Prof Soludo is right. We have to #liftthelockdown. But I would say 1 week extension first. This 1 week should be used to plan, teach and model how we can safely return to activity with minimal exposure. It will also be time to teach the procedures to leaders across board...
On face masks, crowd size limits, hand washing, markets/public place dis-infectation and daily cleaning. This is the time to have a new model of collective, communal cleanliness communicated and bought into by every leader all over the land.
Leaders must also enforce same.
Some would be careless, but we must all take responsibility. If we don't take these steps and continue with the lock down, people will end them on their own and it might be too late to expect proper behavior, safety or both.
Critically, we should not leave this pandemic without deciding to significantly change the course of our future. The quality of leadership we have endured in Nigeria in the last 50 years is shambolic and wasteful. Let us start now to strategize how different life should be.
One of the not surprising stat Prof Soludo mentioned was how under 8% have more money compared to the others and the burden we are on those who are privileged today. A society that thrives must be able to create prosperity for at least 50% of its people. 8% is too imbalanced.
A new Constitution will be required. Electoral reforms, unbundling of INEC and insistence on a different political class sworn to an easy recall process will be necessary to get Nigeria started on a true path to development.
On a final note, I urge African leaders of today to stay vigilant and prevent vaccine for profit schemes being planned in certain quarters. Population control efforts masquerading as vaccines program will be rife and Africa is their ideal ground. Stay woke and resist them.
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A lot of people don't understand the meaning of Democracy...the essence of it. Voting is only a byproduct of democracy not the substance.
Democracy is rule of law, ideas, balance of power, accountability and justice.
Democracy is not a popular candidate/party or elections!
Democracy is rule of collective will not popular candidate. How does collective will occur?
A short story will help.
A group of 50 traders meet from Poorland on their way to Richland. From their conversations they learn they're all headed in same direction and become a caravan.
Some intend to buy spices, one gem and silk and so on. They keep going. The richest merchant of the caravan is Richmiz. He sells gemstones. Navmiz sells books while Growmiz is into spices.
By road there are 7 countries between Poorland and Richland. By sea just 1.
In Nigeria this is how politics is done.
Dorne has severe food problem and many might just relocate to find food. Elections are in 2 weeks.
Ned of socialist wolves - you see, my people, the capitalist lions are the cause of our problems. They are corrupt.
Ned continues - we will build, a road, build a bridge and build classrooms.
Harald of the capitalist lions - let no one deceive you, the wolves are the problem, they are a group of corrupt people. We will build 5 classrooms, 7 toilets and hire 2000 youths.
Ned tells his supporters privately - Harald is of the tribe of Lannister and his mother is not known. Harald tells his supporters at a campaign ground - Ned and the house of Starks are dishonorable people.
They spend money on their supporters and make noise.
For quite some time the #Democrats have maintained that Russia meddled in the American elections of 2016 which brought in @realDonaldTrump as #POTUS.
Trump denies the allegation and the reports to make his election culpable of influence have not been as decisive.
Thread.
I'm starting to believe they were not wrong. In fact, recent developments suggest a conspiracy of epic proportions.
This is my theory:
Russia - a declining power has become the lackey to China. Putin made personal favours to Trump in that build up.
Ever since his inauguration, Trump has been withdrawing the US from its leadership of the Rules Based Liberal Order of which the UN is the centrepiece.
Trump at a meeting of the UN General Assembly said: the future does not belong to globalists but patriots.
The state capitalist model of the Chinese CP has worked thus far. In fact, it's a wonderful model to be frank. It's lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. It would lift more.
But ambition drives China. It desires to be the dominant and most important country in the world.
The West is moving to clean renewable energy and doing all it can to have a cleaner earth. China doesn't like where that's going because it's a threat to its output on time and deliver model.
This would mean the Western brands who use China as a factory might look elsewhere.
Stats show that a bulk of the factory output from China is not consumed by China. She is well aware that it cannot sustain that much production to cater for its mass population.
I warned in '14&'15 against electing Buhari (may we never see his type again). We're officially in an abyss of economic decline, worsening insecurity and bitter ethnic tensions.
GMB represents all that's evil and wrong with Nigeria - contributor yet aloof to corruption.
But there's no point rehashing the obvious. It's best to proffer solutions:
Mass demonstrations to demand his resignation.
Mass demands on lawmakers to impeach him.
Mass demonstrations to jolt an elected elite who assume Nigerians are perfectly sympathetic to incompetence.
With Buhari (may we never see his type again) out of the way, the real work begins. Make no mistake about Buhari(may we never see his type again), his exit is only the beginning.
We must demand his successor PYO to
1 - Replace Service Chiefs
2 - Electoral Reforms