Award-winning Diabetes Documentary to Make World TV Premiere on Sundance Channel on World Diabetes Day

9 Nov 2009 20:01 Africa/Lagos

Award-winning Diabetes Documentary to Make World TV Premiere on Sundance Channel on World Diabetes Day

Life for a Child film debuted at Tribeca festival, named Best Documentary Short at Cinequest

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The award-winning documentary Life for a Child will make its world television debut on the Sundance Channel on World Diabetes Day - Nov. 14, 2009, at 8 p.m. EST/PST.


Directed by Academy Award® nominee Edward Lachman, the film follows the journeys of children with type 1 diabetes amid the verdant mountains and swarming streets of Nepal, one the world's poorest countries. The children are supported with life-saving medication and care by the International Diabetes Federation's (IDF) Life for a Child Program.


The Life for a Child film was produced by IDF, the world's leading diabetes advocacy organization, and Eli Lilly and Company, a global leader in diabetes treatment, to raise awareness of the devastating impact of diabetes and increase support for the Life for a Child Program. It will be presented in association with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world's largest charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research.


Life for a Child premiered in competition at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2008 and made its European Premiere at the Vienna International Film Festival in the fall of 2008. In March 2009, it was honored as Best Documentary Short at the Cinequest Film Festival in California, and has been screened in more than a dozen countries and six festivals.


One of the world's most celebrated cinematographers, Lachman was nominated for an Oscar for cinematography in 2003 for Far From Heaven with Julianne Moore, and has photographed dozens of studio and independent features and documentaries, including Erin Brockovich, A Prairie Home Companion and a historic documentary on Mother Theresa.


"I wanted to tell the stories of families who are dealing with the daily struggles of life but then also have to deal with the challenges of diabetes," said Lachman, who directed Life for a Child following work on the critically-acclaimed 2007 feature film I'm Not There, starring Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger.


"Life for a Child is a story of sacrifice and hope. I knew each one of these families had to make certain kinds of sacrifices along their journey living with diabetes. So metaphorically it was a journey, physically it was a journey, and I think all films are journeys. I'm honored that Sundance Channel has seen the artistic and emotional merits of this film and will help extend the impact it has had on people all over the world who are affected by this condition."


Life for a Child was filmed in October 2007 in bustling Kathmandu and the rugged mountainous Sindhuli region of Nepal, following the stories of three children and the sacrifices of their families:


-- 11-year-old Anupa, who, once each month, walks four hours through
treacherous mountain passes simply to reach the bus that will take her
to the diabetes clinic in the capital city of Kathmandu for treatment
and blood sugar testing
-- 16-year-old Ashok, who dreams of becoming a teacher but struggles to
balance his studies and work in the fields with insulin treatment

-- 3-year-old Angi, diagnosed with diabetes at just 18 months old, whose
family moved to the city to stay close to the hospital, the only place
they can receive care. "Our son is most important thing in the world
to us," says his mother


The film supports the landmark 2006 UN Resolution on Diabetes, which for the first time recognizes a non-infectious disease as serious a global health threat as infectious epidemics such as HIV/AIDS.


"This Life for a Child film is a testament to our belief that all children have the right to participate fully in all the experiences of childhood and adolescence, whether they have a chronic disease such as diabetes or not, and wherever they live in the world. All children with diabetes have the right to at least a minimum standard that can ensure survival," said Dr. Martin Silink, Past President of the International Diabetes Federation. "Until the healthcare systems of many developing countries are able to put in place effective systems to ensure an affordable supply of diabetes medication and care, children with diabetes will continue to die without the support of initiatives like IDF's Life for a Child Program."


"As the world's largest charitable funder and advocate of research to find a cure for type 1 diabetes, we at JDRF believe that anything that calls attention to the need for a cure for this disease and its complications is always welcomed. When that message can be conveyed with the amazing emotion, drama, and power of Life for a Child, it is hard, if not impossible, to ignore," said William Ahearn, vice president of strategic communications for JDRF. "Projects like Life for a Child not only tell the story of the devastating effects of type 1 diabetes, they show how personal the impact of a cure will be - and how the hope for a cure is indeed global. We are thrilled to be associated with this project."


Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries and original programs, all unedited and commercial-free.


"We're honored and humbled that Sundance Channel has provided a platform for millions of people to see this important and emotional film," said J. Scott MacGregor, executive producer of the documentary and a communications consultant for Lilly. "We hope this film will not only raise awareness of these issues, but increase support for the Life for a Child Program."


About the Life for a Child Program


Inspiring the documentary is the Life for a Child Program, which provides access to care, education and life-saving medicines and supplies to support children with diabetes in 18 of the poorest countries around the world, including Nepal. The program was established by the International Diabetes Federation in partnership with Diabetes Australia-NSW and HOPE worldwide. Eli Lilly and Company, Rotary International and other sponsors, including individual donors, provide financial support.


The program provides support to children with diabetes in Azerbaijan, Bolivia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Fiji, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Mali, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.


For more information: www.lifeforachild.org

About the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)

Founded in 1950, the International Diabetes Federation is the global advocate for the 250 million people with diabetes worldwide. It represents over 200 diabetes associations in more than 160 countries. Its mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. The main aims of IDF are to: raise awareness of diabetes and its complications worldwide; promote diabetes education; influence and bring about change; act as global advocate for people with diabetes; promote and improve diabetes care; improve clinical care and access to medication. The International Diabetes Federation is an NGO in official relations with the World Health Organization and an associated NGO with the United Nations Department of Public Information. The International Diabetes Federation leads the World Diabetes Day campaign. Additional information is available at www.idf.org.


About the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)


JDRF was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with type 1 diabetes - a disease that strikes children, adolescents, and adults suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research worldwide. More than 85 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education. JDRF's mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. For more information please visit www.jdrf.org.


About Lilly Diabetes


For more than 85 years, Lilly has been a worldwide leader in pioneering industry-leading solutions to support people living with and treating diabetes. Lilly introduced the world's first commercial insulin in 1923, and remains at the forefront of medical and delivery device innovation to manage diabetes. Lilly is also committed to providing solutions beyond therapy - practical tools, education and support programs to help overcome barriers to success along the diabetes journey. At Lilly, the journey of each person living with or treating diabetes inspires ours. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com


About Eli Lilly and Company


Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.


CR-LLY

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091109/DE03294LOGO )

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091109/DE03294LOGO
Source: Eli Lilly and Company

CONTACT: J. Scott MacGregor, Lilly, office: +1-317-651-1494, mobile:
+1-317-440-4699, macgregorj@lilly.com; Phil Riley, IDF, office:
+32-2-538-5511, fax: +32-2-538 -5114, media@idf.org; Don Faller, doublewide
media, +1-212-477-4679, don@doublewidemedia.com


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Award-winning Diabetes Documentary to Make World TV Premiere on Sundance Channel on World Diabetes Day
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The Fort Hood Tragedy

6 Nov 2009 21:12 Africa/Lagos

Secondary PTSD a Possible Factor for Fort Hood Shooter

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- "Our hearts go out to the families of the soldiers and civilians who were killed or wounded by the senseless violence that took place at Fort Hood today," said National Veterans Foundation President and Founder Shad Meshad.


Shad Meshad has 38 years of experience treating sufferers of PTSD. In his practice, he has seen counselors who treat people with traumatic stress develop Compassion Fatigue, or Secondary Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and with it the psychological symptoms of someone who has been through combat.


Said Meshad, "We do not have all the information on Nidal Malik Hasan and his motives. But if he was treating soldiers with post-traumatic stress who were returning from combat in Iraq, and then faced deployment to the very place all this trauma was being experienced by his patients, it might have been enough, combined with other stressors, to cause the kind of psychotic break that could explain such horrific violence."


Meshad is one of the nation's leading experts on PTSD and Compassion Fatigue. He provides training to DOD and VA staff, on caring for their counselors who develop secondary traumatic stress.


"Being around someone with PTSD is like being around second-hand smoke," Meshad said. "It adversely affects your health. We have to be concerned about caregivers for soldiers returning from combat, and their families. I have been talking about a potential backlash of violence for years. You cannot expect to send our soldiers into extended, multiple combat deployments, and that not affect them or the people they are connected to, back at home. All signs indicate that the incidence of violent crimes, suicide, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse by Veterans from the current wars are on the rise."


See http://www.nvf.org/blog/item/50 for the story a recent, groundbreaking court decision for Veterans with PTSD, in which Meshad was involved as a defense consultant.


Shad Meshad has been working with Veterans since 1971. He was a Medical Service Officer during the Vietnam War, where he counseled soldiers who suffered from psychological and emotional problems resulting from their experiences in combat, including what would later become known as PTSD. The NVF is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of veterans and their families.


Source: National Veterans Foundation

CONTACT: Shad Meshad, President and Founder of National Veterans
Foundation, 1-888-777-4443, shad@nvf.org


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

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The Rwandan Report

« on: Today at 03:33:13 PM »


I was in Rwanda from September 2002 to July 2003 for the primary mission of music evangelism. However I was able to work in a church as a Music Director, Youth Leader, Prayer Coordinator and Minister.

I was also given the opportunity to teach at the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) Rwanda as a music teacher. I taught in English through an interpreter, because the school’s language of study is French.

At the Rwanda Music Academy, I led a team of Youth and members of the choir to Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre, Kigali: where the remains of 800,000 Rwanda's Tutsis and Hutu who were slaughtered in the terrible genocide of 1994 were buried with their bones displayed as well. It was a shocking moment for me such that I could not eat well as I was emotionally disturbed for over five days.
The scars of the Rwanda genocide cannot be easily wiped out of a loving heart.

Every April, during the memorial of the genocide, the documentary of the killings is relayed on television and I saw many people who were traumatically affected and would end up in hospitals, because they could not imagine the cruel ways their children, husbands, wives and relations were “macheted”.


~ By Sam Olu, Middlesex University

N.B: The complete Report from Rwanda is going to be published before the end of 2009 on Nigerians Report.

E-mail : publisher@americantimesonline.com


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CNN Invites Online Users to Test Their Knowledge with the CNN Challenge

CNN Invites Online Users to Test Their Knowledge with the CNN Challenge

Ford Sync Sponsors Interactive Quiz on CNN.com

NEW YORK, November 5, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — In conjunction with the launch of the new CNN.com, the No. 1 news and information site has debuted the CNN Challenge, an interactive online news trivia quiz. Found at www.CNNChallenge.com, the quiz – focused on both historical news events and the top stories of the week – is guided by various CNN, HLN and CNN International anchors, including Larry King, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Robin Meade and Christiane Amanpour.

CNN Challenge users are encouraged to return frequently as new quizzes are published weekly. New quizzes about historical events are available each Tuesday and Wednesday, and a new current news quiz is available every Thursday.

"The CNN Challenge offers CNN.com's users the ability to expand their knowledge of the news and current events in a fun and engaging way," said KC Estenson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. "At its core, the CNN Challenge is another example of how we are leveraging interactivity and the social nature of the web to create a unique online experience for news enthusiasts across the globe."

The CNN Challenge consists of three rounds of five questions, specific to the who, what, when, where and why of certain news events. In the final stage of the quiz – the Lightning Round – the player's skills are pushed further, allowing only 90 seconds to answer five questions interactively. A player accumulates points based on their response time and the value of the question, which varies by the stage of the quiz.

After playing the quiz, users can check the 'Newsbin' for answers to and additional context on each of the questions, as well as links to more information related to the questions available through reporting on CNN.com.

The quiz can be shared with friends via email or to the social web by clicking on the Facebook, Twitter and Mixx icons. Users can also see where they rank on the 'Leaderboard' of the quiz or challenge other members of the CNN Challenge community.

Joining the CNN Challenge later this month as its inaugural launch sponsor will be Ford Sync, the in-car communications and connectivity system available in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Sync plans to run :15- second interactive video ads between some game rounds and will have logo presence throughout. With co-branded promotion including banners and billboards across the new CNN.com, Ford Sync will have a consistent presence as the first presenting sponsor of the CNN Challenge.

"We're so pleased to have Ford Sync on board as our first sponsor for The CNN Challenge. It is a unique and incredibly effective platform for advertisers to interact with an engaged audience in a premium, branded environment," said Greg D'Alba, EVP and COO, CNN Advertising Sales and Marketing. "We're attracting new advertisers to CNN across all of our platforms because we've proven we're a leader in innovation, while remaining true to our trusted brand."

CNN.com is the No. 1 destination for online and wireless news according to Nielsen, garnering the greatest audience share in total minutes and page views and the most mobile usage among current events and global news sites. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide and its many partners to provide consumers with the most enriching, immediate interaction with news anywhere, seamlessly combining articles, videos, images, interactive features and user-generated content. CNN.com's news video offering – both live and on-demand – is unparalleled on the Web. CNN.com's recent awards include a Peabody Award, two EPpy awards, four CableFAX Best of the Web awards, a National Headliner award, and the 2009 Edward R. Murrow award for best website.

Press Contacts:
April Andrews
CNN.com

404.878.5017
april.andrews@cnn.com

Deborah McBride
Turner Ad Sales
212.275.6752
deborah.mcbride@turner.com



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Nigeria / FIFTH CAADP Partnership Platform Meeting to take place in Abuja

7 Nov 2009 03:11 Africa/Lagos


Nigeria / FIFTH CAADP Partnership Platform Meeting to take place in Abuja


ABUJA, November 6, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the NEPAD Secretariat and ECOWAS Secretariat, will organize the 5th Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP-PP) meeting scheduled for 09-10 November 2009 at the Transcorp Nicon (Hilton) Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria.

The 5th CAADP-PP meeting, which will be hosted by ECOWAS Secretariat, will provide an inclusive platform for peer interaction, review and experience sharing among the core institutions and partners involved in CAADP implementation.

The 5th CAADP-PP is coming at the marking point that a number of countries have shown their commitment of CAADP program implementation by putting the compact agreement. In this regard it is expected to deliberate a key elements and strategies on the joint engagement and coordination so as to ensure the desired, coordinated and timely support appropriate to the country-specific circumstances.

The meeting will also discuss and take important decisions on various components towards CAADP implementation including, amongst others: CAADP Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) Governance arrangement; CAADP Monitoring and Evaluation Framework; Roadmap for the follow-up and implementation of the July 2009 Heads of State and Government Summit decisions; Framework for Regional CAADP implementation and regional compacts, as well as the issue of food security and climate change, which are affecting agricultural performance.

Meanwhile, experts have met for a two-days planning meeting, 5-6 November 2009, ahead of the CADDP-PP meeting, which is scheduled for 9-10 November 2009.

According to the AUC-NEPAD statement at the opening ceremony of CAADP PP Planning Meeting, progress has been made in a number of areas in respect to CAADP process implementation, most importantly a number of countries have signed CAADP compact while many others are lined up. Also progress has been made in rallying the international community including development partners to understand and support CAADP.

The statement also highlighted another significant development in engaging the international community concerning to Global Food Security and supporting Africa's Agriculture through CAADP.

Participants shall include AUC, NEPAD, RECs, Pillar Lead Institutions, development partners, private sector organisations, farmers' organisations, and CSOs.

The establishment of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP-PP) was a key recommendation of the 2005 consultative process involving Regional Economic Communities (RECs), national governments, private sector and farmer organisations.

Journalists are invited to cover the event on Monday 09 November 2009 staring from 8:30am, at Hilton Hotel, in Abuja, Nigeria.

Herewith attached please find the provisional programme of the meeting

For further information please contact KeizireB@africa-union.org and Bwalyam@nepad.org

Source: African Union Commission (AUC)

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Chams Celebrates "The Fabulous Adventures of the Sugarcane Man"

Nigerians Report went to the National Theatre in Iganmu on Saturday November 7, 2009, to see The Fabulous Adventures of the Sugarcane Man, Prof. Femi Osofisan's English adaptation of Daniel O. Fagunwa's Yrouba classic Ireke Onibudo. The performance was great in music, choreography and dialogue. The narrators were impressive. The play was sponsored by the management of Chams Plc in their Chams Theatre Series started to revive the appreciation of the perfromance of Nigerian plays.

Mr. Demola Aladekomo, the MD of Chams is a noble man. He said the Chams Theatre Series "is also a means of promoting our culture and re-orienting Nigerians to the values that we hold dear”.The hall was full and the audience really appreciated the performance.

Watch out for more on this report.




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Re: Do Nigerians Read?

Re: Do Nigerians Read?
« #103 on: Today at 10:25:49 AM »

Yes. Nigerians read.They read headlines of newspapers at the bustops.They read gossip tabloids more than their church magazines.They read how-to-get-rich quick pirated books and most of them read text messages more than their text books.




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Justice Jon Kamanda Elected President of the Special Court

5 Nov 2009 11:58 Africa/Lagos

Justice Jon Kamanda Elected President of the Special Court


FREETOWN, November 2, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Justice Jon Kamanda of Sierra Leone has been elected to a one-year term, effective 1 November, as Presiding Judge of the Appeals Chamber, a post which makes him President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.


Justice Emmanuel Ayoola of Nigeria was elected Vice President. Justice Ayoola previously served as President of the Special Court from 2004-2005.


Justice Kamanda was educated in Sierra Leone and in the U.K. He trained as a Barrister at the Inns of Court School of Law in London, and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1975. From 1976-80 he worked as State Prosecutor in the Government Law Office, rising to the rank of Senior State Counsel. In 1980 he entered private practice in criminal law.


He has served as an Appeals Court Justice in the Sierra Leone judiciary since 2004, where he was the Presiding Judge in criminal appeals. He has also served as a High Court Judge in the Civil Division.


In 1982 he was elected to Parliament, and he has served as Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Minister of Health.


He was sworn in as a Special Court Appeals Judge in November 2007.





The Special Court is an independent tribunal established jointly by the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone. It is mandated to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996.


Source: Choisissez un élément.




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International Civil Rights Center & Museum Appoints Curator

4 Nov 2009 16:30 Africa/Lagos

International Civil Rights Center & Museum Appoints Curator

Bamidele Demerson looks forward to mining historical gems in Greensboro's backyard

GREENSBORO, N.C., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Civil Rights Center & Museum (Museum) announced today that it has named Bamidele Demerson as curator and program director. Demerson will be responsible for overseeing the Museum's exhibits, artifacts and educational programming. The Museum, located in downtown Greensboro, N.C., will open Feb. 1, 2010, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins.


"Bamidele has an extensive leadership background in African-American museums," said Melvin "Skip" Alston, chairman of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. "We received interest from candidates across the country, and Bamidele's proven record for creating relevant and thought-provoking experiences for museum visitors stood out in our selection process. We are delighted to have him on board."


Demerson comes to Greensboro after serving as the executive director of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture in Roanoke, Va., where he planned exhibits and educational programs focused particularly on the history and creative experiences of people in that city. Prior to that, Demerson was curator of education and director of exhibitions and research during a 10-year tenure with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Mich.


As an anthropologist, Demerson believes he has something unique to offer the Museum and Greensboro. "The international aspect of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum caught my attention in a special way, because African Americans have had a profound impact on the quest for freedom, which has benefited everyone," said Demerson. "On many levels, Greensboro has always been a part of my consciousness whether reviewing a period photograph or document, creating a new exhibit or examining an historical object. I'm intrigued by the cultural dynamics behind social change, and my anthropological lens is always on."


Demerson brings more than 35 years of administration, instruction, research, collections' management and exhibition development to the Museum. In his visits to museums across the globe, Demerson has observed the practices of other acclaimed institutions and honed his knowledge of exhibit installation, as well as artifact collection and preservation.


"Museums are houses of memory and should help us not only to understand social change, but also make it," said Demerson. "From a curator and educational programming perspective, we have to be careful that visitors appreciate that we are not telling an exclusively African-American story. The narrative here in Greensboro, for example, is about a quest for freedom, and that is a human story."


Demerson believes one of the fundamental purposes of a museum is to provide service to the community through educational programming, exhibits and archival workshops. He actively worked with principals, superintendents and teachers in Virginia and Michigan to provide meaningful educational experiences for youth.


"One of my favorite things to do is create treasure hunts for kids," said Demerson. "I purposely don't call them scavenger hunts because we don't scavenge for history; history is filled with treasures. This Museum should be an active resource for teachers, youth and the community. It may take a whole village to raise a child, but it takes an entire community to support a museum."


Demerson's undergraduate and graduate studies at his alma mater, The University of Michigan, included a concentration in cultural anthropology, as well as a focus on African-American and African studies. While the Louvre in Paris, the Vatican in Rome, and the Ghana National Museum in Accra, Africa, are some of Demerson's favorite museums, it's the smaller museums and historic houses he frequents that resonate with him as an anthropologist. His extensive fieldwork also includes expeditions in Nigeria, Ghana, Brazil and the Southern United States.


"A museum should mine its own backyard," said Demerson. "We have a responsibility to both teach and work in the community; there are gems here in Greensboro that must be recognized as part of a national narrative."


The International Civil Rights Center & Museum will open Feb. 1, 2010, and function as an archival center, collecting museum and teaching facility devoted to the international struggle for civil and human rights. For more information about the International Civil Rights Center & Museum's grand opening schedule of events, visit www.sitinmovement.org/savethedate.


About the International Civil Rights Center & Museum


The International Civil Rights Center & Museum will function as an archival center, collecting museum and teaching facility devoted to the international struggle for civil and human rights focusing on the nonviolent protests of the Greensboro sit-ins. The 43,000 square-foot museum is located in the former F.W. Woolworth retail store where four courageous students from North Carolina A&T University began their protest at the whites-only lunch counter.


The Museum complex features educational exhibits, a gallery, auditorium, archival center, and a proposed Joint Center for the Study of Civil and Human Rights.


The International Civil Rights Center & Museum was founded by Melvin "Skip" Alston and Earl Jones in 1993 under the auspices of the Sit-in Movement Inc.


Editor's Note: Photo of Bamidele Demerson available upon request. Email mwallace@rlfcommunications.com


Source: International Civil Rights Center & Museum

CONTACT: Mary Leigh Wallace, +1-336-553-1802 (office), +1-336-307-9340
(mobile), mwallace@rlfcommunications.com


Web Site: http://www.sitinmovement.org/savethedate

SANUSI LAMIDO SANUSI IS “NIGERIANS REPORT” MAN OF THE YEAR 2009

“NIGERIANS REPORT” MAN OF THE YEAR 2009

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: A ‘sanitary officer’ to bank on for cleansing the stench in our banking stables

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, 48, has a strong mind. And he’s not afraid to open it up, especially to the clamourous clan of conspiracy theorists who rose up at the mention of his name, wielding prickly pens. But he has the last word on their tango: “Journalists and writers must respect the intelligence of their readers and understand that we read columns to be educated and not misled.” Fair enough. The naysayers have since realized they have a match in him.

At his inquisition-style confirmation hearing before the Senate for his suitability for the post of head of the Central Bank of Nigeria., CBN, SLS (it’s a close homonym of ‘excellence’), as he’s fondly called by friends and foes alike, took a swipe at the president’s hackneyed mantra of state of “7-point Agenda”; it is as effective, he surmised, as chasing after many rabbits. It was June 3, 2009; the apex legislative house would clear him to take up his presidential appointment.

And it was all in a day’s work for the lugubrious Big Man’s spokesperson who came out, nostrils flaring, with a retort to SLS. SLS would show he cared even less whose wrists were bloodied in the wake of the ‘bank-quake’ he set off on a very historic 14th day of August, 2009, which saw hitherto sacred cow topnotch bank executives booked for gross misconduct. That first wave swept away CEOs of one-fifth the Augean banking stables. He has sacked the president’s personal banker in the second wave of his decisive action taken to safeguard the financial sector from systemic collapse.

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, SLS first took up university teaching before going on to become Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Bank Plc, Nigeria's oldest bank and one of the biggest financial institutions in Africa. He was first Executive Director, Risk & Management Control, part of what commended for his latest assignment.

In Greek mythology, King Augeas’s stables had not been cleaned in 3 decades. Heracles got the unenviable task of cleaning them all in one day. He achieved the Herculean task by diverting two rivers through them. (Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the same sanitiser fellow.)

‘Augean’ is now an adjective for filthy fair, a dirty situation extremely difficult and unpleasant to handle--unless you possess know-how and are willing to use it to the best of your judgment. A second requirement is a tough skin.
Underneath the perfumed stench in the sector was a funny odour carried over from predecessor governor Charles Soludo’s consolidation drive; it had long been suspected that rot was rife in the sector.

More change would come to define things and the pace of things in the crucial sector. His call on the rarefied chambers of banking dons has now left many mantel place showpieces toppled, swept off their high horses. As the Yoruba of the Nigeria’s South-West say: The wind has ruffled feathers, now we can see the rump of the fowl.

Although Sanusi’s forebears are Fulani aristocrats from the North of the country, he’s never been far from Nigeria’s erstwhile federal and continuous financial capital. It was where he had his secondary education, at the elite yet egalitarian King's College, Lagos.

In a country where cleavages of religious and ethnic derivation always set pulses racing, his announcement that the Islamic banking model already ratified by his predecessor was ready for takeoff set off alarms. A highly conscientious Muslim, SLS uncharacteristically didn’t panic into a retreat on account of the seeming ‘conflict of interests’. He maintains his austere profile courageously as a ramrod posture under the fiery flurry of accusations of a ‘Northern agenda’ to take over banking in the country.

He’s made crystal clear the “need to strengthen” the regime of “consolidated supervision.” “It’s a learning point for regulators”; there’s “obviously…the need for risk-based supervision. If we have a risk-based supervision framework in place, anybody looking at the discount window would have been put on alert that there was the need to check certain things relating to certain banks, especially given the fact that the liquidity stresses came at the time of the global [economic] meltdown.
“And we know that [this] has affected Nigeria through two key channels—the oil price channel and the Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, outflow channel—which led to the crash in the stock market. Now, it would have been very clear that the problems of the banks were related to their exposure to the capital market and the oil market.”

We get the point now. Now the system is being set right side up. SLS burst onto the scene quietly not to rattle ‘the system’; he came to bell the very big cats in it. Married with children, SLS is widely published in many academic journals, books and newspapers in many lands.


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