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FACTS have begun to emerged how the poor electricity supply in the country has led and contributed to factory closures and declining manufacturing sector in Nigeria, leading millions of job loses.
In fact, in the Textile/garment as well as Chemical/Leather sectors of the economy, constant power failure in the country has either led to and was a major factor to closure of not less than one hundred factories scattered across the country.
According to vanguard investigations, while twelve manufactory companies in both Textile/Garment and Chemical/Leather sectors, three had their workers reduced from five thousand (5000) to seven hundred (700).
Confirming this unfortunate development and the steady de-industrialisatio n in the country, General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Issa Aremu, declared that among the factories that closed down as a result of electricity failure included “Tarneries, Hufawa, Intertan, Multitan, Nakudu, Kano Textile Limited, Afrimpex and Harmatan (all based in Kano state) as well as most of leather industries in the state . In lagos, are Dunlop Industries, Leanard Shoes and Batta Shoes and Michelin Nigeria Limited, in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state.
Also poor power supply was attributed to have contributed majorly to the closure of the under-listed factories included Enpee, Nelco, NSF, Weaving and Processing, Swantex, Textile Specialities, ASSAN Industries, Jaybee, K-Issardas, Bhojaraj, Teev-Gold Star, Amarito-Umbrella, AD Gulas (all textile factories based in Ilupeju, in Lagos). Others are Five star, Afprint, Daltex,
Varaman, Royal Spinners, GDM, Aswani, Arcee, Rekha, King Carpet, Emar, President, Elite, Moon Diamond, Pacific, Eurosport, Barclays Clothing, ITI, Wabterry, Nigeria Fishing Net, Shiram, Monarch, Aflon (all based in Isolo), Texlon, Diamond Spinners, United Spinners, Top star, Tarpaulin, Steep, Coats West Africa, Panache, Pyramid, Central Bag Subaco, Globe Spinning (based in Amuwo Odofin). Abel Abu, First Spinners, Century and Platinum (based in Ikorodu), Kay Industries, NTM, Specomill, Reliance, Oriental, Madhu and Encee (based in Ikeka.)
Vanguard investigation confirmed because of unstable and failing power supply, Gombe based Ashaka Cement shed its work force from 2000 to 200, Lafarge, Ewekoro, ogun state, 1500 to 250 and its plant in Shagamu, 1500 to 250.
Investigation has also revealed that companies like Cadbury, Nestle foods have for the past 15 years not used public supply to power their plants because of the sensitivity of their equipment that must not be exposed to even a minute power failure.
At the kick-starting of a national mass protest in Lagos against steady de-industrialisatio n of Nigeria as a result of increasing factory closures and the urgent need to re-industrialise Nigeria, Private Sector Union (PSU), shouted it loudly that lack of steady power supply had remained the greatest threat to the manufacturing sector in Nigeria and called on government to urgently address the issue.
Speaking to Vanguard, General Secretary of the National Union of Textile and Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, lamented that in spite of huge money allegedly expended on the power sector, Nigeria is still walloping in darkness.
He argued no country has even industrialised without stable power supply and advised government to wake up to its responsibility and guarantee the citizens stable power supply to kick-start economy to meet the challenges of the day.
Again, in a pre-May Day Statement jointly issued by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), the two labour centres echoed the need for efficient power supply.
The labour leaders used the opportunity to once again kicked against government full deregulation of the downstream oil sector of the economy in the midst of the global economic recession which serious economies in the world are bailing out companies and intervening in their economies to fight the recession.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the two labour centres, Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Peters Adeymi, said: “We also note with grave concerns the decision of government to move for the removal of subsidies on petroleum and full deregulation of the down stream sector of the oil industry as part of the neo-liberal orthodoxies of the World Bank. This decision is contrary to approaches adopted by developed economies that champion the capitalism and the 'market logic'.
These countries like the U.S, Britain, Germany, France, Spam and others have been using state funds in billion of dollars lo bail out industries in virtually all sectors as ways to preserve jobs, income and welfare of their people and their national economies. The point is that they recognize that the people and their citizens come first and so government must be responsive and responsible to the people. For our government, its strategy of solving the problem is high on promises and low on implementation.”
“A quick example is Government planned disbursement of N70 Billion textile industry bailout that is yet to see the light of the day 3 years after such promise, but it took the Obama administration well under 90 days to get over $700 billion released and pumped into the I'.S economy. We in the labour movement call on Government to show similar commitment and patriotism exhibited by the Nigerian people through demonstration of concrete political will in tackling these economic crises. We are quick to reiterate that we reject government renewed bid to remove subsidy and the implementation of full deregulation of the down stream sector of the oil industry. The multiplier effects will exacerbate hardship and poverty amongst our people, just as the timing is wrong, the logic of the policy is also skewed in favour of the few elites in society and anti-people.”
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PROMINENT Ijaw elders and youth leaders in Warri went into hiding on Monday as soldiers embarked on the arrest of some known Ijaw youths that had links with known militants in the state.
The fully armed soldiers were sighted at a five-star hotel in Effurun, in search of known militants in the town and suspected commanders of Government Ekpomukpolo, the leader of the recently destroyed Camp 5 in Oporoza in Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state.
Former militant leader, Alhaji Mujahideen Dokubo-Asari, narrowly escaped arrest on Sunday at the hotel, where he organised an event, when undercover security agents stormed the place to allegedly effect his arrest.
Soldiers continued the bombardment of the riverside communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom in search of the remnants of Ekpomukpolo and his boys in the area in line with the directive by the Presidency to “fish him out, dead or alive.”
Monday’s onslaught led to the destruction of Iroko militants’ camp, located close to the former camp 5 in Oporoza at about 6.00 a.m. after a heavy gun batlle between the soldiers and hoodlums.
Co-ordinator of Joint Media Campaign Centre, Colonel Rabe Abubakar revealed that fierce resistance by the militants resulted in the gun-duel between the JTF’s troops and the miscreants, adding that this led “ to the killing of a majority of them, even as others fled with gunshot wounds. There was no casualty on JTF’s side.”
He disclosed that large quantity of arms and ammunition and other military accessories were recovered from the thick forest areas dump of the camp.
Security has been beefed around Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, following text messages being circulated and credited to Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, alleging that he was behind the ordeal of Ijaw.
But Izon traditional rulers from the Ijaw communities in the state, in a communique read to journalists in Warri, did not only dissociate the governor from the crisis but also commended him for what they called his relentless effort and display of high sense of responsibility towards ensuring an amicable resolution of the crisis in Gbaramatu Kingdom.
While expressing deep shock and dismay at the destruction of life and property, the traditional rulers appealed to President Umaru Yar’Adua to put an end to the continued use of military force in the search for a workable solution to the problems in the waterways.
In a related development, there are indications that the ongoing assault on militants in Gbaramatu Kingdom by the troops of the Joint Task Force might be extended to the neighbouring Bayelsa State following security reports that some of the fleeing militants were converging on the state.
Security sources told the Nigerian Tribune that intelligence reports indicated that the remnants of militants dislodged from the various camps in Delta State were regrouping in Bayelsa State with the intention of dragging the crisis to the state.
“They realised that they have lost all their camps and suspected hideouts in Delta State because of our continued onslaught, so they have decided to regroup in Bayelsa State to further drag us to the area. We are ready for them, anywhere they are, we will get them,” the security source said.
Colonel Abubakar, confirmed the development. He said the “ JTF, through its credible source, has confirmed that the remnants from destroyed militants camps, are regrouping in Bayelsa State with the intention of unleashing terror on the innocent citizens in that area.”
In another development, the main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has asked Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to quit his position over the continued bombardment of Ijaw communities by federal troops.
This is just as Ijaw National Congress (INC) has condemned the use of force to resolve the crisis in the region, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has an opportunity to quit a government that has no iota of respect for him. If the president can snub him after the genocide over his people, then the post of vice-president is not worth it,” MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in a statement issued on Monday.
The militants, Gbomo warned, had been ordered to block key waterway channels to oil industry vessels both for the export of crude and gas and importation of refined petroleum products.
Meanwhile, Action Congress (AC) chieftain, Prince Tonye Princewill, on Monday tendered his resignation as the Chairman of the Niger Delta sub-committee on the Federal Government’s Vision 2020 Technical Group over the killing and displacement of civilians in the current crisis in the Niger Delta.
Princewill said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt that the current fighting was an indictment of leadership of the President Umaru Yar’Adua and showed Presidency’s lack of interest and commitment to the Niger Delta issue.
He stated in his letter that military onslaught was not the best option as the Niger Delta Technical Committee, of which he was a member, had made recommendations and suggestions on how to address the Niger Delta problem.
Part of his resignation letter reads, “After reading and monitoring of the ongoing carnage perpetrated by the military of the Federal Government and with the obvious connivance of the Presidency against my people in the Niger Delta region and with pronounced lack of interest and commitment towards addressing the Niger Delta issue, I, Prince Tonye TJT Princewill, after due consultation with my family and political associates consider it wise to hereby tender my resignation letter as the Chairman of the Sub Committee on Niger Delta of FG Vision 2020.”
Meanwhile, the military high command on Monday told what it called the criminal elements in the Niger Delta that enough was enough and that it would fish them all out and bring them to book.
Defence spokesman, Colonel Chris Jemitola, who gave the warning at a media briefing on the current security situation in the Niger Delta, accused the militants of deliberate and repeated unprovoked attacks on Joint Task Force troops, and the sabotage of oil and gas facilities, kidnapping for ransom of people and killing of innocent citizens of the society, including children, clergy men and very old citizens.
The Director of Defence Information denied that no communities were razed down as collateral damage was kept to the barest minimum during the operation.
Tracing the genesis of the current onslaught against the militants, Jemitola said that last Wednesday members of the JTF “Operation Restore Hope” on routine escort duties around Chanomi creek were ambushed by a militant group leading to the unfortunate and painful loss of some military personnel.
According to him, prior to this an NNPC-chartered tanker CM Spirit had been hijacked with its foreign crew and some Nigerians on board.
He disclosed that the vessel was run aground by the militants who also stole some of the cargoes while the crew members were tortured leading to the death of some of them and the rest held hostage.
The Defence spokesman said that the JTF’s search and rescue team sent to free the hostages was attacked again by the militants, while the search led to the discovery of a large cache of illegal arms and ammunition used for acts of criminality.
He noted that at no time were members of the JTF the aggressors, adding, “in fact, the JTF is only allowed the use of force in self defence or where arrest of a criminal is being resisted; extra care is taken to reduce collateral damage to the barest.”
Colonel Jemitola said that Nigerians had also seen the kidnapping and harassment of site workers and contractors carrying out socio-economic development of the area.
“These are all acts of criminality that cannot be condoned by any government and no responsible military leadership will fold its arms and watch its personnel attacked and killed on official assignment by any criminal gangs hence the military was left with no choice than to go after these criminals in order to bring them to book.”
Read more…
THIS APPEARED ON http://www.ask9ja.com a classified naija site LIST (don't forget to read the response to the original message)
http://ask9ja.9jamovies.com/asknaija/index.php?view=showad&adid=136&cityid=51
What am I doing wrong?
Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful
(spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy.
I'm not from Lagos. I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at
least half a million a month. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind
that a million a month is middle class in lagos, so I don't think
I'm overreaching at all.
Are there any guys who make 700K or more on this board? Any wives? Could
you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around
400 - 450. But that's where I seem to hit a roadblock. 450,000 won't get
me to VIsland. I know a girl in my class who was married
to a banker and lives in Lekki phase 1, and she's not as pretty as
I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I
get to her level?
Here are my questions specifically:
- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars,
restaurants, gyms,Owambes Burials ! Men Am desperate !
-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won't hurt my
feelings
-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I'm 25)?
- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles in ikeja Allen Avenue so plain? I've seen really 'plain chichis' boring types who have
nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I've seen drop dead
gorgeous girls in singles bars in the Ynot and Coliseum. What's the story
there?
- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment
banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they
hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for
MARRIAGE ONLY
Please hold your insults - I'm putting myself out there in an honest
way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I'm being up front
about it. I wouldn't be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn't
able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a
nice home and hearth.
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial
interests
PostingID: 432279810
THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:
I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully
about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I'm not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your
bill; that is I make more than N1Million per month. That said here's how I
see it.
Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a
crappy business deal. Here's why. Cutting through all the B.Sheet ! ., what you
suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring
my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my
money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely
that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't
be getting any more beautiful!
So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning
asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation
accelerates! Let me explain, you're 25 now and will likely stay pretty
hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in
earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!
So in Banking/Investment terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy
and hold...hence the rub...marriage. It doesn't make good business sense
to "buy you" (which is what you're asking) so I'd rather lease. In case
you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were
to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It's
as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.
Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So,
I wonder why a girl as "articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful"
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to
believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the N700K
hasn't found you, if not only for a tryout.
By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then
we wouldn't need to have this difficult conversation.
With all that said, I must say you're going about it the right way.
Classic "pump and dump."
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of
lease, let me know.
Read more…
An invention that could change the internet for ever
Revolutionary new web software could put giants such as Google in the shade when it comes out later this month. Andrew Johnson reports
Sunday, 3 May 2009SHARE PRINT ARTICLE EMAIL ARTICLE TEXT SIZE NORMALLARGEEXTRA LARGE
The biggest internet revolution for a generation will be unveiled this month with the launch of software that will understand questions and give specific, tailored answers in a way that the web has never managed before.The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US last week, takes the first step towards what many consider to be the internet's Holy Grail – a global store of information that understands and responds to ordinary language in the same way a person does.
Although the system is still new, it has already produced massive interest and excitement among technology pundits and internet watchers.
Computer experts believe the new search engine will be an evolutionary leap in the development of the internet. Nova Spivack, an internet and computer expert, said that Wolfram Alpha could prove just as important as Google. "It is really impressive and significant," he wrote. "In fact it may be as important for the web (and the world) as Google, but for a different purpose.
Tom Simpson, of the blog Convergenceofeverything.com, said: "What are the wider implications exactly? A new paradigm for using computers and the web? Probably. Emerging artificial intelligence and a step towards a self-organising internet? Possibly... I think this could be big."
Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as "how high is Mount Everest?", but it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts.
The real innovation, however, is in its ability to work things out "on the fly", according to its British inventor, Dr Stephen Wolfram. If you ask it to compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, it will tell you. Or ask what the weather was like in London on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated, it will cross-check and provide the answer. Ask it about D sharp major, it will play the scale. Type in "10 flips for four heads" and it will guess that you need to know the probability of coin-tossing. If you want to know when the next solar eclipse over Chicago is, or the exact current location of the International Space Station, it can work it out.
Dr Wolfram, an award-winning physicist who is based in America, added that the information is "curated", meaning it is assessed first by experts. This means that the weaknesses of sites such as Wikipedia, where doubts are cast on the information because anyone can contribute, are taken out. It is based on his best-selling Mathematica software, a standard tool for scientists, engineers and academics for crunching complex maths.
"I've wanted to make the knowledge we've accumulated in our civilisation computable," he said last week. "I was not sure it was possible. I'm a little surprised it worked out so well."
Dr Wolfram, 49, who was educated at Eton and had completed his PhD in particle physics by the time he was 20, added that the launch of Wolfram Alpha later this month would be just the beginning of the project.
"It will understand what you are talking about," he said. "We are just at the beginning. I think we've got a reasonable start on 90 per cent of the shelves in a typical reference library."
The engine, which will be free to use, works by drawing on the knowledge on the internet, as well as private databases. Dr Wolfram said he expected that about 1,000 people would be needed to keep its databases updated with the latest discoveries and information.
He also added that he would not go down the road of storing information on ordinary people, although he was aware that others might use the technology to do so.
Wolfram Alpha has been designed with professionals and academics in mind, so its grasp of popular culture is, at the moment, comparatively poor. The term "50 Cent" caused "absolute horror" in tests, for example, because it confused a discussion on currency with the American rap artist. For this reason alone it is unlikely to provide an immediate threat to Google, which is working on a similar type of search engine, a version of which it launched last week.
"We have a certain amount of popular culture information," Dr Wolfram said. "In some senses popular culture information is much more shallowly computable, so we can find out who's related to who and how tall people are. I fully expect we will have lots of popular culture information. There are linguistic horrors because if you put in books and music a lot of the names clash with other concepts."
He added that to help with that Wolfram Alpha would be using Wikipedia's popularity index to decide what users were likely to be interested in.
With Google now one of the world's top brands, worth $100bn, Wolfram Alpha has the potential to become one of the biggest names on the planet.
Dr Wolfram, however, did not rule out working with Google in the future, as well as Wikipedia. "We're working to partner with all possible organisations that make sense," he said. "Search, narrative, news are complementary to what we have. Hopefully there will be some great synergies."
What the experts say
"For those of us tired of hundreds of pages of results that do not really have a lot to do with what we are trying to find out, Wolfram Alpha may be what we have been waiting for."
Michael W Jones, Tech.blorge.com
"If it is not gobbled up by one of the industry superpowers, his company may well grow to become one of them in a small number of years, with most of us setting our default browser to be Wolfram Alpha."
Doug Lenat, Semanticuniverse.com
"It's like plugging into an electric brain."
Matt Marshall, Venturebeat.com
"This is like a Holy Grail... the ability to look inside data sources that can't easily be crawled and provide answers from them."
Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of searchengineland.com
Worldwide network: A brief history of the internet
1969 The internet is created by the US Department of Defense with the networking of computers at UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute.
1979 The British Post Office uses the technology to create the first international computer networks.
1980 Bill Gates's deal to put a Microsoft Operating System on IBM's computers paves the way for almost universal computer ownership.
1984 Apple launches the first successful 'modern' computer interface using graphics to represent files and folders, drop-down menus and, crucially, mouse control.
1989 Tim Berners-Lee creates the world wide web – using browsers, pages and links to make communication on the internet simple.
1996 Google begins as a research project at Stanford University. The company is formally founded two years later by Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
2009 Dr Stephen Wolfram launches Wolfram Alpha.
Read more…
It's a pirate's life for me'
Somali pirates pictured on 5 November 2005
A 25-year-old Somali pirate has told the BBC's Mohamed Olad Hassan by telephone from the notorious den of Harardhere in central Somalia why he became a sea bandit. Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says he and his big-spending accomplices are seen by many as heroes.
I used to be a fisherman with a poor family that depended only on fishing.
The first day joining the pirates came into my mind was in 2006.
A group of our villagers, mainly fishermen I knew, were arming themselves.
One of them told me that they wanted to hijack ships, which he said were looting our sea resources.
'National service'
He told me it was a national service with a lot of money in the end. Then I took my gun and joined them.
Now I have two lorries, a luxury car and have started my own business in town
Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi
Somali piracy: Global overview
Years ago we used to fish a lot, enough for us to eat and sell in the markets.
Then illegal fishing and dumping of toxic wastes by foreign fishing vessels affected our livelihood, depleting the fish stocks.
I had no other choice but to join my colleagues.
The first hijack I attended was in February 2007 when we seized a World Food Programme-chartered ship with 12 crew.
I think it had the name of MV Rozen and we released it after two months, with a ransom.
One last job
I am not going to tell you how much it was, or three other hijackings I have been involved in since.
A Somali pirate on board a French yacht on 10 April 2009
Pirates have stepped up attacks on shipping in recent weeks
My ambition is to get a lot of money so that I can lead a better life.
Now I have two lorries, a luxury car and have started my own business in my town.
I only want one more chance in piracy to increase my cash assets, then I will get married and give up.
Piracy is not just easy money - it has many risks and difficulties.
Sometimes you spend months in the sea to hunt a ship and miss.
Sometimes when we are going to hijack a ship we face rough winds, and some of us get sick and some die.
Sometimes you fail in capturing and sometimes you come under threat by foreign navies, but all we do is venture.
Heroes
Let me give you a good example.
Thousands of young desperate Somali [migrants] continue to risk their lives in the sea in search of a better life abroad.
Patrol boat checks out fishing vessel off Somalia
Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says foreign navies will not stop piracy
So it is no surprise to see us in the same water, pirating in search of money - there is no difference.
We have local support; most of the people here depend on pirates directly or indirectly.
Because if there is a lot of money in the town they can get some through friendship, relatives or business.
Also our work is seen by many in the coastal villages as legal and we are viewed as heroes.
The only way the piracy can stop is if [Somalia] gets an effective government that can defend our fish.
And then we will disarm, give our boats to that government and will be ready to work.
Foreign navies can do nothing to stop piracy.
Read more…
Re: Soludo: Decision time for Yar’adua - by Garba Deen Muhammad
DEENGARBA@GMAIL.COM
published here in August of last year under the title: “Soludo: Why the North would miss him”.
But I do affirm that whereas Soludo is not and could not have been the cause of poverty, ignorance and other social problems in the North, some of the policies he pursued tended to aggravate those problems. Among such policies were his banks’ consolidation policy; his recruitment policy and, lately, his decision to redefine the operations of Bureau de Change that places the impoverished region in even greater disadvantage.
It is also necessary to state that it is of no consequence to me who replaces Soludo; that is President Yar’adua’s problem. Nothing our leaders do would shock us any more. Like millions of Nigerians, I am oppressed by micro issues such as how to pay my children’s school fees, how to get out of my mortgage, how not to fall sick, and which number to call should armed robbers visit my neighbourhood in the middle of the night. These are supposed to be government’s concern too, but where is the government? I oppose a renewed tenure for Soludo because I believe he’s become too controversial (a very charitable choice of word) to continue to head a sensitive institution like the central bank.
As for the tragic situation in the North, there is absolutely no ambiguity about who is responsible. It is the northern military establishment, the northern political class and the northern traditional institution, in that order, that have conspired to turn a once vibrant, promising region into a bastion of squalor and despair. Even the ‘ignorant and illiterate’ ever-suffering people of the North have become aware who their oppressors are; which means that a climax and a change might be just a sunset or a sunrise away.
Re: Soludo: Decision time for Yar’adua
I read your above captioned article and felt depressed. For God’s sake what is the problem with us northerners? What is new that our leaders will need to learn from? You only learn from your mistakes and ignorance. They know everything, from the reasons for our backwardness to the solutions. The simple explanation is that we celebrate poverty in the north.
Northerners derive joy in the misery of their neighbours. Check out most of our leaders’ relations and neighbours and see whether you will not see abject poverty and illiteracy there. I am not talking about their G.R.A. neighbours; no, I am talking about people that helped in their upbringing in one way or the other.
Let each and every northerner search within him or her to see whether we are doing the right thing to our brethren. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Halima Idris < htaurean@yahoo.com>
Let me start by saying that it is normal to have the kind of sentiments you have about the situation in the North since you are a Northerner. But what I find unsettling is how you managed to bring the blame to Soludo’s court.
First of all, for ideological reasons, I’m not a fan of Soludo and his policies. However, if the issue you are raising is poverty in the North, you have been quite unbalanced in the blame you apportioned to Soludo in causing it. Although, you highlighted rightly in your article the poor leadership in the North, you did not apportion to it the weight it deserved.
I’m a bit surprised also that you are crying foul with respect to marginalisation. Even though recruitment in Nigeria that seeks to make equal representation of ethnic groups rather than merit is one of the problems we have (I strongly support that fields such as ‘state of origin’ should be completely removed from admission and employment forms), I think what Soludo did (if your accusation is right at all) is fair to the North. In other ministries and parastatals where northerners have been in charge, southerners have also been marginalised.
Chibueze < junijustin@yahoo.com>
Your grouse with Mr Soludo is summarised as follows: a) Recapitalisation and restructuring Nigerian banks; b) Failure to recognise federal character in the employment of central bank staff; c) The allegation that he enriched himself and d) patronising the North by recognising its unprecedented level of poverty and illiteracy.
The question is, how many times have you written any articles about individuals like Mr Ibrahim Babangida, Mr Abdulsalam Abubakar, Ibrahim Tahir, Sani Abacha, President Yar’adua and many others who have consistently raped and plundered the fortunes of your people?
You have not spoken or written about the unparalleled level of illiteracy and its corresponding effects in the North, yet you criticise other people who are doing their best to highlight the deliberate injustice engineered and perpetuated by the so-called northern elites in order that the people would remain as primitive as ever.
Ikem Onyia < Stage65049@aol.com>
From the content of your write-up, it appears you do not like Professor Soludo and you do not want him appointed for second term. Let me say here that I am not a fan of Soludo either but it will be wrong to insinuate that the CBN governor brought poverty to the northern states of Nigeria. It will also be wrong to say he aggravated the level of poverty in the North.
I served Nigeria as a ‘youth corper’ in 1987 in the then Kano state and I saw poverty at its highest level in the town where I served—Gumel. Soludo was not known in Nigeria during those periods, so why should we blame him now? Mallam Garba, sometimes the problem lies with us and not outsiders. You northerners will then need to search yourself and find a solution.
Gbenga < fgafolabi@aim.com>
I was quite impressed with your write up on the above and how the North is being made to suffer from backwardness, thanks to our so-called leaders. Even with the emergence of the Yar’adua government which we thought might bring us back to the lime light, the reverse is the case: the North has really been marginalised.
Ibrahim Sheik < ibrahimpizzo@yahoo.com>
Parks, alcohol and the right to revel
Your response to Professor Okello’s write-up appears anything but an aggregation of self-centred piety. The parks are not the only place criminals hide; indeed, most young people that go into crime these days are well educated and sophisticated enough to hatch their nefarious plans in the comfort of any luxurious hotel in town. Does that mean all the five star hotels or the first class restaurants where they eat in the FCT should also be demolished?
Why can’t the minister look at the more pressing issues affecting residents of the FCT like perennial power failure, incessant accidents, poor water supply, access to satellite towns, nepotism and high corruption in FCDA and its components, among others?
Udendeh Gabriel < gudendeh@cenbank.org>
We talk about Abuja as a mega city deserving foreign investment and yet keep implementing inhibitive and backward policies that are divisive and border on lack of sensitivity to other people’s rights. For goodness sake, Abuja is not a local government headquarter; it is a modern capital city for an emerging nation and must be allowed to thrive in civility.
Dr Maaki, Abuja
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By Emeka MadunaguPublished: Saturday, 4 Apr 2009A United States federal court in Brooklyn, New York has sentenced three Nigerians to varying jail terms totaling about 17 years for defrauding American victims of over $1.2 million (N177m) in an advance-fee fraud scam.An email statement sent to our correspondent by the US Department of Justice on Friday quoted Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and US Attorney Benton J. Campbell of the Eastern District of New York as saying that the Nigerians, Nnamdi Chizuba Anisiobi, Anthony Friday Ehis and Kesandu Egwuonwu, pleaded guilty in January 2008 to one count of conspiracy, eight counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud.The statement said the suspects were extradited to the US from Holland on February 21, 2006 after they had been arrested for defrauding their victims of various amounts. They had sent spam mails to their victims, claiming that they controlled millions of dollars. Also, the joint investigation by the US Postal Service and Dutch authorities found that they used various aliases, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.In one instance, they sent e-mails purporting to be from an individual suffering from terminal throat cancer who needed assistance distributing approximately $55m to charity. In exchange for a victim‘s help, the defendants offered to give a 20 per cent commission to the victim or a charity of his or her choice but the American victims ended up with substantial losses.The statement said that in delivering judgment on Thursday, US District Judge Dora L. Irizarry sentenced Anisiobi to 87 months in prison, while Ehis and Egwuonwu received 57 months apiece.
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Breaking NewsA British man who has been freed by a Nigerian militant group is undergoing a debriefing by local authorities after being held captive for more than seven months. Skip related contentRobin Hughes has been freed by Nigerian militantsShip captain Robin Hughes, 59, originally from St Margaret's Bay, near Dover, Kent, was among 27 oil workers kidnapped when their oil supply vessel was hijacked on September 9.The majority of the crew were later released but Mr Hughes and fellow Briton Matthew Maguire remained hostages of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend).Mr Hughes, whose wife, Adina, and 16-year-old daughter, Elenice, live in Brazil, was handed over to military officials in Nigeria's southern oil region on Sunday on health grounds.His younger brother, Simon Hughes, 48, from Blackstone, West Sussex, said he had been suffering from a foot infection and was on antibiotics.He said: "He is undergoing a debriefing interview today with the Nigerian authorities. He sounded very much like the brother I know when I spoke to him on the phone, which was a great relief because we were concerned how this would affect him."He was in good spirits. I asked him whether he felt OK and he said 'Not really' because of the infection he is suffering from in his foot."Mr Hughes was also able to relay some positive news to the family of Mr Maguire, from Birkenhead, Merseyside, who remains the sole British captive of the militants."My brother said Matthew was fit and well and doing OK," said Mr Hughes. The good news is that we have been able to give that information to Matthew's family, which is important because information is so hard to come by over there."He is still being held captive. We haven't heard anything to say he will be released but we are hoping he will be."
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A South African judge has sentenced three men to life in prison for killing reggae star Lucky Dube in 2007.The 43-year-old was shot as the three stole his car in a Johannesburg suburb in a case which shocked the nation.Family members broke down in tears, cheered and applauded in response, the South Africa Press Association reports."The sentence won't heal me, but we are happy they were arrested and that the law took its course," his wife Zanele Dube said afterwards.The BBC's Mpho Lakaje outside the South Gauteng High Court says musicians and fans gathered outside to show their support.I don't think we will ever recover from this. But we are happy that justice has been doneBacking singer Tonique ThalaSouth Africa's singing peacemakerThe court had heard that the three men thought their victim was Nigerian and did not realise his identity until they read about it in the newspapers the following day.Our reporter says one of the banners outside court read: "Lucky Dube did not look like a Nigerian; he's an African."According to Sapa, the court also sentenced Sifiso Mhlanga, Julius Gxowa, and Mbuti Mabe to 15 years each for the attempted robbery of Dube's car.Murder alarmOne of Dube's backing vocalists said there was a sense of relief that the trial was over."I don't think we will ever recover from this. But we are happy that justice has been done," Tonique Thala said.South Africa's best-selling reggae artist, Dube recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans during his 25-year career.The killing had led to renewed domestic calls for the restoration of the death penalty in a bid to stem one of the world's highest murder rates.Our reporter says South Africa's international image has been tarnished by its alarming crime levels.Nearly 19,000 people were murdered last year, according to official statistics.Millions of visitors are expected for next year's football World Cup.
The search for survivors from a migrant boat that sank off Libya has been called off with more than 230 people presumed dead, an official has said.Michele Bombassei, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), also said about 100 bodies had been recovered.Twenty-one migrants were rescued from the boat, which sank early on Sunday.The survivors said it had capsized because of bad weather and people panicking when the boat began to leak.Another boat carrying 357 people was rescued by Italian authorities and towed back to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.The boats were on the route used by smugglers to bring mainly African migrants illegally from Libya to Italy.See map of main migrant routes to EuropeMore than 31,000 people attempted the perilous crossing last year, a sharp increase from 2007.The journey is often made in ill-equipped, overcrowded boats, and many would-be migrants die.The boat that sank on Sunday capsized about 15km (9 miles) west of Tripoli."Unfortunately we have been told that the search operation has been stopped," Mr Bombassei told the BBC.Survivors said the smuggler, an Egyptian, was among those who drowned.Mr Bombassei, who visited the survivors at a centre near Tripoli on Wednesday, said the amount they were charged for making the journey depended on the nationality of the migrant."There were some guys who said they paid the equivalent of 300 euros (£270) and others who paid 1,000 [euros]," he told the BBC."The smugglers want to make as much as they can so they are very flexible."Some survivors the capsized and rescued boats were quoted as saying they had paid even more.Many of those rescued from the boat that sank have kidney problems after drinking large quantities of sea water, the IOM said.Italy is to start joint sea patrols with Libya aimed at stemming the influx of migrants in May.But the patrols have long been delayed for political reasons, including negotiations over compensation demanded by Tripoli for Italy's colonisation of Libya.
