Michael Botu's Blog

BURUTU LGA CHAIRMANSHIP - ADOPTION OF CLARK’S SON, A MISNOMER Monday 21 st July, 2014 Some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State was said to have met in the Mega Hilton Hotel Effurun, not to address the serious problems of underdevelopment and unemployment plaguing the Council Area but to adopt a candidate for the Chairmanship slot in the forth coming Council Polls. This is coming at a time when the Presidency and the New Leadership of the PDP have made it abundantly clear that; the era of kangaroo Primaries is over. It seems these leaders are either not in Nigeria or they want to dare Mr. President His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, The Party leadership lead by the indefatigable National Chairman Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu and the State Governor His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan who all insist that the process of selecting candidates for Elections should be transparent and that everyone should be given a...

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”   ~ Nelson Mandela BEYOND 2015     Today July 18 th the World marked Nelson Mandela day, the first since the passing on of the Great Icon of the liberation struggle December 5, 2013 at the ripe old age of 95. In this Historic day, Archibishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Malala Yousafzai, Graca Machel, Bono, Mo Ibrahim and Muhammed Yunus joined forces to sound a warning that 2015 is a year of huge opportunity, but also of huge risk. At a time when individuals and countries are strategizing for the future, it is such a pity that all our Politicians and leaders can think about is 2015. I have stated in another paper that we have reduced everything in Nigeria to “WE” vs “THEM” a mentality that is killing our Creativity, our Passion, our Drive and Outlook. We are a Nation of critics (see http://tinyurl.com/ntavv2c ) I have asked this question a million times “Must someone be in Government to contribute ...

WHEN THE GOING WAS GOOD - CHIEF PETER NWAOBOSHI (LEFT) AND DR. (MRS.) MARIAM ALI, WIFE OF THE FORMER PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN WHEN HER HUSBAND WAS THE NATIONAL CHAIRMAN THEN AT THE PDP GRAND FINALE RALLY IN ASABA ON 4/4/07 PETER NWAOBOSHI’S SLAP ON AHMADU ALI “Violence is not only impractical but immoral”  ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Chief Barr. Peter Nwaoboshi the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Delta State was reported to have slapped Ahmadu Ali former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s wife. For the avoidance of doubt in the African culture if you slap a man’s wife; it’s the man you have slapped. Am a fan of Peter Nwaoboshi the pragmatic leader of our great party and actually wished the story was a lie but in the same report, he was quoted to have said “People were there, persons like the former deputy governor, the 25 local government party chairmen, security agents were all there, to confirm what I have just told you. De...

THE KAIAMA DECLARATION 16 YEARS AFTER ~ WHERE DID WE MISS IT Part 2 Based on the foregoing, we, the youths of Ijawland hereby make the following resolutions to be known as the Kaiama Declaration: THE RESOLUTIONS 1. All land and natural resources (including mineral resources) within the Ijaw territory belong to Ijaw communities and are the basis of our survival. Have we reclaimed our land? Bayelsa State that can be said to be a Homogenous Ijaw State has not been reclaimed from the Predators we call politicians that had filled their Bank Accounts, acquired properties in Choice Cities (we hitherto grudge they have developed with our Oil Money) and squander our wealth just like the oppressors use to do. Can any of the Politicians that have served in Bayelsa State, Truly Honestly in the comfort of their Glorious bedrooms say “I did my best for my people”? 2. We cease to recognise all undemocratic decrees that rob our peoples/communities of the right to ow...

THE KAIAMA DECLARATION ALMOST 16 YEARS AFTER ~ WHERE DID WE MISS IT  - Part 1 One of the best pieces of Declaration and one that changed the way the Ijaws were viewed by the Nigerian State is The Kaiama declaration. 11 th December, 2014 will make it 16 years since that Historical document authored by some of the best minds in the Ijaw Nation was made. The declaration had 10 Observations and 10 Resolutions. Where do we stand today viz a viz these Observations and Resolutions I have reproduced here the Historic Document and my Personal deductions in red. THE OBSERVATIONS a. That it was through British colonization that the IJAW NATION was forcibly put under the Nigerian State b. That but for the economic interests of the imperialists, the Ijaw ethnic nationality would have evolved as a distinct and separate sovereign nation, enjoying undiluted political, economic, social, and cultural AUTONOMY. c. That the division of the Southern Protectorate into East and ...

PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP – THE MISSING LINK “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” ~ Warren Bennis Africa and Nigeria in Particular is Blessed with Abundant Natural and Human Resources. What is missing as everyone agrees is Leadership, not just leadership as we have that in their millions in the continent but Purposeful Leadership. What is Purposeful Leadership? We need to separate the two words to get a better understanding. What is Purposeful or Purpose? “Purpose is why we do something or why something exists” “It is the reason for which something is done or created………..” “A person’s sense of resolve or determination is Purpose” we shall discuss purpose as it relates to our Destiny in a broader discuss in another paper. What is purposeful? It’s “Having or manifesting Purpose; Determination, Resolve, Resolute, Firm, Steadfast, Single-minded, Having a useful Purpose” Leadership on the other hand is “The action of leading a group of people...