Europeans Trafficking Human Parts Burnt in Madagascar

A mob in Madagascar reportedly killed two Europeans suspected of mutilating and murdering a young boy at the country's main tourist resort, security forces said. Residents on Nosy Be island went on the rampage after the missing eight-year-old was found dead with his genitals and tongue cut off.

The rioters launched a manhunt and killed the Europeans in the capital Antananarivo. Local police revealed that the pair "were killed and burnt on Ambatoloaka beach", a popular palm-fringed strand of white sand. The two men were identified only as Sebastien and Roberto. The murder occurred after days of tension.

The two men confessed under severe interrogation and torture to having trafficked organs. The rioters only targeted the two men suspected of having ordered the boy's kidnapping, but left other foreigners alone. The French consulate discouraged its nationals from visiting Nosy Be island until order is restored, especially on the beaches.

The nationalities of the foreigners were not centrally known. Some believed they were Italians while some others believed they were French nationals. Residents marched on the paramilitary police station after being convinced the boy's killers were being held there. Security forces fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd; at least one person died and two others sustained injuries. The mob also torched eight houses.

National Dialogue is a 'Welcome Development'; Governor Aliyu says

Reactions continue to pour in over the planned convocation of a National Dialogue by the Federal Government of Nigeria; which by all status is a presumed acceptance of the widely clamoured Sovereign National Conference where stakeholders believe the destiny and future of Nigeria must be discussed. Apparently, while this sounded soothing during the Independence Broadcast, similar acts had been done in the past with no positive outcome.

All the past sittings and dialogues had resulted into flagrant waste of tax payers funds with nothing to show concretely. The worries of Nigerians are really simple: How well will this address the extremely tensed polity which arose from ethnic and religious sentiments but found succour in politics where a region will claim it has the right to almost always rule and another will believe the collective wealth of the nation is theirs? How well will this Dialogue lead Nigeria back to the part of true federalism and even abrogate the military-sponsored unitary constitution of 1999?

No doubt, true federalism or a genuine, viable and strong federal structure is the only panacea but the question is are Nigerian leaders true to that course? The region whose sole interest is to rule appears to be skeptical of such an arrangement according to public opinions while the region whose interest is to secure the black gold as well as the region of the learned are in favour of the Dialogue; though that is the best for the entity called Nigeria. The fear of some is being allayed by the Governor of Niger state while speaking in Minna.

Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger described the plan by the Federal Government to convene a national dialogue to discuss the future of the nation as "a welcome development". The remark was made by him while he was inaugurating the SURE-P mass transport scheme for the 25 Local Government Areas in Niger state. He said the planned dialogue would ensure justice for all segments of the country.

"Mr president has constituted an advisory committee on national dialogue.We should not be afraid to discuss our future and our present situation; how we came about where we are and how we want to move from that place. Nobody should be afraid to discuss it, we should not be afraid of whatever may be the outcome of the conference."

Governor Aliyu expressed optimism that Nigeria would emerge stronger and remain one indivisible entity at the end of the conference. "Let us not be afraid of going to discuss with fellow Nigerians on how to move the country forward and ensure that we have justice in our body polity and in our society. So we welcome this desire and plan for the national dialogue," he said.

How this National Dialogue will lead to true federalism and move away from this unitary system is the main headache of well-meaning Nigerians. True federalism was the basis of Nigeria which ensured the developments of the regions immediately after independence. Since the discovery of the black gold, those who benefited immensely and massively from true federalism during the era of agriculture quickly changed the status quo again to suit their gluttonous cravings.

Federal Government Approves the Manufacturing of Cars in Nigeria

Nigeria has been described as a bastion of knowledge, intelligence and sagacious men. The country is also blessed with numerous natural resources which if properly annexed and well managed, the country would be soaring in the modern era will great nations. The Asian Tigers cum China by all standards are not as blessed as Nigeria but the leadership quagmire which encourages corruption and siphoning of the collective wealth of the people is destroying the country.

Nigeria has nothing stopping it from being among the renowned in the world in industrialisation and exportation of finished goods as well as technology just like China and Brazil today. During the Civil War (1967-1970), the Biafrans invented different weapons not excluding tanks (Ogbunigwes). Apart from that, late Professor Ayodele Awojobi of the University of Lagos developed the Autonov (a vehicle that can be driven both ways; front and back). All these died naturally because of the myopic form of leadership which is the bane of Nigeria.

NAN reports that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved the Automotive Industry Development Plan for the development of the nation’s automotive industry. The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, told State House correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, that the plan was expected to attract investment to the sector.

According to him, a transformed automotive industry will realise its potential as a major driver of economic growth and diversification, job creation, local value addition, and technology acquisition. "The most important discussion which took most of our time was the presentation to Council of a broad policy plan to develop the Nigerian automotive industry.

"This Plan, which is part of the Ministry’s industrial revolution plan that had earlier been approved, is aimed at ensuring increased flow of investment for the development of the automotive industry in Nigeria," he said. He said FEC also approved that henceforth, government would purchase vehicles from the assembly plants in the country "unless it is of specialised nature and National Automotive Council (NAC) has certified that it is not produced in Nigeria."

Maku added that the council approved that the recommendations on the local purchase of vehicles be backed by appropriate legislation to reassure investors that there would be no abrupt change in policy. Commenting on the Automotive Development Policy, the Minister of Trade and Investments, Olusegun Aganga, said it was unfortunate that not less than N550 billion was spent by Nigerians on the importation of vehicles in 2012.

He said that Nigeria spent $4.2 billion (about N664bn) on importation of cars in 2010, and that "car import takes the biggest share of the country's foreign reserves followed by other machinery". He expressed optimism that the success of the policy would mean a gradual end to the importation of fairly used cars to the country.

Also, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Muhammed, said that the council approved the rehabilitation and expansion of the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) from Villa roundabout to the OSEX/Ring Road 1(RR1) junction, including five interchanges at N39.8 billion. This is not the first time such a programme will be in place in Nigeria but all died due to the ineptitude of government.

Volkswagen was manufacturing cars in Nigeria earlier before it crumbled due to the high cost. Power is still relatively unstable which is almost the most crucial though the government is making frantic efforts at salvaging the situation. It recently transferred the power to private investors and rose to settle the severance package with the aggrieved PHCN workers.

"No More Colonial Extension"; Gambia Quits Commonwealth of Nations

In what became another 'dictator's twist' to the African scenario, the President of Gambia has withdrawn Gambia from the Commonwealth of Nations. The Gambian President reiterated that Gambia will never again be part of any colonial arrangement. Yahyah Jammeh has ruled Gambia; Africa’s smallest mainland country since 1994, and has been often accused of human rights abuses, including unlawful detentions, media intimidation, and discrimination against minorities in the country.

The Commonwealth is made up of over 50 countries, most of which are former territories of the British Empire. A report has it that the Gambian government disagreed with a 2012 proposal by the Commonwealth to create commissions in the Gambian capital of Banjul to address human rights, media rights, and corruption.

Following the proposal, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma met with Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and other top officials but apparently the proposal did not fall in place with the government. Jammeh accused Britain and other foreign countries especially in Europe of sponsoring the opposition and trying to destabilize his government.

Gambia announced it is immediately leaving the Commonwealth of Nations, saying it will not be part of an institution that represents an extension of colonialism. "The general public is hereby informed that the government of the Gambia has left the Commonwealth of Nations with immediate effect," the government said in a statement.

During the heinous, colossal, inhuman and inhumane slave trade, though the bulk of the slaves were taken from Nigeria, Gambia was extremely decimated. It is estimated that well over three million people from the Gambia area were also sold into slavery.  After that came the cataclysmic colonialism which plundered and sucked Africa dry. Since the mid-fifteenth century, the Portuguese, French, and British empires competed for colonial supremacy in Gambia.

Present Gambian boundaries were formed in 1889 as the area became a British Crown Colony known as British Gambia. Gambia formed its own executive and legislative councils in 1901, and on February 18, 1965, Gambia gained independence as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. Jammeh might have taken a very reasonable step but he needs to do more to be responsive and responsible for the betterment of the lives of Gambians.

The reason why many African leaders who intend to fight, combat and struggle out of the colonial arrangement usually appear 'evil' is that they replace Western colonialism with indigenous colonialism. All humans crave for freedom and development and it is about time they make their citizens enviable too on the world stage not gagging them while fighting the foreign exploiters. The citizens must have better living standards and be on the same page with the government for genuine and real victory to be assured.