Nigeria out as G-20 summit opens in London
From Laolu Akande (New York) and Francis Obinor (Lagos) with agency reports

NIGERIA has been excluded again by the G-20 Summit for the second consecutive time, but her former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, (Igbo woman[b][/b]) has been given the responsibility to draft the position paper of Africa to the G-20 leaders' meeting which opens today in London.

Diplomatic sources confirmed that at a meeting of African finance and economic ministers, and African Central Bank Governors in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania some weeks ago, it was agreed that Okonjo-Iweala should draft an African position paper that would be submitted to the G-20 leaders as they consider Africa in the light of the global financial crisis.

The G-20 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Britain, the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (EU). South Africa is the only African country attending.

The meeting was yesterday dogged by unprecedented massive protests and, at a stage, the protesters broke loose and smashed the windows of the heavily guarded Royal Bank of Scotland. Over a dozen people were arrested.

United States (U.S.) President Barack Obama, attending a function outside his country for the first time since his January 20 inauguration, has stressed a "sense of urgency" needed to confront the global economic crisis.

At that African Union (AU) meeting, it was agreed that notable African leaders in the sphere of international politics and development including former Secretary-General Kofi Annan would present the African position paper to the AU as well as the G-20 leaders.

Details of the position paper are sketchy but sources hinted that it included the fact that African countries were making progress but still required a fair partnership with developed and big economies like those of many of the G-20 countries.

For instance, the position paper will observe that the number of democracies in Africa has increased with more than half of the continent now in democratic transitions. Similarly, the position paper would remark that in the past seven years for example, Africa's scores under the World Bank's Country Policy and Institutional Assessment are rising.

But the African paper will show that these developments are now in danger because of the current global economic crisis, making it imperative therefore for the G-20 to consider a partnership with the continent that will not expose, but protect Africa's achievements so far.

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, according to sources, was picked to draft the position paper due to her knowledge, passion and influence in the area of African and global development issues. Besides, Okonjo-Iweala who was at the G-20 summit in Washington DC last November is also expected to participate in the G-20 meeting in London.

As the Managing Director of the World Bank on Africa and Asia, Okonjo-Iweala joined the World Bank President last November for the meeting and is doing so also this time in London.

Sources disclosed that in November last year when the Washington DC meeting was on, Okonjo-Iweala had advocated the inclusion of Nigeria among the G-20 leaders, raising hopes that Nigeria might be invited to the London Summit.

But in response to her appeal and those of other African leaders, the G-20 invited the AU to choose the African countries to join the G-20 Summit in London. Expectations that the AU would chose Nigeria fell through after the AU Summit in February decided to send Libya, Tanzania and Uganda instead. South Africa on its own is a full member of the G-20, making the number of Africa nations at the London summit to be four, in what is seen as an improvement on what happened in November in the U.S., where even the AU was not invited, except South Africa which is part of the G-20.

Formal response to media inquiries at the United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Office regarding Nigeria's exclusion from the G-20 Summit was that the G-20 leaders or the host nation did not decide who the representatives of the AU would be since that was decided in February at the AU summit in Addis Ababa, where Nigeria's President was absent.

But while Nigeria has not been invited to the talks, observers say through the wide influence of Okonjo-Iweala writing the African position paper, the views of Nigeria may not be completely ignored.

Yet, Nigeria's exclusion for a second time is being perceived as a reflection of a disturbing trend where Nigeria's leadership role in the continent is being eroded.

The protesters yesterday clashed with riot police in Central London.

Some 4,000 anarchists, anti-capitalists, environmentalists and others clogged the streets of London's financial district for what demonstrators branded "Financial Fool's Day." The protests were called ahead of today's Group of 20 Summit of world leaders, who hope to take concrete steps to resolve the global financial crisis that has lashed nations and workers worldwide.

Protesters also tried to storm the Bank of England and pelted police with eggs and fruits. A battered effigy of a banker in a bowler's hat hung on a traffic light near the Bank of England.

Most of the protesters were peaceful. Some carried banners that read: "Abolish Money."

Protesters focused the Royal Bank of Scotland because it was bailed out by the British government after a series of disastrous deals brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.

The protests in London's financial district - known as "The City" - came as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Obama held a news conference at Britain's Foreign Office elsewhere in the capital.

More protests are planned in London for today.

There were already cracks among the world leaders yesterday on the way forward in resolving the world economic meltdown.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France and Germany were not happy with the current draft G-20 accord.

President Obama, accompanied on the trip by his wife, Michelle, yesterday, met Prime Minister Brown.

Brown said that the G-20 were hours away from agreeing a plan for economic reform. Global solutions were needed for global problems.

Obama also said that the world was facing the most severe economic crisis since World War II, adding that the G-20 must reject protectionism and support emerging markets, and called for countries to work together.

The Reuters yesterday quoted Russian President Dmitry Sarkozy as saying that he would not associate himself with "false compromises" at a meeting on the global financial crisis.

But divisions were evident. Sarkozy did not explicitly repeat a threat to walk out of Summit but voiced pessimism.

Japan criticised the German approach, with Prime Minister Taro Aso quoted as saying that Germany did not understand the importance of fiscal stimulus.

Meanwhile, Catholic head, Pope Benedict had told Prime Minister Brown in a letter released by the Vatican, that the G-20 Summit tackling the global financial crisis should not forget Africa.

lol. Afaukwu don come again.

Afaukwu:

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, according to sources, was picked to draft the position paper due to her knowledge, passion and influence in the area of African and global development issues. Besides, Okonjo-Iweala who was at the G-20 summit in Washington DC last November is also expected to participate in the G-20 meeting in London.

As the Managing Director of the World Bank on Africa and Asia, Okonjo-Iweala joined the World Bank President last November for the meeting and is doing so also this time in London.

What a topic!!

Do the people outside Nigeria know Okonjo Iweala as Ibo or rather as a Nigerian?

desgiezd:

What a topic!!

Do the people outside Nigeria know Okonjo Iweala as Ibo or rather as a Nigerian?

Thank you jare, they know her as a Nigerian!

@the topic of this post is very sad indeed.

Afaukwu:

Nigeria out as G-20 summit opens in London
From Laolu Akande (New York) and Francis Obinor (Lagos) with agency reports

NIGERIA has been excluded again by the G-20 Summit for the second consecutive time, but her former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, (Igbo woman[/b]) has been given the responsibility to draft the position paper of Africa to the G-20 leaders' meeting which opens today in London.

Posts like this should not be allowed to thrive and [b]posters like this guy should have their heads examined, (the latter recommendation being a more prefered and urgent requirement)
If in this age when the whole WORLD is coming to the realisation that no human is better than d otehr irrespective of the color, language or nativity, a nonentity who has contributed ZERO to any forum of significant influence in this world has the guts to raise triablistic and divisionary comments.

It is PITIABLE!!! Wake up, your life will not be better in Biafra, in fact I can assure that it will be worse! If all your brotehrs from all over Nigeria are ejected and their life long investments confiscated, would they thank you for that? THINK B4 YOU POST

i almost fell off my chair laughing when i saw the title.
cant be arsed to read the article.

Why are peoples God given intelligence not working for them. "Nigeria out , Igbo in" . . . shio

Lagosboy:

Why are peoples God given intelligence not working for them. "Nigeria out , Igbo in" . . . shio

This thread is so hilarious. I cannot even spend my time to read the verbiage contained in it at all.

G20 represent the nations with the richest and powerful economies in the world. Nigeria is non of these, so I don't see how this is even an issue.

nna bros!

all hail the master tribe!!!!!

So what's the purpose of this thread. Who knows Okonjo as ibo outside the shores of Nigeria?
The poster really needs to have his head examined.

why have you guys sturbbonly, deliberately and repeatedly referred to igbo people as ibos?.

Does it give you people orgasm?!!!! 

[size=15pt]@ Afaukwu
You are a fool[/size]

Whether is lwela or not , so long as is a Nigerian , atleast . Generally, we all contribute directly or indirectly to sully our own country and national pride .

@Afaukwu
Nna-a!
Me, I no understand-o.
No be Yoruba man- OBJ appoint Ngozi to the position?

spikedcylinder:

Whats the correlation? Was she a minister because she was Igbo or because she's a brilliant Nigerian? Is Clifford Orji not Igbo too?

Listen to hypocrites!!!
Pot calling a kettle black, birds of the same feathers.
Reasoning from your arguement then, why do people like you refers Clifford Orji as an Igboman instead of a sick Nigerian as you had just brilliantly reminded us through the back door.

The person that Calls Mrs Iwuala an Igbo person instead of a Nigeria is only playing the same game of making references to Igbo tribe when an Igbo man found his or her name with bad news.

blinx4real:

Posts like this should not be allowed to thrive and posters like this guy should have their heads examined, (the latter recommendation being a more prefered and urgent requirement)
If in this age when the whole WORLD is coming to the realisation that no human is better than d otehr irrespective of the color, language or nativity, a nonentity who has contributed ZERO to any forum of significant influence in this world has the guts to raise triablistic and divisionary comments.

It is PITIABLE!!! Wake up, your life will not be better in Biafra, in fact I can assure that it will be worse! If all your brotehrs from all over Nigeria are ejected and their life long investments confiscated, would they thank you for that? THINK B4 YOU POST

I didn't read any word BIAFRA mentioned in the article or from the poster until you raised it. It is people like you with unfounded phobia of BIAFRA that are giving the likes of the poster a sense of strong reasoning to thrive.

argent:

So what's the purpose of this thread. Who knows Okonjo as ibo outside the shores of Nigeria?
The poster really needs to have his head examined.

That question is best left for Mrs Okonjo to answer. Some one is Scottish, Irish, English, Welsh before they are British. You can't be a EU citizen without being a German, French, Italian etc first.

By the way, their are no people in the world known as Ibos, I think you meant Igbos.

nice post me thinks!
1 love

Something must have necessited this thread and the way the topic was captioned. If you read thru many crime threads once they see an Igbo name the will attribute the crime and the criminal to be Igbos irrespective of where it was committed.

My question is Will the outside world see the criminal as Igbo, Youruba or Huasa if you have a Nigerian passport. Most of you condenming the poster for this post will not condenm those forumites that are quick to say Igbo 419 or Igbo Drug dealer. If Okonjo is cought with some kilos while on this duty am sure most of you will not remember she is a Nigerian again rather an Igbo Criminal that tarnish Nigerian Good name abroad.

Afoukwu or watever captioned this thread to follow the thrend of what have been going on here.

some of you igbos are just idiots!!!

.

Tpia is slowly moving this tribalist thread to it's long awaited second base. ibo vs igbo. Ain't you tired of this, for real?

This thread is so hilarious. I cannot even spend my time to read the verbiage contained in it at all.

Me too. That afaukwu guy is a kolo-mental case. I think he's quotasystem baptized.

.

I don't have your time this night abeg.

Tpia go and buy Love Machine haba

.

She has 20 already and it's not helping. Why not invite her over and do her for at least one night. Remember to wear 4 condoms in case the teeth in her something bite so hard.

^^^