Home | Outreach | Articles | Services | Personal Development | Poems | Events | Others

D’KINGZ Pen is media organization that is motivated by the desire to impact and influence the society positively through various media platforms. more info: Email: dkingzpen@yahoo.com Whatsapp: +2348036524707 Twitter @Dkingzpen IG:@Dkingzpen

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A Nation at Fifty

On the 1st of October 1960 the whole world stood still because a giant was birth. Nigerian became an independent nation and we gained political independence from our colonial masters thanks to the nationalists who fought with the whole of their hearts. Nigeria our beloved country gained her independence and this year, the “giant of Africa” will be celebrating her 50th birthday. I have taken my time to look at the journey of our beloved country since independence and I ask, how far have we gone as a country?
This question is not a question that I expect us to give an immediate response to. Personally for moments I was thinking about this question and will encourage you to do the same looking at every area of that make up Nigeria as a country. I ask again has the dreams of our heroes past seen the light of day, how well have we journeyed the last fifty years as an independent country. With patriotism and enthusiasm our founding fathers charted a course for the greatness of this country refusing to be discouraged until they saw the birth of their dream. But the key question remains, have we kept the dream alive.
In the academic sector have we made our founding fathers proud of us, have we kept their dream alive. What is the standard of our education after fifty years of independence compared to other countries of the world? Several years back our standard of education was ranked 6th in the world but today sorry is the case, we have half baked graduate; graduate who cannot defend their certificate not talk of contending with their peers from other parts of the world.
We have graduate roaming the streets in search of job after spending years in the university and other tertiary institutions. Unlike what we had years back where federal government jobs would have been waiting begging for them to accept but the situation is not the same today. The number of graduate is far more than the jobs available, while the number of graduate is increasing at geometric progression; job vacancy is increasing at the speed of a snail.
In the economic sector have we made our heroes proud or have we fallen their hands and have killed their dreams. According to an online report on Nigeria’s national flag (www.Nigeria-planet.com), the white stripe in the center signifies peace; the green stands for agriculture, which remains the backbone of the national economy. Fifty years after independence we have succeeded in abusing the intent of the national flag the I ask, where is our pride in the national flag? The focus of our economy has totally shifted to petroleum and instead of building a multi-dimensional economy system; we have succeeded in focusing one and have successfully become a mono-economy independent state. Agriculture our initial economy pride has fallen to the background and has faded what a pity!
Our leaders are concerned about nothing but their pockets, all they want to do is enrich the masses and enrich their pocket. We no longer have leaders of the masses but leaders with selfish interest have you not made the labor of our heroes past be in vain? The national treasure has now become a personal treasure meant to enrich the pockets of selfish public holders what a pity and the I ask again, is this what it means to be fifty years old?
How well have we upheld peace? The resent Jos crises has done no good to our beloved country it has along with other crises making us one of the countries on the terror list, is that what fifty years is all about? Abia state has become the headquarters of kidnappers what a pity for the giant of Africa at fity. Is this the kind of dream our founding fathers had for at independence, have we made their dreams a true dream or a nightmare?
The power sector is a no go area, it has become a situation of fetching water in to a basket. All effort to resuscitate the power sector has yielded no positive result instead it keeps getting worse and just like a friend once said,” the federal government should sell the power sector and distribute the money realized from the sale to all citizen to do whatever they like with their share”. A giant at fifty that we can’t boast of fifty days of uninterrupted power supply. This is the journey of fifty years.
We keep claiming to be the giant of Africa yet the humble ones have overtaken the self acclaimed giant. In football we claim to have attained the height no African country has attained. At the recently concluded world cup in South Africa, we could not go past the first round what an unfortunate experience. Apart from football let’s look at other sports; we use to be a force to reckon with.
Political instability has been another greatest undoing for us in the last five decade impacting us negatively on institutional development, which is necessary for advancement. Our structure of governance had barely been developed when we ran into series of political obstacles shortly after independence which consequently resulted in the unfortunate 30-month civil war which is certainly not the dream of those who fought for the independence, our heroes past; we have no doubt disappointed you in the first fifty years after independence.
However, my fellow compatriot, the journey of another fifty years has just begun. The opportunity for us to correct our mistakes and focus on how to wipe away the tears of our founding fathers that are definitely not happy with what we have done in the last fifty years. We have to come together and focus on the strength in our diversity, let’s focus more on our strength and pay less attention on our mistakes and weaknesses.
The journey to another fifty years has just started and how well we will fare depends a lot on what we start doing now, all hand must be on deck and we must come together with one purpose in mind which is how to make Nigeria the country everybody around the world wants to be. In the next fifty years we should be happy that we made mistakes and have learned from them and have become better. We should stop apportioning blame and pointing accusing fingers. We should have renewal of heart and attitude towards national issues and make Nigeria the pride of our founding fathers in the world beyond.
Regarding the power sector which is very key to national development, we should seek the hand of foreign experts that will help improve the power supply in Nigeria. It should however be noted that the coming of foreigners does not automatically guarantee the improvement hence, we must all work together to make the situation by contributing our individual quota to improve the present situation.
Let’s begin to see and focus on the strength in our diversity and put a stop to this inhuman act of killing one another all in the name of religion and tribe. Nigerians are known as people with uncommon strength and hardworking let’s focus on this positive attributes and make Nigeria the pride and giant of Africa in deed and just like Obama’s slogan, “yes we can”.
And just like the president said on the 1st of October during his independence/jubilee speech, “the greatest resource we have is the youth; we have the greatest stake in transforming our nation. It is time for us to answer the call and contribute to Nigeria’s foundation of freedom. This is how this generation will make its mark. This is how we will make the most of these opportunities. This is how we will ensure that five decades from now, as our children and grand children celebrate our nation’s independence centenary, we will be remembered as having contributed to the great history of Nigeria.
Personally I commit myself to this course of nation building and making our founding fathers proud of what they fought for. The journey begins now so let’s start work, God bless Nigeria.





Monday, November 22, 2010

Lift the Glass

Now I can lift my glass
That has for long being an out cast
All cos I pass
I stand out in the class.

All thanks to the one who saw me through the class
During the time I was an out cast
When my abode was outside the class
But now I can take a glass.

Let the class have a kiss
All because the odd time a member of the past
Let the air claim my glass
For the outcast now has a class.

The Ungrateful Dog

Took you out of the land of the outcast
And out of the hand of starvation
Brought shelter in the midst rain
And the sun rented the atmosphere.

Brought back the stolen treasure
Took away nakedness
And made you the model of all
And all white balls became your slave.

All lift my name high above
And the air rented my name
And the birds sing my name
To the ears of all.

Then you came barking
And I became your favorite bone
You’ve made me your overnight enemy
You ungrateful dog.

Go for It.

Unfix your gaze on the worries
Ignore the uncertainties
Never mind the darkness
And refuse discouragement.

Hold the towel with your heart of heart
This is not the time to throw it in
You have a tape to breast
All hope is not lost.

You’ve got the most important
You’ve got what the grave doesn’t
A living dog is better than a dead lion
There is light at the end of the tunnel.

You have to breast the tape
The spectators believe in you
You can’t disappoint you fans
You’ve got to go all out and claim the jackpot.

Bamisaye 'Niran: The face of LEADERSHIP

The face of LEADERSHIP

A good old friend once told me, “Leadership is all about service not about position” this got me thinking for a moment then I decided to pick up my dictionary to help me out with the true meaning of the so called confusing word (leadership) and the oracle (dictionary) says, the act of leading; the ability to be a leader of group, organization etc. then I married the dictionary’s definition with that of my friend and came up with this write up titled, the face of leadership.
If leadership is all about service then what is the duty of leaders or a leader? Without much delay, the answer to that is, to serve. I said to myself there is more to being a leader than occupying a position and leaving a flashy and expensive life. It’s all about the people you’re serving and not all about your personal and individual selfish satisfaction it’s about putting the people you are serving first in whatever you’re set to do, just like it is said in the commercial world, “customers first”. In leadership that should also be the slogan, “the people first”.
It is so unfortunate in our beloved country today that our leaders have a different philosophy about what leadership is all about. Our leaders see it in the direct opposite; the act of fulfilling personal selfish interest and satisfy myself. And this is why the masses are suffering today without any hope of (any) light at the end of the (helpless) tunnel, God help us.
Again I ask, if leadership is all about service to humanity why is it that our leaders earn all form of reasonable and unreasonable allowances; seating, wardrobe, feeding, furniture etc and even walking allowance. Hmm! Where are all these coming from? Leaders please I need an answer, can I have my pen and writing allowance?
Passing the bill for leaders’ toilet allowance is easier and faster than passing the bill for minimum wage of just N18, 000 for the public servant until they protest by going on strike. If indeed leadership is about service why should a public servant made to suffer and go on strike before their demands are met.
It is in this part of the world that we see leaders protecting themselves from those they are supposedly serving…how do they get to know the needs of the masses and those who brought them to office? How will a child have confidence in a parent who is always protecting himself rather than his child? This is just the way it appears when the so called elected or appointed public office holders behave and they claim to be serving the public, service indeed.
Just as it is expected of a parent naturally to provide basic things for their children so is the leader to members of the public. All they do is promise and fail successfully to fulfill those promises. When will good roads, good medical services, proper educational structure, job availability, quality education, security, electricity to mention just a few become basic? Stop promising us, we are not interested in empty promises and promises without dignity and integrity. How is a man expected to think when all he sees is darkness? The power sector has gone from bad to worse, when those who are supposed to make it work are busy thinking otherwise, how to boost their generator business is their priority?
The face of leadership in Nigeria, my beloved father -land the giant of Africa. This is 50 years after independence is it worth it? Are we will still the giant of Africa, I am not sure. Our so called future and hope (the youth) have lost hope in their country as a result of the leadership tragedy, all they need is just an opportunity to find themselves on the shores of any country just like a slang ,”anywhere belle face”. Is this what our founding fathers fought for?
However there is hope somewhere around the Corner, the past is gone and the future still ahead, what we begin to do now is an indication of what the next ten years will be. This is the burden we all must bear and focus on how to make things better and make Nigeria a true giant not only in Africa but in the world at large. This write up is not to rebuke anyone but to call us to order and see how we can do things better and lay a better foundation for the future leaders and our beloved country. This is part of my contribution to that cause. Thank you for reading and God bless you as you join me to make Nigeria great.