AfricaWorld Newspaper - June

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...Created to serve and inform

June 2012

VOL 001 Nº012

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KWAME NKRUMAH RESURRECT IN DUBLIN Pan African Lecture series launched

By Paul Kelly

On May 26th, AfricaWorld celebrated its first anniversary since its founding at the Irish Writers Centre one year ago. After a short prayer for the papers continued success, editor and founder of the paper, Ukachukwu Okorie, told the packed audience how AfricaWorld has helped “to breathe new life into our community.” He spoke about how, although “the biased but strong minority of opinion leaders would love the chronicle of lies to continue”, that the truth would prevail. Most importantly, he spoke about how it is AfricaWorld’s duty to be a purveyor of that truth by informing and highlighting African culture, politics and history. This was exemplified by its anniversary celebrations which highlighted African culture through dance by Afro-Irish Kidios, a fashion show led by Diana Mukushi, comedy by FABU D,

NG - 100 US $1.00

The Black Male Code

More on page 3

Simon Cumbers Media Fund More on page 3

Akidwa International Women’s Day More on page 5

music by DJ Spaqz and much more.

Despite this abundance of entertainment however, it was the inauguration of the lecture service that took interests of most guests.

The lecture itself was on Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana who successfully secured Ghana’s independence from British colonialism in 1957. More than this, however, it was on his vision for Pan-Africanism, a vision which AfricaWorld has always extolled.

For this reason, the lecture, Adekunle later told me, was renamed from its original title as the Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lecture to an inaugural lecture in what would be a yearly series on Pan-Africanism. “The thing that impressed me most about Nkrumah,” he explained, “was his vision and passion for the African race, not solely for Ghanians.”

Adekunle argued that the political barriers to Pan-African unity that exist today are a result of European colonialism and the infamous partitioning of Africa between 1881 and 1914.

Tuareg Rebellion Sparks Coup in Mali

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I WANT MY HUSBAND TO BE A SLAVE! Part 3 More on page 13

We distribute in Nigeria - Lagos, Abuja & Owerri South Africa - Johannesburg Belgium - Brussels United Kingdom - London

Continued on Page 3

Legendary Sprinter Kip Keino Visits Dublin

By Paul Kelly

In firing the starting gun on May 26th, legendary Kenyan runner Kipchoge ‘Kip’ Keino began Dublin’s first ‘One Race Human Race’ athletics event. The event, led by Sport Against Racism Ireland, took place in Morton Stadium, Santry and aimed to increase the amount of children from migrant backgrounds who participate in

the sport. Mubarak Habib, who organised the event, stressed the importance of this as although “there is talent out there, especially in the African community, no one has seen it”. Kip, a two time Olympic gold medallist who has also won numerous gold medals in both the Commonwealth Games and the All-Africa Games was inspired by

Habib’s vision when he contacted him just a few weeks prior. In talking to Kip, however, it is hard to believe you are talking to the same man who himself inspired the countless Kenyan victories which have followed him. This is because, despite his victories, Kip remains modest about his achievements. When asked about

the proudest moment in his career he does not recount any of his victories on the sports field, but instead describes the pride he feels when he sees young people getting involved in athletics. Kip himself became involved in athletics from a young age- running seven miles, to and from school each day. He Continued on Page4

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JUNE 2012

opinion

The return of the native

Editorial

“Originality is the essence of true scholarship. Creativity is the soul of the true scholar.”

By Ukachukwu Okorie

A trunk to lean on like the shoulder for the baby and smiles when the ovation is loudest. Friendship is it! My friends, we are in the second stage of our service to you, and the chance we already find exciting. Thank you for your support on our anniversary celebration and Inaugural Pan African lecture series delivered by Adekunle Thompson on Kwame Nkrumah’s vision and legacies. As topmost on our guest menu, our writer, Paul Kelly captured the lecturer’s salient points and the rest of happenings.

ZIK OF AFRICA

Africa Day witnessed series of events that were colourful. Turnout was great and the entertainment was extraordinary as dancers, NGOs, traditional regalia, designers and beautiful faces competed for space. It was really colourful except that the Africa Day festival started with the Irish Government policy of deporting Africans. This time, they repatriated Ghanaians and no one knows the next African country. We should emulate Joe Moore firebrand campaign for Eireann to shut down its deportation machine.

Whatever is the excuse, we in AfricaWorld see the policy as racism having known the history of this beautiful island.

As usual, we are done for this month and it is as sensational. Columns and issues that matter in all spectrum of living.

The legendary Kipchoge ‘Kip’ Keino came to Dublin and AfricaWorld was on ground.

As Chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC), retired track and field athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist, he inspired many across the world particularly in his region. Seasoned thespian, Bisi Adigun takes us on a mental itinerary of Nigeria through his thoughts on THINKING ALLOWED. The Dimkpa series, our family and relationship experts - Gee Bee, Abdul Yusuf and Folashade Santos Abifarin are in. Max Uspensky’s excavation of facts about Congo in Heart of the Matter, Chinwe Ihegbu’s Recipe and 10yr old Roland Idowu’s story on Family Corner are all in.

As we thank you again for your immeasurable support, help us spread the message that “Unless the hunted gives their account, the story of the hunt will always favour the hunter”.

Come inside.

Uka

Nnamdi Azikiwe The Great Zik of Africa has an imposing figure standing over six feet (1.83 metres) as an adult. However, Nnamdi Azikiwe was born on November 16, 1904 in Zungeru, Nor thern Nigeria. His parents were Igbo; his father ObedEdom Chukwuemeka Azikiwe (1879– 1958), a clerk in the British Administration of Nigeria and his mother was Rachel Ogbenyeanu Azikiwe. Nnamdi (My father is alive) in the Igbo language studied at HopeWaddell Training Institute, Calabar before sojourning to the United States.

Nnamdi Azikiwe spent nine years in the US attending Howard University, Washington DC before enrolling and graduating from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania. He obtained a masters degree in 1933 from the University of Pennsylvania and equally worked as an instructor at Lincoln before returning to Ghana in West Africa. In November 1934, Nnamdi took the position of Editor for the Accra based African Morning Post, a daily newspaper. In that position he Kick-started the intellectual agitation and promoted a pro-African nationalist

AfricaWorld & Millenium Development Goals Editor Ukachukwu Okorie

Photography Stephen Boyle

Managing Editor Jekaterina Saveljeva

Online/Marketing Gaelle Robert

Graphic Design Celine Fang

Secretary Goodness Sibanda

agenda. After a 3yr stinct at the African Morning Post, he returned to Lagos in 1937 to set up the West African Pilot, which he used to fan the embers of nationalism. Nnamdi Azikiwe published multiple newspapers across Nigeria cities and energised the people in pushing hard against colonialism. Zik of Africa, as called by his admirers forayed into politics with his entry into the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) and later National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) which he co-founded with Herbert Macaulay in 1944. In 1946, he became the Secretary General of NCNC and later won a legislative seat under the platform. From then, the great Zik moved from one to another in achievements until November 16, 1960 when he became the Governor General and on the same day became the first Nigerian named to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. With Nigeria attaining the status of a republic in 1963, he became the first President of Nigeria, while Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the Prime Minister. He

The Editorial team at AfricaWorld would like to point out that it is aware of the Millennium Development Goals Techinical Support Tony Agoruo

remained until the first military coup Nigeria in 1966, which led to civil war in June 1967 when Igbos in the east seceded to set up the Republic of Biafra under Colonel Emeka Ojukwu. A strong believer in democracy, the welfare state and the rule of law, Azikiwe, a titled chief in Igboland became an important sounding board for an array of latter-day leaders in Africa and N igeria in particular. Kwame Nkrumah was quoted as being inspired by Nnamdi Azikiwe when the latter was editor at the African Morning Post in Accra. Zik is regarded as the father of Nigeria independence and a man of compromise. The latter quality manifested in his colossal role towards Nigeria’s decolonization and the turbulent route to nationhood. To celebrate the achievements of the Great Zik, the famous Nnamdi Azik iwe University in Awka, was established in his honour. He is also on Nigeria’s 500 naira money bill. Lincoln University instituted a professorial chair in honour of Azikiwe at a lavish ceremony in 1994 where he was eulogised. Beyond his generation, Nnamdi A zik iwe has continued to inspire African to aspire to the top and to distinguish themselves for the benefit of the continent and the dignity of man.

and seeks to synergise its work in accordance with those aims wherever possible. Those goals are to improve

issues of Education, Health, HIV/AIDS, Gender Equality, Environmental Sustainability and Global Partnerships.

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JUNE 2012

NEWs

Pan African Lecture series

Continued from Page 1

For this reason, he, like Dr. Nkrumah before him, argued for a United States of Africa, with one parliament. When I asked him if he would base this on the European Union he told me in no uncertain terms that it would be like the EU but not based on the EU as it was Nkumura himself who first proposed the concept. “Nkrumah called for a United States of Africa, with one parliament before the EU began.” He explains. “We started this model.”

In his lecture, Adekunle highlighted Dr. Nkrumah’s strong commitment to Pan-African unity as more than just words. He spoke about how, after Guinea gained its independence from France in 1958, France cut all aid, preventing it from acquiring the necessary resources to build the state’s governing capacity. In response, Dr. Nkrumah gave £10 million of Ghanaian money to assist it, a phenomenal amount at the time.

It is this kind of thinking, argued Adekunle, which should drive African leaders now: “We should be helping each other. Places like Ethiopia and Somalia should not be having famines.” This passion towards his fellow Africans also drove Nkrumah’s political policies.

Throughout the Cold War he refused to take either side, siding instead with Yugoslavia as nonaligned under the slogan, “We face neither East nor West. We face forwards.” This, however, was not appreciated by the superpowers

of the day and although Nkrumah repeatedly argued that he did not support either side, he was seen as leaning towards the Soviet Union.

It was when he published his book Neo-colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, Adekunle told me, that it was decided he was a threat. The book mirrored Lenin’s Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism and, as a result, the CIA organised a coup against him in 1966.

What made the lecture so memorable, however, was not simply the life of Nkrumah himself, but Adekunle’s passion for it, having known him himself in his teenage years. He points at the black and white dashiki he is wearing to illustrate, explaining how he wore a similar one on the day he declared independence.

This inside knowledge gives him a unique understanding of what drove Nkrumah. “The liberation of Africa he was talking about was not just political independence.” He explained, his eyes alive with excitement. “He said until we are socially, economically and politically independent, Africa will still be colonised.” When I ask him what he means by this he goes into greater depth, explaining how, even after decolonisation, “Africa is still not free. We are not free yet because Africa still relies on external help, despite all the economic resources we have in the continent.” This is why Nkrumah’s vision of Pan-Africanism is so important, he argued. Until Africa

is united it will remain dependent.

This vision for Pan-African unity was also shared by many of the guests who attended the event, even if not to the same extent.

When I asked Chijioke Ibekwe Lawrance, one of those attending, his favourite part of the evening he tells me it was the opportunity to meet other people from different African countries. The reaction to the lecture from the crowd gathered was also telling of the enthusiasm with which this vision was greeted. Chinedu and Laura Nwodo, a radiographer and nurse who work in Nigeria through the Manorfield Foundation, tell me it is this reaction which they noticed immediately following the lecture.

If the brilliant MC’s, Yemi Adenuga and Lylian Fotabong, or the entertainment, failed to bring people together that night, the lecture certainly did. However, none of these individual parts, not even the lecture, could have made the night what it was. It was the combination of all these elements that leant success to the event.

Similarly, AfricaWorld will continue to combine these aspects as we look towards the coming year. By combining African culture, politics and history into our paper, we will continue to produce a distinctly Pan-African outlook that transcends national boundaries.

This gives us the honour of helping to preserve that essential African unity that Nkrumah helped to build. As Adekunle himself said, we write as we see it.development Aid”, Reginald said.

AfricaWorld was able to feel the verbal pulse of participants cutting across the African continent. Ferdinand Mensa from Malawi was upbeat about the new development. “I think it is a brilliant idea, seeing the failures of many charities. With this kind of approach, projects will be resultoriented”, the Malawi businessman said.

For Brahanu Hundi, an Ethiopian, the idea to involve Diasporans is good and more effective. However, he cautioned that the government should put into practice all these ideas to gain the confidence of the people.

Talking to AfricaWorld, Ebun Akpoveta, who is both a motivational speaker and guidance counsellor with Epic Support Program, gave kudos to the roadmap initiative. “We can see things they cannot see,” Ebun opined. The motivational speaker told AfricaWorld that it is great that they want to talk to Diasporans.

“However,” she quickly warned, “It must not be allowed to die out.”

Minister Joe Costelo TD encouraged Africans to make their voices heard and get involved especially as these issues closely affect them. He promised to continue his open door policy throughout his tenure.

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JUNE 2012

NEWS

Legendary Sprinter Kip Keino Visits Dublin launched

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laughs as he remembers how he ran, not just to get there, but also to avoid the leopards that would sometimes attack him on his way.

He holds up his hands to demonstrate what he would do if he could not outrun them “you take a sack and put it over them like this so the fingers cannot come out” he explains to me matter-of-factly.

Today, Kip is long retired from the sports field and has become President of Kenya’s Olympic Committee, but he remains an inspiration to thousands of athletes. “To give back to the youth, to become a role model is my motivation”, he explains. This is

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what drove him towards the event in Morton Stadium. “It’s what we contribute to the community that is our legacy.” He tells me. “The goal of ‘One Race Human Race’, to help the youth identify and develop their athletic talent, is a great contribution to the community.”

While visiting Morton Stadium, he was always on hand to give advice, sign t-shirts and cheer on the young athletes present. One particular race was reminiscent of his own 1968 Olympic victory in Mexico City. As Kip watched one of the young athletes cross the finish line he turned to me with a gleam in his eye and said “sooner or later,

you’ll have a sprinter”.

Kip does more than just coach athletics, however, he is also passionate about education. The year he retired from the sports field, he opened an orphanage, taking in any children who needed help. It was not long, however, before the numbers grew and it became more and more expensive to educate them. “It is very hard, if you have 60 or 70 children, to send them to school.” He explains. “It costs a lot of money, so the solution is to build a school.” This straight forward solution is what has ensured the success of Kip’s humanitarian efforts which today are given form through the Kip Keino Foundation.

The orphanage now houses over 500 children and the foundation has also built two schools, both of which are named after Kip. This is simply how Kip has chosen to deal with any challenges in his life, by working hard to ensure he can overcome them: “That’s life,” he tells me. “You have to start with a challenging race and you overcome it”.

This is also his philosophy towards the Olympic athletes he trains. While he works hard, he expects his own athletes to work hard too. This helps explain his reaction to recent German media

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allegations that Kenyan runners are engaged in blood doping. In condemning the report he insisted on how his athletes would be stringently tested both before and after arriving in London. His confidence in his athletes shows how he has instilled the same work ethic in them that he has himself: “if you’re involved (in blood doping) you’re out, there’s no shortcuts for anything.” He says.

Kip also strives to bring out the best in people’s abilities, whether that’s on the field or in the classroom. This is why, even during his own Olympic triumphs he did not hesitate to reveal any of his

training methods and why today he consistently visits schools not just in Kenya, but worldwide. The day before the race he gave a speech in a school in Tallaght, encouraging students to get involved in the Aviva Mile Challenge, a fitness campaign aimed at secondary school pupils. “He’s a man who always gives advice to the youth”, explains Habib, when I ask him how he persuaded Kip to become so involved. Just as in his childhood, Kip has never stopped running.

Even when he finished professionally in 1973, he continues to run for both Kenya and athletes worldwide, leading by example.

JUNE 2012

5

news

MALAWI AND IMF AGREETO A $157 MILLION DEAL The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Malawi on Wednesday said they have agreed to a $157 million package over 3yrs. “We hope that this will encourage Malawi’s donors, who have already pledged that they will support the 2012/13 budget, to quickly release their funds and make the country’s international reserves sustainable,” IMF mission Chief Tsidi Tsikata said in a news conference. Republic of Malawi had been in trouble after its former president, Bingu wa Mutharika, refused to concede to some of the demands made by donors whose grants traditionally accounted for 40 percent of the budget. The aid cut coincided with steady decline in sales of Malawi’s biggest cash crop, tobacco. Under the new President Joyce Banda diplomatic ties have been restored and aid will certainly resume. According to reports, the IMF will cancel a $79.4 million facility approved in

2010 that was suspended due to problems with Mutharika, under the current arrangement. It will be recalled that the late president had s c o f fe d at the f u n d ’s recommendations to devalue the kwacha currency, reform the finance sector and increase transparency. Tsikata said the new extended credit facility should improve the balance of payments and restore donor confidence.

President Joyce Banda’s government last month met one IMF requirement for a resumption of support when it scrapped the kwacha’s peg to the dollar, triggering a devaluation of more than a third. Last week, Britain released $51 million in aid to support Banda, after the new leader relaxed some conservative laws initiated by Mutharika. Britain and the United States froze aid packages worth nearly $1 billion over several years due to friction with Mutharika.

MTN IN IRAN BRIBE SCANDAL

The South African elite Hawks police unit has started an investigation on allegations bribery at mobile phone giant MTN relating to its purchase of a cellular licence in Iran, according to a police spokesman on Tuesday.

The police probe follows a $4.2 billion U.S. civil claim filed in March by Turkish operator Turkcell accusing Africa’s largest mobile firm of bribing Iranian officials with cash and promises of weapons to secure the licence, which was originally awarded to Turkcell. “There are allegations of corruption. That is exactly what we are investigating,” police spokesman MacIntosh Polela said.

MTN executives were also accused in the U.S. court papers of promising to get Pretoria to vote favourably about Tehran’s nuclear programme at international forums trying to curb Iran’s suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. MTN officials have denied any wrongdoing and described the Turkcell case, which

Queen elizabeth’s diamond Jubilee

By Nonye Anuche

Events marking the 60th anniversary celebration of the Queen’s accession, has been lined up, the celebratory activities include, the lighting on 4 June of thousands of beacons across the Commonwealth nations. The number of beacons was originally set at 2,012; by the closing date for registrations, approximately 4,000 had been submitted in the United Kingdom alone. The first will be lit in Tonga; other nations including Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and

several Caribbean states will also take part in the beacon lighting.

On June 2nd 1953, several months after her accession, the then Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen of United Kingdom and Constitutional Monarch of Commonwealth realms. Following the death of her father in Feb 1952, the queen has worked with several prime ministers, including Winston Churchill since she ascended the throne in 1952. Activities for the diamond jubilee includes a

televised concert in Buckingham palace, a ceremonial carriage procession, about 1 million people are expected to turn up at the River Thames on Sunday June 3rd as 1000 flotilla boats led by Queen Elizabeth II and members of the extended royal family cruise through London as part of the Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant.

Security forces will have their eyes on Her Majesty. Given the menace of terrorism, security measures have been stepped up significantly.

Official Diamond Jubilee portrait of Queen Elizabeth II photographed in the Centre Room of Buckingham

is backed by a collection of alleged MTN internal documents including emails, invoices, memos and presentations, as without legal merit. Pretoria has also denied that its diplomacy is for sale. An MTN spokesman declined immediate comment on the investigation by the police elite network Hawks, South Africa’s equivalent of the FBI in the United States. The Iran scandal, painted in Turkcell papers as a “staggeringly brazen orchestra of bribery”, has thrown a harsh spotlight on MTN, a $31billion company. promising to get Pretoria to vote favourably about Tehran’s nuclear programme at international forums trying to curb Iran’s

suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. MTN officials have denied any wrongdoing and described the Turkcell case, which is backed by a collection of alleged MTN internal documents including emails, invoices, memos and presentations, as without legal merit. Pretoria has also denied that its diplomacy is for sale. An MTN spokesman declined immediate comment on the investigation by the police elite network Hawks, South Africa’s equivalent of the FBI in the United States. The Iran scandal, painted in Turkcell papers as a “staggeringly brazen orchestra of bribery”, has thrown a harsh spotlight on MTN, a $31billion company.

ROFANS DEBUT IN IRELAND ROFANS is an acronym, meaning Rochas Fans International; a sociocultural mass movement of people ranging from different levels of profession across the globe. It is are made up of young and adult sets of people, championing the Renaissance of Forward Thinking Africans in Diaspora to form the nucleus of a New Nation. This movement was born on the 18th February, 2011, under the singularity and ideology of self help and communal livelihoods; supporting and improving the culture of people. According to Ukachukwu Okorie, their Irish Envoy, the Rofans agenda is “home call”. “Our agenda always remain the fact that the development of our region is in our hands, through the involvement of our people at home and in Diaspora to contribute meaningfully to the enhancement of our economy and people.” Top on the agenda include: • Supporting and encouraging indigenous products • Supporting the home base industries •Bringing back home, foreign technology that is transferable •Home investments • Supporting businesses and entrepreneur • Restoration, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Renovation, Re-orientation and Re-investing back to Africa All inquiries about ROFANS Ireland should go to olumoukachukwu@yahoo.com

New Report Finds Crippling “Segregation” in Irish Society

By Paul Kelly

On June 5th, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague, launched the 2011 Annual Monitoring Report on the integration of non-Irish migrants into Irish society. The report concentrated on areas such as employment, sports and the integration of migrant children. It was compiled by the Integration Centre.The report highlighted unemployment as a serious problem, especially among African migrants. Unveiling some shocking statistics, it found that between 2008 and 2011 total employment fell by forty per cent among migrants, but only by ten per cent among Irish nationals.

As regards the integration of migrant children, the report was more positive, finding that they were far more likely to have a positive attitude and to be more motivated than Irish children.

Indeed the introduction of this positive attitude by migrant children was found to improve school work even amongst nonmigrants as migrant children helped to improve the attitudes of Irish children. Despite this, however, English scores were

found to be significantly worse due to language difficulties. This language barrier was reflected by the fact that maths scores remained equal to that of Irish children, the report found. This year’s report was the first year sport was included in the Integration Centre’s assessment.

According to Killian Forde, CEO of the Integration Centre, this was because “Internationally sport is a telling indicator of migrant integration. Whilst many would hesitate to call a lack of participation in sport a serious social problem, it does flag a number of concerns for the future.”

Further to this, “If immigrants are not participating in sport because they feel marginalised and excluded,” he argued, “then Irish society is far more segregated than many would care to believe.”

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague welcomed the report in his keynote speech, saying that it “provides us with a deeper understanding of integration in Dublin and Ireland. The detailed evidence provided in this report will help policy makers to make better decisions.”

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JUNE 2012

news

Plane crashes in Lagos killing over 150 people

By Nonye Anuche

were likely more casualties on the ground, but the number was unknown. The Daily Times quoted a senior official of Dana Airlines, whom it didn’t identify, as saying the plane had been undergoing repairs for several weeks.

“The station manager protested its use, but the Indian management insisted it should fly,” the official said.

In a statement the office of the presidency noted that the crash “has sadly plunged the nation into further sorrow on a day when Nigerians were already in grief over the loss of many other innocent

Cargo plane crash in Ghana

By Nonye Anuche

Cargo plane crashes in Ghana

A Boeing 727 cargo plane trying to land in Accra, Ghana’s capital on Saturday June 2 crashed after overshooting the runway. The plane slammed into a bus loaded with passengers on a nearby street, killing all at least 10 people inside the bus, a

number of vehicles caught fire because of the incident. Rescue, police and fire officers flooded the scene and cordoned off the immediate area of the crash.

In an official statement Ghana’s airpor t operator confirmed the crash and said all

Escaped Jail to kill Again

By Paul Kelly

On May 2nd, the brutal murder of 22 year old Health Technology student, Idowu Aliyu, shocked Nigeria. Justice for her killer, Jimoh Obabu, came too late to save her, however, as State Co m m i s s i o n e r o f Po l i ce, Muhammed Katsina, has recently revealed that the cannibal should have been executed nine years before he attacked Ms. Aliyu.

According to the Commissioner, Obabu was found guilty in 2003 for killing his wife and two children, eating their intestine and selling their remaining body parts to ritualists. Despite the horror of his crimes, however, he was later released from Kaduna prison due to the aid of

The remains of a plane at the crash site in Lagos, Nigeria.

An air tragedy has struck in Lagos the commercial hub of Nigeria, Africa’s second biggest economy. The plane crash happened on Sunday June 3rd.The Dana Air plane was flying from Abuja to Lagos. The plane did not to appear to have nose-dived into a building, but seemed to have landed on its belly. It first crashed through a furniture shop and then into residential buildings next to the workshop in the densely packed neighbourhood.

Yushau Shuaib, spokesman for the National Emergenc y Management Agency, said there

Cannibal Murderer

lives in the church bombing in Bauchi state.”

P r e sid e n t Goodlu ck Jonathan has declared a three-day period of national mourning for all those who lost their lives in the Dana plane crash in Lagos today.

President Jonathan, who has cancelled all his public engagements scheduled for tomorrow, has also directed that the Nigerian flag be flown at halfmast for the three days of national mourning. Meanwhile, the President has ordered the fullest possible investigation into the crash.

four crew members survived and are currently receiving treatment in hospital. They also confirmed that “flight number DHV 111, cargo aircraft, operating from Lagos to Accra, has overshot the runway on landing on Saturday June 2, at 7:10 pm local time.”The aircraft collided with a minivan, resulting in 10 confirmed fatalities,” it added in a statement.

One witness reported seeing the plane come down and hit the bus, killing those inside.The bus was severely damaged, while the plane’s wings and tail had broken off from its body.

The plane crashed in an area just outside a stadium, near the airport and a military base. It did not appear to strike any houses.

Ghana’s vice-president John Dramani Mahama told

“influential, wealthy and highly connected individuals”, enabling him to kill again. It is unknown how many victims he killed in the nine years he was free. Mr. Katsina revealed that the cannibal specialised in luring his victims into the bush through providing a motorcycle taxi service. Despite this, Mr. Obabu has yet to be charged for his crimes, resulting in further controversy. “He was let off the hook without punishment.” declared her father Aliyu Onuto.

“If justice had prevailed that time, this would not have happened. All that we want is for justice to be done.”

The suspect,Jimoh Obabu Salau and Idowu Aliyu, the slain girl

Egyptians protest court verdict

By Nonye Anuche

T h e f o r m e r Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the death of hundreds protesters that revolted against his government last year.

On June 2nd 2012, Mubarak was found guilty of not putting a stop to the killing of protesters by the Egyptian security forces and sentenced to life in prison. The court found Mubarak not guilty of ordering the crackdown on Egyptian protesters. All other charges against Mubarak, including profiteering and economic fraud, were dismissed.

Mubarak’s two sons, Habit el-Adly, and six senior police officials were all acquitted for their role in the killings of demonstrators due to lack of evidence. According to eye witness reports, the relatives of

those killed by Mubarak’s forces were angered by the verdict.

Thousands of demonstrators protested the verdict in Tahrir Square, Arbein Square and AlQaed Ibrahim Square angry protesters expected a death sentence to be handed down to Mubarak. Hanafi el-Sayed, whose 27-year-old son was killed early in the uprising, travelled from Alexandria for the trial.”I want nothing less than the death penalty for Mubarak. Anything less and we will not be silent and the revolution will break out again,” he said .As at Sunday, June 3rd demonstrators were still occupying Their Square in Cairo to protest against what they consider a disappointing verdict.

JUNE 2012

7

opinion COLUMN

THE GRAVEYARD JUDGMENT: THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD

DIMKPA

By Mazi Uche Azukaoma Osakwe

The truth is like cork, unsinkable. Niccolo Machiavelli said in The Prince “…to be advised the Prince should also be wise.” Olayinka Odeajo’s caption “Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu: A Burden of a Nation” published in Bold and Beautiful International was effortlessly the cheapest, on the whole bereft of substance, the most vexatious, jejune, replete with inaccuracies and misinformation. Odeajo displaced recklessness, insensitivity, I-don’t-care attitude, ethnic jingoism, and shows crass ignorance and nay parade of flagrant ineptitude with history. I advise Odeajo to take an evening lesson on Nigeria contemporary history; it will do him a great service than merely seeking cheap publicity.

Socrates said “he who foolishly sort power by riding at the back of the tiger ends inside.”

Odeajo exhibited infantile exuberant in his analysis of Dim Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu’s roles in the annals of Nigeria history.

His roles in shaping modern Nigeria are glaringly clear. His participations and the executions of Nigeria/Biafra civil wars was there for every dick and harry to see. Was Ojukwu right or wrong in going to the war?

Was Ojukwu wrong in asking Gowon’s executioners and collaborators in demanding safe-haven for Ndi-Igbo living in the northern and south-west Nigeria? Was Ojukwu wrong in seeking peaceful resolution of the conflict at Aburi when the Nigeria government knew they will not abide by the tenets of the agreement? Was Ojukwu wrong in freeing Awolowo from prison in area of his jurisdiction? Events and actions in recent years and months have proved Ojukwu was right.

Ojukwu was right in going to the war to protect his people. It was a collective decision

by entire Ndi-Igbo to preserve their selfidentity and annihilation from northern and some south-west conspiracy against the Igbo.

The subsequent policies and marginalisation by past government had shown the wickedness by the rest of the geo-political forces to overawe Ndi-Igbo to subservient status in Nigeria polity. Tufia!

The ethnic jingoist like Odeajo will not want to know as long as he continues to feed fat and milk from the pains of Ndi-Igbo to satisfy his pay masters. Who betrayed June 12 presidential election won by MKO Abiola?

Odeajo and his likes know the answers. Has Odeajo forgotten the hunger policy by Awolowo during the war that claimed the lives of innocent Ndi-Igbo women and children which Odeajo claimed were a mere propaganda to boast or attract the attention of the world? I pity Odeajo, it is not his faults but the faults of second eyes who have continued unabated to scandalise and continue to question whether Ndi-Igbo was the victim or a mere excuse to gain independence? The grand conspiracy to wipe out Ndi-Igbo from the map of Nigeria was designed and hatched through the policy of “no food” and “no medicine” to the sick, injured, pregnant women, vulnerable children and wounded soldiers. If that sound silly or worrisome, the likes of Odeajo should cover his face in shame? I also advise him to read the manual on the rules of war and engagement. Or whether the actions of Gowon and his advisers should not face war prosecution for an act of pogrom against innocent children, women and defenceless men?

His pedestrian analysis on the first coup of 1966 by “five majors” was nothing but puerile.

The state of post-independence Nigeria was sick and needed a surgical operation to put things right. Were they [sic] acting in national interest or acting in ethnic motivation? The

AGONY CORNER

Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904-1994), Courtsey Du Bois Photos

Women and Finance in Relationships I know this is one article the women won’t be happy to read. The African culture is one that has transferred everything about finance and upkeep to the man. But times are changing.

We no longer live in that era when women are asked to sit at home, be full time housewives and just make babies. Things are getting tougher in our society and men are now left with so many burdens as regards the upkeep of the wife and children. Women are also not helping the men as we are most times selfish in our relationship with them. I know most women frown at the idea of having a joint bank account with their husband. I know so many women have had series of bad experiences when it comes to this. I know women who, in the case of a breakup, lost everything as the man plays a fast one on them. I know women who worked hard all their life and when it is time for them to relax and start enjoying the fruits of their labour, they realize there is nothing left in the account.

But the truth is that until we get to this level in our relationships, we have not really yielded to love one another. I understand your fear, but the question is, is this God’s plan for us? I am one person who does not believe in deceiving myself. What we have in a good number of African marriages are two adults living together as house-mates, having sex and making children, pretending to be in love while in actual fact, they are far from being one. I wonder when I see men and women now use their children and siblings as next of kin when it should be their spouse. This shows there is nothing like

trust in our homes. I don’t blame you as a woman because we all have different stories to tell. But if that this is the way it is done doesn’t mean it is right.

I have had women who are housewives tell me how foolish their husbands are. According to one of them, the man stopped her from working and ordered her to become a full time housewife. But I can tell you that this lady has no less than €10,000 in her bank account, all gotten through savings and stealing from the man in a smart way. There is yet another lady whose children attend private school and said she never pays her children’s school fees if she doesn’t get €200 out of it. I marvel when I hear all these stories because this is like a thief stealing from herself. In most African countries, some ladies now go and meet those dishonest doctors, and have them diagnosed of a terminal illness. The doctor’s diagnoses will frighten the man so much that he is ready to do anything to keep his wife alive. The one I heard speak said the husband normally drops three to four figure sum of their local currency every month for her treatment. She goes behind to take her share while the doctor takes his. I don’t know what to say about this because the man will be going about with the mindset that his wife is dying. He could even be fasting and asking God for healing without knowing it is all fake. Why have some African women suddenly become so desperate that they are now ready to do anything for money?

I haven’t seen that thing that can make someone begin to lie and commit all sorts of crimes just to get money. I say this to people anywhere I am and this is subject to verification.

As a signatory to my wife’s account, with a right to

answer is no. The Ndi-Igbo was well placed in post-independence Nigeria and have more presence both in military and civilian set-up and so would not collectively try to disrupt their pre-eminence in Nigeria. The actions of “January Majors” have proved that they were right. Was Ojukwu part of the coup? No. Was he the brain behind the failure of the coup?

Yes. Was Ojukwu insisting on doing the proper thing according to the law of the land? Yes. Ojukwu insisted that the most senior officer after Ironsi’s death Brigadier Ogundipe take over from the reign of the late head of state as against Lt. Col Gowon? Ojukwu’s conduct during and after the two coups showed that he believes in constitutionality and orderliness than chaos and jungle justice which continued to pervade the country today which Odeajo and cohorts are benefiting and profiting from.

Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu remains an iconic, enigmatic, patriotic, outspoken, brave and nationalist who challenged the status-quo and injustice in Nigeria. He sacrificed his comfort and position to side with the common man. His place in history has been assured, whether the likes of Odeajo likes it or not.

The likes of Odeajo pry on the vulnerable to feather their own nest, fortunately Nigerians are wise, and the society is sophisticated now thanks to cyber-internet-web and information age. It is easier to assess information and not to engage in fundamentalist mindset like Odeajo who is not pleased that Ojukwu was accorded national burial with full military honour and his burial witnessed mammoth crowd and accolades from both within and outside, across the six geo-political zones, both foes and friends sang his praises. The consensus was Ojukwu was honest, fair, outspoken, brave and just. The likes of Odeajo are like a drop of water in an ocean. They are paid agents, executioners doing the bidding of his corrupt elites. He continues to pander

to desires of northern oligarchy because of his crude lust for money. Socrates said “unexamined mind is not worth living.”

However, let me not be distracted by Odeajo and try to remind my fans that this column celebrated one year and at the same time Africaworld newspaper celebrated her first anniversary held at Regency hotel on 26 May 2012 it was extraordinary and unbelievable.

The attendance was overwhelming, the dancers, cat-walk models, guest speakers on pan-African series on “Nkrumah,” and Dublin crème de la crème, were competing for space.

I thank those who honoured the invitation to celebrate the anniversary, they helped immensely. They appreciated our effort in projecting and promoting the image, voice and interest of Africa and in the same vain enlightened and entertained our host community on the rich culture of Africa as unique, beautiful and colourful as against the stereotypes and ethnocentric superiority claim by some section of Europeans that Africa is backward, primitive and inferior. Through Africaword newspaper we have shown that given the right environment and resources we will be there like the likes of The Times, Independent, and Tribune etcetera.

Finally, we have conquered the past, when we were forced to feed on carcass for our growing population, but the oligarchy and their collaborators thought they conquered the future, but the future belongs to God. They fed fat on the blood of those who fought hard for the unity of Nigeria states. This turncoat conquered vulnerable women and children, raped and maimed their victims.

They think they defeated the bodies but not the soul. As long as junks, uninformed and sycophants still parade our streets the likes of Odeajo motivated by greed, hatred and envy will continue to be Nigeria Achilles’ heel and downfall.

sign cheques alone, I never at any time took money out of that account without her consent.

I never in my life gave money to my parents without her knowledge because I have a different view of marriage. If really we are one, let us be one indeed. You can do it and get better results from it. There is no point writing a long market list just to collect a man’s money when you know there are things in that list that you don’t need.

So many women, while going to market write three items but with different names on the same list. I see women use their children’s health to get money from their husbands.

Why bring evil upon yourself because of greed?

What spirit has entered our ladies that they no longer think before taking certain steps? Same happening in most African countries that some women have so belittled themselves that they go to finance people in schools to assist them in getting money from their husbands. Have you ever sat down to think of how they see you and the children you are raising? If at this stage you are doing this, remember you will someday become a grandmother and then you will graduate from stealing from your husband to stealing from your children and helping your daughter steal from her husband. I was dumbfounded the day a family friend told me about her landlady who advised her to always collect money from her husband before he sleeps with her. According to her, the landlady told her this before other women. She vowed never to allow her husband touch her without money.

What a shame! She is not the only one guilty of this as I know a particular lady who confessed to this as well. Her husband is a very rich and good looking man. This got me thinking he is not in his right senses. How can a woman make herself a whore in her own house? The pastors’ wives

are not left out as all they are after is how much the husband is getting from the Ministry. I recently told someone how miserable a pastor would have been if God hadn’t blessed his Ministry.

This is because all the wife is interested in is the money that comes in. A friend recently told me about her former church, where the pastor’s wife calls men and tell them to give her money for Lace-wigs, Brazilian Hair and Designer Jewellery for their wives. The same Pastor’s wife told a very close family friend of mine that the first Brazilian hair she wore was from that woman. What a devil in the church! Ladies, we all need money and it is necessary for us to be more fulfilled in life. But you can get all the money in the world and still feel empty. It is time you run away from all those friends that give you those negative ideas on how to relate with your husband or boyfriend. I believe that anybody can get whatever s/he wants in the place of prayer.

It really worked for most. That you don’t get anything from your man is only if you are not really serious about it.

You don’t have to lie, cheat, or fight a man to get what you want.

Begin to see yourself as a princess who shouldn’t do everything for money. Remember, one day you will leave it all here and face eternity.

If you are a working class lady, please look for a way to assist your husband or boyfriend. I am of the school of thought that a man should be able to provide for his home. Even the scriptures says it that if a man cannot provide for his family, he is worse than an infidel. But there are times the man loses his job; there are times his business takes a downward turn. Are you then going to watch him suffer and go through pain when you are in a position to help out? I have seen women with jobless husbands who go the extra mile to cover up for them.

8

JUNE 2012

news

Heart of the Matter: Paradigm of Disaster -The Congo – An Analysis.

By Max Uspensky

Nyama tembo kula hawezi kumaliza ! (You never finish eating the flesh of an elephant!)Swahili proverb £15 trillion in mineral resources – mostly in the east of the DRC. The proverb must ring true for those involved in the profits. But what of those who suffer? And why do they suffer when the region is the richest in minerals - gold, diamonds, silver, copper, casserite, manganese and coltan (80% of global production) in all Africa?

The region has many problems – these must be clearly identified in order to find possible solutions. These five are offered as identifiable chief problems: 1.Resource conflicts 2.Balkanisation of the region 3.Disease 4.Distance and space 5.International will and policy To the first issue - resource conflicts. Key among the resource conflicts is coltan – an exclusive mineral and one without which our digital age would not exist. The end product as capacitor will eventually end up in our hands through a maze of brokers to China and thence the major manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola, Apple, HP, LG etc., It is the labyrinth route of coltan to end product which makes the provenance difficult to track – also the shady people involved in the trade. One solution would be to source‘ethically’extracted material, whilst also applying fair trade principles across the region. Fairtrade could be key, considering how well it has worked for coffee and other agricultural products. Profits are huge and warlords are constantly fighting for dominance in the trade – most recently Bosco Ntaganda.

But it is not just warlords who perpetuate bad practice around the issue of resources.

Foreign and domestic legitimate concerns only paint a gloomier picture. For example, the State owned company Gecamines has remained an embezzling entity, where little ‘trickles’ down into state coffers.

A Human Rights Watch report, published in 2004, stated the following: “When a government is the direct beneficiary of a centrally controlled major revenue stream and is therefore not reliant on domestic taxation or a diversified economy to function, those who rule the state have unique opportunities for self-enrichment and corruption, particularly if there is no transparency in the management of

revenues – This dynamic has a corrosive effect on governance and, ultimately, respect for human rights.”

Martin Meredith reveals interesting economic dynamics in his The State of Africa – In 2005, the Congo exported $200 million worth of minerals, raising a tax revenue of just $86, 000 (that’s just 0.00043%!).

While the UK’s huge mining concern, Glencore has a publicised record of environmental fines and also more recently again toxic poisoning and child labour practices. These claims have been explored in the Panoroma programme Billionaires Behaving Badly aired on 16th April this year on BBC 1.

All these are examples of where a lack of transparency and corruption again serves to further impoverish the impoverished. Joseph Banga reported on precisely these issues in the Guardian 30th April 2012, where he argues for financial transparency among concerns in the Congo - over and above electoral monitoring to effect change.

Such lack of transparency and corruption are particularly the case of the Congo under recently reelected Joseph Kabila (leader of the 30 000 child soldier army of kadogos when his father fought for hegemony), who first became president in 2001. At that time the United Nations produced a report entitled, Illegal Exploitation of natural Resources in the Congo.

It stated that, “The consequences of illegal exploitation has been twofold: a. massive availability of financial resources for the Rwandan Patriotic Army, and the individual enrichment of top Ugandan military commanders and civilians; b. the emergence of illegal networks headed by either top military officers or businessmen.”

In the same report, although not blamed to the extent that indigenous dynamics play, multinational corporations are accused of being, “… engines of the conflict in the DRC.”One need only think of the demand of coltan for our digital age to appreciate this.

Balkanisation. Incursions by foreign militias, chiefly Ugandan and Rwandan, following the Rwandan genocide period have contributed to what might be termed as a ‘balkanisation’ of the region - where many and various ethnic groups vie with one another over control and access to minerals. The situation is not helped by the fact that the US lends much support to the Rwandan and Ugandan governments. Firstly, international pressure must be brought to bear

down upon these invaders. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly a culture of conflict resolution policy must infuse all politics in the region.

This in turn will allow ‘space’ and freedom for people to move around their country and engage in commerce in their own lands.

The Rwandan tragedy of 1990 – 1994 had left this part of Zaire swollen with refugees, Tutsis and Hutus, where genocidaires mingled with their victims and old ethnic faultlines and grievances were ripe once more for exploitation. This dynamic was key at the outset of the Congolese Civil War, largely inflamed

by Mobutu for his own gain.

The current dominance by militias/gangs and warlords has simply created a culture of fear and led to a breakdown of education and healthcare infrastructure and is why the Congo has the lowest HDI rating of any country in the world. The breakdown in social infrastructure adds extra concerns for an already stressed and traumatised populace.

Disease. is rife throughout the region and as always conflict only exacerbates the problem.

Malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, bilharzia and cholera are major problems which the population face and here distance and the poor infrastructure makes tackling this particular problem tough.

David Smith for the Guardian recently attempted to identify the problem, in a region where malaria treatment has risen 250% across six provinces, “The reasons for the trend are not clear, although it is thought renewed fighting by militia groups has made it increasingly difficult for people to access prevention and treatment for the mosquito-born disease.”

Distance and space. The region is immense covering Katanga province in the south, through Kivu provinces North and South to the north east province of Orientale.

And this scale and together with the very difficulty of terrain make it difficult to monitor the region. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) worker, Chris Bird reports, “Despite its lush surroundings, many children inside the MSF hospital tent in South Kivu are dying from preventable illnesses due to malnutrition caused by years of war and insecurity.” And, “Difficult

terrain and widespread poverty pose major obstacles... vulnerable to armed banditry.”

Just as warlords, militias and bandits use the vast distances and space as cover, those same distances make effective health aid difficult.

International will and policy. US support of Mobutu through to 1997 left the region impoverished in its typical tradition of supporting brutal dictators during the cold war. That loss of precipitated the Congo Civil War. The US could be said to be capricious in region – it could’ve prevented Rwandan genocide for example, components of that conflict are governing dynamics in the contemporary east DRC scenario.

The US currently supporting Museveni and Kagame regimes. And it is worth stating that misdirected Kony campaigning is diverting focus from core issues.

We should recall the renowned Polish reporter, Ryszard Kapuscinski who commented, “The problem with Africa is the dissonance between the environment and the human being.” The Congo’s official leaders and the rife of warlords and bandits in the east of the country only contribute to a harsher environment, as does malpractice by multinationals. Disease, remoteness and huge distances make functioning society all the more difficult. All this seats itself within an international environment at best seemingly indifferent for all its action.

Roho ya tembo kamwe hasahau. (The spirit of the elephant never forgets.)- Swahili proverb

Sahel Food Crisis – Gambia and Senegal

Mali Breaks Up

The western Sahel nations of Gambia and Senegal like the restof the region are also effected by poor rainfall and food shortages.

In Gambia rice production is down 79% from the norm, groundnut 67% and early millet 53%.

Patrick Ezeala, Oxfam spokesman comments, “Coupled with this production drop, food prices have gone higher than normal, surpassing the high food prices experienced during the 2008 global food crisis.”

Senegal is experiencing similar acute conditions. Senegalese musician Baaba Maal speaks for all the Sahel when he reports, “But so many other communities across the Sahel don’t know if or when help will come.They feel so far away from the rest of the world, from governments, from other countries, from the world they may glimpse on the radio or the TV. They know that people are talking about what is happening in their region, but they don’t know if anyone will come to their aid.”

Events in Mali continue to unfold. Mali Tuaregs and Islamist rebels have merged and created a new Islamic State. The agreement between the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad and Anser Dine was signed in the northern town of Goa on 26th May 2012.

Anser Dine’s connection to Al-Qaida in the Maghreb has brought much concern to this latest development. Disagreement has already emerged in the coalition over Anser Dine’s insistence at introducing sharia law into the new state, an intention creating deep concern in the coalition.

Meanwhile, Mali’s interim President, Dioncoudra Traore has been flown to Paris for medical tests, following anaggressive physical attack by protestors. On top of the ongoing food crisis, these events augur still more austere times for the country.

By Max Uspensky

By Max Uspensky

JUNE 2012

THE PRIDE OF AFRICA in association with Comfort salon

Hannah Onyeche Ali hails from the Idoma nation of present day Benue State in Nigeria.

Pretty Hannah is a student of National College of Ireland where she is studying for Bachelors in Human Resources Management.

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She loves success and helping the less privileged children.

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BOILED YAM AND RED OIL

By Chinwe Ihegbu

9

10

JUNE 2012

thinking allowed

Column

Nigeria: A Nation overburdened with abundance

With BiSi

The only time that I heard of Nigeria Democracy Day was when the National Theatre of Nigeria informed me that my play, Haba Pastor Jero!!, (adapted from Wole Soyinka’s The Trials for Brother Jero) will be presented on May the 29th to mark the 2009 Nigeria Democracy Day. Personally I do not understand the rationale for a Democracy Day in Nigeria when millions of its citizens are scattered all over the surface of the earth in search of fundamental human rights that are denied them in their country of birth. But that is Naija for you - a paradox.

Nigeria Democracy Day resurfaced in May this year when I was invited to moderate a seminar that has been organised to mark the Day. But I had to turn down the invitation for personal, professional and ethical reasons.

My philosophy is: when you talk the talk, you must also be ready to walk the walk. In my humble view, many Nigerians can talk the talk, but many of us, I am afraid, are still conducting our business as if we are still in Obodo Naija.

(Watch this space for what I am thinking as regards the new wave of Nigerian cab drivers in Dublin) It is in fact the whole irony of this Nigerian attitude of “all mouth; no action” that got me thinking about the question: what is really wrong with Nigeria and Nigerians? But instead of just thinking these thoughts to myself, I thought I should think aloud especially since we live in a democratic society, unlike Nigeria, where thinking is allowed. It is also a fact that sharing one’s private thoughts is good for the public good. It is in the light of all of these thoughts that I have been thinking that I would like to christen my column: ‘Thinking Allowed’. So for this month this is what I am thinking…...

I think a lot of people here in the west do not know or pretend not to know that Nigeria is blessed with so much natural and human resources that it has become a curse for the nation. I am not stating this fact merely on the basis of being a Nigerian but by the virtue of the fact that it is a fact. In fact, I believe it is because I am a Nigerian that I can state it in matter of fact way that the problem with Nigeria is the fact that it is too blessed for its own good. Let me explain what I mean.

I have often cited the example

of the mango season in Ogbomoso -- the town where I am from originally -- to reinforce my argument that the reason why Nigeria is in lack is because it has been blessed with too much.

During the mango season, it is not untypical to see approximately 1000 ripened mangoes, 1000 nearly ripened mangoes and yet another completely unripe mangoes numbering over a thousand on a single mango tree.

But there is usually more than one tree. In fact on a single farm, you can have approximately 10 rows of mango trees with 100 trees on each row. Work out the maths yourself.

But I doubt it very much if mango is considered a cash crop by the Nigerian government. As a saying goes, when we are talking of animals with horns, we are not referring to the snail. Thus mango can not make the list of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Products when we are talking of real cash crops such as cocoa, yams, palm produce, groundnuts to mention but a few.

But all these agricultural produce aside, the country also boasts of mineral resources such as crude oil, bitumen, copper, coal, zinc, iron ore and last but not the least, abundant human resources. So the question is: if Nigeria is thus blessed with so many riches why are millions of Nigerians living in penury and many of its bright citizens are living like second class citizens in these so-called first world countries?

In my view, Nigeria’s major problem is lack of good leadership.

The leadership problem is in turn traceable to the disunity among its many ethnic groups. To drive this point home let me cite the example of Ireland since I am writing this from Ireland. The population of Ireland, according

to the 2011 census, is still under five million.

But as small as the country is in terms of population and landmass, people are different from province to province, parish to parish, town to town and county to c o u n t y.

Furthermore the Irish here in the South are different from the Irish up North.

And in the North the Loyalists and the Republicans are different.

Similarly I know that among the Yorubas -- who according to history have a common ancestry in Oduduwa -there was, is and will always be animosity. There is a saying, for instance, which in my view is a stark reminder of the historical fact that there was a time when the people of Egba under the leadership of their no-nonsense leader, Sodeke, and the people of Ibadan -- both Yoruba people -could not see eye to eye. I think the literal translation of the proverb is: “If you want to greet someone, greet him and if your intention is to point him out, point him out; hailing someone: ‘Hello Ibadan man!’ right in front of Sodeke’s house is not a good idea.”

To put this proverb into an Irish context, I would say it is like sighting a Loyalist man in Garvaghy Road in Belfast during the Troubles and calling out to him thus, ”Hey Orangeman how are ye?” My point is: if there is trouble between people who have something in common such as the Irish people in Northern Ireland with a population of less than a million or the people of Modakeke and Ife (another example of two warring groups of Yoruba people of less than a hundred thousand living side by side in the small town of Ile-Ife where I grew up) then one can only imagine the senselessness of the British colonial project of lumping millions of people of diverse cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds together in a ridiculously blessed geographical landmass and expecting them to live harmoniously. Nigeria was, is and will remain a subdued volcano. I prefer to describe it as an epitome of disunity in diversity.

If I may paraphrase how an Irish priest once described the Nigerian: if you combine the honesty of the

Hausa, the shrewdness of the Igbo and the intellectuality of the Yoruba, you still haven’t gotten a complete Nigerian. He is right if one considers the fact that we have the Abraka, the Awori, the Bariba, the Berom, the Chamba, the Defaka, the Efik, the Egun, the Fula, Ibarapa, the Ibibio, the Igbira, the Igala the Ijaws, the Ijebu, Itsekiri, the Jukun, the Kanuri, the Longuda, the Mambila, the Nupe, the Ogoni, the Ogugu, the Tivs, the Urhobo, the Yewa and the Zarma, just to mention but a few.

No wonder there is disunity in Nigeria’s diversity.

The only conclusion that remains to be drawn from the above is that Nigeria is a modern Tower of Babel and it is a project that is doomed to fail. As the saying goes, only birds of same feathers flock together. Nigeria, I would argue, is a cage containing not only birds of different feathers but birds of various species. I mean, imagine carrying the same green passport as members of the Boko Haram religious sect. If you ask me, Nigeria is a ticking time bomb – I pray that I am wrong.

What compounds Nigeria problem is that the western world is very well aware of the potential of Nigeria as a nation and its people. If our country is peaceful and security of life is guaranteed, I know for certain that many Nigerian immigrants who are contributing significantly to the economy of the western world will return home without thinking twice. But would the western world want that? I doubt it.

It is a source of great concern for me that the best brains from Nigeria must continually live as second class citizens in these socalled first world countries, despite the fact that we hail from a nation

that is blessed abundantly with natural and mineral resources beyond any white m a n ’ s imagination. I mean imagine for an instant, if it was Ireland that is blessed with only the mangoes in Ogbomoso, as I have described earlier. Or if we can put a human spin on the mango analogy, how many of you readers out there know one of our very many ripened mangoes: Ben Okri? Please google him.

It was Soyinka who once described Nigeria as the sore foot of a continent. I would like to add to WS’ allegory here by making a prognosis.

What is wrong with Nigeria is actually an abscess and the nation must be lanced for all the pus within it to ooze out in order to return the sore foot of the continent of Africa to health. I do not have the time nor space here to offer what I think the solutions are to Nigeria’s problem. But it is important to remember that a problem defined, is a problem half-solved.

As an artist, I think a nation which does not value the lives of its artists -- the visionaries of any society -- would forever flounder in the dark. In my humble view, for Nigeria to see the paradox of starving its citizens to death in the midst of plenty the country must first of all atone for all the lives of the artists that we have wasted. The names that readily come to mind here include Mamman Vatsa, Dele Giwa, Ken Saro Wiwa and Bola Ige. These above mentioned souls and those of many others that have been wasted in succession of coup and counter coup, which was the bane of Nigeria for many years since it became a specimen of disunity in diversity on the 1st of October 1960, cannot rest in peace until we atone for our sins.

It needs to be stressed that if Nigeria does not atone for these lives the country that was once known as the giant of Africa will forever remain the ghost of its former self. In my humble view, especially as a Yoruba man, it is only when the dead rest in peace that the living can live in peace.

Chikena!!!

JUNE 2012

family CORNER

11

Poems

Wisdom Bits

Connect with

AfricaWorld

When stringed beads cut and fall around, it can never be complete again Meaning: If a great trust is betrayed it cannot be completely regained

Unless you carry the sheep from the salt, it would poison itself.

Meaning: Negative addiction is very bad

No matter how thick darkness is, light must overcome it.

Meaning: Hard work triumphs over laziness

Live and let live Meaning: Co-existence is a positive quality

A stubborn fly normally follows corpse to the grave Meaning: Lack of advice leads to destruction

The authority of a hawk over a chick exceeds human control Meaning: Nature is beyond is bigger than man

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Sam and Sophie conquer them all Chapter 5 - Sam’s dream

By Roland Idowu

Sam had a sleepover on the following weekend in Christopher’s house.

Sophie went to Caroline’s house to have a play date.

On Saturday, Sam went swimming with Christopher and saw a big water slide, he saw a man giving out swimming certificates.

Sam went up to the man and asked for a certificate but he told him that certificate is only for the children in the competition. Sam was not happy and went back to Christopher’s house and it was time for Sam and Christopher to go to bed.

Fi r st S am and

Christopher had a pillow fight and after that Sam fell asleep and had a dream, it was the best dream of his life. Sam was in a competition, and there were three judges in front of him. Sam was on floater, he was doing the hand stand and jumped off the floater, he also did a double flip.

It was Christopher’s turn to jump down the floater, Christopher was scared, he didn’t think he can do it but he remembered that Sam was going to tell their friends in school if he couldn’t do it and he didn’t want that.

Christopher stepped

forward and went for a double flip, at first he didn’t know he had done it, he was happy when he realised he did it, he punched the air and shouted “Yeah, I did it”.

Sophie was on the floater too. She did a double flip as well. It was time for the results; three of them were standing in front of the judges, they were holding hands and said good luck to each other. The judges decided Sam did better than the rest. They gave Sam the first price, Christopher came second and Sophie came third.

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JUNE 2012

entertainment/ news

Cartoon by Sara Sinclair

TEN BASIC PRINCIPLES OFGOOD PARENTING

Founder of Adorable Mum - ADM Gbeminiyi ‘Gee Bee’ Shogunle

1. What you do matters.“Tell yourself that every day. How you treat and respond to your child should come from a knowledgeable, deliberate sense of what you want to accomplish.

Always ask yourself: What effect will my decision have on my child?”

2. You cannot be too loving. “When it comes to genuine expressions of warmth and affection, you cannot love your child too much. It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love.

What we often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never the result of showing a child too much love. It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of love—things like leniency, lowered expectations or material possessions.”

3. Be involved in your child’s life. “Being an involved parent takes time and is hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities. It

frequently means sacrificing what you want to do for what your child needs you to do. Be there mentally as well as physically.”

4. Adapt your parenting to fit your child. “Make sure your parenting keeps pace with your child’s development. You may wish you could slow down or freeze-frame your child’s life, but this is the last thing he wants. You may be fighting getting older, but all he wants is to grow up. The same drive for independence that is making your three-year-old say ‘no’ all the time is what’s motivating him to be toilet trained. The same intellectual growth spurt that is making your 13-year-old curious and inquisitive in the classroom also is making her argumentative at the dinner table.”

5. Establish and set rules. “If you don’t manage your child’s behaviour when he is young, he will have a hard time learning how to manage himself when he is older and you aren’t around. Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is with my child? What is my child doing? The rules your child has learned from you are going to shape the rules he applies to himself.”

6. Foster your child’s independence. “Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self- control.

Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of self-direction. To be successful in life, she’s going to need

both. Accepting that it is normal for children to push for autonomy is absolutely key to effective parenting. Many parents mistakenly equate their child’s independence with rebelliousness or disobedience. Children push for independence because it is part of human nature to want to feel in control rather than to feel controlled by someone else.”

7. Be consistent. “If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion, or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child’s misbehaviour is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency.

Identify your non-negotiables. The more your authority is based on wisdom and not on power, the less your child will challenge it.”

8. Avoid harsh discipline. “Of all the forms of punishment that parents use, the one with the worst side effects is physical punishment. Children who are spanked, hit or slapped are more prone to fighting with other children. They are more likely to be bullies and more likely to use aggression to solve disputes with others.”

9. Explain your rules and decisions. “Good parents have expectations they want their child to live up to. Generally, parents over-explain to young children and under-explain to adolescents. What is obvious to you may not be evident to a 12-year-old. He doesn’t have the priorities, judgment or experience that you have.”

10. Treat your child with respect. “The best way to get respectful treatment from your child is to treat him respectfully. You should give your child the same courtesies you would give to anyone else. Speak to him politely.

Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he is speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Try to please him when you can.

Children treat others the way their parents treat them.

Your relationship with your child is the foundation for her relationships with others.”

There is no guarantee that following these guidelines will result in perfect parents… remember, there is no such thing!

“There is no more important job in any society than raising children, and there is no more important influence on how children develop than their parents.

M. H. VENTURES Company Reps & Financial Management Consultant

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Email: mhventures91@yahoo.com multilinkinc@hotmail.com

JUNE 2012

13

news/entertainment

CHIT CHAT

News in Brief

By Paul Kelly

Nigeria has voiced opposition to US plans to place Boko Haram on its list of foreign terrorist organisations. Critics, such as Nigeria’s ambassador to the US, claim that this could jeopardise attempts to negotiate a ceasefire with the militia.

Algerian elections have resulted in 31% of the legislature currently being composed of women, surpassing the UN’s minimum recommendation of 30%.

Madagascar’s Council of Churches has called on politicians within the state’s new institutions to work together to solve the current political crisis.

Somalia: a journalist critical of both terrorist group Al Shabaab and the government has been gunned down in the country’s capital. No one has yet claimed responsibility.

Angola has announced that new elections will be held on August 31st, amidst accusations of attempts at electoral fraud.

Egypt’s Secretary General of the Presidential Elections Committee, Hatem Bagato, has threatened that any presidential candidate involved in electoral bribery can be suspended and prevented from taking office.

Malawi has drastically devalued its currency in attempts to boost exports, however, critics argue that this hurts individual citizens as it raises the price of food and fuel.

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has taken a case against the Goodman Gallery for hosting an insulting picture of him, arguing it violates his right to dignity under S10 of the constitution.

The World Bank is providing $46 million to assist Benin in expanding its network of basic services.

Equatorial Guinea’s government has resigned in line with a controversial constitutional reform, allowing Africa’s now longest running president, Obiang, to form a new government.

The UN’s food and refugee agencies have launched an emergency campaign to assist

spiritual corner ByEvangeline Ngozichukwu

Hi brothers and sisters, I thank God Almighty for giving me this opportunity to release the message he gave humble me to lovely readers of AfricaWorld. The message I have for you today is: Prepare for The Coming Of Our Lord Jesus. The bible and History recorded that before Jesus came the first time on earth, he went through a process that made him to be born through a virgin called Mary. Through this, Jesus had legal physical authority to dwell on earth. The ministry of Jesus Christ also went through a process and preparation of raising world powers like the Romans who went on conquering the then world, building roads, bridges and bringing civilization.

Also instead of Hebrew, the gospel was written in Greek language as that was the international language of the time.

It is written that “all things worketh together unto good for those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.” Romans

Part 3

8:28.” The Romans and the Greeks thought they were doing great things for their selfish goal to rule the world but God used them to build roads and bridges, create good means of communication for Jesus’ Ministry to be successful. Likewise, all hands are on desk now to usher in Jesus a second time without our knowing it. Jesus Christ is coming soon. We are going to be the generation to welcome Jesus to this planet earth once again. Though this time, Jesus is coming as a KING of kings and LORD of lords. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, Titus 2:13-15.

He will rule the whole earth from Jerusalem. There will be a battle at Megiddo in Israel where Jesus will prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is in charge. He will destroy the devil and his agents which will usher in a thousand years of happy and peaceful life. At the end of a thousand years, our God of Justice will give the devil another chance to repent. If he is still unrepentant, he will be annihilated forever. Apart from the biblical evidence of his second coming, Jesus gave humble me personal signs to assure me he is coming. Almost all he told me would

thousands of Mali refugees who have fled the conflict there into neighbouring drought-ridden countries.

A Sudanese plane has violated South Sudanese airspace by flying directly over the capital of Juba for several hours, causing panic in the city.

Burkina Faso has seen the creation of two women’s groups growing community vegetable gardens by the Burkinabe Red Cross Society. The project has become known as an “Oasis of Hope”.

Eritrean citizens in the Gash-Barka region have celebrated 21 years of independence on the 18th and 19th of May. Swaziland’s Weekend Observer has been criticised for censoring itself on details of King Mswati III’s visit to the UK. In coverage, it noted criticism of the King of Bahrain by human rights campaigners while ignoring similar complaints against Mswati.

Gabon has been urged by a UN Human Right’s expert to take further steps to prevent the practice of human trafficking within the country.

The World Bank has announced that almost half of Moroccan youth are neither employed nor in school. It emphasised that greater social inclusion could boost the country’s economy.

Cameroon is inviting multinational corporations to expand palm oil plantations in the region, drawing concern from environmentalists who mourn the loss of diverse forests.

Cote d’Ivoire has invited the Gambia to participate in its international film festival which is scheduled for this September.

Mozambique has been called on by Cuba to assist it in its calls for an end to the USA’s trade embargo on the small state which has lasted since 1960.

Tanzania’s gold production has fallen as it struggles to decrease operational costs while attempting to maintain its position as Africa’s third largest gold exporter.

Ghana may freeze future oil exports to meet local demands for fuel under a new Petroleum Law which is being produced by the Ministry of Energy.

Namibia has begun circulating new bank notes which will help prevent forgery.

Togo’s police forces have been condemned

by the International Federation of Journalists after they assaulted freelance journalist Noel Tadegnon and stole his camera.

The Central African Republic’s process of demobilising and reintegrating former rebels is continuing successfully with more than a thousand already demobilised.

Guinea’s opposition parties have called for mass protests against the repeated postponement of legislative elections by the government.

Niger is to begin supplying parts of Nigeria with electricity under a new deal made by Nigeria’s Commissioner for Housing and Rural Electrification.

France has called for a “new start” in bilateral relations between itself and Tunisia.

The World Bank has provided $34.2 million to Chad in order to assist agricultural production.

The UN has imposed a travel ban on the five military officers who seized power from Guinea Bissau’s civilian government last month.

Nigeria’s Vice President has affirmed its support for South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as a candidate for the head of the African Union.

Uganda’s Inspector General of Police has announced the capture of LRA commander, Denis Opio in Kampala.

The ICC have rejected claims by Kenya’s Ocampo 4 that it does not have the jurisdiction to try them for crimes against humanity.

Rwanda has begun a vaccination programme targeting over 130,000 girls in order to prevent cervical cancer.

National authorities in CongoBrazzaville have disposed of almost 20,000 unexploded munitions with the assistance of UN experts, numerous NGO’s and the US State Department.

Lesotho’s Congress for Democracy party has called for a larger government stake in mining companies in the country, amidst tight legislative elections in the small state.

Senegalese singer and humanitarian advocate Baaba Maal has called on the Senegalese government and the international community to take preventive steps to stop the unfolding food crisis in the Sahel.

Zambia and Zimbabwe’s presidents have been appointed UN international tourism

come to pass before he comes have happened before my eyes. This is what drives me to continue writing to my beloved brothers and sisters through any channel that comes my way. So if Jesus is coming soon we should be living holy lives, living in love, helping one another and waiting for that BLESSED HOPE of receiving our Holy brother, King and Saviour. Revelation 21:1-8. We should detest anything that will deprive us of this coming everlasting life. May God help us in Jesus Name! We should also help both physically and spiritually by spreading the gospel, living the gospel and positioning ourselves for God to use us to do extra ordinary things. We should also not be tired and lukewarm but live in hope and expectation that God will fulfil his promises for he is not a man that he should lie or forget his promises. If you have not received Lord Jesus as your personal saviour, please pray this prayer; Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins and rose again. I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. I reject the devil and all his agents.

Lord Jesus, come into my heart today and remain as my Lord and Saviour! Redeem me Lord Jesus and give me the grace to be ready for your coming! In Jesus Name I have prayed, Amen!

Remain blessed, Evangeline Ngozichukwu

ambassadors in recognition of the growing cooperation the two countries have shown in the joint promotion of their tourist industries.

UNICEF has condemned the recent murder of 20 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Liberia’s main opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change, has accused the current government of “nepotism” in the oil industry.

Seychelles has agreed to prosecute 11 Somali’s, suspected pirates which were captured by the EU Naval Force on May 11.

Libya: the Lockerbie bomber who brought down a PanAm airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland has died of cancer in Tripoli, aged 60.

Ethiopia’s economy is improving as 10 international companies prepare to inject over $100 million into the country through investment.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza has attacked multinational companies investing in the country which refuse to abide by Mozambique’s labour laws.

Morocco has been condemned by Human Rights Watch for refusing to investigate the beating by police of one of HRW’s workers in broad daylight. HRW claims this highlights the vulnerability of ordinary citizens also.

Sierra Leone’s President Koroma has warned journalists that although they will not be arrested, that “reckless journalism” which capitalises on ethnic divisions will not be tolerated.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathon has claimed that his government will take the necessary steps to reduce the amount of university lecturers without a PhD from 60% to 10%.

Kenya is facing a tuberculosis vaccine shortage, putting the lives of hundreds of infants at risk.

South Africa’s President Zuma has highlighted the importance of “self-love, Afro-optimism, Ubuntu and respect for human worth” in a speech made to delegates at the African Diaspora Summit.

Gabon has agreed a $58 million loan with the World Bank to finance a communications

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JUNE 2012

photo of the month

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The Archbishop of Dublin celebrates Mothers Day with African women in Swords

The Archbishop of Dublin celebrates Mothers Day with African women in Swords

JUNE 2012

photo of the month

15

16

JUNE 2012

sport

Legends of African Sport Augustine ‘’Jay Jay’’ Okocha On 14th August 1973, down in Enugu at the Delta State in Nigeria, a new baby to become a new African star was born. Augustine ‘’Jay Jay’’ Azuka Okocha, one of the world’s greatest football talents had emerged, born in the Okocha family of OgwashiUku, he took the opportunity of growing under his brothers who played football and made it his fortune. ‘’Jay Jay’’ was a name that first started from his older brother and then his immediate brother Emanuel was also called the same and it then passed to Okocha who took the chance to make it his own. Like any other footballer in Africa, Okocha started playing football in the streets using the footballs made from plastics, from the streets to playing in one of the greatest stadiums in Europe, this

surely proves right the saying, ‘’ IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.’’ Well known for making his amazing stopovers and the Sombrero Flicks, Okocha joined Enugu Rangers in 1990 where he produced many wonderful skills and spectacular displays and is remembered for his incredible goal where he rounded off and scored a goal against the experienced goalkeeper William Okpara in a match against BCC Lions. He was also quoted saying, ‘’As far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus!

I mean it was amazing.’’

To the football fans in Nigeria, this was an astounding display but with Jay Jay, it was just the beginning of the show. When he travelled to Germany to visit his friend, he was asked to join the team after impressing at training and later signed for the third division team Borussia Neunkirchen.After impressing in the third division he then joined Eintracht

Frankfurt and combined with wellknown players like Tony Yeboah from Ghana and later Thomas Doll, his skill and great determination for the game helped him to develop as a player and he also scored a goal which was voted goal of the season by many different magazines. Unfortunately Jay Jay, Tony Yeboah and Gaudino were all involved in a feud with the manager and this led to their departure from the club. When the other two players left for England, Jay Jay joined the Turkish club Fenerbache where he scored most goals from direct free kicks. He had surely taken himself to a higher level at that stage, dribbling was a must-do in every match and he was a firm favourite of the fans. He was also part of the team that beat Manchester United in the group stages of the Champions League in 1996 – 97.

Jay Jay then joined P.S.G in 1998 for 24 million making him the most expensive African player at that time.

At P.S.G he also played great until 2002 when he moved to the premier league side Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer. Although he was injured at the start of his career in England, he again won himself as a fan’s favourite

He is known for his stepovers, skill, technique, and being ‘so good that they named him twice’

and scored goals that saved them from being relegated. Okocha continued to impress in the premier league and until he was stripped off his captaincy by the club in 2006 due to speculation he was moving to Qatar.

After leaving Bolton, the team was just doing fine and in 2012 after the club was relegated he stated that he had wasted his time at Bolton because since he was there the club

IRELAND CHANCES ON EURO 2012

By Peadar Mitchell

In recent years the Irish Soccer team has improved and therefore put themselves forward to be where they are at the moment. Since changing the new manager, Giovanni Trapattoni has introduced a new style of play that suits Irish players and this seems to be working so far for him.

The Republic of Ireland are in one of the toughest group in the Euros, with their group including World Champions Spain, and the former world Champions Italy and then rising Croatia.This is surely a group of danger.

While there might be some mouthwatering performances in that group, there could also be some surprises caused by teams like Ireland especially with the new impressive players like James McLean and Jon Walters.

The Irish team therefore has a chance to prove that they are at another level in football and this could be done by ‘’Letting the feet do the talking.’’

Ireland national team

never progressed.

However in 2012, after Jay Jay had left Bolton, the club was relegated. He stated that he may have wasted his time at Bolton because the club never progressed.

Africa has surely has some amazing and greatest players of all time and Okocha definitely is one of them. He will always be one of the greatest entertainers in football.