Mr President, I want to start by thanking you for rescinding your decision to ban the Super Eagles for Two Year. I understand that your reconsideration was sequel to the comments of concerned citizens on your facebook page – this is encouraging.

However, Mr President, Sir, I want to further judge the Super Eagles’ performance in South Africa 2010 from an allegorical perspective, as it concerns our Fatherland, Nigeria, and with specific reference to the ill-conduct of one Sani Kaita that brought dishonour to an entire country.

Playing football goes beyond scoring goals, to something called Sportsmanship, which describes the gracious conduction of any Sportsman. Indeed, Sani Kaita may have been good in running round the field, chasing and kicking the ball, but savagery has evidently, the better of him, and that factor of savagery cost Nigeria the match we have already secured.

Hence, may I ask:

-         Does Sani Kaita understand that each time he wears the Green and traps the football, the destiny of an entire nation is on him and at his discretion?

-         Does he understand that his conduct is a constituent of our football history, and can form a basis of adjudging our social character as a Nation?

-         Does he know what it means to represent one’s country, or have any iota of patriotism

We cannot blame Sani Kaita who is a mere pawn in the spectrum of the Sports Administration in Nigeria, more than we blame the visionless larcenous administrators. Neither can we blame the administrators to the exclusion of the Government that composed them in tandem with social, sectarian and regional, instead of professional considerations. Sani Kaita is only an aspect of our multilateral misnomer. It is my suggestion that the composition and criteria for NFF membership be limited to Ex-footballers and Ex-Coaches.

By this, our retired footballers will be busy as administrators and mentors to the up-coming ones. It will also prodigiously eliminate corruption.

Mr President, kindly click below or visit the website and watch with the world, an analogue of Sani Kaita in the House of Representatives and the above questions would be answered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeS102JrTvA

Because of protracted military rule, many Nigerians, to your obvious exclusion, have become militarized and confrontational. You are obviously a man of quiescent demeanour. Fools mistake your personality for weakness and underestimate you at their own peril. I have people around me who have known you very closely, even from your university days, so I am well abreast with your rectitude, right sense of judgement, firmness and realism.

My impression of you was affirmed by your facebook activities, which are constant reality checks on your part. It keeps you in direct touch with the people you govern. To imagine that you spend time to read people’s comments and make decisions based on your consideration of public opinion, and also invite people whom you have never known, only because they appear to have solutions to the Nigerian problem, gives us much encouragement.

Quite a number of other elective government officials are also on facebook, but unlike your page, theirs are full of sycophants who praise them for phantom achievements and caress their sense of narcissism.

An example is Hon. DimejiBankole, who removed Gbola X and me from his facebook friends list because our views were antithetic to his. I believe you would remember the PDP campaign in Ekiti State, where Hon. Bankole who is a Federal Lawmaker, against the Constitutional backdrop, proposed military deployment in a Law Enforcement Capacity. This, I considered to be a demonstration of abysmal ineptitude and flagrant disregard for our embryonic Constitutional Democracy.

Mr President, another issues I which to bring to your attention is the rehabilitation of repentant militants.

In October 2004, when Former President OlusegunObasanjo invited militants and armed agitators, there were fundamentally, two factions: Asari and Ateke, but with the arrest of DokuboAsari and the wrong approach of the then government, today, we are talking about over fifty so-called militant Generals and leaders, who are individually as armed as Asari and Ateke were in 2004.

This tells us one thing: there are far more Potential Militants than Militant or Repentant Militants and they way the whole rehabilitation brouhaha is handled will to a large extent, determine the next phase or social state of affairs in the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large.

Without preaching, let me make an inference from a Biblical perspective; in the Old Testament, the Priest normally offers sacrifice to God on behalf of people. Before going into the Holy of Holies, he first makes sacrifice for the atonement of his own sins, then ties a rope round his waist with which he would be pulled out in the event that his personal sacrifice was unacceptable to God and he should die because of sin. This is because a man with sin cannot go before God to atone for the sins of others.

What am I saying?

In order for the whole rehab process to have meaning and the participants to have faith in the process, the integrity of the administrator is vital. We do not need people whose source of wealth cannot be explained, or people of highly questionable character in the helm of such affairs.

Mr President, for your information, most of the senior militants now lead an unsustainable lifestyle of living in Five Star Hotels, driving rays of luxury cars, etc. These senior militants send their so-called boys for rehabilitation while they themselves do not participate, because they believe that their money has diminished their rehabilitation necessities. The appointment of questionable characters to pilot the rehab process gives credence to this toxic mindset.

Sir, this is an indication that we have failed even before starting. Rehabilitation is not primarily about money. It is a process of creating a mindset with which a person can be reintegrated into an ideal and functional society.

The question of rehabilitation gives us as a region, a unique opportunity of psychosocial re-orientation, on a mass scale and beyond ex-militants. After due re-orientation programs, we have initiatives that could transform the youth-sphere of the Niger Delta from the Local Government level and multi-dimensionally, create employment for both the youth and old-aged. This will also yield tremendous revenue for the LGAs, but it too could be a mirage because of endemically corrupt and plebeian leadership at the State and LGA levels.

Presently, the only language these so-called repentant militants hear and understand is money, money and money, just like their mentors in government. I assure you that they are looking forward to the end of the rehab program in anticipation of staggering financial settlements, which if achieved, will create much bigger problems in multilateral dimensions. More so, nothing meaningful can be achieved with the level of corruption at the State and LGA level.

Presently, the militants are already demonstrating in Abuja for money related reasons and their distrust for the rehabilitation program leadership.

Sir, if we politicise the rehab issue, we may end up losing an entire generation to brigandage, and whatever name by which we may choose to call them, they would be creations of the State. These same people will then stand firm and claim mutual ownership of this country with us and with our children.

According to a Sahara Reporters publication, expatriates are employed to teach them peace. If there is an iota of truth in this, then we are in trouble in this nation.

What is Peace?

Peace is an end, and not a process. It is not a means of achieving something, but an achievement itself. An example is the Middle East crisis with specific reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both sides want peace, but on certain conditions.

Teaching the militants peace is an insult on their intelligence. Should they keep quite while criminals, adorned in State robes and apparels, plunder the resources meant for their wellbeing?

Furthermore, should a society in which the national legislators allocate ungodly and unearned allowances to themselves, while the masses are suffering anticipate peace?

According to a Point Blank News publication, the Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, voted the sum of N700m for his personal security out of the N3b monthly allocation. Would peace be a fair and realistic expectation of the people of Abia State?

 They say a hungry man is an angry man. Nigerians are dying of hunger both literarily and metaphorically. The Murtala Mohammed International Airport, as a port of exit, is a citadel of national indictment, as it daily witnesses the exodus of dozens of Nigerians. Men and Women are fleeing the country of their birth in search of a better land, where their dreams and those of their children may be lived.

Does this form part of our 50 years testimony and factors that necessitates conviviality instead of introspective re-examination?

A rehab program for repentant militant should have different stages;

Stage 1: Psychosocial re-orientation - self discovery and idealism.

This forms the needed strength of character that could withstand social and economic stains.

Stage 2: Leadership Training and The Concept of Governance.

The leadership training gives them a sense of responsibility to themselves and society, reinforced by self-realization and idealism. The concept of governance teaches them what governance should be; defines their expectations of government and how to hold government accountable through peaceful means, as well as how to be involved in governance without being an elective office holder.

Stage 3: Business Development/Accountability and Modesty. Let me first say this; even if we are materially rich, as leaders, modesty is a quality we should exhibit, in order for our followers and protégés to learn contentment. This promotes an ideologically informed lifestyle, devoid of avarice and cupidity.

Stage 4: Acumen Funding. At this stage, they are ready for economic empowerment. Now government should be in a position to give grants or guarantee loans for businesses to be set-up. Here we still give them mentors to monitor their business practices in order to guarantee success.

Mr President, I can name Twenty Nigerians for each of the above stages, who are more than capable to achieve the desired result. We cannot accept further ineptitude. If TimiAlaibi does not know what to do, please give the responsibility to someone else. Lives and destinies are at stake here. The above process should take 6 month to 1 year, then a new society is born.

First, the militants need a man of flawless integrity, a person they can trust;

-         A man whose purpose transcends the acquisition of wealth

-         A man of higher value

-         A man whose confidence is not in money

-         A man whose virtue and personality is engaging

Lastly, I wish to say that a Politician in the right sense, is like an academician. Men who have acquired so much knowledge but dedicated their lives for the advancement of their societies. This is why you see men like Vice President Joe Biden, who was a Senator for more that 30yrs. When in advent of the Presidential election, Obama seem to be lacking experience in foreign policy, he got nominated to serve his country with his experience in foreign policy, in the capacity of Vice President.

Mr President, in a facebook message I sent to you when you assumed office as President and Commander in Chief, I advised you to be more constitutionally than politically motivated in your considerations and decisions making processes. This amongst others is because your presidency is a product of the Constitution and not politics. Actually, politics and politicians failed you as they failed Nigeria.

Sir, you have been an academician, today you are a prime politician with the character and qualification to lead. It is my prayer that God guide and guard you, give you required the wisdom and courage to redefine politics in Nigerian.

Politics is not a game of interest, but a game of sacrifice; for true politicians are men of high value and idealism.

History has it; Providence guarantees but only the moment and not even the next hour is ours for to boast, so be compelled with knowledge and understanding to maximize the moment and achieve the Nigerian dream.

God Bless You

Douglas Waserite Dodiyi-Manuel

Pretoria, South Africa