₦airaland Forum

An index of African governance
A rum old mix
From happy islands to the swamps of misery

Oct 7th 2010 | Nairobi

ONCE again Africa’s worthiest and perhaps happiest countries, according to Mo Ibrahim’s latest measure of all-round governance, scrutinising data gathered for last year, are offshore. Mauritius is the runaway winner, followed by the Seychelles in second place and Cape Verde fourth (see table). On the African mainland, Botswana, with the advantages of ethnic homogeneity, a small population, diamonds and good leaders, does best, in third place, with South Africa, by far the weightiest country in Africa, fifth. At the other end of the scale, the most wretched land is Somalia, with Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe competing for Africa’s wooden spoon.

There are no big changes in the pecking order. The yardsticks applied by Mr Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born British telecoms magnate and philanthropist, judge countries on a mix of four main criteria: “safety and the rule of law” (looking at the murder rate and corruption, among other things); “participation and human rights” (that little matter of being able peacefully to chuck out a bad government); “sustainable economic opportunity” (including such things as fiscal management, free markets and inflation); and “human development” (in essence, education and health care).

Some countries do surprisingly well despite their lack of democracy. Tunisia, which is run by a dictator but gives its people a decent life in other respects, comes eighth; Libya, which has one of the nastiest human-rights records in Africa but gives its people loads of welfare, is a respectable 23rd. Others, despite wealth and civil vibrancy, do notably badly. Nigeria is down in 40th place and Angola, though it oozes oil, comes a dismal 43rd. Two countries favoured by many development buffs, Rwanda and Ethiopia, do badly because of their deteriorating human-rights records: Rwanda is in 31st place and Ethiopia in 34th.

In regional and religious terms, it may be noted that Muslim and Maghreb countries do badly on the democracy and human-rights index. Green-minded advocates also think Mr Ibrahim should think of applying a new criterion for managing natural resources and tackling climate change. Urban planning and innovation could also usefully be measured. Particularly pleasing, for Mr Ibrahim and for Africa’s well-wishers at large, is that governments across the continent are taking the table seriously. There is nothing like a bit of naming, shaming and praising.

Gbawe:
Even as this man is probably an AGIP Vulture , he could actually claim moral umbrage over the zoning issus. Reason? The PDP already gave Jonathan a face-saving excuse that seemed to tick all the boxes for everyone i.e Zoning remains in the PDP but Jonathan can run and , if he wins, complete the joint ticket he shared with Yar Adua.

Why did Jonathan then come out to contradict his party by stating that the Presidency is not affected by zoning? Could this not be seen as an unneccesarily inflamatory and needless remark by even those who made it possible , through sheer bullying of dissidents, for the PDP to come to the compromise it arrived at regarding zoning? Of course some folks will be angry that Jonathan's contradictory interpretation , after he had gotten what he wanted, is the hallmark of insincerity and deceit.

Even the PDP chairman Nwodo, said the same thing.
What contradiction are you talking about?

@poster
This guy is funny.
When did Nigerian politicians start quitting because issues like this.
He has been bought over by IBB, short and simple.

How much?

He should never go scot free eventhough he quits the race.
He should be made to face the repercussions for
bombing innocent civilians.

All say 'No' to IBB

IBB did hold meetings with militants but whether or
not bombing Abuja was an item on the agenda . . .

GEJ doesn't talk carelessly, from his days as deputy gov, gov, VP and even President.
Having him talk that much meant he had got vital info at his disposal.
Let's wait.

Bastard Okah

From Pointblank
Militants crack, disown Henry Okah

THE October 1, bomb blast at Abuja, has cracked the insurgent community in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main oil and gas region, with some unrepentant rebel groups loyal to Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, coming down heavily on Henry Okah, a factional leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

MEND came into being in 2006 to press for the release of Dokubo-Asari, who was arrested and detained in 2005 for alleged treasonable offences.

The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) an insurgent network which comprises of alliance units of the Movement for MEND, The Reformed Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force and the Martyrs Brigade, is currently hitting hard on Henry Okah.

In an on-line statement to our correspondent on Wednesday, Spokesperson of the JRC, Cynthia Whyte, said they have parted ways with the factional MEND leader.

''We wish to dissociate ourselves from the actions of Henry Okah who until recently was the lead arms supplier to a faction of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.

''His faction of MEND was led by General Boyloaf (Victor Ebikabowei) who has since disbanded his unit and has joined forces with the renewed efforts in bringing peace, stability and development to the Niger Delta''.

Continuing, they said, ''Henry Okah is a monster that was created by frontline Ijaw leader Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari. During his incarceration in 2005-2007, Henry Okah was mandated and paid to service fighting units loyal to Mujahid Dokubo-Asari.

''He exploited Dokubo-Asari’s absence, cunningly hijacked the email address used by MEND to communicate with the world, sold arms to armed robbers and confiscated hundreds of millions of naira meant for supply of arms to combat groups in the Niger Delta.

''Since his release from prison by former President Yar’Adua and realizing that he had lost most of his leverage, Henry Okah has sought to work with former armed robbery gangs that he had supplied arms to in the past. These armed robbery groups were responsible for bank robberies and the theft of monies from oil companies in Port Harcourt and its environs.

''Henry Okah is not MEND and MEND is not Henry Okah. We condemn him in all fullness and await further directives on appropriate actions that will be taken on this hardened criminal who successfully infiltrated our ranks to perpetrate clandestinely heinous crimes. His end has come''.

That ciroma man is senile.

That Ciroma Man is senile

13volts:
Same senate should carpet GJE for attempting to frame the north for oct. 1st boambing

Which 'north' Mr Political Tribalist? Is Raymond Dokpesi a northerner? Eventhogh the target is IBB as you would say, why generalized?

gregg2:
Only Henry Okah with his 'Jomo Gbomo' email ID refused to
accept amnesty. Okah's lawyer was trying to use Wole Soyika and co to
obtain money from Fed Government. All MEND leaders and fighters had deserted him.
GEJ and Yar'Adua realized this and tactically declined negotiating with him afterall the deadline had passed.

You are right. Okah and maybe his wife and few of his close confidant know about that password. He is using it to make money. Murderer.

@Princekeva
Did I hear you say Mr Gbomo?. You are funny. They is nobody like that. Those are all Okah's media creations.

Jomo Gbomo is an email user ID, not a person.
Henry Okah was the most educated of the group and kept
the password. GEJ knows this and that's why he is after him.

Asari, Tompolo, Boyloaf, Ateke Tom, Dagogo, Shoot At Sight and
others were fighters who have embraced amnesty.

Kay 17:
There is a political battle going on within PDP, on power-sharing. The party's policy of zone is to ensure every ethnic group benefits from power, since ethnicity is the sole power base of every nigerian politican. On such agreement did Jonathan jump on board, the system has once profited the West/South, and its the Northerners' turn. Now its against him and then wants to destroy everything altogether. i think that is too selfish. Jonathan is a crook! If nigerians do not like zoning, they should vote for another competent party.
The idea of Jonathan backing a rebel group from his region and then pushing the blame on his political rivals, lacks all sense and too backward. The so-called investigation has not being thru, but Jonathan is pointing fingers.

It will make little sense to tell us it is the turn of North West
Atiku, IBB and Saraki are not from that zone. Only Aliyu Gusau is.

By the way, is that enough reason for desperate IBB to bomb Abuja?

Al Jazeerah conspire with terrorist.

xterra2:

What a question! Useless one
Maybe the Jomo Gbomo was there

Jomo Gbomo is not a person,just an alias of another person

He is not Jomo Gbomo until he goes to yahoomail,gmail,windows live mail or whichever email he uses

Then let 'yahoo' block that account

IBB is not from North West and cannot claim a ticket zoned to it.
Besides, has he finish answering terrorism charges with SSS?

From The BBC

Nigeria ex-rebel leader Okah arrested after Abuja blast
Ex-Mend leader Henry Okah denied his faction carried out the Abuja bombings
A former leader of the Nigerian militant group Mend has been arrested in connection with two blasts on Friday in Abuja which killed 12 people.
Henry Okah was arrested in South Africa, said Nigerian intelligence agency spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan labelled the attackers "terrorists" who pretended to be fighting for a cause.
The State Security Service confirmed it had been warned by foreign intelligence services that an attack was imminent.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), which says it is fighting for a fairer distribution of Nigeria's oil wealth, said it carried out the car bombings not far from the official celebrations.
Mr Jonathan, who is himself from the Niger Delta, dismissed Mend's attempts to link the bombings with poverty in the delta region.
"It has nothing to do with the Niger Delta. These are terrorists," he told reporters after visiting victims in hospital.
He said people "use the name of Mend to camouflage criminality and terrorism".
It was earlier reported that Mr Jonathan said Mend had not carried out the attacks, but his comments were later clarified by news agencies.
Mr Okah told the BBC on Friday his group was not responsible.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Mr Okah has barely been heard of outside Nigeria, but within the country he is notorious.
Mend signed an agreement with the government last year, in which former fighters were offered an amnesty and small amounts of cash in return for handing in their weapons.
Our correspondent says Mr Okah, known as the gunrunner of Mend, is widely believed to lead a splinter group opposed to the amnesty.
His friends expect him to be charged on Monday.
Mend said the bombings were to "draw attention to the plight of the people of the Niger Delta".
However, Mend leader Henry Okah, who lives in South Africa, denies involvement. His house was raided by the police early on Thursday.
"They informed me that they were acting on the instance of the Nigerian government, which had petitioned the South African government that I was manufacturing bombs in my home and my home was a warehouse for weapons which I was shipping to the Niger Delta," Mr Okah told the BBC.
The British Foreign Office issued warnings to all travellers to Nigeria. Clearly there were straws in the wind that the intelligence services were aware of.
Mend sent a warning shortly before the blasts, saying "several explosive devices have been successfully planted in and around the venue by our operatives working inside the government security services".
It added: "There is nothing worth celebrating after 50 years of failure. For 50 years, the people of the Niger Delta have had their land and resources stolen from them."
Mend later accused officials of acting "irresponsibly by ignoring our forewarning".
British dignitaries stayed away from Friday's parade marking 50 years of Nigerian independence, raising questions about how much foreign intelligence services knew about threats to the event.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it had "received indications of a heightened security risk" and took immediate action to update travel advice after the Mend warning on Friday morning.
The Queen's representative, the Duke of Gloucester, had been scheduled to attend the parade but did not do so. His office declined to comment on why he withdrew. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also did not attend.

Nigeria ex-rebel leader Okah arrested after Abuja blast
Ex-Mend leader Henry Okah denied his faction carried out the Abuja bombings
A former leader of the Nigerian militant group Mend has been arrested in connection with two blasts on Friday in Abuja which killed 12 people.
Henry Okah was arrested in South Africa, said Nigerian intelligence agency spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan labelled the attackers "terrorists" who pretended to be fighting for a cause.
The State Security Service confirmed it had been warned by foreign intelligence services that an attack was imminent.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), which says it is fighting for a fairer distribution of Nigeria's oil wealth, said it carried out the car bombings not far from the official celebrations.
Mr Jonathan, who is himself from the Niger Delta, dismissed Mend's attempts to link the bombings with poverty in the delta region.
"It has nothing to do with the Niger Delta. These are terrorists," he told reporters after visiting victims in hospital.
He said people "use the name of Mend to camouflage criminality and terrorism".
It was earlier reported that Mr Jonathan said Mend had not carried out the attacks, but his comments were later clarified by news agencies.
Mr Okah told the BBC on Friday his group was not responsible.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Mr Okah has barely been heard of outside Nigeria, but within the country he is notorious.
Mend signed an agreement with the government last year, in which former fighters were offered an amnesty and small amounts of cash in return for handing in their weapons.
Our correspondent says Mr Okah, known as the gunrunner of Mend, is widely believed to lead a splinter group opposed to the amnesty.
His friends expect him to be charged on Monday.
Mend said the bombings were to "draw attention to the plight of the people of the Niger Delta".
However, Mend leader Henry Okah, who lives in South Africa, denies involvement. His house was raided by the police early on Thursday.
"They informed me that they were acting on the instance of the Nigerian government, which had petitioned the South African government that I was manufacturing bombs in my home and my home was a warehouse for weapons which I was shipping to the Niger Delta," Mr Okah told the BBC.
The British Foreign Office issued warnings to all travellers to Nigeria. Clearly there were straws in the wind that the intelligence services were aware of.
Mend sent a warning shortly before the blasts, saying "several explosive devices have been successfully planted in and around the venue by our operatives working inside the government security services".
It added: "There is nothing worth celebrating after 50 years of failure. For 50 years, the people of the Niger Delta have had their land and resources stolen from them."
Mend later accused officials of acting "irresponsibly by ignoring our forewarning".
British dignitaries stayed away from Friday's parade marking 50 years of Nigerian independence, raising questions about how much foreign intelligence services knew about threats to the event.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it had "received indications of a heightened security risk" and took immediate action to update travel advice after the Mend warning on Friday morning.
The Queen's representative, the Duke of Gloucester, had been scheduled to attend the parade but did not do so. His office declined to comment on why he withdrew. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also did not attend.



Then who are the so-called MEND that send an e-mail claiming responsibility for the attack? GEJ will soon be proved right. All those hiding under MEND to terrorize our nation will soon be unmasked.

9ijaMan:
@ Goddex,
I'm not into monitoring what comments are made about my person. However, I need to correct you here> I have never (here or NL or any other blog) supported IBB. I will also never support him. Take that to the bank. The only common ground between ferari90 and I is that we are able to see GEJ for what he truly is: "an opportunist". I do not give a ratsazz about IBB or any other thieving candidate in PDP.

Ok wait a little while for the investigation. GEJ does not talk carelessly. Let's stop politicizing every move of the President. The next five days to one week will reveal some truth.

9ijaMan:
@ Goddex,
This is about the third or forth thread you keep posting the same sets of words. If you have nothing else to do besides copying and pasting, why not go and campaign for your beloved GEJ. You should go and look for people who will believe the ridiculous statements coming from someone who's supposed to be the President and C&C of Nigeria, as against stooping so low to become the spokesman for MEND.

You had been on all these threads you probably created with the sole aim of running GEJ down. Take note, I don't give a damn who emerges PDP flag-bearer. Your posts have not been objective and I am forced to reply.

9ijaMan:
@Goddex,
I suppose you are not happy that I'm utilizing my God given brains properly. I do not need a soothsayer nor a PhD. holder to explain to me that GEJ is not expereinced enough for the position he's occupying.

I use my senses to reason appropriately instead of towing the path of blind follower-ship. Please get that into your coconut. I will hate to have another 4 years of this inept man in Aso rock.

You are not being sensible but bias. I have been reading all your posts concerning this bomb blast issue. Your plan is to take advantage of GEJ's comments to run him down. You probably do not have any information at your disposal (GEJ has) except newspaper reports and internet. A 'sensible' man will wait a little while for his President to proof his point and not jump into conclusions.

9ijaMan and ferari90
I don't care who PDP finally picks as it's flagbearer . . . but your biased
posts about GEJ this, GEJ that, every thread I open are boring me. You are trying
to use this bomb blast incidence to run down GEJ and market your master
IBB . . . but nairalanders are wiser, my dear.

@9ijaMan and ferari90
What do you 'two' (or one person hiding under two user-names)
gain by hopping from one thread to the other scandalizing your president for?
Are you a paid agent of one of the aspirants?
You are making much more mockery of yourself instead.
We are tired of these user-names, create another and use.

@9ijaMan and ferari90
What do you 'two' (or one person hiding under two user-names)
gain by hopping from one thread to the other scandalizing your president for?
Are you a paid agent of one of the aspirants?
You are making much more mockery of yourself instead.
We are tired of these user-names, create another and use.

@9ijaMan and ferari90
What do you 'two' (or one person hiding under two user-names)
gain by hopping from one thread to the other scandalizing your president for?
Are you a paid agent of one of the aspirants?
You are making much more mockery of yourself instead.
We are tired of these user-names, create another and use.

@9ijaMan and ferari90
What do you 'two' (or one person hiding under two user-names)
gain by hopping from one thread to the other scandalizing your president for?
Are you a paid agent of one of the aspirants?
You are making much more mockery of yourself instead.
We are tired of these user-names, create another and use.

Why all the rantings from nairalanders? You will soon know the truth. GEJ doesn't talk carelessly and would not have said what he said if he didn't have proof. We cannot sit by our laptops and claimed to know more than our President.

@labiyemmy:
Why are you hell bent on blaming everything on Jonathan? He has more information than you do - just because someone sends an un seen email to pressmen using the name of MEND, you - in your own daftness believes the email, much more than your head of state who has access to more information than you do? Come on - think, use your head and dont think like okija juju associates who believes anything they read in the papers.

Really sometimes nairalanders amaze me. They jumped at seeking the head of their president who has got much more information at his disposal.