Al Shabaab's Fortress in Somalia Attacked by 'Western' Forces

The Westgate Mall attack in Kenya opened the eyes of Africa and Africans to the full reality that there is really an unfinished business in Somalia which serves as the training bastion for fundamentalists and terrorists. Somalia since 1991 has been a real headache for its neighbours in the horn of Africa; notably Kenya and Ethiopia. It served as the port haven for militants now roving some countries on the continent. Speculations even went around that the UN bombing that happened in Nigeria was carried out by a suicide bomber trained in Somalia before Boko Haram itself became sophisticated.

The US intervention in Somalia in the early 90s in an operation code-named 'Black Hawk Down' could not defeat or effectively decimate the ranks and files of the militants. The operation ended in a shocking 'defeat' for the United States as it was forced to withdraw its troops due to the notorious ways in which Farah Aideed and his men humiliated American soldiers. Westgate has however drawn worldwide interest on a larger scale probably in what al Shabaab is capable of doing and the havoc it can orchestrate.

Reuters quoting members of the al Shabaab militants reports that "Western" forces attacked a house in one of its coastal bases in the town of Barawe under the cover of dark, killing one rebel fighter. Foreign forces landed on the beach at Barawe, about 180 km (110 miles) south of Mogadishu, and launched an assault that drew gunfire from rebel fighters, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, spokesman for al Shabaab's military operations.

It was not immediately clear why the Barawe base had been targeted specifically, nor whether the assault was related to the attack on a Kenyan mall two weeks ago, which the al Qaeda-linked group said it carried out and which killed at least 67. Western navies patrol the sea off Somalia - mired in conflict for more than two decades - and have in the past launched strikes on land from warships.

No foreign military units typically involved in such operations in Somalia have said they were involved in the strike. One Western official in the region declined to comment. Kenyan forces stationed in the southern parts of Somalia were unavailable for comment. "Westerners in boats attacked our base at Barawe beach and one was martyred from our side," Musab said. "No planes or helicopters took part in the fight. The attackers left weapons, medicine and stains of blood, we chased them," he said.

Many residents said they were woken by the noise of heavy gunfire late on Friday night. "We were awoken by heavy gunfire last night, we thought an al Shabaab base at the beach was captured," Sumira Nur, a mother of four told Reuters from Barawe on Saturday. "We also heard sounds of shells but we do not know where they landed. We don't have any other information," she said.

Although the United States does not report its activities in Somalia, it has used drones in recent years to kill Somali and foreign al Shabaab fighters. In January, the French military used helicopters to attack an al Shabaab base in a southern Somalia village to rescue a French hostage. Two French commandos were killed and the insurgents later claimed they had killed the agent. Western nations are worried that Somalia will sink back into chaos and provide a launchpad for Islamist militancy despite a fragile recovery after two decades of war.

Al Shabaab were driven out of Mogadishu in late 2011 and are struggling to hold on to territory elsewhere in the face of attacks by Kenyan, Ethiopian and African Union forces trying to prevent Islamist militancy spreading out from Somalia. Al Shabaab wants to impose its strict version of sharia, or Islamic law, across the Horn of Africa state. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was seeking to send drones to Kenya as part of a $40 million (25 million pounds)-plus military aid package to help four African countries fighting al Qaeda and al Shabaab militants.

The Kenyan and Ethiopian troops coupled with the AU forces performed creditably well in decimating the militants. Without them, al Shabaab would have grown exceptionally and extremely stronger than it could have ever been imagined. The coordination of the Westgate attack and the later threats and rantings of the terrorist group show that it is ready to effect more devastating attacks of the shores of Somalia if not properly handled or shown the way of force too.

"An Investment in Education is an Investment in the Future" ~Patience Jonathan

In what apparently would have been a lovely prepared speech but turned out to be an ironic reality, the First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan said education is the foundation and the most powerful tool for the growth of a nation; this time Nigeria. The First Lady's speech was a stark sarcastic irony of the situation on ground in Nigeria. Education in Nigeria has become an apologetic apology. It is going down the drain with all stakeholders to be blamed.

The nation is currently being gripped by massive strikes; beginning from the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) down to the developing strike of the Academic Staff Union of polytechnics (ASUP) which recently called off an earlier one before ASUU took over. The colleges of education are also threatening to go on strike. The National Union of Teachers has also rendered its voice favouring a strike within some weeks if the lingering ASUU imbroglio is not resolved.

Although the government has the bulk of the blame as embezzlement, mismanagement of funds as well as endemic and unrepentant corrupt practices are the exclusive preserve of officials than investment in the future educationally, the lecturers too lack innovation and real research capabilities. They are mostly at best not in sync with the real functions of what education should be doing in a nation that needs development. They are also just like the government in corrupt practices; notoriously sleeping with female students and collecting bribes from the male ones for marks. Thus, the highest numbers of the graduates are half-baked.

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, said there is the need to invest in education so as to safeguard the future of upcoming generations. Mrs Jonathan made the remark at the launching of the N500 million fund raising of the Nigeria Air Force Officers Wives Association (NAFOWA) boarding school in Abuja. According to her, the school is not only important to the future of children, but critical to the future and development of the country.

She revealed that "an investment in education is an investment in the future of our dear country Nigeria. It has been observed that with improved education, so many other areas of human existence are positively affected." The president's wife said education aside being a tool to read and write could bring about the kind of social change that would benefit humanity. "Education goes beyond mere learning how to read and write. It is a tool that can bring about the kind of social change that will benefit all of humanity."

"Making education accessible to all is very essential to bringing about social progress. Through education, girls and boys are equipped with critical skills to help them realise their talents and contribute meaningfully to national development," she said. She urged relevant stakeholders, well-meaning individuals and organisations, to complement government's effort by investing in education to safeguard the future generation.

The educational system in Nigeria is extremely perverted. Corruption among the students too are so nauseously appalling. Students in conjunction with parents and examination officials have become so notorious in malpractices, dancing to the general societal syndrome of shortcuts and fast access to getting things done without merit. The national development Nigeria seeks is dim owing to the unrepentant acts of illegalities among the citizenry beginning from those at the top.

On Samsung and its Refrigerator: Designing Products for Africa or Dumping Products in Africa?

Africa as a continent continues to be diplomatically hailed as a growing hub of investments while logical realities are pointing otherwise. Africa is a continent where economic growth is always at a constant war with economic development. Standard of living and per capital income among Africans are extremely relatively the lowest in the world. The poorest of the poorest nations are also in Africa yet the swindlers claim Africa is growing fast. This will be so anyway for as long as it is yielding profits to them and them alone.

Foreign multinationals have dominated Africa with the strongest of grips. Africa is a potent market where all sort of goods can be imported even the ones with no real standard check or verifiable authenticity unlike what is obtainable in the countries where the substandard goods are coming from as regards their own importation. However, Africans are part of the arrangement to always export fake and substandard goods into their countries especially Nigerians.

Reuters reports that Samsung Electronics is betting on a top-end refrigerator designed not to lose its cool in Africa as a way into the continent's consumer markets, where there is growing demand for prestige products which meet local needs. The refrigerator comes with a sticker saying it is "Built for Africa", meaning that while it is basically the same flagship product on sale elsewhere in the world it has been tailored to suit local conditions.

The South Korean firm's strategy is simple, and increasingly followed by a number of multinational firms looking to sell in an expanding African market - lay off the cut-rate goods, launch major products in Africa at the same time as the rest of the world but give them local appeal to build brand allegiance among consumers who are set to move up the income ladder.

"Africa is not a dumping ground for technology. You always have to keep in mind that you are creating your market for the future," said Thierry Boulanger, a director for Samsung at its African headquarters in Johannesburg. Samsung's "Built For Africa" refrigerators come with an extra layer of insulation guaranteed to keep food in the freezer frozen for a longer period of time without being powered.

Rolling blackouts are not uncommon in major urban African centres as power-strapped utilities try to lighten the load during peak demand. As a result the "dura-cool" refrigerator has boosted Samsung's standing in Africa's refrigerator market to a 23.5 percent share, with the company leading the sector for two straight years, Samsung says.

Also in the "Built for Africa" product line are certain flat-screen TVs and monitors and air conditioners with built-in protectors to avoid damage from the power surges that follow outages, and built-in solar panels for netbook computers.

Consumers in Africa, apart from the few rich individuals, usually do not have the wherewithal to purchase the ostentatious articles with standard labels due to the harsh economic realities. This is the bane of the flooding of the continent with substandard products. It has been said that even the soft drinks like Coca Cola among others produced elsewhere outside the shores of Africa are different from the ones produced in Africa especially those produced in Nigeria.