Exemplary leadership is all about leading by example. A leader
must be “A do as i deed leder not a do as i said
one“. When it comes to integrity, both Gen. Buhari‘s
political & conventional foes never ever question his
integrity. He has integrity & he is the only ex leader
not living in opulance having no personal structure in
both the two former & present nation seat of power,
not even in his home state capital talkless of outside
the country & with no foreing account. Unlike the
‘self confessed evil geinues‘, he was not a western
stooge & he held out of the best deal for Nigeria in
negotiation with IMF. Former Ghanian leader Jerry
Rawlings that many of us admire, actually modelled
himself with Gen. Buhari. It is unfortunate that, he
suffered a kind of political set back via coup d,eta
which later appeared to be because western
countries like the U.K, did sponsored their stooge, a
gang leader of the vanity class in the army the self
confessed evil geinues (IBB) Probably with the help
of another domestic western stooge OBJ to overthrow
his charismatic, corrective & progressive military
regime as at a certain point, both IBB & OBJ
themselves were starting to come under Gen.
Buhari‘s anti-corruption radar. Late Abacha in his
PTF inaugural speech was sincire enougth to
confessed their mistake in overthrowing Gen.
Buhari‘s regime; “I HAVE REALIZED OUR
COLLECTIVE MISTAKE IN OVERTHROWING YOU. I
HAVE SEEN THE TERRIBLE DAMAGE THAT OUR
INACTION HAS CAUSED TO THE NIGERIAN PSYCHE.
I AM MOST SORRY. PLEASE, COME & DO THAT IS
BEST KNOWN OF YOU, I.E PATRIOTIC SERVICE TO
THE NATION.“ It‘s still unfortunate that, upon all his
track record that Gen. Buhari must totter the nation
in order to convince them to vote for him. Perhaps,
Gen. Buhari may not be the only best available
candidate & subsequent to be president, but as far
as i am concern, i am unaware of any one other
than him.
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Nigeria’s Terror: Between Die-to-rule spymaster Gusau and Beggar-thy-countrymen Dangote
July 3, 2013
NewsRescue- He is untouchable. He has been at the helm of Nigeria’s affairs and most importantly the nations security boss, through several administrations, both military and civilian. Known as the Spymaster, no one appreciates the intricacies of developing or curbing terrorism like this man. He has links to international governments and international secret intelligence departments. He is one-on-one friends of top world leaders, politicians and other government officials. The powerful PDP member we are talking about, also has a die-to-rule Nigeria ambition. General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (Gusau being his hometown), is this one man.
Nigerians
as with masses all over the world, usually stay fixated with the
politics and shows of the ruling individuals, without realizing the
machinations behind, including forces of good and evil that select, keep
in power and compress their leaders. These power and terror broker
“elite,” are usually the most dangerous enemies to the people and the
true reasons for their suffering. Elected officials are handicapped, at
the mercy of these barons.In our July 2nd article (General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, Are You the Boko Haram Sponsor Azazi Inferred?), we described how late NSA, General Andrew Owoye Azazi, who briefly occupied the “NSA” position Gusau literally owns, professed to an audience that as a reult of “internal workings of PDP,” a “die-to-rule” PDP presidential candidate, who was among those “shenked” by PDP, was behind Boko Haram “suddenly” acquiring the ammunition, skills and financing to reign terror on Nigeria. Possible contestants in that run-up were Gusau, IBB and Atiku. Video is below.
TheNationOnline
on01/01/2012 had stated: Hardline allies of Jonathan’s have gone
further, suggesting that northern rivals within the PDP – such as
Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Aliyu Mohammed Gusau – may have covert
ties to Boko Haram. Privately though, some of Jonathan’s securocrats
have been asking Babangida and Gusau for advice.
Gusau has even also been recently implicated
in having connections to dangerous ammunition’s found in Kano, in the
possession of Lebanese with “Hezbollah’” links. It was under his tenures
as NSA that these arms were likely, easily imported and stored.Spymaster Aliyu Gusau, of the team of Ibrahim Babangida and Atiku Abubakar, fits the profile Azazi painted, to the teeth. Gusau has been in and out of corridors, has the finance capacity, the desire to rule, the wherewithal, the desperation and the history, including being involved in the brutal government of Babangida, to be able to be the chief Boko Haram sponsor.
An article on September 14, 2011, in PM news, “Why the Terrorists are winning in Nigeria,” asserted from ‘sources,” that when Boko Haram began constituting itself as a terrorist organisation, the president in charge at the time, Obasanjo asked Gusau, his NSA about this group, popularly called the “Nigerian Taliban,” in intelligence circles at the time. Gusau surprisingly responded, “no such group exists in Nigeria.”
The article further revealed that Steven Davis, activist and public commentator said of the NSA:
“Goodluck Jonathan became President of
Nigeria upon the death of Umaru Yar’Adua in May 2010. Former NSA Aliyu
Mohammed Gusau was once again made National Security Adviser. Gusau
could not possibly have missed the threat of Boko Haram. If his
security operatives failed to raise the matter in their reports then the
public statements released by Boko Haram and printed verbatim in
Nigeria’s national newspapers should have raised questions from the NSA,
if not alarm. The handling of the Boko Haram matter while
Gusau was NSA resulted in a dramatic escalation in the conflict to the
stage that it threatened the nation’s security.”
As we described, Azazi’s death, right after he made this admission,
fits with the style of Babangida and Abacha era top intel. orchestrated
assassinations. Late general Azazi’s chopper was described to have blown
up in the skies of Bayelsa and fallen into the bushes of Okoroba on
December 15, 2012.The dangerous nature of the spymaster possibly partially explains why the Nigerian president simply does not have the mettle to arrest him. In late general Azazi’s words, “where is the president” to do so? Like Pakistan’s Musharaf and Egypt’s Mubarak, Nigeria’s problems can not be seriously tackled if impunity remains for its leaders and upper echelon who commit the most heinous, corruption and mass murder atrocities. If the government does not mete justice, not only will suffering, poverty and terrorism flourish, but the civilians and youth will increasingly demand it in their way.
Wikileaks Cables: Gusau the US Spy and die-to-rule desperado
The top level information and Nigerian intel. Gusau willingly submits to the US on a daily basis makes Snowden’s US NSA spying revelations burlesque in comparison. The influence, desperation, connections and workings of Gusau must be appreciated by reading through US cable leaks from Wikileaks, in which Gusau can be seen as a treasonous, traitor to Nigeria, and US spy, indulging confidential information to his US friends and puppet masters:| Reference id | aka Wikileaks id #205794 ? |
| Subject | Nigeria: Ambassador And Former Nsa Gusau Discuss Pdp Party Politics, Efcc |
| Origin | Embassy Abuja (Nigeria) |
| Cable time | Wed, 6 May 2009 17:57 UTC |
| Classification | CONFIDENTIAL |
| Source | http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/05/09ABUJA793.html |
GON Governance Issues and the PDP ABUJA 00000793 002 OF 002
———————————
¶4. (C)
Turning to the subject of Yar’adua’s governance, General Gusau
maintained that Yar’ Adua currently trusts only National Assembly
Speaker Dimeji Bankole and Chief Economic Advisor Tanimu Yakubu, and
suggested the Ambassador engage Bankole in particular to convey messages
to the President (see septel for Ambassador-Bankole meeting).
Discussing the latest PDP inner workings, Ambassador asked Gusau about
how party stalwarts were realigning themselves for 2011, particularly
given the recent PDP special convention ( ref a), changes to the PDP
constitution, and whether former vice president Atiku had a chance in
returning to the party. The General said that on Atiku he thought that
the opportunity for him to return to the party for now had been lost,
given that he had made too many political missteps. On the 2011
election, he said he understood for now that President Yar,Adua was
planning to run, but that there were other options that were also being
considered for the north if, in the end, he did not run again. Those
options included both the Governors of Kwara and Bauchi States vying for
the PDP nod. For Kwara State, Olusola Saraki (the senior Saraki who
remains the godfather of politics for the state) wanted his son, current
Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki, to run with Ibori as his running
mate, moving his daughter Gbemisola Saraki into the Kwara Governor,s
seat. Gusau implied that Governor Saraki is less sanguine about his
sister replacing him as governor than Saraki senior. The other northern
option is Bauchi Governor Yuguda, Yar,Adua,s new son-in-law. Gusau did
not mention who his potential running mate would be.
¶5. (C)
Comment: Meetings with the former National Security Advisor are always
fruitful for his useful bits of information, particularly on PDP party
politics. The rising star of northern Bauchi Governor Yuguda should not
be underestimated. Since his marriage to Yar,Adua,s daughter early this
year, he has been rumored to be on the short list for the Central Bank
Governorship, and now according to Gusau, depending on what Yar,Adua
does as regards to 2011, could become a potential presidential
candidate. On Kwara Governor Bukola Saraki, there has never been any
doubt that he wants to be president of Nigeria. Whether 2011 is his time
to be a serious candidate is still uncertain, but it appears that the
favored governor of the Villa may have an unexpected rival that he was
not counting on in Yuguda. We will see whether Gusau,s points bear
fruit. On the EFCC, it is the same old refrain. End comment. SANDERS
Another cable gives further insight into the intelligence the Spymaster exchanges with his friends in the US:
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 003186 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV [Internal Governmental Affairs], PHUM [Human Rights], KDEM [Democratization], NI [Nigeria] SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY – ALIYU MOHAMMED PREDICTS PRESIDENT OBASANJO WILL REMAIN IN POWER ABUJA 00003186 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1.
(S) Summary: Former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. (Ret) Aliyu
Mohammed Gusau believes that President Obasanjo will try to rig the
upcoming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Convention so that it nominates
as its presidential candidate Katsina Governor Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and
Villa denizen Andy Uba for Vice President. Aliyu Mohammed believes that
Obasanjo’s choice of two manifestly unqualified candidates (Yar’Adua is
ill and Uba has no political base) is a sure sign that he has no
intention for elections to take place. He noted that the PDP has
recently established Obasanjo as party leader “for life,” thereby paving
the way for him to continue to wield the real power in an
administration nominally headed by a very sick man should he be forced
to give up his position as President. However, Aliyu thinks that the
elections will be “postponed” in a January/February timeframe, and will
result in coordinated rioting in Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Abuja,
Kano and Kaduna — the first time in Nigeria’s recent history that such
coordinated protest will have taken place. Aliyu also thinks that there
is a good chance that the PDP convention will reject Yar’Adua and Uba,
despite Villa bribery and rigging; if Obasanjo is not successful on the
first ballot with the Yar’Adua candidacy, the Convention will become
open. Under those circumstances, Aliyu thinks his own candidacy for the
Presidency still has a good chance for success. There is a comment in
para 9. Beginning para 10 are biographical notes on Yar’Adua and Uba.
End Summary.
¶2.
(S) At his own request, Aliyu Mohammed called on the Ambassador the
evening of December 11. He was accompanied by bodyguards and escorted by
a chase car with MOPOL police, unusual for a person who as National
Security Advisor routinely drove himself alone. The purpose of the visit
was to argue to the Ambassador the unsuitability of Yar’Adua as
President of Nigeria, and to present the Katsina governor’s candidacy as
part of President Obasanjo’s efforts to retain power.
¶3.
(S) Yar’Adua, Aliyu Mohammed said, suffers from a kidney disease and is
on dialysis four times a week. In addition, he is subject to blackouts,
probably related to epilepsy. He also suffers from other possibly
unrelated mental conditions, is on constant medication for them, and has
received psychiatric treatment in Germany. The dialysis machine was
installed at the Katsina gubernatorial residence by the German
construction firm Julius Berger (partially owned by former Chief of
state Ibrahim Babangida). Because of these illnesses, Aliyu continued,
Yar’Adua has become a recluse, rarely leaving his Residence, and is
almost unknown amongst the Northern power elite, except through his
relationship with his brother, the venerated Shehu Yar’Adua, who was
murdered by Abacha. Aliyu Mohammed noted that the younger Yar’Adua had
never been part of his brother’s political machine which, in fact, had
been inherited by Vice President Atiku.
More can be read below from 2006 cables, that gives an insight into who Aliyu Gusau is and the dangers he represents:
¶5.
(S) A few days ago, Aliyu continued, the PDP executive had changed the
party’s bylaws and established the position of “Party Chairman for
Life”, to which it appointed President Obasanjo. From this perch,
Obasanjo could pull the strings ABUJA 00003186 002.2 OF 003 of a
Yar’Adua /Uba administration * for the President, the fall-back option;
he would still prefer to remain in office as President through delay of
elections. However, Aliyu said, the selection of Yar’Adua and Uba is a
clear sign that Obasanjo is not “serious” about holding elections at
all. Obasanjo wants Independent National Elections Commission (INEC)
Chairman Maurice Iwu to call for postponement of elections because of
the breakdown in the registration procedures. Alternatively, Obasanjo is
keeping open the possibility of firing Iwu and using that as the
pretext for elections postponement. And then there is the good
possibility that Yar’Adua will not survive the rigors of a Nigeria
presidential campaign. His death could also be the pretext for
postponing elections.
¶6.
(S) A Yar’Adua/Uba PDP ticket, combined by the postponement of
elections, Aliyu continued, would certainly lead to widespread unrest.
He predicted coordinated rioting in all of Nigeria’s major cities,
probably in a late January/February timeframe. He said that Former
chiefs of State Buhari and Babangida and Vice President Atiku are
“talking,” joined by Lagos Governor Tinubu (“who is fed up with
Obasanjo”). However, Aliyu Mohammed continued, there is a good chance
that Obasanjo will be stymied at the PDP convention. Despite Villa
bribe-paying and manipulating of the delegates in other ways, he thought
there was a good chance that the May, 2006 National Assembly defeat of
Third Term would be repeated )- such is the revulsion at a Yar’Adua/Uba
ticket. In fact, if the President is not successful on the first vote,
Aliyu Mohammed predicted, the convention would be wide open. And that is
where Aliyu thinks that his own presidential candidacy has a chance.
¶7.
(S) Aliyu Mohammed said that last week, there had been an exchange of
letters between Babangida and the President in which the former
requested, and was denied, the support of the latter. Aliyu said that
Babangida told him that he now has three options: not to run at all,
because he considers Yar’Adua a “younger brother” because of his
relationship with the Shehu, or alternatively because he would throw his
support to Aliyu Mohammed, “a close associate of some forty years”. Or,
Babangida will choose another political party as his platform, or, if
the PDP convention does open up, he might throw his hat in the ring. NB:
Babangida has announced on December 11 that he is withdrawing his
candidacy for the PDP nomination ) for now.
¶8.
(S) In response to the Ambassador’s question as to who are the
President’s current advisors, Aliyu responded that the most important
office holders are Minister of Information Frank Nweke (a Christian
Ibo), Minister of Aviation Femi Fani Kayode (a Christian Yoruba) and
Presidential Special Assistant on the Media, Remi Oyo (a Christian
Yoruba). He said that Minister of Education Obi Ezekwesili and Attorney
General Bayo Ojo no longer wield the influence over the President that
they once did. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory El-Rufai is out
because of his own alleged presidential ambitions; Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes commission Ribadu is also on the outs
because his investigations have come a little too close to the
President. But, he continued, Chris and Andy Uba and Tony Anenih remain
important behind the scenes players, with the latter the “enforcer” of
the President’s will.
The assessment by the US in the end of this cable, is very important.
It states that presidents view Aliyu safer on the inside than the
outside. This is how dangerous he is recognized to be. It also gives the
US disregard for their “intel agent”:
¶9.
Comment: This must be read in the context of Aliyu’s own presidential
ambition and his thorough disillusionment with President Obasanjo.
Nevertheless, he is well connected with the traditional Northern
establishment, with political links throughout the country. In our view,
Obasanjo kept him on as National Security Advisor (and thereby the head
of all of the security/intelligence services) as long as he did because
he judged Aliyu as less dangerous inside the tent than out.
Dangote and Transcorp Buys the presidency – Cables
Item 4 from this cable above introduces the worlds richest black man, Aliko Dangote:
¶4.
(S) Aliyu Mohammed, saying he was quoting Yar’Adua directly, said that
Obasanjo had “ordered” the Katsina governor to contest for the
Presidency. When Yar’Adua objected that the state of his health
precluded it, Obasanjo countered that “God will cure you,” and undertook
to cover all medical expenses. When Yar’Adua said he had no
money, Obasanjo organized financial angels, all associated with
Transcorp and led by Northern millionaire Alhaji Aliko Dangote. This
group is supplying the Yar’Adua campaign with 45 jeeps (of which four
are armored), a war chest of 5 billion naira, and a rented jet. (Aliyu
Mohammed said that Dangote and the other “Transcorp boys” seek a
Yar’Adua presidency to facilitate their gaining control over most of
Nigeria’s oil and gas production.) Andy Uba, recently selected as PDP
gubernatorial candidate for Anambra state, has been a “special
assistant” to President Obasanjo; he has no independent power
base of his own, and is widely disliked because of his arrogance. Aliyu
Mohammed went on to say that the President had ordered the arrest of the
chief of staff to Rivers State Governor Peter Odili to warn the latter
away from seeking the vice presidential nomination himself.
Dangote in Yacht
Indeed, “Boko Haram is not Nigeria’s worst evil” … “Elite” like Dangote is
It is rather troubling to see the desire-to-rule and the political games played. Dangote and the rest at Transcorp, bought the election for Yar’Adua from the Nigerian masses, literally. 5 billion naira, a rented jet, 45 jeeps. This is the reality of Nigerian democracy. And this is the role of the “quiet” Dangote in picking and installing leaders who will in turn reward him by handing over the nations coffers to him on a platter.Not surprisingly, Aliko Dangote, the 43rd richest man in the world, a Hausa from the Dantata household amasses such wealth from Nigeria while, like Carlos Slim of Mexico, Nigeria as a whole and his region of Nigeria, in particular, is one of the poorest in Nigeria and the world.
Not surprisingly, Dangote does not view Boko Haram—which has claimed over 5000 lives and threatened the peace, security and prosperity of not only Nigeria, but the entire region of Sub Saharan Africa—as “Nigeria’s worst evil.” He sees infrastructure problems as a bigger issue. Of course, he, being a sole supplier and manufacturer in Nigeria, is poised to be at the receiving end of contracts to build infrastructure while Nigerians die from terrorism, the country courses bloody sectarian and ethnic convolutions, and the northern region is totally wrecked. Talking about evils, nothing has wrecked Nigeria and been more evil to Nigeria, than the “elite,” like himself.
In Dangote’s terms, Dangote is Nigeria’s greatest terrorist due to his controlling and usurping all its opportunities, including its leadership selection.
How
can a man with such wealth, contribute next to nothing to his people
and the poverty stricken children of Nigeria? This person manipulates
Nigeria’s political scene in all manners that ensure his immense wealth
is derived from exclusive deals in Nigeria. Yet he is too wicked and
selfish to assist with development of his people. Kano state, from whence Dangote’s family originates, has over 1.2 million Almajiri beggars.
Several of the abandoned, homeless Almajiris and beggars, go into
terrorism. Is it not a shame that the wealthiest black man comes from a
state with so many abandoned children, and he does next to nothing about
it?I am sure this Hadith of the last days will strike a note to Dangote: In the end days, Gains will be shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor. (Tirmidhi)
The sad truth is: Dangote is part of the reason why there are so many destitutes. He makes the kings who rule Nigeria horribly. He benefits from the deals that cheat Nigeria and its people. His wealth was amassed from preferentialism, corruption, money laundering, according to wikileak US cables; from special deals, that crippled other small businesses and industry while giving him sole authority. Dangote and his likes is the reason why there is so much poverty and terror in Nigeria.
Leaks from the US, related to Dangote described the dangers of Dangote, aka, beggar-thy-couuntrymen:
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015 SUBJECT:
ALIKO DANGOTE AND WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HIM Classified By: Consul
General Brian Browne for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1.
(C) Summary. Alhaji Aliko Dangote (Dangote) is Nigeria’s most well
known businessperson and may be its wealthiest citizen. He has taken on
the aura of an economic folk hero for some, villain for others. To
supporters, he symbolizes that Nigeria can do more than barter and
trade. It can succeed in manufacturing. To detractors, he is a predator
using connections in a corrupt political economy to tilt the playing
field in his favor and sideline potential competition. The truth resides
somewhere between these caricatures. Dangote is counted among
President Obasanjo’s inner circle of business advisors. It is no
coincidence that many products on Nigeria’s import ban lists are items
in which Dangote has major interests.
¶2.
(C) Summary Cont’d: Although an undiluted success in terms of wealth
accumulation, Dangote personifies the duality in Nigeria’s economy. This
duality presents a dilemma for US economic policy. On one hand, Dangote
imports significant amounts of US produce and equipment for his
manufacturing ventures. On the other, he has had success blocking trade
and investment that might compete with his enterprises. Weighing
everything in the balance, we believe the Dangote model is harmful to
Nigerian and American interests in the long run. Unfortunately, the
Dangote model will likely be the one most emulated until its
beggar-thy-countrymen contradictions become more apparent. End summary.
An open letter to Aliko Dangote stated:
Haba Aliko! But while you are still
cutting ribbons to open new industries in the safer southern and western
regions and other countries in Africa, your own northern region is
burning!
Burning in the catastrophic chaos of Islamic insurgency in the masquerade of Boko Haram.
But who is to blame? You are not culpable? You think you are innocent?
Burning in the catastrophic chaos of Islamic insurgency in the masquerade of Boko Haram.
But who is to blame? You are not culpable? You think you are innocent?
How many of you industries are located in Kano and other northern states?
Are you biggest factories located in the northern regions?
Are you biggest factories located in the northern regions?
How many of the millions of jobless people in Kano are employed in your following Dangote Group of Companies and subsidiaries?
ALCO International Limited; Dangote
Nigeria Limited; Dangote Transport Limited; Dangote Cement Plc. – Listed
on Nigeria Stock Exchange[4]; National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc. –
Listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange; Dangote Flour Mills Plc. – Listed on
Nigeria Stock Exchange; Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. – Listed on Nigeria
Stock Exchange[5]; Dangote Oil & Gas Industries International;
Dangote Textiles Limited; Dangote Holdings Limited; Blue Star Limited;
Dansa Foods Limited; Dansa Food Processing Limited; Dancom Technologies;
GreenView International Company Limited – Has invested US$28+ million
in cement factory in Ghana. Sephaku Cement Limited – Dangote Group has
64% shareholding in this South African cement company. Alheri
Engineering Limited; Kura Holdings Limited
Haba Aliko!
Where were you when over 400 industries closed in Kano? Where were you when over five million jobs were lost? Where are the cotton plantations? Where are the sugarcane plantations? Where are the groundnut pyramids? What have you done with your billions of dollars to revive the collapsed industries?
Where were you when over 400 industries closed in Kano? Where were you when over five million jobs were lost? Where are the cotton plantations? Where are the sugarcane plantations? Where are the groundnut pyramids? What have you done with your billions of dollars to revive the collapsed industries?
What have you done for your thousands of
nomadic and rampaging cattle herdsmen who are roaming and trespassing
farmlands from the north to the middle belt and to the south when they
would fare better if you can just spend only $1 billion to settle them
in ranches and let them develop livestock farms all over your northern
states and stop their prehistoric nomadic life of trespassing other
lands.
Between Die-to-rule spymaster Gusau and Beggar-thy-countrymen Dangote
The selfishness and wickedness that operates in Nigeria, compares to none. You have Die-to-rule spymaster Gusau, the evident Boko Haram sponsor under whose watch as NSA, Boko Haram developed, who as we stated in our July 2nd article, must be brought in for questioning; and the country also has Beggar-thy-countrymen Dangote, both men at the root of intractable suffering and terrorism in Nigeria. Do not expect Dangote to be criticized in Nigerian dailies. Dangote cement pays them; you will see his advertisements on almost all online news media websites and on paper newspapers. This is big business feeding the piper. Hence the piper plays the tune of who feeds him.
As 2015 Elections comes up: Who’s Buying and Who’s selling Nigeria? Dangote? OBJ? GEJ?
If Nigeria is to seriously move forward, the power of this business tycoon must be restricted. Nigerians must fight for their independence from Dangote. Deals between Obasanjo’s government and Dangote killed so many Nigerian small businesses, while making Dangote the sole manufacturer or importer. This is top level oppression. The Nigerian political system must also pr0tect itself from being bought and sold by the likes of Dangote as currently happens. One individual can not make the choices for 160 million, most especially when he values infrastructure over life.Babangida: Solve Nigeria’s Security Problems “In House”
NewsRescue- A meeting was held of Nigeria’s former leaders and current office holders, in Abuja yesterday to discuss the security challenges facing the nation. At the meeting, former president Ibrahim Babangida(IBB) called for Nigeria’s security problems to be addressed “in house.” In attendance were former heads of state, IBB, Yakubu Gowon and Ernest Shonekan.
They spoke at the Fourth National Civil-military Dialogue during which Gowon re-affirmed his belief that dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgent group would produce an enduring solution to the problem of insecurity in parts of the north.
For Babangida, Nigerians, irrespective of religious or tribe affiliations must shun violence and learn to live with one another in peace and harmony for the progress and development of the nation while Shonekan, urged Nigerians to be patriotic and strive towards protecting the country from threats that undermine its corporate existence.
Senate President, David Mark, who also spoke at the programme said that the military fared better under democratic dispensation.
Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal in his remarks advocated a more robust civil-military relationship.
UN: “Obama, Britain Lying About Confirming Syria Chemical Weapons Use”
No proof who used chemical weapons: UN
THE head of a UN human rights investigation on Syria said it was still impossible to tell for sure who has used chemical weapons in the country’s devastating conflict.Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the investigation committee, said he would not comment on evidence sent by the United States, Britain and France to UN experts which they say shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have used chemical arms.
“We are not able to say who has used chemical agents or chemical weapons and we are very much worried about the chain of custody of the substances,” Pinheiro told reporters after an informal meeting with UN Security Council ambassadors. Read more
NewsRescue
Doug Engelbart, Inventor Of The Computer Mouse, Is Dead At 88
|
By By MICHAEL LIEDTKE
The Computer History Museum, where Engelbart had been a fellow since 2005, said he died early Wednesday. The museum in Mountain View, California, was notified of the death in an email from his daughter, Christina. The cause of death wasn't immediately known.
Back in the 1950s and '60s, when mainframes took up entire rooms and were fed data on punch cards, Engelbart already was envisioning a world in which people used computers to share ideas about solving problems.
He said his work was all about "augmenting human intellect," but it boiled down to making computers user-friendly. One of the biggest advances was the mouse, which he developed in the 1960s and patented in 1970. At the time, it was a wooden shell covering two metal wheels: an "X-Y position indicator for a display system."
The notion of operating the inside of a computer with a tool on the outside was way ahead of its time. The mouse wasn't commercially available until 1984, with Apple's new Macintosh.
In fact, Engelbart's invention was so early that he and his colleagues didn't profit much from it. The mouse patent had a 17-year life span, and in 1987 the technology fell into the public domain — meaning Engelbart couldn't collect royalties on the mouse when it was in its widest use. At least 1 billion have been sold since the mid-1980s.
Among Engelbart's other key developments in computing, along with his colleagues at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and his own lab, the Augmentation Research Center, was the use of multiple windows. Engelbart's lab also helped develop ARPANet, the government research network that led to the Internet.
"Doug pioneered network computing technologies when it was not popular to do so," Sun Microsystems' then-CEO, Scott McNealy, said in 1997.
Even so, the mild-mannered Engelbart gave deference to his colleagues and played down the importance of his inventions, stressing instead his bigger vision of using collaboration over computers to solve the world's problems.
"Many of those firsts came right out of the staff's innovations — even had to be explained to me before I could understand them," he said in a biography written by his daughter. "They deserve more recognition."
In 1997, Englebart won the most lucrative award for American inventors, the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. Three years later, President Bill Clinton bestowed Engelbart with the National Medal of Technology "for creating the foundations of personal computing."
Douglas Carl Engelbart was born Jan. 30, 1925, and grew up on a small farm near Portland, Oregon. He studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University, taking two years off during World War II to serve as a Navy electronics and radar technician in the Philippines.
It was there that he read Vannevar Bush's "As We May Think" in a Red Cross library and was inspired by Bush's idea of a machine that would aid human cognition.
After the war, Engelbart worked as an electrical engineer for NASA's predecessor, NACA, at its Ames Laboratory. Restless, and dreaming of computers that could change the world, Engelbart left Ames to pursue his Ph.D. at University of California, Berkeley.
He earned his degree in 1955. But after joining the faculty, Engelbart was warned by a colleague that if he kept talking about his "wild ideas" he'd be an acting assistant professor forever. So he left for the research position at Stanford Research Institute, now SRI International.
In 1990, Engelbart started the Bootstrap Institute, which researches ways to advance collaboration on complex problems.
HuffingtonPost
Nigeria Is Now Due For A Revolution ––Speaker Tambuwal
OluFamous.Com observed that
political offices holders in Nigeria earn much more than what senior
officials in the United States take home, yet these leaders keep asking
Nigerians to make sacrifices...
Tambuwal said the kind of conditions that exist, leading to revolution in other countries that are now making progress, are now widely evident in Nigeria.
The Honourable Speaker said this in Lagos on Tuesday at the 2013 Distinguished Management Lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) where he was invited as a guest speaker.
Tambuwal said: “The most compelling reasons for revolution throughout the ages were injustice, crushing poverty, marginalisation, rampant corruption, lawlessness, joblessness, and general disaffection with the ruling elite. You will agree with me that these describe conditions in our nation now, to a very large degree.”
“That these conditions exist is well known to all persons in authority but the results of these successive efforts have failed to yield the desired results. This therefore is the justification for the radical change from the present approach to a revolutionary one,” he stressed.
Olufamous.com
South Africa Now Visa-Free For Nigerian Passport Holders
Nigeria and South Africa on Tuesday signed an agreement aimed at ending visa acquisition by holders of official and diplomatic passports.
Ministers from both countries have been charged to ensure the effective implementation of the newly signed instruments and the conclusion of outstanding agreements.
Both Presidents, Jacob Zuma and Goodluck Jonathan met in Cape Town, South Africa where various issues were discussed on how to improve on relationship between both countries as they agreed on so many issues aimed at boosting development in the continent.
Beside the visas waiver agreement both countries also signed eight other bilateral agreements which include, cooperation in legal field, oil and gas sectors, power sector development, environment,defence cooperation, women development and empowerment as well as child development.
The bilateral agreements also cover geology, mining, mineral processing and metallurgy and fields of information and communication technology.
For both presidents, stronger ties between both countries is necessary if the continent’s fortune is to be improved.
In his view, President Zuma said, ”we have a duty to take this historic relationship further. Our two countries have already grown very warm bilateral relations structured through the bi-national commission that was officially inaugurated in 1999,”.
The meeting also afforded President Zuma the opportunity to express his joy also the number of South African companies doing businesses in Nigeria, the biggest investment being in the telecommunication sector.
He further noted that it is the intention of South Africa to expand to other sectors such as engineering, construction, banking, oil and the media.
He also advocated for both countries to promote people to people relationship especially through tourism which he said has generated huge Foreign Direct Investment for the country.
“Last year alone, South Africa received a total of 73,282 Nigerian tourists which is an 13.8percent increase from 2011 contributing about 720million Rands to the South African economy within the period.”
In his responding, President Jonathan, described the signing of nine bilateral agreements between the two countries is a major achievement that would enhance the critical role of Nigeria and South Africa in transforming the continent,
The President later addressed joined session of the South African parliament where he re-echoed the need for the two countries to strengthen partnership in growing the continent’s economy.
TON
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