• Nigeria’s many traditional kings were formally stripped of their constitutional powers in 1963

• But they continue to command great respect among their communities and wield considerable influence
  

• Celebrated photographer George Osodi toured the country extensively to collect a unique set of portraits.
  

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381510/The-kings-Africa-Nigerias-traditional-monarchs-royal-splendour.html#ixzz2asiE5PX7 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2013. 4:38:52 a.m. [GMT]

August 3, 2013 at 5:49 am e

From my tolaadenle@emotanafricana.com

Thank you for sharing your thought on the futility of criminalising homosexuality in Nigeria. In concurrence with your view, I think many Nigerians need to get through with the puerility of sloganeering about homosexuality. Some constantly shriek that “there is no homosexuality in Africa” or, that homosexuality is a “western perversion.” Yet modern scholarship has shown that there is a long history of diverse pre-colonial African peoples engaging in same-sex relations, and that the difference between gay and straight is not the difference between right and wrong but between some genes and others. Homosexual acts are not even an exclusively human preference. For example, in an Oslo (Norway) exhibition in January 2007, there were in parade photographs of various animal species engaging in homosexual activities. In particular, there were a giant photograph of one male giraffe humping another; two whales sparring with giant penises; male Amazonian river dolphin nasally penetrating another male’s blowhole; two female bonobo chimpanzees lovingly rubbing their swollen genitalia against each other while their offspring look on; Insects, spiders, molluscs, crustaceans — they’re all at it.

We must not fight shy of laying bare factual information. Just like you, I earlier wrote an article sent to the Punch in December 2011, entitled, “Should sodomitical practices be criminalised? In that article, I highlighted the inherent practical impediments to the enforcement of the law outlawing homosexuality in Nigeria. I also explained that basing the criminal law on nothing more than an age-old abhorrence or ecclesiastical revulsion was tantamount to equating the sphere of crime with that of sin. Britain tried with such vigour and zest to stamp out the stuff but it failed in the end!

For example, during the Victorian era, Britain held homosexuality in horror, and the country stood out at the turn of the 20th century as the only country in Western Europe that criminalised all male homosexual acts with draconian penalties. Even before the Victorians, those charged for sodomy, including the Catholic Earl of Castlehaven, Mervyn Touchet, were often beheaded; fornicators were jailed; and some adulterers were actually hanged. The capital punishment for homosexual practices was later supplanted with life imprisonment only in 1861. Of course, in contemporary time, we should not forget so soon Margaret Thatcher’s infamous Section 28, with added hard labour. Today, however, the repeal of criminal prohibition laws had since given way for the enactment of anti-discrimination laws in Britain and, indeed, across contemporary Western Europe.

RELATED ESSAYS

http://emotanafricana.com/2011/12/16/anti-gay-bill-nigerias-senate-as-a-moral-compass-and-defender-of-righteousness-ajetunmobi-others/

http://emotanafricana.com/2012/05/15/nigeria-may-want-homosexuals-jailed-but-it-winks-winks-to-bi-gender-tola-adenle/

http://emotanafricana.com/2011/11/30/the-siege-on-homosexuals-in-africa-a-nigerian-case-from-the-not-too-distant-past/

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2013. 6:03:36 a.m. [GMT]

The wholesale adoption of Arabian culture into Islam … presents a dilemma for non-Arabic countries such as Nigeria where simple traditional Arabic gestures assume the toga of spiritual injunctions. To be “Islamically- dressed” for women is thus translated as not to be decently dressed but to appear in burquah in the suffocating humidity of say, Agege in Lagos, where there is no need to cover the face and nose against desert dust.

The recent fixation on pubescent sex and its justification on the grounds of religion is the latest affront to Islam.

Read the whole of this illuminating essay by D.H. Habeeb for whom this blog is one of the publications to which he contributes his usually-objective and well-researched essays. – Tola.

The need for some kind of belief in an omnipotent and omniscient God becomes inescapable to man’s existence when confronted by the orderliness of the workings of the world and the unceasing clock-work regularity of natural occurrences and the impartial preciseness of nature’s laws. The greatest folly of existence, it has often been said, is to discountenance the presence of a supernatural Being or, a Deity, whose central essence is His unique singularity, on whose orders and behalf, all the innumerable parts of the cosmos fit and work like those of a perfect machine!

Since religion is a thing of the mind, it is often an intensely-spiritual affair which is unamenable to further explications and expositions through any kind of intellectual treatise. Thus, religious doctrines are articles of faith which even on the pain of death, devotees are not expected to renounce. Due to the extremely personal nature of religion as a one-on-one communion with God, human laws almost all over the world (except for communist countries) do not circumscribe the practice and the free expression of faith. However, because it is impossible to properly gauge the level of religious development and the spiritual ascent necessary for society, some people have capitalized on this state of spiritual thirst and desecrated the sanctity of religion by subjecting it to different kinds of ends. Some use it to prescribe spiritual uniformity within the citizenry; some employ it to censure social behavior; some still, to further selfish agendas; others use it to browbeat the weak of mind; while not a few use it to blackmail established governments. In fact, no long-established institution admits of more fakery and demagogy than organized religion as we presently have it.

Now, this columnist is both unreservedly and unapologetically Muslim. The opinion herein expressed is a personal one and it reflects a growing frustration with the current stranglehold of fanatics and lately, deviants, on the Islamic faith and their seeming stamp of the badges of violence, perversion and fanaticism on an otherwise wholesome and peaceful religion whose spiritual essence is the submission to the will of God. There is so much scare-mongering these days using the religion of Islam, that moderate Muslims, among whom this columnist counts himself, fear that the universal brand of the religion as practiced in such other countries as Malaysia, Algeria, Turkey, Indonesia, Tunisia, Singapore and in many other places, may be undergoing a drastic change.

In its place, may evolve a fanatical variant of Islam with all the fundamentalist trappings of irrational and uncontrollable hate, negative emotions, romanticization with medieval penal codes and a fixation with pubescent sex. It is difficult not to have a mental association of the Islamic faith with violence, either in the form of fundamentalist uprisings or, as incendiary political Islamism. However, to Muslims who believe in the faith as a revelation of earthly guidelines for heavenly rewards and, who espouse and live by the teachings of the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Sunnah, Islam represents the totality of a way of life in its ennobling message of divine peace, blessings, forgiveness, mercy and empathy with the poor.  In its tolerance of opposing faiths, in its peaceful co-existence with neighbours and in its support for good governance, few religious persuasions have demonstrated such exactitude of guidelines as Islam in the delineation of the various relationships among individuals, and between humanity and God in matters as diverse as theology, law and codes of personal and social conduct. That is why it is said that Islam is a way of life.

But this will hardly be believable when the images constantly assaulting people’s consciousness are those of aircraft hijackings, images of crises, Embassies under siege, gruesome suicide bombings, savage beheading of innocent people and lately, the attempt at subsuming paedophilia under Islamic Hadith in a secular constitution!

What is going on presently within some Muslim communities particularly in the northern parts of Nigeria is traceable to fanaticism: that strong emotion of zealotry that ambushes rational thought and takes captive the capacity for sound judgment. George Santayana once said “A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort even when he has forgotten his aim.” It is a safe bet to ask if any of the Islamic insurgents who have made life in the Northern part of Nigeria to be brutish, beastly and short, can articulate the informing logic of their murderous campaign. Yet, any attempt to let them see reason makes them redouble their fiendish onslaughts. This is not, and can never be Islam!

The wholesale adoption of Arabian culture into Islam by some religious revivalists also presents a dilemma for non-Arabic countries such as Nigeria where simple traditional Arabic gestures assume the toga of spiritual injunctions. To be “Islamically dressed” for women, is thus translated as not to be decently dressed but, to appear in burquah in the suffocating humidity of say, Agege in Lagos, where there is no need to cover the face and nose against desert dust. The advice to marry more than one wife, if one can afford the expenses and can actually maintain a semblance of equity and fairness amongst the wives, was to check the female tendency towards prostitution after a war (Battle of Uhud; 625 AD) virtually wiped out the male population leaving a preponderance of women who could not eke out modest living. Some Muslims accept this as an uncritical license for polygamy regardless of means and thereby, help in perpetuating the myth of the inferiority of the female. It is practically impossible to profess the same amount of love for two or more women.

The recent fixation on pubescent sex and its justification on the grounds of religion is the latest affront to Islam. There is no textual difference in the Qur’an used by the people of Indonesia, Turkey and Malaysia from that of the Senator from Zamfara, Sani Ahmed Yerima. The Sunnah and Hadith are all available for the whole world to see. Discerning people know that we are in a world that celebrates the acquisition of knowledge and the unfettering of the spirit of enquiry by both sexes. Malaysia did not become what she is today by trapping herself in medieval Arabian culture or in antediluvian practices. The girl-child is endowed with the same mental faculty as with the boys and the trajectory of the intellectual development of the girl-child cannot be aborted by an unwholesome fixation or obsession for paedophilic tendencies masked under antiquated and quasi religious prerogatives.

Decency, good morals and health reasons dictate that under-age girls need not be distracted from pursuing their missions in the world by the lecherous and predatory antics of deviants, who justify their sexual kicks by citing the weddings of Aminat and Safirat to Prophet Mohammad (SAW) at ages of 6 and 11 respectively, more than 1300 years ago!     

Related Essay: 

http://emotanafricana.com/2013/04/23/the-rise-of-puritan-supremacists-in-modern-islam-abdsalam-ajetunmobi/

MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2013.  8:31:12 p.m. [GMT4

The following was first presented to readers of my Sunday essays in The Nation on Sunday on April 4, 2010 and was used here on June 28, 2012.  With another scandal of a salaried journalist purchasing a 4-wheel vehicle costing over $100,000.00, it becomes imperative to air the piece again as it is a topic that must never be far from public consciousness.  

At the end of the 2010 essay is Sahara Reporters’ sad tale of high corruption by somebody asked to serve as a watch dog.  TOLA.

[This was a follow-up to the brouhaha about Reuben Abati, now media adviser to Nigeria's president on allegations of receiving expensive real estate at Abuja, the country's capital purportedly as a 'thank you'.  It happened that Dr. Abati, generally a hard-hitting journalist who usually took no hostages, was very - whatchamacallit - 'very soft' with the late President Yar Adua, a fact I referred to in an essay shortly after.  Other journalists were even less charitable about what they saw as softening his style as a step to warming his way to political appointment or, at the least, cashing in on his "generous" stance to those in power.

LETTERS TO MY NIECE 

Yewande, dear,

Why did you throw this title at me?  I thought another Odua governor had sent out zillions of abusive and threatening material on me, using expensive double-page ads like two earlier ones that had labeled me a hack writer and a lackey of Lagos’ Tinubu!  The real lackey, though, a gubernatorial go-fer,  has long “jetted to queensland” – in Nigerian-ese – for “safety” from purported assassins [sent by his former boss, the same Governor Daniel who had sent him after me].  The Nigerian system has become so sad that anything and anyone near it could get smeared with the broom-in-bucket of waste as the least weapon to fight “opponents”.  Your questions are in a way similar to “… who is Yar Adua …. is my generation doomed …” sent after retd. General Obasanjo’s (rGO) Selection ’07; they are tough but I won’t hold anything back.

I do have a copy of the incredible protest letter by the Punch Staffer and have also read the stories about The Guardian’s Dr. Abati; with the web, who doesn’t and who hasn’t? I think it’s preposterous, though, to think “The Punch is unraveling”; disgraceful mess, sure.

Do I know Ishiekwene?

Not really although when the itch to write again started almost ten years ago, I sent a couple of materials through a common acquaintance.  The then Punch Editor’s verdict?  “… I do not understand what she writes.”

Did journalists used to take envelopes …?

All over the world, journalists have always taken envelopes of different sorts, but in Nigeria of the not distant past, gifts – given freely or sought – were not of the scope or audaciousness of houses and millions purportedly given to senior editors detailed in the exposes.

Auntie, between us, did you ever take envelopes!   Did every journalist take them? 

I like the exclamation in place of a question mark.   Back in the dark ages, you actually could be a journalist without ever taking one because you took the job for the love of it.  During the 1978/79 campaigns, money at press conferences was common because without it, reporters did not report!  I know because I was active – along with many young professionals who truly believed we could make a difference in the early stages of the NPP in the West.  I was not interested in contesting but I contributed to the Education Manifesto of a party founded, funded and led by Ademola Thomas, Akanbi Onitiri, Deinde Fernandez, Adeniran Ogunsanya and others before betrayal, back-stabbing and intransigence led to the fiasco that climaxed at the Apapa Amusement Park at the convention in 1979.  NPP’s metamorphosis, though, cannot be told by a foot soldier in a fighting-for-our-reputation letter.  Suffice to mention that my husband, Oyo State Treasurer, could have walked away with what was then a tidy sum but he and the other account signatory signed over party’s funds before leaving in exasperation, an action that  made a friend remark, enyin yi ko le  ever l’owo [you people will never be rich!].  Areoye Oyebola paired with late Janet Akinrinade for governorship ticket.

I interviewed a top professional woman at the behest of an “Uncle” in 1979 – Tola, Emotan readers should meet Mrs. X.   The lovely woman took interest in my work and in 1980, gave me a check to cover my ticket to the Copenhagen 2^nd World Women’s Conference.  When Copenhagen clashed with another engagement, I returned the money only to receive a lovely note saying the money was still mine.  First and last envelope!

“The blogs are very embarrassing:  journalists taking money, praise-singing …having people praise their articles…?”  Dear, much as writing – like reading – is akin to food to me, I’m getting weary from aspersions to ALL newspaper writers; ditto blogs like the one you sent: “I understand most of the reporters/columnists for The Nation has [sic] foot-soldiers that post comments on their behalf.”

It’s bizarre to have “foot soldiers” post blogs and text messages but much worse to post them using pseudo names as is sometimes discernible.  And the kissing-up?  Here’s one from December:

“First on my Christmas Honours List is my Governor … He is certainly using at least some of the funds he gets productively and certainly deserves to be congratulated for being a cut above most Nigerian Governors.”  [Not from the Nation.]

While journalists complain of the present poor remuneration and working conditions – we were not better paid, relatively speaking – back in the 70s.  I took a personal loan to buy a car; most co-workers had no cars but we still worked enthusiastically.  While things are very different now: stratospheric costs of living, tuition fees that are way beyond the legitimate earnings of most journalists, people won’t pull on masks and go rob banks because earnings won’t afford them oversea vacations or homes in exclusive enclaves. To remain credible, the press cannot – and must not – fall into the same morass that it’s supposed to beam light on.

I agree, dear, that journalists must work with their colleagues to press for remunerations that take into consideration the costs of living in Nigeria. The things that are NEEDED as opposed to things DESIRED by all workers these days perhaps far exceed those of the simpler 70s, and ways must be found to bridge this gap.  Even very low-income workers own power-generating units; it IS a necessity.

How about stars that attract wide readership working together to fight for the right to syndicate? Proprietors would try to resist but would give in once they realize there’s no backing off and that they can still get the same star columnists cheaper.  I’ve suggested in one of my essays that syndication would be possible if the present very expensive idea of “national papers” with offices in each state capital and Abuja is done away with. I mentioned the case of the United States where every city, town and settlement has a hometown newspaper and with the advances in printing technology and news gathering, most settlements in the south and quite some in the north can support newspapers.  The newspapers will source most of its news and advertisements which will be cheaper, locally; takers would be many.  Each would be able to carry national and international news and believe it or not, most of the thousands of journalists being turned out, if adequately well-trained, would be absorbed by these hometown newspapers. Syndication would enable people in remote corners of the country to read Palladium without having to read The Nation or Sonala Olumhense without The Guardian in their hometown newspapers.  Right now, anyway, such people have no access to these papers/writers under the make-believe “national papers”.

I used to pay $2.50 against $1.25 for the  Washington Post half a world away in Las Vegas on the following Tuesdays.  Most locals would prefer a paper that contains mostly news/social events of their localities, and a governor, president, et al. would have to bribe thousands of editors to have stories planted – or killed as is commonly done right now.

In conclusion, dear, I believe modern journalism and its practitioners, against all odds, have done tremendous work in providing platforms for the public to air their opinions, in reining in politicians and, let’s not forget – in joining others to drive away the military and killing rGO’s [Obasanjo] tenure elongation project.  While the purported acquiescence of some to the pervasive brigandage and corruption that have destroyed this country stands Nigerian journalism and journalists accused and accursed, journalism must be assisted to rehab itself because no country can fight her social ills, or have the voices of the majority represented without credible newspapers. Online news websites are doing magnificent work but cannot replace newspapers right now.

The Nation on Sunday, April 4, 2010.

THE LATEST SCANDAL

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/outrage-nation-newspaper-fires-whistleblowers-who-helped-nail-corrupt-business-editor

MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2013. 9:53 p.m. [GMT]

http://saharareporters.com/column/apc-cradle-memos-pius-adesanmi

Pius Adesanmi

The following is Tao’s comments on Dr. Adesanmi’s piece – above URL – in Sahara Reporters barely a week ago.

Pius,it’s not satirically sweet, it’s edge is not razor, it is not borehole deep, it’s not tank-crushing but your analysis/allegory of APC COMETH is cold, clear and to the point in arguing that the new baby, APC, has an older identical twin brother in the PDP it has been woven together to flush out, or murder …  ROMULUS?

Adesanmi’s very admirable creative imagination is soaked through with the anguish of a generation and people crying for CHANGE . The diversion into mistaking a return to the Dikkos and Akinloyes, is an illusion of ideological combat … goodness forbids it. LOOTISM is the ideology these icons of corruption fashioned, patented and passed on to their successors, the Obasanjos, Ubahs, Akalas, Oyinlolas, which the so called PROGRESSIVES have profitably copied. Some of them argue that it is no more than strategy and tactic but you and I say despicable corruption unsuited to sustainable national development and hostile to  people .
     

In  the present political period, the only leader with a clear passion and commitment to ideology,and I could be biased, is OSUN’S AREGBESOLA. May he survive and thrive.

Today,s Nigerian political culture,cannot absorb or benefit from change from within. It also will not,cannot breed a new breed(familiar,rings a bell?) and the APC COMETH you so clinically presented to the world,will at best be a bad copy of the PDP whose antics you so gorily descried.

In the circumstance,Nigeria and Nigerians must continue to work at weaving together a qualitatively healthy elite body,which can and will fight for and gain power democratically (nigh impossible) or steer the country and existing Nigerian  state to a sovereign national conference. The alternative to these routes is the possibility,now hovering in the backscene,that Nigeria and Nigerians will be brutalized and bludgeoned by a deux ex machina (no omellette without an egg or two) BEFORE A NEW DAWN…….GHANA?

Just today not yet a week after Adesanmi’s straight-to-the-heart-of-the-matter piece, there’s a stunning report on the same site in which the “progressive” APC shows it cares little – if at all – about ideologies, least of all Awoism that its top echelon has been mouthing all these years in AD, ACN …  It shows that all that this new party is interested in is winning the central seat.  Here’s the short piece bearing the invitation to Dr. Jonathan and others to join the APC. TOLA

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured President Goodluck Jonathan that the door of the party is open to him.

The National Chairman of the party, Bisi Akande stated this at the end of the inaugural meeting of the Interim National Executive Committee of the APC in Abuja, urging Jonathan to feel free to abandon the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC, he assured, is at all times ready to accommodate whoever wants to become a member.

Chief Akande disclosed that the party will soon organise ward congresses where the ward executives will emerge.  He cautioned those who are parading themselves as the executive of the party at the local government and state levels to desist, stressing that the APC has yet to conduct elections where such officials would emerge.

Akande dispelled the rumour that a rival APC is a threat to the APC, but expressed strong conviction that a two-party system will deepen Nigeria’s democracy .”  Sahara Reporters, FEEL FREE TO JOIN OUR PARTY, APC TELLS JONATHAN.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 9:34:10 p.m. [GMT]

- CNA/fa

As Muslims all over the world break their fasts today, I send greetings to the many readers of this blog from Nigeria, Indonesia, Dubai and many countries, and pray for them – as Yoruba Muslims say – that emi ti o gba eyi yio gba pupo [may you live to celebrate many more.

With my best wishes.

TOLA.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2013. 2:11:45 a.m. [GMT]

The fact, that the operative Constitution in Nigeria presently could not have been a product of the people, is self-evident in many of its Sections and sub-Sections. Some of the provisions are so culturally blind to the plurality of our people, indifferent to its heterogeneity and unresponsive to the historical specificities of its federating units so much that, one begins to doubt if the Constitution was actually written for the whole of the country!  It is the contention of this column that the 1999 Constitution was a rather disingenuous outcome of one mind cocooned and insulated from the hustling and bustling of this world for a period of time, rather than the product of the distillation of informed views of the citizenry.   

It was therefore a welcome development when the National Assembly embarked on a review of the Constitution by touring the country in an effort to present a people’s Constitution that will reflect the wishes of Nigerians. The Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution headed by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, made some far reaching amendments to the Constitution. The National Assembly set a deadline of July 2013 to conclude harmonization works between the Senate and the House of Representatives on the amendments so that the new provisions will take effect ahead of the 2015 elections.

Apart from the need to correct the indifference of the 1999-Constitution to the above-mentioned diversity and plurality in culture and history, most Nigerians feel that the new amended Constitution must also be reflective of the constitutionally sacrosanct principles of federalism. In both the spirit and the letter of the present Constitution, the principle of federalism has been severely compromised in the many provisions that purport to be federal in outlook but rather, are completely unitary in effect. One had thought the amendments would centre on devolution of more power from the centre to the states which are invariably, the units of federation and also, dwell on all the attendant fallouts of policies derivable from such power reconfiguration.

The recommendations coming from the House of Representatives on the review of the Constitution made public on the 25^th of July, 2013, are at variance with the time-honoured practice of true federalism anywhere in the world! Part of the recommendations granted autonomy to local governments, and barred unelected local government Chairmen from getting funds from the federal government allocation. Pray, why would an integral part of a federating unit, in a federal republic be tied to the apron strings of a central behemoth? Not done with that constitutional absurdity, the House also recommended that elections into the local government councils would be managed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while it altered Section 197 to abrogate the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).

That, this column believes, is in an apparent effort to whittle down the control and powers of the State Governors which, politicians fear, are getting too meddlesome and overbearing on their strategic and future plans. Again, this is very wrong! There should be no tier of government or any legislative authority outside of the federating units where the local governments are, that should be controlling the local government system. The move to vest their control in the central government and put their election under INEC, rather than SIECs, is borne out of a vengeful mission to stop the governors’ influence.

The House of Representatives again altered Section 308, which accorded immunity from prosecution from criminal offences for persons occupying the offices of presidents, vice presidents, governors and deputy governors. The import of this is that most executive heads of government will be effectively hamstrung from pursuing meaningful governance by vengeful, cantankerous and a most litigious cadre of politicians who will now feel it is open season for all manners of vexatious and distracting lawsuits.

With the Senate’s bungling of the deletion of the repugnant Section 29, sub-Section 4(b) of the Constitution and its kowtowing to religious blackmail from Senator Sani Ahmed Yerima, the news coming from the upper chamber is not too heart-warming either. The proposal for Pension for Life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent officers; Senate President, Deputy President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker etc., seems to be too self-serving and without any regard for its eventual bastardization via an open-door succession policy at the top. Remunerative perks, thus trump call to service!

The proposed amendment to Section 136 to disqualify the vice-president from contesting for the office of the President if he was sworn in after the death or impeachment of the substantive President seems to be a product of an emotive reaction, rather than a well rehearsed answer, to matters of an exigent nature in political succession. This is a badly disguised strategy to forestall a repeat of the political ascendancy of the incumbent president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, by a section of the political class which felt sidelined by the emergence of his administration through, among many other favourable factors, the power of incumbency.

The rejection of State Police is another blow to the practice of true federalism as is the compulsory adoption of uniform minimum wage for states. The arguments for these derivatives of federal practice are so compelling as to make one shudder at the disingenuous reasons being adduced for their postponement. Why would a rich state like Delta or Rivers be forced to pay the same amount of minimum wage with say, Yobe or Jigawa state to its workers? How can effective policing be achieved by Maiduguri-born police officers posted to Owo and how does an Akure man in the Police understand the challenges of the criminal underground in Kano? These are the salient points that make compelling, the use of state police in a federal set-up.

These constitutional absurdities hinder our federalism practice and stunt the growth of both our political and economic development while they sacrifice our heterogeneity at the altar of irrelevant and dysfunctional unitary constructs. The saving grace on these amendments is the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds concurrence of the State Houses of Assembly with the harmonized National Assembly draft before they can be eventually inserted in the constitution. Let us hope that sanity and the overriding interest of the people of Nigeria will then prevail.

Related Essay

http://emotanafricana.com/2013/01/25/the-nigerian-police-farce-d-h-habeeb/

http://emotanafricana.com/2013/06/17/the-national-question-and-the-nigerian-constitution-femi-aborisade/

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2013.  3:06:42 a.m. [GMT]

I’m no fan of Femi Fani-Kayode and I doubt many Yorubas are.  In fact, when his essays started popping up in newspapers and on line, I understood them for what exactly they were:  a well-choreographed rehab job for Yorubas everywhere.  When a couple of them came my way, I wrote the sender that I was not interested in using the writer’s material in addition to asking where else it was used. 

He has now gone full throttle in “fighting on behalf of” Yorubas – as Tao puts, a “war” for which he will have no soldiers but himself alone.  From a post-ministerial (under retired General Obasanjo’s presidency)  cushy life, he can afford to but he should leave posturings on the Yorubas alone; perhaps, better still, he should write a book.

Herewith an abbreviated edition of the self-promoter’s piece which, if truth be told, contains very cogent points.  It is followed by some comments from two regulars on this blog.  TOLA.

Lagos, The Igbo And The Servants Of Truth

By Femi Fani-Kayode

The claim that the igbo helped to develop Lagos is hogwash. The major institutions of the south-west were developed by the diligence, hard-work, industry and sweat of the Yoruba people. This is a historical fact

The igbo had little to do with the extraordinary development of Lagos between 1880 right up until today. That is a fact. Other than Ajegunle, Computer Town, Alaba and buying up numerous market stalls in Isale Eko, where is their input? Meanwhile, the Yoruba of the old Western region and Lagos were very gracious to them and not only allowed them to return after the civil war to claim their properties and job but also welcomed them with open arms and allowed them to flourish in our land. This is something that they have never done for our people in the east. Such gestures of love and fraternity were never reciprocated. Now some of them have the effontry to call Lagos which is our land and the land of our forefathers (I am half Lagosian) ‘’no-man’s land’’and others have the nerve to assert that up to 50 per cent of the development in Lagos came as a consequence of the input of the igbo. This is utter rubbish.

I am not a tribalist but a great believer in Nigeria and more importantly, I am a historian and a student of history. I will not distort the facts of history just to keep some people happy. The history of the yoruba and of Lagos particularly is very well known to me and the fact that Lagosians and the yoruba people generally are so generous and accomodating in their ways and to non-indegenees that settle in their territory should not be mistaken for ignorance, stupidity or weakness. We know our history, we know who we are, we know who and what developed our land and made it into what it is and we urge those who yearn to be like us to go and emulate our efforts and attitude to non-indigenes and hard work in their own states of origin.

Meanwhile, permit me to recommend to all and sundry to read and learn from the following words of an insightful Nigerian by the name of Mr. Sina Fagbenro-Byron. He has had the courage to analyse the matter in a very honest, clear and forthright manner and he has spoken the truth. Let us hope that those who have no knowledge of that truth are humble enough to learn from it. He wrote-

‘’It has become a recent habit by a number of our young Igbo brethren to refer to Lagos as a ‘no-man’s land. The great Zik, Mbadiwe, Mbonu Ojike, Ajuluchukwu, Opara etc would never have made such statements as they knew better. It is not only unfair but in extremely bad taste apart from the fact that it is historically false. How can you call a land that has had over 400 years of traditional rulership and cultural definition as a no man’s land.? It shows contempt for the indigenes, ingratitude of hospitality and a betrayal of ones host. The late Herbert Macauley( a Yoruba Lagosian) on his dying bed endorsed Zik as successor leader of the NCNC because of his nationalism, intellectual sagacity and it was endorsed by a group of Yoruba elders and not by any Igbo population who in anycase were infinitesimal as at the time, for Chinua Achebe records in his book, and we can roughly confirm that there were not more than a few thousand Igbos in Lagos before the civil war. So after having been received, accomodated by their host Yorubas since the 1940s a generation that is ignorant of history and careless of historical relationship refer to Lagos as no mans land, this attitude is the cause of the perenial Jos crisis amongst others. When the military stopped the teaching of history in schools in the 1980s, we knew that by allowing them we courted confusion, but it was deliberate. Up til1968 , Mushin, Apapa, Ikeja, were all part of the Western region.

The English treaty was with the Oba of Eko Ile,(Lagos). Lagos traditional families all are Yoruba and the founder of Eko was Ogunfunminire who migrated from Ife before the 16th century. Lagos traditional Obaship was confirmed on behalf of the Oduduwa dynasty. If we consider it unfair to call Igbo property ‘abandoned property’ after the civil war, why should they refer to another mans backyard as no man’s land? Lagos had been the commercial nerve center of West Africa befor Nigeria was created and this was attributable to the welcoming attitude of coastal Yorubas, which was first betrayed by the Portugese who introduced slave trade, the Kiriji war and the 100 years Yoruba civil war of 1769-1869 also saw a huge population from the other Yoruba hinterland moving to Lagos to procure salt, guns,seek out their freed slave brethren etc and these led to the growth of Lagos. Since independence and after the civil war, other Nigerians have made Lagos a home for themselves , but none have been so unkind as to call Lagos a no man’s land. Igbos who say this and claim credit for the development of Lagos should remember that the first Industrial Estate in Nigeria was built by Awolowo in Ikeja as Premier of the West and the Western House on Broad street has significant historical importance. I would urge my Igbo brethren not to make true the words of Sardauna when he described the Igbos as having a tendency to come in as visitors and seek to claim ownership to the exclusion of indigens.If Onitcha or Abakaliki is not no mans land why should Lagos be? Imagine how our Niger Delta brethren will feel if we refer to their space on God’s earth as no mans Land?’’

Fagbemi-Byron has hit the nail on the head and I wholeheartedly commend him for his courage.

COMMENTS

Concerning Mr Femi Fani-Kayode’s forwarded riposte, I do not propose to attempt any examination of the origins of Lagos and Yoruba States which form its hinterland. Instead, let me briefly recall for our attention the proceeding of the Conference in London in 1953, between the British Secretary of State for the Colonies and Nigerian delegates over a revision of the existing constitution. During the Conference, the Eastern Region delegates (with the acquiescence of northern counterparts), in their demand to separate Lagos from Western Nigeria, stated that Lagos was  a “no-man’s land.” The Western delegates led by Mr (later Chief) Obafemi Awolowo, however, emphasised the historical connections between Lagos and Yorubaland, maintaining that “Losing Lagos would mean decapitation and that would mean death.” (Daily Times, August 22, 1953, p. 4). This position was reiterated on Awolowo’s return to Nigeria, when he stated that “Lagos will be separated on our dead bodies,” adding that if by any chance the separation was effected, the West would secede from Nigeria. (Daily Times, September 7, 1953, p. 1).

Yoruba’s affinity for Lagos was similarly demonstrably reflected in Awolowo’s response to the then Military Governor of the Eastern Region Lt.-Col. Ojukwu over the latter’s concerns with Decree No. 8 which effected Aburi Agreement. Here, Awolowo noted that if the Eastern Region seceded from Nigeria, the Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the federation (West Africa, May 2, 1967, p. 6). It is interesting to note that in a pamphlet that seems to evince, by arguments, the status of Lagos as a Yoruba town, entitled, Lagos Belongs to the West, the AG (Action Group) claims in this pamphlet that “Lagos was founded by Yoruba people over five centuries ago.” (Action Group, Lagos Belongs to the West (London: Purnell and Sons, 1953), p. 11) The AG further noted that, “whether you look at the past, the present, or into the future, Lagos was, is, and will continue to be not a cosmopolitan territory, but a Yoruba town pure and simple.”

That said, I do not share Mr Femi Fani-Kayode’s enthusiasm for Nigeria’s solidarity. He has claimed in the forwarded piece that: “I am a Nigerian before anything.” Now, having regard to the ethnology of the inhabitants of the geographical unit that formed Nigeria before the Lugardian amalgamation of its Northern and Southern Provinces on the 1st of January 1914, it will be realised that ethnic affiliation takes priority over national solidarity. Of course, some still believe that Nigeria’s future must lie in political unity. However, given the difference of ethnological, religious and political conditions of the inhabitants of the huge tract of Nigeria, sacrosanctity of a united Nigeria, in my view, cannot be taken for granted. In the circumstance, I think encouragement should rather be given to the ethnic manifestation of separate developments in any part of the country vis-a-vis other part of the country.

With kind regards.

AO Ajetunmobi

This is clean breath from a dirty mouth. The defender of the unthreatened Yoruba heathland is the same who served Obasanjo in constructing the lootocracy still ravaging the land. Such a waste as he seems to have a good mind and the case made here against group or individual reckless,highly inflammatory,or irresponsible utterances which could touch off anti Igbo feelings or worse,is sound and timely. Are we learning and have we learnt anything?

Great shame all the same that looters who should be in prison and barred from decent society are now currying the favour of their constituencies,seeking rehabilitation as fidei defensor.

BETTER  IF FRESH BREADTH CAME FORTH FROM CLEAN MOUTHS. IYAN ODUN MEWA NJO NI LOWO,NI A NWI NILE OODUA OMO FANI KAYODE. Awon Omoluwabi ni a fe kin won ma gba ija wa ja.

Mo kun fope o.

Tao

Re para 3 , there is a body of misguided so-called “DETRIBALISED” Yoruba, not that the Yoruba can remember they could have been or being correctly described as a TRIBE, not even by the tricky standards of Euro-colonial anthropology . This band, not surprisingly is led b Fani-Kayode’s  mentor, Obasanjo. The latter is reported to have once claimed to be a Nigerian first and then a Yoruba, some twisted logic?

Now the “detribalized” Fani-Kayode is unfurling the flag of a latter-day Yoruba/Igbo war. Oodua, help us!

Mo kun fope o.

Tao

The “detribalized” Nigerians exist/operate only in Nigeria’s political sphere, Tao, where slogans are mouthed without the meanings or implications being understood.  Retired General Obasanjo is a PDP “chieftain” first, second …  – and all that THAT implies – before being a Nigerian.  I’m sure you know what I mean.

Tola.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2013.  4:37 a.m. [GMT]

Central to the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the translation of D.O. Fagunwa, the Yoruba literary titan are the events lined up at Akure, the Ondo State capital beginning today, Thursday, August 8, 2013 at the Adegbemile Cultural Center.

Fagunwa’s multiple titles, beginning with Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale (1938), Ireke Onibudo (1949), Igbo Olodumare (1949), Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje (1954) and Adiitu Olodumare (1961) – captivated the imagination of those of us in elementary schools in the 1950s with tales that excited as much as scared us.

The books were always interesting, though at times particularly eerie for our sub-teen minds as we followed the various Pilgrims Progress-like journeys-cum Yoruba mythical tales of old.

While I cannot remember the story lines in the various books in order, there are vivid images of illustrative sketches, various encounters that are forever etched in my memory.  Who can forget Ogboju Ode in which men with mythical and mysterious names, each with different capability that would come in handy on their long and dangerous expedition?  I can recall but a few of the Awa ti a je akoni je meje [There were seven of us brave men] under the line-up showing – those that I can remember – Kako, who, as the personification metaphor in giving all of them names indicates, was a stout and muscular man; Onikumo ekun [cannot attempt translation of this one!], Akara-Ogun [a medicine man], Imodoye [a very wise/smart one], Olohun Iyo [Could sing sonorously and I remember he sang to lull their antagonist(s) at a point to sleep so that they could escape].

Among those to remember and honor Fagunwa at Akure, the capital of his state of birth – he was born at Oke’gbo, hometown of another Yoruba pioneer, Fola Akintunde-Ighodalo who was Nigeria’s first female Permanent Secretary – are Wole Soyinka who translated Ogboju Ode into “Forest of a Thousand Demons”; Kole Omotoso; Femi Osofisan; Niyi Osundare; Biodun Jeyifo; Tejumola Olaniyan; Olaoye Abioye (translated all five books into French) and many others – internationally-renowned academics of language and literature, all.

As I once suggested in one of my many newspaper essays on Yoruba as a disappearing language, these books need to be brought back to our elementary schools in Yoruba-land’s Southwestern Nigeria.  They should form an important part of the “Southwest Integration Project” by all governors of the region.

There are announcements of the Akure Remembrance project in newspapers but the National Mirror actually had a 4-page pull-out on Fagunwa’s 50th Year Remembrance in addition.  I also found the write up below from the pull-out by Dr. Sola Olorunyomi of the University of Ibadan’s Institute of African Studies to be very readable and informative.

Of course Fagunwa was an Andrian, and so, on this Golden Jubilee of his translation, this blogger joins his friends, family, inheritors of the trail he blazed and everybody else to raise our voices  as in the St. Andrew’s College Anthem, “Andrians, all your voices raise …”, to “link the earth and sky …” in praise of whom even generations yet unborn, would come to know.

Remembering D.O. Fagunwa: A foreword

by SOLA OLORUNYOMI on Aug 2, 2013  – The National Mirror

 

Fagunwa, and  and cover of his first and, perhaps, best loved book, Ogboju-Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale.

Fagunwa, Daniel Olorunfemi (1903 to December 7, 1963), fiction and creative writer in Yoruba language, was born at Oke-Igbo, Western Nigeria (now Ondo State), to Mr. Joshua Akintunde and Mrs. Rachael Osunyomi Fagunwa. Originally, worshippers of traditional Yoruba religion, the Fagunwas converted to Christianity and this abiding influence, most probably, informed D.O. Fagunwa to change his middle name from “Orowole” (literally the oro cult enters the house) to “Olorunfemi” (God Loves Me).

He had his primary school education at St. Luke’s School, Oke-Igbo (1916-1924), after which he taught in the same school for a year (1925), as a pupil- teacher. Subsequently, he went for further studies (1926-1929), trained as a teacher at St. Andrew’s College, Oyo, and on completion got his first posting to St. Andrew’s practicing School, Oyo, where he worked between 1930 and 1939. This early beginnings have been fairly well documented by such earlier scholars as Olubummo, Oyedele, n.d., and Bamgbose.

In 1936, D.O. Fagunwa submitted for competition a manuscript entitled Ogbójú Ode Nínú Igbó Irúnmalè, literally, “The Brave Hunter in the Forest of 400 Deities”. Ogboju Ode was later published by The Church Missionary Society Press in 1938. The title became quite popular and successful in pre-independence Western Nigeria, and Thomas Nelson Press took over its publishing in 1950. Fagunwa is often regarded as a pioneer of creative writing in Yoruba due, largely, to the fact that no other writer in that medium had as much impact and influence prior to his emergence on the literary scene.

Fagunwa wrote extended fiction, short stories, biographical narrative and edited a book of folktales. His works of fiction include Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale (1938), “Iranse Eni Olorun Ti Lehin”(unpublished manuscript, 1939), Igbo Olodumare (1949), Ireke-Onibudo, (1949), Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje (1954), Aditu Olodumare (1961). In 1949, the Oxford University Press (OUP) published, in two volumes, his autobiographical account of his experience in Britain, aptly titled: Irin Ajo Apa Kini and Irin Ajo Apa Keji. The OUP had, in 1954, published Itan Oloyin, an edited work of folktales, and then in 1959 Nelson Publishers released a collection of short stories, Asayan Itan, also edited by him. Between Bamgbose, Ogunleye and George, we learn that in 1995, Fagunwa co-authored, with L.J. Lewis, a primary school Yoruba reader, Taiwo ati Kehinde published by Thomas Nelson, and with G. L. Lasebikan, the short story Ojo Asotan, a 1964 Heinemann posthumous publication.

Over the period, readers and critics have come to make a connection between the works of Fagunwa and the novels of Amos Tutuola. With Wole Soyinka’s1968 translation of Fagunwa’s first novel, Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale, into English as “The Forest of a Thousand Daemons”, critical attention has been further focused on the works of Fagunwa. Besides Soyinka’s effort, other authors such as Dapo Adeniyi and Wale Ogunyemi have translated and adapted Fagunwa’s works, respectively. Adeniyi’s Expedition to the Mount of Thought: the third saga: being a free translation of the full text of D.O. Fagunwa’s Yoruba novel Irin kerindo ninu Igbo elegbeje (Adeniyi, 1994), while Wale Ogunyemi’s Langbodo (1979) is a dramatisation from Soyinka’s/ Fagunwa’s The Forest of a Thousand Daemons.

Stylistically speaking, the Fagunwa novel is highly ingested with the autobiographical element; almost invariably, the author identifies with the scribe or note-taker who jots down the story. This authorial intrusive technique, as found in some works of other African writers such as Meja Mwangi and Dambudzo Marechera, betrays a decidedly ‘postmodern’ streak across Fagunwa’s oeuvre, but also one that is residual in the antecedent oralist Yoruba culture. Beyond this, as Bamgbose has aptly noted, Fagunwa habitually stages a moment of meeting between the novel’s hero and the writer, after which he’d make the hero commence the narration, and by and large becoming, himself, the ‘fictional author’ referred to in the narrative. Of all his works, this device is most compelling in Ireke Onibudo (fictional author described as “omo Akintunde ti ise omo Beyioku”) and Igbo Olodumare (replete with details of Fagunwa’s matrilineal line).

The typical Fagunwa fiction is replete with the Yoruba folk-tale woven into a longer narrative, a diffusion of character types that admit of shades of the living and the dead in social and natural life. Other aspects of the autobiographical as reflected in his fiction could be deceptively familiar as would be found in the landscape and setting, usually rural and highly forested, hilly and venturesome for the hunter.

Usually, his hunter hero-type is also a wanderer of sorts, journeying into far lands in order to return and relive to his community the wisdom acquired from his sojourn. In spite of the fantasy-likeness (which could be animist realism) of his works, they nonetheless bear quite close resemblance to the Yoruba environment, both literally and metaphysically. It is as much a world of witches as well as sagely priests, of gnomes as well as ballpoints. If the Fagunwa plot structure appears lose, thereby defying the traditional assumption of sequence or chronology, with the living casually comingling with the dead, sudden animation of the inanimate, beholding of forms without shape, attending to disembodied voices and the stepping in and out of the everyday cycle of events and experience, this is because he is substantially indebted to the Yoruba folkloric narrative style.

Along this, there is an inescapable feeling of the picaresque flavour in his fiction. This is hardly surprising, as Fagunwa’s influence is quite varied. As George has noted, he draws from the nuances and robustness of the Yoruba narrative tradition(s) as well as the European creative tradition that comes down from the Christian Bible to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and other such authors made popular in the colony. In 1955, D.O. Fagunwa won the Margaret Wrong Prize for his writings, and by 1959, was conferred with the honour of M.B.E.

Aside his literary endeavours, between 1955 and 1959, Fagunwa worked as an administrator and educationist with the publishing arm of the Ministry of Education in Western Nigeria; and from 1959 till his death on December 7, 1963 he was the representative of Heinemann Educational Books in Nigeria. In a way, the near-dramatic nature of this death, suddenly falling into the River Niger at Baro, and drowning, while waiting to cross by ferry, further seems to power on the narrative of alternate realities that has come to characterise his fiction. Ultimately, by the sheer breadth of his creative coverage in Yoruba language literature, the tendentiousness of his style and the underlying, inaugurative philosophy of his aesthetics, Fagunwa remains an exemplar of literary adaptation— a bridgehead of an age-old, ebullient tradition of oralist aesthetics and an emergent literacy, indexical of Yoruba cultural modernity.

Dr. Sola Olorunyomi is of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2013. 10:35 a.m. [GMT]

Related Story

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/why-nigeria-should-celebrate-d-o-fagunwa/

August 8, 2013 at 2:38 pm e

From my tolaadenle@emotanafricana.com

I can understand why Madam has high praise for Lee Kuan Yew, and why she is so ardently enthusiastic of Singapore success story as to urge Nigerian leaders (and ourselves too) to, at least, leaf through Lee’s memoirs, and then act accordingly. Take for example, Deng Xiaoping, the reformist leader of the Communist Party of China who, after Mao’s death led China towards a market economy, made his first and only visit to Singapore in 1978. What he saw on that visit, as reported in the Forbes (Jul 15, 2013, p. 1) changed the course of economic policy in China. Deng was so inspired that when he returned home, he decided to form four special economic zones, which he opened to foreign investment and world trade. These zones prospered, and more were subsequently opened and today China is better off for that singular visit. Although Lee’s new book, One Man’s View of the World, is yet to come to hand, having drilled down to Singapore global economic milestones, as highlighted below, I could see that Lee’s emphasis on “competent government” and “social cohesion” is very essential when it comes to governing a country to success. That, no matter the size of the country, honest and dedicated leaders can only produce honest and dedicated citizens and that, for such a country, the sky is the limit, no matter what the odds.

Highlight of Singapore Global Economic Milestones:

· One of the world’s top three oil export refining centres;
· World’s 3rd largest oil and oil products trading hub;
· World’s busiest transhipment port and 2nd busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage;
· Singapore accounts for 10% of the world’s wafer starts and 40% of the global hard disk media are manufactured there;
· Singapore is the largest manufacturer of jack-up rigs, commanding 70% of the world market;
· Singapore has 70% of the global market for the conversions of the floating production storage offloading units;
· Singapore is recognised as a ‘Global Hydrohub’ with more than 70 companies in a vibrant water industry ecosystem;
· Singapore is ranked by the World Bank as the No. 1 logistics hub amongst 155 countries globally in the 2012 Logistics Performance Index;
· Leading aviation hub in Asia-Pacific, contributing more than 25% of the region’s maintenance, repair and overhaul output.

AO Ajetunmobi

Reply

emotan77 Says:
August 8, 2013 at 2:39 pm e

Prof.,

Thanks for taking another look.

My regards,
TOLA.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2013.  3:44:48 p.m. [GMT]

Mama Julie – the last of the first generation Adamolekuns:  Papa J.F.; Mama Dorcas and Mama Comfort – passed away peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday, June 11, 2013, and was laid to rest at Iju on Saturday, August 3 at the Anglican Archdeaconry Church Cemetery.

Born in 1921 to David Falade AFTER his death – hence the name Bamo, Dad did not get to know her – she is survived by all her four children:  Professor Ladipo Adamolekun, whose 70th birthday celebrations she was part of a year ago, Olori Ronke Olugbemigun, a retired Manager with UTC Stores, Ibadan & Apapa, Mrs. Felicia Akindejoye, an Idi-Aba graduate and a caterer, & Dr. Wole Adamolekun, a civil servant with Nigeria’s central government; there are also ten grand-children and and nine great-grandchildren among whom is a university undergraduate.

All living Adamolekun children were part of the celebrations: 87 year-old Barrister I.O. Adamolekun, Mrs. Abi Araromi, Mrs. Huldah Ogunmola, Dr. Joseph Adamolekun, Mrs. Dunni Fagbuyiro, Mrs. Ayo Adubifa, Rev. Joe Adamolekun (all septuagenarians), Ms. Taiwo Adamolekun and this blogger; so were most of the Adamolekun grandchildren, including Engineer Oludotun Adamolekun; Waleola Ojomo; Rotimi Adamolekun, Sile Aluko, mother of (Eniola, attorney and England Women’s Soccer team member & Professor Aluko’s grandchild); Soji Ajakaiye, Kemi Fagbuyiro and many others.

At the Christian Wake at the family home were clergymen, led by retired Archbishop for the Province of Ondo, Iju-born Dr. Oluwole Abe and his wife, Mama Janet Abe (friend and classmate of Ronke Olugbemigun).  Archbishop Abe also preached the sermon at the Sunday fairwell ceremony at the St. Stephen’s Archdeaconry Church at which there were also retired Bishop Oyelade and all Iju Archdeaconry Anglican Priests which featured the church’s current choristers that continue Iju’s tradition of exemplary Choral Music that dates to the 1950s.

Archbishop Abe recalled the virtues of Mama who was Iyalode of the Church from 1974 to her death and the role that she played as a very active church member.

Also present at the church service were Governor of Ekiti, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his wife, Erelu Bisi, many associates and friends of Mama’s children and top government functionaries (Wole’s guests), including Mr. Stanley, an Executive Secretary with Nigeria’s central government at Abuja.  

Ondo’s Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko had earlier visited as he  would not be able to attend the funeral.

Mama will be mourned by his children, extended family, the various groups she belonged to at St. Stephen’s Church. The insight she contributed into the demise of the Yoruba Sericulture textile technology in her little corner of Yorubaland will remain a part of emotanafricana records.

Here are memories stored, and now shared from the 2-day event.

From Left:  Bisi & Wole, Jumoke & Ladipo, Felicia and Ronke (front) leave Ladipo’s house after a brief stop with Mama’s remains.  Behind Bisi is Soji Ajakaiye, an Adamolekun grandchild.

Ladipo and Ronke walk beside the hearse after a brief stop at Ladipo’s Iju home on way to Family home.

Mama’s only surviving sibling, Auntie Seyin, greets Mama’s daughters-in-law, Jumoke (Ladipo) and Bisi (Wole).  Looking on from right are Folaju and Selina, Mama’s nieces.

Blogger meets children leading Mama’s remains to the family house: Ladipo, Ronke and Felicia in front with Wole behind Ladipo, and Mama’s niece, Idowu and Opeyemi (Ladipo’s daughter) behind Felicia.

Bisi and Jumoke, Mama’s daughters-in-law rock Saro-style (S/Leone) long dresses!

Mama’s remains at the family home at 23 Aiyegunle Street, Iju

His Grace, Iju-born Dr. Oluwole Abe, retired Archbishop of the Province of Ondo (Anglican Communion) & Mama Janet Abe friend and classmate of Ronke, at the Wake Service at the family home.

Professor Adeniran and Opeyemi

2nd & 3rd from right:  Professor Akin L. Mabogunje & wife, retired Justice Titi Mabogunje, at the Wake Service.

Emi, Mama’s nephew, (in white agbada) doing his thing. Testified – a fact known to most family members – that Mama saved him from himself after making him join the church choir after everything else had failed, and everything started falling in place – AT PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL!  Kemi, an Adamolekun grandchild and a university research fellow, dances on the left.

Children, spouses, grandchildren and others, L to R:  Bisi, Tomi, Felicia, Ronke, Ladipo, Jumoke, Folaju (niece), Wole and Wolemi make a brief stop at Wole’s old flat in the family compound.

At the Christian Wake are L to R:  two of the children, Felicia and Wole & Bisi, Wole’s wife; then Mrs. Adeniran, Professor Tunde Adeniran, Ladipo’s long-time friend who was more like a child to Mama.  Next to him is Ladipo’s daughter, Opeyemi.

Professor Adeniran and Opeyemi

Three ladies, R to L:  Nike (an Adamolekun grandchild’s spouse & Founder/CEO, Supreme Education Foundation, Lagos); Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu (Ladipo’s guest) and Dr. Nike Ogunsanya (Tobi’s mother-in-law & guest; Tobi is Ladipo’s son);

Ayo Adubifa offers prayers at Mama’s lieing-in-state before departure for Church.  L to R:  Felicia, Ladipo,Ronke, Jumoke and Wole.  Between Jumoke and Wole is Bambo Olugbemigun (Ronke’s son).

Dancing to Church, (in Reds), L to R: Wole, Ayodeji,Blogger, Jumoke, Bose  (in Western dress), and Fehintola, an Adamolekun grandchild’s spouse.

At arrival at Church:  Some Mama’s offspring, L to R: Felicia, Bisi (Wole’s wife), Tomi&Wolemi (Wole’s Kids), Opeyemi (Ladipo’s Kid) Wole and Ronke

AT CHURCH SERVICE

Ladipo and Mama’s other children and spouses in front pew; part of 2nd row L to R: Wolemi and Tomi

Ladipo and Jumoke share a private moment next to other sibling and spouse; Behind them are L to R:  Tayo, Wolemi & Tomi, (blogger hidden)

Bishop Oyebode prays for the children, grandchildren and spouses at the altar.  On the right are Tayo (Ladipo’s son) & Bambo, (Ronke’s son)

Some family members, L to R: Depo Adenle, (blogger’s spouse), Ayodeji, Sister Abi Araromi & Opeyemi; Between Ayo & Sister Abi at back, Dr. Joseph Adamolekun, and to the left, Mrs. Fajana (Ronke’s sister-in-law from Ise-Ekiti).  Behind Dr. Adamolekun is the oldest surviving child of Late Papa J.F. Adamolekun, Octogenarian, Barrister I.O. Adamolekun

Benin Republic’s Ambassador Laleye & wife, Catherine

In purple, Theo Abioye (“Ladi Pupa”; Ladipo was “Ladi Dudu”), Papa J.F.’s nephew from Ise-Ekiti; lived in family home at Iju and attended school up to Standard VI at United School, Iju/Ita-Ogbolu which later became Iju/Ita-Ogbolu Grammar School in the 50s; pictured with wife, at the church service.

Mama’s children, spouses and only surviving sibling, Auntie Seyin stand around the coffin to render one of Mama’s favorite Hymns, Apata Aiyeraiye (Rock of Ages cleft for me)

Ladipo makes announcements as Ekiti’s Governor Fayemi and wife, Erelu Bisi and the Congregation listen.

Dr. Kayode & Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Ladipo with Wole and Ronke behind after the church service

The Fayemis with Mama’s kids and spouses

AT THE GRAVE SITE

Prayers and Hymns

Ladipo performs the dust-to-dust as sibling and choir look on

Mama’s children, some grandchildren and spouses at the burial ground.  Behind them to the right is Esther, Mama’s Caregiver who was like a daughter to their mom.

Ladipo and Opeyemi

Depo & Wole share a mirthful moment at the reception at Iju-ItaOgbolu Grammar School

Ladipo with Ayodeji, Depo and Blogger

Ladipo and Blogger

Wole, Blogger, Jumoke and Bose

Blogger, Tewa, Ayodeji & Debbie – Iju Ladies, All

Blogger & Fehintola (an Adamolekun grandchild’s spouse)

Folasade Fawole & Blogger

Yoruba Aso Oke for the ladies is an Ile ‘Luji [Ondo] modern take of the old omolangidi red alaari style.

Photo Credit:  Bisi Adamolekun.

                  Blogger, Ronke & Ayodeji

And this, perhaps, is as good a time as there could ever be to take blog readers down memory lane for a bit of sharing as regards above three Iju ladies!

About a year ago,

Tola (Blogger); Ayo (retired Senior Deputy Registrar, Univ. of Lagos & Olori Ronke Olugbemigun (Retired Manager, U.T.C. Stores, Ibadan & Lagos/Apapa))

Celebrations on the 25th Anniversary of the Translation of Papa J.F. Adamolekun.  October 2012.

Three decades earlier,

At Dr. Depo Adenle’s 40th birthday party at the Ibadan Polo Club.  Saturday, March 13, 1982.  [Photo Credit:  Depo Adenle]

And a little further back, 49 years ago, to be precise!

L to R:  Blogger, Ayodeji and Ronke, Christmas 1964

Photo Credit:  Ofei’s Dayspring Studio,, Oke Igan, Akure

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013.  2:30:15 p.m. [GMT]

Clown with President Obama-mask meant to be run down by a bull which drew enthusiastic support from a lynch mob-type attendees at State’s Fair in Missouri

Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask Like Dislike This photo provided by Jameson Hsieh shows a clown wearing a mask intended to look like President Obama at the Missouri State Fair. The announcer asked the crowd if anyone wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull,” according to a spectator. “So then everybody screamed. … They just went wild,” said Perry Beam, who attended the rodeo at the State Fair in Sedalia on Saturday Aug. 10, 2013. State Fair officials apologized calling the display inappropriate and disrespectful. (AP Photo/Jameson Hsieh) . View gallery This photo provided by Jameson Hsieh shows a clown wearing a mask intended to look like President Obama at the Missouri State Fair. The announcer asked the crowd if anyone wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull,” according to a spectator. “So then everybody screamed. … They just went wild,” said Perry Beam, who attended the rodeo at the State Fair in Sedalia on Saturday Aug. 10, 2013. State Fair officials apologized calling the display inappropriate and disrespectful.

(AP Photo/Jameson Hsieh) Associated Press MARIA SUDEKUM 12 hours ago Barack Obama KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —

A clown wearing a President Barack Obama mask appeared at a Missouri State Fair rodeo this weekend and the announcer asked the enthusiastic spectators if they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull.”

The antics led the state’s second highest-ranking official, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, to denounce the performance in a tweet Sunday. He said it was “disrespectful” to the president.

“We are better than this,” the Republican tweeted.

State Fair officials said the show in Sedalia was “inappropriate” and “does not reflect the opinions or standards” of the fair. “We strive to be a family friendly event and regret that Saturday’s rodeo badly missed that mark,” they said in a statement Sunday.

It wasn’t clear if any action will be taken against the performers.

Perry Beam, who was among the spectators, said “everybody screamed” and “just went wild” as the announcer talked about having the bull run down the clown with the Obama mask.

“It was at that point I began to feel a sense of fear. It was that level of enthusiasm,” Beam, a 48-year-old musician from Higginsville, said Sunday, referring to the reaction from the crowd that filled the fair’s grandstand.

He said another clown ran up to the one wearing the Obama mask, pretended to tickle him and played with the lips on the mask. About 15 minutes into the performance, the masked clown had to leave after a bull got too close, Beam said.

Beam was at the rodeo with his wife and a student they were hosting from Taiwan. He said they were having a good time until the end of the rodeo.

“It was the usual until the very end at bull riding,” he said. “As they were bringing the bulls into the chute and prepping them … they bring out what looks like a dummy. The announcer says ‘Here’s our Obama dummy, or our dummy of Obama.

“They mentioned the president’s name, I don’t know, 100 times. It was sickening,” Beam said. “It was feeling like some kind of Klan rally you’d see on TV.”

Officials with the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, the organization that coordinated the rodeo, did not return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.

After Beam and his family returned home, he posted a photo of the clown in the Obama mask on his Facebook page. The photo and the posting were then promoted online by a blog, Showmeprogress.com, which elicited a huge response Sunday on Twitter.

Scott Holste, spokesman for Missouri’s Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, said Sunday in an email that Nixon “agrees that the performance was disrespectful and offensive, and does not reflect the values of Missourians or the State Fair.”

Beam, who grew up attending the State Fair and attends the fair just about every year, said he has never seen anything like the Obama mask display, which he felt was inappropriate for a state-sanctioned event that receives state funding.

“This isn’t the Republican Missouri State Fair,” Beam said. “It was cruel. It was disturbing. I’m still sick to my stomach over it. … I’m standing here with a mixed-race family. My wife’s from Taiwan, and so was the student (his family was hosting). I’ve never seen anything so blatantly racist in my life. “If an old country boy picks up on something like that, imagine what a person of color would think.”

Related Story:   Empty Chair ‘Lynched’ By Anti-Obama Texas Republican, Bud Johnson

http://emotanafricana.com/2012/09/20/take-america-back-11-an-evil-sign-from-americas-dark-past-on-a-republicans-lawn-in-texas/

MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2013.  3:10:30 p.m. [GMT]

Top Ten Posts JULY 5 to AUGUST 5 showing dates of original publication

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013.  5:19:17 p.m. [GMT]

STATS Top Posts for 90 days ending 2013

Soure: wordpress.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013.  5:25:45 p.m. [GMT]

Lagbaja Responds To Okey Ndibe On “Mumudom”
Sahara Reporters, August 6, 2013

By Lágbájá

Dear Okey Ndibe: Thank you for sounding the alarm in a way that should make us reflect deeper. Mumu is not a condition I proudly proclaim. It was with a heavy heart that I came to this shocking realization that we are indeed a country of mumus. Harsh as it might sound, no other explanation would suffice. It is apparent that the “leaders” know that they would always get away with whatever incredible schemes they concoct because, amongst other reasons,

(a) the mumu people they “lead” are no different from their mumu “leaders” in character
(b) the mumu people are gullible, superstitious and naive
(c) there are no consequences for criminal acts if you belong to the right group
(d) these mumus never demand accountability from their “leaders”
(e) the mumus expect their rulers to loot or would otherwise consider them foolish

Apologies for the seeming overgeneralization but the vast majority runs with this mumu mindset.
There is a limit to how much one can squeeze into a song before sounding less music than sermon. Please permit me to expatiate using your perimeter of “recent events in the past week or two”.
For simplicity I would use a numbered list to analyze and highlight a few seemingly disparate but absurd mumurity examples and indicators.

1. 5 members trying to impeach a governor would make you think there are probably only 6 or 7 members of the House of Assembly.
According to the assembly’s website there are 31 members. For mumus, 5 out 31 constitutes a majority.

2. In the land of mumus you can make your own mace and confer it with automatic authority, elect a “new Speaker” and swear him in.

3. No single hospital in Nigeria to entrust the unfortunately injured member with. He had to be flown to the UK.

4. Flown abroad … likely on tax payers’ account

5. Treated … likely on tax payers’ account

6. Visited by officials… likely on tax payers’ account (business or first class tickets?)

7. Nyesom Wike the Minister of State who led the visit was until recently the Governor’s (Amaechi’s) Chief of Staff. He was allegedly nominated for the Ministerial position by Governor Amaechi.

8. Shouldn’t the mumus wonder how Nyesom Wike as Minister of State for Education found the time for this all important trip while abandoning his post in spite of the raging crisis in his ministry with the Academic staff union of Nigerian universities currently on strike? Well the mumu staff and students can rot in hell I guess.

9. Madam Patience would probably have “visited” too, if not for the noise such would generate. So for now, the victim suffers alone.

10. The erstwhile pontificating police boss of the State could not find the patient’s prominent attacker for over a week.

11. Madam Patience having first denied any involvement in the crisis while verbally attacking Soyinka, eventually owns up “pouring out her grievances”.

12. She owns up to a group of visiting Bishops who came on a peace making mission to find a lasting solution to the crisis in their region.

Religion is always an easy scapegoat and tool of deception in mumudom.

13. Why would you even think that the Bishops would go back empty handed? Any “transport fare/thank-you-for-coming”, if received, would have likely been financed on tax payers’ account.

14. And why are we ranting about “tax payers”? Why are the tax payers not furious over the incessant misappropriation and misapplication of their hard earned contributions? The answer lies in the question… Aside from PAYE, how many are compliant in mumudom?

15. First a set of 5 Governors and 3 Deputy Governors (representing their respective Governors), left their duty posts for a solidarity visit with the embattled Governor of Rivers State… of course to the detriment of tax payers. (a) They were not on leave, but left urgent work and duties behind for the “emergency” solidarity visit. (b) Flight to and fro Port Harcourt of course likely on tax payers’ account.

16. They were closely followed by a second set of 4 commiserating sympathetic Governors. Of course, again likely on tax payers’ account.

17. Madam Patience’s grievance, as she divulged to the visiting Bishops, started when Governor Amaechi refused to be governed by her, as he would not listen to her veiled orders on how to govern the State… which incidentally is her primary territory being her State of origin. Mumus have no problem with that, fully being in harmony with her as she sings as first lady in Abuja while simultaneously dancing in absentia as Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa and conducting the orchestra in home state, Rivers.

18. Madam ends her confession to the Bishops by saying that Amaechi is her son as she is obviously the mother of everyone in mumudom. The question all mumus should ask is, “Would a good mother promote the demise of her child?”

19. Where was her outraged sense of motherhood when Senators were busy voting to turn mumudom into a Nation of pedophiliacs at the expense of her innocent “daughters”?

20. Where was her outraged sense of “mother of the Nation” when the video of 5 gang rapists went viral. Has she used that “mother of the Nation” power to find the culprits? Not a priority in mumudom.

21. Where was her outraged “motherhood of mumudom” when 46 school children were murdered in Yobe? Indeed the whole Nation of mumus have just gone on with their more important mumu lives like nothing happened.

22. Which brings us to the insane mumurity that gives the “leaders” confidence to try pranks such as the attempt at crafting the under age marriage law, knowing that with the mumus… “nothing go happen”

23. In the land of mumus, the rulers know they can always throw in the religious card, so Senator Yerima leads the child slavery onslaught with the religious chant.

24. While all this was going on, 79 year old OPC founder, Dr. Fasheun was, in his own description, “delivering” Mustapha to Kano.

25. Soon after, Gumsu Sani Abacha had the courage to rant on social media about her proud heritage… because with the mumus who his father savagely ruled over… nothing go happen.

26. Gumsu even called Soyinka who was a victim of her beloved dad’s misrule, “Mad empty Professor” … because in mumudom, “nothing go happen”.

27. Final scores… Jang 13, Amaechi 19, but in the land of mumus Mathematics has a different interpretation for 13 is greater than 19. Even the President of the mumus ratifies that.

28. By the way, both Governors Jang and Amaechi are from the same imploding political party.

29. Jang says he is old enough to be Amaechi’s father… a common escape route that is often quickly bought by the mumu populace. Old enough to be the President’s pawn and to upturn justice might be more like it. Only possible when you know for sure that your people are mumus… Nothing go happen.

30. The Governor is supposed to be the chief security officer of his State, but apparently in mumudom, his Police Commissioner is his boss.

31. The Governor’s security staff could be so easily withdrawn because nothing is institutionalized in a Nation of mumus. The loyalty of the security personnel is not based on the constitution but on personal or maternal affiliations. The mumus keep watching because “it does not concern me o”… “Big men and women are fighting”. Same way the injustice of the Nation’s attorney general’s assassination does not concern them.

32. Most reports in the Nigerian media kept referring to the self appointed Speaker as if he were truly the substantive Speaker. A mere use of “self-acclaimed” would have been logical, but they were already calling him the Speaker because… ignorance? inducement? resignation to the belief that the 5 vs 26 Assembly coup was already a done deal?

33. While all this drama unfolded, Nigeria, like the proverbial head-burying ostrich felt it had the moral right to insist on democratic processes in Egypt.

34. Sahara Reporters had screamed about the underhand conspiracy to proclaim Mustapha “not guilty”. Mumus simply went about their daily mumurity unperturbed because “it doesn’t concern them”. And when it happened as predicted… no problem. Mumus continue dem jolly as if nothing happened.

35. Meanwhile, Daniel and his political supporters carried their politics into the house of God at Rueben Abati’s mother’s funeral service… simply because there is no true reverence for God. Religion is a safe hiding cave. The mumus in the congregation would never protest such sacrilege because… “it is not strange” as the houses of God are now also political grounds. Obasanjo built one in Abeokuta. Jonathan got one built in Otuoke.

36. Meanwhile, some other mumus were again busy putting the Nation to international shame. In unprecedented match fixing fiascos, Police Machine beat Bubayaro 67-0 while Plateau United Feeders beat Akurba FC 79-0. Just in case you are confused, the game was soccer, not basketball.

37. The matches were to determine which one of the two tied teams would be promoted into… wait for this… just the 3rd division of the Nigerian soccer league. How many goals would they have to orchestrate when they want promotion to the 1st division?

38. Interesting to note that one of the teams involved in these shows of shame, the Police Machine, represents the Police Force. Now who would investigate this scandal?

39. Mumus involved in the conspiracy had to include players… team management… referees and other match officials… spectators??? That is quite a large mumu cooperative.

40. Since four teams were involved, multiply the number of conspirators by 4 (except match officials and spectators which should be multiplied by “only” 2). Hence, the scam was done in the open. It was a confident public show of shame. No… two confident simultaneous scams. No problem as corruption is everywhere.

41. Before the matches, Police Machine and Plateau United were level on points, goal difference and goals scored, and each was playing its final match which would determine which team would get elevated into the 3rd division league. Plateau United scored 72 of its 79 goals in the second half, thereby averaging more than one goal per minute. This would necessarily include the time needed to celebrate each goal, retrieve the ball, bring it back to the center, wait for the referee’s whistle before kicking off again…. after each goal. 72 times. Or did they just write the preferred figures as we typically do on election day?

42. Is it not curious that neither of the two losing teams could manage a single consolation goal? What else are we if not mumus?

43. Then there was the innocent man who was freed by the high court in Owerri after having been unjustly incarcerated for seven years, “awaiting trial”. No compensation… nobody held accountable for his ordeal. He insisted on being taken back to the prison as that was his only guaranty of a roof over his head and a daily meal. It was merely a “small thing” in the daily bizarre news as mumus went about their daily mumurity with their typical mentality of “e no concern me”.

44. Remember that this is mostly a snippet of the past two weeks or so. But there is more… 20 year old Chijioke Nwankor allegedly rapes a 9 year old pupil to death in Calabar. Reportedly in his own words, he asked her to bend down in the uncompleted building because it was too dirty to lie down as the place was being used as a public toilet. That is mumudom parlance for faeces shamelessly defecated all over the ground. Could the defecation be by aliens from outer space?

45. Well… thankfully, there is always a little ray of sunlight sneaking through the dark jungle. A Briton who was kidnapped by an armed gang shortly after arrival in Lagos, has been released.

…All in just the past two weeks or so in mumudom.

Excuse me, I have to return to work. I need to earn £3000 for my British visa. Wait a minute, did I tell you I am still a Commonwealth citizen?

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2013.  8:27:45 p.m. [GMT]

Search Engine Terms for 30 days ending 2013

Source: wordpress.com

AUGUST 15, 2013. 8:13:55 p.m. [GMT]

Map of Nigeria showing Yorubaland [google.com.ng]

Dear Mrs Adenle,

In answer to your request for opinion on Lee Kuan Yew’s story of how he transformed Singapore, I’ve had a glance at the two volumes of Lee’s memoirs; I’ve also considered how he transformed Singapore after becoming the first prime minister in 1959, and remaining in power until 1990. The transformation of Singapore from a Third World to a First World country—led for three decades by Lee himself, and now by his eldest son Lee Hsien Loong—is a significant achievement given the fact that the country has no natural resources. This transformation, influenced by the country’s official nation-building ideological pillars, particularly multiculturalism and meritocracy, provides a useful lesson for the socioeconomic quandary facing Nigeria.

There is however, however. Looking at extreme longevity in power of Lee (Prime Minister for 31 years, Senior Minister from 1990 to 2004, and “Minister Mentor” since then until 2011 when he stepped down from the cabinet), including the patient grooming of his son for the Premiership, the Singaporean government system may be classified as dynastic, if not oligarchic. Besides that, during Lee’s time in government, economic liberalism coexisted with political illiberalism, such as detaining without trial hundreds of “prisoners of conscience’’ and Communist sympathizers (a total of 661 between 1960 and 1976, but 188 in 1963 only). Although smashing ofopponents so ruthlessly with all the sledgehammers that the state possessed has been justified as necessary to create a stable state and viable economic regime, does it mean then that authoritarianism pay? There is no easy answer.

Singapore’s disregard for certain standards regarding human rights, coupled with the country’s economic progress, may seem to have confounded theorists of liberal democracy, but the general assumption is that as prosperity and economic freedom increase in a country, so too will political freedom. I agree that in spite of Singapore’s illiberal, one-party rule—since 1997 only two opposition members had been in Parliament at any given time, though the number was increased to six in 2011 after the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) lost a record 6 seats out of 87 contested)—Singapore  has managed to produce an efficient administration and spectacular prosperity. But at what cost?  Again, at the cost of an authoritarian style of government that sometimes infringed on civil liberties. In this context, should Nigeria then look hook, line, and sinker to Singapore for an example of how to combine authoritarian-style rule with the elevation of the nation’s economy? A note of caution.

Let me recall the draconian policies of the Buhari-Idiagbon regime. In order to bring Nigeria an efficient administration and enduring prosperity, the regime embarked on repressive measures, refusing to ‘tolerate’ what one of its chieftains called ‘undue radicalism.’ So,in a manner of Lee’s approaches and styles of governance, the right to differ had to give way to ‘national’ efforts aimed at salvaging the faltering Nigerian economy through a ‘War Against Indiscipline.’ However, not long after, the regime was overthrown. Perhaps if the regime had remained in power (for how many years?) like Singaporean’s, the situation could have been different from now. One can read Lee’s experience as justifying such repressive measures, but it appears conditions in Singapore are different from conditions in Nigeria.

Agreed, Singapore, like Nigeria¸ is multi-ethnic and multi-religious. But it looks like it is much more easier for people to live in relative harmony in Singapore (Population: 5.3 million (UN, 2012)), a city-state (like Monaco or Vatican City) which functions as a single metropolitan, than in Nigeria (Population: 166.6 million (UN, 2012) with about 250 languages and dialects and nearly as many ethnic groups, coupled with deep religious differences.

Given the above scenario, the question arises whether the interests of Nigeria will best be served by regional exploitation or national development. It has been said repeatedly that Nigeria is not yet a nation. Mr (later Chief) Obafemi Awolowo, speaking in London on 13 March, 1956, expressed what could have been the view of the whole nation, yet it had a regional appeal. “We Nigerians are in a hurry. We realise that we have been left behind in the race for economic and social progress.” For me, rather than bothering ourselves with the persistent call for the convocation of national conference to determine the course of the country’s future development, I think it is better, in the words of Prof Soyinka at South-South Economic Summit in Asaba in April 29, 2012, to “let each regional grouping with compatible ideas of the ultimate mission … begin to call the shots, and relegate the centre to its rightful dimensions in any functioning federated democracy.”

AO Ajetunmobi.

Dear Dr. Ajetunmobi,

Thank you v. much for taking the trouble not only to look at my overview of Lee’s two-volume story of the Singapore success story but for taking the time and trouble to actually get hold of the books, and with a glance-through, afford us an in-depth appraisal of the good and bad of the Singapore story.

First of all by the way, I think the world is dangerously at a stage that sees dynastic rule spreading even though it may not be that apparent as it’s often couched under democratic presentation. Till today, I continue to marvel at how Bush 2 became president – or even governor for that matter!  

It’s very apparent that there’s no one-size-fits-all form of government due to various differences but I also believe that Singapore’s success story offers a template that can be tweaked here and there for developing countries that are often plagued – especially in Africa – with ethnocentric divisions, corruption, lack of focus, etcetera, to achieve varying levels of success in governance.  The ongoing small transformation in Southwestern Nigeria and a few pockets in the country are, if truth be told, governors seeing what Fasola first achieved in Lagos and how the people’s appreciation of his effort made it impossible to dislodge him from getting a second term. Ondo State indigenes, by the same logic, solidly supported Mimiko to remain their governor because of what he has achieved NOT because he belongs to the Labor Party but through his achievements, a fact I have long stated on this blog.

I believe that the Fasola standard may be a little difficult to attain because of lack of resources just as the Singapore success may be difficult for developing countries to replicate due to population sizes but it does show that a reasonable level of good governance is attainable for all with a focused, selfless leadership that can [sort of] cherry-pick its way using its own peculiar needs and resources.

I look forward to getting others’ contributions.

TOLA

It is true that Nigeria is not on the same pedestal with Singapore in terms of population, the diversities in our tribes and dialects, and of course the classification of Singaporean style of governance; dynasty, which suggests or supports Lee Kuan Yew’s  long term reign and the ascension of his son to the county’s leadership. 

But there is a lesson to be learnt by the developing countries which in effect, is at par with Nigeria of 2013.

LKY himself had given a clearer picture of the driving force and I think it is the crux of the lesson to be learnt:

“The quality of a nation’s manpower resources is the single most important factor determining national competitiveness. It is the people’s innovativeness, entrepreneurship, team work, and their work ethic that gives them that sharp keen edge in competitiveness.”

He emphasizes the importance of knowledge in economic transformation but also rejects the classical separation between scholarship and entrepreneurship. “Those with good minds to be scholars should also be inventors, innovators, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs; they must bring new products and services to the market to enrich the lives of people everywhere.”

Most developed countries begin with investing on the citizens. Empowering and engaging everybody by allowing an environment to blossom talent and entrepreneurship so that they can supplement the lives of people within the community. I will dwell on how investing on people have made a great deal of American citizens, then come home by putting Nigeria on the spot vis-a-vis the obtainable situation at present, our pains and collective desire.

Some forty years ago in Ohio USA, bright pupils from the ages of 5-8 whose noted bias for science, were encouraged to study medicine with specialty on Cardiology. Twenty five years after, the state through Cleveland Clinic was acknowledged worldwide as the center for ‘heart repair workshop’. Kanu Nwankwo, a Nigerian and a retired soccer professional was diagnosed of heart problem shortly after USA 94 World Cup tournament, his heart was repaired at Cleveland Clinic. Many rich personalities from all over the world visit for consultation on any cardio- related issues. Interestingly, Cleveland Clinic is all over the state up to almost every count,y and who can ever imagine the revenue that is being generated by this citizens’ empowerment! 

The motto of Ohio State used to be “The Heart of it all” but now, it is “Birth Place of Aviation’ (because of the Wright Brothers) and it is the cheapest place to learn any aviation related profession. In Ohio State, every county has at least one airport to her name. At Lorain County Joint Vocational School, (like the Trade Centers of old) you can train to be a helicopter pilot for less than $500 and in within 6 months! Yours sincerely is considering training on becoming a pilot by this fall. 

The State of Wisconsin is “American Diaryland”. The State is known for milk and cheese products, so large enough to feed America! Indiana is “Restart Your Engine”. They live by motor racing! The best and world class championship is annually staged in Indianapolis.

California is “The Golden State” where everything is business and entertainment and truly, it lays the ‘golden eggs’ for America!

Research has shown that most of today’s inventions come from young fertile minds. The 12 year-old Briton whose designed apps were sold at over $100m to Google started his computer hi-tech exploits at age six. Some young lads were celebrated last week for using urine as alternative to power a cell phone!.

Citizens’ empowerment and participation utilizes individuals in the community for decision making and influencing the institutions and programs that affect them. This form of practice employs the skills and talents of citizens to meet the collective goals of the community.

Richard and Oracene Williams watched a tennis championship where they found out how much was paid to the match winners. They decided to have ‘just one more kid’ to play tennis. They had Venus and again came her sister, Serena. Their dad introduced them to tennis at 3, and by the time Venus was turning 15, she became a pro and today, has won seven Grand Slams!

The opposite is obtainable in Nigeria. Nigerian governors borrow money on behalf of the citizens for infrastructural developments when they are not sure they would win the next election. This would in turn bring tolls of taxation on the citizens when the burdens to pay back the loans are getting hot! Just some minutes ago, a friend in Lagos posted this on his facebook timeline “Lagos! Ruthless IGR (internally-generated revenues) generation is killing jobs. Reduce the arm-twisting and let small businesses grow jobs. Give us a break!! Get creative!!”

As justifiable as it is to borrow money to build roads, schools, beautify ‘round-about’, hospitals etc it is absurd and counter development if more than half of the same citizens whose cars are to ply the roads cannot even afford to buy cars let alone fuel it. Of what use is it, if graduating students of the demolished, rebuilt and reformed buildings can only boast of overall National mere 6% successful grades? Same schools that are ‘infrastructurally-developed’, demolished and rebuilt have no plans for libraries and those that do, are showcasing a carcass and an empty shelves.

Borrowing to build a shopping Complex when the majority of the citizens are artisans and farmers is more of a misplaced priority than being innovative. Didn’t the Yorubas say “inu ni a ma nfo, ki a to f’ota (you need to feel good inside before you look good outside). 

Donald Duke was a good example of a leader who was empowering the community. He invested into tourism and entertainment and was making his state a tourism revenue-generating enterprise. He succeeded in highlighting his state on the map of the world among places worth visiting for vacation. 

Imagine if Ondo invests in the school of Agricultural Economics with the high-tech of 2013 research, where all conceivable agro-processing studies are comparable only with the western world. 

Osun State where Ila Orangun is noted for their citizens’ versatility in Palm Wine is worthy of economic focus. Start a Winery endeavor where indigenes would be proud of their heritage by popularizing the wine compared only to world class! School of Winery could be so innovative and revenue-generating enough such that the pride of the citizens would be incredibly rewarding from generation to generation! 

Lagos State could be the Las Vegas and California of Nigeria, a city of technology invention of Africa, by instituting a center for computer novelty and creation. 

My point is creating the environment for learning to improve the lives of the citizens is more beneficial than building mega cities, which as it is, could only be s’agbe l’oju yoyo but has proven not to last. People build cities and not cities build people; so therefore, developing people comes first, then infrastructures for long-lasting benefits to the community present and generations yet unborn. Investing in the people guarantees the future and prospers the nation in the long run.

Even if we are not under a ‘dynasty’ as it is under LKY and Singapore, our chosen form of government guarantees ‘government of the people by the people’ if only our leaders allow participation from us all in decision- making. For example, Donald Duke spent 8 years as the governor but if the community agrees to the new direction he charted, continuity by succeeding leadership would take them to the Eldorado. But when decision to embark on a project on behalf of the community is not participatory and collective, the likelihood that it will endure beyond the current serving leadership is low.

In conclusion, hear LKY “There is no reason why third world leaders cannot succeed…if they can maintainsocial order, educate their people, maintain peace with their neighbors, and gain the confidence of investors by upholding the rule of law.”

Nigerian leaders score 15% in all these highlighted qualities!

Sadly, just as we ask for understanding and economic-focused leadership, sincere followership too is not there, eniyan otito ti tan, t’iro l’oku, t’oda’le l’oku.

http://www.technologyandpolicy.org/2013/01/30/development-learning-from-singapores-lee-kuan-yew/

 Deleola Daramola

Thanks, Dele, and a good day to us all.  

A point I’d like to correct which I did not when Dr. Ajetunmobi mentioned it in his first contribution is that LKY’s son did not take over from him; his then deputy, Goh Chok Tong, who was one of the leaders of the miracle in Singapore, would lead the country for 14 years from 1990 to 2004 before Lee’s son, Loong, then already 50, and after extensive education, was Minister for many years before he became Prime Minister.  And if truth be told, continuity could be a great thing as apparent in the case of Singapore.  Imagine the cut-throat fight over re-nominations and re-elections in Nigeria IF it was possible to, say, get even a single term of ten years!

As mentioned in my first submission to this discussion group, how did George Bush qualify to rule the world’s most powerful country?  I also did mention briefly that  ”the world is dangerously at a stage that sees dynastic rule spreading even though it may not be that apparent as it’s often couched under democratic presentation”. I believe we can tag dynastic rule to Singapore just as the United States where a third Bush could rule the U.S.within a period of four decades; two Clintons within two decades, two Clintons at the Senate within a decade (Chelsea, Bill & Hillary’s daughter is said to be “weighing” political options) …  And how about the past: the Adamses, the Roosevelts as presidents, and if not assassinations and Late Ted’s bad habits, the world could have seen two or three Kennedys as presidents.

Senator Hillary Clinton is not just an astute politician but she was an accomplished and brilliant attorney but it was her husband’s presidency that gave her a spring board.  George Bush 2 and Jeb Bush became governors of different electoral-vote rich states (Texas and Florida) using Bush I presidency as springboards; neither has records of brilliance.  Worse, George 2 was AWOL at his paramilitary (Coast Guard) service, a fact that was buried as the political machinery was used to steamroll him to the Republican nomination over more qualified McCain & others.

And out West right now in big electoral votes California is Jeb Bush’s son – don’t want to bother myself googling to find his name – already being touted for “big things’ in politics – read that “presidency” via the Senate or govenorship of Cali.  Moving to big states in the United States and with “eyes on politics” means only one thing:  eye on the presidency because California, New York, Texas and Florida hold huge electoral votes which are used to calculate presidential election victories.  Do the math, as the saying goes in good ol’ USA!

Oligarchic rule seems inevitable in our present world where big money drives politics.  Even in a Nigeria rapidly  becoming feudalistic, Our Thieves At The Top – “Oga At The Top” – have stashed so much money away that the political process can never produce anything better than oligarchy.  How did Daisy Danjuma become a Senator when her husband was Defence Minister?  How about other women, including one who reportedly claim a then head of state as her guy – not her word but I cannot go that earthy!

Let’s face it:  Singapore is partly a success because of the continuity of being ruled by three heads of state since independence.  Of course diluting the gene pool – so to say – would be ideal but the system has worked for Singapore where its citizens are not being repressed and have attained one of the world’s highest living standards by a system that does not allow indiscipline.

Nigeria can use leaders like Singapore has had but it ain’t going to happen with a few people holding billions of U.S. dollars in stolen wealth which is freely used to pervert a system that has but tottering steps.

TOLA.

Dear Dele,

This is the reply to your contribution as I merely used my last mail to examine the important point of dynastic rule which is in the early part of your mail and considering the fact that Dr. Ajetunmobi also touched it in his.  I wanted to get that off as I knew I needed steady and good access web period to work on that while I could send replies to Fatai’s and yours later as they would not be long!

It is a very good contribution that touched very important points that contain useful information that should be especially useful to the Southwest.  I mention our regional area because we stand a good chance of moving the region forward than moving Nigeria.  It is a small unit with even smaller units where a bit of the Singapore Success Story can be replicated.

By the way, I do not think we should forget that even though Singapore has a small population, it was plagued by ethnocentric divisions that resulted in acts beyond mere superficial competition for control but riots and even killings before LKY devised neutralizing his own settler Chinese majority and putting the Malay ethnic minority at par with others .  We must not forget that even at state levels with no more people than Singaporeans, there are deep divisions in some of the Yoruba States.

Once our governors can show the people in their various states that a common, well-focused people-centered interests are paramount and not any self-serving grandiose projects, the fruitless and clannish competitions would give way to group interest.

TOLA.

I’m not receptive to the idea that Singapore’s experience should be carried to the nth degree. There is not a single path to modernity.The consensus of earlier opinions was that the key ingredient of Singaporean economic success – a culture of innovation and experimentation – should be adapted in light of our own culture and experience in Nigeria, perhaps more appropriately, in Yoruba-controlled states. The Western-educated Singapore’s patriarch, Lee Kuan Yew,  after all, adapted Confucian value system to the existing Western formats. As he has stated in an interview with Fareed Zakaria in Foreign Affairs, such an adaptation was more appropriate to East Asia’s Confucian cultural traditions than was the Western democratic model. (Fareed Zakaria “Culture Is Destiny: A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew,” Foreign Affairs 73(2) (1994): pp. 109-127).

Again, authoritarianism, as I’ve stated before, is less “functional” than democracy. Under it, national decline is caused most fundamentally by sclerosis. The series of scandals, in the year 2012, involving top officials of Singaporean government and prominent personalities, including two senior civil servants who were arrested and charged with corruption for granting government contracts in exchange for sexual favours, and another fifty-one prominent individuals who were charged for procuring commercial sex from an underage girl, seem to provide a confirmation of the premises of that theory.

Perhaps it was because of these scandals that the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong  announced, late last year, a National Dialogue, headed by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, with some  twenty-six members drawn from many different backgrounds, to engage a broad spectrum of society and identify their preferences and concerns regarding the national development process. Lee even went on to hold a television forum called “A Conversation With PM Lee” in September with fifty guests. No doubt, there are attractive and unattractive features in Western-style democracy. But the recent decision to announce a National Dialogue in Singapore, after years of experimentation with “soft” or paternalistic form of authoritarianism, which combined capitalism with an authoritarian political system, underscores my point about the need for us to grow more selective in the adoption of Singaporean story.

AO Ajetunmobi.

Prof.,


Thanks for this.

There is nowhere in the notes of Fatai, Dele or myself that adoption
of the Singapore story as a template “to nth” or any “degree” was
suggested; anyway, even if any of us suggested that, we do not have
the power to enforce it – so to say1  I even used the term “cherry
picking” our way to see which is best for our situation.  Ditto Dele.

Tola.

Clarity and understanding of Singapore’s model for economic and political dynamism can only contribute to better-informed decisions. I’m grateful for the clarification. As a peroration, Lee Kuan Yew, however, is so fascinated with culture; he explains in the interview I referred earlier how Confucianism underpins the economic and political development of Singapore. If culture is so important, then countries with very different cultures may not, in fact, succeed in the way that East Asia country did by getting economic fundamentals right. But then, like Singaporean people, we (I mean Yoruba ethnic group in particular) also have a culture that places much value in learning and scholarship and hard work and thrift and deferment of present enjoyment for future gain. In taking a cue from Lee, we can encourge the immersion of our people in Yoruba notions of culture (asa); tradition (ise); religion (esin); character (iwa); language (ede); and faith/belief (igbagbo), to guide morality, determine ethos, and regulate political-economic undertaking in our society.

Best regards

AO Ajetunmobi

Ever since this Singapore Story began, a lot of thought-provoking revelations have taken place. As I said somewhere, Singapore’s story as narrated in the two books, is a good recommendation to read, digest and put the principles into practice by the third world leaders, especially Nigeria.

The write-up of Dele and your comments on it, are another exposition that need to be commented on.Your comments made me remember a topic I was taught in chemistry at the University – The Ideal Gas. No gas can ever be ideal as all gasses tend to attain the Ideal Gas situation as there are parameters to be fulfilled. No gas has been scientifically proved to attain the situation. 

Some of us in diaspora and a good number of our people back home assume  the advanced democracies as Ideal in nature, and hence the use of these democracies as yard sticks. Despite the fact that their Rome was not built in a day, they went through a lot of metamorphosis before reaching where they are today, yet they have not and will never reach the ideal situation because of flaws in human parameters. One of them is what you brought out about the Bush and other families. 

Oligarchy is everywhere. It becomes prominent and a form of taboo in governance as a result of too much corruption, indiscipline, nepotism, arrogance and other vices. These are at their lowest levels in advanced countries, but in third world countries, they are the songs of everyday. If those in government, especially in third world countries learn to respect and give people their dues, all these hues and cries will be at the barest minimum.

Hypocritically,  the leaders are the ones showing off their wealth in Churches and Mosques, while they do not follow the teachings in the Holy Books as to their duties towards those they govern. A disciplined leader will command the respect and followership of an equally-disciplined society or nation. Though, we may not have an ideal society, yet we will always be heading towards it all the time once we have the right leadership at the helm at every level of governance.

Fatai Bakare

Thanks, Dear Fatai.

I agree with you that we tend to be in too much of a hurry but then again we must remember that nature has helped us leap-frogged stages that others spent a long time to pass through before they arrived at where they now command respect.  With Nigeria’s oil money, you’ll agree with me that we should not be where we are right now.  Accountability is what is needed to ensure there’s a fear of doing the wrong thing.  And our Yoruba tradition and heritage of working to leave a good name seems now lost.

TOLA

Since I have an idea of where this discuss could end, I might as well just articulate my take once again. 

I built my earlier posted essay on a contemporary account of Lee Kuan Yew’s thinking as told through a series of interviews: Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights on China, the United States, and the World, by Graham Allison and Robert Blackwill.   

“The quality of a nation’s manpower resources is the single most important factor determining national competitiveness. It is the people’s innovativeness, entrepreneurship, team work, and their work ethic that gives them that sharp keen edge in competitiveness.”-LKY

“Enriching the lives of the people everywhere” is a direct result of “people’s innovativeness, entrepreneurship and team work”. The people are able to build their community because the community has built them. Simple, invest in the people and the people will develop their environment. The fast developing nations send their wards overseas for training with the basic aims of catching on the returns of exposed specialists in their country’s various developmental demands. According to the Canadian government, 3,546 Japanese students (not to mention other Asian countries) required a study visa in 2011, up from 3,238 in 2010. Same with Chinese student’s application for visa to the USA to the tune of over 1 million! Yearly, statistics has shown that foreign students in the USA are about 14 million of which half of them are of Asian origins. The point is you don’t have to look further for why  these Asian countries; China, Japan, Malaysia, India, Korea (North and South) and even Russia are on the fast track while African countries are economically, socially and politically creeping. 

Some Nigerian states are competing on how much they can borrow to build infrastructures. While I will, and have never said that building roads, bridges, power transmission and telecommunication etc. is bad, I have a greater concern that the cart is being put in front of the horse. Citizens are being neglected for the race to showcase “achievements while in Office”. “Infrastructure is probably the single most important need for Africa to develop,” said Stephen Hayes, president of the Corporate Council on Africa, a group that promotes U.S.-Africa commercial ties. I bet that the position promoted by this fellow is business oriented than people well-being. Most aids and support that developing countries get are laced with business intentions. That is the point LKY was making. That is the lesson and difference between our Nigerian leaders and LKY. Hear him: “Those with good minds to be scholars should also be inventors, innovators, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs; they must bring new products and services to the market to enrich the lives of people everywhere.” In other words: It’s fine to be a scholar but you must go out there to learn as inventors, innovators so that you can start manufacturing new products here to improve the lives of every Singaporean! Isn’t that awesome?

Foreign investors and contractors are building our bridges, dredging our water fronts, roads etc. Singaporeans built their infrastructures by themselves, their oil rigs, refineries and business strategists are Singapore nationals without having to look onto USA for economic direction. Nigerian manufacturers are Indians, Chinese and other nationals who are willing to swim in the corruption laden business tide. A governor in Nigeria, desired IT based learning gadgets for his state’s students, all he could think to do was to go outside for the purchase of the gadgets while in another breadth, promised to re-locate the manufacturing plant to the state “so that will also create job opportunity for the community”. What rational? Didn’t he know that the business entity is owned by foreigners whose only interest is to do business thereby enriching their community’s economy back home? The machineries (most likely a loan from their local bank), expertise and materials are sourced from outside from an outside fund, which of course would be paid back, not by Naira, but with their currency after making the money in Nigeria! He had forgotten about the Federal and State Universities funded by tax payers’ money that are right there on his nose in the state. Couldn’t he have chosen a group of academia and IT patrons from the universities’ IT department to design and come up with an enduring educational IT gadget if it is that necessary as a tool to learn in his state? 

My Point again:

Let us invest in our people simultaneously as we do on infrastructures.” Eniti o nko ile, ti ko ko omo, tani ko mo pe omo naa ni yio gbe ile naa ta“? He who builds a house but refuse to build his child would end up having the child selling the house”. We only can move ahead in development like it is obtainable in Singapore if we innovate and invent. In a developed society, institutes develop programs of any sort to make life easy for themselves. You can obtain up to a Doctorate degree in Shoe-Making, Carpentry, Welding etc. 

Ifo in Ogun State can invest in Sugar Cane Research such that the product could be used for energy, drug and medicine, household plastic and industrial usage and any other conceivable after products. No organic product is seasonal in America, just like corn is all year round, so also sugar cane could be in Ifo. It the simplest agro utility that man can ever discover to fight hunger and poverty.

Ogun, Osun and Owena rivers can be dredged and utilized for picnic boat rides for vacation and excursions. Prospective tourists all over the world and within can then feast on this ‘first of its kind’ invention in Nigeria. Hotels and leisure centers can stretch between these states to be funded by private and corporate enterprises. A few weeks ago, some tourists and I on summer treats drove our cars into a boat (it was awesome to seat in my car and be ferried on a water trip) and we alighted at an Island for a 30 minutes boat ride. The boat travels back and forth every 30 minutes and all aboard fun seekers to the Island were having jolly times. I later got home wanting to know more about the Island, “Put in Bay” (see, the name suggests that the water was put in bay so it could be useful for business) so as to evaluate the business endeavor. It is a whopping $2 billion per annum business estate by three states and a country: Ohio, New York, Michigan and Canada.

We can be creative if we; the leaders and the led are ready to look inward by soul-searching; build people today or keep borrowing to build mega city to massage political egos. The choice is ours.

Deleola Daramola

Dele,

Thanks for bringing views beyond the two books on which this got started.

It is true we have not even start to scratch the surface of tourism in Nigeria.  The river system in Nigeria – at least the SW – is so vast that the short boat rides and such are do-able.  The Ogunpa Channel as it was used to conjure a place like San Antonio where a minor river snakes its way and on its banks are located eateries, etcetera.  And there’s hardly any major U.S. city where there aren’t variations of dinner cruises, lunch cruises, etcetera.  On the Oslo River in Norway, there is a cruise with only sandwiches served but you’d hardly want to eat on the Oslo Fjord as the boat cruises leisurely with the sun fighting the approaching nightfall on a summer eve at past 9.30 p.m.!

Regards,

TOLA.

I can understand why Madam has high praise for Lee Kuan Yew, and why she is so ardently enthusiastic of Singapore success story as to urge Nigerian leaders (and ourselves too) to, at least, leaf through Lee’s memoirs, and then act accordingly. Take for example, Deng Xiaoping, the reformist leader of the Communist Party of China who, after Mao’s death led China towards a market economy, made his first and only visit to Singapore in 1978. What he saw on that visit, as reported in the Forbes (Jul 15, 2013, p. 1) changed the course of economic policy in China. Deng was so inspired that when he returned home, he decided to form four special economic zones, which he opened to foreign investment and world trade. These zones prospered, and more were subsequently opened and today China is better off for that singular visit. Although Lee’s new book, One Man’s View of the World, is yet to come to hand, having drilled down to Singapore global economic milestones, as highlighted below, I could see that Lee’s emphasis on “competent government” and “social cohesion” is very essential when it comes to governing a country to success. That, no matter the size of the country, honest and dedicated leaders can only produce honest and dedicated citizens and that, for such a country, the sky is the limit, no matter what the odds.

Highlights of Singapore Global Economic Milestones:

· One of the world’s top three oil export refining centres;
· World’s 3rd largest oil and oil products trading hub;
· World’s busiest transhipment port and 2nd busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage;
· Singapore accounts for 10% of the world’s wafer starts and 40% of the global hard disk media are manufactured there;
· Singapore is the largest manufacturer of jack-up rigs, commanding 70% of the world market;
· Singapore has 70% of the global market for the conversions of the floating production storage offloading units;
· Singapore is recognised as a ‘Global Hydrohub’ with more than 70 companies in a vibrant water industry ecosystem;
· Singapore is ranked by the World Bank as the No. 1 logistics hub amongst 155 countries globally in the 2012 Logistics Performance Index;
· Leading aviation hub in Asia-Pacific, contributing more than 25% of the region’s maintenance, repair and overhaul output.

AO Ajetunmobi

Prof.,

Thanks for taking another look.

My regards,
TOLA.

Guangzhou police smash city’s Nigerian-led drug ring

The African Social News Network

August 15, 2013

A total of 168 suspects allegedly involved in drug trafficking were captured in a crackdown launched by the local police in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province Tuesday.

Most people detained by the police during the campaign are foreigners originally from West African countries, said a late Tuesday statement by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, adding most of those are from Nigeria and Mali.

A huge batch of drugs, suspected to be heroin and methamphetamines, was confiscated during the crackdown, which 1,300 police officers carried out. The bust took place at Lihua Hotel in Yuexiu district.

A large sum of money made from the drug trade and several imitation guns were also seized. Initial investigations show that some imitation guns belong to Chinese suspects.

Some foreigners in Yuexiu, who have expired visas, have ventured into the drug trafficking business. The hotel’s Chinese owner was also taken away for interrogation.

The city’s public security bureau said the case is under investigation and declined to give further details when reached by the Global Times on Wednesday.

The Guangzhou Daily reported that police should investigate the identities of the 168 detainees and whether the case is related to international drug trafficking gangs.

The drug bust attracted large crowds of onlookers and caused traffic congestion. The Yuexiu District Public Security Bureau asked residents and cars to not disrupt the raid on its official Sina Weibo account.

An unnamed official from the Beijing Anti-smuggling Department under Beijing Customs told the Global Times that most foreigners gather in Guangzhou due to its convenient coastal location, adding that most drug business there is operated by people with African ancestry.

“Most of those foreign drug dealers caught in China will be repatriated after years of imprisonment,” added the official.

AUGUST 16, 2013. 9:24:50 p.m. [GMT]