Michael Botu's Blog

FROM RIGHT, DELTA STATE GOVERNOR, DR. EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN, CHIEF E. K. CLARK AND ELDER GODSDAY ORUBEBE, WHEN THE GOVERNOR VISITED THE COUNTRY HOME OF CLARK AT KIAGBODO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2007. ANGER MANAGEMENT AS A PANACEA FOR PEACE “ In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” Ephesians 4:26 (NIV) In a recent interview, Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan said he intends to hold a Seminar on Anger Management. This is a welcomed development as we all need some measure of discipline in the management of our attitude to moderate our often negative, harsh and violent reaction to issues. The root of our negative attitude has always been ANGER. What is Anger? The dictionary defines anger as “a strong feeling which makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or hurtful that has happened. Anger has its purpose and many times it can be very useful that is why ...

PDP BURUTU LEADERSHIP IMPASSE – NEED FOR URGENT RESOLUTION I must have read the Press Statement released by the PDP National Publicity Secretary Chief Oliseh Metuh a thousand times and can’t help but imagine if we have Two People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria? Chief Metuh said “credit must be given to President Jonathan for his insistence on free, fair and credible election at all levels …………..” Charity they say begins at Home, 10 th March, 2012, members of The Peoples Democratic Party in Burutu Local Government Area had a very Peaceful, free and fair congress with Segbegha Korokorosei emerging as Chairman of the Exco at the Council Area. However, as it has been in recent times and as far as interest groups go, some members of the Party who are highly placed in and outside Government and would have preferred another candidate for reasons best known to them, decided to have candidates who did not even took part in the Congress and went ahead to Swear in Kenneth Og...

LESSONS FROM THE EKITI POLLS The recently concluded Ekiti Gubernatorial Poll has a few Lessons for us as Nigerians; 1) Elections can be free and fair. Despite pockets of disturbances and claims in some quarters about disenfranchisement, all three candidates and the Independent Observers attest to the fact that the Polls were relatively free and fair. INEC too congratulated themselves for a job well done. 2) Elections need not be a do-or-die affair. Dr. Kayode Fayemi was gracious in defeat; he conceded defeat and congratulated Mr. Ayodele Fayose immediately “Ekiti people have spoken.” He said, rather than seek to overturn the result via the Tribunals with endless court cases and thousands of Taxpayers money going down the drain but then again Lawyers must chop. As President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said “Any ambition at anytime is not worth the Blood of Nigerians. Never ever expect a Nigerian to spill a drop of his Blood because Goodluck Jonathan has so...

LET’S CRITICIZE THE GOVERNMENT “Any Fool can Criticize, Condemn and Complain  And most fools do” ~ Dale Carnegie (From his book “How to win Friends and Influence People) I won’t stop asking how we get to where we are today. As a People, as a Nation, we seem to be drifting into the abyss at an alarming speed. Is there hope or is this the terminal Generation? Whatever you say or do is interpreted along Religious, Ethnic, Regional or Political Lines. Nothing and no one is spared, it’s either you are an APC or PDP member or apologist, you are of the opinion because you are either Muslim or Christian, your confidence stems from the Fact that you are from the North. I did not get the Job because am from the East. The list is endless. When you commend a laudable move of the Government, you are seeking Government Patronage. We are a generation of Critics. Criticisms should be made with good intentions, aimed of course at righting the wrongs in the polity and seek...

When Nigerians want to be petty, we go the extreme in our pettiness. One of the most prominent and revered Muslim Leader and Monarch in this Country Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero (CFR, LLD, JP) (25 July 1930 – 6 June 2014) passed on last Friday and instead of eulogies for the great man who ruled for almost 51 years and condolence visits to his family, we have messed up the process with needless controversy. The late Emir who was a very successful Businessman,who had worked as a Banker – yes you read it right, he was a Banker, Police Officer, MP and Diplomat. He was a former Ambassador to Senegal. Son of the late Addullahi Bayero Dan Muhammad Abbas. Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero (CFR, LLD, JP) was the 13 th Fulani Emir since the Fulani war of Usman Dan Fodio, when the Fulani took over the Hausa City-States. He was one of the Strongest and most Powerful Emirs in the History of the Hausa Land. He was also renowned for his abundant wealth and generosity. May his soul rest in Peac...

PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) BURUTU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA EXECUTIVE – NO EXCUSE FOR IMPUNITY I had an interesting conversation with a Party Faithful recently on SUIT NO.:FHC/WR/CS/189/2013 between Sagbegha Korokorosei Plaintiff and Ogbeibiri Kenneth, Peter Nwaboshi, Peoples Democratic Party and Independent National Electoral Commission defendants. Ogbeibiri Kenneth is the illegally sworn in Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Burutu Local Government Area and who had enjoyed the privilege of that office since 1 st October, 2012 and still parades himself as the Chairman of the Party in the Council Area in flagrant disregard to the Judgment and Judgment order of 5 th March, 2013. The Party stalwart said   “The hands of the Party leadership is tied as there is a stay of execution order by a Court pending the determination of the appeal filled by the defendant Ogbeibiri Kenneth”  I immediately called Mr. Sagbegha Korokor...

WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS? “I can be on guard against my enemies, But God deliver me from my FRIENDS!” ~ Charlotte Bronte, Letters of Charlotte Bronte The Dictionary defines a friend as “A Person whom one knows and with whom one has a bound of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations” So who is your friend? “Iron Sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17. There are two types of Friendships; there is the Nourishing Friendship and the Toxic Friendship. NOURISHING FRIENDSHIPS are those that proverbs 27:17 speak of. They bring out the best in you, encourage you, and stand by you at all times. They are the type Leo Buscaglia describes as “A single rose can be my garden…..a single friend, my world” they are the type Hubert H. Humphrey rejoiced about “The greatest gift of Life is friendship, and I have received it.” Do you have a friend? It’s a precious thing friendship; Helen Keller must have had a good ...

IN SEARCH OF IMMORTALITY “A small fact: You are going to die....does this worry you?”   ~   Markus Zusak ,   The Book Thief It’s safe to say in so many ways we all seek to be Immortal, not that we are not going to die but what should we be remembered for when we die. our vast acquisitions, power, position, streets named after us, magnificent edifices all point to something we want others to remember at our demise that he or she once lived. It’s been a week or so of events from the uncommon act of The Governorship aspirant Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe celebrating his Birthday with Prisoners in Ogwashukwu, Sapele and Warri Prisons, culminating in an all night of Praise Unlimited at Glory Sanctuary Christian Center Ogbobagbene Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State 6 th June, 2014. To the Death of an Amazon of a woman, our own Iron Lady who has inscribed her name in our Hearts   Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR) 14 th July, 1...

IS THE PRESS DOING ENOUGH TO STOP THE CULTURE OF IMPUNITY? “….a Culture of Impunity Leads to Political Instability” ~ Femi Falana (san) May 29 th Nigeria celebrated what we call Democracy Day. That day marks fifteen unbroken years of our current Democratic experiment since 1999. Am of the view that Corruption and Impunity are evils that we need to tackle urgently for our thriving democracy to be sustained. It seems Femi Falana (San) shares that view too, but in his opinion it’s even the Culture of Impunity that gives elected officers the impetus to be corrupt. http://deltapdp.blogspot.com/2014/05/blog-post.html#more With the recent revelations that members of the Fourth Estate of the realm collected huge sums of Money from the Governor of River State His Excellency Rotimi Amaechi to champion his hazy cause, am forced to ask “is the Press doing enough to curb the Culture of Impunity in the Polity”? http://deltapdp.blogspot.com/2014/05/peoples-democratic-par...