Showing posts with label United States. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United States. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

When the So Called Masterclass is not a Masterclass


When the So Called Masterclass is Not a Masterclass


"What makes a work of art a masterpiece is not the craft.
But the Imagination of the artist."
- Ekenyerengozi MichaeI Chima.

Some years ago, I was invited to participate in a Masterclass on  Documentary Filmmaking by the Public Affairs Section of the Consulate of the United States of America in Lagos in the Documentary Showcase Program with American documentary filmmakers. Prominent Nigerian filmmakers in Nollywood were also invited. But the workshop was rushed by the American filmmaker teaching what was nothing new or different, but documentary filmmaking for beginners and what the Nigerian filmmakers already knew. He was teaching us what students in high school were taught in America.

Then the workshop ended abruptly without the completion of the most important sessions.

The American filmmaker started  the presentation of Masterclass  certificates to all the participants. But I refused to accept my own certificate with my name already written on it.

"We never had any masterclass on documentary filmmaking," I said.

The others were compelling me to accept it. I reluctantly collected it. But I dumped it later in the drawer of my desk in the office of Supple Communications Limited.

Finis.


#art

#artist

#masterpice

#craft

#masterclass

#workshop

#filmmaking

#filmmakers

#Nollywood

#America

#Nigeria

#documentary

#documentaryfilm

#showcase

#unitedstates

#consulate

#Lagos

#presentation

#certificate

#office

RECOMMENDED BOOKS BY EKENYERENGOZI MICHAEI CHIMA

Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.






Monday, August 16, 2021

Leader McCarthy's Statement on President Biden's Afghanistan Speech

Leader McCarthy's Statement on President Biden's Afghanistan Speech

August 16, 2021.

Washington, D.C. – House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) released the following statement following President Biden's address to the nation on Afghanistan:

“After six days of silence, President Biden finally addressed the worst foreign policy disaster in decades. His remarks did not answer any questions about the disastrous troop withdrawal that has failed to protect American citizens, put thousands of American troops in harm's way, and heightened the threat of terrorism around the world. But President Biden is right about one thing: the buck stops with him. He owes the American people a cohesive plan to get every American out of Afghanistan immediately and safely, target terrorists wherever they seek refuge, and secure our border.

“President Biden’s poor judgment produced the worst possible outcome in Afghanistan in only a matter of weeks. He has done long-term damage to America's credibility and our capabilities. The American people, and especially our troops who have sacrificed so much, deserve more than this catastrophic leadership and empty words.”


First Bollywood Film Adaptation of a Nigerian Novel: Sin is a Puppy that Follows You Home

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Dear America, Don't Mistake Idiocy For Democracy

 #Twitter

#twitternigeriaban

#TwitterNigeria

"Don't mistake Idiocy for Democracy."

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor, 
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series 
247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) / Twitter

Author of "In the House of Dogs", "The Prophet Lied", "Scarlet Tears of London", "Diary of the Memory Keeper", "The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigeria: My Eyewitness Account of the 2015 Presidential Election" and other books.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

President Barack Obama Has Balls, But Nigerian Presidents Have None


"We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused," Obama said in an 18-minute speech. "And we will do whatever necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy." President Barack Obama said authoritatively.


I have only one simple illustration from a book to show that the brave President Barack Obama of the United States of America has balls, but Nigerian Presidents have none in addressing emergencies.

The failure of the Nigerian government to check the excesses of Chevron, Shell and other oil companies have made them to disregard their rules of engagement, because these oil companies spill more oil into the Niger Delta each year than was spilled as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster that devastated the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. President Barack Obama did not waste time to address the emergency and compelled the BP to pay.

"We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused," Obama said in an 18-minute speech. "And we will do whatever necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy." President Barack Obama said authoritatively.

BP set up a $20bn compensation fund after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and has so far paid out 19,000 claims totalling more than $240m and BP's bill for containing and cleaning up the oil spill has reached nearly $10bn (£6.4bn).

President Obama did not need to commission the United Nations Environment Protection (UNEP) and did not pay for any assessment or disaster management report before compelling BP to pay for the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The oil industry has been a key sector of the Nigerian economy for over 50 years, but many Nigerians have paid a high price, as this assessment underlines," said Achim Steiner, U.N. under-secretary general and the executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, which carried out the report.

Yet, our inept and incompetent government failed to prosecute the indicted Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Chevron and other

multinational oil companies to pay for the collateral damages they have been doing in the Niger Delta for decades.

The failures of the government and the impunity of the multinational oil companies provoked the rise of insurgency in the Niger Delta.




Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Samsung Galaxy Phone Banned in the UK and 31 other countries


The latest Samsung Galaxy Xcover

The Huffington Post has just reported that Samsung Galaxy Phone has been banned in 32 European countries after Apple won a preliminary injunction in a Dutch court preventing Samsung from selling its Galaxy smart phones in Europe. But the court cleared Samsung of copying the Apple iPad in its design of the best selling Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet that is popular in Nigeria and other countries worldwide.

Apple filed a 44-page complaint claiming that Samsung Galaxy tablet is an unlawful duplication of Apple iPad, an infringement of Apple's “design patent” in the United States.







Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at African Union, June 13, 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia



14 Jun 2011 14:15 Africa/Lagos




Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at African Union, June 13, 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at African Union, June 13, 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia


SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon. It is a great honor to join you here in Addis Ababa and to address the African Union. I want to thank Chairperson Ping, members of the African Union Commission, ambassadors to the AU, representatives of United Nations agencies, and, most of all, representatives of the nations and people of Africa. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you. It is good to be back in Africa, and it is a singular honor to address this body.


During the past few days, I have traveled to Zambia, Tanzania, and now Ethiopia, meeting with leaders and citizens who are rising to meet challenges of all kinds with creativity, courage, and skill. And I am pleased to come to the African Union today as the first United States Secretary of State to address you, because I believe that in the 21st century, solving our greatest challenges cannot be the work only of individuals or individual nations. These challenges require communities of nations and peoples working together in alliances, partnerships, and institutions like the African Union.


Consider what it takes to solve global challenges, like climate change or terrorism, or regional ones, like the African Union's work in Sudan and Somalia. Your efforts to end the brutal campaign of the Lord's Resistance Army, your push to create a green revolution for Africa that drives down hunger and poverty, the challenge of helping refugees displaced by conflict, the fight against transnational crimes like piracy and trafficking: These are diplomatic and development challenges of enormous complexity. But institutions like this make it easier for us to address them, by helping nations turn common interests into common actions, by encouraging coalition building and effective compromising, by integrating emerging nations into a global community with clear obligations and expectations.


That is why, as Secretary of State, I have emphasized the work of regional institutions throughout the world, in Latin America, in Asia, in Europe, and in Africa. Now, regional institutions, of course, may differ, but increasingly they are called upon to be problem solvers and to deliver concrete results that produce positive change in people's lives.

To solve the problems confronting Africa and the world, we need the African Union. We also need Africa's sub-regional institutions, all of whom must help lead the way. Because the results you will achieve will shape the future, first and foremost, of course, for the people of Africa, but also for the people of my country, and indeed for people everywhere because what happens in Africa has global impact. Economic growth here spurs economic growth elsewhere. Breakthroughs in health research here can save and improve lives in other lands. And peace established here makes the world more secure.


So the United States seeks new and dynamic partnerships with African peoples, nations, and institutions. We want to help you accelerate the advances that are underway in many places and collaborate with you to reverse the dangerous trends and encourage political, economic, and social progress.


Today, I'd like briefly to discuss three areas, which are areas of emphasis for you and for us and where I think we can make particular progress through regional institutions like the AU. They are democracy, economic growth, and peace and security. These are, of course, the core areas of focus for the African Union, and that's for a reason. All three are critical for a thriving region. All three must be the work both of individual nations and communities of nations. And all three present challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities we must address together.


First, democracy. Let me begin by saying this is an exciting time for African democracy. More than half the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have embraced democratic, constitutional, multi-party rule. Now, some, like Botswana, Ghana, and Tanzania, have spent decades building strong institutions and a tradition of peaceful, democratic transitions. (Interruption to audio.) When things like this happen, you just keep going. (Laughter.) (Applause.) Now, those countries that I mentioned are models, not only for their neighbors, but increasingly for countries everywhere.


Other African nations have been also making important advances. In Nigeria, President Jonathan was inaugurated 15 days ago after what many have called the fairest election in Nigeria's recent history. Benin and Malawi both held successful elections this spring, building on previous successful multiparty contests. Kenya's democracy got a boost from last year's referendum on its new constitution. The vote took place without violence, and the constitution, which includes a bill of rights and limits on executive power, passed by a large margin. Niger and Guinea, both of which endured recent military coups, held successful elections in the past year. And in Cote d'Ivoire, the crisis that followed the 2010 elections was finally resolved two months ago with the help of the AU, and the elected winner is now serving as president.


These are just a few examples of Africa's recent democratic gains. A complete list would fill all the time we have today. In several nations, the institutions of democracy are becoming stronger. There are freer medias, justice systems that administer justice equally, and impartially, honest legislatures, vibrant civil societies.


Now, much of the credit for these hard-won achievements rightly belongs to the people and leaders of these countries who have passionately and persistently, sometimes at great risk to themselves, demanded that their leaders protect the rule of law, honor election results, uphold rights and freedoms. But credit is also due to the African Union, which has prohibited new leaders who have come to power through military rule and coups from being seated in the organization. The AU and Africa's other regional institutions have also played a pivotal role in ending crises and creating the conditions for successful, democratic transitions, with the AU's work to monitor elections being an especially important contribution.


But, even as we celebrate this progress, we do know that too many people in Africa still live under longstanding rulers, men who care too much about the longevity of their reign, and too little about the legacy that should be built for their country's future. Some even claim to believe in democracy – democracy defined as one election, one time. (Laughter.) (Applause.)


Now, this approach to governing is being rejected by countries on this continent and beyond. Consider the changes that have recently swept through North Africa and the Middle East. After years of living under dictatorships, people have demanded new leadership; in places where their voices have long been silenced, they are exercising their right to speak, often at the top of their lungs. In places where jobs are scarce and a tiny elite prospers while most of the population struggles, people – especially young people – are channeling their frustration into social, economic, and political change.


Their message is clear to us all: The status quo is broken; the old ways of governing are no longer acceptable; it is time for leaders to lead with accountability, treat their people with dignity, respect their rights, and deliver economic opportunity. And if they will not, then it is time for them to go.


Every country in the world stands to learn from these democracy movements, but this wave of activism, which came to be known as the Arab Spring, has particular significance for leaders in Africa and elsewhere who hold on to power at all costs, who suppress dissent, who enrich themselves and their supporters at the expense of their own people. To those leaders our message must be clear: Rise to this historic occasion; show leadership by embracing a true path that honors your people's aspirations; create a future that your young people will believe in, defend, and help build. Because, if you do not – if you believe that the freedoms and opportunities that we speak about as universal should not be shared by your own people, men and women equally, or if you do not desire to help your own people work and live with dignity, you are on the wrong side of history, and time will prove that.


The United States pledges its support for those African nations that are committed to doing the difficult but rewarding work of building a free, peaceful, and prosperous future. And we look to institutions like the African Union, that are dedicated to democracy and good governance, to continue to encourage countries to walk that path or risk isolating themselves further.


Now, of course, creating the conditions that allow people and communities to flourish in a democracy cannot simply be a matter of holding elections; they are a necessary but not sufficient condition. Good governance requires free, fair, and transparent elections, a free media, independent judiciaries, and the protection of minorities. And democracy must also deliver results for people by providing economic opportunity, jobs, and a rising standard of living.


Now, here, again, the map of Africa is lit up with success stories. Six of the world's 10 fastest growing economies in the last decade are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and that percentage is expected to grow in the next five years. At a time when investors everywhere are hunting for promising new markets and worthy new ventures, Africa is attracting attention from all corners.


But a prosperous future is not guaranteed. Several of Africa's highest performing economies are dependent on a single industry or a single export, often a commodity, which we know can have both good and bad consequences. It can discourage the rise of new industries and the jobs that come with them, and it can concentrate a nation's wealth among a privileged few. Meanwhile, even while growth rates skyrocket in some countries, in others they are rising too slowly and it can take too long for growth on paper to translate into jobs that are spread across a country. But it is this desire that is especially urgent among the youth of Africa that cannot be ignored.


When we saw the uprisings first in Tunisia and then in Egypt, they were about both political change and economic change. Too many young people said they had studied, they had worked hard. The tragic story of the young vegetable vendor who finally, in great frustration – because no matter how hard he tried, a corrupt regime would not give him the chance to have the sweat of his brow translated into economic benefits for himself and his family. More than 40 percent of the people living in Africa are under the age of 15. It rises to nearly two thirds if we look at under the age of 30. These young people are all coming of age at once and they are all connected. There are no more secrets because of social media, because that incredible technology can inform a young person in a rural area, where there are no roads, but there are cell phones, what is going on in his capital or in neighboring countries.


Creating jobs and opportunity for these young people is an enormous challenge, and one that I know the African Union is committed to addressing. Your summit later this month is focused on youth empowerment for sustainable development. You are right that young people must be brought into this work themselves, otherwise your hardest working, your best and your brightest, will either be frustrated and act out against the leaders of their country or they will leave to find opportunities in other lands. After all, the people who are speaking out most passionately across Africa are doing so with an eloquence and an advocacy that should, as the older generations, make us proud. These are young people who want to make something of themselves. All they need is the chance to do so.


Countries such as Zambia, Mali, Ghana, and Rwanda have had strong successes with their approaches to development. They have diversified their economies and created jobs across many sectors, which has helped to decrease poverty. They have continuously reinvested in the foundations of their economies, building roads and power plants and expanding access to financial services so more people can start or grow businesses. Based on lessons we've learned from our work around the world, the United States wants to deepen our partnerships with countries that take a broad-based, inclusive, sustainable approach to growth.


Now, I will be the first to admit that too much of our development work in the past provided only temporary aid and not the foundation for lasting change that helps people permanently improve their lives and communities. But the Obama Administration is taking a different approach. Our goal is to help countries' economies grow over time so they can meet their own needs. Ultimately, we believe that the most effective development programs are the ones that put themselves out of business because they spark economic activity, they help create strong institutions, they nourish a private sector that, unleashed, will create more jobs.


And at the same time, we are asking our partners to do their part. How? Increased transparency, strengthen tax systems, fight corruption. Every bribe paid to a customs official or a government employee represents a hidden tax on the cost of doing business and a drag on economic growth. We are making this a priority in our diplomatic engagement, and we look to our partners to take concrete actions to stop corruption. One of the possible benefits of technology is doing what's called electronic government, e-government, putting government services online so you don't have to go through so many hands to get that permit to start a business. And we are encouraging and will work with countries interested in pursuing that kind of opportunity.


We're also putting a new emphasis on trade. I spoke about this a few days ago at the AGOA Forum in Lusaka. During the past decade, Africa's non-oil exports to the United States quadrupled, and we've only begun to tap the potential. We can and we will trade much more with each other. In fact, we are establishing, with a $120 million commitment over the next four years, trade hubs to help businesses write business plans; to learn how to market their products; to get the kind of technical advice that would not be affordable for a small or medium-sized business.


Trade should not only, however, increase across the ocean or the sea to Europe and the United States. Trade has to increase across this continent. There is less trade among the countries within Sub-Saharan Africa than within any other region in the world, and yet there are consumers and there are producers, but there are barriers – tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers, longstanding suspicions that have to be overcome in order to take advantage of the economic engine that Sub-Saharan Africa can be.


I commend those countries and institutions working to accelerate economic integration, such as the East African Community. And last year, the United States became the first country to nominate an ambassador to the EAC, and we are pursuing a partnership to help build a customs union and a common market. And we applaud the efforts that began with the meeting in South Africa, last week, to discuss a tripartite free trade agreement that will lower trade barriers across dozens of countries.


And the vision of an African common market is worth pursuing. This approach is reflected in our Millennium Challenge Compacts, which form partnerships with developing countries devoted to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in one's citizens. You can see it in our Partnerships for Growth Program: We picked four countries in the world that we thought could put all the pieces together, and two of them are in Africa, Tanzania and Ghana. These nations have made strong commitments to democracy, to their own development progress, and we're stepping up our economic relations with these top performers.


Another example of our new approach is our Feed the Future food security initiative. We're investing $3.5 billion in 20 focus countries, including 12 in Africa, to revitalize agricultural sectors so you can increase food production and availability, raise your farmers' incomes, decrease hunger and under-nutrition. And through the Feed the Future, we are supporting the AU's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, which, we think, has laid the foundation for more effective agricultural policies across the continent. By investing in agriculture and strengthening nations' food security, we will see economies grow and stability increase.


There's another important element of sustainable economic development, and that is improvements in health. Right now, several African countries are making great strides in bringing life-saving health interventions to more of their people. Zambia has significantly reduced mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Nigeria has made great progress in fighting polio through renewed vaccination efforts. And Ethiopia has mobilized an army of 30,000 health workers to bring a basic package of care to remote regions. We are backing these kinds of improvements through our Global Health Initiative, which supports country-led programs and helps countries unite separate health programs into one sustainable health system.


So we are combining our efforts through PEPFAR, through AID, through CDC, and other U.S. Government approaches, because we think health is a critical element of a nation's security. When epidemics are prevented from occurring or ended or controlled quickly, when people can get life-saving care when they need it and return to their jobs and their lives, families are stronger, communities are stronger, and nations are stronger.


And finally, when it comes to economic opportunity and development, we must empower the continent's women. The women of Africa are the hardest working women in the world. And so often – (applause) – so often what they do is not included in the formal economy, it is not measured in the GDP. And yet, if all the women in Africa, from Cairo to Cape Town, decided they would stop working for a week, the economies of Africa would collapse. (Applause.)


So let's include half the population. Let's treat them with dignity. Let's give them the right and responsibility to make a contribution to the 21st century of African growth and progress. And the United States will be your partner, because we have seen what a difference it makes when women are educated, when they have access to health care, when they can start businesses, when they can get credit, when they can help support their families. So let us make sure that that remains front and center in the work we do together.


And finally, let me address peace and security. In recent years, a quiet storyline has emerged out of the security challenges that have developed on the continent. More and more, the African Union and Africa's sub-regional organizations and African states, working alone or in concert, are taking the lead in solving Africa's crises. In Somalia, AMISOM, the African Union's peacekeeping mission, thanks to heroic efforts by Ugandan and Burundian soldiers, has helped the Transitional Federal Government make remarkable security gains in Mogadishu over the past couple of months. Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaida, is finally on the defensive, and we see that because they are increasingly resorting to suicide bombers and the targeting of civilians, a sign of desperation.


Now, we expect Somalia's Transitional Federal Government to create political and economic progress to match AMISOM's security progress. It cannot continue operating the way it has in the past. We look to the TFG to resolve their internal divisions and improve the lives of the millions of Somalis who continue to suffer, and we know that the AU will be their partner in doing so.


In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we remain concerned about the continued violence against women and girls and the activities of armed groups in the eastern region of the country. Every effort by the AU and UN will be necessary to help the DRC respond to these continuing security crises.


And then there is the situation in Sudan: South Sudan is less than one month away from becoming the world's newest state. And the governments of Sudan and South Sudan have made laudable progress in implementing certain provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. But recent developments along the border, particularly in the Abyei region, are deeply troubling. The parties must resolve the remaining CPA issues peacefully through negotiations, not violence. And again, the African Union has played a critical role in facilitating negotiations in Sudan. And I also want to thank the prime minister of Ethiopia, our host country, for everything he has done and is doing as we speak today.


I will have the opportunity later this evening to meet with representatives from both the North and South to add my voice and that of President Obama and my government to the chorus of voices saying the same thing: Resolve your differences, settle the problem in Darfur. And we got some good news out of Doha today that we hope will translate into real progress. But come together and make it possible for both of these countries to have peaceful, prosperous futures.


And there is, of course, another country whose security matters to all of us, and that is Libya. Libya has been the subject of many of our discussions during the past few months. And I believe there is much on which we can agree. There is little question that the kind of activities that, unfortunately, have affected the Libyan people for more than 40 years run against the tide of history. And there is little question that despite having the highest nominal GDP in Africa, thanks to oil, Libya's wealth was too concentrated within Qadhafi's circle.


But of course, all the countries here are not in agreement about the steps that the international community, under the United Nations Security Council, have taken in Libya up to this point. Having looked at the information available, the Security Council, including the three African members, supported a UN mandate to protect civilians, prevent slaughter, and create conditions for a transition to a better future for the Libyan people themselves.


Now, I know there are some who still believe that the actions of the UN and NATO were not called for. And I know it's true that over many years Mr. Qadhafi played a major role in providing financial support for many African nations and institutions, including the African Union. But it has become clearer by the day that he has lost his legitimacy to rule, and we are long past time when he can or should remain in power.


So I hope and believe that while we may disagree about some of what has brought us to this place, we can reach agreement about what must happen now. For as long as Mr. Qadhafi remains in Libya, the people of Libya will be in danger, refugee flows by the thousands will continue out of Libya, regional instability will likely increase, and Libya's neighbors will bear more and more of the consequences. None of this is acceptable, and Qadhafi must leave power.


I urge all African states to call for a genuine ceasefire and to call for Qadhafi to step aside. I also urge you to suspend the operations of Qadhafi's embassies in your countries, to expel pro-Qadhafi diplomats, and to increase contact and support for the Transitional National Council. Your words and your actions could make the difference in bringing this situation to finally close and allowing the people of Libya, on an inclusive basis, in a unified Libya, to get to work writing a constitution and rebuilding their country. The world needs the African Union to lead. The African Union can help guide Libya through the transition you described in your organization's own statements, a transition to a new government based on democracy, economic opportunity, and security.


As we look to the future, we want to work with the African Union not only to react to conflicts and crises but to get ahead of them, to work together on a positive agenda that will stop crises before they start. And I think we can find many areas for collaboration.


On youth engagement, which is a priority for both the AU and President Obama, we seek to pursue a specific work plan with you. On democracy and good governance we already work together to monitor elections across Africa. Now we need to do more to help countries strengthen democratic institutions. On economic growth and trade the AU plays a major role in building Africa's sub-regional architecture, and we stand ready to support you.


So I want to commend Africa's institutions for what you have already accomplished, and in some cases, just a few years after your creation. And I will pledge my country's support as you continue this work. Whether you seek to deepen the integration among your members, improve coordination, or reform your operations, we will be with you.


A good example that the chairman mentioned is what we can offer in the work we are doing to help reform the UN's support for the African Union here in Addis Ababa. The UN and the African Union asked the United States to identify ways their work together could become more effective and strategic. We said yes, and now there are people at the State Department focused on this issue working closely with many of you in this room.


And as has already been announced, we are rejoining the UN Economic Commission for Africa, another sign of our commitment to engaging with Africa's regional institutions. (Applause.)


On this trip to Africa, I am reminded every hour that for every challenge now facing Africa, a solution can be found somewhere in Africa. (Applause.) You do not have to look far afield to see political, economic, and social success.


Earlier I mentioned the Arab Spring, a name that suggests the blossoming of something new. And what is now blooming across the Arab states has already taken root in many African nations, commitment to democracy, recognition of human rights, investment in economic health and education programs, and an emphasis on meeting the needs of our young people.


Across this continent the work is underway, but there is a long season ahead. So I urge you not to be impatient; do not grow weary while doing good. Keep showing leadership. Keep building a path to a future worthy of the talents and aspirations of the young men and women of Africa. The United States believes deeply in these values. We believe passionately in the promise and potential of pluralistic democracies, of free markets. We welcome to our shores immigrants from every country represented here, and we can see the success stories that so many of them have built in the United States. But I have never met an immigrant from Africa who has not said he or she wished they could have done the very same in their own country, among their own people, close to their family, eating the food, smelling the flowers, seeing the sights that are in their blood. I want to see that for Africa, where people are coming home to Africa because this is where opportunity for the future resides.


Thank you and God bless you. (Applause.)


Source: US Department of State


Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time

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Saturday, May 14, 2011

John Jay's report on Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in America


Victims of sexual abuse by priests calling for justice


The cases of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have done collateral damage to the church and exposed the clergy to public condemnation and mockery making millions of people to lose their faith in the Catholic Church and the rest of Christendom.

Cases of have been confirmed in Canada, Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Belgium, France, and Germany, while cases have been reported throughout the world.

Pope John Paul II declared in 2001 that "a sin against the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue by a cleric with a minor under 18 years of age is to be considered a grave sin, or delictum gravius."

With the approval of the Vatican, the hierarchy of the church in the United States claimed to institute reforms to prevent future abuse including requiring background checks for Church employees and volunteers, while opposing extensions of the statutes of limitations in sex abuse cases.



Additional information from the Wikipedia


The following is the news release on the John Jay's report on the various investigated cases of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests in the U.S.

13 May 2011 20:12 Africa/Lagos


Release of John Jay's report on The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010

PR Newswire

May 13

What: Release of John Jay's report on The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010

When: May 18, 2 p.m. ET (Media should be in place by 1:45 p.m.)

Where: USCCB, 3211 4th St. NE , Washington, DC 20017-1194 (USCCB is located on 4th Street, between Michigan Ave., NE and Lincoln Rd. NE, and a short walk from the Brookland Metro stop.)

Who:

Karen Terry , Ph.D., John Jay College and principal investigator for report

Diane Knight, ACSW, Chair, National Review Board, USCCB Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection

Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Washington, Chair, U.S. Bishops' Committee on Protection of Children and Young People

Media who wish to attend must pre-register by calling USCCB Office of Media Relations, 202-541-3200 or e-mailing media-relations@usccb.org by Tuesday, May 17, 3 p.m.

Registrants should indicate beforehand if they wish to do a brief individual TV, radio or print interview with Ms. Terry, Ms. Knight or Bishop Cupich following the media conference.

Media who cannot attend in person can participate in the conference through Adobe Connect and/or listen via telephone. To register for this and to receive a password, please e-mail media-relations@usccb.org . After the presentations, media can submit questions via e-mail as time allows.

The report and related information will be available at www.usccb.org after the media conference.

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- May 13, 2011/

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Web Site: http://www.usccb.org



Sunday, September 5, 2010

What If Obama was a full blown White Male in the Political-Psycho-Social Thought of America?

President Barack Obama and family.

What If Obama was a full blown White Male in the Political-Psycho-Social Thought of America?


Within the American psyche there has always being a divide between the ordinary people; and the influential, the selected few, leaders or the cream of the crop. The divide historically revolves around economic, political and legal activities.

Armed with money, position or power the privileged has always been able to scale through societal problems. Since the birth of America, at least from the British parenthood 200 years ago, if there is one thing that bridges the gap between the psyche or minds of the ordinary and privileged Americans, Whites and Black included, it is what could be called the presence of an ‘all out white American Male’.

In America and from time in memory and to this day there is the American mentality that automatically ties the psychology of handsomeness, toughness, smartness, successfulness, competitiveness and industriousness to being a White male—from a boy and then to a man.

It is a reality that to be a White male in America, and not be successful, leaves that person in a state of scornfulness generally by many Americans, including Whites, Blacks, and others.

It is a fact that since the 1960s the air of multiethnic and cultural globalism has successfully penetrated into the atmosphere of the White man supremacy in America which has resulted in some degree of opportunity for non-Whites on the basis of the recent laws of inclusion, diversity and fairness.

For a racialist society like the United States of America the new multicultural outlook is a positive reference away from what once was an American White Kingdom (AWK) with Blacks and non-Whites as possessions and amazing servers.

Nonetheless, both in rhetoric and in attitudes Americans believe that when the white man is quite visible and on top at all levels of private and public influences and power that means leadership in all aspects of their lives.

The American psyche is imbued with the spirit and psychology that the white male is by definition a special brand. Throughout his developmental and maturing periods his grandparents, parents, movies, Television shows, and art/literature/history/science books feed him with messages of being special and worthy, as such, he is bound and entitled to success and power.

He is told to win by any way possible, he is asked to play by the rules for the most part, he is told the more winnings and achievements that he gets bring in more reward, attention and recognition. He is told that it is only natural that he be respectful of himself, he is told to be careful at all times, he is told to show respect to those who work had to achieve on their own but he must always try and remain on top of all others, and that the world is his to lose if he “f” up.

Barack Obama in an outstanding way, through struggle, trial and error, through risk taking, quiet optimism, through playing the game to get ahead and devoting himself to amazing strong education, has demonstrated strong work history, built powerful cycle of men and women around him and founded a fine family. Blessed with boyish looks, tallness, slimness, bravery, focus, adventuresome, talent, pleasantness, courtliness, dynamic expressions, he became Harvard-educated, a lawyer, a middle-class man, and now at the apex of American power.

He is everything that America wishes and wants to see and notice in a person on top of public and private influence. But he is Black.

That is, he is a man of color, African-American, or a non-Caucasian as defined by the American psyche and culture.

His monumental achievements compared to the combined works of presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush remain quite a record. Good-faith Liberal and Conservative political and economic researchers/pollsters have agreed that his achievements within his short span in office are worthy.

We see for the first time strong legal protections for credit card holders and mortgage borrowers.

There is for the first time an overhaul and expansion in student loans and guaranteed insurance for persons with pre-existing medical and mental illnesses. He has saved the American auto manufacturers and industries from disappearance. Job growth is slowly increasing compare to the last three years and has expanded more aids to small business.

He has championed the free-enterprise system and reduced squandering in the government. In the area of foreign policy as it relates to the Iraq war which the majority of Americans hate, he has not only completed the war but he is bringing the soldiers back home.

His measured success in education as evidenced in his bringing in competition for federal grants, adopting higher standards among teachers and demanding for more accountability among schools remain obvious to everyone. Yet he gives no reason for the current ethnic majority in America to celebrate his accomplishments.

In a society where one can be “too black” in order to frighten the white psyche or not “black enough” in order to irritate the African American psyche to both blacks and whites Obama is caught between their respective doubts—a consequence of the American manifest racialism.

As a black man who attended Ivy League school he is blamed for being an intellectual but no other White President like George W. Bush—who attended Ivy League schools were ever blamed for embracing intellectual outlets like the Harvard University.

It has been asked that if America is still ingrained with the complex of racialism and anti-blackness, then how did Obama managed to win 43 percent (as against John McCain’s 55 percent White votes) of the White vote.

There is no easy answer to this question. However, a theory could be built that the Euro-American or Western psychology as we know it has historically and generally ignored the spiritual and transpersonal dimension of humans.

But that does not mean that the realization of the mystical part of the American human does not happen from time to time.

So could it be that on that super Tuesday of November 4th, 2008 of presidential election within the mainstream politics of that day, many or some in the American majority and minority ethnic persons (certainly there were those whites and blacks who all along irrespective of rational or mystic influence freely looked for that day to cast their presidential vote for a black or female American) were on the part of apparent conversion, transcendence and spirituality as they cast their votes?

As both whites and blacks as well as others possibly thought of the deepest racial wounds in America and with their spirit and minds apparently being guided by the extraordinary experience of that day—Barack Hussein Obama—won the irrevocable cast of vote at that second, at that minute and at that hour.

At the time of this writing there are many Americans especially those that self describe themselves as Angry White Men and Women who are openly speaking and showcasing images of violence.

They appear to be losing their minds over the Obama effect during that election day and agitated by the current Obama phenomenon which is marked with a new order of things that are ‘insourcing’ or gripping the whole of America—inclusiveness, diversity and equity.

The question that remains is that if Obama was a white man will he suitably capitalize on that American psyche, admiration and sentiments that equates historical excellence, power, achievement, success and gentlemanliness to a white male, the answer is a resounding yes!

Now, it time for all of Americans—Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Whites and others to understand that it is the personal qualities and not the racial outlook of an individual that will define the 21st century America. As of today, that is what the young Black, Hispanic, Asian and White male or female across all colleges and universities are hearing from Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United State of America.


~ By John Oshodi

John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D, DABPS, FACFE is a practicing Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and the Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs-Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu.



Friday, February 19, 2010

Before You Apply for American Visa, THINK TWICE

Before you apply for American visa, THINK TWICE, because you need to know what you are going for in the so called God's own Country. There are more miserable people in America than our beloved Nigeria. You have to know that there are places in the United States with bad living conditions such as the towns in America's most 'miserable' cities.


Monday, December 21, 2009

United States Transfers 12 Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland Region

20 Dec 2009 16:02 Africa/Lagos


United States Transfers 12 Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland Region

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice today announced that 12 detainees have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland region.


As directed by the President's Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of each of these cases. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including potential threat, mitigation measures and the likelihood of success in habeas litigation, the detainees were approved for transfer. In accordance with Congressionally-mandated reporting requirements, the Administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer the detainees at least 15 days before their transfer.


Over the weekend, four Afghan detainees, Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim and Mohammed Hashim, were transferred to the Government of Afghanistan. In addition, two Somali detainees, Mohammed Soliman Barre and Ismael Arale, were transferred to regional authorities in Somaliland. Finally, six Yemeni detainees, Jamal Muhammad Alawi Mari, Farouq Ali Ahmed, Ayman Saeed Abdullah Batarfi, Muhammaed Yasir Ahmed Taher, Fayad Yahya Ahmed al Rami and Riyad Atiq Ali Abdu al Haf, were transferred to the Government of Yemen.


These transfers were carried out under individual arrangements between the United States and relevant foreign authorities to ensure the transfers took place under appropriate security measures. Consultations with foreign authorities regarding these individuals will continue.


Since 2002, more than 560 detainees have departed Guantanamo Bay for other destinations, including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Chad, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Palau, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and Yemen.


WWW.JUSTICE.GOV


Source: U.S. Department of Justice

CONTACT: U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2007, TDD
+1-202-514-1888


Web Site: http://www.justice.gov/


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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Untold Truth About the Niger Delta Crisis

The Untold Truth About the Niger Delta Crisis

• MEND is not responsible for the Niger Delta Crisis
• The Nigerian Government and Multinational Oil Companies are responsible for the Niger Delta Crisis
• The Solution to the Niger Delta Crisis is the Administration of True Federal Democracy as Practiced by the United States of America.

In 2004 as I was aggrieved by the rampant cases of cultism and gangesterism in Rivers state and the destruction of innocent lives and properties, I felt the urgency to address the critical issues and meet with the leading principal actors I could reach and persuade them to end the violence. I informed the international headquarters of Shell of my pacific mission before I left Lagos for Port Harcourt on a night coach.

I arrived Diobu at midnight and was told that the town was a danger zone after the mayhem caused by warring cultists. But I went on to the residence of my elder sister Mrs. P William-West on Nnewi Street in Rumumasi. I discussed my mission with her two sons and daughters and one of my nephews told me that he had to leave a cult when he saw one of his closest friends shot and killed in a violent clash with a rival cult in the oil city of Port Harcourt in 2003. I told him I was glad he had become born-again as he confessed. He gave me the details of the genesis of the cultism ravaging Rivers state since they were affected by the violence from their home town in Buguma to the state capital of Port Harcourt. I stayed for a couple of days and crossed over to Bonny Island to continue my investigation and pre-production of my documentary on the causes and consequences of the Niger Delta crisis aggravated by the recruitment of many members of the cults as political thugs of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

From my safe haven on Bonny Island, I contacted an insider named Felix and told him of my critical mission and we agreed to meet at a popular hotel off Olu Obasanjo Road in Port Harcourt. He told me that Shell and the other multinational oil companies operating in the littoral states of the Niger Delta were not interested in peace, but to fish in the troubled waters, because they had little or nothing to lose. They were breaching the contract of the MOU they signed with the Federal Republic of Nigeria and they did not care about the devastation of the eco-system or the deprivations of the host communities.
Their cosmetic social community welfare projects and scholarships were only meant to white-wash their horrible and terrible acts since they began oil exploration in the Niger Delta region. I found out that the hotel was owned by a retired Major in the Nigerian Army and he has been actively engaged in illegal oil bunkering with other retired and active senior military officers, especial those in the Nigerian Navy and their criminal activities were not secret. Those engaged in illegal oil bunkering and those who acquired oil blocks were partners in crime and were well known title-holders in their respective communities. In fact my in-law Asari Dokubo, the leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF) had a suite in the hotel.

I returned to Bonny Island and called Asari and we discussed on how to put an end to the violence and he told me that he was already now engaged in providing security service for the oil service companies in the region and was no longer engaged in any violent dispute with any rival cult or gang. I was glad to hear that and told Felix that Asari would fare better as a leader by contesting in a democratic election and could in fact be elected as the governor of Rivers state.
“He only needs to improve his manner of dressing and public relations,” I said.
I was glad that Asari would be willing to participate in my documentary film and commended the website Akumafiete of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force

I was meeting with a top official of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Lagos, because Shell wanted to sponsor my documentary film and in fact the top official asked me if the documentary could be produced in a week, which was not realistic, even though I was working with one of the best filmmakers in Nigeria who has won awards for his documentaries.

I was still making progress when the Nigerian government ordered for the arrest of Asari Dokubo and detained him for outrageous statements of treasonable felony. I warned the government to release him or the situation in the volatile Niger Delta region would become worse. But the government ignored my warning and the SPDC now felt that the government had succeeded in caging the lion of the Niger Delta militants and thought the unconstitutional detention of Asari Dokubo would tame the thousands of members of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force and allied groups. But I warned the government there was a greater militant group in the offing and they thought I was joking until the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) shot up from the creeks!

The solution to the protracted Niger Delta crisis is the administration of true Federal Democracy as practiced by the United States of America and this is what both MEND and NDPVF have been demanding for and also the prosecution of all the retired and serving senior military officers found guilty of illegal oil bunkering.
The Nigerian Navy can actually stop illegal oil bunkering by asking for the assistance of the US Navy to patrol the territorial waters of Nigeria and to attack all tankers, boats and barges engaged in illegal oil bunkering since they can be easily identified from the authorized tankers and vessels on Nigerian waters.
Then the multinational oil companies must be prosecuted for the violations of the MOU they signed with the Federal Republic of Nigeria since 1956 to date.

The Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the Niger Delta should be withdraw, because it an unconstitutional mission.
All licenses of illegal oil blocks must be withdrawn.
The local and foreign bank accounts of Nigerians suspected of ill-gotten wealth from misappropriations of revenue allocations for the oil producing states and over-invoicing of government contracts should investigated and those found guilty should be prosecuted in a public trial and not behind closed doors.

The former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the former governor of Bayelsa State and Obasanjo's successor, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua have the full list of the criminals who are still engaged in illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.