By Emma Okocha
Intimate knowledge of the office of the First Lady…

Very interesting narrative. Showed an intimate knowledge of the First Lady and an insight in the corridors of power. Having gained such an insight what should we as Nigerians do to uplift our country. For those near the corridors of power, the last paragraph is very significant.

They must be vigilant and learn not to trust anyone. For the majority of us who are not near power, we must recognise the difficulties that can be faced by those in power and give them time and space to carry out their agenda while presenting challenges to them in a way that will not alert / alienate the bad apples amongst them.
—Ngozi Obinwa, United Kingdom

Better Life, noble project

Emma, I really enjoyed the piece. Yesterday, while I was discussing with some compatriots, I came back to my sermon on the death of History, our hostility to history and our penchant for the banal, shallow and criminal present we fondly try to construct. We are afraid of history because it will expose our ignoble present.

This is the result of ego, greed, imperfections and fear of our shadows. Before us, there was nothing. After us, there is nothing except the eternity of the criminal present which is our own creation.

The next day when we are gone and we are supplanted by those our comrades in the making of criminal history, some of whom we, as their venerable godfathers, impose on society. They too are schooled in the philosophical doctrine of “no history before us and none after us except the one made by us”.

Everything done before they came on board is no part of history. They proceed to construct history afresh. But one thing they never miss and they never change is the same criminal methodologies the so-called forgotten godfathers used in constructing what for them now are but vanishing irritants.

Who does not know that BETTER LIFE FOR RURAL WOMEN was a noble historical initiative; forget about the limitations in its practice?

Those who take up the job of social and political leadership or service in our society ought to know that society is history. It is a continuous process of cumulative creating and recreating of the intellectual and social fabrics of human existence. The present is built on the past; while the future is built on the present. If there is no past, there is no present, and if there is no present, there is no future. What can you make of the present if you ignore the past.

Every First Lady, from Federal to the Local Government comes on board and launches her own programme. Every President, Governor and what have you comes on board and begins to build the Nigerian society afresh, launches his or her own programme. Everything done before them is ignored.

Indeed, it is not fair to say that they do not make any contributions at all. But what we have is a disjointed process. Disjointed History. No link between what they are doing and what has been done before them.

I use to wonder why President Obasanjo hardly mentioned the founding fathers of the Nigerian nation in his speeches. No tribute to them. And he hardly pointed to any synergy between his own constructions and those of the leaders before him.

What I have said so far is one side of the coin.

What is the other side?

A great deal of the significant landmarks in the making of the Nigerian Nation were hardly the thoughts or even actions of the so-called leaders. We hardly talk about them, and we hardly talk about those men, the real patriots, who are the creators of modern Nigerian social history.

When Gani Fawehimi cried from his sick-bed, bemoaning the failure to arm society with the history of the thought and activities of Nigerian patriots who have made significant contributions in the making of the positive side of our history, he was indeed lamenting on our lack of consciousness of the place of positive history in the making of a nation.

Such an absence of historical consciousness plays into the hands of the vampires of our society whose business is to continuously suck the blood of our society and its people, feeding them with false ideology in the name of governance and dividends of democracy.

Emma, I think, your narrative of your biographical connection with Maryam Babangida’s programme for the rural masses further points to the need for a new movement, the reconstruction of the history of our civilisation, showing the positive elements and even the negative ones, showing the ideological progression of that civilisation. Such an ideologically infused history is needed as a weapon for the regeneration of our society.

We must begin to write and reawaken history and historical consciousness at every level of our society. General history is virtually dead in our Educational institutions. Political and social history is presented in a shallow manner in our media. Ideological history is virtually none-existence.

Emma, what you gave us in the piece is a sample of ideological history – the thought of a social scheme with its ideological justification.
Uzodinma Nwala Professor of Philosophy

Anambra virus spreading

Hello Hon Okocha,
Thanks for a very indepth analysis of the challenges in Anambra State because of the vacuum created by our leaders which you mentioned in your report. This vacuum is not only created in Anambra State, that virus has continued to spread to other parts of Nigeria.

It is important to note that the Zik of Africa groomed people like Okpara, Akanu Ibiam and others to lead Eastern Nigeria as he focused on Nigeria.
Dr. Louis Obi Okonkwo. Professor of Accounting, (SCF) Manatee-Sarasota Florida

Anambra youths in state of  helplessness

Emma,
I sincerely thank you for this write up. I have been distressed by the horrible situation of things in Anambra state in particular.
I was almost in a state of hopelessness and  despair.  I must tell you that after reading this your article,  “Alex. Ekwueme, Anyaoku, Arthur Eze, the Ubas, Obi, Ojukwu and the Bazaar in Anambra State” I became empowered and encouraged. Without a doubt, most of the people you mentioned can make a substantial impact on Anambra State and Nigeria indeed.

Where is the energy of the youth?  The youth are in a state of helplessness and hopelessness.
Please keep up the good work, you are empowering the spirit of the young.  That land that produced great men and women and continues to produce them around the world will not be desolate.

I met you at Prof. Nzeogwu’s party when you came to Vegas to spend your Christmas  in jail, with ”The President” Ike Ibeabuchi, the forgotten former World heavyweight champion of the world.
Thank you for everything and goodnight.
Jerome Nwokike, M.D.
Las Vegas

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