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Photo Credit: The White House |
Saturday, 31 August 2013
News Report: "Madiba is Still In Hospital In Pretoria……” Says South Africa Presidency
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Mandela |
The Presidency of South Africa today issued
a statement that the country’s first black President; Nelson Mandela, who also
go by his clan name “Madiba”, is still in hospital in Pretoria, South Africa’s
capital city where he has been for three months for treatment of lung infection.
The country’s presidency said in the statement that media reports
that Mandela, who turned 95 recently, had been discharged were not true.
"Madiba is still in hospital in Pretoria, and remains in a critical
but stable condition”, the statement said.
Friday, 30 August 2013
News Release: Ondo State Governorship Poll And Limits Of Media Noisemaking
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Ondo State Governor And Supporters Celebrating Victory |
The leadership of International
Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law wishes to celebrate with
Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Government and People of Ondo State in Southwest
Nigeria as well as other Nigerians and all true lovers of living democracy and
the rule of law over the 29th of August, 2013 Supreme Court of
Nigeria’s unanimous verdict affirming the election of the Governor of Ondo
State, who was declared winner of the staggered governorship poll held on 20th
of October, 2012. We congratulate all Nigerians for this historic verdict.
The result of the poll was declared on 21st of October, 2012 with Governor Olusegun Mimiko polling two hundred & sixty thousand, one hundred & ninety nine (260, 199) live votes. The candidate of the PDP candidate, Barrister Olusola Oke secured a second position with one hundred & fifty five thousand, nine hundred & sixty one (155,961) votes while the defunct ACN ( APC) and its candidate, Barrister Rotimi Akeredolu came third with one hundred & forty three thousand, five hundred & twelve (143,512) votes. Ondo State, according to INEC demographic data, has a registered voting population of one million, six hundred & thirty eight thousand, nine hundred & fifty (1, 638, 950); out of which, about 40.1 percent or six hundred & twenty four thousand, six hundred & fifty nine (624, 659) voted in the said election.
It is recalled that following the grand judicial precedent laid in Nigeria’s third republican democracy by Anambra State in the case of Dr. Chris Ngige/ INEC v Peter Obi (appellate court case of March 15, 2006), Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, whose living electoral mandate was stolen on April 14, 2007 governorship poll in the State; got emboldened and approached the judiciary for the recovery of same. On 23rd of February, 2009, the Benin Division of the Appellate Court , presided over by Hon. Justice Umaru Abdullahi answered his judicial prayers and returned him as the duly and truly elected governor of Ondo State. The grand judgment followed the earlier lower court judgment on 25th of July, 2008, which declared him winner. By the appellate verdict, Ondo State became the second beneficiary of the Anambra’s grand electoral judicial precedent, after the Governor, Government and People of Edo State, who got theirs on November 11, 2008.
The Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s smooth journey to judicial sanctification of his new electoral mandate started on May3, 2013, when the Ondo State Governorship Poll Tribunal confirmed his electoral declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The decision had arisen from the conduct of the poll on 20th of October, 2012. Governor Mimiko was declared winner of the poll on 21st of October, 2012. Following dissatisfaction expressed by the duo of PDP and defunct ACN-now APC and their candidates, the Akure Division of the Appeal Court on July 2, 2013 affirmed the lower court verdict. The rejection of the appellate verdict by the duo of PDP and ACN now called “APC” and their candidates led to the August 29, 2013 grand and unanimous judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria per Hon. Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and Mary Odili.
Lessons And Limits
To Media Noisemaking:
The Ondo governorship poll and its sanctity is a clear
indication that credible and conscientious electoral decisions by a people can
never be corrupted by media noisemaking and intimidating resources mobilization
drawn from meager public treasury. It was not only a shocker to the tribal ruling
party in the Southwest zone, but it also sent a clear message to them to the
effect that poisoned public perception using the media unduly and corruptly is
a direct opposite of what obtains in polling centers under free and fair
atmosphere. Judging from the poisoned
and corrupted public perception premised on media noisemaking, the tribal
ruling party in the Southwest zone was predicted to win the poll on a
landslide. But through the combination of towering performance index of
Governor Mimiko known only to Ondo voters and independent electoral choice, the
reverse became the case.
Judicially speaking, the absence of “Salami Magic” also dealt a fatal blow to the said tribal ruling party in the zone. Its media noisemaking following its abysmal performance and relegated third position in the important poll was cut to sizes, making it to shift to the media trial of the poll’s outcome with infantile threats to oust the living mandate using judicial salami magic, which has now disappeared from the hallowed temple of the Nigerian Judiciary. It was on account of this that we stated clearly and irrevocably in our public information of 26th of October, 2012 that the Ondo State Governorship Election Results Are Beyond Judicial Revocation. Today, we have irrevocably been vindicated!
The latest apex court verdict on Ondo Governorship Poll should be an eye opener to all and sundry especially the Independent National Electoral Commission. This is because no court in the land can nullify the living electoral mandate derived from live votes. Also the credibility of the voters’ register makes judicial review of any conducted poll easy and its revocation difficult. The electoral review division of the Nigerian Judiciary will be sent on quiet holiday once the credibility of the voters’ register as well as the credible conduct of its associated polls are traditionalized in Nigeria. Judges who lobby and bribe to be made electoral panel members and presiding officers will be shut out of such criminally lucrative ventures.
As INEC prepares for Anambra Governorship Poll, scheduled for 16th of November, 2013, the lessons from the forgoing are very importantly fundamental to the Commission. One of such lessons is the need to ensure that the Anambra version of the National Register of Voters is credibly cleaned and made legally and demographically grounded. To this effect, all “double registrants”,” dead voters” and “non-living object voters” must be deleted. Owing to monumental failure of the recently concluded “voter registration and revalidation” exercise, those who lost their voters’ cards, whose names and pictures are on the register should be allowed to vote. Similar treatment should be extended to those in the 53 missing polling centers said to be located in nine LGAs in Anambra State. Those of them with voters’ cards linked to the affected polling units should be allowed to cast their votes.
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi,
Chairman of the Board
08033601078,
08180103912
Comrade Justus
Ijeoma, Head, Publicity Desk
08037114869
News Release: Nigeria Must Not Carry Out Further Executions Of Death Row Prisoners
Amnesty
International and eight Nigerian civil society organizations call on
authorities in Nigeria to immediately halt all plans to execute further death
row inmates in the country, and to return to a moratorium on executions, with a
view of abolishing the death penalty.
The
organizations are deeply concerned that Thankgod Ebhos, who was nearly executed
on 24 June 2013 when four other men were hanged at Benin City Prison in Edo
state, is still at risk after unconfirmed reports that the authorities in Edo
state are planning to request a court to change the method of his execution
from firing squad to
hanging.
The Edo state government gave a directive to Benin prison to transfer him to
Kaduna state, where he was originally sentenced to death.
The
organizations condemn the execution of Chima Ejiofor, Daniel Nsofor,
Osarenmwinda Aiguokhan and Richard Igagu on 24 June 2013 without regard for due
process and without giving prior notice to their families or lawyers. In
addition, and also contrary to international standards on the use of the death
penalty, the bodies of the four inmates executed have not been returned to the
families for burial, or the location of their graves made known. Thankgod Ebhos
only escaped execution because the prison authorities realized that his death
sentence required a firing squad, after dragging him to the gallows.
According
to information received by the organizations, prison officers fired tear gas
into the cells of the death row inmates on 24 June because those to be executed
were allegedly refusing to leave their cells. The small cells for death row
inmates contained approximately six people. Deploying tear gas in enclosed
areas can constitute a human rights violation. High levels of exposure to
chemical irritants in buildings can be lethal or cause serious injuries. It is
especially dangerous for those who have pre-existing or compromised health
conditions.
There
were also reports that the inmates executed were beaten by the prison officers
before they were executed, and that no medical care was given. The prison
authorities in Benin City have neither confirmed nor denied these allegations. Thankgod
Ebhos’s son, Ebhodaghe Solomon, told Amnesty International that he only learned
that his
father
was going to be killed when a local newspaper carried the news of the
executions. “They didn't call us. They didn't even ask him if there was anyone
they could contact. They almost were going to kill him in secret” Solomon said.
The
organizations are concerned that the authorities in Benin Prison may still
execute Thankgod Ebhos and any of the 42 other death row inmates currently
detained in the prison. In executing Chima Ejiofor, Daniel Nsofor, Osarenmwinda
Aiguokhan and Richard Igagu, and almost executing Thankgod Ebhos, the Nigerian
authorities disregarded the minimum international standards guaranteeing the
protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. These standards
require, among other things, the right of convicted persons to appeal to a
higher tribunal. The four executions were carried out only hours after a High
Court in Benin City had dismissed a lawsuit against three of the execution
warrants, although lawyers had immediately filed an appeal against this first
instance judgment. A separate appeal, on behalf of the 840 inmates on death row
in Nigeria in 2010, had been filed with the Court of Appeal in Lagos already in
April 2012. Other appeals have also been filed, including one at the Court of
Appeal Kaduna against the original judgment in Thankgod Ebhos’ case.
Under
Nigerian and international law, executions may not be carried out while any
appeals are still pending.
Thankgod
Ebhos was tried and sentenced to death by a Robbery and Firearms tribunal in
Kaduna in May 1995 - seven years after his arrest in April 1988. Serious
concerns have been raised about the fairness of special tribunals set up in
Nigeria during military rule. These tribunals at the time denied defendants,
such as Thankgod, the right to a legal appeal. Of the over 1,000 people who
were under sentence of death in Nigeria at the end of 2012, most have waited
between five and 10 years to be tried, and some even more. Thankgod Ebhos has
been on death row for 17 years, convicted of armed robbery. He had been accused
of a car-jacking. According to the judgment the victim was very badly injured
in the incident, but survived.
The
undersigned organizations oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. The organizations
are concerned that under international minimum standards for the use of the
death penalty, Nigeria uses the death penalty in a way that is incompatible
with its human rights obligations.
In
recent weeks, many government officials have pointed to the fact that the death
penalty in Nigeria is mandatory in cases of murder, armed robbery and certain
cases of treason. However, mandatory death sentences are inconsistent with
human rights because they do not allow any possibility of taking into account
the defendant’s personal circumstances or the circumstances of the particular
offence. In September 2012, the High Court of Lagos State declared that the
mandatory imposition of the death penalty by hanging or firing squad was
unconstitutional. Under Article 34(1) of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 all
state authorities have to ensure that every individual is treated with respect
for the dignity of his person, and that no person is subjected to inhuman or
degrading treatment. The highest courts in Kenya, Malawi and Uganda have ruled
the mandatory death penalty to be in violation of their national constitutions.
Edo
State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and others have claimed that the death penalty
has a deterrent effect on murder rates. But there is no convincing evidence
that the death penalty has a particularly deterrent effect compared to other
forms of punishment. The Attorney-Generals of Delta State and Edo State have
recently noted that the existence of the death penalty in Nigeria has not in
any way stopped or prevented people from committing criminal offences.
The
2004 National Study Group on Death Penalty and the 2007 Presidential commission
on the Administration of Justice stressed that the Nigerian criminal justice
system cannot guarantee a fair trial and called for a moratorium on the death
penalty.
The
undersigning organizations acknowledge the responsibility of states to protect
the public, to ensure the proper administration of justice, and uphold the rule
of law. Wherever sufficient admissible evidence is uncovered, those suspected
of responsibility must be brought to justice in proceedings which meet
international standards of fairness, and without recourse to the death penalty.
Stopping
executions and doing away with the death penalty does not mean that criminals
go unpunished. It is essential that human rights standards, including those
related to fair trials, are respected in all stages of the criminal justice
process. All punishments must be compatible with human rights.
As
of 14 August 2013, 97 countries have abolished the death penalty for all
crimes, and a total of 140 are abolitionist in law or practice. By resuming
executions, Nigeria joined the small minority of only about 10% of countries in
the world that still execute every year.
The global trend is mirrored in Africa where 37 of the 54
member states of the African Union are abolitionist in law or practice. Since
2000, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Senegal, Rwanda and Togo have abolished
the death penalty for all crimes. In 2012, the government of Ghana accepted the
recommendation of a Constitution Review Commission to abolish the death penalty
in the new Constitution, and Benin became one of presently 77 states worldwide
to have ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
The
undersigned organizations are calling on Nigeria to take specific steps to move
towards abolition.
Both
the federal and state governments should start by putting in place immediately
an official moratorium on executions.
Signed:
Amnesty
International
Avocats
Sans Frontières (ASF-France)
Centre
for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD)
Human
Rights Law Service (HURILAWS)
Human
Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF)
Legal
Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP)
Nigerian
Bar Association
Social
Action/Social Development Integrated Centre
Social Justice Advocacy Initiative
(SJAI)
Thursday, 29 August 2013
News Release: Six Years Of Impunity And Bad Governance In Abia State
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A Street In Aba; Abia State |
Civil
Society activists and non state actors under the umbrella of Save Abia Now Group met at Freedom
Park, along Park Road Aba, Abia State, on the 26th of August 2013 to
take stock of major human rights and governance issues as they affect Abia State
on the occasion of her 22nd Anniversary. The occasion also
provided a platform for the group to articulate an independent alternative view
and assessment of the development in the state and the much touted legacy
Project of the present Administration.
The group
after due considerations and resolutions of all facts came to the following
conclusions:.
1. That Abia state has come a long way as state in Nigeria after its creation in 1991 by the
2. Government of Gen. Ibrahim
Babanigida.
3.That the state has had several
military and civilian led government with the current occupier being Chief
T.A.Orji (2007-till date)
4. That the state has produced many
personalities that have served and serving the nation in various capacities and
has made meaningful contributions to the socio-economic growth of the country.
5. That Abia state is also among the oil
producing states of the Niger Delta as well as beneficiary of derivation
accruing there from.
6.The group further stated that Abia
State has two Major cities of Umuahia and Abia: the former being the capital
city while the latter is the commercial nerve centre of the state and indeed south east
of Nigeria, Despite the High federal Allocation and Internally Revenue accruing to the state it lends credence to the appalling lack of federal presence and
infrastructures decay which signifies the failure of the PDP led Government in
the State.
Save Abia Now Group held that in spite of the relative
age of the state and resources available to it both material and financial she
has been adjudged as one of the least developing state in terms of human
capital development and infrastructure like debilitating states of roads at Aba
and other parts of the state
The state with the high record of human rights violations in
terms of social, economic and political rights typified by the sacking of
non-indigenes from the state civil service, backlog of unpaid salaries of the
civil servants, non payment of pensions and gratuities of retired senior
citizens of the state.
The state with very high level of fiscal indiscipline and non-implementation
of budgetary provision.
State with notorious use of the state apparatus in exploiting
the already inflicted citizenry through illegal taxation especially the
suffering Aba traders. A state known to have low tolerance for opposition and a
high record of scuttling the freedom of information and independence of the
media which is the beauty of Democracy
Save Abia Now state that the government in Abia
has nothing to show for six years of its Administration, except a verbal report
of the state brand of youth empowerment of Tri – cycles, the much touted Legacy
Projects and avalange of electronic media footage in NTA and AIT, bill boards
of works not done and Sponsored Advertisements in National Dailies with the Tax
payers Money.
Save Abia Now of the opinion that any conclusions
reached without objective assessments based on real appraisals of existing
democratic structures that promotes and sustains popular participation,
accountability, and good standard of living for the populace is dubious and
criminal. The case of Abia State is a clear example. A state which has refused
to domesticate FOI law, Fiscal Responsibility Law, Public Procurement law and
other instruments that uphold human rights and respect for rule of law,
siphoning of the SURE-P Funds meant for safety nets and Youth Empowerment, Lack
of Job opportunities for teeming unemployed youths of the state, Diverting of the local councils funds through the caretaker
committees , non conduct of Local Government Election, disdain for civil
society and opposition, Such Government can be scored high in good governance
rating by low rate personalities and
sycophants’. Save Abia Now called on
Abians to take their destiny in the hands by choosing wisely in the forth
coming 2015 General Election and protect their votes to bring the desired
change the state is clamouring for.
The Group further advised the Governor to immediately resign
for his inability to perform the functions of his office in accordance with
section 17 sub sections 3, and section 20 and 21 of the 1999 constitution as
Amended or mass action.
Signed:
Barr. Slyvanus Alex-Igwe -Chairman
Human Rights
lawyer
ChineduNworie
-Secretary
Save Abia Now
Special Report: Resource Dependence And Fiscal Effort In Sub-Saharan Africa
High natural
resource prices in recent years have resulted in sizeable increases in fiscal
revenue for many resource-exporting countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However,
this revenue source is volatile, and arguably these countries should also rely
on other forms of taxation to help fund public expenditure. This paper asks
whether the availability of higher resource revenue in these countries has led
to lower taxation effort of other revenue categories. The question is analyzed both
in terms of the relationship between non-resource tax revenue and resource
revenue, and between non-resource tax revenue and statutory tax rates. The
paper finds evidence suggesting that non resource revenue is negatively
influenced by a higher resource revenue-to-GDP ratio. The lower take up of non resource
taxes in resource-rich countries is correlated with higher levels of corruption
in these countries, suggesting weaker institutions affect non resource revenue through
incentives for tax evasion and/or large tax exemptions as argued in the
literature.
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Speech: “I have A Dream” By Martin Luther King Jr.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Delivering The Speech |
I am happy to join with you today in what will
go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of
our nation.
Five score years ago, a
great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree
came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been
seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to
end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is
not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled
by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred
years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a
vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still
languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his
own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to
cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words
of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a
promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a
promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed
the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this
promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of
honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad
check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of
justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in
the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this
check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the
security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to
remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the
luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillizing drug of gradualism. Now is
the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from
the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial
justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial
injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a
reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the
urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate
discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and
equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who
hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have
a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be
neither rest nor tranquillity in America until the Negro is granted his
citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the
foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my
people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice:
In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful
deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the
cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high
plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to
degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the
majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed
the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for
many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have
come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have
come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we
shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of
civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied
as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police
brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the
fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the
hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic
mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as
long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their
dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied
as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes
he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not
be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like
a mighty stream."¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come
here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from
narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest --
quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered
by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative
suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is
redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South
Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and
ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and
will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I
say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of
today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will
rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of
Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be
able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of
Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the
heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will
one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their
skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in
Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping
with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" --
one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able
to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall
be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places
will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the
glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I
go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of
the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to
transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of
brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray
together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom
together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day
when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died,
land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside,
let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this
must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious
hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of
New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening
Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of
Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of
California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of
Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of
Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom
ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state
and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of
God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and
Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro
spiritual:
Free
at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!3
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
News Release: AU Peace And Security Council Statement On Somalia
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at
its 392nd meeting held on 26 August 2013, was briefed by the Special
Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission, Head of the AU Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM), on the situation in Somalia and the operations of AMISOM on
the ground. Council also followed the statements made by the representative of the
Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), as well as by those of the Republic of Kenya,
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development(IGAD), the European Union
(EU),the League of Arab States, the United Nations (UN), through its Special
Representative for Somalia, France, United Kingdom, United States of America
and Rwanda, in their capacity as members of the UN Security Council, and the
Chair of the IGAD Partner Forum(IPF).
Council recalled that, over the past two years, tremendous
progress has been made in the peace and reconciliation processin Somalia, as
demonstrated by the security gains recorded on the ground and the successful
conclusion of the Transition and the establishment of a new political
dispensation. Council, once again, commended the Somali stakeholders for these achievements.
Council reiterated the primary responsibility of the Somali
stakeholders in achieving lasting peace and reconciliation in their country.
Council called on them to demonstrate selfless leadership and commitment to the
higher interest of their country, stressing that no amount of external
assistance can substitute Somali‐led efforts. In this respect, Council
underlined the importance of inclusive dialogue among the Somali stakeholders
and sustained efforts towards National reconciliation, asthe only way to
sustain the remarkable achievements made, at great sacrifices, by the Somali
National Security Forces(SNSF) and AMISOM and fulfill the aspirations of the
people of Somalia for a country at peace with itself and with its neighbors.
Council welcomed the on‐going discussions, in Addis Ababa,
under the auspices of the IGAD Chair, Ethiopia, between the FGS and Juba region
stakeholders, and commended the Facilitator, the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, for his sustained efforts. Council stressed the
imperative for the Parties to extend full cooperation to IGAD and show the required
flexibility and spirit of compromise, in order to expeditiously reach an
agreement. Council requested the IGAD Facilitator to keep it constantly
informed of the evolution of the discussions, in order to enable it take decisions
on the matter, as appropriate. Council encouraged the convening of the larger
reconciliation conference in Mogadishu, as agreed upon at the 22nd
extraordinary session of the IGADAssembly of Heads of State and Government held
in Addis Ababa, on 24 May 2013.
Council expressed grave concern about the deteriorating
security situation in some parts of Somalia. Council condemned the recent
Al‐Shabaab terrorist activities that have resulted in the loss of innocent
civilian lives and destruction of property. Against this background, and
bearing in mind the operational limitsfacing AMISOM and the SNSF, Council reiterated
the need and urgency to mobilize further support, for both the Mission and the
SNSF, to enable themPSC/PR/BR.2(CCCXCII) undertake further expansion operations
as envisaged in the AU‐UN Strategic Concept for future operations in Somalia.
In this regard, Council, as indicated in paragraph 11 of communiqué PSC/PR/COMM(CCCLXXIX),
adopted at its 79th meeting, held on 13 June 2013, looks forward to the
benchmarking exercise that will be undertaken by the UN Secretariat and the AU Commission
in the context of paragraph 19 of UN Security Council resolution 2093 (2013).
Council expressed the hope that the exercise would result
into concrete and action‐oriented recommendations for the enhancement of the
capacity of AMISOM and the SNSF, in particular with regard to force enablers
and multipliers, to create conditions that would make it possible to deploy, in
due course, a UN operation to support the long‐term stabilization and reconstruction
of Somalia.
Council, having emphasized, once again, the need for a
coordinated action of the international community and renewed efforts to
consolidate the gains made so far, welcomed the planned convening in Brussels,
on 16 September 2013, of a High‐Level Conference on A New Deal for Somalia,
co‐hosted by Somalia and the EU, with the underlying objective to sustain the
positive momentum in Somalia, to ensure that the country stays on the path to
stability and peace, and brings prosperity to its people.
Council commended, once again, AMISOM for its outstanding
contribution to the improvement of the security situation in Somalia, the
stabilization of the country and furtherance of the reconciliation process.
Council reiterated its appreciation to AMISOM troop and police contributing
countries– TCCs and PCCs (Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda, Nigeria and the countries
providing individual police officers), as well asto Ethiopia, for their
commitment and sacrifices. Council welcomed the convening of the Kampala Summit
of 4 August 2013, which brought together the TCCs and PCCs, Ethiopia and
Somalia. Council also reiterated its appreciation to IGAD for its continued and
active contribution to the quest of peace and reconciliation in Somalia.
Council, once more, expressed AU’s gratitude to the EU and its Member States,
the UN and bilateral partners, notably the United Kingdom and the United States,
for their invaluable contribution to the peace and reconciliation efforts in
Somalia.
Council reaffirmed the AU’s full support to Somalia and its
people, emphasizing its commitment to continue to support the stabilization and
reconstruction efforts, including the implementation of the Government’s Six‐Pillar Strategy.
Monday, 26 August 2013
Speech: The slave Trade Is Not Merely A Thing Of The Past
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Ms Irina Bokova |
(Being Speech By Irina
Bokova; Director-General Of UNESCO On The Occasion Of International Day For The
Remembrance Of The Slave Trade And Its Abolition On August 23rd,
2013)
On 23
August, which marks the anniversary of the slave uprising in Saint Domingue,
UNESCO celebrates the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade
and its Abolition.
Transmission
of this history is the cornerstone of UNESCO’s efforts to build peace,
intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. The slave trade reduced
millions of human beings to mere chattels and was a crime of universal scope
that shook the very foundations of civilization. The significance and
implications of this history must be known to all and must be taught in and
outside schools, through the media and in the public arena. UNESCO is committed
to achieving this through teacher training, support for research and the
protection of cultural and documentary heritage.
Under the
Slave Route Project, UNESCO aims to reveal the extent and consequences of this
human tragedy and to portray the wealth of the cultural traditions that African
peoples have forged in the face of adversity – in art, music, dance and culture
in its broader sense. This year, on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the Slave Route Project, I
designated as a UNESCO Artist for Peace Mr Marcus Miller, who will undertake
the mission of promoting the UNESCO Slave Route Project and conveying its
message of respect through music. These endeavours will contribute to efforts
for the Decade for People of African Descent (2013-2022), proclaimed by the
United Nations in 2012.
The slave
trade is not merely a thing of the past: it is our history and it has shaped
the face of many modern societies, creating indissoluble ties between peoples
and continents, and irreversibly transforming the destiny, economy and culture
of nations. Studying this history is tantamount to paying tribute to freedom
fighters and to acknowledging their unique contributions to the affirmation of
universal human rights. They have set an example for us to continue the
struggle for freedom, against racial prejudice inherited from the past and
against new forms of slavery that subsist to this day and affect some 21
million people.
Today, I
invite all governments, civil society organizations and public and private
partners to redouble their efforts to transmit this history. May it be a source
of respect and a universal call for freedom for future generations.
Ms Irina Bokova,
Director-General of
UNESCO,
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Friday, 23 August 2013
Opinion: Imo State Deputy Governor And The Gay Story (Part 2)
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Madumere; Imo State Deputy Governor |
By Barr. Emperor N.
Iwuala (Ksc.)
Recently, I wrote an article on the media hype and rumours which
have been making the rounds for some time now concerning an alleged involvement
of the Imo State Deputy Governor His Excellency Prince Eze Madumere and others
in homosexual practices. I also narrated how one Sandra Duru claims that she
witnessed an alleged romp between her estranged husband who was a former
Transition Committee Chairman for Njaba L.G.A. of Imo State Mr. Uchenna Rajis
and Prince Madumere. In the write-up, I tried to draw the attention of the
personalities involved to the allegations which I said, were very weighty and
not good for their image. Consequently, I advised against the danger of keeping
mute over the story.
Recently, I read an article which an acclaimed Chief Press
Secretary to the Deputy Governor by name Uche Onwuchekwa wrote and syndicated
to some media houses titled ‘Emperor Iwuala and Journalism of Stomach’. In the
write-up, Mr. Onwuchekwa told the whole world that I used my article to extort
money from people. He also blamed media houses that publish my stories casting
negative aspersions on them. In synopsis, the entire article has a lot of
disparaging and unprinted remarks about my style of writing.
Anybody who has been following my write-ups can confirm that I
have a unique way of writing. I write on well researched facts and issues which
are cogent and verifiable. On the contrary, I do not attack persons in my
write-ups. Also I do not get involve in falsehood and blackmail and that is why
a lot of people avoid joining issues with me in the media. The best people have
succeeded in doing is attacking my person and not the issues I write on. This
is because most of my facts are cogent and sacred.
Recently, some ignorant pessimists and hack writers, while trying
to defend the rot in the Imo State Judiciary, came to the media to attack me
over my exposition of what has been going on in that arm of government. They
also tried to justify the illegal appointment of magistrates and the
disobedience of court judgment ordering for the re-instatement of the sacked
members of the Imo State Judicial Service Commission. Respectfully, I am today
justified as the Nigerian Bar Association Owerri Branch who is a major
stakeholder in the Imo Judiciary, has associated with my position over on the
said rot by declaring the said appointment of new magistrates in the state
illegal calling for its nullification.
In another development, sometime ago, I saw a picture published on
the back page of a newspaper where the present Imo Deputy Governor was
allegedly spreading notes suspected to be naira notes. I drew the attention of
Mr. Onwuchekwa who claims to be the media aide to the Imo Deputy Governor. He
admitted that he sent the picture to the media. However, I told him how
unprofessional it was for him to send such a picture to the media for
publication. Regrettably, instead of Mr. Onwuchekwa to appreciate the gravity
of his professional blunder and see how best to protect the Deputy Governor’s
image, he has been writing malicious and false publications against me.
Be that as it may, I am not good at wasting time discussing
persons. But I wish to tell Onwuchekwa that sending a picture where his boss
was spreading money to the media goes to tell much on his competence as
somebody’s image maker.
In the same vein, I view it as a gross negligence on Onwuchekwa’s
part to have also allowed the controversial gay story against his supposed boss
to gain grounds without a strong rejoinder from him.
In his above mentioned article against me, this acclaimed media
aide to my surprise, also failed to put up a strong defence for the Deputy
Governor viz-a-viz the gay accusation. He only wasted his time, trying to
disparage my ‘less-important person’.
Nevertheless, few days ago, the Deputy Governor called me on
phone. When I picked his call, I was expecting him to speak strongly to me in
anger because of the anxiety surrounding the gay story as many typical Nigerian
politicians would do. But to my surprise, I heard the voice of humility and
subtleness. With a voice full of emotions, the Deputy Governor gave me a
different version to the whole gay story. To my greatest surprise, he told me
that he had not set his eyes on the said Sandra Duru before. He also said that
he was not in any way close to the man he was accused of having gay act with
saying that he only knew him as a former Transition Chairman in Imo State. He
completely denied the whole allegation of being involved in homosexuality
strongly terming it as false and cheap blackmail.
From the tone of the Deputy Governor’s voice, I strongly suspect
that an innocent man is likely being unjustly taken to the cleaners especially.
However, I believe the story was badly managed by his image makers.
Nevertheless, it is good that we have now heard from the horse’s
mouth. This is what the public has been expecting for long. Therefore, there
may now be a sigh of relief in the minds of many as this saga has come to a
final bus stop.
To God be the glory.
(Iwuala can be reached on: 08037247295)
Opinion: What A Church?
By Amita Jones
There is a Church on
the Spintex road that has no sign posts or billboards. In fact, it does not
have any directional sign indicating its location and yet people start arriving
for Sunday service by 2am.
This is not about
crusade or any special programme but usual Sunday service. When you report for
service after 5am, you will not get a seat in the Church's premises but sit
outside under the canopy. Amazing thing is that, people are able to sit through
the service for more than 10 hours.
Guess which church I
am talking about. This is T.B. Joshua's Synagogue Church of All Nations
(SCOAN).
If I were to witness
the above scene some ten years ago, I would have maintained that majority of
Christians in Ghana, if not all are gullible because that is totally illogical
and no amount of explanation could have convinced me. What on earth could make
a person wake up such early from the comfort of one's house to go and queue as
early as 2am for a church service when there are other churches around?
I would have wondered
why some Christians were so lazy that now they don't even want to read the
Bible but wanted fast ways to solve their problems. I have personally never sat
in a church service for more than 4 hours. I call that 'time-wasting' and
'unproductive hours' at Church.
That really used to be
my mentality some ten years ago until recently when I joined this group of
'gullible' Christians at SCOAN. May be, I am now more gullible than those who
are at SCOAN in my bid to dig further to find out whether T.B. Joshua is a real
man of God or not. I will not hesitate to say I used to doubt much of the
miracles God used this man to perform but what really attracted me to search
further was the campaign of calumny launched against him by other respectable
men of God.
In my usual logical
approach to issues, I do not just take what people say but do seek for more
information independently before I draw conclusion. After I had done enough
readings about SCOAN, I finally visited the Ghana branch. What happened there
was beyond man's imagination and beat my logical reasoning to occurrences.
I thought people were
pretending until it happened to my wife. She made serious confessions we hadn't
spoken to anybody about and even revealed spiritual issues we are not aware of.
This happened after the so called 'anointing' water was administered on her. I
was wondering what kind of water that was. Water that could make people say a
lot of things. Why didn't that water move me too but only my wife?
I became more curious
and decided to travel to Nigeria with my wife to SCOAN headquarters where T.B.
Joshua himself resides. We were booked into a hotel closer to the headquarters
of SCOAN, where we learnt T.B. Joshua and his assistants (Wise men) reside. In
the hotel, I went round looking for secret cameras or recorders that could
eavesdrop on conversations for T.B. Joshua to use as prophecies, as I thought
then. Having worked as a journalist for more than five years, at least I could
locate strategic positions for such items and identify them. I was so
suspicious to the extent that I was able to identify all the covert security
guards who worked around the hotel and their movement.
I had the opportunity
of entering the auditorium before the usual Sunday service. I saw visitors
coming to pray in front of the altar and I went further to touch and look
around for possible gadgets that could record their prayers which I suspected
might be used as prophecies by T.B. Joshua and the 'Wise men'. I didn't see anything
like that.
During the Sunday
service, instead of concentrating on the activities and playing active role,
all I did was to monitor the movements and actions of T.B. Joshua and the 'Wise
men'. Things beyond my logical reasoning happened. For the first time in my
life, just by a touch, I fell down, not once but several times. The more
attempts I make to resist the touch of the 'Wise men' the more I'm floored.
Logical reasoning had come to an end!
No wonder the rich,
the poor, intellectuals, school-drop outs, politicians, army officers, police
officers, fraudster, ordinary Ghanaians and other nationals report for service
at the Ghana branch of SCOAN as early as 2am
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