...The SaintsAwards Project...

Back in the 80's, there used to be a popular oversea soapbox with the title 'enemy at the door'...shot somewhere in Europe perhaps. The real enemy comes posing as Security agents or hired local security guards something like 'neighborhood watch' but the truth is, these were the real community miscreants...those who doesn't wish anybody an air of safety.

There was crime taking its toll on the residents, kidnapping, housebreaking and child molestation, ruled the area. The authorities, out of curiosity decided to pose as easy preys one dead afternoon, when everyone is either in school or at the office, as usual, the security guards came up upon a house in full uniform as 'respected security watchmen' on routine check.

They were free to walk in into any compound and after breaking into a house belonging to one of the community money bags, they saw a little girl sleeping on the couch without a nurse and making away with some valuables they went further to bundle the little girl gagged into the van but unfortunately for my 'humble security guards, they have been fooled, the loophole was a make up, their own sins fished them out, the girl's father was right there under the bed watching the whole scene, that was how they got the new appellation, that the very keepers of your house could turn out to be the real enemy you've been trying to protect yourself and belongings from.

This is Nigeria. And the scene is neither a box in the soap or soap in the box or just any kind of scene on the screen, the scene is made up of 'real life casts and crews' and the video man is me and you...the pen people卋ut the feel is the same, those who claim to be our keepers, the real lords of the house turned enemy of the occupants, the security chiefs themselves who doesn't wish anybody is one bit safe. Enemy at the door.

One description had Nigeria as 'Giants in the Sun' Whatsoever that means those who propose such phrase decided to take it further describing Nigeria as 'The Giant of Africa' or should we say 'The heart beat of Africa. Africa, to the ignorant people of the world is regarded as the Dark Continent where ironically the best things, the creams, the roses that adds color to the 'Bright Continent' if there is any, come from.

For those who knows history: Knowledge started in Africa, traced back to history, entertainment was looted and knowledge exploited in the name of slavery because when the ill-informed white Lords came they could not decipher such an established system of governance of civility and justice due to prejudice and bias established by a misconception of the truth about creation, so imperialism was introduced as a tool of wreck. Our kindness and simplicity was smeared with impunity on our ego, our culture and pride.

Therefore in 1977, Lagos, Nigeria, home to World largest number of black people was lit up in festivity in celebration of our blessed culture and ego. Nigeria hosted the world in awe with an array of its stupefying display of wealth in culture, knowledge and a buoyant economy that has enough to shelter and feed as many as cared enough to come to prove the disillusioned imperialist wrong of an impoverished continent.

By the end of the festival through 1978 to 79, Nigeria had gained prominence in his so revered touch of motherhood to other African Countries and fame as the 'Giant of Africa'. To be a Nigerian was one of the best things that could happen to any Blackman, Jamaican, South African, Caribbeans, Brazilians or wherever a Blackman is found. There was respect, a highly revered image if you are from the 'Heart beat of Africa' a country of the dark continent commanding an enviable position of world richest Countries, there was food, we had a 100 per cent of what other nationals could boast of.

To recap what happened in the past and how we had come to where we are today will look like a movie scene we'd hope it remain in the box, nevertheless, I would not want to draw the curtain here rather I would like to draw our attention to the Characters that have made a mockery of a fortune left to us by those who fought and withstood the imperialist in all sincerity and bitterness knowing our potentials before we were preyed upon in the name of colonialism.

It has been a subject of debate over a bottle of beer that these Characters emerged at the introduction of the second civilian government, the Shagari regime, while others claimed that these characters took the center stage in 1983 - 1985 from the Buhari Military regime to the Ibrahim Babangida Junta whose gross insubordination heightened when they annulled an election result that was acclaimed to be one of the fairest and freest in world history, Nigerians could hardly let this incident off their mind. We may forgive but we can't forget.

Irrespective of which side of the story is true the fact remains that there was peace, a partial peace that no matter your status in the country you could afford to eat whatever you want to eat, live comfortably well in whichever location of the country you wish to live in and travel to anywhere in the world without the rigors of obtaining visa.

At the end of the IBB regime, a lot of holes had been uncovered. For the fact that we did not go to war a second time still give the impression that we are a great nation till today...Every enlightened Nigerian definitely will have an idea while Dele Giwa was blown up in a letter bomb for trying to uncover some Characters who were plotting a wreck of the legacy our founding fathers left behind...The Great Nigeria!

We could have tidied up the drug scandals had we learned to live in simple truth. And so the world had a second thought about the integrity of a Nigerian not because we are bad as portrayed everywhere today but because some Characters in a 'pseudo prominent appellation called 'Chief Security Guards or Leaders' decided to trade on the simplicity of the common Nigerians since they had the guns and could shout orders at you or even pay for your conscience if you have any sense of principle and piety left in you.

During my undergraduate days in the university, your conscience could be tagged as low as N10,000 once you're in support of the moribund government of the acclaimed Messiah of Nigerian Polity' Late General Abacha. I and my friend withdrew on impulse...how could our morale been so debased that we call evil good and celebrate ineptitudeness, In fact, some vowed to die without the existence of that kind of government, a government that was foothold in deceit and falsehood, some even prophesied doom for the country if such government did not come into place, of course there was a good example of a traditional Doctor in Benin that dies few days after the demise of Abacha.

The prophets of doom did prophesied well since these Characters of destruction emerged into the center of affairs on the stage called 'Leadership' Nigeria has been on a sickbed crippled to a state of coma because the same Characters, those who preferred an 'Evil Genius' head of state, the same people that brought woes to the country are still in the helm of affairs deceiving the common people In the guise of democratic rights, they put on a camouflage called 'parachute' or 'agbada'

The present head of state late last year made revelation of contracts awarded to road projects especially in most eastern states. In the contract awarding committee records these roads have been confirmed completed without one single member of the committee going there to confirm the veracity of the claim of the so called contractors, the fact is, much more damage has been done to those roads after the contractor drove their caterpillars there only to grade the roads with 'red earth' and abandon the project. After all, the Characters involved in the contract awarding have been 'settled'.

Tell me, who are we deceiving? There was a living example of a Mushin based 'petty 201 Printer' who happened to stumble on such 'fairy dream come alive'...one of his client has contacted him to kindly endorse his signature on one of those 'ghost projects' from the federal parastatals as beneficiaries. He got a whooping $250,000 Dollars without lifting a spade.

He was so thrilled that he bought houses here and there in Lagos and fled overseas with the rest of the money, of course to Europe and the US. Where looted funds are kept, after all, the Chief Characters, the main looters, the authority robbers initiated it all, they took our money, our wealth and pride to Europe, to Switzerland but they did not stay there to 'eat' the money but came back to the country they have rendered so deplorable to loot more.

These are the real enemy of our blessed homeland, Nigeria:

Nigerians are the most civilized and enlightened people in Africa, but how well we have fared could be seen in those poorly maintained roads, unfinished projects littered here and there, the poorly funded educational system and the abused value system.

The fact is 'we know our problems; we know how it all started. We cry of bad roads, inflation, hardship, unemployment etc, we tell lies in defense of false representation of ideals but a wise man will discover that there is no truth in a lie?'Our falsehood hunts us.

Once I worked with an agent that got a contract to design a website for one of the Nigerian state government parastatals, As usual, the so called contract awarding committee deposited a meager part of the total sum and never showed up again. As a matter of fact, we have to shelf the project. These people are elite indigenes of that state but have decided that even their own state of origin should not gain any prominence knowing full well the importance of the Internet in this age of technology, these are the real enemies at the door.

Who are we deceiving? A government agent in Lagos or let's give it the usual name: 'government contractor' once claimed that he spent N2 Million to construct an empty block of Poultry style classrooms and TV crews were invited to come and made public the good things the government is doing for the common people, that was how the cat was let out f the bag. Even a blind man will know that such block of classrooms is far less than a million Naira.

Early this year, there was a report that the ministry for the Federal Capital Territory found it employed 3,000 "ghost workers" people on its payroll who did not exist, the question is who employed who?We know it all' how the game goes and who endorses the signature of the ghosts who received salaries they did not work for? We know. Don't bother to search for them, they're right there at the door.

We defraud companies and siphon monies meant to develop our own country to our private accounts thereby subverting opportunities that could have helped other unemployed Nigerians to get means of livelihood and we preach there is crime everywhere and whereas we are the cause of the influx of criminals everywhere in the society.

These are the people who had really rendered us so vulnerable to all sorts of ills and evils; Criminal capitalists, greedy of gains, those who derive joy cruising in Jeep automobiles on the wrecked roads both they and their colleagues has siphoned the money meant to develop while they dust on the common people. Those who sees looting of government funds and falsification of documents as their own share of the national cake. Those who assume it is the lot of the common people to remain wretched and poor so that they will always be there to fawn at your selfish and wicked desires since they have little or no means of support. after all, you have it all to yourself alone.

You are like the proverbial ant that eats the stalk of the plants he is resting on厃our fall will be great!

Nigeria is not as bad as portrayed all over the world today; but because judgment is delayed, these wrongdoers celebrate their crimes and wickedness to humanity, their fellow countrymen! A costly mistake indeed because I strongly believe that no matter how long, no matter how delayed judgment will come.

We Nigerians know all these, who is deceiving us and who is telling us lies in the 'guise of leadership?we know you all who are trying to ruin this blessed Country; Nigeria, our mother land, the great black nation Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Hubert Macaulay has fought hard to build before their lofty dreams were hijacked at their demise.

The list is endless but I will have to stop this far; ask yourself a question 'Mr. Richman' or 'Mr. All powerful'where is Sadam Hussein? Where is Mobutu Sese Seko?, Arap Moi of Kenya?, Idi Amin, who died in exile where he was running away from his sins or even your brother Late. Gen. Abacha? we know our enemies and no matter how guarded is your stronghold of deceit and wickedness, in just one day you will still go the way of evil men.