It is a wonderful thing to know that words are exactly what they are---words; which come out and then evaporate and go with the breeze. Spoken word, that is, will come out and then fade away. Written words can equally be erased or discarded. People hearing or reading words can use words anyway they choose to, take them to heart and react accordingly, or hear them and no matter how bad they are, make a decision even though difficult, to have total control over their reaction to those words.

Painful words, especially when laced with lies can cut as sharp as a knife and inflict such pain. Painful words have driven people to end their lives, to take another person's live or just to go through life feeling less than what God designed them to be. Painful words can kill a human spirit.
Painful words spoken in a competitive setting as in a debate or campaign are best put aside with a handshake at the end of the exercise and left right there.

Rising up above hurtful words and lies which are meant to cut down is a difficult task which if, and when mastered, is an art that brings great joy and peace. The task starts with learning to know and love who one is. Armed with the knowledge that people are made in the image of God and the knowledge that God is not in the business of making garbage or useless creations, it becomes easier to start learning how to take those fiery arrows of hurtful words, lies and half truths in stride. It may be weighing the heart down, with tears stinging the eyes, but as soon as one remembers that whoever is saying or writing these words is not even in control of the air that goes in and out of them to make those words possible, the impact of the arrows start fading away instantly. It starts making it clear that those words may actually be the outlet for inner turmoil and pressure for the speaker or writer. Looking at it that way puts the hearer in a position to switch from being a victim to being a person who extends pity and compassion to the speaker. Blessed are the merciful---- for they shall obtain mercy and the mercy works wonders, wiping off the pain and replacing it with fulfillment and joy and appreciation of God's gifts many of which are taken for granted.

A person who just received the bad news that they may not live to the end of the year will not mind hearing a few bad painful words if that will change their bleak situation. Putting words in their right place, in the air, helps blow them away and if written words, read and erase off the mind and dwell on blessings all around, counting them; good health, sight, hearing, the ability to walk, children, family, to mention a few. In other words, blessings wipe away the impact of hateful words.

Words are powerful. Words can do so many different things. They can edify. They can diminish. Words can unite. They can disperse. Bad, hurtful words have the tendency to destroy but we as humans with the ability to CHOOSE can choose the way we react to words, which includes rising above bad words, trying to put into consideration the speaker of the words and what drives a person to speak or write hurtful words. The focus becomes the source of the words. The best thing becomes to make the choice to let the speaker of the hurtful words off the hook completely. That gets rid of garbage and baggage which can weigh down a person in an unbelievable manner. Such garbage can hold down a person, preventing progress, preventing happiness, stealing peace and fulfillment.

The best thing to do then becomes to choose to let words be just what they are---Words. In one way, out the other.
This Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for the ability to let words be just words and nothing more. God's word never changes and that makes all the difference in the world. Man's words on the other hand, as powerful as they may be are not carved in stone, will not necessarily have real power, unless we let them.

Chinwe Enemchukwu,
Author of " The power of words,and then choices"

Smart Growth.org
A SERVICE OF THE SMART GROWTH NETWORK
http://www.smartgrowth.org/about/default.asp?res=1024

In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns -- dominated by what some call "sprawl" -- are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.

Spurring the smart growth movement are demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and more nuanced views of growth. The result is both a new demand and a new opportunity for smart growth.

The features that distinguish smart growth in a community vary from place to place. In general, smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New smart growth is more town-centered, is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities.

The Smart Growth Principles and Issues below describe in greater details the various aspects of planning and development that make up smart growth.

In my ongoing quest to get Americans to visit the rest of the world, I've decided to answer a series of questions about the continent I grew up in, which some people still refer to as Darkest Africa.

Question: I am thinking of going on a mission trip to Kenya, but my mother is against it, because she was watching the National Geographic channel the other day and found out that there are lions there. Is that true and how do I protect myself? -- Mike, New York.

Answer: Yes, there are lions in Kenya and most of them, as your mother may have told you, are big and hungry. Now you know why Kenyans are such good runners. You can protect yourself by wearing a good pair of running shoes and always carrying a spear. It's also wise to travel with a companion, preferably one who's slower than you. I don't mean to scare you, but most lions in Kenya are tired of eating local people and consider foreigners a delicacy. So please give your mother a big hug before you leave. And don't forget to write a will.

Q: My company has offered me a short stint in Zimbabwe. Before I accept, I have a couple of questions. Does Zimbabwe have any cities? What about electricity? -- Luther, Maryland.

A: There are no cities in Zimbabwe, only villages. Harare is the capital village. There's no electricity either, just something called electrivillage. Don't worry: It will provide enough light for your hut, as long as you remember to fill it up regularly with fireflies.

Q: My husband and I are traveling to Somalia next month. Do they accept credit cards there or should we carry cash? -- Jennifer, North Carolina.

A: Neither. Your best bet is to carry lots of shells. You can buy them at a crafts store or collect them at the beach. Five hundred shells will get you a room in a decent hotel, but if you want to stay in a first-class one, you'll probably have to shell out more.

Q: My friends and I will be visiting South Africa soon, but would also like to see the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia. Can we travel there by air? -- Josh, Washington.

A: Yes, you can certainly travel by air. Just get on a tree and keep swinging. You'll be there in no time. And you're right: the Victoria Falls is magnificent. It's like the Niagara on Viagra.

Q: I'm going to be spending two years in Uganda as a Peace Corps volunteer. I will have plenty of work during the day, but I'm not sure how to spend my nights. What do Ugandans do for entertainment? -- Donna, Connecticut.

A: Ugandans are just like other Africans. They entertain themselves by sitting in a circle around a fire and singing "Kumbaya." In some remote villages, they may even tell jokes about any foreigner in their midst. But if they start calling the event a "roast," be prepared to run.

Q: I am hoping to visit Namibia in a few months. Just wondered if I should take my cell phone with me. Will I be able to communicate with it? -- Nathan, Indiana.

A: You will certainly be able to communicate with it. Just use the buttons to make clicking sounds. Here's the key: one click means 'I come in peace,' two clicks mean 'Take me to your leader,' and three clicks mean 'No, I am not edible.'

"My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process."
– President-elect Barack Obama, November 18, 2008

Today has been a big day in the fight against global warming.

President-elect Barack Obama gave his strongest public commitment to date in support of a national cap-and-trade system to reduce America's global warming pollution and unleash a clean energy revolution.

The President-elect told the Bi-Partisan Governors Global Climate Summit, underway this week in Los Angeles, CA:

I promise you this: When I am president, any governor who's willing to promote clean energy will have a partner in the White House. Any company that's willing to invest in clean energy will have an ally in Washington. And any nation that's willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America.

He went on to call for a national cap-and-trade system that will "establish strong annual targets that set us on a course to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them an additional 80% by 2050."

What makes this statement momentous is that it signals President-elect Obama's intention to make global warming a central priority for his first term.

EDF President Fred Krupp issued the following statement in response:

President-elect Obama got it exactly right. His plan... will jump-start job creation in new energy industries, and take a huge step toward solving climate change. We strongly applaud President-elect Obama's statement today, and his leadership on this issue.

Meanwhile, at a news conference back in Washington, DC, EDF joined a diverse coalition of 32 leading corporations and environmental groups in calling for national legislation to limit the release of global warming pollution.

EDF was a founding member last year of the coalition—the United States Climate Action Partnership, or US-CAP for short—which was established to add powerful support for effective national climate legislation.

Taken together, these announcements represent a truly historic day in our fight against global warming.

It is important to remember, however, we haven't won anything yet.

These words, while encouraging, won't mean a thing if we can't move legislation through both the House and the Senate starting January 20th.

This gets us in the game, but we've got a lot of work ahead.

We'll keep you posted through regular Transition Report emails.

In the meantime, please forward this email to friends, family, colleagues, and anyone else interested in joining our global warming fight.

Encourage them to sign onto our 2009 Green Energy Petition: http://action.edf.org/campaign/green_energy_petition

And, please keep your comments coming into our Green Room.

Reviewing Obasanjo’s Sermon on Obama's Election

By Yushau A. Shuaib



“For the most powerful country to be ruled by a minority, man of "colour" makes colour to recede into insignificance and cease to be regarded as an important consideration in American life.” -Obasanjo



Obasanjo… Obasanjo… Obasanjo! The above quote is from the recent article by former President Olusegun Obasanjo with a title “Obama’s Election and the Needed Change” where he gave a sermon on the newly elected President of the United States of America, Barrack Husseini Obama. The article was not widely celebrated in the Nigeria’s Press, probably due to the sentiment against his leadership as only few media houses published or reviewed it.

The Nigeria’s former president was in his usual best… eloquent with catchy words and fancy phrases in intellectual fervor that can compete with the best academic paper. While many Nigerians may deliberately ignore his seeming tribute on Obama, the message and the theme of the essay is indeed a good material for researchers and students of political science and even the politicians.

Yes… most of his points and argument are not only timely and worthy reference material in assessing the dynamism of American politics and the sagacity of Obama’s campaign managers, coming from Obasanjo would definitely make one to wonder if the same processes were observed during his reign as Nigeria’ President.

The piece which he started with congratulatory message to President-Elect Senator Barack Obama for his well-deserved victory, states that Obama's victory brought with it a new, refreshing and exciting taste in our mouths. According to him “Apart from doing himself and his family proud, he has also done his nation proud by crossing a Rubicon that was considered impassable almost inconceivable at least in the then immediate future.” Nigerians and indeed Africans would have wished Obasanjo too provided a level playing ground for political aspirants without intimidation and unbecoming collaboration of some security agencies and electoral umpires to scuttle the democratic process from running its course.

The entire piece by General Olusegun Obasanjo centres on changes and he keeps on repeating the theme. According to him “The feeling of change that Senator Obama engendered through his campaign for the White House represents a significant theme of change we have all aspired and fought for in different areas…, regions, cultures and historical times.” He adds with this fancy and quotable phrase “The desire for change has never been the question nor has it ever been in question. It is the extent, the range, the tone, the quantity, the quantum and the sustenance of change that has always been the question.”

Nigerians actually seek for such positive changes, but politicians and political appointees always have ways of denying us the opportunity to achieve our desired changes. I couldn’t help but wonder which of the changes Gen. Obasanjo is referring to… living condition, security or electoral processes?

As Nigerians and Africans continue to argue the possibility of Obamania in our climes considering the bastardilisation of political and electoral processes by our leaders, Obasanjo points out that “Rooted in the achievements of Senator Obama is a far more significant theme for people aspiring to lead their communities, particularly for young Africans in Africa. It is the aspirations, the determination, the energy, the strategic thinking, planning and execution that Senator Obama and his campaign team have brought into what is being regarded as a movement.”

Nigeria has many talented, intelligent, respected and incorruptible individuals who could have been great leaders but were eliminated from aspiring to lead either by local government chairmen, governors of states and President of the country by using the paraphernalia of office, as we observed with dismay during the last government. If not for the intervention of the Judiciary we wouldn’t have witnessed emergence of Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and the new Comrade Governor Adam Oshimole of Edo State. Many similar cases are still in the court waiting for justice.

Our President who was once described as a close friend of President George Bush Jnr. considering the numbers of times he travelled abroad, indirectly lashed at his former ally when he writes: “In some ways his (Obama) election has been described by some analysts as a referendum on George Bush's eight years of unnecessary and totally avoidable wars and the meltdown economy.” In another place in the article he is more direct when he adds: “His (Bush) position of going for force of persuasion rather than persuasion of force must sound like sweet music in the ears of those who have agonised in the unilateralism of the use of force under the guise of fighting terrorism by the Bush administration.”

Commenting on the personality of Barrack Obama, our former president proudly narrates his personal close encounter thus: “Let me relate my first and only encounter with Senator Barrack Obama. In September 2007, during the Black Caucus Convention in Washington DC, I met and chatted with both Senator Hilary Clinton and Senator Barrack Obama separately, albeit briefly. One cannot but be impressed by Senator Obama's disposition, he was intelligent, quick-witted and smart in his reactions and answers to my few questions. He was also courteous and cultured. He exuded confidence and friendship even though it was our first meeting…. I also recalled that when he first contested for political office in Illinois, though his funny name raised questions for him but it did not make him lose the election, he won.”

One thing our former President doesn’t state, which is necessary in an article like that is that Obama doesn’t have any godfather and doesn’t use any big corporate mafia to foot his campaign bills. He did not lobby members of his political party in public offices to channel states resources for his campaign. We know what happenned in Nigeria when we had the Chris Ubas, the Adedibus, Sarakis and the influence of the powerful business cartel like the so-called Corporate Nigerians in making things happen their ways, sometimes against the wishes of the people.

There are indeed great lessons to learn from Obama's campaign compare to primitive and uninspiring electioneering in our lands. The Iwu Chief clearly states this when he observes that Obama out-campaigned, out-strategised, out-funded, and out-debated his Republican rival, Senator John McCain. The crowd drawn by Obama during his visit to Europe was nothing short of a movement and it was simply electrifying.” He adds that “I must express my admiration for the managers and advisers of Senator Obama during the campaign. They were cautious, meticulous, and painstaking; they left nothing to chance. They checked and crosschecked everything and every milieu.” In Nigeria one can succeed in all this but still fail because the power-that-be has a preference on whom they need and must be whether the citizens like it or not or whether he is of questionable character.

In fact when the Ota Farmer said Obama’s campaigners and supporters carry no baggage of fear, doubt and prejudices of their parents and those before them, the contrary seemed to be the case in Nigeria where ballot papers and boxes are hijacked, where political opponents are haunted, where area-boy-vagabonds who are the usual typical campaign managers, maimed and killed on the instruction of their financiers in a country where we have an electoral empire as being insensitive to the feelings of the people.

I totally agree with our former President that “what has happened in America is for a man to be seen for what he is - human and what he is capable of delivering - removes the consideration of minority-majority as a major debate or factor. People should be seen, accepted, judged and placed for what they are and what God has endowed them with.”

Where I got confused after I recalled the only-one-man can rule Nigeria campaign for Third-Term was when Obasanjo writes: “Those who preach the sermon of superiority of Intelligence Quotient or simple intellect based on colour, race, tribe or language must start to review and indeed change their sermon.”

In Nigeria we have seen leaders who want to rule for life, thinking that without them nothing can move as they attempt to amend the law to accommodate their megalomaniac quest that they are those gifted with the power to rule for life.

For the losers in the Maurice Iwu-led elections in Nigeria, the retired military general probably has them in mind when he admonishes them to consider Obama’s disposition before the election that “he (Obama) maintained that he would not blame discrimination of any sort, if he had failed to win the election, rather he would blame himself for not putting his ideas and programme across to the electorate properly and adequately.”

I think our former President need to know that the election in America is clearly as it is indisputably free and fair in every sense that John McCain had to immediately concede defeat and congratulate Obama in a genuine and sincere tribute.

WE can not deny Obasanjo’s sense of humour, intellect and charisma, when we recall the way he mesmerized the international community and bulldozzed his way to plum positions even in group pictures with world leaders. How he becomes a failure by public and media rating is still of great concern to political observers and students of history.

The general discloses one undisputable fact, a reality we face today as Nigerians which keep us going and sustain our faith in the country as he captures our moods with this word: “After all, hope is the only thing we freely give to ourselves and it is the only thing that we are left with when all else has been taken away.”

I think we must move ahead from mere hope to the realization of our dreams, because many have died, counting on hope and hoping for better day that never came.

http://www.economicconfidential.com/nov08shuaibobj.htm

Folks:

Try your knowledge of world capitals. Click the link below.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/education_1/Default.aspx?page=quiz68&Quizid=68&qpt=results

La souveraineté alimentaire est un concept développé et présenté pour la première fois par Via Campesina lors du Sommet de l'alimentation organisé par la FAO à Rome en 1996 [1]. Il a depuis été repris et précisé par les altermondialistes lors des différents Forums Sociaux Mondiaux.

La souveraineté alimentaire est présentée comme un droit international qui laisse la possibilité aux pays ou aux groupes de pays de mettre en place les politiques agricoles les mieux adaptées à leurs populations sans qu'elles puissent avoir un impact négatif sur les populations d'autres pays. La souveraineté alimentaire est donc une rupture par rapport à l'organisation actuelle des marchés agricoles mise en œuvre par l'OMC.

Complémentaire du concept de sécurité alimentaire qui concerne la quantité d'aliments disponibles, l'accès des populations à ceux-ci, l'utilisation biologique des aliments et la problématique de la prévention et gestion des crises, la souveraineté alimentaire accorde en plus une importance aux conditions sociales et environnementales de production des aliments. Elle prône un accès plus équitable à la terre pour les paysans pauvres, au moyen si nécessaire d'une réforme agraire et de mécanismes de sécurisation des droits d'usage du foncier.

Au niveau local, la souveraineté alimentaire favorise le maintien d'une agriculture de proximité destinée en priorité à alimenter les marchés régionaux et nationaux. Les cultures vivrières et l'agriculture familiale de petite échelle doivent être favorisées, du fait de leur plus grande efficacité économique, sociale et environnementale, comparée à l'agriculture industrielle et les plantations de grande échelle où travaillent de nombreux salariés. La place et le rôle des femmes sont privilégiés.

La souveraineté alimentaire privilégie des techniques agricoles qui favorisent l'autonomie des paysans. Elle est donc favorable à l'agriculture biologique et à l'agriculture paysanne. Elle refuse l'utilisation des plantes transgéniques en agriculture


Notes et références:


↑ DECLARATION DU FORUM DES ONG ADRESSEE AU SOMMET MONDIAL DE L'ALIMENTATION [archive]
↑ texte de Via Campesina sur la souveraineté alimentaire qui a été distribué à Porto Alegre 2003 [1] [archive]
↑ Jeffrey Sachs & Andrew Warner, Economic reform and the process of global integration, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1995
↑ Johan Norberg, Plaidoyer pour la mondialisation capitaliste, Plon, 2003, p.99

La souveraineté alimentaire est un concept développé et présenté pour la première fois par Via Campesina lors du Sommet de l'alimentation organisé par la FAO à Rome en 1996 [1]. Il a depuis été repris et précisé par les altermondialistes lors des différents Forums Sociaux Mondiaux.

La souveraineté alimentaire est présentée comme un droit international qui laisse la possibilité aux pays ou aux groupes de pays de mettre en place les politiques agricoles les mieux adaptées à leurs populations sans qu'elles puissent avoir un impact négatif sur les populations d'autres pays. La souveraineté alimentaire est donc une rupture par rapport à l'organisation actuelle des marchés agricoles mise en œuvre par l'OMC.

Complémentaire du concept de sécurité alimentaire qui concerne la quantité d'aliments disponibles, l'accès des populations à ceux-ci, l'utilisation biologique des aliments et la problématique de la prévention et gestion des crises, la souveraineté alimentaire accorde en plus une importance aux conditions sociales et environnementales de production des aliments. Elle prône un accès plus équitable à la terre pour les paysans pauvres, au moyen si nécessaire d'une réforme agraire et de mécanismes de sécurisation des droits d'usage du foncier.

Au niveau local, la souveraineté alimentaire favorise le maintien d'une agriculture de proximité destinée en priorité à alimenter les marchés régionaux et nationaux. Les cultures vivrières et l'agriculture familiale de petite échelle doivent être favorisées, du fait de leur plus grande efficacité économique, sociale et environnementale, comparée à l'agriculture industrielle et les plantations de grande échelle où travaillent de nombreux salariés. La place et le rôle des femmes sont privilégiés.

La souveraineté alimentaire privilégie des techniques agricoles qui favorisent l'autonomie des paysans. Elle est donc favorable à l'agriculture biologique et à l'agriculture paysanne. Elle refuse l'utilisation des plantes transgéniques en agriculture

The cabinet change
By Sun News Publishing
Wednesday, November 12, 2008


President Umaru Yar’Adua’s long-awaited plan to rejuvenate his administration through the replacement of under-performing ministers in his cabinet eventually got underway with the sack of eight ministers and 12 ministers of state, on October 29, 2008.
The move ended almost six months of dithering over the decision to bring new life into governance in the country but offered little to cheer as there was no discernible pattern for the selection of the dropped ministers even as no immediate replacements were announced for their offices.

A statement from the Presidency simply stated that some of the retained ministers had been mandated to serve as supervising ministers for some of the affected ministries until new ministers are confirmed by the Senate and sworn into office. No date was fixed for the replacement of the dropped ministers.

The reshufflement of the cabinet has, indeed, been long in coming. The replacement of ministers, ordinarily, is a routine administrative exercise which could happen two or three times in the life of an administration with the objective of ensuring that the best persons are brought on board to achieve the government’s goals. In this instance, the process has taken the better part of six months, the nation having first been intimated with the plan by the president in May 2008. We would have expected that five months were long enough for the Presidency to have perfected the confirmation of replacements for ministers that were to be sacked but this has not been the case.

The tardiness in the replacement of the ministers is in tandem with the widely acknowledged, painfully slow pace of the Yar’Adua government. It is a further reinforcement of the people’s perception and complaints over the sluggish pace of this administration. This is rather unfortunate, especially in the face of the growing impatience of Nigerians with the government in the quest for the benefits of democracy.

The cabinet change has involved a lot of time-wasting. The wheel of government has been very slow in turning and the government has not shown itself to be in a hurry to quicken the process of service delivery.

With almost eighteen months already gone in the life of this administration, we advise the government to buckle up and inject some verve into governance. The patience of Nigerians is being overstretched.

The people need to feel the impact of this government. The much-touted 7- point agenda of this administration needs to be brought to life. The machinery of government needs to be seen to be working at top speed to positively improve the lives of the people.


The government should therefore cast away the cloak of lethargy in which it appears to be ensconced and quicken the process of appointment of new persons who can deliver quality service into the cabinet. We expect a list of nominees to replace the sacked ministers to be announced soon and the Senate to expedite the process of their confirmation.

In selecting the new ministers, the presidency should pay attention to the need to appoint persons with the right qualifications and experience to add value to their portfolios and get government’s programmes off the ground. Appointment of persons into the cabinet should not be based on base, primordial considerations or the need to pander to the whims and caprices of political godfathers

.
The nation, which appears to have been in a flux in the past 18 months, should be kicked out of the government-imposed lethargy, using purposeful persons who can deliver on the mandates given to them.

Nigeria should learn useful lessons from the recent American presidential election and pick the best persons for the task at hand, irrespective of political and tribal affiliations.



We think the president should also use the opportunity of this cabinet shake –up to reduce the size of his cabinet. The sheer size of this cabinet, with a minister and a minister of state in virtually every ministry, is unwieldy and a drain on the resources of the nation, considering the fact that there are also permanent secretaries with administrative responsibilities in all the ministries.


Governance is a serious business and the hitherto phlegmatic approach to decision making by the president can only set a bad example for the ministers. For instance, the Federal Ministry of Health has remained without a substantive minister since the exit of Professor (Mrs) Adenike Grange, about ten months ago. The boards of parastatals that were dissolved several months ago are also yet to be reconstituted.
President Yar’Adua should demonstrate leadership to bring the urgency of the task of national development to bear on the cabinet.

Written by Chidi Nkwopara
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
OWERRI—A digital library, estimated at $200,000, will soon be built in Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri West local government area of Imo State. Already, the leadership of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Nigeria Section, has since opened serious discussions with the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, for the construction and installation of the digital library in the school.

Addressing journalists after the Institute’s seminar in Owerri, the IEEE Chairman, Nigeria Section, Tubde Y. Salihu, an engineer, explained that the project is its contribution towards providing Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities in deserving tertiary institutions in the country.

“Our reason for siting the ultra-modern state-of-the-art digital library in the Polytechnic was informed by what the IEEE executives saw on ground in the school. It is expected that this project would cost $200,000.” Salihu said.

Answering a question, Salihu said the most important thing is for the school management to guarantee the organization’s usage, stressing that “the facility in the school has amply proved that the present management of the Polytechnic has actually lived up to expectation”.

While saying that the Polytechnic already has 700 computers hooked to the internet, Salihu also opined that this is a feat other tertiary institutions in the country ought to emulate.

Enumerating the benefits of the proposed digital library, Salihu said it includes access to quality technical research that would enable each researcher to select no fewer than 25 topics per month, pointing out that there are 1.7 million documents in the IEEE/IET Electronic Library.

CNN's Christian Purefoy reports on bringing technology to developing nations without causing environmental problems.

visit to it watch live
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2008/11/06/purefoy.nigeria.ewaste.cnn

Bankole Makinde, Abuja - 11.11.2008

AS part of the reform in the public sector being undertaken by the President Umaru Yar’Adua administration, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) is now set to lay off 11,000 out of the reported 30,000 permanent staff in its employ.


Already, 12 general managers of the company, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Abuja Distribution Zone, Mr. A. Ikwu, who was recently deployed in the Benin Zone, were relieved of their appointments penultimate week.


Nigerian Tribune gathered that 18 more general managers would join the unemployment market before the end of this month just like Mr. K. Osakwe of the Abuja Headquarters, who was sent packing two weeks ago.


The general managers are in charge of the 11 distribution zones in the country, supervising between three and four states. The 11,000 workers to be laid off, it was gathered, are not among the 60,000 casual workers working for PHCN who would also be affected by the rationalisation exercise.


In fact, three weeks ago, all workers of the company were ordered to bring their original educational certificates to determine which of them would be made to join the pensionable scheme of PHCN as, at present, none of them enjoys the pensionable scheme since 2000.


An account audit was also undertaken to determine ghost workers two weeks ago while the first appointment letters of staff and salary and promotion letters were also ordered to be tendered to determine how to implement the rumoured 50 to 100 per cent salary bulk increase for those that would be retained, effective January, 2009.


Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Federal Government was even toying with the idea of returning PHCN to its former name of National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) as PHCN was never privatised, but broken into business and distribution zones.


In a clear departure from what operated in the past when government gave subventions to NEPA, each business and distribution zone is now independent and largely autonomous, generating revenue for its sustenance.


The impending sack of the PHCN workers was said to have been hinged on the fact that most of them, especially meter readers, were no longer needed due to the introduction of the Digital Pre-payment meters (DPPM), which has now left consumers in total control of their consumption of electricity, most especially in Abuja.


Hitherto, the meter readers were supposed to apprehend those who illegally connected directly from PHCN power source, a job which has now been made irrelevant due to the introduction to DPPMs.


When the Nigerian Tribune called the Senior Manager (Public Affairs) of Garki Business Unit of PHCN, Hajia H. Salman, for her reaction, she said she had nothing to say about the development.


She directed the Nigerian Tribune to the chief executive of the Abuja Distribution Zone for clarification, stating that she had been hearing of the impending mass purge too, which she described as a rumour.

The governor of the Central Bank, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria who is also CEO of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola, have been talking up the Nigerian banking system. In the process, they have been quick to remind the public that the sector-wide consolidation exercise embarked upon by commercial banks from 2004 to 2005, has strengthened our banking sector and shielded it from the global credit crisis. In comparison, they say banks overseas are undergoing what Nigeria was smart enough to do earlier.
Yet they cannot explain away the forbearance granted the banks not to make the necessary provisions for non-performing margin loans as required under the prudential guidelines of the Central Bank. The last time I recall banks were given any form of forbearance by the CBN was before the consolidation exercise when a significant number of them were ailing. It was after that failed to achieve the desired result, that the Bank forced the banks to increase their capital requirements to N25 billion.
A major indicator that all is not well with our financial system and that the regulators are being economical with the truth, is already manifest in the capital market segment of the financial services industry. At present, several stock broking firms and investment banks that were used as conduits for margin facilities to trade in bank shares are in dire straits. Most of them are defaulting on their obligations to the banks and cannot even meet their monthly wage bills. It is for this reason that the push for a government bail out for the stock market has been loudest from capital market operators that been the worst hit since the market’s downturn.
After considerable pressure was mounted on the CBN to disclose the level of margin lending, it announced that banks’ exposure to the equities market amounted to some 8 per cent of gross banking assets, which in itself was opaque. A few days later, CBN conjured up a figure saying total margin facilities in the banking sector amounted to some N900 billion. If the amount is that insignificant, then the level of core capital and so called profits declared by the banks should give them adequate capacity to absorb the loss provisions. But by allowing the banks to restructure their margin loans, the CBN has given them a blank cheque to keep posting paper profits and declaring dividends on bad loans. It is for this reason I am inclined to believe that figure announced by the CBN is grossly understated.
The only reason I can fathom as to why the CBN is being dishonest with the rot in the system is complicity on the part of the regulator. As a result, it has become necessary for the Federal Government and the National Assembly to wake up from their slumber and start implementing far reaching measures through the enactment of new laws that will strengthen supervision and surveillance in the financial services sector. Some of the measures are as follows:

An Oversight Body for Financial Sector Surveillance and Supervision
The executive arm of government or presidency should send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly that will result in the review, amendment and eventual repeal of all the laws governing the financial services sector and its operations, and the enactment of a new law for the establishment of an independent oversight body responsible for financial sector surveillance and supervision. This new body will comprise the relevant departments/units that will be responsible for overseeing the banking sector, insurance sector, pension funds, clearing houses, and capital market operations. The establishment of this oversight body will achieve a number of objectives that are not necessarily limited to the following: One, it will take away the responsibility of financial services surveillance from the CBN which will enable it concentrate on its core functions of monetary policy implementation and inflation targeting. Two, this will lead to a considerable reduction in the discordant tunes emanating from the regulators whenever a problem arises. Right now there are too many regulators – the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Stock Exchange, National Insurance Commission of Nigeria, National Pension Commission of Nigeria and the CBN – that are working individually and at cross purposes. Three, the establishment of a single oversight body will provide the perfect platform for peer review mechanism for what each of the departments under it and their heads are doing at any given point in time. Four, it will engender transparency and improve disclosure.
Five, the law establishing the new oversight body must include a corporate governance code that stipulates the relationship between the regulatory departments/units and the operators in each of the sub-sectors in the financial system; not excluding an arms length approach that eliminates the incestuous camaraderie that currently exists between operators and regulators. The corporate governance code must include provisions barring the heads, management and staff either directly or indirectly through proxies and relatives from buying and owning shares in companies operating in the financial services sector; and taking loans from the institutions. This rule barring the ownership of shares in financial institutions must be extended to include external auditors that audit the books of operators in the financial services sector and/or independent firms that may be appointed from time to time by the oversight body to review the books of operators under its supervision. Five, the new body must have a strong risk control unit that shall be responsible for periodically reviewing prudential risk of operators in the financial services sector. This unit shall be made up of competent hands responsible for credit, market and liquidity risk assessment, and make it mandatory for banks and other operators in the financial system to make full disclosure on the nature of their loans, non-performing loan portfolios and their exposure to various economic segments/sectors, in order to enable the public differentiate risk portfolios particularly in banks.
In establishing the new oversight body, the National Assembly can learn a lot by understudying similar institutions such as the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of the United Kingdom and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). For instance, the FSA in the UK is responsible for the Investment Management and Regulatory Organisation that oversees unit and investment trusts; Lloyd’s; insurance companies; recognised exchanges, which include the London Stock Exchange and commodity markets; professional bodies; banks; clearing houses; wholesale markets; and the Security and Futures Authority. Even though the FSA has been criticised in the past for rarely taking on wider implication cases, its success in curtailing systemic crisis in the British financial system, is today, compelling US authorities to evolve a similar model following the collapse of several venerable Wall Street institutions a few weeks ago.

Merger and Acquisitions
In recent weeks, there has been a growing clamour among financial market analysts for another round of consolidation in the banking sector. While this may instill confidence in the banking and investment public, tackle systemic risks and volatility in the industry, and reduce cut throat competition that is pervasive in the sector today, however the last round of forced consolidation has shown that mergers and acquisitions must be business driven. The problem with Nigerian banks is not necessarily size but the quality of their earnings. This is the only country in the world where banks consistently post growths in profits in the face of difficulties imposed by lack of infrastructure, high level of systemic risk, and general economic and political risk.
Beside, Nigerian banks take far too many risks than their peers in other developing economies ranging from operational to market risks. Even specialised credit risk management in the banking system is almost non-existent. A typical example was the manner a banking syndicate lent Transcorp $600 million for its acquisition of NITEL despite the absence of a balance sheet and no visible income stream. The decision by the banks to put together the facility was borne purely out of cronyism and political considerations. To make matters worse, the banks in this syndicate, from what I gather, have still not started making loan loss provisions on the facility even though it was extended to Transcorp three years ago and the company has been defaulting on its debt service obligations ever since.
Yet, some of these banks are the so called big banks in Nigeria. If these banks have such significant holes in their balance sheets which one of them can be trusted in the event of a merger or acquisition? Over a year ago, Standard Bank (Stanbic) before its merger with IBTC-Chartered had to pull out of talks with one or two other banks after due diligence showed up significant rot in their books. Yes, another round of consolidation may work. But it should not be mandatory. Instead the authorities may consider using a carrot and stick approach which by offering banks a raft of incentives may compel them to merge.

Stock Market Institutional Changes
This may be the most difficult aspect to implement because it requires a change in mindset on the part of investors more than anything else. Traditionally, local investors, especially through the various shareholders associations, have always put considerable pressure on quoted companies to pay dividends and bonuses annually to their shareholders. Companies that fail to do so, or indicate in their prospectus that profits shall be retained, are usually punished by the market leading to negative share prices (the shares of Starcomms have taken a bashing for this reason). But the downside to this is that very high dividend payout ratios and bonus issues support low levels of earnings growth.
Companies go to the market for one primary reason: that is to raise funds to grow their businesses. But when these companies are put under pressure within the first couple of years of their listing and secondary offers to start paying dividends from their profits instead of retaining them, it curtails their ability to expand their businesses. In other words, the mindset of retail and wholesale investors has to shift from what has obtained in the past and begin to view their investments in the stock market as long term investments. By reducing the pressure mounted on banks and other operators in the financial services sector to declare dividends and bonuses, quoted companies will be the better for it, because the retention rate of profits will be higher. That way, financial institutions will be less inclined to falsify their books and declare false profits for the benefit of fickle minded investors.
Lastly, a revision of the pension legislation and PFA guidelines is still necessary given the sheer scale of investible funds pension contributions can constitute in the development of the stock market. According to a market research study published by ARM Investment Managers, a Lagos-based investment banking firm, pension funds provide a natural and stable pool of capital for the stock market and can be harnessed more effectively. A revision of the legislative framework should include the strict enforcement of private sector compliance with existing regulations, particularly with respect to the establishment and funding of retirement savings accounts for employees. Covered employers should be compelled to make the mandated regular contributions, with stiff penalties imposed where defaults occur. This would enhance market liquidity as the PFAs allocate additional funds to the market.
A review of asset allocation guidelines to PFAs to increase the equity exposure limit to more than the current 25% is also necessary. For example, ARM estimates that a 10% upward review would potentially result in an immediate injection of over N100 billion into the stock market. Using PFAs in this manner would also avoid the negative signal from the lobby for a “bailout measure” predicated on the use of public funds (otherwise known as Stabilisation Fund). Added to this, the remittance of public sector contributions currently in custody of PENCOM and/or its successor body to the PFAs would help push up equity prices, as it is estimated that this currently amounts to N100 billion.
But most important of all, and as a superior argument to the establishment of a Stabilisation Fund, is the need to ensure the funding of public sector pension arrears at the federal level. These are estimated at over N1 trillion, and would provide a massive boost to the stock market, if an agreement is reached with the Federal Government to fund this liability in a phased manner.

The Senate Committee on Navy has asked the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Isaiah Ibrahim, to explain the reasons why armed naval ratings attached to Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade assaulted a lady, Miss Uzoma Okere, in Lagos on Monday.

Uzoma, who has been identified as a daughter of the Sergeant-At-Arms of the National Assembly, Col. Emmanuel Okere (rtd), was beaten and stripped naked by six naval ratings on Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, for allegedly failing to quickly give way to Arogundade‘s convoy.

Since THE PUNCH exclusively reported the incident on Tuesday, the newspaper has been inundated with reactions from its readers both at home and in the diaspora who felt that the lady‘s fundamental rights were unjustly violated.

Since the report, however, our correspondents and columnists have been receiving threat telephone calls from unidentified persons.

The bestial act by the naval ratings, which is already on a Cable News Network’s website, http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC 134234, further strengthened the global perception of Nigeria as a country where human rights are frequently abused, especially by military personnel.
An anonymous witness recorded and sent the brutalisation of the lady to ireport, a user-generated site operated by the international news agency.
A copy of the video, recording secretly surreptitiously recorded by a passer-by was also sent to THE PUNCH on Thursday. The 20-minute brutalisation of the lady apparently rubbishes the naval officers’ claim that they were provoked.

The Senate committee‘s reaction was sequel to the petition by the victim‘s father, urging it to look into the matter with the view to bringing his daughter‘s attackers to justice.

In a petition presented to both the Senate Committees on Navy and Defence on Wednesday, Okere described the attack as unlawful and condemnable.

He said Uzoma, who is still receiving treatment in a Lagos hospital, would want the Senate to intervene.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Bode Olajumoke, confirmed on Thursday in a telephone interview that the committee had received the petition from the Sergeant-At-Arms.

He said the Chief of Naval Staff had been officially asked to respond to the allegations.
Olajumoke said, ”We have already swung into action on the matter. We have written the CNS to respond to the petition on the brutality of the daughter of the Sergeant-At-Arms.
“We need to hear from the other side, the CNS will have to explain the reason for the action before we know what to do.”

THE PUNCH also gathered on Thursday that the Nigerian Navy had ordered an investigation into the incident.
The Director of Information of the Navy, Commodore David Naibada, and the Director of Policy, Captain Henry Babalola, confirmed the development to one of our correspondents in Abuja.
They assured Nigerians that anyone found to be directly or remotely connected with the incident would be sanctioned if found guilty.
They said they were sensitive to how the public perceived the Navy and that they could not be seen to be building bridges of understanding with civilians and at the same time, be condoning acts that went against this belief.

It will be recalled that Naibada had, in his earlier reaction to the incident, attributed the assault to ‘provocation’ from the victim.

Meanwhile, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and some notable non-governmental organisations have called for the sanctioning of Arogundade and the naval ratings for the brutalisation of Uzoma.

Among the groups that have expressed interest in the case are the Project Alert, Women Arise, Real Woman Foundation and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights.

Soyinka, at a news conference in Lagos said, “I want to add my voice to the uproar that has been generated by that admiral in the brutalisation of this woman. If that admiral is not prosecuted, civil organisations will institute actions against him.

“This abominable kind of conduct has got to stop. This animal conduct on the part of our uniformed services must end.”

“The civil society group said that the assault and humiliation of the lady was one act of aggression that must not be allowed to go unchallenged.
This, they added, was not only in seeking redress for the victim but in ensuring that other women do not suffer similar fate in the hands of ”overzealous men who play up their weakness as a sign of strength.”

Pastor Nike Adeyemi of RWF and Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin of WA would address a joint press conference on the issue at the weekend.

The CDHR, in a statement by its President, Olasupo Ojomo, described the assault as unjust, inhuman and degrading.

It said the attack was also a ”direct violation of the fundamental rights of the victim to life (which was threatened); dignity of her person (she was brutalised and tortured); fair hearing (punishment without trial or conviction by a court established by law); freedom of movement (her free movement on the road was disrupted) which are all rights guaranteed her in chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and all other continental and international treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
The group said because such injustice must not be allowed to go unaddressed, it was prepared to use all lawful means including litigation to secure appropriate redress and remedy for the victim unless some demands were met.

The demands include, ”That the Federal Government take full responsibility for the treatment and restoration of the good health of Uzoma.
”That the Federal Government pays such amount of compensation as may be expressed by Uzoma as redress for the violations of her human rights by Arogundade and his men who are officers and men of the Nigerian Navy.
“That Arogundade and his men, who are ratings in naval uniform, be relieved of their posts via dismissal from service for engaging in conduct that show that they are not fit and proper persons to be retained as officers and men of the Nigerian Navy.
”Prosecution of Arogundade and the ratings for engaging in conducts capable of breaching public peace and for assault occasioning grievous bodily harm to Uzoma.”

The CDHR advised that since Nigeria was not in a state of war, all military and quasi-military personnel should be restrained from using siren on the roads henceforth.