US: Corruption Is Destroying Nigeria, Completely Undermining Hope of a Bright Economic Future

 

U.S. Consul General Jeffrey Hawkins yesterday had an interactive session with the civil society at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). His speech details America’s commitment to Nigeria, the fight against terrorism, aids and many more. On corruption and development, he said:

It is squarely in the interest of the United States to see that Nigeria becomes an even more attractive place to do business for these companies and for the businesses that are yet to arrive. Nigeria’s population is expected to double within thirty or forty years, meaning tens of millions of young people will be entering the labour market in the coming decades. Nigeria desperately needs the investments that can provide jobs for this burgeoning youth population. Yet the economic growth and investment necessary are hindered by one especially pernicious phenomenon: corruption.

Corruption in Nigeria diverts financial resources from building roads, and bridges, curtailing the development of infrastructure that is needed to make Nigeria more competitive. It drains the federal treasury of funds that could do wonders in expanding and improving the education provided to millions of Nigerian children, which in turn would enhance Nigeria’s economic future. And corruption forestalls additional spending on medical clinics and preventive health care – spending that countless studies have shown reap long-term economic rewards for a country when properly implemented. In short, corruption is a scourge that undermines virtually everything that could move Nigeria towards a brighter economic future.

While we recognise that fighting corruption is primarily a Nigerian problem that requires Nigerians solutions, the U.S. Government is partnering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to provide technical assistance in anti-corruption efforts. We also regularly hear from civil society leaders regarding their concerns on this issue. As you all know so well, this is a complicated, tremendously difficult issue to solve. Civil society, the media, NGOs, are key watchdogs on this issue. We are open to dialoguing with government and civil society about ways that the United States can be a good partner to Nigeria as it takes on this issue.

Another major long-term challenge to Nigeria has been power generation. My friends in the private sector regularly tell me that solving Nigeria’s electricity woes would unleash enormous levels of economic growth that would benefit both our countries. For this reason, and because of our historic friendship, Nigeria has been named a focus country in President Obama’s Power Africa initiative.

Power Africa aims to double the number of Sub-Saharan African households with access to electricity. The U.S. will put $7 billion of its own money into the initiative, but our contribution alone will not be sufficient to make up the energy deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our resources are designed to incentivize the private sector to get involved. And it’s working. We have recorded over $9 billion in initial commitments from private companies; General Electric plans to invest over $1 billion in Nigeria, and Heirs Holdings, which is based here in Ikoyi, is pledging $2.5 billion. We’re also working to support the Jonathan Administration to ensure that the power sector reform process is a success. Helping to light up Nigeria makes sense for the United States economically, and it’s also the right thing for us to do as a friend to this great nation.

There are not many countries with which the United States shares a relationship as deep and multi-faceted as the one we have with Nigeria. And that brings me back to the one of the primary reasons I am addressing you today: the forthcoming meeting of the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission meeting in Abuja on regional security. During the meetings, we plan to reaffirm our joint commitment and partnership to work with the Government of Nigeria toward lasting security in northern Nigeria – with a particular focus on human rights.


NewsRescue

Oprah Winfrey says racism kept pricey bag out of her hands at Zurich, Switzerland shop

 

Oprah Winfrey / Getty

LONDON When Oprah Winfrey goes shopping, she likely prompts intelligent retailers' eyes to bulge with anticipation the moment she walks in the door. But, it seems, only if they recognize the media mogul as the mega-rich potential client she really is.

Oprah told Entertainment Tonight this week that while in Zurich, Switzerland for Tina Turner's wedding in July, she walked into a shop and a handbag behind the counter caught her eye.

While many average shoppers might hesitate to lay hands on a bag with worth close to $40,000, Oprah says she asked to see it, but the shopkeeper said, "No. It's too expensive."

Oprah -- who made $77 million in the last year alone, according to Forbes magazine -- told ET's Nancy O'Dell she asked to see the bag at least two more times, but the shopkeeper refused to take it off the shelf and suggested other, cheaper bags instead.

"One more time, I tried. I said, 'But I really do just want to see that one,' and the shopkeeper said, 'Oh, I don't want to hurt your feelings,' and I said, 'Okay, thank you so much. You're probably right, I can't afford it.' And I walked out of the store," Oprah recounted.

Oprah told O'Dell that her high profile largely shields her from blatant, open racial and sexual discrimination in her daily life, but the self-made billionaire cited the encounter as an example of the ways in which even she is subjected to racism.

"I could've had the whole blow-up thing and thrown down the black card, but why do that? But that clearly is, you know ... it (racism) still exists. Of course it does," Oprah told O'Dell.

While the television personality chose not to make a fuss or name the shop, it quickly came out that the business was high-end boutique "Trois Pomme," on Zurich's exclusive shopping street Bahnhofstrasse. The store's owner, Trudie Goetz, apologized for the "misunderstanding," according to the Swiss newspaper Blick, and blamed it on the assistant's failure to recognize Winfrey.

"We don't have any facial recognition here," Blick quoted Goetz as saying.

Switzerland's national tourism board issued a more direct apology, with spokeswoman Daniela Baer telling The Associated Press on Friday, "we are very sorry for what happened to her."

The head of corporate communications for Zurich Tourism, Christian Trottmann, told CBSNews.com the incident was "obviously very regrettable."

Trottmann said it was too early to know whether the backlash on social networks would have any impact on visits to the city. He said Zurich was the most-visited city in Switzerland, which "shows what kind of image we really have."

The Zurich Tourism representative said he would tell any African American family that might be having second thoughts about visiting his city not to worry, because the Trois Pomme shopkeeper's attitude isn't reflective of Zurich on the whole.

"You'll find here very friendly people," Trottmann told CBSNews.com. "We are, I would say, quite an open-minded city. We are used to having people from all nations and all cultures."

CBSNews

Tourist body 'fuming' over Oprah 'racism’

National

Oprah Winfrey is one of the world's wealthiest women. Photo: BEN GABBE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Swiss tourism officials have expressed dismay over an upmarket Zurich store's refusal to sell celebrity US talk-show host Oprah Winfrey a handbag, in what she describes as a racist incident during her visit last month to attend Tina Turner’s wedding.

• Lake Zurich patrolled for Tina Turner's wedding (21 Jul 13)
• Tina Turner celebrates wedding in Zurich (16 Jul 13)

Winfrey told the Entertainment Tonight programme on CBS an assistant in a luxury boutique had refused to show her a black "lizard or alligator skin" handbag she had asked to see.
"We are fuming – this person acted terribly wrong. We are sorry this happened to Oprah," Switzerland Tourism said in a Tweet.
Spokeswoman Daniela Bär told the Blick newspaper the incident was damaging for Switzerland's image but was a one-off that wouldn't have a lasting impact on the country's popularity with tourists.
However, she called on the store owner to make a full apology.
Winfrey said the store assistant had told her the bag would be too expensive for her and offered to show her others instead.
The celebrity is one of the wealthiest women in the world with a fortune estimated at 2.5 billion dollars.
Having been refused the bag, Winfrey says she left the shop without buying anything.
She said she rarely experienced racism – possibly because she was so well known.
Blick said the incident occurred in the chic Trois Pommes store whose owner Trudie Götz was also a guest at Turner’s wedding.
She apologized for her assistant’s behaviour, saying there had been “a misunderstanding between her and Oprah”.
The bag cost 35,000 francs and was placed behind a security panel, the paper said.
“We don’t have any facial recognition here,” Blick quoted Götz as saying.
The assistant's conduct was "completely unacceptable", Markus Hünig, president of the Zurich Bahnhofstrasse Association, told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
Hünig said he had never heard of anything like it.

TheLocal Switzerland'sNews

Nigeria won’t break up in 2015 –Jonathan

by Olalekan Adetayo

 

 

Jonathan
| credits: File copy

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said that Nigeria would disappoint all those who predicted that the country would break up in 2015 by continuing to remain one indivisible entity.

“For those who are predicting that this country will separate in 2015 based on the fault lines as of the time of amalgamation, they will know that this prediction will not be of any consequence. Nigeria will continue to remain one indivisible entity,” the President said.

Jonathan said this while receiving members of the Muslim community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja who paid him Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the activities marking this year’s Eid-el-Fitri.

The Muslims were led to the President by his deputy, Namadi Sambo. Also on the entourage were the Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Muhammed; and the Minister of State, FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide.

Jonathan said he could not imagine a Nigeria without Muslims and Christians but he observed that the nation had not been able to exploit its diversity because of the myopic views of the elite.

He said, “For us, we cannot imagine a Nigeria without Muslims and Christians; you can call it another name, but not Nigeria.

“So it is a blessing that this is one country that you have a significant population of Muslims and Christians and this religious diversity will enhance our development because we can get across the whole world; wherever we go, we are accepted. That helps us in so many ways.

“We are not even exploiting our diversity because of the myopic views of the elite about our situation. Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters and we must live together.

The President reassured Nigerians that his government would continue to do its best to reposition the country .

He asked the Muslims to continue to pray for peace in Nigeria and the world at large.

The President said although the nation was currently going through some challenges, he was confident that God would see the country through.

“If you watch television these days, more than 60 per cent of the time is spent on showing crises all over the world and for the world to move ahead and for Nigeria to move ahead, for us to develop first and foremost, there must be peace and security, nobody will come and invest in an environment where you are not sure of your workers and investment.

“As a nation, for our children to get where we want them to be, we must create a very peaceful environment for them so they can develop mentally and be focused and use their brains in a manner that will bring economic changes to us,” the President said.

He said sometimes, when one was not involved, one would think fasting is an easy exercise.

He said with the way his trousers were now too big for him, he knows that the exercise is not an easy one.

He congratulated the Muslims for going through the Ramadan fasting. “Sometimes, when you are not involved in fasting, you will think it is an easy thing to go through. For you to have gone through this spiritual exercise is worth congratulations, so I congratulate you,” he added.

Earlier, Sambo had told the President that he led the Muslim community to pay homage and thank him for what he had been doing for Nigeria.

Sambo said, “We appreciate your fatherly nature. You have been a teacher; you have been a father and good leader.

“Today, we have railway in this country after over 40 years. I call on all Nigerians to continue to support Mr. President and this administration.”

 

Punch

3 Reasons Your Friends Won't Speak to You After Your Wedding

True confession. My best friend wouldn't speak to me for 6 months after our wedding. And I deserved it. Here's why your friends probably won't speak to you:

1. You're a slavedriver with all your DIY projects
2. You're a diva witch on your wedding day itself
3. You completely forget about them after the wedding

DIY Hell
I was DIY queen. Seriously. My friend taught me to sew and I made my wedding gown. I had been a cake decorator, so of course I made the cake. Invitations? Why wouldn't I learn to emboss? You get the point. I made life a little difficult for friends and family in my quest to save money for the Jack Daniels budget.
Cue incident one. I got severe carpal tunnel the week of my wedding and couldn't hold a pencil, let alone a decorating bag. So one of my poor bridesmaids was forced to step in and decorate the cake. Needless to say jello shots were involved and the middle of the cake may or may not have been involved in a drunken food fight.
Witchy Woman
That was my gorgeous dress. Note the failure to steam it! Cue incident two (of two thousand on the wedding day). I was 15 minutes late for my own wedding as one of the groomsmen was caught running through the church with a steam iron!
And then there were the table cards. Oh the table cards. One of my bridesmaids was an amateur calligrapher and promised to make the table cards. Only. Not so much. As she told us an hour before the reception. And cue witchy woman. Seriously bitter witchy woman.
Never mind that my gorgeous husband had forgotten to give her the list of names and table numbers. I was ticked. We had to skip the portrait session in our historic venue as we sat in the bar like jerks filling out the table cards with ball point pens.
Yes, at the bar. So, I decided the only way I was going to get out of this emotional funk was to make good friends with Uncle Jack.
My husband stood up at the beginning of the reception. "We won't be going to each table, but we'd love to hang out with you tonight. She's in the white dress. I'm in the tux. We're either on the dance floor or at the bar."
At this point, some of my bridesmaids had had enough. Especially my best friend. Her parents drove 12 hours to get to our wedding, with our shower gifts in tow. And I couldn't be bothered to stop by their table!
Worse yet, by the end of the night, they mentioned they were leaving and I yelled a drunken "BYE!" and ran off to dance.
Post-Wedding Jerk
So my bestie was pissed. But wait, there's more. I was sooooo into my newly found wedded bliss that I didn't notice that she hadn't called me in months! She hadn't returned my calls either. Didn't notice. What a jerk! Me, I mean.
When I finally came out of my post wedding haze and realized that I was getting the silent treatment, I just kept calling til she finally answered. I made her promise to tell me immediately when I was being a jerk from now on. Isn't that what best friends are for?
Point is, don't be that witch! Here's a few things you can do before your friendships go off the rails:

1. Make sure your DIY projects can possibly be complete by you. Only you. Then ask your friends if they'd like to join you for fun.


2. Have fun on your wedding day. Drink, but not in anger.


3. Call your friends and thank them right after the wedding.

Want to see a real witchy woman on her wedding day? I couldn't resist. I got permission from one of our first brides to show just a bit of her wedding video. Check out Bride Wars. No worries, a little booze and air guitar at the end of the evening made it all ok.

HuffingtonPost

WHO, Boko Haram’s doctor arrested

 

By KINGSLEY OMONOBI
ABUJA—The Joint Task Force, JTF, implementing the state of emergency imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, has arrested a medical doctor (names with-held) in Borno State, who is the  medical consultant to the  terrorist group. He is at the same time a consultant with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Vanguard gathered from reliable security sources that the arrest of the medical doctor followed a tip-off  that the terrorists had a well organized mobile medical facility with which wounded insurgents are treated.

Shekau

The international connection of the medical doctor was, however, brought to the fore when suddenly, the international human rights watch dog, Amnesty International, sent its officials to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the supposedly WHO consultant.
“In fact, what gave him out was his suit case containing sophisticated medical equipment with which he provided diagnostic services to the terrorists”, the source said.
Disclosing how the doctor was arrested, the source said: “A truck suspected to be carrying insurgents and IEDS as well as other dangerous weapons was stopped at a check point but it sped off. Unknown to the truck’s driver and other occupants of the truck, there was another checkpoint which had been alerted of their coming. When the truck got to that checkpoint, the security operatives fired  at it while the occupants ran into the bush.
“When the truck was searched, various types of IEDS, AK 47 rifles and other bomb-making materials were found. Also found was a suit case containing medical equipment. After some time, when the doctor felt the Special Forces had left, he came back to retrieve his suit case but was ambushed and arrested”.
The source added that “immediately the doctor was arrested, Amnesty International was calling the military authorities alleging that an innocent doctor has been arrested by the JTF forces and that he should be released because of his human rights, though the military authorities are not moved by their plea”.
In another development, Vanguard gathered that the recent attack at Government Secondary School, near Potiskum in Yobe State during which 29 students and a teacher were killed, was the fallout of the arrest of a lawyer with alleged links with the sect.
Vanguard gathered that the lawyer (names with-held), was the one who always provided legal services for suspected Boko Haram terrorists each time they were arrested and he was said to be an ideological/ intellectual contributor to their activities in Yobe State.
Following his arrest by JTF forces, the lawyer allegedly said, “So you have arrested me. Let me warn you that this town will know no peace until I am released”.
The source said that two days after, the secondary school near Potiskum was attacked and the children (students) slaughtered”.
After the massacre of the children, neighbours living in the area said they heard the terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar, yes we have taken revenge for his arrest”.
The source said: “The most horrifying aspect of the students’ killing was that they asked the students, both boys and girls to pull off their dresses, and any student found with pubic hair on  his or her private parts, was not only shot and killed, they also used axes or machetes to cut off their legs from their body”.
Both the medical doctor and the lawyer are however said to be in custody of the JTF forces and would not be released until investigations into their alleged connivance with the terrorists are concluded and they are prosecuted”.

 

Vanguard

And God Spoke to Orubebe

Godsday Orubebe

The Newsmaker

Chuks Okocha who spent some moments with the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, unveils a man he describes as an unusual politician

For those who did not know how the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, began his political sojourn, they are likely to describe him as an accidental politician. Indeed, some are wont to argue that he came into political limelight by riding on the back of some personages, who paved the way for his rise. Such, on the contrary, may be far from the truth, for here is a man who rose through political tutelage and learnt grassroots politics in a hard way. And by divine guidance somewhat, he has been able to glide through an array of challenges.

It is no wonder, therefore, that Orubebe would glibly tell anyone who cares to listen that he acts in obedience to God’s instructions. As a young man, the Minister has had the opportunity to work in different key institutions, including the Nigerian Police force and the Nigerian Customs Service. But he reportedly turned down those offers because according to him, he had the call from God to go into politics and serve his people.

But there was a snag. He is not alien to the Nigerian political terrain and so, the question was: where and how could he raise the money to contest in an election when even as a young school leaver, he had no survival means? But at that point, the journey into a completely different turf began.

With some kind of familiar empathy, Orubebe began to tell his story to journalists in Abuja. Starting with how he turned down job opportunities in critical sectors of the system to heed the call from God, Orubebe probably had an idea how far God was going to lead him.

"God directed me to go and contest election as a councillor in my local community.  I could not believe it because I had no money to obtain the registration form, not to talk of money to spend in the electioneering process. But I obeyed His command and everything just fell in line as I committed my all to the hands of God who called me,” said with reminiscences of fulfillment.

Thus, his first political attempt, he reckoned, was a push from his people of Ogbogbagbene Community of Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State who gathered in solidarity to sponsor his councillorship election. To live his dream, his people, according to his narration, sold their river which was their only means of economical survival to ensure that he contested the councillorship election. True to God’s he not only won that election, it soon led to a chain of political successes for him.

After his successful outing as a councilor in Burutu Local Government, his political career has soared with the trappings of a born to rule. Imagine the chain: he had served as Local Government Chairman; Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori; Minister of Special Duties and presently, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

What more, he has been minister for six good years. And for everywhere he served, he left behind marks of leadership qualities in term of achievements.

The foregoing, however, underpins the fact that Orubebe did not go into politics by accident or had his kernel broken for him by benevolent spirit, as some people now believe. He has passed through the rudimentary political process, thriving on the strength of divine directive.

Placed side-by-side the fact that his call was divine with results of achievement in such areas as human capital, social-economic and infrastructure development, Orubebe may have justified the call to make life meaningful for everyone in the society, age and status regardless.

A fulfilled Orubebe is quick to tell the story of how he brought the people of his community closer to God by establishing Glory Sanctuary Christian Center in Ogbogbagbene. The essence of the ten thousand seater-church, is that it  has not only provided a  worshipping centre for his people at Ogbogbagbene community, but those from surrounding communities including Burutu, the local government headquarters.

This gesture, he contended, has created the opportunity for people to come closer to God and directly spread the message of love and peace which he claimed has made the once volatile Niger Delta habitable.

In furtherance of his human capital development, the minister had established a multi-billion naira skill acquisition centre at Tuomo community where people are taught different vocational skills. His drive for man power development manifested recently with the graduation of about one thousand non-militant youths who came from the Niger Delta Region and trained in such fields like the oil and gas, maritime, welding/fabrication and catering services amongst others.

He has also constructed bridges to link Bolou market through Toru-Ndoro that was hitherto not passable. This singular gesture has enhanced the socio-economic life style of the people.

Beyond the construction of the East-West Road which he promised would be completed by December 2014,  the 18.5km Orhoror Junction-Odorubo-Kpakiama Road Project awarded to Levant Construction Company by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in 2010 with the sole objective of linking up coastal communities in Bomadi and Burutu Local Council Areas of Delta  State was  conceived to foster development in the Riverine areas.

That aside, the minister is embarking on the construction of Ogriagbene/Torugbene road, Gberegolor/Ogriagbene road and canalisation of bridges. By the time these projects are completed, Orubebe was of the view that there would be easy movement of people and goods from one community to the other within communities in Burutu local government.

Apart from being a politician, Orubebe is also a philanthropist who has continued to contribute to his immediate community by providing an enabling environment for them to grow and become useful, both to their community and the nation at large.

Certainly, Nigerians and indeed, his Niger Delta will not forget so soon that under Orubebe as Niger Delta minister and particularly through his programme for Youth Empowerment, he created peaceful and an environment conducive for the oil companies to operate in the Niger Delta Region, notwithstanding the present challenge of oil theft. His effort, however, has resulted in increase in oil production in the country and consequently, national revenue generation.

Particularly instructive is the successes recorded in the Amnesty programme which is a direct result of Orubebe’s commitment order of the late President Umaru Yar-Adua administration. The amnesty initiative, he said, has resulted in transforming the youths of the region.

Against this backdrop, perhaps, it is evident that Orubebe has shown his readiness to take Delta State to an entirely new level even as he makes the management and development of people his one and only concern.

 

ThisDay