I have been on Nigerian websites for a few days. In all these times, there seems to be a competition to identify what is wrong with the only country we have. The competition also calls for the identity of who is responsible: the tribe and the individual. One would think that as we evaluate the country, that the evaluators would say what is wrong and give a nod to what is right and ipso facto give a little complement to those who have made the right decisions.

The nod is completely absent and the round about complement to the tribe and individual comes grudgingly from those who are merely defending the blame placed on their tribe and their tribal chieftain. The few extremely small acknowledgments of the good in the country seem to come from a handful of people like Mr. Nwosu and Mr. Kassim and one or two others. Sometimes I wonder if these are real people for when they give the nod, strong tornadoes with winds gusting over 300 MPH is sent their way. They are called names and we are told of their sordid pasts and how they are prostituting themselves for some crumbs from the masters table.

They seem to survive for I still read them.

I believe that many things are wrong with Nigeria. I also believe that in order to solve a problem one must recognize its existence and its magnitude. But I also happen to believe that in other to affect the best solution one must also recognize that which is good. For then one would only remove what is bad while holding on to the good. To do other wise we may throw away the baby with the bath water.

The evidence of what is good can be seen by the fact that there is still one Nigeria since 1960. This one country has survived a civil way, many army led coups and, and many corrupt leadership. There must be something good that is holding us together. There is even more interaction between citizens. I went to visit my sister this past weekend and my sister was hosting a room mate of her days at ABU, a Nupe woman. She came from Nigeria. They graduated over two decades ago and have kept in touch through marriages and children. They know each other’s family very well.

I am God father to three Yoruba children and my family has Yoruba in laws. There are business partners of all possible combinations. They are living together in many cities and towns and villages. They are not held together by evil machinations but by love and good will. There must be some goodness in all of us.

There must be good in the system that makes such relationships work.

I will venture to hypothesize that what is wrong with Nigeria may be the educated elite among also. Those who hold some kind of PhD in some exotic field. These people have seen the world and liked the progress being made in their fields of specialization and bemoan the fact that Nigeria is not South Korea. They become jealous and antagonistic to the country that gave them birth. Both the jealous and the antagonistic outbursts are good if only they would channel them and communicate them in a friendly language. Their outbursts make many of us not to pay the attention they are seeking. Many of them sometimes see only goodness in their ethnic units and nothing but evil in the other ethnic groups. Many seek the salvation of “their people” and wish doom on all others. The Igbo have a prayer: “ugbogiri zoro m; zoro nwunye dim m”, a loose translation is May good harvests come to me and to my husband’s other wife.

We all know about “the other wife.” The reason for the payer for good harvest wish to the other wife (the enemy) is because if both have good harvest the ‘wife’ would enjoy her rich harvest in peace.

Nigerians could do well to learn this Igbo prayer and pray it so unceasingly.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

June 14, 2013

The existence of many small parties in Nigeria along with a mega party is one of the major reasons why democracy in the country is not thriving as it ought to. This condition does not allow for a level playing field. If the condition continues like this PDP will be in power for ever and Nigeria would continue its roller coaster rides. 

Therefore the decision for the minority parties to join hands is a noble idea. 

There are many advantages to be gained by forming a second mega party.

1. The new party would have a large pool of good candidates to draw from
2. The party would be able to field credible candidates for the presidency and governorships and local government chairmanships and contest in every election no matter how local
3. Such a party would have the resources to compete with the other mega party and if elected would have the talents to govern
4. A second mega party can offer a strong and credible opposition to the ruling party, a condition devoutly to be wished for in a democracy
5. A second mega party is more likely to have good representations from all zones. What had made PDP so powerful had been that it has major presence in all the zones as opposed to say with CPC, ACN, APGA etc each representing an ethnic group which makes it difficult to be accepted in other zones.
6. etc

But APC faces tremendous hurdles if it will succeed. The hurdles need to be recognized before it can be tackled.

• Because PDP started as a party it has developed what could be called core beliefs and has a constitution which outlines how the party would be run. This new mega party does not as yet have such core beliefs or constitution. It could still fall apart as the core beliefs and constitution are being developed.
• Each of the parties has had officers and organizational structure that served it. Harmonizing these different structures could be intractable. Egos could get in the way especially during the nomination of presidential candidates in a country where the president is god like.
• For the above reasons, it would be best to develop core beliefs before even trying to unite the disparate parties. If common beliefs cannot be found then the efforts should cease.
• Igbo/Yoruba distrust; north/south differences; Christian/Muslim differences; big three/minority domination fears; urban/rural conflicts are some of the major challenges and each has the ability to frustrate any efforts.
• Etc

There are opportunities and challenges. It will be a shame if the challenges triumph over opportunities. Nigeria’s future will depend on the ability of the nation to develop another mega party. The initiators of this noble idea would succeed if they have the interest of the nation in mind. 

They will fail if all they seek is an opportunity to further their ethnic, religious, or selfish political goals.

We shall see.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

February 16, 2013

We are now in the last days of 2012 US elections. I have predicted a landslide for Mr. Obama and everybody else has predicted a tight election with many predicting a slight edge for Mr. Romney. Words are no longer that important, or at least, not as important as body language. It is the body language that tells what a person actually believes and feels. Here are the body languages that tell me that the Republicans are feeling a lot of heath:

1. In my Massachusetts the Republican senate candidate pulls out of an agreed upon debate citing Sandy Storm and refusing to reschedule. Most recent poll shows him 6 points behind.
2. Mr. Romney opens campaign offices in Pennsylvania and Minnesota a week before the election. He is 7-8 points behind in these states and hopes to make up the difference in the next 5 days. These are states he had given up on. He must spend money raised.
3. New Jersey Governor, a Romney surrogate, starts praising effusively Obama’s leadership skills and efficiency in handling emergencies. And tours New Jersey with the president. AND gets angry at the suggestion that he invites Romney to tour devastated areas. Does he know something? Is he going out in search of peace?
4. Romney is seen collecting donations for those impacted by Sandy Storm. He was on record of proposing that the Federal emergency Management Board be disbanded. And when asked (asked 14 times) if he would still abolish the agency (FEMA) he gets angry. Reality is setting in.
5. Republicans are running adds accusing the auto industry of shipping jobs to China. GM and Chrysler publicly rebuke Romney about the lies. These are staunch Republicans and friends of Romney. Are they joining Charles Christie in the search for peace? This looks like Hail Mary passes by Republicans.
6. Mr. Obama repairs to the Oval Office to perform presidential duties such as rallying the country as it deals with inclement weather and doling out help to states in distress and the governors are praising his stewardship and individuals are grateful at the speed which they are getting much sought for help cleaning up
7. Economic indicators are all pointing up: Q4 growth is better than forecasters thought; Consumer Spending is up; housing market is on upswing: unemployment is down. Even Romney is now saying that things are improving only not fast enough. It is new form of argument.
8. We no longer hear of the narrowing of gender gap.
9. etc

When you look at the candidates you will see noticeable difference in the bounce in their steps, in the smiles on their faces, in what their surrogates are saying. In fact one candidate barely has surrogates now. Where are the Republican surrogates? Duval Patrick, Clinton, Howard Dean etc are all over the place for Obama. Where is Boehner of the House? And the Senate Minority Leader?

Words are important but body language seems to contradict the words. We will know for sure in 6 days.

We are seeing Hail Mary passes everywhere. We are seeing desperate moves on one side and peace and quiet on the other side. Reality could be dawning on everybody.

Remember that this is October and in US elections one hears about “October Surprise.”

Could this be it?

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

October 31, 2012

Population  %Obama    %Romney  Obama     Romney    Obama Tot Romney Tot

White (.5)

Male (.25)  .4            .6             0.1            0.15

Female (.25)       .53    .47            0.1325       0.1175

Total White                                     0.2325       0.2675       (0.5)

Non White (0.5)

Hispanic (0.17)   .65    .35            0.1105       0.0595       (0.17)

Black (0.15)        0.90  0.10          0.135        0.015        (0.15)

Jews (0.04)                0.55  0.45          0.022        0.018        (0.04)

Others (0.14)      0.6    0.4            0.084        0.056        (0.14)

Total non white (0.5)                    0.3515       0.1485       (0.5)

TOTAL POPULATION                 0.584     0.416     (1)

Adjustments

(1)            White vote for Romney should be reduced by 0.001 due to gays who would not vote for him but added to Obama

(2)            Obama’s total vote would be reduced by 0.05 for those who would not vote.

The final numbers after adjustments would be as follows

Mr. Seyi Awofeso has a long history of being wrong about Mr. Obama and his current call of Tuesday’s debate between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney in favor of Mr. Romney will prove as misguided as his former position that Mr. Obama was not qualified to be president because he did not meet the “US born” requirement for the office of the United States President. Except for a few people in the fringe this his position is not mentioned anymore. No US attorney, not a politician and no political analyst holds this view and no one has tried to prove it in any court, both of law and of public opinion. It has not been an issue of importance to anybody in this election cycle.

Mr. Awofeso’s current position on Obama would also in time die a natural death as his “birther” position. He currently writes as follows:

“…i stated that his (Obama’s) tax and spend plan in a recession was not held together by any reed of economic logic and i then stated that Barack Obama’s tenure as President, if he won, would surely worsen and complicate America’s business and commerce, since he understands neither…

Today i’m proved absolutely right…”

This was what he predicted in 2008 piece and he has recalled it and is now asserting that he has been proved absolutely right. Let us look at what he predicted and see if there is a scintilla of evidence to assert that he is “absolutely right.”

his tax and spend plan in a recession…would surely worsen and complicate America’s business and commerce,…

Now let us fact check this statement:

• In 2008 US economy was shedding jobs at the rate of 800,000 a month. Today it is adding jobs (for 32 consecutive months running).
• In 2008 big and small banks were failing every week. Today banks are much stronger than they were then. Bank failures are forgotten.
• In 2008 the stock market was collapsing today they have recovered all their losses and are higher now than they were in 2008
• In 2008 many industries such as the auto industry were heading towards bankruptcy today led by GM these industries are alive for evermore creating manufacturing jobs
• In 2008 foreclosures were the order of the day. Today housing market is rebounding

I will stop here and would like for Mr. Awofeso to point out even one example where things were worse than in 2008. If he does not, then, his position has been proven wrong. It did not worsen but improved when compared to where things were in 2008 when he made his prediction.

The next comparison would be could things have been different if an alternative path had been taken? This is Mitt Romney’s argument which is slightly different from Mr. Awofeso’s who asserts that things are worse. It is impossible to prove that things would have been better if a particular route had been followed. It is difficult to say what would have happened on the road not traveled. So there is no absolute proof as claimed.

Since Mr. Awofeso brought Keynesian theory into this debate let us look at it. In time of economic downturn demand is scarce and therefore supply is very low and economic activity is slow (unemployment is high; borrowing, savings, and investments are low).

Supply is non existent without demand. So the appropriate action is to stimulate demand. You do this by getting money into the hands of people who would go out and spend it. A government must do this either by borrowing it, or by printing money (yes, crank the money machine). With this money people would demand food, housing, and many other services. This would kick start supply and job creation and eventually the economy would roar. When this happens inflation would be a concern. But that, we should leave for another day.

Which part of this economic scenario does Mr. Awofeso not understand when he says that Mr. Obama misread Keynesian theory?

In exactly three weeks from today we will be celebrating Mr. Obama’s re-election. A year from today the US economy will be roaring thanks to Obama’s foresight.

And both Mr. Romney and Mr. Awofeso would be proved absolutely wrong.

Then like the earlier “birther theory” every thing would be quiet in the Western Front.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

October 17, 2012

Some of us have been involved in the American politics for sometime now. Those of us who have pitched our tents with Obama For America (OFA) since 2008 are now on a high alert as there are merely four weeks to November 6, 2012 when the next president of America, and by implication, the leader of the world would be elected. It is a great opportunity for Nigerians living and working in USA to get some real education on American politics. I am not here to promote Obama even though I support him and now practically work 24/7 for his reelection.

I am here to urge my fellow Nigerians to get educated.

Here are a few things we should be doing now, no matter if we are die hard republicans or democrats (in the off year elections, I am an independent; MA allows that) but in this election cycle I am a died in the wool democrat):

1. Get registered to vote. Your vote does count and it could be the difference between who wins and who looses. It is really easy in most states. Go to the town/city hall and fill out the simplest forms in the world; show proof that you live in the town and you are registered and would vote.
2. Convince our family that the elections are indeed about them. I have told some people that the elections no longer concern me as I have taken my yam out of the fire: I am retired, I have my social security checks coming and nobody would dare to offend we seniors; I can retire to Nigeria and with a mere $300/month can live happily ever after; etc. But I have children and grand children and I care about them. But it is the children and grand children who would care more than I. The election is about them and you should let them know this.
3. Try to understand the issues and who is saying what about the issues that concern you. Be motivated to influence the out come by canvassing among your friends and family. Push your view point. You have more influence than you think, but don’t make a fool of yourself doing so.
4. Take a walk or drive to your local office for the candidate you like. Go to a local Obama office for example. You will be impressed, not by the nondescript office but by the enthusiasm you will find. You would find young men and women; old folks in their 80’s and 90’s doing little things and big things; you will find chaos; papers every where; broken chairs; snacks and coffee; soft drinks donated by citizens just like you. You will see endless training for canvassers, for phone call banks, lawn signs, buttons, bumper stickers; all littering a disorganized office and all being coordinated by an enthusiastic young man or woman in his/her 20’s, most likely just out of college or on leave from graduate studies. They are building a career. You might consider pointing a son/daughter in that direction. You will be impressed: I promise.
5. On November 6, vote. It is your one chance to be part of something. We cannot vote in Nigerian elections but we can vote here. Do not throw this away and complain about how bad things are later on. If you are interested in American immigration policies; you should be outside holding signs for the candidate who most represents you point of view.
6. You already have your formal education, but to truly understand America you must be involved. You must work in America to understand the economy. You must be involved in the political process to understand how the politics work. They do not teach these things in colleges. I went to a formidable business college, but it was not until I started working for the Wall Street firms that I actually learned something about business. I did not begin to understand how the politics work until my initiation in Ted Kennedy’s campaign. I did not understand the presidential election until 2008 when I worked for Obama in MA, NH and Ohio.

You do not become a Christian until you are baptized. We all need this baptism of fire. 

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

October 7, 2012

In a news article reported by Saturday Tribune of October 6, 2012 writers, Kunle Oderemi, Dapo Falade, and Wale Ajayi reported that major stake holders in the South West expressed outrage over the appointments of service chiefs made by President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday. The report went on to say:

According to them, for the first time since independence, the South-West Yoruba have been left without a post in the top hierarchy of the nation’s armed and security forces.

If the statement is correct, that would be a necessary and sufficient condition for not appointing a SW Yoruba person as a service chief. If in the 52 years of Nigerian independence a “SW Yoruba” has been appointed a service chief, would it not be time for an Itsekiri person to serve? Or for Igalla person to serve? Is this not the “born to rule mentality in action?

I have written often on the demerits of the concept of National character in every appointment in Nigeria. Political positions at top levels should take the idea into consideration at macro level but no more. It will be wrong for every level of government to have equal representation at every level. It is the reason why we have over 40 ministries and ministers more than any other country in the world.

What the SW leaders should be looking into is the qualifications of the appointed officers. If any one is unqualified, it should be pointed out. And one of the reasons ought not be because he is not Yoruba.

If I were the president and there are two equally qualified candidates one an Idoma and the other Yoruba and I know that the Yoruba have been running the show since independence I would be inclined to use that as a tie breaker and award the command to the Idoma.

There are 300 ethnic groups in Nigeria and no one group should be in charge all the time UNLESS the group has been able to provide the most qualified candidate. And even in this regard remedial steps should be taken bring the backward groups up to speed affirmatively

By pursuing these appointments from the perspective quoted above SW leaders have lost their case. If they were to find a more qualified Yoruba and present him for appointment, such a candidate would not have credibility any more. Good leaders ought to use their words carefully.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston, Massachusetts

October 9, 2012