POVERTY AND TERRORISM
CORRUPTION, POVERTY AND
TERRORISM
Nigeria
is the biggest oil exporter in Africa, yet its population are amongst the
poorest on earth because of state corruption. ~ Injustice Facts
“Overcoming
poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and
Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and
eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation
to be great. YOU can be that generation. Let your greatness blossom.” ~ Nelson
Mandela.
Poverty
like corruption and terrorism are a global scourge, poverty is believed to be
directly or indirectly responsible for many of today’s evils; Armed Robbery,
Prostitution, Kidnapping, Drug Peddling/Abuse, Human Trafficking, Rituals,
Terrorism etc. but like the late Global Statesman Nelson Mandela pointed out,
Poverty is Man-made.
Many
have commended President Goodluck Jonathan’s Economic policies and have
acknowledged that the Nation has taken a bold leap in the right direction and
that in the nearest future our Nation will be among the Great economies in the
World. But it will take concerted effort on the part of all stakeholders; The
Private, Corporate, Local, State and the Federal Government to make that
happen. There lies my skepticism.
The adoption of President Jonathan as the PDP's sole Candidate in next year’s Presidential Election, seems to have
opened the flood gate to a season of Adoptions. But there are Questions; what
are the indices that make an incumbent or aspirant qualified for adoption? Will
political expediency take the back sit at the expense of quality and past
record? Does the Party have a Structure in place to measure performance? Who decides
that a candidate deserves Adoption – the select few or the People the Party tout
that has the Power?
In
spite of our grandstanding and self adulation as a party we need to take a
critical look at our performance in the past sixteen (16) years as the Party in
Power. “Most of our
Platitudes notwithstanding, self-deception remains the most difficult deception.
The tricks that work on others count for nothing in that very well-lit back
alley where one keeps assignations with oneself: no winning smiles will do
here, no prettily drawn lists of good intentions.” ~ Joan Didion
Jesus asked his disciples; “Who do people say I am?” in a
follow up question, he asked “But who do you say I Am? Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe a
Former Minister and Governorship Aspirant under the PDP in Delta State said “Almost
Ninety-Nine percent of followers are sycophants; it takes wisdom to filter the
voice of the genuine One percent from the Ninety-Nine.” What is that valuable
One percent saying about our achievements as a Party?
Supporters of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, Governor of
Delta State including myself continue to harp that His Excellency is a performing
Governor who is set to finish strong; but the nay sayers are saying the reality
on ground is different. Road is one infrastructure that touches on the life of
all in the society. Good roads are a necessary prerequisite for development in
any State, they point out that all the roads His Excellency proposed for dual
carriageway, none has been completed and that almost all inter-City and
intra-City roads in the State are various stages of disrepair, the Delta Beyond
Oil campaign is a mere Slogan, the State Independent Power Project (IPP) is mired
in controversy and that all the projects he completed where those started by
his predecessor Chief James Ibori. They call him the Schools Renovation
Governor, but I think that is harsh.
These voices insist it’s the same tale in many PDP ruled
States. I don't think the opposition fare better in this regard though, but
they say “we need more Akwa Ibom and Lagos States in order for us to achieve
our long desired greatness as a Nation.” They question if Dr. Uduaghan has the
moral justification to anoint a successor? And be granted a VIP pass to the
Senate as Speculated, with the reality on ground?
Will Senators and members of the House of Representatives
who had defrauded the people by pocketing the constituency Project allocation http://tinyurl.com/pbprvmt be entitled to automatic adoption like Mr. President? I hear Senate President
Mark has already secured his Adoption. Our party the largest Party in Africa
needs very serious self evaluation.
Studies
show that terrorism is a pretty rewarding business. Terror groups such as; The
Taliban, Hezbollah, FARC, Hamas, Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram,
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and ISIS are all Multi Billion and Million Dollar
organizations and despite world leaders continues sing song that these groups
do not represent Islam, a recent report states the contrary; “It bears repeating
that much of the revenue listed above, with the exception of FARC’s drug money,
originate from traditional Islamic revenues sources such as Zakat, Sadaqa,
Khums, and Ushr, rather than from “secular,” criminal activity.” Many experts
attribute the success of Boko Haram to extreme poverty in the North.
But as
Nelson Mandela pointed out, “……..Sometimes it falls on a generation to be
great. YOU can be that generation. Let your greatness blossom.” The PDP must
move beyond rhetoric and work to reverse all ugly practices that accentuate
poverty in the Land. To achieve greatness we must
address extreme poverty.
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