Michael Botu's Blog

I have been a long admirer of Femi Fani kayode, I first came across the name in the Guardian Newspaper and like a few other contributors to the paper I got hooked on him. I practically adore Dr. Reuben Abati and until I married I had a large part of my room occupied with copies of the Guardian Newspaper with Dr. Abati’s articles in them. Till date if I and my wife want to refer to someone as very busy, we simply say Abati in reference to an article he wrote in Ghana some years back. There was no article written by Femi Fani Kayode, as well as Dr. G. G. Darah - the Pen Militant – that I will not devour with excitement. I told a friend once “Any novice who cares to read and is passionate about service can be a successful leader in Nigeria by reading the Guardian Newspaper’s opinion pages” that was before the political attraction lured many of them away from the Pen Profession. The article in question I read with the same zeal but was disappointed because my Long Admired...

THE SPIRIT OF COURAGE "The few own the many because they possess the means of livelihood of all  ... The country is governed for the richest, for the corporations, the bankers, the land speculators, and for the exploiters of labor. The majority of mankind are working people. So long as their fair demands —the ownership and control of their livelihoods—are set at naught, we can have neither men's rights nor women's rights. The majority of mankind is ground down by industrial oppression in order that the small remnant may live in ease." —Helen Keller, 1911 Born a normal Child Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) had an illness just after 19 Months on planet earth, left her Blind and Deaf. That did not stop the young woman as she went on to become A Prolific writer, an advocate and Lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, broke through the iso...

A wise man once said "Obstacles are those things we see when we take our eyes off the Goal" Our collective Goal is to Build a Better Nigeria, where things are working. Our obstacles? None! only the one's you invent. Like St. Francis Of Assisi said "Start by doing what is Necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible"

Government is too big and too important to be left to the Politicians” ~ Chester Bowles (1901 – 1986) I totally ascribe to this quote credited to Chester Bliss Bowles the former Governor of Connecticut (1949 – 1951), a Liberal Democrat, an American Diplomat and Politician. Many have justified the entrance of all sorts of fellows to the political arena on Charles De Gaulle (1890 – 1970) quote “I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians” but we quickly forget that Charles De Gaulle had a Military background and was perhaps justifying his own entry into Politics, that is a subject of another day's discussion. Government and not politics is too serious a matter to be left to the Politicians. But Politics should be left for the Politicians. Agreed we are all Political Animals but there are those whose singular passion is service, they live, eat, breathe talk and sleep service, they are professional politic...

CONSTITUENCY PROJECT WAHALA “I  don't  think much of a man Who is not wiser than he was Yesterday.” ~ Abraham Lincoln In our last discourse I made reference to the definition of madness as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting to get a different result. We continue to express apathy, we fold our arms, and we complain, we curse, we swear and on the positive side, we pray but we take no concrete step to make change happen. By May 29, 2015 our current democratic experiment will be sixteen years old, what have we achieved? Which sector of our economy can proudly say, we have perfected? We all must go beyond the cursing, the swearing, the complaining and the apathy and do something. The Late Afro Beat King Fela  Anikulapo  Kuti in a conversation with Carlos Moore said “A Nigerian Senator just told me “If even 5000 Nigerians started imitating Fela, it would soon be very chaotic here!” Fela replied him “No, It would be a revol...

STILL ON THE CONSTITUENCY PROJECT CHALLENGE “When followers fail To exercise the POWER They POSSESS over their Leaders, ESPECIALLY ELECTORATE POWER, The Leaders most OFTEN assume That they have the Legitimacy to ENGAGE IN POLITICAL  CRIMINALITY AND IRREGULARITIES” ~ Scranton and Chadwick (emphasis mine) Not a day passes without someone complaining about the Government, we criticize them, we call them names, we analyze, we argue and we even fight, but the situation remains the same. The attitude of many is that of Apathy or Despondency. Like Socrates said “By all means marry. If you get a good wife,  you'll  become happy; if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher”  A man who marries a wife he is not happy with do all he can to effect change in his home or he takes the seemingly easy but in reality wrong option of divorce. Either way Change is affected. Majority of Nigerians are Philosophers. We hope that one day there w...

THE CONSTITUENCY PROJECT CHALLENGE I had an interesting conversation with a friend online today and he drew my attention to The Guardian Sunday August 10 , 2014 report with the Caption; FATADE: Nigerians Must Question Their Legislators on Constituency Project Funds. (See the report http://tinyurl.com/obmoqs3 ) This was our Conversation: My Friend: Do you know your Senator? Me: Yes!!! And as a typical Nigerian I retorted with another question, am a political blogger, why  won't  I know my Senator? My friend: Who is your Senator? Me: Barr. James E. Manager My Friend: where does he represent? Me: Delta South Senatorial District My Friend: How many local Governments does he represent? Me: Eight (8) Warri South, Warri North, Warri South-West, Isoko North, Isoko South, Burutu, Bomadi and Patani My Friend: How long has he been in the Senate? Me: Since 2007 (feeling very good with myself) My Friend: How many constituency projects are located in yo...