Cote d’Ivoire: Another shameful show of ‘African democracy’

By Paul Arhewe


The current tussle for Cote d’Ivoire’s presidential seat has again exposed a derogatory practice of democracy, exclusively African, to the rest of the world. Electioneering and democratic practice in the continent is shown to be deeply obscured in inconsideration, selfishness and disregard for the wishes of the electorates. No wonder Africa is singled out from the rest of the world as it has a different definition and way of practicing its democracy. This becomes mind-boggling where many non-African countries have thrived and consolidated to an extent that democracy is a norm, even instilled into infants in their societies. We may say they have been practicing democracy for centuries. Alas, Africa’s democracy is simply rotating in a circle and retrogressing, showing no sign of improvement and would remain so for long time to come if nothing drastic is done.

Tunisia revolution: Warning for Nigerian Government

By Paul Arhewe

There is a limit to which every human being can tolerate oppression from tyrant leaders. Beyond that level of tolerance, the outcome is insurrection which can be deadly and consequentially disastrous. This is the picture in Tunisia where the then sit-tight President, Zine al Abidine Ben Ali, had ruled this North African state for 23 years. The Tunisia’s ‘Jasmine revolution’ is linked to a regime that has oppressed the people for too long, amidst high rate of unemployment, corruption and oppression. The trigger was a 26-year-old university graduate whose offence was that he didn’t take to carrying arms to rob the people after remaining unemployed for years, but chose to settle for a mere fruit and vegetable trade on a cart. Police molested Mohammed Bouazizi despite this humble profession he was engaged in; seized his cart, slapped and roughed him up severally because he does not have licence to back up his trade. Bouazizi filed a complaint with municipal authorities but was rejected. He died some days later after setting himself ablaze at the front of government house.

Wikileaks Exposures: Is Pubic Interest Threatened?

BY Paul Arhewe

Secrecy is a germane ingredient of international diplomacy that some analysts argue should be maintained for the safety of the public. Transparency, they posit, could sometimes be detrimental to public interest. Thus, “unveiling all secrets is not a universal and absolute good”, Steve Harvey of Colorado Confluence argued.
The above statement is justified when former American President John F. Kennedy successfully negotiated a peaceful end to The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 by making a secret promise to remove American missiles from Turkish soil.
Diplomacy is the chief instrument of countries’ foreign policies. This act usually requires the conducting of relationships for gains without conflict. Hence, its methods according to Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia include, inter alia, secret negotiation by accredited envoys including those conducted by political leaders.
Wikileaks set precedence recently by divulging thousands of U.S. diplomats’ memos through its website. This move has not only starred tensions among nations but it is said would go a long way to affect the base of international diplomacy. This has divulged some ugly behind the scenes manoeuvrings and conspiracies among allies and plots against foes. The organisation operated silently since 2006 when it was established not until early part of this year when their first batch cables were revealed.
Wikileaks may not be the first in exposing those clandestine dealings of envoys and their patrons, but it has upped the ante. In 1979 Iran through its revolutionary guard took hold of similar releases of cables from U.S. Embassy, though in smaller version. Never before in human history has the volume of diplomatic material and broad scope of subjects released to the public. The content of the over 250,000 cables is linked to 300 embassies dated from 1966 to 2010. Subjects covered include external political relations, internal government affairs, human rights, economic conditions, terrorism and the UN Security Council.
The organisation’s whistle-blowing operations have attracted massive supporters and at the same time it is in the bad books of many governments and their envoys who are calling for prosecution of Julian Assange the founder of Wikileaks. In support of the Whistle blower’s popularity recently a rally was staged in Melbourne where thousands of people condemned his arrest in UK in connection with sexual abuses committed in Sweden. The protesters pledge they will continue to gather in front of the British consulate every Friday until he is released. As a matter of fact, call for his nomination for Noble Peace Prize is been advocated by Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party Leader Walid Jumblatt.
The impact of these leaks on international diplomacy and foreign relations would have a far reaching effect. Firstly, the amount of information and assessment shared among countries will likely be constrained and restricted. Secondly, the leaks are likely to influence the way leading world power like U.S. relates with other countries. This may likely tell on the fortunes of present political leaders and actors at the international scene. Thirdly, if the leaks continue as Wikileaks has threatened the disclosures of internal documents of banks will have colossal repercussions on the financial industry globally.
Diplomats and peacekeeping troops abroad are likely easy prey for terrorists as these leaks have exposed their operations’ strategy and some government scheming.
Furthermore, a regime of suspicions among countries has begun to take place. After the leaks many countries were denying actions and postures attributed to them. Even as Iran says it will not react against Saudi Arabia on the revelation of its anxiety over Tehran operations nevertheless Iran would be suspicious of her neighbouring friend even if this is not overtly shown.
In her reaction to the leak, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton condemned it as an attack not only on U.S. but on all governments. She said “It is an attack on the international community, the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity”. Clinton went on to criticise those protagonists on the side of Wikileaks. According to her “some may mistakenly applaud those responsible...There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations”.
If affected governments are not at ease with these disclosures reaching the public, then many have asked why do they say them or execute such act at the first instance. In this stance, Tony Obiechina media officer for the Israeli Embassy in Abuja told National Mirror “It is a very good development to have the Wikileaks disclosures because it has laid bare some of those selfish decisions and actions taken by a few power mongers in government who pretend to represent the vast majority of us”. He further added that “more disclosures are needed hopefully to keep our leaders on their toes”
Public interest is usually referred to as common well-being or general welfare of all. Then, the argument that secrecy in diplomacy should be maintained to safeguard public interest has it pitfalls; some of the revealed cables by Wikileaks have shown to represent the ego and subjective interest and views of few people government. For instance, the recent released cables exposed how U.S. plan of getting a united Korea under Seoul got the consent of China. Is this move considered from the view of public interest or a subjective inclination? With the present setting in that part of Asian continent, annexing North Korea under Seoul is one easy way of promoting the birth of a bloody colossal war. A Saudi crown Prince was also revealed in the leak to have thrown a party where alcohols, drugs and prostitutes were used to service guests. One would ask if keeping this secret would be for public advantage. Nigeria was also not spared from the leaks. It is revealed that Dutch Shell BP has planted agents in all ministries and government agencies in the country. If this is true, of whose interest was it done? Is it to protect the oil conglomerate’s interest or those of Nigerians?

Lessons Nigerians must learn from Chilean mine rescue

By Paul Arhewe
Just like in the movies, 32 Chileans and a Bolivian, trapped miles beneath the rocks of a Chile’s mine for 68 days, were all rescued in a task that was achieved through coordinated state- might and a determined commitment that spared no cost to see that they were reconnected to their loved ones and the rest of the world. Millions of dollars were committed to bring specialists from NASA and some drilling experts within the shortest time, just to rescue the miners. The successful rescue of the 33 is peculiar as this would be the first time in human history that miners trapped for over two months beneath the earth, came out alive.
As it will be recalled, on August 5, 2010, the 33 miners were literarily cut-off from the rest of the world as 700,000 tonnes of rock collapsed and caved in on them. They only had a glimpse of hope of surviving this nightmare 17 days later. This mine rescue was the second event which brought the country into world focus this year. The first was in February, when a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake that left about 500 people dead and more people missing, hit the country. The country’s resolute and spirited show of oneness in the face of disaster, has given credence to the general assertion that South American people have strong sense of national identity and commitment to the welfare of one another.
The Chileans have successfully taught the rest of the world, especially Nigeria, how to turn a miserable and hopeless situation into glory. As a matter of fact, many observers have expressed fear that if this event had taken place in Nigeria, the rescued mine workers would have perished without any assistance. Authorities in Nigeria should note that, while Copiapo would have gone into history as a mine site of mass grave, it is now a place where patriotic valour is celebrated.
The country has even begun to reap from this brandished exhibition of commitment to national goal of protecting life and properties of her citizens. To many analysts and observers of international politics, Chilean President, Sabastian Pinera, posing in front of Number 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister David Cameron, is a great diplomatic mileage achieved by Chile. Ipso facto, the country has continued to enjoy universal appreciation of the historic rescue of the trapped miners.
Although the country had a bad record of human rights abuse, especially during the dictatorship rule of Augusto Pinochet from 1974 to 1990, what entire world has learnt from Chileans is that, there is no limit to the level of success to be achieved when a nation directs her energies towards genuine goal of making the difference. Nigeria must learn from this fact and begins to redirect her energies towards developmental activities capable of making her true giant of Africa before the end of the first quarter of this century.
Nigeria has much to learn from President Pinera’s assertion that, “Chileans are facing more challenges with the same enthusiasm and commitment, especially on how to improve and strengthen their economic relations; how to work together in terms of education and many other issues”. One big lesson to be learnt from this globally celebrated event is that no problem is insurmountable for any country as long as there is genuine will and commitment from both the people and their government for that purpose.
The pertinent question here is whether or not Nigeria, the self-acclaimed Africa giant, would have attained same feat, given the same scenario; would our government have got the same zeal and commitment to put a stop to its business and go the whole length to commit vast resources in rescuing 33 ‘ordinary’ miners, especially when victims are not directly or ‘indirectly’ related to those in the corridors of power?
Like many people have expressed, it is quite evident that this sort of rescue mission would have been a complete flop in Nigeria as tribalism and other centrifugal considerations would have had a visible role to play in scuttling the rescue effort. The question many would have asked is whether or not the victims are Yorubas, Hausas or Ibos? Many ethnocentric arguments would have sprung up. If the government had demonstrated the will to commit its time and resources to the rescue mission, opposition would have delayed and eventually scuttled it. The commitment of government would have worn out with many selfish demands which have no relevance to the timely intervention required by rescue of the miners.
Recently, Nigerian government put up a similar show of commitment to rescue the abducted journalists in Abia state. However, the exhibited commitment of the government was more of a function of the personality of those kidnapped. Before their abduction, several people had been kidnapped in many parts of the federation without any serious rescue effort either by the government or its security agencies.
President Pinera might have used the rescue mission to score some political points at home and on the internationally stage, but this does not diminish the fact that the Chileans have a strong sense of national identity, an attribute Nigeria with an ethnocentric and divisive cleavages, should adopt.

Sept 11: New events fan flame of mayhem

By Paul Arhewe, Online/Foreign Editor


Before 2001, September 11 was like any other date for the Americans and the rest of the world.

But this was not so again after the terrorists’ attack on New York Twin Towers, and the Pentagon where about 3,000 lives were sniffed out within intervals of minutes. Two fuel loaded planes were crashed straight into World Trade Centre- housing the two tallest buildings in U.S. within interval of17 minutes, third plane after about one hour plunged into Pentagon in Virginia (destroying a wing of government’s military headquarters) and a fourth one heading to Washington D.C. about 30 minutes later crashed half way in Pennsylvania, following the interventions of passengers that rushed the terrorists after hearing of previous attack through their cell phones.

This development did not only immediately shattered U.S. security, but threw it into a state of emergency.

Though the U.S. intelligence were quick in pointing fingers to Osama bin Laden al-Qaeda group in Afghanistan, and the Bush administration spared nothing in retaliating against the Islamic Taliban regime that had protected the al-Qaeda in the mid-east country’ one wonders if the Taliban actually owns up to the 9/11 attacks? However, new argument last week by the Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad casts doubts on if actually U.S. is telling the world the truth or knows who the real actors behind these attacks were. According to him, "Something happened in New York and still nobody knows who the main perpetrators of that act were." He further charged that "No independent people were allowed to try and identify the perpetrators". Does Ahmadinejad knows what the rest of the world do not know about the true happenings or untold story of the 9/11 attacks?

No sooner than the twin towers were grounded that prophesy was linked to establish background of the event. This emerged from a script dated many centuries from a foremost astrologer of all times Nostradamus. The prophesy in his book The Centuries written in 1654 was In the City of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb",

The third big war will begin when the big city is burning.



Interpreting this -the ‘City of God’ is New York City, the “two brothers torn apart by Chaos” was surely the fallen towers of the World Trade Centre. The fortress is the U.S Pentagon, and the ‘great leader’ succumbing to chaos surely is United States of America, and the third big war is a pointer to World War III.



Has the US successfully fought this war since 2001 by its military futility in Iraq and Afghanistan where over 110,000 lives have been lost? Or maybe the ‘third big war’ is imminent following recent events that are fuelling the ambient of religious bedlam.

First was the purported building of a mosque close to Ground Zero; the spot where the fallen towers in 9/11 attacks took place. This development attracted conflicting debates and threatened President Barack Obama, following his initial statement that the American Muslim community has right like any other religious group to build their mosque in any part non-restricted area in U.S. in his words: "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are”. Many are of the view that Obama next bid to return to the Oval office would be tested on debates stemming from the aforementioned posture he exhibited.



Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Imam behind the proposed move to build the mosque two block next to Ground Zero stated in an interview recently that: “The status of Muslims in America and how America engages with its Muslim community has global ramifications”. The 13-story building is also to have compartment for community canter and a memorial to victims of the September 11 attacks.



The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the US troops fought were not explicitly religiously inclined but one waged against terror. Thus, they were restricted and limited to the mid-east region. But the proposed move to burn Koran publicly by a U.S pastor and intention of an Imam to build a mosque near Ground Zero would spark a colossal war that could culminate into war with factions aligned under religious basis. This is surely a good parting for WW3.

Rauf, even admitted this when he said, "If we don't do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world ... If we don't handle this crisis correctly, it could become something very dangerous indeed."



Another event that is like a time bomb ready to blow off, sparking religious war between Christian and their Islamic brotherhood is the planned move to set hundreds of Korans on fire by a U.S. pastor controlling a small congregation of fifty people in Florida. Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center has marked out the 9/11, in commemoration of the terror attack anniversary to burn Muslim holy book for 3hours (6pm-9pm), an spinout of his last year declaration where he posted signs in front of his church with inscription stating "Islam is of the Devil."

Jones’ recent plan to burn Koran has attracted many reactions and condemnation to this action that is not only insanity, but one presumed is aimed at making him and his 50-member congregation famous. Not only would U.S. troops in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and other embassies across the world to placed as easy targets, fanatics among the Islamic faith would joyfully see this as an avenue to quickly attack Christians with the slightest of provocation. We remember the reactions the caricatured cartoon of Prophet Mohammed spurred in part of Northern Nigerians despite the fact the event took place in millions of miles from Nigeria.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Kabul Afghanistan, first raised his voice condemning the pastor’s plan; saying it would undermine the U.S. effort in Afghanistan and jeopardize the safety of American troops and civilians.

According to U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton this plan is “disrespectful, and disgraceful”. She also explicitly condemned the plan. Already effigy of Pastor Jones and U.S. flags have already been burnt in open protests against his move in Afghanistan and Indonesia among other Muslim states. The pastor knows he is not safe, as he made known to public last Wednesday that he had already received 100 death threats, and that he has armed himself with a .40-caliber pistol to safeguard himself wherever he goes.





Obama also lent his voice last Thursday on the issue, imploring the minister to have a change of heart on the despicable act. According to him the intended act of the pastor is “a bonanza to mass recruitments for the Taliban”. He implored him during an interview with ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ saying "If he's listening, I hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans," Obama said. "That this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."

One would be wondering why no arrest is made on the pastor to stop him from carrying out his threat. U.S. is a country that guide jealously his constitution and are ready to abide by it even when situation are not too pleasing to the eyes of other people across the world. According to constitution analysts, Rev. Jones has not violated any constitutional right. In fact, he is exhibiting his freedom of speech through his action, and cannot be held since his action has not caused any direct bodily harm to anybody. Hence, other suave moves to placate him out of his insanity planned act should be employed.



Though acknowledging the grave negative consequence the stationing of mosque close to Ground Zero would attract Rauf is still resolute like Rev. Jones saying that nothing is off the table, the move is still on to build it at the proposed spot. He said moving the project to another location would strengthen Islamist radicals' ability to recruit followers and would increase violence against Americans.



This year’s commemoration of 9/11 attacks is no doubts one that has attracted proceedings that are ready to tear apart America war against terror and jeopardise the security of Americas across the world.

Hence, The U.S. government under Obama need to carefully handled situations like these current religious outbursts that could easily spark mayhem leading to bloodletting from already high tempers of the people from either side of faith - be it Christian or Muslim.

Death penalty cases: U.S. double standard condemned

Paul Arhewe, Online/ Foreign Editor


The accusation of double standard against United States has trailed its execution of Teresa Lewis last Thursday at the Greensville Correctional Centre in Virginia despite the fact that American led other western states in condemning Iran’s purported plan to stone an accused woman for adultery and her having a role in her husband’s death.

Several entreaties, over 7,300 appeals, from European countries coupled with those from right activists’ and open staged protest for Virginian government to halt the execution of Lewis by lethal injection, all were ignored and the execution was conducted.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier last week before the execution condemned western media and the western world of double standard in death penalty cases. Ahmadinejad during a speech to Islamic clerics and other figures in New York noted that "millions of Internet pages" have been devoted to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose stoning sentence was suspended in July and her case put under review.



"Meanwhile, nobody objects to the case of an American woman who is going to be executed."

"Today Western media are propaganda agents who continuously speak about democracy and human rights though their slogans are sheer lies," he added.

His condemnation would be staring the America on the face as practising internally those same acts that it condemns in other countries, especially those considered as its foes.



Her case and that of the Iranian woman’s have drawn international sympathy mainly because of their feminine status which normally is seen as docile to criminal tendencies. The proportion of male to female execution in U.S. is very wide, especially since the country’s Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Out of over 1,200 people executed only 11 were women.



The cases of both condemned women bear semblance. For Lewis, who her attorneys say she is mentally imbalance, confessed she was guilty for the killings of her late husband and step son, and pled for forgiveness before her execution. Ashtiani, the condemned Iranian woman still maintains her innocence and retracted her earlier statement. She claimed she was forced under duress to give false confession which led to her conviction in the adultery case.



Ashtiani was convicted in 2006 of having an ''illicit relationship'' with two men after the murder of her husband the year before and was sentenced at that time to 99 lashes. Later that year, she was also convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned.

After putting the stoning sentence on hold, Iran suddenly announced that the woman had also been brought to trial and convicted of playing a role in her husband's 2005 murder. Her lawyer disputes that, saying no charges against her in the killing have ever been part of her case file. In early August, Iranian authorities broadcast a purported confession from Ashtiani on state-run television. In it, a woman identified as Ashtiani admits to being an unwitting accomplice in her husband's killing. The Iranian authorities are said to have flogged her for the publication of a photo of a woman without her hair covered in the Times of London newspaper.



Lewis in 2002 contracted two men whom she had sex with and gave them cash to kill her husband and step son for her to claim a $250,000 insurance policy. Both men would have to die for her to receive the insurance payout. She married Julian in 2000 and two years later, his son Charles entered the U.S. Army Reserve. When he was called for active duty he obtained a $250,000 life insurance policy, naming his father the beneficiary and providing temptation for Teresa Lewis.

She met at a Walmart with the two men who ultimately killed Julian Lewis and his son. Lewis began an affair with Matthew Shallenberger and later had sex with the other triggerman, Rodney Fuller. She also arranged sex with Fuller and her daughter, who was 16, in a parking lot.

On the night before Halloween in 2002, after she prayed with her husband, Lewis got out of bed, unlocked the door to their mobile home and put the couple's pit bull in a bedroom so the animal wouldn't interfere. Shallenberger and Fuller came in and shot both men several times with the shotguns Lewis had bought for them.

She was testified by her attorney, many other prisoners and warders as a changed woman before she was put to death. She had openly confessed her wrong and begged for forgiveness to the only surviving daughter of her late husband. In her words: "I was doing drugs, stealing, lying and having several affairs during my marriages," Lewis wrote in a statement that was read at a prison religious service in August. "I went to church every Sunday, Friday and revivals but guess what? I didn't open my Bible at home, only when I was at church." Moments before her execution, Lewis asked if her stepdaughter was near. She was. Kathy Clifton was in an adjacent witness room blocked from the inmate's view by a two-way mirror. "I want Kathy to know that I love her and I'm very sorry," Lewis said.

The act of Lewis is one that called for capital punishment, just like many people have condemned her that she desired what she got. Nevertheless, Iranian government was painted a monster in Ashtiani case, and well trumpeted by western media. But the American government and the western media, who were leading the cry against her stoning, went mum when Lewis’ case gained international attention, amid several entireties for stay of her execution. Is this not a case of double standard?

Iranian government would have the upper hand in the barbaric death sentence of Ashtiani by stoning, even as it is undergoing review. A mark which can be interpreted as the painted devil sometimes listen to entireties while the acclaimed saint turns deaf ears to clemencies and pleas. The two cases and their endings portray huge irony, where only bias less elucidation would only make one to decipher the boundary that separates both.

Uganda Suicide Bombing: Why Nigeria Should Be Vigilant

By Paul Arhewe, Online/Foreign Editor




THE HAVOC from the Somali al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabaab is not only growing; the invoking fright from the devilish group’s expansion outside the Mogadishu borders calls for concern to all African governments especially in the area of security fortification and alertness.

In its deadly fashion, this group known for possessing the penchant for killing innocent people for the sake of propagating an extreme Islamic faith, the insurgents turned a joyous ending for viewers of the last football World Cup to a lugubrious one. In twin suicide bombings last Sunday, 74 football lovers in Kampala were dispatched to the great beyond, for having a crime to be in a country that sent 3,000 troops to join the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to help in quelling the rising level of insurgency in the North African country. The world in unison has condemned this dastardly and wanton killing over a cause to propagate a faith that is paradoxically a religion of peace. The group claimed it carried out the terror attack due to Uganda government’s snub to its request to stop sending its troop to Somalia. In its words: “We warned Uganda not to deploy troops to Somalia; they ignored us,” said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, al-Shabaab’s spokesman. “We warned them to stop massacring our people, and they ignored that. The explosions in Kampala were only a minor message to them. ... We will target them everywhere if Uganda does not withdraw from our land.”

What is African governments doing securitywise to counter threats of more onslaughts from such group? As Ugandan government has vowed to crush their uprising by sending more troops, al-Shabaab is threatening that what happened last week is a tip of the iceberg of what the Ugandan people stand to receive if its government persisted.

Al-Qaeda group in the Middle East has strongholds in Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, and Afghanistan. Their deadly suicide bombings of decades are no more weighty news or front-page banner due to their daily occurrences. In that part of the world, suicide bombings from this extremist group is now in fact a way of life and the people there have come to terms with them.

Back home, is Nigeria government stepping up security to prevent or quell any surprise move of such ‘servants of death.’ Report has it last week that the remaining fashion of the notorious Boko Haram sect group in Northern part of the country posted an Arabic message in al-Qaeda website. When translated, it was a message of solidarity and support for the cause of Iraqi al-Qaeda and commiseration with the group over the demise of its leaders Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi who allegedly were killed during the U.S.-led troop attacks in the country. Imam Abubakar Skekau, a deputy of the Boko Haram, the sect group that killed and maimed scores during last July mayhem, has called for more attack on the Americans and hailing the dead al-Qaeda leaders as Hero of Islam.

The same sect group would definitely be in support with al-Shabaab, especially in lieu of its recent achievement in the Kampala bloodletting.

If this group should infiltrate our borders or pass the act of suicide bombing to their supposedly brotherhood in Nigeria, then the carnage of destruction to lives and property would remain unimaginable; given the poor security network we have and population mass. This indeed, is a call to plan ahead even before any fanatical group would even nurse the idea of suicide bombing in the country. Some may say at present we are not in the red alert or in danger zone, but the Uganda people were caught napping, and couldn’t tell what hit them, not until after the act.

Policing in Nigeria, without mincing word, has become an open disgrace to our society and a bane to economic growth. Checkpoints in every nook and cranny of the country have been converted to ‘toll gate’ where the bounties are not remitted to government coffers. Police stations are now houses for loot collections; after every day’s work you see members of the force go home with a fraction of what they were able to collect from hapless citizenry. In fact, the force men have coined the nomenclature ‘tapping’ for their shameful act. Kidnapping in South East and South-South parts of the country is on the increase simply because the police has lost every sense of professionalism and see their uniform as a means of milking the people they are meant to protect. They are known to abet men of the underworld in their act of criminality. How would such security force be a pillar of hope to the Nigerian society? Surely, a suicide bomber with a vast will elude our security personnel as most times they are preoccupied and distracted with the tapping toll they collect in streets and checkpoints, and lose focus over their primary area of assignment.

Nigerian government and security officers should wake up and brace up for the challenge ahead, and desist from treating with kid gloves the threats from the remnant of the Boko Haram group, especially as it commemorates one year of their leader’s death. It is no news that Boko Haram sect abhors western civilisation, what should be news is their alignment and camaraderie with al-Qaeda. The signal is clear, this group is subscribing to the devilish act of terrorism, even if it has not yet graduated to suicide bombing.

Hurdles Before Israeli-Palestinian Peace Move

Paul Arhewe, Online/Foreign Editor
(With agency reports)

A new phase in the Middle East hostility is beginning to unfold as Israel, with the support of its old ally, The United States, is pushing for peace. Israel has declared its intension through its leader Benjamin Netanyahu that it is set to embark on direct peace talks with Palestinians.
Israel in May drew the irk of many in Middle East and other parts of the world when its forces killed Nine activists in an attempt to stop a flotilla of ships with humanitarian goods meant for the suffering Palestinians whose import and export routs have been cut off by the Israeli blockade in Gaza. This act has not only made Egypt to open its blockade of its own end of the Gaza border, but invokes and heightens the call for the lifting of Gaza blockade by Israel. In another vein, the only Israeli ally in the Middle East, Turkey, threatened to completely call off its relations with Tel-Aviv. In implementing this threat, Ankara has since stopped Israeli military aircraft from flying through its airspace.
Another thorny issue is the call for Israel to freeze constructions in West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements, which the Israelis maintain a stand that it wont secede any portion to its neighbours. This is a major obstacle to establishing a concrete platform for peace in the nearly 60-year conflict since the creation of Israel.
Last Tuesday in the Oval office with President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu talked about his country’s readiness to commence direct talk with its warring neighbours.
Obama, like his predecessors is known to have soft spot and an unbreakable relationship with the Israelis. But playing the good world police, Obama seems to welcome this new initiated move of Netanyahu to embrace peace.

Yet, the hard-liners in Netanyahu's coalition government will probably not be won over. They have no interest in answering Palestinian demands for a freeze on settlement building in return for direct peace talks.
And that's still the critical issue between the U.S. and Israel, one neither Netanyahu nor Obama addressed after their fifth meeting since Obama took office 17 months ago.
Netanyuhu sidestepped that question again Wednesday in an interview broadcast on ABC's "Good Morning America."
"The simplest way to advance peace is to put aside all the grievances and all the preconditions," he said, asserting he's "ready to sit down" with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to discuss peace "without preconditions."
Asked what concrete steps he was willing to take to set the framework for new talks, Netanyahu said his government already had relaxed "hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints" in addition to its decision to ease the Gaza Strip blockade.
But he also told a foreign media that "we have to have very strong security arrangements so that the areas that we vacate do not turn into Iranian strongholds. We have some very clear requirements. ... The Palestinians will have very clear requirements."
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office last Tuesday, both Netanyahu and Obama had ducked a question about the Israeli leader's plans for extending a limited freeze on West Bank settlements. The moratorium expires in September.
While stark differences remain, the tone was far warmer than it was when Obama and Netanyahu were last together. That was in the spring and Obama was upset over Israeli policies in disputed East Jerusalem. He had Netanyahu to the White House in the evening, out of sight of reporters.
After this meeting, however, the leaders' Oval Office remarks were expansive, but — when carefully studied — held little or nothing new.
Obama praised Israel for easing its Gaza blockade, allowing in consumer goods, after heated international criticism for the deadly interception of a Turkish aid flotilla.
The president said he believed Netanyahu "was willing to take risks for peace," and heatedly rejected the premise of a question about having given the Israeli leader the cold shoulder in recent months.

Netanyahu said he was "committed" to peace with the Palestinians and said it was "high time to begin direct talks." He praised Obama for leading the U.N. Security Council to a new round of sanctions against Iran over its suspected nuclear arms program.
He was fulsome in thanking Obama "for reaffirming to me in private and now in public as you did the long-standing U.S. commitments to Israel on matters of vital strategic importance."
"To paraphrase Mark Twain," the Israeli leader said, "reports about the demise of the special U.S.-Israel ... relationship aren't just premature, they're just flat wrong."
The two leaders had gotten off on the wrong foot right from the start when Netanyahu — in their first White House meeting soon after Obama was sworn in — publicly rebuffed the new president's call for a freeze on settlements.
The Netanyahu government compounded that negative start when it announced, during a fence-mending visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden, plans for a large settlement expansion in east Jerusalem.
Regardless of that history, Netanyahu and Obama were emphatic that relations had never gone sour. What's more, they agreed, it was time for the Palestinians to come to the table again for yet another try at face-to-face peace talks.
The challenge in this new drive for peace is how Netanyahu would convince the Israeli hard-liners to accept it, and secure positive responses from Palestinian to see reasons to let the war end. The Palestinians mission in Washington and its officials are already trying to put spanner at the wheel of progress in the new found peace, as they say there would be no response for at least a day. They are demanding the halt in activities in West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements before it would embrace any direct talks.
Some analysts are of the view s that Obama and Netanyahu might have reached a private understanding that Israel would extend the construction moratorium in return for direct talks.
“This enables Israel to say it didn’t pay for direct talks, but there’s an understanding that once the expiration date rolls around, the moratorium will be extended,” said David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Among the other “concrete steps” Israel is expected to take toward the Palestinians, analysts said, is greater cooperation with the Palestinian Authority on security matters and increased economic aid for the West Bank. Netanyahu has suggested to aides that he has other steps in mind, Israeli officials said, but he has not yet disclosed them.

Obama’s stance reflected domestic political pressures on both men. Netanyahu, who is struggling to keep his fractious right-wing coalition together, has been under pressure at home not to appear to pay an additional price to lure the Palestinians to the negotiating table.

And with Democrats facing a tough time in the midterm elections in November, Obama has reasons for softening his public stance on Israel. Republican candidates have been courting Jewish voters, who ordinarily back Democrats, by trying to portray the president as anti-Israel.

Some analysts say last week’s session reflects what Aaron David Miller, a longtime Middle East peace negotiator, calls a “false calm” in the relationship. Miller predicts fissures in the relationship, the result of a “fundamental expectations gap” in which Obama expects more from the peace talks than Netanyahu will be able to deliver.

Apathy Of Nigeria To Citizens’ Execution In Libya

Paul Arhewe, Online/Foreign Editor (With agency report)

LAST YEAR when the report came that some Nigerians in their scores were awaiting the hangman’s noose in Libya, while a responsible government would have made good efforts at intervening for stay of execution or embark on plea bargain for lesser punishment, the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry under the ex-minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe was busy faulting the report, claiming no Nigerian was on death row in the North Africa country. The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa told Sunday Independent last week that the Federal Government through its foreign ministry had earlier denied that there were Nigerians on death row in Libya. Her words: “When we raised the alarm the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was not true”.
Last week executions of 18 condemned inmates in Libya, consisting of 10 Nigerians and other eight foreigners from Chad and Egypt confirmed the fact that Nigerian government had not only put up a bland show to safeguard its own, but showed how irresponsible many of our public office holders are to the plight of the ordinary Nigerians, especially those abroad. It is not as if one is asking government to protect those of her citizens convicted for criminal acts in another country or encourage them to break the laws of other countries, but any responsible government with information of unfair hearing that led to the condemnation of some of her citizens would have acted, and ensured Libyan government mete out fair judgement on those on death row. Over 200 people are awaiting executions in Libya, with large number of them foreigners, a Libyan newspaper, Cerene, reported.
In reaction to the incident, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Malcolm Smart said “In Libya we fear that death sentences were handed down after proceedings which fail to satisfy international standards for fair trial.” The rights group further argued that Libya is known to have unreasonably executed large number of foreigners, even with the flimsiest reasons. The Arabian country’s legal system often doesn’t give foreigners access to lawyers and its trial processes are done in Arabic language where foreigners are left in a lost paradise only to find themselves in gallows awaiting the executioner’s noose.
Prior to its ‘Great Revolution’, Libya like other Arabian countries adopted the Egyptian civil law. In the 1970s, the country adopted a new approach to government, which led to great reform in its legal system. Ironically, the People’s Republic ‘Jamahiriya’ that the Libyan government fashioned to open its country’s to the new era of global relations is one that is grossly unfair to foreigners where hundreds are executed at the flimsiest reasons. The current Libyan law stipulates that execution or pardon for an accused lies on the wish of the relatives of the victim of the crime.
While reports have it that more Nigerians are still awaiting the hangman’s noose in Libya, it then behoves on Nigeria government to act now and dispatch a strong team to negotiate their release and fair judgement. As Dabiri-Erewa rightly stated, the execution is expected to take place in batches. Then a quick action from our government will not only safe the lives of many of Nigerians that were unfairly sentenced, but would make Libyan government to be responsible enough to give fair hearing to Nigerians in the future. A Nigerian residing in Tripoli, who spoke on the conditions of anonymity to a media, said: "At least 10 Nigerians are among those that were executed. There are over 50 Nigerians awaiting execution. Some of them were convicted on flimsy reasons."
Nigerian government needs to learn from her neighbouring counterparts, Ghana, which passed through similar scenario when three of her citizens and a Nigerian were sentenced to death for a murder case in 1998.
In May 17 1998, three Ghanaians and a Nigerian were sentenced to death for murdering a Libyan national in a drug related case. The Ghanaian government took it upon itself and did all within its might to ensure her three citizens were let loose. The Ghanaian embassy in Libya took keen interest in the case and arranged for the defence of the accused persons during trial and subsequent appeal. According to a report on Ghanaweb, “Subsequently the embassy had contact with the family of the deceased to explore, in accordance with Islamic practice, the possibility of seeking clemency or the payment of compensation to cancel the death sentences. The family however, rejected any negotiations and insisted that the law should take its course.”
In May, 2007, the Libyan authorities notified the Ghanaian embassy and her Nigerian counterpart of the imminent execution of the condemned four. While Ghana’s government went the whole length securing a second stay of executions for her three nationals, the only Nigerian was executed since the Nigerian government, then under Olusegun Obasanjo, was too preoccupied with issues that would benefit their immediate families and bandwagon of allies and gave no iota of regard to a common and worthless Nigerian who found himself in such a mess in Libya.
But surprisingly, the then Ghanaian president went to Libya to intervene for the release of these three Ghanaians.
"In late May 2007, the President John Agyekum Kufuor visited Libya and raised, among other matters, the plight of the three nationals with the Libyan Leader who promised to look into the matter.”, Ghanaweb reported.
In June 2007, officials of the Embassy made another attempt to contact the family of the murder victim but the latter declined a meeting”.
"On December 29, 2007 the Ambassador of Ghana took the opportunity of visit to Ghat to discuss the matter with the Governor of the Province. The latter however explained that the case was a difficult one because of the persistent of the family to modify its position, not even on the instance of a request emanating from the office of the Libyan leader”.
"On January 20, 2008, the Embassy was notified yet again by the Libyan authorities that two of the three nationals were scheduled to be executed by 22nd January 2008. The Embassy immediately made representations to the Libyan authorities for a further stay of execution to allow time for consultations with Government on this development”.
"However, without responding to the Embassy's request, the Libyan authorities proceeded to execute the two nationals by firing squad, together with three others, including a Libyan, a Sudanese and an Egyptian”.
The Ghanaian government in the above case made efforts to ensure three Ghanaians were spared execution, even though they were eventually executed. This move alone shows in all ramifications that it is a responsible government and attest to the fact that they are more responsible and have high regard for every of their citizen within and outside Ghana, than what our Nigerian government display here as vividly illustrated in the aforementioned case.
In another murder case of a Senegalese where a Ghanaian and a Gambian were convicted and sentenced to death in May 2007, the Ghanaian government successfully secured the stay of execution for her national while the Gambian was executed. The Embassy of Ghana made representations to the Embassy of Senegal in Libya on the possibility of clemency from the family of the deceased. Even though the Embassy of Senegal was unable to locate the family of the deceased national, it took upon itself to offer clemency to the Ghanaian national.
If Nigerian government had intervened in the same way the Ghanaian government did in the above case, then the recent execution of 10 Nigerians would have been prevented or at a worse scenario delayed.
While last Sunday’s executions can not be reversed, our government can still save it’s face by immediately intervening to stop the remaining executions of the about 50 Nigerians in Libyan prisons.

Racism And Nigerians In Diaspora

By Paul Arhewe,
Online/Foreign Editor

Last Sunday another spate of maltreatment was meted out to some Nigerians living in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. This latest incident, like some past ones claimed the life of a Nigerian, while 32 other foreigners, mostly Nigerians were arrested.
The unfortunate Nigerian, Maxwell Itoya died of gun-shot injury, after police raided some Nigerian traders selling shoes at the bazaar at the Stadium in the Praga district of Warsaw. Maxwell was trying to intervene in the case of Police arrest and brutal treatment of another handcuffed Nigerian when he was shot in the stomach. Max, who had lived many years in Warsaw was legally married to Monika, a Polish woman, and has three children, aged 10, four, and two.

While Nigerian government through its foreign ministry has called for immediate and full inquiry into the killing of her citizen, Polish police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said his country’s prosecutor’s office has already began investigation into the assault against a policeman, and would determine if the policeman had broken the law by firing his gun.
However, the Polish police was quick to give the media another version of the same story reporting that the ill-fated Nigerian was running away from patrol team, and was chased into the market place, where the policeman handcuffing him mistakenly shot him when mob protesting his arrest tried to besiege him. Even if this version is true, resisting arrest shouldn’t be a justification to take the life of a foreigner, especially in a highly racist country like Poland, where such incident would definitely be associated with xenophobic outburst. In Nigeria, hardly would there be an incident of police brutalising white foreigners; even though the Nigeria police are good at brutalising their own countrymen.

Definitely, it is expected the Polish police would have to defend themselves and blame the protesting mob. Sokolowski in defence of his colleagues said "This man could have been saved and police officers started to resuscitate him, but they were repeatedly attacked with stones by a group of foreigners and were forced to defend themselves, and had to stop the resuscitation". In civilised society of which Poland belongs, tear gas is usually used by police to disperse angry or protesting crowd not live bullets? If the victim was to be Polish citizen I dare say the police man wouldn’t shoot him to death.
A Nigerian named Caesar living in Warsaw, who claim to be an eyewitness to this deadly act in the marketplace, said the Polish police are usually brutal to blacks, and highly segregate against them. According to him, “this is the latest in a long line of police abuse and brutality towards blacks in this predominately racist country”. “The open air market place, which is referred to as Stadium, is made up of mainly Ukrainians and Vietnamese traders, but the biased report would have you believe that it is only Nigerians that were arrested and causing problems”, he added.
While the police and government should be apologising sincerely, they are busy prosecuting the 32 arrested foreigners. According to report, 25 out of those arrested would face charges of assaulting a police officer, which when found guilty would send them to prison for 10 years.
Nigerian government should do more than calling the Polish authorities to probe the case, like in previous similar incidents. Our government usually make statements, after which no further deliberations or actions are taken. Nigerian government, through its embassy in Warsaw, should follow thoroughly every phase of this particular probe.
Nothing has been heard again on Emmanuel Egisimba’s case. Egisimba died last year in Chinese town of Guangzhou after trying to avoid police brutality. He jumped headlong from a second floor shop and died. Hundreds of blacks’ after the death of Egisimba protested calling Nigerian government to intervene in the frequent maltreatments and molestations they face in this Asian country.
In another similar case, in 2008, a Nigerian businessman, Ojide Ekene, was said to be descending the steps leading to a subway metro station to look for some place to urinate when the security men accosted him and began to beat him. He was allegedly hit on the head with heavy iron battens, knocking him to the ground in a pool of his own blood.
But the Chinese consulate had said that Ekene fell on the staircase of Yulong building as he tried to run to urinate, adding that in the process he got a heavy hit on his head. Many of such dehumanising cases come up frequently, but Nigerian government usually do little to address them.
The frequent brutalities and xenophobic treatments that Nigerians are made to suffer in Poland, and other racist countries should be properly addressed, and their governments should be held responsible anytime such ill-treatments occur. The bland and indifferent attitude these governments have put up in addressing the frequent and continuous maltreatments of Nigerians in their countries has prompted their police to have a field time in this intolerable act Nigerians are made to pass through.
While these foreign countries hear news of those brutalities Nigerian police melt out to their citizens on daily basis, they tend to see our citizens in their countries as trash that can be maltreated knowing full well Nigerian government would only make noise and cannot bite anytime such ugly trash happens.
Our government usually dream of making Nigeria to belong among the leading 20 economies in the world, one wonders how this tall hallucination and mirage of a dream would come to reality when the same government have little value for her citizens especially those in foreign lands.
Unites States can sacrifice huge resources in order to rescue an American in distress no matter where the challenge is coming from. Last year, when some Somali pirates hijacked a U.S. ship and held its American captain, Richard Phillips, as hostage the US Navy immediately diverted its guided missile destroyer, Bainbridge, and successfully rescued Phillips alive after keeping watch on the pirates movement for days.
Poland is among the less-developed countries in Europe. One wonders, supposing our country is well managed by our past governments and leaders, what would Nigerians still be doing in a society that overtly shows they hate them. I believe they would in drove be returning to their fatherland. As the popular maxim goes ‘no place is like home’. It is then a task on Nigerians and our government to ensure things work here in order to prevent such beastly treatments our brothers and sisters are made to pass through in unfriendly countries. While, waiting for that time to come, our government need to show it cares and values her citizens no matter where they are reside.