Can We abolish Poverty? A Rejoinder By An Operative. By Ahmed Tafida Jalingo
(GAMJI)
I for one write this rejoinder to reply the columnist in the affirmative that the nation can and could abolish poverty, because in the last three years of our pet privately sponsored and led attempt I have come to see how with the slightest push the Nigerian poor can tremendously by his own effort do a lot to alleviate his condition, and the experience is further making us the more serious and faster on in the direction of Mr. Charles’s unimaginable evolution and it all started like this: Details
(GAMJI)
The sudden demise of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo will qualify as one of the biggest surprises and shock of 2003 in Nigeria, for those who neither knew him closely nor believe the Nigerian Police is incapable of the complicity that is being level against it, by some of Dr Okadigbo's close associates, present at the Kano Stadium. Details
Muslim Communities in Multi-Religious
Milieux: Some
Reflections on the Madinan Constitution
(GAMJI WRITER)
This brings me to one final point, a logical conclusion from the analyses above. Can there be a dialogue between “Africa” and “Europe” or “Islam” and the “West”, if these terms have no meaning in the sense of representing a univocal position on world affairs? I personally do not think so. What is clear to me is that there are two opposing positions: One favours moderation, peace, respect for other values and civilizations and tolerance. Details
Corruption
and Government Hypocrisy
At a dinner to mark Nigeria’s 43rd independence anniversary, the president Olusegun Obasanjo dwelled on the repatriation of looted funds stashed in off-shore banks back to Nigeria. The president informed those in attendance, including journalists, that it was one of the issues he discussed with the President of Switzerland in New York recently at the United Nations General Assembly. The Swiss president, according to Obasanjo, insisted that he must be given assurance that the repatriated funds would not end up being embezzled by corrupt government officials. Details
Dr.
Okadigbo's Death: A Political and Nigeria's. By
(GAMJI)
The sudden demise of Dr Chuba Okadigbo will qualify as one of the biggest surprises and shock of 2003 in Nigeria, for those who neither knew him closely nor believe the Nigerian Police is incapable of the complicity that is being level against it, by some of Dr Okadigbo's close associates, present at the Kano Stadium. Details
FRIDAY DISCOURSE WITH DR. ALIYU TILDE
Wow, N54 Million Bribery Scandal!
(GAMJI WRITER)
So
Nasiru, as I would chose to call him here, fulfilled his promise to make public
the name of the extorting senators. Nasiru, who is given more to professional
excellence than to the frivolity of political intrigue, stormed the venue of the
hearing with a copy of the Quran and swore by it. He has thus traveled the
longest distance any Muslim can go to prove his veracity.
Transparency
International
Corruption Perceptions Index 2003
Nigeria still the 2nd most corrupt nation on earth
Nine out of ten developing countries urgently need practical support to fight corruption, highlights new index
The Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2003 charts levels of corruption in 133 countries. Seven out of ten countries score less than 5 out of a clean score of 10, while five out of ten developing countries score less than 3 out of 10. Details
The
El-Rufai Factor
And so it was some weeks back with the allegation by Federal Capital Minister, Minister Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s in an interview in The Guardian, that some senators requested for N54 million bribe to clear him as a ministerial nominee. There was an urgent need thereafter, to get to the bottom of this festering smoke, and hopefully, put out the fire. Details
Our
country must fight corruption in the highest and in the lowest strata of
our society, and this may well be the clean beginning that our country
has been waiting for! These revelations coincidentally, coincided with
the new Transparency International infamous rating of Nigeria as the
second most corrupt country in the world, well, now, we must clean
house!
El-Rufai
and His Gallant Whistle. By
(GAMJI)
A senior colleague once told me something about Nasir El Rufai, the FCT minister, which then I do not really believe until of recent. That the renowned quantity surveyor, apart from been a gifted and excellent student, was, during their days at the Ahmadu Bello University, a highly principled person who holds dear to rectitude. Details
Suffering
and Smiling Awards
Some unpatriotic Nigerians have described the recent happiness medal to the country as an award for suffering and smiling. Even at that, every winner must have suffered before the victory. It is compelling to recall that in the past Nigeria is only receiving Gold Medals for the Most Corrupt Nation on earth apart from its categorization in the comity of poorest nations. Details
Obasanjo's
Anti-Corruption Campaign - Reality or Myth?
When Obasanjo began his anti-corruption crusade to cleanse the Nigerian system of corruption many sceptics including this writer, predicted that it is going to be a futile exercise unless if the government takes the bull by the horn. This means putting politics aside and flushing the system to the core irrespective of the so-called “immunity of some public officers from prosecution clause” dubiously inserted into the Nigerian Constitution. Details
Case
For Ideological Orientation – Obafemi Awolowo.
Forwarded By
(GAMJI)
But the position in Nigeria today as to the ideal of the ruling parties at the Centre and hence of the country, and their orientation towards such ideals, if any, appears to me to be thoroughly confused. The cause of this confusion is not far to seek. The Federal Government lacks definite ideals or objectives and is devoid of ascertainable orientation. Details
Networking
Among Kano NGO. By
(GAMJI)
The
networks are not enterprising enough to reach out to other agencies and
partners for support, collaboration and sustainability, but rather they
allow themselves to be trapped by the initiators till a coffin is
provided and nailed by such agencies.
EL- RUFA’I: HOW FAR CAN YOU GO? Babayola Muhammadu Toungo
(GAMJI)
El
Rufai’s Bribery Allegation: A Rush to Judgment
[Norman, Oklahoma.]
(GAMJI)
Rejoinder
to Molara Wood's Atiku-Four Wives And A 'GiSiM Divorce
Alas, the article by Molara Wood has failed this simple test. First the fallacies: there was no GSM services in Yola when the said separation between the Turaki and his wife took place. Period. The writer was merely repeating a gossip item that despite its irresistible ‘attraction’ and ‘spice’ is untrue and therefore libelous. The insinuations that follow from the said statement as to who amongst his four wives is promoted to where or given what job because of the phantom ‘GiSiM divorce’ equally collapses, since it lacks any foundation in reality. Details
HIV/AIDS:
Can Vaccine Work?
[Bayero University, Kano.]
Vaccine and vaccination is an area where microbiology and immunology have had most immediate and successful application, with a remarkable achievement of prevention against certain infectious diseases. Through vaccination, a number of infectious diseases, including measles, mumps, tuberculosis, tetanus, cholera, meningitis, whooping cough and yellow fever can now be prevented, while small pox is eradicated completely with the hope of achieving so for poliomyelitis in 2005. Details
"THE WAY DEMOCRACY IS PRACTICED IN THE CIVILIZED WORLD"- A lesson for the Third World, and a striking departure from our own brand in Nigeria By Dr Wunmi Akintide.
(GAMJI)
A good number of our leaders are people trained and educated in the civilized world. What is mind boggling is how quickly they always turn their backs on what they have learnt and what is good and enduring in all the places where they have acquired their education. One of the very few exceptions, I will argue, is Obafemi Awolowo who had gone to England, saw a lot of things he thought could be good for his people, and came back home in 1946 to start doing some of them on becoming Leader of Government Business and then Premier in the old Western Region. Details
By Muyiwa Sobo
(GAMJI WRITER)
Clearly, Nigerians, especially those outside of the country, never missed a beat when it comes to serious national issues. It proves right the assertive aptitude of Nigerians as a people. We are a smart group of people. I believe me. A recent study published in the Washington Post showed that Africans in the U.S. are averagely more educated than any other ethnicity including whites and Asians. Guess who are the majority of those African immigrants. This is true the world over. Anywhere you look, Nigerians are excelling, be it in the academics, business (not the 491ers, real property flippers, drug dealers, and credit card fraudsters) or the professions. Details
By Hillary Okoronkwo
(GAMJI)
HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A T.O.S. BENSON SCORNED.
By Banjo Odutola
(GAMJI)
First
of such letters is the exchange between Professors Muyiwa Awe and Wole
Soyinka. I am willing to place a bet that the charge upon Mr. Awe to win
“lost souls” and convert them to his faith may not be achieved, if he
were to attempt winning Mr. Soyinka for Christ. He conveniently wrote
himself off as a failure to reach his “Eleke Ebu” friend. It is only
for the purpose of the point that I strive to make that Mr Soyinka is
considered a so-called: “lost soul”. Details
Islam,
Marriage and HIV / AIDS
(GAMJI)
In the institution of marriage in Islam, it is provided that the health statuses of each of the couple must be guaranteed. Both of them must be free from certain disease conditions before the marriage contract. There are basically 14 defects that must be absent in the couples. Five are restricted for men: Details
By
Engr. Obadiah Oghoerore Alegbe
(GAMJI)
Mr. Governor, bringing white and foreign farmers to the land of Afonja is not the solution to the problem of food production, the children of Oduduwa already know about farming. The white man farming is not a guarantee of feeding our people. Let us ask our people to farm instead of bringing white men in to farm for them. When the white men land in Kwara, they will create a colony, they will marry whites, they will create a superior race that will become a problem for the future generation of our children. Details
Justice Akanbi’s ICPC: Fighting Corruption With Crooked Hands
By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
(GAMJI)
I am still highly surprised that instead of simply resigning his thoroughly discredited job as the Chairman of the so called ‘Independent’ Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and returning to his village to find for himself a more ennobling post-retirement amusement, Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi (rtd.) is still out there in Abuja, clinging fast to his horribly muddied seat, and deluding himself that he is ‘fighting corruption.’ Which corruption, by the way? Details
Glorifying Terrorism In Post-9/11 ECOWAS. By Kòmbò Mason Braide, Ph.D.
(GAMJI WRITER)
On the other hand, if US President George W. Bush (The Younger) does nothing, Liberia would, most likely, have to contend with several years of continued authoritarianism, urban and rural terrorism, general mayhem, civil war, and tremendous human suffering to look forward to, with Pastor Charles Taylor in remote control, living fine, and feeling funky in Calabar, Nigeria, via GSM. Details
Nigeria:
Celebrating State Failure?
(GAMJI)
Nigeria is easily the largest failed state in the world. It is a state that has not only failed to meet the aspiration of its citizens but is at war with those citizens! The Nigerian state originally founded by our fathers on the noble philosophies of Pan-Africanism and black renaissance has been hijacked by a rentier mob. Details
Obasanjo's Government: A Case of Misplaced Priorities. By Kabeer Adamu
(GAMJI)
At a time when what the Nigerian farmers need is fertilizer the government is busy launching a weather satellite. One would like to wonder how helpful that would be to an illiterate rural farmer who has been farming for decades and can tell the weather without the aid of a satellite. Details
An Elegy For “The Mayor” – Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. By Hank Eso
(GAMJI)
Well before Police Inspector Alozie Ogubuja blamed the Nigerian military for only being good at “drinking pepper soup and plotting coups”, “The Mayor” had read that handwriting on the wall and made similar observations, in noting that “keeping the military unoccupied was akin to digging ones grave”. Details
Legal Chicken Dance. By Muyiwa Sobo
(GAMJI)
Seriously, at the just concluded annual shenanigan cum convention of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) serious legal reform to accommodate and compliment the current constitutional democracy ought to top the agenda. No! Because the NBA is ruled by cave men, reform is toxic. Details
When Hell is Airborne. By Michael Okoye
(GAMJI)
And General Muhammadu Buhari would pay the ultimate price, if he accepts the honour bestowed on him , shortly after the death of his running mate; as the Grand Commander of the Federal Repulic- GCFR – by OBJ. He would simply be erased like his former deputy Idiagbon. Details
Igbo and 2007. By Ubanese Nwanganga
(GAMJI)
As I pointed out earlier, the Hausa/Fulani and the Yoruba controlled the levers power at the centre. Over time, the clannish nature of the northerner began to manifest in the enormous power and influence the mallam acquired in the corridors of power. Details
Congratulations, Aisha Babangida. By Ubanese Nwanganga
(GAMJI)
Married life is better experienced than described. You are now at the centre of the world of a man other than your father, who will be your closest relation as well as the centre of your own world. He will, in sha Allah, share his life with you. Your father could not have shared his life to that extent with you. That was meant for your ageless mother, Mariam.Details
The Amina Lawal's Ordeal: Getting Past the Impasse. By Dr. Ali Ahmad
The first acquittal of an adultery charge was that of Safiya, and anyone who thought Amina would really be stoned to death in Nigeria was mistaken. But far more mistaken is anyone who believes the lady’s acquittal was only due to Sharia’s internal mechanism as implemented in Katsina. Details
No More Apologies for Ojukwu and Biafra. By Odi Maduneke
(GAMJI)
October 1 was Nigeria’s 43rd independence anniversary, but there was nothing to celebrate. Nigeria is neither independent nor does she have anything to show for her 43 years of so-called independence. Nigeria has not been able to maintain the little infrastructure left by the colonialists not to mention improving on them. Details
I wish I was a Palestinian, I wish I had the heart of a Palestinian. By Ihas Idriess
(GAMJI)
Though death is painful, painful to the deceased loved ones, death is sweat when a worthy life is spend, death is much more great, when a fulfilling life is ended. Death is even far more significant when the life lost is in the course of freedom and liberation Details
Porn Maniacs and the Lure of Lucre. By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
(GAMJI)
The other day, just because a naïve girl called Agbani Daerogo was deluded by some wicked adults to throw off her clothes and show off her delicate parts and desecrate honour and womanhood before a mass of ogling, prurient voyeurs, she was promptly informed that they have crowned her Miss World. She was also made rich. Details
Sayonara Oyi of Oyi. By Babayola Muhammadu Toungo
(GAMJI)
When the Attorney General of the federation was murdered in his own bedroom, the senior police officer in charge of investigating the murder was removed and retired ostensibly for getting close to the truth about the death this heinous crime; we applauded. Details
Why
I Won't Be Joining Nigeria's 43rd Independence Celebration. By
I am unable to celebrate when I think of the millions of retired public sector employees, wallowing in poverty as the ungrateful reward of an unfeeling nation for a lifetime spent in public service. They exist in every local government and they will soon be summoned to the state capital to prove that they are still alive in order to collect the pittance that is their pension; in some states they call that ‘operation show your face’. Details
Attitude Speaks Louder Than Words. By Akin Falegan
(GAMJI)
Where are the Igbo candidates that are interested in becoming Nigeria president come 2007? Or they have been told that the only thing they are qualified for is second fiddle (Vice President), someone needs to tell me. Details
Demise of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo-- A Sad Commentary. By Ritchie Ejiofor
(GAMJI)
When in 2003 the late Oyi teamed up with retired General Buhari to contest the presidential election against the incumbent president, many were shocked at his choice, but those who knew the Oyi understood better where his stand and political ideology stood. He was determined to usher in apolitical climate devoid of fear, and abuse of power. Details
Voices Raised Against Condom Use. By Dr. Aminu Magashi
(GAMJI)
The $15 billion USA AIDS initiative, which was approved recently by the united state congress as it was reported by New York Times of Friday 25th July, 03 in a caption " house approves AIDS bill. The initiative is expected to cater for 12 African and 2 Caribbean countries needs to combat HIV/AIDS pandemic. This grant will be provided within the span of 5 years. The most interesting and astounding part of the scheme, is the fact that one third of the fund will be channeled to groups that are promoting abstinence messages only. Details
Delta Storm Police Station, Osubi, Warri – A Den of Robbers. By Adedokun Adenipekun
(GAMJI)
If you are a frequent traveler on Port Harcourt – Warri – Benin road like me, you would have come across men of the ‘Delta Storm’ police squad on the outskirts of Warri. These men, extremely dark in complexion, in black uniform are equally dark in their inner man. Their mission on the road should have been to make life difficult for men of the underworld. These men however choose to misdirect their energy at innocent road users. Details
Polio Vaccine: A Response to Dr. Magashi, Dauda and Co. By Ibrahim Dan Halilu
(GAMJI)
With all due respects to Dr. Magashi as a health care professional, and others that issued rejoinders to my article, I still maintain that the position of the North or rather the JNI/SCSN on the polio immunisation and many other issues needs to be re-examined. I fervently believe that any society that rejects change due to fear, speculation, and suspicion does so to its own peril. Details
The Death of Senator Okadigbo Should Call Us to Reflection. By Obadiah Oghoerore Alegbe
(GAMJI)
Okadigbo’s death call for Nigeria to rehabilitate this Police Force that is inherited from past military dictatorship. Details
There Is Now A Big Gap In African Literature. Says Chinedu Ogoke. By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
(GAMJI)
I feel bad observing boys and girls in our cities in Nigeria clutching mobile phones instead of novels. It is quite alright having these phones, but the disturbing thing is their preponderance. Details