Operation “Throw My Shoe At Nigerian Looters”

Operation “Throw My Shoe at Nigerian Looters” ByEmmanuel Franklyne Ogbunwezeh* The Nigerian socio-political space is now a socio-pathological “Absurdistan”; an iniquitous amphitheatre, dedicated to the atrocious eroticization of political stupidity. This arena has degenerated into an...

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[Gongo-aso]

YouTube - Nigerian Senators Are Money Looting Criminals See How Much They Take Home Every Month!

[Karo Akarah]

They should all be shot! Breaking news! Nigeria is ripe for a military takeover.

[NWANZA]

Originally Posted by Karo Akarah

They should all be shot! Breaking news! Nigeria is ripe for a military takeover.

You got that right - one more military intervention that will shake things up.

Sincerity of purpose on these issues
1. keep civilian governors in all the 36 states & eliminate LGA
2. shrink the 36 states to 12 states within one year.
3. shrink the 12 states to 6 Regional States in two years.
4. Local governments has to be managed by 6 regional states.
5. conduct a transparent regional election in 3rd year.
6. work out a constitution for the whole country 4th year.
7. elect a civilian president on the 5th year.

This is the real seven point agenda.

Yar'Adua seven point to looting agenda is not working, because of the criminals that surround the seat of power.

[NWANZA]

Originally Posted by Ph3y

@ Nwanza:

Why not lets try naked men for a change??? I think women have tried in this matter. Let the men too do something.

Can you imagine what they will do with naked men? LOL.

[ladybug]

Originally Posted by NWANZA

Can you imagine what they will do with naked men? LOL.

I appreciate the humor behind it but I really think that this situation is alot more serious than a bunch of naked men running around. Keep your dreams on your pillow darlin.

[quietswami]

Rohm Emanuel was credited with expression of not letting a good disaster go to waste (I believe?), my spin would be not to let a good “joke” go to waste. Conscious that the humour of this piece is informed by an earlier piece, which concluded that the shoe-throwing act is an active course of reaction for concerned Nigerians, given the state of governmental corruption in the country. Admittedly, I had dismissed the initial headline as a copy-cat act without the same import of the Iraqi socio-cultural context. The symbolic significance would somehow be lost as it does not have a similar weighting in the Nigerian context. Whilst there is universal awareness of what the action denotes – copycat acts only dilutes the significance; hence my initial dismissal.

Still dismissive of the act as an effective recourse – symbolic gesturing and pragmatism aside – based on the effectiveness of such an act both in the build up, and the aftermath of the publicity stunt. Ultimately, rather unfortunately, that will be the general classification of the act – losing the Iraqi socio-cultural significance, and falls in the category of short-lived notoriety to be discarded just as quickly.

A categorisation of the range of reactions to the piece is particularly informing, and rather depressingly, predictable – the ever-present deck responsive playing cards abound:

The entity Nigeria does not exist card; Obliging endorsement with the inevitable hilarity card; Go or come to Nigeria to effect change to prove your conviction or commitment card; Convenience of abroad card; The leadership blame card; Docile citizenry card; What are you doing about it? card; Secession card; Revolution card – all relating to the context of this write-up alone! An extension to the wider context will throw up the Colonisation card; Nigeria is on par - other countries are no different card; Tribalism card... the regularity of such themes almost calls for a numbering system to speed up the feedback loop!

Reflecting on how I differ from the morass, I realise that maybe I’m no different! Perhaps the overwhelming nature of the problem and necessary solution has become overbearing to induce docility, fear, passivity... Perhaps like the starving tiger in the wild – sees the mammoth elephant as edible and ample source to quell the pangs of hunger but is put off by the size of the task, and scampers away – though still very hungry but completely overwhelmed!

I realise that maybe I’m being overly pessimistic in my outlook. Whilst I’m not actively hounding corrupt officials; theorising on appropriate political theories... I have in my own way evolved my Nigerian Ideal and actively working on it! An escapist fantasy that ignores the reality of here and now but focuses on the possibilities – this I achieve by reversing to the source for my intellectual motivation – my little Niece and Nephew! In their eyes I see the future - the challenge of how I can ensure they are infused with the right ideals of Nigeria from the convenient climes of the UK. Their lot may not be within the narrow confines of “Nigerianess” as oft prescribed but in the global citizenry that identifies them as such given their inherited traits and sundry. I identify the “good”, the “bad”, and the “ugly” of being “Nigerian”. Accentuate the “good”, and instil the coping mechanisms to identify, change, and eliminate the “bad” and the “ugly”. I realise this is a diversion, but a necessary one to highlight a standpoint – one that believes that change can be effected but needs to be constructive, fundamental, foundational, and sustaining; one that believes that actions don’t have to be grand, ground-breaking, physical, revolutionary or location based; one that believes that words - however inspiring - alone cannot effect change but actions, however minor, do make a difference.

Bridging the gap between the reality of the present and the idealised future is the obvious challenge – however one may clamour for change: change never occurs overnight! Like Obama’s ship liner, it is slow-turning but deliberate. Unfortunately, a situation not dissimilar to the case of the flesh-eating disease (necrotizing fasciitis) - stealth, slow, deliberate, and all-consuming. Difference is in the awareness, conscious deliberation, effective organisation, and “smart” actions deployed to counter an adverse situation. Deliberate action being the operative theme here! Whilst the ills that beset the country have been stealth, gradual and now pervasive – the counter action has to adopt similar qualities but with deliberate consciousness!

Case of the overwhelmed case tiger and the elephant certainly! However, an ambush of tigers – an apt and deliberate collective term, also an active word – readily solves the problem. The effectiveness of an ambush is not simply one of outnumbering the prey, but of strategy and tactics – the same deployed to take down the elephant is adapted to take on the stampeding herd of antelopes – vision; awareness of own strength and weaknesses – (speed, strength and number); focus; target; terrain; organisation; timing... infused with tactical manoeuvrings – isolation, diversion, herding, exploitation of weak links, positioning, fatal strike points... Such instantaneous daily rituals of nature on the plains of the Serengeti (would have loved to say Yankari but alas!) - have a lot to inform any form of action, shoe-throwing or otherwise.

In war, chaos may appear to be the order of the day but the discerning eyes appreciate the interplay of the seamless blend of strategy and tactics. Like in war, the frontlines are ill-defined but the organised side appreciates the virtues of organisation – not all should be on the frontlines, not all on the frontlines can effect victory but everyone knowing, and adequately playing their role will improve the chances of victory – not assured, but at least a worthwhile good fight will be had. Like the ambush of tigers on the Serengeti, and the courageous Spartans portrayed in the film “300”, the insurmountable may be real but what you do in response is most telling. The tiger does not need to profess its tigritude, but in the face of formidable threat to its survival; it should rally its ambush and respond!

Shoe-throwing is the act of a lame tiger! The gem in this piece however is the chess equivalent of denying space to the king on the chessboard, an insight I roundly applaud! Effecting such a strategy is in the collective strength of gathering credible evidence on targets – (digression) I was particularly disappointed by the paucity of evidence in the face of rigorous objective questioning of Ribadu before the Select House Committee in the US – a somewhat missed opportunity given the supposed scale of corruption in the country. A deliberate sustaining construct is necessary one that exploits existing structures, however unreliable, objective, repeatable, assessment criterion – objective public records of stated income, sources, assets... tax offices, corporate records... location of assets, associates, families... objective investigative assessment of declared official records – budgets, revenues, projects, plans...

As Ribadu discovered, the burden of proof has to be duly satisfied – declaring suspicion of corruption is nothing but hearsays that commands little reaction. As evident with the recent scandal of MP expenses in the UK – presented with undeniable evidence constituents were spurred into action! Given the onerous nature of such an undertaking, proof does not need to be exact but adequate enough to be irrefutable – focussed, sustained, targeted, comprehensive, reliable, organised, and collated. The NVS’s and SaharaReporters of this world can provide the sustained, comprehensive, result-oriented focus! Emboldened with the “truth” a people have a moral purpose to effect change however minuscule at home or abroad – denying space becomes a pragmatic and actionable objective. Every crook needs some semblance of respectability and trusted niche of following (sycophants et al) – evidenced in the country with the glamorous mansions and cars, parties... also abroad by coveting seeminlgy respectable company, investments, activities, education of offspring... As long as there are those to be impressed the crook will have a safe haven – influence without the influenced or those to be influenced has a hollow ring to it.

A siege of paranoiac proportions will swell the rank of “shoe throwers”, not simply as the exclusive preserve of the “victims” but of all those not wanting to be tainted by the tarnished image of a proven crook! Home or abroad, voluntarily or otherwise! No threat of physical violence will be required but the innate, collective; compulsion of enforced moral justice instigated by unavoidable circumstance will do the trick! As demonstrated with the UK MPs, the propensity to not do the right thing can be triggered by systemic circumstances, but such can equally be curtailed by the glaring spotlight of proven wrongdoing with an even dose of the awareness of shame! Ha! The Achilles heel! If shame was a reality and not a concept, perhaps the situation may not have gotten so bad! The space would have been denied! To be seen!

Next Step

Enough of the levity – Umaru Dikko was purported to have said that Nigerians were not suffering from poverty because they weren’t eating out of garbage dumps as yet – maybe he had a point! When the Tiger gets hungry it doesn’t scavenge for food with the hyenas or scamper away to die! It gets its ambush together, and hunts for fresh meat! Where is the ambush? If the Villagers or the Sahara Reporters constitute the ambush - bare your fangs! We’ve shuffled enough “cards” in the pack, time to play the serious game! Why the Tiger? The adopted national symbol of the Eagle has proven inadequate – does not hunt as a pack; a mute reflective point – a resulting factor in its global decline to the point of extinction! To avoid a similar predicament for Nigerians, I have opted for Wole Soyinka’s analogy of the Tiger – blame him for imbuing us with the sense of the animal for its majestic qualities but not so much for its survival instincts!

The way up thousand steps is the first step for - NVS and SR – Yes it is “doing” something but we need to raise the bar a bit more – dedicate a folder to build a case profile for our target/s (no point going after the herd a well targeted few will do the trick!) – let all with valid and reliable facts and data contribute; let those with the appropriate analytical acumen do their thing; let those with contacts build up the target’s inner circle; let those with the connections tap into all available resources to create awareness...

Is this a revolution? Heck no! Way past that! What does it mean anyway? Some archaic blood-letting exercise leaving more carcass in an already polluted environment?! Is this mob rule? Not quite! There is no mob to speak of here! Merely a collection of smart passive individuals of heightened awareness who know that their collective intellect can make some difference! Choosing to do something – anything! Is this feasible? Wikipedia is not perfect but there are tangible results! Isn’t this naivety on a grand scale? Of course! What else?! Naivety got us the virtual world of the internet - our eternal abode of safety! But then we’ve already tried the “non-naive” thing already and that hasn’t done us much good so far! We have rehashed all possible theories to the point of blandness!

We are in the age of naivety – if Obama can afford to be naive – maybe there is something to it after all! He might very well be the only "smart" person in the room! Know a good thing when I see one – I therefore proudly proclaim my naivety! Henceforth the burden of proof of knowledge shall be on “non-naives”, I challenge them not to deploy the usual armoury of “knowing” cynical scepticism or retreat to the dissimulating, reclusive comfort of ready sarcastic humour but to take on the challenge of proffering actionable solutions – dare to be naive and let’s see how far we can go!

But please! No shoe-throwing! Evokes a sense of emotional reaction! This is a slow, deliberate, calculating game that requires dignified composure. In any case, it undermines the ideals of the future "we" want to build – the measure of dignity of a people is not in how they cope during the good times but in how they comport themselves in times of adversity. I go chop dignity? Can’t help you there I’m afraid! There's only so many words for the wise!

[Silent 1]

@quietswami
Admirable positivism, pragmatism and eloquence, this! Yet, reading through reveals solutions, ideas and conclusions reached on the basis of quetionable assumptions and, at best, hasty inferences. A case in point?

The NVS’s and SaharaReporters of this world can provide the sustained, comprehensive, result-oriented focus! Emboldened with the “truth” a people have a moral purpose to effect change however minuscule at home or abroad

If the Villagers or the Sahara Reporters constitute the ambush - bare your fangs! We’ve shuffled enough “cards” in the pack, time to play the serious game!

A cursory look at both websites/ fora (NVS and Sahara Reporters) and the posts of members therein seems to put you in the right -- there's near-universal condemnation of corruption and other ills -- all effects. But, take a closer, detailed look and you'll see the cause of all the effects we so vehemently condemn: tribalism; ethnicity; victim mentality ....the loss or lack of nationhood.

"Nigeria" has to be defined. It has to be created/re-created, incorporated.....whatever. This is the start point. All else seem to me like treating an effect while allowing the still active cause a free reign.

This very little I have said is of course exclusive of show throwing.

[quietswami]

Originally Posted by Silent 1

@quietswami
A cursory look at both websites/ fora (NVS and Sahara Reporters) and the posts of members therein seems to put you in the right -- there's near-universal condemnation of corruption and other ills -- all effects. But, take a closer, detailed look and you'll see the cause of all the effects we so vehemently condemn: tribalism; ethnicity; victim mentality ....the loss or lack of nationhood.

"Nigeria" has to be defined. It has to be created/re-created, incorporated.....whatever. This is the start point. All else seem to me like treating an effect while allowing the still active cause a free reign.

This very little I have said is of course exclusive of show throwing.

Silent 1

Agree with you totally! Perhaps the tongue in cheek remark of putting in place a numbering system for the common "excuses" may just do the trick - perhaps one for another write-up!

Appreciate where the call for "defining" Nigeria may be coming from given the overwhelming points of view that do exist. Not being a political scientist, I hesitate to proffer any such definitions - perhaps because of its inevitable diversionary effect - possibly divisive impact! I at times question the need for such a definition - whether "a" definition necessarily means some change would be effected as a result; what authoritative figures can possibly provide an authoritative definition that will suffice? Is there really a precedence of a universally acceptable definition for any given country?

I am somewhat content with the entity as it is - in terms of its tribal make-up and resources. I chose not to see the differences as a negative but more as its core and essential strength. Living in the diaspora, I appreciate my awareness as a member of the global citizenry - which I fully embrace - in the recognition that all global citizens have unique features and contributions to offer. I embrace the varying cultures I've been privileged to encounter - continue to experience - and the insight I have been afforded to consciously evaluate my "Nigerian-ness" - not in a mutually exclusive sense but in an all-embracing conscious rationalising sense - of continually evaluating values, principles, ideals... that work and are effective.

My ideal Nigeria will be one that offers a conducive environment for all citizenry to be who they are, want to be, and what they can be! Perhaps an imitation of the "American Dream" but then this may very well be the innate ambition of all! The US have simply beaten other countries to the punch! She has been able to succinctly codify such natural inclinations, given the unique opportunity she has had in not having the legacy of overburdening history - she has had a virtual blank template on which to start anew with lessons learnt from the "old" world and others - to forge from all these the essence and features of what works! Still a learning process no doubt, but she has built in the fail-safe mechanism of an evolving history, and way of life that places emphasis on the ideals of deliberate, continual, and progressive evolution - guided by the sacrosanct principle that the nurturing of the individual, and the individual's dream, make up the collective that is the American Dream! American legends and national myths consciously celebrate this singular principle – tellingly implied in the Marine saying - "Leave no man behind!" And of course, the varying famous speeches of the “founding fathers” that continually uphold these principles - Obama, as a student of history has been able to embrace these principles hence his universal appeal.

Nigeria does not need to reinvent the wheel in this regard, given that these are inherent universal principles - we simply need to work on the features that protect and ensure that these principles thrive. The national myths ... can be dug up or invented to provide our unique signature! The alignment of the common individual aspirations to define the national interest – not a case of “everyman for himself “ the pervasive self-destructing malady, but of “E Pluribus Unum” (apologies for the cliché!). Eliminate affected self-serving interests based on affected notions of tribe, religion, culture, lineage, traditions, heritage...! “Progressive” Nigerians who thrive in varying adopted countries do so not because of any endemic unique qualities of Nigerian-ness or of the host countries but more because of the enabling qualities made available in such countries providing the opportunities to realise their dreams – there are of course varying degrees of acceptance of the universal principles! Obama observed that the Union was not perfect - not so much in the sense of the union of states but more in the aspiration of achieving the ideal!

To your point – part of the collective on the NVS and SR of this world may not offer much hope of the model for the Nigerian Ideal but I live in the hope that with the deliberate concerted efforts of the “consciously aware”, a new consciousness can emerge! Dreams, ideals, visions...would only remain such without the catalysing force of belief!

Perhaps not a definition but an attempt to initiate a principle from which necessary values and value system can evolve! All said, wouldn’t like to distract from the task of the “ambush” and “shoe-throwing”!

[Lemeechi]

Originally Posted by eire

I will no longer accept any such articles blaming the problems of Nigeria on leadership, it is inept, stupid and totally irresponsible to suggest
leadership as Nigeria's bane. The blame 100% squarely rests on the doorstep
of Nigeria's 140 million fools. People so scared to act that they rather sit tight and watch the destruction of their nation right before their eyes, all because of fear.

I cannot but disagree with you. Bad leadership, one fraught with corruption and lack of vision and continuity, is definitely at the root of Nigeria's problems. About 50 years ago Nigeria and Malaysia were just about the same in terms of development, if Nigeria wasn't better. But today, what can we see? Good leadership with sound planning has frog-leaped Malaysia way ahead of Nigeria, which at 48 is still struggling to find its footing.

To say the problem is Nigeria's 140 million "fools" is rather an erroneous over-generalization, and a bit of an insult on our collective intelligence. Out of the 140 million, a good percentage are kids and young adults that shouldn't even be doing anything but learning in schools. The adult Nigerians do protest. When the election of Abiola was annulled by the military in 1993, there was a long period of protests and lots of people were killed, without the desired result being achieved. Besides, haven't you Eire heard about the protests by MEND?

When the leadership has the guns and the money there is not much victory to be gained by powerless mostly poor citizens in protests within the country. When colonialists invaded Africa and the Americas, the native populations protested. But not having the superior weapons, they mostly ended up being slaughtered or conquered.

I support any movement that would force our bad rulers to think twice about mismanaging our resources, and before junketing overseas. But instead of shoes I suggest eggs should be thrown at them. While a shoe will bounce off without leaving much of a mark, a well-aimed egg will splatter and cause more mess for them to live with as long as it lasts.

And talking about rulers (and wives) junketing overseas, I wasn't surprised to read more details about the 2005 death of Stella Obasanjo in ThisDay the other day. She had gone to Europe for a liposuction cosmetic surgery operation! It was the complications of this operation that killed her!

[Kay Soyemi (Esq.)]

Originally Posted by Ph3y

@ Nwanza:

Why not lets try naked men for a change??? I think women have tried in this matter. Let the men too do something.

Ah, my lady.

You don't want to see the "Glory of God" oooo!

No be me talk am ooo