Organisations, especially a global bank, in its legal battle with an individual, are generally assumed to be the aggressors. When Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Snr, 1809-1894, in exasperation, exclaimed that, “An organisation has no pants to kick and no soul to damn.

THE issue of deployment of troops for elections in Nigeria has been an enduring dialectic in the annals of our democracy. Many chroniclers of the crises that led to the truncation of our democracy in the First and Second Republics have often blamed military intervention on the use soldiers to manipulate elections.

A few years back, it was a common practice among members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to describe their political party as the largest in Africa. None of us outside the party bothered to authenticate the claim. Perhaps some people just believed it. But it was indisputable that the party was Nigeria’s biggest judging by the overwhelming number of elected political office holders produced by the party from the level of a local council to the presidency. Indeed, the PDP won the Presidential elections of 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.

“If you believe that, you will believe anything.” That was my comment on five different occasions when Nigerian Heads of State, three military and two civilians have made categorical statements about their intention to depart. And each time, events have proved me right. I remain firmly convinced that “Skepticism is the first attribute of a good critic”, thanks to James Russell, Lowell, 1819-1891. It is always sad, when Presidents and Heads of State, in Nigeria make the same promises, at very critical stages in their tenure of office, just to buy more time, while planning to disappoint the people later.

The human ego is the undoing of our peace and on a personal level, its a character flaw we all have to work on if we are ever to live and live well. Let’s even just leave the politicians and religious figures aside and focus on our personal peace and well being.