April polls: IBB endorses Ribadu

BY WOLE MOSADOMI
MINNA — Former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) has endorsed the candidacy of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, presidential team, saying: “They are the pair that the country needs to turn her fortune around.”
Babangida who bared his mind when the ACN presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and his running mate, Mr Fola Adeola paid him a courtesy call at his up-hill mansion, in Minna, Niger State yesterday said the country needed a generational change of which Ribadu represents.
The former president, after hosting the ACN delegates to a lunch in his house, said: “I endorse generational change which Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu and Alhjai Fola Adeola stand for. I have strong faith in them and I believe they can deliver the goods.”
Asked if the hosting of the ACN candidate was part of move to ensure that the northern consensus candidate is actualised, Babangida said: “Someone asked me who my candidate is and I analysed the situation, the fact is that the country needs people of your age (young) to take over the leadership of the country.
I believe we have to allow generational change, which the ACN candidate represents. That is why; I endorsed and support Alhaji Ribadu and Alhjai Fola. We have faith in them and we have hope in them.”
Ribadu who later addressed party supporters at the polo ground minna assured Nigerians that his party under his leadership will transform the country economically, socially and politially.


 vanguardngr.com/2011/03/april-polls-ibb-endorses-ribadu/

I don’t want bloodshed in April, says Jonathan

BY Emma Amaize
WARRI – PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said he would not want the blood of any Nigerian to be shed due to electoral violence in the April polls and urged religious leaders to seek the face of God to avert death and make the elections peaceful, free and fair.

From left: President Goodluck Jonathan; First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and President's Mother, Mama Eunice Jonathan during a special thanksgiving service to mark the end of his Presidential campaign at the Aso Villa Chapel, State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida.

President Jonathan who held a consultative meeting with Christian leaders in the country under the auspices of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, at Warri, Delta State, weekend, frowned at the violent killings and destruction of property in some parts of the country over political differences. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan was also in attendance at the meeting.
The meeting, held at the Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, was attended by the national president of the CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor among others.
He said the consultative meeting with CAN was for him to appeal to religious leaders for their continuous prayers for a peaceful conduct of the April polls.
“I am not happy with the violence associated with the April polls. In all my electoral campaigns, what I preached is peace and unity in the country. As a presidential candidate, I have tried to have a peaceful campaign,” he said.
He expressed dissatisfaction at the recent incident in Akwa lbom State where lives and property were destroyed in the name of elections, stressing that it was uncalled for, as it does not augur well for the unity of the country.
The President commended religious leaders in the country for their prayers for peace and unity, noting that although he would participate in the elections, he has a duty to ensure peace in the country being the President.
He explained that he would be visiting Muslim leaders in the Northern part of the country in the next couple of days as part of his consultations with religious leaders in the campaign for a peaceful election.
In a brief response, National President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritseafor, commended Jonathan for the visit and advised him to continue with his campaign for a peaceful election.
His words: “We are with you in prayers and as religious leaders, we have the responsibility to pray for the peace and unity of the country.”

 vanguardngr.com/2011/03/i-don%e2%80%99t-want-bloodshed-in-april-says-jonathan/

Buhari, Ribadu in fresh gang-up against Jonathan

Mar 28, 2011

 

By EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor & ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD
ABUJA – THE 2011 presidential contest, weekend, inched towards more suspense following  renewed secret efforts by opposition candidates to mount a united front against President Goodluck Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Vanguard learnt from authoritative sources that the outcome of this weekend’s National Assembly elections would form the basis of choosing between Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, who would wear the common mantle of the opposition.
President Jonathan on his part was unrelenting. After ending his open campaign for votes at the Abuja Grand Finale rally on Saturday, the President immediately resorted to dialogue with critical stakeholders through the constitution of 15 committees expected to fan out to critical segments of the society where support for Jonathan has not been totally consolidated.
First ballot
It was gathered that while the President was confident of winning the race at the first ballot, he was, however, becoming concerned on building a legacy framed on a free and fair contest.
Vanguard was told that Jonathan was equally not giving up on bringing fellow presidential contenders in the PDP, President Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku Abubakar and Gen. Aliyu Gusau on board.
The gestures towards the three aspirants were irrespective of insinuations, weekend, in Abuja that Babangida, Atiku and Gusau were now covertly supporting the Buhari campaign.
The three were part of the Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, scheme to realize a Northern presidential candidate for the PDP.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Mr. Oronto  Douglas, said yesterday: “President Jonathan is not the one to say he is closing his doors to dialogue especially when it concerns Nigeria.”
While noting the President’s determination to bring everybody on board, Douglas played down speculations that the President spurned an agreement desired by the NPLF to coerce him to name the zone that would succeed him.
He said the President was not one that would allow the common destiny of Nigeria to be so determined in an undemocratic and closeted manner, adding that the committees would be bringing fresh air to smoothen the President’s election.
Campaign of ideas
Douglas said: “What is happening is that a massive campaign of ideas has been launched as the second phase of the 2011 campaign. His campaign is now moving from zone to zone, state to state, local government to local government, neighbour to neighbour and door to door and because Jonathan emerged from the grassroots, he has returned once again to the grassroots with a view to uplifting the  grass roots to the rooftops of rapid development, equity and justice.”
In affirming that the President would win more than 70 per cent of the votes and would not need a run_off, he said the voting pattern at the primaries showed that the President won 53 per cent of the votes from the Northwest and coasted to victory in four out of the seven states of the region.
He said: “From all the analysis, internal and external, it has become clear to us that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan will win the presidential election by as much as 75 percent of the total votes cast. You don’t need to look too far to see where the opinion polls are pointing towards.”
On the patriotic inclinations of IBB, Atiku and Gusau, he expressed hope that the erstwhile presidential gladiators would come aboard the Jonathan/Sambo campaign train, adding: “IBB, Gusau and Atiku desire the good governance of Nigeria and will never exclude themselves from good.”
Jonathan can win without North West – Yakassai
Meanwhile, the President’s campaign efforts were being boosted by the seeming support for stability in the polity from Kano elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassi, who until recently was a known opponent of President Jonathan’s election bid.
Yakassi, weekend, affirmed that the President could win the contest without the Northwest. In an interview with a local radio station in Kano, Pyramid Radio, Yakassi, noted that the reality on ground favoured the PDP flag bearer.
He said: “It will be easy for him to win without the North West. As it stands now, if Jonathan goes ahead to win 25 per cent of the total votes cast in the 17 Southern states, what is left for him is to get similar percentage in just seven states of the North, and he wins.”
Meanwhile, apprehensive of the seeming momentum for Jonathan, Vanguard learnt that the opposition,  was articulating a last minute initiative to stop the President.
At the centre of the plan is to field a common presidential candidate from the North. The CPC and ACN who both have Northern presidential candidates, it was learnt, have bought into the scheme which is to be concretized after the National Assembly elections.
A reliable senior official in one of the two parties said: “The National Assembly polls will show which of the parties is stronger on the ground and it is based on this that we will now ask one of the candidates to step down.”
The Director of Media in the Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation, Mallam Ibrahim Modibo, also confirmed the ongoing arrangement. He told Vanguard on the road to Jalingo  where Ribadu is holding a presidential campaign rally today: “It is not ruled out and it would be wonderful if we are able to present a common candidate.”
President appeals to Islamic leaders
Meanwhile President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, in Kaduna appealed to Islamic leaders and scholars under the auspices of the National Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 111, on the need to continue to educate their members to seek peace and stability in the country, noting that Nigerians tend to listen more to religious and traditional leaders more than they do their political leaders.
Speaking at the well attended meeting with the eminent Islamic leaders across the country, President Jonathan said: “We have to revere and rely on our religious leaders because it is you that will tell the people the truth.
You are holding unique offices and so you are the only ones that can talk to Nigerians to avoid chaos during the elections.”
President Jonathan who apologized for not meeting the leaders and clerics before embarking on his nationwide campaign earlier solicited for their prayers and counsel to guarantee the much needed peaceful co-existence amongst Nigerians particularly as the elections were around the corner.
He said nobody should carry weapons to kill or maim people in the name of politics arguing that no country can develop in the midst of crisis and that crisis will scare away investors.
Pursuit of power stability
President Jonathan assured the leaders that if renewed, his government will vigorously pursue power stability as well as revitalize the irrigation projects through the introduction of modern farming equipment.
While condemning the recent killings and destruction of property in Akwa Ibom, he assured that his government will give priority to security of lives and property.
He said: “Due to my humble background, I should be the last person to put bumps on people’s paths, I will never do anything to stop anybody from expressing himself.”
The Sultan of Sokoto  Muhammed Sa’ad Abubabar III, said  muslims in the country were concerned about ways of  tackling the incessant political/religious crisis in the country and the way forward.
He said: “As a leader I am only the mouthpiece of all Muslims in the country. All Muslim leaders are very serious about leadership  in the country and our belief is that it is Almighty Allah that gives leadership to whom he bestowed.”
Sultan Abubakar commended President Jonathan for reaching out to all religious and traditional rulers and other groups across the country, saying he was the first to do so urging him not to relent.
Islamic leaders present at the meeting  were the Emirs of Kano, Zazzau, Katsina, Shehu of Borno and prominent Islamic scholars across the country.
Also present were Ministers of Science and Technology, Transport, National Planning and Agriculture as well as ministers of state, Defence and Power.
Acting PDP chairman, Dr Haliru Bello and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed and presidential aides were also present.

 vanguardngr.com/2011/03/buhari-ribadu-in-fresh-gang-up-against-jonathan/

Shagari Sues For Exemplary Leadership

Second Republic president Alhaji Shehu Shagari has urged Nigerian leaders to always lead by example in order to enshrine good governance in the country.

Shagari stated this yesterday in his Sokoto residence when he received the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate and Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.

“The leaders should always lead by example. This is the only way the country will continue to get better.

“ I have seen a great future in you but you should emulate the late Sardauna of  Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello as you are the Sardauna of Kano,’’ he added .

Shagari said that Nigerians expected much from Shekarau and added that “the people are expecting much during  the forthcoming polls.’’

Shekarau, in his address, described  Shagari as a respected elder statesman who is reverred by many Nigerians .

According to the Kano State governor, “Shagari is my mentor and he encouraged me to venture into politics.

“So I am here to pay homage , show respect and get more wisdom from my father and mentor.’

leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27917:shagari-sues-for-exemplary-leadership-&catid=16:headline-news&Itemid=143

Minimum Wage: Jonathan, NLC Meet Tomorrow

In a bid to avert a showdown with Nigerian workers over delay in giving his assent to the N18,000 national minimum wage bill the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday. This is with view to bringing to an end the prolonged minimum wage issue.However, ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with the president, the NLC has summoned its Central Working Committee (CWC) for a meeting today to take a final decision on how to get President Jonathan to assent the new wage bill.

LEADERSHIP gathered that labour has vowed not to take any chances on the issue of the new wage because it appeared President Jonathan was playing politics with the workers’ right.

Speaking with our reporter on telephone yesterday, NLC national president, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar said that the CWC, after today’s meeting, would proceed to another meeting with the president.

Omar stressed that “we don’t want to take any chances on this matter. We don’t want this to get to the elections because Nigerian workers may proceed on indefinite strike even during the general election.”

CWC comprises all the presidents, general secretaries and treasurers of all industrial unions affiliated to the NLC.

Omar continued: “But the most important message we must send across is the fact that, in line with the pursuit of the mandate given to us by the delegates’ conference, the National Administrative Council (NAC) has decided to fix a meeting of the Central Working Committee for today.

“That is where we will carry out a critical analysis of the journey so far and a final decision will be taken regarding the national minimum wage.

“We are aware of the disposition of Mr. President because he has pledged time without number that he was ready to sign the bill into law. I will recall his letter to the National Assembly urging it to give the bill an accelerated passage. And on his part, he said that he would be ready to sign it into law.

“Now that the only thing that remains is for Mr. President to sign it into law, I do hope he will fulfil his pledge to the Nigerian workers by signing the bill into law. “The only thing we are waiting for is for Mr. President to sign the bill into law. We will be able to assess the situation when the CWC meets and we will take a final decision.”

“The issue of national minimum wage is no longer a new thing in Nigeria. It is a struggle that we commenced way back in 2008 and, so far, we have cleared so many hurdles. It is my position on behalf of my colleagues to tell you that we are about to clear the last hurdle.

“The issue of national minimum wage has been pursued with every vigour by Nigerian workers especially the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and also the leadership of the TUC.

“We are now reliably informed that the bill has actually been forwarded to the executive arm of government; therefore, the expectation is that Mr. President will sign the bill any moment and this is the expectation of Nigerian workers.”

leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27914:minimum-wage-jonathan-nlc-meet-tomorrow&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=142

.IBB, Atiku, Gusau Under Surveillance .

. .- ‘We can’t be intimidated’

A few days to the commencement of the general election, the nation’s security agencies have put some prominent politicians under surveillance. Those affected include former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, former national security adviser Aliyu Guasu – all former PDP presidential aspirants and some other leaders of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF).A senior security officer told LEADERSHIP last night that “our reason is based on security reports from different intelligence units.”

But, spokesmen of both the former military president and the former vice-president, Prince Kassim Afegbua and Mallam Shehu Garba, said their principals could not be intimidated by the action of the security agencies.

Although the security source refused to speak further on the matter, LEADERSHIP gathered that the move may not be unconnected to their political activities, especially as the general elections draw near.

There were reports weekend that the three aggrieved PDP presidential aspirants along with other leaders of the NPLF had fixed a secret meeting for yesterday to discuss their political agenda, especially as it affects the presidential election that is coming up on April 9.

The group, under the leadership of Malam Adamu Ciroma, was said to have discussed with two opposition parties, the Congress for People Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), over a possible alliance that could be designed to frustrate President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition.

The president had, on Saturday, at his presidential campaign grand finale accused some opposition parties of sponsoring political violence across the nation to score some political points that, he said, were inimical to the nation’s security. The security agencies had been instructed to monitor them and deal with them, he said.

IBB’s spokesman, Afegbua, described the action of the security men as “political desperation, intimidation and intolerance”.

According to him, “I can assure you that we have travelled this road before; so, it is not something new. As a former military president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General IBB cannot be intimidated because he has his rights under the constitution to own an opinion and to endorse whoever he feels will secure the nation.”

For his part, Garba, the media consultant to Abubakar, said : “It will not surprise anyone if that is the case; it is only a confirmation of our fear.”

He said that the action of the security agents was expected; given the tension the elections are generating.

leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php option=com_content&view=article&id=27916:ibb-atiku-gusau-under-surveillance&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=142

Commentary: Response To Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

A Response To Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor’s: “Have Nigeria, South Africa, And Gabon Betrayed The African Union?”



Posted: March 23, 2011 - 15:03

By Oguchi Nkwocha, MD.

In his article (http://www.modernghana.com/newsp/321330/1/pagenum2/have-nigeria-south-af...) Dr. Michael Bokor makes a complex case that Nigeria, South Africa, and Gabon betrayed the African Union by agreeing with the recent UN resolution on Libya which is antithetical to, effectively displaced and put on hold, AU’s own non-violent proposed solution and plans.

He recommends that those three countries should therefore be expelled from the AU, not only for the above, but for the implication that AU was thus sidelined, and then, snubbed by the UN—the same UN which showed deference to Arabs (Arab league) in a problem located geographically on the continent of Africa. He believes that those countries were used as pawns in the International War games. The article goes ahead to point out foreign / International duplicity by its nefarious acts (and or lack of morally correct acts) and unholy alliances with these same countries at various times. “By endorsing this international military action against one of their own, Nigeria, South Africa, and Gabon have given the AU a bad name in international circles,” he says.

Dr. Bokor’s case is weakened by uncharacteristic naiveté. “Peaceful solution” or non-violent solution as proposed and planned by the AU is not anything that AU has ever accomplished. “Peaceful solution” for AU and in Africa usually means: “do not really interfere with whatever is going on there; but give the impression that you are doing something serious and tangible…” which works out that the problem will continue and worsen until the better-armed party crushes the hapless, or until there is a chaotic stalemate if the parties are near-evenly armed. I would challenge anyone to point out where “peaceful solution” has worked out in Africa, except for Sudan / South Sudan, which I will get to. Applied to Libya, AU’s peaceful resolution by now, even, would have paid off mightily for Gadhafi: he would have murdered all Libyan people’s opposition, end of story. And, that would suit AU just fine: problem resolved! because while the AU would be shuttling around and talking about “non-violent solutions,” Gadhafi would have attacked, bombed, burned and mass-buried tens and thousands of the peoples of Libya, and soon, AU would forget about this.

For a closer look at AU itself, didn’t Gadhafi try to usurp it at one time, acting like an arrogant Maximum Leader in his delusions that he was King of Africa, and Africa should be all Muslim and all Africa should speak Arabic? That was after Nigeria’s own Maximum Leader (masquerading as a democratically elected president), Olusegun Obasanjo tried the same with AU, until he found out that even “personal ownership” of AU (just like he owned Nigeria then) was like owning nothing: the AU did not provide the kind of platform necessary as a stepping stone for his own delusional selfish global pursuits such as the UN Secretary-Generalship. So, in fact, AU mirrors its constituent member-countries where despots and hegemonists rule and winner-takes-all in a do-or-die practice, with exactly the same results of dysfunction and prostration. Therefore, let’s not place high hopes on the AU or give it high marks for continental achievement: various typically selfish African leaders use the AU as a larger football (more full of hot hair) and football field than their own respective luckless countries.

I must thank Dr. Bokor for citing the case of Biafra and stating it correctly when and where Nigeria and her leaders have done everything to misinform the world and rewrite history by stating that the Igbo / Biafrans caused the Biafra-Nigeria war. Today, the same Nigeria and her leaders refuse to acknowledge that they committed genocide against the Igbo of Biafra of such a magnitude as to render Rwanda a child’s play and dress rehearsal; they have not apologized, but have actually continued to punish the Igbo in all ways, including rejecting superior Igbo technology, industry and know-how even while forcing the Igbo to stay in Nigeria. While Nigeria thus does everything to prove that it in fact is not one nation, on the one hand, but continues to insist with coercion and in psychological denial that Nigeria is one or is united, on the other hand, she is not suited to play any meaningful or moral role on the African stage nor on the Global platform either. Nigeria is HYPOCRISY writ large, so all her actions will be seen that way; in which case, there is always an outside party waiting to exploit any such action. While these “outside parties” / foreign countries have a share of the blame as Dr. Bokor has stated, the bulk of culpability goes to Nigeria itself and to her peoples for this crime. For that matter, the forerunner of the AU, the then OAU, bears more blame in this matter than the foreign stakeholders; after all, it was the OAU which allowed the putschist Northern Nigeria-led Nigerian Military government to prevail on it and it thus failed to take meaningful action, hence allowing Nigeria a freehand in murdering not one million but more than 2 million non-combatants of Igbo Biafra origin—children, pregnant women, elderly men and women, by starvation. Who can forget the Kwashiorkor pictures of Igbo and Biafran children?—and if you do, even today, there is an auction-item at eBay UK selling a picture of “an Albino Biafran Kwashiorkor Child”—imagine that! The way I see it, AU / OAU and Nigeria deserve each other.

There is a way that “peaceful solution” can work in Africa. That happens only with the adherence to “Self Determination,” which means that every ethnic nation of Africa has its own original sovereignty which must be recognized and respected, allowing it to exercise her native right to control and manage the entire gamut of her Destiny and her own resources, including inter-national relationships, in spite of the subtending State. The exercise of such a right can and should lead to any endpoint chosen by the ethnic group, whether it be political reconfiguration, autonomy or outright separation from the subtending State. That’s what happened in Sudan / South Sudan to finally effect a “peaceful solution.” If that region can now find the will to continue to apply Self Determination to the remaining sub-areas of contest, without slipping to the wonted ways of conflict and gunpowder, we should all see the beauty of this paradigm.

In a broader interpretation, peoples of the world have taken Self Determination to mean that the people have a native right to determine their own governance, in spite of the current government. So, the right of Self Determination does not only apply to ethnic groups alone, but to any group of peoples, including the general citizenry of a nation: they can demand to wrest control of their collective destiny from the existing government. This is how the current Arab peoples’ uprising against their feudalistic governments is seen, and this is why it will continue to spread. Self Determination is to the people what Human Rights is to the person. Whenever people become aware of their individual personal human rights, “re-awakening” and empowerment occur at the personal level. When people collectively understand their Self Determination rights, nothing will stop them from ultimately collectively exercising such group rights, especially when faced with, or in the presence of hardship caused by a pernicious government.


The UN has a resolution in full support of Self Determination, passed in September of 2007. Ironically, AU / OAU actually has an older and more committed resolution and equivalent of Self Determination in the form of the African [Banjul] Charter, adopted in 1981 and “entered into force” October 21 1986. (See especially articles 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23). It carries a commitment to enforcement where the UN’s version does not. Unfortunately, none of the African country-signatories to the Banjul Declaration has ever remembered this document of ethnic people’s rights at any time, talk-less of at the times when it would really count (ask Obasanjo!). Nor has AU as an apex African organization.

Supposing the AU had come out and stated clearly that the peaceful resolution for Libya it has in mind is based on the application of the Self Determination principles of the AU / OAU / African Banjul Charter. That would have put Gadhafi on notice that the peoples of Libya have an inalienable right to choose and determine their own governance, and he is obligated to accept such popular decision, choice and judgment, more so since he, supposedly, is a “leader” in AU; and that the AU always stands by the people of Libya in their legitimate exercise of their Self Determination rights, in keeping with the Banjul Charter. And then, the AU insists on it. That’s how peaceful resolution would work. But the AU never articulated nor remembered its most powerful document and Charter. The blame should not be placed on the world for not taking AU seriously.

For all the criticism of the current US role in this crisis, speaking about the Obama administration and not the preceding ones, it is in fact only the US that has articulated a clear-cut support for Self Determination as a foreign policy, pushing it through in Sudan / South Sudan case when there was otherwise an obvious lack of will to bring it to fruition. While many are having problems deciphering Obama’s stand, when one listens to him and analyzes what he is saying and doing, one will find out that he is abiding by the principles of Self Determination. Not surprising: after all he is the only US President who understands not only the power and importance, but also, the necessity of applying Self Determination to Africa’s problems. To make sure he puts the stamp and power of US administration behind Self Determination, he first (and even) reversed the US vote on the cited UN Self Determination Resolution from a No (one of only 4 Nays then) to a Yes. In a recent New York Times Op Ed piece, he praises Self Determination as an effective principle and tool bringing a peaceful separation of South Sudan and an end to that erstwhile intractable war. Perhaps, the AU can take a cue: then, “peaceful solution” based on a solid principle of Self Determination can have meaning and produce the desired results for AU actions.

There is a new thinking and new movement among Africans today. African problems have not and cannot be solved by organizations like AU without a sound basis. African problems will not be solved by the UN or the rest of the world by any of the methods they have tried and are still trying today if the basis is not sound. African peoples themselves have been unable, and will not solve these problems—blame foreigners all they like—unless they understand that a sound basis is necessary. Such basis is not “free and fair elections,” term limits, corruption-free polity, availability of leadership, poverty eradication and all the “usual suspects” typically harped on by pundits far and wide. That one sound, solid and natural basis that everyone can easily understand and agree on today is Self Determination: the right of a people to determine their own destiny and control their own resources, to build and build on equitable relationships which they enter into only consentingly and with mutuality. Barack Obama, the US President who happens to have African roots, clearly understands and is applying this. It is time for all Africans to understand and apply Self Determination, thereby to inform and educate African Organizations like AU that that is the principle and crux of the effective solution to African problems.

Dr. Bokor’s article has made it possible for me to articulate this view: for that, I am grateful to him.



Oguchi Nkwocha, MD
Nwa Biafra
A Biafran Citizen.
oguchi@comcast.net