Thursday, June 28, 2012

BRING ON THE AFRICAN CULTURAL REVOLUTION!!

By Abayomi Ibitomi

It is unfortunate to hear some “educated” folks calling for the return of the colonial “massas” to come back and rule them again simply because the black colonialists they parade as their rulers have taken the plundering of their resources to an abysmal level. Who has bewitched yee Africans? Isn’t this like a rape victim praying for the return of a less vicious rapist instead of saying an emphatic NO to any form of rape? When are we going to get it in Africa that the current rapists are only acting out the script written for them by the foreign rapists with their loots in foreign accounts as payment for a job well executed?

After balkanizing once prosperous African nations and kingdoms into artificial boundaries and contraptions without the input of a single African at the infamous Berlin conference, and sharing African ethnic nationalities amongst themselves like commodities, why won’t we continue to produce puppetic rulers who will keep working against the interest of their own people in Africa?Are these not the same white colonialists who strategically planted political configurations which makes it difficult for each ethnic nationality to connect with its cultural roots and heritage like the wise Asians have done?

Isn’t culture the greatest unifying, bonding, and rallying point of a race? Apart from the bonding angle, it has also been established that culture is the greatest source of creativity, innovation, and ideas-generating inspiration of a race. The Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Malaysians et al have demonstrated to the world how tapping into the cultural cosmos could bring out the creativity of a race. The role of cultural assimilation in the advancement of a race can never be overemphasized. It is only a simpleton who will fail to see the effect of cultural assimilation in the success of Asian brands like Toyota, Honda, LG, Samsung, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kia et al, while Africa has continued to export brands like starvation,HIV,poverty,crime,corruption,malaria,fraud,miracle,prayers,signs and wonders ati bee bee lo to the rest of the world.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Prof. Ayittey describes Nigerians as broken and battered

A top Ghanaian economist, Professor George Ayittey, has stated that decades of misrule and a continuing government dysfunction have combined to transform Nigerians from resilient and dynamic people into vulnerable people.

In the past, according to Prof Ayittey, Nigerians were “bustling with energy, dynamism and entrepreneurship”, but a perpetual leadership crisis had transformed them into “broken spirits and battered souls” trapped in cocoons of fear, mistrust and despair.
“Decades of reckless misrule and total government dysfunction have corroded the fabric of Nigerian character and society.
“When trapped in such a mess or maze, it is difficult to see the way out”, he said.
Prof Ayittey made this known on twitter last night (June 26, 2012 ) in response to some criticism directed at him by some aggrieved Nigerians.

The US based economist had criticised the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ), describing him as a joke and a mediocre President, following his (GEJ’s) interaction with the Nigerian media last Sunday.

Prof Ayittey had described GEJ’s performance during the interaction as abysmal, and chastised him for not showing remorse despite his failure to resolve the Boko Haram crisis.
Mr Ayittey had also lambasted GEJ for “impatiently” indicating that he would not declare his assets.
He had ended his observation with a call on Nigerians to rid themselves of GEJ as soon as possible.
But the criticisms did not down well with some Nigerians, who took to twitter to criticise the Prof and urge him to focus on Ghana’s own problems.
In a calm and measured response, however, Prof Ayittey called on Nigerians to look beyond tribe and religion in analysing socio-policio-economic issues.
He said his criticism of GEJ aimed at helping the Nigeria identify its flaws, and exposing the Nigerian people to new or alternative perspectives.
T
he Economist underscored the need for Nigerians to be amenable to criticisms and new ideas, adding that outsiders were sometimes in a better position to offer criticism or advice.

Prof Ayittey went on to debunk assertions that he was seeking political office in the country.
“I have no political axe to grind in Nigeria. I cannot even be president of Nigeria. In fact, I am not interested in the presidency of any African country”, he emphasised.
He also conceded that it was inappropriate on his part to criticise GEJ without offering solutions to the problems he identified.
He therefore promised to do an article to be titled Making Nigeria Work Again, which he said would be available soon.
P
rofessor Ayittey is a Ghanaian economist, author, president of the Free Africa Foundation in Washington DC, professor at American University, and an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Read the entire tweet posted on June 26, 2012 below”:
“To my Nigerian followers. I appreciate all your wonderful comments, including the negative ones, regarding my write-up on GEJ. It will be impossible to respond to all individually; hence, this generic response.
I always distinguish between African leaders/governments and the PEOPLE. Chinua Achebe said it best in his book, The Trouble With Nigeria. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character, culture or water. The problem lies purely and squarely with the leadership.

I have always admired Nigerians in the past — resilient people, bustling with energy, dynamism and entrepreneurship. You will still find these admirable traits in some spots such as Onitsha Market. But the Nigerians of today are of a different stock – broken spirits, battered souls and trapped in cocoons of fear, mistrust and despair. Decades of reckless misrule and total government dysfunction have corroded the fabric of Nigerian character and society. When trapped in such a mess or maze, it is difficult to see the way out. When you engage a Nigerian in a conversation, the first thing s/he wants to know is which tribe or religion do you belong to? It never used to be like this.

The Ashanti have a proverb which says, “The one cutting a path through the bush does not see if it is crooked or not. Only those who stand afar can determine this.” What I write about Nigeria comes from this perspective. I am not Yoruba, Ndigbo or Hausa. I have no political axe to grind in Nigeria. I cannot even be president of Nigeria. In fact, I am not interested in the presidency of any African country. I call it the way I see it without fear or favor. The advantage and the service that I provide to the people of Nigeria is that I can say a lot of things which they are afraid to say. That doesn’t mean everything I say about Nigeria is true but at least it exposes the people to new or alternative perspectives.

However, it is not enough to say that President Goodluck Jonathan is a joke without pointing out the way forward, which is what I drilled into my students. Accordingly, I am writing another piece, Making Nigeria Work Again, which I will tweet in a couple of days.”

Professor Ayittey holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon, an M.A. from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba. He has taught at Wayne State College and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He held a National Fellowship at the Hoover Institution in 1988-89, and then joined The Heritage Foundation as a Bradley Resident Scholar. He founded The Free Africa Foundation in 1993, to serve as a catalyst for reform in Africa. In 2008 Dr. Ayittey was listed by Foreign Policy as one of the “Top 100 Public
Intellectuals” who “are shaping the tenor of our time”. He lives in Lorton, Virginia.

Culled from http://samuelobour.com

Ghanaian Professor Advises Nigerians "Rid yourself of President Jonathan ASAP"

One of the world’s foremost economists, Professor George Ayittey has lashed out at the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ), describing him as “a joke” and a mediocre President after his (GEJ’s) encounter with the media on Sunday, the 24th of June 2012.


According to Professor Ayittey, Nigeria “deserves a better leader”, judging by GEJ’s poor, almost unfortunate responses to some of the questions posed to him by the Nigerian media last night.
The Professor indicated that GEJ’s refusal to declare his assets and his failure to tackle the Boko Haram crisis suggest that he is of an unsound mind.

He therefore called on Nigerians to rid themselves of GEJ as soon as possible.
He said: “Nigerians should not put up with such mediocrity and should mount a RECALL GEJ campaign. They should check Chapter VI of their Constitution. See Sections 143 and 144 about removing the President and Vice-President from office other than through elections”.
“137; 1c: “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if under the law in any part of Nigeria, he is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind.”

Professor Ayittey, a Ghanaian economist, author, president of the Free Africa Foundation in Washington DC, professor at American University, and an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, made this known on twitter this morning.
Read the entire tweet below:
Professor George Ayittey

“Look, this GEJ guy is a joke – a meretricious mediocrity. Nigerians deserve a better leader. Fancy his statements and responses to questions in a media chat on June 24, 2012:

•  Borno visit: He has not visited Borno state, the center of Boko Haram attacks, because the airport there was not functional at the time he planned to visit. “And we did not want to land somewhere and fly in to Maiduguri with a helicopter for obvious reasons.”

[Why is the airport not functioning? Why hasn’t it been fixed? And are there no ROADS into Borno State?] Questions!

• Asked why he had not declared his assets, Mr. Jonathan replied in an impatient tone, stating “I don’t give a damn” about declaration of assets. He related that he had gone to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to caution “that we should not play to the hands of some people [by openly declaring their assets].” Mr. Jonathan added, “That is a matter of principle and I am not going to declare. It is not the president declaring his asset that will end Boko Haram.”
• The president said it’s a matter of principle and whether he is criticised from “head to toe” he will not declare his assets. “It is not right,” he said. “I didn’t want even want to declare my assets as VP” but was forced by the then president, Umara Musa Yar’Adua. He said asset declaration is “not the right thing to do.”

[Damn it, it is a constitutional requirement to declare your assets, Mr. President. See Chapter VI, Part 1, Section 140 of Nigeria’s Constitution: “Declaration of assets and liabilities, oaths of President.” And what the hell has Boko Haram got to do with declaration of assets?]

Agriculture: The president said his government is revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria.”We are giving cotton seeds free in the North” he said.
[This is the most crass definition of an “agricultural revolution” – by providing free seeds.]

Transport: The President said the government is doing very well in railway construction. “You may not know, but we are working,” he said. He added that his government has made a “significant progress” in railway construction. “You should commend us,” he adds.

[What “significant progress” has been made in railway construction? How many Nigerians are working on railway construction with the contract given to Chinese firms?]

UNILAG name change: The president said what he did, in terms of law, was correct. You change the name first, then send the bill to the National Assembly later, he argues. “What we did, was the normal procedure,” he said.

[No, Mr. Presient, you had it backward. Before you change the name of University of Lagos (UNILAG), you consult with the university and the student body, which you did NOT do.]

• Crude Oil Theft: “The stealing of crude oil is a Nigerian phenomenon,” the president said. He adds that it has gone cancerous. “We will stop it, but it is like allowing a cancerous cell to grow into a major tumor.”
[Mr. President, theft of crude oil is a CRIME, not a “Nigerian phenomenon or a disease afflicting Nigerians. Describing it that way means you are CLUELESS about how to solve it.]

Nigerians should not put up with such mediocrity and should mount a RECALL GEJ campaign.
They should check Chapter VI of their Constitution. See Sections 143 and 144 about removing the President and Vice-President from office other than through elections.

137; 1c: “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if under the law in any part of Nigeria, he is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind.” Link: http://bit.ly/MSxUws

Professor Ayittey holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon, an M.A. from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba. He has taught at Wayne State College and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
He held a National Fellowship at the Hoover Institution in 1988-89, and then joined The Heritage Foundation as a Bradley Resident Scholar.


Professor Ayittey


He founded The Free Africa Foundation in 1993, to serve as a catalyst for reform in Africa.
In 2008 Dr. Ayittey was listed by Foreign Policy as one of the “Top 100 Public Intellectuals” who “are shaping the tenor of our time”. He lives in Lorton, Virginia.

Culled from http://samuelobour.com/2012/06/25/media-chat-ghanaian-professor-blasts-goodluck-jonathan-says-this-guy-is-a-joke/?wpmp_tp=1

Friday, June 8, 2012

Missing Children: Please help be on the look out for these 3 kidnapped kids

Please help broadcast (and keep on doing that), the children have not been found and no ransom demand has been made. Their mum has collapsed and is in intensive care as we speak,please help find her 3 children.
MISSING CHILDREN!!!
The 3 boys on this page (Chinemerem 5yrs,Okechukwu 4yrs and Nzube 2yrs) are missing. Their driver by name GODWIN picked them up from their school ABC ACADEMY Utako Abuja around 3:30pm yesterday in a new TOYOTA AVENSIS metalic colour (without plate number) and disappeared with them. They have not been found. Anybody that has seen or heard anything about their whereabout should report to the nearest police station. Please paste this picture on your dp and send 2 all your contacts even on Facebook and Twitter. Help save their lives. Thank you.

                   Godwin Msughter Tikaa, the driver who allegedly kidnapped the kids
The three boys and their parents

PS: The school confirmed they saw the driver pick the children

Source: http://www.cknnigeria.com/2012/06/sosparents-driver-dissappers-with-these.html
http://omojuwa.com/2012/missing-children-please-help-be-on-the-look-out-for-these-3-kidnapped-kids/