Anyaoku, David-West decry growing corruption

By Mudiaga Affe

A former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; a one-time Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David- West; and other prominent Nigerians on Tuesday, decried the increasing rate of corruption in the country, saying it had remained the key obstacle to national development.

Also, the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, said that if the leadership of Nigeria continued to fritter away the country‘s resources in the face of global economic crisis, then the nation was in for a catastrophe.

She added that the horrendous level of corruption could even threaten the Vision 20:2020.

They spoke at the inauguration of the National Anti-Corruption Revolution for the South-West Zone, in Lagos.

According to Anyaoku, corruption remains a cankerworm that needs to be addressed if the country must function maximally.

The former Common- wealth boss wondered why Nigeria would be earning so much from crude oil over the years and infrastructure, especially roads and other transportation networks, educational institutions, hospitals and other sectors, would not benefit from it.

He said, ”Other major exporting nations have long begun to make the most of their oil resources, investing in key infrastructure that can yield revenue in future when oil may have become less commercially viable.

“And this future may not be too long in coming, given the widespread efforts to source energy from alternative means like solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels.

“The recent energy policy of President Barack Obama of the United States, which seeks to achieve fuel efficiency, energy economy and, ultimately, energy independence for the US, is a clear signal to oil-producing nations like Nigeria to be fast in diversifying our economy and in providing for rainy day.”

Anyaoku, who was the chairman of the event, gave an example of what he meant by the threat corruption posed to Nigeria‘s existence, when he said, ”I know of no other country in my travels around the world where aluminium and copper railings on bridges are regularly stolen, or where electricity supplying authorities have been driven as Power Holding Company of Nigeria to insert adverts in newspapers appealing for public vigilance against persistent vandalisation and other equipment.”

He blamed Nigerians for abhorring corruption, saying the quest for money has almost become a virtue in itself and questions are not being asked about how people came about their opulence, but would rather become celebrities as they make large donations to religious houses.

Anyaoku, however, said that the success of the EFCC‘s campaign would depend on how effectively it is able to tackle the challenges before it.

According to him, the first challenge is on how the anti-graft agency is perceived to be dealing with its immediate past, while the second one is on how EFCC is seen to be dealing with prominent individuals, including public office holders who have been alleged to have amassed wealth fraudulently.

David-West, who was the guest speaker at the event, said corruption had continued to grow in the country because the system encouraged it, adding that the vice would cease if the system changes.

The former petroleum minister, who delivered a lecture titled: “Scepticism and cynicism in anti-corruption crusade,” regretted that he was jailed as a result of the corrupt allegation of accepting a cup of tea and a wristwatch. He called for zero tolerance to graft if the Vision 2020 programme must be achieved.

He blamed religious leaders, educationists, and other leaders for shielding corruption, saying every facet of the society was fraught with the stigma.

David-West said the fight against corruption could not be given a lip service, but a serious issue that should be dealt with in its entirety.

He said, “Everywhere you look at stinks of corruption, all we pray is for the EFCC to end this once and for all.”

Also, National Chairman, Nigerians United for Democracy, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, said that the EFCC needed the support of Nigerians in achieving its revolution against corruption to clear the garbage posed by it.

He said, “The masses of Nigeria must start this move that will clear the garbage mountain of corruption or else there will be no future for the country.”

The Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, called on the EFCC to build on the achievements of the past to fast-track the anti-graft war and sanitise the society, adding that in an effective EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the country had the opportunity to turn the wheel in its favour and engender a new wave of fiscal discipline and culture of accountability.

She said she was convinced that corruption was a cancer that had eaten deep into the system, but expressed optimism that there was progress in the crusade.

Meanwhile, the EFCC boss said that the global economic meltdown would be a major challenge to the agency, adding that she had refused to accede to the notion that the fight against corruption was impossible in the country.

She said, ”While the faces of millions of victims of corruption are well known to us through countless images, the face of corruption remains elusive as its perpetrators profit from obscurity and lack of transparency.”

Waziri said ANCOR was the agency‘s effort to involve Nigerians in the fight against corruption and secure their input at every stage of the war.

“From now onward, I urge you all to be anti-corruption watchdogs with eagle eyes. We must stop complaining and sitting on the fence. The time has come for us all to ‘see something, say something, and do something,” she said.

Other dignitaries who attended the event included the Senate President, Mr. David Mark, represented by Senator Ganiyu Solomon; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, represented by his deputy, Mrs. Sarah Sosan; Bishop of Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo.
Source: Punch, 18^th February 2009.

Anyaoku: Anti-graft War Depends on EFCC
By Davidson Iriekpen

Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has said the success of the fight against corruption in the country will depend on how effectively the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) tackles the malaise confronting the country like a hydra-headed monster.
He said the commission should build on the successes recorded under the former EFCC boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.Speaking at the launch of the Anti-corruption Revolution (ANCOR) South-west Zone in Lagos yesterday, Anyaoku said inasmuch as he would not want to comment on matters that were subjudice, many people and institutions in and outside the country had been watching with interest on issues bordering on the fortunes of Ribadu.
Anyaoku, who was the chairman of the occasion, admitted that in spite of the questions occasionally asked about EFCC’s methods of operation under the commission's former boss, there was a general appreciation of the fervour with which the EFCC was seen to be pursuing its anti-corruption mission.
This, he said, had led to the enhancement of the credibility of the anti-corruption campaign within and outside the country.
While acknowledging corruption as the greatest bane of the country's national economic and political development, the former Commonwealth scribe said it was a formidable cankerworm that needed to be comprehensively addressed if the country was to regain its health and begin to function maximally for the benefit of the entire Nigerian people.
“If the truth must be told, corruption now afflicts virtually all parts of the Nigerian society. It has eaten deep into our value system and is now even threatening to spread to our culture.
“Today, the quest for money has almost become a virtue in itself in the Nigerian society. And there is hardly any question asked about how people come to their opulence.
“The worship of money has gained such ascendancy that people who have become very rich but without obvious means to their wealth, are widely acclaimed and celebrated in our society, especially when they make large donations to public causes. Some of them even build churches and mosques.
“In a society where money is worshipped, there is hardly any scruple or restraint on what those with a criminal bent can do to acquire wealth.
“In the education sector, examination malpractices have become common. And the most lamentable aspect of the situation is that some parents are said to aid and abet with money, the acquisition of false education certificates for their children.
“Forgery of documents and the so-called 419 practices especially through the internet, have become so rampant that unverified documents emanating from Nigeria are readily suspect in many other countries abroad,” he said.
He noted that the first challenge confronting the new current leadership of the anti-corruption agency was not only how to deal with its recent past, but how to protect and build on its credibility.
According to the former Commonwealth scribe, the second challenge facing the commission was how it was dealing with prominent individuals including public office holders who are alleged to have amassed wealth and purchased choice properties in the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa and United Arab Emirates.
He argued that while the rule of law must be followed, which requires that allegations must be proven and pronounced only by the law court, what would not help the reputation of the commission was if any serious allegations were not seen to be fully probed.
Stating that the reputation every country had outside its borders was invariably of interest to the country’s citizens including those who travel or interact with people abroad, Anyaoku added that it must be of concern to Nigerians that in many airports and national entrepots around the world, visas and other travel documents from the country men and women were thoroughly scrutinised, sometimes causing embarrassment to innocent travellers.
“Other major oil-exporting nations have long begun to make the most of their resources, investing in key infrastructure that can yield revenue in future when the oil may have become less commercially viable. And this future may not be long in coming, given the widespread efforts to source energy from alternative means like solar, wind geothermal and wind biofuels.
“The recent energy policy of the Obama administration in the United States, which seeks to achieve fuel efficiency, energy economy and ultimately, energy independence for America, is a clear signal to oil-producing nations like Nigeria to post haste in diversifying our economy and in providing for the rainy day,” he said.
In her speech at the occasion, the Minister of the Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, while emphasising the havoc corruption had inflicted on the social, economic and political development of the country, said the current leadership of the EFCC must build on the achievements of the past in order to fast track the anti-graft war and sanitise the society.
Akunyili stated that with the EFCC and ICPC, the country had the opportunity of unleashing a new wave of fiscal discipline and culture of accountability, adding that it must be done within the purview of the rule of law.
Source: Punch, 18^th February 2009.

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Hurt People, Hurt People
By John Alston

"Hurt people, hurt people." In other words, people who hurt others with their actions and words are people who are hurting inside themselves! When someone lashes out at another person, they are expressing their hurt in a destructive and irresponsible manner. Feelings of hurt and pain are normal parts of everyday life. Therefore, it is important to find solutions to our problems that are constructive and responsible in order to enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer, as well.

Feelings never tell us what to do. They only tell us that something requires our attention. So negative feelings can play a positive role in our lives. We must put ourselves in control of the painful emotions rather than be controlled by them. The first step in taking control is to ask the question, "What is causing these feelings?"

Sometimes the cause of the feelings is from recent events-job loss or health decline. Other times, the cause is a manifestation of negative emotion from long ago-unresolved issues of adolescence. Take the time to ask the question, think, and seek answers. This is important whether you are the one who is angry or the one who is on the receiving end of an angry person's wrath.

If you are angry and find yourself hurting others, here are some things that should help you deal with your feelings in a more constructive way:

1. Be mindful that you are entitled to the full range of feelings that life has to offer, one of which is pain. Make up your mind that you are not entitled to hurt others with those feelings. It is normal to feel pain. It is unacceptable to inflict it.

2. Take note of what makes you want to act ugly, sullen, and resentful. Is there a pattern? Do your assumptions about people and life need adjustments so that you're not so upset by (often unrelated or minor) irritants?

3. Remain current with your feelings and needs. Don't put off taking care of yourself. Feel pain, acknowledge it, and search for solutions. Reactions that are solution-oriented help you find good ways to deal with hurt.

4. Change you attitude about hurt. This allows you to avoid hurt in the first place. By this, I don't mean you should avoid things that make you feel bad. Adopt a personal policy not to let negative emotion control you. When you decide to take control, pain can't fester into an uncontrollable monster.

5. Don't choose the pain. I hate to say this, but some people hurt, because they choose to hurt. They decide that something is worth suffering over and believe that they need to "dwell here now." That's not to say that you should no longer discriminate between right and wrong. However, be more discriminating about that on which you're willing to expend mental energy.

6. Approach people and situations with patience and understanding. This causes you to slow down and act less impulsively. Imagine that a child spills milk at the table and an adult goes bonkers. The adult hasn't stopped to think about the fact that when children are growing up, the latter are clumsy at different developmental stages by nature, and that the spilt milk was not intentional or the result of laziness.

7. Look for non-destructive ways to express your anger. Being current, as previously mentioned, is one way. Others include, but are not limited to, taking slow deep breaths, biting your tongue, holding in your stomach, counting to ten, meditating, contemplating and praying. All of us do better when we control our impulses when expressing anger.

If you're someone who finds yourself in a hurt person's line of fire, you need some tools to manage their feelings as well as your own. Some options include:

1. Let them vent. Listen to their frustrations before you speak or act. Never interrupt, because until you hear their story, you know nothing. Find out as much as you can about the source of their pain and you'll know why they're angry.

2. Assess your level of responsibility in causing their pain. If you are directly involved, take responsibility and make things right. However, often you will find that you are not the target or cause of the pain. If you were just in the right place at the right time, don't take it personally.

3. Adopt an attitude of forgiveness. Try to understand that when people are hurt, they don't always think clearly and they say things that they don't really mean. It's easy to be consumed with reciprocal anger, so avoid the urge by forgiving them.

4. Be mindful of how you respond to them. The goal is to make things better, not worse. Sometimes they just want someone to acknowledge their pain. You can do so by saying something like, "I don't know just what to do to help you right now, but I want you to know how sorry I am about this."

5. Take control of your own feelings. Don't give up your power to them by allowing their words to control the way you respond. Their pain, even when directed at you, does not define you.


Hurt people can only hurt others if allowed to do so. With adults, know that you can judge the size of a person by the size of the things that they allow to make them angry. Yes, we've all had initial feelings of hurt as the result of others' actions and words. But, when we take a moment to really look at the situation, all of us have the power to draw the line and refuse to accept another's hurt.

Remember that people say and do boneheaded things from time to time without thinking. People forget, lose their tempers, underachieve by our standards, break promises, cheat, lie and do other things that disappoint us. Make allowances for people's differences. Human beings make errors. Values amongst us are varied. If you keep your standards very high, you are subject to be more sensitive around people with low standards. If you have low standards, you will feel offended and slighted by those who have high standards. That said, the bottom line is this: when someone is hurting someone else, they are acting from a place of pain and hurt. Diminish the hurt to make room for enrichment. Instead of hurt people hurting people, you then have enriched people enriching people.

* * ************************************************************************
John Alston, CSP, CPAE is an internationally known Performance Strategist whose programs have lifted the spirits of millions of people worldwide. He works with people who want to improve their lives, and with organizations who encourage personal achievement and character development. Even off the platform, John's insights captivate audiences through four books he's authored: Life is a Gift, Don't Trash It; Talking with Teens in Turbulent Times; Goodness Must Be Taught; and his latest, Stuff Happens (Then You Fix It!). For more information about John Alston, visit his website at
www.JohnAlston.com

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Recall of Nigerian Ambassador Rotimi

We the members of All Nigeria American Congress (ANAC) representing Nigerians in the international community, upon full deliberation of our upper house, the Board of Trustees, in reference to the matter surrounding the recall of the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, find the alleged statements reported on and other Nigerian websites and print publications, attributed to Ambassador Rotimi, referring to the "ragtag Biafran army" as unacceptable and very unfortunate for us all. We would like to commend the immediate recall of the Ambassador by the Nigerian government under the leadership of President Umar Shehu Yar'Adua. ANAC calls on the Nigerian government to take this opportunity to involve ANAC and groups like it, in the selection and appointment process of future Ambassadors. We believe that our inclusion in the process can only help the entire image of Nigeria and Nigerians in the international community.

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About All Nigeria American Congress

All Nigeria American Congress is a conglomerate organization of all Nigerian organizations and related peoples of Nigerian descent, living on the American continent. ANAC represents Nigerians in the international community. ANAC can be found at and its Secretary General, Colin I. Atobajeun, can reached at www.anacweb.org and its Secretary General, Colin I. Atobajeun, can be reached at secretarygeneral@anacweb.org

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WORLD IGBO CONGRESS, INC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WORLD IGBO CONGRESS APPLAUDS PRESIDENT YAR’ADUA FOR THE TIMELY FIRING OF OLUWOLE ROTIMI

World Igbo Congress (WIC), Inc., the Apex Igbo Socio-cultural organization in Diaspora categorically condemns Gen. Oluwole Rotimi, rtd. for gloating in his role in the atrocities committed on Igbos during the Nigerian civil war.

Rotimi, as Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, according Saharareporters of February 16, 2009, wrote a memo to his boss, the Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, Hon. Dr. Ojo Maduekwe, who is Igbo, stating:

The above unfortunate statement by the former Nigeria Ambassador to the United States of America portrays a sick and disturbing mindset that should never have been hoisted in Nigeria’s Premier Foreign Mission in the first place.

While World Igbo Congress applauds President Yar’Adua for promptly recalling Rotimi from Washington, WIC insists that this man must be fired. Rotimi and bigots like him have no place in any of Nigeria’s foreign Missions or even domestic Ministries. He is a part of Nigeria’s draconian past that must remain in our national abyss.

WIC thanks Dr. Ojo Maduekwe for the class he showed in handling this sad event. For the sacrifice Igbos have made in building Nigeria and continue to make to shore up our nascent Democracy, the Olowole Rotimi’s of this world have no superior claim to Nigeria than any Igbo.

Charles C. Chikezie, Esq.
Secretary General, World Igbo Congress

Ichie Chibuzo E. Onwuchekwe, P.E.
Chairman, World Igbo Congress

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Bill Gates funds GSM banking for all
From Sonny Aragba-Apore, Barcelona, Spain

MEGA billionaire and founder of Microsoft Inc, Mr. Bill Gates, yesterday announced a donation of $12.5 million to the Global System of Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) to enable its members develop services that will allow persons who have no or limited access to banks to have financial services.

Also, from 2012, all handsets will come with uniform charging solutions (UCS).

Gates made the donation on behalf of Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation, a not - for- profit body with major interest in helping the poor.

The programme will expand the availability of financial services to millions of people in the developing world through mobile phones. The Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) programme will work with mobile operators, banks, microfinance institutions, government and development organisations to encourage the expansion of reliable, affordable mobile financial services to the unbanked.

This was one of the highlights of yesterday's proceedings at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

"There are over one billion people in emerging markets today who don't have a bank account but do have a mobile phone," said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA. "This represents a huge opportunity and mobile operators are perfectly placed to bring mobile financial services to this largely untapped consumer base. Based on the initial findings of research conducted with the microfinance centre CGAP and McKinsey & Company, we believe that mobile money for the unbanked has the potential to become a $5 billion market opportunity over the next three years."

The MMU programme will fund regulatory and market research to help overcome some of the barriers of providing these services and demonstrate the business case for serving this market. The programme includes a $5 million fund to catalyse a new wave of mobile money innovation, encouraging mobile network operators to create new services for previously unbanked people in emerging markets. The MMU programme will support approximately 20 projects in developing countries, focusing on Africa, Asia and Latin America, with the goal of reaching 20 million previously unbanked people with mobile financial services by 2012.

"Traditional financial services are often too costly and inconvenient for people who earn less than $2 a day to obtain, and too expensive for banks to provide," said Bob Christen, director of the Financial Services for the Poor initiative at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Technology like mobile phones is making it possible to bring low-cost, high-quality financial services to millions of people in the developing world so they can manage life's risks and build financial security," he added.

And beginning from January 2012, new handsets from all mobile phone handsets manufacturers will come with uniform charging solutions (UCS).

This is part of the initiative to make the proposed Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) work across the globe.

The common format for mobile phone charger solution was also announced yesterday at the ongoing GSMA, the global industry trade group for 750 mobile operators, 200 equipment manufacturers from 219 countries.

Test runs for the solutions begin middle of 2010 and have already been endorsed by no fewer than 17 of the world's handset and chip manufacturers attending the congress in Barcelona.

The manufactures said they were committed to implementing a cross-industry standard for a universal charger for new mobile phones. The aim of the initiative, led by the GSMA, is to ensure that the mobile industry adopts a common format for mobile phone charger connections and energy-efficient chargers resulting in an estimated 50 per cent reduction in standby energy consumption, the potential elimination of up to 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers and the enhancement of the customer experience by simplifying the charging of mobile phones.

Conway announced this at a crowded press conference, saying the group had set an ambitious target that by 2012 a universal charging solution (UCS) would be widely available in the market world-wide and would use Micro-USB as the common universal charging interface.

The group agreed that by the January 1, 2012, the majority of all new mobile phone models available would support a universal charging connector and the majority of chargers shipped would meet the high efficiency targets set out by the OMTP (Open Mobile Terminal Platform), the industry body which developed the technical requirements behind UCS.
Source: The Guardian, 18^th February 2009.

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Ndigbo Decry Attempt to Blackmail Onovo

Igbo in Lagos yesterday have accused Oruku Village, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, of launching media campaign of calumny against Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Ogbonnaya Onovo.
The group said Onovo was accused of meddling in the crisis between Oruku and the neighbouring community of Umuode, in the same local government area, which it described as an act of crass irresponsibility.
In a release jointly signed by Chief Christopher Eze, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd), Chief Tony Idigbe, SAN and Professor Anya O. Anya, the group noted that "not only is this grave allegation spurious, baseless and malicious, the people making it are ingeniously trying to psychologically browbeat the police and government from arresting and prosecuting all those behind the January 31, 2009 local war waged against Umuode, in which houses belonging to a High Court Judge, a former Minister and other prominent individuals were burnt, ostensibly to protest implementation of the Enugu State government White Paper on resolution of the perennial crisis between Umuode and Oruku communities.”
"We are shocked that some people could, in this day and age, blatantly refuse their neighbours their ancestral homeland where they have lived for centuries and even have the effrontery to publicly declare a whole autonomous community 'their customary tenants.' This action shows a group of people with a mindset of those still in the primitive age of mankind.
"We are more shocked that they could attempt to drag DIG Onovo into a village affair in which he has exhibited absolutely no interest, or is Onovo from any of the feuding communities, he is actually from a separate town called Akpugo," the release read.
Source: This Day, 18^th February 2009.

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