Paul Adujie Writings

Advocating The Death Penalty; Because I am Against It!

2012-01-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Advocating The Death Penalty; Because I am Against It!

In the past, I have stated my very vehement opposition to the application of the capital punishment or death penalty in Nigeria, my opposition was absolute; But certain circumstances have compelled me to do a rethink, the magnitude and profoundness of the crises that Nigeria face, also requires the prescription of radical and drastic solutions!

Medical doctors who are cancer specialists do not recommend mastectomy , unless as last resort to save the patients other body part and life, to avoid spread, it is drastic and radical, Nigeria as the patient in this instance requires drastic and radical solutions to the public and private sector corruptions that have caused Nigeria to hemorrhage resources for far too long, more about this shortly, here is the relationship of this thinking, with the impositions or application of capital punishment or the death penalty.

The argument against the application of the death penalty in Nigeria and everywhere else is sound, it is mostly based in part, on its potentials for barbarity and spectacular errors and miscarriage of justice, such as executing a falsely accused person or even an innocent.

Another sound argument against capital punishment, is that, it, in all probabilities, desensitizes the societies that inflict this ultimate punishment on violent offenders and other wrongdoers.

Additionally, it have been argued, that the death penalty does not act as a sufficient deterrence against violent crimes, because, the recipients are too-dead to be deterred from committing future violent crimes, and on the other hand, the infliction/imposition of the death penalty, have not produced a violent-crime-free, a murder and homicide-free societies or world.

Empirically, it is impossible to perhaps measure, with mathematical precision or certainty, how many people in the world have been saved because of deterrence or how many people have restrained themselves from violent crimes, such as crimes of the homicide or murder varieties, because of their knowledge of probable consequences for the crime, the likelihood of the imposition of the ultimate punishment.

There are, of course, the religious dimensions to the arguments in favor and or against the death penalty -capital punishment.

On one side, it is argued that religion and morals dictate or demand and requires an eye-for-an-eye, law of Moses biblical injunctions.

On the other side, non-secularly, it is argued, by some academics, notably, lawyers and sociologists, that, anyone who knowingly commit murder-homicide by the unlawful taking of another's life and thereby constituting themselves into Judge-Jury-Executioner rolled into one, of the homicide-murder victim, who has been arbitrarily judged and executed without recourse to proper legal process, due process or fair trial!

Murder-homicide, is therefore seen as the worst form of legal vigilantism or a resort to legal self-help, which must never be encouraged in Nigeria or anywhere else!

There are several competing intelligent arguments on both sides of the death penalty-capital punishment spectrum.

For instance, it is well established in Nigeria and worldwide, that the poor of human societies bear, the brunt of the application of capital punishment-death penalty, and by a preponderance of the available evidence, the majority, among those who disproportionately receive the death penalty sentences, and this is not peculiar to Nigeria.

In America, citizens who are found guilty of fraud, insider trading, heinous drug dealing and corporate bankruptcies like the Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen magnitude, with their attendant reverberations and ramifications on the US economy and by extension, the world economy, translating into mammoth job loses and the equally great loses in zillions of dollars, coupled with the abyss-ed retirement funds and pension plans, inumerable and incalculable human sufferings, hardships and human losses

And yet, the perpetrators of earthquake-like and endless-aftershock-like frauds such as Enron, WorldCom etc only receive jail sentences! These offenders in America, Nigeria and elsewhere, only receive prison terms, in mostly minimum security prisons and without hard labor, and in the US, some have cynically compared these light sentences to the equivalence of a compelled stay at holiday resorts of the Club Med-types!

Even though these offenders perpetrators of giant and gargantuan frauds of 8.0 on the Richter scale, have caused more death directly and indirectly, more than any mass murderer, these corporate fraudsters in Enron, WorldCom etc, and the fabled public officials in Nigeria, have directly caused loss of lives, and suffering and hardship to hundreds of millions of people and as they cause loss of properties.

Conversely, a violent pick-pocket or a person who steals a bicycle in New York, (yes! Bicycles get stolen in New York!) or steals goat in Mkar Gboko, with any arms or weapons, with a resulting violence, injury or death, is herded to the hangman, the executioner after a nearly automatic death sentence?

Clearly, no medical doctor, lawyer or accountants or successful businessperson becomes an armed robber, or steals bicycles or goats in America or Nigeria, in other words, no rational person, with good fortunes and reasonable expectations emigrate from Nigeria swimming through the Atlantic Ocean or crossing desolate deserts, but only out of desperations, just as no rational persons with a good job or better opportunities, take to stealing goats or bicycles, violently or otherwise.

Most crimes result from poverty and desperation and a lack of opportunity and hope, a lack of hope, deprivation and poverty in Nigeria and elsewhere are induced by corrupt public officials and greed and avarice by bad corporate executives.

There is in my view, therefore, clearly a correlation between poverty , deprivation and a lack of opportunities, happiness, or a lack of the possibility of attaining good, reasonable expectations of life and commission of crimes, especially, some violent crimes.

This brings me to why the death penalty or capital punishment may be appropriate, in my view, only in certain circumstances and certain circumstances alone. Pervasive corruption that all are agreed pervades?

Nigeria should only apply the capital punishment-death penalty in cases involving corruption by public officials concerning Nigerian public treasuries, and also apply it in cases of corruption in by corporate executives in the private sector.

When and if, Nigeria imposes the death penalty on corrupt public officials and corrupt corporate executives, who have collectively acted in concert to thwart Nigeria's development, stymied and stifled Nigeria's progress, those who have caused the loss of lives of many Nigerians, those who have caused Nigerians frustrations and heartache, I will become the loudest and biggest supporter and advocate of the death penalty-capital punishment in Nigeria

But until then? I remain vehemently opposed to the death penalty, which primarily targets the poor, the dregs and those already made wretched by the avarice and greed of others, those who were deprived of life's opportunities, mostly by corrupt public officials and their corrupt counterparts in the private sector!

Nigeria should not be a member of nations that amputate or execute the poor for stealing goats or bicycles!

August 27, 2003

Iran Regime Change, Invasion, Occupation & Recolonization Is Imminent

2011-12-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

Iran Regime Change, Invasion, Occupation & Re-colonization Is Imminent
Written by Paul I. Adujie

War drums are beating louder and louder in America against Iran. The din and decibel are rising and getting louder.

Preparatory steps are being taken irreversibly as the onset of invasion and occupation of Iran is becoming more and more apparent and its imminence glaringly clear. It is rather unmistakable.

Public pronouncements by political and military leaders in the United States have been elevated to a-no-going-back sorts of, no retreat, no surrender. A blockade in the name of continuing sanctions against Iran, is about to occur, and Iranian political and military leaders are declaring any such contemplated action, as an act of war, and, such a blockade by America against Iran, Is Act of War, under International Law

The current high tempo and stridency on all sides, is just like history repeating itself, if past is prologue, I beseech everyone to harken back to the days of yore, with particular reference to the back and forth verbal altercations between America and Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

It will be recalled that in the lead up and before the onset of the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, the sorts of words and body language, which we are witnessing today, were similarly employed and it escalated to a crescendo or point of no-return... the shock and awe invasion and occupation of Iraq, based on sexed-up, embellished and flowered tall tales about Saddam and Weapons of Mass Destruction which Saddam Hussein supposedly possessed with which he would create mushroom clouds.

There were airs of immediacy, portentous ominous nuclear catastrophes, holocaust and Armageddon, but, the world has since learned that the only WMD weapon, was Weapons for Mass Deceptions by those who wanted to effect Regime-Change in Iraq, and the Weapons for Mass Deception was possessed by the invaders and occupation force of the United States and few North Atlantic Treaty Organization members who participated in Regime-Change and usurpation of political power in Iraq.

In recent times, the frequency and spate of public spat between America, Britain on the one hand, and Iran on the other have been increasing in their occurrences and intransigence. There has been recalcitrance. There have been bitingly pointed offensive pronouncements and bullying arrogance in high resolution displays.
Here is a sample of the current public pronouncements. First, America proposes more sanctions, including a naval blockade to enforce the increased global sanctions against Iran

Secondly and in response, Iran declares that any such action by America its allies or by western nations, would be considered a declaration of war or hostilities against Iran

Thirdly, and importantly, all these are coming up, during America’s high octane political season. It is the case that 2012 is America’s general election and a contest for the American presidency. In contention, is the occupation of the White House post general elections in November, 2012.

The Republican Party have vowed, and they are singularly dedicated to dislodging the Democrats and President Obama from the presidency in the 2012 presidential and general elections. And currently, it is elimination series in the Republican Party Presidential Primaries. Republican posturers for the presidency have been jostling for superior position, as the hustle for suzerainty and pride of place above the Republican presidential hopeful, all of whom are bustling boisterously to clinch the nomination, and the chance to facedown President Obama, in contest for the American presidency.

It is against this background of cut-throat competition for Republican Presidential Primary or Nominating process, which has thrown the Iran issue front and center, as a key foreign policy issue.

Republican Party candidates across the board, but for Ron Paul, are unanimous on how they would militarily invade and occupy Iran, as a demonstration of Republican Party zero tolerance for nuclear capable Iran.

Some presidential contenders or hopeful in the Republican Party, are even full of more outrageous and quite outlandish blusters and rhetoric of escalations ... It is as if there are deliberate attempts to distract the American populace for the dire economic circumstance at home in America, by engaging in yet, another foreign war, this time, against Iran. And this, naturally, bring the film or movie, "Wag-The-Dog" to mind. All these, wrapped in "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran" song by Republican Senator John McCain during the last election season. An intended coy reference by Senator McCain to a-would-be Republican Party policy war policy against Iran, albeit, a gaffe, no doubt, for which Senator McCain became subsequently contrite.

There seems to be pandering to Jewish voters and supporters of Israel, who in fact propelling presidential contenders to be effusive in their demonstration of support for Israel, a core American foreign policy position in the Middle East.

The dictates of local American political situation, the Jewish factor, and the desire by Republicans versus Democrats to be seen as be more pro-Israel than Jewish in competing for the Jewish votes and support in 2012, has become a major driver and motivation for senseless stampedes in support for the invasion and occupation of Iran, in the name of supporting, protecting and preserving the nation of Israel.

The Republicans as the "national security hawks" and Democrats not willing to be seen as wimps... President Obama recently, angrily rejected being tagged with the "Appeasement" appellation

There are actually some commentators who are of the view that the war against Iran has already begun in earnest. One such commentator, simply known as Obugi stated as much in his comments which follows; “The war is already on. Iranian scientists assassinated, computer viruses [Stuxnet Weapon] inserted into their nuclear plants, isolating the Iranian Central Bank, cutting of refined fuel imports, cutting off many essential public goods, multiple cases of groups of US citizens accidentally crossing into Iran, US drones violating Iranian airspace, the US funding for Jundullah terrorists inside Iran.....”

He further argues, rather adamantly, that “Obama has already started his phase of the war for Iranian oil that was launched in 1953 with the CIA and MI6 overthrow of Iranian democracy. Obama's promise of change didn't apply to foreign policy; he's no different from G W Bush.” Obugi concluded.

Two other commentators reached similar conclusions, one known simply as Superego, wrote that “An … attack Iran and divert attention as is always done. They have no other method to quell dissent and unrest in Europe and the US other than engaging us in a serious war and conscription of the jobless youth. The youth jobless, mad with loans and no jobs” In plain English, the invasion and occupation of Iran would be used by American political leaders as a diversion and distractions from local debacles.

Yet another commentator, DeepThought, concluded that American foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East in Persia and Arabia, are constant and never shifting or changing when he wrote that “What changes are the faces and the names of the individuals; The policy remains the same. The system remains the same. The goals and objectives remain the same.”

Added to all this, may also add the loss of American predator drones or unmanned spy plane to Iran recently. Even though the Americans have assiduously denied any spying activities or reconnaissance flights over Iran’s airspace and territorial wars, Iran now have a physical proof of Iran’s dated spying charges against her by the United States.

There rapid escalation of war of words and beating of war drums is have not been helped by the oft-repeated, but unconfirmed plans by Israel to bomb to smithereens, Iran's Nuclear facilities through military intervention as Israel had flagrantly done against Iraq and Syria respectively as a matter of recent history. If Israel was to engage in these sorts of outrageously dangerous behavior, the Americans will have to be directly involved or indirectly implicated, either as an actor, or rescuer or buffer for Israel, before or after the fact of any Israeli military action against Iran. America may provide the coordinates or protection in the aftermath of such an Israeli repeat bravado for the third time in my lifetime.

Third World War is starting in slow-motion? I do think that a direct invasion and occupation of Iran will lead to a large conflagration and the inferno will spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz and beyond Persia and Arabia. Many unintended consequences and unforeseen events will ensue

Too many citizens seem to think wars are video-games! And video games war is not. Wars are devastating undertakings, which causes depravity, deprivation, deaths and dislocations.

The time is now for citizens of the world to oppose and speak out against the impending Regime-Change in Iran. The time is now to rally against the imminent invasion and occupation of Iran. I am not so sure about, nor do trust the collective memory or even the attention span of too many citizens, who seems to be more adept at detailing the minutiae of Kim Kardashian's 72 days marriage to Chris Humphreys than the clear and present danger of a Third World War. There is short attention span and voluntarily amnesia

Just when you thought that some lessons in loss, were learnt in Iraq, the over trillion dollars in squandered money, the thousands of lives lost, maimed and displaced, including continuing trauma and post-traumatic stress syndrome etc, a stressed and overextended American military, a million Iraq deaths.

Americans and Iranians are ratcheting up their war language in countervailing public pronouncements in Washington and Teheran respectively.

This is looking as if events are rapidly spinning and spiraling out of control ...

Nigerian Civil War Should Be Debated, Discussed & Taught

2011-12-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

Nigerian Civil War Should Be Debated, Discussed & Taught

Written by Paul I. Adujie

So much have been said, written and documented about the Nigerian catastrophe also known as the Nigerian Civil War which took place between 1966 and 1970. And so much more needs to be documented.

All Nigerians and Nigeria were and are still victims of the Nigerian Civil War.

Nigerians and Nigeria suffered colossally, including the loss of blood and treasure; and having to endure extreme physical and emotional traumas, and the loss of innocence as a nation. Millions of citizens were killed, starved to death and countless others were maimed for life.

The recent death of secessionist General Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu has reawakened the need, alas the urgency for a Nigerian national debate about this very cataclysmic part of our national history. Since the death of General Ojukwu, there has been an opening of sorts, as some notable Nigerians have been discussing the Nigerian Civil War, and the Dim Ojukwu they knew.

Some notable Nigerians are worth a mention here, first is former President Olusegun Obasanjo and then, the renowned iconic academic Professor Sam Aluko in “What Ojukwu told me before, during and after the war” as reported in an interview by Duro Adeseko in the Sun Newspapers. And then, there have also been public comments and interviews of other eminent Nigerians such as a former Chief of Defense Staff, Lt.-Gen. Domkat Bali, as well as another high profile military henchman, General Oluwole Rotimi and many others.

Clearly, viewpoints which have been expressed by these aforementioned individuals and others will necessarily reflect where they sit or stand or fall, on the war and the issues and personalities who played active roles on behalf of the Nigerian nation state or the now defunct Biafra.

Nevertheless, it is clear to any cursory observer that the wounds from the Civil War is still very raw and fresh and it so, on all sides.

The events which precipitated and led to the Nigerian Civil War, the war itself and its aftermath have shaped and continue to shape the economic and political development of Nigeria. These events and the lingering ill-will, have poisoned relationships between various regions, religions and ethnic groups in Nigeria. These events have extraordinary adverse effects which have and continue to stunt and stymy Nigeria

Nigerian Civil War is also the reason why true federation is not robustly and vigorously practiced in Nigeria. It is the case that many recent conflicts and future conflicts in Nigeria are predicated in the mutual suspicions which arose from the events which led to the war and the war itself has left an ever simmering mutual distrust and deep rooted internecine low warfare of undeclared myriad hostilities

An honest discussion, debate and teaching of the events which led to our civil war are prerequisite national growth and development. All Nigerians should know what led to the war and how the war was fought and what the consequences have been. Honest, sincere and factual debate and teachings.

Nigeria has never been the same nation since the events which culminated in the civil and the very civil war itself.

It is therefore of crucial importance that these events and the civil war and its aftermath are discussed, so that healing and true reconciliation can takes place. Nigeria lost her innocence as a consequence of the Nigerian Civil War.

Nigeria in the past couple of years has been afflicted with recurring ethno, religious and internecine conflict. There is a slow simmering anarchy, insecurity and a state of undeclared war with the epicenter being Jos, Plateau state but with flashes in Kaduna, Damaturu and Maiduguri etc.

There are gratuitous predictions and forecast for the death and disintegration of Nigeria as a nation, scheduled for 2015 on many calendars. Recent spate of violence, post April 2010 General Elections in Nigeria, particularly in Bauchi state, then followed by the Boko Haram insurgency illustrated by bombings and incinerating infernos on October 1, 2010, then Christmas Day two months later, and then, the bombing of Nigeria Police Headquarters, and United Nations Headquarters in Abuja Nigeria and Christmas Day bombing in Abuja and Jos December 25, 2011 lend credence to suggestions that Nigerians and Nigeria may be sleep-walking towards a national precipice-cliff-hanger

Recent repeated violence in Abuja, Bauchi, Damaturu Jos and Maiduguri has assumed regional, ethnic and religious colorations. Those engaged in these mayhems, sought out some Nigerians as victims for their senseless murders, using bigotry, hatred and prejudice as sole motivation and their heinous selections based on region of origin and religious adherence.

Recent and current events in Nigeria would lead anyone to conclude that Nigeria is at the cusps of a national upheaval of the most violent type. General Danjuma I think it was, who once pronounced Nigeria incapable of surviving as one nation in the event of another civil war.

The aftermath of the Nigerian civil war, the lingering raw feelings on all sides illustrates why civil wars should be avoided at any and all costs, because, civil wars are never won and that is the reason civil wars should be avoided in the first place. Many Nigerians on both sides of the aisle are still very bitter and deeply suspicious because of the 1966 coup and counter coup, and the carnage, pogrom and the insanity which preceded the bitter civil war itself.

The Nigerian civil war is foundation and predicate for the shrill-shouting in all our national debate. The Nigerian civil war is the basis for our national pastime of mutual suspicion and mutual disdain and mutual contempt for fellow Nigerians. Nigerians too often, talk over the heads of other Nigerians based on the real or imagined perceptions of the other Nigerians’ otherness, by reason of being born by parents from across the Niger and Benue Rivers.

Perfectly logical, reasonable and legitimate argument, discussions or debates about national issues, priorities and national challenges are derailed every minute and every day, 365-366 days of the year!

Meanwhile, our nation with abundance of human and material resources is stymied and stunted in development. Meanwhile, Nigeria is bedeviled with almost 30 years of devalued national currency, the Naira. Meanwhile, Nigeria is confronted with high rate of unemployment, paucity of public infrastructures and now, national insecurity or even anarchy.

Nigeria is a nation where there is extreme poverty, extreme suffering and extreme hardship for a majority of citizens; this, despite our abundance and resourcefulness. Meanwhile, the fixation and singular focus on our benign differences, instead of accentuating the positive with focus on our unity in diversity, and the benefits imbued in our multiculturalism and pluralism as a nation, we continue to be distracted by the scourge of mutual suspicion and disdain and contempt.

It is of course recognized that competitiveness is expected in a multicultural and plural nation such as Nigeria is. Even so, well-meaning Nigerians ought to insist on having a healthy competition between the states and the regions of Nigeria. Nigerians should refrain from encouraging acrimonies and antagonisms of fellow Nigerians based on the state and region of birth or religion to which a Nigerian choses.

In the past, I have written opinions about the Biafra-Nigeria war, in which I recounted my personal, painful and sordid recollections from that era. There are many Nigerians like myself, whose experiences remain indelible traumas and therefore a national baggage which continues to bedraggle us all.

It is the case that some accounts of the issues and events which led to the Nigerian civil war, the war itself and its aftermath have been rendered. It is my belief that much more needs to be written, debated and record and taught at every, and at all levels in Nigeria.

A majority of Nigerians seem to pretend that the civil war and the pains it inflicted on millions, physically, emotionally and psychically, will wilt and wither and die, and just fade away, if we ignore it enough. The moral equivalents of ignoring a gaping sore, leaving the sore to fester and hoping the sore heals without treatments.

But, recognizing there is a challenge, then discussing or analyzing such challenge, and fathoming or proffering solutions, is the smarter thing all Nigerians should advocate regarding our collective national history, albeit, most painful. Ignoring our past is foolhardy, pretentious and portentous. It bodes ill.

The issues and events which led to the Nigerian civil war, the war itself and its aftermath should be taught in schools, from Primary Schools to University or tertiary levels. Americans fought a civil war about 150 years ago, the Americans are still divided and strident about their civil war, but, the Americans openly discuss their civil war. The Americans teach versions of their civil war, versions reflecting the Union’s side and versions, conversely, reflecting the Confederate side or worldview etc

Past and current events in Nigeria are have, had their roots in the issues and events which led to the Nigerian civil war. Nigerians from both sides of the great-divide are apparently observing false détente, false peace, false truce, and false stability.

When it comes to anything, everything and all things Nigerian, mutual suspicions is the bogeyman, and the civil war is sorts of an unfinished business and an albatross. The Nigerian civil war is the thing around our neck, apologies to Ngozi Chimamanda Adichie. The civil war grudge, the mutual suspicions which is the enduring legacy in the most negative sense, remains the elephant in the room, regarding Nigeria’s development, progress and advancement.

The Nigerian civil war is indeed the unseen evil hand, the larger than life impediment and obstacle which continues to keep Nigeria at her knees.

The passing of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu presents another opening, another window for Nigerians and Nigeria revisit the issues and events which led to our civil war, and the war itself and its aftermath.

Unfettered, honest, sincere and truthful discussions and debates about the issues and events which led to the civil war are necessary preconditions and precursors to true reconciliations and national healing.

Mohamed Bouazazi As Man Of The Year, Catalyst For Global Justice & Protests

2011-12-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Mohamed Bouazazi As Man Of The Year, Catalyst For Global Justice & Protests
Written by Paul I. Adujie

One bright idea, one idea, sparked in the inner sanctum of one individual, and one idea acted upon by one such individual changes everything in the world.

All through human history, global development and human progress or advancement have depended on sparks of ideas by individuals, whether such an idea concerns scientific breakthrough, democracy or social justice.

One person’s idea of justice as exemplified by Mohamed Bouazazi by the selfless action he took at the beginning of 2011 resonated with millions of people worldwide.
He reacted against overwhelming injustice by a government actor.

In doing so, he defied the regional stereotype bandied about for so long. He certainly did not fit the regional stereotypical narratives of every Arab as a blood thirsty Islamic terrorist thug with anti-democratic mindsets, and lacking a keen sense of personal freedoms, democracy and liberty.

Mohamed Bouazazi demonstrated his sense of inviolate personal dignity, integrity. He resented the unmitigated affronts committed against his life and liberty by wrongful actors and agents of the government of Tunisia during the administration of Ben Ali.

Impunity by governments and agents of governments are all too routine; and too often, these acts of gross impunity in the extreme, clashes with the health, wealth and happiness of innocent citizens in Tunisia and elsewhere worldwide.

And there are those with the courage and audacity to push back, resist, or protest egregious acts by government actors and this is what Mohamed Bouazazi did
Mohamed Bouazazi expressed umbrage and personal indignation in resistance to the disgusting overreach of a government agent-actor.

A government actor is said to have repeatedly humiliated this hardscrabble fruits and vegetable vendor. A Tunisian government agent-actor was said to have seized or confisticated Mr. Bouazazi’s goods, properties or wares without just cause and without due process. He was extremely agitated and frustrated by the overbearing actions of the Tunisian government.

On January 24, 2011 the action of this one man resonated with millions of his fellow citizens in Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazazi in frustration, and in reaction to the stranglehold by agents of the Tunisian government, self-immolated to protest the wrongful and unlawful seizure of his property and robbed of his sense of human dignity, all these inflicted by an agent of the government of Tunisia under Ben Ali.

Mr. Bouazazi’s supreme sacrifice illustrated his extreme agitation, aggravation and frustration caused by the anti-people government of Tunisia at that time. He had, had enough and this sense of haven had enough reverberated across Tunisia, North Africa, the Middle East, across the region and across the world.

This has been a year of discontent, and it is still unfolding, even as I write this. Here in the United States, we have had Labor raising the din of public debate as some state governments, notably, Wisconsin and Ohio, have tried mightily to whittle down collective bargaining by Labor.

We have also witnessed the happy phenomenon known as Occupy Wall Street which has gone viral and global. OWS have since been replicated across the nation and across the world
Mr. Bouazazi, even in death, he stands tall, even taller in death than many persons who are complicit in inaction today.

2011 began with the audacious and auspicious actions by Mohamed Bouazazi against the dictatorship in Tunisia which was then headed by Ben Ali as the tyrant in-chief.

And 2011 is ending with the deaths and overthrow and killing of totalitarian government leaders in various parts of the world.

Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was eased out of power by adamant and insistent protesters at Tahirir Square in Cairo.
Moumar Gaddahaffi was expelled from power by NATO, after he had vowed to crush Libyan protesters in Benghazi and their clandestine supporters in Tripoli. Ben Ali fled Tunis and Tunisia into exile.

All of these, received their inspiration, motivation and impetus from the acts of a lowly fruits and vegetable vendor, in the streets of Tunisia, a man known as Mohamed Bouazazi and for that reason, he merits and deserves the man of the year title.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has announced her desire to participate in parliamentary elections next year in her country, for which she has been a staunch, strident and vociferous advocate for democracy and social justice.

She is just one person, with one great idea. Lech Walesa was one individual; his action in Gdansk Poland helped to advance the cause and course of democracy in that nation.

Nelson Mandela is just and individual, he too, had a great idea about equality of the races, social justice, democracy and freedoms; he endured demeaning inhuman treatments and extreme suffering, and hardship in the prisons of Apartheid South Africa.

On the African continent, there have been a bevy of individuals with bright ideas and with the courage and boldness, and they acted in resistance to colonialism, apartheid and minority rule. A passing mention of such great persons will suffice. Kwame Nkrumah, Mariam Makeba, Steve Biko, Patrice Lumumba, Winnie Mandela, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Aminu Kano, Augustinho Neto, Joshua Nkomo, Robert Mugabe, Abel Muzerewa etc all belong to this pantheon of heroes.

Elsewhere, Václav Havel, writer and former president of Czechoslovakia was one such individual, with a bright idea, who also dared to act when it counted and the rest is history, even as he is buried this week in Prague.

Last year, I selected Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks as Man of The Year in view of his activities which put immeasurable and invaluable information concerning wrongdoing and governmental and corporate corrupt practices in the open and available to citizens of the world at the click of a computer mouse.

Internet and the modern world of information superhighway have made vibrant and robust Citizen Journalism or Independent Journalism grow exponentially. Nigeria, indeed Africa, now has a version of WikiLeakswhich is known as Sahara Reporters founded by Omoyele Sowore who advocates accountability, transparency and good governance in Nigeria, nay Africa. Sahara Reporters exposes corrupt practices in Nigeria and throughout Africa.

Omoyele Sowore just like Julian Assange, has done Citizen Journalism-Independent-Journalism proud. Information Is Power. Information Empowers. Sahara Reporters, through Expose' Journalism empowers citizens with immeasurable information which empowers hardscrabble citizens to take the next logical steps in espousing and entrenching justice, equality and robust regime of social justice.
In the information age, Social Media and Instant Communications, there is much more that the individual can now do, to improve his neighborhood and invariably, the entire world, through The World Wide Web’s so-called Information Superhighway etc.
There is so much more power to do so much more good for all of mankind... So much more information is now available to us all, and we must actively seek and use information at your fingertips and find more information to increase the health, wealth and happiness of all humans on earth.

To drive this important point further home, I recently received a note from Facebook friend in London, sent as a private message to me which read, "We are in the information age. Information Applied is Power"

This is absolutely true. What use is a great book you have which you have never read? AND what use is great information if you are not using the information to empower yourself and the rest of humanity? WE, the citizens should and must use available information to our advantage and for societal advancement.

Sahara Reporters regularly and frequently, provide us, empowering information concerning our "leaders" gross ineptitude and their allergy to good governance ... It is our responsibility to deploy the information at our disposal for our common-good, the public-good!

Mohamed Bouazazi was the inspiration for regional protests which started in Tunisia to condemn government action, which led Mr. Bouazazi’s self-immolation. The protests in Tunisia became a regional wildfire, or the so-called Arab Spring, which spiraled and morphed into global protests, with birthplace in Tunisia and travels through Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Britain and even here in the United States.

The world must not forget the roles played by Social Media, Citizen Journalism or Independent Journalism which enabled and facilitated information sharing in furtherance advocacy, even the shrill-shouting kinds on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube etc

In all of these, individuals were the originators and key actors in promoting and serving common-good, public-good, locally, regionally and globally.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is world renowned for his nonviolence and message of peace, equality, justice and freedoms. He was just an individual with a bright idea, an idea which he acted upon. Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte, Rosa Park, Thurgood Marshall and even John Brown, etc were mere individuals with ideas of freedom, liberty and justice, ideas which they all acted upon.

Mohamed Bouazazi is a reminder, an inspiration, a motivation and an impetus of the crucial importance of the power of one brilliant idea and an equally brilliant act of courage and defiance by one individual. Fertile minds pollinate ideas and sprout them, then, such great ideas do resonates and reverberates, such ideas frequently, are replicated widely, regionally and globally.

A reminder to all of us humans, that there is always something that we can do to resist oppression and to advance the worthy cause and course of freedoms, democracy, the rule of law and due process globally.

Mohamed Bouazazi has given his life in protests against oppression and injustice. He serves as a reminder to all of us, even as he lend profound credence to the fact that there is always something that we humans can say, and or do against oppression and injustice.

We must think globally and act locally, and that, all through history, have always begun with an idea from an individual, you, me, everyone … saving the world, one idea, one individual…

Homophobia in Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi And Over-sexed South Africa

2011-12-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Homophobia in Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi And Over-sexed South Africa

Government at all levels in Nigeria should focus and concentrate on fighting poverty, providing steady electricity, clean water and such basic amenities and infrastructures, instead of this hyperventilation about sex or what gender is having sex with which gender

Why is it so important for Nigeria, Uganda and now, Malawi to squander public resources in the repression of homosexuals and lesbians citizens within these African nations? It is just astonishing that some African nations focus on the persecution of homosexuals, gays and lesbians, instead of the more important focus on continental development.

Why is it that political and religious leaders in these nations seem to see or interpret homosexual and lesbians sexual preferences and practices as if more of existential threats and or, inimical to the pursuits of health, wealth and happiness than say, malaria, AIDS, unemployment, unclean water, broken and decrepit public infrastructures?

I am a heterosexual male and I do not believe that my sexual preference makes me remarkable.

Besides, I also believe in the Human Rights of all persons regardless of such persons’ sexual preferences. I, We, Nigerians, Ugandans, South Africans, Malawians, Americans or anyone for that matter, do not have to have the same sexual interests or preferences as a basis or predicate for advocating the rights of others, others, who are unlike us.

I strongly believe that Nigerians, South Africans, Ugandans and Malawians and others, should be able to advocate the rights of homosexuals and lesbians citizens amongst us, even if we are decidedly heterosexuals. Just the same way in which we may be able to recognize the rights of others to practice their choice of preferred religion, even if we ourselves are of a different religious faith or are faithless, agnostic or atheists ourselves. We ought to be able to accept homosexuals, gays and lesbians without making value judgments or some sorts of dogmatic and judgmental moral condemnations of gays and lesbians, based upon or predicated on our moral certainty or religious “superiority”

I am quite at a loss when I listen the vehemence and stridency, with which some Nigerians, some South Africans, some Ugandans, some Malawians etc, talk, discuss, and in fact, attack gays and lesbians within our nations.

Why is it, that, in the midst of greater challenges, such as suffocating abject poverty, and pervasive-permeating wants in these nations, and yet, some of us, manage to squander our time and efforts, in addressing sexual choices made by grown men and women with mutuality of sexual interests and with affections, derived of knowing and informed consent, permission and mutual authorizations!

I am certainly at a total loss, as to why for instance, Uganda now notorious worldwide, for contemplating the death penalty or capital punishments for persons engaged in gay and lesbian sexual intercourse?
How about the death penalty for those public officials, who demonstrate gross incompetence and or unrivaled ineptitude?

Why would Uganda not start with prescribing the death penalty for corrupt public officials? How about it, if Uganda prescribes public execution for those public officials who mismanage the economies of these African nations? Why the unfounded fears for gays and lesbians?

Why would these African nations not focus punishing those who mismanage public resources? Why would those African nations, who hypocritically pretend to be so “morally” upright and concerned with what sorts and forms and styles of sex , and or sexual habits of the Africa citizens? The majority of the economies of the nations on the African continent are perilously close to implosion.

These African nations have no economic growth, they are in fact close to moribund, or nearly comatose and yet, these nations are wasting valuable time on debates about gays and lesbians? When in fact, there are many pressing and very desperate situations of hardships and sufferings on the African continent?

President Joseph Zuma of South Africa angled and schemed to be president and he became one, and now, his cavorting with some women and his peculiar treatments of some other women, is quite likely ending up as his signature issue and his legacy. Meanwhile, 20 years have passed since majority rule and the “death” of formal Apartheid minority rule in South Africa and the economic and social fortunes have not changed for the majority of South African citizens! Unfortunately, in the midst of all these abject poverty, continuing racial inequalities, and lopsidedness in the distribution of land and economic power and wealth in South Africa, President Zuma is mired in the matters of sexual lusts? President Zuma irresponsibly takes additional “wife” and a woman half Mr. Zuma’s age as the president of South Africa wishes to nullify the infamous rocking of the cradle by Tony Randall?

The majority of South Africans are wallowing in poverty and dire economic depression. The majority of South Africans are left to wonder what the dividends of democracy and post Apartheid South Africa is worth to them, and yet, all that they see, is the obscene and untamed sexual appetite of the septuagenarian Mr. Zuma lustily pursuing multiple skirts? After all the efforts made nationwide by the hitherto marginalized majority of Black South African, and the hard won victory which led to Black majority government in South Africa, why is it acceptable for Mr. Zuma to be squandering and missing opportunities to do right by the long suffering South African Black majority?

Why is President Jacob Zuma so content, satiated and constipated and seemingly unaware of the suffering and hardship which remain all to common in South Africa? Why is President Zuma able to allow himself distracted with lusts and the irrelevancies of sexual pleasures? Where is the fire in his belly and the desire to do good for the majority of South Africans? Why is Mr. Zuma’s emphasis not about common good and the public good of all South Africans? Why is President Zuma engaged in the worse than useless luxury and indulgence in sexual pleasures as if he were a teenager? Where are the fiery and fierce freedom fighters of South Africa who wanted to liberate South Africa? What a waste of opportunities? Why have power for power’s sake? Why has Mr. Zuma fought for so long to procure power and then, he has forgotten power’s real purpose beyond his personal perks and sexual pleasures?

Why is sexual pleasures suddenly so important in African politics anyway? Why is the debate and brouhaha about gays and lesbians beclouding the urgent, extremely urgent needful work of economic, social and political development in many African nations? Why is democracy, the rule of law, due process, constitutionalism and all elements of continental advancement relegated to the back burners? Why is the frivolities and sexual pleasures, heterosexual, homosexual or gay and lesbian sexual pleasures now front and center, and substitutes for political and economic reforms which are sorely lacking on the continent?

I have wondered for years, why was it so important for Mr. Nelson Mandela to divorce Winnie Mandela? And why Mr. Mandela could not overlook Winnie Mandela’s sins, whatever they were, just as he was uncommonly humane and magnanimously forgiving towards those who tormented him for 27 long tortuous years?

Why if Mr. Mandela had focused on land redistribution while he was president of South Africa? After all, 27 years of imprisonment in the hands of brutal minority and illegal regime of South Africa, made South Africa Mr. Mandela’s life work and Mrs. Winnie Mandela played pivotal and prominent roles in all of that. Mr. Mandela could have made further sacrifice and let Winnie be, whatever her matrimonial transgression during the incarceration of Mr. Mandela.

Why have Mr. Mandela, Mr. Thabo Mbeki and now Mr. Jacob Zuma neglected to focus on addressing and redressing the disparities and lopsidedness of political and economic power distribution in South Africa? Why has land redistribution in South Africa dealt with? Have Black political leaders in South African been afraid of being labeled and tarnished in the same ways as President Mugabe of Zimbabwe? President Mugabe obviously fell out of favor, after his partners to the pre-independence Lancaster House Agreement neglected to follow through with promises to fund and support land redistribution, and proceeded to castigate Mr. Mugabe, who for public purpose and his personal cover as well, belatedly, pursued land redistribution in Zimbabwe, where one percent of the white minority controlled ninety five percent of the entire land of Zimbabwe.

Why are too many political leaders of African nations engaged in the frivolities of sexual pleasures and amorous distractions and orgasmic plateaus, when the general state of affairs of human condition is abysmal dismal?

In the midst of metaphorical earthquake measuring 10.6 on Richter scale , earthquake of economic, political and social devastation in many African nations, why is so much time being wasted on bodily pleasures of heterosexual sex, gay and lesbian sex or any sexual pleasures at all? Africa, our house is on fire, and why is sexual pleasures of any type the centerpiece of continental Africa’s public debate?

What reasonable person focuses on sexual pleasures in the middle of an earthquake? What reasonable person focuses on sex in the middle of the economic, political and developmental devastation in Africa?

Why is it, that any sexual pleasures, and the morality and immorality about it, have now subsumed important public policy debates regarding sustainable economic and political development of the African continent? Why is the fixation on sexual pleasures in its varieties and the varieties and forms of it and sexual preferences become a fodder and cover, for ineptitude of public officials across the African continent?

Why this seeming clueless fixation on sexual pleasures whether heterosexual or homosexual?

Perhaps all political leaders in African nations should be required to forswear off sex and be celibate, but with the sex abuse epidemic in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Germany, Italy, and the United States etc, asking African leaders to forswear off sex and become celibate is portentous of the Catholic affliction?

But we must still, what have sexual pleasures, and sexual preferences got to do with the provision of clean water, full employment, steady electric power supply, electoral and constitutional reforms and provision of reliable public infrastructures across the nations of Africa? Our continent continue to suffer image devastation. Our continent continue to be left behind the rest of the world developmentally while too many of our leaders are focused on sexual pleasures!

Why have the focus on whether citizens of Africa plateau in heterosexual, gay and lesbian orgasms become substitute for proper focus on the priorities of economic and political development, progress and advancement of the continent of Africa?

What has orgasm got to do with the grinding poverty and the urgent answer to poverty, the urgent and needful development of Africa?

Israel’s Arrogance, Intransigence & Complacency Ebbing?

2011-10-18T08:19:00.001-07:00

Israel’s Arrogance, Intransigence & Complacency Ebbing?

Written by Paul I. Adujie

Great news has arrived! The great news is the swap of prisoners between the nations of Palestine and Israel. It culminated into freedoms for a thousand Palestinians and one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

And for all the parties concerned, this could not have come a moment too soon! The negotiated prisoner swap is indicative of a new attitude, a thaw in the unilateral freeze and frosts imposed on peace process by Israel.

The government of Israel, particularly the Beyamin Netanyahu government, has, over several years, demonstrated implacable arrogance, intransigence and complacency, through its refusal to negotiate and interact with a demonized HAMAS and other representatives of the Palestine people.

Mr. Netanyahu remains obstinate and obdurate as he has stunted, stifled and stymied every overture for peace and a two nation-state solution, with Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace, security, and prosperity for all peoples

Israel has foisted obstacles upon obstacles and impediment on the Peace Process or Peace Road- Map as Israel have continued to, in rapid pace, egregiously expand Jewish Settlements on lands stolen from Palestinians and occupied illegally by Israel

As the world focuses on image and voice of Gilad Shalit, upon his release from a five year stint in detention in Palestine, it will really be nice to also spare a thought for the 1400 Palestinians massacred by Israel in 2009. It will really, really, really be nice to spare a thoughtful moment for the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli detentions even as I write this. It will equally be nice to spare even a brief moment and pause to consider the one thousand Palestinians used as bargaining chips for the release of Mr. Shalit.

The intractable conflict between Palestine and Israel or between Arabs and Jews has always been an asymmetrical conflict and it remains so today, even after these swaps of prisoners. This swap in itself is the best illustration of the disproportionate power equations between Israel and Palestine. Why, is it, the world should ask, and must ask, Israel is able to detain thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons?

Why is there no regional and international support for Palestine? Why is the overriding narrative today, limited to the voice and image of Gilad Shalit? Why is it that the American media is enamored by how pale, gaunt and disheveled Gilad Shalit is? Why is the focus on Gilad Shalit who was taken as war prisoner for a mere five years in comparison to Palestinians who are detained for upwards of 30 years?

Why are there no concerns for thousands of Palestinian political prisoners who are still enduring endless detentions and a lifetime of solitary confinements imposed on them by the Israeli authorities, even as we squander our tears on the mental health of Gilad Shalit as he returns to Israel and his family and friends?

Why is it, that there are apparently no worries for the trauma, the mental health and the family dislocations inflicted upon Palestinians by Israel as a matter of routine?

Why is it, that American journalists with bloated auto response in the defense of Israel, seem incapable of basic or even pedestrian questions regarding the fact that most Palestinians swapped for the release of Gilad Shalit, will not be going home nor returning to their families but instead, “deported” to Syria, Turkey and everywhere else, but Palestine?

How must it feel to be a Palestinian?

How must it feel to be “freed” from Israeli detention, and then by “deported” to Syria or Turkey etc, just because Israel says so? Who amongst us, would trade places with Palestinians? Why does Palestine remain the last colony and bastion of Israeli occupation and colonialism? Why is the world going to be tired of Israel’s arrogance, intransigence and complacency?

When is the world going to say, enough is enough to Israel’s usurpation of Palestine land, economy and political space? When will the world inform Israel to the effect that, Palestinians are humans too and the lives of Palestinians are as valuable as the lives of Israelis?

The current government of Israel needs to make meaningful compromise for peace... Mr. Beyamin Netanyahu must recognize the equal value for the humanity of Israelis and Palestinians! The continuing dehumanization and devaluing of Palestinian lives must stop!

Palestine is outgunned with bunker-buster and ultra- modern sophisticated jet fighter planes with the help of America, but imagine if Palestine and Israel have equal access to military arms, ammunitions and hardware and other strategic coordinates? Imagine if Palestine and Israel have identical global support and therefore a balance of power? Imbalance of power is military; Israel is amply supplied by America.

Imagine if Palestine can arrest and detain as many Israelis as Palestine do with Palestinians?

Intransigence must stop... continued expansions of Jewish Settlements on Palestinians lands which are currently under Israeli occupation must stop!

It is the case that upon the announcement of the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for one thousand Palestinians, the disproportion in the exchange elicited guffaws among some supporters of Israel, as they argued that the one for a thousand trade or swap, came about, because Israel places high premium on the sanctity of human life, particularly, the life of an Israel soldier and citizen.

These guffaws and silliness in arguments, which suggest that one Israeli life is the equivalent of a thousand Palestinian live, is perversely offensive. A life is a life is a life, be it a Palestinian life or an Israeli life.

Pretending that Israelis lives are more valuable and that Palestinians lives on the other hand, are meaningless, or that Israel place more sanctity of human lives than do the Palestinian people and government, is just specious, garrulous and spurious vituperations! Such attitude and comments which flows from such mindsets, actually illustrates the paradox in the Israel-Palestinian intractable crises!

Some think it okay to kill and mow down Palestinians as if swathing flies. But the detention of a war prisoner Gilad Shalit, is severely criticized by those same persons who would kill, maim, maul, “deport” and humiliate Palestinians in Palestine soil routinely and on daily or continuous basis, as if Palestinians are not humans! Many Palestinians have been held by Israel indefinitely and have not been charged with a crime at all. There are over 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners in detention in Israel. These are men women and children whose lives have been interrupted. What would you do, if you were a Palestinian?

Many supporters of Israel pretend that the Palestinians political prisoners which are being swapped for the release of Gilad Shalit, are “terrorist” and “killers” being released by a magnanimous, altruistic and benevolent Israel! Israel actually mete out subhuman conditions to Palestinians as Israel arrests and warehouses Palestinians arbitrarily in the off chance of such Palestinians escaping death and maiming in the hands of Israel’s military as it frequently happens

It must be remembered that Gilad Shalit is a soldier and was acting as a warrior against Palestine and Palestinian people when he was accosted. Gilad Shalit was never an envoy of peace from the United Nations or a nonviolence peace ambassador from Mother Theresa, Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr.

Gilad Shalit was not vacationing in Palestine, put in proper context Gilad Shalit instead, was actively engaged in hostile activities directed against Palestine and Palestinians when he was taken as an “enemy-combatant” and a representative of an occupation force! War is not friendly, some die, some are taken as war prisoners!

There remains a disproportionate and lopsided power imbalance in favor of Israel; One has to wonder how would it feel, if the shoe were on the other foot, if, say, Palestine was to be holding HUNDREDS, no, THOUSANDS of Israelis, the way Israel have been and Israel is still, holding thousands of Palestinians political prisoners in life detentions or indefinite detentions? What and where is the justice of having the unfettered and unbridled power to hold hundreds, thousands of Palestinians?

Why are thousands of Palestinians killed, detained and humiliated respectively... and the world does not bate an eye and Ron believes this is justice and that peace will come from bullying?

And yet Israel claims to be a democracy?

Real and lasting peace requires courage on all sides... the courage to make sacrifices and the courage to compromise for peace, stability and prosperity. Peace can only be arrived at or achieve in the recognition of mutual peace dividends to Arabs and Jews in the Middle East and by extension, the benefits of peace worldwide

Peace between Palestine and Israel, peace between Arabs and Jews, will only come about, when equal humanity is accorded all concerned in these intractable regional conflict with direct and indirect consequences for entire world. Peace in the Middle East is fervently wished; Peace in the Middle East and the entire world!

Palestinian Nationhood, Israeli & American Hypocrisies; Having It Both Ways?

2011-09-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Palestinian Nationhood, Israeli & American Hypocrisies; Having It Both Ways?
Written by Paul I. Adujie

There are no good, logical or legitimate reasons to oppose Palestinian nationhood. But after years of unproductive negotiations and Talks to hold more Talks about a “Two Nation-State Solution” with Palestine and Israel coexisting side-by-side, America and Israel are now showing their true colors, as they are both adamantly opposing a United Nation recognition of Palestine as an independent nation-state!

It is the height of arrogance, extreme injustice and egregious oppression which motivates all those opposed to nationhood for Palestine

Why should the United States continue to enable those who are intent on usurping freedom, independence and self determination for Palestinians?

How can the United States stand with Israel in opposition to Palestinians' Human Rights and then mouth platitudes about Human Rights anywhere?

Israel has continued to be intransigent and unwilling to engage in meaningful negotiations with Palestinians. Israel has illegally continued to expand Jewish Settlements on Israel illegally occupied Palestinian territories

Israel has continued to shoot and humiliate Palestinians at every turn.

America in the meantime, continues to support Israel unflinchingly as if in auto response and afflicted with automatism disease?

America and Israel pretend to support democracy in Arab and Persian Middle East as America and Israel have “supported” the so-called Arab Spring with platitudinous pronouncements

Meanwhile, neither America nor Israel seem to think twice, flinch or bate an eye in inflicting oppression and colonialism upon Palestinians by denying the Palestinians right to self determination, political independence and freedom. Where is the Human Rights in enabling and facilitating Israeli intransigence and inscrutability?

The people of Palestine are making legitimate and peaceful demands at the United Nations, and America, the mother and grandmother of democracy stand in opposition, at the behest and on behalf of Israel, to Palestine independence, independence, democracy and freedom!

How can and why should America be taken seriously henceforth, when she talks about these ideals about Human Rights, human dignity, political independence, democracy, freedoms etc? What credibility will America bring to such debate next time, after stridently and vehemently opposing freedoms and self determination for Palestine?

It should now be clear to the whole world, why America and Israel have always preferred dictators and despots in the Middle East of Arab-Persian world. Autocratic, despotic and dictatorial political figures such as Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and others in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain etc have, for far too long provided pyrrhic victories and flimsy stability for America and Israel, through brute force and extreme political repression.

The so-called Arab Spring may put an end to this floozy stability and produce unintended consequences for America and Israel, even as America and Israel have tried mightily to dictate, choreograph and orchestrate the final outcome of the unfolding so-called Arab Spring!

Why is America acceding to Israel desire to continue to colonize Palestine through occupation and economic cum political strangulation of Palestine? Israeli occupation of Palestine, Israel’s continued expansion of Jewish Settlements in Palestine and Israel’s Blockade of Palestine are adjudged illegal by the United Nations and a majority of nations on earth!

Why should America enable and facilitate the oppression and subjugation of Palestine? Why would Palestinians, Arabs and Persians etc rejoice over American complicity in their dehumanization? And then we ask, Why Do They Hate Us?

Palestinians are right to seek nationhood-statehood at the United Nations! It is in fact long overdue. Israel itself was part a creation of the United Nations by acts and pronouncements in 1948. And in this instance, we must stipulate and agree that, what was good for Israel in 1948 is in fact great for Palestine, now, in 2011! It is an idea whose time has come, overdue!

Please Google:

1. America Must Break With Israel; As Good & Just Middle East Policy

2. Palestine Nationhood Imperative; As Israel Meets The World

3. Imagine If Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan Etc Were Democracies?

Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria & A Grateful Nation

2011-06-17T05:18:00.000-07:00

Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria & A Grateful Nation
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Exuberance, elation and unrestrained joy, overflowed upon reading that A Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria awarded monetary compensations and damages in favor of some Nigerians who were arrested and detained unlawfully and arbitrarily!

The plaintiffs instituted legal action against the Inspector General of Police and three others, namely, the Attorney General of the Federation, or AGF, and the State Security Service or SSS, the latter were absolved and deemed blameless.

A ten million Naira was awarded as compensation, while litigation costs, which amounted to the sum of thirty thousand, Naira, will be absorbed or borne by the respondents.

The important thing here is not the money. Instead, it rather that a groundbreaking or landmark judgment or verdict was rendered in favor of a group of hapless Nigerian citizens who were singled out for unlawful, and arbitrary arrests and detentions, based primarily on the fact that these Nigerians are Muslims or that they are adherent of Islam or a particular religion.

The measure of human refinement in any society or nation, and the measure and gauge of the extent of human refinements in Nigeria, as a society and as a nation is determined by how we care for our poor, the under privileged.

The Vanguard Newspapers of Nigeria reported that “The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, in his judgment in a fundamental rights suit against the police by the Nigerians also restrained the Nigeria Police from further arresting, interfering on the fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement of the applicants” in a featured news article.

It was reported that “ in the suit by Sulaimon Alli, Abdul Ganiyu Sadu, Abdul Jelil Sanusi, Alimi Sulaimon, Abdul Hakeem Abdul Raman, AbdulKabir Shofidiya and Sulaimon Adebayo.” Which alleged illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional acts which “prayed the court to declare their arrest and detention illegal for more than 30 days by the police without any cogent reason as illegal, a violation of their fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution of the the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“There is unchallenged evidence before me which I believe that the Applicants were in detention for 30 good days and were subjected to untold hardship.”

“They were also subjected to degrading and inhuman treatment. They were in solitary confinement and being held hostage for 30 days. They were moved from one police formation to another at will. On record they were moved to three different police stations within Lagos State.”

Clearly, what has happened here, in my view, is, the establishment of a principle, to wit, Nigeria is a Nation of Laws... and those whose rights have been violated will find remedies and succor from our judiciary and such citizen(s) do not have to be stupendously wealth and opulent, or must they possess the immense resources nor do they have to be a in position to hire 20 Senior Advocates of Nigeria... before they may find justice and equity from our legal system (judiciary) etc

This sounds like a landmark case and it is a groundbreaking judgment or verdict, as reported, if the finding of facts and the law are consistent with the verdict, it will stand, even on appeal and add to the body decided cases or precedents which will be used as benchmark and guideposts henceforth in determining outcomes in subsequent cases similar to the one under review.

Nigerians and all who wish Nigeria well, have an additional reason to celebrate this legal outcome for the Boko Haram suspects and plaintiffs in this case. Nigeria is firmly establishing herself as a nation of laws, a democracy, where Due Process, The Rule of Law, justice and equity forms the fulcrum of our great nation. Even in war time or during wars, there are rules of engagement. Conflicts cannot be the excuse for disregarding the fundamental human rights, liberty and freedoms of Nigerian citizens.

This is why verdicts or judgments such as the one by Justice Okon Abang is crucially important reinforcement of Due Process and The Rule of Law.

Nigerian society is imbibing a social construct, based on the establishment of a nourishing, and flourishing environment for individual liberties.

It is the case, that this current case and it’s outcome, illustrates the fact that, individual rights, liberties and fundamental human rights are being given rightfully due recognition and priority, brick-by-brick, in Nigeria, as Nigeria establishes a groundswell for social-economic development.

In the so-called global war on terrorism outside Nigeria, it has become common practice for many nations and their governments to engage unlawful arrests, detentions and maltreatments of Muslims, employing all sorts of pretexts, including radical Islam and extremism by some Muslims. Islam and Muslims have arguably and justifiably, felt under attack and siege.

It has become the vogue and quite fashionable, for some governments across the world view Islam and Muslims as the real and imagined enemies and whipping boy.

Islam and Muslims have become and endangered group of citizens across the world, as they are subject to reasonable and quite unreasonable scrutinizes globally.

Islam and its adherents have been feeling persecuted, particularly since the event of September 11, 2001 in the United States. Thankfully, through this legal outcome, Nigeria is saying, unequivocally, that Nigeria will not tolerate arbitrary and unlawful arrests and detentions of persons under pretext of fighting Islamic extremist or so-called war on terrorism.

It may be Muslims today, it could be Atheists, or Hare Khishena or African Religion adherents or Agnostics tomorrow

It therefore bears repeating, that it is better to set 10 suspects free than to jail or punish ONE innocent person.

And significantly, as it is relevant to this judgment by Justice Okon Abang, it is eminently better to compensate "Boko-Haram" suspects than to allow-permit unlawful and arbitrary detentions and abuse of citizens' rights by government agencies.

The outcome of this litigation on behalf of Nigerian citizens, who happens to be Muslims or adherents of Islam, makes such a laudatory point.

It is also the case that a socially responsible group of Nigerian Lawyers, the Muslim Lawyers Association, a socially aware and socially conscious group of Nigerians, took it upon themselves, to vigorously pursue this case to its successfully outcome.

This is the essence of democracy and the idea of all of us, taking our civic responsibility seriously! This is the push-and-pull, and call-and-response, which makes democracies successful. When all strata of society play roles and its parts
Well meaning Nigerians and all persons who wish Nigeria success, should offer congratulations to the plaintiffs and to the MULAN for standing up for what is right and using due process and the Rule of Law to accomplish this remarkable outcome

We salute the judge in the case, The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang who spoke for the average Nigerian or the proverbial common man... this is the Nigeria we want. We are at cusps of Nigeria of our aspirations.

The judgment rendered in favor of those who were unlawfully and arbitrarily detained and the vigilant and diligent pursuit of justice on their behalf by the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria, or MULAN is a teachable moment for all Nigerians.

It showcases the courage and integrity of Nigerian judges and by extension, our judiciary. The judgment and the action of MULAN which precipitated the verdict, is also a ringing endorsement of the effectiveness of our Due Process, our Rule of Law and the fact that our Democracy is steadily taking root.

It is also an example for all segments of Nigeria, across the national spectrum that we may not resort to vigilante justice or self-help or taking laws into our hands in reactions to disputes. We may not foist violence and chaos upon our nation; we can rely on our judges, our judiciary and our lawyers to resolve disputes with integrity, impartiality and courage.

Anthony Weiner, Fallen Stars, Arrogant Powerful Men & Sexual Entitlement?

2011-06-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Anthony Weiner, Fallen Stars, Arrogant Powerful Men & Sexual Entitlement
Written by Paul I. Adujie

VAGINA and the lust for vaginal sex ended the promising illustrious career of erstwhile congressman, Anthony D. Weiner, the firebrand Democrat from New York!

The fixation on sex consumes yet another powerful man and in New York City again. In the last sixty days, Dominique Strauss-Kahn the former leader of the International Monetary Fund or IMF was arrested because of sex and his career soon ended.

Then there was another banker Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar from Egypt, who was similarly arrested for seeking sex inappropriately, again in New York City.

And before all these, a brilliant lawyer, a public policy wonk, with great foresight, a man who foretold the greed, avarice and sundry corporate wrongdoings, which presaged the financial meltdown and the current recession-depression.

Elliot Spitzer, a man who was governor of the state of New York and could have be president of the United States, Eliot Spitzer, was compel to resign as governor because he sourced sex inappropriately.

John Edwards, another lawyer, with phenomenal success in private practice, whose late wife was also a lawyer, both accomplished spouses. John Edwards became candidate for vice president and then candidate for the presidency of the United States, but, he is now indicted, all because he sought sex inappropriately. His public policy ideas were superb!

Why Do Powerful Men feel this sense of entitlement to sex from multitudes of women? Is it a matter of arrogance, ego, hubris, narcissism, and a sense of invincibility?

Anthony Weiner is married to a gorgeous woman with a high profile job, she is in great shape and they have been married for just one year, but, among Congressman Weiner's sexting-textng-friends, was a "retired" porn star, an expert in pornography as consultant to the Congressman?

Mr. Weiner cannot argue that he is already bored with his marriage. He cannot argue that his wife is lazy, fat or obese and a slob, because none of these applies to her! So, what was the excuse?

Are these powerful men merely engaged in, these inappropriate sex and the resulting scandal, because they believed that they could get away with it? Could it be because these men believe they could have any woman, because they just could?

What is exactly the motivation? Arrogance or misplaced self-assured ego, allowed these men to pretend that they are super-fly-invincible ... it turns out that they are gold fishes, and gold fishes have no hiding places!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a guy, I too like women... and I am not beyond temptations... but, here is the deal for me regarding Congressman Weiner, he is married only one year, he is young, and so is his gorgeous wife, high-profile career... WHY RUIN ALL THAT? And now, he is out of work in these tough economic times? AND for WHAT?

I don't get him and other menfolk like him... it is not as if his wife is overweight or a slob... she is a complete package, shape, career and high-profile flyer, her employment with US Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Rodham Clinton; How could Congressman be bored with such gorgeous -shapely and career lady? AFTER ONLY ONE YEAR of marriage? What did I miss?

Congressman Weiner was greatly admired by many, including this writer! He spoke often and consistently in defense of Democratic Party values and defended President Obama administration policies, when other Democrats were tepid, timid and timorous ... and spineless in defending their party's ideals! But there goes the neighborhood with his fixations on female orifices of pleasure!

He did not even get to live his fantasies... he was always at the talking and planning and more planning stages... how he would use his mightily endowed crutch and male equipment... he talked a good game, but, he never really got near to any orifices or crevices of the female anatomy which he craved... he never got to the center of pleasure... he merely talked, text and dreamed a lot about other women ... he only still had his wife... he is getting enormously huge punishments without ever really getting to commit the "crime" proper

Anthony D. Weiner, a superb congressman and a promising candidate for the mayoralty of New York City, now bleeds from mortal political wounds; self-inflicted wounds! He was silly, stupid and sophomoric or SSS... sex, ha!

Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner were great on advocacy... I truly admire Eliot Spitzer despite the scandal! Spitzer has great foresight and he is a superb policy wonk... on the whole, Spitzer and Weiner are great on public policies... consistent with my worldview, except for these scandalous indiscretions and attendant or consequent ruinations! We the public have suffered losses as a result of their downfalls.

There are many who are saying that this fixation to sex and particularly inappropriate sex, is not unique to only powerful men, or that it is not only powerful men who take undue advantage of women sexually, all men think of and want sex, I understand that...

But, what I do not understand is how powerful men abuse their powers arrogantly, taking undue advantage of women to whom the men have put in powerless position and how such arrogance lead the men to think they are invincible and beyond reproach or even contrition etc

Why would educated men, with great careers, and men at the zenith, apex and pinnacle of their career and life, chose to endanger all that, through stupid risks, say, with a prostitute, a porn star, a hotel maid, or the resort to twittering naked pictures of male anatomical parts? How does tasteless picture earn any man a date?

It broke many hearts in his constituency, as they learned that Anthony D. Weiner has resigned! His childlike indiscretion was wacky, but what got completely out of control, was his elaborate cover-up, in which he granted countless interviews during which he was garrulous and flippant, too flippant!

In the end, he looked really like a common criminal, a thief with his hand caught in the cookie jar, he was heckled at the press conference as he announced his resignation, that for a man who was always press savvy and a darling of the media! He always had the issue right, full grasps and intelligent prescriptions or proffered solutions.

No one should be sanctimonious here, we all have our weaknesses. But, to those who so much are given, much is expected. A congressperson should be doing the people business. There is deep recession-depression, three foreign wars, Afghanistan, Iraq and now, in Libya as well.

There is now a chronic unemployment throughout the United States. There are millions of mortgage foreclosures by banks and financial institutions, leaving many home owners helpless and desperate. Cities and municipalities are filing for bankruptcies.

Fire houses are closing. Services are being cut, including reductions in Police, Teachers, Library and other essential services; and a politician takes pictures of his manhood and mail such to several women?

Politicians engaging in sexually explicit scandals and then, causing such distractions from everything which is important, he then eventually resigns after so much pressure from the press and public, Democrats and Republicans? The man engaged in silly, stupid, sophomoric sexual scandal, then, lied to cover up the embarrassing sleaze, talk of waste of valuable time!

Some politicians are in a Race-To-The-Bottom? Scandalous, voyeuristic and immature sex-texting with several women ... inappropriate and distasteful photographs does not elevate politics or public policy and AND does not even enhance or facilitate getting any lady! What lady gets impressed by a guy, whose seeks to persuade her with pictures of his crutch?

I never heard of any man getting a lady, because he showed her a picture of his bulging manhood or crutch in underpants, bulging, not matter how bulging!

It is so tempting to generalize about these apparently sex-crazed politicians. It is not a good idea to generalize... it is rather an intellectually lazy thing to generalize!

There are good politicians and not so good ones... there are great Catholic priests and there the many others who molest boys/children sexually, and there virtues and vices across the world. It is not good to generalize period!

In recent memory, we have had mighty men falling from grace for inappropriate sex, President Clinton, Governor Jim McGreevy of New Jersey, Governor Sanford South Carolina, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Golfer Tiger Wood, Banker-Politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Senator John Ensign, Senator Larry Craig etc

Why steal what you already you are abundantly supplied by gorgeous your gorgeous wife? Why snatch what you can get through persuasion?

Why do some men seek sex from women who are less beautiful, in worse shape, and with less education, class and career, than the wife at home? Why have a whole cow and still a chicken? It will be interesting to know the answer!

But why do powerful men, politicians, business moguls at the top of their games, squander all that for sex, illicit, stolen, criminal and inappropriate sex?

Why do powerful men work so hard, then, only to gamble it all away for sex?

Land Grabs, In New Scramble For Africa & Global Food Security Implications

2011-06-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Land Grabs, In New Scramble For Africa & Global Food Security Implications
Written by Paul I. Adujie

“Slavery and colonialism came with great benefits to Africa from Europe” Among the “benefits” are, the adoption of Christianity by millions of Africans and the fact that a majority of Africans have become westernized through formal western education and democratic forms of governments.

An African on the African continent made these ignorant, naïve, simplistic and dumb comments on the BBC Have Your Say Program which was aired on June 9, 2011. He made these pronouncements so matter-of-fact and in such self-assured manner. He made the proclamations as if these were incontrovertible and sacrosanct.

He repeatedly identified these so-called “benefits” as though Africans are monolithic lots overjoyed with their adoption of Christianity, when in fact, Christianity was forced on the natives as European Christian Missionaries displaced and relegated African religions and spirituality.

It is impossible to hear anything more preposterous, outrageous and outlandish on BBC in the aftermath of this gentleman’s advertisement of his blissful ignorance. And yet, there were others on the BBC show who nodded agreement.

There were those who agreed and expressed similar sentiments, such as suggesting that the Land Grabs on the African continent by American and European entities does not have to pass the smell-test, for after all, these lands were laid fallow and not put to productive use by Africans prior to the onsets of these Land Grabs!

Africa does have her fair share of buffoons as citizens; One cannot in a million years imagine that a Jew in any part of the world, would argue that Jewish Holocaust was beneficial in some way, perhaps, arguing that in a roundabout way, it brought about the creation of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948?

How can anyone, especially an African on the African continent argue that Slavery and colonialism were beneficial to Africans? Despite the immutable evidence of the horrors, brutalities and inhumanity meted upon Africans, victims of slavery and colonialism, despite this well established public knowledge! It must not be forgotten that the Africans were robbed of human and material resources, culture, religion etc. And yet, there is an African with cognitive abilities who described these sordid African experience as having scintilla of “benefits”?

Slavery and colonialism are the twin greatest evils ever perpetrated by some human beings upon others; and it is just incredulous for anyone to suggest that there were benefits! It is an unimaginable incredulity if a Jew were to argue that there were “benefits” in pogroms and Holocaust!

Someone argued that the lands in Africa have been laying unused and laying fallow, and so, it is quite okay for Americans and Europeans companies or entities to snap them up… the equivalents of saying it okay to harvest organs of the poor or saying it is okay for your neighbor to put your kidney up for sale, for after all, you can function with one or that you have not been particularly vigorous or physically active?

Or that you have been a lazy person all this while with your two kidneys? Land Grabs are deprivations, through displacements and dislocations of thousands of poor farmers, and no excuses will do. It is the case that Land Grabs are getting worse in Africa
An opinion piece by this writer regarding Land Grabs by Whites and or foreign farmers on the African continent was published in September 2003 which is the predicate for my invitation to be guest on the BBC Program and I have been guest on several BBC broadcasts in the past, never one quite like June 11, 2011, which left me in utter shock!

Then in 2003 when I wrote “Does Nigeria Really Need British Or Any Foreign Farmers?” when the first Land Grabs in Nigeria were taking place, as it is now in 2011, land appropriation and expropriation and the concerns for food security in Africa were my concerns.

In 2003, this writer stated and it bears repeating that, Landlessness is one of the remaining vestiges of colonialism is Southern Africa including, and particularly Zimbabwe! The Boers and their other fellow Europeans grabbed lands in Southern Africa, from Black Natives who previously owned these lands!

The land issue has been the core of the racial, political and economic disputes that are raging in Zimbabwe. Land Grabs, racial discrimination and economic disparities are relics of White Supremacy and domination in Africa, particularly, the nations in Southern Africa, which were the last to be decolonized;

Zimbabwe is a case in point, Zimbabwe dramatizes, these vestiges and relics White usurpation of economic, political and civil rights of Blacks; Blacks who were arbitrarily denied of their lands and rights in their backyards in Africa.... But the world has forgotten, and prefers to focus on Mr. Mugabe with all his faults.
The genesis of the Zimbabwean land redistribution crises stemmed from Britain neglected or refused to implement the pre-independence Lancaster House London Agreement made with Zimbabwean political leaders, hence the imbroglio between Black and White farmers in Zimbabwe, emanated from British unwillingness to follow through with land redistribution agreements she entered more than twenty years ago!,
The Landless Black farmers versus the White farmers, who have all the lands; Lands, which the Blacks, originally owned. Lands which Whites converted arbitrarily and summarily looted and usurped from Blacks, but for Whites themselves
The Guardian Newspapers of London June 8, 2011 published a feature article by John Vidal and Claire Provost “US Universities In Africa 'Land Grab” http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/08/us-universities-africa-land-grab in which it was reported that “Institutions including Harvard and Vanderbilt reportedly use hedge funds to buy land in deals that may force farmers out” which will result in displacement, dislocation and hunger for millions of Africans!

The Guardian UK reported that “Harvard and other major American universities are working through British hedge funds and European financial speculators to buy or lease vast areas of African farmland in deals, some of which may force many thousands of people off their land, according to a new study.”

“Researchers say foreign investors are profiting from "land grabs" that often fail to deliver the promised benefits of jobs and economic development, and can lead to environmental and social problems in the poorest countries in the world.”

“The new report on land acquisitions in seven African countries suggests that Harvard, Vanderbilt and many other US colleges with large endowment funds have invested heavily in African land in the past few years.

Much of the money is said to be channelled through London-based Emergent asset management, which runs one of Africa's largest land acquisition funds, run by former JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs currency dealers”. Researchers at the California-based Oakland revealed that fertile African lands are be snatched and grabbed by American Universities!

Oxfam has expressed similar concerns about food crisis, food insecurity and humanitarian catastrophes which would come about, including the multiplier effects on food prices which is already high and would double soon.

Whether these American and European entities are growing cheap food on the African continent for American and European consumers or growing for Bio-Fuels, any such efforts and endeavors which displaces, dislocated and disadvantage the Africans should be condemned by all.

It is a case of double whamming in these Land Grabs! The Africans will be displaced, dislocated and the Africans are not the target of or the end results or outcomes from the lands and the Africans will have food insecurity and hunger inflicted upon them or at the very minimum, the conditions of the Africans will be exacerbated by these American and Europeans new scramble for Africa.

Thousands of farmers have already been displaced and dislocated from the farmlands in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania etc and these American and European entities have demonstrated no interests in feeding starving Africans or providing jobs or improving the human conditions on ground according to activists such as Obang Metho of Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia.

The Guardian UK writes that “Research by the World Bank and others suggests that nearly 60m hectares – an area the size of France – has been bought or leased by foreign companies in Africa in the past three years.” This is quite clearly an emergency and it should be a matter serious continental and global concerns. Where are the African governments and Public Intellectuals on this all-important existential issue?

"Most of these deals are characterized by a lack of transparency, despite the profound implications posed by the consolidation of control over global food markets and agricultural resources by financial firms,"

Those who have the land and water resources will have the money and will be calling all the shots in the next decade and in the future. Land and water resources will be the new petroleum, both in a literal and metaphorical sense.

American Universities and Hedge Funds are aggressively pursuing and engaging in Land Grabs on the African continent. These entities are motivated by food security and the need to feed Africans or partner with Africans to grow more food for consumption and exports. But instead, this new scramble for Africa, land, water and other resources, is to enable these entities establish cash crops for producing Bio-Fuels and for erecting Wind-Turbines or Wind Farms.

There are also speculations to the effect, that these American and European entities are in these Land Grabs in Africa, where they would have unfettered access to Africa’s water resources and farmlands, where they will be able to escape agriculture and food productions and food processing regulations as applicable in America and Europe.

These entities are keenly aware that, there are too many Africans who are still unaware of the continuing vigorous and profound debates regarding Genetically Modified Foods or Genetically Engineered Foods or GNF, GEF and concerns by many scientists of the risks imbued in GNF and irradiation of foods etc. Africa could soon become the new frontier in sundry agricultural and food production and processing experiments.

An agronomy Frankenstein or agricultural, food production and food processing scientific mutations and attendant adverse consequences, could soon be upon the world and as usual, such experiments or scientific accident will begin in Africa, with Africans as the guinea pigs and the perpetrators being American and European entities, the usual suspects?

What is the origin of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and HIV? Some have pointed at an African gorilla? While others pointed at a gay man in San Francisco? And yet, others have pointed at a drug or narcotic substance abuser? Or was HIV-AIDS as some say, a result of a medical experiment gone awry?

What disease or pandemic could and would arise or stem from GNF and food manipulations? There are so many unknowns and even reputable scientists are unsure and are wary of the possible risks. Even as the urge and the zeal for profits is motivating and propelling entities which are willing to cut corners and avoid American and European regulations, as they pursue and engage Land Grabs in Africa, which will enable them to practice agriculture, food production and food processing with regulation or outside the prying eyes and purview of America and Europe.

Similarly, the race for alternatives to hydrocarbons or petroleum fuels, is resulting in the mad rush for lands, hence the Land Grabs in some African nations, namely Mozambique, Mali, Nigeria, the Sudan, Ethiopia and several others.

The rush for farmlands to produce Ethanol yielding crops is speedily propelling these Agro-Biz, Hedge Fund and Universities in Land Grabs in Africa. Bio-Fuels is the new diamond, gold and petroleum for which the lands in Africa must be ravaged once again by Americans and Europeans for their own benefit, and in a historical pattern which usually have ended to the detriment of Africans and Africa. As it was with cotton, cocoa, rubber, gold, diamond, petroleum.

American and Europeans entities are now setting the conditions, the stage and foundation for future food crisis and food insecurity or even humanitarian catastrophes on the African continent, with these mad-rushes for African lands.

There is no fair exchange or fair trade involved, in fact, what is going on right now in these Land Grabs cannot be described as trade or fair and equitable transactions in land, between Americans, Europeans on the one hand, and their African buffoons on the other.

Americans and Europeans are currently setting the stage and conditions for extreme hunger, suffering and more hardships for Africans and too many Africans are completely oblivious!

It is strongly believed by this writer, that a nation that cannot feed itself, a nation that cannot produce food in its abundance, or relies other nations, to feed itself has its priorities wrong. The former USSR, a former world super power crumbled, in part, due to hunger, as it could not feed itself!

USSR had WMD, Nuclear, atomic and had colonized part of space in orbits, but the USSR always relied on external sources, even on mortal foes, such as the USA was, at the time, to USSR, for grains and other food supplies for her citizens!

It is astonishing that Africans are not reacting sharply and even aggressively to the Land Grabs as a major crisis on the continent; In Nigeria for instance, grazing land for cattle, water rights, land ownership rights are usually the predicate for many communal conflicts. Hence the rather amorphous and spurious definition of citizenship based on the vexing “settler” or “indigene” dichotomies and state of origins etc in these matters of land, water and grazing right. And the land, and water resources arguments is not much different in other parts of Africa, be it Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ugandan, Cameroon etc.
It is therefore a huge surprise, to learn that most Africans are seemingly looking the other way, as Land Grabbers come from across the Atlantic Ocean to expropriate African lands and without as much as a murmur from Africans who would ordinarily squabble amongst and between fellow Africans for land and water rights or priorities

Clearly, in all of these, Americans and European entities are once again, planting the seeds and setting the conditions and stage for more sufferings and extreme hardship for Africans, Africans who will then receive further image devastation and badgering for being in abject conditions which are being created right now through these egregious Land Grabs in Africa. The implications, ramifications and consequences will soon unfold for the whole world to see!

1. US Universities In Africa 'Land Grab”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/08/us-universities-africa-land-grab

2. Hedge funds 'grabbing land' in Africa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13688683

3. Does Nigeria Really Need British Or Any Foreign Farmers?
http://adujie-writings.blogspot.com/2011/06/does-nigeria-really-need-british-or-any.html

Does Nigeria Really Need British Or Any Foreign Farmers?

2011-06-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Does Nigeria Really Need British Or Any Foreign Farmers?

The well-publicized invitation of British, Israeli, Foreign and White Farmers by the Kwarra and Ogun State governments is puzzling for many reasons and in many respects.

How come Nigerians are not protesting the importation of farmers, with the same fervor and vigor, with which they recently protested the importation of foreign medical doctors by Katsina State, particularly from Egypt? Why the double standards? If Katsina should not? Why should Kwarra and Ogun states?

It is even more outrageous to import farmers! Why import White farmers? When Nigeria needs to create employment massively in all the states? Why import foreign farmers? When the average Nigerian is a farmer, first and foremost, before anything else?

It is true that Nigeria needs foreign investments injection into the economy, to buoy domestic efforts or investments by Nigerians But I was, under the mistaken impression? That the emphasis should be directed toward areas or sectors where Nigerians do not posses comparative advantage, in skills and or resources! So Nigerians in 2003 cannot till the land?

Nigerians cannot use combine harvesters as some Nigerians did some decades ago? Nigerians used modern implements of large scale mechanized commercial farming, many years ago, even before the establishments so many Federal University of Agriculture! Do we now have less skills and abilities in Nigeria?

Secondly, Britain neglected or refused to implement the pre-independence Lancaster House London Agreement made with Zimbabwe, hence the imbroglio between Black and White farmers in Zimbabwe, emanated from British will to follow through with agreements she entered more than twenty years ago!, The Landless Black farmers versus the White farmers, who have all the lands, lands, that the Blacks, originally owned. Lands that Whites converted and summarily looted and usurped from Blacks for themselves.

Nigerian Foreign Policy (Erstwhile?)

Nigeria, under President Obasanjo's first coming, had a sound foreign policy, which made Africa its centerpiece and Nigeria sacrificed resources, immeasurably, to defeat Apartheid and domination from Maputo to Cape Town, Johannesburg and to Harare!

Landlessness is one of the remaining vestiges of colonialism is Southern Africa including Zimbabwe! The Boars and their other fellow Europeans grabbed lands in Southern Africa, from Black Natives who previously owned these lands!

The land issue, in disputes that are raging in Zimbabwe, are relics of White Supremacy and domination in Africa, particularly, in the Southern part, that was the last to be decolonized; Zimbabwe is a case in point, that dramatizes, these vestiges and relics of Blacks denied of their lands and rights in their backyards in Africa.... But the world has forgotten, and prefers to focus on Mr. Mugabe with all his faults.

Why then? would a Nigerian, any Nigerian nay African bring succor to these usurper-farmers from Zimbabwe in the name of foreign investments in Nigeria? Why would the government in Kwarra State, a PDP government, (state's rights and all?)

why will a PDP governor within the administration of the straight arrow anti-Apartheid President Obasanjo of yore, rescue these foreign farmers from Zimbabwe?

I am aware that Apartheid and White Supremacy has fallen in Southern parts of Africa, but should Nigeria and Nigerians rescues White farmers, who benefited from oppressing Blacks? White farmers who usurped Blacks' inalienable rights in the Southern part of Africa?

Africa is still the centerpiece of Nigeria's foreign policy and we should continue to stand up for the rights of all peoples of African descent? Is the oppression of Black Zimbabweans and the taking of their lands not reprehensible?

Kwarra and Ogun State's invitation to foreign farmers, therefore raise fundamental questions and issues, principal among which are, the domestic one, Nigeria's abilities and the foreign policy one.

Domestic Abilities To Produce Food

Nigeria is capable of growing abundant food for all Nigerians! Nigeria is capable of producing sufficient food for all Nigerians and even producing surpluses for the purposes of exports! Nigeria, many years ago, actually fed Nigerians abundantly! And additionally, Nigeria exported food from Nigeria's abundance, Nigeria, it must be said, has very favorable climate for planting or growing and producing any types of farm produce or products, yams, wheat, grapes for wine making, rice, potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, oranges, everything else in-between.

Nigeria has lush rain forests, grasslands in the Savannah, and desert in the arid and or semi arid regions! You can plant cactus in Nigeria's deserts like in Arizona, California and New Mexico USA.

Nigeria currently has hordes and hordes of unemployed citizens! Some of these citizens, have been unemployed for more than a decade! Among these unemployed Nigerians, are graduates of Universities in Nigeria and abroad, some of these unemployed graduates, are actually ironically, agriculture specialists, Specialists in Agriculture and Food Production and Food Processing.

Why will Kwarra State, Ogun state or any state for that matter import farmers or experts in farming?

I now wonder what, an unemployed Nigerian graduate of Agriculture and Food Production or Processing or Agric Extension Services, who also have a thorough familiarity with the local conditions in Nigeria, the vagaries of our climatic conditions and the drawbacks of subsistence farming methods?..... Will say to the importation of any foreign farmers, by Kwarra state or any state?

Why should we relegate the local farmers and the Nigerians with expertise in mechanized or large scale farming/commercial farming be relegated to the background, in favor of some foreign farmers? What do the foreign farmers know that we do not? Why should any Nigeria hold any White Zimbabwean or British farmer cousins, on a high pedestal or exulted?

Why do some Nigerians seem to believe everyone is better than a Nigerian expert? Give a Nigerian medical doctor the right equipment and environment, and she is as good any good medical doctor gets! Give Nigerian doctors the equipment and electricity that the direly need, and no government official has to junket to overseas "medical check-up" or treatments, thereafter, they could just tell us, it is a vacation.

Give a Nigerian farmer the tools, resources, (subsidies a la US and EU!) Give the Nigerian farmers/farm entrepreneurs liberal bank loans to purchase modern machines for mechanized-commercial-large-scale-farming, voila! Nigerian farmers know the neighborhood too!

Let the Nigerian in Burutu or Bomadi or Epe be helped in starting large scale fish ponds/fisheries, Let the Nigerians in Benue and Kano be helped in large scale production of groundnuts/peanuts, Let the Nigerian in Kaduna be assisted in large scale Cattle Ranching, Let the Nigerian in Ondo be assisted in the large scale production of plantains and Cocoa, Let the Nigerian in Abakaliki be enabled to embark on large scale rice production, etc, etc.

Recently, I wrote articles urging governments at all levels in Nigeria, to make agriculture a priority, additionally, I also emphasized the importance of investing in agriculture in Nigeria, when I urged particularly wealthy and notable individuals in Nigeria, to invest in Agriculture, then, as now, It is my strong belief, that the government and the organized private sector must play a joint role in investing in agriculture or food production in Nigeria.

Agriculture and food production are very essential to Nigeria's survival and progress, it is crucially important and the federal and all state governments need to elevate agriculture and food production to a national security issue! Nigerian farmers need to form more lobby groups, while strengthening the ones that are already in existence.

It is my belief, that a nation that cannot feed itself, a nation that cannot produce food in its abundance, or relies other nations, to feed itself, has its priorities wrong; The former USSR, a former world super power crumbled, as it could not feed itself! USSR had WMD, Nuclear, atomic and had colonized part of space in orbits, but the USSR always relied on mortal foes, such as the USA was, at the time, to USSR, for grains and other food supplies.

The Americans and Europeans are not greater or better farmers than Nigerian farmers and for that matter, the farmers in the former USSR, what happened and which is still happening, is that, the USA and EU sees agriculture and food production as a national security issue!

The USA and EU, therefore massively subsidizes agriculture and food production, they realize the importance of agriculture and food production, that is clearly the explanation for the plentiful-ness of food in the USA, and that is why the agriculture and food production sectors are heavily subsidized by the Americans and the Europeans.

Agricultural subsidies by American and European governments are the stuff that the World Trade Organization frequently debates!

And even just this week ending September 13, 2003, WTO Conference in Cancun Mexico, Agricultural and food production subsidies by America and Europe is the most contentious of all the issues on the WTO agenda for the attendees at the conference, conferees and protesters or anti globalization forces, have roundly attacked farm subsidies practiced by America and their European counterparts.

Hence, it was reported that "The trade talks on Mexico's Caribbean coast have been hit by a North-South split on issues ranging from rich nations' massive farm subsidies "

"Poor and developing nations said it was far too soft in pushing the United States, the European Union and other rich countries to slash the $300 billion in subsidies they hand out every year to their farmers."

Indian Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley led condemnation of the plan, saying it ``arbitrarily disregarded views and concerns expressed by us'' and ``does not lend itself to any meaningful dialogue.''

Nigerian governments, at all levels, must accord agriculture, the priority and pride-of-place, that agriculture rightly deserves! Handing over agriculture and food production in Kwarra state an Ogun, to the British farmers or some other foreign investors, is probably not in our national security interests! In the name foreign investment or globalization, shall we now invite foreign sanitation experts to pick up our garbage in Lagos? Instead of providing Lagosian the money, equipment and other resources to clean up Lagos?

Nigerian farmers used to export groundnuts, cocoa and many other farm produce and products, Nigerians from all regions and states are or (were?) accomplished farmers! Whatever we did, we knew farming, first and foremost! Are we now too educated and too sophisticated for our own good? Nigerians are now too educated and sophisticate to farm? Farming need some respectability! A starved PHD holder is a dead PHD holder.

Talking about Nigerian farming, Nigerian farmers, perhaps I should remind governor Bukola Saraki, and his counterpart in Ogun state that our president, his boss, is prominent Nigerian, who is also a known experienced farmer of the OFN fame... grow your own food governor! Take a cue from the former governor of the MidWest state now Edo state, Dr. Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, took farming to new heights in Nigeria, and that was about thirty years ago! Mechanized, large scale and commercialized and all! President Obasanjo and Governor Ogbemudia are of the PDP, your political party! Consult them! They certainly will not recommend flying in, some white farmers!

I hope not.

Governor Ogbemudia turned Agbede and or Warrake farms in his state into farming wonderlands at the time, he successfully ran farms, these farms were known nationwide in Nigeria, I even went there as a child on a school trip! Perhaps Governor Saraki should talk or consult with the former governor of the MidWest?

The best hands for agricultural and food production services can also be found in the Department of Agriculture of the University of Maiduguri! I recall with pride, witnessing their diligent research efforts, geared toward the production and preservation of local Nigerian foods and delicacies from Nigerian farmers! I witnessed their efforts in the prolongation of the shelf-life of Nigerian farms produce and products! They conducted enormous amount of research then, in the Agriculture Department of UNIMAID.

I am also certain that, the above efforts in the University of Maiduguri, that I have alluded to, may be identical in many Nigerian Universities' Agriculture Department, and more particularly so, in the many Federal Universities of Agriculture?

Nigeria has many Universities of Agriculture and food production, Nigeria also boasts of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture or the IITA in Ibadan, and what about what used to be known as Nigeria Institute For OilPalm Research or NIFOR?

And more than all of these?

Nigeria has able-bodied under-employed and under-utilized farmers, and scores of unemployed citizens, who could be equipped to go into farming! There are scores of unemployed graduates reputable Nigerian and foreign educational institutions, Nigeria has decent local farmers that could best any British or Zimbabwean farming techniques or skills! Are Nigerians now waiting for white farmers to teach Nigerians how to make better kunnu? or Ogbono soup?

Nigeria need to harvest some of Nigeria's best brains, to resuscitate agriculture and food production, this will also generate employment for Bakassi Boys, Area Boys and their friends, the Almajiris! All these Nigerians gainfully employed, will cease to be part of Nigeria's socio-economic challenges.

Nigeria needs to commercialize agriculture and food production, Nigerians need to take more active interest in large scale mechanized farming, the governments at all levels, and the organized private sector, need to encourage and lead these efforts.

Nigerian Banks should set aside, a decent percentage of say, 10% pre-tax annual income, for agricultural and food production services, Nigerian Banks, should enthrone Agric Loans with VERY LIBERAL lending conditions, for mechanized-large-scale-commercial farming and food production.

KLM, South Africa Airways, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic etc etc, took over the operations of Nigeria Airways, but all these did not save our National Airline! Why do some Nigerians always defer to Oyinbos as the solution to all our problems? Have the Indians, the Chinese and every other foreign not taken over the operations of the Nigerian Railways Corporations in the past? How is the NRC doing now? Nigerian leaders and all Nigerian citizens should be told emphatically, that Nigerians are as good as anyone else and that given the right environment, money/resources and freedom of actions, Nigerians will solve our national problems, Nigerians will do better at righting the wrongs in Nigeria, because Nigeria is ours, we have a stake in the outcome of what happens to Nigeria, we know the terrain and neighborhood better than any imported experts! Given the chance and resources and freedom of actions, I will run the best farm that governor Saraki of the great state of Kwarra has ever seen! I know more about Nigerian farming, than I know legal principles or computer technology! And I love Kwarra state more than New York.

What Nigeria lack and what Nigeria needs, so desperately, in Agriculture and Food production, (pretty much every where else!) is the WILL, the DETERMINATION and FOCUS, to produce food! Nigeria does not need to import White or Purple farmers, whether from Britain or Zimbabwe.

Paul I. Adujie is a Nigerian Lawyer and an Information Technology Professional.

First Published in September 2003

American Defense Budget; Biggest Corporate Welfare, Massive Cuts Are Overdue!

2011-06-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

American Defense Budget; Biggest Corporate Welfare, Massive Cuts Are Overdue!
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Cutting the American Defense Budget or Military Spending is panacea for economic recovery, budget balancing and deficit reductions.

After all, what use is the military to beleaguered American citizens who are being thrown out of their homes in foreclosures? Or what use is the military to Americans who are unemployed, broke and desperate? What use is the military to American citizens who are homeless or hungry?

The American economy is in a parlous and precarious state. The American economy remains perilous in tangible-visible and intangible invisible ways.

The American economy is currently hovering between fragile and volatile. Housing starts and prices of new and old homes are at their lowest in 10 years. Housing decline and or stagnancy is troubling in view of the fact that housing bubble or burst is one of the major indicators and one of the indices which measures the direction and state of American national economy.

A lackluster housing sector suggests that real and tangible economy recovery may still be 10 months or more away. And this has consequences for the unemployed and those already beleaguered in the extreme by the continuing economic recession-depression crisis.

Multitudes of municipalities in America, majority of states and even the American national government are all battling budget deficits and the need to balance budgets. Some municipalities are tethering and are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Speaker of the House Representatives John Boehner along with other Republicans such as Rand Paul, have been proposing drastic cuts with harsh and extreme consequences for American citizens.

The Republican Party with their Tea Party surrogates extremists, are parading as deficit hawks, posturing with demands for all sorts of cuts in government spending, which includes proposals to privatize Medicare or to whittle down Medicare benefits, obvious hardships and negative consequences on seniors nationwide

But, lest we forget, it was the Republicans and social conservatives who squandered the Budget Surplus which was created by the President Bill Clinton administration. It was the Republicans who then invented 3 trillion dollars deficit, with the wrongheaded policy, which was the invasion and occupation of Iraq, with the false allegations and sexed up fictional stories about nonexistent Weapons of Mass Destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein!

The needless invasion and occupation of Iraq, premised on lies, led to the snagging of American taxpayers who are now saddled, sadly, with triple trillion dollars war bills and burgeoning national debt and deficits. Much has been written about the loss of blood and treasure. The needless invasion and occupation of Iraq led to the deaths of more than 5, 000 American troops. Iraqi dead is 650,000, then there are Iraqis who are maimed, dislocated, and displaced.

America’s debts and deficits situation have been greatly exacerbated by the Iraq war. It frittered away blood and treasure on both the American and Iraqi sides.

Ironically, Republicans are suddenly public spending conscious? After 8 years of Republican administrations engaged in squandering of trillions of dollars in the worse than useless invasion and occupation of Iraq?

Republicans are now the ones shouting, cuts, cuts, cuts to every government spending and services, even ones such as Medicare and spending intended to stimulate economic growth which could in turn improve and enhance the tax base as revenue source for governments.

Shockingly and surprisingly, the Republicans and some confused Democrats are splendidly uninterested in cutting Defense Spending or Budget for the Pentagon!

It will be recalled that the Republicans with notorious aversions for government regulations for business and industry, and more particularly so, their aversion for regulating Wall Street or the Financial Markets, also brought about the total economic collapse which ensued from the financial meltdown on Wall Street.

The continuing economic debacle-quagmire, now hovers between fragile to volatile, had its onset from laissez fare attitude by 8 years of Republicans at the White House, during which business and industry were left to self-monitor and self-police and self-regulate themselves, the equivalents of a major roadway or major traffic artery without a cop or traffic lights, where motorists are left to their devices! Hence, of course the chaos which arose, and the consequences which we have now, with inflicted national pains.

Powerful Defense Contractors and their incestuous relationship with American political leadership, through lobbying, influence peddling and campaign contributions, are the reason for the trepidations which is frequently suffered by some. This is exactly why Defense Spending or Defense Budgets are never mentioned in the same sentence as spending cuts and deficit control and efforts to balance budgets etc

Defense Contractors who supply weapons systems, inflicts unnecessary costs on American government and in effect, American citizens taxpayers.

All too often, unnecessary arms and ammunition are created. Weapons which are too often not needed or required by the military, are created by Defense Contractors and their enablers in government, for instance, there is this case of a second engine, a superfluous engine for a military aircraft, which the US Air Force and Defense Department have publicly stated is unneeded and unwarranted for their operations.

It is the case that the manufacturer of the so-called second engine, at some point, actually offered to continue the manufacturing process even after the rejection of the idea of a superfluous second engine! Waste and abuse is endemic and emblematic in Defense Spending. Defense Contractors use job creation arguments to snag congressional members into supporting Defense Spending on elephant projects, this, added to the campaign contributions saccharin to members of congress.

In recent years, civilian Defense Contractors are now doing the bulk of the work in Afghanistan and Iraq. Companies such as BlackWater, Halliburton, Kellogg Brown and Root or KBR and Z, have all been assuming heavy lifting statuses for the American military. Private or Civilian Defense Contractors now dominate American war efforts. A great number of these Defense Contractors are former members of the military personnel, and it suffice to say that none of them are Black, Hispanic, Women or other minorities.

It is the case that the majority of the enlisted persons in the Armed Forces of the United States are the poor, minorities and increasingly women. These are now the foot-soldiers of the US military establishment

In effect, the foot-soldiers have no role in the policy formulations, or, the profitable aspects or sides of wars, which is the purview and exclusive preserve of Defense Contractors and the political class. The political class which is often rewarded with billions of dollars in campaign contributions

Conversely, the poor, minorities and women, who are the proverbial foot-soldiers, physically, literally and metaphorically, are the ones who bear the negative consequences, impacts and adverse effects of all wars.

The foot-soldiers die in their thousands and they are the ones who are mortally injured, maimed or disfigured and or with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, or PTSD. The foot-soldiers it is who bears the brunt of all wars in terms of death, injuries and other tangible, intangible, visible and invisible horrors and brutalities of all wars.

It bears repeating that foot-soldiers are the ones who are physically and mentally damaged, and too often, they endure these permanent physic al and mental damage and ruined psyche for a lifetime.

As is often the case, American war veterans (the foot-soldiers) are often without jobs upon return from foreign wars. Veterans the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are mostly unemployed, homeless or sick with physical and mental impairments or disabilities and life for the Defense Contractors and the political leaders remain profitable and life goes on.

It is sad that American veterans of foreign wars are too often left to wither physically and mentally in debilitating conditions and circumstances, including homelessness, this, after they have given their best in carrying out nationals assignment s to which they were assigned by the political leadership and for which Defense Contractors profited handsomely.

It is unconscionable to allow American veterans, in fact, any veterans to suffer physical and mental injuries, homelessness and other indignities, after such veterans have been used and exploited as tools in war efforts

American veterans are too often abandoned and neglected. Veterans are abandoned and neglected as they grapple with physical, psychological and psychiatric disablement, including brain injuries and PTSD etc. All this becomes more glaring in this era of skimping, scrounging and cuts in the name of deficits.

American authorities are now, having to discuss and publicly gripe about the expense of treating war veterans with brain and other assortments of injuries, some visible and other not. America tends to abandon and neglect war veterans, those who fight America’s wars, just or unjust wars.

As debates about Budget Deficits gets louder, some public officials have fretted about the expense of medical and other cares which veterans need and deserve

All reasonable persons are in complete agreement that veterans need and deserve gratitude of a nation which they have served courageously, heroically and selflessly. It is rather disgusting that anyone would think of shortchanging these veterans. Veterans should receive thanks and availed treatments, no expense spared.

While the plights and predicaments of American veterans are too frequently dire and desperate, Defense Contractors on the other hand, are wallowing and swimming in profits from the same wars fought be these abandoned and neglected veterans of these wars

Defense Contractors rake in billions from these wars, even as the foot-soldiers or veterans end up in squalid conditions. Why should any American veteran live in abject poverty and squalor

Whatever the value of all “just” and unjust wars, foot-soldiers are the ones who make waging all wars possible abandoning and neglecting foot soldiers is just plainly unconscionably disgusting!

It is the case that military or defense and attendant spending on wars are assuredly not about the average American citizen and the poor.

Military and wars are rather about the business and political class in every society; Which is why for instance, Defense Contractors inexplicably have symbiotic and even incestuous relationships with the political class Military, Defense and Budget for wars have absolutely nothing to do with the health, wealth and happiness of American poor or average American citizen.

This is so,which is what explains the fact that the Budgets and spending outpaces budgets and spending on health and education in the United States, even aftermath of the economic implosion, debacle-quagmire which followed the financial meltdown on Wall Street or Financial Market.

Currently, fiscal conservatives are loudly and ostentatiously making screeching demands for budget cuts and fiscal discipline and extreme deficit controls, while none among the fiscal conservatives are staunchly in support of Defense Spending without restraints

Unfettered and unmitigated Defense Spending is certainly not in America’s national interests. This is particularly so, in the face of an economy which is not generating employment that American national unemployment rate is currently 9.1%

A) 30,000 municipal workers were eliminated in May 2011

B) 18,000 teachers’ jobs eliminated and New York City alone is set to further eliminate 6,100 teachers’ jobs; The New York City Fire Department is also set to close many Fire Houses, even as the city remains a primary attack target for those who would do America harm.

C) There are 27 million Americans currently unemployed, stopped looking for work or are underemployed

D) Housing constructions has hit a brick-wall, and employment associated, connected and ancillary employment have declined considerably since the housing burst, particularly since easier credits have dried up

E) There are visible and invisible costs associated and connected with budget cuts

F) Stimulus spending is panacea, massive public spending on public infrastructure, roads and bridges and on health and education… The Republicans and their Tea Party surrogates extremists are against any spending whether to stimulate the economy and the Democrats appear to have no agenda, the will, the spine or backbone for vigorous and robust pursuits of stimulus package to revamp America, job creation and all.

G) Mitt Romney blames President Obama as haven failed America, and Republicans are expecting President Obama to blink, perhaps he has already blinked, he is talking more about deficit and spending cuts, as opposed to job creation and stimulus package for the economy!

H) The economy remains a transcendent and dominant issue for America and for presidential candidates in 2012

I) Unemployment is a very personal tragedy, depressing tragedy, which is not being addressed, but instead, debt limits and deficit has subsumed American national economic narratives

J) Millions of Americans are out of work or unemployed and have been so unemployed on the average for over 10 months continuously, the longest such gestation period since the keeping of unemployment records began in 1948. Reality has a left-leaning bias says Steven Cobert

The current American economic recession is over two years now and the concerns about a probable double-dip recession-depression have become more pronounced in the first few days of June 2011, upon the release of the May 2011 job numbers at 54,000 instead of say, 300,000 which were projected.

Furthermore, sales of old and new are in parlous state, and new housing starts remain precarious. These indices are harbingers for economic tough road which may still lies ahead.

In the circumstances, notable economists within and outside the United States have argued strenuously, that massive infusions of spending is an imperative for stimulating American national economic growth, in order to achieve this, the deficit hawks ought stop their current stridency and banish their unreasonable preachment, in the circumstances.

But fiscal conservatives or fiscal hawks, who are ironically, are also the ones who adamantly advocate unrestrained military and defense spending without limits;

These are the very same persons who are opposed to any general services budgets and domestic spending targeted at stimulating the American economy and economic growth hence. Domestic spending will generate domestic employment or jobs for the poor and average Americans, it will as an additional bonus, also generate tax revenues.

If the purpose of military or defense budget and spending is to protect the American people and to defend the homeland, while decimating, defeating and dismantling all those who may constitute threats to vital national interests of the United States, the American way of life, freedom, liberty, democracy and all that good stuff, why sacrifice the American people who are hurting in economic recession-depression hardship and extreme suffering?

It is rather an exercise in self-defeat to neglect Americans who are suffering from current economic recession-depression, while funding military defense and foreign wars ever abundantly?

There are over 4 million mortgage foreclosures and tens of millions of Americans out work who are underemployed.

American citizens are the center and cynosure of American democracy, governance and political processes, supposedly? American citizens are the predicate and or rational basis of every action by the American government, whether such action is foreign or domestic?

Why then, are trillions of dollars squandered on the military, defense budget and on wars, in the face of massive-drastic cuts in the budgets and spending which have direct bearing and impact on the lives of American citizens?

Whose interests do unfettered, unrestrained and unmitigated Defense Budgets and Defense Spending serve?

Millions of Americans citizens are left in the lurch or to carry the bag in these hard, harsh and extremely difficult economic times.

Millions of our neighbors are in dire economic straits in which they have played no part or role whatsoever, in their own economic misfortunes. Americans who are suffering and hurting from current national economic conditions were no participants in creating the conditions which foisted the market failure which was induced by sheer greed and criminality.

And yet, Defense Spending goes on untouched, even as the American government rescued Wall Street, Financial Markets and major financial institutions, including the Auto Industry, with the Reaganesque-Reaganomics idea of trickle down credit and economic recovery. The average American on Main Street never was bailed out.

Neither credit nor employed have flowed since these hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts for businesses. Now, there are these rampant talks about these bailed out businesses sitting upon tons and tons and wads and wads of cash, instead investing lending to stimulate the American economy!

American veterans are returning in droves from foreign wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to unemployment, homelessness, ruined families burdened with PTSD, brain injuries, suicides, and complicated physical and psychiatric issues.

It is time to massively-drastically cut American Defense Budgets and Spending, so we can take care and carter to and for the home-front.

Saving the American people through well thought-out and creatively targeted policies which will produce a buoyant American economy, should be job number one, as opposed to dropping smart bombs in Afghanistan, Iraq and now, Libya. Nation building begins abroad?

In effect, it time to severely cut and prune American military Budget or Defense Spending , in order to save the American people, the real purpose of the American republic and government, saving the people or citizens should be the priority of any organized government in America, and anywhere else for that matter!

Immunity from prosecution: Arguing both sides!

2011-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Immunity from prosecution: Arguing both sides!
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Tackling the issues that arise from immunity from prosecution is a delicate balancing act. This is particularly so, and indeed a very vexing matter, considering the political, legal, and constitutional issues raised in debates that have arisen from the intractable crises involving the governors of Anambra and Plateau States.

Immunity from prosecution, as enshrined in section 308 of Nigerian Constitution, was intended to serve public purpose flawlessly. As Nigerians now debate immunity from prosecution for president and governors, it should be remembered that there are compelling arguments for both proponents and opponents of the immunity clause. On the one hand, immunity from prosecution allows freedom of action by those beneficially protected with such immunity protections; conversely, immunity -- when abused -- could quickly become instruments of impunity of actions and impurity of outcomes, especially in the hands of public officials who seek to formulate and impose fraudulent public policies on Nigerian citizens. Immunity from prosecution could become a dangerous tool in the hands of those who possess a perverse sense of law, ethics, and decency.

It must be said that immunity from prosecution is a well-founded, well-reasoned concept, which has sundry benefits when applied honestly and scrupulously for the greater good and benefit of our society. This means that a sitting state governor of Nigeria or the president, during the subsistence of term of office, must have a free hand to act boldly and courageously for public good; in doing so, such governor or president would not be hindered by fear for self, for repercussion of actions embarked upon, for general public interest of a state or for national interests clearly defined -- all legitimate actions undertaken during the pendency of term of office by a governor or president -- must therefore be foreclosed from personal legal liability, hence the concept of immunity.

As the controversy rages in Nigeria regarding absolute immunity for public officials, Nigerians must however proceed cautiously, in view of the far-reaching implications of our hasty actions that are probable, as we seek to ensure that immunity protections are not exploited by corrupt officials’ avaricious perversity and absurdly extreme misuse power. In this connection, the concept of immunity from prosecution for certain public officials, Nigeria must undertaken with all seriousness, constitutional amendments, we must not change the constitution because of the shenanigans of Nigeria's current crop officeholders alone, a constitutional reviews and amendments, must be undertaken, for a more important rationale, and purpose, a solution that would stand the test of time and endure.

Conversely, immunity from prosecution is subject to abuses, just as every other law or rule is subject to abuse and adulteration by persons with such disposition to manipulate and corrupt laws and rules for their personal benefit, instead of public benefit. It is the case, therefore, that a governor or president, desirous of subverting public interests and public good for evil and personal gain, could engage in actions that serve personal or parochial interests, which of course amounts to perversions of public and national interest. At the same time, such governor may seek to cloak self in immunity from prosecution for actions undertaken as a public official. The electorate have witnessed a repeat demonstrations of such abuse of immunity protections since 1999.

In this debate, we probably should err on the side of retaining the concept of immunity for prosecution and the provisions in our constitution. What we perhaps ought to do is to redefine and delicately delineate actions that qualify and meet the standards or thresholds that are henceforth set, upon which a governor or president may successfully invoke the immunity clause.

Clearly, a commission of rape, murder, and embezzlements would of course not meet such standards and would not qualify for the contemplated protections. Preconditions would be set or required of actions that would meet the protection of a governor or president! I say this because there have been in recent times too many cases, glaring cases if I might add, where public officials have been suspected of engineering assassinations and killings that are politically motivated, and such heinous crimes have only met with murmurs of rumor quality. There have been cases where public officials have been accused of corruption and embezzlements or engaging in arsons to cover up egregiously heinous crimes. Further, there have been cases of public officials engaging in criminal conspiracies to pervert public interest, national interests, and general public good. These instances merit thorough investigations and determinations, whether such public official's notorious misconducts warrant the stripping of immunity.

A governor or president who is found in such instances to have committed criminal acts -- or conspired, aided, or abetted the commission of such offences by others -- is surely not deserving of immunity from prosecution by any stretch of the legal concept. The Nigerian Constitution presently offers carte blanche-immunity protections to president and governors. Nigeria ought to review these provisions and sections of the Constitution to repeal completely or to make amendments that reflect standards or threshold of conduct warranting such absolute constitutional protections, threshold beyond which the prosecutorial door is open and the immunity protection door is slammed in the face of erring public officials.

But this must clearly distinguish categories of actions that may be undertaken in good faith by, say, a governor or president in the public interest, while such governor or president is in office. For example, if a governor or president give orders for the demolition of my house because my house did not comply with the zoning laws of my locality or the president, or governor orders my house to be demolished because I have not maintained my house -- and it has become structurally unsound and unsafe, thereby constituting a public safety hazard, nuisance, and emergency, the governor or president should not be encumbered from the bold and courageous action of ordering the destruction of my house to safeguard public or national interest. Such governor or president must not be exposed to criminal or civil liabilities, penalties, or encumbrances for such transparent actions undertaken in good faith while in office and for the general welfare or public good of Nigerians. It would be different, however, if the governor or president allocates the land, hitherto occupied by my house, to himself or his in-laws. Such egregious misconduct would not meet the muster of immunity from prosecution! An amended Nigerian Constitution should so reflect distinctions of good faith, transparent actions, contrasted against corrupt usurpation gubernatorial or presidential powers.

Take another example related to public health and safety: If I have chicken farm in Ota infested with a chicken disease and, for reason of protecting the public's health and safety, the governor of the state where my chicken farm is located determined in good faith that it serves public or national interests to destroy the entire broods of my birds, in order to prevent the spread of the chicken disease from Ota to Maiduguri, etc. The governor must enjoy such freedom of action to enable the proper protection of the general public.

Another example, will probably reinforce the point: If I am flying my private jet toward the governor's or president's official residence, with a view of crashing into it because I disapprove of their policies and their lack of focus, by which they have deprived Nigeria of development and progress, of course, my aircraft should be shot down. I or my next of kin should not be heard to complain about such destruction or, worse, to demand compensation and recompense from the governor or the president for my life or property -- the plane -- that is thus destroyed in the process. Simply put, destroying or bringing down my plane should not expose or subject the governor or the president to legal strictures, as my noble but criminally foolhardy plane-crashing must be prevented in order to protect the public from my intended unsafe acts. Public interests and national interests require the governor or the president to act accordingly, and this must not subject them to criminal or civil litigations while in office, or even thereafter, due to actions undertaken for public safety and security.

In conclusion, as we debate the advantages and disadvantages of immunity from prosecution for public officials in Nigeria, notably the governors and the president, we must err on the side of, focusing on the benefits that accrue to our nation when public officials are not hindered and intimidated by fear of personal liabilities, as consequences of transparent actions they undertake for the utmost good of our people, actions taken while in office, actions that were in good faith, that were transparent, and that were for public good. We must delicately balance the two extremes: the benefits of immunity protections in the Constitution and the disadvantages that are probable from a complete absence of immunity protections in our Constitution, even as we fight to eliminate the ravages of the scourge of corruption. Even as we do all this, we must not disregard civil liberties and the rule of law.

Nigeria should maintain and retain the current constitutional provision that enshrines immunity from prosecution, or repeal it, amend it, refine it, retool it, reform it, but it should not be jettisoned because of the unjustifiable aberrant behaviors of some current public officials. We must continue to emphasize respect for the rule of law, due process, freedom and justice for all, even as we fine-tune our system and as democracy takes root.

First published on Wednesday, December 29, 2004

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30,000 Mexicans Killed In Drug War, Violence, Made in the USA!

2011-05-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

30,000 Mexicans Killed In Drug War, Violence, Made in the USA!

Written by Paul I. Adujie

This is a story about American appetite for drugs and narcotics which has and is still ruining many lives in America and many neighboring nations, particularly, America’s southern neighbor, the nation of Mexico.

30,000 persons, Mexicans, fellow human beings are dead in a short time period in Mexico, America’s neighbor to the south, as result and consequence of Americans’ insatiable appetite for drugs or narcotics.

30,000 persons are dead in a couple of years in Mexico even though Mexico, quite unlike Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Libya, Mexico is not officially engaged in armed conflicts or wars with another nation, as America is with so-called terrorists in so-called global war on terrorism and against terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq etc, and yet, 30, 000 Mexicans are dead!

This cannot and it is not an acceptable cost of doing any business, legal or illegal, particularly, illegal business! This is an unacceptable overhead cost of doing any business and it too high a price to pay or to be termed and dismissed as mere collateral damage

No human being, particularly the Americans would accept the death of 30,000 persons, Mexicans or Americans, as necessary cost associated costs for, say, shrimping, whaling, or salmon fishing for any purpose, whether domestic, and or, industrial consumptions.

Americans through Endangered Species Protections rules in America strives mightily to preserve bald eagles, and bison and strives mightily to put poachers of elephants for their tusks out of business. But why are Americans not up in arms in reaction to the needless deaths of 30,000 Mexicans in the demand and supply of illicit drugs or narcotics to satisfy Americans humongous appetite for harmful substances?

It cannot be stressed enough that the average American is a good and decent human being, who would have been known to do everything, move the government and corporate behemoths to prevent needless deaths in America and in far-away lands, whether in opposition to wars etc and more so, in neighboring Mexico where 30,000 are killed in a mere 24 months as a result of the conflicts, struggle and competition, vicious competition, to supply illegal drugs to meet the endless demands by Americans and yet, not a murmur of protests are heard in America about 30,000 lives cut short in their prime in Mexico to please Americans!

I have known the average American to be more decent and more caring than most. I have known the average American to protect complete strangers and to go all out or go to bat in defense of human rights, but why is it different regarding these 30,000 needless deaths which are directly connected to American consumption of drugs and or narcotics? Americans care about strangers and even animals, whether domesticated animals or farm animals, so, why are Americans not animated and concerned about the 30, 000 dead Mexican neighbors, killed so that drugs and narcotics can flow to America?

Demand and supply for drugs or narcotics by Americans is what fuels the drug trade in Mexico and much of North, South and Latin America. American guns and the easy access to guns in America facilitates and accelerates-exacerbates drug violence or wars in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Panama etc.

America has spent or squandered billions of dollars in a so-called drug war, for several decades, and drug trade as a consequence of drug or narcotics abuse continues unabated, unfettered and unhindered in America. The United States has collaborated with Colombia, Afghanistan and Mexico etc, in efforts to stem drugs and narcotics trade and consumption.

These American efforts have been direct and indirect, in which there are efforts to persuade growers-farmers of poppies to revert to the less profitable but traditional farm crops. America has also in Afghanistan and Colombia, actively engaged in military intervention through seizures and destruction of farms where raw materials for narcotics are grown and this has not changed much of the habits, whether from the demand or the supply standpoints. Americans demand drugs or narcotics is huge and there are extraordinary profits which acts as magnets for growers and traders in drugs and narcotics

The drug violence in Mexico has reached a crescendo of violence, full scale violence, but, the appetite for the consumption of drugs or narcotics remains high in the United States and the profits which is the incentive for the suppliers, remain equally seductive for would be narcotics-traffickers in Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, El Salvador etc

Mexico particularly, has in recent years bore the brunt of these cycles of violence sprung by illicit drugs and narcotics consumption which in turn, feeds the drug trade and attendant violence which is the nature of the beast.

President Felipe Calderon of Mexico declared a national war on drugs and narcotics trade and the gang warfare which is often associated with drug trade, as drugs and narcotics traffickers compete for turfs in the illicit trade in profitable markets for mind altering substances.

The focus of efforts of President of Mexico, has led to an escalation of violence between the narcotics traffickers on the one hand, and the government forces battling all the crime gangs on the other.

It has been extremely brutal, with decapitation or beheadings and most gory violent killings of private citizens, drug dealers, bystanders, police and soldiers and sundry government officials of the Mexican government

Recently, a kindergarten teacher in Monterrey Mexico received a national award and recognition in her heroic efforts to shield toddlers in their classroom which became a battle zone in which barrages of gun shot rang out like Afghanistan or Iraq or Libya. The kindergarten teacher tried to diffuse the surreal moments for the toddlers, by engaging them in singsong of chocolate rain and chocolate raining from the skies, a far cry from what was actually happening right then in the general vicinity of her kindergarten class.

It is public knowledge, and an indisputable, incontrovertible fact, that drugs and narcotics trade requires a great degree of violent intimidation and brutality. It is also, similarly beyond dispute, that drugs and narcotics trade violence is inflicted with dangerous weapons, mostly with firearms or guns.

Stemming the tide of murders, maiming and extreme mayhem in Mexico drug trade, which has claimed 30,000 lives in 2 years, will require Americans to act. Multiple pronged courses of actions will have to be pursued most aggressively and simultaneously. Curb the demand and or consumption of drugs and narcotics. Demands and consumptions fuels suppliers or traders who are in for the extraordinary profits

It is urgent, important, and crucial that America impose strict, strong and robust gun control laws. Guns are not some sorts of farm implements or equipment needed for productive economic activities. American fascination with guns, the warmth, fuzzy feelings and excitements too many Americans feel for guns defies my understanding, given that gun deaths in America annually is in the tens of thousands! America is not a hunter-gatherer medieval society.

Access to guns should be exceedingly rare for a majority of American citizens, notwithstanding the antics of Second Amendment agitators.

America should support Mexico, a neighbor and a democracy, to stimulate the Mexican economy, which will in turn lessen the temptation for Mexican citizens who are lured into to drug trade due to poverty. A buoyant Mexican economy will also act as bulwark against mass migration from Mexico to the United States and the perennial complaints against Mexicans immigrants who migrate north to seek prosperity in America. I have always wondered why Mexico, an American neighbor and a democracy, can be so poor, even despite her proximity to America, and in this twenty-first century!

There is no controversy at all, the fact is even agreed by both the American and Mexican governments that the bulk of guns used in Mexican drugs and narcotics trade, have their origins in the United States, in fact, Mexican authorities have repeated stated that 90% or more, of the guns used in drugs and narcotics trade in Mexico, are from the United States!

This situation is dire, precarious and quite honestly unacceptable. Americans familiar with the statistics and trend in regarding drug trade flow from Mexico to the United States, and the flow of guns from the United States to Mexico, are all agreed on this point. This drug trade and violent epidemic are a combined misfortune for Mexico; it is double whamming. The inflow of guns into Mexico from the United States and the violent deaths of over 30,000 Mexicans within two years, as direct result of drugs and narcotics consumption in the United States, sans Uzis, and AK47s etc

Americans in all probabilities care for Mexican families affected directly and indirectly, by the drug violence which have claimed 30, 000 Mexicans, in needless and untimely violence induced by consumption of drugs and narcotics and the horrible brutality which is part and parcel or associated with trafficking in drugs, narcotics or controlled substances.

Americans surely care more about 30,000 Mexicans than American dogs, cats and other family pets!

Americans spend over $3billion dollars a year for pet care, pet medicines and pet burials etc, Americans are that sentimental, kindhearted and generous with emotions, feelings and care for domestic animals, and even farm animals. Americans go all out and to the end of the earth literally, to ensure that farm animals are treated “humanely” before such animals are slaughtered and readied for dinner tables

Americans are often heard to spend and invest emotions, time and money to ensure there are no child labors involved in the production of products consumed in America. Americans have been known to be critical about labor practices at home and abroad.

Americans have been known to worry about labor practices in China for instance, in which prisoners and prison labor are said to be involved in manufacturing or production of goods and services in China for export to the United States

Americans are known to worry about sustainable agricultural and farm production practices. There are these frequent concerns expressed by Americans about the lives of farmers. And even the new attitude towards sustainable harvests and organically grown and harvested foods with less chemicals and mindless automation etc

Americans frequently express concerns for how farmlands, farmers and farm labor are treated. Americans are known for demonstrating and indicating keen interests in sustainable farming and harvesting of legitimate crops and food production for human needs.

Imagine the contrasts and comparisons between such genuine concerns for legitimate agriculture and food productions, with the completely illegal and illegitimate planting, harvesting of poppy and the manufacture of cocaine, heroin and other narcotics in which there is complete detachments as to the death of more than 30,000 persons within 24 months in Mexico alone! 30,000 deaths in one nations, more than the number of American military personnel killed in real and actual wars declared and ongoing in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan since 2001, in the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2011!

It is hoped that Americans will not want to be directly or indirectly connected with the deaths more than the 30,000 Mexicans who have already been killed in drugs and narcotics trafficking and its consequences.

This has to be a national emergency for Mexico, and it is in fact, a global emergency, a humanitarian catastrophe and disaster! The death of 30,000 persons and counting, all within a short time period of a couple of years! It is indeed, worse than most wars, civil wars or international wars between two or more nations.

Americans are good people, and therefore, Americans will not accept and tolerate further needless murders of Mexicans under any circumstances, and particularly, in relation to illegal drug trafficking to satiate the appetite of some Americans, who are addicted to drugs, narcotics and controlled substances.

Western Nations Are Bankers For Gadahafi, Dictators, & Tyrants, The Pope As Bankers For Mafia?

2011-05-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Western Nations Are Bankers For Gadahafi, Dictators, & Tyrants, The Pope As Bankers For Mafia?
Written by Paul I. Adujie

$80 Billion Dollars Libyan money is hidden by Gadahaffi in America and Europe, it has now been revealed that western nations and their institutions have been acting as Gadahafi’s bankers.

It is as if, and quite similar to what a revelation of the Pope acting as banker and consultant for the Mafia would sound and feel like? It is the moral equivalents! And the world thinks nothing of it?

Western nations, meaning, America and her western European allies, have always labeled Gadahafi a mad man! Gadahafi has been persona non grata in the views of western nations and this label and appellations for Gadafi has been the same, since my childhood and during the lifetimes of most living adults in the world today!

But how is it then, that the same Gadahafi, the mad man of Tripoli, Libya, the notorious dictator, tyrant, authoritarian, totalitarian, antidemocratic and antichrist, at least, as far as western nations are concerned, is also a client and a customer and source of immense incomes for western nations?

How come that same Gadaafi is the same one, who is the most favored customer and client of American and European Banks and financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Hong Kong Singapore Banking Corporation or HSBC as well as Societe General Bank of France!

Banks and financial institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, HSBC Holdings and Société Générale are among the major banks that have helped Col. Mummar Gadahafi to “invest” Libya’s oil money, money which is treated as personal money and personal estate and personal wealth by Gadahafi, his sons and his coterie and retinue of hangers and western nations and their banks are keenly aware of these salient facts!

Multitudes of questions therefore arise which western governments and western banks and financial institutions must answered honestly, sincerely and thoroughly; amongst which are, why knowingly act as bankers, conduit, funnel through which Libya treasury is pillaged and plundered?

Why would western governments and their institutions act as accessory to looting of Libya’s patrimony?

Why act as bankers to a mad man, a dictator and tyrant? Why act as bankers and consultant to a man who western nations have repeatedly labeled as terrorist and sponsor of terrorism?

Why is it logical and reasonable to frequently, publicly and loudly accuse Gadahafi and his dictator, tyrant ilk of corruption and looting from their national treasuries, while simultaneously and contemporaneously acting as his financial safe haven enabling and facilitating the siphoning and secreting of money meant for the creation of health, wealth and happiness in Libya, for instance

How does and how would anyone explain this phenomena in which western nations are often badgering the entire world with the lofty ideals and tenets of democracy and democratization, free market economy and political and economic reforms as sacrosanct, as imperative for all the world.

Why is it, that western nations never have any qualms in helping dictators siphon national treasuries? It is public knowledge that Mobutu Sese Sekour of the Congo siphon money from his nation and stashed it in western banks and financial institutions.

Ditto Saddam Husein of Iraq and Shah of Iran, and Sulharto of Indonesia and Ferdinand Marcus of the Philippines and Gadahafi and many others now and in the past. Stolen foreign money seems to be the fuel oil and steady lubricants for economies of western nations?

Billions of dollars siphoned by dictators and secreted by western nations is deprivation meted out to developing nations, it is worse than the invasions and occupations of those nations so deprived, it is worse than the effects of terrorism and money laundering to which western nations guard their own nations against.

Looted and siphoned secreted by western nations and their banks and financial institutions is tantamount to indirect colonialism and an imperialistic tool which controls the world order.

It directly tax, stymies, stunt and retard developments of developing nations which are victims of these plunders and pillaging and looting and the provision of safe haven by sermonizing and sanctimonious western nations and their banks and financial institutions is the unkindest cut and extreme hypocrisy!

Western nations frequently engage in ostentatiously shaming dictators, tyrants and autocracies and theocracies and unsavory characters such as their whipping boy-demon, Gadahafi and secretly be his banker and the world would have been none the wiser, but for the extensive investigative reports which undertaken by Global Witness which has published in The New York Times and elsewhere;

A feature article by David Jolly of The New York Times reports that “ Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi has stashed billions of dollars of Libyan oil revenues with financial institutions on Wall Street and in Europe, according to a document made public Thursday by an international advocacy group”, Global Witness, a WikiLeaks type organization which releases useful information for public good and common good

David Jolly’s article further revealed that “The fund also invested billions of dollars in the stocks of well-known companies, including General Electric, Halliburton, BP and Nokia, and held a large portfolio of United States government bonds.” “Qaddafi makes no distinction between his personal assets and the resources of the country.”

What do we call those who act as bankers or provide safe haven for dictators and tyrants who plunder and pillage public treasuries? Why do western nations, governments and banks act as enablers, facilitators in cahoots with global criminals? It is like the Pope being bankers to the Mafia!

While America and Europeans act as bankers for persons such as Moammar Gadahafi and other tyrants, dictators and totalitarians of this world!

What could possibly be the Christian Bible basis or religious and ethical rationales for being bankers to a mad man, a sponsor of terrorism, a dictator, a tyrant and a compulsively irrational man, as western nation have him, Gadahafi?
What could possibly the altruistic and benevolent reasons why western nations and their morally outstanding and ethically upright institutions be bankers and consultants to an epitome of evil and vile?

Could it be that money and profits knows no bounds of Christian religiosity, morals, and ethics when profits beckon?

Are western nations, banks and financial institutions within them able to rationally, logically justify serving and acting as bankers and consultants for Gadahafi and his sons and clans? How do western nations excuse being the safe haven for stolen goods of which they are keenly aware, are goods with statuses of haven been stolen!

Similarly, it has since come to light, courtesy of Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks, that globally famous London School of Economics or LSE accepted millions of dollars from the Gadahafi family in a “Pay-to-Play-Scheme” then awarded an advanced LSE degree to a Gadahafi son.

It is also true that an American who acted as a consultant, and those who aggressively promoted Gadahafi’s son as a reformer, were all paid consultant on the payroll of the Gadahafis

Western nations and their institutions apparently are blissfully oblivious and unaware of the contradictions, inappropriateness, inconsistencies and conflicts of interests in these incestuous relationship with unsavory characters with equally unsavory abysmal and dismal records on human rights, democratization and economic and political reforms. What does anyone say for someone who thinks a type of food poisonous, but, nevertheless keep putting the poisonous food in own mouth, because food is good for hunger?

Clearly, it is the case that western nations and western banks and financial institutions are playing the role of helping thieves and drug dealers secret proceeds from obviously criminal, illegal and illicit activities, while pretending no collusion, connivance and complicity in the criminal enterprise and the outcomes in the completed crimes and consequences to the nations looted, pillaged and plundered!

Western nations do not tolerate anyone who harbors, secrets and protects criminals and proceeds of their criminality. Western nations have advertised aversions to money laundering; whether such money is connected with organized crimes, drug and narcotics trade and most recently, terrorism.

So, why are western nations actively engaged in secreting and providing safe haven and harbors for monies stolen by those same persons labeled as mad men, dictators, tyrants, antidemocratic and persons deemed to be engaged in human rights abuses, and in the use and abuse of absolute and arbitrary powers?

Why be bankers to thieves and criminals of the worst types on earth? Why be bankers to those who kill and maim “their-own- people”?

Why is it that America and Europe would help Gadahafi to hide billions of dollars, money which rightly belong to Libya and the people of Libya and for Libya's development?

Why is America and Europe now just telling the world that they were helping Gadhaffi to stash $80 Billion dollars?

Does the Pope also help the Mafia to stash Mafia money, money from criminal activities? And the world thinks nothing of it?

Qaddafi Reportedly Stashes Billions in Western Institutions http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/world/africa/27qaddafi.html

Swiss Banks: Demands By America and Nigeria
http://adujie-writings.blogspot.com/2009/05/swiss-banks-demands-by-america-and.html

900 Africans Drown As NATO Ignores Humanitarian Catastrophes In & Near Libya

2011-05-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

900 Africans Drown As NATO Ignores Humanitarian Catastrophes In & Near Libya!
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Horrific and horrendous, is the news emanating from inside Libya, waters around Libya and on the Mediterranean Sea!
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization with absolute military command, control and occupation of the area, continues to ignore and neglect the dire humanitarian disaster in and around Libya and its environs.

Humanitarian catastrophes and disasters are occurring under the nose of NATO, even though NATO had in fact used preventing humanitarian catastrophe as the pretext, excuse, cover and camouflage for its direct military intervention in Libya’s political crisis.

NATO continues to pursue its vindictive and vengeful core mission against Gaddahafi, a revenge policy against Ghadafi for his affront against western nations in daring to challenge them and compete with them on sundry geopolitical issues over the years. The political crisis in Libya finally provided an excuse and an opening for western nations to settle a score with Gadahafi who has been a thorn in their flesh!

It is getting clearer by the minute that NATO had no such thing as resembling efforts to avoid humanitarian catastrophes in and around Libya. Whether on land or at sea

More than 900 persons have drowned in the sea while fleeing the conflicts in Libya. Internal conflicts which is compounded by the barrages of bombardments and air sorties by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization‘s military.

It is public knowledge that France, Italy and most of Europe have persistently denied refugee status and entry to those fleeing from the revolts and ensuing violence in Libya.
It is public knowledge as well, that western nations through NATO have directly intervened with bombardments in Libya which continues as Libya remains under foreign siege by western militaries.
Libya is being manacled by western nations through NATO, while NATO or western nations have parsed words and arguments in pretense that the political crisis in Libya is somehow different and distinct, in comparison to Syria, Yemen and Bahrain where thousands of peaceful protesters have been mauled and mowed down and murdered by their governments.
In the lead up to NATO intervention in Libya and even now, western nations made specious and spurious distinctions between Gadahafi action is violently crushing and brutally repressing armed rebels opposed to him;

Compared with identical extra-judicial murders and daily killings which continues to take place in Daraa and Homs in Syria, with videos of these carnage-rampage by the government of Bashar Al Assad which have left more than 1,300 civilians dead in Syria

In Yemen, the government there has violently repressed peaceful protesters killing over 1,000 with little murmur by way of tepid public remarks from western nations regarding importance of democracy and economic reforms, and the risks dictator face which may amount to sanctions of some sorts.

Saudi Arabia marched into Bahrain with troops in a stampede to crush peaceful protests and support Bahrain and facilitate her violent political repression efforts

The only difference is really actually that the dictators, the tyrants and totalitarians in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia etc, are puppets of western nations and so, they are insured and protected by western nations which looks the other way, while their puppets murder their own citizens to maintain power, and then “stability” to protect western “vital” interests.

Thousands of persons have been displaced and dislocated, among them Libyans, but, primarily, and mostly comprised of continental African migrant workers, who have died at sea in the past week under NATO’s watch.

Various news sources, Democracy Now, The Guardian Newspapers of London etc, have been reporting that boats filled with African Migrants Fleeing Libya Left to Die by NATO, European Units.

Hundreds of African migrants “were left to die in the Mediterranean Sea after a number of European and NATO military units apparently ignored their cries for help“. “The boat had left Libya bound for Italy” and other European nations.

The drowned African migrants, including women, young children and many others seeking refuge from the violent conflict which continues in Libya

There are, now multitudes of reports of several drowning of vast number of these hapless Africans were waters patrolled by NATO forces by air and by sea.

It has become public knowledge that so many Africans fleeing from NATO’s bombardments of Gadhafi forces, have died of hunger, thirst after their boats were left adrift for an extended period of time; news reports have these Africans as drifting over open waters for 16 days or more! These poor Africans were left to drown and die lonely deaths in the bowels of the Mediterranean Sea

Clearly there were calculated decisions by NATO to the effect that the lives of these multitudes of Africans are expendable. NATO ignored endangered Africans to perish at sea.

African migrants fleeing Libya were ignored and neglected by NATO, while all NATO efforts is concentrated on regime change through the killing or overthrow of Gaddahafi. NATO’s direct intervention stands with very tenuous legal foot and NATO has indeed exceeded that very tenuous mandate which it procured and arm twisted from a United Nations always willing to do NATO and western nations’ bidding at every beck and call.

In all of these, NATO pretends to give some coloration of International Law to NATO’s direct intervention in Libya, using the auspices and toga of the United Nations. While simultaneously, NATO is using Qatar and the flimsy Arab League as proxies and straw men, with useless appellations and labels of partner and coalitions members! Anyone with a minimum understanding or discernment can see that NATO is engaged in deceits.

NATO argued and defended its intervention in Libya as purely humanitarian efforts. NATO pretended that it was engaged in altruistic and benevolent rescues of persons in Libya, as NATO argued that there were risks of certain-death from Gadahafi onslaught as the political uprising in Benghazi progressed.

NATO loudly and ostentatiously announced to the world that it directly intervened and continue to bomb Gadahafi forces and Libya’s infrastructures to smithereens and to stone age, because NATO is intent on avoiding mass extermination of civilians in the hands of Gadahafi forces.

There are now humanitarian catastrophes and humanitarian disasters galore in and around Libya! What is the purpose of NATO’s intervention and continued bombardments of Libyan structures? Reconstruction contracts for western nations perhaps? And what follows will be awards and reallocation of Libyan petroleum between western nations?

NATO have ignored and neglected to protect African migrants despite calls from a religious leader in Italy who had contacted NATO with details of the Save-Our-Souls or SOS message which the religious leader relayed to NATO from the African migrants while they were in dire straits.

These African migrants were said to have been adrift in their boats for several weeks on the Mediterranean Sea traveled frequently by ocean going vessels and NATO’s armada.

It is noteworthy that NATO has had control of the entire airspace for months now. NATO has the entire area saturated and constantly patrolled. It has been reported during the past several hours that NATO intercepted a small booby-trapped boat with mannequins and rigged to kill, maim or injure on contact with persons or vessels in the area

How possible is it then, that NATO can spot such improvised boat-craft, while the same NATO have been arguing vigorously that it missed the drowning and perishing ships carrying African migrants. We know that this is a lie. If it were true, it means that Gadhafi or anyone else could have deployed military materiel troops, arms, ammunition with ships in an area now dominated and saturated by NATO and NATO would not have noticed such ships, even after such ships with 900 African migrants drifted in the waters for over 16 days!

Even though NATO has overwhelming military presence in the air, on land and at sea, particularly at sea which NATO have been using to supply Libyan rebels

Hundreds and thousands of African migrants have been left in limbo in the aftermath of the Libyan violent uprising. Thousands of African migrants fleeing from the violent conflict in Libya have been caught in the crossfire between NATO, Ghadafi and Libyan rebel forces. Extreme hardships, sufferings and desperation have become pervasive in and around Libya.

These hapless African migrants in attempts to escape these violence conflicts have led to avoidable deaths. NATO has refused to provide humanitarian assistance which is mandated by International Maritime Law. It is the rule to the effect that it is incumbent upon vessels within the general area or vicinity of ships in distress to rescue or call for rescue of ships and persons in peril.

This is the rule, whether or not, the ships required to engage in such rescue efforts are commercial mercantile ships or military ships. And here, we have the full presence of NATO armada with the advertised pretense of efforts at avoiding humanitarian catastrophe, as the predicate or foundational basis of NATO’s direct intervention in Libya internal political crisis in the first place!

The legitimate question which arises therefore is, why did NATO look the other way, ignored and neglected to provide humanitarian needs and protection for these 900 perished or drowned African migrants or what exactly is NATO’s purpose and intent for intervening directly in Libya?

NATO forces obviously consider these hapless poor African migrants as expendable collateral damage in NATO’s more important mission of regime change in Libya, to dislodge Gadahafi, an old foe of western nations, in order to settle old grudges and then allocate Libyan resources to themselves, and none else!
Clearly, NATO’s deceitful pretexts for directly intervening in Libya is now exposed for what it is a ruse!

Professor Attahiru Jega; A Vote of Thanks & Thunderous Applause From A Grateful Nation

2011-05-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Professor Attahiru Jega; A Vote of Thanks & Thunderous Applause From A Grateful Nation

Written by Paul I. Adujie

Elections are over and inaugurations are scheduled to take place nationwide in a matter of days, and nobody is asking for Professor Jega’s head, what could the secret be?

Local and international elections observers and monitors have all adjudged and pronounced the elections as free and fair. Even, President Obama of the United States in his congratulatory message to President Jonathan, made pointed reference and mention of how remarkably good this election season was in Nigeria!

There is no one complaining and condemning Professor Jega and his effective and efficient management and staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, So, why is no commending him?

We Nigerians are always generous with complaints, condemnations and scathing criticisms, but how about when it comes to praises, accolades and encomiums for the deserving amongst us?

It is quite curious to be witness of this deafening loud silence in the face of the remarkably outstanding performance by Professor Jega at the end of Nigeria’ general elections, it is quite shocking!

We Nigerians should be quick with commendation as we are always quick with our takes no prisoners criticisms.

Why the sudden conspiracy of silence in the face of Professor Attahiru Jega’s superb performance? Nigeria just had a nearly flawless general elections courtesy, our indomitable and indefatigable son!

A widely acclaimed electoral process was just husbanded and mid-wifed by Professor Jega, but where are the accolades, encomiums and standing ovations of thunderous applause? Nigerians do no mince words in criticisms of government officials, but how about praises for superb completion of a monumental national assignment?

On behalf of all Nigerians and all those who wish Nigeria well, I doff my hat to Professor Jega!

It is the case that a widely acclaimed successful election under his belt and days to his inauguration; the Nigerian voters and public are satisfied and have not expressed any uproars or rancor with the usual vehemence and stridency as is customary, historically, after general elections. All is quiet, in satisfaction, with regard to Professor Jega’s INEC’s extraordinary performance

Professor Attahiru Jega is one of Nigeria’s best. Professor Jega has delivered against all odds. Jega and his INEC carried out a monumental national assignment effectively and most efficiently, shaming cynics and skeptics. Professor conquered the logistical challenges after the technical glitches which occurred on the first day of voting in the series of scheduled general elections nationwide.

He started off, by tackling nightmarish voters’ registrations of millions of Nigerians of voting age, working against stringent time constraint, manpower, money and sundry resources. He succeeded at that, which in turn, became the predicate or foundation, for his overall success at the general election proper.

Professor Jega infused new ideas into our electoral and political process. He involved capable hands across the spectrum and across sectors.

Professor Jega is among Nigeria’s best, he is a gem; an astute manager of human and material resources. We have always known that he is a great thinker and a man of great courage while at the helms of ASUU. He boldly, heroically and courageously stood firm for what is right, even during a military government which brooked no opposition or difference of opinions.

Professor Jega has now also proven that he is a doer! He has actualized and practicalized political theories and brought it all to reality for our national benefits.

His electoral feat brought benefits and progress which will endure for generations to come. Professor Jega has helped Nigeria to entrench and stabilize democracy, and I am left to wonder if this remarkable accomplishment is left unnoticed by millions of Nigerians?

Professor Jega has broken the jinx and the spell which has forever bedeviled our electoral processes. Professor Jega is at once an epitome of fierce nationalism and patriotism, and all that is best in, and about Nigeria!

He is an exemplification of our superb intellects; and he illustrates and demonstrates everything Nigerian and Nigeria at the very best, bar none! He brought his fierce nationalism and patriotism to INEC, to managing the INEC persons and resources with positive zeal which brought us a successful electoral season.

This electoral season it will be recalled, is the season which was predicted as the harbinger of anarchy and disintegration of Nigeria. The nay sayers, the pessimists and the doom and gloom forecast have been shamed courtesy of Jega ‘s INEC diligence

Professor Jega’s stewardship at the helms of the Independent National Electoral Commission or INEC, has just completed a monumental national assignment; a task which was daunting logistically in every material particular and from every perspectives or angles

A tough and tedious national assignment in scope, size and complexities, made even more complex and complicated by the sundry multiple variables of our nation and the political dynamics, not to mention the vagaries of the political characters and gladiators, who seem to only contemplate winning and never the possibility of defeat at the polls!

I will concede that I was a little rattled by INEC false-start on what was supposed to be first day in the series of elections during this general election season. I had wondered why there were no plans at multiple layer upon layers, so that when plan A failed, plan B should have been implemented or then plan C etc

But, Professor Jega and his INEC rebounded and operated smoothly thereafter, haven learned from the false starts or logistical challenges. It is the case, that INEC operated remarkably and by all measures and from all accounts, Nigerians were suitably impressed by Professor Jega and his INEC, from the fact that INEC officials were on time, to efficient accreditation process to the actual casting of ballots!

There were Nigerians who called my radio show here in the United States live, to comment on how efficient and effective Professor Jega and his indomitable and indefatigable officials were with the humongous assignment which was thrust upon them!

It is no easy task, given our extensive and expansive terrain, geographically speaking; And it is no small task to staff, supply and manage humans and materials for polling units or stations in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to the tune of 130,000 simultaneously!

This is particularly challenging, in our national political environment which is fractious, tense and with frictions bordering on the rancorous.

The preceding electioneering season was particularly full and loaded with political gladiators who were animated not about our national interest, national unity and doing the ultimate public good for our common good, but instead, some of these political gladiators were only intend on bringing the house down violently, in the event of their loss!

There were, as a consequence, reasons for well meaning Nigerians at home and abroad to be concerned with the outcomes and ramifications for Nigeria during and after this election season.

In effect, a difficult and weighty national assignment for Professor Jega and his INEC was made even more pregnant with existential implications for Nigeria.

Our continued corporate existence as a nation were put to the test, as it were and thanks to this intelligent, smart, savvy great manager of humans and material, Professor Jega, I can now report that Nigerians and Nigeria can now heave a sigh of relief!

We should, in all of these, not forget to applaud the wisdom, the foresight and vision of those who sought to select this Nigerian gem of a man Professor Jega, for this all important national assignment in the first place!

Through this just concluded elections, it should be clear to Nigerians, and the entire world, that Nigerians are possess capable persons equally capable, ready, willing and able to carry out and complete successfully, monumental assignments or tasks, no matter how delicate, intricate and complex!

Our resolve, our reach, our capacity were amply demonstrated in the just concluded general elections, and we deserve and have earned the right to celebrate and feel triumphal about the almost genteel outcomes.

Professor Jega’s exemplary performance as the helmsman at INEC is resounding victory for all Nigerians and Nigeria. And it is a vote of confidence in our ability to manage anything and everything, when the right persons, materials and excellent can-do attitude are deployed by Nigerians.

In all of this, there is a little something to be said, of that guy, the Goodluck Jonathan guy, who had the foresight and infinite wisdom of selecting the right person for this all-important national assignment! Thank Mr. President for selecting a Nigerian who is not compromised, mortgaged or beholden to anyone!

President Jonathan it will be recalled, hired Professor Jega upon being told that the professor is a seasoned, competent and outstanding citizen with excellent track record and retinue of achievement. President Jonathan got the right and great citizen for the job! There you have it, Nigeria’s bests!

A grateful nation now offers 150 million thunderous applause and standing ovation to Professor Attahiru Jega for doing Nigeria proud!

Palestine Nationhood Imperative; As Israel Meets The World!

2011-05-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Palestine Nationhood Imperative; As Israel Meets The World!
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Palestine nationhood should be declared and the skies and heavens will not fall.

Let America and Israel deal with Palestine nation state as an imperative and fact of life.

Let Palestinians table their self determination, independence and freedom at the United Nations in September 2011 which will put America in a tough spot.

America will have to either support Palestine nationhood, independence, freedom, liberty and democracy or America will be seen again as displaying biases in favor of Israel to “protect” Israel in the usual lopsided perennial way for the world to see.

America and Israel are behind the curve and lagging, regarding the yearnings and aspirations of Palestine, the Arabs, Persians and the Islamic world’s political awakening, the so-called Arab Spring or Arab Awakening. The International Community is on the side of Palestine nationhood!

America at every step have supported and facilitated Israel’s ability to remain complacent and refused to move the Palestine-Israel peace talks forward and the world is now tired of the subterfuge, chicaneries and shenanigans in which ostentatious plans to talk about peace has not led to actual peace talks

Israel have argued for several years that Mahmud Abbas is isolated and does not represent all Palestinians, and cannot move peace forward, because Palestinians are divided along the lines of HAMAS supporters and FATAH supporters.

Why does peace between HAMAS and FATAH worry America and Israel so much? Why does the reconciliation between the different groups in Palestine offend America and Israel? Why should the division between Palestinians bring some twisted comforts, complacency and warped satisfaction to anyone?

Israel has always protested that it had no one to negotiate peace with, because of the internal division within Palestine, even though, America and Israel actually in fact, engineered and orchestrated the splinting inside Palestine when HAMAS was denied the fruits of electoral wins or victory in 2006

Now, that HAMAS and FATAH have reconciled and there is political unity between Palestinians of all political spectrum, Israel and Israel’s Godfather now argues that there will be no peace talks because HAMAS is not a peaceful organization.

Israel military is not a peaceful organization and it has killed more than 2,500 Palestinians in the preceding 20 months!

Palestinian-Israel Peace Talks stalemate –impasse began with the American led delegitimizing of elections won, fair and square by HAMAS in January 2006 with a majority in Palestinian parliament.

HAMAS electoral victory undermined, relegated and disregarded undermining electoral democratic process

Palestine and Israel intractable conflict is 100 year headache to America, the Middle East and the entire world.

Netanyahu lectured Obama… even Jeffrey Goldberg a supporter of Israel, said he was surprised to see Netanyahu lecture Obama.

The fact is, Mr. Ehud Olmert, Benyamin Netanyahu’s immediate predecessor as prime minister of Israel, said the same things about boundaries between Palestine and Israel as neighboring nations, which is what President Obama has said about pre-1967 borders, and land swaps based on mutually agreed exchange.

And yet, Netanyahu is mad at Obama lecturing him on nationally and globally televised meeting as Netanyahu says, we can’t go back to those indefensible lines

A frosty Benjamin Netanyahu with unconcealed angry-belligerent mien, met with President Obama at the White House on Friday May 20, 2011, a day after the latter made new pronouncements as America’s aspirations for peace and security in the Middle East.

Netanyahu lectured President Obama in condescending patronizing manner, it was clear that they were making nice in public even as deep seated differences exists and are seeping out despite a closed door meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu

Israel and her supporters continue to seek American cover and protective shield while retaining an unflinching and unyielding insistence on doing things which are opposed by the United States, the United Nations and in fact, doing things which are opposed by the whole world

Astonishingly, Israel is digging in, despite the changing tides in the Middle East in the aftermath of the cataclysmic Arab Spring and the aftermath of the demise of Osama bin Laden

How is it that Netanyahu of Israeli heckles President Obama despite the obvious tsunami which continues to unfold in the Middle East in the so-called Arab Awakening or Arab Spring? And how is it that not much mention is made of the absence of political and economic reforms in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and in other Arab nations which are friendly to America, but using arbitrary and brutal state power to squelch peaceful protesters and killing hundreds of them?

Nothing is said about Saudi Arabia, because gas price at pumps in America might go up if America insists on what is right, and thereby make Saudi Arabian monarchy angry?

America’s policy inconsistencies and hypocritical stances for the region is the source of all the trouble in Middle East.

America constantly deals with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain favorably, while being tough and harsh with Iran, Syria, Libya etc and this is keenly and acutely observed globally!

Israel and others are pretending that the reconciliation between FATAH and HAMAS is the reason why Israel has continued to rapidly expand constructions of Jewish Settlements on Palestine territory.

HAMAS is not the reason why Israel have not negotiated peace with Mahmud Abbas of the Palestine Authority for several years since the George W. Bush concocted so-called “Road Map”

HAMAS and FATAH organizations represent Palestinians’ worldview; therefore, unity through reconciliation within Palestine should not be demonized. Reconciliations between Palestine actually demonstrate political and democratic maturity and such political compromises for the common good should not be demonized by America and Israel

On the contrary, we should applaud Palestinians for agreeing to work together for peace in the region. When did compromise fo the sake of peace become such a bad thing, bad idea? Or is it simply because America and Israel believes that a splintered Palestinians suits American and Israeli purpose of divide and conquer?

A divided Palestinian political leadership has guaranteed Israel’s domination and occupation of Palestine. The undermining and marginalization of HAMAS since their electoral victory in 2006 proves this point abundantly!

There is a preponderance of evidence in favor of robust negotiations between the parties for the sake of true and lasting peace and there is overwhelming evidence of Israel and Netanyahu's intransigence.... laid bare even today as he scarcely could contain and restrain his arrogant body language as he spoke with President of the United States. Netanyahu goes out of his way to alienate President Obama and America

The question may be asked, what other person and nation deals with the president of the United States, the way and manner in which Netanyahu did on Friday, with such contempt and undiluted disdain

Were it not for the United States, what is the population of Israel and what are Israel resources which could be the predicate and which buoys her confrontation with the USA?

Why does, the nation of Israel and her supporters have aversion to Palestinians desire to table self-determination, independence and nationhood in September 2011 at the United Nations?

The world should ask why the Palestinians are frustrated and impatience?

It is the urgency of now, which every reasonable person can see regarding Middle East conflict which motivates President Obama’s response and policy speech on Middle East; as Israel continues to expand Jewish Settlements on Palestine territory, Jewish Settlements which were formerly deemed illegal by America and the United Nations, but now, America and Israel now refer to these settlements as the new reality on ground in the Peace Talks.

Netanyahu now proudly says that, leaving those territories to Palestinians, the rightful owners, is not going to happen or that it is indefensible to even ask Israel to give up on Palestine lands which Israel have been grabbing and continuing to engage in this land grabs.

Netanyahu only this week, and before embarking on his trip to America to meet President Obama, address AIPAC and address a joint session of the US Congress, Netanyahu actually approved more land grabs for the expansion of Jewish Settlements on Palestine land for more than 1,500 new houses!

Why does, the nation of Israel and her supporters oppose the so-called two states solutions?

Netanyahu coldly and icily lectured President Obama as to why what the president believes is different from and inconsistent with the reality. This, even though, everyone knows that President Obama is thoroughly attuned to the details, the specifics, historical evidence of Palestine and Israel contests

Why is Israel acting and insisting on continuing to act as a colonial and imperial collecting Customs, Excise fees and taxes which rightly belong to Palestine, and withholding them?

It abundantly clear now and quite glaring, that our position is not a fringe position or some isolated idea as to what must be done for the realization of true peace between Palestine and Israel, and in effect, the attainment of peace in all of the Middle East.

Netanyahu and superior arguments, arguments which are better than the current ones, so long as they are logical, reasonable and supported by the evidence as they may exist on each particular issue regarding true and lasting peace in the Middle East, and offensive body language and sour tone of voice and blazing eyes etc by Netanyahu would not do.

Everyone who has observed Mr. Netanyahu over time knows that e is Mr. Intransigence extraordinaire!

Everyone who has observed the endless conflicts and the loud talk about Peace Talks have become tire, weary and frustrated with unproductive tactics. All reasonable persons are now calling a spade a spade and most are now ready and able to state forthrightly, their assessment of the Palestine -Israel impasse.

It is not an isolated view, fringe view or lonely view limited to Palestinians who are critical of Israel tactics... there are Jews and Gentiles etc who now frequently say, that Israel is overbearing arrogant and that Israel built an Apartheid Wall against Palestinians and other Arabs

It is the case that Israel's and America's best interests are served and will be served and protected through Peace Accords with Israel's Arab and Persian neighbors. Palestine nationhood which will bring peace, security and stability is not some sorts of favor for the long suffering people of Palestine.

Peace between Palestine and Israel will bring peace, security and stability to the Middle East and this will be good not just for the region, but for the whole world!

Peace between Palestine and Israel is the only way to true, everlasting peace, security and stability in the Middle Easter and Persian Gulf region.

America and Israel must jettison the expedient, myopic and parochial policy in which monarchies, tyrants, dictators are propped to act as puppets for Israel and the US have always brought gargantuan unpleasantness... it is time to recalibrate and change all that... change is good and possible in the circumstances. Dictators and tyrants only offer fleeting-fluid “stability”

And this is the big picture which can be garnered from the multiple variables which have been repeatedly marshaled robustly, in arguments this writer’s essays on the Middle East conflicts

George Mitchell the erstwhile special envoy, appointed by President Obama on Peace Talks between Palestine and Israel resigned a few days before Mr. Obama’s Middle East Policy Statement on Middle East.

The world should be asking why Senator George Mitchell resigned. It is the case that he resigned as Mideast Envoy because the process was going nowhere and has gone nowhere for over two years since his appointment

Oslo Accord which was to lead to further Peace Talks and more peacemaking were similarly abandoned. The much touted and loudly proclaimed Road Map to peace which was promoted and advocated as Middle East panacea by former President George W. Bush also was lackluster and it met willful neglect and untimely death.

Why then, should Palestinians continue to allow themselves to be deceived, in the face of all these planned obsolescence or planned failures? Definition of insanity, is, doing same thing over and over expecting different results.

A majority of Middle East policy observers now realize that Israel is the obstacle to peace. Israel’s known or advertised unwillingness and deliberate refusal to negotiate peace with Mr. Abbas of Palestine Authority.

Israel’s adamant insistence on rapidly expanding Jewish Settlements on Palestine lands and Israel’s frequent resort to violence against Palestinians as Israel did in January 2009 when Israel killed 1,400 Palestinians or When Israel attacked and killed a dozen peaceful persons on a Flotilla in 2010 and again, when Israel only last week killed 15 Palestinians who were merely marking an important anniversary peacefully.

America has historically supported Israel blindly. America therefore, through actions and pronouncements, has not been an honest peace broker.

America has instead portrayed itself as a tied a mountain climber and which will rise or fall and crash together.

Israel is about to be isolated and Israel might crashed metaphorically and literally, if Netanyahu’s current attitude is pursued to their logical conclusions!

The time and tides are changing in the Middle East. There are scheduled elections in Egypt and political reforms across the Middle East. Supporting dictators, tyrants and totalitarians is not the way to stability and it is falling out of favor with a majority of Middle Eastern citizens!

Middle Eastern eyes are now wide open as they demand democratization and economic reforms and reject dictators, tyrants and those who act as puppets and local enforcers for America and Israel. America and Israel will need to support the building blocks and super structures of democratization in the Middle East

Netanyahu and his American supporters often give the impression that it is Israel which seeks negotiations and peace, while the Palestinians merely want Israel wiped out of the earth or driven into the sea. It is portrayed again and again that Palestine is epicenter of warmongering lot who would never recognize the right of Israel to exist.

But the fact and the truth is that Israel have killed more than 2,000 Palestinians in the past couple of years and Palestine does not have the army, military assets and coordinate to inflict similar or identical death toll on Israel as Israel frequently inflict on Palestine, including the incident of last Sunday May 16, 2011 when 15 peaceful Palestinian protesters were murdered by Israel military

Netanyahu will address AIPAC on Monday 24, 2011 and thereafter address a joint session of the US Congress and it remains to be seen, what never and workable ideas Netanyahu has to offer.

It is the case that a majority of the ordinary Israelis want peace through a two state solution of Palestine and Israel nations living side by side, in true, enduring and lasting peace and security

President Obama addressed American Israel Public Affairs Committee the nation’s foremost pro-Israel lobbying group body and President Obama informed AIPAC that failure to negotiate is not an option.

Mr. Obama further stated that this is no time for procrastinations and he made the point that friends talk honestly and openly. It is a new day, the world is moving too fast. He reminded those gathered that it takes hard headed recognition that genuine lasting peace requires mutuality

There will be elections in Egypt in September and all the surrounding nations in the Middle East are shifting and Netanyahu needs to be more forward leaning towards peace.

Let there be a clear path to Palestine nation-statehood before September 2011, and then, Palestinians would have no need to table any requests at the United Nations, in the absence of meaningful Peace Talks or in the face of comatose, dormant and moribund Peace Talks since 2006, why should Palestinians reward Israel’s complacency and arrogance?

Let there be meaningful negotiations now, let there be real peace talk now, it is still May 2011, or let Palestine nationhood and independence be declared with global aplomb, support, encouragement and recognition by all, including the United Nations!

Free Market, Subsidies Removal And Privatization: The Examples In Nigeria, America and Europe

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Free Market, Subsidies Removal And Privatization: The Examples In Nigeria, America and Europe

There are opposing arguments, in favor and against Free Market, Subsidies and Privatization; The merits or lack of merits can be effectively and even forcefully advanced in connection with these concepts. These positions are at times opposites, conflicting or contradictory and at other times, quite to the contrary, complementary of one another! These propositions are by no means mutually exclusive, these are arguments however, must be delicately balanced, in order to attain a reasonable objective conclusion on either side, hence reaching a desirable compromise or confluence and convergence in the interests of all.

As I have said in the past, that care must be taken, always, in applying foreign theories and concepts to Nigerian nay African challenges, a neglect on the part of most, to take cognizance of these local situations, varied circumstances that necessitate modifications, variations of methods and procedures have led to woeful failures in policy formulation and implementations by all and sundry, including the IMF, the World Bank etc.

Economic theories that were conceived for the Western world have met with instant brick wall landings and premature deaths in South America, Latin America, most of Asia and Africa, it is therefore urgent, to re-examine the formulation and implementation of these foreign concepts, theories and policies to enhance their efficacies and success in the target environments; There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between policy initiators and the societies whose development benefit concepts and policies are intended.

The Past failure arises from a combination of a series of factors, the superior attitude of certain officials charged with the implementation, an attitude that seem to say “Look, do what we say, we are from the first world! We have the money; We know what is good for you; We know what works!” and this leads to unnecessary antagonism and friction between the agents of implantation and those at the receiving end.

Another factor is, a complete ignorance on the part of the agents implementation, regarding what obtains in the local environment for which the policies are intended, there is an adage in my place of birth that says in its English interpretation, visitors have eyes, but they figuratively and also quite literally do not see, it means that, there is never adequate compensation or substitute for a lack of or the absence of thorough familiarity with a terrain, and this universally applies to drivers, warriors or farmers! If you do not know the terrain, it matters a little, how good you are!

A local fisherman is more adept at the intricacies of fishing and will most often than not, excel over and above anyone with multiple PHDs in fishery and oceanography, a practical knowledge of any environment or terrain can be more valuable and practical in many circumstances.

Recently, the Breton Woos Institutions have failed in their policies in Argentina, Brazil and in several countries in Asia, if history is any guide, these avoidable failures are likely to persist, unless these institutions revamp their policies and have an attitude adjustments!

The argument for Free Market, Subsidies Removal And Privatization etc are very complicated and they are usually much more than meets the eye! Every country seem to be saying one thing and doing the other (usually the exact opposite!) Nigeria is being told again and again to remove subsidies and privatize and open up to free market economy, the vexed question is whether that is the right thing to do? Is that what others are actually doing? On April 27th 2003, The New York Times published an article, here are excerpts “European Union companies received €86bn ($95bn) in subsidies in 2001, the highest level since 1998, despite repeated pledges by governments to reduce state aid, according to the latest figures” (More than Nigeria’s annual budget!?)

“It is understood the scoreboard will show that state aid across the EU rose to €86.1bn in 2001, just under 1 per cent of EU GDP, from €85.2bn in 2000. The increase came in the year EU leaders pledged at their Stockholm summit to reduce state aid as a percentage of EU GDP by the end of 2003. The UK was the biggest contributor to the increase among the EU’s 15 members, with a 70 per cent rise in the amount of subsidies granted to €10.5bn.” (This is completely different from what Africans are being told to do!)

“The overall increase in the EU in 2001 is modest but runs counter to several promises by EU leaders to reduce state aid, which is seen as anti-competitive and protectionist by many companies and regulators”.

“If the subsidies for 2001 were spread evenly, every EU citizen would have received €232 from their governments. Grants were concentrated in a small number of sectors, led by agriculture, transport and manufacturing”.

”State subsidies almost always distort competition and if the company being aided is not viable in the long term they can also represent a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said. The Commission has powers to police state aid but lack of resources and resistance from member states have limited its action. Mr Monti is to present plans to streamline state aid procedures and make them more effective” (A case of, do what I say, not what I do!)

For Nigeria to compete effectively and efficiently in the global market place, the government should create an enabling environment, inject monies and resources, assist encourage and protect some of our essential local industries as America and Europe frequently do, the huge tariffs the American government recently placed on imported steel is a case in point; Another recent example is the approval of $100 billion to aid American Farmers in the next ten years!

Well meaning Nigerians should continue to thoroughly examine the way the world works and activities of other countries, particularly those countries that are quick to make all kinds of prescription for Nigeria and other Africans, such examination would reveal, what many Nigerians already know and say, the concept known as free market is a myth.

The concern of well meaning Nigerians is that America and their counterparts in Europe find the need to have state run enterprises as indicated by the excerpts from The New York Times story above and America and Europe equally find the need to heavily subsidize food, housing, transportation, manufacturing and major research etc: Even at this stage of their development? This, despite their higher per capita incomes and more robust economies!

These are in their efforts to cushion their citizens who are mostly, already comfortable compared to Nigerians or other Africans; They have a right to cushion their citizens; African governments should have the luxury of cushioning her citizens, without the pressure from America and Europe and foreign creditors of the Africans!

It becomes necessary then, for well meaning Nigerians/Africans to question, at least question, the pressure on Nigeria to succumb to the rigmaroles of free market, to imbibe the rules of demand and supply, to remove subsidies completely and to indiscriminately and blindly privatize, this pressure by America and Europe and their institutions, on Nigeria should be questioned, in view of their cushioning of their citizens with higher incomes compared with Africans who already experience scathing and scorching poverty

This, even though, American and European citizens have comparative economic advantage over the average Nigerian/African and their per capita incomes make subsidies for them even more implausible to comprehend.

All these bring to question, whether the acceptance by Nigeria of free market, removal of subsidies etc as demanded by America and Europe ought to be seen as the same thing as an a seller of umbrellas and rain coats, acting as our weather forecaster; Is it likely that the weather forecast is influenced by the desire to sell the umbrellas and rain coats? Are his forecasts simply objective and dispassionate? These are similar to the concerns that are already being expressed in connection with competing arguments for and against globalization! Do we want to be condemned to an eternal inferior partner position or role?

Should Nigeria inhale the seemingly overpowering vapors of the free market, privatization and the complete removal of subsidies as being advocated? Will these be in the best interests of the average citizen in your hometown and mine? In the end, will these be in the best interests of Nigeria?

Especially considering the present day circumstances in Nigeria, vide the economy that has been battered for couple of decades, current high level of unemployment, the paltry income per capita and the other indices of poverty in our nation and continent?
How can Nigerian/African citizens absorb the multitude of economic shocks to their bodies and souls, they have it rough-going with the present barrages of economic misfortunes!

We are being told that it will be easier for Nigerians/Africans who are already making do with less, to make further sacrifices that are inevitable or are imperative when and if free market and subsidies removal are accepted wholesale by Nigerians/Africans (This, in the face of our knowledge, that America and Europe actually are not bulwarks or grand mothers of these concepts, must Nigerians/Africans accept these policies roughshod?) What are the Nigerians’ and Africans’ best interests? Who determines them?

Free market is good! But who practices it? Subsidies are bad, but why are trains and buses cheap in New York compared to taxis, a bus or train ride is $1.50 and for the same distance by taxi, it is $40.00 or more! Why is section eight housing rule practiced to make housing affordable for the poor? There are many other cushioning and social safety nets in America and Europe that their government use in protecting the poor from the economic realities of free market, privatization and subsidies removal; We in Nigeria/Africa do not as yet have these cushions and shock absorbers!

Nigeria and other Africans must pursue these policies delicately and cautiously, to avoid further suffering, to avoid social friction and disaffection or a complete disconnect; Even as we concede that governments the world over, are not good in business, not efficient in business, nor are they the best in business, government it is said, has no business doing business! However, the implementation of the triad or tripartite policies of free market, privatization and the complete removal of subsidies must be pursued with a human face ala President Obasanjo advise to former President Babangida some twenty years ago, remains relevant.

God and Allah have always blessed Nigeria and will continue to do so, even more abundantly!

Paul I. Adujie is a Nigeria Lawyer and Information Technology Professional

America Must Break With Israel; As Good & Just Middle East Policy

2011-05-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

America Must Break With Israel; As Good & Just Middle East Policy
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled, or expected, to meet with President Obama in the White House this week, in fact, in a matter of days.

Even before the expected meeting, Mr. Netanyahu has already arrogated to himself and set out broad outlines or layouts of what amounts to preconditions.

In his view, there are a broad swat of non-negotiable, non-discussable items. It does take some temerity, nerve and overconfidence on his part, as always!

Mr. Netanyahu’s attitude and pronouncements does raise the question as to which other nation or political leader would set preconditions for America this way?

The world will be watching to see if the rules of engagement would be the same, despite the so-called Arab Spring and despite the demise of Osama Bin Laden

It is hoped that, at minimum, the government of the United States will have the courage to inform Mr. Netanyahu that there is a new era, and a new day in the world, particularly in the Middle East.

And that it is crucial to formulate and fashion new relationships with Israel’s neighbors predicated upon negotiated peace, real and lasting peace.

Israel has for far too long been complacent and relied wholly or partly on her military might and or her safety insured and guaranteed by the United States of America

President Obama must inform Prime Minister Netanyahu that peace with Israel’s neighbors is in Israel’s best interests, and as a consequence, it will no longer be business as usual, in which there is so much loud talks about Peace-Talks, when in fact there are no peace-making between Israel and Palestine

It is hoped that the United States will have the backbone to pointedly inform Mr. Netanyahu of a paradigm shift in the aftermath of the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the unfolding Arab Spring

The United States of America is a democracy. A government of the people by the people for the people! It is often said that a nation deserves a form government it deserves, all things being equal, even though things are hardly ever equal anywhere!

The people of the United States therefore, can be said to deserve the governments or various administrations which are chosen by the people of the United States. The domestic and foreign policies of any American administration are pursued in the name of the people and for the benefit of the people

It is the case that Americans are for the most part, fair minded and just people. It is also the case however, that a majority of the American people have very short attention span, particularly in the foreign policy arena.

Consequently, many unreasonable, unjust and even counterproductive foreign policies are pursued in the name of the American people, by various administrations, through lies and deliberate obfuscations intended to confuse the American public.

It is strongly believed that were the American public truly aware and conversant with certain policies and their effects, impacts and implications, say in the Middle East, fair minded Americans will opposed such policies vehemently, vigorously and in the most robust manner.

Myriad group and corporate interests, through lobby and campaign contributions to political parties and candidates, ensure that issues are narrowly defined and nuanced, which in the end protect such narrow group or corporate interests, at the expense of the American people.

Too often, wrong headed domestic and or foreign policies are shaped not by the American people, but rather by parochial groups and or corporate interests. And too often, these wrong headed policies require sacrifices, by way of blood and treasure, on the part of the American people in whose name these policies are ostensibly supposed to be please or benefit; And too often, the contrary is the case, the Americans are not pleased or benefited.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq and lax regulations which led to economic debacle are cases in in point. And the continuing lopsided and unreasoned support of Israel by each and every government of the United States is the best example in this regard

American Middle Eastern policy is modulated by an unflinching and unyielding support for Israel under any and every circumstances. And this has lead to no love lost between America, Arabs, Persians and for that matter, the so-called Muslim world.

As a matter of fact, one does not have to be a Muslim or an adherent of the Islamic faith, to observe and discern the regularity with which the United States protects and defends Israel at every turn and at every forum, particularly, at the United Nations, regardless of how egregious the government of Israel behaves!

America’s wrongheaded policies in the Middle East and her relationship with sundry dictators, tyrants, authoritarian and archaic monarchies in the region is dictated by her relationship with Israel, desire for Middle East oil flow and to some extent, geopolitical strategic interests

In view of the foregoing, it rather shocking that Mr. Netanyahu and his government have not realized that times-are-a-changing? And instead of being amenable to peace in light of new dynamics and reality in the Middle East, he is setting preconditions out of arrogance or overconfidence?

How Come? And How be it, that Prime Minister Netanyahu is able to set preconditions for the United States perennially and every time, why

1. Why does Binyamin Netanyahu pretend to have veto power over whether or not there are reconciliations between HAMAS & FATAH?

2. Why does Mr. Netanyahu pretend to have veto power over the right of self determination of the people of Palestine?

3. Why does Mr. Netanyahu pretend that he can tell the United Nations what to do?

4. Why does Mr. Netanyahu want to perpetuate occupation or colonialism against Palestine?

The answers to all four questions above is found in American lopsided support for Israel... which is the source and major factor in the animosity towards the United States from Arabs, Middle Easterners and the so-called Muslim World.

When there are reactions or anger towards the United States as a consequence of her myopic-parochial Middle East policy, some wonder why the anger or animosity towards America.

But here we go again!

Mr. Netanyahu is about to literally dictate the pace and tenor of American Middle East policy and if this happens, the anger, the disdain and ire of those negatively impacted by it, would be directed at America of course!

All through this so-called Arab Spring, statements and public pronouncements by public officials in Israel gave the impression that Israel leaders have preference for dictators and tyrants or puppets in the Middle East who are not accountable to their own people.

Israel, instead of supporting the Arab Spring for democratization, Israel made statements which portrayed it as being only self interested in the false security, false stability imbued in dictatorships in the Middle East for far too long. This is laid bare, after decades of the now seeming farce, that the reason to support Israel, is because she is the only democracy in the region.

But why the reluctance or even aversion now for democratization of the Middle East?

America continues to act as an enabler, facilitator and an unthinking supporter of Israel... even when Israel flouts numerous resolutions passed by the United Nations!

In the face of the so-called Arab Spring and in light of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, it is hoped that the United States will foist a paradigm shift on matters Middle Eastern...

The United States must demand and insist that Israel behaves itself regarding Jewish Settlement expansions in Palestinian territories which have been occupied for far too long by Israel, and above all this, America must demand that Israel stops or get over own unnecessary intransigence and learn to live with an independent nation-state of Palestine

Mr. Netanyahu currently, as in the past, merely repeating a regurgitation of "No One to Negotiate Peace With in Palestine" when it is the case that his intransigence and untenable preconditions have made meaningful negotiations impossible. After all, it the late Prime Minister Rabin of Israel, who once said that you do not negotiate peace with your friends, but, with those whom you disagree.

America should stop giving winks and nods to Israel... or be seen as a dishonest peace-broker with biases. America must discourage Mr. Netanyahu's arrogance, otherwise, onlookers will conclude that America is in connivance, collusion and complicity with Israel.

America cannot be seen as an honest broker if unable to be fair and just between the parties. America is seen as duplicitous for continuing to support Israel no matter how unreasonable or illogical the circumstances!

Only this week, The New York Times reported that “Sunday’s protests, involving thousands of Palestinians who live in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank” took place simultaneously against Israel to bemoan the occupation of Palestine by Israel and their long sufferings in the hands of Israel. Israel reacted by mowing down 12 Palestinians!

Why should Palestinians who are peacefully protesting be killed by Israel and nobody raises an eyebrow or bat a lid? These protests were televised for the whole world to see, they were peaceful protests and it was not as if these protesters were armed or threatening or had Rifle Propelled Grenades, why kill them, then?

Palestinians who demonstrated on Sunday were peaceful and unarmed, nonetheless, 12 of them were killed needlessly as if Israel was engaged in swathing desert flies.

Israel knows that there would be no criticisms from anywhere, not even at the United Nations, the United States guarantees Israel protection from the prying eyes, ears and pronouncements of the United Nations. As far as the UN is concerned, regarding Israel, it is, see-no-evil, hear-no-evil and mouth-no-criticism

In January 2009, Israel military actions led to the deaths of over 1400 Palestinians in one full swoop. And on Sunday May 15, 2011 12 Palestinians peacefully protesting against Israel, met their untimely death in the hands of Israeli troops.

And in all of this, no one is talking about war crimes. Where is José Luis Moreno Ocampo Esq. of the International Criminal Court, ICC, when you need him? ICC seems quite selective in it’s cherry pickings!

And where is a NATO No Fly Zone for Palestine?

Or is it just me? Or everyone can see these exceedingly glaring hypocrisies and double standards?

There is a new opportunity for lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. There is a brand new opportunity for American leadership in this regard. America must act as an honest peace broker

Befitting Nigerian National Honors, As NYSC Members Die On National Duty

2011-05-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

Befitting Nigerian National Honors, As NYSC Members Die On National Duty
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Nigeria’s human refinements index must be measured and re-calibrated by how Nigerians and Nigeria takes care of the poor, the most under-privileged and how we honor our dead.

It is the case that the extents of human refinements, quality of life, dignity and decency in any society can be measured in how such society protect the rights, interests and lives of it’s poor, under-privileged and it’s dead.

This is even more so, when for selfless reasons, death is brought about as a consequence of being on national duty, on behalf of the rest of us as citizens of united, and indivisible one Nigeria.

This point about treatment, respect, dignity for the dead, is made more profoundly so, when such deaths occur during wars, national duty or national assignment, identical or similar to NYSC, INEC assignments

In the unwarranted violence in Nigeria, in the aftermath of the April 16, 2011 presidential election, there arises a need to examine these pertinent issues of life’s value and worth in Nigeria, particularly, when lives are lost during and in the course performance a monumentally crucial national task, assignment and duty.

Elections violence which targeted Nigerians from particular regions and particular religious affiliation, also revives the urgency of according full faith and credit or worthiness to Nigerian Citizenship nationwide, Nigerians should enjoy equal protection, equal rights and life’s dignity and value, irrespective such Nigerian’s place of birth, state of origin, regional, religious or linguistic heritage or affiliations!

Some Nigerians selectively hacking other Nigerians to death, based on some arbitrary negative multiple variables, is inhuman and egregiously criminal. This attitudes and behaviors animated and motivated by base-animal instinct, must be rejected by all Nigerians.

It is quite a delight to learn that President Jonathan of Nigeria has done the right thing for families or next of kin, of serving members of the National Youth Service Corps who were needlessly murdered during this just concluded general elections in Nigeria.

President Jonathan’s actions in this regard are exceedingly great, extraordinarily innovative and quite frankly, a breathe of fresh air!

It is now public knowledge that the federal government of Nigeria has announced and undertaken to compensate families of members of the National Youth Service Corps who were murdered during the general elections conducted in April 2011 nationwide in Nigeria.

It is also the case, that good news has been received with offers of automatic employment to wounded NYSC members, even as the federal government is vowing to bring the murderers to justice through the enforcements of Nigerian laws the fullest extent possible

Monetary compensation cannot and can never be adequate for the losses under review... but, monetary compensation is nevertheless-nonetheless a wonderful idea... and this is a start, only a start.

It is sincerely hoped and believed that examples can be made of those who inflicted these murderously heinous crimes on the families and our nation in general... There should be no sparing of efforts to investigate, arrest ALL those who play ANY role in these unwarranted murders by mobs of lunatics

ABOVE all that, everything should be done to ensure that our nation never, ever have to be affronted with these sorts on bigotry and hate crimes... or ethnic cleaning in which Nigerians are beaten, harassed or killed because of their ethnic, regional, religious or linguistic affiliation or heritage

Nigeria's National Assembly, in conjunction with the Federal Executive Council with our president presiding should hold a special plenary session to honor these slain members of the National Youth Service Corp who were murder in the course and during their participation in monumental national task, duty and assignment on all our behaves ... I personally recommend that this special-plenary session, be the first order of business after inauguration day

These recommended action will send an important message to all Nigerians that we treasure our heroes, heroines and that national duty is important... and supreme sacrifice when it is an outcome, will not be in vain and will not be forgotten.

We will, in fact, use this national catastrophe to inspire all Nigerians and we would have turned this national misfortunes to our national benefit... We should award national honors to these departed patriots, nationalist heroes and celebrate their lives and times ... thereby making a historical and timeless point about Nigeria honor of national duty and service to our nation

An additional symbolism could have been simultaneous burial for all those NYSC members who were murdered during the general elections in Nigeria... a simultaneous burial at our national cemetery in Abuja, witnessed by families with entire political leaders present and possibly with a live coverage on television.

On April 2003Wednesday, April 7, 2003, I wrote an article titled:
Honor, Dignity, And Respect For Nigerian Dead On National Duty Or Service
http://adujie-writings.blogspot.com/2007/10/honor-dignity-and-respect-for-nigerian.html

In which the points sought to be made were the importance of respect, honor, dignity for Nigerians who die in the course of national duty-assignments at home or abroad, be they civilians or members of the armed forces.

“Our service personnel must be given befitting burials with coffins or caskets or mats, draped with our national colors and flag, and the full honors, this will, in essence, be a demonstration of our love for our country and those who serve Nigeria’s purpose or national interests.

“Nigeria must accord Nigerians who die in national-service duty all honorable appellations, honor, respect, dignity with all the nationalism and patriotism that we can muster because Nigerians who serve gallantly, excellently, honorably, and selflessly, deserve the most honors possible, and there are multitudes of rewards imbued in doing these, among which are the very probable fact, that we will inspire and motivate other Nigerians to follow the good examples of those honored’

“We will be motivating Nigerians alive and generations yet unborn, and the family of the dear departed, to feel proud, and take pride in the contributions in selfless service, by those who served Nigeria eminently in exemplary manners, even when they are no longer with us, as when they have paid the ultimate price or made supreme sacrifice with their lives, as a consequence of national duty and national service.”

These above points in the 2003 article remains relevant today, even more significantly so, particularly prescient and more profound, in the face of the needless killings of some members of the National Youth Service Corps or NYSC, deployed to work with the Independent National Electoral Commission or INEC

I take the view that our analyses, evaluation, upon having thoroughly examined the facts concerning our recent election violence, it is, and remains in our best national interests to focus on the big picture and our long term interests as one indivisible nation, even in the face of the killings by murderous senseless mobs whose dastardly act were spurred by bigotry and hatred in their selection of victims of the recent rampage

It is the case that the mob actions were spontaneous and that security agencies were taken by surprise and unawares, and left with little wiggle room for reinforcing or calls for backups.

But perhaps mistakes were made in the planning and strategic allocation of our security agencies and apparatuses. Well, it should by pointed out here, that nobody is always right.

We humans are liable to mistakes, errors, hence pencils have erasers!

But in the future, there should multiple layers upon layers of security arrangements, particularly so, given the contentious nature of elections and other political processes can be in Nigeria.

Our armed forces, police, state security service, Nigeria’s intelligence community, most henceforth, coordinate and choreograph important national assignments such as the just concluded national elections.

Our law enforcement agencies and their ancillaries, should be impenetrable. We should learn to anticipate challenges and think ahead and make plans ahead of such challenges, multiple plans in fact, such as plan A, plan B and plan C etc

All Nigerians, and well wishers of Nigeria, need and deserve a strong, virile, dynamic, progressive, developed, advanced and great Nigeria. Our interest in Nigeria, as patriots and nationalist should no longer be in fits and starts or episodic.

We should love our nation unconditionally, whether at peace or most tranquil time or at challenging times similar to what our nation just witnessed.

Nigerians need to love fellow Nigerians more and we should accord each other, common humanity, respect, love and dignity and henceforth, see national issues or challenges as something we have in common.

The idea of North versus South, or us against them, should be rejected in public discuss, in rhetoric and or in political contestation, before, during and after elections!

All Nigerians must from now onward, realize that when Nigeria wins, we all win as Nigerians. All Nigerians must realize and appreciate the fact, that there immense and enormous benefits imbued in a Nigeria where all citizens are accorded equal humanity, rights and protections.

A Nigeria, where no one is marginalized, relegated and devalued.

This is what we should all aspire to and for, as Nigerians, at home or in the Diaspora, we should work tirelessly for our nation, even when we have philosophical or conceptual, logical order, and intellectual disagreements as to processes and methods through which we arrive at outcomes, which makes Nigeria the great nation Nigeria deserves to be and should be!

It is now time to make the best of our national circumstances, in the aftermath of the post-presidential election carnage in which some members of NYSC were murdered.

We should honor them and ensure that their untimely deaths is a wake up call. Honoring them will be therapeutic and inspiring, as we rededicate ourselves to the worthy causes of Nigeria.

Honoring those who die on national duty will be the beginning of true healing and reconciliation, our respect and honor for those killed during the course, and in the performance of an all-important national duty-assignment will accomplish one or two and even more things. It will heal, motivate and inspire us all

Honoring, showing respect and glorifying our citizens killed while on national duty, speaks of us all as citizens of a nation, which places high value and great premium on the value and worthiness of our citizens.

It also inspires survivors and all of us to do more and duty better and to value national service, as the labors of our heroes past will never be in vain.

This is in essence appealing to our best nature, our patriotism and nationalism, harvested and harnessed for our national unity in diversity, for our national purpose.

The attainment of our national aspirations for progress, development, advancement and greatness of our nation, Nigeria; all hands must be on deck, we must participate actively to create great nation, Nigeria!

America's Afghanistan Withdrawal Should Be Accelerated?

2011-05-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

America’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Should Be Accelerated?
Written by Paul I. Adujie

Osama was a Frankenstein of America‘s creation some thirty years ago; A vicious dog created by America, for her purposes and for her benefits and so-called geopolitical vital and strategic interests

The point or one of the points made in an article titled "Dead At Last, Dead At Last" was that Osama Was A Vicious Dog Trained by the Americans for their fight with the former Soviet Union, then the dog turned it's ferocity and violence on it's trainers and trainers children.

We should wrestle with lions because of the obvious risks that we may end up in the lion's stomach as lunch, routine lunch,lions are ferocious and dangerous by nature!

And now, in less than a week after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the dins of cries of “Obama, Bring American Troops Home, We Need The Money!” is rising to higher and higher decibels! Conservatives and Liberals seem agreed and almost unanimously in sync on this point.

The argument is that Osama Bin Laden is the linchpin and was at the command and control of Al Qaeda, now that the head of the hydra headed snake has been cut.

Many now say, that the hierarchy, or other heads of Al Qaeda are running for their dear lives and engaged in self-preservation or that they are now essentially, in survival mode, and further that they no longer have taste for deathly confrontations and nocturnal noisy helicopters and boisterous visits from US Navy Seals Team 6.

Osama Bin Laden the head coach is dead and the team is a leadership-leaderless quandary and demoralized, it is time to bring the troops home, is a legitimate and valid argument. 150,000 American troops pursuing 100 Al Qaeda operatives is not cost-efficient or cost-effective!

Particularly so, as this has gone on for so long in Afghanistan, while Osama was actually sauntering Abbottabad in Pakistan in an open secret plain sight sorts of way, and not in some caves!

Since September 11, 2001, the United States has deployed it’s military assets and coordinates in Afghanistan in pursuit of the Taliban and Al Qaeda and then, subsequently engaged in the needless invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Former President George W. Bush’s administration argued adamantly that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were acting in cahoots, hand-in-hand and or acting in conspiracy and in concert in coordinated, orchestrated and choreographed manners to inflict terrorism and extremist Islam on the world.

The world has since learned that these spurious assertions by President Bush and the suggested tenuous connections between Osama, Saddam and Al Qaeda were lies and unfounded falsehoods; but these wars which ensued, the wars were based on these lies, continues, with foreseeable unintended consequences for all

The American government in these military endeavors or so-called global wars on terror, have overextended American resources, financially, militarily and strategically!

We believe now, as we stated at the onset of the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, that it was a war of choice and a self-destructive quagmire and debacle. It was and it still is, a self-serving needless war, in which trillions of dollars have been squandered. A clear case of poverty of ideas! A squander of blood and treasures! Trillions of dollars squandered over these years, and trillions enough to end and banish poverty globally!

There remains no verifiable evidence of democratization of Iraq as such. Another 100 years perhaps?

Iraq has instead, become more fractious politically and deeply divided along ethnic and religious affiliations, without a wellspring of democracy as promised by the invaders and occupiers over ten years ago, as predicated and factored, and notably, there were no dirty-bombs or Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD to be found in Iraq

The only semblance of hopes for democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, Arabia and Persia, is the so-called Arab Spring which is ongoing.

Arab Spring is a conglomeration of peaceful demonstrations or protests in many Middle Easter nations demanding democratization, political and economic reforms and more individual civil liberties and freedoms across the board

Expedient and myopic imperialistic policies have unintended consequences... with the guilty and innocents suffering ... Palestine is waiting for a No Fly Zone or political independence and nationhood and freedoms! That is the next item or should be, on President Obama's agenda; we hope at least!

It is thought that a combination of factors should cause for positive seismic shift in the intractable and internecine conflicts in the Middle East. The death of Osama Bin Laden combined with political uprising or the so-called Arab Spring or the call for democratization, appears to be the foundation of a new era, or a paradigm shift.

A new dawn may be upon the world, and this new dawn should be harnessed to broker lasting peace and security in the world, particularly in the Middle East and or Islamic nations of Arabia, Persia, North Africa and South East Asia etc.

And, the ground zero or the epicenter of such new dawn, is Palestine! Nationhood for Palestine territories is job one, should be job one!

This will afford dignity and restoration of humanity to Palestinians. It is the case, that Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other extremists and even moderates, have justified, and explained angst and violence through the prisms of the plights and predicaments of Palestine and Palestinians.

The Americans and Israelis have for the most part insisted on a zero sum game in which they adamantly persist in stating and restating unyielding rejections of they the Americans and Israelis see as attempt justifications, explanations or excuses for terrorism.

Well reasoned, well thought out or articulated policies, could finally steal the thunder and take the wind out of the sails, of these justifications, explanations or excuses for terrorism!

In direct contrasts and as opposed to the usual, perennial or age-old worn out policies based on expediencies. Expediencies as policies have become antiquated and archaic.

Expediencies have become lunacy, which in effect encourages the repeated practice of policies which offend others and have elicited undesirable outcomes for us;

Even as we persist in these expediencies unchallenged, but expecting different reactions or hoping to use our military might to beat others in conformity or compliance with our desires, without a care for their own aspirations!

There are multitudes and plethora of evidence and arguments which seeks establish, or actually establishes the amorphous nature of terrorists and so-called enemy combatants, the are fleeting, fluid and at times even flimsy.

There are no defined enemies or battle fronts.

What then, if there were a change of outlook and mindsets or perspectives, to the effect that the contentious issues, the so-called justifications, explanations and excuses are successfully tackled, dismantled solved or resolved? What if the world seizes this new opportunity to have fair and balanced policy informed by equity and justice, as opposed to lopsided policies which favor one group over others?

It is the case that seasoned military experts have argued strenuously and repeatedly, that military victory over terrorism will be impossible or at the minimum, it would be long drawn-out.

And there have been admixtures of military operations and a combination of nation-building coupled with the so-called wining-hearts-and-minds campaign.

It seems to me, that military operations which employs solely military assets and coordinates, with the sole expectation of uproarious military victories through Shock-and-Awe is forlorn, a blond-ambition.

It would remain an endless global war on terror which will dissipate and deplete American power globally.

The endless war on terror has distracted, if not derailed American economic and developmental priorities and national sense.

Empires, have historically self-destruct, immolate and implode-explode economically-financially-militarily, when such empires overextends itself and in overreaches, America nears and dangles precariously in that precipice.

There are 15 million Americans who are still unemployed and there have 4 million mortgaged homes in America foreclosed upon by banks in the past couple of years. In plain English many Americans are stranded and in dire circumstances on the home-front, while trillions of dollars have been frittered away in foreign battle fronts!

America’s involvements in three foreign wars, with a domestic economic debacle and distress to boot!

It is hoped that the death of Osama Bin Laden should initiate an attitude shift or change. But, I worry that the death of Osama Bin Laden does cause a resort to triumphal, bashful, boastful, gloating and gleeful complacency.

Such attitude may be perceived as arrogance which will in turn animate others and may lead them to resort vengeful actions warranting more reactions and the cycle of violence would continue, the situation will sorts of feed off, of each other endlessly.

Upon the revelation of the news of Osama Bin Laden’s assassination, Americans have been jubilant and celebratory, but, I think there should be every efforts to avoid the three Gs gloating, giddy and gleeful as these could lead to further unpleasantness for everyone, such as retaliations, reprisals and revenge which would just ensure that the cycle of violence continues!

And some have argued that the possibility of reprisals as reasons to maintain the current troops levels in Afghanistan

Happily, President Obama has set the right tone and poise in the aftermath of Osama Bin Laden demise. President Obama struck a cord with his somber circumspection and reflections during his visits to New York City, no gloating, no “Mission Accomplished” and no victory laps!

Attacks on September 11, 2001 killed 2,976 persons on American soil; meanwhile, the wars which were lunched in retaliations, reprisals and revenge against those suspected of inflicting those attack on September 11, 2001, the United States military has lost 6002, which is twice the number of those killed on September 11, 2001 and the United States has similarly spent or squandered over $5trillion dollars on the so-called global war on terror.

Thousands are dead, maimed, deformed, displaced and dislocated, many families are ruined by these conflicts and returning soldiers suffer brain injuries and PTSD etc; with long lasting effects and agonizing consequences for America, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan etc

There are allegedly 100 full time, active core members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conversely, there are about 150, 000 United States military personnel in Afghanistan, exclusive of civilians contractors doing military work, and this;

Also this is exclusive and does not include, operatives of Central Intelligence Agency, and other members of the American Intelligence Community. Similarly, there have been over 200,000 Americans troops serving in the invasion and occupation of Iraq

Here we are, one week after the death or killing of Osama Been Hiding, it can be revealed that he was hiding in plain sight. And that there were massive intelligence failures. Mammoth intelligence failures of the highest magnitudes!

There were no ultramodern caves in the tribal areas or Waziristan mountains with formations fortified by sophisticated elite units of Al Qaeda Republican Guards!

Osama Been Hiding, has in fact not lived in Afghanistan since his sightings while doing a duet with Elvis in Tora-Bora on the way to Helmand

Pakistan is the highest foreign aid recipient from the United States outside Israel or apart from Israel. The bulk of American aid to Pakistan is hinged on Pakistan’s cooperation and partnership with America on her so-called global war on terror.

And yet, events of the past week has revealed Pakistan as either completely incompetent, inept, duplicitous and grossly inefficient or a combination of all these!

Many American officials, public affairs commentators and sundry analysts are wondering loudly and publicly, how it was possible for Osama Bin Laden to have lived in Abbottabad, hiding in plain sight in a Garrison town comparable to West Point or Camp LeJeune and Pendleton, and so, complicity or incompetence, duplicity or ineptitude, double dealing and double crossing have been leveled against Pakistan. Is it probable that Pakistan was in connivance and collusion with Osama and Al Qaeda?

Osama Is Dead, Al Qaeda is in disarray, and other extremist groups are probably fearful, bring the troops home, save money, and save the long suffering and now harried American troops in hostile environments

Obama Is Calm, Not Boastful, Bashful or Gloating, Giddy & Gleeful

2011-05-06T05:19:00.000-07:00

Obama Is Calm, Not Boastful, Bashful or Gloating, Giddy & Gleeful
Written by Paul I. Adujie

President Obama, Mr. suave-savvy himself came to New York City today, to commiserate with families and survivors whose loved ones were lost on September 11, 2001 attacks

Laid wreath, spoke to families, midtown fire house, he pointedly informed them that the Navy Seal went after Osama with thoughts of those whose lives were lost during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

He also went to police station in Tribeca. He stayed away from politics, he emphasized national unity

Saying nothing at this cathartic visit, is in itself a poignant statement; no blusters, no blathers, no blabbers!

Just banters and hugs with empathies for families who lost loved ones at the World Trade Center

He deliberately and intentionally maintained silence publicly, making a profound statement, by and with, his silence, his public silence was well received as a high impact measure, devoid speeches which would have come across or could have been perceived as voyeuristic, distasteful and inappropriate politicking

Speeches would have looked as if he was intent on getting political mileage out of a rather somber and mournful event, particularly so, when Osama’s demise is a reminder of personal and collective loss, even as bereaved families and all New Yorkers are struggling to have a semblance of closure

All are agreed President Obama conducted himself statesman’s like manner, he was very presidential and without giving a hint of trying to may hay out of his visit to Ground Zero, the First Precinct and the Fire House.

At Ground Zero, there was an admixture of beautiful atmospherics, there were political leaders such as President Obama, Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg and arrays of other political office holders, the crowd also included constructions workers who are working hard to re-erect or resurrect the World Trade Center or what would be replacements for the lost edifices there which were destroyed

He demonstrated a very cordial family living room camaraderie, all through and at every stop!

President Obama is the epitome of cool and he is all that Maureen Dowd of The New York Times says he is, in her article, “Cool Hand Barack“ President Obama is an exemplification of human refinements

All through his commemorative visit to New York City, a somber and reflective President Obama showed class, grace and empathy; from the now historic midtown Fire House which lost 15 fire fighters to the attacks on September.

President Obama shook hands and chatted with Lt. Barbario, who later recounted how President Obama shook every officer’s hands, it was such a moving milestone of an event.

Many grieving families who spoke to the press after meeting President Obama had wonderful things to say about their interactions with the president, who was repeatedly described in glowing terms, he demeanor, his somberness and his obvious empathies with bereaved and grieving families

Lt. Babario, described the president visiting the Fire House which lost 15 fire fighters as an excellent thing to do, particularly because of the huge loss by greatest numbers at one location.

This Fire House, Ladder 54 has since become an iconic stop first by New Yorkers, and then tourists from across the world. It is mini memorial in itself.

The Fire House and others in Manhattan become instant landmarks which have attracted city residents and teeming tourist from across the world visiting New York City

President Obama invited his predecessor George W. Bush, who turned it down, explaining that he did not want the limelight or steal President Obama’s thunder

President Obama again asked for bipartisanship, national unity and cooperation, while restating his view that the war against Al Qaeda is not a war against Islam and Muslims.

It is indeed the case that Osama Bin Laden have been the cause and inspiration for murders, and mayhems in many nations across the world, including nations populated by Muslims

Again, President demonstrated his human refinement and finesse by his visits, words and action.

He once again established that he is a doer, no boasts, no blusters and no victory laps and no ostentatious banners such as "Mission Accomplished"

Meanwhile, the suave, savvy and always deferring nice guy, has been giving credit to others as part of efforts which culminated in the demise of Osama last Sunday.

The incandescent President Obama, called Mr. George W. Bush to keep him in the loop and updated all the way! Talk of a fine gentleman, a law professor with that courteous, gracious and charitable all round nice guy! It must be the African DNA! President Obama is so good, he is almost generous to a fault!

The highlights of President Obama’s visit to New York City, among other things, is that, he laid wreath, spoke to and hugged and generally interacted with about 60 bereaved families, a visit to midtown Fire House, and a visit as well to the Firs Police Precinct in Tribeca. He stated that US Navy Seals went after Osama with thoughts of those who were killed on September 11, 2001.

President Obama is schedule to meet members of the US Navy Seals at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky this Friday.

A majority of New Yorkers sampled, were all agreed that it was a delightful thing for the president to do as he stayed away from politics, he emphasized national unity.

There were no high profile statements, no victory laps; just somber, reflective and dignified commiseration with bereaved families, all of New York City and the entire nation!

It is quite impressive and quite remarkable that Obama is calm, not boastful, bashful or gloating, giddy and gleeful, even though he has all the reasons in the world to be all these things!

Osama Is Dead At Last, Dead At Last, Thank God Almighty, Osama Is Dead At Last?

2011-05-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

Osama Is Dead At Last, Dead At Last, Thank God Almighty, Osama Is Dead At Last?
Written by Paul I. Adujie

President Obama announced the demise and disposal of Osama Bin Ladin some hours ago to a stunned world, and as I listened to Brian Lehrer’s radio show, one of his guest’s comments cemented my feelings about the end of the Osama saga.

The Brian Lehrer’s guests’ comments, paraphrased, was to the effect that death and dying of anyone is not a happy event, but, nevertheless, there are a reading of some obituaries which are happy events.

It is difficult to take pleasure or rejoice at the death of a fellow human being, a feeling of safety or comfort perhaps. A feeling which I actually echoed on Sunday, in reaction to the death of Gaddaffi’s son, etc

In view of, and considering the following, I come to the demise of Osama Bin Laden with ambivalence. I am a New Yorker. I have called New York home since 1988 and the attacks on September 11, 2001 came close to home in real and metaphorical sense.

It is personal. It was an attack on my hometown. It was an attack at my workplace and I was a direct victim, I barely survived without physical injuries, but still with financial and emotional scars. The emotional scars are still too often reawakened, every time that I see a jet plane too close to buildings!

It is the case that millions of people across the world have been jubilant in triumphal and celebratory elation. New York City quite understandably, as the epicenter or ground zero of the September 11, 2001, witnessed gyrations upon gyrations of phantasmagoria of celebrations in the aftermath of the news of Osama’s death and disposal at sea

On a personal level, I never rejoice at the deaths of persons for whom I have no respect and whose public policies I consider outrageous or wrong headed; so it is, that I could not celebrate the death of Ian Smith, formerly of Rhodesia, even though he was a racist, who lead a brutal, murderous minority regime in against Black majority.

Similarly, I resisted the temptation to rejoice over the death Piet Botha, former political head of the Apartheid system as it then was in South Africa

There are times I have been close celebrating or rejoicing the death, including the death of Ronald Reagan, who had labeled Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress a terrorist and terrorist organization respectively as part of American foreign policy at the time.

And on the domestic front in America, Ronald Reagan’s domestic policies were adjudged by all measure, as unfriendly and anathema to the best interests of African Americans etc

Too many innocent lives were interrupted and turned upside-down since September 11, 2001. There are 650, 000 casualties of wars since the September 11, 2001. Two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which has seen the death of over 5, 000 Americans in Iraq alone, and the death, maiming and displacements of many other American troops, with brain injuries, and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

There are a million Iraqis dead, maimed, displaced and missing. There are also thousands of people dead, maimed and displaced in Afghanistan and Pakistan, all in the name of fighting global terror!

And in all of these, many innocent persons across the world have been killed, maimed, displaced, harassed and humiliated or caught in the crossfire between real and imagined terrorists on the one hand, and governments fighting to reduce, decimate or eliminate terrorists and terrorism

It is hoped that this news culminates in a return to a semblance of normalcy, for millions of people. The way life is lived, has changed since September 11, 2001.

Visits to private offices, state and federal offices were no longer routines... Air and train travels were no longer uneventful as they were on September 10, 2001

There are 150, 000 Americans troops in Afghanistan, perhaps all, or at least, most can now come home to safety, and it will help to reduce the Billions of dollars, taxpayers monies, which have been spent and is spent daily in the aftermath of September 11, 2001

On a personal level, as a direct witness, victim of, to September 11, 2001 I have continued to flinch upon sighting jet planes flying too close to high rise or sky-scrappers in New York City, where I live.

Who can forget airport searches in the name of heightened security in trepidation of terrorists and terrorism? Who can forget all the striping and searches, of disabled and septuagenarians, and the “don’t touch-my-junk-guy, just because they were going through an airport traveling legitimately? I too, have experienced the very invasive searches and privacy issues as often as I took off my shoes at airports!

I still have flashbacks upon sight of planes when I am within tall buildings or even outside premises of tall buildings. It is the economy of New York City, with a seeming direct correlation to my financial health, have not recovered since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The financial meltdown of 2007-2008 took the bottom out of a recovery for New York economy and my finances which were gingerly attaining a semblance of recovery.

A stretch it is not, to assert the events of September 11, 2001 and the foreign wars which followed, led to an overstretching of American military assets and capacities; as well as the financial implications which comes the deployments of hundreds of thousands of women and men in uniform, with the necessities which comes as natural consequences of their deployments.

Arms, ammunition and foods have to be moved with fighting women and men of the American Armed Forces across the world, but, more particularly to Afghanistan, Iraq and Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Bahrain and parts of the former USSR etc.

It is public knowledge that American military have been overstretch and it follows that America’s current public debt and burgeoning deficits are partly from these wars, necessitated by declarations of global war on terror as initiated by former US president George W. Bush

I prefer a rather somber circumspection in all of this... I am not in the mood for triumphal, celebratory hoopla

Hopefully, there are no “spectacular” reprisals, retaliations or retributions following Osama's demise... We hope that Osama, even in death, is not used as a recruiting tool and as predicate for vengeance and more vindictive killings worldwide.

It is understandable that it most probably was logistically impossible to have arrested Osama Bin Laden without incidents or even deaths. But, for two reasons, the arrest and trial of Osama would have accomplished public good.

Then where would he have be tried on American soil or Bagahram Air Force Base or Guantanamo or in civilian or military court? How would such public good through have been served?

First, it would have established America, in the hearts and minds of all the world, that America is a nation of laws, a nation which practices rigorous due process, including fair trial.

Secondly, such arrest and trial of Osama, would have put paid to any possibilities of conspiracy theories regarding Osama’s life and death, whether he actually committed the crimes for which he was accused and whether he is now truly dead at last. Many American officials have argued that Osama and September 11, 2001 were the predicates for invading and occupying Iraq, which in turn, gave America a bruised face by way of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

Osama never really lived in the no-man-land or in Helmand Mountains or Waziristan or Lawless Tribal Areas? He actually lived in a mansion-compound near Pakistani military installations and retirement community for Pakistani military retirees is some sorts of garrison community! Osama and Al Quieda have had ten years to plan succession and we fear that we may not have heard the last from them and Taliban.

Osama is dead, buried in watershed, watershed moment? At www.Nigeriavillagesquare.com someone commenting on Osama’s demise of Osama, used the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a twist, an ingenuous twist another retorted, and it is, to wit, Free At Last, Free At Last, Thank God Almighty, rephrased into the title of this article, Dead At Last, Dead At Last, Thank God Almighty! Osama Bad Guy Dead at Abbettabad ( A Bet That He Bad)? AbbettaBad? how poignant!

There are many persons who are now, expressing skepticism, and it is okay to for this demonstration of a healthy skepticism to be expressed, a dose healthy skepticism is good for all of us, human history is laden with disinformation, chicaneries and shenanigans, particularly, spectacular ones by western nations (Bay of Pigs) anyone? All is fair in love and war! It does reminds one of prisoners’ dilemma and conundrum.

All those who are not certain or satisfied are so entitled, they should be applauded for not following the herd mentality or group think. It takes audacity and gumption, to think independently, and one do not have to be a conspiracy theorist, to show reservation and while questioning the "given" information

We should appreciate the temerity, of those who are hesitant, even if it does not make these skeptics popular icons amongst those who are certain beyond doubt!

All said, President Obama should ensure that Palestine nation-state becomes a reality during the pendency or subsistence of his administration. The long-suffering of the people of Palestine deserve that much.

America trained and armed Osama Bin Laden for America’s purpose base on a shortsighted policy hinged on expediencies. America and other nations will do well, never to substitute expedient or myopic policies in place of robust, profound and well-thought-out policies! It is the case that Osama Bin Laden was a creation of the United States, who became a literal Frankenstein!

OBITUARY: Osama Bin Laden
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10741005

“The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 changed Bin Laden's life forever. He took up the anti-communist cause with a will, moving to Afghanistan where, for a decade, he fought an ultimately victorious campaign with the Mujahideen.”

“Intelligence experts believe that the US Central Intelligence Agency played an active role in arming and training the mujahideen, including Bin Laden. The end of the war saw a sea change in his views.”

“His hatred of Moscow shifted to Washington after 300,000 US troops, women among them, were based in Saudi Arabia, home of two of Islam's holiest places, during the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. Bin Laden vowed to avenge what he saw as blasphemy.” “Along with many of his Mujahideen comrades, he brought his mix of fighting skills and Islamic zeal to many anti-US factions within the Middle East.”

There is a paradigm shift in the politics of the Arab world, the Middle East and North Africa, the dictatorships, the tyrants, authoritarian and totalitarians regimes in these places and regions were opposed by Osama with violence and violent means.

The intractable and internecine crises in the Middle East, particularly the volatile, explosive and toxic relationship between Palestine and Israel can now be resolved without further delays and excuses

But the youths of these regions have since the commencements of the continuing so-called Arab-Spring, that they have preference for peaceful means as the road-map to political reforms and democratization in their various nations.

They have through their peacefulness nonviolence acts in Tunisia, to Egypt, to Bahrain, to Syria, Yemen to Saudi Arabia etc, that generalizations against Muslims as Islamic Terrorists, with blood-lusts and thirst for blood is erroneous and quite unfair! Democracy, due process and the rule of law is unfurling through these nations and regions

Nobel Laureate President Obama has more than enough established his national security strengths.

He has more than proven that he can answer and adequately respond to telephone calls to the White House at 3:00AM and that he is not a terrorist sympathizer and that he does possess a birth certificate.

President Obama has also proven that he can get hot and heavy like any hot-red-blooded American, whether in dealing with the Somali pirates, or the intransigent Gaddaffi of Libya or Osama Bin Laden an American number one enemy, who was number one on Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI most wanted list!

President Obama must be careful not appear to be trigger happy or act and portray himself as a warmonger! We know that he has argued at West Point and in Oslo, that there are necessary wars, which have to be fought, even by him, as a man of peace.

He has proven that, we know, he is now at the risk of appearing to overcompensate, in reaction to the unnecessary doubts which were cast upon him, regarding his readiness as American president and commander-in-chief of her enormous armaments, armada!

President Obama with Osama thrown under the bus, and now as water under the bridge, is entitled to an authentic and genuine “Mission Accomplished” on Osama and the big-forrrkknnng-deal on Health Care Reform a la Veep Joe Biden, President Obama can now return to his real day job of providing the enabling environment for Americans to continue to create health, wealth, happiness and buoyant prosperity!

Why Nigerians Should Forget Clamor For National Conference or SNC

2011-04-29T06:01:00.001-07:00

What Are The Functions Of Nigeria’s National Assembly? Why Do Many Nigerians Believe Sovereign National Conference Is A Panacea? Does The Nigerian Constitution Provide For National Conference Or SNC? Are Some Nigerians Averse To Due Process And The Rule Of Law? Perhaps Nigerians Should Make Constitutional Amendment A Campaign Issue In 2007? Is The Economy Really Not The Source of ALL our tensions?
The above questions are some that I have been asking compatriots and myself repeatedly, these questions must be answered by advocates of NC or the ultimate, SNC, regarding this willful ignorance displayed by so many intelligent people, who are adamant in their fallacious belief that a National Conference or Sovereign National Conference, hereinafter NC and SNC, are the cure-all and be-all for every challenges facing Nigeria.

Clearly, there are inequalities, imbalances and even injustices in the past and current political arrangements in Nigeria, there is an urgent need to address these inequalities, imbalances and injustices, but, the way forward, is not NC or SNC, it is constitutional amendments, through our elected representatives, elections are unfairly rigged, yes, I know, let us reform the electoral law and process, Nigerians should not accept bags of rice or bags of money next time there are elections, they should instead, report anyone who does accept bribes to affect election outcomes, so we have pristine election, we then have elected representatives that truly reflect our wishes? Then we demand constitutional amendment! Perhaps Nigerians should make constitutional amendments a campaign issue in 2007! Nigerians should trust democracy to deliver dividends, we should make our elected representatives accountable, make them pursue law reforms, that enhances the system of government and better life for all citizens.

If it is true, that Nigerians have wholeheartedly accepted democracy, why then, are too many Nigerians averse to rules and tenets of democracy? Why are some unwilling to let the process work and fine-tune progressively? I have written in the past, that constitutional amendments are much better and preferable to NC or SNC, and, I am compelled to repeat this basic idea again.

If the function of the national assembly is to make laws, including authority amend the Nigerian constitution, why are so many people clamoring for NC or SNC? Why wouldn’t these persons, lobby or cajole their National Assembly member, to sponsor constitutional amendment bills? All these Nigerians, well-meaning and all, should learn the very basic or elementary rule of democracy, for democracy to succeed in Nigeria, we must all learn these very rudimentary rules of electing the finest amongst ourselves, no bags of salt or bags of money as substitute, and then, put the fine men and women that we elect to work, by lobbying them or letting them know, that they will not be re-elected, when and if they fail to make constitutional amendment a reality or if and when the fail election agenda.

I myself have concerns about how focused our current governments at all levels, formed by the various political parties, are. But I think it is beyond questions, whether Nigerians are willing to live together, the cause of the present crises are purely the end-result of the comatose state of the Nigerian economy; We have always been willing to live together, and my prediction is that, as soon as our country’s shattered economy recovers from the doldrums, these present crises, that appear intractable, will dissipate and fizzle out naturally. It is my position, that petty age-old disagreements, have become exacerbate and pronounced, only because of joblessness and hunger in our land, which have affected the majority of our citizens adversely for several decades.

I would have been in favor of a national conference or the more portent legalese Sovereign National Conference, if it was about how to make the different strata and levels of government in Nigeria more responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of all Nigerian citizens, in efforts to achieve the general welfare and greater god of all. The current federal government of Nigeria has a program, called NEEDS, as one of its efforts at poverty eradication and the alleviation of mass sufferings and hardships of our citizens, but we have heard all these before, so, I can understand that most of our citizens seems to think and say to themselves, well, we have heard all these before…. And there is these justified skepticisms and even cynicisms, coming from our weather-beaten citizens, who are at this time, battle-wary and worn-out, by scorching poverty and hardships.

But perhaps we ought not to, judge every government in Nigeria or anywhere, with our pre-conceived notions of low expectations of policy formulations and implementations? And perhaps Nigerians ought not, to pre-judge NEEDS? We need to summon the courage to imbibe the ideals and tenets of democracy, and this requires some elements of trust, but with a caveat, of a sort of enlightened suspicions of our governments, suspicions that would not stifle governments’ efforts from its conceptions or cradle.

The Nigerian National Assembly members, are the representatives of all ethnic groups from all facets and works of life in Nigeria’s nooks and crannies, they therefore, represent, the best and perhaps, the worst amongst us Nigerian citizens? And it will essentially be the same samplings, of the good, the bad and the ugly of Nigerians, I bet, if the National or Sovereign National Conference nominees and or attendees,(just like previous Constitution Drafting Committees/Constituent Assemblies in the past) were to be selected, nothing would be different, we will be Nigerians. Or are we selecting the participants from the moon or mars? Who are the apparently pristine persons that would attend the NC or SNC? What will be the nominating or selection processes that would markedly different, from the current process for nominations to elective offices? The current processes that is presumably irredeemably flawed and imperfect?

Nigerians need to emphasize selfless service and stop perceiving public service as an opportunity for self-enrichments and self-aggrandizements.

The truth must be told, that we have had excellent body of laws in the past, Nigeria had good constitutions at various times in the past, what we have lacked, and perhaps still lack, have been rigorous and vigorous enforcements of the laws that we already have. We have lacked effective implementations of our previous constitutions, our laws, statutes and rules or regulations that Nigeria already have in the books! Unless, Nigerians believe that the reasons for some our filthy streets, are because, there are no laws in Nigeria regulating public hygiene and hygienic living, and in that case, we must be reminded, of how, the War Against Indiscipline, at least, the Environmental Sanitation aspects, compelled Nigerians to suddenly clean their neighborhoods!

I did not like the compulsion, but we like the clean! There has always been laws against corruption in Nigeria for example, but, just like the laws stipulating public hygiene standard have been observed in the breach, the law against corruption and greed, have not been aggressively enforced.

Senator Kuta endeared himself to me, when he made anti corruption comments during the Senate investigation of the late Senator Okadigbo and others, who at the time were facing a probe, and since then, I have watched Senator Kuta with admiration. He is certainly, a man of courage who speaks his mind undeterred by the political expediencies of the current dispensation, expediencies that tend to inhibit actions on the part of Nigeria’s political class. Senator Kuta has logic and incredibly good sense.

In a recent interview with The Guardian’s Abiodun Beckley in Jos, he clearly stated the argument against national conference and or the now notorious clamor for Sovereign national conference. He restated the correctly, Nigeria is not a failed state/country!
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, spoke in the same vein, against the clamor for NC and SNC, Nigerians will do well to listen to these persons

National Conference or Sovereign National Conference is not authorized or provided for in the Constitution of Nigeria, the activities for which some Nigeria advocate these conferences by whatever names, are the exact functions of the national assembly, which is already empanelled in Abuja since May 29, 1999.

Nigerians deserving law reforms, including constitutional amendments, must therefore channel their demands and proposals through their Senators and House of Representatives members…. I am the first to concede that, Nigeria does have a need for all manners of law reform, prison reforms, land law reform, agricultural law reform, police law reform, environmental law reform, military law reforms… etc and all these are the duties/functions of the Nigerian national assembly! Shall we have national conferences for police reform, agric reform and pollutions curbing laws?

Some Nigerians must first decide whether they prefer democracy to dictatorship (I thought that was without question, resolved already!) But with these agitations and propaganda, some Nigerians are seemingly asking for military-style conduct of policies by fiat of the executive, instead of procedural due process of the law making-type of national assemblies! If we have all accepted democracy (as I now wonder whether we all have?) Why would some Nigerians want to operate outside of the Nigerian Constitution?

Well again, I will be the first to concede that our current constitution is not perfect, after all, the current constitution was drafted by those nominated or selected by a military regime and worse, their final product and draft constitution was said to have been amended by the then military ruling council… but even at that, it our constitution! It is our duty to curb its imperfections, we can radically alter our present constitution or just fine-tune it as we go along the democratic process and all of these are within the ambit and purview of Nigeria’s national assembly.

If some Nigerians have argued that the present constitution was imposed on us by a military and undemocratic leaders, and therefore necessarily devoid of inputs from the electorate, then further argue that the recent elections in April 2003 were flawed, all these lead me to wonder, what the difference really will be with a national conference or opiate laden one, SNC! First, NC or SNC is unconstitutional… even by currently adjudged imperfect Nigerian constitution standard;

Further and more, were we to agree, to actually have an NC or an SNC, who would qualify in my hometown and your hometown? What will be the parameter for nominations, selections or elections and who and how do we decides these? Who further decides whether these processes will be fair or flawed? Again, would nominations be by the local government, state or federal governments? Would it be by the various political parties? If the April 2003 were flawed for whatever reasons, what has changed since then? The present Constitution of Nigeria? The present Electoral Law? The Political Parties or the attitude of the citizens or governments at all levels? Nothing has changed! Where then is the guarantee that elections, selections or nominations to NC and SNC would be flawless and incorruptible?

Which of the so-called ethnic nationalities trust any of the current political parties completely? What political party represents the Niger Delta or the Tiv or the Urhobos, what political party ensures that the marginalized minorities or the Middle Belt are now well looked after…at the end of the NC or SNC? Have many written that Nigeria is now more or less a one party state run by the PDP dominatrix?

Amazingly, some very smart and intelligent Nigerians continue to advocate and agitate, these empty propaganda laden NC and SNC as panacea for all Nigeria’s ills! Most of these agitators seem not to bother to contend with ground rules for the conferences for which they are drum so loudly! What are the modalities for selecting conference attendees or representatives? Who represents me at the conferences? And what will be the apparatus for implementing the resulting cumulative deliberations? The present Nigerian government and her machineries at all levels that were arguably derived from a flawed process; And the prevailing logic is, how can the government be trusted with anything else after the imperfect elections? Hence the agitators do not trust the local, state, and federal government and national assembly to be in any position to undertake constitutional and law reforms, and so, the reason the prefer NC or SNC, but why will they at some point, trust the current elected office holders (elected from flawed/tainted elections, untrustworthy hence?) to implement NC and SNC recommendations or outcome? Since those who distrust the current government believe that, the part always reliably represent the whole, and a government derived from a flawed election, will lie about anything and will never do anything right! What an endless process?

In order to arrive at true democracy, we must view democracy as we would cooking a meal with firewood, we must stoke the fire and constantly manipulate the woods for the best embers or the food will be undercook if the fire fizzles for lack of attention and care on our part, democracy like good fire, requires attention and care and patience too.

Some Nigerians are currently behaving like persons cooking with firewood fire, but seeking and expecting the results of microwave speed-cooking! Or put differently, those agitating for NC or SNC are unwittingly seeking the arbitrariness of the erstwhile military regimes, where one man appoint everybody, and the ruling council rubber stamps such appointments, regimes that executed public policies by personal fiat on the helmsman and his henchmen. Nigerians who overwhelmingly accepted democracy when it re-arrived or was re-ordained five years ago, now appears journey-wary already?

Democracy may be too slow for some, law reform through lobbying and presentations of paper positions may to complicated for some, and constitutional amendments are probably too much debate and arduous work for some, but, these are the tenets and ideals of democracy, a perfect constitution, if there ever was one, is like a house, it is constructed, brick-by-brick. If Nigerian yearns for a good/perfect constitution, we must construct/create one, brick-by-brick or amendment-by-amendment, we must put the era of ad hoc public policy modes behind us, we must initiate procedures and processes that endures the test of time… as good as most Nigerians think American Constitution to be, it still is, for Americans, a work in progress, good but not perfect.