Nigeria: A Ridiculed Mother?

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[myhotbrain]

Without a doubt, Nigeria is not only a "ridiculed mother," she is also continually being flogged by all members of the society with the exceptions of, may be, a few number of "a few good men."
I was happy when I read the conclusion of your thesis, it is a nice ending, to a critically composed opinion on a strong issue such as Patriotism. Without reverting to the dictionary's definition of the word, Patriotism, as I will readily define Patriotism to mean in this present context: the ability to identify, investigate, and condemn all of the wrongs in the Nigerian Society, as well as the desire to proffer solutions and participate both financially and physically in order to realise the Nigeria of our Dream. A Nigeria where all of her citizens would have access to decent living standard and the opportunity to harness their individual potentials for the benefit of theirselves and the Society at-large.

I totally disagree with those who insist that their Patriotism depended upon Nigeria's capabilty in the provision of basic amenities, such as light, water and healthcare. Incidentally, if this provision of essential amenities was adequately provided for in Nigeria, most of the Diasporean Nigerian who demand pre-set conditions before thier Proclamation of Patriotism of their Motherland, would not have permanently ventured out of Nigeria. Patriotism, therefore, in this context, is the combination of blowing hot and cold; on one hand, you will expose the wrongs and on the other, you will do something positively about them.

Patriotism is tainted, in my opinion, when a Patriot insist that Nigeria should distingrate, rather than embrace the policy of active participation in the "Nigerian Project, of vision 2020: Nigeria's goal of becoming a member of the 20 biggest economies in the world by the year 2020."

Paul Adujie, you have earned my respect with this brilliant piece, wherein you have exposed the hipocrisy of the so called Patriot, who reminds me of the story in one of my elementary reading books, here goes: "...Ali is a wise man, he wants to get rich very quickly, but he does not want to work hard for it..." Therefore, Nigerians both at home and abroad in collaboration with foreign investors and technology must work together in order to realise this achievable goal of "vision 2020." Any desire and or conspiracy to divide Nigeria along ethnic lines is an act of destruction of the Nigerian people. As recently as few days ago, it was reported that real estate in the Federal Capital City of Nigeria, Abuja is mostly controlled by the people of South Eastern Nigeria, Igbo people to be precise. Can these Nigerians because of their ethnicity be deprived of their benefits, when it is a definite and uncontestable fact that Nigerian people of many inter and intra cultural backgrounds interact physically and otherwise on a daily basis and in most parts of Nigeria? I am yet to imagine the situation which would lead to the peaceful "balkanization" of the Nigerian Nation. The irony is though, that the rest of the economic blocks in the world are using the power of large numbers to improve their citizens' lot. Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa countires, must continue to formulate policies which would lead to the full economic and eventual political integration of the various nations including their people irrespective of their native tongues. For these effort to take-hold, I join those who propose the policy of encouraging the learning of a set of African languages formally agreed upon by members of the Africa Union. This of course, will be in addition to both the native tongues and the English Language.

Thank you Paul, for calling "a Spade a Spade." Nigeria deserves the best participation of all of us in her physical and mental development and not just the churning of eternal damnation and a curse for her leaders. As rightly posited: "the leadership of any society is the reflection of that society." Those who continue to ridicule Nigeria without succour, should simply "look in the Mirror.": "What you see is what you get." To quote Ms. Jumoke Akin-Taylor, "I am Nigerian, the changes begin with me."


Peace and Love.

myhotbrain

[Auspicious]

I have read better written pieces from Paul I. Adujie. This piece is badly written - it is haphazard (scattered and difficult to follow or read), recklessly judgemental (does not take the frustration of critics into account), illogical (warped) and unbalanced (self-serving). It was a one-sided piece that tried to patronize and criticize the "critical patriots" at the same time.

Mr. Adujie needs to be reminded of his type - the group of people who have an explanation or an excuse for every wrong step of the recently retired government of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Their extreme support of that government only makes those opposed to them justified in their excoriation of the same government.

The list of the sins of the past government is endless, with the "Third Term" shananigans toping the list of infamous moves by that government. I, Auspicious, was one of those who believed Obasanjo would never tarnish his fairly solid reputation as an international statesman by trying such a thing..and it was to our utter embarrassment to witness otherwise!

Then there is the issue of the disgraceful vindictiveness through which he pursued his then Deputy, Atiku Abubakar. Little did we know, that the day would come that the President of this country will trade words over the mass media with an enstranged Deputy - to the embarrassment of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria everywhere.

Atiku, who was already distrusted by many Nigerians for what many saw as his shady background began to earn sympathy from the society at Baba's expense. And some of us find it difficult to forgive Mr. Obasanjo for that. First, he made a fool of those who trusted him by attempting to elongate his mandate, then he spoilt our case against a man we had in our crosshairs.

What an embarrassment!

So was the case of the Presidential Libarary. Who for God's sake led that man astray like that? How on Earth can we justify a sitting President's invitation to government contractors, Governors and apologists to come donate to a President Library Project? Is that not a gross abuse of power? God forbid it was Atiku who did such a thing..we would never hear the last of it from Paul Adujie!

And the list goes on. Through all that, we never heard a word of justified criticism from our so-called patriots like Mr. Adujie. Rather, all we heard was their excuses for illegalities. Either that or they keep mum when they are out of excuses with their backs to the wall. Yet, Mr. Paul I. Adujie has the goddamn effrontery to lecture anyone about patriotism vis-a-vis criticism.

The biggest fake patriots are those whose actions and inactions promote illegality in the Motherland. They are the ones who excuse the abuse of power. They are the ones who keep mum when a President ignores our statutes for selfish purposes. They are the ones who explain away the unconstitutionality of impeaching Governors without the required two-third majority! They are the ones who criticise our Apex Justices for standing on the side of Truth!

As Villager Fjord would say, For Shame!

Auspicious.

[Afeni]

Ms Jumoke needs to keep her words to herself. She needs to stop deceiving herself and other Nigerians that they make a difference. The PDP government has shown well well that they win landslide elections without the support of the people. As things are now, only the defiant hand of the armed forces can save us from the likes of Adedibu,

I tell you ILN, it is clear that you are being payed. Being payed huge sums of monies by the likes of Babaginda, Abdulsalamy, Obasanjo, Danjuma .. heck, even new comer Umaru must have settled you. It is a pity that you don't have the interest of your people at heart.

I never bring God into matters like this, but this one is a special case. I take God beg you, ILN. If not for love of country, think about the generation unborn.

[Zanderlex]

In our quest to salvage what is left of Nigeria, the distinction between traitors and patriots should not be hazy. By their words, writings and actions we shall know them.

[Oghre]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

I have read better written pieces from Paul I. Adujie. This piece is badly written - it is haphazard (scattered and difficult to follow or read), recklessly judgemental (does not take the frustration of critics into account), illogical (warped) and unbalanced (self-serving). It was a one-sided piece that tried to patronize and criticize the "critical patriots" at the same time.

Mr. Adujie needs to be reminded of his type - the group of people who have an explanation or an excuse for every wrong step of the recently retired government of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Their extreme support of that government only makes those opposed to them justified in their excoriation of the same government.

The list of the sins of the past government is endless, with the "Third Term" shananigans toping the list of infamous moves by that government. I, Auspicious, was one of those who believed Obasanjo would never tarnish his fairly solid reputation as an international statesman by trying such a thing..and it was to our utter embarrassment to witness otherwise!

Then there is the issue of the disgraceful vindictiveness through which he pursued his then Deputy, Atiku Abubakar. Little did we know, that the day would come that the President of this country will trade words over the mass media with an enstranged Deputy - to the embarrassment of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria everywhere.

Atiku, who was already distrusted by many Nigerians for what many saw as his shady background began to earn sympathy from the society at Baba's expense. And some of us find it difficult to forgive Mr. Obasanjo for that. First, he made a fool of those who trusted him by attempting to elongate his mandate, then he spoilt our case against a man we had in our crosshairs.

What an embarrassment!

So was the case of the Presidential Libarary. Who for God's sake led that man astray like that? How on Earth can we justify a sitting President's invitation to government contractors, Governors and apologists to come donate to a President Library Project? Is that not a gross abuse of power? God forbid it was Atiku who did such a thing..we would never hear the last of it from Paul Adujie!

And the list goes on. Through all that, we never heard a word of justified criticism from our so-called patriots like Mr. Adujie. Rather, all we heard was their excuses for illegalities. Either that or they keep mum when they are out of excuses with their backs to the wall. Yet, Mr. Paul I. Adujie has the goddamn effrontery to lecture anyone about patriotism vis-a-vis criticism.

The biggest fake patriots are those whose actions and inactions promote illegality in the Motherland. They are the ones who excuse the abuse of power. They are the ones who keep mum when a President ignores our statutes for selfish purposes. They are the ones who explain away the unconstitutionality of impeaching Governors without the required two-third majority! They are the ones who criticise our Apex Justices for standing on the side of Truth!

As Villager Fjord would say, For Shame!

Auspicious.

Auspicious, Mate,
I smell misplaced priorities in your reply there – no offence but that particular reply did not capture the essence of the article.
Paul’s entire theses centred on a nation called Nigeria – Obasanjo is not Nigeria – Nigeria is bigger than any one man.
Obasanjo has now been relegated to the history books, his powers may slowly fade away, leaving us once again with a Nigerian Project.
Patriotism is one of the key ingredients that will help us move Nigeria along, criticism without so much as offering solutions to hardcore issues is not going to help enable the country.
Let’s start by getting our priorities right.
Ben

[peterclaver2006]

This writer should have used the present Nigerian context to give us cadent impressions of who a patriot is or not. Believing that the vote robbers that duped and cheated the rest of Nigerians and now appropriate for themselves the appellation of ‘Nigeria’ are now our patriots and that those that speak against these acts of fraud are now less patriotic, is the best way of undermining Nigeria. Ditto for the hacks that sing the praise of these vote robbers who have devalued all our value systems and have jammed Nigeria into one of the poorest nations on earth. This writer would have first situated what is patriotic in the acts of the serial fraudsters he praise-sings for here before he lunches on his meaningless tirade against those that feel the country does not deserve the band of robbers that now eat away its soul. The point is that when scoundrels confuse themselves to be patriots, the real patriots become victims of the state of anomie such as the one Nigeria finds herself in presently.

[akuluouno]

Dear Oghre,

It was King Louis IV whom I believe uttered that maxim "Le etat cest moi" which was later in the last century put into practice by President Arap Moi of Kenya. Since then it has become difficult to separate love for nation with the idiosyncracies of leaders. If Nigeria as a nation is raped collectively, it is not by the masses or the corporate entitiy did such a criminal act. It is the actions of the leaders personified by Mr President that determines if the country is being raped or being loved.
Those of us who are close followers of the Hon Adujie esq's epistles, sermons and pontifications on patriotism and the abuses which he has subjected that noble concept many of which were akin to what Mussolini and Hitler attempted with the attendant consequences to global civilisation have refused to wear such a notorious agbada of patriotism as stiched together by him. We also warn those who want to be seduced into doing so to "buyer beware".
Geniune love for nation does not have a blind spot like visison 2010. It sees both the good, the bad and the ugly. It also cautions where things go astray and calls the leaders to order. The leaders in turn respect the laws of the land as well as the constitution while having the intersts of the people uppermost in their minds.
Any love short of this for the nation is not only ruinous but might lead to infatuation bordering on the platonic where petro-dollars and crude-oil revenue may be its guiding principles. Thus we may be mistaking petronationalism and crudeoil/revenue sharing patriotism for the real thing.:biggrin :

[jthelmsdeep]

Originally Posted by peterclaver2006

This writer should have used the present Nigerian context to give us cadent impressions of who a patriot is or not. Believing that the vote robbers that duped and cheated the rest of Nigerians and now appropriate for themselves the appellation of ‘Nigeria’ are now our patriots and that those that speak against these acts of fraud are now less patriotic, is the best way of undermining Nigeria. ...The point is that when scoundrels confuse themselves to be patriots, the real patriots become victims of the state of anomie such as the one Nigeria finds herself in presently.

I agree with peterclavers perspective, and in particular with the bolded portion above. In order to make such sweeping assertions as the writer of the dissertation has made in subjectively determining who a patriot is in the Nigerian context, he should have first defined the word patriot. Failure to do so may cause our perspectives to all stem from different premises (like the proverbial blind men and the elephant). If I define patriotism differently from you, then we may argue until the cows come home, and neither one of us will give an inch because we are operating from different sides of the spectrum.

The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines patriot[noun] as a person who loves their country and, if necessary, will fight for it. The adjective is the word patriotic which is defined as, showing love for your country and pride in it. The sentence given as an example of the use of that word is: Many Americans felt it was their patriotic duty to buy bonds to support the war effort.

Please note that nowhere does this sentence indicate that those who purchased the bonds all agreed with the decision to go to war, or for that matter accept war as an equitable solution to resolving conflict between nations. However, their patriotism is demonstrated in the fact that they were willing to contribute to the war effort in order to protect the sovereignty of their nation. It seems to me that the author of this dissertation is advocating blind patriotism, which I personally find to be offensive and disingenuous. the definition of the word blind in the Cambridge Dictionary is: describes an extreme feeling that happens without thought or reason (e.g. He was blind with prejudice).

I don't know where the author lives or what he does for a living. I do know that his article smacks of the "Monday morning quaterback" syndrome. Since you don't know for a fact what is in the minds of the people who are objectively critical of Nigeria's tenuous political and economic system, since you don't know what role many of them play in helping to improve life for our nations beleaguered citizens, what gives you the right to presume that they are unpatriotic because they don't see things from your perspective? We are not and will never be a communist or socialist state ruled by one-party fascists who foist their whims upon the tribe in an unwitting attempt to create a status quo that only reflects their own worldview. Be careful how you casually throw around your arguments having built them on faulty foundations!

[Remi Oyeyemi]

In my humble opinion, any man or woman, young or old who supports the status quo in Nigeria today blindly and contends that no one should speak out against all these crimes against Nigeria and Nigerians is a BORN AGAIN SCOUNDREL in the garb of a PATRIOT. Simplicita.

[denker]

Originally Posted by Remi Oyeyemi

In my humble opinion, any man or woman, young or old who supports the status quo in Nigeria today blindly and contends that no one should speak out against all these crimes against Nigeria and Nigerians is a BORN AGAIN SCOUNDREL in the garb of a PATRIOT. Simplicita.

...thank you very much...without much worded statement you have given the situation the precise and right definition...

DT and ILN, the bolded words in red in the Quote above say much of you both...!

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by Remi Oyeyemi

In my humble opinion, any man or woman, young or old who supports the status quo in Nigeria today blindly and contends that no one should speak out against all these crimes against Nigeria and Nigerians is a BORN AGAIN SCOUNDREL in the garb of a PATRIOT. Simplicita.

Hi Remi,

I have read the original article and your reply to it. Whilst the original article is centred on an entity called "Nigeria", yours is essentially about the inefficiency of the government in power and the ruling elite. You seem to allure to the writer’s view when you admit that there are “all these crimes against Nigeria and Nigerians” You have knowingly separated Nigeria from Nigerians. The writer did exactly the same thing.

I am not too sure how humble your opinion on the substance of the article is. The notable Gani Fawehinmi, Chinua Acbebe, and Wole Shoyinka can all be considered as patriots. They regularly and openly criticised the corrupt “Nigerian government” and not “Nigeria”.

Without meaning any offence, can I suggest you read the article again? When you have done, please write a rejoinder that will help the readers to understand what you know that is wrong with the original article that some of us didn’t notice.

[DaBishop]

Paul Adujie Esq.

Miss-quoted and misunderstood you must be, but the truth you stated in these words hereunder:

It is safe to say, that our lack of love for Nigeria, the absence of patriotism toward Nigeria, and the loss of desire to protect and preserve Nigeria, rises from the citizenry to the top, be it political leadership, economic/corporate leadership or even religious leaderships. A lack of patriotism and love for Nigeria should therefore be seen as not transcendental, as the same virus transcends and permeates all sectors. A bad church-congregant may then become a bad pastor as a bad mosque-goers may become a bad imam. Churches or Mosques do not import persons from other faiths to lead it. So, if you hear of a bad political leader, a bad corporate leader, a bad religious leader, think of the general society from whence they all come. Good citizens? Good leaders! Leaders are us! Where do our political leaders come from, if not from the citizenry? Or why is corruption rampant in every state, level, almost every state?

Maybe you did not come out with a direct quote as to what amounts to patriotism, but you left no one in doubt.

Some cannot get over the fact that you see matters differently regarding OBJ so they carry over their grouse long after May 29! The government of UMY is the next test of what sides persons might consider patriotic. We have had persons who allege that to see the glass as half-full implies that we think others are unpatriotic. Not so, we just think being pessimistic does no one any good...and cannot propel the much needed development.

We know from experience that a natural optimist brings to his workplace, church, community or country, the same upbeat personality...and vice-versa. I have excercised my mental faculties to figure out how destructive criticism (as in never seeing any good in anything Nigerian) and a lack of suggestions can make Nigeria develop.

In other words, I wonder how cynics and rabid pessimists can have the energy or direction to develop Nigeria...Even if we are down...we may percieve that we have only stumbled on our way up...I guess if that is perceived as an excuse for every failure, so be it.

Paul, I am with you; and I hope to goodness that we are all patriots that encourage each other even while down. Keep it up.

[Son of the Delta]

Patriotism as far as Nigeria is concerned is shooting one`s self in the foot! It is only a very foolish Niger Deltan that will be patriotic! No woman loves the man that randomly rapes her unless that woman is totally out of her mind.Nigeria robbed us of everything we had and rewarded us with poverty and misery.

[I Love Nigeria]

Thanks Myhotbrain for your very generous assessment of this article! Come back to NVS more often, would you?

Ma Great Bishop ula-lisa esq. Thanks a million! for your excellent analyses and kind words of support.... this why you are my ONLY Bishop! AND, I wish I was making all the money some here allege that I make from Aso Rock, I would have jetted to your state to attend church with you this Sunday!

Oghre wrote these fine words:
“Patriotism is one of the key ingredients that will help us move Nigeria along, criticism without so much as offering solutions to hardcore issues is not going to help enable the country.”

Many thanks Oghre! In particular for making the needed distinction even clearer to Auspicious and his ilk! To wit, this is all about NIGERIA, NIGERIA, NIGERIA!

Our country will last and last and last and endure until the end of time and this is separate and distinct from the issues of leaderships.

It must be clearly understood by all that leadership is ephemeral and transient thing! Leaders to a good extent, are only house-seating on the behalf of all citizens, for the common good or greater good of all in the country. Good leaders, are adored, because they help to advance national purpose. Other than that, focusing on leadership at the expense of long term priorities is a disservice. Nevertheless, we ought to pour encomiums on those who do well and advance the national cause. We must give credit to those who we perceive as advancing our national interests.

In all of these, I am a little drop in the expansive oceans of Nigeria’s national interests. I am a mere hair thin, infinitesimal, insignificant iota of atom of pin size. It is not about me! It is about a great idea! NVS is market place of and for, ideas right?

Kill me if it will make Nigeria good! Nigeria IS, worth dying for, trust me on this!

Let all be told, that this is for me, all about, NIGERIA, NIGERIA, NIGERIA!

[Shoko Loko Bangoshe]

ILN,

I wrote an article a while ago concerning my disavowal of patriotism a while back.

Permit me to pull a few questions from that article to pose to you (and any other patriot in the house):

- Does being patriotic mean that I should support my country, no matter what the scenario is?

- What does 'supporting my country' mean? What exactly is 'my country' in this context? Is it the government of my country? And if it is, what if the government is of the brutal repressive type?

- Or does 'my country' refer to the unchanging features of my country, like its scenery and the cultures of its inhabitants? Why should I support these if I don't particularly like some of them?

- Does being patriotic mean that I should give up my freedom to believe or support whatever I want if it happens to go against the interests of my 'country'?

I'll be eagerly awaiting your answers.

[Auspicious]

It is my God-honest opinon, that those who chanted praises and hosonnah to massage the egos of some of our most garrulous leaders in history, in the middle of their abuse of their powers and priviledges of office, cannot be deemed to be patriots.

Those who looked elsewhere while Anambra burned - those who kept quiet while the Government of the Ruling Party in Nigeria played partisan politics with the destiny of the people of that state and beyond, can never claim to be patriotic Nigerians.

Those who came to Ibadan to raise the right hand of the very personification of evil, injustice and reckless egomania and further stated that such persons are an asset to our politics can never be deemed to be patriots - they and their praise-singers are anything BUT patriots!

Those who chorused for The Olorioko (Farm Headmaster) to go ahead and change the rules of the game halfway into his tenure, in that dishonest and mischievious manner, heating up the polity with their desperate ambition have no business being amongst the people referred to as patriots.

Those who kept mute in the face of blatant disregard for the Rule of Law, when the Federal Revenue Allocation due to the Government of the State of Lagos was held for upwards of 2 years, against a court order stating that it was illegal to withhold their dues, cannot for the life of me call themselves patriots!

Those who take on other citizens who had the moral courage and integrity to denounce a charade of an election exercise, attaching all sorts of unfair labels on these long-suffering people who still have some measure of self-respect/esteem to appreciate what insult is are no patriots for God's sakes!

Those who bad-mouthed our finest Apex Court Justices for standing up for Honesty, Courage and Integrity, and called them all sort of names in their sickenly biased barrage of articles are NO Patriots BUT Traitors who would sell Nigeria for a bowl of Akpu and Ogbono.

A person who habitually sings the praise of a government whose actions and inactions have helped encourage mediocrity and embolden political godfatherism/thuggery across Nigeria, from Anambra to Oyo and Ekiti..such person can never be a patriot - NEVER!

Such people are nothing but enemies of progress and agents of retrogression. They help nuture and encourage egomania. They prevent the exposure of our leaders to accountability. They help destroy our chances of ingraining the values that make a society whole. They feed mediocrity. They descreetly promote the abuse of power.

We do not need their brand of Patriotism because it stinks! Patriotism is not hero-worship; patriotism is the courage to stand up and be able to say it as it is! Patriotism is not defending your nation even as it wallows in injustice; patriotism is being able to look yourself in the mirror and admit your fault along with that of your leaders!

Patriotism is not robotic loyalty to your leader or your Country; patriotism is the ability to tell your fellow citizens that "Look, let's admit it - we fcuked up!" whenever the Motherland fcuks up! Patriotism is the ability to look inwards - to question, to seek answers, to doubt when their is reason to doubt. And to believe when there is reason to believe.

May God NOT make me an unquestioning robotic patriot. (Amen!).

[I Love Nigeria]

Shoko, I recall reading your article, it was very philosophical, as I recall it.


1). Shoko aka Idiagbon, asks: Does being patriotic mean that I should support my country, no matter what the scenario is?

A). ILN‘s response: Speaking for myself and myself ALONE, I defended Nigeria publicly EVEN when Abacha was president, that should tell you… that it is for me, ALL about NIGERIA! And yes, no matter the scenario! I LOVE NIGERIA and her peoples (as distinct and separate from the ephemeral leadership)

2). Shoko aka Idiagbon, - What does 'supporting my country' mean? What exactly is 'my country' in this context? Is it the government of my country? And if it is, what if the government is of the brutal repressive type?

B). ILN’s response: NIGERIA, NIGERIA, NIGERIA and not dependent on the form or type of government. And again, speaking ONLY for myself and myself ALONE, I take the view hat my Nigerian-ness and my enthusiasm about NIGERIA is not dependent on the type of government or transient/temporary affairs of good and bad leaderships. Of course, because I love Nigeria, I always pray for good leaders that will advance Nigeria’s worthy causes! And I will extol such leader that would work toward Nigeria’s development, advancement and greatness, even if extolling such leader(s) would make me a foot mat to many!

3). Shoko aka Idiagbon, - Or does 'my country' refer to the unchanging features of my country, like its scenery and the cultures of its inhabitants? Why should I support these if I don't particularly like some of them?

C). ILN’s response, Speaking for myself again, I like the rolling hills, the Savannah flatlands and the idyllic valleys and the lushness of the rain forests, I love Nigeria’s unchanging features, hook, line and sinker! Up, down and across!

I love the wondrously diverse culture, features, gorgeous mosaic of spectacular scenic views all over Nigeria! I like the all the inhabitants of the East West ,South and North!
I Love Nigeria for A as in Aba, Abuja and Abeokuta to Z as in Zaria, Zauzau to Zungeru
Shoko, if you do not like one scene, one feature etc, move to another city or state! Or talk to you architect and landscape expert and horticulturist! Influence or change or alter your environment to your tastes!

4). - Does being patriotic mean that I should give up my freedom to believe or support whatever I want if it happens to go against the interests of my 'country'?

D). ILN response to this is YES, YES, YES, YES, YES AND YES! This is the easiest question of all! It does not require thinking or second take at all!

Speaking for myself AGAIN, I take the view or position, that if you do anything inconsistent with the interests of Nigeria, you are a treacherous traitor! How could you exercise the IDI-OTIC “freedom” to act or support anything against your country?
I lost some Nigerian friendship about a decade ago, because they lied, to my knowledge to the authorities, in order to receive resident permits, by lying against Nigeria, as they alleged political and religious persecution by Nigerian authorities, persecutions that never took place! All these they did, in order to qualify for political asylum of some sorts.

I complained bitterly, and of course, we parted ways, because, for these Nigerians, at least, at the time, the ends justified the means, and I prefer to differ and we parted ways in not very cordial terms. Such is life?

[busanga]

Hahahaha! I laugh in vernacular. You love Nigeria from the seat of your comfort in New York? I would think your best love for this country will be by working practically in Nigeria to uplift her from the abyss of under development instead of engaging in PR job which amounts to putting lipstick on a pig. I take this article as some kind of joke u know but still i will give u your much desired 5 minutes of fame. Look my response to this article are triple.

1. If you love Nigeria so much, why are u not there? It is easy to shout patriotism when u have 24 hrs light & water. When last did you go to the trenches? When? You do not know where the shoe pinches the most, if you don't wear it!

2. Can one truly have a nationalistic feeling towards a geographic expression? I mean remember we talk about a country whose unity is still in question, with questionable leaders in place & a fake constitution written in a military man's bed room & "we the people" plastered on it? Can u reap vine when u sow thorns? garbage in- garbage out.

3. as someone already asked u my dear Paul- who is Nigeria? Is Obasanjo Nigeria? Is the brigand of thieves in abuja Nigeria? If you love Nigeria, you will be against the poorly conducted elections & national projects like the census & ID card scheme. You will stand firm in condemning anti-people policies that impoverish ordinary Nigerians like fuel price increase & Vat taxes without recourse to the people's representatives.

But no...delusions are not reality. You do not love that country of ours. Prove me wrong.

[Auspicious]

Villagers Beware of them 'Patriots'!

In response to Shoko's question about Patriotism:

A). ILN‘s response: Speaking for myself and myself ALONE, I defended Nigeria publicly EVEN when Abacha was president, that should tell you… that it is for me, ALL about NIGERIA! And yes, no matter the scenario! I LOVE NIGERIA and her peoples (as distinct and separate from the ephemeral leadership)

Meaning: "I publicly support the President/Head of State even when he is wrong in his policies and actions. And I heckle those who criticize him and label them with unfair names. I love Nigeria and her peoples though. Yeah, I know it is difficult to reconcile but try anyways.

On the meaning of "Supporting my Country":

B). ILN’s response: NIGERIA, NIGERIA, NIGERIA and not dependent on the form or type of government. And again, speaking ONLY for myself and myself ALONE, I take the view hat my Nigerian-ness and my enthusiasm about NIGERIA is not dependent on the type of government or transient/temporary affairs of good and bad leaderships. Of course, because I love Nigeria, I always pray for good leaders that will advance Nigeria’s worthy causes! And I will extol such leader that would work toward Nigeria’s development, advancement and greatness, even if extolling such leader(s) would make me a foot mat to many!

Meaning: Kwaaaaaaaa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-Kwaaaaaaaa!

On wether my country means "rolling hills and plains etc"..

C). ILN’s response, Speaking for myself again, I like the rolling hills, the Savannah flatlands and the idyllic valleys and the lushness of the rain forests, I love Nigeria’s unchanging features, hook, line and sinker! Up, down and across!
I love the wondrously diverse culture, features, gorgeous mosaic of spectacular scenic views all over Nigeria! I like the all the inhabitants of the East West ,South and North!
I Love Nigeria for A as in Aba, Abuja and Abeokuta to Z as in Zaria, Zauzau to Zungeru
Shoko, if you do not like one scene, one feature etc, move to another city or state! Or talk to you architect and landscape expert and horticulturist! Influence or change or alter your environment to your tastes!

Errr...DUH! He failed that simple question?!?

On wether being a patriot equates to being a robotic slave:

D). ILN response to this is YES, YES, YES, YES, YES AND YES! This is the easiest question of all! It does not require thinking or second take at all!

Folks, Go Figure! Now you get the picture? That's what he wants the rest of us to be! That is why he labels people like Mobolaji Aluko. That is why he abuses our Supreme Court Justices. That is why Remi Oyeyemi is in his black book - - because we are NOT robotic slaves masquarading as patriots! Villagers, remember this dude in your prayers tonight!

And the Clincher:

Paul Adujie: "Speaking for myself AGAIN, I take the view or position, that if you do anything inconsistent with the interests of Nigeria, you are a treacherous traitor!"

I guess we know ONE traitor already. One traitor whose blind support of the erstwhile President of this country - excesses, illegalities, abuse of the privilege of office and all - makes him guilty of engaging in acts that are "inconsistent with the interest of Nigeria". Hence, a TREACHEROUS TRAITOR!

Auspicious.