Dishonourable National Honours Award, 2012.

A tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction in different chosen fields, a total mark of respect and a symbol put in place to make men and women strive for excellence in there different endeavours. National honorary awards is something that is ought to spring up envy from all well meaning Nigerians if at all it still has its ingredients to make it sweet.

I grew up wanting to one day mount the podium to receive one of this awards from the President of the country, but after seeing how awards are given in these country, goat and sheep are given award for grazing the fields, people are given award for doing what is by right there responsibility and not for doing something out of the extraordinary, celebrating mediocrity. After seeing all these, every bone in my body are all crying “reject it”, if considered for it.

National honour awards has been bastardized in Nigeria, I have slept over and over again pondering what the criteria are for picking out those who merit these awards. Over 149 people are considered for these years national awards, plus our able Paralympians who won golds in the just concluded London paralympic 2012. Aside these few Nigerians (the paralympians) who left the country as orphans, unnoticed, even the Federal Government who are celebrating them today never approved fund for them instead they squandered over N2.3 billion at the London Olympic 2012 and came back with there heads buried in shame and mud without a single medal to show for it, and there physically challenged counterpart defied all odds, surmounted every obstacles on there way to achieve absolute success and came back with 13 medals, with gold being the highest. What am I saying in essence, the paralympians so much deserve any accolades showered on them. But not those deceitful political juggernauts.

I have quite wandered what the criteria for the so called “National Honors Award” are, because the more you think about it, the more you get confused and drown in your own illusion, except they, Mr President and the nominating committee are seeing another side of the life of those individuals who made it to the list of nominees. Except if these awards is giving to them on the basis of most corrupt officials, laziest government persons in office, the party going officials, non performing governor and the dirtiest state in the country. I ask, Mr President, why the rush in giving out this awards to those still in office? Is it that they are all afraid that when they eventually leave office, they will most likely not be worthy of their community awards?.

What are people like the governor of Ebonyi State, Delta State amongst others doing in that list? For Ebonyi State governor, did he make the list for further impoverishing the people of the State? For ensuring that children in that State hardly attend schools instead took to street hawking during school hours? Even today indigenes of Ebonyi State have finally taken over stewardship from the people of Cross-River State and every week he’s in Abuja for one celebration or the other, he uses over 100 million Naira to throw party in the government house while the State capital, Abakeleki is worst than Bwari Local Government or Mpape, for those who are familiar with Abuja, you will understand the dilapidated State of that areas.

For Governor Emmanuel Oduaghan of Delta State, who is the Joseph of our time, he only dreams and in his uncountable dreams, he sees himself fixing all the problems of Delta State, turning Delta State to Dubai in Nigeria. Inspite of the oil revenue allocation to that State, Governor Oduaghan has sworn that the past work of his predecessor will be rubbished and he is so perfectly doing it, embezzling funds from the coffers of the government that no one will ever have prove to persecute him, in my own opinion he’s trying to be smarter than James Ibori, the former governor who is currently doing prison time outside the shores of this country.

What happened to those who gave there life in educating the poor masses, who spent there life in pursuit of justice, those retired persons who served meritoriously during there time, those distinguished civil servants, Nigeria scientist and those contributing in one way or the other to promote the good name of Nigeria in the world? I know for a fact that if the former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori was not stupid enough to have flew out of this country and got himself incarcerated in London prison, he will today be among the recipient of these national award.

Those who in no little way qualify to take a chieftaincy title from there Igwe in their community are today being honored with our supposed prestigious national award. This, is the climax of our national shame.