McLean S.E CPP, PCI

Human right activist, good governance advocate, seasoned citizen, politics, security, art. LIFE

[Tadé Makinwa @MackOmotade]

Whenever Nigerians gather to discuss the country’s problems, one phrase is almost guaranteed to come up:

“We just need a functional system.”

I hear it everywhere. In interviews. On social media. In taxis. At conferences. In political conversations. At some point, I stopped listening to the phrase itself and became more interested in the people using it.

So one day, I asked someone a simple question:

“What exactly is a functional system?” And he couldn’t give an answer.

That conversation proved that many people use the phrase because it sounds intelligent, not because they truly understand what it means.

A system is not magic. A system is simply a structure made up of rules, institutions, processes, incentives, consequences, and people who consistently make those things work.

A functional system is one where the rules are largely predictable, institutions perform their responsibilities, excellence is rewarded, incompetence has consequences, and the average citizen understands that there are standards that cannot be negotiated.

Now let me say something uncomfortable.

Many Nigerians say they want a functional system, but the truth is, many are not yet prepared to live in one. If you think I’m lying think about it.

The same people who complain about corruption but become excited when they know someone “at the top” who can bend the rules for them, they are also the same people who will make excuses for fraudster and yahoo yahoo.

They criticize politicians for nepotism but call their uncle to secure jobs they are not qualified for. They want law and order until the law applies to them. They want accountability until they are the ones being held accountable.

That is not a desire for a functional system, that is a desire for a system that works only in your favour.

In a truly functional system, you do not drive against traffic because you are in a hurry. You do not skip queues because you know someone. You do not evade taxes while demanding world-class infrastructure. You do not bribe your way out of offences. You do not submit fake certificates. You do not forge documents. You do not throw refuse into drainage and then complain about flooding. You do not expect electricity without paying for it. You do not ignore building regulations and then blame government when buildings collapse.

A functional system is expensive, not necessarily because of money, but because of discipline. It demands that everyone, rich or poor, connected or unknown, submits to standards. It inconveniences everybody equally, and that is why many societies appear orderly, not because they have angels living there, but because the cost of breaking the rules is often higher than the benefit.

Sadly, many of the people who loudly demand a functional system have built their own success around dysfunction. Some businesses exist only because of these loopholes , some careers thrive because merit is absent, some fortunes were built through regulatory loopholes.

Ironically, if Nigeria suddenly became completely functional tomorrow, many people currently celebrating their success would struggle to maintain it.

This is why I believe our conversation must mature. Yes, government has enormous responsibilities, institutions must improve, and leadership matters.

But systems are also strengthened, or weakened by the everyday behaviour of citizens.

A nation where millions of people constantly look for shortcuts cannot magically produce world-class institutions.

The same values that destroy homes eventually destroy organisations. The same attitudes that weaken organisations eventually weaken nations.

A functional Nigeria will require functional citizens.

Perhaps we should start asking:

“Are we becoming the kind of people who can sustain a functional system?”

Because systems do not exist independently of people. People build systems. People protect systems. And ultimately, people either strengthen them, or destroy them.

#Tadé
#iyawooga
#refinedlady

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@MasterBolaji @mardortii You couldn't decipher the audio was inserted?

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@MrkhameneiSpoof See.....spoof

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@MKjrstad Additionally:
• The 2.6% is a median estimate wit a wide range (up to ~8% in the 95th percentile), and GDP doesnt capture many non-market damages or tail risks.
• Current “1–2% of GDP” spending includes capital investment and energy system transformation, not pure economic los

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@MKjrstad The 2.6% figure is being misinterpreted.
That is a GDP level loss in 2100 under ~3.7°C warming, not a cumulative loss spread evenly over 75 years. It reflects a permanently lower output level, not a one-time cost you divide by the number of years.
.

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@NigAirForce Holes with fitted pegs.

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

Uniqlo has refined the art of getting people to buy clothes. Now, its billionaire founder just needs to crack Middle America. https://t.co/qrpjKFdmyG

[The General @GeneralMCNews]

BREAKING: Saudi Arabia’s 'Sleeping Prince,' Prince Al Waleed bin Khaled, has died after spending 20 years in a coma caused by a traffic accident.

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@thedebuthub The Peller effect

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@JDVanceNewsX Nawa

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@harris_wins Omg

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@AlistairBoxall @ECORISC_CDT My PhD focus . Looking for a Post Doc.

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

https://t.co/etttjxsmNL

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

NLC Says Strike Continues Until… https://t.co/fYS47rZNVB (From Phoenix APP)

[Senator Shehu Sani @ShehuSani]

Dear Zenith Bank,with this your new CEO,you just stylishly want all depositors to shift to your Bank.Other Banks take note.

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@TheoAbuAgada @Nairametrics Lol

[TorontoSoM @TorontoSoM]

Today, we’ll hear from Anjumanara, our Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management Co-op program alum from Bangladesh!

We’re always here to support you in your endeavours, Anjumanara!

#TSoMGrad #TSoMAlumni #myTSoM #TSoM #FindSuccessWithTSoM #GetInspiredFindSuccess

[Bill Ackman @BillAckman]

The presidents of @Harvard, @MIT, and @Penn were all asked the following question under oath at today’s congressional hearing on antisemitism:

Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [your university’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying or harassment?

The answers they gave reflect the profound moral bankruptcy of Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth.

Representative @EliseStefanik was so shocked with the answers that she asked each of them the same question over and over again, and they gave the same answers over and over again.

In short, they said:

It ‘depends on the context’ and ‘whether the speech turns into conduct,’ that is, actually killing Jews.

This could be the most extraordinary testimony ever elicited in the Congress, certainly on the topic of genocide, which to remind us all is:

“the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group”

The presidents’ answers reflect the profound educational, moral and ethical failures that pervade certain of our elite educational institutions due in large part to their failed leadership.

Don’t take my word for it.

You must watch the following three minutes. By the end, you will be where I am.

They must all resign in disgrace.

If a CEO of one of our companies gave a similar answer, he or she would be toast within the hour.

Why has antisemitism exploded on campus and around the world?

Because of leaders like Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth who believe genocide depends on the context.

To think that these are the leaders of Ivy League institutions that are charged with the responsibility to educate our best and brightest.

On the bright side, our congressional leaders deserve accolades for showing tremendous leadership and moral clarity in their statements, by the questions they asked, and the respectfulness with which they conducted the hearing.

It was a masterclass of how our government and democracy should operate.

If you have time, please watch the entire hearing. Throughout the hearing, the three behaved like hostile witnesses, exhibiting a profound disdain for the Congress with their smiles and smirks, and their outright refusal to answer basic questions with a yes or no answer.

[McLean S.E CPP, PCI @m_essiene]

@GOtvNg How do I top up to the right rate