mY tUpPeNcE wOrTh

A silent government for a numb citizenry!

2011-07-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Originally written Jan 5, 2010.

Today is the 5^th day of the new year and am very angry. This is quite abnormal considering that normally it’s a time that still qualifies for some New Year jolly making. My anger stems not from concerns for my personal life noting that this is a time individuals review their personal plans and aspirations but am angry at the way we Nigerians have mastered the silence and coping craft.

Why won’t i be angry? We live in a country where we have permanently gone silent and numb. Nothing bothers us any longer. We have become so submissive that even in the face of foolishness we do not ask questions. Or how else can we explain the apparent lack of information about the whereabouts of the President or that of his health after 45 days of uncertainty. The Vice President, Ministers, Senators and House of Reps members are in the dark and no one is bold enough to say anything or so we are made to believe. So who then makes up the government?

I still can’t believe that all those masquerading as leaders in the country at the moment still don’t see anything wrong about the seeming lack of direction in government activities due largely to the absence of the president.

In a country with a constituted authority, we have been kidnapped by a so called “kitchen cabinet” consisting of very few Nigerians but who have clearly proved to us that they are more equal than all of us ala George Orwell’s animal farm.

For God’s holy sake, why are we confirming for the umpteenth time that Africa is bedeviled by sit tight presidents who even in the face of total lack of capacity to function in such positions can be honest enough to themselves to hand over to much more healthier individuals. What is our problem? Are we so obsessed with power that we do not know when holding on to it is sheer stupidity?

So what exactly, does the VP do? Wake up in the morning, take care of petty transactions that have been ceded to him officially and then simply wait on God to heal the President, that he himself is not sure of his ailment. What a country!!!

Why all this form the basis of my anger, the real concern is the apparent lack of organisation by we Nigerians to demand for responsible leadership. If we are harassed during elections by policemen, are we harassed to voice our concerns again, atleast its one of our democracy-given rights.

In a country of over 140 million people, just a paltry 55 leaders and over 100 lawyers are the one’s speaking for us. Others including me have become internet warriors, patriots, nationalists!!! Don’t we see that we actually deserve the kind of leadership that we have? A silent government for a numb citizenry!

Upon that we are endowed with short memories that we can neither remember the last three national issues before the president fell sick nor follow them to logical conclusions even if we could remember. We have accepted our fate as a passerby in the Nigerian project. We behave like slaves and serfs who have no right in our own country. Citizens would not behave like us. They will demand answers for every question and call to order any abhorrent behaviour. We have condoned all sorts of shits and now all we do is just waiting for God.

God himself must be very angry with us by now, because how else would we explain the blacklisting of the country that already is in the dark about its own existence because sometimes I wonder if we still have a government. God has no business in all this and I mean it. I personally believe that the reason we have been endowed by God the reasoning faculty is to rationally apply it in all situations. Why do we then send our brains on sabbatical and call on God to help clear the mess that we caused with our eyes wide open?

To compound everything, I have a very strong feeling that things might get very bad. If we have been tested by the elite with this kind of bull**** and we simply endure it, we should expect bigger if not larger humiliation.

This country stinks!

Building a Value-based Society

2010-11-29T02:56:00.000-08:00

Protocols

Ladies and Gentlemen let me begin by appreciating the organizers and the entire membership of Rotaract Club of Ota for their kind invitation extended to me and the honour of delivering the lecture at this induction ceremony. I feel very honoured to be invited to perform this patriotic task.

My liberty to speak is bound within the frame of Rotary’s theme for the year; Building Communities — Bridging Continents. These four words completely epitomize the work of the Rotary International since it was founded by Paul P. Harris. Your core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership with other people and organizations, the Rotaract Clubs and by extension the Rotary International, has continued to oil the engine of social development around the world through their activities and programs. This is highly commendable in a world where we all require a helping hand from time to time. I join the world in celebrating you and salute your efforts internationally.

The task before me today is not just an academic exercise; it’s an examination of the present decay that pervades the entire landscape of our lives and living and a call to action for everyone of us. My wish and prayer is that we will have the strength and courage to do the needful at the end of this exercise. It must not be a one-off event.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the state of our society calls for sober reflection. We are in a quagmire so to say. We live in a world where the word “humane” has lost all its meanings. It’s sickening that, what were hitherto the standards of our society have been debased. Nothing seems to budge or bother us anymore. We have safely parked at the atrophy of values close!

Before we go in-depth into the core of the crisis situation we are in, let’s examine what the key words that will keep re-occurring during the course of this discourse.

At the 26^th Farm House Dialogue of the Africa Leadership Forum in 1993 on Society and Value System[1], it was reasoned that the definition of society must include; in a hierarchical and ascending order; individual citizens, families, clans, villages, towns, wards, local governments and states. I mean those who govern and the governed constitute the society.

At the same meeting, it was posited that “values helps to determine the socialization patterns in the society”. In other words, values forms the foundation on which the entire fabric of a society is built. It is the measure with which questions of “is it right and to what extent” can be answered. It is the standard measurement for what is right or wrong in any society and basis for which punishments are meted out. Value system on the other hand, is the agglomeration of individual accepted preferences and serves as a guide and judge of acceptable and non acceptable behavior in the society.

Values can be purely ethical or moral. It forms standard practices in professions like law, medicine, accounting etc which dovetails into doctrinal and ideological (religious, political) social and ofcourse aesthetic values.

In the context of this paper, we shall dwell more on the Social values which in some literature can be referred to as Social norms. These norms are the behaviors and cues within a society or group. It is regarded as the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit. Failure to follow the rules can result in severe punishments, including exclusion from the group. So for any value system to evolve, values must become a shared belief of the larger society.

Let me reiterate that no one is born with specific values. We are only born into families, communities and societies which in turn PROMOTE, TEACH and IMPART our values into us. The question therefore arises that, if we are a product of our societal values, what are those values of our society?

I will for the benefit of the number of us, who were born in the last three decades, attempt a recount of the societal values of the days of yore.

The Yoruba people have a long-standing tradition on issues relating to conduct in the society. This is evident in the concept of the word “OMOLUABI”. An omoluwabi is regarded as a good person of integrated personality, who demonstrates fairly well the positive use of the mental, physical and psychological features of the human person, as well as moral uprightness in his/her life in society[2]. Omoluwabi denotes a person who has been nurtured in accordance with societal values. He has deep knowledge and skill in certain areas of life, and develops a sense of responsibility to the society, which is evidently shown in private and public actions. Thus in Yoruba land, an Omoluabi is seen as the end product of Yoruba socialization.

An Omoluabi is expected to live above offences such as theft which is often punishable by imposition of fine, public beating and singing of disgraceful songs to the culprit and restoring the stolen property to the owner. The thief is often ridiculed in the society. Ashes were sprinkled on him. His hands were tied and he was marched round the town with the shouts of Ole! Ole!!. Indeed, the act of theft was considered criminal and as such it leads to the loss of frame in the society.

Again, lets look at the handling of offenses like Debt. The penalty of debt is often the collective responsibility of the debtor’s family. The debtor’s families were usually responsible for the payment of the debt or fulfillment of the judgment of the court. That is why most traditional Yoruba families will rather starve to death than allow their kinsman take a loan they are sure he is incapable of paying[3]. Ofcourse the size of your willingly unpaid debt today is the sign of “bigmanism” in our present society.

Communal farmland, economic interests like the market-place, stream, or shrine are generally surrounded with taboos, including who may or may not enter, and when and under what circumstances people are permitted or not to enter such places. Stealing is abhorred. It is in fact, an abomination to steal things relating to people's vital life-interests and occupation, like yam crop (Ji) among the sedentary farm cultivating communities of traditional Igboland, or stealing fish held in a trap laid by someone in a stream or river among the fishing communities of Ogoni and Kalabari in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. There are also special restrictions and norms regulating the behaviour of people towards public functionaries like lineage heads, the king or queen, traditional priests, diviners and medicine-practitioners. Such persons are generally regarded as specially sacred, and representative of the community. Their residence is equally sacred. So, are instruments of their office.

It should be emphasized that the vast majority of norms, taboos and prohibitions were directed towards protecting the community and promoting peace and harmony. Above all, it is to ensure that the dominant values were; respect for parents and elders generally including constituted authorities, dignity of labour and hardwork, integrity, truthfulness and honesty, abhorrence of corruption, sharing and caring with mutual respect for each other, a strong belief in the Supreme, respect for the sanctity of life, hospitality, filial piety etc

Today, things have fallen apart! The centre obviously cannot hold again.

Yes it is true that the days of yore have to make way for the current days of modernity. In the case of our society in particular, the advent of the white man and colonialism as well as formal education in the pattern of western civilization, the consequences of distant travel, various forms of intra-and inter-tribal, ethnic, racial and cultural assimilation, the thoughtless copy-cat trend or emulation of foreign values, attires, cuisine, their mannerisms, their films, drama, literature, etc, all make this change inevitable[4].

We live in a society today, where morality has been thrown into the winds. No one seems to care anymore and "no society can function well with fools, rascals, or non-leaders in leadership positions" (Gardner, 1978, p.133). But is this not the reality of our society today with most of the characters in various leadership positions today.

We have elders who cannot comport themselves with integrity. Authority figures who do not care about the feelings and aspirations of those they govern. Family heads who cannot keep the family chord in harmony. Fathers who cannot live exemplary lives for their wards or how do we explain families who abhor children who flagrantly live on proceeds from cybercrime.

We have become so daring that the religious institution have not been spared in our immodest acts and behaviours. The stench coming out various religious houses is too foul to be inhaled. People stealing “God’s own money” under various disguise! While people in government are looting brazenly, the people in private sector are brainlessly following suite.

I often wonder at the hypocrisy in our society. We all say it is wrong for the president to steal but cool for a relative of ours in government to “chop” what he can before his time is up often hiding under the proverb that “it’s only a mad man who will not plough to his side”. We all complain about the quality of Nigerian graduates, yet we buy question papers and “expos” for our wards under the guise JAMB is “jamming” them.

We cannot continue like this and expect a different result. A philosopher once said, its only a mad man, who will do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. No society will grow in a situation like this. We need to start reconstructing the entire structure of the society on a totally different basis of legitimacy. I am an ardent believer in the collective reconstruction of this society because as we have seen, it was our collective neglect of positive values that has led to the present destructive state that we find ourselves.

I will attempt to proffer some areas of focus that will assist in the rejuvenation of a value-based society.

First and foremost, a Yoruba adage states clearly that a river who forgets its source, will surely dry up. We have to retrace our steps. I know the renaissance men and women amongst us will jump at me for daring to take us back to the so called dark ages. However, the people of those ages have proven to have lived a more dignified life than we do presently. There are positive takeaways from those days.

The family unit must return back to its responsibility as the first socialization contact for the child. Children are wont to mirror the attitudes of parents or authority figures around them. We must show leadership and character. We must interact and get to know our wards. We cannot leave our responsibility of training our wards to the society alone. The best the society can do would be an appendage to what a child was brought up with. The home forms the basis of whatever ideology or beliefs a child will take on in life.

Our religious institution should comport themselves more like a Godly institution rather than a business or an affluence-exhibition centre. Religion and belief in the Supreme is meant to guide the actions and serve as a caution for human in their day to day behaviour. This requires the constant teaching of the essence of life and its vanity. Senseless accumulation of wealth and unnecessary braggadocio by religious leaders will send the wrong signals to their teeming followers.

Traditional rulers should devote themselves to the institutions they are meant to protect. As the custodians of our cultural values and norms, they should be seen to uphold the tenets of our traditional society. A situation where traditional rulers have turned rascally or seen at government secretariats running after some government contracts or the other further debases our traditional institutions. Activities that will further enrich young people to their cultures should be encouraged. I am a strong believer in the ideals, values and norms of our traditional society!

The government is a reflection of the larger society. It is populated by our fathers, mothers, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, nephews, cousins, in-laws and the likes. We can only make a change, if we ourselves change our ways. The era of pointing accusing fingers at the government is over. If there is a change needed at that level the ball is in our court.

More instructive is the fact that as a nation, we are preparing for the next general elections. We can only expect that reinforcing mechanisms for the right values and norms will be put in place by individuals who have the credibility and courage to go all the way. These are the individuals who deserve our vote. Until we begin to put the right persons in positions of authority, we will continue to spend hours on roads that should normally take minutes!

Like my boss, Ayodele Aderinwale, MFR will usually say, there are the same kinds of politicians all over the world. The only difference is that, in developed societies, there are restrictive mechanisms that make impunities impossible. If you steal, and you are caught, you go to jail. In more cultural environments like Asia, the shame of being caught or even alleged of wrongdoing has made a number of leaders commit suicide.

For us as Rotractors, we have our values clearly formulated and nurtured over decades through the efforts of early Rotarians and Rotractors alike. The Object of Rotary is meant to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and to further encourage;

· The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

· High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

These are clear values that are expected of us to be exhibited in and around the community. We must subscribe to these values in its entirety and be seen to believe in them. We must say what we mean and mean what we say.

We must always check our acts against the standards we have prescribed for our self in the Four-Way Test. We must always check if the things we think, say or do is the TRUTH; Is FAIR to all concerned; will build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS; and finally be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

In doing all these, we are already making the world a better place. In ensuring that we speak the truth, we would be careful about what we say and do. We will be cautious in our utterances. We will not be seen stirring up tribal or religious strides. Ofcourse, giving consideration to the ego and feelings of the other persons brings fairness and more understanding which ofcourse will be bring about more long lasting friendships built across gender, religion, and ethnic divides. All these, will only bring a more peaceful and harmonious living environment for all people.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my challenge to us today is simple.

The onus is on us to seek for change and commit to it with all our heart. It will not come easy. Hard choices and decisions have to be made. No society grows based on the wishful thinking of the few. We must reflect, intervene and salvage the situation before it gets really worse.

Organisations like the Rotaract Club of Ota should be our oasis in the present desert. Its members must be shining lights in our society and provide the right mentorship for more young people in the society. Its members should epitomize the model youth of today and the future.

I strongly believe that though our society is far from perfect, we still have shining examples of integrity and honesty. We should use platforms like this to showcase them to the world. That is the only way we can prove to the world that our society is one of positive values, though there are deviants, they do not represent us.

In summary, the making of a value-based society must start at the individual level. Positive values must be imbibed individually and exhibited by all at the before it can become a shared societal value. This is when it will begin to impact on our ways of life and affect the yet unborn generation.

It is our responsibility to preserve that unborn generation from the impunities of today.

I thank you all for listening and I wish the inductees a successful regime ahead.

PRESENTATION MADE BY SANUSI IBRAHEEM BUKUNLE AT THE 2010/2011 INDUCTION CEREMONY OF ROTARACT CLUB OF OTA HLD ON THE 28^TH OF NOVEMBER 2010 @ BEZER HALL, OTA.

[1] Society and Value System – Report of the 26th Farm House Dialogue which held between 4th and 6th June 1993

[2] A.K. Fayemi and O.C. Macaulay-Adeyelure Traditional Yoruba Notion of Education and the Contemporary African Quest for Development 41

[3] The nature of reprimand in the traditional Yoruba society; Oladiti Abiodun Akeem – Medwell Online 2006

[4] Society and Value System – Report of the 26th Farm House Dialogue which held between 4th and 6th June 1993

My Facebook Badge!

2007-09-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

2nd Runner-Up Cyber Peace Contest

2007-09-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day for me. I was rewarded for my writing. That best decribes my happiness. Many a times, i put in for contests nlike this and do not get anything not even an acknowldgement for it, but this time i got a prize and a Certificate.

I sent in a report of TIG's first project, Save University Education Project 2004 and it nearned the prize.

There is virtue in persistence and steadfastness.I wish i can continue in this trend as am sure its the beginning of good and great things to come.

Am a winnerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

TIG Retreat Pictures in Video.

2007-07-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.sendspace.com/file/97hbi8

Arsenal and the exit of Igwe Henry.

2007-06-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

Arsenal...i cannot remember when i pledged my commitment to Arsenal Fottball Club as a fan and i try as much as possible to pinpoit the particular year atleast for knowing sake since there is no payment accruing to the oldest fan (just kidding). The closest story i can remmebr is that i was an admirer of the accurate long passes of the Arsenal Football team during the Unbeaten runs season and like most Nigerians, i was sympathetic to the only Nigerian Player in the Arsenal Line up then, the humble Nwankwo Kanu who i admire in his 25 numbered jersey.

Like everyother Gunner, i love Henry, he is good and i cannot ever over describe him. However, over the last few months, specifically during the final period of the 2006 UEFA Champions League and the 2006-2007 Premiership season, the mien and heroic exploit HENRY has been known for has waned seriously.

However, the exit of this talisman of arsenal of nine (9)years has generated a lot of news ad controversies. So many theories have been postulated by professionals who have the pedigree to do such. While i personally disagree with some, i buy into a couple of them.

1. The exit if Henry will pschologically awake our players that there is no Henry to do the magic again, so they have to give in their best and they all have responsibility and not one man. This invariably will trigger the action within every other player in that team. The young lads have shown that they have the energy in them, its just left for them to translate that to winnings.

2. I do not know what pushed Arsene to agree on Henry's Exit, but as far as am concerned, "Prof" Arsene would never let him go if he knows he still has a contribution to the team.Arsene knows he has replacements, and willing to get additional.

3. The issue of the Board might actually look messy for now, but ofcourse Boardroom politics cannot be understood if you are outside the Board.But as far as am concerned, Dein's and Henry's exit has brought a lot of embarrasment to the Team and i want to speculate that issues would have been sorted out before Autumn when the commitment of Arsene to the team for another round of contract will be required.

4. Finally, little was known of Jose Mourinho before the Porto escapades in 2004. When Okocha left Nigerian team, little did we know that there was a Mikel who was waiting to take over. When Viera left Arsenal, everybody thought it was the end of the beautiful display of the round leather game Arsenal is known for but, alas, Cesc Fabregas took the opportunity as a challenge and have excelled in that role ever since. The point remains, its time for other known strikers in the team like Adebayor, Van Persie, Walcott etc to prove the stuff they are made of. When we have additions before the transfer windows closes, its another chance to show Arsenal in a new and better light.

I remain a GUNNER and will be for Life. I believe in our payoff to Discover, Nuture and Deepen our players and to that i see an organisation who knows what it stands for. It is not wrong if an organisation wants to be conservative like the Anti Kroenke group but requires a risk taker like Dein to prove that chnage might be excellent sometimes. if Dein is gone for now, he might be back in a split second.

Arsenal Remains a Team to watch and i can bet this season will be surprising for so many people.

Arsenal! Arsenal !! Arsenal !!!

2007-06-26T06:10:00.000-07:00

Youth Inclusion in Decision making processes in Nigeria

2007-06-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

Youth Inclusion in Decision making processes in Nigeria.
(1995-2005)
1.0 Young people in all countries are both a major human resource for development and key agent for social change, economic development and technological innovation but these ability of youths cannot be discovered if they are not streamlined onto decision making processes of government at all levels.

In Nigeria, youths account for about 48 percent of the population and because they comprise the most virile and articulate members of the populace the Federal government promulgated the 1983 National youth policy with a revised edition in 1989 with the aim of developing and empowering the Nigerian youth. Four years after the General Assembly adopted a World Programme of Action for Youth to the year 2000 and beyond in 1995 and exactly 10 years after it revised the National youth policy in 1983, Nigerian Government through its Ministry of Inter-Governmental Affairs, Youth and Special Duties launched its National policy on youth Development in the year 1999 which was developed in participatory for a with youth across the country.

2.0 Based on the Proposals for action under paragraphs 104-107 of the World program of Action for youth to the year 2000 and beyond, the Nigerian government, Civil Societies, youth NGOs etc have over the last 10 years contributed to seeing that youth voices are streamlined into decision making processes. While there was little done in the early part of the decade due to political instability, the advent of Democracy in the last 5 years has brought about tremendous changes in the system.

This report will try to identify the various contributions of various Government agencies, Civil Society and Youth Focused NGOs while finally will measure progress against the proposals for Action to ascertain , what has be done and what still needs to be improved upon.

Focus Review of various Government agencies, Civil Society and Youth Focused NGOs initiative in the areas of Youth and participation in the Decision making processes.This focus review includes a description of the programmes of these Government agencies, Civil Societies and Youth Focused NGOs. Although different in their approach, all have shown a significant interest on this theme.

Focus 1: Nassarawa State in Nigeria is a sprawling state situated in the North Central part of the country. Like all other infant states when compared to other states in Nigeria, Nassarawa government attention has always being towards the development of an economically strong and sound state.

The effort of the government to enable youths to contribute immensely to its development is reflected highly in the education sector where atleast 28 percent of its total budget over the years has been committed to the sector. This is in addition to the three skills acquisition center available in the state in partnership with a German organization.

Quoting the words of the State Governor, he said “The centers will train young school leavers to acquire basic skills to support our economic development efforts”.

In 2003, the state further included young people into its rank and files of decision making bodies by employing a total of One thousand seven hundred and Forty Youths (based on 60 youths from each of the 29 local Governments).
The Governor in his words added that “we believe the best way we can equip our youth for National Development and self fulfillment is through the provision of adequate opportunities for sound education”.

Focus 2: In the South – South part of Nigeria is situated Akwa Ibom state. It is of the States in Nigeria blessed with Natural resources in abundance. Since inception of Democratic governance in the state, youth inclusion in decision making structures of the state have been reinforced where new opportunities are also being created.

In 2003, the state government upgraded the existing Bureau of youth and culture to a full fledged Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Consequent upon this, the state government facilitated the establishment of a vibrant Youth Council in the state which has a consultative status with the State Government on issues relating to youth development.

The government also holds an interactive forum with representatives of youth groups in Uyo (the state capital) to further fashion out issues relating to youth development in the state. The Ministry of Youths and Sports realizing the enthusiasm of youths about sporting activities is encouraging sporting activities in the state and its contingent to major events excel at such outings.

The government understands that youths abilities have been under-utilized, under developed and marginalized in a way but Akwa Ibom State is taking the issue of youth empowerment seriously having realized the need to integrate youth in the affairs of the state and make him relevant in its development.

Reviewing the activities of the Federal Government.

Target Ministry: Ministry of Inter-Governmental Affairs, Youth and Special Duties and other Line Ministries.

The Federal government in its bid to streamline youth voices into decision making processes saw the emergence of youthful Frank Nweke Jnr. has the Minister in the Ministry of Inter-Governmental Affairs, Youth and Special Duties.

In his capacity as Minister, the Federal government launched the National policy on Youth development, a document developed in consultation with youths in the country through different fora. The government went further to strengthen the National Youth Council of Nigeria while also offering support to the increasing Youth Focused and Youth led Non-Governmental Organisations.

Corpers under the National Youth Service Corps scheme are currently going through series of training on issues relating to entrepreneurial abilities, Wealth creation and Self Reliance. The training is also built on the premise to further increase the faith of youths in the country and contributing to its development as major stakeholders.

The government further encourages youth employment through its National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) which has seen to the employment of over 5,000 youths into the different sectors of the economy and private organizations. Furthermore the government is planning to launch its Youth Development Fund which is under the youth empowerment programme. This fund is to provide financing for the young people who have bright entrepreneurial ideas and initiative so that their involvement in both the public and private sector will further boost the economic development of the country.

The Ministry of Inter-Governmental Affairs, Youth and Special Duties is furthermore becoming more youth friendly and responsive to the needs of young people. The support of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is also ensuring that youths are consulted in issues that affect them. This could further be seen when he held an interactive session with leaders of the Niger Delta Youth on how to further bring peace to the incessant restiveness in the area. It is worthy of month to say here that the interactive session was a major impetus for the peaceful atmosphere existing in the Niger Delta presently. The President furthermore encourages other line ministries to involve youths in planning and implementation of their programmes that affect them. Manifestation of this call can be seen in the Ministry of Communications which would be hosting the Africa Regional Conference of the World Telecoms Development Conference in 2005.Youths were consulted to come up with the proposals for the youth forum of the conference. In addition to this the Government has also shown support to funding a number of youths to the conference in full in other to translate their words into actions. The ministry also maintains a discussion rapport with youths on an online forum with officials of the ministry also as members.

Progress Measurement.

Paragraphs 107 of the World program of Action for youth to the year 2000 and beyond states clearly the following Proposals for Action in respective member states,

(a) Improving access to information in order to enable young people to
make better use of their opportunities to participate in decision-making;
(b) Developing and/or strengthening opportunities for young people to
learn their rights and responsibilities, promoting their social, political,
developmental and environmental participation, removing obstacles that affect their full contribution to society and respecting, inter alia, freedom of
association;
(c) Encouraging and promoting youth associations through financial Educational and technical support and promotion of their activities;
(d) Taking into account the contribution of youth in designing,
implementing and evaluating national policies and plans affecting their
concerns;
(e) Encouraging increased national, regional and international
cooperation and exchange between youth organizations;
(f) Inviting Governments to strengthen the involvement of young people
in international forums, inter alia, by considering the inclusion of youth
representatives in their national delegations to the General Assembly.

The Nigerian Government can be said to have achieved 25 percent of these proposals while another 15 percent is being worked on.

Achievement

1.0 The Nigerian Government has been able to achieve a greater success in the areas of: Taking into account the contribution of youth in designing, implementing and evaluating national policies and plans affecting their concerns; and it is hoped that this will be improved upon to further include out-of-school youths. The existing structures are not perfect, but it can still be improved upon. Youth Community Associations should also be integrated into the system to further increase access and better understanding of rural youth.
2.0 The proposed Youth Development Fund is a welcome idea by youths as it will further encourage and promote youth organizations fitting into SS(C) of the Proposals for Action : Encouraging and promoting youth associations through financial, Educational and technical support and promotion of their activities.

Improvement
3.0 The Government should also try to reinforce the existing National Youth Congress to further accommodate youths in under privileged areas to be able to achieve a greater measure of: Developing and/or strengthening opportunities for young people to learn their rights and responsibilities, promoting their social, political, developmental and environmental participation, removing obstacles that affect their full contribution to society and respecting, inter alia, freedom of association.
4.0 The government needs to fashion out in consultation with youths how information can be more disseminated to get youths all across the country informed on initiatives, projects and opportunities. While the effort of the government is commended, the present structure has to be improved upon.
This will fall inline with: Improving access to information in order to enable young people to make better use of their opportunities to participate in decision-making.
Defect Areas
5.0 The government needs to evolve a plan of action to encourage Nigerian youth interaction with other youths from all other world as this will help to bring about more interaction and appreciation of culture thereby achieving SS (E) of the proposal for Action. Encouraging increased national, regional and international cooperation and exchange between youth organizations. This we believe if rightly pursued will even bring about Tourism patronage for the country and also boost the Nigeria: Heart of Africa project.
6.0 The Nigerian Government finally needs to involve youths in its delegation to UN meetings as this we identify as a major reason why most youths don’t have access to information firsthand like their counterpart in the rest of the World. Youths who intend to participate on their own most time are always cut short due to financial and Visa constraint they go through most times.If this is done we are sure will have achieved SS (F) of the Proposals for Action: Inviting Governments to strengthen the involvement of young people in international forums, inter alia, by considering the inclusion of youth representatives in their national delegations to the General Assembly.

Conclusion
Finally the Nigerian Government has tried and has to be commended but needs to do better to further secure the future after the present crop of Leaders.

Interview on Africa Union Government.

2007-05-17T03:34:00.000-07:00

Interview with Sanusi Ibraheem, The Intellectual Group

Sanusi Ibraheem is the Ag. Executive Director, The Intellectual Group, Nigeria based in Ogbomoso, Nigeria and working on issues around youth development. In March, Saloman Kebede interviewed him on the upcoming Grand Debate on Continental Government during the next African Union Summit, June – July 2007. The full proposal being considered by the Heads of States can be viewed at www.pambazuka.org/aumonitor

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current proposal?
The strength of the proposal is the fact that Africans will for the first time be uniting, very similar to the European Union. There will be free movement across the continent. Weakness- I hope we will not have weak institutional structures right from the start. That may give room for some lapses, which at the end of the day become too cumbersome. For instance we may be discussing things on the ground that we cannot accommodate.

Should it be adopted in Accra in July 2007, what would you like to see the African Union Commission achieve within the first phase (2007-2009)?
Give room for Civil Society participation in the process before the final adoption. If the reason the government is uniting structures is for the unity of the people of Africa, then the civil society most especially young people should be involved in the process. I hope that the first phase will be able to achieve the resolution of various crises in Africa especially, Sudan, Somalia/Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Congo etc. If we are able to solve these crises, we would have taken the first most important steps to economic emancipation.

And why would this form of continental union be important to African citizens & particular the poor and marginalized?
When we adopt freedom of movement, for instance, we benefit from free information exchange and best practices that could be learn’t more easily and replicated in various other individual state. This will help us understand that, we are one and not northern African, western African, Central African or Southern African. The peer review mechanism is a good system to improve on a government weakness. A Continental Union will bring coherency and stability in our countries which is good for our economies and will consequently increase export, and impart more on local production and increase foreign exchange flows into Africa and ultimately will contribute to reducing the number of poor people living in Africa.

How could states and non-states ensure that continental union efforts are transparent, participatory and driven by an appreciation of political and economic rights?
The civil society organizations should be involved and consultations carried out widely across all segments of the society. Each States should be encouraged to carry out Sensitization workshops on the Union Government Proposal and ensure that all segments of the society buys into it. This will bring a sense of ownership to all Africans and will see that it’s a collective responsibility. While involving all segments of the society in the process encourages the “buy in” needed to drive the process, it will also offer checks and balances on the other hand.

What obstacles must the AU overcome for the continental union to be successful?
Let us do away with the afro-pessimistic attitude in our midst. Many of us strongly doubt the possibility of such a structure working out. Secondly, the Intra – Region crises should be curtailed if the process must succeed. With the right attitude and a safe environment to operate, there is no limit to Africa’s Progress.

In what policy area, would you like to see greater convergence and unity across Africa and why?
The economy. The strength of the economy is vital in the provision of basic needs to our people. We also need to change the political face, particularly in leadership and policy making.

This interview is one of several interviews with African citizens and CSO leaders on the AU proposal for Continental Government. Emily Mghanga of Pan Africa Programme Oxfam edited this interview. The views expressed here are the perspectives of the interviewee. Sanusi Ibraheem can be reached at Email: Ibghandi2001@gmail.com

No to Arms and Ammunitions

2007-04-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Its exactly 1.20am, Sunday 15th of April 2007 and I am trying to get my thoughts pieced together on the just concluded Gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections in the country.

Several controversies have continued to trial the election as it has become a norm for Nigerian to dwell extensively on where we have not done it right rather than where we actually got it right. However, amidst all these shortcomings remain some important ones that cannot be ignored. One of such is the heavy possession of arms and ammunition by unscrupulous element during the electoral process in the country.

A case of the burnt Police station in the early hours of Saturday was the unpalatable news Nigerians work up to on Saturday. Recounting his ordeal to pressmen, an average aged man who witnessed the situtaion said the criminals who perpetrated the act were fully armed to their teeth with guns all over their body. Even the State Commissioner of police confirmed that the criminals were in possession of machine guns.

Before the election commenced in Isale Eko Lagos on Saturday, it was reported that rival miscreants popularly known as Area Boys confronted each other killing two people during the scuttle through sporadic shooting. In Enugu where the election in the state remains a controversy, sporadic gunshot were had all over the state capital on the eve of the election and even some places on the election morning.

In Ondo, which actually spurred me to writing this article, over 60 men all in various ages ranging from 18 – 50 were arrested by the state police command in possession of various dangerous weapons and local juju. In addition to this is the sum of 700,000naira and loads of handsets.

These are just the major cases, isolated from other situations where highly placed individuals were scaring voters and hijacking ballot boxes in some selected part of the country.

My major concern is where these arms and ammunition do come from and who is stocking or distributing them as the case may be.

Bringing it down, the issue of illegal possession of arms naturally fuels the incidence of crime in any society. It is a known fact that in various countries around the world where they have not been able to control such, various lives are lost to various gun battles.

The effect of this if not quickly nibbed in the bud is that recurring cases of Student cultism will be reinforced again when Cultists come into possession of this weapons. The case of Niger Delta remains a good reference point where the presence of dangerous weapons from whatever sources has made the area a very fragile one for expatriates and citizens alike.

Though various sections of the society might be quick enough to blame young people for possessing these weapons, but we need to highlight here that young people do not have the required cash to purchase these weapons, so it remains the acts of various elderly Nigerians who thrive and gain from fracas and crises for their selfish interest.

Gun running like it is known in various places is a major crime even on the International scene as Nigeria is a signatory to various UN and AU conventions on Arms and Ammunition control.

It is on record that even security agencies in these countries most time cannot boast of the kinds of arms and ammunition in possession of these criminals. Therefore, we are in a situation where the sophistication of these criminals cannot be met with due resistance from the security system we have presently. These attest to the fact that, highly placed Nigerians are sponsoring arms and ammunition smuggling.

One other challenge I envisage, is that if the Security operatives do not react to these issue promptly, various individuals in possession of these arms and ammunition and cannot find ready use for it after the elections might result into various criminal activities like robbery and assassination. We need to avoid the situation of using what they have to get what they want.

Nigerian Government owes it as a responsibility to all Nigerians by ensuring that we live in a safe and sane environment free of arms and ammunition. The Security agencies need to rise to the challenge of intercepting and actually prosecuting culprits to serve as deterrent to others who are involved.

Civil society organizations might be doing very good if we start to look this way and provide support through our various programs to the control of these weapons. The religious institutions need to continue ringing it to the ears of their worshippers that “he who kills by the sword dies by the sword”.

Parents and guardians also have a great deal of responsibility of ensuring that their beloved ones are not in possession of these weapons to ensure that we are not sleeping off when the house is almost on fire.

Media agencies need to draw attention to this issue greatly as they remain the voice of the average Nigerian that is affected and will be constrained in this situation.

It is our responsibility to ensure that we are SAFE and we live peacefully with one another.

Say no to Illegal possession of Arms and Ammunition.

How Government Works - Your Role

2007-04-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

How Government Works – Your Role

As the Sun prepares to rise in Nigeria with the election of various individuals into various political offices , Nigerians once again are faced with the chance to vote into offices individuals they desire to rule them in the next four years. The need for this massive motivation of Nigerian people to voting is imperative at this time when various developmental challenges face the country.

Governance in its raw form is ensuring that basic services are made available for the people and laws and procedures to keep institutions running effectively are made and enforced. It is therefore true that government works well when there are Good Institutions, Adequate funding to keep the institutions running, skilled workers to drive the institutions and finally good rules and procedures guiding the conducts and activities of individuals within the institutions.

It is a known fact in the country presently, we lack very sound institutions and this has been one of the various developmental challenges facing the country. Over the years, I have listened to various experts talk about the place of institutions in the development of a nation and as always there conclusion is that Good Institutions drive the growth of the country and if sustained over a period, it brings about the required development.

Governance problems actually arise when institutions are corrupt, inefficient, unresponsive, secretive and inequitable. Its is also imperative to note that these are all end products of sick institutions, low salaries, favoritism and nepotism on the part of rulers, outdated systems and procedures in managing finance, recording and maintenance of records.

According to the World Bank, research team that developed, a set of guides to measure governance at country levels. It was posited that the input of the citizenry in the elections and electoral processes generally, how accountable the political office holders are to the electorates, how stable the government is and amount of violence in a country determines how a government is put in place. Government effectiveness and burden of doing business by government regulations also determines how well the government can make and implement sound policies while Rule of law and corruption on the other hand will determines how much respect people will have for government.

Having understood how all these issues affect one another, Good Governance then means institutions of government are Accountable, responsive, transparent and efficient.

All this indicators of good governance are directly embedded within the principles of democracy, which is actually to foster interaction between all segments of the society in the governance process.

Therefore, there is a need for Nigerians to take elections very seriously as democracy actually requires popular participation by all in the governance process. Democracy gives you the chance to have a say in your own governance and how your resources are managed.

The man who shows fear is weak and he is a slave. The system presently might be scary and frightening, but sitting back or “saving our head” like we say does not help us rather, its extending our pains and cries.

This is another chance to contributing to the effectiveness of the system and the electoral institution, LETS GET IT RIGHT. VOTE NOW.

Ribadu @ World Bank

2007-04-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

I fell through this piece on the World Bank Website about the Hero of Nigeria's Anti Corruption fight NUHU RIBADU, as he speaks to a select audience of World Bank Senior officials and the President of World Bank himself.

Enjoy

Close-up on Nigeria’s Corruption Fighter

April 5, 2007—They came, they saw, and they concurred.

Nuhu Ribadu, head of Nigeria’s fabled Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), gave an impassioned appeal yesterday for continued Bank support to the fight against corruption in his country. He spoke to an audience that included the Bank Group’s senior management––the President, managing directors, vice presidents and their senior staff.
And they were duly impressed.
Equating corruption with terrorism, Ribadu, a scholarly 46-year-old, described corruption as the cause of “the horrible, horrible history of failure of leadership and failure of governance” in the developing world. Tackling corruption would be the fastest way to address problems like poverty, disease, and illiteracy, he contended.
EFCC was established in 2002, and since then Ribadu has investigated powerful politicians, businessmen, government and police officers, cyber scammers, and others. He has secured more than 150 convictions––against none prior to EFCC’s arrival––and recovered over $5 billion of stolen public funds.
But he has also lost three of his staff members to reprisals from the interests he has disturbed.
Known in Nigeria as “a messenger of hope” and described as “a hero on the frontlines,” Ribadu said, “It is time to say 'enough is enough.' Nigeria is an oil-producing country that still imports 90 percent of its consumption needs and suffers from poverty and lack of basic services.
“Now for the first time in its history, people are being called to account, stolen resources are being recovered, and the corrupt are being punished. We have the possibility to establish rule of law and accountability,” Ribadu added.
A Role for the Bank
Asked how the World Bank and other donors could help, Ribadu replied that a $5 million Bank grant two years ago had helped EFCC survive after it had been shut out of funding because it had taken on certain political interests. Now it was setting up a financial intelligence unit.
“What we need is training, equipment, and exposure for our staff. We also need your support at the international level. So much of grand corruption is out of our control, as the money goes out of our jurisdiction. If the World Bank can help us retrieve stolen money and ensure there is no safe haven outside, it will help us immensely in our fight internally. There should be no hiding place for the corrupt; treat them like terrorists,” he appealed.
Further, asserted Ribadu, “you must carry the message to the world that corruption is behind the failure of governance. You must continue to support our work. That then sends a strong message to our elite that the world is watching what is happening in Nigeria, and that protects us.”
Failure of Leadership
In response to a question about the culpability of foreign commercial interests, Ribadu said the primary fault remained that of “failure of leadership,” and it was a country’s responsibility to clean its own systems.
“I have seen multinationals and big oil companies play by the rules elsewhere, but behaving badly in Nigeria and Africa because of our collapsed systems. We have to insist ourselves on the rule of law and order; then everyone will behave,” he said.
He did suggest, though, that publicly naming multinationals that attempted to compromise the system could act as a deterrent.
Solving Problems
Replying to other questions, Ribadu said recovered funds were being returned to their owners––in most cases the federal or state governments, or banks.
He said working with the judiciary and police could be a challenge, especially as the Nigerian Constitution insulates the judiciary itself from investigation.
EFCC’s success has in part been because it both investigates and prosecutes, unlike in Kenya or Ghana, where prosecutors are part of a government cadre and the attorney-general could be a political appointee with no incentive to take on his masters.
Moreover, Nigerian law has been amended so that the high courts can designate special judges to handle EFCC cases. These (so far) 14 judges have delivered the 150-plus convictions.
Asked how he was communicating his work to Nigerian society and securing its support, Ribadu said the answer lay in being “very strategic” about the selection of targets and the timing of investigations.
EFCC has gained popularity with the public, but now that he has taken on powerful political interests (“six of whom control 80 percent of the Nigerian media”), he was not expecting anything good to be said about him. It was in this context that international support and scrutiny were critical.
Finally, asked if he would do anything differently, Ribadu stressed: “I would do the same things and more. I have no regrets. I am 100 percent okay with all we have done. My conviction remains that if you want to make poverty history, you have to make corruption and bad leadership history.”

African Civil Society Forum 2007 - Outcomes

2007-04-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

Upon recommendatio by a friend, i attended the first African civil Society Forum organised by CONGO - Conference of NGOs in consultation with the UN-ECOSOC and FEMNET i Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

After the initial preparaions towards attending the meeting, i joined a Ethiopian Airline ET901 to Addis on the 23rd of March 2007.On board with me was an elderly colleague; Titi Akinsanmi and members of Women Board in Nigeria; Rosario and Edna.The five hours journey was an interesting one which i spiced up with watching two full movies and listening to lots and lots of music.

Details of my "academic" expereince and the social ones will be posted on the following posts and ofcourse some JJC (Journey Just Come) acts that i put up t some points.

Below is the outcome of the 3 intensive days delibertion reports and my specific contribution in BOLD and ITALICS. Let me ad that i was the youngest Participants out of over 230 CSO individuals that attended the meeting.

African Civil Society Forum 2007
22-24 March, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Democratizing Governance at Regional and Global Levels to Achieve the MDGs

FINAL STATEMENT

1. We, more than 250 participants of the African Civil Society Forum (AfCSF) 2007, representing over 150 NGO/CSOs from 32 countries of the 5 African Regions and 4 from other regions of the world, gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 22-24 March 2007, to participate in the African Civil Society Forum 2007 on the theme «Democratizing Governance at Regional and Global Level to Achieve the MDGs». The Forum was convened by the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) together with the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) and in cooperation with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union (AU).

2. In convening the Forum, CONGO and FEMNET, were implementing their mandate to increase the participation of NGOs and other civil society organizations whose contributions they believe are essential to a truly global community. One of the objectives of the Forum was to establish an independent space to give African civil society a larger voice at both regional and global levels.

3. The AfCSF 2007, envisioned as a multidimensional, multi-sectorial, multi-facetted event, was organized to develop a practical framework for African civil society to formulating and advancing their advocacy strategies at national, regional and global levels.

4. We all come from countries with different cultures and religions, different levels of social and economic development. Some of us suffer from internal conflicts and external threats, while others enjoy peace and stability. Some of our countries are classified by the United Nations as “least developed countries”, while others are more economically advanced. Yet, despite all differences between us, through the AfCSF 2007 we had the opportunity to share our common concerns and aspirations, and how we can forge partnerships and build solidarity across regions, to promote the goals of peace, human rights, justice, equitable and sustainable development.

MDGs

5. We reaffirmed the commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals based on the largest gathering of Heads of State at the Millennium Summit. Participants spoke of MDGs +, examining implementation of MDGs from a rights-based approach, which needed to include gender equality and employment (decent work) issues.

6. The Forum in Africa comes at a critical time. Acknowledging that at the current trend the MDGs will not be met, the Forum urged participants to a much deeper engagement and more meaningful partnerships with their Governments and international institutions at regional and global levels.

Democratizing Governance

7. Acknowledging the values and importance of open, transparent and people-owned democratic processes, the Forum participants stressed the relevance of good governance and the participation of civil society, as key and prerequisite for sustained progress in the achievement of the MDGs.

8. The overarching theme of global governance was addressed through three thematic lenses: Peace and Security; Governance and Human Rights; and Development, Trade and Finance issues.

UN Reform

9. Having considered the report of the SG «In larger freedom» which gives equal weight and value to peace, development and human rights issues, we acknowledged the strong recognition of the role of civil society in the reform process. We also appreciated the new impetus and support for civil society engagement coming from the UNECA. However, we are also aware that there are efforts by some Member States to arbitrarily curtail the voice of civil society and this should be vehemently opposed.

Gender

10. In recognizing that the gender perspective and gender equality have not fully been mainstreamed into prior civil society gatherings, we commit ourselves to work towards the development of a coherent policy of gender mainstreaming, that is inter-generational into all advocacy policies and strategies.

Youth

11. We affirm the challenges coming from youth, agents of social and political transformation, and strongly encourage and support their participation at all levels.

Strengthening CS and Self-assessment

12. We recognized the need to put our house in order, both at the collective as well as the individual levels, to fully realize civil society’s role in processes furthering peace, development and human rights issues. to realize fully CS’s role of critical and constructive engagement in processes furthering peace, development and human rights issues.
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Recommendations
General Guidelines for Action

13. After three days of rich and lively discussions, the participants looked at the findings of Forum proceedings and developed a framework for the following recommendations :

14. Peace and Human Security for Achieving the MDGs

Recalling the

Article 20 of the Protocol establishing the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU):“The Peace and Security Council shall encourage non-governmental organisations, community-based and civil society organisations, particularly women’s organisations, to actively participate in the efforts aimed at promoting peace, security and stability in Africa. When necessary, such organisations may be invited to address the Peace and Security Council”

the following recommendations were issued:

A. To the African Union

i. The AU PSC should implement the provisions of the Protocol, in particular the mainstreaming role of the CSOs in policy processes of the PSC;
ii. Improve the working method of the PSC;
iii. Be guarantors of Peace Agreements;
iv. Be part of the monitoring team in order to build the confidence of the rebels (LRA, Uganda) and also to monitor the secession of hostilities agreement; and
v. Involve African women in the on-going peace negotiations between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army Rebels (LRA).

B. To Civil Society

i. Expand the participation in monitoring and evaluation from shadow reporting to full roles in drafting, editing and issuing the main report from the beginning;
ii. Take more responsibility for own destiny;
iii. Involve the Private Sector in peace-building processes;
iv. Promote peace education through tapes and videos that people can watch and learn;
v. Empower CSOs and NGOs operating at the grassroots level;
vi. Encourage people addressing the Darfur disaster to pay the same attention to other conflict areas in Africa (e.g. Somalia, Zimbabwe);
vii. Consider the situation of the Internally Displaced Person along with the refugees; and
viii. Link the MDGs to the PRSPs (There was no consensus on this proposal, see below)

15. Governance and human rights based approach to the development agenda

A. To African Governments

i. Assume full responsibility for the protection of human rights and for the protection of its own people, rather than only its government;
ii. Introduce human rights education into all schools curricula at earliest age;
iii. Articulate national policies within an appropriate framework to address “internally displaced persons” which has become a major issue on human rights and good governance;
iv. Integrate human rights into all actions for development and into all enterprise development set up for the realization of the MDGs;
v. Create multidisciplinary research teams to articulate and understand MDG concepts in national languages so they become part of public goods and promote good governance and transparency;
vi. Establish specific MDGs strategies to enhance the realization of MDGs in post conflict countries;
vii. Create [AU, UN and (even CONGO)] focal office on MDGs to help post conflict countries and regions to aid the process of monitoring and advising the CSOs and government on the activities related to the eight-goals strategy; and
viii. Encourage and improve public-private partnerships (between state and non-state actors) to teach and promote a democratic culture and bring it deep into the awareness and understanding of African people.

B. To Civil Society

i. Empower CSOs at grassroots and facilitate their building-up capacities, expertise and skills in intervening and preventing human rights abuses;
ii. Promote education for civic responsibilities in accessible languages;
iii. Encourage stronger engagement by civil society in the promotion of APRM;
iv. Urge governments to join the APRM process;
v. Participate in elaboration of APRM national reports and promote stronger youth involvement in APRM process;
vi. Create and promote income generation activities designed to allow discriminated and marginalized groups to find markets for their products; and
vii. Engage in quality training and capacity building on market tendencies to enable people to exporting end products and not only commodities

C. To the United Nations

i. Encourage all UN Agencies working within the framework of humanitarian aid to Africa to promote civil society driven and owned projects, giving priority to local communities to provide and distribute food supplies, in order to support local production and by respecting the food customs of vulnerable populations.

16. Development, trade, finance, debt relief and investment

A. To the African Governments

i. Integrate MDGs into national policies and programs;
ii. Strengthen and prioritize economic growth; and
iii. Link economic issues to the political debate;

B. To Civil Society

i. Review critically the role of different external actors into our political policies;
ii. Promote partnerships between civil society and the private sector;
iii. Develop and promote knowledge and expertise within civil society communities on commercial, finance and debt issues; and
iv. Dissociate MDGs from the PRSPs (There was no consensus on this proposal, see above)

17. Gender Perspectives in the MDGs

The Millennium Declaration promotes gender equality and women empowerment as a basic human right. The Declaration also maintains that giving women their fair share is the only way to effectively combat poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate development that is truly sustainable. Women indeed play a critical role in Africa’s economic growth and development as showcased by their active participation in households and communities. Many challenges related to the gender issues must be faced. In the area of education , almost two thirds of the world’s illiterate are women. In the labour market, disparities exist between women and men in terms of opportunity, income and treatment. The majority of women are engaged in atypical unregulated work in agriculture, homes, export processing zones and the rapidly and ever growing informal economy. Deliberate steps must be taken to achieve equality between men and women within all areas of life.

A. To AU and African Governments

i. Promote men and women equal involvement in the policy making;
ii. Encourage and promote women contribution in the elaboration of national program and budget;
iii. Promote the informal sector and encourage the women entrepreneurship;
iv. Promote national policies of fair and just salaries for both women and men;
v. Implement effective legislation and programs to deal with sexual harassment at the workplace;
vi. Promote recourse ways to protect women rights;
vii. Sensitize women on MDGs meaning and role, especially the MDG 3 on promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women;
viii. Promote educational and training programs to fight gender stereotypes;
ix. Criticize some negative values and models of the African societies;
x. AU should encourage African States to ratify some regional instruments as Maputo Protocol, the one related to the African Court of Justice and the ILO Convention,
xi. Ratify regional and international standards on gender equity;
xii. Establishment by the AU of monitoring and follow-up mechanisms on the implementation of States commitments.

B. To Civil Society

i. Integrate the gender issue in all programs for the achievement of the MDGs within every step, including internal management and governance;
ii. Better involve men in sensitization actions on gender issues and women rights in the communities;
iii. Sensitize on men and women equality in the dialogue between citizens and governments; and
iv. Establishment of monitoring and follow-up mechanisms to ensure the adequate implementation of States commitments.

C. To the United Nations

i. Establishment by the UN of monitoring and follow-up mechanisms on the implementation of States commitments;
ii. Respect commitments taken within international agreements and conventions related to gender issues, in allocating required resources for their effective application.
iii. ILO Member States and those of the UN should ratify the key ILO Gender Conventions 100 (Equal Remuneration), 111 (Discrimination on Employment and Occupation), 156 (Workers with Family Responsibilities), 183 (Maternity Protection) and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, UN 1979);

18. ICT for Development

Recalling
The UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183, 21 December 2001 which highlighted "the urgent need to harness the potential of knowledge and technology for promoting the goals of the United Nations (UN) Millennium Declaration and to find effective and innovative ways to put this potential at the service of development for all"

and recognizing

a. That ICTs have the potential to help poor communities to meet key development priorities, especially in the areas of poverty, health and education, and to play a catalytic role in accelerating economic growth;
b. The importance of a holistic and multi-sectorial framework and partnership approach that can more effectively harness the role of development (ICT-D) both as an enabler of development as well as an enhancer of capacity development at the individual, community, organizational, systemic and societal levels;
c. That Civil society, by its nature, tends to be closer than most government actors, to the grassroots, and the pulse of their societies, CSOs often having constituencies that they can mobilize at levels that government may find difficult to reach; and
d. That the knowledge economy is a reality and therefore governments, international organizations and all stakeholders should work together to establish effective enabling environment for the implementation and sustaining of the African Knowledge Economy,

the following recommendations were issued:

A. To all
i. Promote partnership between all stakeholders including, Civil Society, Government, Private sector, media, international organizations, development partners and Academia in effective ICT Policy formulation, implementation and monitoring to the achievement of the MDG, particularly those related to poverty reduction, education, health, environment and gender equity.

B. To African Governments
i. Consider universal access to ICTs (connectivity, capacity, content and control) as a fundamental right by the international community and Governments;
ii. Consider civil society groups as key actors by development partners and governments; and
iii. Take into account the international development agendas particularly those focused on Africa, such as the World Summit on Information Plan of Action, the Tunis Agenda, the African regional Plan of Action in the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE), the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and similar initiatives.

C. To Civil Society:

i. Promote North-South-South-cooperation to ensure better visibility of best practices and experiences of emerging countries, ensure balance in North-South partnerships, and facilitate South-South exchanges; and
ii. Considering the natural and human resources of Africa, work with governments to better use available resources in order to improve development outcomes.

19. HIV / AIDS

It is generally agreed that in the absence of a curative HIV/AIDS vaccine, about 24 million Africans who are living with HIV/AIDS will probably die within the next few years. Currently, there are 30 vaccine candidates in the pipeline for trials in Africa but there is no guarantee that any of these vaccines will deliver protection either at pre-exposure, point of transmission or post-infection stages. Therefore, for Africa’s millions who are living with HIV/AIDS, treatment with anti-retrovirals (ARVs) is the only viable option, especially since they have been proved to reduce HIV/AIDS mortality by as much as 80 percent. But despite the sharp reduction in price, especially of generics, (98 per cent since 1996), ARVs are still beyond the reach of millions who need treatment, although remarkable progress has been made in expanding access. In Africa, one in six people who needed treatment received ARVs by December 2005. Of about 10 million people, mostly Africans, who will need ARV treatment by 2010, less than 5 million will actually receive the treatment.

A. To African Governments

i. Secure health financing with a continuation strategy; this challenge remains
ii. Minimize HIV/AIDS-related stigma by integrating voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) into the regular health services;
iii. Push for continuation of nutritious food supply for the PLWHA;
iv. Operationalize the various commitments to fighting HIV/AIDS made by African leaders at various forums. Often this has not been done because of the clash of national priorities on a platform of scarce resources;
v. Use APRM for HIV treatment advocacy; and
vi. Show concrete political will

B. To Civil Society

i. Intensify advocacy by stakeholders of NGOs and CSOs who are best suited to hold leaders to account. But they will be successful only to the extent that they effectively use information. CSOs should also forge crucial broad partnerships beyond their traditional allies in pursuit of a new regional agenda to offer free HIV/AIDS services to everyone who needs them, regardless of the ability to pay;
ii. Monitor when a country is up for the APRM and push authorities and reviewers to give serious and thorough consideration to the issue of HIV/AIDS;
iii. Prepare advocacy materials to either validate or question official position on HIV/AIDS;
iv. Involve children as key informers re HIV/AIDS on peace and human security;
v. Include children issues in peace mission’s mandate and training; and
vi. Include HIV/AIDS and prevention in all humanitarian programs and advocacy as core to reversing the negative impact

Note:
I hope you all find the recommendations useful for your work and hoping to get back to you on follow ups at country level.

Thank you

Itssss NAIRA TIme

2007-03-02T09:14:00.001-08:00

After the suspense filled pre-introduction of the new naira notes, I was expecting not so much from the Central Bank. The CBN had started years back with a massive campaign against the abuse of naira, which of course calls for concern. Nigerians at this time have created various forms of handling the naira, including very degrading ways that wears out the naira note in less than no time. You need the market women and taxi or bus drivers to hold a mint for you in just 30 minutes to appreciate how possible it is to deface the naira.

All this acts were going o at very alarming proportions which behooves the CBN to rescue the situation. With various captivating adverts including when the naira went down weeping on all radio stations in the country lamenting how much it has suffered from Nigerians who should be the ones to cherish him most.

While I do not intend to flog you too much of the “worse old days” (worse because it has reduced to bad), I think it is good we have a background knowledge of what has been the reality.

On 28 February 2007, the 37th Governor in Nigeria, Charles C. Soludo presented to the Grand Commander of the Nigeria Republic, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo the new naira notes. I must confess that I was stunned at what I saw. Its the most beautiful currency have had access to.

Simply designed, nice colour blend, proudly Nigerian and gives any Nigerian and non-Nigerians alike the cause to believe that Nigeria is changing and it will continue to change for BETTER. Interesting enough is the innovation of the Polymer texture which will reduce greatly the incidence of squeezing the notes.

With the new naira, we have a currency to be proud of. I surely love the new notes and Coins, at least I can a 1 naira sweet and get a change.

Things are getting beta jare !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Itssss NAIRA TIme

2007-03-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

Here we go again...

2007-01-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

Pals,

Today is the 4th of January, yes 4th, can you believe that. I read the blog of a role model (www.gbengasesan.com/blog) at the end of the 1st of january and he calculted that 0.03% of the year has been spent.Now 4 days is gone from the 365 days we have in this year, the honest question is "Am i maximizing this fast days".

Time they say waits for nobody and until we start to use wisely our time , we will not be able to get the required result based on our expectations. Over the years, a statement that has guided my actions on Time Management is that As human beings there are two things we all have in common. One is the same 24hrs daily and second is that we all have the same number of brain cells.

If i decide to use 15hrs of my 24hrs to develop myself in areas of interest to me be it academic, sport, music etc, i will be better off the next person who uses same time for something less valuable.

Time waits for no man, use your time wisely and contribute a larger percentage of your time to Personal Development this year as it moves as fast as it wishes.

PS: I will be off for a "good" friend's Aqidul Nikah (Arabic word for Marriage)this weekend, might not be able to blog in the next two days, but surely i will keep ruminating and enuff gists when i come back.

Wishing Shakirah and Sulaiman a happy married life. LOL

My Thoughts Today on Nigeria.

2007-01-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

Naturally i reflect on Nigeria and various issues around this Heart of Africa. I wonder why as Nigerians who make up this country, we unnnecessarily decide to inconvenient ourselves daily with our attitudes and behaviours for reasons best known to us.

One of such atttitudes is the Hoarding of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as Petrol by marketers under the guise of a scarcity.The "scaricty" started like a joke some days to Christmas and yours truly the scarcity is still on and even taking dangerous dimensions.

Normally i spend a week of my end of the year holiday at a Religious camp (Osun NASFAT youth camp) and this year, it took place at Leventist Foundation Agricultural School in Ilesa.This did not allow me understand the extent to which the situation was affecting the country until we had an excursion and fuelling of the buses to take us to and fro the tourist site became a big deal. Infact, if not for the compliance with a conventional directive that 90% of invited guests must be from within the vicinity, the camping activities would have been afdfected badly.

My experience chronicles the version of the effect of this artificial scarcity on my program for the end of the year. Imagine what has happenend to other people.It was reliably gathered that transport fares skyrocketed as an aftermath effect of the scarcity.Imagine Lagos to Osogbo for 2,000 naira when normally its just 400 bucks, and can you beat Ibadan to Ijebu Ode of not more than 30 minutes drive for 6oo naira.
Who is to blame for this hike? I find it hard to blame the transporters though naturally they are known for their own selfishness too, but how do you explain buying a litre of Petrol for 120naira as against the normal pump price of 65 naira per litre.

Infact without any resistance from buyers, marketers are having a swell time when the buyers are SUFFERING. Even at this prices which now vary between 90 to 120 naira per liter marketers still play tricks with consumers by alternating sales for one another i.e when a major marketer sells, an independent marketer witholds his own sales so as to alllow for this rape on the incomes of innocent consumers.

The government through the NNPC has stated categorically that the present situatioin is artificial and that it does not in any way preempt an increment in Pump prices of fuel. So in a situation where the only agency we blame for all our woes in this country including the ones we make in our respective bedrooms is not at fault, how do we control ourselves.

WE are the causative agent of the present crises. We in the sense that this marketers are people around us. They are neighbours, tenents, landlords, friends, relatives etc. Until we start to question ourselves and not the government alone, we might have to fight the FG without fighting the oppressive spirit within all of us. Unfortunately there is no EFCC to investigate or prosecute this kind of matter but CONSCIENCE will, It is an open wound and only Truth can heal it.

God save us from ourselves in this country, Did i hear you say Amen?

Thanks for 2006

2007-01-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

Time flies, yeah, sure it does. Looking back at when we started 2006, it looked liked one long year that will drag for long before rounding up, but alas, 2006 is gone, this is the YEAR 2007.

Sincerely this year, I had my high and low moments. Both my internal and external situations influenced this. While my values, principles and my personal decisions throughout the course of this year form my internal environments, your support, encouragement, candid criticism and networking opportunities you provided are my external environments.

God has been good through all the moments this year. While I take responsibilities for my low moments throughout the year, I appreciate you greatly for my high moments and I will forever cherish your love, affection and support throughout the year.

As we continue into the New Year, I hope I will be able to sustain the values that have endeared you to me and drop off with this year, attitudes you wish i do not have.

You have been part of my success stories and I will be glad to associate, partner and continue to be your friend in the coming year.

Happy New Year.

New Year Message to TIG Members

2007-01-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Colleagues,

God has been good to us. Reflecting on the just concluded year, you will agree with me that he has been very good to us as individuals, friends and colleagues. The fact that we are all witnessing this New Year together confirms this.

Yes, 2006 might not qualify to be our best year, but it has been one of our greatest moments has a group. It marked the year of Consolidation of our previous efforts.

In the spirit of consolidation, we had new members; bright young minds who have shown tremendous enthusiasm towards youth empowerment. Our members who took part in the mandatory 6 month industrial training had wonderful stories to tell of their different work place and are fully back to action within the TIG fold.

Also, our members participated at various for a both within and outside the country. We had appearances at the United Nations Global Youth Leaders Summit, UNFPA Youth Advisory Panel Meeting, both in the United States for the first time and also our proposal for the formation of a Youth Advisory Panel for the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council at the West and Central Africa Regional meeting in Ota Nigeria and at the African-wide consultation on ECOSOCC, NEPAD and APRM in Adiss Ababa, Ethopia.

We commenced our annual In-House Training and Retreat, which was highly successful with the support of our partners. Also at long last we were able to publish the second edition of our Globalilo Newsletter, which has attracted wide commendation and useful criticisms at some points. We moved ahead to be part of the interim management team of Nigeria Youth ICT4D network now AYIN-Nigeria. We participated at the Presidential Youth Forum I & II and were able to coordinate the participation of other youth civil society organisations at the forum. This was made possible through our participation in the Network of Youth working on MDGs in Nigeria (NYMN).

To further our activities on the large scale, we inaugurated a 3 –man team to work out modalities for the establishment of TIG National Office and also gave partial autonomy to the TIG Collegiate in LAUTECH to operate as our first Collegiate in the country.

Greatest of all is the graduation of our founding members as Bachelors of Technology degree holders in their various fields. We are proud to parade nine (9) graduates within our group.

Sincerely this does not capture all our activities this year, but I just tried to elaborate on why we need to keep thanking God for his help, support and ultimate guidance throughout the year.

Sure, there were times we were frank with ourselves, infact at a point we frustrated ourselves, but i sincerely know that we all have the interest of the group in mind, but have divergent approaches. Like the proverbial brothers who come out of the bedroom angry at one another, there is a possibility of frank talk. Let's see all this as frank talks required to propel us forward.

2007 is starting on good note, as Abiodun Shakirah Salau will be doing her introduction as our first major activity for the year.

While we reflect on all this I sincerely hope we can renew our commitments towards TIG for 2007.We can do better than we have done, we need to exhibit SPIT IT in all our actions, lets not allow for divisions within our fold. We have come this far, sacrificed a lot, through thick and thin we have withered the storm but we are not there yet.

So we need to step up our actions at all levels most especially our personal development, because we make up the group as members, if we are great the group is great .I hope we can tag 2007 as a year of Stepping Up.

I personally appreciate God and you, yes' YOU. Your Own Uniqueness has helped the group, and me. We need you more than ever before in 2007, please be there and i pray and hope that 2007 will be a rewarding and fruitful year for you and me.

2007 – Our Year of Stepping Up

Moral Decadence:Need to awake our Sleeping Culture

2007-01-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

When I was very young, between the ages four and six (4 – 6yrs), my favorite programme on the NTA then was Tales by Moonlight anchored by Aunty Nkem. The programme was a story telling one which featured ancient stories of cunning Tortoise and other Animal kingdom members and stories portraying values, norms and culturally sound habits of our society. It was such a captivating programme then that I usually relay the stories to my classmates who missed watching it for different reasons.

Every week, it has always been one lesson lent or the other. What fascinated me most then was that my Grandma though not educated would have told us a similar story although in the Yoruba Version which are always centered around Obedience to parents and elders, maintaining peaceful and envy –free relationship with our neighbors, honesty and trustworthiness, hardwork and being studious with ones studies or training as an apprentice.

All these values are rare nowadays; Hardwork is not anymore a value of our youths when there are shortcuts to being rich, children and young people do not regard elders and even their parents as sacred entities on earth rather they disregard their advice and move with the so called “Trends of Time”.

Day in Day Out in, in our Tertiary Institutions, we kill ourselves for Worldly reasons which are result of the overbearing influence of foreign movies and songs etc on us. Sometimes I wonder if Nigeria wouldn’t have been HIV/AIDs free if our value of chastity by both boys and girls are maintained because it has been confirmed to be largely transmitted during sexual acts. Like HIV/AIDs, Corruption, Child Trafficking and Prostitution etc have been a result of the relegation of our culture to the lowest ebb of our daily lives. It would be right to say that Trafficking was introduced to us by Colonial masters who de-capacitated our Kings, Emirs and Obis during the colonial era to surrender their people for slavery.

In Africa, families or individuals who commit any crime which have been thoroughly investigated through our own “scientific” means are punished either by ostracizing them from the society or imprisonment. Anybody who goes through either of these punishments becomes uneasy with himself/herself and forced to mend their ways while others learn from such incidents. I still remember vividly, rape issues are addressed like this. Stealing was also a highly condemnable act then and has heavy penalty for anyone who does such. Even domestic violence like Wife battering was not tolerated then and causes of such mediated in. In the model Africa of the past Good Morals were upheld.

Adapting the words of Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, he said “we still need an emancipation from colonial Mentality” by respecting our own values and cultures as Africa has one of the best of Cultures in the World.

I personally believe although there are some activities that cannot be condoned in the present age like Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) which is regarded as an act which is against the Rights of such person, there are still best practices that we can adopt. There is a great need for us to look inwards and not base our lives on the dictates of the western world.

Our Monarchs have to be integrated the more into the system of governance as this will even bring about community participation in the development of our societies. They need to move from the present situation of being “Royal Fathers of the Day” at various functions of the government to rulers and enforcer of laws in the respective kingdoms.

Our Culture is our Pride, let’s Wake it up and Embrace it.

Youths in Action [Reflections on what strengths and abilities of youths can be used for]

2007-01-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

Looking around the World, youths have been attributed to quite a number of Developmental Revolutions. Stories of the young chaps who founded the world most patronized search page; Goggle is just one out of so many.

In Africa where the population of youths is about 800million their strengths and abilities needs to be channeled and harnessed towards development.

Africa like the rest of the developing continents continues to witness snaily developments due to one sided or Mono sectoral approach to developmental issues.In addition, lip service attitude of several governments to the plight of its people thus ignoring several interventions through advice from International institutions like World Bank and other UN agencies.

Recent reports showed that the MDG’s in Africa are not achievable due to quite a number of reasons, BUT a question or fact as you might want to agree with me is that a larger percentage of our youths in Africa today know nothing about the MDGs. The MDGs are unpopular, so most youthful strength that can be channeled to this priority issues have been directed to unproductive ventures like Restiveness, Corruption, and Trafficking etc.

Having said all these, some youths with vast knowledge of these issues are doing great works in their localities. There are numbers of success stories that we can learn from here.

In Egypt, some young people have come together under the name Sustainable Development Association (SDA) with the aim of building capacities of young Egyptians on Sustainable Development. The Association also works in conjunction with Youth Employment Network (Egypt), an international initiative aimed at creating job opportunities for youths and building their capacities on job creation too.

In Nigeria, The Intellectual Group (TIG), a youth led and oriented initiative continues to lead the pack of a model “Rural Focused and Global Thinking “youth organization. TIG works around the areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health, ICT4D, Research and Documentary, Youth Leadership and Mentoring Programs and Youth Inclusion in Decision making processes.

In Ghana, the National Youth Information Society Campaign remains a major awareness out piece for the Information Society. They have been sensitizing young people in Ghana about their roles and rights in an Information Society.

All across other countries in Africa youths remain a major driving force in development of any said country. We have the likes of Gbenga Sesan, Titi Akinsanmi, Thomas Tctetmi, Leopold Armah, Dabesaki Mac Ikemenjima, Emmanuel Etim, Abdallah Diwan, Ade Bada, Rotimi Olawale, Florette Ntako etc doing marvelous work in the areas of channeling other youthful strength in their communities towards development.

Showcasing this people by profiling them in a newsletter, documentary and other means can be a strong motivating factor for other youths to take up the challenge of development posed by the 21st Century.

Youths remains agents of Revolution and until we empower them in terms Access and Equality, in the areas of Policy Formulation and Implementation, the present pace of development might continue for a long time, because in Africa, it is said that:

“He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches”.