Of what good is the relocation of UNESCO Institute to Nigerian students?

Originally, Ulli Beier, the owner of the UNESCO Institute transferred the Phonetics Department to the Mural Studies Department, when he became interested in Yoruba culture and arts. Inspired by Jean Paul Sartre’s famous essay “Orphee Noir,” he founded the magazine called “Black Orpheus” which quickly became a leading space for Nigeria authors to write and publish their own works.
The recent idea of relocation of his art collections from his home in Osogbo to the Obasanjo Presidential Library has caused serious fighting between Obasanjo, Soyinka and Ulli Beier. Accusations were made against Obasanjo by Soyinka on using the public funds to build a Presidential Library.
Nigerian writers, poets, playwrights and Nobel Prize in Literature winners like Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe were known majorly for the Lion and the Jewel, the Swamp Dwellers, Things Fall Apart and the Arrow of God as well as their contributions to the nation’s educational system. If the remaining art collections of Ulli Beier are to be known nationally in Nigeria, then the idea of relocating the UNESCO Institute should be forgotten, because once the institute is relocated to the Obasanjo Presidential Library, then it becomes a Federal Government Institute which will prevent the Nigerian schools, polytechnics and universities from having full access to the art collections of the UNESCO Institute.
In order to enable the Nigerian students to benefit from the art collections of Ulli, then the idea of keeping the remaining art collections in major Nigerian Universities like OAU, UI and UNN should be imbibed.

Ulli Beier, Obasanjo, Soyinka, who’s the real owner of UNESCO?

…With the Federal Government paying for the cost of transferring the ownership of collections from Germany to Nigeria, Ulli and his wife feared that it might claim the collections of UNESCO Institute and have rejected offers for an alternative arrangement to allow Western universities pay for the collections on behalf of the Obasanjo library.
This has led to serious confrontations between Soyinka, Beier and Obasanjo, with the latter accusing the former of using the public funds from different states to build a library for his own selfish reasons. So if UNESCO Institute will remain owned by Ulli Beier, then the remaining art collections of the Institute should be kept in prominent Nigerian Universities like Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University of Ibadan; so that students of these universities and other universities might benefit from… the art works of Ulli.

McCain vs. Obama; a harsh measure up

The difference between age, experience and youthfulness can be linked to the current political tussle between Senator Barack Obama the Democratic nominee and John McCain, the Republican Nominee for the presidential candidates. The contrasts can not be more bleak, because the former is old enough to be the father of the latter, one the latter with no military experience which is not a criteria of being elected in the office of the president, while the former has a long navy career punctuated by a harrowing period of captivity in a Hanoi prison Camp during the Vietnam war. One with a rhetorical skill and style that can light and steer up a sport arena, the other more comfortable in the back-and-forth banter of a town-hall-meeting.
strategy differences between the two presumptive major-party nominees for president John McCain is one of the Senate’s most outspoken supporters of the Iraq war, while Barack Obama has opposed it from the beginning that Senator McCain wants a big tax cuts and less government spending; Senator Obama wants tax breaks targeted at the middle class and greater government involvement in job creation. On the issue of healthcare, McCain emphasizes consumer choice and market forces, while Obama favors government action that puts the nation on track toward universal coverage. During the 2008 general election campaign kick off, one point is already certain: the outcome will be historic, when the United States of America elects either its first Black President or its oldest first-term president.
But based on the surprising difference is a key similarity, neither of both candidates is the first choice of their party establishment for the nomination, but both of them have promised “different kind of politics” from the highly partisan, divisive wrangling that has come to mark Washington for the past 20 years.
Both men hold appeal among independent voters-which is a third of the electorate- and whoever wins a majority of them wins in November. While both candidates must hold onto the bulk of their party regulars, they will also play to the non ideological centre in a way that the nominees didn’t do in the last two presidential races.
Analyzing 2008 race, you will start with the already-well-described Democratic advantage this time around, beginning with unhappiness about the Iraq war and the declining economy.
Generic polls reveal that American preferred a democratic President with no name attached to a Republican by a double-digit margin.
So even if bush endorses Senator John McCain, History will still point towards a Democrat in 2008.
One of the surprising issues about the campaign is the race factor, with no historical precedents for a non white nominee, and its very difficult to predict, how or where Obama’s race for the white House is gonna affect his chances.
While Obama has a task to unify his party after a divisive primary season, in order to support the working class, older, and Hispanic voters that flocked Hillary Rodham Clinton. McCain is also faced with some grumbling among key GOP constituencies when he sealed up the party nomination, particularly among the movement conservatives and evangelical voters.
Party strategist warns against making too much of the intraparty squabbling of which both candidates might get 80 percent of their party’s voters at the end of the day.
But McCain is big fan Bush’s foreign policies on Iraq and the Middle East, but after been accused of been a Bush’s third term candidate, then he began to distance himself from Mr. Bush in the public Scene. But Mr. McCain is been caught unaware anytime the issue of war is been used against him.
Going forward, the hymn that Obama introduced first-Change-is now the theme of both campaigns. From the McCain camp, the question is and will always be whose change voters want. The change that a “maverick,” experienced leader can bring, or the change that a young man who just four years ago was a state senator in Illinois can bring.
Obama is continual faced with the judgment over his years of Washington Experience.
During the primaries, Senator Clinton failed to gain serious traction over her highly debated advertisement asking voters whom they would want answers on the phone at 3.am.but analyst say that it may have served to point to McCain as the most experienced candidate on national-security matters. But recent polls revealed that Americans are more concerned about the economy than about Iraq or Terrorism, McCain starts his general election run with a big anchor around his legs.

Investigative journalism or Award ceremonies, Music Jamboree and fashion,

Gone are those days, when you hear that a journalist is been locked up, jailed and killed for a standing on what he believes to be a thorough investigative journalism. An unforgotten example is the case of dele giwa, who was murdered for what he believed and lived for in Journalism. The old method of reporting, analytical, undercover and exploratory journalism is now replaced with award ceremonies, music jamborees and fashion shows.
The new method of doing the business of journalism now is called award ceremonies, pop music concerts and fashion show extravaganza which always make newspapers proprietors “stinkingly rich” with the FrontPage lead of the national newspaper advertising and announcing that you are organizing an award ceremonies for companies, government “parastatals” and agencies. With the aim of attracting private companies, government agencies rushing to advertise in such a newspaper. That is why winners of such awards end up negotiating advertising contracts with such newspapers. The Nigerian journalism that is used to be the freest and the most professional in Africa with a long history of challenging the colonial and military dictatorship has been badly damaged and “battered” the integrity of investigative journalism.
Recalling those days, when the late president Mobutu Sese Seko of the then Zaire (now called the Republic of Congo) seek to withdraw his country’s diplomat from Nigeria because of a newspaper articles criticizing him. Newspaper writing has come a long way in Nigeria from the old days of late Dr Nnamdi Azikwe’s “west African Pilot” to Babatunde Jose’s leadership of “Daily Times of Nigeria,” plus their gritty clash against colonialism in Nigeria. To the fond memories of the last days of Late M.K.O Abiola’s Concord newspapers with Editors like late Dele Giwa,Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed and their moral position against corrupt civilian regime of the second republic even when their proprietor was part of that government.
During the Abacha and Babangida years, the tone of the Nigerian masses could be heard loud and clear from such publications such as Guardian Newspapers, Tell Magazine, The News and of course the Hydra indomitable Tempo magazine.
Though I was still a primary school boy by then, but the echoes of our Heroes in Nigerian Journalism are all written in the sands of Times. The veteran Editors of the past newspapers were arrested for speaking the truth to power, Sympathizers talked to their proprietors of those Newspapers to turn into soldiers barracks by a preemptive strike of the military junta.
Today, we are in the four republics, where all diverse corrupt practices and carnage hunting our land, nation, country and her citizens, but the Nigerian newspaper writers seem to have annulled and split up with the Nigerian masses for the love of filthy lucre, wealth and riches. Those days the word integrity is hardly found on any news medium and if analytical journalism is still on holiday, and then you will get a better opportunity to finding Investigative reporting from online news media such as The Times of Nigeria, Sahara Reporters, and NigeriaVillageSquare.com. Talk about financial and professional limitations of some of the Medias created by Nigerians in Diaspora that have exposed more corruptions in Nigeria than the Mainstream media in Nigeria. Its may not surprise you that you will get more breaking news from these medium than the mainstream Media in Nigeria.
Can we say that the mainstream media in Nigeria has been completely emasculated and castrated by its foolish approach to investigative newspaper writing? Today we are in the days, when we refer the news media as if they are still in the realm of the second republic, where they depend on foreign based online investigate journal for news break.
Some of the limitations of these foreign based news media are under-funded, and some of them literally had to beg for fund from their online readers to continue their publications.
Infact the life-span of these online media is short and ubiquitous; they are here and gone tomorrow, because of their inaccurate report, which has been more harmful than good. Their myriads of report is a hard earned image that is always flawed because of opposing politicians who used these media to destroy other reputation.
With no chance given to their subject to comment on their online journals, some of their online response forms do not work and many attempt to contact the editors of these online media by emails, which does not work.
The prominent newspaper in the mainstream media in Nigeria normally lead its front-page with announcement of an award ceremonies organized by it banks or governors or government agencies. Recently a major prominent newspaper in the mainstream media in Nigeria had its front-page leads with fashion and musical shows as if we don’t have a war going on at the Niger Delta. It is as if Nigeria is suddenly an “Eldorado” for American Hip Hop and Rap Artist. The fact that the richest Nigeria news medium today makes its profit from glossy reprints of photos of corrupt Nigerian politicians celebrating their birthday and new wives in London speaks volume about the decadence in our mainstream media.
In a country, where millions lost their lives through re-occurring pipeline disasters and armed robbers roam about the streets with boldness, where the police officers “run for cover” at the next street, 60 percent of Nigeria’s national revenue cannot be accounted for, in a country where road accidents claim lives in dozens everyday and the newspaper industry still has chance to promote American Artiste such as Beyonce, Jay Z and others. Majority of the circus shows are usually mixed with Nigerian Musicians and the so called fashion Moguls and Models that are based abroad.
While the homemade artiste are badly remunerated and treated shabbily during these concert. Sometimes the newspapers fabricate quarrels between the homemade artiste and the American Artiste and tell us stories about their scuffle. While all these are happening, thousands of Nigerians who are graduating from colleges, Higher Institution are looking for a place to call their workplace.
Majority of the Nigerian newspaper still organizes banks/bankers award and the stupidity inborn in these award ceremonies is funny, when they try to ignore the dragging economy inflicted on Nigerians by these “glorified Trading Companies” and “bureau de change” called Nigerian Banks. Meanwhile in the secret they lobby over there selves over these fake awards. Still after winning these awards, they don’t contribute to the Nigerian Economy, other than to join hands to push the Nigerian currency down and aid corrupt politicians in tapping money out of Nigeria to South Africa and Caribbean banks.
Now is the time to create, develop and encourage and patronize online investigative magazines, journals and forum, because they will serve as a replacement for the decaying art of journalism in Nigeria. The impact of U.S online alternatives media and blogs such as dailykos.com, drudge.com and freerepublic.com on American Politicians and Political parties should portray as an example to the Nigerian masses and their African counterparts that the old media is no longer adequate in the fight against dictatorship and marginalization of certain tribe in the present dispensation. No room is left for anyone to hide, for politicians and ex-political leaders who have made their pocket rich and comfortable through the deceits of their selfish type of leadership.
So wherever you read an analytical, exclusive piece of an online investigative journal of Nigeria, Thank the Editors and laud them for more courage and pray for more grace to their elbows, but when they make mistakes, rebuke them, but don’t join the others in throwing the baby away in the bath water. This is a call to stand for the truth and justice .in our land and eschew continued celebration of mediocrity and corruption in the defense of Nigerian Democracy.

Nigeria ranks seventh in world’s death-row prisoners’ list.

Amnesty International has ranked Nigeria as the seventh largest country with 850 inmates awaiting death sentence, after Kenya which has about 950 prisoners.
Burundi ranks ninth with 530 inmates, while Sudan and Uganda follow with 480 and 550 inmates respectively.
The agency said at least 1,252 inmates were executed by various governments last year, and that the number of prisoners on death-row worldwide showed that the rate of handing out capital sentences was different globally.
Pakistan leads with 7,436 prisoners awaiting execution, followed by America with 3,263 inmates. China is third on the list with 1900 inmates, and Thailand as fourth with 1000 and Bangladesh with 980inmates awaiting death sentence.

After Lagos state Economic summit, what next?

Walking the talk is an important issue in the implementation of the economic development of a country. In the past 48 years of Nigeria’s existence, our leaders have been failing and finding it difficult to walk their talks in the running of the country.

Known as the centre of excellence, Lagos generates 60 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product. Much of this comes in unregistered businesses, which bustle and jostle in streets and all parts of the metropolis.

Lagos State has been known globally as the heartbeat of Nigeria and infact it is the economic hub of Nigeria and the sub-region, but poor standard of living and severe poverty is the order of the day. A look at the streets of Orile Iganmu, Ojota, Ajegunle other parts of the city will tell that the state needs help in terms of infrastructures facilities and amenities.

Although, the smallest of the states created in May 27, 1967, Lagos State has the largest population in Nigeria after Kano. Little or no improvement has been witnessed in Lagos, due to inconsistency in the nation’s leadership and economic policies.

There had been assurances, promises and much talking at the previous and just concluded Lagos State economic summit. But the problem of walking the talk is very difficult to handle. Areas such as energy, transportation, water, sanitation, environment and security, urban planning and the development and maintenance of requisite human capital, which remain major thrusts of the Mega-city plan, were theme of the summit.

There have been some changes in the transportation sector since the Babatunde Fashola government took off last year, especially the new BRT transport scheme and repairs of roads.

But the issue of Lagos mega city is still a dream yet to be achieved, but I guess time will tell if Lagos is really going to be a mega city for business. The next four years of this administration will prove the impact of the summits.

If the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved, administrative and policy restrictions must be reviewed and removed.

A finance from Mecca

China, which is referred to as the financial power house with its hungry eye to re-colonize Africa’s growing economies and its natural resources is not the only region searching for opportunities in the continents. But the Gulf States, which include millions of Muslims who do business across the red sea, are also spying for profitable opportunities in growing African economies. Although many people on the continents has no bank accounts but major countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, and Morocco with a strong banking systems are growing sophisticatedly.

There are hope by banks from Gulf that the middle class, particularly among the Muslim north will turn to Islamic Finance and that the firms will raise its fund through Islamic bonds such as Sukuk.According to Moody’s a credit-rating agency, Islamic finance worth a puny $18 billion at the end of last year and that its potentially close to $235 billion-about what its estimates as the GDP of Africa’s Muslim population.

Finance from Gulf into Africa has been limited to few countries, such as Sudan, where only sharia-compliant finance is allowed in the north and which dominates holdings over half of Africa’s Islamic-banking assets. Gulf banks that are familiar with the country’s language and oil resources have partnered with Sudan’s investors to open Islamic banks.
Even the government of Sudan tapped from the sukuk from Africa issued by Sudanese cement firm to selling bonds to gulf investors to sidestep American economic sanctions over the massacres in Darfur.

African countries with major populations are Muslims combine the strong desire to promote Islamic banking by demanding heavily from Muslim customers.
“Islamic banking is a luxury product,” which have a propensity to do better in countries with established banking systems.

Albaraka, which is South Africa’s only Islamic banks, was set-up in 1989, and ABSA which is a South Africa biggest bank opened its Islamic banking division last two years, which offers phone, internet and branch banking across South Africa and its head, Ahmed Moola, said that the division made a lot of profits in the last two years of operation. while Kenyan‘s authorities licensed two Islamic banks, Gulf African Bank and First Community bank, which are both supported by Gulf Investment.
With a strong interest from the western banks, Kenya Barclays was the first to offer an Islamic Bank account named La Riba, meaning “no interest”.

With Nigeria with almost 70m Muslim population and a booming banking sector, has major brand of Islamic banks and financial investment which are Platinum-habib Bank (PHB), Lotus Capital’s Halal fund, IBTC Ethical Fund and Jaiz Bank international Plc (JBI) which is going to commence operations later this year, and a plan by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to put Islamic banking capital market instrument that are sharia compliant which will serve as an alternatives to traditional debt markets.

Another major effort to boost and encourage Islamic finance is the setting up of a centre of information and research in Islamic economics, banking and finance (CIRIEF) has been established in the northern city of Kano.

A major promising area of growth maybe in projects finance and bonds and the continents large need for infrastructure is always compared by the shortage of investment funds and which Gulf investors have always promised to bridge the gap. Project finance which is well suited for Islamic financial instrument is needed to back up physical assets. Gulf finance house,
An Islamic investment bank that operates in Bahrain, recently signed a $1.4 billion deal in Morocco to fund two tourism projects in 2006.While Senegal is contemplating to issue a sovereign Sukuk, which could be a 21st- century version of “the scramble for Africa”. But Gulf is night mare for the Chinese invaders