What’s really happening in Haiti? January 18, 2010

 The thought just hit me; a good number of people are going to benefit from what’s happening in Haiti. Let’s put the crazy scam artists aside for a moment – clearly they have no conscience. Two major rumours I’ve heard involving Black Berry and UPS make me realise that this is a sick world, where people will take advantage of others when they are at their weakest – dog eat dog hey. But seriously though, all the aid that has been provided for the people suffering in Haiti has been paid for, albeit it at subsidised levels (I’m hoping) but even when development work commences, things like petroleum, gas, electricity would be needed more than ever, then those in the construction industry would have their share of the booty… I’ll be shocked if any of the establishments that offer these their goods or services free of charge.

And in the meantime you have people on ground selling photos of people in pain and agony to media agencies. Some of these images are too heart wrenching to watch, yet instead of offering help, someone’s whipped a camera out and sold the image capturing someone’s moment of abject grief for a few bob. SIGH… what a sick world we live in…

What to do? I guess just take it as it is, that’s life, that’s the world we live in. If you were an alien in this world, you’d be appalled by all this, but I guess we’re all in this together, we’re all guilty of being inhumane to an extent. On a positive note, the amount of donations given has been absolutely humbling (I guess that’s the benefit of the horrific images). There have been reports of people dipping deep into their pockets to meet the needs of Haitians. Over £10 mill in a day. That’s humanity at it’s very best.

Meanwhile, aid agencies seem to be at logger heads at the main airport. I guess to be fair none of this was planned and people just have to make the situation work somehow. There isn’t exactly a hierarchy there – although you’d assume the UN would trumps all national and aid agencies, so it shouldn’t make sense that the US should take the lead role (even though they’re bringing more aid to the table) neither would you assume the Red Cross are the boss.

None of this should be the case unless the UN abdicates all responsibility… Have they? See this is the actual news that isn’t getting reported. We just get snippets of the story and see blood and gore, limbs chopped off, and streets filled with dead bodies – in as much as that motivates people to add more zeroes to their donations, it also helps to know how the aid effort is being coordinated. Does anyone know?

All we know is that there’s some beef at the airport, aid agencies are struggling to pull together a coordinated effort. This explains why the people in need are left in the dark, no one’s informed them of what to expect, what’s going on… nothing. So all they do is plunder the little they can get when they get it, fighting and (dare I say killing) each other as they wait for help.

So as ordinary people continue being generous, here’s hoping aid agencies get coordinated fast, and start working together.

We want our president ; dead or alive January 11, 2010

That’s a fair request don’t you think?

Nigerians, need to know whether their president is alive or not, and they’d appreciate it if politicians stop making up stories about having heard from him and forging the president’s signature to ratify their atrocious budgets.

A bunch of lawyers have launched three court cases demanding to know the condition of the president. As I write this, I can help but think this is a huge joke! How did things get this bad? How is it that the existence of the president has come into question? In fact who’s leading Nigeria at the moment?

All sorts of rumours are going round, some say he’s brain dead or clinically dead, while others say he’s recovering in Saudi Arabia.

It’s a shame that the president of Nigeria had to go abroad for treatment, what about the millions of Nigerians suffering similar ailments who have to endure the misfortune of being on an operating table when NEPA (Nigerian Electric Power Authority) decides to take light.

It’s about time we have to follow the footsteps oF China and constitutionally barr Nigerian politicians from going abroad for the educational, financial and health needs of themselves and their family members, perhaps then they’ll ensure those services work efficiently.

Anyway, I digress.

Surely there must be at least one person in the Nigerian government in the know who has some integrity and can see the damage this information gap is doing to the nation, both domestically and internationally.

I’ve mentioned the clever moves to clear the national coiffeurs through forgery, another obvious example is the fact that no official statement has been made on the blunder that is Adulmutallab. How is that possible? How come no one is there to defend what’s left of the nation’s image and reputation?

I  tell you if some sweet mouthed minister comes us up with another harebrained Nigerian Image Project, they ought to be slapped. That’s difficult for me to say, considering I work in PR and i strongly believe in the benefits of effective political communication. Having said that I don’t believe in false advertising – don’t ask people to come and invest in a nation that does not honour its people enough to let them know whether their president is alive or dead amongst other ridiculous flanks of democracy.

It’s amazing how the reputation of the president, someone who for all we know is intrinsically a right standing, honest man, now appears like nothing more than a dignified puppet.

They say, behind every successful man is a good woman. Ok, in this case i don’t think the man was allowed to have successes of his own. I’ve been told that if a man is the head, then the woman is the all important neck that stirs the head in right direction. Looks like the head has lost total control and is just moving in auto-pilot now.

It’s fair to say Nigerian politics is fair game once again? – Goodluck Jonathan, is waiting in the wings to take over – God help us if we have a Gordon Brown on our hands, eager for power but confused as to what to do with it, yet clinging to it for dear life.

Is it fair to conclude that the main reason why people are dragging their feet from telling us the truth is because there’s a lot to be gained financially from keeping up the charade? Typical awoof dey run bele situation (apologies to non Nigerians reading this, simply put, this means eventually greedy people will suffer for their greed)

All those people camping in churches and mosques in Nigeria should ask their God for one thing – to blow open skirts and reveal filthy garments (Isaiah 64:6). It’s about time the bad eggs were exposed and destroyed, let’s have at least a couple of years of goodness for all the rott we’ve grown accustomed.

I’m not ashamed to say what I think. Nigeria needs a revolution! Get rid of all the people recycling power among themselves.

I wonder though, is this enough to break the camel’s back? I doubt it, Nigerians are not frustrated enough by this, they’re more than content to manage living in darkness, poverty, corruption, driving their jeeps in ruddy roads, building their mansions in violence infested areas and sending their children abroad to fancy schools, to help better other nations while their continues to rott.

For those revelling in the confusion, I think someone needs to bring it home. Until our politics is sorted out and those with the know how get to lead ( not those only who have the right connections) we will remain average, destined to lives of being bottom feeders amongst ourselves and on an international scale.

Let things continue to escalate on this scale, and you won’t even be able to escape to the States or the UK or even to Ghana to hide from the atrocities we’re pepetrating on ourselves. Sounds extreme, truth can be stranger than fiction - very soon for all our intelligence and oil ( God help us that it doesn’t dry out soon) things could get so dire, it’ll be like the nation is imploding.

I hate to sound like the eternal pessimist, I’m not really. But seriously we have to raise our standards ask more from our leaders and make the most of the little power we have democratically. It’s not just about voting! It’s about making our leaders accountable!

 Nigeria will be 50 this year! And unfortunately the good old days were ten times better than today! We’re an underdeveloped nation! We haven’t reached developing level in many people’s books.

If one more person tells me about development and change in Nigeria and mentions the BRT lanes I think I’ll thwop them one! Or if someone is silly enough to mention boreholes dug in rural Nigeria I guarantee them a black eye. That’s not development. That’s not progress, that’s just politicians giving you £10 for event £5,000 you deserve.

The day political veterans are doing more than playing supporting roles in the drama that is Nigerian politics, then I’ll know there’s some hope. But for as long  puppet masters continue to tug the strings of power, I shall remain a harsh critic.

In the meantime let’s fix this mess and produce the president – dead or alive!

God bless Nigeria.

Back tracking from promises January 11, 2010

Nick Clegg has come out making what sounds like a retraction from all the fancy promises they’d arranged for the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

So what’s off the shopping list?

Free childcare for children up till the age of 18 months

Free tuition

Free personal care and citizen’s pension based on residency rather than national insurance.

In his speech, he explained there isn’t enough money to do all these fancy things, basically, the LibDems can’t put their money where their mouths are, so they’re eating their words slowly, so you don’t have to shove their faces in it.

He gracefully rubbishes his competitors saying, 

“One doesn’t know what he believes, the other doesn’t know what to do with the power he clings to so desperately.”

Mr Clegg said his party had “gone further than any other politicians” in spelling out steps needed to reduce the budget deficit. Unfortunately when he was doing this no one was listening.

It’s going to be a long slug to the elections this year, and in the mean time we have to put up with the early electioneering that seems to me like in many ways the politicians are communicating with themselves through the media. We’re just caught in the cross fires in the sling match between them.

All this is making me realise even more what I want from a politician and the harsh reality is dawning on me that, none of these guys are it How i’m going to choose between one of these people is beyond me at the moment.

Deciding who to vote for is like shopping for your wedding dress, when you see it , you just know. And you know what you don’t want. In this case, I don’t want someone who is ingenuine, who’s only focus is getting in to power. I don’t want someone who doesn’t care about the welfare of the people and would prioritise wealth making over social welfare, or claim to make decisions in the name of boosting national economy under false pretenses of national security. I definitely do not want someone that would rather invest in a war than commit to getting more people out of poverty…

You get the gist. I want a human being not, a political machine.

Is the African cup of nations worth bloodshed? January 10, 2010

What a sick world we live in.

What’ll posess people to just open fire on unarmed sports men? I don’t see the sense in it.

Fair play to the Togolese team for abandoning the match after loosing three people on the team. The attack on Togo’s convoy in the northern enclave of Cabinda in Angola killed an assistant coach, press officer and bus driver, and injured several other players. Put’s things all in perspective, there’s so much more at stake than campaigning to get the African nation’s cup.

Fair enough those who died are not the players, but just imagine you’re going on a business trip with a few other colleagues and you get waylaid and killed on the way. You may not be the owner of the company of the head of your department even, but you’re a casualty in something insane violence perpetrated by people who you haven’t offended at all.

So what happened?

Well Angola like most African countries have been flexing their muscles claiming to be well under way to being developed, a safe place for inernational scale events to take place. They’ve been trying very hard to convince the world that despite violent clashes between armed forces and militia men, theirs is a safe country.What happened  unfortunately proves that the government neglected to ensure that the Cabinda militia are no longer existent just as they claimed. And to prove they’re alive and very much in fighting spirit, they came out all guns blazing!

The Togolese got caught in the cross fire caused by huge security lapse on the part of the Angolan government and it’s unfortunate that the economic rewards of having the games in Cabinda would only leave a bitter taste in their mouth. It’s even in  bad taste to declare the games should go on considering the recent tragedy.

Why? Because just like any other terrorist attack, finding the perpetrators is incredibly difficult, more so in this case when the trigger happy culprits simply skulk into the bushes and disappear into the masses. So how can the promise other visitors this will not happen again?

I’m a football fan myself, but thankfully i haven’t lost my mind to the game. Is the cup really worth bloodshed?Why won’t Angola just pass the chance on to another country to host it and clean up their bushes of gun-wielding murderers?

But even the captain of the Togolese football team, Emmanuel Adebayor is remorseful that he won’t get to play.

He said: “This Friday at 1430, we were all dead on that bus. We sent our last messages to our families. We called our family to say our last words. I told myself: ‘If you’re still there on the ground in Angola, why not (play)?’

“The authorities decided we should return (home), so we will return.”

Adebayor also revealed he spoke to members of the Ivory Coast and Ghana camps, two of the three other teams in their group – Burkina Faso being the fourth.

“They expressed their support by saying they were ready to leave the competition if we did,” he said.

“(But) at the end of the day, we realised that they were ready to continue. It is still a continent where a World Cup will take place in South Africa.

“If we speak of the dead, the competition should have been cancelled. But the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has decided otherwise’

I’m not really one to be restrained by fear of what could happen, but what i will say to those who stay in the running for the tempoary glory the cup may bring, ‘all the best’. I don’t see why such a decision would be made when there’s no sign from the Angolan government guaranteeing safety or the better still deterring such an atrocity re-occurring.

Aha!!! Nigerian Bomb plotter recruited in London! January 7, 2010

There it is! Headline news on Sky News today.

A Nigerian man charged with attempted murder over the alleged Christmas Day plot was recruited by al Qaeda in London, according to reports.

Just proves what many Nigerians knew, this is very unlike them. And it proves what i’ve been harping on about, terrorism doesn’t care where you’re from, just that you’re willing.

The country’s deputy prime minister had acknowledged that Mutallab had been in his country.

But he said Mutallab had been recruited by al Qaeda in London, adding that he had been equipped and trained in Nigeria.”

However, senior Home Office officials have denied that Mutallab was recruited by al Qaeda in the UK, saying they think he was recruited and radicalised abroad.

I’d like to beleive that the UK isn’t a breeding ground for terrorist, but then i’d also find comfort in the thought that those in position of authority would be more painstaking in doing their jobs before making decisions with harsh consequences on the vast majority in the name of national security.

I’ll be very shocked if the stringent stipulations on Nigeria would be relaxed, i fear that my people will still be tainted by the same brush used to mark hard core terrorist for the misfortune of having one of it’s citizens recruited in the UK.

Do you think there’ll be a turn around?

pretty boy’s coup… January 7, 2010

It’s all kicking off…

Once again, GB has been left to look like a lame duck.

I’ve got a visual in my head of one lone duck paddling manically in the water, but looking rather calm as it’s surrounded by hunters about to gun it down.

It’s funny how naive Gordon Brown is coming across, surely he doesn’t really think he’s going to make it through as PM in the next election, there’s no way he is going  to be kept as party leader, let alone re-elected in the next election.  It seems to be common knowledge to everyone but him.

And in true politics fashion those around him are being sneaky and dubious about planning a leadership contest as ever. I wouldn’t trust the current Labour government as far as I can throw them, they’re all looking out for themselves and not the electorate.

‘I’m working closely with the prime minister on foreign policy issues and support the re-election campaign for a Labour victory,’ so says the man waiting in the wings, foreign secretary David Milliband – the pretty boy in the middle of the current party coup. In politics speak that’s a sure stab in the back. Given half the chance he’ll kick him out and move into No 10.

If the next election was to be a beauty contest, well Miliband up against Cameron isn’t a bad match, Eatonian versus son of Jewish immigrants. It would make a more interesting competition, from what’s seen of DM, he could make a worthy adversary.

So as the rumblings in No 10 continue and whispers go round the block about giving GB the sack, keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground, there’s bound to be a shake-up soon.

Before we carry on with the political discourse, which no doubt will be hotting up ( by UK standards anyway) who intends on voting this year? Take the poll.

Tax break for married couples? wow David Cameron, are you sure? January 5, 2010

The Conservatives promised tax break for married couples. Yay!!! How exciting something good from the blues, how cool is that.

But hold on, before you get too excited, they think they might be able to give us that. A couple of hours after getting the applause for making the big promise, David Cameron came out with a retraction, ‘Recognising marriage in the tax system is something I feel very strongly about and something we will definitely do in the next parliament. We will set out exactly how in due course.’

Translation – er, we know that’s got you excited and we really want you to vote for us, but we don’t really know how we can deliver on that promise, but don’t hold your breath…

I hate to sound critical, but that’s a bit unprofessional. Even though many do it and get away with it, you can’t just pull promises from the sky and throw them in our face when there’s no way of meeting them.

To be honest, I’d really love if married people were given tax breaks, not just because I’m married, but because I think it’ll give people the financial incentive to stay together. It’ll be interesting to know if any country in Europe practises this and what their divorce rates are. It’s a very conservative move, but one that society needs.

I’m sure there’s added benefits for childless couples as well – let’s be honest, most of them (alongside the divorced and singles) pick up the slack from parents when they have to take time-off because little Johnny is sick, or they’re unfailingly off work during school holidays, or have to work from home with very little notice, because little Sally’s child-minder is off sick. They need to start reaping the rewards too!  

The plight of young people in today’s society is something very much close to my heart and it’s very obvious that having both parents as part of their daily lives (whether their married or not is a different kettle of fish) would make a massive difference to how they engage positively with society.

I know that theory is based on a lot of holes and assumptions, like who’s to say young people from two parent homes don’t act truant, or get involved with crime etc – because I know they do, but then, what I am saying, is perhaps a tax break will do more than leave more money in the pockets of parents, but also help mend the fabric of society that provides the security and support future generations need to flourish.

So this tax break for married couples is something I’m really looking forward to in a conservative government or any government really. Whoever gets into power can knick this idea and apply it unashamedly.

what’s GB saying? January 5, 2010

Many people woke up to Gordon Brown’s forced smile on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday 3^rd of January.

If you didn’t know there’s a general election looming. You could be forgiven for not knowing elections in the UK are nowhere as exciting as that of the US (having said that I’ve got high hopes for this one) the election hasn’t been called officially, but everyone it has to be this year, in many ways, Gordon Brown’s time as unelected PM is running out fast – that gravy boat only takes freeloaders for so long.

All parties are fighting for the attention of people like me – floating voters people who have to vote by policy and not the same political party because it’s what they’ve been doing for a long time.

At the moment, it seems GB is trying to get as many points on the polls before it is official, he’s trying to get a lead of some sort, hence the half-baked promises and eleventh hour proposal which sound like hail Marys to get the floating voters to see him in a different light.

So what did GB have to say? On the AM show,

-          He addressed airport security, basically there’ll me scanners and stronger searches and in terms of terrorism, focus on Yemen at an emergency conference to be held this month. ‘We have been preparing for such a time as this… WE’VE GOT TO EXPOSE THE EXTREMIST, ENCOURAGE RADICALS AND REFORMERS AND LIKE THE COLD WAR IN THE 1950 WE’VE GOT TO use every method of communication possible…’ ‘it’s not about press releases, it’s about action’ J

-           ‘I’m happy to brief the opposition about policies, and there must be scope for them to disagree’ How grown up of GB to say this, the dude understands what democracy is about. He sounds like he knows that part politics isn’t going to solve the UK’s problems, but rather collaboration when needed and dialogue which brings about the best solutions. Having said that, I don’t see a coalition government being formed any time soon and the last time DC (David Cameron) was close to being so generous, he looked like it hurt him to be gracious.

GB was led throughout the interview, as they meandered from topic to topic. If he went there with his own agenda, I don’t know what it was, unless his people fed the topics to AM’s people.

On questions about counter terrorism to be honest GB didn’t convince me – then again I’m a tough crowd when it comes to things like this, having said that I found more comfort in what he had to say than what BO (Barrack Obama that is not body odour) was spewing. GB seems to have learnt from TB (erm Tony Blair, not Tuberculosis) errors of following the lead of the US too closely and by spearheading this conference in January to consider the best ways to respond to the threat Yemen poses shows his respect for the channels of diplomacy and international law, hats off to him for that.

GB got more animated when conversation moved on to the national economy. Basically, economy isn’t going to grow in isolation, we have to work with other people, – it’s about aspiration, not austerity like the Conservatives are proposing.

GB handled the sneaky questions really well. He nearly fell for the question about the general election, well done to AM for trying. Got a glimpse of what GB might be like with friends in the pub having a chin wag… what a rarity.

On the political side of things 2010 promises to be an interesting year…

You’re still going to the States aren’t you? January 4, 2010

 

I kind of feel for those in charge of homeland security in the US. It seems like whatever they do, they’re fighting a losing battle.

Reminds me of when I spilt cooking oil on my kitchen floor, everything I used to mop it up just spread the oil around, until I used some strong bleach.

There’s a lot of highly intelligent people working in the FBI and I’m sure they all know that terrorism is  faceless, nameless and have exclusive right to a particular passport.  The reality is, anyone can be a terrorist. Not everyone is, but anyone can be. And they should know this better than anyone.

I can’t help but wonder, where will it end. Very soon every nation in the world, including theirs would be on some naughty list. They introduced tougher screening rules for passengers arriving by air from 14 nations which the authorities deem to be a security risk. This means, travelers from Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Cuba will be among those facing body pat-down searches and carry-on baggage checks. Is it just me or does this just sound like mopping up a greasy floor with an oil-soaked rag just spreading the mess around?

I totally understand the argument of defending national interest – that’s the primary responsibility of any nation, but at what cost?

The reality is that, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallb nearly got away with the attack because there was a massive intercontinental screw up – information wasn’t shared. My question is, why not fix that screw up and make the system work better rather than just take one irrational decision to make life uncomfortable for millions of innocent people, because some nations are panicking they might get bombed.

According to the BBC, US President Barack Obama has been under pressure to make visible security improvements, that’s fair enough, it’s his job to manage the pressure and make clear headed decisions. At the risk of sounding critical – let’s face it, as ambitious as I am, I’m not ready to take on his job or anything similar just yet, but then, thank God for common sense. Patting people with certain passports seems an atrocious violation of human rights and privacy, if there were good grounds for this, that’s absolutely fine, but following slip-ups from security services, it seems a grave injustice to do this.

Any clear headed and innocent person with no inclination towards terrorism would agree what nearly happened on Christmas day last year is a travesty, but then you’d also assume that the first point of call is making sure at least, those on terrorist watch list are dealt with properly before you’re effectively punished because you share a nationality with them.

Why is it that, the UK isn’t on such a list, considering there’s been a few attempted bomb attacks from people with British passports? Can someone give me a good response to that?

Ok to be fair, according to reports, the measures be in effect on Flights from Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria (countries classified by US as state sponsors of terror and flights from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

So obviously to get to America and avoid the full pat down, you may have to go round the globe a bit to and fly from somewhere off the list – or just brave the personal intrusion, after all, I doubt the officials doing it enjoy touching people up that much.

Despite the impending trauma of travelling to the states, I’m sure you’re still going there aren’t you This isn’t going to stop anyone from taking that holiday or business trip to the states, we love that country too much, so a few hours irritation at the air port is worth the experience of being there.

Dealing with beef… January 2, 2010

For a large part of my life, I had no qualms with being confrontation, I didn’t get many opportunities for this, and even then confrontation was always the last resort after all forms of diplomacy have been exhausted.

Now as a young woman, i find that not everyone is prepared to take the level headed approach. Sometimes people choose to hold a grudge, or would rather not discuss whatever qualms they may have with you and decided to either give you the ever-so irritating silent treatment or just skip ten steps of decorum and diplomacy and jump straight into full on aggression.

Stories I’ve heard  of the goings on in Christian circles (funny enough from non Christians)  is that sometimes the story of the beef goes round in ‘prayer circles’ before it gets to your ears. And then you’re confronted not only with the person’s original grievance but also that of a million and one other voices that makes the issue seem bigger than it actually is.

Honestly this isn’t my experience, I’ve been blessed with honest friends who are open about their feelings to me. When I’ve upset them our conversations have started with unashamed grovelling (on my part) and unreserved forgiveness. I remember a good friend of mine saying to me once, ”I’m not very happy with you, but I have to forgive you.” The sincerity of her words made me feel even more remorseful.

I really wish I could say I haven’t upset her since, I probably will again, but the reality is that I would never hurt her if I can help it.

So what’s the deal with dealing with beef?

Living with a grudge is like choosing to live as a shadow of yourself, allowing yourself to be pulled into a dark closet, hidden away from reality.

Always put yourself in the shoes of the person you’ve offended or the person that’s offended you. That always help, and when you’re doing so, get off your high horse, when people look at you, you’re much less than perfect so be real about your assessment. I know you’d never ever say something so horrid, or you’d never be so inconsiderate, but i’m sure by someone else’s’ standards you’re atrocious at other things, perhaps time-keeping, buying gifts, or being tactful… so cut others some slack.

I remember the words of an eloquent man, ‘ I don’t like keeping a grudge, it’s a waste of energy and not worth jeopardising my salvation.’  That’s what floats his boat, he likes to be happy and at peace with people.

Upon reflection I accept that being at peace with people is coming to a place when I don’t mind if something is determined not to like me or be civil to me after I’ve done all I can to appease them… I’ve always said, ‘it’s ok if you don’t like, every one can’t like me’ that’s cool.

So to haters, while the bitterness is eating away at your insides, I’d be blissfully chilling ever ready to kiss and make up and to the lovers  – you know how we do