22 2011, three members of Boko haram shot her Pastor Father 3 times on the chest after he refused to deny his faith, her brother Caleb too was killed in similar fashion. Deborah was asked her to lie in between their corpses till the next morning. A local Pastor who rescued her and paid for her transportation out of the region was also killed.
Her thoughts on Boko Haram, “It’s a hard question. I think they’re bad. I can’t judge them. The Bible says do not judge.”
She continued, “I decided to tell the world my story when the Chibok girls were taken because everyone needs to know how horrible Boko Haram is. They kill innocent people who never hurt them. I want the world to understand what happened to me. I hope the kidnapped Chibok girls will take courage from my story, and know more of what God says, and know what it means to stand strong in the face of bad people.” She added.
