Michael Botu's Blog

It will be difficult even for a keen observer to keep track of the many policy somersaults and gaff of the Ruling All Progressive Congress APC but the most recent is laughable to say the least. The Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed described as a round peg in a round hole in a statement quoted President Mohammadu Buhari to have said former President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP were not prepared for defeat. Those who know our Information Minister must have taken what he said with a bag of salt, but for the very few that may have swallowed what he said a little clarification is necessary. Is it not surprising that Seven Months into the life of this administration, the APC still carries on with the Attitude of a Party on Campaign trail? Recall that the same Lai Mohammed who was the National Publicity Secretary of the APC had informed the Nation back in April 2015 that President – elect (as he was then) had inaugurated a 19 member Transition Committe...

Nigeria's foremost blogger,Linda Ikeji, who recently lavished over half a billion naira on her new home,has shared thought-provoking words of inspiration to inspire young people. My name is Linda Ikeji. I’m a blogger. I’m 35 years old and I have never…never ever in my life slept with a man for money. Not only have I never done it, I have never even considered it…and here I am with a house that cost me over half a billion naira. Listen, you are beautiful and you are stronger than you know. There’s absolutely nothing you can’t achieve if you set your mind to it, put your heart and soul into it. Up until five years ago, I was a struggling entrepreneur. I can’t tell you how many offices in this Lagos I sat in for hours waiting to see people who could support my business…but most times, I never passed the reception area. But I never gave up and I never stopped believing and here I am today. You too can be this..you can be better than this. No dream is too big, no dream ...

“When everything seems to be against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” ~ Henry Ford “What will you be doing today if you knew you won’t fail?” That to me is the most energizing question and the answer ought to form the basis for actions daily. The fear of the unknown has held many back from taking the needed action, when they ought to and often makes a potential super success live an average life till death. Apart from the fear of the unknown; past failure comes pretty next on the list. Failure has a way of marring your desire for adventure; it creates mental blockades that impede your urge to do more, to be more. Of all factors that can hinder a man or woman from achieving their goals or becoming successful in life Adversity perhaps ranks top on the list. What is adversity?

A widely published statement credited to American Billionaire and Republican Presidential Hopeful Donald Trump reflects the thinking of not just many of America's population but that also of the Government. Trump had said "The Middle East would be more stable if Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein were still in Power in Libya and Irag," saying it's "not even a contest" both Leaders were overthrown and killed with the help of America. Analyst are of the opinion that the American Government may have learnt a bitter lesson in both instances that it would have been best to work with these strong leaders than have them disposed and executed. that perhaps informs the policy shift with respect to the outcome of the recently concluded elections in Nigeria. I have often wondered how Nigerians overwhelmingly embraced a former dictator in the last elections held in Nigeria. Nigerians in our short memory conveniently forgot that the current Democracy w...

I always relish the idea of writing something that will benefit even if it's a single person then my work is done for the day. Unlike many in the Blogging Business, am not online primarily to make Money. I admire Bloggers that make huge fortune online and hope to someday profit from this Gift the Almighty had Graciously Lavished on me without measure that I can actually pick any topic and have something to say, it's a rare gift and am truly grateful to God. My simple mission in life is; "To Make Life A Lot Easier For Anyone That I Have The Rare Privilege For Our Paths To Cross" I may not have the opportunity to meet so many people in my life time, so I choose to put online my thoughts and the little I have gleaned from Books, Tapes and other materials i believe will be of benefit to others.

After the 2015 election, I predicted on Twitter that when critical decisions are to be taken, Yemi Osinbajo, the token Southerner in Aso Rock, would be sent to go and buy “guguru and epa.” This has proved prescient. The vice-president was barred from attending a National Security briefing on the grounds that he did not have security clearance. But who can have more clearance than a man elected by the people? How did Buhari himself get his? On August 30th, 2015, the vice-President was again publicly embarrassed when armed men shut down the Aso Rock Chapel, preventing him from worshipping there. After shouting myself hoarse, warning Nigerians not to elect Buhari as president, I decided to keep quiet and watch things unfold from the sidelines. Fela said about Buhari’s first-coming: “The people wey no sabi dey jubilate, the people wey sabi dey shake their head.” It is now 100 days since Buhari became president and many of my worst fears have been confirmed. President Buhari is a ...

"Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours." ~ Les Brown That is the missing link, “Helping Others.” “If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your own path” ~ Nichiren Daishonin our greatest challenge as a Nation and as a people is selfishness and Greed and not the much hyped corruption. Corruption loosely defined is “Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery” If you call the taking of bribe by Policemen to ameliorate their meager earnings corruption, what will you call Farouk Lawan collecting a whopping $620,000 from Businessman Femi Otedola? For the records Farouk Muhammad Lawan is a member of the House of Representatives since 1999 (Millions of Nigerians will never be poor if given only four years in that House) representing the Bagwa/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State a man who had in past headed the integrity group in the House and ensured that former Speaker Patri...

NIGERIAN PRESIDENT OR KING OF THE NORTH By Femi Fani-Kayode In 418 BC Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, who is known as the “father of history,” said “a man who does not know anything about the events that took place before he or she was born will remain forever a child.” Not only was he right but one must go a step further by saying that those who refuse to learn from their history are condemned to repeating its mistakes. In 1957, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sadauna of Sokoto and the Premier of the North, said the following: “We the people of the North will continue our stated intention to conquer the South and to dip the Quran in the Atlantic Ocean after the British leave our shores.” Three years later, on October 12,1960, he went a step further by saying the following words to the Parrot Newspaper: “The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in t...

“If you want different results then you have to take different actions on a consistent basis.” ~ Billy Cox A wise man once defined madness as “Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting to get a different result” If what you are doing had not produced the kind of result you expect, make a Change. What is Change? Change is an act or process through which something becomes different. To get a different result we need to Change; Change our Mindset and other things will follow. It was Leo Tolsoy who said “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The late Music Legend in one of his timeless classics wrote: “If you want the World to be a Better Place, Take a look at yourself and make that change” ~ Michael Jackson The 44 th and 45 th President of the United States of America Barack Obama aggress to that assertion; “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We ar...

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. it is lethal." ~ Paulo Coelho what is an Adventure? Adventure is an unusual and exciting or daring experience.  so what does adventure mean to you? To Arianwen Morris, Adventure means stepping out of your comfort zone and breaking from the monotony of what is expected. It means taking risk and challenging yourself. So many of us live a life of mediocrity and die without leaving a mark in the sands of time. Our lives are so monotonous others can tell time by our activities. Step out of your Comfort Zone and explore the world around you. You may not have the resources to take a vacation outside the Country or visit places of interest within your Country but why not do something new once a while? Shop in a new Place, have a hair cut in another Saloon, watch a Football match outside your home, spend the weekend with some relative, pass a new route to your home or office, take a walk around an...

The Niger Delta belongs to the South-South geopolitical zone, among the six zones in the country (not constitutionally recognized), which include the South West, South East, North West, North East and North Central. In specific terms, the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria comprises Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers states. The Region has over 40 billion of proven hydro-carbon reserves, being the reason for its importance to international actors in quest of cheap source of energy and a parasitic local ruling class dependent solely on revenue accruing from the oil. As is well-known, Nigeria relies on earnings from oil as Oil accounts for 85 per cent of the Nations GDP. As far back as 1966 Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) was convinced that “There was no basis for Nigeria’s unity” and many analyst believed then that he was convinced by the British Government to “Go On With One Nigeria” True or False, events that followed the Civil War...

To say Many Politicians do not have a conscience is an understatement, they are callous and wicked. In a Nation of so much poverty, can our Politicians justify entertaining guest with champagne that cost as much as 150,000 Naira a bottle in cartons and on daily basis? Why fly Private Jets in the midst of so much lack? Must they travel in long conveys, even in the face of Fuel Scarcity? Nothing typifies the heartlessness of Many Politicians as much as their failure to pay civil servants their meager Monthly Income. I have stated elsewhere that our failure to ask those we elected or allowed to be selected into Public Office questions is one contributing factor to their display of arrogance and disdain for the masses. Why were the Governors unable to pay Salaries (Including some States that pockets 13% Derivation Monthly)? Governance is all about Management, we knew of the dwindling Oil revenue, how come we were unprepared for it? Yes we hail the so called ...