₦airaland Forum

on NOVEMBER 13, 2011 · in HEADLINES

By Morenike Taire
The spate of hostage taking in Nigeria has shot the country into the number four position in global ranking, according to the American Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Although the Bureau did not disclose the three countries ahead of Nigeria in the ranking, it explained that the cases of hostage taking across the world have been under-reported.


Victims of Kidnaping


Hostage taking in Nigeria assumed a frightening dimension in the wake of the militancy in the Niger Delta, leading to incessant kidnapping of expatriates working with oil firms and affluent Nigerians or their relations.

Commercial hostage takers kidnapping people later emerged and the scourge spread to the south-east.

An FBI agent, Ms Jennifer Dent, who disclosed the ranking of Nigeria as number four in the world in hostage taking in Lagos, also identified Nigeria as the greatest threat to cyber security in Africa.

Speaking at a lecture organized by the Hubert H Humbert Fellowship Program Alumni Annual lecture at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), she shared the story of how her experiences in Nigeria has been quite unlike any other, having worked in nine different African countries including Rwanda. Posted to Nigeria in 2009, Dent recalled how her first Christmas vacation in the United States was rudely interrupted by a call with the unexpected news: A Nigerian youth, Farouk Abdulmutallab, had just attempted to detonate an explosive on board a Detroit, USA bound aircraft on Christmas day.

The FBI agent said the experience of the September 11, 2001 bombings of the World Trade Center in New York had people blaming the lack of cooperation of the various security agencies for the mishap. That consciousness, according to her, is therefore brought to bear upon the training provided to Nigerian security personnel by the FBI working in Nigeria. Fielding questions, Dent gave kudos to the EFCC, whom she said has been working tirelessly to improve Nigeria’s image.

Another United States Consulate official who spoke in a lecture entitled The Challenges of Law Enforcement in Nigeria: Taming the culture of Impunity, was its regional security officer, Brian Buchnam, whose previous international postings included Haiti, Iraq and Rwanda, where he worked with Dent. Bucknam also shared his experiences while working in the police in the United States, saying working in the police department of a major city is “nothing like the movies in Hollywood”. He concluded, however, that nothing prepared him for the “Al Qaeda in Lagos”.

According to him, many officers join the police force with great passion only to have it diminished fifteen years down the line due to frustration. Furthermore, he expressed faith in the Nigeria Police, and enjoined fresh entrants to “Join the police for a higher purpose”.

“We have a lot of power. We can arrest people, we can kill people if it is justified, therefore we have to remember that with great power comes great responsibility… Character is what you do when no one is looking. Let it mean something if you make an oath. Police is a direct reflection of the community”. He added that police in a modern society needs a lot of skills because their job requires them to wear a lot of hats in different situations, including those of a doctor and marriage counselor.

Also speaking at the seminar, Lagos State Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, who was representing the Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, used the opportunity to call for community policing as the solution to the Boko Haram and other terrorism trends, arguing that bringing police and other security personnel from other parts of the country to Lagos makes it difficult for the personnel to duly investigate criminal activity and enforce the law, being aliens in their new communities. Suggesting amendments to necessary policies in this regard, Ipaye submitted that trading blame is not the solution to rising insecurity and impunity. “We must identify problems and do all we can to solve them”, he said.

Other speakers at the lecture, chaired by Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, President of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, included the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terrence P McCulley; and Chief Judge of Lagos, Hon. Justice Inumidun Enitan Akande, represented by Hon. Justice Ope Sanwo.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/hostage-taking-nigeria-ranks-4th-in-the-world/

Is bootstrap what people use nowadays? It used to be Blueprint and 960.gs, no?

Jajad, do you also know ruby on rails? If so, I'll get in touch with you.

If one is not used to modern comforts (toilet, air-conditioning, electricity) and don't need 'em, then by all means go w/o.

I cannot imagine living in any hot place w/o air conditioning though, lol.

hmm

logica:
I've observed your posts are always wacky. I have been to Baltimore so many times even the seedy and dangerous spots and never got mugged. They probably looked you over and all they could see was nice and soft meat. You will likely get mugged in Ajegunle as well. Even if you go to Mushin-Olosha you will get mugged. And they are Nigerians like you.

Baltimore has a helluva lot of crackheads too, lol.

Another place I'd never want to visit the seedy spots of.

That book changed my life.

Possibly the most important book I've read after the Bible.

Anyway, I remain skeptical of Nigeria's chances. We shall see.

No regrets. Enjoyed it thoroughly and learned from the experience. And am a better person now as a result.

*munches popcorn*

This should be damn entertaining.

lol

dude got pwned

SE DC is not a safe place to be.

And if I am foolish enough to be cabbying there, I won't argue over 75 cents. Too many drug-addled niggers roaming around there.

Not to mention that it was late at night, at 4am. . .

Gotta use more common sense if you want to survive

manny4life is playing to the gallery a bit

Lol.

This male feminist shtick is pretty popular round these parts, unfortunately

shameful

South African politics
Bye-bye JuJu
Nov 10th 2011, 15:54 by D.G. | JOHANNESBURG


AT FIRST it sounded as if the disciplinary hearings of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) against Julius Malema, firebrand leader of the party's youth wing, were heading for another cop-out. Found guilty of deliberately barging into a meeting of senior party officials, including President Jacob Zuma, he and four other Youth League leaders were suspended from the party for two years (cue loud gasps from the media). But, Derek Hanekom, chairman of the ANC's national disciplinary committee, continued, this sentence would in its turn be suspended for three years.

Only if Mr Malema or the others were found guilty of further misconduct during that time would they actually be suspended. This sounded remarkably similar to the treatment the 30-year-old politician received when he was first hauled before the party's disciplinary committee in May last year. He was then given a suspended sentence of two years and ordered to attend political education and anger-management classes.

He did neither of those things. Instead he continued to act more defiantly and outrageously, openly disparaging Mr Zuma, making racist slurs, urging the nationalisation of mines and banks and the expropriation of farms without compensation, and extolling the virtues of African dictators like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Libya's Muammar Qaddafi, while calling for Youth League "command teams" to be sent into neighbouring democratic Botswana to help "liberate" the country from its "imperialist puppet regime".

For a while, Mr Zuma did nothing. Mr Malema and the Youth League used to be among his most ardent supporters, helping catapult him into power as head of the ANC in 2007. he wanted to ensure their backing, or at least their neutrality, in the run-up to the party's critical "elective" conference next year when all office-bearers, including the party's president, will be up for election. A year ago, Mr Zuma was still hailing the wayward youth chief as a "future leader" of his party. But he seems to have understood at last that Mr Malema has turned into an implacable opponent.

In the sweltering lobby of the ANC's headquarters in downtown Johannesburg on November 10th, Mr Hanekom was nearing the end of his two-hour statement on the outcome of Mr Malema's latest disciplinary hearings. The verdict on the charge of sowing divisions within the ANC, bringing the party into disrepute, and propagating racism? Guilty. In view of what had gone before, that was expected. The sentence? Mr Malema to be suspended from the ANC for five years forthwith and stripped of his post as leader of the Youth League. That was not.

It could spell the downfall of one of South Africa's best known and most controversial political figures. Mr Malema immediately said he would lodge an appeal with the disciplinary committee’s appeals division. If it upholds the ruling, the sentence will come into immediate effect. He has no further right of appeal. The party's national executive committee has the right to review the process and, if it wishes, to overturn the ruling and throw out the sentence. But this would split the party down the middle.

Mr Malema was not present to receive the committee's verdict and sentence. Perhaps wisely, he had absented himself, claiming that he had to sit an exam 500km away in Polokowane for a degree in political science he is pursuing at the distance-learning University of South Africa. Having failed to pass his basic school-leaving exam, this was obviously important for him. Outside the examination hall, he struck a defiant pose, saying he was not intimidated and would continue to fight. "We will never apologise; the gloves are off!"

Meanwhile, his business ventures—his other main source of power—are also coming under scrutiny. Criminal investigations are already under way into his alleged manipulation of public tenders in Limpopo, his home province, to the benefit of family members and friends. The tax authorities are also after him. Questions have long been asked how Mr Malema, with his luxury cars, designer clothes and string of properties, can afford such a lavish lifestyle on his relatively meagre Youth League salary.

This could be the end of the road for this ambitious, loud-mouthed but charismatic and politically savvy young man. But Mr Malema is a fighter and still has many friends in high places. He has the power to go on making a lot of trouble for Mr Zuma. South Africa has not heard the last yet of this popular populist, who has fired the imagination of the country's millions of angry, unemployed, dispossessed youth.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2011/11/south-african-politics?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/byebyejuju

I wish this approach to problem solving actually worked in the real world. Ignore your problem until it goes away?

I proly wouldn't recommend this technique to anyone doing homework, taking an exam, or given tasks to solve by a boss at the office 

Improved transportation in the SW truly is the path to prosperity (well, after electricity.) Good that Aregbe understands this.

Man, how Obama won an election after being tied to that Reverend Wright dude is still pretty amazing to me.

I thought he was sunk when that first came out, lol. I remember feeling pretty depressed when I first watched it.

Rokiatu, relax. Pretty sure this guy speaks only for himself.

Me, I'd hit it

On technical subjects, I think the best approach is to find something that explains things clearly. Easier books are better than hard books. You can always test yourself after by solving hard problems.

But for learning purposes, the easier the better. You don't gain anything from terrible writing, terse or mysterious explanations, etc. It doesn't make your life better (well, this isn't quite true. . . there are some cases where you want this. But this isn't one of them.)

Especially in a situation where there is no professor/lecturer or other expert on the subject you can ask questions. Not even other bright students (then again with Google and the internet nowadays, you can basically get the equivalent of this. But still.)

Regarding books, pretty much any data structures book rates 4 stars or above on amazon.com is going to be a good bet.

Honestly you can just bittorrent or download a few, figure out which one's style you like the best and stick with that.

Ah, ok. Hmm. I guess we are using "invention" differently. PS4 is just another video gaming system, i don't really consider this an invention.

But I see your point, and agree with it.

Fayimora:
Errr you kinda slipped. Yes I know you need maths skills and thats why I told @OP earlier to work on them for now. If you cannot learn without code then you aren't actually learning algorithms. The only way you can understand the ACTUAL CONCEPTS is with such books. They dont say anything about language or some bloody code. They go STRAIGHT to the point, its up to you to implement it in whatsoever language.

That is certainly one way to do it. Just describe the algorithms and not provide any code. But in most cases, people also prefer looking at code too. FWIW, despite buying and using the book I linked to above, I actually implemented my linked lists, sorting algorithms, etc in Ruby. I didn't recommend the book because it has code, but because it has clear explanations.

What I have learnt is, never learn any concept by looking at code. Read about it, work on it with pencil and paper until you understand it and can compute results for any input you are given. If you have noticed, most of those 'humans' that invent these algorithms are mathematicians! Ever asked yourself why?

Dont forget that an algorithm is not about writing code to do something. An algorithm is a sequence of computational steps. There is a difference between a programmer and someone who knows how to write code. A programmer MUST have strong computational and analytical skills. That you can only possibly get from maths.

Anyways, its all up to you. What you(@ekt) are saying is not wrong at all. Its just not the right advice for someone who would love to learn ALGORITHMS. Again if anyone is on the "just get a job" side of the fence then what I have just said should be totally ignored.

Much of this is true. However, not really relevant for the purposes of this thread. He wants a book that explains clearly these algorithms. CLRS in my opinion is not a good choice for a beginner self-studying. The book I mentioned is.

IbroSaunks:
@ekt, r u a student or a pro?

I'm a student who'll be going on the job market in a few months, considering some software positions. Not a computer scientist though.

And in case it isn't clear @danjohn, I don't mean "you" as in you specifically. I'm referring to people who start threads like this.

It reminds me of all these conspiracy nuts who believe that the ancient Native Americans were all black Africans or aliens from outer space or something.

Like, it is funny at first, but then just gets weird.

danjohn:
ekt_bear Biafra did not make planes.  Ojukwu himself said it.  He said that they tried to make planes but their effort was not successful.  Someone should please look at the video and try skipping to the portions where Ojukwu is speaking.  You will see where he said it.  I wish I could watch the video now and tell you where it is in the video but I am at work.

I've seen this video (well, part of it) myself and already know this.

But my commentary is more general.

Like, most of us who aren't Biafrans don't give a crap about these things that you claim happened but really didn't. So why constantly spam us about them? Let's just agree to disagree and leave it at that.

Really is that simple imo.

Of what relevance are any of these things to anyone's life today?

Kats, don't waste your time man. It isn't worth the effort. I used to be interested in these things a year ago but now they bore the hell out of me.

A poster here asked earlier for pictures, nothing was provided.

The burden of proof is on those who claim that these things were done to actually demonstrate it.

Not some sort of m0ronic argument in which if you don't believe someone's lies, you are guilty of bad belle and jealously.

Kind of pathetic, really.

Anyway, everyone is entitled to their own delusions. Just don't expect others to accept your particular delusions as gospel truth, is all I ask.

All this religiosity sef. . .

Anyway, I thought fast = you get to eat at 5pm or whatever? Just no food from when you wake up in the morning until evening. But you can eat once it turns evening, no? You aren't supposed to starve yourself for 21 days.

Wtf was she doing?

Nobody likes hearing fake self-aggrandizing stories about X Y and Z. Or hell, maybe you are saying that it is only Yoruba who don't like hearing such fake stories, and others enjoy it.

Anyway, regardless, it isn't a big deal. What is more important is whether this actually happened or not. And it doesn't appear to be real.

Haha that is the same way I felt

Too bad the damn naija government doesn't do its job and provide this information itself.

I can find information about almost anything I want about the US, UK, Canada just through the internet. But for Nigeria, nothing is available

Aigbofa:
Amazing isn't it? I think Nigeria can learn from this, but we have to get the electricity problem sorted out.

Yep. Frikking insane. They have a 6 trillion dollar economy. And I am sure that all of those FTZs land area wise are not up to Ekiti State.

Really shows the power of industrialization and free trade, I think.

Here is one: http://canback.com/

This is where the Wikipedia GDP data for Nigeria was sourced from.

They charge a sh1tload though, like $3k+ (if I remember correctly. May need to contact them to get a quote.)

There is are a few others as well.