By Ayo Baje
“To fight against untruth and falsehood.
To fight for our memory; of
what things were like. That is the task of the artist.
A people who no longer
remembers
has lost its history and
its soul”
– Alekzander Solzhentsyn
The recent wave of opposition against the proposed re-introduction of regional government, stirred by some senators – mostly from the northern geo-political zone of the country is both paradoxical and unjustifiable.
By Ayo Baje
“Let
us work together to create a future where every child can learn, grow and
thrive. Education is a right not a privilege. Let us make it a reality for
all”
– Hon. Obidike Chukwuebuka (APC Chieftain).
By Ayo Baje
To strike the delicate balance between Nigeria’s vast, God-given resources of oil and gas, fertile fields for huge agricultural practices, rare solid minerals, places of scenic, spell-binding tourist attractions and the persisting paradox of pervasive poverty of the led majority is not rocket science for Nigerian-born best of brains such as the Philip Emeagwalis, the Gabriel Oyibos, Jelani Aliyus or Silas Adekunles. No! The salient reasons behind the ever-widening, socio-economic gap between the leaders and the masses is patently obvious.
In fact, not a few of our crop of political leaders-spanning the spectrum of the so called democrats and the military despots-have, out of overt greed, over the decades, brought the country to its begging knees. So, when yours truly refers to their antics as “a restless run of avaricious locusts”, it is stating it as it is. If in doubt consider these startling statistics.
By Ayo Baje
“A labourer is deserving of his wages.” – Deuteronomy 25 vs 4 (The Holy Bible).
Back in June 2015, the piece of news that got millions of Nigerians enraged was that of the unpaid workers’ salaries in 23 out of 36 states! It came against the dark backdrop of the jumbo pay packages of elected and selected politicians and their appointees.
The paradox of payment inequality was worsened subsequently, when the lawmakers, each on allegedly monthly salary scale of over N30 million found it extremely difficult to approve the paltry minimum wage of N30,000 for the beleaguered workers.
By Ayo Oyoze Baje
“Those beating the drums of war, with their tactless tongues and others stoking the flames of disunity with their treasonable songs, in our dear nation Nigeria must be reminded that war is no picnic in paradise.” – A. O. Baje (Opinion essay titled: ‘Do not Turn Nigeria into the Devil’s Playground’ published on June 22, 2017).
Lest we forget, the above stated note of warning added that: “War, propelled by the twin evils of Hatred and Anger escalates to the fore over unresolved, yet preventable misunderstanding between communities and countries. The winged monster rides on the wave crest of base sentiments, fuelled by hate speeches given a free reign by the powers that be.
By Ayo Baje
Most important, the Central Bank must keep public opinion on its side, because the public is the ultimate source of its power and independence.” – International Monetary Fund (IMF) report titled: “Rethinking Monetary Policy in a Changing World”.
On February 3, 2023, the media was awash with the report of an unidentified man who slumped and died after spending hours at a new generation bank in Agbor, Delta state in what turned out a fruitless effort to withdraw some money.
By Ayo Baje
“Always
remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” – Margaret Mead
What is this life all about, anyway? Why are we here in this world, for God’s sake? What lasting lessons does our all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, all –gracious and all-merciful creator want us to glean from the hustle and bustle, the grate and grind of our everyday encounters? What lasting lessons are we here to learn from the hands of history-for individuals, communities and countries? Let us begin with the common ones.
Why, for instance, is there so much hatred, so much anger, crises, agitations, anxieties, selfishness, greed, graft, power-poaching and thorny matters all leading into wasteful wars, which are supposed to be clearly avoidable? But that is not all.
By Ayo Baje
“Please,
pray for me. I have reasons to believe that my life is in
danger and that some powerful political forces want to silence me forever
for speaking the truth. For speaking on behalf of the holy martyrs of
thousands of innocent children, women, elderly and youths that have
been killed in our beloved country. It is only in our benighted
country that a man who speaks from his conscience can be hounded like
a common criminal.”
–Dr. Obadiah Mailafia (now of blessed memory) on September 11, 2020
In life he was definitely one of the few bearers of the
unquenchable torch of timeless Truth. And he must have seen death coming, for
having the audacity to speak that same bitter Truth to power. More so, in this
long, dark tunnel of quasi-democracy garbed in the bloody garment of daring
despotism. So, it was only a matter of time for the haters of Truth to undo
him, characteristically in nebulous circumstances. Talk about the ominous hoot
of the owl at midnight and the sudden death of the naked baby the next
dawn!
But as yours truly has insisted, “Truth is eternal while lies are short-distance runners”. Or, to put it in the warm words of the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson, “Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons ‘.
By Ayo Baje
“As of April 2021, the inflation rate was the highest in four years. Food prices accounted for over 60 per cent of the total increase in inflation. Nigeria’s economic growth is being hindered by food inflation, heightened insecurity, unemployment and stalled reforms”. – World Bank Report.
Talk is cheap. But walking that talk is what truly matters for effective leadership. For instance, Nigerians have over the recent years discovered that some of our top political leaders are far removed from the harsh economic realities on the ground. They make fanciful promises during electioneering campaigns only to disregard or jettison them soon after mounting the pedestal of political power.
You bowing, you crying
You, dying like that one day without knowing why
You, struggling, you watching over another’s rest
You, looking no longer with laughter in your eyes
You my brother, your face full of fear and suffering
Stand up, and shout No!”
– David Diop
