ARMS ECONOMY AND THE GROWTH OF CAPITALISM

In the written of Earnest Mandel in his book ‘Late Capitalism’. Ladies and gentlemen, capitalism is a child of necessity in modern political economy because as human beings started from babies to adult likewise capitalism grow, historically from the renaissance period capital is in childhood age, immediately after the second world war capitalism shift to its adulthood stage which could be refers to as monopoly stage, In the 1970s capitalism advance to the period of its zenith, in other word the golden era.

The world has experienced political instability and economic meltdown as the result of first and second world war, the fascist movement  and the era of cool war has emphatically resulted to the production of weapons which plays a significant role in the imperialist economy, in essence the production of weapons and arms for the dynastic wars from the 15^th to the 18^th century was a major source of primitive accumulation and one of the most important midwives of early capitalism, as a stimulus to accelerate industrialization, arms expenditure and war played a considerable role in the acceleration of the capitalist market throughout modern epoch.

In 1961 the production of weapons amounted to nearly half of gross investment in the world all over, this could be seen in the proportion of arms production and military spending in the gross national product of the USA, which depict 70% in compare to the other sector of the economy. The growing significance of the arms traffic in world trade is a treat to the production of weapons as commodity production as well as capital accumulation in imperialist state. In 1955 arms export in the world market is totally approximately 2.2 billion dollars. In 1962-68 the average was already 5-8 billion dollars, of which the Soviet Union was responsible for 2 billion.

The whole phenomenon of the permanent arms economy is vividly seen in the parasitic nature of capitalist monopoly  on which prophet Karl Marx has criticize the imperialist state in the fusion of arms companies, military commanders and of course the bourgeois politician; which made off up the ‘military industrial complex’. Sir Karl Marx also criticize the expenditure and budgetary of military especially in developed countries on which military spending supersede other sector of economy, also in process of arms production, the military industrial complex harness surplus value. 

 

Read More

WHAT A COUNTARY..................

From uncle naira!

According to sources, Former Bayelsa state Governor Alamieyeseigha, Ex-Nigerian convict who was pardoned by President Goodluck Jonathan, was pardoned in a bid to fulfill his senatorial ambition in Bayelsa central senatorial district in 2015.

During his tenure in office, Alamieyeseigha stole several billions of Naira from Bayelsa state and was investigated by the EFCC.

Think of many Nigerian former governors that were convicted as looted now they are enjoying national cake and so called legitimate power.

Is this the kind of Justice any Nation should give its citizens?

What hope those the………………………………… Well, God is watching

 

Read More

What Governors? What Forum?

 

Anger, danger, hunger that Nigerians suffer from governments’ ineptitude are unimportant. Everything is about 36 men and some outsiders who have created another distraction to keep our eyes off them as they steer the Nigerian ship recklessly.

What is the NGF? Why is it suddenly so important? Why if the Presidency is not interested in the crisis, one of the factions feels obliged to report to the Vice President (the President was at the African Union 50th anniversary celebrations in Addis Ababa)? Would the faction have reported to the President if he was around? Why the presidential support for a factional NGF secretariat?

Sentiments and issues have tangled; it is difficult to separate them. Governors who participated in the election, certain of their group’s victory, are turning around to smear the exercise as flawed. If they won would their position have been different?

Thanks to technology even those who said they did not vote have been contradicted.

Where was the rigging? The 35 votes cast matched the number of governors in attendance. Nobody complained about the counting until the loss. Political miscalculation is at the root of what has been promoted to a crisis. The complaining faction believed it had the numbers to win.

NGF is an association of governors. Membership is not compulsory. Attendance at its meetings used to be poor until the past two years when NGF has rallied governors’ positions on issues, mostly States’ participating in decisions about dispersing Nigeria’s resources.

Every governor wanted more money, presumably to develop his State. The forum met a need. Among its critics are those who wonder why states resources are spent on NGF, an exclusive club, whose membership is only 0.0000225 per cent of Nigeria’s population.

The undue importance placed on NGF is an excellent example of how our governments think only about themselves. They would stop at nothing to please themselves, showcase their importance, and disrupt things to get things done their way. Quests for power platforms are primed at annexation of any association that could raise a contrary voice. NGF was a prime target. Opposition would not be brooked. The point is made emphatically enough to strike fear in dissenters.

Politicians have again placed their greed above everything.

We hope parties to the conflict realize Nigerians elected them to serve the people. Nothing is more important than the welfare and security of the people, the NGF crisis cannot enhance them, especially governor Jang that failed to manage his own state, I wonder how, he will manage the whole northern part of Nigeria?

 

Read More

PRESIDENCY AND MILITARY AGANDA

In the post-modern society, life is full of risks and danger due to the maturity of technology because act of terrorism has reached its climax and militarization is the order of the day. In view of the speech of President Jonathan on May 15, 2013. On which he declare state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe state of Nigeria, as he lamented over on high level of militancy, criminality, and act of terrorism bedevil the nation, the declaration is aim at restoring public order, public safety and security in the affected states of the Federation, but it depict military influence and other economic impact as analyses below

The ideological underpinning of the speech could be seen from different point of view, I specifically view it form post-modern paradigm because of the changes that occur in Nigeria and incident of bombs here and there. More over the activities of insurgents and terrorists have been reprehensible, causing fear among Nigerians and a near-breakdown of law and order in parts of the country. In these scenario government of the day lamented over and over, in order to tackle the issue, the enter into persuasion and dialogue  but there effort prove abortive, due to the high level of militancy and criminality couple with  sophisticate weapons which were given from other terrorist group across the world. The assist them with money, weapons, and other electronic machines that would destroyed a country within a twinkle of an eye, this has depict post-modern paradigm

 

The political economy view point, is that having declare the state of emergency but still Mr. President is urging the governors of the effected state, to continue with their constitutional responsibility and cooperate with the military personnel, this capture the saying of Roser about the value of military in capital accumulation, because definitely, the military that are sent to those state would be given allowances which will amount millions of naira, there uniform will also be change, more weapons will be given to them. In these scenarios, capital accumulation would continue as must of the top Nigerians military personnel are members of global military industrial complex including the defense minister.

 

 

 

Read More

A Forgiving Nation, a Deceived Nation!

I am a citizen of my nation, a nation always eager to forgive. This is a nation that offers forgiveness even when it is not asked. Mine is a deceived nation, sold the counterfeit religion in which it gloats. The messages coming from the pulpits of many religious congregations are adulterated. Nigeria is made drunk from spiked religious wine. Wrong theology has made us inured to evil and hateful of reason. Many of my people believe that reason is antithetical to true religion. But reasoning is the path to true knowledge of true religion. “Come and let us reason together” is a phrase common in true religion. I call on Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to come along with me on this journey of reason.

If right living follows right knowledge, why is it that in spite of so many churches on our streets and many Islamic sects in Nigeria this nation has known neither peace nor purity in either private or public conduct? The reason is that what is taught in churches and mosques is not right knowledge. If traditional religion was the repository of pure knowledge, why is it that the custodians of culture, Nigeria’s traditional rulers, have not shown a better example than politicians do?

Religious, traditional, and political leaders in Nigeria always call for forgiveness, unity, and peace. The louder those calls are becoming, much worse have killings, kidnappings, public corruption, and private corruptions become. Religious leaders live like kings and queens while the majority of their congregation lives in abject poverty. They promise prosperity and “breakthroughs” to their congregations, but extreme poverty is the sad result. They make merchandize of the people, but the people worship and revere them. When you attempt to point out the wrong of either religious or political leaders, you are warned of the destructive fate that awaits those that dare—“Touch not the Lord’s anointed!” There is hypnotism of religion, complemented by quasi-democratic fraud.

If the primary purpose of government is security and welfare of the people, then we should not “just forgive” offenders of the state whose actions have impoverished the people, reduced the life expectancy, brought people to untimely deaths, and worsened all human development indices. Religious people parrot that we should “forgive”, that “to err is human, but to forgive is divine.” So we have cheapened forgiveness, and engaged in public distribution of “forgiveness” even to those who neither appreciate nor deserve it. But there is a fact about forgiveness that Nigerians often overlook. Political leaders are “Avengers” for God, “sword-bearers” for God, and “ministers” of God, who must reward those that do good, and punish those that do evil. They cannot forgive on behalf of the people except this serves public interest. Furthermore, restitution must follow. For instance, if a road project was paid for, and yet the road was not built, it would be a public offence for the leader, the avenger, the sword-bearer, and minister, to “forgive” without first recovering all embezzled public funds and resulting fines from the contractors and conniving thieving public officials. Even at that, as a deterrent, those criminals must be punished.

Many religious Nigerians would call for accountability from public officials, but when you ask their religious leaders to give annual account of the offerings and “tithes” that they collect, you would be branded badly by the same religious folks. They hold their pastors, overseers, and bishops like some demigods who are beyond reproach and questioning. Why do we hold different standards for different people? A Nigerian pastor would warn his congregation against “politics” and claim that “politics is a dirty game.” The next moment, you see him hobnobbing with those “dirty politicians” and collecting gifts from them. They also “bless” the same “dirty politicians” who visit them to “collect blessing”. What a contradiction! Furthermore, when you get close to their churches, you would witness first-hand the deadly politics for power among pastors and church leaders.

Politics is not a dirty game anymore than church governance is. Some players may be corrupt, but that does not make the game so. Can you imagine a world without political leaders to whom God refers as his “ministers”? Every man and woman has their calling from God, and this is a private matter. Our religious leaders have done a poor job on Nigerians, many of whom are members of their congregation. Those are left uneducated about holding their leaders accountable. Rather, they are told blandly to “pray” for their leaders. “The Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses. Don’t do what they do, for they say and do not.” These are the words of Jesus Christ who took time to teach his disciples about the position and responsibilities of leaders. A religious leader must be well-informed about the constitutional provisions (the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of citizens and leaders) of his country in addition to his professed knowledge of the scriptures. The same goes to Islamic leaders, and leaders of other religions.

Many Nigeria scholars and professors have equally failed the young that sit under their tutoring. A professor of Chemistry, for instance, can hardly comment intelligently about public issues such as budgeting, democratic governance, constitutional rights, privileges, and responsibilities of citizens and leaders, etc. They only write “research papers” for either promotion or to keep down their jobs. They are not ashamed to say, “I am not interested in politics.” Is it any wonder that Nigerian students pass through their academic care and cannot discuss intelligently their nation, but react only by spewing out vulgarities when they lack the intellectual dexterity to engage in discourses? I believe, and I have written that Nigerians must give themselves to reading for national renewal. Nigerians, thieves won’t steal your books; so why don’t you invest your money in buying books that will expand the quality of your thought? We seem not to have faith in the power of knowledge. We believe rather that with plenty of money we can buy just anything in Nigeria, including votes and public offices. This is also a deception. When the light of proper knowledge lights up Nigerians, this cannot happen anymore. The probability of lies winning in an oasis of knowledge approaches zero!

We don’t need mega parties to win elections. Every election is won locally. Have you heard of Operation 774? A Nigerian patriot told me about this idea, and I would like to share with you. Concentrate your political capital on your local government. If that is too much to start with, I suggest you start with your clan. Call for a meeting of the youths in your clan. Teach them what you know about Nigeria (Please, take time to acquaint yourself with the Nigerian constitution). Let them see the difference between reality and the ideal, and then ask how committed they are to bringing about the ideal. Take a look at the second chapter of the constitution, Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. Explain to them those wonderful privileges of citizenship. As they begin to enjoy the possibilities, open to section six and show them how their hopes cannot be guaranteed by the current arrangement except they get into the national assembly and state houses of assembly the people that would fight for them. Show them in the Fourth schedule of the constitution how it is the responsibility of local governments to build and maintain homes for the homeless and infirm. Then let them know how their governor is an enemy to this objective. Let them know that the allocations for their local government are being kept by the governor for himself and maybe for his village and family members. Paint a graphic picture of how they are being robbed by their governor while they watch like cowards. Make it clear to them that local government chairmen cannot fight the governor because they are appointees of the governor who has forced them on the people; that they (the youths) must embark on public pressure and awareness to halt the continual impoverishment of their local government and villages. More importantly, tell them that it is their responsibility to spread the information you give them.

If you need help with implementing this in your village or local government, we can help you. I am willing to travelling across this nation to help. Don’t be in a hurry; but be hopeful as you start meeting with your people, your children’s people. They may be 50 here, 100 tomorrow. But know this; one convert makes two of you. Remember, elections are a local affair.

Because there is no independent candidacy in Nigeria, you would need a political party. Don’t choose any of the parties that have destroyed your village and local government for the past decade. This is because all the neglect of the people that you will show in plain narratives before the people happened under the ruling party. Find a virgin party. People make parties; parties don’t make people. Build integrity for at least two years, and then run or sponsor people to run. Make the people understand that it is their duty to contribute to any campaign fund they believe in, and that it is the responsibility of candidates to give monthly account of how much money they have raised and how the money has been spent.

We must not forgive the misrule of the ruling parties in our various states and local governments. We shall punish it. All contractors (Enemies-In-Chief of Nigerians) who have assisted to deceive and rob us for years shall give account. All the trillions of naira that they and politicians have collected since 1999 for public projects, which have not been completed, must be recovered and not forgiven. Let us get to work. Let us reject deception. Let us arise without any more distractions.

Read More