Omarosa should speak up or shut up!

Omarosa, Trump – when the going was good. Unfortunately, there is nothing new about her revelations because the world already knows that Trump tweets; everybody knows that Trump’s White House is full of drama, and that Trump specially, is a horror movie.

Well, at the moment, what we are seeing is a resentful ex-employee, shedding crocodile tears on realty-TV show and rambling garbage about what the world already knows about Donald Trump and the White House.

By Anthony Obi Ogbo

With a mere “appointment” badge from the Secret Service giving him routine access to the White House, Author Michael Wolff’s walked away with interview notes that triggered his book – Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. This piece shot to the top of Amazon’s booklist even before its’ official release. But to a Reality TV star, Mrs. Omarosa Manigault Newman, who was actually a White House resident and had bragged about making public her own experience, the story is thus far, a pathetic dramatic blunder.

But after a long wait for Omarosa’s  promise to reveal her so called White House nightmare, she finally delivered a watery, inconceivable fairytale – some tommyrots that made no sense.  She had swaggered this moment – threatening to spill some bombshell revelation that would shock the world. But her outing yesterday on CBS’ “Celebrity Big Brother,” inaudibly babbling about how she “was haunted by tweets every single day” and that the administration is “bad” completely fell short of expectation.

Omarosa it may be recalled, was fired from the White House in reportedly, an excruciating incident. According to reports, she had to be dragged out while she kicked and screamed, after she refused to believe Donald Trump had fired her. Omarosa however had a different version of both her job experience and her ousting, but promised “I’m not going to expand on it because I still have to go back and work with these individuals, but when I have a chance to tell my story…. it is a profound story that I know the world will want to hear.”

In fact, she claimed that as the only African-American woman in this White House and as a senior staff and assistant to the president, “I have seen things that made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people.”

So what other stories would Omarosa tell?  Where are the shocking disclosures?  Omarosa  should come up with them or shut up and move on so we could focus on Trump and DACA. 

With all these teasing preambles, what did Omarosa finally come up with? In her TV appearance Thursday night, Newman told a cast mate that she “tried to be that person” who would talk sense into Trump and try to steer him from bad decisions. “And then all of the people around him attacked me,” she said. “It was like, ‘Keep her away, don’t give her access, don’t let her talk to him.’ Ivanka’s there, Jared’s there …”

Basically, so far, this was what Omarosa had to offer after all the hype about the so called horror she observed in the White House. What nonsense!

Unfortunately, there is nothing new about these revelations because the world already knows that Trump tweets; everybody knows that Trump’s White House is full of drama, and that Trump specially, is a horror movie. Omarosa also said that the U.S. won’t be ‘OK’ under Trump – so what? We already know all that, so what next?

Well, at the moment, what we are seeing is a resentful ex-employee, shedding crocodile tears on realty-TV show and rambling garbage about what the world already knows about Donald Trump and the White House. Again, making the headlines is not new to Trump. Every day, this President unleashes new blunders and even tweets about them. So what other stories would Omarosa tell?  Where are the shocking disclosures?  Omarosa  should come up with them or shut up and move on so we could focus on Trump and DACA.

■ International Guardian Publisher Anthony Obi Ogbo, PhD is the author of “The Influence of Leadership.” Direct contact >>>

Is Trump a racist? The Answer is yes, and harmfully xenophobic too

By Anthony Obi Ogbo

If I may recall, the controversy is about President Trump’s recent comment, where he reportedly referred to African nations and Haiti as “shithole countries” during a bipartisan meeting on immigration. He had questioned why the United States needs “more Haitians” and suggested instead that the country take in more immigrants from places like Norway. Mr. Trump’s comments have since received unparalleled stretch of condemnation all over the world.

Amidst an avalanche of editorial commentaries extensively scrutinizing these verbal excesses, I had stumbled into some analysts dialoguing in sheer controversy on the meaning of racism and who or who is not racist. My first thought was, being a Black in America – and worse, having originated from one of Trump’s “shithole countries,” do I really need the dictionary, or any reference book to define racism?” Of course not, because at this stage in my career and at my age, I do understand “racism”, and likewise, I can identify a racist even without my reading glasses.

But America should not just be worried about Trump’s racial verbosity and actions. In fact, the population should be more concerned about his belief that he is not a racist.  Here is what he told reporters at the Trump International Golf course following reports of his “shithole” comments: “I am not a racist. I’m the least racist person you will ever interview.” Now, this is where we should be concerned, because this man apparently does not know that he is a racist.

This is the same Trump, whose real-estate company refused to rent apartments to African-Americans in the 1970s; gave preferential treatment to Whites, and faced a federal lawsuit which was eventually settled. And we must also have heard that Trump treated his black employees at his casinos differently from Whites, and once criticized a black accountant saying: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. … I think that the guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks.”

This was the same Trump who led a hateful campaign that the nation’s first Black President was not born in the United States but in Kenya. Till date, Trump is yet to apologize for this blunder, but has continued to exhibit his utter detestation of his predecessor, simply because of his skin color.

I am really not going to waste my editorial space rehearsing the horrific chronology of President Trump’s exhibition of his discriminatory eccentricity, but it would be fair to mention that this man began his 2016 presidential campaign with a speech disparaging Mexican immigrants as criminals and “rapists.” As President, Mr. Trump called for total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. He further ordered a refusal to readmit Muslim-American citizens who were outside of the country at the time.

We could go all day reciting some unspeakable racist actions of President Trump who claims he is not a racist. Yet, he was quick to refer a federal judge hearing a case about the Trump University as “prejudiced” because of the judge’s Mexican heritage. As if this was not enough – and very recently Trump said 15,000 recent immigrants from Haiti “all have AIDS” and that 40,000 Nigerians, once seeing the United States, would never “go back to their huts” in Africa.

With hundreds of President Trump’s racist overtures yet to be added to this list, how could anyone, in his or her right sense argue that he is not a racist? As if his declarative support for White Supremacists and his depiction of minorities as nonsensically ungrateful were not enough, Trump has frequently condemned prominent African-Americans as unpatriotic, ungrateful and disrespectful; and called Puerto Ricans who criticized his poor response to Hurricane Maria “politically motivated ingrates.” What nonsense!

I would conclude by revisiting that same question about whether Trump is or is not a racist. Yes, President Trump is a dishonest racist and harmfully xenophobic too. Here is a painstaking bigoted vandal who wangled into the White House as President, with a long history of every attribute associated with racism. As President Trump himself once said, “When somebody challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough.” Ironically, Trump, an imprudent hypocrite who is currently married to an immigrant with an accent as heavy as mine remains America’s biggest leadership challenge. Thus he must, in his own words, be confronted with ‘tough’ and ‘brutal’ attitude to curtail his extraordinary narrow-minded and racist comportments.

■ International Guardian Publisher Anthony Obi Ogbo, PhD is the author of “The Influence of Leadership.”
Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us

WHERE ARE AFRICAN SEXUAL-HARASSMENT VICTIMS IN AMERICA?

Could the Weinstein scandal embolden African women victims dwelling in dark closets?

I was in a deposition session the third week of September, battling a scrutiny of my editorial policies over coverage of an alleged Nigerian rape and sexual torture

By Anthony Obi Ogbo

victim. By the way, this is normal – and a part of the discovery process in ongoing litigation, allowing litigants to gather relevant information in preparation for trial.

Besides persevering moments of discomfort, listening to a horrific rape account, the most shocking moment was testimony from an identified witness of Igbo origin, shockingly a woman, who wrote as an “expert” account that “rape” does not exist in the Igbo culture. The victim is from the Igbo culture and had accused her employer who is not an Igbo, of months of sexual torture, under threats of deportation in shackles if she did not comply. 

So in the era of social media and internet, our so-called expert, an Igbo woman wants America to know or believe that in Igboland, there is nothing like rape – even without the reasonable bearing that the defendant is not of Igbo origin.

I am not in the mood for story-telling, but briefly cited the above introduction to express how sad the Nigerian and indeed the African communities in America  have exaggeratingly hinged on inexistent or fabricated stories of cultural values to perpetrate evil among themselves, their communities, and their heirs. But make no mistake, there are more rapes among Igbos, Nigerians, and other African cultures than anyone could imagine – in fact, as I write, rape is apparently being committed in the very Igbo village where our so-called “expert” hails. Disappointedly, most Africans who would stand up to blame rape victims are likely victims of horrific sexual torture hiding under the closet to appease their so-called “culture.”  This is how bad this society has become.

America is having the “Sexual Harassment” discussion now, so I believe that this is also the time for Africans in America to start having their forums about rape, sexual harassment, and torture currently eating their communities up.

From the Media, Congress to Hollywood through workplaces, women are now trooping out from their hiding places to identify and confront their predators, and the entire country is on their side. 

There are many victims out there hiding in pain because they want to protect their dignity. What dignity, if I may ask? It is a fact that in the African culture, rape and sexual harassment victims are isolated, and scorned into inconceivable desolation. In fact, families who would support them end up disowning them to protect the so called “family name.” What a shame!

After the beginning of October, when multiple women came forward to accuse Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer, of sexual misconduct, high-profile men in a variety of industries have resigned, been fired or experienced other fallout after accusations that have ranged from inappropriate text messages to rape.

Just last week, it was revealed that Representative Blake Farenthold, a Republican from Corpus Christi, used $84,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim, one of six settlements for workplace issues ranging from veteran status discrimination to age bias that was paid out by a secretive congressional office since 2013. Similar sexual harassment and indiscretion scandals had already ensnared Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota; Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan; and Representative Joe Barton, Republican of Texas. Just recently, two more lawmakers, Mr. Farenthold and Representative Ruben Kihuen, Democrat of Nevada have been pulled into the confraternity of alleged sexual harassment predators.

Without the doubt, the Weinstein scandal seemed to embolden more victims to come out, speak out, and confront their predators who are mainly  top directors, government officials, political bigwigs, and celebrities.

So, what about victims of African descent?

There are many victims out there hiding in pain because they want to protect their dignity. What dignity, if I may ask? It is a fact that in the African culture, rape and sexual harassment victims are isolated, and scorned into inconceivable desolation. In fact, most family members  who would support them end up disowning them to protect their so called “family name.” What a shame!  

In my experience in the news media, it is my conviction that why sexual harassment, rape, and torture persist in African cultures in America is because perpetrators know that most of their victims would rather “commit suicide” than reveal their ordeal.

HOUSTON SEXUAL ASSAULT BOMBSHELL – DEFENDANT OLAGUNDOYE’S “KINGHAVEN” ATTORNEY QUITS? (Read More)

Definitely, African women victims of these terrible crimes could follow the footpath of their American counterparts, and come out from their hiding chambers; they could speak out and confront their predators with courage and tenacious composure; they could create discreet social media platforms, share their afflictions, and collectively get necessary help to expose their culprits, and further bring them to justice.

Last, they could also call me or just send me an email and share their ordeal. There is one major thing that I would do – tell them where to get the best help. 

——————————–
■ Guardian Publisher/Editor , Anthony Obi Ogbo, PhD. is the author of “The Influence of Leadership,” and the Strategic Advisor for The Consumer Arts & Sciences Center of Excellence – Houston Community College, Central Campus.

 

Nigeria and America: Two flood disasters and how their citizens reacted

Photo left: In Nigeria, Benue state – an area with a history of flooding, the storm took the population by surprise, submerging the region with heavy flooding, causing deaths and property-damages. In Houston, Texas (right) for instance, Hurricane Harvey ravaged thousands of victims in just four days, dumping more than 40 inches of rain with thunder, earth-shattering wild wind, and catastrophic flooding.

We must compare the citizens too, on how Americans were in the Social Media delivering safety, and Nigerian masses were on Facebook watching European Soccer.

By Anthony Obi Ogbo

Between Nigeria and the United States, in August, two major flood disasters raged a similar havoc. The storms were not on the same Consequently, in Nigeria, Benue state – an area with a history of flooding, the storm took the population by surprise, submerging the region with heavy flooding, causing deaths and property-damages. Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari said the flooding displaced more than 100,000 people. Authorities also signaled the possibility of diseases and food scarcity.

As usual, Nigerians in the social media were not happy with their government because, according to the information they shared and tagged around, the United States Vice President visited the disaster areas and helped victims to remove debris, whereas Nigeria’s Vice President visited his flood victims and walked on a red –carpet. In fact, some posts or comments made fun of this moment, comparing photos of the U.S. Vice President and the Nigeria’s Vice President as each visited their country’s flood areas. They quickly turned these disasters into some horrific political banter, with the least inclination that these were a nightmare moments.

Unfortunately, and most inconsiderately, these Nigerians may have also totally forgotten their responsibilities as citizens in times of adversity. They had spent their time watching and comparing political leaders who often visit disaster sites for media photo opportunities but snubbed their civic responsibilities as citizens, and their characteristics as human beings. Now that the storms in Texas, US, and Benue State – Nigeria are over, we must not just compare or analyze how leaders took photos at the disaster sites, but also, how the masses in both countries reacted.

Before and During Hurricane Harvey, Americans took to the social media sharing every available information about weather forecast; highlighting projected danger areas, and tracking updates on storm timelines. In fact, all the key information we received from the newsroom, such as how and where to purchase household needs, and significant help and rescue phone numbers came through citizens. During Harvey, Wassaps and Twitters were kept busy with folks communicating safety and sharing information about which areas are flooded and where to get help. Politics was set aside, for even Donald Trump hugged Immigrants and took selfies with folks he found strange.

So how did the Nigerians react during the terrible flood in Benue State? Most of them had no idea there was a flood. In the Facebook, news clips about this disaster were ignored while most Nigerians were busy having fun with political subjects unconnected with their basic needs. After this flood disaster, when photos of this horrific event eventually made it to the network, Nigerians then saw an opportunity to argue politics and bash a governance system they (Voters) inspired.

It makes sense to compare how America and Nigeria leaders respectively visited their flood disaster areas. It would be most appropriate and fair also to examine how citizens reacted to these events; how they assisted in communicating care and compassion. We must compare the citizens, on how Americans were in the Social Media delivering safety, and Nigerian masses were on Facebook watching European Soccer. We must also share how the Americans utilized the social media applications to secure and share rescue possibilities, whereas Nigerians were on Social media tagging, sharing, and insensitively jeering their system with photos of their disaster areas.

The worst thing that could happen to a country might not just be bad leadership, but also an inability of the masses to articulate their core responsibilities as good citizens. In Nigeria, the voting block is polarized with strange idiosyncrasies. They would tell you everything about European soccer but have no damn idea about how a specific candidacy or policy would affect their livelihoods. In most cases, their thoughts and actions about public policies are bone out of self-centeredness, ethnic connectivity, and cruelty. A lack of interest in matters of public policies explains why they have been behind in moving their political process; and why they have been grounded in the same system with the same leaders for decades.

Dr. Anthony Ogbo is the Publisher/Editor International Guardian News and Strategic Advisor, Center of Excellence, Consumer Arts and Sciences at the Houston Community College. Direct Contact >>>

Osteen and McIngvale: between preaching Christ, and practicing the values Christ lived

Rev. Osteen (right) and Mr. McIngvale are successful businessmen – one making money by trading on ‘Scriptures’, whereas the other sells his skills in furniture production and sales.

“Pastorship” is an office; pastor is a position. Both bear no relevance to the spiritual values of salvation of individual souls. The divine implications of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 – 37) illustrate the true meaning of “neighbor,” demonstrating that proximity does not justify goodwill.”

By Anthony Obi Ogbo  Houston, TX

Besides Justin James “J. J.” Watt, the popular American football defensive end for Houston Texans, the two most familiar faces on the local TV screens are Joel Scott Osteen, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, businessman and philanthropist, and owner of the Gallery Furniture retail chain. Both have benefited immensely from Houston’s largess as fourth largest city in the United States; they may have also received grants through Not-for-Profit engagements, and in turn, facilitated millions of dollars in charitable ventures that benefited not only individuals, but also the development of the social system.

But Houston is not inconsiderate. The Clutch City population shower both the Lakewood Church and Gallery Furniture with unprecedented patronage while the media accord unimaginable coverage to their activities. Equally, the city government has been supportive too allowing both entities flexible policy actions and intangible rewards.

Evacuees relaxing inside a Gallery Furniture facility. Mr. McIngvale had welcomed those flooded out of their homes into his two Houston gigantic stores, holding about 400 survivors at some point.

In the social community, both men however, are indeed perceived differently. The smooth-talking pastor, Reverend Osteen is viewed as a man of God who presides over more than 50,000 congregation members – dispersing sermons televised to over seven million viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries. Mr. McIngvale known as “Mattress Mack” remained the unapologetic business guru who would tell you how he built his business from just about nothing and propelled it to the top. He is an innovative manager who singlehandedly designed his business transformation strategies and made his money, one-dime-at-a-time, to attain his current accomplishment. For instance, in 2014, McIngvale conceptualized, designed, and launched his new line of “Mack-O-Pedic” therapeutic mattresses.

In summary, both Rev. Osteen and Mr. McIngvale are successful businessmen – one making money by trading on ‘Scriptures’, whereas the other sells his skills in furniture production and sales. So, when the news of how both men handled their ‘faith’ during the deadly Hurricane Harvey, the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005, the social media went agog. Discussion threads rendered outspoken appraisal of actions and inactions; they specifically lambasted the supposed ‘Man of God’, Rev. Osteen for a lack of empathy in the face of the devastation and monumental emergency outcome following the disaster.

Harvey was not a Hollywood Movie. She made good all her threats and ravaged thousands of victims. For instance, just in four days, some Houston areas received more than 40 inches of rain with thunder, earth-shattering wild wind, and calamitous flooding. Hundreds of thousands of homes were displaced, while more than 30,000 people were endangered. But at the beginning, and in fact, peak of the moment, Houstonians were sleepless offering helps at various capacities. From Houston’s Mayor, council members and officials, to the media, church leaders and humanitarian organizations – all hands were on the deck. Emergency workers took calculated risks to save lives of many trapped and traumatized by the calamity. Business owners who were trapped broke their company protocols and gave verbal approvals orders for emergency workers to break into their facilities and use them for shelters.

Reverend Osteen took the mainstream media where he had much influence to stage-manage a defense of his ungodly action or inaction. Yet images like the above photo overwhelmed the Social Media lampooning his actions.

This was when Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria chose to go to the twitters to offer prayers for the shattering moment. But their prayers were still normal, because worldwide, Houston received similar blessings. What gave the Osteens up for public denouncement was the report that they ‘refused’ to open their facility for relief activities because “the neighborhood was badly flooded and inaccessible”. A videos of Lakewood posted in the social media, however showed the opposite – revealing that the area was very accessible, and in fact, justifying the claims that the church leaders actually shut the door of a facility that could have provided shelter for up to 16,000 or more people given the size of Lakewood Church.

To make matters worse, Reverend Osteen took the mainstream media where he had much influence to stage-manage a defense of his ungodly action or inaction. Finally of sheer shame, he opened the doors out his church, called in church members and leaders, and went to the media to announce relief services. Of course, members of the church launched an image-redemption attack in the social media in their worship center and their Pastor.

Conversely, Mr. McIngvale who had been committed to rescue and relief activities even before Harvey, immediately turned his showroom into a shelter for victims when hostile storm did hit. He had welcomed those flooded out of their homes into his two Houston gigantic stores, holding about 400 survivors at some point. Victims were allowed to use exquisite and expensive brand new beds, beddings and sofas; relief workers were even seen taking nap-breaks in-between their hectic duties at McIngvale’s.

While these moments are still trending in the social media, the lessons of life may have again explained the thin psychological line between preaching Christ, and practicing the values that Christ lived and addressed. “Pastorship” is an office; pastor is a position. Both bear no relevance to the spiritual values of salvation of individual souls. The divine implications of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 – 37) illustrate the true meaning of “neighbor,” demonstrating that proximity does not justify goodwill. In reality, the process of church may be seen as downright business, and has no connection whatsoever in defining individual characters.

Matthew 7:12 forms the basis for the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (NIV). This Golden Rule decodes the moral philosophy of life irrespective of individual beliefs. In addition, the Ten Commandments invokes the ultimate distinction of religious practice and dovetails both the Mosaic Law, and the Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, charging the need for human decency, love, and kindness.

Reverend Osteen has indeed lavished time, money, and resources trying to clean his errors; this act brings to question his leadership competence in matters of faith and spirituality. Hurricane Harvey has indeed tested his spiritual sure footing, and without the klieg lights and camera cosmetic flashes, the bareness of Osteen’s natural face is clearly viewed. Many Lakewood Church members may have been mortified by the actions of their ‘revered pastor’; they still believe that ‘something went wrong’. But confession augments apology – thus, a public confession for falling short in his spiritual and moral responsibilities and a simple apology – rather than the thoughtless self-defense campaign, would have subdued the impending embarrassment. Is this confession late? Absolutely not.

♦ Author, Anthony Ogbo, Ph.D is the publisher of Houston-based International Guardian, and the Founder of American Journal of Transformational Leadership.

Joe Igbokwe’s Lagos – An Enduring Illusion

Nigerians still submerged by social welfares borne out of flattering support for régimes or political affiliations would sycophantically speak to favor their personal interests. 

By Dr. Anthony Obi Ogbo

Mr. Igbokwe’s recent theatrics causes a quick reflection on David R. Gibson’s well-researched work, Enduring Illusion: The Social Organization of Secrecy and Deception. Gibson notes; “People comply with the dictates of states and other organizations out of self-interest or because of the perceived legitimacy of those in authority. Some organizations, however, are based on lies, or secrets, and it would seem that these should be very short-lived, given how easy it is for the truth to escape.”

He concluded that this lifestyle or behaviour “lays the foundations of a sociology of deception, focusing on lies and secrets successfully maintained for years or even decades.” Couriers of lies and deception are known to deliberately create “barriers to knowing, barriers to asking, barriers to telling, barriers to perceiving, barriers to believing, and barriers to acting.” Igbokwe’s galleria validates Gibson’s study – An Enduring Illusion…a manipulation of appearances for personal gains!

Personally, I am not in the rejoinder business, but after several tags and shares of the piece by the Publicity Secretary of Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Joe Igbokwe, “My Lagos, My Story”; I felt a rejoinder would further create significant avenues to add to the ongoing discussions about the experience and dilemma of the Igbos in Nigeria.

First impression about this piece is that it is a brilliantly written experience of Mr. Igbokwe’s life’s evolvement – his struggle from just about nothing to something; and thoughtfully, how he cherishes the city that he claimed, made him. From a struggling civil war survivor, he progressed so successfully, to his current social status as “an opinion molder, a writer and an advocate of the peoples’ cause,” and was also quick to acknowledge how he bought his first car in 1990 and became a millionaire.

Mr. Igbokwe’s passion for Lagos could have been well expected going by his own accounts of how the sociopolitical environment benefited him. For instance, in his own account, a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, made him the pioneer General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure & Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) in 2006.  He served almost 10 years in this position. Mr. Igbokwe also served another governor, Babatunde Fashola for 8years; and, in 2015, the incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode appointed him the Chairman of Wharf Landing Fees Collecting Authority.

Mr. Igbokwe also revealed his political activities – a justification that his love and appreciation for the City of Lagos corroborated his political interests.  He was fully involved with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and All Progressives Congress (APC); representing the interests of political godfathers who rewarded his public service career in Lagos.  He has also, aggressively campaigned and defended Lagos interests in party political courses and actions, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC) where his former boss, Chief Tinubu is a founding father.

With these revelations of his successful stories about his beloved city, Lagos, Mr. Igbokwe has every reason to love, treasure, and fight for this town. Furthermore, for someone who confessed, “Lagos changed my thinking and original thoughts, Lagos emboldened me, Lagos motivated me, Lagos challenged me and Lagos made me”; I would expect nothing less than his current disclosures.

However, he may have either ignored or undermined the fact that his experience does not resonate with millions of Igbos who equally left their various towns for Lagos for several other reasons. Mr. Igbokwe also forgot to note that Lagos was then the Nigeria’s capital city preferentially developed and maintained with Federal resources. In a country of more than 90 million inhabitants back then, Lagos remained the only major city where the Federal Government ‘lavished’ taxpayers’ money in major amenities at the expense of other major towns.   Travelling to Lagos then should not be seen as a privilege but a right. In fact, it is a rightful duty to participate in “sharing of the national resources”.

But backing up to the life before Lagos, just like Mr. Igbokwe, I was a child survivor of the Nigerian Civil War. I saw it all. As a child living through a horrific war, I knew what assault rifles looked like; I saw how bombers descended from nowhere and dropped bombs on defenseless women and children; I saw countless dead bodies, wounded soldiers, hungry and sick refugees eager to eat just about anything. But the troubling part was not just this war but what happened after. Igbos were hauled back to cities they left three years back without basic amenities. School buildings, churches, and homes were torn apart by shelling and other destructive devises of the war.

I recall attending school under the trees at times and classes shifted at intervals to secure a comfortable shadowed spot. As Pupils, we brought our desks to school because there was just none in schools at the time.  Kids went to school barefooted, while others stayed home because their parents could not afford tuition, books and uniforms. Now, this was the war as Igbos, we saw, and survived. So as Igbos, we must understand that nobody is either more “Biafra” than the other, or claim to a better Nigerian because he owns a plot in Lagos.

Yet, everybody was not as lucky as Mr. Igbokwe in his journey to Lagos in search of greener pastures. For instance, my Parents had properties in Lagos, which were acquired by other owners and occupied by strange tenants without any reasons besides the fact that the government took over the property, as “abandoned.” I really do not know how many properties Igbokwe’s parents lost in other parts of Nigeria after the civil war; but that alone categorizes us differently.

It is also interesting to note that Mr. Igbokwe once worked as a sawdust carrier at seven Shilling, six Pence a day in Lagos, packing sawdust from the Machines to the Lagoon daily. A job he claimed, he kept for nearly two years before he became a bus conductor in the same city. Unfortunately, Igbokwe has failed to explain how those governors whom he now campaigns for frustrated those jobs opportunities. He is yet to reveal how they specifically used the city’s law enforcement and punitive ordinances to clamp down on those businesses operated by the Igbos and other ethnic groups – same menial jobs Igbokwe himself acknowledged as his starting points.

It does not take a rocket scientist to know that Governor Fashola’s traffic law and the vicious war on Motorcycle Transporters (Okada) was targeted against Mr. Igbokwe’s people, the Igbos.  Governor Fashola, in fact, ordered those who could not obey his traffic laws to go back to their villages; an apparent reference to the Igbos who were major operators of this commerce. Yet, Mr. Igbokwe is unperturbed by the plight of his people, focusing only on his personal interests and benefits as parameters and justification for his advocacy for Lagos being the city of “milk and honey.” Worse, he would defend Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, one of world’s most dangerous dictators; because in mid-eighties, he (Igbokwe) received a loan from the regime through the National Directorate of Employment.

The psychological posture of Nigeria’s contemporary political and social analysts is understandable. Different experiences underscore different analysis posturing. Those Nigerians who have not truly experienced the wraths of a tragedy called “One Nigeria” would speak from Google and Wikipedia. Whereas others still submerged by social welfares borne out of flattering support for régimes or political affiliations would sycophantically speak to favor their personal and selfish interests.

Mr. Igbokwe’s interests is clear and justified based on his rights of political involvement and association.  But the missing links in the account of his Lagos success story must also be addressed. The most salient point is that as long as Nigeria remains a Federation, Igbos or others must, without mistreatment, be accorded their rights of existence in any part of Nigeria. Currently, Mr. Igbokwe must agree with me, that Nigeria past and present has been very unfair to the Igbos. The challenges that Igbo Traders at Berger Auto Market, Alaba International Market, Trade Fair, Ladipo, Tejuosho-Yaba, Marina/Idumota and other major markets dominated by Igbokwe’s Ndi-Igbo are indicative of the depth of Illusion of ‘milk and honey’ picture of Lagos

As positive as Igbokwe might have sounded about his undying love for Lagos, we must excuse those as a promotion of his political paybacks and nothing more. The question that continues to beg for answer is: How many people did Mr. Joe Igbokwe allow to drink from this cistern that makes him almost prideful? I do look forward to hearing his protégées reecho this illusive and fallacious submission of Lagos, ‘the land of milk and honey’.

■ Dr. Ogbo, author of Influence of Leadership, is the Publisher of Houston-based International Guardian News. Ogbo’s latest book, Governance Buhari’s Way mirrors the misapplication of the leadership praxis in political leadership.

Donald Trump – 100 days of supervisory garbage

God’s own country is plunged into a filthy sea of inexplicable leadership challenge and policy-making ambiguity

By Anthony Obi Ogbo

The psychological relevance of Tao Te Ching’s Art of War “The Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step” basically signifies the strategic importance of operating goals, tasks, and actions – definitely not a journey from Trump Towers to the White House.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States understood this philosophy, when in 1933, he used his first three months in office to lay the foundation of his executive mandate. Following this, the “First 100 Days” has been strategically imbedded by default as an exceptional period in foretelling the values of governance and tenure effectiveness. It sets the tone of administration’s potential and substance – or lack of it.

Without twisting words, it is unquestionable that in just less than three months of Trump’s inauguration, God’s Own Country has already been hurled into chaos. From cutting regulations, creating jobs, through his actions on trade, ethics, national security, immigration, public safety, women, and minority’s affairs, Trump has operated haphazardly, without strategies, thus, exhibiting exceedingly, a disgraceful show of paucity of vision, purpose, arrogance, ignorance, and mediocrity.

Intoxicated by his supervisory mandate without the required strategies to move the country forward, Trump wildly relied on autocratic executive actions to induce a bulk of his accomplishments, but that is not selling. Some commentaries, especially those spewing from the right wing had structured their assessment of Trump’s stewardship to reflect his pugnacious determination to fulfill his electioneering promises. However, abusive use of executive orders to hurriedly fulfill incredibly questionable electioneering vows to generate Twitter likes and shares remain one of Trump’s policy-making miseries.

Most controversial among his orders was Executive Order 13769, signed on January 27, 2017, curtailing refugees and stone-heartedly suspending the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely. Trump was not done – this order also blocked nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries — Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States, signaling the harshest immigration policy in generations.

Trump’s Immigration policy excess was punctuated by the legal system he chose to sideline. Two judges restrained him. A Federal Judge in Hawaii issued a nationwide order blocking his ban on travel from parts of the Muslim world, whereas another in Maryland issued a separate Order, forbidding the core provision of the Trump’s travel ban from going into effect.

Anti-Trump protesters march along Lavaca Street in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday Nov. 9, 2016. Hundreds of University of Texas students marched through downtown Austin in protest of Donald Trump’s presidential victory.(Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Trump’s move to retaliate against States opposed to his immigration enforcement policies also met another waterloo, just as his tenure sailed into the 100-day threshold. A Federal District Court Judge William Orrick issued a ruling, blocking his Executive Order seeking to cut federal funding to “sanctuary cities” – jurisdictions that refuse to help the Federal Government apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants. According to San Francisco city attorney, Dennis Herrera, “This is why we have courts – to halt the overreach of a President and an Attorney General who either don’t understand the Constitution or choose to ignore it.”

It is a fact that Trump campaigned and won on imaginable election promises. However, it has been established that electioneering victory is neither a proof of decision-making aptitude nor a test of exemplary leadership, but purely, a process of democracy.

Trump already admitted he was more of a negotiator than a transformational leader. He lied to his constituents that he was a dealmaker, and bragged about negotiating the country into economic possibilities. Yet, he has shown no talent for bargaining policies. For instance, he dabbled into a so called Trump/Ryan Care as a substitution to Obamacare and crashed beyond redemption; he bombarded Syria in a raid that turned out as lavish social media promotion; and then, dropped a so-called “Mother of all Bombs” in Afghanistan with absolutely no strategic purpose on negotiating North Korea.

Trump’s cohorts argued that his iron-handed approach to foreign issues signals seriousness and superiority over rogue nations. Again, this issue is not just about his recklessness in discharging ammunitions, it is all about leadership integrity.

Trump had initially dismissed the Syrian issue and vowed not to spend America’s monies on global wars and security. He swore, “I’m not, and I don’t want to be the President of the world. I’m the President of the United States, and from now on it’s going to be America first.” Therefore, directing airstrikes in Syria reveals a fluidity of a foggy vision – the height of deception, and shows a total lack of integrity. Any leader who speaks from both sides of his mouth must neither be trusted nor respected. Hence, Trump remains a monumental train-wreck with fatalities on stand-by.

Trump’s policy catastrophe might be worse than the tsunami. The LA Times Editorial Board in a few sentences captured a profile of a President that was wrong on arrival:

“He is a man so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind self-regard, so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation. His obsession with his own fame, wealth and success, his determination to vanquish enemies real and imagined, his craving for adulation — these traits were, of course, at the very heart of his scorched-earth outsider campaign; indeed, some of them helped get him elected. But in a real presidency in which he wields unimaginable power, they are nothing short of disastrous.”

In his 100 days, he has accomplished absolutely nothing, but pour drums acid on the cord that unites the country. Already, he has plunged this God’s Own Country into a filthy sea of inexplicable leadership challenge and policy-making ambiguity. Till date, the only entity that has benefited from Trump’s 100-day policy wreckage is the Saturday Night Live – a late-night live television comedy and variety show constantly lampooning Trump’s decision-making meltdown and presidential disgrace.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin might have succeeded in leading a notorious cyber-hacking squad that fraudulently created the path to Trump’s election victory. But the truth remains: Trump is, not just an America’s problem, he is a Global Agony.

♦ Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is the editor of International Guardian, and the author of The Influence of Leadership.

Significance of African Churches in Americas – Why more might be needed

Cross-section of worshippers praying during a service at Dominion Chapel in Stafford. The city is home to one of the largest concentrations of Nigerians in the U.S.

Knowing quite well that all Christian churches are Bible-based, would there be such thing as the “African Church’ or “African Pastor” in America? Of course yes, and I would illustrate with practical examples.

By Dr. Anthony Obi Ogbo

A Lady who called our newsroom some time ago needed help with a Nigerian Pastor who could preside her Dad’s wake-keeping. When asked about her own Pastor, she said she attends the Lakewood Church. Without going any further, I Googled the Lakewood and texted her one of the listed numbers. I could notice she called an hour later, but I did not pick up.

My action was explainable. Though we serve the same God, it might be unfair to devout our time and resources to Church ‘A’, and go to Church ‘B’ for community benefits.

But this clearly explains the difference between community worshiping and the mainstream churching. African churches are community-based and play the role of the ‘family’ among worshippers. Worshippers share similar problems; sing and praise with similar dialects and accents; share similar spiritual values, and enjoy an unprecedented closeness with their Pastors.

Everybody who attends a community church has the Pastor’s direct phone number and could always call them for every little problem. Spiritually, we sometimes need to call our pastors for a minute, just to agree to a prayer point. Jesus said, “…if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” (Matt 18:19-20). Community pastors are always available for this brief and ritual. These privileges are definitely unaffordable with the mega churches. In fact, most worshippers in this big churches hardly, physically see their Pastors, except on big High Definition screens mounted all over their worship areas.

Therefore, the African or Nigerian Pastor often called “Daddy” or “Mummy” remains an embodiment of hope, influence, and guardianship among congregants.  Just like the charismatic leader, they carry their members along as family and partners, and imbue them with spiritual level of organizational citizenship.

That explains why their service may last for hours if not the whole day. They would sing praises like there is no tomorrow; share lunch after church, and hold down the Pastor for more hours of counseling and devotion. That is the African Church in Americas; an enclave of sanctity, where prophetic powers and revelation makes sense.

Therefore, the African or Nigerian Pastor often called “Daddy” or “Mummy” remains an embodiment of hope, influence, and guardianship among congregants.  Just like the charismatic leader, they carry their members along as family and partners, and imbue them with spiritual level of organizational citizenship.

An average African Pastor is a Prophet, and would look at a congregation member and tell her all about that job interview coming up on a Wednesday; or assure him or her of that Green Card which has been in process. And all those come to pass, as members often testify their blessings.

Last, in an online forum which I moderate, I have always come across complaints in form of questions, on why there are so many African churches or why Nigerian churches are all over the neighborhoods, outnumbering the McDonalds, and Subways. For Clarity, Nigeria is a country in Africa.

The good news is that they are churches and not motels or 99 Cent stores. Before, in the late 90s, we complained about our neighborhoods being suffused by cheap motels and body hawkers who patronize them. The truth is that if we, as a community do not invest in  our worship centers and sow unparalleled seeds to encourage more Nigerian or community-based  churches in our neighborhoods, the Indian unscrupulous hotel investors would inhabit those intersections with more motels, and whore houses. Now, it’s your choice on which you prefer.

Anthony Ogbo, PhD, is the Publisher of International Guardian, and the facilitator of American Journal of Transformational Leadership.

If “Our Lives really Matter” Let’s Get Ready to Hit the Polls

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The general election is here, and again, the American masses have a chance to use their votes as the tool to bargain

By Anthony Obi Ogbo
By Dr. Anthony Obi Ogbo

their communal interests. The process of democracy rightly accords power to the electorates in choosing leaders who represent their interests. Unfortunately, anytime this opportunity comes, my community, the African American community will blow away their own chances, either through a lack of participation or confusion over choice of priorities on sociopolitical matters.

Amidst surmounting societal concerns, it is undeniable that the criminal justice system is still hostile to this community. The recent squabble between the law enforcement community and the people of color, AKA, Black Lives Matter (BLM) is enough to provoke a collective involvement of Blacks in America in the ongoing campaign process.

Prevalently, the US locks up more of its citizens than any other country, and this has highlighted mass incarceration and criminal-justice reform as prominent issues on the presidential campaign trail. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School – a nonpartisan, law and public policy establishment, revealed that the U.S. has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet incarcerates nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners.

With these startling revelation, it remains a habitual blunder, that communities would overlook the election seasons, then flock out to the streets to protest anytime they are violated by the justice system. This election is roughly two week away, and it would be crucial not just to look at  candidates; who they allegedly slept with, or how many emails they supposedly deleted, but also assess them by who they really are; their party affiliations, and what they represent.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the forerunning candidates whose party-political attachments, principles, and idiosyncrasies emit significant contrasts in most issues, but more especially the criminal justice system. For instance, Clinton believes that ex-felons should be allowed to vote, and advocates limited use of death penalty for heinous crimes. These are fundamentally a reflection of the liberal governance ideology. Trump in a contrast believes that restoring voting rights to ex-felons is bizarre; and advocates death penalty for convicted cop killers. Another terribly contrasting proposal by Trump is his support for privatization of the prison system. Clinton wants to end the use of private prisons for federal inmates.

Specifically for African Americans, this election is a lifetime opportunity to embrace the policies that would further create a platform in the judicial process and pave way for social transformation. If Blacks in America are really serious about how “Black Lives Matter”, they must all hit the polls to validate that liberty.

Besides the prisons system, one of the most fundamental legacies of the next president would be the constitutional power to nominate justices to the Supreme Court. The court is still undermanned after the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, and with two of its sitting justices older than 80, America now has an opportunity to elect a president who would shape the its ideological bearings. A Trump presidency would restore the status quo, and in fact move it further right; whereas Clinton would move it toward the left to benefit those voters disenfranchised by the justice system who would likely march the streets  to agitate inequality or injustice.

Currently, the Obama administration has advanced criminal justice reform in crucial areas, including; commuting sentences of individuals still locked up under severe penalties and obsolete guidelines;  a creation of  presidential commission to study mass incarceration;  elimination of federal financial subsidization of mass incarceration; and most importantly, proposing a  ban on “the box” — the question that asks applicants to disclose whether they’ve been convicted of a crime — on applications for federal employment.

So, how would a Trump presidency consolidate these reforms? Just last week, President Barack Obama fired a warning that a Trump presidency would be a threat to democracy and undo eight years of progress; further he cautioned that “democracy itself” was on the ballot, not just the candidates. Obama may be right based on electioneering proposals being touted by Trump from the very beging of his campaign.

With less than three weeks left for this election, it is a choice, whether to embrace the Republican Party and dwell on the status quo or vote the Democratic Party where transformation possibilities are limitless. This election is not necessarily about Trump and Hillary, but about what they represent. The former represents sociopolitical doom through the most repressive approach, whereas the later represents a brighter future through economic opportunities and social fairness.

Specifically for African Americans, this election is a lifetime opportunity to embrace the policies that would further create a platform in the judicial process and pave way for social transformation. If Blacks in America are really serious about how “Black Lives Matter”, they must all hit the polls to validate that liberty.

♦ Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is the editor of International Guardian, and the author of The Influence of Leadership.

Change Begins with who? The Nigerian President and the butchery of the change philosophy

By Anthony Obi Ogbo
By Anthony Obi Ogbo

Less than two years after he took office, President Buhari and his selection of incompatible cohorts have run Nigeria’s social system into anarchy; cluttered the country’s political structure; and ran the economy into a near irreparable recession. But recession may not be astonishing because organizational challenges come and go. The danger is that this president may not even know that his country’s economy is in recession, while he ignorantly flip-flops from one social campaign to the other.

In a mist of economic catastrophe, President Buhari’s first disastrous move was to launch a movement against societal indiscipline. The aged authoritarian had declared a war on “indiscipline” last month, recreating a “task force” that would supposedly ensure orderly queues, clean streets, and enforce punctuality across the public service system.

This was a reintroduction of one of his punitive programs in his days as dictator. Shortly after he seized office in 1983, General Buhari, as he then was, set up the “War Against Indiscipline,” (WAI); using hardened military bullies to terrorize citizens with brutal penalties and humiliations. For instance, civil servants who turned up late for work were publicly and physically abused, while Nigerians accused of dropping litter and jumping queues faced penalties ranging from compulsory press-ups to fines.

As President Buhari was busy rehearsing his campaign against Indiscipline, Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) hinted that the country has dropped into recession. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 2.06 percent in the second quarter of 2016 after falling 0.36 percent in the previous three months. To make it worse, Nigeria’s  oil industry went down against weaker global prices.

Unperturbed by the impending fiscal hardship, President Buhari resumed another campaign – this time , a movement tied to a transformation process he adopted as a campaign promise late 2014. The new campaign tagged ‘Change Begins with Me’ is expected to engrain accountability, integrity, and positive attitude among the populace to comprehensively attain national development.

This President charged his frustrated citizens to be part of his campaign because the change they would see begins with them. According to President Buhari, “If you have not seen the change in you, you cannot see it in others or even the larger society. In other words, before you ask ‘where is the change they promised us?, you must first ask, ‘How far have I changed my ways? What have I done to be part of the change for the greater good of society’?”

President Buhari, just like most African dictators, had adopted a call for patriotism and action by a former United States President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural speech in 1961 that Americans should ask not what their country could do for them, but ask what they could do for their country. Failed leaders, especially in Africa, had relied on this phrase to intimidate their citizens into love and service to their country even when these leaders leave them without the least basic necessities. But President Kennedy was only energizing his populace by expressing the significance of patriotism and unyielding support for public service. He wasn’t preaching on how to support indolent leaders who terrorize their people.

Recessions is harmful for any country and any responsible leader in this condition should organize relevant resources to seek the way out. The most relevant entity or player to stop recession or divert the economy to the path of growth is the government. Unfortunately, President Buhari, so detached with both his subordinates and constituents is yet to present a blueprint to address his economic woes. With an inexistent economic team, this president has totally ignored any prime actions on alleviating his current predicament; rather he had trotted from one social campaign to the other, professing policies that bear no relevance to his regime’s immediate needs.

But this latest campaign, ‘Change Begins with Me’ reveals about this regime, a total lack of comprehension of the change development. Change is a fundamental application of the transformation process, and neither begins with the leader nor the lead; rather, it is a revolution from a current state to a proposed future state to inspire relevant development. In a change environment, the leaders take charge in managing the development and surmounting barriers of the process. Thus, an estimated change can only be effective when leaders understand the development mechanism, significant complications, and other barriers that must be mitigated.

President Buhari had complained about some elements that  break pipelines and other oil facilities, thus robbing the nation of the much-needed resources. But his inability to properly address the issues involving the Niger Delta indigenes contradicts his change campaign and further frustrates the country’s constitutional mission to attain unity. In organizational development or governance, change hardly thrives in a system riddled with economic injustice and sociopolitical uncertainty.

President Buhari’s campaign that a “Change” process must begin from the constituents is a misguided development preference. In the transformation fraternity, both the leader and the led are united in the process and must uplift each other in a greater height of success. In the domain of organizational transformation, the leader takes charge in developing a feasible agenda; he must communicate a clear vision, build trust, and generate necessary understanding among subordinates. But President Buhari cannot facilitate a change process by a current isolation of both his subordinates and the masses from the governmental process.

With Nigeria and its current dysfunctional governance, any proposed change process must be a paradigm shift. A process revolution that would start from president Buhari himself. This president must embrace the mechanics of Organizational Development. He must create a new structure that would radiate fundamental principles that foster collective involvement of significant stakeholders; boost learning; advocate justice and equality; create path to effective communication; mutual obligation, and other factors that would engage people and foster strategic means to collectively solve problems.

Anthony Ogbo, Ph.D. is the Publisher of Houston-based International Guardian, and author of “Governance Buhari’s Way.”

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