Anne's Musings: Which Way Nigerians?

*Anne's Musing*

SAN is the story of Nigeria. 

To establish the Solidarity Action Network, we started with thousands as waka enter members. Defining membership was war; those who started and remain with us know the story. We weeded out members with poverty mentality, mudslingers, sycophants... We bade farewell to political shenanigans and those who had the effrontery to disobey rules. Those who did not help to set the agenda, tried to hijack and twist it. In fact, one member carried it beyond here to fight me somewhere else. Till now, some have not ratified their membership but when they are removed they will claim high handedness. Some are members with no iota of commitment. Pastor JT Kalejaiye is noted for saying, a committee without commitment will commit crime.

We have come to a point where we have on board folks - active and inactive, who know and understand the rules and can warn anyone who deviates. Any post outside 10PM now is not outright disobedience but mistake and we can clearly see that; those who end up being suspended take it in good faith. In our corner of the world, we enjoy the benefit of rule of law as many wives and husbands of members thank us for sending them to bed! Rule of law has created a comical angle - I had a good laugh with Mr. Obalana⁩, who earned a strike from labelling and laughing at "Lola the Tailor"! 😂😆 The laugh turned out to be on him.

It took us months of setting, sowing, pruning, nurturing to get to where we are but have we moved forward with our agenda? Have we reaped the harvest we envisaged? We have those close to the corridors of power as members, but have they impacted us beyond dropping political publicity? We have movers and shakers of timber, iroko and obeche but how well have they contributed to using our ideologies internally and externally? Change begins with me began on SAN... Ideas have flown around like leaves in summer, but how well have we implemented them?

It took us months to change the mindset of "this is just a forum and anything should go" but with dialogue + defiance of the norm, we did. We must be the only or topmost forum globally that runs strictly by the books...

Can we change Nigeria? YES WE CAN! But, can not with the present laid back attitude and disjointed agenda... Which is why SAN is big on pushing the philosophy of individualised change as a stepping stone to community change, development and nation building.

If as an individual you do not accept first school leaving certificate as the be all of education then we will work to change the national policy of admitting as presidential candidate those with "school cert attempted" qualification.

For Nigeria to change, ideologies, policies, mindset and character must change. The present narrative of mudslinging incompetent leaders must change to a narrative of pushing for integrity and good governance. Ambode would have got away with LUC and he may end up getting away with it ultimately because instead of insisting the policy goes through the right process during which strategies can be put in place to knock it out, folks are condemning the wrong process so he says, e ma binu (don't be offended), we have reduced it! Something that should have warranted impeachment, got a slap on the wrist! 🙄

I had a case in court and was vigorously arguing "pro se" against the plaintiff and plaintiff's attorney's fraudulent allegations and my consultant cautioned me to argue my own case not theirs... I developed a maxim which is working for me in many areas - Don't play their game. Play yours. Don't pray against their plans. Plan and pray for yours. Don't argue against their case. State clearly and defend yours. Face forward. Stay focused. Ariwo, na noise. 😁

Value and belief system must be re-engineered for Nigeria to change... 

I shared an idea with a media group about starting from primary schools to teach national conscientiousness, leadership and integrity. The idea was carried. This was after noisemaking about we must do something. For every idea, I do a pilot project first to test run and pass or fail forward. The problems with the mid-day meal would never have happened if the presidency listened...

For the pilot that I stubbornly organised and carried out in a SAN member's school, no SAN member came, only one media group member showed up late with his wife! 😂 But he came and brought his heart along because he had his own agenda for which I was nicely pinned down for a meeting; I had mine. They had theirs. The man travelled abroad thereafter and is back in NG. He has begun the journey for his agenda!

Hijackers of our nation have their own agenda. If all we are doing is fighting to translate or reorder that agenda, we will fight till we are exhausted. They set it, know the ropes and understand where the landmines are positioned! SAN Committee members have become lethargic, no thanks to passive members. I used to write Anne's Musings and Abike's Musings regularly but lethargy set in... A new wave of inspiration led me to this piece.

We must set our own agenda. I believe we had a forum where we used "Resetting Change" as topic... We must define and reset the kind of change we want. After all, someone defined "change" as remnant from conductors.

Are we ready to set an agenda for choosing, grilling, formatting our leaders? Are we ready to head hunt and back up such talents by pressing all the buttons to ensure they go through the necessary process for acceptance including attending the policy institute in Kuru where the northern powers send and set the agenda for those they nominate for leadership? 

How can we have untrained and unschooled leaders? Leaders must be put through test and training such that between election and inauguration, if they fail, their party can be asked to send someone else or there will be a rerun excluding that person!

When I wanted to sign on realtors, they breathed down my neck to sign online. I breathed down their necks to send me a draft after which I fend off their close marking till I have reviewed. 

They called off the hook and I had to eliminate by blocking some. On d-day, I insist on an unfilled document; from review I already know where they will hide things like "dual agency", "extension", "withdrawal" etc... There is ALWAYS something hiding somewhere and I had to make handwritten notes on the contract to clarify grey areas. 

I compel them to work with my time (often times when you work with the timing of contractors or consultants they come better prepared to swindle you). Credible politicians have been rubbished just by playing the politics of time especially with debate. If you are a morning person, a less intelligent but smart person could compel you to schedule a debate for night time. You arrive there drained and sleepy while she being a night owl will floor you by just hammering on what she knows! If you are ever forced into a night meeting and you are a morning person, make that night your morning by sleeping ahead so you wake up fresh and full of life. 

After signing, before they leave, I insist on a photographed copy so there is no drama. Between signing and presenting you the signed copy, Nollywood can sele so I make sure there is a clause that nullifies the contract if there is drama at any point. 🤣 They returned to grumble later because na checkmate! 

I learned the ropes after getting burned a few times... Every game or business has rules. Learn them. 😉 Keep the change, I shared that free of charge!

Our leaders must understand what leadership means otherwise them plus aides are merely being blown around!

Immediately after a real leader's meeting, there should be a press release with details of 5W+H.  

There is PODE which is supposed to communicate activities of our presidency. #PMB is negotiating  a $15 billion deal but his statement against the youth is trending. As Samuel Ogunjo of SAN asked, "Why is the full text of his speech not in circulation right now? Who are the PR doing damage control?"

No PR agency to the best of my knowledge. Just aides, many who cannot aid themselves! I warned till I was out of breath... You NEVER let the electorate lead the information wagon... Proactivity is the name of the 100m sport!

I coordinate PC4N, an offshoot of SAN that prays daily for Nigeria. While we have great professionals like Dr. Simbo Odunaiya⁩, a Senior Avionics Research Engineer and Prof. of Electrical Engineering who would not drop balls even in the face of double deaths in his family, we have others - ministers and ministers in the making, who would break rules with reckless abandon, ask to be reminded of schedule again and again, complain, handle prayer leadership shoddily... I had to remove an oil and gas oga who would post anything from fantasy to Fela, despite our "strictly for prayer" policy. I sent a member scheduled to pray a message to subtly let her know she was dropping balls and response was "Okay ma. Thank you." I mean you are scheduled to lead Monday to Sunday and you lead one day and take off, you are reminded on Thursday and that was her response; I was exasperated! I questioned and the reply was, "I know ma. I got lost. I am sorry." I had to ask "Got lost where?" I gave up.

What am I saying? Many of those we deem credible, lack competence. Can incompetent hands be fielded for progress? I can lament till visa is free, can I possibly change that member with that kind of response?!

In our search for political candidates, we need the right person - male or female, able or challenged, with verified capabilities. Federal character is our enemy in this regard, so our best may always play second fiddle to the best of hijackers IF we do not reset the agenda upon which Nigeria was founded. I have seen qualified, tried, trusted, worthy heads, hands, hearts and health here on SAN... So they are available in the larger society. Sadly, often times they are folks who would rather not be thrown into the sink or swim crinkum crankum of Nigeria's politics.

SAN is the story of Nigeria... Which way SAN members? Which way Nigerians?