http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/401253
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has stood its ground against what it perceives as unfair and cruel treatment by the Federal Government who has been preventing its members from having the same rights as other people have. NUT is pressing for the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure which basically means more money. But the Federal Government is adamant saying, a teacher’s reward remains in heaven.

Minister of State for Education 2, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku, was reportedly said that even if the Federal Government were to implement the Teachers Salary Structure, not all teachers would benefit from it because “a bulk of them is not qualified to be called teachers”. Dukku, like Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has urged the aggrieved teachers to take their case to the National Assembly or state governments saying, the Federal Government has no powers to fix salaries for states.

According to Dukku, the issue is lingering because the NUT wants a centralised formula for the TSS whereas there is a clear cut of responsibility between the Federal, States and Local Governments. She wants us to believe that unqualified teachers are just hiding under a cover of NUT to push their demands. Brilliant thought! But what of those who are qualified? Or is Madam Dukku telling us that all teachers in Nigeria’s schools are not qualified? And whose fault it is if unqualified teachers remain in the establishment?

It seems to me that whichever arm of the government involved in this TSS is playing hanky-panky with the NUT. Otherwise the case should be so simple that there would not have been any argument over which establishment to be contacted. For the fact that the issue is ‘lingering’ just because the NUT is contacting the wrong arm of government says a lot about how things work in Nigeria. It seems there’s no clear cut policy; no effective communication; no preparation for emergency cases and so on.

Due to the sensitivity of their job, teachers must be prevented from going on strike under any circumstance. But who cares about the quality of education in today’s Nigeria? Who cares whether Ade or Chioma or Muhammad receives qualitative education or not? The situation has even reached a point where one is forced to think that various governments are killing education in disguise for the purpose known to them. Now you know why the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu had so many thugs to cater for.

Part of the problem facing teaching in the contemporary world, according to analysts, is that its status as a profession has been undermined by the contemptible view that only what makes money is desirable. When people lose sight of the invisible rewards on offer in different avocations, many kinds of work that make the world a better place suffer a loss of talent. I believe this statement to be true in Nigeria today. Successive governments have waged war against education system in Nigeria. No wonder many qualified teachers have left the country in search of better offers. Is it that difficult to regulate their living standard?

When teachers go on strike, it’s obvious who suffer. That is why a four-year course now runs for five to six years in Nigeria. That is why many employers are crying that Nigerian students lack necessary skills to integrate them into employment society. That is why most of them have found solace in cultism, armed robbery, prostitution and sugar daddy’s toys. An idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. A serious government would prevent teachers going on strike by all means – at least for the sake of its children.

Gone are the days when Nigerian teachers were teachers; when they naively believed their rewards were in heaven. Today’s Nigerian teachers have woken up, aggressive as their counterparts in politics, police, and the media. Their demand for increase in salary is justified. After all, they don’t get brown envelope or N20. Well, those in the Higher Institutions have hand-outs to sell, but we are talking about primary and secondary schools for now. How could our teachers survive with the current salary structure? I believe the current situation whereby teachers can’t even eat three meals a day would hinder their performance.

It’s simply injustice if a local chairman or a governor or a senator who does nothing receives fat salary and allowances while a teacher receives meagre income. Teachers are not fools. They read everyday how much money their politician counterparts stole from the public treasury. They read how in spite of this act of robbery, politicians still receive honour here and there. They see and read how their counterparts in the media are building mansions. Do you then blame them for demanding their rewards here on earth? I don't.

Of course everyone knows that teaching has never been a highly paid profession despite its importance. Hence the coinage, “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”. Teaching, I strongly believe, is not for the undedicated mind. A teacher must be patient at all times. That’s why “it was once a highly respected (profession), and the status enjoyed by teachers helped compensate them for the dedication and difficulty involved in their vocation,” says one A. C. Grayling in his book, “The reason of Things”.

As for now, I don’t have any solution for the on-going strike. As in many other issues affecting Nigeria, there are plenty solutions but none of which the Federal Government is willing to implement. Maybe it’s a cause on the nation to have people like these at the helm of affairs. They are all pretenders masquerading as genuine and caring leaders. I ask: why do governments treat teachers as people who must be paupers?




]]> Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:45:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/401253 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/401263
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has stood its ground against what it perceives as unfair and cruel treatment by the Federal Government who has been preventing its members from having the same rights as other people have. NUT is pressing for the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure which basically means more money. But the Federal Government is adamant saying, a teacher’s reward remains in heaven.

Minister of State for Education 2, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku, was reportedly said that even if the Federal Government were to implement the Teachers Salary Structure, not all teachers would benefit from it because “a bulk of them is not qualified to be called teachers”. Dukku, like Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has urged the aggrieved teachers to take their case to the National Assembly or state governments saying, the Federal Government has no powers to fix salaries for states.

According to Dukku, the issue is lingering because the NUT wants a centralised formula for the TSS whereas there is a clear cut of responsibility between the Federal, States and Local Governments. She wants us to believe that unqualified teachers are just hiding under a cover of NUT to push their demands. Brilliant thought! But what of those who are qualified? Or is Madam Dukku telling us that all teachers in Nigeria’s schools are not qualified? And whose fault it is if unqualified teachers remain in the establishment?

It seems to me that whichever arm of the government involved in this TSS is playing hanky-panky with the NUT. Otherwise the case should be so simple that there would not have been any argument over which establishment to be contacted. For the fact that the issue is ‘lingering’ just because the NUT is contacting the wrong arm of government says a lot about how things work in Nigeria. It seems there’s no clear cut policy; no effective communication; no preparation for emergency cases and so on.

Due to the sensitivity of their job, teachers must be prevented from going on strike under any circumstance. But who cares about the quality of education in today’s Nigeria? Who cares whether Ade or Chioma or Muhammad receives qualitative education or not? The situation has even reached a point where one is forced to think that various governments are killing education in disguise for the purpose known to them. Now you know why the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu had so many thugs to cater for.

Part of the problem facing teaching in the contemporary world, according to analysts, is that its status as a profession has been undermined by the contemptible view that only what makes money is desirable. When people lose sight of the invisible rewards on offer in different avocations, many kinds of work that make the world a better place suffer a loss of talent. I believe this statement to be true in Nigeria today. Successive governments have waged war against education system in Nigeria. No wonder many qualified teachers have left the country in search of better offers. Is it that difficult to regulate their living standard?

When teachers go on strike, it’s obvious who suffer. That is why a four-year course now runs for five to six years in Nigeria. That is why many employers are crying that Nigerian students lack necessary skills to integrate them into employment society. That is why most of them have found solace in cultism, armed robbery, prostitution and sugar daddy’s toys. An idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. A serious government would prevent teachers going on strike by all means – at least for the sake of its children.

Gone are the days when Nigerian teachers were teachers; when they naively believed their rewards were in heaven. Today’s Nigerian teachers have woken up, aggressive as their counterparts in politics, police, and the media. Their demand for increase in salary is justified. After all, they don’t get brown envelope or N20. Well, those in the Higher Institutions have hand-outs to sell, but we are talking about primary and secondary schools for now. How could our teachers survive with the current salary structure? I believe the current situation whereby teachers can’t even eat three meals a day would hinder their performance.

It’s simply injustice if a local chairman or a governor or a senator who does nothing receives fat salary and allowances while a teacher receives meagre income. Teachers are not fools. They read everyday how much money their politician counterparts stole from the public treasury. They read how in spite of this act of robbery, politicians still receive honour here and there. They see and read how their counterparts in the media are building mansions. Do you then blame them for demanding their rewards here on earth? I don't.

Of course everyone knows that teaching has never been a highly paid profession despite its importance. Hence the coinage, “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”. Teaching, I strongly believe, is not for the undedicated mind. A teacher must be patient at all times. That’s why “it was once a highly respected (profession), and the status enjoyed by teachers helped compensate them for the dedication and difficulty involved in their vocation,” says one A. C. Grayling in his book, “The reason of Things”.

As for now, I don’t have any solution for the on-going strike. As in many other issues affecting Nigeria, there are plenty solutions but none of which the Federal Government is willing to implement. Maybe it’s a cause on the nation to have people like these at the helm of affairs. They are all pretenders masquerading as genuine and caring leaders. I ask: why do governments treat teachers as people who must be paupers?




]]> Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:45:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/401263 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/400135
More warships for Niger delta, more probes in Niger delta state govt treasury's, massive development of infrastructures by FG from excess crude account in line with Niger delta master plan (Niger delta master plan must have been implemented to 40% scale before any military action or JTF presence can be justified byFG. Only recently JTF APC fell into a ditch - I am sure the driver was only reckless even though that road is likely to be as deplorable as Lagos to Benin road) with equity contribution from state and local governments oil companies should be more transparent in recruiting in Niger delta (Shell just did mess with SITP - I bet tat process could have enlisted 100 more militants from aggrived applicants that were enied level playing field in the recruitment process) with specified quota for indigienes, militants to sheath their swords and surrender with guaranteed amnesty or get caught and tried or at worst bombed in the creeks.

The NAVY should block arms inflow through the high sea else Heads should roll. Massive Naval operations to cut off supplies is necessary, with teams of warship and patrol boats in inestimable numbers - even if it is for a short week and on loan or lease supply, with strategic amphibious attacks on previously identified black spots (what is the function of SAT 1 and NARSDA if they cannot spot human/arms movement's creeks and they are bidding for Telecoms license - someone needs to ask the Security Attache in NARSDA what his job specifications are and why he/she should be retained at tax payer's expense).

If Militants can hijack FPSO that is a bad signal for National Development. While, military options is not a sustainable way forward it is needed at this material moment so as to allow the Militants re-assess their negotiating power before all and sundry agree to get back to the discussion round table. Blasting Bonga is quite unacceptable by any standard and the FG must stamp their feet with authority in a way that would stop militants from making further damages to the economy and the country's economic goodwill.


I learn some militants forcefully took skye bank recruitment test - I feel their pains and frustrations, I empathize with them but the only weapon that I know that fights better than Gun is the pen.

Should they be ready to fight by the pen - i would willingly volunteer within their service. When Guns clash, even the victors can't claim victory! Someone needs to tell them no war ever ended with a clear winner, not even desert storm.

Even, while they are unaware or pretend to be ignorant, several erudite scholars and intelligent professionals, including fire brand legal luminaries have genuine affiliations for the cause for which the militants are fighting without necessarily identifying with their attacks/strategies, hence the wide spread media awareness on anomalies in Niger delta and pressure on FG to make amends. Peace and reconciluation strategies by the FG, though slow paced is quite impressive; blasting more installations, would never sway arguments in their favour and I doubt if the have the fie power to confront the State if and when the state is ready to employ the fire for fire option!]]> Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:28:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/400135 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/392287


"Arise, O Compatriots"

Arise, O compatriots,

Nigeria's call obey.

To serve our Fatherland

With love and strength and faith.

The labour of our heroes past

Shall never be in vain,

To serve with heart and might

One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.



O God of creation,

Direct our noble cause;

Guide our leaders right:

Help our youth the truth to know,

In love and honesty to grow,

And living just and true,

Great lofty heights attain,

To build a nation where peace and justice reign.



The Nigeria national anthem, “Arise, O compatriots” was adopted in 1978, thirty years ago, in preference to “Nigeria We Hail Thee” which was formerly used as the national anthem between 1960 to 1978. The uniqueness of this anthem especially to me is the fact that 1978 was during the period famously known in Nigeria as the oil boom, which was when one could proudly say I am a Nigerian. Uniquely the lyrics of the current national anthem were taken from five best entrants of in a national contest. The lyrics as written by John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B.A. Ogunaike, Sotu Omoigui, and P.O Aderibighe were put together to form the national anthem, a mark of unity in diversity.

Do you know that there is no smoke without fire? When the national anthem came out, I want to believe that our country had not degenerated to what it is today. But the people who put the anthem together can be said to have the Wisdom of Solomon and eyes like the eagles. They saw into the future. The second stanza aptly says a prayer, in the midst of foreseen calamity, to the God of creation to direct the noble cause of the nation Nigeria and guide our leaders. The ills are not only perpetrated but leaders as they have successfully introduced innocent and unassuming youths into their evil deeds. So we pray that God should help these innocent youths that have been brainwashed to know the truth, and to grow in love and honesty which our leaders lack. This will enable them to live justly and in the truth; they will attain great and lofty heights to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign. Could that be the reason why it has always been sung that Nigerian youths are the leaders of tomorrow? I bet most of us need to take time and meditate on the lyrics of the Nigeria national anthem. Then we won’t need anyone to tell us what is right or wrong.

Every leader of this great nation should be made to assimilate the message behind this anthem before thinking of leading the Nigerian citizens. He who assimilates it and fails to uphold its unique message stands condemned by himself.]]> Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:39:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/392287 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/376753
The current wave of xenophobic and violent attacks against foreigners in SA did not come as a surprise to many who are familiar with life in that country, but not the less shocking either. The economic crisis in Zimbabwe has led millions of Zimbabweans to flee to SA for a chance at survival. Other migrants from Mozambique, Zambia, Nigeria, Congo and from all over sub-Saharan Africa are all in search of opportunities and a chance at a better life in a post-apartheid SA. But in the face of recent nationalism, albeit the worst kind, many are returning to their place of birth, choosing rather to stare down hopelessness and die of hunger if it comes down to it than be bludgeoned to death or burned on the street by a senseless mob.

Not that you must give up your country to show gratitude, but not long ago, the only refuge many ANC leaders and many black South Africans know was in the safety of other African countries and the warm embrace of the rest of the world. The black South African burden in the dark days of apartheid was borne by all; their struggle was our collective struggle. The least the government and the people of South Africa owes the rest of the world and especially fellow Africans, is to protect and show compassion to immigrants and displaced people in South Africa who only want to live and better their lives, something the average black South African should know too well.

Not all South Africans have forgotten so soon though, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe reminded his countrymen today where he wrote in his party’s newsletter, “On Sunday [Africa Day] we will wake up in this country and celebrate the victories our forebears have had over colonialism and apartheid… Many of us... will think of the kindness we received in the poorest communities of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Nigeria and many other African states.” I hope his countrymen are listening and most importantly for SA, I hope it’s not too late.]]> Sat, 24 May 2008 08:14:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/376753 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/376739
The English Premiership and European leagues have since filled the vacuum that exists at home. This much was clear on Wednesday, May 21. Very early in the day, the streets of Lagos had been taken over by Manchester Red and Chelsea Blue colours. Football fanatics decorated their cars with the colours of their favourite teams. In Mushin, young boys wore Chelsea Blue and they dared anyone in the neighbourhood to show up in Manchester Red.

In Nigeria, supporters of English clubsides have associations with presiding Chairmen and Secretaries; they have special uniforms and it is not unusual to run into a big owambe party, with a musician on the bandstand, all put together by fanatics of English football celebrating their club's victory. In Ikeja, on Wednesday, some streets had red or blue banners flying in the sky. By 7.30 p.m Nigerian time, about fifteen minutes to the kick-off of the match in Moscow, Lagos streets had been deserted. Ordinarily at such an hour of the day, Lagos roads are congested with traffic.

And on Wednesday evening, he almost had a heart attack. First, he could not touch his pepper soup. His beer went cold and flat due to neglect. His eyes were glued to the TV set as if his life depended on it. When Man U missed two great chances in the first half, he slumped in his chair. When Chelsea equalised through Lampard in the dying minute of the first half, he was so sad, he blamed Man U defenders. He kept insisting that Sir Alex should take out Rooney who in his estimation was not playing well. We had to keep reminding him that Chelsea is not in Moscow to allow Man U run away with the prize. And besides, Moscow is home more or less to Chelsea with Russian owner of the club, Roman Abramovich, in the stands, keeping an eye, like Mike, on his investment.

As it turned out, Chelsea dominated the second half, sending Mike into paroxysms of fear. Two deadly shots one of them designed by Didier Drogba bounced off the bar in front of Man U's goal. But our Man U supporter was confident. Again he drew attention to the fact that Sir Alex had changed from a suit to a track suit. "Now, the war will begin", he boasted. We had to point out to him that the man was actually wearing a rain coat because it was raining heaviiy in Moscow. When Ryan Giggs was brought in to replace Scholes, Mike and the Liverpool fan who was now rooting for Man U, said: "Baba is here. Baba will change the game!"

Didier Drogba nearly spoiled the fun when in the later part of the match, he slapped Vidic. The red card that threw him out of the match and the stadium (he didn't show up to collect his medal) gladdened our hearts. Drogba is richly talented, but he is too much of a prima donna, and this stands in the way of the spirit of sportsmanship. And then the penalties came. The rain and passion-soaked match ended with Van der Sar saving Nicholas Anelka's final attempt for Chelsea and the Red Devils breaking loose in a celebration dance across the world. In all parts of Lagos, there were victory dances. Even yesterday, MBI, a Nigerian TV channel showed images of parties thrown by Man U fans. Our friend Mike ordered a round of drinks to celebrate the success of his investment: "by tomorrow morning, in fact even now, Man U stocks will go up," he said. On my way home, I saw Chelsea fans holding on to their jerseys as if a tragedy had befallen them. Man U fans from Obalende all the way to Campus Square and in neighboring areas spilled onto the streets and did victory laps. By now, it was around 12 midnight and it was instructive to see Nigerians expending so much energy on something that does not really concern many of them.

There are business opportunities involved also: all those traders selling Man U T-shirts and emblems can do a lot more selling the jerseys of Nigerian football teams if they are given the chance to express themselves locally. The private sector used to be actively involved in Nigerian football: sports-loving companies can be encouraged to explore the business potentials that have been demonstrated. The Moscow final was a great moment for English football, and for the European Union: a thriving local league can provide great opportunities for national branding and even foreign relations. Beyond all of this is the human dimension of the Moscow event: the bitter rivalry between Manchester United and Chelsea, the competition, the contrasts of victory and defeat, the unraveling of Drogba, John Terry and Ronaldo when it mattered most and the heroism of Van der Sar: all of which is a beautiful reflection of the depths of the human essence.
]]> Sat, 24 May 2008 07:53:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/376739 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/373667 Also, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported yesterday that at least five people have been burnt or beaten to death in Johannesburg as violence against immigrants spreads.
A Nigerian who lives in South Africa said yesterday that the xenophobic attacks were launched against Nigerians while many of them were either in church or on their way to church.
The areas where Nigerians were most affected are Hillbrow and Yeovil as the riots spread to the Johannesburg city centre.
Many Nigerians were said to have been dragged out of buses and beaten to death while the security agents appeared not to intervene.
More than 50 other people were taken to hospital in the suburb of Cleveland with stab or bullet wounds, the BBC reported, noting that the trouble began a week ago in the sprawling township of Alexandra.
Immigrants from neighbouring African countries were set upon by men with guns and iron bars chanting "kick the foreigners out" as terrified Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and Malawians fled to the safety of the local police station and to another township, Diepsloot.
They were then attacked there as well - shacks were burnt down and shops looted. The violence has since spread to other areas.
BBC’s correspondent in Johannesburg said the attacks have prompted soul searching among South Africans.
Nelson Mandela, former president, had expressed his concern, saying the country must not descend into what he called "destructive divisiveness".
Since the end of apartheid, millions of African immigrants have poured into South Africa seeking jobs and economic sanctuary.
But they have become scapegoats for many of the country's social problems - its high rate of unemployment, a shortage of housing and one of the worst levels of crime in the world.

]]> Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/373667 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/372801
Rural migrants often assume that employment opportunities are better in big cities; they are often right, although the people in search of work usually outnumber the opportunities, and rapid urban population growth pushes up unemployment rates. In addition to urban migration, natural increase in cities themselves is bringing large numbers of young people into the labour market, contributing to high youth unemployment.

Many young job-seekers resort to “forced entrepreneurship” and self-employment, and in some countries employment in the urban informal sector has risen sharply over the past decade as a percentage of total employment. According to the International Labour Organization, approximately 85 per cent of all new employment opportunities are created in the informal economy. As Bing’s story shows, this is risky, but it contributes to flexibility and helps drive economic growth.

Most young people working in the urban informal sector live in slum areas, for example, 75 per cent in Benin, and 90 per cent in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad and Ethiopia.(

At the same time, the proportion of working adolescents has dropped in many countries in the past few decades.For instance labour force participation rates for boys 15-19 in Argentina dropped from 51.6 per cent between 1980 and 1984, to 36.9 per cent from 1995 until now. Similarly, female labour force participation rates for this age group declined from 27.8 to 24.2 per cent. In Thailand male and female labour force participation rates for 15-19-year-olds declined from 70.6 and 71.4 percent respectively, to 40.4 and 34.1 per cent for the same time periods.

Yet many young people in developing countries still work too early and too long. They do not have the opportunity to finish their education and acquire the life skills they need for healthy development. Young children and adolescents are exploited in the job market, often working for low pay, under hazardous conditions, and with few prospects. Exploitation, frustration and exhaustion can cause disillusionment and alienation among young workers.

For other young people there is no transition from school to work. They drop out of school early or never attend, and do not work either. A survey in urban areas of Zambia found that most young people had no source of livelihood: 70 per cent of males and 83 per cent of females ages 15 to 19 indicated they were neither in school nor held jobs.


When young people seeking work fail to find productive, decent livelihoods, they can enter or continue a cycle of poverty, with with high rates of unemployment across their life spans. There has been increasing concern among policymakers that the frustrations accompanying longterm unemployment among large populations of young men in urban areas may feed political and ideological unrest and provoke violence. High levels of unemployment among young people, particularly in urban areas, indicate that cities are unable to absorb labour, which in the long term has a direct impact on economic growth and poverty reduction.The importance of helping youth find productive and decent employment has become a primary motivation of international youth policy-making and development efforts. Young people can make their best contribution if cities provide a social safety net, including housing, health care and education opportunities.

The United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted by the General Assembly in 2000, reflects the commitment of heads of state and government to develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere real opportunities to find decent and productive work. This objective was subsequently integrated into the Millennium Development Goals; the eighth Goal, which relates to developing a global partnership for development, explicitly refers to creating employment opportunities for young people. The Youth Employment Network (YEN), comprising the ILO, World Bank and United Nations, was established following the Millennium Summit to initiate action on the ground, with the result that the youth employment issue has gained momentum at the national level.(Already, 19 countries have stepped forward as to share experiences, lead the way in formulating action plans on youth employment, and committing to change at the highest political level.

Several of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) completed by developing countries in the past few years have outlined youth employment strategies focusing on youth entrepreneurship training, microcredit schemes, the development of vocational training and career guidance services, youth leadership training, youth targeted labour-intensive programmes, and the acquisition of ICT skills.Other countries could follow this example and create more employment opportunities for young people.

The skill sets and opportunities for long-term economic security are established in early adolescence; there is an immediate need for expansion in livelihood skills. Adolescents and youth need a chance to make the most of their productive potential through quality education and decent employment. At the same time education provision should be coordinated with labour market needs now and in the foreseeable future.

Over the next 10 years, 1.2 billion young women and men will enter the working-age population. They will be the best-educated and best-trained generation ever, with great potential for economic and social development, if countries can find uses for their skills, enthusiasm and creativity, otherwise they will be condemned to poverty, like many of their parents are.
]]> Sat, 17 May 2008 06:42:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/372801 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/371625
Intellectual Property (IP) is the right to enjoy the benefits of one’s creative genius. It includes rights via the patent system for novel inventions, copyrights on creative arts and music and trademarks in symbols and designs that have grown to represent a particular company. While IP is critical to the economy as an engine of growth, it can be a company’s most valuable asset and most dangerous threat. As one CEO of a top corporation noted, “If you are not constantly worried about counterfeiters, you probably don’t have a very good product.”

IP threats come in two varieties: counterfeiting and piracy. To counterfeit is to falsely label one’s goods with the trademark of another to mislead the purchaser into thinking the good was made by oneself. Examples of counterfeiting include: boot-legging DVDs, creating fake designer clothing, handbags and jewelry and falsifying prescription drugs. Piracy is using or distributing another’s IP illegally. One common type of piracy is software piracy whereby the consumer uses the software without a proper license. While these crimes have plenty of history, there has been an enormous rise in both counterfeiting and piracy in recent years, The European Union Customs reports a 1000% increase in the number of counterfeit goods in Europe between 1998 and 2004, and the World Customs Organization estimates the value of physical and Internet digital goods pirated or counterfeited to be approximately $650 billion -- a figure equivalent to five to seven percent of world trade.

Even amidst such grim statistics, a company can, with preparation and intentionality, protect itself against IP counterfeiting and fraud. Essential to this end, a company needs to maintain accurate computer records, including e-mail communications, web mail logs, VPN logs, send mail logs, instant messaging, web activity logs and print logs. Computer forensic experts also advise companies to retain forensic images of the hard drives for employees departing the company under suspect circumstances. These records prove extremely helpful to a computer forensic specialist or fraud investigator should an incident occur. For example, in a recent case, a factory worker walked off the production floor with paper copies of a company’s secret formulas. Specific computer logs allowed investigators to identify the likely suspect and build a civil case, which led a court to issue a civil search warrant. The suspect’s house was raided, the stolen documents were recovered and arrest warrants issued.

Additionally, Legal, IT and Security teams within an organization should consider having a proactive relationship in place with a computer forensic specialist or fraud investigator. As the scale of threat to IP continues to increase, ignorance can be costly. Having an established relationship with a computer forensic expert will provide insight into IP theft and help prevent your company’s most important IP from walking out your front door.

]]> Thu, 15 May 2008 06:24:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/371625 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/371605
Until so recently in the late 60’s, at about the same time Nigeria was embroiled in a bloody civil war, the United States of America was also up in flames, set alight by the various civil-rights riots, led most notably by Dr Martin Luther King and the maverick Malcolm X. It is notable that while Nigeria has remained trapped in increasing ethnic cleavages and strife, the aftermath of the civil-rights movements have heralded a new, though imperfect America , which for the first time accommodated the rights of African Americans. Since then the American attitude has changed significantly, and progress has continued in unquantifiable leaps.

It is the fruits of that progress and broader outlook of Americans that has produced the Obama revolution. Prior to Barrack Obama’s quest for the democratic party's presidential ticket, Hillary Clinton, a long established name in the Democratic Party had expected a coronation. But she is now having to fight the battle of her life, against a hitherto little known Barrack Obama in whom the new and healed America has vested so much faith. In spite of the Reverend Wright controversy which the press and Clinton campaign has tried to exploit to frighten American voters, the Obama train could not in any substantial way be slowed down.

Naturally, many have remained sceptical about the possibility of a blackman becoming the president of a predominantly white America. Endless scenarios of how white America would gang up against a black candidate once Obama is the democratic nominee has continued to be concocted. Even the Clinton campaign has sought to play the race card by advancing the same arguments. But Obama has so far continued to confound the sceptics by his yet unstoppable appeal to both black and white America .

His gift of oratory and his originality has continued to dazzle many. Most politicians in his shoes, with a white mother could have tried to play games with racial identity to win more white votes. A typical Ikwerre man, would brook no eyelid in denying his ethnic identity as a perceived ticket to get more patronage in post-war Nigeria, but Obama has remained true and steadfast to his largely defining African American identity and by so doing has attracted an almost cultic following by black voters and a massive following by white voters who respect his originality and identify with his message of change.

While sceptics have continued to ponder, Obama has continued to make history in several areas. He has inspired voters, most notably young voters like no one has done in the history of the democratic race, he has raised more cash than all his opponents, and has made so far the most successful attempt for the presidency by any African American in the history of the United States of America.

It is becoming clear by the day, that the only way to usurp the lead of a candidate who has won more states, popular vote, pledged delegates and raised more campaign cash would be to return America to an inglorious past of injustice and racism. Ironically this is exactly what the Hillary Clinton campaign has continued to struggle and hope for. But I suspect the American people are smarter than that. In Barrack Obama, lies the fulfilment of Dr Martin Luther King’s dream and America ’s greatest opportunity to show the world what a great and transformational nation they are. It would smash the long held stereotypes of a rabidly racist America , destroy the arguments of the terrorists, silence American haters and consolidate America as the world’s greatest nation.
]]> Thu, 15 May 2008 04:06:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/371605 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/366319 As the Internet becomes more pervasive in all areas of human endeavor, individuals or groups can use the anonymity afforded by cyberspace to threaten citizens, specific groups (i.e. with membership based on ethnicity or belief), communities and entire countries, without the inherent threat of capture, injury, or death to the attacker that being physically present would bring.

As the Internet continues to expand, and computer systems continue to be assigned more responsibility while becoming more and more complex and interdependent, sabotage or terrorism via cyberspace may become a more serious threat.

The definition of "terrorism" has been well studied, defined, and documented. There is also a degree of understanding of the meanings of Cyber Terrorism, either from the popular media, other secondary sources, or personal experience. This paper examines the future of Cyber Terrorism - a term t coined a decade ago, as the indicia of technological dependence and frailty were forming in our New World disorder. Indeed, that future has come to fruition, today.

Cyber terrorism--meaning the use of cyber tools to shut down critical national infrastructures (such as energy, transportation or government operations) for the purpose of coercing or intimidating a government or civilian population--is clearly an emerging threat."

The face of terrorism is changing. While the motivations remain the same, we are now facing new and unfamiliar weapons. The intelligence systems, tactics, security procedures and equipment that were once expected to protect people, systems, and nations, are powerless against this new, and very devastating weapon. Moreover, the methods of counter-terrorism that our world's specialists have honed over the years are ineffectual against this enemy. Because, this enemy does not attack us with truckloads of explosives, nor with briefcases of Sarin gas, nor with dynamite strapped to the bodies of fanatics. This enemy attacks us with one's and zero's, at a place we are most vulnerable: the point at which the physical and virtual worlds converge. Let us first define theses two domains.


Effects of Cyber-Terrorism

Cyberterrorism can have a serious large-scale influence on significant numbers of people. It can weaken countries' economy greatly, thereby stripping it of its resources and making it more vulnerable to military attack.

Cyberterror can also affect internet-based businesses. Like brick and mortar retailers and service providers, most websites that produce income (whether by advertising, monetary exchange for goods or paid services) could stand to lose money in the event of downtime created by cyber criminals.

As internet-businesses have increasing economic importance to countries, what is normally cybercrime becomes more political and therefore "terror" related

Potential Cyber Terrorist Acts
Let us examine some example Cyber Terrorist acts. Based on the definitions of terrorism, a determination can be made if they in fact constitute terrorism:
• A Cyber Terrorist will remotely access the processing control systems of a cereal manufacturer, change the levels of iron supplement, and sicken and kill the children of a nation enjoying their food. That Cyber Terrorist will then perform similar remote alterations at a processor of infant formula. The key: the Cyber Terrorist does not have to be at the factory to execute these acts.

• A Cyber Terrorist will place a number of computerized bombs around a city, all simultaneously transmitting unique numeric patterns, each bomb receiving each other's pattern. If bomb one stops transmitting, all the bombs detonate simultaneously. The keys: 1) the Cyber Terrorist does not have to be strapped to any of these bombs; 2) no large truck is required; 3) the number of bombs and urban dispersion are extensive; 4) the encrypted patterns cannot be predicted and matched through alternate transmission; and 5) the number of bombs prevents disarming them all simultaneously. The bombs will detonate.

• A Cyber Terrorist will disrupt the banks, the international financial transactions, the stock exchanges. The key: the people of a country will lose all confidence in the economic system. Would a Cyber Terrorist attempt to gain entry to the Federal Reserve building or equivalent? Unlikely, since arrest would be immediate. Furthermore, a large truck pulling along side the building would be noticed. However, in the case of the Cyber Terrorist, the perpetrator is sitting on another continent while a nation's economic systems grind to a halt. Destabilization will be achieved.

• A Cyber Terrorist will attack the next generation of air traffic control systems, and collide two large civilian aircraft. This is a realistic scenario, since the Cyber Terrorist will also crack the aircraft's in-cockpit sensors. Much of the same can be done to the rail lines.

• A Cyber Terrorist will remotely alter the formulas of medication at pharmaceutical manufacturers. The potential loss of life is unfathomable.

• The Cyber Terrorist may then decide to remotely change the pressure in the gas lines, causing a valve failure, and a block of a sleepy suburb detonates and burns. Likewise, the electrical grid is becoming steadily more vulnerable.

In effect, the Cyber Terrorist will make certain that the population of a nation will not be able to eat, to drink, to move, or to live. In addition, the people charged with the protection of their nation will not have warning, and will not be able to shut down the terrorist, since that Cyber Terrorist is most likely on the other side of the world.

Sadly, these examples are not science fiction. All of these scenarios can be executed today. As you may know, some of these incidents already have occurred in various nations. More of such acts will take place tomorrow. Are you prepared?

Cyber Terrorists: Who, Where, and Why?
The purpose of this paper is to help you understand the threats that exist, and hopefully, to help you prevent these types of atrocities. But know this - there are people out there with very different goals, who are our real threats, and who are, or will be, attacking us. Make no mistake, the threats are real, today.

Who are the Cyber Terrorists? There a great many poor movies and too many works of fiction about the hacker and cracker communities. In the popular media, there recently was the Kevin Mitnick incident, where one cracker broke into another cracker's systems. This spawned endless press and at least two best selling books. While this incident received much attention, the events amounted to meaningless children's games.

By and large, the cracker community, based primarily in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and in the nations of the former Soviet Union, is composed of individuals who see the cracking process merely as a challenge, a brain teaser, a puzzle. They view themselves as not only being innocent of any crime, but perhaps even doing something righteous, something to counter the dark monoliths of the corporate and government worlds. They believe they are being persecuted. These individuals believe that what they are doing is not doing any true damage. At its least harmful, these crackers just look at information. However, privacy issues and military secrecy can render such infiltrations acts of terror.


Yet the hyperbole about an Internet attack frequently overshadows common sense. On Sept. 11, it took less than 24 hours after four passenger jets were used as weapons of mass destruction for cries of cyber terrorism to emerge as the next great threat, triggering calls for new legislation to broaden the authority of law enforcement agencies.

"Until we secure our cyber infrastructure, a few keystrokes and an Internet connection is all one needs to disable the economy and endanger lives," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, in a statement heralding the House's passage of the Cyber Security Enhancement Act last month. His favorite tag line: "A mouse can be just as dangerous as a bullet or a bomb."

That sort of rhetoric is why many dislike the term "cyber terrorism." Ambiguity over its definition--and, therefore, which threats are real and which are not--has confused the public and given rise to countless myths. The phrase has become a catchall buzzword that evokes nightmare images that can be exploited to support political agendas ranging from stronger surveillance authority to tighter immigration controls.





Cyber terrorism can be just deadly as the events of 911. Besides
from the treats to web sites and email that you have so briefly
touched on, many other systems are in threat. Power girds,
water girds and information girds. In our age, information is
power. Imagine if vital military planning information was stolen
by the enemy. This could threaten the lives of thousands of
soldiers. We see many movies that seem to "over exaggerate"
the threat of cyber terrorism but I believe that many movies have
it spot on. I have seen the threat that cyber terrorism and I stress
that it should not be taken lightly.

In my opinion cyber terrorism is the new threat of our time. The
scary part is that all a cyber terrorist needs to launch an attack is
a computer and internet connection. Cyberspace is the new
battlefront of the 21st century and for every security system you
develop and put into place someone will develop a counter
measure.

The problem is that we haven't experienced a massive cyber
attack... yet. That's a good thing and we should not let down our
guard. If you underestimate your enemy for just one second they
will find a way in and exploit it. It seems like events of 911
repeat themselves because security is compromised after a
period of peace. Like a night guard after countless nights,
weeks, months and years, the night guard becomes less
responsive.


]]> Mon, 05 May 2008 08:54:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/366319 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/366313
Europe, a continent I have come to adopt as home for the past 19 years is under the grip of a new resurgence. The evils of xenophobic populism, anarchic patriotism, nationalism, racism and schadenfreude are now cascading down from the Norwegian fjords to the greenery of the British Isles. The perceived horror of Islamic fundamentalism, the liberalism if immigration and the spread of multiculturalism in both mainland and continental Europe are causing real irritation among far right politicians who, in turn, and embracing xenophobic and fascist ideologies that once shacked Europe in darkness.

The recent absorption of countries from Central and Eastern Europe and old Soviet Union into one expanded European superstate has been yielding negative dividend in Western Europe. In the wake of the expansion, Britain was a country of choice for most Eastern Europeans. And to use Enoch Powell’s word, Britain was truly swamped. Polish, Latvians, Russians, Ukrainians and Romanians who left their harbours in search of opportunity and better life found it convenient to berth their anchors on a supposedly island paradise of Britain.

The current dark echo of xenophobic populism in Western Europe could therefore be seen as a rearguard action to defend and erect fortress in the continent and protect personal and collective identity which is becoming diluted by foreign cultures and way of life. For instance, in the UK melting pot, you could hear cacophonic voices of 50 languages within one mile radius. A refugee from Kandahar could find ready acceptance by an ascetic Tibetan as both work out a new sojourning narrative in the cesspit of uncertain Diaspora. A former combatant from the despoiled wasteland of Mogadishu could be seen cavorting with a Malaysian beauty in a truly love is blind tango. An Indian shopkeeper, thoroughly curried from head to toe, could be the landlord of a Kiwi backpacker on a journey to travel the world. In Europe, destiny of peoples from different nations is interwoven together like a beautiful tapestry of artistic wonder.

Yet Europe, my Europe, is in denial. This prosperous continent is angered and disillusioned with the fallout of its expansion and the harvest of strange cultures that experiment brought about. Already, 55 per cent of EU citizens think that there are too many foreigners living in their country and immigration is a particularly sensitive and volatile issue causing serious aggravation.

Deep seated resentment against foreigners has led to the rise of identity politics which trades on white fear and reinforces a negative and exclusive sense of national or regional belonging, of ‘us and against them’ syndrome in virtually all European countries. The subliminal message of far right politicians desperate for vote is clear and unambiguous: Europe for Europeans. The timeless presence of blacks in their society is conveniently forgotten. Centuries of settlement by blacks, through slavery, are not taken into account. Often, blacks are the cannon fodders politicians use to fan the embers of delusional fears of crime and disorder among white people. Police, in shameful collusion with bigoted politicians, frame statistical abracadabra which suggest that foreigners have brought more crime to Europe than at any other time in their turbulent history.

Social and economic contributions of blacks, no matter how little, to the prosperity of Europe are never mentioned in any European history. In the bigoted consciousness of European racists, black people are regarded as threat and scroungers in a continent laden with milk and honey. For instance, Britain is generally regarded as a tolerant and inclusive society. Through its historic and national conversations, it had been able to bury the Powellian nightmare of the 60s, when Enoch Powell had an intimation of apocalypse if mass immigration was not controlled. The ‘river of blood’ he envisioned as inevitable due to mass immigration has not come to pass. The forces of modernity have pushed United Kingdom into rebranding itself as a vibrant and indivisible multicultural society.

The image United Kingdoms projects to the outside world had been a sweet-scented one of inclusion, tolerance, fairness and diversity. That image is about to be irreparably smeared by the rise of conservative politics of hate and racism. Britain’s liberal pretension is about to be drowned by illiberal politicians who harbour barefaced dislike, or shall we say hatred, against foreigners and their 'queer ways'. With the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London, a new chapter of racism darkness is about to fall on the shinning beacon laid down by Ken Livingstone during his time as Mayor of this beautiful city. The gains of Ken Livingston in London in areas of inclusion, anti-racism, tolerance and the common touch have been lost to the uncouth and abhorrent racist posturing of bohemian Boris. The newly elected Mayor of London, had, in the past, called blacks such name as ‘piccaninnies’ and offloaded racist opinion about virtually anything that moves.

As European integration throttles furiously to its eventual destiny, black identity in the Euro project is still meaningless. They do not see themselves as part of the Union because Europeans still see themselves as people with a shared culture based on Greco-Roman roots and Judaeo-Christian ethics. They still dance on the altar of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and practice renaissance humanism and post-modern individualism. Also, as disillusion and worry grow among blacks in Europe, it is hoped that decent and progressive-minded politicians will stand up to the racist bullies and continue to defend and protect immigrant rights, liberty and freedom from the rabid prejudice and evil bigotry of right wingers.



]]> Mon, 05 May 2008 08:45:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/366313 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/365083
1. First, you have to be determined with a capital 'D' for your plan to happen as many homecoming aspirants are simply that - 'homecoming aspirants'. Many change their minds before even embarking on the journey. Some came and changed their minds because of the heat, traffic, electricity problems, or just because of their inability to cope with the ways of the people. So you just have to be determined for your plan not to be short-circuited.

2. There is a good argument for testing the waters for a period of time to avoid the problem enunciated above. Visiting home once or twice a year before taking the plunge will prepare you for the culture shock and all other shocks.

3. Visiting on holiday is a different ball game from settling in Nigeria. So prepare! prepare! and prepare! Don't assume that things are as easy as they look. In any case, wherever your holiday destination may be, visiting a place is different from living in a place.

4. You have to give serious thought to what to do business wise. Don't be fooled, Nigeria is becoming sophisticated daily and Nigerians are not dazzled by just anything because it comes from the West. Having said that, there are huge potentials practically in every aspect of the nation given that we are a developing country. These include property development, civil-structural engineering, medicine, human resource, large scale farming, telecommunications, teaching, food technology and of course information technology. Money is not free in Nigeria. Not everything sells. But whatever does will catch like wildfire. However be ready to be one step ahead as anything you do will be quickly copied.

5. Even with a very good business plan, you have to be patient and determined. There are many things that may conspire to stifle your plans. Did you get me? Be patient with the way people do business. You may be kept waiting, be patient. You may encounter missed appointments, be patient. Be patient but determined.

6. You need a good car. Apart from the fact that a car is a practical necessity, in Nigeria, a good car is a business necessity. My mother in law once told me that when your business host decides to see you to the door, it is possible that he wants to have a glimpse of your car. This may sway his decision on whether to do business with you or not.

What I have experienced is that a good car literally opens the gate to company premises and can secure a good car parking space. Even the police put themselves in check when they see a good car.

In the early days, I often went around in hired taxis. I once went for an important meeting at the premises of a large organisation. On that occasion, I had this very old red golf taxi. The driver lived locally and I use him often. Although he charges an arm and a leg, he was full of humour and has a positive outlook on life.

I arrived for my appointment with less than five minutes to spare but on the other side of the road. I decided to come out of the car and cross the road whilst he navigates the traffic and turn to wait for me. I informed the security guard that the car that brought me was on its way and should be allowed to park, to which he obliged. As I was about to enter the building, I noticed the driver had somehow managed to turn and was approaching the gate, I quickly dashed back to inform the guard. He did a head-to-toe survey of me, looked at the car and politely informed me that they do not allow this type of car in their premises.

7. You need settling mentors. You may need a friend or family mentor to help smoothen your settling in Nigeria. A very good friend provided a vehicle for us when available, shared hers with us sometimes to her hurt and often drove us home late at night. Their house was a place to chill, eat and plan. We are hugely indebted to her and her family.

We also had other people like my uncle and his wife who generously allowed us the exclusive use of their exquisitely furnished home. We felt we were living in London half the time. And also to a fantastic gentleman who repeatedly gave us work and office premises. These people cushioned the impact of our homecoming experience and we are grateful to them. Got the gist, you need a mentor



]]> Fri, 02 May 2008 09:15:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/365083 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/364081 Omotade, who had while aboard British Airways, observed the deportation of a Nigerian, who was handcuffed, yet being further restrained and manhandled violently, had gently approached the officers tormenting the deportee and asked them not to kill him.

But was later told to get off the plane and not to travel with the airline because the cabin crew claimed he had been disruptive by questioning the noise being caused by the deportee that was removed.



Omotade, after being prevented from traveling, was later arrested, handcuffed and detained and is being prosecuted in London, over the money found on him, which he was bringing to his family in Nigeria.

Plaintiffs in the suit are further asking the court to declare that the arrest, detention, harassment, humiliation, intimidation, jettisoning, manhandling, molestation, persecution, threatening and tormenting of Omotade on or about March 27, 2008 on board the respondent’s Flight BA075, from London to Lagos without warrant or lawful justification by British police and law enforcement officers, with the assistance, co-operation and support of the officers and crew of the respondent, in the circumstances of this case, are unlawful in the municipal laws of both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.


As well as in international law, and violate Omotade rights guaranteed him by sections 34(1), 35(1), 39(1), 41(1) and 42(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999; articles 2, 4, 5, 6, 12, 16(1), 19 and 23 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; and articles 1 to 7, 9, 13 and 28 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.



The court is also asked for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondent, its officers or crew or any of them, whether by themselves, their agents, officers, privies or servants, or otherwise howsoever, from doing or attempting or purporting to do, or letting any authority or person do or attempt or purport to do on the respondent’s flights, any of the following: arresting, detaining, harassing, humiliating, intimidating, jettisoning, manhandling, molesting, persecuting, threatening or tormenting Omotade, or in any other manner contravening the Omotade fundamental rights.

The applicants are contending that the suit is predicated on the grounds that the respondent’s grievous desecration of the applicants’ fundamental human rights offends not only the municipal laws of the jurisdictions to which the parties respectively belong, but also international law.


]]> Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:14:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/364081 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/363019
However, the ongoing dominance of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal is having a knock-on effect on the European scene, and it’s boosting the Premiership’s reputation in the process.

For the second straight year, three of the four teams in the Champions League semifinals are from England, with Liverpool hosting Chelsea on Tuesday and United taking on Barcelona 24 hours later.

If the tournament draw had kept Arsenal away from domestic opposition at the quarterfinal stage, where the Gunners lost a controversial but thrilling encounter to Liverpool, then all four EPL clubs would have made up the final four of the competition. Few could have complained they were not there on merit.

Either way, the makeup of the protagonists in this week’s semifinal first legs is, and will continue to be, used as ammunition for those wishing to highlight the EPL’s strength when compared to Europe’s other top leagues.

The issue is slightly blurred, though, as some will argue that it is actually a lack of depth in England that has carved out a path for this type of European dominance.


The Big Four rarely have much of a fight on their hands to qualify for the Champions League, even though Everton sneaked into the Premiership’s fourth qualifying spot three years ago and Tottenham came within one point in 2006.

That, especially in the case of Liverpool, has allowed the big teams to rest key players in league matches and enabled them to be fresh for Champions League games the same week. In Spain and Italy, the fight for qualification is generally much tougher, and such luxuries are not a realistic option.

There is also the matter of finance and the lavish millions that pour into each club’s coffers from Champions League revenues.


The rich get richer – and therefore stronger – and the Big Four are even less likely to relinquish the grip on their positions of power. Combine that with the experience gained from countless big European matches, year after year, and you start to see why the results of the past two seasons cannot be dismissed as coincidence.


Who will advance to the UEFA Champions League final in Moscow?
Barcelona, Chelsea 16% 16%
Chelsea, Manchester United 33% 33%
Liverpool, Barcelona 13% 13%
Manchester United, Liverpool 38% 38% 4284 Votes


And don’t expect it to change any time soon.

Whereas once English teams struggled to show the sort of sophistication needed to progress through the obstacle-ridden knockout stages of the Champions League, now the blend of British steel and continental flair that courses through the Premiership’s elite seems to be the perfect blueprint for success in Europe’s top club tournament.


At Liverpool, manager Rafael Benitez has proven himself as something of a genius when it comes to European competition and is close to reaching his third Champions League final in four years, which would be a truly remarkable achievement by any standard. He has been able to tap into the homegrown passion of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, while also getting the likes of Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso to buy into the history and spirit of the club.

Down in London, Chelsea boss Avram Grant is in a tough spot, having still failed to win over the fans who pine for a return to the exciting days of the outspoken and charismatic Jose Mourinho. There is a sense that Benitez will have the tactical edge over Grant, even though the Israeli has a deeper talent pool to call upon. Expect Liverpool to reach the final once again and fight for the Cup in Moscow on May 21.

It can be argued that ever since Manchester United’s dramatic comeback victory in the 1999 final, the Red Devils have underachieved in the Champions League. However, Sir Alex Ferguson gives no indication of wanting to step down, and his hunger this season has been as strong as ever.


Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliance has spurred a charge toward the league title that can only be derailed by a late Chelsea surge (the teams meet Saturday), but the threat of Barcelona is real. Even so, Ferguson’s men should have too much momentum and confidence and should book their place in the first ever all-English final in tournament history
]]> Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:04:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/363019 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/359979

Aside from the old-Soviet Union, and perhaps, modern Russia , I can think of no other country in modern times that has lived or is living far below its potential. No where on the face of the planet would one find a people as confused and flabbergasted about what to do with and about their country than Nigerians. For Nigerians, Nigeria has become a joke, a riddle, and a source of sadness and disappointment. Frankly, what to do with and what to do about Nigeria is one of the great mysteries of the modern era: a country once destined for greatness is today a brittle skeleton, a dust bowl.



Every now and then, I come across Nigerians who were men and women of substance and great intellect when Nigeria was a hopeful land. These Nigerians reminiscences about a country, a culture and a political space that once was; a land that had so much potential, so much dreams and so many possibilities. Catching up with the West, in terms of growth and development, was one of their mantras. It was not to be. The civil war put a let on their aspirations.



In the years immediately following the cessation of hostility, some of the embers and the energies returned. Nigerian universities and institutions of higher learning were home to some of the continent’s best. And so were the Civil Service and the Judiciary. Rent from oil and other resources made it possible for Nigeria to project herself continentally and globally. There was no doubt that the country’s place within the globally system was going to be secured within three decades. At the very least, the country was going to be the Mecca for the Black race. That was the thinking. The expectation.



However, a series of self-immolating factors, including but not limited to coups, poor leadership, institutional dishonesty, ancient fears and suspicious, along with external interferences, helped bring the country to her knees. The gains of the post-independence and post-civil eras all evaporated. The air was gradually knocked out of the nation’s lungs. And so it was that beginning in the late-1970s, until the present time, the country has been in a doldrums, in a rut: unable to pull itself up from three decades of morbid slumber. In the intervening years, about 1.1 million professionals, along with their kids and spouses, fled the country.



Consequently, the country’s institutions deteriorated; there was and continues to be a breakdown of social structures; mediocrity became the norm; high crimes were legalized; and foolishness and stupidity became fashionable. Not minding the costs and the inconveniences, Nigerians fled to whatever country that will host them. Nigerians fled everywhere, from Israel to Afghanistan , and from Timbuktu to Iceland ; they went everywhere. Today, Nigeria has more “scattered, suffering and miserable people” around the world than any other country.



Some cannot return home; others will not return. Not now, at least. Too many have nothing to return to, nothing to aspire to. It is hard to quantify the cost of such forced-migration on the people and on the country. How do you quantify the psychological and spiritual loss; how do you quantify the economic, social and political loss to the nation? If the current trend is not inverted, Nigerians may be the first and only people -- in the modern era, at least -- with a country, but without a homeland.



Immigration is not new. It is to be encouraged. It is necessary. It is part of the human evolution and human experience. There have been great migrations in history. In Africa for example, there was the Bantu and the Trans-Atlantic Migrations. In Europe , there was the Serb and the Irish Migrations, including the Ostsiedlung Migration (German’s eastward expansion). In the United States of America , there was, between 1914 and 1950, the exodus of African-Americans out of the Southern belt to other regions of the country. When such large migrations take place, the effect can be seen in both the departing and the receiving territory. In the long run, it is always a net-gain for the receiving country.



The problem with the Nigerian-style immigration is the pattern, the scope and the pull-push factors that gave rise to such movements. If Nigeria had not stagnated, seventy percent of those in exile would never have left; what’s more, seventy-five percent of those who left would have returned within a decade. Ten percent or so completely forsakes the country. For the vast majority however, they return or think of returning only after they’ve spent the better and most productive years of their lives abroad. They return to die or to be buried.



Why are Nigerians not returning home in their prime and in great numbers? Well, there are five possible explanations for this trend. The first falls under economic and time factor: It is either they are waiting for their kids to grow and enter college/university; or they have mortgages to offset, or have retirement benefits to look forward to. By the time two or three of the aforementioned takes place, they must have begun to gray and in the fourth phase of their life. Secondly, there are concerns over space and acceptability. In order words, the Nigerian economic, political and social space may not be big or expansive enough to accommodate all those who wish to return.



The space is not big enough, and it is not growing at a fast enough space. Adding to this difficulty is the issue of personal security and basic needs: availability and easy access to education and health care, sustaining infrastructures, social services, and a conducive environment for one to grow and prosper. Why forgo the predictability and comfort of the West for the vagaries of an exhausting and predatory Nigeria ? After fifteen, twenty or more years in the West, it is not easy to just pack ones bag and leave. There are several cultural factors one has to deal with, including reverse-assimilation and or reverse-acculturation. Such fears are not to be minimized.



And finally, there are those for whom the US , Canada , Germany , Mexico , New Zealand , France or wherever they call home is now Home. They have planted their seeds and their roots; they have invested in their new country. For such people, it makes no sense and neither will they entertain the idea of uprooting and returning to Nigeria . For such group of people, Nigeria becomes a distant memory: the land of their ancestors, but not the land of their offspring. There is a subset to this group -- a group that warrants further research: Nigerians who go abroad just to deliver their babies (with the intention of giving such children a better chance at life).This phenomenon says a lot about how Nigerians think about their country. For others, such moves are nothing but ego-trip and or a way to boost their social-status.



As was alluded to earlier, there have been great migrations in human history. Reverse migrations are not that common. They are rare. Still, there was the movement of South Africans back to their country after the collapse of the Apartheid system; there was the reverse migration to Israel when it became a state in 1948 and again after the collapse of Soviet Union . And in very recent years, there have been noticeable movement of people back to Ireland (a move spurred mainly by its economic growth and development). In view of the aforesaid, will there ever be a reverse migration of Nigerians to Nigeria ? It is hard to tell…




]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:04:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/359979 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/358955
While Nigeria has had the problem of brain drain to grapple with the diffident and vacuous political leadership in the land accounts mainly for the reason behind the exodus. The abiding urge to head abroad faced with the generalised rot back home is getting stronger by each passing day. A visit to the various Western embassies in Lagos and Abuja reveals a teeming jobless and hopeless mobile generation desperate to hit abroad abandoning the social and econo-political circus show at home.

Some unfortunate ones have had a harrowing experience to tell, stories that are as touching as they are terrible; tales of rape, robbery, detention, starvation, and even death on their way out. Some had had to be brought back to the land of their birth with little or no life left in them, drained by both security officials and the thought of coming back to the hell escaped! Osamuyia Aikpitanhi was murdered air-borne by overzealous Spanish security agents forcibly deporting him from Spain last year. Given the misery index at home late Osamuyia never envisaged returning to Benin City.

Among us can be found the best and brightest in their chosen fields of endeavour. Among us also are 419 scammers, drug dealers, morgue attendants, corpse cleaners, fruit pickers, writers, doctors, engineers, international sex slave merchants, credit card hustlers, oldbreed and newbreed prostitutes, and scholars of high repute. And found overseas also as compatriots are illicit fund launderers, that is those who act as middlemen receiving and banking looted funds from home by our devious politicians.

I watched an interesting investigative documentary on a French TV channel titled "Envoyé Special". In the programme it was shown how some Africans were deported against their will from Paris. A Nigerian man, a Morroccan man and a Congolese lady and many other "sans papiers" arrested and awaiting deportation. The Nigerian had his legs and hands bound and he was shouting that he was being abused physically but the French security forces would not have any of such protestation. In the airport he was carried like a corpse into the aircraft inside where he continued to protest his innocence and humiliation. And of course Lagos as final destination point!

When it came to the turn of the Morrocan man who was not tied up since he pretended all along that he was ready to go back home the French police officials were rattled when the man came down from the police van in the airport and created a scene throwing his bag at the police and running amok exclaiming: "je vais nul part! je vais nul part!! Je prefere mourrir ici que de monter dans cet avion là!!!" (I'm going nowhere; I'm going nowhere! I prefer to die here than to board this aircraft!!). The policemen reached for diplomatic language calming the aggresive man down and taking him back to the detention camp.

On the part of the Congolese lady she was shouting and raining curses on the cops as they forcibly took her into the plane. She shouted on top of her voice aboard: "laisser-moi, laisser-moi! Je veut pas me retrouver en l'enfer je viens de quitte!" (Leave me, leave me alone, I don't want to go back to the hell I've just left behind!") When the aircraft finally departed the Nigerian and Congolese must have been traumatised and subdued!

The moving melancholic true-life story of Koffi in Lome is worth telling here. Koffi in his early thirties was managing a provision store in the Togolese rural capital when suddenly his childhood friend from Bruxelles Belgium returned home. He came back in a big way with a car and was building a house. When he visited Koffi the latter was happy with him as they cruised about and celebrated his success in Belgium together.

On a second visit Koffi was begging his friend to make way for him to follow him back to base. Initially his friend refused to heed his pleas advicing him instead to manage his life back home as no place could ever be comparable with home. Koffi kept pestering him and the guy buckled under his intense pressure. He suggested to Koffi that to make it to Bruxelles he needed to get the sum of 2 million CFA Francs with which to process his travelling documents and buy his ticket. Koffi told his friend he had no such money but that he would do anything and everything within his power to raise the demanded amount.

As soon as his friend left Koffi swung into action getting cracking on how and where he had to go to put together the requirred sum. Soon afterwards he met up his elder sister in town who promised some financial assistance. He sold his shop but the money he was hunting for remained much more to complete and time was not in his favour. He went to his aged mother who was against his plans. The old woman who happened to be the treasurer of her age grade co-operative meeting group counselled her son against such a mission whose outcome could be bitter.

When the woman went out one fateful day Koffi ransacked the house and took away 850 thousand CFA the mother hid away under her bed! He dropped a note intimating the mother that he did take the money but that she should not worry much or entertain any fear as within three months he would send home more money than he had stolen.

The poor old woman could not contain her exasperation and disappointment as she broke down in tears saying in-between sobs: "Koffi, Koffi mon fils, pourquoi tu ma fait ca, tu ma tuer!" (Koffi, Koffi my son, why have you done that to me, you've killed me!). For three months running no one heard from Koffi in Belgium. The mother was more than worried losing some pounds of weight.

Weeks gave way to months as Koffi kept everybody guessing over his condition abroad. Meanwhile the ultimatum the meeting women group gave Mama Koffi to balance up account elapsed and they sought the help of the police to force her pay up. As the police served the old woman with an arrest warrant in her house she collapsed! Medical efforts in the hospital to bring her back to life failed as she died. Yes the woman kicked the bucket!

Was Koffi a liberator or a murderer in the light of the tragedy that befell his poor mother? One concludes that he must have meant well for the good and prosperity of his miserable family but in this unfortunate case he was more of a murderer than a liberator.

Whether Koffi finally made it whereever he is presently is more or less inconsequential. For many potential Andrews in Nigeria waiting patiently and impatiently to check out the Osamuyia and Koffi tales of sorrow and blood would definitely fall on deaf ears. For them anywhere is better than home! And they are not to be blamed!

For the families of Koffi and Aikpitanhi in Lome and Benin City respectively however it was tears galore but for the families of those thousands who partook in the wired billions of dollars last year it has been cheers all the way. It is a classical case of different strokes for different folks.


]]> Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:41:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/358955 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/354587
The second reason for playing ‘Andrew’ is economics. It is clear that despite {or perhaps because of } the country’s abundance of human and natural resources, our successive rulers have seemingly contrived to snatch defeat from the jaw of economic victory and the country has remained a perpetual work-in-progress. The Nigerian people, with no hope of a better tomorrow have thus been voting with their feet and migrating to all sorts of countries {as an aside a colleague of mine recently seconded to the Afghanistan Ministry of Justice relates of presence of a considerable community of Nigerians in Afghanistan!}.

Nigerians have been migrating to the UK for decades. However lately, there have been changes in the legal and political climates in the UK that those seeking to migrate to England and work illegally need to think twice before they did so. In the late 1980s and throughout 1990s, as a result of liberalisation of the British economy by Lady Thatcher, {which was sustained by the New Labour government since 1997}, the British economy has been very buoyant and was out-performing the economies of the Euro-zone. This has generated job opportunities in all facets of the labour market, especially such jobs the natives were not particularly enamoured of. As a result of this, there was a laissez faire attitude towards migration {including illegal ones}. Nigerians who came to the UK during this period could thus easily obtained works using false/forged documentations and subsequently normalise and regularise their stays. This is no longer the case.

The UK Identity Card Act 2006 was promulgated to check the incidents of identity thefts. However its ambit covers those who are in possession of false or fraudulent identification documents. The Act provides for two separate offences: possession of false identity document with the intention to deceive and simple possession of false identity document.

Section 25{12} provides that:

‘{1} It is an offence for a person with the requisite intention to have in his possession or under his control—

(a) an identity document that is false and that he knows or believes to be false;

(b) an identity document that was improperly obtained and that he knows or believes to have been improperly obtained; or

(c) an identity document that relates to someone else.

(2) The requisite intention for the purposes of subsection (1) is—

(a) the intention of using the document for establishing registrable facts about himself; or

(b) the intention of allowing or inducing another to use it for establishing, ascertaining or verifying registrable facts about himself or about any other person (with the exception, in the case of a document within paragraph (c) of that subsection, of the individual to whom it relates).’

Section 25{5}{a-c}, provides that:

‘It is an offence for a person to have in his possession or under his control, without reasonable excuse—

(a) an identity document that is false;

(b) an identity document that was improperly obtained;

(c) an identity document that relates to someone else; or

(d) any apparatus, article or material which, to his knowledge, is or has been specially designed or adapted for the making of false identity documents or to be used in the making of such documents.’

It can be clearly seen that the sections have been widely drafted to encompass such practice as using someone else genuine identity documents as well as using plainly forged documents. The offence under section 25{1} is committed if the suspect presents such documents to anyone with the intention of inducing that person to avail them of a service. Thus Mr A presents a genuine international passport {or any other form of identification documents} belonging to Mr B {probably because they look alike} to a bank with the intention of inducing the bank into opening an account for himself {Mr A}, the offence has been committed. Such practice was/is not unusual amongst illegal immigrants in the UK. The maximum punishment for a conviction under section 25[1} of the Act is 10 years custodial sentence. The offence under section 25{5} {the simple possession} is committed if the suspect is found to be in possession of such document. Thus, if using our scenario above, Mr A was in possession of any of the above documents and was subject to a routine stop and search by the police and the document{s} was found on him, he is guilty of the offence and could be sent to two years imprisonment.

Prior to the promulgation of the Identity Card Act, people found to be in possession of such identification documents were simply repatriated to their countries without having to face criminal trials. This of course is no longer the case as such people now face criminal prosecution and almost inevitable imprisonment. To make matter worse such convicted people are subsequently deported to their countries after they have served their terms of imprisonment since the sentencing courts almost always recommend those people for deportation. Under the UK law, foreign nationals convicted of imprisonable offence are liable to be removed from the UK after conclusion of their custodial sentence. Talk of double jeopardy!

This writer knows as a matter of fact that hundreds {perhaps thousands} of Nigerians have been affected by this new law. The fact that most of the key cases that have gone to Criminal appellate Courts in the UK in this area of law relate to Nigerian names are indicative of how the net of this Act has caught many Nigerians. In the case of R-v-Kolawole {2006}2 Cr.App.R{S} 14, the defendant, who was initially arrested for a traffic offence, was found to be in possession of forged passport. Even though he was previously of good character, he was nevertheless sentenced to 18 months custody. Similarly, in the case of R-v-Adebayo {2007} EWCA Crim 878, the defendant went to an employment agency and produced two documents, a national insurance card and a Nigerian passport which were fakes. Mr Adebayo claimed that he had entered the United Kingdom about 10 years earlier and had lost his Nigerian passport. He had paid £2,500 for the two false documents which he had produced. He was sentenced to Sentenced 2 -year custody, although this was reduced to reduce to 15 months on appeal. It is needless to say that both defendants were recommended for deportation.

Those two cases have become the guidance cases in UK courts for sentencing people accused of breaching the provisions of the Act. Hundreds of Nigerians are languishing in various UK jails awaiting deportation after serving their criminal sentence. What started out as journey to economic liberation and good life have suddenly become painful existence of nightmarish proportion for these unfortunate people. Ordinarily decent and hardworking people have now acquired criminal convictions for, at worst their desperation to escape from the inequities and insecurities at home. The convenient thing is to blame the UK for the harshness of its law, but that will miss the point. The real culprits are the successive leaders of Nigeria who have made staying at home so hostile, so hopeless that Nigerians are ready to migrate to such bastion of prosperity and tranquillity as Afghanistan! Whilst the country remain cocooned in the quagmire of high unemployment, entrenched poverty and decaying infrastructures, it is difficult to advise people not to seek better life elsewhere. My advice to Nigerians seeking to come to the UK is to ensure that they seek impassioned and objective advice before spending their hard earned money on a trip into the unknown.


]]> Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:58:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/354587 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/344853
The landholder, the farmer, the manufacturer, the merchant, the tradesman, and every occupation prospers by the aid which each receives from the other, and from the whole. Common interest regulates their concerns, and forms their laws; and the laws which common usage ordains, have a greater influence than the laws of government. In fine, society performs for itself almost everything that is ascribed to government.

To understand the nature and quantity of government proper for man it is necessary to attend to his character. As nature created him for social life, she fitted him for the station she intended. In all cases she made his natural wants greater than his individual powers. No one man is capable, without the aid of society, of supplying his own wants; and those wants acting upon every individual impel the whole of them into society, as naturally as gravitation acts to a center.

But she has gone further. She has not only forced man into society by a diversity of wants, which the reciprocal aid of social affections, which, though not necessary to his existence, are essential to his happiness. There is no period in life when this love for society ceases to act. It begins and ends with our being.

If we examine, with attention, into the composition and constitution of man, the diversity of talents in different men for reciprocally accommodating the wants of each other, his propensity to society, and consequently to preserve the advantages resulting from it, we shall easily discover that a great part of what is called government is mere imposition.

Government is no further necessary than to supply the few cases to which society and civilization are not conveniently competent; and instances are not wanting to show that everything which government can usefully add thereto, has been performed by the common consent of society, without government.

Man, with respect to all those matters, is more a creature of consistency than he is aware of, or that governments would wish him to believe. All the great laws of society are the laws of nature. Those of trade and commerce, whether with respect to the intercourse of individuals or of nations, are laws of mutual and reciprocal interest. They are followed and obeyed because it is the interest of the parties so to do, and not on account of any formal laws their governments may impose or interpose.

But how often is the natural propensity to society disturbed or destroyed by the operations of government! When the latter, instead of being engrafted on the principles of the former, assumes to exist for itself, and acts by partialities of favor and oppression, it becomes the cause of the mischiefs it ought to prevent.

Can we possibly suppose that if government had originated in a right principle, and had not an interest in pursuing a wrong one, that the world could have been in the wretched and quarrelsome condition we have seen it? What inducement has the farmer, while following the plow, to lay aside his peaceful pursuits and go to war with the farmer of another country? Or what inducement has the manufacturer? What is dominion to them or to any class of men in a nation? Does it add an acre to any man's estate, or raise its value? Are not conquest consequence? Though this reasoning may be good to a nation, it is not so to a government. War is the faro table of governments, and nations the dupes of the game.

If there is anything to wonder at in this miserable scene of governments, more than might be expected, it is the progress that the peaceful arts of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce have made, beneath such a long accumulating load of discouragement and oppression. It serves to show that instinct in animals does not act with stronger impulse than the principles of society and civilization operate in man. Under all discouragements, he pursues his object, and yields to nothing but impossibilities.

Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.

The trade of governing has always been monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of mankind.


]]> Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:36:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/344853 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/343049
The deal which was initiated by the Babatunde Fashola through the Lagos ministry of tourism is to be bankrolled by a Diamond capial Limited, the investment baking arm of Diamond bank.

The project in Lagos is a boost to the tourism industry , and it will further improve the status of Lagos as one of the favourite destinations in tourism in Africa.
If completed the boat hotel will be the first in Africa and the fifth in the world.

But there are strong reservations about this mega project, with the spate of crime in Lagos, people are wondering the need for an expensive project that gulps millions of dollars and will still attarct lots of concerns.
The Lagos state government unusually did not confer with the State assembly , nor seek public approval for a project as this.

Be that as it may one must still commend the state government for planning to execute a project that will promote tourism and investment in Lago ststae.

The security newtwork in a city like Lagos should be doubled.
I think the need for a state police is needed in indigenous projects as this.

Lagosians home and abroad should join hands in supporting the government of Babatunde Fashola.

Eko O ' ni baje]]> Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:13:00 EDT http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/343049 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/340701


If a contest were held to identify the single issue that most personally affects more than 45 Million women each year while at the same time generating more controversy and polarizing debate than any other, abortion would be the clear winner.

Despite its relevance to women’s lives, abortion has never been an easy subject to discuss. The difficulty in pleasing all sides when considering the legality of and access to abortion has resulted in laws and practices that run the gamut from complete restriction to wide availability. And the debate continues.

For at least 40% of the world’s population, abortion remains restricted by laws or practices in ways that limit women’s access to safe services. But tragically, these barriers have not stopped abortion from occurring. They merely drive it underground, resulting in fatalities, injuries and affections. The death rate from unsafe illegal abortion is injuries, and infections. The death rate from unsafe illegal abortion is seven hundred times higher than that of safe, legal abortion.

Safe abortion should be available and accessible as part of comprehensible reproductive health care, rather than offered in isolation from other necessary health and social services: It is also important that women have access to safe and effective contraceptive methods, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, counseling related to sexual or domestic violence, and a number of other services.

But women’s need for safe abortion is the reproductive health issue that is most often ignored by policy makers, health workers and societies at large. The alternative to providing safe abortion is grim: The world health organization estimates that at least 78,000 women die every year from complications of unsafe, usually clandestine abortion.
Protecting women health is not the only rationale for ensuring that legal abortion services are safe and accessible in every society. The right to health is a human right that women are entitled to enjoy .Increasingly governments and individuals are recognizing that women cannot live healthy, fulfilled lives unless they are able to make decisions about their own sexuality and reproduction. Numerous international treaties, convention and conferences have reaffirmed that every individual has the right to decide, when and with whom to have sexual relations, as well as whether to have children and, if so, how many.


Common Myths about Abortion

• Abortion is uncommon
Abortion is a frequent experience for every woman in every culture and region of the world. Worldwide, the lifetime average is about one abortion per women.
An estimated 46 Million women around the world have abortion each year.
Worldwide there are approximately 210 Million pregnancies each year: 38% are unplanned and 22% end in abortion.

• Abortion is dangerous for Women
It is likely that about 100,000 women die each year from complications following unsafe abortion. Almost 95% of unsafe abortions take place in the developing world…… complication such as sepsis, hemorrhage, genital and abdominal trauma, perforated uterus or poisoning may be fatal if left untreated.
A woman living in a developing country faces a risk of death up to 250 times greater if she has to seek services from an untrained, unskilled abortionist than if she has access to a skilled provider and hygienic conditions.
Of the 46 Million abortions that take place each year, 26 Million are in countries with liberal abortion leas and 20 Million takes place where abortion is restricted or prohibited by law.

• Abortion would be eliminated if everyone used contraceptive.

Use of modern family planning methods is the most effective way to reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions. Studies from many parts of the world show that coercive often results in pregnancy. Many women with unwanted pregnancies resulting from rape or incest choose to terminate the pregnancy. In such situation, contraception is an inadequate way to prevent abortion.

• Only irresponsible women have abortions.
Throughout the world, the reasons women give for deciding to end an unplanned pregnancy are similar. Basically, women decide to have an abortion because they are too young or too poor to raise a child, they are estrange from or on uneasy terms with their sexual partner, they are unemployed, they are still in school , they want to be self dependent. These reasons are not frivolous or unconsidered. Rather, they a demonstrate many of the difficulties that beset women in all walks of life who are trying to juggle competing responsibilities and trying to adapt to changing societal expectations.

• Major religions oppose abortion.
The teachings of most religions are complex and sometimes contradictory and the statements that are circulated about religious positions on abortion are often simplistic and absolute.

]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:51:00 EST http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/340701 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/340697
The term native language is used to indicate a language that a person is as proficient in as a native inhabitant of that language's base country or as proficient as the average person who speaks no other language but that language.. Sometimes the term mother tongue or language is used for the language a person learn at home,usually from one's parents. The usage of these terms is far standardized; however, the term first language is used for the language the speaker speaks best.

Sometimes, the term first language, second, and third langauge are used to indicate levels of language skills, so that it can be said that such a person knows more than one language asfirst or second language level. Mother tongue or native can also be misleading ,regardless of their definitions.It is quite possible that the mother tongue learned is no longer a speaker's dominant language, as in the case of of most Igbo indigenes, whose families have moved to a new linguistic environment, may lose, in part or in totality, the language they first acquired.

Mother tongue should not be be interpreted to mean that it is the language of one's mother.In some paternal societies, the wife moves in with the husband and thus,may have a different first language or dialect, than the local language of the husband.Yet their children usually speak their language.Only a few will learn to speak their mother's language like native dialect

Nevertheless, in the contemporary Nigeria, many youths have replaced their mother tongue with the English language,which is a borrowed language from our colonial masters, whie others have become so conversant with the ever popular English lingo,otherwise known as pidgin English.I think the misconception of teaching our children English language as the first language should be corrected, so that our children would learn to appreciate their mother tongue.

If urgent measures are not taken perhaps in the nearest future, English language will take the place of our mother tongue.It is amazing how fast many Nigerians want to do away with their mother tongue.
Hopefully, it won't get to that extend whereby English will replace our mother tongue.
However, this ought not to be so because the mother tongue is our heritage and we should therefore guide it.There is need for a conscientious efforts by all stakeholders in preserving our mother tongue.Better orientation needs to be given to our youths on the benefits of preserving our mother tongue and passing it to generations yet unborn.

The home is the first point of call for a national effort in preserving our heritage.So the parents owe it as a point of duty to keep their children abreast with their mother tongue .Migration should not be an excuse to bastardize our native dialect rather it should be an avenue for propagating our mother tongue and possibly turning it into one of the international languages being spoken around the world.]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:04:00 EST http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/340697 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/330913
The charter flight B757-200, carrying 160 passengers, departed Accra, Ghana, West Africa on February 1, which included a fuel stop in Sierra Leone, and continued en route to Barbados.


Speaking on Friday at a Press Conference, Barbados’ Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, said that the historic flight will open a gateway of opportunities for Barbados.

“Barbadians share many cultural and historic similarities with many Africans, particularly those in the Western part of the continent. Given these similarities, Barbados as a destination would be able to capitalize on this opportunity and appeal to the heritage and cultural niche market segments in Ghana and Nigeria.

Similar comments were echoed by Stuart Layne, President and CEO of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA), who expressed delight at the flight, which coincided with the start of Black history month.

“We are delighted that we finally made a breakthrough into the African market. The BTA has pledged its support to Remac Limited to access this market.”

Barbados, the most easterly island in the Caribbean island, is the closest country to Africa in the region.

The Ghana charter, which may become a regular service to the island, will make its return journey on February 15, 2008.

Of the 160 passengers on board, 40 were expected to proceed to St Lucia and
]]> Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:48:00 EST http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/330913 6.4530556 3.43555566.45305563.4355556 http://vikiviko.tigblog.org/post/325249
The captains of the ships were under instructions to berth and await further orders from the delegates and the Nigerian government in Abuja .The delegates, refreshed, but still somewhat groggy after a long sleep in a transatlantic flight were highly expectant as they descended the flight into a welcoming presidential convoy, hosted by the Chief of staff to the president, and the Secretary to the federal government. After much exchange of pleasantries and diplomatic niceties, they finally headed for a top-secret private meeting with the president and other dignitaries at government house. Touching down at 01: 30 hours at government house, they were ushered into the state house conference centre were the President, Vice president, Senate president, speaker of the house of reps. 36 state governors, service chiefs, Ministers, permanent secretaries, local government chairmen, chairmen of boards, parastatals and traditional rulers were seated.

The top secret nocturnal meeting commenced after a late night banquet. The European and American delegates explained that due to the discovery of a new planet “Genetica” that was habitable with very favourable climatic conditions, they required at least 10 million Slaves to help them in setting up farms and constructing critical infrastructure in the new planet. The Nigerian government had prior to the arrival of the delegates, known the agenda, and had tacitly agreed out of crass greed to the deal, subject to final ratification of the modalities in the conference. The deal was finally sealed with a price tag of $10 billion to be paid to the Nigerian government and shared among all the officials present at the conference and all other stakeholders who would facilitate the rapid procurement of the Slaves.

The state governors, traditional rulers etc were to immediately begin the arrest of slaves in their respective domains for onward distribution to the ships. The meeting ended with the gleeful European and American delegates issuing an advance payment of $2billion dollars to the rogue Nigerian government. Orders were immediately given to the 12 ships berthed in several ports to prepare their ships for reception of thousands of able-bodied slaves for onward shipment to America from where they would board a special space vessel to planet “Genetica” to begin gruelling slave labour.

The above scenario might seem farfetched or even impossible, but the truth is that there is nothing in Nigeria today that makes it different from a slave plantation. The crass greed and unbelievable wickedness of Nigerian leaders at virtually all levels, from the Presidency to the state governors, ministers, local government chairmen etc that has left the roads in utter disrepair, the hospitals in shambles, the schools in progressive decay, and the nation in perpetual darkness amongst other social and infrastructural meltdown, in spite of a record oil boom running for almost a decade, is enough testimony that if the variant of transatlantic slave trade still existed, Nigerian leaders would bat no eyelid in selling their citizens into slavery to line their pockets with lucre.

Indeed present day Nigeria is by any definition a slave plantation. The masses are huddled in crunching poverty, toiling everyday in the scorching heat, under abusive exploitative bosses, and yet ending up most of the time being owed their meagre wages. The situation is compounded even further by the grim reality that on getting home after such a hellish day, there will be neither running water nor electricity.

For many civil servants, many of whom end up queuing for hours at the pension's office after a whole life of working without getting any pension, the hard scrabble and undervalued bricklayers, mechanics, market women, and unemployed graduates struggling to survive under hellish conditions as against the unconscionable political leaders revelling in crass greed, who drive around in air-conditioned fleets of cars, surrounded by gun totting security men, living in fortified opulent mansions with non-stop generators humming round the clock, and working in similarly air-conditioned offices, totally cushioned from the harsh realities of life, which the enslaved masses confront everyday, there can be no better definition and or reality of a slave plantation than that which they have been subjected as victims on a daily basis.

The recent revelation by Musa Yar Adua on the occasion of the visit of the world bank vice president, Dr Oby Ezekwesili that $10billion was spent on electricity by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, while ironically the worsening power situation has thrown the nation into perpetual darkness, and a further revelation by the deputy senate president Senator Ike Ekweremadu that N950 billion was being owed contractors on non-existent roads could only have been possible with totally unconscionable leaders, that harbour a “slave trader mentality.” The vices and schemes through which Nigerian leaders have looted state funds without sparing a thought for the shackled and impoverished masses are legion.

Anybody familiar with the historical brutality and inhumanity demonstrated by the erstwhile slave traders and masters would instantly recognize the same callousness and greed that made the slave trade possible among Nigerian leaders. No matter how hard they try, Nigerian leaders cannot escape the inev