If I were president of Naija

Esco had this Q&A on his blog and it really had me thinking. If I were president of Naija for a day...I honestly would not be able to get a lot done for only 1 day. But...

☮ I would sincerely apologize to Nigerians for failing them all this while and for betraying their trust in me and my predecessors.

☮ Sharia law would have to be second to federal law, so no child brides. And Senator Yerima must be investigated and suspended from senatorial activities for marrying that little girl. 

✆ I would include some definitions into the constitution:

1. A minor is a human being under the age of 18
2. A civil servant is one who is employed by the federal or state government and that includes but is not limited to: president, vice president, ministers, governors, senators, representatives, local chairmen/chairwomen, aides, and federal workers.
3. A sexual assault is any sexual act committed without consent

✆ I would propose a bill changing some aspects of the constitution.

1. To put a cap on the salary and allowances of civil servants and elected officials. Honestly, I would follow the US's, Canada's or Germany's model in this regard. And since I have only 24 hours, I would call our Naija professors who studied these countries and our legislators to provide advice and consultation on these amendments. 
2. There would be some serious jail time for those who are found of guilty of sexual assault and even more jail time when it concerns minors. 

✆ The police department must have a sexual assault division--detectives who investigate crimes involving sexual assault. Hmm...we're going to need psychiatrists and psychologists in that department. These people must be vetted properly because Naija does not seem to understand sexual assault.

✆ I would look to see if we have a Department of Records, if not create one. Again, I will look to our Naija professors as consultants. This department must be independent of the executive branch. They do not answer to the president, governors, senators or representatives--kinda like the supreme court. Paper and electronic records. We do have a National Archives of Nigeria.

✆ Set up a website titled "Careers in the Nigerian Public Service" that posts available government jobs. This must be run by the federal government, the website will have a .gov extension and this will fall under the Minister of Labor. Include a slot for internships and volunteer programs for secondary school students and university students. Hmm...Naija has NELEX but it's not for govt jobs. 

✆ Set up a website titled "Nigerian Federal Government Contracts" that posts available government contracts. It must also be run by the federal govt, with a .gov extension and under the Ministry of Labor.

✆ Contract ideas:

Roads _________ Public Transportation _________ Sewage and Water Systems _________

Electricity (solar, wind, oil, natural gas) _________ Public Housing and Safety _________ Farming

Record databases _________ Product Safety _________ Maps _________ Oil Refineries

Ratings board for entertainment (g, pg, pg-18, x) _________ Education (more Naija languages)

Publishing: Govt publications free to public: constitution booklet for adults and children (explanation at a primary 3 level)

Radio programs funded by govt _________  Food and Water Regulation _________ Pollution

TV programs for kids (tales by moonlight, Naija's history, legal education, Naija society)

Textile Factories _________ Emergency Services (police, hospital) _________ Health Insurance

Free Museums (history, cultural, political, arts) _________ Construction _________ Education

Hold a meeting with finance-related professors and the heads of these departments to reduce inflation.

✘ I would ban the white wigs lawyers and judges wear to court--that colonial ish needs to go. 

✘ Any civil servant (president, vp, governor, senator, representative, local chairman) who is found guilty of any felony (embezzlement or money-laundering) forfeits their pension.

- Any foreign company looking to operate in Naija must have a certain amount of Nigerian workers (perhaps 50-60 percent...we can model this after other nations).

- Have 2 national TV stations that televises the events in the senate house and the representative house. Hmmm...this will have to be a govt contract for a private company.

- Revisit the contracts on federal roads with the Minister of Transportation

--try to have more women in govt positions

--call press conferences for every single thing that plans to be done and when it is done.

--have coffee on standby, I can sleep after the day is over.

Mubi 40

According to Ibrahim Janet Tarfa, a Higher National Diploma II (HND II) student of the Polytechnic, who witnessed the killings, the operations last for over two hours.

“The next thing we started hearing was gun shots. Despite our shouting and crying for two hours, the operation lasted for two hours in the students village and nobody come to our rescue.” 
Mubi Massacre


A man who claimed to be a senior member of the Islamic sec, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that his group had nothing to do with the killings.

"We have no business with students or student politics. If students are our target we would have killed them randomly on sight and in their school and not sneak on them in the creeping darkness in an area occupied by both students and residents," he said.

Boko Haram Denies Mubi Massacre

I know about the ALUU 4
I am aware of the Dana Air crash victims
I remember the victims of the Ikeja military cantonment bombing
I follow the kidnappings of Nigerians and followers
I see the innocent people murdered in peaceful protest

That Boko Haram can have principles but Nigerians cannot is astounding. The part that got me was "we would have killed them randomly...and not sneak on them in the creeping darkness..."

If your own home grown terrorist can publicly say something like this, then Naija has failed.