Interview with Nigerian President Obasanjo: A reflection on his Presidency and a look to the Future

On Saturday June 17th, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was interviewed in London. The President spoke of his two terms of office which will end next year as having focused on uprooting corruption and transforming the economy in his country. As Nigeria was rated the most corrupt country in the world in 2000 by Transparency International, Obasanjo stated regarding his Presidency, "It took me some time to be able to come to grips with the depth of decay." Overall, under his presidency the nation was able to pay off foreign debts, decrease unemployement and poverty, and the nation became a more credible international business partner. In regards to violent attacks and curruption within the nation's oil industry Obasanjo blamed the problems on "many years of accumulation and neglect."
Under Obasanjo, Nigeria has become involved in promoting peace and conflict resolutions in sourrouding African countries. In regards to his life after his second and final term of office, Obasanjo said he will devote himself to continuing peacemaking efforts and efforts to improve conditions in Nigeria. On the issue of whether he wanted to serve another term, Obasanjo only said he took his job on the basis of the constitution. This however seems constraversial because a strong campaign was lead by his supporters to amend the constitution and allow him to serve another term. The campaign was defeated last month and a new president will be elected next year. In retrospect of his Presidency, Obasanjo conveyed himself as a benevolent promoter of peace in Africa and statistically conditions in Nigeria have improved, but it is yet to be seen how progressive his presidency was and if a new president will continue progress in Nigeria.

Do You Care More About Screech or Africa?

Dustin Diamond (aka. Screech) former television star on the TV series "Saved by the Bell", is back in the spotlight. He was known for crazy antics on the show, but sadly was stereotyped as "Screech" for the rest of his acting career. Unable to find work as a legitimate actor, Dustin had to make it in the real world, and couldn't quite make it. With only a high school diploma from "Bayside High" and no college education, Dustin had to make do with just above minimum pay salary. Apparently "Screech" got himself into quite the financial predicament, and didn't really know how to budget his money. His house is up for forclosure, but he has amazingly been able to mobilize thousands of ex-Screech fans to help get him out of this sticky financial situation. Dustin devised a scheme to start a "fundraiser" that would help him raise enough money to save his house. Over the course of a few weeks Dustin has been able to raise around $250,000!!!!! $250,000 that will go towards a washed up TV star's mortgage payment. That's enough money to feed about 420,000 starving Africans!!! There is something seriously wrong here. How can a brankrupt ex-TV star raise that amount of money for a cause as illegitimate as raising money for the "National Bedwetter Organization" (Yes, that organization really does exist-Jason Giambi donates to it annually). Do American's not have their priorities straight, or is there something seriously wrong with American culture.

International Community Takes Some Responsibility

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is up for trial for suspected war crime crimes, most notably in Sierra Leone during his time as President. Mr. Taylor who has been charged with 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other nefarious violations, undoubtedly deserves to be reprimanded. The ex-president is accused of financing the rebel force in Sierra Leone, the RUF, by selling diamonds on their behalf and then supplying them with arms. His rebel army was notorious for "raping civilians and for using machetes to kill people and to hack off limbs and other body parts"!!! It was the classic depiction of a 'warlord state'.

In order to insure that justice is served, Great Britain has offered to have Mr. Taylor serve his sentence, if he is convicted, in their own prison facilities. Other European countries have refused, but Britain the former colonial power in Sierra Leone, has taken responsibility and has promised to facilitate justice and accountability in its former colonial provinces. Apparently Great Britain feels partly responsible for the anarchy that has been going on in Africa for the past 40 years. Lord Triesman, the minister for Africa was quoted as saying, "that it had started the process [decolonization] and now we want to finish it".

Lord Triesman should be applauded for his ambitious initiatives in Africa. All we need is more of the international community to come in and help "clean up". This does not just apply to countries that colonized but should also apply to the United States who helped support illegitimate countries during the Cold War (i.e. Angola, DRC, and Kenya) . Loss of Cold War patronage have hurt these countries just as much as colonization, and as a result countries like the DRC are torn apart by rebel forces.

This is not to say that the International Community is completely responsible for the clean up of Africa because that would be far from the truth. The truth is that the hard part will be for Africans themselves; actually setting up liberal democracies. But it is up to the International Community to facilitate this process of democritization. Political institutions and bureaucracies have atrophied for too long, and traditional checks and balances must put back into the system. It will be through institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC) that accountability will be placed back on these capricious African rulers. With England helping to put a corrupt ex-president on trial in the Hague, where justice is sure to be served, this is one small step towards this vision.

Nigeria: Forced to hand over Bakassi peninsula

For over twenty years, there has been a territorial dispute between the nations of Nigeria and Cameroon. The dispute is over an oil-rich area known as the Bakassi peninsula. However, just the other day, an agreement between Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Cameroonian President Paul Biya ruled that the area belonged to Cameroon. The UN played a large role in this as well. Cameroon won the land based on a treaty from 1913 between former powers, Britian and Germany. The article mentioned that over the years of disputing between the nations, there have been many military clashes, especially during the 90's. It also said that the disputes have gotten so strong that it almost caused an all out war in 1981. But there is no telling if the UN's decision to grant Cameroon the land will end all problems of the subject. In 2002 Nigeria was told to give up the land and move its citizens off, but nobody moved claiming "technical difficulties". Nigeria isnt happy with this ruling and even went as far as to accuse the European judges of colonial-era bias. To make matters worse, there is still plenty of Nigerians that remain on the Bakassi peninsula and refuse to become Cameroonians. Plus Nigeria has a strong military presence on the peninsula. It is my worry that this ruling will not compltly solve the problem. The Nigerians simply seem like they don't want to leave their homes or change their nationalities. President Obasanjo may have agreed to abide by the ruling but it is my fear that his countrymen will not.

Uganda: Report Reveals Former Health Ministers Likely Embezzled Money

This article talks about some different ministers in Uganda who are facing criminal charges related to graft and mismanagement in a $210 million health project. One of the men was a leading official in the Health Ministry, and it seems that he likely took vast amounts of money while overseeing projects. Even though three individuals face criminal charges, the article states that due to the corruption in the government, there is a good chance nothing will come of it. They likely will just be re-appointed to different jobs in the government a result of the charges.

Somalia

It appears that the Islamic militants want to establish their rule to the west and that they are not going to institute a taliban- type of state rule. The question that the U.S has to ask itself is whether or not this is true, or will it be an overbearing government and how would should they respond. Only time will tell but it will be interesting to see what happens

Can an amateur Mayor Ease violence in Somalian City?

Mahamud Hassan Ali is an ex-janitor turned Mayor of Mogadishu, a crime ridden city in Somalia that is notorious for its violence. The past year were some of the worst death tolls since the government collapsed in 1991, and future projections do not seem any better. The city literally seems to be rotting from the inside out, and seems to be a microcosm of what the rest of the country looks like.
Mr. Ali seems to be a small glimmer of hope in the midst of all this despair. A native Somalian himself who fled the country after the government's collapse. He found himself in Minneapolis running a janitorial business. A childhood friend lured Mr. Ali back to his native country to "help clean up his own country". "Mr. Ali a naturalized United States citizen, is soft-spoken but criticizes the U.S. for financing the warlords who are destroying the city".
U.S. anxieties have been doubled ever since the city was taken over by Islamists, and Mr. Ali is exactly the type of guy Washington doesn't want in power. Mr. Ali who is completely backed by the Islamists, plays down fears that Islamic extremism will come to Somalia. The United States just doesn't believe him.
This new mayor seems to have the have the right ideas, but not the tools to implement these ideas. "All he really worries about is stopping the killing." But this is a tough task to accomplish when there is no international tribunal to be investigating war crimes of American supported warlords! Mr. Ali doesn't even have his own mode of transportation to help him traverse the city, and has to be confined to the public transportation system. The city's bureaucracy is pretty much none existent; there are absolutely no civil servants to delegate authority to, and no budget to even balance. Although I believe that Africans have to find the solutions to their own problems, this is one problem that could be alleviated a lot easier if the United States would stop being so scared of radical Islam and more open to benign leaders like Mr. Ali.

Should Israel Grant Asylum to Sudanese Refugees?

The Israeli Supreme Court is currently facing a decision regarding the handling of 230 refugees from Sudan. The 230 Muslim and Christian Sudanese are currently in Jail in Israel for sneaking into the country illegally. In an article by Joshua Mitnick, two clear emergings opinions are presented concerning how the refugees should be treated.
One opinion is that the refugees should not be granted asylum and perhaps be expelled from the country. In the past, as Israeli Interior Minister Roni Bar-On has expressed, "...security forces often try to return the refugees to the Egyptian side of the border." Sudan and Israel are currently concidered enemies, thus many Israelis are wary of the refugees and would like to see them go.
On the other side, certain Israelis make the argument that these Sudanese refugees have escaped from what the US has called 'a genocide' and thus there is a moral obligation to grant them asylum. Israelis, of all people, should remember their support of illegal Jewish refugees during WWII. Jewish refugees sought asylum in Israel as they escaped from the violence of the Holocaust, similar to the agenda of the current Sudanese refugees. Also, Israeli Human Rights groups are petitioning the Supreme Court to allow the refugees to stay, in hopes that the pressure will cause a speedy and positive decision.
The issue of illegal immigration is contraversial by all accounts, but in the case of these 230 Sudanese refugees in Israel, I support the motion to grant them asylum. If the refugees are sent to Egypt or to a jail in Sudan, they risk exposure to the violent treatment from which they escaped. Expelling this posessionless group of Sudanese refugees is pratically granting the immigrants a death sentence. Their chance of survival is minimal. Israelis should be tolerant of the refugees just as their country was tolerant of Jewish refugees during WWII.

Uncertainty and worry in Nigeria's Presidential election

In reading this article about Nigeria's next Presidential election that will be held in April of 2007, it seems to be that they are experiencing much worry about who will be on the ticket. The current President is Olusegun Obasanjo. He has been in office since 1999. Many people want him to stay on for re-election, however he has never shown any interest in a fourth term. His vice President is Atiku Abubakar. Abubakar hgas shown great interest in running for the Presidental job and seeks the People's Democratic Party's support. But he doesn't have it. I find this to be a big problem because it can have negative effects on the party. One man with support has not shown the interest and another man with the interest does not have the support. Nigeria is Africa's most populated nation, but they are very divided ethnicaly and religiously. I beleive that this could amount into a very difficult political struggle in the next election. Religiously, the problem lies due to the fact that in the Northern part of Nigeria, it is prodominatly Muslims. Obasanjo is a southern Christian. Muslims in the north beleive that it is only fair that when his term is up, it is only fair that he allow a northerner to take office. The Muslims beleive that is in the best interest of the Nations peace and nationalism. I agree with that. The absence of Nationalism is a key factor as to why African countries are having such a difficult time modernizing like the rest of the world. Ethnic and religious differences are getting in the way. The Muslims are correct in that reguard. Ethnic problems come into play when the article speaks of the Igbo ethnic group. They control 95% of the government's revenue but there's never been an Igbo President. They too are looking to have one of their own in office. However, many people of Nigeria believe that the Igbo people do not have anyone who has the politcal stature to be in office. This has enraged the Igbos. I agree with the Igbo people having the right to be outraged by this. From reading this article it is clear to me that Nigeria is torn ethnically, and religiously and that it is leading to the nation being divided. What makes it all worse is that many people beleive that Obasanjo will simply remain in office, creating politcal chaos. This can only be done by emergency rule. In my opinion that method will only make things worse between the Muslims and Igbo people of Nigeria. Nationalism will never be reached if people are not happy with the government and that is a big reason as to why Nigera and other African countries are taking so long to modernize.

Cultural Solution for Aids?

From reading an article yesterday on the destruction aids has cost the continent of Africa and also reflecting on a previous class discussion, there is one question that always seems to strike me, where does the responsibilty lie for changing the detrimental and most times harmful cultural views that many African citizens have for dealing with the aids virus? In the article provided it even states that the health minister of South Africa "urged the use of garlic and African potatoe to fight Aids instead of effective treatment". Should the National leaders of these African states be "forced" to see that their methods are ineffective and further hurting their people, or should the world community, more specifically NGO's take the responsibilty upon themselves and try to involve the African governments as little as possible?