Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - News Release: From Change To Chains

We will publish these concerns as rejoinders if we receive them.

Chidi Anthony Opara
Publisher,
chidi opara reports

On Saturday, 26 December 2015 09:52:27 UTC+1, szalanga wrote:

I will counsel anyone who is truly insulted by what the president said to based on evidence show why the level of poverty in Nigeria and underdevelopment since independence should not be a more source of insult to human decency, but whatever he said would. The greatest dictator in Africa, is "human poverty and misery." Poverty and misery can dictate peoples choices and life chances, irrespective of who is in power. Some in Nigeria because of poverty did not even heard the speech in reference, but because we are significantly bourgeoisified, we feel it is the key issue. Let us examine African from the bottom-up.

I can be insulted by people who hide behind Christmas to promote consumerism and use the name of Jesus to enrich themselves instead of empowering the masses of Nigeria.

So taking of offense at what Buhari presumably said, even though corrected by another commentator, is more an indication of standpoint of the person and his or her moral presuppositions on what should be matter of serious concern in Nigeria.

Different people have different standpoints. For me, the greatest insult to my sensibility is the millions of Nigerians that have been made to become "non-persons" by virtue of predatory acts of governance and negligence. This predatory acts of governance and negligence abound to different degrees in all states, and in all local governments and under many administrations before Buhari.

The major problems of many Nigerians is that they have become many religious and expecting a political messiah: one single person who will appear in history and change the course of Nigerian affairs. This is not an analysis in serious understanding of social history.

I am more inspired by stories of different people like the one on the BBC video that Mr. Ikhide posted about an ordinary Nigerian trying to provide education to those treated as forsaken and ignored. Frankly, I am more inspired by learning about what made that man to do what he did instead of what many in Abuja and state capitals decided to do with public funds. We can create a momentum of change if we have millions of people like him instead of waiting for a political messiah. What the man did is the what I always describe as the "revolution will not be televised." People who take history in their hands instead of analyzing and waiting the arrival of a political messiah.

Hold Buhari or any person in power accountable but always have a sense of the genealogy of institutions and social processes.

Both Jesus and the Prophet of Islam were opposed and up to the time they died, some people disagreed with them and tried to subvert them.

Samuel

On Fri, Dec 25, 2015 at 4:47 AM, 'chidi opara reports' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

The Xmas Message delivered today by Presidential Speech Writers, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, is a collective insult to all Nigerians. The message, titled: "No Group Will Hold Nigeria to Ransom Again"… is also self-indicted because Nigeria is being held to ransom by the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari; and not the other way round. A Nigerian Facebook blogger recently stated that "Buhari/APC shouted chain and Nigerians thought the shouters said change". That is to say that Nigerians are dictatorially captive; following the shout of "chains", which they took to be "change". The country's military had also boasted recently that "it must maintain one united Nigeria by fire by force"................

Click here to continue reading

				chidi opara reports: News Release: From Change To Chains President Buhari The Xmas Message delivered today by Presidential Speech Writers, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, is a collective insult to all...
				View on chidioparareports.b...	Preview by Yahoo

 

From chidi opara reports

chidi opara reports is published as a social service by PublicInformationProjects

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.