SAM OHUABUNWA'S PARADIGM

 Is there something in our history or culture that makes us not to seem to value human lives? Could it be an acquired syndrome? It is true that Africa fought several wars with itself and with outsiders which led to the loss of many lives and some wars are going on right now across Africa( including the Bokoharam and the Elshabab wars). But other regions also fought wars in the past and are still fighting wars ( including that in Ukraine, Syria & Iraq). And of course there is the global terror war initiated by Alqueda and sustained by ISIS. Perhaps it could be that Africa has lost and  continues to lose many lives to all manner of diseases, chronic and acute( including malaria,Ebola & 'Ondocide'). It was common and may be it is still common that many African women gave birth to many children hoping that a few would survive the several childhood diseases and afflictions ( including 'abiku'). Have all these numbed our feelings and care for human lives?    I do...

I believe the campaigns are over and the elections done. Yes, some elections will still be held in a couple of polling units in Abia, Imo and Taraba States were the governorship elections were declared inconclusive but by and large, we are done with the longest electioneering period in Nigeria's political history. Indeed for the first three and half months of this year, except in the political arena, not much work has been done else where. Many businesses and investment decisions were put on the pause mode as we all pondered where the elections would land us. When we add the loss from the low level of investment and productive activities in the economy to the impact of the fallen oil prices, it is reasonable to understand why the World Bank has down graded our growth prospects for 2015 to less than 5%. Therefore it is urgent that we return to work now.  First, the campaigns must end. Those who have won elections must stop campaigning. The fact that they won, means that the constit...

Readers are very good leaders, intelligence is not measured by your acquisition but the level of knowledge you have. Knowledge is hidden in books, show me a reader and I will show you a successful intelligent person. Here comes three vital books I will advice a good Nigerian with a positive entrepreneurial mind to have in his Library. As Nigeria is evolving into another phase of its' existence' it is needful to develop an entrepreneurial skill that will keep every business minded person afloat. 1. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT FOR GOD's PEOPLE 2. NIGERIA:NEED FOR THE EVOLUTION OF A NEW NATION and 3. PREVENTING BUSINESS FAILURES with focus on SMEs. ....these books and many more are capable of giving you the required inspiration and motivation to sail in a turbulent economic situation with a purpose of refocusing both political and economic leadership. Visit.www.samohuabunwa.blogspot.com for more information and be rest assured that your business and leadership mindset is abou...

  An old man said a prayer for me and some of my friends many years ago. That is the prayer I wish to say for Nigerians today. On our way to this old man's home, we had a great need in mind and did our best to fill that need but failed and it bothered us. When we arrived, he presented us with kola nuts. As he prayed before breaking the kola nuts as is our custom in Igbo Land he added: " God, what ever anybody is looking for, please let him see it or have it, but when he gets it or sees it, may he not run away from it". We all chorused "isee", meaning amen, ate the kola nuts and moved on. We did not tell him anything concerning our unfulfilled need and did not quite make anything of the prayer. On our way back to our base, we ran into that thing we sought after earlier on. We took some of the stuff and decided we have had enough, but the suppliers of the service wanted us to have more but we refused and trouble started. They seized our car and took other measure...

 Two weeks ago, I suggested ten things Nigerians must keep in mind as they went to the polls last week. From all indications, it seems that most Nigerians heeded that advice or similar ones offered by other writers and opinion leaders. Last week, just as the polls were being cast or being counted, I opined that however the elections went, I was already excited in my spirit that Nigeria would win big time, emerging from the elections better than we entered. I am thankful to God, that my prediction seems to have been proven right.    As I closed in my piece last week, I had said that this election had elicited more international interest than ever before. From the USA, Europe, Asia, Latin America and our own Africa, came scores of admonitions and even veiled threats. INEC had more international observers than staff( permanent & adhoc). For once every international TV station was focused on Nigeria and when you tuned to China's CCTVN, you would think, you were listenin...

 However these elections go, Nigeria is a winner. Big time. I am prepared to bet with my entire pension savings that Nigeria will come out of these elections much much better than it started. In my reckoning, if this Country needed a tonic to 'explode' for good, it got plenty and I am thoroughly excited in my spirit.   First is the sharp rise in Citizen awareness. For a very long time, we seemed to have docile Citizens who acted as onlookers or disinterested observers of the affairs of our Nation. At best, we whimpered and complained in our closets and resigned to fate. But the 2015 elections seem to have changed all that. In these elections, we heard more of the voices of the citizens across several media, perhaps more than those of the Politicians. It was amazing reading the chats and commentaries of citizens on the social media and on the print and electronic media. So many bloggers came alive and many columnists were born. Though a lot of misinformation and propaganda we...

  In a couple of days, Nigerians will be heading for the polling booths to exercise their franchise in an effort to elect political leaders, first at the National level and then at the sub-National level. This has been one of the longest campaign periods in Nigeria's political history. For some, the campaigns started in 2012, barely one year after the last elections and the recent six weeks extension should have enabled everyone to exhaust themselves. The stakes have been heightened this electoral season by the emergence of a virile opposition represented by the All Progressives Congress( APC) which is determined to vigorously challenge the apparent monopoly of Power at the Federal level by the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) in the last 16 years of the 4th Republic. There is therefore palpable tension in the air. Many People( Nigerians and foreigners ) are worried about the outcomes and consequences of the Elections. There have been all kinds of predictions and projections. But for...

 In 2014 Nigeria overtook South Africa on the list of the 50 Wealthiest People in Africa. That was exciting to me and I believe it should be to many lovers of Nigeria. On that list, there were 13 Nigerians against 11 South Africans, the rest being people from other African Countries, mainly Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and Tanzania. 2014 was the same year that Nigeria's GDP was REBASED, bringing it to be the biggest Economy in Africa. Some People challenged this rebasing and said it was stage managed. Perhaps they suspected that the Government in power did it to boost its performance. But Forbes is an internationally recognized and independent rating organization. In the same 2014, they found that Nigeria had the highest number of Wealthy People on their list. And this had nothing to do with rebasing the economy. The criteria for calculating the net worth of these rich Nigerians did not include the size of the economy. It was a measure of the wealth created by these individuals through ap...

I have become completely exasperated by how the Presidential campaign organizations of the two major political parties have turned the 2015 electioneering campaigns into a harvest of fabricated lies, rumour peddling,and daily accusations and counter accusations. From the way things are going, it seems that these organizations believe that the elections will be won by which ever party that is able to fabricate more lies or peddle more rumours or raise more accusations. The whole thing is becoming so deamining and nasty that many decent Nigerians are getting worried. Each day one wakes up, he will regaled with a new tale.   For several weeks now, there has been this wild rumour that the President wants to remove Jega from office prematurely. This rumour has been propelled by the APC campaign team. For what reason? Because he plans to conduct a free and fair elections. How can that be an act of misdeamenour that will attract summary dismissal. The President had to deny this rumour at...

 I am one of those who had repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of our Security forces in the fight against the Boko haram insurgents. I had been bewildered by how an apparently untrained or poorly trained and ill-equipped rag tag army could take parts of Nigeria’s territory with apparent ease. How could a military establishment that has produced many generals (active and inactive) just collapse in the front of a few disgruntled miscreants. That was how I felt until I realized that my assumptions were mistaken. Over time, it became clear that these were not just a few disgruntled miscreants, that they were sizeable, actively recruiting and indoctrinating and radicalizing intakes from Nigeria and her Neighbours. I soon discovered that they had access to large stock and variety of arms and were being reinforced and re supplied regularly both from Nigeria and from abroad. I soon realized that we were not just dealing with local insurgents as was the case in ...

  I have found myself often defending Chief Olusegun Obasanjo's Performance while in office as the President of Nigeria for eight years (1999-2007). I have done so on three grounds. The first is that I like to base my criticism or commendation for any political office holder, or I dare say any individual based on objective criteria. I am never one to join the crowd to shout "crucify him, crucify him" for someone I shouted "Hosanna, Hosanna" for yesterday. Many People are swayed by mass media to denounce a man they praised yesterday based on hearsay. Many swing with public opinion and so would like to be on the side of the gallery to lampoon a man who has done them no evil, just because some people with loud voices or access to the media brand such a man as evil. Some do not even as much as ask what evil the man did, not to talk of the evidence before joining in the condemnation band wagon. They want to be 'politically' correct and would not like to offen...

I have been thoroughly benumbed by the furore and the hullabaloo being raised by a couple of Nigerians and 'interested' Foreigners following INEC's postponement of the Elections by Six weeks. I am yet to fully understand how this really hurts anybody too badly and how it creates undeserved advantage for one party and deserved disadvantage for another Party. Yes some inconvenience with rescheduling of activities and perhaps additional funding to keep the campaigns running for another six weeks by the contestants and their Parties. But that pales in the face of the huge benefits that will accrue to the Nation by the postponement or rescheduling .I must say upfront that I congratulate INEC for taking this decision. If it is true as is being alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan or His Government persuaded or pressurized INEC to take this most reasonable decision in the prevailing circumstances then I will like to congratulate him for showing exceptional pragmatic leadershi...

  In a couple of days, we shall be required to make choices concerning Nigerian Political leadership at the Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senatorial, National and State Representative levels. It is going to be a major exercise that will affect the destiny of our Country, States and legislative constituences. For me it is a sacred duty that must not be treated with levity. Right now, there is a lot of misinformation in the air and too much emotion being let loose. Let me reiterate that choosing our Political leaders at all levels of governance must be based on verifiable and measurable criteria not on sentiments.  That we have had poor political leadership for most of our post-independence years across all strata of governance is evident and it is clear that if we have the right leadership with the appropriate competences, our lot will continue to improve. Whereas good manifestos are important in helping guide our choices, the more critical matter is the leadership competence...