The Lamentation of an NYSC Member

The Lamentation of an NYSC Member

What do we do? Is there possibility of free and fair? Every one raises an eyebrow, over what? A situation that is overlooked! I cannot help but cry for my nation. What a nation! I sleep and wake with the thought of how to make it better, free from all manners of catastrophe. But can I do it alone? How can me when even those that are supposed to lead for an onward match to sensitization and success are nowhere to be found. You deny your subjects their right, making unfulfilled promises year in year out. When can we truly realize these? I ask. Imagine a society free from social crisis. Whereby meaningful employment is made available at all levels both for graduates and non graduates. Providing food for all, especially for the poor, less privileged, handicapped and the destitute as well.

A stable and reasonable transport system,

Good roads maintenance, proper and effective education at all levels with sound practicability.

I cannot imagine myself in an island as an islander to make me understand no man is an island, yet you make me an island. What a contradiction.
I put it to you even if we are called to serve it does not in any way make you have the right to use and dump us, leaving us to our own fate. It indeed turns out fruitless.

Imagine a world whereby everybody is a master, what would be our fate? A question you need to answer.

Whether I am compelled or not to serve you, I shall serve you. Does that make me less human? No! Yet you make me and my entourages feel so bad.

You deny us the comfort that belongs to us. No accommodation, yet you call us a national/federal figure, when we are not the partakers of the national cake? We do not ask for much, a little accommodation, meaningful employment and all that need to be allocated to us just like you get your allocation allocated to us.
The truth of this matter is that there is the possibility of a free and fair positive change in our nation, Nigeria.

When you know your onions, dot your i’s and cross your t’s, you came across as a leader and reconsider the considerate, take proper actions, then we can boast of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and not “National Yeye Service Corp (NYSC)” carrying out their duties with every credibility.

Nigerians, we are the genesis of our problems:

Stop the marginalization; refuse to be corrupted, so there can be true fairness, for a positive change. Brace up and be liberated or remain a second class citizen.
This is what you need to do. Play your roles with all diligence and credibility, so that we can have a better Nigeria, free from all manner of unnecessary liabilities.

May God help us.

~ By Geraldine Ijeoma Alozie

About the National Youth Service Corps




HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE NYSC

The NYSC scheme was created in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. The unfortunate antecedents in our national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973 which stated that the NYSC is being established "with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity".

As a developing country. Nigeria is further plagued by the problems attendant upon a condition of under development, namely; poverty. mass illiteracy, acute shortage of high skilled manpower (coupled with most uneven distribution of the skilled people that are available), woefully inadequate socioeconomic infrastructural facilities, housing. Water and sewage facilities, road, health care services, and effective communication system. . Faced with these almost intractable problems, which were further compounded by the burden of reconstruction after the civil war, the government and people of Nigeria set for the country, fresh goals, and objectives aimed at establishing Nigeria as:

(a) a united, strong and self reliant nation:
(b) a great and dynamic economy;
(c) a land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens; and
(d) a free and democratic society.

Dr. Jonathan’s Presidential Election and National Sensibility and Development

President Goodluck Jonathan

How The Psychology of Dr. Jonathan’s Presidential Election Could Be About National Sensibility and Development

It will not be unusual to state that the April 16, 2011 presidential election of President Jonathan remains a non-default national outcome with a clear or given mandate which is richly suited to our current national needs; no matter how imperfect it may be to some quarters in the country or else where.

The Nigerian people are a mix of various ethnic, traditional and religious sentiments and these psychologies play a role as to how the President will appeal to the country’s common national identity, share our common interests and address the soul or mentality of those tied to the politics is ruthless divisions and selfishness.

President Jonathan knows that his newly found mandate is not only God-sent but anchored in the spirit of a people crying for progress in their general living conditions; a cry that began since the democratic year of 1999.

In spite of our class, political, religious and regional differences, somehow the Nigerian people for the most part, and for the first time, have presented the same eyes for a transformational type of leadership.

There appears to be is a sense of national confidence in this new President by many rural, urban and diaspora Nigerians who are looking forward to measurable changes, and clearer indicators in areas of concern such as public safety, joblessness, local terrorism, lowly governance, religious radicalism, inadequate law enforcement, monetary mismanagement, and other related problems.

It could be safe to say that for the next four years the nation could come under a smooth line of political stability without the fear of post-1960 independence experiences such as coups and anti-rule of law leadership.

Therefore, let this presidency be a tenure when Nigeria is no longer viewed as one of the most corrupt nation in the world. Let this time not just be a period of pledging to end corruption, advance economic and social reforms but a time when today’s Nigerians will look back and say it was a period when real changes were noted and transparently carried out in health, road, electricity, budget, contract, security and other domestic areas.

We want to see dramatic improvements in the rule of law, policing, penology, agriculture, infrastructure, professional work, and privatization.

The Nigerian people are looking to a presidency that will aggressively pursue private investment, and maintain less dependence on government aid in areas like education, public financing, regional development, agricultural production, and technical research or studies.

In the areas of trade and economics, Nigerians in the diaspora should be invested upon and re-directed back home to help in various areas of research and technical assistance.

This presidency should find a way to convince leaders in the incoming administration to fully pursue efficiency and time management if we are to ensure growth and development in public service and governance.

Under this presidency Nigerians should practice positive expectations since such national mindset will always result in societal promotion within our today’s global economy, as well as help the presidency avoid the extra ordinary weight of bearing the formidable problems involved in the Nigerian leadership.

It matters not if this period in Nigeria is proclaimed as the dawn of a new era, or the emergence of a new State. The question for all of us is the Jonathan Presidency going to get the Nigerian public's overwhelming support that could prepare and motivate the prime change that we will all appreciate?

~ By John Oshodi

John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D., DABPS; FACFE; is a Licensed Clinical/Forensic Psychologist; Diplomate of American Board of Psychological Specialties; Fellow of American College of Forensic Examiners (For Psy); Former Interim Associate Dean and an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Broward College - North Campus, Coconut Creek, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu

Happy Easter! Jesus Christ is Alive!

When Peter and the other apostle went home, Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb crying. Suddenly she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize Him at first. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" Mary thought He must be the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken Him away, tell me where, and I will take Him!" Jesus said, "Mary!" Then she recognized Him and exclaimed, "Master!"

Jesus said, "Don't hold on to me, because I have not yet returned to the Father. But go to my disciples and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Then Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!", and she told them everything that had happened.


Easter - The Resurrection of Jesus
Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21, Acts 1

Nigeria: Post election violence suspects escape from Jail

Photo Credit: Press S TV, 2011.


Nigeria: Post election violence suspects escape from Jail

The AFP reported Saturday that 12 of the suspects detained over the post-election violence have escaped after riot broke out in an overcrowded jail in northern Nigeria.

The controller of prisons in Adamawa state, Andrew Barka said 18 of the 600 arrested this week escaped but six were later captured.

"There was heavy congestion. The living conditions have worsened since the suspects were brought in," Barka told AFP.
"Therefore yesterday they went on riot, burning a section of our (training) workshop and injuring two wardens. Some of them tried to escape by scaling over the fence," Barka added.


Arrested suspects of the post election violence in Nigeria in April, 2007


The following is the rest of the report.

Rights groups estimate that more than 1,000 people have been arrested since the riots broke out after last weekend's election won by incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian.

Riots in several states in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria after the election claimed nearly 250 lives, according to a rights group, and displaced 74,000 people.
Military patrols and curfews have largely restored calm in the affected states.
Barka said the situation in Yola had been brought under control, dismissing local media speculation that the jailbreak may have been organized by suspected members of a radical sect based in the north.

An Islamist sect, Boko Haram, last year freed more than 700 prisoners during an attack in nearby Bauchi state.

Easter 2011

Earth Day

1st Anniversary of BP/Deepwater Horizon Explosion Royal Wedding

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Global Color Studies Show Ford Customer Tastes: Germany, Norway Like Black; U.S. Coasts Choose Silver Adjustable Height Basketball Hoop Turns 25

Imo Gubernatorial Polls: Governor Ohakim Beyond Electorates Redemption

Chief Ikedi Ohakim, Governor of Imo State


Imo Gubernatorial Polls: Governor Ohakim Beyond Electorates Redemption

Written By Njamanze Fidel


The governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim without mincing words has made himself unlikable to majority of Imo people by his untoward actions and inactions. Since the inception of his administration in 2007, I have tried to restrain myself from constructively pointing out my grouse with him hoping that he will turn over a new leaf but all to no avail.


The fact is he has earned for himself the notoriety of being a political deceiver of the highest order. A point in view was when he purportedly deceived Mr. President; Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that he has started rehabilitating the road that runs from Nkwala (one of the prominent weekly markets in Ngor-Opkala LGA), Eziama, Ntu, Umuohie, Umuneke (where the council secretariat is located) and Ngwuru. This road forms a T-junction to Owerri, Okpala and Owerri Nta road apart from numerous junctions along that axis. This T-junction is close to Ulakwo Junction and Park. It is about a kilometer if you are coming from Ulakwo to Okpala and on the right hand side.


While the governor was coming back from the airport some time ago, where he had gone to welcome the President, I gathered from a reliable source that he pointed at the road that connects Umuneke, Ugwuru, Umuohie, Ntu, Eziama and Nkwoala to Mr. President as one of the roads he was building. It is important to note here that the construction equipment was pulled out of the construction site after the President had gone back to the seat of power, Aso Rock. The truth is that what Ohakim did was to rehabilitate some dangerous spots along that road but this was not exhaustive, because from Umuneke to Nkwola where there are also potholes were left unattended. Why?


This road was initially constructed by past military regime. The road, which is a state road, was later constructed and continued from Umuohie Ngor to Nkwala Market by the current democratic dispensation. The present state of the road is better described as deplorable not minding the lackadaisical, cunning and deceptive move by the Chief Executive in Imo state to rehabilitate it.


What is most painful to me are the poorly executed road rehabilitation projects that have been captured in Ohakim’s campaign billboard just to earn the votes of the electorates in addition to other irritating attributes of his and flaws. For instance, the above mentioned road that leads to Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area has been captured in one of his deceptive billboards located at that strategic T- Junction. Initially, “Ochina falsehood” wanted the whole world to know or believe that the road was to be dualized but this was not to be as the road project was abandoned before it could get to half a kilometer. My heart bleeds for most rural based Local Governments Areas and its inhabitants in Imo State especially Ngor Okpala Local Government Area as there is virtually nothing to lift their dampened spirit up.


Is it our roads; which in great state of disrepair, school structures; which are a shadow of their former self, youth empowerment; which has taken flight, health centres; which are crawling on their knees. While some state Governors have initiated free education in their various states by even going the extra mile of providing free sandals, exercise books, school uniforms and bags to pupils and students of both primary and secondary schools, what is saddening is the increase in school fees of undergraduates who attend University of Imo State (IMSU) by Ohakim administration. The effect of the increment is gnawing of teeth by most parents who struggle too hard to pay the said fee which is allegedly put at one hundred and fifty thousand naira.


Ohakim should as a matter of urgency borrow a leaf from the governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State etc.


Again, it is most sad to observe that a federal road that runs through Okpala, Eziama, Nkwala Market and Amala to Rivers State has also been captured in Governor Ohakim’s political campaign billboard as one of the roads he has constructed. However, this is one of the twenty first century nauseating falsehood being peddled by Ochina what I do not know.


With various allegations of misdemeanor; abuse of a man of God, his subjects in the person of Samuelson Iwuoha and Mrs Elizabeth Udoudo, inability to develop rural areas for socio-economic activities, litany of corruption related petitions, deceptive politicking and so on, I do not nurse any doubt in my mind that Ohakim would be an irredeemable gubernatorial product to market to the electorate in Imo state as he has shot himself in the leg.


Jude Ude commenting in an article with the title “Governor Ikedi Ohakim: The Example Of Ondo State Government written by one Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, Jun 07 2010 said, “The fact that Ikedi Ohakim is worse than DEJI is not in doubt. We have an acclaimed 419ner, looter,criminal and a public enemy as the Governor in Imo State. We all know that the powers that be in the PDP are protecting this fool, but for how long they will do it, then we are waiting to see. I have always said that no amount of falsehood or campaign from people like Steve Osuji, Kenneth Uwadi, Obi Okereke, Sam Uzowum, Dr. E Dibia and Mr. J. Onyeakoh can succeed in selling or imposing this impostor, criminal and 419ner on the good people of Imo State. They tell us that Ohakim has achieved heaven and earth in Imo State, but they have never succeeded in substantiating their claim.”


Prophecy: What I do know for sure is, your investigation by the appropriate authority may tarry, but the petition dossier on your corrupt practices is in a safe place for future action. By the time the lid to your can of worms is opened, either by EFCC or ICPC, your fate may be worse than James Ibori’s.


~Njamanze Fidel a political activist and commentator write from Ihite, Imo State

Ohakim’s Empowerment Application Form (Per Ward): A Real or False Bait?

Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim


Ohakim’s Empowerment Application Form (Per Ward): A Real or False Bait?


Written By Njamanze Fidel


As the count down to the Imo state governorship and State House of Assembly elections draw close some political parties have come forward with mouth-watering promises so as to gain overwhelmingly the votes of the electorates. This move is to reelect the incumbent governor, state house assembly members or to vote them out and usher in a new governor, house assembly members from opposition political parties in Imo State.


One of such political campaign promise is the Empowerment Application Form (per ward) that is being circulated across the 27 local government Areas in Imo state which is given to prospective electorates by the People's Democratic Party’s house to house campaigners with the aim of getting their votes on the 26 of April 2011.


I do know that Imo people have not forgotten so soon what transpired when the Ikedi Ohakim’s administration advertised to provide 10,000 jobs to Imo indigenes. The question now is has the governor fulfilled that promise forthrightly not minding that majority of those who applied for the job with their hard earned money to by scratch card are yet to be employed? Is there any similarity from this Empowerment Application Form per Ward and the vehemently criticized 10,000 jobs?


The form has the following outlines under its biodata, date of birth, sex, marital status, occupation, address, Local Government Area (LGA), phone number and email address. Under its empowerment category, you will see farmers loan; 100 persons, widows loan; 50 widows, students scholarship; 20 students, youth empowerment; 10 keke/tricycles and government employment; 10 graduates, 20 non-graduates and 10 women. When you add the above figures and multiply it by the total number of wards in Imo State what will you get? No doubt, the total number of people to benefit from this empowerment scheme will exceed the 10,000 jobs which Ohakim said his administration will provide. What does this tell you? Are we not about to be hoodwinked by the political deceivers of Imo state kleptomaniac politics?


If one may ask, why the PDP led administration in Imo State did not introduce or share this form when it assumed the administration of affairs in 2007? Why is it now that the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections are very close that they remembered to distribute it among prospective and non prospective electorates whom they have faith and hope that would vote for the Peoples Democratic Party? Whether this latest political game plan of the PDP in Imo State will fly, remains only a matter of conjecture. But what I am sure of is that most Imo people are not naïve. Our governor Governor Ikedi Ohakim seems to have made enough money within a period of four years and that is why he said university education is not for the poor or everybody. What an insensitivity to the plight of the averagely rich and poor! He has as a matter of fact; increased the financial burden of majority of our parents who have their ward in Imo State University. Will you vote for him (Ohakim) if you are in the position of such parents whom the former has made their burden heavier?


The People of Imo State should vote wisely at this crucial election which will make or mar commendable governance.


Njamanze Fidel a political activist and commentator write from Ihite, Imo State

Apple Drags Samsung to Court over Galaxy S Tablets

The Technorati reports that Apple has filed a suit filed last Friday claiming that Samsung's phones and tablets infringe its own patents, Apple is seeking for compensation and injunctions that will damage Samsung's tablet line.

Last year Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which runs Android, was released. Apple has put in claims that the Galaxy Tab infringes on multiple iPad patents and that the Galaxy S looks and feels too similar to the iPhone.

Click here to read more


Apple iPad versus Samsung Galaxy S Tablet



See Top 5 Things The Samsung Galaxy Tab Has That The Apple iPad 2 Doesn't

Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
22 Apr 2011
19:43	New Revelations of Google, Apple Smartphone Data Snooping Show Need for Do Not Track Me Legislation, Consumer Watchdog Says

Nigeria: emergency aid for people fleeing violence in the north

21 Apr 2011 21:04 Africa/Lagos



Nigeria: emergency aid for people fleeing violence in the north

ABUJA, April 21, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society are responding swiftly to the urgent needs of thousands of people displaced in the city of Kano and elsewhere in the north of the country following post-election violence that erupted on 17 April.


"At least 12,000 displaced men, women and children are assembled in six locations in Kano," said Otchoa Datcharry, head of the ICRC office in the city. ICRC and Nigerian Red Cross staff have installed a 5,000-litre water storage bladder, and distributed 2.5 tonnes of emergency food rations (crushed cassava, sugar and bread) and 25,000 litres of water to 9,000 people. "Four more water storage bladders will be installed in coming days," added Mr Datcharry.


In Bauchi, the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross distributed 600 kilograms of food items to more than 750 displaced people, mostly women and children, who fled the violence and assembled in an open area in front of an industrial complex. A group of women among the displaced have volunteered to cook and distribute the food.


Assessments of the need for further assistance are under way in Kano, Bauchi and Kaduna and in other violence-stricken areas.


"Nigerian Red Cross first-aid workers treated a total of over 400 people for injuries," said Umar Mairiga, the society's disaster-management coordinator. "Many of the injured were later taken to hospitals."


Since the beginning of the year, the ICRC has given 104 Nigerian Red Cross first-aid volunteers the opportunity to refresh and update their skills. It has also provided training for almost 300 people from 12 violence-prone communities across six states of Nigeria, and supplied 16 state branches of the national Red Cross with first-aid kits to boost their capacity to respond to emergencies.


The ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross had already provided assistance for victims of violence in the north of the country earlier this year. They brought aid to some 4,000 people in camps in Tawfawa Balewa, in Bauchi state. In the largest camp they installed a 10,000-litre tank to make water more easily available. At the Ungogo Primary School in Kano, where people had gathered after fleeing nearby violence, the Red Cross also built six toilets and a water facility.


"It has been very encouraging to see the dedication and commitment of the various Nigerian Red Cross branches and of their volunteers in responding to this latest wave of violence," said Zoran Jovanovic, head of the ICRC delegation in Nigeria.



Source: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)


Top Headline:

Death And Rape Of 100s Of Nigerian Graduate Students On The NYSC Mission - WHY ALL THESE

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22 Apr 2011
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21 Apr 2011
21:04	Nigeria: emergency aid for people fleeing violence in the north
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The Causes and Consequences of the 2011 Post Election Violence in Nigeria

The causes and consequences of the recent post election violence in Nigeria

The incessant ethnic, religious and political attacks on lives and properties in many states in Nigeria are caused by the appalling intellectual and political ignorance among majority of Nigerians.

If the terrorists unleashing their grievances on both their perceived enemies and innocent people have been educated and informed on the sanctity of human life, the values and virtues of peace and stability for mutual benefit of all the citizens, they would not have committed the terrifying and horrifying atrocities in their own regions and other places they have attacked.
The ruling political class is guilty of exploiting the ignorance of the poor majority in their power struggle and once they have secured their own families and properties, they no longer care about the fate of the victims of their political battles.

• They have misappropriated the public funds for health care and abandoned the broken down public health centres, clinics and hospitals for the poor masses and fly overseas to the developed nations for foreign Medicare and they have spent billions of naira of tax payers money and misappropriated funds on paying foreign medical bills.

• They have misappropriated the public funds allocated for education and neglected public schools and universities with obsolete laboratories and libraries and outdated curricula, broken down campuses with nightmarish facilities and utilities, because they can send their own beloved children to the expensive private schools and universities in Nigeria or in the US and the UK where they pay astronomical school fees from their misappropriated public funds.

• They have misappropriated the public funds allocated for industrial development and preferred to spend their ill-gotten wealth from looting the treasury on imported goods and services.

The list of the corrupt practices of the Nigerian kleptomaniacs in government is very long.

Corruption causes the leakages of power, undermines security and weakens leadership at all levels of human administration.
As corruption increases insecurity will become worse.

The Maitasine riots were the worst political and religious uprisings in Nigeria between 1980 and 1983, during the corrupt administration of President Alhaji Shehu Shagari, a Hausa Muslim from northern Nigeria who served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic (1979–1983) from the corrupt National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He was a weak leader and could not stop the Maitasine riots and over 4, 000 people were killed. The corrupt civilian government was overthrown in a military coup. And when the military ruled Nigeria there was relative peace in the country until the June 12 Crisis. So, whether the President is from the South or North does not matter to these terrorists who would attack their targets for political, religious or tribal agitations from the Niger Delta to Maiduguri.

The fact is, petty political reasons have been the criteria for many political appointments favouring loyalists of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and they compromised the rules of engagement in their responsibilities.

President Goodluck Jonathan desperately sent his ministers and PDP governors to campaign for him and ensure that they win their states in the presidential election. So the PDP flush with slush funds went to work to win by all means and at all costs by using political bribery and power of incumbency to manipulate the electoral process and rig the elections and many cases of PDP using National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and others to rig the elections were reported online and offline and with over 75 million users of GSM phones in Nigeria the reports from BlackBerry pings were circulated fast.

Two female NYSC members working for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were caught thumb printing in Enugu and the video of massive thumb printing by identified members of the PDP in Rivers State was circulated widely on YouTube.
The public proof of PDP rigging elections provoked millions of the supporters of the Opposition. So, when the results showed that the PDP was leading and winning, they went on rampage.

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
~ John F. Kennedy,
35th president of US 1961-1963 (1917 - 1963) in a speech at the White House, 1962.


Anti-government rebels on rampage in Northern Nigeria after the disputed presidential election of April 16, 2011.

The PDP is responsible for the corruption and insecurity destroying lives and properties in Nigeria since 1999 to date. So, President Goodluck Jonathan knows the bitter truth and is only pretending.
The genesis of the crisis is the maladministration of the corrupt ruling party.

Every armed robber and other criminals in the Niger Delta are now claiming to be militants and enjoying Amnesty, but the same PDP government refused to dialogue with the Boko Haram militant in the northern region and has not extended Amnesty to them, because there is no OIL at stake in the North.

The Amnesty Programme is political bribery to woo and win the support of the so called militants. Then President Goodluck Jonathan also dangled the huge bait of $200 million fund to greedy and hungry artistes to win their support.
If Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) had the power and offered them $300 million, they would have painted the town red to act, dance, rap and sing the praises of Buhari too. He who pays the piper dictates the tune. Who is fooling whom?
President Goodluck Jonathan and his ruling party are guilty of the insecurity destroying Nigeria.
Medicine after death cannot raise the dead.

The government was duly informed and warned of the dangerous states by the State Security Service (SSS), but President Goodluck Jonathan failed to address the emergency and spent billions of naira on his presidential campaign than the amount of money spent on security for INEC staff and other citizens who have lost lives and properties in the post election catastrophe.

Anyone blaming Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) is wrong. Buhari did not send those murderers on rampage to murder innocent citizens.

If the army and police already assigned in those states came out to stop the murderers, no innocent life would have been lost and no vehicle, house or church would have been burnt.

Where were the police and army when those mad boys went on rampage?

I worked for the Alhaji Bamanga Turkur Presidential Campaign in 1990 and I once carried a rifle for his Director of Publicity for use in self defence.

I have gone to the Niger Delta to address the militancy and spoke to the militant leader Asari Dokubo to bury the hatchet and he agreed, but before I knew it, the Federal Government arrested him for just openly expressing his political belief and detained him without trial and that was what provoked the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and I simply left the government to face their Frankenstein monster.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

The fact is we have an incompetent government that failed woefully to provide security, because of corruption.

The government keeps on telling lies upon lies to hoodwink the ignorant masses.

They boast that they have provided regular supply of fuel, but there is scarcity of kerosene, the fuel of the masses.

There is no regular supply of petrol in remote places in Northern Nigeria, the most underdeveloped region in Nigeria.

The majority of voters are in the rural areas and kerosene means more to them than petrol.
Regular water supply means more to them than petrol.

Any dummy government can provide regular supply of petrol.
Where is the petrol coming from?

Is the regular petrol from our refineries or imported with millions of dollars from foreign countries?

Ask the oil marketers why we now have regular supply of petrol.

Why is the world's eighth largest producer of crude oil importing fuel from overseas?

What happened to the refineries?

Is it not corruption that has made the government to turn to an importer of fuel?

The Nigeria extractive industries transparency initiative (NEITI) has indicted the government agencies supplying petrol of corrupt practices.

Many members of Nairaland, the largest Nigerian online forum display appalling ignorance that you cannot see on any forum in civilized nations. I am a well known member of the Huffington Post and participated in the online presidential campaigns of the 2008 US Presidential Election and our discussions were based on intelligent analyses of the realities in the US and not on hearsay by people who have never been on field trips to rural areas and who do not even read reports on the realities in the rural areas, but only shuttling on the streets of their urban comfort zones of ghettos posting from their PCs or smart phones and made themselves armchair pundits. But they are among the most silly supporters of the corrupt and incompetent government of President Goodluck Jonathan and his corrupt ruling party that was seen rigging on video posted on YouTube for the whole world to see and millions of northerners who are politically informed hooked on free cable TV and BBC News in Hausa were provoked to go on rampage against the PDP, INEC and innocent citizens caught in the mayhem.

You can fool them sometimes, but you cannot fool them all the time. They are rebelling against the corrupt government of the ruling party.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

9 in 10 Doctors Want More Say in Hospital Management

20 Apr 2011 12:00 Africa/Lagos


Nine in 10 Doctors Want More Say in Hospital Management, Finds PwC Survey

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, April 20, 2011

NEW YORK, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 90 percent of doctors in a recent nationwide survey by PwC US believe that physicians employed by hospitals should be more involved in executive leadership and management of the hospital, including serving on the board of directors and outlining performance improvement initiatives, according to From courtship to marriage Part II, a new report released today by PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100917/NY66894LOGO )

Healthcare is moving toward a new approach in payment that rewards doctors and hospitals for quality results over volume, and the shift is driving the two closer together. Hospitals must rely on physicians to help them achieve health reform goals, and in return, physicians want not just financial security but also a say in hospital leadership. The prospects for a long-term union between hospitals and physicians will depend on their ability to meet in the middle, says PwC.

PwC's report is based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 physicians, supplemented by in-depth interviews with hospital executives, about their expectations as partners sharing power, resources and outcomes in a post-health reform world. HRI's research focused on what PwC says are three secrets for a successful marriage of hospitals and physicians: Shared governance, aligned compensation and changing physician-practice patterns.

Hospital employment means physicians may have to give up control of how they practice to comply with standards that emphasize overall system quality and efficiency goals. The trade-off, in their minds, comes with certain caveats. PwC's survey of physicians found the following:

* More than eight in 10 physicians (83 percent) who are considering hospital employment said they would expect to be paid the same as or more than they are now, with increases ranging from 1 percent to 4.7 percent or an average increase of 2.4 percent. Forty-five percent of physicians said they would expect an increase in pay and 38 percent would expect no change.
* Realizing the health system is changing to track and reward performance, most physicians agree that half their salary should be fixed and the other half should be based on meeting a combination of productivity, quality, patient satisfaction and cost of care goals, with upside earning potential for performance.
* Expectations for compensation varied by physician specialty, with pediatrics, psychiatry and cardiology expecting the largest increase and general surgery, oncology, and emergency medicine expecting the least.
* Six in 10 physicians (62 percent) believe that nationally accepted physician practice guidelines should be used to guide the way they practice medicine, while one in three (30 percent) prefers locally developed guidelines.


Hospital executives interviewed for the report, however, said they aren't ready to "hand over the keys" just yet. They say that in order to pay physicians higher salaries, they will need to find funds elsewhere in the organization through improvements in the healthcare delivery model. They need physicians to not only help reduce supply and infrastructure cost but also to generate additional revenue.

There also is an issue of physician skills. Hospital leaders who were interviewed say that most physicians lack the business management and leadership skills needed to be effective in positions of leadership and governance.

"To succeed in the future, hospital executives and physicians may both have to cede on money and control issues," said Brett Hickman, partner, PwC health industries advisory. "It's a new day, and hospitals and physicians are beginning to realize that they are better together than apart. As in all healthy marriages, there can't be winners and losers. It is a relationship that has to start with trust and transparency, something hospitals and physicians have previously lacked. Then it's a matter of investing in each other and working together toward shared goals that both sides buy into."

Next Generation of MDs Seeking Business Training and Work-Life Balance

From undergraduate studies through medical school and into residency and fellowship programs, physicians traditionally have focused on the science of medicine. The next generation of physicians, however, is more likely to also receive business training to prepare them for their future careers, says PwC. HRI's review of the required curriculum of the 10 largest medical schools by total active enrollment in the country revealed that no time is formally allocated directly to business-related training. However, several universities are now offering joint MD/MBA programs. In fact, 53 medical school-affiliated universities are recognized by the American Association of Medical Colleges for offering dual-degree programs, a reflection of the medical and academic communities' awareness of and response to the need to address changing educational needs of medical student.

The availability of these programs is too late for today's doctors, which means they will need on-the-job training, an investment that hospitals must be willing to make, says PwC. The report describes how some hospitals are addressing the skills issue by creating educational programs to teach physicians business theory and techniques related to quality improvement, outcomes management and staff development. Beyond skills, the second issue for physicians is time. Physicians who have traditionally been paid to generate volume in a fee-for-service compensation model have been driven to see more and more patients, leaving them little time for anything outside of their medical practice. The question is whether they have capacity to also take on hospital governance and management, at least so long as fee-for-service compensation reigns.

Over two-thirds of physicians surveyed by PwC feel confident they could devote more time to leadership roles and activities of hospitals. Three-quarters (77 percent) say they have time for greater involvement in performance improvement initiatives; 71 percent in hospital executive leadership, and 69 percent have time to serve on hospital boards.

As part of larger well-documented generational trends, younger physicians are likely to want better work-life balance than their predecessors, making flexible compensation structures particularly appealing. In fact, not all physicians expect an increase in pay. Seventeen percent of physicians surveyed said they would accept a decrease in overall compensation when considering employment by a hospital.

"The key for hospital executives will be to determine the right compensation package to offer the right physician, based on their individual aspirations and expectations," added Hickman. "Physicians will be the key drivers in improving and sustaining clinical quality, and providing them with the right mix of compensation based on productivity and incentives will help hospitals increase revenue and avoid financial penalties."

The PwC report profiles three hospitals and the different approaches they have taken to address compensation, governance and practice standards issues. These hospitals are Indianapolis-based Franciscan St. Francis Health, Huntsville (Texas) Memorial Hospital, which is affiliated with the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, and SSM Health Care and Dean Health System of Wisconsin.

From courtship to marriage is a two-part series on hospital-physician alignment by PwC's Health Research Institute, and is part of PwC Health Industries' ongoing exploration of health reform and its implications. A full copy of From courtship to marriage II is available at: www.PwC.com/us/PhysicianHospitalAlignment. From courtship to marriage I and other health reform reports from PwC are available at: www.pwc.com/hri.

Methodology

PwC's Health Research Institute commissioned an online survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. physicians, balanced by age, gender, practice type and specialty. In addition, HRI analysts conducted 28 in-depth interviews with thought leaders and executives representing healthcare providers, payers and professional associations.

About PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI)

PwC Health Research Institute (www.pwc.com/hri) provides new intelligence, perspectives, and analysis on trends affecting all health-related industries. The Health Research Institute helps executive decision makers navigate change through primary research and collaborative exchange. Our views are shaped by a network of professionals with executive and day-to-day experience in the health industry.

About PwC's Health Industries Group

PwC's Health Industries Group (www.pwc.com/healthindustries) is a leading advisor to public and private organizations across the health industries including healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, health and life sciences, payers, employers, academic institutions and as well as non-health organizations with significance presence in the health market. Follow PwC Health Industries at http://twitter.com/PwCHealth.

About the PwC Network

PwC firms provide industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to enhance value for their clients. More than 161,000 people in 154 countries in firms across the PwC network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. See www.pwc.com for more information.

© 2011 PwC. All rights reserved. "PwC" and "PwC US" refer to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity. This document is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.

SOURCE PwC

CONTACT: Todd Hall, PwC US, todd.w.hall@us.pwc.com, +1-617-530-4185; or Lisa Stearns, The Hubbell Group, Inc., lstearns@hubbellgroup.com, +1-781-878-8882

Web Site: http://www.pwc.com