The Tenure Elongation Tussle

Barely two months after being saddled with the daunting task of steering the turbulent ship called Nigeria, president Goodluck Jonathan finds himself embroiled in a quagmire, one that was very much avoidable. It was a shocker that was bound to raise dust, when Nigerians woke up to find the front pages of the national dallies, all with a unanimous creed: 'Jonathan to send bill for a single six years tenure for president and governors.' Whatever his intentions were, they certainly defy logic and were very untimely. At a time when the Boko Haram puzzle was proving a hard nut to crack, one expects that president Jonathan will make that his priority. Rather, he has decided to stoke a fire, he might never be able to put off. The nation is fraughted with a plethora of ills, and the tenure elongation issue should have been down on the pecking order, at least for the moment. Perhaps, the president is bringing this up to distract us from our many problems? Perhaps, he has been ill-adviced by his new special advisers? Or does he have an ulterior motive? The permutations are more than a handful, but some of the criticisms are not unfounded. Even if one is to give the proposal a thought, some clearifications and questions are imperative and sacrosanct. What will happen to the governors that are serving their first term? Wouldn't this bring about more desperation among politicians? Moreover, even though the president has told us that he will not run in 2015, we know how power can intoxicate. The proposal might have been the brainchild of a myraid of political parties, however, for the president to accept it hook, line and sinker, questions his dexterity in office and temerity to take a stance. Only time will tell when all these will end. Yet, it goes without saying that this issue is the least of our problems at the moment.

Messi: A National Flop?

Only a cynic of the highest order, will deny the ingenuities and exquisite wizardy that Lionel Messi possesses. However, his previous and recent outings with Argentina has made many to question the potency he embodies. Indeed, Messi has nothing to prove at the club stage. His laurels with Barcelona are very enviable and intimidating. He has won every prize that club football has to offer. Having said that, Messi has continued to lose his mindas touch whenever he plays for Argentina. He toils to reinvent his magic. Several reasons have been adduced for this. The apologists maintain that Argentina lacks the ideal manager that will bring out the best in him, and that the pressure whenever he plays for the national side is so much that it can make any player crack. For the skeptics, Messi's expliots with Barcelona is a sheer product of the craftiness of Ronaldiho(when he was at Barca), Xavi and Iniesta. They insists that Messi has been lucky to have always played alongside exceptional midfielders over the years. This arguement might be extreme, but it cannot simply be dismissed as untenable. However, Messi still has age on his side, but the consensus remains that he has to prove himself with the Argentina national team before he can truly consider himself as one of the greatest that the beautiful game has ever produced.

Time Ticks For Team Jonathan

After weeks of intrigues, horse trading and sycophancy, President Goodluck Jonathan finally appionted his numerous sidekicks, charged with the daunting task of transforming the nation and creating a new lease of fresh air. The ministers and special advisers have been appointed from a plethora of men and women from different walks of life. However, some of the names on the list leaves plenty to be desired. More than a handful of them are a sheer product of Nigeria's politics of favoritism and ethnicity. However, credibility still found it way into the list. The choice of Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as Finance minister, is a masterstroke. It will be incredulous to doubt the integrity and competence of a woman that has proven herself beyound the shores of this entity. Also, appointing Reuben Abati as special adviser on media and publicity, is an exquisite decision that upholds meritocracy. Abati was before his appointment, the gaffer of Guardian newspaper editorial board. An academian per excellence, he will easily pass as the finest in his craft over the past decade. However, if fears coming from the pessimist is anything to go by, then Abati must be very cautious not to become a mere puppet. The Jonathan team is hallmarked by same faces of old. However, he deserves the benefit of the doubt to prove to us that he has assembled the best hands to finally lead us to that elusive promise land. Suffice it to say, Jonathan and his cohorts must recognize that time has started ticking for them. Thus, the aspirations of a hundred and fifty million Nigerians rests on their shoulders.

Second Half Of 2011 Is Upon Us!

Time surely flies. At times, at a speed of sound. While we all still have fresh memories of the year, reality suggests that it has grown old. Old enough to be stripped of it's 'Happy New Year' dictum. Now, the concern should be you. The first half of the year has passed on, and it is sacrosanct that you take stock and then launch into the second half. Life is a game of two halves. The epoch of childhood, not only in years, but in the mind. The second is the spell of maturity, the era when you discover purpose. The question is: What half of your life are you in? 2011 came with so much expections and six months into it, you have to evaluate yourself. Nobody attains success by the sheer hand of providence. No one amounts to something merely by going to bed with lady luck. The treasures of life are configured in a way that only those who desperately seek it, who are ready to defy the odds, to go to a breaking point, to give all and even more, will surely unlock these treasures. Are you ready to pay this price? Perhaps, the first half of your year collapsed like a pack of cards. Perhaps, it was hallmarked by a myriad of obstacles. The good news is that the next six months could still be the best of your life. Remember that even in a football game, if a team trails at half time, that team can stage a remarkable comeback in the second half and steal the result. In the same vein, July to December could be that next 45 minutes of your life when u dust yourself from the limitations, and live your dreams. But, you must be willing to do things differently, to change the tactics and play with a renewed swagger!