Over 40 Nigerians Repatriated from the United Kingdom and Spain

The United Kindom and Spain have repatriated over 40 Nigerians. Speaking at the London Immigration Office, a Nigerian immigration officer, Issa lawal said those repatriated are people who have been jailed for a long time and have completed their jail terms. Others include illegal migrants most especially those with fraudulent papers.

The UK has her own internal economic quagmire. She has not fully recovered from the recession and has been trying to meet the employment demand of her citizens. Spain is also battling high unemployment rate. Her citizens are emigrating more to South America. The last thing they need now is to habour 'misfits' and those who will strain the insatiable social amenities the more.

Nigerians have always being repatriated and sometimes killed with impunity in some countries. The Nigerian government has never seen this as a shame for it to make moves to make the country conducive for Nigerians so as to fulfill their dreams and aspirations in their homeland.

Nigerians are being exterminated in Libya after the killing of Maummar Gaddafi under the watch of the same TNC Nigeria supported because of the West and NATO yet the government remains mute.

More Nigerians will still experience this fate because no country says Nigerians should not determine their destiny by shaking up the corrupt system to its foundation and get rid of the thieves who circumvent the country's bliss and advancement. This must be done for Nigeria to take her pride of place among the commity of nations.

Official: Foreigners aid Oil Crime in Nigeria

'A bad workman blames his tools.' -English proverb

A Nigerian official in the Petroleum Industry says the increase in oil crime rates and pipelines vandalisation is a result of foreign interventions in the purchase of illegal crude oil from criminals in Nigeria.

Abolore while visiting Areppo, scene of the most recent pipeline vandalisation and fire mishap stated that the power of the vandals and perpetrators of oil crimes is on the rise because there are ready-made foreign buyers and foreign cash for the illegal products.

The worrisome aspect of this statement is maybe there exists any difference between the vandals, the government and oil officials cum workers. They are all oil thieves. The government condemning foreigners berth oil in the coast of Togo so as to perform 'magic' in supply. An act similar to piracy. Officials also connive with oil marketers to fraud the country and the people.

One begins to wonder where lies the legitimacy in the statement when Shell pays government specially for security to avoid being subjected to environmental laws and accountability. Where is the legitimacy when citizens are executed as in the case of Ken Saro Wiwa for Shell BP to continue operations.

The government indicting the foreigners is the same government with numerous oil scandals; swimming in corruption without any iota of responsibility, accountability and concern for the welfare of the people. Without any crack in the wall, lizards cannot partition the inside of a fence into rooms.

Africa's Economy: High Prospects of Boom with Caused Failures

Africa today:

$1.6 trillion – Africa’s collective GDP in 2008, roughly that of Brazil or Russia
$860 billion – Africa’s combined consumer spending in 2008
$316 million – the amount of new mobile subscribers signed up in Africa since the year 2000
60 percent –  Africa’s share of the world’s total amount of uncultivated land
52 the number of African cities with more than 1 million people living urbanized
20 the number of African companies with revenues in excess of $3 billion

Africa tomorrow:

$2.6 trillion – Africa’s collective GDP in 2020
$1.4 trillion – Africa’s consumer spending in 2020
1.1 billion the number of Africans of working age in 2040
128 million the number of African households with discretionary income in 2020
50 percent –  the portion of Africans living in cities by 2030

Africa is a destination for cheap and less costly labour which makes the prospects of booming economic activities high. The coming of more Foreign Direct Investments will be gingered by this. It remains a hot spot for investors.

It is worthy of note that Africa’s acceleration resulted from more than just a resource boom. Their have been various attempts by governments to terminate political unrest, implement enhanced macroeconomic policies creating better business climates but all these are again truncated with leadership greed.

Africa is a continent of commodities. Natural resources accounted for 24 percent of GDP from 2000 to 2008. The rest came stemmed from other sectors i.e. retail, wholesale, transportation, telecommunications and manufacturing. This is also a positive sign of economic growth since the 80’s.

Additional efforts to privatise state-owned enterprises, reducing trade barriers, cutting corporate taxes where applicable and improved regulatory systems, have stimulated economic blood flow. The headache is this angle is the lack of adequate regulations to properly guide the workings of the private sectors, hence, abuse and 'slavery' exist in most industries especially that of the Chinese, Indians and other Asian countries.

In the year 2000 foreign direct investment in Africa stood at $9 billion. Today FDI stands at in excess of $100 billion just from China alone.

Although Africa has all these resources its future is critically dependent on other developments and measures that need to be resuscitated to peak performance in order to competitively compete holistically.

Such sectors are education from kindergarten levels. Infrastructure for education needs dramatic attention, inclusive of modern technology that can be accessed on the Chinese market. Africa as at now has not astutely taken on the sector which is a critical pivot for development.

Upgrading and improving the syllabus for teacher education programmes. Special attention must be given to the food security in rural areas where children can also access upgraded medical facilities impacting on the high mortality rates.

No greater impact will occur than by 2020 where the forecast for urbanisation will be devastating for sustainable growth. Today 40 percent of Africa’s population live in her cities. By 2020 it is projected that more than half of African households will have discretionary spending power, straining urbanisation and impacting on the pollution levels for which Africa will also have to comply.

Impacting on green solutions is the lack of refuse and waste recycling throughout Africa. The one in Nigeria in Lagos is at best a concept in its nurturing state. These industries are neglected across the continent. Metals, plastics and alternative manufacturing from recycled metals and plastics are lagging industries throughout African that enjoy high employment.

The four most advanced economies in Africa – Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia currently enjoy advanced manufacturing and services industries. These countries are also classified as diverse economies and will face some challenges related higher labour costs and volatility in the export markets.

Africa has been exercising her economic policies and stimulating the heart of sovereign industries in order to achieve continental growth. So far we have every right to believe that we are on course for recovery and maybe a renaissance in the making.

Now more than ever, inter-continental remedies are needed to achieve stability, improve human rights, promote economic democracy outside of political ambitions and re-establish Africa as a continent proud of her heritage. To get to that desired destination, African leaders need to end avarice and imbibe dynamic patriotism wholly.

Statistics Courtesy: Ventures Africa.

Another Nigeria and Libya: Mali Forces and undue Executions

Mali could be on the verge of creating a haven for a long-term insurgency-style of continuous attacks that could gradually consume West Africa with the constant human rights abuses the Malian army has been accused of committing.

Mali's army has sealed off a central town amid allegations that some of its soldiers had summarily executed dozens of people allegedly connected to rebel fighters. The experience of Nigeria in the Boko Haram menace ought to be a foundation structure for counter-activities on the rebels.

The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues said on Thursday that in the central town of Sevare at least 11 people were executed in a military camp near a bus station and the town's hospital, citing evidence gathered by local researchers.

Credible reports also pointed to around 20 other people having been executed in the same area and the bodies having been dumped in wells or otherwise disposed of, the organisation said. At Niono, two Malian Tuaregs were executed by Malian soldiers, according to the FIDH. All these executions and killings are properly documented.

The rights group, Human Rights Watch, said its investigators had spoken to witnesses who saw the executions of two Tuareg men in the village of Siribala, near Niono. The group also said witnesses had reported "credible information" of soldiers sexually abusing women in a village near Sevare, and called on the government to urgently investigate these incidents, AFP news agency reported.

The majority of the al-Qaeda-linked rebels being hunted by the armies are either Tuaregs or Arabs, reports say.

 But Mali's army has denied the claims. General Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele, the Malian army chief, promised that any soldier involved in abuses would be brought to book.

"One mustn't get confused. Every white skin is not a terrorist or a jihadist and among the enemy which attacked our different position were many black skins. We are among brothers, whether one is black or white."

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defence minister, urged extreme "vigilance" against any abuses, saying the "honour of the (Malian) troops is at stake".

Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, said: "We cannot accept any rights violations. The international community will face a very serious situation if (the intervention force) is identified with abuses." The rebels in Mali are the same people NATO and the West armed against Gaddafi in Libya a Russian official said.

A circulating news now is that the rebels have become factional and one group is ready for negotiation. How credible this group will be is yet to be known as it is almost a tradition for rebel groups to split under such intense firepower.

Mali could end up becoming another Libya in which weapons will be freely circulated among groups after being delivered by Western powers. The Kremlin confirms this as well as Hillary Clinton in her statement delivered to congress on Wednesday.

Oxfam: World's Richest Countries can end Poverty

Oxfam has released a report revealing how the world's most wealthy nations can save the world from poverty. The report detailed how those at the upper rung of the financial ladder can salvage the heinous worm called poverty.

The $240 billion net income of the world's 100 richest billionaires would have ended poverty four times over, according to the London-based group's report. The group has called on world leaders to commit to reducing inequality to the levels it was at in 1990, and to curb income extremes on both sides of the spectrum.

The release of the report was timed to coincide with the holding of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The group says that the world's richest one percent have seen their income increase by 60 percent in the last 20 years, with the latest world financial crisis only serving to hasten, rather than hinder, the process.

"We sometimes talk about the 'have-nots' and the 'haves' - well, we're talking about the 'have-lots'. We're an anti-poverty agency. We focus on poverty, we work with the poorest people around the world. You don't normally hear us discuss wealth. But it's gotten so out of control between rich and poor that one of the obstacles to solving extreme poverty is now extreme wealth," Ben Phillips, a campaign director at Oxfam, told Al Jazeera.

"We can no longer pretend that the creation of wealth for a few will inevitably benefit the many – too often the reverse is true," said Jeremy Hobbs, an executive director at Oxfam. "Concentration of resources in the hands of the top one per cent depresses economic activity and makes life harder for everyone else – particularly those at the bottom of the economic ladder.

"In a world where even basic resources such as land and water are increasingly scarce, we cannot afford to concentrate assets in the hands of a few and leave the many to struggle over what’s left." Hobbs said that "a global new deal" is required, encompassing a wide array of issues, from tax havens to employment laws, in order to address income inequality.

Closing tax havens, the group said, could yield an additional $189 billion in additional tax revenues. According to Oxfam's figures, as much as $32 trillion is currently stored in tax havens.

In a statement, Oxfam warned that "extreme wealth and income is not only unethical it is also economically inefficient, politically corrosive, socially divisive and environmentally destructive."

The financially buoyant countries are not ready to be committed to the betterment of humanity. Their main interest has always been and will always be the continual entrenchment of financial blissfulness for the microscopic few at the expense of the wretched masses.

Africa is at the centre of the suffering yet she supplies the world the needed resources. Africa gives life to others but she is killing herself.

Africa: Libyan Militants Supported Algerian Islamists

The interconnectedness among various militants and Islamist groups in Africa is growing nauseously. The militants who seized an Algerian gas plant before they were killed in a bloodbath received logistical aid from Islamists in Libya, a well-informed source told AFP on Tuesday

International media groups, including AFP, were able to get from Islamist circles based in Eastern Libya telephone numbers of the kidnappers as they last Wednesday overran the In Amenas gas plant in the deep Algerian desert.

37 foreigners were killed in the 4-day siege of the remote desert gas plant, some of them executed with a bullet to the head, Algerian premier Abdelmalek Sellal said on Monday. He said that a total of 29 militants were also killed and three captured in the siege, which got concluded on Saturday when Algerian special forces stormed the gas complex.

Algeria said its special forces managed to free 685 Algerian and 107 foreign hostages, most of them on Thursday, during their first rescue operation. During the deadly standoff, several media outlets had talked of a “Libyan connection” to the siege.

Algerian website TSA cited a security source saying the kidnappers had entered Algeria from Libya in official Libyan vehicles, while other outlets argued that the weapons the kidnappers used came from Libya.

When questioned by AFP, Libyan officials simply reiterated the words of their prime minister, Ali Zeidan, who denied that the kidnappers entered Algeria from Libya, saying the Libyan territory was not being used for launching operations that threaten security of neighbouring countries.

Algerian premier Sellal on Monday that the militants had crossed from Northern Mali. The Libyan source said that Libyan Islamists had no organisational link with the group, “Signatories in Blood” which led the four-day siege of the gas complex.

The group is led by one-eyed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of the founders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM ). Belmokhtar left Al-Qaeda in October to create his own group. Jaber al-Abidi, an analyst, has no doubt Libyans were involved.

“It is clear that there is a link between Libyan extremist groups and those who led the In Amenas operation,” said Jaber al-Obeidi, an analyst and political activist. “Libyan extremists are present in northern Mali and helped carry weapons from Libya after the fall of the regime” of Gaddafi, he added.

The “Signatories in Blood” group had said that its attack on the gas complex was in retaliation for French intervention in northern Mali. Algeria’s Sellal dismissed this, saying the assault had been planned for nearly two months, long before France intervened in northern Mali.

Since the fall of Gaddafi’s regime in October 2011, Libyan Islamists have gained influence and inherited a large military arsenal from the conflict that ousted and killed him. Their ability to strike was illustrated by the murderous assault launched September 11 on the US consulate in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi that killed the American ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans coupled with attacks on security men.

According to the Libyan source, the Islamists who attacked the gas facility entered Mali “transiting through Niger and Libya from the Salvador triangle,” a barren stretch of desert that borders Libya, Algeria and Niger. Libya has long struggled to monitor its 4,000-kilometre (2,500-mile) land border. Boko Haram is also said to be strengthened by the various Islamist groups around Nigeria, in the Sahel and Sahara.

Mali and the Return of Mass Unrest in Africa: Remembering Kwame Nkrumah

The various resurgent unrest in Africa in both Sudan and South Sudan, attempted coup in Eritrea, lack of peace in DR Congo, rebel movement in Central African Republic, Islamists in Mali, Somalia and Algeria, Boko Haram in Nigeria and in other numerous flash-points around the continent remind one of nothing than the exertions of Nkrumah towards building a formidable continent and his predictions just as accurate as they are happening now.

The Osagyefo (Kwame Nkrumah) in the independence era of Africa; 1960, worked tirelessly across Africa preaching the gospel of a united and unified Africa. He postulated that Africa is not yet fully independent till she can control her destiny economically. Nkrumah strive for an Africa with a global voice. His actions were hinged on the creation of a United States of Africa with a United African Government backed militarily by an African High Command.

The African High Command will be a standing and standby force responsible for checking any heinous, nefarious and nauseous activities of saboteurs and rebels. The African High command will be a readily available force to be deployed. The failure of ECOWAS to act fast in Mali, AU's obfuscating mission in Somalia and Sudan are cases that proved the neglected sagacity of Nkrumah right.

The rationale for this was emphasised. He stated that Africa shall be consumed by smaller wars due to the numerous arbitrary borders created by the departing Europeans. They succeeded in establishing a 'keg of destructive explosive missiles' meant to be detonated continuously to ensure and preserve Western agenda on the continent. Nigeria and Liberia were two countries that stood against the futuristic wisdom of Nkrumah cogently and they are reaping from the sabotage anyway.

The Osagyefo was accused of pursuing a programmme for personal benefits because Ghana seemed sound as at then having got independence earlier. One wonders what difference exists in getting independence three years earlier. The foundation he laid in Ghana in making the country a unified whole without tribal tones represents the pillar for Ghana's advancement today. Those countries who stood against a united Africa's mission are today in abject poverty and unrest.

Most African leaders abhor unity because of greed. The lack of trust they display all the time is to ensure nothing tampers with their greed and avarice. Their corrupt personal gains are above the continent's glory and advancement.

New Convocation Dates for University of Lagos: Jonathan Becomes Perplexed

With series of meetings and close door activities over the postponement of the heroic Golden Jubilee Convocation Ceremonies, the authority of the University of Lagos has set new dates for the ceremonies. The dates are 7^th, 8^th and 9^th of February, 2013. Presenting the dates to the President, the authority gave him alternatives of choosing either towards the tail end of January or early February and he chose the afforementioned dates.

The fiasco over the change of nomenclature from University of Lagos (UNILAG) to Moshood Abiola University (MAULAG) was buried with the rejection of the bill by the House of Representatives. With the throwing out of such move, the President has no other alternative than to accept that the institution must remain what it is, in deed and in truth.

The main headache of the Presidency is no longer to hold the convocation, it is now whether President Jonathan will attend or not. Information from a reliable source stated that the Presidency is really very worried over his attedance because of irate students. Out of the three days scheduled for the events, President Jonathan is likely to be present by the weekend when most activities have been concluded and students will be scanty.

The representative of the President while speaking to officials in the school downplayed the name-change saying it was just an honour for a virile Nigerian, Moshood Abiola, and that the President had no ulterior motive. The President himself was reported to have communicated such to the University after his defeat. The authority wants his presence so he can with his own mouth mention the University's name in deed and in truth.

The President was playing, malingering and meadering because he knew the University Council will soon be dissolved so his calculation was to use that as a medium of delay but the University authority took him back to history that the University had had a convocation ceremony without the Council in a known distant past and that still serve as a reference and precedent.

Two historical events will also be happening at the ceremonies, for the first time in the history of University of Lagos, the Vice Chancellor will be inaugurated. The known procedure before is for the VC to be elected and work begins but now, the precedent of official inauguration is to be laid. Moreso, the new Pro-chancellor of the University, Jerry Gana will be inaugurated. The events are specially constituted to honour the renowed, amiable and dedicated Vice Chancellor, Professor Adetokunbo Babatunde Shofoluwe of blessed memory. The university still waits for the appointment of a new Chancellor after the demise of the erstwhile Chancellor, the Attah of Igala.

The defeat of the President over the change of nomenclature is a sign that reasoning backed up with action will go a long way in checkmating the nefarious and obnoxious activities of the worms called leaders in Nigeria nay Africa. All the citizens must do especially those in the academics is to stand and defend the future.

Africa and Obama's Second Term: Expectations and Counter-Expectations

Africans no longer stood still to watch the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as was witnessed four years ago. The President's acts during the period clearly showed he was and will always be the president of the United States not of Africa. He proved he will neither be the President of both 'continents' nor fully that of one and partially that of another.

As the president of the United States publicly takes the oath of office for the second time, it is understandable why, in stark contrast to four years ago when Barack Obama's unique personal history made his election to the White House the cause for intense pride and excitement across Africa, many Africans have shrugged off the event and carried on with their lives.

To be fair, many Africans' expectations of the then-new American president were wildly unrealistic and Obama had quite a number of pressing challenges demanding his immediate attention, not least of all th United States' economic meltdown and healthcare system.

Nevertheless, the sense of let-down acutely felt, both in African capitals and among the Africa constituency in Washington, over the lack of engagement during most of the administration's first term, remains palpable. Even for the administration's most reflexive defenders, there is no getting around the data.

While veteran diplomat Johnnie Carson was installed as assistant secretary of state for African affairs within four months of Obama's first inauguration, an ambassador to the African Union was not on post until nine months after the president's swearing in and, until just nine months ago, there was no permanent assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for Africa.

The U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa was not released until June of last year. As for the president himself, he has not set foot on African soil since his brief visits to Egypt and Ghana during his first year in office--and the latter a stopover lasting less than twenty-four hours.

Of course, the administration has scored some noteworthy successes, not least of which was helping see the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to its fulfillment in the largely peaceful referendum and subsequent secession of South Sudan--although the continuing conflict between

Africa's newest independent state and the country it left behind remains a challenge the administration must tackle in its second term alongside the overall lack of economic development and general governance capacity in Juba.

Somalia must also be monitored;defeat of Somalia's al-Shabaab as a military force, the improved security in and around Mogadishu, and the installation of a new parliament, president, and prime minister represent relatively big advances, even if the progress is still far from consolidated.

Africa could receive more attention during his second term but not to the benefits and desired directions of Africans. His actions, if African leaders are wise enough are to tell them that no one can build their countries and continents for them. No foreign country will ever make policies to favour and uplift their continent. They must wake up.

Nigeria and Religion Again!!! Fall of France and Nigeria Predicted in Mali

“No Nation Can Fight Islam And Succeed” (Sheik Gumi)
Islamic cleric Sheik Ahmad Mahmoud Gumi has raised an opposing view to the decision by the Nigerian government to send troops to fight on the side of France against so-called “Islamic terrorists” in Mali.

In a post on his website, the cleric argued that there was no justifiable reason to send troops.

He wrote:

“Today Nigerian troops are committed in Mali to fight ‘Islamic terrorists’ without intellectually looking at the repercussion of such an adventure. We all know that the ‘War against terror’ which Islam also fights can easily be turned into war against Islam. There is a thin line between the two. And if caution is not taken, the situation can seriously be dangerous for the nation and more so for the government.

“One thing is very clear. No nation on earth can fight Islam and succeed. A Russian General was interviewed just before the illegal Bush Jr's attack on Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein and he urged Bush to tap into Russia's experiences in Afghanistan. The General said: “I advise the US not to attack Iraq, because if it does that, then it will be fighting the whole Muslim community and whoever fights the whole Muslim community will not succeed”.

"When I heard those words, I was amused. First I knew that Saddam Hussein was not a favorite of many Muslims, I therefore wondered who will fight for him if Iraq is attacked. Secondly, what weapons do the Muslims have that the superpowers cannot defeat in warfare?

“I now see what he means. The Soviet Union fought the Mujahideen for almost 13 years in Afghanistan and ended up disintegrated. Now, the USA is facing a similar challenge that made the Soviet Union unmanageable and finally fall. The USA has been a free country where money flows in and out, where business flourishes with little hindrance. But the moment Bush lied and tried to attack Iraq, a sovereign nation, all the Muslim states - even those that are moderate – were frightened by his recklessness.

“Americans were also frightened of a possible backlash from such an adventure, inflaming an already volatile situation. The end result has been stringent monitoring and restriction of the flow of money in and out of the country. A self-imposed umbilical stenosis, a self-imposed strangulation. Nobody will again trust the USA, therefore people now prefer Asia for their business, medical care and even education.

“All this was started by an idiot who caused untold hardship for his citizens and others alike. Today, Bush Jr and his defense secretary ‘Hamana’ Rumsfeld are nonentities even in their own country. They are not respected and they will forever be tormented with the sights of so many American youth that were maimed and had limbs amputated from the deceptive war against ‘terror’ they manipulated.

“As for Nigeria, we can see a parallel when in the late 60’s Maj. Nzeogwu assassinated the Northern premier and the Biafran War ensued. Ojukwu, in his declaration of war,said bluntly that he was fighting Islam and the menace of Arabs which he claimed. The end results were that he destroyed lives, went into exile and to date Biafra ceases to exist except of course in the mind of its proponents.

“And worse still for him, Islam has reached the shores of the Delta. This brief description of a chain of events should be a clear counsel to people leading Nigeria today; no one can fight Islam or the Muslims and succeed. It is futile to attempt it. They will only destroy their own lives and cause untold hardship to others. They will be cursed not only by people they injured but by their own people as Bush Jr is regarded now in America. Therefore if the government has such plans or are deceived by some Islamaphobes in their circles they should reverse their policies immediately.

“There is no border sharing between Nigeria and Mali. There is Niger republic, Burkina Faso and Togo in between. All these nations did not report terrorism and yet suddenly we read in the news that ‘the Army Chief of Staff (COAS) Azubuike Ihejirika, who did not offer evidence, claimed that terrorists trained in Mali had already arrived on Nigerian shores. See: http://saharareporters.com/news-page/‘terrorists’-mali-seen-nigeria-..., Posted: January 17, 2013 - 22:19.

“If what he said is true, then Nigeria is unnecessarily plunging itself into a War that will have a grievous consequence on our security without any foreseen benefit.

"Let us encourage the Malians to tackle their insurgency peacefully, and not by taking sides. If however, the SS&SE (COAS) wants to use the volatile situation to build on what his predecessor Azazi implanted, then we leave him to posterity. Time will tell. All we do is to urge Muslims to be calm, prayerful and watchful.” 

Nigeria: A Known Ocean of Corruption

African Cup of Nations began without the citizens of Nigeria having the opportunity to locally watch any of the actions. This is a shame too long to bear and condone. The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) is responsible for the negotiation of broadcasting rights in such an events and it went ahead to do that in the Cup of African Nations but was shocked with the level at which LC2 was about to milk Nigeria.

Ghana and South Africa as well as many African nations paid $2 million dollars for their broadcasting rights but when it came to Nigeria, the parade was changed. Rather than the usual flat rate of $2 million dollars, $8 million dollars was demanded. The greatest shock is the disparity in the amount. From 2 to 8, a whooping difference of $6 million dollars. An amount that could lift thousands out of poverty.

High Chief Raymond has done justice on the matter. If not watching the Nations Cup will send a signal to many that Nigeria cannot continue to be a land where every Tom, Dick and Harry come to demand, get whatever they want and siphon funds at will, then so be it. The next action of the government should be to investigate the matter and know those behind the inflation.

Some Nigerians definitely will be behind the cost inflation beyond standard. Those elements who wish to benefit from scandals always. If no crack exist in the wall, the lizard will not have a stadium inside the fence. Nigeria is expected to pay such a huge amount which automatically amounts to a loss in a commercialised deal that gain is meant to be accrued from. It is not the fault of those who inflated the cost, they already know they have accomplices and confederates in the ocean of corruption.

Patriot Missiles Arrive in Turkey

Turkey's defence against the Assad regime has been bolstered with the arrival of the Patriot Missiles. In a bid to avoid direct confrontations with the the Syrian military as much as possible, Turkey called for the deployment of the missiles to guard her border with Syria.

The Turkish port of Iskenderun welcomed a German ship carrying patriot missile equipment as part of an effort to stop violence in Syria from spilling over its borders.

240 German troops had earlier touched down in Turkey to be deployed to the border with Syria, as part of a NATO mission. The Suecia Seaways vessel later arrived on Monday after the Netherlands-registered Louise Russ ship also carrying missile kits pulled into the area on Sunday night. 

The German batteries are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles, which will remain in Turkey for a year. Two Dutch and two US batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

In December, NATO announced its decision to position Patriot anti-missile systems near Turkey's southern border to defend against the threat of cross-border attacks and bringing the United States and its allies closer to the Civil War raging between Syrian opposition rebels and President Bashar Assad's regime.

Turkey, a NATO member, requested the missiles to boost its air defences. Violence has flared along the border in recent months, with Turkey firing artillery across the frontier to retaliate for Syrian shells hitting Turkish soil.

Iran and Russia have objected to the move saying Syria could just be a smokescreen to upturn the military balance and calculations in favour of NATO and the United States. They believe the missiles might be available more to spy on their weapons' systems than counter Assad's forces.

Henry Okah is convicted

The long term imbroglio between President Jonathan and Henry Okah, the acclaimed leader of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is gradually finally being laid to rest with the conviction of Okah. 

A South African court on Monday convicted Nigerian national Henry Okah of 13 terrorism charges, including bombings that killed 12 people in Abuja on independence day 2010.

“I have come to the conclusion that the state proved beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused,” said Judge Nels Claassen, handing down the verdict in the South Gauteng High Court.

Okah was found guilty of masterminding attacks including twin car bombings that killed 12 people in Abuja on October 1, 2010 and two explosions in March 2010 in the southern Nigerian city of Warri, a major hub of the oil-rich Delta region.

Okah continues to deny involvement in the blasts. He said the charges were politically motivated. He also denied leading MEND, but had said he sympathised with their goals.

However the South African court found Okah was the leader of the movement after uncovering documentary evidence including his wife’s handwritten notes. (AFP) 

Okah's brother who has been held in Nigeria ever since in connexion with the bombing had written a long letter smuggled out of prison detailing all the conspiracy against his brother as revealed by his interview and questioning by men of the State Security Service (SSS). 

It now looks as if becoming the President is another avenue to get back at those one is not in good terms with.

Is Yemen safer than Africa!!?

Africa has been turned into a continent of emigrants; either seeking greener pastures or running from wars and agonies. If Africans run abroad to Europe, the United States, China and other economically vibrant countries in Asia and the Middle East, everybody to a reasonable and good extent will understand. But when Africans run to Yemen, then something terrible is really wrong with the continent.

Yemen is notorious for al Qaeda activities and she is still grappling with fratricidal wars. A shocking and surprising report came out from the UN refugees' Commission that Africans are trooping into Yemen to escape wars and agonies. A fate they are going to meet in Yemen but it looks as if in all, Yemen is preferable to them.

Since 2006, the commission has never witnessed such an influx. The refugees are coming en masse despite the hazards in the maritime travel. The boats are over-packed which makes everything more precarious yet people are not debarred from the journey. Read More 

Africa and Africans need to wake up seriously before all these completely get out of hand. Africans risk becoming the major destroyers of their continent most especially through the greed of the leaders and the coming avarice of some followers likely to be leaders. This is evident in the various rebel movements and sectionalism.

Is Africa going back to the predominant war era?

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has received serious reports of human rights abuses committed by Malian security forces against civilians near the central town of Niono, Reuters quoted the organization as saying.

 HRW issued a statement Saturday detailing abuses that included the killings of rebel-linked northern ethnic groups such as Tuaregs and Arabs. 

The activist group urged the Malian government and the French soldiers deployed in the country to “do their utmost to ensure the protection of all civilians.” French troops have been deployed to Mali in an attempt to stop the advance of the Islamist insurgency in northern part of the country. 

On Saturday, France called upon world leaders to provide logistic and financial aid to African armies in order to speed the reinforcement of French forces on the ground.  

As France is battling Islamists in Mali, Britain, her close ally in the war and raid is having another headache in Algeria.

Three Britons are confirmed to have been killed and three more are believed to be dead after the Algeria hostage crisis.

One further UK resident is also thought to be dead according to David Cameron.

Some 22 other Britons are now back in UK and are being reunited with their familie according to the foreign secretary.

A raid by Algerian troops ended a four-day siege at the In Amenas gas facility on Saturday. Algeria says at least 23 hostages and 32 militants died.

Algeria's minister of communications said the final death toll might rise and there would be an announcement in the next few hours.

The Foreign Office said the figures announced by the prime minister included a Briton killed on Wednesday in the initial raid by militants.

Africa is gradually degenerating into a continent of massive chaos, unrest and war once again and the leaders have no foresight to start tackling the menace now. They are waiting till it becomes a 'missile keg' and starts exploding everywhere till they act. 

Congo still boils. Sudan and South Sudan are only having timed peace. Central African Republic is crying internally. The presumed 'giant', Nigeria cannot combat the Boko Haram insurgency. The whole continent is fast becoming an headache for foreigners but no leader is ready to discuss the issue especially in relation to the bleak future it is creating.

Acting when everything is worsened will aid their permanent stay in office and assist their corrupt tendencies. This is the reason why they are silent. African media too is becoming dormant.

Myanmar and the Rebels: Ceasefire broken

President Thein Sein issued a ceasefire order to troops in the La Ja Yang area of Kachin near the border with China but the army did not respect the order and continues to shell the rebels according to the rebels spokesman.

It was due to take effect on Saturday morning, but Colonel James Lum Dau, a Thai-based spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), told Reuters the army had continued to attack over the weekend, both in La Ja Yang and elsewhere in the state.

An offensive in La Ja Yang from about 8 a.m. on Sunday morning had involved artillery and infantry, he said.

A 17-year ceasefire with the KIA broke down in June 2011 and fighting has been particularly intense in recent weeks.

Twenty months of fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people and, for some analysts, raised doubts about the sincerity of all the political and economic reforms pursued by Thein Sein in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Addressing a development forum attended by donor countries and international aid organizations on Saturday, Thein Sein had invited the Kachin rebels to a 'political dialogue' with rebels from other states.

Ten other major rebel groups from various states have already agreed to a ceasefire.

A local source in Kachin, who did not want to be identified, confirmed the army attacks on Sunday, including one on a rebel position about five miles (eight km) from the KIA stronghold of Laiza.

Fighter jets had flown over the area but had not attacked, the source said.

New York-based Human Rights Watch last week accused the army of indiscriminately shelling the town of Laiza.

Loud explosions were also heard by residents of the town of Mai Ja Yang who felt the vibrations, the source said. The conflict with the rebels remains a central agony in the 'new Burma'.

Emir of Kano attacked: A case of Nemesis

Gunmen around 12 noon on Saturday attacked the convoy of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Dr. Ado Bayero, killing his driver and a traditional guard who tried to protect him, and wounding two of his sons who were also int he convoy.

Daily Trust gathered that the Interim Management Officer of Kumbotso local government who was also in one of the vehicles is also feared dead.

Two of his sons, the Turakin Kano and the Ciroman Kano were also said to have sustained injuries and have been taken to the hospital for treatment.

The Emir was returning from a Quranic graduation ceremony which took place at Gidan Murtala mosque when the attack occurred. The window opposite where he was seated in the vehicle was also shattered during the attack but there are no indications he suffered any injuries.

The dead and wounded are said to have been taken to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. 

Nemesis has a way of calling and a plan of action to demand what rightfully belongs to it. Long before  now, the Sultan of Sokoto has said that they (the leaders) are the cause of the downfall of the North and its people. 

The Emir has been given a clean slate in a country where Traditional Institutions; the custodians of culture have been rubbished due to corruption. It is thus an irony that it was the Emir, now flown to London, that was attacked but a sign that the dog will turn to its master one day when no prey is left.

Instead of killing innocent Christians who have nothing to do with the Northern morass in Nigeria, the people should visit their anger on those leaders and their confederates who sold them and continue to use them to achieve their own obnoxious designs.

Paul Kagame: A model for Africa

When I read about the genocide of Rwanda, I begin to wonder what sort of humans my people have turned into in Africa. Beasts. The conclusion and end to the genocide did not come from outside of the continent, at least Rwanda has no oil majorly or gold centrally. In that case, neither the US nor France can intervene.

Bill Clinton and the United Nations refused to label the genocide with its proper appellation thus extricating themselves of any R2P. The solution to the Hutus' killing of Tutsis came from the sagacious, bold and farsighted courage of a Rwandan himself; Paul Kagame.

Kagame raised a rebel group composed of Tutsis, the tribe being hatched in the pogrom and crossed into Rwanda from Uganda. After winning the battle against the Hutu majority, he became President and since then, he has led Rwanda to a glorious era in which ethnic animosity is fast becoming a forgotten past.

No other leader has achieved this feat in Africa; of leading a massively divided country based on ethnic bigotry into prosperous 'united' nation. Nigeria currently still finds it hard to discuss her ethnic divide from the past to the present especially finding ways to get off the hook of the Civil War.

Kagame continues to show the result of what dedicated leadership is. A book has been written about him and his leadership style. In the book authored by the New York Times bestselling author, Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond, he is said to lead more like a company's CEO than a political leader and that is exactly what he is. With just a secondary school certifcate, Kagame has shown great wisdom in governance. Read More

Education and Leadership: The African Reality

Africa: Where are the leaders?

Education and acclaimed global ratings

Many foreign analysts continue to pop up the excitement hormone of many African leaders that their continent is moving towards a better era. They give and bring out numerous reports on how advanced the continent is. World Bank continues to give economic reports with no correlation with the reality on ground. Everything coming out with different indexes are best surrounded in myths and mysteries. There is no way any foreign analyst can successfully determine the condition of Africa based on foreign standards and experiences. Africa has been turned into a continent where greed and avarice kill all theories and modicum of practicality.

A renowned professor of Harvard university, Calestous Juma, opined that Africa is moving towards plausible advancement direction with the election of technocrats as leaders. About 13 African countries are led by technocrats which to him is a good sign of projection. His postulation brings a question to mind: Is education really enhancing leadership acumen in Africa? The best answer going by the current trend is NO. Nigeria has a zoologist who is PhD holder yet gaffe and make decisions like someone just out of the university with a youthful mindset.

In Kenya, Mwai Kibaki continues to talk about good governance while overtly watch trial deaths happening and occurring. Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe has been strengthened to a nauseous state where members act as lords when elections are around the corner. Of what benefit are leaders who are really educated but act like toddlers in decision making. Leaders who see and witness the burning of their continent with tribal and religious bigotry yet covertly ember the heat and inferno rather than do all they can to extinguish them. Analyses shall be done on a selected few to show the real reality.

President Pierre Nkurunziza – Burundi: attended University of Burundi and major in Education and Sports. Has sports and education advance under his reign and regime? Education is to simulate the creativity and passion in minds, hence sports and education ought to be flying under him in Burundi.

         

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Liberia: BA in Accounting at Madison Business College in Madison, Wisconsin
Diploma at the Economics Institute at the University of Colorado
Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Harvard University.

When President Sirleaf was elected, everyone hoped and believed the Liberian economy will pick up with great panache and awe-inspiring growth. Unfortunately, that continues to elude Liberians. The first rubber deal signed exempted the Firestone Rubber Natural Company from any environmental responsibility. A reminder of how shell operates with impunity in Nigeria. The Liberian economy ought to be a model in West Africa with the leadership of a renowned economist.

             

President José Eduardo dos Santos - Angola
He was awarded a scholarship in 1963 to study in the Soviet Union where he received a degree in petroleum engineering. Upon graduation in 1969, he stayed in the Soviet Union to continue his studies in Communications.

President dos Santos seems to be one among many that has proven his worth in his field. Angola has been doing well in the oil and gas sector and to a reasonable sense, he continues to stem the tide of insurgency in the country though more needs to be done. He took Angola to a level at which she competes with the African oil giant, Nigeria in oil and gas to the extent that Portugal, her former colonial master genuflects for her. Angola is brewing in an upcoming protest. The Arab and North Africa uprisings are influential foundation for the dissidents.

          

President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé - Togo
Degree in financial business management Sorbonne, Paris
Master of Business Administration degree The George Washington University United States.

Togo is one of the poorest in Africa and West Africa yet a Master Degree holder is her President. This in a way is a very queasy status yet the international financial institutions tells Africa the lion is charging.

           

President Dr. Thomas Yayi Boni – Benin

Studied economics at the National University of Benin. He studied banking at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, and later economics and politics at the University of Orléans in France and at Paris University, where he completed a doctorate in economics in 1976.

Benin Republic almost totally depend on trade with Nigeria with much smuggling and illegal transportation of contraband goods like cars and foodstuffs into Nigeria through the 'notorious' Seme border. Benin over the years has not shown high developmental thrust despite the qualification of the leader in business and economics. One would naturally expect the president to influence greatly, the orientation and diversification of the economy from dependency to a self-sustaining one. Sadly, this is not so.

           

King Mohammed VI - Morocco
B.A in law at the College of law of the Mohammed V University, Rabat.
Certificat d'Études Supérieures (CES) in political sciences & Diplôme d'Études Approfondies DEA in public law. Trained in Brussels with Jacques Delors, then President of the European Commission. Doctorate in law (PhD) with "Very Honourable" distinction and the Congratulations of the Jury on 29 October 1993 from the French University of Nice Sophia An tipolis for his thesis on "EEC-Maghreb Relations."

King Mohammed has lived up to good expectations by not allowing the Monarchy to be swept away by the North African uprising and the Arab Spring due to his 'foresighted' policies. His rule to a reasonable level gives Moroccans the unique identity of belonging to a sustainable country. Moroccans though tried to stir and shake up the system but the leadership style of the Monarch based on 'Constitutional Monarchy' salvaged the situation. Morocco has a model and a standard best suited for Morocco.

          

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan

Jonathan holds a B.Sc degree in Zoology in which he attained Second Class Honours. He holds an M.Sc degree in Hydrobiology and Fisheries biology, and a PhD degree in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt He worked as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental-protection officer.

Jonathan is a President that was voted into office due to his 'amiable' countenance and educational background. The president has proven so far that there is no synergy between higher education and leadership or so it seems. All his policies and decisions are at best that of someone just going in for higher education. Disappointment in all ways is what Nigerians get. Report came out in London that lions are going into extinction in Nigeria and tourism is massively collapsing yet no one is acting.

One expects a zoologist to be passionate about wildlife but such is not the case. Education is meant to be soaring high in Nigeria but it continues to retard. More universities, less qualified graduates. No equipments, no educational resources. All going down the drain. Nigeria is consistently broke. The economy is crying. Corruption smiles on. Shell continues to act impudently and with massive impunity against the environment with gas-flaring and environmental degradation yet an environment-protection officer is at the helm of affairs. So far, so good, Nigerians have not seen any justification and synergy in the educational qualifications, policies and actions.

                

President Mwai Emilio Kibaki – Kenya

Economics, History and Political Science at Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda. Bachelors of Science with Distinction in Public Finance at the London School of Economics

Kenya under Mwai Kibaki has witnessed advancement in education, economy and technology but leadership greed is killing all prospects to the future. The sit-tight syndrome is a canker-worm eating the country just like it is around the continent except is places like Ghana, Botswana and South Africa. Here too education should have informed Mwai Kibaki that no man is an island of leadership or an emporium of knowledge to warrant continuous stay in power as if no other human exists. History is disgraced by Kibaki because he refused to learn from it.

             

President Paul Kagame - Rwanda
Attended Ntare Secondary School in Uganda

Paul Kagame has revealed that leadership and higher education does not necessarily correlate. They are two distinguished entities that depend on the capability and capacity of the person involved. Kagame was a rebel soldier with just a secondary school education yet Rwanda is skyrocketing in all facets. Her economy is growing, she stood her ground against Western control unlike most African leaders. Rwanda under Kagame has a veritably sustainable economy and society. The Rwanda experience shows that education is not a central criteria for leadership sagacity, hence Professor Calestous Juma's assertion on the prospect of plausible advancement for Africa hinged on the elections of technocrats is not particularly justifiable.

African leaders continuously make the continent a disgrace to Africans. The UN gave West African nations the legal framework to intervene in Mali but the leaders acted not. The delay in assisting Mali to curb the violence is the same in every other countries on the continent. It takes the efforts of the Jimmy Carter Foundation in line with the UN to make the 'peaceful' disintegration of Sudan possible. The Libyan question was allowed to turn into a NATO affair because African leaders are incapable of managing African affairs. What then is the basis of all the educational statuses?

Mali degenerated into real chaos because they were sleeping. Central African Republic is left on its own. Congo continues to wallow in insurgency and sufferings because the leaders cannot sit and think of a tomorrow. Nigeria is on her kneels with Boko Haram. Peace is elusive in Libya and everybody is watching. Kenya is bequeathed with pre-election tribal violence and they are folding arms. Joseph Kony is more than Uganda and the only way to tackle him is to call the US. African leaders have bastardized the concept of leadership and education.

Photos: Saharavibes and wikimedia

Obama and the Second Term Swearing-in Ceremony

Providence does bring a kind of symmetrical and coincidental occurrences which makes analysis sometimes obfuscating and sometimes interesting. As Israel prepares for election on January 22, Obama's inauguration comes up for his final lapse in the White House on January 20 which makes the affairs interesting.

The expected population is around 800,000, a sharp drop in the 1.8 million audience his first term swearing-in ceremony in office commanded in 2009. This is expected as the president has had more tough time battling established 'popular culture' with his skin pigmentation being a sort of impediment.

From Obamacare to Israel to fiscalcliff to gun control and recently back to Israel, the President has been seen by many whites as an 'imported leader' but his leadership sagacity has made him held his ground and come out hale and hearty.

On Sunday, following a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama will be sworn in officially at the White House at 1655 GMT, meeting the constitutional requirement that he do so on January 20. That portion will be private - except for a media presence - with a small audience of mostly family members.

Both times he will be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts who, in 2009 after flubbing the oath the first time, administered it to Obama again in the White House the day after his inauguration. The president's two recitations this year will be the third and fourth time he has taken the oath.

Obama's speech will focus on the American values, his imbroglio with the Republican-led house on issues like fiscalcliff, immigration laws, gun control and his major agendas in his second term. He will also bear in mind the changes in the Middle East, the United States' commitment to Israel and America's 'international responsibilities'.