Our nobel laureate (Wole Soyinka) only managed a 3rd class.
Ditto Biafran General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

I suppose this explains why we win the dubious "happiest people" award year after year.
Never a dull moment 

@otitokoro1,

Today's Politicians are deadly. These politicians are ready to kill anyone standing their way. And the truth is that our law enforcement agents only pay lip service to common man protection. Money is the order of the day,  This people in question are most time richer than their constituencies.

I hear you, but it is this type of scaremongering that prevents folks from engaging with the democratic process.
So, let's accept that you've highlighted some valid security concerns.
What about taking the view that those same concerns ought to be addressed in any new process fashioned out?

Do we continue to abnegate our civic responsibilities and allow some of the charlatans selected to define not only the present but our future as well?

@Shevon,

I was born and bread in Lagos, had my Tertiary education in the East and served in the North but one thing I kowm for sure is that Nigerians are not tribalisitic when it comes to co-existing with each other. The tribalisim only comes up when political issues crop up or when FANATICS instigate the less educated to toe a path of dishonour.

While there is much truth in what you wrote up there, I think if you strip pass the veneer you will find the tribalism on Nairaland is fuel mostly by Nigerians based in the Diaspora.
With no pressing need to co-exist as tenants in the same building, many of cluster-communities borne of the “safe in numbers” maxim which have evolve in small towns and cities abroad are existentially ethnic-based.

Now, add to the mix the absence of any credible Pan-Nigerian organisation which serves as a unifying force for these disparate and “discrete” groups (NIDO is completely discounted here),   and you begin to realise there are limited opportunities for the kind of osmosis you described in your post.

I could go on citing other reasons why NiDs (Nigerians in the Diaspora) are generally the ones you find spearheading the maddening tribal warfare that abounds on NL, but to what end?
The truth is, ethnic jingoism bordering on xenophobia devalues our humanity; and if much travelled NiDs, who have been exposed to better education and employment opportunities in other climes – cannot see this, of far greater concern is what the future holds.

Perhaps because those leading these organisations see nothing wrong in kowtowing to the highest bidder.
The simply truth is, unionism in Nigeria lost its loci eons ago, as the rot set in motion by successive military juntas encroached all of civic society.

That's it - those 16 repetitive charges?

Count 1

", did conspire amongst yourselves to inflate the cost of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung (LNS. 341) television sets, "

Count 2

", did inflate the cost of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung (LNS. 341) television, "

Count 3

", rigged the bid for the procurement of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung (LNS. 341) television sets by refusal to follow all the procedures prescribed, "

Count 4

", did conspire amongst yourselves to inflate the cost of 800 units of Desktop Computers (HP Compaq dc 5700), "

Count 5

", did inflate the cost of 800 units of Desktop Computers (HP Compaq dc 5700) from N160,000.00 per unit, "

and so on and so forth,

You've got to give it up to these legal birds.

On a more serious note, where are the charges relating to the 10 billion loan?
Or is it that the much touted "soft landing" is now beginning to unravel.

I think, this process is even more cumbersome than election process itself.

@VEE2010,

So this is why the process of getting section 110 of the constitution expunged and re-written must be set in motion.
I am proposing a private members bill sponsored by Nairalanders to help strengthen our fledging democracy.

This one is not beyond us folk

Delusions of the grandeur is the obvious affliction here.

A Nairaland sponsored initiative might actually help dislodge some of the deep seated tribalism one gets to read on just about every thread these days
I wonder who among the current crop in the Houses of Assembly would be amenable to this idea.

The session enjoyed relative stability. The gain was the peaceful environment that enabled them to churn out good bills that were landmark in nature. The Senate passed a total of 392 bills, out of which 138 originated from the executive while 227 were private members bills. But in all only 132 bills were passed by them, comprising of 83 executive bills and 49 private member bills. The senate also presented 162 motions, out of which they at 62 resolutions and petitions, but considered 29 of the motions.

Similarly, the House of Representatives presented 333bills, comprising of 146 executive bills and 169 private members bill. They succeeded in passing 141 of the bills, out of which was 90 executive bills and 51 private member bills. The House also presented 176 motions, 224 resolutions and petitions and considered only 184

There was tremendous improvement in the work rate of both chambers, particularly in the area of private members sponsorship of bills. However the major bills of the Fifth Assembly were the Trade Union Amendment Bill, popularly referred to as the Labour Bill, the Contributory Pensions Commission Bill, the 'Due Process' Bill, the National Road safety Commission Bill, the Oil Spillage Response Commission Bill, the Onshore/Offshore Dichotomy Bill, the Armed Forces Service Commission Bill, the Gas regulation Commission Bill, the Petroleum Act Amendment Bill, the Federal Fire Administration Bill, the Fire Prevention and Control Bill among many others.

I think the requirements are too strenuous.  If you have the signatures of more than half of the registered voters in a constituency, then you already have a simple majority, so why do you to vote again?  Are the requirements to recall a representative in other countries this difficult?

@Seun,
Maybe it is time Nairaland sponsored a private members bill (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-268193.0.html) which geared to making the recall process less restrictive

Zac Goldsmith MP: 'Recall your MP' pledge falls short
Jul 27 2010 Zac Goldsmith, Richmond Park MP
THE NEW government has promised to bring in a ‘recall initiative’.
Theoretically it will allow voters to get rid of their MPs between elections, as can happen in many other countries. It will enable people to hold their representative to account at all times, and not just before an election.
But in truth, the proposals fall short of the initial pledge. Power is to be given to a parliamentary board, which alone will decide if an MP has behaved badly enough to warrant recall.
The terms of reference are to be restricted to ‘serious wrongdoing’. Effectively, the pressure is from the centre, not from voters.
That's why this week I launched a presentation bill calling for a genuine recall mechanism. True recall, indeed true democracy, allows people to dump their representative if a majority has lost confidence in him, for whatever reason

(contd)

@midastouch,

I understand these phones are not for everybody and was actually looking at the issue of return on investment (ROI) when I made my earlier comment.
Swanky though they are, neither the 'HTC Desire' nor 'iPhone 4' are particularly suitable for the rugged Nigerian terrain, if truth be told.
I mean, we are talking about phones that lack a proper touchpad (hence difficult to use while on the move) and which are characterized by pretty poor battery life too.

If this thread had focused primarily on having a multi-purpose phone, which can support tons of applications as opposed to "internet browsing" in the main, your points would have greater resonance.
But since this is not the case, OP's interest would be best served by looking beyond a faddish outlook, I think.

Impunity!
Only in Nigeria.

Why is the word "storms" always being used to garner undeserved headlines anytime officers from the EFCC/ICPC leave their desk jobs to take up security duty outside some big (wo)man's palatial mansion, eh?

I use a HTC Desire that runs GingerBread (v2.2) of the Android OS. It browses really nicely. But I will still choose an iPhone 4 for browsing any day.

Question: how do you cope with these touchscreen phones under the glare of the Nigerian sun?
I know you are drawing attention to some of the greatest offerings on the market right now, but would argue that the cost of a 'HTC Desire' or 'iPhone 4' outweigh any benefits you actually derive.
No?

Do you discriminate on the basis of skin pigmentation?

Here is a short preview of an upcoming documentary titled "Dark Girls" : http://vimeo.com/24155797

Camping sets a new date for end of times ---

OAKLAND, Calif. — As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy Monday, saying he was off by five months because the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/23/harold-camping-to-speak-t_n_865746.html

@kevoh (m)

shaking my head! here we go again tribalistic comments! arrrgh! I mean don't you people get tired of this!

Evidently not!
You know how is; in the minds of some, where there are no clearly stated rules, no crime is committed
It is for  this reason that I suggest viewing any action/comment geared to  "maligning an ethnic group" as a transgression worthy of some weighted sanction.
Nairaland is capable of playing an even greater role in informing and transforming society, and it is shame to see every other thread highjacked by undisguised ethnic bigots

NO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT OR HATEFUL CONTENT
Please do not post any pictures, multimedia content, or writing that is sexually explicit (lewd, suggestive, bawdy, dirty, love-related, filthy, gross, hard core, immodest, indecent, indelicate, lascivious, licentious, naughty, obscene, off-color, pornographic,  X-rated, smutty, suggestive).  We will also not allow any comments that promote hatred, violence, or murder against any race, ethnic or religion group, gender, sexual orientation, person, et cetera.

No be Ibo man? I'm not surprise at all. I remember when i was in high school, there was a family friend of ours, Mr. Ngozi. This man enjoyed slapping his daughter in Public. The girl got so used to the slapping at the slightest provocation that every time she calls her Dad's name in public or ask him a question she closes her eyes expecting to be slapped. I used to feel so bad for that girl. Upon several pleads and warning from my Dad, the man refused to quit the bad habit.

Why must every other thread on Nairaland feature jingoistic remarks like this?
Is it not time Nairaland re-writes its rules to ensure sanctions can be imposed when poetic license is used to tarnish an entire group?

@Akolawole

In any proper country, duties has to be paid.

I hear you.
And this is why I have always wondered how certain couriers are able to offer a flat rate - £6/kg, say - for a "door to door" service.

I  have always found it curious that multi-nationals like DHL and Fedex operate by a different set of rules, collecting import duties/taxes accrued before releasing items,  when WaZoBia Haulage does not necessarily level such charges.

Does anyone have a handle on why we have this variance?
I was once told by an insider that the likes of WaZoBia Haulage have simply mastered the art of circumvention - where import duty is concerned - but have never really found the time to verify this claim, hence the question.

For Windoze systems (Microsoft Windows 7 / Vista / XP / Me / 2000 / 98 and Windows Server 2008 and 2003). Clamwin has one of the smallest installation footprints, is free, highly optimized, and therefore what I would recommend.

I have used this application for several years without any problems, just in case anyone's wondering.

Link: http://www.clamwin.com/

All,

I am updating this thread once more for posterity.

According to Mbeki, whom you may recall had much earlier tried to mediate the Ivorian crisis: "[France used its privileged place in the Security Council to position itself to play an important role in determining the future of Côte d'Ivoire, its former colony in which, inter alia, it has significant economic interests. It joined the United Nations to ensure that Ouattara emerged as the victor in the Ivorian conflict.
This addressed the national interests of France, consistent with its Françafrique policies, which aim to perpetuate a particular relationship with its former African colonies. This is in keeping with remarks made by former French President François Mitterand when he said, "Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century," which former French foreign minister Jacques Godfrain confirmed when he said: "A little country [France], with a small amount of strength, we can move a planet because [of our], relations with 15 or 20 African countries, []."

See full article below,

What the World Got Wrong in Côte D'Ivoire (BY THABO MBEKI | APRIL 29, 2011)
The second round of the Nov. 28, 2010, presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire pitted against each other two long-standing political opponents, Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara. For this reason, and of strategic importance, it was inevitable that this electoral contest would decide the long-term future of the country. Everybody concerned should have probed very seriously the critical question: Would the 2010 elections create the conditions that would establish the basis for the best possible future for the Ivorian people?

This was not done.

Rather, the international community insisted that what Côte d'Ivoire required to end its crisis was to hold democratic elections, even though the conditions did not exist to conduct such elections. Though they knew that this proposition was fundamentally wrong, the Ivorians could not withstand the international pressure to hold the elections.

However, the objective reality is that the Ivorian presidential elections should not have been held when they were held. It was perfectly foreseeable that they would further entrench the very conflict it was suggested they would end.

The 2002 rebellion in Côte d'Ivoire divided the country into two parts, with the north controlled by the rebel Forces Nouvelles, which supported Alassane Ouattara, and the south in the hands of the Gbagbo-led government. Since then, Côte d'Ivoire has had two governments, administrations, armies, and "national" leaders.

Any elections held under these circumstances would inevitably entrench the divisions and animosities represented and exacerbated by the 2002 rebellion.

The structural faults which lay at the base of the 2002 rebellion include such inflammable issues as trans-national tensions affecting especially Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, Ivorian ethnic and religious antagonisms, sharing of political power, and access to economic and social power and opportunities.

In this regard, the international community has assiduously suppressed proper appreciation of various explosive allegations which, rightly or wrongly, have informed and will continue to inform the views of the Gbagbo-supporting population in southern Côte d'Ivoire -- and much of Francophone Africa!

These are that Ouattara is a foreigner born in Burkina Faso, that together with Burkinabè President Blaise Compaoré he was responsible for the 2002 rebellion, that his accession to power would result in the takeover of the country especially by Burkinabè foreigners, and that historically, to date, he has been ready to advance French interests in Côte d'Ivoire.

Taking all this into account, the African Union understood that a lasting solution of the Ivorian crisis necessitated a negotiated agreement between the two belligerent Ivorian factions, focused on the interdependent issues of democracy, peace, national reconciliation and unity.

In protracted negotiations from 2002, the Ivorians agreed that the presidential elections would not be held until various conditions had been met. These included the reunification of the country, the restoration of the national administration to all parts of the Ivorian territory, and the disarmament of the rebels and all militia and their integration in the national security machinery, with the latter process completed at least two months ahead of any presidential elections. Despite the fact that none of this was honoured, the presidential elections were allowed to proceed.

In the end, Ouattara has been installed as president of Côte d'Ivoire. Gbagbo, and his wife Simone, have ended up as humiliated prisoners. Many Ivorians have died and have been displaced, much infrastructure has been destroyed, and historic animosities have been exacerbated in the lead up to this outcome.
Many things have gone radically wrong along the road to this result.

Agreements relating to what needed to be done to create conditions for free and fair elections were wilfully and contemptuously ignored. The Ivorian Constitutional Council (CC) is the only body constitutionally empowered to determine the winner in any presidential election and to install the president, with the Electoral Commission (IEC) mandated to forward its provisional results to the CC. However, the very people who insist on the sanctity of the rule of law as fundamental to all democratic practice, elected illegally to recognise the provisional result announced by the chairperson of the IEC on his own, as the authentic outcome of the presidential election.
As provided by the law, Gbagbo contested the fairness of the elections in certain parts of the country, especially the north. The CC, rightly or wrongly, accepted the majority of the complaints made by Gbagbo, identified other "irregularities," annulled the votes in some districts, and declared Gbagbo the victor. The chairperson of the IEC did not take these alleged irregularities into account and decided that Ouattara had won.

The envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his fellow South Korean, SRSG Young-jin Choi, also determined that Ouattara had won, but on the basis of fewer votes than those announced by the IEC, having determined that some of the complaints made by Gbagbo were legitimate. In terms of the votes cast for the two candidates, the IEC, the CC, and the U.N. SRSG made three different determinations.

Gbagbo proposed that to resolve this matter, which bears on the important issue of the will of the Ivorian people, an international commission should be established to verify the election results, with the important pre-condition that both he and Ouattara should accept the determination of the commission.
This proposal was rejected by the international community -- despite the fact that it would have resolved the electoral dispute without resort to war, and despite the fact that some election observers questioned the fairness of the elections, especially in northern Côte d'Ivoire.

For instance, reporting on the elections in the north, the election observer mission of the AU led by Joseph Kokou Kofigoh, former prime minister of Togo, the independent civil society Societé Civile Africaine pour la Democratie et l'Assistance Electoral led by Seynabou Indieguene of Senegal, and the Coordination of African Election Experts (CAEE) from Cameroon, Senegal, Benin, Mali, Morocco, Gabon, and Togo led by Jean-Marie Ongjibangte of Cameroon, all sounded the alarm about the elections in the north.

For instance, the CAEE said: "After sharing information with other national and international election observers, we hereby state that the second round of the presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire was held amidst major problems in (various northern) regions,
"These problems were stealing of ballot boxes, arresting of candidates' representatives, multiple voting, refusal to admit international observers to witness counting of ballots, and the murder of representatives of candidates. To that effect, we hereby declare that the second round of voting was not free, fair and transparent in these (northern) localities."

For its part, to this day, the ECOWAS election observer mission has not issued its report on the second round of the presidential election! Why?
Clearly the independent international commission proposed by Laurent Gbagbo could have been established and empowered to make a definitive and binding determination about what had happened. Time will tell why this was not done!

Further, the U.N. SRSG took the extraordinary decision to exceed his mandate by declaring who had won the presidential election, contrary to his tasks as detailed by the Security Council. This positioned the U.N. Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) as a partisan in the Ivorian conflict, rather than a neutral peacemaker, equidistant from the belligerent parties.

From this point onwards, UNOCI had no choice but actively to work for the installation of Ouattara as president of the country and the removal of Gbagbo. Ultimately, this found expression in the blatant use of its military capacities to open the way for the Forces Nouvelles to defeat the Gbagbo forces and capture Gbagbo, under the shameless pretence that it was acting to protect civilians.

While obliged to respect its peacekeeping mandate, which included keeping the belligerent forces apart, UNOCI did nothing to stop the advance of the Forces Nouvelles from the north to the south, including and up to Abidjan. Nor did UNOCI or the French Licorne forces, as mandated by the United Nations, act to protect civilians in the area of Duékoué, where, evidently, the most concentrated murder of civilians took place! This recalls the United Nations's failure to end the more catastrophic murder and abuse of civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo!

The Ivorian reality points to a number of incontrovertible conclusions.
The agreed conditions for the holding of democratic elections in Côte d'Ivoire were not created. Despite strong allegations of electoral fraud, the international community decided against conducting any verification of the process and the announced results. This left unanswered the vitally important question of who actually had won the elections, which Ouattara might have done.

The United Nations elected to abandon its neutrality as a peacemaker, deciding to be a partisan belligerent in the Ivorian conflict.

France used its privileged place in the Security Council to position itself to play an important role in determining the future of Côte d'Ivoire, its former colony in which, inter alia, it has significant economic interests. It joined the United Nations to ensure that Ouattara emerged as the victor in the Ivorian conflict.

This addressed the national interests of France, consistent with its Françafrique policies, which aim to perpetuate a particular relationship with its former African colonies. This is in keeping with remarks made by former French President François Mitterand when he said, "Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century," which former French foreign minister Jacques Godfrain confirmed when he said: "A little country [France], with a small amount of strength, we can move a planet because [of our], relations with 15 or 20 African countries, "

The AU is also not without blame, as it failed to assert itself to persuade everybody to work to achieve reconciliation among the Ivorians, and therefore durable peace. Tragically, the outcome that has been achieved in Côte d'Ivoire further entrenches the endemic conflict in this country. This is because it has placed in the exclusive hands of the failed rebellion of 2002 the ability to determine the future of the country, whereas the objective situation dictated and dictates that the people of Côte d'Ivoire should engage one another as equals to determine their shared destiny.

During the decade he served as president of Côte d'Ivoire, Gbagbo had no possibility to act on his own to reunify the country and achieve reconciliation among its diverse people, despite the existence of negotiated agreements in this regard. As he serves as president of the country, Ouattara will not succeed to realise these objectives, acting on his own, outside the context of honest agreement with the sections of the Ivorian population represented by Gbagbo.

What was to come was foreseen by the then U.S. ambassador in Côte d'Ivoire, Wanda L. Nesbitt. In July 2009, she advised the U.S. government:
"It now appears that the Ouaga IV agreement, [the fourth agreement to the Ouagadougou Political Agreement which prescribed that disarmament should precede the elections], is fundamentally an agreement between Blaise Compaore [President of Burkina Faso] and Laurent Gbagbo to share control of the north until after the presidential election, despite the fact that the text calls for the Forces Nouvelles to return control of the north to the government and complete disarmament two months before the election,

"But the 5,000 Forces Nouvelles soldiers who are to be "disarmed" and regrouped into barracks in four key cities in the north and west until a new national army is created, represent a serious military capability that the FAFN [Forces Nouvelles] intends to keep well-trained and in reserveuntil after the election. The hand-over of administrative power from the FAFN to civilian government authorities is a pre-requisite for elections but, as travelers to the north (including Embassy personnel) confirm: the FAFN retain de-facto control of the region especially when it comes to finances."

The failure to address the "pre-requisite for elections" predetermined their outcome. The rebel "control" of the north, mentioned by Ambassador Nesbitt, prescribed the outcome of the 2010 presidential election. Similarly, it was the "military capability" of the rebellion, which Ambassador Nesbitt mentioned, that was used to ensure that Ouattara became president of Côte d'Ivoire.

It is little wonder that as the post-election crisis deepened, Laurent Gbagbo would cry out: I was betrayed!

At the end of it all, there are many casualties.

One of these is the African Union. The tragic events in Côte d'Ivoire have confirmed the marginalization of the union in its ability to resolve the most important African challenges.

Instead, the AU has asserted the ability of the major powers to intervene to resolve these challenges by using their various capacities to legitimize their actions by persuading the United Nations to authorise their self-serving interventions.

The United Nations is yet another casualty. It has severely undermined its acceptability as a neutral force in the resolution of internal conflicts, such as the one in Côte d'Ivoire. It will now be difficult for the United Nations to convince Africa and the rest of the developing world that it is not a mere instrument in the hands of the world's major powers. This has confirmed the urgency of the need to restructure the organisation, based on the view that as presently structured the United Nations has no ability to act as a truly democratic representative of its member states.

Thus, in various ways, the events in Côte d'Ivoire could serve as a defining moment in terms of the urgent need to reengineer the system of international relations. They have exposed the reality of the balance and abuse of power in the post-Cold War era, and put paid to the fiction that the major powers respect the rule of law in the conduct of international relations, even as defined by the U.N. Charter, and that, as democrats, they respect the views of the peoples of the world.

We can only hope that Laurent and Simone Gbagbo and the Ivorian people do not continue to suffer as abused and humiliated victims of a global system which, in its interests, while shouting loudly about universal human rights, only seeks to perpetuate the domination of the many by the few who dispose of preponderant political, economic, military and media power.

The perverse and poisonous proceedings that have afflicted Côte d'Ivoire pose the urgent question: How many blatant abuses of power will Africa and the rest of the developing world experience before the vision of a democratic system of global governance is realised?

Source : [url]http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/29/what_the_world_got_wrong_in_cote_d_ivoire?page=0,0[/url]

Imo election inconclusive according to Channelstv.
How can this be so?

Nice to see a vagabond consigned to the thrash heap of history in Oyo state, by the way.

Pandemonium ensues in Imo -- http://www.channelstv.com/global/live_video.php
REC and Returning office from 1 LG not in agreement
PDP has won 11 of the 22 LGA where results have been declared so far.
APGA captured the same number.

@vladimiros,

how some people are brining neo -colonialism is just not-so-smart honest,
the French have always protected their colonies or ex cus maybe they see it as a responsibility

The French have always protected their colonies
I take it you are referring to the circle of trust which the likes of Mobutu benefited from for 30-odd years, the fountain of benevolence Biya (Cameroun), Mbasago (Equatorial Guniea), Bongo in Gabon and, until recently, Ben Ali (Tunisia) have been drinking from?
Do you have any idea how much of those same colonies' wealth is siphoned off to France year in year out?

I came across the following post in a discussion concerning poverty in Africa some time ago and posted the same on different thread here -

[b]"Curiously, Africa's impoverishment benefits a lot of powerful interests.
If my home country sells US$1Billion worth of cacao on the world market, we are mandated - by agreements - to convert that revenue into French Francs (or Euros). One billion dollars automatically becomes €763Million. The same agreements also require that we transfer 65% of this revenues (€469Million) to the French treasury and another 20% (€534Million) to guarantee the convertibility of the FCFA and to service operations accounts respectively. From this transaction, a measly US$150Million ends up in our national treasury. That's not all! That revenue is pooled together with revenues generated by the other 15 countries from former French colonies and no one know what percentage of the pool belongs to each country AND the French treasury isn't required to disclose that information.

However, we do know that France hasn't had a balanced budget in 36 years, and every French woman is "entitled" to 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave (26 for a third child). So, why is Africa poor?"[/b]

No, this is not about Quattara's French wife - although given the prevailing wind, I won't be so quick to dismiss this as inconsequential in the scheme of things
The bigger concern, for me, is what informs France's re-invigorated interest in Africa? What  lies behind the meddlesomeness which has Sarkozy straddling the skies of Tripoli and Abidjan?

On a different note, what should one make of these French-African "first ladies" (note: I think Gbagbo's first wife was also French)

Quintessential change-merchant - here

Laurent Gbagbo was born into a Catholic family near Gagnoa, in the cocoa-growing central-west of the country, nearly 60 years ago.

"Cicero", as he was nicknamed because of his taste for Latin during his school days, has a PhD in history.


Some say Mr Gbagbo's wife, Simone, is the real power behind the throne
Beginning his career as a university lecturer, Mr Gbagbo was jailed for two years in 1971 for "subversive" teaching. His nom de guerre was "little brother".

In the 1980s he was involved in trade union activity among academics.

He was one of the first to challenge Ivory Coast's founding President Houphouet-Boigny in the 1980s - as soon as the long-serving independence leader permitted multi-party politics.

In 1982 he sought exile in Paris, returning six years later to attend the founding congress of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI).

His time as an opposition leader led to spells in jail and brushes with the authorities.

His wife, Simone, is a powerful politician in her own right and some see her as the real hardline power behind the throne, preventing her husband from giving up power.

Archetypal African Strongman - here: starts off well before the slow and irreversible unpacking of megalomaniac tendencies ensues

But while he was in power, most news broadcasts highlighted Mr Gbagbo's daily activities.
He has a reputation for being short-tempered, in particular against "arrogant" journalists,

--http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12933023

What a shame it had to end like this,

To think this is the same Gbagbo who earned his stripes taking on despotic Houphouet-Boigny, in whose government Quattara served as prime-minister?
Irony of ironies - this one

One word: obscene

As offensive as watching our women sexualized and degraded with an uncanny acuity some of our earlier enslavers never really achieved. Yes!

As offensive as the depths some members of the hip generation stoop to, in pursuit of commercial success - case in point:http://www.thebvx.com/2010/11/16/daily-smh-rapper-is-ape-on-album-cover/

Sometimes you've got to wonder if we are now at a point where no "bridge is considered to far"; where ALL rules must be broken to achieve ephemeral highs!

Not sure what to make of this new diktat.
Is this a case of much ado about nothing since there is no such thing as "Nigerian Made Vehicles"?

I know we have "Nigerian made wheelie Bins" (Innoson@Nnewi), which were conveniently ignored by a minister in Presido's government only last year - 'Fec Approves N927m ($6.5m) For Fct Waste Bins', https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-518748.0.html
Btw, any news on those wheelie bins?

@Bastage,

If the aim is to bring aabout Western influence, that can only be achieved by creating a stable, democratic Libya.

You don't really believe the above, do you?
Egypt under Mubarak got $2billion US dollars every year even though it was anything but a stable democracy.
Then you have countries like Bahrain, Yemen, Pakistan and at least half a dozen ex-Soviet republics who also benefit from the US's largesse.

The West (the US) in particular advances its own strategic interest, nothing more nothing less.
If in doubt – particularly with respect to Uncle Sam – consult the ‘Monroe Doctrine’.

@Bastage,

Thanks for taking time to read through that article, but you miss the bigger picture here.
Bringing Libyan oil stock within the US/Europe sphere of influence will help lower global prices! That is the crux.
That the US, at this time, imports most of its oil from Canada only satisfies one piece of the puzzle, as the greater imperative is to guarantee future supplies from the Middle East, Africa and invariably lower the price charged to the end-user in filing stations.

@Bastage

Oil is not a factor. As I have repeatedly pointed out, the West obtains minimal amount of oil from Libya and they already have drilling deals balanced in their favour. The rebels have categorically stated that if they find any of those deals to have involved corruption (and let us face it, corruption will be involved), they will renegotiate them to blance them in favour of the Libyan people

Precision bombing, huh? Just as we witnessed in Iraq?
Oil is not a factor?
The west is securing supplies around the world. Simple

The geopolitical and economic implications of a US-NATO led military intervention directed against Libya are far-reaching.

Libya is among the World's largest oil economies with approximately 3.5% of global oil reserves, more than twice those of the US.

"Operation Libya" is part of  the broader military agenda in the Middle East and Central Asia which consists in gaining control and corporate ownership over more than sixty percent of the world's reserves of oil and natural gas, including oil and gas pipeline routes.

"Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, possess between 66.2 and 75.9 percent of total oil reserves, depending on the source and methodology of the estimate." (See Michel Chossudovsky, The "Demonization" of Muslims and the Battle for Oil, Global Research, January 4, 2007) .

With 46.5 billion barrels of proven reserves, (10 times those of Egypt), Libya is the largest oil economy in the African continent followed by Nigeria and Algeria (Oil and Gas Journal). In contrast, US proven oil reserves are of the order of 20.6 billion barrels (December 2008) according to the Energy Information Administration.  U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Reserves)

-- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23605