The Winner In You: Genie In A Bottle

“When a man wants to do something, he finds a way. When he doesn’t, he finds an excuse.” David Chiaka

The concept of the genie in the bottle is derived from Arabic folklore. In summary, it is about people who are privileged to have a deity trapped in a lamp. Whoever is in possession of the lamp has power over this deity such that upon the release of this deity, the person is granted a certain number of wishes. In some vein, we need such genies in the office place or as special advisers to political office holders. These genies make things happen.

I am from a country with a lot of challenges. Nigeria is said to be one of Africa’s giant continent. With a population hitting over 165million citizens, very rich in ‘black gold’ (crude oil), and various material resources, one would expect that the emerging intellectual class would steer the nation from an age of darkness (economic waste and corruption) into an era of light (infrastructural & economical development).

Alas, this is not so. I have always had a solution oriented mindset towards any issue (call me a genie). This is seen in the type of company I keep and the way I do my work. So it is very annoying when I see the inability of The Government of this great nation to resolve certain basic issues that affect the citizens of the country called Nigeria.

Let’s look at security. Since the emergence of the present democratic regime, the celebration of his victory saw an increase in sectional killings in the northern part of Nigeria such that a militant group emerged. This group has brought chaos and fear like none other in the history of this great country. The question is not whether the Federal government can restore order. I believe they can. I however am lost as to if they want to restore order or if vested interests are resisting such efforts.

With the launch of Nigeria’s successful second satellite, we need to ask if this satellite can be deployed for security use amongst other things. There comes a time when physical strength is not enough to win a fight. There is also a place for wit and intellect. That is where technology comes to play.

There is a need for a new crop of information technology personnel in the police force. Their task is simple, track, identify and provide evidence to convict offenders and bring crime and terror to the barest minimum. These IT personnel of the police should be deployed to regional offices around Nigeria. There is great need to embrace technology. CCTv’s should be deployed on streets, satellites should also be used to track and the data base of Nigerians should be in the possession of this team for the identification of criminals.

So the question now is, who do people call in times of emergencies? Simple, call centers should be set up in every state along with emergency telephone numbers through which citizens can call in and report ‘crime in progress’. Above all, the police need shooting ranges for target practice (in police stations). We don’t need 10 cowardly police men with big machine guns, we need 1 efficient police man with a pistol who knows what to shoot, where and when. The project looks big, but considering the amount of billions being wasted, we must ask ourselves if we want to solve Nigeria’s security challenges or not.

Nothing is impossible, if you will only believe. In the same vein, in whatsoever we find ourselves doing, minimize the excuses for failure and look out of ways to get the job done. Ask questions, and listen to the remarks of your critics. Many times, the voice of your critic is the answer to your greatest challenge. Above all, don’t be afraid to do the right thing especially when you know you have been wrong.

I do hope we can learn from all that has been said. Till we meet again, keep winning.