Nick Griffin on BBC Question Time

Not a Nigeria related issue as such, but there has been a firestorm in the UK about the appearance of British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin on the BBC’s Question Time programme last night. For those that are interested, you can watch a video of Griffin’s appearance here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00nft24/Question_Time_22_10_2009/

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – The Danger of a Single Story

This is a lovely video featuring a talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie where she discusses her writing passion, childhood and some of her humorous experiences with foreigners.  She is as usual, articulate, and a delight to listen to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

Nigeria and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

For the past two years, Nigeria’s General Martin Luther Agwai has been the Force Commander of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  In September UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced that Agwai would be succeeded as UNAMID Force Commander by Lt-General Patrick Nyamvumba of Rwanda.

Nyamvumba’s appointment might cause a storm with Nigerian officers on the UNAMID mission. Nyamvumba trained at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and is now commanding Nigerian officers who enlisted before him and who have been in service far longer than him. Surprising that the United Nations made such a botch and did not do its homework on this.  Even more surprising given that the UN’s Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations is the Nigerian officer Lt-General Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor.

In seniority terms, Nyanvumba is far junior to his predecessor.  Agwai was already a Colonel when Nyamvumba was still a cadet training at the NDA!

The issue of seniority is a very pertinent issue and has an angry precedent. During the early stages of ECOMOG, a rancorous situation erupted when the senior Nigerian officers refused to work under the Guinean deputy force commander, Lt-Col Lamin Mangasouba.  General Sani Abacha (then the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff) sent a letter to the Ghanaian force commander General Quianoo, ordering all Nigerian officers above the rank of Major to immediately return to Nigeria (including the Chief of Staff Brigadier Cyril Iweze). Even when Guinea promoted Mangasouba to full Colonel, the Nigerian officers still refused to serve under him.

Here is a video showing the handover ceremony from Agwai to Nyamvumba.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU0XM5JAGss

Will Yar’Adua’s Delta Amnesty Reward Armed Violence?

President Yar’Adua’s amnesty for Niger Delta militants is set to expire next week. Although many people consider it to be a great feat of lateral thinking aimed at curbing the violence in the Niger Delta, some people NOT involved in insurgency have criticised the plan for rewarding armed violence.  Rather than discourage violence in the Niger Delta, critics say that by paying militants for handing in their weapons, the government is rewarding them for violence and kidnapping.

Some residentsin the Delta not involved in violence say it is they, and not militants who should be financially compensated.  Additionally a miliant who goes by the name “Osama Bin Laden” (real name Solomon Ndigbara) has threatened to resort to violence if he is not allowed to have a handshake with President Yar’Adua, and a house in Abuja.  Is the amnesty turning into an economic exercise?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G13rn6l7NTM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x44Xv8h5Mfs

Video Footage of Nuhu Ribadu’s Visit to Gani Fawehinmi’s Family

*Even though the police have denied it, Nuhu Ribadu DID enter Nigeria, and visited the home of Gani Fawehinmi in Lagos. Here is video footage of Ribadu at Fawehimni’s home, speaking and signing the condolence register.  Interesting to note that Ribadu is a “leftie”…you’ll see what I mean…*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJAsxzcOwOc

Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8OcgSWeLFI

Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bHRAjm0_Xc

Part three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gMXfJ58sFA

Part four: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtQKVqyRSSY

Will the Government’s Niger Delta Amnesty Succeed?

The federal government’s amnesty initiative for Niger Delta militants is well under way. Several prominent militants have accepted the amnesty (although a sizeable proportion of them have refused to take up the offer).  Militants who take up amnesty will hand in their weapons in exchange for freedom from prosecution, money (per weapon handed in) and a monthly salary from the federal government.

However will the amnesty succeed?  Or will it encourage more militancy by offering militants a financial incentive. There is no guarantee that the militants are handing in all their weapons. They may be handing in some weapons in order to test the government’s intentions, while retaining a larger cache for a fight another day.

Footage of militants surrendering their weapons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwZbPF2DGaY

President Yar’Adua meets with militants granted amnesty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi-b2BkSnxs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0mhNgivYBk

Africans: Get to Europe or Die Trying

Last night the BBC’s panorama programme showed a documentary regarding the extraordinary risks that Africans take to travel to Europe in search of a better life. You can watch the show at the URL below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mqjjn/Panorama_Europe_or_Die_Trying/

See the links below for details of the programme and a slideshow showing some shocking images:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8251376.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8250000/8250327.stm (slideshow)

Some of the would be migrants trek across dangerous desert terrain in search of European “paradise”. This is a trailer from the programme….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnFrXGx-3S4

Looting Nigeria: Stashing Stolen Money in Western Banks

Tales of corruption in Nigeria are legion. Although it rightly receives massive press coverage, a little covered angle is the frequent involvement of Western banks in laundering stolen money from Nigeria abroad.  This is a video report regarding how Nigeria’s former ruler and his family stashed Nigeria’s money in foreign banks such as HSBC, Citibank, Natwest, Barclays and Merrill Lynch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWHoX7ZZWx4&feature=related

Interview With Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Son

Ken Saro-Wiwa’s son Ken Wiwa came into the public limelight after Saro-Wiwa was executed in 1995.  Father and son originally had a strained relationship while Saro-Wiwa was alive.  However his father’s death politicised Ken Jr and he took on a more public role. In this interview, Saro-Wiwa’s son Ken talks about his father’s campaign against multi-national oil companies polluting his Ogoni homeland, his father’s execution and how his family has coped without his father.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfsfA-uRxYY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sWZHQRjRfo&feature=related

Gani Fawehinmi’s Death and Burial

Chief Gani Fawehinmi

One of Nigeria’s most acclaimed human rights crusaders, Chief Gani Fawehinmi has died at the age of 71.  Gani had been suffering from various ailments and cancer for some time. He finally died on September  5, 2009. Gani was a jack of all trades – human rights crusader, politician and arch enemy of tyranny.

He was a thorn in the side of, and outspoken critic of military rule and was arrested by virtually every government in Nigeria’s history. He once joked that he holds a record for being the most arrested Nigerian in history. He was arrested scores of times for his outspoken criticism of corruption, military rule and tyranny. He was such an opponent of former military leader General Ibrahim Babangida that Babangida’s wife Maryan nicknamed him “Wahala Man”.

There were several assassination attempts on him. Ironic that he survived all of these but succumbed finally to a disease.

*Even though the police have denied it, Nuhu Ribadu DID enter Nigeria, and visited the home of Gani Fawehinmi in Lagos. Here is video footage of Ribadu at Fawehimni’s home, speaking and signing the condolence register.  Interesting to note that Ribadu is a “leftie”…you’ll see what I mean…*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gMXfJ58sFA&feature=autofb

*I decided to update this post with this 4 part video special which reviews Gani’s life*

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaqiQiQAQWE&feature=channel_page

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWsBufh8YNM&feature=related

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDP7jFT2Ti8&feature=related

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opCJzpcJnnI&feature=related

Here is the latest press coverage regarding Gani’s death:

Biography of Gani

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/sep/6/208.html

Gani’s Famous Court Cases

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/sep/6/304.html

Timeline of Gani’s Life:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5455770-146/Gani_Fawehinmi_-_%28_1938_-.csp

Gani’s Last Three Wishes:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5455771-146/story.csp

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1183:chief-gani-fawehinmi-1938-2009-last-moments-of-gani-fawehinmi-his-death-a-national-loss-yaradua-he-kept-me-on-my-toes-babangida-he-was-a-genuine-activist-obasanjo&catid=57:cover&Itemid=126

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5455767-146/Gani_Fawehinmi_dies_at_71_.csp