Sometimes people need to be rebuked for trying to protect their vested interests, at the expense of others.

Chinua Achebe once said: “there is a moral obligation “not to ally oneself with power against the powerless.” (See [The Boston Globe] Achebe: Fighting corruption with fame – The Boston Globe)

As a leader in a developed society – EVERYTHING you say, and do, is noted by the press, and the citizens, and it WILL be used for or against you in future. We need to become like that in Nigeria, to progress.

The question is how many of us are prepared to do that? Does it occur to us that by FAILING to speak out against errand boys of selfish leaders in power, who are “planted” among us (e.g. on Facebook) to keep us in line, we “ally ourselves with power against the powerless”??

Considering how many times he has tried and failed at getting elected into office (note that I have never voted for him), Pat Utomi, could justifiably sit back and say I tried but they gave me no support.

When I started out in self-employment in 2002, (then Dr.) Utomi invited me on appointment to his office at LBS (as a result of a management research paper I sent to him, which I would later present at CMD). His parting words to me that day were “Remember…Tenacity! Tenacity!!”.

Looking back at the efforts he made, I give him kudos, for walking his talk for years in taking PERSONAL ACTION continually, to influence positive change in Nigeria.

Below is a post he once made to his facebook wall, that captures my feelings/sentiments about complacent Nigerian elites(See ): 

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“Years ago in India I read that a candle loses nothing when it lights another candle. I wonder therefore that there is so much darkness in a land of many candles. As I see the failure of citizenship with many educated middle class people hugging their comfort zones I think how sad we can not see the masochist in us. How we hurt our own long term interests” – Pat Utomi (See original post here)

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I have always been VERY sensitive to the existence of extreme imbalances in society that leaves some shortchanged.

I feel the pain of people who suffer because the government/society’s leaders fail to do what is right. Because I ALSO bear part of that suffering, it becomes even more personal, for me.

And that’s why when I READ stuff written by a member of the “jeun soke” (“chop up”) elites, claiming NOTHING is wrong with the status quo, or the slow pace of promised reforms, or that the WHITE we all see the government doing is actually GREEN, I get really upset.

These days, ONLY people in BIG SALARY jobs (and those enjoying “arrangee” business, via connections of all sorts), are reasonably “insulated”, from the negative impact of the many wrong things happening in Nigeria, due to bad leadership.

Sadly, they also constitute majority of the “complacent elite”. 

The status quo in Nigeria RIGHT NOW is very very bad. It often ensures perpetual socioeconomic oppression of the majority, regardless of merit or competence.

There is an extreme lack of a fair and impartial opportunity to succeed here in today’s Nigeria.

I do NOT like what I observe and experience in Nigeria daily today. So, when I see/hear any person BLINDLY justify or rationalise it, in a manner that indicates s/he is biased, I WILL rebuke him/her.

I WILL continue doing this, because years of deep thought and reflection have revealed to me that keeping quiet, or sighing and saying “Lef am for God”(i.e. leave it for God) , has never worked for Nigeria or Nigerians.

Those who do NOT like my approach should therefore simply avoid being associated with me. Period.