Neville has spent the best part of 18 months on the sidelines due to a constant string of injuries, making just one appearance last season, that a fleeting one from the bench in a game already over against Roma in the Champions League.

Sir Alex has declared in previous weeks that he has full faith in the right-back and will hand him the captain's armband upon his return to the side, and has now also revealed that the skipper was fit and could have played more at the back-end of last season, but to replace a consistent and in-form Wes Brown - who had deputised admirably all season - would have been an unfair decision.

"It’s going to be a significant trip for Gary," said Sir Alex, as the Red Devils head off on their pre-season tour of first South Africa then Nigeria.

"He had his 45 minutes last weekend against Aberdeen and came through that fine. The important thing about Gary is that he’s not missed a training session since he came back in April and played [as a sub] against Roma.

"We could have played him at the end of last season but Wes Brown’s form was just too good. We stuck with Wes, but it’s a new season now and Gary will have his chance to impress in South Africa."

Ferguson also revealed that young goalkeeper Ben Foster - also the victim of a nasty injury - will have his chance to play his part for the team on this tour, but has always intimated that Edwin Van der Sar will be given one final season in the first team before retirement.

"Ben is fit. He had his sister’s wedding last Saturday so he couldn’t play against Aberdeen, but he’s ready to go," added Sir Alex.

"He and Tomasz [Kuszczak] will share the responsibilites in South Africa. I think Ben’s a fantastic talent."

The articles says the bill has been subject to "unprecedented debate, wrangling and bickering between the nation's law makers and various stakeholders."

This situation is certainly troubling, with an article featuring in the Nigerian newspaper Punch titled 'Pass the FOI Bill now or history will mock you'. It quotes the National Chairman of the Peoples Salvation Party, Dr. Junaid Mohammad, as saying:

There cannot be democracy without the rule of law. The essence of the rule of law is to hold power and those who wield power are accountable to the people. This necessitates transparency and full protection of the media, otherwise the very essence of democracy is in peril...

The Freedom of Information Bill will be passed into law by the present National Assembly or another one will do that and put the incumbent legislators to shame...

Lawmakers have, to date, been reluctant to pass the bill because of a fear that it will give too much power to the media, which the BBC describes as one of the most vibrant in Africa.

Asia Times has a story about how Russia is outmanuevering US energy policy in Africa and around the globe.

Russia's energy drive leaves US reeling
By M K Bhadrakumar

… But what has truly incensed the Bush administration are Gazprom's dramatic inroads into Africa.

Russian giant Gazprom, the largest extractor of natural gas in the world, has announced plans to build a pipeline across the Mediterranean to pump Libyan gas to Europe. This is the final lap of a Kremlin strategy that involves Gazprom handling the entire output of Libya's gas, oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) designated for export to Europe and the US.
Look at Gazprom's terse announcement in Moscow on July 9, "The Libyan side positively evaluated Gazprom's proposal to buy all future volumes of gas, oil and liquefied natural gas assigned for export at competitive prices." … Putin visits Tripoli in April, less than a month before he left office, and the two erstwhile colonels decided to jointly handle all of Libya's energy resources.

And Gazprom seeks to buy exploration licenses in Nigeria and proposes to build a pipeline from there to Algeria, and with Algeria, Gazprom is developing a proposal on "joint" marketing of gas in Europe. US officials have gone ballistic. "The monopolistic Gazprom is behaving like a monopolist does. It tries to gain control of the market as much as possible and to stifle competition. And that's clearly what is going on," thundered Matthew Bryza, US deputy assistant secretary of state for Eurasian affairs. "The Kremlin wants Gazprom to be a dominant force in global energy, and the dominant force in global gas. Tying up gas resources in Central Asia and Africa is part of that," he added. The plan is for Gazprom to dominate "in every corner of the planet", he alleged.

This is pretty funny coming from a country that seeks Full Spectrum Dominance (wikipedia definition) of the planet, in large part to dominate the oil markets.  It is also pretty funny to hear the representatives of Big Oil, the Bush administration, complaining about energy monopoly.

Washington was relieved to see the back of Putin's presidency, but it now transpires that Gazprom may have only stepped up the pace of overtures under Medvedev's astute guidance. Besides, with its new assets in Africa, Gazprom will soon be knocking for access to the US market through supplies of LNG. The European and international companies which have been traditionally present in the African market will be compelled to play a role alongside Gazprom.

… Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller suddenly arrived in Tehran on Monday and discussed with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad the setting up of an organization of gas-producing countries.

… During the visit, an agreement was signed on the development of Iran's oil and gas fields by Russian companies; on Russian participation in the transfer of Iran's Caspian Sea crude oil to the Oman Sea; cooperation in the development of Iran's fabulous North Azadegan oil field; and, possible participation of Gazprom in the planned Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Evidently, Moscow took a deliberate decision to press ahead with Iran in energy cooperation in the full glare of world publicity in complete disregard of US displeasure. Tehran loved it.

… By now it must be obvious to the Bush administration that the youthful-looking, post-communist lawyer-president who took over from Putin has lost no time drilling a hole through the entire US strategy to weaken Gazprom's grip over the supply of gas to Europe.

… The geopolitics of energy security are a highly sensitive subject for the Bush administration, whose profound links with Big Oil are legion. It is a tremendous loss of face for the Bush-Cheney-Rice combine that Moscow is outwitting the US on the energy front.

Showing its inability to learn, the Bush administration continues its plans to address unrest in the Niger Delta with AFRICOM, expanding and militarizing the conflict. From Michael Klare:

… Although department of defence officials are loath to publicly acknowledge any direct relationship between Africom’s formation and a growing US reliance on that continent’s oil, they are less inhibited in private briefings. At a 19 February meeting at the National Defence University, Africom deputy commander Vice-Admiral Robert Moeller indicated that “oil disruption” in Nigeria and West Africa would constitute one of the primary challenges facing the new organisation.

Britain seems to be planning to join in this military approach: Britain to train army in Nigeria to combat delta rebels.  Every military ruler of Nigeria trained at Sandhurst, except Abacha.  Military training and cooperation does not have a positive history relative to democracy.  The UN envoy who was supposed to negotiate with MEND and the rebels in the Delta, Ibrahim Gambari, was revealed to be a close crony of Abacha.

It was Gambari who told the United Nations that Ken Saro-Wiwa should be hung because he was “a mere common criminal”. It is therefore a certain sign of the bad faith of Nigeria’s negotiation that they pressed for Gambari to be appointed mediator with the rebels.

Gambari has resigned because of the resulting controversy, and plans for talks in the Delta have been suspended.

Supporting bad faith negotiation and military bullying will not win hearts and minds, or even control on the ground.  The US needs to rethink its approach, especially if energy security remains a US goal.

The rebellion in the Niger Delta is not a spontaneous evil, a mindless outbreak of anarchic violence that must be met with still more violence. It is paused by the grinding poverty and economic ruination of one of the most economically productive regions on earth, with the profits channelled to billionaires in Nigeria and to big oil.

As the Asia Times article points out, the energy action is global, and the players are big.  The US does not necessarily have the advantage.  So the US needs to take some of the actual facts into account, and to smarten up its approach.

Joseph Yobo is a vice-captain of the Nigeria national football team. He currently plays with the English Premier League club Everton and he is one of their top players.

Norum Yobo is Joe's younger brother and Norum was just kidnapped by criminals in Port Harcourt, Rivers State about 10 days ago. The younger brother is being held for ransom and the psychotic kidnappers say they will plunge a knife through his heart, unless money[e-gold] is paid for his safe return. Yes, that is correct, they are demanding "ransom gold".

It seems like an ugly new twist on a very old crime, the kidnappers are accepting the ransom paid in e-gold digital currency!

Their statement as reported by the local press, "We demand $10,000, which must be paid to our e-gold account. We will like to call his family as soon as the number is given to us," the group said in a statement. (10k is about one million one hundred and ninety thousand naira).

The Guardian reports that the Matiaph Group (gang) has taken responsibility for the kidnapping.

Abductions are rather common in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of this country, but for the kidnappers to demand e-gold seems like something new. I trust that if the kidnapping progresses to a payment stage, the e-gold techs will be tracking the $10,000 digital payment through their AT&T servers in 'real time' on one of those comfortable workstations in their Melbourne, FL offices.

I would not want to be the local agent in Nigeria who receives that gold for outexchange....ouch...that sting...that is the very long arm of the law. Kidnappers and e-gold, don't mix.

Too bad for e-gold, because all the positive press in the world can't spin the company out of that one.

I can hear the kidnapper's statement, "we selected e-gold ransom payments because of no start up costs, all transactions are final (unlike credit cards) and the transfer fees we pay on our ransom monies are very low". Even Baghdad Bob can't spin this story. Kidnapper with guns, using e-gold. (I have the new design for this year's Christmas cards)

There is another aspect of the kidnappers decision to accept e-gold. This one is outlined in the recent .pdf from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center report entitled Money Laundering in Digital Currencies.
Additionally, because the value of digital currency accounts changes with the market performance of the backing commodity, any profits earned (capital gains) during the withdrawal of digital currency accounts may not get reported to the IRS unless the digital currency account holder decides to declare the amount voluntarily.
Consequently, if the kidnappers receive the e-gold ransom payment in the morning and the value of spot gold goes up before they can sell it, technically the kidnappers would be liable to pay some additional fees and tax on the profits earned from the move in the price of gold known as the "capital gain" on their ransom transaction.

Of course that tax is only required if the kidnappers are US citizens and working in Nigeria and then they would be voluntarily reporting that extra income (fingers crossed on that one)

We'll get back to you on those regulations, but perhaps it's time for a bit more verification on those e-gold accounts? What do you say Doug? Food for thought?

Usually, the local militia kidnappers target oil-workers as we have so often watched on CNN. The images show a small group of white guys chained together looking very nervous, surrounded by some pretty mean looking 'tough guys' sporting Soviet made post cold war surplus automatic weapons and really cheap sunglasses.

Besides the trauma to Yobo's family, this kidnapping, has sent some big shockwaves through the Nigerian sporting community.

A very popular Nigerian blogger friend and digital money enthusiast, Oluniyi David Ajao, had this to say about e-gold and the recent troubles,
"Whether is privacy or anonymity, it is a problem for e-gold and e-gold has been attempting to reverse this ugly trend for several months now with little success. Criminals still rely on e-gold and some online businesses like EasyDNS have stopped using e-gold entirely. Its brush with the United States Department of Justice, it's IP-blocking spree, account locking, DDos attacks, and the death of its primary exchanger OMNIPAY have all been a combination of factors that have made e-gold very unattractive in recent times. Exchangers now charge between 25% and 50% for converting e-gold to national currencies!"

http://www.davidajao.com/blog/2008/07/14/e-gold-privacy-feature-its-nemesis/

We pray for the safe return of the Yobo's family member along with the arrest and prosecution of these kidnappers or criminal gang which have chosen to misuse the e-gold system.

http://www.dgcmagazine.com

source: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/68546

Nigeria special. Modern highlife, afro-sounds & Nigerian blues 1970-6 (ML8131), Nigeria disco funk special. The sound of the underground Lagos dancefloor 1974-79 (ML8132) et Nigeria rock special. Psychedelic afro-rock & fuzz funk in 1970s Nigeria (ML8133) sont trois compilations du label Soundway qui avait déjà sorti d'excellents disques sur la Colombie, le Panama ou le Ghana. Rencontre entre les styles locaux et les influences rock et funk internationales. Très beau travail de collectage et de restauration de vinyles, présentant des morceaux inédits.

Nigeria 70 - Lagos jump. Original heavyweight afrobeat highlife & afro-funk (ML8134) édité sur le label Strut (un premier volume comprenait 3 cd) s'intéresse à différents styles existant au Nigéria à côté de l'afrobeat de Fela Kuti. Entre jazz, afro-funk et juju, les rythmes se mélangent et les styles fusionnent.

Et pour terminer, le meilleur de la série d'après moi, bien qu'ils soient tous excellents: African Scream Contest. Raw and psychédélic afro sounds from Benin and Togo 70s (MK4111) (le 3e cd de la série Analog Africa, du label du même nom) s'intéresse aux artistes méconnus de pays peu connus: le Bénin et le Togo, pendant les années 70. Samy Ben Redjeb, le propriétaire du label, est arrivé à Cotonou en 2005 pour chercher des disques, et il en a trouvé ! Dès les premiers jours, il envoyait chez lui 3500 vinyles qu'il avait pu acheter à un de ses contacts. Par la suite, il retournera plusieurs fois au Bénin pour retrouver les artistes et les interviewer. Le livret, parsemé de magnifiques photos d'époque relate tout cela. La musique quant à elle est extraordinaire, mêlant rythmes vaudou à la soul de James Brown avec guitares hurlantes et chants inspirés, de El Rego et ses Commandos, Vincent Ahehehinnou ou l'Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou.

[Lien 1: le site du label Soundway et un site de fans avec extraits musicaux et clips]

[Lien 2: le site du label Strut, avec clips]

[Lien 3: Analog Africa sur Blogger, et sur Myspace, avec extraits musicaux]

p.s.: certains liens médiathèque ne fonctionnent pas (encore): les cd sont tout nouveaux et arriveront dans les prochaines semaines en centre de prêt.

Secondo queerty.com e ‘the Southern Voice’, ecco i dieci posti al mondo più pericolosi per i gay:

1. Uganda (Anche il sesso consensuale è punibile con l'ergastolo)
2. Iran (Pena di morte)
3. Egitto (E' possibile essere arrestati e torturati, specialmente se sieropositivi)
4. Arabia Saudita (Si può essere bastonati e anche uccisi)
5. Nigeria (Pene fino a 14 anni)
6. Emirati Arabi (Arresto)
7. Camerun (Arresto)
8. Polonia (Il Presidente polacco ha impedito la creazione di gruppi a difesa dei diritti gay)
9. Nepal (L'omosessualità non è illegale, ma è forte l'omofobia, che spesso sfocia in violenza)
10. India (Pene fino a dieci anni)

Se la lista presenta Paesi di aree già note a molti per la chiusura culturale, sembra preoccupare particolarmente la presenza all'ottavo posto della Polonia, paese al centro dell'Unione Europea, dove però recentemente la Chiesa Cattolica ha aperto una clinica per la "cura" dell'omosessualità (LEGGI QUI >)

Anche l'Egitto è presente nella lista, perchè, nonostante una cultura gay "sotterranea"  articolarmente ricca, anche i turisti possono imbattersi in una legislazione particolaremnte severa e omofobica.

I paesi della Top Ten non sono gli unici dove è possibile per i gay avere problemi, anche se non sempre il pericolo è alto. In Brasile, ad esempio, la posizione nei confronti degli omosessuali cambia a seconda del posto, mentre in Russia, a Mosca, il gay Pride ha visto una violenta repressione governativa (LEGGI QUI >)

Una situazione delicata si registra anche in Giamaica, lo riporta su "The Advocate" il giornalista free lance David Kirby. Come riferisce Kirby, in Giamaica ci sono stati numerosi casi di violenza omofoba, e numerosi alberghi si rifiutano di concedere camere matrimoniali a due persone dello stesso sesso. Non a caso proprio in Giamaica si è svolto recentemente l'"Etero Pride". Secondo Kirby non bisogna dimenticare che, mentre in paesi come gli Stati Uniti d'America la polizia, anche negli Stati più conservatori, ha il dovere di proteggere chiunque si trovi in difficoltà, in altre nazioni, anche in assenza di una legislazione punitiva, le forze dell'ordine potrebbero assumere un atteggiamento di totale disinteresse o, peggio, di connivenza, con chi attenta alla sicurezza dei turisti gay. Importante, quindi, tenere sempre gli occhi aperti, ed evitare atteggiamenti di sfida che potrebbero innescare una reazione a catena.

Per non rovinarsi le vacanze, altrimenti, meglio rivolgere la propria attenzone verso posti come la Francia, la Germania, la Gran Bretagna o anche Provincetown, in Massachusetts. Luoghi che, assieme ad altre mete tipiche del turismo omosessuale, rivolgono al target gay sempre maggiore attenzione.

In ogni caso, quale che sia la vostra meta, il nostro consiglio è di aprire la mente, e lasciare che il viaggio sia un momento di crescita personale, per portare a casa molto più di qualche fotografia.

Per saperne di più su ogni singolo stato, potete consultare la mappa presente sul sito dell'associazione ILGA Europe.

Take it or leave it, the war has been declared on both sides. The militants (in as many factions as possible) have declared a war on the Nigerian State for quite a while now. To deny this is to be insensitive to the killings that occur daily in this area. It will be a complete aberration to miss the interpretation of the spate of kidnappings and insecurity in this region as a war.

I have written about this war before in October 2006 and August 2007. Those articles were based on my encounters with a friend who works in Port Harcourt and my brother who is constantly exposed to the perils of this region because he is a marine engineer. When you hear firsthand accounts of what is going on in the Niger Delta, you will agree that a war was declared on Nigeria in the most silent way possible.

Whose fault is this war? Well, blame it on the Nigerian Federal Government and also on the various state governments in this region. Indeed, the militants are not saints too. Each of these 3 parties has serious faults but the bulk of it rest on the table of the (usually) illegitimate governments that have occupied the center in as many years as possible. Today Nigeria is still governed by an illegitimate government!

And that illegal government has now gone to Britain to buy guns and other weapons to counter the war in the Niger Delta. This is the solution that the evil government in Nigeria has for the people of the Niger Delta. The useless government is also to receive all kinds of military assistance from Gordon Brown’s country. Britain and the US will go to any extent possible to protect their interests. If it means brothers killing brothers in another country, so be it! In Nigeria, the oil deposits in the Nigeria Delta remains the most important thing to the British and the US. It is irrelevant to them that the government is illegal or bastardised.

In my own words in one of my previous posts on the Niger Delta. Rather than concede defeat, the Nigerian government will go to war with the militants if the need arises. History will repeat itself, fatally. The reason is not farfetched. This country that has been run by mad men since 1960 is totally dependent on oil and oil exports. There has been a total neglect of agriculture, tourism, science, medicine, technology and all that is needed to make a country grow.

Northern Nigeria and the rest of Nigeria look up to the oil in the Delta for money to run every little details of our National Life! In the process, there has been absolute neglect for the welfare of the indigenes of the area. The various states government in this region are also guilty of neglecting the people because the regional politicians stole money and embezzled as much as they can-the people can go to hell!

In addition, the foreign companies that operate in this area have not done enough to assist in the plights of the indigenes. Instead, they have continued to pollute the land and water. The problem of pollution has been worsened by illegal bunkering and the activities of the militants who also steal oil to sell and finance their war.

The results are here with us today. Two or more wrongs will never make a right. War is not the solution. It is not the way out. Peace talks or Niger Delta Summit is not the way forward. There have been many summits in the past, what happened to the outcomes/deliberations?

The Niger Delta issue is one of the many atrocities that the Nigerian State has committed against the citizenry. What is actually needed in the Niger Delta and indeed Nigeria is a total transformation of lives into that which is worth living. The targets should include letting clean water run in every home, to provide decent schools for the children, good roads and modern hospitals.

These are provisions and conditions that should have been made without demands. Where serious environmental damage has occurred, the communities should be compensated depending on the degree of damage. The oil companies in the Niger Delta should clean up their mess and pollute no more. The Environmental Protection Agency must ensure strict compliance.

Power supply in Nigeria is near zero percent! Such a serious problem should be tackled wholeheartedly as it can transform the economy positively. Agriculture should be re-initiated, expanded and mechanized. The abundant mineral resources in the country should be put to positive use to bring about economic growth.

Education, basic infrastructure, housing and social welfare should be re-engineered towards giving Nigerians a better life. The eradication of poverty should be pursued zealously and dedicatedly.

Corruption, nepotism and tribalism should be phased out of our existence. We should learn our priorities and set them straight and right.

Nigeria is supposed to be a great country and a model for Africa. Unfortunately she is regarded as a sleeping giant in the heart of Africa. If Nigeria permits it, her land will become like the rest of those places where Britain and America are spearheading wars.

Surely, we don’t want that in our country. We must look inwards and solve our problems. We must find peace and the best way to do this is to ensure that there is JUSTICE.

Nigeria / Migration and Development / The Role of the Nigerian Diaspora in Europe

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 18, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The IOM office in Abuja has organized a Diaspora Dialogue to discuss the role of the Nigerian diaspora in Europe in their country's development:

The IOM Diaspora Dialogue, which took place on 17 July at the UN House in Abuja, was held in cooperation with the Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization- NIDO (http://www.nidoeurope.org/) and Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Participants include IOM's Deputy Director General, Mrs. Ndioro Ndiaye; government officials, including NIDO's Ambassador Keshi; and representatives of the diaspora living in Austria, including doctors, academics and women's groups.

Mrs. Ndiaye shared IOM's insight and expertise on mobilizing diasporas for the development of their countries of origin through IOM's the Migration and Development in Africa (MIDA) programme.

Nigeria faces a number of challenges in reaching the Key Goals for "Vision 2020", which include building a healthy, well-educated nation with a thriving private sector.  

The discussion focused on three main areas where the diaspora can help: education, health and private sector development.  Some of the skills that the Nigerian diaspora can contribute include:

Returning academics can reinvigorate universities, training a new generation of Nigerians;

Retuning doctors can not only treat people, but also bring back management and development ideas and links with the institutions they know in Europe;

Successful diaspora entrepreneurs can inspire Nigerians to build their own businesses, creating jobs and wealth.

The IOM Diaspora Dialogues offer an opportunity for migrants to have their voices heard by the governments of their countries of origin, share their ideas and possible contributions, and discuss the obstacles that they face.  

Mrs. Ndioro Ndiaye said, "This latest IOM Diaspora Dialogue is just the beginning of a process that will go beyond a single videoconference.  Hopefully Nigeria's valuable diaspora will be engaged over the long term and become an important partner for Nigeria's development.  IOM's MIDA Nigeria programme is fully committed to supporting this endeavour."

SOURCE : International Office of Migration (IOM)

What is your perception of the president of a sovereign nation going to his former colonial masters to plead for military aid? It beggars belief that Yar’adua, president of Nigeria, would go running to Britain to beg them to intercede in the Niger Delta crisis. The man is a rambling idiot. He brought some good to this country, but in this particular instance his idiocy is brighter than the halo of a full moon! This is the same idiot who was asked by President Bush what sort of help he was looking for and his intelligent answer was ‘any help’.

I feel embarrassed on his behalf.

I don’t know what sort of aid he’s specifically seeking. I hope he hasn’t forgotten that when countries like UK or US establish military bases in a country THEY NEVER LEAVE. They perpetually linger and through subversive means aid the very chaos they were invited to quell.

Developed and developing countries need raw materials for sustainable development. When such countries offer aid to poorer countries – kept poor because the people are disenfranchised – they don’t do so purely out of benevolence. There must be a payoff. The Iraq situation speaks for the remaining countries that have been invaded by proxy so their wealth and natural resources can be pillaged. I’m not surprised if the US employs mercenaries to plant bombs in public places and blame the attacks on al-Qaeda. It is hard to believe Iraq’s love to kill each other for no apparent reason.

Last year Shell and BP made ridiculous amounts of profit in the millions of pounds. In the Niger Delta, where Shell drills, the road tankers use to transport fuel to other parts of the country is not fit even for a camel to walk on. It is riddled with potholes. During the rainy season it becomes nearly impassable. It continues to deteriorate by the day due to total neglect.

It is the same story all over the Niger Delta. Rivers state produces the oil that sustains the rest of the country, yet its people remain the poorest. Granted their own leaders have bamboozled them, but not once have the oil companies stepped in to do their own fair share of giving back to the people whose lands and farms and rivers they are polluting.

Yesterday I spent three hours queuing for fuel because last week the tanker drivers announced they were fed up with their working conditions and went on strike. They are agitatating for an increase in fuel prices – although I don’t see how that improves the bad roads they’re moaning about.

They may be doing so out of their own greed, they might genuinely believe increased income would compensate for the bad work environment, or they might just have noticed fuel prices have almost doubled in other parts of the world and want to inflict the same agony on the already suffering millions all over the country.

Whatever their excuse, part of the problem can be traced back to foreign oil companies trying to grab all they can as quick as they can. Yar’adua should know better than to give the British army free reign over the Niger Delta. His action is equitable to that of a man who calls his neighbour into the house to sleep with his daughter! I hope that's not what he's asking for.

gore challenges us to ditch oil

agreeing to a language

he did move closer
whatever those seeking to succeed
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their enthusiasm survives

the recent summit
insists his goal is
may be influenced
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possible within a decade
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real solutions
very same measures

weaning off fuels
many see the goal
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nigerian activists reject uk plan

hardened armed groups

i know the government is interested
wants to help with that
nothing new in getting
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a positive statement gives weight
until people can take a role
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lead to a mushrooming
justice security and peace
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confirming or rejecting

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i went and i begged her

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]]> http://formaementis.wordpress.com/?p=1875 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:01:12 +0000 FormaeMentis http://formaementis.wordpress.com/?p=1875 Thousands of people have fled an oil town in the Niger Delta, Nigeria after an unknown militant group said that all people not originally from the area who did not leave the town would be beheaded.

The militants first visited Bonny Island, the town involved, two weeks ago, killing nine people, they said that they would return yesterday to carry out the beheading.

A local resident, described the panic on Bonny Island. "They were handing out copies of this article to people in the street. There was panic. People packed up their entire family into a boat and fled," he said.

Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, recently offered UK support to help combat the spread of incidents like this. He claimed that "the security training force [provided by the UK] ... will be support for the Nigerians to be able to have trainers and others who can build up this capacity locally to deal with the problems of lawlessness that exists in the area."

Peace Not War! We Need Not Another Darfur In Nigeria.

We call on Great Britain. We call on people of the British Isles and the children of great men and women that make Europe what it is to day: a land of freedom and opportunities We call on women and men of goodwill, students, workers and the business class, we call on armed and defenseless people alike, royals and commons, Lords and honorable, to prevail on the Nigerian President Umoru Yar Adua, whose election into office as Nigerian president was roundly condemned by the European Union, EU-having been characterized by rigging, stealing of ballot papers by soldiers, deployed unto the streets and corners of Nigeria, and who killed and maimed voters- to stop fooling the government of Britain on the real situation in the Niger-Delta, Nigeria's oil hub, which has now been highly militarized first by the Nigerian federal government, and now by militant freedom fighters who largely represent the indigenous communities in the region.

Yar Adua, a Fulani, whose grand parents led the 1804 Jihad against the black-skinned African population, represents the interest of the feudal and Muslim North, and have ruled and manipulated Nigeria to their wish and caprices since the Islamic revolution, which seek to continuously put Nigeria in the pocket of this few class.

Oil, which is the main source of revenue in Nigeria, is found in the Niger-Delta, home to indigenous population. These communities, due to large-scale corruption, looting of the public treasury by the leadership at the centre remain largely underdeveloped.

The poorest of the poor live in these communities, their culture undermined, their heritage submerged, their hope dashed, their future traumatized and their children without any future.

Soldiers of Northern origin are posted to these territories, and as expected, they rape the people, as it was in the case of Choba a rural indigenous Nigerian Village (1999), kill them and instill fear on them.

The Yar Adua government is similar in character to Omar Bashir's regime in Sudan, he wants to wipe out the indigenous population, and he cannot do it without help from a super power like Britain.

The late Ken Saro Wiwa, remember him, renewed the campaign for environmental and political justice in the Niger-Delta, but in 1995, he, alongside eight others were hanged and acid was poured on their bodies by the Nigerian state.

A democratic regime which came in 1999 was thought would address the problems of the Niger-Delta, but the Nigerian state did not change in character and form. Instead, it became more vicious and bizarre, all in the bid to continuously subjugate and muzzle the ethnic minorities in these territories. In 1999, Yar Adua's party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP then led by President Olusegun Obasanjo sent 10,000 soldiers to Odi, an Ijaw community of 20,000 people. After 72 hours of military action, the only building remaining in Odi was a post office. 1,200 people were killed and hundreds were missing. What more is a genocide than the maiming of women, children and the unarmed and today the perpetuator of that act, General Olusegun Obasonjo roam the streets of Yaradua Nigeria, neither facing trial for corruption or war crimes.

Today the Niger-Delta people, having waited in vain for justice since 1959 when oil was discovered in their homeland, have taken up arms against the Nigerian state. This is against the background of age long outrage among largely Christian Southern Nigeria communities, that they are tired of living in Nigeria, a country ruled by a small fundamentalist group, a country that offers no hope for her citizens, a country that destroys the best of human values and a country whose citizens have been made to become a huge burden on the international community, considering the large number of exiles, some of who have taken up professional jobs in Europe and America and many of whom have taken into drugs, prostitution in Italy and cyber crimes.

Nigeria is an artificial creation, put together, without the consent of the communities, in 1914, following the sharing of Africa into spheres of influence in 1885 at the Berlin Conference. Now, the Yar Adua tribe are on top, and they do manage, at all times, to install their stooges in each of the 36 states of the country, whereas non of the states enjoy the benefit of federalism, which each of them heavily dependent on the centre in all areas including the registration of vehicles, control of ports, police and even as little as the right to create and run counties and the right to chose their political leaders, which must be screened and approved by the centre government.

Apart from the Niger-Delta, the Yoruba and Ibos of the South and the minorities of the middle-belt in the North are asking for self-determination up to the point of opting out of Nigeria. Many of these communities having watched several recommendations chuck by the government into the thrash bin, have decided to take up arms against the Nigerian state.

Britain was aware of this serious problem in Nigeria. In 1957, shortly before Nigeria got independence in 1960, Brittan set up the Willinks Commission, which recommended that revenue be shared 100 percent on the basis of derivation. Today, only 13 percent has been approved and just as recent as in 1999, for the oil producing communities. On top of all this is the fact that a credible election in unlikely in Nigeria under her present structure. This is the gist of this whole problem in the Niger-Delta and in Nigeria.

Another peace summit, the third in 12 years is in the offing, but expectedly, nothing is likely to come out of it, because while the summit is in top gear, Yar Adua is shopping for arms in Britain and has heavily militarized the region since the past 10 years.

A peace summit, even if to be chaired by Britain is what is needed. We need no longer another Iraq in Nigeria. We need no weapons that will be used by an illegitimate political class against the ordinary people of Nigeria.

Self-determination is the substance and the United Nations recognizes this demand under article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Help save Nigeria from war, help save Britain from being fed with lies and propaganda by one of the worst set of leaders in Africa.

As British Nigerians and Nigerians Resident in the United Kingdom with Stakes in Both Countries we demand as follows.

OUR DEMANDS.
• Prime Minister Gordon brown should withdraw his offer for military assistance to the Nigerian government.
• That the British government should commence investigation into the private accounts of past and current Nigerian public office holders with a view to recover stolen money and return same to the people of Nigeria.
• The Nigerian government should stop the continued militarization of the Niger Delta region.
• The Nigerian police should be adequately equipped to deal with law and order issue in the Niger Delta.
• That only a genuine restoration of the rights of the Niger delta people and all oppressed people in Nigeria will bring peace to Nigeria.
• That if the labor led government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in any way seen to join the Nigerian government in committing acts of genocide in the Niger Delta, the Liberty Forum and its affiliate organization shall commence immediate campaigns against the Labour Party in the afro-Caribbean communities in the United-Kingdom.
Signed.
Kayode Ogundamisi
Convener: The Liberty Forum-UNITED-KINGDOM
+447951402986
+442030150739

The unknown group attacked soldiers in the town two weeks ago, killing nine people including a pregnant woman.

According to a newspaper article widely circulated by residents, the militants said they would return on July 16.

For several years in Nigeria there have been attacks, in which one ethnic group attacks another. They attack anyone who they believe is non-indigenous to the area. In this case Bonny is a city of over 100,000 people whose main industry is oil. Militants have kidnapped oil workers, and attacks on the oil infrastructure is the reason Nigeria's exporting has dropped around a quarter in the past few years, according to the BBC.

Please pray protection for these people, and make your voice be heard against these types of attacks where not even women or children are spared.

There is a Giveaway over at www.Jesulalaine.com. to celebrate the 'birth' of their new domain. It's called " From Thailand with Love Giveaway" . They will be giving away a Thai Decorative Letter Holder to two winners. (Mailing charges will be on them, wherever you are.)

As part of the encouragement challenge, I want to see if I can win it as a gift for my fiance to let him know how much I appreciate him. Today's Challenge made me sit back and think; have I been taking him for granted? i think I have. A bit.

I have a really wonderful man who loves the Lord and has been an encouragement to me in every way. It is my desire to be the same to him.

Today's Challenge:

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." 2Pet. 3:18a

Sometimes we live so close to our spouse that we fail to see him as others do; we only see our husband's faults. But take a step back. Perhaps he is growing spiritually in ways you have failed to appreciate. How can you encourage his growth in a fresh, new way?

Remember - your husband is accountable to God for his spiritual development. You are accountable to God to encourage and not hinder that growth.

Can you identify an area of spiritual strength in your husband? Does he pray or read his Bible regularly? Does he like to read about or discuss spiritual matters? Does he go to church with you? Is he a spiritual leader? What do others say about him? If you can identify a specific area, praise him for that.

If not, pray earnestly that God will work in his heart, and watch for signs of spiritual growth in the future.

By Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Published by Revive Our Hearts, © 2005. Permission granted to photocopy in the exact form, including copyright. All other uses
require written permission.

http://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/great-speeches-in-nigerias-history/

Footage of Thieves Burnt Alive in Nigeria

**WARNING - GRAPHIC FOOTAGE AND IMAGERY**

http://viewnaija.com/videos.php?sub_section=videos&id=2839

The grotesquely graphic sight of thieves being lynched and burnt alive by an irate mob is not an uncommon site in Nigeria. The Nigerian public has suffered various depravities such as rape, the loss of prized possessions, cash, physical injury and death of family members at the hands of robbers. Having been terrorized by them for decades, the Nigerian public usually deals ruthlessly and unsympathetically with captured thieves and armed robbers. There is no sympathy for robbers. Thieves and robbers that are caught in the act by the public are usually set upon by a mob, have a tyre flung around their neck and are burnt alive in instant vigilante jungle justice.

Why do usually easy going Nigerians resort to such savagery? The painful and bitter experience of the misery that robbers inflict on Nigerians is one of the causes. The high barb wire fences that are common place in Nigeria are emblematic of the garrison mentality that Nigerians have to adopt at home in order to keep out robbers. However another reason is the ever strained relationship between the public and the police. Quite simply, the public has no faith in the police's ability to apprehend, arrest and prosecute robbers. In the Nigerian public's view, the police is synonymous with corruption and injustice. The daily verbal, financial and physical abuse that civilian motorists suffer at the hands of bribe seeking police officers does nothing to endear the police to the average Nigerian. A common civilian complaint is that robbers are routinely released by the police after paying a bribe. Sometimes the police have even been accused of colluding with armed robbers and of issuing them with high caliber weapons.

When the public catch a robber, it presents the public with an un-missable opportunity for vengeance against those that so terrorise them. A public lynching and burning of a robber is a ritual display of the public's (a) revenge, and revulsion with the robber's atrocities, and (b) outright rejection of a corrupt and inefficient penal and justice system.

However such instant mob justice is fraught with dangers. The impulsive rush to instant judgment often claims innocent lives. EFCC staff have been murdered by a civilian mob who mistook them for armed robbers. Vigilante outfit the "Bakassi Boys" took on criminals and armed robbers in Abia State. Their ruthless brand of vigilante justice reduced violent crime in Abia state. However the Bakassi Boys then began to overstep the mark, forgot about armed robbers and became hired guns for politicians and for the settling of domestic disputes.

The public are quite simply sick and tired of armed robbery. The fact that armed robbers still carry out their operations against civilians who would mete out more brutal justice than anything the police can fathom, shows how hardened they are.

That's what the New York Times wants to know in their profile (more puff piece) of Nduka Obiagbena, the media mogul behind Nigeria's Rising This Day Awards; an annual party in the commercial capital Lagos (here's a link to pictures from this year's festivities held last week) for which Obiagbena flies in American music stars like Jay Z, Mary J Blige and Usher and people like Paul Begala (huh?).

Full story Here. [HT: Naijablog]

ANGIE STONE ON ATI-BLACK SKIN RACISM:THIS BLACK BEAUTY SPEAKS OUT ON THE BRAINWASHING OF SLAVERY STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE TODAY!

VOL VII, ISSUE II

Just like in one of her songs, there's No More Rain these days for ANGIE STONE. This soul queen from Columbia, South Carolina had success with the groups Sequence and Vertical Hold before launching a solo career that led to hit albums Black Butterfly, Mahogany Soul (with the anthem Brotha) and Stone Love. That just wasn't enough for the fickle music industry. So Stone kept busy in the studio and started acting (TV sitcoms, plays and the film The Fighting Temptations) before signing with the resurrected Stax label to release her latest smash The Art of Love & War.

We learned through her stint on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club two years ago that she suffered from Type 2 diabetes. "[It] was brought on by Prednisone," she told Tasty Clips. "I was taking some medication that saved my organs but enhanced the diabetes. I'm hearing that some research was done that said gastric bypass kills diabetes because the disease lives in your stomach. [It's] under control because I don't eat like I'm crazy and do what I'm supposed to do most of the time. When you're a person on a steroid for medication a lot of working out doesn't help you. It hurts you more than help you because you build muscle and mass. My regiment is joy and love and living life to the fullest. I go bowling two or three times a week and have a routine in my house. I clean instead of having a maid. If I stay active within the space I'm in I'll be OK."

These days, Stone serves as a spokesperson for the F.A.C.E. Diabetes campaign, which launched at Chicago's Salem Baptist Church Children's Ministry Building. Through a series of practical and sustainable programs in local communities, their goal is to help foster behavioral and attitudinal changes in areas critical to success in managing diabetes such as nutrition/cooking, physical activity, health and overall well-being.

Signing with a smaller label like Stax was a surprise. What made you make that decision? "Cause anyplace was better than J Records at the time. I'd had enough of [them] and I wanted a change. So I went and started from scratch with an independent label which eventually turned into another major situation." Was J not giving you enough freedom? "Well I always had my freedom. It's just that they start looking at you like they're equal to you. When you become a slash artist/producer/mentor/and go-to girl for advice, you start to feel like an employee as well as an artist." Are you happy with the way you're being promoted? "Now. It's getting better. Originally I wasn't." The Concord label is basically handling it. "[They're] still handling it but I don't think that they really have a clue, in terms of this level of success with an artist, of what to do." Well, you seem to be doing an excellent job. "Guess what? The record is doing it because with very little presence I'm very excited and appreciative that [it's] moving. Even though the pace is slower than normal, it's moving nonetheless with very little awareness."

How tough is it in the music industry now if you don't have a certain look? "Well I think I look fabulous. Have you seen me lately?" I have. John Legend has a new artist Estelle who is considered difficult to promote because of her look. It really comes down to the music, doesn't it? "It does come down to the music. We have to get out of this fairy tale guideline of looking a certain way. That's not to discredit beautiful people, but God didn't make us all look the same way. We all look the way we look. People need to recognize that in this world beauty is only skin deep. The industry is caught up in looks because that's the way Satan has designed the game to control the mentality of the weaker species. I really feel sad because this young lady has a great record out and not even the relationship with [John Legend] can afford her a better outlook. It tells you that we're in trouble." There's so much more to it and that seems to be gone. "Well, you know it goes back to the very beginning. If you were light skinned you were in, if you were dark skinned you were out. It very well works that way in the industry. You see very [few] dark skinned people on top of the game. Most of the superstars are very fair or mulatto people. You can check your stats. It works that way in the film world too. I have lost almost every single opportunity to star in a film to Macy Gray or Jill Scott because they're light and I'm dark. I've been told so many times that it's a certain look that they're looking for. So you can't even use weight anymore. You can't use age because everybody's over 35 that's running around doing it. It comes down to what is more appealing. I'm only good for the pro political stuff that will afford all of my people from the hood to vote for the right president - or to support whatever because I'm more on their level, so to speak. So to me it hasn't changed much. Slavery has just taken on a whole new different direction but it's the same process."

In addition to concerts, what can we expect from you this year? "I'm actually working on two books right now - [one is] poetry and [the other is] called Life and the Shadows of a Sex Symbol." Is this biographical? "Hmmm. I won't say that. There is some real stuff, then there's some REAL stuff. You have to wait and see. I'm supposed to be working with Robi Reed on something and [also] Tracey Edmonds. I'm still working on a stage project and becoming a producer. I'm always ahead of the game. I have music in my back pocket."

And apparently it runs in the family. Angie's daughter Diamond Stone dubbed The Princess of Hip-Hop Soul is hitting the stage of Headliners on a bill led by southern Rock N Soul sensation Joe Tucker on June 14th. Diamond recently added a new title to Angie's rep: Grandmom!

Las perspectivas de recesión en los Estados Unidos y el inesperado incremento de las reservas semanales de petróleo en la mayor economía del mundo provocaron otra marcada caída del crudo, que retrocedió 4 dólares y dio alivio a Wall Street, que ganó más de 2 por ciento.

Los buenos resultados de las empresas financieras en la Bolsa estadounidense ayudaron a los principales mercados bursátiles de la región, donde el BOVESPA brasileño avanzó 1,7 por ciento y el MERVAL argentino cerró plano, con una leve pérdida de 0,07 por ciento.

Los papeles bancarios se dieron un respiro en Wall Street, gracias al resultado del banco Wells Fargo, y las acciones pudieron avanzar por el retroceso del crudo, que cerró en 134,6 dólares en Texas, más de 10 unidades por debajo de los 145 dólares del último lunes.

En Estados Unidos, también se difundió el Índice de Precios al Consumidor de junio, que subió 1,1 por ciento en relación con mayo, más de lo esperado por lo analistas, lo que renovó los temores inflacionarios.

El industrial DOW JONES ganó 2,52 por ciento y volvió a posicionarse por encima de los 11.000 puntos, el selectivo S&P500 subió 2,51 por ciento y el tecnológico NASDAQ trepó 3,12 por ciento, luego de varias jornadas de pérdidas consecutivas.

El fuerte repunte en Wall Street sostuvo el índice MERVAL de la Bolsa porteña, donde los títulos financieros ayudaron a compensar la caída de los papeles petroleros.

Los bonos de la deuda doméstica lograron una ganancia promedio de 1 por ciento, mientras el Riesgo País cedió 30 puntos básicos hasta 638 unidades, al tope de América Latina.

Las acciones líderes perdieron 0,07 por ciento en la Bolsa local, que negocio 97 millones de pesos en acciones, de los cuales 34 millones corresponden a CEDEARS, títulos extranjeros que cotizan en la plaza porteña.

Las ganancias de los papeles financieros en Wall Street dieron impulso a los castigados bancos locales, entre los cuales avanzaron Banco Macro (3,4 por ciento), Banco Hipotecario (2,8), Francés (2,59) y Banco Patagonia (1,1).

El desplome del crudo en Texas, en tanto, afectó los títulos de Petrobrás (-2,56), YPF (-1,99), Petrobrás Participaciones (1,52) y Tenaris (1,29).

En el mercado local de divisas, el dólar se mantuvo en 3,01 pesos para la compra y 3,05 para la venta, mientras el Euro retrocedió dos centavos hasta 4,90 vendedor.

Here is an Article i grabbed off the Nigerian Tribune website Has more detail on recent events on the battle between Shell Oil and the Ogoni people. Sorry if it is a tough read, it is translated.

Shell-Ogoni crisis: How not to handle it?

South South Bureau Chief, John Ogbedu, writes on the recent pronouncement by Nigeria ’s president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in far-away South Africa that the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) may have to leave the oil-rich Ogoniland in Rivers State for a new investor.

The pathetic story of the cantankerous relationship between the multi-billion naira oil giant, the Dutch Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and its host community, the Ogonis in Rivers State , is replete with several tales of woes and opposite opinions. The cordial relationship that had existed between Shell and the Ogonis in the 1950s has unfortunately degenerated to a very sad and pitiable state for the duo.

Whereas the SPDC is still desirous of continuing to do its profit-yielding oil exploration business in Ogoniland, the latter is still bent on an aggressive fight, which has been ongoing for about 15 years, to ensure that the oil company, Shell, which packed its bag and baggage from some vital oil fields in Ogoni some years ago, does not return to Ogoniland.

Whereas the highly infuriated people of Ogoniland in general feel that the Shell Petroleum Development Company has bitten much more than it can chew on its crude oil/condensate and gas-infested God-given resource (land), the SPDC believes that the Ogonis are asking much more than what they deserve from the company in terms of provision of necessary amenities to ameliorate the deteriorating environmental degradation of Ogoniland resulting from its massive oil exploration in the area.

Whereas the oil giant, through its former Nigerian managing director, Mr. Basil Omiyi, also an indigene of the restive Niger Delta region, insists that it has done practically everything humanly possible to meet the multi-dimensional needs of its host communities and, particularly, control the spread of environmental nuisance in its activities through the prompt attention it gives to cases of oil spillage, for instance, the Ogonis remain unmoved by such assertions from its oil tenant.

The opposites of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and its host, the Ogonis are numerous and they revolve principally around the insistence of an oil company to continue to do business in an area, whose inhabitants have never hidden their unquantifiable disdain for this (SPDC). Several attempts by the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government in the past to broker peace among this hitherto friendly “brothers” have not yielded any fruitful result.

In fact, the more government attempts to resolve their misunderstanding, the more both sides become hardened, sticking tenaciously to their beliefs, thus, resulting in occasional confrontations leading most times to the willful vandalization of oil facilities belonging to the SPDC and further degradation of the environment via oil spillages.

With cash in its heavily oily hands, the SPDC, as part of its social responsibilities to the Ogoni Community quite often says it has risen up immediately to its expectations by responding appropriately to curtailing the negative environmental impact that such spillage may cause the affected community as well as its staff. No doubt, oil spillage, gruesome attacks on its field personnel, destruction of its facilities by “unknown persons”, including suspected militants and plain vandals, have regrettably become a part of the SPDC’s dictionary, a common phenomenon in its areas of operation.

Even the trusted and respected Reverend Father Matthew Hassan Kukah, a highly placed clergy in the ecumenical circles in Nigeria , was appointed to head a Peace and Reconciliation Committee to delve into and possibly bring to an end the long-standing altercations between the Ogonis and their tenant, the SPDC. Till date, nothing tangible has come out of the Kukah Committee. The recent pronouncement by President Yar’Adua that Shell has to quit Ogoniland for another investor is a strong signal of government’s vote of no confidence in the Kukah Committee.

But then, the Federal Government’s decision to ensure the final disinvestment of the SPDC from Ogoniland (no one knows yet exactly when this would become effective) is not only defeatist, hasty and a dangerous precedent, it is capable of igniting similar widespread, nation-wide protestations by communities hosting different big business concerns against the latter for the purpose of settling scores with them, as it is happening now in the Shell-Ogoni debacle.

It is defeatist because the Federal Government is now telling the whole world that it is incapable of providing the needed security to safeguard private investments in some parts of the country. Is it that the Federal Government has accepted the out right defeat or routing of its forces, military or persuasive, by the Ogoni warriors in this “Shell-Ogoni War?” Though the SPDC has its own share of blame in the unending crisis in Ogoni (continuous refusal to admit its apparent shortfall in meeting the overall expectations from its host community), but then, government should not exhibit its glaring helplessness in this matter by robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The resolution of crises, no matter how intractable they may seem, is never time-bound. So, it would be hasty, for now, for the Federal Government to throw in the towel in this Ogoni-SPDC matter, which was, however, gradually finding its peace bearing recently, with the Ogonis apparently split over the continuous operation or otherwise of SPDC on their land. This development ought to have been watched carefully and cautiously by Government to guide it in its eventual decision on the Ogoni-Shell “palaver”.

Not too long ago, some Ogoni youth, who obviously felt exasperated by the continuous Ogoni-Shell tiff and operating under the banner of the Ogoni Youth Council (OYC), met and through the OYC president, Marvin Yobana, disagreed vehemently with the leading “opposition party” to Shell’s presence in Ogoniland, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), founded more than 15 years ago by late Ken Saro-Wiwa, a writer and social activist mowed down in November 1985 by the ruthless military junta of General Sani Abacha, also late.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune in March this year, Yobana, who doubles as the national vice-president of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), described as “untrue and gross misinformation” claims by MOSOP that SPDC plans to return to Ogoniland “through the backdoor” and that the company had armed some Ogoni youth to protect its installations and to fight their fellow kinsmen.

Hear Yobana: “Normally, youths are the ones that arm themselves against oil companies to fight them. I am not a spokesman for Shell. But, I represent the Ogoni youths and I know that no Ogoni youth is armed to fight another Ogoni man, except there is a communal clash somewhere, where the community leaders arm the youths. The process that is on right now is that Shell has engaged some surveillance contractors from Ogoniland, who are landlords to Shell, to employ some youths to serve as security and these youths are not armed; rather, they are given PPP equipment like raincoats, rain boots, safety hand gloves, torch lights and all that as protective equipment”.

The MOSOP president, Mr. Ledum Mitee had said his body has facts to back its claims that the SPDC has been making desperate efforts to return to Ogoniland for exploratory activities and has been arming “youths who have criminal records as its security men”. But, the OYC boss, Yobana said such claims “are meant to cause some disaffection among the Ogoni people to the advantage of those people, who thrive from problems and this is the age when we say we don’t want that any longer”.

Yohana continued, “This is what the Federal Government and Ogoni people have been asking for and Shell has agreed that yes, we know we have wronged you and we are going to pay. So, why this difference now, why the turn around? All of a sudden, we don’t trust the process any longer. There must be something more than meet the eyes. Let us look beyond what we are saying”. These views implied that a level of understanding was gradually beginning to take roots in the minds of some Ogoni youths, who are often in the forefront in the opposition to Shell’s presence in Ogoniland.

But then, MOSOP has been adamant over peace overtures from government, the SPDC and now, the Ogoni Youth Council despite efforts made to re-engineer the environmentally degraded Ogoniland in different spheres over the years. In April this year, an Ogoni delegation led by Dr. Badom Badom visited the education minister, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu to protest what they described as the “unacceptable high level of illiteracy and deprivation of the people of Ogoniland and total neglect of the area”. They demanded for “a special intervention by the Federal Government in the areas of scholarship for their children, federal schools, capacity building for teachers and other educational facilities”.

Such complaints of neglect have been leveled against the Federal, Rivers State government as well as the SPDC by the Ogonis. Of these three bodies, the Ogonis are more pissed off by the alleged inactivity of Shell as regards uplifting their general standard of living despite the stupendous profits they alleged the company garners yearly from its activities on their soil. Either advertently or inadvertently, it is alleged that not much has been done by the government and the SPDC to give back to Ogoniland in commensurate measure what they take (crude oil and gas) from the Ogonis.

So, the announcement in South Africa by President Yar’Adua that the SPDC will soon be shoved out of Ogoniland was expectedly received with glee by the Ogonis, who publicly demonstrated in Rivers State in support of the Federal Government’s decision to send the oil company packing from Ogoniland. MOSOP president, Mitee, seems to have had an inkling of the forceful pull-out of Shell from Ogoni when he told Nigerian Tribune in a chat March this year that “the current desperation in the bid of SPDC to return to Ogoniland started when the Federal Government announced that the Ogoni field might be available for other oil companies soon and gave the Anglo-Dutch company a period of 12 months to prove it can still operate in the area”.

Besides encouraging other landlord communities to take the laws into their hands by forcefully preventing companies, not just oil firms, operating in their respective areas from doing their businesses without hindrance, govern-ment’s pro-Ogoni reaction to the Ogoni-Shell crises could possibly jitters down the spines of investors in the country, especially foreign ones, about their safe stay in Nigeria. Therefore, government has a duty to guarantee a peaceful environment for the conduct of businesses in the country.
To sheer away from such responsibility, as it has done in the Ogoni-Shell case is, to say the least, unfortunate and counter-productive.

Source: http://www.tribune.com.ng/16072008/tue/eog.html

Article

Armed pirates hijacked a Norwegian flagged bulk carrier off southern Nigeria on Wednesday, roughing up the crew but releasing them after two hours, officials said.

The suspected pirates climbed aboard the ship in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, early Wednesday morning, Norwegian Rescue Service spokesman Stein Solberg said in Oslo. They "pushed around" the 22-member crew, all Indian citizens, but no one was injured, he said.

The hijackers escaped with valuables after threatening the crew, said Jarle Ellefsen, a spokesman for the Bergen-based Spar Shipping company.

"They took money, PCs and radio equipment — stuff like that," he said. "They also wrecked some of the inside of the ship and broke doors."

The ship, the Spar Gemini, had anchored near the port after arriving with a shipment of dry goods from China, he said.

The Nigerian coast has become another hotspot in the world for piracy aboard large commercial cargo ships. What used to be limited to oil service vessels operating in the Nigerian delta has now spread to include increasingly brazen attacks against larger and larger vessels.

New music today at 88Nine, and the first for me to play was one I discovered on patrol for new music; Asa (pron. Asha) who is a young Nigerian artist currently making a name for herself in Paris of all places. A cirularity pervades this position in her young career since it was the city she was born in, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. Though she would quickly relocate back to Nigeria as a toddler, Paris pulled her back. Though not without providing her an education in a diverse range of music, from Nigerian R&B, soul, highlife and pop, to more "world" artists like James Brown or Aretha Franklin. And her sound reflects an appreciation for American soul as well as respecting the incredibly rich scene in Lagos, Nigeria where she grew up.

The new album is eponymously titled and is full of good songs. "Songs" y'all, means lyrics and  excellent themes wound around a powerful new voice on the scene. I'm excited and I hope you all are too. So I was happy when I found this video for the tune we're playing, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Read Full Article Here

Sterilizing pregnant mothers with tetanus vaccines, babies die