NIGERIA AT 48 OR ‘FAULTY EIGHT’

Nigerian militants in the Niger Delta courtesy Washington Post

It was revealed on a BEN TV programme Yoruba Gbayi that a lot of Nigerian medical doctors and lawyers in Great Britain are cleaners. A GP once confessed on TV that he could not afford to buy real leather shoes while he worked in a government hospital in Nigeria and came to Britain for a better livelihood. Last year he earned around £118,000 (about N29.5m). Several years ago, I wrote a *Sunday Concord front page article on a physician cum traditional ruler who abandoned the throne to work abroad because he was ‘broke’. I interviewed his mum (Iya Oba) who was unaware that she was talking with a reporter. She confirmed the fact that her son travelled several months earlier and was unsure of his return. The royal chiefs maintained that they were unaware of his foreign trip abroad to work as a GP. They checked the files and there was no official record or permission for the GP to travel out of Nigeria.
There are very few rich and famous people of Nigerian origin in Britain e.g. John Fashanu, Sade Adu, Jade Goody, Alexander Amosu, Tupele Dorgu, Ben Okri, Jackie Kay, Lemar, Adewale Akinnnoye-Agbaje, O-T Fagbenle, Shirley Bassey, Patti Boulaye and Ben Ofoedu, the fiancé of journalist Vanessa Feltz. Of course there are other Nigerians employed to do good jobs in Britain but those who are not ready to scrub floors and stinking toilets could turn to crime. According to a local newspaper, a 23 year old girl of Nigerian origin defrauded Barclays Bank by giving customer details to 419 fraudsters at a ridiculous fee of £3,000 while she was a university undergraduate and a part–time bank clerk. One would have thought that bankers would know the value of money than laymen. She is presently cooling off in prison for her misdeed while the 419 bandits got away with about £5000,000. If banks diplomatically refuse to employ Nigerians then who is to blame? If a man is trying to date you at all cost you need to think of the fact that he may want to use you as an accomplice or his partner in crime.
To most Britons Africa is a continent of the poor and most Nigerians are mistakenly ‘labelled’ fraudsters. They may not even know that Nigeria was ranked No. 12 in the list of oil producing countries while Britain was No. 13 in the list of oil consuming countries out of a list of 25. How were they to understand that most past leaders were nothing but military and democratic embezzlers? Nigeria has hardly improved since she gained independence from the United Kingdom 48 years ago and today is her independence anniversary. When it was announced last week that a Nigerian group of tycoons were planning to buy Newcastle United football club Nigeria gained a little bit of recognition. A caller (Mr. Anthony) called for a probe of such businessmen on BEN TV but I would love to take Mr. Anthony on a Lagos tour and show him the skyscrapers of a genuine businessman.
Recently, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) turned itself into a National Bullying Commission. It revoked Channels TV licence for 72 hours and the State Security Service (SSS) manhandled journalists in a Gestapo manner. Even a TV camera was not spared from barbaric brutality all because the station disclosed that the president could resign. NBC Director-General, Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa over used his authority on Channels TV because he should have directed the SSS to 'interrogate' the Minister of Information and Communications and the Special Adviser on Media and Communications for failing to inform the nation of the president’s absence and poor health. After all the masses have the right to know the truth. With due respect to paragraph 8(d) of the Third Schedule of NBC Act No. 38 of 1992 (as amended) and paragraph 13.3.3.1(g) of the National Broadcasting Commission Code, the opinion of NBC was wrong. Was Channels TV served a notice before the revocation order? It was obvious that the Freedom of Information Bill was nothing but a PR gimmick during the Obasanjo administration and if passed during the present administration it would be a spin to mesmerize reality or a way to put the media in a trance.
According to Dr. Reuben Abati in The Guardian, ‘Whoever advised President Umaru Yar'Adua to approve the decision to administer an oath of secrecy on all the staff in the Presidency has done him a great disservice. It is bad advice and a careless repudiation of what this President claims to stand for.’ Any government official who is foolish enough to swear an oath is automatically a cult member. President Yar’Adua has turned himself into a demigod whose constant illness must be ‘worshipped’ by slowing down the economic progress of the nation. Instead of him to employ Political Communicators or professional Spin Doctors to handle the news dissemination of his illness he chose to blame **Baba Ghana and journalists for his medical misfortune.

*Defunct newspaper.
**That was what a former Saturday Tribune senior colleague used to call former Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe aka Sai Baba.

TRUE BORN NAIJA – RAGGA-REMI

TAFIDA RICE?

Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK, Dr. Dalhatu S. Tafida was on TV this morning and said a Nigerian man would soon be exporting yam to the UK while somebody was working on 'kelechi' meat exportation. Whoever is bringing yam to Britain will make a lot of money. Yam was available in a few supermarkets for the first time this year although it was initially sold in local shops. Tafida did not mention rice which became ‘very’ expensive in Britain earlier in the year. The rice sold in Britain is mainly from Asia so why is African rice not sold in Britain? There is ofada rice in Nigeria but it is not of international standard because of micromini stones. Why can’t the Southern State Governors cooperate and start a 'stone free' rice industry? It would create employment opportunities and generate revenue. Should Tafida be the one tackling export? JOKE: At times it is better to mind your business, start your own rice plant and call it Tafida or Afro Mum Rice. His Excellency has a good sense of humour. He once broke protocol to make his ‘audience’ laugh.

Postscript…

TOP DOC STANLEY OKOLO

Professor Stanley Okolo courtesy NHS

Stanley Okolo is the medical director of North Middlesex University Hospital (NMUH) in London. He disclosed on TV that he is the major ‘contact’ for medical doctors certified to work in the UK. He said hard work made him a medical director and encouraged workers to put in additional effort in order to get to the top. According to NMUH the gynaecologist, ‘is an enthusiastic clinical teacher with a passionate commitment to clinical academic research and improving healthcare in the developing world. He says he took up his current role because of the challenges of achieving Foundation Trust status and financial balance whilst continually improving the image of the Trust as a teaching health campus with national and international networks.’ He is also the President of the Medical Association of Nigerian Specialists and General Practitioners in the British Isles (MANSAG).

GET WELL SOON JADE

Jade Goody crying after she was accused of racist comments in 2007

The Daily Mail said Jade Goody had West Indian roots instead of Nigerian roots. *According to another newspaper Jade once went to Nigeria with her mother in order to find her African relatives but they got stuck in a Lagos hotel because they did not know where to go and Jade was disappointed. She is suffering from cervical cancer and going through medical treatment at the moment. The mother of two boys is not as dumb as she ‘pretends’ to be on TV and you don’t need to be a psychologist to know that. I sincerely hope the dental assistant cum celebrity gets well soon. I expect her to write her third autobiography next year. Who are the ghostwriters?

*News of the World.